The most famous archaeologist in the world - Indiana Jones - excavated with a shovel and flashlight. It took place in 1936 in South America and Egypt. Much water has flown under the bridge since then. And today, archaeologists increasingly rely on technological advances in their research. Thanks to the use of modern technology, scientists now and then have to rewrite history.
DIE LIKE A KING
King Richard III of England (1452-1485) is a controversial figure. Many writers and playwrights, including such luminaries as William Shakespeare and Robert Louis Stevenson, dedicated their works to the life of the last monarch of the Plantagenet dynasty. In them, Richard III appears in an unsightly form - an evil ugly hunchback with a dry hand. The image so firmly entered literature, and then cinematography, that no one else imagined an odious ruler in another way. An international team of scientists from the University of Leicester managed to restore historical justice.
Richard III held the throne for only two years. In 1485, he died in the Battle of Bosworth, which ended the War of the Scarlet and White Rose. By the way, he died heroically. The king selflessly fought with the enemy at the head of his army, and it seemed that victory was close, but the betrayal of one of the supporters at the decisive moment confused all the cards. Richard was surrounded, but refused to surrender and shouting: "Today I will win or die like a king!" - rushed at the attackers with a sword. His knights fell in battle, and he fought alone until one terrible blow decided his fate. The traitor Lord Stanley personally removed the crown from the head of the dead king and put it on his adopted son. This is how the era of Tudor rule began in England.
Richard's nude body was taken through the streets of Leicester and buried at Greyfriars Abbey. According to legend, later the king's remains were taken out of the grave and thrown into the Suar River.
AND QUEENS ARE WRONG
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In 2012, archaeologists excavated the site of the former abbey and discovered two ancient burials. After examining one of the skeletons, scientists suggested that they were dealing with the remains of Richard III. Everything came together - the age of the deceased, the date of burial, physique features. Yes, the king suffered from scoliosis, due to which one shoulder was higher than the other, but there was no question of any hump or limp! Computed tomography showed that before his death, the man received 11 wounds, 9 of them in the head. This confirms the words of eyewitnesses who claimed that the king lost his helmet during the battle. According to radiocarbon analysis, the person died between 1455 and 1540 at the age of about 30. And then the bull's-eye! Thanks to the isotope study of bones, it was possible to find out about his nutrition, place of residence, and diseases.
But the most unexpected discovery was made by geneticists. They had no questions about the similarity between Richard III's DNA and the DNA of his two living female relatives. But the comparison of DNA in the male line brought surprises. Richard III himself did not have children, so scientists investigated the connections between his own Y chromosomes and the Y chromosomes of the descendants of Edward III, who was brought by our great-great-grandfather to our hero, and found nothing in common! This means that one of the English queens gave birth to a child from a lover, and not from a legal spouse. It would seem that what a difference, because all this is the case of bygone days. But no! A simple example. Let's say Edward III himself was the cuckold and, say, his third son, John of Gaunt, was not born of him at all. Meanwhile, the two sons of John of Gaunt have played a vital role in English history. One of them became King Henry IV, and the other - the ancestor of the Tudor dynasty. But if they were the descendants of the bastard, then they occupied the throne illegally! In a word, everything in the English succession to the throne turns on its head. And even the rights of the currently living Elizabeth II can be doubted …
HANNIBAL'S RIDDLE
In the spring of 218 BC. e. the Carthaginian general Hannibal set out from New Carthage and went to war against Italy. Together with him went a whole army - 90 thousand infantry, 12 thousand horsemen and 37 elephants. By the end of August, Hannibal reached the banks of the Rhone, and at the beginning of October he approached the Alps. A huge army had to overcome a mountain pass. For nine long days, the army climbed the mountain. When the army reached the top, the morale of the soldier already left much to be desired. Narrow mountain paths, littered with high snowdrifts, did not allow people or animals to pass. Horses and elephants could not stand the hardships of the journey and low temperatures and fell dead. People fell from slippery rocks into the abyss. But there was nowhere to go. Descent from the mountains took another six days. Shabby and tired, Hannibal's warriors descended into the valley, where they finally found food and rest. Meanwhile, Hannibal's calculation turned out to be accurate. The enemy did not expect to see an enemy army under his nose! And the surviving elephants terrified the Italians. Hannibal won an unconditional victory. The bloody war did not end there; later the commander was defeated, but his crossing of the Alps is considered one of the most brilliant military operations.
For two thousand years, historians have tried to understand exactly where Hannibal crossed the Alps. This question haunted even Napoleon. A team of scientists led by Bill Maheney of York University in Toronto managed to put an end to the long-standing dispute. Microbiologists suggested that there should be watering places on the route of Hannibal's army. For without water such a “herd” could not go far. Scientists have studied all the passes and only on one of them - the Col de la Traversette - have found suitable sources. In the ground at the bottom of a swampy pond, scientists found the remains of animal feces, and on the shore - the remains of elephant dung. The radiocarbon method for determining the age of biological remains showed: prehistoric droppings are 2000 years old. So, with the help of elephant excrement, an end was put in a two thousand year dispute.
CHICKENS VS COLUMBUS
America was discovered by the Polynesians! They appeared on the shores of America a whole century before Christopher Columbus. This sensational conclusion was reached by New Zealand scientists from the University of Auckland. Scientists have studied chicken bones found on the southern coast of Chile. The DNA of bird remains unambiguously indicates the relationship of these chickens with their relatives from Polynesia, and with autochthonous species. Whereas the Chilean birds have nothing in common with the DNA of European chickens. Since chickens from Polynesia could not independently move across the ocean, the conclusion is unambiguous: they were brought there by people. But before that, everyone was sure that poultry in both Americas appeared thanks to the efforts of the Spaniards, the first of whom arrived in the New World under the leadership of Columbus. Alas: radiocarbon dating of chicken bones suggeststhat clucking on the territory of the modern Republic of Chile was heard long before the conquistadors appeared there. The year of birth of these chickens is approximately 1424.
Thanks to the latest discovery, the scientific world took a fresh look at the history of the Polynesians. Natives of South-East Asia migrated to the Polynesian Islands 3 thousand years ago. Fearless seafarers embarked on long voyages, but never traveled beyond Easter Island. At least, this opinion was prevalent in the scientific community until recently. However, the chicken bones found revealed new talents of the Polynesians: it turns out that they were up to the long sea passages to the shores of South America. The existence of the Spaniards was not even known there at that time.
Natalia KHAYDULLINA