Archaeology
Archaeologists find altar in ancient Segesta
According to an announcement by the Sicilian Region Institutional Portal, archaeologists excavating in ancient Segesta have discovered an altar from the Hellenistic period.
Segesta was one of the major cities of the Elymians, a people of Italic origin that shared the island of Sicily with the Phoenicians and Greek settlers. Although the origins of Segesta are obscured, the first recorded mention dates to around 580 BC which describes a conflict between Segesta and Selinus (modern Selinunte).
Culturally, Segesta exhibited Greek influences, and inscriptions on pottery show that the local dialect was written in the Greek alphabet. During the 5th century BC, the city was allied with Athens, and lured the Athenians to embark on the failed Sicilian Expedition during the Peloponnesian War between Athens on one side and Sparta, Syracuse and Corinth on the other.
The ruins of Segesta are located on the northwestern part of Sicily near the summit of Monte Bàrbaro, consisting of a Doric temple, an agora (central public space), an amphitheatre, and several remnants of the city walls.
Image Credit : Sicilian Region Institutional Portal
Archaeologists excavating a building known as Casa del Navarca have uncovered two architectural elements made of stone, which upon closer examination have been identified as an altar from the Hellenistic period.
The altar would have been placed in a domestic dwelling for worship, with the first element featuring decorative moldings and small ovals reminiscent of necklace beads, a relief with baskets overflowing with flowers and fruits, and a carved slot for inserting a metal hook. The second element shows a chiseled surface on three sides which suggests that it was plastered, however, very little of the decorative features survive except for a molded cornice.
Francesco Paolo Scarpinato, the Regional Councillor for Cultural Heritage, said: “The excavations continue to bring to light ever-changing remains, which add new perspectives and interpretations to a site where multiple civilizations are stratified.”
Sicilian Region Institutional Portal
Header Image Credit : Sicilian Region Institutional Portal
A groundbreaking study, published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, has revealed why the largest concentration of pyramids in Egypt were built along a narrow desert strip.
Since the beginning of the Pharaonic era, the Nile River has played a fundamental role in the rapid growth and expansion of the Egyptian civilisation.
The Nile provided sustenance and functioned as the primary mode of transportation for goods and building materials, which explains why most of the main cities of the Egyptian civilisation were built in close proximity to the banks of the Nile and its peripheral branches.
Over the centuries, the primary channel of the Nile shifted laterally, causing these peripheral branches to silt up. As a result, population centres were cut off from the vital resources the river provided.
Image Credit : Eman Ghoneim et al
This is apparent with the pyramids along the Western Desert Plateau, where a majority of the pyramids are concentrated along a narrow desert strip several kilometres from the current primary channel of the Nile.
Using a combination of radar satellite imagery, geophysical data, and deep soil coring, the study has investigated the subsurface structure and sedimentology in the Nile Valley adjacent to the pyramid clusters.
This has revealed an extinct branch of the primary channel called the Ahramat Branch, which was connected to the pyramids of the Old and Middle Kingdoms via causeways and their Valley Temples.
According to the study authors: “The Ahramat Branch played a role in the monuments’ construction and was simultaneously active and used as a transportation waterway for workmen and building materials to the pyramids’ sites.”
The eastward migration and abandonment of the Ahramat Branch could be attributed to gradual movement of the river to the lower-lying adjacent floodplain or tilting of the Nile floodplain toward the northeast as a result of tectonic activity, as well as windblown sand incursion due to the branch’s proximity to the Western Desert Plateau.
Header Image Credit : Eman Ghoneim et al
Sources : Ghoneim, E., Ralph, T.J., Onstine, S. et al. The Egyptian pyramid chain was built along the now abandoned Ahramat Nile Branch. Commun Earth Environ 5, 233 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01379-7
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
Archaeologists from the National Institute of Cultural Heritage have uncovered a Roman villa with an indoor plunge pool during excavations at the port city of Durrës, Albania.
During antiquity, Durrës was founded by Ancient Greek colonists from Corinth and Corcyra.
The colony emerged into a major trading centre, which during the Roman period was annexed into the expanding territory of the Roman Republic following the conclusion of the Illyrian Wars.
By the 4th century, the city (named Dyrrachium), emerged as the capital of the Roman province of Epirus nova, covering the region of Ancient Epirus.
Image Credit : IKTK
Archaeologists excavating a former residential part of the ancient city have uncovered a high status Roman villa that dates from between the 1st and 4th century AD.
The villa interior contains an indoor pool, richly decorated with frescoes on the walls and mosaic flooring with tiles and inlays of marble, stone, glass and ceramics. Located adjacent to the pool are shallow square basins lined with waterproof mortar, believed to be the remains of an ancient water feature.
Within the northern area of the excavation site, archaeologists found a large brick floor from a thermae, a Roman bath, and further traces of walls from the wider complex.
In the western area, the team discovered fragments of relief stucco that was used to decorate the walls and ceilings of the villa. The reliefs depict anthropomorphic and floral motifs, further indicating the wealth of the villa inhabitants.
According to the archaeologists, the villa was destroyed by an earthquake in the 4th century, corresponding with ancient sources that describe a powerful earthquake causing buildings to collapse and the city defences to crumble.
Header Image Credit : IKTK
Sources : National Institute of Cultural Heritage
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
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