A Blog About History - History News - Part 8

Ancient wall found near Temple of Apollo

An ancient wall, which may belong to another temple dedicated to Artemis, has been found at the Apollo Temple in Turkey.

Didyma’s Culture and Tourism Ministry representative Ferhan Büyükyörük said that during work this year the excavation team searched for the continuation of the wall and another structure around it. “We believe that the wall may be the wall of the Temple of Artemis, but it is too early to say so definitely. We need one or two years to understand it completely. The material inside the wall should be examined thoroughly,” she said.

Didyma excavation restoration head and German archaeologist Christoph Kronewirth complained about the preservation conditions of the Temple of Apollo, saying that the temple had been exposed to hard natural conditions like earthquakes as well as looters and tourists over time. He said there were two officials at the entrance to the temple but no watchman inside. “The lack of control in the temple is a big deficit in the preservation there.”

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Dinosaur bones found in sewer

A cache of dinosaur bones have been found during the construction of a sewer in Edmonton, Alberta.

“Any find like this at a new location adds information to our growing data set,” said Mr Neuman. “It expands our central knowledge of dinosaurs in Alberta.”

“One of the things that makes this find significant is that the crews are out there digging holes frequently, and it’s really nice to know they are acting as good stewards of the material and bringing it to our attention when they find it.”

Mr Neuman said workers will now continue to dig out bones still stuck inside the walls of the tunnel.

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Roman inscriptions found at Pompeiopolis

Inscriptions referring to religious festivals attended by Roman emperors have been found at Pompeiopolis in northern Turkey.

New inscriptions have been unearthed during excavations at the ancient city of Pompeiopolis, in Ta?köprü in the northern province of Kastamonu. Professor Christian Marek, who has been examining the inscriptions, said they were probably referred to festivals from the Roman era.

Marek said that according to the inscriptions, Roman emperors participated in these festivals, most of which were religious. Marek said several competitions, shows and plays were held as part of these festivals, which are thought to have been started by Roman Emperor Alexander Severus. “There were… competitions and music shows, as well as tragedy and comedy shows in the festivals. These festivals were organized every three to five years and hosted significant people of the period,” he added.

Professor Latife Summerer, a lecturer from Munich University who has been leading the excavations for five years, said that information on the inscriptions was important and more would be uncovered in excavations still to be held in the ancient city.

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Slave village uncovered at Civil War battlefield

Ground-penetrating radar has been used to uncover a slave village on the Monocacy National Battlefield’s Best Farm.

Through other advanced remote sensing surveys, as well as labor-intensive shovel work completed since June, the excavation team had identified four chimney foundations, and what appears to be the outline of gardens or animal pens surrounding the village, Beasley said.

In a matter of hours, the surface penetrating radar pointed the way to two more, while researchers used an old-fashioned shovel test to prove the case. Both Beasley and Potter said more dwellings may exist, buried beneath the surface.

Knowing the size of the dwellings as well as cataloging and analyzing the artifacts in and around them will help the archaeologists determine how many enslaved people lived there and what their daily lives were like.

“That’s why we’re excited about this, in spite of the adversity, they made lives for themselves,” he said.

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2,000-year-old shipwreck found off Sri Lankan coast

A ship has been located which sunk off the coast of Sri Lanka over 2,000 years ago.

Archaeologist Sanath Karunarathne says it is believed that the newly found ship is older than 2,000 years. Historical items including a stone bench with an ancient inscription have also been discovered among the wreckage.

The exploration programme is being carried out by the Archaeological Department with the collaboration of the Central Cultural Fund, the official said.

Godavaya was an important sea port that believed to have served as a transit point on the ancient silk route to exchange goods between the East and West.

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