The Romans
After the conquest of Macedonia by the Romans, following the defeat of the last Macedonian king, Perseus, at Pydna in 168 BC, Pella was converted into a provincial Roman city, while Thessaloniki became the capital of the large Roman province. Pella continued to exist and produce for a few more decades, but vanished from the stage of history in the early years of the lst c. BC, probably destroyed by earthquake. A century later, historical sources refer to a mass of ruins covering the area where the once powerful, brilliant capital had flourished.

Literature
The first mention of the name of Pella is by the historian Herodotus (VII, 123), who states: "..The voyage (of the fleet of Xerxes) ended at Therma, the place appointed, and the towns of Sindus and Chalestra, where it came to the river Axius; this is the boundary, between the Mygdonian and the Bottiaean territory, wherein stand the towns of Ichnae and Pella on the narrow strip of sea coast". The two cities, Ichnae and Pella, were in a steinon chorion, a narrow strip of land by the sea.
Alluvial deposits led to the silting up of the sea, with the result that today Pella is no longer the coastal city it was in antiquity, but is about 30 kilometres inland. The deposits carried by these rivers gradually created extensive marshes around Pella, leading to a deterioration in its climate, to which allusion is made at least in the last years of the city's life as capital.
Another feature of the region are the large, thick forests that covered the entire surrounding area. It was this striking, mysterious landscape, with its dense forests and marshes, that inspired Euripides to write his tragedy the Bacchae. The site of the mentioned by Herodotus seems, from archaeological indications, to be in the area of the modern irrigation canal. The choice of site for the new city was a highly successful one. Built in an open area and on level terrain that sloped upwards slightly to the north, where it ended in a low hill, the city had the best possible orientation, facing south. This was of great importance, when the major source of heating was the sun. The hill to the north, moreover, was an ideal site to house the central authority.
The historian Livy (XLIV 46, 4-11) gives interesting information on the site of the city. When Aemilius Paulus, the conqueror of Perseus at the battle of Pydna, reached Pella, he encamped outside the city before entering it. There he expressed his admiration for the ideal site occupied by the city, which was encircled by a stout fortification wall. To the South of it, in the direction of the sea, was a small elevation in the land, known as the Phakos so called from its lentoid shape (phaki in greek), which was fortified by a wall. The city communicated with the Phakas by means of a bridge. According to Livy (XLIV 6, 1-2), the royal treasury was located on the Phakos.

Excavations
The city had lain covered by earth and in oblivion for two millennia when it was brought to light by the archaeologist's spade. After the liberation of Macedonia in 1912, one of the first concerns of the Greek state was to uncover the old, brilliant capital.
The excavations commenced in 1914, but were suspended after two seasons on account of the First World War. At this time part of a late Hellenistic house was discovered, with a subterranean cistern and a few, though important portable finds.
A chance event once more brought to light the ruins of the brilliant capital in the spring of 1957. A series of Ionic column drums were discovered during the construction of the ground floor of a small building in the modern settlement. This find was of great importance and led to the beginning of systematic excavations. Large-scale excavations were conducted from 1957 to 1963, at first under Professor Ph. Petsas, and later under the direction of the late Ch. Makaronas, with the unstinting support of the state, through the then prime minister K. Karamanlis.

From: Maria Siganidou and Maria Lilimpaki-Akamati, Pella, Capital of Macedonians (Ministry of Culture), Athens 1997.
Photos: Fokko Dijkstra

Editor(s): fd
Latest revision: 18. May 2004 11:43

Editor(s): fd
Latest revision: 18. May 2004 11:43

Fuente: http://www.chain.to/index.php?did=105&sort=b&subject=view_article&id=2399

Vergina - Aigai

Excavations at Vergina, have revolutionized Macedonian archaeology since the 1970s. A series of chamber tombs, unearthed here by Professor Manolis Andronikos (1919-92), are now unequivocally accepted as those of Philip II and other members of the Macedonian royal family. This means that the site itself must be that of Aigai, the original Macedonian royal capital before the shift to Pella, and later its necropolis. Finds from the site and tombs, the richest Greek trove since the discovery of Mycenae, are exhibited on the spot. The main tombs are displayed in situ; visitors walk down narrow underground passages into a climate-controlled bunker which allows them to see the ornamental facades and the empty chambers beyond. Overhead the earth of the tumulus has been replaced.

The site
Ancient Aigai is documented as the sanctuary and royal burial place of the Macedonian kings. It was here that PhiIip II was assassinated and buried - and tradition maintained that the dynasty would be destroyed if any king were buried elsewhere. As indeed happened after the death of AIexander the Great in Asia. Until Andronikos's finds in November 1977 - the culmination of decades of work on the site - Aigai had long been assumed to be lost beneath modern Edhessa, a theory now completely discarded.

What Andronikos discovered, under a tumulus just outside modern Vergina, were several large and indisputably Macedonian chamber tombs, identified as the Royal Tombs. From outside, all that's visible is a low hillock with skylights and long ramps leading inside, but once underground the facades and doorways of the several tombs are well illuminated, behind glass.

You're meant to tour the four tombs in the order IV-I-II-III. Tomb IV, the so-called 'Doric', was looted in antiquity; so too was Tomb I, that of 'Persephone', but it retained a delicate and exquisitely crafted mural of the rape of Persephone by Hades, the only complete example of an ancient Greek painting that has yet been found.

Tomb II, confidently identified as that of Philip II, is a much grander vaulted tomb with a Doric facade adorned by a sumptuous painted frieze of Philip, Alexander and their retinue on a lion hunt. This - incredibly - was intact, having been deliberately disguised with rubble from later tomb pillagings.

Among the treasures to emerge - now displayed in the dimly lit but well-labelled hall here - were a marble sarcophagus containing a gold larnax or ossuary, its cover embossed with the exploding, eight-point-star symbol of the royal line on its lid, a symbol now harnessed irrevocably to the Greek-nationalist juggernaut. Still more significantly, five small ivory heads were found, among them representations of both Philip II and Alexander. It was this clue, as well as the fact that the skull bore marks of a disfiguring facial wound Philip was known to have sustained, that led to the identification of the tomb as his.

Also on view is the famous gold oak-leaf wreath, and a more modest companion larnax found in the antechamber, presumed to contain the carefully wrapped bones and ashes of a legitimate queen or concubine.

Text from: The Rough Guide to Greece
Photos: Fokko Dijkstra

Editor(s): fd
Latest revision: 18. May 2004 11:43

Fuente: http://www.chain.to/index.php?did=90&sort=m&subject=view_article&id=2397

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© 2000– 2006 Macedonian Heritage

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Mosaic Floor Dionysos riding a Panther

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A Red-Figure Hydria

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Head of Alexander the Great

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Clay Figurine of Athena

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Devotional Statue of Isis

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Statue of Dionysos

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Asklepios Daugthers

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Incribed grave stele

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Mural paintings

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Silver ossuary

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Statues of Orestes and Electra

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Metal exhibits mainly from the necropolis of Kozani

 dating from the Iron Age to the 3^rd century BC

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Examples of pottery, stonework, and koroplastics

from all periods from Kozani prefecture

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Marble head of a female statue from Elane dated to the 4th century B.C.

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A gold fibula from the 2^nd half of the 6th century BC

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Vessels with matt-painted decoration from the 14th century BC

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Clay figurine of a kore (young woman), dated to the second half of the 6th century B.C.

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Clay figurine of ancient Greek Goddess Athena

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A clay stand with matt-painted decoration from the 14th century BC

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Four Statues from the Heroon at Palatiano

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Kouros of Evropos

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Dionysos and muse

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Statue of Aphrodite

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Marble stele depicting a woman

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Statue of a woman

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Tomb III, probably belonged to Alexander IV

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The Funerary Pyre of Philip II

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The Coach of Philip II Ornamented with Ivory

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The Collapsed Heroon

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The Local God Olganos

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The Hunter and Boar Group

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A Bronze Hydria Kalpis

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A Statue of the Herron at Stratoni

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Clay Members of the Sanctuary of Ammon Zeus at Afytos

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Grave stele of the Roman period from Petres (2^nd cent. BC)

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Archaeologists announced Sunday that they have discovered an ancient sun temple containing large statues of the pharaoh Ramses II under an outdoor marketplace in Cairo, Egypt.

The temple was found in a suburb of Cairo called Ain Shams. The site was once part of the ancient city of Heliopolis, which served as the center of sun worship in ancient Egypt. The chief sun god, Re, was the patron sun god of Heliopolis.

Ramses II, who is believed to have ruled Egypt from around 1279 to 1213 B.C., is known for his military exploits and monumental building projects. To celebrate his victories, he erected statues and temples to himself all over Egypt.

"The area where we are excavating now is where Ramses II of the 19th dynasty [1320 to 1200 B.C.] built an enormous temple for Re, the largest temple of Ramses II ever found," said Zahi Hawass, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities in Cairo.

Hawass is also a National Geographic Society explorer-in-residence.

An Egyptian team has been cooperating with a team from the German Archaeological Institute on the excavations in the Ain Shams and Matariya neighborhoods of Cairo.

Egyptologists not involved with the discovery said it confirms suspicions that much of ancient Egypt has been buried under modern cities and still remains to be found.

Pink Granite Statue

The temple was built of limestone, and the archaeologists have uncovered the remains of one pillar bearing inscriptions of Ramses II.

The researchers are currently excavating the entrance area and the west side of the temple site. They have found chambers for the storage of wheat, a kiln for making amulets, part of a large statue—the head of which weighs 5 tons (4.5 metric tons) and would have stood almost 20 feet (6 meters) tall—and another head of granite, weighing 2 tons (1.8 metric tons).

"Perhaps the most exciting [find] is an unusual seated statue that shows Ramses II in the leopard skin of a priest, showing that he built this temple as the high priest of Re," Hawass said.

"This statue is in the style of dynasty 12 [1991 to 1786 B.C.] and may have been usurped by Ramses II," he added, meaning that it may have been altered to resemble Ramses II.

"This is an important discovery, giving us information about the cult of Re."

Ramses II, who made a name for himself by battling the Hittites and the Syrians, is traditionally believed to have been the Pharaoh of Exodus, the biblical figure from whom Moses demanded that his people be released.

Ramses II erected monuments to himself up and down the Nile with records of his achievements. His most famous temple is Abu Simbel, which was carved into a sandstone mountain on the banks of the Nile, near what is now Egypt's southern border. (See photo gallery: "Towering Treasures of Ramses.")

Heliopolis

Numerous temples to Egypt's many sun gods—particularly the chief god Re—were also built in ancient Heliopolis.

"This was the center for the worship of the sun god Re," Hawass said.

"A number of important remains have been discovered here, and there is evidence that this cult went back at least to the Old Kingdom [from about 2700 to 2200 B.C.] if not before and was active to the end of Egyptian history."

The German excavations show that lakes or swamps dominated the area in ancient times.

Most of the temples of ancient Heliopolis were later plundered, and the area is now covered with residential buildings.

The discovery of the sun temple may shed light on the status of Heliopolis in ancient Egypt.

"We do not know enough about Heliopolis, which was one of the main cities in Egypt and moreover a religious and, let us say, intellectual center," said French archaeologist Alain Zivie, leader of a team that has been excavating Saqqara, the cemetery of the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis, for more than two decades.

Zivie says the discovery also shows that much of ancient Egypt's treasures are still buried under modern cities, particularly Cairo and its suburbs.

"Cairo is the child of three cities: Memphis, [the Roman fortress of] Babylon of Egypt, and Heliopolis," Zivie said. "Expanding more and more, it swallows now its three mothers, especially Babylon and Heliopolis. But these [ancient cities] are not completely lost. They continue to exist in the underground Cairo."

Leo Depuydt, an Egyptologist at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, agrees.

"The recent find of a giant temple built by Ramses II, ancient Egypt's greatest builder pharaoh, in Cairo again reminds us of how archaeological discovery would increase exponentially—almost beyond imagination—if digging under urban centers and dismantling buildings of later date ever becomes, technically and politically, even more feasible," he said.

Fuente: Stefan Lovgren for National Geographic News, March 1, 2006

Enlace: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/03/0301_060301_egypt_2.html

© 1996-2006 National Geographic Society

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Descubren restos de ciudad antigua en Egipto

Trabajadores limpian los restos de una puerta de un templo en una excavación arqueológica, la cual formaba parte de un mercado popular y próximo a una zona residencial en El Cairo, Egipto.

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A picture released by the Egyptian Antiquities 27 February 2006, shows the site of an ancient solar temple that has been discovered beneath a flea market in a Cairo suburb. Royal statues in pink-coloured granite, probably from the time of Ramses II (13th century BC) and weighing five tonnes, were found in the temple and are now in the custody of the Council of Antiquities. The suburb of Ein Shams (eye of the sun) was built on top of the ancient city of Heliopolis, meaning city of the sun in Greek, and was famed for its theology and philosophy schools. AFP PHOTO/EGYPTIAN SUPREME COUNCIL OF ANTIQUITIES/HO (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)
10:59 a.m.  ET, 2/27/06

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A picture released by the Egyptian Antiquities 27 February 2006 shows parts of a statue believed to be the head of 19th Dynasty Pharaoh Ramses II. The statue was recently discovered beneath a flea market in the Cairo suburb of Ain Shams (Sun Spring). Ramses II ruled Egypt for 66 years from 1279 BC to 1213 BC and was known as the Builder King because of the number of temples and monuments he built for himself during his long reign. 1:04 a.m.  ET, 2/27/06

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Ancient sun temple uncovered in Cairo

Artifacts include statues believed to be Ramses II

CAIRO, Egypt - Archaeologists discovered a pharaonic sun temple with large statues believed to be of King Ramses II under an outdoor marketplace in Cairo, Egypt's antiquities chief said Sunday.

The partially uncovered site is the largest sun temple ever found in the capital's Aim Shams and Matariya districts, where the ancient city of Heliopolis — the center of pharaonic sun worship — was located, Zahi Hawass told The Associated Press.

Among the artifacts was a pink granite statue weighing 4 to 5 tons whose features "resemble those of Ramses II," said Hawass, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

Also found was a 5-foot-high (1.5-meter-high) statue of a seated figure with hieroglyphics that include three tablets with the name of Ramses II — and the 3-ton head from a royal statue, the council said in a statement.

The green pavement stones of the temple's floor were also uncovered.

An Egyptian team working in cooperation with the German Archaeological Mission in Egypt discovered the site under the Souq al-Khamis, a popular market in eastern Cairo, Hawass said.

"The market has to be removed" as archaeologists excavate the entire site, Hawass said.

King Ramses II, who ruled Egypt for 66 years from 1270 to 1213 B.C., had erected monuments up and down the Nile with records of his achievements, as well as building temples — including Abu Simbel, erected near what is now Egypt's southern border.

Numerous temples to Egypt's sun gods — particularly the chief god Ra — were built in ancient Heliopolis.  But little remains of what was once the ancient Egyptians' most sacred cities, since much of the stone used in the temples was later plundered.

The area is now covered with residential neighborhoods, close to a modern district called Heliopolis, in Egypt's packed capital.

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© 2006 The Associated Press

Intact tomb found in Egypt's Valley of Kings

First such discovery in the area since Tutankhamun"s in 1922

CAIRO, Egypt - American archaeologists have uncovered a pharaonic-era tomb in Egypt"s Valley of the Kings, the first uncovered there since King Tutankhamun"s in 1922, Egypt"s antiquities chief announced.

The 18th Dynasty tomb included five mummies in intact sarcophagi with colored funerary masks along with more than 20 large storage jars still with their with pharaonic seals intact, Zahi Hawass, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said in a statement Wednesday.

Still unknown is who was the owner of the tomb. U.S. archaeologist Kent Weeks, who was not involved in the discovery but has seen photographs of the tomb"s interior, said its appearance suggested it did not belong to a king.

"It could be the tomb of a king"s wife or son, or of a priest or court official," he told The Associated Press on Thursday.

No matter, its discovery shatters the nearly century-old perception that there was nothing left to discover in the Valley of the Kings, where it had long been believed that the 62 previously known tombs were all there was, he said.

Weeks made the last major discovery in the valley. In 1995, he opened a previously known tomb and found it was far larger than expected: more than 120 chambers, which he determined were tombs for sons of the pharoah Ramses II.

The newly discovered tomb is a single chamber, meaning it was likely intended for one mummy, he said. Other sarcophagi — or even all of them — may have been put in later, Weeks said.

In later dynasties, high priests fearing grave robbers took mummies from their original sites and stashed them elsewhere. Even after the pharoanic era, mummies were moved either to protect them or to hide them, he said.

Hawass did not specify who was believed buried in the tomb. The antiquities chief was scheduled to visit the site Friday to announce more details.

A University of Memphis team of archaeologists led by Otto Schaden found the tomb 12 feet below the ground, buried under rubble and stones 15 feet from Tut"s tomb, Hawass said. The statement didn"t say when the tomb was found.

Inside the rectangular tomb, the five wooden sarcophagi were surrounded by the jars, which appeared placed haphazardly, suggesting the burial was completed quickly, Hawass said.

The 18th Dynasty, from around 1500 B.C. to 1300 B.C., was the first dynasty of the New Kingdom, the pharaonic empire than lasted until around 1000 B.C. and made its capital in Thebes — the present day city of Luxor, 300 miles south of Cairo. The Valley of the Kings was used as a burial ground throughout the New Kingdom, though contrary to its name not all the tombs are of kings.

The new tomb will be called KV63, adding to the previously known sites labeled from KV1 to KV62, which is the tomb of Tutankhamun, uncovered by Howard Carter in 1922. KV5 is the tomb of Ramses II"s sons.

"It clearly proves that the Valley of the Kings is still not exhausted," Weeks said. "There are probably more tombs to be found in it."

Fuente: © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. / © 2006 MSNBC.com. 9 de febrero de 2006-02-09
Enlace: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11252094/

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1.- This image released by the Egyptian Antiquities Authority on Feb. 9, 2006, shows a worker is seen by the entrance of the burial chamber at a shaft leading to a new tomb discovered in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, outside Luxor, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2006. American archaeologists have uncovered a pharaonic-era tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, the first uncovered there since King Tutankhamun's in 1922, Egypt's antiquities chief announced. (AP Photo/Supreme Council of Antiquities)

2.- This image released by the Egyptian Antiquities Authority on Feb. 9, 2006, shows sarcophagi and pharaonic jars discovered in a new tomb discovered in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, outside Luxor, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2006. American archaeologists have uncovered a pharaonic-era tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, the first uncovered there since King Tutankhamun's in 1922, Egypt's antiquities chief announced. (AP Photo/Supreme Council of Antiquities)

3.- In this image released by the Egyptian Antiquities Authority on Feb. 9, 2006, an archaeologist works in a shaft leading to a new tomb discovered in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, outside Luxor, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2006. American archaeologists have uncovered a pharaonic-era tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, the first uncovered there since King Tutankhamun's in 1922, Egypt's antiquities chief announced. (AP Photo/Supreme Council of Antiquities)

4.- In this image made available by the Egyptian Antiquities Authority on Feb. 9, 2006, archaeologists work at a shaft leading to a new tomb discovered in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, outside Luxor, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2006. American archaeologists have uncovered a pharaonic-era tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, the first uncovered there since King Tutankhamun's in 1922, Egypt's antiquities chief announced. (AP Photo/Supreme Council of Antiquities)

5.- Zona de las cabañas de trabajadores de la tumba de Amenmeses, en el Valle de los Reyes, donde ha sido hallado el nuevo enterramiento. (UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS MISSION)

7.- Un equipo de arqueólogos estadounidenses liderados por Otto Shaden de la Universidad de Memphis hizo el descubrimiento hace unos días y todavía tienen que entrar en la tumba y abrir los sarcófagos. (EFE) © Mundinteractivos, S.A.

8.- El arqueólogo estaodunidense Otto Shaden (izqda.) y el Secretario General del Consejo Supremo de Antigüedades de Egipto, Zahi Hawass (dcha.) posan en la entrada de la tumba. (EFE) © Mundinteractivos, S.A.

9.- La entrada a la tumba, que está a tan solo cinco metros de la de Tutankamón y que contiene restos de la decimoctava dinastía. (EFE) © Mundinteractivos, S.A.

10.- El Secretario General del Consejo Supremo de Antigüedades de Egipto, Zahi Hawass, junto a la recientemente descubierta cabeza del faraón Amenotep III, padre de la línea sucesoria de Akenatón, en Luxor. (EFE) © Mundinteractivos, S.A.

11.- A 3,000-year-old Pharaonic coffin lies in a newly discovered tomb at the valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt February 10, 2006. The tomb, discovered this week by a U.S. team from the university of Memphis, contained coffins and mummies and clay containers all yet to be analysed by experts. REUTERS/Aladin Abdel Naby

12.- A 3,000-year-old Pharaonic coffin lies among other items in a newly discovered tomb at the valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt February 10, 2006. The tomb, discovered this week by a U.S. team from the University of Memphis, contains coffins and mummies and clay containers all yet to be analysed by experts. REUTERS/Aladin Abdel Naby

13.- Antiquities experts, members of the media and tourists stand at the entrance of a pit leading to a 3,000-year-old newly discovered tomb at the valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt February 10, 2006. The tomb, discovered this week by a U.S. team from the University of Memphis, contains coffins and mummies and clay containers all yet to be analysed by experts. REUTERS/Aladin Abdel Naby

14.- Antiquities experts, members of the media and tourists stand at the entrance of a pit leading to a 3,000-year-old newly discovered tomb at the valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt February 10, 2006. The tomb, discovered this week by a U.S. team from the University of Memphis, contains coffins and mummies and clay containers all yet to be analysed by experts. REUTERS/Aladin Abdel Naby

15.- Antiquities experts, members of the media and tourists stand at the entrance of a pit leading to a 3,000-year-old newly discovered tomb at the valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt February 10, 2006. The tomb, discovered this week by a U.S. team from the University of Memphis, contains coffins and mummies and clay containers all yet to be analysed by experts. REUTERS/Aladin Abdel Naby

16.- Egyptian Chief of Antiquities Zahi Hawass (R) and Otto Schaden of the U.S., head of the University of Memphis mission, stand in front of a hole that opens into a newly discovered tomb at the valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt February 10, 2006. The tomb, discovered this week by a U.S. team from the university, contains coffins and mummies and clay containers all yet to be analysed by experts. REUTERS/Aladin Abdel Naby

17.- The view of a newly discovered 3,000-year-old tomb at the valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt February 10, 2006. The tomb, discovered this week by a U.S. team from the University of Memphis, contains coffins and mummies and clay containers all yet to be analysed by experts. REUTERS/Aladin Abdel Naby

18.- German Egyptologist Hourig Sourouzian (L) and colleague Spanish archaeologist Miriam Seco Alvarez stand beside their recent discovery, the head of a 3000-year-old statue of King Amenhotep III, in Luxor, Egypt February 10, 2006. REUTERS/Aladin Abdel Naby

19.- A 3,000-year-old Pharaonic coffin lies in a newly discovered tomb at the valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt February 10, 2006. The tomb, discovered this week by a U.S. team from the University of Memphis, contains coffins and mummies and clay containers all yet to be analysed by experts. REUTERS/Aladin Abdel Naby

20.- Zahi Hawass junto a la entrada de la tumba. (Foto: EFE) © Mundinteractivos, S.A.

21.- La arqueóloga española Myriam Seco, junto a una estatua de granito negro de Sejmet, diosa guerrera con cabeza de leona, otro de los hallazgos de la expedición. (Foto: EFE)

22.- La cabeza hallada de Amenhotep III en la misma expedición. (Foto: AFP)

23.- Sarcophagi with funerary masks containing mummies visible in the newly-found tomb. Picture: Khaled Desouki/ AFP/ Getty Images

24.- Varias estatuas con cabeza de león fueron descubiertas a principios de febrero de 2006 en Luxor, al norte de Egipto. EFE

25.- Estatua Sekhmet, diosa con cabeza de león. Se cree que representaban a la madre del monarca, protectora de sus enemigos. EFE

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Hallado un sepulcro con cinco momias junto a la tumba de Tutankamón

El enterramiento está intacto y es de la misma época que el joven faraón    

El Valle de los Reyes egipcio está agotado, decían algunas voces. Lo decían antes de que Carter descubriera la tumba de Tutankamón en 1922 y lo siguieron diciendo después. Y el valle, la más fascinante necrópolis del mundo, sordo a esas voces, continúa deparando sorpresas, enormes y excitantes sorpresas. La última es el sensacional hallazgo, anunciado ayer por las autoridades egipcias, informa Reuters, de un sepulcro aparentemente intacto de finales de la dinastía XVIII (1550-1319 antes de Cristo), la misma época de Tutankamón, y que contiene al menos cinco momias en sarcófagos y un gran número de vasijas selladas.

"Tiene una pinta estupenda", opinó ayer del hallazgo en conversación telefónica con este diario desde Luxor el egiptólogo español José Manuel Galán, que excava actualmente en la zona.

Los detalles del descubrimiento, que se presentará oficialmente hoy, son aún escasos: la tumba está a tiro de piedra de la de Tutankamón y ha aparecido mientras se excavaban las ruinas de las cabañas de los constructores de la tumba del nieto de Ramsés II, Amenmeses (KV-10, según la numeración de la necrópolis), ubicadas junto a ésta. Las momias no han sido identificadas aún.

El hallazgo, casual, se enmarca en los trabajos de la Misión de la Universidad de Memphis (EE UU) que dirige Otto J. Schaden y que desde 1992 investiga y limpia de escombros la KV-10 y excava sus alrededores en busca de depósitos de fundación (pozos en los que se colocaban los materiales sobrantes de la momificación). En el curso de esas excavaciones, que depararon la sorpresa de todo un complejo de construcciones para albergar a los trabajadores de la tumba del oscuro faraón Amenmeses -casi un Deir el-Medina, la ciudad de los obreros de la necrópolis, en miniatura-, ha aparecido el inesperado enterramiento. Se trata de una especie de pozo a tres metros de profundidad y de momento sólo se ha podido echar una mirada a su interior.

Por su configuración y la forma de estar colocados los sarcófagos, alineados contra una pared, el sepulcro tiene toda la apariencia de ser un cachette, un escondite, donde los guardianes y sacerdotes de la necrópolis volvían a enterrar los cuerpos de los difuntos cuyas tumbas habían sido saqueadas. De hecho, las momias de los más famosos faraones de Egipto -excepto Tutankamón- no han sido halladas en sus tumbas oficiales, sino en escondrijos de ese tipo. El más célebre de estos cachette, como se los denomina en el argot egiptológico, es el de Deir el-Bahari, de donde Gaston Maspero extrajo en 1881 los cuerpos de todo un equipo de primera división de faraones que incluía a Ramsés II, Tutmosis III y Seti I. En 1891, Eugène Grébaut descubrió también en la misma área (y también previo soplo de los saqueadores Abd el-Rasul) el escondrijo de Bab el-Gasus con las momias de los sacerdotes de Amón (¡153 sarcófagos!).

"Parece un cachette", admite Galán, que excava junto al Valle de los Reyes, en Dra Abu el Naga, la tumba de Djehuty. El egiptólogo conoce el nuevo hallazgo y ha hablado con personal que trabaja en el mismo. "Hay un ambiente de gran expectación aquí. Está junto a la zona de entrada de KV-10, entre las mismas casas de los trabajadores. De momento se ve una cámara, pero quizá haya más porque se percibe una esquina que dobla en la habitación. Se pueden ver cinco momias en ataúdes pintados de negro y amarillo, alineados con relativo cuidado, y cerámica con los tapones puestos. Todo ello con una pinta estupendísima". Galán destaca que el enterramiento es de la dinastía XVIII, lo que lo hace "interesantísimo" sean quienes sean los difuntos. ¿Pueden ser momias reales? "No lo creo; por la tipología deben ser de nobles".

Fuente: JACINTO ANTÓN  -  Barcelona / EL PAÍS  -  Cultura - 10-02-2006

Enlace:http://www.elpais.es/articulo.html?xref=20060210elpepicul_6&type=Tes&anchor=elpporcul&d_date=20060210

New tomb discovered in Valley by American archaeologists

American archaeologists have made the first discovery of a new tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings since King Tutankhamun's was uncovered in 1922, Egypt's antiquities chief announced. The 18th Dynasty tomb included five mummies in intact sarcophagi with colored funerary masks along with more than 20 large storage jars, sealed with pharaonic seals, Zahi Hawass, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities said in a statement.  

Still unknown is who the tomb belonged to. U.S. archeologist Kent Weeks, who was not involved in the discovery but has seen photographs of the tomb's interior, said its appearance suggested it did not belong to a king. "It could be the tomb of a king's wife or son, or of a priest or court official," he told The Associated Press on Thursday.

No matter who is in the new tomb, its discovery shatters the nearly century-old perception that there was nothing left to discover in the Valley of the Kings, where it had long been believed that the 62 previously known tombs were all there was, said Weeks, who made the last major discovery in the valley. "It clearly proves that the Valley of the Kings is still not exhausted," he said. "There are problably more tombs to be found in it."

Weeks made the last major discovery in the valley. In 1995, he opened a previously known tomb and found it was far larger than expected: more than 120 chambers, which he determined were tombs for sons of the pharoah Ramses II. The new tomb is a single chamber, meaning it was likely intended for a single mummy, he said. Other sarcophagi or even all of them may have been put in at a later time.

"The objects in the tomb don't necessarily date to the original tomb. It is not unknown for a tomb to be used as a storeroom for other materials," he said. "The objects could be 200 to 400 years later than the orginial cutting of the tomb. Some could be original, some may have been introduced later."

It is known that in later dynasties, high priests fearing grave robbers took mummies from their original sites and stashed them in other tombs or locations or even after the pharoanic area, mummies were moved either to protect them or to hide them for later theft, he said.

Hawass did not specify who was believed buried in the tomb. The antiquities chief was scheduled to visit the site Friday to announce more details. A University of Memphis team of archaeologists led by Otto Schaden found the tomb four meters (yards) below the ground, buried under rubble and stones five meters (yards) away from Tut's tomb, the statement by Hawass said.

Inside the rectangular tomb, the five wooden sarcophagi were surrounded by the jars, which appeared placed haphazardly, suggesting the burial was completed quickly, the statement by Hawass said. The 18th Dynasty, from around 1500 BC to 1300 BC, was the first dynasty of the New Kingdom, the pharaonic empire than lasted until around 1000 BC and made its capital in Thebes the present day city of Luxor, 500 kilometers (300 miles) south of Cairo. The Valley of the Kings was used as a burial ground throughout the New Kingdom, though contrary to its name not all the tombs are of kings, reports the AP.

Fuente: N.U. 9 de febrero de 2006

Enlace: http://english.pravda.ru/news/world/09-02-2006/75698-tomb-0

Face to face with ancient royals

Fuente: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2006/782/fr2.htm

Last Friday was a hot, sunny day in the Valley of the Kings, and no less than 50 journalists, photographers, TV anchors and directors were waiting with heightened expectations near a large pit located just across the pathway to Tutankhamun's tomb. They were following the progress being made by Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and his Memphis University colleague Otto Shaden as they uncovered the first intact tomb to be found in the Valley of the Kings in 84 years.

As the two Egyptologists entered the pit for a preliminary view of its contents, the journalists were barred from following. Anxious to see what lay beneath, they reacted angrily, but a few minutes later they were permitted to enter the pit one by one to allow for the shortage of space. To access the tomb's entrance, everyone had to leap over a dozen huge stone blocks and then negotiate a five- metre-long wooden ladder. I found it hard to contend with these obstacles, but coming face to face with the royal mummies quickly caused my sufferings to melt away.

Through a 30-centimetre large hole it was possible to see five wooden anthropoid sarcophagi with painted faces resting undisturbed in a plain, rectangular rock-hewn tomb. The first coffin, which had toppled over and was facing the door, showed the painted face of a beautiful woman with full makeup and thin, arched eyebrows, black kohl-lined eyes and black hair styled in a blunt cut. The gold pattern of a thick necklace was also visible, but the lower half of the sarcophagi had rotted and broken. The face reminded me of the one painted on the coffin of Pharaoh Amenhotep I exhibited in the royal mummy room at the Egyptian Museum. In one corner was another coffin, which seemed to have been partially opened so that the brown cloth below the lid was visible, most probably part of the mummy's wrapping. At the back was the silhouette of the other three coffins, their faces staring upwards and their hands folded on their chests.

Almost two dozen alabaster and clay jars sealed with ancient Egyptian seals, some of which were broken, were lined up next to the sarcophagi. Although the exact date of the find is not yet certain, Egyptologists believe them to be some 3,000 years old and dating from the late 18th Dynasty.

"They may be mummies of kings or queens or nobles, we don't know yet," Hawass said, adding: "They were definitely connected to the royal family or had the favour of the king, otherwise they would not have been buried in the Valley of the Kings since it was prohibited for just anyone to come and make his tomb there."

Hawass hopes that the mission will find hieroglyphs on the coffins that will identify the mummies. He told reporters that the jars, the contents of which were yet unknown, were not canopic jars but might have contained food and drink to sustain the deceased on the journey to the afterlife.

Mansour Borayek, supervisor of Luxor antiquities, described the discovery as extremely important since it could reveal more about the mysterious Valley of the Kings and what it was really like. It also breaks the long-held belief that there is nothing left to dig in the valley. "It is proof that excavation in the Valley of the Kings is not exhausted, and there is more to offer archaeologists that is just waiting to be discovered," Borayek told Al-Ahram Weekly.

Who were these people? What did they do? Where were their original burials? And why were they buried here, in such a cache? These are among the perplexing questions waiting to be answered after further excavations are carried out.

Hawass told the Weekly that the vessels found in the cache had been arranged haphazardly, suggesting that the burials took place in haste. This was more likely, he continued, than that the cache was used as a storeroom for sarcophagi moved later from other tombs, either by priests to protect them from thieves, or by thieves to be stashed before being completely removed.

This is the fourth cache to be discovered in Luxor. The first was stumbled upon sometime before 1887 by the Abdel-Rassoul family, who found 40 hidden intact royal mummies. The second was the cache found in 1891 containing 100 sarcophagi of priests of Amun, while the third discovery was made in 1898 with 12 royal mummies being uncovered inside the tomb of Amenhotep II.

"It is a dream come true," Shaden says. "It is just so amazing to find an intact tomb 84 years after [Tutankhamun]." He says that after 13 years of working on tombs which have been known for a long time and had been partly cleared, and following other excavators, his mission finally had something new to add to the Valley of the Kings.

Shaden said a foretaste of what might be to come had been found last year as his team was working on the neighbouring tomb of Amenmeses, a late 19th-Dynasty pharaoh. While digging outside this tomb the team stumbled upon the remains of workmen's huts and noted a depression in the ground which they believed could be the top of a shaft leading to a tomb. When this year's archaeological season began three weeks ago, the team uncovered the intact tomb after removing the stone-block doorway at the bottom of a 10-metre-deep shaft.

Shaden believes that since it was an honour to be buried in the Valley of the Kings, these mummies belonged to relatives of the king, perhaps a brother-in-law, a gardener or another minor person in the palace who was given special honour.

Sarcophagi carry the names and all information about the person buried, but Shaden adds that so far the team has not been able to enter the burial chamber to examine them.

Hawass believes that further excavation will lead to more revelations about who these people were, and says that within three weeks more details will be announced. These may also specify details about eight pits the team has located inside the tomb, which were possibly used by Ancient Egyptians for entry and exit.

Enigmatic discovery

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The red granite colossal of King Amenhotep III

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"This really is a very surprising discovery," Hourig Sourouzian, director of the German conservation project for the Colossi of Memnon and Amenhotep III's temple, told Al-Ahram Weekly. She explained that since excavation of the site began in 1998 the mission had consistently stumbled upon homogenous New Kingdom statuaries until last week, when a well-preserved red granite royal head with Kushite features -- full cheeks and bulging lips -- was unearthed.

The 50-cm-tall head was found among several decaying granite block on a sandstone slab at the north end of the temple. Its top and right side were damaged, the nose was lightly chipped and the chin was broken. "It is a very beautiful head wearing a nemes (regal headdress)," says Sourouzian, who asserts that it does not belong to the area where it lay buried.

"If this head belongs to the Kushite period of the 25th dynasty, which is seven dynasties later than the reign of Amenhotep III, why is it deposited here?" Sourouzian asks. She says this leads one to suggest that it was deliberately moved from its original location and hidden for later retrieval. "It may possibly have been deposited here at the beginning of the 19th century by the agent of the British Council, [Henry] Salt, who recovered and sent abroad several statues from this temple," she says. "Or maybe it is a much younger deposit, in the first half of the 20th century, when antiquities dealers made illegal diggings and deals in the Theban region before the inspectorate of the Antiquities Service was established on the West Bank."

While digging trenches for a project to remove water from the western part of the temple precinct the team unearthed two 3,400-year-old statues of the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet. One is a black granite legless statue featuring the goddess of war standing and holding a papyrus in her hand. The other is a diorite bust of a colossal statue crowned with a diadem encircled by a uraeus headdress. The face of this statue is well preserved and only the back pillar is damaged. Both statues were brought immediately to the temporary site laboratory for primary cleaning and conservation.

"These are not the only Sekhmet statues found," says Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the SCA. Hawass says numerous Sekhmet statues have been found over the centuries at the Amenhotep III temple site, with the German mission unearthing 20 of them, but the latest one is the largest of all.

Next day while digging the southern part of the peristyle court of the temple, workers uncovered a red granite head of a colossal statue of Amenhotep III. It is a very well preserved head featuring the king's entire face but the crown and the beard are yet missing.

"Although a crack traverses its right side, the head is considered the most complete, well preserved and most beautiful portrait of king Amenhotep III," said Sourouzian.

Other colossal heads had been previously discovered in Kom el Hettan by previous excavators, like the one in the Luxor Museum, but they are all partially damaged.

The head belongs to one of a series of colossal statues of the king, which surrounded the peristyle court of the great mortuary temple of Amenhotep III. They have all been destroyed over centuries, the last remains lie under the road which covers half of the southern portico of the court.

With the help of some 80 workmen the team succeeded in pulling from under the water level the monumental foot of a quartzite colossus of Amenhotep III, which was found in 2002 at the second pylon of his temple at Kom Al-Hittan. In 2003, the German team discovered the queen behind the right leg of the royal colossus, and last season they lifted the torso of the colossal statue 3.12m above the level where he had fallen, bringing it above the water. However the block with the foot, which was detached from the torso in antiquity, remained at a lower level. The base of the statue is inscribed with the names of Amenhotep III, and decorated with representations of people from the south. It is now out of the reach of ground water and placed on a higher level in preparation for reassembly with other blocks of the statue base. The method for pulling is exactly as in Pharaonic times, with rolls sliding on wooden beams and with the help of 80 workmen and two foremen. The block is about two metres high, and weighs approximately five tons.

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KV-63 ~ Newly Discovered Tomb - KV-63 is located in the Valley of the Kings approximately 14.5 meters from the south edge of KV-62, the Tomb of Tutankhamun. Dr. Zahi Hawass officially pronounced our newly discovered tomb, KV-63 on 10 February 2006. However, the initial shaft was discovered a few days before the end of our 2005 season. KV-63 is the first tomb to be discovered in the Valley of the Kings since 1922. Dr. Zahi Hawass officially pronounced our newly discovered tomb, KV-63 on 10 February 2006. However, the initial shaft was discovered a few days before the end of our 2005 season. KV-63 is the first tomb to be discovered in the Valley of the Kings since 1922.

Dr. Otto Schaden standing outside doorway to KV-63

Otto's Dig Diary 1 Mar 2006 Clearance of the front of the tomb and a pulley (hoist) mechanism has been completed this week in preparation for the removal of the storage jars and coffins to the pillared hall in KV-10. One of the seven coffins is a smaller youth size coffin with a 'yellow face'. In addition to this we have two other adult size coffins with yellow faces. The remaining coffins are covered in black resin. The storage jars measure ca. 70 cm high. One weighed in at approximately 90-95 pounds. Three of the 27 jars appear to be broken at the rim or lower neck. The lids of most of the jars are sealed or partially sealed. Contents of the jars is still pending examination and investigation. Images of KV-63 will be posted periodically, so please check back soon, inshallah. Best regards, Mudir Otto Schaden 22 Feb 2006 This past week we have been concentrating on clearing stone and rock from inside the doorway of the tomb before we can safely gain access to the coffins. The wooden anthropoid (human-shaped) coffins currently number seven. Some of the coffins are in poor condition owing to prior termite damage and intrusion (there is no evidence of water damage). At this time no names, titles or dates have been ascertained from the coffins but we do estimate the tomb to date to the late 18th Dynasty. Our goal is to carefully remove the coffins and the large, sealed storage jars (approximately 27) to KV-10 where adequate space will enable a conservation team to thoroughly examine and analyze the coffins and jars in stages. A pulley system is currently being devised to facilitate the safe removal of the coffins and jars from the shaft. A special thanks for all the emails and well wishes. Best Regards. Dr. Otto Schaden Director of the Amenmesse Project and KV-63 12 Feb 2006  Update information on KV-63 will be delayed until my return to the United States. Further information and photos will be posted pending evaluation. Please see below for instructions regarding donations to our mission and contact information. All emails will be graciously forwarded to me in a timely manner. We appreciate your support and well wishes. Sincerely, Dr. Otto J. Schaden Director of the Amenmesse Project and KV-63                                                                                                             12 Feb 2006  Update information on KV-63 will be delayed until my return to the United States. Further information and photos will be posted pending evaluation. Please see below for instructions regarding donations to our mission and contact information. All emails will be graciously forwarded to me in a timely manner. We appreciate your support and well wishes. Sincerely, Dr. Otto J. Schaden Director of the Amenmesse Project and KV-63                                                                                                             12 Feb 2006  Update information on KV-63 will be delayed until my return to the United States. Further information and photos will be posted pending evaluation. Please see below for instructions regarding donations to our mission and contact information. All emails will be graciously forwarded to me in a timely manner. We appreciate your support and well wishes. Sincerely, Dr. Otto J. Schaden Director of the Amenmesse Project and KV-63                                                                                                             12 Feb 2006  Update information on KV-63 will be delayed until my return to the United States. Further information and photos will be posted pending evaluation. Please see below for instructions regarding donations to our mission and contact information. All emails will be graciously forwarded to me in a timely manner. We appreciate your support and well wishes. Sincerely, Dr. Otto J. Schaden Director of the Amenmesse Project and KV-63                                                                                                             22 Feb 2006 This past week we have been concentrating on clearing stone and rock from inside the doorway of the tomb before we can safely gain access to the coffins. The wooden anthropoid (human-shaped) coffins currently number seven. Some of the coffins are in poor condition owing to prior termite damage and intrusion (there is no evidence of water damage). At this time no names, titles or dates have been ascertained from the coffins but we do estimate the tomb to date to the late 18th Dynasty. Our goal is to carefully remove the coffins and the large, sealed storage jars (approximately 27) to KV-10 where adequate space will enable a conservation team to thoroughly examine and analyze the coffins and jars in stages. A pulley system is currently being devised to facilitate the safe removal of the coffins and jars from the shaft. A special thanks for all the emails and well wishes. Best Regards. Dr. Otto Schaden Director of the Amenmesse Project and KV-63 12 Feb 2006  Update information on KV-63 will be delayed until my return to the United States. Further information and photos will be posted pending evaluation. Please see below for instructions regarding donations to our mission and contact information. All emails will be graciously forwarded to me in a timely manner. We appreciate your support and well wishes. Sincerely, Dr. Otto J. Schaden Director of the Amenmesse Project and KV-63                                                                                                             12 Feb 2006  Update information on KV-63 will be delayed until my return to the United States. Further information and photos will be posted pending evaluation. Please see below for instructions regarding donations to our mission and contact information. All emails will be graciously forwarded to me in a timely manner. We appreciate your support and well wishes. Sincerely, Dr. Otto J. Schaden Director of the Amenmesse Project and KV-63                                                                                                             12 Feb 2006  Update information on KV-63 will be delayed until my return to the United States. Further information and photos will be posted pending evaluation. Please see below for instructions regarding donations to our mission and contact information. All emails will be graciously forwarded to me in a timely manner. We appreciate your support and well wishes. Sincerely, Dr. Otto J. Schaden Director of the Amenmesse Project and KV-63                                                                                                             12 Feb 2006  Update information on KV-63 will be delayed until my return to the United States. Further information and photos will be posted pending evaluation. Please see below for instructions regarding donations to our mission and contact information. All emails will be graciously forwarded to me in a timely manner. We appreciate your support and well wishes. Sincerely, Dr. Otto J. Schaden Director of the Amenmesse Project and KV-63                                                                                                             This past week we have been concentrating on clearing stone and rock from inside the doorway of the tomb before we can safely gain access to the coffins. The wooden anthropoid (human-shaped) coffins currently number seven. Some of the coffins are in poor condition owing to prior termite damage and intrusion (there is no evidence of water damage). At this time no names, titles or dates have been ascertained from the coffins but we do estimate the tomb to date to the late 18th Dynasty. Our goal is to carefully remove the coffins and the large, sealed storage jars (approximately 27) to KV-10 where adequate space will enable a conservation team to thoroughly examine and analyze the coffins and jars in stages. A pulley system is currently being devised to facilitate the safe removal of the coffins and jars from the shaft. A special thanks for all the emails and well wishes. Best Regards. Dr. Otto Schaden Director of the Amenmesse Project and KV-63 12 Feb 2006  Update information on KV-63 will be delayed until my return to the United States. Further information and photos will be posted pending evaluation. Please see below for instructions regarding donations to our mission and contact information. All emails will be graciously forwarded to me in a timely manner. We appreciate your support and well wishes. Sincerely, Dr. Otto J. Schaden Director of the Amenmesse Project and KV-63                                                                                                             12 Feb 2006  Update information on KV-63 will be delayed until my return to the United States. Further information and photos will be posted pending evaluation. Please see below for instructions regarding donations to our mission and contact information. All emails will be graciously forwarded to me in a timely manner. We appreciate your support and well wishes. Sincerely, Dr. Otto J. Schaden Director of the Amenmesse Project and KV-63                                                                                                             12 Feb 2006  Update information on KV-63 will be delayed until my return to the United States. Further information and photos will be posted pending evaluation. Please see below for instructions regarding donations to our mission and contact information. All emails will be graciously forwarded to me in a timely manner. We appreciate your support and well wishes. Sincerely, Dr. Otto J. Schaden Director of the Amenmesse Project and KV-63                                                                                                             12 Feb 2006  Update information on KV-63 will be delayed until my return to the United States. Further information and photos will be posted pending evaluation. Please see below for instructions regarding donations to our mission and contact information. All emails will be graciously forwarded to me in a timely manner. We appreciate your support and well wishes. Sincerely, Dr. Otto J. Schaden Director of the Amenmesse Project and KV-63

Contributions Expedition funds are administered by the University of Memphis Foundation (UMF) Checks should be made out to the University of Memphis Foundation Account 695. A notation of either "Amenmesse Project" or "KV-10/KV-63" would be useful. Checks should be mailed to Prof. Lorelei Corcoran, Director of the Institute of Art and Archaeology, at University of Memphis, Jones Hall 201, Memphis, Tennessee 38152 ALL SUCH DONATIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE

The KV-63 team. The University of Memphis KV-63 team pose for a group photo. Standing from Left to Right: The Dig Inspector Ezzat Abo Bakr Saber , Dr. Otto Schaden (Director), Dr. Ted Brock (Co-Director), Sharon Nichols (grad student), (standing slightly in front of Sharon) Heather Alexander (Photographer), Betty Schneider (Artist/Recorder), George Johnson (Photographer), Roxanne Wilson (Artist/Recorder/Web Coordinator), Lorelei Corcoran (Director of the Intstitute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology, The Universty of Memphis). Seated is Earl Ertman, (Professor Emeritius, The University of Akron, Assistant Director of KV-10/KV-63 Mission). Alistair Dickey and Elaine Taylor not pictured. Photos by Jane Akshar, Caption info by Jennifer Bassman

KV-10 The entrance to KV63 tomb. Dr Hawass arrives at the KV-63 site with Ibrahim Soliman, Director of Karnak SCA in the background. Dr Hawass and Dr Otto Schaden Dr Hawass descends into KV63. The media event at the top of KV63. Nubi Abdul Hassal who was in charge of the workman. Dr Earl Ertman, Nubi Hassal and Dr Otto Schaden

Above photos by Jane Akshar

View of the Valley of the Kings in front of KV-10 and KV-63 (KV-62, the Tomb of Tutankhamun is located on far right) Workmen's huts with KV-63 depicted under the sandbags Group photo of the original staff members present during the initial discovery of KV-63 on March 10, 2005. Workmen's Huts over the KV-63 shaft Initial KV-63 shaft at surface KV-63 shaft deepens as excavation progresses KV-63 shaft to tomb The director, Dr. Otto Schaden standing in KV-63 shaft KV-63 shaft fully excavated Akhmed, Alister Dickey, Reis Nubie and Dr. Schaden peering into KV-63 for the first time

KV-63 door partially blocked with stones KV-63 tomb entrance containg seven coffins and storage jars February 10, 2006~~Dr. Zahi Hawass officially proclaims KV-63 'A New Tomb is Discovered' - Media Day at KV-63 KV-63 Tomb interior depicting coffins and storage jars Close up of the face on the first coffin in KV-63 Large Sealed storage jars in KV-63 Broken storage jar in KV-63 Dr. Otto Schaden standing outside doorway to KV-63 The smaller, youth coffin in KV-63

Above photos by Heather Alexander

Links to KV63 articles and images : http://guardians.net/hawass/news/a_concealed_cachet_in_luxor.htm http://academic.memphis.edu/egypt/kv63.html

To contact the KV-63 team : roxmaat@comcast.net

The findings were presented Tuesday by government officials who described the discoveries as extremely important for understanding the layout of the ruins. The staircase is believed to be the original entrance to the villa, which was built for Hadrian in the 2nd century A.D.

So far, 15 steps, each 27 feet wide, have been identified and archaeologists did not rule out uncovering more.

Officials said that the newly uncovered area of the site, northeast of Rome, would be open to the public within a year.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Centro Cultural Palacio de La Moneda espera medio millón de visitas en 2006 

El recinto, ubicado bajo la Plaza de la Ciudadanía, abre sus puertas al público con "México: Del cuerpo al cosmos", una muestra de arte precolombino; y "Expo Artesanías 2006", con trabajos de las culturas indígenas nacionales. 

Aunque aún hay detalles que pulir en la obra emplazada bajo la Plaza de la Ciudadanía y que cambió el rostro de la fachada sur del Palacio de La Moneda, el optimismo y la expectación recorre a cada uno de los involucrados en uno de los proyectos culturales más importantes del Gobierno de Ricardo Lagos.

El Centro Cultural Palacio de la Moneda está listo para abrir sus puertas y según su coordinadora general, Morgana Rodríguez, por éstas pasarán cerca de medio millón de visitantes durante el año 2006.

Foto: Una figura antropomorfa con máscara de murciélago, de la cultura Zapoteca (950-1521 D.C.) es parte de la muestra "México: Del cuerpo al cosmos". (Foto: C.C. Palacio de La Moneda)

En conversación con Cooperativa.cl, la mujer a cargo del centro no oculta su orgullo y esperanza respecto del futuro del enclave cultural, "espero que funcione todo bien y desde el jueves en adelante comience a hacer historia", señala sobre la inauguración oficial, fechada para el 26 de enero y a la que asistirán los presidentes de Chile y México, Ricardo Lagos y Vicente Fox, respectivamente.

La presencia del mandatario azteca no es casual: la principal muestra con que parte su rodaje el espacio viene de Norteamérica y retrata la vida diaria de los pueblos precolombinos de esa zona, no centrándose en su mitología, sino en la habitualidad de sus existencias.

Catalogada como la más importante exposición de su tipo que haya pisado suelo chileno, "México: Del cuerpo al cosmos" por sí sola podría llevar al centro cultural alrededor de 300.000 personas.

"Más o menos podemos estimar, según lo que ha pasado en las últimas exposiciones, que a la exposición de México pueden llegar entre 300, 350 mil (visitantes), hasta julio. Y lo otro que podemos decir, más menos durante el año, es que podemos llegar a los 500 mil en total", reveló Rodríguez, publicista y comunicadora social.

Otra luz que destaca en las salas es la "Expo Artesanías 2006", colección de telares, joyas y otros objetos fruto de la obra de maestros descendientes de las culturas indígenas chilenas, agrupados por la Fundación Artesanías de Chile, que preside Luisa Durán de Lagos.

Se trata de productos que por sí mismos dan cuenta de un pasado que se niega a extinguirse, de la mano de artesanos que siguen traspasando sus milenarias técnicas a los más jóvenes, y que además consiguen una retribución económica estable mediante convenios con la fundación, que busca dar a conocer este trabajo en el país y en el resto del mundo.

Una tienda dentro de la muestra -similar a las tres dispuestas en Santiago y a la de Puerto Varas- permite adquirir el trabajo de estos artistas, quienes además se darán tiempo de realizar talleres in situ para los niños que a partir de marzo asistan dentro de los programas de visitas guiadas a colegios.

La "coronación" del centro cívico de la capital   

El Centro Cultural Palacio de la Moneda tiene una proyección en el mediano y largo plazo que resulta difícil de describir a sólo un mes de entregadas las obras a la fundación que opera el recinto.

Sin embargo, Morgana Rodríguez se atreve a considerar la construcción no como una entidad única, sino como parte de un todo que rediseñó el centro de Santiago y en particular el entorno de la sede de Gobierno.

Foto: Un hall de 1.000 metros cuadrados y dos salas de exposiciones de 620 metros cuadrados cada una conforman parte del Centro Cultural Palacio de La Moneda. (Foto: C.C. Palacio de La Moneda)

"Es un espacio que viene a coronar todo lo que se ha generado en torno a La Moneda como circuito cultural, que partió con la apertura de La Moneda, cuando el Presidente (Ricardo) Lagos la abrió para que la gente pasara; la misma Plaza de la Constitución, que se constituye como un espacio que alberga actividades de arte escénico, danza, teatro y música, hasta en el perímetro exposiciones de fotografía", detalló.

No obstante, será necesario un período de rodaje para ver al centro cultural en todo su esplendor, principalmente porque "la orientación está, hoy día, súper adscrita a las artes visuales, de toda índole".

"Desde que está la Cineteca Nacional acá, hasta las dos grandes salas de exposición (Oriente y Poniente), que son las de 620 metros cuadrados cada una que acogen básicamente exposiciones de artes visuales", explicó Rodríguez a Cooperativa.cl.

La coordinadora ahondó en el futuro del emplazamiento, donde "la idea es que en un mediano plazo podamos acondicionar este gran hall, de 1.000 metros cuadrados, acústicamente, para poder acoger algunos espectáculos de artes escénicas, como teatro, danza y música, no música masiva (...) por muy grande que crean que es. El hall de 1.000 metros cuadrados es suficiente como para un concierto de jazz o algo mucho más acotado".

Todo, aclara con énfasis, dentro de una "segunda etapa", porque se están puliendo aspectos de la obra entrega hace un mes y, por ejemplo, "la cineteca se inaugura alrededor del 10, 11 de marzo".

Foto: El Centro Cultural Palacio de La Moneda se une a las plazas de la Constitución y de la Ciudadanía para rediseñar el entorno de la sede del Ejecutivo. (Foto: C.C. Palacio de La Moneda)

"En todos estos espacios que son tan grandes y en un país que no tiene todos los recursos que quisiéramos, es importante hablar de etapas, porque esa es nuestra realidad y también es bueno que así sea, porque así uno va decantando y haciendo marchar con calma, para poder sondear cómo se comporta el espacio", redondeó Morgana Rodríguez

Cuándo ir, cuánto cuesta   

El edificio del Centro Cultural Palacio de la Moneda consta de tres niveles, todos bajo tierra, con accesos peatonales -que contemplan a discapacitados- por las calles Morandé y Teatinos, a un costado de la sede del Ejecutivo.

Además, hay estacionamientos a los que se puede ingresar por Alameda, casi al llegar a Teatinos.  

Todo el recinto se puede visitar en forma gratuita, pero por "un tema de control de acceso", la muestra "México: Del cuerpo al cosmos" tendrá un valor de lunes a sábado, pero los días domingo habrá una "entrada popular", a cambio de una donación voluntaria.

El detalle de las muestras y horarios es:

Nivel -1

"Expo Artesanías 2006", de lunes a domingo, 10:00 a 21:00 horas.

Tienda Fundación Artesanías de Chile, lunes a domingo, 10:00 a 21:00 horas.

Entrada gratuita.  

Nivel -2

Sala de cine, ciclo mexicano "Los hijos de los clásicos", funciones de lunes a domingo a las 13:00, 16:00 y 20:00 horas.

Entrada general: 1.200 pesos; estudiantes y tercera edad: 600 pesos.

Nivel -3

Salas de exposición: "México: Del cuerpo al cosmos", de martes a domingo, 10:00 a 21:00 horas.

Entrada general: 600 pesos; estudiantes, tercera edad y convenios: 300 pesos.

Niños menores de cinco años, entrada liberada.

Domingo, entrada liberada con donación voluntaria.  

Galerías de exposición, lunes a domingo, 12:00 a 20:00 horas.

Entrada liberada.  

Centro de Documentación de las Artes, lunes a domingo, 12:00 a 20:00 horas.

Entrada liberada.

Para el segundo semestre de 2006 se están coordinando tres muestras, una a cargo del curador cubano Gerardo Mosquera, quien se apresta a editar un libro que repasa los últimos 30 años de artes visuales chilenas.

Además, Morgana Rodríguez explicó que se busca agendar la muestra "Del otro lado", una retrospectiva de arte femenino "desde Rebeca Matte, pasando por Matilde Pérez, hasta Catalina Pudrí, toda la gama completa y curada por otra mujer, que sería Cecilia Brunson"; así como la exposición con las obras que integran el Museo de la Solidaridad Salvador Allende. (Cooperativa.cl)

Fuente: Raúl Martínez rmartinez@cooperativa.cl  Radio Cooperativa, Chile, 26 de enero de 2006

Enlace: http://www.cooperativa.cl/p4_noticias/antialone.html?page=http://www.cooperativa.cl/p4_noticias/site/artic/20060124/pags/20060124221022.html

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 abre nuevo capítulo de la historia Maya

Fuente: Copyright © 1996-2005 Amazings.com, 13 de enero de 2006

Enlace: http://www.amazings.com/ciencia/noticias/130106b.html

Se ha descubierto el más antiguo retrato conocido de una mujer maya tallado en piedra. El hallazgo demuestra que las mujeres ostentaron posiciones de autoridad en épocas muy tempranas de la historia maya, como reinas o deidades.

El descubrimiento fue hecho por una arqueóloga de la Universidad de Calgary y su equipo internacional de investigadores en Guatemala, concretamente en el yacimiento arqueológico de Naachtun, una ciudad maya localizada a unos 90 kilómetros al norte, y a través de una densa selva, de la ciudad maya más famosa: Tikal. La cara de la mujer, tallada en un tipo de monumento de piedra denominado estela, y en un estilo artístico nunca antes visto, sugiere que las mujeres desempeñaron papeles significativos en la política maya más arcaica.

"He trabajado en la cultura maya durante mucho tiempo y nunca he visto algo como esto", declara la Dra. Kathryn Reese-Taylor, directora del proyecto Naachtun dirigido por la Universidad de Calgary. "Tenemos imágenes de reinas que gobernaron tanto individualmente como junto a sus maridos o hijos, representadas en estelas posteriores en la historia maya de principios del siglo VI dC. Pero esta estela es del todo única en su estilo, y data probablemente

del siglo IV dC".

La mujer podría ser una figura de la historia maya, pero los investigadores se encuentran tentados de creer que podría tratarse de una figura mítica. Las inscripciones jeroglíficas del período Clásico Tardío (600-900 dC) mencionan a deidades femeninas, pero ninguna ha sido descubierta en una estela. "Si ésta es una deidad, entonces es sumamente rara", afirma Reese-Taylor. "Cuando los textos jeroglíficos mencionan a las mujeres, normalmente sucede por ser la madre o la esposa de alguien".

La estela mide dos metros de alto, un metro de ancho y 50 centímetros de espesor. Fue enterrada por los mayas dentro de un antiguo edificio, después de que su ciudad fue atacada y las inscripciones en la estela borradas por las fuerzas invasoras. El entierro fue un acto reverencial con el objetivo de honrar a la personalidad cuya imagen se talló en el monumento. El entierro de un niño acompañó a la estela.

La Dra. Julia Guernsey, profesora de Historia del Arte Precolombino de la Universidad de Texas en Austin, dice que el género femenino de la figura retratada en la estela es indiscutiblemente significativo.

De hecho, si este personaje fue una mujer histórica, ello implica que su retrato precede en más de cien años a otras representaciones conocidas en estelas de mujeres poderosas de las Tierras Bajas Clásicas Mayas. También significa que existe la necesidad de reevaluar el papel y el estatus de las mujeres dentro de la dinámica política de la época clásica temprana de los mayas.

Otros codirectores del proyecto son el Lic. Guillermo Martín Rangel, de la Universidad de San Carlos, Guatemala; el Dr. Peter L. Mathews, de la Universidad de La Trobe, Australia; y la Dra. Debra Selsor Walker, de la Universidad Internacional de Florida.

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Fuente: Copyright © 1996-2005 Amazings.com, 13 de enero de 2006

Enlace: http://www.amazings.com/ciencia/noticias/130106b.html

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Preclassic

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Although presently considered a very remote place, during the Late Pre-Classic (400 BC - AD 150) and Classic Maya period (AD 150 - 900), Naachtun was very much in the thick of things. Naachtun lies on the northeastern edge of the Mirador Basin, a broad area approximately 40 km. in diameter, where the earliest development of complex society in the Maya area took place.

Many of the great cities in the Mirador Basin did not survive the end of the Preclassic period; Naachtun was one of the few, apparently, that did. This transition from the Late Preclassic to the Classic period equals in complexity the Maya "collapse", yet its causes and immediate aftermath remain elusive.

Because if its successful navigation through this transition period, Naachtun is the key to understanding the changes that took place during the Preclassic-to-Classic shift.

Early Classic

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But Naachtun did more than merely survive these tumultuous events, apparently it thrived. The Early Classic period (AD 150-600) was one of exponential growth at Naachtun. Indeed, the size of the Classic period city, the grandeur of its temples and palaces, and the presence of over 26 carved stelae indicate that Naachtun grew to be the centre of a powerful kingdom.

The presence of an "Emblem Glyph", which includes the ancient name of the kingdom and the identification of it "Divine Lord", would provide direct evidence for this. However, lacking this important piece of information, Naachtun remains an anonymous participant in the political developments of the Classic period.

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Late Classic

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However, the actions of Naachtun's rulers must have been a significant factor in the political ploys of other Maya kings, as the ancient kingdom lay directly between Tikal and Calakmul, the two greatest cities in the ancient Maya world. Considered the two "superpowers" of the Classic Maya, Calakmul and Tikal formed large confederacies and fought major wars, both directly against each other and "by proxy".

Situated between these two formidable kingdoms, Naachtun held not only a strategic position, but also a vulnerable one in an environement of endemic warfare. The control of Naachtun must have been seen as a necessary prologue to any concerted attempt by the kings of Tikal and Calakmul to launch an attack against the other.

Yet, despite the incessant strife, Naachtun continued to thrive as the capital of a powerful city-state until its demise in circa 830.

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Because of its strategic location and long history, Naachtun is one of the most important and least known sites in the Maya area. In order to shed light on this significant, yet enigmatic kingdom, the Naachtun Archaeological Project, a multi-year, multi-disciplinary program of research, was launched in 2002.

The Naachtun Archaeological Project merges archaeological investigations with environmental conservation and economic development in the tropical forest of northern Guatemala. Archaeological development of the Classic Maya site of Naachtun can contribute directly to the preservation of Naachtun-Dos Lagunas Biosphere as a pristine rainforest environment. In addition, the on-going research and development of Naachtun will provide a foundation for sustainable ecotourism in the area.

Specific research questions of the Naachtun Archaeological Project include:

• Why did Naachtun survive the cultural and political collapse which occurred at the end of the Late Preclassic (100 BC-AD 150), when most of its nearest neighbours did not?
• What was the basis for Naachtun's subsequent growth during the Early Classic (AD 150-600)?
• Was Naachtun implicated in the warfare that was virulent during the Late and Terminal Classic periods (AD 600-900)?
• Because of its position at the nexus of three distinct culture areas, did Naachtun serve as a cultural or economic crossroads?
• What caused the abandonment of this once-great city?

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The initial season of investigations at Naachtun revealed that the civic center was founded between 100 BC and AD 150, however, its period of greatest growth appears to have been between AD 150 and 300, the initial stages of the Early Classic period. During this period, most of Group A was constructed, as well as a large 15 m tall structure (La Perdida) situated between Group A and C. In addition, Structures I and V in Group C underwent large scale modifications during this period. Finally, the presence of looted tombs, stelae, and large elaborate buildings in Groups A and C point to the development of a successful, independent polity during this period.

Our second season of investigations focused on this early period of growth. We were specifically interested in addressing questions regarding the foundation of the city-state in this region and the role that warfare played in the Naachtun's fortunes during the Early Classic.

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Survey

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Excavations

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Epigraphy

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Artifact Analysis

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Preliminary Pottery Type List, 2004

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Protecting the Naachtun-Dos Lagunas Biosphere

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The site of Naachtun lies at the heart of the largest continuous tropical forest canopy in Peten, Guatemala. Situated within the Naachtun-Dos Lagunas Biosphere, the ruins of Naachtun are located just one kilometer south of the Mexican border. The mature tropical canopy sheltering the site is pristine, having been uninhabited for nearly a millennium. The majestic trees that cover the ruins are also home to a myriad of vulnerable rainforest species. Many of these species are on the endangered list, such as the jaguar and Mantled Howler and spider monkeys. In Guatemala alone, 50 to 75 percent of the rainforest has been clear-cut or burned in the last 15 years. Those animals not killed outright are left with no natural habitat. Conservation of the cultural resources insures the continued preservation of large tracts of natural tropical forest habitat.

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In the center of a swath of protected rainforest that stretches across the northern limits of Guatemala, the Naachtun-Dos Lagunas Biosphere is on the front lines of an effort to secure and stabilize existing forest for sustainable economic development through tourism. Tropical rainforest areas of the Peten, today, are under substantial pressure, both from local population growth and invaders coming in from Mexico. Naachtun, as the major archaeological site in this area, is pivotal to all strategic plans for conservation and development in the northern Peten. Therefore, the Naachtun Archaeological Project is working the Guatemalan government, NGOs, and local communities to conserve the natural and cultural resources in the region.

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Articles and Book Chapters

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Mathews, Peter, Kathryn Reese-Taylor, Marcelo Zamora, and Alexander Parmington.
2005 Los Monumentos de Naachtun, Peten.In XVIII Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2004, edited by Juan Pedro LaPorte, Bárbara Arroyo, and Héctor E. Mejía, pp. 691-696. Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, Instituto de Antropología e Historia, Asociacíon Tikal, and Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc, Guatemala City.

Reese-Taylor, Kathryn, Peter Mathews, Marcelo Zamora Mejía, Debra Walker, Martin Rangel, Silvia Alvarado, Ernesto Arredondo, Shawn Morton, Alex Parmington, Roberta Parry, Baudilio Salazar, and Jeff Seibert.
2005 Proyecto Arqueológico Naachtun: Resultados Preliminares de la Primera Temporada de Campo 2004. In XVIII Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2004, edited by Juan Pedro LaPorte, Bárbara Arroyo, and Héctor E. Mejía, pp. 91-100. Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, Instituto de Antropología e Historia, Asociacíon Tikal, and Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc, Guatemala City.

Walker, Debra Selsor
2004 Exploring Naachtun. Institute of Maya Studies Newsletter, Vol. 33:11, pp. 1,5-6. Miami Musuem of Science, Miami.

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Reports

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Reese-Taylor, Kathryn, Marc Zender and Ernesto Arredondo.
2002 The 2002 Naachtun Reconnaissance Report. Report submitted to the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Guatemala City, Guatemala.

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Conference Papers

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Reese-Taylor, Kathryn, Peter Mathews, Julia Guernsey, and Marlene Fritzler.
2005 "Warrior Queens Among the Classic Maya." Paper presented at the 70th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, March 30-April 3, Salt Lake City, UT. and at the 2004 Chacmool Conference: Que(e)rying Archaeology, the 15th Anniversary Gender Conference, November 11-14, Calgary, AB.

Reese-Taylor, Kathryn, Martin Rangel, Debra Selsor Walker, David Stuart, Peter Mathews, Alejandra Alonso, Silvia Alvarado, Ernesto Arredondo, Chris Morehart, Shawn Morton, and Fernando Rochaix.
2005 "Resultados de Investigaciones en 2005: el Período Clásico Temprano de Naachtun." Paper to be presented at the XIX Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, July 18-22, Guatemala City.

Walker, Debra Selsor, Kathryn Reese-Taylor, and Peter Mathews.
2005 "Después del la Caída: El Despertar del Período Clásico." Paper to be presented at the XIX Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, July 18-22, Guatemala City.

Mathews, Peter, Kathryn Reese-Taylor, Marcelo Zamora Mejía, and Alexander Parmington.
2004 "Historia de las investigaciones epigráficas en Naachtun." Paper presented at the XVIII Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, July 15-19, Guatemala City.

Reese-Taylor, Kathryn, Peter Mathews, Marcelo Zamora Mejía, Silvia Alvarado, Ernesto Arredondo, Shawn Morton, Jason Parmington, Roberta Parry, Martin Rangel, Baudilio Salazar, and Jeff Seibert.
2004 "Proyecto Arqueológico Naachtun: Resultados Preliminares de la Primera Temporada de Campo 2004." Paper presented at the XVIII Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, July 15-19, Guatemala City.

Reese-Taylor, Kathryn, Peter Mathews, Ernesto Arredondo Leiva, and Marc Zender.
2003 "Naachtun: Un Cuidad Clasico de los Mayas." Paper presented at the XVII Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, July 21-25, Guatemala City.

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Internet Articles

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Reese-Taylor, Kathryn, Peter Mathews, Marc Zender, and Ernesto Arredondo Leiva.
2003 "Naachtun: A Lost City of the Maya". Web Article, BBC History Television website, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/archaeology/maya_naachtun_01.shtml

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Recommnded Reading

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GENERAL BOOKS

The Maya. Seventh edition. (2005) Michael Coe. Thames and Hudson.

Chronicle of Maya Kings and Queens. (2000) Simon Martin and Nikolai Grube. Thames and Husdon.

Breaking the Maya Code. Revised edition. (1999) Michael D. Coe. Thames and Hudson.

Code of Kings. (1999) Linda Schele and Peter Mathews. Scribner.

Popol Vuh. (1996) Dennis Tedlock. Touchstone.

Maya Cosmos. (1995) David Freidel and Linda Schele. Harper Paperbacks.

The Ancient Maya. Fifth edition. (1994) Robert Sharer. Stanford University Press.

Maya Civilization. (1993) T. Patrick Culbert. Smithsonian Institution Press.

Forst of Kings. (1992) Linda Schele and David Freidel. Harper Perennial.

Blood of Kings. Reprint edition. (1992) Linda Schele and Mary Miller. George Braziller.

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Internet Resources

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Boundary End Archaeology Research Center

Canadian Society for Mesoamerican Studies

FAMSI, The Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc.

The Mesoamerican Center, University of Texas at Austin

Mesoweb

Museo Popol Vuh, Universidad Francisco Marroquín

ParksWatch, Center for Tropical Conservation, Duke University

Wayeb, The European Association of Mayanists

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Naachtun: A Lost City of the Maya

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By Kathryn Reese-Taylor, Peter Mathews,

Marc Zender and Ernesto Arredondo Leiva

Fuente: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/archaeology/maya_naachtun_01.shtml

Excavations in the Guatemalan jungle have revealed the tantalising remains of a Mayan city, seemingly abandoned at the height of its powers. Kathryn Reese-Taylor takes up the search to discover the lost city of Naachtun.

An abandoned city

The Maya of the Classic period, which begins at approximately AD 250, lived in an area that now includes Guatemala, Chiapas and the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, western Honduras, Belize, and El Salvador. The Classic period Maya were organised into numerous small city-states, each with their own king. Within the large cities that served as the capitals of these kingdoms, the Mayan people erected grand public buildings, including palaces and temples, large plazas, and reservoirs to collect water. They also recorded history in hieroglyphic writing, which was carved onto stone monuments called 'stelae', and documented events in the lives of their kings. However, the Classic period was also plagued by continuing warfare between the various kingdoms and their allies. Ultimately the endemic warfare was an important factor in the downfall of the Classic period Maya, that resulted in the abandonment of most cities and their surrounding territories by AD 900.

'...control of the city must have been seen as a necessary prologue to any attempt by Tikal or Calakmul to attack the other.'

The ancient city of Naachtun is situated in the heart of the Maya region, just one kilometre south of the Mexican border, in far northern Guatemala. It was rediscovered by western archaeologists in 1922, and remains one of the most remote sites in the Maya area. In fact, it has been the subject of only a few fleeting visits over the past 80 years.

Despite its present-day isolation, however, Naachtun was very much in the thick of things during the Classic period (AD 250-900). The site lies about 44km (27 miles) south-south-east of Calakmul, and 65km (40 miles) north of Tikal - these being the two 'superpowers' of the Classic Maya world. Lying directly between two such powerful entities, Naachtun held not only a strategic position, but also a vulnerable one during the frequent wars of the time, and control of the city must have been seen as a necessary prologue to any attempt by Tikal or Calakmul to attack the other.

Wartime affiliations

The dates recorded on the Naachtun monuments span a period from AD 504 to 762, suggesting that the city flourished for most of the Classic period. Yet because of its geographical position, Naachtun was tied either to Tikal or Calakmul for much of its existence, changing its affiliation several times during its history.

Naachtun's central position and fluctuating political affiliation can be deduced from the architectural diversity found at the site. Buildings in the Tikal tradition are evident in the main plaza, while the extensive, rambling, elite residential section of Naachtun is reminiscent of the Calakmul palace precinct.

However, another building at Naachtun (Structure XXXIX on the map) is built in yet another style - constructed with cut-stone masonry that is characteristic of Río Bec architecture. This is a widespread architectural style that is found across the region to the north of Naachtun. This array of architectural influences, probably reflecting the site's shifting political affiliations and regional connections, makes Naachtun one of the most interesting of all Classic Maya sites for study.

History of investigations

Naachtun was rediscovered by the archaeologist Sylvanus Morley, of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, on 3 May 1922. Morley had heard of the site from a chiclero - a person who collects sap, used for making chewing gum, from chicle trees - named Alfonso Ovando, who first saw the site in 1916. Morley and a Filipino photographer, Juan Sopeña, subsequently spent a total of seven days at the site, where they investigated many of the standing buildings and discovered 19 of Naachtun's 40+ stelae.

'They... realised that Nohoxna and Naachtun were in fact one and the same place.'

Morley named the large Maya city Naachtun because of the site's extreme inaccessibility (naach meaning 'far' and tun meaning 'stone', in Mayan). In fact Naachtun is still one of the most remote sites in the Yucatan peninsula, and one of the least known of all major Classic Maya centres.

The next western visitor to Naachtun was Cyrus Lundell, who reached the site on 5 January 1932. He spent three days exploring and mapping it, in the company of one Garcia, a chiclero guide. He also discovered eight new stelae. But while Morley and company had reached Naachtun from the south, Lundell had reached it from the north, and mistakenly thought he had found a new site about 20km (12 miles) north of the Mexico-Guatemala border. He named the supposedly new site 'Nohoxna'.

In 1933, thinking that Lundell had discovered a new site, the Carnegie Institution of Washington sent an expedition into southern Mexico to find and document it. This expedition, whose members were Karl Ruppert, John H Denison Jr and JP O'Neill, spent 12 days there in May 1933. They discovered many new stelae, as well as several new buildings, and O'Neill completed the map of the site that is in use today. It was only when Ruppert, Denison and O'Neill returned from the field and compared their photos with those from Morley's earlier expedition that they realised that Nohoxna and Naachtun were in fact one and the same place.

Gathering the evidence

Marc Zender examines a building at Naachtun ©

In the mid 1970s, Eric von Euw, of the Corpus of Maya Hieroglyphic Inscriptions project at Harvard University, visited the site for a few days and made field drawings of several stelae. And in the 1990s, Nikolai Grube, of the University of Texas at Austin, also visited Naachtun, and recorded the inscriptions on several stelae. While von Euw illustrated many of the previously unknown stelae at the site, Grube discovered the ancient name of the Naachtun kingdom on Stela 1. According to Grube, the Classic period Maya of Naachtun called their kingdom Masuul.

The most recent visit was made in July 2002 by archaeologists Kathryn Reese-Taylor and Marc Zender, of the University of Calgary, and Ernesto Arredondo Leiva of Guatemala's Del Valle University. One of the principal aims of this trip was to investigate Naachtun with an eye to conducting a long-term archaeological project there, and after four days at the site it became clear that such a project was definitely called for.

The Kingdom of Masuul

The size of Naachtun, the grandeur of its public architecture, and the presence of over 40 stelae, indicate that it was the centre of a very powerful kingdom during the Classic period. Yet the name of the kingdom, as recorded in hieroglyphic texts, remained a mystery until the mid 1990s, when the epigrapher Nikolai Grube discovered the ancient Mayan name of Naachtun.

'According to the emblem glyph, Naachtun's ancient name was 'Masuul'.'

In a fragmentary passage on Stela 1, he found an 'emblem glyph' (a hieroglyphic compound), which included the names of Classic period Mayan kingdoms. According to the emblem glyph, Naachtun's ancient name was 'Masuul'.

References to the Masuul kingdom are found not only in hieroglyphic inscriptions at Naachtun, but also on scattered monuments throughout Guatemala and Mexico. Taken as a whole, the inscriptions on these monuments record a history for the Masuul kingdom that spans from AD 486 to 761, and includes details of familial relationships, warfare events and funerary rites.

Traces of ritual

The earliest dated reference to the Masuul kingdom is found on Tikal Stela 10. Dating to 486, the passage states that the capital of the Masuul kingdom (ie Naachtun) was conquered by Tikal. The defeated king was brought before the Tikal king 'seven days later' and may well be the captive shown on the front of Stela 10.

The early hostilities between Naachtun and Tikal were almost certainly the result of power struggles with Calakmul, Tikal's bitter enemy. Earlier on it seems probable that Naachtun had been in Calakmul's sphere of influence. Yet during the early fifth century, Tikal went on the offensive against Calakmul, and pushed northwards in a series of campaigns aimed at enlarging and consolidating its northern frontier.

'The final passage dates to 711, and describes the funerary rite of an important woman.'

However, during the late sixth and early seventh centuries, Tikal suffered a series of defeats at the hands of Calakmul and its allies. Consequently Naachtun was forced to switch allegiance back to the nearer neighbour, and a hieroglyphic block from Structure 4 at Calakmul includes a reference to the Masuul kingdom from about this period.

In the late seventh and early eighth centuries, Naachtun's loyalties changed again. Tikal resurged, defeating Calakmul's armies in 695. Indeed, the next reference we have to the Masuul kingdom is on Tikal Altar 5, which records a series of events beginning in 692 and involving the king of Masuul and the king of Tikal. The final passage dates to 711, and describes the funerary rite of an important woman - a rite overseen by both kings. Details of this ceremony are depicted on the face of Altar 5, where both kings are captured in the act re-interring the bones of the deceased in a prominent area of Tikal. This type of ritual re-interment of a deceased individual is very rare and, in this instance, signals the significant role that this woman played in the political relationship between Tikal and Naachtun. Such personal interaction strongly implies that the two kings were each related to the deceased woman, and hence to one another.

Changing allegiances

A familial relationship with Tikal is also suggested by texts and images on Naachtun Stela 9, dating to 731. This stela depicts a lady of Tikal at Naachtun, probably the wife of a local ruler, and suggests that the political and familial alliance of Naachtun and Tikal continued until at least this period.

Finally, Naachtun changed allegiances again during the later half of the eighth century. In the texts on Naachtun Stela B5, titles closely associated with Calakmul are used to describe an individual at Naachtun. The stela specifically names the individual as 'he of Calakmul' and states that he was responsible for the erection of the stela in 761.

'The city played the role of 'piggy in the middle' between two superpower neighbours.'

Late Classic existence was a precarious one politically, alternating in affiliation between Calakmul to the north and Tikal to the south - another indication that, throughout its history, the city played the role of 'piggy in the middle' between two superpower neighbours.

Defensive fortifications

Finally, there is a particularly distinctive architectural feature at Naachtun that betrays the political turmoil of the Classic period. The map indicates that Structures VII-XII are surrounded by a wall, and in the 2002 reconnaissance of the site it was confirmed that this feature is indeed a wall. It was also evident that the wall was added some time after Structures VII-XII were built, and that it is reminiscent of defensive walls found at the sites of Dos Pilas and La Joyanca to the south.

The walls from each of these sites date from the very end of the Classic period and were constructed to try to protect a local population under imminent threat from outside attackers. However, there are key differences between these walls and the wall at Naachtun. At points the Naachtun wall is 4m (13ft) high, and it is well constructed with large cut blocks of limestone. This is notably different from the one at La Joyanca, which was only about half a metre (19in) high and served as a base for a wooden palisade. It also differs from the walls at Dos Pilas, which, although large, were not well constructed, and were made by removing the exterior stone facing of the surrounding buildings.

'Who were these people who settled 'betwixt and between' the two superpowers of the Classic Maya world?'

The Dos Pilas fortifications were erected in haste, while the defensive wall at Naachtun appears to have been carefully planned and assembled. This leads to the conclusion that the Dos Pilas and La Joyanca defensive walls were effective responses to the stresses of warfare at the end of the Classic period, while the sizeable and well-built defensive fortifications at Naachtun are an indication that the city had been living with this type of stress for centuries.

During the last decade, Naachtun has revealed many of its secrets. It is now known that the ancient city was the capital of a great kingdom called Massul. We also know that it was a crucial collaborator in the political manoeuvrings of both Tikal and Calakmul. Yet there remain many unanswered questions. Why did this great city arise? Who were these people who settled 'betwixt and between' the two superpowers of the Classic Maya world? How did the lords of Masuul maintain the prosperity of their kingdom through what appears to have been centuries of warfare? And what finally caused this great kingdom to be abandoned? These questions can only be answered through the careful archaeological excavation of the site. And it is to be hoped that the day when this investigation can begin is near.

Find out more / Books

The Maya by Michael Coe (Thames and Hudson, 1999)

The Lords of Tikal: Rulers of an Ancient Maya City by Peter Harrison, Colin Renfrew and Jeremy A Sabloff (Thames and Hudson, 2000)

A Forest of Kings: The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya by Linda Schele and David Freidel (William Morrow, 1990)

How to Read Maya Hieroglyphics by John Montgomery (Hippocrene Books, 2001)

The Fall of the Ancient Maya: Solving the Mystery of the Mayan Collapse by David Webster (Thames and Hudson, 2002)

About the author

Kathryn Reese-Taylor is an Associate Professor in the Department of Archaeology, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She has worked in the Maya area for 20 years. Her research has focused on the Late Preclassic period (400 BC-AD 250), as well as on Classic (AD 250-900) Maya political organisation. Her books include Landscape and Power in Ancient Mesoamerica (2001) edited with Rex Koontz and Annabeth Headrick. Among her most recent publications is 'Ritual Circuits as Key Elements in Maya Civic Center Design', in Heart of Creation: The Mesoamerican World and the Legacy of Linda Schele.

Ver también:

http://www.famsi.org/reports/03101es/08reese/08reese.pdf

http://www.famsi.org/reports/03101es/64mathews/64mathews.pdf

http://www.famsi.org/reports/99016/section14.htm

SOBRE LA VERDADERA FECHA DE LA FUNDACIÓN DE MÉRIDA

Aunque el año pasado tuvo lugar en el Museo Nacional de Arte Romano de Mérida una exposición titulada "AUGUSTO, FUNDADOR DE EMERITA" (30 de marzo a mayo de 2004), que muestra la vigencia de la tesis más tradicional acerca de la fundación de esta importante capital hispanorromana, la realidad es que existen al menos 20 argumentos (*) para pensar más bien que Emerita ya existía bastantes o muchos años antes de que Augusto asentara allí dos veces a nuevos veteranos y le diera el rango colonial, junto con la capitalidad de la nueva provincia de Lusitania. En este artículo se relacionan asépticamente esos 20 argumentos que a mi juicio ponen en cuestión la fundación ex novo de Emerita por Augusto, en atención a que son muchos los aficionados que quizá no los conocen, y podrán así sacar sus propias conclusiones.

La evidencia sobre la inexacta traducción que se venía haciendo del fundamental texto sobre Mérida de Dión Casio (infra, nº 3) la deduje en 1986 gracias al préstamo, por mi buen amigo Michael Blech, del DAIM, de un libro recién aparecido de Michel Casevitz sobre el vocabulario griego usual en los textos sobre colonización. Lo que en él leí me incitó a revisar bajo la nueva perspectiva la traducción de tan celebérrimo texto, que para todos los autores "clavaba" la fundación en el 25 a.C., y a buscar otros indicios que apoyaran la preexistencia de Mérida, y eso fue lo que hice desde 1986, aunque sabía lo difícil que es en España ir contra corriente en un asunto indiscutido, uno de los muchos axiomas en vigor. Y claro que los había, bastantes hechos anómalos y sin explicar. La mayoría (11) los expuse en 1987 (publ. en 1990), y otros en otras publicaciones posteriores (véase al final una sucinta relación). Luego he añadido otros nueve más, hasta 20. Aquí los enumero todos, en forma lógicamente breve, y divididos en dos grupos: argumentos histórico-epigráficos y numismáticos, y argumentos de orden arqueológico, explicados lo más claramente posible y ordenados según el peso que les atribuyo, excepto los núms. 19 y 20, que considero de carácter fundamental y cierran las reflexiones.

A) ARGUMENTOS HISTÓRICO-EPIGRÁFICOS Y NUMISMÁTICOS

1) EL LUGAR ESTRATÉGICO DE MÉRIDA. Si no un vado propiamente, Mérida está sobre un paso del Guadiana estratégico desde tiempo inmemorial, con una gran isla central que facilita el paso del ancho río (figs. 1 y 2) y permite incluso la celebración en ella de mercados, sin duda eco de una práctica muy antigua. De hecho, Mérida controla el eje de una ruta peninsular S-N prerromana tan vieja como la de Sevilla y Ayamonte hacia Salamanca y León. Añádanse a ello la extraordinaria fertilidad del lugar y las facilidades para el ganado. Es un lugar, pues, que debió de ser habitado y transitado comercialmente en diversas épocas anteriores a Roma. Aunque autores como J.J. Enríquez desde la Prehistoria han asegurado rotundamente que el lugar estuvo habitado en todas las épocas excepto en la romana anterior a Augusto (lo que por definición ya resulta extraño), lo más probable es que el hábitat vetón correspondiente no haya sido aún localizado. En 1995 (1997) sugerí que puede estar en torno a un posible santuario federal vetón, bajo la elevada zona de El Calvario (fig. 2), al O. y cerca de la confluencia de los ríos Ana y Barraeca (véase aquí mismo el articulo http://www.celtiberia.net/articulo.asp?id=1124), que casualmente es la zona menos excavada, estudiada y puesta en valor de toda la ciudad. Pero no cabe descartar que, como en Zaragoza, los niveles preaugusteos pudieran hallarse también en las inmediaciones (1).

Fundación Mérida - Fig. 1 - Propuesta de territorio

Hipótesis de 1989 sobre el reparto del territorium de la ciudad de Mérida, tomando en cuenta la frontera con la Bética en el río Guadiana (Estrabón, Mela, Plinio), los mojones epigráficos (termini de Valdecaballeros al E y Montemolín al S), así como el reparto de las inscripciones con la tribus Papiria, para dejar de definir un enorme territorio circular de 100 km a la redonda, como se venía haciendo, sino distintas praefecturae dependientes de Mérida. Según el gromático Higino (Th. 78), Mérida tenía varias de estas "prefecturas" o pedanías: algunas tenían las parcelas en la misma orientación que la colonia (E-O) y otras la tenían invertida, esto es, sus parcelas eran rectangulares pero en dirección N-S. Éstas eran tres, se enclavaban en otros territorios y se llamaban Turgaliensis (al O, en el territorio de Trujillo y tocando con los de la ciudad lusitana de Lacimurga y la praefectura de la colonia cordobesa de Ucubi); la Mullicensis (sugerida al S, en Montemolín, BA), y una tercera cuyo nombre no da pero sugerí en el área hoy portuguesa de Elvas (véanse fotos de ambos termini aquí mismo). El plano es la fig. 1 de mi artículo "Colonia Iulia Augusta Emerita: Consideraciones acerca de su fundación y territorio", Gerión 7, 1989, págs. 149-205, retocado, pues por un lamentable error editorial fue publicado sin pasar a tinta.

(c) Alicia M. Canto 1989/2005. Imagen publicada por: A.M.Canto

Fundación Mérida – Fig. 2 - Planta y zona del Calvario

Aunque autores como J.J. Enríquez desde la Prehistoria han asegurado rotundamente que el lugar estuvo habitado en todas las épocas excepto en la romana anterior a Augusto (lo que por definición ya resulta extraño), lo más probable es que el hábitat vetón correspondiente no haya sido aún localizado. En 1995 (1997) sugerí que puede estar en torno a un posible santuario federal vetón, bajo la elevada zona de El Calvario, al O. y cerca de la confluencia del Ana con el Barraeca (véase aquí mismo el articulo http://www.celtiberia.net/articulo.asp?id=1124), que casualmente es la zona menos excavada, estudiada y puesta en valor de toda la ciudad. Pero no cabe descartar que, como en Zaragoza, los niveles preaugusteos pudieran hallarse también en las inmediaciones.

(c) A.M. Canto et al., Madrider Mitteilungen 1997. Imagen publicada por: A.M.Canto

2) LA ACTIVIDAD MUNICIPALIZADORA DE JULIO CÉSAR EN EL ENTORNO DE MÉRIDA. Quizá ya desde su 'praetura' en la Ulterior (61-60 a.C.), pero con seguridad tras las guerras civiles (45-44 a.C.), Julio César crea campamentos o refunda diversas ciudades en un amplio radio en torno a Mérida (fig. 3). Así, todos los municipios de la Beturia Céltica que en su honor llevan el epíteto de "Julios": Seria (Jerez de los Caballeros, BA), Segida (Burguillos del Cerro, BA), Nertobriga (Fregenal de la Sierra, BA), Ugultunia (Medina de las Torres y sus otros núcleos, BA) y Lacimurga (Encinasola, H). Además, al N, al S y al O están al menos las ciudades de Ebora Liberalitas Iulia (Évora), Pax Iulia (Beja), Norba Caesarina (c. Cáceres) y Praesidium Iulium Scallabis (Santarém), siendo claramente estos dos últimos de origen campamental, por no recordar que también Olisipo (Lisboa) se llamó "Felicitas Iulia". Ante tal cantidad de ciudades "Julias" al sur, al norte y al oeste de Mérida, ¿es razonable pensar que César, él mismo un gran estratega, ignorara y olvidara dejar con hábitat y control precisamente el lugar y paso quizá más privilegiados de todos los citados?

Fundación Mérida – Fig. 3 - Ciudades con epíteto Iulia

Aunque el mapa en este caso es de mala calidad, he ubicado sobre él, con estrellas amarillas, las ciudades cuyo epíteto de "Iulia", más su tribu "Galeria", hacen suponer que se encuadran dentro de la actividad municipalizadora de César en la Ulterior, sea como municipios o como colonias (sus nombres se hallan en el punto 2 del artículo contiguo). Como puede verse, la corona de ciudades es lo suficientemente numerosa como para no pensar que nada hubiera hecho o actuado en la privilegiada zona de Mérida, en plena ruta de penetración sur-norte y en uno de los mejores pasos naturales sobre el Guadiana. Ello justificaría su epíteto de Julia, que conocemos por diversos aunque no divulgados testimonios. Mapa de origen: http://www.uoc.es/humfil/ct/Hiper_educatius/mausoleufabara/romanitz.htm casi irreconocible, pues además he recortado de él sólo este sector.

(c) Alicia M. Canto. Imagen publicada por: A.M.Canto

3) EL FUNDAMENTAL TEXTO DE DIÓN CASIO. Se trata de LIII, 25, 8. Aquí dice Dión Casio (senador que escribe en griego a comienzos del siglo III d.C.) que, hacia el año 25 a.C., «...acabada esta guerra (la Cántabra), Augusto licenció a los más veteranos de sus soldados, y les permitió "ktísai" una ciudad en Lusitania y llamarla Augusta Emerita...». Desde siempre y por todo el mundo, y especialmente desde el [a veces] perjudicial Adolf Schulten en sus Fontes Hispaniae Antiquae (t. V, 1940, p. 328), se ha traducido este verbo griego, "ktísai", como "fundar ex novo". Sin embargo, a partir de la citada monografía de Michel Casevitz (prestigioso catedrático de Griego de Lyon, ahora de París) de 1985 sobre el vocabulario de la colonización griega, en la que me apoyé en 1987 (1989-1990), no se puede ya ignorar que "ktísai" había significado eso en los tiempos clásicos de la colonización griega, esto es, en los siglos IX al V a.C. Pero las lenguas evolucionan y, con el paso de los siglos, el mismo verbo pasó a significar "construir, edificar", esto es, una ampliación urbana, una reedificación, una remodelación significativa en una ciudad que perfectamente puede preexistir; de la misma manera que el "ktístes" ya no sería más el "héroe fundador", sino "el benefactor, el gran evergeta" (hay diversos ejemplos que Casevitz aporta sobre este hecho, referidos a emperadores y ricos prohombres). Así que, como escribí en su momento, aplicando esa novedad al texto que tratamos, había que dejar de ver a Augusto como "el fundador exnovo de Mérida". Y que es así en el mismo autor se prueba cuando el propio Dión Casio, al hablar algo más adelante (LIV, 23, 7) de las colonias fundadas por Augusto en la Península, en el año 16-15 a.C., dice que "como en Galia, "fundó" muchas ciudades". Pero aquí no usa "ktísai", sino el término "apoikítso", verbo que sí está unido al significado romano de "colonia, colonizar", y que no usó más atrás para Mérida. Como conclusión de esta novedad filológica, el texto de Dión Casio, escrito setecientos años después de que los griegos dejaran de fundar colonias "ex novo', debe traducirse y encuadrarse en esta nueva óptica. Para decirlo en otros términos, científicamente resulta obligado aceptar esta variación, y proceder con lo demás en consecuencia.

4) ¿MONEDAS DE UNA COLONIA, SIN COLONIA? En efecto, como es bien sabido, todas las amonedaciones iniciales de la ciudad, denarios y quinarios de plata (que son de época, pues mencionan al legado Carisio) llevan como leyenda de la ciudad sólo "EMERITA", y algunos de sus reversos pueden considerarse aún moneda militar. En las series que presentan la muralla, almenada y geminada, se escribe la misma simple leyenda (figs. 4-5). En cambio, las series en bronce con reversos "arado y yunta" (fig. 6), que sí son las expresivas de la deducción de una colonia, llevan el letrero AVG(usta) · EMER(ita) pero son todas posteriores, de hacia 2 a.C., mientras que la decisiva palabra "COL(ONIA)", no se acuña hasta esa misma época. Se reconocerá que, si es verdad que era una colonia nueva y de Augusto, y pensada para ser capital de la Lusitania, resulta muy extraño que ambos grandes honores no se hagan constar de ninguna manera en sus propias monedas hasta casi un cuarto de siglo después.

Fundación Mérida – Fig. 4 - As de Carisio con Emerita

As de Carisio con representación de la ciudad ya amurallada y almenada y su puerta geminada. Se fechan generalmente hacia el 23 a.C. Sin embargo, la ciudad se denomina solamente "Emerita", sin mención del estatuto de colonia ni el epíteto de Augusta, de los que en teoría debía de disponer ya en ese año, si se acepta la tradicional fundación en el 25 a.C. La leyenda del reverso dice: P(ublius) Carisius leg(atus) August(i)

(c) http://www.ffil.uam.es/merida/ver_ficha.php?n_inv=30790 Imagen publicada por: A.M.Canto