Excavation of the shaft tombs and underground tombs at Tyre in Lebanon

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The Subject of this project is the excavation of shaft tombs and underground tombs (hypogeum) at Tyre in Lebanon. In 2002 and 2003 we successfully excavated three underground tombs with a shaft at the Ramali 200 Area in the town of Borj Ech Chemali in Tyre, and one underground tomb at the Ramali 199 Area. We also surveyed and measured the excavated area and the around, and finally discovered tens undergrounds, stone sarcophagi on the ground surface and stone quarries in the area around the underground tombs at the Ramali 200 Area and Ramali 198 Area. The archaeological research and conservation study of the environment of the frescos in the Tomb TJ04 were done in the year 2002-04. The outlines of the results are follows :1.The underground tombs with shaft seemed to belong to Phoenician age, but in our excavation we found Roman materials which belonged to 1^<st> to 3^<rd> century in the loculi. We suppose that the tombs kept the Phoenician traditions to Roman Time because of the small sizes. And it seemed also the Phoenician tradition that they buried the bodies in the loculi with wooden, terracotta or lead-made coffins.2.We realize the funerary practice in Ancient Tyros by terracotta figurines of Eros and Dionysius which were discovered in the loculous of the underground tomb in R.199.3.The study of chronology of the Hellenistic Tyrian amphorae is unique.4.Iconographical study of the frescos suggests the idea of mortal in the east Mediterranean coastal area.5.The study of the sign of the Goddess Tanit seems to be so fruitful that it makes clear that Tanit was originated in Tyros not in Carthage.