Field Notes

014

Painting Britain’s Roman Heritage

Four-volume Corpus of Mosaics to be Published by the British Museum

Not until the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 A.D. did the Romans finally depart Britain, a land they first invaded in 55 B.C. Their remains still litter the landscape: Hadrian’s wall in the north, the elaborate palace at Fishbourne on the southern coast and hundreds of mosaics throughout the region.

Time may have faded these once lustrous mosaics, but thanks to archaeological illustrators David Neal (above) and Steve Cosh (below), they will never be forgotten. For over 50 years, Neal and Cosh have been traveling to archaeological sites in Britain and painting painstaking reproductions of mosaics. Now they have gathered their paintings, along with original excavation reports and old photographs, to produce a detailed catalogue of nearly all of Britain’s Roman mosaics. The first of four volumes is tentatively scheduled to be published by the British Museum Press in August 1999. Soon after, the paintings and all relevant excavation material will be housed in a British Museum archive.

The invention of photography in the 19th century virtually eliminated the meticulous art of painting mosaics. But photographs, particularly older ones, are not always accurate. Lighting problems such as glare can make darker tesserae appear light, and despite the modern inventions of photographic towers and cranes, photographing mosaics often challenges photographers to negotiate tricky angles and positions.

Paintings can correct for these problems. Neal and Cosh pore over excavation notes to verify colors, measurements and shapes. By cutting loose tesserae in half and examining undercoats of paints, they can re-create mosaics that may have become faded or discolored. Cosh told Archaeology Odyssey that roughly 50 percent of the mosaics in the corpus are published in color for the first time.

Neal and Cosh have also been able to reconstruct mosaics “lost” to time, theft or erosion. For example, a mosaic at Brantingham, in north-eastern England, was stolen in 1948. It has not been seen since, but Neal was able to recreate it on paper using oblique black-and-white photographs taken before the mosaic was lifted. To reconstruct another mosaic, from Lufton in Somerset, Cosh studied black-and-white photos of different sections, a sketch of the overall design and a rubbing of the central scene done by the wife of the original excavator, Len Hayward. Hayward was thrilled to see Cosh’s finished painting; he had not seen the mosaic in color since it was excavated 50 years earlier.

Publishing the corpus in color is expensive, and the authors are currently raising money to subsidize their effort. Contributions should be sent to: ASPROM, c/o Dr. John Gower (Treasurer), The Square, Winscombe, Somerset BS25 1BS, United Kingdom.

015

Death in Athens

But Who Was It?

In “The Pathologists and the Emperor” (Field Notes, AO 02:01), we described how a team of historians and doctors from the University of Maryland and Pennsylvania State University diagnosed the disease that killed Alexander the Great in 323 B.C. Now the team has turned its sights elsewhere. Dr. R. Michael Benitez, of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, presents the following case history:

“A 65-year-old man is suffering from a fever, headache, sore throat and relentless vomiting. He was in excellent health until about a week ago, when he experienced the sudden onset of headache, red eyes and bad breath. On the third day of his illness, he began sneezing and coughing, and he had chest pain while breathing. On the sixth day, he began vomiting dark bilious fluid; he also contracted a fever so intense he could not wear any clothing. Although he drank water incessantly, he could not satisfy his thirst.

“The patient is a resident of Athens, Greece, where he has lived his entire life, except for short excursions throughout the eastern Mediterranean. He spent his early years in the military, rising to the rank of commanding general of the armed forces. In recent years, he has devoted himself to politics.

“His marriage has produced two sons, aged 25 and 30, both of whom have recently died of a similar illness. The patient has also maintained a stable relationship with a mistress for 20 years; a 10-year-old son from this union is alive and well. The patient’s father died in battle at 47 years of age. His sister recently died in her mid-60s of a similar illness. He has one brother, whose condition is unknown.

“Similar symptoms have afflicted large numbers of Athenians. The epidemic began last year, not long after Athens came to blows with a neighboring city-state. Enemy forces have attacked Athenian territories and ravaged the surrounding countryside; but these forces have not suffered from the disease. Refugees entering the city, however, are quickly infected.

“The disease, which attacks all age groups and socioeconomic strata, is reported to have originated in sub-Saharan Africa; it may have entered Athens through the city’s port, Piraeus. Much of the eastern Mediterranean is now at risk. The epidemic waxes and wanes, but it does not appear to be seasonal. A quarter of the people infected by the disease have died; but those who recover exhibit immunity to further attacks. Some survivors have permanent mental disability, blindness or gangrenous loss of fingers or toes. According to some unsubstantiated reports, dogs and birds have died after feeding on infected human corpses.

“The patient is alert but extremely weak. Despite his dehydration, he appears well nourished; his pulse is rapid and steady, and he breaths deeply. He complains of an intense fever, yet his skin is moist, not hot, to the touch. His eyes are red, as is the back of his throat, which is also covered with clotted blood. His breath is foul smelling. Wheezes and raspy sounds are heard in both lungs. He has a diffuse red rash occurring in slightly raised bumps and circles.

“He has been treated with cool baths, though he has not felt relief. On the ninth day of illness, he developed profuse diarrhea, with progressive dehydration and debilitation. Cardiovascular collapse occurred on the 11th day of illness. Now he dies.”

Who is the patient and when did he die? (For the answer, see our Web page [www.bib-arch.org/odyssey.html] or wait until our next issue.

016

Slumber Disturbed

Was the Ancient Iceman a New Age Health Freak?

Last year, Oetzi, the 5,200-year-old iceman found in 1991 by hikers in the Italian Alps, found a permanent resting place in Bolzano, Italy (“The Iceman Sleepeth,” Field Notes, AO 01:02), but the hubbub surrounding him has not subsided. Dozens of research teams are now investigating the body for clues to everything from what he ate to what he believed.

Two studies of Oetzi have recently been released: Tattoos found on the iceman’s body have been declared the oldest evidence of acupuncture, and an analysis of Oetzi’s hair shows he was probably a vegetarian.

Fifteen groups of simple tattoos, including five groups of tattoos along the spine and a cross on the left ankle, correspond to acupuncture points still used today to combat back pain. According to Dr. Frank Bahr, president of the German Academy for Acupuncture, the marks may have constituted a map showing where to massage the body in order to relieve rheumatic pain. Previously, the practice of acupuncture was thought to have originated in China around 1000 B.C., but Oetzi’s tattoos may mean that acupuncture was practiced in Europe two millennia earlier.

Another research team, led by Dr. Stephen Macko of the University of Virginia, is testing tiny clippings of Oetzi’s hair for carbon, nitrogen and sulfur, hoping to discover the mummy’s favorite foods. Although he was found with bow and arrows, Oetzi had not eaten meat or dairy products for some months before his death. Macko told Archaeology Odyssey, “I can’t say the iceman never ate meat, but the isotope values we found in Oetzi put him right at the same values we have for modern European vegetarians.”

016

Current Exhibitions

Splendors of Ancient Egypt

The famous wandering exhibit makes its only East Coast appearance.

Canaan and Ancient Israel

The University of Pennsylvania Museum’s new gallery addresses the question, “What shaped the identities of the various peoples in the Bible?” The exhibit features more than 500 artifacts dating back as far as 5000 B.C.

Egyptian Funerary Arts and Ancient Near East Galleries

Have you wondered what it was like to live in ancient Babylon? Or what’s under Egyptian mummy wrappings? These new galleries will answer those questions and much more.

The New Greek Galleries

The Met has dramatically refurbished its Greek galleries in the museum’s south wing. The new rooms display masterworks from the Archaic and Classical periods (sixth to fourth centuries B.C.).

Painting Britain’s Roman Heritage
Four-volume Corpus of Mosaics to be Published by the British Museum
Not until the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 A.D. did the Romans finally depart Britain, a land they first invaded in 55 B.C. Their remains still litter the landscape: Hadrian’s wall in the north, the elaborate palace at Fishbourne on the southern coast and hundreds of mosaics throughout the region.