Everything about Antiquities totally explained
Antiquities, nearly always used in the plural in this sense, is a term for objects from
Antiquity, especially the civilizations of the
Mediterranean: the
Classical antiquity of Greece and Rome,
Ancient Egypt and the other
Ancient Near Eastern cultures. Artifacts from earlier periods such as the
Mesolithic, and other civilizations from Asia and elsewhere may also be covered by the term.
Definition
The definition of the term isn't always precise, and institutional definitions such as
museum "Departments of Antiquities" often cover later periods, but in normal usage
Gothic objects, for example, wouldn't now be described as antiquities, though in 1700 they might well have been, as the cut-off date for antiquities has tended to retreat since the word was first found in English in 1513. Non-artistic
artifacts are now less likely to be called antiquities than in earlier periods.
Francis Bacon wrote in 1605: "Antiquities are history defaced, or some remnants of history which have casually escaped the shipwreck of time".
The art trade reflects modern usage of the term;
Christie's "Department of Antiquities" covers objects "from the dawn of civilization to the
Dark Ages, ranging from Western Europe to the Caspian Sea, embracing the cultures of Egypt, Greece, Rome and the Near East."
(External Link
).
Bonhams use a similar definition: "...4000 B.C to the 12th Century A.D. Geographically they originate from Egypt, the Near East and Europe ..."
(External Link) Official cut-off dates are often later, being unconcerned with precise divisions of
art history, and using the term for all historical periods they wish to protect: in
Jordan it's 1750, in
Hong Kong 1800, and so on.
The term is no longer much used in formal academic discussion, because of this imprecision. Most, but not all, antiquities have been recovered by
archaeology. There is little or no overlap with
antiques, which covers objects, not generally discovered as a result of archaeology, at most about three hundred years old, and usually far less.
Illegal trade
The export of native antiquities is now heavily controlled by law in almost all countries, and by a 1970
UNESCO convention, but a large trade in
Illicit antiquities has resulted. The
Sevso Treasure and the
Euphronios krater are apparent examples that have come to light, and
Getty Museum Director of Antiquities
Marion True was convicted by an Italian court in 2004 for trading illegally in them.
Forgers have long been active in the field, as the
Etruscan terracotta warriors, the
Persian Princess and the
Getty Kouros show.
Antiquary
An
antiquary was originally someone concerned with antiquities, and
John Leland was appointed the "King's Antiquary" by
Henry VIII, but in modern usage the term is mostly associated with
antiquarian books - a category even less precisely defined than antiquities.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Antiquities'.
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