Babylon

The Ancient City of Babylon

 

 

About the Site

Babylon is a city from the third millenium BCE located in modern-day Iraq. It was discovered in the late nineteenth century by German archaeologist Robert Koldeway. Legend has it that the city was founded by the first dynasty in a long line of Babylonian kings. One of the most famous of these kings was Hammurabi, author of the first recorded code of laws. This ancient city contains many famous landmarks, including the Hanging Gardens which are considered to be a Wonder of the Ancient World.

 

 

 

Controversy

The city of Babylon has recently suffered damage due to the war in Iraq. In 2003, experts from the British Museum declared that the United States' military occupation of Iraq has caused damage to this historic ancient site. Archaeologists were outraged when the U.S. military decided to make Babylon a military base due to its close location to Baghdad. The British Museum released this statement about the incident: "This is tantamount to establishing a military camp around the Great Pyramid in Egypt or around Stonehenge in Britain". The museum makes a good point; why is it okay to use Babylon for military purposes when we would never even dream of doing the same to the pyramids or other important sites? This ancient city is just as important as other sites and there is a lot that we can learn from it about the past. It is not fair that we are losing all of this knowledge because of modern warfare.

 

 

 

Restoration

In the past few years, the World Monuments Fund has been raising awareness and funds to restore Babylon to its former glory. This group has been working with the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage of Iraq to conserve the "fragile archaeological remains". However, it was not only military occupation that caused damage to the site. During Saddam Hussein's presidency, various reconstructions were done that also damaged the site, including the building of a modern palace overlooking the site. These damages need to be repaired before the site is once again ready for tourists to visit the site. On October 29, 2003 Babylon was submitted as a World Heritage Site and is now therefore under the protection of UNESCO.

 

 

 

What makes this excavation great?

The ancient city of Babylon was "great" for many reasons. For one, it was the capital of a major ancient empire and a military power. It also allegedly was the site of the fabled Hanging Gardens of Babylon, considered by many to be a Wonder of the Ancient World. Another structure discovered was the Ishtar Gate, which is currently located at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. The most important discovery from Babylon, however, was the Code of Hammurabi which was inscribed in cuneiform on a huge stele. This code of laws hugely contributed to our knowledge of the past and affected other civilizations throughout history. A site as important as Babylon should never have been used as a military base; it should be protected and preserved because there is so much have learned and can still discover about the ancient world.

 

 

Sources:

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/jan2005/arch-j26.shtml

http://www.wmf.org/project/future-babylon

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq/babylon.htm

http://www.atlastours.net/iraq/babylon.html

Hirbet Madras

Hirbet Madras: History Underneath Our Feet

What would you do if, one day you we're walking down an unassuming street, and the next say, that street was all dug up by archaelogists, revealing an ancient church that was resting quietly beneath our feet!

Well, thats exactly what was going on in Israel, at the Hirbet Madras site, located just outside of Jerusalem. There we're rumors of this Byzantine church being underneath the ground in the 1980's, when an arch was found, but archaelogists couldn't do much about it at the time because there was an influx of looting and site desecration at the time (who knew?) plans for excavation had to be put on hold.

Just chilling in some ruins.

Fast forward thirt years, and theres a brand new, 1,500 year old church smack dab in the middle of Israel, which has excavators salivating over its unique architecture. Israel has alwasys had Greek, Roman, Arabic, Jewish, Byzantine, and Christian burial grounds and holy sites, so this is just another great find for a nation as culturally rich as Israel.  The site was open for about two months, but is now closed until funds can obtained for further investigation.

This brings up the question of looting, as if theres no archaelogists at the site, then, whos there to guard them? Theres already been some desecration and looting in the past, and all the archaelogists have really done was to "cover it again with soil for its own protection". But a little bit of dirt isn't really enough for protection, especially since we've seen what looters are capapble of doing, in our studies of Egyptian sites. Shouldn't there be some more protection against these looters? This is history here, not some national park thats barely protected. There should be some more notice of it.

See these beautiful mosaics? Imagine them not being there anymore. It would just be a waste of space, stolen by looters, and getting cashed out, never to be seen again. Without a little preservation, no one can enjoy these works anymore. They archaelogists have made measures to protect them from the elements, but not from humans.

http://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/2011/02/1500-year-old-church-found-in-holy-land.html

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/142103

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41390020/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/-year-old-church-found-israel/

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/08/31/article-2032155-0DA2BCF800000578-181_964x639.jpg

Stonehenge

More Than Just Rocks?

Located in Southern Britain in the rural town of Wiltshire, relics of the prehistoric times are preserved through the Stonehenge. This primitive site contains a focal stone circle surrounded by many other significant structures. It signifies the advancement in the prehistoric architecture as well as insight into the funerary and ceremonial practices of this time period. However when tourists attend this World Heritage Site declared by UNESCO, many are confused as to why a bunch of rocks arranged in a circle are worthy of studying. However, these monuments allow us to study a time period from so far back that little to none is known about the prehistoric time period.

The Stonehenge seen today was completed around 1500 BC, but it was started thousands of years before this date. The structure was built within four different stages, with the first stage started around 3100 BC. Archaeologists conclude that the Stonehenge during the first stage consisted of a ditch, bank and holes, all which was earthwork. During the second stage, stones weighing four tons, were transported to this site from south-west Wales which is about 240 miles from Wiltshire. Heavier stones weighing up to 50 tons were moved to the Stonehenge in the third stage; these rocks were brought from 25 miles north of Wiltshire. In the final stage, the stones were rearranged in the circle that is seen today, but many of the stones have been removed or broken since then.

Stonehenge

Some say that the site was a early burial ground, but others claim that the Stonehenge was only used for ceremonial or religious matters. Cremated remains and humans bones have been found in the ditch which was built during the first stage. However the circular structure and organization of the stones indicated that it was built to dedicate the sun and moon. Because the Stonehenge was constructed by a culture without written records, there are many theories about this site. The fact that people with no modern machinery or technology could transport these massive stones signifies the important of this site. However the Stonehenge allows us to learn more about this prehistoric culture, such as their religious beliefs or lifestyles.

After UNESCO declared the Stonehenge a World Heritage Site in 1986, the site was given a special attention as to how it should be preserved and cared for. Currently two roads, A303 and A344, surround the landscape of the Stonehenge worrying many activists working to protect the surrounding landscape of this site. There was a proposal to build a tunnel farther away from the Stonehenge itself so that the road A303 would be closed off. However this sparked a huge debate, in which members of the Stonehenge Alliance compared the surrounding landscape to the buildings surroundings a medieval cathedral. Although many people believe that the tunnel will bring the traffic away from the Stonehenge, others are worried that this project will destroy the cultural heritage of the entire Stonehenge landscape. So should we be mindful to the beautiful scenery surrounding the Stonehenge even if it only may be stones and hills?

http://www.stonehenge.co.uk/
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/373

The Palace of Knossos

About the Site
The Palace of Knossos is an ancient structure discovered on the island of Crete. It was first excavated in 1900 by archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans. Before this discovery, not much was known about the Minoan civilization of Crete. The small amount of information about this civilization came from Greek myths. This site is also the source of many myths, debates, and controversies in the archaeological world today.

Myths
After studying the site, Evans concluded that this palace site was where the myth of King Minos and the Minotaur originated. One of his justifications for coming up with this theory was that the palace's design was labyrinthine, similar to the labyrinth that contained the Minotaur in the myth. There are also double-axe symbols, or labrys, engraved on the palace's columns. Although this theory was widely accepted and very popular at the time of its discovery, now many people are skeptical.

Restoration
Evans' restoration effort of the Palace of Knossos has been critiziced for not being legitimate and true to the past and the Minoan civilization. The use of materials for restoration that were not traditionally used in Minoan architecture have lessened the site's credibility among archaeologists. However, some parts of the palace that Evans restored are now famous and celebrated, like the Throne Room.

What makes this excavation "great"?
This excavation and discovery was important because it taught us so much about a culture that was previously little known about. Many artifacts were discovered here that helped us learn about Minoan every day life and culture. There were many pots and frescos with images of bulls, suggesting that the culture utilized some form of bull-worship and bull sacrifice, perhaps because of the myth of the Minotaur. This also suggests that the Minoans had their own form of religion separate to that of ancient Greece. One of the most important discoveries at this site was about 3,000 writing tablets, written in languages previously unknown to scholars. These languages became known as Linear A and Linear B. The use of a different language further proves that the Minoans were a unique civilization in their own right.

http://www.athenapub.com/11evans.htm