Tall stories upon a shallow shore

Submitted by Iza on Thu, 02/09/2023 - 18:16

Text by our correspondent from Didyma, Glenn Maffia.

As one can imagine, I do have somewhat of a luxury in that the subject matter of my columns, the ancient past, generally affords me to escape the rigours of reporting current news. Well, almost. Sometimes a snippet of current news does occasionally leap the divide of the millennia.

Gate of Mazeus and Mithridates in Ephesus

January 2023 in Turkish archaeology

Submitted by Iza on Thu, 02/02/2023 - 17:10

Let's take a brief look at the archaeology news from January 2023 (for the full information, please read the full text below). Firstly, last month an exciting new project was announced, promising to provide the text of almost 2000 Hittite tablets, deciphered using artificial intelligence. Secondly, great news from Iznik (ancient Nicaea) where a new Archaeological Museum is getting ready to open. In the same town, Byzantine artefacts were found under an orchard by an unsuspecting farmer. Finally, as part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic, an exhibition, displaying Ottoman and Republican-era objects, was opened at the Presidential National Library in Ankara.

Ancient fortification walls of Nicaea (modern-day Iznik)

Plucking from the garden of history

Submitted by Iza on Thu, 02/02/2023 - 16:57

Text and photos by our correspondent from Didyma, Glenn Maffia.

Following on from my previous article (Apollo on my mind), I believe that it may be necessary, even prudent, to qualify some of the evidence which I proffered therein.

Most notably the abject attitude of some local people towards this incredibly rich vein of historical artefacts which are seemingly endless in their historical scope, the innumerable disparate peoples and cultures, the endless number of belief systems which were active over so many millennia and the sheer diversity within this landmass which once was, without doubt, the ‘crossroads of the earth’.

Apollo on my mind

Submitted by Iza on Tue, 01/24/2023 - 12:18

Text by our correspondent from Didyma, Glenn Maffia.

Just prior to Christmas, I received a number of communications from my sources within Europe concerning the future of investigations into the Temple of Apollo at Didyma. Nothing concrete, you must understand, but nonetheless intriguing in the way that such archaeological tenets are being evolved, or rather dissolved, by the principle institutions engaged in this highly valuable and crucial work.

The treasures of Ephesus in the Ephesos Museum in Vienna

Submitted by Iza on Sun, 01/15/2023 - 19:39

As it is also the case of other ancient cities, also the archaeological artefacts found in Ephesus can be seen in different locations around the world. The findings excavated between 1867 and 1905 were taken to the British Museum, while the Ephesos Museum in Vienna displays numerous artefacts discovered between 1896 and 1906, when seven Austrian archaeological expeditions transported findings to Vienna. Luckily, numerous artefacts are now on display in the Ephesus Archaeological Museum in Selçuk, near the ruins of Ephesus.