1200-Year-Old Tibetan Chessboard Found Engraved On Rock
The Tubo Kingdom of Tibet flourished from circa the 7th – 9th centuries. Interestingly enough, the ancient land-locked realm was influenced by both contemporary Chinese and Indians, especially in the fields of government, religion, literature, and culture.
Pertaining to the latter, archaeologists have discovered a Tibetan chessboard engraved on an imposing rock surface dating back to the Tubo era.
The discovery was made in what is now southwest China’s Sichuan province, with the site being located only around 19 miles away from the autonomous region of Garze in Tibet.
According to the researchers from the cultural and tourism bureau of the Tibetan autonomous region, the chessboard was carved on the surface of a 2-tonne rock, thus essentially making it the centrepiece of the massive ‘setup’.
However, since we are talking about chess, the board arrangement varies from our modern chessboard, with the 1,300-year-old specimen having 100 squares instead of 64.
Furthermore, the researchers also found two grooves on either side of the engraved board that was probably used for holding the pieces.
Now in terms of history, the Tubo Kingdom was multi-ethnic in nature, while also being one of the most powerful realms of Eastern Asia that established its dominance outside of traditional Tibet – mainly in the regions of what is now modern Gansu and Qinghai.
As for the cultural side of affairs, this ancient version of chess was pretty popular among the Tibetan noble classes, with the game often played by the commanders of the realm.
Relating to this scope, Chinese archaeologists had previously discovered a similar Tibetan chessboard in Maizhokunggar county within Tibet proper.
Ice Age DNA shows dog ancestry from 2 separate gray wolf populations – study
Where and when dogs were initially domesticated by our ancestors is one of the most puzzling unresolved questions of human prehistory. We know that modern dog breeds originated from the grey wolf (Canis lupus) and were domesticated sometime during the last Ice Age – at least 15,000 years ago.
But exactly where it happened, and if it were in one single location or multiple places, is still undetermined. In a new study published in Nature, researchers used the DNA of ancient wolves to further delve into the evolution of dogs and found that their ancestry could be traced back to two different populations of wolves.
“Through this project we have greatly increased the number of sequenced ancient wolf genomes, allowing us to create a detailed picture of wolf ancestry over time, including around the time of dog origins,” says co-first author Dr Anders Bergström, a post-doctoral researcher in the Ancient Genomics lab at the Francis Crick Institute, England.
“By trying to place the dog piece into this picture, we found that dogs derive ancestry from at least two separate wolf populations – an eastern source that contributed to all dogs and a separate more westerly source, that contributed to some dogs.”
Two distinct populations of ancient wolves
The grey wolf has been present across most of the northern hemisphere for the past few hundred thousand years. An international group of geneticists and archaeologists has sequenced the genomes of 72 ancient wolves excavated from Europe, Siberia and North America.
They also used data from the genomes of 68 modern wolves, and 169 modern and 33 ancient dogs, so that the total dataset spanned the past 100,000 years.
By analysing these genomes, the team found that early dogs in Siberia, the Americas, East Asia and Europe appear to have a single, shared origin from an eastern Eurasian species of wolf.
Whereas early dogs from the Middle East, Africa, and southern Europe appear to have developed (in addition to the eastern Eurasian species) up to half of their ancestry from a distinct population related to modern southwest Eurasian wolves.
So, either wolves underwent domestication more than once and the different populations subsequently mixed together, or domestication occurred only once (in the eastern Eurasian species) and these early dogs than mixed with wild wolves.
Tracing natural selection in action
Because the 72 ancient wolf genomes studied spanned about 30,000 generations, it was also possible to look back and build a timeline of how wolf DNA has changed over time.
‘Dogor’, an 18,000-year-old wolf puppy from Yakutia which was included in the study.
“This is the first time scientists have directly tracked natural selection in a large animal over a timescale of 100,000 years, seeing evolution play out in real-time rather than trying to reconstruct it from DNA today,” explains senior author Dr Pontus Skoglund, group leader of the Ancient Genomics lab at the Francis Crick Institute.
“We found several cases where mutations spread to the whole wolf species, which was possible because the species was highly connected over large distances.
“This connectivity is perhaps a reason why wolves managed to survive the Ice Age while many other large carnivores vanished.”
Mutations in one gene, in particular, went from being very rare to present in every wolf over a period of about 10,000 years (30,000 to 40,000 years ago) and are still present in all wolves and dogs today.
The variants affect a gene called IFT88 on chromosome 25, which is involved in the development of bones in the skull and jaw.
The rapid spread of these mutations in the population may have been driven by a change in the types of prey available during the Ice Age, giving an advantage to wolves with a certain head shape. But the gene could also have other unknown functions in wolves.
A 32,000-year-old wolf skull from Yakutia from which a 12-fold coverage genome was sequenced as part of the study.
The team is continuing to hunt for a close ancient wolf ancestor of dogs, to hopefully reveal more precisely where domestication most likely took place. It is now focusing on genomes from other locations not included in this study, including more southerly regions.
250-Million-Year-Old Stone With Microchip Print Discovered
It looks like researchers from Russia have found a 250 million-year-old microchip. Researchers have made another incredible discovery in Labinsk, Russia. According to scholars, this discovery marks the beginning of a completely new history, one that many ancient alien theorists have been talking about for years.
The object that researchers have found is believed to be some sort of ancient microchip and according to researchers, these ancient microchips date back millions of years.
After countless tests, researchers have come to the conclusion that this antique piece was used as some sort of microchip in ancient times.
The problem is its age, according to tests, the artefact is believed to be between 225 and 250 million years old.
Some researchers believe that the dating of the artefact is not entirely accurate given the fact that you cannot date rock, and the tests were based on traces of organic material found around the mystery “chip”.
The million-dollar question is, who and what used a microchip that dates back 250 million years? Is there a possibility that this is in fact the remains of ancient technology? Technology that belonged to a highly advanced civilization that inhabited Earth millions of years ago?
Or is there a possibility that this artefact did not originate from Earth, but on another planet, belonging to an extraterrestrial species?
Better yet, what makes Russia so unique is that numerous artefacts, like the one we see here, have been discovered over the years.
This “ancient microchip” was discovered in the Krasnodar region, and ufologists have already tagged this discovery as a fragment of technology previously unknown to science.
Like many other discoveries, this remarkable artefact was found by chance by a local fisherman by the name of Viktor Morozov who donated his curious finding to scholars from the University of Southern Polytechnic Nowoczerkaskiej who performed several tests and concluded that embedded into the rock, is a strange “device” which strangely resembles modern-day microchips.
Researchers have not tried removing the alleged microchip from the rock for fear that the might damage it.
Geologists and researchers cannot explain the origin of this fantastic finding and there are numerous possibilities that explain what this object is.
Extraterrestrial technology, evidence of sophisticated ancient societies, or just one of those strange rocks made by mother nature.
Some researchers point out that this might actually be part of a stem plant, such as lillies, skeptics have already “debunked” this finding suggesting that it is noting worth the while, just like many other discoveries which couldn’t be explained, so the best guess was… “its nothing important”, however, the origin of this artefact and many others also discovered in Russia have not been explained.
40,000-Year-Old Bracelet Made With Advanced Technology — The Evidence
Dating back to the Denisovan species of early humans, scientists have confirmed that a bracelet found in Siberia is 40,000 years old. This makes it the oldest piece of jewellery ever discovered.
The bracelet is discovered in a site called the Denisova Cave in the Altai region of Siberia in 2008 and after detailed analysis, Russian experts now accept that the bracelet’s age is as correct.
Scientists conclude it was made by our prehistoric human ancestors, the Denisovans, an extinct species of humans genetically distinct from Neanderthals and modern humans, and shows them to have been far more advanced than ever realized.
But what made the discovery especially striking was that manufacturing technology is more common in a much later period, such as the Neolithic era.
Indeed, it is not clear yet how the Denisovans could have made the bracelet.
Writing in the Novosibirsk magazine, Science First Hand, Dr Derevyanko said:
“There were found two fragments of the bracelet of a width of 2.7cm and a thickness of 0.9 cm.
The estimated diameter of the find was 7cm. Near one of the cracks was a drilled hole with a diameter of about 0.8 cm.”
“Studying them, scientists found out that the speed of rotation of the drill was rather high, fluctuations minimal, and that was there was applied to drill with an implement – technology that is common for more recent times”, Dr. Derevyanko told the Siberiantimes.
Image: Bracelet is made of Chlorite – Inside are traces of drilling. Image credit: Anatoly Derevyanko and Mikhail Shunkov, Anastasia Abdulmanova.
It is known that the Denisovans migrated out of Africa and branched away from other humanoid ancestors some 1 million years ago.
Genetic studies confirm that skeletal remains of Denisovans, that dated back as early as 600,000 years ago were quite different to both Neanderthals and modern man and the studies confirm that they did coexist not only with modern humans and the Neanderthals, prior to becoming extinct, but as DNA evidence suggests, the Denisovans also must have interbred with an as yet unknown and undiscovered species of humans beings… or maybe an Extraterrestrial species?
50,000-Year-Old Needle Discovered By Researchers Excavating Siberian Cave
Researchers excavating a Siberian cave have made yet another fascinating discovery as they have found a 50,000-year-old needle that was not made by Homo Sapiens.
In previous excavations, archaeologists excavated a bracelet which dates back some 40,000 years made with a precision worthy of the best jewellers today. The 7-centimetre-long needle was excavated in the Denisova Cave located in the Altai Mountains in Siberia. The enigmatic needle is believed to have belonged to our long-extinct Denisovan ancestors.
The enigmatic needle is believed to have belonged to our long-extinct Denisovan ancestors. It seems that ancient people had in their possession much more advanced technologies than what we ever imagined.
The discovery was made during the annual summer archaeological dig.
The Denisova cave is considered by many as an archaeological gold mine that holds the secrets of mankind’s origins. Strangely, even though the needle was created over 50,000 years ago it’s in excellent condition and still usable TODAY.
Speaking in an interview with the Siberian Time, Professor Mikhail Shunkov, head of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography in Novosibirsk said:
“It is a unique find of this season, which can even be called sensational. It is a needle made of bone. As of today, it is the most ancient needle in the world. It is about 50,000 years old.”
Interestingly, before the 50,000-year-old needle was excavated in the Denisova Cave, the oldest known needle was discovered in Potok Cave in the Eastern Karavanke, Slovenia, and is believed to have been created some 47,000 years ago.
Artefacts recovered from the Denisova cave indicate that the ancient Denisovans were far more advanced than researchers thought possible.
Previously, researchers uncovered fragments of jewellery and a fascinating modern-looking bracelet made of chlorite.
After analysis, researchers concluded that one of the holes seen in the bracelet was made with such precision that it could only have been created with a high-rotation drill similar to what we use today.
According to researchers, the newly discovered needle predates the bracelet by some 10,000 years.
“We can confidently say that Altai was one of the cultural centres, where the modern human was formed.”
The piece of jewellery has been catalogued as the oldest piece of jewellery ever found on Earth. The bracelet was found with other objects such as extinct animal bones and another artefact that according to researchers, date back 125.000 years.
This incredible item was discovered in 2008, and after extensive analysis and tests, experts have been able to confirm its age. Speaking about the bracelet previously discovered, researchers said that:
“The skills of its creator were perfect. Initially, we thought that it was made by Neanderthals or modern humans, but it turned out that the master was Denisovan.”
The enigmatic cave is believed to have been inhabited by different ancestors including Homo Sapiens, Neanderthals, and Denisovans. Experts estimate that the cave is at least 288,000 years old.
Dr Maksim Kozlikin, head of the excavations at Denisova cave: ‘It is the longest needle found in Denisova cave.’ Picture: Vera Salnitskaya
Dr. Maksim Kozlikin, head of the excavations at Denisova Cave said in an interview with the Siberian Times:
“It is the longest needle found in Denisova cave. We have found needles, but in younger (archeological) layers.”
A U.S. Navy destroyer escort that engaged a superior Japanese fleet in the largest sea battle of World War II in the Philippines has become the deepest wreck to be discovered, according to explorers.
In this Wednesday, June 22, 2022, image provided by Caladan Oceanic, the three-tube torpedo launcher that was part of the USS Samuel B. Roberts can be seen underwater off the Philippines in the Western Pacific Ocean. The U.S. Navy destroyer that engaged a superior Japanese fleet in the largest sea battle of World War II in the Philippines has become the deepest wreck to be discovered, according to explorers. (Caladan Oceanic via AP)
The USS Samuel B. Roberts, popularly known as the “Sammy B,” was identified on Wednesday and broken into two pieces on a slope at a depth of 6,985 meters (22,916 feet).
That puts it 426 meters (1,400 feet) deeper than the USS Johnston, the previous deepest wreck discovered last year in the Philippine Sea also by American explorer Victor Vescovo, founder of Dallas-based Caladan Oceanic Expeditions. He announced the latest find together with U.K.-based EYOS Expeditions.
“It was an extraordinary honour to locate this incredibly famous ship, and by doing so have the chance to retell her story of heroism and duty to those who may not know of the ship and her crew’s sacrifice,” Vescovo, a former Navy commander, said in a statement.
The Sammy B. took part in the Battle off Samar, the final phase of the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944, in which the Imperial Japanese Navy suffered its biggest loss of ships and failed to dislodge the U.S. forces from Leyte, which they invaded earlier as part of the liberation of the Philippines.
According to some records, the destroyer escort disabled a Japanese heavy cruiser with a torpedo and significantly damaged another while battling the group led by the command battleship Yamato.
After having spent virtually all its ammunition, it was critically hit by the battleship Kongo and sank. Of a 224-man crew, 89 died and 120 were saved, including the captain, Lt. Cmdr. Robert W. Copeland.
According to Samuel J. Cox, a retired admiral and naval historian, Copeland stated there was “no higher honour” than to have led the men who displayed such incredible courage going into battle against overwhelming odds, from which survival could not be expected.
“This site is a hallowed war grave, and serves to remind all Americans of the great cost born by previous generations for the freedom we take for granted today,” Cox said in a statement.
The explorers said that up until the discovery, the historical records of where the wreck lay were not very accurate.
The search involved the use of the deepest side-scan sonar ever installed and operated on a submersible, well beyond the standard commercial limitations of 6,000 meters (19,685 feet), EYOS said.
Convert’s ‘Bloody’ Curse Against Robbers Found in Ancient Galilee Grave
Dated back to the 2nd or 3rd century AD (Late Roman or Early Byzantine period) this painted bloody-looking burial curse inscription was found in a tomb in Beit She’arim Necropolis of Lower Galilee in Israel.
The curse, written in red paint on stone at an ancient grave in Beit She’arim.
The full text and the story of its discovery were presented at the Northern Conference, held jointly on June 1, 2022, by the University of Haifa and the northern region of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).
Though the Beit She’arim necropolis had been studied extensively, the catacomb in which Jacob had been buried had been unknown until last year. This curse was the first inscription archaeologists have found in Beit She’arim for 65 years!
Beit She’arim, located in the Lower Galilee, was a central Jewish settlement during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods, in the 2nd to 5th centuries CE. The Jewish Sanhedrin Council moved there after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE, the Jewish Sanhedrin Council moved there and it became an important centre of Jewish learning and culture.
Inside the innermost chamber, the researchers discovered two inscriptions written in Greek, in red paint. Both were deciphered by Jonathan Price, professor of ancient history at Tel Aviv University. The small one, was found on the limestone wall near a burial lodge, with the name “Judah” on it, who archaeologists believe was the owner of the tomb.
The larger inscription, which was found on a stone slab leaning against the opening of the same alcove, consisted of the eight lines warning people to stay away from Jacob/Yaakov ‘the Convert’s’ (Koine Greek: ΙΑΚΩΒΟC Ο ΠΡΟCΗΛΥΤΟC) tomb and let the deceased rest in peace.
It was specifically written to deter grave robbers, and as such it says:
“Jacob the Proselyte vows to curse anybody who would open this grave, so nobody will open it. He was 60.”
The last three words of the curse were written in a different script and the researchers believe that they may were written after his death by someone else (possibly relatives), following his demise.
An emblem of a menorah carved in the stone, inside a structure at Beit She’arim National Park, an archaeological site in the Lower Galilee.
Why Proselyte?
This title means that he converted to Judaism, perhaps from Christianity or another pagan cult of the time, such as those of Isis or Mithras that thrived in the Late Roman period. During this period, we know that people were desperately seeking life meaning in different philosophical movements, cults, or religions of the united Roman world.
The Christian faith was growing stronger, however, there are indications that many people in the area choose also to join the Jewish religion. Jerusalem, for instance, is littered with remnants from the burials of converts to Judaism during the second and third centuries AD.
However, converting to Judaism is difficult and involves many serious life changes. After studying Jewish law, converts not only have to hearty accept and be sincerely devoted to the Jewish faith, but they also become members of the Jewish People, and they must embrace the totality of Jewish history and culture.
Greek-speaking areas during the Hellenistic period (323 to 31 BC) Dark blue: areas where Greek speakers probably were a majority Light blue: areas that were Hellenized. Wikipedia.
Why in Greek?
Greek, specifically Koine Greek (Common Greek) served as a lingua franca of the time. Also known as Alexandrian dialect, common Attic, Hellenistic, or Biblical Greek, was the common supra-regional form of Greek spoken and written during the Hellenistic period, the Roman Empire and the early Byzantine Empire.
It evolved from the spread of Greek following the conquests of Alexander the Great in the fourth century BC, and was the language commonly spoken in much of the Mediterranean region and the Middle East during the following centuries, including Roman-period Palestine. It was based mainly on Attic and related Ionic speech forms, with various admixtures brought about through dialect levelling with other varieties.
The excavation of the Beit She’arim ancient necropolis began 80 years ago. The burial inscriptions that were found belong to Jews and are written in various languages, but mostly Greek.
Indian Farmer Discovers 4,000-year-old Copper Weapons Buried Under a Field
We know India is a rich country when it comes to its heritage and culture. Although a lot of evidence has been lost, through destruction, loot or other reasons, findings from time to time prove that indeed India is a heritage-rich country.
It has given the world the teachings of Buddha to learn from, the richness of the Himalayas that make India the hub of a spiritual journey, and more.
In a recent finding, archaeologists in Agra have found nearly 4000-year-old weapons from beneath the ground in Mainpuri.
The weapons extracted include large swords, some close to 4 feet, and arms having sharp sophisticated shapes. The archaeologists have termed the finding ‘exciting’.
About the finding
According to reports, in the village of Ganeshpur in Mainpuri, a farmer was levelling his field when he found a large number of copper swords and harpoons beneath the soil.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) found a variety of swords, some that archaeologists are calling “antenna swords and harpoons”, with a hook at the bottom.
Some of these weapons had a starfish-like shape. These copper hoards, 77 in number, possibly date back to 1600-2000 BC – the later stages of the Chalcolithic Age (the transition period between the Neolithic and Bronze Ages).
The findings according to Vasant Swarnkar, D.
In recent Excavations at Sanauli, Baghpat, UP under Dr SK Manjul, @ASIGoI finds Coffin Burials, furnaces & fascinating artefacts’. The present excavation is carried out to understand the extension of the burial site and also the habitation area in relation to earlier findings in 2018.
The Director of Conservation and spokesperson, suggest that the inhabitants of the area were engaged in fighting, much like the 2018 findings in Sanauli in Baghpat, although that was a burial site.
Earlier in 2018, the ASI in an excavation at Sanauli, Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh found coffin burials, furnaces, and fascinating artefacts.
In 2019, it carried out an excavation to understand the extension of the burial site and also the habitation area in relation to earlier findings.
The find will undergo Thermoluminescence dating, a technique usually used on pottery and other ceramic material. According to Director Swarnkar, similar discoveries have been made in the past in Sakatpur in Saharanpur, Madarpur in Moradabad, and Saifai district.
