The rescue of five ancient silver coins

It is always a pleasure to read good news. The Archaeology News Network has a great article about five rare coins rescued from being auctioned off in Munich and Zurich but now returned to Greece. The article includes a very detailed picture of each item, which by itself is a pure pleasure for the eyes.

The three coins that were discovered in Munich have found their rightful place in the Numismatic Museum of Athens:

- a stater from Lindos, Rhodes, dating from the first half of the 5^th century BC

- a stater from Elis, a region in the northwestern corner of the Peloponnese from around 328 BC

- an octadrachm of Getas, king of the Thracian Edonian tribe, from 480-460 BC

The other two silver coins were caught in Zurich:

- a tetradrachm from Athens dated 136 BC

- a tetradrachm of Ptolemy IV Philopator from about the end of the 3^rd century BC, minted in Sidon. He may be depicted here with his wife, Arsinoe III of Egypt.

These precious items have been appropriately handed over to the Archaeological Museum of Patras.

Criminals keep on hunting in the hope to sell their booty for lots of money on the black market abroad. There is no limit to the looting and coins, in particular, are easy to smuggle out of sight of the authorities. Inside Greece, it appears that over the 2,000 coins have been confiscated. Germany, on the other hand, returned some 600 ancient coins and other antiquities, beside 33 vessels from the Mycenaean era that were looted and illegally brought into the country.

Although it is praiseworthy that so many artifacts find their way home, it remains very regrettable that the objects have been taken out of their context forever, losing much of their historical value.

[The pictures of the coins are evidently from the Archaeology News Network]

How to dig up your own mosaic floor

The discovery of a mosaic floor found underneath a house or a vineyard in Italy seems to be recurrent news. I have read a couple of such articles over the past months. Just dig deep enough under the street level, your house or your field and eventually you’ll hit remains from antiquity like surprisingly elaborate mosaicfloors.

[Picture from Edition CNN - Credit Soprintendenza Speciale di Roma/ BNP Paribas Real Estate] 

About six years ago, archaeologists were called in after early remains were spotted during construction works in the residential area of Rome – more precisely on the Aventine Hill, one of the initial seven hills of the city.

The site showed signs of occupation going back to 900 BC. In the middle of the 2^nd century BC, a Roman Domus, a typical residence for the Roman upper class stood on this spot. The black and white mosaic floor that was unearthed has been dated to the 1^st century BC and another fragment from about two centuries later. More black and white mosaics, in geometric patterns this time, are typical for the reign of Hadrian (117-138 AD) and five more mosaics from the days of his successors were uncovered as well.

Instead of moving these floors to a museum and taking them entirely out of their context, it was decided to leave them in situ and to create a museum under the modern apartment block.

This is very exciting news as it reminds me of a similar exhibit in Ravenna. Here the floors of the entire villa from the 6^th century AD were found under the parking garage of an apartment building. These beautiful remains have been made accessible to the public. They go by the name Tapeti di Pietra (carpets of stone), a little gem worth to be seen!

Earlier this year, a well-preserved mosaic floor was found in a vineyard of the Valpolicella area, north of Verona. It has been dated to the 3^rd century AD and displays polychrome patterns both geometric and floral.

[Picture from Comune Negrar di Valpolicella]

The site was known since the 19^th century when the remains of an ancient Roman villa were uncovered. However, pinpointing the exact location of the construction was quite another story. Only sporadic excavations occurred due to a lack of fund or lack of access since the vineyard is still operational.

In spite of the new restrictions around the coronavirus pandemic, the town officials seem very keen to explore the remains of that villa and its treasures pretty soon.

The Getty Villa, an invitation to Roman life

 The Getty Villa in Malibu, California is more than a museum. The premises offer a priceless insight in daily life as it was during the 1^st century AD in the Roman Empire.

The Villa is a reconstruction of the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum and the truthful recreation of what once was. Whereas most people may expect some kind of Disneyland recreation, the Getty Villa is as close to reality as can be. Instead of imagining what such a house would look like while strolling through the streets of Herculaneum or Pompeii, Paul Getty has done the work for us. For those who ever were in Athens, it can be compared to the careful reconstruction of the Stoa of Attalus.

This means that, although most visitors will rush to the entrails of the Villa to have a close look at the superb collection of antiquities, it is worth to spend time looking at the building itself.

I already gave a detailed description of the Villa in my earlier blog, The renovated Getty Villa in Malibu, California.

It so happened that the Getty Villa posted this revealing video, which interestingly entirely matches my own impressions.

The 1,200 antiquities on display at the Villa are all of extremely high quality and often tell a story of their own. Given the total of approximately 44,000 such artifacts to choose from, you’ll find something new to discover each time you visit the Getty Villa.

We should keep in mind that the layout of a Roman villa is a mere copy of what Alexander experienced back home in Macedonia a few centuries earlier. Enough impressions to dream away!

The Royal Palace of Pella will open to the public in 2021

At last! The announcement is made official that the Royal Palace of Pella will open for visitors in the summer of 2021.

It is only a postponement of ten years. The birthplace (we hope) of Alexander was supposed to open in 2011, but at the last moment, it was decided to restart new excavations. At that time, Greece was facing a severe financial crisis which most certainly didn’t help the progress of the works.

The Greek City Times brought the long-awaited news and kindly added a full drawing of the palace layout. The quality of the picture, unfortunately, is awful and far from sharp. But this is all we have for the moment.

[picture from The Greek City Times]

It is said that the palace counted seven large buildings and I was hoping, against all odds, to find out where the palace proper was located as opposed to the premises occupied by King Philip’s wives other than Olympias. There must have been a room reserved for official receptions or banquets, a library, a Gymnasion and perhaps even a pool.

Instead, the article centers on the presentation of a digital tour in a visitor center. This edifice will be built to that purpose in 2023. Why this cannot be included or added to the existing Archaeological Museum of Pella nearby raises questions.

From what filters through, this palace is said to cover 28 ha, as opposed to the 6 ha mentioned initially. The reason for that difference may be linked to the period of prosperity that followed Alexander's death. Between the years 320 till 250 BC, the palace may have undergone drastic expansions.

For now, many questions remain unanswered. The fact remains that we will never know what treasures were kept inside the Royal Palace of Pella as the Romans thoroughly looted the premises and carried their trophies in triumph to Rome. 

Sassanid art in pictures

The Sassanids ruled over Iran from 224 AD until the Arabs took over in the 7^th century AD. This is a far cry from the empire of Darius III that Alexander conquered. Yet, it is an interesting time frame altogether since the Sassanids drew their inspiration from the earlier Achaemenid rule (see: Sassanid reliefs tell a story of their own in Persia).

This era left its imprints all over Persia, as can be seen in the rock-carved reliefs of Naqs-i Rajab and Naqsh-i Rustam close to Persepolis, Tang-i Tchogan at Bishapur and Taq-iBostan near Kermanshah. Also, the temples of goddess Anahita, both in Bishapur and in Kangavar show a mixture of Sassanid and Hellenistic influences (see: The powerful goddess Anahita in Persia).

[Picture from Tehran Times]

Presently, the Italian University of Sapienza in Rome has worked together with the Anahita Temple National Center in Kangavar to exhibit photographs on arts and monuments, together with architectural works from across the province of Kermanshah in western Iran. The pictures include views of the ruins of the Anahita Temple in Kangavar as well as of the Palace of Khosrow Parviz in Qasr-e Shirin.

The Iranian collaboration with the Italian experts has centered on Anahita’s sanctuary in Kangavar as discussed earlier in my blog The powerful goddess Anahita in Persia.

Also highlighted is the Palace of the Sassanid King Ardashir in Firuzabad that displays the unique dome construction known as the squinch. This architectural feature consists of building a dome on top of a square base. It may well be the earliest surviving example and could indicate that the squinch was actually invented in Persia.

The imposing palace of Ctesiphon or Hatra (now in modern Iraq) is much better known because of a sizable vaulted arch. This city was built by the Parthians in the 2^nd century BC as the capital of their empire. Ctesiphon/Hatra was conquered by the Sassanids in 226 AD, who turned it into a true metropolis worthy to serve as their capital. I seem to remember that the arch or at least the human heads in the surrounding walls were attacked by IS fanatics, but I couldn’t find a confirmation to that end.

Little information about the Sassanid empire transpires beyond the borders of modern Iraq and Iran, despite the grand cities these kings built using their precious craftsmanship as metal workers and gem engravers. They also took care of translating much of the existing western and eastern literature into Pahlavi, the Sassanid language.

Results of latest excavations in ancient Myra

This year’s excavations (2020) were concentrated around the Roman Theater. Archaeologists hoped to find remnants from earlier constructions that would complete the picture of Myra (see: Ancient Myra from Finike) we have until now.

Their search was rewarded when they unearthed a small Hellenistic theater underneath the Roman construction. Also, sections of walls were retrieved as well as a number of bronze, lead and silver artifacts and various ceramics.

[Picture from the Hurriyet Daily News]

The most impressive find, however, was the collection of some 50 terracotta figurines. They represented male and female figures, gods and goddesses, some children and women with children and cavalry figurines. Inscriptions from the 2^nd-1^st century BC were disclosed as well. Many of the artifacts still have traces of red, blue and pink paint, which makes them particularly interesting.

As always, such scenes from daily life help to complete the information we have so far about culture and beliefs of that time, in that area.

Once these figures are restored and cleaned, they will be exhibited at the Museum of Lycian Civilizations that has been created inside the walls of Hadrian’s Granary in Andriake, the harbor of Myra (see: Andriake’s Museum has opened). 

Another Alexander fort?

It is entirely by accident that I came across the mention of The Citadel of Alexander the Great in Farah, Afghanistan. I must confess that I never looked for it as I didn’t expect to find much traces of the Macedonian king in that country.

Farah is the modern name for ancient Phrada, Alexandria in Drangiana or Alexandria Prophthasia. Besides being a fortress, the site made headlines because of the famous conspiracy of Philotas that occurred in 330 BC (see: The Philotas Affair). After the treachery of Philotas was brought to a good end – at least for Alexander – Alexandria in Drangiana was renamed Alexandria Prophthasia, appropriately meaning “Anticipation” since Alexander anticipated widespread consequences and acted before the others could attack him.

[Alexander's Citadel, from Michael Yon On-Line]

The events as told by Curtius unfolded in and around Alexander’s tent. That is probably the reason why I was not looking for a nearby fortress of any kind. On the other hand, it has not been established with certitude that Alexandria Prophthasia is to be found on the site of Farah either.

Under these circumstances, it is not unreal to assume that local legend has its own truth and that the Citadel of Farah was once occupied by Alexander and his Macedonians. Reaching a diameter of approximately one square kilometer, its size is impressive enough. Even today, the earthen walls, which initially were about 15 meters high, crown the hill next to Farah’s bazaar.

Farah as all of Afghanistan, unfortunately, lacks in-depth archaeological research and excavations. Alexander’s occupation may, after all, be resting on local folklore. Another theory is that the citadel was built by the Zoroastrians in the days of Darius I (the Great), i.e., in the 6^th century BC. This would mean that it already existed when Alexander arrived.

After the king’s death, the Seleucids ruled the region until in the 2^nd century BC the Graeco-Bactrians emerged followed by the Parthians and eventually, the Sacae.

It is not surprising that because of the repeated later additions and transformations, the origin of this fort remains enigmatic. The Citadel is in deplorable condition, and recent occupations by the Soviet army and the Mujahedeen fighters have led to serious disrepair of the site.

All is not lost, it seems since funds are being requested officially with the Ministry of Information and Culture to restore the historic site. 

It will take much effort and even more time to disclose the story behind these walls, especially since so much of Afghanistan is in dear need of excavation and protection (see: Saving Afghanistan’s Incredible Heritage).