All posts tagged: Archaeologists

Archaeologists find Europe’s oldest known blue pigment use

Archaeologists find Europe’s oldest known blue pigment use

Published by Jenni Sidey

A smudge of blue on an ordinary-looking stone has forced archaeologists to rethink what Ice Age people in Europe could see, make, and value. At the Final Palaeolithic site of Mühlheim-Dietesheim in Germany, researchers from Aarhus University identified traces of azurite, a vivid blue mineral pigment, on a stone artifact dated to about 13,000 years ago. It is the first confirmed evidence of azurite use in Europe’s Palaeolithic period, a time when scholars long believed artists relied almost entirely on red and black. “This challenges what we thought we knew about Palaeolithic pigment use”, said Dr. Izzy Wisher, lead author of the study. The find may sound small, but it carries a big message. The color blue has been essentially absent from the surviving art of this era. That absence shaped a story that Palaeolithic people either lacked access to blue minerals or did not find them appealing. The new evidence suggests a different possibility: blue existed in their world, but it may have lived on skin, cloth, or other perishable materials that rarely survive. …

Archaeologists in Wales Discover What Could Be a New Pompeii

Archaeologists in Wales Discover What Could Be a New Pompeii

Published by José Betancourt

The outline of the largest Roman villa ever known in Wales has come to light three feet underground, and the experts behind the find are calling it a possible equivalent to Pompeii.  “My eyes nearly popped out of my skull,” project lead Alex Langlands, co-director of Swansea University’s Centre for Heritage Research and Training, told the BBC of the moment that ground-penetrating radar revealed the “huge structure” beneath a historical deer park. It measures over 6,000 square feet. The villa’s remains may be especially well preserved because they lie under a historical site that has not been built upon.  Related Articles Langlands may have been “playful” in invoking Pompeii,  the rich archaeological site in Italy buried under ash in C.E. 79 by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, but told the BBC that the parallel is “in part justified because of the levels of preservation here.” The site is in Margam Country Park, an 850-acre site including a 12th-century Cistercian monastery, a 19th-century castle, and an 18th-century orangery.  “This is an amazing discovery,” saiud Langlands in …

Archaeologists Find an Unusual 2500-year-old Stylus in Sicily 

Archaeologists Find an Unusual 2500-year-old Stylus in Sicily 

Published by Jenni Sidey

An archeological operation conducted in advance of a construction project in Gela, Sicily, has uncovered an unusual carved bone stylus—a sharp tool used to inscribe clay before firing—that, according to excavation director Gianluca Calà, may have had a symbolic purpose. The news was reported by the Spanish magazine La Brújula Verde. The stylus was discovered during a survey of the building site for a new Palace of Culture; such investigations are not uncommon in areas known to have potential archeological value, and Gela, once a powerful ancient Greek city, is known for its extensive ruins. A bit more than five inches long, the stylus dates to the 5th century BC and was found in the remains of a Hellenistic-period center for artisanal production. Its design is out of the ordinary, with a quadrangular handle featuring, at the top, the face of the Greek god Dionysus and, midway down, a finely rendered erect phallus. The form of the handle mimics that of an ancient Greek herm—a squared stone pillar surmounted by a bust and sometimes decorated …

British Archaeologists Make Discovery of ‘National Importance’

British Archaeologists Make Discovery of ‘National Importance’

Published by José Betancourt

Archaeologists in England unearthed the remains of two people buried alongside a fully harnessed horse bearing weapons in a discovery characterized as being of “national importance.” As reported by GB News, the findings—excavated during preparatory work for a nuclear-power station in Suffolk—date back to a time between the 6th and 7th centuries. “The sandy Suffolk soil means that, instead of preserved bones, the acidic ground left behind what archaeologists call ‘sand silhouettes,’ which capture the outlines of the bodies in striking detail,” GB News wrote of the discovery of at least 11 burial mounds. Related Articles The two people whose remains were found with a decorated horse were described as “high-status” and “princely.” Len Middleton, a project officer for Oxford Cotswold Archaeology, said, “Discoveries like this are of national importance because they deepen our understanding of power, belief, and identity in early medieval England, and how those ideas were expressed along the East Anglian coast.” Weapons, jewelry, vessels, and a horde of more than 300 silver coins are among the objects found at 70 different …

Lost Spanish Colonial Mission on Texas Frontier Is Rediscovered

Lost Spanish Colonial Mission on Texas Frontier Is Rediscovered

Published by José Betancourt

The long-lost mission of Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo, one of the earliest outposts of Europe’s colonial frontier in Texas, has been rediscovered. An archaeology team from Texas Tech University, in collaboration with Texas Historical Commission archaeologists, found the site in Jackson County, Texas, on a private ranch near the Presidio la Bahía and Fort St. Louis. The mission was established in the 1680s by René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, a French explorer and trader instrumental in the French colonization of North America and, by more incidental means, the United States’s claim to Texas. Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo was among the most highly successful efforts to convert the native Karankawa tribe. However, the venture ultimately was his undoing: He was killed during an expedition to locate the mouth of the Mississippi, while the Karankawa destroyed the colony, leaving its members dead, scattered, or abducted. Related Articles Spain occupied the site during its missionary campaign in North America. Still, the settlement was short-lived, and the entire mission was lost when Spain began withdrawing from …

AI helps archaeologists build low-cost stone age video games in days

AI helps archaeologists build low-cost stone age video games in days

Published by Jenni Sidey

Museums have spent decades trying to make the distant past feel alive. Audiovisual shows, touch screens and digital displays have helped, but they are often expensive to develop and hard to update when new discoveries come in. That cost has kept many smaller museums and research groups on the sidelines, watching as big commercial studios shape how most people picture ancient history. Blockbuster game series such as Assassin’s Creed or Civilization have brought prehistoric and ancient worlds to millions of players. They are visually stunning, but they do not always treat accuracy as a top priority. For archaeologists who spend their lives working with fragile evidence, it can be frustrating to see the past turned into a backdrop rather than a carefully told story. A team at the University of Copenhagen decided to see whether that could change. In a new research paper, they show that with artificial intelligence, the free game engine Unreal and open tutorials on YouTube, it is now possible for beginners to build their own educational 3D game about the Stone …

Archaeologists in Northwest China Discover 573 Stone Forts

Archaeologists in Northwest China Discover 573 Stone Forts

Published by Jenni Sidey

A team of archaeologists and cultural heritage researchers in northern China have uncovered a network of 573 stone forts, the earliest of which date to approx. 2800 BC. The discovery took place in the mountains near Yulin, in China’s Shaanxi province, after six years of research. Ma Mingzhi, the head of the research team, noted that “the fortified sites likely served as focal points for defense and social organization, protecting the smaller villages around them.” The researchers began by using aerial scanning technology to trace ancient river systems in the areas, thinking—correctly—that evidence of ancient fortresses and settlements were likely to appear adjacent to water sources. Related Articles Because the structures were built over the course of several thousand years, they show the evolution of how fortified communities were constructed in ancient China. The oldest date from the Yangshao period, a time when the first agricultural villages were forming in present-day China. By the Shang and Zhao dynasties (ca. 1600-220 BC), during which the more recent structures were built, fortified communities were more hierarchical, with …

Have Archaeologists found the Bay of Pigs? – OpentheWord.org

Have Archaeologists found the Bay of Pigs? – OpentheWord.org

Published by Sam Flores

Remains of the Byzantine Chapel near Kursi, Israel commemorating the deliverance of a man from Legion of demonsCredit Talmoryair, Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 Archaeologists with the Associates of Biblical Research (ABR) may have found the location of one of Jesus more unusual deliverances, the Daily Mail reports. It took place when the Lord cast a legion of demons out of deranged man. In the account recorded in the Gospels of Mark, Luke and Matthew, Jesus and the disciples had crossed the Sea of Galilee by boat to a region called the “country of the Gadarenes” (Matthew 8:28). When they landed, they were promptly confronted by a demon-possessed man. The Lord asked the demon what its name was. The demon answered, “My name is Legion, for we are many” (Mark 5:9). As Jesus was casting them out, they pleaded to be allowed to go into a nearby herd of 2,000 pigs. Jesus agreed. When the demons entered the pigs, the tormented herd rushed down the steep hill and drowned in the sea. ABR Director, Dr Scott Stripling, …

Archaeologists Discover the Earliest Mention of Jesus Christ in the Port of Alexandria – OpentheWord.org

Archaeologists Discover the Earliest Mention of Jesus Christ in the Port of Alexandria – OpentheWord.org

Published by Sam Flores

Port of Alexandria, EgyptCredit: cheesy42, Wikipedia, CC BY 2.0 ESPAÑOL: Los arqueólogos descubren la primera mención de Jesucristo en el puerto de Alejandría In 2008, archaeologists working in the ancient harbor of Alexandria located off the coast of Egypt discovered what is believed to be the earliest reference to Jesus Christ. The Dailymail recently reported that the words ‘DIA CHRSTOU O GOISTAIS’ (Through Christ the Enchanter) were inscribed on the side of a cup. It was in remarkable shape and only missing its handle. It has since been named the ‘Jesus Cup.’ The French marine archaeological team led by Franck Goddio, discovered it on the now submerged island of Antirhodos located in the harbor. The famous Egyptian Queen, Cleopatra, also had a palace on the island. According to New Testament scholar, Dr. Jeremiah Johnson, what is even more incredible is that this cup is dated to the first century. This 2,000 year old cup shows that Jesus’ reputation was already spreading by word of mouth through the Roman empire in the first century. “Jesus’ reputation was …

Archaeologists Believe They have Discovered the Remains of the Jewish Temple at Shiloh – OpentheWord.org

Archaeologists Believe They have Discovered the Remains of the Jewish Temple at Shiloh – OpentheWord.org

Published by Sam Flores

Miniature version of the Jewish Ark of the Covenant The significance of a recent archaeological find at the ancient town of Shiloh was seen in the Daily Mail’s headline: Ark of the Covenant mystery blown wide open as ‘Biblical relic’ is discovered. It was a massive discovery as they uncovered the building that once housed Israel’s most important piece of furniture, the Ark of the Covenant. This is where God’s Presence rested in the Tabernacle of Moses, Tabernacle of David and later Solomon’s Temple. While the Israel wandered through the wilderness, the Ark was housed in a tent referred to as the Tabernacle of Moses. It was very mobile, allowing it to be easily transported. Once they reached the Promised Land, the Tabernacle of Moses was set up at Shiloh, where it remained for several centuries. Today, Shiloh is found in the West Bank. Because of its central location, Shiloh served as both the political and religious capital of ancient Israel before David conquered Jerusalem. We see its importance through several major decisions that were …