War savages old destinations in Yemen and Iraq, wrecking archeological record

MUNICH, GERMANY—another front has opened in the obliteration of archeological legacy in the Middle East. Crosswise over northern Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State (IS) aggregate crushed relics amid its reign of fear beginning in 2014, pounding established statues, for example, those of Palmyra in Syria and bulldozing a 3000-year-old ziggurat at Iraq's Nimrud. The IS aggregate has now been steered by Iraqi and Syrian powers, controling the demolition however giving archeologists a firsthand take a gander at a result that is grimmer than numerous had anticipated. In the interim, the strike on relic has stretched out to Yemen, 2000 kilometers toward the south, another archeological fortune house riven by struggle.

"Our interminable history has been squandered by wars," regretted Mohanad Ahmad al-Sayani, seat of Yemen's General Organization of Antiquities and Museums in Sana'a.

In Yemen, the social misfortunes have gone to a great extent unnoticed by the more extensive world however are definitely felt by archeologists. Despite the fact that the nation has been far less concentrated than Mesopotamia, it assumed a basic part in the ascent of realms and economies in the locale beginning around 1000 B.C.E., analysts said at a gathering here a week ago of the International Congress on the Archeology of the Ancient Near East.

By 1200 B.C.E., the kingdom of Saba in what is currently focal Yemen controlled the fare of frankincense, got from a tree that became just along the nation's southern drift. The prized tar was scorched for a thousand years and a half in sanctuaries from Persia to Rome. The huge abundance of Saba—home to the scriptural Queen of Sheba—financed noteworthy sanctuaries, urban areas, and building wonders. Among them was the Marib Dam, based on Wadi Adhanah in the eighth century B.C.E. to help grow horticulture in this dry district; some claim it is the world's most seasoned dam.

Today, Yemen is racked by common war and Islamic radicals who, in a battle against sin, have obliterated old mosques in the port city of Aden, and a multidomed place of worship in the Hadhramaut district.

Yemen's social legacy harmed in war

Bombs dropped by a Saudi-drove coalition have harmed the old Marib Dam, a gallery in Dhamar, and medieval strongholds in Aden and Sana'a.

A. Cuadra/Science

Bombs dropped by the Saudi-drove coalition have wreaked the most harm, Al-Sayani said. The Marib Dam, in a uninhabited territory a long way from the capital, was struck in 2015, leaving a profound slice in the all around protected northern conduit entryway. The provincial historical center of Dhamar in the southwest, which contained a huge number of curios from the Himyarite Kingdom, was totally decimated. The Himyarites vanquished Saba in 280 C.E., assumed control over the frankincense restraining infrastructure, and ended up enter players in the growing Indian Ocean exchange between the Roman Empire and India until Ethiopian powers ousted them in 525 C.E.

Al-Sayani demonstrated pictures from twelve straightened or seriously harmed locales, including medieval châteaux such Aden's Sira Fortress, and the hundreds of years old al-Qassimi neighborhood in Sana'a. In excess of 60 locales have been wrecked or extremely harmed since the contention started in 2015, Al-Sayani stated, predominantly from Saudi bombings. Albeit some were key targets, he charged that the Saudi assaults were a cognizant battle to wreck Yemen's legacy and debilitate its natives. "Following 3 years of surveying the harm, I trust the bombarding is being finished with a reason, since a considerable lot of these locales are not appropriate or helpful for military utilize," he says.

The devastation appears to be ponder, concurs prehistorian Sarah Japp of Berlin's German Archeological Institute. "The Saudis were given data on essential social legacy destinations, including definite directions," by UNESCO, said Japp, who was situated in Sana'a before the war. UNESCO proposed to ensure the destinations, yet she fears that the information may rather have been utilized for focusing on. "There is no motivation to state these [bombings] are simply mischances." The Saudi international safe haven in Berlin and authorities in Riyadh did not react to rehashed demands for input.

In the mean time, 2000 kilometers toward the north in Syria and Iraq, the harm fashioned by years of IS bunch control is just now coming into center. "It is absolutely a disaster," said Michel al-Maqdissi, previous head of unearthings in Syria's relics office in Damascus, who now works at the Louver in Paris and keeps up contacts in Syria.

A portion of the most noticeably bad reports originate from Mari, a 60-hectare site on the banks of the Euphrates River that 4000 years prior was one of the world's biggest urban communities. Only north of Sumer and the Akkadian Empire, Mari filled in as a key exchanging community for Mesopotamian merchandise and Anatolian metals and stone, and once bragged the best saved early royal residence in the Middle East.

Be that as it may, never again. Excavator Pascal Butterlin of Pantheon-Sorbonne University in Paris, who worked at Mari for a considerable length of time and has accumulated data from Syrian sources, showed a picture of the royal residence starting from the earliest stage appears close aggregate obliteration of Mari's focal zone. The site's antiquated statues were expelled to historical centers long back, so the explanations for the annihilation stay dinky, in spite of the fact that the IS gathering's want to benefit from relics is notable. An adjacent vast hill called Tell Medkouk was bulldozed totally to uncover objects for plundering. From satellite information on the focal point of Mari, Butterlin gauges that marauders burrowed around 1500 pits, a large number of them in excess of 5 meters profound and 6 meters wide. The vehicle tracks "influence it to appear as though they had congested driving conditions there," he said. He associates that thousands with plundered cuneiform tablets, little puppets, and bronze items won't appear on the workmanship advertise for quite a long time, as dealers sit tight for global shock to cool.

The circumstance is surprisingly more dreadful at Dura-Europos, which up to this point was an amazingly all around safeguarded city upstream of Mari. From the main century B.C.E., this city lay on the outskirts of the Roman and Persian realms, which alternated controlling it, and once held both one of the world's most established Jewish synagogues and most established Christian places of worship. "The size of the catastrophe there is significant," said Chekmous Ali, a Syrian paleontologist now at the University of Strasbourg in France. "There are incalculable pits—exactly 9500—and the necropolis is no more."

Over the fringe in Iraq, the old city of Mosul once gloated a large group of Islamic and Christian landmarks, numerous decimated or harmed amid the IS gathering's 3 years of control. In any case, the most noticeably bad demolition came the previous summer, when in excess of 30,000 bombs and rockets hit notable structures amid the fight for the city, said Karel Nováček of Palacký University Olomouc in the Czech Republic. "The old city was destroyed," he said at the gathering. He charges that the demolition proceeds, as Iraqi development groups clear the destruction without attempting to protect what's left or count the harm.

"The legacy administration is nonexistent," he said. "We require watchful expulsion of the rubble, yet that isn't going on." His group is gathering what information they can from old reports and photos that could give some premise to remaking noteworthy destinations. He intends to lead an on-the-ground appraisal in June, with expectations of giving Iraqis an opportunity to repair what they container of their battered social legacy.

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Excavations Set To Restart On Giresun Island Off Turkish Black Sea Coast

Archaeological excavations that have been persevering with sporadically on Giresun (Greek Aretias) island considering the fact that 2011 will restart quickly. The island is the handiest inhabited island inside the Eastern Black Sea area.

Excavations set to restart on Giresun island off Turkish Black Sea coast
Credit: Hurriyet Daily News
Ancient Greek memories stated the island became used by Amazons, the warrior girls of legend, for fertility ceremonies and capabilities within the story of the Argonauts and the Golden Fleece. Archaeological excavations had been undertaken in 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2016.

The examinations at the Byzantine-technology tombs, partitions, the ruins of a monastery and a chapel that have been unearthed at some point of excavations display that the island served as a spiritual middle for decades.

Giresun Museum Director Hulusi Güleç said only 10 percent of the island has been excavated thus far however they intention to work in each a part of the island beginning from this yr.

Güleç stated excavations are planned to begin in the ultimate week of June and the Special Provincial Administration had supplied the allocation.

He said the earliest ruins at the island date back to the 4th century B.C. But the team has unearthed lines of existence from 2,000 B.C.

“We have now not reached concrete evidence approximately it yet. Now we plan to locate them throughout the subsequent excavations on the entire island. We purpose to find out whether or not humans lived on Giresun island heaps of years ago,” Güleç introduced.

Amazons and the Golden Fleece

“Many mythological resources seek advice from the fact that the Amazon women lived on an island inside the Black Sea. Especially, the life of the Amazons inside the Balck Sea is understood. Mythological sources document that the Amazons left for the Trojan War over the Black Sea and lived on an island. The only island inside the Eastern Black Sea region is in Giresun. It proves that the Amazons lived on the Giresun Island,” Güleç stated.

Güleç said some of spearheads and arrow heads had been located in the course of excavations that may be linked to the Amazons.

According to the Argonautica by Apollonius Rhodius the Argonauts arrived on Aretias Island early in their quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece. Fierce birds using arrow-like feathers fought towards the troops but have been anxious away with the sound of swords clanging on shields.

Güleç introduced that the imminent excavations will with any luck verify the myths with new findings during further excavations.
Read greater at https://archaeologynewsnetwork.Blogspot.Com/2018/03/excavations-set-to-restart-on-giresun.Html#5mEE5PVi1TBeDTqO.Ninety nine

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Archaeologist says recreation-converting new laser generation application is not any magic wand

For over 3 decades, archaeologist Anabel Ford, Director of the Mesoamerican Research Center of the University of California, Santa Barbara, has been exploring and studying the historical Maya web site of El Pilar. Divided alongside the imaginary line between western Belize and northeastern Guatemala, El Pilar is considered the biggest web site inside the Belize River location, boasting over 25 known plazas and masses of different structures, covering a place of approximately a hundred and twenty acres. Monumental construction at El Pilar started within the Middle Preclassic period, around 800 BCE, and at its peak centuries later it supported greater than 20,000 people. Visitors today can see a number of its structural remains revealed via archaeology, although Ford has taken care to ensure that maximum of it remains un-exposed, enshrouded and consequently covered within its jungle cover. She is as a whole lot an ardent conservationist as she is an archaeologist. 

She is also among the pioneering archaeologists who've lately carried out a brand new technology, called LiDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging, a remote sensing approach the usage of pulsed laser to “see”, frequently from airborne gadgets or aircraft, what cannot be visible on the floor from the air with the aid of the naked eye. Over the beyond few years it has been used to discover a far large historic Maya international — including huge systems and different cultural functions which have remained invisible because they have been hidden for centuries under the dense cloak of a tropical landscape. The media has sensationalized a few latest LiDAR-related discoveries via different archaeological groups, together with the detection of greater than 60,000 historic Maya cultural features inside Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve, touted in a National Geographic article as a “primary leap forward” in Maya archaeology; and the University of Arizona article that pronounced the invention of thousands more structures previously undetected within the vicinity of historic Ceibal, also in Guatemala. And Ford, now already a veteran of four years making use of LiDAR to El Pilar and its surrounding vicinity, has already “blanketed 10 km2”  of the forested area through applying the new era.  

But she is not hesitant to add that “LiDAR is not a magic wand”.* She asserts that “there may be still a crucial want to apply floor-truthing techniques to validate findings by archaeologists inside the discipline”.* What she means is that, once an preliminary LiDAR survey is carried out, the lengthy and heavy-obligation paintings of verifying the information consists of bodily identifying and/or uncovering the corresponding features on the floor. “In the course of our subject validation over the last 4 years,” she writes in a current file of her findings, “we've got found out tons approximately the relationship among the panorama and the LiDAR-primarily based visualizations, and importantly between the visualizations and the validation of cultural features. It really all boils right down to setting “boots on the floor.”* 

In other words, though the startling and super preliminary discoveries being made with LiDAR from the air may be grist for sensational news tales, it most effective tells a small part of the whole story of discovery, the most vital component of which takes location on the surface through the tough paintings of floor-truthing — testing the visual facts with the reality at the ground. Ford has already so far “confirmed 1,214 “GoTo” factors, mapped 1,335 new cultural capabilities, verified 611 home structures, and mapped 7 civic monumental web sites”, in line with her file.* Through her efforts with LiDAR in 2013, she additionally uncovered and described the capabilities of a unique Maya monumental structure at El Pilar which she has dubbed the “Citadel”, an architectural edifice and not using a precedent in the Maya international.

Given the large amounts of records that LiDAR has supplied, says Ford, the resulting research, evaluation and basis will pass on for years to come, commencing a substantially elevated window at the historical Maya international.

Ford and her colleagues file approximately the findings in a piece of writing posted in the approaching Spring 2018 problem of Popular Archaeology Magazine, to be launched in March.

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Complex buildings and buried architectural stays unearthed in Valley of Argolis

The new findings from the "Ormos Valley" research project, at Lampayanas in southern Argolis, had been announced via Greece's Ministry of Culture.

The "Ormos Valley" software is conducted beneath the course of the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities with the collaboration of the University of Geneva, below the auspices of the Swiss Archaeological School in Greece.

It ambitions at reading immersed prehistoric web sites in a small bay of southern Argolis, near the famous archaeological web page of the Frachthi Cave.

In 2015, a sufficiently large (at the least 1.2 hectare) agreement of the Early Bronze Age became positioned in the sea region of Lampayanna Beach, north of the Bay. Some architectural remains are visible at the lowest, at 1-3 meters deep, at the same time as more will be buried below the marine sediments. From 2016, studies has focused on exploring the volume and dating of the agreement.

The 2017 survey commenced with submarine topography and geophysical measurements. Following the previous work at Lampagianna Beach, the lowest-view architectural remains have been further mapped, and the electrical resistivity tomography persevered to the north of the seashore in shallow water. Preliminary consequences indicate the life of more complex homes, in addition to many buried architectural remains.

Submarine excavations observed on a bigger floor than in 2016 and improved strategies. Under the layer of Early Helladic II (inside the third millennium BC, to which the seen architectural stays correspond to the bottom) a wall of Early Helladic I (early 3rd millennium) turned into found out. Another older bed, which may be dated even at some stage in the transition period between the Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age, was also investigated. The findings include huge quantities of purple shells. However, it is still impossible to decide what they were used for.

The 2017 excavation, which ran from three July to 11 August, was executed below the obligation of Dr. Angeliki Simosi, Director of Underwater Antiquities, and Professor Karl Reber, Director of the Swiss Archaeological School in Greece.

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Shelters with echoes thought to be preferred sites for prehistoric rock art

The acoustic qualities of a rock shelter may have been a key factor in its selection as a site for rock art and indicate a spiritual significance to the practice, according to a recent study, while scientists are also looking into whether some caves were chosen as artistic sites because of the view.

Scientists believe that rock art sites were chosen for their visual and acoustic properties
[Credit: Curt Harrell]

Professor Margarita Díaz-Andreu and Dr. Tommaso Mattioli, both from the University of Barcelona, Spain, spent two years visiting rock art sites in France, Italy and Spain to compare acoustics and assess their relevance to the choice of location.

'In a cliff such as Baume Brune (in Vaucluse, France), with 43 shelters, why were only eight selected to be painted?' said Prof. Díaz-Andreu. 'There are other apparently similar ones nearby that were left empty. Why?'

Armed with a specialised portable tool for measuring acoustics, the researchers showed the rock art sites studied have distinct acoustic features.

These take the form of either many echoes in the shelters where the art was found, or strong reverberations. At some sites, it was possible to hear sounds from great distances. Other undecorated shelters in the area lacked these special effects.

'We found that in all of the areas that we tested, the people who had chosen places to decorate had selected places with good acoustics,' said Prof. Díaz-Andreu. In two particular sites, the team demonstrated that the places that were decorated were those with more echoes.

Music

This suggests that the rock art sites were used for rituals, or religious ceremonies, and may or may not have involved music.

'As archaeologists we are obsessed with material culture,' said Prof. Diaz-Andreu, 'But in fact, sound and music are very important to the way in which we feel and the way we react. Sound has special properties that facilitate us to reach a type of mental state that is prone to enhance religious feelings.'

Dr. Jamie Hampson, a researcher at the University of York, UK, who works on a project exploring the modern-day use of rock art (see below), agreed that the rock art has spiritual significance. 'We've got a lot of ethnography from groups in South Africa in particular about the rock face being a veil between this world and the spirit world,' he said.

Prof. Díaz-Andreu and Dr. Mattioli believe that prehistoric humans may have used echolocation techniques such as tongue clicks, cane tapping and handclapping to select the shelters. However, this is impossible to prove.

'Clicking and handclapping do not leave a trace in the archaeological record,' Prof. Díaz-Andreu said.

Rock art is found at hundreds of thousands of sites throughout the world. Throughout history, people from all walks of life have used rock carvings, engravings and paintings to express themselves, and the oldest sites found are more than 65,000 years old.

Manual rubbings

Up until now, researchers have had to take manual rubbings of rock art to analyse in the lab. But this low-tech, 2-D and labour-intensive option meant that important data, such as colour and the 3-D nature of indentations in the rock, were missing.

Now, new zoomable 3-D digital models of rock art sites are providing archaeologists with better tools for analysing data – and they could shed light on why certain sites were chosen. They could also help archaeologists work out whether traces at certain sites are man-made or natural, and potentially identify the styles of individual artists.

Dr. Sue Cobb of the University of Nottingham, UK, led the 3-D-PITOTI project, which developed fully interactive virtual replicas of several rock art sites at Valcamonica, Northern Italy, in high detail.

She said: 'The archaeologists were looking for a way to analyse the content that they were studying in more detail and in different ways. They wanted a better way to view and compare small details of different rock art figures, identify families of figures, and make the 3-D rock art available to their fellow colleagues and the public.'

To build the models, the project team developed an entirely new scanning device to collect images of the rock surface. Specially designed to capture the colour of the rock art and intricate details, at the same time it is lightweight and portable enough to be easily transported across inaccessible areas, hence the nickname 'walking-stick scanner'.

The scanner is so powerful it can reconstruct surface points at 0.1 millimetre spatial resolution, and uses a high=powered flash.

A feature of the finished 3-D models is that you can zoom in and out from the images easily, and virtually fly over the sites. To achieve this effect, the team took photographs from near-range, mid-range and far-range locations to capture the rock art from a range of distances and angles.

The 3-D models can be viewed via a 3-D multi-user touch table, a multi-user 3-D wall display, or individual tablets. Tourists can use the models in museums and visitor centres, to view rock art that is inaccessible or highly vulnerable to damage.

As well as providing a faithful record of art that is one day likely to vanish from exposure to wind, rain and snow, the highly detailed 3-D models are helping scientists answer questions such as whether the view from a particular place was important in selecting the site for decoration.

'Archaeologists can compare rock art images located in different sites,' said Dr. Cobb. 'They ask—is there anything meaningful about those locations and the images of rock art that are placed at that site that can help us understand why that site was meaningful to people at that time?'

Modern-day use of rock art imagery

Rock art sites can be a big tourist draw and scientists have been looking at how the experience can best be managed. Dr. Jamie Hampson from the University of York found that visitor perceptions of artwork and the management of rock art sites in South Africa, Australia and the US were enhanced when there were indigenous tour guides and staff at the sites.

'A lot of visitors point out how much more meaningful their experience is if they're accompanied by a guide who is part of an indigenous group in the area,' explained Dr. Hampson.

It's clear that for many indigenous people, rock art holds a symbolic and spiritual meaning. However, it is often used to create tourist memorabilia, without seeking permission from the relevant indigenous people. Certain images are considered sacred and are not suitable for this kind of use.

'So much of this is about respect and courtesy and taking all possible measures to ensure permission is granted before images are borrowed,' said Dr. Hampson.

The work done by Dr. Hampson's ROCKART project encouraged the employment of more indigenous staff at heritage sites, and raised awareness about image appropriation. The project also aided several Aboriginal corporations in Australia to set up and run their own rock art visitor centres, fueling entrepreneurship in remote areas.

Author: Catherine Collins | Source: Horizon: The EU Research & Innovation Magazine [March 01, 2018]

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700-year-old bronze ring bearing image of St. Nicholas discovered in Galilee

A rare and impressive intact bronze ring from the Middle Ages, bearing the image of St. Nicholas, was discovered by chance during recent landscaping work in the garden of a home in the Jezreel Valley community of Moshav Hayogev. St. Nicholas is best known as the source of the beloved, gift-giving Christmas figure of Santa Claus. To date, there is no comparable ring in the Israel Antiquities Authority National Treasure Department.

The ring bearing the image of St. Nicholas [Credit: Clara Amit, Israel Antiquities Authority]

Gardener Dekel Ben-Shitrit, 26, was weeding on Thursday when his eye caught an object among the plants. He picked it up and noticed it had a human figure on it. “I rubbed it slightly and I saw it was carved with a human image inside a frame.” Ben-Shitrit, who lives in Kibbutz Hazorea, posted a photograph of the ring on Facebook, hoping to get some information about it. His neighbor on the kibbutz, Dr. Dror Ben-Yosef, director of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority’s Lower Galilee Education Center, saw it and connected Ben-Shitrit with the Israel Antiquities Authority.

The ring, dating from the 12th–15th centuries, was examined by Dr. Yana Tchekhanovetz, Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist specializing in the Byzantine period. “This special ring is amazingly well preserved and will contribute a great deal to science. On the ring is the image of a bald man with a staff next to him. On preliminary examination, this seems to be St. Nicholas holding a bishop’s crook – his hallmark. In the Eastern Christian world, St. Nicholas is considered the patron saint of travelers, including pilgrims and sailors. And so Christian pilgrims to the Land of Israel from all over the Byzantine Empire (Turkey, the Balkans, Greece and present-day Russia) would carry his icon to protect them from harm. It is probable that the ring belonged to a pilgrim who sought the protection of St. Nicholas on his travels.” St. Nicholas, Tchekhanovetz added, was believed to be a miracle worker and to give gifts in secret. In the Western Christian world, his image evolved into white-bearded Santa Claus, the gift-giver of Christmas Eve.

Moshav Hayogev is located in the eastern Jezreel Valley, east of Tel Megiddo and settlements from the Roman and Byzantine period at nearby Legio. According to Dr. Yotam Tepper, Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist and expert on Roman roads: “We know that the main Roman road from Legio to Mount Tabor passed next to Moshav Yogev, and the road must also have been used throughout the centuries by Christian pilgrims on their way to the sites on Mount Tabor, Nazareth and around the Sea of Galilee.”

Nir Distelfeld, Israel Antiquities Authority anti-theft inspector, who received the ring from Ben-Shitrit to place it in the National Treasures Collection, had high praise for the gardener: “We thank Ben-Shitrit for handing over this special artifact to the Israel Antiquities Authority, and we encourage others to do the same, When they do, they enrich and deepen archaeological understanding of the past that belongs to all of us. The Israel Antiquities Authority will be awarding Ben-Shitrit a good citizenship certificate in thanks for his action.”

Source: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs [February 28, 2018]

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Roman-era sarcophagus found at Istanbul high school construction site

A Roman-era sarcophagus, believed to date back 2000 years, has been unearthed during a construction work in Istanbul’s Kadıköy district, daily Habertürk has reported.

Credit: Hurriyet Daily News

Officials at the Istanbul Archaeology Museum Directorate found human bones inside the sarcophagus after conducting an examination in the area. The lid of the sarcophagus was found in a different place.

The tomb was later taken under protection by the Kadıköy police headquarters for 24 hours.

 According to a report by the Cultural and Natural Heritage Preservation Board, the tomb and bones inside are expected to be transferred to a museum.

It has also been reported that archaeological excavations could start in the construction field.

The bones inside the tomb will be examined and undergo DNA tests, officials said. The examinations will provide information about the residents of Kadıköy, now a culture hotspot in Istanbul, 2,000 years ago.

Speaking about the finding found in the Kuşdili Çayırı area, archaeologist Murar Sav said: “Kuşdili Çayırı and its vicinity are close to or inside the ancient city of Khalkedon. There was a settlement in Khalkedon in seventh century BC, when the ancient Greek city of Byzantion was founded. On the left side of Kurbağalıdere Stream is the necropolis of the ancient Khalkedon and the tomb was found on the right side of the stream. It is also believed that there was an old harbor at the spot where the stream meets the sea.”

Sav said that the tomb dated back to the Roman era, adding: “There is no relief or writing on the tomb. Had there been engravings, we could’ve said the tomb belonged to a rich person, but it didn’t belong to an ordinary person either. There was no gift in the tomb. The excavation area should be expanded to find other tombs around.”

Source: Hurriyet Daily News [february 28, 2018]

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Parts of Ramses II statue found in southern Egypt

Egypt says archaeologists have discovered parts of a statue of one of its most famous pharaohs in the southern city of Aswan.

The head of a statue of one of the most famous pharaohs, Ramses II, that was discovered along
with other parts of a statue in the Temple of Kom Ombo, in Aswan, 940 kilometres
south of Cairo [Credit: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities via AP]

The Antiquities Ministry said Tuesday the head and chest of the statue of Ramses II were found in the Temple of Kom Ombo during a project to protect the site from groundwater.

Egypt hopes the find, along with other recent discoveries, will help revive its tourism sector, which has been battered by years of unrest since the 2011 uprising.

Ramses II, also known as Ramses the Great, ruled Egypt from 1279 BC to 1213 BC. He is credited with expanding Egypt's reach as far as modern Syria to the east and Sudan to the south.

Source: The Associated Press [February 28, 2018]

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Human dispersion through southern Europe in Early Pleistocene

Geochronologists from the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH) have led a study published in the journal Quaternary Geochronology about the chronology of the archaeological site of Gran Dolina, situated in the Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos), whose results confirm a pulse of human dispersion in southern Europe around one million years ago..

TD4 Level at Gran Dolina site [Credit: CENIEH]

This is a paleomagnetic study of the lower stratigraphic levels of this archaeological site in Burgos, whose objective was to determine the possible presence of the Jaramillo subchron, a geological event of normal magnetic polarity about one million years ago, to improve the chronological framework for the lithic industry found at level TD4, and therefore for human presence in Atapuerca.

"Gran Dolina is one of the sites with the best-preserved sedimentary records of the Middle and Early Pleistocene in Europe, and therefore, knowing the chronology of the stratigraphic levels comprising it is an extremely important element in understanding the presence and development of human activity in the zone," explains Claudia Álvarez Posada, lead author of this paper.

Samples from the levels TD4 to TD6 were analyzed using paleomagnetism, a methodology which is increasingly used for establishing absolute datings given its great versatility and the fact that it has an extremely wide chronological register, because the magnetic field remains captured in sediments when they are formed. These days there is a known register covering a timeline of over 180 million years up to the present, so that as Álvarez affirms, "it's a very powerful tool for chronology."

This method, together with the data furnished by biostratigraphy and the recent dating studies using Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) made at the site, has allowed an age later than the Jaramillo Subchron to be definitively established for the level TD4, that is, less than one million years, consistent with with a pulse of human dispersal across southern Europe during the time interval known as the Lower Pleistocene transition.

Dual study 

This paper forms part of a dual paleomagnetic study of Gran Dolina, encompassing levels TD1 to TD6, undertaken for better understanding of the ages of the different stratigraphic levels which comprise the fillings of the site.

The second paper, which has just been published in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews, focuses on the chronology of the lower sedimentary fillings, and corroborates the datings found for TD4.

Source: CENIEH [February 28, 2018]

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Umayyad-era sunken marine port discovered in Aqaba Gulf

A sunken marine port structure in the Gulf of Aqaba was unveiled on Monday as findings of Jordan’s first underwater archaeological expedition tracing ruins of the Islamic city of Ayla were announced.

Jordan’s first underwater archaeological expedition traced ruins of the Islamic city of Ayla
in the Gulf of Aqaba [Credit: JREDS]

The unearthed port dates back to the Umayyad period towards the end of the Fatimid period (650-1116 AD), according to the findings of the survey, which also unveiled a 50-metre-long and eight-metre-wide barrier.

“The barrier is connected to a solid mud floor which extends outside the coast. The solid mud floor was found to be interspersed with a two-lane corridor which connects the port and the sea gate to the city and its stores. It is suggested that the lane was used for the transport of the port’s imports and exports,” the survey’s results, which were made available to The Jordan Times, read.

The Royal Marine Conservation Society of Jordan (JREDS), which implemented the survey project in partnership with different stakeholders, announced the results during a conference in Aqaba.

JREDS implemented the survey in partnership with the USAID-funded project  "Sustainable Cultural Heritage Through Engagement of Local Communities", and in cooperation with the Department of Antiquities.

HRH Princess Basma, president of JREDS, said on Monday at the conference that the society seeks to protect the marine environment while also ensuring sustainable development.

“Understanding our cultural and historical values is a tool to increase our commitment towards Jordan and the conservation of its heritage and values,” a press statement issued by JREDS quoted Princess Basma as saying.

Ehab Eid, JREDS' executive director, said that experts involved in the survey expect that the marine port discovered in the Gulf of Aqaba to include other components to be unveiled, such as a furnace for the production of pottery, and spaces for the maintenance and manufacture of ships and sails among other facilities.

“The stone mortar found at the site is likely to have been produced there. Work is under way to identify the extent of the activity of the port of Ayla, which links the commercial road from the Levant, Hijaz, Egypt and the Maghreb with the maritime navigational route that reaches India, east and south Asia and Africa,” Eid told The Jordan Times.

He noted that the society has deployed local experts to document the history of the Islamic city of Ayla, underlining that it also sought the support of experts from the Egyptian Department of Antiquities, who are specialised in underwater archaeology.

Also on Monday, the society and Jordan’s Department of Antiquities signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation in the areas of field research, educational and environmental awareness, protection of archaeological sites and organising events that are consistent with the protection of natural and cultural heritage.

Author: Hana Namrouqa | Source: The Jordan Times [February 27, 2018]

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What the Vikings put in their pillows

Not too many people are able to identify birds by examining a single feather. But a number of folks need to know that sort of thing, and it can actually save lives.

Feathers from the Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) aren't exactly what we fill most of our pillows with now
[Credit: Einar Kongshaug]

Your pillows – if they're not synthetic – are almost certainly filled with domestic goose or duck feathers. These are the most common types of fill used for this purpose today. But our ancestors weren't always as discerning.

"Eagle-owls," says Jørgen Rosvold, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Archaeology and Cultural History at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) University Museum.

Rosvold is among a handful of individuals in Norway who can identify birds based solely on their feathers. He examined a pillow from a Viking grave and found feathers from Europe's largest owl in it, along with feather residues from a variety of other species.

"This shows that the Vikings valued feathers as an important resource," Rosvold says.

Sometimes all you can say for sure is that a feather came from a duck, but not what kind of duck.
(These are mallards, though.) [Credit: Einar Kongshaug]

Rosvold is part of an NTNU down project (Dunprosjektet), where one of the goals is to develop methods to identify small bits of feather residue. It's not always easy to tell what species a feather comes from, especially if only small fragments of feathers remain.

"Sometimes all you can say for sure is that a feather comes from a duck," says Rosvold.

But not always what kind of duck. Some feathers are just too similar to be certain what species it comes from. You might be able to say whether a feather comes from a game bird or a sparrow, but not always much beyond that.

"It depends on how well preserved the feather is, the kind of feather and whether the species has close relatives," he says.

Large collection helpful

Rosvold can identify some feathers down to the specific species. The NTNU University Museum has a large collection, and if he's able to first determine which family the bird belongs to, he can compare it with specimens from the collection.

Miniscule barbules, the smallest branches of a feather, are examined under a microscope to identify the kind of bird.
Here are two different birds. At bottom left is a rock ptarmigan, a type of game bird with rings around its barbules.
At bottom right is a mallard with triangular growths at the ends of its barbules
[Credit: Jørgen Rosvold, NTNU University Museum]

As a rule, the underneath, most downy parts of feathers have distinctive features that make it possible to identify the former owner. The smallest branches of a feather, called barbules, are the most useful. Their shape and distribution of different growths, tiny irregularities and the colour can provide clues.

"You can see the pigmentation really well, even after a long time," says Rosvold.For example, you can see pigmentation in feathers from early Viking times, around 800 CE. Game birds are recognizable by the rings around their barbules. Duck feathers have distinctive triangular growths.

"In some cases, if we're unable to identify a feather beyond the family level with microscopes, we can make more headway using DNA analyses. The analyses are easier when we've narrowed down the range of possible birds," says Rosvold.

But this is clearly an art for specialists. Conservator Leena Aulikki Airola at the NTNU University Museum is skilled at detecting the impression of feathers in metal, among other things. This can happen when a sword is laid on a feather pillow in a Viking grave, for example. Over the years, the sword corrodes and the feathers in the pillow become covered with the rusty metal.

Cooperation between birds and people

As part of the project, researchers are studying Swedish and Norwegian grave discoveries from the Nordic Iron Age, including the Oseberg grave, to find out which birds the feathers come from.

A well-preserved feather fragment found in a grave from the Viking era, about one centimetre long. Even after
many hundreds of years you can see the colours and that this is a feather from a crow
[Credit: Jørgen Rosvold, NTNU University Museum]

One of the main goals for the down project is to find out when people established eider farming on the Helgeland coast and in central Norway. These are areas along the coast where people provide nesting shelters for eider ducks to return to year after year.

Eider farmers build nesting boxes and protect the ducks, which in turn leave large amounts of down behind. But we don't yet know how long this cooperation between birds and people has existed.

"The cooperation goes way back in time. We've found a few eider feathers, but also a lot of assorted feathers," says Rosvold.

For a long time people simply took what they had available to stuff their pillows.The researchers have found feather samples that date as far back as the late Germanic Iron (or Merovingian) Age, from around 570 and through the Viking era. No earlier use of feathers in Norway has been discovered, but that doesn't mean that it didn't take place. The Romans used a lot of feathers in their pillows, for example.

Useful for others, too

Archaeologists and biologists aren't the only ones who may be interested in these results. Identifying birds by their feathers may be important in other fields as well.

Feather residues in corroded iron from a Viking sword. Perhaps the sword was laid on a pillow?
[Credit: Jørgen Rosvold, NTNU University Museum]

Any of us might be curious to find out just what kind of feather we found on our woods walk the other day.

Biologists find it useful to identify feathers from scat and pellets, which are undigested parts of food that are regurgitated by birds, to determine what they've been eating. Feathers from bird houses can tell us who lived there.

But knowing your feathers can also potentially solve crimes or save lives, such as for investigators who need to collect evidence. One specialist in the United States works primarily with feathers from birds that have collided with airplanes. Finding out what kind of bird crashed into the plane might enable you to take action to reduce the risks.Those microscopic details could end up being really important.

Source: Norwegian University of Science and Technology [February 27, 2018]

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Archaeologist uncovers hidden history of conquistadors in American South

Chris Rodning, the Paul and Debra Gibbons Professor in the Tulane School of Liberal Arts’ Department of Anthropology, unravels early entanglements between Native Americans and European explorers, revealing how their interactions shaped the history of the American South.

An image taken in June 2017 by a camera mounted on a drone displays the exposed remnants of Fort San Juan.
Excavations of this area of the site will be continued in June 2018 [Credit: Ryan Wallace]

“Native Americans’ responses to Spanish explorers and colonists form an important part of the story behind the history of European colonialism in North America,” said Rodning, who conducts archaeological research at Fort San Juan — the earliest known permanent European settlement in the interior United States, located near Morganton, North Carolina.

Since 2001, Rodning has collaborated with David Moore, an anthropology professor from Warren Wilson College, and Rob Beck, an associate professor of anthropology from the University of Michigan, to excavate the site.

“In 2013, we identified the archaeological footprint of the fort,” said Rodning, noting that the team has since focused on learning how the structure was built and where it was located in relation to a nearby Native American settlement called Joara.

In 1540, the conquistador Hernando de Soto traversed this part of western North Carolina.

“He threatened communities with violence, demanded food and sometimes attacked when they did not comply with his demands. He also pressed Native Americans into service as porters to carry supplies for his men,” said Rodning.

Hannah Hoover, a Tulane senior double majoring in anthropology and classical studies, digs dirt from excavation
squares at the Fort San Juan site and throws it up to sifters to screen the dirt in search of artifacts
[Credit: Christopher Rodning]

One generation after de Soto’s expedition, Spanish explorer Juan Pardo arrived with another group of soldiers and established Fort San Juan in 1566.

“When Pardo marched inland, the town of Joara was a much more powerful town than it had been 26 years previously,” said Rodning — possibly because of Joara’s previous interactions with de Soto.

At first, an alliance formed between Pardo and the people of Joara, but in 1568, warriors from Joara sacked the fort and burned the compound.

“Architectural materials and designs of burned houses at the site demonstrate evidence of the typical Native American style of architectural design and construction, but some wooden fragments also indicate that they were cut and shaped with metal tools. The significance of that is Native Americans didn’t have those types of metal tools,” said Rodning.

Rodning said that it’s likely that Native Americans gained access to these new tools from Spanish soldiers, or that Spanish soldiers participated in the construction and maintenance of houses where the men garrisoned at Fort San Juan lived.

Rodning said his team remains committed to the project in hopes of understanding how early moments and subsequent episodes of Spanish contact changed Native American communities in this region.

University Press of Florida published the group’s findings in a book called Fort San Juan and the Limits of Empire: Colonialism and Household Practice at the Berry Site in 2016.

Source: Tulane University [February 27, 2018]

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15,000-year-old artefacts discovered along Scotland's Aberdeen bypass

Artefacts and structures found during archaeological excavations on the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route/Balmedie to Tipperty (AWPR/B-T) project are shedding light on land use and settlement in the north east over the past 15,000 years, including Mesolithic pits, Roman bread ovens, prehistoric roundhouses and a cremation complex.

A beaker from the Chalcolithic period; a fluted carinated bowl from early Neolithic times; impressed ware
from the middle Neolithic [Credit: Transport Scotland]

Since the archaeological excavations were completed, specialists have been analysing the artefacts and samples recovered from the various sites and will be detailing the results in a new limited edition book due to be published later this year.

Keith Brown, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work said: “When complete, the AWPR will help to reduce congestion, cut journey times, improve safety and lower pollution in Aberdeen City Centre, as well as enable local authorities to develop public transport solutions."

Cremation urn the remains found in a roundhouse and cremation complex at Nether Beanshill, dating
to the Bronze Age, from around 1,600 to 1,250 BC [Credit: Transport Scotland]

"However, the archaeology has also proven to be yet another huge benefit coming from this project, helping to shine a light on Scotland’s ancient past. The discoveries along the AWPR route, which would have remained undiscovered had the new bypass not been built, are truly remarkable and underline the importance of the value we place on meeting our environmental obligations as we plan and construct this new infrastructure.”

Bruce Mann, Archaeologist for Aberdeenshire Council and Aberdeen City Council, explained: "There has been a range of fascinating discoveries from the archaeological works carried out on site. Some raise more questions than they answer about what we thought we knew about the north east. For instance, a very unexpected discovery was the presence of Roman activity at Milltimber, likely dating from around 83/84 AD. Ninety bread ovens were uncovered, which were probably constructed by the Roman army at a time of invasion led by the Roman General Agricola. However, no evidence of an associated camp was found, which is unusual for these types of features. We can only speculate as to why the ovens were at this specific location, and what it says about what was happening in the area at the time.”

Bread ovens used by invading Roman soldiers around 83/84 AD at Milltimber
[Credit: Transport Scotland]

"Going back to the very earliest finds, there was also evidence of stone tool production dating between about 13,000 and 10,000 BC at Milltimber, a near unprecedented body of evidence which pushes back our understanding of human activity in north east Scotland by several thousand years. The same site revealed spreads of flints along with large pits dating between 10,000 BC to 4,100 BC that could have been used by hunter-gatherers to trap deer, elks or aurochs (an ancestor of modern bison). What is particularly exciting is that these finds have been made in an area where our knowledge is rapidly expanding through research projects such as Mesolithic Deeside.”

The discoveries made during the works were not confined to the environs of the River Dee. A structure dating between 7,000 BC to 6,700 BC was also found at Standingstones, in the hills to the west of Dyce. This tent-like shelter was likely only used for a few nights by a small group of people while they collected nuts, berries and tubers or hunted animals in the immediate area.

Hammerstone and cores from digs from Wester Hatton
[Credit: Transport Scotland]

Bruce continued: “Bronze Age activity was identified from Nether Beanshill in the form of a roundhouse and contemporary cremation complex dating from around 1,600 to 1,250 BC.BC. The burial comprised of an urn in which the cremated remains of an individual in their 20s had been placed. This urn was placed in a pit which was then marked by a horseshoe-shaped arrangement of timber posts. Two other similar burials were covered by miniature mounds and surrounded by small ditches.”

Although artefacts of a wide range of dates, materials and types were discovered across the scheme, a particularly well-preserved Beaker period pot found in a post-hole at Milltimber was a highlight. The pot was completely intact when it was found and must have been placed in the ground with a great deal of care. It dates to between 2,400 BC to around 2,200/2,000 BC.

Quern Stone with a hand-stone found in Wester Hatton
[Credit: Transport Scotland]

Bruce added: “These archaeological finds provide real insight into the history and culture of the north east. They are impressive in both in time depth and range of activities represented. They push back known human activity in the region by at least 2,000 years, add new detail to how our ancestors lived and died, and reveal a new dimension to Rome’s invasions of Scotland.”

Leader of Aberdeenshire Council Cllr Jim Gifford added: “The AWPR project isn’t just about construction of the route itself, as important as that is. It’s also about our relationship with the environment and the history of the north-east of Scotland.

Beaker pot found at Milltimber dating from between 2,400 to 2,000 BC
[Credit: Transport Scotland] 

“The book, when it becomes available later this year, captures a slice of history and I would like to thank Bruce and those who worked on this element of the scheme for their hard work in producing this excellent document.”

Aberdeen City Council transport and regeneration spokesman Councillor Ross Grant said: “The archaeology finds are fascinating and highlight just how rich the entire area is in history. It is interesting to find out how our forebearers lived and the Roman bread ovens found at Milltimber paint a picture of everyday life of the incoming army while they were invading."

Remains of a roundhouse found at Gairnhill
[Credit: Transport Scotland]

“While modern-day residents are looking forward to the completion of the AWPR and the benefits it will bring to Aberdeen and the surrounding area, I’m sure they will find these discoveries interesting.”

Other excavations include a small hub of Iron Age activity at Goval dating from around the first and second centuries AD where a roundhouse of around 10 metres in diameter was found which would have provided space to live comfortably. The roundhouse was built of vertical wooden posts supporting a large conical thatched roof and there would have been a central hearth. An area of stone paving – or work surface – was also found outside the entrance of the building.

A furnace found nearby showed evidence of iron smelting, the process of extracting iron from ore. The ore which was most likely extracted from nearby peat bogs, would have been heated in the furnace causing the iron to separate and pool in the bottom of the furnace.

Source: Scottish Government [February 26, 2018]

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Rain uncovers 75 ancient artefacts in Iraq

Heavy rainfall has uncovered 75 ancient artefacts at the Borsippa archaeological site in the Iraqi province of Babylon, the authorities announced on Sunday.

A team searches for ancient artefacts in Iraq [Credit: AFP]

Terracotta pottery, coins and metal objects dating back to the Parthian era were among the items found, said Hussein Fleih of the provincial antiquities authority.

"These pieces will now be examined to determine their exact dating," he told AFP.

The discovery of the items because of rain is not uncommon in Iraq, but there have been several deep archaeological digs at the site next to a Muslim sanctuary dedicated to Abraham.

"Last year, 1,000 pieces were unearthed this way and this proves that antiquities can be on the surface and not deep underground," said Fleih.

Source: AFP [February 25, 2018]

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Ancient theatre in Perge to be restored

The ancient theatre in Perge, which is believed to date back to the second century and had a capacity of 13,000 people, will undergo restoration for the first time in its history.

DHA Photo

Located in the ancient city of Perge, which was the capital of many civilizations especially in the Pamphylia era, the ancient amphitheatre in the southern province of Antalya’s Aksu district is as magnificent as the theatres in Ephesus and Aspendos.

The Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums provided 3 million Turkish Liras for the restoration project to be carried out by the Antalya Directorate of Surveying and Monuments.

Antalya Director of Surveying and Monuments Cemil Karabayram said the ancient theatre had not been restored so far, adding that excavations started in the 1980s under the leadership of Professor Jale İnan and continued until 1990s. He said lots of old sculptures and historic artifacts had been unearthed in the theatre since then and were being displayed at the Antalya Archaeology Museum.

Karabayram said 2018 was declared “Perge’s year” in Antalya and the idea for its restoration came up during visits by the Culture and Tourism Minister Numan Kurtulmuş to the ancient city. “With the initiative of the Surveying and Monuments director Yalçın Kurt, the problem of allocation for the restoration project has been solved,” he added.

Karabayram said work had begun on the restoration project.

“This is a very important development because the ancient Perge theatre has never been considered for restoration. All original materials of the structure still remain. It will be restored with its original materials. The Perge theatre was closed to tourism for some time due to security reasons. As a result of works, some fields were taken under protection with safety lines and the rest was open to visitors. Tourists can visit the theatre at the moment,” he said.

The director said once the project was done, operations would start by the end of the year.

“The ancient Perge theatre will regain its magnificence at the end of this restoration. Also, an academic committee is being formed for the project and the application,” he added.

The ancient theatre is made up of three main sections, the cavea (seating sections), the orchestra and the stage. The area for the cavea and orchestra is a bit wider than a half circle. It is known that gladiator and wild animal fights were organized in the orchestra pit.

The lower part of the theatre has 19 tiers and the upper part has 23 tiers for seats. The orchestra pit surrounded with rails shows us that gladiator shows were organized there. Relievos featuring the life of Dionysos, the goddess of wine, are seen on the stage, which has five doors that lead to the backstage.

Even though most of these relievos were damaged when the stage collapsed, the parts depicting the life of Dionysos have survived until today.

Source: Hurriyet Daily News [February 24, 2018]

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Life in Britain during twilight of Roman empire revealed by rings

Researchers from Newcastle and Oxford Universities have for the first time catalogued in detail each of the 54 Brancaster-type rings known to exist in the UK today and say that they can be dated with confidence due to their design and the material they’re made from.

Roman 'Brancaster type' gold finger ring [Credit: Portable Antiquities Scheme]

Named after the Roman Fort and Norfolk village where the first example was discovered in the mid-19th century, a Brancaster ring is a type of signet ring with a characteristic square or rectangular bezel, inscribed with characters or text.

Most of the 54 rings are made from silver, and a small number from gold. This contrasts with the early Roman period when the majority of rings tended to be made from bronze. They are also different to early Anglo Saxon rings, which were much plainer and rarer.

As well as being worn as an item of jewellery, they were commonly used with wax to seal letters and other important documents. Seals were also often used as a security device to protect belongings in the home and while in transit.

Writing in the German journal Bonner Jahrbücher, the research team say that the fact the rings are made from precious metals and were used with important documents and goods point to them being owned by wealthy, educated individuals – the elite of British society at the time.

Dr James Gerrard, Senior Lecturer in Roman Archaeology, explains: “These were ostentatious rings and would have been a very visible sign of the wearer’s status and their confidence in expressing themselves as a Roman citizen.

“The fifth century was a period of major upheaval and marked the start of the transition from Roman Empire to Anglo Saxon Britain. These rings and their inscriptions provide a glimpse of what Britain was like during these years and give an insight into the dress, beliefs, ideologies and education level of the elite at the time.”

One famous Brancaster ring, the Senicianus ring, is thought to have inspired JRR Tolkien to write The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The gold ring has been linked to a Roman curse tablet found at the site of a Roman temple in 1785, which said: ‘To the god Nodens: Silvianus has lost his ring and promises half its value to Nodens. Among those named Senecianus, let none enjoy health until he brings it back to the temple of Nodens.’ Nearly 150 years later, archaeologist Sir Mortimer Wheeler is believed to have discussed the ring with Tolkien, who was Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University at the time, after realising the ring could potentially be the one referred to by the curse.

The rings were discovered over several years at sites predominantly in the south and east of Britain.  Some were found during archaeological excavations at known villa locations but many were found as part of buried hoards alongside other artefacts such as coins and jewellery. A large number of rings were also discovered by metal-detectorists and reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

Many of the hoards that include these rings also contain large numbers of late Roman silver coins. In many cases these coins have been clipped around the edges. Tampering with coins was illegal during the Roman period and it is believed that this clipping dates to the fifth century. This is further evidence of the fifth-century date of the rings.

The rings are engraved with a wide variety of designs. Some have what appear to be portraits of the emperor, soldiers or lovers while others feature several dolphins and mythical sea creatures such as sea griffins, which are frequently depicted in late Roman art.

In addition, many of the rings also bear references to Christianity, either in the inscription or the images depicted on the bezel, such as doves or peacocks. These images have long been associated with Christianity, which had started to spread across the Roman Empire from the fourth century, when Constantine the Great converted and encouraged other Roman citizens to convert.

Dr Gerrard adds: “Taken together, the use of silver and gold, the Christian iconography, the style of the designs and their associations with clipped silver coins, all point to Brancaster rings being of a particular time – in this case, we can be confident in firmly placing them at the very end fourth and in the fifth century.”

Source: Newcastle University [February 24, 2018]

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26th Dynasty cemetery uncovered in Egypt's Minya

In the middle of the desert, six kilometres south of Tuna Al-Gabal archaeological site, Egyptian and international media gathered to witness the announcement of a new discovery.

Credit: Reuters

Five showcases displaying the artefacts uncovered from burial sites in the cemetery were guarded by inspectors. Minister of Antiquities Kaled El-Enany, who was on site, announced the discovery of a 26th Dynasty cemetery that consists of a large number of burial shafts.

Credit: Reuters

The discovery was made out by an Egyptian mission led by Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), who started excavations at end of 2017.

Credit: Reuters

“Excavation work is scheduled to last for five years in an attempt to uncover all the burials of the cemetery,” El-Enany told Ahram Online. He explained that the discovery is still fresh, and many more are to come as excavation continues.

Credit: Reuters

Waziri said that in the last three months the mission has discovered a group of tombs and burials that belong to priests of the ancient Egyptian god Thoth, the main deity of the 15th nome and its capital Al-Ashmounein.