Published on 09 September 2014, by M. Tomazy.
I. From Turkey
A home owner living in the Melikgazi district of Kayseri province in Anatolia made a surprising discovery while clearing out an area under his house – a subterranean city, of which 4,000 square metres have been excavated so far, according to a report in Hurriyet Daily News.
The region of Anatolia in Turkey is famous for its underground cities, particularly in the region of Cappadocia where more than 40 complete underground cities and 200 underground villages and tunnel towns complete with hidden passages, secret rooms, and ancient temples have been found.
Mustafa Bozdemir, 50, was bequeathed a house in Melikgazi five years ago and decided to carry out restoration work. He explained that what he thought was a single-storey house, turned out to have multiple levels of ancient rooms beneath it.
“We also found some remains during the cleaning works such as human bones. They were examined by a team from Erciyes University,” said Bozdemir. Nuvit Bayar, the Project Director of Guntas, the company responsible for the restoration, described the discovery to Zaman Online: "We thought that there might be storage space for food or a stable beneath the house.
But had no idea that it was part of an underground city. The underground city that we found by accident during restoration begins a few meters under the ground and has two levels.
There are parts resembling underground remains of settlements in Cappadocia. Wonderful structures emerged everywhere, like an iron workshop and a loft.
II. From Greece
Two stunning caryatid statues have been unearthed holding up the entrance to the biggest ancient tomb ever found in Greece, archaeologists said.
The two female figures in long-sleeved tunics were found standing guard at the opening to the mysterious Alexander The Great-era tomb near Amphipolis in the Macedonia region of northern Greece.
"The left arm of one and the right arm of the other are raised in a symbolic gesture to refuse entry to the tomb," a statement from the culture ministry said Saturday.
Speculation is mounting that the tomb, which dates from Alexander's lifetime (356 to 323 B.C.), may be untouched, with its treasures intact.
A home owner living in the Melikgazi district of Kayseri province in Anatolia made a surprising discovery while clearing out an area under his house – a subterranean city, of which 4,000 square metres have been excavated so far, according to a report in Hurriyet Daily News.
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| The newly-discovered underground structure in Melikgazi has been compared to Cappadocia. |
Mustafa Bozdemir, 50, was bequeathed a house in Melikgazi five years ago and decided to carry out restoration work. He explained that what he thought was a single-storey house, turned out to have multiple levels of ancient rooms beneath it.
“We also found some remains during the cleaning works such as human bones. They were examined by a team from Erciyes University,” said Bozdemir. Nuvit Bayar, the Project Director of Guntas, the company responsible for the restoration, described the discovery to Zaman Online: "We thought that there might be storage space for food or a stable beneath the house.
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| A visual depiction of Derinkuyu in Anatolia, Turkey. |
There are parts resembling underground remains of settlements in Cappadocia. Wonderful structures emerged everywhere, like an iron workshop and a loft.
II. From Greece
Two stunning caryatid statues have been unearthed holding up the entrance to the biggest ancient tomb ever found in Greece, archaeologists said.
The two female figures in long-sleeved tunics were found standing guard at the opening to the mysterious Alexander The Great-era tomb near Amphipolis in the Macedonia region of northern Greece.
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| Head of a caryatid status /AFP |
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| Caryatid status - Lateral view |
