• Italy: Ciao Bella
    Cyprus-style terracotta figurine from Old Smyrna (Archaic Period [c. 800-480 BCE in Ancient Greece])
    Scale weight made from bronze (Eastern Roman Period b/w 476-1453 CE).Glass and tile bead necklace (Archaic-Classical-Hellenistic Period).Painted glass amphoriskos and alabastron used to store/dispense scented oils, perfumes, and such.1Terracotta oinophoros designed to carry or serve wine (Roman Period b/w 2nd century BCE to 1453 CE).Terracotta pithos grave from Yeşilova (Early Bronze Age [c. 3300-2000 BCE]).1Terracotta dinos from Pitane-Çandarlı (Orientalizing Period [750-600BCE]).Terracotta lekane (serving dish) rom Pitane-Çandarlı (Orientalizing Period [750-600BCE]).Squat Lekythos (used to dispense oils or perfume) with the figure of a winged youth; likely Eros.Collection of Orientalizing Period amphorae, plates w/stands, and urns.Mural depicting medical practices during antiquity.Marble statue of of Asklepios from Metropolis (Hellenistic Period [c. 330-30 BCE]).Glass jars and stirring sticks used in medical practices (Roman Period).2Mural depicting Alexander the Great as he dreams about founding Smyrna (today's İzmir) in 334 BCE.Marble statue of Athena from the Vedius Gymnasium @ Ephesus (Roman Period).Marble statue of a philosopher from Ephesus (Roman Period)1Terracotta rython (drinking/pouring vessel) from Old Smyrna (Archaic Period [750-480 BCE]).Gold myrtle leaves (Ephesus; Hellenistic Period) & glass necklace stone (Roman Period).2Collection of gold jewelry from Roman/Classical/Hellenistic Periods.Bronze oil lamp (Hellenistic Period [334-30 BCE]).Terracotta figurine from Neonteikhos [modern day Menemen] (Hellenistic Period).1Collection of terracotta women's heads (Classical Period from 6th to 4th century BCE).One of several dioramas at the museum ... this one depicting a marble workshop.Marble lid of a sarcophagus from c. 220 CE ... depicting a reclining couple.Marble sarcophagus (Roman Period).

    İzmir: TSF … Archaeology Museum

    June 3 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    Officially, there are two museums at the Tekel Sanat Fabrikası (Tekel Arts Factory) — the Painting & Sculpture Museum and the Archaeology & Ethnography Museum. I actually consider the latter two separate museums since the collections are distinctly different.

    After checking out the marbling art exhibit, we wandered through the Archaeology Museum, which is on the ground and first floors of the main building. We’ll go back to re-visit the Ethnography Museum — on the top floor of the main building — another time.

    Our museum visit took us on a trip into antiquity as we browsed artifacts ranging from marble and bronze statues, to terracotta figurines and pottery, to decorative glass perfume bottles and gold jewelry, to medical instruments and symbols of death … the latter in the form of sarcophagi and pithos graves. And so much more.

    Whenever I re-visit a place — be it a museum or a town or a gallery — I like to compare the recent photos with the ones I took previously. Why? To see if I was drawn to the same artifacts/places/works of art again … or if something different caught my eye. I’ll have to wait to do my comparison of today’s photos as the ones from 2023 may well be on a hard drive at our house in Colorado. That said, I suspect there will be several duplicates!    Read more