Category: Archaeology
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Late-antique mass grave discovered in Florence
The skeletal remains of more than 60 people are found underneath the famous Uffizi Gallery, Florence, during construction work. Coins that were found in the grave date back to the 4th or 5th century AD, so it is likely the men and women died around that age. Since there is no physical trauma to the…
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Late Antique-treasure looted by an amateur archaeologist
A Roman treasure dating from the early 5th century was dug up last week near Germersheim in the Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Not by official archaeologists, but by an amateur who conducted an illegal attempt to recover the treasure after he found it with his metal detector. He dug up the metal objects and destroyed the historical context…
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Noah’s Ark was in fact a round vessel: a giant coracle
Our concept of a ship usually is that of an oval shape with a pointed bow. Noah’s Ark, the vessel that saved all living species from a massive flood (according to the Old Testament) may well have had a different shape. A recently deciphered 4000 year old clay tablet from Mesopotamia bears an inscription that’s…
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Shipwreck might rewrite New Zealand’s history
A shipwreck found in 1982 in Kaipara Harbour, near Auckland, might rewrite the history of European settlement of New Zealand. Carbon dating of the wooden ship which was only completed recently shows that the ship was built around 1705. Since the kind of wood used for the vessel would last no longer than 50 years,…
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Archaeologists conclude: Neanderthals buried their dead
An international team of archaeologists conducted a 13-year study on the remains of Neanderthals and concluded that our less competent hominid relative buried their dead – just like modern humans. The researchers state that these burials show an unexpected advanced cognitive capacity of the Neanderthals. Although these conclusions sparked controversy in the archaeological community, the…
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Archaeological proof of early life of Buddha found in Nepal
Untill recently, no archaeological proof of the early life of the Gautauma Buddha was found. Al that we knew of him was through textual sources and oral tradition. It was even uncertain when he lived – some scholars thought he lived in the third century B.C., others estimate he lived hundreds of years earlier. Now,…