In various cities of the Ancient Iberians (Ancient Iberians were the indigenous cultures that lived in the Eastern coast of the Iberian peninsula before they got conquered by the Roman empire), archaeologists have often found skulls perforated by a nail. All of them have been found in the cities located in what nowadays is the Northern half of Catalonia (Ancient Iberian cultures, though related to each other, varied a lot area to area).
These are believed to be the skulls of their enemies, who were captured and beheaded. The enemy’s heads were nailed to the city walls or above the entrance door to houses, together with their weapons. Most of these heads belonged to individuals of the male sex, though some are female and a few belonged to children.
The Ancient Iberian language hasn’t been deciphered and their contemporaries didn’t write much about them, thus many aspects of their culture aren’t known for certain. Archaeologists have the hypothesis that this practice could be related to the way Celts exhibited the heads and hands of their enemies as war trophies, or related to a belief present in the ancient Mediterranean according to which cutting someone’s head off stopped them from reaching immortality. The Gauls even passed down the beheaded heads of their enemies to their children, as a prized possession that brought prestige. It’s a possibility that Northern Iberians were in touch with this practice.
Photos from the Ancient Iberian site Ullastret (Comarques Gironines, Catalonia) posted on National Geographic. Information from Rovirà i Hortalà, 1998 and MAC Ullastret.
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4,300-Year-Old Tomb of Palace Official Found in Egypt
A gentle wind blew the sand around the base of some pyramids in Egypt. The ancient structures dominated the landscape and likely drew attention away from an intricately decorated tomb nearby.
Not anymore.
Archaeologists were excavating an ancient cemetery at the Dahshūr archaeological site when they unearthed the long-forgotten tomb, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a March 21 Facebook post.
The 4,300-year-old tomb was built of mud bricks and partially buried in the sandy soil, archaeologists said and a photo shows.
The ancient grave was decorated with “wonderful inscriptions and scenes,” according to a news release from Egypt’s State Information Service.
Some inscriptions showed a glimpse of daily life such as people threshing grain, markets, ships sailing along the Nile River and offerings being presented, archaeologists said.
Photos show a few of these colorfully depicted scenes. In one scene, several people appear to herd a group of donkeys. Another shows several people in a procession carrying a bird and other objects, possibly offerings.
Based on the tomb’s inscriptions, archaeologists identified the its owner as a man named Seneb-Neb-Af and his wife, Idet, Egypt’s State Information Service reported. Seneb-Neb-Af was a palace official in charge of the “administration of tenants,” and Idet was the “Priestess of Hathor and Lady of the Sycamore.”
Archaeologists said the tomb dates to around 2300 B.C. or slightly earlier.
The Dahshūr archaeological site is in Dahshūr and about 25 miles south of Cairo. The area is part of the ancient Memphis UNESCO World Heritage Site, according to Britannica, and has five pyramids built between 2575 B.C. and 1756 B.C.
By Aspen Pflughoeft.
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The Mermaid / Guardian of the Reef
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
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“A 16th c. Scottish Plaid was Found in a Bog–Now Becomes Oldest Historical Tartan Available to Wear Today”
A textile manufacturer in Scotland has recreated the oldest-known piece of Scottish tartan ever found, which was buried for centuries.
Discovered approximately forty years ago in a peat bog, the Glen Affric Tartan underwent testing organized by The Scottish Tartans Authority last year to confirm it was the oldest surviving piece of tartan, dating back to between 1500-1600 CE.
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~ Crab Vessel with Double Spout.
Place of origin: Colombia, Calima Region
Period: Ilama Period
Date: 1500 B.C.-A.D. 100
Medium: Ceramics
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2,300-Year-Old Plush Bird from the Altai Mountains of Siberia (c.400-300 BCE): crafted with a felt body and reindeer-fur stuffing, all of which remains intact
This artifact was sealed within the frozen barrows of Pazyryk, Siberia, for more than two millennia, where a unique microclimate enabled it to be preserved. The permafrost ice lense formation that runs below the barrows provided an insulating layer, preventing the soil from heating during the summer and allowing it to quickly freeze during the winter; these conditions produced a separate microclimate within the stone walls of the barrows themselves, thereby aiding in the preservation of the artifacts inside.
This is just one of the many well-preserved artifacts that have been found at Pazyryk. These artifacts are attributed to the Scythian/Altaic cultures.
Currently housed at the Hermitage Museum.
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The fossil of a 20cm baby crocodile from Germany.
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The ancient theatre of Epidavros, Peloponnese, Greece. 4th c.BC.
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The Pazyryk Carpet is the oldest known carpet on earth woven 2500 years ago (5th Century B.C.). It was discovered in the tomb of a Scythian prince in the Pazyryk Valley of Siberia by Ukrainian archaeologist Sergei Rudenko in the late 1940s.
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Paleontologist: I became a paleontologist because dinosaurs are cool
Astronomer: I became an astronomer because space is cool
Chemist: I became a chemist because explosions are cool
Archeologist: I became an archeologist because Indiana Jones is cool
Mycologist: I. Fucking. LOVE. Mushrooms.
Paleontologist: Uh…
Mycologist: IWillLiterallyMurderYouJustSoICanWatchFungiBreakDownYourDecayingRemainsDon’tTestMeBoneBoy
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A FOSSIL GINKGO LEAF
Colorado, USA
From the Paleocene (circa 58 - 55 million years ago) the clearly defined 31⁄4-inch wide Ginkgo cranei with well preserved striations, on original matrix. Reverse of matrix three further partial specimens of Ginkgo cranei.
63⁄4 x 67⁄8 x 3⁄4in. (17.1 x 17.5 x 1.9cm.).
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Greek Gold diadem with Hercules knot (250–150 BCE),
Gold, garnet, carnelian, sardonyx
3×9 1/8 in. (7.6 × 23.1 cm).
On loan to the Metropolitan Museum.
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