The blistering pendant with the face of the ancient God of light, Helios, originated from the islands of Carria, Rhodes (Circa 230-205 BC), is a magnificent coin replica of numismatic art in ancient Greece.
Helios, personification of the Sun in Greek mythology, was son of Titans. He was a handsome god crowned with a shining aureole.
The island of Rhodes is almost the only place where Helios enjoys an important cult. In Greek mythology, Rhodes was the goddess of the island of Rhodes and wife of Helios, personification of the sun-god. You can make out the Rhodes name (in Greek) above the rose and bud on the reverse side. The obverse ('heads' side) shows Helios himself. The pattern of Helios and rose with bud appears often on coins of ancient Greece.
The pendant is made of sterling silver with a diameter of 2,2 cm (0,9 inch).
Sunday, December 8, 2013
The bees of Malia
One of the most renowned
jewelry designs of all time, The Bees of Malia, an incredible artifact hosted
by the Heraklion Μuseum, Crete.
The bees of Malia are considered to be of the most definitive
archaeological findings of Jewelry from the Minoan civilization. These gold
bees are depicted storing away a drop of honey in a comb.
The finding is displayed at the 'Heraklion'
Αrchaeological Μuseum in Crete. It dates back more than 3800 years. Excavated
by the French from the Chrysolakkos necropolis in Mallia, Crete, first
published in 1930 (P. Demargne, BCH54 (1930) pp.404-21 and pl.19).
Even with today's
standards, the skill and
craftsmanship evident on the Malia bees is phenomenal and unsurpassed, and still
leaves even the most skilled jeweler breathless and bewildered with its
granulated detail and extremely challenging
structure. This item constitutes one of the most important and renowned
specimens of Minoan art and ancient jewelry on a universal level.
We're happy to announce partnership with another one of the world's key museums. November 24th is the opening date for the first ever display on such large scale of Greek antiquities at the Australian Museum in Sydney lent from the permanent collection of the Hermitage. Apart from viewing one of the most significant collections of antiquities from the reign and era of Alexander the Great, visitors to this event from around the world will also be able to view and purchase a large collection of Ancient Greek Jewelry from our very own collection which will be the official merchandise at the Museum gift shop.
Over 400 significant ancient artifacts from the hermitage will be on show which are travelling in 3 different shipments from Russia for security purposes. The selection of our jewelry available for purchase at the gift shop consists of numerous Hellenistic jewelry and coinage jewelry in the form of rings, necklaces, bracelets, cufflinks and earrings.
Tickets and further information about the event are available from the dedicated Alexander in Sydney website
Its that time of year again when our skilled artisans simply deserve to spend quality time with their families after a hard year's work!
The heat is on in Greece for good.. in more than the Celsius scale! And rest is the best way to prepare before another battle this September. The sky is blue, the sea is soothing and there's nothing new to us-Greeks about comedy and tragedy - all an inseparable part of life.
While we're on a break, and dipping in the rich Aegean blue waves, your orders get a bonus of 25% off all our prices - That means that by waiting to receive the items just a little longer, you get an incredible 1/4 of our prices off for your valued custom!
Customer service will still be open to answer any customer questions by email.
Details about how to participate in this super-deal can be found at special discounts and promotion codes (the offer is 25% at the time of publishing but will finish if you wait longer than August 20th or so)
At these historically difficult times for Greece, there is little that can be said to alleviate the grief and pain for the strike against the civilized world in the heart of historic Europe. For all those passengers in life who have passed through Greece once or a few times in their lives and felt the warmth and the blessed-by-God earth and sea of the aegean, words have no meaning. The light of truth is everywhere, between the passenger and Him. Who has not spoken with Him under the sun of the Aegean? As a ritual, each traveler has been allowed this moment.
Such is the warmth of Greece. The calm depth of simplicity, warms the heart, and happiness, comedy and tragedy become one. Such beauty makes engages everyone. Indeed even the gods of Olympus were permeable receptors of such passion, weakness and the humble beauty of humanity. We are not gods, we are human yet with many flaws. We, the Greeks (or Hellenes) understand the essence of freedom and civilization and we have been credited for this. Indeed we envisaged 'Europa' in our myths as an artiste persuaded and subdued by the tempting reincarnation of Zeus as a Bull. This was the true Greek myth. This is what makes us Hellenes. As Alexander the Great advocated, taught by Aristotle, 'He who is a Hellene is not so by birth right but by choice - as every man is free have Hellenic thought'.
Greece has been humiliated but it is not finished. It is too wise to forget, and it has struggled too much in the past to give up. Greece is NOT hopeless because it is a country rich in history, and having history is having wisdom and belonging. Wisdom is to learn from one's mistakes and to set the example for those mistakes of others. Those who carry a little of Greece in their hearts or in their memories must always find room to smile.. for the sun is still shining on us.
I just realized that what I tried to describe as the beautiful feeling of spring in Greece (in my last post), has already been said, more poetically, more eloquently and at least 40 years in advance by the brilliant composer Hatzidakis..
'The Greeks' have a tragic tendency to praise talent and importance after death. This may be partly due to wisdom, as indeed one's entire role in life can only be fully judged by what this person leaves behind. On the other hand, this austerity of judgement may also embody - in a nutshell - why Greek culture has failed to progress significantly since our country was granted independence and was re-established as a state after 1821.
As a Greek citizen, this factor is indeed quite saddening at times when repeatedly in history it has proved to require death, before the acknowledgement of a hero or a patriot who has paid his/her dues to serving their conscience and justifying patriotic means at the same time.
Nana Mouskouri is a Lady (with all the meaning of the word) who has served Greece and yet has hardly been acknowledged or appreciated by the Greek state anywhere near as much as as she has earned and deserved through her long career in music and later politics. After having sold over 300 million records worldwide and having represented Greece with utmost grace and persistence, for just over 50 years, it is blatantly clear that she deserves a great deal more recognition from the Greek state and Greek people than she has received. If she were British she would have been Knighted by the Queen to say the least.
Politics: Nana Mouskouri was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1993. She took over from the previous ambassador, the recently deceased actress Audrey Hepburn. Mouskouri's first U.N. mission took her to Bosnia to draw attention to the plight of children affected by Bosnian war. She was deeply moved by her experience in Bosnia and went on to give a series of fund-raising concerts in Sweden and Belgium.
She was elected a Member of the European Parliament from 1994 until 1999, when she resigned from her position as an MEP, reportedly because as a pacifist, she refused to back wars.
As it goes and as one Greek to another, from a much younger generation than you Nana, and with the humility appointed to me by no one else other by my conscience, I say THANK YOU Nana, for your devotion to art and humanity and for your unrecognized efforts for Greece.
