Ancient history

Civil defense sirens are expected to go off all over Greece on Wednesday as part of the annual military and public warning exercise dubbed Parmenion after the Macedonian general of Philip II and Alexander the Great.

Bulgaria's city of Plovdiv is planning to exhibit almost 2 000 sq. m. of mosaics from the large V c. bishop basilica, said city mayor Ivan Totev.

The mosaics, which are in very good condition, will be placed in a special building, due to be ready by summer of 2017.

A monumental Roman-era structure 20 meters in width and 40 meters in length has been discovered in excavations at Hattusa, the capital of the Hittite civilization

The archaeologist leading the dig at the much-discussed ancient tomb of Amphipolis in Serres, northern Greece, on Thursday laid to rest speculation that it may contain the remains of Alexander the Great.

“I hope that by Christmas, if not earlier, we will have some news,” Katerina Peristeri told Melbourne-based Greek community newspaper Neos Kosmos.

An ancient ceramic atelier has been found in the Seyitömer Tumulus in the western province of Kütahya, which was used in the Roman, Hellenistic, Achaemenid, Middle and Early Bronze ages

Italy is due to return to Greece on Monday 80 ancient coins that were seized by Italian authorities six years ago.

The handover of the silver and bronze coins is due to take place at the sidelines of a meeting of European Union culture ministers in Turin.

The coins date to between the 5th and 2nd centuries B.C. and are from Macedonia, specifically Halkidiki.

Anemurium is one of the oldest settlements in the mountainous Cilicia region, but despite being home to priceless mosaics, there is little oversight to protect the breathtaking relics The mosaic reliefs in the ancient town of Anemurium, designated as a historical zone by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, are in pitiful condition, as rags protect the 1,500- to 1,700-year-old mosaics.

A 2,000-year-old inscription has been found in Parion, an ancient port city of the Hellenistic era located in the northwestern province of Çanakkale’s Biga district.

Excavations at the site have recently been ongoing in seven different spots, along with restoration and conversation works, and a Byzantine chapel was also found in the area in previous years.

Excavation work at the site of Ancient Amphipolis, in central Macedonia, has revealed a mosaic of random while marble pieces against a red background, the Ministry of Culture has said.

Two ancient tomb covers, which were found during the rehabilitation of an underpass in Istanbul’s historical peninsula, have been delivered to Istanbul Archaeology Museum, but only after being damaged in the construction work.