2,000-year-old Roman sculpture found in Denmark

A bronze Roman sculpture which dates back 2,000 years has been found on the Danish island of Falster.

The tiny bronze figure represents an elderly, bearded, balding man with thick lips and a plump nose. The find, just 4.5 cm tall, was found using a metal detector.

At first sight the figure seemed so finely detailed that the finder took it home in the belief that it was a modern object. Later she handed it over to the National Museum of Denmark. Here experts were quickly able to ascertain that the figure represented not a man, but Silenus.

In Greek mythology, Silenus (Greek: Seilenos) was a companion and tutor of the wine god Dionysus. He appeared together with satyrs and other creatures in the wine god’s entourage, resembling a satyr, although, he was considerably older. The character Silenus ended up as a very special genre of figure creatures known as sileni.

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Story: Peter Pentz, Science Nordic | Photo: National Museum of Denmark

Evidence of surgery found on pre-Columbian remains

Skeletons found at the pre-Columbian site of Kuelap in Peru show signs of bone surgery.

The two moderately healthy male skeletons, one an adolescent and the other an adult of 30-34 years of age, were found to have drilled holes in the bones of their legs.

The placement and depth suggest to the bioarchaeologists that the holes are not random but were perhaps done to relieve pressure from a physical injury and or severe infection. The holes would have been administered to cure build-up of fluid in the leg.

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Story: Hillary Ojeda, Peru This Week | Photo: Reuters

X-rays reveal letters in carbonized scrolls

X-ray technology has been employed to detect words and letters in ancient scrolls carbonized by the eruption that destroyed Pompeii.

Scientists have read ancient scrolls not opened since they were carbonized by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius almost 2,000 years ago. Although only a few letters have been deciphered so far, classical scholars hope that the advance could lead to the rediscovery of lost Greek or Roman works of literature in hundreds of papyri that are too fragile to unroll and read.

“It is a revolution for papyrologists,” says Vito Mocella, a physicist at the Institute of Microelectronics and Microsystems in Naples, Italy…

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Story: Richard Van Noorden, Nature | Photo: Nature

Remains of 5 people found in Amphipolis tomb

The remains of at least 5 people have been found buried in a vast tomb at Amphipolis in Greece.

Archaeologists unearthed bones from at least five people, including a woman aged over 60, a newborn baby, two men aged between 35 and 45 and another adult of indeterminate age.

The bones of one of the men bore cut marks which were likely to have come from a sword or a dagger, the Greek culture ministry said, adding a new twist to the occupants of the necropolis.

The fifth person, whose gender and age has not been identified so far, had been cremated.

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Story: Nick Squires, The Telegraph | Photo: Graphic News

Possible Emperor’s tomb found in Japan

A 7th-century burial mound that may have belonged to an Emperor has been found at the Koyamada ruins in Nara Prefecture.

“The mound is highly likely the first burial site of Emperor Jomei (593-641), described in the ‘Nihon Shoki’ (The Chronicles of Japan) as the place where his body rested until it was later transferred to another location,” said Fuminori Sugaya, the director of the Archaeological Institute of Kashihara, Nara Prefecture.

The researchers made the estimate based on the ruin’s location, size and unique construction method.

The ancient emperor was the father of two more well-known emperors, Emperor Tenji (626-671) and Emperor Tenmu (?-686).

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Story: Kazuto Tsukamoto, Asahi Shimbun | Photo: Asahi Shimbun

Dairying in Ireland dates back 6,000 years

New research conducted on ancient pots have revealed that Ireland’s dairies date back 6,000 years.

Dr Jessica Smyth of Bristol’s School of Chemistry analysed nearly 500 pots from the Neolithic, the period when people switched from hunting and gathering to farming. In Britain and Ireland, this change occurred around 4,000 BC, more than 1,000 years later than on the Continent. The Bristol team use a combination of fat or lipid ‘fingerprinting’ and compound-specific carbon isotope techniques to identify the origin of fats preserved in the walls of prehistoric cooking pots.

Dr Smyth, who led the study, said: “We know from previous research that dairying was an important part of many early farming economies, but what was a big surprise was the prevalence of dairy residues in Irish pots. It looks to have been a very important food source.”

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Story: EurekAlert | Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Gold artifacts found in Kazakhstan burial mound

Three golden and bronze artifacts have been found in the Kok Kainar burial mound in Kazakhstan.

Archaeological research was conducted by an expedition from the museum of history of Almaty in the burial mound of Kok Kainar. Three historical artefacts were found. One of them is a golden figurine of a feline predator.

“It is made of two pressed embossed plates connected into a single sculptural figurine. It can be refereed to as a “playing kitten” for its pose. Dated back to the 4th century BC, the figure probably represented an element of a magical composition of a headwear. The artifact was found in the mound number 2 of Kok Kainar burial,” the Department said.

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Story: Tengri News | Photo: Almaty Department of Culture

Skull reveals ancient polar bear attack

Analysis of a 19th-century Sadlermiut woman’s skull shows evidence of polar bear attack.

One particular item caught the attention of museum archeologist Karen Ryan: the punctured skull of a Sadlermiut woman, which was first excavated from a settlement southeast of Coral Harbour in the 1950s.

“[Researchers] thought initially it could have been a gunshot wound, because there are holes on either side of her cranium,” Ryan said. “But when we looked again, we thought: If it wasn’t a gunshot, what could it have been?”

The remains of this woman were found partially exposed inside a tent ring on the outskirts of a Southampton Island settlement, which researchers think could have existed some time during the 19th century.

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Story: Sarah Rogers, Nunatsiaq Online | Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Forgotten rifle found in Great Basin National Park

A forgotten 132-year-old Winchester rifle has been found leaning against a tree in Great Basin National Park.

The rifle, exposed for all those years to sun, wind, snow and rain, was found leaning against a tree in the park. The cracked wood stock, weathered to grey, and the brown rusted barrel blended into the colors of the old juniper tree in a remote rocky outcrop, keeping the rifle hidden for many years.

Engraved on the rifle is “Model 1873,” identifying it distinctly as a Winchester Model 1873 repeating rifle. The serial number on the lower tang corresponds in Winchester records held at the Center for the West at the Cody Firearms Museum in Cody, Wyoming, with a manufacture and shipping date of 1882. But the detailed history of this rifle is as yet unknown. Winchester records do not indicate who purchased the rifle from the warehouse or where it was shipped.

Winchester Model 1873 rifles hold a prominent place in Western history and lore. The rifles are referred to as “the gun that won the West.” A total of 720,610 were manufactured between 1873 and 1916, when production ended. In 1882 alone, more than 25,000 were made.

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Story: National Parks Traveler | Photo: Great Basin National Park/NPS

Hand ax made from fossilized Stegodon jaw found in China

A 170,000-year-old hand ax made from the fossilized jaw of a stegodon has been found in China.

Researchers say they have identified the first example of a bone, not stone, hand ax crafted by ancient humans in East Asia. Makers of the curved, pear-shaped implement probably used it to dig up edible roots in a densely vegetated part of South China around 170,000 years ago, say paleontologist Guangbiao Wei of China Three Gorges Museum in Chongqing and his colleagues.

Part of a lower jaw from a stegodon, a now-extinct, elephant-like creature, provided raw material for the tool, the researchers report January 8 in Quaternary International. The jaw includes a wide, thick piece of curved bone with a grip-ready indentation on its inner surface, the scientists say.

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Story: Bruce Bower, ScienceNews | Photo: G. Wei et al/Quaternary International 2015

Late Medieval settlement found in Northern Ireland

Archaeologists looking for traces of a 17th century town near Dunluce Castle stumbled across the remains of a Late Medieval settlement.

“Up to now we knew there was a substantial 17th century settlement in the fields around Dunluce.

“What we are now beginning to uncover are traces of earlier and extensive late medieval settlement activity which are equally as important as the remains of the 17th century Dunluce Town.”

As the 13th century Lords of the Route, the McQuillan family built a stronghold at the now-ruined castle around 500 years ago. Pottery from the late medieval period was also found.

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Story: Ben Miller, Culture 24 | Photo: DOE, NIEA

Neanderthal bone tool found in France

A multi-purpose bone tool fashioned by Neanderthals has been found in France at the Grotte du Bison in Burgundy.

“This is the first time a multi-purpose bone tool from this period has been discovered. It proves that Neanderthals were able to understand the mechanical properties of bone and knew how to use it to make tools, abilities usually attributed to our species, Homo sapiens,” said Luc Doyon of the university’s Department of Anthropology, who participated in the digs. Neanderthals lived in Europe and western Asia in the Middle Paleolithic between around 250,000 to 28,000 years ago. Homo sapiens is the scientific term for modern man.

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Story: University of Montreal | Photo: Luc Doyon, University of Montreal

3,000-year-old fortress found in Egypt

The foundations of a 3,000-year-old fortress have been found near the Suez Canal in Egypt at Tell Habua.

The fort, also known as the Wall of the Prince, was part of a defensive line in the form of a series of fortresses and military cities. The fortress is one of other fortifications that have been discovered earlier in the site of Tell Habua, the old Tharu, as mentioned in the inscriptions of Pharaoh Seti I at Karnak temple, describing the Horus Military Route, said Damaty.

“The discovery is significant as it reflects the details of the ancient Egyptian military history. It is a model example of Ancient Egypt’s military architecture, as well as the Egyptian war strategies through different ages, for the protection of the entirety of Egypt,” chief of the excavation team archaeologist Mohammed Abdel-Maqsoud told The Cairo Post Saturday.

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Story: Rany Mostafa, The Cairo Post | Photo: Antiquities Ministry

Painted leather found in Iran’s Burnt City

A piece of painted leather has been found in the 5,200-year-old Burnt City in southeastern Iran.

A team of archaeologists led by Professor Seyyed Mansur Sajjadi has unearthed the leather during the new season of excavation currently underway at the site.

“Due to extensive corrosion, some experts and the archaeologists are trying to save the leather,” Sajjadi told the Research Center for Cultural Heritage and Tourism on Monday.

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Story: Tehran Times| Photo: Tehran Times

The first big city in North America

Archaeologists working in Illinois have uncovered North America’s first big city near the site of a new bridge to span the Mississippi.

“The occupation is heavy,” says Tamira Brennan, the interim field station manager for the Illinois State Archaeological Survey in Fairview Heights. Although the scientists haven’t yet done a population study for the area, they can say it was “densely populated.”

“This is the first big city in North America,” said Brad Koldehoff, the chief archaeologist for the state. “Now we have details, and it’s – wow. Some conjecture had been that all Cahokia moved to East St. Louis, but that’s not it.

“When Cahokia was big, East St. Louis was big; and this was even bigger than people thought.”

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Story: Luton Today | Photo: Luton Today

Cemetery excavation unearths Roman artifacts

An excavation at Luton’s Vale Cemetery in England has led to the discovery of a collection of Roman-era artifacts.

A draft report from Oxford Archaeology East, commissioned by Luton Borough Council, reveals that during excavation work carried out at the end of 2013 in the area of a proposed extension to the cemetery, archaeologists uncovered signs of at least three roundhouses along with enclosures, boundary ditches and various pits. The range of exciting material finds includes seven urned early Roman cremations, three brooches, a bath flask, a significant amount of Roman pottery and some Medieval pottery. The earliest evidence for occupation of the area dates back to the Neolithic and Bronze Age.

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Story: Luton Today | Photo: Luton Today

Mummy poop solves 700-year-old murder mystery

Analysis of fecal matter found in the natural mummy of Cangrande della Scala, a medieval warlord from Italy, has revealed that the nobleman was poisoned.

“Although it is not possible to rule out totally an accidental intoxication, the most likely hypothesis is that of a deliberate administration of a lethal amount of Digitalis,” Fornaciari and colleagues concluded.

Indeed, the gastrointestinal symptoms showed by Cangrande in the last hours of his life and described by historical sources are compatible with the early phase of Digitalis intoxication.

According to the researchers, the foxglove poison may have been masked in a decoction containing chamomile, largely used as a sedative and antispasmodic drug, and black mulberry, used as astringent, which was prepared for some indisposition of Cangrande.

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Story: Rossella Lorenzi, Discovery News | Photo: Discovery News

Prehistoric bracelets found in New Guinea

Prehistoric shell bracelets made from coral have been discovered in Papua, Indonesia.

“Most of the coral sea bracelets found in the hill slopes have been eroded by the water flowing in Lake Sentani,” Hari Suroto, an archaeologist, stated here on Monday.

Some of the bracelets were found in good shape, while others were discovered in fragments. The bracelets are made from coral sea shells belonging to the Conidae family.

“This kind of coral can be found in the coasts of the Pacific Ocean. The bracelets are white, and their shapes are good and smooth,” Hari revealed.

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Story: Antara | Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Pilot’s jacket recovered from USS Monitor conserved

A jacket recovered from the USS Monitor, which sank in 1862, is set to go on display at the USS Monitor Center in Virginia after conservation efforts are complete.

Found inside the vessel’s famous gun turret not long after it was recovered from the Atlantic in August 2002, the rumpled expanse of Navy blue cloth had to be chiseled and coaxed from the grasp of the thick marine concretion that entrapped it — a painstaking process that took archaeologists and conservators from the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary and Mariners’ Museum several days.

But that was only the start of a decade-long treatment program that included hundreds of hours of tedious yet precise manual labor as conservators used ultrasonic dental scalers to break down the concretions embedded between the fragile fibers.

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Story: Mark St. John Erickson | Photo: The Mariners’ Museum

Ancient tomb rediscovered in Bulgaria

Construction work in the city of Varna, Bulgaria, has revealed an ancient tomb.

The repair teams stumbled upon the tomb on Thursday. Its approximate whereabouts had been known since the beginning of the 20th century, the Bulgarian National Television reports. Back then, it was briefly explored but sealed as construction was ongoing throughout Varna.

Archaeologists say the object, lying on Nezavisimost Square between the city theater and the State Archive, was located beyond the walls of Odesos, the ancient city that was once situated where Varna is now.

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Story: Novinite | Photo: BGNES

Horses and chariots found in Chinese tomb complex

Archaeologists investigating a 2,800-year-old tomb complex in Central China have unearthed nearly 30 wooden chariots and 50 pairs of horses.

All the tombs have been found on the same piece of land, with a separate “mass grave” of at least 28 wooden chariots buried together on their sides in a pit that measures 33m long by 4m wide.

“This chariot and horse pit is different from those discovered previously along the Yangtze River. The chariots and horses were densely buried,” Liu Xu, a professor from School of Archaeology and Museology of Peking University told China Central Television (CCTV).

“Many of the wheels were taken off and the rest parts of the chariots were placed one by one.”

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Story: Marry-Ann Russon, IBT | Photo: CCTV, Reuters

Dogs came to the Americas 10,000 years ago

A mitochondrial DNA study carried out on the remains of 84 dogs collected from over a dozen ancient sites has revealed that dogs came to the New World only 10,000 years ago.

In some samples, the team found significant genetic similarities with American wolves, indicating that some of the dogs interbred with or were domesticated anew from American wolves.

But the most surprising finding had to do with the dogs’ arrival in the Americas, Witt said.

“Dog genetic diversity in the Americas may date back to only about 10,000 years ago,” she said.

“This also is about the same time as the oldest dog burial found in the Americas,” Malhi said. “This may not be a coincidence.”

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Story: Diana Yates, University of Illinois | Photo: Angus McNab

Medieval tannery found in Norwich, England

Excavations at a construction site in Norwich, England, have turned up the remains of a medieval tannery.

They found so many goat horncores – the bones at the centre of horns – that archaeologists think the site may have been a high-quality leather tanning works, with animal corpses brought to the area to be processed.

And, with the site close to the river and near two friary sites, archaeologists are wondering whether the site might have served monks, producing high-quality leather items and vellum – a parchment used for scrolls and books.

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Story: Dan Grimmer, EDP24 | Photo: EDP24

Pharaonic rock carvings found in Egyptian quarry

Rock inscriptions depicting the transfer of two obelisks from a quarry has been found at Gebel el Silsila in Egypt.

“The work technique shows a notable cooperation among the workers and the workshops at the quarry. The scenes of the rocks, which were precisely cut, confirm the advanced skills of ancient Egyptian labor,” Director General of Aswan Antiquities Department Nasr Salama said.

Stables, several rock-cut shelters along with a sphinx, similar to those aligned at the Sphinx avenue connecting between Luxor and Karnak temples, have been discovered in the site, according to Dr. Maria Nilsson, director of the Gebel el Silsila Survey Project.

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Story: Rany Mostafa, The Cairo Post | Photo: The Gebel el Silsila Survey Project

Palindromic amulet found in Cyprus

Archaeologists working in Cyprus have unearthed an amulet that contains an inscription which can be read backwards as well as forwards.

On the other side of the amulet is an inscription, written in Greek, that reads the same backward as it does forward, making it a palindrome. It reads:

???W

????????

??????????

?????????

??????????

????????

??????W

???

This translates to “Iahweh(a god)is the bearer of the secret name, the lion of Re secure in his shrine.”

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Story: Owen Jarus, LiveScience | Photo: Marcin Iwan

Tomb of unknown queen found in Egypt

The tomb of a previously unknown queen has been found in the necropolis at Abusir, in the Old Kingdom capital city of Memphis.

Miroslav Barta, head of the Czech Institute of Egyptology mission which made the discovery, said that the location of the queen’s tomb made them believe that she was the wife of the pharaoh.

The Czech archaeologists also found about 30 utensils made of limestone and copper.

Mr Damaty explained that the discovery would “help us shed light on certain unknown aspects of the Fifth Dynasty, which along with the Fourth Dynasty, witnessed the construction of the first pyramids.”

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Story: BBC News | Photo: Czech Institute of Egyptology

$1.5 million coin hoard found by metal detecting club

A metal detecting club has found a hoard of Anglo-Saxon coins worth more than $1.5 million.

Pete, 56, said: “They’re like mirrors, no scratching, and buried really carefully in a lead container, deep down.

“It looks like only two people have handled these coins. The person who made them and the person who buried them.

“Metal detecting is a bit random but most farms have a bit of history so you have a chance of finding something.

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Story: Jack Evans, Daily Record | Photo: Daily Record Museums

Medieval silver hoard found beneath Russian museum

A hoard of medieval silver has been found beneath the Tver State Museum in Russia during building restoration efforts.

Under the floor of the cabinet general director of the museum at a depth of 2 meters, archaeologists found a small hole, where he finds a treasure, closed at the top inverted small ceramic vessels.

- under a bushel was set precious holiday jewelry belonging to a noble Tver townswoman – said & quot; Komsomolskaya & quot; leader of the expedition of the Institute of Archaeology RAS Russia Alexander Khokhlov. – Several tens of objects made of silver filigree and granulation technique. Among them & ndash; clasps (rings with mock delicate beads), probably decorated headdress, star and beam kolts and & ndash; Ryasna and chain, which append to hats and going down, skirting the face of the owner. The structure of the necklace of large and medium-sized inflated silver beads, includes three large round pendants, medallions. Decoration hands served a large silver bracelet flap decorated with engraved ornaments in the form of wicker and zoomorphic images made using the technique of filigree and black.

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Story: RU Facts | Photo: Russian Museums

5,000-year-old underground city found in Turkey

A previously unknown underground city which dates back 5,000 years has been found in Cappadocia, central Turkey.

“There is a fortress on top of a conical-shaped hill; it is alleged to belong to the Seljuks. We made geophysical measurements in an area of four square kilometers and the [underground] city was surrounding the fortress in circular forms,” said Çak?r, adding that it seemed as though two-thirds of the fortress was carved by means of the tunnels.

The underground city was discovered by a Turkey’s Housing Development Administration (TOK?) urban transformation project. Some 1,500 buildings located in and around the Nev?ehir fortress were demolished, and the underground city was discovered when the earthmoving to construct new buildings had begun.

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Story: Erdinç Çelikkan, Hurriyet Daily News | Photo: AA Photo

Roman-era Synagogue found in Israel

Excavations in Israel have unearthed what may be a Roman-era synagogue on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

The structure’s grandeur led researchers to conclude that the site contained the ruins of an ancient synagogue. “We’re still at an early stage of unearthing the structure,” they said. “We found parts of the structure, fragments of columns, parts of benches, the threshold of a door and pottery fragments.”

“The importance of the structure is in direct relationship to its grandeur,” said Michael Osband of the Institute of Archaeology at Bar-Ilan University, who was the excavation director.

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Story: Itay Blumenthal, Y Net News | Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Horde of imported weapons found in Wales

A horde of weapons not typical to the region have been found in Wales.

Archaeologists investigating a 2.5-kilogram hoard of sword blades, scabbards and knives found by a metal detectorist in January 2013 say the plough-disturbed artefacts could have been delivered to Wales by sea from southern England or northern France.

Two blade fragments, a scabbard fitting, a multi-edged knife and six copper ingot fragments were discovered by Adrian Young a few metres apart from each other in the corner of a field in Marloes and St Brides .

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Story: Ben Miller, Culture24 | Photo: National Museum Wales

Bronze Age village found in Vietnam

A village dating back between 3,500-4,000 years ago has been found in Northern Vietnam.

The ruins of the civilization are believed to be first unearthed in the northern province of Phu Tho, and later in Hanoi, Hai Phong City and several other northern provinces.

The civilization was of immense cultural importance to the establishment of Vietnam in its early days, Associate Professor Chung said.

The latest excavation uncovered over 400 artifacts, mostly pottery fragments, stone household and production tools, and a small number of bones, the archeologist added.

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Story: Tuoi Tre News | Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Glass bracelet stamped with Menorahs found in Israel

Archaeologists working in a late-Roman/early Byzantine refuse pit in Israel have uncovered a fragment from a glass bracelet.

A fragment from a glass bracelet inscribed with a seven- branched menorah from the Second Temple was discovered during Hanukka at an excavation in the Mount Carmel National Park, the Antiquities Authority announced Tuesday.

According to a statement from the Antiquities Authority, excavations took place there in recent weeks prior to the construction of a water reservoir for the city of Yokne’am, at the initiative of national water company Mekorot.

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Story: Daniel K. Eisenbud, Jerusalem Post | Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority

Turkey’s oldest stone tool dates back 1.2 million years

A stone tool found in Turkey has been dated back 1.2 million years, making it the oldest stone tool found in the country.

The researchers used high-precision radioisotopic dating and palaeomagnetic measurements from lava flows, which both pre-date and post-date the meander, to establish that early humans were present in the area between approximately 1.24 million and 1.17 million years ago. Previously, the oldest hominin fossils in western Turkey were recovered in 2007 at Koçabas, but the dating of these and other stone tool finds were uncertain.

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Story: Royal Holloway, University of London | Photo: University of London

Cache of coins found at Denmark’s Kastellet

A cache of coins dating between 1649-1787 have been found at the star-shaped fortress of Kastellet in Copenhagen.

The trove comprises nine copper coins and 23 silver pieces. In total, 620 metal objects were found in the area, including musket balls and other pieces of used or discarded ammunition.

While archaeological finds of old coins, some even from the Viking age, are not as uncommon in some areas of the country, the Museum of Copenhagen emphasises that coin troves are rarely found in the Copenhagen area.

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Story: Philip Tees, Cophenhagen Post | Photo: Museum of Copenhagen