Category Archives: ASIA

ASIA, IRAQ, WORLD

Ancient Babylon Excavation Uncovers 478 Artifacts Including Cuneiform Tablets, and Cylindrical Seals

Ancient Babylon Excavation Uncovers 478 Artifacts Including Cuneiform Tablets, and Cylindrical Seals

Ancient Babylon Excavation Uncovers 478 Artifacts Including Cuneiform Tablets, and Cylindrical Seals

The Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH) announced that 478 artifacts were uncovered during an excavation expedition in the historic province of Babylon.

The Director of the Excavations Department accompanied the Missions Follow-up Committee to site 19/3 in Sector 38 of Al-Fayyadiya district to examine the work of the archaeological mission in the Babil governorate, according to a statement released by SBAH.

Under the direction of archaeologist Quhtan Abbas Hassan Aboud, the mission has uncovered information that provides fresh insights into ancient Mesopotamian life and culture.

During the visit, the head of the committee received a detailed explanation from the mission leader regarding the findings of the excavation.

The Al-Fayadiya district’s 19/3 excavation site is separated into two sectors, A and B. There are two layers of archaeological stratification in Sector A, which is 6 dunums (roughly 6,000 square meters) in size.

Among the findings in Babylon are tablets with cuneiform writing.

However, the structural discoveries in Sector B, which spans a wider area of 9 dunums (roughly 9,000 square meters), have been even more abundant.

Two distinct residential units with rooms of varying sizes that may have served different purposes in the daily lives of the prehistoric occupants have been discovered in this zone.

According to Soheil Al-Tamimi, Director of the Department of Excavations, who was present during the visit of the Mission Monitoring Commission, the first layer corresponds to the Sasanian period. However, this layer has suffered considerable damage due to erosion and human intervention over the centuries.

The second layer dates to the ancient Babylonian period, and the better-preserved, which has sparked special interest among researchers who hope to uncover more about the characteristics of urban life during that era.

Cylindrical seals.

The excavation team found 478 diverse artifacts, including pottery jars, cuneiform texts, and cylindrical seals, according to the statement, which added that work is still ongoing to complete the scientific excavation work according to the specified period.

The missions committee suggested that all excavation work be disclosed, that the work be photographed and drawn, and that the artifacts be recorded by the scientific contexts that SBAH adheres to.

Photo: Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage

These findings promise to provide fresh insight into the material culture and urban growth of one of the most powerful civilizations in ancient history and mark a breakthrough in Babylonian archaeological studies.

ASIA, INDIA, WORLD

Indian archaeologists unearthed over 4,000-year-old war chariots in Royal Tombs, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh

Indian archaeologists unearthed over 4,000-year-old war chariots in Royal Tombs, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh

Indian archaeologists unearthed over 4,000-year-old war chariots in Royal Tombs, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh

In July 2018, India’s state-owned Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) team unearthed war chariots, swords, and helmets more than 4,000 years old at Sinauli in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Researchers have recently dated the discovery, which comprises royal burials along with chariots, weapons, and ritual artifacts, to approximately 4,000 years before the present, or 2000 BCE.

The discovery of chariots in the Indian subcontinent is a first, according to the researchers. Researchers say that similar weapons were also possessed by people in this subcontinent when the Mesopotamians used chariots, swords, and even helmets in battle in 2000 BC.

The archaeological site of Sinauli has been subject to archaeological excavations since 2005 and has revealed the existence of a necropolis with more than 120 burials, some of which belonged to high-status individuals, probably warriors or leaders.

The most striking aspect of the excavation was the discovery of three complete war chariots. The archaeologists also found a slew of, a torch, an antenna sword, highly decorated coffins, helmets, and an impressive variety of copper artifacts The astonishingly well-preserved remains are similar to those found in the late Harappan phase.

Studies have shown that the artifacts from Sinauli are associated with the Ochre-Colored Pottery (OCP) Culture, which flourished between 2000 and 1500 BCE in the area where the Yamuna and Ganges rivers converged. This period roughly corresponds with the late phase of the Indus Valley Civilization.

War Chariot exposing the wheels and copper pillar. Photo: Archaeological Survey of India

Sinauli is the first archaeological site in the Indian subcontinent to provide evidence for chariots, royal tombs, and chariots with elements of warfare during the OCP/Copper Treasure culture in the Ganga-Yamuna doab, indicating that the Sinaulians were involved in warfare activities.

The finding of war chariots is particularly noteworthy because it puts this culture on par with other contemporary civilizations where chariot use is known, like Mesopotamia and Greece.

Interestingly, most wooden artifacts were layered with copper sheaths, inlays, and wires,  which prevented them from decomposing for nearly 4,000 years. The recovered antiquities of this culture indicate their high degree of sophistication in wood and copper craftsmanship.

Copper geometric motifs, such as triangles arranged on the wheel spokes, adorn the chariots discovered at Sinauli, indicating that these carriages served as both practical and symbolic representations of authority and prestige.

Another important discovery at the site is a royal burial containing a wooden coffin decorated with copper anthropomorphic figures, all wearing double-horned helmets and sacred fig leaves (Ficus religiosa).

Two complete chariots, two copper decorative staffs, an ornamented whip, gold and steatite beads, and numerous pieces of pottery were discovered in this same burial. All of this points to a high-ranking individual—possibly a commander or military chief—being interred in this tomb.

Earlier evidence of wooden coffins from the Indian subcontinent was recorded at Harappa, the site of the Indus civilization in present-day Pakistan, the researchers wrote in their paper.

The radiocarbon dating of the wooden remnants from the coffins and chariots, along with the organic remains discovered in the funerary vessels, supports this dating, which situates the Sinauli culture in the region during a transitional phase between the Copper and Bronze Ages.

The research was published in the Journal Radiocarbon. (An International Journal of Cosmogenic Isotope Research)

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.