Mysterious relief statues near Seleucia, modern Silifke

On the southern slopes of the Taurus Mountains lies Silifke or ancient Seleucia, one of the many cities founded by Seleucos I (see: Excavations at the ancient city of Olba). 

In its vicinity, a mysterious group of reliefs in the rock wall has intrigued archaeologists. It must be said that they stand out as gold figures against the dark canyon wall, attracting the attention of illegal treasure hunters who truly believed they could find gold inside them and damaged the statues as recently as 2015. 

There are 19 figures in all, 11 men, 4 women, 2 children, plus a mountain goat and an eagle. It is thought that they represent kings and queens from ancient Olba. 

The reliefs are presented in different compositions to commemorate the dead, such as in the ritual scene, the farewell of a soldier, or a feast scene for the dead. Of a different kind is the scene where a man holds grapes in one hand and the horns of a goat with the other. One figure is pouring what could be a libation from a jug into the bowl in his other hand. 

Sadly, the inscriptions under the reliefs do not help to identify the figures. The names may refer to the artist who created them or some important personality who wanted to be remembered. 

Scholars could, however, determine that the reliefs were carved over a period of 250 years, with the latest having been completed in the 2^nd century AD. 

These figures are a far cry from the well-known temple tombs dug out of the cliffs in Caria and Lycia, for instance, and seem to be quite unique.

[Pictures are from Arkeonews]

Iraq’s Kurdistan honoring the memory of Alexander the Great

Several years ago, there were talks between Athens and Baghdad to intensify cultural cooperation. One point on the agenda was that Athens would provide financial aid to reconstruct the National Museum of Baghdad (see: The Museum of Baghdad, what's new?). The other point was plans to erect a statue of Alexander the Great in Kurdistan, northern Iraq. 

[National Museum Baghdad]

The foreign ministries of both Greece and Iraq agreed to honor the memory of Alexander by building a statue of Alexander in Mosul, near the ancient site of the Battle of Gaugamela, where King Darius (see: The Battle of Gaugamela) was defeated in 331 BC. 

It is remarkable to hear Iraq’s wish to celebrate the victory of Alexander over the Persian King Darius, which led to the demise of the Persian Empire that included Iraq as well. 

Athens vowed to help the Iraqi government recover thousands of artifacts looted from Baghdad’s National Museum after the American invasion in 2003. 

These mutual promises apparently went no further than good intentions by both parties, as mentioned during a Lecture by Andreas P. Parpas at the Cyprus Centre of Cultural Heritage in Nicosia on 25 April 2018. 

Since then, nothing more has been heard about this project. 

Meanwhile, looted and stolen artifacts are slowly returning to the National Museum of Baghdad. In 2010, 540 treasures were returned, and 638 objects were located in the office of Iraq’s Prime Minister. In 2012, 45 relics of Sumerian and Assyrian art were returned by Germany. The US also returned 17,000 looted artifacts in 2021. And in 2023, the FBI was involved in the recovery of a gold and ivory piece of furniture dated to 5,500 BC. Despite serious efforts, it is estimated that about 10,000 treasures from the Baghdad Museum are still missing. 

On the other hand, the US pledged almost $700,000 to restore the ancient city of Babylon that was damaged by the US troops using the site as a military base (see: Babylon, victim of war). 

Natural air-conditioning in antiquity

Air-coolers and air-conditioning are hot news these days when global temperatures are rising and we seek the comforting relief provided by modern technology. Little do we know about the solutions our ancestors were familiar with. 

Traveling through Iran in April/May, temperatures often rose to 40 degrees Celsius and above. I had heard that many cities managed to keep their houses and streets cool thanks to an efficient system of wind catchers, called badgirs. Today’s examples date back to the 14^th century, but the system existed in Achaemenid times, well before the arrival of Alexander in Persia. 

The city of Yazd on the Central Iranian Plateau is punctuated with some 700 of these strange towers, which, to the untrained eye, look very modern. They fit the city landscape but also seem out of place amidst parked cars and busy traffic. For centuries, the badgirs pull fresh air into buildings and houses, pushing the hot air out through large vertical slots. 

Depending on the prevailing winds and other weather conditions, the towers were designed differently. They could be taller or smaller, have only one opening, and no internal partition if the wind blows constantly from the same direction. When the wind direction is variable, the tower would be divided into vertical sections with openings to the sides pointing in multiple directions. In Yazd, all wind-catchers are four- or eight-sided. 

The Zoroastrian village of Cham near Yazd proudly displays its badgers. Near the Towers of Silence, we also find them surrounding the water cistern. In Zoroastrian belief, earth, fire, and water are holy elements that should not be polluted by their dead. For that reason, they placed their remains on a Tower of Silence where vultures could pick the bodies clean.

Typically, like so many cities in desert areas, houses are built closely together with small windows away from the sun along narrow streets. In Iran, these alleys are called sabats, partially or entirely covered with a series of arches for protection from the sun. 

The wind towers in Iran were also extended to be used as a refrigerating device. That’s why we often see them standing like sentinels around traditional water reservoirs capable of cooling the water to near-freezing temperatures in summer. 

Wind-catchers are not limited to Yazd or Iran but were also present in Egypt and elsewhere in North Africa, the UAE, West Asia, and India.

This makes one wonder why, in today’s world, it is so difficult to develop a free and carbon-zero solution to replace expensive air-conditioners. I agree that our cities are not fit to build these low-tech installations, but beach resorts and countryside settlements could very well profit from our forefathers’ invention.

An alabaster bust of Alexander

Alexandria, founded by Alexander in 333 BC, remains largely hidden under the modern city. Occasional excavations occur, mostly in the Al-Shatby suburb, which was occupied from the 2nd century BC to the 4th century AD. This neighborhood is perhaps better known as the Shallalat Gardens, where parts of the ancient city walls and a statue of Alexander were recently discovered (see: Magnificent Alexander statue found in Alexandria). It is believed that the Royal Quarters were located underneath these Gardens.

The Al-Shatby neighborhood was an ancient residential and commercial zone, a trade center during Ptolemaic rule. It held a lively market selling amphorae, pottery, and plates produced locally. The workshops were specialized in creating statues, statuettes, and amulets for the warriors. 

[Credit: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities]

The place made headlines recently when an alabaster bust of Alexander was unearthed. Alabaster was highly esteemed in ancient Egypt, where it was used for various sacred and sepulchral objects. The picture of the Alexander bust looks promising, but no information about its size or the context in which it was found. Since molds for statues in his effigy are mentioned in the same context in the article by Ancient Origins, we might assume archaeologists are pointing toward local workshops. 

Studies revealed a main road (perhaps the Canopic Road?) and adjacent streets connected to a sewage system. A sophisticated network of wells was discovered; also, water tanks were used to collect and store rain, floodwater, and groundwater to be used in case of droughts. 

So far, the main discovery is the necropolis complex holding tombs of people who migrated from Greece, Macedonia, Crete, and Asia Minor. A vast underground multi-chambered complex has been exposed with a large Hypogeum A, and two smaller Hypogeums. Hypogeum A yielded many sculptures, coins, glass artifacts, and plenty of pottery, especially a type of hydria (water jar with two opposite horizontal handles and one vertical one) typical for Alexandria. This is the city’s oldest archaeological site, dating back to the late 4^th-3^rd century BC. 

It remains extremely difficult to get a comprehensive overview of Alexandria as built by Ptolemy I Soter and his successors. The Great Library is best known from literary descriptions (see: Alexandria, the first Renaissance); the same applies to the famous Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (see: Not all Seven Wonders of the World are the same).