Minerva Magazine - November/December 2018

In this issue

Twilight of the gods
Stunning exhibits on show in Leiden – both from the Nederlands’ National Museum of Antiquities and on loan from national and private collections – reveal the mysteries of Ancient Egypt’s many deities. Maarten J Raven

King of the world
Assyria’s ruler Ashurbanipal and Nineveh, his ‘city of sin’ have had a bad press but this scholarly king, who inherited a vast empire, also built up an outstanding library of cuneiform tablets. Dominic Green

A tale of four cities
Destroyed, damaged, looted or neglected, the ancient cities of Palmyra, Aleppo, Mosul and Leptis Magna can now be seen in dazzling virtual reconstructions at L’institut du monde arabe in Paris. Nicole Benazeth

Pointing the finger
The discovery of Emperor Constantine’s missing bronze index finger in the Louvre points in the direction of the Campana collection, many of whose treasures are currently displayed there. Dalu Jones

Found in translation
Emily Wilson, Professor of Classics at the University of Pennsylvania, the first woman to translate Homer’s Odyssey, talks about the challenges of the task and explains why she kept the metres running. Lucia Marchini

On site at Sardis
The capital of the Lydian King Croesus is where money was first coined and it offers rich archaeological rewards to Professor Cahill and his Sardis Expedition team who make use of the latest technology. Ismail Mardin

Anglo-Saxon attitudes
The last book written by historian Jean Manco unravels the origins of the Anglo-Saxons, while an exhibition on the same subject at the British Library includes a manuscript not seen here since AD 716. David Miles

Divine Boy Causes No Offence In Oxford

Antinous went from country boy to the firm favourite of the Emperor Hadrian (AD 11738) to cult figure in just a few years and, since his death in AD 130 (he drowned in the River Nile), he has been commemorated in busts and statues and on coins and medals. Now, he is celebrated at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

3 mins

Devotion And Decadence

After its tour to four venues across the US, then to Paris and Copenhagen, Devotion and Decadence: The Berthouville Treasure and Roman Luxury has reached its final destination at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW) in New York.

4 mins

Twilight Of The Gods

Professor Maarten J Raven, who is retiring after 40 years at the National Museum of Antiquities of the Netherlands, shows us round his farewell exhibition, Gods of Egypt.

5 mins

King Of The World

Far from being simply a power-grabbing ruler and military strategist, the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal was a scholar, who assembled the first comprehensive library in the world, discovers Dominic Green when he visits the British Museums new exhibition.

8 mins

A Tale Of Four Cities

It is far too dangerous to visit four of the ancient worlds most splendid cities (Palmyra, Aleppo, Mosul and Leptis Magna) but Nicole Benazeth travels through time and space to see them in a state-of-the-art virtual exhibition at LInstitut du monde arabe in Paris.

8 mins

Pointing The Finger

The Campana art collection was assembled in Italy, acquired by Napoleon III, and then dispersed among the museums of France, including the Louvre, and also the Hermitage in Russia; Dalu Jones traces its journey.

7 mins

Found In Translation

Professor Emily Wilson tells Lucia Marchini how she dealt with the intricacies of translating Homers great epic poem the Odyssey.

10+ mins

On Site At Sardis

Ismail Mardin reports back after spending time with Professor Nicholas Cahill and his team who are using both traditional and cutting-edge scientific methods to explore and analyse the site of the Lydian capital in Turkey and the many diverse finds unearthed there.

9 mins

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Minerva Magazine Description:

Now available for iPad, Minerva magazine gives anyone with an interest in archaeology and antiquities a compelling insight into the ancient world. Minerva explores the lost civilisations of the past, from Ancient Egypt to Greece, Rome and the mighty empires of the Middle East and Asia.

For over 25 years, Minerva has revealed record-breaking auction results, exciting new finds, and untold stories of the distant past, spanning the Stone Age to the Dark Ages and beyond.

Each issue includes:
• News of finds and research from around the world
• Original research by international experts
• Reviews of major new exhibitions
• Latest trends and auction reports from the antiquities market
• In-depth features on history’s most fascinating people and events
• Profiles of leading figures from the world of archaeology
• Reviews of new publications and a must-have events diary