Greek Archaeologists Confirm Authenticity Of 'Theseus Ring'

M&C Science And Nature ^ | 8-2-2006

[blam]

Greek archaeologists confirm authenticity of 'Theseus Ring'

Aug 2, 2006, 15:44 GMT

Athens - The long-lost 'Theseus Ring,' a gold ring found in the Plaka district of Athens in the 1950s and generally dismissed as a fake, has been identified by Greek archaeologists as a genuine 15th century BC artifact, reports said Wednesday.

The Greek press had reported the discovery of a gold signet ring, with dimensions 2.7 x 1.8 cm dating from the Minoan period, and the National Archaeological Museum wanted to purchase it for 75,000 euros from the woman who owned it.

There was a huge debate about its authenticity until a panel of experts from the Culture Ministry declared the piece to be genuine.

The ring, which depicts a bull-leaping scene, is believed to come from the area of Anafiotika in the Athens ancient city centre of Plaka. The scene also includes a lion to the left and a tree to the right.

According to ancient Greek mythology, Prince Theseus was the son of King Aegeus of Athens. During this period, the Minoans under the leadership of King Minos, who lived on the island of Crete, had a very strong navy and often attacked various Greek cities, including Athens.

King Aegeus had an agreement with King Minos that if Minos would leave Athens in peace, Aegeus would send seven Athenian boys and seven Athenian girls to Crete every nine years, to be eaten by a monster that lived on Crete, the Minotaur.

Determined to slay the monster, Theseus joined the children on the next voyage despite pleas from his father. King Aegeus made Theseus promise to change the sails on the boat from black to white if he managed to come home alive.

After killing the Minotaur and sailing back towards Athens near Sounion, Theseus had forgotten to change the sail from black to white. When King Aegeus saw the black sail he thought Theseus was dead and jumped off a cliff, killing himself.

© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

[blam]

GGG Ping.

[Teflonic]

[Teflonic]

[Mount Athos]

I don't think they have too many 15th century B.C. artificats.

This item should be ascribed to Minoan culture not greek right?

[DoughtyOne]

Pretty cool...

[ZULU]

I think the Mycenaeans took over Crette AFTER 1500. So you are right - its Minoan. I don't think the Mycenaeans had the bull-leaping ritual either.

[bannie]

I wonder if the owner is going to sell it to the government...or have it taken away "for the good of all."

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Blam! What a find (regardless of who wore it, and what the real dating of it is).

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[kitchen]

Neat! How long before the NY Metropolitan Museum of Art has a knock-off in their catalog?

[SunkenCiv]

It is mainland in origin, as is the legend of the bull-leapers, but that could mean Anatolian as easily as Mycenaean Greek.

[Dustbunny]

Neat !!

[SunkenCiv]

The Argonaut Epos and Bronze Age Economic History
by Morris Silver
Revised May 14, 1999

Although this is a matter of dispute among linguists and regarded as not proven, it does seem possible that in Ugarit the same word argamannu (alphabetic argmn or irgmn) meant both 'purple' and 'tribute'. (van Soldt [1990: 344] maintains that argmn means only 'tribute' in the Ugaritic texts.) It is clear, however, that in the first millennium, in areas of Hittite background, the Akkadian word argamannu means both 'red purple wool' and 'tribute' (CAD s.v. argamannu)... Where did the Mycenaean gold come from? In the absence of significant production within Greece, it must have been of foreign origin (see Chadwick 1976: 45). However, neither the Linear B texts nor archaeology pinpoint the foreign source(s). However, it is reported that about 20 percent of the analyzed Mycenaean gold is of the tin-and platinum-free type also found in the rich gold found at Varna on the Bulgarian coast of the Black Sea (Muhly 1983: 3-4, citing Hartmann)... Hiller (1991: 214) notes a "striking correspondence" between names in the Argonaut epos and names in Mycenaean Linear B, especially from Pylos: He lists Aiaia (the island of Aia), Aites (the Lord of Aia), Athamas (father of Phrixos), Kretheus (brother of Athamas), Amythaon (son of Kretheus), Iason (leader of the Argonauts), Mopsos (seer of Argonauts), and Lynkeus (spy of Argonauts).

[SunkenCiv]

Crete: isle of the dead?
Frontier magazine | January-February 2000 | Philip Coppens
Posted on 08/04/2006 1:11:02 AM EDT by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1677518/posts

[SunkenCiv]

Speaking of Bulgarian sources for Minoan / Mycenaean gold:

German Scientists: Europe's Oldest Script Found in Bulgaria
Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Ancient tablets found in South Bulgaria... unearthed near the Southern town of Kardzhali, are over 35-centuries old, and bear the ancient script of the Cretan (Minoan) civilization, according to scientists from the University of Heidelberg, who examined the foundings. This is the Cretan writing, also known as Linear A script, which dates back to XV-XIV century B.C.

[RightWhale]

Are they still maintaining Theseus' ship mint original condition?

[apro]

The Minoan civilization appeared as the forerunner of the Greek civilization. Minoan culture's fusion with the Helladic (mainland Greek) traditions of the time eventually morphed into the Mycenaean civilization, which in turn challenged the Minoan supremacy in the Aegean. So basically Greek culture is based in Minoan-Mycenaean-Helladic civilization of the Aegean, quite a bit of Minoan culture got passed down to Mycenaean culture and from their to Doric culture, it was not the absolute end of Minoan culture. Later Hellenic civilizations had the same system of government as the Minoan-Mycenaean cultures had. Rhodes which was colonized by Dorians from Argos prior to 1000 B.C. was strongly influenced by the Minoan culture of Crete. The Gortyn Law Code inscription, a complete code of law, is based on Minoan tradition, despite the city's Doric origin and it dates to 450 B.C. Linear A is related to Linear B. Many of the symbols resemble those used in Linear B and have been assigned the same pronunciation. Both of the scripts share many of the same syllables and even after the fall of the Minoan civilization, inscriptions did survive dating from the 7th century BC to the 3rd century BC written in local archaic Greek alphabet and the Ionian Greek alphabet. And don't forget according Plato's Atlantis who recounts the story of various floods told by the Egyptians to Solon: the Greeks, had little memory of previous ages since their ancestors had been almost wiped out by the floods after the destruction of Atlantis, which most theorize nowdays is actually Minoan culture since it adds up with the great eruption of Thera. In esense according to Plato's Egyptian priests they considered the natives of "Atlantis" as ancestors of Platos people.

[SunkenCiv]

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[SunkenCiv]