All the preparatory work before reconstruction begins on a major ancient public building on the island of Delos has been completed, the ministry of Culture announced on Thursday.

The reconstruction of the marble Stoa of Philip V is being funded by the Paul and Alexandra Canellopoulos Foundation at a total cost of 550,000 euros, and the work will be undertaken by the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cycladic Islands.

The Stoa of Philip II, one of the first monuments that the visitor to the archaeological site of Delos meets, is located south of the temple of the Sanctuary of Apollo and, along with the South Stoa, defines the Sacred Way, which ends in the Propylaea. The 11,000-square-meter building, which is to be restored, is built entirely of marble and was erected at the end of the 3rd century / early 2nd cent. B.C. A few years later it was extended across the west and along to the north. Nowadays the building is preserved only at the foundation level, but a scattered array of ancient architectural members is preserved, which allows and encourages its restoration. Thus, this important patronage of the King of Macedonia on the Holy Island of Apollo will be able to be restored using a large percentage of his original material.

The first phase of the works took place in the middle of the summer and involved cleaning inside the building, its extension and the surrounding area, work required first to capture the existing state of the monument and to gather the architectural members belonging to the monument. Numerous identification, counting and cataloging of the ancient members within the building’s outline and extension were also made, and the architectural members to be used in the restoration began to be designed.

During the second phase of the works, in the middle of autumn, the dense vegetation in the inaccessible marshy area to the west of the Stoa, 600 sq. Meters. where, according to archival material, at the beginning of the 19th century many architectural members of the building and its extension were deposited. The image of the scattered ancient material after the cleansing was impressive, as the number of members reached 1,000, of which around 900 were architectural members of the Stoa. The laborious work of methodical hauling, matching and temporary sorting by type was carried out by qualified personnel using a large telescopic crane that arrived on the island with an open-air ferry from Paros.

In December, the third phase of the works, during which they were discovered (through dense vegetation), were identified and recorded the remaining unregistered architectural members (approx. 300) located in two other areas near the port. At the same time, the three-dimensional mapping of the broken architectural members to be used in the restoration to build the supplements began.

The work for the restoration of the Lodge of Philip II is expected to continue at an intensive pace in 2018, aiming at upgrading the special and sensitive area of Delos with the rendering of the third dimension to a remarkable monument of antiquity.

A ninth-century Purang stele – the official term for an upright stone slab with engravings – is believed to be the oldest in the Tibet Autonomous Region, according the archaeologists in the region.

Shargan Wangdue, of the Tibet Cultural Relics Protection Institute, said the stele was discovered in Ngari Prefecture in northern part of Tibet.

The stele, 1.85 meters tall, is inscribed with the image of a standing Buddha.

On its left side are 24 lines of old Tibetan language. On its right side are 19 lines of buddhist prayers.

Most scholars agree that the stele was set up in 826 or 838, during the period of Tubo kingdom.

“This stele shows Buddhism was already being practiced during the Tubo period in western part of Ngari,” Shargan Wangdue asserted.

Deep in a swamp in the Russian republic of Tuva, SNSF-funded archaeologist Gino Caspari has discovered an undisturbed Scythian burial mound. All the evidence suggests that this is not only the largest Scythian princely tomb in South Siberia, but also the earliest — and that it may be harbouring some outstandingly well-preserved treasures.

Gino Caspari made the most significant find in his career to date not with a shovel, but at a computer. A recipient of Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) funding, archaeologist Caspari discovered a circular structure on high-resolution satellite images of the Uyuk River valley (Siberia) on his computer screen. An initial trial dig carried out this summer by the Bern University scientist together with the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Hermitage Museum confirmed his suspicion: the structure is a kurgan, a Scythian princely tomb.

Recording Divers found remnants from not one, but three archaeological features off the coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. A Dutch warship, a British steamboat and a lighthouse, which sounds like the beginning of an extremely nerdy joke but is really just a factual list of discoveries.

The relics lie near the small seaport town of Sisal, according to Reuters. These days, Sisal is a quiet fishing village. In the 18th and 19th centuries, however, it was a major port for all manner of vessels, according to Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History. Some of those vessels were luckier than others.

Neither the Dutch warship nor the British steamboat have been seen since they sank, in the 18th and 19th centuries, respectively. They lie at separate sites, to which local guides led experts from the institute’s Sub-Directorate of Underwater Archeology.

The Dutch warship lies in the Madagascar Canyons, about 22 nautical miles (basically the same distance as a mile) northwest of Sisal. It features 12 cannons, each more than eight feet long. Based on records from the General Archive of the Indies in Seville, Spain, the ship went down in February of 1722, a season of lethal north winds, according to the Yucatan Times. The archive lists two Dutch frigates from that time that were carrying contraband merchandise (though exactly what kind of contraband wasn’t specified). One sank, while the crew was rescued and brought ashore to Sisal.

Helena Barba Meinecke, a marine archaeology expert at the institute, reported that the cannons were probably thrown overboard by the crew in an attempt to save the sinking ship. Eight additional cannons and cannonballs were found about 60 feet away—covered in nearly six inches of coral, an ideal artificial reef for local marine life.

The 18th century Dutch frigate, which was carrying contraband when it sank. Helena Barba/INAH

The second ship, just over one nautical mile from shore, is a Mississippi-style steamboat complete with a rocking machine and paddle wheels, according to the second part of the Yucatan Times report. The archaeologists dated it to between 1807 and 1870, before the era of more modern boilers. It’s been newly named “Vapor Adalio” to honor the grandfather of the Sisel fisherman who guided the researchers to the site.

The lighthouse rests at a third site, just two nautical miles from Sisal. Experts dated it to the late 19th or early 20th century. It measures a little over 26 feet high and around 11 and a half feet wide and probably met its fate during a tropical storm, the Yucatan Times reported.

By Kastalia Medrano Newsweek

Slovakia has another unique archaeological object, an ancient game found in 2006 when researching the tomb of a Germanic prince in Poprad. After its conservation and further research, experts found the game has no parallel in Europe.

The game, over 1,600 years old, consists of chess-like squares with green and white playing pieces of different sizes that have also been preserved.

“There were plenty of board games in ancient times with many variants, but reconstructing the playing technique is a very complicated process that only top experts can solve,” said the deputy of director of the Archaeological Institute in Nitra, Karol Pieta, as cited by the SITA newswire. Pieta lead the research on the tomb in Poprad.

Expert from Switzerland

Archaeologists turned to the best European expert on ancient games, Ulrich Schädler, director of the Museum of Games located near Lake Geneva in Switzerland. He travelled to Slovakia and was excited about the finding.

“There has been not a playing board of similar type in Europe yet,” said Pieta for SITA. Games of this type were found in Greek and Roman temples on the floors or in the streets of ancient towns, carved into stone pavement. This portable wooden board game from Poprad is unique.

Schädler has a difficult task ahead of him – to try to solve the system of the ancient game. By the end of 2018 it should be placed in the exposition of findings from the tomb in the Podtatranské Museum in Poprad.

“The board game from the tomb of the German prince in Poprad is a great discovery and contribution to the history of games in Europe. It’s the best preserved ancient wooden board game that has been found to the north of the Mediterranean Sea. Together with Roman glass playing pieces it was apparently a prestigious object that documented contacts of the dead with the Roman world,” said Schädler, as quoted by SITA.

An analysis of the playing pieces revealed that it is ancient glass from the east Mediterranean, probably from Syria. “So the game was apparently brought from the territory of the Roman empire to under the Tatras,” added Pieta for SITA.

Roman army soldier

Experts succeeded in finding much information about the German prince during the research. Archaeologists now know that he was born in the area where he was also buried, he was about 30 years old and he stayed in the Mediterranean for some time.

“It’s highly probable that he served in the Roman army as a prominent officer that corresponded with his social status. He was strongly influenced by the developed ancient culture, as demonstrated by his favourite game being placed in his tomb,” said Pieta for SITA.

The tomb from the year 375 AD was discovered by accident while doing construction work twelve years ago in the industrial zone of Poprad – Matejovce. A bed from yew wood decorated with silver sheets and a desk belong among the most significant discoveries in the tomb.

Compiled by Spectator staff

Israeli archaeologists unveiled a 2,700-year-old clay seal impression they believe belonged to a biblical governor of Jerusalem

The artifact, inscribed in an ancient Hebrew script as “belonging to the governor of the city,” was likely attached to a shipment or sent as a souvenir on behalf of the governor, according to officials of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

It was discovered near the plaza of Judaism’s Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, Reuters reported.

The impression is the size of a small coin, Reuters reported. It shows two standing men facing each other in a mirror-like manner and wearing striped garments reaching to their knees.

“It supports the biblical rendering of the existence of a governor of the city in Jerusalem 2,700 years ago,” an Antiquities Authority statement quoted excavator Shlomit Weksler-Bdolah as saying.

Governors of Jerusalem, appointed by the king, are mentioned twice in the Bible, Reuters reported: In 2 Kings, which refers to Joshua holding the position; and in 2 Chronicles, which mentions Masseiah in the post during the reign of Josiah.