Papers by serenella ensoli
Archaeopress Publishing Ltd eBooks, Oct 27, 2023
FORME DEL CONTATTO E INTERAZIONI CULTURALI TRA PENISOLA ITALICA E MEDITERRANEO ORIENTALE, 2023
Abstract
The contribution deals with the cultural relations between Cyrenaica, Cyprus and Ancient... more Abstract
The contribution deals with the cultural relations between Cyrenaica, Cyprus and Ancient Palestine in the Hellenistic-Roman period, focusing on the reflections in monumental contexts. The decisive initial phase of the long process of interactions, which will continue to have profound effects in the Roman era, hinged on the Lagid kingdom and its policy of influences, which were direct in the Ptolemaic possessions of the Eastern Mediterranean, with early outcomes even from the ideological aspect, and indirect and/or mediated in the other territories, but equally enduring and incisive. Among the various fields that well exemplify the monumental reflections of Alexandria’s relations with Cyrenaica, Cyprus and
Ancient Palestine, and of the three countries with each other, that of funerary architecture and particularly mausoleums is investigated. The topic is centered in the Kato Paphos Necropolis in Cyprus, where as early as 2014 the Italian Mission recognized ‘Tomb 8’ as the island’s first mausoleum, a grandiose three-storeys Ptolemaic monument, of which a great many architectural elements remain that were found during excavations in 1979-1982.
Il contributo illustra alcuni aspetti dei rapporti culturali tra Cirenaica, Cipro e Antica Palestina in età ellenistico-romana, concentrando l’attenzione sui riflessi nei contesti monumentali. La determinante fase iniziale del lungo processo di interazioni, che continuerà a produrre effetti profondi in età romana, è imperniata nel regno lagide e nella sua politica di influenze,
che furono dirette nei possedimenti tolemaici del Mediterraneo orientale, con esiti precoci anche sotto l’aspetto ideologico, e indirette e/o mediate negli altri territori, ma ugualmente durature e incisive. Tra i vari campi che ben esemplificano i riflessi monumentali dei rapporti di Alessandria d’Egitto con la Cirenaica, Cipro e l’Antica Palestina, e dei tre paesi tra loro,
viene indagato quello dell’architettura funeraria e in particolare dei mausolei. L’argomento viene incentrato nella Necropoli di Kato Paphos a Cipro, dove già nel 2014 la Missione Archeologica Italiana a Cipro ha riconosciuto nella ‘Tomba 8’ il primo mausoleo dell’isola, un grandioso monumento tolemaico a tre piani, dei quali restano moltissimi elementi
architettonici ritrovati durante gli scavi del 1979-1982.
LIBYA ANTIQUA. ANNUAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ANTIQUITIES OF LIBYA NEW SERIES · VOLUME XV · 2022, 2022
Ptolemaica. For a ‘rereading’ of the monuments of Cyrene at the time of the Euergetes Ptolemy
I... more Ptolemaica. For a ‘rereading’ of the monuments of Cyrene at the time of the Euergetes Ptolemy
III and Ptolemy VIII · The historical-political context of Cyrene around the mid-3rd century BC highlights
the central role played by Ptolemy III Euergetes I and especially by his wife Berenice II, daughter of King Magas, formerly Basilissa of Cyrene, in the building activity in the city. Although the interventions that involved the main urban sectors of the polis were numerous and important, there are, however, four most representative exempla, even if architecturally less conspicuous, which require in-depth examination.
The first is represented by the Naval Monument erected in the Agora. A new reading of this monument is possible thanks to the identification of Isis Euploia in the statue that surmounts the bow, and of Arsinoe II in the busts of Isis-Io that decorate it on two sides. This interpretation enhances the specific commemorative meaning of this artwork. As a matter of fact, it was an integral part of a broad political programme of dynastic legitimacy promoted in Cyrene by the two kings Euergetes. The monument was aimed at glorifying the naval power of the Lagides and the victory of the First Syriac War by the Philadelphoi. At the same time, the triumph of Ptolemy III in the Third Syriac War was indirectly celebrated. Moreover, the eusebeia of Berenice II toward the deified adoptive mother Arsinoe II was clearly revealed to the inhabitants of the city.
The so-called “Relief of Aphrodite”, part of a naiskos by the Ipetral Temple of Demetra and Kore in the Agora, is another piece of evidence of the deification of Arsinoe, there identified with the representation of the goddess Aphrodite, as attested by conspicuous elements. Therefore, the new queen of Egypt, Berenice II, was once again
indirectly celebrated through a highly refined political operation.
The “Myrtle Enclosure” represents the third monument to look at. It was in the heart of the Sanctuary of Apollo and stood as a ‘memory’ of the ierogamia between Apollo and the Nymph Cyrene. Moreover, it alluded allegorically to the marriage of the Theoi Euergetai Ptolemy III and Berenice II via a propagandistic reading of the
myths of the foundation of the polis. The reference to the mythical events was boosted by a punctual
recall of the pedimental decoration of the Temple of Apollo, as attested also by the figured freeze of the Portland Vase.
Finally, the Circular Tomb N1, raised in a scenic position in the Northern Necropolis, represents a further decisive testimony to the dynastic ideology promoted by the two kings and particularly by the Basilissa. Around the mid-3rd century BC, it presumably constituted the first act of the political strategy of Lagids at Cyrene. In addition to the exceptional value of its funerary equipment, the marble statue originally placed on the top of the roof is significant.
Thanks to its style, it can be recognised as a prototype of the Isis Euploia of the Naval Monument. This and other elements of particular importance allow us to attribute the tomb to the deified King Magas, whose cult is attested in Cyrene inscriptions. Furthermore, we can interpret the erection of the tomb as the first relevant stage of the political legitimacy programme promoted by Ptolemy III and above all by Berenice II. In fact, the
political personality and action of the Basilissa were suited also to satisfy the demands of the Cyrenaican
oligarchy, whose consensus was of crucial importance for the new kings and their propaganda.
Another Euergetes, Ptolemy VIII, reigning over Cyrene in the second half of the 2nd century BC, left a decisive mark for the subsequent development of the polis. Euergetes II started an intense urban planning activity and realized monumental enterprises of the main Alexandrian tradition. Among them, the erection of the great Gymnasium-Ptolemaion ranks among the most magnificent architectural works of this kind created in the Mediterranean metropolises under or in connection with the Lagid power. The outstanding monument represents the new political centre of the city, the seat of the economic transactions, and, above all, the ideal centre of the cult of the sovereign, as attested by its Roman transformation into the Caesareum (Augustan Age)
and then the Forum (Flavian Age) of Cyrene. Moreover, Euergetes II converted the most ancient (and first of the polis, dated to the end of the 7th-beginning of the 6th centuries BC) Sanctuary of Isis on the Acropolis in the Sanctuary of Isis and Serapis. This was another monumental intervention of ‘international’ scope, according to a
Mediterranean-wide and well-known dynastic ideology. The Sanctuary was topographically and ritually linked to the Temple of Isis in the Sanctuary of Apollo on the Myrtousa (last quarter of the 4th century BC), erected by the city oligarchy.
Therefore the two Euergetes, Ptolemy III and Ptolemy VIII, promoted decisively the diffusion of the cult of the kings and were strongly involved in the historical, political, and cultural environment of the first Greek colony of Libya. Their project led to the formation of a ‘network’, afterward become a koinè, that during the Hellenistic period embraced the Central-Eastern Mediterranean, without neglecting, on the one hand, the original contribution made by the Cyrenaican cultural scene to Alexandrian art and architecture itself and, on the
other, the prolific legacy that the Ptolemies left to the Roman world.
Dialoghi sull’Archeologia della Magna Grecia e del Mediterraneo Atti del VI Convegno Internazionale di Studi, 2021, 2022
During the Greek period the Cyrenean Sanctuary of Apollo Pizius has been expanding to the E (Gard... more During the Greek period the Cyrenean Sanctuary of Apollo Pizius has been expanding to the E (Garden of Aphrodite), to the S (Spring Terrace, previously external to the temenos) and to the W (Alsos of Apollo and Theatre). During the age of Battiades a unitary project took place in order to monumentalize the sacred area on the model of the Panhellenic sanctuaries of Olympia, Delphi and Delos. With the fall of the monarchy, works of urban impact were realized with the aim of delimiting and rationally organizing the sacred space. In this phase, the lower strata of the
community gain power, emphasizing cults previously not documented by monumental remains. In the 4th century BC the temenos reaches his final limits, but with a gradual loss of the previous organicity, due to the construction of new sacred, celebratory and utilitarian buildings, which reflect the new needs of the ruling class. In the Hellenistic period, the structure of the sanctuary underwent radical transformations, with a multiplication of the monuments linked to the further increase in the political significance of the cult of Apollo, connected with the post-Alexandrian dynastic ideology, according to a polycentric conception of cultural activities that will
characterize the complex until the end of his life.
DULCIS LABOR Studi offerti a Maria Luisa Chirico, 2022
This contribution is aimed at illustrating one of the goals of the Italian Archaeological Mission... more This contribution is aimed at illustrating one of the goals of the Italian Archaeological Mission in Cyrene of the
University of Campania ‘Luigi Vanvitelli’, namely the recontextualization of the Cyrene and Cyrenaic sculptures
kept by the British Museum in London. The creation of this relevant group of sculptures derives from explorations
and excavations conducted around in the mid-19th century by British officers R. Murdoch Smith and E.A. Porcher,
during the great nineteenth-century projects for the foundation and expansion of the main European archaeological
museums. At the same time, this season represent a key moment in the history of the archaeology of Cyrenaica,
having constituted one of the most significant impulses for the discovery of the antiquities of the region and in particular
of Cyrene. An in-depth archival research, combined with the analysis of the artefacts, represent the basis for
placing the works brought to the British Museum in relation with their provenance and with further sculptures kept
in Cyrene, so as to be able to reconstruct their historical-archaeological context.
Journal of Roman Studies, 2003
IV. THE LATE EMPIRE 407 urban decline. Those who doubt that an administrative institution could h... more IV. THE LATE EMPIRE 407 urban decline. Those who doubt that an administrative institution could have such dramatic effects on economic structures should be assuaged by L.'s emphasis on the ability of Roman administration to generate an urban culture. Administrative change destabilizing successful local cultures might be expected to produce just the ragged pattern of change that L. exhaustively identifies. Nevertheless, there are fundamental problems. The third and fourth centuries do not provide a decisive break in the administrative structures of cities. There are changes, but the curiales continued to function at least to the sixth century and probably beyond. Gaps in evidence, archaeological, papyrological, and epigraphic, represent, primarily, gaps in evidence and not necessarily significant social or economic lacunae. We may use 'Roman' to describe broadly similar urban phenomena from across the Empire from the mid-first to third centuries A.D., but Egyptian cities, for instance, were in continuous development over the early Empire, creating new spatial patterns and developing administrative and political structures. British, Syrian, and Italian urban settlements also show a certain fluidity over time and distinct regional variations. If change and variety were normal, the developments of the third to fourth centuries seem less of a watershed in the history of Classical urbanism. The chronology of change is also difficult. The third century may be a 'Crisis' in certain areas, but seems to be less of a problem in others, sometimes striking in the second century, sometimes in the fourth. Changes in settlement patterns post-c. A.D. 350 in the archaeological record from Italy, Egypt, Syria, Britain, and Gaul are immensely complicated, but only in Britain is the evidence suggestive of an unravelling system. L. writes interestingly of the prosperity of the Early Byzantine East, emphasizing local patterns, but maintains that, although the Eastern cities showed far more resilience, and the post-curial government was not such a radical break with previous traditions as it was in the West, the same dynamics applied. Few would deny that cities in the East c. A.D. 450 were different from cities in the East c. A.D. 200, but, to my mind, many cities operated as well as ever. Fundamentally, the theory of urbanism that underpins this work is too simple to explain the complexities of urban change in the Early Byzantine period. Although I accept that administration was important in the formation or development of urban centres throughout much of the Empire in the first centuries A.D., it was probably only in the wilder fringes of the Empire, places like Britain and the Danube frontier, that cities failed to develop other equally important functions. We only have to look at the recent history of British urban centres to see examples of cities formed on the basis of one factor (a form of mass industrial production), transformed to perform other functions within the settlement system. Such modifications of British urban systems are not just twentiethcentury phenomena, but can be seen in the development of medieval cities of the fourteenth century, in the expansion of trade in the early modern period, and in the new industrialization of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In all these periods, some cities declined and others profited. Taking the individual city as the unit of analysis, as is traditional in Classics, misleads, suggesting quasi-autonomous sociological entities, and may obscure complex variations within regions, whereas an approach which emphasizes the 'urban system' within which cities interact seems to me to reflect better the diversity and complexity of Roman and Early Byzantine urbanism and allows more nuanced approaches to changes within the systems. This entails fundamental reanalysis of urban centres to establish whether and how these centres operate in relation to one another and reflect various socioeconomic pressures. It is, however, a measure of the importance of this work that it should drive historians of urbanism to examine once more their understanding of the Roman city and develop new approaches to explain the undoubted 'transformations' in the urban systems of the Early Byzantine world.
Atti Della Pontificia Accademia Romana Di Archeologia Rendiconti, 2005
L'Erma di Bretschneider, 2001
... Particolare dell&... more ... Particolare dell'intarsio marmoreo (opus sedile) dell'aula presso Porta Marina a Ostia. Page 5. AUREA ROMA DALLA CITTÀ PAGANA ALLA CITTÀ CRISTIANA Page 6. ... Page 18. Aurea Roma. Dalla città pagana alla città cristiana rappresenta sicuramen
Il Thesauros di Daoco II nel santuario di Apollo Pizio a Delfi e il donario degli Strateghi nel santuario di Apollo Pizio a Cirene : una nuova proposta, 2018
*L'Erma* di Bretschneider, 2010
INDEX 1. Introduction p. 6 2. Cyrene and Apollo's Sanctuary on the Terrace of Myrtousa p. 13 2.1.... more INDEX 1. Introduction p. 6 2. Cyrene and Apollo's Sanctuary on the Terrace of Myrtousa p. 13 2.1. Cyrene: historical and topographical profile of the ancient polis 2.2. The Sanctuary of Apollo in Greek and Roman times and the history of the excavations 3. The Theatre-Amphitheatre: studies and investigations carried out by the MAIC in 2005 and 2006 p. 21 3.1. The recovery of the photographic documentation of the '30s in the Archive of the Department of Antiquities of Cyrene and the bibliographical research 3.2. The database of the architectonical elements located in the areas adjacent to the monument. For the virtual 3D rendering of the Theatre-Amphitheatre 3.3. The "re-discovery" of the rocky level of the orchestra and of the scaenae 3.4. The planimetry and the elevations of the Theatre-Amphitheatre: the direct survey on the field and the computerised indirect one (laser scanner laser, photogrammetry, GPS). For the completion of the documentation 3.5 The stratigraphic soundings 3.6 The database of the epigraphic material in situ and out of situ 4. The Theatre-Amphitheatre in the Greek and Roman period p. 35 5. The monument: architecture, preservation, diagnostics and 3D virtual rendering. For the restoration and the anastylosis of the Theatre-Amphitheatre p. 46 5.1. Preliminary report of the feasibility study for the restoration of the Greek Theatre and the Roman Amphitheatre, Cyrene (Libya) 5.1.1 Morphological and structural descriptive analysis 5.1.2 Phases of the restoration interventions 5.1.3 Preliminary project for the Site Preparation 5.2. The diagnostic investigations: the chemical analysis on the samples and the geo-engineering project of the hypogeal environment 5.3. Virtual system for the anastylosis of the Greek Theatre-Roman Amphitheatre of Cyrene 5.3.1 Introduction 5.3.2 Goals and conducted activities 5.3.3 Program of future activities 6. Enhancement and "serviced" pathways within the Sanctuary of Apollo p. 79 7. Bibliography p. 85 8. Index of illustrations p. 88 9. Appendices: A. From the Pilot Project to the Training School p. 92 B. The Theatre-Amphitheatre of Cyrene: criteria for the restoration and anastylosis p. 94 (p. 6) The ancient city of Cyrene, founded by Thera's settlers on the African coast in 631 B.C., according to the Greek historian Herodotus, included a Theatre since 500 B.C. This monument, situated at the western end of the Terrace of Myrtousa, where the Sanctuary of Apollo is located, is the polis' most ancient and imposing entertainment-building. Its history includes a number of building stages, from the Greek period until well into the Roman period, when the Theatre was transformed into the Amphitheatre and the area for the ludii was separated from the area strictly connected to the sacred rituals through the Wall of Nikodamos. Within the expeditions led by the 'Missione Archeologica Italiana a Cyrene' (MAIC) in 2005 and 2006, a huge project on the Theatre-Amphitheatre was started, thanks to the cooperation of the Department of Antiquities of Libya and thanks to the financial contribution of the Global Heritage Fund, granted to the 'Dipartimento di Studio dei componenti culturali del territorio della Seconda Università degli Studi of Napoli' (SUN) for the research project of Serenella Ensoli, Director of MAIC. The study, documentation and field research investigations carried out by MAIC have focused on the development of integrated actions, aimed at the accomplishment of 'Stage One' of the Project: "Graphic, photographic and photogrammetric documentation of the monument and preliminary surveys for the restorations and anastylosis plan". Cyrene, The Sanctuary of Apollo Cyrene, the Theatre-Amphitheatre during the works of 2006: application of the scanner laser per the survey three-dimensional of the cavea The project for the restoration and for the anastylosis of the Theatre-Amphitheatre starts from the morphological and structural analysis of the monument, from its conservation problems, investigated also through the contribution of the diagnostic tests (from the chemical analysis on the stone samples to the geo-engineering investigations for the restoration of the subterranean structures). The scientific investigations in the field, and the complete graphic documentation of the building and of its architectonical elements scattered in the territory, contribute to the reconstruction of the stages of the life of the monument, also through the study of the comparisons with analogous architectonical complexes surviving from the Greek and Roman world. The activity in the field and in the laboratory of the CNR-ITABC and of the CNRS (School of Architecture of Marseille, France), that participate in the project, will allow to project and accomplish, through the development of a software application for a guided simulation through techniques of "artificial intelligence", an computer system for the simulation of the restoration and of the anastylosis of the Theatre-Amphitheatre. The Preliminary Report of the feasibility study concerning the restoration of the Greek Theatre and the Roman Amphitheatre, takes into account, as a preliminary project, the four possible stages of intervention, the first of which, necessarily, concerns also the preliminary project for the setting up of the site. Cyrene, The Sanctuary of Apollo and, in the background, the Theatre-Amphitheatre The enhancement of the 'territorial' context represents a further stage in the works, unavoidable within a complex project like that of the Theatre-Amphitheatre of Cyrene, which looks towards a scientific activity aimed at the defence, the safeguard and the conservation, but also to the promotion and the scientific propagation of the "product" by means of incrementing the development of cultural tourism on an international level. In this respect, the Sanctuary of Apollo can be promoted as a new cultural attraction within the context of the ancient city of Cyrene, not unlike the archaeological parks, thanks to the creation of appropriate structures of preservation and welcome and to the creation of "serviced pathways" with the necessary didactic-scientific apparatus, and of Antiquaria, that is, of small Laboratory-Museums.
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Papers by serenella ensoli
The contribution deals with the cultural relations between Cyrenaica, Cyprus and Ancient Palestine in the Hellenistic-Roman period, focusing on the reflections in monumental contexts. The decisive initial phase of the long process of interactions, which will continue to have profound effects in the Roman era, hinged on the Lagid kingdom and its policy of influences, which were direct in the Ptolemaic possessions of the Eastern Mediterranean, with early outcomes even from the ideological aspect, and indirect and/or mediated in the other territories, but equally enduring and incisive. Among the various fields that well exemplify the monumental reflections of Alexandria’s relations with Cyrenaica, Cyprus and
Ancient Palestine, and of the three countries with each other, that of funerary architecture and particularly mausoleums is investigated. The topic is centered in the Kato Paphos Necropolis in Cyprus, where as early as 2014 the Italian Mission recognized ‘Tomb 8’ as the island’s first mausoleum, a grandiose three-storeys Ptolemaic monument, of which a great many architectural elements remain that were found during excavations in 1979-1982.
Il contributo illustra alcuni aspetti dei rapporti culturali tra Cirenaica, Cipro e Antica Palestina in età ellenistico-romana, concentrando l’attenzione sui riflessi nei contesti monumentali. La determinante fase iniziale del lungo processo di interazioni, che continuerà a produrre effetti profondi in età romana, è imperniata nel regno lagide e nella sua politica di influenze,
che furono dirette nei possedimenti tolemaici del Mediterraneo orientale, con esiti precoci anche sotto l’aspetto ideologico, e indirette e/o mediate negli altri territori, ma ugualmente durature e incisive. Tra i vari campi che ben esemplificano i riflessi monumentali dei rapporti di Alessandria d’Egitto con la Cirenaica, Cipro e l’Antica Palestina, e dei tre paesi tra loro,
viene indagato quello dell’architettura funeraria e in particolare dei mausolei. L’argomento viene incentrato nella Necropoli di Kato Paphos a Cipro, dove già nel 2014 la Missione Archeologica Italiana a Cipro ha riconosciuto nella ‘Tomba 8’ il primo mausoleo dell’isola, un grandioso monumento tolemaico a tre piani, dei quali restano moltissimi elementi
architettonici ritrovati durante gli scavi del 1979-1982.
III and Ptolemy VIII · The historical-political context of Cyrene around the mid-3rd century BC highlights
the central role played by Ptolemy III Euergetes I and especially by his wife Berenice II, daughter of King Magas, formerly Basilissa of Cyrene, in the building activity in the city. Although the interventions that involved the main urban sectors of the polis were numerous and important, there are, however, four most representative exempla, even if architecturally less conspicuous, which require in-depth examination.
The first is represented by the Naval Monument erected in the Agora. A new reading of this monument is possible thanks to the identification of Isis Euploia in the statue that surmounts the bow, and of Arsinoe II in the busts of Isis-Io that decorate it on two sides. This interpretation enhances the specific commemorative meaning of this artwork. As a matter of fact, it was an integral part of a broad political programme of dynastic legitimacy promoted in Cyrene by the two kings Euergetes. The monument was aimed at glorifying the naval power of the Lagides and the victory of the First Syriac War by the Philadelphoi. At the same time, the triumph of Ptolemy III in the Third Syriac War was indirectly celebrated. Moreover, the eusebeia of Berenice II toward the deified adoptive mother Arsinoe II was clearly revealed to the inhabitants of the city.
The so-called “Relief of Aphrodite”, part of a naiskos by the Ipetral Temple of Demetra and Kore in the Agora, is another piece of evidence of the deification of Arsinoe, there identified with the representation of the goddess Aphrodite, as attested by conspicuous elements. Therefore, the new queen of Egypt, Berenice II, was once again
indirectly celebrated through a highly refined political operation.
The “Myrtle Enclosure” represents the third monument to look at. It was in the heart of the Sanctuary of Apollo and stood as a ‘memory’ of the ierogamia between Apollo and the Nymph Cyrene. Moreover, it alluded allegorically to the marriage of the Theoi Euergetai Ptolemy III and Berenice II via a propagandistic reading of the
myths of the foundation of the polis. The reference to the mythical events was boosted by a punctual
recall of the pedimental decoration of the Temple of Apollo, as attested also by the figured freeze of the Portland Vase.
Finally, the Circular Tomb N1, raised in a scenic position in the Northern Necropolis, represents a further decisive testimony to the dynastic ideology promoted by the two kings and particularly by the Basilissa. Around the mid-3rd century BC, it presumably constituted the first act of the political strategy of Lagids at Cyrene. In addition to the exceptional value of its funerary equipment, the marble statue originally placed on the top of the roof is significant.
Thanks to its style, it can be recognised as a prototype of the Isis Euploia of the Naval Monument. This and other elements of particular importance allow us to attribute the tomb to the deified King Magas, whose cult is attested in Cyrene inscriptions. Furthermore, we can interpret the erection of the tomb as the first relevant stage of the political legitimacy programme promoted by Ptolemy III and above all by Berenice II. In fact, the
political personality and action of the Basilissa were suited also to satisfy the demands of the Cyrenaican
oligarchy, whose consensus was of crucial importance for the new kings and their propaganda.
Another Euergetes, Ptolemy VIII, reigning over Cyrene in the second half of the 2nd century BC, left a decisive mark for the subsequent development of the polis. Euergetes II started an intense urban planning activity and realized monumental enterprises of the main Alexandrian tradition. Among them, the erection of the great Gymnasium-Ptolemaion ranks among the most magnificent architectural works of this kind created in the Mediterranean metropolises under or in connection with the Lagid power. The outstanding monument represents the new political centre of the city, the seat of the economic transactions, and, above all, the ideal centre of the cult of the sovereign, as attested by its Roman transformation into the Caesareum (Augustan Age)
and then the Forum (Flavian Age) of Cyrene. Moreover, Euergetes II converted the most ancient (and first of the polis, dated to the end of the 7th-beginning of the 6th centuries BC) Sanctuary of Isis on the Acropolis in the Sanctuary of Isis and Serapis. This was another monumental intervention of ‘international’ scope, according to a
Mediterranean-wide and well-known dynastic ideology. The Sanctuary was topographically and ritually linked to the Temple of Isis in the Sanctuary of Apollo on the Myrtousa (last quarter of the 4th century BC), erected by the city oligarchy.
Therefore the two Euergetes, Ptolemy III and Ptolemy VIII, promoted decisively the diffusion of the cult of the kings and were strongly involved in the historical, political, and cultural environment of the first Greek colony of Libya. Their project led to the formation of a ‘network’, afterward become a koinè, that during the Hellenistic period embraced the Central-Eastern Mediterranean, without neglecting, on the one hand, the original contribution made by the Cyrenaican cultural scene to Alexandrian art and architecture itself and, on the
other, the prolific legacy that the Ptolemies left to the Roman world.
community gain power, emphasizing cults previously not documented by monumental remains. In the 4th century BC the temenos reaches his final limits, but with a gradual loss of the previous organicity, due to the construction of new sacred, celebratory and utilitarian buildings, which reflect the new needs of the ruling class. In the Hellenistic period, the structure of the sanctuary underwent radical transformations, with a multiplication of the monuments linked to the further increase in the political significance of the cult of Apollo, connected with the post-Alexandrian dynastic ideology, according to a polycentric conception of cultural activities that will
characterize the complex until the end of his life.
University of Campania ‘Luigi Vanvitelli’, namely the recontextualization of the Cyrene and Cyrenaic sculptures
kept by the British Museum in London. The creation of this relevant group of sculptures derives from explorations
and excavations conducted around in the mid-19th century by British officers R. Murdoch Smith and E.A. Porcher,
during the great nineteenth-century projects for the foundation and expansion of the main European archaeological
museums. At the same time, this season represent a key moment in the history of the archaeology of Cyrenaica,
having constituted one of the most significant impulses for the discovery of the antiquities of the region and in particular
of Cyrene. An in-depth archival research, combined with the analysis of the artefacts, represent the basis for
placing the works brought to the British Museum in relation with their provenance and with further sculptures kept
in Cyrene, so as to be able to reconstruct their historical-archaeological context.
The contribution deals with the cultural relations between Cyrenaica, Cyprus and Ancient Palestine in the Hellenistic-Roman period, focusing on the reflections in monumental contexts. The decisive initial phase of the long process of interactions, which will continue to have profound effects in the Roman era, hinged on the Lagid kingdom and its policy of influences, which were direct in the Ptolemaic possessions of the Eastern Mediterranean, with early outcomes even from the ideological aspect, and indirect and/or mediated in the other territories, but equally enduring and incisive. Among the various fields that well exemplify the monumental reflections of Alexandria’s relations with Cyrenaica, Cyprus and
Ancient Palestine, and of the three countries with each other, that of funerary architecture and particularly mausoleums is investigated. The topic is centered in the Kato Paphos Necropolis in Cyprus, where as early as 2014 the Italian Mission recognized ‘Tomb 8’ as the island’s first mausoleum, a grandiose three-storeys Ptolemaic monument, of which a great many architectural elements remain that were found during excavations in 1979-1982.
Il contributo illustra alcuni aspetti dei rapporti culturali tra Cirenaica, Cipro e Antica Palestina in età ellenistico-romana, concentrando l’attenzione sui riflessi nei contesti monumentali. La determinante fase iniziale del lungo processo di interazioni, che continuerà a produrre effetti profondi in età romana, è imperniata nel regno lagide e nella sua politica di influenze,
che furono dirette nei possedimenti tolemaici del Mediterraneo orientale, con esiti precoci anche sotto l’aspetto ideologico, e indirette e/o mediate negli altri territori, ma ugualmente durature e incisive. Tra i vari campi che ben esemplificano i riflessi monumentali dei rapporti di Alessandria d’Egitto con la Cirenaica, Cipro e l’Antica Palestina, e dei tre paesi tra loro,
viene indagato quello dell’architettura funeraria e in particolare dei mausolei. L’argomento viene incentrato nella Necropoli di Kato Paphos a Cipro, dove già nel 2014 la Missione Archeologica Italiana a Cipro ha riconosciuto nella ‘Tomba 8’ il primo mausoleo dell’isola, un grandioso monumento tolemaico a tre piani, dei quali restano moltissimi elementi
architettonici ritrovati durante gli scavi del 1979-1982.
III and Ptolemy VIII · The historical-political context of Cyrene around the mid-3rd century BC highlights
the central role played by Ptolemy III Euergetes I and especially by his wife Berenice II, daughter of King Magas, formerly Basilissa of Cyrene, in the building activity in the city. Although the interventions that involved the main urban sectors of the polis were numerous and important, there are, however, four most representative exempla, even if architecturally less conspicuous, which require in-depth examination.
The first is represented by the Naval Monument erected in the Agora. A new reading of this monument is possible thanks to the identification of Isis Euploia in the statue that surmounts the bow, and of Arsinoe II in the busts of Isis-Io that decorate it on two sides. This interpretation enhances the specific commemorative meaning of this artwork. As a matter of fact, it was an integral part of a broad political programme of dynastic legitimacy promoted in Cyrene by the two kings Euergetes. The monument was aimed at glorifying the naval power of the Lagides and the victory of the First Syriac War by the Philadelphoi. At the same time, the triumph of Ptolemy III in the Third Syriac War was indirectly celebrated. Moreover, the eusebeia of Berenice II toward the deified adoptive mother Arsinoe II was clearly revealed to the inhabitants of the city.
The so-called “Relief of Aphrodite”, part of a naiskos by the Ipetral Temple of Demetra and Kore in the Agora, is another piece of evidence of the deification of Arsinoe, there identified with the representation of the goddess Aphrodite, as attested by conspicuous elements. Therefore, the new queen of Egypt, Berenice II, was once again
indirectly celebrated through a highly refined political operation.
The “Myrtle Enclosure” represents the third monument to look at. It was in the heart of the Sanctuary of Apollo and stood as a ‘memory’ of the ierogamia between Apollo and the Nymph Cyrene. Moreover, it alluded allegorically to the marriage of the Theoi Euergetai Ptolemy III and Berenice II via a propagandistic reading of the
myths of the foundation of the polis. The reference to the mythical events was boosted by a punctual
recall of the pedimental decoration of the Temple of Apollo, as attested also by the figured freeze of the Portland Vase.
Finally, the Circular Tomb N1, raised in a scenic position in the Northern Necropolis, represents a further decisive testimony to the dynastic ideology promoted by the two kings and particularly by the Basilissa. Around the mid-3rd century BC, it presumably constituted the first act of the political strategy of Lagids at Cyrene. In addition to the exceptional value of its funerary equipment, the marble statue originally placed on the top of the roof is significant.
Thanks to its style, it can be recognised as a prototype of the Isis Euploia of the Naval Monument. This and other elements of particular importance allow us to attribute the tomb to the deified King Magas, whose cult is attested in Cyrene inscriptions. Furthermore, we can interpret the erection of the tomb as the first relevant stage of the political legitimacy programme promoted by Ptolemy III and above all by Berenice II. In fact, the
political personality and action of the Basilissa were suited also to satisfy the demands of the Cyrenaican
oligarchy, whose consensus was of crucial importance for the new kings and their propaganda.
Another Euergetes, Ptolemy VIII, reigning over Cyrene in the second half of the 2nd century BC, left a decisive mark for the subsequent development of the polis. Euergetes II started an intense urban planning activity and realized monumental enterprises of the main Alexandrian tradition. Among them, the erection of the great Gymnasium-Ptolemaion ranks among the most magnificent architectural works of this kind created in the Mediterranean metropolises under or in connection with the Lagid power. The outstanding monument represents the new political centre of the city, the seat of the economic transactions, and, above all, the ideal centre of the cult of the sovereign, as attested by its Roman transformation into the Caesareum (Augustan Age)
and then the Forum (Flavian Age) of Cyrene. Moreover, Euergetes II converted the most ancient (and first of the polis, dated to the end of the 7th-beginning of the 6th centuries BC) Sanctuary of Isis on the Acropolis in the Sanctuary of Isis and Serapis. This was another monumental intervention of ‘international’ scope, according to a
Mediterranean-wide and well-known dynastic ideology. The Sanctuary was topographically and ritually linked to the Temple of Isis in the Sanctuary of Apollo on the Myrtousa (last quarter of the 4th century BC), erected by the city oligarchy.
Therefore the two Euergetes, Ptolemy III and Ptolemy VIII, promoted decisively the diffusion of the cult of the kings and were strongly involved in the historical, political, and cultural environment of the first Greek colony of Libya. Their project led to the formation of a ‘network’, afterward become a koinè, that during the Hellenistic period embraced the Central-Eastern Mediterranean, without neglecting, on the one hand, the original contribution made by the Cyrenaican cultural scene to Alexandrian art and architecture itself and, on the
other, the prolific legacy that the Ptolemies left to the Roman world.
community gain power, emphasizing cults previously not documented by monumental remains. In the 4th century BC the temenos reaches his final limits, but with a gradual loss of the previous organicity, due to the construction of new sacred, celebratory and utilitarian buildings, which reflect the new needs of the ruling class. In the Hellenistic period, the structure of the sanctuary underwent radical transformations, with a multiplication of the monuments linked to the further increase in the political significance of the cult of Apollo, connected with the post-Alexandrian dynastic ideology, according to a polycentric conception of cultural activities that will
characterize the complex until the end of his life.
University of Campania ‘Luigi Vanvitelli’, namely the recontextualization of the Cyrene and Cyrenaic sculptures
kept by the British Museum in London. The creation of this relevant group of sculptures derives from explorations
and excavations conducted around in the mid-19th century by British officers R. Murdoch Smith and E.A. Porcher,
during the great nineteenth-century projects for the foundation and expansion of the main European archaeological
museums. At the same time, this season represent a key moment in the history of the archaeology of Cyrenaica,
having constituted one of the most significant impulses for the discovery of the antiquities of the region and in particular
of Cyrene. An in-depth archival research, combined with the analysis of the artefacts, represent the basis for
placing the works brought to the British Museum in relation with their provenance and with further sculptures kept
in Cyrene, so as to be able to reconstruct their historical-archaeological context.