Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer

MURAT UĞURLUER (RESEARCHER)

ENTRANCE
Considering that the Member States of the Council of Europe and the other Parties to the European Cultural Convention, which have signed the present Convention (revised), is the aim of the Council of Europe to achieve closer cooperation between its members, in particular to safeguard and promote the ideals and principles which are their common heritage; 
The European Cultural Convention, signed in Paris on 19 December 1954, and in particular its Articles 1 and 5, 
Convention Concerning the Protection of the European Architectural Heritage, signed in Granada on 3 October 1995, 
European Convention on crimes against cultural property, signed in Delphi on 23 June 1985, 
Recommendations of the Parliamentary Assembly on archaeology, in particular Nos. 848 (1978), 921 (1981) and 1072 (1988), 
Having regard to Recommendation No. R (89) 5 on the protection and utilization of the archaeological heritage within the framework of rural and urban structuring activities; 
Recalling that archaeological heritage is a fundamental element for the recognition of the past of civilizations; 
Recognizing that the archaeological heritage of Europe, known by ancient history, is under serious threat of destruction from the increase in major construction works as well as from natural hazards, illegal or unscientific excavations or inadequate information of the public; 
Affirming the need to establish compulsory administrative and scientific control procedures, which do not currently exist, and to integrate the concern for the preservation of the archaeological heritage into urban and rural structures and cultural development policies; 
Underlining that the responsibility for protecting the archaeological heritage does not directly belong to the relevant State alone, but also to all European countries in terms of reducing the danger of deterioration and ensuring its protection through the exchange of experts and experience; Observing the need to complete the countries included in the European Convention for the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage, signed in London on 6 May 1969, following the development of structuring policies in European countries, Have agreed on the following matters. 
DEFINITION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE
1. The purpose of this (revised) Convention is to safeguard the archaeological heritage as a common source of European memory and as an instrument of scientific and historical research. 
2. For this purpose: i. Its preservation and study will enable the determination of the development in the history of humanity and its relations with the natural environment; 
ii. The main ways of obtaining knowledge consist of excavations and discoveries, as well as other research methods that concern humanity and its environment; 
iii. All remains, objects and other traces of the past existence of humanity located in all kinds of places under the jurisdiction of the Parties are considered elements of the archaeological heritage. 
3. Buildings, constructions, groups of architectural works, opened protected areas, movable assets, all other monuments and their surroundings are included in the archaeological heritage, whether they are on the ground or under water. 
IDENTIFICATION OF HERITAGE AND PROTECTION MEASURES
Article 2:
Each Party undertakes to implement, in accordance with its own procedures, a legal regime for the protection of the archaeological heritage that provides for: 
I. Making an inventory of the archaeological heritage and classifying monuments or protected areas, 
ii. Establishing archaeological reserve areas to preserve material traces for examination by future generations, even if there are no visible remains on the ground or under the site. 
iii. The obligation of anyone who finds archaeological heritage artifacts by chance to report them to the competent authorities and subject them to examination. 
Article 3:
In order to protect the archaeological heritage and to ensure scientific assurance of archaeological research activities, each party undertakes to fulfill the following: 
I. To implement permit and inspection procedures related to archaeological excavations and other activities in order to achieve the following objectives: 
a. To prevent the illegal removal and displacement of archaeological heritage items; 
b. To ensure that archaeological excavations and searches are carried out in a scientific manner and subject to the following conditions: 
– Use of non-destructive research methods as frequently as possible; 
– Protection, storage and classification of archaeological heritage items 
They should not be removed from the excavation site without taking appropriate precautions, and they should not be left unprotected during and after the excavation. i. To ensure that excavations and techniques that may cause destruction are carried out only by people who are qualified and trained for this purpose; 
ii. To subject the use of metal detectors and other search equipment for archaeological search to preliminary scientific permission in cases stipulated in the internal legislation of the state. 
Article 4:
Each Party undertakes to put into effect measures for the physical protection of the archaeological heritage, including, as the case may be, the following: 
1. Acquisition by public authorities of areas reserved for the formation of archaeological reserve areas or their protection by other appropriate means; 
2. Preservation and maintenance of the archaeological heritage, preferably where it is located; 
3. Building suitable warehouses for archaeological finds that have been removed from their original location. 
Article 5:
Each party undertakes to ensure the following: 
1. Archaeologists: 
I. Planning policies and strategies aimed at determining balanced strategies for the protection, conservation and evaluation of sites of archaeological value.
ii. To try to reconcile and determine the needs of archeology and structuring by ensuring their participation in various implementation phases of structuring programs; 
2. By establishing a systematic consultation mechanism between archaeologists, urbanists and builders: 
I. Changing construction plans that are likely to destroy the archaeological heritage; 
ii. ii. Ensuring that sufficient time and opportunities are provided for the scientific examination of the site and the publication of the results; 
3. To ensure that studies on environmental impact and decisions resulting from them take into account archaeological sites and their surroundings; 
4. To take precautions to preserve the archaeological heritage items found through construction works, where possible, in situ; 
5. To ensure that the opening of archaeological sites to the public, especially the structuring works to be carried out for large numbers of visitors, does not harm the archaeological and scientific quality of these sites and their surroundings. 
FINANCING OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION
Article 6:
Each party: 
1. To provide for the financial support of national, regional or local public authorities to the extent of their responsibilities for archaeological research; 
2. To increase the material equipment required for protective archeology and for this purpose, 
I. To take measures to ensure that, in large-scale public or private public works, the entire cost of any archaeological activities arising from these works will be covered from appropriate public and private sector funds; 
ii. It is committed to ensuring that the budget of these studies includes archaeological investigations and searches, scientific synthesis documents, and announcements and publications of the findings, as well as impact studies required by environmental and structuring concerns. 
COLLECTION AND DISSEMINATION OF SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION 
Article 7: 
In order to facilitate the examination and publication of archaeological findings, each Party shall: 
1. To make or update surveys, inventories and maps of archaeological sites in the areas under its jurisdiction, 
2. Undertakes to take all practical measures to ensure that a publishable synthesis document can be prepared after archaeological activities, before the detailed examination by experts is announced. 
Article 8:
Each party: 
1. To facilitate the exchange of archaeological heritage items for scientific purposes at the national or international level, but to take the necessary measures to ensure that the exchange does not harm their cultural and scientific values in any way; 
2. Undertakes to promote the exchange of information regarding archaeological research and ongoing excavations and to contribute to the organization of international research programmes. 
RAISING PUBLIC AWARENESS 
Article 9:
Each party: 
1. To carry out educational activities in order to awaken and develop public consciousness about the value of this heritage in order to recognize the dangers that threaten the past and the archaeological heritage, 
2. It undertakes to ensure that important elements of its archaeological heritage, especially sites, are opened to the public and to encourage the exhibition of selected archaeological assets. 
PREVENTING THE ILLEGAL CIRCULATION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE ITEMS
Article 1O:
Each party undertakes to fulfill the following: 
1. To organize the exchange of information between competent public authorities and scientific organizations about detected illegal excavations; 
2. Anything suspected of originating from illegal excavations or being stolen from legal excavations. to notify the competent authorities of the country of origin, which is a party to this (revised) convention, of the work and all details related thereto; 
3. To take the necessary measures to ensure that museums and other similar institutions whose purchasing policy is subject to state control do not purchase archaeological heritage items that are suspected to have come from uncontrolled finds, illegal excavations or stolen from official excavations; 
4. For museums and similar institutions of the party countries whose purchasing policy is not subject to state control: 
i.. To deliver the (revised) text of this agreement to them, 
ii. To make efforts to ensure that the principles stated in the 3rd paragraph above are complied with by the museums and institutions in question. 
5. To limit, as much as possible, the circulation of archaeological heritage items resulting from uncontrolled finds, illegal excavations or stolen from official excavations, through education, information, warning and cooperation. 
Article 11:
Nothing in this (revised) agreement is without prejudice to any bilateral or multilateral agreements existing or which may exist between the parties regarding the illicit movement or return of items of the archaeological heritage to their legal owners. 
MUTUAL TECHNICAL AND SCIENTIFIC ASSISTANCE 
Article 12:
Sides: 
1. To provide mutual technical and scientific assistance through the exchange of experience and experts on matters related to the archaeological heritage, 
2. They undertake to facilitate the exchange of experts in the field of conservation of the archaeological heritage, including in the field of continuing education, within the framework of their relevant national legislation or international agreements to which they are parties. 
AUDIT OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONTRACT (REVISED)
Article 13:
A Committee of Experts established by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in accordance with Article 17 of the Statute of the Council of Europe is mandated to monitor the implementation of this (revised) Convention and, in particular, to monitor: 
1. To submit, on a periodic basis, to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe a report on the policies regarding the protection of the archaeological heritage in the countries Parties to the (revised) Convention and the state of implementation of the principles of the Convention; 
2. To recommend to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe any measures to implement the provisions of the (revised) convention, including informing the public about the scope of multilateral action and the revision or amendment of the (revised) convention and the objectives of the (revised) Convention; 
3. To recommend to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe the invitation of countries that are not members of the Council of Europe to become parties to the (revised) convention.
FINAL PROVISIONS
Article 14:
1. This Convention (revised) is open for signature by member states of the Council of Europe and other states party to the European Cultural Convention. The agreement shall be submitted for ratification, acceptance or approval. Instruments of ratification, acceptance or approval shall be deposited with the General Secretariat of the Council of Europe. 
2. A State Party to the European Convention for the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage, signed in London on 6 May 1969, cannot deposit its instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval unless it has notified the termination of the said Convention in advance or has not notified the termination at the same time. 
3. This convention (revised) shall enter into force six months after the date on which four States, at least three of which are members of the Council of Europe, have notified their desire to become parties to the convention, in accordance with the provisions of the preceding paragraphs. 
4. If, as a result of the application of the two preceding paragraphs, the denunciation of the Convention of 6 May 1969 does not occur simultaneously with the entry into force of this (revised) Convention, any State signatory to this Convention shall, at the time of depositing its instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval, this Convention (revised). may declare that it will continue to implement the agreement dated 6 May 1969 until it enters into force. 
5. This (revised) convention shall enter into force six months after the deposit of its instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval in respect of each of the signatory States which subsequently express their desire to become party to the convention. 
Article 15
1. After the entry into force of this (revised) Convention, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe shall, by the majority provided for in Article 20 (d) of the Statute of the Council of Europe and by unanimous vote of the representatives of the States Parties entitled to be present on the Committee, declare any other non-member State of the Council and the European Economic Community hereby. may invite you to join the (revised) convention. 
2. In case of accession, this Convention shall enter into force for the acceding State or the European Economic Community six months after the deposit of the instrument of accession with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. 
Article 16
1. Each State may, at the time of signature or deposit of its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or acceptance, designate the territory or territories to which the present Convention (revised) shall apply. 
2. Any State may, at any time thereafter, by a notification addressed to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, extend the application of this Convention to any other territory specified in the notification. The Convention shall enter into force in respect of this new territory six months after notification is received by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. 
3. Any notification made pursuant to the two preceding paragraphs may be withdrawn, in respect of the territory referred to in that notification, by a note addressed to the Secretary-General. The withdrawal will take effect six months after the Secretary General receives the note. 
Article 17
1. Either Party may give notice of the (revised) termination of this agreement at any time by depositing a note with the Secretary General. 
2. The notice of termination will become valid six months after the date of receipt of the note by the secretary general. 
Article 18
1. The Secretary General of the Council of Europe shall, to the member States of the Council of Europe, to the other States Parties to the European Cultural Convention, to each State acceding to or invited to accede to this (revised) Convention and to the European Economic Community, 
a. Every signature, 
b. Every deposit of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession, 
c. The (revised) entry into force dates of this agreement in accordance with Articles 14, 15 and 16, 
D. All kinds of initiatives, notices and notifications regarding this contract (revised) will be notified. 
In confirmation of the above, the undersigned and authorized for this purpose have signed this agreement (revised). 
Done at Valletta, on 16 January 1992, in the English and French languages, both texts being equally authentic, in a single copy which shall be deposited in the Archives of the Council of Europe. 
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe shall transmit a certified copy of the convention to all member states of the Council of Europe, other states party to the European Cultural Convention and non-member states invited to accede to this convention or the European Economic Community.

A NEW PROPOSAL FOR THE WEDDING OF DIONYSOS MOSAIC

In 1992, a beautiful mosaic consisting of ten figures was unearthed in a Roman villa on the northeastern slopes of the hill called Ayvaz Hill in Zeugma, during the excavations carried out under the direction of the then Museum Director Rıfat Ergeç.
This mosaic, which depicts the wedding of Dionysus, the God of wine and nature, and Ariadne, has been described in detail in various publications. The second figure from the left of this mosaic, a significant part of which was unfortunately dismantled and stolen while it was on display in Zeugma on June 15, 1998, attracted our attention with its depiction. This figure, depicted with his right arm resting on his head, with a thoughtful expression and a torch in his left hand, is Mr. who created the mosaic. In an article written by Rıfat Ergeç, he was described as "a manad sitting and holding a torch in his hand". (1) According to Ergeç, this figure is "a lover who is dissatisfied with this marriage and is experiencing the uneasiness and sadness of being about to lose Dionysus." (2) In a more recent publication, the same figure is described by Nezih Başgelen-Rıfat Ergeç in "Pompei". It is called "a Nymph holding a torch in the resting Aphrodite position, known from . (3) In our opinion, this figure is not a menad or Nympha, but Hymenaios, the God of Weddings. Hymenaios, who was considered the son of Dionysus and Aphrodite (4) and according to another myth, Apollo and a Nympha (5), was so beautiful that those who saw him often thought he was a young girl. Even among the girls, it was impossible to tell that he was a boy. In a myth dealing with this subject, this feature of Hymenaios is explained; Young Athenian girls who went to Eleusis to sacrifice to Demeter were suddenly attacked by pirates. The pirates kidnap all the girls and Hymenaios, whom they think is a woman. While the pirates were sleeping on a deserted shore reached after a long journey, Hymenaios killed them all. (6) Such narratives glorifying the beauty of Hymenaios also explain his feminine appearance in the Zeugma mosaic, which caused him to be confused with nympha or menad, which are female creatures. Although the body lines and especially the face of Hymenaios in the Zeugma mosaic are feminine at first glance, when his body, which is naked from the waist up, is examined closely, it is seen that this body does not fully reflect the anatomy of a female body. Among the ten figures that make up the mosaic, only Dionysus and Hymenaios are shown naked from the waist up. One of the points that prove our idea is that it is stated in the myths that Hymenaios attended the wedding of Dionysus and Ariadne. In fact, according to a myth, Hymenaios suddenly lost his voice while singing at the wedding of Dionysus and Ariadne, so it became a tradition to mention his name and sing the Hymeneus song at wedding ceremonies. (7) This legend also explains the thoughtful state of the figure in the Zeugma mosaic; Hymenaios is depicted in the mosaic in the sadness of losing his voice during the wedding. On the other hand, the torch in the figure's hand supports our conclusion that he is Hymenaios. Because one of the symbols of Hymenaios, the God of Weddings, is the wedding torch.
In line with all these determinations we have mentioned, (because the figure in the Zeugma mosaic has feminine facial features, carries the torch, which is the symbol, it is stated in the myths that Hymenaios also attended the wedding of Dionysus and Ariadne, and because he lost his voice during this wedding, he is depicted thoughtfully in the Zeugma mosaic) We state that this figure must be Hymenaios.
footnotes
(1) Rıfat Ergeç, “A Roman Villa and Floor Mosaics in Belkıs-Zeugma,” Archeology and Art, Issue: 66, (Spring 1995), P. 9.
(2) agm, p.9.
(3) Nezih Başgelen-Rıfat Ergeç, Last Look at History, Istanbul, 2000, p.18.
(4) Azra Erhat, Mythology Dictionary, 4.B., Istanbul, 1989, p.160.
(5) There are differences in the myths about his origin, and there are also narratives that say Hymenaios was the son of Apollo and a Moses, or that his father was Magnes or Pieros. See. Pierre Grimale, Dictionary of mythology, Trans: Sevgi Tangüç, Istanbul, 1997, p.303. (6) Ibid., p.303.
(7) Ibid., P. 304 Azra Erhat, P. 160.

Belkıs/Zeugma Ancient City is located on the banks of the Euphrates River within the borders of Belkıs Village, Nizip District, Gaziantep Province. Built on approximately 20 thousand acres of land…

© 2024 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. by DENSEY