This is a really interesting story because the scans for the replica were made in a guerilla intervention. The BM did not give permission for it, and the Oxford-based Institute for Digital Archaeology (IDA) undertook the scanning surreptitiously. Salon (see below) says ‘Roger Michel, the founder of the Institute and Alexy Karenowska, the Institute’s Director of Technology, used Lidar cameras to generate an accurate scan.’
I’ve heard it said that the robot created an absolutely faithful replica.
‘The sculptures are accurate to a fraction of a millimetre.’
Photo from Salon: The Society of Antiquaries of London Online Newsletter (see below) mage credits: Roger Michel watches as the head is carved, Institute for Digital Archaeology (IDA)
So, critics of the BM can then say ‘Why not return the original if you have faithful replicas?’
Well, yes but it is still a replica (albeit made of the same Pentelic Marble as the original) and museums are testament to the power of the original. I can see a great reproduction of the Mona Lisa anytime, but it didn’t stop me going to the Louvre to stand with the hordes to see the original. Further, the robot produced sculpture was then finished off with extensive work by a team of humans.
The issue has never been about the quality of a possible copy to replace the returned originals. It is about who owns the originals.
However, this is still a coup of propaganda that has created one more chip in the defensive wall the BM has put up around the issue.
The 9th Month of the Roman Calendar 9 being ‘novem’. Now its the 11th because they needed to add months to glorify Julius Caesar and Augustus.
In fact, the pre-existing months were simply renamed. Romans talk of a ‘legendary’ calendar being set up by Romulus which consisted of 10 months of 30 and 31 days followed by a winter period which brought the year towards the number of days in the celestial cycle. Apparently, it was not well regulated and the months eventually began to lose their integration with the seasons.
The year began in March, suitable names were given to March, April, May and June but the next 6 months were given numbers as below.
Table from Wikipedia
The Calendar was reformed several times; January and February added but the major reform was instigated by Julius Caesar in 46BC with the so-called ‘Year of Confusion’. This first year of the introduction of the Julian calendar was 445 days long to realign the seasons, and began on January 1st, with 365 days, 12 months and a 4 year leap year cycle. This held sway until the 16th Century when a further reform was ordered by Pope Gregory as the year is not exactly 365.25 days long. It was not adopted in the UK until the 18th Century when we lost 11 days to align ourselves with Europe.
My walk at New Year called ‘Ring in the New Year’ deals with issue of calendars through the ages.
Is the question that Terry Cook asked me, and this is my answer.
Image of the Cutty Sark (from Facebook)
So the Cutty Sark is twice famous.
Her name comes from Tam O’Shanter, one of Robert Burns’ greatest poems. written in 1791. And everyone knows of Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet. Burns night has become world famous for anyone interested in Scotland.
Figureheads on the prow of ships are very often of a semi naked women with her torso breasting the water. The sexy young witch, Nannie Dee, in Tam O’Shanter is identified as the one who is very ‘Vauntie’ and with a short shift that she wore as a child and so is now short and revealing. The poem names this garment as her ‘Cutty Sark. Sark is her shift. Cutty is dialect for short. The Cutty Sark’s figurehead shows Nannie in her shift holding the tail of Tam’s horse.
Her cutty sark, o’ Paisley harn, That while a lassie she had worn, In longitude tho’ sorely scanty, It was her best, and she was vauntie.— Ah! little kend thy reverend grannie, That sark she coft for her wee Nannie, Wi’ twa pund Scots, (’twas a’ her riches), Wad ever grac’d a dance of witches!
The story is that the drunken Tam on his steady horse Maggie is travelling home when he seems a devilish dance taking place in a graveyard, presided over by the devil himself. Tam is so excited when he sees the young beautiful witch that he bellows his approval and all of a sudden the merriment ends, and in deadly silence the witches turn on Tam and race to catch him.
Tam tint his reason a’ thegither, And roars out, ‘Weel done, Cutty-sark!’ And in an instant all was dark: And scarcely had he Maggie rallied. When out the hellish legion sallied.
As bees bizz out wi’ angry fyke, When plundering herds assail their byke; As open pussie’s mortal foes, When, pop! she starts before their nose; As eager runs the market-crowd, When ‘Catch the thief!’ resounds aloud; So Maggie runs, the witches follow, Wi’ mony an eldritch skreech and hollow.
They have to get across a brook before the witches because the witches cannot cross the water. The witches must get him before the brook or face burning at the stake. All depends on Maggie (Meg). The young witch in the Cutty Sark is catching up as they approach the brook. Maggie makes a magnificent leap, the witch makes a despairing grab and only can reach Maggie’s tail but Tam and his horse make it to safety leaving the witch the tail.
Cutty Sark Figurehead
Ah, Tam! Ah, Tam! thou’ll get thy fairin! In hell they’ll roast thee like a herrin! In vain thy Kate awaits thy comin! Kate soon will be a woefu’ woman! Now, do thy speedy utmost, Meg, And win the key-stane of the brig; There at them thou thy tail may toss, A running stream they dare na cross. But ere the key-stane she could make, The fient a tail she had to shake! For Nannie, far before the rest, Hard upon noble Maggie prest, And flew at Tam wi’ furious ettle; But little wist she Maggie’s mettle— Ae spring brought off her master hale, But left behind her ain gray tail: The carlin claught her by the rump, And left poor Maggie scarce a stump.
Now, follow the link below and read the whole poem but read it out loud, standing up and with gusto. Don’t worry about the pronunciation just enjoy it.
So, my Halloween walks depend heavily on almanacs for at least some of their content. I explain almanacs on another page, but they were a way of helping people keep track of the year, both reviewing past events, and looking forward to future ones.
One third of books published in London in the Stuart period were almanacs, but if you could not read or did not have the money you could buy or make a cog almanac.
British Museum, 17th CenturyAshmolean MuseumAshmolean MuseumAshmolean MuseumAshmolean MuseumClog Almanacs
So, I was printing out some images to show my walkers and thought why not make one? So I did.
Home made Clog Almanac (not yet finished!)
Bit of wood, saw off 35cms. Each edge needs to represent a quarter of the year, so each centimetre mark represents 3 days, and one day extra 30 * 3 +! = 91 days per quarter. Use bread knife or hacksaw to mark the days off. Buy wooden drawer knob and double ended screw, fit to end of the piece of wood, stain or vanish the wood.
Then I need to find out what all the symbols mean, but they represent notable days like Saint’s Days (Michaelmas, Martinmas, Candlemas etc. , equinoxes, solstices, Christmas, Easter etc. etc..
Reconstruction View of Roman Riverside Wall being built
Saturday 30 October 20/22 11.30 am Monument Underground Station
This is a walking tour features the amazing archaeological discoveries of Roman London, and looks at life in the provincial Roman capital of Londinium.
Love this monument in St Margaret’s Uxbridge to Dame Leonora Bennet.
She lies there resting on her arm with an insouciant air. She had three husbands before spending the rest of her life on good works. And the sculptors John and Matthew Christmas seem to me portray her as an attractive woman.
Love the contrast with the glimpse into the Charnel House below with the jumbled bones almost fighting to get out.
The Tomb of Leonora Benet. St Margaret’s Church, Uxbridge.The scene from the charnel house at the bottom of the tomb of Leonora Benet. St Margaret’s Church, Uxbridge.
Zeus (sitting) Hephastus to right (looking back with Axe) Athena just visible above Zeus’s head
I didn’t know the full story of the birth of Athena until I went to the Feminine Power exhibition at the British museum.
So Zeus eats Athena’s mum, Metis, who is pregnant with her. Sometime later he has a cracking headache. Hephaestus, the disabled artificer God hits Zeus over the head to clear the headache.
Zeus gives birth to a fully formed Athena from the split in his head.
The point, I think, is that Athena being partially a clone of Zeus had both male and female virtues and is thereby the most powerful Deity.
And even the most elite families are deeply f***** up.
Copies of the Parthenon available in BM shop! Photo: KFlude
AKA the Elgin Marbles. All my life it seems as if we haven’t been talking to Greece about sending them home. Recently, there was a strong dismissal of any such hope. But today, I read that the British Museum is open to discussion. Statements from the Deputy Jonathan Williams and even the Chairman, ex Tory Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, have expressed optimism that there is a ‘deal to be done’.
Reading between the lines, the position appears to be based on the ‘fact’ that we own them legally, and that, by discussion of mutual loan arrangements, some, if not all, of the stones, can go home on loan, in exchange for other loans from Greece coming to the UK.
Nearly, all ‘restitution’ cases are settled by the realisation that there are mutual benefits to be had for the return of items. The Horniman is leading the way with its announcement to return 72 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria.
The statement from Nigeria suggests that mutual loans are a part of the deal here too.
Abba Tijani, director-general of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), said: “We very much welcome this decision by the trustees of the Horniman Museum & Gardens. Following the endorsement by the Charity Commission, we look forward to a productive discussion on loan agreements and collaborations between the NCMM and the Horniman.”
