Getty Villa-A Prince of Pylos: The Tomb of the Griffin Warrior

The Getty Villa
Date: Sunday, November 6, 2016
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location: Auditorium
Admission: Free; ticket required. Call (310) 440-7300 or use the "Get Tickets" button below. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis.
Parking fee: $15

	One of the bronze weapons found in the tomb: a three-foot long slashing sword with an ivory handle covered with gold. Image courtesy of the University of Cincinnati, Pylos Excavations.

In 2015, archaeologists stumbled upon a 3,500-year-old undisturbed shaft grave near the Palace of Nestor at Pylos in southwestern Greece. Inside this rare, intact Bronze Age tomb was one of the most exciting discoveries in decades: the skeleton of an ancient warrior buried with more than 1,400 luxury objects made of gold, silver, bronze, and ivory. Excavators Shari Stocker and Jack Davis share their personal stories of this unique find and describe spectacular weapons, jewelry, carved seals, and Minoan-style gold rings, which afford unparalleled insights into art and ritual at the dawn of Mycenaean civilization.

About Sharon Stocker
Sharon Stocker received her doctorate in Greek prehistory from the University of Cincinnati, where she is currently employed as a senior research associate. She manages the university's excavations at the Palace of Nestor in Pylos, Greece and is co-director of the current Cincinnati excavations, where in 2015 she spent more than six months in the tomb of the griffin warrior. Her particular expertise lies in the analysis of ceramics of the Middle Bronze Age and Early Greek colonization in the Western Mediterranean. In addition to Pylos she has directed archaeological projects in Albania. Along with archaeology, Sharon has a passion for boating. She lives in Pylos with her cat Nestor.

About Jack Davis
Jack Davis received his doctorate in Greek prehistory from the University of Cincinnati, where he is currently employed as Carl W. Blegen Professor of Greek Archaeology. Jack is co-director of the current Cincinnati excavations, where in 2015 he assisted in the excavation of the tomb of the griffin warrior and is collaborating with Stocker in study of finds from the grave. His particular expertise lies in landscape archaeology. In addition to the Palace of Nestor excavations, Jack has directed archaeological projects at Nemea in Greece and in Albania. Jack lives in Cincinnati with the couple's two cats, Genci and Kalypso, but spends as much time in Greece as possible.