Antiquities Exhibits

Pompeii: The Exhibition to open at Salt Lake City's Leonardo Museum beginning November 23, 2019. More than 150 artifacts from Pompeii, the Roman city covered by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, will be displayed at the Leonardo Museum in Salt Lake City, Utah including mosaics and frescoes, gladiator helmets, armor, and weapons, a ship’s anchor, lamps, jugs, cups, plates, pots and pans and other household objects  and furniture, jewelry, medical instruments, and tools. A simulated 4D eruption theater will allow visitors to experience the deathly impact Mount Vesuvius had on this ancient city, culminating in the reveal of full body casts of twisted human forms, asphyxiated by extreme heat and noxious gases and forever frozen in time. Image: Closeup of the lion skin of Hercules and a stork fighting a snake on gladiator shin guards recovered from the gladiator barracks in Pompeii Roman 1st century CE photographed at "Pompeii: The Exhibit" when disp...

Ninety-six ancient Roman sculptures from the private Torlonia Collection to be displayed at the Capitoline Museums in Rome from March 25, 2020 to January 10, 2021. Ninety-six from a total of 620 ancient sculptures will be featured in the exhibition "The Torlonia Marbles: Collecting Masterpieces" next year in the Palazzo Caffarelli venue of the Capitoline Museums in Rome. The collection of marble, bronze and alabaster statues, b usts, bas reliefs, and sarcophagi were amassed between the 15th and 19th centuries. Originally showcased in the Museo Torlonia which opened to the public in 1875 in Rome's Trastevere quarter, the museum was shuttered after World War II with access granted only to experts or visiting dignitaries. When the museum was finally closed in 1976 to make way for luxury apartments. The collection ended up stored in a basement in another palace owned by the Torlonia family and has remained there for more than four decades. Finally, after years of negotiat...

Egypt's Lost Cities through April 12, 2020 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. The Stele of Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II, an 18-ton monolith, one of the 250 artifacts in the "Egypt's Lost Cities" exhibit excavated from the ancient towns of Thonis-Heracleion and Canopus in Egypt, now greets visitors to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Thonis-Heracleion and Canopus, once bustling cities on E gypt's north coast, sank into the Mediterranean Sea about 1,200 years ago, casualties of rising sea levels, earthquakes and tidal waves. They remained lost until 2000, when they were uncovered by French underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio, founding president of the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology. The exhibition includes gold coins and jewelry, bronze vessels, and a 16-foot tall 8-ton red granite statue of the god Hapi. In addition to artifacts recovered by Goddio, other artifacts from museums in Cairo and Alexandria wil...

Assyria to America at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art in Brunswick, Maine through December 13, 2020. "Assyria to America" examines the ancient and modern histories of six reliefs from ancient Nimrud now in the collections of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art.   For the first time in their 150-year history at Bowdoin, ivory furniture inlays, cuneiform tablets, cylinder seals, and palace vessels are used to explore the sumptuous sensory experiences and vibrant court life of the Neo-Assyrian empire. Image: Head of Ashurnasirpal II from Kalhu (Nimrud), ca. 875–860 B.C.E. gypsum. Courtesy of Bowdoin College Museum of Art.

A goat and satyr "Buried by Vesuvius" at the Getty Villa until October 28, 2019. The marble sculpture of the woodland god Pan having intercourse with a she-goat was discovered in the Villa dei Papiri in 1752. It immediately became notorious and was long off-limits, viewable only in the vaults of the royal palace at Portici by special permission of the king. Explicit imagery was common in antiquity. S ome modern commentators have interpreted this sculpture as evidence of the Romans’ reverence for the generative power of sex. Others have seen it as a satire on the bestial nature of all men. As many of the sculptures in the villa seem to have been grouped thematically, it is tempting to link this work with busts found nearby such as the Macedonian king Demetrios Poliorketes, often depicted with horns, like Pan, and famously dissolute. The satyr and goat were found on the south side of the rectangular peristyle on March 1, 1752. Image: Closeup of Satyr and goat found...

Philetairos of Pergamon "Buried by Vesuvius" at the Getty Villa until October 28, 2019. Philetairos, 343 –263 BCE, was the founder of the Attalid dynasty of Pergamon in Anatolia. After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE, Philetairos became embroiled in the struggle for supremacy, called the Wars of the Diadochi, between Alexander's generals. Philetairos served first under Antigonus then shifted his allegiance to Lysim achus who, after Antigonus was killed at the Battle of Ipsus in 301 BCE, made Philetairos commander of Pergamon, where Lysimachus kept a treasury of nine thousand talents of silver. Philetairos served Lysimachus until 282 BCE when court intrigues prompted him to desert Lysimachus and offer himself and the important fortress of Pergamon, along with its treasury to Seleucus. Seleucus subsequently defeated and killed Lysimachus at the Battle of Corupedium in 281 BCE. But, Seleucus himself was subsequently killed by Ptolemy Ceraunus, the brother-in-...

Woman Wearing a Peplos, possibly Demeter or Hera, "Buried by Vesuvius" at the Getty Villa until October 28, 2019. Exploration of the Villa dei Papiri was abandoned in 1764. Its tunnels were backfilled and its precise location underground was forgotten despite the ever-growing fame of its contents. Renewed interest in the site in the 1980s led to limited excavations in the 1990s and 2000s, which brought to light a portion of the bu ilding’s atrium as well as lower levels that were unknown in the eighteenth century. Among the new discoveries were rooms with colorful mosaic floors and spectacular frescoed walls and stuccoed ceilings. Finds also included a seaside pavilion and swimming pool, where archaeologists recovered two marble sculptures and luxurious wood and ivory furniture components. These recent excavations helped clarify the chronology of the villa, which is now thought to have been built around 40 BCE, with the seaside pavilion added around 20 CE. Reconstructe...

Bronze female piglet "Buried by Vesuvius" at the Getty Villa through October 28, 2019. This sculpture of a female piglet from the Villa dei Papiri likely celebrated the Epicurean ideals of its owner. It was found at the east corner of the rectangular peristyle on May 17, 1756. In antiquity, as today, calling someone a “pig” was generally an insult, but the followers of Epicurus enthusiastically appropriated  the term. The Roman poet Horace referred to himself as “a pig from the sty of Epicurus” - sleek, fat, and well cared for. The statesman Cicero, meanwhile, explained that in Epicurus’s philosophical doctrine, “every animal, as soon as it is born, seeks pleasure and delights in it as the greatest good, while avoiding pain as the greatest evil.” - J. Paul Getty Museum Images of a female piglet recovered from the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum courtesy of Allan Gluck.

The Runners "Buried by Vesuvius" at the Getty Villa through October 28, 2019. A pair of bronze runners were found at the west end of the rectangular peristyle of the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum on October 1, 1754. Each was assembled from seven separately cast pieces: head, torso, arms, legs, and genitals. Although they were likely produced in the same workshop, analysis of their alloys shows that they were cast from diffe rent batches of metal, and subtle variances in their measurements indicate that they were not made from identical molds. One figure, with its head slightly turned, is somewhat larger than the other, suggesting that the other was modeled after it - clay molds made from this statue would have shrunk when drying. The details of the hair of the larger sculpture are also more precise. Images: "The Runners" recovered from the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum and photographed at the Getty Villa, Roman, 1st century BCE - 1st century C...

Female philosopher "Buried by Vesuvius" through October 28, 2019 at the Getty Villa. "This woman wearing a double fillet (headband) is often identified as the poet Sappho, but her unlayered himation (mantle) was commonly worn by male philosophers. Given the Epicurean aspect of the Villa dei Papiri’s contents, it is tempting to identify her as a follower of the philosopher Epicurus, who admitted women into his school . Epicurus praised one of his female pupils in particular, a former courtesan named Leontion. If this identification is correct, the ancient display of this bust near that of Seleukos (left) juxtaposed a king and military commander with a philosopher, perhaps contrasting the active life of a ruler with the contemplative life of an Epicurean. " - J. Paul Getty Museum The sculpture was found at the north corner of the rectangular peristyle on August 23, 1758. The sculpture is Roman and dated between the 1st century BCE and the first century CE. ...

Two versions of Silenus "Buried by Vesuvius" at the Getty Villa through October 28, 2019. These two silens, aged companions of the wine god Bacchus, were part of a group of four displayed around the central pool of the Villa dei Papiri’s atrium. Water issued from the wineskin and the mouth of the panther. For the erudite owners of the villa and their cultured  visitors, these statuettes may have brought to mind Greek poems describing fountain figures in the form of satyrs. One poem, attributed to Plato, reads: “A cunning master wrought me, the satyr, son of Bacchus, divinely inspiring the monolith with breath . . . Instead of purple wine I now pour forth pleasant water.” - J. Paul Getty Museum Images: Silenus with a Wineskin found near the impluvium in the atrium of the Villa dei Papiri on December 18, 1754. Silenus with a Panther also found near the impluvium in the atrium on the same date. Both figurines are Roman bronze 1st century BCE - 1st century CE. Photo...

Newly reimagined Mexico and Central America Gallery at the University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology to open November 16, 2019. University of Pennsylvania’s work in Mexico and Central America began more than a century ago and In the following decades, Penn archaeologists led excavations at sites such as Piedras Negras, Guatemala and Sitio Conte, Panama, unearthing remnants of the powerful cultures that once dominated these lands including a 1,200-year-old limestone monument dubbed “Stela 14,” which played a key role in the decipherment of Maya glyph writing. The Penn's collection of Maya monuments are considered the largest and finest in the U.S. These sculptures will be accompanied by Aztec and Olmec artifacts on long-term loan from the Philadelphia Museum of Art and a rotating array of 20th-century textiles from Guatemala. The next phase of the Building Transformation Campaign, a complete renovation of the Egypt and Nubia Galleries ha...

Dacia Felix. Romania’s Glorious Past,  October 19, 2019 - April 26, 2020 at the Gallo-Roman Museum in Tongeren, Belgium.  Over 300 ancient artifacts from the National Museum of Romanian History will be featured in the exhibition "Dacia Felix. Romania’s Glorious Past" October 19, 2019 - April 26, 2020 at the Gallo-Roman Museum in Tongeren in Belgium.  Included among the artifacts are a silver thyton dated to the 4th-3rd centuries BCE, a golden helmet of Coțofenești dating to the 4th century BCE, and pieces from the Sâncrăieni treasure dating to the 1st century BCE.  The exhibit includes the presentation of a documentary filmed at Sarmizegetusa Regia and other historic locations.  The province of Dacia was annexed to the Roman Empire in 106 CE after its conquest by the Roman emperor Trajan.  It was the ancient homeland of the Dacians and the Getae and a cultural crossroads for the Greeks, the Scythians, and the Celts, as well as the Romans. Images:...

Archytas or just a man in a turban "Buried by Vesuvius" at the Getty Villa until October 28, 2019. This figure with a mature face, bulging brow, and turban was at first identified as Archytas, an ancient Greek philosopher from Tarentum, in southern Italy. Archytas was famous for his knowledge of astronomy and his skill in mechanics, and was said to have built a wooden bird that could fly. Today the portrait’s identification is  considered uncertain, but the man probably represents a philosopher or poet, perhaps from the East. The figure was originally depicted with a bare chest. His clothing was added in the eighteenth century and bears the three-rosette mark of the Neapolitan royal foundry that was responsible for restoring finds from Herculaneum. This bust was found at the east corner of the square peristyle of the Villa dei Papiri on November 6, 1753. Image: Man wearing a turban possibly Archytas or some other poet or philosopher from the east recovered from t...

Apollo's twin sister Artemis "Buried by Vesuvius" at the Getty Villa until October 28, 2019. The goddess Artemis was the daughter of Zeus, king of the gods, and the Titaness, Leto. Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities and her temple at Ephesus was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. In this incarnation of her, traces of copper inlay remain on the lips and she once had inset eyes.  Parts of the nose, chest, and drapery are eighteenth-century restorations. The figure has been variously identified as the Ptolemaic queen Berenike, the poet Sappho, and an Amazon. Her identification as the goddess Artemis is based on comparisons to other works, as well as the bust’s findspot near an image of Artemis’ twin brother, Apollo . This sculpture is larger and more naturalistic than the archaic style of Apollo's sculpture, however. She was found at the east end of the rectangular peristyle of the Villa dei Papiri on April 29, 1756....

Apollo, also known as the Kouros Pisoni, "Buried by Vesuvius" at the Getty Villa until October 28, 2019. One of approximately 90 sculptures in bronze and marble that once adorned the Villa dei Papiri, Apollo, also known as the Kouros Pisoni, is depicted in the archaic style rather than the Hellenistic style that dominates most of the art from the villa. Upon its discovery, scholars identified this bust as an Archaic Greek origi nal from the sixth century BCE on account of its stiff, stylized appearance. More recent analysis, however, suggests that it may be an ancient forgery of an Archaic work: its bronze and copper alloy parallels that of later bronzes, its ragged edges were deliberately cast to appear broken, and drip marks on the back betray attempts to make it look antique. The once hollow eyes were filled and painted in the eighteenth century. It was found at the east end of the rectangular peristyle of the Villa dei Papiri in 1756. Image: Apollo, also know...

Roman copy of Athena Promachos "Buried by Vesuvius" at the Getty Villa through October 28, 2019. The original Athena Promachos, "Athena who fights in the front line", was a colossal bronze statue of Athena sculpted by Pheidias, which stood between the Propylaea and the Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens. Athena was the tutelary deity of Athens and the goddess of wisdom and warriors. The Athena Promachos was one of the earliest  recorded works by Pheidias, erected around 456 BCE. Standing 30 feet tall, the Greek geographer, Pausanias claimed the top of Athena's helmet as well as the tip of her spear could be seen by sailors and anyone approaching Athens from Attica. It is thought to have been a memorial of the Battle of Marathon or the Persians Wars and at one time war trophies were placed around its pedestal. A Roman copy of Athena Promachos in marble recovered from the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum was produced between the 1st century BCE and the 1st ce...

Archidamus III, King of Sparta, "Buried by Vesuvius" at the Getty Villa until October 28, 2019. Archidamus III, the son of Agesilaus II, was king of Sparta from 360 BCE to 338 BCE. Archidamus headed the force sent to aid the Spartan army after its defeat by the Thebans at the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BCE. Four years later he captured Caryae, ravaged the territory of the Parrhasii and defeated the Arcadians, Argives and Messeni ans in the "tearless battle", so called because the victory did not cost the Spartans a single life. In 362 BCE, he showed great courage in the defense of Sparta against the Theban commander Epaminondas. In 343 BCE, the Spartan colony Tarentum asked for Sparta's help in the war against the Italic populations, notably the Lucanians and the Messapians. In 342 BCE Archidamus arrived in Italy with a fleet and mercenary army and fought against the barbarians. But in 338 BCE he was defeated and killed under the walls of Manduria. Im...

Two of five Appiades from the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum on view in the exhibit "Buried by Vesuvius" at the Getty Villa through October 28, 2019.  Two of five life-size statues of women were found  in the southwest colonnade of the Villa dei Papiri’s rectangular peristyle between April 1754 and October 1756.  Although they have been called priestesses, nymphs, actresses, carriers of baskets (kistophoroi), jars (kanephoroi), and water (hydrophoroi), and, more recently, Danaids, the mythical daughters of King Danaios who were condemned eternally to fill broken water jars in the Underworld, recent research suggests they are based on a famous sculptural group of the “Appiades,” mythical nymphs of the Aqua Appia, Rome’s first aqueduct. The original Appiades group, sculpted by the Greek artist Stephanos, once decorated a fountain in the forum of Julius Caesar in Rome. Given the strong association of the Villa dei Papiri with the father-in-law of Caesar, it seems plausib...

Dynamic bust of Seleukos I Nikator at the "Buried by Vesuvius" exhibit at the Getty Villa through October 28, 2019.  Seleukos I Nikator (the Victor) was one of the Diadochi (the rival generals, relatives, and friends of Alexander the Great who fought for control over his empire after his death). Having previously served as an infantry general under Alexander the Great, he established the Seleucid Empire over much of the territory in the Near East which Alexander had conquered. Seleukos was involved in a number of wars and conspiracies among his fellow Diadochi but eventually brought the whole eastern part of Alexander's empire as far as the Jaxartes and Indus Rivers under his authority.   In the year 305 BCE, Seleukos went to India and occupied territory as far as the Indus, waging war with the Maurya Emperor Chandragupta. But the campaign was a failure. Seleukos eventually reached an agreement with Chandragupta exchanging territory for 500 war elephants.  It is a...

A contemplative Priapus, son of Dionysus and Aphrodite at the Getty Villa exhibit "Buried by Vesuvius" through October 28, 2019. In Greek mythology, Priapus was a minor rustic fertility god, protector of livestock, fruit plants, gardens and male genitalia as well as the patron of merchant sailing. Although Priapus is usually depicted in erotic imagery, the bust of the god found in the Villa dei Papiri portrays a much different  aspect of the deity and was displayed alongside busts of poets and philosophers. Originally worshiped by Greek colonists in Lampsacus in Asia Minor, the cult of Priapus spread to mainland Greece and eventually to Italy during the 3rd century BCE. Lucian tells us that in Bithynia, Priapus was accounted as a warlike god, a rustic tutor to the infant Ares. Pausanius says this god is worshiped where goats and sheep pasture or there are swarms of bees - but by the people of Lampsacus he is more revered than any other god, being called by them a son of D...

Selected Sculptures from the exhibit Buried by Vesuvius, Treasures from the Villa dei Papiri through October 28, 2019 at the Getty Villa In Pacific Palisades, California. A large collection of bronze and marble statuary as well as a thousand papyrus scrolls were rediscovered in the 1750s and 1760s when the ancient villa on the cliffs adjacent to the town of Herculaneum was excavated from the volcanic debris of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE.  For the next few days, we will examine some of these art objects that are featured in the current exhibit.  First of the objects is the famous drunken satyr, a replica of which basks in the sun in the Getty's large reflection pool in the outer peristyle.  Of the 65 statues and busts found at the archaeological site, the Drunken Satyr is considered the most impressive.  The statue did not emerge from the 80 feet of volcanic rock and debris  intact, however.  The right arm and left hand had become detached, a...

A suggested tour of Pompeii is a newly published addition to the online Ancient History Encyclopedia.  The article is authored by Carole Raddato who also shares her amazing photography and travel experiences on her blog "Following Hadrian."  The self-guided walking tour is estimated to take about five hours.  It includes twenty of the most popular sites in Pompeii including the House of the Faun, the House of the Vetti, the Villa of the Mysteries, the House of Marcus Lucretius, the House of the Prince of Naples, the House of Menander, the bakery of Popidius Priscus, the fullonica, the laundry, of Stephanus, the brothel, known as the lupanar in Roman times, the thermopolim, a fast food snack shop, of Vetutius Placidus, both the Stabian baths and the Forum baths, the forum and its temples, the Temple of Isis, the small and large theaters, the amphitheater and the gladiator barracks. The house of Marcus Lucretius, decurion of Pompeii and priest of Mars.  Image co...

Dog, Cat, and Mouse - Animals in Everyday Life and Myth in Pompeii through October 27, 2019 at the The Pompejanum in Aschaffenburg, Germany. Animals have always accompanied humans. They were first hunted by him and later domesticated as livestock to eventually become a pet - the everyday companion. This exhibit illuminates the relationship between humans and animals in antiquity on the basis of outstanding objects from the coll ections of the Munich Antikensammlungen. Note: The Pompejanum is a replica of the House of Castor and Pollux (also called the House of the Dioscuri) in Pompeii. It was originally commissioned by King Ludwig I and constructed in the 1840s. Although it was damaged during World War II, it was rebuilt in the 1960s. Image: Statue of a Satyr in the Ala of the Pompejanum, a replica of the House of the Dioscuri in Pompeii courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Lutz Hartmann.

A Wonder to Behold: Craftsmanship and the Creation of Babylon's Ishtar Gate, November 6, 2019 - May 24, 2020 at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York University. This exhibition explores ancient ideas about craftsmanship and the power of clay, glass, and stone through the display of the surviving fragments of Babylon's iconic Ishtar Gate and Processional Way. Featuring close to 150 brightly-colored large and  small scale artworks from across the ancient Near East, together with raw materials in a variety of stages of workmanship, the exhibition considers the creation of sacred spaces and objects, including monuments, divine statues, items of personal adornment, and more. Image: An Auroch symbol of Adad (Hadad) storm and rain god of ancient Mesopotamian religions on the Ishtar Gate of Babylon 575 BCE reconstructed with original bricks and photographed at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, Germany.

Queen Nefertari: Eternal Egypt, November 15, 2019 - March 29, 2020 at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri. She was known as The One for Whom the Sun Shines. Discover the celebrated Queen Nefertari, the Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Ramesses II. Experience the magnificence of royal palaces and tombs, including Nefertari’s burial chamber, considered one of the greatest artistic achievements in the Valley of the  Queens. Explore the daily life of the village where tomb builders and artisans lived, worked and worshipped more than 3,000 years ago. Drawn from the world-renowned Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy, the exhibition will bring together works that present the richness of life in ancient Egypt, focusing on the role of women—goddesses, queens, and commoners.  Nefertari's tomb courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.