Antiquities and Ancient Art

British Public Contributes $175,000+ to Help Protect Endangered Roman Villa

Horray for the readers of The Times of London who rallied around a plea to save a Roman landmark and contributed in excess of $175,000 to help save it after a 2003 article that Brading Roman Villa was on the World Monuments Fund’s list of most endangered sites and English Heritage’s register of buildings at risk.

Engineers reported that the protective building, which was damaged by flood water during a freak storm in 1990s, was unlikely to last more than another two years. The charitable trust that owns the villa hoped for lottery funding to build a new structure, but needed to raise matching funds before they could apply. This was a daunting task on an island with a population of 134,000 and one of the highest unemployment rates in the South of England.

The villa is one of the few domestic Roman buildings in Britain where mosaic floors can be seen in situ. They depict classical scenes unparalleled in the Romano-British world, including peacocks, signifying eternal life, and Tritons, or sea beasts, carrying reclining nymphs. The villa’s luxury suggests that it was owned by the wealthiest of Roman Britons. Such is the extraordinary quality of the mosaics, and the rare materials used, that they have been likened to an art gallery in stone. Full story.

Head of Constantine the Great Found in Roman Sewer

Making headlines around the world today is a story of a lost marble head that has spent the past 1700 years in sewer sludge underneath Trajan's Forum in Rome. The head is said to be that of Constantine the Great, who reigned from 306 to 337 AD and is famous for legalizing Christianity.

Sceintists believe the head may have been deliberately dropped into the sewer to divert water from a drain or could have been the result of short-lived anti-Constantine riots. 

The image of Constantine the Great is widely recognizable as a result of the monumental head, partial arm and severed hand in marble that are displayed outside the Capitoline Museum in Rome (see picture). The newly discovered head is of Carrara marble, in surprisingly good shape, and measures about 2-feet in length. It appears to be earlier than its monumental cousin, probably sculpted between 312 and 325 AD, according to reports.

The features of the face and expression have led to speculation that the head may have been attached to a statue of the emperor depicting him in the stylized glory of full armor at the time of his triumphant return to Rome after defeating his rival Maxentius in battle in 312 AD.

The find is exciting as it adds another dimension to the corpus of identifiable imperial Roman sculpture. After brief conservation work, the head will debut to the public September 17 at Rome's White Night celebrations.  For story and photo.

2,400 Year Old Thracian Golden Wreath Unearthed by Archaeologists

Archaeologists have unearthed a 2,400-year old golden treasure in an ancient Thracian tomb in eastern Bulgaria, the director of the country's History Museum said Monday according to report by teh Associated Press.

The gold-rich burial was discovered late on Saturday by a team of archaeologists, working on excavations near the village of Zlatinitsa, some 290 kilometers (180 miles) east of the capital, Sofia.

The most impressive finds included a golden ring and wreath, finely crafted silver rhytons, or horn-shaped drinking vessels, and many golden and silver pieces of armor and horse trappings, Prof. Bozhidar Dimitrov told the Associated Press in a telephone interview.  Click for full story and photo.

New Dead Sea Scroll Fragments Discovered in Judean Desert

A secretive encounter with a Beduin robber in a Judean Desert valley has led to what one archeologist hailed as one of the most important biblical finds from the region in half a century, according to an article in the Jerusaleum Post.

Prof. Chanan Eshel, an archeologist from Bar-Ilan University, said Friday that the discovery of two fragments of nearly 2,000 year-old parchment scroll from the Dead Sea area gave hope to biblical and archeological scholars, frustrated by a dearth of material unearthed in the region in recent years, that the Judean Desert could yet yield further treasure.

"No more scrolls have been found in the Judean Desert since 1965. This encourages scholars to believe that if they bother to excavate, survey and climb they will still find things in the Judean desert. The common knowledge has been that there is nothing left to find there," Eshel said.

The two small pieces of brown animal skin, inscribed in Hebrew with verses from the Book of Leviticus, Eshel said mostly likely are from "refugee" caves in Nachal Arugot, where Jews hid from the Romans in the second century. The scrolls are currently being tested by the Israel Antiquities Authority.  Click for full article.

600 Ancient Greek Antiquities on Display at Catanzaro Museum, Italy

Having just recently returned from a trip to Sicily, I can tell you that Italian museums (during the few hours they are open in the morning) are the antiquities collector's version of dying and going to heaven. I spent a total of 10 hours in the Archaeological museum in Palermo (pictured) over two days. A wonderful treat. 

For those fortunate to be traveling in Italy this summer, add one more stop on your list...especially if you will be in the Calabria region. At the Catanzaro museum there is a special exhibition: Complesso Monumentale di San Giovanni: Magna Grecia, Archaeology of Wisdom.  More than 600 finds from Ancient Greek civilization in Italy, including terracotta and marble statues, pottery, chalices and jewellery; are displayed until October 30.

Private Collection of Egyptian Art on Display at Charlotte's Mint Museum

As Charlotte hits peak summer temperatures in mid-July, the Mint Museum of Art (which does not have its own Egyptian collection) is exhibiting a selection of over 90 ancient artifacts from a local private collection opening Friday, July 15 and running through December 4, 2005.

Ancient Egyptian Art for the Afterlife is the first Ancient Egyptian exhibition at the Mint since the Ramesses made a debut in 1988. The exhibition covers the Pre-Dynastic Period (4000-3000 BC), Old Kingdom (3000-2100 BC), New Kingdom (1350-1000 BC), and the Ptolemaic Period (200-30 BC).

The Mummy Board of Khaemipet, which means one who frequents the temple, and a mummified falcon in its ornate linen wrap are included in the exhibit as well as cosmetic dishes, tiny scarab amulets, and shabtis.

Also included are an alabaster Shabti of a New Kingdom King (probably Ramesses III), a faience Shabti of Psamtek; and a colorful coffin panel depicting a goddess dating from the Second Intermediate Period to the 18th Dynasty. (Photos © 2005 Michael LoBiondo Photographic, Inc.)

The Charlotte collector, who isn’t publicly named, started collecting about 8 years ago. In that time, the collector has amassed a diverse Egyptian collection of more than 150 quality objects.

Exhibition Focuses on Constantine the Great and His Impact on Christianity, Politics, and the Western World

The obscure beach town of Rimini in Italy, most famous as the birthplace of Frederico Fellini, has begun hosting a series of art exhibitions at the Castel Sisimondo. The latest, running through September 4, 2005, focuses on the Emperor Constantine "The Great", a multifaceted character who sparked a turning-point in the ancient world, both from a political and economic and from a spiritual and intellectual point of view.

Constantine with the Edict of Milan in 313 put an end to the persecutions against Christian people and then took action in support to Church and bishops, but at the same time participated to the specifically doctrinal and ecclesiastic events. He finally transferred the Capital of the Empire to Constantinople, and went to Rome just for a few visits in order to form the basis for the division between West and East empire, which is nowadays perfectly visible in modern Europe. He eventually reformed the army and the economy, and allowed the Empire to overcome the crisis of the III century.

A wide area is about the political and religious changes which followed the battle of Ponte Milvio, in 312, in which Constantine defeated Massenzio and conquered Rome. The famous vision he had just before the battle can be seen thanks to the image of the Chi-rho appeared on the Empire iconography, which was since then widespread for its symbolic meaning.

For collectors of Roman art, Constantine's 'footprint' can be seen most visibly in the Roman redware produced in factories in North Africa for consumption throughout the empire, especially lamps. Now under imperial sanction, early Christian themes replace earlier secular themes. The famous Chi-Rho symbol (as shown on the lamp here) and overt Christian themes -- such as the cock that crowed during Peter's betrayal of Christ -- are depicted on authentic 4th century AD lamps available from www.fragmentsoftime.com today.

Frilford, Charterhouse and 8 Other UK Romano-British Excavation Sites Being Broadcast and Webcast

Here's your chance to get close to a Roman archaeological dig without leaving the comfort of your home. Doesn't sound like much fun? Well, what if you could virtually participate in 10 digs simultaneously? 

For British viewers of Channel 4's Time Team program, that's precisely what's been happening for a week now. Knicknamed the "Big Roman Dig," the event is a countrywide archaeological blitz that has been broadcast on TV each night and is being updated with webcasts.  The public is event invited out to the sites during the day (if you are lucky enough to live near one) to see the excavations up close and personal.

One of the 10 sites being excavated is a small Roman temple site in the relatively obscure town of Frilford, just outside Oxford. Time team photos of the site are shown here.

Other site include Charterhouse, Maryport and Whitehall.

More images and detailed updates from each of the 10 sites under excavation are available from the Channel 4 website.