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Article: Syria's `Dead Cities' spring to life As population boom sends farmers into ancient areas, archaeologists fear for sites
- Article from:
- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI)
- Article date:
- August 30, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1998 The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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The "Dead Cities" of Syria are coming alive. And archaeologists
are aghast.
Pushed by a booming population, farmers are moving back into the
lonely hills of northern Syria and making homes in villages that had
stood deserted for a millennium in nearly pristine condition.
In Deir Sunbol, a formerly abandoned town that grew rich from the
olive oil trade in the sixth century, farmers are using stones and
sometimes even the standing walls of Byzantine houses for their own
homes. Crosses carved into stone blocks centuries ago stand next to
cheap plastic windows and plywood doors put up by the newcomers.
One family uses an underground burial chamber to store grain.
Many of the families get their ...