Monday, June 18, 2007
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Mycenaean tombs were found near Olympia
Source: IOL
Athens - Greek archaeologists have uncovered four intact tombs about 30 centuries old and Roman baths from a later period in the south-west of the country, the local media reported on Monday.
The four tombs date from the Mycenaean period (1450 BC to 1050 BC) and are reported to contain many objects such as toys, ceramics and figurines.
The find was made near Olympia in the Peloponnese region in an area which had been excavated in the 1960s and the end of the 1990s.
One of the tombs found by a team headed by archaeologist Olympia Bikatou was apparently that of a child and held toys, images of protecting deities and an effigy of the mother, a woman clasping a child.
One of the objects was a flask showing Cypriot influence
Bikatou told a seminar at Olympia that her team had found ceramics in the form of boxes, alabaster pots and amphoras, some of which had four handles, "which give a complete picture of a Mycenaean ceramics workshop".
One piece of an amphora has a design showing a body displayed on a stretcher carried by four men which, according to Bikatou, "is the only scene of this type in Mycenaean iconography".
The tombs also held intaglio work in the form of engraved stones and seals in steatite and jewelry such as necklaces and pearls.
Giorgia Hatzi, head of the regional archaeological department, said Roman baths covering an area of 1 000 square metres had been found in the region.
They operated from the first to the fourth century AD and consisted of 16 rooms around a central marble-clad colonnade. The cloisters were covered with mosaics.
Athens - Greek archaeologists have uncovered four intact tombs about 30 centuries old and Roman baths from a later period in the south-west of the country, the local media reported on Monday.
The four tombs date from the Mycenaean period (1450 BC to 1050 BC) and are reported to contain many objects such as toys, ceramics and figurines.
The find was made near Olympia in the Peloponnese region in an area which had been excavated in the 1960s and the end of the 1990s.
One of the tombs found by a team headed by archaeologist Olympia Bikatou was apparently that of a child and held toys, images of protecting deities and an effigy of the mother, a woman clasping a child.
One of the objects was a flask showing Cypriot influence
Bikatou told a seminar at Olympia that her team had found ceramics in the form of boxes, alabaster pots and amphoras, some of which had four handles, "which give a complete picture of a Mycenaean ceramics workshop".
One piece of an amphora has a design showing a body displayed on a stretcher carried by four men which, according to Bikatou, "is the only scene of this type in Mycenaean iconography".
The tombs also held intaglio work in the form of engraved stones and seals in steatite and jewelry such as necklaces and pearls.
Giorgia Hatzi, head of the regional archaeological department, said Roman baths covering an area of 1 000 square metres had been found in the region.
They operated from the first to the fourth century AD and consisted of 16 rooms around a central marble-clad colonnade. The cloisters were covered with mosaics.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Tribute to Praxiteles at National Archaeological Museum in July
Visitors will see the works in order, from the most to the least certain attributions
Eighty works from museums in Greece (such as the head of the Artemis of Brauron) and abroad will be on display in the exhibition dedicated to the great sculptor Praxiteles at the capital’s National Archaeological Museum from July 25 through October 31.
Source: ekathimerini IOTA SYKKA
A recent exhibition dedicated to the great sculptor Praxiteles at the Louvre Museum in Paris offered a useful insight to organizers of a Greek exhibition about what to do and what pitfalls to avoid.
It may help the upcoming tribute to Praxiteles at the National Archaeological Museum of Greece (July 25 to October 31) to prevent any overcrowding, repetition and exaggeration.
The Athens exhibition will have some advantages, one being the famous Marathon Boy, the bronze masterwork that was not the centerpiece to the Louvre exhibition, and which gave rise to a major misunderstanding on both sides.
The extremely fragile statue will be moved, with its base, to the temporary exhibition hall, where it will be the central exhibit, together with a surprise that the museum’s director, Nikos Kaltsas, has planned.
Eros of Thespies
Another impressive exhibit is the small marble Eros of Thespies that was “discovered” a couple of years ago among the many treasures that fill the museum’s storerooms.
Another masterpiece in the exhibition is the ivory figurine of Apollo that the First Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities lent with some reluctance as the figurine is exceedingly fragile, having been reconstructed from 240 tiny fragments.
There will be 80 exhibits on display, 27 of them from museums abroad, as many again from Greek museums (such as the Iraklion Archaeological Museum, the Numismatic Museum and the Brauron Museum), and a further 26 from the National Archaeological Museum’s own collection.
One innovation is that all the works on display will be either from the time of Praxiteles or Roman copies, but no later.
Some experts objected to the Louvre exhibition’s inclusion of later works in order to show the influence of Praxiteles, not only on the Hellenistic and Roman periods, but also on the Renaissance and more recent times.
The organizers did not want to use any casts in the exhibition, apart from that of Hermes from Olympia.
In Athens, the works will be presented in order from the most certain to the least certain attributions.
Sculptor’s workshop
The workshop of Praxiteles, who was born around 395 BC, operated for around a century.
It began with his father, Cephisodotus the Elder, the best-known Athenian bronze-caster of the period 390-370 BC, from whom Praxiteles learnt his trade, and was continued by his sons, Cephisodotus and Timodotus.
Among the highlights of the exhibition will be the works that travelled from Athens to Paris for the Louvre tribute, as well as two inscribed plinths which bear the signature of Praxiteles from the Ancient Agora Museum, the head of Artemis of Brauron from the old Acropolis Museum, the torso of an Arles-type Aphrodite, a grave stele with a relief and the Mantineia Base.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Ancient Egyptian City Spotted From Space
Source: LiveScience.com via AOL News
By Heather Whipps
(June 6) - Satellites hovering above Egypt have zoomed in on a 1,600-year-old metropolis, archaeologists say.
Images captured from space pinpoint telltale signs of previous habitation in the swatch of land 200 miles south of Cairo, which digging recently confirmed as an ancient settlement dating from about 400 A.D.
The find is part of a larger project aiming to map as much of ancient Egypt's archaeological sites, or "tells," as possible before they are destroyed or covered by modern development.
"It is the biggest site discovered so far," said project leader Sarah Parcak of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "Based on the coins and pottery we found, it appears to be a massive regional center that traded with Greece, Turkey and Libya."
Another large city dating to 600 B.C. and a monastery from 400 A.D. are some of the four hundred or so sites that Parcak has located during her work with the satellites. The oldest dates back over 5,000 years.
Egypt contains a wealth of already identified archaeological tells like these, but even they represent only about 0.01 percent of what is out there still uncovered, Parcak said.
Most of the ancient settlements still buried are at risk of being lost to looting and urban sprawl. Residential sites, where the Egyptian empire's millions of citizens lived during its heyday, are especially vulnerable, archaeologists say.
"There are thousands of settlements that Egyptians don't even know are there," Parcak told LiveScience. "Nothing will ever destroy the Pyramids or the Temple of Luxor, but these huge settlement sites where we get a lot of information are being threatened. And that's how we find out how people lived."
The satellite technology lets archaeologists such as Parcak—the first to use space imagery in Egypt—identify points of interest on a large scale.
"Basically, I'm trying to distinguish the ancient remains from the modern landscape," she said. "A site is going to appear very differently from space." Archaeological sites absorb moisture in a different way, she explained, and tend to be covered with specific types of soil and vegetation.
The subtle differences would take much longer to identify on the ground, said Parcak, so Egypt's government uses her catalog to identify sites and excavate there before development takes over and destroys the site for good.
By Heather Whipps
(June 6) - Satellites hovering above Egypt have zoomed in on a 1,600-year-old metropolis, archaeologists say.
Images captured from space pinpoint telltale signs of previous habitation in the swatch of land 200 miles south of Cairo, which digging recently confirmed as an ancient settlement dating from about 400 A.D.
The find is part of a larger project aiming to map as much of ancient Egypt's archaeological sites, or "tells," as possible before they are destroyed or covered by modern development.
"It is the biggest site discovered so far," said project leader Sarah Parcak of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "Based on the coins and pottery we found, it appears to be a massive regional center that traded with Greece, Turkey and Libya."
Another large city dating to 600 B.C. and a monastery from 400 A.D. are some of the four hundred or so sites that Parcak has located during her work with the satellites. The oldest dates back over 5,000 years.
Egypt contains a wealth of already identified archaeological tells like these, but even they represent only about 0.01 percent of what is out there still uncovered, Parcak said.
Most of the ancient settlements still buried are at risk of being lost to looting and urban sprawl. Residential sites, where the Egyptian empire's millions of citizens lived during its heyday, are especially vulnerable, archaeologists say.
"There are thousands of settlements that Egyptians don't even know are there," Parcak told LiveScience. "Nothing will ever destroy the Pyramids or the Temple of Luxor, but these huge settlement sites where we get a lot of information are being threatened. And that's how we find out how people lived."
The satellite technology lets archaeologists such as Parcak—the first to use space imagery in Egypt—identify points of interest on a large scale.
"Basically, I'm trying to distinguish the ancient remains from the modern landscape," she said. "A site is going to appear very differently from space." Archaeological sites absorb moisture in a different way, she explained, and tend to be covered with specific types of soil and vegetation.
The subtle differences would take much longer to identify on the ground, said Parcak, so Egypt's government uses her catalog to identify sites and excavate there before development takes over and destroys the site for good.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Subway Dig Unearths Rome's Ancient Past
Source: NPR
By Sylvia Poggioli
It's been centuries since archaeologists excavated Rome's central Piazza Venezia, but just a few hundred yards from the Roman Forum, skeletons of the city's past are surfacing.
In a hole 18 feet below the piazza, construction workers and archaeologists digging Rome's new subway line are carefully uncovering Rome's layered history.
Closest to the surface are building remnants from renaissance Rome that were torn down in the late 19th century. The next layer exposes the remains of Via Flamina, a medieval road that once cut through the city. Below that, herringbone pavement from around A.D. 700 peeks through.
Unlike Paris or New York, whose intricate subway lines connect, Rome has historic subterreanean layers that have prevented its subway system from uniting. Giovanni Simonacci, the technical director of the new subway line, says that in Rome, archaeological remnants can be found up to 30 feet below the surface. At 90 feet down, the subway's tunnels won't displace antique artifacts, but the upper stations and air vents will.
Archaeologists decide whether artifacts are historically important enough to be maintained, or whether they can be destroyed. They deemed a Roman tavern from the Middle Ages acceptable for destruction, but they scrapped an entire subway stop near the Pantheon after workers found the base of an imperial Roman public building. Tourists will walk an extra 200 yards from Piazza Venezia to reach the relocated stop.
Elsewhere at the excavation, workers have found what archaeologists call a "looter's hole." During the Middle Ages, builders tied to a rope would drop down the well-like shaft and roam the lower layers in search of bricks, blocks of rock or slabs of marble from earlier centuries to be used for new construction.
Simonacci says the Piazza Venezia dig shows just a fragment of the rich Roman heritage below ground.
"There isn't an inch of Rome that doesn't have some artifacts below the street," he says. "In 300 A.D., Rome already had one-and-a-half million inhabitants. If we were to bring to light everything they and subsequent generations built, we would have to eliminate all of the streets of Rome."
By Sylvia Poggioli
It's been centuries since archaeologists excavated Rome's central Piazza Venezia, but just a few hundred yards from the Roman Forum, skeletons of the city's past are surfacing.
In a hole 18 feet below the piazza, construction workers and archaeologists digging Rome's new subway line are carefully uncovering Rome's layered history.
Closest to the surface are building remnants from renaissance Rome that were torn down in the late 19th century. The next layer exposes the remains of Via Flamina, a medieval road that once cut through the city. Below that, herringbone pavement from around A.D. 700 peeks through.
Unlike Paris or New York, whose intricate subway lines connect, Rome has historic subterreanean layers that have prevented its subway system from uniting. Giovanni Simonacci, the technical director of the new subway line, says that in Rome, archaeological remnants can be found up to 30 feet below the surface. At 90 feet down, the subway's tunnels won't displace antique artifacts, but the upper stations and air vents will.
Archaeologists decide whether artifacts are historically important enough to be maintained, or whether they can be destroyed. They deemed a Roman tavern from the Middle Ages acceptable for destruction, but they scrapped an entire subway stop near the Pantheon after workers found the base of an imperial Roman public building. Tourists will walk an extra 200 yards from Piazza Venezia to reach the relocated stop.
Elsewhere at the excavation, workers have found what archaeologists call a "looter's hole." During the Middle Ages, builders tied to a rope would drop down the well-like shaft and roam the lower layers in search of bricks, blocks of rock or slabs of marble from earlier centuries to be used for new construction.
Simonacci says the Piazza Venezia dig shows just a fragment of the rich Roman heritage below ground.
"There isn't an inch of Rome that doesn't have some artifacts below the street," he says. "In 300 A.D., Rome already had one-and-a-half million inhabitants. If we were to bring to light everything they and subsequent generations built, we would have to eliminate all of the streets of Rome."
How did fish reach Jerusalem?
Source: Haaretz
By Ran Shapira
Jerusalem's ancient water system, which excavations over the past decade are gradually uncovering, included a large pool hewn into rock. The pool, next to the Gihon Spring in the City of David, ceased to be used and dried up in the late eighth century B.C.E., after King Hezekiah of Judah built a new water project in the city, the Siloam tunnel. But according to Prof. Roni Reich, of the University of Haifa's Archaeology Department, and Eli Shukrun of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), who are overseeing the excavations at the site, the pool hewn into the rock did not remain desolate for long: Toward the end of the eighth century B.C.E., a Jerusalem resident decided to build himself a house inside it, thus sparing himself a lot of work, since the pool's four hewn walls served as a base for the external walls of his home.
Apparently, the new homeowners did not want to live in the depths of the pool and preferred to raise the lower level of their home by about three meters. In order to bring the house to the desired level, they poured stones and earth into the bottom of the pool, and its upper reaches abutted the floor of the house.
The excavation, being managed by the IAA with the assistance of the Israel Nature and National Parks Protection Authority (INNPPA), the Elad Association and the Gihon Company, has uncovered in the attached earthen floor of the house clay vessels dating to the end of the eighth century B.C.E., but the more surprising findings were in the stratum beneath. Reich and Shukrun decided to sift through all of it in the hope of uncovering artifacts that would help date the structure. READ FULL STORY
By Ran Shapira
Jerusalem's ancient water system, which excavations over the past decade are gradually uncovering, included a large pool hewn into rock. The pool, next to the Gihon Spring in the City of David, ceased to be used and dried up in the late eighth century B.C.E., after King Hezekiah of Judah built a new water project in the city, the Siloam tunnel. But according to Prof. Roni Reich, of the University of Haifa's Archaeology Department, and Eli Shukrun of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), who are overseeing the excavations at the site, the pool hewn into the rock did not remain desolate for long: Toward the end of the eighth century B.C.E., a Jerusalem resident decided to build himself a house inside it, thus sparing himself a lot of work, since the pool's four hewn walls served as a base for the external walls of his home.
Apparently, the new homeowners did not want to live in the depths of the pool and preferred to raise the lower level of their home by about three meters. In order to bring the house to the desired level, they poured stones and earth into the bottom of the pool, and its upper reaches abutted the floor of the house.
The excavation, being managed by the IAA with the assistance of the Israel Nature and National Parks Protection Authority (INNPPA), the Elad Association and the Gihon Company, has uncovered in the attached earthen floor of the house clay vessels dating to the end of the eighth century B.C.E., but the more surprising findings were in the stratum beneath. Reich and Shukrun decided to sift through all of it in the hope of uncovering artifacts that would help date the structure. READ FULL STORY
Saturday, May 26, 2007
THE "DARK AGES" REVISITED
An International Conference in Memory of William D.E. Coulson
THE "DARK AGES" REVISITED
Volos, 14-17 June 2007, Kordatos Amphitheatre
FINAL PROGRAMME
Friday, May 25, 2007
Ancient wine-presses found on Greek island
Source: Middle East Times
Greek archaeologists have discovered a complex of ancient farmhouses and large wine-presses on the northern Aegean island of Thassos dating from before the Roman period until late Byzantine times, the culture ministry said Wednesday.
Built with walls of stone over a meter (three feet) high and lined with plaster, the wine-presses were found clustered on a mountain near the coastal village of Limenaria, at an altitude of 500 meters.
The remains of enclosures suggest the presence of large estates that shared the use of the wine-presses, the ministry said.
Though apparently inhabited mainly during the grape harvest, the site was in use from the Hellenistic period that followed the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC onwards.
The local archaeological department has been researching the Thassos site for the past two years.
Also Wednesday, the ministry said that another archaeological team found the remains of a rural shrine to presumed fertility deities near the town of Orchomenos in central Greece.
The shrine had sustained damage in the construction of an irrigation canal in the 1950s, but the archaeologists found thousands of votive offerings, including miniature vessels, animal idols, scarabs, and lamps.
They also found rare clay replicas of flowers entwined with ears of corn, representing gifts left by faithful visiting the shrine.
In ancient times, citizens of Orchomenos are known to have worshipped the Three Graces, daughters of Zeus said to represent beauty, charm, and joy but also associated with bloom.
Greek archaeologists have discovered a complex of ancient farmhouses and large wine-presses on the northern Aegean island of Thassos dating from before the Roman period until late Byzantine times, the culture ministry said Wednesday.
Built with walls of stone over a meter (three feet) high and lined with plaster, the wine-presses were found clustered on a mountain near the coastal village of Limenaria, at an altitude of 500 meters.
The remains of enclosures suggest the presence of large estates that shared the use of the wine-presses, the ministry said.
Though apparently inhabited mainly during the grape harvest, the site was in use from the Hellenistic period that followed the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC onwards.
The local archaeological department has been researching the Thassos site for the past two years.
Also Wednesday, the ministry said that another archaeological team found the remains of a rural shrine to presumed fertility deities near the town of Orchomenos in central Greece.
The shrine had sustained damage in the construction of an irrigation canal in the 1950s, but the archaeologists found thousands of votive offerings, including miniature vessels, animal idols, scarabs, and lamps.
They also found rare clay replicas of flowers entwined with ears of corn, representing gifts left by faithful visiting the shrine.
In ancient times, citizens of Orchomenos are known to have worshipped the Three Graces, daughters of Zeus said to represent beauty, charm, and joy but also associated with bloom.
Clay pots found at ancient Greece shrine
Source: AP via Yahoo! News
Archaeologists in central Greece have discovered thousands of miniature clay pots and statuettes in the ruins of an ancient sanctuary possibly dedicated to the Three Graces, officials said on Wednesday.
In volume, it is one of the richest finds in recent years.
Excavations near Orchomenos, 80 miles northwest of Athens, revealed sparse remains of retaining walls from a small rural shrine, a Culture Ministry statement said.
But a rock-carved shaft was found to contain thousands of pottery offerings, dating from the early 5th century B.C. until at least the 3rd century B.C, the statement said.
The finds included miniature pots, clay figurines of women and animals, as well as clay busts and lamps.
"The identity of the deities worshipped there is not yet clear, but it is certain that they were goddesses associated with plant growth and fertility," the ministry statement said.
It said a famous sanctuary of the Three Graces — deities of growth and beauty — was known to have stood in ancient Orchomenos, and one of the offerings was inscribed with the name of Eurynome, mother of the Graces.
Archaeologists in central Greece have discovered thousands of miniature clay pots and statuettes in the ruins of an ancient sanctuary possibly dedicated to the Three Graces, officials said on Wednesday.
In volume, it is one of the richest finds in recent years.
Excavations near Orchomenos, 80 miles northwest of Athens, revealed sparse remains of retaining walls from a small rural shrine, a Culture Ministry statement said.
But a rock-carved shaft was found to contain thousands of pottery offerings, dating from the early 5th century B.C. until at least the 3rd century B.C, the statement said.
The finds included miniature pots, clay figurines of women and animals, as well as clay busts and lamps.
"The identity of the deities worshipped there is not yet clear, but it is certain that they were goddesses associated with plant growth and fertility," the ministry statement said.
It said a famous sanctuary of the Three Graces — deities of growth and beauty — was known to have stood in ancient Orchomenos, and one of the offerings was inscribed with the name of Eurynome, mother of the Graces.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Roman ring handed back to Turkey
Source: BBC News
An historic Roman ring which was illegally imported into the UK from Turkey has been returned.
The iron and silver band, which dates back to between AD 161 and AD 169, is thought to have been taken from an archaeological dig at Ephesus, Turkey.
It was eventually seized by HM Revenue and Customs after it was taken to Derby Museum for a valuation.
The ring was handed over to Turkish Embassy officials at East Midlands Airport on Tuesday.
The find has a gemstone engraving of Lucius Versus - co-emperor with Marcus Aurelius.
It was seized by customs officials after it was taken from Derby to the British Museum. No one has been prosecuted for stealing the ring.
'Significant problem'
Sermin Ozduran, from the Turkish Embassy, who collected the ring on behalf of the Turkish government, said it was "an important piece" of Turkish history.
John Macmillan, detection manager for HM Revenue & Customs, said: "We are delighted to be able to return this important historical ring to the Turkish Government.
"The international trade in illicit cultural artefacts is a significant problem and increasingly being linked to other forms of organised crime.
"We will continue to place a high priority to stop those attempting to bring historical artefacts into the UK illegally and restore seized cultural objects to their rightful owners."
The ring will be sent to Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism and later be displayed in a museum in the country.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Roman Woman Had Golden Smile
Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News
The earliest known dental prosthesis from ancient Rome may not have been very functional, but it gave its wealthy wearer a million dollar smile.
The gleaming grin resulted from multi-karat gold wire, which was used to string together "artificial teeth," according to the team of Italian researchers who analyzed the ancient bridgework.
They found the object, which dates from the 1st to the 2nd century A.D., in the mouth of an unidentified woman who was buried in an elaborate mausoleum within a Roman necropolis.
"At the moment, this dental prosthesis is the only archaeological remain that corresponds to the literary descriptions (concerning dentistry) of the Roman Age," lead scientist Simona Minozzi told Discovery News.
Minozzi, an anthropologist at the University of Pisa, and her team quoted from the writings of 1st century Roman satirist Martial.
Martial wrote, "Lucania has white teeth, Thais brown. How comes it? One has false teeth, one her own. And you, Galla, lay aside your teeth at night just as you do your silken dress."
Minozzi believes the unidentified Roman's bridgework was made from the woman's own teeth that probably fell out due to periodontal disease. Gold wire bound the teeth together, with some teeth possessing drill holes to strengthen the wire bond. More gold wire secured the replaced tooth to side teeth that remained in her jaw.
The discovery is outlined in the current issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
READ FULL STORY
The earliest known dental prosthesis from ancient Rome may not have been very functional, but it gave its wealthy wearer a million dollar smile.
The gleaming grin resulted from multi-karat gold wire, which was used to string together "artificial teeth," according to the team of Italian researchers who analyzed the ancient bridgework.
They found the object, which dates from the 1st to the 2nd century A.D., in the mouth of an unidentified woman who was buried in an elaborate mausoleum within a Roman necropolis.
"At the moment, this dental prosthesis is the only archaeological remain that corresponds to the literary descriptions (concerning dentistry) of the Roman Age," lead scientist Simona Minozzi told Discovery News.
Minozzi, an anthropologist at the University of Pisa, and her team quoted from the writings of 1st century Roman satirist Martial.
Martial wrote, "Lucania has white teeth, Thais brown. How comes it? One has false teeth, one her own. And you, Galla, lay aside your teeth at night just as you do your silken dress."
Minozzi believes the unidentified Roman's bridgework was made from the woman's own teeth that probably fell out due to periodontal disease. Gold wire bound the teeth together, with some teeth possessing drill holes to strengthen the wire bond. More gold wire secured the replaced tooth to side teeth that remained in her jaw.
The discovery is outlined in the current issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
READ FULL STORY
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Ancient Bulgarian Sanctuaries "Older" than Egyptian Pyramids
Source: Novinite
Bulgarian scientist will try to prove their hypothesis that the rock sanctuaries of Tatul and Perperikon in the Eastern Rhodopi Mountains are more ancient than Egyptian pyramids.
To prove their hypothesis, the scientists will organize the biggest archaeology expedition in the country that will be situated near the southern town of Kardzhali. The top Bulgarian archaeologist Nikolay Ovcharov will lead the expedition.
The hypothesis of the rock sanctuaries' age was voiced some months ago by two Bulgarian historians. According to them the first cuts in the rocks there date back to the fifth millennium BC.
The archaeologists will seek evidence in the Orpheus sanctuary near Tatul, where previous expeditions have already uncovered a cultural layer date back to 20 century BC.
The excavations near Kardzhali will start on May 28 and will continue around 5 months. This daring initiative will cost more than BGN 200 000.
Bulgarian scientist will try to prove their hypothesis that the rock sanctuaries of Tatul and Perperikon in the Eastern Rhodopi Mountains are more ancient than Egyptian pyramids.
To prove their hypothesis, the scientists will organize the biggest archaeology expedition in the country that will be situated near the southern town of Kardzhali. The top Bulgarian archaeologist Nikolay Ovcharov will lead the expedition.
The hypothesis of the rock sanctuaries' age was voiced some months ago by two Bulgarian historians. According to them the first cuts in the rocks there date back to the fifth millennium BC.
The archaeologists will seek evidence in the Orpheus sanctuary near Tatul, where previous expeditions have already uncovered a cultural layer date back to 20 century BC.
The excavations near Kardzhali will start on May 28 and will continue around 5 months. This daring initiative will cost more than BGN 200 000.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
How geology came to help Alexander the Great
Source: Nature
A natural sand-bridge made his defeat of Tyre easier.
Ned Stafford
Historians need not be quite so impressed by Alexander the Great's defeat of the island of Tyre in 332BC. Geological studies of the region show that Alexander's army had help reaching the island, in the form of a natural land-bridge lying just a metre or two below the water's surface.
Alexander the Great was just 23 years old when he stood on the coast of what is now Lebanon, gazing offshore at the tiny Phoenician island city of Tyre, a powerful commercial centre. Alexander knew that Tyre had to be seized before he could safely move south to Egypt and then turn inland to conquer the Persian Empire.
In a determined attack, Alexander's engineers used timber and ruins from the old centre of Tyre on the coast to build a 1-kilometre-long 'mole', or causeway, to the island. Months later, his army broke through the fortress walls and brutally crushed Tyre.
Nick Marriner of the European Centre for Research and Teaching on the Geosciences and the Environment (CEREGE) in Aix-en-Provence, France, says that historians and archaeologists had previously relied on ancient texts and illustrations, along with aerial photographs of the region today, to work out how this causeway was built and how difficult it was to do. "These theories were not backed by any hard data," he says.
"Before our work, archaeologists had no idea of the depth of water between Tyre and the mainland," says Marriner. Others have described the waters as "shallow", with some references saying it was perhaps 5 or 6 metres deep.
Digging deep
To investigate, Marriner's PhD supervisor Christophe Morhange, also of the CEREGE, went to Tyre in 2002. His team drilled more than 20 cores on the now urbanized isthmus that today connects the mainland with the former island of Tyre, as well as other scattered nearby locations. The cores contained sediments from as far back as 8,000 years ago. Diving surveys were done by Lebanese archaeologists.
Back in the lab, the team performed analyses of the types of sediment and tiny fossils within the cores, to learn more about the ancient near-shore marine environment; fine-grained sediments and the remains of creatures that prefer to live in sheltered environments show up when and where waters were once calm. Wave modelling and previous studies of the area helped to complete the picture.
An elongated region of sandstone reefs acted as a 6-kilometre natural breakwater in the area 8,000 years ago. By 6,000 years ago, rises in sea level had reduced the length of the island from 6 to 4 kilometres. This, combined with an increase of sediment supply due to agricultural activity and a rise in inland rainfall, particularly after about 3,000 years ago, created a natural sandbar that sat an average of 1-2 metres below mean sea level in Alexander's time, they report in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences1.
Sediment build-up
The idea that a natural sand-bridge came to Alexander's aid has been proposed before2.
Marriner's work highlights how the natural causeway started to grow faster sometime before Alexander arrived, and accelerated again after Alexander's construction blocked sediment transport in the area. This latter point is hardly surprising, says Liviu Giosan, a marine geologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. "Any coastal engineer could tell you about sedimentation around dikes," he says.
Marriner adds that their study should help archaeologists to pick sites in the area for further investigation. "We can use the geological record as an aid to understanding the evolution of the coastline, and identify areas of potentially rich archaeology," he says.
References
1. Marriner N., Morhange C. & Meulé S. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA, doi:10.1073.pnas.0611325104 (2007).
2. Nir Y., et al. Geoarchaeology, 11 . 235 - 250 (1996).
A natural sand-bridge made his defeat of Tyre easier.
Ned Stafford
Historians need not be quite so impressed by Alexander the Great's defeat of the island of Tyre in 332BC. Geological studies of the region show that Alexander's army had help reaching the island, in the form of a natural land-bridge lying just a metre or two below the water's surface.
Alexander the Great was just 23 years old when he stood on the coast of what is now Lebanon, gazing offshore at the tiny Phoenician island city of Tyre, a powerful commercial centre. Alexander knew that Tyre had to be seized before he could safely move south to Egypt and then turn inland to conquer the Persian Empire.
In a determined attack, Alexander's engineers used timber and ruins from the old centre of Tyre on the coast to build a 1-kilometre-long 'mole', or causeway, to the island. Months later, his army broke through the fortress walls and brutally crushed Tyre.
Nick Marriner of the European Centre for Research and Teaching on the Geosciences and the Environment (CEREGE) in Aix-en-Provence, France, says that historians and archaeologists had previously relied on ancient texts and illustrations, along with aerial photographs of the region today, to work out how this causeway was built and how difficult it was to do. "These theories were not backed by any hard data," he says.
"Before our work, archaeologists had no idea of the depth of water between Tyre and the mainland," says Marriner. Others have described the waters as "shallow", with some references saying it was perhaps 5 or 6 metres deep.
Digging deep
To investigate, Marriner's PhD supervisor Christophe Morhange, also of the CEREGE, went to Tyre in 2002. His team drilled more than 20 cores on the now urbanized isthmus that today connects the mainland with the former island of Tyre, as well as other scattered nearby locations. The cores contained sediments from as far back as 8,000 years ago. Diving surveys were done by Lebanese archaeologists.
Back in the lab, the team performed analyses of the types of sediment and tiny fossils within the cores, to learn more about the ancient near-shore marine environment; fine-grained sediments and the remains of creatures that prefer to live in sheltered environments show up when and where waters were once calm. Wave modelling and previous studies of the area helped to complete the picture.
An elongated region of sandstone reefs acted as a 6-kilometre natural breakwater in the area 8,000 years ago. By 6,000 years ago, rises in sea level had reduced the length of the island from 6 to 4 kilometres. This, combined with an increase of sediment supply due to agricultural activity and a rise in inland rainfall, particularly after about 3,000 years ago, created a natural sandbar that sat an average of 1-2 metres below mean sea level in Alexander's time, they report in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences1.
Sediment build-up
The idea that a natural sand-bridge came to Alexander's aid has been proposed before2.
Marriner's work highlights how the natural causeway started to grow faster sometime before Alexander arrived, and accelerated again after Alexander's construction blocked sediment transport in the area. This latter point is hardly surprising, says Liviu Giosan, a marine geologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. "Any coastal engineer could tell you about sedimentation around dikes," he says.
Marriner adds that their study should help archaeologists to pick sites in the area for further investigation. "We can use the geological record as an aid to understanding the evolution of the coastline, and identify areas of potentially rich archaeology," he says.
References
1. Marriner N., Morhange C. & Meulé S. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA, doi:10.1073.pnas.0611325104 (2007).
2. Nir Y., et al. Geoarchaeology, 11 . 235 - 250 (1996).
Monday, May 14, 2007
Friday, May 11, 2007
French theory on Pyramids building refuted
Source: Egypt State Information Service
Egyptian, US and German experts have refuted French archaeologist Jean-Pierre Houdin's theory about how the Pyramids were built, said Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) Zahi Hawwas.
In statements on Wednesday 9/5/2007, Hawwas said the experts believe Jean-Pierre Houdin's theory lacks scientific and practical bases.
Hawwas said he met with two German and US archaeologists over Houdin's theory.
The archaeologists stressed that the theory lacked the scientific bases and only relied on inaccurate grounds, he added.
Egyptian, US and German experts have refuted French archaeologist Jean-Pierre Houdin's theory about how the Pyramids were built, said Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) Zahi Hawwas.
In statements on Wednesday 9/5/2007, Hawwas said the experts believe Jean-Pierre Houdin's theory lacks scientific and practical bases.
Hawwas said he met with two German and US archaeologists over Houdin's theory.
The archaeologists stressed that the theory lacked the scientific bases and only relied on inaccurate grounds, he added.
‘Athens-Sparta’ exhibition to leave NYC for Peloponnese
Source: ekathimerini
The exhibition “Athens-Sparta: From the 8th to the 5th Centuries BC,” which was on display a few months ago at New York’s Alexander Onassis Foundation, was highly successful. Now the Greek public will also have a chance to see it, as the Central Archaeological Council (KAS) recently approved its transfer to Sparta’s Olive and Oil Museum. The exhibition will open in mid-July and run to mid-September.
The joint collaboration between the Piraeus Bank Cultural Foundation, the National Archaeological Museum and the Fifth Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities will coincide with the opening of a new hall in the museum.
The exhibition aims at exploring the cultural, political and economic history of the two most important ancient Greek city states. More than 200 works of art, including sculptures, vases, coins and much more, testify to the originality and skill of the ancient Athenians and Spartans. The items on display date from the Late Geometric period (recording the beginnings of the city state), then through the 5th-century-BC Persian Wars and go up until the end of the Peloponnesian War, in 404 BC.
A marble bust of Leonidas, a bronze sculpture of the goddess Athena, inscriptions and bronze spearheads are only some of the finds that are to go on display at the Sparta museum.
There will be works on loan from the National Archaeological Museum, the Sparta Archaeological Museum, the Acropolis Museum, the Numismatic, the Epigraphy and the Marathon museums, while items that were on display in New York on loan from museums abroad will not be shown.
The exhibition “Athens-Sparta: From the 8th to the 5th Centuries BC,” which was on display a few months ago at New York’s Alexander Onassis Foundation, was highly successful. Now the Greek public will also have a chance to see it, as the Central Archaeological Council (KAS) recently approved its transfer to Sparta’s Olive and Oil Museum. The exhibition will open in mid-July and run to mid-September.
The joint collaboration between the Piraeus Bank Cultural Foundation, the National Archaeological Museum and the Fifth Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities will coincide with the opening of a new hall in the museum.
The exhibition aims at exploring the cultural, political and economic history of the two most important ancient Greek city states. More than 200 works of art, including sculptures, vases, coins and much more, testify to the originality and skill of the ancient Athenians and Spartans. The items on display date from the Late Geometric period (recording the beginnings of the city state), then through the 5th-century-BC Persian Wars and go up until the end of the Peloponnesian War, in 404 BC.
A marble bust of Leonidas, a bronze sculpture of the goddess Athena, inscriptions and bronze spearheads are only some of the finds that are to go on display at the Sparta museum.
There will be works on loan from the National Archaeological Museum, the Sparta Archaeological Museum, the Acropolis Museum, the Numismatic, the Epigraphy and the Marathon museums, while items that were on display in New York on loan from museums abroad will not be shown.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Greek archaeologists discover rare example of 2,700-year-old weaving
Source: International Herald Tribune
ATHENS, Greece: Archaeologists in Greece have recovered a rare section of 2,700-year old fabric from a burial imitating heroes' funerals described by the poet Homer, officials said Wednesday.
The yellowed, brittle material was found in a copper urn during a rescue excavation in the southern town of Argos, a Culture Ministry announcement said.
"This is an extremely rare find, as fabric is an organic material which decomposes very easily," said archaeologist Alkistis Papadimitriou, who headed the dig. She said only a handful of such artifacts have been found in Greece.
The cylindrical urn also contained dried pomegranates — offerings linked with the ancient gods of the underworld — along with ashes and charred human bones from an early 7th century B.C. cremation.
Papadimitriou said the material was preserved for nearly 3,000 years by the corroding copper urn. "Copper oxides killed the microbes which normally destroy fabric," she told The Associated Press
Conservation experts from Athens will work on the fragile find.
"Our first concern is to save it," Papadimitriou said. "Afterward, it will undergo laboratory tests to tell us about the precise fabric and weaving techniques."
The burial was the only cremation from half a dozen closely grouped graves found on the plot, which was scheduled for development.
"Cremation was very unusual in Argos, and this too makes it a special find," Papadimitriou said. "In my opinion, an affluent citizen may have wanted to imitate a funerary custom described by Homer to stand out among his peers buried next by — who were not cremated."
Homer's Iliad and Odyssey enjoyed huge popularity throughout Greece. Composed during the 8th century B.C, and thought to be inspired by a war four centuries older, the Iliad describes slain heroes being cremated in elaborate funerals, which fell out of fashion in later times.
Modern Argos in the northern Peloponnese, some 140 kilometers (87 miles) south of Athens, is built on top of one of the most famous cities of ancient Greece. Also named Argos, the ancient city was mentioned by Homer as the seat of a Mycenaean hero-king who fought with the Greek army in Troy. It flourished throughout antiquity.
ATHENS, Greece: Archaeologists in Greece have recovered a rare section of 2,700-year old fabric from a burial imitating heroes' funerals described by the poet Homer, officials said Wednesday.
The yellowed, brittle material was found in a copper urn during a rescue excavation in the southern town of Argos, a Culture Ministry announcement said.
"This is an extremely rare find, as fabric is an organic material which decomposes very easily," said archaeologist Alkistis Papadimitriou, who headed the dig. She said only a handful of such artifacts have been found in Greece.
The cylindrical urn also contained dried pomegranates — offerings linked with the ancient gods of the underworld — along with ashes and charred human bones from an early 7th century B.C. cremation.
Papadimitriou said the material was preserved for nearly 3,000 years by the corroding copper urn. "Copper oxides killed the microbes which normally destroy fabric," she told The Associated Press
Conservation experts from Athens will work on the fragile find.
"Our first concern is to save it," Papadimitriou said. "Afterward, it will undergo laboratory tests to tell us about the precise fabric and weaving techniques."
The burial was the only cremation from half a dozen closely grouped graves found on the plot, which was scheduled for development.
"Cremation was very unusual in Argos, and this too makes it a special find," Papadimitriou said. "In my opinion, an affluent citizen may have wanted to imitate a funerary custom described by Homer to stand out among his peers buried next by — who were not cremated."
Homer's Iliad and Odyssey enjoyed huge popularity throughout Greece. Composed during the 8th century B.C, and thought to be inspired by a war four centuries older, the Iliad describes slain heroes being cremated in elaborate funerals, which fell out of fashion in later times.
Modern Argos in the northern Peloponnese, some 140 kilometers (87 miles) south of Athens, is built on top of one of the most famous cities of ancient Greece. Also named Argos, the ancient city was mentioned by Homer as the seat of a Mycenaean hero-king who fought with the Greek army in Troy. It flourished throughout antiquity.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Excavations to start in July in Ancient City of Zeugma
Source: Turkish Daily News
Archaeological excavations will start on July 15th in the ancient city of Zeugma. Associate Prof. Kutalmis Gorkay of the Ankara University Department of Archaeology, who leads the excavations in the ancient city, said on Thursday that a 60-member team including 4 foreigners would participate in this year's excavations between July 15 and October 20.
During this year's excavations, Danae and Dionysos temples will be renovated, along with excavations in the Agora, he said, with findings to be displayed in the Gaziantep Archaeology Museum. "So far, we could unearth only 10 percent of the artifacts. The remaining 90 percent has still been under earth," he said in an interview with the Anatolia news agency. Gorkay said they aimed at making the ancient site an "archaeo-park."
Zeugma, an ancient city of Commagene, was unearthed in the southeastern Turkish city of Gaziantep. The ancient city was originally founded as a Greek settlement by Seleucus I Nicator, one of the generals of Alexander the Great, in 300 B.C. King Seleucus almost certainly named the city Seleucia after himself. The population in the city was approximately 80,000.
In 64 B.C., Zeugma was conquered and ruled by the Roman Empire. With this shift, the name of the city was changed into Zeugma, meaning "bridge-passage" or "bridge of boats." During the Roman rule, the city became a regional attraction thanks to its commercial potential originating from a geo-strategic location: the city was on the Silk Road connecting Antakya to China with a quay or pontoon bridge across the Firat River (Euphrates.) The ancient city was first discovered during archaeological excavations in 1987. Unique mosaics have been unearthed in the city so far.
Archaeological excavations will start on July 15th in the ancient city of Zeugma. Associate Prof. Kutalmis Gorkay of the Ankara University Department of Archaeology, who leads the excavations in the ancient city, said on Thursday that a 60-member team including 4 foreigners would participate in this year's excavations between July 15 and October 20.
During this year's excavations, Danae and Dionysos temples will be renovated, along with excavations in the Agora, he said, with findings to be displayed in the Gaziantep Archaeology Museum. "So far, we could unearth only 10 percent of the artifacts. The remaining 90 percent has still been under earth," he said in an interview with the Anatolia news agency. Gorkay said they aimed at making the ancient site an "archaeo-park."
Zeugma, an ancient city of Commagene, was unearthed in the southeastern Turkish city of Gaziantep. The ancient city was originally founded as a Greek settlement by Seleucus I Nicator, one of the generals of Alexander the Great, in 300 B.C. King Seleucus almost certainly named the city Seleucia after himself. The population in the city was approximately 80,000.
In 64 B.C., Zeugma was conquered and ruled by the Roman Empire. With this shift, the name of the city was changed into Zeugma, meaning "bridge-passage" or "bridge of boats." During the Roman rule, the city became a regional attraction thanks to its commercial potential originating from a geo-strategic location: the city was on the Silk Road connecting Antakya to China with a quay or pontoon bridge across the Firat River (Euphrates.) The ancient city was first discovered during archaeological excavations in 1987. Unique mosaics have been unearthed in the city so far.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Historically Important Greek Stele Inscriptions Unveiled
Source: The Epoch Times
Israel Museum Presentation Marks First Public Display of "Heliodorus Stele"
The Israel Museum unveiled a unique 2,200-year-old stele (inscribed stone block) on May 3 that provides new insight into the dramatic story of Heliodorus and the Temple in Jerusalem, as related in the Second Book of Maccabees.
"The Heliodorus stele is one of the most important and revealing Hellenistic inscriptions from Israel," said James S. Snyder, Anne and Jerome Fisher Director of the Israel Museum.
"It contextualizes the Second Book of Maccabees and provides an independent and authentic source for an important episode in the history leading up to the Maccabean Revolt, whose victorious conclusion is celebrated each year during the Jewish festival of Hanukkah."
Heliodorus Stele Suggests New Perspectives on Israeli History
The newly deciphered stele presents new information about Heliodorus, who, according to the Second Book of Maccabees, received orders to seize the treasure in the Temple in Jerusalem, but was driven from the sanctuary by the miraculous appearance of a fearsome horseman accompanied by two mighty youths.
This presentation marks the first public display of the Heliodorus stele, which is on extended loan to the Museum from Michael and Judy Steinhardt of New York. The stele documents a correspondence in ancient Greek between Heliodorus and King Seleucus IV, ruler of the Seleucid Empire from 187 to 175 BCE, who was succeeded by Antiochus IV Epiphanes (best known from the story of Hanukkah). In his letter, King Seleucus announces the appointment of an administrator to oversee the sanctuaries within the province that included the Land of Israel.
The appointment of an overseer of the sanctuaries - including the Temple in Jerusalem—was intended to bring the province into line with the rest of the Seleucid Empire. This position included authority over the sanctuaries' revenues and, above all, taxes due to the king. It is likely, however, that the Jews regarded this appointment as an infringement of Jewish religious autonomy.
This episode may have foreshadowed events yet to come. Less than ten years later (169/8 BCE), a new Seleucid king, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, and his armies would enter Jerusalem, massacre its inhabitants, rob the Temple treasury, and desecrate the Holy of Holies. Thus the new appointment, recorded on the stele, appears to mark the beginning of Greek/Seleucid interference in Jewish religious affairs, which eventually led to the outbreak of the Maccabean revolt in 167 BCE.
Israel Museum Opens Historical Stele Display
The Heliodorus stele is part of a special display, curated by David Mevorah, Curator of Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine Archaeology, entitled "Royal Correspondence on Stone—The Overseer of the Sanctuaries." On view through June 2007, this presentation also includes another Hellenistic stele from the royal administration of the Seleucid Empire—the Hefzibah stele—part of the Museum's permanent archaeological holdings.
The writings on the Heliodorus stele have been deciphered and interpreted by Professor Hannah Cotton-Paltiel of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Professor Michael Woerrle of the Commission for Ancient History and Epigraphy at the German Archaeological Institute in Munich. Analysis of the stone's patina by Professor Yuvel Goren of Tel Aviv University suggests that the stele most likely came from the lowlands between the Judaean hills and the Mediterranean coast.
New Research on Historical Significance of the Heliodorus Stele
The Heliodorus stele preserves three missives from the royal administration of King Seleucus IV (187-175 BCE). The earliest and most significant of the three letters is from King Seleucus IV to Heliodorus, of which only the preamble remains.
In it, the King announces the appointment of an administrator to oversee the sanctuaries within the Seleucid province of Koile-Syria and Phoinike, including the Land of Israel. The other two, dating from the late summer 178 BCE, are shorter notes transmitting the directives of the King from Heliodorus to his subordinates.
By this appointment, the King intended to bring the province of Koile-Syria and Phoinike into line with the other regions in the empire. The appointment of a new overseer would help ensure royal control over the sanctuaries and their revenues. The opportunity for this new appointment was necessitated by the death or dismissal of a former governor, who had also served as chief priest in the province and presumably controlled the revenues of its sanctuaries.
Correspondence between the previous governor and Antiochus III, the father of King Seleucus IV, is preserved on the Hefzibah stele, also included in the current installation, which went on display in the Israel Museum following its discovery in northern Israel in the 1960s.
The complete findings of Cotton-Paltiel, Woerrle, and Goren have recently been published in Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, the leading international journal for the publication of documents from classical antiquity.
Israel Museum Presentation Marks First Public Display of "Heliodorus Stele"
The Israel Museum unveiled a unique 2,200-year-old stele (inscribed stone block) on May 3 that provides new insight into the dramatic story of Heliodorus and the Temple in Jerusalem, as related in the Second Book of Maccabees.
"The Heliodorus stele is one of the most important and revealing Hellenistic inscriptions from Israel," said James S. Snyder, Anne and Jerome Fisher Director of the Israel Museum.
"It contextualizes the Second Book of Maccabees and provides an independent and authentic source for an important episode in the history leading up to the Maccabean Revolt, whose victorious conclusion is celebrated each year during the Jewish festival of Hanukkah."
Heliodorus Stele Suggests New Perspectives on Israeli History
The newly deciphered stele presents new information about Heliodorus, who, according to the Second Book of Maccabees, received orders to seize the treasure in the Temple in Jerusalem, but was driven from the sanctuary by the miraculous appearance of a fearsome horseman accompanied by two mighty youths.
This presentation marks the first public display of the Heliodorus stele, which is on extended loan to the Museum from Michael and Judy Steinhardt of New York. The stele documents a correspondence in ancient Greek between Heliodorus and King Seleucus IV, ruler of the Seleucid Empire from 187 to 175 BCE, who was succeeded by Antiochus IV Epiphanes (best known from the story of Hanukkah). In his letter, King Seleucus announces the appointment of an administrator to oversee the sanctuaries within the province that included the Land of Israel.
The appointment of an overseer of the sanctuaries - including the Temple in Jerusalem—was intended to bring the province into line with the rest of the Seleucid Empire. This position included authority over the sanctuaries' revenues and, above all, taxes due to the king. It is likely, however, that the Jews regarded this appointment as an infringement of Jewish religious autonomy.
This episode may have foreshadowed events yet to come. Less than ten years later (169/8 BCE), a new Seleucid king, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, and his armies would enter Jerusalem, massacre its inhabitants, rob the Temple treasury, and desecrate the Holy of Holies. Thus the new appointment, recorded on the stele, appears to mark the beginning of Greek/Seleucid interference in Jewish religious affairs, which eventually led to the outbreak of the Maccabean revolt in 167 BCE.
Israel Museum Opens Historical Stele Display
The Heliodorus stele is part of a special display, curated by David Mevorah, Curator of Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine Archaeology, entitled "Royal Correspondence on Stone—The Overseer of the Sanctuaries." On view through June 2007, this presentation also includes another Hellenistic stele from the royal administration of the Seleucid Empire—the Hefzibah stele—part of the Museum's permanent archaeological holdings.
The writings on the Heliodorus stele have been deciphered and interpreted by Professor Hannah Cotton-Paltiel of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Professor Michael Woerrle of the Commission for Ancient History and Epigraphy at the German Archaeological Institute in Munich. Analysis of the stone's patina by Professor Yuvel Goren of Tel Aviv University suggests that the stele most likely came from the lowlands between the Judaean hills and the Mediterranean coast.
New Research on Historical Significance of the Heliodorus Stele
The Heliodorus stele preserves three missives from the royal administration of King Seleucus IV (187-175 BCE). The earliest and most significant of the three letters is from King Seleucus IV to Heliodorus, of which only the preamble remains.
In it, the King announces the appointment of an administrator to oversee the sanctuaries within the Seleucid province of Koile-Syria and Phoinike, including the Land of Israel. The other two, dating from the late summer 178 BCE, are shorter notes transmitting the directives of the King from Heliodorus to his subordinates.
By this appointment, the King intended to bring the province of Koile-Syria and Phoinike into line with the other regions in the empire. The appointment of a new overseer would help ensure royal control over the sanctuaries and their revenues. The opportunity for this new appointment was necessitated by the death or dismissal of a former governor, who had also served as chief priest in the province and presumably controlled the revenues of its sanctuaries.
Correspondence between the previous governor and Antiochus III, the father of King Seleucus IV, is preserved on the Hefzibah stele, also included in the current installation, which went on display in the Israel Museum following its discovery in northern Israel in the 1960s.
The complete findings of Cotton-Paltiel, Woerrle, and Goren have recently been published in Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, the leading international journal for the publication of documents from classical antiquity.
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