Category: CULTURE

News about culture and cultural heritage

Egyptian archaeologists unearth tomb of 18th Dynasty magistrate in west Luxor

An Egyptian archaeological mission in Luxor has announced the discovery of a major tomb in the city’s west bank area dating back to the 18th Dynasty and containing priceless artefacts.

Mostafa Waziry, Director General of Luxor Antiquities, told reporters on Tuesday that the tomb, which was unearthed in the Deraa Abu El-Nagaa necropolis, most likely belonged to the city’s counsullor Usrhat.

The New Kingdom funerary collection includes dozens of statues, coffins and mummies.

Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany told Ahram Online that, despite the tomb’s small size, it represents an important discovery due to the funery collection being largely intact.

Waziry, who heads the Luxor achaeological mission, told Ahram Online that the tomb was first mentioned in the early 20th century but it had never been excavated before because its entrance was only located in March.

He said that, despite having been reused in the Late Period, the tomb still contains most of its original funery collection.

The contents include well-preserved wooden coffins decorated with coloured scenes, as well as wooden funerary masks and almost 1,000 ushabti figurines carved in faience, terra-cotta and wood. Also found was a collection of clay pots of different shapes and sizes.

The tomb is a typical example of a nobleman’s resting place, Waziry said, with a t-shaped structure consisting of an open court leading into a rectangular hall, a corridor and an inner chamber.

Excavations continue to reveal the tomb’s secrets, with an inner chamber containing a cachette of sarcophagi from the 21st Dynasty with mummies wrapped in linen. Experts are examining the mummies to discover the identities of the dead and the reasons for their deaths.

A nine-metre-deep shaft was also uncovered, connected to two rooms.

(english.ahram.org.eg)

May 12, 2017
7th Edition of Nassim El Raqs

May 3, 2017
Athens and Epidaurus Festival 2017: Youthful, Alternative, Political

Since its inception in 1955 the “Athens and Epidaurus Festival” was staged at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in an attempt to bridge modern recollections of antiquity with contemporary artistic output. In recent years the Festival forged a modern identity opening up to cutting-edge international productions, and promoting young Greek artists who have something to say to contemporary audiences.

Throughout this summer, the Festival will present a rich programme of open-air theatre, ancient drama, opera, classical music, concerts and dance performances at landmark locations in Athens and Epidaurus. Its new identity – a festival that is inclusive, that reflects its host city, and that brings the livelier aspects of society back into play is being enhanced this year launching a series of new sections, collaborations, and openings, which according to the Festival’s artistic director, Vangelis Theodoropoulos will “hopefully revitalize the Greek performing scene and over time bear fruit and become established parts of the Festival,” adding that its intention is to be “able to give a first taste of the direction in which we are interested, an initial positioning -youthful, alternative and at the same time political.”

This year will see the launch of the Epidaurus Lyceum, an international summer school of ancient Greek drama intended for drama school students and young actors from all over the world. The 2017 Epidaurus performances and the courses on offer at the Epidaurus Lyceum, as well as other relevant activities will fall under a common theme. With the migrant and refugee crisis continuously testing and trying the identity of Western societies, this year’s umbrella title for all Epidaurus and Lyceum productions is “The Arrival of the Stranger” as reflected in ancient texts and in the interplay of ancient drama and the historical present.

This year will also see the launch of another important new section of the Festival: “Opening to the City”. Encompassing performances and events at non-theatrical spaces, site-specific, poetic and musical performances, and activist interventions in dodgy or run-down areas of the city, this section seeks to counteract the increasingly withdrawn and introspective stance of society, responding to the fear of diversity, and taking a stand against parochial, insular, and racist attitudes at large.

The Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus will feature works by both accomplished and emerging Greek directors. The Little Theatre of Ancient Epidaurus will host productions with a more alternative take on ancient drama, including a Festival d’Avignon production, directed by Olivier Py. The stages of Peiraios 260 will be dedicated, as usual, to contemporary theatre and dance productions. The Odeon of Herodes Atticus will host principally musical productions, including operas, orchestras, and concerts of classical, modern Byzantine, folk, and contemporary Greek music.

In an outgoing spirit that looks to connect the Athens and Epidaurus Festival with other institutional actors, the Festival also renewed its cooperation with the Athens International Film Festival “Opening Nights”, for the purposes of the Athens Open Air Film Festival. This year, with the support of the British Council, the Athens Open Air Film Festival has prepared a tribute to mystery, horror and dark surprises to turn your summer night on their heads! Gothic horror and romance stories based on the darkest fears and desires will be the cinematic myths featured in «British Gothic».

As for the international program, it will include a multifaceted tribute to the world-famous Volksbühne, featuring three major productions, among which a performance by its outgoing artistic director, Frank Castorf, who ran the historic Berlin theatre for 25 years.

The Epidaurus programme will come to an end with a closing celebration at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus on Saturday 19 August, featuring music and dances from the Peloponnese region.

(www.greeknewsagenda.gr)

April 30, 2017
University of Athens online course: The arts of ancient Greece

Offered by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (UoA) Centre of Continuing Education & Training and taught in English, distance learning programmes and courses provide the opportunity to combine novel learning and teaching techniques with the ability to study anytime and anywhere.

As part of the arts/culture category of the UoA’s e-learning programmes, “The arts of ancient Greece: the birth of classical taste” offers a journey through the fascinating developments in Greek art in the period between 1200 to 30 BCE. Introducing participants to an extraordinary cultural phenomenon, the course caters to the beginner in the study of the classical world, the non-specialist as well as to the art enthusiast.

The course addresses questions such as:

– What is Greek art?

– Which were its founding principles?

– Who were the greatest Greek artists, when did they live and how did their work affect generations to come?

– Which creations of ancient Greek art are today thought of as masterpieces of unrivalled merit?

– Which archaeological discoveries have helped us understand classical Greece in its essence?

Beginning May 15th, this 12-week course welcomes both undergraduate and graduate students, art and archaeology aficionados as well as anyone with an interest in the history of Greece or the classical world.

Upon successful completion, participants will receive a Training Certificate. Tuition fees amount to 350 € and applications run until May 8th.

University of Athens’ e-learning programmes

Drawing on the expertise of senior faculty members and renowned European academics, UoA offers e-learning programmes in a wide array of fields, ranging from art and health to business and nanotechnology, through a friendly online educational platform.

Culture and Arts Online Programmes provide a deeper understanding of the aspects defining the daily life of Ancient Greeks, taking a close look at fields related to philosophy, theatre and rituals that established the uniqueness of Greek civilization. These online courses offer the opportunity to increase one’s knowledge of a culture attracting global interest for centuries and standing as the originator of most arts as we know them.

It is worth mentioning that over the past fifteen years more than 45,000 people have joined the continuous professional development (CPD) and lifelong learning (LLL) courses of UoA’s e-Learning Programmes.

(www.greeknewsagenda.gr)

April 30, 2017