iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Grumpy but sweet, or just in need of a morning coffee? This is a third-century griffin askos from the Museo Mandralisca in Cefalù.🏺 #AncientBlueSky #archaeology

An ancient terracotta vessel with a spout at the back and a mouth at the front. It is glazed black and features a grumpy griffin face with a large beak.

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Black-gloss ware from the Secca di Capistello wreck, lost off Lipari c. 300 BCE. Discovered in 1966, the site saw repeated looting and fatal dives, including the deaths of archaeologists Helmut Schläger and Udo Graf in 1969. This summer, the ship's hull was recovered.🏺 #AncientBlueSky #archaeology

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Daily life captured in clay: a woman bathing a child; another grinding grain and protecting it from an animal; and a third mixing food in a bowl. Three stunning figurines from two subadult burials on Lipari, 475–450 BCE. 🏺 #AncientBlueSky #archaeology

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Lipari's material culture has won me over, with its strong island identity and far-reaching Mediterranean ties. Once again, terracotta figurines loom large: a puppet with its miniature pottery set, as well as a grotesque old nurse with a badly behaved baby.🏺 #AncientBlueSky #archaeology

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Yes, the Hellenistic city set in a picturesque landscape is a must-see on the island, but delving into the earlier Iron Age and Archaic phases on the nearby Cittadella Hill is great fun, too.

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

4/4 The Metropolitan Museum eventually agreed to return the silver to Italy in 2006; the treasure reached the Aidone Museum in 2010. After years of debate over its periodic return to New York, an agreement in 2022 secured its permanent display in Sicily, close to ancient Morgantina.

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

3/4 In the early 1980s, the treasure was dug up by looters and entered the art market. The Metropolitan Museum then acquired it. Malcolm Bell and Italian investigators traced the treasure back to Morgantina. Excavations at the likely find spot uncovered looters' holes and a coin dated to 1978.

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

2/4 As Roman forces closed in on Morgantina, someone hid the silver in a house near the agora. The altar bears the inscription 'Eupolemos', but we cannot be sure whether he buried it. A coin, minted between 214 and 212, was found at the hiding place, matching the city's capture in 211.

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

1/4 The treasure comprises sixteen 3rd-c. silver and silver-gilt objects, from banqueting vessels to pieces used in ceremonies. Some bear the monogram DAM(osion), marking them as city property. Among them are an altar and a pair of silver horns, perhaps fittings for a helmet or leather headpiece.

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

0/4 The Morgantina Treasure: an incredible story in four episodes.🏺 #AncientBlueSky #archaeology

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Miniatures steal the show! A tiny krater and table from a cult space in a house beside Selinunte’s Agora, alongside an extraordinary terracotta assemblage, an altar, and a sacrificial installation. On display in the brilliant exhibition on the German agora excavations.🏺 #AncientBlueSky #archaeology

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

A reunion with some old friends in Sicily. During our excursion with students from @unisalzburg.bsky.social, one of our first stops was Monte Iato, where @uniinnsbruck.bsky.social has been excavating. We also visited the local museum, home to these extraordinary finds.🏺 #AncientBlueSky #archaeology

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Carausius @carausius286.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

These so-called glass claw beakers were distinctive art forms for early Anglo-Saxons in England and northern Frankish kingdoms. This one was unearthed at the Ringlemere barrow in Kent. The moulded glass appendages look very octopus-like. 🕰️c.400 to 600 AD 🏛️📷 BM #FindsFriday

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Oops! I was not aware that this was a thing. 😧

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

This satyr certainly has his plate full. Terracotta figurine, Butrint Museum, Albania. 🏺 #AncientBlueSky

An ithyphallic, bearded satyr carrying a large plate piled high with fruit and cakes.

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Wow, that is incredible! Congratulations on the new post, Lucia!

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HigherJobz @higherjobz.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Assistant/Associate Professor – Cornell University, USA Ancient Mediterranean Art | Archaeology | Art History | Faculty Tenure-track role covering Greek and Roman visual culture and broader regions. 🔗 higherjobz.com/ancient-medi... #Acadhiring #Academicjobs #Archaeology #ArtHistory

higherjobz.com

Ancient Mediterranean Art & Archaeology Professor – Cornell

Apply for an Assistant/Associate Professor position in Ancient Mediterranean Art and Archaeology at Cornell University, Ithaca, USA.

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David Connolly BAJR @bajr-badger.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

A Decaying Relationship? Stratigraphic Literacy in UK archaeology by Dr. Ellen Green is now published on BAJR. We would like to thank her for the work she did investigating the stratigraphic literacy of archaeologists within the UK. www.bajr.org/wp-content/u...

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

This is a highly relevant thread. Perhaps most strongly in continental European traditions, much of academic practice is based on trial and error for students. Reading, writing, researching, and presenting are crafts that can be learnt and taught, rather than exercises in intellectual ingenuity.

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Unser Netzwerk veranstaltet im Wintersemester an sechs Terminen Brownbag-Treffen, um in informeller Runde über Lehrformate und Lehrerfahrungen zu sprechen. Interessierte sind herzlich willkommen! 🏺 #AncientBlueSky #AcademicSky

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Here is a sneak peek: We are especially pleased to welcome Professor Seth Bernard (University of Toronto) and Dr Luana Toniolo (Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia) as keynote speakers.

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

I am very excited about a conference that I am co-organising with friends and colleagues in Salzburg. It will explore the relationship between memory and politics in Italy during the first millennium BCE. Please spread the word!🏺 #AncientBlueSky #Archaeology www.academia.edu/171960734/Cf...

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

In der bislang völlig verfahrenen Situation der österreichischen Universitäten und ihrer Personalpolitik ist dies ein Hoffnungsschimmer für eine Lösung, die wirtschaftlich klug, wissenschaftlich nachhaltig und menschlich zumutbar ist. #AcademicSky www.derstandard.at/story/300000...

derstandard.at

Ministerin Holzleitner will Kettenverträge aus dem Uni-Gesetz streichen: Kann das funktionieren?

Geht es nach der Wissenschaftsministerin, sollen dadurch befristete Verträge an Unis zurückgedrängt werden. Die Auswirkungen wären massiv – und könnten auch paradox ausfallen

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NUWiss @nuwiss.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Ist es endlich der große Wurf? Eine Ende der Kettenvertragsregelung ist zumindest in Sicht. 😱💥 Lest hier unsere Stellungnahme zu den gestern verkündeten Reformplänen der Ministerin. So viel schon mal vorab: Vieles klingt richtig gut. www.nuwiss.at/ende-der-ket... #ichBinHanna #UniBrennt

nuwiss.at

Ende der Ketten in Sicht! Sind die Pläne der Ministerin endlich der große Wurf? - Netzwerk Unterbau Wissenschaft

Als österreichweites Netzwerk, das sich seit Jahren für bessere Arbeitsbedingungen in der Wissenschaft einsetzt, begrüßen wir daher ausdrücklich die Ankündigung von Bundesministerin Eva-Maria Holzleit...

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Years ago, the Quilicis' maps were one of my first points of entry into researching Basilicata. Now, knowing many of the valleys myself, I realise even more what an extraordinary achievement their topographical survey was. 🏺 #AncientBlueSky #Archaeology

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Se non è vero, è ben trovato... The Soleto Map may be the oldest map in Europe – though it is more likely a forgery. I still like it: it reads like a checklist of the extraordinary Messapian sites extensively researched in recent decades. Photo: @diffendale.bsky.social 🏺 #AncientBlueSky #Archaeology

Fragment of an inscribed pottery sherd showing a schematic map of the Salento peninsula with ancient Messapian place names marked by dots and abbreviated labels.

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

How exciting! Italy's regions are all so rich in cultural heritage that you cannot turn around without being surrounded by it.

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Seeing this little guy on a book cover gives me a shiver, fifteen years after I had the pleasure of studying them. I am very much looking forward to reading this new book from my brilliant @uniinnsbruck.bsky.social colleagues. #AncientBlueSky #Archaeology www.cambridge.org/at/universit...

cambridge.org

Locality and Agency in the Iron Age Mediterranean | Cambridge University Press & Assessment

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Dr Jo Ball @drjeball.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

The #Roman ancestor of the Swiss Army Knife - made of silver with folding elements including a knife blade (mostly eroded away), spoon, fork, spike, spatula, & curved pick, perfect for the Roman traveller! (📷 Fitzwilliam Museum) 🏺 #AncientBlueSky #Archaeology

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

For some information on this breathtaking site, which was burnt down in the early first millennium BCE and then submerged in Lake Bolsena: simsi.it/la-marea-fon... www.ancientcontent.com/p/sixty-year...

ancientcontent.com

Sixty Years On, a Textile Fragment Surfaces at Gran Carro

The underwater archaeological site of Gran Carro in Lake Bolsena.

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

The incredible Villanovan lake-dwelling settlement of Gran Carro has yielded parts of a vertical, warp-weighted loom, a new textile fragment, and a basket that was used for producing cheese or other milk products. #AncientBluesky 🏺 www.storicang.it/a/piu-antico...

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Literarisches Mitleid mit "Steinhaufen" und uns Steinhaufenmenschen | Alex Capus, Das kleine Haus am Sonnenhang, München 2024 #AncientBluesky 🏺

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Chapps @chapps.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Folks, there's 'ancient iridescence' and there's ... this. Elton John, if he were an ancient Roman footed flask. Made in the Eastern Mediterranean (Levant; Alexandria, Egypt; Syria-Palestine), ca. 3rd-4th c. CE. #ancientbluesky 🏺 1/ Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Legion of Honor. 📸 me

A tall free-blown footed glass flask with astonishingly colorful iridescence. The body is bulbous, and it tapers up to a long, thin neck with a flaring mouth at the top. The foot is like a modern wine glass, a disk, but with a very short stem. The mottled colors range from lava oranges and reds, to canary yellow, bright green, azure blue, and dark blue.

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Dr Jo Ball @drjeball.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

A toy ball from #Roman Egypt, made from linen with strips of reed (painted red & green), & with stone chips inside so it would rattle when used. First played with some 1600+ years ago... (📷 British Museum) #AncientBlueSky

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Anthony Majanlahti @anthonymajanlahti.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

For #FrescoFriday, let’s trace how #Rome systematically rewrote its early history to erase humiliating #Etruscan victories. We begin in Vulci at the François Tomb (340-330 BCE), where vivid murals depict a brutal truth Roman historians later spent centuries trying to suppress. #AncientBluesky 🏺

MACSTARNA FRESCO FROM THE FRANÇOIS TOMB, 340-330 BCE. VILLA GIULIA

A C4 BCE Etruscan wall painting from the François Tomb in Vulci. It depicts a dramatic combat scene where the Etruscan hero Macstarna (traditionally identified as Rome's future king, Servius Tullius) uses a small dagger to cut the ropes binding the wrists of his ally, Caelius Vibenna (Caile Vipinas). Both figures are rendered with muscular, athletic frames and intense expressions, set against a pale background. The scene captures a historical reality of Etruscan warlords actively dominating early Rome, an inglorious truth that later Roman historiography completely suppressed or sanitised.

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musermeku | Kunst & Kultur News @musermeku.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

[Debatte] Über Christopher Nolans „The Odyssey“ wird online schon jetzt viel diskutiert. Ein Kommentar zum Thema historische Genauigkeit in fiktionalen Filmen: musermeku.org/odyssey-hist... #odyssey #odyssee #kino #film #geschichte #kultur

musermeku.org

Der Film The Odyssey und historische Genauigkeit | musermeku

Ein Kommentar zu den Debatten rund um Christopher Nolans Film "The Odyssey" und zu anderen historisch fiktionalen Werken.

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Chiara Bonacchi @chiara-bonacchi.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

Really excited that our *new paper* is finally out 🔥 This study is the first to quantitatively investigate museum visitors’ perceptions of historical analogies that compare concepts from the deep past to modern political ideas. doi.org/10.1057/s415...

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Recently, at a conference in Bonn, we sweated heavily but brought together enough brainpower to found a network for teaching in Classics. It is about sharing ideas, expertise, and syllabi. In an environment shaped by stiff competition, collaboration is key. #highered #AcademicSky #Archaeology 🏺

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

A big thank you to my colleagues for the stimulating discussions and wonderful hospitality at @unituebingen.bsky.social, where historic charm meets contemporary vibrancy. It was a pleasure to be there! #AcademicSky #Archaeology 🏺

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Matthias Hoernes @matthiashoernes.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Ancient Picenum never fails to surprise: a remarkable new burial ground in Sirolo, including the richly furnished tomb of a high-status woman and another grave featuring parts of a chariot, enclosed within a circular wooden palisade. www.finestresullarte.info/archeologia/... #Archaeology 🏺

finestresullarte.info

Sirolo, scoperto complesso funerario con sepoltura principesca e resti di un carro nella necropoli picena

A Sirolo, gli scavi hanno portato alla luce un complesso funerario del VI secolo a.C., con una sepoltura principesca, i resti di un carro a due ruote e preziosi corredi. La scoperta riscrive la storia...

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CSIC @csic.es · 28/06/2026

📢 Esta semana se han presentado los nuevos hallazgos en el yacimiento de Casas del Turuñuelo 👩‍🦱 Esther Rodriguez nos enseña el artefacto más singular: el carro de bronce compuesto por una caja con una rica decoración

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