Archaeology in the recent times has flourished so immensely that we are able to hear the news of the latest archaeological discoveries almost each day. These latest archaeological discoveries are not confined to any one part of the world. They have been exposing day to day from the different historical sites, from all around the world.
Latest Archaeological Finds and Researches in 2020:
Let’s discuss some of the incredibly prominent and latest archaeological discoveries of the year 2020. Those have been exposed fully or somewhat partially and are still under the analysis of the researchers. So there is more to hear about the history associated with these newly discovered archaeological remain.
5th Dynasty Egyptian Tomb:**
It was when a team from Czech Institute of Egyptology was busy in the investigation of a funerary complex of the 5th Dynasty Pharaoh “ Djedkare Isesi” who ruled from circa 2381 to 2353 B.C ; that they came to discovery a painted tomb of a notable Old Kingdom Egyptian . The team was led by Mohamed Megahed. They entered in a narrow tunnel, which led to a series of rooms. There they found hieroglyphs on the walls.
After further investigation the archaeologist came to know that it is a tomb of a person named “Khuwy”. He was mentioned in the hieroglyphs as the “Secretary of the King”, “Companion of the Royal House” and as an “Overseer of the Tenants of the Great house”.
Inside the tomb along with the hieroglyphs, paintings on the wall were also recovered. They are still preserved in vibrant colours. In one painting the Secretary of the King, Khuwy was also depicted. He is shown seated before a table. The table top is covered with the food, drinks and other offerings that were necessary according to their mythology to help him in his afterlife. According to Megahed the excavation team leader, the scenes that are shown in the mural wall painting are highly unusual in the Old Kingdom tombs.
Chichen Itza , Mexico:
A team of archaeologist, that was engaged in exploring to a cave system situated in the center of a Maya city Chichen Itza, accidentally found to several chambers, that were filled with the artifacts of the ritual character. The team from the Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History in collaboration with the California State University reopened the cave, during their survey of underground rivers. They crawled through the narrow chambers of the cave, where they found some seven ritual chambers.
Those were filled with the ceramic artifacts. The ceramic artifacts including incense burners. These incense burners were decorated with the depiction of the Rain god “Tlaloc”. The archaeologist found that these antiquities were spoiled by the people, who some time attacked this city back in 1200 A.D
Neolithic Henge Feasts:
Archaeologist from the Cardiff University started investigation at the four henge sites situated in the southwest England. There they found the bones of the pig. As the study shows that the Britons from the Neolithic era keep travelling at farthest lands, to attend or participate in the ritual ceremonies. Mostly they along with them brought their own pigs to be used for the sacrifice in the ritual ceremony. Scientifically the food that animals or humans eat leaves a chemical signature in their teeth. That can be analyzed to find where and when they were raised. So those pigs bones, found from the four henge sites that were discarded some 4000 years ago were analyzed by the archaeologist.
After the investigation, they claimed that the pigs that were butchered at the site of the henge were not local, and they were brought from the north like from the Scotland and from the northwest England. This also shows a proper mobilization of the Britons.
Medieval Female Scribe
In a German monastery, a multidisciplinary team was investigating. During which they found an abundance of ultramarine particles embedded in the dental plaque of a woman. She was buried in the eleventh of the early twelfth century. In the middle ages in Europe, A blue pigment was on a high demand that was made from LApiz Lazuli. Lapiz lazuli was only available from Afghanistan, and so that it was so expensive more than gold. So this archeologists wonder that how come a woman in those times come to find such an expensive mineral.
After going through many historic references the researchers from the University of Harvard University and the Max Planck Institute for the science of Human History, gave explanation; that this women most probably was a scriber, who used the pigments to illustrate sacred manuscripts. There were women scribers in the medieval era. But those are not recognized, as they have mostly not signed their work.
New Golden House Room
There a beautiful palace that was built by a roman emperor Nero after 64 A.D. This palace is known as Golden House or Domus Aurea. There is a vaulted roof in the ceiling of the palace. The archaeologist recently found a crack in the vaulted ceiling that led them to a new unseen room of the palace. This palace has always remained under the exploration, excavation and restoration.
And this new room was discovered during the same kind of a restoration work. This newly discovered room is totally covered with the frescos. A centaur and other mythological figures are depicted in the fresco. Other things include whistle like instrument and decorative plants. A column is showing a golden bowl and sphinx placed on its top. That’s why they gave this newly discovered room the name “Room of the Sphinxes”.
Denisovians at Altitude:
Inside a Baishyiya cave situated in the Tibet Plateau a mandible was found some 40 years ago. A recent research has revealed that this mandible dates back to 160,000 years ago. Further research done, has shown that this mandible belongs from a member of the hominin species known as Denisovans. Archaeologist Dongju Zhang of Lanzhou University says that ‘this mandible reveals that the Denisovans were distributed much wider geographically, and were available in the higher altitudes than we previously thought.This is a big discovery in the recent times.
Tomb of the Silver Dragon
In the North central Mongolia, the university of Ulaanbaatar and Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology excavated two lavish tombs one is a smaller and other is larger. These belong to a nobles of the Xiongnu Empire. These tombs are also containing the grave goods.
From the larger tomb they found wooden boxes, which held silver rings, jade belt hooks, and a pair of gilded silver dragon. While in the smaller tomb, there are remains of a man buried with a horse drawn carriage, 19 silver ornaments and 15 horse heads. Another important artifact recovered is a jade decorated sword. This is actually the first find of its kind from the Xiongnu area.
Norman Conquest Coin Hoard
Chew valley in is located in southwest England. The archaeologist have found from the Chew valley a cache of more than 2,500 silver pennies from the reign of two kings ,the king William 1066-1087 A.D , and the last Anglo- Saxon king of England Harold Godwinson who got defeated by William at the battle of Hastings. Most of the coins from the hoard approximately 1,236 coins are depicting the face of Harold, and they were minted in southeast England. While the rest 1,310 coins are featuring the king William.
Fort of a Biblical king In Golan Heights
At a site known as Golan Height, that is claimed by both ■■■■■■ and Syria , archaeologist have found the ruins of the this area’s oldest fortified settlement. It is reported that the ruins appear to date from the time of a biblical king David. That’s why it seems as this structure was a part of Geshur Kingdom. During excavation the ■■■■■■■ antiquity authority has found two figures with raised arms, and a statuette of a woman holding a kind of a drum.
Archaeologist from the University of Haifa who is the co-director of the excavation at the fort Mr. Barak Tzin says that they have found an exceptionally rare and astonishing object from the fort. It is a large basalt stone with an engraving of two horned figures. The fort itself is larger enough that it covers more than a quarter of an acre.
The walls of the fort are about five feet thick, and are made up of Basalt boulders. On the basis of the material found from the fort. They have dated the fort between 11th to 9th Centuries B.C. It is built over a hill to, on a strategic location.
Discovery of More than Hundred intact Sarcophagi near Cairo
In October 2020, archaeologist found more than hundred intact sarcophagi near Cairo. Those are dated back to more than 2,500 years old. They are found in three burial shafts, south of Cairo. Just after a month when 59 other wooden coffins were discovered from the same area. According to the archaeologists, these coffins are of some rich people as it is visible from their condition.
3,300- Years old Bronze Sword Found in Czech Republic
A man who was in search of mushrooms accidentally found a bronze sword in the northeastern Czech Republic. According to him, he saw the blade, coming out of a stone. While digging it out he also found a bronze ax. This sword is examined by the archaeologist Jiri Juchelka this kind of a sword and ax are those kinds of the bronze weapons that were once made in the northern Germany by pouring liquid in the molds. The sword has an octagonal handle and it the second of its kind from this area. The researchers are now planning to start survey of this area.
Sculpture of Greek god Hermes found in Athens
The municipal workers in the city of Athens in Greece accidentally have found a fragment of an ancient sculpture. According to the archaeologist, it might was a part of a column placed at the crossroads , used as a road sign. It is believed that it is the head of the god Hermes who is the herald of the gods and protector of the travelers. Furthermore the stylistic study of the art suggests that this head was carved in the fourth or early third century B.C.
Iron Age Remains Discovered in Arctic Island
Above the Arctic Circle in the Norwegian Sea there are islands of Lofoten. In one of the Loften islands archaeologist from the Arctic University museum uncovered an Iron Age skeleton. The body was found in crouched position. One of the arms was near the head the other arm was with clenched fist. An ax is also recovered from the site; which has confused the archaeologist as whether it is stuck in the lower jaw or is lying next to it. According to the archaeologist it is the site that was consider previously as an Iron Age farm.
Roman Villa Detected in Northeastern Wales
The site of Roman Villa that is dated from late first century through the early fourth century A.D is discovered in the northeast Wales by the metal detectors. Ground penetrating radar survey was carried out on the artifacts discovered from the roman villa site; by the archaeologists from the university of Chester, and Archaeological survey west.
This radar survey has brought forth the information that there are stone and tile buildings placed around a central courtyard and a trackway and outbuildings. So the archaeologist are very excited about this discovery as they are of the view that such discovery will help them to understand the northwest Wales in the wake of the Roman conquest.
Colorful Artwork Revealed in the Temple of Esna
A team of researchers from the University of Tubingen have found 2,000 years old decorations, from the pronaos or vestibule of the Esna Temple. The temple is situated in Egypt. These decorations were concealed behind the layers of the soot and bird excrements.
Mosaic portrait uncovered in Southern Turkey:
The Osmaniye Museum Directorate unearthed a floor mosaic from the southern Turkey. The mosaic is showing a women portrait. The woman portrait resembles a lot with the famous portrait of Monas Lisa. According to the archaeologists, this mosaic found is the only example of a human portrait in the area. The villa from where the mosaic is found was built in the first and second centuries A.D. They further added that it seems that the woman in the mosaic was the owner of the villa.
■■■■ concentration Camp is found in Czech Republic:
In the north Czech Republic main building of a world war two is recovered. From there tin cups, dishes fragments, brick floor and foundations are also found. This is a site of one of the four Romani Intern camps that were built in the city of Liberec. According to the archaeologists this building was constructed with the help of the forced Romani labors.
Sea Urchin Fossil Found at Mesolithic site in Bulgaria:
From an early Neolithic settlement site at the northwestern Bulgaria known as Ohoden, four blades made of obsidian, and 40 million years old fossilized sea urchin have been recovered. According to the researchers from the Vratsa Regional Museum the fossilized sea urchin is recovered from one of the two pits, and it is most probably kept by the early agriculturists. They further added that the new radio carbon dating suggests that the site could be even earlier then the time of the end of the middle stone age or the Mesolithic era.
Islamic era coins unearthed in Jerusalem:
A press release by the Friends of the ■■■■■■ Antiquity Authority, a jug that is about 1,000 years old containing four gold cons is recovered from the old city of Jerusalem. According to a numismatist Robert Kool, the dinars recovered from a jug were minted between 940 to 970 A.D. Two of them were minted in central ■■■■■■’s city Ramla , in the time of the Sunni Abbasids rule. While the others two were minted in Cairo.In the time when this region was ruled by the Fatimid.
A Female Hunter’s Remains Uncovered in Peru:
According to a report in Science Magazine, remains of a human recovered at the Andean highland site of Wilamaya PAtjxa in Peru. That is about nine thousand years old. The skeletal remain is of a woman hunter, She is found along with a toolkit of projectile points and animal processing implements. Further analysis on the skeletal remains helped the researchers to find out that she was a young adult. She used to eat terrestrial plants and animals in her diet.
Copper age kilns Unearthed in Bulgaria:
A team from the Ruse Regional Museum of History came to find remains of two kilns dated between 4800 to 4600 B.C. They are found from Bazovets settlements mound, located near the Danube River in the northeastern Bulgaria. One of the kilns is covered with a thick layers of the clay, and is made with the wood wattle. Three stone were found near the kilns that were used to close the kilns mouth opening.
Summary: Egyptian archaeology is well known all around the world. And it is such a treasure that is endless. Day by day archaeologists are uncovering new tombs, temples, mummies etc from the valley of the river Nile. In the year 2020 a number of archaeological artifacts, fossils and structures were discovered. Many new theories have come forward as well on the analysis of the previously excavated artifacts. These discoveries are not confined to any particular part of the land. These discoveries are made in different continents in 2020.
FAQs:
The frequently asked questions regarding the latest archaeological discoveries are as follow.
What is the oldest artifact on the Earth
Answer: The stone tools unearthed at Lomekwi 3 an archaeological site in Kenya are the oldest artifacts found so far in the world.
What is the latest archaeological discovery?
Answer: In October 2020, archaeologist found more than hundred intact sarcophagi near Cairo. Those are date back more than 2,500 years before. They are found in three burial shafts, south of Cairo. Just after a month when 59 other wooden coffins were discovered from the same area. It is the latest archaeological discovery so far.