Category Archives: EUROPE

Ancient Coin Found at Pub Site in Slovakia

Ancient Coin Found at Pub Site in Slovakia

The Centre of the town Spišské Vlachy in the Spiš region was settled in the 4th century. Archaeologists discovered proof that people lived in the town soon after The Migration Period.

The most precious finding is a coin from the 4th century.

A coin depicting the emperor Constantius II, who ruled between 337 and 361, is among the oldest findings, Spiš Korzár reported.

Archaeological research was ongoing from October 2019 to March 2020 in the extension of the Assumption of Mary church in Spišské Vlachy. Locals know the extension as the Old Town Hall. The research was linked with the renovation of the monument.

“We tried two probes,” said the head of the archaeological research at the Museum of Spiš Territory in Spišská Nová Ves, Mária Hudáková, as quoted by Spiš Korzár.

“The first uncovered object is from the Roman era. The coin was found here. The second revealed findings connected with the construction and reconstruction of the objects.”

These included older entrances to the object, remains of the wooden floor from the second half of the 18th century and a heating device for the object, Hudáková added.

Tiny kitchen ceramics were found as well. Coins of Polish and Hungarian mintage show that space could have been used as a pub.

Trade between Spiš and Rome

The Roman coin is significant for the town. Archaeologist Matúš Hudák said there are not so many coins in the objects, which is why it is of great historical value.

The coin could have also been placed in the town hall as a building sacrifice, a practice that used to be done to protect the building.

People used to process iron here in the 4th century, said Hudák. Spiš was quite rich for this material. Iron slag was found here. The object was originally constructed from wood.

The discovery of the coin also documents trade with Rome.

“It is interesting that coins made it from the west to Spiš,” Hudák noted, as quoted by Spiš Korzár. “How could they do trade at such distances and use coins as currency?”

Open for the public

Probes also uncovered layers from the Middle Ages and modern history.

“We see floors and plastering from this era,” said an archaeologist, as quoted by Spiš Korzár. “The original layer where people walked is right at the bottom. The original level of terrain was about half a metre lower than it is today.”

The terrain rose as a result of a huge fire at the end of the 19th century when this building was damaged and walling was used as a cave-in. Later, the building was used as a fire station, the archaeologist said.

There is an oven with a sweeping opening in the corner of the probe. It was used for heating. “We assume there was some kind of pub. There is also wall graffiti, pictures of gallows, and a sword. These are probably the remains of guests. There is also an entrance to the cellar where beer and wine were kept.”

Town Mayor Ľubomír Fifik noted that they would like to share these discoveries with the public. Uncovered layers of the archaeological discoveries will be visible for visitors of the town together with some of the small ceramic findings.

Yarm Viking helmet ‘first’ to be unearthed in Britain

Yarm Viking helmet ‘first’ to be unearthed in Britain

According to new research, a Viking helmet discovered at Teesside is the first ever to be found in Britain. In the 1950s, in Chapel Yard, Yarm, a corroded helmet was unearthed by workmen digging trenches for new sewerage pipes.

The ‘Viking helmet’, as it is known locally, has been on loan to Preston Park Museum from Yarm Town Council for a number of decades. A research project, led by Dr. Chris Caple, has now discovered that the helmet is the first ever found in Britain.

It is also only the second nearly complete Viking helmet found in the world. The unusual artifact has never previously been researched and the age of the helmet had caused much debate.

In recent years, Dr. Caple, Emeritus Reader at Durham University, and his colleagues have discovered new information about the damaged helmet.

They used evidence from recent archaeological discoveries as well as analysis of the metal and corrosion to identifying that it is an Anglo-Scandinavian helmet made in the 10 century in northern England.

Dr. Caple said it was a “challenging project” as the thin iron sheet is now very susceptible to corrosion and has to be kept in very dry conditions.

He said: “Our analysis showed that it was initially preserved in waterlogged conditions, only later becoming damaged and starting to corrode. Fortunately, it was discovered before it corroded away completely.

“Although there are half a dozen early medieval helmets from Britain, the Sutton Hoo, and Coppergate helmets being the most famous, this is the first Anglo-Scandinavian (Viking) helmet from Britain.

“Whilst the Saxon helmets were often highly decorated and were worn by warrior leaders, as many symbols of authority as helmets, by the 10 century we can now envisage that most professional warriors had helmets like the Yarm Helmet.

The helmet is made of iron bands and plates riveted together, with a simple knop at the top

“They were simply manufactured, well designed to protect the wearer (rivets flush with the surface so they did not catch bladed weapons) but no longer decorated.

“Together with a mail hauberk (shirt of chain mail), a helmet was essential personal protective equipment for a warrior. We see almost all the combatants in the 11 century Bayeux Tapestry wearing helmets and hauberks.”

Dr. Caple said that the only other near-complete Viking helmet is from Gjermundbu in Norway.

He said: “They do not normally survive because by the 10th century both Anglo-Scandinavian and Saxons were Christian and no longer buried objects in graves.

“This helmet, like the Coppergate helmet appears to have been hidden in a pit.”

Alan Gallafant, Chairman of Yarm Town Council, said: “Yarm Town Council are delighted that the provenance of this important historic helmet has been confirmed, thanks to the work carried out by Dr. Chris Caple and Durham University.

“Yarm Town Council welcomes the launch of this exciting development on Yarm’s history.”

The Yarm Helmet has been on permanent display at Preston Park Museum since 2012, where its condition is closely monitored and it continues to be one of the star objects on display.

The helmet has been on loan to Preston Park Museum from Yarm Town Council

Councillor Jim Beall, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Leisure, and Culture, added: “It’s very exciting to have confirmation that the Yarm Helmet on display at Preston Park Museum is a very rare example of a Viking helmet and the first to be found in Britain.

“The museum is open to the public once again and it is great to welcome visitors to see this fascinating piece of history.”

30,000-Year-Old Bosnian Pyramids Built With Man-Made Cement

30,000-Year-Old Bosnian Pyramids Built With Man-Made Cement

New reports that independent analysis from five separate Institutes of materials confirms that the Bosnian Pyramids contain high quality man-made concrete construction material eliminating all skeptical claims about the authenticity of the Bosnian Pyramids.

The controversial site of the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun has a team of over 200 interdisciplinary scientists from all over the world doing scientific analysis on not only the nature and age of the building materials, but also determining how the energy of the pyramid was used by the ancient scientists for applications beneficial to humanity ranging from geothermal transportation, climatology, and advancements in human physiology and health.

Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun, the biggest stone structure in the shape of the pyramid on the Planet with a height of 220 meters, Visoko, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Results released by the Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy of chemical and diffractometry laboratory analysis done on sandstone and conglomerate blocks taken from the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun show that the samples are an inert material with a binding, similar to that found in ancient Roman concrete. These results were confirmed by analysis of the samples done at the University of Zenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

In a separate independent test, Professor Joseph Davidovits, renowned French Scientist, member of the International Association of Egyptologists, and author confirms this claim. “I performed electron microscopic analysis of the sample and I propose the geopolymer chemistry that was used to make this is ancient concrete,” wrote Prof Davidovits.

He further adds that the sample is composed of “a calcium/potassium-based geopolymer cement and that although he cannot date the sample, he can discern that it is not modern concrete, but more like the technique used by the Egyptians 3,500 years ago.” In his book, The Pyramids: An Enigma Solved, Davidovits presents the current knowledge of pyramid construction that is supported by scientific, historical, and linguistic studies which prove that the Egyptian pyramids were constructed using agglomerated stone (limestone cast like concrete).

The research on pyramid technology has long suspected that pyramid energy involves science and machinery far more advanced than what we currently have today. Christopher Dunn, author of The Giza Power Plant, published in 1996 explains that the pyramids were ancient energy machines, currently a popular theory among researchers. The pyramids of Bosnia have the same elements described in the Giza pyramids that define the structure of an ancient power generator system.

After visiting Bosnia in 2011, Chris Dunn stated, “While I was in Visoko, experts from various disciplines showed excitement on the result of their studies of the so-called pyramid hill. Hopefully, in due course, clear signs of ancient precision engineering will eventually be discovered.”Now in 2013, the Bosnian archaeological site is further excavated and new scientific evidence has emerged proving that ancient precision engineering was indeed used to build the Bosnian Pyramids.

Bosnian Pyramid of the Moon, with its the height of 190 meters second biggest stone structure in the Bosnian Valley of the Pyramids. Together with the Sun and Dragon pyramids form a perfect equilateral triangle. All pyramids have been covered by soil and vegetation similar to pyramids in Central America and China.

Since it was discovered in 2005 by Dr. Sam Semir Osmanagich Ph.D., director of Center for Anthropology and Archaeology at the American University in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Bosnian Pyramid complex has been stonewalled by mainstream archaeologists until recently scientific evidence which makes it impossible to deny the authenticity of this history-changing discovery.

“The team of interdisciplinary scientists conducting studies on the cosmic energy enigma at the archaeological site in Bosnia are on a relentless pursuit to uncover the wisdom from the ancient culture that left this behind,” states Dr. Sam Osmanagich. “There are facts about a physical phenomenon that can be scientifically verified, yet there remain many unanswered questions unexplainable using our current recorded history.”

Facts that have been verified by scientific analytic testing include:

· The Sun pyramid stands over 722 feet (220 m) high one third taller than the Great Pyramid of Giza

· Radiocarbon dating shows the pyramid to be at least 24,800 years old

· Material Analysis shows that the structure is from man-made concrete

· There is an 8.000 kg ceramic block under the pyramid in the underground labyrinth

· An energy beam, electromagnetic in nature with a radius of 4.5 meters and a frequency of 28 kHz, has been detected and measured coming from the top of the Sun pyramid

· An ultrasound beam with a radius of 10 meters and frequency of 28-33 kHz has been measured on the top of the pyramid, as well

· The pyramids are aligned with the earth’s cardinal points and oriented to stellar North

“Although tens of thousands of pyramids have been discovered across the planet, none have the construction quality and date back as far as the ones in Bosnia,” states Osmanagich. “Bosnia is the original pyramid, the oldest and largest ever constructed. It has an exact zero degree North orientation and is potentially the key to releasing information about ancient technology that can free the world of its dependence on fossil fuel along with offering the possibility of finding astounding medical breakthroughs in the scientific community.”

Textile treasure trove shows Importance of fashion to Ancient Britons

Textile treasure trove shows Importance of fashion to Ancient Britons

Notable archeological evidence from the site of a prehistoric settlement in the eastern part of England, suggests that Bronze Age Britons had a liking for high-end fashion. Excavations, 30 miles north-west of Cambridge, have unearthed the earliest examples of superfine textiles ever found in Britain. They are also among the most finely-made Bronze Age fabrics ever discovered in Europe as a whole – and are of huge international significance.

Detail of preserved Bronze Age textile made from plant fibres

Up to now, researchers from the University of Cambridge have found more than 100 fragments of textile unspun processed fibre and textile yarn at the site. Some of the yarn is of superfine quality – with some threads being just 100 microns (1/10 of a millimetre) in diameter, while some of the fabrics themselves are so finely woven that they have 28 threads per centimetre, fine even by modern standards. It’s likely that some of the fragments of textile are from items of clothing.

Originally, some of the textiles must have been of very substantial size – because they had been folded, in some cases in up to 10 layers. If made to be worn, these folded fabrics may well have been large garments, potentially, capes, cloaks – or even large drapes, perhaps similar to those known from elsewhere in the ancient (and sometimes modern) worlds – the ancient Greek chiton, the Roman toga and the Indian sari. A drape folded into 10 layers for temporary storage would have served as a substantial garment – potentially up to 3 metres square (i.e. 9 square metre).

Most of the superfine fabrics from the site – Must Farm near Whittlesea, Cambridgeshire – were made of linen. When the village was flourishing around 3,000 years ago, textile manufacture seems to have been a key craft practiced there. Hundreds – possibly thousands – of flax seeds have so far been found on the site (some of which had been stored in containers). Flax is the crop that produces the fibres used in linen production.

Amber bead and others found in situ

What’s more, the presence on the site of unspun processed fibre, yarn, and finished textiles all strongly suggests that the village was involved not only in using textiles but also in manufacturing them. Timber fragments with delicate carpentry, found during the Historic-England-funded excavation may well be the remains of looms. Indeed fired clay loom weights have been unearthed there.

The archaeologists have also discovered that Bronze Age Britons also had a penchant for a different type of fabric – made of processed nettle stems (from a locally available non-stinging subspecies of nettle – today known as fen nettles). Unlike flax, nettles grew wild and therefore did not need to be cultivated. What’s more, well-made nettle textile was often particularly fine and silky.

But nettles may well have had additional benefits – at least in the eyes of the users of the fabrics.

In traditional ancient folklore, nettles of various types were often regarded as having magical powers. They were seen as being able to protect both humans and animals from sorcery and witchcraft. What’s more, garments made of nettles were therefore sometimes seen as protecting their wearers from evil. Indeed one of Europe’s most famous folktales – the Wild Swans (written by Hans Christian Andersen, but thought to be based on traditional folk stories) – reveals how shirts, made of nettle yarn, enabled their wearers to break a witch’s spell.

So far no evidence of any extensive patterns or coloured dyes have been found on any of the linen and nettle yarn textile fragments – although the edge of one piece of fabric (perhaps part of a shawl or cape) seems to have been decorated with fringes, rows of knots, and strips featuring different styles of weave. Certainly, dying the linen would have presented substantial technical difficulties – but bleaching it would have been much less challenging. It is therefore very likely that the naturally light brown linen was bleached to achieve a creamy white or possibly even dazzlingly pure white appearance. Basic bleaching of the fabric might well have been achieved with the use of a mixture of urine and milk or by simply laying out the fabrics on wet grass on a succession of sunny days. The village appears to have been very prosperous, yet tragically short-lived.

As well as making (and presumably using) ultra-fine fabrics, at least some of the inhabitants wore exotic jewellery made of blue, black, yellow and green glass manufactured in the eastern Mediterranean region – probably in what is now the Syria or Turkey.

They lived in large well-built houses and had a wide range of tools and other possessions. So far, around 50 bronze axes, sickles, spears, swords, razors, hammers, tweezers, and awls have been found along with some 60 wooden buckets, platters, and troughs as well as around 60 well preserved ceramic bowls, mugs and storage jars. Dug-out canoes and two wooden wheels have also been unearthed.

But the archaeological evidence suggests that this thriving and prosperous settlement was probably attacked, burnt, and destroyed by its enemies less than a year after it was built.

In the five houses excavated so far, the population seems to have fled or been captured or killed, leaving all their possessions behind – meals half eaten, salted or dried meat still hanging in the rafters, garments neatly folded on or around well-made wooden furniture.

“It’s a bit like discovering the Marie Celeste. Everything is exactly as it was left. Only the inhabitants are missing,” said the director of the excavation, Mark Knight of the Cambridge Archaeological Unit.

“This site is providing the modern world with an image of daily life in the British Bronze Age that was until now beyond our dreams. It is only the very specific and unusual circumstances of the destruction of the settlement that has, paradoxically, allowed so much of it to be preserved intact,” he said.

Because the village had been set alight, large numbers of wooden, textile and other artefacts were charred – and because the houses were built on wooden stilts in a river (flanked by marchland), everything ultimately ended up underwater, where it was subsequently covered with silt and mud.

This rare combination of charring and waterlogging and natural burial under sediment has been responsible for the extraordinarily high levels of preservation.

Most of the artefacts have been found inside the settlement’s houses. So far, five of these large 6-8 metre diameter structures have been found at the site. Again, because of charring and subsequent waterlogging, around half of all the wall, roof and other timbers from these buildings have been preserved.

The excavation is being directed by archaeologist Mark Knight of the Cambridge Archaeological Unit, with textile research being carried out by a textile specialist, Dr Susanna Harris of the University of Glasgow. Because of its national and international importance, the entire project is being funded to the tune of £1.4 million by Historic England and the owner of the site, one of the UK’s major brick-making companies – Forterra.

The finds include the largest group of prehistoric textiles ever discovered in Britain – and the largest collection of complete bronze, wooden and ceramic artefacts ever found in a British Bronze Age settlement.

Serbian Roman Artifact Vanishes 24 Hours After Discovery

Serbian Roman Artifact Vanishes 24 Hours After Discovery

A just recently excavated ancient Serbian Roman artifact, a stone piece covered with etched Latin text, has actually been taken just 24 hours after it was found. The unusual Roman artifact was found on July 10, 2020, throughout roadway building works resulting in the Vinča landfill site.

Side of the stolen Serbian Roman artifact showing the Roman inscription. 

According to a report on Archaeology News Network among the roadway, employees notified the National Museum in Belgrade about the amazing finding, nevertheless, when a museum archaeologist got to the site the next early morning the Serbian Roman artifact had actually disappeared without a trace.

Serbian Roman Artifact and The Lost Life Of A Roman Authorities

The museum archaeologists understood the Serbian Roman artifact belonged to a marble monolith dating to the second-century which one side on the artifact portrayed 2 feet using shoes that belonged to a previous sculpture.

The opposite, nevertheless, was engraved with 15 lines of Latin text explaining in information the life and times of a high-ranking Roman military authority who, according to the National Museum in Belgrade, “led various military detachments against the Dacians and served in three legions.”

The majority of the contemporary state of Serbia belonged to the Roman Empire for about 600 years, from the first century BC up until the arrival of the Slavs in the Balkans throughout the sixth-century.

This ancient monolith might have been a substantial addition to the recognized ancient history of Serbia since it likewise supplied brand-new proof about a war in the location of Singidunum or ancient Belgrade.

Stolen Artifact an Example of Daring, Swift Archaeological Theft

Prior to the stone piece inexplicably vanished the museum personnel had actually notified the landfill management group that due to its size and weight the stone was going to be raised by a crane and thoroughly moved to the National Museum in Belgrade.

A museum representative stated in a news release that historical items found in the area of the Republic of Serbia “belong to the Republic of Serbia by law.” And they likewise stated the “epigraphic monument” had actually been formally taped which an administrative treatment had actually been actioned to recover and restore it.

And this implies that the event is being dealt with as a case of “aggravated theft” and criminal charges have actually been raised versus the unidentified lawbreaker( s).

How in the world, in 2020, can such a logistically complex outdoor criminal activity happen and be successful? I imply it’s not like the artifact was a golden ring or a silver bracelet that a solo lawbreaker might simply conceal in their pocket.

To have actually moved such a large stone, a whole group of males with heavy building devices would have been needed. And this is more than likely precisely what occurred: a criminal gang more than likely settled the best individuals at the site, handled to get the things into a truck, and after that rapidly vanished to offer the stone to the greatest bidder on the dark side.

However as bad as this all noises, it worsens, since this kind of daytime break-in is prevalent in Serbia.

Side of the stolen Serbian Roman artifact showing the sandal-covered feet in the upper right.

Serbia: An Area With Excessive Unguarded Treasure

A 2016 paper ” Historical Break-ins of Antiques in Serbia” released by a group of researchers from the Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade, Serbia, specifies that the area of Serbia is a target for historical crooks since it has actually been house to lots of particular cultures throughout the past: “from European prehistory, Roman civilization, Byzantine and Serbian Medieval art up to the present day.”

What this implies is that Serbia has countless “unguarded” historical sites and middle ages abbeys representing the nation’s “material, cultural and spiritual past.” And with the majority of sites being mainly unguarded, it is not unexpected that criminal gangs tear the landscape apart in Serbia.

However, contributing to the large weight of untouched sites is the issue of simply how important even the tiniest Serbian artifacts can be.

An example of an unlawful historical excavation in Serbia was the discovery of the “Golden Avar Belt Buckle,” which was found with a metal detector at a depth of about 2 meters in the town of Divoš, near Sremska Mitrovica (Sirmium). This single palm-sized things was approximated to be worth “around one million euros.”

Thankfully when it comes to the taken belt buckle,” МUP RS “, the Serbian department for combating the mob, detained the primary criminal and his accomplices, who were all charged with a 3 year suspended sentence for contravening the unlawful trade act, which restricts unapproved historical excavations. Ideally, the just recently taken stone Roman artifact and those who took it will quickly be discovered.

Tourist Damages A Valuable Italian Sculpture And Just Walks Away

Tourist Damages A Valuable Italian Sculpture And Just Walks Away

The Austrian 50-year-old man who broke three toes of a statue in the 19th century while posing for a picture has been identified by the Italian police.

On July 31 in the Hipsoteca Museum in Possagno Northern Italy, the 200-year-old plaster cast model of Antonio Canova’s statue of Paolina Bonaparte was damaged.

The tourist’s name has not been released yet, but surveillance camera footage shows him laying on the statue to pose for a photo. When the man stands up to walk away, it appears he gets rid of the damages, or toes, and walks away.

Antonio Canova self portrait, 1790.

Canova carved the now damaged piece of art from a marble statue that is currently housed in the Borghese Gallery in Rome. The sculptor lived from 1757-1822 and was famous for his marble statues.

Police report the man was with a group of eight Austrian tourists but strayed away from his friends to get a photo of himself “sprawled over the statue.”

Investigators say there could be further damage to the base of the sculpture that the museum experts still have to ascertain, but as of now, only three broken toes from the statue’s right foot are notably damaged.

President of the Antonio Canova Foundation, Vittorio Sgarbi, wrote in a Facebook post that he has asked police for “clarity and rigor.” He wrote that the tourist must not “remain unpunished and return to his homeland. The scarring of a Canova is unacceptable.”

The museum posted about the incident on Facebook, explaining that the room guard noticed the damage and declared an emergency situation immediately.

Image of the damaged Italian sculpture model from the Carabinieri police.

The man responsible for the damage was identified because of coronavirus measures, which required visitors to leave their personal information for eventual contact tracing if an outbreak were tied to the museum.

When police reached out to a woman who signed in on behalf of herself and her husband, the woman burst into tears and admitted her husband was the toe breaker, according to a press release from Treviso Carabinieri.

The husband later confessed and repented for the “stupid move,” as stated in the release. Charges have not been pressed. A court in Treviso is still deciding on legal actions.

This toe-breaker is not the first person to damage a valuable piece of artwork in an attempt to get a selfie. In 2018, a woman knocked over and damaged two artworks in an attempt to get a selfie, one by Francisco Goya and the other by Salvador Dali, at a gallery in Russia.

The Museum recently affected by the Austrian tourist concluded the Facebook post on the matter with the following statement.

“We reiterate that our heritage must be protected: adopting responsible behavior within the Museum while respecting the works and goods preserved in it is not only a civic duty, but a sign of respect for what our history and culture testify and that must be proudly handed down to future generations.”

The thankfully intact marble sculpture of Paolina Bonaparte Borghese as ‘Venus Victrix’ by Antonio Canova, in the Galleria Borghese, Rome.

Archaeologists unearth third-century’ human mountains’

Archaeologists unearth third-century’ human mountains’

It was discovered near Rome when archaeologists found the remains of a man who was considered a giant when he died in the third century A.D.

It’s an unbelievably rare find – because today gigantism affects three in a million people worldwide. The condition begins in childhood when a malfunctioning pituitary gland causes abnormal growth.

Two partial skeletons, one from Poland and another from Egypt, had previously been identified as “probable” cases of gigantism, but the Roman specimen is thought to be the first clear case from the ancient past, study leader Simona Minozzi, a paleopathologist at Italy’s University of Pisa said.

The figure stood at about 6ft 8 inches, classed as a giant in third century A.D when the average height for a man was 5ft 5 inches.

The unusual skeleton was found in 1991 during an excavation at a necropolis in Fidenae (map), a territory indirectly managed by Rome.

At the time, the Archaeological Superintendence of Rome, which led the project, noted that the man’s tomb was abnormally long. It was only during a later anthropological examination, though, that the bones too were found to be unusual. Shortly thereafter, they were sent to Minozzi’s group for further analysis.

The researchers found a ‘human mountain’
The figure has gigantism according to the study

To find out if the skeleton had gigantism, the team examined the bones and found evidence of skull damage consistent with a pituitary tumor, which disrupts the pituitary gland, causing it to overproduce human growth hormone.

Other findings — such as disproportionately long limbs and evidence that the bones were still growing even in early adulthood — support the gigantism diagnosis, according to the study, published on October 2 2012 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

His early demise — likely between the age of 16 and 20 — might also point to gigantism, which is associated with cardiovascular disease and respiratory problems, said Minozzi, who emphasized that the cause of death remains unknown.

A statue of Maximinus Thrax

Charlotte Roberts, an archaeologist at Durham University, said she was “certainly convinced with the diagnosis” of gigantism in 2012, but that she’d like to know more.

She said: “You can’t just study the disease, you have to look at the wider impact of how people functioned in society, and whether they were treated any differently.”

She added that one thing researchers do know is that the second century A.D. emperor Maximinus Thrax was described in the literature as a “human mountain.”

Archaeologists have found other remains that could have been giants

Minozzi noted, though, that imperial Roman high society “developed a pronounced taste for entertainers with evident physical malformations, such as hunchbacks and dwarfs — so we can assume that even a giant generated enough interest and curiosity”.

Roberts also highlighted how the find has been useful in learning about gigantism.

She said: “Normally a doctor will be looking at a patient with a disease over short term span.

“We’ve been able to look at skeletons from archaeological sites that are thousands of years old. You can start to look at trends of how diseases have changed in frequency over time.”

Neolithic “Woodhenge” Discovered in Portugal

Neolithic “Woodhenge” Discovered in Portugal

The 4,500-year-old ring of large ‘ shafts ‘ has been uncovered by archaeologists in the great Durrington Walls and the famous site at Woodhenge, just a few kilometers from Stonehenge, in southern Britain.

The newly-discovered circle is over 2 km in diameter and has been carbon-dated to 2500 BC.

The archaeologists identified up to 20 shafts — which are up to 10 m across and at least 5 m deep — but estimate there may have been more than 30 originally.

The 2-km-wide ring of shafts around the great henge at Durrington Walls and the famous site at Woodhenge.

“The size of the shafts and circuit surrounding Durrington Walls is without precedent within the UK,” said Professor Vince Gaffney, a researcher in the School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences at the University of Bradford.

“It demonstrates the significance of Durrington Walls Henge, the complexity of the monumental structures within the Stonehenge landscape, and the capacity and desire of Neolithic communities to record their cosmological belief systems in ways, and at a scale, that we had never previously anticipated.”

The scientists think the ring of shafts marks a boundary around the massive henge at Durrington. The features, along with an internal post line, could have guided people towards the religious sites and warned others not to cross the boundary.

“It was extraordinary such a major find had been made so close to Stonehenge,” Professor Gaffney said.

“It is amazing that our seamless survey of the Stonehenge landscape, which apply the latest technology and extends over kilometers of the countryside, has revealed major new features including these huge shafts,” said Professor Wolfgang Neubauer, an archaeologist in the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and the Virtual Archaeology/VIAS-Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science at the University of Vienna.

“They are not only clearly visible in the geophysical data sets, but the survey also provides the opportunity to place these features within a wider context comprising the many monuments associated with Stonehenge including the super-henge at Durrington Walls, just 3 km north-east from the iconic stone circle.”

“The Stonehenge landscape stands apart, not only as one of the most important archaeological landscapes in the world but also amongst the best studied,” said Dr. Eamonn Baldwin, an archaeologist at the University of Birmingham.

“To make such a major discovery within such an area is remarkable, and a testament to how archaeologists have begun to integrate technology with traditional research methods including excavation and aerial photographic survey.”

“After centuries of study of the Stonehenge landscape, the discovery of such an incredible new monument is testament to the value of interdisciplinary research,” said Professor Henry Chapman, an archaeologist at the University of Birmingham.

“Our understanding of this outstanding place has been transformed in recent years, and the identification of such a significant and extensive new site highlights that there is always something more to discover.”

“We’re tremendously excited at the prospect of applying ancient sedimentary DNA technology to these mysterious structures to discover their purpose in ancient Britain,” said Professor Robin Allaby, a researcher at the University of Warwick.