Discovery & Weird News

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Scientists find 125 million-year-old fossilised remains of superpterosaur with 20ft wingspan that could have been one of the biggest species ever to take to the skies

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With a 20-foot wingspan and weighing a colossal 650lbs, the giant pterosaur cast an imposing figure swooping through the skies of the Jurassic Age.

And 125 million years later, the beast's massive size continues to marvel scientists who have discovered the remains of one of the beasts wedged deep into the cliffs of the Isle of Wight.

The Hatzegopteryx fossil has shed new light on this magnificent species which some believe was the biggest flying creature of the period.

These winged monsters are believed to have ruled the skies for roughly 150 million years, during which time they evolved from rodent-sized to a figure akin to a modern-day fighter jet. 

© Provided by Associated Newspapers Limited With a 20-foot wingspan and weighing 300kg, the giant pterosaur cast an imposing figure swooping through the skies of the Jurassic Age

The find was made by British Fossils chief Robert Coram who said: 'It might have been the largest flying creature that had ever lived up to that time,' according to the Sunday Times.

The Isle of Wight is rich with fossils and is flocked to by dinosaur enthusiasts who comb the south side for remains.

Mr Coram added: 'We think this is one of the first superpterosaurs. The Isle of Wight is incredibly heavily prospected by people almost on a daily basis, so it's a matter of being able to spot the little things that they can't.'

Equipped with an extended jaw, the giant pterosaur - which hunted dinosaurs - would snap up and kill its prey. 

In a paper co-authored with Professor David Martill of Portsmouth University, he wrote: 'A morphometric analysis suggests an original wingspan of approximately 5.6m.

© Provided by Associated Newspapers Limited The Hatzegopteryx fossil found on the south-west coast of the Isle of Wight (pictured) has shed new light on this magnificent species which some believe was the biggest flying creature of the period.

'With an early Barremian age, this pterosaur would have been a giant for its time.'

Pterosaurs - sometimes known as pterodactyls - co-existed among at the same time as, but were not classed as, dinosaurs.

Because of their mammoth size, paleobiologists have long wondered how the creatures managed to take off, as their mass would suggest generating enough momentum would be impossible.

© Provided by Associated Newspapers Limited These flying monsters are believed to have ruled the skies for roughly 150million years, during which time they evolved from rodent-sized to a figure akin to a modern-day fighter jet

But 3D modelling has now revealed that bulging leg muscles and flexible wing structure allowed the giant pterosaur to vault itself into the air.

Michael Habib, from the University of Southern California, wrote: 'Unlike birds, which walk and jump into the air using only their hind limbs, pterosaurs walked on all fours.

'Mathematical modelling indicates that launching from a quadrupedal stance — pushing off first with the hind limbs and then with the forelimbs — would have provided the leaping power giant pterosaurs required for takeoff.' 

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/scientists-find-125-million-year-old-fossilised-remains-of-superpterosaur-with-20ft-wingspan-that-could-have-been-one-of-the-biggest-species-ever-to-take-to-the-skies/ar-AAHGFiJ#image=1

Edited September 23, 2019 by CaaC (John)

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Scientists discover one of the world's oldest bird species: Ancient seabird with a bony serrated beak used to catch fish 62 million years ago is found in New Zealand

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The discovery of a toothed seabird with a serrated beak that lived 62 million years ago is forcing scientists to rethink theories of the bird's evolution.

A fossil of a protodontopteryx was found at the Waipara Greensand site near Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island last year.

The petrified remains delighted amateur palaeontologist Leigh Love, who found and named the species 'protodontopteryx ruthae' after his wife Ruth, for indulging his interest in the field.

It is one of the oldest named bird species in the world, and the oldest 'bony-tooth bird', or pelagornithid, to be found south of the equator.

Canterbury Museum curator Paul Scofield said the bony, tooth-like projections on the beak turned over commonly-held views on the development of seabirds.

'Until we found this skeleton, all the really old pelagornithids had been found in the Northern Hemisphere, so everyone thought they'd evolved up there,' Dr Scofield said.

Gerald Mayr, of the Frankfurt-based National History Museum, declared the find 'truly amazing and unexpected'.

'Not only is the fossil one of the most complete specimens of a pseudo-toothed bird, but it also shows a number of unexpected skeletal features that contribute to a better understanding of the evolution of these enigmatic birds,' he said.

Scientists believe the ancient beaks were designed for catching fish, and soft-bodied prey like squids.

The bony-tooth birds would evolve to boast wingspans greater than six metres long, the length of an average modern-day elephant.

The last pelagornithid species died before modern humans evolved, around 2.5 million years ago.

The Waipara Greensand site has also yielded fossils of an ancient penguin, which stood 1.6 metres tall, and the world's oldest tropicbird fossil.

The fossils - along with the latest discovery - are being prepared to be displayed in an exhibition at the Canterbury Museum later this year.

The find was published today in the journal Papers in Palaeontology.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/scientists-discover-one-of-the-worlds-oldest-bird-species-ancient-seabird-with-a-bony-serrated-beak-used-to-catch-fish-62-million-years-ago-is-found-in-new-zealand/ar-AAHInHL

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Ancient Roman copper objects unearthed in Shropshire are actually cosmetic pendants designed to decorate the eyes

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Roman 'pendants' excavated in Shropshire have been revealed to actually be ancient eye make-up and jewellery, English Heritage has said.

The copper alloy objects were excavated in the early 20th century at Wroxeter Roman City and catalogued at the time as 'lunate' or crescent pendants.

But a re-examination by researchers at English Heritage, which looks after the site, has revealed the items were used to grind minerals for make-up.

They were shaped for the specific purpose of being used on the eyes for applying liner and eye-shadow.

The 'cosmetic grinders' will go on display at Wroxeter for the first time on Wednesday, the heritage charity said.

The small pestle and mortar sets, which were developed in the first century AD, had loops to allow them to be carried on a cord.

Previously, this led people to think they were pendants.

Experts also said sets were exclusive to Britain, though they were a response to the import of cosmetics and personal beauty ideas coming from the Mediterranean and Roman provinces as far away as Egypt.

They show how thriving, prosperous and metropolitan Wroxeter Roman City was 2,000 years ago, English Heritage said.

Cameron Moffett, English Heritage curator, said: 'Being able to re-identify these pendants as cosmetic sets is hugely important to our understanding of the women who lived and worked at Wroxeter Roman City - these small objects literally changed the face of Britain.

'When we think of the Roman period, a conversation is often dominated by the masculine realms of influence, from Emperors and politics to battle tactics, but of course, women played a key role.

'It's these functional, everyday items that really paint a picture of relatable women, to whom make-up was wholly accessible, following the trends of the time and using tools so similar to the ones we use today.'

To mark the items going on display, English Heritage has released a new 'Roman History Inspired Make-Up Tutorial' as part of a series which has also recreated looks from history including Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria and the 1930s.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/ancient-roman-copper-objects-unearthed-in-shropshire-are-actually-cosmetic-pendants-designed-to-decorate-the-eyes/ar-AAHtjDB

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Somerset human remains 'as old as Cheddar Man'

Two boxes of human remains rediscovered after 55 years have been found to be as old as the Cheddar Man - Britain's oldest complete skeleton.

The bones were discovered in a cave in Cannington Park Quarry near Bridgwater, Somerset, in the 1960s.

Soon after they "disappeared", and were recently found at Somerset Heritage Centre near Taunton, Cotswold Archaeology said.

Radiocarbon dating has shown them to be more than 9,000 years old.

Osteoarchaeologist Sharon Clough, of Cotswold Archaeology, said the results were "very surprising" as the bones were originally thought to be Roman and from a cemetery near to where they were discovered in 1964.

They were placed in boxes and transferred between museums, including London's Natural History Museum, before they were misplaced.

"It was a bit of a mystery, I'd assumed they had been archived with the rest of the dig from the post-Roman cemetery," Ms Clough said.

"But they'd been picked out of the rubble in the cave and weren't seen as part of the main dig so they were only mildly interesting and were archived and forgotten about."

They were eventually tracked down to Somerset before undergoing carbon dating.

Ms Clough described the remains, from at least seven individuals, as "some of the oldest known humans to inhabit this country".

She said two thigh bones, from an adult and an under 18, were found to be more than 9,000 years old "which places both of the bones very clearly in the early Mesolithic".

Cheddar Man lived in the Somerset area 9,000 years ago and was buried in Cheddar Gorge, where his skeleton was discovered in 1903.

Ms Clough said Mesolithic human remains are "extremely rare discoveries" in this country.

"Cheddar man has all the bits but we only have a lot of long bones, a few cranial parts and a couple of pieces of the pelvis," she said of the latest discovery.

"But it's very exciting to find human remains of this date."

She added the cave was "completely destroyed" by quarrying in the 1990s, so the bones are the "only surviving evidence for what now appears to have been a rare Mesolithic burial site".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-49739955

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Ancient 45,000-year-old quartz tools 'used to hunt animals up trees' are found in Sri Lanka - making them the oldest human-made implements ever found in South Asian rainforest

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The oldest known tools from South Asian rainforests have been found in Sri Lanka — tiny, retouched stones called microliths that date back around 45,000 years.

Archaeologists had previously thought that rainforests presented a barrier to the early spread of humankind.

In comparison with the environments of Europe and Africa, these dense tropical surroundings are considerably more challenging to both travel through and inhabit.

However, the discovery of these tools, which are believed to have been weapons to kill animals hiding in trees, suggests humanity spread more diversely than was thought.

The tools — along with the formation of complex social structures — may have been key in letting humans adapt to life in the rainforest and nearly every habitat beyond.

Archaeologist Oshan Wedage of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Germany and colleagues analysed microliths, from the west Sri Lankan cave of Fa-Hein Lena, that date back to around 48,000–45,000 years ago.

The formation of microlithic tools are often associated with the production of composite, projectile weapons like spears, which are used by cultures with advanced hunting strategies.

While these tools were common in Europe at this time, similar-aged microliths had not previously been found in South Asia or in a rainforest setting.

'We undertook detailed measurements of stone tools and reconstructed their production patterns at the site of Fa-Hien Lena Cave,' said Mr Wedage.

This, he added, is 'the site with the earliest evidence for human occupation in Sri Lanka.'

'We found clear evidence for the production of "miniaturised" stone tools or "microliths" at Fa-Hien Lena, dating to the earliest period of human occupation.'

While further research will be needed to determine exactly how these stone tools were used, the team believe that they were likely employed to hunt, capture and kill tree-dwelling prey like monkeys and tree squirrels.

In addition, the researchers note that the tools found in the Fa-Hein cave bear a considerable similarity to those used by the local cultures as recently as around 4,000 years ago — suggest a long-term technological stability in the region.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/ancient-45000-year-old-quartz-tools-used-to-hunt-animals-up-trees-are-found-in-sri-lanka-making-them-the-oldest-human-made-implements-ever-found-in-south-asian-rainforest/ar-AAId4bS#image=6

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Rare 800 million-year-old rattling diamond with 'gem-inside-a-gem' found in Siberia

© The Siberian Times It is believed to be at least 800 million years old

A unique "gem-inside-a-gem" diamond thought to be over 800 million years old has been found in Siberia.

The "priceless" jewel weighs just 0.62 carats and is the first diamond of that nature to ever be found.

Inside, a tiny nested diamond moves freely and has an estimated weight of 0.02 carats.

The so-called "Matryoshka" diamond is named because it resembles traditional Russian nesting dolls.

The find - visible on X-ray - was announced by Russian diamond giant Alrosa and was made at the Nyurba diamond mind in the Sakha Republic, also known as Yakutia

© The Siberian Times The so-called 'Matryoshka' diamond is named because it resembles traditional Russian nesting dolls, one inside the other

No value has been put on the one-of-a-kind discovery, which is likely to be 800 million years old.

Alrosa’s Oleg Kovalchuk told The Siberian Times: "As far as we know, there were no such diamonds in the history of global diamond mining yet.

"This is really a unique creation of nature, especially since nature does not like emptiness. 

"Usually, some minerals are replaced by others without cavity formation."

© The Siberian Times Nyurbinsky diamond mine where Matryoshka diamond was found

This isn't the first time a rare discover has been made by the diamond mining group.

In July 2018, an unusual football-shaped diamond was found at the diamond mine belonging to Alrosa.

Experts described the unusual shape and pattern on the diamond as a "bizarre" natural creation 

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/rare-800-million-year-old-rattling-diamond-with-gem-inside-a-gem-found-in-siberia/ar-AAIkAwh?ocid=chromentp

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Construction Workers Accidentally Find 2,200-Year-Old Egyptian Temple

Long lost for 2,200 years, an Egyptian temple was finally found.

Archaeologists discovered a tomb believed to belong to Pharaoh Ptolemy IV.

According to CNN, construction workers were drilling a sewage drain in a village in Sohag, Egypt, when they accidentally stumbled upon the temple.

After drilling work was suspended, archaeologists found a north-south wall, an east-west wall, and the southwestern corner of the limestone structure. At this point, they are trying to carefully preserve what is left.

It is believed that Ptolemy IV ruled Egypt from about 221 B.C. to 204 B.C. Historians believe he built the largest human-powered ship ever made. Named the Tessarakonteres, meaning “forty,” the galley had 40 banks of oars run by 4,000 oarsmen.   

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/construction-workers-accidentally-find-2200-year-old-egyptian-temple/ar-AAIlje1

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Ancient 'New York': 5,000-year-old city discovered in Israel

The remains of a 5,000-year-old city have been discovered in Israel - the largest and oldest such find in the region.

The city was home to 6,000 people and included planned roads, neighbourhoods, a ritual temple and fortifications.

An even earlier settlement, believed to be 7,000 years old, was discovered beneath the city.

Israeli archaeologists said the discovery was the most significant in the region from that era.

FULL REPORT

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Rare Ancient Tomb of Rich Minoan Woman Discovered at Monumental Archaeological Complex in Crete

The rare ancient tomb of a wealthy Minoan woman has been discovered at a monumental archaeological complex on the Greek island of Crete.

The cist grave—a small, coffin-like grave built using stone—contained an almost complete and intact skeleton of a woman, as well as several valuable objects, according to the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports.

These objects include a bronze mirror with an ivory handle, bone and bronze garment pins, and a necklace consisting of several gold beads shaped like olives or olive pits.

Archaeologists say that these types of burials are rare on Crete. In fact, they are only found at the city of Chania and Knossos—the most important ancient Minoan settlement on the island.

The fact that the woman was buried with valuable objects, suggests she was a wealthy person in life.

The find came during excavations conducted in the municipality of Sissi by the Belgian School at Athens (EBSA) in collaboration with the Ephorate of Antiquities of Lasithi. This work involved more than 100 archaeologists from around the world.

These excavations—led by Jan Driessen from the EBSA and the University of Louvain in Belgium—uncovered a large monumental complex on a hill in Sissi, which is located on the island's northern coast.

Furthermore, the archaeologists identified remains in the western part of the complex which indicated the presence of an Early Minoan settlement dating back to around 2,600 B.C.

The archaeologists say that a monumental building was constructed to the east of the settlement after the village was abandoned by its inhabitants.

This building was later destroyed by a fire in 2,500 B.C., however, its remains were subsequently incorporated almost entirely into the monumental complex, which was constructed in 1,700 B.C.

The team's excavations at the complex uncovered a floor coated with fine quality mortar and covered with dotted decorations, as well as a ceramic pipeline built to carry water from the 108-foot long courtyard towards the east slope of the complex.

The researchers also made several other notable finds, including a house which may have been destroyed between 1,700 and 1,650 B.C. by an earthquake and the previously-mentioned cist grave from the Neopalatial Period (1,750 to 1,500 B.C.)

The Minoan Civilization flourished on Crete and other islands in the Aegean Sea from around 3,000 B.C. to 1,100 B.C. It is considered by many to be the birthplace of "high culture" in Europe, bringing numerous cultural and artistic achievements.

Peaking around 1,600 B.C., the Minoan civilization was known for its great cities and architectural complexes, sophisticated artwork, its written script, and extensive trade routes which spread out across the Mediterranean.

The Minoan woman's tomb is not the only grave to be uncovered recently in Greece. In August, the Ministry of Culture and Sports announced the discovery of two ancient chamber tombs in southern Greece which date back to the Late Mycenaean Period (1,400-1,200 B.C.)

The Mycenaean culture was the first advanced civilization to develop on the Greek mainland, centred around the capital of Mycenae. The Mycenaean period spanned the years between around 1,600 and 1,100 B.C. and during this time, they developed a syllabic script which represents the earliest form of Greek.

Also in August, Russian archaeologists said they had uncovered the 1,500-year-old crypt of a warrior who was buried with his wife and children in an ancient city.

The remains were found in the eastern necropolis at Phanagoria—a coastal settlement founded by the Ancient Greeks located in what is now the Krasnodar Krai administrative region of Russia on the shores of the Black Sea.

Phangoria was founded in the mid-sixth century B.C. by Greek settlers who were largely fleeing conflict in Asia Minor—where modern-day Turkey is located. The settlement eventually developed into the most influential city in the Black Sea area and one of the largest Greek metropolises before being abandoned in the 9th and 10th centuries due to unknown reasons.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/rare-ancient-tomb-of-rich-minoan-woman-discovered-at-monumental-archaeological-complex-in-crete/ar-AAIvuFq

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Huge new 'shark-toothed' dinosaur found

Today, the land near Ban Saphan Hin in central Thailand is dusted with thin reddish soil where local farmers plant corn and tapioca. But more than 113 million years ago, this region hosted ancient floodplains that were terrorized by a fearsome dinosaur with shark-like teeth.

Described today in the journal PLOS One, the newfound predator—called Siamraptor suwati—is the most complete dinosaur of its type and age ever found in Southeast Asia. The bones of the 25-foot beast add to a string of major dinosaur finds from the region, and they reveal new insight into how a major group of predatory dinosaurs spread across the ancient world.

“It's one of the most important Thai dinosaurs ever found,” Steve Brusatte, a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh who reviewed the study for publication, says in an email.

For instance, a team led by Duangsuda Chokchaloemwong, a researcher at Thailand’s Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University, pored over the bones and found that the skeleton is shot through with air sacs. This would have made the dinosaur’s frame lightweight and perhaps helped it breathe faster, an idea that future scans of the bones could put to the test.

“It would have been a fierce, fast, dynamic beast,” Brusatte says.

Teeth like a shark's

Tens of millions of years before giant tyrannosaurs such as T. rex arrived on the scene, another group of large predatory dinosaurs reigned: the allosauroids. Among these meat-eating heavyweights was a group called the carcharodontosaurs (kar-KA-ro-DON-toe-SORES), which were the top predators for most of the Cretaceous. 

“It was only with the decline of the carcharodontosaurs that small tyrannosaurs got big and moved into the apex predator role,” Brusatte says.

FULL REPORT

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Ancient Egyptian 'industrial zone' uncovered in Luxor's 'Valley of the Monkeys'

New archaeological discoveries have been made in Luxor, Egypt, -including an "industrial zone," according to the Egyptian  Ministry of Antiquities.

Archaeologists found 30 workshops in an area "composed of houses for storage and the cleaning of the funerary furniture with many potteries dated to Dynasty 18," reports Reuters.

One finding was in the West Valley, also referred to as the Valley of the Monkeys, reports Ahram Online, and the other was in the East Valley, which is home to the country's famous pharaonic tombs.

Well-known Egyptologist Zahi Hawass told Ahram Online that the area contains an oven used for clay products, a water storage tank used by thirsty workers, and hundreds of inlay beads and golden objects that were used to decorate royal coffins.

The excavation is reportedly looking for overlooked tombs, and for those of the wives and sons of the kings of the eighteenth dynasty buried in the Valley of the Kings.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/ancient-egyptian-industrial-zone-uncovered-in-luxors-valley-of-the-monkeys/ar-AAIIeKi

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Archaeologists unearth 20 well-preserved wooden coffins in Egypt deemed to be the 'biggest most important discovery' in years

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Archaeologist have stumbled upon what is deemed the 'biggest and most important' discovery in years near the Egyptian city of Luxor.

At least 20 well-preserved, vividly painted wooden coffins have been unearthed in the ancient town of West Thebes.

The treasure trove includes tombs dating back to the Middle, New Kingdom and the Late Periods, which took occurred in the years 1994 B.C. to 332 B.C.

Experts have provided few details of the discovery, but have shared stunning pictures of the vibrant coffins with their vivid inscriptions and paintings, according to AP.

The coffins which are considered one of the 'biggest and most important' discoveries in recent years are found in the Asasif Necropolis.

The area is called the Asasif Tombs because it is surrounded by burials.

It sits between the Deir al-Bahri and the Tombs of the Nobles, and next to the Temple of Hatshepsut on the West Bank of Luxor, reports AncientPages.com

And earlier discoveries had found tombs belonging to Anch-Hor, Kheru-Ef, Montuemhet, and Pabasa. 

Beneath the sandy grounds are underground rooms and a gallery leading to the tomb of Kheru-Ef during the reign of Amenhotep III. At first, this period in Egypt was first ruled by

The ministry says it will release further details at a news conference on Saturday.  

Less than a week ago, archaeologists made a discovery inside a coffin that was also astounding -- the oldest copy of a 'map for the soul to attain eternal life'. 

'The Book of Two Ways' was supposed to help the deceased navigate through a dangerous landscape of fiery lakes and knife-wielding demons to make it to the realm of Osiris. 

The burial shaft housing the coffin was unearthed in 2012 but has now been found to have been constructed 4,000 years ago. 

The engravings have also revealed the coffin’s inhabitant is not an overlord, but an elite woman.

‘The Book of Two Ways’ refers to two paths that zig-zag a dangerous route through obstacles and demonic entities towards ‘Rostau’ or the realm of Osiris. 

It was believed that anyone who laid on the body of Osiris would never die.

And now it is determined that the etching found on the side of the coffin is the oldest copy known to man.

The ancient map for the dead is etched in two wood panels and although versions have been found on other coffins, this is the oldest in history.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/archaeologists-unearth-20-well-preserved-wooden-coffins-in-egypt-deemed-to-be-the-biggest-most-important-discovery-in-years/ar-AAIRGbu

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Discovery of Bronze Age Warrior’s Kit Sheds New Light on an Epic Prehistoric Battle

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A knife, chisel, arrowheads, and other gear belonging to a Bronze Age warrior have been uncovered on a 3,300-year-old battlefield in Germany.

New research published today in Antiquity highlights some of the military equipment that was in use during the Nordic Bronze Age (2000 to 1200 BCE). Over 30 items belonging to a single warrior were found clumped together under a riverbank in Germany’s Tollense Valley—the site of a violent conflict involving potentially thousands of warriors some 3,300 years ago. The new evidence suggests the battle wasn’t a local affair, but rather a multiregional conflict that transpired on a wider scale than previously appreciated.

The Tollense site in northeastern Germany has undergone steady excavations since its discovery in 2008, during which time archaeologists have pulled out an assortment of items and fossils associated with the conflagration—including 12,000 bits of human bone, so far traced to more than 140 individuals.

These individuals were almost exclusively young males who exhibited signs of fresh and/or past trauma inflicted by weapons. Isotopic and genetic data gleaned from the bones suggested many of the men were local to the region, but some of the warriors came from parts unknown. The Bronze Age warrior’s kit, found in 2016, is helping to fill in this important gap.

The 31 items were likely stored together in a cloth pouch, or perhaps a wooden case, that is now gone, having rotted away after so many years. The kit was somehow missed during the looting that typically happens after a battle, and it’s believed to contain the “typical personal belongings of a warrior who probably originated from southern Central Europe,” according to the new paper. The new analysis was led by Joachim Krüger from the University of Greifswald and included researchers from the University of Göttingen and the State Agency for Cultural Heritage in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

The assemblage included a bronze awl with a birch handle, which the warrior would have used to puncture holes in a variety of materials. The birch handle was radiocarbon dated to 1300 to 1250 BCE, which nicely matches the age of the battle site. A knife, chisel, decorated belt box, three dress pins, arrowheads, and bronze fragments were among the other items analyzed. 

“This is the first discovery of personal belongings on [the] battlefield and it provides insights into the equipment of a warrior,” said Terberger in a press release, adding that the “fragmented bronze was probably used as a form of early currency.”

The warrior’s kit also included three thin bronze metal cylinders. These sheets were pierced with bronze nails which were still attached at the ends, and they were rolled up in a manner reminiscent of wristbands. The authors speculate that these cylinders were fittings used for the cloth bag or wooden box, which has since disintegrated.

While seemingly innocuous, these cylinders, along with other items found in the warrior’s stash, are consistent with equipment found elsewhere in Bronze Age Europe, including in southern Germany and Bohemia (now the Czech Republic). This is a potential clue that the battle drew men from far away. This “further supports the interpretation that the finds in the Tollense Valley testify to a large violent conflict of supra-regional scale,” the authors wrote in the study, adding that the “conflict should be interpreted in the framework of the social and economic development that characterised Central Europe” in the 13th century BCE.

These clues are certainly intriguing, but more evidence will be needed to solidify these claims, such as more isotopic data from the warrior’s bones and teeth, which can be used to pinpoint the geographic origin.

As to what prompted this bloody battle, the authors can only speculate, but its location next to Tollense River is probably an important clue. A causeway nearby “probably became an important focus for trade routes,” the authors wrote, and a likely “starting point for the battle” which may have involved upwards of 2,000 combatants. Archaeological evidence of violence uncovered elsewhere along the river bank backs up the claim that this area was a hotbed of conflict.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/discovery-of-bronze-age-warriors-kit-sheds-new-light-on-an-epic-prehistoric-battle/ar-AAIRB4Z?ocid=chromentp

Edited October 17, 2019 by CaaC (John)

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Legendary ancient 'lost city of King of the Gods' uncovered in Cambodia

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An ancient "lost city" dating back to the 9th Century has been uncovered for the first time.

The legendary Mahendraparvata was feared lost forever, as scientists could not even agree where it was.

It was hidden in dense jungle, but the advanced aerial mapping has finally allowed its location to be identified after years of searching.

But now experts say they can confidently state where temples and large palaces once stood, thanks to laser scanning.

The city is thought to have been the first capital of the powerful Khmer Empire, which ruled over large swathes of South East Asia between the ninth and 15th centuries.

Its name means the Mountain of Indra, King of the Gods.

Although archaeologists knew of its existence from ancient records, it has long eluded them because the terrain is so difficult.

Exploring the area on foot has been incredibly dangerous because the evil Khmer Rouge, which ruled over Cambodia between 1975 and 1979, laid down landmines there.

It was the location of the Communist regime's last stand before it was finally defeated.

It is located in the Phnom Kulen highlands, around 30 miles north of Siem Reap.

Damian Evans, from the French Institute of Asian Studies in Paris, told the New Scientist: "The city may not have lasted for centuries, or perhaps even decades, but the cultural and religious significance of the place has lasted right up until the present day."

Even when it was the empire's capital, it was challenging for its inhabitants because it was so mountainous.

The city was built on a plateau measuring around 30 square miles and followed a grid system.

Mr Evans stated: “It shows a degree of centralised control and planning.

"What you’re seeing at Mahendraparvata... speaks of a grand vision and a fairly elaborate plan."

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/legendary-ancient-lost-city-of-king-of-the-gods-uncovered-in-cambodia/ar-AAJ1Psb

 

[CaaC (John)+]

World's oldest pearl found in Abu Dhabi

An 8,000-year-old pearl that archaeologists say is the worlds oldest will be displayed in Abu Dhabi, according to authorities who said Sunday it is proof the objects have been traded since Neolithic times.

The natural pearl was found in the floor of a room discovered during excavations at Marawah Island, off the capital of the United Arab Emirates, which revealed the earliest architecture found in the country.

"The layers from which the pearl came have been carbon-dated to 5800-5600 BC, during the Neolithic period," Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism said.

"The discovery of the oldest pearl in the world in Abu Dhabi makes it clear that so much of our recent economic and cultural history has deep roots that stretch back to the dawn of prehistory," said its chairman Mohamed Al-Muabarak.

The excavation of the Marawah site, which is made up of numerous collapsed Neolithic stone structures, has also yielded ceramics, beads made from shell and stone, and flint arrowheads.

The "Abu Dhabi Pearl" will be shown for the first time in the exhibition "10,000 years of Luxury" which is opening on October 30 at the Louvre Abu Dhabi -- the outpost of the famous Paris museum.

Emirati experts believe that the pearls were traded with Mesopotamia -- ancient Iraq -- in exchange for ceramics and other goods. They were also likely worn as jewellery.

"The Venetian jewel merchant Gasparo Balbi, who travelled through the region, mentions the islands off the coast of Abu Dhabi as a source of pearls in the 16th century," the culture department said.

The pearl industry once underpinned the economy of the United Arab Emirates, but the trade collapsed in the 1930s with the advent of Japanese cultured pearls, and as conflicts rocked global economies.

Instead, the Gulf nations turned to the oil industry which dominates their economies to this day.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/worlds-oldest-pearl-found-in-abu-dhabi/ar-AAJ5AuI

[CaaC (John)+]

Take a Virtual Tour of a 17th-Century Dutch Smugglers’ Shipwreck

When the wreck of the Dutch smuggling ship Melckmeyt was found off the coast of Iceland in 1992, the only way to explore it was with diving equipment. That's no longer the case: As Live Science reports, shipwreck enthusiasts can now experience the watery ruin at home by taking a virtual tour.

Sunk by a storm on October 16, 1659, the Melckmeyt (Dutch for Milkmaid) is Iceland's oldest shipwreck. Its origins are Dutch, but when it set sail 360 years ago, the vessel flew a Danish flag. That's because it had been illegal for the Netherlands to trade with Iceland, which was ruled by Denmark at the time, so to smuggle goods into Icelandic ports, the Dutch sailors posed as a Danish crew.

The Melckmeyt was one of a fleet of illicit merchant ships meant to travel from the Netherlands to Iceland in 1659. After sinking that year, the wreck spent centuries in the cold, protective waters off the island of Flatey near Iceland's west coast. When it was discovered by local divers in the early 1990s, the lower hull of the ship was still in impressive condition.

The shipwreck remains in its frigid resting place at the bottom of the North Atlantic, but you don't need to book a flight or don a wetsuit to see it. In 2016, researchers from the University of Iceland and the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands captured high-resolution scans of the site and used them to construct a 3D model. Today, that model is available for anyone to explore on YouTube, either as a virtual reality experience with a headset or an interactive 360° video.

During the three-minute tour, you'll follow virtual divers on a journey into the ship's remains. The video ends with a computer-generated model showing what the ship might have looked like before it was ravaged by time. The video is free for anyone to watch from their computer, but if you find yourself in Iceland, you can view the recreation with a VR headset at the Reykjavik Maritime Museum.

Itching to get in touch with your inner deep-sea explorer? Here are some shipwrecks you can visit in real-life.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/take-a-virtual-tour-of-a-17th-century-dutch-smugglers-shipwreck/ar-AAJdq4S

[CaaC (John)+]

The face of medieval man reconstructed from a 600-year-old skeleton

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The face of a medieval man has been reconstructed from skeletal remains buried more than 600 years ago.

The bones - found during the redevelopment of Aberdeen Art Gallery in 2015 - were used in conjunction with facial reconstruction technology to help experts paint a picture of what life was like in the Middle Ages.

The result of their work has been dubbed Skeleton 125, or SK 125, who is thought to have been at least 46 years old, between 5ft 2in and 5ft 5in in height, and suffered from extensive dental and joint disease.

Researchers at AOC Archaeology Group said evidence suggests the man was not local to Aberdeen but may have spent his childhood in the northwest Highlands of the Outer Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland.

His remains date back to the time of the old Blackfriars Dominican Friary, which is believed to have been founded at some point between 1222AD and 1249AD.

The discovery caused the redevelopment of the gallery, which itself is more than 130 years old, to be suspended.

Dr Paula Milburn, from the archaeology group, said: "SK 125 has provided us with a first fascinating glimpse of one of the people buried on the site of Aberdeen Art Gallery over 600 years ago.

"The ongoing post-excavation work is examining the remains in detail and will provide us with amazing information on the kind of people buried here, including their ages, gender, health and lifestyles."

Dozens of other full skeletons were also found at the site but have not been reconstructed like SK 125.

After a four-year wait, Aberdeen Art Gallery is due to reopen on Saturday 2 November.

Work to transform the venue cost £36.4m - its biggest investment since it opened in 1885 - and includes improvements to the buildings, new galleries and a new exhibition.

VisitScotland expects it to attract around 250,000 visitors annually.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/face-of-medieval-man-reconstructed-from-600-year-old-skeleton/ar-AAJcA5c

 

 

[CaaC (John)+]

‘Supernatural’ Bronze Age find could shed light on one of London’s greatest prehistoric mysteries

VIDEO

Archaeological research may be about to shed remarkable new light on one of London’s greatest prehistoric mysteries – the ancient religious status of the River Thames.

It’s known that Bronze Age and Iron Age Britons deposited thousands of prehistoric objects in the river as gifts to its deity or spirits.

But now, archaeologists investigating a site in east London have discovered what may be a 9th-century BC Bronze Age temple or ceremonial centre established specifically to honour or venerate the Thames as the physical incarnation of such divinity.

What’s more, the archaeologists have unearthed hundreds of beautiful bronze artefacts which Bronze Age people had buried in the complex – potentially as votive offerings to that supernatural being.

Archaeological research may be about to shed remarkable new light on one of London’s greatest prehistoric mysteries – the ancient religious status of the River Thames.

It’s known that Bronze Age and Iron Age Britons deposited thousands of prehistoric objects in the river as gifts to its deity or spirits.

But now, archaeologists investigating a site in east London have discovered what may be a 9th-century BC Bronze Age temple or ceremonial centre established specifically to honour or venerate the Thames as the physical incarnation of such divinity.

What’s more, the archaeologists have unearthed hundreds of beautiful bronze artefacts which Bronze Age people had buried in the complex – potentially as votive offerings to that supernatural being.

FULL REPORT

[CaaC (John)+]

Wreck of an 18th-century ship that sank 'in dubious circumstances' discovered after a 40-year search

Divers in Norway have discovered the wreck of an 18th-century Dutch merchant ship that has eluded searchers for decades.

Members of the Sogne Diving Club in southern Norway found the undisturbed wreck of the Juffrau Elisabeth, according to a statement released by Norway’s Directorate for Cultural Heritage on Oct. 25.

"This discovery is important because no one has been robbing this wreck for items," Karl Klungland, head of the Sogne Diving Club told Fox News, via email, noting that the ship's artefacts are still on the seabed.

The diving club hopes that some objects can be recovered from the wreck site and exhibited in a local museum.

"We are also hoping that remaining objects can be kept at sea bottom so that other divers can get the same feeling as we got when we discovered this untouched wreck," Klungland added.

The ship sank on March 21, 1760, off the Sogne archipelago.

“The vessel sank under dubious circumstances and the Dutch Captain Pitter Eelkesh later received criticism during the inquiry,” said Norway’s Directorate for Cultural Heritage in the statement.

With all of her sails up, Juffrau Elisabeth struck several skerries, or small rocky islands, according to the Directorate. “The recent discovery is significant, and it will be an incredible source of information for scientists,” it added. “There are very few preserved shipwrecks from this period in Norway.”

Hanna Geiran, director-general of the directorate, described the discovery as an “incredible find” in the statement.

The Directorate said that Sogne Diving Club will receive “a record-breaking finder’s reward” for discovering the shipwreck.

NRK reports that the Sogne Diving Club has been searching for the wreck of the Juffrau Elisabeth for 40 years. The wreck was found on March 10, 2019, according to NRK.

Klungland told Fox News that the diving club was founded in 1979. Divers who subsequently became members of the club were already searching for the wreck at that time, he explained.

The Norwegian Maritime Museum will now document the wreck site. Photogrammetry will be used to create a 3D-model of the wreck and an underwater drone will take photos of the wreck. Some artefacts will also be retrieved from the ship’s final resting place, according to officials.

In a separate project, experts have harnessed virtual reality to create a stunning virtual dive of a 17th-century shipwreck. The Dutch merchant ship Melckmeyt or “Milkmaid” was wrecked off a remote Icelandic island on Oct. 16, 1659.

The ship was on a secret trading mission when it sank during a sudden storm. Digital archaeology specialists from Australia’s Flinders University have worked with maritime archaeologists at the University of Iceland to create a 360-degree virtual view of the wreck, which was discovered in 1992.

Earlier this year, archaeologists in South Africa announced the discovery of the long-lost wreck of a Dutch merchant ship that played a crucial role in the country’s colonial history.

The Dutch East India Company vessel “Haarlem,” or “Nieuw Haarlem,” became stranded in Table Bay on the evening of March 25, 1647.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/wreck-of-18th-century-ship-that-sank-in-dubious-circumstances-discovered-after-40-year-search/ar-AAJzNg6

[CaaC (John)+]

Hoard of golden treasure stumbled upon by metal detectorist revealed to be most important Anglo-Saxon find in history

Britain’s most spectacular Anglo-Saxon treasures may well have been captured on a series of Dark Age battlefields – during bitter conflicts between rival English kingdoms.

Archaeologists, who have just completed a major study of the finds, now believe that they were captured in several big mid-seventh century battles.

It is likely that the treasures, now known as the Staffordshire Hoard, were seized (in perhaps between three and six substantial military encounters) by the English midlands kingdom of Mercia from the kingdoms of Northumbria, East Anglia and possibly Wessex.

FULL REPORT

[CaaC (John)+]

Hidden 4,000-year-old monument discovered in Forest of Dean

VIDEO

A 4,000-year-old ritual monument has been discovered hidden in the Forest of Dean.

The Bronze Age ring cairn is made up of ten small standing stones on top of a raised bank in a woodland enclosure near Tidenham in Gloucestershire.

It is believed to be the only site of its type in the area, according to Jon Hoyle, an archaeologist working for the county council.

He first spotted the ring when examining the results of a survey of the forest using an airborne laser scan in 2006.

The technique uses a computer algorithm to strip away the trees and vegetation covering the forest floor to create a 3D impression of the surface.

It revealed a 25-metre-wide raised circle around a seven-metre-wide central mound, which Mr Hoyle initially thought may have been a gun emplacement from World War Two.

However, when he went to see the area for himself in 2010, he realised it could date back to around 2,000BC.

The circular mound was first spotted using a laser scan of woodland near Tidenham (Forestry Commission/ Gloucestershire County Council)

Of particular interest were the one-metre-high standing stones protruding from the ring, consistent with early or middle Bronze Age ring cairns found in Wales.

“Nobody knows precisely what they were used for,” Mr Hoyle told the BBC. “Some have been found in association with burials, and often there appear to be residues of charcoal in places like this, suggesting rituals that involved fire.”

The same survey also uncovered more than 100 possible burial mounds which have not yet been properly investigated.

Another Bronze Age monument, a round cairn burial mound made up of limestone slabs, was found in nearby Tidenham Chase in the 1960s.

Mr Hoyle published details of his discovery in a book for Historic England, Hidden Landscapes of the Forest of Dean, last month.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/hidden-4000-year-old-monument-discovered-in-forest-of-dean/ar-AAJCZnh?ocid=chromentp

Edited November 1, 2019 by CaaC (John)
Spelling corrections

[SirBalon]

Talking about discoveries 

@Carnivore Chris I'm sure will like this one...

 

[CaaC (John)+]

Boat trapped for 101 years near the edge of Niagara Falls moves after Halloween night storm

A boat that has been grounded in shallow rapids near Niagara Falls since 1918 became dislodged on Halloween night and moved downriver about 150 feet.

The development was reported by Niagara Parks, an agency of the government of Ontario, Canada, in a video posted to social media on Friday. At the time, the boat was again grounded in a new location.

The agency says the boat, an iron dumping scow, became stuck after an incident on August 6, 1918, where the barge broke loose from a tugboat.

Two men were rescued in a joint effort between the U.S. Coast Guard and local authorities. The men opened dumping doors in the bottom of the barge in a successful attempt to slow the boat from being carried away by the current, the agency says.

Since then, the boat has been remained about one-third of a mile from the edge of the Horseshoe Falls and about one-tenth of a mile from Canadian shores, according to the agency.

That is, until the night of Halloween, 2019.

Overnight severe weather and heavy currents resulted in the boat being "turned and twisted," according to Jim Hill, Senior Manager of Heritage for Niagara Parks Commission. He said the boat had also flipped on its side.

“We think it’s about 50 meters downriver from its original location," he said.

The boat had been deteriorating badly, he said. The commission extensively documented it last year to mark the 100th anniversary of the rescue and grounding of the scow. 

As for how long the boat will remain in its new location: “It’s anyone’s guess,” Hill said.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/boat-trapped-for-101-years-near-edge-of-niagara-falls-moves-after-halloween-night-storm/ar-AAJLa6T?li=AAnZ9Ug

[CaaC (John)+]

Britain's first city discovered as archaeologists say it was home of people who built Stonehenge

Britain’s first ‘city’ arose near an ancient spring on Salisbury Plain, and its inhabitants probably built Stonehenge, archaeologists believe.

Blick Mead lies just a mile away from the Wiltshire stone circle, and experts have uncovered more than 70,000 stone tools at the site, as well as an intriguing ceremonial platform suggesting the area held ritual importance for prehistoric hunter-gatherers who lived there 10,000 years ago.

Although hunter-gatherer populations rarely settle in one place, Professor David Jacques of the University of Buckingham believes the site may have been a permanent encampment where at least the children, elderly and sick lived.

“When you look at Stonehenge you think, ‘but where are the people?’” said Prof Jacques. “It makes sense that if you want to find the people who built it, the obvious idea is to look for where the water is. 

FULL REPORT

[CaaC (John)+]

150-million-year-old sea monster unearthed in once-tropical Poland

© Provided by CBS Interactive Inc. A pliosaur takes down another unlucky victim in this illustration from the University of Oslo. Natural History Museum/University of Oslo/Tor Sponga

Researchers have unearthed a 150-million-year-old fossilized sea monster called a pliosaur in a cornfield near a village in southern Poland. In a paper published in the journal Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, researchers from the Polish Academy of Sciences describe the titan of the Jurassic period.

With jaws up to about 8 feet long and 4.5 times more powerful than those of a Tyrannosaurus rex, the pliosaur could grow to be twice the size of a modern killer whale, weigh dozens of tons and eat any creature in the water. 

The fossil is about 33 feet long and was surrounded by ancient crocodile teeth and turtle shells and situated in what's believed to have been a tropical archipelago dotted with warm-water lagoons and reservoirs. 

"This new locality is rich in fossils of coastal and pelagic reptiles," the researchers wrote of the find's site, located in the northeastern part of the Holy Cross Mountains near the village of Krzyżanowice. 

© Provided by CBS Interactive Inc. Pliosaurus jaws and teeth from the Krzyzanowice site in Poland. Proceedings of the Geologists' Association 2019

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/150-million-year-old-sea-monster-unearthed-in-once-tropical-poland/ar-AAJUtyI