If you spend any time investigating antiquities and ancient art, you will eventually come across a griffin or grypon. Not to be confused with Harry Potter’s house at Hogwarts – Gryffindor – whose symbol is a lion, the gryphon is a mythical creature with a lion’s body and an eagle’s head. This composite of the king of beasts and the king of birds appeared across many cultures of the ancient world – from Elam and Babylon to Egypt as well as Greece and Rome. The image of the gryphon adorns many antiquities, including coins and protome and pottery. You won’t find one at a pet store or zoo, but keep your eyes on the antiquities world, and you may own one some day .

Sure, I enjoy ancient coins and pottery shards and the occasional figurine. But the antiquity that I most covet is a fighting helmet, and make it a Corinthian one. These intricate helmets made of one sheet of metal were one of the most prized possessions of the ancient warrior. There are also somewhat hard to get a hold of, as they were usually kept in use, even passed from father to son, until they were damaged. Even a partially damaged one can be restored nicely and look quite impressive. If you happen to spot one for less than $15,000 let me know.

You are interested in antiquities and you love to travel. So why not choose vacation spots that also offer access to sites from the ancient world. You can even find plenty of tours that focus on archeology and antiquities. There is nothing like walking through ancient ruins to spark interest in the ancient world and the records left from it. I would recommend Greece and Turkey. Great spots with tons of history and archeology.

One easy way to enter the ancient world is to begin a collection of ancient coins. Many coins from ancient civilizations are available for purchase – Persian, Greek, Roman, Ancient Israelite coins to name a few. And though prices of coins vary greatly, you can certainly get started on a modest budget. However, be warned that trying to get a good handle on the different areas and values of coins can be quite challenging, even overwhelming. I suggests picking one area of interests and looking into coins from that one area. You also might want to invest in some collectors guides.

Understanding about the cultures of ancient civilization will greatly increase your ability to appreciate antiquities and determine their quality. One area of great use and interest is the study of dead languages. Though it is a bit of a challenge to master ancient Akkadian and Ugaritic, it is quite reasonable to become comfortable in recognizing their cuneiform script. Likewise you can familiarize yourself with the look of Phoenician and Paleo-Hebrew alphabets – and if you know modern Hebrew at all you can even understand some of the writing, since the alphabet has stayed the same though the shape and look of the characters are quite different. There are many resources on-line and in libraries for studying ancient languages. Before you know it you will be reading ancient bullae!

The most basic think you need to know about antiquities is understanding the primary role of provenance. Provenance means the history of ownership over a particular item. The ability to provide documented provenance is a prerequisite for any antiquities transaction. Because of the unfortunate rise in forgeries and stolen or illicitly procured antiquities any interested buyer must do his homework to verify the authenticity of the provenance. It is therefore critical that you deal with a reputable antiquities dealer, one that you can develop a personal relationship with.