Children playing in a sandpit in southwest Poland discovered human bones inside ancient urns. After local students began digging about with a bucket and shovel just below the pit’s surface in the village of Tuchola arska, the terrible discovery was found.
The grim discovery was made in the village of Tuchola Żarska after local schoolchildren began digging around with a bucket and spade.
Experts believe the find dates as far back as the Bronze Age and that it comes from the Lusatian culture from around 1100-700 BC.
Local archaeology inspector Marcin Kosowicz said: “While digging in a sandpit, the children came across one or two extensive corpse graves of the Lusatian culture community.
The graves which date back to the Lusatian culture from around 1100-700 BC were found just under the surface of the sand.
“The graves were located very shallowly under the surface of the soil and the overlying sand and for this reason, some of the vessels are fragmented.
“The removal of a considerable part of humus took place during the levelling of the ground for the construction of the playing field with heavy equipment, which could have damaged the vessels.”
He added that the location of the discovery may be linked to an earlier archaeological site nearby which is listed in the provincial heritage protection register.
Kosowicz said: “Due to the fact that its location is marked on a map on a scale of 1:25 000, which is characterised by low precision, it is possible that the grave that the children discovered is closely connected to this site.
“According to local people, a few dozen years ago, during the construction of a pond and a fence on the premises of the neighbouring State Agricultural Farm, bronze artefacts and ceramic vessels were discovered.
“Unfortunately, at this stage, it has not been possible to establish the further fate of these artefacts.”
The Lusatian culture existed in the later Bronze Age and early Iron Age around 1300 BC to 500 BC. The name Lusatia refers to an area in eastern Germany and western Poland.
The Lubusz heritage protection office has said that rescue archaeological excavations will be carried out at the site of the discovery.
Their main aim will be to secure the monuments that have been left behind.
Archaeologists searching for a royal palace in Germany have discovered a 1,000-year-old church constructed for Otto the Great (also called Otto I).
An aerial view of the church built for Otto the Great, along with nearby burials, is seen from the southwest.
Otto I, who lived from A.D. 912 to 973, consolidated and expanded the Holy Roman Empire. The empire, which was centred in Germany, controlled territory throughout central Europe.
Historical records indicated that a palace and church were built near Helfta in Saxony for the Roman emperor; and archaeologists with the State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Saxony-Anhalt started searching for it in May, they said in a German language statement.
During excavations at the church, archaeologists discovered this enamelled brooch from the ninth century.
Numerous burials and tombs were found around the church in Germany.
Royal church
The three-aisled church is about 100 feet (30 meters) long and was shaped like a cross, excavations revealed.
The church was destroyed during the Protestant Reformation that swept through Europe in the 16th century and led to the creation of new branches of Christianity, the archaeologists said in the statement.
The church and palace would have “dominated” the valley where they were built, the archaeologists said.
Among the artifacts found so far is a Romanesque bronze crucifix decorated with enamel that was made in Limoges in New Aquitaine (in modern-day France) in the 13th century, archaeologists said.
Archaeologists also discovered a large fragment of a church bell, an enamelled ninth-century brooch and numerous coins.
The archaeologists have also found several burials around the church, including some tombs made out of bricks.
Excavations and analysis of the remains are ongoing at the site. Right now, excavating the church is a priority, but historical records indicate that the palace is nearby and remains of it may be found as work continues.
Historical records say that while Otto I ordered the construction of the church and a nearby palace, he himself only visited it once when the church was inaugurated around A.D. 968.
The archaeologists noted that Otto I had numerous palaces with nearby churches located throughout his empire.
Felix Biermann, an archaeologist with the State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Saxony-Anhalt is leading the excavation team.
Old Football Found On Beach Turns Out To Be An Iron Age Skull
Image kicking what you thought was part of an old football during a stroll on the beach – only to discover it was actually part of a human skull. That’s what happened to Anthony Plowright.
He was walking his two dogs on the beach near Binstead on the Isle of Wight when he discovered what turned out to be the upper part of a human skull, called the cranium.
The Isle of Wight coroners office sent the dark brown remains for carbon dating and discovered it was about 2,800 years old.
The skull, pictured here, belonged to someone who would have lived in the Iron Age, or about 2,800 years ago according to the Isle of Wight coroners office.
All that remained of the person was the upper part of the skull called the cranium – seen in this photo from the Isle of Wight coroner.
The skull was discovered on the 4th of June 2018 but the Isle of Wight Coroner, Caroline Sumeray has only just released her findings.
The carbon dating puts the cranium as belonging to someone who would have lived in the early Iron Age – between about 800BC and 540BC.
Mr Plowright said: ‘I thought it was part of an old football when I first saw it and so I booted it down the beach. I soon realised it wasn’t a ball.
‘I put it in a bag and took it home and emailed the police to tell them I had found it.’
‘I had absolutely no idea it was that old.’
The skull has been donated to the Isle of Wight Museum Service who say they are looking forward to studying it.
During the Iron Age, the people of the Isle of Wight were already trading with nearby communities through maritime links.
‘Recent discoveries suggest that the inhabitants of the Isle of Wight engaged in wider maritime activity within the Solent from prehistoric times, according to Stephanie Smith from the British Museum.
‘By the Iron Age and Roman periods, the Island was part of a vast maritime network of interaction between coastal southern Britain and the Continent, extending as far as the Mediterranean.’
The skull – pictured – has been donated to the Isle of Wight Museum Service who say they are looking forward to studying it
Hurriyet Daily News reports that 11 sets of human remains dated to some 8,500 years ago have been unearthed in northwestern Turkey by archaeologists who were called to the site when residents found pieces of ancient ceramics in the yard of their apartment building.
The site, likely to be one of the first spots of human settlements in western Anatolia, was first discovered after a Bilecik resident reported some ceramic fragments found there to the Archaeology Museum.
As a result of the field works that started after the discovery and continued for two years, 11 human skeletons, which are estimated to be 8,500 years old, and musical instruments with three holes from the same period were found in the yard of an apartment building.
Archaeologists also found wheat varieties used in making bread and pasta, as well as grains such as lentils, barley and vetch.
Associate Professor Erkan Fidan, the head of the excavation, said that the human skeletons found in the excavation area belonged to the oldest adolescent humans ever in the Neolithic era in western Anatolia.
“We have uncovered the first villages of human communities that came here 9,000 years ago and remained here for nearly 1,000 years,” Fidan said, adding that the people living in the region who know how to do agriculture also domesticated animals.
Fidan noted that they also found skeletons of other humans in the excavation field and that the skeletons would be examined in detail at Hacettepe University’s Anthropology Department Laboratory.
“In the very near future, we aim to learn many things about ages, genders, diseases these people had as well as the kind of food they ate,” he added.
The finds discovered during the excavation will be exhibited at the Bilecik Archaeology Museum after the completion of the restoration process and research works.
A 51,000-year-old engraved bone reveals Neanderthals’ capacity for symbolic behaviour
The toe bone of a prehistoric deer carved with lines by Neanderthals 51,000 years ago is one of the oldest works of art ever found, according to a study released Monday.
Micro-CT scans of the engraved bone and interpretation of the six lines in red that shape the chevron symbol. Highlighted in blue is a set of sub-parallel lines
The engraved deer bone from Einhorn-höhle.
The discovery is further evidence that Neanderthals — Homo neanderthalensis — were able to express symbolism through art — which was once attributed only to our own species, Homo sapiens.
“This is clearly not a pendant or something like that,” said Thomas Terberger, a professor and prehistoric archaeologist at the University of Göttingen in Germany, who co-authored a study of the object in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. “It’s clearly a decoration with a kind of symbolic character. … You might even call it the initial start of art, something which was not done by accident, but with a clear plan in mind.”
The bone was unearthed in a cave in the Harz Mountains of central Germany, about 150 miles southwest of Berlin. The front is carved with overlapping chevrons — lines in the shape of inverted V’s — that appear to point upward, and archaeologists have also discerned a line of smaller incisions on its lower edge, which seems to have served as its base.
“We were trying it out, and this object can stand alone on its base. It doesn’t shake or tip over or anything,” said archaeologist Dirk Leder of the Lower Saxony state office for Cultural Heritage, who led the excavations that discovered the bone. “It was probably left standing upright in a corner of the cave.”
The carved bone was unearthed alongside the shoulder blade bones of deer and the intact skull of a cave bear — rare objects that may have indicated that the assemblage had ritual meaning, he said.
Radiocarbon dating has established that the bone is 51,000 years old — older than any comparable works of art attributed to Neanderthals.
Archaeologists have also found ancient eagle talons used as pendants by Neanderthals, as well as cave paintings in Spain that may be older — their date is disputed. Terberger said, “In this case, for the first time, we have a reliably dated object.”
The Einhornhöhle — or “Unicorn Cave” — where the carved bone was unearthed has been famous since at least the 16th century; it is now a tourist attraction. It got its name from the fossilized bones found there, supposedly from unicorns, that were once ground up to make medicines.
The deer toe bone was found in Die Einhornhöhle, or Unicorn Cave, Lower Saxony, Germany.
Excavations since the 1980s have established that the cave was inhabited by successive generations of Neanderthals, from at least 130,000 years ago until about 47,000 years ago.
Later groups of Homo sapiens also inhabited the cave, but only much later, after about 12,000 years ago, Leder said. The earliest evidence for Homo sapiens in the southeast of Europe is from about 45,000 years ago, and it’s not thought that they arrived in central Europe until at least 10,000 years after that, he said.
The archaeologists can only guess at the meanings of the carvings — if they have any meaning at all. “This is quite unique,” Leder said. “We don’t see it anywhere in the Paleolithic literature.
“We were discussing different interpretations. … The shape could be like a female figurine with the head and the chest part, but then the chevron pattern to some of us looked like three mountains in a row — a landscape view,” he said.
Microscopic analysis of the bone shows that the carvings are very deep, which suggests that it was boiled to soften it before carving began. The species of prehistoric deer that the bone was from was also rare in the region at the time and extremely large, which could suggest that the artwork had special importance, he said.
The discovery is more evidence that Neanderthals weren’t just dumb cavemen, as scientists once believed, but that they were capable of artistic or symbolic expression — which was once thought to be unique to Homo sapiens, said Bruce Hardy, a professor of anthropology at Kenyon College in Ohio, who wasn’t involved in the latest study.
It’s likely that a lot of Neanderthal artistic objects were carved from wood — a much easier medium to work with than stone or bone — that has perished after many thousands of years, he said.
The increasing evidence of symbolic artistic expression by Neanderthals, as well as by later Homo sapiens, suggests that the hominin species that were the ancestors of both were also artistic, he said.
“If those two different groups also share a common ancestor, chances are that common ancestor also has some degree of symbolic ability, as well, which means it goes much further back,” he said.
Hardy’s own research has included the discovery of what seems to be a piece of Neanderthal string — a Stone Age technology not seen before. Archaeologist Andrew Sorensen of Leiden University in the Netherlands said that the analysis of the marks on the bone shows that they can’t have been the result of random gnawing by carnivores.
“The relatively regular angles of the intersecting lines is particularly convincing that these marks were created intentionally by Neanderthals,” he wrote in an email.
The possibility that the bone had been boiled to make it easier to work with was especially interesting, he said. His own research focuses on the use of fire by Neanderthals, which is also seen as evidence of their ability to use relatively advanced technologies.
Viking twin babies are found in Christian burial in Sweden
Live Science reports that seven Viking tombs were excavated in east-central Sweden ahead of a construction project. inside the tombs; they were likely Vikings who had converted to Christianity.
The eight people – four adults and four infants – were laid flat on their backs to rest in the Swedish town of Sigtuna. Pictured, one of the adults.
“The Christian character of the now-excavated graves is obvious because of how the tombs were laid out,” said Johan Runer, a project manager with Uppdrag arkeologi, a cultural resource management company, which led excavations of the site.
Most of the people had been buried flat on their back in an east-west position, whereas people who followed traditional Viking beliefs in this area of Sweden at this time tended to be cremated, Runer said.
Results of the Sigtuna dig are set to be presented in full in a report, according to Uppdrag Arkeologi. Pictured, the burial of a male adult surrounded by a stone cist – stones positioned in a box shape
The excavation site in the town of Sitguna, north of Sweden’s capital city Stockholm, from above
They also found deposits of charcoal and in some cases partially burnt caskets, suggesting fire rituals were involved in at least four burials.
“Such phenomena are rather common in Christian Viking period graves, but previously rather rare in Sigtuna,” Runer told Live Science in an email.
Stone cairns were also found on top of four of the tombs, one of which also was surrounded by a stone cist (stones positioned in a box shape) surrounding it.
“These features are previously not known from the town of Sigtuna,” said Runer, who noted that they are common among early Christian graves in this area of Sweden, which is located about 23 miles (37 kilometres) northwest of Stockholm.
Viking tragedy
The archaeologists say one of the tombs could contain the bodies of twins. “In one tomb, there were two very small infants of seemingly the exact same age,” Runer said. The team’s preliminary interpretation is that “this grave contains the tragic result of a late miscarriage of a couple of twins.”
The tombs also contained several interesting artefacts. One individual was buried with a “leather belt containing fittings of iron and silver-gilt copper alloy,” and silver coins were found in his mouth, Runer said.
Placing coins in a person’s mouth “is a rather common practice for Viking period Christian burials in middle Sweden,” he added. Another tomb contains “a beautifully ornated bone comb” found in a case, Runer said.
Archaeologists discovered the tombs in late April during a survey of an area where a house was going to be built.
The archaeologists excavated the site in May and are continuing to analyze the skeletons and artefacts. An osteologist is expected to examine the well-preserved skeletons in the fall.
Possible Image of Roman God Unearthed at Vindolanda
BBC News reports that two volunteers discovered a piece of sandstone carved with an image of a donkey or horse and a naked man holding a spear at Vindolanda, a Roman fort along Hadrian’s Wall in northern England.
It was found intact near a 4th Century cavalry barrack and it is believed to depict either the Gods Mars or Mercury, although there is no inscription.
The artefact will be on display at the fort’s museum from Thursday.
It was unearthed by volunteers Richie Milor and David Goldwater who have taken part in annual digs at the fort for the past 15 years
Site archaeologist Marta Alberti is now piecing together clues to try to establish who the carving represents.
Ms Alberti said: “We are looking at something we have never seen at Vindolanda before and we might not see again.
“The nakedness of the man means he is probably a god, rather than a mere cavalryman, he is also carrying a spear in his left arm, a common attribute of the God of War Mars.
“However, when you look at his head, the two almost circular features could be identified as wings, a common attribute of Mercury – god of travel.
“Horses and donkeys are also often associated with Mercury as a protector of travellers.”
The Vindolanda Survival Appeal has so far raised £130,000 of a £200,000 target
The carving – which measures 6.2in (160mm) wide and 12.4in (315mm) tall – is very well preserved, Ms Alberti said.
It was unearthed by volunteers Richie Milor and David Goldwater who have taken part in annual digs at the fort for the past 15 years.
Mr Milor said: “We are just absolutely elated, very proud to be part of this discovery, it was actually very emotional.
“Whether you find something or not we love coming to this site, playing our small part in the research that takes place, but finding this made it a very special day indeed.”
Due to the pandemic, Vindolanda had to close for many months and furlough staff.
It has is so far raised more than £130,000 of a target of £200,000 as part of its Survival Appeal.
The excavations at Vindolanda will continue until 24 September.
Huge Objects Could Have Been Moved by a Lifting Machine at Stonehenge and Egypt!
A history-loving carpet fitter has recreated an ancient machine to solve the mystery of how Stonehenge was built. Steven Tasker, 66, believes the long-forgotten machinery would have been used to transport the huge stones 180 miles.
Steven Tasker on a day trip to Stonehenge, when he was likely thinking about his lifting machine and how it was used first in the UK and how it was likely the Egyptians visited Britain in search of scientific solutions for moving huge statues and building the pyramids.
He came up with the theory on a visit to Egypt as he wanted to explain how the Pyramids were built. Steven decided to build the rocking structure with his grandson to see if they could lift heavy stones.
The mechanism features a circular board in the middle of wooden planks that sit on top of rockers and wooden feet. Steven, of Llanrhaeadr, Mid Wales, says it could ‘move any weight’ and may solve the Stonehenge mystery.
He said: ‘It may look like something out of Last of the Summer Wine, but we’ve lifted a third of a tonne with it and theoretically it could move any weight.
‘I tied rockers below a plank of wood to try and work out how they could have been used.
‘By using pivot points, I could counterbalance a 60kg roll of carpet on top and by using the rockers, walk it across the road.’
Steven’s theory could explain how stone circles from the Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire were moved to Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire.
He explained his ideas to Dr Campbell Price – curator of one of the UK’s largest Egyptology collections at Manchester Museum. Dr Price was impressed with his theory and said the ‘efficient movement of large numbers of ancient monuments’ has never been fully explained.
He said: ‘Steve’s experiments give a different perspective into how ancient people were able to plan paths of least resistance and to manipulate natural forces.’
Steven also believes the machine is referenced in the Old Testament when Ezekiel describes a ‘vision of God being transported on cherubim.’
Steven tested the prototype with his grandson: An important element where the ball bearings – such as those found at ancient sites – stop the statue from sliding off.
How Steven believes the machine could have looked – with the stone held over a circular board in the middle and wooden planks pulled sideways to propel the feet forward.
How Steven believes the machine would have looked – he believes the Egyptians could have kept animal fat in head cones to be used as a lubricant on the stone rollers
The cherubim include four wings and ‘feet shaped like the sole of a calf’s foot.
Steven said: ‘The feet are an important part of the machine because the load’s centre of mass is retained over them.
‘It gives the impression the machine is defying gravity, but like any trick of the eye, a clown leaning forward with his big shoes, it looks like magic.’
Steven estimates the machine would be able to travel 1.5 miles a day – meaning the Stonehenge stones would have taken months to transport.
Engineer Shaun Whitehead, who led the Djedi robotic exploration of the Great Pyramid, said: ‘I’m often approached by people who have their own ideas about why and how these great structures were built.
‘I’m careful not to dismiss any of these without a little thought, but most can be shown to be unworkable or impractical.
‘However, Steven’s theories on how massive objects could have been moved demonstrate a very creative and practical engineering mind.’
