Antiquities Exhibits

Saka Golden Burials exhibits ongoing at the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Astana, Kazakhstan.  The Saka were a group of nomadic Iranian peoples who inhabited the northern and eastern Eurasian Steppe and the Tarim Basin.  Although they are considered part of the wider Scythic culture they are distinguished from the Scythians of the Pontic Steppe and the Massagetae of the Aral Sea region.  Prominent archaeological remains of the Sakas include the Pazyryk burials, the Issyk kurgan, artifacts of the Ordos culture and possibly Tillya Tepe. It has been suggested that the ruling elite of the Xiongnu was of Saka origin.  Krym Altynbekov's recreation of the Golden Man. Photo courtesy of Krym Altynbekov Excellent article on Kazakhstan's golden burials with lots of quality images: https://en.tengrinews.kz/science/Reconstruction-shows-how-ancient-Scythian-Princess-255482/

Ancient Art of Greece, Rome, Egypt, Asia and pre-Columbian America at the Indianapolis Museum of Art in Indianapolis, Indiana. Although not well publicized, in fact, you can't even find a reference to antiquities on their website, the antiquities at the Indianapolis Museum of Art are high quality, well conserved pieces dating back over 5,000 years. Objects include funerary art, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry, and utilitarian items . Image: Canosan vessel featuring a protome of Medusa from Apulia, southern Italy 3rd to 2nd century BCE. Canosa, sometimes referred to as Canusium, was an important center for pottery production. Although initially an ally of the Samnites, Canosa became a Roman ally in 318 BCE. It protected the fleeing remnants of the Roman army within its walls after the catastrophic Roman defeat at Cannae during the Second Punic War. Although its pottery is said to be distinctive because of its water soluble paint, I find it interesting because of the three di...

Arts of ancient West Mexico from the University of Iowa's Stanley Museum of Art now on display at the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa. This collection is focused on the ceramic sculpture of ancient West Mexico, which is famed for its rich stylistic variety. The collection also contains objects from other ancient Mexican cultures, including brightly painted Mayan ceramics, stone figures from Guerrero, and delicately worked fi gures from Teotihuacan and Tlatilco. Other regions are represented as well, including the great textile traditions of ancient Peru and the jade and gold jewelry of Colombia. Objects in the collection include human figures depicted in their finery, animals fashioned into containers and whistles, stone markers used in ceremonial ball games, jewelry made of jade and gold, and elaborately painted vessels as well as ceramic sculpture that depict both ritual practices and aspects of daily life. Image: Fragment of a polychrome Ñuiñe effigy vessel 300-...

Antiquities at the Cornell Fine Arts Museum in Winter Park, Florida. Collections include Egyptian bronze vessels and stone and ceramic carvings, cuneiform tablets, Etruscan ceramics, Roman fragmentary statues and sculpted funerary stele, and a beautifully preserved Roman sarcophagus. Image: Roman sarcophagus 2nd - 3rd century CE at the Cornell Fine Arts Museum courtesy of TripAdvisor contributor orino.

Ancient Art at the Fleming Museum on the campus of the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont. With Near Eastern, Egyptian, Mediterranean, and prehistoric Vermont objects, the Ancient Art and Archaeology collection encompasses broad geographic regions and historical periods. Highlights include a 3,000-year-old Assyrian bas-relief from the palace of Assurnasirpal II, Sumerian cuneiform tablets, Greek pottery, Coptic textiles , and more than 400 Egyptian objects, including a late Dynastic mummy and coffin. The Fleming Museum's Pre-Columbian collection spans nearly 3,000 years. Most notable are the Museum's ceramics, which range from elegant jars and bowls to striking human and animal effigies. The collection also contains wonderful examples of Pre-Columbian textiles and ceremonial stone carvings. Image: Late dynastic mummy with gilded mummy mask. Image courtesy of the Fleming Museum.

Ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian Galleries at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art in Providence, Rhode Island. Roman marble portraits and sarcophagi, wall paintings from the vicinity of Pompeii, floor mosaics from the Roman province of Syria, as well as Etruscan and Italic ceramics and bronzes are on view in the Weiss Ancient Art Gallery. A gallery of ancient Greek art is organized around the themes of early Greece , gods and goddesses, religion, funerary customs, everyday life, and the symposium. A third gallery, devoted to materials and technology, elucidates various creative processes and explains the effects of time on materials including marble, ceramics, metals, and glass. Objects in the Egyptian Gallery served functional or ritual purposes in everyday life, temple worship, or funerary practices. Image: Image: Roman-Egyptian votive panel with a painting of the god Heron 300 CE. Heron is believed to have originated as a guardian god for travelers along th...

First Greek underwater museum centered on the 126 ton 5th century BCE Peristera shipwreck opens to the public.  Near the northern Greek island of Alonissos lies a remarkable ancient shipwreck: the remains of a massive cargo ship that changed archaeologists’ understanding of shipbuilding in antiquity. Now this spectacular find is to become the first ancient shipwreck to be made accessible to the public in Greece, including to recreational divers.  Thousands of ancient vases, the vast majority intact, lie in layers. Fish, sponges and other sea creatures have made the amphoras their home, adding color and life to the site. In some places, the cargo towers above divers as they pass along the perimeter of the wreck. Shipwreck near Peristera Island [Credit Ethnos]

Ancient Art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia. VMFA’s collection of ancient Mediterranean art is one of the largest on the East Coast, spanning more than 5,000 years of human history, from Pre-Dynastic Egypt in the 4th millennium BC through the fall of the Byzantine Empire in AD 1453. The collection includes objects from Egypt, the Near East, the Aegean, Greece, Etruria, the Roman Empire, and Byzantium. Image: Votive offering depicting Ulysses (Odysseus) bound to the mast of his ship Byzantine 5th-6th century CE Bronze with traces of gilding. Image courtesy of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Ancient Near Eastern, Greek, and Roman Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, Ohio. Spanning a period of roughly 3,800 years, the collections of Ancient Near Eastern, Greek, and Roman art at the Cleveland Museum of Art are held in very high esteem nationally and internationally. Although the collections are modest in overall numbers, they are typified by singular works of rare quality. Sasanian silver is a clear streng th in the Ancient Near Eastern collection, along with major masterpieces of large stone sculpture, and one of the very finest "stargazer" figures to have survived. In the Greek and Roman area, the collections feature exquisite small and large-scale bronzes, such as the world-famous Apollo Sauroktonos figure attributed to Praxiteles, several outstanding painted vases from the Archaic, Classical, and late Classical periods, and excellent smaller objects crafted of precious materials. Image: Sleep and Death Cista Handle 400-375 BCE Etruscan. I...

Antiquities from ancient Rome, Greece, Egypt, the Near East, and Europe ongoing at the Detroit Institute of Arts in Detroit, Michigan.  The collections include a diverse selection of objects including sculpture, funerary monuments, ceramics, glassware, coins, jewelry, weapons and armor, including a gladiator helmet in excellent condition, as well as utilitarian artifacts. Image: An unusual collection of bronze strigils on a ring with glass flask, Roman, 1st century CE.  Image courtesy of the Detroit Institute of Arts.  I've seen a number of single strigils in various museums but had never encountered a set like this. It reminds me of one of those Victorian chatelaines that ladies would carry around with little scissors, thimbles, scoops, etc.

Ancient art from Egypt, the Near East, Scythia, Rome, Persia, China, Korea, and the Americas ongoing at the Saint Louis Art Museum in Saint Louis, Missouri. Objects include ceramics, glassware, sculptures, masks, artitectural elements, weapons, funerary art and artifacts used in daily life. Image: A Bull's Head cast of solid copper from ancient Sumeria Early Dynastic III period, 2600-2450 BCE. The bull's massive head is emphasi zed by a stocky muzzle and shortened horns. The addition of a curled, wide beard looks curiously natural on an animal that symbolized the sky god An. As the embodiment of fertility and power, the bearded bull served as an ever-present symbol of divine protection and royal might through centuries of ancient Near Eastern art. Image courtesy of the Saint Louis Art Museum.

Ancient Mesopotamia Speaks: Highlights from the Yale Babylonian Collections through June 30, 2020 at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History in New Haven, Connecticutt. This exhibit shows how everyday life in the 3rd millennium BC was much like life in the 21st century. Children complained that their parents didn’t love them enough. Politicians told grand, untrue stories about their popularity and success. Homemakers read  cookbooks for recipes. Mothers sang lullabies to their children. People reminded others to feed the cats. Artifacts on display include cuneiform tablets, seals, duck-shaped weights, masks of legendary Gilgamesh and his foe Humbaba, carved images of kings, animals and working people, and alabaster wall slabs from a Mesopotamian palace featuring carvings of “geniuses.” The original pieces, selected from Yale's 40,000 works in their Mesopotamia collection, are enhanced by re-creations of legendary artifacts, such as the stele on which is inscribed the Code of...

Ancient Greek, Roman, Asian, American and Mesopotamian Art at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. The ancient collection of the Kimbell Art Museum spans the period from 3200 BCE to 1000 CE and includes sculpture, mosaics, utilitarian objects , funerary art and religious works that span the globe. The Kimbell's select holdings of antiquities range from the Egyptian Old Kingdom of the third millennium B.C.E, through ancie nt Assyria, Greece, and Rome, and to the Early Christian Church in the fifth century. Ancient American art is represented by Maya works in ceramic, stone, shell, and jade and includes Olmec, Zapotec, and Aztec sculpture as well as pieces from the Conte and Wari cultures. Ancient works from China, Korea, Japan, India, Nepal, Tibet, Cambodia, and Thailand comprise the ancient Asian art on view including sculptures, paintings, bronzes, ceramics, and works of decorative art. Image: Head of a Ewe 3200 BCE probably from a full sculpture of a sheep ...

The remains of Roman Aguntum ongoing in the Aguntum Museum near Lienz, Austria. Aguntum is an ancient Roman site in East Tirol, Austria, located approximately 4 km east of Lienz in the Drau valley. The city appears to have been built to exploit the local sources of iron, copper, zinc and gold. Excavations reveals structures dating from the 4th to 1st centuries BCE including the ruins of a beautifully preserved house, baths, ware houses, a market, a portion of the city walls, and the forum. The museum offers exhibits of statues, glassware, ceramics, coins, bronzes, reconstructions, and scale models. The remains of the large Roman villa are protected within a smaller adjacent building. Collections of the Auguntum Museum courtesy of the museum.

Reimagine the battle of Alesia at the Alesia Archaeological Park near Alise-Sainte-Reine, France.  Exhibits include weapons, films, maps and scale models displayed in a round interpretive center recalling the original fortified oppidum. Visitors can experience the various stages of the battle through augmented reality. Binoculars pointed at important battle sites near the oppidum enable visitors to get a close-up of the landscape that springs to life with animations depicting the unfolding siege and the battle.  Visitors can also explore a section of the reconstructed dual walls  with wooden parapets that Julius Caesar constructed to contain the Gauls in the hill fort and protect the Roman from Gallic relief forces numbering an estimated 250,000 men in total.  Historical reenactors also present demonstrations of life in 1st century BCE Gaul. Reconstructions of Julius Caesar's reconstruction at the site of the battle of Alesia

ANCIENT ARTS OF CHINA: A 5000 YEAR LEGACY ongoing at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California. Journey back through 5000 years of Chinese history and follow the efflorescence of arts throughout one of the world's oldest living civilizations. From large painted ceramic pots used during the Neolithic period, to sculptures of camels and horses made at the height of the Silk Road, to beautiful embroidered silk court robes and ivory carvings from the 19th century, this exhibition presents the importance of fine art made to be admired during life and depended on in the afterlife. Image: Detail of a Carved Tusk, Qing Dynasty to Early Republic of China at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California.  Image courtesy of the Bowers Museum.

Transformation: Art of the Americas through October 6, 2019 at The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. Transformation features approximately 20 works from indigenous American cultures, dating from 1200 bce to 1500 ce, that illustrate the metamorphosis of body and spirit. People of the indigenous Americas radically modified their bodies in the belief that altering their physical selves would transform them into deities and  supernatural beings. The objects on view, including gold jewelry, stone sculptures, musical instruments, and a painted ceramic burial urn, powerfully illustrate a fundamental worldview of the ancient Americas: that states of being—human, animal, and divine—were fluid and interchangeable. Image: Maya Polychrome Lidded Urn with Seated Figure 600-900 CE courtesy of the Walters Art Museum.

Remains of a Mithraem and Roman religious sculpture at the Roman Museum of Osterburken in the Baden-Württemberg region of Germany. The collections exhibited are primarily finds from the northern Baden Limes region. Objects on display include statuary, architectural elements, funerary monuments, votive objects, models, ceramics, and the remains of a Roman Mithraeum including a statuary group of deities and a figure in Roman military dress. Image: Statue group from the watchtower known as "Tailor's Hedge" courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Hartmann Linge.

Achaemanid and Sassanian era art ongoing at the Azarbaijan Museum in Tabriz, Iran. The Azarbaijan Museum in northwestern Iran houses archaeological collections dating back to the 5th millennium BCE through the Achaemenid and Sassanian dynasties in its first two galleries as well as a library with three thousands volumes. Items include religious and funerary monuments and inscriptions, rhytons, human remains, ceramics, weights,  jewelry, glassware, coins, and seals. For those also interested in more modern art, the museum displays Iranian artist Ahad Hosseini's twelve sculptures, "Misery Around the World" in its third gallery. Image: Sassanid era (221 -651 CE) gilded silver plate, Azerbaijan Museum , Tabriz , Iran courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Alborz Fallah. The Sassanids were one of Rome's most formidable opponents. For those of you unable to travel to Iran, the Sackler Gallery at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. has a number of outstanding s...

Artifacts from the Villa Maritima and the ancient city of Tauroentum ongoing at the Gallo-Roman Museum of Tauroentum in Aint-Cyr-Sur Mer, France. Objects on display include coins, glassware, ceramics, dolia, mosaics incorporating both geometric patterns and animal designs, sarcophagi, architectural elements, and inscribed monuments. The museum is located on the site of the ancient Greek city of Tauroentum that was later occupie d by about 2,000 Roman inhabitants in the 1st century CE. Much of the original site was submerged in the 3rd century CE. Image: Mosaic pavement from the Villa Maritima courtesy of the Gallo-Roman Museum of Tauroentum

Remains from Prehistoric through Roman times ongoing at the National Archaeological Museum of Sibaritide near Sybaris, Italy. This museum houses finds from the ancient cities of Sybaris, Thurii and Copia. Some of the most interesting finds were the result of excavations in the archaeological park of Francavilla Marittima, from whose necropolis come grave goods dating back to the Iron Age from the sanctuary of Athena of the 6th  - 4th century BCE including religious figurines and architectural fragments. One of the most important objects in the museum's collection is a bronze table with a dedication to Athena belonging to Kleombrotos son of Dexilaos, winner of a competition at Olympia , dating back to the beginning of the sixth century BCE. Image: Bronze figurines of both Roman and Egyptian deities courtesy of the the National Archaeological Museum of Sibaritide.

Artifacts from South Apulia and Roman finds from Sant'Aloe ongoing at the State Archaeological Museum of Vito Capialbi in Vibo Valentia, Italy. This museum located in the Norman-Swabian Castle of Vibo Valentia is divided into four main sections: finds from sacred buildings, artifacts recovered from necropolises, objects from private collections and Roman materials. Corinthian and Attic pottery, basins, helmets, votive statuette s, gold and silver jewelry, architectural fragments and mosaics dating from the late seventh century BCE through the Roman era are on display. Image: A profusion of terracotta votive statues at the State Archaeological Museum of Vito Capialbi in Vibo Valentia, Italy courtesy of Trip Advisor contributor Marc10en.

Remains of ancient Venusia ongoing at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Venosa, Italy.  The museum, housed in Aragonese castle built in 1470 is dedicated to the Latin colony of Venusia, founded in 291 BCE following the defeat of the Samnites in the Third Samnite War. The oldest artifact on display is a femur fragment of homo erectus dated to about 300,000 years ago, among the oldest found in Europe. The Roman period is documented with coins, elements of architectural decoration, and ceramics. The epigraphic section contains a collection of funerary and public inscriptions, the latter documenting important works created by magistrates of Venusia. Of particular note is the collection of memorial stones inscribed in the Oscan language from an open space of the 1st century BCE where auspices were drawn through the flight of birds. Figured epigraphs testify to the establishment of an important Jewish community which, between the 4th and 9th centuries CE, buried its dead in local ca...

Remains of ancient Oiasso ongoing at the Oiasso Roman Museum in Irun, Spain. This museum's archaeological collections include objects worked in leather and wood that reflect an urban settlement developed during the first centuries of the common era as a result of its busy port, located on the Atlantic sea route and mines in the vicinity. The collections are organized in three rooms. The Impact Room presents the Vascon indigeno us world and objects from the first contacts between it and the Roman colonizers. During the Sertorian War of 80-72 BCE Pompey established his headquarters in the territory of the Vascones and it is claimed that he founded Pompaelo, modern day Pamplona, but later studies show it was already the chief town of the Vascones. The Puerto room of the museum, displays ancient artifacts from commerce and fishing. Finally, the Oiasso room focuses on the daily aspects of a Roman city of the high imperial period - diet, clothing, writing, leisure and religion. Visit...

Antiquities from the Arabian Peninsula. Ongoing. At the Sharjah Archaeological Museum in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.  This museum's exhibits include artifacts of daily life, currencies, jewelry, pottery and ancient weapons created by civilizations in the region from the Stone Age until the rise of Islam, covering 125,000 years of occupation. Visitors can also explore tombs, cemeteries and houses through reconstructed model s and learn about the first forms of writing which appeared in this area more than 2500 years ago. The archaeological findings reveal the connections and relations between Sharjah inhabitants and their neighbors in the Arabian Peninsula, as well as with other civilizations encountered through commercial relationships from the east of the Indus Valley to the west of the Mediterranean islands. Image: Golden Bridle (150 BC - 200 CE) found buried with the remains of a horse and a camel in Mleiha. Image courtesy of the Sharjah Archaeological Museum.