Dopo i Buddha Afgani, Ninive

ISIS destroys large parts of Nineveh historical wall

  A Kurdish official revealed on Tuesday evening that the ISIS organization had bombed large parts and tracts of the ancient Nineveh wall, indicating that such an act violates the right of human culture and heritage. 

The media official of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Mosul, Saed Mimousine said in an interview for IraqiNews.com, “ISIS militants blew up today large parts and expanses of the archaeological wall of Nineveh in al-Tahrir neighborhood,” explaining that, “The terrorist group used explosives in the process of destroying the archaeological fence.” 

Mimousine added, “The Wall of Nineveh is one of the most distinctive archaeological monuments in Iraq and the Middle East” adding that, “The fence dates back to the Assyrian civilization.” Mimousine stressed that, “Bombing the archaeological monuments by ISIS is a flagrant violation of the right of human culture, civilization and heritage,” calling the international community to “take a stand to curb the destruction of historic monuments.” 

Source: Iraqi News 

[January 28, 2015]

LE MURA DI HATTUSA

Le mura di Hattusa vengono alla luce.

Si tratta di una città vecchia di 3.700 anni. città capitale degli antichi Ittiti (ittiti è un nome coniato in epoca moderna: non ne conosciamo il nome vero; ndt) nella provincia turca settentrionale di Corum.

The Hittites had built the 4.5-kilometer city walls to protect their  capital Hattuşa 

[Credit: AA] 

Gli Ittiti avevano costruito circa 4,5 chilometri di mura per proteggere la propria capitale. 

Le mura erano state dissepolte la prima volta nel corso degli scavi del 1906/07. Sono stati esposti circa 700 metri di mura, dei totali 4.5 chilometri. Negli ultimi tre anni ci si è concentrati sul restauro di circa 400 metri dell'opera. 

Quest'ultima fu il primo grande progetto messo in atto dagli Ittiti.

L'archeologo tedesco Andreas Schachner che conduce gli scavi per l'Istituto Archeologico Tedesco riferisce che le mura circondano l'intera città e che sono stati scoperti già 10 tunnel sotterranei, fatti con ogni probabilità per permettere l'uscita dalla città delle truppe in caso d'assedio e dare battaglia al nemico.

Esiste  una torre ogni 20-25 metri del perimetro.

Gli Ittiti costruirono la loro grande opera delle mura sopra una collina artificiale, per dimostrare così  la grandezza e la magnificenza della città.

Originariamente, le mura avevano un'altezza di 10 metri, ma in seguito crollarono, fino a presentare l'altezza di circa 6 metri.

(Il fatto che la collina fosse artificiale, quindi ottenuta con terra di riporto, rende perfettamente conto del successivo crollo, dovuto alle tempeste sismiche cui è soggetta l'intera Faglia Settentrionale Turca, sulla quale si trovano numerose città antiche, tra cui anche Troia; ndt).

Hattusa’s city walls come to light

 Archaeologists have unearthed part of the 3,700-year-old city wall of Hattuşa, capital city of the ancient Hittites, in the northern Turkish province of Çorum. 

The Hittites had built the 4.5-kilometer city walls to protect their capital Hattuşa. “The city walls were first unearthed during the first year of excavations between 1906 and 1907. 

Some 700 meters of the 4.5-kilometer-long city walls have been unearthed. 
We worked for the restoration of 400-meter parts of the walls over the last three years.

 These walls were the first big project of the Hittites. 

The wall surrounds the whole city,” said Dr. Andreas Schachner, who is caryring out the excavations for the German Archaeological Institute, noting that their most recent archaeological work had focused on restoring the walls. 
Schachner said they had also discovered 10 underground tunnels in some parts of the wall. “These tunnels were made for soldiers to leave the city in secret during an attack or occupation and fight. 
There is a tower in every 20-25 meters of the walls. 
The Hittites built the walls on an artificial hill to show the city’s power and magnificence,” he said. 
He said the city walls were 10 meters high when they were built but later fell to five-six meters. 

Source: Hurriyet Daily News [October 06, 2014]
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La Malattia in Mesopotamia

Stele del Codice di Hammurapi

La Malattia nell'Antica Mesopotamia.

Malgrado il mezzo secolo d'indagini condotte in Mesopotamia,  si conosce ancora poco delle malattie che affliggevano i più famosi regni del mondo antico. Una ricerca retrograda condotta da un archeologo dell'Università di Varsavia ha prodotto solamente 44 pubblicazioni sulle patologie ossee della zona: questo significa che la Paleopatologia di Assiri, Accadi, Sumeri e Babilonesi (ben conosciuti altrimenti) è pochissimo sviluppata  al paragone con quella della zona Egizia o Europea.

I resti ossei non si conservano bene per motivi climatici (inverni umidi ed estati calde), ma - quando si conservino - permettono di risalire solamente a quelle patologie che lasciano segni ossei di sé.

Dai dati prospettici si può concludere che le popolazioni mesopotamiche godevano generalmente di buona salute nel primo e medio Bronzo.

I resti umani più antichi sono probabilmete (a parte quelli del Neanderthal) quelli risalenti al Neolitico, cioé ai primi agricoltori di circa 9.000 anni fa. Costoro soffrivano spesso di osteoartrite, probabilmente a causa degli enormi carichi di lavoro con cui avevano a che fare giornalmente. Questa patologia si dirada nel Bronzo, con l'inizio dello sfruttamento degli  animali addomesticati. Per converso, nel Neolitico erano rare le patologie dentarie, che compaiono più numerose nel bronzo probabilmente in rapporto a motivi dietetici (masticazione di cereali) e che peggiorerà fino al Medio Evo (probabilmente in rapporto con la coltivazione delle palme da dattero).

Insomma, si sa poco o niente: e le prospettive di studio future, dato lo scenario diffuso di guerra nella zona, non sono affatto rosee.

Investigating diseases in ancient Mesopotamia 

After a half century of intensive research in Mesopotamia, scientists still know little about the diseases which plagued the people of the most famous kingdoms of the ancient world. 

L'illustrazione mostra un corpo che presenta un'amputazione di terzo superiore di coscia.

The skeleton of a man with an amputated leg in upper third of the thigh,  found in Tell Barri site [Credit: A. Sołtysiak] 

So far, the research focused on excavations in towns and settlements, and analysis of cuneiform texts. 
Arkadiusz Sołtysiak of the Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw decided to fill this gap and collected all previously published reports of anthropologists who examined human remains in the area of Mesopotamia. "I was able to find only 44 publications mentioning traces of disease on human bones. This clearly indicates that palaeopathology of the area of Mesopotamia is very poorly developed in comparison with Europe and Egypt" - explained Sołtysiak. 
Such state knowledge is quite surprising, considering that thanks to the work of archaeologists and experts in ancient languages, a lot is already known of the Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian people (these are just a few of the civilizations in the area of Mesopotamia). 
Unfortunately, the human remains in the Middle East are poorly preserved due to unfavourable climate - moist winters and hot summers. Bones are fragile and often not suitable for detailed analysis. In addition, the unstable political situation in the region discouraged physical anthropologists from travels to this area. Transporting bones abroad was too expensive and too complex for formal reasons. Besides, they could be damaged during transportation. The skeleton provides information on the life of the deceased and what happened to him after death. Taphonomy deals with the second aspect, physical anthropology with the first. A branch of it is also palaeopathology, focusing on diseases in ancient populations. Of course soft tissue is usually not preserved, so scientists can track down only those diseases that leave clear marks on the bones. 
Reports analyzed by Warsaw researcher concern skeletal remains from all eras, allowing to approximate the general health status of residents of Mesopotamia at different times. "Despite the few published data, it can be concluded that the communities of Mesopotamia were quite healthy. We can also identify some trends - for example, least diseases visible on the bones were recorded in the early and mid- Bronze Age.

Interestingly, this correlates well with written sources of that time - it was a heyday of farming communities" - explained Sołtysiak. 
The oldest preserved and studied Mesopotamian remains, apart from Neanderthals discovered in Shanidar cave in Kurdistan, come from the Neolithic period, i.e. from about 9000 years ago. 
The then early farmers often suffered from osteoarthritis, probably associated with lifting heavy weights. Probably, with the introduction of draft animals, the problem became smaller - in fact in the Bronze Age that followed the Neolithic period, scientists reported fewer such cases on the bones. 
In the Neolithic period, in turn, there were fewer cases of dental disease, including tooth decay. Sołtysiak explained that after the relatively favourable for human societies Bronze Age, at the beginning of the Iron Age there was an economic and agricultural collapse, possibly caused by climate change and numerous conflicts. "This is the most difficult time in the history of the region, as evidenced by both written sources and archaeological finds. An interesting fact is gradual increase of the number of case of teeth disease until the Middle Ages, probably associated with the spread of date palms growing and changing eating habits" - believes the scientist. 
Unfortunately, progress in the study of diseases of the people of ancient Mesopotamia in the near future will be difficult. Excavations have not been conducted in southern Iraq since 2003and in Syria since 2011, due to unstable political situation. An article on the subject has been published in the latest issue of the journal "Światowit" (vol. X) LI 2012, published by the Institute of Archaeology of the University of Warsaw.

 Source: PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland [February 21, 2014]

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Archeologia in Oman

Ancient site found in eastern Oman


The exploration team of the Ministry of Heritage and Culture has commenced documenting and exploring a new archaeological site at Bildat Al Ayoon of the Niyabat of Sinaw in the Wilayat of Al Mudhaibi, South Al Sharqiyah Governorate. 

The initial results of exploration indicate the presence of archaeological items which date back to the third century BC and some even dating back to the Iron Age [Credit: ONA] 

The initial findings of the exploration indicate the presence of archaeological items which date back to the third century BC and some even dating back to the Iron Age. 
Sultan bin Nasser Al Bakri, director of Explorations and Archeological Studies Department at the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, said that the archaeological site was discovered during preparations for construction of Sinaw/Mahut Dual Road Project. 

The site was discovered along the road which led the ministry to carry out excavation works in order to preserve a number of graves/cemeteries. The site has around 250 graves, he added. 
He said that the discovery refers to the middle of the Bronze Age of the Majan Civilisation and to the Iron Age. 
The artefacts also include pottery and jewellery. 

Source: Times of Oman [February 13, 2014]

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Iscrizione Achemenide a Persepoli

Achaemenid inscription found in Iran's Perspolis 


Archaeologists said they have discovered pieces of a stone inscription belonging to an ancient Achaemenid emperor in Persepolis in Iran’s Southern province of Fars. 


Achaemenid inscription in the National Archaeological Museum, Tehran [Credit: FarsNews] 

The inscription was unearthed at the Palace of Xerxes King (Khashayar Shah) who reigned around 520 BCE. 
A team of experts is trying to attach the pieces together to decipher the text of inscription, said the team leader Professor Gian Pietro Basello of the University of Naples, Italy. Basello is a specialist in historical philology of Iranian languages of the "L’Orientale." He also claimed that he has found a few spelling mistakes in the inscriptions placed in the ruins of Persepolis. “The texts of the inscriptions were written by people with a high level of literacy, but the mistakes happened when the engravers cut the texts into the stones," said Basello’s colleague, Adriano V. Rossi, during a seminar held in the Southern Iranian city of Shiraz. A new review of the royal Achaemenid inscriptions discovered in Persepolis was presented at the seminar. 
Established by Cyrus the Great, Achaemenid Empire was the first Persian Empire ruled in Western and Central Asia. One of the Achaemenid kings, Darius I (518 BCE), built Persepolis as the capital of the Empire. The importance and quality of the monumental ruins make it a unique archaeological site. 

Source: Fars News [January 29, 2014]

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Istruzioni di costruzione dell'Arca: 3700 anni fa.

Babylonian tablet describes how to 

build 'Noah's ark' 


Noah's ark was never built, still less crash landed on Mount 

Ararat, a British Museum expert has declared – despite 

holding in his hand 3,700-year-old instructions on exactly 

how to construct one. 

Irving Finkel with the cuneiform clay tablet at the British Museum [Credit: Sang Tan/AP] 

"I am 107% convinced the ark never existed," Irving Finkel

 said. His discoveries, since a member of the public brought a

 battered clay tablet with 60 lines of neat cuneiform text to 

Finkel – one of the few people in the world who could read

 them – are outlined in a new book, The Ark Before Noah.

 While every child's toy and biblical illustration – and the 

latest film version, due for release later this month and

 starring Russell Crowe as Noah – shows a big pointy-ended

 wooden boat, the Babylonian tablet gives what Finkel is 

 convinced is the original version of the story. The ark is a 

 huge circular coracle, 3,600 square metres in dimension

  or two-thirds the size of a football pitch, made like a giant 

 rope basket strengthened with wooden ribs, and 

waterproofed with bitumen inside and out. This was a giant 

version of a craft which the Babylonians knew very well,

 Finkel pointed out, in daily use up to the late 20th century to

 transport people and animals across rivers. Its people-and-

animal-carrying abilities will soon be put to the test: the 

production company Blink is making a Channel 4 

documentary based on his research, including building a 

circular ark. The tablet gives a version of the ark story

 far older than the biblical accounts, and Finkel 

believes the explanation of how "holy writ appears on this 

piece of Weetabix", is that the writers of the Bible drew on 

ancient accounts encountered by Hebrew scholars during the

 Babylonian exile. 

The Ark Before Noah: Decoding the Story of the Flood  by Irving Finkel, Hodder & Stoughton  

Texts about a great flood and the order by God to the one

 just man to build a boat and save himself, his family, and all

 the animals, clearly older than the Bible story, were first

 found in the Middle East in the 19th century. They caused

 both consternation and wild excitement, including an


expedition to find the broken part of one tablet in a 

mountain of shattered clay fragments. However, the tablet

 studied by Finkel is unique, the only one with precise 

instructions on how to build the ark – and the crucial detail

 that it should be circular. He believes the data on its exact 

dimensions, the two kinds of bitumen, and the precise

 amount of rope needed, are evidence not that the vessel

 once existed, but of a storyteller adding convincing details

 for an audience that knew all about boat-building. The tablet

 was brought to him on a museum open day by Douglas 

Simmons, whose father, Leonard, brought it back to England

 in a tea-chest full of curios, after wartime service in the 

Middle East with the RAF. When the Guardian originally

 broke the story of its discovery, Simmons said his father had

 once showed his treasures to some academics, and was 

bitterly disappointed when they were dismissed as rubbish.

 He suspects the tablet was either bought for pennies in a 

bazaar or literally picked up. Finkel describes the clay tab

let as "one of the most important human documents ever discovered", and his conclusions will send ripples into the world of creationism and among ark hunters, where many believe in the literal truth of the Bible account, and innumerable expeditions have been mounted to try to find the remains of the ark. The clay tablet is going on display at the British Museum, loaned by Simmons, beside a tablet from the museum's collection with the earliest map of the world, as seen from ancient Babylon. The flood tablet helped explain details of the map, which shows islands beyond the river marking the edge of the known world, with the text on the back explaining that on one are the remains of the ark. Finkel said that not only did the ark never exist, but ark hunters were looking in the wrong place – the map shows the ark in the direction of, but far beyond the mountain range later known as Ararat.

Author: Maev Kennedy | Source: The Guardian [January 24, 2014]

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BACTRIA-MARGIANA (OXUS)

Traces of BMAC culture found in NE Iran

Traces of a Bronze Age culture that is similar to the so-called Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex or BMAC (also known as the Oxus civilization) have been discovered during an archaeological excavation in the prehistoric site of Chalo near the town of Sankhast in North Khorasan Province, Iran.

Excavations at the prehistoric site of Chalo near the town of Sankhast in
North Khorasan Province, Iran [Credit: CHN/Hassan Zohuri]

The excavation has been carried out by a team of Iranian and Italian archaeologists, the Iranian director of the team, Ali-Akbar Vahdati, told the Persian service of CHN on Saturday.

This is the second time the team has worked at the site. The first season of excavation was carried out in 2011. The team also includes experts from Italy’s Institute for Aegean and Near Eastern Studies – ICEVO.

The BMAC is the modern archaeological designation for a Bronze Age civilization of Central Asia. The civilization, which dates to ca. 2,300–1,700 BC, was located in present day northern Afghanistan, eastern Turkmenistan, southern Uzbekistan and western Tajikistan, centered on the upper Amu Darya (Oxus River).

A skeleton and a number of artifacts are seen in a grave, which has recently been
discovered by the team of Iranian and Italian archaeologists at the 
Bronze Age site of Chalo in northeastern Iran
[Credit: CHN/Hassan Zohuri]

Its sites were discovered and named by the Soviet archaeologist Viktor Sarianidi in 1976. Bactria was the Greek name for the area of Bactra (modern Balkh), in what is now northern Afghanistan, and Margiana was the Greek name for the Persian satrapy of Margu, the capital of which was Merv, in modern-day southeastern Turkmenistan.

Sarianidi’s excavations from the late 1970s onward revealed numerous monumental structures at many sites, fortified by impressive walls and gates.

“In the first season of excavation, we found some ornamental artifacts that had surfaced as a result of agricultural activities by the locals,” Vahdati said.

A skeleton recently discovered by the team of Iranian and Italian archaeologists
at the Bronze Age site of Chalo in northeastern Iran
[Credit: CHN/Hassan Zohuri]

“Based on previous studies, the BMAC was only limited to the sites located in Central Asia: in present day northern Afghanistan, eastern Turkmenistan, and some regions in Tajikistan, but the first season of excavation showed that the Chalo site is also part of this great culture,” he added.

The team identified residential areas, a storage space, and a cemetery during the second season of excavation. To gather more information about the culture, the archaeologists dug 14 trenches in the cemetery.

“In most of the trenches, we discovered graves exhibiting signs of the BMAC. Environmental factors have caused serious damage to the graves, which have been discovered in upper layers of the ground,” Vahdati stated.

Storage jars from a grave unearthed by the team of Iranian and Italian archaeologists
at the Bronze Age site of Chalo in northeastern Iran
[Credit: CHN/Hassan Zohuri]

All the skeletons that were unearthed lay on their right sides in an east-west position.

“A variety of stoneware, earthenware, stone and metal ornaments has been discovered in the graves. All bodies had been buried with metal bracelets and bonze pins, which were used to fasten clothing. Most of them were buried with necklaces and earrings made of stone and bone,” he said.

“All the artifacts unearthed from the graves have the same characteristics identified for the BMAC in Central Asia,” he added.

The artifacts found in the graves bear designs of dragons, snakes, scorpions, and other
animal motifs typical of the BMAC in Central Asia said the Iranian director
of the team, Ali-Akbar Vahdati [Credit: CHN/Hassan Zohuri]

The artifacts bear designs of dragons, snakes, scorpions, and other animal motifs. Vahdati said people had inhabited the area before it was converted into a cemetery.

“Storage spaces dating back to 3,700 BC have been discovered at the site. Large pots which were used for storing grains and other agricultural products have been dug out in the spaces,” he added.

“We have found seeds of grain, barley and grapes. The grapes were likely used for production of vinegar or a special drink,” he stated.

Vahdati said, “Chalo reveals details of the BMAC in Iran. Maybe it is better to call it the Greater Khorasan culture, because parts of Merv, Samarkand, and Bukhara were under the influence of Greater Khorasan.”

Source: Tehran Times [November 17, 2013]