#archeaology

[community-gardenss]

and one day, everyone will know our names. but this moment is ours alone

[jamesfitzjamesdotcom]

A very detailed report on the wrecks of Erebus and Terror from Parks Canada, including drawings of the wrecks and the items found. It's a huge document, can't wait to properly read it. READ IT HERE.

[Figure 5.2.1: Terror and Erebus, Plan of Upper Deck (as Fitted) overlaid with the upper deck site plan (Image: B. Lockhart, Parks Canada; Drawing: C. Pillar, Parks Canada; 89M2017-101-1; Ship plan: National Maritime Museum Greenwich, London (ZAZ 5675, J1409))]

[skyhounds]

Etruscan Wolf's Head Helmet, 6th-5th century BC

[hellenicgoddess]

Lion Gate, Mycenae (1,600 BC)

[uwmspeccoll]

L'Aurige de Delphes

Discovered in 1896 during excavations of Apollo’s Temple at Delphi, “The Charioteer of Delphi” is one of the most well-preserved statutes from the Severe Style of Classical Greece. Dating back to around 470-466 BCE, this statue is one part of a large bronze sculptural dedication erected in honor of the god after a charioteer’s victory at the Panhellenic Pythian Games. This monument was completed with an inscription explaining the background, having been dedicated by Polyzalus, the tyrant of Gela, in southern Sicily, after he proved victorious over his opponents. Delphi was one of the most important sanctuaries and temples in the Ancient Hellenic world, and throughout the centuries, countless individuals would trek to pay homage to Apollo and, if they needed guidance, consult his infamous Oracle. Today, it is housed in the Delphi Archaeological Museum.

This account of The Charioteer, or L’Aurige de Delphes as it is published here, was written by French Hellenist and archaeologist Francois Chamoux (1915-2005) in 1955 and published in Paris by Editions de Boccard. The topographic impressions were done by Jean Crès and reproduced by De Faucheux and Sons. Francois Chamoux, a scholar of Classical archaeology who has written his thesis was on The Charioteer of Delphi, was a frequent participant in archaeological excavations in Greece.

In addition to the 1m 28cm statue of bronze, also discovered were fragments of some of the horses. At its completion and dedication, the complete dedication would have included the chariot and charioteer, reins, at least four horses, and perhaps even two grooms caring for them. This kind of devotion was uncommon for the regular Greek citizen and shows the great wealth of Polyzalus. The detail in this sculpture is extraordinary. The dark eyes are one of the most remarkable parts, as they are made using the inlay of stones and gems. The sclera is composed of magnesite, the iris is made of chalcedony and a basalt-type stone, and the pupil is dark obsidian. The hands are also somewhat of a miracle of composition, as the right hand remains clasped around the reins of the horses pulling the chariot-- even the reins remain curved in a semblance of motion. Despite the passage of nearly three thousand years, The Charioteer of Delphi lives to tell the tale of a long-since past religion and what mortals were willing to do to appeal to their gods and humble their fellow man.

View more Classics posts.

-- Gabby, Special Collections Undergraduate Classics Fieldworker

[wigglybunfish]

collection of doodles my geology teacher commissioned me to do for a little archeaology exhibit she's hosting of the yuanshan prehistoric site. in exchange? a free-pass to several assignments :D

[caecilian]

Italy

Vernazza - Hadrians Villa - Pompeii - Palestrina - Rome

[alexandreanarchive]

Silver Patera/Disc found at Lampsacus (ancient Lapseki, Turkey)

6th century BC

Goddess served by priestesses, Amazons, or women devotees

Gazette Archéologique, 1877:

“The plate represents a silver patera found in Lampsacus and currently housed at the Museum of Sainte-Irène in Constantinople. According to General Freund (Said Pasha), who found it at Lampsacus while excavating a tomb, this patera is an object of significant archaeological interest. It provides one of the most beautiful depictions of Artemis. The goddess is seated facing forward on a golden throne. Her skin is black enamel, and her hair is styled in symmetrical braids reminiscent of the Amazons. She wears a turban adorned with two small deer horns. Her garment is a single golden robe speckled with stars, finely engraved into the metal. Her right breast is left bare, in the fashion of the Amazons.

The goddess holds a bow in her right hand, while in her left she holds an arrow and a cornucopia. To her left is a guinea fowl, and to her right is a hawk. The throne is decorated with a variety of animals. These animals were gifts from Pan, offered to the goddess as symbols of courage: lions, deer, and dogs. The scene evokes the imagery of ancient Amazons living in caves, taming wild animals. The patera from Lampsacus also depicts black-skinned women dressed in golden robes, leading lions. These lions symbolize “the great destruction of monsters,” a key aspect of Artemis’ iconography

Many Asiatic monuments—both Greek and non-Greek—depict Artemis victorious. Sometimes she appears on a chariot, as in the ancient artifact published by Montfaucon, or lying at rest at the feet of lions, as in the bas-reliefs from Kurdistan. Pausanias describes Artemis on a Cretan chest with wings, holding a panther in one hand and a lion in the other. The image resembles jewelry in the Louvre, particularly the jewels from Camirus studied by M. de Saulcy. While the winged representations of Artemis ceased over time, these representations were later replaced with other symbols, like the crescent moon. In this way, Artemis transitioned from her role as an Amazonian huntress to a lunar deity associated with fertility and life

Greek artists struggled to reconcile the Asiatic symbols with their understanding of Artemis. The crescent moon replaced the deer horns on her head, symbolizing fertility. Over time, even these symbols were abandoned, and Artemis transformed into one of the Olympian gods, distant from her original meaning. It is evident that the Asiatic Artemis was associated with fertility, often appearing in primitive forms. The Lampsacus patera highlights this connection: her right hand is raised, perhaps gesturing toward fertility, echoing symbols from Ida and ancient cults involving the Curetes and Dactyls. These cults celebrated Artemis as the Great Mother of all living things, akin to Rhea and Cybele

Primitive forms of Artemis were especially evident in Asia, where she was often worshipped as a fertility goddess. In Phrygia, Artemis was known as the goddess of love and fertility, but her chest was often depicted as wilted or withered, resembling depictions of Venus. Residents of Pontus even nicknamed Artemis “Priapus” and dedicated obscene images to her. In the Greek tradition, Artemis evolved to represent the earth and fertility but was reinterpreted to fit the Olympian pantheon. This transformation highlights the complex interplay between Asiatic and Greek religious traditions

Attempts to depict Artemis with wings were replaced with other artistic innovations. On some vases, she was depicted with Niobids, or black-skinned figures, who symbolize the dramatic myth of Niobe’s children slain by Artemis and Apollo. This interpretation recalls the punishment of hubris, with Apollo representing solar divinity and Artemis a chthonic, lunar force. The presence of the Niobids emphasizes the mythological contrast of light and darkness in representations of Artemis. In the artwork featuring Artemis with the Niobids, the figures are characterized by dramatic motion, sadness, or grief, heightening the tragic narrative of their punishment

The Asiatic Artemis, as depicted on the Lampsacus patera, demonstrates how symbols such as deer horns and fertility gestures were later adapted into Greek art. The crescent moon, for example, became a dominant symbol of Artemis as a lunar goddess. At one point, Artemis was understood as the “Great Mother” or the Earth itself. Her consort was Apollo, who represented the Sun. This duality mirrors Etruscan myths and even the Orphic tradition, further connecting Artemis to broader Mediterranean religious tradition”

~1877 edition of the Gazette Archéologique, a 19th-century French archaeological journal that documented and analyzed ancient artifacts, artworks, and inscriptions~