2023-10-02 12:03:28
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A rare bronze mirror was found in an ancient grave
The burial cave of an ancient Greek courtesan who died at a young age approximately 2,300 years ago has been discovered at an archaeological site in Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority reported.
A cave containing the remains of a young woman who was likely a courtesan during the Hellenistic period, as well as a well-preserved rare bronze mirror, was discovered near Hebron Road in Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said yesterday.
The tomb, discovered in a cave on a rocky slope near Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, dates back to the 4th or 3rd century BC. The courtesan’s remains – charred human bones – have been identified as female.
The most likely conclusion is that the tomb belonged to a hetaera who accompanied a high-ranking official during the campaigns of Alexander the Great or subsequent wars of succession, died during the journey and was buried by the side of the road. Married women in the ancient Hellenistic world rarely left their homes in Greece or accompanied their husbands on military adventures, writes the Times of Israel.
According to scientists, the ancient priestess of love was not married, since married women in Greece were supposed to stay at home, run the household and raise children. She was probably part of the retinue of a high-ranking Hellenistic military officer or member of the government who arrived in Israel at the end of the 4th or beginning of the 3rd century BC. e.
A funeral offering was found next to the ancient charred bones – a rare bronze mirror in excellent preservation. “This is the second mirror of this type discovered in Israel, and a total of 63 such similar artifacts from the Hellenistic period have been found in the world,” comments Liat Oz, director of excavations at the Israel Antiquities Authority.
A small hand-held “box mirror” led researchers to conclude that the remains likely belonged to hetaera, as courtesans were called in Greek.
According to scientists, bronze mirrors like the one found were considered a luxury item and could have come into the possession of ancient Greek women as part of a dowry or as a gift from a man to his hetaeras, since they, among other things, symbolized a connection or love relationship between partners.
“The workmanship of the mirror is so high that it remained in excellent condition and looked as if it had been made yesterday,” notes Liat Oz.
“Hetaerae were part of an ancient Greek social institution,” the Times of Israel quotes researchers. – Some of them became the common-law spouses of Greco-Hellenistic rulers, as well as high-ranking generals and famous intellectuals. Getteras organized literary salons and served as muses for the most famous works of sculpture and painting, which were even exhibited in temples.”
Dr. Guy Stibel, from the Department of Archeology of the Ancient Near East at Tel Aviv University, notes that the charred bones are most likely the earliest evidence of cremation in Israel during the Hellenistic period.
A presentation of the research results and a demonstration of the rare mirror will take place at a conference on new research in the archeology of Jerusalem and its region, which will be held on October 11-12 in conjunction with the Israel Antiquities Authority, Tel Aviv University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
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