A still unfinished marble gargoyle in the form of a lion’s head in Sicily delights researchers.
The significant new discovery was made by the head of the excavation, Prof. Dr. Jon Albers, along with the director of the Selinunte Archaeological Park, Dr. Felice Crescente, and the first director of the DAI Rome, Prof. Dr. Ortwin Dally, presented to the public on Saturday, August 26, 2023.
During excavations in Sicily, a research team led by archaeologists from the Ruhr University in Bochum, Prof. Dr. Jon Albers made a spectacular find: they discovered a marble lion’s head on a street in the immediate vicinity of the ancient eastern harbor of Selinunte, which was intended to drain off rainwater as a detail of a temple roof.
The gargoyle is 60 centimeters high and thus significantly larger than similar finds from the region. The material, which was rare and valuable in western Greece, also makes it special.
The site of the discovery is located on a street in the immediate vicinity of the ancient eastern harbor of Selinunte.
The lion’s head is unusually well preserved and still unfinished. “We cannot yet say whether it was intended for the well-known Temple E in Selinunte or for another, as yet unknown temple,” says Jon Albers.
So far only nine known temples with marble lions
The lion’s head is a so-called sima, i.e. the top end of the roof, behind which the rainwater collected and was then drained off. Gargoyles in the shape of lion heads were used to divert the water.
“While this decoration was made of terracotta in the 6th century BC in particular, the first stone simen were found especially in the 5th century BC,” explains Jon Albers.
Particularly well-known are the finds from the Temple of Heracles in Agrigento and the Temple of Victory in Himera, which are at the beginning of this development and were made from high-quality local limestone. Both had the largest simen of this type at around 70 centimeters high.
The new find from Selinunte is also very high at around 60 centimeters and significantly larger than other simen in the region. However, it was made of marble, a rare and valuable material in western Greece. “This marble was imported to Sicily from the Greek islands – probably from Paros,” says Jon Albers.
“In total, only nine temples from the 5th century BC are known in all of southern Italy and Sicily that had a sima made of Greek marble.” The roofs were discovered mainly in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
A new, tenth temple
“The newly found Sima from Selinunte cannot be compared to any of these temples and is therefore part of a tenth temple with such a marble roof,” concludes Jon Albers. The researchers cannot yet decide whether the object was once intended for the well-known Temple E in Selinunte or for another monumental temple that is still unknown today.
However, the Sima was apparently not yet installed, because it has not yet been finished. Although the block is much better preserved than other roofs with lion’s head spears, the characteristic water outlet was not yet incorporated.
The rear lion’s mane is also missing, and the decoration at the top of the plate is not yet finished. “Through this condition, the find allows us to “We also want to better understand the manufacturing processes for such architectural parts,” says the archaeologist happily.
“Since the find comes from the harbor zone and the immediate surroundings of the workshop district of Selinunte, it allows further conclusions to be drawn about the city’s trade contacts and the technical skills of the ancient residents of Selinunte.
‘Extremely rare’ Roman temple discovered on supermarket building site
The discovery of significant temple ruins in the small town of Sarsini will improve our modern-day understanding of “how ancient Roman towns rose and fell across time,” experts say.
Sarsina is a sleepy, rural town of barely 3,000 residents straddling the pristine Apennine mountains in Italy’s Emilia Romagna region, surrounded by stunning views and grazing sheep.
While it has a glorious past, as a strategic defensive outpost for the Roman Empire and the birthplace of the famed playwright Plautus, today there’s not much to do beyond hiking and birdwatching.
And though both locals and holidaymakers would agree that a rustic, slow-paced lifestyle is part of Sarsina’s charm, its residents were nonetheless excitedly awaiting the construction of a development including a new supermarket, fitness center and playground. But it was not meant to be — at least, not as originally planned.
That’s because workers at the site on the outskirts of town in December 2022 unearthed the ruins of an ancient Roman temple — or ‘capitolium’ — dating back to the first century BC.
In early July, a first look at the underground treasure came to light: a single imposing structure of horizontal sandstone blocks and marble slabs, 577 square meters wide, which researchers have identified as the podium above which the columns and walls of an ancient temple were built.
And what has come out of the ground so far could be just the tip of the iceberg.
The excavation site in Sarsini has yielded ruins on top of ruins, literally.
“We have unearthed three separate rooms, likely dedicated to the triad of gods Jupiter, Juno and Minerva,” lead archaeologist at the excavation site Romina Pirraglia told CNN.
“The excavations are still underway… and we have already identified an older, deeper layer of ruins dating back to the 4th century BC, when the Umbrian people (an ancient Italic tribe who predated the Romans) lived in the area. The entire temple could be even larger than what we now see.”
According to Pirraglia, the discovery of a capitolium — the main temple in an important Roman city, and a hub for trade as well as religious and social interactions — further confirms the strategic role Sarsina played during the Roman Empire.
The town was built in a key mountainous area close to the Tuscan border and overlooking the Savio river, an important waterway connecting central and northern Roman cities.
The discovery of the temple has pushed local authorities to revise their building plans. Federica Gonzato, superintendent of archaeology, fine arts and landscape for the provinces of Ravenna, Rimini and Forlì-Cesena, which includes Sarsina, is adamant in wanting to preserve the ruins and further research its great past.
“We will not tear it down to make room for modern structures, this must be very clear. Previous urban plans will be changed, we will find new construction sites for recreation and sports,” Gonzato said. “The temple is an incredible finding that sheds light on how ancient Roman towns rose and fell across time.”
What makes the discovery exceptional is the temple’s unique state of preservation. “The marvelous quality of the stones have been spared from sacks, enemy invasions and plunders across millennia thanks to the remote location of Sarsina, a quiet spot distant from larger cities,” Gonzato added.
“Temples such as this one (were) regularly plundered, exploited as quarries with stones and marble slabs taken away to be re-used to build new homes. But Sarsina’s capitolium podium structure is practically untouched, with its entrance staircase well-preserved, and this is extremely rare.”
The discovery of the temple has afforded archaeologists “the opportunity to realize what unique relics and monuments may lie below ground” in Sarsina, said Romina Pirraglia.
Gonzato believes the discovery will further research on demography and urban transformations in ancient times. And there’s more to the site than just the temple’s podium. Pirraglia said there are signs that the building was reused in medieval times.
An ancient water drainage system was found alongside medieval tombs and hearths indicating that locals likely inhabited it, or used the site for other social purposes.
“This is the beauty of Italy: wherever you dig, some hidden treasure comes out of the ground. Wonders never cease to amaze us,” said Gonzato.
A 2,000-year-old wooden bridge that once linked England and Wales discovered
Archaeologists have discovered evidence of Roman and Anglo-Saxon fortifications in the town of Chepstow in the United Kingdom.
Surprisingly, however, the town was also home to an ancient bridge that connected England and Wales before the formation of the two countries.
Archaeologists discovered the wooden structure while looking for evidence in the shadow of a 950-year-old Norman castle on a muddy bank on the Wye riverbank. Known as the gateway to Wales, Chepstow is a border town steeped in history.
This wooden structure – believed to have been built by the Romans 2,000 years ago – was found preserved in mud following a race against time to uncover it during an ‘extreme low tide event’.
Simon Maddison, of the Chepstow Archaeological Society (CAS), said, “The team were able to locate upright timbers in a tidal pool on the location of the Roman crossing.
Until the results come back, we won’t know for sure the period of the structure. We are thrilled with what we were able to achieve and await dating results with keen anticipation.”
Archaeologists had just a two-hour window to dig it out and had to be assisted by specialist rescue teams because of the perilous nature of their task.
The ancient crossing links a route between Wales and England from around half a mile upstream of Chepstow to the village of Tutshill in Gloucestershire. It served as a vital link between these regions for centuries, long before modern transportation networks existed.
Experts from CAS were given assistance by members of the Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA).
Discovery was chanced upon by the Chepstow-based archaeology team due to a fortuitous 2-hour ‘extreme low tide event’. Due to the tidal event, these ‘upright timbers’ were located in a tidal pool just off the riverbed.
Two of the timber remnants, thought to be from a Roman bridge of the River Wye, between what is now the border of England and Wales.
“Excavating around these we were able to expose very substantial timbers and beautiful joints that are probably part of an original pier and cutwater.
We took timber samples for dendrochronological and possible Carbon-14 dating, but until the results come back, we won’t know for sure the period of the structure,” added Maddison.
The bridge was previously discovered and partially excavated in 1911 by Dr. Orville Owen. It also appeared on an old Ordnance Survey map at around the same time but has been buried in mud ever since.
Face of “Bonnie Prince Charlie” Recreated From Death Mask
Researchers say they have created the “most lifelike” reconstruction of the face of Bonnie Prince Charlie. A team at the University of Dundee’s Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification used death masks to recreate the Scottish prince’s looks.
After his death in 1788, a cast of the prince’s face was taken, which was common for notable figures at the time.
This was painstakingly photographed and mapped along with software allowing the experts to “de-age” the prince.
Charles Edward Stuart was renowned for his good looks and has captivated a new generation of audiences through the TV show Outlander.
The resulting images show the prince with blond ringlets, wearing a white shirt, and with blotchy patches on his skin.
It recreates how he could have looked at the time of the Jacobite rising, where he was unsuccessful in his attempt to restore his father, James Francis Edward Stuart, to the British throne.
Barbora Vesela, a masters student who initiated the project, said: “I have looked at previous reconstructions of historical figures and was interested as to how these could be done differently.
“I wanted to create an image of what he would have looked like during the Jacobite rising.
“There are death masks of Bonnie Prince Charlie that are accessible, while some are in private collections.
“We also know that he suffered a stroke before he died, so that made the process of age regression even more interesting to me.”
Portraits of Bonnie Prince Charlie have depicted the prince as a handsome man
In 1745, Prince Charles Edward Stuart sought to regain the British throne for his father when he was aged just 24.
Despite some initial successes on the battlefield, his army was defeated at the Battle of Culloden, near Inverness, in April 1746.
Bonnie Prince Charlie spent the next five months as a fugitive before fleeing to France and living on the continent for the rest of his life.
He died in Palazzo Muti in Rome, at the age of 67, after suffering a stroke.
After his death, a cast of the prince’s face was taken, which was common for notable figures at the time.
Pivotal moment
Researchers examined copies of the masks, at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, and The Hunterian at the University of Glasgow, creating a composite over several months.
Ms Vesela took photographs from all around the masks and used software to make a 3D model using almost 500 images.
She said: “It has been a pleasure to work with these artefacts. The access I have been given has been incredible.
“There are moments, when you are working with the masks, that it suddenly strikes you that this was once a living person.
“We don’t tend to think about the age of people when we study history, but Prince Charlie was just 24 years old when he landed in Scotland and to visualise how young he was at this pivotal moment in history is fascinating.
“Hopefully this recreation encourages people to think about him as a person, instead of just a legend.”
The work will feature as part of the University of Dundee’s annual Masters Show, which opens to the public on Saturday.
The three-headed statue of Goddess Hecate discovered in Turkey’s Mersin
In the ancient city of Kelenderis in Mersin, located in the south of Turkey, the statue of the 3-headed goddess Hecate, which is evaluated to be 2300 years old, and ceramics belonging to the Hellenistic period were unearthed.
The ancient city of Kelenderis is located at the Mediterranean coast of Turkey in modern town of Aydincik, which is in the province of Mersin.
In the ancient city of Kelenderis, the excavation and restoration/conservation works started in 1987 continue uninterruptedly.
There have been exciting developments in the studies carried out this year under the coordination of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Batman University.
Head of the excavation, Associate Professor Mahmut Aydın, stated that the Roman period floors were unearthed in this season’s excavations and that they found a large amount of Hellenistic ceramics in these floor fillings.
Statue depicts three similar figures of Goddess Hecate joined together and facing in different directions. This is because these statues were used at Crossroads. These statues, which are few in number, were placed on pedestals, where the directions were inscribed. Hecate statues also marked boundaries.
Stating that the Hecate figurine was found in the underfloor fillings behind the odeon, Aydın continued as follows: “The 3-headed Hecate figurine was found in the layer where the ceramics were found. The figurine is about 20 centimeters.”
“Looking at the connection between the goddess Hecate and Kelenderis, we know that there is a Hecate temple in the ancient city of Lagina in Muğla, and an inscription found there indicates that Kelenderis is among the cities that participate in competitions held every five years in honor of Hecate.
Furthermore, Kelenderis is also among the cities that show respect for the sacred area of Hecate and pledge not to attack it. Therefore, the discovery of the Hecate figurine in this excavation site is meaningful. We evaluate that the work is 2300-2400 years old and belongs to the Hellenistic period.”
In ancient Greece, Hecate was venerated as a goddess of the underworld, capable of both good and evil.
She was associated with magic, witchcraft, the moon, and creatures of the night such as ghosts. Her face was also depicted on doorways.
The work will be delivered to the Silifke Museum after its examination.
A medieval victim still in his chainmail discovered in Sweden
The Battle of Visby was a violent Medieval battle near the town of Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland, fought between the inhabitants of Gotland and the Danes, with the latter emerging victorious.
The battle left a lasting archaeological legacy; masses of slaughtered soldiers and citizens lay scattered across what was once a bloody battlefield.
Slashed and broken bones, skeletons still in their chain mail and armour, and smashed skulls, some still with spears and knives protruding out of them. One can only imagine what they endured before they breathed their last breaths.
Visby, A Merchant’s Dream
During the Middle Ages, the island of Gotland, which lies off the coast of Sweden in the Baltic Sea, played an important role in the trade between Europe and Russia. As a result of this, the city of Visby flourished.
Since the late 13th century, Visby was a member of a confederation of North-western and Central European merchant towns later known as the Hanseatic League. This league protected the commercial interests of its members and was also a defensive pact.
Greedy King Sets His Sight on Visby
As the Hanseatic League grew in influence, it was seen as a threat by some rulers. One of these was Valdemar IV, the King of Denmark. The Danish ruler is said to have not been satisfied with the fact that the Hanseatic League was a rival to his kingdom’s trade interests.
In addition, Valdemar desired to get his hands on the wealth of the League’s towns. By the middle of the 14th century, Visby, although still a member of the Hanseatic League, is said to have decreased in importance, causing Valdemar to set his eyes on it.
Additionally, it is rumoured that the inhabitants of the town sang drinking songs mocking the king, thus causing him to hold a personal vendetta against them.
Valdemar Atterdag holding Visby to ransom, 1361 by Karl Gustaf Hellqvist
The Danes Invade
In the summer of 1361, a Danish army set sail for Gotland. The inhabitants of Visby had been warned about the invading Danish force and prepared themselves for the battle. In late July 1361, Valdermar’s army landed on the west coast of Gotland.
The Danish army numbered between 2000 and 2500 men and consisted mainly of experienced Danish and German mercenaries. The defending Gotlanders, on the other hand, numbered around 2000 and were militiamen with little or no experience of battle.
The Battle of Visby
The Gotlanders first tried to halt the advance of the Danish army at Mästerby, in the central part of the island. The defenders were crushed, and the Danes continued their march towards Visby. The Battle of Visby was fought before the walls of the town.
Although the militiamen were fighting for their lives and fought as best as they could, they were simply no match for the professional Danish army. As a result, the majority of the defenders were killed, and the town surrendered to Valdemar.
Mass Graves and Fallen Soldiers
Those who fell during the battle were buried in several mass graves and were left in peace until the 20 th century. Between 1905 and 1928, the mass graves were discovered and subsequently excavated.
More than 1100 human remains were unearthed, and these provide us with much detail about the battle. As an example, the types of weapons used during the Battle of Visby could be determined based on the injuries left on these remains.
About 450 of these wounds, for instance, were inflicted by cutting weapons, such as swords and axes, whilst wounds inflicted by piercing weapons, such as spears, and arrows, numbered around 120.
By studying the bones, it was also found that at least a third of the defenders of Visby were the elderly, children, or the crippled, an indication that the situation was very dire indeed for townsfolk.
Victim of invasion of Visby in 1361.
Victim of invasion of Visby in 1361.
It is assumed that the dead were buried quickly after the battle, and therefore were interred with the equipment they had during the battle, which included their armour and weapons.
Thanks to their excellent state of preservation, these remains are a unique archaeological find. Although not many of the defenders were well-equipped for the battle, there are several examples of chainmail shirts, coifs, gauntlets, and a variety of weapons.
These incredible remains, along with the human remains, are today displayed in the Gotland Museum and remain as a lasting legacy to the defenders of Visby.
The largest hoard of Viking silver was found accidentally while filming a news report about illegal treasure hunting
The Spillings Hoard is the world’s largest Viking silver treasure, found on Friday 16 July 1999 in a field at the Spilling farm northwest of Slite, on northern Gotland, Sweden.
The silver hoard consisted of two parts with a total weight of 67 kg (148 lb) before conservation and was made up of, among other things, 14,295 coins most of which were Islamic and from other countries. A third deposition containing over 20 kg (44 lb) of bronze scrap-metal was also found. The three caches had been hidden under the floorboards of a Viking outhouse sometime during the 9th century.
On Friday 16 July 1999, a team of reporters from the Swedish television TV4 were in the socken of Othem on Gotland to film a cultural feature from Almedalen Week.
They chose to do a segment on the problem with looting of archaeological sites with archaeologist Jonas Ström acting as their guide along with Kenneth Jonsson, a professor of numismatics, who happened to be on the island at that time. Spillings farm was selected for the filming since about 150 silver coins and bronze objects had been found there earlier by the landowner Björn Engström.
Closeup of silver coins from hoard No 2.
With filming complete, Ström and Jonsson decided to continue their survey of the field. Twenty minutes after the TV-crew had left, they heard a strong signal from their metal detector, which led them to the smaller of the two silver caches.
A couple of hours later and only 3 metres (9.8 ft) from the first find, they received another signal from the detector:
Closeup of silver hoard No 2 from the Spillings Hoard at Gotland Museum.
The site was hurriedly cordoned off, back-up crew from the museum was sent for, permission for an archaeological excavation was immediately sought at the County Administrative Board and guards were posted.
However, instead of keeping the find a secret, the Gotland Museum decided to go public with the find immediately. During the first weekend, over 2,000 people visited the excavation site.
Some days later, the metal detector indicated a third metal cache approximately 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) from the first find. The archaeologists concentrated on uncovering the two first finds before starting with the third. Due to the size of the hoards and the fragility of the objects, the bottom layers of the depositions were encapsulated in plaster.
Only when they tried to lift the finds out of the soil did the archaeologists realize how heavy the hoards were. The smaller weighed 27 kg (60 lb) and the larger one 40 kg (88 lb). An attempt to X-ray the finds at the local hospital failed because they contained so much silver that the X-ray plates remained blank.
Iron fittings from the chest in the bronze cache.
The larger find was intact but the smaller had been damaged by a plough. A previous landowner who visited the excavation commented that he had found metal wires around the find-spot several years earlier, but thinking that they were only steel wire, he had thrown them away. It was therefore concluded that the treasure had originally been even larger.
With the two first caches taken care of, the third deposition was excavated almost a year after the first discovery. It contained over 20 kg (44 lb) of bronze scrap-metal, most of which had been partially melted into a ‘cake’. This find was deemed even more valuable since very few finds contain such large amounts of bronze intended for smelting.
Additional excavations were conducted in the summer of 2000 and in 2003-06. Remnants of wood, iron rivets and mounts as well as a lock mechanism were found, leading to the conclusion that the caches had been stored in chests.
An extended survey and excavation revealed the foundations of a building and indicated that the hoards had been placed under the floorboards of what would probably have been a warehouse, shed or storage rather than a dwelling since it had no hearth. Carbon dating showed that the building had been in use between 540 and 1040.
The foundations and the remaining postholes indicated a regular Viking Age structure, about 10 by 15 m (33 by 49 ft) with a slanting sedge-covered roof, much like other similar finds on Gotland. It had been built on an older Iron Age foundation.
Location of depositories in the stone foun dation at Spillings
The silver deposits were roughly square-shaped with rounded corners, about 40 cm to 45 cm × 50 cm (16 in to 18 in × 20 in), suggesting that they had been in sacks of cloth, leather or pelt, inside boxes or chests of wood.
In the bronze deposit were found substantial pieces of wood and iron, such as fittings, ironwork, nails and a lock-device, showing that the bronze had been kept in a sturdy chest. A carbon dating of the chest dated it to approximately 675, making it older than the objects stored inside it.
Although silver hoards and treasures are not unusual on Gotland, this was an exceptionally large find. One explanation may be found in the location near some of the island’s best and most significant harbours during the Viking Age. The silver in the caches would have been enough to pay the tax to the Swedish king for all of Gotland for five years.
Silver melted into bars from hoard No 2.
The following surveys and excavations of the fields surrounding the find-site showed that the site had been inhabited continuously over 1,000 years up until the 19th century. Over 700 more objects were retrieved, such as objects of bronze and copper, fired clay, clothes pins, a piece of glass, tile pieces, chains, needles, glass beads, slag, iron nails, polished semi-precious stones and brick.
The Spillings Hoard is the world’s largest Viking silver treasure. A finder’s fee of SEK 2,091,672 (approx. US$242,400) was paid to the landowner for the treasure, although the real value of it is much higher. It was the largest amount of money ever paid for a find in Sweden, according to director of the Swedish National Heritage Board Sven Göthe. The hoard was dated to have been hidden some time after 870–71.The treasure is on permanent display in the Gotland Museum.
As of 2015, more than 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb) silver from over 700 caches deposited between the 9th and 12th centuries have been found on Gotland. This includes 168,000 silver coins from the Arab world, North Africa and Central Asia.
Silver melted into bars from hoard No 2.
The caches contained silver objects ranging from coins, bars, thread and hacksilver to be used as raw material, to jewelry such as fingerings, bangles and pendants. Much of the material had been bundled up to correspond with the mark-weight system of the Viking Age, in which 200 grams (0.44 lb) made one mark.
Mysterious ruins discovered at the bottom of Lake Van, Türkiye’s largest lake
At the bottom of Lake Van, Türkiye’s largest salty soda lake with 3,712 square kilometers, divers discovered a cemetery and areas bearing the traces of an old village.
Lake Van (Van Gölü in Turkish) is the largest lake in Turkey and the second largest in the Middle East. It’s also the biggest sodium water lake in the world.
While the ruins at the bottom of Lake Van were introduced to the world by diving, new ones were added to these remains.
Following the dive made by members of two associations in Bitlis and Van provinces, it was stated that sunken ruins determined to be part of a historic city imprinted with cross marks were discovered in the depths of Lake Van.
Eastern Sea Association President Cumali Birol said in a statement to Demirören News Agency (DHA) that they discovered new mysteries waiting to be solved by diving.
Cumali Birol said that as the water levels decreased, notifications were made to relevant institutions regarding some tombstones and ruins seen in the water between Tatvan and Ahlat regions.
“Our divers saw structures similar to a village in the region, streets and tombs with crosses and marks of the Kayı tribe on them. We are endeavoring to bring the history of the region to light by giving the findings to experts. We discovered a very large area between Ahlat and Tatvan. There are cemeteries at the bottom of the water here. There are cross signs on the graves.”
Emphasizing that Lake Van is a mysterious place for divers, Birol said that over 3 meters of water has receded in the lake basin in recent years, which brought to light many ruins, as traces of ancient civilizations are seen everywhere in the lake basin.
“We brought two geologists from England to the workshop organized by our association. Therefore, we have proved that Noah’s Flood happened in the Lake Van Basin. These new findings, which we found at a depth of 23 meters, prove this thesis,” Birol added.
In 2017, a team of archaeologists and independent divers from Van Yüzüncü Yıl University had been found 3,000 years old underwater fortress while diving to explore the lake.
