Giant 3,000-year-old statue of Pharaoh Ramses II found buried in a Cairo slum is hailed as ‘one of the most important discoveries ever’ Archaeologists from Egypt and Germany have found a massive 26ft statue submerged in ground water in a Cairo slum. The discovery, hailed by the Antiquities Ministry as one of the most important ever, was made near the ruins of Ramses II’s temple in the ancient city of Heliopolis, located in the eastern part of modern-day Cairo.
Category: Anthropology
Rock Art Discovered in ‘Dark Ages’ Tomb in Israel
Moving 400 tons’ worth of boulders to make a 65-foot-wide tomb is no easy feat. That’s why Israeli archaeologists were impressed to find an ancient burial chamber of that size dating back to the “Dark Ages,” more than 4,000 years ago.
Syrian government takes back Palmyra from ISIS
Syrian government had previously seized back the town from Islamic State last March but lost it again 10 months later BEIRUT-Syria’s military announced on Thursday it has fully recaptured the historic town of Palmyra from the Islamic State group as the militants’ defences crumbled and IS fighters fled in the face of artillery fire and intense Russia-backed airstrikes. The development marks the third time that the town-famed for its priceless Roman ruins and archaeological treasures IS had sought to destroy-has changed hands in one year.
Syrian army re-enters town of Palmyra as IS defenses crumble
Syrian government forces battling the Islamic State group re-entered Palmyra on Thursday in their quest to again take the historic town they had lost to the militants in December, state media reported. The Kremlin’s spokesman said President Vladimir Putin was informed by his defense minister that Syrian troops had gained control of Palmyra, with support from Russian warplanes.
Nigerian governor says 2 kidnapped Germans are freed
Nigerian security agents have freed two German archaeologists kidnapped by gunmen from a remote dig, the governor of northern Kaduna state said Sunday. Governo Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai “commended the security agencies for their efforts in securing the release of the Germans,” said a statement.
Sunken, 600-year-old Buddha emerges in China
A 600-year-old Buddha statue has been discovered in a reservoir in east China’s Jiangxi Province after water levels fell during renovation work. A local villager first spotted the head of the Buddha last month when the water level fell by more than 10 meters during work on a hydropower gate, official state news agency Xinhua reported.
Islamic guards at Jerusalem holy site object to archaeologist calling it a Temple Mounta
A respected Israeli archaeologist was nearly ejected from a holy site in Jerusalem for calling it by the term “Temple Mount.” Archeologist Dr. Gabriel Barkay on Sunday was explaining the archaeological history of the site to a multi-faith group of students from the University of California-Los Angeles when two guards of the Wakf, the Islamic authority that oversees the site known as Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary, who had been shadowing the group, brought him to Israel Police officers at the site to complain, the Times of Israel reported.
Turning Iraq history to rubble, leaving the mess to looters
The giant winged bulls that once stood sentry at the nearly 3,000-year-old palace at Nimrud have been hacked to pieces. The fantastical human-headed creatures were believed to guard the king from evil, but now their stone remains are piled in the dirt, victims of the Islamic State group’s fervor to erase history.
Turning Iraq history to rubble, leaving the mess to looters
This Nov. 19, 2008 photo released by the U.S. Army shows the statues of the lamassu, the winged, human-headed bulls that stood at the gates of the palace and were believed to ward off evil in the ancient city of Nimrud, near Mosul, Iraq. The bulls were destroyed by Islamic State group militants in early 2015 as they razed the entire site, one of the most important archaeological ruins in the Middle East.
Turning Iraq history to rubble, leaving the mess to looters
Iraq archaeologist Layla Salih, left, confers with UNESCO’s representative in Iraq Louse Haxthausen, right, at the ancient site of Nimrud, Iraq, in this Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016 photo. Days after Iraqi forces drove the Islamic State group from Nimrud in November, Salih arrived to survey the damage they wreaked on the nearly 3,000-year-old site.
Agatha Christie had little-known role in ancient Nimrud
This 1949 photo taken by British mystery author Agatha Christie shows a statue of a lamassu, a winged bull from Assyrian mythology who guarded the royal court from evil, at the ancient site of Nimrud, near modern day Mosul, Iraq. Christie had a little-known link to Nimrud: She accompanied her husband, archaeologist Max Mallowan, as he excavated the onetime capital of the Assyrian Empire, and she assisted by piecing together some artifacts and chronicling the dig in photos and film.
Saving ancient treasures
The Turkish Cypriot tourism office and the local council of Trikomo have signed an agreement to open an archaeology museum in the town, as part of a drive to ensure every town has a museum. Tourism office head, Fikri Ataoglu, and the leader of the local council, Hasan Sadikoglu, believe the museum will draw visitors to the town and allow them to see the historical artefacts of the island.