5 amazing archaeological finds that were made in 2015

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Each year brings scientists and researchers new, sometimes surprising discoveries. The outgoing 2015 was no exception. A number of discoveries that were made this year have opened the veil of secrecy over how people lived in the distant past.

Jamestown VIPs

Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America, is perhaps the most interesting archaeological site in the United States. This year, researchers analyzed four previously excavated graves found at the site of a 1608 church. Who was buried in the church 400 years ago?

Chaplain - The Reverend Robert Hunt, who died in 1608. His remains were wrapped in a shroud, and not in a coffin, which supposedly was evidence of his piety. The soldier - Captain William West, who was killed by the Indians in 1610, was buried in the coffin, of which only nails remained. A high content of lead was found in his bones, and the remains of a silk belt were also found in the grave.

Nobleman - The remains of Sir Ferdinando Weinman, who died during the famine of 1609-1610, when about 70 percent of the colonists died, were buried in an elaborate human-shaped coffin. A high content of lead was also found in the bones of the aristocrat.

Researcher - Captain Gabriel Archer, another victim of the hungry time. He explored most of the northeastern coast of America before the colony of Jamestown was founded. A silver box was found in his grave containing fragments of human bones and a Catholic reliquary.

Mythological mercury pool

Mercury in the form of a powdery pigment is often found in Mesoamerican tombs, but liquid mercury is extremely rare in graves. Therefore, Sergio Gomez, an archaeologist at the Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History, was very surprised when he found traces of liquid mercury in three burial chambers under the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent (3rd century AD) in the ancient city of Teotihuacan. Gomez believes that mercury was considered a substance from the mythological kingdom of the dead, and a pool with this liquid symbolized the river that separates this world from the other world.

After opening the entrance to the tunnel leading under the pyramid in 2003, Gomez found five underground chambers containing thousands of artifacts, including the skeletons of large jaguars and wolves. Other artifacts found, such as jade figurines from Guatemala and shells from the Caribbean, show how far Teotihuacan's influence was at that time.

Celtic tomb

During excavations in the village of Lavaux in north-central France, archaeologists made one of the most amazing discoveries regarding the Iron Age. Under an embankment 40 meters in diameter, researchers from the National Institute of Archaeological Research of France have found the burial of a Celtic "prince" dating back to the fifth century BC. Initially, they were unable to accurately determine the gender of the deceased, since some of the equipment found next to the skeleton belonged to a woman. But after DNA tests, it was established that a man is buried in the grave.

An Iron Age Celtic prince was buried with a range of luxury items, including Mediterranean vessels and gold ornaments. An elaborate bronze wine cauldron decorated with the heads of animals and mythological creatures, as well as a Greek wine jug, prove that the Celts in the area had strong commercial and political ties with the Greeks and Etruscans.

Creativity of some of the first artists

A team of researchers who worked in caves on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi found that the age of the images on the walls of these caves is no less than any rock paintings found in Western Europe. The oldest images date back to 39,900 years, and the picture of a pig-like animal was taken at least 35,700 years ago.

Researchers have established the exact age of the images thanks to limestone deposits on the walls of the caves. These deposits contain uranium, the half-life of which can be determined fairly accurately using modern techniques.

This discovery raised a new question for scientists: did people in Southeast Asia and Western Europe develop art on their own, or was it under the influence of immigrants from Africa.

Lynx cub

The arts and rituals of the indigenous cultures of ancient North America were very closely associated with animals. Nor did the Hopewell culture, which flourished along rivers in the northeast and midwestern United States between 200 BC, stand out in this regard. and 500 AD During excavations in this place, the remains of a pet were found. It would seem, what is unusual here?

However, it was not a dog. Archaeologists were surprised to find that the skeleton of a pet belonged to a small lynx (about 4-7 months old). No signs of injury were found on the bones, so the lynx died of natural causes, probably from malnutrition. Near the bones, beads were found carved from wood, as well as the fangs of a bear.