Divers find Caesar of 46 B.C.

An incredible find of statuary has been unburied near Arles, previously hidden by the muddy bottom of the Rhone river. If the date of 46BC for the bust of Caesar is correct, then this is the oldest image of Julius Caesar we have.

From SFGate.com: Divers find Caesar bust that may date to 46 B.C.

For an image of the bust, showing an aging Caesar, visit Physorg.com

Tom

Does a cave prove Romulus and Remus are no myth? - USATODAY.com

Does a cave prove Romulus and Remus are no myth? - USATODAY.com

Abelard and Heloise: The Love Affair

Abelard and Heloise: The Love Affair (About.com)

Zeugma: City and Figure of Speech

Mention the names of the rivers Tigris and Euphrates and many people today will immediately think of Iraq and the strategic location of Baghdad.

Of course, the importance of these rivers, if we remember well into our past, is biblical, mythological and legendary.

Along the two rivers, many important cities have risen, thrived and been destroyed. Ancient Babylon is not so very far away from modern Baghdad.

But a city that shares its name with a figure of speech has lost its match with human destiny.

Ancient Zeugma (or more properly, the twin cities of Seleucia and Apamea) was the literal link between cultures. The Romans built a bridge between the two cities--the only bridge over the Euphrates built in ancient times--and called the union Zeugma; Greek for a band, yoke or bridge, or a yoking or a joining. The new city became the garrison town of legio IV Scythica of the Roman army.

The ancient city eventually faded into memory, buried by Turkish sand; now it has been drowned. The need for water is a never ending need for humans, and one of our favorite structures is a dam. A dam can supply badly needed water for irrigation and for domestic use. The enormous lakes that result behind the dam can become popular recreation sites.

And it can (and often does) mean the drowning of past towns, cities and villages. Such was the fate of Zeugma when Turkey undertook to build a dam at Birecik. The flooding caused by the dam is significant, but archaeologists were able to persuade authorities to let them excavate as much as possible up to the flooding moment. Fortunately, there are some areas of Zeugma that now have a lakeside view and are giving up some fantastic ancient artifacts.

Finds at Zeugma before the flooding and currently have included Roman bronze armor, enormous mosaics, figures of Aphrodite and Mars.

While the ancient city lives no more, the figure of speech continues to survive, though we'd be hard pressed to find many who could call it by its name of the top of their heads.

A zeugma is when one word, such as a preposition or a verb, is used with two other words in different senses. For example, (slight variation on Shakespeare), "Lend me your ears and some money."

For an overview of the mosaics and archaeology at Zeugma, visit Nova and PBS.

Tom

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Paris Sewers Redux

Sometime ago, I wrote about the sewers of Paris and the fascinating tour you can take through them (Exploring the Sewers of Paris). Once again I have thrilled at taking uncertain travelers through les égouts.

At first, everyone seems a bit put off. "You want me to do what?" I try to enchant them with the idea. First, I tell them that all the water that comes into Paris has to get out somehow, and ask them to imagine how many miles of underground streams there must be. I then tell them that the now-famous district, the Marais, is so named because it was a swamp. That swamp, thanks in part to the sewers, is now livable.

But the final clincher that really gets travelers in the mood is when I tell them that the Jean Valjean of Les Misérables used the sewers to move about Paris.

Then they go in.

Once in, and once over the sometimes obvious stench, they become as fascinated as I am. The smell isn't bothersome for too long and before we reach the exit, the conversation is filled with amazement and wonder.

So, have some fun next time you are in Paris and visit the sewers!

Tom
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Seven Wonders of the Modern World

Most of us have heard of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. And perhaps we have even been to visit them.

Now you can add your vote for the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. There are some pretty incredible new wonders that are worth listing.

Click on the image below to become a part of this historic event.

You will need to register an email before you can vote, but it is worth it. Also, you only get to vote once, so make your choices wisely and then make a final submission.

Tom

PS. What are the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World?

They are the Pyramids of Giza, The Lighthouse (Pharos) of Alexandria, The Colossal Statue of Zeus in Olympia, the Colossal Statue of Helios guarding the harbor of Rhodes, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Italian Renaissance Painter, Luini, on Stamp

The United States Postal Service has announced that among its commemorative stamps, the Italian Renaissance painter, Bernadino Luini's Madonna of the Carnation will appear.

The oil painting, showing the Madonna with a Christ Child on her lap, holding a small carnation, was painted in about 1515.

Luini (b. c.1470, d. c.1530) from Luino, a small village on Lago Maggiore, near Torino, was a member of the Lombard school. The Lombard school emulated Leonardo da Vinci. Since many of Luini's paintings are so daVinciesque, many have been falsely attributed to da Vinci.

The Madonna of the Carnation was painted when Luini was already well on his way to becoming a master. The painting is now in the Samuel H. Kress collection at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.

More of Luini's work can be seen on Art.com.

Tom
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Pompeii Brothel reopened to the Public

In a previous post on Pompeii (House of the Flying Cupids open in Pompeii), I talked about the reopening of house with the amazing garden named after the so-called flying cupids. Now, visitors to Pompeii are treated to another reopening.

The famed brothel called the Lupanare has finally reopened a year of restoration work. The frescoes are lit up with special lighting and, among other things, the roof is free of leaks.

Read the Times article: Erotic frescoes put Pompeii brothel on the tourist map.

The Lupanare is not the only brothel in Pompeii, but it is one of the largest, the most interesting and one that has given a significant number of artifacts to research.

Tom
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Radicals among Us: Girolamo Savonarola

These days, it seems easy to throw around the word 'radical', accusing just about anyone of being radical in some way or another.

Of course, being radical means being annoying to some group of people, challenging to another and inspirational to still others. But no matter what it is, being radical can also bring more attention than one might hope.

Of the many radical characters in history, one is particularly fascinating. Not, perhaps, so much for his message but how powerful he was with his message.

In the days of Lorenzo de' Medici (the Magnificent), Michelangelo and Botticelli, there came a 'voice' of sorts 'out of the wilderness' (of sorts).

Girolamo Savonarola joined the Dominican order at Bologna. Sometime around 1490 Lorenzo himself insisted that Girolamo come to Florence. This may have been the beginning of the end.

Savonarola was fiery. He insisted on the strictest of cleanliness and purity. He preached against abuses in the church, gaining excommunication under Pope Alexander VI. And he preached against the vanities seemingly bred in this world of hypocrisy, domination and greed.

Perhaps the most disastrous moment from our historical hindsight was not that Savonarola was ultimately burned at the stake but that he called for the burning of works of art, books and whatever else might turn the faithful away from a pure and holy life. Sandro Botticelli, whose wonderful "Portrait of a Lady", "La Primavera", "Birth of Venus" and other works survive, succumbed to Savonarola's passionate preaching.

During Carnevale 1497, Savonarola's disgust at all those things that, for him, proclaimed vanity--masks, gowns, gluttonous consumption, art that portrayed nudity--were brought to a conflagration so great that it took up a large part of the Piazza della Signoria in Florence. There, even Botticelli threw what might have been some of his greatest works onto the "Bonfire of the Vanities". Michelangelo, though seemingly an interested follower did not succumb to this purging extravagance.

Ultimately, Savonarola accused, belittle, condemned and berated too many people and the wrong ones. While evidence of heresy was lacking in Savonarola's preaching and prophecies, nevertheless he and two fellow monks met there own bonfire in the same square on May 23, 1498. Perhaps this was his own "Bonfire of Vanity"--for presuming that he might change the world.

Tom
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Mona Lisa and Her Hidden Garment

It seems that the Mona Lisa has another secret, though perhaps keeping it that way was not intentional.

Scans made using infrared reflectography revealed that
Lisa Gherardini wore a gauzy veil commonly worn by pregnant or post-partem women when she was painted by Leonardo da Vinci.

The veil, called a guarnello, can be seen in Antonio Botticelli's "Portrait of a Lady".

The scans also revealed that Mona Lisa's hair is not completely down but pinned up.

For more on the news, read the Forbes article, "Scan Hints Mona Lisa Pregnant for Pose".

Tom
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Chinese Moon Festival and Mooncakes

October marks the Chinese Moon Festival (or Mid-Autumn Festival). On the 15th day of the 8th month (that is, Osmanthumens--named for the osmanthus--or October 6, 2006) the moon is full and round. What better reason to have a celebration?

But more than just an excuse for a party, the round moon has traditionally meant family reunion for the Chinese. The tradition has been so strong in the past that often people have made great journeys to reunite with their families.

A special pastry of sugar, oil, sesame, walnuts, eggs and ham (with some variation throughout communities) is made and eaten on this day.

The moon cakes and their shape seem to have originated to commemorate a Chinese fairy tale. In the story, three characters are important: a fairy called Chang E, a woodcutter called Wu Gana and a jade rabbit, pet of Chang E. The celebrations and the cake were made to pay respectoot Chang E and her dear rabbit.

In 1368, during a period of Mongolian domination, the Chinese decided to rebel. Secreting messages of slaughter into the mooncakes the command made it to all the households. The Chinese were instructed to rise up against their occupiers on the 15th of Osmanthumens.

The production of mooncakes has become big business and some Chinese are complaining. Just like everyone else in the world, though, many Chinese are finding it more convenient to buy a mooncake than to make one.

But many people are trying to return to the tradition and make their own. Consider this recipe from Yan Can Cook, Inc.

Makes 2 dozen
1 can (17-1/2 ounces) lotus seed paste
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

Dough
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2-cup non-fat dried milk powder
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup solid shortening, melted and cooled
1 egg yolk , lightly beaten

1. Mix lotus seed paste and walnuts together in a bowl; set aside.

2. Sift flour, milk powder, baking powder, and salt together into a bowl. In large bowl of electric mixer, beat eggs on medium speed until light and lemon colored. Add sugar; beat for 10 minutes or until mixture falls in a thick ribbon. Add melted shortening; mix lightly. With a spatula, fold in flour mixture. Turn dough out on a lightly floured board; knead for 1 minute or until smooth and satiny. Divide dough in half; roll each half into a log. Cut each log into 12 equal pieces.

3. To shape each moon cake, roll a piece of dough into a ball. Roll out on a lightly floured board to make a 4-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick. Place 1 tablespoon of lotus seed paste mixture in center of dough circle. Fold in sides of dough to completely enclose filling; press edges to seal. Lightly flour inside of moon cake press with 2-1/2 inch diameter cups. Place moon cake, seam side up, in mold; flatten dough to conform to shape of mold. Bang one end of mold lightly on work surface to dislodge moon cake. Place cake on ungreased baking sheet. Repeat to shape remaining cakes. Brush tops with egg yolk.

4. Bake in a preheated 375 degree F. oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a rack and let cool.

Try it and see if you like it!

To read even more recipes (including different shapes for the cakes, read Yochana's Cake Delight.

Several cities throughout the US are having festival:

San Francisco, September 23-24
Queensland, Australia, October 6
Los Angeles, September 30-October 6
New York (Staten Island Botantical Garden), September 6
For more around the world see: Chiff.com (Moon Festivals)

Tom
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Madeleines: Those Tasty French Tarts

It is early morning and you are in a hurry. Quickly downing your first espresso of the morning, you noticed a jar of small, yellow cakes. You peer at the collection and recall (or perhaps you asked out of curiosity), “What are those?"

“Madeleines,” you are told.

“That’s nice,” you think and then on a whim decide to try one. It has a light texture and a hint of lemon. In less than a minute you have consumed it all and wonder about a second one.

These delightful French cakes are called Madeleines. Madeleine being the French form of Magdalene. Did Mary Magdalene make these?

Probably not, but it would make a good story to think that the repentant Magdalene decided to bake a sweet cake for the Lord’s company. Perhaps a reminder of honey cakes made for sacrifices to gods of the ancient world. Perhaps Caravaggio even had her holding one in his Penitent Magdalene before it reached its known form.

Nice story it would be. However, the real story, just as interesting and far more believable begins not so very long ago in France. Madeleines hit literary fame because Marcel Proust mentions them in his À la recherche du temps perdu (Remembrance of Things Past) published in 1923.

In a short passage he describes the cake, how he ate it and, very telling for Proust, how it produced a sensual response. You probably didn’t do it, but Proust dipped his Madeleine in his coffee (you might want to try it—but not too long lest the cake fall to the bottom). He calls the cakes petites madeleines which suggests that perhaps there was a larger version already in existence. Read an excerpt.

But whether there was or whether the appellation was just a sweet comment on their size, we still have to discover their origin.

Two theories hold competing prominence, though I would prefer the second.

One says that a young girl, Madeleine (of course!) who lived in the small village of Commercy, in the Lorraine region of France, had an occasion to meet the lately toppled king of Poland, Stanislas Leszczynski who had been exiled to Lorraine (and who was otherwise famous as the father of Marie Leszczynska, the wife of Louis XV). For some unknown reason (who needs a reason to bake a sweet cake for a friend or acquaintance?), she baked him this sweet treat. Perhaps she only had a small tart pan at hand or she wanted to tease him with just a small taste at a time. In any case, the king, enamored of the cake and the baker, called them affectionately, ‘madeleines’

The other explanation and the one that seems to have some stronger claim to the truth is that the cakes were baked and sold by nuns who might have lived in a long abandoned convent dedicated to Mary Magdalene, having adopted the recipe from an early tradition among the boulangeries of Commercy.

This story would fit with other names of monasteries being associated with their respective products, most notably perhaps Benedictine as a type of brandy produced by Benedictine monks of Fécamp. In other words, as the monks’ brandy might have been first called in French la liqueur bénédictine then shortened to (la) bénédictine, so too the cakes may have started as something like gâteux de Madeleine, then shorted to Madeleine.

Less certain (if we can be any less certain) is why they have a compressed scallop shape. There seems to be no other explanation but that the nuns or dear little Madeleine used a sort of tart pan to make the cakes quickly and easily. Or perhaps the nuns of Commercy were simply good marketers. Make a few small cakes to sell quickly and avoid waste. The little cake caught on as a quick treat, easily cupped in the hand and popped into the mouth.

Madeleines are delightful and whether tasted in a local coffee shop (dipped or not) or on a French avenue are sure to invite discussion of nuns, Polish kings and repentant prostitutes. Or maybe not.

For a recipe, check out: Recipe Zaar. For some other interesting unusual histories of food, read Patricia Stevens', Rare Bits: Unusual Origins of Popular Recipes.



Tom
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No Bones About It: Aztecs Ate Spanish Captives

Research confirms that Aztecs sacrificed their Spanish enemies, including children, and ate them.

The remains of some 550 people were found at the site of Zultapec. The victims were imprisoned in small cages. The sacrifices took place over days and, no doubt, those alive heard the noises of sacrifice.

The Conquistador Cortéz renamed the place Tecuaque when he heard of the sacrifices. He then sent troops to destroy it.

Anticipating the attack, the Aztecs attempted to remove evidence of the victims by throwing their belongings down wells. Unknown to them, they saved important artifacts for future study.

For a complete story, read Reuters UK: "Boiled bones show Aztecs butchered, ate invaders".

Tom

A Paris Gem: Saint-Pierre de Montmartre

Every once in a while you find some really great gem in a city that is one of the most visited places on earth.

While I was wandering Paris, taking pictures, I decided I would go up to Montmartre and Sacré Coeur. That church is interesting in its own right, but it is very crowded and to be quite honest, not half as interesting as another church that it dwarfs.

Just to the left of Sacré Coeur (as you see look at it from the front) is the little church of Saint-Pierre de Montmartre. This gem of a find is the third oldest church in Paris behind Notre Dame and Saint-Germain de Prés. But, while the megathrongs of tourists were wondering (a bit blindly) through Sacré Coeur, barely a sole bothered to stop by this intriguing though worn down church teeming with history.

Built over the top of a Roman temple to Mars, the church was constructed by Benedictine nuns who received the appointment from King Louis VI (le Gros) and Queen Alix of Savoy. In 1147, it was consecrated by Pope Eugenius III who was in town to celebrate Easter mass with the likes of Bernard of Clairvaux and Peter the Venerable of Cluny.

The church has several claims to fame. Queen Alix was buried there, though her tomb was destroyed during the French Revolution. St. Ignatius Loyola, St. Francis Xavier and Peter Fabre, pronounced their vows here, creating the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). And the location is near where St. Denis (Dionysius) was said to have lost his head at the command of a Roman governor (and from whence he carried his head down the hill to the site of the present-day Church of St. Denis).

The church is beautiful. Do yourself a favor and avoid the crowds at Sacré Coeur. Do yourself a favor and enjoy a small gem in Paris!

Saint-Pierre de Montmartre
2, Rue du Mont-Cenis (Place du Tertre)
75018 Paris
Métro: Anvers, Abbesses
Funiculaire: Place Suzanne Valadon
No website


Tom

Victor Hugo's House in Paris

In my earlier post (Paris and Sewers), I said that I was going to visit the Musée du Quai Branly. The line was once again exceedingly long, so I continued on my way. In that same post I mentioned Victor Hugo so I decided to visit the museum in one of his houses.

La Maison de Victor Hugo, L'Hôtel de Rohan-Guéménée, located in the Place des Vosges (formerly Place Royal). The house is a charming 3-4 story. The ground floor has a small shop and a video presentation. The first floor shows drawings by Victor Hugo and illustrations by various artists inspired by his works.

The second floor shows the arrangement of the house proper, including a living room in Chinese style, a dining room in medievalstyle and the room in which he died.

Admission is free. It is well-worth a visit and can be a quick stop on your itinerary.

A couple of his works you might consider:




Les Misérables
Notre-Dame de Paris




Maison de Victor Hugo
6, Place des Vosges
75004 Paris
1 42 10 16
Website
Closed Mondays
Free Admission

The other house maintained as a museum is on Guernsey:

38 Hauteville
Saint-Peter-Port
Guernsey
Channel Islands
1 481 721 911

Closed Sundays
Guided tours only

Exploring the Sewers of Paris

I am always on the look out for the unusual or out-of-the-way things to do in a city like Paris. I love the Louvre, the d'Orsay and many of the typical places, but it is always fun and exciting to find something very different.

Yesterday, I was going to visit the new Musée du Quai Branly with its African, American, Asian(and more) collections. The line was too long so I will do that today. (Watch for the post.)

But walking along the river toward Notre Dame, I noticed an exit seemingly coming out of no where. At first, I thought it must be an emergency exit from the RER station but as I walked on I noticed a small kiosk and a group of people in line. "What could that be," I thought to myself.

As I ogled the crowd and the kiosk, I saw the word 'égouts'. Scanning my mental French dictionary, I could not recall this word. So I dug into my sachel and fished out my paper dictionary: sewers.

Sewers? This is a tour of the sewers? Intriguing. Perhaps disgusting, but intriguing, nonetheless. After all, how many ruined Roman sewers, aqueducts, baths and more had I explored. What made a modern sewer so much different. Well, there is the potential presence of actual waste!

In any case, I was intrigued and bought the ticket (only €4) and descended the first set of stairs.
Now, I have always been fascinated by what lies below. Just think of the miles of tunnels underlying a major metropolitan city. There are sewers, subways, parking areas, and more. Just by going to the metro, one descends any number of years into the past.

The Musée des Égouts has got to be one of the least visited but most fascinating museums in Paris. Situated on the left bank side of the Pont de l'Alma (Place de la Résistance), the museum is easily missed. There is a sign indicating its presence, but it is a bit overwhelmed by the roadway directional signs pointing to Invalides, Charles de Gaulle-Étoile and a plethora more.

That the museum is not busy gives you ample time to wonder about how fresh water gets to the city and how waste water gets out. And you can take your time reading the informational panels and looking at the equipment used to keep the sewers clean.

There is a lot here, but perhaps the two most interesting things to me were: 1) that there is a communicating tunnel under the Seine that takes waste water from the Left Bank to the Right Bank; and, 2) that until the Middle Ages drinking water was taken from the Seine.

Ok, there is one more interesting point: Victor Hugo has Jean Valjean carry the body of Marius through the sewers. Makes me want to read Les Misérables again.

Paris page
History of Sewers (more interesting page, with pictures)

Tom

On Archimedes and Palimpsests

Take a piece of paper and a pencil with medium-hard and dark lead. Now write something on the paper with that pencil. Anything will do--just write.

Now, erase. Yes, I said, erase. But don't obliterate. Just make the appearance of writing go away.

Now turn the paper sideways and write something else.

You have just created a palimpsest. "A what?" You say.

A palimpsest: writing material with something erased and used again. That simple.

That is just what happened to a text written by Archimedes. Or better, several texts by Archimedes, one by Hyperides and some other parchment texts.

This is not anything new: there are plenty of palimpsests out there.

But the science, mathematics, history and classics fields are all abuzz with the revelation of the text of the Syracusan, Archimedes.

The texts, found beneath the text of a 13th century Byzantine set of Greek prayers provides these fields with the only Greek texts of Archimedes' The Method of Mechanical Theorems and Stomachion (a game played with polygons arranged to form a square (see Stomachion: Introduction) from which the player would attempt to create interesting shapes), and the only Greek text of one: On Floating Bodies.

The other parchment used also contains a text from 4th century BC orator, Hyperides. This is the most complete text of his; the rest survive only in small fragments.

And there is much more to the palimpsest: there are Neoplatonic texts, more liturgical works and some, as of yet, undeciphered texts.

Simply put the Archimedes Palimpsest is an incredible find. The prayer book was identified as a palimpsest containing Archimedes as early as 1899 but it was not until 1998 that the book made it into the public sphere where it could be properly examined and deciphered. See more at NPR: A Prayer Book's Secret: Archimedes Lies Beneath.

Now imagine that you are baking some tasting cookies or other item requiring butter. For some reason you cannot measure the amount of butter you need (let's say, 1 cup). But you then remember something your mother told you. Take a large measuring cup (say, 4 cups), fill it with cold water to 3 cups and then slowly drop in chunks of butter. When the water level reaches the 4 cup mark you know you have 1 cup of butter. You might say "Eureka!"

This is just what Archimedes is reported to have said when he discovered the principle of buoyancy. As the story goes, King Hiero of Syracuse was suspicious of a metalworker charged with designing a pure gold crown, thinking that he might have taken some of the gold provided him and replaced it with silver. Hiero asked Archimedes to investigate but he was not allowed to damage the crown in anyway.

Supposedly, as one does, Archimedes took a bath when faced with a seemingly unsolvable problem. But this solved it for him. As he gingerly sat himself in the water (or maybe he just jumped in), he noticed the overflow. He didn't freak as some of us might as seeing so much water spill everywhere.

Instead, he realized that his body--of a certain density--displaced a measurable amount of water. Knowing that gold is denser than silver, he realized that he could give the crown a bath and solve the problem. Running naked through the streets, he shouted, "Eureka!" (Greek for "I found (the solution)".)

Perhaps the poor scribe (whose name we know (an interesting fact in itself): Johannes Myronas) was only trying to clothe the crazy Greek before setting down his sacred tracts!

In any case, we now have a tremendous cultural artifact.

Tom

Finding Caravaggio

It has recently been a thrill for me to discover three Caravaggio paintings in Rome. I have been to Rome many, many times, and I have a person goal to see all the Caravaggios that exist. But for all these years, I had not yet seen three paintings on the life of St. Matthew.

Checking my list I noticed that The Calling of St. Matthew, The Angel and St. Matthew and The Martyrdom of St. Matthew were all located in the church of San Luigi dei Francesi (St. Louis of the French). I made a mental note to look for that church sometime this summer.

After my tours ended, I thought I would wander a little to see what I could see. A friend was visiting and we went to the L'Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella. An interesting place all its own (especially the 'mother house' in Florence).

As we were walking away from the Piazza Navona I saw a sign for the Piazza de San Luigi dei Francesi. My brain skipped a few beats as I tried to discern why this seemed significant. I then pulled out my (yes, old-fashioned) note paper and scanned my list of Caravaggios--there it was a listing of three in the church that was located on this piazza.

I walked into the church and as I slowly made my way toward the small side chapel where the painting were located, my excitement grew, anticipating this viewing. Several other great paintings passed, but as soon as I saw the play of light and dark, and the dark punctuated with color, I knew I had reached the spot. I felt myself on the verge of weeping with joy at seeing such beauty. My companion listened patiently as I described each painting and the history behind the paintings.

In a previous post (Caravaggio in a new light), I mentioned the digital Caravaggio exhibit at the Loyola University Museum of Art in Chicago. This is a great way to see the paintings if you cannot get to see the real thing!

Celebrating Picasso's 125th Birthday

In honor of Picasso's 125th birthday this year, Museo del Prado in Madrid is showing of the master's work. It is an appropriate place for this exhibit: it not only honors Picasso's work but also his museum directorship, 1936-1939.

The Museo de la Reina Sofía is also the place to see Picasso in Spain.

For general information on Picasso and the exhibits the joint museum site.

Tom

Nero's Golden House & Grotesque Art Style

Greetings from Rome!

You may have found this blog quiet for a while but that doesn't mean there has been a lack of interesting things. I have just finished a tour of Spain with 13 people. It was a great tour and now I am getting ready to start the first Rome tour of the summer.

In the past few years, one of the exciting sites to open was the Domus Aurea or the Golden House of Nero. The house smacked of opulence and gave rise to the artistic style we have come to call grotesque.

Unfortunately, fall flooding caused the closing of the Domus until further notice. Those who were looking forward to seeing the magnificient construction, partially covered over by later emperors, will be a little disappointed. But the way things have been going in Rome, the Domus will re-open and we will once again be able to see the house that Nero built. Information on the site can be found on the Superintendent of Archaeology of Rome site (English is available, but was not working as of this posting).

The grotesque style of art, characterized by human and animal forms, often with seemingly unrealistic attitudes, along with free use of surrealistic foliage, arose from the first discovery of the Domus Aurea. In the 16th century, the likes of Michelangelo skinnied through a hole dug into what everyone thought was a cave or underground grotto. What they discovered were the magnificiently painted ceilings of the Domus Aurea.

Slowly artists began to incorporate this type of artistic decoration into their own work giving rise to the grotesque or grotto-like art. Only later, due to the over use and sometimes seemingly extravagant styling does the word come to mean our sense of disgusting.

Read about the grotesque style on the Giornale Nuovo blog.

Una vita non basta!

Tom

Jason and the Argonauts

One of my favorite trivia questions to ask students used to be 'Tell me the name of the ship on which the Argonauts sailed.' I rarely received the correct answer, "The Argo."

Now, Jason and his companions, if they were alive, might get a chance to sail once again on the Argo.

A project is underway by the Naudomos Institute in the Greek port of Volos to reconstruct the famed Argo using hand tools. Volos is the site of ancient Iolcos, the starting point from where the Argonauts journeyed to retrieve the Golden Fleece.

We do not actually know what the ship looked like, but we can begin to get some understanding by examining ancient shipping accounts, vase paintings and the like to come to some reasonable conclusion.

Of course, once the ship is constructed, the next step is to actually sail and row it. The big question is whether there are rowers capable of rowing for 10-15 hours per day. You can volunteer if you like (yes, really).

Tom
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Ara Pacis in Rome re-opens

After several years of being closed to the public, the great altar of peace (ara pacis) built by Emperor Augustus in 9AD has be reopened.

American architect, Richard Meier was commissioned to design a new building to protect the important artifact. His design replaces the 1938 Fascist building.

As with many new things built to protect old things, there are fans and there are critics. Read a little about the new building on CBC: "Controversial Redesign Shows off Ancient Ara Pacis".

The altar was erected in 9 AD to celebrate Augustus' successes and to mark a period of peace (the pax romana). The reopening occurred on Saturday, April 21, the traditional founding date of Rome in 753BC.

Tom
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Shakespeare year-long festival and Happy Birthday

The Royal Shakespeare Company has announced a grand festival of the master playwrights works: one year full of great entertainment and delight. All this will take place in Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare and theater companies from around the world will be taking their turn on the boards.

Moreover, some plays will be performed in other languages than English (or at least parts of them will be in other languages). Several venues have been booked for the performances.

BBC News has a full article on the plan. The Royal Shakespeare Company homepage has complete information including accommodations and timetables. The festival begins this April and runs through April 2007, in commemoration of Shakespeare's traditional birth date, April 23 1564. So, to end this--Happy Birthday, William!

Tom

6500 Year Old Gold Pendant in Thessaloniki

What an experience this must have been. A hiker from Greece was traipsing through a field near Ptolemaida, Greece and came across a shiny gold object.

It turns out that the object is a 6500 year old pendant. Not only that, it is one of only three such artifacts ever found! Read the article here.

Ptolemaida is about 90 miles from Thessaloniki in the ancient homeland of Alexander the Great.

Tom

Pyramid in Bosnia?

There is quite a stir among popular and scholarly circles with the news that a step pyramid has been discovered in Bosnia.

MSNBC.com reports that Semir Osmanagić, a Bosnian archaeologist, has confirmed the presence of walls of the pyramids. A second MSNBC.com article also discusses the find.

For a discussion of the find and a great picture that clearly shows a pyramid shaped hill, see the blog Unjournaled: Pyramid found - in the heart of Bosnia.

This is an exciting find and worth the continued work on discovering the nature of the pyramid and perhaps finding clues about the people who constructed. Some think that it may have been built by 'pre-Illyrians' or Illyrians who existed before 600AD. Illyria was also under Roman control, but no mention of pyramid building in Europe is made by them.

For a video clip, see Politiken in Dutch).

Tom
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Antiquities Smugglers

In days gone by, you could easily pick up an antiquity and take it to your mansion. The Schliemanns and the Hearsts of the world enjoyed them in a way most of us will not ever be able to do.

And while I admit that I'd really like an ancient bust of Sophocles or Antinous or a bronze statute of a charioteer, I am glad that there are people out there making sure that these treasured items are not stolen, selfishly kept or destroyed.

One place I have not visited, but long to do so is the Getty museum in Malibu, California. It is well-known for its collection of antiquities and its replica Roman villa.

However, it has just been confirmed that the former curator, Marion True, may be connected to ring of antiquities smugglers.

The Times of London reports that hundreds of antiquities were found sequestered in a private estate on the small Cycladean island of Schinoussa.

True is already on trial in Rome for conspiracy to traffic in antiquities and it turns out that one of the villas on the island is also owned by her. True resigned in 2005 after the Getty cited possible conflict of interest when she obtained the loan to purchase her villa on Schinoussa.

One wonders how long she has been at this and how much she has gained from it.

Rogue Classicism has an entry on the discovery; Art.Blogging.LA has more on True's indictment; and Cronaca has some general comment on True's trial

Tom
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PS See my previous posts on the Getty:
Getty Tickets
Getty Villa re-opening

Roman Empire City Building

You may have heard of SimCity and various titles with the 'Sims'.

Now another company, CDV Entertainment and Enlight Software have teamed up to bring a city building game set in the Roman Empire called The Glory of The Roman Empire.

News is just coming out and the game has not been release.

Have a look at the game's website to see more about this game.

I will certainly be watching for it to play and see what its like.

Tom

Happy Birthday, Leonardo da Vinci!

April 15, 1452.

554 years ago, a genius was born. Leonardo, Il Fiorentino or da Vinci, was born to his father, Ser Piero and his mistress Caterina.

Much has been said about Leonardo, his genius, his secrets and more. An interesting angle is from the University of Padua.

In this blog, I just want to mention a new book on his genius and suggest it.

Bülent Atalay's, Math and the Mona Lisa: The Art and Science of Leonardo da Vinci, is a great look at the intertwining of science and art, as exemplified by Leonardo. Atalay not only looks at this man's genius but also highlights the historical milieu of scientific and mathematic learning, ranging from the Greeks to the Muslims and to the Chinese and Egyptians. He explains clearly the 'golden proportion', the introduction of Arabic 'numerals' into Western mathematics and the theory of relativity.

There are a couple of caveats. The author is sometimes a bit longwinded and takes time to get to his point. There are some technical errors (for example, he calls 'alimony' an exception to the prefix al- of Arabic origin; but the al- in alimony is not a prefix, but rather a part of the compound word originating from Latin meaning to nourish or sustain), and some endnotes are missing. But overall the book is fascinating and easy to read.

Tom
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Machu and Huayna Picchu

Just what are these names? Machu Picchu means 'old mountain' and Huayna Picchu means 'new mountain' in Quechua.

Hiram Bingham, the 'discoverer' was led to Machu Picchu by a local, Melchor Arteaga, when he was camped nearby at Mandor Pampa.

Read more about the mountains on The Advertiser: A peak at Inca past.

As seems to be a regular event these days, Perú is considering suing Yale University for return of artifacts from Machu Picchu. USA Today gives some overview of the controversy. And Yale Daily News gives their view of the issue.

Tom
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The many faces of Perú

Perú is a fascinating country. From the lowland, coastal regions of Lima to the high Andes, you can experience a full variety of cultural flavor.

Speaking of flavor, do you know one of the traditional dishes of Perú?

Cuy (pronounced koo-ee) is a particular specialty in Cuzco. Whereas most food prices are very inexpensive, Cuy is nearly 10 times as expensive. If you want to try it, you need to order it the day before (I don't know why!). And unless you are pretty willing to try something very different and new, at that price, I wouldn't bother.

What exactly is this delicacy?

Ready?

It is guinea pig. Nicely roasted and served warm--yummy! Personally, I prefer cuy picante (roasted guinea pig in a spicy, red sauce).

Would you like to make your own? Here is a recipe from Fundación Intervida.

Why would you want to eat cuy? Well, for one, it is quite rich in protein. For another, it is actually quite good. (Don't be put off by how it is served: head on and split down the middle.)

More than just eating guinea pig, it seems that the guinea pig has been used for healing and for diagnosing diseases. See the interesting article on these properties.

Tom

John Paul II and Travels with Saints

Today (April 2, 2006) is the one-year anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II. As most of us know, immediately after his death, shouts of "Santo Subito" were heard throughout St. Peter's square. The cry of the gathered crowd indicated the belief among them that John Paul was a holy man and worth of immediate sainthood.

For those of you who might particularly interested in the lives of the saints throughout Italy, I would recommend Lucinda Vardey's Traveling with the Saints in Italy: Contemporary Pilgrimages on Ancient Paths.

The book proves valuable for providing itineraries that take in the places where saints tread. For those who might be interested in the spiritual side, Vardey also gives some direction connected to each saint's way of life. The book, though at times lacking good editing, is useful for tracing the lives and trails of these unique individuals.

Tom

Palace of the Greek Hero, Ajax

Do you believe in anything from the Iliad? Heinrich Schliemann, of course, believed that he could find Troy. He did. But what else can we believe from the epic tale woven by Homer?

Archaeologists have now unearthed the remains of a fantastic 3200 year old palace on the island of Salamis, off the coast of Greece, not far from Athens.

Ajax was the second greatest hero of the Trojan war behind Achilles. He brought his men from the kingdom of Salamis to fight in the contest to return the legendary beauty, Helen.

But most of what we know of Ajax has been the subject of epic, tragedy and legend.

Now we have some physical evidence to which we can attach a reality to this tremendous hero.

But more than helping us to place this hero in a historical context, the find adds to our understanding of the ancient world in the period after the Trojan war and before historical times.

And beyond the Greek world, the site has yielded a copper mail shirt referencing Ramses II. This find contributes to our understanding of the extent of trade and interaction among the peoples of the ancient Mediterranean.

Regardless of the debate that will ensue, I will visit this site next time I am in Greece and thrill at the thought that we have found the palace of a great hero.

Tom
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