Ancient

You have got to love archeology, because the most interesting things are found. Sometimes the finds are simple, but informative. An example of this is the latest discovery in ancient Egypt. No it wasn't another pyramid or grave, it was something much more mundane. It was discovered that the ancient Egyptians were the first ones to put labels on their wine jugs. Wine making is shrouded in the mists of time past, perhaps as far back as 8,000 years ago and there is even a story about how it started, but no one knows if the story is accurate. It is said that an ancient king labeled his grapes as poison so no one would use them, he wanted them all for himself. After they had fomented for awhile a member of his court decided to commit suicide and drank the liquid and started to feel really good and told the king and he tried it. From that point on, wine was on the menu.

Iran has announced that a truly ancient village has been found. It has been dated from 9,800 B.C. They don't get much older than that. Iraq has announced that it is thinking about reopening Babylon City. Its fate is being decided as you read this. The city has been neglected for years now due to the war. An Iraqi official stated, “that Iraqi archaeological experts and specialists from the UNESCO and the British Museum are studying currently the possibility of entering the city into world patrimony while maintenance and rehabilitation will not start until the issue is decided". Babylon is one of the greatest relics of our past. It certainly would be a shame if it were allowed to crumble. Saddam allowed his name to be carved into blocks in different parts of the city, thus destroying some of the things that make the city what it is. Originally It was to be repaired with new stones which put the archaeological community in an uproar.

Sometimes great storms not only do damage, but they also tell us something about our past. This was the case when a powerful hurricane rolled over the Galveston, Texas area. The hurricane is thought to be the reason that a civil war ship suddenly was uncovered. So far the wreck has only been seen on sonar, but it is believed to be the Caroline. A ship that carried cotton and was believed to have sunk in 1864. Records indicate that this ship sunk in just about the place that the sonar image was found. It is believed that no one found it earlier because it was covered with sand that was removed by the storm. There are many civil war area wrecks off of Galveston and more just keep being found. The wreck was found by a company that was hired to clean the bay of debris from the storm. Sometimes luck plays the biggest part in discovery. Two other wrecks were also found previously that date back to the Civil War, they were the Acadia and the Will-o-the-Wisp.

Temple
Photo Source: Stock.xching

Just when you think that there can be no more undiscovered temples left, more are discovered. Peruvian archaeologists have confirmed that they have discovered two temples in a very ancient complex and they are believed to date back at least 3000 years. The archaeological team first discovered a long staircase that is at least 25 meters wide. Next they found a relief that contained images of the spider god. The complex is known as Collud-Zarpan and is located about 480 miles north of Lima, Peru. It is amazing how many different gods ancient man had. It is as if he was searching for the correct one for thousands of years. Are there any more temples, or towns waiting to be found that date back to ancient times? It is almost a given, if history is any indicator.

Natuufian Supporting Wall
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Someone has been discovered in Israel that predates even the Jews. A 12,000 year old skeleton of a Natufian shaman was found in Northern Israel. The grave was full of offerings that archaeologists describe as exceptional. Inside the grave and buried with the body were, “fifty tortoises, the near-compete pelvis of a leopard, the wing tip of a golden eagle, tail of a cow, two marten skulls and the forearm of a wild boar, which was directly aligned with the woman's left humerus.” A human foot was also found in the grave and it didn't belong to the grave's occupant. Even the body was buried at in an unusual way, which was on its side with the back against the southern wall of the grave. The legs were spread and folded inward. Archaeologists state that this burial is unlike anyone before it that has been found. Much time and work went into it. The shaman, a woman of 45 years old, must have been very respected.

Here we go again. Archaeologists are now saying that they have discovered the worlds oldest human footprints. They state that a set of human footprints found on Roccamonfina volcano date back somewhere between 325,000 years and 385,000 years. This of course completely ignores many other sets of footprints, some of which appear side by side with dinosaur footprints. What have we here, more hidden archeology?

Ancient Chariots
Photo Source: PD

When we think of ancient chariots, we think of Egypt, Babylon and perhaps Rome. Does anyone out there think of Bulgaria? Anyway an ancient chariot that is believed to be over 1800 years old has been found in a Thracian tomb in southern Bulgaria. The head of the excavation stated, “The lavishly ornamented four-wheel chariot dates back to the end of the second century A.D.". It turns out that this seems to be some sort of ceremonial chariot. The chariot was bronze plated with a wooden chases. It had scenes from Thracian mythology cut into the bronze, including figures. A jumping panther was featured, along with a partial figure of a dolphin. It is believed that it was part of offerings that were put into the grave of a wealthy Thracian aristocrat. Horse harnesses were also found in the grave and horses were buried nearby.