Archaeology Magazine - November/December 1983 - 78

NEWS

BRIEFS

The World of
Ivories
Ancient
at the Walters
The hippopotamus,one of the most
intriguinganimalsof antiquity,was a
major source of ivoryin Egypt.In fact,
artistsfrequently(and respectfully)carved
ivoryimages of these large and dangerous creatures using the hippos' very
tusks.
Ivorycarving,whichwas highlydeveloped beforewrittenhistorybegan around
3200 B.C.,had a long historyin Egypt.
Used firstfor practicalitems such as fishOne of the four seasons, a favoritesubject
in Roman decorativearts, this bone
statuetteof Autumnonce decorated a box.

Takes
The Smithsonian
Stock
The SmithsonianInstitutionrecently
completed an exhaustive,five-year-long,
tabulationof its collections,
shelf-by-shelf
the firstcomprehensiveinventoryin its 137year history."The great counting,"as it
came to be known among the staff of the
nine museums that make up the Smithsonian complex,determined that its holdingstotal 100 millionspecimensand artifacts,ranging from microscopicfossilsto
modern sculpture.
The Museumof Natural History,the
Smithsonian'slargestcollection,is home to
approximately81 millionspecimens.
The 2.4 millionethnologicaland archaeologicalartifactsin its anthropologydepartment,consideredone of the largestand
78

ARCHAEOLOGY

hooks and spears, ivorysoon gained
popularityas a medium for elegant
jewelry,mechanicaltoys and inlays.
A special exhibitionat the WaltersArt
Galleryin Baltimore- "AncientIvories"highlightsthe artistryand practicalityof
On displaythrough Januivory-carving.
ary 15, 1984, the show is based on the
collectionof Henry Walters,founder of
the museum. Walterswas fascinatedby
all types of ivoryand gathered objects
rangingin date from its earliestuse,
about 8000 B.C.,to the early 20th
century.
Some of the most beautifulivory
objectsdate from Egyptian,Etruscan,
Greek, and Roman times. Yet it was
Egypt'shighlydeveloped ivorytradition
that influencedthe rest of the ancient
world.Duringthe Late BronzeAge
(16th-12thcenturiesB.C.),Syrianartisans
copied and adapted Egyptianmotifs.Far
to the west, a Phrygian"school" of carving developed in what is now central
Turkey.To the east stillanother ivory
school has been discoveredin the powerful ancient kingdom of Urartu (Armenia).
In Greece, where ivorycarversnever
even saw a hippopotamus,ivorywas
considered a suitablematerialfor the
gods. It so resembled human flesh,
reports the Roman poet Ovid,that one
ivorystatue actuallycame to life.It is not
surprising,then, that the more than lifesize 5th-centuryB.C.cult statues of
Athena at Athens and Zeus at Olympia
should have their faces, arms and feet
made of ivory.
By the time of Alexanderthe Great
(356-323 B.C.),ivorywas used to represent people as wellas gods. The miniature ivoryimages recovered recently
from the royal burial at Verginain
northern Greece are believedto represent members of the Macedonianroyal
family.An ivorybust of Alexanderin the
WaltersArt Galleryis clearlyrelated in
styleto the ivoryheads from the royal
tomb at Vergina,and likethe Vergina
figures,it probablydecorated a banquet
or funeral couch.
finestin the world,include 10,000 19thcentury Indian pots from the Southwest,
15,312ceramic objects,13,972 baskets,
and 35,594 human skeletons.
On the average, no more than one
percent of the Smithsonian'sholdingsis on
displayat any one time. The remainder
is stored behind the scenes and used byresearchersand held for future exhibitions.
Artifactsare often rotated between exhibitionhallsand storageareas to add variety to the displays.
In the comingmonths,millionsof specimens from some 2,000 research departments of the Museum of Natural History
willbe moved to the new Museum
Support Center in Suitland,Maryland,designed for the Smithsonian'sscientific
collectionsand for the researchand conservationwork involvingthese collections.

Antiquities
Egyptian
in Memphis
On Display
ArdentEgyptophilesshouldnot missthe
current exhibition"A DivineTour of
AncientEgypt"at the UniversityGallery
of MemphisState University.The show
includesmore than 75 artifacts,ranging
from statuary,papyri and the familiar
Egyptianmummy.
A collectionof ancient Egyptianart
from the permanent collectionof the
UniversityGallery- the only publiccollectionof Egyptianart in the Mid-South
-will also be on display.The ancient
Egyptiancenters of Abydos,Memphis
and Thebes are highlightedin the exhibition, whichclosesDecember8, 1983.
Bills Introduced
Shipwreck
Concerned nauticalarchaeologistsare
callingon the publicand their colleagues
on land to support two billsrecentlyintroduced into the UnitedStates Congress.
These bills,if passed into law,would
protect shipwrecksnot only for archaeologists but for future generations of
diversas well.
Identicalin text,the bills(Senate bill
1504 and House of Representativesbill
3194) would remove historicalshipwrecksfromAdmiraltylaw,where they are
prey for treasure hunting and looting,
and wouldplacethem under statepreservation lawslike other archaeologicalsites.
Anyone interestedin supportingthese
billsshould writetheir Congressman,
the co-sponsorsof Senate bill 1504 (The
Honorable LloydBentsen and the Honorable John Tower,United States Senate, Washington,DC 20515), or the
sponsorof HR3194(TheHonorableWalter
G. Jones, House OfficeBuilding,House
of Representatives,Washington,DC
20515).

Institute
Archaeological
Two
Announces
Fellowships
Applicationsforthe OliviaJames Traveling Fellowshipand the HarrietPomerane
Fellowshipare nowbeingacceptedforconsiderationby the ArchaeologicalInstitute
of America.The OliviaJames Fellowship
carriesa stipend of $5,500 and is available to students who wish to travel and
study in Greece, the Aegean Islands,
Sicily,southern Italy,AsiaMinor;or Mesopotamia. The Harriet Pomerane Fellowshipof $1,750willenable an individual
to work on a project related to Aegean
BronzeAge archaeology.
Informationabout both fellowshipsis
availablebywritingthe Archaeological
Institute of America,RO. Box 1910,Kenmore
Station,Boston,MA02215.The deadline
for all applicationsis January 31, 1984.

Archaeology Magazine - November/December 1983

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Archaeology Magazine - November/December 1983