The new Uşak Archaeology Museum

A few years ago when I visited the Archaeological Museum of Ankara, I was surprised to find a gold brooch of a winged seahorse set in the spotlights as there had been a lot of commotion about this piece looted from a tomb in 1965 and recovered in 2013 after it was stolen again in 2005 (see: As Rich as Croesus).

To my greatest surprise, the same brooch pops up in the collection at the new Archaeology Museum in Uşak together with 431 other artifacts from the Karun Treasures that once belonged to King Croesus of Lydia. This collection is what survives from the illegal digging at Toptepe, Ikiztepe and Aktepe, not far from Uşak in western Turkey.

The museum was planned to open in 2013, but as always those things are delayed. The new two-storey building houses 2,500 historical artifacts ranging from the Paleolithic Age up to the 20^th century. Special reference is made to finds from the ancient cities of Acmonia and Sebaste of which nothing else is mentioned and this makes me wonder about their location and history. Maybe when the museum is fully functioning more information will become available?

In their article, The Hurriyet Daily News give a link to pictures of the museum but their labels are lacking information. Conclusion, this is all very interesting but at the same time very vague and in great need of more details!

Excavation results from Magnesia-on-the-Meander

Magnesia-on-the Meander is one of the lesser known archaeological sites in western Turkey. The Germans were the first to resurrect the site from its ashes so to speak at the end of the 19^th century. During those years, they managed to expose Magnesia’s theater and agora, the Temple of Artemis and the Temple of Zeus, and several other buildings. Excavations were resumed only in 1984 and again this year.

[Picture from Archaeology News Network. Credit: AA]

This time, six statues were recovered from the ruins of the Temple of Artemis, four female and one male as the sixth one’s gender cannot be established. They were all found face-down in good condition. They will join ranks with fifty or so previously found statues that are now scattered over museums in Izmir and Aydin. The Archaeological Museum of Istanbul will get the best examples, as always joining the existing collection of statues from the Temple of Artemis. The museum’s collection already possesses magnificent friezes from said temple and boosts an excellent scale reconstruction. Also exhibited there is a marble letter written by Darius I to the satrap of Asia Minor between 492 and 485 BC.

It is expected that future excavations will reveal more statues from this particular area.

Let’s not forget that Magnesia was one of the two dozen mints that were allowed to strike coins for Alexander the Great during his lifetime!

Exploring the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki

It is not common knowledge that many mighty Macedonian kingdom relics are kept at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki. Grave goods from all over Macedonia and the many tombs discovered in the suburbs of Thessaloniki are on display.

Treasures ranging from delicate gold sheet ornaments found on funeral garments to numerous gold earrings, pendants, necklaces, rings, fibulae, bracelets, and coins await the unprepared visitor. The most remarkable artifacts are the exquisite gold wreaths of olive, ivy, myrtle, and oak leaves. Looking closely, we'll discover the tiny figure of Heracles or his typical knot. When a crowd of people walks around, these little flowers and leaves tend to tremble; imagine the effect they have when worn live! 

The wealthiest finds come from the so-called Derveni Tombs, some 10 km NW of Thessaloniki. One of these tombs yielded twenty silver vases, many alabaster and bronze vases, terracotta vessels, some of which were gilded, and iron weapons, including a pair of bronze greaves. But the piece de resistance is the richly decorated bronze crater generally referred to as the Derveni Crater, which is worth to be explored in detail.

The Derveni Crater stands 90 cm tall and weighs some 40 kg. It is not made of gold, as one would assume at first glance but of a bronze alloy containing about 15% tin, which produces its unique golden sheen. Different metals were used for the figures and other decoration elements and inlays of silver, copper, bronze, etc. The motives are a mere hymn to the god Dionysus who sits naked next to Ariadne and familiarly rests his leg on his wife's thigh. Behind the newlywed couple stands a panther, the animal sacred to the god. Around the crater and surrounding the couple, we recognize satyrs and maenads in their orgiastic dance. Two more maenads, a resting Dionysus, and a sleeping satyr, are all sitting cozily on the shoulders of the vase. 

Vine and ivy branches, palm leaves, and acanthus in different metal colors among tame and wild animals are depicted on the bands above and under the relief of the godly couple. This crater dates from between 330 and 320 BC. It was made either by a sculptor from the Chalcidice trained in Athens or by a bronzesmith from the Royal Court of Alexander.

It is one of the pieces that truly stands for the wealth and beauty that existed at the Macedonian palaces and surrounding Alexander.

Some more vessels and jugs from these graves are labeled bronze, although they shine like gold. Such a high standard of art! An excellent iron pectoral from Pydna also has a thin gold sheet, unlike the Macedonian ones exhibited elsewhere.

This gold medallion represents Queen Olympias wearing a chiton and a light himation to cover her hair and is worth the visit altogether. The medallion's reverse depicts a sea monster, half bull, half fish, with a nude woman sitting on its back. The figure could well be the Nereid Thetis, mother of Achilles – clearly inspired by Alexander's admiration for Homer's tales. It appeared during the games held in honor of Alexander at Beroea in 225-250 AD. This medallion is part of the hoard of twenty such pieces found in Abukir, near Alexandria, in 1902. 

Three other medallions are part of the Berlin Bode Museum collection. It is pure joy to admire these priceless portraits of Alexander, one with Nike and another with a diadem. Eleven of the other medallions went to the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon, Portugal; the one depicting Emperor Caracalla, a great admirer of Alexander, is at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, USA. It is the only existing picture of Olympias, although it probably is idealized.

Beyond this precious and unique collection of Macedonian gold, the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki holds another rare treasure: Europe's oldest surviving papyrus, also found at Derveni. Since the roll to which it belongs dates to around 340 BC, the papyrus is contemporary of Philip II and Alexander! The bits of papyrus belong to a philosophical treatise, a commentary on an Orphic poem concerning the birth of the gods, probably written in Attica around 420-410 BC. 

It certainly pays off to venture downstairs, where the Tomb of Agios Athanasios occupies a privileged room. However, that story has already been covered (see: The Macedonian Tomb of Agios Athanasios in Thessaloniki).

[Picture from Thessaloniki Travel]

There is, of course, far more to discover in the sections about the Kingdom of Macedonia and Thessaloniki, the Metropolis of Macedonia, that fit in the broader Alexander context. Most noticeable is, for instance, a lovely head of what could be young Alexander from the 2nd century AD. The inscription mentions "Thessalonica daughter of Philip, Queen" from 150-200 AD. It means Alexander's half-sister. Also, a fascinating relief dedicated to Hephaistion from Pella, 320-300 BC  (see: Another effigy of Hephaistion?). Besides, there is a wide assortment of sarcophagi, funerary steles, inscriptions, statues, mosaics, and architectural elements from all over Macedonia and from Thessaloniki, like the columns from the Temple of Aphrodite (see: Thessaloniki's Temple of Aphrodite).

Please, do include a visit to this magnificent museum next time you are in the area – or hop a plane if you happen to be in Athens, for instance. It is worth the extra mile!

[Click here for more pictures from the Archaeological Museum in Thessaloniki]

Thracian Tombs at Doxipara, Greece

Thracia is generally associated with Bulgaria, but originally its borders extended from the Istros River (now the Danube forming the border between Bulgaria and Romania) to the Aegean Sea and from the Hellespont, the Bosporus, and the Black Sea in the east to Philip’s Macedonia in the west. Today, the Greek province of Thracia still stretches from the Rhodope Mountains on its northern border with Bulgaria to the Aegean. It is squeezed between the Nestos River in the west and the Hebros in the east, forming the modern border with Turkey.

Because of its geographical position, Thracia clearly was a country at a significant crossroads. It functioned as a buffer zone in cultural and economic exchanges with its surrounding neighbors. 

When Philip became king of Macedonia, his eastern border was at the Strymon River, but he soon pushed further east, all the way to the Hellespont. After Alexander died in 323 BC, the cards were reshuffled between his generals, and eventually, it was Lysimachos who became King of Thracia. The Romans added the country to their empire and made it the Province of Thracia in 46 AD. Both Trajan and Hadrian (creating their own cities of Trajanopolis and Hadrianopolis) recognized the importance of Thracia but, at the same time, left ownership in the hands of the indigenous population. 

One of the most characteristic heritages of Thracian civilization is their profusion of burial mounds – a tradition that goes back to the Bronze Age, the middle of the 4th-2nd millennium BC. In central Bulgaria alone, over 1,500 such tumuli exist in the Valley of the Thracian Kings, and so far, only 300 have been properly excavated. Among the most famous monuments to date are the richly painted Tomb of Kazanlak (see: Valley of the Thracian Kings) from the 4th century BC and the temple tomb of King Seuthes III, who died in 300 BC. 

Beyond Bulgaria, the typical Thracian tumuli are also found in Greece's most eastern Province of Thraiae. Here, the burial mound of Mikri Doxipara–Zoni is located. This one was constructed much later than the abovementioned ones, i.e., at the beginning of the 2nd century AD when the region was under Roman rule. Obviously, the style and decoration of the tombs have evolved. From frescoed vaulted rooms to hold the deceased's cremated remains to simple burials in the ground where the dead were put to rest together with their chariots and horses.

The tumulus of Doxipara is not very tall, hardly 7.5 meters high, but with its diameter of 60 meters, it is one of the largest in the region. It was situated close to the road that connected Hadrianopolis (modern Edirne in Turkey) to Philippopolis (modern Plovdiv in Bulgaria). 

Excavations started in 2002 have revealed four large pits containing the cremated remains of three males and one female. A total of five chariots and their draft animals have been exposed and can be divided into two groups. The first group is made of two chariots labeled B and C. The second group consists of three chariots labeled A, D, and E. Although four-wheeled wagons have been found in Europe and Asia, Greece is the first.

Close to each group are separate horse burial sites where the spare horses were laid to rest: two horses on site A and three horses on site B. In all cases, after the chariots carried the dead to the burial site, they were interred together with their still-harnessed horses. The wheels had been taken from the chariots. Today, the bronze rims, bolts, and other elements remain in situ since the wooden components have disintegrated occasionally, leaving their imprint on the clay bottom. At first sight, these remains closely resemble the picture of the Thracian chariot discovered lately in Bulgaria (see: The story of the Thracian chariot). Still, this site is much and much more extensive. 

Horses were a clear symbol of wealth and status for their owners, and it is assumed that the burial site of Doxipara belonged to a wealthy family of landowners. However, no houses or nearby residences have been located as yet. 

The entire tumulus has been dug out and removed, but the wagons and horse skeletons are left exactly where they were uncovered. This makes it a fascinating place to visit!

The tomb also contains the human remains of three men and one woman who died in close succession. They were cremated in appropriate pits with small animals like piglets or birds and fruit like walnuts, almonds, and pine nuts. Once the fire was extinct, the usual offerings that accompanied them in the afterlife were placed around the remains together with vessels in bronze, glass, and terracotta containing water, wine, milk, or honey. Personal possessions such as bronze lamps and lanterns, weapons, small jewelry, etc., were also added. Once this ritual was completed, the pits were filled with earth, and slowly a mound covered those interred. 

On the eastern flank of the tumulus, two platforms were exposed, which served as funerary altars.  

The site of Doxipara is a unique example of the funerary procedures of the Thracians in Roman times, proving that their own customs still prevailed on whatever rites were current in the Roman Empire.

[Click here to see all the pictures of The Thracian Tombs of Doxipara]

The preservation of Volubilis, a step in the right direction

When I visited Volubilis a few years ago (see: Volubilis in Morocco, hardly known), I expressed my disappointment about the overall poor condition and obvious neglect of the site.

Excavations here had started in 1915 but apparently they led to looting especially during Morocco’s colonial years when the country was ruled by the French. Yet, we cannot blame the French alone for this unhappy situation because since their departure in 1956 Volubilis is regularly victim to illegal “finds” of archaeological artfefacts, especially mosaics and ancient coins. In 1982, for example, a marble statue of Bacchus mysteriously disappeared and in spite of the personal intervention of King Hassan II, all efforts were in vain and the statue has never been recovered.

So it is great news to hear that after so many years of pillage and neglect, Volubilis is now properly fenced off and closely guarded by a newly appointed group of 14 custodians surveying the site day and night.

In order to draw more visitors and tourists to the site, a new museum has been built as well as a visitor center. This sounds very promising and we may hope that these measures will bring the expected results.

There are plans, it seems, to extend excavations as one third of the 17 ha wide city has never been touched.

High stakes at Corinth

When Philip was proclaimed leader of all the Greeks at Corinth, he was clever enough to insert a clause in the treaty-making his title hereditary. Each state individually had sworn not to harm any other member of the Common Peace and not to interfere in their internal affairs. They also had sworn not to become allies with any foreign power that could damage any member of the Treaty. No member could undertake any operation that might endanger the peace or overthrow its constitution. The then assembled council or synedrion at Corinth was the final authority to settle any dispute between individuals or between member states. They had to help each other if one of the members was attacked but were not allowed to accept support from foreign powers.

This means that after the assassination of Philip in 336 BC it was one of Alexander’s priorities to be accepted and confirmed as Hegemon of this League of Corinth.

Walking around the impressive remains of Corinth crowned by the Temple of Apollo which Alexander saw in all its glory, makes you wonder where these meetings took place. The most obvious location would be the theatre rebuilt early 4^th century BC on the foundations of an older one from the 5^th century BC. This theater could seat around 15,000 spectators but there is very little left of this building. There also is a Bouleuterion behind the Agora to consider but this turns out to be a Roman construction that didn’t exist in Philip’s days.

The Lechaion Street which connected the center of Corinth to the western harbor of the same name is one of the highlights of the city. In recent years, expert divers have been exploring the very harbor of Lechaion to expose the infrastructure of this important port city, locating two monumental piers built of ashlar blocks next to a smaller dock. They also found a canal entrance leading into Lechaion’s three inner harbors, as well as a breakwater.

Lechaion was only one of Corinth’s harbors as the city is strategically straddling the isthmus between mainland Greece and the Peloponnesus (less than 4 miles wide), which means that they needed both an eastern and a western harbor. Lechaion, on the Gulf of Corinth, served the western sea routes to Italy, Sicily, and beyond to Spain. The harbor of Kenchreai gave access to the Saronic Gulf from where the ships sailed to and from the Aegean, Asia Minor, Cyprus, Syria, and Egypt. Goods could be transported overland from one port to the other as lightweight ships were hauled using a platform along the road connecting Lechaion to Kenchreai. This was before Nero planned to dig a canal meant to link both sides, a plan that eventually materialized two thousand years later. The remains of Kenchreai Street are not as impressive as Lechaion Street which is tucked away behind the shops of the Agora but both were familiar to Alexander.

The Temple of Apollo certainly is the main landmark. It is built in Doric order, counting 6x15 columns, seven of which are still standing and define the skyline of Corinth. Rather unique is the fact that the columns are monolithic and stand more than seven meters tall. It is here that the slight convex floor to support the temple’s columns has been implemented for the first time antedating the much-praised concept for the Parthenon in Athens! There is no trace of the bronze statue of Apollo that once stood inside the temple as mentioned by Pausanias.

Another unmistakable feature in Corinth is the Fountain of Peirene built in the late 6^th century BC and enhanced many times, especially by the Romans in the 2^nd century AD. Much older, and probably built together with the Temple of Apollo is the adjacent Fountain of Glauke, an inelegant cube of about 7.5 meters. Inside is a succession of reservoirs with a total capacity of approximately 527 m3. Water management in antiquity was far more sophisticated than generally admitted.

Since its early beginning, Corinth was a booming trading hub in the eastern Mediterranean and has lots to tell. For more than one thousand years, roughly from the 6^th century BC till the 6^th century AD, the city was at the center of all trade carried out by its mixed population of Greeks, Romans, and Jews, and later by early Christians as well. The importance of this city cannot be stressed enough and few people know about the many colonies Corinth founded all over the Mediterranean. As early as 733 BC, the first such colonies were established at Corcyra (Corfu) and Syracuse (Sicily). Less than a century later, many more settlements followed like Epidamnus (Dϋrres) and Apollonia (Fier) both in Illyria, modern Albania, as well as Potidaea in Chalcidice, Greece. Corinth was also one of the co-founders of Naucratis in ancient Egypt. These facts alone prove the overall importance of the city which rivaled Athens and Thebes.

It is not difficult to imagine the hustle and bustle of people in Alexander’s days, merchants talking feverishly with buyers and sellers, while seafarers were seeking the distractions common to every port - temples, taverns, and brothels are the same all over the world. Sacrifices to the local and foreign gods were being made to thank them for their safe arrival and to pray for a safe journey onward. Corinth certainly was no exception.

If the story is true, it was here that Alexander met Diogenes (see: Alexander meeting Diogenes in Corinth). This Cynic philosopher originated from the Black Sea and died in Corinth the same year as Alexander, in 323 BC. Diogenes’ own writings have not survived but were known by his disciple Onesicritus who accompanied Alexander on his Asian campaigns. It may be thanks to him and Ptolemy that his philosophy slipped into the later Alexander Romance.

Albania’s precious underwater heritage

The rich history of Albania, ancient Illyria is scarcely known and has been only occasionally explored (see: Looking for Illyrian remains in Albania). Yet there is much more archaeology to be found underwater along the country’s long coastline where hundreds of Roman and Greek shipwrecks and their contents are in danger of permanent destruction by looters and treasure hunters.

[North African amphorae at the site of a 4th century AD shipwreck 

off the coast of Albania [Credit: Geo Delveroudis/Associated Press]

In 2007, the RPM Nautical Foundation in Florida together with a joint Albanian-Italian team started exploring the seafloor with high-tech sonar and remotely operated underwater vehicles. Between the Greek border and the Bay of Vlorës, i.e. about one-third of Albania’s coastline they have found at least 22 shipwrecks ranging from the 8^th century BC to WWII. That section faces Corfu  (ancient Corcyra) and the very end of the heel of Italy where traffic was very heavy with ships heading for the many natural harbors of Illyria and those entering the Adriatic Sea to further destinations up north including to the east coast of Italy. It is not surprising that ancient shipwrecks yield such huge quantities of amphorae, the packaging material par excellence in antiquity.

Because of the severe communist regime of Enver Hoxha, Albania has been isolated for more than half a century and its archaeology is widely neglected. Since the new republic emerged in 1991, the country has been trying and hoping to meet Western standards. This is a long and difficult road and it is not surprising that looting has occurred in the archaeological sites and it is far from easy to control unlawful underwater treasure hunters.

Hopes are now centering on the non-profit Institute of Nautical Archaeology in Texas which envisages exploring the possibilities of excavating those shipwrecks resting along the Albanian coastline. As this coastline has been well protected because of secret nuclear-powered submarine bases, many wrecks are still undisturbed and for that reason, very promising.

So far, the best-known archaeological site in Albania is Butrint, ancient Buthrotum which is being protected by UNESCO (see also: The surprise of Butrint, ancient Buthrotum in Epirus).