[Click here to see all the pictures of Zone-Mesembria]
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
What is the Peraia of Samothrace?
[Click here to see all the pictures of Zone-Mesembria]
Friday, November 23, 2018
After Tillya Tepe, a gold treasure from Eastern Kazakhstan
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
An update on the tomb of King Hecatomnos
Back in 2010, the discovery of the monumental sarcophagus belonging to King Hecatomnos made headlines due to illegal digging in the area of Milas, Mylasa in antiquity (see: Sensational archaeological find near Milas).
Nothing much has been heard since as the standard procedure implies closer study, cleaning, restoration, and thorough analysis – that is till now.
This find is
important for two reasons. Firstly, Hecatomnos is the father of King Mausolos, who built the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus.
Secondly, the tomb of Hecatomnos is found in Mylasa, which
was the capital of
The mausoleum of
King Hecatomnos was built not unlike the concept
used a few years later by his son in Halicarnassus, his new
capital of
Unfortunately, the available information does not provide a clear image of the excavation site or the mausoleum itself. The crepidoma with seven steps is being mentioned as running around the entire perimeter of the mausoleum. Still, even the 3D reconstruction is not very helpful to get a comprehensive picture.
Apparently, the
mausoleum stood on top of the stairs of the crepidoma. The building gave access
to an underground burial space where the impressive sarcophagus was discovered.
It is being mentioned in the article by the Daily Sabagh that the treasure
hunters damaged the gold leaf paintings and the sarcophagus paintings inside
the tombs (plural?) and that the images on the murals are related to Hecatomnos. It would have been very enlightening
to have some photograph or drawing of the layout to imagine what the site looks
like. The article also mentions a well-preserved entrance gate and plans to
create an open-air museum for visitors to access the tomb.
On the positive
side, it may be noted that in