Two Weeks (12-26.11.2023) Work

 Let's have a look at what I have been doing over the last fortnight (12-26.11.2023):

As promised I continued to work on auctions, and I have added twenty-six more auction catalogues to the collection: 

I added a further five auction catalogues to CNG eAuctions (442 - 457-458-459-460), nine to Triton series (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26a, 26b) and twelve to the MBS series (103, 105, 106, 108, 109, 111, 114, 115, 117, 118, 121, 123).

I also added a translation of an article about the restauration of the the 11th century Church in Kurbinovo, North Macedonia. An opportunity ho have a look at some impressive frescoes in this little-known monument.

And finally I added an translation of an article about an enormous mosaic in Turkey, near Cesarea.

Enjoy and don't forget to comment! 

Turkey: In Cappadocia Archaeologists discovered a huge mosaic and the Greek inscription "if you are healthy, enter". - 18.11.2023

 

Turkey: In Cappadocia Archaeologists discovered a huge mosaic and the Greek inscription "if you are healthy, enter".

Original Greek title: "Τουρκία: Αρχαιολόγοι ανακάλυψαν στην Καππαδοκία τεράστιο ψηφιδωτό και την ελληνική επιγραφή «αν είσαι υγιής, μπες»", Πρώτο Θέμα, 07.11.2023.

As part of the excavations, new mosaics were uncovered in a 33-room villa, which is estimated to have been built in the 4th century AD.

Discovery in the area of İncesu in Caesarea during excavations.

In the centre of Turkey, in a villa with 33 rooms, a construction with the largest floor mosaic was found, and parallel walls were discovered with the Greek inscription: "If you are healthy, enter" were found inside the space.

Specifically, as part of the excavations that continued this year, new mosaics were uncovered in the villa, which is estimated to have been built in the 4th century AD.

The Director of Culture and Tourism of Caesarea (Kayseri ) stated that the excavation started three years ago and that every year more and more surface is revealed. "The initial estimate of the area where the mosaic is located was 300 square meters and now it has reached 600 square meters," he said.

Excavations continued on an area of about 4 thousand square meters. “We came to the conclusion that this place was built in the 4th century. According to the finds, there are also traces dating from the 3rd century onwards. The quality technique used in the floor mosaics indicates that this place was a very important villa at the time" emphasized the Director of Culture.

“In the space identified as the banquet hall, a Latin inscription was found. In addition, Greek inscriptions were also discovered. There are mostly geometrically decorated mosaics," he added. Excavations have come to an end for this year, but are expected to continue next year.

The person in charge of the excavation project stated that the structure continued to be used during the Byzantine period and after the arrival of the Turks in Anatolia.

The mosaics first came to light during archaeological restoration work in 2010. After two excavations (2010 and 2012) that partially revealed the mosaic inscriptions, some legal issues forced the suspension of archaeological work. Excavations started again in 2020 and by the end of 2021, more than 10 rooms with around 300 m² of continuous mosaic floors that were in excellent condition had been uncovered. This year's excavations have doubled the area of the mosaic, which now reaches approximately 600 square meters. So far, approximately 4,000 square meters of the site have been excavated.

The Latin inscription states, among other things, that the building was erected under the direction of Count Hyacinthos. Count was a title awarded to officials of the imperial court. But nothing is known of an official named Hyacinthos recorded in this inscription.

Another, much shorter inscription in a smaller adjacent walled room is in Greek and reads: "If you are healthy, enter." This could refer either to physical health, or, if the building had a religious purpose, it could be a condition that all who were allowed to enter the premises had to be mentally healthy.

For more information and images see:

https://www.raillynews.com/2023/11/Mosaics-in-%C4%B0ncesu-illuminate-the-history-of-Kayseri/

https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/68762

https://news.artnet.com/news/largest-known-4th-century-floor-mosaic-uncovered-in-turkey-2395605

https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2023/11/anatolian-mosaics/

https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/largest-byzantine-mosaic-structure-found-in-central-turkey/news (for the image of the Greek inscription)

 

Notes by ArchaeologyMatters:

Although I only have knowledge of the discovery through the press, there are some conclusions that we can draw.

As for the Latin inscription, it appears to read:

VOTIS XXX MVLTIS * XX BIS XX

CVRANTE YACINTHO COMITE

FABRICA AD SVMVM PER

DVCTA ES CVLMEN

1.       For the vows on the thirtieth anniversary of the rule of the emperor, and more (vows) for (another) twenty years, and twenty more years again.

2.       While Hyacinthos, holding the office of count, was governing,

3.       building, up to the roof

4.       you were delivered.

 

VOTIS - Votis (Decennalibus) : Vows/Prayers for 10 years of rule

CVRANTE = Curante: While (he) was governing

YACINTHO: Yakinthus

COMITE: count

PERDVCTA - perducta: conducted, delivered

FABRICA:  A skillful production, fabric, building, structure.

CVLMEN - culmen: top, roof, summit (cf. culmination)

The Emperor implied in the first line is probably Constantius (Κωνστάντιος)II – 317-361 (cf. his coin: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Constantius2cng10400876.jpg). This appears to be consistent with dating given in the article.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Constantius2cng10400876.jpg?20200831172840

The name YACINTHO is Greek (Υάκινθος). In mythology this was a lover of Apollo, whom the god killed accidentally. The Spartans celebrated a festival called the Yakintheia during a month called after him (Μηνός Υακινθίου) that corresponded to the Attic Ἑκατομβαιών (May-June). Interestingly the latinised form here remains closer to the Greek (not “Hyacintho”).

The Greek inscription:

ΥΓΕΙ

ΕΝΩΝ

ΕΙCEΛ

ΘΑΙ

Ὑγιένων (sic) – Ὑγιαίνων (;): Definition: to be sound, healthy - Usage: I am well, am in good health; I am right, reasonable, sound, pure, uncorrupted.

Note the spelling Ὑγιένων instead of the more usual Ὑγιαίνων. This obviously attests to the pronunciation of the word in the 4th c. AD, although y this time even the most hard-line accepts that the pronunciation had evolved. Conversely it is interesting that the author of the work chose this unconventional spelling.

Είσελθαι:  εἰσέρχομαι

to go into, enter, invade

(of the chorus or of actors) to come upon the stage, to enter

(as an Attic law term, of the accuser) to come into court

(of the parties, with accusative) to enter upon the charge

(of the accused) to come before the court

(of the cause) to be brought in

to enter on an office

Interestingly, we also find Υγιαίνων as the name of an official of the Kingdom of Bosporus in the 3^rd century BC, as attested by coins. 

Πηγή: https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%A5%CE%B3%CE%B9%CE%B1%CE%AF%CE%BD%CF%89%CE%BD_%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85_%CE%92%CE%BF%CF%83%CF%80%CF%8C%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%85#/media/%CE%91%CF%81%CF%87%CE%B5%CE%AF%CE%BF:%D0%97%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B9_%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80_%D1%86%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%8F_%D0%93%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%B8%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B0.jpg

cf. Elena Stolyarik. THE REIGN AND CHRONOLOGY OF THE ARCHON HYGIAENON. Leucon of Bosporus.

The same name is also to be found on a 4th century White-ground lekythos in the British Museum (1874,1110.1 - https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1874-1110-1): "ΥΓΙΑΙΝΟΝ ΚΑΛΟΣ" and in Aristotle's Rhetoric 1416a-1416b as an accuser of Euripides in a court case. 

In our case the "ΥΓΕΙΕΝΩΝ ΕΙCEΛΘΑΙ" is probably a formula of blessing "Come in and may you be in good health" (cf. the modern "Γειά σου" - "Το your health"), rather than the conditional proposed in the article that has led to the accompanying hypothesising. 

For similar formulations (and other examples of the spelling with an "E", see Anna Avramea, Le Péloponnése du IVe au VIIIe siècle. Changement et persistances, Publications de la Sorbonne, Paris 1997, p. 145-155, that reproduces the examples collected by L. Robert, Bulletin épigraphique 1976, 751:  "ὑγιαίνοντες ἀπ[ολαύετε] (Salamine de Chypre) ; ἐν ὑγίᾳ λουσάμενος ἀπολαύσιας (Jérusalem) ; εὕχεσθαι οῦν οἱ ἀπολαύοντες (Zénonopolis). Cf. en dernier lieu, J. Russel, The Mosaic Inscriptions of Anemurium, Vienne 1987 (Ôster. Akad. der Wiss., Philos.-Hist. Klasse, Denkschriften 190), p. 33 : ]υγιένων λούσε".

The progress of the works in the church of Saint George in Kurbinovo - 16.11.2023

The progress of the works in the church of Saint George in Kurbinovo

On-site visit by the ECBPBM delegation

Original Greek title: "Η πορεία των εργασιών στο ναό του Αγ. Γεωργίου στο Κουρμπίνοβο", Αρχαιολογία, 07.11.2023.

View of the interior of the church of Agios Georgios in Kurbinovo. Image source: ECBPBM.

In the context of the memorandum of cooperation, which was signed by the President of the Board of Directors of the European Center for Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Monuments, Professor of Byzantine Archeology at Aristoteleian Univeristy of Thessalonike, Natalia Poulos, and the former Minister of North Macedonia Irena Stefoska in 2021, the ECBPBM undertook the preparation of a conservation study of the frescoes of the Byzantine church of Agios Georgios in Kurbinovo (1191) and its implementation with funding from the Greek Ministry of Culture.

Snapshot from the visit of the ECBPBM delegation to the church of Agios Georgios in Kurbinovo. Image source: ECBPBM.

As the project is in its final stage of implementation, on Thursday November 3, 2023, an on-site visit was made by a delegation of the ECBPBM, led by the President, Natalia Poulos, while participants included the members of the Board of Directors, the Honorary Director of Antiquities of the Ministry of Culture, Eugenia Gerousi, the Head of the Directorate of Documentation and Protection of Cultural Properties of the Ministry of Culture, Vasiliki Papageorgiou, the Assistant Professor of Byzantine Archeology at the Aristoteleian University of Thessalonike, Anastasios Tantsis and the Head of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Antiquities and Museums of the Eforate of Antiquities of Athens, Argyro Karaberidis, as well as the Director of the ECBPBM, Flora Karagianni.

View of the interior of the church of Agios Georgios in Kurbinovo. Image source: ECBPBM.

First, the mission visited the Institute of Monuments and Museums in Bitola and discussed with the director, Meri Stoyanova, about the progress of the work. Afterwards, the mission carried out an autopsy in the church of Saint Georgios in Kurbinovo, where it found the impressive results of the conservation works, which aim to preserve and highlight the frescoes of the monument with absolute respect for their historical and aesthetic testimony and with a main guideline based on the principle of minimal intervention.

View of the interior of the church of Agios Georgios in Kurbinovo. Image source: ECBPBM.

Throughout the visit, the mission was accompanied by the Consul of Greece in the city of Bitola, Alexandros Vidouris. As pointed out in the relevant announcement of the ECBPBM, "at the meeting a very good atmosphere of cordial and very effective cooperation between the two sides was established and the will of both was confirmed for the continuation of cooperation for the benefit of the preservation and promotion of this great Byzantine monument".

Snapshot from the visit of the ECBPBM delegation to the church of Agios Georgios in Kurbinovo. Image source: ECBPBM.

This week (06-12.11.2023)!

 

As promised I am back and active. However time is not unlimited, but I am doing my best! Here are a few notes on what I have been doing during the last week:

Updated the art. about the Alexander Bronze statue.

Added 3 entries to the CNG Auction list.

Added PDF link to Svoronos’, Macédoine in

Sorted out (a lot of) spam messages.

Answered a couple of queries you had left.

Published an article about work on the Kasta Tomb in Amphipolis and another about the new Museum of Sparta and another about an attic tomb relief in the Carlos Museum.

 

The dark paths of ancient treasures - 12/11/2023

 

The dark paths of ancient treasures

Archaeologist Christos Tsirogiannis reveals to "NEA" another ancient Greek work of art that is currently illegally in a US museum

Original Greek Article published by Ioannis Andritsopoulos [Ιωάννης Ανδριτσόπουλος], «Οι σκοτεινές διαδρομές αρχαίων θησαυρών», in.gr, 12/11/2023.

He is sitting on a stool. He is, you see, of a certain – by the standards of the time – age. He was born in Athens, but fate threw him into a foreign land: he travelled to Switzerland, possibly passed through one or two more countries, to finally cross the Atlantic and find himself an immigrant in America. With the difference that in all these places he travelled without his will.

"TA NEA" today reveals an unknown case of antiquities with the "protagonist" of an ancient Greek treasure of the 4th century BC, which, passing through various hands, ended up in the collection of a well-known museum.

“This ancient work of art is the product of poaching. It was smuggled out of Greece and is now illegally in the US. A well-known Greek antiquities smuggler, Georgios Zenebisis, was involved in its trafficking," Christos Tsirogiannis, an archaeologist who investigates international antiquities smuggling networks, who identified the object in the collection of the Michael Carlos Museum of Emory University in Atlanta [Site], told NEA.

It is an Attic tomb relief, measuring 96.5 x 59.7 x 27.3 cm., which was excavated in the wider area of Athens. It represents a seated figure – a half-naked man wearing a himation wrapped around his thighs and draped over his left shoulder – which was sculpted from Pentelic marble between 350 and 325 BC.

The Attic marble tomb relief of the 4th century BC, measuring 96.5 x 59.7 x 27.3 cm, excavated in the wider area of Athens. Today it is in the collection of the Michael Carlos Museum of Emory University in Atlanta

​ The Smugglers

“After excavating it illegally, Zenebisis sold it to another notorious antiquities smuggler: the Italian Gianfranco Becchina. Later, it came into the hands of the American art dealer Michael Ward, who sold it to the Carlos Museum in 2003," says Dr. Tsirogiannis, who has created a database of 300,000 photographs and documents contained in about 15 antiquarian archives - which he Italian prosecutor Ferri conceded to him – and identifies smuggled goods by comparing the photographs with those appearing in the archives of museums, auction houses and exhibitions.

"The museum admits that the pedigree of the object begins with Becchina in Basel, Switzerland, but without mentioning that he is a convicted - also in Greece - antiquities smuggler and that the Italian and Swiss authorities have confiscated his file" notes Tsirogiannis , who teaches the Masters course in Cultural Heritage Management at the University of Cambridge.

But how did he come to this discovery? "In researching the Becchina archive, I found four photographs showing the object, unconserved and uncleaned - soil from the excavation can be seen on it. There is also the handwritten note "OFF/ZE", i.e. "offered by Zenebisis" and underneath the numbers "1.5.9", i.e. May 1, 1989, when Becchina bought it from Zenebisis" explains Tsirogiannis, the who is also head of the Work Group on Illicit Antiquities Trafficking of the UNESCO headquarters at the Ionian University. "The relief was found in Becchina’s Antike Kunst Palladion gallery. At some point, it came into the possession of Ward, who is currently facing charges in the US for other antiquities theft cases."

The claim

The Carlos Museum does not provide information on when Ward acquired the sculpture and whether other intermediaries besides Becchina were involved. "It is obvious that the museum did not conduct a thorough investigation to determine whether it is the product of illegal trafficking, as required by international conventions for the protection of cultural property," Tsirogiannis emphasizes. Now, he continues, "Greece must initiate the process of claiming the object and the museum must honestly admit that its origin is illegal and return it to our country."

The American foundation owns three more items claimed by Greece since 2007: a marble statue of the muse Terpsichore (4th-2nd century BC), a Minoan clay urn (14th century BC) and a giant Rhodian pithos (650-600 BC). All had been smuggled by Becchina and identified 16 years ago by Tsirogiannis, who states that he is confident that the museum - which has in its collection 1,160 Greek and Roman artefacts - has other products of illegal excavation: "My research shows that there are more such objects from Greece and Italy".

The Carlos Museum did not answer the question of "NEA" if the Attic sculpture was illegally exported from Greece. Its spokeswoman was content to state that "we are committed to acknowledging concerns about our collections, to investigating the history of our acquisitions and, where appropriate, to transferring items to their countries or communities of origin." He also stated that the university "is in contact with the Greek government" about the other three objects.

How the "whitewashing" is done

According to Dr. Tsirogiannis, who has been searching for stolen antiquities since 2004 (the first four years on behalf of the Greek state), there are "if not millions, certainly hundreds of thousands of illegally exported ancient Greek artefacts around the world, scattered in museums, galleries and private collections".

He describes the route of the "laundering" of antiquities: "After they are smuggled, they are handed over to traders who pass them across the border hidden in refrigerated trucks with fruit or meat, even in bumpers and the leather upholstery of cars. They are then bought by a larger international trader. After being cleaned and preserved, they are shipped to countries where antiquities are traditionally sold, such as Britain and the US, and appear with fake pedigrees [collection histories] or no history at all. That's where their final recipients buy them: museums and collectors."

Sparta: This is what its new Archaeological Museum will look like - 09.11.2023

 

Sparta: This is what its new Archaeological Museum will look like

Original Greek published in Proto Thema, 09.11.2023. The images are from the same source.

https://i1.prth.gr/images/1168x656/_webp/files/2023-11-09/Arxaiologiko_Mouseio_Spartis_1.jpg

How will its spaces be configured and which functions will they host

The procedures for the creation of the new Archaeological Museum of Sparta are entering the final stretch after the approval of the final studies, which were drawn up in the framework of the Cultural Development Program Agreement with the Region of Peloponnese, with a budget of 2,750,000 euros.

The existing listed building

View of the completed new facility

The study for the New Archaeological Museum of Sparta follows two axes: a) the restoration of the old shell of the preserved industrial building of the old HYMOFIX factory in order to include the functions of the New Museum, b) the addition, by extension, of a two-story building with a basement, so the building complex covers all the functions of a modern museum, universally accessible.

In fact, new parameters were added to the relevant studies, which relate mainly to the points of contact between the surrounding area and the building, while the final study - the architecture, the statics and that of the electromagnetic installations - is modified in the New Archaeological Museum of Sparta, maintaining, however, visible and visitable architectural remains that were revealed.

As the Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni stated "In the architectural approach, emphasis was placed on preserving and highlighting the main aspect of the building-monument of the HYMOFIX industrial complex, which preserves the principles of the building's design (1957) by the architect Takis Zannetos and on preserving of the interior of the building, so as to recall its industrial character. At the same time, the conservation and the best possible viewing of the antiquities revealed by the excavation research is achieved, within the outline of the basement of the new building. The New Archaeological Museum of Sparta, in combination with the modernization of the existing cultural infrastructure - a total upgrade of the Old Archaeological Museum of Sparta and restoration of the "house of Europe" - further upgrades the cultural identity of the city by highlighting, in a modern way, its extremely important cultural stock, contributing at the same time to the promotion and consolidation of a new, sustainable development model for Lacedaemon centered on culture".

View from inside the New Archaeological Museum of Sparta

The New Archaeological Museum is located within the archaeological site of Sparta, on a plot of land of more than 20 acres, at the northern end of the city. Based on the approved studies, the property of the former HYMOFIX factory is used, whose main building - without the additions - has been designated a monument. It is a representative example of an industrial building of the modern movement. In the year 1959, the two-story and three-story part of the building was constructed, two years later its single-story extension and then its extension in the form of a shelter. In 2005, the YPPOA bought the property from the National Bank for the location of the New Archaeological Museum of Sparta. In 2020, the architectural preliminary study was approved which included the building of the HYMOFIX factory designated as a monument, as well as new extensions, in contact with the monument.

In the context of the excavation research carried out in the basement of the New Museum, in a total area of 1,350 sq.m., an undisturbed, extensive horizon of use, from the late archaic and classical periods, as well as important architectural remains, among which a construction with a series of rectangular and square cobblestone bases of columns or peg-shaped supports, which must belong to an important public building, within a purely archaic layer, in a Π-shaped arrangement. In relation to the original study and due to the antiquities, modifications were made that mainly concern the points of contact with the environment space with the building itself, on the west and north sides and partly on the south.

Illustration diagram of the spaces of the new museum

Regarding the functional organization of the spaces, the basement is developed on two levels. On the lower level there are, among other things, three distinct main storage areas for ceramics, mosaics and sculptures, smaller storage areas for excavation finds, a treasury, the central elevator. On the second level, the air-conditioning machine room, the central staircase, sanitary facilities, the security staff's office and the control room are located. The ground floor is also developed on two levels. On the lower level, the spaces for parallel events and periodical exhibitions, the Cafe, the shop, and public service areas are created. On the upper level of the ground floor, the main exhibition hall, study areas, laboratories and sanitary areas are to be found, while there is a connection to the outside area. On the first floor, in the addition of the existing HYMOFIX factory, the functions include the four stairwells, the elevators, WC for the public and the disabled, two warehouses for exhibition items and permanent exhibition spaces. The addition is connected to the floor of the old HYMOFIX factory. The first floor of HYMOFIX includes a room for educational activities, WC for the offices, stairwells and two elevators. Finally, the area of the existing reservoir houses mechanical installations. The study makes allowances for the exploitation of the former boiler room of HYMOFIX, which is an independent construction. On the ground floor there are offices, WC, kitchen, staircase and elevator. On the ground floor there is a guest house, offices, a scientific documentation archive and a stairwell with an elevator.

Amphipolis: 25 architectural members return to the ancient precincts of the Kasta Tomb after 21 centuries - 09.11.2023

Amphipolis: 25 architectural members return to the ancient precincts of the Kasta Tomb after 21 centuries

25 of the 375 marble members have been identified and returned to their original position - Work to fix and restore the tomb continues

Source (in Greek): Proto Thema, 02.11.2023. All images from the original article.

After 21 centuries, 25 scattered marble members returned to their original position in the Kasta Tomb in Amphipolis, at the time when the didactic restoration of part of the ancient enclosure of the monument is being completed by the Ancient Monuments Restoration Directorate of the Ministry of Culture, as part of the project of stabilising and restoring the monument.

The process of identification and attribution was based on the approved architectural study of the architect Michalis Lefantzis. In total, since 2019, 375 marble members have been gathered, grouped and arranged in the west of the Tomb, arranged in groups according to the type and structure to which they belonged in ancient masonry.

The Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni stated: "These 25 architectural members are returning to their original position after 21 centuries, having been moved, at times, kilometers away from the monument, bearing the wear and tear of time, but also damage to its surfaces, from human interventions, due to the successive changes of use. To preserve their authenticity, the scattered marble members were placed in their identification positions as they are, without additions, so that they always bear witness to their centuries-old history."

How the architectural documentation was done

 

In order to assign the members to the place where they belonged, an architectural documentation was made of the scattered material and the revetment, which indicated that the highest member heights belong to the southern part of the enclosure, near the Burial Monument. Also, a key performance parameter, was the change in the direction of the pegs and lever holes, which indicated the opposite direction of placement of the members of the enclosure, by at least two different workshops, during its construction.

From the study, it emerged that the point where the members were assigned, in the southern part of the enclosure and 22 m. west of the Burial Monument, resulted in the two opposite, mutually, placement directions, during construction.

The majority of the marble members are in good structural condition, except for two:

A post and base with broken sections, which did not require filling to fit.

 

To support the marble members, artificial stone fillings were made in the broken missing masses of the stone plinths of the ancient revetment, and the mortises and grooves of the ancient joints were reused.

In the execution of the project, according to the Ministry of Culture, the assistance of 6 highly experienced marble craftsmen, who came from the South Slope of the Acropolis of Athens to Amphipolis for its timely completion, also played a decisive role.

As part of this project, the Department of Restoration of Ancient Monuments continues the work of fixing and restoring the Tomb and the outer shell of Room 1.