Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social
Former tech drone, living in L.A. I now create digital reconstructions of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture. No, really. 🏳️🌈
Flickr account (museum photos, mainly, free to use and high res): https://www.flickr.com/photos/125386285@N02/
Flickr account (museum photos, mainly, free to use and high res): https://www.flickr.com/photos/125386285@N02/
This deserves the ‘no shit Sherlock’ award. I joke - it’s great to have the hard data, but we know that there wasn’t regular cleaning, or chlorine in the water, and even the ancients warned against bathing when you had open sores. I’d love to have seen the baths, but not touched the water.
January 14, 2026 at 8:59 PM
This deserves the ‘no shit Sherlock’ award. I joke - it’s great to have the hard data, but we know that there wasn’t regular cleaning, or chlorine in the water, and even the ancients warned against bathing when you had open sores. I’d love to have seen the baths, but not touched the water.
I'm already worn out ...
January 14, 2026 at 6:35 PM
I'm already worn out ...
I would stop functioning in those kind of temps! 🥵 But I’d do my best, if I were at Sparta.
January 12, 2026 at 11:05 PM
I would stop functioning in those kind of temps! 🥵 But I’d do my best, if I were at Sparta.
I understand you, but it’s only a bier if the body is dead and prone. The symbol of the lion, panther, cheetah, et al, can be related or not. Many eastern rulers are shown standing on the backs of lions, but there’s no association with death - just power.
January 12, 2026 at 4:47 PM
I understand you, but it’s only a bier if the body is dead and prone. The symbol of the lion, panther, cheetah, et al, can be related or not. Many eastern rulers are shown standing on the backs of lions, but there’s no association with death - just power.
Ha! I was waiting for someone to liken it to a cough drop or throat lozenge. I like to think it looks like hard candy. Wouldn’t it be great if someone started making candies like this?
January 12, 2026 at 3:41 PM
Ha! I was waiting for someone to liken it to a cough drop or throat lozenge. I like to think it looks like hard candy. Wouldn’t it be great if someone started making candies like this?
But in your pic, that isn’t a bier. The figure would have to be lying prone on it, and you’d see that it was made of wood. Many near eastern rulers and n. African rulers are shown standing on lions and other big cats. Here, the panther represents the journey to the underworld.
January 12, 2026 at 2:56 PM
But in your pic, that isn’t a bier. The figure would have to be lying prone on it, and you’d see that it was made of wood. Many near eastern rulers and n. African rulers are shown standing on lions and other big cats. Here, the panther represents the journey to the underworld.
Well, the discussion around the lion as a symbol of strength and protection in ancient societies of the Mediterranean, near east, and Africa is a complex one. It would require a book. It makes sense, though - the lion was an apex predator, and stood for strength.
January 12, 2026 at 2:50 PM
Well, the discussion around the lion as a symbol of strength and protection in ancient societies of the Mediterranean, near east, and Africa is a complex one. It would require a book. It makes sense, though - the lion was an apex predator, and stood for strength.
You’re very welcome. We’ve got to have positive things to share these days to balance out the insanity.
January 12, 2026 at 2:47 PM
You’re very welcome. We’ve got to have positive things to share these days to balance out the insanity.
Glad you like them. Most are from the Pylos exhibit - a true jaw-dropper.
January 12, 2026 at 2:46 PM
Glad you like them. Most are from the Pylos exhibit - a true jaw-dropper.
Yes, it’s from the grave of the Griffin Warrior, one of dozens of similar sealstones. Plus gold items, cups, decorated swords, pottery, etc. See my third post in this thread, which links to my Flick album with photos of many pieces from his grave.
January 12, 2026 at 2:45 PM
Yes, it’s from the grave of the Griffin Warrior, one of dozens of similar sealstones. Plus gold items, cups, decorated swords, pottery, etc. See my third post in this thread, which links to my Flick album with photos of many pieces from his grave.
So glad you got a chance to see it before it ended (today, I think). Fantastic exhibition - I saw it twice. The second time was to concentrate on capturing photos of smaller items like this sealstone. Very difficult.
January 12, 2026 at 2:42 PM
So glad you got a chance to see it before it ended (today, I think). Fantastic exhibition - I saw it twice. The second time was to concentrate on capturing photos of smaller items like this sealstone. Very difficult.
Yep. Scratches on the surface indicate that it was used to make impressions, so not just a pretty object or purely funerary.
January 12, 2026 at 2:41 PM
Yep. Scratches on the surface indicate that it was used to make impressions, so not just a pretty object or purely funerary.
You can see many more Mycenaean and Minoan artistic and cultural treasures in this Flickr album, which includes many of the pieces from 'The Kingdom of Pylos' exhibit, which ends tomorrow at the #GettyVilla. 🏺 3/
flic.kr/s/aHBqjCjDa2
flic.kr/s/aHBqjCjDa2
Mycenaean and Minoan artifacts (including The Kingdom of Pylos exhibition)
Explore this photo album by Stephen Chappell (aka Chapps) on Flickr!
flic.kr
January 11, 2026 at 11:53 PM
You can see many more Mycenaean and Minoan artistic and cultural treasures in this Flickr album, which includes many of the pieces from 'The Kingdom of Pylos' exhibit, which ends tomorrow at the #GettyVilla. 🏺 3/
flic.kr/s/aHBqjCjDa2
flic.kr/s/aHBqjCjDa2
The grave of the Griffin Warrior was found in 2015 at Pylos, Greece. His body was surrounded by an enormous hoard of wealth, one of the most magnificent collections discovered in Greece in recent decades. It included dozens of sealstones, including this one. 🏺 2/
flic.kr/p/2rdsX4Q
flic.kr/p/2rdsX4Q
Carnelian sealstone with bull-leaping scene
This lentoid (lens-shaped) carnelian sealstone is the largest seal from the grave of the Griffin Warrior at Pylos. Small scratches on the surface suggest it had been used to make impressions. The bull...
flic.kr
January 11, 2026 at 11:53 PM
The grave of the Griffin Warrior was found in 2015 at Pylos, Greece. His body was surrounded by an enormous hoard of wealth, one of the most magnificent collections discovered in Greece in recent decades. It included dozens of sealstones, including this one. 🏺 2/
flic.kr/p/2rdsX4Q
flic.kr/p/2rdsX4Q
Famed racist and fabulist dies. In other news …
January 11, 2026 at 9:58 PM
Famed racist and fabulist dies. In other news …
I don’t know if the color is the same as it was originally painted, but I love the effect of the plaster tracery on the blue background. Like lace.
January 11, 2026 at 9:47 PM
I don’t know if the color is the same as it was originally painted, but I love the effect of the plaster tracery on the blue background. Like lace.
Wow, I haven’t seen an episode of that series since it ended. Loved it as a kid.
January 11, 2026 at 9:46 PM
Wow, I haven’t seen an episode of that series since it ended. Loved it as a kid.
The Etruscans really did love their votive swaddled babies. flic.kr/p/2rr7x1e
Votive bronze of a swaddled infant with a lunula pendant and fibula
This votive bronze from the deposit at the Etruscan and Roman sanctuary at Bagno Grande depicts a swaddled infant with a lunula pendant (indicating it represents a female baby). The swaddling is also ...
flic.kr
January 11, 2026 at 9:45 PM
The Etruscans really did love their votive swaddled babies. flic.kr/p/2rr7x1e
I always mean to go up to the Cloisters, but it seems that I also always run out of time. It’s quite a trek up there - I haven’t been in decades. It’s on my list for this trip, if time allows.
January 11, 2026 at 9:17 PM
I always mean to go up to the Cloisters, but it seems that I also always run out of time. It’s quite a trek up there - I haven’t been in decades. It’s on my list for this trip, if time allows.