Greek authorities have announced that the ruined marble theater located under the Athens Acropolis will receive a partial facelift. In this article, you will also get a glimpse at the contents of an ancient Japanese makeup kit and which infamous pirate ship may have been located.
Facelift for Theater of Dionysos , Athens, Greece
Greek authorities have announced that the ruined marble theater located under the Athens Acropolis will receive a partial facelift. Around 2,500 years ago, the Theater of Dionysos was the place to be, where performances of works by Euripides and other classical playwrights took place. With a $9 million program expected to end in 2015, the Culture Ministry revealed that restoration will also include extensive modern upgrades to the surviving marble seats of the Theater of Dionysos.
Constructed on the southern slopes of the Acropolis Hill, the theater has a history that traced back to the days of late 6th century BC. The opening performances of tragedies by Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, and comedies by Aristophanes would take place at the theater. Luckily, a small section of the seating that dates back to the 4th century BC (with a past capacity of up to 15,000 spectators) has managed to survive the elements over the years.
A Peek Inside an Ancient Makeup Kit – Nishiwaki, Japan
It’s not often that archeologists have a chance to take a peek inside the makeup kit of a woman that lived 1,000 years ago, but a tomb in Nishiwaki, Japan has granted the chance to researchers. Archeologists date the tomb of the woman as representing the end of the Heian Period (794-1192). Inside, a pair of iron scissors (measuring 17 centimeters long) and iron tweezers (measuring 8 ½ centimeters long) was found. The tomb also held a clay pot (six centimeters in diameter) and porcelain pot (nearly six centimeters) and a bronze mirror measuring nine centimeters.
The Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology in Harimacho stated that it is highly rare to located ancient tools used for applying cosmetics. The find is also exceptional because it sheds light on how women lived outside of ancient capitals. It is believed that the social status of the woman was high, as there were other possessions in the tomb that suggest she most likely had a close relationship with an influential person that may have ruled in the local region.
Shipwreck Containing Pirate Artifacts Found
A collection of nearly 250,000 artifacts has been recovered from a shipwreck believed to have belonged to the infamous pirate Blackbeard , the Queen Anne’s Revenge. Researchers at East Carolina University are looking over the recovered artifacts to learn more about the supposed legend. The lab at East Carolina University in Greenville is full of artifacts from the shipwreck, including cannons, ballast stones, and other treasures that seem cemented together with a stone-like coating. One question remains not entirely answered , is it Blackbeard’s Queen Anne’s Revenge ship? Being heavily armed and the location of the vessel brings researchers closer to identifying the ship, which would make the 300th anniversary of the sinking of the Queen Anne’s Revenge all the more special, set for 2018.