Morocco’s National Rock Heritage Park has successfully identified more than 400 new archaeological heritage sites across the country.

Credit: Morocco World News

Aiming to study, document, and protect the deep-rooted heritage of Morocco, the park is planning more scientific and archaeological research programs, according to a statement made by the Ministry of Culture.

The park has also contributed to the establishment of excavation programs in the areas of Tata, Tan Tan, Al-Haouz, Aousserd, and other Moroccan regions. Furthermore, it is working to protect rock engravings from plunder and destruction in southern regions, according to the statement.

The Ministry also chaired a series of scientific and communication meetings which aimed to protect rock art sites. These meetings, according to the Ministry, help promote cultural heritage and encourage local and regional authorities to adhere to the program regulations to preserve the sites.

The Ministry also organizes training sessions for local actors that teach preservation of rock heritage, and offer tools and various means to raise awareness for the need to protect the national archaeological sites.

The statement added that the ministry has set up a Provincial Center for the Preservation and Interpretation of Rock Carvings in Tata—a province located in southwestern Morocco.

Recently, the Ministry promoted a draft law which would significantly bolster the protection and preservation of Morocco’s vast cultural heritage.

The Ministry is promising a higher level of consistency in its role of overseeing preservation. Additionally, the strategy integrates newly recognized international concepts of cultural heritage, said the ministry in a statement released by Maghreb Arab Press (MAP).

Author: Safaa Kasraoui | Source: Morocco World News [March 12, 2018]

The history and archaeology of Mongolia, most famously the sites associated with the largest land empire in the history of the world under Ghengis Khan, are of global importance. But they're facing unprecedented threats as climate change and looting impact ancient sites and collections.

Burial sites may contain treasures, or just old bones. And looters won’t know until they’ve destroyed them [Credit: Julia Kate Clark]

Climate change and looting may seem to be unrelated issues. But deteriorating climate and environmental conditions result in decreased grazing potential and loss of profits for the region's many nomadic herders. Paired with a general economic decline, herders and other Mongolians are having to supplement their incomes, turning to alternative ways of making money. For some, it's searching for ancient treasures to sell on the illegal antiquities market.

The vast Mongolian landscape, whether it be plains, deserts or mountains, is dotted with man-made stone mounds marking the burials of ancient peoples. The practice started sometime in the neolithic period (roughly 6,000-8,000 years ago) with simple stone mounds the size of a kitchen table. These usually contain a human body and a few animal bones.

Over time, the burials became larger (some over 400 metres long) and more complex, incorporating thousands of horse sacrifices, tools, chariots, tapestries, family complexes, and eventually treasure (such as gold, jewellery and gems).

For Mongolians, these remains are the lasting reminders of their ancient past and a physical tie to their priceless cultural heritage.

Mongolia has reasonably good laws regarding the protection of cultural heritage. But poor understanding of the laws, and the nearly impossible task of enforcing them in such a large space with relatively few people and meagre budgets keep those laws from being effective. And laws can't protect Mongolia's cultural heritage from climate change.

Looting losses

The looting of archaeological sites in Mongolia has been happening for a very long time. Regional archaeologists have shared anecdotes of finding skeletons with break-in tools made from deer antlers in shafts of 2,000 year old royal tombs in central Mongolia. These unlucky would-be thieves risked the unstable sands collapsing in the shafts above them for a chance at riches, not long after the royal leaders had been buried there.

While looters discard bones, they are invaluable to archaeologists’ research [Credit: Julia Kate Clark]

But many recent pits dug directly into burial sites around Mongolia, some that are more than 3,000 years old, suggest modern day looting is on the rise. For the untrained looter, any rock feature has the potential to contain valuable goods and so grave after grave is torn apart. Many of these will contain no more than human and animal bones.

Archaeologists' interest in these burials lie in the information they contain for research, but this is worthless on the black antiquities market. But to steer looters away from these burials would be to teach them which ones to target for treasure and so this strategy is avoided.

Archaeologists working in northern Mongolia in 2017 found hundreds of looted sites, including an 800 year old cemetery consisting of at least 40 burials. Each and every one of them had been completely destroyed by looters looking for treasure. Human remains and miscellaneous artefacts such as bows, arrows, quivers, and clothing were left scattered on the surface.

Having survived over 800 years underground, these priceless bows, arrows, cloth fragments and bones likely have less than a year on the surface before they're gone forever. This is not to mention the loss of whatever goods (gold, silver, gems) the looters decided was valuable enough to keep.

The mummy race

Archaeological teams are currently working against climate change, looters, and each other for the chance to unearth rare mummies in the region that are known to pique public interest within Mongolia and abroad. A 2017 exhibit at the National Museum of Mongolia featured two mummies and their impressive burial goods—one of which had been rescued from the hands of looters by archaeologists and local police. Though they appeared not to have been particularly high ranking individuals, their belongings displayed incredible variety, artistry and detail.

Discovering mummies offers the opportunity to increase interest and tourism in Mongolia [Credit: The Center of Cultural Heritage of Mongolia]

The result of natural processes rather than intentional mummification as in ancient Egypt, some of these mummies are preserved by very dry environments protected in caves and rock shelters. Others are ice mummies, interred in burials that were constructed in such a way that water seeped in and froze—creating a unique preservation environment.

Both preservation environments produce artefacts that rarely survive such long periods of time. This includes human tissues like skin and hair, clothing and tapestries, wooden artefacts, and the remains of plants and animals associated with the burial.

As looters zero in on these sites, and climate change melts ice and changes the environmental conditions in other yet unknown ways, archaeologists are racing to locate, and preserve these finds. But with little infrastructure, small budgets and almost no specialised training in how to handle such remains, there's some concern about the long term preservation of even those remains archaeologists are able to rescue.

Efforts to provide training opportunities, international collaborations with mummy experts, and improved infrastructure and facilities are underway, but these collections are so fragile there is little time to spare.


What Mongolia can teach us

The situation in Mongolia could help us to understand and find new solutions to dealing with changes in climate and the economic drivers behind looting. Humans around the world in many different times have faced and had to adapt to climate change, economic strife and technological innovations.

There's truth represented by a material record of the "things" left by ancient peoples and in Mongolia, the study of this record has led to an understanding of the impact of early food production and horse domestication, the emergence of new social and political structures and the dominance of a nomadic empire.

Author: Julia Kate Clark | Source: The Conversation [March 12, 2018]

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

The walls of the ancient city of Termessos, which Alexander the Great besieged in 333 but failed to conquer due to its strong walls and powerful defenses, are being restored.

Credit: Hurriyet Daily News

The ancient city of Termessos was a Pisidian city built at an altitude of more than 1000 metres at the south-west side of the mountain Solymos (Turkish Güllük Dağı) in the Taurus Mountains. It is located 30 kilometers to the northwest of the southern Turkish province of Antalya.

With the support of the Culture and Tourism Ministry and the Antalya Governor’s Office, the ruined walls of the ancient city, at a distance of 300-meters from the city, are set to be restored.

To aid the restoration works, a 3D map of the walls has been made. Nearly 3,000 stones were numbered individually and scanned before the restoration started.

The stones, each of which weighed two and a half tons, were lifted by crane to form the city walls.

Speaking to state-run Anadolu Agency, Antalya Director of Surveying and Monuments Cemil Karabayram said the project would restore the ancient city of Termessos for the first time.

He said the project had received 1.7 million Turkish Liras in funding, thanks to the support of Culture and Tourism Minister Numan Kurtulmuş, Cultural Heritage and Museums General Director Yalçın Kurt and Antalya Governor Münir Karaloğlu.

Karabayram also said the walls, which originally covered a one-kilometer area, were limited to an area of 300 meters because of the main road, and were being restored using their original material without any additions from stone pits.

The 2,300 year-old walls are being raised again, Karabayram said. “The walls will be the same as they were 2,300 years ago with 3D scans. Four towers inside the walls will also be restored. This is one of the biggest and most important projects for Antalya. It is also very important in terms of tourism. We believe tourists will take more interest once the work is complete,” he added.

Karabayram said the height of the walls would come to six meters.

He said they had found arrow heads, pieces of ceramic and coins during the works.

“Lots of historical nails were found on the ancient roads around the walls. After the work is done, we will invite people here. Lovers may declare their love for each other on these walls, which have spiritual value,” he added.

Source: Hurriyet Daily News [March 06, 2018]

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) begins restoration of five Ottoman-era sites in Albania.

AA Photo

According to the statement issued by TIKA's office in the Albanian capital Tiran, the agency continues to deliver various technical assistance and projects to common historical and cultural assets with the aim of protecting and transferring them to future generations.

The new projects included Ethem Bey Mosque, Ergiri Pazar Mosque, Berat Hünkar Mosque, Halveti Tekkesi and Berat Bekarlar Mosque, the statement said, adding the restoration is expected to be completed in two years.

The agency previously completed the restorations of Preza Castle Mosque, Akçahisar Murad Bey Mosque, Elbasan Nazire Mosque, Imrahor Ilyas Bey Mosque and Berat Kurşunlu Mosque.

TIKA has been operating in Albania since 1996 and it has carried out more than 300 technical assistance and business associations projects to support the development of the country.

Source: Daily Sabah [March 04, 2018]

The construction of an andesite quarry in Turkey’s Black Sea province of Ordu has gone ahead despite a court ruling in 2011 that said the area’s historical value made the site inappropriate for such works.

Credit: Hurriyet Daily News

In 2016, excavations revealed a 2,100-year-old marble mother goddess sculpture of Kybele in the Kurul Castle, one of the first archaeological digs in the region.

Now, in that same area, dynamites are blowing up historic sepulchers, or rock tombs, further threatening the remaining areas, including the ancient Kurul Castle.

“We don’t know who to complain to, or what to do,” local environmentalists said.

“Every day, those responsible for the stone quarry destroy the historic castle’s foothills with dynamites. We are anxiously waiting to see if the castle will crumble,” they added.

The locals are also anxious, partly because the Ordu Museum and Kurul Castle Scientific Excavations Directorate remains silent in the face of the destruction.

“The stone quarry is not on an archeological site, we cannot intervene,” museum authorities said, responding to worries.

An Ordu court in March 2017 had ruled that a quarry could not be constructed in the vicinity of the Kurul Castle, which features a unique sculpture of the mother goddess Kybele, following concerns that explosions could damage the artifact.

In 1996, the Samsun Cultural and Natural Heritage Preservation Board declared the castle a first-degree archaeological and natural site after requesting an environmental impact report (ÇED), prompting a court to cancel a license for the quarry, which had been opened inside the protected site.

In 2011, the board once again ruled that the area was unsuitable for the quarry. But Kırca Engineering, which operates the quarry, filed a claim at the Ordu Administrative Court, stating that the quarry and the castle were located on different rock masses and duly requested that the size of the protected site be reduced.

Although an expert report stated that the quarry could completely destroy the castle, the Ordu Museum made a different report, stating that the quarry area could be excluded from the archaeological site. The court then approved the request to exempt the quarry area from the archaeologically protected zone and canceled the board’s decision.

The Culture and Tourism Ministry subsequently appealed the court decision that gave permission for the quarry to continue operations at the site.

Finally, the Council of State reversed the decision on grounds that the quarry area was in a first-degree archaeological site and that it would harm the region.

The Ordu Administrative Court revived the suit following applications from the quarry company, even though the ministry stated that “the [historical] remains would be damaged by quakes that would be created by the explosions and that Kurul Castle was in an archaeologically rare region and should be protected.”

With this court ruling, the initial decision by the Samsun Cultural and Natural Heritage Preservation Board to deny permission for the quarry was put back into force.

Kurul Castle is located at the peak of the Kurul Rocks in Ordu’s Bayadı village and dates back to the age of King Mithridates VI, who ruled over Pontus and Armenia Minor in northern Anatolia from about 120 to 63 B.C.

Author: Ömer Erbil | Source: Hurriyet Daily News [March 04, 2018]

The ancient theatre in Perge, which is believed to date back to the second century and had a capacity of 13,000 people, will undergo restoration for the first time in its history.

DHA Photo

Located in the ancient city of Perge, which was the capital of many civilizations especially in the Pamphylia era, the ancient amphitheatre in the southern province of Antalya’s Aksu district is as magnificent as the theatres in Ephesus and Aspendos.

The Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums provided 3 million Turkish Liras for the restoration project to be carried out by the Antalya Directorate of Surveying and Monuments.

Antalya Director of Surveying and Monuments Cemil Karabayram said the ancient theatre had not been restored so far, adding that excavations started in the 1980s under the leadership of Professor Jale İnan and continued until 1990s. He said lots of old sculptures and historic artifacts had been unearthed in the theatre since then and were being displayed at the Antalya Archaeology Museum.

Karabayram said 2018 was declared “Perge’s year” in Antalya and the idea for its restoration came up during visits by the Culture and Tourism Minister Numan Kurtulmuş to the ancient city. “With the initiative of the Surveying and Monuments director Yalçın Kurt, the problem of allocation for the restoration project has been solved,” he added.

Karabayram said work had begun on the restoration project.

“This is a very important development because the ancient Perge theatre has never been considered for restoration. All original materials of the structure still remain. It will be restored with its original materials. The Perge theatre was closed to tourism for some time due to security reasons. As a result of works, some fields were taken under protection with safety lines and the rest was open to visitors. Tourists can visit the theatre at the moment,” he said.

The director said once the project was done, operations would start by the end of the year.

“The ancient Perge theatre will regain its magnificence at the end of this restoration. Also, an academic committee is being formed for the project and the application,” he added.

The ancient theatre is made up of three main sections, the cavea (seating sections), the orchestra and the stage. The area for the cavea and orchestra is a bit wider than a half circle. It is known that gladiator and wild animal fights were organized in the orchestra pit.

The lower part of the theatre has 19 tiers and the upper part has 23 tiers for seats. The orchestra pit surrounded with rails shows us that gladiator shows were organized there. Relievos featuring the life of Dionysos, the goddess of wine, are seen on the stage, which has five doors that lead to the backstage.

Even though most of these relievos were damaged when the stage collapsed, the parts depicting the life of Dionysos have survived until today.

Source: Hurriyet Daily News [February 24, 2018]

Over 41 000 cultural goods such as coins, paintings and drawings, furniture and musical instruments, porcelain, archaeological and paleontological objects, books and manuscripts and sculptures were seized all over the world as a result of coordinated law enforcement actions. These seizures were made during the first Global Global Customs-Police Operation, codenamed ATHENA and organised by the World Customs Organisation (WCO) in cooperation with INTERPOL, and during the regional Europe-focused Operation PANDORA II, coordinated by the Spanish Guardia Civil and Europol.

Credit: Europol

Both operations took place from October to early December 2017, with a common action phase from 20 to 30 November 2017, and saw the involvement of customs and police forces from 81 countries. Both, ATHENA and PANDORA II, focused on the illicit trafficking of cultural objects, theft, looting as well as internet sales. Most of the actions were developed and coordinated jointly between Customs and Police on the national level with the support and participation of the experts from the Ministries of Culture and other relevant institutions and law enforcement agencies.

Apart from seizures, there have been tens of thousands of checks and controls in various airports, ports, other border crossing points, as well as in the auction houses, museums and private houses. As a result, more than 200 investigations were opened and 53 persons arrested.

Credit: Europol

Given the global nature of this crime, operation coordination units working 24/7 were established by Europol on one side, and the WCO and INTERPOL on the other, to support the exchange of information as well as disseminate alerts, warnings and perform cross- checks in different international and national databases.

Internet as a facilitator for the illicit trafficking of cultural goods

Internet has changed, as in many other fields of our society, the traditional chains of the illicit trade of cultural goods. It is a new challenge for law enforcement authorities especially for the specialized cultural goods crime units. Now the criminals can reach the collector’s (anywhere in the world) without any intermediate, and out of the traditional channels.

Credit: Europol

Facing this threat, the involved law enforcement agencies monitored thousands of market places, internet announcement has in order to detect and seize looted or stolen cultural goods. Only in this area, 63 new criminal investigations have been opened and more than 6 000 cultural objects have been seized.

In a single successful investigation in Spain, Guardia Civil seized more than 2 000 cultural objects. Most of them were coins from Roman and other Empires and archaeological objects made of ceramic, metal and stone. In addition, 88 pieces of ivory were seized during the searches, including a carving of Christ valued at EUR 6 000 , and 39 firearms of different classification, from historical weapons, such as rifles and shotguns, swords, swords, katanas and a crossbow, revolvers and pistols. The investigation started with the checks of various internet pages dedicated to the sale and purchase of objects of historical value, and is still ongoing.

The Hellenic Police conducted a fruitful investigation in the framework of PANDORA II: during the searches in two residences and in two businesses of a national entrepreneur, they found 41 archaeological objects, for which the collector did not have a corresponding license. Additionally, from a legal collection of 1 133 coins of silver, bronze and gold of the 2nd century B.C. until 200 A.C., 15 coins were missing, and from a legal collection of 105 ancient objects, 26 objects were missing. All the possessed objects of archaeological and cultural value were confiscated, namely 1 252 cultural goods.

Source: Europol [February 23, 2018]

A 2,200-year-old crown and silver bowl have been seized by police in Istanbul during a hotel raid against historical artifact smugglers.

Credit: Hurriyet Daily News

The police’s Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Branch pushed the button for the operation on Feb. 20 after finding that suspects had tried to sell a number of historical artifacts.

Undercover police initially got in touch with the suspects by pretending to be interested in buying the artifacts, representing themselves as antique dealers. The suspects attempted to sell the bowl and the golden crown for $1 million, finally making a deal for 500,000 liras.

Police teams organized a meeting with the suspects at a hotel in Fatih and seized the four suspects during the operation.

The golden crown, which dates back to the Hellenistic era, a broken silver bowl and a golden ring were seized in a bag in the raid.

The artifacts have been sent to the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums for further examinations.

Source: Hurriyet Daily News [February 22, 2018]

Four kilometers of a 2,300-year-old stone road, which connects the ancient cities of Alinda and Herakleia (Latmos) in the western province of Aydın’s Söke district, have been destroyed by villagers to make way for their olive groves.

Credit: DHA

The Association of Ecosystem Protection and Nature Lovers (EKODOSD) has initiated work for the registration and protection of the road by the Aydın Cultural and Natural Heritage Preservation Board.

Villagers have bulldozed four kilometers of the road in an attempt to make room for their olive groves in Söke’s Tekeler neighbourhood. Upon complaints, members of the EKODOSD have examined the area with environmental engineer Haydar Coşar from the protection board, archaeologist Süleyman Özgen and Aydın Archaeology Museum’s archaeologist Songül Erbay.

Credit: DHA

The team has detected some parts of the road have been completely destroyed and some parts have been filled. Works have been initiated to bring the ancient road under protection.

EKODOSD president Bahattin Sürücü said the construction of the stone road was at a great expense by the ancient city of Herakleia’s founder Pleistarkhos. The road connects the ancient cities of Myus, Alinda, Alabanda, Tralleis to each other, as well as the Menderes Valley to the Marsyas Valley.

Credit: DHA

“Locals and trekking aficionados still use the stone paved roads that can be seen from almost everywhere on the Latmos Mountains. These roads, which have served for centuries, have been damaged by natural causes due to rains. It was used as a border wall in some regions. The best and most striking part of the ancient road is in the Kazıkaya Tunnel, located between Bozalan and Herakleia. It is really sad that a road that has survived for 2,300 years has been damaged in the last six months,” he said.

Sürücü said the ancient road should be protected for future generations.

Credit: DHA

“This type of stone road should not be damaged; its stones should not be removed and vehicles should not be driven on these roads. This way, they can be protected for future generations. Ancient roads are a very important part of our cultural heritage. It should be everyone’s mission to protect them. Thousands of years for a road in an ancient city is a big richness for eco-tourism activities in this region. A true project will contribute to the economic development of locals, Aydın’s tourism and the protection of the road,” he said.

Credit: DHA

“The ancient era roads in our region have been detected by Dr. Anneliese Peschlow during research in and around Herakleia. Thanks to the stone road from the western part of Herakleia to the top of the mountain, Peschlow has made many discoveries and has made a great effort to reveal the oldest stone road in Anatolia. Along with geographer and cartographer Volker Höhfeld, they were able to measure the historic 300-kilometer road even before the existence of GPS,” said the EKODOSD president.

Source: Hurriyet Daily News [February 22, 2018]

Work is proceeding at a fast pace to prepare the magnificent palace of Aigai in the region of Pella, northern Greece, for its opening to the public in May, with its walls restored to a height of 1.6 metres and the rich mosaics uncovered on the hall floors.

Credit: ANA-MPA

The palace, constructed during the reign of Philip II (359-336 BC), father of Alexander the Great, is three times the size of the Parthenon and belongs to a complex that includes royal burial clusters and a fortified town. The complex is in a strategic location defined by two rivers and the Pieria mountains.

Stonemasons have been working on the palace reconstruction, slowly reassembling the nearly 30 columns in the palace’s peristyle (a colonnade surrounding the main court), on the facade and elsewhere.

Credit: ANA-MPA

Sixteen columns of the peristyle’s southern section and the frieze will be reconstructed, to a height of eight metres. “This will allow us to get a comprehensive view of the building,” as archaeologist Angeliki Kottaridi, also head of the antiquities ephorate in the region of Imathia, explained to Athens-Macedonia News Agency (ANA).

Another 7,000 stone-cut blocks – measuring 1m long by a maximum 0.70m wide and 0.50m in height – are being prepared to augment original ones and to shore up the massive buttress on which the palace foundation rests. The surfaces of these stones are hand-carved, using tools like those of ancient stonemasons.

Credit: ANA-MPA

The floor mosaics, which will be visible in May, include the mythological theme of the rape of Europa and scenes of nature.

“The palace of Philip II was destroyed in the middle of the 2nd century BC, following the conquest of Macedonia by the Romans. Many of its architectural stone parts were used in constructing other buildings,” Kottaridi told ANA. “It’s characteristic that many of the stones from the building uncovered by the French excavators in the 19th century were used to build homes housing [Greek] refugees in the nearby village of Vergina,” she added.

Credit: ANA-MPA

Meanwhile, part of the upper floor at the palace’s entrance way (propylon) and a 30m part of a colonnade have been set up inside the new museum at Aigai, because they could not be reconstructed in situ. Kottaridi said the museum will be ready to open fully by the spring of 2020.

Funding for the project comes from the EU’s NSRF business programme on “Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation”, which will provide 10 million euros in total for the reconstruction, expected to be completed by end-2022.

Credit: ANA-MPA

The increased funding from EU and Greek state sources will help support the wall the ancient Macedonians started building and to stabilize the eroded hillside, Kottaridi said.

“The reconstruction of the Aigai palace complex is particularly significant, as it will provide Macedonia with the most important example of classical-era architecture in the whole of northern Greece,” she concluded.

Source: The Greek Observer [February 21, 2018]

After a five-month-long restoration, parts of the Room of Achilles at Skyros in the Domus Aurea (Golden House in Latin), the vast palace built by Emperor Nero after the great fire of 64 AD in the heart of ancient Rome, are back to their original splendor. The work was carried out thanks to the sponsorship worth 100,000 Swiss francs, or nearly 90,000 euros, provided by the Foundation Isabel & Balz Baechi.

Credit: ANSA

The foundation has previously donated money for renovation work at the sanctuary Sacro Monte di Varallo and at Rome's Villa Farnesina.

The partial restoration started at the Domus Aurea provides an insight into what the palace will look like when more work has been completed, said Alfonsina Russo, the new director of the archaeological area of the Colosseum.

Credit: ANSA

The restoration is "a taste of what we will be able to find at the Domus Aurea", said Russo, referring to work planned for all of the 30,000 square meters of painted surface at the palace. "This palace was a great laboratory of experimentation".

"Here worked architecture masters, painters like Fabullo who had Greek painting as great examples".

Credit: ANSA

Russo also said that the specific restoration work carried out so far has revealed the use of precious materials like the golden leaf, a symbol of the "ostentation and luxury that 'Princeps' Nero loved to surround himself with". Specifically, restorer Claudia Fiorani said that only by cleaning the room's tassels - one on a vault and another on a wall - "the results are surprising".

"We were able to bring back to life characters and anatomic details that surely inspired Renaissance masters", she said.

Credit: ANSA

"This room truly showed all of Nero's luxury", not only "for the extensive use of gold" but also because one of the figures that is not yet entirely visible is shrouded in mystery and has raised the interest of art historians, the restorer explained.

"It is surely a woman and very important because of the use of purpurrissumum to paint her, a very precious and expensive pigment made by crushing millions of mollusks", also said Fiorani, adding that her identity is yet to be discovered.

Credit: ANSA

The partial restoration so far carried out, said the director of the renovation work Maria Bartoli, "is also useful to get an idea on the timing and cost" of the work necessary on the entire building.

Alessandro D'Alessio, the scientific director of the monument, said the past year has been "difficult" but there is hope restoration work will gain new momentum with the appointment of the new director.

Credit: ANSA

"So far we have secured 80% of the painted walls, which was urgent".

The culture ministry has already allocated 13 million euros for more restoration work expected to start by the end of the year, including on the vaults of Trajan, which collapsed in 2010, said D'Alessio.

Credit: ANSA

The director said additional work is already being planned for all of the "16,000 square meters of ceiling surface", possibly with more private sponsors.

Source: ANSA [February 21, 2018]

An invaluable ancient altar from the Roman period discovered in western Turkey's Afyonkarahisar province during sewage works last year has been stolen, reports said Monday.

Credit: HaberTürk

Authorities have issued warnings for museums and border crossings to prevent the smuggling of the artifact, HaberTürk daily reported.

The 1,700-year-old altar had been discovered in November 2017, when municipal workers were carrying out sewage works near the Organized Industrial Site and was covered afterward.

When archaeologists arrived at the site to unearth the altar, they carried out an excavation but were unable to find the artifact, which had been stolen.

The provincial cultural and tourism directorate immediately took action and warned museums and auctions regarding the incident.

Border officials have also been notified, reports said.

Source: Daily Sabah [February 19, 2018]

Iraq has foiled an attempt to smuggle antiquities worth millions of dollars to Turkey, its interior ministry said on Saturday.

A destroyed artifact is seen at a museum, where Islamic State militants filmed themselves destroying priceless statues and sculptures in 2015, during a battle against the militants in Mosul, Iraq, March 11, 2017 [Credit: Reuters/Thaier Al-Sudani]

The ministry’s general inspector said in a statement, quoted by Alforatnews, that ministry teams in Kirkuk blocked the transfer of scriptures and antiquities worth USD13 million to Turkey, which were in the possession of two people.

Those, the statement revealed, included scriptures and a bust.

It added that the suspects confessed to agreeing with another party in Turkey on the handover of the pieces. They said they were also expecting to receive more items while waiting at the Turkish borders, including jewelry belonging to the wife of late president Saddam Hussein worth millions of dollars.

Iraq’s archaeological sites sustained severe damage when Islamic State militants occupied a third of the country to proclaim a self-styled Islamic “caliphate”. The militants had filmed themselves axing down priceless statues in Mosul and other areas as they considered statues as pagan representations at odds with their extremist religious codes. However, later reports told that militants turned to selling antiquities to fund the group’s operations.

Author: Mohamed Mostafa | Source: Iraqi News [February 18, 2018]

Pieces of tombs and columns, believed to date back to the Roman era, have washed up on the shores of the Amasra district in the northern province of Bartın following waves caused by a storm.

AA photo

Residents, who saw the historical artifacts around the shore in the harbor, informed the Amasra Museum Directorate in the city. Following an examination, museum officials said the pieces might come from the Roman era.

Amasra Museum Director Baran Aydın said they believed the artefacts were dumped in the sea with the debris from a construction site many years ago.

Baran said they did not know how long the artifacts had been in the sea, adding that there were Roman-era figures on the artefacts.

Source: Hurriyet Daily News [February 10, 2018]

Along a narrow road in Yemen choked by natural gas tankers and heavily armed soldiers lies an ancient temple neglected and threatened in a nation now at war.

A soldier allied to Yemen's internationally recognized government walks through the Awwam Temple, also known as the Mahram Bilqis, in Marib, Yemen [Credit: AP/Jon Gambrell]

The Awwam Temple links a region now on the front lines of the Saudi-led war against Shiite rebels to Arabia's pre-Islamic past, a time of spice caravans and the mysterious Queen of Sheba.

Experts fear the temple, as well as other historic and cultural wonders across Yemen beyond those acknowledged by international authorities, remains at risk as the country's stalemated war rages on.

"All the villages are historic in a way," said Anna Paolini, the director of UNESCO's regional office in Qatar that oversees Yemen and Gulf Arab nations. "They're still heritage of the country. It's sad to see what's happening."

A Yemeni official explores the Awwam Temple, also known as the Mahram Bilqis, in Marib, Yemen [Credit: AP/Jon Gambrell]

The nearly 3-year-old Yemen war has killed more than 10,000 people, displaced 2 million and helped spawn a devastating cholera epidemic in the Arab world's poorest country. Amid its humanitarian crises, Yemen's culture and historical sites also have been affected.

Saudi-led airstrikes have destroyed historic mud homes in Saada, the birthplace of the Shiite rebels known as Houthis. Airstrikes also have hit the over 2,500-year-old Old City in Yemen's rebel-held capital of Sanaa, a UNESCO World Heritage site for its intricately decorated burnt-brick towers. Shelling and airstrikes also have struck museums and other sites in the country. In 2015, airstrikes damaged part of the Great Marib Dam, near the Awwam Temple and built by the same civilization, according to UNESCO.

Even just the shockwaves of an explosion in the distance can be enough to damage delicate structures. UNESCO has shared coordinates of some 50 historical sites with militaries involved in the fighting to try to protect them, Paolini said, though many remain unguarded now in the chaos of the war.

An official points to ancient South Arabian script at the Awwam Temple, also known as the Mahram Bilqis, in Marib, Yemen [Credit: AP/Jon Gambrell]

"Although we've seen less collateral damage and targeting of heritage, it still happens," she said.

Foreign historians and archaeologists also fled the country over the fighting, halting work at sites like the Awwam Temple, also known as the Mahram Bilqis. Scholars believe the temple, with parts dating to the 7th century B.C., served as a shrine to the god Almaqah.

The nearby city of Marib was the capital of the Saba dynasty, which ruled the area for centuries before the birth of Christ. The kingdom built the Great Marib Dam and controlled spice and incense trade routes. The legendary Queen of Sheba, said in the Bible to have visited King Solomon in the 10th century B.C., has been linked to Saba, though Ethiopians claim her as their own.

In this 1957 photo, two Yemenis stand near a column bearing ancient South Arabian script at the Awwam Temple, also known as the Mahram Bilqis in Marib, Yemen [Credit: AP/Jon Gambrell]

"She gave the king ... gold, large quantities of spices and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the Queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon," the enigmatic Bible story goes. "King Solomon gave the Queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for. ... Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country."

The Sabaean dynasty later succumbed to challenges from other kingdoms and the Great Dam gave away in the 6th century A.D. Islam quickly spread across the Arabian Peninsula soon after. Islam's holy book, the Quran, blames the dam collapse on Sabaeans being ungrateful to God.

Marib, which has grown into a city where many displaced by Yemen's war now live and gunfire echoes through the day and night, has never been a particularly easy place in modern history. Famed American archaeologist and oilman Wendell Phillips began excavation of the Awwam Temple in 1951, but had to abandon all his equipment and flee raiding Bedouin tribesmen with his team.

A militiaman allied to Yemen's internationally recognized government walks through the Awwam Temple, also known as the Mahram Bilqis, in Marib, Yemen [Credit: AP/Jon Gambrell]

Associated Press correspondent Wilton Wynn and his photographer wife Leila visited the temple in 1957 on a royal tour of the then-Kingdom of Yemen, apparently becoming the first Americans since Phillips to see the ruins. Wynn described Marib at the time as so remote "our plane was lost for more than a half hour trying to find it."

After the dam burst, "the city of Sheba was drowned and the kingdom never recovered," Wynn wrote in his AP dispatch. "Its population drifted away, leading to tribes moving to Syria, Mesopotamia and Palestine."

German archaeologists resumed work in the region in 1988, though foreign tourists remained a target of militants and tribesmen eager for ransom money. In July 2007, a suspected al-Qaida militant detonated a suicide car bomb in a crowd of tourists, killing eight Spaniards and two Yemenis.

A Yemeni militiaman stands atop a limestone column at the Awwam Temple, also known as the Mahram Bilqis, in Marib, Yemen [Credit: AP/Jon Gambrell]

Today, a simple fence surrounds the temple, just off a heavily guarded road leading to a Saudi coalition air base and an oil refinery. A watchman lives in a small makeshift shack against the fence with his children.

Foreign journalists and officials on a recent tour of Yemen organized by Saudi Arabia slipped through a large hole in the fence to marvel at the ancient South Arabian script inscriptions on stones inside. Some still bore what appeared to be red paint.

Eight limestone pillars towered over the site, though weathered, chipped and marred by the occasional bit of graffiti. A Yemeni militiaman with a Kalashnikov assault rifle over his shoulder quickly shimmied up between two pillars, looking down with a smile at once was one of ancient Yemen's holiest sites.

Author: Jon Gambrell | Source: The Associated Press [February 08, 2018]

Members of the U.S. Congress’ Hellenic Caucus have requested the Committee on Foreign Affairs hold a hearing on their House Resolution saying the Parthenon Marbles should be returned to Greece.

The Parthenon Sculptures are currently in the British Museum. Greece wants their return [Credit: Graham Barclay/Getty Images]

Co-chairs of the Hellenic Caucus — U.S. Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Gus Bilirakis, and Hellenic Caucus Member U.S. Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. — wrote:

“These sculptures are ancient symbols of Greek heritage, culture, and art. Greeks and visitors should be able to experience and enjoy the entire frieze in Greece in the way it was intended and originally designed around the Temple of Athena.”

The letter reminds the committee that the Greek government has pledged to work diplomatically with the British government to reach an agreement regarding the Parthenon Marbles.

“Passing the resolution would send a clear signal to both countries that the United States is committed to the fair return of these invaluable historical artifacts,” the letter reads.

Author: Tasos Kokkinidis | Source: Greek Reporter [February 07, 2018]

The J. Paul Getty Museum announced today the acquisition of an early 5th-century B.C. bronze appliqué depicting the Etruscan Sun God Usil.

Appliqué depicting the Sun God Usil, Etruscan, 500 - 475 B.C. Italy, Vulci. Bronze. H: 20 cm (7 7/8 in.) [Credit: The J. Paul Getty Museum, Villa Collection, Malibu, California]

“This bronze appliqué that probably decorated an Etruscan chariot or funeral cart is of exceptional quality, representing the peak period of an artistic milieu in which Greek and Italic aesthetics merged to create a distinctively Etruscan style,” says Timothy Potts, director of the J. Paul Getty Museum. “Bronze statuettes and reliefs are a particular strength of the Getty’s collection of Etruscan art and the Usil appliqué’s rarity and quality will assure it a significant presence in the newly reinstalled gallery at the Villa dedicated to this fascinating culture.”

The appliqué represents the solar deity Usil (the equivalent of the Greek god Helios and Roman god Sol), who stands with spread wings and dramatically splayed fingers. A nimbus of rays surrounds the head of the god, who wears a diadem, necklace, and a mantle over his shoulders. At the thighs, the figure merges into a broad plate decorated with undulating lines, suggesting the sea from which the sun emerges at daybreak and sinks at dusk.

Ornamental reliefs such as this functioned as fittings on funeral carts and chariots, which often accompanied the burials of Etruria’s equestrian elite. Probably affixed to the sides of the vehicle, the winged god reflects the imagery of a celestial divinity driving the chariot of the sun across the sky, which was common in Greek and later Etruscan art. The earliest Usil plaque, in the Vatican Museums, was reportedly found at Roma Vecchia between 1760 and 1775 and was illustrated by Francesco Piranesi in 1778. In 1845, four similar plaques were discovered in the Tomb of the Quadriga at Vulci, which preserved the skeletons of horses. Among the appliqués held in the National Etruscan Museum of the Villa Giulia in Rome, the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, and other museums, some may belong to that burial. Of that group, the Getty’s Usil appliqué is the best surviving example. Although displaying slight variations in size, facial features, form of the plate, and position of the rivets, all are associated with a preeminent bronze-casting workshop in Vulci.

This newest acquisition will go on display in the reinstalled Getty Villa when it opens in April 2018, and will join several related Etruscan bronzes, including a vessel foot depicting Usil in winged boots running over the crests of waves; and a lion head attachment with glass paste eyes, which likely capped the end of a chariot pole. A pair of candelabra with finials of a youth dancing and playing castanets is also attributed to a Vulcian workshop, which produced fine metalware for an international Mediterranean clientele.

The appliqué was acquired in the 1920s in Monte Carlo by Sylvie Bonneau-Arfa (b. about 1907), née Fatma-Enayet Arfa, the daughter of the Persian ambassador to the Russian court. In 1970 the appliqué went up for auction but failed to sell and was returned to the family. It had been brought to the attention of the Swiss archaeologist Hans Jucker in 1968, and was subsequently on loan to the Historisches Museum in Bern, Switzerland during the 1970s. The Getty acquired it at auction from the descendants of Ms. Bonneau-Arfa.

“This wonderful addition to the collection alongside the related objects in the new Etruscan gallery will introduce visitors to the art of Etruscan bronze sculpture, the significance of celestial divinities in Etruscan religion, elite burial practices, and the impressive parade armor of ancient Italy,” says Jeffrey Spier, senior curator of antiquities at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

Source: The J. Paul Getty Museum [February 07, 2018]

On a far flung peninsula halfway up the coast of Western Australia are strange piles of cubic boulders that look like rusty refrigerators and boxes. Decorating their flat faces are more than one million rock carvings, some believed to be as much as .

Environmentalists, scientists and archaeologists are campaigning to protect Australia’s oldest rock art from emissions [Credit: Ken Mulvaney]

The petroglyphs at the Burrup Peninsula, also known as Murujuga by the traditional custodians, are Australia’s largest and oldest collection of rock art.

They provide an extraordinary and unique continuous record of the stories and life of the Yaburarra people who lived there until the 1860s when they were wiped out in a massacre.

But a kilometre away are some of Australia’s largest and dirtiest chemical plants. The air that hangs over this remote peninsula is often fouled with a yellow haze from the chimneys of the Yara ammonium nitrate and fertiliser plants, Woodside’s LNG gas processing plant and the emissions from ships burning sulphur-rich bunker fuel as they visit the port to pick up Rio Tinto’s iron ore.

The result is an increase in atmospheric acidity that archaeologists, scientists and environmentalists say is dissolving the rocks and threatening the future of the rock art.

This week a Senate committee is expected to release a report that will again put the spotlight on the delicate balancing act between preservation of this national treasure and industry.

But whether politicians will have the stomach for some of the costly and difficult measures they say are needed to protect the art remains to be seen. There is also a raging debate over the scientific studies that have been used to say that industry and the rock art can safely co-exist.

“The earliest rock art was done during the ice age,” says Judith Hugo, convener of Friends of Australian Rock Art. “It is a record of mankind’s survival over 40,000 years, through climate change and rising of sea levels,” she says. “There’s nowhere else like it in the world.”

Local archaeologist Ken Mulvaney explains that the older rock art shows land animals such as kangaroos, but as the sea rose, the images shifted to marine life such as turtles and fish. The petroglyphs also record the life of the Yaburarra people.

There are also many images of human faces and figures, though the Indigenous custodians – whose tribes also regard the peninsula as a sacred place – request that these not be reproduced.

Woodside’s Pluto LNG plant at Burrup Peninsula , Western Australia, with rock carving of an echidna in foreground [Credit: Ken Mulvaney]

The Burrup peninsula was opened up for industrial development in the 1960s and 1970s by the Western Australian government before people were aware of the significance of the huge trove of petroglyphs. Some rock art was almost certainly destroyed during development, but in 2007 the remaining carvings were placed on the national heritage register by the federal government and part of the peninsula was declared a national park.

Despite this, further expansion of industrial activity has been given environmental approval by both the federal and state governments based on what campaigners say was flawed science by the CSIRO on the ability of the rock art to withstand up to 1,000 times higher levels of acidity in the atmosphere. The most recent is the Yara ammonium nitrate explosives plant, approved in 2015.

There are still more vacant industrial sites on the peninsula.

John Black, a retired CSIRO scientist, whose specialty was animal physiology, has led the charge to point out the  in the science agency’s work. He fell in love with Indigenous rock art while working as a rural firefighter in the Blue Mountains and has used his background in science to take on his former employer.

He says CSIRO’s original conclusions on the type of rock at the site, based on satellite mapping, were incorrect and have failed to recognise the fragility of delicate desert patina that covers the rocks and gives them their distinctive red colour.

“These are igneous rocks. They cooled under enormous pressure and so are very hard and have very fine crystals,” Black says.

“The rock doesn’t exfoliate so there is almost no soil on the hills. But the rock develops a weathering rind of up to 5mm. Then it develops a desert varnish, which is believed to be formed by small microrganisms that can survive in temperatures ranging from 20 C to 80C and which use manganese and iron ore dust as a shield,” he says.

That patina develops very slowly and has helped protect the rock art over the centuries. It is now at risk from the higher acidity, he says.

“We know the acidity in the atmosphere has increased 1,000-fold due to industry,” he says. “We know the rock art is being destroyed, we just don’t know how fast.”

Johan Kuylenstierna, a Swedish scientist whose work on acidity and European monuments was relied upon by CSIRO to justify its approach to weathering of stone from industrial processes, gave evidence to the Senate inquiry that the use of his study was inappropriate.

Black has also analysed CSIRO’s monitoring of colour changes in the Burrup rock art. His conclusion is the data shows significant change to the colour of the rocks.

Rock engravings at Burrup Peninsula in Western Australia, Australia. The collection of petroglyphs is the oldest and largest in Australia [Credit: Ken Mulvaney]

Those finding have been published in peer-reviewed journals, but the CSIRO was still pushing back on the criticisms when it appeared at the inquiry late last year.

“Black is basically right,” said WA Greens senator Rachel Siewart, who has spent years fighting for better protections for Burrup. “In my opinion the CSIRO really made a hash of it.”

But whether Siewert can convince her colleagues at the inquiry to embrace the tough recommendations she believes will be needed to protect the rock art is an open question.

The WA government has made supportive noises about seeking a world heritage listing which would increase the responsiblity on the federal government to protect the site. It would arguably act as a deterrent to companies who might be eyeing the vacant industrial land nearby for development.

Another, less easy change would be to require ships visiting the area to run on low-sulphur fuel as used by cruise ships while visiting cities.

But requiring world’s best practice on emissions stacks as well as banning future expansion of industry on the Burrup peninsula will come with serious costs.

The CSIRO studies are at the heart of those approvals, so if the Senate committee accepts Black’s findings, it is likely the plants will be forced to change the way they operate.

Siewert says she would like to see a recommendation from the committee that the Yara plant be moved elsewhere in the state.

Rio Tinto, Woodside and Yara have all made significant financial contributions to the documentation and preservation of the Burrup peninsula petroglyphs as part of their development conditions. Rio funds Mulvaney’s position as an archaeologist. Funds have also been earmarked by Woodside and Yara for a knowledge centre and the companies support the traditional owners in a ranger program.

But the companies are likely to baulk at options that require major changes.

Yara said in its submission: “To date, there is no credible scientific evidence to indicate that existing industrial emissions have had any measurable impact on the rock art on the Burrup Peninsula. The established monitoring regime for rock art is rigorous [and] has been modified to take account of potential issues raised by concerned parties.”

A spokesman for Yara said the company was concerned that the recommendations would be informed more by politics than science.

Author: Anne Davies | Source: The Guardian [February 06, 2018]