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NEW: “Bog bodies” were part of a tradition in Europe that spanned millennia. People were buried in bogs from the prehistoric period until early modern times and when a cause of death could be determined, most met a violent end.
An #AntiquityThread 🧵 1/16
An #AntiquityThread 🧵 1/16
Content warning: This thread will feature some more complete images of bog bodies 2/16
Several European bog bodies are famous for being very well-preserved, such as Lindow Man (🇬🇧), Tollund Man (🇩🇰) or Yde Girl (🇳🇱). They offer a snapshot of life in the distant past but these well-preserved bodies are only a fraction of what has been found. 3/16
📷: Tollund man
📷: Tollund man
NEW: A “masterpiece of ancient Egyptian art” is so detailed researchers have been able to pinpoint the bird species in it. These images of the natural world helped create a space for relaxation and recreation in a palace.
Check out this twitcher #AntiquityThread 1/14
Check out this twitcher #AntiquityThread 1/14
📌 The artwork was discovered at Amarna, the location of the capital city of Pharaoh Akhenaten (1347–1332 BC). Excavations in 1924 uncovered a palace belonging to Meritaten, daughter of the pharaoh and Nefertiti. 2/14
📷: The palace today by Olaf Tausch / CC BY 3.0
📷: The palace today by Olaf Tausch / CC BY 3.0
🐦 The palace features several lavishly decorated rooms. One of these, the ‘Green Room’, has a rare depiction of birds in a wild papyrus marsh with no signs of human activity. 3/14
📷: Part of the marsh scene
📷: Part of the marsh scene
NEW: Archaeologists have identified two early churches in the Kingdom of Aksum, a major ancient power in Northeastern Africa. They are some of the first churches reliably dated to shortly after the Aksumite’s conversion to Christianity.
Here's an #AntiquityThread 1/15 🧵
Here's an #AntiquityThread 1/15 🧵
🌍 The Aksumite Kingdom ruled much of the northern Horn of Africa in the first millennium AD, stretching from Ethiopia to Arabia, and was an important contemporary of the Roman Empire. 2/15
📷: Extent of the Kingdom of Aksum by Aldan-2 / CC BY-SA 4.0
📷: Extent of the Kingdom of Aksum by Aldan-2 / CC BY-SA 4.0
✝️ Like their Meditternean neighbour, the Aksumite leader – King Ezana – converted to Christianity in the 4th century AD but securely dated churches from this period are rare. 3/15
📷: Coin of King Ezana by Classical Numismatic Group, Inc / CC BY-SA 3.0
📷: Coin of King Ezana by Classical Numismatic Group, Inc / CC BY-SA 3.0
NEW: Archaeologists have discovered what may be the earliest known narrative scene, telling an ancient story, at the 11,000-year-old site of Sayburç in south-eastern Turkey.
Here's an #AntiquityThread on the new research 1/14 🧵
Here's an #AntiquityThread on the new research 1/14 🧵
The two panels depict people interacting with dangerous animals. In one, a human grasps their penis whilst leopards approach from either side. In the other panel, a squatting male holding a rattle or snake faces a bull. 2/14
📸: The panels
📸: The panels
🐆 The teeth of the leopards and horns of the bull are emphasised, highlighting the danger in the scenes. 3/14
NEW: Neanderthal and early modern human chefs used cooking tricks to make their meals more palatable, analysis of the oldest charred food remains ever found has revealed.
Strap in for a delicious #AntiquityThread 1/14 🧵
Strap in for a delicious #AntiquityThread 1/14 🧵
🥬 Dr @CerenArkbotani and a team of archaeologists wanted to explore the role of plants in the diet of Palaeolithic humans and Neanderthals. Previous research has often focused on the importance of meat in the diet of ancient hunter-gatherers, especially Neanderthals. 2/14
🔬 To investigate this, the team used a scanning electron microscope to analyse ancient charred food on the micrometre scale. The samples came from early modern human and Neanderthal occupations at Shanidar Cave, Iraq, and Franchthi Cave, Greece. 3/14
📷: Location of the sites
📷: Location of the sites
NEW: A group of curious cats may have made migrated from the Near East to Europe nearly 10,000 years ago, reveals a major new project studying the origin and history of our feline friends. 🐈
Strap in for an #AntiquityThread on some adventurous kitties 1/13 🧵
Strap in for an #AntiquityThread on some adventurous kitties 1/13 🧵
🧬 Previous research had recovered DNA from the Near Eastern wildcat, the ancestor of modern domestic cats, from ancient sites in Central Europe dated to 3000BC. 2/13
📸: Modern Near Eastern wildcat
📸: Modern Near Eastern wildcat
This was weird since it was thought Near Eastern wildcat DNA arrived in the region via domestic cats, which were only thought to be established during the Roman period. 3/13
📸: Roman mosaic of a cat; by Massimo Finizio / CC BY-SA 2.0
📸: Roman mosaic of a cat; by Massimo Finizio / CC BY-SA 2.0
🆕: Researchers have identified the ingredients in chemistry formulae from an 2,300-year-old Chinese text, revealing ancient metallurgy was more complex than expected.
An #AntiquityThread (paper: buff.ly/3QgrdMP) 🧵1/11
An #AntiquityThread (paper: buff.ly/3QgrdMP) 🧵1/11
The Kaogong ji was written in China in the 1st millennium BC. It's the oldest known technical encyclopedia, detailing items from swords to instruments and how to make them - including formulae for mixing bronze. 2/11
📷: Bronze weapons from around the time of the Kaogong ji
📷: Bronze weapons from around the time of the Kaogong ji
“These recipies were used in the largest bronze industry in Eurasia during this period,” said Dr @RuiliangLiu from the @britishmuseum “Attempts to reconstruct these processes have been made for more than a hundred years, but have failed.” 3/11
🆕: Archaeologists have identified a key fortress of the Parthian Empire, which ruled from Turkey to Pakistan ~2,000 years ago, that may be a lost city.
An #AntiquityThread (paper: buff.ly/3INUXO5) 1/ 🧵
An #AntiquityThread (paper: buff.ly/3INUXO5) 1/ 🧵
The mountain fortress of Rabana-Merquly, in modern Iraqi Kurdistan, features four-kilometer-long defenses and two associated settlements. 2/10
📷: Location of Rabana-Merquly
📷: Location of Rabana-Merquly
Over the past 13 years, archaeologists from Germany and Iraq have been studying the site. They carried out excavations and fully mapped the site - something that could only be done with drones due to the mountainous terrain. 3/10
📷: Photo of the site taken from a drone
📷: Photo of the site taken from a drone
🆕: Archaeologists have recovered >400-year-old DNA from colonial-era burials in Mexico, revealing the diversity of early European settlements in the Americas.
An #AntiquityThread (paper: buff.ly/3yYgdgN) 1/12 🧵
An #AntiquityThread (paper: buff.ly/3yYgdgN) 1/12 🧵
Campeche was an early colonial settlement in Yucatán. It was founded in 1540, less than 20 years after the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs, once conquistadors secured their rule. 2/12
📷: Location of Campeche
📷: Location of Campeche
The city was served by a parish church until it was replaced by a cathedral in 1680. The church was rediscovered in 2000 during rescue excavations when 129 early colonial burials were found. 3/12
📷: Campeche’s cathedral, on the colonial plaza where the early church stood
📷: Campeche’s cathedral, on the colonial plaza where the early church stood
🆕: China’s first emperor was famously buried with the terracotta army, but new research reveals this includes over 20 elite horses specially selected to accompany Emperor Qin Shihuang to the afterlife.
An #AntiquityThread (paper: buff.ly/3OsXleK) 1/10 🧵
An #AntiquityThread (paper: buff.ly/3OsXleK) 1/10 🧵
Horses played a crucial role in economic, cultural, and military aspects in China through the first millennium BC. Skill in horse husbandry contributed to Qin’s military power, helping them triumph over other states. 2/10
📷: Horses of the terracotta army / Sewel / CC BY-SA 3.0
📷: Horses of the terracotta army / Sewel / CC BY-SA 3.0
The horses were found in an accessory pit of the 2,210-year-old mortuary complex, along with a wooden cart, and terracotta figures. It is thought to represent one of the administrative complexes of the Qin Empire. 3/10
📷: The accessory pit, now on display
📷: The accessory pit, now on display
🆕: Research at a 4000-year-old village in Orkney exploring the impact of a female-dominated wave of migration has revealed it led to a peaceful and productive period.
An #AntiquityThread (paper: buff.ly/3qLnUlY) 1/n 🧵
An #AntiquityThread (paper: buff.ly/3qLnUlY) 1/n 🧵
Note: This research analysed a cemetery at the site, so this thread will feature some human remains. 2/
The Links of Notland site on Westray is one of the best-preserved and most extensive prehistoric settlements in Scotland. 3/
📷: Location map of the site
📷: Location map of the site
Archaeologists have identified the oldest surviving drinking straws. The >5,000-year-old tubes from Russia were likely used for communal beer drinking.
Here's an #AntiquityThread on new #archaeology (paper: buff.ly/33we1Ad) 1/n 🧵
📷: Recreation of the straws in use
Here's an #AntiquityThread on new #archaeology (paper: buff.ly/33we1Ad) 1/n 🧵
📷: Recreation of the straws in use
These tubes were initially found in 1897 in the Maikop Kurgan in the Caucuses. This large burial mound is one of the most famous Bronze Age elite graves from the region 2/
📷: Location of the site
📷: Location of the site
The grave contained three individuals and hundreds of precious objects. This included the eight tubes, each over a metre long and some with bull figurines on the stem. 3/
📷: The grave layout, with the tubes highlighted.
📷: The grave layout, with the tubes highlighted.
🆕 #archaeology: Ancient Egyptian reliefs in Thebes provide a snapshot of how the ancient artists worked with traces of on-the-job training, apprentices making mistakes, masters showing off, and more.
Here's an #AntiquityThread on the find 1/n 🧵
🔗 (🆓) buff.ly/3oubehA
Here's an #AntiquityThread on the find 1/n 🧵
🔗 (🆓) buff.ly/3oubehA
The discovery was made at the Temple of Hatshepsut in Thebes, dedicated to the female pharaoh of the same name who ruled from 1473 – 1458 BC. 2/
📷: The Temple of Hatshepsut by Maciej Jawornicki
📷: The Temple of Hatshepsut by Maciej Jawornicki
In the largest room of the temple, known as the Chapel of Hatshepsut, are mirrored reliefs of a procession bringing offerings to the pharaoh. 3/
📷: The reliefs
📷: The reliefs
🆕 #archaeology: An obsidian mirror John Dee - Queen Elizabeth I’s court astrologer - used to contact otherworldly spirits during his occult practices has been confirmed to have Aztec origins 👻
Here's an #AntiquityThread on the new research (🆓) doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2… 1/ 🧵
Here's an #AntiquityThread on the new research (🆓) doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2… 1/ 🧵
“John Dee is a remarkable historical figure, a Renaissance polymath – interested in astronomy, alchemy, and mathematics – and confidant of Elizabeth I...” 2/
📷: John Dee (c. 1594, anonymous) (image from @AshmoleanMuseum, University of Oxford).
📷: John Dee (c. 1594, anonymous) (image from @AshmoleanMuseum, University of Oxford).
“...Later he became involved in divination and the occult, seeking to talk to angels through the use of scryers, who used artefacts - like mirrors and crystals,” said Professor Stuart Campbell of @OfficialUoM 3/
📷: Things Dee used in his magic by Museu Britânico / CC BY-SA 4.0
📷: Things Dee used in his magic by Museu Britânico / CC BY-SA 4.0
🆕 #archaeology: People in early medieval Europe kept reopening graves. What was thought to be isolated events, like grave robbing, is actually a regular part of funerary traditions from the 5th – 7th c. AD
Here's an #AntiquityThread on the work (🆓) buff.ly/3wLOSuE 1/🧵
Here's an #AntiquityThread on the work (🆓) buff.ly/3wLOSuE 1/🧵
📷: Reconstruction of a chamber grave from eastern France
Note: This thread may feature some skeletons 2/
Note: This thread may feature some skeletons 2/
“For over 100 years, archaeologists in many European countries have discovered graves from the early medieval period which look like they were robbed... 3/
📷: Very small grave robbers, by L. Jay, courtesy of the Trust for Thanet Archaeology.
📷: Very small grave robbers, by L. Jay, courtesy of the Trust for Thanet Archaeology.
Stonehenge is a magnificent monument, so we've put together a special collection of research into the site spanning nearly 100 years of study! 🪨
Here's an #AntiquityThread on some highlights from it (🆓) buff.ly/2NlXiag 1/ 🧵
Here's an #AntiquityThread on some highlights from it (🆓) buff.ly/2NlXiag 1/ 🧵
One of the biggest recent discoveries about Stonehenge is that some of the monument's bluestones were originally part of Waun Mawn - another stone circle, over 200 km away in 🏴. 2/
📷: Remains of Waun Mawn
📷: Remains of Waun Mawn
Most of the stones of Waun Mawn have been removed, but excavations of the empty stone holes was still able to identify key links with Stonehenge. 3/
🔗 to this research (🆓) doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2…
📷: One of the stone holes
🔗 to this research (🆓) doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2…
📷: One of the stone holes
🆕 #archaeology: A 'missing link' in alphabet history has been discovered, as archaeologists working in 🇮🇱 have found an ancient bit of writing that helps fill a gap in its early history.
Here's an #AntiquityThread on the find, published today (🆓) buff.ly/2Q2HTNR 1/🧵
Here's an #AntiquityThread on the find, published today (🆓) buff.ly/2Q2HTNR 1/🧵
Researchers had previously found evidence of the alphabet developing in the Sinai peninsular, around 1800 BC and eventually spread to the Levant around 1300 BC. 2/
📷: An early example of the alphabet from Sinai
📷: An early example of the alphabet from Sinai
From there, it began to spread around the Mediterranean, eventually developing into the Greek and Latin alphabets. 3/
📷: A lovely bit of ancient Greek alphabet, by Marsyas / CC BY 2.5
📷: A lovely bit of ancient Greek alphabet, by Marsyas / CC BY 2.5
🆕 #archaeology: Some of Stonehenge appears to have originally been part of a Welsh stone circle that was dismantled & moved 280 km to Salisbury Plain ~3000 BC.
Here's an #AntiquityThread on research published today in Antiquity (🆓) buff.ly/3rFcVsf 1/🧵
Here's an #AntiquityThread on research published today in Antiquity (🆓) buff.ly/3rFcVsf 1/🧵
The discovery was made at the Waun Mawn site in the Preseli Hills of Wales, close to the quarries some of Stonehenge's bluestones came from. 2/
📷: Excavations at Waun Mawn
📷: Excavations at Waun Mawn
The researchers had previously identified that some of Stonehenge's bluestones came from those nearby quarries.
However, they found the stones were extracted before construction started at Stonehenge. 3/
📷: One of the quarries under excavation
However, they found the stones were extracted before construction started at Stonehenge. 3/
📷: One of the quarries under excavation
🆕 #archaeology: It has been suggested a devastating tsunami submerged Doggerland ~10,000 BC. However, new analysis reveals the lost landscape survived this catastrophe.
Here's an #AntiquityThread on research published today in Antiquity (🆓) buff.ly/3mpoPnV 1/ 🧵
Here's an #AntiquityThread on research published today in Antiquity (🆓) buff.ly/3mpoPnV 1/ 🧵
This event, known as the Storegga tsunami, was triggered by a giant submarine landslide in the North Sea ~8,150-years-ago. Over 3200 km3 of sediment was displaced. 2/
📷: The location of the landslide, by Lamiot / CC BY-SA 3.0
📷: The location of the landslide, by Lamiot / CC BY-SA 3.0
The resulting gigantic waves were a catastrophic natural disaster of a scale the region has not seen since – evidence of the tsunami has been found up to 80 km inland in 🏴 3/
📷: Tsunami sediment (grey upper layer) from Maryton on the Montrose Basin 🏴 by Stozy10 / CC BY-SA 3.0
📷: Tsunami sediment (grey upper layer) from Maryton on the Montrose Basin 🏴 by Stozy10 / CC BY-SA 3.0
🆕 #archaeology: A previously unknown elite Viking ritual centre - including a feast hall, cult house, and ship burial - has been found in 🇳🇴 using ground-penetrating radar.
Here's an #AntiquityThread on the find, published today in Antiquity 🆓 buff.ly/35iDY4C 1/ 🧵
Here's an #AntiquityThread on the find, published today in Antiquity 🆓 buff.ly/35iDY4C 1/ 🧵
The discovery was made at Gjellestad, which is is home to the Jell Mound. This is one of the largest Iron Age funerary mounds in all of Scandinavia. 2/
📷: Archaeologists carrying out GPR analysis in front of the Jell Mound
📷: Archaeologists carrying out GPR analysis in front of the Jell Mound
Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) was used to map features below the surface. This survey began in 2017 to determine if construction plans would put any archaeology near the Jell Mound at risk. 3/
📷: Colder archaeologists carrying out GPR analysis in front of the Jell Mound.
📷: Colder archaeologists carrying out GPR analysis in front of the Jell Mound.
This 📷 is the ruins of Hattusa, capital of the Hittite Empire in the #BronzeAge. Tax collectors there amassed a fortune in grain, hundreds of tonnes of which are still inside!
Here's an #AntiquityThread on what the largest find of its kind tells us about ancient politics 🧵 1/
Here's an #AntiquityThread on what the largest find of its kind tells us about ancient politics 🧵 1/
Hattusa was established as by Hattusili I ~1650BC. The Hittite Empire would go on to rule most of Anatolia within a few centuries, coming into conflict with Assyrians and the New Kingdom of Egypt. 2/
📷: Map of the Hittite Empire at its greatest extent by Ikonact / CC BY-SA 3.0
📷: Map of the Hittite Empire at its greatest extent by Ikonact / CC BY-SA 3.0
A big empire needs a big granary and archaeologists uncovered one at Hattusa in 1999. It's over 100 metres long and could hold ~6,0000 tonnes of grain - enough to feed a population of 20 000–30 000 for one year! 3/
📷: Plan of the grannery.
📷: Plan of the grannery.
This 📷 is a map of the Roman city of Falerii Novi, near Rome, produced without lifting a trowel.
Here's an #AntiquityThread on how the archaeologists did it and the incredible discoveries they made 🧵
Here's an #AntiquityThread on how the archaeologists did it and the incredible discoveries they made 🧵
The researchers used advanced ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to do this. Like any other radar, it bounces radio waves off things and using the ‘echo’ to build a picture.
The result is a big improvement over other ways to look underground, like a magnetometer (📷)
The result is a big improvement over other ways to look underground, like a magnetometer (📷)
Recent advances in GPR technology means it is now possible to explore larger areas in higher resolution than ever before. As a result, it is now possible to study entire ancient cities with this technology.
📷: GPR equipment at Falerri Novi
📷: GPR equipment at Falerri Novi
