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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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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Scientists discover secret of the 'Gate to Hell' at ancient Hierapolis

The ancient Greek site known as "Gate to Hell," located in modern-day Turkey's western Denizli province, really did kill those who got too close – but instead of an angry god's breath, noxious gas claimed victims, scientists have found.

In ancient times, the Greeks and Romans believed this grotto was the gateway to hell
[Credit: Daily Sabah]

Legends of "Hades Gate," named after the Greek god of death, say anyone who approached the deadly breath-filled grotto dropped dead and was immediately taken away to the underworld – a tale considered hyperbole, until now.

A team of researchers from Germany's University of Duisburg-Essen who has been studying the site in the ancient city of Hierapolis uncovered a geomorphic explanation for the dramatic deaths.

The plutonium at Hierapolis [Credit: Carole Raddato/Flickr]

The grotto sits directly above the Babadağ fault line, from which carbon dioxide escapes Earth's crust and fills the cave, at levels that may have been lethal to humans in ancient times.

A digital reconstruction of the site [Credit: Francesco D’Andria]

​"In a grotto below the temple of Pluto, CO2 was found to be at deadly concentrations of up to 91 percent," the study, published in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, said.

During the rites, priests sacrificed bulls to Pluto.The ceremony included leading the animals into the cave,
and dragging them out dead [Credit: Francesco D’Andria]

"Astonishingly, these vapours are still emitted in concentrations that nowadays kill insects, birds and mammals."

The fault line had another formative effect on the city, one that instead fought back against death's approach and kept it a popular spot for visitors. Colourful mineral hot springs cascade down the hill near the ruins of Hierapolis, the place known as Pamukkale in modern Turkey. The site has been used as a healing spa since the second century BC under the Greek Seleucid Empire.

Source: Daily Sabah [February 23, 2018]

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Ancient crown seized in Istanbul

A 2,200-year-old crown and silver bowl have been seized by police in Istanbul during a hotel raid against historical artifact smugglers.

Credit: Hurriyet Daily News

The police’s Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Branch pushed the button for the operation on Feb. 20 after finding that suspects had tried to sell a number of historical artifacts.

Undercover police initially got in touch with the suspects by pretending to be interested in buying the artifacts, representing themselves as antique dealers. The suspects attempted to sell the bowl and the golden crown for $1 million, finally making a deal for 500,000 liras.

Police teams organized a meeting with the suspects at a hotel in Fatih and seized the four suspects during the operation.

The golden crown, which dates back to the Hellenistic era, a broken silver bowl and a golden ring were seized in a bag in the raid.

The artifacts have been sent to the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums for further examinations.

Source: Hurriyet Daily News [February 22, 2018]

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2,300-year-old road destroyed to make way for villagers’ olive groves in SW Turkey

Four kilometers of a 2,300-year-old stone road, which connects the ancient cities of Alinda and Herakleia (Latmos) in the western province of Aydın’s Söke district, have been destroyed by villagers to make way for their olive groves.

Credit: DHA

The Association of Ecosystem Protection and Nature Lovers (EKODOSD) has initiated work for the registration and protection of the road by the Aydın Cultural and Natural Heritage Preservation Board.

Villagers have bulldozed four kilometers of the road in an attempt to make room for their olive groves in Söke’s Tekeler neighbourhood. Upon complaints, members of the EKODOSD have examined the area with environmental engineer Haydar Coşar from the protection board, archaeologist Süleyman Özgen and Aydın Archaeology Museum’s archaeologist Songül Erbay.

Credit: DHA

The team has detected some parts of the road have been completely destroyed and some parts have been filled. Works have been initiated to bring the ancient road under protection.

EKODOSD president Bahattin Sürücü said the construction of the stone road was at a great expense by the ancient city of Herakleia’s founder Pleistarkhos. The road connects the ancient cities of Myus, Alinda, Alabanda, Tralleis to each other, as well as the Menderes Valley to the Marsyas Valley.

Credit: DHA

“Locals and trekking aficionados still use the stone paved roads that can be seen from almost everywhere on the Latmos Mountains. These roads, which have served for centuries, have been damaged by natural causes due to rains. It was used as a border wall in some regions. The best and most striking part of the ancient road is in the Kazıkaya Tunnel, located between Bozalan and Herakleia. It is really sad that a road that has survived for 2,300 years has been damaged in the last six months,” he said.

Sürücü said the ancient road should be protected for future generations.

Credit: DHA

“This type of stone road should not be damaged; its stones should not be removed and vehicles should not be driven on these roads. This way, they can be protected for future generations. Ancient roads are a very important part of our cultural heritage. It should be everyone’s mission to protect them. Thousands of years for a road in an ancient city is a big richness for eco-tourism activities in this region. A true project will contribute to the economic development of locals, Aydın’s tourism and the protection of the road,” he said.

Credit: DHA

“The ancient era roads in our region have been detected by Dr. Anneliese Peschlow during research in and around Herakleia. Thanks to the stone road from the western part of Herakleia to the top of the mountain, Peschlow has made many discoveries and has made a great effort to reveal the oldest stone road in Anatolia. Along with geographer and cartographer Volker Höhfeld, they were able to measure the historic 300-kilometer road even before the existence of GPS,” said the EKODOSD president.

Source: Hurriyet Daily News [February 22, 2018]

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1,700-year-old altar found in Turkey's Afyonkarahisar stolen

An invaluable ancient altar from the Roman period discovered in western Turkey's Afyonkarahisar province during sewage works last year has been stolen, reports said Monday.

Credit: HaberTürk

Authorities have issued warnings for museums and border crossings to prevent the smuggling of the artifact, HaberTürk daily reported.

The 1,700-year-old altar had been discovered in November 2017, when municipal workers were carrying out sewage works near the Organized Industrial Site and was covered afterward.

When archaeologists arrived at the site to unearth the altar, they carried out an excavation but were unable to find the artifact, which had been stolen.

The provincial cultural and tourism directorate immediately took action and warned museums and auctions regarding the incident.

Border officials have also been notified, reports said.

Source: Daily Sabah [February 19, 2018]

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Iraq foils smuggling of USD13 million antiquities smuggling to Turkey

Iraq has foiled an attempt to smuggle antiquities worth millions of dollars to Turkey, its interior ministry said on Saturday.

A destroyed artifact is seen at a museum, where Islamic State militants filmed themselves destroying priceless statues
and sculptures in 2015, during a battle against the militants in Mosul, Iraq, March 11, 2017
[Credit: Reuters/Thaier Al-Sudani]

The ministry’s general inspector said in a statement, quoted by Alforatnews, that ministry teams in Kirkuk blocked the transfer of scriptures and antiquities worth USD13 million to Turkey, which were in the possession of two people.

Those, the statement revealed, included scriptures and a bust.

It added that the suspects confessed to agreeing with another party in Turkey on the handover of the pieces. They said they were also expecting to receive more items while waiting at the Turkish borders, including jewelry belonging to the wife of late president Saddam Hussein worth millions of dollars.

Iraq’s archaeological sites sustained severe damage when Islamic State militants occupied a third of the country to proclaim a self-styled Islamic “caliphate”. The militants had filmed themselves axing down priceless statues in Mosul and other areas as they considered statues as pagan representations at odds with their extremist religious codes. However, later reports told that militants turned to selling antiquities to fund the group’s operations.

Author: Mohamed Mostafa | Source: Iraqi News [February 18, 2018]

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