The GenArchivist Forum

Continuing the thread begun by leonardo on the original GenArchivist.


Archaeologists Find Hidden Rooms in Pyramid of Egyptian Pharaoh Sahure


The pyramid of Sahure at Abusir, Egypt.


Sahure, also known as Sahura, was the second ruler of ancient Egypt’s Fifth Dynasty (c. 2465 – c. 2325 BCE).

The pyramid complex of Sahure was built in the 26th to 25th century BCE for the Egyptian pharaoh Sahure.

It introduced a period of pyramid building by Sahure’s successors at Abusir, on a location earlier used by Userkaf, founder of the Fifth Dynasty, for his Sun temple.

The pyramid of Sahure was first investigated by the British egyptologist John Perring, who was the only one who was able to break off and clean the entrance as well as the descending access passage.

The burial chamber was very badly damaged by the stonecutters, and it is not even clear if it was comprised of one or two rooms.

Perring found a single fragment of basalt, thinking that it belonged to the king’s sarcophagus.

Interestingly, in the northeastern part of the eastern wall of the burial chamber, Perring discovered a low passageway.

He suggested that this could lead to a magazine area, however, the corridor was full of rubble or waste and he did not attempt to enter it.

Due to the bad state of preservation in the interior compartment of the pyramid, precise reconstruction of the substructure’s plan was impossible.

“The conservation and restoration project inside Sahure’s pyramid, initiated in 2019 and supported by the Antiquities Endowment Fund (AEF) of the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE), aimed to safeguard the substructure of Sahure’s pyramid,” said Julius-Maximilians-Universität of Würzburg egyptologist Mohamed Ismail Khaled and his colleagues.

“Our efforts focused on cleaning the interior rooms, stabilizing the pyramid from inside, and preventing further collapse.”

“In the process, we succeeded in securing the pyramid’s burial chambers, which had previously been inaccessible.”


One of the newly-discovered storage rooms in the pyramid of Sahure at Abusir, Egypt. Image credit: Mohamed Khaled / Julius-Maximilians-Universität of Würzburg.


During the restoration work, they identified the original dimensions and were able to uncover the floor plan of the antechamber, which had deteriorated over time. Consequently, the destroyed walls were replaced with new retaining walls.

“The eastern wall of the antechamber was badly damaged, and only the northeast corner and about 30 cm of the eastern wall were still visible,” the archaeologists said.

“Traces of a low passageway that Perring had already noticed during an excavation in 1836 continued to be excavated.”

“Perring had mentioned that this passage had been full of debris and rubbish and had been impassable due to decay.”

“He suspected that it might have led to storage rooms. However, during further exploration of the pyramid by Ludwig Borchardt in 1907, these assumptions were called into question — other experts joined his opinion.”

“All the more surprising was our discovery of the traces of a passage. Thereby proving that the observations made during Perring’s exploration were correct,” they said.

“The work was continued, and the passage was uncovered. Thus, eight storerooms have been discovered so far.”

“Although the northern and southern parts of these magazines, especially the ceiling and the original floor, are badly damaged, remnants of the original walls and parts of the floor can still be seen.”


Link:
https://www.sci.news/archaeology/egyptia...12307.html

Not an archeological find, but an interesting perspective on life in medieval cities.

Traffic Problems in the Medieval City
Summary: The medieval city was seen as a crowded, bustling place, with people, horses, carts and wagons all moving around. Just as in our modern city, this would all lead to inevitable traffic problems.

https://www.medievalists.net/2023/09/tra...-medieval/

New study reveals a long history of violence in ancient hunter-gatherer societies.
Violence was a consistent part of life among ancient communities of hunter-gatherers, according to a new study co-authored by a Tulane University researcher that looked for signs of trauma on 10,000-year-old skeletal remains from burial sites in northern Chile.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20...154500.htm

Mysterious and Life-size camel carvings have been found in Saudi Arabian desert


Archaeologists have found life-size camel carvings on a rock near the southern border of Saudi Arabia’s Nafud desert.


The Neolithic period of northern Arabia is known in part from the monumental stone structures and accompanying cave art, as well as the remains of hearths indicating temporary settlement. But there is much we do not know about the character and timing of settlement before the spread of animal pastoralism (c. 6000 BC).

Researchers have recently discovered new, enigmatic carvings that shed light on this ancient history.

Five panels totaling nine large life-size specimens have so far been identified. The camels have frequently had other camels carved over them or had their features and proportions improved, which suggests the site was used and visited for a very long time.

The monumental artwork portrays a dozen life-size wild camels, a now-extinct species that once roamed this swath of the Arabian Peninsula desert thousands of years ago but has never received a scientific name.

The art is pretty detailed, showing predominantly male camels complete with thicker winter fur that had not been molted. These details alone suggest the art may have been created during the animal’s rutting season (between November and March).



The mysterious camel carvings in the Saudi Arabian desert were likely created thousands of years ago. Virtual white lines are drawn over the carvings to enhance them for viewers. Image credit: Maria Guagnin, et al
This is the first time anyone has noticed the camel carvings on the outcropping, even though the site, known as Sahout, had been recognized by other archaeologists for some time.

“We learned about the site from another paper — but the panel was difficult to find because its location wasn’t precise, and this isn’t an easy landscape [to navigate],” study lead author Maria Guagnin, a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology in Germany, told Live Science.

According to radiocarbon dating analysis of the two trenches and two ancient hearths found nearby, the Sahout site was repeatedly visited during what is called the late Pleistocene period (2.6 million to around 11,700 years ago) and the Middle Holocene (7,000 to 5,000 years ago).


Link:
https://arkeonews.net/mysterious-and-lif...an-desert/

Oldest known shoes in Europe found in haul from former bat cave in Spain

The grass-woven sandals were first retrieved along with various tools and artefacts by 19th-century miners.

https://www.euronews.com/culture/2023/09...e-in-spain

Well preserved 4000 year old grave found in Western Norway.

4000 year old grave

Looks like they are going to DNA test the bones to get more information about the person buried.

Discovery at Stonehenge Challenges Century-Old Theory on Altar Stone Origin

While much has been speculated and discovered about the origins of its iconic stones, the Altar Stone, a unique recumbent rock within this prehistoric monument, has now taken center stage, with long-held beliefs about its origins being challenged. Recent findings suggest its origin may lie far from previously assumed locations.

https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-his...ne-0019469

Study shows prehistoric people occupied upland regions of inland Spain in even the coldest periods of the last Ice Age

Paleolithic human populations survived even in the coldest and driest upland parts of Spain, according to a study published October 4, 2023 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Manuel Alcaraz-Castaño of the University of Alcalá, Spain, Javier Aragoncillo-del Rió of the Molina-Alto Tajo UNESCO Global Geopark, Spain and colleagues.

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-prehistori...egions.amp

'Exceptional' 1,800-year-old sarcophagus unearthed in France held woman of 'special status'
Archaeologists excavating an ancient necropolis have unearthed a Roman-era sarcophagus containing the remains of a second-century woman, who was buried with oil lamps and accessories.

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/...ial-status

2nd-century Alexander the Great statue with lion's-mane hairstyle unearthed in Turkey
By Tom Metcalfe

The discovery shows the popularity of the ancient ruler hundreds of years after his death


Experts say the marble head has many distinctive features from a statue of Alexander the Great, including a hairstyle meant to look like a lion's mane and upward-looking eyes. (Image credit: Düzce Municipality)


The head of a marble statue of Alexander the Great unearthed in Turkey shows the enduring popularity of the ancient ruler hundreds of years after his death, experts say.

The object was found amid the ruins of the upper levels of a Roman-era theater at Konuralp, north of Düzce and near Turkey's northwest coast, and is thought to date to the second century. Alexander the Great died in 323 B.C, so the statue may have been made more than 400 years after his death.

The remains of other marble statues, including heads of the Greek god Apollo and the mythical monster Medusa, have also been found in the ruins of the theater, the Düzce Municipality wrote in a statement in Turkish.


For the rest, see:
https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/...-in-turkey

Metal detectorist finds giant brooch that could have royal origins

A mysterious piece of early medieval jewellery found by metal detectorists in Somerset could have royal origins, experts believe.


http://archaeology-in-europe.blogspot.co...4435877297

Debate settled? Oldest human footprints in North America really are 23,000 years old, study finds.

Scientists have used several methods to show that human footprints found in White Sands National Park are around 23,000 years old.


https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/...tudy-finds

Archaeologists Found an Entirely New Language Among the Ruins of an Ancient Empire

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science...nt-empire/

1900-year-old Child’s Nightgown with intriguing knots found in the Cave of Letters in the Judean Desert

https://arkeonews.net/1900-year-old-chil...an-desert/