AEGEANET Splendid large-scale paintings found in Macedonian to
Elizabeth Kosmetatou
Kai merika Bergiviwtika:
Liza
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>Date: Fri, 31 Jan 97 20:34:31 GMT
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>Subject: AEGEANET Splendid large-scale paintings found in Macedonian to
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>SUBJECT too long. Original SUBJECT is 'AEGEANET Splendid large-scale
paintings found in Macedonian tombs'
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>VERGINA, Greece, Jan 30 (Reuter) - Splendid large-scale paintings found in
>>Macedonian tombs have not only revealed an unknown side of ancient Greek
>>art but could shed light on the political riddles of their time. An
>>archaeologists dream come true, the group of royal tombs unearthed outside
>>this northern Greek farm village in the late 1970s includes one thought to
>>belong to the father of Alexander the Great, King Philip of Macedon.
>>
>>The discovery of gold jewellery, precious artefacts and a human skeleton
>>thought to be Philip himself briefly eclipsed the stunning but faint
>>pictures on the walls of the luxurious temple-like tombs built around 350
>>BC.
>>
>>Archaeologists say the pictures have not only enriched their scant
>>first-hand knowledge of ancient Greek painting but could reveal some of
>>Alexanders political power games. Topping the facade of Philips stately
>>marble tomb, a 5.5-metre (yard) partly-damaged hunting scene looks as if
>>the Parthenon frieze has come to life in vibrant colour.
>>
>>``We think that the central figure of a youth could be Alexander and the
>>older, bearded figure preparing to slay a lion to the right is his father
>>Philip, said archaeologist Chryssoula Paliadeli, a professor at the
>>University of Salonika, who is writing a paper on the painting.
>>
>>ALEXANDER MAKES POLITICAL POINT
>>
>>She said it is possible that Alexander, who commissioned the painting
>>after his fathers death, might have been sending a message to the crowds
>>attending the burial that he was now the central and prime political
>>figure.
>>
>>``The painter was taking orders from Alexander, who could not have
>>resisted the chance to make a political point on such a public occasion,
>>she said. ``I am looking at all the historical evidence that could
>>illuminate this. The Macedonian warrior king who campaigned as far east
>>as India, succeeded his father Philip after he was stabbed to death at the
>>peak of his glory while attending a procession. While the location of
>>Alexanders grave remains a great archaeological mystery, the discovery of
>>Philips tomb by Greek archaeologist Manolis Andronikos is among the
>>richest finds of the century.
>>
>>Evidence is far from conclusive. But scientists say they can reconstruct
>>Philips skull from bone fragments, complete with an eyesocket damaged from
>>a battle wound. The artefacts point to the richest royal Macedonian burial
>>found to date, while the fact the tomb was hastily shut with unfinished
>>interior walls suggests Alexander must have wanted the issue of Philips
>>death closed quickly so he could be on the march.
>>
>>COLOURS REMAIN ON TOMB FACADES
>>
>>Buried under a dirt tumulus to evade grave looters, the monumental tombs
>>still bear bright colours on their facades. ``These tombs give us a much
>>more realistic picture of ancient Greek architecture, which was very
>>colourful and unlike the all-white Parthenon at the Acropolis, Paliadeli
>>said. Known as the Princes tomb, a smaller building next to Philips could
>>belong to Alexanders slain teenage son, Alexander IV.
>>
>>The large painting adorning its facade was done on a leather and wood
>>canvas and has since crumbled to dust but an interior frieze of a chariot
>>race survives intact. Of much greater artistic value is a painting
>>covering three out of four interior walls of a small, raided grave next to
>>Philips, said Vergina curator Angeliki Kottaridou, who was a student of
>>the late Andronikos.
>>
>>It shows the god Pluto, ruler of the underworld, sweeping up to his
>>horse-drawn chariot young Persephone as she unsuspectingly picks field
>>flowers.
>>
>>MORE RENAISSANCE THAN CLASSICAL GREEK
>>
>>The nearly life-size composition looks more like the Renaissance paintings
>>of Raphael and Michelangelo than the monochromatic vase paintings of
>>Classical Greece. Andronikos believed this was the work of a famous
>>ancient Greek painter, Nicomachus, whose style as described in historical
>>records matches the abduction scene, Kottaridou said. ``Before these
>>discoveries all we had was the pale imitations of Greek paintings in
>>Pompei. Now we see that artistic achievement reached as late as the
>>Renaissance had already been reached by the ancient Macedonians, she
>>added.
>>
>>Although by Philips time Macedonians had moved their capital from ancient
>>Aigaimodern day Verginato Pella, where exquisite mosaics have been
>>discovered, they continued to bury their royal dead here.
>>
>>Visitors can see the tombs in the crypt-like museum built under a
>>reconstructed tumulus, rising just outside the village of Vergina, 35 km
>>(22 miles) east of Salonika.
>>
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