Latest news with #historicalDiscovery
The Sun
15-07-2025
- Science
- The Sun
Lost Roman city mentioned in ancient text that has baffled historians for centuries is FOUND on Brit hols hotspot island
A LONG-LOST Roman city that has baffled historians for centuries has finally been found on a Brit holiday hotspot island. A team of archaeologists believes it has discovered the one of two elusive Roman sites on the Spanish island of Majorca. 5 5 A celebrated Roman author called Pliny the Elder was the original source to write about two major cities, Tucis and Guium, which have never been found. The settlements are repeatedly referenced in historical texts, but there were never any clues as to where they actually lay. Now, however, a team of archaeologists believes their excavations at a 5,000-square-metre site on Majorca will finally turn up one of them. Beatriu Palomar, one of the researchers on the team, said: "The structures that are beginning to be seen respond to a perfectly planned urban development plan. "We would not be surprised if, when the centre of the explored area is excavated, we find one of the municipalities mentioned by Pliny the Elder that were never located. "It does not seem unrealistic to us to think that Tucis or Guium are hidden beneath these structures; we would even bet on the former." Guium and Tucis are the two most mysterious Roman cities, because almost all the others have been subject to close analysis. The absence of any physical evidence on their whereabouts up to this point had caused some researchers to question whether they ever even existed. But there are very encouraging signs coming out of the dig site called Son Fornés - next to the town of Montuïri in the centre of the island. Cristina Rihuete, researcher and director of the Son Fornés Archaeological Museum, said: "After what we've seen, and the amount of imperial material on the surface, as well as the tegulas (which clearly date high-ranking buildings, as they were purchased, just like amphorae and tableware), I'm very convinced that we have a very significant site in Roman times." There are two thousand years of culture and heritage preserved at the Montuïri site. Within the soil are buried relics from 1,500 BC, during the time of the pre-Talayotic culture, through to the end of the Roman period shortly after the first century AD. The team said: "There is no other site that we can say has endured so long and contains such long-standing evidence." Research at Son Fornés began in 1975. The identity of the site has never been confirmed - but may soon become clear. 5 5 Intriguingly, the breakthrough has come in a year when there no excavations have been carried out. Rather, progress has been made through clearing, refurbishing and restoring relics discovered beneath the dirt. Beatriu said: "The buildings that have been discovered show us a panorama that has exceeded all expectations. "An entire urban planning process from the Roman Republican and Imperial periods has been revealed, opening up unprecedented perspectives for understanding the indigenous settlement of those times and the transformations that occurred following the Roman occupation of the island." But one vital question remains: is the site Tucis or Guium? Beatriu said: "Tucis was a Latin oppidum, a city under Latin law integrated as a civitas stipendiaria, which gave it its own administrative and political organization within the Roman system. "It developed during the 1st century and could well have found its place in Son Fornés," and is therefore considered the more likely option.
CTV News
09-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
A contractor stumbles upon a Byzantine tomb complex under a destroyed Syrian house
A guard inspects an engraved stone, originally found at a Byzantine underground tomb complex believed to be over 1,500 years old and uncovered by a contractor during the reconstruction of a war-damaged house and brought to a museum yard in Maarat al-Numan, Syria, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Albam) MARAAT AL-NUMAN, Syria — A contractor digging into the earth where the rubble of a destroyed house had been cleared away in northern Syria stumbled across a surprise: the remains of an underground Byzantine tomb complex believed to be more than 1,500 years old. The discovery emerged last month in the town of Maarat al-Numan in Idlib province, which is strategically located on the route between the cities of Aleppo and Damascus. The community became a touchpoint in the nearly 14-year Syrian civil war that ended with the fall of former President Bashar Assad in a lightning rebel offensive in December. Assad's forces seized the area back from opposition control in 2020. Houses were looted and demolished. Aerial images of the area show many houses still standing but without roofs. Now residents are beginning to return and rebuild. In the course of a reconstruction project, stone openings were uncovered indicating the presence of ancient graves. Residents notified the directorate of antiquities, which dispatched a specialized team to inspect and secure the site. Aboveground, it's a residential neighbourhood with rows of cinder-block buildings, many of them damaged in the war. Next to one of those buildings, a pit leads down to the openings of two burial chambers, each containing six stone tombs. The sign of the cross is etched into the top of one stone column. 'Based on the presence of the cross and the pottery and glass pieces that were found, this tomb dates back to the Byzantine era,' said Hassan al-Ismail, director of antiquities in Idlib. He noted that the discovery adds to an already rich collection of archeological sites in the area. Idlib 'has a third of the monuments of Syria, containing 800 archaeological sites in addition to an ancient city,' al-Ismail said. The Byzantine Empire, which began in the 4th century AD, was a continuation of the Roman empire with its capital in Constantinople — today's Istanbul — and Christianity as its official religion. Abandoned Byzantine-era settlements called Dead Cities stretch across rocky hills and plains in northwest Syria, their weathered limestone ruins featuring remnants of stone houses, basilicas, tombs and colonnaded streets. In the past, the owners of sites where archeological ruins were found sometimes covered them up, fearful that their property would be seized to preserve the ruins, said Ghiath Sheikh Diab, a resident of Maarat al-Numan who witnessed the moment when the tomb complex was uncovered. He said he hoped the new government will fairly compensate property owners in such cases and provide assistance to the displaced people who have returned to the area to find their homes destroyed. The years of war led to significant damage to Syria's archeological sites, not only from bombing but from looting and unauthorized digging. Some see in the ruins a sign of hope for economic renewal. Another local resident, Abed Jaafar, came with his son to explore the newly discovered tombs and take pictures. 'In the old days, a lot of foreign tourists used to come to Maarat just to see the ruins,' he said. 'We need to take care of the antiquities and restore them and return them to the way they were before … and this will help to bring back the tourism and the economy.' Sewell reported from Damascus, Syria. Omar Albam And Abby Sewell, The Associated Press
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Syrian contractor discovers ancient Byzantine tomb complex during construction
A Syrian contractor made a historic discovery when clearing the rubble of a destroyed home, stumbling upon remains of an underground Byzantine tomb complex. Believed to be more than 1,500 years old, the ruins were found in Maarat al-Numan in Idlib province, located on the route between the cities of Aleppo and Damascus. Residents there have been rebuilding their communities after the collapse of Bashar al Assad's regime last December. After the contractor found stone openings during a reconstruction project, locals contacted the authorities, who then dispatched a specialised team to inspect and secure the site. Images of the complex show that a pit next to a damaged building leads down to the openings of two burial chambers, each containing six stone tombs, with the sign of the cross etched into the top of one stone column. Hassan al Ismail, director of antiquities in Idlib, said that "based on the presence of the cross and the pottery and glass pieces that were found, this tomb dates back to the Byzantine era". Idlib "has a third of the monuments of Syria, containing 800 archaeological sites in addition to an ancient city", he said. The Byzantine Empire began in the 4th century AD, and was a continuation of the Roman Empire with its capital in Constantinople - now Istanbul in Turkey - and Christianity as its official religion. Ghiath Sheikh Diab, a resident who witnessed the moment when the complex was uncovered, told the Associated Press that under Assad, people in Syria who found archaeological ruins would cover them up over fears their properties would be seized under Assad. Read more from Sky News: Another local, Abed Jaafar, said: "In the old days, a lot of foreign tourists used to come to Maarat just to see the ruins. "We need to take care of the antiquities and restore them and return them to the way they were before... and this will help to bring back the tourism and the economy."
Sky News
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Syrian contractor discovers ancient Byzantine tomb complex during construction
A Syrian contractor made a historic discovery when clearing the rubble of a destroyed home, stumbling upon remains of an underground Byzantine tomb complex. Believed to be more than 1,500 years old, the ruins were found in Maarat al-Numan in Idlib province, located on the route between the cities of Aleppo and Damascus. the collapse of Bashar al Assad's regime last December. After the contractor found stone openings during a reconstruction project, locals contacted the authorities, who then dispatched a specialised team to inspect and secure the site. Images of the complex show that a pit next to a damaged building leads down to the openings of two burial chambers, each containing six stone tombs, with the sign of the cross etched into the top of one stone column. Hassan al Ismail, director of antiquities in Idlib, said that "based on the presence of the cross and the pottery and glass pieces that were found, this tomb dates back to the Byzantine era". Idlib "has a third of the monuments of Syria, containing 800 archaeological sites in addition to an ancient city", he said. The Byzantine Empire began in the 4th century AD, and was a continuation of the Roman Empire with its capital in Constantinople - now Istanbul in Turkey - and Christianity as its official religion. Ghiath Sheikh Diab, a resident who witnessed the moment when the complex was uncovered, told the Associated Press that under Assad, people in Syria who found archaeological ruins would cover them up over fears their properties would be seized under Assad. Another local, Abed Jaafar, said: "In the old days, a lot of foreign tourists used to come to Maarat just to see the ruins. "We need to take care of the antiquities and restore them and return them to the way they were before... and this will help to bring back the tourism and the economy."
Asharq Al-Awsat
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Contractor in Syria Uncovers a Surprise Beneath the Rubble: An Ancient Tomb Complex
A contractor digging into the earth where the rubble of a destroyed house had been cleared away in northern Syria stumbled across a surprise: the remains of an underground Byzantine tomb complex believed to be more than 1,500 years old. The discovery emerged last month in the town of Maarat al-Numan in Idlib province, which is strategically located on the route between the cities of Aleppo and Damascus. The community became a touchpoint in the nearly 14-year Syrian civil war that ended with the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad in a lightning opposition offensive in December. Assad's forces seized the area back from opposition control in 2020. Houses were looted and demolished. Aerial images of the area show many houses still standing but without roofs. Now residents are beginning to return and rebuild. In the course of a reconstruction project, stone openings were uncovered indicating the presence of ancient graves. Residents notified the directorate of antiquities, which dispatched a specialized team to inspect and secure the site. Aboveground, it's a residential neighborhood with rows of cinder-block buildings, many of them damaged in the war. Next to one of those buildings, a pit leads down to the openings of two burial chambers, each containing six stone tombs. The sign of the cross is etched into the top of one stone column. "Based on the presence of the cross and the pottery and glass pieces that were found, this tomb dates back to the Byzantine era," said Hassan al-Ismail, director of antiquities in Idlib. He noted that the discovery adds to an already rich collection of archeological sites in the area. A guard inspects an engraved stone, originally found at a Byzantine underground tomb complex believed to be over 1,500 years old and uncovered by a contractor during the reconstruction of a war-damaged house and brought to a museum yard in Maarat al-Numan, Syria, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP) Idlib "has a third of the monuments of Syria, containing 800 archaeological sites in addition to an ancient city," al-Ismail said. The Byzantine Empire, which began in the 4th century AD, was a continuation of the Roman empire with its capital in Constantinople — today's Istanbul — and Christianity as its official religion. Abandoned Byzantine-era settlements called Dead Cities stretch across rocky hills and plains in northwest Syria, their weathered limestone ruins featuring remnants of stone houses, basilicas, tombs and colonnaded streets. In the past, the owners of sites where archeological ruins were found sometimes covered them up, fearful that their property would be seized to preserve the ruins, said Ghiath Sheikh Diab, a resident of Maarat al-Numan who witnessed the moment when the tomb complex was uncovered. He said he hoped the new government will fairly compensate property owners in such cases and provide assistance to the displaced people who have returned to the area to find their homes destroyed. The years of war led to significant damage to Syria's archeological sites, not only from bombing but from looting and unauthorized digging. Some see in the ruins a sign of hope for economic renewal. Another local resident, Abed Jaafar, came with his son to explore the newly discovered tombs and take pictures. "In the old days, a lot of foreign tourists used to come to Maarat just to see the ruins," he said. "We need to take care of the antiquities and restore them and return them to the way they were before ... and this will help to bring back the tourism and the economy."
