Reviews:
- Ancient Greece exhibition at Liverpool World Museum | Click Liverpool
- The Inspirational World of the Ancient Greeks Revealed at World Museum | Art Daily
… no official ‘museum page’ yet, alas (despite the link in one of the articles)
Category: Exhibitions
Exhibition – Heroes: Mortals and Myths in Ancient Greece
Intro to a nice little page on the exhibition … the page includes a ‘What Greek Hero Are You’ quiz and a number of audio bits:
Organized by the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, with loans from museums in the United States and Europe, this exhibition of approximately 100 objects defines various types of ancient Greek heroes between the sixth and first centuries BCE.
The Roman Swiss Army Knife
The Fitzwilliam is certainly getting a lot of press attention, and each item revealed seems for interesting than the next. The Daily Mail, ferinstance, is highlighting the exhibition of a Roman precursor to the Swiss Army Knife:
The world’s first Swiss Army knife’ has been revealed – made 1,800 years before its modern counterpart.
An intricately designed Roman implement, which dates back to 200AD, it is made from silver but has an iron blade.
It features a spoon, fork as well as a retractable spike, spatula and small tooth-pick.
Experts believe the spike may have been used by the Romans to extract meat from snails.
It is thought the spatula would have offered a means of poking cooking sauce out of narrow-necked bottles.
The 3in x 6in (8cm x 15cm) knife was excavated from the Mediterranean area more than 20 years ago and was obtained by the museum in 1991.
The unique item is among dozens of artefacts exhibited in a newly refurbished Greek and Roman antiquities gallery at the Fitzwilliam Museum, in Cambridge.
Experts believe it may have been carried by a wealthy traveller, who will have had the item custom made.
A spokesman said: ‘This was probably made between AD 200 and AD 300, when the Roman empire was a great imperial power.
‘The expansion of Rome – which, before 500 BC, had just been a small central Italian state – made some individuals, perhaps like our knife-owner, personally very wealthy.
‘This could have been directly from the fruits of conquests, or indirectly, from the ‘business opportunities’ the empire offered.
‘We know almost nothing about the person who owned this ingenious knife, but perhaps he was one of those who profited from the vast expansion of Rome – he would have been wealthy to have such a real luxury item.
‘Perhaps he was a traveller, who required a practical compound utensil like this on his journeys.’
The spokesman added: ‘While many less elaborate folding knives survive in bronze, this one’s complexity and the fact that it is made of silver suggest it is a luxury item.
‘Perhaps a useful gadget for a wealthy traveller.’
Modern Swiss Army knives originated in Ibach Schwyz, Switzerland, in 1897 and were created by Karl Elsener.
The knives which provide soldiers with a ‘battlefield toolkit’ have since become standard issue for many modern day fighting forces thanks to their toughness and quality.
Nationalist Elsener decided to design the knives after he realised the Swiss army were being issued with blades manufactured in neighbouring Germany.
Other popular artefacts include an intricately designed Greek make-up box which was custom made almost 3000 years ago for a women of ‘wealth and status’.
… there follows a bit that seems to be an orphan description of some items mentioned before. In any event, lest folks think this is the only item of this sort know, the Armillum website has some photos of other examples (and there are, of course, some useful photos at the Daily Mail) …
Exhibition: Eros – From Hesiod’s Theogeny to Late Antiquity
At the Athens Museum of Cycladic Art:
Eros: From Hesiod’s Theogeny to Late Antiquity | Independent
The Fitzwilliam Has Some Interesting Stuff
From Cambridge News:
CAMBRIDGE’S treasure house of art has opened a gleaming new window on what life was like for ordinary people thousands of years ago.
Experts at the Fitzwilliam Museum have spent the past 18 months revamping its famous collection of ancient Greek and Roman artefacts – and from Saturday, visitors will be able to enjoy an intimate view of the world ruled by the likes of Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Hadrian.
The refurbishment of the antiquities section has cost nearly £1 million, and Dr Timothy Potts, director of the Fitzwilliam, said it would offer “fresh insights” on the two great empires.
As well as works of art from 2,000 years ago, the collection includes a vast number of everyday objects, such as eating and drinking utensils, domestic pottery, and jewellery.
There is even a woman’s cosmetics box, dating back 2,500 years.
The Greek and Roman gallery at the museum had hardly altered since the 1960s, and it has now been brought up to modern-day standards, with new display cases and better lighting.
A museum spokeswoman said: “The primary focus of the new displays is on people – the figures who, across the centuries, have given these objects their appearance and shaped their history.
“New object information aims to build up an illuminating picture of the artists and craftsmen who created the works, the customers who commissioned or used them, and the collectors, restorers and conservators who have affected the way they look today.
“The displays explore issues such as: what did people do at drinking parties? How did they relate to their gods? How did they remember the dead?”
Dr Potts said: “The Fitzwilliam’s collection of Greek and Roman antiquities is of international significance, so I’m delighted that we now have a superbly redesigned space in which to display it to its full potential.
“This new presentation, which is based on recent research and conservation work, will offer many fresh insights, not only to new visitors, but also to those familiar with the collection.”
The gallery update is part of a project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
The original article also has a couple of interesting videos … whatever the case, folks will also want to check out Charlotte Higgins’ comments on this one …
via Cambridge News | Latest News From In & Around Cambridge City | Latest Sports, Jobs & Business News in Cambridge Newspaper – £1m insight into life in two great empires.
Tip o’ the pileus to Virginia Knight who sends along a link to a nice little slideshow on the Fitz from the BBC:
Vodpod videos no longer available.
more about "BBC News – Audio slideshow: Greece an…", posted with vodpod
Alia:
rogueclassicism 