View allAll Photos Tagged ArchaeologicalExcavations
Reconstruções das cabanas circulares no Castro de São Lourenço, em Vila Chã, Esposende, Portugal, um importante povoado fortificado com origens na Idade do Ferro, habitado entre os séculos IV a.C. e I d.C., e posteriormente romanizado. Estas habitações de pedra, com telhados cónicos de colmo, refletem a arquitetura típica da cultura castreja que se desenvolveu no noroeste da Península Ibérica. A localização estratégica do castro, num monte com vista para o Atlântico, permitia o controlo da foz do rio Cávado e a defesa contra invasores, sendo rodeado por três muralhas e um fosso. As casas circulares e sub-retangulares, restauradas em setores como o "Caminho Velho", ilustram a organização familiar da época. Escavações arqueológicas desenterraram cerâmicas indígenas e romanas, moedas e utensílios, que estão em exposição no Museu Municipal de Esposende, tornando este sítio arqueológico um valioso património histórico da região do Minho.
A Casa dos Repuxos é uma das mais notáveis construções das ruínas romanas de Conimbriga, situadas no centro de Portugal. Trata-se de uma residência aristocrática, datada do século II d.C., que se destaca pelo seu complexo sistema hidráulico, que alimentava várias fontes e tanques ornamentais. A casa possui ainda um rico conjunto de mosaicos, que representam cenas mitológicas, geométricas e vegetais.
The Casa dos Repuxos is one of the most notable buildings in the Roman ruins of Conimbriga, located in central Portugal. It is an aristocratic residence, dating from the 2nd century AD, which stands out for its complex hydraulic system, which fed several fountains and ornamental tanks. The house also has a rich set of mosaics depicting mythological, geometric and plant scenes.
My panoramic, taken before the twilight on the cliffs overlooking a spectacular purest sea at Roca Li Posti, (Puglia, Italia),
close to the popular Grotta "La Poesia". True colors.
I will publish the amazing most beautiful Grotto of Poetry with its inside blue waters pool in the future.
To the far right: some ruins of the castle overlooking the sea, the sixteenth-century watchtower, (Rocca in Italian or Roca in the local idiom).
Close by, there is a large area with Archaeological excavations on a sort of high esplanade overlooking the sea, up on top of the rocky cliffs, that is visitable with a cheap entrance ticket, at some hours also accompanied by a local guide.
The entire land along the coast is very panoramic and impressive. The village was built around 1480.
The importance of Roca Li Posti (also called Roca Vecchia), in Archeology is linked to the discovery made in 1983 of inscriptions mostly in Messapian (but also in Greek and Latin) on the rocky walls, from which is confirmed that a cave was once a place of worship of the god Taotor (or even Tator, Teotor or Tootor).
To the left on my photo are visible some caves that in ancient times were manually excavated and used by the ancient Tribe of the Messapians to be inhabited and for their religious rituals.
IMG_8698 copia edit OK NO WM
©łwAE . All rights reserved
As you gaze up at the spectacular remains of Fountains Abbey, in its heyday one of the richest monasteries in medieval Britain, it strikes you as somewhat ironic that its founders had abandoned a comfortable lifestyle in favour of simplicity, servitude… and a considerable degree of suffering.
In December 1132, the atmosphere in the nearby Benedictine Abbey of St Mary’s in York was somewhat less than peaceful. Far from following the discipline prescribed by St Benedict in the sixth century, the monks at St Mary’s were indulging themselves a little too freely for the liking of some of their brethren.
According to reputable sources, a riot broke out and the rebels – 13 monks who craved a more spartan existence – fled to the Archbishop of York for protection. The Archbishop was not too badly off himself, owning extensive lands around Ripon, and he granted them permission to establish a new monastery in the valley of the River Skell.
Snowdrop carpetView from west, showing dormitory and cellariumGreat news for the monks… they could build a new life for themselves! The bad news was that it was winter, and they had nowhere to stay. The valley, far from being the rural idyll that it appears today, was considered at that time to be “more fit for wild beasts than men to inhabit.” It did, however, offer a degree of shelter as well as a plentiful source of building materials and a good supply of drinking water. The National Trust guidebook says that the monks lived under an elm tree and covered themselves with straw; if this was indeed the case, they were hardy and committed individuals.
Although the Archbishop of York sent regular supplies of bread, the monks needed support of a different kind. They wrote to Bernard, the Abbot of Clairvaux Abbey in France, who despatched a monk to instruct them in the observance of Canonical Hours; he would also teach them how to build an abbey in accordance with Cistercian principles.
DoorwayThe first church was made of wood, but soon afterwards a much more impressive edifice was rising from the valley floor: the present Abbey church, with its magnificent west front, was finished around 1160. Stonemasons used locally-hewn sandstone, and massive oak beams supported the roof. Inside, the white-painted walls reflected the sunlight that streamed in through the many windows, and the effect must have been both stunning and uplifting. What must it have been like to hear a choir singing in there?
The Cistercian order, which the monks had adopted, called for a life of self-imposed hardship; they wore coarse wool habits and followed a strict routine of prayer and meditation, which involved long night vigils as well as daytime worship. They must have been freezing for most of the time… although there is a crumb of comfort in the survival of a ‘warming room’, where huge log fires allowed them a precious few minutes of warmth before embarking on their next duty. In the south end of the transept there is still a doorway, through which the monks would have emerged at two o’clock in the morning as they made their way from their dormitory and down some stairs towards the church, their steps lit only by candlelight.
In 1170, around 60 monks were living at Fountains Abbey, along with 200 lay brothers. The lay brothers were essential to the survival of the Abbey, because they were skilled craftsmen such as stonemasons, shoemakers, smiths and tanners. Many more were farm labourers and shepherds, managing the monastery’s ever-expanding estates. Some of them slept in the large dormitory at Fountains Abbey, while others lived on neighbouring farms. The system worked so efficiently that, by the mid-1400s, the monastery was one of the richest in England, and fleeces from the sheep were being sold as far afield as Italy. Hardly the spartan establishment to which its founders had aspired.
With guest houses, abbots’ quarters, dormitories, a refectory, kitchens, a cellarium for food storage, an infirmary, and a muniment room for the safe keeping of important books and papers, this large complex required precise and careful management. The monks were pretty much self-sufficient: there was a mill just across the river, grinding wheat, rye, barley and oats for bread; in the wool house, fleeces from the Abbey’s sheep were made into clothes and blankets; a tannery ensured an ongoing supply of leather and skins, and fishponds offered a healthy source of food. Hillside springs provided fresh water, while the toilets or ‘reredorter’ were contained in a two-storey extension over the River Skell. Not a bad idea! Although chilly, I should imagine.
Passing travellers were always welcome, and beggars were given food left over from the monks’ table. While ordinary visitors were shown into modest accommodation, the more prestigious guests were entertained in style; there are records of minstrels, travelling players and a ‘strange fabulist’ in the Abbey’s expense sheets. The elderly and the sick were cared for in the infirmary, which was a sizeable building in itself. But no women were admitted within the sacred walls: they had to remain in the Outer Court.
Blood-letting was one of the monks’ less attractive pastimes, as if they didn’t already subject themselves to enough rigours. The practice, which was carried out three or four times a year, was intended to purify the body. (If I was ever in any doubt of my absolute unsuitability for a cloistered life, this seals the matter). The extracted blood was later buried in reverence.
It sounds as if they all did pretty well – blood-letting notwithstanding – but that’s not to say that the Abbey and its inhabitants never suffered hard times. There were years of poor harvests and famine, and these in turn led to skirmishes by desperate raiders from Scotland. In the mid-1300s the Black Death reared its ugly face, carrying away at least a third of the Abbey’s inhabitants and leaving a shortage of labourers to till the fields.
East frontThe Abbey’s most noticeable feature, the 167-foot tower known as Huby’s Tower, was a comparatively late addition; prior to this, there would have been a smaller ‘lantern tower’ placed centrally over the church. Built in 1500, Huby’s Tower was the inspiration of Abbot Marmaduke Huby, and it bears a Latin inscription on each face, as well as carvings and statues. Today its broken crenellations are home to a flock of jackdaws; when they all take flight, they look like bees around an enormous beehive.
Old bridgeThings went very badly pear-shaped in 1539, as they did for monasteries up and down the kingdom. Henry VIII, furious with the Pope for denying him a divorce from Catherine of Aragon, hit on an ingenious but ruthless solution. He turned his back on the Roman Catholic Church and declared himself head of the new Church of England. No more Pope-worship for him – he preferred the seductive delights of Anne Boleyn.
England’s abbeys and nunneries, which had been rising to a state of comfortable wealth over the centuries, were now in the firing line. To Henry, they represented an establishment that he hated with a vengeance – but their assets would come in very handy. He lost no time in destroying the buildings, evicting their occupants and seizing their estates.
A deed of surrender was signed at Fountains Abbey in 1539. In keeping with Henry’s orders, the place had to be made unfit for worship. The roof was pulled off, the lead and glass were stripped from the windows and any remaining religious relics were removed. Stone was plundered for new buildings elsewhere, and nature began to reclaim the broken bones of former glory.
The story of Fountains Abbey didn’t end at that point, though it was over 200 years before it entered a surprising new chapter. In 1767 the estate was acquired by William Aislabie, who soon set to work designing an elegant pleasure park. He planted trees, dug lakes and created paths that led past Gothic-style temples and summerhouses to a point on the opposite side of the valley, where guests could enjoy a ‘surprise view’ of the Abbey in its picturesque state of decay. Poets and artists came to explore and be inspired: J M W Turner painted the Abbey on several occasions.
Today, the ruins of Fountains Abbey are carefully tended, so they don’t have quite the same romantic abandon which they must have presented in Turner’s time. On the other hand, they are in much less danger of imminent collapse! As you walk down the nave towards the Chapel of Nine Altars the great east window gapes in front of you, bereft of its beautiful tracery and glasswork, but breathtaking all the same. Anyone who entered the church in its heyday would have been almost struck dumb with awe.
Huby's TowerBlind doorways in Huby's TowerColumns and arches soar to dizzying heights, and as your gaze follows them upwards, your attention is drawn to isolated wooden doors, once clasped by cold, pious hands, now leading into nothing but thin air. Deep shadows lurk in the aisles and transept, intriguing but not unkindly. Sacrilegious though it might appear, I searched for ‘Fountains Abbey hauntings’ and found that the voices of a ghostly choir sometimes echo through the Chapel of Nine Altars. That’s something I’d quite like to hear.
With a sudden flapping of wings, a pigeon launches itself from a window ledge. The songs of blackbirds and thrushes float across from the woodland. Otherwise, silence reigns – and it’s a peaceful silence.
.... this is a series, long - and - short, of black and white photographs, made in Pompeii, Naples and on the Amalfi coast, a few days ago ...
in Pompeii I visited the archaeological excavations and the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of Rosary; in Naples, I went to the historic center, in the so-called "spaccanapoli street", where I found the church of St. Joseph Moscati (the doctor of the poor), the Saint Chiara monastery, and the populan Naples.
.... questa una serie, lunga - e - corta, di fotografie in bianco e nero, realizzate in Pompei, Napoli e lungo la costiera Amalfitana, qualche giorno fa ...
a Pompei ho visitato gli scavi archeologici ed il Santuario della Beata Vergine del Rosario; a Napoli, sono andato nel centro storico, nella via "spaccanapoli", ove ho trovato la chiesa di San Giuseppe Moscati (il medico dei poveri), il monastero di Santa Chiara, e tutta la Napoli popolana.
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click to activate the icon of slideshow: the small triangle inscribed in the small rectangle, at the top right, in the photostream;
Qi Bo's photos on Flickr Hive Mind
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www.fotografidigitali.it/gallery/2726/opere-italiane-segn...
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"La magia e i misteri di Pompei
I segreti di Pompei - Archeologia
www.pompeiisites.org/immagini/Eruzione/Metodo2_400.jpg
Giuseppe Moscati - L'amore che guarisce
I miracoli di San Giuseppe Moscati
San Giuseppe Moscati: "La prima medicina, l'infinito amore"
munasterio 'e santa chiara - roberto murolo
Giuseppe di Stefano. Munasterio ´e Santa-Chiara
R. Murolo , (Totò) Malafemmena
Peppe Barra - Tammurriata Nera (Live)
Pino Daniele & Eric Clapton - Napule è (HD)
L'oro di Napoli - eduardo de filippo - 'o pernacchio
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Non lasciarmi - NEVER LET ME GO (2010) | Trailer |
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Trowelling the floor level of House 1 at Leskernick Bronze Age settlement, Bodmin Moor, UK. House 1 was excavated in 1999 by the UCL Institute of Archaeology Bronze Age Settlements and Landscapes of Bodmin Moor Project. The different tones of the trowelled surface visible in the photograph (pale=clean weathered granite detritus [rab]; dark=intruded developed soil and humic material) are the result of animal burrowing. The row of stones behind the excavators belongs to the house wall. House 1 produced both Middle Bronze Age and Late Bronze Age dates. The excavation, never published in full, is discussed in Barbara Bender, Sue Hamilton and Chris Tilley's book "Stone Worlds" (p. 161–72) and in my own article "Excavating on the Moor", available on the Internet Archive (archive.org/details/asrp1excavatingonthemoor) and Researchgate (www.researchgate.net/publication/264974673), where this photo first appeared. The excavators' project diaries are currently being uploaded on the Internet Archive (archive.org/search.php?query=the+unpublished+leskernick+d...)
Flint packed post-hole at the Bronze Age site of Black Patch, Alciston. East Sussex, UK. Post hole 273 in hut B at the Bronze Age site of Black Patch, Alciston, excavated by Dick Tapper in 2005.
Krukan är från en akreologisk utgrävning av ett gravfält som användes mellan 500-1000-talet. Gravfältet har 120 gravar vilket ses som ovanligt stort. På den här tiden brändes de döda oftast i båtar som var placerade i graven. Krukan hittades i en kristengrav dvs den döda var gravlagd i öst-västlig riktning och obränd. Krukan är daterad till 1000-talet.
This Ceramic pot found in a archaeological excavation and dates back to the eleventh century. The burial ground contains 120 graves. Findings suggest that the pot was found in one of the few Christian graves on the burial ground.
För mer info/for more information www.kmmd.se/skiftinge-eskilstuna/
This was an archaeological excavation I was involved in south of Sacramento, CA in the early Spring of 1976. They were students of Calif. State Univ. Sacramento. Site was at Galt, CA.
Beehive houses by the site of ancient Harran, 40 km / 25 miles southeast of Urfa (Şanlıurfa).
Photos of the site of ancient Harran, 2002
Taken on a visit to Harran, 44 km southeast of Urfa (Şanlıurfa), and Sultantepe (photos) by archaeologist John MacGinnis and myself in August 2002 during the archaeological excavations at Ziyaret Tepe.
My Ziyaret Tepe photos:
Slides of the Ziyaret Tepe Excavation 2000, 2001 and 2002
Digital images of the Ziyaret Tepe Excavation 2002 and 2004
Canon Ftb with Canon 20mm lens, Fuji Velvia 35 mm film.
"Io ho apportato l'ordine alla folla degli esseri e sottomesso alla prova gli atti e le realtà: ogni cosa ha il nome che le conviene.
Io ho distrutto nell'Impero i libri inutili.
Io ho favorito le scienze occulte, affinché si cercasse per me, nel paese, la droga d'immortalità"
Qin Shi Huang 📖
Good Light & May the Mystery be with you!
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© Diletta Galassi, MIXTURE of LIGHT
Fighting techniques of the roman legionaries.
A cavalryman on a horse breaks through a closed row of legionaries.
9024 MuzGZ Zagreb City Museum
Zagreb - Walls system, ideal reconstruction (at the site)
Archaeological excavations within the eastern wing of the monastery complex and on Vraz's promenade revealed the remains of a rampart and part of a rampart structure made of carbonized wood. Based on these findings, an ideal reconstruction of its construction was performed. By dendrochronological analysis of wooden remains (counting years), the rampart is dated to 679. The base of the rampart embankment was a toast, on which a cassette construction of wooden shapes was placed. Between the shapes, branches were laid on which clay was carried and compacted. The entire embankment was covered with shrubs, and through the holes left at the foot of the embankment, the wooden part of the rampart was flooded. By burning the clay, the rampart was given a brick-like structure. Thus, it became stronger and more resistant to the weather. The height of the embankment is determined by the level of the Romanesque entrance to the city. which was recently discovered in the eastern mantle of a medieval stone rampart.
Expedition to Harran, 44 km southeast of Urfa (Şanlıurfa), and Sultantepe (photos) by archaeologist John MacGinnis and myself in August 2002 during the archaeological excavations at Ziyaret Tepe.
My Ziyaret Tepe photos:
Slides of the Ziyaret Tepe Excavation 2000, 2001 and 2002
Digital images of the Ziyaret Tepe Excavation 2002 and 2004
The long history of Harran from the 3rd millennium BC is described in Harran in Wikipedia. See also SOAS ARCHIVE: David Storm Rice, excavator of Harran in the 1950s
3rd millennium Ebla tablets-Mari letters-Assyrians-Hittites-
Babylonians-Persians-Seleucids-Romans-Islam-Crusaders
Harran was a centre of the worship of the Mesopotamian moon god Sin.
Harran was an important centre of learning. From Wikipedia: "During the late 8th and 9th centuries Harran was a centre for translating works of astronomy, philosophy, natural sciences, and medicine from Greek to Syriac by Assyrians, and thence to Arabic, bringing the knowledge of the classical world to the emerging Arabic-speaking civilization in the south. Baghdad came to this work later than Harran. Many important scholars of natural science, astronomy, and medicine originate from Harran; they were non-Arab and non-Islamic ethnic Assyrians, including possibly the alchemist Jābir ibn Hayyān."
Harran was completely destroyed in 1260 AD during the Mongol invasions of Syria and abandoned.
The area of Harran (Haran in the Bible) is associated with Abraham (Genesis).
The prominent remains at Harran in the above photo are those of the Great Mosque. From the website abrahampath.org/path/harran/harran-sites/great-mosque/
Harran’s once-splendid Great Mosque (8th century, Umayyad) was among the first mosques ever built within the borders of present-day Turkey. Today, its stark remnants include a crumbling archway and one lone minaret, mistaken for a church belfry by T.E. Lawrence during his visit to the “City of Abraham” in 1909. His confusion is understandable, as the mosque, like many places of worship in this region, blended late antique architectural forms (capitals, friezes) with characteristically Islamic ones (arabesques, square minarets). The mosque’s visible remains include a Byzantine capital engraved with grape vines and leaves, which was incorporated into the mosque during a 12th century restoration, and was likely brought to Harran from a ruined church in Edessa.
The mosque also incorporates far older remnants, perhaps belonging to the renowned Sin temple that would have been standing when Abraham emigrated to Harran. In the 1950s, an archaeological team sent to survey Ulu Cami discovered neo-Babylonian tablets dating from the 6th century BCE. They had been used, face down, as the steps of the mosque. These became known as the Nabonidus tablets for the Neo-Babylonian king Nabonidus who rebuilt the Harran temple. The find suggests that the temple of Sin may well have been located beneath the mosque. The remarkable black tablets, one of which depict Nabonidus worshipping the sun, moon, and Venus, are on display at the Sanliurfa Museum.
Archaeologist Nurettin Yardımcı has been leading the Harran excavations since 1983.
Canon Ftb with Canon 20mm lens, Fuji Velvia 35 mm film.
Expedition to Harran, 44 km southeast of Urfa (Şanlıurfa), and Sultantepe (photos) by archaeologist John MacGinnis and myself in August 2002 during the archaeological excavations at Ziyaret Tepe.
My Ziyaret Tepe photos:
Slides of the Ziyaret Tepe Excavation 2000, 2001 and 2002
Digital images of the Ziyaret Tepe Excavation 2002 and 2004
The long history of Harran from the 3rd millennium BC is described in Harran in Wikipedia. See also SOAS ARCHIVE: David Storm Rice, excavator of Harran in the 1950s
3rd millennium Ebla tablets-Mari letters-Assyrians-Hittites-
Babylonians-Persians-Seleucids-Romans-Islam-Crusaders
Harran was a centre of the worship of the Mesopotamian moon god Sin.
Harran was an important centre of learning. From Wikipedia: "During the late 8th and 9th centuries Harran was a centre for translating works of astronomy, philosophy, natural sciences, and medicine from Greek to Syriac by Assyrians, and thence to Arabic, bringing the knowledge of the classical world to the emerging Arabic-speaking civilization in the south. Baghdad came to this work later than Harran. Many important scholars of natural science, astronomy, and medicine originate from Harran; they were non-Arab and non-Islamic ethnic Assyrians, including possibly the alchemist Jābir ibn Hayyān."
Harran was completely destroyed in 1260 AD during the Mongol invasions of Syria and abandoned.
The area of Harran (Haran in the Bible) is associated with Abraham (Genesis).
The prominent remains at Harran in the above photo are those of the Great Mosque. From the website abrahampath.org/path/harran/harran-sites/great-mosque/
Harran’s once-splendid Great Mosque (8th century, Umayyad) was among the first mosques ever built within the borders of present-day Turkey. Today, its stark remnants include a crumbling archway and one lone minaret, mistaken for a church belfry by T.E. Lawrence during his visit to the “City of Abraham” in 1909. His confusion is understandable, as the mosque, like many places of worship in this region, blended late antique architectural forms (capitals, friezes) with characteristically Islamic ones (arabesques, square minarets). The mosque’s visible remains include a Byzantine capital engraved with grape vines and leaves, which was incorporated into the mosque during a 12th century restoration, and was likely brought to Harran from a ruined church in Edessa.
The mosque also incorporates far older remnants, perhaps belonging to the renowned Sin temple that would have been standing when Abraham emigrated to Harran. In the 1950s, an archaeological team sent to survey Ulu Cami discovered neo-Babylonian tablets dating from the 6th century BCE. They had been used, face down, as the steps of the mosque. These became known as the Nabonidus tablets for the Neo-Babylonian king Nabonidus who rebuilt the Harran temple. The find suggests that the temple of Sin may well have been located beneath the mosque. The remarkable black tablets, one of which depict Nabonidus worshipping the sun, moon, and Venus, are on display at the Sanliurfa Museum.
Archaeologist Nurettin Yardımcı has been leading the Harran excavations since 1983.
Canon Ftb with Canon 20mm lens, Fuji Velvia 35 mm film.
This mammoth tooth was reported through the Marine Aggregate Industry Archaeological Protocol for unexpected discoveries. It is virtually complete, even retaining a root. It is the third (last molar) of an woolly mammoth, about 35 years old, and probably dates to the Late Pleistocene. Woolly mammoths were in existence in Europe during the late Middle and Late Pleistocene (350,000-10,000 years ago).
Expedition to Harran, 44 km southeast of Urfa (Şanlıurfa), and Sultantepe (photos) by archaeologist John MacGinnis and myself in August 2002 during the archaeological excavations at Ziyaret Tepe.
My Ziyaret Tepe photos:
Slides of the Ziyaret Tepe Excavation 2000, 2001 and 2002
Digital images of the Ziyaret Tepe Excavation 2002 and 2004
The long history of Harran from the 3rd millennium BC is described in Harran in Wikipedia. See also SOAS ARCHIVE: David Storm Rice, excavator of Harran in the 1950s
3rd millennium Ebla tablets-Mari letters-Assyrians-Hittites-
Babylonians-Persians-Seleucids-Romans-Islam-Crusaders
Harran was a centre of the worship of the Mesopotamian moon god Sin.
Harran was an important centre of learning. From Wikipedia: "During the late 8th and 9th centuries Harran was a centre for translating works of astronomy, philosophy, natural sciences, and medicine from Greek to Syriac by Assyrians, and thence to Arabic, bringing the knowledge of the classical world to the emerging Arabic-speaking civilization in the south. Baghdad came to this work later than Harran. Many important scholars of natural science, astronomy, and medicine originate from Harran; they were non-Arab and non-Islamic ethnic Assyrians, including possibly the alchemist Jābir ibn Hayyān."
Harran was completely destroyed in 1260 AD during the Mongol invasions of Syria and abandoned.
The area of Harran (Haran in the Bible) is associated with Abraham (Genesis).
The prominent remains at Harran in the above photo are those of the Great Mosque. From the website abrahampath.org/path/harran/harran-sites/great-mosque/
Harran’s once-splendid Great Mosque (8th century, Umayyad) was among the first mosques ever built within the borders of present-day Turkey. Today, its stark remnants include a crumbling archway and one lone minaret, mistaken for a church belfry by T.E. Lawrence during his visit to the “City of Abraham” in 1909. His confusion is understandable, as the mosque, like many places of worship in this region, blended late antique architectural forms (capitals, friezes) with characteristically Islamic ones (arabesques, square minarets). The mosque’s visible remains include a Byzantine capital engraved with grape vines and leaves, which was incorporated into the mosque during a 12th century restoration, and was likely brought to Harran from a ruined church in Edessa.
The mosque also incorporates far older remnants, perhaps belonging to the renowned Sin temple that would have been standing when Abraham emigrated to Harran. In the 1950s, an archaeological team sent to survey Ulu Cami discovered neo-Babylonian tablets dating from the 6th century BCE. They had been used, face down, as the steps of the mosque. These became known as the Nabonidus tablets for the Neo-Babylonian king Nabonidus who rebuilt the Harran temple. The find suggests that the temple of Sin may well have been located beneath the mosque. The remarkable black tablets, one of which depict Nabonidus worshipping the sun, moon, and Venus, are on display at the Sanliurfa Museum.
Archaeologist Nurettin Yardımcı has been leading the Harran excavations since 1983.
Canon Ftb with Canon 20mm lens, Fuji Velvia 35 mm film.
98 percent of the 135-million-year-old fossil found in Kelheim, Bavaria is intact, even skin and hairs!
Further information: archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2011/10/near-perfect-...
Expedition to Harran, 44 km southeast of Urfa (Şanlıurfa), and Sultantepe (photos) by archaeologist John MacGinnis and myself in August 2002 during the archaeological excavations at Ziyaret Tepe.
My Ziyaret Tepe photos:
Slides of the Ziyaret Tepe Excavation 2000, 2001 and 2002
Digital images of the Ziyaret Tepe Excavation 2002 and 2004
The long history of Harran from the 3rd millennium BC is described in Harran in Wikipedia. See also SOAS ARCHIVE: David Storm Rice, excavator of Harran in the 1950s
3rd millennium Ebla tablets-Mari letters-Assyrians-Hittites-
Babylonians-Persians-Seleucids-Romans-Islam-Crusaders
Harran was a centre of the worship of the Mesopotamian moon god Sin.
Harran was an important centre of learning. From Wikipedia: "During the late 8th and 9th centuries Harran was a centre for translating works of astronomy, philosophy, natural sciences, and medicine from Greek to Syriac by Assyrians, and thence to Arabic, bringing the knowledge of the classical world to the emerging Arabic-speaking civilization in the south. Baghdad came to this work later than Harran. Many important scholars of natural science, astronomy, and medicine originate from Harran; they were non-Arab and non-Islamic ethnic Assyrians, including possibly the alchemist Jābir ibn Hayyān."
Harran was completely destroyed in 1260 AD during the Mongol invasions of Syria and abandoned.
The area of Harran (Haran in the Bible) is associated with Abraham (Genesis).
The prominent remains at Harran in the above photo are those of the Great Mosque. From the website abrahampath.org/path/harran/harran-sites/great-mosque/
Harran’s once-splendid Great Mosque (8th century, Umayyad) was among the first mosques ever built within the borders of present-day Turkey. Today, its stark remnants include a crumbling archway and one lone minaret, mistaken for a church belfry by T.E. Lawrence during his visit to the “City of Abraham” in 1909. His confusion is understandable, as the mosque, like many places of worship in this region, blended late antique architectural forms (capitals, friezes) with characteristically Islamic ones (arabesques, square minarets). The mosque’s visible remains include a Byzantine capital engraved with grape vines and leaves, which was incorporated into the mosque during a 12th century restoration, and was likely brought to Harran from a ruined church in Edessa.
The mosque also incorporates far older remnants, perhaps belonging to the renowned Sin temple that would have been standing when Abraham emigrated to Harran. In the 1950s, an archaeological team sent to survey Ulu Cami discovered neo-Babylonian tablets dating from the 6th century BCE. They had been used, face down, as the steps of the mosque. These became known as the Nabonidus tablets for the Neo-Babylonian king Nabonidus who rebuilt the Harran temple. The find suggests that the temple of Sin may well have been located beneath the mosque. The remarkable black tablets, one of which depict Nabonidus worshipping the sun, moon, and Venus, are on display at the Sanliurfa Museum.
Archaeologist Nurettin Yardımcı has been leading the Harran excavations since 1983.
Canon Ftb with Canon 20mm lens, Fuji Velvia 35 mm film.
Excavation in progress, with Anglo-Saxon penannular ditch and central grave in foreground, and other graves beyond.
In July 2021, the team from Wessex Archaeology reunited with friends from Operation Nightingale (www.gov.uk/guidance/operation-nightingale), a military initiative which uses archaeology to aid in the recovery of ex-service men and women, for Operation Ring Giver on Salisbury Plain.
Veterans and archaeologists convened for the 3-week fieldwork project at what had been intended to be the site for the new Royal Artillery Museum, on MoD land close to Netheravon. The aim of the project was to excavate the Anglo-Saxon cemetery and other archaeological remains at the site, while offering veterans companionship and connection, a sense of wellbeing and the chance to gain new skills. To learn more about the project, visit: www.wessexarch.co.uk/our-work/operation-nightingale-2021-....