#4th century

[h3rmitian]

statue of a bear cub, 4th century bc

[h3rmitian]

[h3rmitian]

[yaellaharpe-blog]

It looks as though it were 3D-printed using modern technology, but this masterpiece is 1,700 years old. And it has literally stunned archaeologists.

(English / Español / Italiano)

We are looking at the "Autun diatreta cup", an object so extraordinary, rare and precious that fewer than ten examples have been recovered worldwide. This particular piece has only very recently resurfaced from the past: it was discovered in France as recently as 2020.

What really boggles the minds of today’s engineers and master glassmakers is not just its beauty, but how the Romans managed to create it in the 4th century:

• No gluing, no tricks: The extremely delicate outer layer of glass lace has not been glued or fused onto the vase. The entire vase has been sculpted, hollowed out and carved from a single, solid block of raw glass.

• Inhuman precision: Imagine having to drill through the glass behind that mesh, which is just a few millimetres thick, knowing that a single misplaced blow or the slightest vibration would shatter months of work.

• Extreme luxury: In ancient times, such objects were the ultimate status symbol imaginable. They were intended solely for distinguished figures within the Emperor’s inner circle.

• The secret message: Carved in relief on the upper part is a Latin inscription: "VIVAS" ("May you live!"). A powerful wish for prosperity that has endured for almost two millennia.

Fragile, otherworldly and technically impossible for its time. Today it is housed at the Rolin Museum in France, and it confronts us with an undeniable truth: the Romans possessed technical knowledge and manual skills that we can only dream of.

Can you imagine the composure of a craftsman working freehand on a piece like this without modern tools?

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Parece impreso en 3D con tecnología moderna, pero esta obra maestra tiene 1.700 años. Y ha dejado literalmente boquiabiertos a los arqueólogos.

Nos encontramos ante la «copa diatreta de Autun», un objeto tan extravagante, raro y valioso que en todo el mundo hay menos de diez ejemplares recuperados. Este en concreto ha resurgido del pasado hace muy poco: fue descubierto en Francia en 2020.

Lo que deja boquiabiertos a los ingenieros y maestros vidrieros de hoy en día no es solo su belleza, sino cómo los romanos lograron crearlo en el siglo IV:

• Sin pegamentos, sin trucos: la delicada malla exterior de encaje de cristal no se ha pegado ni fundido sobre la pieza. Todo el jarrón ha sido esculpido, excavado y tallado a partir de un único bloque macizo de cristal en bruto.

• Precisión sobrehumana: imaginaos tener que perforar el cristal que hay detrás de esa rejilla de apenas unos milímetros de grosor, sabiendo que un golpe en falso o la más mínima vibración echaría por tierra meses y meses de trabajo.

• Lujo extremo: en la Antigüedad, este tipo de objetos eran el máximo símbolo de estatus imaginable. Estaban destinados exclusivamente a personajes ilustres del círculo más cercano al emperador.

• El mensaje secreto: en la parte superior hay una inscripción en latín tallada en relieve: «VIVAS» («¡Que vivas!»). Un poderoso deseo de prosperidad que ha perdurado durante casi dos milenios.

Frágil, irreal y técnicamente imposible para la época. Hoy se conserva en el Museo Rolin de Francia y nos pone ante los ojos una verdad innegable: los romanos poseían conocimientos técnicos y destrezas manuales con las que nosotros solo podemos soñar.

¿Se imaginan la sangre fría de un artesano que trabaja a mano alzada en una obra así sin herramientas modernas?

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Sembra stampato in 3D con una tecnologia moderna, ma questo capolavoro ha 1.700 anni. E ha letteralmente sconvolto gli archeologi.

Siamo davanti alla "coppa diatreta di Autun", un oggetto talmente folle, raro e prezioso che in tutto il mondo ne esistono meno di dieci esemplari recuperati. Questo in particolare è riemerso dal passato da pochissimo: è stato scoperto in Francia solo nel 2020.

La cosa che fa esplodere il cervello agli ingegneri e ai maestri vetrai di oggi non è solo la sua bellezza, ma come i Romani sono riusciti a realizzarlo nel IV secolo:

• Nessun incollaggio, zero trucchi: La delicatissima rete esterna in pizzo di vetro non è stata incollata o fusa sopra. L'intero vaso è stato scolpito, scavato e intagliato partendo da un unico, singolo blocco di vetro grezzo massiccio.

• Precisione disumana: Immaginate di dover scavare il vetro dietro quella rete spessa pochi millimetri, sapendo che un colpo sbagliato o una minima vibrazione manderebbe in frantumi mesi interi di lavoro.

• Lusso estremo: Nell'Antichità, oggetti del genere erano il massimo status symbol immaginabile. Erano destinati unicamente a personaggi illustri della cerchia più stretta dell'Imperatore.

• Il messaggio segreto: Sulla parte superiore è scolpita a rilievo una scritta in latino: "VIVAS" ("Che tu possa vivere!"). Un potente augurio di prosperità che ha attraversato quasi due millenni.

Fragile, irreale e tecnicamente impossibile per l'epoca. Oggi riposa al Museo Rolin in Francia, e ci sbatte in faccia una verità innegabile: i Romani possedevano conoscenze tecniche e abilità manuali che ci sogniamo.

Riuscite a immaginare il sangue freddo di un artigiano che lavora a mano libera su un'opera del genere senza strumenti moderni?

Source: Storiachepassione.it

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Sarcophagus of the Amazons

The Sarcophagus of the Amazons is a large Etruscan sarcophagus of an unknown artist, dated back to the third quarter of the 4th century BC and preserved in the National Archaeological Museum of Florence.

The painted alabaster sarcophagus dates back to 4th century BC (350-325 BC), a rare example of an ancient painting still preserving much of its extraordinary freshness.

The four sides of it are decorated with polychrome paintings depicting various dynamic fighting scenes of battling Greeks and Amazons.

The beautiful artifact represents an ancient Greek tradition of Amazonomachy.

Amazons were modeled on stories of self-confident women of steppe cultures who fought for glory and survival and enjoyed male companionship, but on terms that seemed extraordinary to the ancient Greeks.

The Sarcophagus of the Amazons was unearthed in the Etruscan town of Corneto (now Tarquinia, Italy) in 1869. Once, there was also another similar coffin (but without paintings), which was later lost.

Researchers believe the artifact was manufactured in Greece and shipped to Italy, still semi-finished.

The Greek artisans used the white limestone alabaster stone, a type that does not exist in Etruria, and other decoration features that have no comparison in the Etruscan context.

On the sarcophagus, there are two inscriptions in Etruscan language: a large one on the slope of the lid bears the name of the deceased "Ramtha Huzcnai," the other also bears her name with a few additions and is located on one of the long sides of the chest.

(71 x 194 x 62cm)

[victusinveritas]

[garadinervi]

Letter (Palimpsest), late 4th century [Unknown artist. The Khalili Collections, London. Art UK, Staffordshire University Incubator Unit, Stoke-on-Trent]

«Bactrian document; recto: 10 lines + 5 lines; verso: 8 lines + 3 lines + 2 lines + 3 lines (address). Complete, with very clear dark writing, and perfectly preserved. Palimpsest, the older letter consisting of at least 10 + 5 lines (recto) and 7–8 + 2–3 lines (verso), is not completely erased but almost entirely covered by the new letter, which follows the same layout line by line. The letter is addressed to Nawaz the commander of the fortress, from Pidak the scribe, his servant. The sealing is intact. It bears the impression of a seal with a tamga surrounded by a circular Bactrian inscription, perhaps to be read, 'seal of Pidak'»

[city-of-ladies]

The Tomb That Told of a Women’s Kingdom

An archaeologist unspools the story of a female leader buried over 1,000 years ago on the Tibetan Plateau.

"The tomb was unusually large and intricately constructed. Whatever precious objects may have once filled it had long disappeared. But the tomb still held scattered bones from what appeared to be a female person—a conclusion later confirmed by ancient DNA analysis.

Who was she? Initially, researchers cast the person in M2 as a sacrificed attendant, assuming a woman would not receive such distinguished burial quarters—an idea more rooted in present-day biases than circumstances of the past. But in the near decade since she surfaced, accumulating evidence suggests the individual was a high-status woman, perhaps a political leader.

And her existence may signal the reality of a place normally described in legends: the “Women’s Kingdom” (女国 Nüguo), written about in 7th- to 8th-century Chinese texts."