Archaeology
Naked kouros statue among new finds at Despotiko
Archaeologists have uncovered a naked kouros statue during excavations of an Ancient Greek sanctuary dedicated to Apollo.
Despotiko is a small, uninhabited Greek island in the Cyclades island group in the Aegean Sea. Excavations in the northwest part of the island have previously found a late Archaic sanctuary in dedication to Apollo, one of the Olympian deities in classical Greek and Roman mythology.
The sanctuary was rebuilt several times during the Classical and Hellenistic periods and contains an altar where in 2015, archaeologists found pottery fragments etched with inscriptions bearing the name of Apollo.
According to a press release by the Greek Ministry of Culture, recent excavations have led to the discovery of a kouros statue, a free-standing sculpture that depicts a nude male youth commonly found in other Apollo sanctuaries.
Image Credit : Greek Ministry of Education
Kouros in Ancient Greek refers to a “youth, boy, especially of noble rank”. Upon reaching adolescence, a young individual, now resembling a mature Kouros, could gain entry into the initiation celebration of the fraternity, joining the ranks of adult men. Apellaios was the month of these rites, and Apollo (Apellon) was the “megistos kouros” (the greatest Kouros).
Kouros statues had several functions. Some could be a depiction of Apollo himself, while others may have been used as commemorative tombstones or offerings for the gods.
The statue found at Despotiko dates from around 480 BC and was carved from marble originating from the larger island of Paros to the east. Also found during this seasons excavations are 88 fragments of marble kouroi, 40 marble bases, and numerous ceramics from the archaic and classical period such as vases, basins, bottles, lamps, pots, and amphorae.
Header Image Credit : Greek Ministry of Education
Archaeology
Archaeologists search crash site of WWII B-17 for lost pilot
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
Archaeology
Roman Era tomb found guarded by carved bull heads
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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