Year: 2009

Ulus Theatre to be Restored

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

From Balkan Travellers:

The remains of an ancient Roman theatre, which are partly buried underneath a building, will be unearthed in Turkey’s capital to become a spot for cultural events.

As a result of the initiative of Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, a building constructed 15 years ago atop the remains of the Roman theatre will be torn down, the television channel CNN Türk reported today.

The ancient remains were discovered in 1982 in the Ulus quarter of the capital, which used to be the heart of old Ankara.

Half of the theatre’s remains were unearthed during archaeological excavations, while the other half remained underneath the building, the media reported. With the ministry’s decision, the modern building will be torn down and the ancient site will be restored.

After restoration, the theatre will serve a similar purpose to the one it had in Antiquity – it will house cultural festivals and events.

CONF: ‘The gods of SMALL THINGS’

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Seen on the Classicists list:

21-22 September 2009 the Ure Museum, Department of Classics,
University of Reading, will be hosting an interdisciplinary conference
entitled ‘The gods of SMALL THINGS’. This two-day interdisciplinary
conference, which seeks to investigate the cumulative value of non-
prestige ex votos, will include a public lecture by Jean-Marc Luce
(Toulouse), "From miniature objects to giant ones: the process of
defunctionalisation in sanctuaries and graves in Iron Age Greece".
Full details of the conference, including programme, abstracts, and
booking forms, as well as our poster, may be obtained from the
conference website, http://www.reading.ac.uk/ure/godsofsmallthings/

To register to attend the conference, preferably before 15 August,
please send the booking form to Nina Aitken
<n.l.aitken AT reading.ac.uk>. The booking form is available at
http://www.reading.ac.uk/ure/godsofsmallthings/smallthings_booking.pdf

Thanks to generous funding from the Classical Association and the
Hellenic Society we are able to provide grants to assist eligible
students who wish to attend this conference. Interested students
should contact Marianne Bergeron <m.e.bergeron AT reading.ac.uk> no later
than 15 August.

We would be grateful if you could print out and post the conference
poster, which is available at
http://www.reading.ac.uk/ure/godsofsmallthings/GOST-poster.pdf

Any further enquiries may be addressed to one of the conference
organisers:

Katerina Volioti <k.volioti AT reading.ac.uk>
Amy C. Smith <a.c.smith AT reading.ac.uk>
Marianne Bergeron <m.e.bergeron AT reading.ac.uk>

A Three-Act Tragedy of Greek History

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ 1 Comment

Folks might want to check out an interesting post over at the Toynbee Convector, where David Derrick has glossed a collection of essays (The Legacy of Greece) as a three act ‘tragedy’:

Roman Hospital from South Moravia?

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ 2 Comments

The incipit of an item from Ceske Noviny:

Czech archaeologists are excavating the foundations of an ancient Roman lazaretto (hospital) in Pasohlavky, which is the largest facility of its kind from this period preserved north of the Danube River, archaeologist Balazs Komoroczy told CTK today.

The hospital was part of an extensive fortified complex that the 10th Roman legion built on Hradisko hill at the Amber Road in the 2nd century AD, under the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

Hradisko was the northernmost outpost of the Roman Empire in Central Europe under Marcus Aurelius. The 10th legion was stationed there to take Germanic tribes in control.

Only foundation remains are preserved from the original hospital today because of the construction works 30 years ago when the huge Nove Mlyny dam was built at the site.

The 60-metre-long and 45-metre-wide hospital served for the treatment and relaxation of hundreds of Romans.

Archaeologists have known about its existence for years. However, they started excavating it only recently in connection with the planned construction of a thermal spa in Pasohlavky near Brno.

Not sure lazaretto is the right word — that usually refers to a quarantine station, no? Whatever the case, how does one identify an ancient building attached to a fort as a medical facility? As to the other finds in the area, this is all I could find: A Roman Camp in Musov (you’ll have to scroll down a bit)