Category Archives: ASIA

ASIA, SAUDI ARABIA, WORLD

Artificial intelligence is detecting new archaeological sites in the Arabian Desert

Artificial intelligence is detecting new archaeological sites in the Arabian Desert

Especially in areas that are unsuitable for human exploration, archaeologists are increasingly coming up with inventive ways to use satellite imagery and artificial intelligence in their hunt for secrets that lay hidden.

 Researchers at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi have developed a high-tech solution to searching huge, arid areas for potential archaeological sites — a desert spanning 250,000 square miles on the Arabian Peninsula.

Archaeologists from Khalifa University are using AI in combination with satellite imagery and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) to detect new archaeological sites beneath the ever-shifting sands of the Empty Quarter desert.

The conventional method used by archaeologists to identify possible sites of interest is ground surveys, but in arid environments like the desert, this can be a laborious and challenging process.

Sand and dust storms in the desert can make it difficult to identify potential sites, and dune patterns can further complicate matters.

Nevertheless, in recent years, remote sensing—which uses optical satellite images from websites like Google Earth—has become more and more popular as a means of scouring large areas for unusual features.

In order to get beyond these obstacles, the group developed a machine learning algorithm to examine pictures obtained through the use of synthetic aperture radar (SAR), a satellite imaging method that employs radio waves to find objects hidden beneath surfaces like ice, sand, and vegetation.

Data from Saruq Al-Hadid, a settlement in the desert outside of Dubai with signs of 5,000 years of activity, which is already well-known to archaeologists, was used to train the algorithm.

A view over the central sector of Saruq al-Hadid, showing the dark surface layer of copper slag that distinguishes the site from the surrounding desert landscape.

Once the algorithm was trained, it gave the team an indication of other potential areas nearby that are still not excavated.

The technology is precise to within 50 centimeters and can create 3D models of the expected structure that will give archaeologists a better idea of what’s buried below. This innovative approach could revolutionize archaeological research in remote and hard-to-explore areas.

In collaboration with Dubai Culture, the government organization that manages the site, the team conducted a ground survey using a ground-penetrating radar, which “replicated what the satellite measured from space,” says Diana Francis, an atmospheric scientist and one of the lead researchers on the project.

Now, Dubai Culture plans to excavate the newly identified areas — and Francis hopes the technique can uncover more buried archaeological treasures in the future.

SAR imagery has been in use since the 1980s, and machine learning has been gaining traction in archaeology. But the use of the two together is a novel application, says Francis, and to her knowledge, is a first in archaeology.

If successful, the project will broaden the applications of AI in the field of archaeology. Some experts have urged caution against “over-reliance” on the technology, however.

A satellite view of the Saruq al-Hadid site shows the western zone that was under excavation (right) and the eastern zone which is not excavated yet.

Hugh Thomas, an archaeology lecturer at the University of Sydney, told CNN that there remains nothing better than a “trained archaeological eye” to detect sites.

“The way that I would like to use this kind of technology is on areas that perhaps have either no or a very low probability of archaeological sites, therefore allowing researchers to focus more on other areas where we expect there to be more found,” he said.

The technology’s real test, and hopefully its validation, will take place when excavations at the Saruq Al Hadid complex start next month.

According to Dubai Culture, only about 10% of the complex’s 2.3 square mile area has been fully excavated. By using the technology, Dubai Culture hopes to uncover more sites if archaeologists discover the structures that the algorithm has predicted.

The team plans to continue training the machine learning algorithm to improve its precision, before expanding its use to other areas, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the deserts of Africa.

Recently A.I. was instrumental in discovering over 300 new Nazca petroglyphs in Peru, showcasing its global potential in archaeological exploration. Arkeonews reported on the findings by researchers at Japan’s Yamagata University last week.

ASIA, CHINA, WORLD

World’s oldest cheese found in necklaces on 3600-year-old mummies in China

World’s oldest cheese found in necklaces on 3600-year-old mummies in China

World’s oldest cheese found in necklaces on 3600-year-old mummies in China

A mysterious white substance about 20 years ago found on Bronze Age mummies in western China has proven to be the world’s oldest  cheese.

Researchers discovered three ancient mummies in Xinjiang in northwestern China. When the 3,600-year-old coffin of a young woman was excavated, archeologists discovered a mysterious substance laid out along her neck like a piece of jewelry.  It was made of cheese, and scientists now say it’s the oldest cheese ever found.

Scientists have successfully extracted DNA from a 3,600-year-old cheese. Identified as kefir cheese, the discovery provides new insights into the origins of kefir and the development of probiotic bacteria.

It has been long suspected that the substance may have had a fermented dairy origin, but only now have molecular tools become powerful enough to confirm their make-up.

Qiaomei Fu of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and her colleagues have identified the substance as a type of kefir cheese based on the presence of lactic acid bacteria, yeast, and proteins from ruminant  milk in the samples.

“This is the oldest known cheese sample ever discovered in the world,” says co-author Qiaomei Fu, a paleogeneticist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in a statement from the journal Cell.

 “Food items like cheese are extremely difficult to preserve over thousands of years, making this a rare and valuable opportunity. Studying the ancient cheese in great detail can help us better understand our ancestors’ diet and culture.”

Examples of the 3,600-year-old kefir cheese found on the mummies. Credit: Y, Liu et al., Cell, 2024

Since the woman’s coffin was covered and buried in the dry climate of the Tarim Basin desert, Fu said, it was well preserved, as were her boots, hat, and the cheese that laced her body.

Ancient burial practices often included items of significance to the person buried alongside them. The fact that those items included chunks of kefir cheese alongside the body showed that “cheese was important for their life,” she added.

The cheesy bits are, in fact, pieces of kefir cheese, a dried and fermented dairy product made with the same type of bacteria, yeast, and fungal complex as modern kefir, which is typically consumed as a sour liquid akin to thin yogurt, according to genetic analysis of the microbes within. Instead of using rennet, which is frequently used in the production of cheese in Europe, kefir granules ferment the milk.

The latest research also reveals that the necklaces included at least two different kinds of cheese, one made from goat milk—more precisely, from a kind of goat that was common in Bronze Age Eurasia—and the other from cow’s milk.

Additionally, the kefir granules have genetic signatures that are quite similar to those of some East Asian kefir strains and contemporary Tibetan dairy products. Microbes from the Caucasus region, which has long been believed to be the birthplace of dairy, are more closely related to other strains from East Asia, Europe, and the Pacific Islands.

Altogether, the analysis points to two different geographic origins of kefir-making: one in Xinjiang and one in the Caucasus, says Qiaomei Fu. “Our observation strongly suggests the distinct spreading routes of two [kefir microbe] subspecies,” Fu tells Popular Science, which she adds is likely the result of wide-ranging nomadic groups traveling across the dry grassland of Eurasia.

The evolution of human activities spanning thousands of years also affected microbial evolution, the study found, citing the divergence of a bacterial subspecies that was found to have been facilitated by the spread of kefir across different populations.

ASIA, WORLD

7,000 years ago the earliest evidence for the cultivation of a fruit tree came from the Jordan valley

7,000 years ago the earliest evidence for the cultivation of a fruit tree came from the Jordan valley

7,000 years ago the earliest evidence for the cultivation of a fruit tree came from the Jordan valley

Tel Aviv University and Jerusalem’s Hebrew University researchers have unraveled the earliest evidence for the domestication of a fruit tree.

According to the researchers, the first domestication of fruit trees anywhere in the world took place in the Jordan Valley about 7,000 years ago.

Analyzing remnants of charcoal from the Chalcolithic site of Tel Tsaf in the Jordan Valley, researchers determined they came from olive trees. Since olive trees did not grow naturally in the Jordan Valley, this means the inhabitants of the site must have planted the trees intentionally about 7,000 years ago, said the researchers.

The study was led by Dr. Dafna Langgut of the Jacob M. Alkow Department of Archaeology & Ancient Near Eastern Cultures and the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History at Tel Aviv University.

The charcoal remnants were found in the archaeological excavation directed by Professor Yosef Garfinkel of the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University. The findings were published in the journal Scientific Reports.

7,000 years-old microscopic remains of charred olive wood (Olea) recovered from Tel Tsaf. Photo: Dr. Dafna Langgut

Dr. Dafna Langgut, head of Tel Aviv’s Laboratory of Archaeobotany and Ancient Environments, which specializes in microscopic identification of plant remains, said it was possible to identify trees by their anatomic structure even if they had been burned down to charcoal.

“Wood was the ‘plastic’ of the ancient world,” said Dr. Dafna Langgut.

“It was used for construction, for making tools and furniture, and as a source of energy. That’s why identifying tree remnants found at archaeological sites, such as charcoal from hearths, is a key to understanding what kinds of trees grew in the natural environment at the time, and when humans began to cultivate fruit trees.”

Langgut’s analysis of the charcoal from Tel Tsaf found locally native trees, but also olive and fig.

Buildings and rounded siloes at the village of Tel Tsaf. Photo: YOSEF GARFINKEL

“Olive trees grow in the wild in the land of Israel, but they do not grow in the Jordan Valley,” she said. “This means that someone brought them there intentionally — took the knowledge and the plant itself to a place that is outside of its natural habitat.”

“In archaeobotany, this is considered indisputable proof of domestication, which means that we have here the earliest evidence of the olive’s domestication anywhere in the world.”

7,000 years-old hearth remains at the village of Tel Tsaf. Photo: YOSEF GARFINKEL

The tree remnants examined by Dr. Langgut were collected by Prof. Yosef Garfinkel of the Hebrew University, who headed the dig at Tel Tsaf Prof. Garfinkel says that “Tel Tsaf was a large prehistoric village in the middle Jordan Valley south of Beit She’an, inhabited between 7,200 and 6,700 years ago.

Large houses with courtyards were discovered at the site, each with several granaries for storing crops. Storage capacities were up to 20 times greater than any single family’s calorie consumption, so clearly these were caches for storing great wealth.

The wealth of the village was manifested in the production of elaborate pottery, painted with remarkable skill. In addition, we found articles brought from afar: pottery of the Ubaid culture from Mesopotamia, obsidian from Anatolia, a copper awl from the Caucasus, and more.”

According to a joint university press release, Langgut and Garfinkel were not surprised to learn that the residents of Tel Tsaf were the first in the world to intentionally grow olive and fig trees, because growing fruit trees is a sign of wealth, and this site is known to have been exceptionally wealthy.

ASIA, CAMBODIA, WORLD

A Temple Guardian From The 13th Century Found At Cambodia’s Angkor Wat

A Temple Guardian From The 13th Century Found At Cambodia’s Angkor Wat

A Temple Guardian From The 13th Century Found At Cambodia’s Angkor Wat

While clearing rubble from a collapsed gate at the Banteay Prei Temple within Cambodia’s Angkor Wat Archaeological Park, workers stumbled upon a sandstone door guardian statue dating back 700 years.

Archaeologists believe the statue may have been buried when the upper structure of the temple collapsed. Despite some notable damage, the statue, known as a dvarapala, was still in near-complete condition when researchers found it.

The Dvarapala statues are a common architectural feature in Buddhist, Jaina, and Hindu cultures. These statues are typically depicted as warriors guarding sacred or regal sites with a weapon, like a mace.

The five-feet and two-inches tall Angkor statue is broken into six pieces, and part of its protective stick is missing.

The statue is in the Bayon style, one associated with serene and mildly smiling Bramha faces that was adopted in the last state temples built at Angkor.

This type of sandstone statue is known as a dvarapala, typically depicting a warrior and meant to serve as an entrance guardian.

“A significant archaeological find has been made at the Banteay Prei Temple,” the Apsara National Authority (ANA) said in a statement.

“The statue was located to the east of the temple’s second gate, buried approximately 80 centimeters (~31 inches)under the ground.”

The closest significant temple to Banteay Prei is Preah Khan, and it is five miles north of the main Angkor temple complex. King Jayavarman VII constructed the temples of Preah Khan and Banteay Prei in the late 1200s or early 1300s as a tribute to his father.

“The sandstone gate guardian will now be stored at the Preah Norodom Sihanouk-Angkor Museum,” Angkor Wat’s heritage police said in a statement. “It will be preserved and studied further.”

The discovery of this guardian statue is just the latest in a series of fascinating discoveries at Angkor Wat Archaeological Park, which comprises more than 250 square miles.

For instance, earlier this year, Xinhua reported that during an excavation at the Ta Prohm temple within the park, archaeologists found more than 100 Buddhist statues.

Buddha was portrayed in these statues in a variety of poses, frequently sitting cross-legged, and in different sizes. They were created in the late 12th and early 13th centuries in the Bayon style, just like the guardian statue.

Angkor Wat welcomes hundreds of thousands of tourists each year and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1992.

ASIA, JAPAN, WORLD

Japan’s Oldest Multiplication Table Discovered in Nara, Dating Back 1,300 Years

Japan’s Oldest Multiplication Table Discovered in Nara, Dating Back 1,300 Years

Japan’s Oldest Multiplication Table Discovered in Nara, Dating Back 1,300 Years

A strip of wood discovered in the ruins of  Fujiwara Palace in  Nara Prefecture turned out to be part of Japan’s oldest multiplication table dating back about 1300 years.

The Fujiwara Palace site is the remains of an ancient capital city located in the environs of Takadono-chō and Daigo-chō in the city of Kashihara, and according to the Nihon Shoki chronicle the move to Fujiwara-kyo from the Asuka Palace was made in 694, and it was used until the capital moved to Nara in 710. The first capital city in Japan to be constructed using the Chinese model was Fujiwara.

The discovery was announced on 4 September by the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties.

The wooden strip was unearthed in 2001 from what is believed to have been the site of an “Emon-fu guards’ office within the central government of Fujiwara-kyo, the ancient capital of Japan. 

The 16.2-centimeter-by-1.2-cm strip appears to be a piece of a larger multiplication table dating between the late seventh to early eighth century.

It is believed to have been used in government offices and other places at the time, and it is believed to be one of the oldest wooden tablets in Japan that contains a practical list of multiplication tables.

Photo: Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties

The wooden tablet, when viewed under infrared light, reveals inscriptions such as:

9 x 9 = 81

4 x 9 = 36

6 x 8 = 48

 All were written in what researchers presume are Kanji or Chinese characters.

The chart begins with the nine times table, with five equations written horizontally in a single line. During the initial stage of research, only a portion of the multiplication table was legible. Because the characters seemed to lack any regularity, the team previously classified it as someone’s practice tablet.

“If the multiplication table was whole, the wooden tablet would measure 33 centimeters in length with all the equations written out,” said Kuniya Kuwata, Chief researcher at Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties.

“I initially thought Japanese multiplication charts only had 2 to 3 equations per line, so I was genuinely surprised to find one with so many, similar to those in China and Korea,” Kuwata added.

While the tables previously found in Japan consisted of two to three rows, this five-line style seems to match those of the Qin and Han dynasties of China, which lasted from about the third century BC to the third century AD.

However, although the use of written characters in the multiplication table is confirmed by artifacts dated to the late 7th century, researchers do not exclude the possibility that the table was created during the Kofun Period, which lasted from approximately the middle of the third to the seventh century. Also, they posit it was used to design the iconic burial mounds associated with the period.

The tablet is believed to have been used by the “Emon-fu” office, responsible for security and other administrative duties, likely for calculating the workdays of officials or tax-related figures.

The team’s findings were published in the Nara National Research Institute’s Annual Bulletin 2024.

ASIA, CHINA, WORLD

148 Ancient Tombs Spanning 2,100 Years Unearthed in the Construction Area of the Zoo

148 Ancient Tombs Spanning 2,100 Years Unearthed in the Construction Area of the Zoo

148 Ancient Tombs Spanning 2,100 Years Unearthed in the Construction Area of the Zoo

An ancient burial site with 148 tombs,  spanning over 2,100 years, has been discovered on the construction site of the Guangzhou Zoo in South China’s Guangdong Province.

The tombs date from the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220) to the early years following the founding of the People’s Republic of China, according to a report by the Xinhua News Agency.

The Yuefu, which collected musical descriptions;  the Shiji, a history penned by Sima Qian, the fu, a poetic form; lacquerwork and woven silk; and scientific breakthroughs like the invention of paper, the use of water clocks and sundials to measure time, and the development of a seismograph are among the many notable accomplishments of the Han dynasty.

The tombs were discovered in the zoo’s construction area between April and July 2024. The Guangzhou Municipal Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology led the excavation of approximately 1,300 square meters in this area.

The site includes four Han Dynasty tombs, eight from the Jin and Southern dynasties (265-589), 15 from the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and 121 from the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911). A total of 196 artifacts, including pottery, porcelain, bronze items, jade, and bead ornaments, along with 48 gravestones from the Republic of China (1912-49) period to the early years of the PRC, were unearthed.

Among the most significant discoveries are a nearly intact Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420) tomb and a well-preserved Southern Dynasties (420-589) tomb.

Notably, the discovery includes a well-preserved Eastern Jin tomb, which is large and structurally complex. The 10-meter-long tomb chamber shows no significant damage, aside from a robbery hole above the sealing door. It is the largest and best-preserved Eastern Jin tomb discovered in Guangzhou.

The slightly smaller tomb from the Southern Dynasties was identified to be a shared burial place for a married couple. Small holes at the top indicate that it was also looted, but otherwise, the structure is nearly intact.

Cheng Hao, an official with the institute, said that the tombs discovered this time are very densely distributed, and span a period of more than 2,100 years.

“The discovery of these two tombs is of great significance to the study of burial shapes, stages and funeral customs during the Six Dynasties period (222-589) in Guangzhou, as well as to the research on the construction technology during the Jin and Southern dynasties’ architecture,” Cheng said.

There is a pattern to the way the tombs are arranged, especially in the Ming and Qing burial chambers. They are not only oriented and scaled similarly, but they also have a uniform gap between them. This implies that the area was a planned and well-organized cemetery.

These discoveries are crucial for understanding burial practices, architectural techniques, and historical customs in Guangzhou during these periods.

The Guangzhou Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology has engaged the public through educational tours in collaboration with the Guangzhou Zoo, allowing visitors to learn more about the significance of these archaeological activities.

ASIA, INDIA, WORLD

2,600-year-old Terracotta Pipeline found in India

2,600-year-old Terracotta Pipeline found in India

2,600-year-old Terracotta Pipeline found in India

During the 10th phase of archaeological excavations at the Keeladi archaeological site in Tamil Nadu, India, archaeologists uncovered a terracotta pipeline that shows the existence of an ancient water management practice practiced by humans 2,600 years ago.

Ancient city Keeladi in southern India serves as a reminder that our ancestors had some pretty clever tricks up their sleeves, just when you thought modern plumbing was the pinnacle of human achievement.

In the latest news from this archaeological goldmine,  excavations have revealed a 6th-century B.C.E. terracotta pipeline. Previously, the archaeologists found an open drain, a closed channel, and small tanks in Keeladi.

Located approximately seven miles southeast of Madurai, the Keeladi archaeological site has been a hidden gem since Archaeological Survey of India researcher K. Amarnath Ramakrishna discovered it in 2014.

More than 20,000 antiquities and artifacts have been discovered in the last ten years; each one whispers a story of a sophisticated society that once flourished along the banks of the Vaigai River.

A ring-well previously found at the dig site.

Excavations revealed a closed channel, an open drain, and several small tanks, all of which indicated a very well-planned water management system.

The most remarkable discovery, however, is a cylindrical terracotta pipeline. It appears from this ancient engineering marvel that the Keeladi people were doing more than just collecting water in clay pots from the river.

The recently discovered pipeline, according to representatives of the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology, is made up of six cylindrical structures that are about 14 inches (36 cm) long and 7 inches (18 cm) wide. These cylinders are carefully assembled to form a single, continuous pipeline that is 174 centimeters long.

“This has been fully unearthed now. This pipeline continues to the adjacent trench. This could have been used for carrying protected water,” a representative from the department said.

Other sophisticated water management has previously been found at the site.

Analyses of various artifacts from the site have demonstrated that as early as the 7th century B.C.E., Tamil society was operating a prosperous, industrial settlement. This shifts the timeline of the Sangam era and the origins of the Tamil script considerably further back.

Also, artifacts unearthed from Keeladi suggest that the Tamils were aware of iron technology as far back as 2172 B.C.E., a staggering 4,200 years ago.

ASIA, MONGOLIA, WORLD

A 1,000-year-old burial chariot dating back to the Liao Dynasty, founded by the nomadic Khitan discovered in Inner Mongolia

A 1,000-year-old burial chariot dating back to the Liao Dynasty, founded by the nomadic Khitan discovered in Inner Mongolia

A 1,000-year-old burial chariot dating back to the Liao Dynasty, founded by the nomadic Khitan discovered in Inner Mongolia

Archaeologists from the Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region have discovered a hearse from the Liao Dynasty (916-1125) founded by the nomadic Khitan in Kailu County, Tongliao City, Inner Mongolia.

The Khitan, or Qidan as they are known in Chinese, were a nomadic people originating in eastern Inner Mongolia.

They first appear in records of the Northern Wei dynasty (386-534 CE), where they are described as descending from the Xianbei peoples.

This discovery offers a glimpse into the burial customs of the Khitan nobility.

The archaeological find, including a tomb and an accompanying burial chariot pit, was made by the Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region team conducting excavations in a village of Kailu county.

Despite the decay of the wooden shaft of the chariot, several iron components and gilded fittings have been preserved.

“The chariot measures 7 meters in length and 2 meters in width, which is quite rare in scale. This is the first discovery of this kind of Liao tomb excavation in Kailu.

The site has not been disturbed by grave robbers, and all the information has been essentially preserved,” said Ma Hai, director of the Kailu County Museum.

As a ceremonial burial object, the chariot is representative of the funerary customs followed by the Khitan nobility in the Liao Dynasty.

Gilded copper altar.

“We found a wooden shaft, carriage, and, most importantly, gilded bronze bells and tassels within the pit, suggesting the burial was for a noble,” said Qi Rongqing, a faculty member at the Inner Mongolia Normal University.

More than thirty artifacts have been recovered from the burial chariot pit, including gilded bronze bells, copper tassels, iron parts, and silver ornaments.

These tombs were discovered during a survey carried out in Kailu in April 2023 by the Inner Mongolia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.

“Tomb No. 1, based on its scale, is a medium-sized tomb,” said Qi. “The use of large stones for the tomb roof, extensive mural paintings, and the inclusion of rare materials like gold, silver, agate, turquoise, and obsidian among the burial items, indicate the tomb’s owner held a significant social status.”

Qi said that burial practices among the Khitan people are generally less complex when compared to those in the Central Plains, indicating unique ethnic traits.

The Khitan absorbed some aspects of Central Plains culture after the Liao Dynasty was established. One example of this is the use of clay bricks, especially grooved bricks, in construction, which shows how the region’s cultures were integrated and adapted.