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Münster classical scholars discovered invaluable ancient Syrian mosaics and buildings and are excavating one of the few sites that are currently accessible for studies on ancient Roman Syria despite the tense political situation in the Middle East. “The ancient city of Doliche, which was part of the province of Syria in Roman times, lies at the fringes of the Turkish metropolis of Gaziantep today”, explains Prof. Dr. Engelbert Winter from University of Münster’s Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”. “
Foto: Peter Jülich
Prof. Winter spoke towards the end of the first excavation season of the new excavation project on urban development in ancient Syria, which the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) is funding with a total of 600,000 euros starting this year. At the same time, the researchers are continuing their excavations in the sanctuary of Iuppiter Dolichenus, in which the Cluster of Excellence is involved.
Foto: Peter Jülich
Outstanding mosaic with filigree pattern
“The most outstanding discovery of our excavations is a high-quality mosaic floor in a splendid complex of buildings with a court enclosed by columns that originally covered more than 100 square metres”, explains archaeologist Dr. Michael Blömer. “Because of its size and the strict, well-composed sequence of filigree geometric patterns, the mosaic is one of the most beautiful examples of late antique mosaic art in the region.” Even if the building’s function is as yet unclear, it has to be a wealthy urban villa. “These first findings already reveal the potential that the site has for further research into the environment of the urban elites and for questions as to the luxurious furnishing in urban area.”
Excavations at a near-by overhanging rock shelter revealed a significantly older epoch: it housed a Palaeolithic settlement site dating back to 600,000 to 300,000 BC. “People settled here because there was flint from which tools were crafted”, according to Prof. Winter. “Some of our new finds can already be dated back to around 300,000 BC. Therefore, we plan to expand research on this site, which is central to the early history of humankind, into an individual project.”
Bronze figurine of a stag
Simultaneously with the restart of the DFG funded excavation in the urban area of Doliche, a second group continued with the excavations on the neighbouring mount, Dülük Baba Tepesi, in the sanctuary of Iuppiter Dolichenus, one of the most important gods of the Roman Iron Age.
The project B2-20 at the Cluster of Excellence, “Media representation and religious ‘market’: Syrian cults in the Western Imperium Romanum” is closely linked to the excavation project. The focus is on local cults developing into state religions. (vvm)
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