A collection known as the 'treasure of Morgantina', comprising 16 pieces of third century BC silverware, is on display at Palazzo Massimo alle Terme in Rome.
The collection includes bowls, plates and other dishes, which were found during illicit excavations near the Sicilian town of Aidone at the archaeological site of Morgantina.
They have been returned to Italy from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, where they have been on display since they were bought by the Met in 1984. The repatriation of the objects follows an agreement between the Italian ministry for Heritage and the Met in 2006.
The Morgantina treasure is considered to be some of the most note-worthy Greek silverware still in existence.
It was bought for $2.7 million in the early 1980s by antiquities dealer Robert Hecht, who is now on trial in Italy charged with conspiring to traffic illegal artefacts.
The 16 objects are made of gilded silver and include two large serving cups with feet in the form of theatrical masks, which would have been used to mix and serve wine with water, as well as other objects such as a jug and four decorated cups.
One the 4 June, the exhibition will move to the Archaeological Museum of Antonino Salinas in Palermo.
Submitted by Bija Knowles on Fri, 03/19/2010 - 13:36
Like many people, the offer of food is always enough to tempt me to visit somewhere new – and I suspect that the publicity machine of Pompeii's archaeological site are fully aware of this, as they promise an authentic Roman snack to the 300 randomly selected individuals who will take part in a one-off tour of the site this Sunday.
The event marks the restoration and re-opening of one of the Roman town's thermopolia (cafés), after having undergone an excavation and preservation process.
The answer is of course that the influence was huge: Roman copies of canonic Greek masterpieces ensued, there were aesthetic influences in the decoration of sanctuaries and funerary monuments, while every-day domestic objects mimicked Greek styles too.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson is to be joined by popular historian Bettany Hughes and head teachers from primary and secondary schools across the city at London’s City Hall tomorrow to launch a new drive to boost classical education in state schools. But is there any point teaching a dead language to already-bored kids?
The tousle-haired Tory studied Classics at Oxford as an undergraduate, and has long talked-up how beneficial a good understanding of classical history can be when it comes to getting to grips with modern politics. In the past he’s called for every child to be taught Latin, and even written a book, The Dream of Rome – made into a documentary by the BBC in 2006 – comparing the European Union with the Roman Empire.
