Wednesday, October 31, 2018
The new Uşak Archaeology Museum
Saturday, October 27, 2018
Excavation results from Magnesia-on-the-Meander
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Exploring the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki
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 Derveni Crater stands
It is one of the pieces that truly stands for the wealth and beauty that existed at the Macedonian palaces and surrounding Alexander.
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
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
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).
There is, of course, far more to discover in the sections about the
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
Thursday, October 18, 2018
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
Because of its geographical position,
When Philip
became king of
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
Beyond
The tumulus of Doxipara is
not very tall, hardly
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,
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
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.
Sunday, October 14, 2018
The preservation of Volubilis, a step in the right direction
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
High stakes at Corinth
Thursday, October 4, 2018
Albania’s precious underwater heritage
Hopes are now centering on the non-profit
So far, the best-known archaeological site in