#Ancient artifact

[driftingballoons]

When you’re a grass type and not sure how seasons work

[blueiscoool]

Monumental Relief with the Nine Muses Italian, Rome, 16th century

Marble. 105 by 220cm., 41½ by 86½in.

[koenji]

An 1,800 year old oil lamp with a seven-branch menorah found in Usha along the Sanhedrin Trail, Israel. Displayed in the Yigal Allon Center. Photo by Yaniv Berman/Israel Antiquities Authority.

[pokemonfrommemory]

Wurm!

[mahgnib]

Athenian terracotta wine jar depicting an Arimaspean/griffin battle, circa 375-350 BCE

[galeriacontici]

Cuchimilco

[charlesreeza]

Alabaster Krater made during the reign of Augustus, 27 BCE to 14 CE, found in Santa Maria Capua Vetere, Campania, Italy

National Archaeological Museum of Naples

Photos by Charles Reeza

[peacefuldwellings]

Jewish Menorah Glass Amulet | 4th - 7th Century AD

[phoenix-joy]

Author: Sonja Anderson Publication: Smithsonian Magazine Timestamp: January 22, 2024

Extract:

Researchers have long been puzzled by the Roman dodecahedron. More than 100 of these strange 12-sided metal objects have been found throughout Europe—but their purpose remains unclear. Now, another discovery in England’s countryside has reignited the mystery surrounding the ancient artifacts.

[...]

“[Dodecahedrons] are one of archaeology’s great enigmas,” [Richard Parker, secretary of the Norton Disney History and Archaeology Group] says.

“Our example is remarkable. It’s in an excellent condition—considering it’s been buried for 1,700 years—and complete with no damage.["]

[...]

The hollow, grapefruit-sized object is made of copper alloy, as the Norton Disney group writes on its website. Its 12 flat sides are punctuated by circular cut-outs and studs on each corner.

According to the group, the discovery brings the number of dodecahedrons unearthed in Roman Britain to 33, while about 130 have been discovered throughout the Roman Empire’s northwest provinces. [The dodecahedron discussed in the article] stands out because it’s still in one piece, while many of the others were found fragmented or damaged.

[...]

Some Roman dodecahedrons date to as early as the first century C.E. However, no visual or textual references to the objects have been found in historical records. [...]

“Nobody knows for certain how the Romans used them,” wrote Smithsonian magazine’s Sarah Kuta last year. “Some theories are that they functioned as measuring devices, calendars, ornamental scepter toppers, weapons or tools.”

[...]

[...] the group agrees with experts who think dodecahedrons were used for ritualistic or religious purposes. [...] researchers at Belgium’s Gallo-Roman Museum have hypothesized that Romans used the objects in magical rituals, which could explain dodecahedrons’ absence from historical records: With the Roman Empire’s eventual embrace of Christianity came laws forbidding magic. Practitioners would have had to keep their rituals—and related objects—a secret.

/end of extract

"12-sided Roman relic baffles archaeologists, spawns countless theories"

Author: Leo Sands Publication: The Washington Post Timestamp: April 30, 2024 at 11:09 a.m. EDT

Extract:

“One reason that it is so captivating for the public is that it’s hard to believe that we have anything from the Roman period that we don’t know what it’s for,” Lorena Hitchens, an archaeologist specializing in Roman dodecahedrons[...] “It’s very tempting to want to solve that mystery.”

[...]

Internet sleuths have joined the speculation [...] with many gravitating toward an explanation that revolves around their use as tools. [...] knit and crochet pattern designer Amy Gaines posits [...] that dodecahedrons may have been used to knit gold chains, constructing a 3D-printed replica to demonstrate her theory.[...] English Heritage lists theories ranging from a tool for finding the best date to sow grain, to functioning as a candleholder, a polygonal die, a range finder, a surveying instrument, or a way of knitting gloves.

But academic archaeologists shy away from the suggestion that they were practical objects used as everyday tools. “I know that because I’ve examined a lot of them, and they don’t have the kind of use wear you’d expect from a tool,” Hitchens said.

“They’re also much more delicate than people realize,” she said. “They would be broken very quickly.”

[...]

The most popular theory among academic experts [...] is that dodecahedrons held religious or ritual meaning, linked in some way to local practices on the Roman Empire’s fringes.

Proponents of this theory [...] point to the intricacy of the object itself, suggesting it probably had special value. According to Hitchens, the relic was made using a lost-wax bronze-casting process, an extremely technical feat — made even more challenging by the fact that the final product was hollow. [...]

/end of extract

[eampro-blog]

Writing Prompt #28 The Orb of Time

[In 2082, a team of human colonizers on a distant planet uncover a mysterious ruin of a long-lost alien civilization. As they explore, they discover a dangerous artifact called the Eve Orb that has the power to control time itself. They face a moral dilemma. Keep it or destroy it.]

Write a short story based on the writing prompt. Challenge your writing abilities and see where your imagination takes you.

[teeter-beetle]

Heron monument at Dusty Scrubs National Park (photo 2023).

[blueiscoool]

Giant Viking Runestone Found Under kitchen Floor in Denmark

A Couple Renovating Their Kitchen in Denmark Found an Ancient Stone Carved With Viking Runes

The stone may be one of the oldest and rarest of its kind, and is now being studied by experts.

When Lene Brandt and her husband, Anders Nielsen, were preparing to tear up the linoleum floors in the kitchen in their home in the village of Mosekær, in Denmark, they probably expected the normal things that occur in the course of such a project: cost overruns, delays, and problems with contractors.

Instead, what they found was an ancient artifact. The couple stumbled across a nearly 2,000-pound stone, measuring more than six feet long, carved with ancient runes. The couple contacted local experts at the Museum Østjylland. Staff archaeologist Benita Clemmensen is quoted by the cultural news site Skjalden saying that these stones are the sole written records of the Viking Age.

Five runes can be found carved into the stone’s surface, reading “aft Bi,” which can be translated as “after B.”

“The Mosekær stone is probably to be dated to the eighth or nineth century because of the formula ‘After… ‘, i.e. ‘In memory of’, placed in the beginning of the text,” senior researcher and runologist Lisbeth Imer, with the National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen, tells Artnet News. “It correlates with an eighth-century runestone on Fyn, the Flemløse stone with the text ‘After Hróðulfr stands this stone; he was… priest/chief. Sons placed in memory. Ávarr coloured.’

“It most likely is one of the oldest runestones in Denmark,” she says.

The museum has dubbed the stone a treasure, meaning it legally belongs to the state.

New rune stones are found only every five or 10 years, Imer says, “so it is a rare find.”

Imer tells Skjalden that only about 20 rune stones from the eighth century have been discovered in Denmark. These early stones are very significant, as there are approximately 200 known Viking Age rune stones (dating from the 700s to the 900s) throughout the country. Norse literature is dense with references to runes, which may have served as magical signs to be used in charms.

The area where this rune stone was found has proven particularly rich for archaeologists, yielding some 44 such artifacts.

[sheppyscribbles]

"Fascinating," Bodhi murmured as he peered at the glowing figurine. Less than a foot tall, jade green save for the warm glow from within, this was apparently what the snow leopard mage had been searching for: an artifact from long ancient times, designed to sustain a mage through long rituals. "According to those old texts, this should be able to fill anyone with limitless energy …"

Mere moments later, he discovered to his chagrin what that actually meant.

[rhythmicreverie]

In the realm of Elaris, a mighty sorcerer named Alaric found an apprentice in the humble and curious Yara. One fateful day, a life-changing event occurred when they discovered an ancient artifact in the depths of the Forbidden Forest. The artifact granted them power beyond their wildest dreams, transforming Yara into a powerful sorceress. Together, they learned to wield their newfound magic, becoming legends in the land and forever changing the course of Elaris' history. In this short tale, we have explored themes of transformation, mentorship, and the importance of embracing change.

[mahgnib]

A 4500-year-old statue of a dancing girl from what was the then-major city of Mohenjo-Daro, in what is now Pakistan.