Title of the work
Studio / Production Company
Country of the First Edition
Country/countries of popularity
Original Language
First Edition Date
First Edition Details
Pinax. Gods and Heroes: Theseus [Πίναξ. Θεοί και Ήρωες: Θησέας (Pínaks. Theoí kai Īrōes: Thīséas)]. Thetis Authentics Ltd., 2013.
Official Website
thetis.gr (accessed: October 30, 2018)
Genre
Puzzles and games
Target Audience
Crossover (5+;Instructions state: Keep away from children under 3-4 yrs old)
Cover
We are still trying to obtain permission for posting the original cover.
Author of the Entry:
Sonya Nevin, University of Roehampton, sonya.nevin@roehampton.ac.uk
Peer-reviewer of the Entry:
Susan Deacy, University of Roehampton, s.deacy@roehampton.ac.uk
Elizabeth Hale, University of New England, ehale@une.edu.au
Thetis Authentics Ltd. (Company)
Thetis Authentics was founded by Dr Eleni Aloupi-Siotis in 1999, replacing the 1994-founded Thetis Hellas archaeological consulting company based in Athens, Greece. Thetis Authentics uses non-invasive techniques to date artefacts and art, mostly for museums and private collections. The company expanded to include the creation of ceramic replicas of ancient artefacts. Dr Aloupi-Siotis holds a PhD in Analytical Chemistry based on research on archaeological ceramics at the Institute of Materials Science (NCSR Demokritos, Athens/University of Ioannina). She taught Archaeometry at the University of Thessaly before going on to work as a forensic expert at the Greek Ministry of Justice’s Court of Appeals, and, then, to found Thetis Hellas.
Sources:
Official website (accessed: October 30, 2018);
Eleni Aloupi's profile at independent.academia.edu (accessed: October 30, 2018).
Prepared by Sonya Nevin, University of Roehampton, sonya.nevin@roehampton.ac.uk
Summary
For details summarising the game series, please see Pinax. Gods and Heroes. Athena [πίναξ. θεοί και Ηρωες. Αθηνά] entry in this database.
This particular puzzle should have shown Theseus fighting the Minotaur, but the wrong puzzle was included in the box so that instead it features an incomplete puzzle of Odysseus blinding the Cyclops (the manufacturers have been contacted for comment). There is a cardboard mount that can be used to display the pieces once the scene has been assembled.
The pieces in this puzzle have been encased in plaster, which adds to the role-play archaeology. The set includes a protective mouth cover, a sharpened wooden stick, and a toothbrush. "Excavators" must dig the pieces out of the plaster with the wooden tool and brush them down with the toothbrush. This process extends the sense of "discovering" the pieces and recovering the vase. Each puzzle is accompanied by a bilingual information sheet. The sheet invites the puzzle-solvers to guess the identity of the figure(s) in the scene. It contains safety guidance for the 'excavation' process and for handling the pieces.
Analysis
For details analysing the game series, please see Pinax. Gods and Heroes. Athena [πίναξ. θεοί και Ηρωες. Αθηνά] entry in this database.
The puzzle under review was supposed to feature the Minotaur (imitating a skyphos in the Louvre Museum), a violent but still relatively child-friendly story. The actual image depicts the blinding of the Cyclops (imitating a vase in the Eleusis Archeological Museum, as per Odyssey, 9.376–404), an image that would arguably be unsuitable for very young children to play with or to study in detail.
Further Reading
Top 10 Archaeology Kits For Curious Kids at fractuslearning.com (accessed: October 30, 2018).
