During their excavations, the archaeologists also exposed sections of a stone and mudbrick wall. This is a rare find from Phrygian times, i.e., the 8th century BC. The remaining wall is 40 meters long, five meters thick, and four meters high. However, because the mudbrick sections have not survived, the original height is estimated at seven or eight meters.
Tuesday, September 28, 2021
Excavations at Dascylium
Friday, September 24, 2021
The collection ship rams from Egadi keeps growing
The number of ship rams recovered from the Egadi seabed keeps growing after each excavation season. My last count dated from 2019, when the counter had stopped at sixteen Roman and two Carthaginian rams (see: Still recovering ship rams from the Egadi Islands).
Today's latest news is that two more bronze rams were excavated in 2021, bringing the total discovered to twenty-five. I must have missed last year’s discoveries.
It is incredible that the battle site at the
The sheer scale and rampage of this battle are beyond our
imagination. Hundreds of ships sought to destroy their opponent by maneuvering
in such a way that the prow of the ship where the ram was situated would hit
the enemy in the flank and sink the vessel. The stakes were very high as
The diving site of Egadi has yielded many more objects made of non-degradable material like bronze helmets and cheek-pieces, dozens of lead slinger bullets, together with Hellenistic and Roman coins.
A vessel from the first half of the 4th century AD emerged from the
same area. It appears to be a big merchant ship loaded with amphorae made in
After 16 years of diving, the archaeological site of the
Monday, September 20, 2021
Imagine young Prince Alexander playing football
Sports occupy an
important place in men’s lives from an early age onward. This statement is not
new, for we are all very familiar with the Olympic Games held in
The football first appears on a relief kept at the National
Archaeological Museum in
We might assume that the man is showing his son how to control the
ball looking with our modern eyes. It may be far-fetched, but the fact remains
that since 1958 this very picture appears on the trophy cup for the winner of
the UEFA European Championship. It was the work of a silversmith from
The UEFA competition is held every four years, just like the ancient Olympic Games. The football tournament makes an obvious link with today’s Olympic Games as they took place in the same year.
Given the date of the Greek vase, 400-375 BC, we may safely assume that young Alexander and his friends knew the game and probably also played it.
In ancient
Thursday, September 16, 2021
Recent excavations in Myra and Andriake
Last year (2021), work at Myra was concentrated on the orchestra of the
theater. It is quite exciting to hear that the excavators have reached the
Hellenistic level. We will remember that initially the theater was Greek and that
the Romans adapted it to their taste. Archaeologists dug to a depth of
Further excavations in Myra are hampered by the fact that modern Demre is built right on top of the ancient city and expropriations are a sore subject – here as well as elsewhere.
The excavations of the main buildings in Andriake are said to be completed. Work will now be concentrated on the north and west of the city.
Sunday, September 12, 2021
Focus on Paphos, Cyprus
Because of its
copper mines,
This beach is
not far from Paphos,
which offers many interesting sites worth visiting, especially since it was the
first capital of
It is not surprising that the city of Paphos is rich with antiquities, although it takes some walking around to find them.
The Agora, the very heart of ancient Paphos, has not much to offer except some foundations delimiting the open space and the surrounding porticos. The west side is best preserved, and it is here that we find the Odeon, which has undergone some restorations to fit various contemporary cultural events. This meeting place dates from the 2nd century AD.
The theatre, in turn, was built around 300 BC and remained in use till the end of the 3rd century AD. It had gone through several stages of remodeling and renovation over the centuries and knew its heyday in the 2nd century AD when marble slabs enhanced the stage façade. It could seat as many as 8,000 spectators. Excavations are underway, and new information from the Australian Archaeological Mission may be revealed soon (see: Around the theater of Paphos).
Most popular is the ancient city proper, with its impressive collection of mosaic floors. They all belong to the villas of those rich and famous Romans living in Paphos between the 2nd and 5th centuries AD. These outstanding mosaics representing scenes from Greek mythology are of much better quality and finesse than what we usually find in Roman art after the second century AD. They were created using a combination of tesserae and glass paste.
It is important
to mention that Christianity settled in
In the end, Paphos has much more to offer than one we might expect at first sight. It pays off to venture out and about instead of following the beaten path of organized tours.
Wednesday, September 8, 2021
Trojan Horse found. Really?
Archaeologists,
Turkish and others, believe they have unearthed the remains of the Trojan Horse
within the walls of ancient
Their explanation, however, sounds rather vague as they mention dozens of fir planks and beams 15 meters long that were assembled in “a strange form.” Carbon dating, on the other hand, has “suggested” (not “confirmed”) that the wood, as well as other excavated artifacts, date from the 12th/11th century BC. This time frame matches that of the Trojan War.
I wonder whether I am too demanding to expect that Carbon dating is precise. It either matches or it doesn’t. The argument used by archaeologists is that the structure of the wooden parts corresponds to the description of the horse as made by Virgil and Quintus of Smyrna (a Greek epic poet who continues the story of the Trojan War where Homer left off). In my eyes, that argument is entirely independent of chemical analysis and Carbon dating.
Although this may be wishful thinking, archaeologists now consider that the wooden planks are indeed the remains of the Greek strategy to construct a horse to trick the Trojans.
Two leading archaeologists, professors at the University of Boston, are stating they have a “high level of confidence” that the wooden finds are “linked” to the Trojan Horse. Once again, I am skeptical because “linked to” does not exactly mean “belong to.”
The only substantiating fact appears to be the inscription on a damaged bronze plate discovered on the site, reading, “For their return home, the Greeks dedicate this offering to Athena.” Quintus of Smyrna refers to this plate in his epic poem Posthomerica.
The myth around the Trojan Horse remains whole for the time being. Still, there is hope that the abovementioned excavations may shed more light on its mystery.
[Article widely based on the Greek Reporter]
Friday, September 3, 2021
A rare Illyrian helmet
Even in
antiquity, the world was much larger than we like to believe today. One such
often ignored corner is the southern
Made for a Greek
warrior, the tomb in
The Etruscans and the Scythians may have
commonly used this open-faced helmet before finding their way to
Despite reports
from archaeologists that this type of helmet is rare, I have seen several
examples in Greek museums. For instance, this early
Illyrian helmet from the 8th-7th century BC at the
and yet another
Illyrian helmet with a funerary gold band at the Archaeological Museum
in
I suppose the
helmet is rare because it is found in
Anyway, the cave also contained the grave of a woman who wore a bronze bracelet. The site yielded thirty vases, mainly of Greek origin, although researchers believe they come from Attic and Italian workshops. They probably are the most expensive vessels of the time.
Scholars had dated these tombs to some time before the late 4th/early 3rd century, i.e., before the foundation of nearby Korčula, the first colony.
All in all,
these findings will lead to a new understanding of the southern
[Top picture, Credit: Dubrovnik Museums]