Syrian-Czech joint archaeological mission begins excavations in Lattakia 

The Syrian-Czech joint archaeological  mission began the excavation works  for the current year at the “Tal al-Shamiyya” site which  dates  back to the Bronze and Iron Ages and is located on the Syrian coast near the sites of Ugarit and Ibn Hani. 

Representing the Syrian side , Head of the mission  Dr. Ahmed Deeb, a researcher at the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums GDAM , said in a statement to SANA that the excavation works  for the fifth season of the joint mission began in mid-May, adding the work plan included carrying out scientific excavation acts  in the Acropolis area, where the mission had  started work there  previously, and found  civil architecture dating back to the Iron Ages.  

He pointed out  “We had carried out excavation acts in the burial area  in 2022, and found a new burial , which dated back to the end of the ancient Bronze Age and the beginning of the Middle Bronze Age.” 

Dr. Deeb said  this burial contains four skeletons of people with their four  daggers , which indicates that they may have been hunters or warriors.  

He said that  preliminary results  of the excavation work indicate the presence of settlement during the first, second and third iron ages at the site. 

 It is worth noting that the joint archaeological mission includes a team of experts from the  GDAM  and  a group of engineers and experts representing the Czech side. 

Rawaa  Ghanam