3/4/21 Report - Hoard Discovered by Detectorist. Iconography For Deciphering Finds. Improving Beach Conditions.

 

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.

A "stunning" collection of 1,000-year-old gold and silver Viking jewellery has been discovered on the Isle of Man by a metal detectorist.

Retired police officer Kath Giles made the find on farm land in the north of the island.

The hoard includes a gold arm ring and a "massive" silver brooch dating back to 950 AD.

It was unearthed in December but has been revealed for the first time during a coroner's hearing...

Here is the link for more about that.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-56111192

Thanks to Norbert B. for that link.

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Here is something that will help you interpret some religious items.  You might have a pendant with a nice image that you don't fully understand.  If you learn something of the language of iconography, it might help in a variety of ways, including deciphering the meaning of mystery find.

Yesterday I talked about heraldry and provided a few links that you might find helpful.  Today I hope to provide a bit of an introduction and perhaps inspire you to investigate iconography a little more on your own.

I first became familiar with Byzantine or Greek Orthodox iconography many years ago when visiting with a former priest of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church of Fort Pierce, which is on S. 25th St.  You will find beautiful and moving icons there.  You can see some of them by using this link -  stnicholasfp.

Greek Orthodox or Byzantine Iconography is the oldest and only Christian art form survived unchanged for the past 2000 years. The term 'icon' - icona, ikona, икона (Russian) comes from the Greek word eikona (εἰκών, eikōn,) which simply means image.

Iconography involves an extensive systematized language, and the icons are said to be written rather than painted.   

According to S. S. Lloyd, The divinized state and continued spiritual existence of the saints is alluded to in iconography, through the rendering of swarthy, gaunt figures (indicating asceticism), and large heads and eyes (indicating contemplation of God and transfigured vision). For more information about that find online Sacramental Semiotics: the Language of Byzantine Iconography by Sophia Sinopoulos Lloyd.

The language of iconography is fascinating.  Lloyd refers to that when she tells how the large heads and eyes indicate comtemplation of God.  If I correctly recall, long fingers indicate grace, which is just another simple example of the detailed and complex language.

But it is not the language of iconography that struck me most.  There is something much more to it.  There is a transcendant quality.  For me these icons produce a state of meditation or prayer.  As the result of my years studying biofeedback and meditation, I notice a nearly instantaneous decrease in my heart rate when contemplating the icons.

Here is how one web site describes it.    The icons are works that transcend their material and the deep symbolism they present. Every detail, even the most insignificant, expresses a concept and alludes to a superior meaning, a precious reference to an evangelical episode, or a spiritual message. The creator of the icon is more a writer than a painter, with a theological mission rather than an artistic one.

The rules that define the icons can be found in special manuals, called hermeneia, which the iconographer must observe strictly.   [ Source: The ancient tradition of painted Greek icons (holyart.com)]  I've long searched for a good manual on iconography but have not been able to find a good reference, but, as I've shown today, you can find some useful information.  

Below is some good information on the hand gestures, for example. 

Each gesture has a specific meaning, but it’s no wonder we can’t always understand them: they’re “written” in Greek! Classical Greeks and Romans developed a well-established, quite complex hand-gesture code, which was used by both orators and rhetoricians alike, when they were giving speeches in the agora or the Senate, during their private addresses, or even in the classroom. The gestures accompanying the oratory, of course, were a matter of public knowledge at the time. That is, they were quite common and understood by almost everybody. But not by us. So we need a bit of help to decipher them.

Perhaps you have used one or more of those gestures without knowing the origin.  Ever put your thumb and first finger together to signify A-OK?

That is just a small bit of it.  Here is the link for more.  What Do the Hand Gestures in Icons Mean? (aleteia.org).

Lets dig a little deeper.  Here is one hand gesture from an icon along with the explanation.

In Greek Orthodox iconography, as also in early Christian iconography, the gesture of the blessing hand actually shapes the letters IC XC, an abbreviation for the Greek words Jesus (IHCOYC) Christ (XPICTOC) which includes the first and last letter of each word. The hand that blesses reproduces, with gestures, the Name of Jesus, the “Name above every name.”

In addition to shaping letters, the gesture of blessing made by Christ also conveys doctrinal truths. The three fingers used to spell the I and X also represent the Trinity, the Unity of One God in three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Bringing the thumb and the ring finger together to touch not only forms the letter C, but also symbolises the Incarnation, the union of the divine and human natures in the person of Christ.

Here is the link for more about that.

The Sign Language of Orthodox Icons | Tradition Explained (goyouthnsw.com)

Just a a quick additional note: all of the colors are significant too, but I'll leave that up to you if you want to learn more about that.

We've barely scratched the surface, but I think some of you might enjoy digging deeper into this fascinating topic.

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I applaud the current adminstration's contribution to diversity.  They really filled out the lower end of the bell curve.  

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Things are getting interesting.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

It looks like beach conditions will probably improve a little.   We are now having some north winds and an increasing surf.  Saturday night will bring the peak surf and another north wind.  

I like the look of this.  Although it will be nothing like some of the best conditions we saw last year, it should improve conditions.   I like the fact that it lasts a few days, and also, of course the fact that the peak is significant during a north wind.  The tides aren't bad now either.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net.