The Getty Villa
Museum in Malibu, California, is hosting a
special exhibition, The Horse and Rider from
Albania from July 26, 2023, through January 29, 2024. The centerpiece is a
beautiful bronze equestrian statuette that was found in 2018 by a farmer
plowing his land. This happened near the ancient city of Arnisa, modern Babunjë. Based on the Geography of Claudius Ptolemy from the 2nd century AD, Arnisa belonged to the Illyrian
Taulantians.
Greek, 520–500 B.C. Bronze. Albanian Institute
of Archaeology, Tirana.
The city was
settled by people from nearby Apollonia (see: Along
the Via Egnatia: from Ohrid to Elbasan) in the early 6th century BC. It was an ideal location close to the river Seman with ample fertile land. Arnisa
itself was built according to the Hippodamian plan (see: The
Hippodamian plan, not so Greek after all) and covered an area of
five to six hectares. It was surrounded by a fortification wall made of
carefully carved blocks that perfectly fit together as seen in other Illyrian
cities in Albania.
Although only a
small part of Arnisa has been excavated so far, archaeologists believe that
the city flourished in the 5th and 4th centuries BC, and was
abandoned in the 3rd century BC when Macedonia rose to power after Alexander's conquests. Others are
inclined to put an end to its prosperity in the days it was defeated by
the Romans.
The small Horse and Rider is
approximately 14.5 cm
high and has been tentatively dated to around 500 BC. It was cast in one piece
of solid bronze and the rider’s face and the
horse’s nostrils and eyes were carefully carved.
Nothing of the
kind has been found so far in Albania
and scholars hope that future excavations will provide more information about
the site of Arnisa and the history of Albania.
After the
exhibition at the Getty, the precious statuette will return home and find a
proper place at the National
Historical Museum of Tirana.
No comments:
Post a Comment