Antiquities Exhibits

Mesoamerica gave rise to a group of stratified, culturally related agrarian civilizations spanning an approximately 3,000-year period before European arrival.  This assortment of ancient cultures that shared religious beliefs, art, architecture, and technology included the Olmec, Teotihuacan, Maya, Zapotec, Mixtec, Huastec, Purepecha (also known as the Tarascans), Toltec, and Mexica/Aztecs.  These indigenous civilizations built pyramid-temples, and developed mathematics,  astronomy, medicine, a unique writing system, highly accurate calendars, fine arts, intensive agriculture, engineering, an abacus calculator, and complex theology.  Their number system was base 20 and included zero.  While many city-states, kingdoms, and empires competed with one another for power and prestige, they consolidated power and distributed influence in matters of trade, art, politics, technology, and theology.  Evidence of trade routes starting as far north as the Mexico Central...

Today's featured "Antiquities Alive" exhibit:  The Penn Museum (University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology) will reopen to the public on July 28, 2020!  Here's a selection of images I have taken of their marvelous collections! Dionysos with lion garden statuary from Latium region of Italy Roman marble Etruscan Sarcophagus 3rd century BCE Mosaic thought to depict Theseus sailing away from the Cretan labyrinth, Utica, Tunisia, First half of the 3rd century CE Roman Theater Mask of a River God from a bath complex in Teano (southern Italy) Flavian Period limestone Recarved image of Ramesses II excavated at Harsaphes, Heracleopolis, Egypt 1897-1843 BCE Gilded Cartonnage Funerary Mask Ptolemaic or Roman Period ancient Egypt Plaster funerary portrait bust of a man from El Kharga (upper) Egypt Roman Period 2nd century CE Painted Pottery Horses Tang Dynasty China 7th to 10th century BCE Guanyin Jin Dynasty (1115-1234 CE or Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 CE) Chi...

Archaeological evidence dates human occupation of the region of Colima, Mexico as far back as 1500 BCE. During the Los Artices era, which began around 500 BCE, shaft tombs and a distinctive ceramic style called rojo bruñido, or burnished red appeared. During the Comala phase, around 100 to 600 CE, the Comala perfected burnished red pottery and created representations of people and animals with skill and fluid lines. The best known are the so-called fattened dogs. Comala sites began to reflect the influence of Teotihuacan with the construction of monumental pyramids and plazas and the appearance of the gods Huehueteotl and Tlaloc. Playful Puppies earthenware 300 BCE-300CE Colima Mexico at the De Young Museum in San Francisco, California. Female standing figure, west Mexico, Colima, 300 BCE - 300 CE, earthenware, at the De Young Museum in San Francisco, California. Seated figure holding bowl, west Mexico, Colima, 300 BCE - 300 CE, earthenware, at the De Young Mus...