Tag: ancient greek
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Ancient Enthroned Goddess
During the second half of the 6th century B.C., indigenous peoples of Sicily were beginning to mingle more with the Greek colonists. Evidence of this can be seen in artwork such as this terracotta enthroned goddess, which once had a child in her lap. Found near Grammichele, historians recognize this work as being created by…
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Ancient Oil Carafe
This vessel is called a lekythos. I photographed it in the civic museum of Castelvetrano, which houses some of the artifacts unearthed from the nearby archaeological site of Selinunte. Lekythoi (plural of lekythos) were used by ancient Greeks to store oil, most often, olive oil. It’s appropriate to see this beautiful one from the beginning…
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Temple Interrupted
Thought to have been built by a Elymian-Sicilian architect who was influenced by Greek colleagues, this Doric temple at Segesta was constructed between 430 and 420 BC. Scholars believe that it never had a roof put on its 36 limestone columns–perhaps the reason why it is so well-preserved. Very little is understood about for what…
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Tonight I Saw the Maidens
Dreams do come true! My cousin Evelina was right (She usually is!). Today I was able to be in Siracusa to see (and hear) “Le Supplici,” or “The Suppliant Maidens” by Aeschylus. Pictured is a scene from the show. The Suppliant Maidens premiered around 470 BC in Ancient Greece. The themes however, are so timely…
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Today’s Trip Highlight: Agrakas’ Valley of the Temples
This is a scene I was thrilled to see again today! The four remaining columns of the Temple of Castor and Pollux, built in the 5th century BC and reconstructed in the 19th century. We walked the full 2 kilometers of Valley of the Temples that sits on a ridge with sweeping views of the…
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Reclaimed is Ancient History in Siracusa
This is one of the more fascinating sites in Sicily: The Duomo of Siracusa. Look carefully–it’s not a mistake. You can see the ancient Doric-style columns of an ancient Temple of Athena, built in the 5th century BC. During the Byzantine age (in the 7th century), the temple’s structure was adopted and used as the…
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Silver Scylla
The hill-top town of Aidone hosts a world-class archaeological museum containing treasures unearthed at Morgantina, an ancient Greek town down the road a stretch. Morgantina was founded in 850 BC, and over the next 400-600 years the settlement was destroyed and rebuilt until it was finally abandoned in 211 BC. Throughout the centuries, the citizens…
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Segesta: Enchanting Sicily, Day 2
The temple at Segesta has 36 very large, limestone Doric-style columns. Just like in 19th century paintings of Italy you’ve seen in your aunt’s living room, this temple gracefully sits in the midst of rolling hills. You might even see a shepherd and his sheep in its shadow! The temple is in excellent condition, considering…
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Ancient Mixology
In the end of the 5th century B.C., “The Lugano Painter,” or “Il Pittore di Lugano,” worked on many pieces that archaeologists have unearthed and attributed to him. This “calyx krater,” or urn, shows a bearded Dionysus with his thyrsus (staff topped with a pine cone), a bacchante (female follower of Dionysus (a.k.a., Bacchus) playing…