Recent excavations have uncovered 43 graves, including 20 of the warrior elite, from a site near Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia in Northern Greece.

Their heroic character and the levels of wealth the Macedonia aristocracy enjoyed have been demonstrated by these awe-inspiring findings.

Theses finds include not only copper helmets, iron swords, daggers and spearheads, yet also the most intricate funerary masks. These ornate objects were made of a highly decorative golden foil, designed to cover the mouths, eyes and chest of the deceased warrior. A tantalising insight into what the ancient Macedonians believed about the after-life, as referred to by the Greek Ministry of Culture,

“The funerary use of [the gold ornaments] and the other grave goods points to a strong belief in life after death, and rebirth.”

915 graves have been uncovered over an eight year period at this site which is believed only to make up an extraordinarily small 5% of the ancient cemetery. All of these burial sites are thought to date between c.650 – 279 B.C.

These findings come after the recent discovery of another ancient treasure, a golden wreath, uncovered at the ruins of Aigai (modern Verghina). Both of these wonderful sites are visited on Andante Travel’s ‘Northern Greece, Epirus & Macedonia’ tour in autumn 2009.

WINE AND ARCHAEOLOGY OF GREECE AND HER ISLANDS

WINE AND ARCHAEOLOGY OF GREECE AND HER ISLANDS

An invitation to join a

TUTORED TASTING of the
NEW WINES OF GREECE AND HER ISLANDS
( Including Malmsey of Monemvasia, Samos Muscat and the new producers of Nemea)

WEDNESDAY 20th AUGUST

At the Chapel Lecture Theatre, The Close, Salisbury
(entry through the Salisbury and South Wilts Museum courtyard, out-of-hours entry, right-hand side)

19.15 – 20.30

£10 per person
All proceeds to go to the Salisbury and South Wilts Museum

As you may know, Andante Travels in Archaeology and Arblaster and Clarke Wine Tours are joining together and chartering a fabulous traditional tall ship to sail those “wine dark seas” of Homer next June, and discover the newest wines and the oldest civilisations of Greece.

Gone are the days of Retsina and Domestica – dynamic young winemakers have embraced new technology and wine-production methods to produce exciting modern style wines made with traditional grape varieties.

Come and sample the results in a tutored tasting led
by Tim Clarke. (Wine Director of A&C)

Archaeologists from Andante will be on hand to tell you more about the fabulous sites of antiquity which we will be visiting: Minoan Crete, Agamemnon’s Mycenae, Sacred Delos, and later Roman and Byzantine sites – all set in one of the most spectacular settings of the western world, and approached as they always were – by sea.

Whether or not you intend to join us next year, this will be a fun evening and a chance to meet us all.
Tickets, strictly in advance from the Andante office are £10 per person, and all profits will go to the Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum.

Any questions? Want to book places?
Email us at Tours@andantetravels.co.uk or ring 01722 713800

Olympian Hippodrome discovery

A team of German archaeologists have recently made a tantalising discovery in the ruins of Ancient Olympia in the Peloponnese. Noted for the dubious honour of the Roman emperor Nero competing here for Olympian laurels, the Hippodrome, once thought to have been lost forever, has been unearthed.

Prior to this, scholars and archaeologists had knowledge of the hippodrome only through written sources. Although archaeologists have been tirelessly excavating the site since 1875, nothing has been found until now. Pausanias alludes to the excitement of the Hippodrome;

“They now draw level with those who have drawn the lot for the second place and the starting ropes are lowered here; this procedure continues until all the horses are level in a row at the tip of the prow. At this point the drivers can begin to demonstrate their skills and the speed of their horses,”

Olympia is one of the many fascinating sites that we explore on our Peloponnese tours. Perhaps just being there gives a huge insight into why the modern Olympic Games is always steeped in so much politics and often considered the embodiment of the human spirit.

Stonehenge Skeleton

A Skeleton from Stonehenge.

In 1978 the remains of an Early Bronze Age burial were found during the excavation of the ditch surrounding the monument. The remains were of a male, aged between 25 and 30. Unusually, he was found to have several wounds, which appear to have been inflicted by arrows. Three arrowheads were found with the burial, one or more of which were responsible for the fatal wounds inflicted.

This object has been adopted by Andante Travels who have added this additional information: Discovered during excavations by Cardiff University. The young student, Denise Allen, who first exposed the leg bones is now Deputy Director of Andante Travels in Archaeology (Salisbury).

...insights to those unplanned and unplannable episodes...

Some tour reports from staff make very entertaining reading and provide insights to those unplanned and unplannable episodes which sometimes occur on tour. This was from our Latium tour in May:

There was an interesting incident. Among the food provided for the picnic was a lovely home-made cake (baked by the sister of one of our contacts). Guests fell upon it like locusts, and it disappeared rapidly, leaving only a few crumbs. One guest asked if I had tried it, and I replied that I had not, it had all disappeared so quickly, and I made flippant remarks about gannets. This electrified the locals. My comments were translated, mobile phones pulled out, sisters telephoned, cake mercy-dashes made in cars (all the time I was hopping up and down saying “No, no! Honestly, it doesn’t matter, I was just joking etc.”) Anyway, in a remarkably short time a car screeched up, and another cake was produced. I was handed a huge cake doorstep (which was, actually, very nice indeed). Guests, of course, found all of this hilarious, and naturally those of them who had missed out first time descended on the new cake. And this is where the interesting bit comes in. One of the guests had Italian grandparents, but knew nothing about their background but their name, which was an unusual one. They had tried to find out what part of Italy the family came from, but had been able to find no-one with that name anywhere. When she tried the new cake, she immediately recognized it as one her grandmother used to make. She mentioned this to the local people, told them the name, and they told her that there are lots of people with that name in Ceprano and the surrounding towns. She was quite pleased.

New museum on our Dordogne tour

We are extending our Dordogne itinerary next year to include this amazing new museum. The finds are truly spectacular, very special, most unusual art form and extensive. All made 15,000 years ago… and all very new – displayed in latest high tech. way. As you can see, only just hit the press and already we’re adapting our itinerary….!

Click here to read find out more about the museum, or click here to view our Dordogne tour.

‘Maya in Mexico’ article from Conde Nast Traveller

Can you dig it?

A new archaeological trip in Mexico provides a historical backdrop to this summer’s blockbuster film

Led by BBC documentary maker David Drew. Andante Travels’ ‘May in Mexico’ tour should appeal to the Indiana Jones in you. Just as the new film. The Kingdom of the Skull, takes Harrison Ford into the heart of the Mayan world in search of an intricately carved headpiece. The tour itinerary includes visits to the must-see Uxmal, and Palenque on the Yucatan Peninsula, as well as lesser-known sites of the ancient civilisation. Drew, author of The Lost Chronicles of the Maya Kings, has an academic background at Oxford and the Institute of Latin American Studies, and is closely involved with the Cusichaca Trust in Peru, which works with local communities to restore their ancient heritage. So he should be well placed to comment to whether a culture without metal tools could actually have created the type of skull around which the film’s plot revolves. Andante Travels (01722 713800: www.andantetravels.co.uk). ‘Maya in Mexico’ tour departs 17 November: 16 days from £3,350 per person full board, including flights, tours and site entry, ‘The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ is out on 22 May.

Click here to view our Maya in Mexico page