In the early twentieth century, the Danish archaeologist Harald Ingholt excavated numerous tombs in the southwest necropolis of the oasis city of Palmyra, Syria. Several of these locations have been unknown until now. But based on the research done by the Palmyra Portrait Project, directed by Professor Rubina Raja and funded by the Carlsberg Foundation, the locations have recently been rediscovered.

In a new publication in the journal Zeitschrift für Orient-Archäologie, the authors Professor Rubina Raja, Research Assistant Julia Steding and Professor Emeritus Klaus Schnädelbach (Technische Universität München) concord the recently rediscovered locations with Schnädelbach’s map of Palmyra from 2010. Through the concordance, it was possible to refine and update the map and add multiple new tomb names to known structures as well as tombs that were hitherto unknown and unpublished. The updated map of the southwest necropolis is an important step to further our knowledge and understanding of the Palmyrene funerary sphere. Demonstrating the high-impact potential of working with archival material and excavation notes, the article is an important contribution to the continued research into the past of Palmyra.

Full reference to article:

Raja, R., Schnädelbach, K. & Steding J. (2022). “A New Map of Palmyra’s Southwest Necropolis Based on the Excavation Diaries of Harald Ingholt”, Zeitschrift für Orient-Archäologie 14 (2021), 230–273.