Papers by Grażyna Bąkowska-Czerner
Meroitic Pottery from Natakamani’s Palace in Jebel Barkal
Augustus: From Republic to Empire
The volume offers readers articles that deal with a variety of topics ranging from architecture, ... more The volume offers readers articles that deal with a variety of topics ranging from architecture, urban issues and painting to fine art represented by glyptics and numismatics. It includes papers devoted to the publication of previously unknown objects, articles presenting iconographic research, deliberations on propaganda, and analyses of the political situation and source texts. Chronologically, some of the papers go beyond the age of August, yet are relevant to the understanding of the transformations that took place in art and architecture during the reign of the first princeps, the widely-understood middle and late periods of the Republic, and the early Empire. The geographic scope of the articles covers the entire territory of the Empire. This diverse topic allows a variety of research themes on the epoch of August to be presented from a broad perspective
Studies in Ancient Art and Civilization, Dec 1, 2020
A bone disc with an inscription has been found at the archaeological site of the Greco-Roman peri... more A bone disc with an inscription has been found at the archaeological site of the Greco-Roman period at Marina el-Alamein in Egypt. It has a hole drilled in the center and a name IOULIOS (Ιούλιος) written in Greek letters on one side. One may wonder about the disk function. Names appear on theatre tickets and on game counters, but they also usually bear a number or an image, e.g. a figure or a building. In the town, which has been subject of a recent research, a large number of diverse types of game pieces were discovered; glass pawns and bone counters predominate among them, however, they differ from the discussed disc: they are smooth or decorated with cut concentric circles. The number and variety of pawns indicates diverse types and a big popularity of games among the inhabitants of Marina. The described disc may have been a strategic board game counter.
Arts
The article is based on the research conducted by the authors. The houses from the ancient town d... more The article is based on the research conducted by the authors. The houses from the ancient town discovered in 1985 on the Mediterranean coast at the location of today’s Marina el-Alamein, are among the rare remains of Egyptian residential buildings from Hellenistic and Roman times. There are few remains of houses from this period in major cities, including the capital of Alexandria. The ancient town, which functioned under the influence of nearby Alexandria, developed from the second century BC to the sixth century AD. Various types of buildings, relatively well preserved here, provide information on a reduced scale about the architecture of Alexandria, as well as the lives of its inhabitants. This also applies in particular to residential houses, their décor and colours. The ancient town of Marina el-Alamein can be seen as demonstrating solutions that are more common. The present article aims to analyse the preserved remains of painting decoration in the main spaces of houses and a...
Toth on magical gems
The paper discusses the variety of magical gems displaying the image of Thoth. The god was portra... more The paper discusses the variety of magical gems displaying the image of Thoth. The god was portrayed in various forms, which together with attributes established his function. The depictions on gems are proof of the reimagining of the deity as a result of growing religious syncretism. The described amulets date back to different traditions, mainly Egyptian, Greek, Jewish and Gnostic. Strong links with magic are visible, revealed in the iconography, and above all in the inscriptions, most of which can be found in magical papyri. Some gems containing the image of Thoth refer to grand ideas, the creation of the world and rebirth, another ones emphasise the strong relationship of the god with the sun and astrology. Some amulets performed an apotropaic or a medical function. The gems of Thoth are extremely diverse, both in terms of their representations and inscriptions as well as the materials from which they were made. As the authors claim the choice of material from which the gems wer...
Ouroboros on Magical Gems : same remarks
W Katedrze Porównawczych Studiów Cywilizacji Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego w dniach 27-28 czerwca ... more W Katedrze Porównawczych Studiów Cywilizacji Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego w dniach 27-28 czerwca 2013 roku odbyła się konferencja "Magical Texts in Ancient Civilizations". Wzięło w niej udział niemal czterdziestu naukowców z różnych krajów, reprezentujących różne specjalności i dyscypliny naukowe. Wśród prelegentów byli egiptolodzy, archeolodzy, papirolodzy, historycy, filozofowie, socjolodzy, kulturoznawcy i religioznawcy. Do realizacji przedsięwzięcia doszło dzięki kierownikowi Katedry prof. dr hab. Marcie Kudelskiej, która merytorycznie wspierała osoby organizujące konferencję: dr Grażynę Bąkowską-Czerner, dr Agatę Świerzowską i mgr Joannę Puchalską. Pomysłodawcą konferencji był prof. Alessandro Roccati, który już wcześniej organizował sympozja naukowe i wystawy poświęcone magii w starożytnym Egipcie, jest on również autorem wielu publikacji na ten temat 1 . Konferencję otwierali prodziekan Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego dr hab. Leszek Sosnowski, prof. dr hab. Marta Kudelska i prof. Alessandro Roccati. W skład Komitetu Naukowego weszli wybitni naukowcy, reprezentujący różne ośrodki akademickie: prof. dr hab. Joanna Jurewicz (UW), prof. dr hab. Marta Kudelska (UJ), dr hab. Cezary Galewicz (UJ), prof. dr hab. Włodzimierz Godlewski (UW), prof. dr hab. Andrzej Niwiński (UW), prof. Alessan-
Forms and decoration of Graeco-Roman houses from Marina El-Alamein
Wyobrażenia zwierząt na gemmach medycznych : (z badań nad tzw. gemmami magicznymi/gnostycznymi)
ΜΕΓΑ ΤΟ ΟΝΟΜΑ ΤΟΥ ΣΑΡΑΠΙΣ: An inscribed bronze ring from Marina el-Alamein
The Journal of Juristic Papyrology
The article offers the publication of a bronze ring discovered during the archaeological work on ... more The article offers the publication of a bronze ring discovered during the archaeological work on the site of Marina el-Alamein, located on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea c. 100 kilometres west of Alexandria. The ring dated to the second century CE on contextual and formal grounds carries the acclamation 'Great is the name of Sarapis' in Greek inscribed on its bezel. The acclamation stems from the religious atmosphere of the times, which, in the quest for the divine, ascribed a sort of superiority to some gods of the polytheistic system. The ring contributes to the picture of religious beliefs and practices of the ancient inhabitants of an anonymous settlement hidden under the site of Marina el-Alamein.
Marina el-Alamein : ancient city with limestone
Eksploracja wapiennego wału, który rozciąga się wzdłuż egipskiego wybrzeża Morza Śródziemnego, do... more Eksploracja wapiennego wału, który rozciąga się wzdłuż egipskiego wybrzeża Morza Śródziemnego, dostarcza regionowi główny materiał budowlany. Wapienne bloki są powszechnie używane do wznoszenia prostych struktur i większych budowli, i podobnie było w starożytności. Wydobycie stopniowo zmieniło krajobraz. Na północnym skłonie wału, między nim a morskim wybrzeżem, w miejscu dzisiejszej Mariny el-Alamein, 96 km na zachód od Aleksandrii zlokalizowane było hellenistyczno-rzymskie miasto, wzniesione niemal wyłącznie z lokalnego wapienia. Różne struktury w mieście były wybudowane z tego materiału. Ściany i fundamenty w większości były z regularnych wapiennych bloków. Mury z kamienia łamanego również były z wapienia. Wydobywano go nie tylko z kamieniołomów, ale również z wykuwanych w podłożu obszernych hypogeów na nekropoli zlokalizowanej na zboczu wału. One zatem również były budowlami wapiennymi, podobnie naziemne nagrobne pomniki, a w mieście budynki i kolumnowe portyki. Forma szczególne...
La gemma magica dalla collezione di Domenicco Radziwiłł : dalla storia di una gemma
Propaganda of victory in iconography on gems from Novae
Augustus: From Republic to Empire
The scenes imagined on gems found in the area of the Roman camp in Novae, dated mostly to the 2nd... more The scenes imagined on gems found in the area of the Roman camp in Novae, dated mostly to the 2nd century, are an example of a continuation of Augustus’ propaganda of victory. While analysing them, an attempt was made to find analogies with depictions from the times of his rule and to decode the propaganda messages conveyed in these images, determine where the motifs originated from and which historic events they can be related to. Iconography refers closely to artistic models created during the period of Octavian Augustus’ rule. Representations on gems provide some excellent evidence of how art was used in propaganda
Alexandria : a manufacturing center of magic gems
Magic gems were very popular amulets in the second and third centuries AD. Figures, inscriptions,... more Magic gems were very popular amulets in the second and third centuries AD. Figures, inscriptions, and symbols found on them represent the beliefs of different regions of the antique world providing us with an interesting example of the syncretism of the time’s cultures. They bear witness to emerging philosophical and religious currents. Their images and inscriptions refer to the then popular gnostic religion. Most carvings, however, hark back to the art and religion of Ancient Egypt. Some representations relate to Alexandria, occasionally repeated on the city’s coinage. Existing research shows that magic gems were produced mainly in eastern centers, especially in Egypt. Much evidence suggests that the chief manufacturing center was Alexandria, considered the most cosmopolitan city of the Antiquity where the cultural and religious currents of the then entire world converged
Magical gems, also called Gnostic gems, are dated mainly to the 1st-3rd century. The depic-tions,... more Magical gems, also called Gnostic gems, are dated mainly to the 1st-3rd century. The depic-tions, symbols and inscriptions on them often refer to Gnosticism, a religious-philosophical current very popular in that period. The relics discussed were amulets. The syncretic icon-ographic solutions as well as the words and inscriptions on them were of great importance. Voces magicae, the names of gods, and also words unintelligible in any language frequent-ly appear. In order to maintain secrecy they were often written in code and clandestine names were used. To reach god, it was necessary to overstep the rules of ordinary lan-guage. Similarly to the Egyptian or Gnostic tradition, in Greco-Roman magic it was be-lieved that words and names had power. On gems, just as in magical papyri or on magical tablets the so-called charakteres were also used, i.e. symbols inspired by shapes of the Greek, or less frequently the Semitic, alphabet used by magi, astrologists and Gnostics. The kinds of dep...
Egyptian Gods in Greco-Roman Town of Marina El-Alamein
Esaminando i reperti archeologici trovati a Marina El-Alamein si coglie un diffuso sincretismo cu... more Esaminando i reperti archeologici trovati a Marina El-Alamein si coglie un diffuso sincretismo culturale, soprattutto in ambiente religioso. Dominano gli dei egiziani, presentati nella vita e nelle credenze funerarie. Le loro immagini si trovano nella pittura, nella scultura e negli oggetti di uso quotidiano. Questa piccola città vicino ad Alessandria testimonia lo sviluppo del sincretismo religioso nel periodo greco-romano
In 2009 the Polish-Egyptian Restoration Mission to Marina el-Alamein proceeded with another seaso... more In 2009 the Polish-Egyptian Restoration Mission to Marina el-Alamein proceeded with another season of conservation work in heavily constrained circumstances. Architectural studies preceding building conservation work were carried out in House H1, where the Mission has been active over the past few seasons. It was established that the house had an inner peristyle consisting of two tiers corresponding to building floors: pseudo-Corinthian of the Marina type on the ground floor and pseudo-Corinthian or pseudo-Ionic of the Marina type on the upper floor. A similar tiered architectural decoration was noted in the incomplete peristyle (unit 4) of the Southern Baths just off the presumed Main Town Square. Work continued on clearing the chambers of the baths and accomplishing preservation, conservation and subsequently building restoration works. A marble plaque with an inscription, found previously, was subjected to conservation treatment once standard condition monitoring demonstrated pro...
Provincial art of the First Intermediate Period : paintings from Gebelein
Worship and places of worship in the Greco-Roman town at Marina El-Alamein
Proceedings of the XI International Congress of Egyptologists, Florence, Italy 23-30 August 2015, 2017
Meroitic kingship and the water : the case of Napata (B2200)
Leuven eBooks, 2014