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Syria: 5th century skeleton found in Byzantine cathedral
english.globalarabnetwork.com ^ | Saturday, 15 August 2009 13:23 | Maha Karim

Posted on 08/25/2009 9:34:25 AM PDT by Nikas777

Syria: 5th century skeleton found in Byzantine cathedral

Edited by Maha Karim

Saturday, 15 August 2009 13:23

A cathedral with a skeleton remains in it, dating back to the Byzantine era, was unearthed by the Syrian excavation team in Tal Al-Hasaka site, north eastern Syria.

The cathedral ,which dates back to the Early Christianity Era, is 18 meters long, and includes a four meter wide northern hall, a 6.5 meter wide middle hall and a three meter wide southern hall, Al-Hasaka Archeology Director Abdul-Maseeh Baghdo said in a press release on Saturday.

It also includes two column bases, and the floor is inlayed with reddish-yellow baked clay.

In the cathedra's northern hall, an entrance leading to the service area was discovered where a grape squeezer and a skeleton of a human who died of torture were found.

The excavation team also found the cathedral's stairway exit consisting of four steps, with another four steps facing them the opposite way.

Moreover, the team found intact columns reaching five meters in height with ornaments, as well as the cathedral's collapsed ceiling which was built from baked clay and basalt stones.

A bimah - a platform where a religious preacher stands - was uncovered, confirming that this site is a cathedral, according to the Archeological director. (KUNA)



TOPICS: History; Religion
KEYWORDS: byzantine; godsgravesglyphs; syria
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In the cathedra's northern hall, an entrance leading to the service area was discovered where a grape squeezer and a skeleton of a human who died of torture were found.

A martyr of the Roman persecution it seems.

1 posted on 08/25/2009 9:34:25 AM PDT by Nikas777
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To: SunkenCiv

ping


2 posted on 08/25/2009 9:34:55 AM PDT by Nikas777 (En touto nika, "In this, be victorious")
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To: Nikas777

And another date for Bill Clinton.


3 posted on 08/25/2009 9:36:52 AM PDT by b4its2late (Ignorance allows liberalism to prosper.)
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To: Nikas777

By then the Roman Empire was officially Christian.


4 posted on 08/25/2009 9:37:15 AM PDT by Welcome2thejungle
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To: Nikas777

5th Century? Roman’s? I don’t think so.


5 posted on 08/25/2009 9:40:40 AM PDT by nikos1121 (Happy Ramadan, Mr. President.)
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To: nikos1121

5th Century means the 400s. The Western Roman Empire fell in 476 AD, the Eastern Roman Empire fell in 1462.


6 posted on 08/25/2009 9:42:26 AM PDT by Welcome2thejungle
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To: Nikas777
A martyr of the Roman persecution it seems.

By the 5th century, it coulda been the Christians doing the torturing, for all we know.

Or it could've been simply a 5th century crime, and maybe that desecration is what led to the cathedral's disuse.

7 posted on 08/25/2009 9:44:07 AM PDT by Terabitten (Vets wrote a blank check, payable to the Constitution, for an amount up to and including their life.)
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To: Welcome2thejungle
I meant the body could be the remains of the Pagan Roman persecution which had become a church relic after the conversion of the Roman empire. Maybe this church was built for this saint?

Before the Muslim onslaught people forget that the Zoroastrian Persian/Parthian empire over ran and destroyed many of the Greco-Roman cities before the emperor Heraclius defeated them in what some historians called the world's first Crusade. The Zoroastrians had taken the relic of the True Cross as a war trophy when they looted Jerusalem and destroyed the church that was atop the temple mount.

The Muslims took advantage of this weakness from the war the Romans and Parthians fought to first take over the defeated Persians and then take the Middle East from the weakened Romans.

8 posted on 08/25/2009 9:45:12 AM PDT by Nikas777 (En touto nika, "In this, be victorious")
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To: Welcome2thejungle
By then the Roman Empire was officially Christian

So, more likely the deceased was a member of one of the Christian sects that did not conform to the Council of Nicea.

9 posted on 08/25/2009 9:45:48 AM PDT by centurion316
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To: Terabitten
I meant the body could be the remains of the Pagan Roman persecution which had become a church relic after the conversion of the Roman empire. Maybe this church was built for this saint?

Before the Muslim onslaught people forget that the Zoroastrian Persian/Parthian empire over ran and destroyed many of the Greco-Roman cities before the emperor Heraclius defeated them in what some historians called the world's first Crusade. The Zoroastrians had taken the relic of the True Cross as a war trophy when they looted Jerusalem and destroyed the church that was atop the temple mount.

The Muslims took advantage of this weakness from the war the Romans and Parthians fought to first take over the defeated Persians and then take the Middle East from the weakened Romans.

10 posted on 08/25/2009 9:46:45 AM PDT by Nikas777 (En touto nika, "In this, be victorious")
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To: centurion316
So, more likely the deceased was a member of one of the Christian sects that did not conform to the Council of Nice

Not likely. The Christians preserved the remains of martyrs form the Pagan Roman period and when Constantine came along they built churches in honor of these saints.

11 posted on 08/25/2009 9:48:12 AM PDT by Nikas777 (En touto nika, "In this, be victorious")
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To: nikos1121
5th Century? Roman’s? I don’t think so.

What do you mean? Why don't you think so?

The Western empire collapsed in the 5th century - around the time of this church and the eastern empire ruled an additional 300 years give or take in the middle east before Islam came and 1,100 years out of Constantinople and Antolia/Balkans.

12 posted on 08/25/2009 9:52:27 AM PDT by Nikas777 (En touto nika, "In this, be victorious")
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To: Welcome2thejungle
Rome fell in 407AD. Constatine had formed the Eastern Roman Empire because of a schism of the Catholic Religion. His home was Byzantium and he remaned it Constantinople. By the 5th Century the Byzantine Empire stretched from Northeast Greece across Asia Minor.

Justinian 1 reconquered and ruled over the some of the old Roman terretories.

Constatniople would be the seat of civilization and culture until it was conquered by the Turks who would rule until WWI.

Read More about Byzantine History

Check out the Empress Theodora!

Theodora

13 posted on 08/25/2009 9:59:47 AM PDT by Young Werther ("Quae Cum Ita Sunt - Julius Caesar "Since these things are so!">)
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To: Nikas777

14 posted on 08/25/2009 10:00:31 AM PDT by GOPyouth ("Gonna get some treatment." - B. Hussein Obama)
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To: Nikas777

That would make sense, but then would not the remains be dated earlier than the 5th century?


15 posted on 08/25/2009 10:06:17 AM PDT by centurion316
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To: Young Werther

I just finished reading a book on the Byzantine Empire and yes Emperor Justinian and Theodora were very interesting rulers.

Now according to Wikipedia the Western Roman Empire fell in 476 AD when the Barbarian invader, Odoacer, forced out the last Roman Emperor (of the West), Romulus Augustus.


16 posted on 08/25/2009 10:12:32 AM PDT by Welcome2thejungle
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To: Nikas777

I think by the 5th Century the Roman Empire was pretty much Christian was it not?


17 posted on 08/25/2009 10:12:37 AM PDT by nikos1121 (Happy Ramadan, Mr. President.)
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To: Young Werther

Oh yes, the Great Schism in the Church which divided Catholic from Orthodox occurred in 1054.

Look up Schism in Wikipedia for verification.


18 posted on 08/25/2009 10:15:33 AM PDT by Welcome2thejungle
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To: nikos1121

Yes, in fact Christianity was the official religion of the Roman Empire since the reign of Emperor Constantine in the 300s.


19 posted on 08/25/2009 10:17:14 AM PDT by Welcome2thejungle
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To: Nikas777
A martyr of the Roman persecution it seems.

Possibly. There's not enough info in this article to determine one way or another.

In any event, this serves as a reminder that Syria used to be a Christian nation.
20 posted on 08/25/2009 10:18:38 AM PDT by Antoninus (Sarah Palin will soon have more fans on Facebook than most major newspapers have readers.)
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