Sealed Under Turkish Mud, a Well-Preserved Byzantine Chapel

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiypvnAKz7BsjidoEb9tYNQcykQb_VnjEbPNu-eK7xe4DZsaO6yNwKg20RA4CDAY3ByT308hUKp4q5YxYUsxu0xhN7dT62qjIsLp4N_8GQdstDiWnqhjoS_oL0r61VfQHv-y1YwJTcF9z0/s1600/chapel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiypvnAKz7BsjidoEb9tYNQcykQb_VnjEbPNu-eK7xe4DZsaO6yNwKg20RA4CDAY3ByT308hUKp4q5YxYUsxu0xhN7dT62qjIsLp4N_8GQdstDiWnqhjoS_oL0r61VfQHv-y1YwJTcF9z0/s400/chapel.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>In the fourth century A.D., a bishop named Nicholas transformed the city of Myra, on the Mediterranean coast of what is now Turkey, into a Christian capital. Nicholas was later canonized, becoming the St. Nicholas of Christmas fame. Myra had a much unhappier fate.<br /><br /><br />After some 800 years as an important pilgrimage site in the Byzantine Empire it vanished — buried under 18 feet of mud from the rampaging Myros River. All that remained was the Church of St. Nicholas, parts of a Roman amphitheater and tombs cut into the rocky hills.<br /><br />But now, 700 years later, Myra is reappearing.<br /><br />Archaeologists first detected the ancient city in 2009 using ground-penetrating radar that revealed anomalies whose shape and size suggested walls and buildings. Over the next two years they excavated a small, stunning 13th-century chapel sealed in an uncanny state of preservation. Carved out of one wall is a cross that, when sunlit, beams its shape onto the altar. Inside is a vibrant fresco that is highly unusual for Turkey.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/08/science/under-turkish-mud-well-preserved-byzantine-chapel.html" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from the New York Times</a></b><br />

Sealed Under Turkish Mud, a Well-Preserved Byzantine Chapel

In the fourth century A.D., a bishop named Nicholas transformed the city of Myra, on the Mediterranean coast of what is now Turkey, into a C...

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Turkey: Ancient mosaics found in Anatolian city

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxtRD2jZvWZoXjpSn8iqBJ3En4RY6f8tkePFt10tcgm62lbuxHcNEiWhXTHRzeWhV8_v2d1Fj5XHU4EazEM1ipD7mVJDLDfK9AgjeTL4uFLRNruyjaJlWGu3dXTuxRxSVQzvJDnTgpjE/s1600/turkey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxtRD2jZvWZoXjpSn8iqBJ3En4RY6f8tkePFt10tcgm62lbuxHcNEiWhXTHRzeWhV8_v2d1Fj5XHU4EazEM1ipD7mVJDLDfK9AgjeTL4uFLRNruyjaJlWGu3dXTuxRxSVQzvJDnTgpjE/s320/turkey.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>An archaeological city dating back 1,700 years has been unearthed during excavations in İzmir’s Kemalpaşa neighborhood, raising officials’ hopes the area will draw tourists’ attention.<br /><br />The Cultural Beings and Museums’ General Director Osman Murat Süslü held a press conference Oct. 21 regarding the discovery of the archaeological city, which Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay has defined as “good news that will draw the world’s attention.”<br /><br />Drilling work had started in the area, which is now categorized as a third degree archaeological site, before the construction of a warehouse company was scheduled to begin. Excavations were begun due to an abundance of signs the area may be a hotspot for archaeological treasures, Süslü said. “Scientific excavations started Oct. 1 and a layer from the 4th Century B.C. has been unearthed,” he said.<br /><br />The newly-unearthed city is believed to date back to around the late Roman or Byzantium period, Süslü said. It was home to a 550-square-meter villa complex with 105-centimeter-thick walls, water channels and 11 rooms.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/izmir-presents-mosaic-city-of-western-region.aspx?pageID=238&nID=32979&NewsCatID=375" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from the Hurriyet Daily News</a></b><br />

Turkey: Ancient mosaics found in Anatolian city

An archaeological city dating back 1,700 years has been unearthed during excavations in İzmir’s Kemalpaşa neighborhood, raising officials’ h...

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3000 year old human sculpture discovered in Turkey

A beautiful and colossal human sculpture is one of the latest cultural treasures unearthed by an international team at the Tayinat Archaeological Project (TAP) excavation site in southeastern Turkey. A large semi-circular column base, ornately decorated on one side, was also discovered. Both pieces are from a monumental gate complex that provided access to the upper citadel of Kunulua, capital of the Neo-Hittite Kingdom of Patina (ca. 1000-738 BC).<br /><br /> “These newly discovered Tayinat sculptures are the product of a vibrant local Neo-Hittite sculptural tradition,” said Professor Tim Harrison, the Tayinat Project director and Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology in the University of Toronto’s Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations. “They provide a vivid glimpse into the innovative character and sophistication of the Iron Age cultures that emerged in the eastern Mediterranean following the collapse of the great imperial powers of the Bronze Age at the end of the second millennium BC.”<br /><br /><b><a href="http://historyoftheancientworld.com/2012/08/3000-year-old-human-sculpture-discovered-in-turkey/" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from History of the Ancient World</a></b>

3000 year old human sculpture discovered in Turkey

A beautiful and colossal human sculpture is one of the latest cultural treasures unearthed by an international team at the Tayinat Archaeolo...

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