See description below flyer:

The Silver Treasure from Morgantina: A Masterwork of Greek Metalworking
Laura Maniscalco

PROGRAM FEE: $20 – member | $25 non-member

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: 
Join archeologist and the former director of the Archaeological Museum in Aidone to uncover the history of a remarkable silver treasure believed to be illegally excavated from Morgantina, the ancient city in central Sicily. Maniscalco oversaw the exposition of the cache that consists of sixteen gilded-silver pieces, tableware, plus a small portable altar probably used for the symposium’s ritual libations. The chisel and embossed techniques employed on the bowls, medallions, pyxides, and plates represent an astonishing example of Hellenistic metalworking. The exceptional artistic value of the silver group is typical of a workshop in a large city, such as Syracuse or Taranto, but the typological analysis of some of the objects would seem to favour Sicily.  A silver group of such importance is very rare and in fact this treasure has been the object of a long dispute between the Italian Ministry of Culture and the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: 
Laura Maniscalco, recently retired Head of the Archaeological Department of the Soprintendenza per i Beni Culturali di Catania (Sicily) has also served as the Director of the Archaeological Museum of Aidone and the Archaeological Park of Morgantina. Maniscalco was also the director of the Archaeological Park of the Calatino, and has directed many excavation projects, is the author of many articles and several monographs. Her main research focus is on the prehistory of the central Mediterranean and indigenous sanctuaries.  She graduated from the University of Catania in Classical Archaeology and Literature with a specialization degree in Classical Archaeology. She has also co-supervised FAU student archaeological excavations in Sicily for many years.