Archaeology
Archaeologists find stone lion’s head during excavations in Sicily
Archaeologists from Ruhr University (RUB) have uncovered a stone lion’s head during excavations in the ancient city of Selinunte.
Selinunte was a Greek city on the south-western coast of Sicily. According to the historian, Thucydides, the city was founded by a colony from the Sicilian city of Megara Hyblaea during the 7th century BC. At its peak, Selinunte had a population of around 30,000 inhabitants, but following an ongoing conflict with the Carthaginian Empire, the city was destroyed in 250 BC and the people transplanted.
Excavations led by Ruhr University have uncovered a lion’s head made from marble in the harbour precinct of the city. According to the researchers, the head is an unfinished sima-type gargoyle, possibly intended to drain water on a temple roof. Other examples of sima gargoyles have been found throughout the Ancient Greek world, most notably at the Temple of Heracles in Agrigento and the Temple of Victory in Himera.
Measuring 60 centimetres in height, the architectural element is evidently unfinished and is missing a water outlet, the rear lion’s mane, and part of the top decorations.
It is possible that the Selinunte sima was intended for Temple E on the hill to the east of the city’s acropolis. Temple E was built towards the middle of the 6th century BC on the foundations of a much older building. The temple is the best conserved of the temples of Selinus, but its present appearance is the result of anastylosis (reconstruction using original material).
A spokesperson from RUB told HeritageDaily: “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.”
Header Image Credit : RUB
Archaeologists are excavating a fortified settlement associated with the Linear Pottery Culture at Eilsleben in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
The Linear Pottery Culture (LBK) is a major archaeological horizon of the European Neolithic period from 5500 to 4500 BC.
The site at Eilsleben was first identified during the 1920’s, revealing one of Central Europe’s largest Neolithic settlements.
Excavations conducted from 1974 to 1989 unearthed the remnants of ancient homes, numerous burials, and pits likely used for ritualistic human and animal sacrifices.
The settlement phases of the site can be divided into two distinct periods.
The earliest phase features north-south oriented dwellings, as well as remnants of a defensive trench measuring up to 3 metres in width. In the later phase, a central spring was fortified with a rampart, palisade and ditch, with further structural changes to form a giant trapezoidal structure.
Archaeologists from the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology (LDA) Saxony-Anhalt recently excavated a 200-square-metre area to carry out a sediment analysis, along with micromorphological and phytolith studies.
Using these modern scientific methods, the researchers hope to understand the site formation, as well as the levels of occupational activity within the wider settlement area.
Excavations also found extensive find material, consisting of pottery vessel fragments, stone implements (e.g., blades, arrowheads, axes) and bone and antler objects.
According to the archaeologists, the find material is providing deeper insights into the interactions between the region’s earliest farmers in the fertile Magdeburg Börde and the contemporary hunter-gatherer societies.
The LDA said: “The excavations are already showing that the Neolithic settlement remains are surprisingly well preserved. The excavators found post holes of houses as well as the remains of wattle and daub house walls. The concentrations of finds are enabling conclusions to be drawn about the use of the spaces within the settlement.”
Header Image Credit : LDA
Sources : State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology (LDA) Saxony-Anhalt
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
Archaeologists from the APSARA National Authority have uncovered a guardian statue at the Banteay Prey Nokor temple complex in Kompong Cham, Cambodia.
Known locally as the temple of “Wat Nokor in Khum of Kompong Siem”, or “Wat Angkor”, Banteay Prey Nokor was constructed during the reign of Jayavarman VII (AD 1181–1218), the first king devoted to Buddhism in the Khmer Empire.
The complex covers an area of 37 acres and consists of a central tower surrounded by four laterite wall enclosures made from sandstone and laterite.
In addition to being the largest ancient temple complex in Kampong Cham Province, it has several distinguishing features. One of the most notable is its construction from black sandstone, which sets it apart from other temples of the period, typically built from brick or reddish sandstone.
Image Credit : Phouk Chea / Chea Sarith
Archaeologists from the Department of Preservation and Archaeology at the APSARA Authority recently excavated one of the gateways of Banteay Prey Nokor, clearing away layers of rubble from the collapsed upper structure.
Upon removing the rubble material, a guardian door statue was uncovered to the right of the eastern entrance to the gateway. The statue is broken into six pieces – breaking at the neck, the left forearm, the waist, and below the knees of both legs.
According to the researchers, the statue, which originally stood at a height of around 1.6 metres, is of the Bayon style, in reference to the Bayon state temple of Jayavarman VII at the centre of Jayavarman’s capital, Angkor Thom.
“The sandstone gate guardian will now be stored at the Preah Norodom Sihanouk-Angkor Museum,” Angkor Wat’s heritage police said in a statement. “It will be preserved and studied further.”
Header Image Credit : Phouk Chea / Chea Sarith
Sources : APSARA National Authority
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
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