This masterpiece has been found in a grave at Derveni (outside Thessaloniki) and is one of the most important works of ancient Greek art. Its color is golden but it is actually made of bronze. The hue is due to the fact that the alloy is quite rich in tin; it weighs 40 kilos and had been used as an ash urn. Its decoration is a hymn to Dionysos, to his omnipotence in nature and his power over life and death. The god and Ariadne are depicted on the main side; around them there are Meanads, a Satyr and possibly the king of Thrace Lycurgus. On the shoulder there are the figures of two Meanads, a Satyr and a youth.
Harpocrates was an Egyptian deity, the son of Osiris and Isis. He was considered the protector of children and this idol actually portrays him as one of them. His hair is long and bears a wreath of ivy and flowers. His right hand is close to his mouth in a gesture of silence, while in his left hand he holds a cornucopia full of fruit.
Ivy wreaths, symbols of Dionysos, are often depicted in vase painting but are rather rare in the work of goldsmiths. Globally there are only three gold ivy wreaths, two of which are in the Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum; they were found in Apollonia and Pydna. The gold or gild wreaths found in Macedonian graves were status symbols of the upper classes. They were worn at public appearances, rituals and symposia and were buried along with their owners.
It is the marble statue of the first Roman emperor (27 BC-14 AD) which probably stood in an imperial worship temple, perhaps the Sevasteion of Thessaloniki. Its art echoes the Polycleitan principles (of the famous sculptor of the Classical period), while its lower part is covered by an himation. The raised right arm was holding a scepter or a spear and the left one probably a sword in its scabbard.
This is the work of Lydos, a prominent vase painter of the Archaic period. The krater had been used as an ash urn and was found at the Thermi cemetery near Thessaloniki. The painting on the main side of the vase depicts Meleager, Atalanta and their companions in the Caledonian boar hunt (the mythical boar had been sent as a punishment by Artemis to destroy the fields of Calydon in Aetolia).
This is a gold medal from the games at Veria in honor of Alexander the Great; it was found together with other medals portraying members of the family of Philip II of Macedon in Abu Qir, Egypt. The female figure on the main side is Olympias, the mother of Alexander. The other side depicts a Nereid (probably Thetis, the mother of Achilleus) on an imaginary sea creature with the head of a bull.
Warriors of the Archaic and Classical periods were normally buried with their weaponry. Thus, in many Macedonian graves dating to those periods several weapons have been found; the bronze helmet was found at the Sindos cemetery, near Thessaloniki. It was not usual for the face of the dead to be covered with gold sheet or masks. The features were formed by pressing the sheet either onto the face itself or onto a mold.
It is a stele with a pedimental finial and akroteria found in Chalcidice. A girl in peplos and holding a dove is depicted. The artist, probably belonging to a Parian workshop, has carved the marble with exquisite mastery and thus the stele has been compared by many to its contemporary Parthenon sculptures.
This cooking pot, found at Mesimeriani Toumba, Trilofo, in the Thessaloniki area, probably functioned as a pressure cooker. Once the food had been placed inside, it was covered with unbaked clay which was cracked off once cooking was complete. The person responsible could check the food through a circular opening at the front. Some archaeologists, however, believe that the pot was used to make butter.
Ring-shaped golden foil possibly used for the decoration of clothing.
This particular find is proof that writing was widespread in Macedonia during the Late Geometric period; it bears the retrograde inscription EMOS or EMOI (“mine” or “for me”). It was found by the altar at the Sanctuary of Poseidon, after which the promontory takes its name (Poseidi). The sanctuary was one of the earliest extra mural sanctuaries in ancient Greece and also operated as a lighthouse for the protection of ships.
Thessaloniki, one of the great cities of the Roman Empire (from the 2nd up to the 4th c. AD), was the home of wealthy families of merchants and nobles. Rich houses and villas with multiple functions and elaborate decoration were to be found all over the city. The wealth of the private residences of Roman times is mirrored in the surviving mosaic floors which have been found in fragmentary condition in several excavations. One of these, unearthed on Socratous Street and forming part of the decoration of a Roman villa, depicts the marriage of Dionysos and Ariadne.
Greece Is | December 1st, 2015
The past is never far away in Thessaloniki. Some of the most important archaeological finds in the region are on display at the city’s Archaeological Museum. Ancient medallions, pottery and skillfully crafted gold tokens, including two of only three golden wreaths discovered globally, are some of the exhibits that will take you on a trip through the city’s ancient past.
This masterpiece has been found in a grave at Derveni (outside Thessaloniki) and is one of the most important works of ancient Greek art. Its color is golden but it is actually made of bronze. The hue is due to the fact that the alloy is quite rich in tin; it weighs 40 kilos and had been used as an ash urn. Its decoration is a hymn to Dionysos, to his omnipotence in nature and his power over life and death. The god and Ariadne are depicted on the main side; around them there are Meanads, a Satyr and possibly the king of Thrace Lycurgus. On the shoulder there are the figures of two Meanads, a Satyr and a youth.
Harpocrates was an Egyptian deity, the son of Osiris and Isis. He was considered the protector of children and this idol actually portrays him as one of them. His hair is long and bears a wreath of ivy and flowers. His right hand is close to his mouth in a gesture of silence, while in his left hand he holds a cornucopia full of fruit.
Ivy wreaths, symbols of Dionysos, are often depicted in vase painting but are rather rare in the work of goldsmiths. Globally there are only three gold ivy wreaths, two of which are in the Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum; they were found in Apollonia and Pydna. The gold or gild wreaths found in Macedonian graves were status symbols of the upper classes. They were worn at public appearances, rituals and symposia and were buried along with their owners.
It is the marble statue of the first Roman emperor (27 BC-14 AD) which probably stood in an imperial worship temple, perhaps the Sevasteion of Thessaloniki. Its art echoes the Polycleitan principles (of the famous sculptor of the Classical period), while its lower part is covered by an himation. The raised right arm was holding a scepter or a spear and the left one probably a sword in its scabbard.
This is the work of Lydos, a prominent vase painter of the Archaic period. The krater had been used as an ash urn and was found at the Thermi cemetery near Thessaloniki. The painting on the main side of the vase depicts Meleager, Atalanta and their companions in the Caledonian boar hunt (the mythical boar had been sent as a punishment by Artemis to destroy the fields of Calydon in Aetolia).
This is a gold medal from the games at Veria in honor of Alexander the Great; it was found together with other medals portraying members of the family of Philip II of Macedon in Abu Qir, Egypt. The female figure on the main side is Olympias, the mother of Alexander. The other side depicts a Nereid (probably Thetis, the mother of Achilleus) on an imaginary sea creature with the head of a bull.
Warriors of the Archaic and Classical periods were normally buried with their weaponry. Thus, in many Macedonian graves dating to those periods several weapons have been found; the bronze helmet was found at the Sindos cemetery, near Thessaloniki. It was not usual for the face of the dead to be covered with gold sheet or masks. The features were formed by pressing the sheet either onto the face itself or onto a mold.
It is a stele with a pedimental finial and akroteria found in Chalcidice. A girl in peplos and holding a dove is depicted. The artist, probably belonging to a Parian workshop, has carved the marble with exquisite mastery and thus the stele has been compared by many to its contemporary Parthenon sculptures.
This cooking pot, found at Mesimeriani Toumba, Trilofo, in the Thessaloniki area, probably functioned as a pressure cooker. Once the food had been placed inside, it was covered with unbaked clay which was cracked off once cooking was complete. The person responsible could check the food through a circular opening at the front. Some archaeologists, however, believe that the pot was used to make butter.
Ring-shaped golden foil possibly used for the decoration of clothing.
This particular find is proof that writing was widespread in Macedonia during the Late Geometric period; it bears the retrograde inscription EMOS or EMOI (“mine” or “for me”). It was found by the altar at the Sanctuary of Poseidon, after which the promontory takes its name (Poseidi). The sanctuary was one of the earliest extra mural sanctuaries in ancient Greece and also operated as a lighthouse for the protection of ships.
Thessaloniki, one of the great cities of the Roman Empire (from the 2nd up to the 4th c. AD), was the home of wealthy families of merchants and nobles. Rich houses and villas with multiple functions and elaborate decoration were to be found all over the city. The wealth of the private residences of Roman times is mirrored in the surviving mosaic floors which have been found in fragmentary condition in several excavations. One of these, unearthed on Socratous Street and forming part of the decoration of a Roman villa, depicts the marriage of Dionysos and Ariadne.
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