2015-10-29 Thu

Countries such as Liechtenstein, Mexico, Italy, Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sark, and India have issues a series of stamps depicting archaeological motifs that tell of the history of their nation.

Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein released two series of which the first features ancient coins with a stylised map indicating where the coin was found. The second series features jewellery found at archaeological sites. The 1 franc stamp depicts a gold cameo ring with Medusa’s head while the 85 rappen stamp depicts an oval piece of red jasper that is believed to have belonged to the Roman God, Apollo. The 1.30 franc stamp features a cameo made of green glass with the bust of Goddess Minerva wearing a helmet. It also includes the SEPAC emblem indicating that it is part of the organisation’s multination series on the theme, culture.

Mexico
The most recent stamps released in the series in Mexico features Xochicalco. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Xochicalco was a fortified hilltop city which was occupied between 650 and 900 CE after which it was suddenly abandoned. On October 1st, Mexico issued a pane of 5 stamps and a label featuring the photographs of the archaeological site. Previous stamps in the series released by Mexico depicted Chichen Itza, Monte Alban, Palenque, El Tajin, Teotihuacan, Tulum, and Paquime,

Italy
On August 12th, Italy released stamps featuring the Vulci Natural and Archaeological Park. Stamps of the series depict images of the park and different artefacts discovered here.

Spain
Stamps featuring the ancient cultures of the region were released on September 23rd in Spain. The images represented Segobriga, the ancient Roman city located near Saelices. The stamps also feature the ruins of the Segobriga Theatre and the bust of Agrippina Major, mother to Caligula, which was discovered in the ancient city. Earlier in April, a souvenir sheet honouring the Cave of Altamira was issued by Spain. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is known for its prehistoric cave paintings.

Bosnia and Herzegovina
On September 10th, Bosnia and Herzegovina released a 1 mark stamp depicting a prehistoric cave painting to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Lascaux Cave.

Sark
For the commemoration of the 450th anniversary of Sark becoming a fief to the crown, a stamp was released on July 22nd at Guernsey and on August 6th at Jersey. Guernsey issued seven stamps that featured illustrations of the history of Sark while Jersey issued a souvenir sheet with a single £1.50 stamp that depicted the De Carteret Coat of Arms with the family’s ancestral manor on the selvage. Guernsey also issued five other designs in panes of ten with additional illustrations in the selvage. The 42 penny stamp features St. Magloire subduing a dragon. Magloire arrived in Sark in 565 CE. He brought with him 65 monks to establish a monastery.

India
India has issued stamps celebrating archaeology since 1961. The 15 naye paise stamp issued to commemorate 100 years of the Archaeological Survey of India in 1961 depicts a Pitalkhora Yaksha while the 90 naye paise stamp features a Kalibangan Seal belonging to the Saraswati-Indus Civilisation. Two 25 paise stamp commemorating 100 years of the Mathura Museum featuring stone sculptures were released in 1974. In 1978, a 25 paise stamp depicting an artefact of a decorated Elephant with an ornate seat and a mahout were issued to commemorate 100 years of the Kachchh Museum. Also issued in 1978 were stamps featuring a stone artefact for the Indian Museum, a Kushana Coin for the National Museum, and a Dagger and Sword artefact for the Salarjung Museum.

In 1983, India issued two stamps featuring the Shore temple at Mahabalipuram and the Gomukh Gangotri Glacier in honour of the Commonwealth Day. In 1985, a 2 rupee stamp featuring a Yaudheya coin was released to mark the Festival of India. In 1987, four stamps of different denominations were issued to mark the World Philatelic Exhibition. These stamps featured the Iron Pillar, India Gate, the Dewan-E-Khaas at the Red Fort, and Purana Qila or the Old Fort, all located in Delhi. In 1999, a stamp was issued to commemorate the completion of 1000 years of Khajuraho. The design of the stamp featured a sculpture from Khajuraho.

2003 saw the release of three stamps of the archaeology series. One stamp depicts Natesha or Nataraja while the second depicts an Amravati Sculpture. The third depicts the Museum Theatre located at the Government Museum in Chennai. Stamps depicting items and sculptures from the crafts museum were issued in 2010 while 2011 saw the release of two stamps; one depicting Harappan artefacts and toys and the other featuring Harappan artefacts and seals. Both stamps were released for the Archaeological Survey of India.