archaeologyprehistoricstones

[archaeologyprehistoricstones]

[archaeologyprehistoricstones]

"Then and Now" Herculaneum.

[archaeologyprehistoricstones]

A Neolithic grave dating to around 4800 BC has been discovered near Eichendorf, Germany. Rich grave goods suggest it belonged to a village elder, providing fascinating insights into the region's ancient history.

[archaeologyprehistoricstones]

The Tomb of Sennefer is one of the most preserved and beautifully decorated tombs ever found in Egypt. Known as The Tomb of the Vineyards, it’s covered in colors and stories, and is buried deep in the mountain below 42 very steep steps.

[archaeologyprehistoricstones]

The Albanian city of Durrës is filled with archaeological treasures. The latest find is a Roman villa at the heart of an elite neighborhood complete with mosaic decorations and an indoor pool, the first to be uncovered here!

[archaeologyprehistoricstones]

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado.

Including more than 4,000 known archeological sites dating back to A.D. 550, this national treasure protects the cliff dwellings and mesa top sites of pit houses, pueblos, masonry towers, and farming structures of the Ancestral Pueblo peoples who lived here for more than 700 years.

[archaeologyprehistoricstones]

Archaeologists Unearth Mummies with Golden Tongues in Egypt

Archaeologists have unearthed several ancient tombs with dozens of mummies—including some with golden tongues.

Researchers made the findings during excavations at the ancient city of Oxyrhynchus, an extensive archaeological site located around 100 miles south-southwest of Cairo near the modern-day municipality of Al-Bahnasa in Minya Governorate.

Oxyrhynchus was "very important" during ancient Egypt's Greco-Roman period, which spanned hundreds of years from the late fourth century B.C. until the 7th century, Esther Pons Mellado and Maite Mascort, co-directors of a Spanish archaeological mission at the site.

"[It[ was the second city of Egypt after Alexandria. There was a great business and cultural relationship between these two cities," they said.

The Greco-Roman period began with Alexander the Great's conquest of Egypt—then controlled by the Persians—in 332 B.C. An ancient Greek state known as the Ptolemaic Kingdom was subsequently established in 305 B.C., which ruled Egypt until 30 B.C. when the region was conquered by the Romans.

The territory became a province of the Roman Empire, which eventually divided into a western and eastern portion—with Egypt belonging to the latter. The Roman period ended around A.D. 641 when Arab forces conquered Egypt.

The latest excavations at Oxyrhynchus took place in November and December 2023. Over the course of these investigations, Pons Mellado, Mascort and colleagues discovered several tombs from the Greco-Roman era, as well as human remains and artifacts.

The finds include two tombs dating to the Roman period, built with limestone blocks. In these tombs, the archaeologists uncovered more than 20 mummified individuals covered in multi-colored wrappings, as well as papyri with Greek texts and mud seals with Egyptian iconography.

Two of these mummies were found to have pieces of gold shaped into the form of a human tongue placed where their real tongue was. Such golden tongues have previously been found at Oxyrhynchus and, indeed, other archaeological sites in Egypt.

"Until now we have found 16 golden tongues in Oxyrhynchus," Pons Mellado and Mascort said.

Experts think the ancient Egyptians may have placed gold tongues on some human remains to enable the spirits of the deceased to communicate with Osiris—the god of the underworld—and to help them cross into the afterlife.

"The Egyptian people deposited the golden tongues on the tongue to restore vital functions to the dead and also so that the body remained intact in the afterlife. For the Egyptians, gold was the flesh of the gods," Pons Mellado and Mascort said.

In addition to the Roman-era tombs, the archaeologists also discovered three "hypogea"—or underground tombs—dating to the Ptolemaic period that had been excavated beneath the natural rock.

In these hypogea, the researchers uncovered several more mummies covered in colorful wrapping, a number of anthropomorphic stone sarcophagi (some of which were closed) and various terracotta statues depicting the goddess Isis-Aphrodite, among other artifacts. This deity is a form of the Egyptian goddess Isis combined with the fertility aspects associated with the Greco-Roman goddess Aphrodite.

In one of the hypogea, the team also found many multi-colored limestone blocks with decorations, including depictions of humans, snakes, pigeons and plants.

All these findings are very important for the history of the funerary world in Oxyrhynchus," Pons Mellado and Mascort said.

"It is the first time that we have found an Oxyrhynchus terracotta with the image of Isis-Aphrodite, and the first time that this kind of piece has appeared in this area of Middle Egypt. The limestone blocks with decoration [are also very important]."

The limestone blocks—another new finding at Oxyrhynchus—appear to have come from some kind of construction, although the nature of the structure is unclear.

By Aristos Georgiou.

[archaeologyprehistoricstones]

Roman mosaic depicting god Oceanus. From Corinium Dobunnorum, Britannia (Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England)

Current location: Corinium Museum, Cirencester.

Oceanus is the Titan god of the Oceans in Roman and Greek mythology.

[archaeologyprehistoricstones]

Recreation of a bathroom in Pompeii

Despite the existence of numerous public "balnea" (baths), in the imperial era the domus was provided with private bathrooms due to the tendency towards privacy, understood not as modesty, but as dignity, so as not to mix with the crowd. When friends were invited to dinner, bathing was included, which was done in a group. Hygiene was a social act. The thermal baths had a "caldarium" (hot bath room), a tepidarium (warm), a "frigidarium" (cold), a "laconicum" (steam room) and an "apodyterium" (changing room), in addition to a community "latrina" (latrine). At first it was heated with a brazier, but later the "hypocaustum" was incorporated, a mechanism under the floor that allowed hot air to circulate from the heating of water in boilers. The walls were also heated by circulating hot air through pipes.

Photos, text and work by Domus Pompeiana

[archaeologyprehistoricstones]

One Tiny Detail - Flooring at Villa Adriana 10/11

(Herringbone pattern, ancient brick.)

[Photo is my original photography. Please do not save and repost without credit - reblogging is fine.]

[archaeologyprehistoricstones]

Esoteric arts: Archaeologists at Pompeii in Italy have found what they believe is a female sorcerer’s box of objects. The magnificent little miniature amulets, gems, and other items were found in the remains of a wooden box at Casa del Giardino, and were most likely used for personal ornamentation or protection from evil forces and bad luck. Among the objects found were crystals, buttons made of bones, phallic amulets, and a glass bead engraved with the head of Dionysus.

[archaeologyprehistoricstones]

"The skull was as flat as a pizza, basically," said Professor Graeme Barker

An absolute astonishing discovery and work by a team of British archaeologists who managed to reconstruct a 75,000 years of Neanderthal woman skull

Dubbed Shanidar Z, discovered in the Shanidar cave in the Kurdistan Region.

The groundbreaking discovery offers fresh insights into the lives of Neanderthals and challenges previous perceptions of their intelligence and behaviors.

Shanidar Z, named after the cave where her skull was unearthed in 2018, represents a significant find in the study of Neanderthals. Led by researchers from the University of Cambridge and Liverpool John Moores University, the excavation sheds light on ancient burial rituals and Neanderthal culture.

The discovery rekindles interest in the work of American archaeologist Ralph Solecki, who first unearthed Neanderthal remains in the same cave in the 1960s. Solecki's findings, which included the remains of multiple Neanderthals and evidence of burial practices, suggested a level of sophistication previously unrecognized in these ancient hominids.

Despite political challenges delaying further exploration for decades, the recent excavation allowed researchers to delve deeper into Shanidar Z's story. Her remarkably preserved skull, flattened to a thickness of 0.7 inches, offers unprecedented insights into Neanderthal anatomy and behavior.

Dr. Emma Pomeroy, a palaeo-anthropologist from the University of Cambridge, described the discovery as a privilege and emphasized its potential to deepen our understanding of Neanderthal life. "It's extremely exciting and a massive privilege actually to be able to work with the remains of any individual but especially one as special as her," she told BBC News.

The team's return to the Zagros mountains in the Kurdistan Region underscores the significance of ongoing research in unlocking the mysteries of human evolution. "The skull was as flat as a pizza, basically," said Professor Graeme Barker from Cambridge's McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, highlighting the remarkable preservation of Shanidar Z's remains.

Neanderthals, who disappeared from the Earth around 40,000 years ago, continue to fascinate scientists and the public alike. Each new discovery, such as Shanidar Z's reconstructed face, adds layers to our understanding of these ancient relatives and their place in the human story.

As archaeologists continue to analyze Shanidar Z's remains and unearth new discoveries, their findings promise to reshape our understanding of Neanderthal life and their interactions with early humans.

Source: https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/847393

Image: 3D images of Shanidar Z can be seen in the BBC documentary «Neanderthal Secrets» broadcast on Netflix

Source: Facebook

The Tudor Intruders

#archeology #history

[archaeologyprehistoricstones]

(ETA: Some followers have taken offense at the word 'elderly' being used in context of a 50-60 year old and demanded it be removed from the post. Firstly this is how the researchers at the National Museum of Denmark describe the woman, secondly at the time where people on average lived until about 40 anything older was considered 'elderly' however I will remove the word so as not to offend the delicate sensibilities of a few people.

Secondly, while the museum does not go into details as to why the body was disassembled for travel and several of you have expressed outrage at this, I can only assume that in the mid 1870s a 300 km journey over rough terrain and a couple of water crossings must have been quite the ordeal, perhaps the body was dismembered for easy travelling in fear of it being irreparably damaged. I do not condone digging up bodies I am merely bringing to you the history.

And lastly to the lady who was angry because she claimed she and her fellow Americans were too dense to Google places for themselves - I do not believe this to be true it has been my experience that our American followers are very astute and interested in all kinds of history and very capable of being able to c&p a place name and Google it , you do yourself and your country men and women a disservice with your comment, however I will add the word "Denmark" to the post.)

Borum Eshøj barrow near Århus, Denmark is located on a hill with a wide view. In 1871 during excavations of the mound the first grave, of a woman, was found. Her remains tell us that she was between 50 - 60 years old when she died. She was relatively short and stocky; traces of muscles on her bones reveal that she did hard physical work.

The woman’s clothes were well preserved and consisted of various items: a rectangular piece of cloth made of several pieces sewn together, a blouse, hairnet, cap and two belts, all made from wool. Her wealth is reflected in the numerous pieces of bronze jewellery, which include a belt plate, two ornamental bronze plates, a neck ring, arm rings, spiral finger rings and a clothes pin. The grave also contained a pottery vessel, a wooden box, a bronze dagger and a horn comb.

Four years later two more coffins were found containing the remains of two men. The older man was also between 50 - 60 years old. The body was so well preserved that it had to be dismembered during transport to Copenhagen – the muscles still held the skeleton together. He had manicured nails and a freshly shaved face. The man was lying on a cowhide and was covered by a woolen blanket. He was wearing a round-padded cap, a cloak, a kilt, two foot-paddles and a belt. All the textiles were made of wool. The only object in the grave besides his clothing was a wooden stick attached to the collar of the cloak.

The younger man was around 20 years old.His body too was very well preserved with muscles and other soft tissues still connected the bones to each other, he also had a full head of hair. He was buried wearing a cloak and kilt made of woven wool and a leather belt. It is possible that the man also wore a pair of leather shoes. His grave goods included a bronze dagger in a wooden scabbard, a horn comb, a bark box, a bone pin and a wooden double button.

Researchers believe that the older man was buried first, in the centre, and the mound was raised around him. The second and third bodies were interred later.Wood shavings, found in and around the graves lead historians to believe the coffins were hollowed out on the spot from oak trees which were felled around 1350 BC.

Source:

https://natmus.dk

Source: Facebook

The Tudor Intruders

#archeology #history #denmark

[archaeologyprehistoricstones]

[archaeologyprehistoricstones]

Gal Vihara,Polonnaruwa Sri Lanka

[archaeologyprehistoricstones]

Girl buried with a crown of ceramic flowers. Patras, 300-400 B.C. 

Can be seen at the Museum of Patras (Greece)

[archaeologyprehistoricstones]

The skeletons of two women dated between 6740-5680 BC who died violently were discovered at Téviec,buried under a "roof" of antlers and decorated with necklaces made of shells.The grave assemblage was excavated from the site in one piece and is now on display at the Muséum de Toulouse.

More: https://thetravelbible.com/mysterious-archaeological-finds/

Source: Facebook

Museum of Artifacts

#archeology #history