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  • Type is exactly "Archaeological Excavation"

109 Items

Details of a gypsum floor in Trench 1

These elements of gypsum flooring were discovered at Context 1.03 in Trench 1.

Type: Archaeological Excavation
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Details of clearing the walls and other debris around the sarcophagus of Mar Elian

These pictures show the clearing away of the walls and debris that abutted the sarcophagus of Mar Elian. This was necessary due to the damp that was permeating the tomb from the north wall. In this pictures the darker soil in the pictures shows where the earth was still damp even in the summer heat of the Syrian desert.

Type: Archaeological Excavation
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Dolochopi

Excavations at Dolochopi, across the river from the modern town of Kvareli have revealed a large "three-church basilica" that is believed to date to the mid fifth century. The site stands in the centre of what was once a substantial settlement, which appears to have declined steadily after earthquakes and attacks by the Arabs and other invaders, fading into obscurity and being overtaken by the forest by the late middle ages. The basilica is built over an earlier church and, although it declined for the reasons outlined above, the nave and immediate vicinity of the church remained in use for burials. In particular the north-eastern corner of the church which was adapted in the eighth to ninth centuries as a mortuary chapel and seems to have been utilised until at least the twelfth of thirteenth centuries. The church was roofed by wooden beams supporting terracotta tiles that were held in place with iron nails and antefixes - a typically Byzantine design, as were the lighting fixtures discovered at the site. In many other respects, including in the numismatic finds, the complex looks east to the Persian Empire, but the overwhelming evidence suggests that the church is an early example of Georgian vernacular ecclesiastical architecture. One element that stands out is the inclusion of a synthronon, an element of ecclesiastical furnishing hitherto unknown in Georgia except at the nearby archaeological site of Chabukauri. In late 2016 C14 testing on a sample taken from the oldest church, which lies beneath the main basilica still extant today yielded a probable date of 387CE. The excavations were continued under the direction of Professor Nodar Bakhtadze of the Georgian National Museum and Ilia State University throughout the summer of 2017 and a large tomb compartment, called an akeldama was discovered in the centre of the apse at some distance beneath the afore-mentioned synthronon. The chronology of the site suggests that an earthquake destroyed the original fourth century church and that this was rebuilt even larger within a few years of its destruction. The resulting fifth century basilica then appears to have been damaged in a later seismic event and so the church was altered significantly in the sixth century, with further contractions of use continuing into the High Middle Ages. The images at the beginning of this entry were taken on a site visit in 2016, the latter images which make up the majority of this entry were taken a year later in August 2017.

Type: Archaeological Excavation
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Dzalisa Excavations

See the entry on Dzalisa for the history of the site and the excavated part of the Roman settlement.

Currently excavations are continuing each summer on the edge of the village burial ground where a significant late antique tomb was uncovered in 1988. In the last year a large mud brick complex - believed to be a temple - has been discovered and research by the National Museum of Georgia is ongoing in this sector of the site.

Type: Archaeological Excavation
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Extension 1 to Trench 2

This shows the surface level of the first extension to Trench 2 looking NE.

Type: Archaeological Excavation
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Extension to the trench by the entrance to Mar Elian

As it became clear that the alignment of the cloister had changed over time, a trench opened to the east of the monastery entrance was extended to the west in order to study the changed angle of alignment of the enclosure wall.

Type: Archaeological Excavation
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General view over the cloister looking north west

This gives a view over the cloister and beyond to the orchard and hills to the west of Qaryatayn.

Type: Archaeological Excavation
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General views of Zalabiyeh and the surrounding landscape

These images were taken on a first survey visit to the site on 9th April 2010 and show the extent of the extant remains, evidence of looting and views over the river in the direction of Halabiyeh.

Type: Archaeological Excavation
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Int 12 view of the wall and trench

In this picture the wall built outside the north of the cloister can be seen in context with the north wall of the church and the enclosure.

Type: Archaeological Excavation
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