On 24th May 2024, the Gdańsk Decorated Armour Database was officially launched as part of the exhibition “Hoplite Stories: Decorated hoplite shield-bands from the Peloponnese”. Hosted at the Institute of Archaeology at the University of Gdańsk, the exhibition’s opening consisted of a wine reception and a short tour of the exhibition, followed by lectures by Dr Roel Konijnendijk from the University of Oxford (“Ancient Greek Hoplites: Myths and Reality”) and Dr Cezary Kucewicz (“The Gdańsk Decorated Armour Database”).“
Hoplite Stories: Decorated hoplite shield-bands from the Peloponnese” introduces the visitors to the world of ancient Greek hoplites, their armour and the various ways in which they decorated it. The exhibition takes an in-depth look at the evidence of hoplite shield-bands, including their purpose, findspots, decoration techniques and imagery. It displays a number of large-scale photographs from the Archaeological Museum in Olympia and specially curated drawings by Steve K. Simons and Natalia Kozłowska. Free to attend, the exhibition is open until June 21 at the Institute of Archaeology on ul. Bielańska 5 in Gdańsk.