Category Archives: EUROPE

EUROPE, ITALY, WORLD

Remains of Ritual Meal Found at Pompeii’s Temple of Isis

Remains of Ritual Meal Found at Pompeii’s Temple of Isis

Remains of Ritual Meal Found at Pompeii’s Temple of Isis
An ancient fresco from Herculaneum, a town near Pompeii, shows prayers to Isis in a temple of the cult, while a priest dressed as the Egyptian god Bes performs a ritual dance. What seem to be two ibises — sacred Egyptian birds — can be seen near the foot of a burner in the temple.

Archaeologists excavating the Temple of Isis in Pompeii have discovered the remains of a ritual banquet where dozens of birds were eaten, possibly to placate the goddess after her temple was downsized.

The find shows the importance of birds to worshippers of Isis, an Egyptian cult that had become established in Roman society by the first century A.D., according to a study published on April 27 in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. 

“The ritual … was likely performed by three priests of Isis in a single day,” possibly to atone for renovations that had made the temple slightly smaller, study first author Chiara Corbino, an archaeologist at Italy’s Institute of Heritage Science, told Live Science in an email. 

Pompeii was a wealthy Roman resort city that was destroyed when Mount Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 79. It was buried beneath a layer of volcanic ash up to 20 feet (6 meters) thick and has been progressively excavated to provide a snapshot of life in the early Roman Empire. 

Corbino said the renovations seem to have been made after an earthquake damaged the temple in A.D. 62, which meant the banquet took place between that time and the eruption in 79.

A wall painting or fresco in the town of Herculaneum, about 10 miles from Pompeii and destroyed in A.D. 79 by the same eruption of Vesuvius, portrays a ceremony in a temple of the cult of Isis, which otherwise would be kept secret from those not initiated into its mysteries. What seems to be two ibises can be seen near the altar.

The excavations revealed the charred remains of at least eight chickens, a goose, a turtle dove, a pig and two clams; part of the meat would be cooked and eaten by the priests, while the rest would have been set out on the floor as an offering to Isis, she said.

Isis — the Greek name for the “great mother” of the ancient Egyptians, known as Aset or Eset — was often portrayed with bird wings, and some archaeologists think she may have once been a bird deity, like the falcon-headed Egyptian god Horus.

The new finding adds more evidence that birds were central to the Isis cult. “This work confirms that bird sacrifice was an important part of the Isis rituals,” the authors wrote in the study.

Cult of Isis

The Isis cult spread from Egypt to Greece and became part of the Roman world by the first century B.C. 

Sabine Deschler-Erb, a historian and archaeologist at the University of Basel in Switzerland who was not involved in the study, said the mobility of soldiers, administrators, and traders in the Roman Empire promoted the spread of Eastern religions such as the Isis cult. 

The cult rituals were secret and not allowed to be written down, so archaeology is the only way of finding out about them, she said. Until now, in the case of the Isis cult, sacrificial remains had been found only in Greece, Spain, and Germany. 

“The study of Pompeii is the first archaeozoological investigation of an Isis sanctuary in Italy,” she said.

The Temple of Isis in Pompeii was discovered in the 18th century. The cult of Isis was originally Egyptian, but it became popular throughout the Roman world. Here we see the ruins of the Temple of Isis mostly destroyed during the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius.

Animal sacrifices

Isabel Köster, a historian at the University of Colorado Boulder who didn’t take part in the study, noted that the finds at Pompeii are similar to the remains of bird sacrifices found at Isis temples in Roman territories, such as the Sanctuary of Isis and Magna Mater in Mainz, Germany. 

However, Jan Bremmer, a historian and professor emeritus at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands who wasn’t involved in the study, said the chickens and geese offered at Pompeii suggest Isis was not an important god in Roman worship at the time. “Those usually received more important animals,” like cattle, he said.

Regardless of their species, sacrificial animals would usually be ceremonially killed while appropriate prayers were recited or sung. The meat was often then charred, and part of it was offered to the god; the rest would typically be cooked and eaten by the priests and whoever had paid for the sacrifice.

Erica Rowan, an archaeologist at Royal Holloway, University of London who wasn’t involved with the study, noted both similarities and differences between the bird offerings at Pompeii and those made to Isis elsewhere. For example, the animal sacrifices to Isis at Mainz and at Delos in Greece were almost completely consumed by fire, rather than leaving significant remains; while the remains of cattle and fish were found with those of birds at the Baelo Claudia site in Spain.

“They are similar enough to show that there was clearly communication between the various congregations or cult members,” she said. 

EUROPE, POLAND, WORLD

A 3,500-year-old bronze dagger found in a Polish forest

A 3,500-year-old bronze dagger found in a Polish forest

A rare Bronze Age dagger has been discovered in a forest near Krasnystaw in southeastern Poland. It is in good condition, with no evidence of wear on the edges. It was cast in a lenticular shape with a rib down the center.

A 3,500-year-old bronze dagger found in a Polish forest

The semi-circular base has three rivets on each side to which a handle would have been fastened. The handle, likely made out of wood, is now lost.

The dagger is believed to date to around 1500 B.C. and is the first of its kind found in the area. In fact, it is one of only a dozen or so known to have been found in all of Poland.

It was not of local manufacture but rather arrived in the region with people who inhabited the Danube area in what are now Hungary, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Slovakia.

It was found by a metal detectorist working with the Wolica historical association under the aegis of the Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments.

They were looking for objects from the World Wars when they came across the dagger in shallow soil just a few centimeters under the surface. They took pictures and recorded the precise location to report the find, but encountered no other archaeological material at the site.

A comparable riveted dagger was discovered near Olsztyn in northern Poland in 2014. It was found in a grave just below the arable surface which, while damaged, was found to contain other valuable goods including a gold hair jewel, bronze wire beads, and glass beads.

The gold and glass were expensive imported items, and the weapon indicates this was the burial of a high-status male.

The grave was classified as one of the Smoszew type, a cemetery characterized by barrows of the Bronze Age Tumulus Culture, ca. 1600-1300 B.C.

Unfortunately, the recently-discovered dagger was not found in its original context, so we don’t know if it was part of the furnishings of a grave.

The dagger is now being analyzed and studied by the Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments.

Archaeologists are exploring the find site for further information about the piece, its age, and how it got there.

EUROPE, SPAIN, WORLD

A 5,400-year-old tomb discovered in Spain perfectly captures the summer solstice

A 5,400-year-old tomb discovered in Spain perfectly captures the summer solstice

Archaeologists found the 5,400-year-old stone tomb in the “neck” area of a prominent mountain that looks from some angles like the head of a sleeping giant.

Archaeologists have discovered a 5,400-year-old megalithic tomb near a prominent lone mountain in southern Spain, suggesting the peak may have been meaningful to prehistoric people there.

The area, in the countryside near the city of Antequera, is renowned for its megaliths — prehistoric monuments made from large stones — and the newly found tomb seems to solve one of the mysteries of their alignment.

The tomb was designed to funnel light from the rising midsummer sun into a chamber deep within — much like the contemporary megalithic tomb built more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) away at Newgrange in Ireland, suggesting both places shared similar beliefs about the afterlife more than 5,000 years ago.

The tomb was constructed about 3400 B.C. with a passage aligned to sunrise on the summer solstice that cast light onto decorative rocks on the walls of a chamber within

“Newgrange is much bigger and more complex than the tomb we have discovered [in Spain], but they have something in common — the interest of the builders to use sunlight at a specific time of the year, to produce a symbolic — possibly magic — effect,” Leonardo García Sanjuán, an archaeologist at the University of Seville, told Live Science. 

The bedrock at the site is tilted away from the position of the sunrise on the solstice at midsummer, so the builders deliberately constructed a cavity to admit its light, according to a study by García Sanjuán and his colleagues published April 14 in the journal Antiquity.

“They worked very cleverly to make an arrangement of stones, which were engraved and possibly painted,” he said. “These were sacred things placed so that the sunrise on the [summer] solstice would go straight into the back of the chamber.”

Megalithic tomb

A 5,400-year-old tomb discovered in Spain perfectly captures the summer solstice
The archaeologists found human remains in the tomb from several different burials, held there in three major phases for over 1,000 years

The new study describes excavations by García Sanjuán and his team beside a prominent limestone mountain known as La Peña de los Enamorados — the Rock of the Lovers — named after a  legend that says two star-crossed lovers once killed themselves by jumping off it.

The mountain is also famous because it looks like the profile of the head of a sleeping giant, especially at times of low light such as sunrise and sunset.

García Sanjuán and his colleagues excavated the tomb in late 2020 in the “neck” region of the mountain, near the Matacabras rock shelter, which is adorned with pictographs thought to be painted about 5,800 years ago.

They think the tomb was first built a few hundred years after the rock paintings were made, and that it was used for burials for more than 1,000 years.

The archaeologists also found stone tools and pieces of pottery in the tomb. They are particularly interested in any residues on the pottery, which could show what they held as grave goods.

The archaeologists have found several deposits of human remains in the newfound tomb, dating from three major phases of its use, as well as pieces of pottery.

Ancient landscape

The tomb was found beside the prominent mountain known as La Peña de los Enamorados — the Rock of the Lovers — because legends say two star-crossed lovers once killed themselves by jumping off it.

The Antequera area is famed for its natural rock formations like La Peña and the megalithic monuments in the region, which may have been influenced by the local geography. The most famous is the Dolmen of Menga — one of the largest and oldest megalithic structures in Europe, which was built between 3800 B.C. and 3600 B.C. 

But the passage in Menga is not aligned to a solstice sunrise or sunset, as might be expected — instead, Menga points toward La Peña de los Enamorados, about 4 miles (6.5 km) to the northeast. (The other two megaliths in the region were built later and seem to point elsewhere.)

The alignment suggests La Peña was an important focus for local prehistoric people and solves a mystery of where Menga was pointing: to the location of both the rock art and the newly found tomb at  La Peña, while the tomb at La Peña itself pointed to the solstice sunrise, García Sanjuán said.  

The inner chamber of the newfound tomb is decorated with a distinctive stone with ripple marks on its surface, which was taken from a region that had once been a beach or part of the seabed.

A passage in the tomb is aligned with the rising sun on the day of the summer solstice. Similar alignments have been seen at megalithic tombs elsewhere in Europe.

The stone was placed so that the light from the rising midsummer sun fell upon it; the part of the burial chamber in front of it seems to have been kept clear of human remains, García Sanjuán said.

“These people chose this stone precisely because it created these waving, undulating shapes,” he said. “This was very theatrical… they were very clever in producing these special visual effects.”

He noted that megalithic structures have been found from Morocco to Sweden and that the people who built them seem to have had similar beliefs. 

“There are differences as well, but one common element is the sun,” García  Sanjuán said. “The sun was at the center of the worldview of these people.”

EUROPE, GERMANY, WORLD

2,300-Year-Old Celtic Tomb Discovered in Germany

2,300-Year-Old Celtic Tomb Discovered in Germany

2,300-Year-Old Celtic Tomb Discovered in Germany
A pair of scissors, a razor, and a folded sword were some of the grave goods found at a Celtic cremation tomb in Germany.

Archaeologists in Germany have unearthed a stash of grave goods — including a folded sword that may have been used in battle and an “exceptionally good” pair of scissors — inside a 2,300-year-old Celtic cremation tomb. 

Based on the variety of the artifacts, which also include a portion of a shield, a razor, a fibula (clasp), a belt chain, and a spearhead, researchers think that a man and a woman were buried there.

Between the third century B.C. and second century B.C. the Celts — who lived in mainland Europe — burned their dead and buried their remains in pits alongside their belongings, according to a translated statement.

An excavation team searching for explosive devices leftover from World War II discovered the items by chance, according to the statement.

The burial is a remarkable find, however, one grave good caught the attention of researchers: the pair of left-handed scissors.

“The scissors in particular are in exceptionally good condition,” Martina Pauli, an archaeologist with the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments in Munich, told Live Science in an email. “One would almost be tempted to cut with it.

The scissors were used — as they are today — for cutting, but could also be used in the craft sector, for example in leather processing or sheep shearing.”

While the nearly 5-inch-long (12 centimeters) shears were likely used for day-to-day tasks, Pauli thinks that the weaponry, including the folded sword, was “most likely used in battle.” It is “quite typical” to find Celtic swords folded in graves in this fashion, she added. 

Prior to the burial, the sword “was heated, folded and thus rendered unusable” and would have measured 30 inches (76 cm) in length, according to the statement.

“There are different interpretations [that] range from a very profane point of view, namely that the sword simply had [a] better place in the grave, to a cultic interpretation,” Pauli said.

“There could be a variety of motivations for permanent disabling: prevention of grave robbers, fear of revenants [bodies rising from the dead], and the like.”

Pauli added, “The burial objects indicate socially superior people to whom these heavy metal finds were added. The men’s burial could be that of a warrior, as indicated by the weapons.

The belt chain from the woman’s grave served as a belt that held together and adorned the robe, perhaps a dress, at the hips. The singular fibula from the woman’s grave was also used to fasten a coat together on the shoulder.”

The items were recovered and brought to the state office for monument protection for safekeeping.

EUROPE, POLAND, WORLD

A papal bull discovered in a former cemetery dated to the 14th century

A papal bull discovered in a former cemetery dated to the 14th century

A papal bull discovered in a former cemetery dated to the 14th century

A medieval bull found in 2021 in Budzistów village (Kołobrzeg district), Poland has been restored and placed on display in the Museum of Arms in Kołobrzeg.

Found by the PARSĘTA Exploration & Search Group two years back, the decree was uncovered in the area of the former cemetery in Budzistowo.

“This is the most valuable find we have made in our six years of existence,” said Jan Orliński from the PARSĘTA Exploration and Search Group.

Continuing, Orliński added: “I’ve always been interested in papal bulls and I was intrigued as to why there was nothing like that in Kołobrzeg… When I saw what I had found, I was really excited.”

The group immediately recognized what it was and handed it over to the Museum of Arms in Koobrzeg, with whom they had been working for several years. It was then transported to a specialist workshop in Kraków for a meticulous conservation process.

Dating from the 14th century, the papal bull was found in 2021 in a former cemetery by the PARSĘTA Exploration & Search Group.

It was during this that scientists determined that it dated from the reign of Pope Boniface IX (1350-1404).

Dr. Robert Dziemba, the head of the Kołobrzeg History Department, said: “By studying the physio-chemical compositions of the bull, we were able to find it was original.

The most important thing for us was the reverse as it contained information as to which Pope issued the decree. Because of this, we now know that it was issued by Pope Boniface IX.”

Dziemba added: “Even the most interesting artifacts take on a different meaning when they are placed in the right historical context. We knew we had made a great discovery, but we wanted to establish its links to Kołobrzeg.”

According to historians, the bull was possibly kept in the Budzistowo monastery. Chemical compounds used in its manufacture, which were mostly pure lead, were traced to Sardinia, Cyprus, Greece, and Spain.

The bull also features the images of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

The bull’s potential connections to the former monastery in Budzistowo, though, have piqued researchers’ interest. It was Johann Friederich Wachsen who noted that Pope Boniface IX granted a letter of indulgence to the resident Benedictine nuns in 1397, according to the chronicles he wrote in the 18th century.

Usually attached by silk strings, papal bulls were hung on parchment and scrolls on which papal edicts, privileges, and indulgences were written as a means of authentication. Also featuring images of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Dziemba speculates that this particular papal bull may have been lost in the 16th century.

EUROPE, TURKEY, WORLD

Archaeologists in Turkey have discovered an unusual mosaic. It depicts a mythological hero from Troy

Archaeologists in Turkey have discovered an unusual mosaic. It depicts a mythological hero from Troy

Archaeologists in Turkey have discovered an unusual mosaic. It depicts a mythological hero from Troy

A large mosaic depicting the legendary Trojan hero Aeneas, the protagonist of Virgil’s epic poem “The Aeneid” and the ancestor of the Roman people, has been unearthed in the southern Turkish city of Osmaniye.

The mosaic was discovered during a foundation excavation of a construction site revealing the remains of a Roman villa.

There is no other example of this mosaic in the world, according to the experts. The mosaic area is thought to have been built in the first and second centuries A.D. to adorn the floor of a villa from that time period.

Cezmi Yurtsever, a historian and an author, described the Aeneas mosaic as “unique in the world.”

“In 2015, it was announced that historical artifacts and mosaics were found on the floor of a building in the center of Kadirli district. Then many archaeologists came here and carried out excavations in the area.

During these excavations, mosaic scenes were found on the floor of the building. In one scene, a warrior was riding a horse holding a spear, and there was a woman depiction with the inscription of Dido, the reputed founder of Carthage, who was going on a lion hunt with the warrior.

The name of this warrior is Aeneas, a great Trojan hero. He was an important figure after Hector, the prince of Troy,” he said.

Yurtsever also noted that the scene depicting Aeneas fighting with Leon was discovered in the same area.

“This place was the ancient Flaviapolis city built during the Roman era and according to our determinations, this mosaic was made in the A.D. 3rd century. For this, after the Trojan War, about 1,500 years ago, the discovery of a mosaic in the ancient Flaviapolis city during the Roman period depicting a hero of the Trojan War is a peerless discovery for archeology and history.”

Aeneas is a legendary Trojan hero in Greek and Roman mythology. According to legend, Aeneas was a Trojan prince and a son of the goddess Aphrodite (Venus in Roman mythology).

During the Trojan War, Aeneas fought on the side of the Trojans and was one of the few Trojan warriors to survive the fall of Troy. After the war, he led a group of Trojan on a long journey, eventually landing in Italy where he founded the city of Lavinium.

Aeneas is best known as the protagonist of Virgil’s epic poem, the Aeneid, which tells the story of his journey and the founding of Rome.

EUROPE, TURKEY, WORLD

1,500-year-old secret underground passage uncovered in Istanbul

1,500-year-old secret underground passage uncovered in Istanbul

1,500-year-old secret underground passage uncovered in Istanbul

During the ongoing excavations in the ruins of Saint Polyeuktos Church in Istanbul’s Saraçhane neighborhood, which was destroyed during the Latin invasion, a 1,500-year-old underground passage has been discovered.

A previously unknown underground passage about 20 meters (65 feet) from the nearby Haşim Işçan Passage was discovered.

The carved marble blocks and reliefs in the underground passage, which contains mosaics and stone inlays, have impressed researchers.

Mahir Polat, Deputy Secretary-General of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB), stated that the structure is an excellent example of the city’s architecture that has withstood the test of time and the wrath of earthquakes.

“What is one of the most important aspects of this discovery of a 1,500-year-old passage? Dozens of tremors have passed in these 1,500 years in Istanbul, which is currently struggling with earthquake risk.

This structure has managed to survive all these earthquakes. Türkiye should learn the secret and have knowledge of this,” Polat explained.

The 1,500-year-old underground tunnels discovered in Istanbul, Türkiye. Photo: DHA Photo

Polat pointed out that the main structure of St. Polyeuktos was destroyed, but its infrastructure remains intact.

“The earthquake memory of the city is also here. If you want to see Istanbul’s earthquake memory, what happened in the Fatih district is a good example,” he added.

Reminding that civil engineers and scientific consultants who specialize in earthquakes also assisted in the municipality’s excavation works, Polat stated that the experts would also share a report documenting the earthquakes the area witnessed in the past.

“The mortar with a mixture known as Horasan mortar from the period.

We know it is important in terms of the technology of that period.

We also examined the surface samples of the structure, such as stone, plaster, and possible gypsum, in the laboratory to determine their composition and archaeometry,” Polat added.

During the excavation works in the area, apart from the statue, the teams also found 681 bronze coins, stamped bricks, marble pieces, ceramics, oil lamps, glass, and metal artifacts.

ENGLAND, EUROPE, WORLD

Roman Incense Container Unearthed in Northern England

Roman Incense Container Unearthed in Northern England

Roman Incense Container Unearthed in Northern England

Archaeologists working on a Cockermouth site uncovered some “particularly spectacular finds” in the final days of their nine-week project.

The nine-strong team of experts has been working in riverside fields off Low Road and behind the Lakes Home Centre.

The Ecus team, from Barnard Castle, was called in by landowner Bob Slack who is keen to put some flood defences in the area.

In the first few weeks they discovered evidence of a Roman foundry, marching camp and small village, said Mr Slack.

They later discovered a bust, steelyard weight, coins, pottery and also the foundations of a building and flagged floors.

In the final week, they came across a copper-alloy incense container, which Ecus project officer Julie Shoemark described as “an exceptionally rare find”.

“The site has produced a wealth of information about the Roman inhabitants of the vicus and last week revealed some particularly spectacular finds,” she said.

“Firstly, we have a highly polished tiny stone figurine which has unfortunately not survived intact. What remains depicts a naked male rendered in typically ‘Romano-British’ style with simply carved large almond eyes and a distinctive spiked hairstyle.

“Secondly, a stone sculpture of a seated female figure was recovered from a rubble deposit. She has unfortunately lost her head, however, enough remains to tell us who she is.

“She wears a pattered mantle and carries a patera (a shallow bowl used for libations) in her right hand and a cornucopia containing an ear of wheat in her left. These attributes identify her as the goddess Fortuna, the goddess of luck, but also closely associated with the harvest in agricultural communities.”

The most striking find was a copper-alloy balsamarium (incense container).

“This is an exceptionally rare find, being one of only a handful excavated in Britain to date,” said Ms Shoemark.

“It is in the form of a bust of the youthful Bacchus, the god of wine, although the features appear to have been modelled after depictions of Antinous, the lover of Emperor Hadrian.

“In addition to being exceptionally rare, this artefact is in superb condition, missing only the lid which would have sat atop the head.”

The only other example of a balsamarium of similar design was recovered from the River Eden, Carlisle and is on display at Tullie House.

Landowner Bob Slack and archaeologist Eddie Dougherty on the site

Bacchus is most widely known as the god of winemaking but is also associated with agriculture, particularly orchards, and fertility.

“We previously had an exquisite steelyard weight depicting Silenus, the satyr companion of Bacchus, so we now have a nice group of finds carrying the running theme of agriculture and fertility, which would have been central to the lives of this community,” said Ms Shoemark.

“Together these and the other artefacts from the excavation are allowing us to build a picture of the history of the site and its inhabitants.

“We look forward to sharing the full results following specialist research and assessment of the assemblage in due course.”

The land, which will be covered with soil and reseeded, is in a flood zone so cannot be developed. Mr Slack has planning permission for 27 homes adjacent to the Lovells development on Low Road.