Ancient-Greece.org Blog

Earlies Minoan Hieroglyphics

2011-11-17T15:54:00.001-08:00

Recent excavations in the Minoan peak sanctuary Vrysinas in Rethymno, Crete, have unearthed a four-sided seal embossed with an early hieroglyphic script.

Source

Archimides text on exhibit in Baltimore

2011-10-17T17:47:00.000-07:00

The oldest copy that contains Archimides' texts is going on Exhibit at the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore, Maryland.

"Most of the text in the manuscript was recovered using multispectral imaging, but the toughest leaves were taken to the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource lab. There, X-ray beams were used to reveal text beneath the forgery paintings and heavy grime.
But visitors to the exhibition won’t need any special technology to see the original writings on the pages.
“The Archimedes text is quite visible to the naked eye,” Quandt said.
The conservation work is expected to be complete by the end of the year, but the scholarly work will continue for years."

Read the story at

Exhibition in Md. showcases ‘Lost and Found’ Archimedes text uncovered by scientists, scholars - The Washington Post

Mycenaean excavations in Meganisi

2011-10-11T16:29:00.000-07:00

Excavations at the southern-most part of Meganisi (near Lefkada) have yielded some important Mycenaean finds, incuding a tomb that is reportedly intact.

Details are scant so far but the news appeared today in several Greek media venues:
Μηκυναϊκός τάφος στο "φως" στο Μεγανήσι Αθηναϊκό Πρακτορείο Ειδήσεων
Μεγανήσι: Βρέθηκε τάφος της Μυκηναϊκής εποχής - 11/10/2011 6:24:00 μμ
Nooz.gr : Ασύλητος μηκυναϊκός τάφος βρέθηκε στο Μεγανήσι
Newsbeast.gr | ΕΛΛΑΔΑ : Ασύλητος μυκηναϊκός τάφος βρέθηκε στο Μεγανήσι

Map of Meganisi with approximate location of Kefala excavations.

View Larger Map

Pavlopetri Submerged Bronze Age Town Recreated Digitally

2011-10-08T10:07:00.000-07:00

According to this Independent report, a submerged Bronze Age town in the southern Peloponnese has been thoroughly surveyed and digitally recreated. The article states that the name of the town is unknown, but this BBC article clearly names the site as the submerged town of Pavlopetri in Cavo Maleas.

Here is the link to the photographs of the re-created town, and another article about the CGI technology used to re-create the site.

The BBC article paints a vivid picture of a thriving prehistoric community that lived in relative comfort and luxury.

Semi-detached houses with gardens, clothes drying in the courtyards, walls and well-made streets - Pavlopetri epitomises the suburban way of life. Except that it's a Bronze Age port, submerged for millennia off the south-east coast of Greece.

Apparently there is a BBC 2 documentary that's coming up somewhere in the UK and hopefully we'll be able to see soon in the rest of the world. From the still images it sure looks spectacular.

Here is the exact location of Pavlopetri placemarked on the ancient-greece.org map

View Ancient-Greece.org in a larger map

Athens 3D on Google Earth

2011-10-04T08:50:00.000-07:00

This is a nice presentation of Athens in 3D through Google Earth animation.

Excavations at Eleftherna, Crete

2011-09-12T20:50:00.000-07:00

Recent excavations in Eleftherna, Crete unearthed burial of an "aristocrat warrior" from the 8th century BCE.

See the article about the excavations with several photos here (in Greek)

Humans Sailed the Aegean 15000 Years Ago

2011-08-29T18:48:00.000-07:00

According to this US News and World Report:

A new technique which dates obsidian—volcanic glass which can be fashioned into tools—suggests that people were mining for obsidian in Mediterranean waters and shipping the once valuable rocks from the island of Melos in modern day Greece as far back as 15,000 years ago.

The article concludes

Using the new SIM-SS method, Laskaris and his colleagues were able to determine that Melos obsidian artifacts were making it to the mainland earlier than previously believed. That naturally implies that people were crossing between islands very early in some unknown types of boats.

http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2011/08/29/volcanic-artifacts-imply-ice-age-mariners-in-prehistoric-greece

Oxford Papyri Online

2011-07-27T01:16:00.000-07:00

Oxford University appeals for help in transcribing 200,000 ancient Greek letters

When two Oxford University undergraduate students discovered an Egyptian rubbish dump filled with ancient Greek papyri in 1896, they spent ten years meticulously digging for fragments.
But 100 years after they brought their precious cargo back to the university, researchers have only managed to transcribe about two per cent of the vast haul.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2018848/Oxford-University-appeals-help-transcribing-200-000-ancient-Greek-letters.html#ixzz1TI7sveQF

Transcribe the ancient Greek text at AncientLives.org
It's actually a very efficient process and most of the fragments are easy to transcribe through the web interface. I went through the tutorial that lasted about 5 minutes and then I transcribed nine little fragments in about twenty minutes.
Some of the fragments are very hard, but most are legible once zoomed in.

Overall, a rewarding experience that could replace your internet gaming with something more constructive.

Yet, One more Atlatnis

2011-03-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

One more claim that Atlatis has been found was reported recently in the media. The whole report looks more like an advertisemt for a National Geographic episode to be aired soon.

As fascinating as the story is, the report makes not mention of actual finds, and only talks about someone making obsrvations on "satellite images". The whole thing smells like the typical "documentaries" these channels have been airing for years, where some "scientist", or "explorer" or a "reporter want-to-be-somethig-else" looks around for stuff. Usually, these programs are all about the "explorer" looking around and nothing ever yields any real knowledge in the end.

Of course, I hope my cynicism is unfounded and that we get to see some real published results that prove that whatever they found is the lost city of Atlantis.

Here is the report

For the record, Plato is the only source of the "lost city of Atlantis" and in his writings he mentions that it is not a real place.

Humans navigated the seas since 130,000 BCE

2011-01-03T18:46:00.000-08:00

According to this AP report, stone evidence found in Crete indicates that humans navigated the open Mediterranean sea as early as 130,000 years ago.

NPR, has the same story published with photographs of some of the stone tools that led to the conclusion that humans were capable of navigating the open sea much earlier than originally thought.

The stone tools unearthed in Plakias and Preveli caves are attributed to Homo heidelbergensis and Homo erectus species, and they are the first evidence of human habitation of Crete from the early stone age.

Here are the images released by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture:

A Greek Settlement in Ancient Egypt

2010-12-10T14:41:00.000-08:00

This is an interesting article about Naukrtis, a Greek trading post in the Nile Delta in Archaic times (7th and 6th c. BCE).

"... the Greeks who lived there, though from different tribes, lived and worshipped together, pointing to the emergence of a national Greek identity. The city also acted as a symbiotic nexus for the interchange of Greek and Egyptian art and culture."

"Naukratis, in his opinion, should be considered a unique and particularly important instance of "contact zones" in antiquity, in which Greek trade, although controlled by the Egyptians and mediated to a certain extant by the Lydians, both contributed to and profited from the imperial ambitions of others."

http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/45213/

Nova: Secrets of the Parthenon

2010-10-21T05:05:00.001-07:00

A nice series about the Parthenon aired in the US on October 2010.

The accompanying web site offers excellent resources, information, and videos, about the Parthenon.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/parthenon/

Two new Kouroi

2010-05-18T19:04:00.000-07:00

Police in Greece recovered two Kouroi statues that were about to enter the illegal trade in antiquities.

Full article here
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hHCJhzzjaMqj_hEm55ClrPFKUCXAD9FPBD1O0

Interpetations of the Antikythera Mechanism

2010-02-06T19:25:00.000-08:00

http://www.dvorak.org/blog/2010/01/09/the-antikythera-mechanism-the-amazing-ancient-greek-device-decoded/

Ancient Greet temple found in Alexandria

2010-01-20T13:37:00.000-08:00

A Hellenistic temple dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Bastet was found in Alexandria, Egypt.

Articles:

Egyptian archaeologists have unearthed the remains of an ancient Greek temple dedicated to Egyptian cat goddess Bastet in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, the antiquities department said Tuesday.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=116615&sectionid=3510212

http://www.ansamed.info/en/top/ME13.XAM19300.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8468803.stm

Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered a 2,000-year-old temple in Alexandria dedicated to a cat goddess.

The temple is the first trace of the royal quarters of the Ptolemaic dynasty to be revealed in Alexandria.
The find confirms the Greek dynasty of Egyptians continued the worship of ancient animal deities.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/news/queen-berenikes-cat-goddess-temple-discovered-in-alexandria-egypt-1872527.html

The temple is thought to have been destroyed in later eras when it was put to use as a quarry, which lead to the disappearance of most of its stone blocks.

The inscribed base of a granite statue from the reign of King Ptolemy IV (205-222 BC) was also unearthed. It bears ancient Greek text written in nine lines stating that the statue belonged to a top official in the Ptolemaic court. Dr. Maqsoud claims the base was made to celebrate Egypt’s victory over the Greeks during the Battle of Raphia in 217 BC.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/01/photogalleries/100121-cat-temple-egypt-pictures/#025666_600x450.jpg

Macedonian Burrial found near Vergina, Greece

2009-08-29T05:01:00.000-07:00

This seems to be related to the earlier discovery of the unusual burial in the middle of the town. The first optimistic thoughts bring to mind the murdered teenage son of Alexander the Great.

Here is the full article from the associated press: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j90gd4jX6JB-oH0-Ev2k_MkJFZVAD9AC26CG0

The New Acropolis Museum

2009-08-22T21:57:00.001-07:00

The New Acropolis Museum Review

I finally got a chance to visit the new Acropolis museum this summer a week after it opened. In fact I visited twice; first a week after it opened in June 2009, and then again in August 2009. I have to admit that I had missed seeing the incredible art all this years that the museum remained closed for the move. This is more a blog of my thoughts for the museum as a space and less about the artwork it contains.

After all the excitement generated by the media fanfare and my own anticipation, I have to say that my experienced was a mixed one. As much as I would love to write nothing but positive thoughts, the new Acropolis museum installed enough annoyances to make the experience less than perfect.

In a Nutshell

The Good: Beautiful architecture, chronological exhibition flow, uncrowded spacing of artifacts, free-standing statues away from walls, proximity to Acropolis, the amazing Parthenon gallery. The exposure of the archaeological digs below the museum and enhanced accessibility.

The Bad: Airport-type security, glass floors, and some architectural elements can be distracting. Insufficient attention to the post-ancient Acropolis and lack of a comprehensive museum guide.

The Ugly: Unfortunate administrative decisions regarding photography and airport-type security. Lighting (or lack thereof) is horrendous and unfaltering to the delicate statues that need illumination to stand out from the crowd and to reveal their mass, hue, and surface.

Wish List: Allow photography! Turn the lights on! Install more multimedia and interactive displays. Rooms dedicated to children's exploration of Greek history and culture with interactive displays and hands-on activities.

The New Acropolis Museum Building

First, I should say that the new Acropolis Museum building is stunning. Bernard Tschumi Architects did an excellent job designing a building worthy of the artwork it contains.

The most stunning feature of the museum is it's open floor design that exposes three thousand years of history through openings to view below it's foundations, and glass floors inside. Architecturally, this is an interesting feature but beyond the initial awe it inspires to the viewer it becomes a distraction and a nuisance for the visitors. More on this point later.

The layering of the site's history is immediately evident upon the approach to the museum's entrance. There is a large opening on the concrete floor that reveals a 7th century CE building, and then throughout the lobby and the first floor ramp a variety of excavations can be seen through the glass floor. This is certainly impressive as a feature and helps establish the density of historical events that the visitor is experiencing through the visit to the museum.

The forms of the building itself borrow freely from the nearby ancient monument. Its outline loosely shadows the outline of the Acropolis rock, and the rhythmic columns of its ground floor echo the columns of the Parthenon. The third floor is offset to the first floor in an identical alignment to the Parthenon's relationship to the Acropolis rock, orienting it to the same east/west axis.

The third floor contains the art of the Parthenon and it is designed perfectly to transplant the experience of the actual building which is viewed through the large northern windows. Speaking of windows, the extensive window surfaces offer amazing views of the modern city of Athens and are one of the highlights of the new museum, albeit making the comparison with the modern sea of cement with the refined ancient sensibilities inside and inevitable and painful necessity.

I can't help but think that the architects desired the juxtaposition that emphasizes the beauty of the ancient marbles at the expense of the modern city's chaotic layout.

Accessibility, Accommodations, and Information Design

This is the fist museum in Greece that excels in accessibility accommodations. There is a dedicated entrance for persons with special needs and large groups at Mitseon Street where parking for two cars and one minibus is provided. The entire museum is wheelchair accessible, and three wheelchairs are available free of charge at the checkroom. Elevators and escalators can be used to navigate the floors with ease, but seating space is limited in the galleries.

Eliminating congestion and making life easier for groups and individual visitors alike, tour buses use a dedicated drop off point at Hatzichristou street.

The museum's freely available plan is not very functional but it's available at the ticket counter. You will have to pick up your own copy from the box next to the cashier. With tiny and crowded print (don't forget your glasses), and no information regarding the kind of exhibited artifacts it's of little value. It's simply a floor plan and could be useful only for finding the general layout, the restaurants and the bathrooms.

Information about the artwork is minimal throughout the museum, but fairly functional. I am not aware of a competed museum guide that visitors can use to help them understand the exhibits, but I suspect several will surface in the coming months. Large posters with a synopsis accompanies the different themes, and all artifacts have minimal information posted (at least name, date, providence) in proximity to each.

The New Acropolis Museum Security Policies

The first surprise comes at the entrance. Everyone must submit to airport-type security check where every bag is x-rated and humans undergo the needless metal detector radiation treatment. This is the first museum administrative decision in a series of decisions that added a lot of annoyance to my visit and made the experience less than optimum.

Undergoing such security check, even such a mild one, it establishes that the museum visit is not going to be a mere cultural experience, but an immersion into a layer of examinations. The viewers examine the exhibited artifacts while they themselves are subject to constant observation and examination by an army of guards and security cameras. Its a relationship that mimics the experience of going through the airport or the nearby Athens Mall.

Maybe in a perverse kind of way the passage through the metal detector is designed to make visitors feel like they are embarking for a flight through history. It's not a big deal though, and I understand the need for security but I could not help but make the thoughts as I was try to find the answer to my thirteen year old daughter's innocent question "why do we have to got through metal detectors?"

Buying the tickets is a breeze, but the approach to the main exhibition space is underwhelming and somewhat obscured by large columns. Most people I saw tend to head for the museum's token shop before they eventually find their way to the turnstiles.

Photographing in the New Acropolis Museum

Soon after its opening, a new policy of the New Acropolis Museum prohibits all photography in the exhibitions, in a move that is sure to annoy thousands of visitors daily, myself included.

Needless to say, I find the policy irrational for many reasons. To deny visitors who traveled around the world to see the ancient artifacts the opportunity to take a photo is at best rude. Some visitors, myself included again, use photographing as a way to interact with the artwork, and as a way to study. Having my own collection of photographs to examine and to share with my students as an Art Professor has been priceless over the years.

At best, the New Acropolis museum, with it's very astute political overtone and policies, is missing out on the free advertisement that millions of visitors can afford them. At worst it's alienating its most stout supporters.

But why?

Curious, and annoyed at the guard's rude instructions to my daughter to put away her camera during our visit, I inquired as to why such policy was instituted. At first the guard attempted to invoke the "it's the rules" approach, but my insistence brought up the "for your own enjoyment" answer. To my innocent reply that we enjoy our visit more when we can photograph, he slyly implied that there are "other" reasons for the rule. The puzzled look in my face instigated the guard to help me out. He was clearly feeling superior for knowing secrets that I was ignoring and he tried to help me out: "here, turn and look around and you will know the 'other' reasons" he said.

I turned and looked at a beautiful museum that invited me to photograph. "Look down", he said "and look up". I was still mystified at the elusive reason to forbid photographing a very photogenic space. He gave up. "You see, the floors are all made of glass!" he exclaimed as he took two steps sideways, seemingly embarrassed himself about what he was implying. I am not sure if he made this up on the spot to get rid of me, or if this is really the instructions he was given but either way it brought to mind the profound Seferis verse: "Οπου κι αν ταξιδεψω η Ελλαδα με πληγωνει".

So the explanation is that photography is forbidden in the New Acropolis Museum because it's more enjoyable to see the art, and because the glass floors afford unfaltering views of the upper floor people.

Pathetic.

To generalize a little bit, it seems like a typically Greek administrative quagmire, where one bad decision, is followed by another bad policy that doesn't really remedy the first bad decision. Glass floors will stil aford unobtrusive views above, but that's apparently fine with the New Acropolis Museum administrators as long as photography of the ancient artifacts is forbidden.

I hope this policy is reversed soon.

The New Acropolis Museum Exhibition Design

The Museum fluid exhibition layout design allows the statues to exist in the visitor's space and be viewed from multiple angles. This is especially appropriate in the presentation of the Archaic free standing statues because they were originally displayed in proximity to the Acropolis visitors. Prior to that, the approaching ramp is majestically lined with artifacts and statues from the Mycenaean and Geometric eras, and it's framed at the upper end by a beautiful archaic pediment.

The Acropolis Museum's overall flow guides the visitors through a continuous chronological loop. From the initial ramp the viewer moves to the right through a maze of Archaic art all the way to the top floor which is dedicated to the art of the Parthenon. It's a logical progression that makes it easy to follow the styles and ideological evolution of Ancient Greek Art. The short documentary that plays in Greek by the museum entrance, and in English right out side the Parthenon Gallery in the third floor helps visitors understand a little more about the museum contents. It has one of the best descriptions of the Parthenont in 3D CGI that I have seen (despite the statue of Athena being a 2D surface), and some dramatic simulations of the Parthenon's destruction over the centuries.

The simulation of the early Christians climbing ladders and smashing the temple's decorations invoked the ire of the Greek church officials who objected to the footage shortly after the museum opened. According to the media, the objectionable footage was edited out, only to invoke the ire of the film director this time around. The dispute was resolved, and the footage was reinstated when the director, Costa Gavras, issued clarification that the film did not depict priests in black robes destroying the marbles, but instead "some early Christians". Nevertheless, the film is an interesting one to watch either at the beginning or the end of a visit to the New Acropolis Museum.

The chronological flow of the exhibitions gets a little murky when the art of the other known temples of the Acropolis is presented in the second floor. But that's understandable and even expected in a linear space.

Most impressive of all is the exhibition of the Kariatides, the Kores that hold up the Erechthion porch. Their placement affords dramatic views from the first floor and allows the viewer to examine them up close upon reaching the upper floor. I particularly enjoyed walking behind them and standing as if I were standing in the actual Erechteion porch, looking out. It's a view that a visitor to the acropolis would not be able to enjoy since the Erechtion interior is off limits to visitors.

Like I mentioned before, the Parthenon Gallery is the highlight of the museum, and a stunningly effective display of the temple's artwork. The entire floor simulates the exterior of the Parthenon temple in metric accuracy and allows for the display of the metopes and frieze in their proper sequence. For viewing convenience the height of the sculptures has been altered with the Pediment fragments placed lower than both the metopes and the frieze. The sculptures are still placed higher than eye level, since in the actual temple they were placed high above the colonnade, but are still within comfortable distance to examine their details.

The original sculptures appear in their natural state, while unfinished white plaster casts complete the compositions and the sequence. On the one hand, this gives a more accurate description of the completed sculptural sequences, and on the other hand it emphasizes the absense of the marbles that are exiled in a foreign land museum. Where pieces have been lost, the inclusion of small replicas of drawings made by Carrey or others give us some clue as to what is been missing. They appear next to the very useful labels that accompany each section.

Inside the simulated temple, the backs of the frieze have been exposed and dramatically lit. Seeing the backs of the marble blocks, with their point-chisel marks is a rare opportunity, and it demonstrates that the Parthenon frieze was not a simple decoration that was added to the temple, but was instead an integral part of the structure and should not be taken away from their context. It's a clear message that Elgin had no business sawing them up, and it's an argument squarely aimed at the British Museum that hosts the missing (and maimed) Parthenon marbles.

Perhaps I would expect too much if I thought that the interior of the ancient temple should also be represented in the Parthenon Gallery. Instead, the interior of the third Acropolis Museum floor is occupied with the staircase and what looks like a make-shift theater where the aforementioned Costa Gavras documentary is projected in English (with horrible sound I may add). Perhaps its' a missed chance (or a future opportunity) to pay tribute to Pheidas' gold and ivory giant statue of Athena, which was after all the main purpose for the Parthenon's existence.

Reconstructions, Plans, and Replicas

Replicas and reconstruction views of the Acropolis in various stages over the centuries are instructive, and the models of the various buildings, like the Erecthion and the temple of Athena Nike, are most welcome next to the artifacts.

Bronze statue found by fisherman

2009-03-25T04:52:00.001-07:00

It was reported widely today that a bronze statue was found by fisherment somewhere in the waters between Kos and Kalymnos. Bronze statues are rare, and most have been found underwater. Because bronze is a precious metal, bronze statues from ancient Greece were melted down to use the metal for other purposes (usually making weapons).

Archaeologist will have to work hard and use state of the art technology to restore the statue that has been going through 2200 years of corrosion in the salt water depths.

Classical Art Research Centre

2008-11-25T15:40:00.000-08:00

The Beazley Archive is a wonderful resource for the study of Classical art.

Late Neolithic Settlement found in Greece

2008-10-23T10:06:00.000-07:00

News reports indicated that a 6000 year old Late Neolithic farmhouse was unearthed near the village of Sosandra, near Aridea in Pella, Macedonia, Greece.

"Archaeologists who excavated the site between March and July found a large number of clay vessels for cooking and eating, stone tools, mills for grinding cereals and two ovens.

The house was separated into three rooms. It had walls made of branches and reeds covered with clay, supported by strong wooden posts. The building was destroyed by fire, which baked the clay, preserving impressions of the wooden building elements, as well as the post holes." (GMA News)

also see: afp

Temples built on 'sacred soil'

2008-10-07T14:00:00.000-07:00

Gregory Retallack has published a study that provides evidence that Classical Greek temples were built on soil that was related to the deity they served.

In this study Retallack took soil samples from several sites in Greece to determined the potential usage of the land, and to associate it with the god that was worshiped on the site.

Retallack noticed a pattern: The soil appeared to be directly connected to the mythology surrounding the god or goddess honored by the particular temple. Buildings dedicated to Athena and Zeus, for example, were erected on soils of citadels.

"These are the god and goddess of warrior societies, and their temples are mostly on or near easily defensible hills, with evidence of long prior occupation," he explained.

Temples dedicated to Artemis and Apollo -- associated with hunting -- were located on likely former hunting grounds. Hera and Hermes buildings sat atop clay-rich soil that would have been suitable for cattle grazing, in keeping with "Hermes the ram-bearer" and "ox-eyed queen Hera."

In Ancient Greece, Soil Was Sacred : Discovery News

Olives and Olive Oil in Ancient Greece

2008-09-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

An interesting interview with Anagnostis Agelarakis provides some basic information about the use and significance of the fruit of the olive tree in ancient Greece.

Olives and People, Past and Present

Thessaloniki metro work unveils graves

2008-09-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

The work to complete the Thessaloniki Metro has unearthed a wealth of ancient discoveries. This is not unexpected since Thessaloniki has been an important cultural center for over two-thousand years.

Arts, Briefly - Ancient Graves Discovered in Greece - Brief - NYTimes.com

Macedonian Graves in Northern Greece

2008-09-11T18:31:00.001-07:00

Another Macedonian cemetery in Pela was in the news today. The excavations unearthed a wealth of artifacts, most notable of which are golden funerary masks and jewelry.
This article from Daily Mail offers some nice photos of the excavations and artifacts.

Death in Ancient Greece

2008-08-30T16:16:00.000-07:00

A brief description if beliefs and customs regarding Death, Brurial and Afterlife in Ancient Greece can be found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Death, Burial, and the Afterlife in Ancient Greece | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Kronos

2008-08-30T16:12:00.000-07:00

A brief description and a list of places in the Iliad and the Odyssey where Kronos is cited.

Kronos * The Immortals * Greek Mythology: From the Iliad to the Fall of the Last Tyrant

Hesiod

2008-08-30T16:09:00.001-07:00

Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns and Homerica

English translations of Hesiod's works including The Theogony posted at the ONline Medieval and Classical Library.

OMACL: Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns and Homerica

Greek and Chinese Art

2008-08-30T16:04:00.001-07:00

Article on Spero News "How Greece influenced Chinese Art" was posted at the same time as the Beijing Olympics 08.

"The Greeks' artistic debts to the East are well documented. But less well known is how pervasively Greek art influenced India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China."

How Greece influenced Chinese art | Spero News

Gold found in Macedonia

2008-08-29T15:44:00.000-07:00

Gold treasure unearthed near Aegai

A golden wreath was unearthed in the Macedonian capital of Aigai. Aegai was the capital of Macedonian kings and the tomb of Philip II (359-336 BCE).

The AP article indicates that it was in a large coper vesel, and it was buried in Aigai marketplace.

Her is the full article: The Associated Press: Ancient gold treasure puzzles Greek archaeologists

Photo of the theater of Aigai where Philip II was assasinated.

Archaeologists must explain why such a group ... was found outside the extensive royal cemetery," the university statement said. "(They must also) work out why the bones of the unknown — but by no means insignificant — person were hidden in the city's most public and sacred area."

About this Blog

2008-08-29T15:37:00.001-07:00

About Ancient-Greece.org Blog

This is a collection of all lose thoughts, links, and resources that have not found their way into Ancient-Greece.org yet.

I started this mostly as a scrapbook of articles and news reports regarding Ancient Greece.