Posted on 09/20/2010 7:31:45 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
A rare bronze signet ring with the impression of the face of the Greek sun god, Apollo, has been discovered at Tel Dor, in northern Israel, by University of Haifa diggers. "A piece of high-quality art such as this, doubtlessly created by a top-of-the-line artist, indicates that local elites developing a taste for fine art and the ability to afford it were also living in provincial towns, and not only in the capital cities of the Hellenistic kingdoms," explains Dr. Ayelet Gilboa, Head of the Department of Archaeology at the University of Haifa, who headed the excavations at Dor along with Dr. Ilan Sharon of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem...
The archaeological context and style of the signet ring date it back to the 4th or 3rd century B.C.E. This type of ring was used as a seal or was dedicated to the temple of the god imprinted on the ring. Since it was found in an urban context and at an orderly archaeological dig, the discovery is of great significance: Most of the small pieces of art originating in the Near East until now are of unknown origin, having been displaced through illegal antique trade, or purchased by museums and collectors before scientific archaeological research began.
(Excerpt) Read more at newmedia-eng.haifa.ac.il ...
Tel Dor (Photo: Sky View/Courtesy of the Tel Dor Expedition) Bronze signet ring with portrait of Apollo. (Microscope photo adapted by Paula Weimann Barak, Courtesy of the Tel Dor Expedition)
· join list or digest · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post a topic · subscribe · |
|||
Antiquity Journal & archive Archaeologica Archaeology Archaeology Channel BAR Bronze Age Forum Discover Dogpile Eurekalert LiveScience Mirabilis.ca Nat Geographic PhysOrg Science Daily Science News Texas AM Yahoo Excerpt, or Link only? |
|
||
· Science topic · science keyword · Books/Literature topic · pages keyword · |
Or a traveler couldn't pay his shot at the local inn and had to leave his ring in payment.
Errr... Is it just me, or are there junior high school kids that could do something better than this in shop class?
The Arrow of Apollo! Brilliant! There aren’t many people on FR who’d get the reference.
Take it to the Tomb of Athena on Kobol and it will point the way to Earth!
Or was robbed/murdered.
Angry girlfriend or mad wife threw it away when some guy tried to buy his way out of shame.
how do they know it was Apollo? Looks like alexander to me.
How do they determine that the head is a portrait of Apollo and not Alexander?
Alexander apparently passed through Dor so he had a connection there, the time is right, and wasn’t Alexnder often referred to as a reincarnation of Apollo himself?
Just askin’
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.