The purpose of this blog is the creation of an open, international, independent and free forum, where every UFO-researcher can publish the results of his/her research. The languagues, used for this blog, are Dutch, English and French.You can find the articles of a collegue by selecting his category. Each author stays resposable for the continue of his articles. As blogmaster I have the right to refuse an addition or an article, when it attacks other collegues or UFO-groupes.
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Deze blog is opgedragen aan mijn overleden echtgenote Lucienne.
In 2012 verloor ze haar moedige strijd tegen kanker!
In 2011 startte ik deze blog, omdat ik niet mocht stoppen met mijn UFO-onderzoek.
BEDANKT!!!
Een interessant adres?
UFO'S of UAP'S, ASTRONOMIE, RUIMTEVAART, ARCHEOLOGIE, OUDHEIDKUNDE, SF-SNUFJES EN ANDERE ESOTERISCHE WETENSCHAPPEN - DE ALLERLAATSTE NIEUWTJES
UFO's of UAP'S in België en de rest van de wereld Ontdek de Fascinerende Wereld van UFO's en UAP's: Jouw Bron voor Onthullende Informatie!
Ben jij ook gefascineerd door het onbekende? Wil je meer weten over UFO's en UAP's, niet alleen in België, maar over de hele wereld? Dan ben je op de juiste plek!
België: Het Kloppend Hart van UFO-onderzoek
In België is BUFON (Belgisch UFO-Netwerk) dé autoriteit op het gebied van UFO-onderzoek. Voor betrouwbare en objectieve informatie over deze intrigerende fenomenen, bezoek je zeker onze Facebook-pagina en deze blog. Maar dat is nog niet alles! Ontdek ook het Belgisch UFO-meldpunt en Caelestia, twee organisaties die diepgaand onderzoek verrichten, al zijn ze soms kritisch of sceptisch.
Nederland: Een Schat aan Informatie
Voor onze Nederlandse buren is er de schitterende website www.ufowijzer.nl, beheerd door Paul Harmans. Deze site biedt een schat aan informatie en artikelen die je niet wilt missen!
Internationaal: MUFON - De Wereldwijde Autoriteit
Neem ook een kijkje bij MUFON (Mutual UFO Network Inc.), een gerenommeerde Amerikaanse UFO-vereniging met afdelingen in de VS en wereldwijd. MUFON is toegewijd aan de wetenschappelijke en analytische studie van het UFO-fenomeen, en hun maandelijkse tijdschrift, The MUFON UFO-Journal, is een must-read voor elke UFO-enthousiasteling. Bezoek hun website op www.mufon.com voor meer informatie.
Samenwerking en Toekomstvisie
Sinds 1 februari 2020 is Pieter niet alleen ex-president van BUFON, maar ook de voormalige nationale directeur van MUFON in Vlaanderen en Nederland. Dit creëert een sterke samenwerking met de Franse MUFON Reseau MUFON/EUROP, wat ons in staat stelt om nog meer waardevolle inzichten te delen.
Let op: Nepprofielen en Nieuwe Groeperingen
Pas op voor een nieuwe groepering die zich ook BUFON noemt, maar geen enkele connectie heeft met onze gevestigde organisatie. Hoewel zij de naam geregistreerd hebben, kunnen ze het rijke verleden en de expertise van onze groep niet evenaren. We wensen hen veel succes, maar we blijven de autoriteit in UFO-onderzoek!
Blijf Op De Hoogte!
Wil jij de laatste nieuwtjes over UFO's, ruimtevaart, archeologie, en meer? Volg ons dan en duik samen met ons in de fascinerende wereld van het onbekende! Sluit je aan bij de gemeenschap van nieuwsgierige geesten die net als jij verlangen naar antwoorden en avonturen in de sterren!
Heb je vragen of wil je meer weten? Aarzel dan niet om contact met ons op te nemen! Samen ontrafelen we het mysterie van de lucht en daarbuiten.
02-12-2021
Archaeologists Discover 800-year-old Rope-bound Mummy in Peru
Archaeologists Discover 800-year-old Rope-bound Mummy in Peru
A preserved rope-bound mummy, estimated to be at least 800 years old, has been discovered in an underground tomb by archaeologists on Peru’s central coast. The mummified remains, which are in excellent condition, were found at the Cajamarquilla archaeological site about 15 miles (24 kilometers) inland from Lima. The rope-bound mummy was from the culture that developed between the coast and mountains of Peru, according to archaeologist Pieter Van Dalen Luna from the State University of San Marcos, as reported in the Guardian. The mummy is likely from the Chaclla culture, which developed in the high Andes around Lima between 1200 and 800 years ago.
“The main characteristic of the mummy is that the whole body was tied up by ropes and with the hands covering the face, which would be part of the local funeral pattern…. Radiocarbon dating will give a more precise chronology,” said archaeologist Pieter Van Dalen Luna, from the State University of San Marcos, Peru ( UNMSM) to Reuters. He added that the remains are believed to be of a person who lived in the high Andean region of the country, according to the Independent.
Archaeologist Pieter Van Dalen Luna, from the State University of San Marcos, Peru, on the right, with the rope-bound mummy just behind him.
Mummification was practiced by several indigenous cultures of the Andes region beginning as far back as 7000 years ago. The Chinchorro people, who lived in what is now Peru and Chile, were the world’s first practitioners of mummification, thousands of years before the Egyptians. Preserving the bodies of their loved ones allowed the living to retain a link with the dead.
What is fascinating is that Peruvian mummies were not just interred and left to get on with their afterlife. Some people kept mummies in their homes or brought them to festivals and they were often involved in ceremonies such as marriages, sowing, and harvesting. In some cultures, the people brought offerings of food or drink to their loved ones’ graves. Considered a link between the living and the gods, these mummies could also be taken from their resting place and “consulted” on important occasions.
Many different cultures lived in the Andean region and their treatment of the dead varied considerably, ranging from natural to assisted mummification. Preservation of the body could be achieved by desiccation or freeze-drying, processes helped by the natural climatic conditions in desert and mountainous areas found all over the Andean region. Bodies could also be treated and preserved using alcohol (from chicha maize beer). Early Andean cultures also used salt as a preservative and often removed the flesh and bodily fluids from the corpse prior to burial.
Mummies were typically placed in the fetal position and wrapped into bundles using several layers of textiles, bound with cords, and sometimes a head cloth was added. Important individuals were clothed and wrapped in high-quality fabrics and jewelry. The dead person’s possessions were interred along with their owner, sometimes along with the tools of their profession.
A closeup of the rope-bound mummy found at the Cajamarquilla archaeological site not far from Lima, Peru.
While the Cajamarquilla rope-bound mummy’s gender has not precisely been identified, it appears to be an adult male. It was found in an underground chamber tomb placed in the fetal position and bound with ropes that kept the mummy in a tight crouch for over 1,200 years. It was buried with offerings including ceramics, stone tools, and gourds containing vegetable remains.
The ancient site of Cajamarquilla, where the rope-bound mummy was discovered, was situated along a trade route linking the high Andes to urban settlements on the coast. It became an important center of commerce in the Late Intermediate Period (1000 – 1470), which was a time between empires in the Andes when many regional groups reorganized and gained power. Its prosperity was reflected in its large public buildings, boulevards, and squares.
Both the fetal position and rope-binding were funerary practices common among the late pre-Hispanic peoples of the high Andes. The mummy therefore shows that Cajamarquilla was inhabited not just by coastal peoples from the immediate area, but also by people of Andean origin from the mountains. Possibly, its importance as a trading center linking the coast to the mountains, resulted in people from the Andes settling there as well.
Peruvian mummies along with their grave goods have helped archaeologists greatly in extending their understanding of pre-Hispanic indigenous Andean cultures. Detailed examinations of the most recent find are sure to add to this understanding.
Top image: The 800-year-old Peruvian rope-bound mummy in the fetal position as it was found.
Archaeologists in Peru unearthed an ancient mummy that dates back between 800 and 1,200 years. What’s so unusual about this mummy is that it was bound with rope with the hands covering the face.
The team was very surprised that they found a mummy during their excavations as explained by archeologist Yomira Huamán Santillán in an interview with CNN, “The whole team was really happy because we didn’t think this was going to happen,” adding, “We didn’t expect to make such an important discovery.”
The preserved body was found by researchers from the National University of San Marcos. It was located underneath the middle of a town square at an archaeological site called Cajamarquilla which is near the capital of Lima.
(Not the mummy mentioned in this article.)
The mummy was probably a man between the ages of 25 and 30, although that hasn’t been confirmed as of yet. He may have come from the mountains of Cajamarquilla where it was once a busy commercial center during the pre-Columbian times.
The fact that he was tied up with rope and his hands were covering his face was actually a funeral custom in the southern part of Peru. Pieter Van Dalen Luna, who is one of the archeologists who led the excavation, stated, “The discovery of this resident sheds a new light on interactions and relationships in pre-Hispanic times.”
In addition to the mummy, the researchers found numerous marine mollusks outside of the tomb which was quite odd as the site is approximately 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) away from the coast. They even recovered llama bones there as well. But Van Dalen Luna believes that it was the individual’s descendants who placed the items and different offerings (such as food) there throughout the years.
Based on the items found at the site, it is believed that this person was very important during that time and perhaps a significant trader. “The fact of finding a mummy with these characteristics in the middle of the plaza makes it clear that this is someone of high status,” said Van Dalen Luna.
Their next job is to analyze the mummy in further detail in order to gather more information regarding the individual, such as radiocarbon dating to narrow down a more precise time when he was alive.
A news report about the discovery can be viewed here and pictures of the mummy can be seen here.
Archaeologists believe that the remains are of a man aged 18-22 at the time of his death
An incredible discovery was made off the coast of California when an ancient mammoth tusk was found in 10,000 feet of water. The tusk belonged to a Columbian mammoth that was alive more than 100,000 years ago.
Columbian mammoths (also known as Mammuthus columbi) were huge, measuring 4 meters (13 feet) at the shoulders and weighing as much as 10 tonnes (22,000 pounds or 10,000 kilograms). They lived as far as the northern part of the United States all the way down to Costa Rica during the Pleistocene epoch (2.6 million to 11,700 years ago). They had very long curved tusks with four molars that were replaced six times throughout their lifetime. Incredibly, the largest known tusk that belonged to a Columbian mammoth measured 4.9 meters (16 feet). These creatures may have lived as long as 80 years.
Image by Charles R. Knight in 1909.
(Via Wikipedia)
As for the most recent discovery, the tusk was spotted in 2019 by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) who was exploring the ocean when they found what appeared to be an elephant tusk. Researchers then returned to the site this summer and recovered the tusk and realized that what they had in their possession belonged to a Columbian mammoth.
The tusk, which measured one meter in length (3.3 feet), was well-preserved due to the cold, high-pressure environment of the ocean. Thanks to computed tomography (CT) scans, the experts were able to determine that the creature lived over 100,000 years ago. This means that it is one of the oldest and best preserved mammoth tusks that have ever been found in the area.
Scientist Terrence Blackburn explained how they determined how old it was, “Our age estimate on the tusk is largely based on the natural radioactive decay of certain uranium and thorium isotopes imparted to the tusk from the ocean.”
As a matter of fact, it is quite rare to find any mammoth remains more than “tens of meters” underneath the water (the tusk mentioned in this article was found 3,048 meters underwater). “This specimen’s deep-sea preservation environment is different to anything we have seen elsewhere,” said palaeontologist Daniel Fisher.
Researchers are hoping that the tusk will reveal even more information regarding the life of the Columbian mammoth as explained by Mr. Blackburn, “Mammoth remains from continental North America are particularly rare, and so we expect that DNA from this tusk will go far to refine what we know about mammoths in this part of the world.”
A team of international scientists analyzed lower back bones belonging to a female Australopithecus sediba that were found near the Malapa cave system in South Africa. She has been named Issa and she lived approximately 2 million years ago.
Experts have recovered four lower back vertebrae and a sacrum bone that links the pelvis to the spine. The experts were then able to use the spinal bones as well as other fossils that were previously found in order to reconstruct Issa’s back. As a matter of fact, this is the one of the most complete reconstructions of the back fossils of any hominin that has ever been conducted. They found that she had a curved spine which indicated that she spent a good amount of time walking on two legs. Additionally, they realized that she had five lumbar vertebrae – the same number that humans have.
Professor Lee Berger, who is the leader of the Malapa project, said, “While Issa was already one of the most complete skeletons of an ancient hominin ever discovered, these vertebrae practically complete the lower back and make Issa’s lumbar region a contender for not only the best-preserved hominin lower back ever discovered, but also probably the best preserved.”
Previous analysis of Australopithecus sediba – specifically of their upper body – revealed that they were very well adapted to climbing trees. This means that the now-extinct hominin would have been halfway in between a tree-dwelling ape and a full bipedal human.
Professor Gabrielle Russo from Stony Brook University went into further details by explaining, “While the presence of lordosis (the inward curve of the lumbar spine) and other features of the spine represent clear adaptations to walking on two legs, there are other features, such as the large and upward oriented transverse processes, that suggest powerful trunk musculature, perhaps for arboreal behaviors.” (Arboreal behavior means climbing and living in trees).
The fact that a 2-million-year-old Australopithecus sediba had both ape-like and human-like traits is incredible especially since experts have now been able to confirm it. Reconstruction of the Australopithecus sediba’s body based on the recovered bones as well as an image of what it would have looked like can be viewed here.
Australopithecus sediba silhouette showing the newly-found vertebrae along with other skeletal remains. Right: Life reconstruction of Australopithecus sediba
Left: NYU & Wits University Right: Sculpture: Elisabeth Daynes / Photograph: S. Entres-sangle
Workers digging on the property of an old spinning factory in Turkey in an area that had not been used in over 30 years found a mysterious intact skeleton of a strange looking creature with long hind legs, short front ones, pointy nails instead of feet and extremely sharp teeth. Better yet (for investigators, at least), the skeleton had some flesh still intact. Dinosaur? Mutant? Or should we start the countdown … 3-2-1 … is this the first known skeleton of a Chupacabra (ignoring the fact that it was found in Turkey, not Texas or Puerto Rico)?
“We especially noticed that its hind legs are long. We informed the authorities that it might be an interesting species, since its feet are not hooves but nails and have sharp teeth. Controls will be carried out, we are also curious. I hope something interesting will come out and be useful to science.”
Sharp teeth did you say?
Yusuf Kıtay, the operating officer of the excavation, said the workers found the animal skeleton while they were working in an area that has not been used for the last 30-40 years outside a factory in Iğdır, a far eastern near the border with Armenia. The long-tailed skeleton was of a creature that would have stood about one meter (3.3 feet) tall and appears to have died recently. While the long hind legs might suggest it was a kangaroo, the head is the wrong shape entirely for it to be an Australian marsupial. Kitay did the right thing – he had the workers carefully remove the skeleton intact from the site and, after photographing it (a series of photos can be seen here), delivered the remains to the Iğdır University’s Biodiversity Application and Research Center.
It’s not THAT big
“Then we will ensure that this skeleton is preserved in a museum.”
So this is not just a deformed stray animal but something that is museum quality? That sounds strange. Which museum? Archeology World reports that Belkıs Muca Yiğit, a lecturer at Iğdır University, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that researchers there would attempt to identify the species of the animal and then donate it to a museum. That’s curious … it it’s an out-of-place animal like an escaped pet, why donate it to a museum? If it’s indeed the most well-preserved dinosaur skeleton complete with DNA-filled flesh, why not study it more? If it’s cryptid (note: there were no telltale dead livestock reported), why not announce the unique discovery in a three-part miniseries on some cable channel? And why have there been no further updates besides the initial report over a week ago? Is this the victim of some sort of radiation leak or worse – a strange experiment?
This could just be a misshapen common animal or an escaped pet. The secrecy makes it questionable. Let’s hope we get an update soon.
The Great Pyramid of Giza “is proof of alien technology”
The Great Pyramid of Giza “is proof of alien technology”
In recent years, several enigmatic discoveries have been made at the Great Pyramid of Giza that have led to the formulation of various theories. Is it possible that this amazing monument is proof of ancient alien technology?
The Amazon Prime documentary shows valid arguments to suspect the technology used in the construction of the pyramids.
The Giza pyramid complex is regarded as the greatest feat of human engineering of all time. Many engineers have tried to replicate the Great Pyramid of Giza today, without success .
If we still can’t build them .. What technology did the ancient Egyptians use? Is it possible that a stranger? “One brought from space .”
The Great Pyramid of Giza and the mystery of its construction
Most hypotheses about advanced ancient civilizations and ancient astronauts are totally rejected.
However, archaeologists and historians who are not governed by the mainstream of history have arguments that are too convincing to ignore.
One of the latest documentaries on the subject featured on Amazon Prime, called “Egypt Exposed: The True Origins of Civilization,” showed an interview with Robert Bauval.
The alternative theory enthusiast laid out a compelling story that shows a strong possibility that the pyramids were built using advanced technology .
Bauval locates the origins of civilization in Ancient Egypt and Africa, connecting the stars and astrology with the pyramids, hieroglyphs and other elements. Doing his own research in the Cairo museum, he became convinced that the Egyptians did not.
He revealed that in a room where the museum keeps the relics of the builders , there is a wall with a huge photograph. It was taken by the Egyptian Air Force in 1950, it showed a direct overhead of the 3 pyramids .
Robert Bauvall raised the question, since in the early 1950s, there was no internet, so he was surprised to see an aerial image, since they were not common at that time . Much less satellite images.
He took a photograph of the image on the wall and developed it into black and white film. The man described the photograph;
“There were three pyramids, two very large, clearly in a diagonal line. The base of the pyramid is a square, and it had 2 squares along the diagonal. The third pyramid was much smaller, and is offset to the east or the left side.
Was the Great Pyramid of Giza built with alien technology?
He explained that Egyptologists believe that the kings who built the pyramids were megalomaniacs .
Clean energy and electricity
Another documentary, this time from Netflix, called ” The Pyramid Code, ” archaeologists and theorists claimed that ancient Egyptians sought the Great Pyramid of Giza for clean energy.
Theorist Abd’el Hakimawyan explained:
“From that place, you know, maybe it was the energy of the Earth it seems as if they were trying to control the flow of this energy and use it for their own purposes.”
It is believed that the energy of the pyramids was not only used by the ancient Egyptians, but by other civilizations such as the Mayans. Meanwhile, it has also been claimed that the ancient Egyptians revealed advanced technology in their hieroglyphs.
This is further explained on the YouTube channel “Strange Mysteries”, where the narrator mentions that the hieroglyphs depict ancient Egyptians using electricity with a light bulb.
It is extremely difficult to think that this civilization of more than 4,000 years could handle electricity, unless they have obtained the advanced knowledge necessary to do so … Who gave it to them?
Germinating Pine Cone Found Encased in Baltic Amber
Germinating Pine Cone Found Encased in Baltic Amber
Seed germination — a crucial stage in the development of all plants — normally occurs in the soil after the seed has fallen from the mother plant. In some infrequent instances, precocious germination — a type of viviparity or vivipary — occurs when the seed sprouts while still within the fruit. In a new paper published in the journal Historical Biology, Oregon State University’s Professor George Poinar Jr. described the first case of precocious germination of a fossil plant involving a number of seeds that have germinated in a pine cone embedded in a piece of 40-million-year-old (Eocene epoch) Baltic amber.
A 40-million-year-old cone of Pinus cembrifolia in a piece of Eocene Baltic amber.
Image credit: George Poinar Jr., Oregon State University.
“Crucial to the development of all plants, seed germination typically occurs in the ground after a seed has fallen,” Professor Poinar said.
“We tend to associate viviparity — embryonic development while still inside the parent — with animals and forget that it does sometimes occur in plants. Most typically, by far, those occurrences involve angiosperms.”
“Angiosperms, which directly or indirectly provide most of the food people eat, have flowers and produce seeds enclosed in fruit.”
“Seed germination in fruits is fairly common in plants that lack seed dormancy, like tomatoes, peppers and grapefruit, and it happens for a variety of reasons. But it’s rare in gymnosperms.”
Precocious germination in pine cones is so rare that only one naturally occurring example of this condition, from 1965, has been described in the scientific literature.
“That’s part of what makes this discovery so intriguing, even beyond that it’s the first fossil record of plant viviparity involving seed germination,” Professor Poinar said.
“I find it fascinating that the seeds in this small pine cone could start to germinate inside the cone and the sprouts could grow out so far before they perished in the resin.”
“At the sprouts’ tips are needle clusters, some in bundles of five, associating the fossil with the extinct pine species Pinus cembrifolia, which was previously described from Baltic amber.”
Needles at tip of Pinus cembrifolia’s hypocotyl.
Image credit: George Poinar Jr., Oregon State University.
According to the scientist, viviparity in plants typically shows up in one of two ways.
“Precocious germination is the more common of the two, the other being vegetative viviparity, such as when a bulbil emerges directly from the flower head of a parent plant,” he said.
“In the case of seed viviparity in this fossil, the seeds produced embryonic stems that are quite evident in the amber.”
“Whether those stems, known as hypocotyls, appeared before the cone became encased in amber is unclear. However, based on their position, it appears that some growth, if not most, occurred after the pine cone fell into the resin.”
Research on viviparity in extant gymnosperms suggests the condition could be linked to winter frosts.
“Light frosts would have been possible if the Baltic amber forest had a humid, warm-temperate environment as has been posited,” Professor Poinar said.
“This is the first fossil record of seed viviparity in plants but this condition probably occurred quite a bit earlier than this Eocene record.”
“There’s no reason why vegetative viviparity couldn’t have occurred hundreds of millions of years ago in ancient spore-bearing plants like ferns and lycopods.”
_____
George Poinar Jr. Precocious germination of a pine cone in Eocene Baltic amber. Historical Biology, published online November 8, 2021; doi: 10.1080/08912963.2021.2001808
When workers were cleaning up about 6 inches of mud and other debris caused by flooding at Colorado’s Picket Wire Canyonlands in the Comanche National Grassland, they discovered between 100 and 150 dinosaur footprints. Bruce Schumacher, who is a paleontologist with the U.S. Forest Service, stated that the round footprints were left behind by dinosaurs that belonged to the same family of Brontosaurus.
Brontosaurus was a type of sauropod dinosaur that lived between 156.3 and 146.8 million years ago during the late part of Jurassic Period. These herbivores could grow as large as 72 feet in length (22 meters) and weighed as much as 17 tons. They were believed to have lived as long as 100 years and perhaps even longer.
Brontosaurus
These newly discovered footprints will be added to the approximately 2,000 prints already discovered at the location. And there could possibly be even more as Schumacher explained that they “could continue for a long, long time.” “But we’ve kind of reached a point where we’ve got a good amount exposed. At least I feel like we’re at a place to continue to manage it as it is.”
All of the dinosaur tracks have been discovered in more than 130 different trackways in about a quarter of a mile of bedrock that is located along the banks of the Purgatoire River.
During the Jurassic Period, the southeastern part of Colorado was full of forests with ground ferns, tree ferns, sequoia trees, and pine trees, along with tropical climate and a massive shallow lake where the Purgatoire River Valley is now located. Allosaurus and Apatosaurus dinosaurs often visited the shoreline where they left their tracks. In fact, the Comanche National Grassland has the biggest dinosaur track site in all of North America.
A picture of the newly discovered dinosaur footprints can be seen here.
Comanche National Grassland
(Via Wikipedia)
In addition to the massive amount of dinosaur footprints, rock art created by the Native Americans can also be found at the location on the canyon walls. These images, which are between 375 and 4,500 years old, include elk, deer, abstract designs, and humans.
The historic Rourke Ranch is another favorite area for visitors to explore. Built in 1871, it was used by Eugene and Mary Rourke who used it as a horse and cattle ranch. It was in use for three generations until being sold in 1971. Known as one of the most successful ranches in the southwest, it started out with 40 acres and grew to more than 50,000 acres.
The experts made what is being dubbed as "one of the most important discoveries in 50 years" in Abu Gorab, south of Cairo. They found one of the four "lost Sun temples" erected by the pharaohs of the fifth dynasty to complement their pyramids. These magnificent monuments were said to have been constructed to make the pharaoh a god while still alive.
But while experts believe six were built by different pharaohs, only two have ever been found by modern archaeologists – now one of those mysteries has finally been solved, according to Dr Massimiliano Nuzzolo.
The assistant professor of Egyptology at the Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, said: “Each king wanted a pyramid for achieving his resurrection but this was not enough for the fifth dynasty kings.
"They wanted something more. The king built [a Sun temple] to turn himself into a god. The Sun god.”
Ra, the Sun god, was the most powerful god in ancient Egypt and the focal point of many elaborate rituals that were performed both on the living and dead.
Archaeologists made a stunning find
(Image: GETTY)
The remains of a Sun temple were uncovered
(Image: NAT GEO)
These grant structures were built around a tall, pyramid-like obelisk that aligned perfectly with the east-west axis of the Sun.
Dr Nuzzolo focused on one of the already known Sun temples, which was built in Abu Goab by the king Nyuserre, who ruled for about 30 years in the 25th century BC.
But after carefully digging under its shattered remains, he found an older base made of mud bricks, indicating that a building previously existed at the site.
However, the experts had no idea what it was.
Experts then discovered the two-foot-deep base of a white limestone pillar which they suggested the original structure was "quite impressive".
It solves the mystery of one of the temple's locations
(Image: NAT GEO)
Dr Nuzzolo said: “We knew that there was something below the stone temple of Nyuserre, but we don’t know if it is just another building phase of the same temple or if it is a new temple.
“Actually, the fact that there is such a huge, monumental entrance would point to a new building.
"So, why not another Sun temple, one of the missing Sun temples?”
But then an array of beer jars filled with mud were uncovered providing the final proof the old site was a temple.
The experts believe they were an offering reserved for the most sacred places.
The remains of what is believed to be one of the lost sun temples dating back about 4,500 years during the middle part of the 25th century BCE has been unearthed by archaeologists in Egypt. The structure was found buried underneath another temple located at Abu Ghurab.
This isn’t the first sun temple that has been found. In fact, it is thought that a total of six sun temples were constructed around Abu Ghurab; however, only two had been previously discovered. Back in 1898, the sun temple of Nyuserra (also called Neuserre or Nyuserre) – the sixth king of the 5th dynasty – was found by archaeologists at the same site as the recently discovered one. It is now believed that the Nyuserra temple was built over an older one.
Reconstruction of Nyuserre’s Sun Temple by Gaston Maspero.
(Via Wikipedia)
In an email to CNN, Massimiliano Nuzzolo, who is the mission’s co-director as well as an assistant professor of Egyptology at the Polish Academy of Sciences’ Institute for Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures in Warsaw, went into further details, “The archaeologists of the 19th century excavated only a very small part of this mud bricks building below the stone temple of Nyuserra and concluded that this was a previous building phase of the same temple,” adding, “Now our finds demonstrate that this was a completely different building, erected before Nyuserra.” (The dig is a joint mission by the Polish Academy of Sciences as well as the University of Naples L’Orientale.)
The researchers found several items that seem to prove that the sun temple was much older than the one of Nyuserra. These artifacts, which contained engravings of kings who ruled prior to Nyuserra, included seals for jar stoppers, a limestone threshold, and the bases of two limestone columns that would have been located at the entrance.
Additional items found at the site included dozens of beer jars with some of them still containing mud that was used during ancient religious rituals. Furthermore, the jars date back one or two generations prior to when Nyuserra was alive.
Statue of Nyuserra
(Via Wikipedia)
As for the temple itself, it was constructed with mud bricks and was “…impressive in size” as described by Nuzzolo. It was later destroyed in order for Nyuserra to have his temple built which was bigger and made with stones.
Now that the latest sun temple has been unearthed, researchers are hoping to figure out which former king had it built. And by analyzing the pottery that was found there, they will hopefully learn more about those who inhabited the area during ancient times, such as their beliefs and what types of food they feasted on.
Pictures of the ancient sun temple and some of the artifacts can be viewed here.
The temple was discovered beneath a later sun temple.
Lost Treasures of Egypt/National Geographic/Windfall Films
Zoroastrianism: 4000 Years of Faith, Fire and the Battle Between Good and Evil
Zoroastrianism: 4000 Years of Faith, Fire and the Battle Between Good and Evil
The origins of Zoroastrianism can be traced back to nearly 4,000 years ago. It was the first monotheistic faith in the world and even Persia’s official religion from 600 BC to 650 AD. And it still exists! However, while it was a powerful religion in the distant past, now Zoroastrianism is one of the smallest religions in the world. There are between 100,000 to 200,000 modern followers of Zoroastrianism worldwide.
Zoroaster – The Founder of Zoroastrianism
Zoroaster (Zarathushtra), a mysterious prophetic figure, founded Zoroastrianism in ancient Iran. While the precise date of the religion’s foundation is not known, it is believed to have been established between 1200-1500 BC, as per the archaeological evidence.
Zoroaster was born in Southwest Afghanistan or Northeast Iran. He was born into a family that followed a polytheistic religion which included the ritual use of different intoxicants and animal sacrifice. Very little information is available about the birth and early life of the prophet Zoroaster. Most of what is known about Zoroaster comes from The Gathas , which is an ancient hymn collection composed by Zarathushtra.
Zoroaster rejected the Bronze Age Iranian religion that included worshipping many gods. He was also against the hallucinogenic Haoma plant use for rituals and opposed sacrificing animals. The early Zoroastrian texts reveal that the prophet used to receive answers through his prayers. Later writings state that he even ascended to heaven to speak with God directly.
As per the Zoroastrian tradition, Zoroaster had a divine vision when he was thirty years old. In the vision, he saw his Amesha Spentas (seven divine entities) and God while performing a ritual purification rite. This single vision changed his worldview, and he went on to tell others about it. He started believing that there was only one God, the creator. He also taught that the one God, called Ahura Mazda, was worthy of all worship.
Some of the deities, such as the Daevas of the old religion, seemed to delight in strife and war. According to the prophet Zoroaster, they were evil spirits who worked for Angra Mainyu, the adversary of God.
The Investiture Relief of Ardashir I, with Ardashir on the left, and Ahura Mazda on the right.
The core belief system of Zoroastrianism is that Ahura Mazda is the supreme being of light and goodness, and Agra Mainyu is the spirit of evil and darkness. Ahura Mazda means ‘Wise Lord.’ Ahriman, who is equivalent to the devil, is believed to be the embodiment of Agra Mainyu.
According to this religion, everything that happens is driven by the dual forces of dark and light. Zoroastrians believe in the concept of free will. All human beings are free to make a choice whether they want to follow the path of light or darkness. The followers of this religion believe that ethical and active participation in life through good thoughts, good deeds, and good words is essential to keep chaos away and ensure happiness in life.
The religion teaches that Ahura Mazda is the creator of the whole universe and is compassionate by nature. He is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient. He is unchanging and the source of all happiness and goodness. He is capable of conceiving things that are impossible for humans. Zoroastrians also believe that everything that the Wise Lord has created is pure and must be treated with respect and love.
At the age of seven, the followers are given a kusti (cord) and sudreh (shirt) as a part of a ritual initiation ceremony. The garments are considered sacred. They tie the cord around the shirt three times to remind themselves of good words, good thoughts, and good deeds. They perform this ritual along with prayers several times a day. They emphasize action over belief. Zoroastrians generously give to charities and participate in social and educational initiatives.
Fire and water are symbols of purity in the Zoroastrian religion. The followers of this religion worship in fire temples that contain an altar where flames burn 24 hours a day. Earth and air are also considered sacred elements for Zoroastrians. Traditionally, Zoroastrians placed their dead on top of special towers where the bodies were left to be eaten by birds. However, modern Zoroastrians bury the dead in stone or concrete graves.
Printed drawing of 'Towers of Silence', two circular raised structures used by Zoroastrians (parsees) to dispose of the dead.
According to the traditional Zoroastrian calendar, each month consists of 30 days and 5 or 6 days are added to the end of the year. Zoroastrian holidays usually fall on the same day every year. One of the most widely celebrated holidays for Zoroastrians is Nowruz. It is their New Year festival that falls on the first day of spring. They spend a month preparing for this holiday. According to the followers of the religion, the concept of New Year is to start fresh. It involves cleaning both one’s house and one’s soul.
Moreover, if anyone has old quarrels, they need to settle them by this date. During this festival, every house is filled with sweets, fruits, and long-stemmed white flowers. Gifts are exchanged for the New Year. Nowruz is still embedded in Iranian culture and is now celebrated as the Iranian New Year.
A painting depicting Haft-sin symbols of Nowruz related to the elements of Fire, Earth, Air, and Water, and the three life forms of Humans, Animals, and Plants.
Khordad Sal is another significant festival Zoroastrians celebrate. It is Zoroaster’s birthday and is celebrated six days after Nowruz. On this day, the followers of this religion gather in fire temples to feast and pray together.
As you can see, along with being one of the oldest religions, Zoroastrianism is also an interesting religion to explore.
Top Image: The fire temple of Baku, c. 1860 . Hindus, Sikhs, and Zoroastrians have worshipped here.
Explaining the Weirdly Alien Looking Statues of Pharaoh Akhenaten
Pharaoh Akhenaten in the center and his family worshiping Aten personified as the rays of a solar disk; later such imagery was prohibited.
Source: Egyptian Museum / Public domain
Explaining the Weirdly Alien Looking Statues of Pharaoh Akhenaten
In the history of Ancient Egypt, Akhenaten occupies a very special place. Of all the pharaohs over the many centuries, he was by far the most controversial one. His radical policies, major religious reforms, and social changes, all caused a lot of instability in the Ancient Egyptian state. His reign and the changes he put through were one of the major turbulences in the entire timeline of this ancient civilization, and arguably caused a spiraling and slow downfall that could not be remedied by his successors. One of the major changes Akhenaten introduced was in art. Sculptures, carvings, and paintings from his reign are all markedly different from the usual Egyptian fare. Human features were accentuated to impossible and odd proportions, and some pieces look outright alien. This has caused a lot of unique theories to spring up over time. But what was the actual reason the odd art pieces propagated by Akhenaten?
A colossal statue of Akhenaten from his Aten Temple at Karnak on display in the Egyptian Museum of Cairo.
We can understand a lot about Akhenaten’s controversial reign by just observing his origins. He was a son of Pharaoh Amenhotep III . The reign of this exalted ruler was marked as a period of unparalleled prosperity in Ancient Egypt. Amenhotep III reigned from circa 1388 to 1351 BC as the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty . During this time arts, culture, architecture, and international power within Ancient Egypt were at their absolute zenith. To that end, we can understand that Amenhotep III’s son, the future Akhenaten, was born and raised in relative peace, prosperity, and abundance. In fact, in Akhenaten’s life there were little to no hardships that would toughen up and shape a future ruler. Could it be that much of his questionable future stems from such an idyllic background?
Upon the death of his father Amenhotep III, and his older brother Thutmose, young Akhenaten became the tenth Pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. Akhenaten was not his original name: at birth and ascension to the throne, he was named Amenhotep IV. But after the fifth year of his reign, around the time when he began introducing his odd policies, he adopted the name Akhenaten, meaning “Effective for the Aten.”
This famous (or infamous) pharaoh is best known for his radical and revolutionary changes to the traditional Ancient Egyptian polytheistic religion . Initially in his reign, he followed the established traditions that were followed by his father also. But after that fateful fifth year into his rule, young Amenhotep IV underwent a major transformation. He officially changed his name to Akhenaten, and became a devotee of the cult of Aten, changing his allegiance from the cult of Amun . And over the following twelve years, he caused a major ruckus across the Egyptian state. And he became known as the “Heretic Pharaoh” by instigating major changes in Egyptian religion and art.
Aten depicted in art from the throne of Tutankhamun, which may have been originally made for Akhenaten himself.
First, a word or two about Aten. In Ancient Egyptian mythology, Aten was the great disc of the Sun, initially another aspect of the God Ra . The symbol of Aten was the Sun disc and its radiating rays of light. In many ways, Aten could be considered as the Sun, personified.
In Akhenaten’s time, Aten, the Sun Disc, was not new. It had existed for centuries and was a small and lesser-known religious cult god, like many others. The major religious deity of Akhenaten’s time, however, was that of God Amun . The cult of Amun was a major religious (and political) player within Ancient Egypt. The powerful priests of Amun held a lot of power in the state, and at its peak (during the reign of Amenhotep III), the cult of Amun owned more land than the pharaoh himself. And by the time Akhenaten came to the throne, the priests of Amun were almost on an equal standing with the pharaoh, in terms of wealth and influence.
It is possible that Akhenaten, seeking to curb the power of this major religious cult and place himself on top, decided to shift from the traditional religious norms. To that end, he pronounced himself as the “living incarnation of a single all-powerful deity known as Aten,” outlawing the traditional Ancient Egyptian religion, and, in the process, closed all major temples and suppressed religious practices.
After centuries of well-developed Egyptian religion, this came as a major change that was not well accepted in society. Atenism, the religion that Akhenaten introduced, is widely regarded as absolute monotheism, which is radically different from polytheism.
Over the following years, the changes in Egyptian society kept piling up. Akhenaten ordered the creation of a completely new capital city. It was called Akhetaten, the Horizon of Aten, and is today known as Amarna. The city defined the “Amarna period,” the official name for the period of Akhenaten’s reign. And the Amarna period was unlike anything else in the entire history of Ancient Egypt.
Akhenaten “bathing” in the solar light of Aten, the new god of ultimate stature in the radically unique Amarna period.
A Unique Art Style or Something Beyond Comprehension?
Another hard-to-accept change in society was the new and unique artistic style that was developed under close direction of Pharaoh Akhenaten. In general, art of Ancient Egypt was incredibly slow to change, often following the same style for centuries on end. Thus, the sudden and dramatic changes of the Amarna period were unlike anything seen before.
Suddenly, standard reliefs showed new activities on display. And quickly the reliefs of Akhenaten became more crowded and filled with details. Moreover, humans were portrayed in a more realistic fashion, with a more three-dimensional approach and with exaggerated features . In many ways, they were almost alien-looking, with their elongated heads, bulbous stomachs, and long limbs. The Sun Disc of Aten is present in almost all of these “new” reliefs and paintings.
Egyptian sculptures also became immensely different and bordered on completely alien human depictions. Most noticeable aspects of this can be observed on the many surviving sculptures and busts of Akhenaten himself, and his wife Nefertiti. Necks, faces, and skulls were dramatically elongated, the chin made prominent, and lips large and accentuated. The pharaoh is portrayed with extra high cheekbones, and unmistakably wide hips, thighs, and bottom. He is also portrayed with a noticeable paunch in the form of a fatty protruding belly. In simpler terms, he was portrayed as an almost alien-looking man. What is the reason for this?
Certain scholars argue that this sudden change in artistic style can be explained by an influx of “new people or groups of artists whose background and training were different from those of the classical Karnak sculptors.” It is possible that Akhenaten introduced foreign artists to achieve his artistic goals, although this theory has never been proven.
Other scholars, on the other hand, have drawn extreme and illogical conclusions, bringing actual extraterrestrials into the story, presenting Akhenaten’s alien portraiture as something utterly mysterious and inexplicable. But could the actual explanation be far simpler than this?
A relief portrait of Akhenaten from the Amarna period (circa 1345 BC) that reveals his unique facial features that seem almost "alien."
Most scholars agree that these unique portrayals of the pharaoh and his family are due to genetic abnormalities and physical defects that he suffered from in life. Rather than accentuated and alien features of a unique art style, these changes might simply be an ultra-realistic portrayal of the ruler as he was. But how can a man suffer from a string of genetic defects, and still be a powerful ruler?
Well, in Ancient Egypt, this was not at all unusual. Pharaohs practiced marriage between siblings for centuries. Brothers married sisters, ensuring the purity of the dynastic lineage, and their offspring also inter-married. It was almost the norm. Of course, having offspring with your brother or sister, i.e., inbreeding, is completely unnatural, and it can cause a string of genetic deformities across generations. A classic example is the iconic “Habsburg Jaw.”
So, did Akhenaten look totally deformed and unnatural? It’s more than likely.
Many leading scientists and scholars cited a number of possible syndromes and disorders that could have troubled Akhenaten. Mandibular prognathism , the extreme protrusion of the lower jaw (best known as the “Habsburg Jaw”), could have been one of these, and the cause of the prominent chin portrayed on Akhenaten’s sculptures. Early researchers proposed Frölich's syndrome as a possibility. It is also known as Adiposogenital dystrophy , and causes enlarged breasts, thighs, paunch, and bottom in men, creating a look that is similar to that of Akhenaten. However, this theory has been largely dismissed since this syndrome usually causes sterility, but Akhenaten sired many children.
Marfan syndrome, a multi-systemic genetic disorder, is also a likely possibility. It causes a string of physical deformities but does not impair mental abilities or causes sterility. Those suffering from this rare syndrome develop an elongated and thin face, they grow extremely tall, they display an elongated skull, fingers, and arms; they have enlarged thighs and a larger pelvis, and a funnel chest. Many of these symptoms can be seen on Akhenaten’s odd sculptures. What is more, there is a 50% chance that people suffering from it can pass it onto their offspring. Interestingly, Akhenaten’s daughters are also portrayed with odd features, notably their elongated skulls.
Wooden standing statue of Akhenaten, currently in the Egyptian Museum of Berlin, that also shows how his body was different or depicted differently.
Other scholars have proposed Gynecomastia, an imbalance of estrogen levels that causes enlarged breasts in men, while others put forward Craniosynostosis, a condition that causes deformities of the skull. Other possibilities include Sagittal Craniosynostosis syndrome, Aromatase Excess syndrome, or Klinefelter syndrome. Mental disabilities were also considered. Generations of inbreeding won’t cause only physical deformities, but mental ones as well. Schizophrenia, egomania, and similar conditions could have possibly afflicted Akhenaten.
To piece together the puzzle of Akhenaten’s odd looks, we need to follow his successors also. It is likely that he was the father of the young pharaoh Tutankhamun. The latter is famous today because of the discovery of his intact tomb, which is still the most sensational discovery in the world of Egyptology. However, it is likely that he was not extremely influential during his life and reign. What is more, modern research shows that Tutankhamun, who died when he was just 18, was plagued by a number of debilitating genetic diseases, and that he might have had a physical appearance similar to his father, Akhenaten.
Modern CT scans show that Tutankhamun had a physical disability in the form of a deformed left foot with bone necrosis, and that he was forced to use a cane at all times. Other finds indicate that he could have suffered from gynecomastia, Marfan syndrome, Antley-Bixler Syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, Wilson–Turner X-linked intellectual disability syndrome, and several other serious defects. By all accounts, young pharaoh “Tut” was extremely frail and seriously deformed. Modern forensic reconstructions of his remains show him as such, in addition to sharing many of his father’s physical characteristics.
A Grotesque Ruler With Ideas That Were Too Radical
Considering all these facts, and the advantages of modern medical science, we can safely stand behind the theory that Akhenaten, his offspring, and possibly his predecessors, all suffered from mild to severe genetic deformities, all caused by generations of inbreeding. While they believed that marrying brothers and sisters would ensure purity of the bloodlines, they were in fact polluting them, causing multiple hereditary congenital defects.
Akhenaten’s odd and controversial reign is hard to explain. He could have introduced the radical changes for political reasons, or he could have simply been a tyrannical monarch, plagued with physical and mental disorders and obsessed with the sun deity Aten.
After his death, all of his changes were reversed, and Egypt quickly returned to its old and established ways. Either way, there is no mistaking the alien-looking appearance present in all of Akhenaten’s depictions both in statues and reliefs. A realistic portrayal of a deformed pharaoh, or a unique and abstract art style? We may never know for certain.
Top image: Pharaoh Akhenaten in the center and his family worshiping Aten personified as the rays of a solar disk; later such imagery was prohibited.
A diamond discovered deep beneath Earth’s surface contains a mineral that has never been found before on our planet. The mineral has been named davemaoite after geophysicist Ho-kwang (Dave) Mao.
While davemaoite is the first ever discovery of a high-pressure calcium silicate perovskite (CaSiO3) on our planet, another CaSiO3 named wollastonite is plentiful on Earth. Davemaoite, however, can only form by high temperatures and a lot of pressure in the mantle of our planet.
It was long believed that Earth did contain davemaoite but experts never found any evidence of it – until now. Since davemaoite breaks into different minerals as it gets closer to the surface, finding proof of it is exceptionally difficult, but a diamond in Botswana has finally provided scientists with the evidence they needed.
(Not the diamond mentioned in this article.)
The diamond formed in Earth’s mantle approximately 410 miles (660 kilometers) below the surface. And inside of the stone was a very tiny piece of davemaoite – only a few micrometers (millionths of a meter) in size. Oliver Tschauner, who is a mineralogist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and his colleagues, used synchrotron X-ray diffraction in order to find the never-before-seen mineral inside of the diamond. In an interview with Live Science, Tschauner stated that the discovery “…came as a surprise”.
Since scientists believe that davemaoite might contain additional elements that can give off heat by radioactive decay (such as thorium and uranium), the mineral could possibly aid in providing a significant dose of heat in Earth’s mantle. Additionally, this means that diamonds can grow much farther down below Earth’s surface than previously believed and these stones could possibly lead to even more discoveries of never-before-seen minerals.
Yingwei Fe, who is a geophysicist at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C., but was not part of the study, weighed in on the discovery by saying, “The work by Tschauner et al. inspires hope in the discovery of other difficult high-pressure phases in nature.” “Such direct sampling of the inaccessible lower mantle would fill our knowledge gap in chemical composition of the entire mantle of our planet.”
(Not the diamond mentioned in this article.)
The discovery has led the International Mineralogical Association to confirm davemaoite as being a new mineral. A picture of the diamond that contained davemaoite can be viewed here.
This diamond holds tiny black specks of davemaoite, a mineral formed at high temperature and pressure in the deep Earth.
Credit: Aaron Celestian, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
The study was published in the journal Sciencewhere it can be read in full.
WAT VEROORZAAKTE DE EERSTE GROTE VERWOESTENDE MASSA-EXTINCTIE DIE DE AARDE DOORMAAKTE?
WAT VEROORZAAKTE DE EERSTE GROTE VERWOESTENDE MASSA-EXTINCTIE DIE DE AARDE DOORMAAKTE?
Vivian Lammerse
Zo’n 445 miljoen jaar geleden werd zo’n 85 procent van de mariene soorten bruut van de aardbodem geveegd. Maar wat lag er aan de teloorgang van al dit leven ten grondslag?
De meesten zullen weten dat de dinosaurussen uitstierven tijdens een grote massa-extinctie. Maar wist je dat de aarde ook andere massa-extincties heeft doorgemaakt? In totaal hebben er vijf de revue gepasseerd – bekend als de ‘big five’ – waarbij tenminste driekwart van alle soorten die op aarde leefden met uitsterven werd bedreigd. In dit artikel haken we in op de eerste massa-extinctie die de aarde doormaakte: de zogenaamde Laat-Ordovicische massa-extinctie. Want wat lag hier precies aan ten grondslag?
Oorzaak van massa-extincties Wetenschappers zijn al langer geïnteresseerd in het achterhalen van de oorzaak van massa-extincties. Dat komt omdat het begrijpen van de omgevingsomstandigheden die in het verleden geleid hebben tot de uitroeiing van de meeste soorten, ons zou kunnen helpen voorkomen dat een soortgelijke gebeurtenis zich in de toekomst herhaalt. Bovendien denken veel wetenschappers dat we ons momenteel middenin een zesde massa-extinctie bevinden. En dus is het bestuderen van dit fenomeen belangrijker dan ooit.
Laat-Ordovicische massa-extinctie De Laat-Ordovicische massa-extinctie vond zo’n 445 miljoen jaar geleden plaats. Tijdens deze massale uitsterving verdween ongeveer 85 procent van de mariene soorten, waarvan de meeste in ondiepe wateren voor de kust van continenten leefden, van de aardbodem. En dat terwijl daarvoor, ten tijden van de Ordovicium-periode, de zeeën vol biodiversiteit zaten. “Als je in een Ordovicische zee was gaan snorkelen, zou je een aantal bekende dieren hebben gezien, zoals mosselen, slakken en sponzen,” schetst onderzoeker Seth Finnegan. “Maar je zou ook veel andere soorten zijn tegengekomen die nu zeer beperkt in diversiteit zijn of volledig zijn uitgestorven, zoals trilobieten, armpotigen en zeelelies.”
Fossielen uit de Ordovicium-periode, gevonden op het Canadese eiland Anticosti.
Afbeelding: André Desrochers, University of Ottawa
Maar dan gebeurt er iets rampzaligs. In tegenstelling tot de massa-extinctie waarbij de dinosaurussen vrij plotseling uitstierven, speelde de Laat-Ordovicische massa-extinctie zich af over een vrij lange periode. Mogelijk strekte deze massale uitsterving zich zelfs uit over twee miljoen jaar. Maar wat lag er aan de teloorgang van al dit leven ten grondslag?
Vraagteken We weten dat het klimaat destijds afkoelde. Maar kan dat het verlies van maar liefst 85 procent van het zeeleven hebben veroorzaakt? “Van verschillende geologische recentere massa-extincties is bekend dat ze zijn veroorzaakt door vulkanisch aangedreven snelle opwarming en het daaruit voortvloeiende verlies van zuurstof in de oceanen,” vertelt Finnegan in gesprek met Scientias.nl. “Maar wat met name opvalt aan de Laat-Ordovicische massa-extinctie is dat de combinatie van veranderingen in het milieu die gepaard gaan met het uitsterven, ongebruikelijk en moeilijk te begrijpen zijn.”
Gebrek aan zuurstof Eén van de belangrijkste discussies rond de Laat-Ordovicische massa-extinctie is of gebrek aan zuurstof in het zeewater de oorzaak van de massa uitsterving is geweest. Om die vraag te onderzoeken, maten de onderzoekers de concentratie jodium in carbonaatgesteenten uit de Laat-Ordovicische periode. De concentratie van dit element in carbonaatgesteenten dient namelijk als een belangrijke indicator voor veranderingen in het oceanische zuurstofniveau.
Ondiepe wateren Het leidt tot een interessante ontdekking. “In ons artikel tonen we aan dat het inderdaad waar lijkt te zijn dat de hoeveelheid opgeloste zuurstof in de diepe oceaan afnam,” vertelt Finnegan. “Maar, we vonden geen bewijs voor een afname van zuurstof in ondiepe wateren. En juist hier leefden de meeste diersoorten die uitstierven. Het betekent dat een afname van zuurstof de massa-extinctie waarschijnlijk niet kan verklaren.”
Zuurstofgebrek in de diepe oceaan Hoewel het er op lijkt dat ondiepe wateren niet met zuurstofgebrek te maken kregen, breidde dit verschijnsel zich rond diezelfde tijd wel uit in de diepe oceaan. De onderzoekers schrijven dit toe aan de circulatie van zeewater door de mondiale oceanen. Een belangrijk punt om in gedachten te houden, is namelijk dat oceaancirculatie een zeer belangrijk onderdeel is van een klimaatsysteem. De afkoeling van het klimaat veranderde mogelijk de oceaancirculatie, wat de stroom van zuurstofrijk water uit de ondiepe zeeën naar de diepere oceaan stopte. Dit betekent dat klimaatkoeling dus ook kan leiden tot lagere zuurstofniveaus; tenminste, in bepaalde delen van de oceaan.
Maar als de massa-extinctie niet in gang werd gezet door zuurstofgebrek, wat lag er dan aan ten grondslag? Hoewel de onderzoekers hier geen volledig uitsluitsel over kunnen geven, vermoeden ze dat koudere omstandigheden tijdens het late Ordovicium, gecombineerd met aanvullende factoren, waarschijnlijk verantwoordelijk waren voor de ondergang van talloze diersoorten.
Klimaatkoeling “De veroorzaker kan dus goed de klimaatkoeling zelf zijn geweest,” onderstreept Finnegan. “We zien aanwijzingen voor zeer substantiële klimaatkoeling en uitbreiding van ijskappen, met een grote bijbehorende zeespiegeldaling. Deze afkoeling en daling van de zeespiegel kunnen aanzienlijk veelomvattender zijn geweest dan tijdens recentere ijstijden. Dit betekent dat verlies van leefgebied verantwoordelijk kan zijn geweest voor een deel van de uitsterving. De vraag is echter of zoveel uitsterving (85 procent van de mariene soorten, red.) aan het verlies van leefgebied kan worden toegeschreven.”
Zullen we het ooit weten? De vraag is of we het mysterie van de Laat-Ordovicische massa-extinctie ooit volledig zullen ontrafelen. “Een gevolg van de daling van de zeespiegel is dat de mariene sedimentaire gesteenten vrij schaars zijn geworden,” zegt Finnegan. “Dus om te begrijpen wat de meeste uitsterving veroorzaakte, moeten we die gebieden in detail bestuderen, maar ook modellen gebruiken om te proberen te begrijpen wat er is gebeurd in de delen van de wereld waarvoor we geen goed bewaard gebleven sedimentaire gegevens hebben. Het is een zeer uitdagend probleem. Maar ik ben optimistisch dat we er als gemeenschap grip op beginnen te krijgen.”
Wat de onderzoekers in hun studie in ieder geval hebben aangetoond, is dat één van de vaakst aangevoerde verklaringen – zuurstofgebrek in de oceanen – waarschijnlijk de Laat-Ordovicische massa-extinctie niet kan verklaren. Toch moeten we volgens onderzoeker Zunli Lu onze zuurstofrijke wereld ook zeker niet als vanzelfsprekend beschouwen, zo vertelt hij in een interview met Scientias.nl. “Veel is nog onbekend over eerdere massa-extincties. We begrijpen deze gebeurtenissen nog lang niet volledig. Het zou verstandig zijn om het oceaanmilieu en het klimaatsysteem niet verder drastisch te verstoren voordat de menselijke samenleving in staat is om uitgebreide veranderingen in het aardsysteem beter te voorspellen en te verminderen,” besluit hij.
More than 1,200 Mesolithic worked stone tools dating back to around 6,000–10,000 years ago have been found alongside the River Dee in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
The flints — which include blades, scrapers and waste material — were collected by volunteers with archaeology group Mesolithic Deeside from 13–17 March this year.
The tools, the experts explained, would have been used by some of the earliest communities in the area to kill, butcher and prepare animals for food and materials.
One group member, a student from nearby University of Aberdeen, also found part of a Neolithic-age, egg-shaped mace head during the 'fieldwalking' exercise.
Building on these finds, the group will be conducting a 'test pitting' — digging a series of small trenches — at the Milton of Crathes from November 11–14.
Alongside hunting for more flints, the archaeologists will also be investigating features seen in aerial survey maps that may represent the remains of a settlement.
The group will also be joined by geologists who will probe the ground of the river terrace to look for evidence of former flooding and past environmental conditions.
More than 1,200 Mesolithic worked stone tools dating back to around 6,000–10,000 years ago (some of which are pictured) have been found alongside the River Dee in Aberdeenshire
The flints — which include blades, scrapers and waste material — were collected by volunteers with archaeology group Mesolithic Deeside from 13–17 March this year. Pictured: an example of so-called 'flint scatter' that the volunteers have found along the course of the River Dee
The tools, the experts explained, would have been used by some of the earliest communities in the area to kill, butcher and prepare animals for food and materials. One group member, a student from nearby University of Aberdeen, also found part of a Neolithic-age, egg-shaped mace head during the 'fieldwalking' exercise
Every flint found by the group is meticulously bagged and tagged with a GPS provenance, analysed by a specialist and the information collated into a database, making the Dee one of Scotland's most extensively studied rivers for flint deposits. Pictured: a map showing the finds from the group's fieldwalks back in March 2021. The different icons reflect the flint types
Mesolithic Deeside chair and archaeologist Alison Cameron told the MailOnline that the long and varied nature of the River Dee would have provided the inhabitants of the region 6,000–10,000 with everything that they needed to live. Pictured: a flint from the River Dee
Mesolithic Deeside chair and archaeologist Alison Cameron told the MailOnline that the long and varied nature of the River Dee would have provided the inhabitants of the region 6,000–10,000 with everything that they needed to live.
This, she explained, is why so much so-called 'flint scatter' can be found today in the fields along the river banks, showing where people made and used stone tools.
Every flint found by the group is meticulously bagged and tagged with a GPS provenance, sent off for analysis by a specialist and the information collated into a database, making the Dee one of Scotland's most extensively studied rivers for flint deposits.
Coinciding with the dig this week, Mesolithic expert Caroline Wickham-Jones and her fellow group members have compiled a dossier on their discoveries to date, which will be published in Scottish Archaeological Internet Reports.
The group — which was launched in 2017 and has some 50 members — is funded in part by the Aberdeenshire Council and the King George V Wind Turbine Trust.
Interested members of the public are welcome to volunteer in this week's excavations at the Milton of Crathes — such as by helping the dig itself and sorting the finds — or to simply visit to see what the group has uncovered.
'If visiting the site may be very muddy so wear sensible shoes or wellies!', said Alison Cameron.
'The work of Mesolithic Deeside has made a real contribution to our understanding of the prehistoric communities who lived along the Dee,' said archaeologist Caroline Wickham-Jones, formerly of the University of Aberdeen.
'Fieldwalking is fun but was obviously impacted by lockdown and they have worked hard to keep group members enthused.'
Aberdeenshire regional archaeologist Bruce Mann agreed, adding: 'The volunteers of Mesolithic Deeside have contributed so much to our understanding of early prehistory in this part of the world through their fieldwalking.'
Coinciding with the dig this week, Mesolithic expert Caroline Wickham-Jones and her fellow group members have compiled a dossier on their discoveries to date, which will be published in Scottish Archaeological Internet Reports. Pictured: a flint found by the group in March
The group — which was launched in 2017 and has some 50 members — is funded in part by the Aberdeenshire Council and the King George V Wind Turbine Trust. Pictured: a Mesolithic Deeside volunteer admires a flint found during a fieldwalking exercise
'I started fieldwalking with Mesolithic Deeside in 2018 and am now totally hooked,' said Mesolithic Deeside volunteer Roslyn Hay. 'The thrill of finding something that has been hidden in the soil, knowing that you are the first person to hold it since it was dropped thousands of years ago. You feel a connection with that person way back in prehistory. Pictured: two of the flints that the group found in fieldwalks back in March
'I started fieldwalking with Mesolithic Deeside in 2018 and am now totally hooked,' said Mesolithic Deeside volunteer Roslyn Hay.
'I've learned so much and made so many new friends, with the added benefit of plenty of exercise and fresh air. We walk, we talk (a lot), and find wonderful things.
'The thrill of finding something that has been hidden in the soil, knowing that you are the first person to hold it since it was dropped thousands of years ago. You feel a connection with that person way back in prehistory.
'My most memorable find was a large blade. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it! It was confirmed as most probably from the Late Upper Palaeolithic.
'Finds from this period, which predates the Mesolithic, are rare in Scotland, so this was a very exciting find for the group.'
'When I started finding flints over 20 years ago, I could never have imagined contributing to such a massive project,' said Mesolithic Deeside co-secretary and founding member Sheila Duthie. The group's efforts, she added, are 'without doubt broadening our understanding of prehistoric human activity on Deeside — it’s a blast!' Pictured: some of the group's finds
'When I started finding flints over 20 years ago, I could never have imagined contributing to such a massive project,' said Mesolithic Deeside co-secretary and founding member Sheila Duthie.
The group's efforts, she added, are 'without doubt broadening our understanding of prehistoric human activity on Deeside — it’s a blast!'
'My ideal pastime is footerin in flat fields with fine folk finding flints, fair or foul!' she exuberantly concluded.
'The work of Mesolithic Deeside has made a real contribution to our understanding of the prehistoric communities who lived along the Dee,' said archaeologist Caroline Wickham-Jones, formerly of the University of Aberdeen. Pictured: a Mesolithic Deeside volunteer with one of the group's flint finds back in March
Building on these finds, the group will be conducting a 'test pitting' — digging a series of small trenches — at the Milton of Crathes from November 11–14. Alongside hunting for more flints, the archaeologists will also be investigating features seen in aerial survey maps that may represent the remains of a settlement
Interested members of the public are welcome to volunteer in this week's (November 11–14) excavations at the Milton of Crathes— such as by helping the dig itself and sorting the finds — or to simply visit to see what the group has uncovered. 'If visiting the site may be very muddy so wear sensible shoes or wellies!', said Alison Cameron. Pictured: the dig site
HOW DID PEOPLE LIVE DURING THE MESOLITHIC PERIOD?
The Mesolithic period, also called Middle Stone Age, is an ancient time period (8000 BC to AD 2700) that took place between the Paleolithic Period (Old Stone Age) with its chipped stone tools, and the Neolithic Period (New Stone Age) with its polished stone tools.
The Mesolithic period's material culture is characterized by greater innovation than the Paleolithic.
Among the new types of chipped stone tools were microliths: very small stone tools intended for mounting together on a shaft in order to produce a serrated edge. Polished stone was another innovation that arose in some Mesolithic groups.
Northern European Mesolithic people (called Maglemosian's), who flourished at about 6000 BC, left behind traces of primitive huts with bark-covered floors and adzes for working wood.
At Starr Carr in Yorkshire, there are signs that four or five huts existed there, with a population of around 25 people. There is evidence that these sites may only have been occupied on a seasonal basis.
An artist's impression of tribes fishing during the Mesolithic period
Aracheologists have also found smaller flint tools from this group. These were mounted as points or barbs for arrows and harpoons and were also used in other composite tools.
They used adzes and chisels made of antler or bone, as well as needles and pins, fish-hooks, harpoons and fish spears with several prongs. Some larger tools made of ground stone, such as club heads, have also been found.
Wooden structures have also been found and have remained well-preserved due to the preservative qualities of bogs. Some of the structures discovered include ax handles, paddles and a dugout canoe, and fishnets were made using bark fibre.
Deer were hunted as well as fish and waterfowl, and some varieties of marsh plants may have been used.
More than 1,200 ancient Mesolithic stone tools have been found along the River Dee in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, by archaeologists and volunteers during a “field walk”. These flints, which included scrapers, waste material, blades, and a portion of an egg-shaped mace head, would have been used by ancient humans who lived along the river between 10,000 and 6,000 years ago. It is believed that the tools were used to kill animals and prepare the food as well as to make raw animal hide into clothes.
Sheila Duthie, who is the co-secretary at the archaeology group Mesolithic Deeside, talked about her decades-long discoveries of ancient tools, “When I started finding flints over 20 years ago, I could never have imagined contributing to such a massive project which is without doubt broadening our understanding of prehistoric human activity on Deeside.”
In an interview with MailOnline, Alison Cameron, who is the chair of the Mesolithic Deeside and an archaeologist, stated that the individuals who would have lived next to the River Dee between 10,000 and 6,000 years ago would have had everything they needed in order to survive thanks to the nature during that time. This was why so much “flint scatter” has already been discovered in the fields next to the river banks as the individuals would have made and used the stone tools there.
Since every tool found at the site has been collected and sent for analysis where the information gathered will then be put into a database, River Dee is one of the most substantial studies ever conducted on flint deposits found near a river in all of Scotland. “The work of Mesolithic Deeside has made a real contribution to our understanding of the prehistoric communities who lived along the Dee,” noted archaeologist Caroline Wickham-Jones.
Further excavations will be conducted in the coming days at the Milton of Crathes (this includes digging numerous small trenches), so perhaps they’ll discover even more items and/or other significant findings. Additionally, the archaeologists will look at specific features that were noticed during aerial survey maps of the site that may indicate the remains of an ancient settlement. Geologists will be in the area to investigate the ground of the river terrace in order to find out if there was ever an ancient flood as well as to look at what types of environmental conditions were present during the time that the individuals lived there.
That Old “Second Sphinx” Chestnut Is Back – Is There or Is There Not A Hidden Sphinx?
That Old “Second Sphinx” Chestnut Is Back – Is There or Is There Not A Hidden Sphinx?
A tourism official in Egypt has been ridiculed by his peers after claiming a second giant statue of the famous Sphinx awaits discovery. This supposed second sphinx is causing quite a stir amongst Egyptologists who argue that it is all just a hoax.
Putting the Second Sphinx Claims in Context
We will reverse into this story after I tell you a tale about UFOs. Perhaps nothing antagonizes career debunkers and skeptics more than when a supposed “expert” or “official” in any given field skips over to the perceived dark side. This happened in February 2021 after astrophysicist Avi Loeb, Director of the Harvard Astronomy Department, told the New Scientist that the space rock Oumuamua was “maybe a piece of alien technology.”
As almost the entire scientific community facepalmed, as they watched a U.S. icon of logic and reason dive down the scientific rabbit hole, Loeb doubled-down, telling Scientific American that “aliens have visited, and I am not kidding.” Loeb is now leading the Galileo Project , searching for “extraterrestrial technological signatures of Extraterrestrial Technological Civilizations (ETCs).”
Returning to the story at hand, Reda Abdel Halim is the director of public relations for the Giza pyramids district at the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. Causing similar waves to Dr. Loeb in the U.S., Halim has told Cairo Live that he discovered “a statue in the pyramids area that is of similar size to the Sphinx.” In other words, he claims to have found a second sphinx.
Reda Abdel Halim has claimed that there is a second sphinx buried under the sand and that it is shaped like the Great Sphinx of Giza, pictured above.
Abdel Halim, just like Loeb, has also doubled down, hard. It’s one thing to casually speculate that astounding archaeology awaits discovery beneath the Egyptian sands. But Halim has gone so far as to say that the second sphinx is “73 meters (246 ft) high, with a head 20.5 meters (67 ft) high, and hands extended over 15.5 meters (50.8 ft).” In other words, it is shaped like the Great Sphinx of Giza .
When the tourist official was pressed for evidence related to his dramatic claims, he was ready with an apparently dynamite reference, a “scientific study” no less. Supposedly undertaken by a team of experts from Egypt’s Zagazig University, Halim claimed that the archaeologists conducting the study had “confirmed the existence of this statue.” Now Halim has made waves for “rediscovering” the second sphinx statue once more.
Reda Abdel Halim, director of public relations for the Giza Pyramids district at the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has claimed that there is a second sphinx.
What then does the greater archaeological community have to say about Abdel Halim’s incredible claim that a second sphinx is hidden under the sand? Well, that’s the thing, they say it is “incredible.” Very incredible in fact.
This idea, in its entirety, is nothing more than a “media fanfare” according to Zahi Hawass, the well-known former Minister of Antiquities. Hawass told Al-Monitor that the Great Sphinx of Giza “is unique in Egypt and the world.” He also said Halim’s reference to a study at the Zagazig University is also “false” and that nobody in Egyptological circles knows anything about the discovery of any such second sphinx.
At this stage of the story, it’s hard not to picture Halim with a shovel, in a pit, up to his neck. As hard as it might have been reading Dr. Hawass’s response to his claims, the enthusiastic Halim could have looked up humbly (from the pit) and said, “okay, I got carried away.”
When presented with such an uncomfortable situation, Halim could have chosen to climb out of the deepening rabbit hole. But Abdel Halim’s press return statement insisted the lost Sphinx featured on ancient writings carved into the original statue, but that they were “erased” to keep the second sphinx secret. A potential conspiracy theory was born.
Zahi Hawass on the left, one of the critics of the second sphinx claims, on a visit to the Great Sphinx of Giza with Barack Obama in 2009.
The Skeptics Bombing Run of “Baseless” Second Sphinx Claims
In military terms: Dr. Zahi Hawass was first to engage with the “bogie” (Abdel Halim) who courageously survived the first dog fight. However, over the horizon, a conceptual Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber would bring shock and awe to the extraordinary claims of Halim.
The bomber came in the form of Professor Mohammed Hamza, the former dean of the faculty of archeology at Cairo University. Putting the story to bed, Dr. Hamza told Al-Monitor that “any talk about the discovery of a new Sphinx is completely baseless.” Does that mean that this latest second sphinx claim is just another archaeological hoax?
It is perhaps worth noting that at the alleged site of the second sphinx another statue was discovered in the past. However, Dr. Halim said it has “nothing to do with the original Sphinx.” Furthermore, if you have been reading Ancient Origins news over the last two years you will understand that perhaps the greatest fact refuting the second sphinx claim is that news of such a discovery would have been all over the news. The Egyptian Antiquities Authority never fails to turn even the smallest discoveries into a story, never mind a second sphinx !
Top image: The Great Sphinx of Giza. Claims of a second sphinx are causing a stir in Egyptological circles.
Archaeologist Discovers Swiss Roman Battle Site and 2,000-Year-Old Dagger
Archaeologist Discovers Swiss Roman Battle Site and 2,000-Year-Old Dagger
Sometimes experts can get it wrong. And that is what seems to have happened in the case of a Swiss Roman battle site from 2000 years ago. The new site was found between the towns of Tiefencastel and the Cunter thanks to the persistence of an amateur archaeologist. Using a metal detector, Lucas Schmid, who is a volunteer at the Graubünden Archaeological Service, found a Roman dagger in the remote south-eastern region of Switzerland near the Crap-Ses gorge, which was a solid piece of evidence for what was until then an unknown Swiss Roman battle.
Using a metal detector, Lucas Schmid, a hobby archaeologist, found a Roman dagger in the south-eastern region of Switzerland, which was a solid piece of evidence for what was an unknown Swiss Roman battle.
The Swiss Roman Battle Site: Revealed Artifacts for 20 Years
Although the site became known 20 years back and yielded many artifacts at the time, it was believed to have surrendered all its treasures over the years. However, local amateur archaeologist Lucas Schmid believed otherwise.
His tenacity paid off when, two years ago, he managed to uncover the well-preserved 2000-year-old Roman dagger . This alerted experts to the possibility that there were more artifacts at the site to uncover. The University of Basel then began a five-year research project with the federal government and the canton.
Swissinfo.ch reports that over the last two years archaeologists have found a rich haul of hundreds of artifacts including the dagger, well-preserved slingshot stones , coins, nails, and part of a shield that are assumed to have been left behind after a Swiss Roman battle between the Roman army and a local tribe. The battle took place between the Roman army and a local Rhaetian tribe in what is the present-day canton of Graubünden.
“It looks like the locals have holed up and were shot at by the Romans with slingshots and catapults,” Peter Schwarz, professor of Provincial Roman Archaeology at the University of Basel, said.
A sling lead with an inscription that suggests that the twelfth Roman legion was involved in the Swiss Roman battle against the local Celtic Helvetii tribes.
The Roman Conquest of Switzerland Leads to Local Battles
The area of what is now Switzerland was populated by numerous tribes, most of which were Celtic, before the Roman conquest. The Helvetii were the most numerous but there were many others including the Rauraci in north-west Switzerland based around Basel, and the Allobroges around Geneva. South of the Swiss plateau were the Nantuates, Seduni and Veragri in the Valais region, the Lepontii in the Ticino and the Raetians in the Grisons area.
The first part of Switzerland to fall to Rome’s armies was southern Ticino, annexed after the Roman victory over the Insubres in 222 BC. The last obstacle in the path of Roman control of the Alps as a shield to northern Italy were the Raetians. After a first expedition against them by Publius Silius Nerva in 16 BC, a more consistent campaign by Drusus and the later emperor Tiberius brought Raetia, and with it all of Switzerland, firmly under Roman control.
And it is around this time that the battle in Graubünden must have taken place. This would make it even more significant, considering that it may have been one of the last few skirmishes between the Roman forces and local Swiss tribal forces before the Romans established control over the entire Alps region .
The carefully protected Roman dagger that led to the discovery of the Swiss Roman battle site.
According to Arkeonews, archaeologist Thomas Reitmaier said 7,000 square meters (7,655 square yards) out of a total of 35,000 square meters (41, 859 square yards) have been combed so far and the process had led to several hundred Roman artifacts being found. “Among the objects found were hundreds of shoe nails, slingshots, coins, and fragments of a shield that could be assigned to a local,” Reitmaier added.
How many people died in the battle is not clear and to date no graves have been found. However, the area will continue to be searched over the next year for clues about what happened there 2000 years ago.
Meanwhile, Lucas Schmid can take pride in what his efforts two years ago have led to: research on such a large scale with the involvement of the University of Basel as well as the federal and canton governments. “Of course, I’m glad that what I’m doing is making a difference” he said, Arkeonews reports.
It is to be hoped that as the battlefield in Graubünden yields up more of its treasures that serve as records of past events, archaeologists will be able to paint a clearer picture of those events.
Top image: The Roman dagger found by an amateur archaeologist with a metal detector that revealed the “unknown” Swiss Roman battle site, where the twelfth Roman legion fought against local Celtic tribes.
Stonehenge Plaques Hold Secret Cultural Data, Says New Study
Stonehenge Plaques Hold Secret Cultural Data, Says New Study
Four Neolithic “chalk plaques” were discovered near Stonehenge between 1968–2017. A new study has shown that the ancient illustrations on the Stonehenge plaques are much more than just abstract patterns. The Stonehenge plaques were buried in a pit about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from England’s most famous ancient monument. English Heritagescientists have dated the plaques to between 2900 BC and 2580 BC. The new study has called these four ancient art works “some of the most spectacular chalk designs ever discovered in Britain.”
According to an article on Silent Earth , the plaque pit in which the artworks were discovered is located directly south of an entrance to the famous Cursus monument at Stonehenge, in Wiltshire, England. This is probably no coincidence and suggests some kind of connection between the chalk Stonehenge plaques and the Cursus, which was in use 500 to 820 years before the plaques were deposited in the nearby pit.
Examples of two-dimensional Neolithic artwork is a rarity in Britain, and chalk incisions, like these, are truly unique and unusual. The ancient chalk images discovered on the surface of the plaques have now been mapped by researchers at Wessex Archaeology and the full findings of the study were published in the journal Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society .
Since the first plaque was discovered in 1968, many archaeologists have been skeptical, maintaining that the chalk marks were mere random etchings. But now, using advanced imaging techniques, a team of scientists have revealed underlying “ geometric designs ” executed by artisans wielding “a range of artistic abilities,” according to the new study.
The reverse, back, side of the four Stonehenge plaques.
Aiming to “understand the creative process of these prehistoric artists,” professor of archaeology, Bob Davis, from the University of Cambridge, who led the new study, mapped the surfaces of each plaque using reflectance transformation imaging (RTI). This non-destructive scanning method means no physical contact with the artifacts was required, as it charted billions of data points pertaining to microscopic rises and dips of the surface texture of the plaques. The images show these points in different colors, representing highlights and shadows.
Plaque 1 shows the image of a twisted cord , which was the number one tool for farming, fishing, measuring, and building in the Neolithic period. The other three plaques demonstrate a kaleidoscope of apparently linear patterns. However, the new study demonstrates that these are interwoven with “deliberate, staged composition, execution and detail.” Having identified real world tools and conceptual elements (geometry) from Middle Neolithic culture, the paper suggests Late Neolithic Britain may have experienced a “golden age of chalk art .”
The lower part of Plaque 1 showing raw data under specular enhancement mode on the left and the engraved sequence on the right showing selected phases in red, dark blue, yellow, green, light blue and orange.
Neolithic Art Views Greatly Changed By the New Study
Until this new paper, archaeology was split over the content depicted on the chalk Stonehenge plaques. Many believed the linear patterns were random and contained no data whatsoever, while others maintained they were examples of hallucinogenic art under the influence of magic mushrooms . However, there has always been a faction of archaeologists that believed these plaques were much more than idle graffiti. Now, high technology has affirmed the last group’s suspicions demonstrating underlying meaning and “cultural significance” in the chalk Stonehenge plaques.
Co-author, archaeologist Phil Harding, first analyzed the plaques in the old analogue world, back in 1988. He said the modern analytical tools used in the new study offer deep new insights into the mindsets of the ancient people who made them, which they projected onto the ancient plaques with chalk.
Furthermore, another paper co-author, Matt Leivers, said the application of modern technology to the ancient artifacts allowed for not only a better understanding of the working methods of the Neolithic artists , but it also provided a rare glimpse into the artists’ “motivations.”
Having interpreted all of the lines and angles on the four plaques, the archaeologists concluded that they represent “an important cultural marker in the Neolithic period.” And with the twisted cord having been found marked on one plaque, it can be speculated that the Neolithic artists were inspired by everyday objects, trades and tools, just like today’s artists.
Top image: Two of the Stonehenge plaques, make of chalk, analyzed with high tech in the latest study.
‘Astounding’ Roman Statues Found Under Medieval Church in Britain
‘Astounding’ Roman Statues Found Under Medieval Church in Britain
Archaeologists digging at the site of a Norman-era church north of London received quite a surprise recently. Their ongoing excavations unearthed the well-preserved remains of three large Roman statues that must have been buried there for more than 1,000 years. The find included three detached statue heads - of a man, woman, and child - along with two intact busts (neck, shoulders, and chests) that matched the heads of the adults.
The archaeologists who made this shocking discovery were carrying out excavations below St. Mary’s Church, a 900-year-old structure located in the village of Stoke Mandeville adjacent to Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire county. They were working under the authority of the HS2 high-speed railway project, which is currently sponsoring excavations (as required by law) along the rail line route that will eventually connect London with the West Midlands.
In an HS2 press release , Dr. Rachel Wood, the lead archaeologist for HS2 contractor Fusion JV, referred to the Roman statues as “utterly astounding finds.”
Male head and torso of Roman statue discovered during a HS2 archaeological dig at the site of old St Mary’s church in Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire.
“To find one stone head or one set of shoulders would be really astonishing,” she said, “but we have two complete heads and shoulders as well as a third head as well.”
This incredibly rare discovery has generated a lot of excitement among the HS2 archaeological team. It has also forced them to reconsider their initial interpretation of an earlier discovery at the St. Mary’s site.
Just last month, the archaeologists found the ruins of a large stone building buried directly beneath the Medieval church. The Normans had built a compacted dirt foundation on top of the rubble of that building, before beginning construction on St. Mary’s in the year 1080.
“The team working at St Mary’s discovered flint walls forming a square structure underneath the Norman levels, enclosed by a circular boundary ditch, and a small number of associated burials,” an HS2 spokesperson announced in September . “Archaeologists believe this to be an Anglo-Saxon church.”
“The flint foundations are about one meter wide,” the spokesperson continued, “which indicates it would have been a tall structure, although its footprint would have been small.”
The archaeologists were finishing excavations in and around the building at the time they discovered the Roman statues . Reaching the bottom layer of the hidden church site, they thought they were digging into the foundations of an old Anglo-Saxon tower. But when they saw the Roman busts, they realized the site’s history went back even further than they’d imagined.
The Statues and Other Finds that Link the Site to Roman Settlers
The statue heads and torsos were all in excellent condition. It was possible to make out precise facial details, and also to identify the types of clothing and head coverings they were wearing.
Female head of Roman statue discovered during a HS2 archaeological dig at the site of old St Mary’s church in Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire.
While the Roman statues are the most notable find at St. Mary’s, they were not the only artifacts that linked the site to Roman settlers.
The HS2 archaeologists also unearthed the remains of a hexagon-shaped Roman glass jug, which was in excellent condition and could easily be reconstructed with no missing pieces. Only one other vessel of this kind is known to exist. It is presently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Other distinctive Roman artifacts were also found during the latest excavations, including large roof tiles, pieces of painted wall plaster, and Roman cremation urns.
The last discovery seems especially significant, as revealed by the contents of the HS2 press release about the discoveries at the site.
“Archaeologists now believe the square building that pre-dates the Norman church is a Roman mausoleum,” the release said. “Roman materials found in the ditch around are too ornate and not enough in number to suggest the site was a domestic building.”
If the stone tower was in fact a mausoleum, or large tomb, it may have hosted the cremated remains of the three individuals (members of a wealthy and important family?) who were depicted in the statues.
A few pieces of Saxon pottery and a Saxon coin were found in the circular ditch that surrounded the large structure. But the archaeologists now believe the Saxons only occupied or modified pre-existing Roman structures, rather than building something new and original on their own.
How Lost and Forgotten Artifacts Reveal the Truth about History
The Romans remained in Britain for nearly 400 years after conquering the lands in the first century AD. They would have occupied the land on which St. Mary’s Church was built sometime during that time period, when the statues and mausoleum were created.
It is likely that the Roman statues were intentionally damaged by future occupants before being abandoned, which would explain why the heads were disconnected from the bodies.
“The disfiguration of the Roman busts, namely the removal of the head of each, is not entirely unusual as it is common for statues such as these to have been vandalized in some way before being torn down,” the HS2 press release explained. “These are early examples of how statues and historic artifacts have been discarded as society has evolved over time.”
Of course, archaeological ventures are launched primarily to search for such abandoned and forgotten objects, which can dramatically enhance our understanding of past eras.
“These extraordinary Roman statues are just some of the incredible artifacts uncovered between London and the West Midlands,” said Mike Court, the HS2, Ltd. lead archaeologist. “As HS2 builds for Britain’s future, we are uncovering and learning about the past, leaving a legacy of knowledge and discovery.”
The HS2 archaeological initiative has given archaeologists access to vast tracts of land that had been largely off-limits before. They are taking full advantage of the opportunity, learning many new and exciting facts about the United Kingdom’s complex and colorful history in the process.
Top image: Complete bust of female Roman statue discovered at the site of old St Mary’s church in Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire, England. Source: HS2
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Over mijzelf
Ik ben Pieter, en gebruik soms ook wel de schuilnaam Peter2011.
Ik ben een man en woon in Linter (België) en mijn beroep is Ik ben op rust..
Ik ben geboren op 18/10/1950 en ben nu dus 74 jaar jong.
Mijn hobby's zijn: Ufologie en andere esoterische onderwerpen.
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Veel leesplezier en geef je mening over deze blog.
![Australopithecus sediba silhouette showing the newly-found vertebrae along with other skeletal remains from the species. The enlarged detail (a photograph of the fossils in articulation on the left; micro-computed tomography models on the right) shows the newly discovered fossils, in colour on the right between previously known elements in grey. Right: Life reconstruction of Australopithecus sediba com-missioned by the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History. [? Sculpture: Elisabeth Daynes / Photograph: S. Entres?sangle]](https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/23130516/PRI_211648445.jpg?width=300)
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