Category Archives: EUROPE

Archaeology bombshell: 7,000-year-old find older than Pyramids stuns scientists

Archaeology bombshell: 7,000-year-old find older than Pyramids stuns scientists

The archaeological discovery was hiding in plain sight for centuries, tucked away in a field near the village Łysomice in northern Poland. But with the aid of Google Earth scans, archaeologists were able to spot concentric outlines of where the ancient structures, or pans, once stood. The researchers now believe the buildings were raised by some of the first European communities to farm the land.

The discovery dates the neolithic structures to about 2,000 years before the Great Pyramid of Giza was built in Egypt.

Mateusz Sosnowski from the Institute of Archaeology at the University of Nicolas Copernicus praised the unexpected find.

The archaeologist said: “Our discovery can be boldly dubbed sensational due to the fact the pans are located east of the Vistula river.

“These constructions are the most north-eastern of their type in Europe. We did not expect such a discovery in this region.”

Archaeology bombshell: 7,000-year-old find older than Pyramids stuns scientists
Researchers have found ancient, neolithic structures in Poland
The ancient structures were hidden in plain sight

The ringed structures or pans were found roughly three miles (5km) apart outside of Łysomice.

The structures measure approximately 278ft (85m) across and feature three concentric ditches with a common centre.

When viewed from space with the aid of Google Earth and Google Maps, the pans left distinct impressions in the land now used for modern farming.

The archaeologists speculate the structures may have had ties to early astrological efforts due to the direction of their construction.

Dr Sosnowski said: “What is is also interesting, is that the entrances are most likely directly opposite one another on a northwest-southeast axis.

“We suppose they could also be linked to astronomical observations.”

The entrances likely faced the direction of the rising sun during the Winter Solstice.

Dr Sosnowski said: “In order to confirm this concept we will need further analysis.”

To date, archaeologists have found more than 130 of these pan-like structures all over Europe.

At least one-third of these structures can be found in Austria.

The rest are peppered across Poland, Hungary, Germany, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

The neolithic structures were found in northern Poland
The structures were built by the first Europeans to farm the land

In this particular case, the archaeologists believe the structures were “planned and raised by a large group of people”.

According to some researchers, they may have served ceremonial roles or acted as temples for pagan practices. The European pans were typically surrounded by concentric ditches and wooden palisades, which suggests they could have been defensive structures.

Dr Sosnowski and his team now want to visit the sites in person in the winter.

The discovery comes after archaeologists in South America uncovered the 2,000-year-old remains of two infants wearing helmets. The unusual remains were found on the coast of Central Ecuador at a burial site called Salango.

Archaeologists in the UK have also made an incredible 8,000-year-old discovery at the bottom of the sea. The ancient find is likely a boat from the Stone Age, found just off the coast of Great Yarmouth.

Archaeologists have also solved an incredible Roman mystery after discovering a “forgotten city” buried in the Mediterranean.

Ancient pyramid SHOCK: How tombs older than Egyptian pyramids reveal CANNIBAL horrors

Ancient pyramid SHOCK: How tombs older than Egyptian pyramids reveal CANNIBAL horrors

Pyramid-like structures hidden across north-central Poland have stunned archaeologists with evidence of bloodcurdling neolithic rituals. These so-called “Polish pyramids” in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian region are believed to predate the Great Pyramids of Giza by thousands of years.

Archaeologists estimate the tombs were built between the 4th and 3rd millennium BC, making them at the very least a thousand years older than the Pyramid of Cheops. This was the time of the Stone Age, or the neolithic when well-defined cultures were emerging across Ancient Poland.

The unusual stone tombs, much like their Egyptian counterparts, were fashioned from great big slabs of stone.

But the comparisons end there because the Polish pyramids were neither as grand and were built flat across the land.

The tombs are triangular in shape and extend in one direction for quite a distance before tapering off.

The structures are slightly raised above the ground and their burial chambers are set into the soil with entrances to the outside world.

Ancient pyramid SHOCK: How tombs older than Egyptian pyramids reveal CANNIBAL horrors
Ancient pyramids: These neolithic tombs contain remains of humans eaten gnawed on by people

Archaeologists who examined these entrances were stunned to discovered the remains of gnawed on human bones.

And a few more clues from the past reveal the unfortunate denizens were likely eaten by whoever killed them.

An information plaque from a historical site in the village of Wietrzychowice reads: “About 50cm above the central grave another interesting cavity was discovered. It turned out, it was a dugout earthwork for a mass grave.

“The exact number of people buried there could not have been determined. The discovered bones could have blonde to two to nine individuals.

“What is surprising, is one part of the bones was likely burned and intentionally broken, perhaps to gain access to the bone marrow.

“Signs suggesting biting or the tearing off of muscles were also observed on two thigh bones.

“All of this could be interpreted as evidence of a cannibal feast or a mass offering towards a deceased.”

The Wietrzychowice site is an archaeological reserve established in an area settled around 5,500 years ago.

Some of the Polish pyramids measure as much as 492ft (150m) in length and the stones used in their construction weigh in at seven to 10 tonnes.

Archaeological evidence shows only men were buried in the stone monolithic tombs and the constructions housed wooden structures for ceremonial rites.

The tombs most likely belonged to important warlords, leaders, priests and other important figureheads.

In one of the tombs, researchers found the remains of a man who underwent trepanation – the process of making a surgical hole in the skull.

Ancient pyramids: Built in the Stone Age, the ancient tombs predate the Great Pyramid of Giza

The reserve’s website states: “The deceased – a person high up in the tribal hierarchy – was buried in a straightened position at the helm of the tomb.

“Sometimes two to three individuals were buried simultaneously this way.

“Pots and clay spoons, flint relics, arrowheads, hatchets and war axes have survived to our times.

“The amount of effort put into raising these structures is undoubtedly evidence of a strong tribal bond and the social variety or existence of tribal leaders.”

Ancient pyramids: The stone structures were flat but very long

Quick facts about the Egyptian pyramids:

1. Archaeologists have discovered more than 130 pyramids across the sandy landscape of Egypt.

2. The history of Ancient Egypt is divided into the Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom eras.

3. The famous Queen Cleopatra was not Egyptian but Greek Macedonian and a descendant of the Ptolemaic dynasty installed during Alexander the Great conquests.

4. There are three chambers in the Great Pyramid, one of which remains unfinished.

5. The Ancient Egyptians invented one of the first forms of writing and a form of paper known as papyrus.

6. The pyramids are precisely aligned with the north.

7. The Great Pyramid of Giza, or the Pyramid of Cheops, is the largest and biggest of the three iconic structures.

8. The privilege of being mummified after death was reserved for the wealthiest members of Egyptian society.

9. The Great Pyramid of Giza stood as the largest structure in the world for more than 3,800 years.

10. Women in Ancient Egypt are understood to have had the same rights as men and could buy and sell property.

Archaeology shock: Ancient skeleton and gold found buried in Siberia’s ‘Valley of Kings’

Archaeology shock: Ancient skeleton and gold found buried in Siberia’s ‘Valley of Kings’

The incredible archaeological discovery was made by a team of Polish researchers on the Southern Siberian Steppe. This barren part of the Russian Federation is known as the “Siberian Valley of the Kings” thanks to mysterious structures dotting its landscape.

Ancient mounds raised from the ground by a long-lost civilisation, known as kurgan barrows, give a hint as to what lies beneath the soil. Archaeologists from the Jagiellonian University in Kraków made their discovery at the Chinge Tey dig where nine of these kurgans were built in a row.

According to lead archaeologist Dr Łukasz Oleszczak, the Scythian remains date back at least 2,500 years.

Archaeology shock: Ancient skeleton and gold found buried in Siberia's 'Valley of Kings'
Researchers have found the remains of a Scythian warrior in Siberia
The Scythians were a nomadic civilisation of warriors

He told the Polish Press Agency (PAP): “Inside was the skeleton of a fully equipped young warrior.

“Near the skull of the deceased, there were decorations: a gold sheet pectoral, a glass bead, a gold spiral braid ornament.”

Alongside the warrior’s skeletal remains, the archaeologists have found many of his weapons.

These included an ice axe stylised into the shape of an eagle, an iron dagger, bow fragments and arrows.

Dr Oleszczak added: “Objects made out of organic materials have also been well preserved.

“Among them is a leather quiver, arrow shaft, ice axe shaft and a belt strap.”

The Scythians were an ancient nomadic people who thrived between the 11th century BC and 2nd century AD to the east of the Roman Empire. Scythia covered much of what is today’s Siberia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and even touched upon China.

The Scythians were known for their warmongering practices, as demonstrated by the contents of their burial sites.

Unfortunately, many of the Scythian artefacts buried across Siberia are at risk of disappearing thanks to looters.

According to Dr Oleszczak, the first of two barrows found in Chinge Tey was robbed before the archaeologists uncovered them.

Ancient Scythian burial sites in Siberia
The discovery was made in Southern Siberia

The archaeologists did, however, discover partially preserved bones and an arrowhead.

The researchers will analyse the second kurgan barrow for its contents next year.

The main discovery, however, was made in a third kurgan nearby.

Dr Oleszczak said: “For our research, we chose an inconspicuous, almost invisible kurgan with a diameter of about 25m.

“We had hoped it had remained unnoticed by robbers.”

The Polish archaeologists have joined an international team of researchers at Chinge Tey.

Their discovery comes after another team of archaeologists in Poland found the site of an unusual settlement from 2,500 years ago.

Archaeologists in northern Poland have also two neolithic structures predating the Great Pyramid of Giza by 2,000 years.

Researchers have also found signs of cannibalistic rituals at an ancient burial site in Poland’s Kuyavian-Pomeranian region.

8000-year old underwater burial site reveals human skulls mounted on poles

8000-year old underwater burial site reveals human skulls mounted on poles

A team of researchers with Stockholm University and the Cultural Heritage Foundation has uncovered the remains of a number of Mesolithic people in an underwater grave in a part of what is now Sweden.

8000-year old underwater burial site reveals human skulls mounted on poles
Anterior view of crania F296 showing well-preserved facial bones.

In their paper published in the journal Antiquity, the group describes the site where the remains were found, the condition of the remains and also offer some possible explanations for the means by which the remains found their way to the underwater burial site.

People living during the Mesolithic were hunter-gatherers, the researchers note, which is why the burial site and its contents are so surprising.

At the time of its use, the burial site would have been at a shallow lake bottom covered with tightly packed stones upon which the remains of humans had been laid.

The remains were all skulls, save for one infant. The adult skulls (except one) were missing jawbones, and at least two of the skulls showed evidence of a stick thrust through the opening at the base through the top of the skull—normally associated with posting a skull to scare enemies.

But hunter-gatherers were not known for posting skulls or engaging in gruesome funeral rituals. Instead, they were known for disposing of their dead in simple, respectful ways.

The gravesite was found in what is now southern Sweden, near an archaeological site known as Kanaljorden.

Archaeologists have been working at the site since 2009, but it was not until 2011 that the human remains were found—until that time, researchers had been finding animal remains. To date, the researchers have found the remains of 11 adults.

In another surprise, the team discovered that all of the adult skulls bore signs of trauma—each had been whacked in the head multiple times. But the trauma was inflicted differently depending on gender.

The males were hit on top or near the front of the head, while the females were typically hit from behind. None of the wounds appeared life-threatening, however, though, without the rest of the corpse, it was impossible to identify what had killed them.

Cranium F318 with a wooden stake.

The researchers are unable to offer an explanation for what they have found at the site, though they suggest it was possible the victims had died or been killed elsewhere and then transported to the burial site. Possibly because they were considered exceptional in some way.

Researchers Say 5000-year-old Metal Tubes May’ve Been Used As Straws For Drinking

Researchers Say 5000-year-old Metal Tubes May’ve Been Used As Straws For Drinking

Researchers Say 5000-year-old Metal Tubes May've Been Used As Straws For Drinking
Artist’s interpretation of the straws in use.

A set of gold and silver tubes found 125 years ago in the northern Caucasus are likely drinking straws, not sceptres, according to a re-analysis of the ancient artefacts.

Russian archaeologist Nikolai Veselovsky uncovered the items in 1897 at the Maikop Kurgan burial mound in the northern Caucasus. This is a Bronze Age site of great significance, as it was found to contain three skeletons and hundreds of objects, including beads of semi-precious stone and gold, ceramic vessels, metal cups, and weapons.

The 4th millennia BCE mound dates back to the Maikop Early Bronze Age Culture (3700 to 2900 BCE), which were named after the burial site.

Illustration showing the eight tubes, four of which were decorated with bull figurines.
(Photographs by V. Trifonov; Courtesy of the Institute for the History of Material Culture, Russian Academy of Sciences, St Petersburg, Russia)

It was among these many objects that Veselovsky found eight long, thin tubes—burial goods carefully and deliberately placed to the right-hand side of a high-ranking individual found buried in ornate clothing.

The tubes, made from gold and silver, measured over 3 feet (1 meter) in length, four of which were decorated with a small gold or silver bull figurine. The items were eventually relocated to the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, Russia, where they’re kept to this day.

In his accounting of the ancient relics, Veselovsky referred to the tubes as “scepters”—a reasonable guess, given the apparent status of the buried individual and the oh-so-careful positioning of the items. That these 5,000-year-old objects were used as scepters (i.e. wands or staffs held by ruling monarchs) seemed plausible, but new research published in Antiquity is now questioning this interpretation, arguing instead that the items were drinking straws.

Should this interpretation be correct, “these fancy devices would be the earliest surviving drinking straws to date,” Viktor Trifonov, an archaeologist at the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg and a co-author of the new paper, said in a press release.

Of critical importance to the reanalysis was the detection of barley granules inside one of the straws, in addition to cereal phytoliths (fossilized particles of plant tissue) and pollen grains from a lime tree.

This was taken as direct evidence that the tubes were used for drinking. And because traces of barley were found, the scientists say the beverage in question was likely beer.

It’s not a stretch to suggest that Bronze Age Maikop people consumed fermented barley. The practise dates back some 13,000 years to the Natufian period, while large-scale brewing operations began to appear in Asia during the 5th and 4th millennia BCE.

The notion that Maikop households were drinking barley beer flavoured with herbs and lime flowers is entirely plausible, but as the researchers point out, they “cannot prove conclusively the presence of a fermented beverage,” so “results should therefore be treated with caution, as further analyses are needed.”

The reconstruction shows eight straws being used communally and one being used individually.

Importantly, the tips of the Maikop straws were equipped with metal strainers, which likely performed the function of filtering out impurities—a common feature of ancient beer.

The scientists hypothesize that the drinking tubes, with straw-tip strainers, were “designed for sipping a type of beverage that required filtration during consumption,” and that this was done as a communal activity. A large vessel found at Maikop Kurgan would’ve been capable of holding seven pints for eight drinkers, the scientists say.

The straw-tip strainers found at Maikop Kurgan bear a striking resemblance to those found on Sumerian drinking straws. Ancient Sumerians of the 3rd millennium BCE are known to have sipped beer from communal vessels, as evidenced by archaeological artefacts and artworks depicting the practice.

As for the oldest evidence of drinking straws, that dates back to the 5th and 4th millennia BCE, as evidenced by artwork found in northern Iraq and western Iran.

A silver tube tip-strainer yielded evidence of (2-3) barley starch granules, (4) pollen grain from a lime tree, and (5) ceretal phytolith.

The Maikop straws—if that’s indeed what they are—are special in that they’re the oldest surviving drinking straws in the archaeological record, but they appear to have originated in the Middle East, hundreds of miles away from the northern Caucasus. The presence of drinking straws so far away suggests this practice had spread to the surrounding areas.

“The finds contribute to a better understanding of the ritual banquets’ early beginnings and drinking culture in hierarchical societies,” Trifonov said. “Such practices must have been important and popular enough to spread between the two regions.”

Indeed, the presence of drinking straws in the Maikop Kurgan hint at cultural and economic ties between the regions. What’s more, the scientists say a “taste for Sumerian luxury and commensality” had emerged in the Caucasus by the fourth millennium BCE, and that the drinking straws would go on to carry significant symbolic importance given their use as funerary items for elite individuals.

As this and other archaeological finds have shown, drinking is fun, but it’s even better—and more socially useful—when performed in the company of others.

Swiss archaeologists dig up the youngest Roman amphitheatre

Swiss archaeologists dig up youngest Roman amphitheatre

A construction project in Kaiseraugst, Switzerland has unearthed a lost ancient Roman amphitheatre that was once used for gladiator fights and animal hunts. Dating to the 300s CE, it’s about 50 meters (164ft) long and 40 meters (131ft) wide.

The amphitheatre was found in Augusta Raurica, located on the southern edge of the Rhine river. Once a Roman city, it is now an open museum and archaeological site. The reason for the construction was a new boathouse being put in for the Basel rowing club.

In December 2021, the construction team was accompanied by excavators with Aargau Cantonal Archaeology.

These archaeologists were quite surprised when they came across an ancient Roman construct.

Part of this surprise resulted from the fact that they were working in a spot thought only to be an abandoned Roman quarry.

Here are some details on how the amphitheatre was built:

It had three southern entrances. One large one stood in the middle of two smaller ones on either side of it. Another entrance was found on the western side of the amphitheatre.

Both of the entrance spots were made with sandstone that has been preserved to our present day. The inner walls were covered in plaster and the grandstands were made of wood.

It’s the third ancient Roman amphitheatre discovered in the Augusta Raurica, and also the youngest, dating to the 4th century CE.

It’s the eighth ancient Roman amphitheatre discovered in Switzerland.

Some of the others are known as: “Avenches (Aventicum), Martigny (Forum Claudii Vallensium), Nyon (Colonia Iulia Equestris) and on the Enge peninsula in Bern (Brenodurum)”.

The construction plans for the boathouse have been modified to accommodate the new discovery.

Here are some images of the ancient building as it is today:

Swiss archaeologists dig up youngest Roman amphitheatre
The water is the Rhine river. You can see here how close the amphitheatre was to the water.
The ancient sandstone
One of the walls

Archaeologists Find Ancient Golden Neck Ring Dating Back To Germanic Iron Age

Archaeologists Find Ancient Golden Neck Ring Dating Back To Germanic Iron Age

In a very amusing discovery, an ancient golden neck ring has been found in a field near Esbjerg on the Jutland Peninsula in mainland Denmark.

According to a report published in Sputnik, the archaeologists estimate that it belongs to the Germanic Iron Age 1,400–1,700 years ago and it weighs around half a kilo (446 grams), which is designed with crescent-like depressions. The broadest point of the ring measures 21 centimetres in diameter.

The archaeologists observed that the decoration found on the ring is quite rare, which makes it a “masterpiece of almost divine quality,” as termed by the South West Jutland Museum.

The front view of the gold neck ring is found in Esbjerg, Denmark.
Detail of the crescent-shaped embossing and plaited gold wire frieze.

The experts noted that the ring was deliberately buried and hidden away and that the inhabitant to whom it belonged did not sacrifice the ring to the gods, which was common practice in that era.

Ancient golden neck ring ‘of almost divine quality’ found in Denmark

“When sacrificing items at that time, it usually took place in wetlands, bogs, and the like. We know a large wetland existed near the discovery site, so if it was sacrificed to the gods, it would have been located out there instead, “said Claus Feveile, curator at Museet Ribes Vikinger in a statement. 

After examining the metal, Feveile noted that the metal had moved from its place for a very long time, as the neck ring is still in excellent condition and its shape or size has not been distorted.

“The gold is so pure and therefore so soft that the ring would not have been able to keep its shape as nicely as it has if it had been moved around with tools.

Detail of the crescent-shaped embossing and plaited gold wire frieze.

At the same time, the excavation shows that we have found the very hole in which the neck ring was hidden,” reported Sputnik.

READ ALSO: RESEARCHERS DATE HORNED HELMETS DISCOVERED IN DENMARK

Archaeologists’ observations

After examining the neck ring, Claus Feveile suggested that the ancient jewellery was hidden by the owner, as they may not have wanted to lose it, or planned to dig it up again sometime later.

However, something unexpected must have happened, and the owner of that masterpiece never came to reclaim it, the archaeologist concluded. The neck ring will be kept for exhibition at the Ribe Viking Museum.

Mysterious Ancient Greek ‘Phaistos Disc’ in LOST language finally decoded to reveal sexy secret

Mysterious Ancient Greek ‘Phaistos Disc’ in LOST language finally decoded to reveal sexy secret

Gareth Owens, linguist, archaeologist, and Erasmus Program Coordinator at the Cretan Institute of Technology, has unveiled a new study that allegedly solves 99 per cent of the mystery of the ancient Phaistos disc.

The researcher has devoted 30 years to trying to unravel the mystery of one of the most mysterious artefacts in history.

Owens was able to identify some of the symbols in other religious artefacts discovered in Crete and utterly believes that the inscriptions on the disc describe a religious hymn to a Minoan goddess. 

The Phaistos Disc disc was discovered by the Italian archaeologist Luigi Pernier in 1908

Has the mystery of the Phaistos Disc been solved 100 years after it was discovered?

The Phaistos disc was found in the ruins of the Minoan palace of Phaistos on the island of Crete more than 100 years ago. For decades, scientists have been unable to understand the inscriptions on the artefact or its true purpose.

Most of the success so far has been in its dating. Experts believe that it was made in the second millennium BC.

Scientists call the Phaistos disc one of the greatest mysteries of archaeology.

The overwhelming majority of scientists consider it to be authentic, but there are those who doubt it. The diameter of the disc is about 15 centimeters, on both sides, it is covered with mysterious symbols applied to the surface in a spiral.

For many years of research, scientists have not been able to decipher the language in which the mysterious inscriptions were executed. So far, it has only been established that its symbols are not part of any known alphabet, ancient or modern.

Gareth Owens, in turn, believes that he was able to decipher the mysterious symbols. To do this, he and his team used the method of comparative linguistics, that is, they compared incomprehensible symbols with “related” languages ​​from the Indo-European language family. As a result, scientists came to the conclusion that the disc contains a religious text dedicated to a certain goddess of love – Astarte.

Owens is absolutely convinced that the inscriptions on the disc present a religious text. He was able to identify similar signs and words in other religious inscriptions in the sacred mountains of Crete.

Words similar to those found on the disc have previously also been found on Minoan ritual objects that were used as offerings to the gods.

Therefore, Owens suggests that the Phaistos Disc is a hymn to Astarte, the goddess of love.

The clay slab is covered with hundreds of ‘picture’ segments created from 45 individual symbols, the meaning of which is disputed

In addition, according to the archaeologist-linguist, the inscriptions on the different sides of the disc are not a single whole. He suggests that a hymn to the Minoan goddess Astarte was written on one side, and a dedication to the pregnant mother goddess on the other.

Talking about the importance of the text, Owens reminds us that Astarte was not only the goddess of love. She was also revered as the goddess of war and mountains. It is interesting that she was “born” in the East.

It is believed that her cult to Crete was brought from ancient Mesopotamia. Then, Astarte went to Cyprus, where she gradually became known as Venus.