MORE ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES
Added on: 6th Jun 2016
ANCIENT HONDURAN CITY
An ancient city in the forests of Honduras, this recent archaeological
discovery is so new researchers still aren’t sure to which civilization
it belonged. The forested area around this lost city is so dense
that scientists are using laser technology to create topographical
maps of the area. To protect this mysterious area of giant statues,
irrigation channels, and homes, the Honduran military is protecting
it and researchers have yet to disclose its location to keep
looters from moving in.
CHINKAI CASTLE
Discovered in 2011, Genghis Khan’s fortress in southwestern
Mongolia enabled him to expand his empire further west towards
Europe. Three football fields in size, the fortress was a major
garrison along Silk Road trade routes which made it an important
command post. Archaeologists are hoping the site reveals more
about the ruler of one of the largest empires on Earth.
SUTTON HOO
One of the most important discoveries in human history, the burial
sites at Sutton Hoo revolutionized what we knew (or thought we knew)
about the Anglo-Saxons. The most important Anglo-Saxon site in the
U.K., Sutton Hoo held an undisturbed ship burial filled with artefacts
which made the archaeologists’ discovery feel like a gold mine.
As little was known about the time period (6th and 7th centuries
A.D.), this discovery shed light on history which was previously
based on myths and legends. Most of the items are now in
London’s British Museum.
SANXINGDUI
One of the least well-known archaeological discoveries on our list is
the remains at Sanxingdui. Peculiar about the site is how it was left:
it seems the people willingly left this formerly great city between
3,000 and 2,800 years ago. Jade treasures, elephant tusks and
massive bronze sculptures have been found in the ancient city,
presumably abandoned because an earthquake dammed up and
rerouted the river which was their primary source of water.
Though archaeologists believe the civilization may have moved to
nearby Jinsha, the evidence is not all there and we still don’t
entirely know who lived there. (The best guess is they
were the Shu people.)
TUTANKHAMUN'S TOMB
Egypt’s most famous ruler (way ahead of Morsi and Mubarak) left
behind treasures which profoundly impacted the field of archaeology.
King Tutankhamun and his tomb, discovered in 1922 by Howard
Carter, are some of the most significant archaeological discoveries
in the history of the world. Though most of the other tombs in the
Valley of the Kings had been looted by grave robbers,
Tutankhamun’s tomb was primarily intact and gave us a brilliant
window into the funerary rituals and way of life of the
Ancient Egyptians.
DEAD SEA SCROLLS
One of the greatest archaeological items yet found, the Dead Sea
Scrolls were found by a young goat herder in caves near Jericho.
The scrolls, mostly in Hebrew, cover the history of over 500 years
(from the third century B.C. to the second century A.D.)
including the birth of Jesus Christ and the rise of Christianity.
One of the scrolls, the Copper Scroll, even directed scholars to
dozens of other illuminating scrolls.
THE CAVE OF ALTAMIRA
The first cave in which prehistoric drawings were discovered, the
Cave of Altamira is located in northern Spain. A scientific anomaly
when it was found, the cave’s validity was debated for scientists
for many decades, largely due to the high level of conservation
and the quality of work present. When the drawings were finally
acknowledged as authentic in 1902, the science world was rocked.
Prior to, scientists believed humans of the time to be lacking
the intellectual development to create art (some aspects
which include naturalism, symbolism, and three dimensionalism).
OLDUVAI GORGE
Located in northern Tanzania, the Olduvai Gorge holds evidence
of our earliest human ancestry. Mary Leakey, a palaeontologist,
was continuing her work in the area when she came across
Homo habilis, a hominid ancestor 2 million years old who likely
used tools. Along with other discoveries in nearby countries and
later ones at the site, it has become nearly irrefutable that
humans evolved in Africa. In contrast, our more closely related
ancestors, Homo erectus and Homo sapiens, only appeared
around 1.2 million and 17,000 years ago, respectively.
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