Fragments of wall paintings from the 13th – 14th centuries, discovered in 2023.Photo: M. Zlatkov and Reneta Karamanova
Posted on 03/05/2024 9:27:40 AM PST by SunkenCiv
124 artifacts made of stone, ceramics, and metal were discovered during archaeological excavations in the Church of the Holy Mother in the town of Melnik in the Blagoevgrad province of southwestern Bulgaria.
Recent archaeological excavations have unearthed treasures that connect fragments of history, providing a glimpse into the medieval and early modern lives of this Bulgarian town.
Two in particular stand out among the findings. A second fragment of a medieval inscription from the 13th-14th centuries hints at the church’s initial construction period, while a fragment of a marble relief plate from the 18th or early 19th century, depicting seraphim, showcases the artistic and religious expressions of the time.
The church under study has two main stages of construction. The first is from the ΧΙΙΙ – ΧIV century, and the second – from the middle of the 19th century. In 2023, efforts were concentrated in two sectors.
First, a part of the floor of the church’s reenactment stage was revealed. The apse of the church from the 13th – 14th centuries was examined underneath, and it was determined that the total length of the previous church in this period was 17.35 m and had a single apse...
Work in the coming seasons will determine precisely when the temple was first built. In the second sector, restorers worked to remove a layer of frescoes from the 13th and 14th centuries...
In the Middle Ages, Melnik was a border town between the Bulgarian and the Byzantine empires. It was a big city on the main road to Thessaloniki. However, today it has 325 official inhabitants and no one would suggest that only a century ago more than 10 000 people lived here.
(Excerpt) Read more at arkeonews.net ...
Fragments of wall paintings from the 13th – 14th centuries, discovered in 2023.Photo: M. Zlatkov and Reneta Karamanova
Some more on deck.
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2024/03/major-tomb-discovery-at-el-cano-archaeological-park/150870
https://arkeonews.net/an-amazing-discovery-in-the-1900-year-old-rock-church-sand-dollar-fossil/
https://arkeonews.net/2700-year-old-childrens-cemetery-unearthed-in-turkeys-tenedos/
the new link for the Archaeologic news page, which resists giving me a useful source listing.
https://www.archaeologica.org/news
‘Cosmic clock’ dates earliest human presence in Europe
By Katie Hunt, CNN
Wed March 6, 2024
https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/06/europe/stone-tools-earliest-humans-europe-scn/index.html
(Thought it said Cosmic Slop)
“Cosmic Slop” would be a good name for a diner near Kennedy Space Center.
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