This photo taken from Bathonea excavation website shows archaeologists working near Lake Kucukcekmece. (Photo: bathonea.org)
Posted on 12/08/2015 2:32:37 PM PST by SunkenCiv
Archaeologists have found the figure of a goddess that dates back to the early Hittite period as well as a Viking amber necklace during an ongoing excavation in the ancient city of Bathonea by Lake Kucukcekmece in Istanbul.
An archaeological excavation was launched in 2009 near Lake Kucukcekmece in the Avcilar district of Istanbul to uncover the ancient city of Bathonea, which is estimated to be 1,600 years old. The excavation is being conducted under the supervision of Associate Professor Fengul Aydingun from Kocaeli University. in an earlier interview with the press, she had said the first two years of the project were spent doing cleaning, researching, mapping and geophysical work and that the team started digging in 2011.
The early Hittite figure of a goddess and the amber necklace dating back to the Viking era were found in 2015 during the excavation. The goddess figure is estimated to date back nearly 4,000 years. The figurine, 3.5 centimeters in height, is made out of lead.
The archaeological findings were also covered in the September 2015 edition of Current World Archaeology, Britain's most popular archaeology magazine.
The archaeologists' finding of a Viking-period amber necklace in Istanbul is considered significant as it may provide evidence for the presence of Vikings, who were said to have been hired as soldiers by the Eastern Roman Empire, in ninth-century Istanbul.
About 700 Vikings are believed to have come to Istanbul from Scandinavia through Russia and, according to historians, are thought to have remained in Istanbul for about 400 years. However, the presence of those Vikings in Istanbul has not yet been proven. Thus, the recent finding of the necklace in Istanbul was greeted with enthusiasm by historians and archaeologists alike.
(Excerpt) Read more at todayszaman.com ...
This photo taken from Bathonea excavation website shows archaeologists working near Lake Kucukcekmece. (Photo: bathonea.org)
Don't make them mad..they were pretty good..
The early Hittite figure of a goddess... is estimated to date back nearly 4,000 years. The figurine, 3.5 centimeters in height, is made out of lead.
Avast just gave me a blocked virus threat when I clicked this story
A coloured copy of runestone G 280 which talks of death in the Dnieper rapids. [This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.]
Shiver me timbers! Try removing the “www.” from the beginning of the URL, that works when the lib-holes try to block Freerepublic.
Wow. Who knew?
I see the story Avast blocked URL:MAL
Varangian Guard!
Author Dr. Arnold Spekke
1957, The ancient amber routes and geographical discovery of the Eastern Baltic
1961, The Baltic Sea in ancient maps
1962, Some problems of Baltic-Slavic relations in prehistoric and early historical times
The Byzantine Varangian Guard was the Emperor’s personal bodyguard made up of Scandinavians from Russia. They copied the idea from the Roman emperors who used Germans as personal bodyguards. Not only were they large and intimidating, but they could be trusted since as foreigners they couldn’t kill the emperor and take power themselves. After the Battle of Haystings in 1066 a number of King Harold’s elite Saxon “hearth warriors” made their way to Constantinople and made up a significant portion of the guard.
Two runic inscriptions are found in the Byzantine church of Hagia Sophia. They are believed to be carved by Vikings in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) during the 9th century AD, long before the Varangian Guard – an elite Viking unit of the Byzantine Army – was first formed under Emperor Basil II in 988 AD. Who were the Vikings leaving evidence of their visit?
http://thornews.com/2014/06/26/viking-graffiti-in-hagia-sophia-halvdan-carved-these-runes/
Most interesting.
The Saga of Burnt Njal relates that one of the characters, a Viking, who at the end of all the conflicts—they start small and end large—left Iceland and Ireland and travelled to Byzantium to be part of the Emperors Guard.
Its an excellent story. Starts with a conflict begun by two women, the Germanic demand for vengeance, how their husbands attempt to prevent the fight it from spreading, how it begins to involve neighbors and Icelandic families and communities, finally extending itself overseas to the battle of Clontarf. How the cycle of volence created by the demands of Pagan Nordic law finally are resolved after the introduction of Christianity to Iceland.
I’ve seen a pic, it was in a long-ago National Geographic, in an article about the Varangians, back when NG was worth a ****. Thanks!
:’)
Vikings = Peoples of the sea = Greeks. Felice Vinci “The Baltic Origins of Homer’s Epic Tales”
Like other posters I didn’t think there was any question about the existence of the Varangian Guards.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
