Archaeology in the News

[miquirumba]

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajpa.24909
Death in the high mountains: Evidence of interpersonal violence during Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age at Roc de les Orenetes (Eastern Pyrenees, Spain)
Miguel Ángel Moreno-Ibáñez, Palmira Saladié, Iván Ramírez-Pedraza, Celia Díez-Canseco, Juan Luis Fernández-Marchena, Eni Soriano, Eudald Carbonell, Carlos Tornero
First published: 28 February 2024
https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.24909

[NewEnglander]

High tides expose stone 'graves' at cliff collapse

"Two stone-lined structures thought to be graves, have been discovered after a section of cliffs collapsed in high tides. Police were called to Foxton beach, near Alnmouth, in Northumberland, on Saturday after they were spotted by a dog walker. Archaeologist Dr Jane Harrison said the structures were likely to be cist graves - box-like, stone coffins - which could be dated back from the Bronze Age, Viking or Medieval era. Northumberland County Council said it was liaising with local archaeologists about the finds to decide on "the best way forward[.]""

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1dvxzxg1xpo

[JonikW]

Can't see an ideal place to post this. It's an interesting and short popular article on genetic inheritance by two of the people involved in the 2022 Erfurt Ashkenazi study:

DNA says you’re related to a Viking, a medieval German Jew or a 1700s enslaved African? What a genetic match really means

There's nothing revolutionary here but there are some interesting snippets along the way ("you have only about 2,000 genetic ancestors from the 12th century") and one very striking red chart to illustrate inheritance through 15 generations.

[JMcB]

Archaeologists Find ‘Remarkable’ Roman Villa Full of Coins, Jewelry and ‘Curse Tablets’
Discovered at a housing development in England, the complex’s buildings may be nearly 2,000 years old

Sonja Anderson

Daily Correspondent
April 1, 2024



The lead scrolls found onsite resemble Roman "curse tablets," used to write messages to higher powers. Red River Archaeology Group



Archaeologists have uncovered a “richly decorated” Roman villa complex during excavations in the English countryside. The site contained strange artifacts—such as miniature axes and scrolls—that may have once been used in rituals.

Located in the village of Grove, some 60 miles west of London, the area had been occupied since the Bronze Age, according to a statement from the Red River Archaeology Group (RRAG), which organized the dig.

The newly discovered complex wasn’t built until Britain’s Roman era: It included several “hall-like ‘aisle buildings,’” which date to the late first and second centuries C.E., as well as a “winged-corridor” villa.

“The sheer size of the buildings that still survive and the richness of goods recovered suggest this was a dominant feature in the locality, if not the wider landscape,” says Louis Stafford, a senior project manager at RRAG, in the statement.


[…]


The excavations also revealed a trove of artifacts, including brooches, rings, coins, tableware and a belt buckle decorated with horses. Researchers think the belt buckle, which dates to between 350 and 450 C.E., may have belonged to a member of the Roman elite, per the statement. The artifacts suggest that Romans occupied the area through the fourth or fifth century C.E.




For the rest of the article, see:


https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-new...180984063/

[JMcB]

Pompeii: Breathtaking new paintings found at ancient city


By Jonathan Amos, Rebecca Morelle and Alison Francis,

BBC Science News in Pompeii, southern Italy




The frescos depict Greek mythology: Paris kidnaps Helen which triggers the Trojan War



Stunning artworks have been uncovered in a new excavation at Pompeii, the ancient Roman city buried in an eruption from Mount Vesuvius in AD79.

Archaeologists say the frescos are among the finest to be found in the ruins of the ancient site.

Mythical Greek figures such as Helen of Troy are depicted on the high black walls of a large banqueting hall.

The room's near-complete mosaic floor incorporates more than a million individual white tiles.

A third of the lost city has still to be cleared of volcanic debris. The current dig, the biggest in a generation, is underlining Pompeii's position as the world's premier window on the people and culture of the Roman empire.

Park director Dr Gabriel Zuchtriegel presented the "black room" exclusively to the BBC on Thursday.

It was likely the walls' stark colour was chosen to hide the smoke deposits from lamps used during entertaining after sunset.

"In the shimmering light, the paintings would have almost come to life," he said.

Two set-piece frescos dominate.

In one, the god Apollo is seen trying to seduce the priestess Cassandra. Her rejection of him, according to legend, resulted in her prophecies being ignored.

The tragic consequence is told in the second painting, in which Prince Paris meets the beautiful Helen - a union Cassandra knows will doom them all in the resulting Trojan War.


The god Apollo is depicted on one of the frescos trying to seduce the Trojan priestess Cassandra



For the rest of the article and a video discussing the owner of the place, see:

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-68777741

[JonikW]

Rare lunar event to shed light on Stonehenge’s links to the moon

"The rising and setting of the sun at Stonehenge, especially during the summer and winter solstices, continues to evoke joy, fascination and religious devotion.

"Now a project has been launched to delve into the lesser understood links that may exist between the monument and the moon during a rare lunar event.

"A “major lunar standstill”, which takes place once every 18.6 years, when moonrise and moonset reach their farthest apart points along the horizon, will take place in January 2025..."

Guardian article from today here.

[JMcB]

Leeds: Roman coffin unearthed at Garforth to be displayed for the first time


By Emily Johnson,BBC News



The coffin contained the remains of a woman aged between 25 and 35 and the partial remains of a child



An ancient Roman coffin is set to be unveiled to the public for the first time, after it was discovered in West Yorkshire in 2022.

The lead coffin had laid buried in a field at Garforth, near Leeds, for more than 1,600 years and contained the remains of a high-status woman.

Analysis later revealed it also contained the partial remains of a child.
The coffin will go on display at Leeds City Museum from 3 May.

West Yorkshire Archaeological Services unearthed the burial ground two years ago, finding the remains of more than 60 men, women and children.


The excavation uncovered the warped coffin, which contained the remains of a woman who was aged between 25 and 35.

She was buried wearing a bracelet, glass bead necklace and a finger ring or earring and is believed to have been of high status and was perhaps a Roman aristocrat.

Carbon dating showed that the partial remains of a child, found in the coffin with her, were buried around the same time, which archaeologists said raised questions about late Roman burial practices in Britain.

The coffin and its lid are currently being conserved and stabilised for display at Leeds City Museum, as part of the new exhibition Living with Death.


For the rest of the article, see:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-68796849

[JMcB]

2500-Years-Old Greek-Illyrian Helmet Discovered in Croatia

By Tasos Kokkinidis
April 17, 2024



The immaculately well-preserved Greco-Illyrian helmet. Credit: Dolenjski Museum



Archaeologists discovered a Greek-Illyrian helmet dating 2,500 years in very good condition on Croatia’s Pelješac peninsula.

The same team that found the Greek-Ilyrian helmet in 2020, in the same place, has found the next helmet, which according to the first analysis is older than the one found earlier.

The previous example most likely belonged to a member of the warrior elite who was interred there because it was discovered in a grave with pieces of iron weapons.

Archaeologists think the recently discovered helmet may have been a votive deposit because it was discovered in a dry stone-walled addition to a grave.


[…]

Both of the helmets found are of different types and dates: The helmet discovered in 2020 was of a type commonly used in Greece and Illyria in the 4th century BC. It was an open-faced helmet with a rectangular cross-section for the face and decorative edges.

The newly found helmet is thought to date from the 6th century BC and is extremely rare. Finding two different Greek-Illyrian helmets at one site is unprecedented.


For the rest of the article, which includes a video of them lifting the helmet from it’s resting place, see:


https://greekreporter.com/2024/04/17/250...d-croatia/

[JMcB]

Excavations uncover Aegean bronze mirror at Hal Sultan Tekke
Archaeologists have uncovered an Aegean bronze mirror during excavations at Hal Sultan Tekke, Cyprus.

Hal Sultan Tekke is a Late Bronze Age harbour city and cemetery on the south-eastern coast of Cyprus.


By: Mark Milligan
April 18, 2024



Header Image Credit : Wiley


The cemetery covers an area of several hectares, in which subsequent excavations have uncovered tombs with associated pits and wells, but no architectural remains.

Archaeologists have recently excavated three tombs within an undisturbed chamber tomb where 264 complete objects have been recovered from Mycenaean, Minoan, Canaanite, Egyptian, and Levantine cultures.

The objects include everyday items such as jars, beads, bowls, vases, chalices, cups, in addition to funerary or votive offerings such as knives, daggers, a spear head, bracelets, rings and decorated discs.

The most notable discovery is a rare copper alloy mirror disc, which according to the researchers likely originates from the Aegean, in particular Crete.


For the rest of the article, see:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2024/04/ex...kke/151591

[Radko]

‘Princely grave’ filled with luxury artifacts reveals ‘elite’ Roman customs in Poland



The Goths, a group of Germanic tribes, were famed for being fierce adversaries of the Roman Empire. Detailed accounts of their “barbaric” conquests — and their infamous sacking of Rome in 410 A.D. — can be found throughout historical texts.

However, little has been passed down about their social structure, leaving numerous questions for modern-day researchers. How did they organize themselves? Was their society just as stratified as the Romans?

The recent discovery of a well-preserved Gothic grave in Poland sheds light on these questions and provides evidence for the presence of an “elite” group of rulers, according to a study published in April in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences.

The burial site was found in Czarnówko, a village in the far north of Poland, in 2021. It was linked to the Wielbark culture, a Gothic society that dwelled in modern-day Poland between the first and fifth centuries A.D.

The grave, known as feature 1927, constituted a sandy pit, at the bottom of which an urn was found.

Upon being examined in a laboratory, the vessel was revealed to contain “very well preserved” cremated human remains.

Also discovered were a trove of funerary artifacts, including a golden pendant, a silver-plated shell pendant, a pair of silver bracelets and a glass vessel of Roman origin, researchers said. Animal bones, too, were found, indicating an animal carcass was placed on the funeral pyre.

Analyses of the “princely grave” indicate the deceased individual was a woman who belonged to the upper stratum of society.

She appears to have been born in Pomerania, a historic region of northern Poland, where she likely lived into late adulthood.

Her elevated status — possibly achieved through inheritance — is of “particular interest” as the Wielbark culture is believed to have been patriarchal.

“The findings also coincide with current knowledge about the kinship structure of Germanic communities, in which social rank was passed down through generations,” researchers said.

The charred bones also indicate the woman lived a lengthy and healthy life, free from malnutrition or infectious diseases — a rarity at the time.

“Her longevity might have been somehow promoted by a high social status, which possibly included a more balanced diet, regular hygiene and lack of stress related to physical work – amenities often inaccessible to most people living in ancient times,” researchers said.

This apparent stratification within society may have been influenced by the Romans, who were strictly divided by class, researchers said, noting that further studies should be conducted.

https://www.aol.com/princely-grave-fille...32748.html

[Alain]

The Equestrian Prince of Bayerbach and his special drinking cup

https://www.br.de/nachrichten/bayern/der...er,UANGzZg

[lg16]

Archaeologists uncover 850-year-old treasure in ancient grave: 'Sensational find'
[/url]
[url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/archaeologists-uncover-850-year-old-treasure-in-ancient-grave-sensational-find/ar-AA1ntOVX]Archaeologists uncover 850-year-old treasure in ancient grave: 'Sensational find' (msn.com)

[JMcB]

Jerusalem in King David's Time Was Much Larger Than Previously Thought, Researchers Say

First large-scale radiocarbon study of Jerusalem casts doubt on the paradigm that David's capital was a small village. It already extended over a vast area more than 3,000 years ago


Remains of the Iron Age wall in the City of David in one of the areas samples by the radiocarbon study.Credit: Ariel David


In the age-old debate about how much of the Bible is a true story, size matters. Was there really a grand United Monarchy of the ancient Israelites under David and Solomon as the Bible relates? Was Jerusalem truly built by Solomon into the magnificent capital of an empire, or was it a tiny backwater?

A first-of-its-kind radiocarbon study of Jerusalem in the First Temple Period is now offering new insight into the city's history in biblical times. On one hand it brings tantalizing clues that the city was already an important urban center in David and Solomon's time and not an insignificant village, as scholars more skeptical of biblical historicity have long maintained .

On the other hand, the new radiocarbon data contradict the biblical text on who exactly built what and when in Jerusalem during the First Temple Period.

The study, published Monday in PNAS, is the first large-scale project to reconstruct the city's distant past through radiocarbon dating. It is being hailed as a breakthrough in the field because scientists managed to extract reliable data for a period in which radiocarbon dating is notoriously unreliable. Despite this, it is unlikely that the study will put an end to the complex debates on how much history the Bible contains, particularly when it comes to the stories about the fabulous kingdom of David and Solomon.

The Israelite entities

Extra-biblical texts and archaeological evidence tell us that in the Iron Age, which roughly coincides with the First Temple Period, two separate Israelite entities developed in the Levant.


The larger and more powerful one was the Kingdom of Israel, centered on the modern-day Galilee and the northern West Bank, with its capital in Samaria. Israel's smaller neighbor was the Kingdom of Judah to the south, with its capital in Jerusalem.

But no clear-cut textual or archaeological evidence has so far confirmed the biblical claim that these two kingdoms were once joined in a vast United Monarchy under David and Solomon, who would have ruled sometime in the 11th-10th centuries B.C.E.

Many scholars have thus concluded that, even if David and Solomon did exist, they were little more than local chieftains, ruling over the nascent Kingdom of Judah from a tiny Jerusalem. Their great empire was but a later aggrandizement by the redactors of the Bible, who wanted to emphasize the prominence of the Temple in Jerusalem and the Davidic dynasty.

Other researchers have attempted to assail this skeptical paradigm by pointing to some remains in Jerusalem and its environs, which they claim support the existence of a large kingdom and a well-developed capital already in the purported time of David and Solomon.

Dating King David

A lot of this debate boils down to whether archaeological remains can be solidly dated to the 11th-10th centuries B.C.E. A big kingdom needs a big capital, so if there is monumental architecture in Jerusalem that was built in this period, then the biblical account may hold some water, otherwise it must be dismissed as mostly mythological.

[…]

The Weizmann researchers worked closely with archaeologists to collect short-lived organic materials, mainly charred seeds, from archaeological digs of Iron Age sites across the so-called City of David, a narrow ridge that runs south of the Temple Mount, and which most archaeologists (though not all) identify as the original core of ancient Jerusalem.

The result is more than 100 secure dates ranging from the early Iron Age in the 12th century B.C.E. to 586 B.C.E., when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and the First Temple, the researchers report in PNAS.

The paper doesn't openly address the debate on the historicity of David and Solomon, in fact it doesn't even mention them. But some of the findings have interesting implications for the big open questions about the history of Jerusalem in their time.

One highlight of the study is that almost 20 percent of the samples analyzed were dated to the 12th-10th century B.C.E., a period that includes the time of David and Solomon, and were found across the City of David.

"This clearly indicates widespread occupation of yet undetermined character," write the researchers, who were led by Prof. Elisabetta Boaretto and Dr. Johanna Regev of Weizmann's Dangoor Research Accelerator Radiocarbon Laboratory.



For the rest of the article, see

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2024...ffc4a20000