The Gold of Macedon. Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki

As an exception, I am including this booklet about the gold collection from Macedonia which is an important section of the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki (The Gold of Macedon, ISBN 978-960-214-269-1).

Not only is this booklet a very useful tool while visiting this grand collection but it also provides a clear insight into the technology and use of gold, especially in the wake of Alexander’s conquests that triggered the circulation of huge amounts of this precious metal in the ancient world.

Of course, the presence of gold was known throughout the Mediterranean from early antiquity onward and, as a start, the museum as well as the book present a very useful map of the main gold mines. This is followed by an overview of the various uses for gold, from jewelry and coins to pure decorative items.

The third chapter is treating the technology involved from its mining, to the array of techniques developed in creating gold objects and in the process of gilding. Several examples are given, including drawings to illustrate the complexity of handling this malleable ore with splendid detailed photographs.

The booklet and the exhibition ends with the immense richness of the Macedonian cemeteries. Besides functional objects, there is a true wealth in artifacts that accompanied the dead into the afterlife no matter whether they were interred in simple pit-graves, cist-graves, or in elaborated tombs and sarcophagi. Noteworthy is the Macedonian cemeteries of Sindos (121 graves), Pydna (some 2,500 graves), Aghia Paraskevi about 500 burials), Nea Philadelphia (180 graves), Katerini, Aenea, Lete, Stavroupolis, Europos, Cassandreia, etc. But the major part of this collection comes from the Derveni cemeteries, northwest of Thessaloniki which yielded countless refined objects among which the world-famous Derveni Crater occupies a place of honor (part of Tomb B that yielded over one hundred objects alone).

This booklet not only provides an extremely useful insight into the exquisite artwork produced by the craftsmen of the 4^th and 3^rd centuries BC but it also gives an exceptional view of the wealth available after Alexander’s death.

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 pièce de résistance is the richly decorated bronze crater generally referred to as the Derveni Crater, which is worth exploring 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 is probably 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 with 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]

The kind of burial site which Alexander’s soldiers could afford

Derveni, located within the Thessaloniki prefecture, has revealed many treasures over the years. Today, the time is right to stop at a Macedonian burial monument that is now made accessible to the public.

[Picture from The Greek Reporter]

The tomb is not a recent discovery as it was found in 1910 shortly before the end of the Ottoman occupation of the city. Because of this political situation, the burial monument was left unattended and suffered from one hundred years of wear and tear.

Finally, in 2011 the restoration project got underway. The tomb that carries the Ottoman name of Makridis Bey, dates from the end of the 4^th/beginning of the 3^rd century BC. A 15-meter long corridor leads to the monumental façade in Ionian style giving access to the burial chamber with a marble sarcophagus. The monument measures 10x8 meters and reveals an exceptional architecture.

Archaeologists have determined that the tomb was built by wealthy veteran soldiers of Alexander the Great who returned home after their service in the east and the death of their king. This is not the first burial monument of its kind that has been found in Macedonia and commissioned by a veteran soldier who made his fortune. It will be interesting to see what it really looks like, wouldn’t it?