I visited the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology on a clear, beautiful Saturday afternoon. Crowds flooded the streets and there was not a cloud in the sky, but I was content to be indoors at the Ashmolean. The museum greeted me with welcoming arms: big, beautiful, classically inspired columns in an entryway that was doing its best to be a Greek temple. The grand and classically inspired entrance is fitting for what I found to be a grand and – in reality – classical museum.
As an American, I have grown up thinking that all museums have an entry fee of at least eight dollars. So, naturally, I walked up to the ticket counter and asked the two nice women working there for a ticket. The young woman was teaching the older woman how to work the register. It seemed like it was the older woman’s first week at the museum. They nicely asked if I was a student, I said yes and showed them my Stanford ID, and they printed out a discounted ticket for me. I then asked for these women’s advice on their favorite part of the museum. They both said, “the gold crown.” While gold is shiny and fun to look at, I was hoping for a slightly more exciting answer, so I asked for a list of museum highlights. Since I didn’t have much time I wanted to know what I should definitely see. “The gold crown,” they said. I looked confused. They suddenly realized that they sold me a ticket, thinking that I wanted to go to the temporary exhibition that features the aforementioned gold crown. Oops, they neglected to inform me that the museum was actually free, but I paid to see the temporary exhibition. I was slightly irritated for a second, but I found out a few minutes later that these women unknowingly did me a huge favor. The temporary exhibition was spectacular.
The temporary exhibition, titled “Heracles to Alexander The Great: Treasures From The Royal Capital of Macedon, A Hellenic Kingdom in the Age of Democracy” was situated on the third floor, the highest floor in the building. My first thought was that the exhibition was put there because our society seems to view height as a status symbol – a thought coming from someone who is 5’4’’. Realistically, though, it was probably simply easier to situate the temporary exhibition there so the permanent exhibitions could win the public over and solicit hefty donations to keep the museum running. After lazily taking the elevator up three floors, I walked down a pristine white hallway to a glass door with an image of a Macedonian figure and exhibition title on it. Immediately upon opening the door and seeing the first room of the collection, I was awe-struck. As predicted, the first item in the collection one sees is an exquisite, gold wreath-crown from 300 BC that looks like it could have been made yesterday. Now I knew why the women at the ticket desk were raving.
The collection in this special exhibit focuses on the time of the Temenid kings of Macedonia, who, according to myth, were descended from Heracles (who many know by his Roman name, Hercules). They ruled from (and the objects in the museum come from) 650-167 BC. The most influential kings in this family were Philip II (who plays a starring role in the exhibition) and Alexander the Great. The exhibit contains many objects from funeral pyres, including that of Philip II who ruled from 359-336 BC. (Although it seems like the gold crown would have belonged to Philip, it actually belonged to an unknown cremated Greek youth. This struck me as eerie and unexpected.)
Two memorable pieces from Philip’s collection were: his gold Medusa head, exquisitely designed and about the size of a large button, and his pair of bronze greaves (shin armor), which perfectly reflected the muscularity of his legs. Although the Medusa head is well loved by the masses, I found the greaves to be more striking. Seeing them was like seeing the body of Philip II himself, and yet they looked like someone could have made them in the present day. The fact that humans 3,000 years ago were essentially the same as they are today never ceases to amaze me.
In addition to spectacularly preserved pottery, weaponry, tombstones, and wall paintings, there was remarkable evidence of the presence of powerful women in Macedonia. Because I found these particularly meaningful, I will conclude my report by reflecting upon this second, female-centric section of the exhibit. I found it to be personally relevant because, as an Ancient History major, I know very well that the ancient world was a man’s world. Rarely do I find myself with the opportunity to study women in the ancient world because, in my experience, there is little archaeological evidence for them. (I maintain a fantasy that there is ample data about women that I have somehow overlooked in my studies.) Not only did this exhibit represent the presence of women, but powerful women at that. Most – if not all – of the archaeological finds came from tombs and burials. I saw extravagant wall paintings from tombs, jewelry that provided a clear indication that women pierced their ears in 1000BC, soap/oil vessels, and more. My favorite part, however, was the display of two-dimensional figures of women adorned in Macedonian jewelry. They were decked out in the most beautiful and ornate gold, clay, and metal pieces imaginable. Again, I felt as if I was encountering Macedonian women from 1000 BC in person.
This exhibition was fantastic. I confess that my admiration of it was augmented by my Ancient History major. Moreover, it was a happy confirmation that my major is a great fit for me.
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