N. D. Meeks

The Lycurgus Cup — A Roman nanotechnology

The Lycurgus Cup (fig 1) represents one of the outstanding achievements of the ancient glass industry. This late Roman cut glass vessel is extraordinary in several respects, firstly in the method of fabrication and the exceptional workmanship involved and secondly in terms of the unusual optical effects displayed by the glass. The Lycurgus Cup is one of a class of Roman vessels known as cage cups or diatreta, where the decoration is in openwork which stands proud from the body of the vessel, to which it is linked by shanks or bridges Typically these openwork “cages” comprise a lattice of linked circles, but a small number have figurative designs, although none of these is as elaborate or as well preserved as the Lycurgus Cup. Cage cups are generally dated to the fourth century A.D. and have been found across the Roman Empire, but the number recovered is small, and probably only in the region of 50-100 examples are known [1, 2]. They are among the most technically sophisticated glass objects produced before the modern era. The openwork decoration of the Lycurgus Cup comprises a mythological frieze depicting the legend of King Lycurgus from the sixth book of Homer’s Iliad. The figures, carved in deep relief, show the triumph of Dionysus over Lycurgus. However it is not only the cut-work design of the Cup that shows the high levels of skill involved in its production. The glass of the cup is dichroic; in direct light it resembles jade with an opaque greenish-yellow tone, but when light shines through the glass (transmitted light) it turns to a translucent ruby colour (Fig 1a and b). The cup was acquired by the British Museum from Lord Rothschild in 1958 (with the aid of a contribution from the National Art Collection Fund) [3]. The mythological scenes on the cup depict the death of Lycurgus, King of the Edoni in Thrace at the hands of Dionysus and his followers. A man of violent temper, Lycurgus attacked Dionysus and one of his

The analysis of platinum-group element inclusions in gold antiquities

The results of the analysis, using the energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer attached to the scanning electron microscope, of platinum-group element inclusions in a range of gold jewellery and coins from the Near East and eastern Mediterranean spanning the period from 3200 BC to AD 300 are presented. The fairly frequent occurrence of PGE inclusions in the jewellery and coins examined confirms that gold from placer deposits was extensively used in antiquity. All the inclusions analysed are of the iridium-osmium-ruthenium alloy type and no platiniridium inclusions were detected. The inclusions found within a single object frequently exhibit a wide range of compositions and therefore the composition of the inclusions does not normally provide a basis for characterizing the source of the gold. In particular the hypothesis that the Pactolus valley was an important source of gold which was used throughout the Near East cannot be confirmed.

The introduction of the lapidary engraving wheel in Mesopotamia

Scanning electron microscopy provides an insight into the lapidary techniques of the ancient Near East. Engraved features on quartz cylinder seals have been compared to those produced experimentally, leading to a radical reassessment of the date for the introduction of the engraving wheel.

A Newly discovered Minoan faience plaque from the Knossos Town Mosaic in the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery: a technological insight

This article presents the curatorial context of a newly discovered fragment of Minoan faience, now in the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery (BCMAG), and the technological study conducted on this piece at the British Museum. It also discusses the British Museum study of comparable fragments, now in the Ashmolean Museum, belonging to the Town Mosaic from Knossos, an important and unique find brought to light during Sir Arthur Evanss excavations of the ‘Palace of Minos’ at the beginning of the twentieth century. Both the stylistic study and the analytical results suggest that the Bristol fragment is genuine, and most likely belonged to the Town Mosaic. The Bristol piece does not possess features that can advance our understanding of Crete in the Bronze Age, but its curious biography adds something to the history of collecting and the history of archaeology. Ένα μινωικό πλακίδιο από φαγεντιανή από το «Μωσαϊκό της πόλεως» της Κνωσού που ανακαλύφθηκε πρόσφατα στο Μουσείο και Πινακοθήκη της Πόλης του Μπρίστολ: μια τεχνολογική διερεύνηση Αυτό το άρθρο παρουσιάζει το πλαίσιο της επιμέλειας ενός θραύσματος μινωικής φαγεντιανής που ανακαλύφθηκε πρόσφατα και τώρα βρίσκεται στο Μουσείο και Πινακοθήκη της Πόλης του Μπρίστολ (BCMAG), καθώς και την τεχνολογική μελέτη που πραγματοποιήθηκε σε αυτό στο Βρετανικό Μουσείο. Επιπλέον, εξετάζεται η μελέτη συγκρίσιμων θραυσμάτων από το Βρετανικό Μουσείο, που τώρα βρίσκονται στο Μουσείο Ashmolean, τα οποία επίσης ανήκουν στο «Μωσαϊκό της πόλεως» από την Κνωσό, ένα σημαντικό και μοναδικό εύρημα που ήρθε στο φως στις αρχές του 20ου αιώνα κατά τις ανασκαφές του Σερ Άρθουρ Έβανς στο «Παλάτι του Μίνωα». Τόσο η μορφολογική μελέτη, όσο και τα αποτελέσματα της ανάλυσης, δείχνουν ότι το θραύσμα στο Μπρίστολ είναι γνήσιο και πιθανότατα ανήκε στο «Μωσαϊκό της πόλεως». Το αντικείμενο στο Μπρίστολ δεν διαθέτει χαρακτηριστικά που μπορούν να συμβάλλουν στην κατανόησή μας σχετικά με την Κρήτη κατά την Εποχή του Χαλκού, αλλά η περίεργη βιογραφία του προσθέτει κάτι στην ιστορία των συλλογών ή/και συλλεκτών, καθώς και στην ιστορία της αρχαιολογίας.