New discoveries are constantly occurring that fundamentally change the views on the events and culture of our past. In the past few years alone, many archaeological finds have forced a new look at the seemingly explored up and down moments in history.
1. Ceremonial burial of the lynx
Inventing the collection of the Illinois Museum of Indian Artifacts, anthropologist Angela Perry found a box labeled "puppy" believed to contain dog bones excavated from a Hopewell culture mound. It turned out that the bones actually belonged to a lynx cub. This discovery was notable for two reasons: It was the only decorated wild cat burial found in North America, and the only animal that was buried alone in its own mound.
Since this lynx was only a kitten at the time of death, anthropologists suspect it was a pet. They also found a necklace inside the mound, which Peri believes served as a collar for a cat.
However, zooarchaeologist Melinda Zeder Zeder puts forward a different hypothesis. She believes that the lynx had a much more symbolic status for Hopewell culture and may have symbolized a connection with nature.
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2. Roman weapon of intimidation
A recent discovery suggests that the Romans used psychological intimidation methods in war, firing slingshots at the enemy. They used a hand-held throwing weapon called the Fustibal, which could throw lemon-sized stones over long distances. Excavations at Burnswark Hill in Scotland have unearthed a very peculiar stone slingshot shell, in the center of which holes about 5mm in diameter were made. After researching them, scientists agreed that 1800 years ago the Romans used them to intimidate the enemy, since when such a projectile was flying, it should have emitted a sharp whistling sound.
3. Celtic hybrid cemeteries
Until recently, scientists thought that there were no hybrid monsters or chimeras in Celtic mythology during the Iron Age. A recently excavated tomb in Dorset has cast doubt on this and suggests that the Celts had their own mythological creatures that they recreated in real life. The discovery was made in the so-called Duropolis, where archaeologists found transformed animal bones during excavations: a cow with horse legs, sheep with a bull's head, and, strangestly, a woman's skeleton, mostly composed of animal bones. Archaeologist Paul Cheetham believes that skeletons (including female ones) were once sacrificed during rituals.
4. The oldest dress in the world
Tarkhan dress is considered the oldest woven garment in the world. It was found in an Egyptian tomb, and radiocarbon dating has determined its age to be between 3400 BC. and 3100 BC (i.e., the dress is over 5 thousand years old). The dress has a V-neck, narrow pleats and sleeves. The folds formed at the elbows and under the armpits indicate that it was often worn, in contrast to several ceremonial robes of about the same age that were found in tombs.
5. History of Philadelphia
The Museum of the American Revolution is due to open in Philadelphia in 2017. When excavations began for the foundations for this museum in 2014, workers discovered a system of dumps and cesspools that had been used in the 18th century. The pits were literally filled with historical items, and to date, archaeologists have recovered over 82,000 artifacts. At the time, these landfills were used for household waste. Although the things found in them, on the one hand, are not of great importance, since historians usually prefer jewelry or art objects, they provide an understanding of the life of ordinary people of that time.
Of particular interest is the waste pit, which dates from the start of the American Revolution and belonged to Benjamin and Mary Humphrey. Archaeologists found smoking pipes, broken glasses and empty alcohol bottles in it. In 1783, Mary was arrested for allegedly running a "brothel". Today it is believed that the couple actually ran an illegal pub.
6. The first Philistine cemetery
The Philistines were mysterious ancient people, mentioned in the Bible (it is described that they were the sworn enemies of the Israelites). In our time, some historians consider the Philistines to be a marine people, which probably originated from the Aegean Islands. The Philistines disappeared around the eighth century AD, and after them almost nothing has survived.
Archaeologists recently announced the discovery of a Philistine cemetery, where over 150 graves and countless artifacts have been found. The cemetery was actually discovered 30 years ago, but its excavations took a very long time. This discovery shows that the Philistines were not hostile to "cultural manifestations": they were buried with jewelry adorned with jugs filled with fragrant oils or wine, and weapons.
7. The oldest documents of Roman Britain
While digging for Bloomberg's new European headquarters in London, workers uncovered the largest collection of Roman tablets in British history. The collection contains about 400 tablets and is considered the earliest mention of London, predating the Annals of Tacitus by 50 years. The find also contains the oldest document in Roman Britain, dating back to January 8, 57 AD. The document, which was found on the site of the modern financial district of London, says that a certain Tibullus, a freedman Venusta owed Gratus, a freedman of Spurius, 105 denarii for the goods that were delivered to him.
8. Bones of the Buddha's skull
Between 2007 and 2010, archaeologists discovered a Buddhist temple in Nanjing. The highlight of the find was a 1,000-year-old model of a stupa that contained the remains of several saints. The stupa may have also contained the most revered Buddhist artifact in history, the Buddha's skull bones. The inscriptions make it clear that this was the parietal bone and parts of the chest that previously belonged to the Buddha. They were sent to the temple after his body was cremated in India about 2,400 years ago. About 1400 years ago, the temple was destroyed during the war and rebuilt by Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty.
9. Untouched Mycenaean tomb
Minor excavation of the stone wall has grown into one of the largest Greek archaeological finds in recent decades. Researchers have discovered an intact 3,500-year-old tomb of a Mycenaean warrior. Although this warrior remained unidentified, he was apparently wealthy and important enough, as he was buried with over 1400 artifacts.
The grave posed a number of questions for archaeologists: beads, combs and a mirror were buried with the warrior - things that, as a rule, were buried with rich women. At the same time, group burials were practiced at that time, even for the Mycenaean elite. Given that this grave was found only 90 meters from the mass grave, it still remains a mystery why this Mycenaean warrior was buried alone.
10. The oldest stone tools
The use of tools is considered an important step in human evolution. Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania was believed to be the site where the most ancient tools were made (dating back 2.6 million years). Archaeologists recently found tools that are 700,000 years older. On the shores of Lake Turkana in Kenya, archaeologists have unearthed 3.3 million years old sharpened stones used for cutting. The most significant consequence of this discovery is that the tools were older than the supposedly earliest progenitors of humans.