Category Archives: ASIA

ASIA, CHINA, WORLD

2,000-Year-Old Unique Composite Fish Scaled Armor Found in Ancient Tomb

2,000-Year-Old Unique Composite Fish Scaled Armor Found in Ancient Tomb

2,000-Year-Old Unique Composite Fish Scaled Armor Found in Ancient Tomb

Chinese researchers have recently found fish-scaled armor in the tomb of Liu He, Marquis of Haihun from the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 25), in Nanchang, the capital of eastern China’s Jiangxi province.

According to the Provincial Institute of Archaeology and Cultural Relics, this is the first instance of composite armor—made from a combination of materials like lacquered iron, copper, and leather—discovered during the archaeological excavation of the Han Dynasty sites. It demonstrates the highest level of armor-making practices of that period.

The armor’s smallest piece is 1 centimeter wide and about 0.2 centimeters thick.

Yang Jun, head of the excavation team, told Xinhua that these armor pieces were found in the tomb of Liu He in the west part of the outer coffin, where weaponry was installed.

After more than two years of meticulous work, researchers have restored approximately 6,000 armor plates from among those unearthed in the weapons section of the tomb, alongside knives and swords, according to Yang Jun.

“The smallest plate is just 1 cm wide and about 0.2 cm thick, making it the smallest scale armor plate unearthed from Han Dynasty sites,” said Bai Rongjin, an expert in armor protection and research from the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social  Sciences.

The armor pieces unearthed from the tomb of the Marquis of Haihun.

According to Bai, scale armor is mostly found in Han Dynasty tombs and is usually made with a single material, with each plate measuring 4 to 10 cm in width.

The smaller the armor plates, the more plates are required to assemble the armor — reflecting the increasing complexity of its production process.

The process of removing roughly 6,000 pieces of armor from the boxes took archaeologists two years.

According to the cultural conservation team’s initial restoration research, the armor was made from materials that were lacquered in leather, bronze, and iron.

The pieces of fish-scaled armor were discovered with swords, according to Yang, at the Marquis of Haihun’s tomb. It has been assumed that the items were packaged in lacquer boxes based on the presence of patent leather traces on the premises. However, when the tomb was unearthed, it was discovered that the lacquer boxes had rotted, and the armor and swords appeared piled up.

“The tomb is known to have undergone earthquakes and the rising groundwater level caused by the intrusion of the Poyang Lake, China’s largest freshwater lake. The burial environment has made the armor pieces thin and fragile,” said Yang, in a statement to Global Times.

The team decided to box up the cultural relics and carry out conservation research through laboratory archaeology thereafter.

The fish-scaled armor discovered in the Marquis of Haihun’s tomb was composed of iron, copper, and leather, in contrast to the Han Dynasty’s custom of using only one material for armor. For the first time, a composite design of this kind from the Han Dynasty has been discovered.

The discovery of the armor from the tomb of the Marquis of Haihun provides important material data for the study of armor-making techniques in the Han Dynasty.

Cover Image Credit: Armor pieces from the tomb of the Marquis Haihun Photo: Jiangxi Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology

ASIA, TURKEY, WORLD

Discovery Shedding Light on Ancient Maritime Trade: 1,500-Year-Old Trade Shipwreck Found off Türkiye’s Ayvalık

Discovery Shedding Light on Ancient Maritime Trade: 1,500-Year-Old Trade Shipwreck Found off Türkiye’s Ayvalık

Discovery Shedding Light on Ancient Maritime Trade: 1,500-Year-Old Trade Shipwreck Found off Türkiye’s Ayvalık

‘Turkish Sunken-Ships Project: Blue Heritage’, a 1500-year-old trade shipwreck was found off the coast of  Ayvalık district of Balıkesir.

Under the direction of associate professor Harun Özdaş, director of the Underwater Research Center (SUDEMER) at Dokuz Eylül University, the mapping of the underwater cultural heritage of the Ayvalık region was carried out with approval from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The research was carried out using domestically developed robotic underwater vehicles.

The shipwreck, located approximately 2.5 miles off the coast of Ayvalık, was identified by associate professor Nilhan Kızıldağ, the deputy director of SUDEMER, and her team. The wreck is dated to the late fifth century A.D. based on preliminary findings.

It was stated that the wreck containing approximately 10 thousand ceramic dishwrecks is ‘the largest plate wreck found in the Aegean and Mediterranean’.

It was stated that the find, which shows the plate trade on the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, due to its location in open waters, the wreck has been exceptionally well-preserved.

Özdaş explained that they detected some anomalies at a depth of 43 meters and gave the following information:

‘We made dives to these anomalies with our high-tech devices and determined the location of the wreck. This discovery was made thanks to our advanced robotic systems because it is about 2.5 miles off the coast at a depth of 43 meters.

We encountered a large pile in an area outside of geography that can be found with standard dives.

The characteristic of this pile is that it consists of intertwined dishes, each in clusters of about 15-20, not the amphorae we usually detect in our studies. To date, we have found the largest shipwreck of dishes known in the Aegean and Mediterranean. Based on the first determinations, we think that the ship came from North Africa or Cyprus. It probably sank off the coast of Ayvalık after a storm.’

The wreck is estimated to be about 15 meters (49.21 feet) long and 9 meters wide, with only a small number of amphorae found alongside the dishes.

The team believes the ship may have originated from either North Africa or the island of Cyprus, with the wreck possibly resulting from a storm.

Additionally, Özdaş pointed out that ceramics made in places like Syria, Egypt, North Africa, and Cyprus were frequently traded and shipped to Anatolia, Greece, or Italy. But as of yet, there hasn’t been any convincing underwater proof of these kinds of trade activities. With almost 10,000 plates in its cargo, the discovery of this shipwreck is unprecedented in both scope and importance.

“There are at least 5-6 different types of plates among the cargo,” said Özdaş. “In our 30 years of underwater research in Turkish waters, finding such wealth is a source of great happiness for us. The ship’s main cargo was ceramic plates and photogrammetric studies show that there are 10,000 plates on the site.

This wreck is of great importance, especially because it has remained untouched and preserved in its original state. The variety and quantity of artifacts here represent a significant collection.”

According to Özdaş, the discovery is substantial enough to warrant the creation of a museum based on the artifacts uncovered. “We have found enough artifacts to open a museum,” he said.

ASIA, SYRIA, WORLD

Oldest known alphabet unearthed in ancient Syrian city -500 years older than thought

Oldest known alphabet unearthed in ancient Syrian city -500 years older than thought

Oldest known alphabet unearthed in ancient Syrian city -500 years older than thought

Johns Hopkins University researchers uncovered evidence of the oldest alphabetic writing in human history. The writing was etched onto finger-length clay cylinders discovered during a dig at an ancient Syrian city.

The discovery was announced at the American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR) annual meeting.

During an excavation at an ancient tomb in Tell Umm-el Marra, the team, under the direction of Professor Glenn Schwartz, discovered small clay cylinders marked with what may have been alphabetic symbols.

Once a major city in western Syria, Tell Umm-el Marra is renowned for being one of the first urban centers in the area. Along with researchers from the University of Amsterdam, Professor Schwartz, an authority on ancient cities, co-led a 16-year excavation at the site. Early Bronze Age tombs were found during the excavation.

One of the best-preserved tombs contained six skeletons, gold and silver jewelry, cookware, a spearhead, and intact pottery vessels.

Four small clay cylinders that looked to have early alphabetic writing were discovered by researchers close to the pottery vessels. Each cylinder had a hole in it, and the clay was only lightly baked. According to Professor Glenn Schwartz, the items may have served as labels.

Oldest known alphabet unearthed in ancient Syrian city -500 years older than thought

The writing, which is dated to around 2400 BCE, precedes other known alphabetic scripts by roughly 500 years, upending what archaeologists know about where alphabets came from, how they are shared across societies, and what that could mean for early urban civilizations, according to the researchers.

“The cylinders were perforated, so I’m imagining a string tethering them to another object to act as a label. Maybe they detail the contents of a vessel, or maybe where the vessel came from, or who it belonged to,” Schwartz said. “Without a means to translate the writing, we can only speculate.”

Using carbon-14 dating techniques, researchers confirmed the ages of the tombs, the artifacts, and the writing.

“Previously, scholars thought the alphabet was invented in or around Egypt sometime after 1900 BCE,” Schwartz said. “But our artifacts are older and from a different area on the map, suggesting the alphabet may have an entirely different origin story than we thought.”

Professor Schwartz presented the findings at the 2024 American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR 2024) annual meeting.

Cover Image Credit: The 4,400-year-old clay object discovered at the ancient city of Umm el-Marra, Syria. Glenn Schwartz, Johns Hopkins University.

ASIA, TURKEY, WORLD

1500-year-old Stunning Pendant Amulet Depicting the Prophet Solomon Spearing the Devil on Horseback Found in Türkiye

1500-year-old Stunning Pendant Amulet Depicting the Prophet Solomon Spearing the Devil on Horseback Found in Türkiye

1500-year-old Stunning Pendant Amulet Depicting the Prophet Solomon Spearing the Devil on Horseback Found in Türkiye

During the excavations in the ancient city of Hadrianopolis in Eskipazar district of Karabük, Türkiye, an amulet from the 5th century A.D. depicting the Prophet Solomon spearing the devil on horseback was unearthed.

The ancient city, which served as a settlement in the late Chalcolithic, Roman, and early Byzantine eras, is still undergoing excavation and restoration work under the direction of associate professor Ersin Çelikbaş from the Department of Archaeology at Karabük University’s Faculty of Literature.

During excavations at the ancient city, known as the “Zeugma of the Black Sea,” an amulet pendant depicting the Prophet Solomon from the fifth century A.D. was discovered.

Çelikbaş explained that work on the project continues in the ancient city. Noting that significant finds were found, saying, “One of them was uncovered this week during the excavation of the structure we named ‘SDJ-3.’ We believe it is a significant artifact for Anatolian archaeology since no similar examples have been found in this region before. It is actually an amulet pendant.”

Karabuk University Faculty of Letters, Department of Archaeology Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ersin Çelikbaş stated that this artifact is a very important discovery for Anatolian archaeology,

“The depiction shows the Prophet Solomon on horseback, spearing a demon. Why this depiction? Because the Prophet Solomon is important in all three major religions. He is noted as a ruler in Judaism and the Bible and in Islam, he is recognized not only as a ruler but also as a prophet.

Therefore, the depiction of the Prophet Solomon, important in monotheistic religions, on this pendant both surprised us and showed us its importance for Anatolian archaeology.”

Çelikbaş noted that the inscription on the pendant reads “Our Lord has overcome evil” and said: “Why was this pendant, this amulet, found here? In fact, it has to do with the military character of Hadrianopolis. We have previously identified evidence of a cavalry unit here through archaeological finds.”

Çelikbaş noted that the inscription on the pendant reads “Our Lord has overcome evil” and said: “Why was this pendant, this amulet, found here? In fact, it has to do with the military character of Hadrianopolis. We have previously identified evidence of a cavalry unit here through archaeological finds.

Solomon is also known as the commander of armies. We understand that he was also considered as a protective figure for the Roman and Byzantine cavalry at Hadrianopolis.”

Çelikbaş said: “The front depicts the Prophet Solomon and mentions God’s triumph over evil, while the back bears the names of our four holy angels: Azrael, Gabriel, Michael, and Israfil.

This is also very significant. No similar artifact has been found in Anatolian archaeology to date. Only one comparable example in terms of depiction has been found in Jerusalem.

The appearance of two similar artifacts over such great distances indicates that this area was an important religious center in antiquity. Based on the fonts of the inscriptions and stratigraphic data from our studies, we date the artifact to the fifth century A.D.”

According to the static graphic analyses, the amulet was dated to the 5th century AD. It was stated that this discovery once again reveals the historical and religious importance of Anatolia.

ASIA, WORLD

Mystery of the World’s Oldest Map on a Nearly 3,000-year-old Babylonian Tablet Finally Solved

Mystery of the World’s Oldest Map on a Nearly 3,000-year-old Babylonian Tablet Finally Solved

Mystery of the World’s Oldest Map on a Nearly 3,000-year-old Babylonian Tablet Finally Solved

A recent British Museum video reveals that the “oldest map of the world in the world” on a clay tablet from Babylon was deciphered to reveal a surprisingly familiar story.

The oldest globe ever found is the Imago Mundi, a Babylonian map of the world.  This map is a Babylonian clay tablet with a schematic world map and two inscriptions written in the Akkadian language.

The probably seventh century BC is when this map was created. It shows a small part of the world as the ancient Babylonians knew it, and it was found in the southern Iraqi city of Abu Habba (Sippar).

The ancient artifact was acquired by the British Museum in 1882 but remained a mystery for centuries until curators found a missing part and transcribed its cuneiform.

The cuneiform tablet from the 6th century BC shows an aerial view map of Mesopotamia — the land “between the rivers” in modern-day Iraq— and what the Babylonians believed lay beyond the known world at the time.

After centuries of deciphering, the ancient tablet provides insight into the Babylonians’ beliefs about the known world at the time.

The tablet has several paragraphs of the cuneiform on its backside and above the map diagram describing the creation of the Earth and what its writer believed existed beyond it.

Researchers confirm the circle around Mesopotamia suggests that Babylonians believed the area was the center of the world. There also shows the river Euphrates cutting through ancient Mesopotamia.

The map depicts a double ring encircling Mesopotamia, which the ancient scribe called the “bitter river.” This river formed the boundaries of the Babylonians‘ known world.

Small circles and rectangles inside the Bitter River stand in for various Mesopotamian cities and tribes, such as Babylon, while another rectangle symbolizes the Euphrates River.

“You have encapsulated in this circular diagram the whole of the known world in which people lived, flourished, and died,” British Museum curator and cuneiform expert Dr. Irving Finkel said in the video. “However, there’s more to this map than that.”

“When it comes to operating beyond the limits of the known world into the world of imagination, [the tablet] is indispensable,” Finkel added.

Aside from mapping out what they thought existed outside of their world, the Babylonian scribe also included references to a well-known story (basically the Babylonian version of the biblical story of Noah’s Ark) and mythical animals and lands.

The ancient Babylonians thought that the remains of the enormous ark that their version of Noah, named Utnapishtim, had constructed in 1800 BC at God’s command were located on the backside of a mountain, the same mountain that the Bible says Noah’s Ark crashed on, beyond the bitter river.

“That’s quite a meaty thing, quite an interesting thing to think about because it shows that the story was the same, and of course, that one led to the other,” Finkel concluded.

The tablet also confirms the Babylonian’s belief in the God of creation Marduk and other mythical monsters such as scorpion-man and a lion-headed bird called Anzu.

ASIA, INDIA, WORLD

Oldest evidence of animal butchery in India found from extinct elephant fossil

Oldest evidence of animal butchery in India found from extinct elephant fossil

Scientists studied stone tools, bone flakes and rare elephant remains.

In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers have unearthed the earliest evidence of animal butchery in India, dating back 3,00,000 to 4,00,000 years.

The findings, published in two recent studies, shed light on the activities of early humans in the region and provide valuable insights into an extinct elephant species.

The fossils were first discovered in 2000 near Pampore in the Kashmir Valley, but their significance remained unclear until now.

A team led by Advait Jukar, a curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History, has revealed that the remains belong to at least three ancient elephants of the genus Palaeoloxodon, which were more than twice the size of modern African elephants.

The researchers identified elephant bone flakes at the site, suggesting that early humans struck the bones to extract marrow. This discovery pushes back the earliest known evidence of butchery in India by nearly 2,90,000 years.

Oldest evidence of animal butchery in India found from extinct elephant fossil
Since it was first unearthed in 2000, the giant elephant skull has been stored, mounted in cement, in a glass box

Alongside the elephant remains, 87 stone tools were found, likely used for marrow extraction. These tools, made from basalt not native to the area, indicate that early humans transported raw materials to the site for tool-making.

The most complete skull belongs to a mature male Palaeoloxodon turkmenicus, a rare species previously known only from a partial skull fragment found in Turkmenistan. This specimen provides crucial information about the evolution and migration of the Palaeoloxodon genus.

While the evidence clearly shows human exploitation of the elephant carcasses, there are no signs of hunting. The elephants may have died naturally, possibly weakened by chronic sinus infections evident in their skull remains.

This discovery not only provides insights into early human behavior but also fills gaps in our understanding of elephant evolution in South Asia. As Jukar notes, “The specimen could help paleontologists fill in the story of how the genus migrated and evolved”.

The findings highlight the need for more comprehensive archaeological surveys in the region. As Jukar suggests, future excavations should focus on collecting all bone fragments, not just intact specimens, to uncover more evidence of early human activity.

These studies, published in Quaternary Science Reviews and the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, mark a significant advancement in our understanding of prehistoric life and human activity in the Indian subcontinent.

ASIA, VIETNAM, WORLD

Excavations revealed a bronze age settlement, shedding light on the organized society that once existed in Northern Vietnam

Excavations revealed a bronze age settlement, shedding light on the organized society that once existed in Northern Vietnam

Excavations revealed a bronze age settlement, shedding light on the organized society that once existed in Northern Vietnam

Archaeologists have uncovered a pre-Dong Son settlement in northern Vietnam dating back nearly 3000 years.

Researchers from the Institute of Archaeology have uncovered important Bronze Age finds at the Vuon Chuoi Archaeological Site in Lai Xa Hamlet, Kim Chung Commune, Hoai Duc District, Hanoi. These findings shed light on the organized society that once existed in northern Vietnam.

Dong Son culture is named for a village in northern Vietnam (named for the modern village Đông Sơn, a village in Thanh Hóa, Vietnam) where many of its remains have been found. It was a Bronze Age culture centered at the Red River Valley of northern Vietnam from 1000 BC until the first century AD.

The excavation on the western side of the Vuon Chuoi site spanned 6,000 square meters, according to Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Quy, a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology. Numerous pits, each measuring roughly 100 square meters, were dug up, yielding important preliminary results.

“The initial discoveries revealed a settlement area from the pre-Dong Son period,” said Dr. Quy. “The site is situated on the highest point of the Vuon Chuoi mound, featuring a basin-like structure with the outer edges elevated by about 0.5 meters compared to the center.

It appears that ancient people took advantage of both natural elevated and lower terrain to create a settlement, surrounded by a protective moat about 10 meters wide and 2.5 to 3 meters deep.”

Funerary objects in early Dong Son burial mounds.

Based on observations, the building material was probably yellow-brown clay that was taken from nearby natural mounds. The site’s outer slopes contain burial sites, while the interior displays remnants of pre-Dong Son cultural periods.  A dense burial area that formed a necropolis from at least two overlapping periods was found in the northwest corner in particular.

“These discoveries are pivotal for understanding the Bronze Age in Northern Vietnam,” Dr. Quy noted. “They provide deeper insights into how ancient communities managed their living spaces to address challenges posed by both natural and social environments.

The scale of construction at this site also indicates a well-organized society with a high level of labor division.

Despite these important results and the near completion of the excavation at Vuon Chuoi, conservation work is progressing very slowly.

To guarantee the site’s protection, the Institute of Archaeology and other pertinent organizations have been submitting paperwork to authorities since 2019. The only portion of Vuon Chuoi that has been designated as a heritage site under inventory is the eastern portion, which was permitted to be preserved.

Hanoi Museum representatives have promised, that the Heritage Management Department will collaborate closely with the Hoai Duc District’s Cultural Department to expedite the process of recommending Vuon Chuoi’s designation as an officially recognized archaeological site.

ASIA, WORLD

Archaeologists Unearthed a Secret Tomb in the Ancient and Mysterious City of Petra, Jordan

Archaeologists Unearthed a Secret Tomb in the Ancient and Mysterious City of Petra, Jordan

Archaeologists Unearthed a Secret Tomb in the Ancient and Mysterious City of Petra, Jordan

A tomb containing at least 12 human skeletons and artifacts estimated to be at least 2,000 years old has been discovered beneath the monument known as the Khaznah, or Treasury, in the heart of the ancient city of Petra in Jordan.

The Treasury, a famous and ornate mausoleum carved into pink sandstone cliffs and believed to be at least 2,000 years old, is Petra’s main attraction and was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.

Although no skeletal remains have been discovered inside the Treasury itself, the most widely accepted theory, despite centuries of expert debate, is that the monument functions as a mausoleum.

It has featured in numerous movies including “Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger” (1977) and perhaps more pertinently, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (1989).

Archaeologists led by Dr. Pearce Paul Creasman, executive director of the American Center of Research, unearthed the ancient tomb.

The expedition was investigating the Treasury following years of conjecture that there were additional hidden underground chambers besides the two tombs discovered beneath the monument’s left side in 2003. Until now, however, that theory had not been verified.

Earlier this year, Creasman and his team used ground-penetrating radar, a remote sensing method that uses radar pulses to detect underground objects, to check if the physical characteristics on the left, where the original tombs were discovered, matched those on the right.

The discovery of striking parallels between the two sides was evidence that they required authorization from the Jordanian government to excavate beneath the Treasury.

With Discovery Channel’s “Expedition Unknown” crew, the team excavated the newly uncovered tomb in August. The actual surprise, however, was what was inside the tomb. While many tombs discovered in Petra were empty or disturbed, the chamber contained complete skeletal remains and grave goods made of bronze, iron, and ceramic.

The intact burial found beneath the Treasury provides rare insight into the lives of the Nabataeans, ancient Arabian nomads whose desert kingdom thrived during the fourth century BC to AD 106, Creasman said.

“This is a hugely rare discovery — in the two centuries that Petra has been investigated by archaeologists, nothing like this has been found before,” Josh Gates, host of Discovery Channel’s “Expedition Unknown said.

The discovery of at least 12 skeletons underneath the Khaznah, or the Treasury, may be the largest collection of human remains found in one place within Petra, Jordan, researchers said.

“Even in front of one of the most famous buildings in the world … there are still huge discoveries to be made.”

It has also been featured in several movies, most prominently as the site of the Holy Grail in the 1989 film “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.”

Among the artifacts were several vessels, with one skeleton found clutching a ceramic chalice that resembled the shape of the Holy Grail. “It really was this awesome moment of history imitating art,” Gates said.

“They must be hugely important people, because where they’re buried is such prime real estate; it really is the main entrance to the city,” Gates said. “I think learning who they are is really going to help unlock part of the story of the Treasury.”

Within the tomb beneath the Treasury, archaeologists found a ceramic vessel resembling the Holy Grail.

Their burial customs are one unsolved mystery pertaining to the Nabataeans. “The king is more integrated with lower classes than leaders of other civilizations, and Nabataean society is frequently described in literature as being more egalitarian,” Creasman said.

 It is difficult to determine whether the newly discovered tombs beneath the Treasury were intended for royalty because, of the Nabataean tombs discovered thus far, there does not appear to be a significant difference between royal and ordinary burials.

Their findings can be viewed in full in the latest episode of the Discovery Channel’s “Expedition Unknown” (season 14, episode 1).