Pryamids
Photo Source: PD CD

I like to keep up with things that are happening in the world of archeology. It is something I am interested in and that I have decided to try and keep current on along with ufos. So, here we go, this is the relevant news on archeology for the last month.

It seems that the Chinese were the first to enjoy a little drink. It was thought that the brewing or distilling of alcohol could be traced back 7,400 years in China but it seems the tradition is even older than that. U.S. scientists have found traces of wine in Neolithic pottery that dates back at least 9,000 years ago. What is amazing is that these old brewing traditions are still used in some parts of China. There is a chance that the middle east may have developed fermented beverages around the same time but it seems the Chinese were first. So far the earliest know alcohol from Iran dates back to 5,400 BC.

The Teotihuascan people, must have been very hard to understand. A tomb in Mexico's Pyramid of the Moon was recently opened and it was covered with the most beautiful of artwork, but inside the tomb were ten bodies with their heads cut off. The pyramid is located in the City of the Gods which is about 30 miles northeast of Mexico City. The strange thing here is that the Teotihuascan people were thought to be a very gentile race, but this idea has changed. It is now thought that they must have been very warlike. It is believed now that ceremonial sacrifices took place here. The recently opened chamber contains the remains of 12 people, all of whom were sacrificed. The bodies of the decapitated still had their hands tied behind their backs. A figurine was found in the tomb, it was made of serpentine and jade. Surrounding the figurine were 18 large obsidian knives, half of them carved into the shapes of feathered serpents. Animal remains were found with the bodies. They were wolves or coyotes, pumas or jaguars and birds including an eagle. At its peak the City of the Gods had 150,000 inhabitants. The city was abandoned in the 7th century.

In another Mexican find, a 2,300 year old mummy of a child, along with some cloth was found. It was found in the state of Queretaro in a high cave. The cave is located almost 9,600 feet above sea level. The mummy is a female and is complete except for a missing arm. The mummy was formed because of the high altitude, cold and freeze drying. Tests were conducted on the cloth found with her and it was determined that she died about 320 BC. Some items were found with her body and they are believed to be funeral offerings. These items were cloth, feathers, parts of plants and patches of hair. This is one of the oldest mummies found in Mexico.

A 5,000 year old city in Iran is known as the Burnt City in Sistan-Baluchistan province of southeastern Iran. When archeologists decided to dig there they were astonished at what they found. They dug up 60 pieces of an ancient Backgammon game, including perfectly formed dice. Evidence seems to indicate that this city was the birth place of the game. The board is rectangular and formed of Ebony which had to be imported from India. The pieces were found inside a terra cotta vessel next to the board and were made of common material from the area which included agate and turquoise.

Archaeologists in Germany have hit an unexpected find under a bus terminal. The have found a 2,000 year old Roman rest stop. The rest stop was quite sophisticated and contained a place to have your chariot repaired and horses fed and tended to, a gourmet restaurant and a hotel with central heating. It is now thought that these rest stops were located about every 20 miles along the Roman Long Road. The hotel was built raised from the ground so a large furnace could be used to heat the building. The hot air would raise heating the rooms. You could see the structure from a distance much the same as you can see signs for rest areas now.

City engineers in Jerusalem are going to replace the hill jutting from the Western Wall with a bridge. It will be very interesting to see what they find, once they start digging. It is thought that the tall gate from the second temple will be uncovered. A Roman street is also expected to be found.

A cave was found in Israel that British archaeologists believe prove beyond a doubt, that John the Baptist really existed. In the cave were several drawings of crosses and a picture of a severed head. John had his head cut off. This is the cave where Byzantine monks used to gather to tell the story of John. There is a space in the cave that has steps leading down to a pool which was used for baptisms. Thousands of pieces from pitchers were found. Several huge pools were found outside. They were used to collect rain water and they fed the pool inside.

Archeologists believe that they have discovered the canal where Jesus restored the sight of a blind man. The site was found purely by accident when sewer pipes were being installed for Silwan an Arab village. The site itself is actually on the edge of the city of David.