I want to be an archeologist when I grow up...

I was in Connecticut for a day and a half after the Albany tournament. After spending a delightful afternoon with Penny Cattrell, I had a morning to work with. A few weeks earlier, I'd read in a New York Times article about an exhibit of artifacts from an ancient culture that lived in the Danube Valley starting before 5000 BC at NYU's Institute for the Study of the Ancient World. It was the kind of story that made me long for life in a big city with all it has to offer. So, here I was in Connecticut, an hour away. After going back and forth with myself a bit I decided, "Don't be a wimp!" So, snowfall or not, I drove into the city and was so glad I did. The Lost World of Old Europe was a truly memorable exhibit.

The exhibit comprised ceramics, copper tools and ornaments, and gold jewelry pieces. They were all striking, but especially the ceramics. The human and animal figurines were full of personality. The pots, sometimes very anthropomorphic, had more pizzazz than any I've seen, ancient or modern.

It's not possible to know a particular piece's intended use, or what the artisan was thinking, but it sure is fun to speculate about this pitcher!
One imagines this bowl might have been used for a wedding ceremony?

This little guy just says FOX! There was speculation that the piece on the lower right represented a bird, but I would bet it was a ram, since these people had sheep and cattle. It seems to me that it is woolly rather than feathery!













This last pot was very womanly!