Tag: archaeology

Mysterious 4,000-year-old round stone building on Crete hilltop threatens to disrupt the island’s major airport project

A mysterious 4,000-year-old hilltop structure on the Greek island of Crete has threatened to disrupt plans for a major new airport project on the island. 

Resembling a huge car wheel from above, the ruins of the labyrinthine, 19,000-square-foot building came to light during a recent dig by archaeologists.

Experts believe the ‘unique and extremely interesting find’ was built by Crete’s ancient Minoan civilisation, famous for its sumptuous palaces, flamboyant art and enigmatic writing system.

But the site was earmarked for a radar station to serve a new airport under construction near the town of Kastelli.

Set to open in 2027, it is projected to replace Greece‘s second-biggest airport at Heraklion, and designed to handle up to 18 million travellers annually. 

But Greece’s culture minister Lina Mendoni, an archaeologist, pledged that the find would be preserved while a different location would be sought for the radar station.

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9,000-year-old Stone Mask from the Dawn of Ancient Societies Revealed

A rare 9,000-year-old stone mask from the Neolithic period has been unveiled by the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. This remarkable artifact was recovered by the Anti-Robbery Unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and subsequently transferred to the Archaeology Department of the Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria for detailed study. 

The item was originally discovered in Hebron on the West Bank by looters. It comes from a crucial period in the history of humanity – the transition from a nomadic hunter-gathering existence to a settled society based on agriculture. 

The recovery of the mask was thanks to the tenacious efforts of the IAA’s Antiquities Theft Prevention Unit. This is a specialist unit dedicated to the prevention of the looting of archaeological sites and the recovery of stolen antiquities. It received information that a rare stone mask had been illegally excavated in early 2018. Following up on the tip off, the unit soon recovered the mask from the thieves. 

According to the Times of Israel at the time, the investigation indicated that “the probable archaeological site in which the mask was originally found, is in the Pnei Hever region of southern Har Hevron” in the Hebron Hills, not far from the Judean desert. 

The mask is made from limestone and it was smoothed and shaped with great artistry. It resembles a human face and it has details such as cheekbones and even teeth that make it more life-like. The finish of the mask is very impressive, especially given the fact that it was only made with basic tools, and this demonstrates that the society that produced it had sophisticated craft people. There are four holes bored on the edges of the artifact and these were possibly used to tie it around a person’s head, so it could be worn in a ceremony, or else it was attached to a pole and placed on public display. 

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Five Mysterious Ancient Artifacts That Still Puzzle Archaeologists

Archaeologists are often described as “stumped” or “baffled” by their discoveries. But, in reality, specialists have a good grasp of what most historical objects were created for. But there are a few exceptions to this rule. 

The following list is a selection of intriguing mystery objects. They’re a great example of why digging up the past continues to hold great fascination for professionals and public alike. 

1. Neolithic Stone Balls 

The elaborately carved stone balls found predominantly in Scotland and dating from the later Neolithic period (circa BC3200-2500) are one such mystery. 

Over 425 balls have been found. They are generally the size of a cricket ball and made from a wide variety of stones. Their surfaces are sculpted, sometimes into raised circular discs and sometimes with deep incisions defining knobs and lobes in high relief. Decoration takes the form of spirals or concentric shapes, echoing those found on pottery and monumental stones of the era. 

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Burial of Two Infants Found Under Dragon Stone At Prehistoric Armenia Site

An international team of scientists has unearthed the remains of two infants buried beneath a basalt monument known as a dragon stone at the Lchashen site in Armenia. This finding is remarkable not only for the unusual funerary context but also for the exceptional preservation of the remains, and the genetic information gleaned from said funeral. 

Dragon Stones: A Study in Armenian Folklore and Animal Motifs 

Dragon stones, or Vishapakar, are prehistoric basalt stelae adorned with animal images, primarily found in the Armenian Highlands and surrounding regions. These structures have long fascinated archaeologists due to their mysterious iconography and complex history of use and reuse, as per a new study published in The Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.  

Approximately 150 dragon stones have been documented, with more than ninety located in the Republic of Armenia and the rest in neighboring regions. These monoliths vary in height, ranging from about 150 to 550 cm (59 – 216.5 inches). 

Archaeologists have identified three types of dragon stones: those with carvings resembling fish (piscis), those depicting the remains of bovids such as goats, sheep, and cows (vellus), and hybrid dragon stones that combine features of both types. 

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Archaeologists uncover new evidence for prehistoric comet

If you wanted evidence that a giant comet wiped out the wooly mammoth, you might look for a giant crater. 

But so far, you’d be out of luck. 

“Some of our critics have said, ‘Where’s the crater?’” says Christopher Moore, an archaeologist at the University of South Carolina. “As of now, we don’t have a crater or craters.” 

But Moore says that by looking below the surface, you can find strong evidence for the Younger-Dryas impact hypothesis, which states that large comet fragments hit Earth or exploded in the atmosphere shortly after the last ice age, setting off cataclysmic changes in the environment, crater or not. 

Moore’s research involves digging down to layers of soil that would have been exposed in the Younger Dryas period, around 12,800 years ago when the climate suddenly cooled in the northern hemisphere. He analyzes minerals and artifacts found there in search for “proxies” of a comet strike—findings that are not direct evidence, but which do tell a story. 

In Greenland’s ice cores, Moore and others have found elevated levels of chemicals, called combustion aerosols, indicating a large, prehistoric fire raged at the beginning of the Younger Dryas climate event.

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11 Ancient Canoes at Lake Mendota Reveal Wisconsin’s Early Civilizations

Archaeologists from the Wisconsin Historical Society have unearthed up to 11 ancient canoes at the bottom of Lake Mendota in Madison, Wisconsin, offering new insights into the region’s early civilizations. Among these remarkable finds is a dugout canoe estimated to be approximately 4,500-years-old, making it the oldest canoe ever discovered in the Great Lakes region. This discovery not only sets a new record but also deepens our understanding of the technological and cultural practices of the ancient peoples who once inhabited the area.

The Journey to Discovery

The journey to this significant discovery began in 2021 when a dive team excavated a 1,200-year-old canoe from Lake Mendota, Madison’s largest lake. Nearly a year later, divers successfully retrieved a second wooden boat estimated to be 3,000-years-old. At the time, this canoe was considered the oldest of its kind ever found in the Great Lakes region. However, this record was shattered with the recent unearthing of an even older elm canoe, dating back to around 2,500 BC, shown in the top image.

Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) notes how in total, the archaeologists have discovered as many as 11 ancient canoes in a section of Lake Mendota, including the two excavated in 2021 and 2022. The canoes range in age from 800 to 4,500-years-old, representing different periods and potentially multiple generations of canoe builders.

Dr. Amy Rosebrough, State Archaeologist for the Wisconsin Historical Society explains of the remarkable set of findings on the Wisconsin Historical Society website:

“What we thought at first was an isolated discovery in Lake Mendota has evolved into a significant archaeological site with much to tell us about the people who lived and thrived in this area over thousands of years and also provides new evidence for major environmental shifts over time.”

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Ancient ‘megastructure’ submerged under the sea discovered by archaeologists

Historians and archaeologists know that human civilisations have existed for thousands of years before us, and their latest discovery is a huge step forward.

Scientists now believe they have found a groundbreaking discovery with an ancient ‘megastructure’ that is thought to date back 11,000 years.

A stonewall found beneath the Baltic Sea is thought to have unlocked secrets of the Stone Age, and researchers believe they may have once used the wall for hunting reindeers.

Archaeologists explained their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, having made their discovery in the surface of the Bay of Mecklenburg, on the northern coast of Germany.

The area is known for historical discoveries, and people in the Stone Age are thought to have settled in the area on and off due to the sea’s high and low rising tides.

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7,000-Year-Old Native American ‘Bog Burial’ Found Off The Coast of Florida

Archaeologists have uncovered a Native American burial site dating back 7,000 years off the coast of Florida. The site was found by an amateur diver in 2016 who was looking for shark teeth but stumbled on an ancient jawbone.

The 167 bodies discovered in a pond in Windover, Florida started to stir up excitement in the archaeological world only after the bones were declared very old, and not the product of mass murder. Researchers from Florida State University came to the site, believing that in the swampland some more Native American bones had been found.

They believed the bones were between 500 and 600 years old. But then the bones were dated with radiocarbon. It turns out that these corpses were between 6,990 and 8,120 years old. The academic community was then incredibly excited. Windover Bog has proved to be one of the United States’ most significant archaeological discoveries.

In 1982, Steve Vanderjagt, the man who made the discovered, was using a backhoe to demolish the pond to create a new subdivision between Disney World and Cape Canaveral. A large number of rocks in the pond confused Vanderjagt since the region of Florida was not considered to be particularly rocky.

Getting out of his backhoe, Vanderjagt went to investigate and almost immediately realized that he had unearthed a huge pile of bones. He called the authorities right away. It was only thanks to his natural curiosity that the site was preserved. After the medical examiners declared them ancient, the specialists from Florida State University were summoned (another brilliant move by Vanderjagt- too often sites are ruined because experts are not called).

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ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNEARTH NEW CLUES THAT COULD HELP SOLVE CENTURIES-OLD “LOST COLONY” MYSTERY

In 1587, John White and a group of approximately 115 English settlers landed on Roanoke Island off the coast of present-day North Carolina. The colony they sought to establish marked the second attempt to create a long-term presence in the New World under the direction of Sir Walter Raleigh, who instructed them to establish a city bearing his name in the vicinity of the Chesapeake Bay. However, much like the earlier failed effort under Governor Ralph Lane in 1585, White and his fellow colonists soon began to face challenges that included strained relations with the region’s Indigenous inhabitants.

With hopes of garnering additional support for the colony, White sailed back to England, leaving his daughter Eleanor Dare, her husband Ananias Dare, and their infant daughter Virginia—the first English child born in America—behind on Roanoke Island. By the time he returned in 1590, following delays imposed by the Anglo-Spanish War, White found the settlement had been deserted. The only potential clues regarding the whereabouts of the colonists had been an inscription of the word “CROATOAN” carved into a palisade, along with the letters “CRO” found carved into a nearby tree, seemingly in reference to a nearby island located 50 miles to the south.

For centuries, historians have attempted to resolve the mystery of Roanoke’s famous “Lost Colony.” Theories about the fate of the colonists range from their assimilation with local Indigenous tribes to their possible death resulting from attacks by them. Others have proposed that the colonists may have died in a failed attempt to return to England or even that their fate may have been linked to the arrival of the Spanish prior to White’s return in 1590.

For White, the inscriptions left at the deserted colony were clear evidence of the colonists’ relocation to Croatoan Island. An agreement had been made that in the event of their departure, they would leave behind a “secret token” indicating their whereabouts, or if they were imperiled, they would instead leave a cross pattée indicating such circumstances.

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Potential Bronze Age Burial Chamber Discovered on Dartmoor

What appears to be a Bronze Age burial chamber has been unearthed on Dartmoor, promising to deepen our understanding of Devon’s ancient history. This discovery, potentially dating back 4,000 years, echoes the importance of the 2011 find at Whitehorse Hill (shown), which provided unprecedented insights into the early Bronze Age lifestyle.

Excited Anticipation of What Has Been Found

According to a Devon Live report, the latest find on Dartmoor has captivated historians and archaeologists alike. Found in a secluded area to prevent tampering, the site’s exact location remains undisclosed. The discovery was made possible due to peat erosion, revealing what appears to be a cist—a type of ancient coffin used during the Bronze Age.

Dr. Lee Bray, a leading archaeologist involved in the excavation commented, “We have every potential for this to be something quite special,…. We don’t know for certain if this is a cist, but it certainly looks like one. All the evidence we have points to it being a cist from the early Bronze Age,” reports Devon Live.

Bray highlighted the cist’s potential significance, likening it to the Whitehorse Hill find, which was identified as the resting place of a young woman from around 1700 BC. Also discovered on Dartmoor, that find attracted international attention for the insights it provided into Bronze Age life, and a video depicting how the woman’s life might have been gained much interest.

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