Tag: Orsi
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Look History in the Eyes
This theatrical mask (with wig originally fixed to the holes) from the beginning of the 5th century BC is on display at the archaeological museum in Siracusa, the Museo Orsi. This and thousands of other artifacts in this outstanding museum tell Sicily’s 3000 years of human history.
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Bronze Champion
During antiquity, bronze was not a material that sculptors in Sicily used often, so when I come across a bronze statuette like this one of an athlete in Siracusa’s Museo Orsi, I take note. This statuette is from c. 460 B.C., and according to the information in the museum, it is called “The Youth (Ephebe)…
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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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An Offering to the Goddess
This terracotta figure from Siracusa’s archaeological museum is one of hundreds of examples of statuettes found around the island of Ortigia that is attributed to the cult of Demeter and Kore (Persephone). I find this divine figure especially interesting because more recent images of Santa Lucia, the patron saint of Siracusa who is celebrated in…
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Mother Goddess
During our tour these past days, we spent a provoking morning in Siracusa, first at the archaeological park, and then at one of Europe’s best archaeological museums, the Museo Archeologico Orsi. Pictured here is one of the museum’s star pieces, a “Mother Goddess,” dated to be from 550 BC and made of local limestone. Found…