EUROPE, GREECE, WORLD

The Basilica cistern, which is said to have the sarcophagus of Medusa or the Mysterious Snake Woman, was restored

The Basilica cistern, which is said to have the sarcophagus of Medusa or the Mysterious Snake Woman, was restored

The Basilica cistern, which is said to have the sarcophagus of Medusa or the Mysterious Snake Woman, was restored

The Basilica Cistern, one of the magnificent ancient structures of Istanbul, was restored. Besides being the greatest work of the Roman period, the cistern is the focus of interesting narrations.

The two Medusa heads, used as supports under the two columns at the northwest end of the cistern, are considered the reason why the cistern is mentioned in strange rumours, except that it is a great work of the Roman period.

The Basilica Cistern is located southwest of Hagia Sophia. This large subterranean water reservoir was built for Justinianus I, the Byzantium Emperor (527-565), and is known as the “Yerebatan Cistern” among the public due to the buried marble columns. It is also known as Basilica Cistern since there used to be a basilica at the location of the cistern.

In 2017, Istanbul Municipality started restoration work on the Basilica Cistern. Istanbul Municipality President Ekrem İmamoğlu announced on his Twitter account that the restoration work, which lasted for 4 years, has ended and the visits to the Basilica Cistern will begin at the weekend.

The entrance and exit sections of the Basilica Cistern, which have not undergone extensive restoration work for 1,500 years, were arranged.

Due to the large number of people who wanted to visit the cistern and the narrowness of the entrance area, the visitors were forming long queues at the gate. The restoration covered the entrance area with glass eaves and a waiting area was made. Necessary plan changes were made in the exit section of the cistern, and a suitable and useful area was created for the building.

The Basilica Cistern is located in a rectangular area 140 meters long and 70 meters wide. The building, which has a water storage capacity of approximately 100,000 tons in an area of 9,800 m2, is accessible by a 52-step stone staircase.

There are 336 columns, each 9 meters high, inside the cistern. The columns are 4.80 meters long, forming 12 rows of 28 columns each.

The majority of the columns, most of which are understood to have been compiled from ancient structures and sculpted of various kinds of marble, are composed of a single part and one of them is composed of two parts. The head of these columns bears different features in parts. 98 of them reflect the Corinthian style and part of them reflect the Dorian style.

The restoration work of the Basilica Cistern took 4 years.

The two Medusa heads, used as supports under the two columns at the northwest end of the cistern, are considered the reason why the cistern is mentioned in strange rumours, except that it is a great work of the Roman period.

The fact that the structure from which the Medusa heads were taken is not known is a very remarkable detail. The researchers often consider that it has been brought for being used as support to the column at the time of construction of the cistern.  However, this has not prevented myths about the heads of Medusa.

During the research on the Medusa heads in the Basilica cistern, some documents mentioned in Kara Kaplı, a diary kept by Sultan Abdülhamit II, were found. These documents in Kara Kaplı have carried the Medusa narrative to a very different dimension.

In 1456, a delegation of Italian origin income from Venice to meet with Fatih Sultan Mehmet. They demand to meet with the Sultan, but the Sultan assigns the grand vizier to meet with the delegation. The delegation tells the vizier about the treasure in the Basilica Cistern, but they say that they can only tell the Sultan the location of the treasure.

Medusa heads, Basilica Cistern

The subject attracts Sultan’s attention and he agrees to meet with a member of the delegation. The chosen representative tells the Sultan that the treasure in the Basilica Cistern is not a material thing, but a corpse. The committee, which offered a lot in return for this corpse and the sarcophagus (coffin) in which it was found, could not get what it wanted. According to what is mentioned in Kara Kaplı, this delegation is a member of a paganist sect.

After Fatih Sultan Mehmet, Abdulhamit Han took a close interest in the Medusa sarcophagus. When a delegation was sent to Abdülhamit Han to discuss this issue several times, the Sultan’s interest in Medusa increased and he asked for research on this subject. Abdülhamit Han, who decided to take out the sarcophagus in line with the information learned from the research and the delegations, and the people he assigned in this regard, find the sarcophagus in one of the corridors of the Basilica Cistern.

Inside the sarcophagus is the deteriorated mummy of a terrifying creature. The head of this creature resembles a human head, but with its entire body curves, it resembles a giant snake. This sarcophagus is taken under protection by the order of the Sultan. It is decided that the sarcophagus, which is wanted to be hidden from the public first, will be brought to light later on the condition that its cover is not removed.

The news of the sarcophagus of Medusa was published in Resimli Gazeta.

One day, a child entered one of the corridors and saw the corpse inside and said to the people of Istanbul, “I saw Şahmeran!” event is heard. This sarcophagus weighing tons is brought to light with great difficulty and taken to the courtyard of Fatih Mosque and shown to the public for a short time.

By order of Abdülhamit Han, the photograph of the corpse was taken and published in the newspapers of that period. Today, there is no trace of the newspapers in which the photographs of this sarcophagus were published.

Although it is known that many foreigners are after the Medusa sarcophagus, it is also said that the delegations that came to the Sultan held rituals around this sarcophagus for years. It is a matter of curiosity whether these delegations have anything to do with the confiscation of the newspapers and the cover-up of the event.

The news is titled “Our Sultan has found Medusa”.

The legend of Şahmeran: The legend tells about the great love of Şahmeran, a half-snake half-human woman, with Tahmasp. He mentions that Şahmeran is hidden in a cave, that he knows the secret of the world and that the one who eats his flesh will be healed. Those who seek Şahmeran for the health of the sick sultan find him thanks to Tahmasp and at the end of the legend, the vizier kills Şahmeran. Although it is not known what happened to Şahmeran’s body after he died, Tahmasp may have hidden Şahmeran’s body in a sarcophagus.

Perhaps we will never find out if Şahmeran and Medusa are the same women. However, these legends, which have been going on for centuries, will continue to circulate centuries later.

EUROPE, GREECE, WORLD

The impressive Statue of young Hercules was unearthed in Philippi, Northern Greece

The impressive Statue of young Hercules was unearthed in Philippi, Northern Greece

The impressive Statue of young Hercules was unearthed in Philippi, Northern Greece

A larger-than-life youthful Hercules statue dating to the 2nd century A.D. have been found in the ancient city of Philippi in northern Greece. The Statue of Hercules, unearthed by archaeologists from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, may have adorned a public fountain.

The statue depicts a youthful Hercules, the Roman equivalent of the Greek Heracles. The statue of Hercules dates to the 2nd century A.D. and is in unusually good condition despite suffering some damage.

The club and the right arm are fragmented, and the right leg below the thigh is missing, but the head is intact, as are the torso and the tell-tale skin of the Nemean Lion.

On top of his abundant mane of curls is a wreath of vine leaves tied around his head by a band that dangles down his neck and shoulders.

Alongside the statue, a richly decorated structure, potentially a fountain, was also found.

A lion’s pelt hangs from the statue’s left arm, attesting to its identity as the ancient hero Hercules.

According to the research team, based on the excavation findings, the statue adorned a much later building from the 8th or 9th century.

According to contemporary sources, Classical and Roman-era statues were used to decorate buildings and public spaces until the Late Byzantine period.

The discovery at Philippi confirms that pre-Christian statues were used to decorate public spaces in important Byzantine empire cities.

According to the announcement from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports, excavations were carried out in Philippi by the Aristotle University team, which included Professor Natalia Poulos, the excavation’s director, and collaborators Assistant Professor Anastasios Tantsis and Emeritus Professor Aristotle Menzos.

The excavation involved a total of twenty-four AUTH students. Aristotle University and the AUTH Research Committee funded the study.

The archaeologists believe the statue adorned a public fountain.

The excavation is set to continue next year.

The ancient city of Philippi was first built in 360 BC. It was founded as  Crenides by colonists from the island of Thassos. The town was conquered by Philip II, King of Macedon, and refounded as Philippi in 356 BC. It rose to prominence as a result of its proximity to gold mines and strategic location on the royal route through Macedonia.

Little remains of the Greek city today. It is famed as the site of the final battle between the armies of Caesar’s partisans Octavian and Mark Antony and those of his assassins Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus in 42 B.C.

Philippi prospered under the Roman Empire, continuing through the fall of the Western Empire and, centuries later, the fall of the Byzantine Empire. It was abandoned only after the Ottoman conquest of the 14th century.

EUROPE, SLOVAKIA, WORLD

Archaeologists unearth the remains of three dozen headless people at a stone age settlement in Vráble, Slovakia

Archaeologists unearth the remains of three dozen headless people at a stone age settlement in Vráble, Slovakia

Archaeologists unearth the remains of three dozen headless people at a stone age settlement in Vráble, Slovakia

Archaeologists have unearthed a mass grave containing the remains of about three dozen headless bodies of people at a settlement dated 5250-4950 BC in Vráble, western Slovakia.

The team of Slovak-German archaeologists investigating one of the largest Central European Stone Age settlements at Vráble thinks these people may have been killed in cult ceremonies.

The skeletons were found inside a defensive ditch of one of the largest Neolithic settlements in Central Europe.

Three settlement areas cover more than 120 acres in the Neolithic settlement. Over the last seven years, excavations and geophysical surveys have revealed more than 300 long houses in the settlement, albeit built at different stages of occupation.

Archaeologists estimate that 50-70 houses were in use at any given time.

One of the three settlement areas was fortified with at least one defensive ditch and a palisade during the final phase of occupation.

The settlement has six entrances through the defensive perimeters. Individual graves have been discovered in and around the ditch during previous excavations.

This year, skeletal remains of at least 35 people were discovered in a lengthy ditch close to one of the settlement’s entrances. The bodies seem to have been thrown in randomly. They were discovered with their arms and legs extended, lying on their sides, backs, and stomachs.

The grave contained the remains of men, women, and children, many of whom were adolescents and young adults when they passed away. Peri-mortem fractures do exist. The skull of one child and one mandible were the only bones from heads found in the grave.

Experts will also look for any genetic links between them, and whether the heads were forcibly removed or separation occurred only after the decomposition of the body.

“Only then will we be able to answer several questions about the social categorization of the [site’s] inhabitants, probably also about the emerging social inequality in the conditions of early agricultural societies, and perhaps even reconstruct the functioning or the causes of the demise of this vast settlement,” the director of the archaeological institute Matej Ruttkay said.

The researchers said some of their other findings about the settlement have been exceptional.

“In the final stage of operation, one of the areas was fortified with a moat with six entrances to the settlement, which was doubled by a palisade. This was absolutely exceptional in Central Europe at that time,” explains Ivan Cheben, head of archaeological research at SAV.

“We also confirmed the presence of more than 300 longhouses through a detailed geophysical survey. It is possible that 50 to 70 houses could have been used at the same time in the individual stages of the settlement’s functioning.”

AFRICA, EGYPT, WORLD

In Egypt, Two Greco-Roman Mummies Found Discarded in Sewers

In Egypt, Two Greco-Roman Mummies Found Discarded in Sewers

Polluted water is a problem for millions of Egyptians and for the country’s archaeological treasures

If there’s any indication that the underbelly of Egypt is still teeming with priceless cultural relics, it’s the fact that a number of said relics have ended up in the country’s sewage system.

Police have found several ancient sarcophagi floating down a sewage canal in Egypt, likely ditched by people digging illegally in the area.

The mummies were originally housed in tombs located in a small village near the city of Minya, about 245 km south of Cairo on the western bank of the Nile River.

They’re now with the national Ministry of Antiquities, and based on the way the mummies were wrapped up, they’ve been dated to the Greco-Roman era, which ended around 1,600 years ago. While they were covered in many thick layers of linen, few bodily parts remain inside.

“The sarcophagi the police found the mummies in were … floating in sewage, and their conditions were so bad that they had disintegrated, according to the report of the ministry,” Nada Deyaa’ reports for Daily News Egypt.

“They had drawings of women with several colours clearly outlining and showing their faces on their top covers.”

Ministry officials suspect that the mummies ended up in the sewer because people digging illegally in the area accidentally uncovered the tombs.

Due to the severe government restrictions on digging activity, they panicked, and ditched the evidence in the sewage canals, “despite realising their cultural value”, says Deyaa’.

“The robbers may have resorted to dumping these sarcophagi in the irrigation canal when they felt that authorities were closing in on them, or perhaps when they were approaching a security checkpoint,” Head of the Antiquities Sector at the ministry, Youssef Khalifa, said in a public statement.

Despite restoration efforts not faring so great, Youssef Khalifa said the mummies and their sarcophagi will be placed in Minya’s Hermopolis Museum for public viewing. 

ASIA, ISRAEL, WORLD

Ancient Islamic mosaics uncovered on the shores of Kinneret

Ancient Islamic mosaics uncovered on the shores of Kinneret

Ancient mosaics belonging to an early Islamic settlement have been uncovered by archaeologists from a German university in the Kinneret.

A VIEW of the Kinneret with the Hermon in the background. The view that inspired Rachel the Poetess, among others.

The mosaics, found near Khirbat al-Minya, are believed to have acted as a contact point for Umar and local Arab tribes dating to the fifth century BCE.

Khirbat al-Minya may have also served as a caravanserai, known to some as a caravan inn. Travellers coming through the region at the time would be able to rest there and recharge before heading back on their long, often strenuous journey.

Archaeologists from Germany’s Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) discovered these ancient mosaics along the Kinneret’s shoreline after geomagnetic surface surveys and subsequent excavations were done in the surrounding area.

According to JGU archaeologists, this discovery was made possible by the geomagnetic surface surveys themselves. Through this process, along with specifically-mapped “exploratory cuts,” archaeologists from the Mainz team were able to prove that the caliph, which was the title of the chief Muslim civil and religious ruler, strategically planned his palace. This residence was complete with a mosque and a high gate tower close to a nearby settlement.

At the time of construction of this palace, the shoreline was believed to have been almost completely deserted.

Ancient Islamic mosaics uncovered on the shores of Kinneret
THE WONDERFULLY watery Kinneret, photo snapped while barefoot on the rocks.

Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Kuhnen of JGU uncovered remarkable details from their discoveries. “Our most recent excavations show that Caliph Walid had his palace built on the shore of the Sea of Galilee in an already carefully structured landscape that had long been inhabited.”

“It was here that considerable money was subsequently made through the cultivation of sugar cane, sadly causing lasting damage to the ecosystem,” he said. What started generations ago as a money-maker would in turn have a  cost that would never be repaid.

 “Our research has brought this settlement adjacent to the caliph’s palace to light again, putting it in its rightful context among the history of human settlement of the Holy Land,” Kuhnen said. “Over the centuries, it experienced alternating periods of innovation and decline, but there was no real disruption to its existence during its lifetime.”

The Mainz archaeologists involved with the project found stone buildings from different periods made of basalt with plastered walls, a cistern and colored mosaic floors.

The tiles were found decorated with blossom designs, along with pictures of the animal and plant world of the Nile Valley.

The art found in the mosaics was believed to have symbolized “the life-giving power of the great river, which ensured Egypt’s fertility through the annual Nile flood.”

What can we learn from this discovery?

Archaeologists from JGU are confident this discovery shows that though life in Israel may have gone through major changes throughout the years, it never really made a full stop, which allows it to thrive today. 

 “With this research, we give the settlement in front of the threshold of the caliph’s palace a place on the stage of the settlement history of the Holy Land, which over the centuries has experienced a change of innovation and decline, but never real breaks,” a JGU representative said.

ENGLAND, EUROPE, WORLD

1,000-year-old coin among finds in Cork archaeological dig

1,000-year-old coin among finds in Cork archaeological dig

The discovery of the coins has fuelled speculation that a castle may have stood on this site much earlier than expected

A close-up of the coin was found during excavations at Carrignacurra Castle in Cork.

Two silver coins, one almost 1,000-year-old, and a tax token which was later used as a board game piece during the Middle Ages have been unearthed during archaeological excavations as part of the multi-million restoration of a landmark tower house.

The discovery of the coins by archaeologist Tony Miller, who is excavating the medieval Carrignacurra castle near Inchigeela in Cork, has fuelled speculation that a castle may have stood on this site much earlier than expected.

The ‘jeton’ or chequer piece, used for accounting and later as gaming pieces, has been unearthed following excavations at Carrignacurra Castle in Cork.

The ‘jeton’ or chequer piece, used for accounting and later as gaming pieces, has been unearthed following excavations at Carrignacurra Castle in Cork.

The tower house, which dates from around 1570, was one of three such tower houses built by the O’Learys. It is the only one left standing.

It was built on a high rock outcrop to defend an important ford on the river Lee, and was originally the seat of the O’Leary family before it was captured by the O’Sullivan clan and eventually fell derelict.

Its most recent owners made a start on renovations but abandoned the work before it was finished.

American owners

The imposing protected structure was bought last year by an American couple, Shawn and Tom Carlson, both pilots, who embarked on an ambitious €2m restoration project.

Ms Carlson, née O’Leary, is a direct descendant of Cornelius Ó Laoghaire, who fled to America in 1773 after he fatally shot the sheriff, Morris, to avenge the death of his brother, Art Ó Laoghaire who was immortalised by his widow, Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill, in the epic Irish lament, Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire.

The Carlsons hosted a site visit of around 75 people who were in the Lee Valley this month to attend the O’Leary clan gathering.

Mr Miller, who briefed them on the archaeological finds, told the Irish Examiner that his excavations have been concentrated around the tower base and the ground floor.

“During the excavation of the ground floor, a cobbled floor was uncovered in one corner as well as a rectangular base for storage bins or a workbench against the northern wall,” he said.

Pipes and pottery

He has unearthed clay pipes, one of which was made in Bristol, leading to speculation that it could have been left by Cromwellian troops when Roger Boyle knocked the castle under orders from Cromwell, as well as a small amount of domestic pottery dating from around the 16th century, animal bones, mostly pig bones, a small bone bead and lead musket balls, mostly unused, with evidence that they were being made on site.

But among the most interesting finds were two silver coins — one known as a groat featuring Henry 111 and dated to 1270, and the other featuring Edward IV, dating from the 1470s.

A musket and pistol ball with a small ingot of lead was found during excavations at Carrignacurra Castle in Cork.

A musket and pistol ball with a small ingot of lead was found during excavations at Carrignacurra Castle in Cork.

Mr Miller said this coin was uncovered at a level near bedrock at the very foot of the castle and is a century older than the generally accepted date of the tower house.

But he said the most unusual find was an exchequer piece or ‘jeton’, made in Bavaria around 1620, which was commonly used for calculating taxes, and which was later used as a board game piece in the Middle Ages equivalent of draughts.

The token carries a motto with a religious reference meant to keep the user honest. One of the clay pipes, dated to the first half of the 17th century. It dates from a time when tobacco was expensive and therefore features a small bowl.

One of the clay pipes, dated to the first half of the 17th century. It dates from a time when tobacco was expensive and therefore features a small bowl.

Only a handful of these tokens have ever been found in Ireland. They are usually found in Britain nearer to London.

The finds feature in one of Cork County Council’s latest heritage books.

Mr Miller said further excavations will be undertaken on what is presumed to be a medieval ramp and wall on the south side of the castle, as well as carbon dating remnants of basket weave used to create the vault on the interior of the structure.

EUROPE, TURKEY, WORLD

Unusual Burials Unearthed in Turkey’s Ancient Port of Anemurium

Unusual Burials Unearthed in Turkey’s Ancient Port of Anemurium

Skeletons of four humans, one of which is a baby, have been found in an area which is believed to be a colonnaded street, during the excavations in the ancient port city “Anemurium” in the southern province of Mersin. The team was excited by the fact that the baby skeleton was buried in an amphora.

Excavation, research and restoration works continue throughout the year in the ancient city of Anemurium, located on an area of approximately 600 decares on the Mediterranean coast in the Anamur district by a team of academics and students from many different universities under the chairmanship of Professor Mehmet Tekocak.

The archaeologists have been recently working in an area, which is not a necropolis area and is thought to be a colonnaded street. They first reached the skeleton of a baby, which was carefully placed in an amphora, and then the skeleton of three individuals who are considered to be the baby’s family.

“At the moment, we are working in the area we call the colonnaded street. But during the previous and this year’s excavations, we found many human skeletons in this area. Now we found four individuals buried directly in the ground. But what is interesting for us is that although it is not the necropolis area of the ancient city of Anemurium, many human skeletons are found here,” said Tekocak.

Tekocak stated that the buried baby was in a broken commercial amphora. “What is interesting for us is that this is the first time we have encountered this situation in the region, and it is likely that a newborn baby died before long and its body was buried in a commercial amphora.

In other words, an amphora, left as a gift in the tombs and used in trade in ancient times, was the first time used as a baby grave in the ancient city of Anemurium.

Adult individuals were very carelessly buried directly in the ground. But they created a very special area for the baby. Babies and children always received special attention in ancient times. The love for a child, which is still valid today, somehow continues in the world of the dead,” he said.

Noting that due to the fact that they found skeletons on a street area, they had different thoughts, Tekocak said, “Maybe there was a church structure here that is not known in the literature and these burials were made in its garden.

Last year, we identified eight individuals in a single underground chamber tomb in the necropolis area. We found seven individuals in the area we are currently working this year.

In other words, here we are faced with seven human skeletons, five of which are adults, one is a baby, and the other is a child. Unfortunately, we have not encountered such a situation in the vaulted tombs of the Roman period in the necropolis area of the city.

Already in ancient times, these tombs must have been robbed. We have encountered such burials almost every year since 2018 in the ancient Anemurium.”

EUROPE, SPAIN, WORLD

Ancient Glass Plate From Spain Shows a Beardless Jesus

Ancient Glass Plate From Spain Shows a Beardless Jesus

Ancient Glass Plate From Spain Shows a Beardless Jesus
The plate, which is on display in the archaeology museum in Linares in Andalusia, is one of the earliest representations of Christ

Our perception of what certain biblical or historical characters look like is based simply on what has been written and passed down. However, just like religion, history can be very controversial as when hard evidence is missing, it all must come down to cultural beliefs.

Almost 3 billion people worship Jesus Christ around the world, so as this is such an impactful character in the lives of many, we should know what he looks like.

Within the bible or other texts from the biblical era, there isn’t much description based on the appearance of Jesus, which seems quite strange based on his importance.

Churches have been ancient schools for over a thousand years and this is where all historical and world knowledge would be kept. Not only in the form of texts, but through different religious murals and other forms of art.

Scholars say that based on this sort of evidence that has been passed on from generations, society has built the appearance of Jesus and we move it down further with each generation.

Robert Cargill, assistant professor of classics and religious studies at the University of Iowa and editor of Biblical Archaeology Review mentioned that humanity never really knew what Jesus looked like:

“We don’t know what [Jesus] looked like, but if all of the things that we do know about him are true, he was a Palestinian Jewish man living in Galilee in the first century, So he would have looked like a Palestinian Jewish man of the first century. He would have looked like a Jewish Galilean.” (Quote by Robert Cargill)

However, from ruins had risen a piece of evidence that potentially shows information that has been lost throughout history and goes against everything said by scholars in religious studies.

Archaeologists outside the southern Spanish city of Linares had discovered a glass plate believed to have been used to hold Eucharistic bread. An image is represented on the plate with Jesus Christ and two of his apostles believed to be Peter and Paul.

Archaeologists working as part of the FORVM MMX Yacimiento group believe that this is the earliest depiction of Jesus Christ.

Coins and ceramic items found at the site appear to confirm that they coincided with the rule of Constantine, Rome’s first Christian emperor, who ruled from 306 to 337. Interestingly enough, because Christianity was persecuted at the time, the figure of Jesus Christ was presented often in the form of a fish.

Reconstruction of images on the plate

The plate was found in pieces, but archaeologists were able to find 80% of the pieces and assemble them back together.

An interesting aspect of its depiction of Christ is that he is shown without a beard. There haven’t been many pieces of evidence to show that Jesus Christ actually didn’t have a beard. Based on Robert Cargill’s description of Jesus Christ, he looked like a first-century Jewish Galilean who mostly wore beards.

A newspaper report from ABC mentioned the biblical scene that is represented in the plate:

“The scene takes place in the celestial orb, framed between two palm trees, which in Christian iconography represent immortality, the afterlife, and heaven, among other things,” (Quote from ABC News)

This piece of evidence challenges what has been believed and all other depictions of Jesus Christ that have been created since the 4th century. Only time and the future efforts of archaeologists may bring similar evidence to reinforce the belief in this depiction of Jesus Christ.

All In One Magazine