All posts by Archaeology World Team

EUROPE, SCOTLAND, WORLD

3,000-year-old Bronze Age Hoard Discovered During House Building Project in Scotland

3,000-year-old Bronze Age Hoard Discovered During House Building Project in Scotland

Recent laboratory investigations of the Rosemarkie find, unearthed during the Black Isle housing development at Greenside in Rosemarkie, Highland Scotland, have revealed rare organic plant remains intertwined with nine bronze bracelets and necklaces buried around 1000 BC.

This remarkable find provides invaluable insights into the lives, beliefs, and practices of Bronze Age highlanders.

The hoard is particularly noteworthy because it was found in the middle of a Bronze Age village that included at least six roundhouses and a Bronze Age cist grave, rather than being an isolated find with little context to explain it.

Altogether GUARD Archaeology’s analysis will add to what they have gleaned from another Bronze Age hoard they excavated in Carnoustie on the east coast of Scotland, also found within a Bronze Age village, which may altogether reveal aspects of Bronze Age culture apparent across Scotland.

X ray image of hoard taken prior to excavation in GUARD Archaeology’s Finds Lab.

The laboratory excavation revealed a complete neck ring, a partial neck ring, six penannular (incomplete ring) bracelets, and one cup-ended penannular bracelet. These artifacts were intertwined with fibrous cords that had survived the 3000-year interment, showcasing the intricate craftsmanship of the time.

As per the GUARD Archaeology report, preserving these organic materials holds great significance since they offer a unique glimpse into the techniques employed to join these artifacts.

“The recovery of the artifacts was successfully carried out under the controlled conditions necessary to preserve these highly significant objects, particularly the very delicate organic cords that tether some of the objects together,” said Rachel Buckley, who led the laboratory excavation.

Detail photograph showing organic plant binding intertwined with the artifacts.

“Where bracelets were held together with organic material, these were recovered as a group to allow further detailed study. While there are other examples of hoards where it has been postulated that items were bound together due to their positioning, the vegetation in the Rosemarkie hoard has survived for approximately 3000 years, proving that these artifacts were held together.”

The anti-microbial properties of copper in the bronze likely contributed to the preservation of these materials, as the corrosion products from the copper adhered to the organics, protecting them from decay.

In order to determine why the hoard was buried here, GUARD Archaeology will investigate the numerous lines of evidence in more detail over the coming months.

Because the shallow pit was filled once and only holds the hoard, the archaeologists surmise that the burial was intentional and may have been meant as temporary storage. Evidence from the nearby settlement may help determine whether the hoard and the settlement were abandoned at the same time.

Detail photograph of organic material within cup-ended penannular bracelet cup end.

Educational initiatives have also been made possible by the archaeological work, which Pat Munro (Alness) Ltd funded as part of Highland Council’s planning consent conditions. Senior Manager of Pat Munro Homes, Hamish Little, expressed excitement about educating students at Fortrose Academy about the historical significance of the hoard.

A permanent feature that tells the story of this discovery, encourages community involvement, and informs visitors about Rosemarkie’s Bronze Age past is being planned.

CZECH REPUBLIC, EUROPE, WORLD

Archaeologists discovered 7,000-years-old Neolithic Settlement in the Czech Republic

Archaeologists discovered 7,000-years-old Neolithic Settlement in the Czech Republic

Archaeologists discovered 7,000-years-old Neolithic Settlement in the Czech Republic

Archaeologists have discovered a Neolithic settlement of about 7,000 years old near Kutná Hora, east of Prague in the Czech Republic.

It is unique in that no other settlements were built on its site in the following millennia, and it has been exceptionally well-preserved, including the floor plans of four long houses.

The life of the first Neolithic inhabitants was not simple and was closely linked to nature. They provided food by growing, raising livestock, but also by gathering or hunting.

Although working in the fields without a plough and using only wooden tools seems almost unimaginable from today’s perspective, these communities were successful – within a few centuries, they spread across most of Europe, superseding the original hunters and gatherers.

Prehistoric people settled in Dobren near Kutná Hora at the very edge of the area with sufficiently fertile soil and suitable climate for prehistoric agriculture.

Daniel Pilař, from the Institute of Archeology of the Czech Republic Academy of  Sciences, who researched the site, made a statement to Radio Prague: “This site was discovered early this spring as part of rescue excavations. We usually supervised construction work in our district and one day, in the middle of construction, we were surprised to find relics of a settlement that is not typical for this region. “When we saw the house plans, we immediately knew we were dealing with a Neolithic settlement,” he said.

The hitherto unknown settlement from the Early Stone Age was built more than 7,000 years ago by communities of the oldest farmers who came to the Czech territory from South-Eastern Europe.

Archaeologists found floor plans of four long houses – typical buildings of their time. Although the houses as such have not survived to this day, it is possible to find pits after their columns during research.

“The houses used to be between 4 and 6 m wide and between 10 and 40 m long. The houses themselves are not preserved because they were built from wood.

The columns are built most densely in the outer rows that formed the walls of the house. In them, the columns sometimes stood right next to each other. However, their inner rows have larger distances between them – usually more than a meter – so it was possible to move between them without any problems,” explains Daniel Pilař.

In addition to the houses, the researchers found many pits. These pits were used for the extraction of clay that was used for the construction of houses.

Experts found mostly pottery in the pits – it was used every day for cooking, serving, and even storage. Moreover, they were consumer goods, and when they broke, people easily replaced them with new ones. Occasionally, used tools – flint blades, sharpened axes and stone grinders – also ended up in the pits.

“This waste is very important for us because it offers a perfect insight into the everyday life of the Neolithic people,” said Pilař.

In the coming months and years, experts will be working on processing the data they have collected in the field, for example, by means of radiocarbon and luminescence dating, phytolith analysis, analysis of prehistoric trees, as well as tool marks and plant genetics research. This will involve a broad team of experts from different disciplines.

ASIA, TURKEY, WORLD

A Newly Found 12,000-year-old Burial in Türkiye May Belong to a Female ‘Shaman’

A Newly Found 12,000-year-old Burial in Türkiye May Belong to a Female ‘Shaman’

A recently published study suggests that a woman buried in the upper reaches of the Tigris River in south-eastern Türkiye around 12,000 years ago may have been a shaman believed to have had a spiritual connection with wild animals.

According to researchers, the burial may represent one of the earliest known examples of its kind in an Anatolian Neolithic context.

A new archaeological discovery at Çemka Höyük (meaning the “mound by the water”) in the Dargeçit district of Mardin province has revealed that a woman dating back to 12,000 years ago with unusual grave finds offers important clues about the spiritual and shamanic rituals of the period. These findings suggest that the woman may have been a shaman.

In the grave of the woman, who died at the age of about 25-30, the skull of an aurochs, partridge wings, marten legs, and the remains of sheep or goats were found.

The woman was buried under the grave pit and the grave was sealed with a large limestone block. This is noteworthy as a practice contrary to the burial traditions of the period.

The woman, who died from natural causes was buried under the floor of a mudbrick building at Çemka Höyük, while another 14 people were buried under other nearby buildings.

The burials took place during what archaeologists call the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) period, a transitional phase of human society between 10,000 and 8,800 BC, just before the development of agriculture. It was common during the PPNA to bury the dead under the floor of a house, but it was unusual to cover it with a limestone block.

Aerial view of Çemka Höyük Sector 1 and chronological development of the settlement.

People at this time were still hunter-gatherers, like their Mesolithic ancestors, and pottery hadn’t yet been invented. However, it appears that they had already established settlements,  at least for parts of the year, in locations such as  Göbekli Tepe, an archaeological site in Turkey 150 miles west of Çemka Höyük, and Jericho in the Palestinian Territories.

The situation after the excavation of the tomb surprised the archaeologists even more: the skull of an aurochs (a primitive ox) was placed above the woman’s body, with its jaw separated and resting at her feet. Other animal bones appeared to be dispersed throughout the burial pit, including the remains of a sheep or goat, a partridge’s wing, and a marten’s leg.

The animals must have been wild because the woman was buried before farm animals were domesticated, according to lead study author and archaeologist Ergül Kodaş of Turkey’s Mardin Artuklu University. 

He points out that the fact that there are so many aurochs bones suggests the significance of wild cattle, which were already a major source of food even though they wouldn’t be domesticated for thousands of years.

This tomb provides important information about the ritual and social life of hunter-gatherer societies before the development of agriculture.

British archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon has emphasized the complexity and sophisticated ritual practices of this period. This discovery at Çemka Höyük helps us better understand this complexity and spiritual beliefs.

A Newly Found 12,000-year-old Burial in Türkiye May Belong to a Female ‘Shaman’
The burial of the ‘shaman’ included a woman curled up on her right side and accompanied by a variety of animal bones.

Archaeologist Bill Finlayson of Oxford University notes that the term ‘shaman’ was coined in the 18th century to describe indigenous practices in Siberia, so their role in the Neolithic period may not be fully determined. However, when the female grave at Çemka Höyük is compared to similar shamanic burials, it is thought to be a spiritual leader.

Archaeologist Steve Mithen of the University of Reading says that social and environmental changes during the PPNA period may have increased the importance of people who could communicate with unseen forces. In this context, the discoveries at Çemka Höyük provide new insights into the development of ritual beliefs in early societies.

The 12,000-year-old female grave found at Çemka Höyük makes an important contribution to our understanding of shamanic practices and ritual beliefs in the Neolithic period.

This peculiar burial suggests that women were heavily involved in the ritual belief that archaeologists now believe played a significant role in the development of early societies. Archaeological findings allow for a deeper understanding of the spiritual and social structures of early societies.

The study was published in the journal L’Anthropologie.

EUROPE, ITALY, WORLD

A New Picene Prince Tomb Dating to the 7th Century BC with Two Chariots Discovered in Corinaldo, Italy

A New Picene Prince Tomb Dating to the 7th Century BC with Two Chariots Discovered in Corinaldo, Italy

A New Picene Prince Tomb Dating to the 7th Century BC with Two Chariots Discovered in Corinaldo, Italy

Following the discovery of the so-called ‘Prince of Corinaldo’ in 2018, archaeologists from the University of Bologna have discovered a new princely tomb dating to the 7th century BC at the Corinaldo Necropolis in the Italian province of Ancona.

The Piceni people lived in Italy during the early Iron Age. They were primarily concentrated in Novilara in the north and Belmonte in the south. There is proof that they were wealthy people and that they traded with the Greeks as early as the 7th century BC.

According to researchers, their population was warlike and they possessed very little artistic ability. In the end, in 268 BC, Rome annexed their territory.

A recent discovery led by Dr. Cecilia Carlorosi and Ilaria Venanzoni consists of a princely tomb of notable magnitude.

The excavation revealed a square pit approximately 3.80 meters by 2.20 meters, located within a large circular ditch originally with a diameter of 30 meters.

A helmet found in the grave.

Objects recovered from a high-status grave of the Piceni people discovered in Corinaldo, in the central Italian region of Le Marche, this tomb contained more than 150 artifacts, among which a two-wheeled chariot and a prestigious set of bronze objects stand out.

Among these objects are a helmet, a cauldron, and numerous finely decorated containers, indicative of the aristocratic lifestyle of the time. While numerous other objects, probably from his home, were connected to the sacred ritual of farewell.

The archeological evidence points to a relationship between the Picene nobility and the Etruscan culture, with which they had interactions and exchanges throughout history.

Artifacts found in the tomb.

The artifacts discovered, which include food and drink containers and utensils for banquets, provide an intriguing look into the daily routines and habits of prominent members of the ancient Picene society.

This discovery is part of the ArcheoNevola Project, directed by the University of Bologna in collaboration with the Municipality of Corinaldo and the Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the provinces of Ancona and Pesaro Urbino.

BULGARIA, EUROPE, WORLD

Roman-Era Sarcophagus Discovered on Varna Beach one of Bulgaria’s Most Popular Tourist Destinations

Roman-Era Sarcophagus Discovered on Varna Beach one of Bulgaria’s Most Popular Tourist Destinations

Roman-Era Sarcophagus Discovered on Varna Beach one of Bulgaria’s Most Popular Tourist Destinations

An ancient sarcophagus from the Roman era was discovered by chance on the beach near the resort of Saints Constantine and Helena, one of Bulgaria’s most popular tourist destinations.

Sts. Constantine and Helena Resort is the first officially recognized Black Sea resort and is situated 8 km north of Varna city amidst an area of remarkably splendid natural beauty.

Ancient Varna became a Thracian settlement and later an Ancient Greek colony, and then part of the Roman Empire in 15 AD. The Roman baths or thermae in Varna were constructed in the late 2nd century and used until the late 3rd century.

A former policeman on holiday in the area noticed the sarcophagus and reported it to the Fifth Regional Department-Varna. The unattended artifact was located near a newly built but still non-operational complex.

The find was reported to the local authorities, leading to a swift response by the Varna Archaeological Museum and the regional office of the Culture Ministry Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, who are now examining it.

According to Bulgarian National Television, after a preliminary examination by a police patrol, archaeologists, the Varna Archaeological Museum, and a local representative of the Culture Ministry Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, it was determined that it most likely belonged to the Roman era, specifically the second or third century AD.

Measuring approximately 90 x 235 x 75 cm (3 x 7.7 x 2.5 feet), the sarcophagus is adorned with elaborate relief decorations. These include garlands, leaves, grapes, animal heads, rosettes, labris (double-edged ax), and other stylized ornaments, characteristic of Roman funerary art.

According to the Bulgarian media outlet “24 Hours,” the sarcophagus may have been intended for use as a table, as it was found with a modern marble lid featuring three niches.

Experts suspect it was cut to fit the top, and it had been painted with facade paint, which is now being cleaned, according to Milen Marinov, a restorer at the historical museum in  Varna.

Marinov said of the ongoing examination: “We want to see what is under it, whether any of the original coloring has remained, what technique was used to make it – all of the information that will tell us if the sarcophagus is authentic. We have just started, we can’t say anything for sure.”

The investigation aims to determine whether the sarcophagus is an authentic Roman relic, a modified original, or a contemporary creation meant to resemble an antique.

Marinov emphasized the difficulties in making such evaluations, pointing out that there are many ways to age objects artificially so that they appear older than they are. This thorough analysis is crucial in verifying the sarcophagus’s authenticity and historical value.

With the help of the staff of the Regional Department for Fire Safety and Civil Protection and heavy equipment, the artifact was transported to the Archaeological Museum in Varna for storage, where expert examinations are to be carried out.

NORTH AMERICA, U.S.A, WORLD

Researchers Discovered Wreckage of a Schooner that Sank in Lake Michigan in Late 1800s

Researchers Discovered Wreckage of a Schooner that Sank in Lake Michigan in Late 1800s

Researchers Discovered Wreckage of a Schooner that Sank in Lake Michigan in Late 1800s

Maritime historians from the Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association discovered the wreckage of a schooner that sank in Lake Michigan in the late 1800s.

The Margaret A. Muir – a 130-foot, three-masted ship built in 1872 – was found under about 50 feet (15 meters) of Lake Michigan water off Algoma, Wisconsin, according to a Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association (WUAA) news release.

The Muir was built at Manitowoc, Wisconsin by the Hanson & Scove shipyard for Captain David Muir.  It was intended primarily for the Great Lakes grain trade, although it carried many diverse cargoes, frequenting all five Great Lakes over her 21-year career.

The ship was en route from Bay City, Michigan, to South Chicago, Illinois, with a cargo of bulk salt. It had almost reached Ahnapee, which is now known as Algoma, when it sank during a storm on the morning of Sept. 30, 1893.

According to the Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association, the six-member crew and Captain David Clow made it to shore in a lifeboat, but Clow’s dog went down with the ship. Captain Clow, a 71-year-old Lake veteran, had seen many wrecks in his day, but exclaimed “I have quit sailing, for water no longer seems to have any liking for me.” 

The Captain was particularly grieved at the loss of his dog, described as “an intelligent and faithful animal, and a great favorite with the captain and crew.”  The Captain remarked, “I would rather lose any sum of money than to have the brute perish as he did.”

More than a century after sinking, the Margaret A. Muir was found in about 50 feet of water in Lake Michigan in May 2024. Shown here is a rare internal view of her unusual stepped sternpost construction.

The team, including Brendon Baillod, Robert Jaeck and Kevin Cullen used historical records as well as a high resolution side scanning sonar to locate the vessel, finding its remains on May 12th, 2024.

The Margaret A. Muir was lost to history until Baillod began compiling a database of Wisconsin’s missing ships around twenty years ago.  The Muir stood out as being particularly findable. 

In 2023, Baillod approached the Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association to undertake a search for the vessel, narrowing the search grid to about five square miles, using historical sources. 

Baillod, Jaeck and Cullen were on their final pass of the day and in the process of retrieving the sonar when they ran over the wreck in approximately fifty feet of water only a few miles off the Algoma Harbor entrance.  It had lay undetected for over a century, despite hundreds of fishing boats passing over each season.

After informing Wisconsin State Maritime Archeologist Tamara Thomsen of the discovery, the team worked for weeks to gather thousands of high-resolution photos of the location. Zach Whitrock then used these photos to create a 3D photogrammetry model of the wreck site, which enables virtual site exploration. 

The vessel is no longer intact, its sides having fallen outward after deck collapsed, but all its deck gear remains, including two giant anchors, hand pumps, its bow windlass and its capstan.

The Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association now plans to work with the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Maritime Archeology Program to nominate the site to the National Register of Historic Places.  If accepted, it will join the schooner Trinidad, which the team located in deep water off Algoma in June of 2023.

ASIA, KAZAKHSTAN, WORLD

A Mysterious Human Face Carved on Stone Dated to Bronze Age Discovered in Kazakhstan

A Mysterious Human Face Carved on Stone Dated to Bronze Age Discovered in Kazakhstan

A Mysterious Human Face Carved on Stone Dated to Bronze Age Discovered in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan’s rich archaeological landscape continues to reveal fascinating details about ancient civilizations. Recent research in the Akmola, and Pavlodar revealed a stone carving depicting a human face and burial sites dating back to the Bronze Age.

Kazakh archaeology not only enriches the scientific world with its remarkable discoveries but also reveals the main stages of the ancient and medieval development of Kazakhstan society.

A mysterious archaeological find has been uncovered in the Akmola Region of Kazakhstan.

Employees of the Regional Emergency Situations Department came across a historical find in the form of a human face carved into stone and invited archaeologists to examine the artifact.

The monument, which originated from an ancient sculptor, was brought to the attention of scientists from Astana and their colleagues abroad. According to the experts, it is currently difficult to determine which era the item belongs to.

Scientists are divided on the origins of the artifact. Some assert that the stone has been in its current location since the Bronze Age, while others attribute its presence to the subsequent Turkic period.

Sergey Yarygin, a leading scientist at the Alkey Margulan Institute, noted that similar carvings have been found in Bronze Age settlements in Central Asia and Eastern Europe, Astana Times reported.

He also pointed out the presence of analogous images in the early Iron Age in southern Siberia and in medieval Turkic cultures that spread across the Eurasian steppes. Despite these parallels, Yarygin emphasized that the exact period of the artifact remains uncertain, as it could belong to various historical epochs, including more recent times.

The distinctive discovery was made by Nursultan Ashkenov and Akhmet Zaripov, employees of the Sandyktau district fire service. The Emergency Situations Department has taken the stone under its protection.

“It is a source of great satisfaction to make such an important discovery while engaged in our primary responsibilities. Furthermore, I believe that this achievement will have a positive impact not only on our district but also on the entire country,” stated Aset Zhangozhin, head of the Emergency Situations Department of Sandyktau district.

This finding is expected to draw more scholarly attention and may prompt further archaeological investigations in the area.

Important discoveries from the Bronze Age in the Pavlodar Region

In the Koktas complex in the Pavlodar Region, a large number of rare and valuable artifacts were unearthed during the archaeological excavation carried out by researchers from the Pavlodar Pedagogical University. The Koktas site also contains over 20 burial mounds, some of which date back to the Saka period.

Among them is the most notable, a bronze spearhead from the mid-13th to the 8th century BCE that is said to have come from the Sargarin-Alexeyev culture.  Asylbek Yelaman, a second-year student, found this spearhead, which is unique for the area. Aside from the spearhead, pieces of pottery kitchenware were also discovered.

EUROPE, FRANCE, WORLD

A Decorated Block with Decapitated Gaul Found for the First Time in Toul, France

A Decorated Block with Decapitated Gaul Found for the First Time in Toul, France

A Decorated Block with Decapitated Gaul Found for the First Time in Toul, France

A Corinthian-style carved block that was once part of the entablature of a monumental Gallo-Roman public building has been discovered in Toul, northeastern France. This is the first time an architectural element of this size, Corinthian-style found in Toul.

In Toul, a city in northeastern France, a large-scale construction project is underway to install a heating network, a system of underground pipes that pump hot water, preventing the need for individual boilers or electric heaters in every building.

The operation involved following the opening of several sections of trenches for the installation of the future district heating network, over a total length of around 2 km, from March to November 2024. Researchers didn’t expect to make monumental discoveries along the way.

Toul is an ancient city existing in a modern time, built first at the crossroads of Roman roads and then developed well into the 19th century, according to a news release from the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research.

The ancient, medieval, and modern town of Tullum-Toul developed at the confluence of the Moselle and the Ingressin stream, at the foot of the Moselle hills. It is located at the crossroads of Roman roads (including the Via Agrippa), ancient paths, and bridges spanning the Moselle. It has flourished since ancient times, becoming the chief town of the Belgic Leuci trib.

Roman walls were previously discovered, then one piece of the stonework was found to have carvings.

Originally a Leuci hillfort (oppidium), the town was surrounded by massive defensive walls constructed by the Romans in the late third or early fourth century. These walls largely relied on spoglia, which are repurposed building materials from older structures. The walls stood for centuries. The walls and 15 towers remained in active use until the fortifications were rebuilt in 1700.

Toul became the seat of a bishopric in the fourth century and of a vast diocese based on the ancient Pagus Tullensis. From the middle of the sixteenth century, Toul was associated with the three Lorraine bishoprics of Verdun and Metz, which became part of the kingdom of France.

Archaeologists from France’s National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) that a fragment of the ancient wall seven feet thick was discovered in April, followed by a low masonry and rubble wall nearby. The carved block of stone was discovered 20 feet away from this second wall.

Archaeologists believe the block once belonged to a monumental building, but then at some point later in history it was broken and used as part of the defensive wall.

The block of white limestone is a sizable portion of an elaborately carved entablature. Its dimensions are four feet wide by 3.3 feet deep by 1.7 feet high, and its weight exceeds 880 pounds.  It was likely larger before it was broken apart. It features two elaborate modillions, which are brackets that support tall, flat architectural elements like roofs and cornices. It is broken at both ends, likely damaged when it was torn off an old building for reuse in the wall.

A Gaul being beheaded by a Roman sword surrounded by vines was carved into the stone.

The modillions feature acanthus-like vegetal decoration on one and the Gallo-Roman version of a Green Man figure on the other. Between the modillions are two rectangular metopes. One is carved with what appears to be a shield, the other with an iconographic type seen on local potin leuque coins from the 1st B.C.

In between the artistic carvings, a more violent image is cut into the stone. The severed head of a Gaul is carved with a hollow eye, and the head is resting on what is identified as a Roman sword. Archaeologists said the image is a clear depiction of the Romans’ victory over the Gallic people in northeastern France.

Although a large mausoleum located north of Trier has an entablature with similar features, this block’s elaborate decoration and size suggest it was part of a monumental public building. Comparable examples from the second century A.D. can be seen on the facades of temples, theaters, baths, triumphal arches, and gates.

The block has been placed in temporary storage at the INRAP headquarters in Metz. It will cleaned, conserved, and studied before eventually going on display in the Toul Museum.