Imposing Archaeological Finding in Prilep Area – “Stonehenge” at Bonce Near Prilep Unearthed

(Dnevnik, 21.09.2007) – Stonehenge in Macedonia is the first impression when one sees an unusual tomb archaeologists have been unearthing from the firm claws of the earth for a month and a half. They say it is the only of the kind in the world and that one of the Macedonian kings was buried there. The tomb was supposed to have been raided in the antique period but scientists believe a part of the tomb has resisted greedy hands of tomb raiders for centuries. Archaeologists believe that one preserved chamber dates from the 4th century BC when a dignitary was buried there. Even if the chamber was empty, it is enough that a unique structure in the world - a Macedonian-type tomb encircled with a ring of massive stone blocks - has been found. The tomb is located in a region that has been very responsive for archaeology for the past year. The public remembers it for the remains of Macedonian shields that were unearthed near Bonce last year. The tomb is 900 meters away from the place the shields were discovered under Visoka Mountain. An arched part of the tomb is 11 meters long and 3 meters high. It was built in stone blocks without mortar. The blocks were processed with refinement, chiseled and joined together. They weigh 2-3 tons. A half of the ring-wall has been unearthed so far. Its west section consists of two rows of blocks and is 1.20 meters high. The east section of the ring has four rows of blocks and is 1.80 meters high. Archaeologists have also found an access to the tomb, a path chiseled in rock and then coated with large stone blocks. The path cascades to the arched part the floor of which was also chiseled in rock. “The tomb was encircled with the ring and earth was piled on it as a mound. The higher the mound, the buried person was more important. According to the way it was built, only a king could have been buried in there. There was no other man at the time, and even today, that could pay for such funeral. This is a tomb that is unique in the world. In its concept, it is similar to the Macedonian-type tombs as is that in Vergina, but with elements left from the Iron Age - the ring,” archaeologist and the head of excavations Antonio Jakimovski explains. “The circle symbolizes the Universe. The upper semicircle is the place where deities lived and the kings wanted to dwell,” says Viktor Lilcic, the head of the Visoka and Old Bonce Project. He adds the tomb was robbed in the 3rd century BC but has preserved its monumental appearance.

Four Markers for Observance of Lunar, Solar Eclipse Revealed at Kokino

Megalith Observatory Kokino

(MIA, 02.11.2007) - People possessing great knowledge of the Sun and the Moon, as well as the secret of their eclipse, had existed in the period between 18-20 centuries B.C. This people created a lunar calendar and organized its life according to it. This is confirmed by four special markers for observance of the initial cycle of the solar and lunar eclipse, revealed at Kokino observatory, which is more than 35 centuries old, said archaeological research manager Gjore Conev at Thursday's press conference.
"The archaeological analysis has resulted in two significant revelations, which define Kokino's lunar calendar, and assist in the measurement of 29- and 30-day lunar months", Stated Conev.
"The oldest revealed marker at Kokino dates from 1917 B.C. The markers are set at a distance of 54 years and 34 days, while the others date from 1863, 1809 and 1755 B.C.", stressed Conev, adding it is a mystery whether the people disappeared or changed its cult, because there are no markers after the year 1700 B.C.
In 2001, archaeologist Jovica Stankovski of Kumanovo National Museum revealed near village Kokino a site of ceramics dating from the Bronze period. The site encompasses an area of about 5,000m2, set at two platforms right under mountain top Tatikev Kamen, 1,013m above sea level.

The importance of the site was confirmed by the U.S. space agency NASA. It appears fourth on the list of old observatories compiled by NASA.

1. Abu Simbel, Egypt
2. Stonehenge, Great Britain
3. Angkor Wat, Cambodia
4. Kokino, Macedonia
5. Goseck circle, Germany

The Official Website
http://www.kokino.org.mk/index.html

In the "World Almanac 2002" - The Macedonian Flag in Second Place

(Dnevnik, 29.12.2001) - The Macedonian flag is in second place in the selection of the editors of "World Almanac" for 2002. The ten of the best flags of nations according to the editors of the almanac are: first place the flag of Bhutan, then Macedonia, the third place is the flag of Kiribati, followed by Sri Lanka, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, the Seyshell Islands and the flag of France in tenth place.

The Macedonian flag

According to the information of the American national centre for statistics in education from 1999 that is published in the almanac, Macedonia is in the 30th or the 25th place among 38 countries in the international achievements of eight-graders in mathematics and science. Singapore is in first place in math and in science - Taiwan.
"The World Almanac" is the biggest bestseller and a book of information in the world. Its first issue was published in 1868 on 120 pages. In 1876 the Almanac was suspended and in 1886 Joseph Pulitzer, the publisher of "New York World" renewed it and its goal was to make a "collection of universal meaning". Since then, the Almanac is being published with no obstacles and the annual issue of this bestseller has 1008 pages with two catalogues of colour photographs.

St Naum- Ohrid

The monastery of St Naum, set amidst lush verdure where the River Crn Drim tumbles into the lake, is a refuge of tranquility at the very corner of the Macedonian Republic. Situated 29 km (18 m) from the town of Ohrid, and only 1 kilometer (0.6 m) from the Albanian border, the monastery brings the Macedonian experience to a dramatic culmination.


As with most Byzantine churches, St. Naum was chosen primarily for its location – on a high, rocky outcropping over the lake, above deep forests and the life-giving springs of the Crn Drim. The monastic complex and church of St. Naum were built originally at the turn of the tenth century by the monk of the same name; Macedonians believe you can hear the saint’s heartbeat by pressing an ear to his stone coffin inside the church.

The monastery has been renewed and enlarged several times over the centuries. While most of its iconostases and frescoes date from the 16th and 17th centuries, earlier etchings in the Byzantine Greek vernacular also remain. But numerous orthographical mistakes indicate that they were written by Slavic-speaking local monks. Other inscriptions in the church make up some of the oldest epigraphic evidence of Slavic literacy.

The icons of St. Naum are among the best achievements of religious painting in the Balkans. They date from the first half of the 18th century. The wood-carved iconostasis itself was made in 1711 by an unknown artisan.

A final unusual element of St. Naum is located not on the inside of the church but on the outside: the preponderance of multi-colored peacocks strutting around and luxuriating in the grass.

St. Joakim Osogovski monastery complex

The monastery of St. Joachim Osogovski, set amongst verdant green woods near the northeastern town of Kriva Palanka, was founded in the 12th century and rebuilt many times during the ensuing centuries. Its frescoes are especially characteristic of the 19th century. The monastery complex had always been an important cultural, religious, and educational center.

It consists of the church of St. Joachim Osogovski, a smaller church 14th century church dedicated to the Holy Mother of God, a three-story dormitory, a bell tower with a charnel house at the bottom, a passage building, guardhouse, new dormitories and a residency of the Head of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. Art colonies, scientific gatherings, and seminars are regularly organized in this complex.

Skupi

The archaeological site of the Antique Roman city of Skupi is located 3 km (1.8 m) north of Skopje, near the villages of Bardovci and Zlokukani. First mentioned in the year 3 B.C.E. and founded by the Dardanians, it quickly developed into an important regional center when the Romans made it the capital of their Dardanian Province.

With the creation of a Christian episcopacy a few centuries later, the city's economical and cultural importance grew yet again. A disastrous earthquake in 518 C.E. destroyed the city, but later a new town was built on top of the rubble, named Justiniana Prima after its founder, the famous Byzantine emperor Justinian.

The Aqueduct of Skopje

Located in the northern part of Skopje, the Roman aqueduct is an important cultural and historical monument attesting to urban life in antiquity. Built of stones and brick, the aqueduct has 55 arches supported on massive columns.

Stobi

The ancient city of Stobi, lying in a fertile valley just a few minutes off the central north-south highway that connects Macedonia with Greece, was a vital trade route in its day. This crossroad of ancient civilizations has left a rich legacy of antique theaters, palace ruins, brightly-colored mosaics and religious relics for visitors today to enjoy.

As a city, Stobi is first mentioned in documents from the 2nd century B.C.E. However, archaeologists believe that the town had been inhabited from at least 400 years earlier. Stobi became a rich and prosperous city due to its location on the crossroads of important trade routes. It experienced its biggest period of growth from the 3rd-4th centuries C.E.

The archaeological site (located just 3 km or 1.8 miles from the Gradsko exit on Highway E-75) offers sweeping views of the central Macedonian plain and contains buildings such as the 2nd century amphitheatre, the Theodosia palace, and early Christian ruins with extensive and ornate mosaic floors.