Disco del Sole

Gold sun disc 

from the time of  Stonehenge 

on display for the first time

Archaeology, Breakingnews, Exhibitions, More Stuff, Travel, 


An early Bronze Age sun-disc from Monkton Farleigh in Wiltshire has gone on display for the first time. 
This is one of only 6 finds of sun-discs discovered and is one of the earliest metal objects 
found in Britain. 
It was made in about 2,400 BC, soon after the sarsen stones were put up at Stonehenge, and is thought to represent the sun. 

Image of sun disc [Credit: Wiltshire Museum] 

The sun-disc was found in a burial mound at Monkton Farleigh, just over 20 miles from Stonehenge. 
It was found in 1947 in excavations by Guy Underwood along with a pottery beaker, flint arrowheads and fragments of the skeleton of an adult male. 
It was kept safe by the landowner since its discovery and has only now been given to the Museum. 
It has now been cleaned by the Wiltshire Council Conservation Service and has been placed on display in time for this year’s mid-summer solstice. 
The sun-disk is a thin embossed sheet of gold with a cross at the centre, surrounded by a circle. 
Between the lines of both the cross and the circle are fine dots which glint in sunlight. 
The disc is pierced by two holes that may have been used to sew the disc to a piece of clothing or a head-dress, and may have been used in pairs. 
Until recently it has been thought that early Bronze Age gold may have come from Ireland, but a new scientific technique developed at Southampton University is hinting that the gold may have come from Cornwall. 
Museum Director David Dawson said “We have the best Bronze Age collections in Britain and we are delighted to be able to display this incredibly rare sun-disk through the generosity of the donors. It was kept safe since its discovery by Dr Denis Whitehead and the first time that it had been seen by archaeologists was when he brought it to show me at the launch of our new Prehistory Galleries in 2013. 
It has now been presented to the Museum in remembrance of Denis S Whitehead of Inwoods, Farleigh Wick.” 


Source: Wiltshire Museum [June 22, 2015]

AL DI LA' - nell'Antica Grecia

120 reperti, da 21 musei internazionali, volti a descrivere 

nascita e sviluppo nella Grecia Antica 

di uno dei temi che da sempre affascinano 

e rapiscono il pensiero dell'uomo:

il fato dell'anima immortale 

dopo la fine fisica del corpo mortale.

Al Museo dell'Arte Cicladica

ad Atene.

'BEYOND. Death and Afterlife in Ancient Greece' 

at The Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens


   The Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens, in collaboration with the Onassis Foundation (USA) and the Hellenic Ministry of Culture & Sports, presents a fascinating exhibition titled “Beyond. Death and Afterlife in Ancient Greece” which is scheduled to run from December 11 until February 8, 2015. 

 Through 120 objects from 21 Greek and international museums, the exhibition explores one of the most important issues that puzzled and continues to concern humans: the fate of the immortal soul after the death of the mortal body.

 The descriptions in the Homeric epics of the underworld as they were depicted on ancient works of different periods is the starting point of this exhibition. 

As epilogue, the Platonic concepts –which mark the shift of perceptions on the divine element– both as development and in contrast to the Homeric beliefs. 

The show will be divided into 5 thematic sections: 

- The moment of death,

       - Burial Customs, 

            - Homeric Hades, 

                 - Bacchic-Orphic Hades and 

                      - Platonic Hades.


Source: Museum of Cycladic Art 

[December 10, 2014]

DOMUS AUREA

La Domus Aurea di Roma riaprirà la domenica.

Dopo sei lunghi anni, la Domus sarà riaperta al pubblico solo nel fine settimana, per permettere agli archeologi di continuare i loro lavori (inclusi in un programma di 4 anni) lungo la settimana, che prevedono l'apertura di nuove aree della Domus stessa.


Ai visitatori saranno inoltre spiegate le tecniche di restauro impiegate (che possono anche essere seguite on line sull'Internet).

E' stato annunciato lo scorso venerdì, dai portavoce del Ministero dei Beni Culturali, che saranno necessari 31 milioni di euro per il completo restauro.

La Domus si estendeva inizialmente per una superficie di circa tre campi da calcio, ma i suoi giardini avevano un'estensione molto maggiore: la costruzione dell'intero ricchissimo complesso aveva richiesto l'abbattimento di moltissime modeste costruzioni degli abitanti stessi di Roma (che anche per questo motivo odiavano Nerone e sparsero la voce del famoso incendio provocato da lui). Alla sua morte, in segno di disprezzo e di 'damnatio memoriae' la casa fu abbattuta e sepolta. Anche per queti motivi ora si trova sotto terra e solo una piccola parte di essa è oggi visitabile.
La Domus Aurea fu aperta al pubblico nel 1999, ma alcuni crolli ne consigliarono ripetutamente la chiusura per motivi di sicurezza.

Nel nuovo progetto, per cui la direttrice dei lavori, Fedora Filippi, chiede la partecipazione della cittadinanza, saranno messi in sicurezza e ridisegnati anche i giardini pubblici soprastanti alla villa.


Nero’s Domus Aurea to reopen on Sunday in Rome 




The remains of the Domus Aurea, or Golden House, the opulent villa that the Emperor Nero built for himself in the center of Rome, will reopen to guided visits on Sunday six years after it was closed because of collapses and safety concerns. 

Part of the Domus Aurea in Rome, which will reopen to guided tours on Sunday  

[Credit Fabio Campana/European Pressphoto Agency] 

The visits will take place on weekends so that archaeologists and restorers can continue to work on the four-year project, which will open new areas of the monument. Visitors can tour the work site and learn about techniques used in the restoration, which can be followed online. 

Culture Ministry officials on Friday announced a campaign to help raise the 31 million euros ($39 million) needed for the restoration. 

Only a small amount of the villa remains visible; it once covered an area as large as three soccer fields. 

“This has been a tenacious and silent restoration,” the culture minister, Dario Franceschini, told reporters on Friday. 

“As people strolled in the gardens above, below ground, dozens of people continued the restorations.” 
The villa first opened to the public in 1999, but it was closed several times after collapses. It then closed for the long term in 2005 but restorations continued, stymied partially by infiltrations of water and roots from the garden that covers the structure. 

In the new project, the garden would be redesigned to safeguard the building. 

“We don’t want people to think that we’ve resolved all the problems of the Domus Aurea,” said Fedora Filippi, the scientific director of the site. 

“But we wanted to explain to people what we’re doing so that they can participate.” 


Author: Elisabetta Povoledo | Source: Arts Beat/NY Times [October 24, 2014]

L'incredibile forza seduttiva di Pompei

Pompei rinasce con il turismo: solo nella giornata del 15 di 

Agosto, 13.000 visitatori si sono recati nel sito, per visitare le  

10 'nuove' case che non erano state rese disponibili al 

pubblico prima. Le fotografie non rendono la bellezza della 

Casa della Caccia, né la dovizia del musaico della Casa di 

Apollo, né l'estrema modernità del Thermopolio di Vetutio 

Placido, che sembra quyasi il bancone di un moderno "fast 

food joint".


Pompeii seduces thousands with 10 new houses 


 From the sumptuous frescoes of the Hunting Lodge (Casa della Caccia) to the exquisite decorations of the House of Apollo (Casa di Apollo) and vivid reliefs of the Trojan War, Pompeii is seducing visitors this summer with 10 newly restored houses, some of which had never been open to the public before. 

Casa della Caccia Antica [Credit: Jacques Pleau/Flickr] 

After long controversy regarding the lack of personnel at Pompeii, the ministry of culture has dispatched 30 new keepers for the holiday season, a State exam to select new janitors is in the works, and extended opening hours on Friday mean the public can stroll through the ruins after sundown. 

Mosaic at Casa di Apollo [Credit: ANSA] 

Tourists are enjoying the new sites: more than 13,000 visitors flocked to Pompeii on the August 15 national religious holiday, bringing proceeds in excess of 114,000 euros, while 122 people decided to explore the city preserved in lava during night visiting hours. 

Casa della Caccia Antica [Credit: Brett Woodvine/Flickr] 

The 10 new houses include the Thermopolium (Latin for restaurant) of Vetutius Placidus, where people could buy cooked food to go. It boasts shrines to Mercury and Dionysus (the gods of commerce and wine, respectively), a dining hall, and an adjoining mansion with a vestibule, a garden, and a dining room. 

Thermopolium of Vetutius Placidus [Credit: Vanni Archive/Corbis] 

The Ancient Hunting Lodge (Casa della Caccia Antica) is another must-see at Pompeii. According to experts, it had just undergone renovation when it was buried under meters of ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. An extensive hunting scene is still visible on one of its garden walls, and its interiors are luxuriously decorated with beautiful paintings and marble-like coverings. 
Also noteworthy are the Domus Cornelia and its exquisite sculptures, the House of Apollo adorned with images of the god to which it owes its name, and the House of Achilles with its impressive reliefs of the Trojan war. 


Source: ANSA [August 19, 2014]

Read more at: http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.it/2014/08/pompeii-seduces-thousands-with-10-new.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+TheArchaeologyNewsNetwork+(The+Archaeology+News+Network)#.U_XrXih7DfU
Follow us: @ArchaeoNewsNet on Twitter | groups/thearchaeologynewsnetwork/ on Facebook

Riapre la 'Tomba Bella' di Cerveteri

Cerveteri si prepara al rilancio, offrendo al pubblico di visitatori anche alcune tombe che erano state chiuse (nella figura la Tomba dei Rilievi, o Tomba Bella, non tomba dei leoni come specificato nella didascalia in inglese: si tratta della tomba dei Matunas, del IV secolo a.C. splendidamente decorata con stucchi in rilievo ancora portanti il colore originale). Anche la sbiadita Tomba dei Leoni dipinti sarà in mostra.
Il sito di Cerveteri è uno dei più grandi siti archeologici del mondo (supera in dimensioni persino la Valle dei Re Egizia) e si spera di riuscire a rilanciarlo dopo un massiccio investimento di riorganizzazione, pulizia, restauro ed incremento delle protezioni dai furti (illuminazione, telecamere) da parte dell'Unione Europea.

Cerveteri's Etruscan city of dead set to wow visitors 

 UNESCO world heritage site the Etruscan Necropolis of Banditaccia at Cerveteri north of Rome is gearing to amaze visitors with a July inauguration showcasing previously closed tombs and a new welcome center, officials told ANSA this week. 

Previously closed Tomb of the Painted Lions to open to public [Credit: ANSA] 

Thanks to a 2.3-million-euro collaborative investment of European Union and Italian State funds, the three-millennia-old Banditaccia is getting an upgrade and plans to show off the latest renovations at the July 4 inauguration of its new Visitor Center. 

One July highlight will be the re-opening of the Tomb of the Painted Lions, a 7th-century BC tomb once frescoed with lions, which have since faded away due to exposure, along with other previously closed tombs. 
Additionally, Banditaccia's long-neglected pedestrian paths have been cleaned up for the upcoming inauguration, including 'La Passeggiata di Lawrence', a pathway named after writer DH Lawrence whose book Etruscan Places inspired the site's rediscovery. 

Both weather and grave robbers have repeatedly contributed to the site's degradation over the decades, which the Banditaccia project aims to rectify with the addition of 80 surveillance cameras and an evening illumination. 
Over the next 18 months, the Banditaccia project also will add an interactive multi-media experience, new itineraries, and visitor facilities upgrades such as a restaurant and bathrooms. 

Etruscan site at Cerveteri [Credit: Mike Wilson]

 Lorenzo Croci, Cerveteri's sustainable-development councilor, hopes that the upgrades will double visitors to the heritage site, considered the cradle of Etruscan civilization with its more than 1000 tombs. 
"Few people know this but this is the largest archaeological site in the world, even bigger than the Valley of the Kings in Egypt", Croci told ANSA, adding "today we have 65,000 annual visitors. 
"We want double that, and for the site to receive the recognition it deserves," he said. 
The Etruscans lived mainly between the rivers Tiber and Arno in modern-day Umbria, Lazio and Tuscany, in the first millennium BC. 
By the sixth century BC they had become the dominant force in central Italy, but repeated attacks from Gauls and Syracusans later forced them into an alliance with the embryonic Roman state, which gradually absorbed Etruscan civilization. 
Most of what is known about the Etruscans derives from archaeology as the few accounts passed down by Roman historians tend to be hostile, portraying them as gluttonous and lecherous. 
This problem is compounded by the fact that Etruscan cities were built almost entirely of wood and so vanished quickly, leaving little for archaeologists to investigate. 


Author: Erica Firpo | 

Source: ANSA [June 05, 2014] 

Read more at: http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.it/2014/06/cerveteris-etruscan-city-of-dead-set-to.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+TheArchaeologyNewsNetwork+(The+Archaeology+News+Network)#.U5HpK3J_uSo
Follow us: @ArchaeoNewsNet on Twitter | groups/thearchaeologynewsnetwork/ on Facebook

Quanti anni?

Howard Carter scoprì la tomba KV62 nel 1922 (KV sta per Kings Valley, Valle dei Re). 
...Sono trascorsi 92 anni...

I finimenti dei cavalli del carro, le decorazioni stesse del carro da guerra ed i foderi delle armi del giovane Faraone sono di grandissimo interesse, perché rappresentano il risultato 
della fusione di motivi Levantini ed Egizi nell'arte quotidiana del XIV secolo a.C.
Tali oggetti d'arte non sono mai stati visti prima dal pubblico e pochissimi sono gli archeologi che li hanno potuto avvicinare.
Una cooperazione Egizio-Tedesca collaborerà al restauro dei pezzi archeologici e fra circa tre anni sarà possibile esporli in un museo del Cairo.
Sono tutti d'accordo, nel mondo, che questa è una bella notizia!

(Per fortuna non si tratta delle statue di Monte 'e Prama, altrimenti, sai che cagnara da parte della setta shardanista!)...


Restored gold objects from the tomb of Tutankhamun 

to be 

displayed for first time.


Even the tomb of Tutankhamun holds virtually unknown treasures. A group of decorated gold leaf-on-leather objects is currently under restoration by an Egyptian-German team in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, to be displayed for the first time. 

Gold-leaf decoration showing a hunting-scene (a dog and a griffin attacking an ibex)  using motifs from levantine art [Credit:: Christian Eckmann] 

The objects which formed part of Tutankhamun's war chariots, the trappings of their horses and the sheaths of weapons are since their time of discovery in 1922 in a bad condition and were never studied adequately. 
However their decoration is of unusual beauty and decisive historical significance. 
The combination of Egyptian and Levantine motifs bears witness to the political and cultural interconnections between Egypt and the city-states of the Levant in the 14th century BCE. 

The restoration lab in the Egyptian Museum Cairo 

[Credit: Christian Eckmann] 

A team of restoration specialists and archaeologists from the Egyptian Museum Cairo, the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz (the leading German Institution for scientific restoration), the Institute of Near Eastern Archaeology of the University of Tübingen (which excavated and studied similar objects at the site of ancient Qatna in Syria) and the German Archaeological Institute Cairo embarked now on a project to carry out a full archaeological and technological analysis of this group of objects and to restore them so that their value and importance can be appreciated for the first time. 

H.E. the Minister of State for Antiquities, Prof. Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim, the representative  of H.E. the ambassodor of Germany in Egypt, Chargé d'Affaires Kai Boeckmann  and Christian Eckmann, restoration expert from the Römisch Germanisches Zentralmuseum  Mainz discussing the work of the project 

[Credit: Christian Eckmann] 

Thanks to special funding by the Federal Republic of Germany and investing a sum exceeding 1 million Egyptian Pounds, a specialized restoration lab could be equipped at the Egyptian Museum Cairo. 
To support professional capacity building in the context of this project, scholarships are extended to Egyptian restorers to receive high-level specialized training at the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz.
 The project was inaugurated on the 6th of April 2014 in the presence of H.E. the Minister of State for Antiquities, Prof. Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim, the representative of H.E. the German Ambassador to Egypt, Chargé d'Affaires Kai Boeckmann and the representatives of the research institutions involved. 
It is planned that the project, which is supported also by funds of the German Research Council (DFG), will be concluded after three years with a first public exhibition of the objects in the Egyptian Museum. 

Source: Deutsches Archäologisches Institute [June 01, 2014]

Le maschere più antiche

Presentano buchi sui bordi, probabilmente per essere indossate, forse anche per attaccarci una 'capigliatura', o forse solo per appenderle. Mettono un po' paura, con le grandi occhiaie e le smorfie irreali o feroci. Sono scavate nella pietra calcarea, perché sono maschere dell'età della pietra. Sono con ogni probabilità le maschere più antiche a noi note: sono una dozzina, tutte provenienti dalla medesima zona collinare d'Israele. Si pensa che rappresentino gli spiriti degli antenati e siano state usati in culti e cerimonie che li riguardassero. Saranno esposte dall'uncici Marzo all'undici settembre all'Israel Museum di Gerusalemme.

Face to Face: 

The Oldest Masks in the World 

at The Israel Museum 


The Israel Museum brings together for the first time a rare group of 9,000-year-old stone masks, the oldest known to date, in a groundbreaking exhibition opening in March. Culminating nearly a decade of research, Face to Face: The Oldest Masks in the World showcases twelve extraordinary Neolithic masks, all originating in the same region in the ancient Land of Israel. 
On view from March 11 through September 13, 2014, the exhibition marks the first time that this group will be displayed together, in their birthplace, and the first time that the majority of them will be on public view. 
Originating from the Judean Hills and nearby Judean Desert, the twelve masks on view each share striking stylistic features. Large eye holes and gaping mouths create the expression of a human skull. Perforations on the periphery may have been used for wearing them, for the attachment of hair, which would have given the masks a more human appearance, or for suspending the masks from pillars or other constructed forms. 
Based on similarities with other cultic skulls of ancestors found in villages of the same period, the masks are believed to have represented the spirits of dead ancestors, used in religious and social ceremonies and in rites of healing and magic. By recreating human images for cultic purposes, the early agricultural societies of Neolithic times may have been expressing their increasing mastery of the natural world and reflecting their growing understanding of the nature of existence. 

Neolithic masks were carved out of limestone some 9,000 years ago by Stone Age people [Credit: Israel Antiquities Authority. Exhibited at The Israel Museum, Jerusalem] 

"It is extraordinary to be able to present side by side this rare group of ancient stone masks, all originating from the same region in the ancient Land of Israel," said James S. Snyder, Anne and Jerome Fisher Director of the Israel Museum. "That we have been able to assemble so many – first for intensive comparative research and then for display – is a tribute to the collections that were so cooperative in making these treasures available to us. And, given their origins in the region and the context provided by the adjacent setting of our Archaeology Wing, their display in our Museum in Jerusalem carries special meaning, underscoring their place in the unfolding history of religion and art." The current presentation is the result of more than a decade of research. For many years, the Israel Museum has held in its collections two Neolithic stone masks–one from a cave at Nahal Hemar in the Judean Desert and the other from Horvat Duma in the nearby Judean Hills. A chance discovery of photographs of similar masks led Dr. Debby Hershman, the Museum’s Curator of Prehistoric Cultures, to begin to research the subject. An Israel Museum Curator of prehistoric cultures and the Face to Face Exhibition shows diagrams of one of the rare 9,000-year-old Neolithic stone masks, all originating from the Judean Hills and Judean Desert, which are to go on public display for the first time at the Israeli Museum in Jerusalem on March 5, 2014. 

These masks are believed to have represented the spirits of dead ancestors [Credit: AFP/Ahmad Gharabli] 

Hershman enlisted the assistance of Professor Yuval Goren, an expert in comparative microarchaeology at Tel Aviv University, to explore the masks' geographical origins, as well as of the computerized archaeology laboratory at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to conduct 3-D analysis that shed light on their comparative features and functions. The current display reflects the fruits of this in-depth research, bringing together twelve striking and enigmatic masks near the place of their origin and for the first time. Face to Face is curated by Dr. Debby Hershman, Ilse Katz Leibholz Curator of Prehistoric Cultures. The exhibition and its accompanying publication were made possible through the generosity of Judy and Michael Steinhardt, New York, and with additional support from the donors to the Museum’s 2014 Exhibition Fund: Claudia Davidoff, Cambridge, MA, in memory of Ruth and Leon Davidoff; Hanno D. Mott, New York; the Nash Family Foundation, New York; and Yad Hanadiv, the Rothschild Foundation in Israel. 


Source: The Israel Museum [March 09, 2014]
Read more at: http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.it/2014/03/face-to-face-oldest-masks-in-world-at.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+TheArchaeologyNewsNetwork+(The+Archaeology+News+Network)#.UyCz_Yt0vB_
Follow us: @ArchaeoNewsNet on Twitter | groups/thearchaeologynewsnetwork/ on Facebook

La più antica corona di Rame

Sarà in mostra a Manhattan la più antica corona esistente - per ora - al mondo (6.000 anni fa). E' di rame dipinto di nero, ha la forma di un anello ed è ornata con avvoltoi e porte, che sporgono dal profilo superiore della stessa. Secondo gli archeologi, potrebbe essere una rappresentazione di una delle strutture ("Torri del silenzio" - ndt) in cui i corpi dei defunti erano esposti alla decomposizione naturale, prima della sepoltura.

Copper Age crown, 

the world's oldest, 

to go on display in Manhattan


 The world’s oldest crown will be taking on Manhattan when it goes on display at a new exhibit on the city's Upper East Side.

 This Crown from the Copper Age is believed to be the oldest in existence. 

The artifact will be on display at The Institute for the Study of the Ancient World in Manhattan until June [Credit: Ardon Bar Hama, Collection of Israel Antiquities Authority©/The Israel Museum] 

The crown is a relic of the Copper Age, dating back some 6,000 years, and will be on display with 150 other artifacts from the era as part of the “Masters of Fire: Copper Age Art from Israel” exhibit opening this week at Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University. “To the modern eye, it is stunning to see how these groups of people, already mastering so many new social systems and technologies, still had the ability to create objects of enduring artistic interest,” said Jennifer Y. Chi, ISAW Exhibitions Director and Chief Curator in a statement. 
The Copper Age was when people discovered how to make implements and ritual objects out of copper and organize and glean products like milk and wool. The show is considered to be the most comprehensive collection of artifacts from the era to be seen outside of Israel, according to local news site DNA info New York. 
The black-colored crown is shaped like a thick ring and adorned with vultures and doors protruding from the top. It is believed to have played a part in burial ceremonies and its adornments are believed a model of a structure where bodies were allowed to decompose before burial. Many of the objects are part of the Nahal Mishmar Hoard, which is a collection of over 400 objects that were found in a remote cave near the Dead Sea in 1961. 
The pieces include two clay statues of the Lady of Gilat and The Ram of Gilat and a full array of Copper Age figurines made from stone, ivory, bone, and clay as well as a scepter decorated with horned animals, a copper container designed to look like a woven basket, and clay goblets and bowls. “The fascinating thing about this period is that a burst of innovation defined the technologies of the ancient world for thousands of years,” Daniel M. Master, Professor of Archaeology at Wheaton College and a member of the curatorial team, said in a statement. “People experimented with new ways to use not just copper, but also leather, ceramics, and textiles—sometimes successfully, sometimes not.”

Source: FoxNews [February 13, 2014]

Read more at: http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.it/2014/02/copper-age-crown-worlds-oldest-to-go-on.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+TheArchaeologyNewsNetwork+(The+Archaeology+News+Network)#.UwCoUIu4ZZ8
Follow us: @ArchaeoNewsNet on Twitter | groups/thearchaeologynewsnetwork/ on Facebook