Showing posts with label articlesgeneral. Show all posts
Showing posts with label articlesgeneral. Show all posts
Saturday, July 28, 2018
You don’t have to go back to school to have a rich experience at an ancient site.
Climbing the Acropolis, communing with the druids at Stonehenge or marveling at the sprawling remains of Pompeii — exploring the remnants of Europe’s distant past brings a special thrill to travelers with the interest to resurrect all that rubble.
To mentally reconstruct a ruined ancient site like Italy’s Ostia Antica, it pays to do some homework in advance. Photo by Gene Openshaw
I had such a thrill recently in Epidavros, where I visited the finest and best preserved of Greece’s many ancient theaters. With my travel partner sitting on the top row of the stony grandstands, I stood alone in the center of the stage and, with a clap of my hands, demonstrated its 2,400-year-old acoustics. The theater here is part of a larger “sanctuary” — something of a luxury spa for people in need of a cure — complete with temples, baths and a beautiful theater. It’s in such good shape that the theater is still used for performances today.
The grandeur of a well-preserved monument like the Epidavros theater is easy enough to appreciate even if it’s been a while since your last history class. But most ancient sites are more ruined — and therefore harder to imagine in their prime. The Roman Forum is a good example. Knowing it was important — the common ground between the fabled seven hills of ancient Rome — doesn’t necessarily make it interesting. That’s especially true given that today what’s left is little more than foundation stones and a few broken columns.
The challenge is to envision the Forum in its day. Stand along the Via Sacra — the Sacred Way — on the same stones the masses did as Rome’s military victors paraded by, displaying their booty and plunder. Imagine spitting into the cage of a barbarian king as it jostles by.
Squinting into the sun, you can make out the carvings on the top of a towering triumphal arch, a reminder that your emperor is a god on earth and you are lucky to be his subject. In the here and now it’s hot and it’s dusty, and there are sweaty tour groups all around you. But if you can imagine the ancient stones supporting ancient life, it’s an unforgettable experience and a trip highlight.
In my student days, I bummed through Greece’s Parthenon surrounded by people looking like they were having a good time — and I was convinced they were faking it. Two years later, after a class in ancient art history, I understood how Greek society was designed. I could imagine Pericles, the ultimate Athenian statesman, hard at work. I could see Socrates, enjoying the shade of the colonnade. And I could fill the now-empty niches with brightly painted statues of Greek gods and goddesses. Clearly, there are two kinds of sightseers: those who know what they’re looking at and those who don’t.
But you don’t have to go back to school to have a rich experience at an ancient site. There’s plenty of information available for people who bring only a healthy dose of curiosity to the ancient sites. Local souvenir books have side-by-side illustrations of ancient sites that juxtapose their current look with how they would have appeared in their heyday — enabling you to imagine it filled with people. Most sights rent audio guides that give you a fine self-guided tour (just punch in the number you see as you wander to hear a narration about a particular work of art or structure). And private guides are almost always available. In anticipation of your visit, it can also be hugely helpful to do a little homework: Do some reading or watch a movie or documentary to get background and insight into the ancient wonders you’ll be exploring.
Archaeological areas are being excavated all the time. In fact, many of the sites you’ll see are only partially uncovered. And the finest of the discovered statues, mosaics and frescoes are generally out of the weather and acidic air (and the reach of 21st-century vandals), and safely in state-of-the-art museums on-site. Be sure to approach an ancient site as a two-part experience: First tour the museum to see the treasures and get a context for the culture and life in that place and time. Then, with that newfound ability to understand what you’ll be seeing, venture out into the actual excavation site.
With more people than ever touring Europe’s great ancient sites (including literally millions of sightseers on cruise-ship excursions), congestion has become a major concern. If online reservations in advance are recommended, consider them required. Any time you can get a ticket with a timed entry, it’s smart to do so. Otherwise, going early or late is a good way to avoid the big tour groups that jam many ancient sites in the middle of the day (roughly between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.).
Europe is better than ever at protecting and sharing its ancient patrimony. And if you approach its ancient wonders thoughtfully, you’ll bring home an appreciation of the artistic wonders of antiquity and lifelong memories.
source:
https://www.mystatesman.com Photo by Gene Openshaw
The HRIAC is the result of the approach of two worlds and the materialization of the vision of the first Hellenic Archaeological mission in Alexandria.
It is a non-profit organization whose goals arew the following:
The reinforcement, by every means, of the Archaeological and Historical Research and Study of the Ancient Alexandria.
The broad Archaeological Research and Study of the Hellenic Civilization, everywhere in the world and outside the Hellenic Country and especially the Research and the Study of the Hellenistic Alexandrian Period.
Ethnological and Athropological Studies.
The creation of a library containing all the relevant Alexandrian Bibliography.
Organizing seminars and congresses concerning subjects of the Hellenistic Period.
Immediate cooperation with the Hellenic and Egyptian universities for a complete and in detail study.
The reinforcement of relationships of Hellenic and Egyptian archaeology scientists.
The granting of scholarships to Hellenic and Egyptian archaeology students, for specialized studies based on the Hellenistic Alexandrian Period.
The Hellenic Research Institute of the Alexandrian Civilazation (H.R.I.A.C.) obtained the permission from the Supreme Council of Antiquities to start an archaeological survey in Shallalat Gardens of Alexandria on 6th of March 2007.
A team of post gratuated students of Alexandria University participated in the survey. The excavation work was held out by 13-15 workers per day.
The survey, including excavation and drilling, ended on 23rd of May 2007.
Shallalat Gardens (early 20th c.) cover a vast area ,replacing the northern bastions created at the years of Mohamed Aly,which «modernized» the medieval city walls of Alexandria. The complex follows the curve NE of the Rosseta Gate.
Our decision was to start minor excavation works into the slope nearby the artificial cataract, to define the stratigraphy in a region where the old canal fronting the medieval walls had been altered, due to the construction of the bastions.
Our surveying plans later this year, include detailed pre-excavation works mainly at the northern part of the Gardens. Meanwhile, there is a relatively narrow space between the demolished bastions and the eastern limits of the garden, not permitting alternative technics of underground survey. The narrow area is clearly shown in Muller’s 1855 map.
Charles Muller 1855 area map
Trenches A and B. Plans
Trench B .Stratigraphy
St1 ΕΥΚΛΕΙΔΟΥ plus symbol of ‘kyrikion’ and St2
St3 ΕΠΙ ΕΡΜΟΚ[ρατους] from Knidos and St4…. plus symbol of ‘kyrikion’
St5 and St6 ΦΙΛΩΝΟΣ
St7 ΕΠΙ ΛΑΦΕΙΔΕΥΣ ΥΑΚΙ ΝΘΙΟΥ and St8 ΕΠΙ ΑΡΙΣΤΟΓΕΙΤΟΥ ΑΓΡΙΑΝΙΟΥ Rodian stamped handles, both dated in 3rd/2ndc.BC
Late roman marble acanthus part
Late roman marble acanthus part
Late hellenistic unguentarium
The surveying plans of the H.R.I.A.C. are to undertake a systematic research of the whole area of Shallalat Gardens for the next years, beginning a geophysical survey as well as an excavation project for October-November 2007. The site is very important for the topography of ancient Alexandria and has to be studied carefully.
We wish to thank, for this start of our research, the Supreme Council of Antiquities for permitting our Institute to work in Alexandria, His Excellency the Governor of Alexandria Mr. Adel Labib, the Authorities of the Antiquity Service of Alexandria as well as our Egyptian friends and colleagues that supported our work.
The Hellenic Research Institute of the Alexandrian Civilization (H.R.I.A.C.) obtained the permission from the Supreme Council of Antiquities to start an archaeological survey in Shallalat Gardens of Alexandria on 3rd of February 2008.
A team of post gratuated students of Alexandria University participated in the survey. The excavation work was held out by 6-8 workers per day.
The survey, including excavation and drilling, ended on 22nd of May 2008.
Shallalat Gardens (early 20th c.) cover a vast area ,replacing the northern bastions created at the years of Mohamed Aly,which «modernized» the medieval city walls of Alexandria. The complex follows the curve NE of the Rosseta Gate.
Excavation
We defined an area 6x5m according to the results of the geophysical survey at site , profiles 1 & 2. After we removed the modern debris, a part of a wall revealed at 5,40m depth below the surface, almost at the center of trench. The wall was built by lime stones and structural material in second use, without any connecting material. Its orientation is from East to West and by the pottery collected from the level of its foundation it’s probably dated at the Arabic period. The western part of this wall was established over the remains of a previous dated wall, perhaps of Byzantine date. At 5,80m depth at the southern part of the trench, as it is defined by the wall, and beneath the wall itself, at 6,80m depth, we revealed a layer of sand, empty of any material. Beneath that, in 7,40m depth we detected a layer of sandstone. The fact that in the same depth we reached the level of the aquiferous horizon, forced us to continue the excavation at this part of the trench in a smaller area about 1×1 wide. At 8,40m we detected that the sandstone ended and another layer of sand appeared. Unfortunately, at this depth we had to stop the excavation because of the water.
At the northern part of the trench, at 5,70m depth we revealed a layer of debris. Among the findings there was not any contemporary pottery, but in order to date this layer we should first study the materials from it carefully. The debris was consisted of pottery, many fragments of plaster with paint, large fragments of alabaster and architectural parts. At this area, a layer of sand was revealed at 7, 70m, but until the depth of 8,40m we didn’t reach any layer of sandstone.
Among the findings there are 11 stamped amphora handles, 2 coins, an inscribed part of marble, an inscribed part of alabaster, a limestone part of acanthus leaf, a part of a small column and a part of architrave.
The surveying plans of the H.R.I.A.C. are to undertake a systematic research of the whole area of Shallalat Gardens for the next years, beginning a new excavation project for October-November-December 2008. The site is very important for the topography of ancientAlexandria and has to be studied carefully.
The most important issue now is to find the suitable way to drain the water of the trenches, because our experience after two excavation periods in Shallalat is the necessity to control this major problem, because we think that the Ptolemaic layer of Alexandria is below the level of water.
We wish to thank, for this start of our research, the Supreme Council of Antiquities for permitting our Institute to work inAlexandria, His Excellency the Governor of Alexandria Mr. Adel Labib, the Authorities of the Antiquity Service of Alexandria as well as our Egyptian friends and colleagues that supported our work.
The Hellenic Research Institute of the Alexandrian Civilization (H.R.I.A.C.) obtained the permission from the Supreme Council of Antiquities to start an archaeological excavation in Shallalat Gardens of Alexandria on 29th of January 2009.
A team of post gratuated students of Alexandria University participated in the survey. The excavation work was held out by 6-8 workers per day.
The excavation ended on 14th of April 2009.
Shallalat Gardens (early 20th c.) cover a vast area ,replacing the northern bastions created at the years of Mohamed Aly,which «modernized» the medieval city walls of Alexandria. The complex follows the curve NE of the Rosseta Gate.
Excavation
On 13th and 14th of April, we started removing the modern debris . After removing it, we started excavating an area 5,00m. long and 3,00m wide at the depth of 6,00m from the surface. At the depth of 6,40m, into the west side of the trench, a layer of soft lime mortar was traced, probably the base of a floor. Its thickness rates from 0,08m. to 0,15m. Inside the trench, across the southern part, we excavated a strata of dark mud filled with a great amount of pottery, probably of hellenistic/ early roman period, pieces of animal bones and pieces of coloured plaster, though at the northern part, a layer of sand was found filled of many broken pieces of architectural parts, pottery and coloured plaster.
Among the sherds collected from this unit appears to be many pieces of fine pottery (sigillattas). At the depth of 6,95m we traced a small part of a wall foundation, extending from NE to SW. After it was drawn and photographed, we removed it in order to continue the excavation. At the depth of 7,40m we reached the level of the water table.
After using pumps for the drilling of the water, we continued the excavation although with serious difficulties. At the same depth, across the south side of the trench we started revealing a part of a construction made by lime mortar and small stones compacted together. This construction was extended at all the excavated area.
As its northern part was found at the depth of 7,75m, appeared to decline towards this direction. Since we couldn’t extend the area of the excavation because of the existence of big trees, we were unable to trace the edges of this construction. At the NW part the trench, the construction was destroyed, so we continued the excavation in order to reveal the bottom of its base.
At this area, we revealed part of a wall constructed mostly by lime stones and clay tiles. The wall extends from W to the E and it seems to have been covered by this construction of lime mortar. Immediately in front of this part of the wall, a layer of sand and stones was found, which was the fill of the constructing ditch.
We ended the excavation, in order to extend the trench and solve the problems of water level as well as draining the site, at the following season.
Above the surface of this construction, into a thick layer of pottery sherds, a Hellenistic Statue of a naked man, of extremely fine art was found, study and publishing of which will follow promptly.
Other significant findings were many pieces of architectural parts, lamps, coins- though they were extremely oxidized by the water- and parts of a mosaic made by off white tessera, which maybe it’s connected with the upper lime floor.
The surveying plans of the H.R.I.A.C. are to undertake a systematic research of the whole area of Shallalat Gardens for the next years, beginning a new excavation project for October-November-December 2009. The site is very important for the topography of ancientAlexandria and has to be studied carefully.
The most important issue now is to find the suitable way to drain the water of the trenches, because our experience after two excavation periods in Shallalat is the necessity to control this major problem, because we think that the Ptolemaic layer of Alexandria is below the level of water.
We wish to thank, for this start of our research, the Supreme Council of Antiquities for permitting our Institute to work in Alexandria, His Excellency the Governor of Alexandria Mr. Adel Labib, the Authorities of the Antiquity Service of Alexandria as well as our Egyptian friends and colleagues that supported our work.
On 4th of May 2009, in Alexandria in Shalalat Gardens, during the excavation held by the Hellenic Research Institute of Alexandrian Civilization, in a depth of 8 meters and among Hellenistic debris, a marble statue was found. (pl. 1-2)
Height: The height of the statue has been measured 0, 80 meters.
Status:
Head and body are in a very good condition, except a slight damage in the nose. From the legs, the part under the knees is missing. There is a part of the right arm of 0, 16m before the elbow, while the left arm is missing completely. Under the right arm there is a hole possibly for metallic connection. In the left shoulder, there is an iron connection. In the back of the left shoulder, there is a small hole.
Description:
The statue represents a naked young man in the “Jason Pose”, in a form of classical contraposto, with one foot raised, possibly bent to a support. The body is slightly turned to the right and there is a trace of a support in the right buttock.
On the statue, there are some basic features, the study of which drives us to the conclusion that there is a likeness with the image of Alexander the Great. These characteristics are the following:
Poise of the neck to the left
Upward aspiring glance of the eyes
Anastole in the hair
Royal Diadem
Dionysos type diadem
Further to these features, maybe typical in the portraiture of Alexander, there are some others closer to the conception of the “true Alexander”, which also helps us to understand the chronology of the statue. These are:
the short hair
the sideburns
the dimensions of the head and the body
the type of the statue (stasis)
Analytically, the statue can be described as follows:
It is a standing naked figure, the most common type for royal statues (Smith, pl 3-4). A naked type showing the king with one foot, upon a support. This is the “Jason Pose” or “Sandal-loosening Hermes”, an attribution ascribed to the Lysippan school.
From literary sources, we know that this type was used for Alexander in his lifetime and it was used after him. (Plut. De Iside et Osiride 24(0.1481)). The body is slim, thus increasing the apparent height of the figure. Movement pervades the whole body. The muscles are perfect and can be clearly seen.
The back of the statue is perfectly modeled. On the figure, there is an obvious depth. The knees are projecting out of the traditional closed squared canon and are intruding on the viewer’s space.
The head has been measured 0, 13 meters and if we compare it with the total height of the statue (about 1, 10 meters), is the 1/9. This analogy is typical of the Lysiappan canon, and smaller than the previous canon of Polycleitos, which was 1/8. Pliny (Nat. hist XXXIV.65) states “Lycippos made the heads smaller than older artists had done”.
The neck is bent to the left and the eyes look upward with an aspiring glance. Plutarch (Alexander 4.1), referring to Lysippos comments: “For it was this artist who captured exactly those distinctive features, which many of Alexander’s successors and friends later tried to imitate, namely the poise of the neck turned slightly to the left and the melting glance of the eyes.” He also states that “When Lysippos first modeled a portrait of Alexander with his face turned upward towards the sky, just as Alexander himself was accustomed to gaze, turning his neck gently to one side, someone inscribed, not inappropriately the following epigram:
The bronze statue seems to proclaim looking at Zeus: I place the earth under my sway; you Oh Zeus keep Olympos”
(Ploutarch, De Alexandri Magni fortuna aut virtute 2.2.3)
These two characteristics (neck and eyes) are very intense in the statue and give the appearance of “pathos” to it.
The hair of the statue is short, but very well defined, in contrast with later portraits of Alexander with long hair, especially Roman copies; but it is more difficult to decide how closely these later works are with the Lysippan type. On the other hand, the monuments which are contemporary to Alexander, such as the Alexander Sarcophagus from Sidon (330-310 B.C) (pl. 5-6) and the Alexander Mosaic (copy of a painting of 330-300 B.C) show us that Alexander was represented with relatively short hair (pl. 7-8). The same short hair we see in Alexander of the painting frieze of the Philip’s Tomb in Vegina (pl. 9). These representations which refer to Alexander’s lifetime, give him shorter hair styles, while many posthumous portraits have longer hair, that may have divinizing connotations.
Moreover, some of Alexander’s contemporary portraits like Azara and Erbach herms (pl.10-11) have hairstyles, which in life he may didn’t have. That means that his real hairstyles could have varied widely.
But the most important feature in the hairstyle of the statue is the Anastole. This is a distinctive arrangement of the hair, over the forehead, a quiff of hair standing up with a slightly off-centre parting. This Anastole of the hair, Plutarch records, was the distinctive feature of Alexander’s physiognomy (Pomp 2.1). It seems to be considered as Alexander’s personal attribute and it is generally not used by later kings.
The sideburns on the face of the statue were a feature not very common in the portraiture of Alexander. The most important monument as the original of which was contemporary of Alexander, was, as mentioned before, the Alexander Mosaic (pl. 8). Alexander is shown bareheaded and armored, fighting on horseback. This picture, whether made in Alexander’s lifetime or not, at least, pretends to be a circumstantial representation of him in his lifetime. He is shown with long sideburns. Besides, a lot of portraits of Alexander like Azara herm, Erbach and Dresden Alexander (pl.10-11-12), or Capitoline head (pl. 13) have either sideburns or long hair in front of the ears.
The most important attribute of the statue is the two – not one – diadems (headbands), one narrow band in the hair and another one in the forehead.
A lot of literary sources (Smith, 1988 and others) attests that the diadem (diadema) is the main royal symbol of Hellenistic kings and that it was a band of white cloth worn about the head. Alexander was the first Macedonian king to wear it as an exclusive emblem of kingship. It became the symbol of his new status as “King of Asia”.
Two sources, Diodorus Siculus (4.4.4) and Pliny the Elder (NH7.191), say that the god Dionysos “discovered the diadem that he wore it to symbolize his conquests in the East and that Kings took it over from him”.
However, the form of the royal diadem is not directly copied from that of Dionysos. The god wears his headband lowdown on his forehead, while the Kings wear it further back in the hair. For this association of the diadem, there is archaeological evidence. On Ptolemy’s posthumous Alexander coin portraits the king wears an elephant head dress and a flat diadem precisely as worn by Dionysos. Alexander’s and Dionysos’ headbands are here clearly equivocated. (pl. 14-15-16)
Smith (1988) states that Dionysos was important to Alexander and remained so for the later kings. He was a conquering god and gave the divine model for the conquest of India and Asia. The similarity of the eastern conquest and of the headband’s form to those of Dionysos promoted the additional meaning of association with that god. Dionysos’ campaigns became a divine precedent and comparison for Alexander and this is the reason that he adopted the diadem as a royal symbol.
Last we have to point out that the ears of the statue are remarkably well formed and the mouth is finely shaped.
The execution of the sculpture is of fine quality and the study and comparison of the stylistic features of the statue give us the possibility to date it in the Early Hellenistic Period (end of 4th century B.C) and we consider that it was possibly made by the school ofLysippos in Alexandria.
The Hellenic Research Institute of the Alexandrian Civilization (H.R.I.A.C.) obtained the permission from the Supreme Council of Antiquities to continue the archaeological excavation in Shallalat Gardens of Alexandria on 31st of March 2010.
The excavation work was held out by 10-13 workers per day.
The excavation ended on 10th of May 2010.
Shallalat Gardens (early 20th c.) cover a vast area, replacing the northern bastions created at the years of Mohamed Aly, which «modernized» the medieval city walls of Alexandria. The complex follows the curve NE of the Rosetta Gate.
The excavation was carried out at the same area we excavated the previous season. We enlarged the excavation area, after removing two big palm trees, in order to detect the edges of the lime mortar construction that had been detected. For this reason we extended the previous trench 14m. to the west, 2,00m. to the south, 3,00m. to the north and 5,00m. to the east.
We started excavated at the western part of this trench and at the depth of -3.60m. below the surface we revealed a strata consisted of a destroyed structure made by mortar and clay plinths, part of a destroyed brick wall and plentiful pottery. Among these we excavated two large pithoi, still in situ, but with their upper part broken. All over this area we detected traces of fire. We didn’t excavate this strata, since we want to enlarge the area as long as possible. The strata was traced at an area 7.50m. x 8.00m. and probably is part of a workshop or storage area. Depending on the pottery, though not systematically studied yet, the chronology rises up to the late roman period.
We continued excavated eastern of this occupation area, after leaving unexcavated a 3.00m. zone. At the depth of -7.10m., at the west side of the area, we revealed a wall 1,78m. high and 1.57m. wide made mostly by broken pieces of crafted lime stones, connected with earth. The wall is based on the lime mortar structure that had been revealed at the previous season. Because of the water, that covers the biggest part of the wall, most of the stones had been removed. Depending on the sherds collected among the stones, we consider this structure also late roman and it is, probably, part of foundation.
At the depth of -7.60m.(S), and -8.30 (N), we traced the extension of the lime mortar construction to the west and at the depth of -7.60m. to the east. Its total excavated length is 12.50m. and width 4,50m. Above it, we excavated the same strata with the plentiful late hellenistic/roman pottery, architectural parts, parts of sculptures and colored plaster. To the north-west part of the trench, at -8.30m. we revealed two big crafted stone blocks of psammite, covered at some parts by bricks. The stone blocks are based on the lime mortar construction, the basement of which we couldn’t trace, because it extends to the whole area. In order to see the basement of the psammite stone blocks, we had to remove a small part of the lime mortar construction right in front of the blocks. Among the small parts of the crafted stones and the bricks we removed, we revealed a big building block lime stone with anathyrosis at one side that was drop there, used as filling of the lime mortar construction.
Among the pottery there are many sigillattas and other fine red ware, pointed – base amphoras, parts and wholes, some with painted marks and plenty of coarse ware. Other significant findings are a miniature nude male torso, two parts of female statues, a finger and one breast, a part of another marble statue, possibly a knee, two small parts of capitals, lamps, coins- though they were extremely oxidized by the water-and stamped amphora handles.
The surveying plans of the H.R.I.A.C. are to undertake a systematic research of the whole area of Shallalat Gardens for the next years, continuing the excavation project on October-November-December 2010. The site is very important for the topography of ancientAlexandria and has to be studied carefully.
The most important issue now is to find the suitable way to drain the water of the trenches, because our experience after four excavation periods in Shallalat is the necessity to control this major problem, because we think that the Ptolemaic layer of Alexandria is below the level of water.
We wish to thank, the Supreme Council of Antiquities for permitting our Institute to work in Alexandria, His Excellency the Governor of Alexandria Mr. Adel Labib, the Authorities of the Antiquity Service of Alexandria as well as our Egyptian friends and colleagues that supported our work.
According to the permission from the Supreme Council of Antiquities we start the seventh excavational season on 1st of April 2016 and finished it on 5th of June 2016.
A team of students from the Alexandria University, Greco-Roman department, participated in the survey after an agreement with the Alexandria University (supervisor: Dr Mona Hagag). The excavation work was held out by 10-12 workers per day.
Excavation
The excavation was carried out at the North-West part of Shallalat Gardens at the same area as the previous season (October-November 2015). We further removed the modern debris until the debth of approximately 6m., towards the west and north of the main trench by mechanical means.
For the first time in the area we undertook a dewatering project in order to solve the problem of water table that all the previous years was preventing us from excavating deeper. A system of five wells around the trench, ten meters deeper than the level of the excavation area, was made as well as three inside the trench. In every well were placed two pumps working 24 h per day. The result was successful enough to enable us excavating properly.
Subsequently, the excavation was carried out at an area 14, 00 m. E-W x 12, 00 m N-S. We removed the modern debris that had been used to cover the area of the trench manually. At the rest of the area, west and north, we excavated the ancient debris, a thick strata full of fragmented pottery from hellenistic to roman period, known from the previous seasons. We collected a small amount of pottery that we deposited it again at the area, after conferming the date of this strata. At the debth of 8, 30 m. to the south and 9,10m. to the north-west we reached the strata of the compacted lime breccia. The breccia was not found at the most part of the north side of the trench; there the strata of the ancient debris continues until the debth of 10, 20 m.
At the SW corner, under the strata of the ancient debris, we unearthed part of a construction made by pinkish thick mortar that contains gravel and unwrought alabaster pieces which seems to be kind of floor. This part seems to have been detached from the rest of the construction that goes further into the west side of the trench. Immediately underneath there are fallen parts of a kind of wall made by dark reddish clay bricks, fallen on the breccia. To further understand this construction we have to continue excavating towards the west. The chronology of it seems to be of a late date.
At the middle of the trench under the strata of the ancient debris part of a drain was found. For its construction part of the breccia was dug. The drain was placed immediately on the blocks of the foundation that has been revealed at the biggest part of the trench. It was made of well worked pieces of limestone in second use and broken parts of clay bricks. Among these, was a pedestal made of alabaster, also in second use. We removed the drain, after drawing and photographing it.
At the rest of the trench, under the strata of breccia we revealed part of the foundation of a large building, that extents further to the south and to the east. To the west almost certainly we have reached its limit, while towards the north it is not clear yet as at many parts the blocks have been removed. Also, at the NW part, north of the foundation blocks that have been revealed and mostly into this side the trench, a part of wall was found. For its construction have been used limestone blocks in second use, most probably from the foundation. Though it seems of a later date, further investigation is needed toward the north.
The excavated dimensions of the foundation are 10, 00 x 12, 00 m, N-S and E-W respectively. The size of the limestone blocks used for the construction of it is approximately 1,00 x 0,60 x 0,50m. At the SE corner of the trench a small part of wall has been found made also by big limestone blocks, measuring 1,15 x 0,60 x 0,60 m., put together without joining material. The wall also extends towards the south. Blocks of the foundation continue to extend under the wall to the east and south. The construction strata of the building has been dated to the Ptolemaic period, according to the pottery that has been collected from it, among it an early Hellenistic lamp that has been collected under the blocks of the wall.
It is important to mention that under the foundation at the height of 10, 70 m. we reached a strata of pure sand and sandstone, which we consider as the bedrock.
The size of the foundation blocks as well as the size of the wall blocks, which is extremely big and the dimensions of the whole construction show that we have uncovered part of a public building of Ptolemaic period. This fact in combination with the site, which possibly belonged to the Royal Quarter of the ancient Alexandria, makes the finding important for the knowledge of topography of the Ptolemaic city.
The plans for the next excavation season are the continuation of the excavation to the south where the construction is extended, after demolishing the big volume of debris and soil at this area.
According to the permission from the Supreme Council of Antiquities we start the eighth excavational season on 1st of Ocrober 2016 and finished it on 11th of December 2016.
Five archaeologists working for the Archaeological Service participated at the excavation as trainees inspectors. Also, a team of students from the Alexandria University, Greco-Roman department, participated in the survey after an agreement with the Alexandria University (supervisor: Dr Mona Hagag). The excavation work was held out by 6-8 workers per day.
Besides the excavation work, we undertook a two weeks study of the finds stored at the Mustafa Kamel storage facilities. A report has already been sent to the Archaeological Service.
Excavation
Our aim for this season was to excavate further towards the south of the trench N in order to reveal the continuation of the foundation blocks we had unearthed during Apri-May 2016.
We extended the area of excavation 7, 85m. towards the south and 17, 25 m. to the axis E-W.
Until the depth of 5 m. we removed the modern debris by mechanical means.
At the depth of 7 m. we excavated the remains of a construction made by small size rough stones. We unearthed the NE part of a room and a small part of a floor (1,80 m. x 1, 00 m.) made by layers of thick mortar. Its walls extend 3 m. to the axis of E –W and 1,70 to the N- S. The presence of the mortar floor leads us to interpret the construction as a workshop that according to pottery must be dated to the late roman/early byzantine period. Further excavation work and study will enable us to understand more about this phase of the area.
At about the same depth we revealed the strata of breccia but only to the northest part of the area, extending 11m E –W and 2 m. N – S. What it seems interesting is that its south surface has been cut straight, obviously at an aim to be used as a kind of a wall, probably at the date of workshops activity.
Finally, at the depth of 10 m. we unearthed a row of big limestone blocks extending 11 m. to the axis E –W, which is the continuation of the foundation blocks we had excavated during last season. South of this row, we started to excavate a part of a construction made by small size well crafted limestones, but further excavation is needed in order to reveal it.
Also important is to note that the ptolemaic foundation is extending even further to the east as we ascertained by this season excavation.
Among the finds of this season, mostly pottery, lamps and stamped amphora handles from the strata that had covered all the area and is known from all the previous seasons, special reference must be made to a sculpture fragment. It is a marble hand holding a spear (part of it). It belongs to the statue of Alexander, found at the trench on 2009, now at the National Museum of Alexandria and its great significance is that it ascertains that the statue is of the Alexander with a spear type, a debated work of Lysippus.
The plans for the next excavation season are the continuation of the excavation to the south and east where the construction is extended, after demolishing the big volume of debris and soil at this area.
We would like to thank for their support the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Dr.Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Mr. Mustafa Rusdi, Dr.Mohamed Abdelhamid, Mrs. Samiha Noshy Rafla and Mrs Amira Sabah.
For and On Behalf of
Hellenic Research Institute of Alexandrian Civilization
Researchers have unlocked the chemistry of Roman concrete which has resisted the elements for thousands of years.
Ancient sea walls built by the Romans used a concrete made from lime and volcanic ash to bind with rocks.
Now scientists have discovered that elements within the volcanic material reacted with sea water to strengthen the construction.
They believe the discovery could lead to more environmentally friendly building materials.
Unlike the modern concrete mixture which erodes over time, the Roman substance has long puzzled researchers.
Rather than eroding, particularly in the presence of sea water, the material seems to gain strength from the exposure.
In previous tests with samples from ancient Roman sea walls and harbours, researchers learned that the concrete contained a rare mineral called aluminium tobermorite.
They believe that this strengthening substance crystallised in the lime as the Roman mixture generated heat when exposed to sea water.
Researchers have now carried out a more detailed examination of the harbour samples using an electron microscope to map the distribution of elements. They also used two other techniques, X-ray micro-diffraction and Raman spectroscopy, to gain a deeper understanding of the chemistry at play.
This new study says the scientists found significant amounts of tobermorite growing through the fabric of the concrete, with a related, porous mineral called phillipsite.
The researchers say that the long-term exposure to sea water helped these crystals to keep on growing over time, reinforcing the concrete and preventing cracks from developing.
"Contrary to the principles of modern cement-based concrete," said lead author Marie Jackson from the University of Utah, US, "the Romans created a rock-like concrete that thrives in open chemical exchange with seawater."
"It's a very rare occurrence in the Earth."
The ancient mixture differs greatly from the current approach. Modern buildings are constructed with concrete based on Portland cement.
This involves heating and crushing a mixture of several ingredients including limestone, sandstone, ash, chalk, iron and clay. The fine material is then mixed with "aggregates", such as rocks or sand, to build concrete structures.
The process of making cement has a heavy environmental penalty, being responsible for around 5% of global emissions of CO2.
So could the greater understanding of the ancient Roman mixture lead to greener building materials?
Prof Jackson is testing new materials using sea water and volcanic rock from the western United States. Speaking to the BBC earlier this year, she argued that the planned Swansea tidal lagoon should be built using the ancient Roman knowledge of concrete.
"Their technique was based on building very massive structures that are really quite environmentally sustainable and very long-lasting," she said.
"I think Roman concrete or a type of it would be a very good choice [for Swansea]. That project is going to require 120 years of service life to amortise [pay back] the investment.
"We know that Portland cement concretes contain steel reinforcements. Those will surely corrode in at least half of that service lifetime."
There are a number of limiting factors that make the revival of the Roman approach very challenging. One is the lack of suitable volcanic rocks. The Romans, the scientists say, were fortunate that the right materials were on their doorstep.
Another drawback is the lack of the precise mixture that the Romans followed. It might take years of experimenting to discover the full formula.
The research has been published in the journal American Mineralogist.
WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) - Mary Duane said she got into beekeeping in 1999, and has been hooked ever since.
Ms. Duane, a certified master beekeeper and president of the Worcester County Beekeepers Association, keeps three sets of bee boxes, neatly stacked on top of each other in the back yard of her Blithewood Avenue home. Each stack holds about 60,000 bees, and they buzzed and darted in and out of their hives on a recent afternoon.
From the street, Ms. Duane's home is as unassuming as the rest along Blithewood, and she hopes it stays that way. Ms. Duane said she's concerned that a new set of proposed regulations intended to expand agricultural opportunities in the city could saddle beekeepers with unnecessarily restrictive regulations.
Ms. Duane donned a beekeeper jacket and hood and deftly went through a stack of boxes containing thousands of bees, buzzing and crawling and eating. They come and go during the day according to the sun, and return to the hive at night. They're pollinators, and are prized by the agricultural industry. They are essential to production of crops across the country, from almonds in California to blueberries in Maine. Ms. Duane said they're typically docile creatures; she said yellowjackets and hornets have a much more earned reputation for stinging people than honeybees do.
She said in some ways, urban settings lend themselves quite well to smaller beekeeping operations. She said her neighbors aren't overly concerned with maintaining perfectly manicured lawns, and don't use pesticides or excessive fertilizers that can be troublesome for bee colonies. Ms. Duane's yard is bordered by thick vegetation; there's no elaborate setup for her bees; just the boxes, a smoker, and a nearby water source.
The city administration earlier this year proposed an amendment to the zoning ordinance establishing rules and regulations for urban-scale farming and agricultural use. The Planning Board recently recommended the proposed amendment to the City Council; last week, the council sent the proposal to its Economic Development Committee for further review.
A separate, coordinated ordinance governing beekeeping included as part of the review of the urban agriculture amendment has also been proposed. Ms. Duane said the major concern with the beekeeping ordinance is the abutter notification. The original proposal requires beekeepers seeking a special permit to operate to notify any abutters within 300 feet, and requires descriptions of the locations and dimensions of hives on the property, along with other details. Ms. Duane said she fears excessive abutter notification could unnecessarily alarm neighbors who have been living near a beekeeper for years without incident, and could attract vandals. She said it could cause unnecessary conflict in a neighborhood.
"If we have to tell our neighbors we have bees, and they say they don't want them there, then what happens?" Ms. Duane asked.
She said she fully supports the idea of encouraging urban farming. She said food sourcing could become a serious issue if the supply chain is ever disrupted; she noted that only 10 percent of the fruits and vegetables consumed in the state are grown here. She said done properly, beekeeping can continue to thrive in urban environments. She said she has a friend who keeps bees on top of a hotel in Boston without most people ever knowing it exists.
She said she's amenable to some sort of formal process that establishes regulations for beekeepers. And she said that ultimately it could produce best practices that strengthen the beekeeping community.
"We want it to be a workable situation," she said.
In its recommendation to the City Council, the Planning Board appeared amenable to the beekeepers' suggestions. The board recommended limiting information required in the permit and removing "flyway barrier" requirements, and opined that the abutter notification language in the original proposal is "too burdensome and unnecessary." But the board also said it understood residents may have legitimate concerns about proximity to beehives, and encouraged city staff to come up with a way of giving concerned citizens generalized information on the location of bee colonies.
Before sending the Planning Board recommendation to committee last week, two councilors voiced initial concerns about the proposal.
At-large Councilor Konstantina B. Lukes disagreed with the notion that it would be too much trouble to establish a system of abutter notification; said said other planning and zoning issues manage to involve abutter notification without too much expense. She said not requiring the notification when there's a change of use on a property "really challenges the notion of transparency."
And at-large Councilor Morris A. Bergman said he wondered about liability issues that could arise if someone gets stung by a beekeeper's bees.
Ms. Duane said beekeepers would prefer no abutter notification, but would deal with some sort of requirement if it was restricted to something like neighbors in the immediate vicinity. She said she keeps liability insurance on her policy, and has additional insurance because she sells some of the honey from the hives. But she said she didn't know how anyone can prove that a bee that stings someone came from a particular beekeeper's hive. She said bees can travel three to five miles in search of nectar and pollen.
"If someone up the street gets stung, how do you know?" Ms. Duane asked.
Ms. Duane said she doesn't think the proposed beekeeping ordinance grew out of any sort of malice against the hobby. But she said she'd like to see the city become more "pollinator-friendly," incorporating more pollinator-friendly plantings into urban design. She said she finds bees fascinating, "the little dance they have going on."
Do you watch porn? Most people lie when answering this question. The pornographic industry would not be as big as it is if nobody consumed it. As with other cultural expressions, archaeology and the past are also represented in porn movies, affecting the public image of our discipline as it does advertising, literature, or cinema.
This paper explores and analyses the multiple references to the past and our profession found within the context of pornographic movies and other erotic products, highlighting the potential of pornography as another tool for informal education.
But on the same axis, in the opposite direction, is the point on the horizon where the sun sets on the winter solstice. And some experts suspect that the midwinter alignment may have been the more important occasion for the Neolithic people who built Stonehenge.
John North, a historian of astronomy, wrote in his book Cosmos:
The usual interpretation of Stonehenge would make its center the place from which the midsummer sun was observed over the Heel Stone. This is almost certainly mistaken. The viewing position was at the Heel Stone itself, outside the sacred space, and the chief celebration was that of the setting midwinter Sun, seen through the narrow central corridor. Stonehenge is a skeleton through which light can pass from numerous directions, as in the timber monuments before it, but all of these were carefully planned so as to present a solid appearance against the sky when viewed from suitable positions — and the Heel stone is just such a position. Sight of the last glint of winter sunlight through the center of the black edifice must have been deeply moving.
Discerning home owners have chosen to decorate their dining rooms in "Pompeiian red" for centuries, after it was discovered on paintings amid the ruins of the Roman town.
But new research indicates that their efforts may have been misguided – and that the brilliant hue featured in the frescoes may originally have been yellow.
The study, presented to Sapienza University in Rome last week, shows large swaths of the vivid "Pompeiian red" frescoes in the town were only turned red by the gases emitted from Vesuvius as it erupted in AD79.
Experts have long suspected that some of the characteristic vivid reds of the frescoes in Pompeii and Herculaneum were originally yellow.
But a new study, conducted by Italy's National Institute of Optics, suggests the sheer extent of the colour change.
Sergio Omarini, who presented the institute's findings, said: "At the moment, there are 246 walls perceived as red, and 57 as yellow. But based on the new research, the numbers must have been, respectively, 165 and 138.
"The discovery allows us to rethink the original appearance of the city in radically different way from how we are used to – in which red, indeed 'Pompeiian red', has been prevalent."
Early archaeologists who began excavating Pompeii in the 18th century were struck by the art decorating entire rooms in the richest of the Roman homes. The signature bright red used in much Roman painting was so vivid among the ruins of Pompeii that the particular shade was named after the city.
Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, professor of classics at Cambridge University, and author of Houses and Society in Pompeii and Herculaneum, told the Guardian: "One of the ironies of this is that red was constantly forged in antiquity. Red was an extremely expensive and valued colour.
"The proper, bright red was based on minium [red lead] imported from Armenia. What we often think of 'Pompeiian red', though, was a poor man's version, made by giving yellow walls a red wash."
The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities moved on Tuesday the 3,000-year-old funerary bed and chariot of ancient King Tutankhamun from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir downtown Cairo to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) near the Pyramids Plateau in Giza.
Amid massive media coverage, the two large pieces have been packed in two boxes and covered the distance from the Tahrir museum to the GEM on two secured trucks until they have been carefully unloaded to be admitted to the restoration laboratory for pre-display maintenance.
The funerary bed of ancient King Tutankhamun is packed in a box at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) near the Pyramids Plateau in Giza, Egypt on May 23, 2017. The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities moved on Tuesday the 3,000-year-old funerary bed and chariot of ancient King Tutankhamun from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir downtown Cairo to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) near the Pyramids Plateau in Giza. Egyptian Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anany told reporters that they moved so far about 3,900 pieces of King Tut's artifact to the GEM that will be opened in the first half of 2018.
Egyptian Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anany told reporters that they moved so far about 3,900 pieces of King Tut's artifact to the GEM that will be opened in the first half of 2018.
"After the pieces are moved to the GEM, they will get into the restoration laboratory for necessary maintenance to be prepared for display at the GEM, which will be one of the best museums in the world," the minister said, noting that the loading, transportation and unloading processes have been done professionally.
Egyptian workers move a box containing the funerary bed of ancient King Tutankhamun at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) near the Pyramids Plateau in Giza, Egypt on May 23, 2017. The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities moved on Tuesday the 3,000-year-old funerary bed and chariot of ancient King Tutankhamun from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir downtown Cairo to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) near the Pyramids Plateau in Giza. Egyptian Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anany told reporters that they moved so far about 3,900 pieces of King Tut's artifact to the GEM that will be opened in the first half of 2018.
"There have been sensors and devices to measure the humidity, temperature and movement inside the boxes during their transportation," he added.
Located some two kilometers north of the Great Pyramid of Giza, on an area of 491,000 square meters, the GEM project started in 2010 and the museum is expected to be the top and largest in the Middle East region.
Egyptian workers open a box containing the funerary bed of ancient King Tutankhamun at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) near the Pyramids Plateau in Giza, Egypt on May 23, 2017. The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities moved on Tuesday the 3,000-year-old funerary bed and chariot of ancient King Tutankhamun from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir downtown Cairo to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) near the Pyramids Plateau in Giza. Egyptian Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anany told reporters that they moved so far about 3,900 pieces of King Tut's artifact to the GEM that will be opened in the first half of 2018.
King Tut will be "the GEM star" for all his discovered heritage, as more than 5,000 pieces will be displayed in the GEM soft opening in 2018, while only one-third of them used to be showcased in Tahrir museum since their discovery in 1922.
The massive ancient reservoirs that remain viewable today in Jerusalem’s Old City had serviced Jews making pilgrimages to the Second Temple some 2,000 years ago, according to a soon-to-be-published research paper.
Jerusalem contains a large number of these ancient pools. A massive cistern named the Pool of Israel—more than 360 feet long, 111 feet wide and 78 feet deep—is situated next to the Temple Mount.
The Pool of Hezekiah lies among the houses of the Christian Quarter. Jerusalem residents are also familiar with the Sultan’s Pool, which was converted into an open-air venue for public performances; two pools located on the Church of St. Anne’s property; a deep pool seen on Western Wall tours; and the Shiloah (Siloam) Pool, which was discovered under the City of David.
“While residents of Jerusalem had private wells under their homes and the ruling authorities had aqueducts, another solution was needed for the masses of pilgrims.
The visitors used water for drinking, cooking and other day-to-day tasks. Two of the pools were also used for ritual cleansing,” Dr. David Gurevich, an archaeologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem who specializes in the holy city’s history during the Second Temple period, told Israel Hayom.
To the casual observer, it looks like any other section of marsh.
However, this spot in extreme Eastern New Orleans - almost at the St. Tammany Parish line - is unique. The rare visitor can walk along an ancient sandy beach, in high tide just a sleeve of sand.
"If you go out to Ship Island, you're going to see sand and shells like this," said Richard Campanella, a Tulane University historical geographer who has written extensively about the city's architectural history. "Many New Orleanians might be surprised to hear that beneath their city runs a relic barrier island."
Centuries before New Orleans existed, what geographers have dubbed the Pine Island Trend looked very similar to Ship Island in Mississippi, Dauphin Island in Alabama, or even Grand Isle, Louisiana.
This now-subterranean feature ran from what is modern-day Metairie through Lakeview and Gentilly and followed part of the I-10 route before veering off to the southern tip of St. Tammany.
While the Mississippi River built most of South Louisiana, Campanella said the island owed its existence to the Pearl River.
Roughly 4500 years ago, he said the Pearl deposited sand in the gulf of Mexico during a period of slow sea-level rise. Longshore currents swept the shoal westward, "sculpting it into an island."
A couple of centuries later, the Mississippi jumped its channel near present-day Lafayette, lunged toward the east, and belched mountains of silt to build the areas around New Orleans.
"Today, 165,000 people live on top of this relic barrier island," Campanella said.
The feature came to the attention of geologists and geographers in 1937 after a team of engineers and architects started working with the Depression-era Works Progress Administration.
Campanella discovered an excerpt in the New Orleans Item-Tribune, describing soil samples and, "a fine white sand, mixed with sea
shells of various kinds and sizes, at varying depths of 1 to 15 feet below the surface."
Coastal geographer Roger T. Saucier dubbed it the Pine Island Trend.
In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina blew apart the London Avenue Canal levee, people on the east side of the canal were mystified as sand buried cars and lawns.
"That was excavated Pine Island Trend sand," Campanella said. "It tapped into this ancient, 4,000-year-old barrier island that many people had no idea existed."
In extreme Eastern New Orleans, he found the one spot where evidence of the island still exists at the surface. Just out of the river's reach, a sliver of sand and pine trees remains in the middle of a marsh.
"If it weren't for this feature here, we would have a completely different southeastern Louisiana," he said.
Had it not been for Pine Island, Campanella explained the river would have flowed farther to the north, filling in a large part of Lake Pontchartrain and building a cypress swamp that probably would have resembled the Maurepas Swamp.
"Therefore, all of the thinking that went into citing the city would have happened elsewhere."
Archaeologist Sarah Parcak uses satellite photos to locate ancient sites and she's finding them -- thousands. 60 Minutes reports on the game-changing method
Archaeologist Sarah Parcak is a professor at The University of Alabama at Birmingham. CBS NEWS
Our journey took us past the most famous archaeological site on Earth, the Pyramids of Giza rising from the Egyptian desert. Here and elsewhere, modern Egypt is built next to and often on top of ancient Egypt. From Cairo, we traveled 40 miles south and almost 4,000 years back in time to the village of Lisht. Today, the people of Lisht bury their dead in a cemetery at the edge of town, in the same place that ancient Egyptians buried their dead.
Sarah Parcak: Every day, I come to the site. And it's just blows my mind. You know, and this is just one tomb.
At the age of 38, Sarah Parcak is leading the excavation of a tomb that's 3,800 years old.
Bill Whitaker: Were all of the tombs this elaborate?
Sarah Parcak: No, no…so this is special.
Sarah Parcak: This is a big rock cut tomb of a wealthy Middle Kingdom official. It's big.
We watched Parcak's team meticulously dig with trowels and brushes -- after three weeks of this, the tomb buried for millennia was slowly revealed. Most of the discoveries were fragments of pots and inscribed stones. That changed the morning we arrived.
Bill Whitaker: Sarah, what is this? What have you found?
Sarah Parcak: So this is beautiful.
Sarah Parcak: Look at that.
Bill Whitaker: Oh, a hand.
Sarah Parcak: This is amazing.
Bill Whitaker: Look at this. You've got an arm there—
Sarah Parcak: This is a limestone block that was part of this-- probably part of this tomb.
Bill Whitaker: So this is a big find?
Sarah Parcak: It's a very big find. It's the biggest find of our season.
The stone is part of a much larger slab. Look closely and you can make out the lower half of a seated person and the hand of another.
Bill Whitaker: Oh, look at that. That's incredible.
An alcove at the back of the tomb has a stone tablet with the name Intef. CBS NEWS
Who's buried here was a mystery until Parcak's team solved it. She took us to an alcove at the back of the tomb where they discovered this stone tablet with a name: Intef. It describes a powerful man...head of the pharaoh's treasury and overseer of his army. Parcak showed us the tablet is damaged and she wondered whether Intef's enemies desecrated his tomb.
Sarah Parcak: Was he corrupt? Was he-- did he step on too many people on his way to the top? Who was this guy? What did he do? But that's what makes archeology interesting...it's like you're reading the ancient version of the National Enquirer in slow time.
Sarah Parcak: I often get asked, you know, especially when we're excavating in tombs, "Don't you feel bad? You're disturbing these people. You know, they wanted to be left alone." Yes, that's true. But on the flipside, the ancient Egyptians, they wanted their names to be remembered.
Bill Whitaker: And to let them live on.
Sarah Parcak: Yeah. And, you know, Intef and his mom and his children, you know, now the world knows them and knows who they are.
Once freed from the Earth, the ancient slab was hoisted using ancient methods. Local villagers do much of the heavy lifting. The man in charge is Omar Farouk.
Bill Whitaker: They call you "Reis"?
Reis Omar: Yes.
Bill Whitaker: What does that mean?
Reis Omar: They call me "Reis," this mean, yani, "the chief."
Bill Whitaker: You're the chief?
Archaeology has been the Farouk family business since the earliest digs in Egypt in the late 19th century. Omar's father, his grandfather and great grandfather oversaw digs like this one. For him, there's pride in both the work and the connection to ancient civilization.
Reis Omar: You know, you say you are Pharaonic people.
Bill Whitaker: You are Pharaonic people—
Reis Omar: Yeah.
Bill Whitaker: You are from the Pharaohs?
Reis Omar: Exactly.
Sarah Parcak: And we think the pyramids were built by aliens. Like, all you have to do is watch these modern Egyptian men move a big stone. And that's it, that's how the pyramids were built, by…
Bill Whitaker: You think this is how they built the pyramids, so—
Sarah Parcak: Yeah, using you know, ramp systems-- large groups of men moving stones. It's-- it's not rocket science, as it were.
From the first pharaohs to the Roman conquest, ancient Egyptian civilization lasted more than 3,000 years. Many of the most impressive artifacts are inside the famed Cairo Museum. But Sarah Parcak, a well-known Egyptologist, is convinced most of ancient Egypt remains undiscovered.
Here at Intef's tomb she's digging for the main burial chamber. Parcak is adept at this old school archaeology … but she's ushering in a new school of the science. She's making discoveries from 400 miles above the Earth while sitting at her desk. She gets infrared photos from DigitalGlobe, a commercial satellite company and looks for shapes, like circles and squares, not usually found in nature, and not easily visible on the ground that indicate human activity.
Bill Whitaker: So what have you found?
Sarah Parcak: A lot. I'm at the point where I can't keep track.
Parcak has found more than 3,000 ancient settlements in Egypt; Roman sites across Europe and North Africa; Viking sites in Iceland.
Sarah Parcak: So, we're gonna look up here.
One of Sarah Parcak's early important finds was in a farm field near the ancient Roman city of Portus.
CBS NEWS
One of her early important finds was in a farm field near the ancient Roman city of Portus. It's a site in Italy where archaeologists have been digging for a decade, but hadn't been able to find the city's amphitheater until Sarah Parcak looked at the satellite photos.
Sarah Parcak: So what you see in this image are fields. But you can't really see much of anything.
Bill Whitaker: Not much.
Sarah Parcak: So we can go to the next image. OK. So if you see—
Bill Whitaker: A circle.
Sarah Parcak: And what you're looking at is the likely amphitheater of Portus. It's in that field.
Bill Whitaker: How 'bout that?
Bill Whitaker: And from the surface you would see nothing?
Sarah Parcak: Absolutely nothing walking over the top of it.
Bill Whitaker: So your satellite sensors are not peering through the ground?
Sarah Parcak: Uh-unh. No.
Bill Whitaker: You're what? Looking for subtle variations on top of the ground?
Sarah Parcak: Right. So every site in the world is covered by different things whether it's some kind of soil or sand or vegetation. And all of those things are going to be affected in different ways by what's buried beneath the ground depending on whether it's a ditch or a stone wall or a mud brick building. So it's figuring out, it's puzzling out, what's there? What's it made of? Then and only then can you begin processing the image.
At the Portus farm field, that processing shows vegetation – colored orange – that's less healthy than the surrounding crop because of the stones that lie beneath. Parcak teases out the underlying features that can't be seen with the naked eye using sophisticated digital editing. It's like a souped up Photoshop. Just look at this satellite photo of Egypt's ancient city of Tanis -- Parcak fine-tunes the image to turn desert sand into a detailed map. And the structures from a place called Medinet Maadi seem to rise from ground.
And the structures from a place called Medinet Maadi seem to rise from ground.
Sarah Parcak: It almost is at the point where it feels like cheating, where you can see everything from hundreds of miles in space. And it's like that everywhere.
Bill Whitaker: Was this new technique welcomed by the community of archeologists?
Sarah Parcak: When my colleagues and I started finding not just one thing or two things but thousands of things, I think our colleagues were skeptical. "How is it possible that you could be looking in this place that we've been looking for 30 years, and you're seeing thousands of things?" Now, everyone's using it.
Sarah Parcak now is making it possible for everyone to look for ancient sites through her new project: GlobalXplorer. It's a website that invites armchair explorers to flip through satellite images of Peru. Since it started in January, people have examined more than 11 million photos and may have found thousands of unknown sites.
When Parcak looked at satellite photos of this area, she saw what others didn't - signs of rampant looting.
The site in Eqypt where Parcak is digging has been known to archaeologists for decades. But when Parcak looked at satellite photos of the area, she saw what others didn't --- signs of rampant looting.
Bill Whitaker: You can actually see the holes dug by the looters—
Sarah Parcak: Yes, easily. Easily.
Bill Whitaker: From space. Easily?
Sarah Parcak: It's very clear. It's not like ambiguous blob-iness, it-- you can see before and then after. And there are over 800 of them here.
Bill Whitaker: Over 800 of them?
Sarah Parcak: Uh-huh (affirm). Yes.
This is the satellite photo of the area from 2010. Here's the same location in 2013. The dark spots are looting pits. Looting spiked after the Arab Spring in 2011 as tourism plummeted and many of the sites were left unprotected. The area was ravaged and after Parcak shared the photos with the Egyptian government, it asked her to excavate Intef's tomb to preserve and protect what remains.
Sarah Parcak: There's one there. They tried one down there, it didn't work.
Parcak showed us the looting pits seen from space are all around the ancient cemetery... and she believes the fragments of bones and artifacts scattered around Intef's tomb are debris left behind by looters.
Bill Whitaker: Do you think the looters have gotten most of the antiquities from these tombs already?
Sarah Parcak: So it's this question, you know, how long is a piece of string. How much is left after thousands of years? And we all know that looting is part of the human condition. Many of these tombs were robbed in antiquity. You know, I'm never going to be able to tell you what was in a hole after the looters got there.
Bill Whitaker: So these tombs have been looted since ancient times?
Sarah Parcak: Uh-huh. They have been.
Bill Whitaker: It's not just a modern phenomenon?
Sarah Parcak: No, no, no, no. It's been going on for thousands of years.
The objects stolen by modern looting can be bought from ritzy galleries, auction houses and through online sites like eBay. Last November, the U.S. recovered these looted antiquities, including a child's sarcophagus and a mummified hand and returned them to the Egyptian embassy. They're among hundreds of objects that Egypt has repatriated from around the world…some go on display in a special exhibit at the Cairo Museum.
Sarah Parcak: The most important thing for archeological discovery is context. Where did something come from? Then you can begin to understand its function, its importance. That's why for us, as archeologists, looting is such a huge problem. Because when an object is taken out of its original context, we don't know where it comes from. We can't tell you anything about it aside from, "Well, it's a mummy," or, "It's a statue." But that's kind of it. The story doesn't get told.
Archaeology is methodical hard work. The dirt that's removed is carefully sifted for smaller pieces of stone, bone and pottery. Parcak assembled a team of specialists to eke out every last clue from what they find.
Rexine Hummel: I'm always euphoric when I'm here.
Rexine Hummel and Bettina Bader specialize in the jigsaw pieces of pots. Amazingly, you can see the thumbprint from the person who made this one.
Bettina Bader: You are very close to the man or woman who made this.
Bill Whitaker: How about that.
Bettina Bader: How do you feel now?
Bill Whitaker: Just touching something that's thousands of years old is kind of electric.
Bettina Bader: And you see the person's fingerprints and it draws me close to this stuff because they have used it – they have made it, they have used it.
Bill Whitaker: They've touched it and now you're touching it.
Bettina Bader: Exactly.
Sarah Parcak: That's what pulls you back every year. Like, the story is never finished ever.
Bill Whitaker: You find a little bit more and a little bit more and a little bit more.
Sarah Parcak: Every year.
We saw the wonders of ancient Egypt emerging from the desert sand. Sarah Parcak says imagine what more can be found peering down from space.
