# Recent discoveries in archeaology



## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

*Recent discoveries in archaeology*

I thought it could be nice with a thread on this website dealing with recent archaeological findings around the globe, as reported by the press etc. - lots of stuff is happening due to increased scientific and technological abilities.

And the results in this field can be truly stunning ...

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I'll start with these two:

"*Uidentified Ship*":
"*A 500-Year-Old Shipwreck Has Turned Up Perfectly Intact on Bottom of The Baltic Sea":*

Local press here in Denmark says that the ship is likely of Danish origins - based on some of the identified design.
https://www.sciencealert.com/a-myst...as-been-found-at-the-bottom-of-the-baltic-sea

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However: probably biggest news recently - 
"*Motza*":
*"A "Game-Changing" 10,000-Year-Old Neolithic City Has Been Unearthed Near Jerusalem"*

This find apparently means that the picture of the level of civilization in Neolithic cultures must be revised, since the town seems to be good deal more refined than say Catalhöyük.
https://www.sciencealert.com/huge-p...years-ago-unearthed-in-foothills-of-jerusalem


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## TxllxT (Mar 2, 2011)

Doggerland in the North Sea:
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/may/08/mapping-begins-of-lands-lost-to-north-sea-during-the-stone-age

Also in the North Sea: recently a natural catastrophe happened with a containerschip loosing lots of containers during a storm.
https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2019/04/north-sea-container-clean-up-bonus-the-wreck-of-a-16th-century-ship/
A 16th century ship was discovered.


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## Bwv 1080 (Dec 31, 2018)

The biggest unexplored archaeological site is the tomb of the first Qin Emperor. The Chinese gov knows exactly where it is, but have yet to try to open it. The rumored lake of pure mercury is one potential issue to deal with

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/archaeology/emperor-qin/


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

TxllxT said:


> Doggerland in the North Sea:
> https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/may/08/mapping-begins-of-lands-lost-to-north-sea-during-the-stone-age
> 
> Also in the North Sea: recently a natural catastrophe happened with a containerschip loosing lots of containers during a storm.
> ...


Doggerland: extremely interesting. Not mentioned in the article, but imagine they find burried stone structures or the like, for example.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Bwv 1080 said:


> The biggest unexplored archaeological site is the tomb of the first Qin Emperor. The Chinese gov knows exactly where it is, but have yet to try to open it. The rumored lake of pure mercury is one potential issue to deal with
> 
> https://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/archaeology/emperor-qin/


Yes, there are some fine documentaries about this. As it is said about the Chinese, "they sew with a long thread", meaning that their patience can be manifest, and add to this respect and reverence for the forefathers ... haven't heard of any plans to open the site. Maybe we'll hear more.

As regards Pompeii for example, I've heard that about about 1/3 is left more or less untouched, but the main reason, as I understand it, is that they want to reserve it for more sophisticated excavation techniques of the future. Whereas with the Chinese site, other factors seem to play a role too, though the NG article points to the complex structures inside. Some would think that a drone was an option ...


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

Czech archaeologists discover 7,000-year-old trading station
https://www.radio.cz/en/section/news/czech-archaeologists-discover-7000-year-old-trading-station
there are more details on czech news, but I do not find it that interesting. A couple of tools from that period.

For me the most interesting stuff in archeology are the ancient megalithic structures, because they are the most mysterious
Ancient Megaliths So Puzzling Their Precision, Origin and Meaning Are Still Unknown


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## Bwv 1080 (Dec 31, 2018)

Robot exploration of the HMS Terror, well preserved in arctic waters


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## Guest (Sep 16, 2019)

Coming in the October 2019 issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science - no, knives fashioned from frozen fecal matter do not, in fact, work!
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X19305371

Highlights from the article:


> •An ethnographic account states an Inuit man made a knife from his own frozen feces.
> •We experimentally tested knives manufactured from frozen human feces.
> •Knives manufactured from frozen human feces do not work.


So please - I know we are trying to be as resourceful and carbon neutral as possible, but please don't try to cut your steak with your own sh**!


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## Bwv 1080 (Dec 31, 2018)

DrMike said:


> Coming in the October 2019 issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science - no, knives fashioned from frozen fecal matter do not, in fact, work!
> https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X19305371
> 
> Highlights from the article:
> ...


But will it cut that yellow snow?


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## Guest (Sep 16, 2019)

Bwv 1080 said:


> But will it cut that yellow snow?


That part is unclear, but it will certainly season as it cuts! I pity the poor grad students who had to do those experiments. I've read some pretty sh**ty scientific papers before, but this one is truly the sh**!


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## Guest (Sep 16, 2019)

DrMike said:


> Coming in the October 2019 issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science - no, knives fashioned from frozen fecal matter do not, in fact, work!
> https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X19305371
> 
> Highlights from the article:
> ...


From the Materials and Methods section:


> In order to procure the necessary raw materials for knife production, one of us (M.I.E.) went on a diet with high protein and fatty acids, which is consistent with an arctic diet, for eight days (Binford, 2012; Fumagalli et al., 2015) (Table S1). The Inuit do not only eat meat from maritime and terrestrial animals (Arendt, 2010; Zutter, 2009), and there were three instances during the eight-day diet that M.I.E. ate fruit, vegetables, or carbohydrates (Table S1).
> 
> Raw material collection did not begin until day four, and then proceeded regularly for the next five days (Table S1). Fecal samples were formed into knives using ceramic molds, "knife molds" (Figs. S1-S2), or molded by hand, "hand-shaped knives" (Fig. S3). All fecal samples were stored at −20 °C until the experiments began.


Edit: you have to go to the supplemental data to actually see any of the pictures. They note that their fecal knives are incapable of cutting any kind of animal skin, but rather tend to leave brown streaks!!!!!


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

DrMike said:


> ...So please - I know we are trying to be as resourceful and carbon neutral as possible, but please don't try to cut your steak with your own sh**!


Or somebody else's, for that matter.


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## Judith (Nov 11, 2015)

One of the finds that come to my mind was the Skeleton of King Richard III in Leicester. Then there was controversy about where he should have been laid to rest. York because he was a Yorkist or Leicester where he wad killed in the Battle of Bosworth. Leicester won. 

Incidentally, studying an on-line course about King Richard III and medieval life. Very interesting


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Judith said:


> One of the finds that come to my mind was the Skeleton of King Richard III in Leicester. Then there was controversy about where he should have been laid to rest. York because he was a Yorkist or Leicester where he wad killed in the Battle of Bosworth. Leicester won.
> 
> Incidentally, studying an on-line course about King Richard III and medieval life. Very interesting


It's interesting how the English retire regal names when the last bearer or bearers turn out to be duds or otherwise thought cruel, incompetent, inadequate. Thus "We" have dropped John, Richard, Henry, James, and Edward, and are carrying on with Charles, William, and George. Time for some fresh names? Suggestions?


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## Judith (Nov 11, 2015)

Strange Magic said:


> It's interesting how the English retire regal names when the last bearer or bearers turn out to be duds or otherwise thought cruel, incompetent, inadequate. Thus "We" have dropped John, Richard, Henry, James, and Edward, and are carrying on with Charles, William, and George. Time for some fresh names? Suggestions?


There are questions on whether King Richard III was so bad after all. Yes, two skeletons were found in Tower of London" but not definite that they were the two Princes!


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Strange Magic said:


> It's interesting how the English retire regal names when the last bearer or bearers turn out to be duds or otherwise thought cruel, incompetent, inadequate. Thus "We" have dropped John, Richard, Henry, James, and Edward, and are carrying on with Charles, William, and George. Time for some fresh names? Suggestions?


'Samantha' would be nice.


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

Thousands of new Maya structures found with the LIDAR survey method.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2018/09/27/maya-lidar-scans-60000-new-structures/


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed






maybe not a recent discovery in archeology, but an interesting talk about the collapse of Bronze Age civilizations

_From about 1500 BC to 1200 BC, the Mediterranean region played host to a complex cosmopolitan and globalized world-system. It may have been this very internationalism that contributed to the apocalyptic disaster that ended the Bronze Age. When the end came, the civilized and international world of the Mediterranean regions came to a dramatic halt in a vast area stretching from Greece and Italy in the west to Egypt, Canaan, and Mesopotamia in the east. Large empires and small kingdoms collapsed rapidly. With their end came the world's first recorded Dark Ages. It was not until centuries later that a new cultural renaissance emerged in Greece and the other affected areas, setting the stage for the evolution of Western society as we know it today. Professor Eric H. Cline of The George Washington University will explore why the Bronze Age came to an end and whether the collapse of those ancient civilizations might hold some warnings for our current society._


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Bump.

If true, indeed sensational:

*Archaeologists Claim They've Discovered the Trojan Horse in Turkey*

https://greekreporter.com/2021/08/10/archaeologists-discover-trojan-horse-in-turkey/

But such news must be taken with a solid dose of salt. It will be very interesting, what the scholars say.


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

Maybe the oldest vikingship, discovered in 2018!
https://www.khm.uio.no/english/visit-us/viking-ship-museum/gjellestad-ship/index.html


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## Flamme (Dec 30, 2012)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/28/ancient-roman-ship-discovered-off-coast-of-sicily
Wonder how the wine taste like.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Forever changes: Climate lessons from ancient Egypt


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## Ariasexta (Jul 3, 2010)

The mysterious unrecorded ritual site of Sanxingdui(1200BC-900BC), noted for the abundant elephant ivories in the sacrificial pit but no elephant carcasses around were ever found. There are also some interesting artefacts found there which are not typical of recorded chinese history: scepters, golden masks, bronze heavenly trees symbolizing the structure of sky and celestial forces.



> Sanxingdui: Archaeologists discover 3,000-year-old gold mask in Sichuan, China
> Oscar Holland, CNN | Serenitie Wang, CNN 3/22/2021


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

https://www.sciencealert.com/incredibly-preserved-fossil-seized-in-a-police-raid-reveals-pterosaur-would-have-struggled-to-fly-for-long-2?fbclid=IwAR0a7DpPqfrPzSyfzW07JUqFByYHUx2HgvfyheribW_RIgF8lW-aPHnnukQ
Found this article from August 26th on Facebook. "Police Raid in Brazil Saves The Most Detailed Pterosaur Fossil Discovered to Date"


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/fossil-previously-unknown-four-legged-whale-found-egypt-2021-08-25/?utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A%20Trending%20Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR1pRRBkSM-TBn0cYHYdfVLanH4Zk8vKn3CeItiUC2k18kWaoSTIrgy3kMc
Some more fossils, this time from Egypt, but it's a whale!


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

That's interesting; a newspaper here in my country perhaps exaggerated, when it said as a headline, that whales have been found t originate from deer (!), but still ...


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

At this point in the thread, I am contractually obliged to point out that pterosaurs and fossil whales are the remit of PALAEONTOLOGISTS, not ARCHAEOLOGISTS.
Thank you for your attention. Carry on.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Pat Fairlea said:


> At this point in the thread, I am contractually obliged to point out that pterosaurs and fossil whales are the remit of PALAEONTOLOGISTS, not ARCHAEOLOGISTS.
> Thank you for your attention. Carry on.


You are of course right, the two fields have mainly some serious excavation in common, and I hasten to add that my general enthusiasm isn't that of a Creationist, which is an antiquated subculture especially found in the US.


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## Ariasexta (Jul 3, 2010)

Just a reminder: do not buy from ebay *small *chinese antiques, mostly, at least overt 95% of them is fake(jade, golden pieces and the likes), as far as I know. But, how much individual people out there can be lucky and knowledgeable enough to find genuine bargains is up to the shere probability, nobody can be sure, just a recommendation to be careful. This is about the small artefact, I am not sure about the larger pieces, there is a degree of facts can be infered from the condition of the small ones, therefore also be watchful.


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Ariasexta said:


> Just a reminder: do not buy from ebay *small *chinese antiques, mostly, at least overt 95% of them is fake(jade, golden pieces and the likes), as far as I know. But, how much individual people out there can be lucky and knowledgeable enough to find genuine bargains is up to the shere probability, nobody can be sure, just a recommendation to be careful. This is about the small artefact, I am not sure about the larger pieces, there is a degree of facts can be infered from the condition of the small ones, therefore also be watchful.


Yes, sound advice. And be aware that the chaos in Afghanistan will mean looted artefacts from there drop into markets in US and UK. The fine art and artefacts market is not entirely ethics-free. Not entirely. But damn nearly.


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## Ariasexta (Jul 3, 2010)

Pat Fairlea said:


> Yes, sound advice. And be aware that the chaos in Afghanistan will mean looted artefacts from there drop into markets in US and UK. The fine art and artefacts market is not entirely ethics-free. Not entirely. But damn nearly.


This had been a world tradition, since ancient China, most worthy chinese antiques dating after the neolithics had been made exclusively for power people only. Ancient commons really had nothing but rags if not for some musical instruments. But, so far as we know, Afganistan is already revolutionized of "old stuff"--gotta be careful about commenting on them. But still, whoever are able to buy genuine antiques, should acquire from transparent sources at least.

(Why I realized those small chinese pieces are fake because I had seen their ads online, they even made some pharaoh`s sarcophagi with excellent deathmask carvings also many other egyptian and hindu sculptures of deities along with other smaller fake artefacts. But these account were banned recently LOL.)


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

joen_cph said:


> You are of course right, the two fields have mainly some serious excavation in common, and I hasten to add that my general enthusiasm isn't that of a Creationist, which is an antiquated subculture especially found in the US.


Antiquated? By what standard?


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