Archaeology News Online

There has been damage to monuments and archaeological sites on Kos as a result of the strong earthquake that shook the island in the early hours of Friday morning, a team of archaeological service experts sent by the culture ministry reported. The inspection revealed damage to sites around the town, the castle and the Ottoman mosques, the team said, announcing that preliminary protection measures will be taken and the monuments restored after due study. "For this purpose, a Central Service team from the Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Monuments Restoration directorate will go to Kos on Saturday and Monday in order to assess the situation and finalise the actions [that will be taken]," a culture ministry announcement said. The tremor also caused the movement and damage of exhibits, especially pottery, at the island's archaeological museum and this will be temporarily closed until the damage is restored, the ministry said, along with the Casa Romana monument on the island. For...

The Association of Greek Archaeologists has been informed about unsettling developments regarding the intended conversion of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul to an Islamic mosque and in an announcement it made, expresses its strong concern in view of such a prospect. The Association of Greek Archaeologists requests the Greek government and international organizations to stay vigilant  and intervene so that this supremely important monument remains the property of all humankind,  an inseparable part of global cultural heritage [Credit: Shutterstock] As the AGA mentions in its announcement : “Hagia Sophia that was inaugurated in 537, has been operating as a museum since 1934 and due to its significance, constitutes a World Heritage site included, since 1985, in the relevant list of UNESCO. ”The repeated reading of the Koran and of prayers for a second consecutive year within this emblematic monument acts as a harbinger, with the ulterior motive being the cancellation of its function as ...

Covered by Tokat's Sulusaray district in the Black Sea region of Turkey, the ancient city of Sebastapolis faces expropriation problems, leading to illegal excavations. Dating back to the first century B. C., the ancient city of Sebastapolis is thought to have been one of the five largest cities  in the Black Sea region about 2,000 years ago. Once visited by Charles Prince of Wales, the site now faces  illegal excavations due to expropriation problems [Credit: AA] Sebastapolis has been looted many times and has seen illegal excavations, as it is located in a town center and excavations to saving the ancient ruins continue with cooperation from Gaziosmanpaşa University (GOÜ) and the Tokat Museum Directorate. An academic from the Department of Art History of the Faculty of Science and Literature at GOÜ and the adviser of Sebastapolis Ancient City Excavation Works, Associate Professor Şengül Dilek Ful, said the excavations are now continuing at the baths section of the city. The b...

A total of 59 artefacts were seized last week in Varamin, Tehran Province, during a police raid, a local cultural heritage official said. "The artefacts date back to the 3rd millennium BC," Sahab Pouzaki, the head of the Varamin office of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, said during a press conference on Thursday, Mehr News Agency reported. "Preliminary studies show 29 relics trace their roots back to Mesopotamian civilizations in southwestern Iran but more research is required," he said. The haul includes everyday objects, statues, jewelries and beads bearing writings. Pazouki said the objects are particularly valuable because very few artefacts belonging to Mesopotamian civilizations have been found in southwestern Iran. Mespotamia (Ancient Greek for the land between rivers) was an ancient region located between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, comprising most of modern-day Iraq, Kuwait, eastern parts of Syria, southeastern Turke...

An 800-year-old Orthodox church in Turkey’s Muğla province is poised to fall into ruin due to its delayed restoration and neglect. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued the necessary permits for restoration of a small, dilapidated monastery and church situated in on Kameriye Island in Marmaris in 2013. The proposed project for the restoration was approved, but restoration has yet to begin. Mehmet Baysal, chairman of the Marmaris Chamber of Commerce, said there were adequate resources when the project was approved but that they did not have the authority to use them since the funds belonged to the Union of Municipalities. According to Baysal, due to problems in allocation of funds between different municipalities, the issue was taken to court and is still awaiting a decision. According to Turkish media, the Marmaris Trade Center (MTO) launched a project in 2010 to open the church for faith and marriage tourism after restoration. The project to convert Kameriye Island was approve...

Twentieth-century Spanish novelist Azorín once described Ávila as “the most 16th-century of all Spanish cities,” generously endowed as it is with churches and palaces. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, it will now continue to live up to this boast in the 21st century by pioneering a European project called Smart Heritage City, aimed at monitoring this and other historical cities. Ávila is leading an EU project that uses technology to monitor potential damage to its famous walls  [Credit: Juan Luis Menendez Valderrey] As many as 226 sensors are being installed along the city wall, around the cathedral and on important buildings and streets. These devices, more than half of which are already in action, pick up a huge amount of data concerning humidity, temperature, light, cracks, insects and traffic vibration. “New technology has to be applied to the conservation of monuments because they are very delicate,” says Rosa Ruiz, archaeologist and head of Ávila’s Heritage Departmen...

In the image of Volterra, Italy’s original Etruscan arch, every detail of the facade was clear — the stone arch and three heads chiseled into the rock that watched from overhead. Footage of 3-D models of the historic site, created from drone photography in Autodesk ReCap  [Credit: Autodesk, Inc. and Volterra-Detroit Foundation] But this wasn’t a photo of Porta all'Arco, the highlight of the medieval walled city’s gateway. It was an expertly produced 3D model of the Tuscan town’s architectural darling from the 4th century B.C., known as one of the last standing Etruscan arches in the world. The photo and the model look strikingly alike, which is exactly the purpose of the expedition. Technology and historical preservation collided as part of the International Reality Capture Workshop — a collaboration between Carnegie-based software company Case Technologies , the Volterra-Detroit Foundation, East Liberty-based Autodesk and the municipality of Volterra itself to document the town’...

A fragile river god by Michelangelo has been restored after lying neglected in a basement storeroom below Casa Buonarroti in Florence for some 50 years. Restored model of river god by Michelangelo Buonarroti, 1526-1527, Casa Buonarroti, Florence  [Credit: Academy of Art and Design] The statue, whose bronze coating was removed and deteriorated earthenware structure was restored to its original marble over three years, will soon be displayed in a major Renaissance show at Palazzo Strozzi before finding a home at Florence's Academy of Art and Design . The restoration was led by Rosanna Moradei and took place at Florence's elite restoration workshop, the Opificio delle Pietre Dure. It was funded by some 32,000 euros from the not-for-profit foundation Friends of Florence. Source: ANSA [July 14, 2017]

A majority of the oldest artefacts in the permanent collection of the Mexican Museum in San Francisco are either forgeries or not up to national museum standards, a new report has determined. A tripod bowl from Costa Rica, 900 C.E.-1200 C.E., is an example of a museum quality artefact pictured at  The Mexican Museum [Credit: Leah Millis, The Chronicle] Only 83 of the 2,000 artefacts in the museum's pre-Hispanic, or pre-Columbian, era collection could be authenticated, the report said. The other 1,917 are considered decorative and will probably be donated to schools or smaller museums. The museum board told the San Francisco Chronicle it was shocked by the results of the $80,000 study conducted as a Smithsonian Institution requirement. The Mexican Museum was founded in 1975 and operated as a community museum until it was accepted as a Smithsonian affiliate in 2012, which raised the bar on the quality of artefacts that can be displayed. A turtle vessel from southern Mexico, A.D. 350...

A Dutch court Friday will hear arguments involving ownership of a 1,000-year-old mummified monk in a case brought against a local collector by Chinese villagers who claim their ancestor was stolen. The human-sized sitting Buddha statue called the “Zhanggong Patriarch,” disappeared from a temple in Yangchun  in late 1995 after being worshipped for centuries [Credit: Reuters] The small eastern Chinese village of Yangchun will square off against a Dutch collector, whom they said bought the stolen Buddha statue containing the remains of a monk in Hong Kong in 1996, a lawyer representing the village said. The human-sized sitting Buddha statue, called the "Zhanggong Patriarch," disappeared from a temple in Yangchun in late 1995 after being worshipped for centuries, Jan Holthuis said. "We are going to present our arguments to a judge to explain why the villagers want their statue back," he told AFP. Missing for two decades, the Buddha statue resurfaced when villagers in 20...

Israeli authorities arrested two antiquities thieves in the West Bank who were attempting to make off with artefacts dating back to the Byzantine era, the IDF’s Civil Administration said on Monday. Columns from a Byzantine-era church confiscated by the Civil Administration from suspected antiquities traffickers  near the West Bank city of Bethlehem on July 10, 2017 [Credit: Times of Israel] A spokesperson for the Defense Ministry agency — which oversees Israeli civilian activity in the West Bank — said that the two Palestinian suspects were arrested between the West Bank city of Bethlehem and the settlement of Tekoa with three columns from a nearby Byzantine church inscribed with pseudo-Greek text in the back of their work truck. The Civil Administration’s archaeological unit said an investigation into the incident has been opened. Deputy head of the Civil Administration’s archaeological unit Benny Har Even said that the recent arrests showed the need for the Civil Administration t...

Greek and Italian archaeologists are collaborating on a program to preserve an ancient villa at the bottom of the sea of Ancient Epidaurus. The underwater conservation activities are part of a pilot training program for the conservation of marine archaeological remains, organized and executed in cooperation between the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities and the Italian Archaeological School in Athens. The BLUEMED program is a European project and involves Cyprus, Croatia, Italy and Spain. For the first time this year, the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities will be involved in the program that started with theory (July 3-4, 2017) relating to methods for the on-site conservation of marine archaeological sites, to address bio-degradation and degradation problems and to document, restore and maintain the Underwater Cultural Heritage artefacts in the Italian Archaeological School. The project is to conserve a section of a sunken Roman villa in the Ancient Epidaurus sea. On site practicing t...

Arts and crafts retailer Hobby Lobby has agreed to forfeit thousands of illegally smuggled ancient Middle Eastern artifacts obtained from antiquities dealers, the company and U.S. officials said on Wednesday. Cuneiform tablet, one of several artifacts smuggled from Iraq by owners of Hobby Lobby, according to a civil complaint  filed on Wednesday by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn. Under an agreement with the federal government,  the company consented to return some of the items and improve the way its collects antiquities  [Credit: U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York] The forfeiture will include some 5,500 artifacts purchased by Hobby Lobby Inc that originated from the region of modern-day Iraq and were shipped under false labels, as well as an additional $3 million to settle the civil charges, the Department of Justice said in a statement. "The protection of cultural heritage is a mission that (Homeland Security Investigations) and its partner U.S...

A two-thousand-year-old lion sculpture at an ancient burial site dating back to the Kingdom of Commagene in Turkey’s Adıyaman province has been destroyed, the Milliyet daily reported on Friday. The destroyed lion sculpture [Credit: Ensonhaber] The lion sculpture, which was located within the ancient site of the Karakuş Tumulus in Adıyaman, was destroyed by unknown parties who broke the left side of the sculpture. Also, some parts of the sculpture are missing. Recent incidents in the treatment of historic and natural assets reflect negligence on the part of officials concerning their protection. Two-thousand-year-old granite columns, discovered in 1996 in Antalya, were recently found in front of a building. The columns were used for decorative purposes until an art history teacher recognized the columns and informed officials. A historically significant UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Library of Celsus at Ephesus, witnessed a cultural ceremony with images of decorated tables and chairs ...

There has been damage to monuments and archaeological sites on Kos as a result of the strong earthquake that shook the island in the early hours of Friday morning, a team of archaeological service experts sent by the culture ministry reported. The inspection revealed damage to sites around the town, the castle and the Ottoman mosques, the team said, announcing that preliminary protection measures will be taken and the monuments restored after due study. "For this purpose, a Central Service team from the Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Monuments Restoration directorate will go to Kos on Saturday and Monday in order to assess the situation and finalise the actions [that will be taken]," a culture ministry announcement said. The tremor also caused the movement and damage of exhibits, especially pottery, at the island's archaeological museum and this will be temporarily closed until the damage is restored, the ministry said, along with the Casa Romana monument on the island. For...

The Association of Greek Archaeologists has been informed about unsettling developments regarding the intended conversion of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul to an Islamic mosque and in an announcement it made, expresses its strong concern in view of such a prospect. The Association of Greek Archaeologists requests the Greek government and international organizations to stay vigilant  and intervene so that this supremely important monument remains the property of all humankind,  an inseparable part of global cultural heritage [Credit: Shutterstock] As the AGA mentions in its announcement : “Hagia Sophia that was inaugurated in 537, has been operating as a museum since 1934 and due to its significance, constitutes a World Heritage site included, since 1985, in the relevant list of UNESCO. ”The repeated reading of the Koran and of prayers for a second consecutive year within this emblematic monument acts as a harbinger, with the ulterior motive being the cancellation of its function as ...

Covered by Tokat's Sulusaray district in the Black Sea region of Turkey, the ancient city of Sebastapolis faces expropriation problems, leading to illegal excavations. Dating back to the first century B. C., the ancient city of Sebastapolis is thought to have been one of the five largest cities  in the Black Sea region about 2,000 years ago. Once visited by Charles Prince of Wales, the site now faces  illegal excavations due to expropriation problems [Credit: AA] Sebastapolis has been looted many times and has seen illegal excavations, as it is located in a town center and excavations to saving the ancient ruins continue with cooperation from Gaziosmanpaşa University (GOÜ) and the Tokat Museum Directorate. An academic from the Department of Art History of the Faculty of Science and Literature at GOÜ and the adviser of Sebastapolis Ancient City Excavation Works, Associate Professor Şengül Dilek Ful, said the excavations are now continuing at the baths section of the city. The b...

A total of 59 artefacts were seized last week in Varamin, Tehran Province, during a police raid, a local cultural heritage official said. "The artefacts date back to the 3rd millennium BC," Sahab Pouzaki, the head of the Varamin office of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, said during a press conference on Thursday, Mehr News Agency reported. "Preliminary studies show 29 relics trace their roots back to Mesopotamian civilizations in southwestern Iran but more research is required," he said. The haul includes everyday objects, statues, jewelries and beads bearing writings. Pazouki said the objects are particularly valuable because very few artefacts belonging to Mesopotamian civilizations have been found in southwestern Iran. Mespotamia (Ancient Greek for the land between rivers) was an ancient region located between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, comprising most of modern-day Iraq, Kuwait, eastern parts of Syria, southeastern Turke...

An 800-year-old Orthodox church in Turkey’s Muğla province is poised to fall into ruin due to its delayed restoration and neglect. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued the necessary permits for restoration of a small, dilapidated monastery and church situated in on Kameriye Island in Marmaris in 2013. The proposed project for the restoration was approved, but restoration has yet to begin. Mehmet Baysal, chairman of the Marmaris Chamber of Commerce, said there were adequate resources when the project was approved but that they did not have the authority to use them since the funds belonged to the Union of Municipalities. According to Baysal, due to problems in allocation of funds between different municipalities, the issue was taken to court and is still awaiting a decision. According to Turkish media, the Marmaris Trade Center (MTO) launched a project in 2010 to open the church for faith and marriage tourism after restoration. The project to convert Kameriye Island was approve...

Twentieth-century Spanish novelist Azorín once described Ávila as “the most 16th-century of all Spanish cities,” generously endowed as it is with churches and palaces. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, it will now continue to live up to this boast in the 21st century by pioneering a European project called Smart Heritage City, aimed at monitoring this and other historical cities. Ávila is leading an EU project that uses technology to monitor potential damage to its famous walls  [Credit: Juan Luis Menendez Valderrey] As many as 226 sensors are being installed along the city wall, around the cathedral and on important buildings and streets. These devices, more than half of which are already in action, pick up a huge amount of data concerning humidity, temperature, light, cracks, insects and traffic vibration. “New technology has to be applied to the conservation of monuments because they are very delicate,” says Rosa Ruiz, archaeologist and head of Ávila’s Heritage Departmen...