Museum of Cycladic Art

Located in Athens, Greece the Museum of Cycladic Art is one of, if not the largest single collection of Cycladic artifacts. When planning my trip to Athens it was the third place to see, falling behind the National History Museum and the Acropolis.

The museum was founded in 1968 to house ancient Greek and Cycladic art. During my visit a portion of the Greek exhibit was closed and on tour elsewhere, however the Cycladic exhibit was open. I did have a little scare that I would not be able to see the exhibit because the Museum was keeping odd hours the day I went. It opened at 6pm. This change of hours occurred because the Museum was giving away free books to registered archaeologists; a practice that I fully support. On a side note it was very interesting to see that the majority of the archaeologists were women.

The artifacts at the museum were in excellent condition. The exhibit was well organized and provided you with a very good sense of the values of the people being represented.



Marble Cycladic figurines come from 3,200 to 2,000 bc and are the main type of artifact preserved from this time. The height of these figures varies significantly. Some are a few centimeters high while others are 4 feet tall. The standard figurine would be lying down on their back with their knees bent and arms crossed over the stomach. The majority of figures did not have many individual features, such as eyes or mouth, but they all had a prominent nose and sometimes ears. Their style reminds me of modern sculpture.

Quick Definitions

All of the following definitions are in reference to Classical architecture, art and artifacts.

Abaton: A place in a sanctuary where mystic rites were carried out.

Ambulacrum: The covered semi-circular walkway beneath the seats in a Roman theatre.

Ashlar: A rectangular block of cut stone.

Bouleuterion: The meeting-place for the council of the city.

Boustrophedon: Writing each lines alternatively from left to right and right to left. (In an imitation of ploughing).

Cella: The enclosed main room of a temple.

Daedalic: The style of sculpture of the 7th century bc.

Heroon: A shrine dedicated to the cult of a local hero.

Krater: A vessel for mixing wine and water.

Odeum: A small theatre building.

Pithos: A large storage jar.

Rhyton: A vessel for libations often in the shape of an animal or an animal's head.

Sima: The gutter; crown moulding or a cornice.

Vomitorium: The entrance to a theatre or amphitheatre.

Afganistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul

The Smithsonian National Gallery of Art, in collaboration with the National Geographic Society, is hosting an exhibit from the National Museum of Kabul from May 25 - September 7, 2008. The exhibit is meant to show how northern Afghanistan, Bactria, has developed through time. From its ancient origins over 2,000 years ago as the Oxus Civilization through to Tillya Tepe, the "Hill of Gold". The capital of Bactria, Balkh, was a grand city which Marco Polo describes as:

"a noble city and very large, Formerly it was nobler and larger, it was the most vast and beautiful city in the region... And I tell you that in this city King Alexander the Great took as his wife the daughter of Darius, king of the Persians, according to the people of this city."
--The Description of the World, 1298

Due to it's location Bactria has been influenced by three centers of civilization, India, China and Mesopotamia. This influence can be clearly seen in the artwork produced from the area. The artwork displayed at the Smithsonian range from 2200bc to the second century ad.

The Greeks brought their language and culture into Bactria in the fourth century bc. This is when Alexander the Great and his armies conquered the area. His successor, Seleucius I, founded the Greco-Bactrian city of Ai Khanum, "Lady Moon". The city became the eastern outpost of Greek culture and was able to flourish due to it's location on the Oxus river, a point on established trading routes, including the Silk Road.

Ceremonial Plaque depicting Cybele Ai Khanum, temple with niches), gilded silver, beginning of 3rd century bc.

Mongolian nomads overran Bactria around 145bc. Tillya Tepe became one of the centers for this nomad group. Excavations have shown Tillya Tepe to be a center for burials for the nomadic chieftains. Some pieces found here include:

A golden crown from Tillya Tepe Tomb VI, 1st century ad.

One of a pair of boot buckles depicting a chariot drawn by dragons. Tillya Tepe, Tomb IV, 1st Century ad.

Overall I felt that the exhibit was well organized. The pieces chosen to represent a culture that changed throughout a vast amount of time were well selected. As the visitor I left feeling more informed about an area I had previously had little to no knowledge on, and I wanted to continue to dig for information about the Bactria area.

Decentralization of the Museum in Greece

Greece, like most Mesopotamian countries, is abundant with ancient artifacts. Greece used to display the majority of its artifacts in a central, national archaeological museum in Athens. While this was great for tourists, who could experience all of Greece's history in a "one-stop shop". However, this didn't provide tourists with the complete picture of what Greece had to offer in the Classical period, or today. Viewing a sculpture of Apollo while standing a few feet from the temple it adorned in provides a context that can be easily lost in a museum with hundreds of other sculptures. Recently the Greek government has decided to re-disperse the artifacts to the regions where they originated. This new arrangement has the added benefit of dispersing the profits created through tourism. The regional archaeological museums allow tourists to view artifacts in context and in a time that does not push their attention limits.

Greece Vacation: The Acropolis

Recently I was lucky enough to travel to Greece for 10 days. It was an amazing vacation. A dream vacation. In the next couple of posts I will be discussing various things that I observed while there. I spent my time in Attica and Crete. I'm going to start these posts in the most obvious place, the Acropolis.



The Acropolis was amazing to see in person. I unfortunately do not posses the vocabulary to properly express what it is like to be in a place that one has studied and imagined for years. I will only say that I was overwhelmed and lost in a euphoria.

When visiting the Acropolis I was naturally drawn to the Parthenon, as one should be. After all it was built to awe visitors and honor the Goddess Athena. Athena happens to be my favorite of all the Greek Gods. Despite this natural draw I found that I preferred spending my time admiring another building on the Acropolis, the Erechtheum.

The Erechtheum is located in the north side of the Acropolis. While significantly smaller than the Parthenon it provides it's visitors with a rare sight. Caryatids, statues of draped women functioning as columns, support the "Porch of Maidens". The porch is located on the south side of the building, leaving the statues forever gazing at the Parthenon. Today the original Caryatids reside in the British Museum, except for one located in the Acropolis Museum (Which was closed as they were moving the artifacts from the old museum to a new museum.).



The Erechtheum was built for an ancient Hero named Erichthonius, although some believe it was actually built in honor of the legendary King Erechtheus. The building was erected sometime between 421 and 407 BCE.

Historical Artifacts: Who is the Rightful Owner?

Who owns historical artifacts???

It's a tough question to answer. Is it the person or organization who owns the land that it was found on? Perhaps the person who found it owns it? -- Finders Keepers?? Is it the national government's possession, because of the cultural heritage? Or perhaps the local community? If one of these groups should sell the artifact to an art dealer or museum, is then the property of the purchaser if they purchased it solely from the finder and did not compensate the land owner or community?

Depending on your point of view the answers to these questions can vary greatly. I personally believe that each case should be considered individually. An overarching policy would not represent everyone fairly.

Lately this question of ownership has come into the limelight. Countries across the world are requesting the return of artifacts that have been residing in foreign countries. Peru has been trying to get some artifacts found in Machu Picchu from Yale University. Greece wants to have the Parthenon Frieze returned from Britain. Egypt has been trying to collect pieces from around the world, especially the bust of Nefertiti in the Berlin Museum.



Ancient artifacts can be the source of great political tension. Recently Egypt has threatened to start a "scientific war" with Germany. Greece is doing this because Germany will not allow the bust of Nefertiti to go on a temporary tour to Egypt. Germany is saying that the piece is not in a condition to be safely transported to Egypt. Egypt believes that Germany is using this as a cover and that they are afraid Egypt won't return the bust when the tour is over.

Peek-a-Bear

Recently I have taken an interest in percent-for-art programs. These programs are based on federal, state, county, and city policies that allocate a certain percentage of construction costs of public buildings for decorative purposes. The percentage used in the U.S. is typically between .5 and 2%. this percentage goes towards murals, sculptures or other visual art pieces that will reside within, on, or outside of the constructed building.

The Percent-for-Art programs developed over time. The first city to approve a percent-for-art ordinance was Philadelphia in 1959. Today there are over 300 percent-for-art programs in the U.S.

Denver has a percent-for-art program. In 2005 Lawrence Argent's piece "I See What You Mean", a 40-foot tall, blue bear was installed at the Colorado Convention Center. Follow the link above to see a video on how the bear was constructed. It's pretty cool to watch.