For those of you who live in Arizona, I’ll be teaching a class on October 9 from 1-2:50 called The Trojan War for Smarties. No previous knowledge of the topic needed at all. With lots of gorgeous slides and other visuals, I’ll talk about how historical or legendary the Trojan War might be, the many-layered site of Troy, how the history/archaeology of this city has been (mis)interpreted and the way in which the evidence from neighboring peoples informs our modern understanding of this iconic city and its famous end. If you’re interested, sign up with New Frontiers for Lifelong Learning. I’m teaching in a large hall so even if it says the class is full (the response at the open house was enthusiastic and the sign ups at that point impressive), put yourself on the waiting list because there should be room for all. Here’s the link for the NFLL website.
Here are some posts I enjoyed from around the web this week:
A wonderfully detailed article about recent finds at Zominthos on Crete. A Minoan mountain site that has been dug for many years dating to about 1900 BCE. I want to go back in time and live in this place. Listen and you’ll come along: “Luxurious spaces constructed from radiant white limestones, lustral basins, multiple entrance ways and skylights that let in plenty of light, public rooms fitted with benches and hearths, staircases that lead to the upper floors, along with numerous other objects, indicate the important nature of the complex and its highly political and economic role. Fragments of frescoes that came to light this year portray plant, animal and architectural themes painted on thin plaster and reveal a particular sophistication. Artefacts discovered at the site include: inscribed altars, double-axes, bronze and clay incense burners, intricate lamps, rhyta (ceremonial vessels, some of which were found in niches such as the rhyton in the shape of a pig, others with with reed decoration), part of a clay goat figurine, all of which confirm the religious nature of the site.” Click here for “Excavations Yield Impressive Finds at Minoan Zominthos” in Archaeology News Network.
On Cyprus there is portion of a city that remains unchanged from one morning in 1974 when Turkish forces invaded. The high-rise tourist hotels, homes and schools haven’t been touched since that day. Barbed wire blocks off the Varosha district of Famagusta and guards keep people out—unwashed dishes, chairs thrown back from a table, food in the frig, possessions left behind by the Greek families who were forced to leave. The left-on light bulbs burned after everyone abandoned the buildings. And then they went out also. All these signs of daily life and more are locked away from human interaction. Isn’t that a strange image? Especially odd in Famagusta where ancient ruins intermingle with Crusader period buildings. Life in other parts of the city goes on, but in a distorted way. Cyprus is an island with layers of history on every inch of it. So much so that when my husband and I would come to a village to ask where the nearby ruins could be found, we’d have to be very specific about which ruins we meant. No, not the Neolithic ones, the late Bronze Age ones. And a few key words such as the “ones with cut ashlar blocks”, would produce a knowing nod and clear instructions from the residents. So isn’t it odd to think of this portion of the island, preserved in a frozen moment in time and representing so eerily the broken lives and fortunes of so many? Here’s Sarah Johnson’s review of a book set in this tumultuous time, and also at the bottom of the review, links to newspaper articles about this bizarre twist of Cypriote history. My thanks to Sarah for pulling these links together. Click here for Reading the Past “The Sunrise by Victoria Hislop”
How many words do we have to cast aspersions on a woman? A slut by any other name… Fun post by Jo Ann Butler. Click here for “One Hundred Words for Slut” by Jo Ann Butler
This headline caught my eye: “Elephant butchering site of the Lower Palaeolithic found in Arcadia, Greece” The earth has certainly undergone changes over immense time. Elephants and a rich forest vegetation are not what come to mind when I think of Greece, but if you took your time machine back 300,000-600,000 years, you could witness the manufacture of sharp stone knives and scrapers on site and the butchering of an elephant. I’ll imagine a big barbeque feast after all that hard work. Who wants to think up what form the entertainment might have taken? I’m struck once again at what archaeology can show us about our world and how well it knocks our preconceptions on their heads. Click here for “Elephant butchering site of the Lower Paleolithic found in Arcadia, Greece” from Archaeology News Network
One of many wonders under Rome is the Domus Aurea, the Golden House of Nero. Nero’s monstrously huge house was abandoned and repurposed after his forced suicide. Much of it lay underneath with a park on top. During the Renaissance Raphael and others were lowered into it to study Roman painting. Now there’s a massive effort to save what’s left. The palace of the crazy emperor has lots to offer. Click here for Archaeology Magazine “Golden House of an Emperor”