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    1998 Vol 9 02

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    poisonrouge2

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 68
    The International Review of Ancient Art & Archaeolo; MINERVA MARCH/APRIL 1998 PUBLISHED IN GREAT BRITAIN £3.50/$6.00 USA VOLUME 9 NUMBER 2 DIETRICH VON BOTHMER on FORGERIES OF GREEK VASES HELLENISTIC AND ROMAN GLASS IN LONDON SEALS AND SCULPTURE OF THE INDUS CITIES EVERY DAY LIFE OF THE ELITE IN ANCIENT EGYPT DARK AGE YORK DISCOVERED THE PALATINE MUSEUM REOPENS THE WINTER 1997 ANTIQUITIES SALES 7709! 7 5 I 7102! z i 9 ir ‘A Greek vase forgery: translation into black figure of he Attic re figured -Hypsis hylan Munich. Musée d'art et d Histoire, Geneva (Palais Dorotheum Vienna) ANTIQUITIES AUCTION, 28TH APRIL 1998 Head of Pra, black basalt, 19,2 high, late peried, 8-6 Cent.B.C. VIEWING: 18th — 28th April 1998 EXPERT: Reinhard Dollinger, Tel. (+431) 515 60-269 CATALOGUES: Tel. (+431) 515 60-289; Fax -508 INTERNET: http://www.dorotheum.com ADDRESS: A-1010 Vienna, Dorotheergasse 17 DOROTHEUM ENG Oe rears Harker ee ara garg ett Pande MINERVA [_————— VOLUME 9 NUMBER 2 Forgeries of Greek Vases EDITORN. An overview of a perplexing subject Ped Dietrich von Bothmer CONSULTING Seals and Sculptures of the Indus Cities oe An important new exhibition Constant Jonathan Mack Kenoyer Manne "ti. ASSOCIATE, EDITOR Hellenistic and Roman Glass “batons in London PUBLISHER Emma Beatty A review of The British Rail Pension Fund sale at Sotheby’s Jerome M. tisenberg Auction Reports ion The Winter 1997 antiquities sales sat Jerome. Esenberg it Mien Every Day Life of the Elite in DiPatiadine a, Ancient Egypt . A travelling exhibition in Spain from —_,,commsroxpns Germany Robert. Bianchi “suet sean Kings rasa Sten ee Moves The Palatine Museum pis Pea Yen, Reopens Dalu Luisa Patand 2 AD. ele dm De pg Sa, Rae Dark Age York discovered "aa jon ls New excavations throw light on missing ayo. gins 8th and 9th centuries Richard Hodges amor ome “a Archaeological News from iced Chicago Jerome M. Eisenberg Emerton 2 News 54 Book Reviews 53 Numismatic News 59 Calendar IN FORTHCOMING ISSUES Ancient Egyptian Faience * Finds in the Tomb of the Sons of Ramesses Il (KV5) + Coin Forgeries from Bulgaria New Ancient and Islamic Galleries at the Louvre Ancestors of the Incas age 40 MINERVA 1 Competition in the Alexandria Harbour Since the discovery in 1995 by the French archaeologist Dr Jean Yves Empereur, Director of the Cente d'Etudes ‘Alexandrines, of what appears to be remains of the Light house of Isis Pharia, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (see the writer's report in Minerva, November/December 1995, p. 5, and Dr Empereur's report in Minerva, January/February 1996, pp. 5-6), he has uncovered over 3000 stone blocks which he believes belonged to this famous building. In addition, he has brought up several colossal heads and torsos, a dozen royal sphinxes, and a large number of inscribed columns, hundreds of which stil He below in this under water site, The results af his work can be seen in a curent exhibition at the Petit Palas in Paris (see Cale. ‘lar His claim to the identification of the lighthouse is strongly contested by another Frenchman, Frank God dio, founder of the European Insti- tute for Underwater Archaeology, who has been excavating on the ‘eastern side of the harbour. Mr God dio has apparently located the site of the Ptolemaic royal palace on the Island of Antirrhodus. According to The Art Newspaper, unlike most of the scholars, who enthusiastically accept Dr Empereur's findings, he dismisses his attribution of the stone blocks to the lighthouse, stat Ing rather undiplomatically that they were only ‘junk’ ~ rubble from other monuments thrown in the harbour much later to keep the ships of the Crusaders from entering the port. Mr Goddio, on the other [News hand, has been attacked by archae- ologists who object to his initial use of a 25 cm suction hose before changing to a smaller one, a rather destructive method utilised in order To add to all of the happenings In Alexandria, two more trench men, Guy Weill Goudehaux and Pierre Couprie, have put forward plan to build three dykes to close off the eastern harbour and then drain it, at an estimated cost of about £300 million. Excavation work would then proceed on this site of the Ptolemate capital. One of the arguments In its favour would be that It would double the size of the Western harbour and in the long run would justify the huge outlay of funds. A forthcoming Issue of Minerva will present all of the three projects in much moze detail Tomb of priest restored at Giza The restoration of a unique Old Kingdom tomb of a priest, found in 1993 in the desert west of the pyra mids of Giza, has now been com pleted. The inscriptions in the Chapel not only tell his life story, his rise from humble origins, but they also list the types of artisans who built the tomb — the sculptors, draftsmen, and painters, who were paid with beer and bread. The paint- Ings are not only of high quality but the colours have remained remark- ably fresh Fdfu Temple to be restored The temple of Edfu dedicated to the hawk-headed deity Horus, is being restored at a cost of about £E $ million. The building of the temple was initiated by Ptolemy IL in 237 BC, but was not completed until about 57 BC, The temple fo Pepe MINERVA 2 Dr Bisnbers bese he colesal sed granite torso of fottowing its reuanery fam the harbour of ‘October 1998 ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION issues) UK £18; Europe £20 Rest of word Air €27/I5844, Surface £201USS22 Published bi-monthly, Send subscriptions to ether the London or New York offices below. ADVERTISEMENT SALES (Worldwide except US) Emma Beatty, 14 Old Bond Steet, London, W1X 3D8 Tel: (0171) 495 2590 Fax: (0171) 491 1595 ws, Suranne Verdugo, Sulte 2D, 153 East $7th St, New York, NY 10022. Tel: (212) 355 2033 Fax: (212) 688 0412 TRADE DISTRIBUTION United Kingdom: USM Disteibution, 86 Newsnan Stret, London WIP LD. 1: (0171) 396 8000, Pax: (0171) 396 8002 US & Canada Disticor, Toronto Faypt & the Near East ‘American University In Caio Press, Cairo, Egypt Printed in England by Simpson Drewett, Richmond, Suey, A igs served pat of hit plc oa my be epreduced, stor ia ev syste ar named any fon oy ay reas, econ esha, pho capping codigo oltre ton ther the prior writenptsion ofthe Pasha acne pert eit ‘Opying sed byte Cope Licensing, gc i, 3-94 Ae Pie, 136 09577718 (61998 Ao Publeston Li 1s Pests, pase send change of esto Roya il iterations lo eltone Internationa 7 Biles (Count, Hackessck 07 pio Moen may re ft of pi. — 137 by 79 metres, Features two colos- Eight thieves break into Saggara Changes in the Institute of sal statues of the Horus falcon at ts tomb Archaeology at Tirana, brought about entrance, a third one at the door to A gang of elght thieves, Including a 8a result of Neritan Ceka’s new min- the Hypostyle Hall, and a group of government employee, armed with isterial position, bode well for the over life-size statues of a young guns, attacked and disarmed the future. A new director, Dr Muzafer deity, perhaps Harsomtus, in the — guards at a tomb in Saggara, at Mem- Korkutl, has been appointed, while inner courtyard. The Hypostyle Hall phils. They sawed off the gate of the the Minster of Culture, Arta Dada, with its many beautifully carved tomb and also part of a stone statue has recognised the implicit impor- columns with papyrus and palm cap- of Isis, However, they failed to saw tance of Butrint for Albania’s tourist ital, is considered to be one of the off statues of Osiris and Horus, only economy. As a result the Butrint Finest and best preserved ofits kind, succeeding in damaging them. Four Foundation has been able to start The restoration will include conser. of the gang were quickly appre- making plans for this year. With new vation of the many coloured sunk ended at Asyut while attempting to grants from bodies like the Getty feliefs and inscriptions. This project sell te statue of Isis for £E 25,000. Foundation and the Packard Founda. will also include two other small tion, the Butrint Foundation Is plan temples atthe ste Jerome M. Fisenbers, PhD. ning to safeguard the existing Albanian personnel associated with Butrint so that new archaeological UNESCO MISSION TO BUTRINT IN ALBANIA, programmes at the site can be ‘level = oped ‘A new campaign of excavations begins in 1998 and Includes a con corted effort to safeguard the extraor inary environs of Butrint to ensure It remains a microcosm of Mediter ranean history. In many ways the future of Butrint fs bound up with the future of Albania itself. But Butrint recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage site, Is more important still because itis our last opportunity to safeguaid an environment which has bbeen destroyed elsewhere around the Mediterranean If this environment can be saved, the civil unrest, which has disrupted Albania’ slow path to democracy, may hhave achieved some useful purpose. ‘lg 1. View of Butrint fom across the lake, (on 21-22 October 1997 a UNESCO with support from the Butrint Foun= mission led by Mr Hermann van dation. Hooff visited Butrint, the great Greek, ‘The mission discovered that the Roman and Byzantine port in south: damage to Butrint sas very limited, fem Albania, The mission included Sit although in March-April 1997 the Patrick Fairweather (Director of the pumps, used to remove water fro Butrint Foundation) and Richard the Greek theatre, were stolen. These Hodges (Scientific Director of the were installed in 1996 with a Butsint Foundation). Encouraged by UNESCO grant, The thieves also the new government in Albanla~ and removed all the cabling for the new ‘especially by Dr Nezitan Ceka, Alba- electrical system within the site. Oth nla’s most distinguished archacolo- enwise, the ruins were left undis- Bist, and now Minister of the Interior turbed, =the mission not only involved visit- However, the museum is an alto- ing the site but also holding a round gether different problem. Many of its of talks with ministers in Tirana about contents were removed after the unrest ensuring its future safety (Minera, in 1991, when the finest objects were July/August 1997, p. 5, ‘Butrint, Alba’ taken to Tirana (Fig 2) Since then the nla, after the civil unrest) ‘museum has remained closed, but last MINERVA 3 ee ™, ——™=eee_ "2... > _,. => > .— » || [New acquisition | —— a BRITISH MUSEUM ACQUIRES A UNIQUE BLACK-FIGURE HYDRIA ‘The British Museum has recently ls companions are appealing for acquired an extremely fine and intact divine help to secure his success. This vase that is a very important addition invisible, but deeply emotive core Is to the Museum's worle-renowned then echoed In the unusual and collection of Greek pottery. It is a charming exchange between the Wat: hydria (a threeshandled water jar) __rior’s lithe hunting dog, of so- some 26 cm high that may be dated called Laconian breed, and around 550 BC: the horses that tovrer over The potting has several interesting it. Despite this innately features that reflect contemporary Greek reserve in the display metal vessels, including a palmette in of emotions in éth-century relief under the vertical finde at the art, the whole has considerable hack (Fig 1), grooves around the neck paver. and added rings on the horizontal Although much ‘in the figured handles. The painting is excellent, style derives from Athenian work, especially the confident Incision work in particular the oeuvre of the vase and the lively use of added red and painter Lydos, the floral elements ‘white, The figured scene shows us the point rather to contemporary East young, wealthy élite of the ancient Greek workshops. Clay and slip, how Grock world and at frst appears some: ever, suggest that the vase was’ made what conventional. A ycuthful rider in Italy, probably in a Greek colony In.a white chiton leads a second horse in southern Italy. There are points of and holds a spear (in added white) contact with a well-known South Ital (Fig 2). He is flanked by two stately, lan fabric, so-called Chaleidan pot- draped youths, each of whom holds tery, which may have been made at spear, but the one on the left also has Rhegion (modern Regglo Cal a garland, while that on the right abria), but there are also dif seems to be letting loose a bird, no ferences. For the moment, doubt to secure a good omen (Fig 3). one may conclude that this Greek cities on the coast of Asia Ii is this bird and the absence of the vase represents a previously Minor, active most probably in South Hider of the second horse that give usunknown workshop of immi- i aly. Further study of the clay by the the clue to the subject ~ warsior has grant Greek craftsmen, per i British Museum's Department of been taken to battle by his squire, and haps from one of the Scientific Researeh, using . ‘Neutron Activation Analysis (Waa), may help D aichieve greater prec: sion in locating the workshop and, thereby, facilitate the understand. ing of its relation to other contemporary and later Greek pottery establish ‘ments in lly, The history of the vase is in Itself also of interest. It was for erly in the collection of Charles Byre of Hallingbury Place, Great Hallingbury, Essex, who died ln 1855, ‘The collection, previously unnoticed by scholars, contained half a dozen other Greek vases, all probably ret acqulced In Taly on a Grand Tour in (cone the 1830s, along with some other ‘minor antiquities. An early 19th-cen- tury drawing of one of the vases, a large amphora sold at auction (Christie's, London, 25 November 1997, lot 229), is preserved in the Pes German Archaeological Institute in (Gotan. Rome The British Museum was able 10 acquire the Eyre hydria thanks to 8 gerterous grant from the National Art Dr Dyfei Wiliams is Collections Fund and the support of ‘Keeper of Grek ara Roman Antiguities the international group of friends of ‘atthe Britis Museum. the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities, the Caryatis, ig (up. MINERVA 4 _ —— Excavation News I LARGEST VIKING MANOR HOUSE, EVER DISCOVERED IN DENMARK In the autumn of 1997, Danish archae- logists unearthed, at a lakeside site west of Copenhagen, the foundations ff the largest building yet discovered from Denmark's Viking petiod ~ an impressive nobleman’s manor house dating from 600-1000 AD, at a site Which Is yielding a treasure trove of high quality artetacts, Located on the western share of Lake Tissoe, near Kalundborg, 6D kin (37 miles) west of Copenhagen, on Zealand, Denmark's biggest island, the Viking hall or manor had the typical upturned boat shape of a longhouse, with nearby outhouses and three adjoining buildings (ig 1) ‘The main manor house, which dates back about 1000 years, was 48 metres long and 12.5 metres wide With a floor area of S80 square metres. The height of the building vas probs bly 12 metres. Is outline was traceable rom rows of posthole matks and its Importance obvious from the wealth of finds, some 3000 items, many of exquisite quality and execution, Lars Joergensen, curator at Denmark's National Museum and one of the lead 1s ofthe dig, told Minover ‘All the evi dence indicates that the Tissoe settlement is our fist archaeological liscovery of a Viking landed estate’. He ‘continued: ‘An important nobleman lived in the central hall, which was adjoined by three smaller buildings. The layout is very like that of manor houses of the later Middle Ages The Tissoe manor house, which out- lived the nearby Viking fortified mali- tary base at ‘Trelleborg, one of Denmark's greatest Viking sites, was bigger than Lejre, near Roskilde, to the south-east, the possible ancient palace Of the first Viking kings, Tissoe had some 20,000 square metzes of land attached to it, with outhouses serving as storage rooms, stable, smithies and workshops, Archaeologists have had their eye on Tissoe since the discovery fon the site in 1977 of a stunning Viking gold necklace which weighed two kilos and systematic excavations by the National Maseum and the local Kalundborg Museum started in 1995 Excavations are due to continue for another four to five years. The latest artefacts discovered at Ts soe, many on the site, others from abroad, range from arrowheads and ‘swordhilts (0 riding gear and luxury items such as brooches, ornamental jewellery and pleces, including a bronze dog fram a jewel-box id of lsh ovgin, a female figiye carved out of silver, and a small bronze brooch featuring the hhammes-wielding thundler-god Thor's goats dating from AD 700 (Fig 2) Silver has been unearthed in impressive quan- tities at three places on the site, which has also ylelded up a grave with the skeletons of two beheaded criminals, ‘The quality of the items and their quantity reflect the wealth of Tissoe and its contact and trade with Ger- ‘many, the Baltic egion, and the test oF Scandinavia, Britain and feland, The names of the Viking chieftains ‘or dynasty inhabiting Tissoe are uncer- tain, but two runestones In a nearby ‘uch dating back to the 9th and 10th centuries mention Thjodvi, Odinkar, Thorgot and Halvdan as local grancees. Tissoe ceased to function and was MINERVA 5 Fig 1. Birds ee view of the iste manor Photo: Per Poulsen Fig 2. Small bronze roach depicting the amcient saga Thundergod Thor's Tanitgnjost and Tanalgusne, ‘mn combat. The brooch dates ack ta AD 700. abandoned sometime around the year 1050, one theory being that its demise was the result of a redistribution of Jane following a major power struggle in Denmark betwoen Harold Bluetooth and Svend Forkbeard Christopher Follett eer ANTIQUITIES STOLEN L INNEW YORK Ivo ancient objects were stolen from a private collection in New York in November 1997: a Greek terracotta statuette, c. 3rd century BC, and a Small Asie blacktiguee vase of the group of Athens S81, as illustrated Delow, Anyone with Information should contact Minerva in New York, {212) 355-2033; fax (212) 686-0412; or the Art Loss Register, (212) 391 8794 | - Excavation News as - extremely weak perturbations in the STANTON DREW: NEW LIGHT ON la Iago ‘ie cad by baie ee ca Decne apprent atte Great Cie ‘was in fact part of a much mote com plex monument: the stone cicle was stort yey, el foun to be enced by a age semmea petty ditch up to 7m in width and dedining 2 afthehenge, Cue. cincalat enclosure 138m in diameter Su Gradioncter “Tyee ane meaty 4 unre or 90 56h Surrey ncent’ —shenges’ in Britain, dating to about ear 3200 BC. However, at Stanton Drew ‘October 1997, there had been no previous hint that here was one of the rate sites wince this feature is combined with a stone cele More extaordasary stil was the di- covery that within the ‘Great Circle’ land concentc with i, were concealed zo less than rine rings of buried post- hoes The outermest ring i about 95m fn dismeter, and the innermost one is about 23m across. They are each made up of a seties of very sweak magnetic Anomalles believed to arise from mage netic particles concentrated in the soll by ‘magnetotacte’ bacteria which once fed on the decaying timber of posts The anomalies suggest that the posts were at least a metre in diameter, sepae rated by gaps of a metre oF more. It So fa imposible to identify each post hole, but there may be over 400 of nels 2 55 nem disposed in a pattern with radial Metinietteange corridors or alse (Fig 2). Further ‘ct Duringon research will be needed to establish Watts sitar to, more detail. The survey also found & ig 2 eo, sqliaugh much | ryumber of pits at the centre of the ct argiet tna that cies and nearby, atthe centre of a ‘Waterofourby smaller stone circle about 45m to the ‘Peter inn.” north-east of the ‘Great Circle’, @ Phot: audilateral of four pits was revealed English Heritage, p ‘Ata stroke the geophysical survey (Pig 3) has raised the site at Stanton Drew to a significance comparable to that of Stonehenge itself. The megaliths «an now be seen to be part of a com= plex continuum of prehistoric religious endeavour that probably lasted for Ihundteds of yeas. Perhaps this stated with a henge enclosure within which was bulta gigantic structure of massive posts, the largest such building yet recorded. Other smaller timber temples ace knovra, for instance, at Woodhenge Im the autuma of last year there was centuries, and are now under the pro. and The Sanctuary near Avebury, and great excitement when scientists from tection of English Heritage. The dilapi fat such sites there is clear evidence for Fnglish Heritage found the traces of a dited ‘Great Circle, 113m in dlameter, the deliberate deposition of artefacts giant prehistoric temple in Somerset, {ste largest stone Gicle in ita after and hyman remains, At Stanton Drew England, exceeding Stonchenge in size, Avebury In Wiltshire, Nearby ate two the megaliths may have been erected & and believed to be of about the same smaller crces as well as several outl- lictie later than the wooden posts, date (3200-1700 BC). The discovery irg standing stones, Together, these ensuring thatthe site would endure in ‘was made during a geophysical survey megaliths clealy form & united com stone into the succeeding millennia, ‘fa group of littie known stone circles plex of monuments which, with the ‘At this tlme Britain Was populated and standing stones at the village of other stone ceces andl monolith pecs: by farming communities or tribes who Stanton Drew, nestling off the beaten liar to Britain, Ireland and Brittany, are cevidenily se reat store in the ability of ‘wack in the countryside outside Bristol. believed to be the tangible remains of & ritual activity to coerce nature into Although the stone circles were doc- fermidable tradition of Neolithic and assuring a fertile and wholesome life umented by antiquaries over 300 years Bronze Age religous belie, land afterlife, The many henges and ago, they have never been systemati- The geophysical survey carried out megalithic settings distributed from cally explored by detalled survey, or by English Heritage’s Ancient Mon- Orkney to Cornwall are assumed to ‘excavation - they have been allowed to ments Laboratory used highly sensitive represent such activity which, in south ‘remain undisturbed in pasture land for magnetometers capable of detecting cern England at leas, reached its apogee MINERVA 6 a ane arcer - a —j Excavation News whlch proves tha the Roman sul must tal fire, or enemy action, However, ths Thve fallen to the Aor white the bulkd- — dscovery tends to siggest that It was ing burnt, and ft stil ay in the same not deliberate demolition, sine no Sok Lint heap of ridges and folds that dlr would leave behind an expensive formed when ist tingemail suit, As yet theze Is no evi "The dry, hat daub-surrounding dence to help ascribe itt elther ofthe helped geaty nts preservation, and it other suggestions twas actually possible to see many indi- ‘The sult will eventually go on ds Yidual links as soon as it was uncov- play In he museum at Abeta Roman cred, This is quite remarkable Fort Considering the usal highly contoded Aexoatee Groots ts State of romiwonk fromthe site WHEN asian eg eld ecley objects generally have £0 be X-rayed te Recperof eld fechocoiy : before ty can be identi, and even : the ceaton of giant ceremonial cen rigs. Tange objects aze In a poor condition F incense Acuy sone 4Atiaclgst, wine acalrenang intense ARCHAEOLOGISTS. henge, Durrington Walls (Fig 2) and, PINE HE Tat tings of only 7 mm external diameter, UNCOVER ‘ROCK | now, Stanton Drew. The creation of ‘tar rade of wie Iam thick, svived with 5 ESTED’ 2 Such technically demanding monu- —geoplnsical anom- very little corrosion obscuring them, WHERE MARY RESTED’ ments, apart from seeming to express les Below ground, The suit Is currently undergoing ON HER WAY TO | Ghvexceptional religions imperative, leaning and conservation, Despite the ILEHE | ho demonstrates the development of fl sat of preservation te sults {sun AlUetmtyt socal and economic structures capable Still too weak fo survive being — Archacologists in al have uncovered ; —Gtimobiising, marshalling, feeding and Unfolded, and the purpose ofthe clan the site where, according to Christian defining the mative populations ing isto reveal deals about the con- tradition, the Virgin Mary stopped t0 struction methods used In the closing reston her way from Jerusalem to Beth Dr Andrew David is an rchaolgcat Of the links, such ax sveting, welding Iehem the biethplace of Jess. Accor geophysics le Head of the Arco Grbutting, An X-ray has aleady shown ing toa second-century ext atte ty Branch of The Anclet Monuments that there are no decorative copper 0 St ames, Mary began t0 fel labour Laboratory, alloy plates, suchas some Roman ting: pains a5 she headed for Bethlehem, A tall sults have, hidden within the vision prompted her to stop forrest . fol The place became one of the largest SPECTACULAR FIND Within the same barracks building churches of Is Une ste subsequently : OF A ROMAN IRON pre ally, tot probably hom a Yeats une was destroyed ed RING-MAIL SUIT gpeve dover fg aroun, Tis only dsr Neus Sinal plece, some 14 cm king, but it Recent excavations have fully ; AT ARBEIA ROMAN FORT hnas an embossed and engraved figure exposed the ruins of a large Byzantine : Gf the gokess Victory holding palm church halfway between Bethlehem : cavations at Arbeia Roman Fort, hit ranch upon fnd Jerusalem on the side ofthe main @ and Wear during 1997 have Lowersuaface The cause of the fire has not been road near Har Homa in Arab East uncovered a spectacular find in | oftheringimail identified, but there are three sugges- Jerusalem. {thas rich mosaic floors burnt-down barracks block. In the sult efe ins dliberate demolition to clear the ule around a rock known in Gres 3s ‘demolition material covering the build- a site for the new buildings, an acciden- the Kathisma, or Seat. The church is the ing archaeologists dincovered what i Taegest ofits type to be discovered in almost certainly & complete iron ring: ‘mail suit (ig 1). Ie is thought to be the first Roman example of a whole suit ‘ound inthis country. Throughout the 3rd century AD Asheia was a supply base manned by - Israel, but the mosaic floors uncovered 1 (| the auxiliary unit cohors V Gallorum 1 date fom the 17th century. Parts of the building were frst dis covered in 1992, but it was only after & bulldozer tore through the eastern sec lon ofthe church, when laying @ water pipe, that archaeologists mounted a fullscale excavation and confirmed that it was the site of the Kathi There is evidence of repeated recon: struction of the church. Gideon Avni, the Jerusalem distietazchacologlst, has suggested that the church may have been destroyed by Persian invaders in 614 anc by the Muslim Caliph Hakim in 1009, The reasons for Its abandon- ment remain unclear The Greek Orthodox Chuch, which ‘owns the site, has long suspected the fexistence of the rains, for its pilgeims ‘traditionally stop for prayers nearby during Christmas processions from, Jerusalem to Bethlehem The Greek Orthodex Church and (fifth Cohort of Gauls) who lived in barracks in the southern half of the fort. Sometime in the late 3rd o¢ early 4th century, these barracks burnt down, in a Targe fire. This event heralded ‘iajor rebullding within the fort and the probable anival of a new unit, the "—umeras barcrionum Tigrisensum (anit ; of Tigris bargemen, Excavations in the surnmer, carted ‘out by Tyne and Wear Museums with Sponsorship and volunteers from the American scientific foundation Earth- Wwateh, concentrated on one of these 3rd century barracks, This involved the emoval ofa 10 em layer of burnt daub Which covered the whole building. It was within this layer thatthe ring: mail the Israeli authorities hope to open the Suit was discovered, There was daub site in thne for the millennium celebra Slow, as well as above, the ring-mall, ons, Sophia Witerforce MINERVA 7 [Greek Vase Forgeries | a FORGERIES OF GREEK VASES Dietrich von Bothmer Pig 14, 10, Hinwsean rea figured cup, establish a domestic market for local, the Oelipus products that were inspired by Greek wares. They go under such hyphen- ated names as Italo-Geomettlc and Talo-Corinthian, or bear conv 0 Museum, Par aly by non-ttalie Immigrants from. the Grek mainland or Ionian colonies By the middle of the 6th century BC, Attic Imp and then in zed an influence on Which a red-figured cup ( Fig 1B) in the Rodin Museum in Faris U. D. Bearley, Ftruscan Vase Pains, hape, subject matter and ‘cup by a follower of Btruria and now in ‘The btruscan patnter must have nad the Attic original in his hand Figs 16,10 wen he transfered the figures onthe Meret Attic exterior to his imitation but, 4, ute Since his cup was smaller, he nad to Pus Palater, jeduce the number of figures fom —vatcun Museum. MINERVA 8 OCC EEE — Greek Vase Forgeries four to three. Therefore, by omitting the little satyr who is about to be Chastised by his parent wielding a Sandal, he rather misses the point of tne story, a8 depicted by the Oedipus Tainter. On the inside of the cup he feplaced the moving picture of Oedi bus listening to the riddle of the Sphinx, with two more frolicking Says. OF these the satyr on the left Copies a pose much favoured by Douris, dancing with bis lett leg shasply bent back at the knee, as i striking his behind with his heel This desire to imitate Greek draw ing sptead from Italy to England in Fig 2A. Wedgwood copy of a Corinthian tefl eno, 18th century. Manchester City at Galery Fig 28, Corinthian teal onochoe, 6th cantiny BC. Once nthe Lagunilas Collec ig 38. Kongery of ave figured Wy dra The figures are take roma ep close fo the Clinic Painter; the shape a orn ‘mentation of the vee are based on the ‘Vivenatohyria in Naples by the Kleophvades Painter AD 1800-1825 “The Cranbrook Academy of Arts, ‘Bloomfield Ts Fig 3B, Attic re fqured cup close tothe Cini Painter, 290 the 18th century, and there is today in Manchester Museum a faithful Wedgwood copy (Fig 24) of a Corinthian trefoil oinochoe (Fig 28) (Amyx, Corinthian Vase-Painting . 259, no. 2), which was, until 1962 In the Lagunillas Collection in Havana, when it was sold at Ats Anti qua (4, 1962, pl. 41, no, 126) in the Hermitage in 1887 with the Goltt Lucerne syn collection. The earliest deliberate forgery, ‘The hydra found its way to the however, is a red-figured hydria Cranbook Academy of Arts in Bloom. (Fig 3A) that left Italy before 1860, for field Hills, Michigan, where [saw it in 3 bears on the bottom the export scala display ease in 1943, but without at ff the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, that time associating it with the cup, ere, too, we can identify the original in the Hermitage. It was illustrated in Inspiration: an Attic cup close to the Art News,dated 3 February 1940, in a Clinic Painter (Fig 3B) now in the Spink & Son advertisement. When Hermitage (ARV, 1963: p. 810, 20) Beazley saw my notes and a small already drawn by Costanzo Angelini photograph in 1946 he connected it when it was In the Museo Vivenzio in with the eup close to the Clinic 1798, and republished by Raffaello Painter (Fig 3B) and cited both in Gargiulo in 1825. This cup entered 1963 (ARV, 1963: p. 480, 337) as par. MINERVA 9 | Greek Va se Forgeries alles forthe boy holding a toy char fot on Makron's sryballos in Oxtora. Teas ot unt the Cranbrook vases came to New Yotk to be sol at Sothehy.Parke-bemne! on 4 May that Thad a closer look atthe hyd saw the export salon the Underside of the foot and eased that twas a forgery. The design of the cup was use for the shoulder ofa vase whitch in thape and ornamentation rec bies the Vivenzio hyaria by the Klcophrades Painter (ARV, 1963 p. 188,74) By tansteing the dw Ing on acup fo.a hydra tne clever forger made the eventual detection of his handiwork rather dificult. Te Cranbrook hyeta, once unmasked, was withdrawn ftom the sale eat Tog Side by sde with fakes there ae still copies of vases in Tatqulnts Imade by Vincenzo Piri and Anto no Sap, who often proudly signed thelr works on the undenide (36 9) These can be found in many. a museum from Berkeley in Clio all the way to Cetin the caplal of Montenegro. The vave these was a present fiom Vito Emmanuel to his faterin la Prince Nichola afer his wedding in Rone in October 1896. I shallot dvell on tse vase copies, but shuld point out tht tn ofthe copes of the famous Olon up in Targunia (ARV, 1963" p. 0 6) (ig 5) the paletes Unt eee the glorious assembly of gods on Mount Olympus have black hearts copied foe the st drawings in a tinentt I 10, pls.23-4 Whereas on the genuine vase ise they are reserved, that fy elt the covbura te ey Tn all the forgeries made unt flay tecenly the gases either too mate or hea, like enamel. spect raphe analyls reveals that lad or Cobalt was used, whereas tue Attic glaze has no colouring agent, but fesults from the three-phase fing process, I is peptised or detloceated Shay that becomes rd nthe fst ox tising phase, ike the unpainted Su fac, then turns back inthe reducing phase, and keeps its black in the Feoxyelising last step, in which the Unpainted areas return to Welt te dings This technique was described by Setuimanin in 194, and has since been adopted by. forgers learning the yes om Jou Noles oa chiiques of Patuted Atte Pottery (0965, revised 198). Dated Tela santos ofthis bok etch hgh LUE hue me survives the spec. detected y'gau, Bat may sti be tists Xeay machin tend den: mes pro. duces sufficient radiation to mislead laboratory technicians, However, not every collector has a chance to drill ny hole in the vase he is offered for thermoluminescence test, ot scrape off some glaze for spectrographiy, nor does he have access to an election nicroscope to see whether the platelets of the glaze are properly aligned. Usually a collector, like a curatoz, has to rely on other criteria such as: agreement between shape and decoration; and misunderstood details of attributes like armour, a chariots harness, athletic equipment, MINERVA 10 Fig 4. Copy ofthe fp by the Bygos int by Vincenzo ort and Anto io Seapit, Tarquin, ate 19th century. igs, Copy of an Atti ved figured cup by Da He ety ive Targuinian vases, of course, were still copied and such copies reached the auction houses in Europe and New York well into the fifties, One of them, a black figured neck-amphora In the Cummer Gallexy of Art, Coral Gables, Florida, got into’ Alan Shapiro's catalogue Greek Vases From Southern Collections, pp. 44-5 (ex Parke-Bernet, 2 May’ 1951, lot 29), Even such easily recognised fakes as the big lip cup copied from a famous cup in Tarquinia (RC 4194; Arias and Hirmer, pl. XIV) was sold with the glorious provenance ‘collection of the Marchese Rodolfo Peruzzi de’ Medic, Flo Pan 195 eg —(i—i—“‘“<—~C~sti‘—i—~S~s tie ny ~~ Greek Vase Forgeries } — Florence’ for $310 at auction in Parke-ernet, New York, on 13 March 1952, yar after the Dackfigured neck-amphora ow in Coral Cables (Parke Remet, 2 May 1951), However, the more sophisticated forgers reverted to the clever strata. sem ofthe man who faked the Cran brook yea a hundred year err For better camouflage they take the Subject from one shape and trans Plant it to another. Of this we have Epeleios. Painter's cup vondo in Manieh (ARV, 1963: p. 146, 2), oinochoe a few years ago, taken not from the vase itself, but from Friedsich Wilhelm Hamdort’s useful reproduction of Karl Reichhold’s drawings (Attische Vasenbilder, 1981, pl. 43). The entertaining inscriptions ‘sweet is the wine’ and ‘Epeleios is hhandsome’ had to be suppressed, lest the buyer consulted the list of kalos rnames in Beazley, and stumbled on the source. Or take the pornography of a cup exterlor in the Louvre, well known through any number of recent erotic books, and then squeeze the participants on che outside of @ Skyphos. It was offered recently at a Hotel Drowot Sale in Paris that also MINERVA 11 boasted an adaptation of the Colmar Painter's lovely cup interior of a youth rolling & hoop in Oxford (ARV, 1963, p. 357, 69), with only the hoop omitted. Another clever device is to trans form a red-figured vase into a black figured one, which was fsst done in Munich for Lola Montez, who left King Ludwig I of Bavaria and Munich after the riots of 1847, the event Which led to the abdication of her royal lover. Montez's vase an accu: rate translation of the Hypsis hydra (ARV, 1963: p. 30, 1) into Black-figure (Fig 6) and Is now in the Geneva ‘Museum, where the lady stopped on Fig 6, Translation Into black figured ofthe atte refi hed Hypsis hydra Musée d'art et attstie, Geneva —_ ‘| a red-figured cup by Douris in Berlin (ARV, 1963: p. 428, 13) Even the ‘Six technique’ of added opaque colours on a black back- aground vas employed five or six years ago by painting a satyr and a goat on an authentic black glazed olpe (Fig 9) with 2 generous amount of flaking or abrasion to give it an ancient appear ance. Forturiately, the forger did not realise that his object, had It been made in an Attic workshop in the late 6th century, would have had an added red band around its middle as ls sole touch of colour. This red line now appears under and beyond the reshly-added figures, an overlooked detail that brand uucta modern f he finished. prod. Fig 7A. Forgery of ‘an Atie white srovond lekythos ditcorated with the red:figured Pothos ‘ofthe Meidian| nye in lorence, Pi 7B. Pothos on the Atte refi ‘red Metaian hari late Sth Pig 8 Forgery ofan Ate white ground up decorate ite way to California (and its rich customers heading for the 1849 Gold rsh) the Eros tom an Sill another tel-tale change of the Atte red fgured technique surfaced about twenty HP y Dour in yyeats ago on a whiteground lekythos Bent (Fig 7A) decorated with the red-fi§- yo, attic black tured Pothos of the Median hydria‘Slaci ope with (Fig 7B) In Florence (ARV, 1963: “auded modern p. 1312, 1), and more or less at the desl ofa satyr In imitate presented Eros carefully copied fiom a “italian of same time a white-ground cup (Fig 8) MINERVA 12 8 —OJU CC bowedon on 14 July 1975: a stemless ig 10) with an exceptionally 3 cover of the Berlin exbibi- Ea eran alee Hon ne pais ek cop ane the ther Atte black steness cup anotfiy decorated with a Laconian tr peste. The ondo ws ssc dd Stibbe, Lakonische Vasen 3. 80, 5) that had reached Hol: welve years earlier, Timely vention on my part made s withdraw the fake al there are ‘are walking one while the fifth in the entre is fying, The fake has six birds: five on the rm wali erly along walle the sixth, In the centre, is no both the embellished Attic stemtess cups the edge of the Lip is reserved, resulting In a red line ignoring the subtle difference between Attic cups that sport only an inside picture, and Fig 10, Attic blackslacel cup with added modern esi ofa satyr a a goat Fig 11, Atte Black glazed stemess cup with added modern design based on the ‘ond of acon cp ts Leiden therefore have a black rlm, and those that also have a picture on the out side, and hence have a reserved line, ere you see an ambitious fake of a von the inside only, yet cup decorate the next technical breakthrough forthe forgers came from Klaus Som- mer, who perfected a novel method o the relief line. He dipped a air into the peptised clay, has the consistency of corn syrup, laying iton the surface where a relief line was desired and pulling the Museum, Now the forgers began to revel in perfect relief lines, ‘When the Euphronios Krater in made eyelashes famous, no odern vase-painter worth his salt could do without them. In the early years of this century forgers rarely bothered with fragments (like one bought by Wilhelm Frohner and now in the Cabinet des Médailes, Paris) fon the outside of a pot that was ancient, but broken, and did not have enough of the picture preserved 10 make it saleable. On the nevily gained ce a fragmentary scen drawn, making sure that the heads of the figures were complete. Signatures of Euphronios were added, and the almost obligatory appellation AEA‘ TPOE KAAOE (Leagras kalos), or ‘Ta igros Is handsome’ was included. ‘One such complex of four different ftagments, all from the same ancient stamnos or column-krater, 1s today divided between Malibu, Geneva, and New York. The first that came to my attention shows Herakles confronting the Hydra with a sword (Fig 13). The head and the shoulders of the hero are a close copy of the Herakles with Cerberus on an amphora by the Andokides Painter (Fig 14) n the Lou ‘re (ARV, 1963: p. 4, 11). This was traced line for line from the colour plate in Arias and Hirmer (pls, 88 and transferred in the same scale t0 the new design. Some minor diserep- ancies crept in, such as the misunder standing of the baldrie: instead of being a reserved band, It has turned into two parallel red lines (Fig 13), while the shoulder of Herakles cov ered by a red chiton in Paris has become reserved, The bare upper arn Instead of showing the Lines of a biceps, is now covered by a sleeve with fine folds of a chiton, Eyelashes appear fitst for the closed eye of Geryon's slain herdsman fon a black figured hydria by Lydos in the Vila Giulla, Rome (Beazley, J.D. ABV (1956): p. 108, 14). On the Lou ve vase tite closed eye of the lion has eyelashes: they are well copied, but they are also repeated for the open eye of Herakles (Fig 13), so as to be up-to date. The Hydra Is copied from the new fragments of the volute-krater by the Kleophrades Painter (ARV, 1963: Dp. 186-187, 51: now in Malibu) that appearedt on the market in 1971 The second fragment, not necessar: ily by the same hand, is composed of three pieces, of which the two on the left have a somewhat matte black glaze for the background, unlike the fone on the right which is much glossier. Though all three Join, they ‘were sold to two different outlets and ‘were not reunited until they cafne to [New York. Herakles ig about to slay an Fig 12 above). Forery of frag. ‘nent ofan Attic Mack figured vase, ‘Cabinet des Medals, Paris ig 13 (op right. Paget ofan The modern figure of Heranies ceo te figured scone by The andes re. The Hydra ie ‘opled from frag. sents ofa i bythe Kleophrades Painter In the yi tas ety Pig 14, Detall ofan Autc red figured mp by the Aruides Panter, ‘eSv0S15 BC ig 15 (righ. Forgery of three Jolned agents eraies facing an “Amazon fsa ser ‘the pose of | warvoren the reverse of he Serpedon krater ‘nt New York, Fragment of an alticvase. The fig tue ofthe reclining ‘oman ts spire ‘yy Danae on | ase by the Tip tienes Painter in the Hermitage MINERVA 14 , amazon who wears afar cap (ig 18), Aut behind him appears a second eek it the pose of a warrior on the oMerse of the Sarpedon krater (New York 1972-1. 10). The fragment in Malibu gives us rete, likewise Inspired by the New York Kater, whereas the fragment in neva (Fig 16) has an impossible ste player and a lady on a couch Much like Danae on the vase by the Triptolemos Painter in the Hershitage ARV, 1963: p. 360, 1). That this, 00, 2 forgery is confirmed by the couch, Wich lacks a wooden frame connect g the four legs, and hence renders the perch of the lady rather precat Tn this beef exposé of forged vases have not stopped once | found the source of inspiration, but have extended the search to the publica lon dates of the model, For the Cran brook hyétia circumstantial evidence allows 1s to localise the mar Naples at a probal 19th century. The oinochoe with the satyr pouring wine can be connected with the fist re-publication, in 1976 Of Reichhola’s drawing, and the scale ff Herakles on the fragment in Fig 13, can only have been copied so accu ly once Arias and Hirmer’s book first published in 1960 in Fl fence. The fact that the second frag. ment with Herakles and the Amazon "Hy 15) includes the upper part of the arming soldier on the Euphronios rater in. New York suggests a date after 1972, but its fabrication in two portions, each glazed differently, may en be interpreted as a collaboration of two forgers, each with his own, middleman and a different outlet, which adds an intriguing twist to a tue which was repeated in At that time almost identical forg lcs of two neck-amphorae (Figs 174, 7B) appeared in two different parts Of Switzerland, the forger relying on the traditional secrecy of the market tvs country known for its sacred dis: xetion of banking). As buck (or bad hick) for the forger had it, one was shown to me in Geneva, and the other ustrated in a brochure distri uted a few weeks later by another antiquaire, Jacques Chamay had ceady spotted the inspiration of the Geneva fake: none other than a rela ely little known red-figured col tmn-krater in the Hermitage (ARV, 1963: p. 248, 1), of which until 1970 We had only line drawings of the two Sigutes on the obverse (Hig 17C) pub- lished in reduced scale in 1918 by Bearley (Attic Red-Figured Vases in Ameria, 1918, p. 53), who had drawn em in the spring of 1914. In the 1970 volume of Antike Kunst, Martin ‘of two different neck-amphorve, The figures ar eater by the Diogenes Painter ‘of two differ neckamphon The flu tr by the iDlgenes Panter ig 17¢. Drawing PhD. Bis peep reba MINERVA 15 = Greek Vase Forgeries ig 184, Forge blackgured column rater. Obverse, based on vases bythe Amasis alnter tn Witrsburs, base, and Raval Fig 188, Forged black figured column rater Reverse, base om vases bythe Amasts ainer in Munich and New York. Robertson published an article on the Diogenes Painter and illustrated the Hermitage vase, both with pho: tographs and the original Beazley drawings on a bigger scale (Fig 170) Since both fakes were in the same country and not yet sold, a summit meeting on neutral ground was arranged in the office of Hansjorg Bloesch in Zurich which I attended later that year The Forger had not realised that the figures of Zeus and Athena were part ofthe same composition, though ‘drawn by Heazley on separate pieces of tracing paper. He must have jumped to the erroneous conclusion ‘on the analogy of the neck-amphorae by the Pioneers and their immediate followers, the Kleophrades Painter and the Berlin Painter, namely that Zeus was on the obverse and Athena fon the reverse. He therefore picked as a shape a neck-amphora with twisted handles Some painters often repeat their figures on other vases, but actual replicas do not aceur, oF have not bbeen found, until much later in the history of Attic red-figured vases. In this chain of mote or less clecumsta. tial evidence one tiny detail, how. ever, supplies the clinching link, When drawing the oinochoe in Athena's hand on his reverse, the forger filled in a gap lett by an over sight of Beazley who, in his drawing @ig 170), had inadvertently omitted the lower part of the handle clearly visible on the columa-krater in the Hermitage. This omission was cor rected on each of the fakes differently Since the height of the forged figures is identical in seale to the reproduc: tlons in Antike Kunst of 1970 we can safely conclude that it was the second illustration of Beazley’s drawings, rather than the one of 1918, that was copied. There are dozens of other forg. cries, but space is limited, and I rmust reach conclusions that may help col- lectors and curators to detect lg 19, Preliminary drawing fora forgery ofan Attic ro figured ‘aye Krater meant to be by Euponts MINERVA 16 eer CUd ries. It 8 not enough to Kdentty {fanetent vase-painter who is being {itged, OF adopted, by these some- {Ges quite inventive imitators. For a utter understanding of their miltew pesmnust also ask why a certain Pris promotion Is based on his mar. fer voluc, and rellects carrent taste sn fash Thus | as mot surprised recently, when I was shown photographs of 4 viackeligured column-kratee inspired by the Amasis Painter. There have pec many’ attempts in the past to Copy lim, but since most were tneeaibly clumsy, I shall spare you their description. The krater now wating a gullible buyer, however, combines figures taken from three oF four diferent vases by the Amasis fainter, 40 that their presentation together can only be explained by the 1985 publication of the Amasis Painter exhibition catalogue. The vintage scene on the obverse (Fig 18a) combines elements of the amphora In Wareburg. (ABV,1956: 151, 22), the Kippeli amphora in Base (Pralipomena p. 68), and even feagments in Kavala (bid), while the reverse (Hg 188) repeats Helen on his amphora in Munich (ABV, 1986: 150, 7) and a warrior accompanied by dog om an amphora in New York (ABV, 1956: p. 150, 3), all amply llsstrated inthe catalogue of 1985. For my last example, | have selected something wery special: the Sketch for calyx heater made by a forges (hig 19). The vase tel, signed by Euphronias, has probably never, rat least nat yet been mac, but the preliminary drawing Is most reveal: Ing ony for its mistakes. Herakles Is attacking the Lernaean Hyde assisted by faithfal Iolaos, and you ‘an ice that this exercise is indedted to several venerable antiquities: @ Caretan hydria now in Malibu and two Heraclean exploits on the lower Zone on the neck of the much ag: mented volute keater by. the Kleophrades Painter (ARV, 1963: p 186, 51), iow shown in Malsbu with 8he parts belonging tothe Louvre Did the forge go to Malia for his Sources? This was hardly necessary alle he had to-do was look atthe plates ‘a Lexicon Ieanographicum Mythologiae lassicae, Volume V, part two, pub lished in 1990, especially plate 9, fom which the drawing of the keatet 'staken, Mast of Herables stil miss {Pn the Hydra episode, but his last Labour, the Hesperid snake, 8 conve: ‘entiy itustated on the same plate; She Caeretan hydria in. Malibu PPeacs on plate 2 tn that volume, {Stlowed by five more plates of vases With the same subject. Asin the case ‘he two neckamphorae, there ls forge! LL Greek Vase Forgeries one unmistakable detail: Lolaos is pa fully armed, but does not have the __Dietricl von Bothmer has been Cleophradean Pegasus as a shield Distinguished Research Curator of Gevice, for which the forger has bor- Greek aud Roman Art at the Metropol fowed the head of the dog which fat Museum of Art since 1990, He fuarded the cattle of Genyom that Began ls creer at he museum in ppeats between bis legs. Omitting 1946 as an assistant curator, and was the torches with which olaos pres subsequently promoted curator, ad Vented the regencration of the cutoff Wien chairman of the department. His heads of the flydra is, of course, | stinguished career, spanning nearly ‘mistake, but then, ‘we can't all be 50 years, has been devoted primarily to perfect ‘the study of Attic vases. To add to his ‘many honours, this past year he was ‘awarded an Honorary Doctorate of ped Philosophy at the University of Trier, ABV = J, D. Bealey, Atle Black-Figure elected ant Assoc of L’Académie des ‘Vase Painters (1956). Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, ARV =}. D. Bearley, Attic Rest ‘and tamed Chevalier of the Légion Vase Painters 2 (1963), a'Homeu. Arias and Hirmer = PE. Arias and M. Hirmer, Mille anni di ceramica greca (1960). English Edition, A History of Greek Vase Painting (1962) ‘The Editor-in-Chief of Minerva, Dr Bisenbetg, a Fellow for Life of the Metropolitan Museum of Art since 1966, has received the benefit of Dr von Bothmer's expertise on Greek EVP = J, D, Beazley, Etruscan Vase vases, both genuine and false, for over Painting (1947) tusty years. Its with great pleasure that he presents this important article ‘on the aesthetics and techniques of the vase forger so that many others may ‘This article is based upon a paper benefit fom this information, much of presented in Basel at the ‘Fakes and it previously unpublished ue Forgeries’ symposium, 24 October 1996, sponsored by the International Association of Dealers in Ancient Art (ADA) Paralipomena = J. D. teazley, Paralipomena (1971), Forse of hs cle MINERVA REPRINTS In addition to reprints ofthe article ‘Forgeres of Greek Vases’ by Dietrich von Bothmer the following reprints are available: ‘THE WEALTH OF WOMEN IN ‘THE THRACIANS CLASSICAL GREECE * nn om te Ru ot ge ons ee by leome M.Eseberg, 0, by ewe We eg PAD, iS Seve cer] (Order MINERVA reprints a £3.00 or $5.00, fr 3 for £8.00 or £12.50, including postage, from: Minerva Magazine 14 Old Bond Street, London, WIX SDB. ‘Tel (44) 171 495 2590 Fax: (44) 171 491 1595, for: Sulle 28, 153 East 57th Street, New York, NY 10022 Tel: (1) 212-858-2034 Fax: (1) 212-688-0412 Quantity discounts available for academic use or resale MINERVA 17 ern cre oon) London, 8 April 1998 Se a ere Va BO ENQUIRIES: Sarah Hornsby on (0171) 389 2111 or Christine Insley Green on (0171) 389 2113 Core melee ea UA see SO EOP a Re em A conte on ance ret BEND) CHRISTIE’S 8 King Stree, St. Jamess, London SWIY 6QT ‘Tel: (0171) 839 9060 Fax: (0171) 389 2542 intemer heap://swwwchristes.com |" Art of the Indus Cities }- SEALS AND SCULPTURE OF THE INDUS CITIES An exhibition being held in New York and Madison, Wisconsin, in 1998 on the representational art of the Indus Valley reveals a highly developed artistic tradition with many different styles and techniques of production. Jonathan Mark Kenoyer ————_. 4 Pet not be related to any later known, Majer sites ofthe language, It has remained undec\- ay Titian «Phere (Parpola 1994). Conse- Guently, archaeological excavations ae the only source of information Gn the Indus cities and these finds ‘must be interpreted through compat- ikons with contemporaneous cultures in Mesopotamia, Iran and Central Asia, of with later South Asian trad tions Hsing high above the plain, the massive mud-brick walls and impres- sive brick gateways of cles such as Mohenjo-daro and Harappa were an ig 3 cig, Valley civilisation site of Mehrgarh, Pakistan and date jnscam or ata anid north-west- £0 around 7000 Cater Chalcot workers the em India is one of the great ithic village cultures have been “metre deep than socetes that was con- found throughout the Indus Valley eet of the ‘temporancous with the early Sumer- and date from $500 to around 2800 Pecwrban Ives at ly ‘arappa, 1995. jan and Egyptian civilisations. BC. Farly Indus settlements that may. a Exeavations in the 1920s and 30s at zepresent the initial phase of urban Fig2 (below). The sites such as Harappa and Mohenjo- expansion date from around 2800 to great bat at dato in Pakistan (Fig 1) uncovered 2600 BC and at the site of Harappa Menor, the remains of wellsplanned cities thete is evidence for the emergence leat et had major steets orientated in ofan Harly Indus writing system. stupa the the cardinal dieections, with bricke The major urban phase of the background. Yined wells for drinking water and Indus Valley civilisation dates from brick drains for the removal of around 2600 to 1900 BC. By this Sevrage and waste water (Fig 2) Most time, specialised craft technologies f the buildings in these cities were had been developed to produce made of baked brick, along with exquisite objects as symbols of status tome mud brick structures, and the and wealth as well 88 for use in stu Sity walls were made almost ently als. Extensive trade networks were of mud brick maintained to obtain necessary raw Recent excavations at the site of materials from resource areas ada- Harappa (rig Mehrgarh, cent to the Indus valley and also for usharo, and other Indus settle. the trade of finished goods to more ents are providing more detalled distant regions such as Central Asia Understanding of the origin and aid Mesopotamia. A system of wait Character ofthe indus Valley civiisa- ing was developed by lites of the Alon (Kenoyer 1998). The earliest Indus cities but s0 fat no bilingual Neolithic settements of the tnidus inscriptions have been discovered sion have been discovered at the and because the writing system can MINERVA 19 {~~ Art of the Indus Cities | }——_____ monumental symbols of the power of the ancient Indus rulers and traders. Unlike Mesopotamia or Egypt, the Indus élites did not erect stone sculptures to glorify their power, and depictions of warfate oz conquered enemies are strikingly absent in representational art. Most of the art and symbolic objects were relatively small and in many cases feven made in miniature, The éites of the Indus cities can be distinguished by thelr use of carved stone seals having animal motifs and writing, ‘They also wore ornaments, such a5 bangles and necklaces made of pre: clous metals, rare materials, high fired stoneware or glazed faience. ‘These symbols of wealth and power were what set the rulers apart from the common people, and they also reflect the many different social and economic levels that were controlled by the rulers, ‘The scale of Indus axt suggests that much of it was not meant for public display and distant viewing, but rather for the private enjoyment and appreciation of the élites or common people for whom it was belng produced. For example, the average person on the strect may have seen the stone seal being car ried by a trader or élite, but very few would have had the opportunity to scrutinise the detailed carving of the animal motifs or the precise angular carving of the script. The impressions made by such seals on clay were rarely made with enough care to reveal the delicate nuances of the dewlap on the magnificent humped zebu bull of the detailed decorations fon the ritual offering stand placed in front of the animal motifs on the seal, As with the seals the carved stone sculptures and modelled fig- urines of bronze and faience may have been intended for élite eus- tomers, while figurines of terracotta, probably made for domestic rituals br even as toys, would have been ‘equally accessible to both the com: moners and the élite, ‘closer look at the representa- tional axt of carved stone seals, stone sculpture and modelled figerines of terracotta, bronze and fatence can provide a more intimate perspective fon Indus people and thelr aesthetic sensibilities INDUS SEALS AND SEALINGS, ‘The primary source for Indus writing comes from seals or impressions of seals made In terracotta or glazed faience, Other prescribed objects Include inscribed steatite tablets, pottery, and various personal oma: ‘ments and tools. ‘The most common form of seal used in the Indus cities 1s square with a perforated knob or boss on the back. This type of seal frst appears around 2600 BC, but itis not certain If they were used for the entire duration of the cities, as 4 new form of long rectangular seal begins 0 appear around 2200 to 2000 BC. ‘The Square seals usually have an ani- ‘mal motif in the lower register and @ Tine of sceipt above the animal, A rit- al offering stand or a feeding trough fs usually depleted in front of specific types of animals, but occasionally the animal is presented without this additional object (Fig 4). Such square seals with animal motifs were appar. tently used for a variety of economic and ritual or symbolic purposes, Seal impressions have been found on bul Jae used to secure rope or binding materials on bundles of goods, Clay sealings from pottery vessels that held various types of raw materials have also been found. The second major seal type is rec- tangular and has a convex back that is perforated through the body of the seal rather than through a knob, These rectangular seals have no ani- ‘mal motif and are carved with a sla: gle line of large and deeply incised Script. Recent excavations at Harappa have shown that the long rectangu- Tar seals begin to be used during the later phases of the Indus cities, possi bly In conjunction with the square seals ‘Another type of seal, generally referred to as a button seal, is deco- rated with various geometric motifs, bbut no script. These button seals hhave a small perforated knob on the back Bven though they do not have script, these seals were sometimes impressed onto clay bullae attached to bundles of goods, possible for symbolic oF ritual purposes ‘Very few seal impressions have been preserved at Indus sites as com pared to the large number of sealings from Mesopotamia, This difference hhas Ted some scholars to propose that seals were not gencrally used for sea Ing, but were primarily symbolic in nature. However, when the archaco Togical context of Mesopotamia and Indus clay sealings are examined, it Is clear that both are found primarily In burned buildings, since unfired clay would quickly crumble when ‘exposed to the elements. Since very few burned buildings have been dis- covered in the Indus Valley it is not surprising that very few preserved sealings have been found. Jn fact, the largest single collection of Indus Seal- Ings comes from a burned building ‘or storehouse at the site of Lothal MINERVA 20 The humped bull sa reletely rere motifom square intago seals, but they are generally quite large and carved with seat etal, At the op of ths State salt a in of Indus Seri, but ‘ho ritual offering sana i depicted. The cursed edge ofthe seal unique and i may have ben designed by a seal carver to accom ‘modate stamping on the concave neck of are storae jars. This seal has not been fully fled or hardened and may represent ‘an unfinished object. Square intagio seal. Unfired tan sentite. 875% 33 em Mohenjordaro,B S88, Islamabad Musi, 80.236 ys. Steait square seal depicting amie mae deity with thre aces, ‘Seated in ye postion om a throme, wearing bangles om Bots arms and an elaborate headdress The fiqure weurs bangles on ‘oth arms an the feet of he dhrone are carved withthe hoof of a "bovine as onthe bull and unicorn seals Unf? tam steatite, 245.127 cm, Mohenfodaro, DK. 12050, “lamabad Museum, NMP 50.296, ‘The distinctive square seals of the Indus cities are usually made from various qualities and varieties of soft stone, generally referred to as s0ap- Stone oF steatite, The original colour of the stone ranges from grey or tan to white, but itis always intention- ally whitened and hardened through i eeeeeee—C“(‘SCNCC(C:(‘téié

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