Tag: museo archeologico
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Palermo Next Level: Salinas Archeological Museum For Antiquities
Palermo’s Salinas archeological museum hosts many treasures from antiquity. Many of the findings from Selinunte are housed here, including these late-4th/mid-3rd century BCE terracotta statuettes, made in the style of those traditionally made in Tanagra, Greece north of Athens. They were found in a Punic grave site.
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Three Irresistible Sisters In Ancient Sicily
Years ago, when I first saw a photo of this terracotta Gorgon, I thought it was Mayan! But no, it’s ancient Greek-Sicilian, from the 6th century BC, and it was found in Siracusa. Archaeologists know it was part of a relief–not much more is known about it; however, it gives me a chance to tell…
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The Goddess Demeter To Santa Lucia
Join us for a party for La Festa di Santa Lucia (Saint Lucy)! This 3rd century BCE bust was found in Siracusa at the site of what was the sanctuary of Demeter and Kore (Persephone). Do you know the myth of the goddess Demeter and her maiden daughter? This Sunday, December 8 at Cacio e…
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Sicily And The Myth of Demeter and Kore
The leaf-less trees along my morning walks in the New York City area are a painful reminder that winter’s arrival is imminent. And so, I think of earth’s seasonal cycles, which for centuries were explained by the myth of Demeter and Kore: Hades, the God of the Underworld, abducted the maiden Kore while she was…
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I’m a Magnet
Yesterday my friend Renee and I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Last week, I thought, “I love museums, and I always go when I travel: Why not in my own town?” It had been a while since I’d been to The Met, so I proposed it. Of course, I…
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Persephone’s Guidance
As the seasons change where I live in the northeastern United States, and the days are darker longer, I turn to Persephone for assistance during the transition to winter. Part of the “Queen of the Underworld’s” responsibilities, once she descends into Hades each autumn, is the role of psychopomp–a guide for new souls crossing over;…
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An Enthroned Goddess’ Ancestor
Annually on September 6, 7, and 8 the town of Grammichele in Catania Province pays homage to Our Lady of the Plan, or the Madonna del Piano. Today, Grammichele is a baroque town with a fascinating hexagonal central piazza that was built after the devastating earthquake of 1693. Its history, however, runs deep. One of…
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Early Bronze Age Sicily
From the Museo Archeologico Paolo Orsi in Siracusa, this door slab with carved spiral, anthropomorphic motifs is from the early Bronze Age. It’s dated to be from sometime between the 22nd and 15th century B.C. and was collected from a tomb in Castelluccio, an archaeological area between Noto and Palazzolo Acreida in southeastern Sicily. Yes,…
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Happy Valentine’s Day with a Kiss
Happy Valentine’s Day! Terracotta statuette of a reclining couple from the first century AD, excavated in 1967 in the Akradina district of Siracusa (Museo Orsi, Siracusa)