Archaeology
Geophysical study supports legend of Zapotec “underworld” at Mitla
A geophysical study led by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) has found possible evidence of tunnels beneath the church of San Pablo Apóstol at the Zapotec archaeological site of Mitla.
According to legend, the church was built on an entrance to an underground labyrinth and served as a gateway between the world of the living and the world of the dead, with the Nahuatl name Mictlán meaning the “place of the dead” or “underworld.”
Writing in 1674, a Dominican chronicler named Francisco Burgoa, described how a group of Spanish missionaries descended into a maze of tunnels beneath Mitla: “Such was the corruption and bad smell, the dampness of the floor, and a cold wind which extinguished the lights, that at the little distance they had already penetrated, they resolved to come out, and ordered this infernal gate to be thoroughly closed with masonry.”
Mitla was first inhabited by the Zapotec during the Classic Period (AD 100-650), emerging into a large religious centre in the present-day municipality of San Pablo Villa de Mitla, located in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico.
Mitla is unique among Mesoamerican sites because of its mix of Zapotec and Mixtec architectural styles, and elaborate mosaic fretwork and geometric designs that cover tombs, panels, friezes, and entire walls of the complex.
Archaeologists from INAH conducted non-invasive geophysical techniques using ground penetrating radar, electrical resistivity tomography, and environmental seismic noise interferometry tomograph, revealing evidence of anomalies in the subsoil beneath the church of San Pablo Apóstol.
According to the researchers, the results could indicate the existence of a system of tunnels at the rear of the church, as well as hollow areas below the sacristy and atrium of the church structure.
In a press announcement published by INAH: “It seems very likely that the most important Catholic church in Mitla was built on top of the main place of worship of the ancient Zapotec religion. However, these are indirect observations, which will require archaeological examination to materially confirm their validity and extent.”
Header Image Credit : Lyobaa Project
Archaeologists from Cotswold Archaeology are excavating the crash site of a WWII B-17 Flying Fortress in an English woodland.
The B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC).
The bomber was mainly used in the European theatre for daylight strategic bombing, complimenting the RAF Bomber Command’s night bombers in attacking German industrial, military and civilian targets.
Cotswold Archaeology have been tasked by the Defense POW / MIA Accounting Agency to search the crash site for the remains of the pilot, who died when the B-17 crashed following a system failure in 1944.
Image Credit : Cotswold Archaeology
At the time, the plane was carrying a payload of 12,000lbs of Torpex, an explosive comprised of 42% RDX, 40% TNT, and 18% powdered aluminium. Torpex was mainly used for the Upkeep, Tallboy and Grand Slam bombs, as well as underwater munitions.
The pilot was declared MIA when the plane exploded into an inferno, however, using modern archaeological techniques, the researchers plan to systematically excavate and sieve the waterlogged crash site to recover plane ID numbers, personal effects, and any surviving human remains.
It is the hope of the excavation team members that they will be able to recover the pilot’s remains and return him to the United States for burial with full military honours.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Defense whose mission is to recover unaccounted Department of Defense personnel listed as prisoners of war (POW) or missing in action (MIA) from designated past conflicts.
Header Image Credit : Cotswold Archaeology
Sources : Cotswold Archaeology
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
Archaeologists excavating at the ancient Tharsa necropolis have uncovered a Roman Era tomb guarded by two carved bull heads.
Tharsa is located near Kuyulu village in southeastern Turkey along the Adıyaman-Şanlıurfa Highway.
The site was situated on a major Roman highway from Doliche to Samosata, which today consists of a two settlement mounds and a large necropolis that dates from the 3rd century to the Byzantine period.
Excavations first commenced in 2021 which discovered a collection of Turuş Rock Tombs, a type of tomb construction carved directly into the bedrock.
In the latest season, archaeologists have excavated another Turuş Rock Tomb, however, this example was found to have two carved bull heads which is decorated with garlands and rosettes between the horns.
Bull heads, known as Bucranium, were a form of carved decoration commonly used in Classical architecture. In Ancient Rome, bucrania were often used on the friezes of temples in the Doric order of architecture, later influencing the architecture of buildings from the Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical periods.
Architectural examples of bucrania are representations of the practice of displaying garlanded, sacrificial oxen, whose heads were displayed on the temple walls.
Like similar Turuş Rock Tombs, the bull heads are carved directly into the bedrock, guarding a dozen rock cut steps descending into the burial chamber which has three arched niches known as acrosolia.
Mustafa Çelik, Deputy Director of Adıyaman Museum, said, “Tharsa Ancient City consists of 3 main archaeological areas: Big Mound, Small Mound and Necropolis Area. We started excavations in the necropolis area in 2024. We added 2 more rock tombs to the rock tombs we had previously uncovered. One of them is the rock tomb we identified today.”
Header Image Credit : Adıyaman Museum
Sources : Adıyaman Museum
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
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