Category Archives: ASIA

Rare 2,800-Year-Old Assyrian Scarab Amulet Found In Lower Galilee

Rare 2,800-Year-Old Assyrian Scarab Amulet Found In Lower Galilee

Erez Avrahamov, a 45-year-old inhabitant of Peduel, made an incredible discovery while hiking in the Tabor Stream Nature Reserve located in Lower Galilee. He stumbled upon an ancient seal shaped like a scarab that dates back to the First Temple period.

Rare 2,800-Year-Old Assyrian Scarab Amulet Found In Lower Galilee

This ancient artifact is as unique as it is stunning. Avrahamov initially mistook it for a bead or an orange stone lying on the ground. However, upon closer inspection, he realized it was intricately engraved, resembling a scarab or beetle.

Recognizing its potential significance, Avrahamov promptly contacted the Israel Antiquities Authority to report this extraordinary discovery.

Nir Distelfeld, an Inspector from the Antiquities Robbery Prevention Unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority, swiftly realized Avrahamov had stumbled upon something extraordinary. He instructed him to carefully examine the other side of the scarab – the flat side – to see if it bore any engravings.

The scarab, an ancient sacred symbol, has a rich history that dates back to the late Paleolithic era when beetle-shaped ornaments were common. By the time of Egypt’s Old Kingdom in the 3rd millennium B.C., scarabs had evolved into aesthetically pleasing objects with deep shamanic symbolism. They played a significant role in early animal worship.

The Egyptian name derives from the verb “to become” or “to be created”, as the Egyptians saw the scarab as a symbol of the creator god. This is corroborated by archaeological findings from King Den’s reign during Dynasty I.

Just as Christians revere the cross today, Egyptian pharaohs profoundly respect dung beetles – likely viewing them as sacred symbols.

”The scarab, made of a semi-precious stone called carnelian, depicts either a mythical griffin creature or a galloping winged horse. Similar scarabs have been dated to the 8th century BCE.” Distelfeld adds that, “the beautiful scarab was found at the foot of Tel Rekhesh, one of the most important tells in Galilee.

The site has been identified as ‘Anaharat’, a town within the territory of the tribe of Issachar (Joshua 19:19),” Professor Emeritus Othmar Keel of the University of Fribourg, Switzerland explained.

Scarabs were crafted from various stones, including semi-precious ones like amethyst and carnelian. However, most were made from steatite – a soft talc stone with a grayish-white hue, typically coated with a blue-green glaze. This glaze could only withstand dry climates like Egypt’s.

Hence, scarabs discovered in Israel seldom show remnants of it. This particular scarab’s deep orange color is uncommon and visually captivating in this scenario.

According to Dr. Itzik Paz, an Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist who excavated at Tel Rekhesh, the discovery of this significant artifact from Tel Rekhesh, dating back to the Iron Age (7th–6th centuries BCE), is truly noteworthy.

During this period, a large fortress was present on the tell, seemingly under Assyrian rule – the same empire that led to the downfall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

The scarab found at the base of the tell could potentially indicate an Assyrian (or maybe even Babylonian) administrative presence at that location.

The griffin design on the seal is a recognized theme in ancient Near Eastern art and frequently appears on Iron Age seals. If we can accurately date this seal, it might provide a direct connection to Assyrian influence in the Tel Rekhesh fortress – an incredibly significant find!

Well-preserved Ming Dynasty tomb unearthed in China’s Shanxi Province

Well-preserved Ming Dynasty tomb unearthed in China’s Shanxi Province

Well-preserved Ming Dynasty tomb unearthed in China’s Shanxi Province

Archaeologists from the Shanxi Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology have unearthed a well-preserved tomb from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in Xinzhou city of Northern China’s Shanxi province.

To coordinate with a national highway realignment project, archaeologists from the institute and local cultural relics and archaeology departments in Xinzhou excavated relics in the city’s Xinfu district.

Even though the tomb is over 430 years old, its elaborate funerary furniture and wooden coffin are still intact and in excellent condition. In Shanxi, it is rare to find a tomb in such good condition with well-preserved wooden furnishings.

The excavations have uncovered the remains of structures from the Longshan Period (2900-2100 B.C.) and the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), and 66 tombs from the Han, Tang, Jin, Yuan and Ming and Qing dynasties.

Among them was an intact Ming Dynasty tomb discovered on the west terrace of Hexitou village in Xinzhou’s Xinfu district.

Comprising a sloping passageway 17 meters (55.7 ft) long, a central burial chamber, and a smaller rear chamber, the tomb stretched about 25.3 meters (83ft) in length.

A striking image captured the tomb’s sealed entrance, adorned with a stone gatehouse and a set of imposing double doors. The gate is stone carved to imitate a wood structure.

Two dragon heads look outwards on each end of the roof. The stone slabs above and on each side of the doors are carved with florals.

Archaeologists discovered two beautifully decorated wooden coffins with intricate motifs in the main burial chamber, as well as two niches: one in the south with four porcelain jars and one in the north with five porcelain jars and four bottles. The porcelain vessels contained grains, liquids, or oils.

Brightly colored flowers, grasses, and specifically peacocks are painted on the well-maintained inner coffin. The better-preserved exterior coffin of the larger of the two features gold patterns in the shape of diamonds set against a tan backdrop.

The smaller chamber is furnished with wooden altars, tables, chairs, candlesticks, lampstands, incense burners, tin pots, tin cups, tin plates, painted wooden figurines, inkstones, brushes, pen holders and other writing utensils.

An epitaph inscribed in seal script offers a clue to the possible identity of the deceased: “Epitaph of the Prince of Ming Ru Hou’an,” hinting at a noble lineage and prestigious title.

The second coffin, distinguished by a diamond-shaped pattern, bears an inscription in regular script. The inscription reads: “Ming Gu Rong Kao Hou Ru Wang Gong”, translating to “Entrusted by the Ming Dynasty to serve the royal court as a palace official.

The wooden burial objects and sacrificial items were well-preserved, making this discovery rare in the city and even throughout the whole province, according to the institute.

An Ancient Large Clay Vessel “Hum” 1.75 Meters High Unearthed in Kyrgyzstan

An Ancient Large Clay Vessel “Hum” 1.75 Meters High Unearthed in Kyrgyzstan

An Ancient Large Clay Vessel “Hum” 1.75 Meters High Unearthed in Kyrgyzstan

During recent archaeological excavations in the town of Uzgen in the Osh province of Kyrgyzstan, a 1.75-meter-high clay vessel known as a ‘hum’ was unearthed.

The ancient settlement of Uzgen is the center of the oasis rich of monuments of settled and nomadic people, dating in a wide chronological range. It belongs to a zone of early contacts on the Silk Road, being the most eastern city center of Davan, as the city of Ju-Chen known on Chinese sources is traditionally localized here in the context of military expeditions of 104-99 BC.

The main period of development is IV-I centuries BC.

However, the town flourished under the rule of the Qarakhanid state in the 10th century AD. It was one of the capitals of the Karakhanids, who called it Mavarannahr and left three well-preserved mausolea.

This amazing discovery was announced by Turarbek Abdyrahmanov, an archaeologist from the Kyrgyz Republic’s National Academy of Sciences.

The excavations, led by Mars Boranbaev, had begun 10 days ago when on March 1 a ‘Hum’ was discovered 2.5 meters below ground level.

The artifact, believed to have been built between the 7th and 4th centuries BC, was carefully removed unharmed and transferred to the Uzgen Museum of Architecture and Archaeology.

“After meticulous cleaning, the ‘hum’ now awaits further examination as part of our ongoing research endeavors,” Abdyrahmanov elaborated.

“Already, fragments of clay pottery indicative of the Shoro-Bashat culture have been unearthed, signaling the rich historical tapestry of the region.”

By the end of the Bronze and Early Iron Ages, began to form, Shorobashat culture in the Ferghana Valley.

The era of the Late Bronze and the Early Iron Age in the Fergana Valley parallel there were nomadic (Kairakkum and Eilatan, 11th-3rd century BC) and sedental (Chust and Shorobashat, 14th-1st centuries BC) cultures. Shorobashat culture is a sedentary agricultural culture.

The excavation site is located close to the Kyzyl-Oktiabr area, where plans are in the works for a bypass road. It has great historical potential.

Abdyrahmanov noted that increased archaeological research has been conducted in the hopes of finding more ancient artifacts because of the busy activity around the old city.

The ‘hum,’ towering at 1.75 meters in height and spanning 1.30 meters in width, serves as a testament to the ancient civilizations that once thrived in these lands.

2000-Year-Old Marvel: The Mystery of the Parthian Battery

2000-Year-Old Marvel: The Mystery of the Parthian Battery

2000-Year-Old Marvel: The Mystery of the Parthian Battery

The Parthian Battery is believed to be about 2000 years old (from the Parthian period, roughly 250 BCE to CE 250).

History there have been several eureka moments and breakthrough inventions that have shaped our modern lives. Electricity is one of the most revolutionary discoveries in history, among many other amazing discoveries.

Over the centuries, several scientists and inventors have stood out for their contributions to the field of electricity. However, there are also impressive discoveries whose inventor is unknown and are almost 2000 thousand years old.

In 1936, while constructing a railway near Baghdad (once part of Iran’s mighty Parthian Empire, roughly 250 BCE to CE 250), workers stumbled upon what appeared to be an ancient battery, now famously known as the Parthian Battery.

The jar was found in Khujut Rabu just outside Baghdad, estimated to be around 2,000 years old, and consists of a clay jar filled with a vinegar solution, housing an iron rod encased by a copper cylinder. Remarkably, this configuration generates approximately 1.1 to 2.0 volts of electricity.

Tests by Western scientists have revealed that when the jar of the battery was filled with vinegar (or other electrolytes), it was capable of generating between 1.5-2.0 volts.

In 1938, German archaeologist Wilhelm Konig gave the jar’s first description, pointing out that it resembled an electric battery. American scientist Willard F. M. Gray later replicated the device, confirming its electrochemical capabilities when filled with an electrolyte such as grape juice, despite World War II impeding further exploration.

Scholars continue to debate the true function of these jars. While some argue for their use as batteries, others are skeptical, prompting questions about their origins and intended use. If they were batteries, though, who made them and what were they used for?

Unfortunately, there is no written record as to the exact function of the jar, due to the destruction of Iranian literary sources and libraries by Arabs upon the invasion of Iranian territories in the 7th century CE.

There is no written record as to the exact function of the jar, but the best guess is that it was a type of battery. Scientists believe the batteries (if that is their correct function) were used to electroplate items such as putting a layer of one metal (gold) onto the surface of another (silver), a method still practiced in Iran today.

The discovery casts doubt on accepted theories by implying that the idea for a battery may have existed long before the invention of the famous scientist Alessandro Volta.

To recall some of the defining moments in the development of electricity and power, the first of these moments was undoubtedly when the ancient Egyptians (2750 BC) electricity first recorded in the form of electric fish.

The ancient Egyptians called electric catfish the ‘thunderers of the Nile’. It sparked nearly millennia of wonder and intrigue, including the conduct and documentation of crude experiments like touching the fish with an iron rod to induce electric shocks.

Thales of Miletus discovered in the year 500 BC that rubbing lightweight materials like fur or feathers against amber could produce static electricity. Up to William Gilbert’s serious discovery of static electricity in 1600 AD, this static effect was unknown for nearly 2,000 years.

A schematic representation of the ancient Parthian battery.

Who knows! If such jars were indeed “batteries” in the modern sense, then Count Alessandro Volta’s invention of the modern battery may have been predated by 1,600 years or more.

Frozen Bird Found in Siberia is 46,000 years old

Frozen Bird Found in Siberia is 46,000 years old

During the last Ice Age, a bird found in northeastern Siberia died and gives a crucial insight into the evolution and effects of climate change.

An international team of scientists has learned that at least 46,000 years ago, a bird discovered in the Siberian permafrost died.

The bird was found in northeastern Siberia, a mammoth steppe that extended across northern Canada, Europe and Asia during the last Ice Age when the bird was still alive.

The 46,000-year-old bird’s delicate feet are still in good shape.

DNA collected from this frozen bird could help shed light on how at the end of the last Ice Age, when the Earth was mostly covered in ice and snow, the mammoth steppe turned into tundra, taiga and steppe biomes and could further illuminate the evolution of subspecies.

In 2018, a well-preserved bird was discovered by local fossil ivory hunters 30 km east of the village of Belaya Gora, Yakutia, in northeastern Siberia (red dot, figure 2). The bird carcass was found approximately 150 meters (492 feet) into an ice tunnel that had been hydraulically mined into the permafrost at a depth of roughly 7 meters below the earth’s surface.

The frozen bird appeared to have died non-violently before being rapidly frozen, thus preserving its body for millennia. The ‘nearly intact’ body was so well preserved that it could be identified as a horned lark, Eremophila alpestris, appearing as if she had ‘died yesterday’. So it was somewhat surprising (and quite exciting) when radiocarbon dating revealed that the lark died sometime between 44,163–48,752 years BP — in the middle of the last Ice Age.

During the last ice age, mammoth steppe was the Earth’s most extensive ecosystem, covering much of the northern portion of the planet. It featured a cold, dry climate that favoured high-productivity grasses, herbs and willow shrubs, and was dominated by long-horned bison and horses — and was home to woolly mammoths, woolly rhinoceros and cave lions, all of which are now extinct. This ecosystem thrived for approximately 100,000 years before the thawing climate suddenly made it nearly extinct about 11,700 years ago.

This vast wide-open habitat is favored by horned larks, a species may have originated in northeastern Siberia during the middle Pleistocene (ref) before diverging into separate Eurasian and North American lineages. These small ground-nesting songbirds breed in the wide-open spaces of the high Arctic and above the tree line in mountains. Lacking any closely-related competitors, North American horned larks also breed in other, more temperate wide-open spaces, such as prairies, semi-arid regions and in deserts, which is where I first saw them.

To learn how this Pleistocene bird is related to modern horned larks, the researchers from the Centre for Palaeogenetics isolated ancient DNA from the specimen and analyzed it.

“The genetic analysis suggests that the bird belonged to a population that was a joint ancestor of two subspecies of horned lark living today, one in Siberia, and one in the steppe in Mongolia”, said lead author of the study, ornithologist Nicolas Dussex, a postdoctoral researcher at Stockholm University who specializes in conservation genomics and avian evolution.

“Our results support this theory since the diversification of the horned lark into these subspecies seems to have happened about at the same time as the mammoth steppe disappeared”, said co-author of the study, Love Dalén, a professor of evolutionary genetics at the Swedish Museum of Natural History and research leader at the Centre for Palaeogenetics.

As the planet warmed at the end of the last Ice Age, mammoth steppe nearly disappeared, giving way to several habitats that we are familiar with today: tundra in the north, boreal forest (taiga) in the middle and steppe in the south.

The researchers’ ultimate goal is to map the ancient lark’s genome and compare it to genomes of modern subspecies of horned larks to learn where this bird fits into the lark evolutionary tree and to better understand how subspecies arise.

Currently, there are at least 42 formally recognized subspecies of horned larks that cluster into one of six separate lineages. Additional studies may reveal that any or all of these lineages may qualify as distinct species clusters.

“This helps us understand how the diversity of subspecies evolves”, Dr Dussex said. In recognition of being the oldest bird yet unearthed from this time period, the researchers refer to her the ‘Icebird’.

Uncovering frozen mammals in Siberia is not new: people have uncovered a veritable zoo of frozen mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses, horses, bison and wolverines for many years, the researchers noted in their study (ref). But finding a frozen bird is something special because their bodies are small and fragile and thus, don’t typically preserve well.

Scientists at the Centre for Palaeogenetics are working with some of these other ancient animals, including an 18,000-year-old puppy named ‘Dogor’, which the research team are still working on to identify whether it’s a wolf or a dog. They also are working on a 50,000-year-old cave lion cub, ‘Spartak’, a 30,000-year-old severed wolf head, and a partially preserved woolly mammoth.

The horned lark (Eremophila alpestris), also known as the shore lark in Europe, is a small songbird that breeds across the northern hemisphere. It has 42 formally recognized subspecies that are divided into six different clades, each of which could warrant reclassification into distinct species clusters.

Analyzing the complete genomes of ‘Icebird’ and these other ancient specimens could provide a deeper understanding of the evolution of animals during the Pleistocene and of the impacts upon them from climate change.

“The new laboratory facilities and the intellectual environment at the Centre for Palaeogenetics will definitely be helpful in these analyses”, Professor Dalén pointed out.

The Centre for Palaeogenetics is a joint venture between Stockholm University and the Swedish Museum of Natural History. Its main objective is to bring together scientists from different disciplines, such as biology, archaeology and geology, into a cutting edge research environment dedicated to ancient DNA analyses.

4,000-year-old Snake-Shaped Pottery Handle Found in Taiwan

4,000-year-old Snake-Shaped Pottery Handle Found in Taiwan

4,000-year-old Snake-Shaped Pottery Handle Found in Taiwan

National Tsing Hua University archaeologists in Taiwan have discovered a snake-shaped pottery handle dating back approximately 4000 years.

Researchers uncovered the find at a sand dune site on the island’s northwest coast, located within the Guanyin District in western Taoyuan City.

Crafted in the shape of a cobra with its upper body raised and hood flattened ready to strike, this item may have served as a type of handle for a larger item, such as a vessel or ceremonial jar.

The figure is characterized by its raised head with an open mouth and swollen folds on the neck, which are important features of a cobra snake.

The snake artifact find was initially publicized on a Facebook page to post-university archaeology news. A post on the page called it an “important” discovery in Taoyuan City.

The researchers determined the age of the snake-shaped artifact using radiocarbon dating techniques, noting that it was approximately 4,000 years old.

Photo: National Tsing Hua University

Snakes are animals that have strong symbolic meanings in mythology, religion, and literature. In ancient societies, snake shedding was observed to symbolize transitions between life and death, reproduction, or change.

Many ancient communities in East Asia and other parts of the world share a common symbolism in the form of snakes.

“This 4,000-year-old ‘snake-shaped pottery handle’… has a vivid figure, like a cobra, with its head raised and the skin folds of its head and neck bulging. We believe this incomplete artifact may have been pottery used for ritual purposes,” Chiu said.

This snake-shaped clay piece could be interpreted as a ceremonial instrument used by ancient tribe shamans to perform rituals, illustrating how animal imagery was incorporated into ceremonial instruments in ancient societies, shaping their belief systems and knowledge.

Also, numerous prehistoric archeological artifacts from Taiwan have been discovered at the coastal location.

Among them is a recently found area of extensive stone tool processing, according to Hung-Lin Chiu, an associate professor at Tsing Hua’s Institute of Anthropology. In this region, several stone flakes and cores have been discovered.

Blue Eyes Originated 10,000 Years Ago In The Black Sea Region

Blue Eyes Originated 10,000 Years Ago In The Black Sea Region

A team of researchers from Copenhagen University have located a single mutation that causes the mysterious phenomenon of blue eyes.  And all blue-eyed people are genetically related to a person who lived in the Black Sea region sometime between 6 – 10,000 years ago.

The research was published in the Journal of Human Genetics. A mutation in a gene called OCA2 came into being nearly 8,000 years ago. It can be definitively traced back to an ancestor from the Black Sea.

Dr. Hans Eiberg claims that before this time, every human being had brown eyes.

Blue Eyes Originated 10,000 Years Ago In The Black Sea Region
“A genetic mutation affecting the OCA2 gene in our chromosomes resulted in the creation of a ‘switch,’ which literally ‘turned off’ the ability to produce brown eyes,” Eiberg said.

“A genetic mutation affecting the OCA2 gene in our chromosomes resulted in the creation of a ‘switch,’ which literally ‘turned off’ the ability to produce brown eyes,” Eiberg said.

When blue-eyed peoples from Jordan, Denmark and Turkey were examined, their genetic difference was traced back to the maternal lineage according to Eiberg’s team.

The brown melanin pigment is still dominant. However, following the last Ice Age, Europeans developed this rare mutation that differentiated them from the rest of the human race.

Ninety-five per cent of Europeans in Scandinavian countries have blue eyes. They are also found to have a greater range of hair and skin colour.

Comparatively, Europe has a wider variety of hair colour and skin pigment than is found in any other continent in the world. These mutations are recent as Europe was colonized only a few thousand years ago, say mainstream scientists.

Through interbreeding, the brunette with blue eyes was evidenced about 25,000 years ago. Researchers attribute this to ancient interbreeding with Neanderthals.

Although no Neanderthal DNA has been found in modern Homo Sapien-Sapien, mainstream science clings to this theory as fact because they haven’t come up with anything better.

“The question really is, ‘Why did we go from having nobody on Earth with blue eyes 10,000 years ago to having 20 or 40 per cent of Europeans having blue eyes now?” John Hawks of the University of Wisconsin-Madison said. “This gene does something good for people. It makes them have more kids.”

Israel discovers a 10,500-year-old basket from the Stone Age

Israel discovers a 10,500-year-old basket from the Stone Age

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced the finding of a well-preserved basket with a capacity of about 100 liters dating back to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period, approximately 10,500 years ago.

Israel discovers a 10,500-year-old basket from the Stone Age
A well-preserved basket dates to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period, approximately 10,500 years ago, is seen in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem on March 16, 2021.

“It is an amazing artifact, 10,500 years old, huge, intact, the only basket from that time found intact in Israel, and maybe in this size, the only one in the whole world,” Chaim Cohen, IAA archaeologist, told Xinhua.

As far as we know, this is “the oldest basket in the world” that has been found completely intact, and therefore its importance is immense, said Cohen.

A staff member shows fragments of the new discovered Dead Sea Scroll in a lab in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem on March 16, 2021.
Rare Jewish coins from about 2,000 years ago are seen in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem on March 16, 2021.

IAA researchers believe that they can learn a lot about people who lived on earth about 10,500 years ago, just from that one item looking almost brand new.

“The time this basket was made is long before ceramics was invented, and ceramics is the last language of archeologists,” noted Cohen.

Examining the basket will help researchers better understand those ancient people, how they made tools, and from which materials they made them, said Cohen.

IAA professionals even believed that one of the people who made this basket was right-handed, and the other one was left-handed. Moreover, they used a unique technique.

The basket, with two lids at the top, was found in Muraba’at Caves in the Judean Desert above the Dead Sea. It was buried inside a cave under almost three feet of soil. It was exceptionally well preserved due to the high temperatures and extreme aridity of the region.

“People who made the basket buried it underground, leaving the top on the floor level of that period, and we assume that it was buried there to preserve things, maybe food or grains, to the next season,” said Cohen.

The basket was presented on Tuesday to the local and international press at The Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Besides, ten other unearthed ancient finds were also presented.

Among them were fragments of a 2,000-year-old biblical scroll that were found also in caves in the Judean Desert.

Dr. Oren Ableman, a curator researcher in the Dead Sea scrolls unit of IAA, told Xinhua that “this is the first time in over 60 years that we have discovered copies or fragments of a biblical book in a controlled excavation.”

“And this enables us to have a better picture of the past and understanding of how the text of the Bible as we know today has developed over time,” added Ableman.

Additional exhibits included a 6,000-year-old skeleton of a mummified female child, arrows, spearheads, woven fabrics, rare Jewish coins from about 2,000 years ago, and some other notable relics.

All these artifacts were unearthed by Israeli archeologists during the past three and a half years in a mission in hundreds of caves at high hills.