Month: August 2013

“Skeleton Mask” from Kütahya

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

In Hurriyet we read:

A 2,000-year-old skeleton with a mask on its face has been found in the Aizanoi ancient city in Kütahya, during excavations in the area which have been continuing for two years now with new findings emerging.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, excavation group president Pamukkale University Archeology academic Elif Özer said the excavations had been ongoing since 2011, and many findings had been excavated from the area. The skeleton was excavated from the northern part of the necropolis eras.

The mask of the skeleton was found along with the face and the body. This mask is thought to have been used in the burial ceremonies in Aizonoi, said Özer. The mask was put on the face of the dead and this might signify the relation of the dead with the ceremony of Dionysos.

At the same time, excavations in Rome, Italy also uncovered masks. These masks have been related to ancestor cult, according to Özer. “We are doing research on this issue,” she added.

Özer said the information about the findings was yet to be determined, and the masks that had been excavated from the theater area and necropolis area were different. The theater area excavations also revealed Eros masks and Eros sculptures.

Full marks to the archaeologists on this one for not falling into the easy suggestion that this is a theatre mask (cf, e.g. Theatre Masks from Ilisu?) … we might note that the DAI page on Aizanoi has some issues with regards to the location of the site, including the ‘geonavigation’ (i.e. someone might want to check into that)

Roman Mysteries & Western Mysteries | Last Chance for Pompeii Exhibition!

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Last Chance for Pompeii Exhibition!
http://flavias.blogspot.com/2013/08/last-chance-for-pompeii-exhibition.html

  • via:  Roman Mysteries & Western Mysteries

Another ‘Mass Grave’ from Pisidian Antioch

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

From Hurriyet:

Excavations that have been continuing for four years in the ancient city of Pisidia Antiocheia in the southern province of Isparta’s Yalvaç district have revealed a second well containing the remains of six people.

Last month, the excavation discovered a mass grave of five people in a well on the ancient city’s Cardo Maximus Street.

Along with the six human bodies, a pig jaw was also found in the well-shaped hole inside a Roman villa with a pool in its garden.

Süleyman Demirel University Archaeology Department head Mehmet Özhanlı said they were very surprised that they had found two mass graves in one excavation season. “While our works have been continuing on the western side of Cardo Maximus Street, we found five skeletons in a well in a structure. This time we found a well-shaped structure in a Roman house. There were six human skulls and a pig jaw. We have determined that the murdered people were randomly thrown into the well,” Özhanlı said.

I’m not sure whether the previous month’s find made it to the English press … there is a Turkist report at Antik kentte cinayet izi (Milliyet). Back in January, the head of the excavations was hyping the town planning at the site: Town Planning at Pisidian Antioch.