Antiquities and Ancient Art

Undisturbed Roman Burial Excavated in Baalbek Yields Gold, Glass and Bronze Artifacts

A pair of beetle-shaped gold earrings, finger-sized glass flasks, glass and bronze rings, scattered gold leafs - some twisted into the shape of a mouth or eyes - iron nails, and remains of skeletons were just some of the "treasures" recently unearthed in Baalbek from Roman-era burial caves - each piece carrying its own tale from the past, according to a report in the The Daily Star of Lebanon.  Here are a few excerpts from the article:

"We just keep dipping into a paradise of treasures from the Roman-era," said archaeologist Khaled al-Rifai, who heads the archeological team sent by the "General Antiques Department" to accompany the construction company working on a sewage network in Baalbek because of its archaeological importance, and who have been making headlines this month with their series of discoveries of Roman-era treasures dating from the 2nd or 3rd century AD.

The latest find was announced on Wednesday, where a "5-by-4-meter rectangular shaped Roman tomb" near the north entrance of the city was unearthed. In this particular excavation a pair of bronze earrings, bronze rings, and bronze coins, along with broken and corroded bronze pieces were found scattered about the tomb.

"Each burial site has its own story, and there is no uniform design, in the same way each person designs his home to his own preferences, people in the past designed their tombs according to their status and location," said Rifai, explaining that this tomb had a "pillar" in the center, indicating that the building blocks in that location were weak and needed support.

"It is the first time we find an intact and closed Roman tomb that appears untouched by notorious grave robbers who have stolen pieces of our history," said Rifai in regards to the underground tomb where most of artifacts found were made of gold.

Rare Find in Israel as 1,000+ Year Old Gold Bracelets Found

In a rare find, high quality ancient gold and silver bracelets dating back 1,000 years have been uncovered in an archeological excavation in Ramle, the Jerusalem Post reported based on sources within the Israel Antiquities Authority.

The 11th-century jewelry was found inside the remnants of houses and stores at a dig at the site that date back to the early Arab period (638-1099). The three gold bracelets and the six silver ones, as well as an assortment of money, were discovered inside a jar found at the site, said the Post.

The most elaborate gold bracelet is decorated on both sides with samples of vegetation, with the words "a full blessing" in Arabic engraved in its center. Click here for more details including color photograph.

Airbus Beluga Used to Transport Egyptian Underwater Antiquities to Exposition in Europe

The Airbus A300-600ST, the aircraft manufacturer's Super Transporter, which is also known as "Beluga", supports the exhibition "Egypt's Sunken Treasures" by carrying some of the artefacts from Egypt to European destinations. "Egypt's Sunken Treasures" will exhibit 500 artefacts of Egyptian history of the period 700 BC to 800 AD, which have been buried in the Mediterranean for more than 1000 years. They were discovered off the coast of Alexandria and in the bay of Aboukir by the archaeologist Franck Goddio over the last ten years.

On 10th April, three colossal statues - representing God Hapy as well as a king and a queen of the Ptolemaic dynasty - and approximately 40 boxes with smaller pieces were loaded on board one of Airbus' "Belugas" in Alexandria, Egypt. The three Colossal Statues all have a height of about five meters and weigh 5.5 tonnes each.

The aircraft flew to Berlin-Schönefeld, Germany, on 11th April. Following the unloading, witnessed by Mohammed Al-Orabi the artefacts will be taken further by road transport to the exhibition site in the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin.

On this particular mission, the Airbus Super Transporter carried a payload of 36,861 kg over a distance of 1,810 nm ( 3,352 km ) during a flight from Alexandria to Berlin with a stop in Italy.

"Egypt's Sunken Treasures" will be on display in Berlin between 13th May and 4th September 2006. The Airbus "Beluga" aircraft will also de deployed for transporting the artefacts to their next destination, Paris in France, in September 2006,

Featuring the most voluminous cargo hold of any aircraft today, be it civil or military, the A300-600ST Super Transporter offers a unique method for transporting oversized air cargo. The aircraft type was designed specifically to ferry complete aircraft sections for the Airbus production system from different sites around Europe to the final assembly lines in Toulouse or Hamburg.

However, due to its main-deck cargo volume, which is greater than that of the Lockheed Galaxy, the AN-124 or the giant C-17 military cargo planes, the Beluga is also ideally suited for flying other oversized and fragile cargo, such as valuable artefacts and pieces of art. The "Beluga" can usually carry a maximum payload of 47 metric tonnes in its 1,400 m3 freight compartment non-stop over a range of 1,660 km/900 nm. Thanks to their unmatched dimensions the Belugas have already served the space, military and other outsized cargo markets.

Two Rare Roman Burial Pots Discovered in Cornwall

Two Roman burial urns have been found on the grounds of a retirement village being built in Tregony, Cornwall, in the south of England, according to a report from the BBC.

The 1st century AD pottery urns were found by a Cornwall County Council archaeologist in a pre-construction check at the Roseland Parc development. Experts believe the urns were recovered from a shrine that overlooked Fal River. They are to go on show at the Truro Museum after analysis.

While Roman burial urns are known from England, they are quite rare in the Cornwall area. Click here for the full article from the BBC including a photo.

Visit to Mycenae, Corinth and the Peloponnese Yields Treasures Large and Small

While in Athens, even if time is short, a day trip to the Peloponnese is recommended. The highway runs west out of Athens and past the ancient site of Eleusis. Once an important Greek religious center with a sanctuary to Demeter and her daughters, Eleusis is today an industrial town overcome with shipping ports, oil refineries, smog, and the persistent waft of diesel fuel.  In the distance is the island of Salamis (photo), famed for the Greek naval defeat of the Persians in 480 BC.

Athens sent her 300 ships cleverly trapping and destroying an enemy navy three times its size, thus marking the beginning of a period of unprecedented peace and prosperity, now known as the Classical Period of Athens.

The motorway passes over the impressive Corinth canal (photo).  The canal cuts through a small neck of land joining the Peloponnese to mainland Greece.  It frustrated sailors since ancient times because it forced them to make long and perilous trips around the coast of the Peloponnese. Despite the efforts of everyone from Alexander the Greek to Nero and Caligula to dig a canal, the 4-mile water passage was not successfully cut through the deep rock until French engineers dynamited their way through in 1893.

A short journey from the canal comes Acrocorinth, a towering rock citadel 1,883 feet high that was the strongest natural fortification in ancient Greece. From its top, on a clear day, one can see the Acropolis of Athens 80km to the East! In Archaic times, the site was topped with a Temple to Athena.

The plains of the Peloponnese are fertile and remain an important source of agriculture for the Greeks including tobacco and citrus farming (Photo).

An hour from the canal, one approaches the placid site of the Palace of Mycenae (photo).  Located in a desolate yet picturesque area, this ancient city was made famous when unearthed by Heinrich Schliemann in 1874 as he searched for the ancient temple of Agamennon using details from Homer’s Illiad. 

The site is nestled on a plateau protected by two towering mountains, offering an endless view to the valley and sea below (photo). 

Schliemann's Mycenae and the Palace of Agamemnon

The path to the archaeological site takes one through the famed Lion Gate (photo) dating to 1250 BC and past the famous Grave Circle A (photo), which contained royal tombs dating back to the 16^th century BC. These tombs contained an enormously rich burial of pottery, weapons and gold, including the famed Gold Mask of Agemnenon, most of which is now in the Athens National Museum.

The area is rich in ancient mystery and awe, as well as natural modern beauty with wild flowers and reptiles peacefully at home (photo).

The museum on site contains a trove of amazing Mycenaean Greek artifacts  including one of the world’s great collections of terracotta Phi figures (photo) and 16^th – 12^th Century BC pottery (photo). 

Objects from this era occasionally come to market and are highly sought after, especially by collectors with a fondness for Homer and the Trojan War. 

Stunning masterpieces such as the 13^th Century BC painted figure with upraised arms found at Mycenae are found throughout the small but efficient museum. 

 

A short distance from the Palace at Mycenae, is the famous tholos (or ‘beehive tomb’) known both as the Treasury of Atreus and The Tomb of Agemnennon (photo). This splendid architectural monument cut into the side of a hill was built contemporaneously with the Lion Gate (1250 BC).

The circular chamber inside is constructed from stone blocks creating a space approximately 35 feet in diameter and height, with a doorway to the north side of the chamber leading to a small, square chamber.  No ornamentation survives and judging from the finds at Mycenae, the grave goods (removed in antiquity) would surely have been impressive.

Just beyond the entrance to the Treasury of Atreus, one can view the remains of Schliemann's Mycenae (photo).  The view leaves a final visual imprint of just awe-inspiring this area must have been 3,200 years ago.

Browsing the Cycladic Museum is a Must for Antiquities Collectors

The Museum of Cycladic Art is a must-see for any antiquities collector. It is an easy stroll from the Syntagma Metro, just five minutes up the posh Vasilissis Sofias. The museum is arranged on four floors, the first two being dedicated to the Goulandris family collection, dominated by one of the world’s greatest collections of more than 50 complete Cycladic figures plus hundreds of fragments.

These Cycladic Idols date from the Early Bronze Age (3200-2000 BC) and are the product of a distinctive civilization that flourished in the Greek Cycladic Islands and was active in trade with the early Helladic Greek mainland, Minoan Crete and the North Aegean. The figures were worked with stone, and later bronze tools then polished with emery or pumice.

The appearance of the figures was no accident. They were laid out according to a canon of prescribed proportions that evolved over time and varied slightly between the main centers of production. Still, the repertoire of figures that survive display a primal harmony and symmetry that seems timeless; at once ancient and ultra-modern. 

One of the most striking idols, the so-called “Modigliani” Figure (inspiration for several works of the 20^th century painter) greets visitors in the center of the first room (see photo at left). Technically known as a Dokathismata Variety and attributed to the Ashmoleon Museum Master, this slender female figure dates to the Keros-Syros Culture (2800-2300 BC).

In the main gallery, one finds a large and very unusual Cycladic figure in the form of a male with obvious genitalia. This large statue is considered the work of the “Goulandris Master” and also dates to the Syros period of 2800-2300 BC. It is a unique representation in monumental dimensions (the fragment alone is more than 2 feet). A most unusual feature, visible in the photo at right, is that unlike other figures the crossed arms do not touch.

A few display cases away, another interesting variant is the so-called Kapsala variety. Here, the figure has distinctively bent legs, almost as if intended to be seated.

Two other masterpieces in the main gallery demand attention. First is the “Cup-Bearer,” a figure with almond-shaped head almost perpendicular to the neck. There are no sexual characteristics evident. The free projection of the outstretched right arm with no support is an extremely rare feature in Cycladic sculpting.

Last but not least is a monumental female figure nearly five feet tall, one of only two complete examples of this size known (the other is in the National Museum at Athens). It is thought the figure came from Amorgos, Keros or Herakleia. (The photo on the left gives a sense of proportion compared to unidentified person on left. The photo on the right provides a close-up from one side.)

The Cycladic Museum is also rich in other objects, including Cycladic vessels and related objects from the Cycladic Period. But the museum also offers a fine collection of objects from the Glory of Athens through the period of Rome.

Examining Objects beyond the Cycladic Figures

One gets an idea of the variety of objects from the photo at left showing Bronze Age terracottas in the foreground and Classical Greek vases and Roman marble statuary in the further room. 

One case worth noting is a wonderful display of ancient bronzes including two small solid bronze Greek weights each decorated with a dolphin. Located not far away is a case of Greek vases that includes a jovial Corinthian kylix decorated with the humorous caricature of a young athletic man who possibly worked in the same workshop.

The 3^rd floor contains the Thanos Zintilis collection (photos right) featuring a superb selection of Cypriot pottery and terracottas. The layout of the objects provides an excellent chronology of the evolution of Cypriot pottery.  Zintilis collected mostly in the 1950s and 1960s.

Finally, the 4^th floor houses the Greek-born, American-bred Charles Politis collection. Politis founded the largest plastics company in Greece and in the process formed an outstanding collection of ancient Greek works of various periods. The photo at the left shows objects including Greek terracotta pigs and small Attic lekythoi.

The museum is closed Tuesdays and Thursdays, so be sure to plan your trip to include a visit. The collections can be comfortably seen in 2-3 hours.