Team Canada

Leaving the special exhibit, I came back into the long corridor that runs above the Grand Hall. At present, a number of items from the Canadian Sports Hall Of Fame are on display here. This Olympic parka from 1972 was sewn by one of twelve women in Iqaluit for the Canadian team at the Winter Olympics that year.

This ski suit belonged to Jean-Luc Brassard, who represented the country in mogul skiing in the 1990s.

Wheelchair racing gloves are seen here. They were used by Brent Lakatos in competition.

A soccer jersey belongs to Charmaine Hooper of the Canadian women's team.

And these hockey skates are from Jarome Inglina, who has won Olympic gold for the country, and played in the NHL.

This racing bike is from Clara Hughes, who has won medals at both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

Emergent Royalty

 I begin today with items of warriors of the Iron Age- warriors who now served as opposed to led, as their benefactors were the emerging royals.

This feast set belonged to a Thracian king, Kotys I. 

Much of what we know of Thrace is through the lens of their enemies- the Greeks and Romans, who characterized them as barbarians.

Prize artifacts in this display case- a golden wreath, a collar, and a signet ring.

I close out this exhibit with one more display case of treasures found in the burial place of a Thracian royal.

The Changing World

 Picking up where I left off yesterday, here we have items of the Iapoda people.

The developing kingdoms of Illyria, Thrace, and Paeonia had connections to the wider world, as these items, found in that part of the world, had origins elsewhere.

This funerary urn bears markings of the Iapoda people.

Here we have a stella, depicting the funeral of someone of importance.

Tumuli were the burial places of nobles in the region during this era, and many of the pieces were found in them. 

Here we have wine vessels.

Exquisite Craftsmanship

 The emergence of craftsmanship during the Iron Age is a sign of a larger and more complicated society. This display case includes jewelry. 

Another case includes a magnifying glass- handy for looking at its occupant, a finely crafted gold earring that still shows remarkable detail after all this time.

This case caught my eye. They were found in the grave of an Illyrian woman of high standing.

Ceremonial items in this display case would have belonged to a priestess of the Paeonian people.

This amber breast ornament was found in Croatia, where amber was a rarity.

Rituals And Supersititions

 A closer look at objects in the hoard I left off with yesterday.

Death ritual in the Bronze Age is examined. The custom was cremation.

Ducks and other birds played a part in the spiritual life of these people, and if what was left of you was buried with such objects, it marked you as someone of high standing in that community.

An urn is part of the display, looking not that dissimilar to what is used today.

Trade with other regions brought in other ideas, with the Greek influence showing here.

A new era was coming. It would be the iron age, and the ascension of kings and queens.

Iron ore was hotter to work with, but by 900 BCE, people in southeastern Europe were doing so. In this display case is an iron sword- its wooden handle long since gone. Iron degrades over time too, but not as quickly.

Here we have a contemporary replica.