Event Item: 00160

The Golden Graves of Ancient Vani

Exhibition: 16th Jul 2009 to 5th Oct 2009

Source: http://www.getty.edu

"It is said that in their country gold is carried down by mountain torrents, and that the barbarians obtain it with perforated troughs and fleecy skins, and that this is the origin of the myth of the Golden Fleece" - Strabo (64 BC-23 AD).

In a spectacular display of archaeological finds, The Golden Graves of Ancient Vani, on view from July 16-October 5, 2009, at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Villa, presents more than 140 objects from one of the most celebrated archaeological sites in the Republic of Georgia, including four recently excavated bronze lamps, shown together for the first time.

Vani was an important settlement in the ancient kingdom of Colchis, a region best known as the destination of Jason and the Argonauts in their mythical quest for the Golden Fleece.

Even in antiquity, Colchis was renowned as a region rich in gold, and excavations at Vani have confirmed this reputation. Prompted by reports of jewelry that came to the surface following heavy rainfall in the area, archaeologists in the late 1930s began to systematically explore Vani. Their excavations have uncovered a series of burials in which the deceased were laid to rest wearing a sumptuous array of ornaments, and have revealed that Vani was a major political and religious center.