Rescue excavation at Kurnish al-Bahr Tombs (Latakia city)

Abstract

The focus of this paper is to explore the findings of a never-before-studied site on the Syrian Coast: The Kurnish al-bahr site in the City of Latakia. It is worth noting that the topic of tombs and funerary artifacts is not an entirely new issue discussed in the literature; however, our aim is to present a new location that has not been previously studied or documented before.

Although the number of Roman-period tombs in Syria is estimated in the thousands (wherefrom troves of hand-made glass artifacts were recovered), only those tombs found at the Kurnish al-bahr site have been considered for the purpose of this paper. Historically speaking, the site dates back to the period between the first and third centuries CE based on the dating of artifacts recovered at the site.

The tombs found at this particular site were completely excavated during the 1994 season, and a total of 21 tombs were uncovered. Only three of the 21 tombs are considered for this paper where glass artefacts were found. Further, we will only be discussing the glass items recovered from the aforementioned tombs given the challenges of gaining access to all other glass material available at the National Museum in Latakia. What few glass items discussed herein vary in terms of form, size, and even color.

It is worth mentioning that these tombs all belong to the Roman period and have been carved into the sandstone cliffside. The tombs are void of any and all carvings, drawings, or inscriptions mentioning names or dates. The tombs also show evidence of multiple recurring looting activities. All artifacts recovered were found on tomb floors.

Recent excavation efforts in the City of Latakia (generally carried out as Rescue excavations) have contributed greatly to the studies pertaining to funerary practices during the late Roman period.  The numerous findings from these excavations throughout the last century have enriched local collections and offered new insights regarding Roman funerary practices.