History

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Submerged for Decades, Spanish ‘Stonehenge’ Reemerges After Drought

© Image: Pleonr/CC BY-SA 4.0 Low water levels due to drought conditions have fully exposed the Dolmen de Guadalperal, Spanish monumental site dating back to between 4,000 to 5,000 years ago.

Receding water levels in Spain’s Valdecañas Reservoir has exposed a stone monument dating back to between 4,000 to 5,000 years ago.

Unusually warm weather produced drought conditions across much of Europe this past summer, including Spain. The lack of rain, while a headache for farmers and gardeners, has resulted in the complete re-emergence of an ancient megalithic site known as the Dolmen of Guadalperal, as reported in The Local.

The site is located near the town of Peraleda de la Mata, and it’s normally submerged, either completely or partially, by the waters of the Valdecañas Reservoir. Originally constructed in Francoist Spain during the 1960s, the reservoir brought fresh water and hydroelectricity to underdeveloped regions in Spain, according to NASA’s Earth Observatory. At the same time, however, the reservoir required the flooding of some inhabited areas along the Tagus River—and also the Dolmen of Guadalperal.

For nearly 60 years, the site has largely remained underwater, though the tips of the rocks have poked up through the surface when water levels are low (see, for example, this photo taken in 2012). Photos of the Dolmen of Guadalperal taken this past July, however, show the entire megalithic site liberated from its aquatic confines. So rare is the sight that locals are flocking to the Dolmen of Guadalperal to see it for themselves, reports The Local.

Images taken by the Operational Land Imager on the Landsat 8 satellite show the extent of the drying along the Peraleda de la Mata coast. In a series of images provided by NASA’s Space Observatory, the reservoir can be seen on July 24, 2013, and July 25, 2019.

The site dates to around 2,000 BCE to 3,000 BCE, and it presently consists of 144 stones, some reaching as high as 2 meters (6 feet). Some stones are etched with engravings of serpents. Like England’s Stonehenge, this megalithic monument is arranged in a circle-like pattern. Its purpose isn’t entirely clear, but Angel Castaño, a member of Raíces de Peralêda—a group dedicated to the preservation of the site—suspects it served a dual function, serving as both a religious site and a trading hub, reports The Local.

© Image: Landsat/USGS A satellite photo showing water levels at Valdecañas Reservoir on July 25, 2019.

Castaño and his colleagues told The Local that now’s the time, when the water is exceptionally low and the monuments are fully exposed, to relocate the site. Not only will this relocation help to preserve the stones, which are already showing signs of degradation, but it will also establish a new tourist attraction for the region, where few come to visit, Castaño told The Local.

Removing and reinstalling the monuments would require some work, such as documenting the position, angle, and depth of each stone, but a task certainly within the realm of possibility. According to Repelando, ancient Romans looted the site, and some elements were removed by a German archaeologist in the 1920s. Aside from these disruptions, most of the stones are still resting in their original position, which will allow for a faithful reconstruction and ongoing scientific investigations of the site.

© Image: Pleonr/CC BY-SA 4.0 A close-up of the freshly exposed monuments.

The excessive heat and drought experienced across much of this Europe this summer may or may not be linked to human-induced climate change (spoiler alert: it is), but the odd juxtaposition of a warming climate and its penchant to expose previously hidden archaeological sites is not without precedent. In 2010, for example, retreating ice exposed 3,400-year-old pre-Viking hunting gear in Norway, and it’s possible that retreating ice caps also exposed Ötzi the Iceman, whose well-preserved remains were found in 1991 in the mountains along the Italian-Austrian border. 

These finds, along with the recent exposure of the Dolmen of Guadalperal, are certainly fortuitous, but climate change has the potential to inflict more evil than good as far as archaeology is concerned. Research from 2017 warned that sea-level rise could threaten as many as 32,000 prehistoric and historic archaeological sites in North America, depending on how high the waters rise. So yes, climate change still sucks. 

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/submerged-for-decades-spanish-stonehenge-reemerges-after-drought/ar-AAHyz1m

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Archaeologists pull 'incredibly well-preserved' 3,200-year-old sword from a rock near megalith site in Majorca

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Archaeologists working on the Spanish holiday island of Majorca (Mallorca) have accidentally stumbled across a 3,200-year-old sword, one of only a few weapons from the Bronze Age found on the island better known for its sunny beaches.

The sword was found near a stone megalith known locally as a talayot (or talaiot), which were built by the mysterious Tailiotic culture that flourished on the islands of Majorca and Menorca some 1000-6000 BC. 

The team was preparing the location for a museum site when two archaeologists picked up a rock and saw something protruding from the ground. To their amazement, a sword emerged after they carefully removed mud and earth from the item.

'It was a huge surprise. We did not expect to find anything like this because the area had already been excavated,' Jaume Deya one of the head archaeologists told CEN.

The megalith had been looted in the ancient past, by Romans and others, and has been thoroughly excavated since the 1950s, so no one expected to find any further remains.

Apart from a broken tip, the sword is in good condition despite being over 3000 years. The team thinks it dates to around 1200 BC.

They believe the sword was deliberately left at the site, possibly buried as an offering from a noble or an aristocratic family at the megalith which is thought to had been an important religious and ceremonial site. 

What was the Talayotic culture?

The prehistoric Talayotic civilization existed in the Balearic island in the Bronze age

It is a prime example of a pre-Roman culture from this time, comprising building sites, pottery, and weaponry

The word ‘talayotic’ is related to one of the most typical elements of this culture, buildings in the form of a tower and known by the island's inhabitants as ‘TALAYOT’

Talayotic Culture of Minorca, which it is made up of 25 archaeological sites, has been proposed for inclusion in the tentative list of World Heritage of the Spanish State

Talayots in nearby Majorca and Minorca are similar, but also differ in technical building solutions: for example, the Minorcan ones had inner chambers crowned with a false dome, something not present in Majorca 

The sword could have also been left there for defence; experts believe that the weapon was buried was made when the Talaiotic culture was in serious decline.

Only around ten such weapons from the Talaiotic culture have been found before, mostly by farmers and builders who typically unearthed them by accident and then handed over to authorities. This meant that experts were unable to properly research the artefacts as they did not know where and how they had been found'.

The fact that the sword was found at an archaeological site, researchers now know the context in which it was found, which is essential to understand the origin of the sword and its possible symbolic role in the Talaiotic civilization.

For example, the find seems to demonstrate that weapons were used as offerings and it also underscores the role of the talaiots as places of religious worship rather than as signalling towers or defensive strongholds as some have suggested.

The sword is expected to be on display soon at the Museum of Majorca.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/archaeologists-pull-incredibly-well-preserved-3200-year-old-sword-from-a-rock-near-megalith-site-in-majorca/ar-AAHDE5J?ocid=chromentp#image=5

Edited September 21, 2019 by CaaC (John)
Spelling corrections

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Old lady discovers a Renaissance masterpiece in her kitchen

An early Renaissance masterpiece by the Florentine master Cimabue has been discovered in an old lady's kitchen in a town near Paris, art experts said Monday.

"Christ Mocked", by the 13th-century artist who taught Giotto, is estimated to be worth between four and six million euros ($4.3 million $6.6 million), according to the Old Masters specialists Turquin.

They said the work was owned by an old lady in the northern French town of Compiegne, who had it hanging between her kitchen and her sitting room.

It was directly above a hotplate for cooking food.

The painting is thought to be part of a large diptych dating from 1280 when Cimabue painted eight scenes depicting Christ's passion and crucifixion.

Two other scenes from the work hang in the National Gallery in London -- "The Virgin and Child with Two Angels" -- and the Frick Collection in New York ("The Flagellation of Christ").

The scene in the National Gallery was also lost for centuries and only found when a British aristocrat was clearing his ancestral seat in Suffolk.

It was given to the nation in 2000.

The French painting's elderly owner thought it was just a rather old religious icon when she took it to her local auctioneers to be valued.

Early Renaissance art was hugely influenced by Byzantine art, which is still produced in a similar style today on a background of gold paint.

However, tests using infrared light found that there was "no disputing that the painting was done by the same hand" as other known works by Cimabue, said art expert Eric Turquin.

It will now go under the hammer at the Acteon auction house in Senlis, north of Paris, on October 27.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/old-lady-discovers-renaissance-masterpiece-in-her-kitchen/ar-AAHJQky

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Ancient kingdom presumed to be Bible story 'could be real'

© Other Researchers excavated an ancient copper mine. Pic: E Ben-Yosef and the Central Timna Valley Project

Scientists have discovered evidence of an ancient kingdom previously thought to have been a mythical creation in the Bible.

The Old Testament described Edom as a neighbouring enemy state of Judea, located southeast of the Dead Sea where explorers would now find parts of Jordan and Israel.

It was spoken of extremely harshly, with some biblical texts indicating that it was complicit in the destruction of Judea and the holy city of Jerusalem.

Edom has been described as a place "where kings reigned before any Israelite king reigned", but is later said to have been defeated and plundered by King David of Israel.

Such tales have been scoffed at by plenty of historians down the years, but discoveries by a team of scientists and archaeologists in the area where it would have stood have raised new questions about its possible existence.

Researchers from the University of California and Tel Aviv University have been working at the supposed site in what is now known as the Arabah Valley.

There they excavated a copper production site dubbed Slaves' Hill, dating back more than 6,000 years, which yielded layers of smelting waste that have helped reconstruct a time when the region enjoyed a "technological leap".

Using a process called radiocarbon dating, which helps determine how old an organic object is, the researchers were able to put a date on the smelting waste - better known as slag.

© Getty The modern-day Arabah Valley. File pic

Analysis of the minerals and metals within the slag was then used to work out how smelting techniques changed over the centuries, with lower concentrations of copper indicating that more had been extracted.

Efficiency improved dramatically in the second half of the 10th century BC and the techniques also became common across various sites in the region - indicating that other workers were picking them up.

Detailing the findings in the journal PLOS ONE, team leader Erez Ben-Yosef said the technological leap played a key role in the move from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age.

"Our study sheds new light on the emergence of the archaeologically elusive biblical kingdom of Edom, indicating that the process started much earlier than previously thought," he said.

"That said, the study's contribution goes beyond the Edomite case, as it provides significant insights on ancient technological evolution and the intricate interconnections between technology and society.

"The results demonstrate that the punctuated equilibrium evolutionary model is applicable to ancient technological developments and that in turn, these developments are proxies for social processes."

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/ancient-kingdom-presumed-to-be-bible-story-could-be-real/ar-AAHPCCX

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Incredible footage reveals more than 100 'perfectly preserved' Roman amphorae used to store olive oil and wine in a 1,700-year-old shipwreck off the coast of Majorca

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Incredible footage reveals a Roman shipwreck containing more than 100 perfectly preserved amphorae that underwater archaeologists are painstakingly recovering.

The wreck — which experts have dated back to around 1,700 years ago — was found off of the coast of Mallorca back in July 2019.

Based on some of the inscriptions on the long, two-handled jars, the archaeologists believe that the amphorae were used to store fish sauce, oil and wine.

However, researchers will not be able to open them to check until they have finished preservation work that will stop the salt in the seawater cracking the jars.

The wreck was found off of the coast of Mallorca's Can Pastilla Beach in July after local resident Felix Alarcón and his wife spotted pottery shards on the seabed.

After investigating, archaeologists found the Roman boat buried in the seabed mere feet from the shore. 

In a press conference, archaeologist Sebastian Munar of the Balearic Institute of Maritime Archaeology Studies said that the amphorae were perfectly conserved in the ship's hold.

The vessel is around 33 feet (ten metres) long and 16 feet (five metres) wide. 

The merchant ship is thought to have been carrying its wares between Mallorca and the Spanish mainland.  

Experts think that the Roman vessel sank around 1,700 years ago — although likely not as a result of a storm, given the excellent preservation of its fragile cargo.  

With the assistance of the Spanish navy and national police divers, archaeologists have removed the jars, however, the wreck itself is to be left on the seafloor.

© Provided by Associated Newspapers Limited The wreck was found off of the coast of Mallorca's Can Pastilla Beach in July after local resident Felix Alarcón and his wife spotted pottery shards on the seabed

The amphorae on-board the vessel have been transferred to the Museum of Mallorca, where experts will be analysing and restoring the spectacular artefacts.

'The amphorae are now in swimming pools where they are being desalinated and we think this process will last about four months,' Mallorca council heritage director Kika Coll told CEN.

'This process is important because the salt crystallises and can break the amphorae.'

'The amphorae have spent 1,700 years underwater and we do not want to make mistakes.'

'Once we are able to translate the inscriptions, we will learn more about the merchants, the products they transported and where they came from.'

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/incredible-footage-reveals-more-than-100-perfectly-preserved-roman-amphorae-used-to-store-olive-oil-and-wine-in-a-1700-year-old-shipwreck-off-the-coast-of-majorca/ar-AAHZ3ho#image=1

[Carnivore Chris]

 

A photo of Battle Abbey(that I took when down South), which was built on the site where the battle of Hastings in 1066 took place.

 

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Uncovering secrets of mystery civilization in Saudi Arabia

A team of researchers is carrying out the first in-depth archaeological survey of part of Saudi Arabia, in a bid to shed light on a mysterious civilisation that once lived there. The Nabataean culture left behind sophisticated stone monuments, but many sites remain unexplored.

The rock-strewn deserts of Al Ula in Saudi Arabia are known for their pitch-black skies, which allow stargazers to easily study celestial bodies without the problem of light pollution.

But the region is becoming even more attractive for archaeologists.

A long-lost culture known as the Nabataean civilisation inhabited the area starting from around 100 BC and persisted for some 200 years.

While the Nabataeans ruled their empire from the stunning city of Petra in Jordan, they made Hegra (the modern Mada'in Saleh) in Al Ula their second capital.

Now, archaeologists are planning to carry out the first in-depth survey of a chunk of land here that's roughly the size of Belgium.

The large international team of more than 60 experts has started work on an initial, two-year project to survey the core area of 3,300 sq km in north-western Saudi Arabia.

This is the first time such a large area of more or less scientifically uncharted territory has been systematically investigated.

FULL REPORT

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Has a biblical anchor been discovered? Researchers say they have identified the anchor belonging to St Paul's 60 AD shipwreck near Malta

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Archaeologists believe they have identified an anchor from a biblical shipwreck dating back to 60 AD, which could have belonged to the vessel that once carried St. Paul.

The anchor was one of four discovered in the 1960s in St. Thomas Bay on Malta's southern coast, which contests the long-standing legend that the event happened in St. Paul's Bay located on the northern region.

Because the anchor dates back to the first-century era of Roman shipping and was laying in an area that represents the recordings of Luke in Acts 27, the team is sure they have made a true discovery. 

However, critics have argued that there is lack of evidence to confirm that the anchor is remnants of the ancient ship mentioned in scripture, as others have come forward claiming to have found the same artefact in the past.

The new claims come from the Bible Archaeology Search and Exploration (BASE) Institute, which relayed the biblical story on their website to announce their findings.

'In approximately 60 A.D., a ship carrying 276 men and a cargo of grain shipwrecked off the coast of Malta,' BASE wrote.

'Two of the passengers on that ship were the biblical writers Paul and Luke, who were on their way to Rome–Paul as a prisoner, and Luke as his attending physician and friend.'

'Through Luke's meticulously-detailed account of the voyage and shipwreck, as recorded in Acts chapter 27, we can today undertake a journey back in time to find the remains of that shipwreck.'

'And, even more precisely, we can attempt to find the four anchors described in the Bible that were abandoned in the sea.'

This journey of discovery began when four anchors were pulled from the depths of the St. Thomas Bay in the 1960s, but, at the time, no one had linked any of them to St. Paul's ship.

'The legend of Paul shipwrecking in St. Paul's Bay had existed for so long that it was indelibly etched in the Maltese culture, and consequently anchors produced from any other bay could not be seen as being from Paul's ship,' Bob Cornuke, the leader of BASE, explained to Fox News in an email.

All four anchors were found to date back to the first-century era of Roman shipping -- at the time when Paul's shipwreck occurred.   

And the was laying in an area that represents the recordings of Luke in Acts 27, which is the biblical passage mentioning the shipwreck.   

'Could this, verifiably, be an anchor from Paul's ship, which lay alongside three others for nearly two thousand years until they were recovered just a few years ago?' writes BASE, on its website. 

'As with any historical claim, the best we can do is examine the evidence in terms of probability. But the evidence for the anchors of Paul's shipwreck is virtually overwhelming.'

Critics, however, have said that there is a lack of evidence to support BASE's theory, as many have come before the group claiming to have found the same artefact in the past

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/has-biblical-anchor-been-discovered-researchers-say-they-have-identified-the-anchor-belonging-to-st-pauls-60-ad-shipwreck-near-malta/ar-AAIj9PW?MSCC=1570278324&ocid=chromentp#image=2

Edited October 5, 2019 by CaaC (John)

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Egypt unveils 3,500-year-old industrial district on the west bank of the Nile

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Egypt, as part of a larger effort to ramp up tourism, has unveiled a 3,500-year-old industrial area, a first-of-its-kind collection of artefacts, on the west bank of the Nile River in Luxor.

The discovery in the Western Valley, also known as the Valley of the Monkeys, dates to the New Kingdom's 18th Dynasty, approximately 1543–1292 B.C., the antiquities ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, who spearheaded a two-year excavation in the area, said the site includes 30 workshops where funeral furniture for royal tombs was made.

The team also discovered an oven used to produce clay products, a water storage tank, two silver rings and objects used to decorate royal coffins, Hawass said at a press conference in Luxor, according to the statement.

Hawass' team also uncovered a royal tomb that contained tools used in tomb construction.

A mission launched by Napoleon Bonaparte in the early 19th century discovered a few items at this site, which otherwise remained untapped until a new excavation in 2011. That mission was halted, and Hawass returned to the site in 2017.

Work is currently underway in the Western Valley to find the tombs of Queen Nefertiti and the wife of boy-king Tutankhamun, Hawass added.

In April, archaeologists unveiled an expansive tomb on Luxor's west bank that also dates to the 18th dynasty, believed to have belonged to a nobleman named Shedsu Djehuty.

The west bank of the Nile in Luxor also is home to the Valley of the Kings, a major site where pharaohs and nobles of the New Kingdom were buried.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/egypt-unveils-3500-year-old-industrial-district-on-west-bank-of-the-nile/ar-AAICUa2#image=AAICUa2_1|1

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Ancient images of gladiators unearthed at the city of Pompeii

Archaeologists have uncovered a well-preserved fresco of two fighting gladiators in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii.

It depicts two gladiators in action, one wielding a short sword, the other cowering as blood spurts from wounds all over his body.

The defeated soldier is lifting his finger to beg for mercy.

Dario Franceschini, Italy’s culture minister, said the discovery showed Pompeii was “an inexhaustible mine for research and knowledge for archaeologists”.

The city is undergoing a new phase of excavation, the “Great Pompeii” project, funded by the European Union and Italy. It has already unearthed villas decorated with frescoes and mosaics as well as the remains of human skeletons trapped beneath the rubble.

The fresco was found in what had been a basement that could have been used as a shop, and there may have been a tavern and brothel above.

The painting, which is 1.5 metres wide, suggests the place was frequented by gladiators.

It was found at Regio V, a 54-acre site near an archaeological park not yet open to the public.

A fresco depicting the mythological hunter Narcissus admiring his own reflection in a pool was discovered in February.

“It’s very probable that this place was frequented by gladiators,” said Massimo Osanna, director-general of Pompeii’s archaeological park.

“Of particular interest in this fresco is the very realistic representation of wounds on the wrist and chest of the unsuccessful gladiator … we don’t know the outcome of the fight, he could have died or was given grace.”

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/ancient-images-of-gladiators-unearthed-at-city-of-pompeii/ar-AAIFSMa#image=2

[CaaC (John)+]

What the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World would look like today

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Hand-drawn sketch by Admiral Lord Nelson outlining his plan to defeat the French and Spanish navies at Trafalgar is found tucked into a scrapbook for almost 200 years

A sketch hand-drawn by Admiral Lord Nelson showing his plan to defeat the French and Spanish navies at Trafalgar has been discovered tucked inside the pages of a scrapbook where it's been concealed for nearly 200 years.

The map was found by Nelson historian Martyn Downer in the scrapbook dating from the 1830s which was recently sold at auction.

The drawing was found alongside an address leaf-bearing Nelson's signature and is dated September 5 1805.

The sketch, which has been donated to the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth, shows Nelson's plan to split his fleet into three divisions to break and destroy the enemy line coming out of Cadiz harbour.

FULL REPORT

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27 Maya ritual sites discovered on an online map by eagle-eyed archaeologist

© FoxNews.com Researchers have uncovered a 1,500-year-old stucco mask of Maya ruler K'inich Janaab 'Pakal. What differentiates this mask from others is it’s seemingly made in the king’s likeness.

An eagle-eyed archaeologist has used a freely available online map to locate 27  Maya ceremonial sites in Mexico. 

Takeshi Inomata, a professor of archaeology at the University of Arizona, made the discovery using a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) map he found online last year, according to the New York Times. LiDAR technology harnesses a laser to measure distances to the Earth’s surface and can prove extremely valuable to study what is hidden in areas with thick vegetation.

The 2011 map, which covers 4,400 square miles of the Mexican states of Tabasco and Chiapas, was published by Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography, the Times reported. 

Inomata told Fox News that the discovery followed his research at the site of Ceibal in Guatemala, where a ceremonial complex dating back to 1000 to 900 B.C. were found. “We then went to this area (Tabasco) thinking that there may be similar ceremonial complexes of this period,” he explained, via email. “It was great to see that there [are] more sites of this type than we expected. It is also remarkable that they had very standardized rectangular formations.”

Although visible on LiDAR maps, many sites, such as one dubbed “La Carmelita” are difficult to find in ground-based surveys, according to the Times.

The discovery of the 27 lost Maya ritual sites sheds new light on the ancient culture. “This is the period when people were just starting to use ceramics and adopting a sedentary way of life,” he explained. “The presence of these formal ceremonial complex in this early period indicates that certain rituals and religious ideas spread over a wide area as people accepted new ways of life.”

The Mexican Institute of Anthropology and History also participated in the project.

There have been a number of fascinating Maya discoveries across central America in recent years.

Experts recently discovered a unique ancient tool that was used by Maya salt workers more than 1,000 years ago. Fashioned from the mineral jadeite, the chisel-style implement was found at the site of Ek Way Nal, a Maya salt works in southern Belize that is now submerged in a saltwater lagoon.

Last year an ancient mask depicting a 7th-century Maya king was discovered in southern Mexico.

Also in 2018, archaeologists harnessed sophisticated technology to reveal lost cities and thousands of ancient structures deep in the Guatemalan jungle, confirming that the Maya civilization was much larger than previously thought.

LiveScience reports that hundreds of Maya artefacts that may have been used in ritual animal sacrifices have also been discovered at the bottom of a Guatemalan lake.

From its heart in what is now Guatemala, the Maya empire reached the peak of its power in the sixth century A.D., according to History.com, although most of the civilization’s cities were abandoned around 900 A.D.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/27-maya-ritual-sites-discovered-on-online-map-by-eagle-eyed-archaeologist/ar-AAJ1M7k

[CaaC (John)+]

Researchers find second warship from WWII Battle of Midway

© Provided by The Associated Press Rob Kraft, director of undersea operations at Vulcan Inc., reviews sonar scans of a warship from the World War II Battle of Midway that was found by his crew on the research vessel Petrel, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019, off Midway Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)

MIDWAY ATOLL, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (AP) — A crew of deep-sea explorers and historians looking for lost World War II warships have found a second Japanese aircraft carrier that went down in the historic Battle of Midway.

Vulcan Inc.'s director of undersea operations Rob Kraft and Naval History and Heritage Command historian Frank Thompson reviewed high-frequency sonar images of the warship Sunday and say that it's dimensions and location mean it has to be the carrier, Akagi.

© Provided by The Associated Press The sun rises over Vulcan Inc.'s research vessel Petrel nearly 200 miles off Midway Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands on Friday, Oct. 18, 2019. The crew of the Petrel found the sunken remains of the Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga, which sank in the historic Battle of Midway, and are searching the vast area for other sunken warships in the coming days. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)

The Akagi was found in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument resting in nearly 18,000 feet (5,490 meters) of water more than 1,300 miles (2,090 kilometres) northwest of Pearl Harbor.

The researchers used an autonomous underwater vehicle, or AUV, equipped with sonar to find the ship. The vehicle had been out overnight collecting data, and the image of a warship appeared in the first set of readings Sunday morning.

The first scan used low-resolution sonar, so the crew sent their AUV back to get higher-quality images.

FULL REPORT

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An Ancient Maya Staircase Is Brought Back to Life — and Back to Mexico

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An ancient Maya monument damaged by erosion has been brought back to life at a temple site in Mexico after a new version was re-created with 3D printing technology using Victorian-era copies preserved in the British Museum.

The rebirth of the Hieroglyphic Stairway at Palenque was made possible by the museum’s fortuitous collection of hundreds of plaster casts of Maya inscriptions taken 130 years ago by the British explorer and diplomat Alfred Maudslay. 

Maudslay hacked through the jungles of Middle America in the 1880s on a mission to uncover the secrets of the Maya, recording with casts and photographs monuments that have subsequently become illegible due to their exposure to the elements.

The British Museum and Google Arts & Culture, a not-for-profit arm of the tech company, laser-scanned the plaster casts, which had lain in storage for more than a century, and commissioned a limestone reproduction from Pangolin Editions, a Gloucestershire-based foundry better known for creating sculptures for artists such as Damien Hirst.

The stairway has been flown to Mexico and will be put on permanent display at the site, where visitors will be encouraged to touch the glyphs and read a translation of the inscription.

Jago Cooper, curator of the Americas at the British Museum, said the project was “a journey of understanding built on the latest technology of our time.”

“You can now see what the ancient Maya were trying to do with this staircase, which currently you can’t.”

Maudslay’s preference for recording rather than retrieving objects gives the museum some welcome relief from a series of disputes over some of the artefacts in its collection, from the Parthenon Marbles taken from Athens by Lord Elgin to the Benin bronzes looted by British troops in the 19th century. Sir Richard Lambert, chairman of the British Museum trustees, described restitution as “an existential question” for the institution at an event in London in July.

With the exception of a handful of artefacts he feared would be looted and so had sent to London, Maudslay used the then cutting-edge techniques of plaster casting and photography to capture the monuments in situ, bringing large glass plates and phytochemicals into the jungle interior on mules, as well as tons of plaster mix.

The project has won the support of the Mexican government, but some indigenous descendants of the Maya, now spread across Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and elsewhere, raised questions over the focus given to heritage when many communities remain marginalized.

“There’s a lot of interest in dead Maya and not living Maya. They reduce us to folklore … when we are stuck in poverty today,” says Pedro Uc, a teacher and farmer in Buctzotz, northeast of the city of Mérida, and a member of the Múuch’ Xíinbal assembly of defenders of the Maya territory.

Atanacio Gómez Encino, a custodian of the archaeological zone in Palenque and himself a Maya, applauded the decision to protect the original steps from further deterioration but lamented the fact that conservation projects at the site were foreign initiatives. “The Mexican government should provide enough cash for conservation and protection,” he says.

British Museum curators have spent time with indigenous Maya communities in the state of Yucatán, explaining the significance of the ancient sites as well as the role played by Maudslay’s Maya collaborators, captured in the many photographs he took of them.

Last Tuesday Maudslay’s entire archive of photographs, diaries, drawings and casts was made available on the Google Arts & Culture site as part of the project, with the help of Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History.

Virtual reality and augmented reality tours of the sites are published in English and Spanish, while Maya scholars can examine online the entire cast collection scanned in 3D, altering the position of the light source and point of view to help them decode the highly complex text.

The digitization of Maudslay’s glass plate photographs revealed details not previously observed, the museum says, including stucco decoration on the facades of buildings as well as the dress, tools and even the facial expressions of his colleagues.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/an-ancient-maya-staircase-is-brought-back-to-life-—-and-back-to-mexico/ar-AAJkoVI#image=1

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New Archaeological Evidence Shows Pontius Pilate Not as Bad as We Thought

When you hear the name “Pontius Pilate” you probably think of Jesus. After all, were it not for Jesus the vast majority of people would never have heard of him. Historians remember Pilate as a rash and headstrong ruler who unnecessarily offended the religious sensibilities of Jews in Roman Judea, plundered the Temple treasury, and—most famously—sentenced Jesus of Nazareth to die. He was, in other words, an ineffective leader whose actions contributed to political unrest in the region and who is best known for executing a Galilean teacher for treason. But new archaeological discoveries in Jerusalem suggest that perhaps Pilate was not as bad as previously thought.

As reported by LiveScience, archaeologists working in Jerusalem have excavated an important nearly 2000-foot-long street that connected the Temple Mount to the pool of Siloam, an ancient religious site where people would bathe and collect freshwater. The existence of the street was well known to archaeologists ever since its discovery by British archaeologists in 1894, but what has emerged from the more recent excavations was that it was Pilate who was responsible for its construction.

The archaeologists from Tel Aviv University and the Israel Antiquities Authority who excavated the street discovered a hundred coins dating to between 17 and 30/31 A.D. trapped in the paving stones. This leads them to conclude that most if not all of the construction were performed while Pilate was governor of the region as construction must have been finished by 30/31 A.D., during Pilate’s tenure as governor.

Donald T. Ariel, a coin expert who works with the Israel Antiquities Authority,  said “Dating using coins is very exact… As some coins have the year in which they were minted on them… statistically, coins minted some 10 years later are the most common coins in [excavations of sites in] Jerusalem, so not having them beneath the street means the street was built before their appearance, in other words only in the time of Pilate.”

The fact that the street connects the pool of Siloam and the Temple is suggestive and can tell us something about its purpose. In the New Testament Jesus sends a man “born blind” that he heals to complete his healing. The story might suggest that in the first century the pool was a mikvah (or ritual bath) that had a kind of cleansing or purifying function. Pilgrims could stop there to bathe before approaching the holiest place in Judaism. The story involving Jesus might suggest that the two locations both served a kind of healing function: those who had been sick would bathe before presenting themselves to priests, who would evaluate their physical (and, thus, spiritual) health. For Pilate, as a Roman, the link between healing and temples would have been obvious because temples to the god of healing, Asclepius, were as much healing centres as they were religious sites.

The size of the street—approximately 25 feet wide—and the large stone slabs used to pave it suggests that the road had a certain grandeur to it. Joe Uziel and Moran Hagbi, archaeologists at the Israel Antiquities Authority and co-authors of the recently published article “Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem: The Monumental Street from the Siloam Pool to the Temple Mount” argued that if this was a simple walkway joining two points there would be no need for a thoroughfare of such size: “its finely carved stone and ornate 'furnishings' …all indicate that this was a special street.” Taken together all of this evidence points to the importance of the street for those ascending to the Temple Mount. This would mean that during his time as governor Pilate used funds to construct a road that would help Jewish pilgrims reach the Temple Mount.

This would be out of character for a man best known for his religious insensitivity and heavy-handed approach to leadership. A former soldier, Pilate took an aggressive stance towards those under his rule. According to the first-century Jewish historian Josephus, Pilate flouted the Jewish prohibition against idolatry by having Roman soldiers bring imperial standards that included the emperor’s image into Jerusalem (albeit at night). The incident provoked outrage and a crowd journeyed to Pilate’s residence at Caesarea to implore him to remove the standards. They remained there, prostrate, for five days. After five days of protest, Pilate gathered the crowd in the market-place, seemingly to render a decision on the matter. Instead of speaking, he had soldiers encircle the protesters and draw their swords. He told the Jews gathered there that unless they relented he would have them cut in pieces. In response, the protesters purportedly bared their necks as a sign that they were prepared to die. At this point, Pilate had to back down and removed the standards from the city.

The Jewish philosopher Philo, who calls Pilate “inflexible, stubborn, and cruel,” offers another story that also portrays Pilate as an over-zealous ruler. In his Embassy to Caligula, he writes that Pilate deliberately tried to “annoy” the Jewish people by setting up gilded shields in Herod’s palace in Jerusalem.  When the authorities asked him to remove them, he refused and the people had to write to Emperor Tiberius asking for his help. Philo adds that Pilate was afraid that the people would reveal to Tiberius “his violence, his thefts, his assaults, his abusive behaviour, his frequent execution of untried prisoners, and his endless savagery.” If true, it would seem that Pilate treated Jesus better than others. Philo is biased, but it’s obvious that Pilate was no diplomat either. On another occasion, Josephus says, Pilate used funds from the Temple treasury to pay for the construction of an aqueduct. Compared to these stories, the biblical descriptions of Jesus’s trial before Pilate make him appear reasonable and thoughtful.

According to Josephus, Pilate’s governorship ended after the slaughter of a group of Samaritans near Mount Gerizim. Pilate was then recalled to Rome for a hearing. We do not know what happened but one thing is certain: Pilate did not return to Judea. One historically questionable tradition, relayed in the writings of the fourth-century Christian historian Eusebius, says that Pilate committed suicide.

The discovery that Pilate was responsible for building the street from the pool of Siloam to the Temple Mount suggests that there was another side to the intemperate governor. One in which Pilate funded public works for the benefit of both the local people and their religion. That Pilate would take such steps is especially interesting given that Joan Taylor has suggested that Pilate had been trying to promote the imperial cult in the region. Whether the purpose of the road was to serve religious tourists, benefit locals, or facilitate healing practices, it seems that Pilate’s building project was altruistic in nature: it was something he did either to placate or to please Jewish authorities and locals. All of which suggests that perhaps Pilate was more sensitive and complicated than we have thought.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/new-archaeological-evidence-shows-pontius-pilate-not-as-bad-as-we-thought/ar-AAJqpDB

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Archaeologists uncover Essex dock 'where Darwin's ship was dismantled'

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Archaeologists believe they have found the location where Charles Darwin's ship - which took him all over the world - was likely dismantled.

HMS Beagle enabled the evolutionist to discover some of the most important scientific discoveries in history.

However, once it was decommissioned in 1870, not much was known about where the vessel ended up.

Now, a team of archaeologists, commissioned by Historic England, believes it has found the spot where the ship spent her final days.

Experts have identified the outline of a dock on the mudflats of the River Roach, near the village of Paglesham in the east of Essex.

Using a drone, fitted with a specialist camera which captures red, green, infrared and near-infrared light, a clear outline of the dock can be seen.

The device looks at the health of natural life to build up a picture of buried remains.

It is based on the principle of differential growth - the idea that buried features affect what grows above ground, in a way similar to the way crop marks are formed in dry weather.

Dr Dan Atkinson, director of coastal and marine at Wessex Archaeology, said: "It has been hugely exciting to work on this project, which is starting to shed some light on the famous ship that carried one of science's most renowned individuals.

"No evidence has yet been found of the Beagle itself.

"It was likely dismantled at the dock, and lots of the material would have been taken and re-purposed elsewhere.

"But we know from previous surveys that there are the remains of potentially substantial material in the dock - this could be the remains of the dock itself, another vessel possibly associated with the local oyster fishery or the Beagle - we can't say for sure.

"Further analysis of data from the previous survey results, and our recent survey may tell us more."

The HMS Beagle was a Cherokee-class 10-gun brig-sloop ship and was built in 1820 at a cost of £7,803, which is the equivalent of around half-a-million pounds in today's money.

It was initially used by the government to gather marine data but was later used by Darwin to develop his theory of natural selection across the planet.

Once it had finished travelling the globe, the HMS Beagle was re-purposed as a coastguard ship in 1845, where it was used to stop smuggling until 1870, at which point it was sold and believed to be dismantled.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/archaeologists-uncover-essex-dock-where-darwins-ship-was-dismantled/ar-AAJtb77#image=1

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Knights Templar secret tunnels ‘leading to Treasure Tower’ discovered in Israel

Secret tunnels built by the Knights Templar to move gold underground to their “treasure tower” have been discovered by archaeologists.

The tunnels were found beneath the ancient coastal city of Acre, Israel, and were used by the knights 800 years ago.

As well as the tunnels, the team of archaeologists discovered the remnants of the warriors’ lavish fortress headquarters.

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American archaeologist Dr Albert Lin revealed the discovery as part of a National Geographic documentary.

Speaking on the programme, he said: “These warrior monks are the stuff of legend, and so is their gold.

“During the Crusades the Knights Templar battle for God, gold and glory. Somewhere in the modern city of Acre lies their command centre, and possibly their treasure.

“It’s the stuff of childhood dreams. I’m here to find them.”

The Knights Templar were devout Christians renowned for fearsome skill in battle during the Crusades, which began in the 11th Century.

Using LiDAR technology, Dr Lin’s team scanned a site that was a key fortress for the group during the Third Crusade.

The technology uses lasers and detectors to scan the earth without disturbing any artefacts.

Scans revealed the secret tunnels and a guardhouse hidden beneath the modern city.

The work has revealed how the knights moved gold to their fabled “Treasure Tower”.

But the tower is buried beneath metres of dirt and rock and it is not clear if there will be a future excavation.

Dr Lin added: “The Templar’s hidden tunnels snaked beneath the streets.

“They secretly transported gold to the Acre fortress’ crowning glory, its Treasure Tower.”

1128, A meeting of a branch of the Knights Templar. The order, founded in 1118, was originally formed to protect pilgrims on their journey to the Holy Land. The elderly man in the centre is the Grand Master. (Photo by Spencer Arnold Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

There were a total of nine Crusades during the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries.

The original goal was to remove “infidels” from the holy land of Israel – which to this day is one of the holiest cities for Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

Crusaders who arrived in Israel were ignorant of Islam and mistook it for a branch of Christianity.

Where most Muslims were spared, Jews were brutally slaughtered in their thousands - even European Jewish communities Crusaders encountered on their way to the Middle East.

The Dome of the Rock – one of the holiest sites for Muslims – was turned into a church and the Al Aqsa Mosque was turned into stables for the crusaders.

The king of Jerusalem gave the Dome to the Knights Templar who maintained it as a headquarters and it became an architectural model for Templar churches across Europe.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/knights-templar-secret-tunnels-leading-to-treasure-tower-discovered-in-israel/ar-AAJuoSx?li=BBoPWjQ#image=1

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Great Orme copper mine 'traded widely in Bronze Age'

North Wales was Britain's main source of copper for about 200 years during the Bronze Age, new research has found.

Scientists analysed metal from the Great Orme, Conwy, and found it was made into tools and weapons, and traded across what is today's Europe.

Historians once thought the Orme's copper mine - now a museum - had been a small-scale operation.

Experts now believe there was a bonanza from 1600-1400 BC, with artefacts found in Sweden, France and Germany.

The research, by scientists from the University of Liverpool, involved sampling copper ore from the old mine and a nearby smelting site.

It allowed experts like Dr Alan Williams, the geoarchaeologist who co-wrote the study published in the journal Antiquity, to create a "fingerprint" of the metal-based on chemical impurities and isotopic properties.

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"Remarkably, this metal is also found in bronze artefacts across Europe stretching from Brittany to the Baltic," he said.

Geological estimates suggest "several hundred tonnes of copper metal was produced, enough to produce thousands of bronze tools or weapons every year, equivalent to at least half a million objects in the 200-year bonanza period".

"This very extensive distribution suggests a large-scale mining operation [in Bronze Age terms], with a full-time mining community," he said.

Today, the copper mine is open to tourists after being uncovered in 1987 during landscaping on the Great Orme, itself a popular attraction.

It is now regarded as one of the largest prehistoric copper mines in the world.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-50213846

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Revealed: The final journey of the 5,300-year-old iceman

The corpse was found in the Alps

The final journey of a mountaineer has been charted more than 5,000 years after he died in the Alps.

Hikers found the mummified remains of a man now known as Otzi back in 1991, with his corpse having melted out from the ice some 3,210m above sea level.

Almost 30 years on from the discovery, the last trek of the 5,300-year-old body has been revealed by plants that were frozen with him at the time of his death.

Researchers have identified preserved moss and liverwort fragments in his gut and clothing which represent at least 75 different species - only 30% of which appear to be local to the area.

The remaining 70% have helped scientists come to the conclusion that Otzi, who was about 45 when he died, found his way up the mountain via the lower Schnalstal valley in modern South Tyrol, Italy.

The key find was a woodland species called Flat Neckera, which along with other mosses was found to be as "near proof as it is possible" to show the Copper Age iceman climbed from south to north up Schnalstal.

 Clothing and gear was found alongside the remains

Until now it was thought possible that he may have ascended other adjacent valleys.

Jim Dickson, of the University of Glasgow's Institute of Biodiversity, said the mosses were "recovered as mostly small scraps from the ice" around Otzi.

He said they were "important investigative clues" that proved crucial in mapping "the precise route" of his last trek.

Gallery: What the World Was Like a Million Years Ago (24/7 Tempo)

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Schnalstal is now a popular skiing location and several of the identified moss types still thrive there.

Otzi himself is housed in a specially designed cold cell in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, which has simulated glacier conditions to preserve his remains since he arrived in 1998.

When he was alive, Otzi was about 5ft 2in, is believed to have weighed 50kg, and had dark, medium-length hair with brown eyes and a beard.

His estimated age of 45 was considered healthy for the time.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/revealed-the-final-journey-of-the-5300-year-old-iceman/ar-AAJBIVx#image=2

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Minoan treasures found on Libyan Sea island: experts

Archaeologists in Greece have located a "major treasure" of Minoan origin in a Bronze Age settlement on a small island in the Libyan Sea, the culture ministry said Friday.

A team excavating on the tiny island of Chrysi south of Crete for over a decade have unearthed a 3,800-year-old Bronze Age compound containing gold jewels, glass beads and the remains of bronze talents, the common unit of value of ancient Greece.

Some of the beads are of Egyptian origin, the culture ministry said in a statement.

The archaeologists also found ancient fish tanks and large amounts of porphyry -- a prized purple pigment of the ancient world derived from sea snails, and later the colour exclusively reserved for Roman emperors.

"The amount of broken shells found...show a very early Mediterranean production of porphyry dye," the culture ministry said.

The cache "constitutes one of the most important (Minoan treasures) ever found in Crete until now," it added.

The Minoan civilisation, a naval superpower of the Bronze Age era, flourished on Crete and other Aegean islands until about 1500 BCE.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/minoan-treasures-found-on-libyan-sea-island-experts/ar-AAJIZj7

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Ciudad Perdida is the archaeological site of an ancient city in Colombia's Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. It is believed to have been founded about 800 CE, some 650 years earlier than Machu Picchu. This location is also known as "Teyuna" and "Buritaca".

 

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Albert Lin travels to Micronesia, in the heart of the Pacific Ocean, to uncover the ancient island city of Nan Madol

 

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The Misunderstood Legacy of Guy Fawkes

“Remember, remember the fifth of November,” the old British rhyme goes.

For more than 400 years, Britain has remembered. Every year, on this day, fireworks are set off, bonfires are built, and effigies are burned to commemorate the failed 17th-century plot by a group of English Catholics to blow up the Houses of Parliament—with the country’s entire political establishment and reigning Protestant monarch, King James I, inside.

But for an event rooted in remembrance, what has come to be known here in Britain as Guy Fawkes Night (named after one of the key plotters) could not be further removed from it. Today, the annual ritual is more festive and fun than religious and monarchical. Even Fawkes himself has taken on new meaning, becoming best known around the world not as a would-be religious extremist and terrorist, but as a populist hero. His life has been romanticized in film, his likeness has been preserved in masks, and his legacy has morphed into an almost mythical tale of anti-government rebellion, anarchy, and subversion.

Related: How the Gunpowder Plot backfired

How we remember Fawkes, as both a person and a symbol, presents a case study for how the meaning of historical events can be bent to serve the religious, political, and cultural needs of the present. But it also presents a fundamental question about how much is too much historical alteration. By turning people into symbols, do we run the risk of changing them into someone they weren’t?

FULL REPORT

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Ancient Greek Settlement With Purple-Producing Shells and Carved Fish Tanks Discovered on Tiny Island

© Greek Ministry of Culture Archeologists excavating a Minoan settlement at a location to the west of Chryssi Island, near Crete, have found the discarded remains of Hexaplex trunculus shells, used in the production of the colour purple. Pictured: site of the excavation.

Archaeologists excavating a Minoan settlement have found the discarded remains of Hexaplex trunculus shells, used in the production of the colour purple—as well as gold jewellery and copper vases.

The discoveries were made at a location to the west of Chryssi, a small island near Crete, where ancient carved fish tanks can still be found preserved on the beach.

According to the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports, the site, a large multi-room dwelling, would have been involved in the craft production of Tyrian (or "royal) purple dye, an extremely expensive and highly prized commodity, in the Late Minoan period circa 1800 to 1500 BCE.

In addition to the large quantities of shells found at the site, archaeologists unearthed a treasure trove of valuable objects, including a gold ring, a gold bracelet and dozens of beads made from gold, silver, bronze, and maple. Three copper vases, handfuls of glass beads made from amethyst, lapis, corneal stone and "Egyptian blue," and one seal made of agate were also found during the excavation.

These artefacts, the researchers say, suggests the settlement had once had a flourishing economy, despite the rather simple architecture of the building. The inhabitants would have been of a high social level and involved in purple trade, they say.

The history of the colour purple

Recently, research has confirmed the production of various dyes in Crete during the Minoan period, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology reports.

Faded fresco painting hints that Minoans, named after the legendary Greek King Minos, wore brightly coloured garments and samples of ancient dye found in pottery appears to confirm this, suggesting several vibrant dyes were being produced at the time, including yellow dye from the plant Reseda lutiola and red dye from the plant Rubia tinctorum.

Purple would have been particularly prized by the Minoans (as it has been in several societies since) for its expense and the amount of time it would have taken to produce. According to Robert R. Stieglitz, author of The Minoan Origin of Tyrian Purple, purple was "the most expensive dye in the ancient world."

The dye was highly coveted in spite of its slightly icky origins—sea snail mucus. Hexaplex trunculus is a medium-sized sea snail (or mollusk) that produced an intensely coloured secretion, which (when oxidized, added to water and heated) creates a brilliant purple dye.

Aristotle, 384 BC – 322 BC. Greek philosopher and scientist. From The Story of Philosophy, published 1926. (Photo by Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

According to the first-hand accounts of Aristotle and Pliny, to make the colour purple, the creature is crushed and its gland extracted. Each extraction only provides a few drops of secretion, making the production of purple dye an expensive and industrial process.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/ancient-greek-settlement-with-purple-producing-shells-and-carved-fish-tanks-discovered-on-tiny-island/ar-AAJWVeJ?li=AAg17eQ#image=1