10 unexpected archaeological finds that allow you to look at history from a new angle

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

All archaeological finds are priceless, but some are "more priceless" than others. As a result of a number of discoveries, ancient stories are discovered that inevitably make you smile: after all, you understand how little everything has changed over the past several thousand years.

1. Unguentarium

Like the ancient Egyptians, the Romans took funerals and the afterlife very seriously. The funeral of rich people consisted, as a rule, of five parts, starting with a funeral procession and ending with a grand feast, which was held so that the deceased could successfully get to another world. In addition, the Romans commemorated the dead during holidays such as the famous Mexican Day of the Dead.

Oddly enough, in Roman burials, vessels called. According to legend, they contained the tears of family members mourning the deceased, although today this is considered a romantic myth. Scientists are of the opinion that these sealed urn-vases contained perishable goods such as cosmetics or aromatic oils that the deceased used during their lifetime.

2. Primitive paper

Paper was once a luxury, and it was often made from very strange ingredients. For example, all 20,000 copies of the first batch of pocket Bibles in Europe were printed on parchment from the skin of stillborn calves and sheep (this material became known as mother parchment).

After modern analysis, it turned out that most of these parchments were in fact not made from aborted animal embryos, but made from the skin of adult cloven-hoofed animals. However, how medieval artisans were able to create such thin sheets remains a mystery to this day.

3. Strange mummy

The Peruvian 5000-year-old settlement of Caral-Supe (aka Caral) appeared thousands of years earlier than the culture of the Maya, Inca and Aztecs. Caral, which covered an area of over 60 hectares, boasts its own pyramids. Caral is the oldest center of South American civilizations and marks the beginning of urban life in the region.

Due to the lack of records, very little is known about the ancient Peruvians today, but the newly discovered mummy of a woman suggests a progressive culture in which women and men had equal rights.

Another 500-year-old corpse rested in the ruins of Aspero, a fishing village 25 km from Caral. The circumstances surrounding the burial of the woman indicate her importance. At the time of her death, she was 40 - 50 years old, and archaeologists have found a mummy in the position of an embryo on a pile of various amulets. Among them were four figurines (known as "tupus") carved in the form of monkeys and birds, necklaces and pendants made from shells.

4. Etruscan tablets

The religious culture of the Etruscans had a serious impact on the culture of Greece and Rome and left behind a still undeciphered writing system. Since the language of the Etruscans has remained a mystery, most of what is known about their culture, modern scientists gleaned from drawings on funeral stones and household trinkets.

Archaeologists recently unearthed an ancient slab beneath a 2,500-year-old Etruscan temple. It featured images from Etruscan daily life, such as the women's version of the Olympic Games, during which topless women competed in dart throwing and horse racing. In fact, women in this civilization enjoyed much more freedom than Greek and Roman women. Etruscan women were allowed to drink wine, communicate freely, and serve in the army.

5. Babylonian plaintive tablets

Adventurers and criminals have existed at all times, and some of them have even been immortalized in history. For example, today a certain Ea-Nasir has become known, who was mentioned on a Babylonian plaintive tablet that was preserved in almost perfect condition, found during the excavations of Ur, one of the ancient capitals of Mesopotamia.

The ancient plaintiff was unhappy that Ea-Nasir had supplied a complete illiquid product instead of the promised premium copper. Curiously, this tablet has lain for millennia in the remains of Ea-Nasir's own house. He probably kept it for fun.

6. Chinese gnomon

The ancient Chinese observed celestial bodies to predict the future. They have developed many bizarre instruments for observing the starry sky. These include the gnomon - a simplified sundial that was invented by the Babylonians, who used these instruments to measure the angle of the Sun above the horizon.

The earliest Chinese gnomon were ordinary sticks, and the length of the shadow cast by them was measured. With the help of gnomons, the seasons were measured and calendars were made. A more complex, two-piece version of this device was found in a more than 2,000-year-old Western Han tomb.

7. Roman wine goblet

The humor of the ancient Romans clearly did not adhere to modern principles of modesty. but would have matched the right on the Internet. Over 50 years ago, an 1,800-year-old Roman drinking vessel covered with phallus images was excavated in Great Chesterford, Essex.

One scene looks particularly surreal: a naked woman rides a chariot drawn by four phalluses. And the Romans also realized that the male organ has no natural means of transportation, so they "innovatively" attached chicken legs to each phallus.

8. Queeds

The Anasazi, the forerunners of the Pueblo culture, inhabited the southwestern United States as early as 100 AD. Research shows they used chewing tobacco. From prehistoric fossilized compost heaps found in Antelope Cave in Arizona, archaeologists have isolated 345 small fibrous balls of unknown purpose. The balls, called "Queeds", had teeth marks on them.

At first, it was assumed that the Anasazi chewed these fibers during times of food shortages to simulate food, but then the researchers examined the bundles under a microscope. It turned out that the Quids contained several types of wild tobacco.

9. Figurines "Venus" of Lake Baikal

Ideal female forms are a popular motif for ancient sculptures, including figurines from the Malta site, found on the Angara River in the Irkutsk region. They were made by people who lived in this area 20,000 years ago. Most of the figurines carved from mammoth ivory allegedly depicted naked women. After careful examination, it turned out that the women were not naked - the figurines had simply been so flattened over the past thousands of years.

They were carved with clothing, bracelets, hats and shoes. Ancient artisans even bothered to create different hairstyles. So, according to the "nude" figurines, it turned out that in those days people preferred overalls with hoods. Also tiny holes were made in the figurines, apparently to be worn as jewelry or amulets.

10. Monument to the jockey

The Anatolian city of Konya was the capital of Seljuk culture 1000 years ago and flourished after that in the Ottoman Empire. The city was home to a hippodrome and horse breeding center, as evidenced by a 2,000-year-old plaque depicting former residents of Konya as avid horse racing enthusiasts. In the Beysehir area, there is a monument to a once famous jockey and bachelor named Lucian, who died at a young age.

A monument in honor of this jockey was carved in the sacred Anatolian mountains after his tragic death. On it, archaeologists found a well-preserved text that told one interesting feature of the Seljuk races - the winning horse was not allowed to the subsequent races.

Especially for everyone interested in archeology, more 10 amazing rock carvings that revolutionized the scientific world.