Chthonic figure, which assumed an apotropaic role. She was a demon of destruction and bad luck, who according to Hesiod was the daughter of Ortro and Echidna or the Chimera. He had the body of a lion and the face of a woman. The Sphinx was a Greek mythological creature, borrowed from the Egyptian magical world.

The wings are decorated with feathers in raised planes, the body is exhausted, the tail is in S. The outline of the chest is decorated with a line of engraved dots. On his head he wears a cylindrical polos with the shape of a hollowed smooth cap. The lips, with a semi-lunar profile, are without any conjunction or rounded edges. The face has a straight and angular oval, under the forehead large eyebrow arches with orbital cavities are characterized by elongated and almond-shaped eyeballs. Sitting on her hind legs, she turns her face to the beholder. It must have been the decoration of a vessel, a lebes. Winged sphinx in heraldic position in cast bronze with cold retouching. The sanctuary of Hera Lacinia in the ancient city of Crotone, in Southern Italy’s Calabria, was one of the most important sanctuaries of Magna Graecia (the Latin name by which the Greek colonies in Southern Italy were known). To this day, the diadem still maintains its golden glow and is quite a treat to stumble upon in the museum.įollow us on Instagram, calabria_mediterranea Source: Flickr / jacqueline_poggi crotone calabria italy italia south italy southern italy mediterranean museum greek sculptures sculpture greek art ancient greece ancient art ancient magna graecia art history magna grecia history art treasure gold diadem crown hera europe tiara archaeology archeologyīronze statuette in the form of a sphinx - from the ancient Greek sanctuary of Hera Lacinia - 550 BC-540 BC (6th century BC) - National Archaeological Museum, Crotone, Calabria, Italy Interestingly, coins used in Crotone from the fourth century portrayed a crowned head of Hera. The most outstanding piece is a glistening gold diadem, or tiara, shaped out of a band of gold leaf and decorated with both a braid pattern and foliage garland. It was dedicated to the goddess Hera, wife of Zeus and queen of the gods, who was venerated here as the protector of women, as well as a type of Mother Nature.Įxcavations in Crotone in 1910 uncovered a treasure trove of gold, silver and bronze votive offerings to the goddess, which provide insight into the people and traditions of the time. In Crotone there was one of the most important sanctuaries in Magna Graecia (the area of southern Italy populated by Greek settlers from the eighth century BC). The treasures of Hera : Greek antiquities from Crotone, in southern Italy’s Calabria Although most Greek inhabitants of Southern Italy have become entirely Italianized over the centuries, the Griko community has been able to preserve their original Greek identity, heritage, language and distinct culture, although exposure to mass media has progressively eroded their culture and language. In the Middle Ages, Greek regional communities were reduced to isolated enclaves. Greek people have been living in Southern Italy for millennia, initially arriving in Southern Italy in numerous waves of migrations, from the ancient Greek colonisation of Southern Italy and Sicily in the 8th century BC through to the Byzantine Greek migrations of the 15th century caused by the Ottoman conquest. The Griko are believed to be remnants of the once large Ancient and Medieval Greek communities of southern Italy (the old Magna Graecia region). They are found principally in regions of Calabria (Bovesia, province of Reggio Calabria) and Apulia (Grecia Salentina, peninsula of Salento). The Griko people (Greek: Γκρίκο), also known as Grecanici in Calabria, are an ethnic Greek community of Southern Italy. A Greek-speaking community in Southern Italy

Magna graecia importance