Archaeological News

Thousands of Greek antiquities removed from Greece during Second World War will be returned to the country from Germany in June, the ministry of culture confirmed on Wednesday.

According to a document submitted to parliament by Alternate Culture Minister Kostas Tzavaras, the Pfahlbaumuseum will return to Greece 8,000 pottery fragments from the Neolithic Era, which were illegally excavated in 1941 near Velestino, Thessaly.

Pfahlbaumuseum is an archaeological open-air museum in southern Germany, consisting of reconstructions of stilt houses from the Neolithic and Bronze Age.

The ministry’s general directorate for antiquities is collecting data for all antiquities illegally removed from Greece during the German occupation. Read more.

Anthropologists have discovered a beautiful Greek waterfront paradise once inhabited by generations of Neanderthals up to 100,000 years ago, according to a new study.

This particular population was based at what is known as The Kalamakia Middle Paleolithic Cave site on the Mani peninsula of southern Greece.

Previously, only one other Neanderthal tooth suggested that the now-extinct hominids settled in Greece.

Katerina Harvati, head of paleoanthropology at the University of Tübingen’s Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironments, studied the remains and identified multiple Neanderthals representing a child, a teen and both male and female adults. It is unclear if all were related. Read more.

Archaeologists in Greece’s northern metropolis Thessaloniki were already overjoyed in 2006 when a 2,300-year-old avenue was found during construction work on the city’s new underground rail network.

But a decision to keep in situ the superbly preserved ancient neighbourhood described as “Thessaloniki’s Pompeii” has been hailed as a major win for preservationists in the cash-strapped country that has been forced to make unprecedented cuts to cultural spending.

“This is a great victory,” says Aristotelis Mentzos, a professor of Byzantine Archaeology at the city’s Aristotelio University. Read more.

The grand Mycenaens, the first Greeks, inspired the legends of the Trojan Wars, “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey.” Their culture abruptly declined around 1200 B.C., marking the start of a Dark Ages in Greece.

The disappearance of the Mycenaens is a Mediterranean mystery. Leading explanations include warfare with invaders or uprising by lower classes. Some scientists also think one of the country’s frequent earthquakes could have contributed to the culture’s collapse. At the ruins of Tiryns, a fortified palace, geologists hope to find evidence to confirm whether an earthquake was a likely culprit.

Tiryns was one of the great Mycenaean cities. Atop a limestone hill, the city-state’s king built a palace with walls so thick they were called Cyclopean, because only the one-eyed monster could have carried the massive limestone blocks. Read more.

A trove of Neanderthal fossils including bones of children and adults, discovered in a cave in Greece hints the area may have been a key crossroad for ancient humans, researchers say.

The timing of the fossils suggests Neanderthals and humans may have at least had the opportunity to interact, or cross paths, there, the researchers added.

Neanderthals are the closest extinct relatives of modern humans, apparently even occasionally interbreeding with our ancestors. Neanderthals entered Europe before modern humans did, and may have lasted there until about 35,000 years ago, although recent findings have called this date into question. Read more.

Excavation work during construction of a new subway network in Greece’s second largest city has discovered an ancient wreath made of gold that was buried with a woman some 2,300 years ago.

Archaeologists say Friday’s find in Thessaloniki occurred on the site of an ancient cemetery in the west of the northern port city.

A total 23,000 ancient and medieval artifacts have been found during archaeological excavations connected with the construction since 2006.

Archaeologist Vassiliki Misailidou said the olive branch wreath made of gold was buried in a simple, box-shaped woman’s grave.

It dates to the late 4th or early 3rd century B.C. Another eight golden wreaths were discovered in a single grave four years ago during subway work. The much-delayed construction project is expected to be finished in 2017. (source)

Ancient Olympia, the sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, global symbol and sacred location of the Games in ancient Greece, will get a face-lifting in some parts because of excavations and re-configuring according to the Central Archaeological Council (KAS.)

The changes also have to do with adopting proposals for studies in the area. One project adopted unanimously by the members of KAS includes three parts: the processing of Eastern Arcade of the Gymnasium (rectangle building with an internal courtyard and arcades in the four sides), which includes the siting of a new entrance and service facilities for visitors), the retaining wall of the Treasuries and the retaining of the excavation slopes at the altar of Demeter Chamyne, developing the monument. Read more.