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Hallan cripta y teatro romanos en isla Cefalonia al oeste de Grecia

teatro Cefalonia Grecia 10

Foto: Rows of stone seating and a stone-flagged pavement from what archaeologists believe may have been an ancient theater are seen in this undated handout photo released by the Greek Culture Ministry on Wednesday, April 4, 2007. Digging on the western island of Kefallonia, archaeologists have also discovered a large Roman-era tomb with its ancient offerings intact. The complex, which contained five burials, yielded gold jewelry, glass and clay pots and bronze artifacts, a Culture Ministry announcement said. Associated Press.

La cripta, de dimensiones de 8.20 por 5.80 metros, tiene tres sepulcros y uno de ellos representa la fachada de una vivienda.

Las excavaciones en un predio de la isla de Cefalonia, en el oeste de Grecia, revelaron la presencia de una cripta con tres tumbas que no han sido profanadas y de un teatro, de la época romana, según informa hoy la prensa ateniense.

El descubrimiento durante la construcción de una vivienda y de una cisterna fue hecho en diciembre de 2005 en la localidad de Fiscardo, y los arqueólogos han trabajado desde entonces y han encontrado también cántaros de cristal y de cerámica, joyas de oro y objetos de bronce con relieves y monedas.

La cripta, de dimensiones de 8.20 metros por 5.80, tiene tres sepulcros y uno de ellos representa la fachada de una vivienda y los arqueólogos expresan su emoción por el hecho de que la puerta se abre y cierra con facilidad, como hace tres mil años.

Además, la cripta contiene otras dos tumbas de piedra.

En declaraciones recogidas por la prensa, Andreas Sotiriou, experto del servicio nacional de arqueología, afirmó que se ha descubierto por primera vez en el grupo de las islas Eftaniasa un odeón o un pequeño teatro casi intacto de 7.65 metros de largo y con cuatro líneas de butacas, además de un lugar para la orquesta de 5.45 metros de diámetro.

Los científicos incluyen los descubrimientos en el predio de Fiscardo con otros provenientes de tiempos romanos en las cercanías, como los vestigios de un patio rodeado de ruinas de viviendas y de un cementerio.

Fiscardo, actualmente un pueblecito pesquero y turístico en la parte norte de la isla, parece haber sido en la época un importante puerto entre la península griega y la italiana y mantenía estrechos lazos con la colonia romana de Nikopolis, en el noroeste de Grecia.

Fuente: EFE, Atenas, Grecia. 5 de abril de 2007

(2) Greek archaeologists unearth rich tomb

Roman-era building contains gold jewelry, pottery and bronze offerings.

ATHENS, Greece - Archaeologists on a Greek island have discovered a large Roman-era tomb containing gold jewelry, pottery and bronze offerings, officials said Wednesday. The building, near the village of Fiscardo on Kefalonia, contained five burials including a large vaulted grave and a stone coffin, a Culture Ministry announcement said.

The complex, measuring 26 by 20 feet, had been missed by grave-robbers, the announcement said.

tumba Cefalonia Grecia 20

A large Roman-era grave complex discovered on the western Greek island of Kefallonia is seen in this undated handout photo released by the Greek Culture Ministry on Wednesday, March 4, 2007. At center is seen a large, house-shaped grave with a stone door that still works perfectly. The complex, which contained five burials, yielded gold jewellery, glass and clay pots and bronze artefacts, a Culture Ministry announcement said. (AP Photo/Culture Ministry)

Archaeologists found gold earrings and rings, gold leaves that may have been attached to ceremonial clothing, as well as glass and clay pots, bronze artifacts decorated with masks, a bronze lock and copper coins.

The vaulted grave, a house-shaped structure, had a small stone door that still works perfectly — turning on stone pivots.

On a nearby plot, archaeologists also located traces of what may have been a small theater with four rows of stone seats, the ministry said.

tumba Cefalonia Grecia 30

A handout photo released by Greek Culture Ministry on 04 April 2007 shows a well preserved Roman-era funerary chamber unearthed by archaeologists on a private property in Fiscardo, on the Ionian island of Cephalonia. The tomb, which had not been looted by any plunderers, contained several funerary objects, including a stone sarcophagus, glass and clay vessels, gold earings, rings and hair pins. ARIS MESSINIS / AFP/Getty Images

Previous excavations in the area have uncovered remains of houses, a baths complex and a cemetery, all dating to Roman times — between 146 B.C. and 330 A.D.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press.

Praxíteles o la poesía del mármol

Praxíteles cabecera TA0

Hermes con Dionisos niño, Museo de Olimpia (330 a. C.)

MONOGRÁFICA DEDICADA AL ESCULTOR GRIEGO EN EL LOUVRE

Primera gran exposición en Francia dedicada al arte estatuario griego y romano. El escultor ateniense fue el autor del primer desnudo femenino íntegro.

Fue el primer escultor griego en representar un desnudo femenino a tamaño natural con su ’Afrodita de Cnido’. Praxíteles, que permanece como uno de los artistas más reconocidos de la Antigüedad, será el protagonista de una gran exposición en el gran museo del Louvre. Pocos son los datos fiables sobre su biografía, excepto que nació en Atenas en el siglo IV a.C. procedente de una familia de tradición escultórica. A partir de ahí la historia se funde y se confunde con la leyenda. Los más de 2.300 años transcurridos tienen la culpa de las sombras que envuelven la figura y la obra del genio griego, unas sombras que tratarán de ser esclarecidas con esta ambiciosa muestra.

Una de las anécdotas más recordadas acerca de su vida tiene como protagonista a Friné, modelo y amante del escultor. Como agradecimiento por los placeres proporcionados, Praxíteles dio a elegir a Friné la escultura que más le gustara. Como no sabía de arte, la cortesana planeó una cena y se compinchó con un sirviente para que alertara de un incendio en el taller del maestro de Atenas, quien tan pronto como el criado dio la voz de alarma se apresuró a exclamar "¡Salvad mi Cupido!". La bella y astuta Friné le confesó su artimaña al escultor y le exigió el Cupido que tanto le hubiese dolido perder.

No es fácil enfrentarse a la tarea de una exposición monográfica sobre un artista del que apenas se conservan originales. El Louvre afronta el reto sabedor de que Praxíteles creó un ideal femenino cuya influencia ha resistido milenios. La exposición está organizada con el objetivo de ofrecer una visión global de su carrera escultórica. Dado la dificultad que esto conlleva si tenemos en cuenta que solo dos esculturas de la muestra son con certeza obra de Praxíteles, el Louvre pretende ir más allá, invitando al observador a indagar en las huellas dejadas en la historia del arte por su elusiva figura. Todo un análisis que nos permitirá alcanzar un mejor entendimiento de Praxíteles y de su arte.

La exposición, que se podrá disfrutar hasta el 18 de junio, reúne el mayor número posible de obras en mármol y bronce que pueden ser presentadas con justicia como típicas del estilo praxiteliano. La disposición historiográfica de las obras permite hacernos una idea clara de la honda influencia del genio ateniense, creador de un estilo cargado de sensualidad que ha constituido todo un referente.

Una exposición única

Sorprende el hecho de que, dada la incuestionable importancia que la escultura estatuaria griega y romana ha tenido en el desarrollo de las formas artísticas occidentales, sea esta la exposición dedicada al tema más importante que se haya presentado en Francia. En el resto de Europa, el propósito de acercar al público este arte por medio de una monográfica cuenta con tan solo dos antecedentes no muy lejanos en el tiempo: una exposición dedicada a Polícleto que se presentó en Alemania en 1990 y otra en Italia en 1995, donde se recopiló una larga serie de trabajos para representar la carrera de Lisipo.

El Louvre toma el relevo, y lo hace animado por el honor de contar en sus colecciones con un gran número de obras en mármol (todas recientemente restauradas) que han sido relacionadas de algún modo con Praxíteles. El museo parisino logra reunir en la muestra obras tan ilustres como la ’Afrodita de Cnido’, el ’Apolo Sauróctonos’ y el ’Eros de Tespias’, añadiendo al considerable núcleo de obras de su propia colección alrededor de 100 trabajos prestados por diferentes museos europeos. Sin duda, la muestra arrojará luz sobre la figura de un Praxíteles en ocasiones idealizado, con frecuencia imaginado; un artista que espera ser revelado definitivamente.

Fuente: ALBERTO SÁNCHEZ / El Mundo.es. 23 de marzo de 2007
http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/03/22/cultura/1174586198
.html?a=ea8caa9c27eb59c4ea751ee8b896cc9f&t=1174642770

Reportaje fotográfico:

Praxíteles Afrodita de Cnido TA

Afrodita Cnide RMN  H. Lewandowski TA

’Afrodita de Cnido’. Anónimo. Copia romana (original del 360 a.C.). El Louvre dedica hasta el 18 de junio una exposición monográfica a Praxíteles, uno de los artistas más admirados de la Antigüedad. Nacido en Atenas, procedente de una dinastía de escultores, fue el primero en atreverse con el desnudo femenino con la ’Afrodita de Cnido’, su obra maestra. Sobre ella Luciano destaca la "tierna sonrisa que lucía dulcemente sobre sus labios medio abiertos" y la "tierna mirada de sus ojos con su expresión brillante y gozosa". (Foto: RMN / H. Lewandoski).

Praxíteles Diana de Gabies TA

’Diana de Gabies’. Anónimo. Copia romana (original del 300 a.C.). Praxíteles empleó el mármol en lugar del bronce utilizado por la mayoría de los escultores de la época. Dos tercios de sus creaciones son piezas de ese material, que dominaba a la perfección. En esta representación de Artemisa podemos ver el realismo en el tratamiento de los pliegos y la delicadeza con que Praxíteles dotaba a sus figuras (Foto: Museo del Louvre / Daniel Lebée y Carine Deambrosis).

Praxíteles Venus de Arles TA

’Venus de Arles’. Anónimo. Copia romana (original del 379 a.C., atribuido a Praxíteles). Esta representación de la deidad del amor, encontrada sin brazos en 1651 en el teatro romano de Arles, se ha atribuido a Praxíteles por el parecido que guarda con el rostro de la ’Afrodita de Cnido’. La estatua semidesnuda se ha interpretado como el paso previo a la desnudez de la Afrodita, que marca un hito en la representación del ideal del cuerpo femenino. (Foto: RMN / H. Lewandoski).

Praxíteles Apolo Sauróctono TA

’Apolo Sauróctono’. Anónimo. Copia romana (original del 360 a.C.). Sus temas más recurridos fueron las divinidades juveniles (Eros, Afrodita, Artemisa, Hermes, etc.) y los sátiros. En la imagen un Apolo de rostro juvenil en una actitud ensimismada que lo aleja del espectador. En esta escultura se observa muy bien la característica ’curva praxitélica’: la figura apoya una parte de su cuerpo sobre la otra creando una línea elegante y sensual que se desmarca del quietismo de Fidias y Policleto.

Praxíteles Venus de Cnido TA

’Venus de Cnido’. Primaticcio (hacia 1540). El escultor de Bolonia Primaticcio creó en el siglo XVI una ’Afrodita de Cnido’ que circuló con la firma del genio de Atenas. Este hecho contribuyó a agravar la confusión sobre la autenticidad de las obras atribuidas al ateniense. Primaticcio hizo traer vaciados en yeso de ilustres esculturas de la Antigüedad, entre ellas el ’Laoconte’, la ’Ariadna’ y la ’Venus de Cnido’ de Praxíteles, que comenzaron a ser estudiadas y conocidas en esa época. (RMN / Gérard Blot).

Praxíteles Friné Pradier TA

’Friné’. Pradier (finales del siglo XIX). El escultor James Pradier se convirtió en heredero de los valores clásicos en el siglo XIX. El francés realizó varias esculturas de la bella Friné, cortesana, esposa y modelo de Praxíteles, cuya figura se idealizó enormente en el siglo XIX, siendo tema recurrente de artistas y escritores de la época. Pradier adapta a la modernidad la escultura clásica a través de una sensualidad que le acerca a los escultores románticos (Museo del Louvre / Pierre Philibert).

Praxíteles Juicio de Friné Gérôme TA

’El juicio de Friné’. Jean-Léon Gérôme (1861). La modestia no era uno de los fuertes de Friné, quien no paraba de presumir de su belleza y fue por ello juzgada por una asamblea de atenienses acusada de impiedad. Praxíteles pidió que fuera el orador Hipérides quien defendiera a su amada. Incapaz de convencer al tribunal con la palabra, Hipérides optó por utilizar otros ’argumentos’ y despojó a Friné de sus ropas. Los jueces, atónitos ante su belleza, la absolvieron de modo unánime. El pintor francés Jean-Léon Gérôme retrató la escena en el siglo XIX. (Foto: BPK, Berlín, Dist. RMN © Elke Walford).

escultura griega ta

*** PRAXITELES

Escultor. Grecia. Siglo IV a. C.

Hijo del también escultor Cefisódoto el Viejo, Praxiteles nació en Atenas en torno al año 400 a. C. Durante buena parte del siglo IV a. C. se confirma como uno de los grandes escultores del mundo clásico, realizando abundantes piezas, sobre todo en mármol aunque también se tiene constancia de alguna ejecutada en bronce. Su escultura, a medio camino entre el clasicismo de Fidias y el helenismo, se caracteriza por figuras estilizadas, de canon alargado, que, mediante un marcado contraposto, trazan lo que se ha dado en denominar la S praxiteliana, una elegante sinuosidad que recorre todo el cuerpo.

Sin romper con los rasgos estilísticos de la cultura ática, Praxíteles los interpretó desde una visión muy personal, que sentó las bases para el posterior desarrollo de la escultura helenística. Se alejó de la tradición anterior al preferir como material el mármol, más que el bronce, pero se mantuvo en la línea de sus antecesores por su elección como modelo para sus obras de la belleza juvenil idealizada. Desde este punto de partida, evolucionó hacia una mayor humanización de las estatuas, hacia una plasmación algo más intensa de los sentimientos.

Gozó de un gran prestigio desde sus primeras realizaciones, en particular por la suavidad del modelado y la postura indolente de los cuerpos, que gravitan fuera de su eje, descansando sobre un punto de apoyo. Es emblemático en este sentido el grupo de Hermes con Dioniso niño, encontrado en 1877 en Olimpia y que se considera un original, el único que se conserva de un escultor griego de primera magnitud. Sus obras restantes se conocen a través de copias romanas. La que gozó de mayor renombre en la Antigüedad fue la Afrodita de Cnido, estatua de tamaño natural de la diosa en la que por primera vez se la representa desnuda. El Sátiro en reposo y el Apolo Sauróctono destilan el encanto sensual y la gracia delicada connaturales en la obra de Praxíteles. El escultor obtuvo también un gran éxito con un tipo de Eros desnudo al que la cabellera rizada confiere una nueva plasticidad, un nuevo encanto romántico.

Obras:

- Afrodita de Cnido, Museos Vaticanos, Roma (370 a. C.).

- Apolo Sauróctonos, Museo Pío Clementino, Roma (360 a. C).

- Sátiro en reposo, Museo Capitolino, Roma (siglo IV a. C.).

- Torso de Venus, Louvre, París (siglo IV a. C.).

Praxíteles Hermes y Dionisos TA

- Hermes con Dionisos niño, Museo de Olimpia (330 a. C.).


Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities
from 03-23-2007 to 06-18-2007

Praxiteles

Praxiteles was the first Greek sculptor who dared create representations of the female nude. He worked in the 4th century B.C. and remains one of the most famous artists of Antiquity.

The exhibition is made possible by F. Marc de Lacharrière (Fimalac).

The exhibition catalogue has been realized thanks to the generous support of the J.F. Costopoulos Foundation.

The didactic panels of the Praxitèle exhibition have been translated in Greek thanks to the generous support of the Lambrakis Foundation.

Curator(s) : Alain Pasquier et Jean-Luc Martinez, département des Antiquités grecques, étrusques et romaines du musée du Louvre.

Un descubrimiento arqueológico en Grecia reúne a Zeus y Hera

Hera Monte Olimpo

The headless, marble statue of the ancient Greek goddess Hera dates back to the 2nd century B.C. and was discovered last year during excavations in the town of Dion, near Mt Olympus in northern Greece. Photo: AP

El profesor Dimitris Pantermalis, afirma que la escultura es del siglo II a.c. y es la parte que faltaba de una excepcional doble estatua que adornaba el antiguo templo de Zeus.

Salónica, Grecia.- Un equipo de arqueólogos descubrió cerca del Monte Olimpo una escultura de Hera, diosa del matrimonio en la mitología griega, que -junto a una estatua de Zeus hallada recientemente- permitiría constituir la primera pareja de deidades en la historia de Grecia, informó AFP.

La estatua de Hera, sin cabeza y de talla humana, es del siglo II AC. Fue descubierta en un muro defensivo, en Dion, un santuario religioso situado en el norte del país, muy importante durante la civilización macedónica. "Es posible que (el conjunto) incluyera la estatua de Atena", afirmó el arqueólogo Dimitris Pantermalis, en la presentación oficial del hallazgo el viernes en la ciudad de Salonica.

La estatua de Hera, según los especialistas, tiene las mismas dimensiones y el mismo estilo que una escultura de Zeus, hallada en el mismo lugar en 2003. La mitología griega recoge numerosas historias entre Zeus y Hera. Dion, situada en las laderas del Monte Olimpo, cuna de las divinidades griegas, fue una antigua ciudad fortificada y un centro religioso muy importante durante la civilización macedónica, entre el período griego y romano.

Excavaciones anteriores habían permitido descubrir dos teatros, un estadio y varias partes relacionadas con una gran variedad de dioses, como las divinidades egipcias Sarapis, Isis y Anubis, cuya influencia en el mundo griego aumentó durante la conquista de Alejandro el Grande.

Fuente: El Universal, 2 de marzo de 2007
Enlace: http://deportes.eluniversal.com/
2007/03/02/ten_ava_02A840601.shtml


Greek archaeologists find Hera statue

Headless marble statue found in a city under Mount Olympus

By Costas Kantouris

THESSALONIKI, Greece - A 2,200-year-old statue of the goddess Hera has been found built into the walls of a city under Mount Olympus, home of Greece’s ancient gods, archaeologists said on Thursday. The headless marble statue was discovered last year during excavations in the ruins of ancient Dion, some 53 miles southwest of Thessaloniki.

Archaeologist Dimitris Pantermalis said the life-sized — by human dimensions — statue had been used by the early Christian inhabitants of Dion as filling for a defensive wall.

He said the 2nd century B.C. find appeared to have originally stood in a temple of Zeus, head of the ancient Greek gods — whose statue was found in the building’s ruins in 2003 and after whom Dion was named.

"We have reached the conclusion that the statue of Hera stood next to that of Zeus in the temple," said Pantermalis, a Thessaloniki University professor who has headed excavations at Dion for more than three decades.

Hera was the long-suffering wife of Zeus, a notorious philanderer, according to ancient mythology.

"The statue represents a female form seated on a throne, and is made of thick-grained marble like the one of Zeus," Pantermalis said. "It shows exactly the same technique and size, which led us to link the two statues beyond doubt."

Pantermalis said that, if confirmed, it would be the first time two statues of different gods have been located from a single temple in Greece. He said it was also possible that a statue of Athena, goddess of wisdom, could have stood in the temple of Zeus, and expressed hopes it might be discovered during future excavations.

Dion was a major religious center of the ancient Macedonians. Alexander the Great offered sacrifices there before launching his victorious campaign against the Persian Empire in the 4th century B.C.

Excavations so far have revealed temples, theaters and a stadium, city walls, a hotel, baths and streets with an elaborate drainage system, as well as many statues.

The area was first inhabited during the Iron Age, and survived into early Christian times when it was the seat of a bishop.

Pantermalis will present the find on Friday, during a three-day archaeological conference that opened in Thessaloniki Thursday.

The Associated Press, March 1, 2007

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17406301/

Unos constructores en Atenas descubren un antiguo teatro griego

teatro griego TA 1

Photo: Sections of an ancient Greek theater are seen after they were discovered on Thursday during construction work. Until now, only two such buildings were known in Athens, where western theater originated more than 2,500 years ago. By Thanassis Stavrakis, AP

Unos constructores se toparon en Atenas con un teatro griego de 2.500 años de antigüedad que los arqueólogos creen que podría haber sido escenario de obras teatrales.

Los arqueólogos que están supervisando la excavación de los cimientos de un edificio en el área de Menidi, conocida en la antigüedad como Acarnia, descubrieron 13 filas de asientos de piedra caliza que probablemente formaban parte de un teatro al aire libre.

"Probablemente es un antiguo teatro del siglo IV a.C. Si tenemos suerte, podremos encontrar artefactos que nos ayudarán a entender exactamente qué era", dijo Vivi Vasilopoulou, director general de antigüedades del Ministerio de Cultura, que inspeccionó el sitio el viernes.

Los arqueólogos dijeron que el teatro puede datar de la era de oro de la antigua dramaturgia griega, cuando se presentaban las obras de Esquilo, Sófocles y Eurípides ante miles de personas.

El antiguo dramaturgo Aristófanes habla sobre Acarnia, hoy un distrito de clase trabajadora a unos 10 kilómetros al norte del centro de Atenas, y sus muchos carboneros, en su comedia "Los acarnienses".

Antiguos escritores mencionan el teatro de Acarnia, pero se necesitan mayores excavaciones para determinar la identidad del teatro que está enterrado parcialmente bajo una calle.

Hay otros seis teatros similares en la provincia de Ática, que incluye Atenas y la región que la rodea.

Tetro Griego Menidi 2 TA

Tetro Griego Menidi 1 TA

Vasilopoulou dijo que es prematuro decir si con el tiempo el teatro será abierto al público.

Fuente: Reuters, Atenas, 17 de Febrero de 2007
Enlace: http://es.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.
aspx?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=2007-02-17T103956Z
_01_CAR738386_RTRIDST_0_OESEN-GRECIA-TEATRO.XML


(2) Greek archaeologists discover ancient theater in Athens

Sections of an ancient Greek theater are seen after they were discovered on Thursday during construction work. Until now, only two such buildings were known in Athens, where western theater originated more than 2,500 years ago.

By Nicholas Paphitis, The Associated Press

ATHENS — Sections of an ancient Greek theater were discovered on Thursday during construction work in an Athens suburb, archaeologists said. Until now, only two such buildings were known in the ancient city where western theater originated more than 2,500 years ago.

MapaAetoliaAcarnaniaMENIDI

Menidi vista aérea

Fifteen rows of concentric stone seats have been located so far in the northwestern suburb of Menidi, according to Vivi Vassilopoulou, Greece’s general director of antiquities.

"Another section appears to lie under a nearby road," she told The Associated Press.

"(The remains) were discovered during excavation work, supervised by archaeologists, for a new building," Vassilopoulou said. "But it is still very early to offer any conclusions."

The structure has not yet been dated, and further details are expected to emerge following a full excavation.

Menidi is thought to be built over the ancient village of Acharnae, the largest of a string of rural settlements outside ancient Athens. Ancient writers mention a theater at Acharnae, but no traces of it had been found until now.

The village was linked with Dionysos, the ancient god of theater and wine, as the Athenians believed that ivy — his sacred plant — first grew there.

Built in semicircular tiers on hillsides, ancient theaters were monumental, open-air structures that could seat thousands of spectators.

Theater first emerged as an art form in late 6th century B.C. Athens, where ancient playwrights competed for a prize during the annual festival of Dionysos — in whose cult the art originated.

The works of Sophocles, Aeschylus, Euripides and Aristophanes were performed in the theater of Dionysos under the Acropolis.

Originally a terrace where spectators sat on the bare earth above a circular stage, it was rebuilt in stone during the 4th century B.C. and could sit up to 14,000 people.

Another smaller theater has been discovered in southern Athens.

Source: The Associated Press, 2/16/2007
Link: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/
discoveries/2007-02-16-ancient-theater_x.htm

El Museo Nacional de Arqueología de Atenas presenta a partir de hoy una exposición de réplicas de 21 estatuas policromadas de dioses griegos

Dioses en Color 0ta

La idea fue lanzada por el Museo de Esculturas (Gliptoteca) de Munich (Alemania) tras más de una década de investigación y la exposición, titulada ’Dioses en color’, ha sido presentada en otras capitales europeas desde 2004.

La Universidad de Munich necesitó 17 años para completar un estudio basado en el arte de la manera en que los griegos de la Antigüedad pintaban las estatuas de mármol.

Así, el público griego tendrá la oportunidad, hasta el 24 de marzo, de observar estatuas conocidas hasta ahora en su versión de mármol blanco, como ’la doncella con velo’, que está actualmente en el Museo de la Acrópolis, esta vez, policromada.

La exhibición también incluye frisos del templo de Athena Afea de la isla de Egina, de los monumentos de la Acrópolis de Atenas, el león de Lutraki y la lápida de Aristionos.

La tecnología ha permitido que los especialistas descubran los colores que tenían las estatuas encontradas en excavaciones, tanto griegas como romanas.

Los colores que predominan son rojo, verde, azul y amarillo.

El Museo de Arqueología de Atenas ha agregado a la exposición otras 30 estatuas originales que pertenecen a la colección permanente de la institución.

Dioses en color 01

Fuente: Terra Actualidad – EFE, 30 de enero de 2007
Enlace: http://actualidad.terra.es/cultura/articulo/
exposicion_replicas_estatuas_antiguas_policromadas_1359833.htm


Dioses en color AP 04

Visitors look the marble head of a warrior dating to 490 B.C. as a painted replica is seen in the foreground at the National Archeological museum in Athens on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2007. An exhibition of 21 painted plaster copies, displayed next to original sculptures, seeks to challenge modern perceptions of ancient statues as pure, milk white objets d’art. In fact, they were brightly painted with colors that have since worn off. The exhibition, first presented in Germany in 2004, runs until March 25. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Dioses en color AP 03

A young girl takes a photograph of a painted replica, shows Alexander the Great in a battle against the Persians, at the National Archeological museum in Athens on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2007. An exhibition of 21 painted plaster copies, displayed next to original sculptures, seeks to challenge modern perceptions of ancient statues as pure, milk white objets d’art. In fact, they were brightly painted with colors that have since worn off. The exhibition, first presented in Germany in 2004, runs until March 25. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Dioses en color AP 02

A visitor looks a painted replica, showing Alexander the Great in a battle against the Persians, at the National Archeological museum in Athens on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2007. An exhibition of 21 painted plaster copies, displayed next to original sculptures, seeks to challenge modern perceptions of ancient statues as pure, milk white objects d’art. In fact, they were brightly painted with colors that have since worn off. The exhibition, first presented in Germany in 2004, runs until March 25. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Dioses en color AP 01

A painted replica of the Trojan archer Paris is displayed at the National Archeological museum in Athens on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2007. An exhibition of 21 painted plaster copies, displayed next to original sculptures, seeks to challenge modern perceptions of ancient statues as pure, milk white objects d’art. In fact, they were brightly painted with colors that have since worn off. The exhibition, first presented in Germany in 2004, runs until March 25. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)


Reportaje Gráfico: Fotografías de Lars Kirkegaard

Friso templo Atenea

Friso Templo de Atenea

Peplos-koren 540 aC

Peplos Koren, 540 a.C.

Aphaiatemplet Aigina 500 aC

Aphaiatemplet Aigina 500 a.C.

Aphaiatemplet Aigina 500 aC nocolor

Aphaiatemplet Aigina 500 aC dos

Rekonstruktion af Athena Lemnia

Rekonstruktion af Athena Lemnia

Athene Aphaiatemplet Aigina 500 aC

Athene Aphaiatemplet Aigina 500 a.C.

Paramythions gravstele 370 aC dos

Paramythions gravstele 370 a.C.

Apollon Parnopios af Fidias 450 aC

Apollon Parnopios af Fidias 450 a.C.

Apollon Parnopios af Fidias 450 aC cabeza

Attisk gravlekythos 350-320 aC

Attisk gravlekythos 350/320 a.C.

Paris Aphaiatemplet Aigina 500 aC

Paris Aphaiatemplet Aigina 500 a.C.

Peplos-koren 540 aC dos

Peplos koren 540 a.C.

Aristion-stelen gravmæle Athen 510 aC dos
Aristion stelen gravmaele Athen 510 a.C.

Gravlove fra Loutraki ca. 570-550 aC

Gravlove fra Loutraki ca. 570/550 a.C.

Temporary Exhibition
’’GODS IN COLOUR’’ COLOURS ON ANCIENT SCULPTURE
29 January 2007 - 25 March 2007

The exhibition includes 21 coloured replicas of famous ancient sculpture as well as 51 original exhibits of the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, which preserve colours (sculpture, pottery, idols).

The exhibition of the 21 coloured replicas was first presented in 2004 at the Glyptothek of Munich and then on at other European countries. The concept of the exhibition is based on research made by the University of Munich since 1982 concerning the colouring of ancient sculpture. The publication of the results of the research through this exhibition has an educational role as it enriches our knowledge, showing a different perspective on how the ancient sculpture would be with the use of colours. A scientific catalogue of the exhibition is available.


Parthenon Frieze


Ancient sculptures don bright colors. Educational exhibition at National Archaeological Museum

By Iota Sykka - Kathimerini

At the National Archaeological Museum, ‘Gods in Color’ features 21 replicas on loan from the Munich Glyptothek, on show until March.

2Aristion-stelen gravmæle fra Athen 510 aC

Talk about striking colors: red, green, blue and yellow, all blinding visitors in the National Archaeological Museum’s temporary exhibition hall where Munich’s «Gods in Color» show is now on display. How can it be? Take the peplos kore (veiled maiden), for instance, who, unlike her bareness in the Acropolis Museum, is now dressed in bright colors.

Inaugurated last night, the new exhibition at the National Archaeological Museum will no doubt become the talk-of-the-town. Not solely due to its educational character, but also because of its color. Is this what ancient sculptures really looked like?

Museum Director Nikos Kaltsas did not wish to present an exhibition based exclusively on replicas. That is why he asked the Glyptothek of Munich for 21 colored replicas, while the rest, which make up the bulk of the exhibition, stem from its own permanent collections. This is an educational show demonstrating that ancient sculptures were not limited to the white marble we see today.

The exhibition was presented for the first time at the Munich Glyptothek in 2004, before traveling to a number of countries for about two years. The idea was born 17 ago and was based on research conducted by the University of Munich on the subject of the coloring on ancient sculpture. The results are far from the images of sculptures that emerge from excavations, or even later on, when their whiteness was highlighted in museum cases. Even those works which maintain fragments of color on the surface do not look anything like these pieces.

«New research methods were developed in order to trace color remnants on ancient sculptures. This was followed by careful analysis, in order to reproduce the initial colors with as much accuracy as possible. When all this was achieved, color was added to replicas of well-known Greek and Roman sculptures,» said Kaltsas.

It is a well-known fact that both ancient Greek sculptures and temples featured color, yet color remnants on some works today cannot do justice to their original appearance.

«Gods in Colors» summarizes the findings of long-term analysis and research at the Munich Glyptothek’s ateliers - not to mention a different kind of aesthetic.

«This exhibition confirms, once more, that what we know of the past is never really a given. Archaeological research is constantly developing through the adoption of new methods, whose aim is to get closer, if not reach, the truth.»

National Archaeological Museum, 44 Patission, tel 210.821.7724. The exhibition runs to March 24.

Source Link: http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/
_w_articles_civ_267558_30/01/2007_79504

TA 2 Pansertorso fra Athens Akropolis 460 a

Pansertorso Athens Akropolis 460 a.c.

TA Apollon Parnopios af Fidias 450 a.C. mano

Apollon Parnopios af Fidias 450 a.C.

TA Apolo 2

TA Apolo 3

TA Augusto 001

Augusto

TA Augusto 6

TA Augusto 4

TA Augusto 5

TA Augusto 2

TA Calígula reconstrucción 001

Calígula

TA Caligula 3

TA Caligula 4

TA Caligula 5

Historiadores creen haber hallado la legendaria Ítaca de Odisea

ÍtacaOdiseo

Historiadores británicos dijeron que han descubierto nuevas pruebas geológicas para resolver uno de los mayores misterios de la antigua Grecia: precisar dónde se encuentra la antigua isla de Ítaca, hogar del legendario héroe de Homero, Odiseo.

"Estamos a un paso de descubrir el antiguo misterio", dijo el asesor Robert Bittlestone, quien ha trabajado con profesores de historia clásica y geología para unir las piezas del intrigante rompecabezas arqueológico.

Encontrar Ítaca podría rivalizar con el descubrimiento de la antigua Troya en las costas turcas en la década de 1870.

Nadie sabe si Odiseo o su ciudad existieron realmente. Pero el descubrimiento de las ruinas de Troya, donde Odiseo y otros héroes legendarios griegos batallaron, llevó a los estudiosos a creer que la historia de Homero es más que una leyenda.

Hasta ahora, se pensaba que el reino de Ítaca estaba en la isla jónica de Ithaki.

Pero el equipo de Bittlestone dijo que cree que está en Paliki, una península en la isla de Kefalonia, al oeste de Ithaki.

Bittlestone, que quedó intrigado por el misterio mientras estaba de vacaciones en Grecia, consiguió la ayuda del clasicista de Cambridge James Diggle y el geólogo de Edimburgo John Underhill para perforar un pozo de 122 metros en la franja que une Paliki con el resto de Kefalonia.

No encontraron roca caliza sólida, lo que sugirió que Paliki podría haber sido una isla por sí sola.

El equipo dice que las avalanchas y los deslizamientos de tierra causados por terremotos podrían haber llenado un antiguo canal marítimo.

Bittlestone aseguró que se harán más pruebas a lo largo del istmo para probar su teoría.

"Existen evidencias de que estamos tras la pista correcta", afirmó.

"Durante miles de años la gente pensó que Homero estaba equivocado en la descripción de Ítaca. Creo que Homero estaba en lo cierto pero no lo vimos porque el paisaje ha cambiado", agregó.

Fuente: Reuters, Londres. / La Jornada, 11 de enero de 2007
Enlace: http://www.jornada.unam.mx/ultimas/2007/01/10/
historiadores-creen-haber-hallado-la-legendaria-itaca-de-odiseo


(2) A scientific discovery on the trail of Homer

Experts using seismic tools and the poet's words say they've found the island of Ithaca.

Using boreholes and seismic imaging to analyze subsurface geological features, British researchers have provided a key confirmation of their claim that Ithaca, the home of the legendary Greek warrior Odysseus, was located on a present-day peninsula of the island of Cephalonia.

The jutting piece of land, the scientists say, was a small island separate from Cephalonia until rubble from landslides and earthquakes over the centuries filled the channel between them.

The researchers think the peninsula, called Paliki, was the residence of the hero of the epic poem "The Odyssey," which along with "The Iliad," in which Odysseus also appears, is said to have been written by Homer in the 8th or 7th century BC.

The findings support earlier studies by the trio of researchers that linked specific sites on the peninsula to locations mentioned in Homer's verses.

A borehole drilled through the suspected site of the channel and underwater imaging of nearby bays have revealed rubble and marine fossils consistent with the researchers' theory, said John Underhill, a geologist at the University of Edinburgh.

"This is a prima facie indication that we were right that there was a channel there, subsequently filled by infall and seismic disturbances," he said.

The results do not yet prove that Paliki was the home of Odysseus, said team leader Robert Bittlestone, chairman of the management consulting firm Metapraxis and a classics scholar and amateur archeologist. "But that is the simplest solution that meets the observable facts."

Classics scholar James Holoka of Eastern Michigan University, who was not connected with the research, said he found the argument "very compelling."

"What's amazing to me is how fast this is all happening," he said. Bittlestone "went on a vacation [to Paliki] in 2003, published a book in 2005 and now has mobilized all these scientists and technological advances and is placing the results on the Internet. This is digital age archeology."

Many classicists argue that Ithaca, where Odysseus returned after the Trojan War ended about the 12th century BC, was an imaginary place. But scholars also said that about Troy before the city's remains were found on the northwestern coast of Turkey in 1870.

Other scholars place Ithaca on the modern island of Ithaki, and expeditions have searched that island fruitlessly for archeological confirmation. But Ithaki lies east of the 288-square-mile Cephalonia, whereas Homer stated precisely that Ithaca was the westernmost island in the group.

Using Homer as a guide, Bittlestone and colleagues Underhill and classicist James Diggle of the University of Cambridge concluded in their 2005 book "Odysseus Unbound" that the Paliki peninsula could have been Ithaca if it once was an island.

Their entire argument depended on the onetime existence of a channel separating Paliki from mainland Cephalonia.

Last year, Underhill and a team from the Greek Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration in Athens did a seismic survey that showed deep sub-surface features leading up to the presumed channel, indicating that water once flowed through what is now an isthmus.

In October, the team drilled a 400-foot borehole near the southern end of the postulated channel. The drill encountered only loose rubble until it struck solid limestone about 45 feet below the current sea level. Because earthquakes have raised the entire island, that limestone floor would have been about 60 feet below sea level in Odysseus' time, the researchers said.

The final proof of the theory, Holoka said, "would be to come upon certifiably Bronze Age or Mycenaean Age remains on Paliki. That would be the clincher."

Source: By Thomas H. Maugh II, Times Staff Writer, January 10, 2007
Link: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/
la-sci-ithaca10jan10,1,1807680.story?track=rss&ctrack=1&cset=true


(3) Paliki, Homer's Ithaca

Paliki is a peninsula of the island of Kefalonia (Cephalonia), in the Ionian islands of western Greece, at 38°18′39.72″N, 20°25′6.75″E. Paliki has sometimes been identified as the ancient location of Ithaca, the homeland of Odysseus, as described the Homeric epic, the Odyssey. This identification dates back to at least 1903, when Gerasimos Volterras published his A Critical Study of Homeric Ithaca, but a recent book by Robert Bittlestone, Odysseus Unbound,1 uses the evidence of modern geology to make a case for identifying Paliki as Homeric Ithaca. This article is based on Bittlestone's identification.

Discovery

The initial insight leading to the discovery came from a tourist roadmap of the Paliki area, which Bittlestone purchased following a visit to the region, in preparation for another visit -- one this time to the modern island known as "Ithaki". Scholars for centuries have noticed that the island of Ithaki does not correspond to the detailed descriptions of the home of Odysseus offered by Homer in the Odyssey. Many explanations, from "poetic license" to ingenious geographic routes, have been used to account for the discrepancies.

Bittlestone had noticed, however, that the western peninsula of Kefalonia appeared to correspond with the principal clues offered by Homer, yet it is not an island. On his previous trip, though, his daughter's question, about an inland hilltop fortress on neighboring Lefkas island -- "But why did they build it here?" -- had led to the thought that sea levels in the area might once have been much higher, that in turn leading to the idea that higher sea levels might once have cut off the Paliki peninsula from its mainland, Kefalonia, making Paliki an island. The tourist map seemed to confirm this: on it, Bittlestone saw, the neck of land connecting Paliki to Kefalonia did appear to be very narrow and, more importantly in this mountainous region, relatively low along most of its length.

Confirmation was needed from at least two sources: philology -- to ensure that the Homeric account of "Ithaca", which has come down through so many different translations over so many centuries, was properly understood -- and geology, to establish among other points that the narrow neck of land on Kefalonia could in fact have been the site of a sea channel, in the times of Homer and of Odysseus.

James Diggle, a co-author of Odysseus Unbound (particularly Appendix 1), is Professor of Greek and Latin at Cambridge University. His detailed analysis of the description of Ithaca and the surrounding islands found both in Homer and in Strabo and other texts was crucial to authenticating the Paliki discovery.

Various lists of philological clues were assembled, derived from the ancient texts, to identify specific geographic details which might correspond to modern locations. For example 26 such locations were identified "in or near Homer's 'Ithaca'" (Figure 3.3, p. 31):

Ithaca -- Odysseus' island off the west coast of Greece: location disputed

Ithaca city -- Its capital

Ithaca harbor -- Its harbor, adjacent to the city

Same -- The island opposite Ithaca, also known as Samos island: location disputed

Doulichion -- Another island nearby: location disputed

Zakynthos -- One of the Ionian islands to the south: location known

(etc.)

-- and similar lists were made for "Odysseus' Palace" (Figure 17.2, p. 194), "Doulichion" (Figure 21.12, p. 270), and other locations.

A list of 32 such "clues" also was drawn up by the team, and a chart prepared, showing how other "Ithaca" locations suggested by previous theories -- including the modern island of Ithaki -- do not correspond, while the Paliki peninsula does

(Appendix 4):
Clue 1 -- Does Ithaca lie low and to the west, the furthest out to sea of a group of neighboring islands, called Ithaca, Samos island, Doulichion and Zakynthos?

Clue 2 -- Does Ithaca contain a bay with two distinctive jutting headlands?

Clue 3 -- Can a ship leave Ithaca harbor driven by a stiff following wind from the west?

Clue 4 -- Is there a two-harbored island called Asteris in the straits between Ithaca and Samos island, with windy heights that would enable an ambush to take place?

(etc.)

Geology

John Underhill, a co-author of Odysseus Unbound (particularly Appendix 2), is Professor of Stratigraphy at the University of Edinburgh and a recognized authority on the structure and stratigraphy of sedimentary basins, and on the geology of the Ionian islands. His contributions in several areas, including investigation of the prior existence of "Strabo's Channel", and analyses of factors such as tectonic uplift, and erosion, also were crucial in authenticating Paliki.

The initial geological problem posed by Bittlestone -- whether sea levels in the region might once have been higher, such that the narrow isthmus now connecting Paliki to the rest of Kefalonia might once have been submerged -- turned out to be exactly the opposite, the sea didn't fall but the land rose, and the periodic earthquakes that triggered this upthrust simultaneously brought down catastrophic rockfalls. Paliki sits on the edge of the European continental shelf, which is being pushed continuously from the southwest by the African plate, in a plate tectonics shift which causes constant earthquakes: the Ionian islands were devastated by one such earthquake as recently as 1953, and there have been many before that. Observation of many geologic clues in the region shows that uplift -- the result of earthquakes -- has in fact occurred.

The insufficiency of the uplift to account for the altitude of some of the terrain now at the channel site is explained by high volume "landslips" similar to those that impacted northern Pakistan in 2005: earth and rocks and whole sections of the mountainside itself falling from the high Kefalonia mountains which line the eastern edge of the isthmus, down onto what once had been "Strabo's channel". Findings of ancient Greek structures now buried beneath this erosion provided part of the confirmation for the proposal, which now is to be subjected to a battery of geological tests.

Much of the challenge, in the identification of Paliki as having been Homer's Ithaca, depended upon such a combination of geological investigation with philological analysis. So, passages in Homer indicate that the Ithacan ship which, having eluded the suitors' ambush, dropped Telemachus ashore, then proceeded to a bay framed by two peninsulas: most of this was a matter of geography -- examining maps and visiting local sites and to figure out where, close to a chosen "Ithaca", the "suitor's ambush" point might have been, where the "dropoff point" and "Eumaeous' farm" beyond it, and where the "bay" -- primarily matters of establishing sailing and rowing speeds, and prevailing winds, and studying maps.

Then, however, per the ancient texts the ship sailed north from the bay, was able to catch a wind blowing east, and then headed around to land -- without Telemachus aboard -- at Ithaca harbor. The primary problem in the case of the Paliki site was that there appeared to be no channel: connected to the much larger Cephalonia island by its isthmus, a Paliki route from the "bay" to "Ithaca harbor" would have taken the ship days of hard rowing and sailing, to encircle Cephalonia entirely. Yet there was Strabo's 2d c. BC account, of his "Strabo's channel" which supposedly separated Paliki and Cephalonia -- an idea discounted for centuries as having been simply an inaccuracy, in one of the Western world's earliest "geographies".

So the first step in the investigation procedure was a matter primarily of philology: translating Homer, and Strabo, in the contexts of what is known now of word-usage in their times, to be as certain as possible of intended meanings. Were there really "two peninsulas", did the boat really sail north and capture a wind blowing east and land soon after at the harbor, and so on. The second step was for geology, required to analyze the soils and structures and history of the Paliki - Cephalonia isthmus, to determine whether and how it might ever have been below water, enough, to have been a "channel".

Until Alfred Wegener's theory of plate tectonics was announced2 and accepted3, the idea that the earthquakes to which the Greek region historically has been subjected might be capable of geologically "lifting" entire islands, and even archipelagos such as Paliki and its neighbors represent, was unthinkable and even considered sacrilegious. So Strabo was considered simply inaccurate, for there was no geologically-respectable explanation for the difference between his ancient observation and what anyone contemporary easily could observe.

The third step, then, in establishing the existence of "Strabo's channel" on Paliki -- and thus the homeward route of Telemachus' ship as described in the Odyssey -- also was in the province of geology, specifically the fields of stratigraphy and sedimentation and erosion. The isthmus turned out to be low-lying, but not enough that its height might be accounted for entirely by geologic uplift. The remainder of the current height, however, as analyzed and explained and illustrated in detail by Professor Underhill in the study 4, is accounted for by rockfalls and landslides from the neighboring high and steep-sided hills of Cephalonia, over many centuries of regular and massive earthquakes. The finding by the team of Mycenean stonework on the isthmus beach, now deeply buried by such geologic movement, confirmed Underhill's findings. In this instance a three-step methodology was used, then: the first a matter primarily of philology, the second and third more matters of geology.

The transmission of texts

One of the great mysteries of Homeric scholarship, too, has been how Homer -- whoever he was, or whoever "they" were (see Gregory Nagy's book in Bibliography, below) -- living in the Aegean in what now is western Turkey, where he/they are said to have lived, might have acquired such detailed knowledge of "Ithaca" / Paliki as appears in his Odyssey. The suggestion made in Odysseus Unbound (Chapter 26 "Exodus", p. 342ff, particularly Figure 26.1 at p. 343) is that folk-tales of the "Ithacans" containing detailed references to the landscape were carried by them, during their Greek Dark Ages migrations (see Snodgrass below) during the time-of-troubles which followed the Mycenean / Trojan war period, to the Greek mainland and from there to western Anatolia. At that final resting place for the migration of the Ionians, then, roving bards of the type described by Milman Parry picked up the "Ithacan" tales, perhaps, and wove them together into the Odyssey: for the entertainment and edification of audiences who knew Paliki well, and initially were very homesick, and longed for it.

Footnotes

1.- Bittlestone, Robert, with James Diggle and John Underhill (2005). Odysseus Unbound: The Search for Homer’s Ithaca, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521853575. [Odysseus Unbound website]

2.- Wegener, Alfred (1915). Die Entstehung der Kontinente und Ozeane, Braunschweig: Vieweg.; (1966) The Origin of Continents and Oceans, New York: Dover. ISBN 0486617084. Translated from the 4th rev. German ed. by John Biram.

3.- Wegener's plate tectonics theory still was not accepted in some school geology programs until the late 1960s.

Resources

From a very extensive, and very old, literature: just a few of the most interesting & exciting books, and one very good video series, for "getting into" the subjects of "Odysseus studies" and "Ithaca" --

Books

Ahl, Frederick, and Hanna M. Roisman (1996). The Odyssey re-formed, Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press. ISBN 0801432219, ISBN 0801483352.

Bittlestone, Robert, with James Diggle and John Underhill (2005). Odysseus Unbound: The Search for Homer's Ithaca, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521853575. [Odysseus Unbound website]

Bowra, Cecil Maurice (1964 [c1952]). Heroic poetry, London: Macmillan.

Finley, Moses I.. The world of Odysseus, New York: New York Review of Books. ISBN 1590170172. introduction by Bernard Knox; Series : New York Review Books classics.

Nagy, Gregory (1996). Homeric questions, Austin: University of Texas Press. ISBN 0292755619, ISBN 0292755627.

Snodgrass, Anthony M. (c2000). The dark age of Greece : an archaeological survey of the eleventh to the eighth centuries BC, New York: Routledge. ISBN 0415936357 (hb) ISBN 0415936365 (pb).

Stanford, William Bedell (1968 [c1963]). The Ulysses theme; a study in the adaptability of a traditional hero, New York: Barnes & Noble.

Wood, Michael (1998). In Search of the Trojan War, Berkeley, California: University of California Press. ISBN 0520215990.

Videos

Wood, Michael. (1986). "In search of the Trojan War [videorecording] [6 videocassettes (VHS) (50 min. each) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in.]." Manchester, England:British Broadcasting Corporation.

Source Link: http://www.mlahanas.de/Greece/Cities/PalikiHomersIthaca.html

Encontrada una daga de oro del 3.000 a.C. en una tumba tracia

DagaOroTracia

SOFIA (Reuters) - Una daga de oro que data del año 3.000 a.C., junto con otros 500 adornos del mismo metal, fueron encontrados en una tumba tracia en la región central de Bulgaria, anunció el domingo un arqueólogo.

"Es un descubrimiento realmente sensacional", afirmó Bozhidar Dimitrov, responsable del museo nacional de Bulgaria, a Reuters. "La daga, que creemos que está hecha de oro y platino, perteneció probablemente a un gobernante o a un sacerdote de Tracia".

"Nunca se habían encontrado elementos de este estilo ni siquiera en la legendaria ciudad de Troya", apuntó Dimitrov refiriéndose a las ruinas de una de las primeras ciudades de la antigüedad, situadas en Turquía.

El investigador señaló que el puñal, que mide 16 centímetros, había sido fechado en el año 3.000 a.C., está en perfecto estado, y es extremadamente afilado.

Los nuevos hallazgos forman parte de una tumba descubierta hace dos años cerca del pueblo de Dubovo, en el centro de Bulgaria. El año pasado, los arqueólogos encontraron más de 15.000 objetos de toda clase, realizados en oro, con los cuales los restauradores formaron varios collares.

Poco se sabe de los tracios, que vivieron en los márgenes de las civilizaciones griega y romana, y a menudo se entremezclaban y entraban en conflicto con otras culturas más avanzadas.

Algunos expertos sostienen que este pueblo vivieron en una zona que hoy se correspondería con Bulgaria, Rumania, el norte de Grecia y la parte europea de Turquía, desde antes del 4.000 a.C. y hasta que fueron absorbidos cerca del 45 d.C.

"Este importante hallazgo confirma que la gente de esta región estaba familiarizada con lo que en aquella época era alta tecnología en el tratamiento de los metales", añadió Dimitrov.

El investigador dijo que estos artículos podrían haber sido usados para rituales de sacrificio.

Los arqueólogos han descubierto en los últimos año un gran numero de antigüedades en las tumbas tracias de Bulgaria, que desvelaron la mayoría de lo que conocemos de su cultura, como que no tenían un lenguaje escrito ni dejaron registros duraderos.

Fuente: Reuters, 6 de agosto de 2006
Enlace: http://es.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.
aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-08-06T154700Z_01_CAR655596
_RTRIDST_0_OESTP-ARQUEOLOGIA-BULGARIA-DAGA.XML&archived=False


(2) Ancient dagger found in Bulgaria

By Nick Thorpe, BBC News

It is the latest find from one of many tombs believed to have formed the cradle of Thracian civilisation.

The dagger, made of an alloy of gold and platinum, was found near the village of Dubovo.

Bozhidar Dimitrov, head of Bulgaria’s National Museum, told Reuters news agency the discovery was "sensational".

It is the latest in a string of finds in the area in recent years which has excited archaeologists and has provided more details of the skills of the still mysterious Thracian civilisation.

According to officials at the museum, the dagger is 16cm (6in) long and is sharp enough to shave with.

More than 500 other miniature gold items were found in the same tomb.

The detail on the dagger suggests that it was used for sacrificial purposes.

Bloodthirsty

The Thracian civilisation thrived on the edge of the ancient Greek and Roman empires in what is now Bulgaria, Romania, northern Greece and Turkey, and is believed to have lasted up to 4,000 years.

The historian Herodotus described the Thracian as savage, bloodthirsty warriors and provided a description of the elaborate funeral procedures for their rulers.

Other finds in recent years include a gold mask, an ancient Thracian temple, a crown and thousands of items of jewellery.

The alloy used in the latest find suggests a far greater degree of sophistication in metal-working that was previously known for that period.

"This significant find confirmed that people in this region were familiar with what was then high technology in metal processing," Mr Dimitrov told Reuters.

Fuente: Reuters / BBC.com, 6 de agosto de 2006
Enlace: http://www.archaeologynews.org/Link.asp?ID=101716
&Title=Ancient%20dagger%20found%20in%20Bulgaria

DagaOroTraciaPiezas02

A photographer makes images of pieces of jewellery believed to be about 5,000 years-old, during a news conference in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, Monday, Aug. 7, 2006. Archaeologist unearthed the artifacts in an ancient Thracian complex near the village of Dabene, and suggest that the people who crafted the 16-centimeter gold dagger (unseen here) and the 500 tiny golden rings, were ancestors of the Thracians, who inhabited the lands of present day Bulgaria and parts of modern Greece, Turkey, Macedonia and Romania between 4,000 B.C. and the 8th century A.D. when they were assimilated by the invading Slavs.(AP Photo)

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A unique Thracian dagger of gold was found by archeologists in central Bulgaria. All 545 items discovered by the expedition will soon be displayed in Sofia. Photo by Kameliya Atanasova (Sofia News Agency)

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Bulgaria. Pictograma de hace 7.000 años, prototipo de la escritura lineal

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Bulgarian archaeologist Nikolai Ovcharov shows a clay plate, which he claims contains one of the world’s oldest scripts, during a news conference in Sofia August 3, 2006. The plate, which he says dates back to the 5th millennium BC, was unearthed some 20 years ago in a Thracian mound but was donated to a Bulgarian archaeological museum recently, Ovcharov said. REUTERS/Nikolay Doychinov (BULGARIA)

Una tablilla de barro con un pictograma que data de comienzos del quinto milenio antes de Cristo, hallada al sur de Bulgaria, puede ser el prototipo de la escritura lineal ya que es la pieza más antigua en Europa de sus características.

La tablilla mide 7 centímetros de alto y 8 centímetros de ancho, tiene un grueso de 1,3 centímetros y está dividida en cinco campos, informó hoy la prensa búlgara.

Cada uno de esos campos, a su vez, tiene dos partes con sendos símbolos separados por líneas horizontales y verticales.

’En este pictograma hay un total de diez signos en cinco grupos, lo cual nos hace pensar que se trata de conceptos enteros codificados en cada uno de los campos’, señaló el arqueólogo Nikolay Ovcharov a la prensa.

En la tablilla hay un círculo, que los expertos interpretan como un símbolo del culto al sol, y varios rombos y triángulos, que representan la diosa madre y la fertilidad.

Sin embargo, la más sorprendente es, en su opinión, una figura humana con un brazo tendido que puede representar un sacrificio humano.

Esto hace suponer que la tablilla era utilizada en actos religiosos y que los pictogramas constituyen instrucciones para los sacerdotes sobre la ejecución de determinados ritos.

Asimismo, los arqueólogos admiten que el pictograma puede ser el prototipo de la escritura minoica lineal A, considerada hasta ahora la más antigua de Europa.

La pieza la donó al arqueólogo recientemente un empresario que la había mantenido en secreto en su colección particular desde hacía 20 años.

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Fuente: Terra Actualidad – EFE, 4 de agosto de 2006
Enlace: http://actualidad.terra.es/ciencia/articulo/
pictograma_hace_prototipo_escritura_lineal_1022158.htm

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(1) Bulgarian Archaeologist Nikolai Ovcharov (not on the picture) shows tiny bronze figurines that date back to the 2nd and 3rd century AD., during a news conference in Bulgarian capital Sofia,Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2006. Ovcharov claims they have been unearthed by villagers near the ruins of the ancient dwellings of Perperikon and Tatul, located close to each other near the city of Kardzhali, 320 kilometers (200 miles) southeast of the capital. (AP Photo/Petar Petrov)

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(2) Bulgarian Archaeologist Nikolai Ovcharov (not on the picture) shows tiny bronze figurines that date back to the 2nd and 3rd century AD., during a news conference in Bulgarian capital Sofia,Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2006. Ovcharov claims they have been unearthed by villagers near the ruins of the ancient dwellings of Perperikon and Tatul, located close to each other near the city of Kardzhali, 320 kilometers (200 miles) southeast of the capital. (AP Photo/Petar Petrov)

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(3) Bulgarian archaeologist Nikolai Ovcharov shows a pair of ancient golden earrings encrusted with an ivory gem, during a news conference in Bulgarian capital Sofia, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2006. Ovcharov claims they date back to the 2nd century AD and have been found about two weeks ago by villagers near the ruins of the ancient dwelling of Perperikon, located near Kardzhali in southeastern Bulgaria, 320 kilometers (200 miles) southeast of the capital. (AP Photo/Petar Petrov)

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(4) Bulgarian archaeologist Nikolai Ovcharov (not on the picture) shows a pair of ancient golden earrings encrusted with an ivory gem, during a news conference in Bulgarian capital Sofia, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2006. Ovcharov claims they date back to the 2nd century AD and have been found about two weeks ago by villagers near the ruins of the ancient dwelling of Perperikon, located near Kardzhali in southeastern Bulgaria, 320 kilometers (200 miles) southeast of the capital. (AP Photo/Petar Petrov)

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(5) Bulgarian Archaeologist Nikolai Ovcharov shows tiny bronze figurines that date back to the 2nd and 3rd century AD., during a news conference in the Bulgarian capital Sofia,Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2006. Ovcharov claims they have been unearthed by villagers near the ruins of the ancient dwellings of Perperikon and Tatul, located close to each other near the city of Kardzhali, 320 kilometers (200 miles) southeast of the capital. (AP Photo/Petar Petrov)