Ancient History (3500 BC – 499 AD)

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Ancient Bones Suggest Maya Befriended Neighbors with a Sacrificial Spider Monkey

by Issam Ahmed
November 23, 2022

Introduction:

(Science Alert) Seventeen hundred years ago, a female spider monkey was presented as a treasured gift – and later brutally sacrificed – to strengthen ties between two major powers of pre-Hispanic America, according to a new study.

The paper, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), compared the offering by Maya elites to Teotihuacan to China's panda diplomacy that accompanied the normalization of Sino-US relations in the 1970s.

By using multiple techniques – including extraction of ancient DNA, radiocarbon dating, and chemical dietary analysis – researchers were able to reconstruct the life and death of the primate, finding she was likely between five and eight years of age when buried alive.

Conclusion:

Ultimately, the animal met a grisly demise: "Hands bound behind its back and tethered feet indicate en vivo burial, common among human and animal sacrifices at Teotihuacan," the authors wrote.

Though savage to modern eyes, "we need to understand and contextualize these cultural practices… and what it meant to be able to give up that which is most precious to you," said Sugiyama.

Read more here: https://www.sciencealert.com/ancient-b ... er-monkey

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Scientists Discover 168 Mysterious Nazca Geoglyphs in The Desert Sands of Peru
by Carly Cassella
December 13, 2022

Introduction:

(Science Alert) The Nazca desert in Peru is like an art gallery for the gods above. Yet even with decades of surveyance from the skies, we've barely explored a small wing of this fading collection of giants among the stones.

Last year, an archaeologist in Peru told The Guardian he thought scientists had found only 5 percent of all the Nazca lines out there in the desert. Researchers at Yamagata University in Japan are now working with local archaeologists to change that, and their latest haul of ancient lines nearly doubles the previous number of known designs.

Drone surveys and aerial images in southern Peru have now identified 168 new geoglyphs in the Nazca Lines World Heritage Site, with roughly 50 of these large-scale geographical drawings depicting human-like figures.

One of the humanoid illustrations even appears to be sporting a bit of facial hair, Homer Simpson-style.

Read more here: https://www.sciencealert.com/scientist ... s-of-peru

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Grad Student Solves 2,500-year-old Sanskrit Grammar Conflict
by Amanda Pampuro
December 14, 2022

Introduction:

(Courthouse News) — What do you do when the rule written to resolve conflicts instead creates them?

Classical linguist Pāṇini all but described the rules of Sanskrit in his momentous 5th century B.C. work the Aṣṭādhyāyī. For more than two millennia however, one set of problematic instructions — meant for resolving rule conflicts — instead made the well-oiled language machine misfire.

Enter linguist and doctoral candidate Rishi Rajpopat, who detailed the discovery of his solution amid the complexities of Sanskrit scholarship in his dissertation published by the University of Cambridge on Wednesday.

Known as the father of Sanskrit and the first descriptive linguist, Pāṇini documented nearly 4,000 language rules in the “eight book” Aṣṭādhyāyī nearly 2,500 years ago. The Indian scholar lived in what is now northwest Pakistan and southeast Afghanistan.

Pāṇini's grammar rules are considered a ‘language machine’ complete with metalanguage, metarules and operation rules, predating Alan Turing's 1936 mathematical machine by more than 2,000 years.

Read more here: https://www.courthousenews.com/grad-st ... conflict/

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Huge 2,000-year-old Mayan civilization discovered in northern Guatemala
https://phys.org/news/2022-12-huge-year ... thern.html
by Bob Yirka , Phys.org

A team of researchers affiliated with multiple institutions in the U.S., working with a colleague from France and another from Guatemala, has discovered a very large 2,000-year-old Mayan civilization in northern Guatemala. In their paper published in the journal Ancient Mesoamerica, the group describes using LiDAR to conduct a survey of the area.

LiDAR is a detection system similar to radar but is based on laser light rather than sound signals. In recent years, it has been used to scan parts of dense tropical rain forests for signs of ancient civilizations. Lasers used in such systems are able to penetrate vegetative canopies over rain forests, revealing what is on the ground beneath them.

In this new effort, the researchers flew over parts of Guatemala as part of a mapping effort, when they came across what they describe as a vast ancient Maya civilization. In studying their maps, they were able to see that the ancient civilization was made up of more than 1,000 settlements covering approximately 650 square miles, most of which were linked by multiple causeways. The researchers were also able to see that the people who once lived in the settlements had been densely packed—a finding that goes against theories suggesting early Mesoamerican settlements tended to be sparsely populated.

The causeways (cleared, raised beds used as roads) added up to 110 miles of traversable pathways, making it relatively easy for the people in the civilization to visit other settlements. The researchers note that the road network would have allowed for collective labor efforts.

The researchers also found evidence of large platforms and pyramids in some settlements, which, they note, suggests some of them served as centralized hubs for work, recreation and politics. They note also that some of the settlements had ball courts that prior research has shown were used for playing a variety of sports native to the region. The researchers also found that the people of the civilization had built canals for moving water and reservoirs for holding it to allow for use during dry periods.

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LIDAR reveals ancient Mesoamerican structures aligned for use as a 260-day calendar
https://phys.org/news/2023-01-lidar-rev ... igned.html
by Bob Yirka , Phys.org

A trio of researchers from the Research Center of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, the University of Arizona, and Colgate University has found examples of Mesoamerican structures aligned for use as a 260-day calendar, built thousands of years ago along Mexico's gulf coast.

In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, Ivan Šprajc, Takeshi Inomata and Anthony Aveni describe how aircraft-based LIDAR allowed them to see the alignment of the ancient structures. They also discuss how these structures could have been used by ancient cultures.

Prior research has shown that ancient people living in Mesoamerica had developed and used a 260-day calendar as far back as 300 to 200 B.C. The written evidence was found on plaster mural fragments.

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Smallpox has plagued humans since ancient Egyptian times, new evidence confirms
https://phys.org/news/2023-01-smallpox- ... ptian.html
by Microbiology Society

Smallpox was once one of humanity's most devastating diseases, but its origin is shrouded in mystery. For years, scientific estimates of when the smallpox virus first emerged have been at odds with historical records. Now, a new study reveals that the virus dates back 2,000 years further than scientists have previously shown, verifying historical sources and confirming for the first time that the disease has plagued human societies since ancient times.

The paper appears in the journal Microbial Genomics.

Smallpox, caused by the variola virus, is perhaps best known for being the only infectious human disease to be eradicated worldwide. But the disease was a major cause of death until relatively recently, killing at least 300 million people in the 20th century. This is roughly the equivalent of the population of the United States.

Until relatively recently, the earliest genetic evidence for smallpox was only from the 1600s. Then in 2020, a study that sampled skeletal and dental remains of Viking-age skeletons recovered multiple strains of variola and confirmed the virus' existence at least another 1,000 years earlier.

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Ancient temple to Poseidon has been discovered after tsunami hit Greece

Jan 13, 2023 4:37 PM

The great Greek god of the seas, Poseidon, will be no doubt pleased to hear that archeologists have discovered a temple that once stood in his honor. Remarkably, the remains might even be those of an important shrine that was mentioned by the ancient Greek historian Strabo.

Archeologists led by the Austrian Archaeological Institute say the ruins were found at a site that was once a Poseidon sanctuary surrounded by a grove of wild olives and, as such, they believe the remains of the structure were a temple dedicated to the god.

"The location of this uncovered sacred site matches the details provided by Strabo in his writings," Dr Birgitta Eder, Director of the Athens Branch of the Austrian Archaeological Institute, said in a statement.

The site can be found among three hills near the tiny Greek village of Samikon and the beach that overlooks the Ionian Sea. Today, this is a sleepy pocket of the Mediterranean coast – but it was once an important hub of activity and travel used by the ancient Greeks since the Mycenaean-era

"The results of our investigations to date indicate that the waves of the open Ionian Sea actually washed up directly against the group of hills until the 5th millennium BCE. Thereafter, on the side facing the sea, an extensive beach barrier system developed in which several lagoons were isolated from the sea," added Vött.

https://www.iflscience.com/ancient-temp ... eece-67076

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Egypt says ancient royal tomb unearthed in Luxor
Source: AP

today

CAIRO (AP) — Archaeologists unearthed an ancient tomb in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor, known for its treasures dating back to the pharaohs, authorities said Saturday.

Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said an Egyptian-British mission found the royal tomb in an ancient site on the west bank of the Nile River in Luxor, 650 kilometers (400 miles) south of the capital of Cairo.

He said initial examinations show that the tomb apparently belongs to the 18th Dynasty of Pharaonic Egypt, which spanned from 1550 B.C. to 1292 B.C.

The tomb is the latest in a series of ancient discoveries Egypt has touted in recent years in hopes of attracting more tourists. Egypt has been trying to revive its tourism sector, a major source of foreign currency. The sector is heavily reliant on the country’s ancient treasures.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/science-cair ... 7f9c61e529

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Norway archaeologists find 'world's oldest runestone'
Source: AP

By JAN M. OLSEN 2 hours ago

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Archaeologists in Norway said Tuesday that have found a runestone which they claim is the world’s oldest, saying the inscriptions are up to 2,000 years old and date back to the earliest days of the enigmatic history of runic writing.

The flat, square block of brownish sandstone has carved scribbles, which may be the earliest example of words recorded in writing in Scandinavia, the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo said. It said it was “among the oldest runic inscriptions ever found” and “the oldest datable runestone in the world.”

“This find will give us a lot of knowledge about the use of runes in the early Iron Age. This may be one of the first attempts to use runes in Norway and Scandinavia on stone,” Kristel Zilmer, a professor at University of Oslo, of which the museum is part, told The Associated Press.

Older runes have been found on other items, but not on stone. The earliest runic find is on a bone comb found in Denmark. Zilmer said that maybe the tip of knife or a needle was used to carve the runes.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/norway-oslo- ... a6ffafdfaa

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Archaeological Correlates of the Rosetta Stone’s Great Revolt in the Nile Delta: Destruction at Tell Timai
by Jay E. Silverstein & Robert J. Littman
December 27, 2022

Abstract:

(Taylor & Francis Online) A stratum at Tell Timai shows extensive evidence of violent destruction dating to the early 2nd century B.C. Burning, rapid abandonment of objects in a house, destruction of a kiln complex, weaponry, and unburied bodies spread over a wide area in North Tell Timai indicate the city of Thmouis was subject to an episode of warfare. The destruction at Thmouis parallels an account of the destruction of another Nile Delta city, Lycopolis, in the nome of Busiris, during The Great Revolt described on the Rosetta Stone (196 B.C.). Another stela from Memphis also refers to the Ptolemaic campaign in the region. The evidence from Tell Timai provides the first archaeological correlate of destruction during the Great Revolt in the Nile Delta.

Introduction:

The city of Mendes (Tell el Rub'a) was an important religious and political center continuously from at least the Old Kingdom to the Roman period. As the capital of Nome XVI of Lower Egypt, it held sway over a vast province between two branches of the Nile, stretching from the east-central Delta to the Mediterranean coast (Figure 1 in linked article). Considering its power and importance, it is not surprising that it became a center of resistance to the Persian occupation (525–404 B.C.). The 28th Dynasty (404–398 B.C.) threw off the Persians and reestablished native Egyptian rule. The 29th and 30th Dynasties saw the rise of Mendes and Sebennytos as capitals of Egypt, a rule that ended with the Persian reconquest of Egypt by Artaxerxes III in 343 B.C. During the period from 404–343 B.C., the Mendesian nome was the most powerful region in Egypt. Alexander the Great defeated the Persians and conquered Egypt in 332 B.C. After Alexander’s death in 323 B.C., his successors carved up his empire and initiated the Hellenistic Age, with Ptolemy I Soter claiming Egypt as his realm. The capital of Egypt then shifted to Memphis and finally, for the rest of antiquity, to Alexandria.

Read more and see maps and other visually interesting exhibits here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/1 ... okieSet=1

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Ancient Roman Curse Tablets Linked to Omens in Book of Revelation
by Dr. Katie Spalsing
February 10, 2023

Extract:

(IFL Science) We’re often told that, since the advent of social media, modern society has become unprecedently toxic. What this view fails to account for, however, is just how petty and vengeful our ancestors were – and while they may not have had tweets available to take it out on the random folk they felt had wronged them, that definitely didn’t make them inclined to forgive and forget.
…
“There are aspects of curse tablet-related inscriptions and practices in Revelation,” explained Michael Hölscher, a researcher at the JGU Faculty of Catholic Theology and lead researcher on a new project investigating curse tablets and the role they play in the last book of the Christian New Testament, in a statement.
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As evidence, Hölscher points to examples within the Book of Revelation that echo the language and rituals found with curse tablets – citing, for instance, the description of an angel casting a stone into the sea with the words “Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.” For contemporary readers, he explained, the similarities with their own curse tablet routines would likely be obvious.

“The curse ritual as a whole was not simply restricted to the wording of the spell as such, but would have also involved the act of writing it down, the piercing of the tablets, or their burial in deliberately selected places,” Hölscher said. Indeed, the tablets were often placed in very specific places such as graves, or other sacred locations where the spirits of the underworld were thought to reside.

If that all sounds rather spooky and suspicious to you, well, the ancient Romans would likely agree: such practices were actually forbidden under Roman law, being viewed as a form of witchcraft or black magic. In return, however, the Christian minority spurned mainstream Roman culture – the Book of Revelation is pretty famously less of a gospel and more of a piece of anti-Roman political propaganda.

Read more here: https://www.iflscience.com/ancient-rom ... ion-67488

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Unusual Yellow Gem In King Tut's Tomb Created By Meteor Crash In Sahara
by Dr Alfredo Carpineti PhD.
February 17, 2023

Introduction:

(IFL Science) A peculiar and mysterious yellow glass can be found in the desert of Egypt and Libya. It has been known for thousands of years and was famously used to make a scarab for the pectoral of 18th-dynasty pharaoh Tutankhamun. For a long time, people were uncertain of its origin, but researchers think they have found the culprit.

As reported in the journal Geology in 2019, the yellow glass was caused by a meteorite impact that took place 29 million years ago. The researchers analyzed zircons within glass samples found in the Libyan desert and discovered that they must have been melted by an impact. Glass forms when sand melts at very a high temperature.

“It has been a topic of ongoing debate as to whether the glass formed during meteorite impact, or during an airburst, which happens when asteroids called Near Earth Objects explode and deposit energy in the Earth’s atmosphere,” Dr Aaron Cavosie, from Curtin University, said in a statement.

“Both meteorite impacts and airbursts can cause melting, however, only meteorite impacts create shock waves that form high-pressure minerals, so finding evidence of former reidite confirms it was created as the result of a meteorite impact.”

Read more here: https://www.iflscience.com/unusual-yel ... ara-67593

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Egypt reveals 9-meter long chamber inside Great Pyramid
Source: AP

CAIRO today

Egypt unveiled the discovery of long corridor inside the Great Pyramid of Giza on Thursday, the first to be found on the structure’s north side.

The corridor, which measures 9 meters (nearly 30 feet) by 2 meters (more than 6 feet), is perched above the famous structure’s main entrance and was detected using a scan, authorities said. The function of the chamber is currently unknown, although such corridors often lead to further archaeological discoveries.

Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass and the country’s Minister for Tourism Ahmed Eissa, announced the discovery at the pyramid’s base.

The chamber was discovered by the Scan Pyramids project, an international programm that uses scans to look at unexplored sections of the ancient structure.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/pyramid-egyp ... osition_10

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First Bioanthropological Evidence for Yamnaya Horsemanship
March 3, 2023

Abstract:

(Science Advances) The origins of horseback riding remain elusive. Scientific studies show that horses were kept for their milk ~3500 to 3000 BCE, widely accepted as indicating domestication. However, this does not confirm them to be ridden. Equipment used by early riders is rarely preserved, and the reliability of equine dental and mandibular pathologies remains contested. However, horsemanship has two interacting components: the horse as mount and the human as rider. Alterations associated with riding in human skeletons therefore possibly provide the best source of information. Here, we report five Yamnaya individuals well-dated to 3021 to 2501 calibrated BCE from kurgans in Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary, displaying changes in bone morphology and distinct pathologies associated with horseback riding. These are the oldest humans identified as riders so far.

Read more here: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ade2451

Introduction:

(EurekAlert) The researchers discovered evidence of horse riding by studying the remains of human skeletons found in burial mounds called kurgans, which were between 4500-5000 years old. The earthen burial mounds belonged to the Yamnaya culture. The Yamnayans had migrated from the Pontic-Caspian steppes to find greener pastures in today´s countries of Romania and Bulgaria up to Hungary and Serbia.

Yamnayans were mobile cattle and sheep herders, now believed to be on horseback.

“Horseback-riding seems to have evolved not long after the presumed domestication of horses in the western Eurasian steppes during the fourth millennium BCE. It was already rather common in members of the Yamnaya culture between 3000 and 2500 BCE”, says Volker Heyd, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Helsinki and a member of the international team, which made the discovery.

These regions west of the Black Sea constitute a contact zone where mobile groups of herdsmen from the Yamnaya culture first encountered the long-established farmer communities of Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic traditions. For decades, the Early Bronze Age expansion of steppe people into southeastern Europe was explained as a violent invasion.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/981424

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^ Someone mentioned the Indus Valley Civilization?

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Lets say the Mayan civilization got into war with ancient greece. Who would win?

It's impossible to say for certain who would win in a hypothetical war between the Mayan civilization and ancient Greece, as many factors could come into play. Here are a few considerations:

Geographical distance and logistics: The Mayan civilization was located in Mesoamerica (present-day Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador), while ancient Greece was located in the Mediterranean region. The distance between the two regions would have made it challenging for either civilization to launch a sustained invasion of the other's territory. Logistics, such as transportation of troops and supplies, would also have been a significant factor in any potential conflict.

Military technology and tactics: The two civilizations had very different military technologies and tactics. The Mayans were known for their use of obsidian weapons such as spears, clubs, and knives, as well as bows and arrows. They also developed the atlatl, a spear-throwing device that gave them a longer range. Ancient Greece, on the other hand, was known for their use of bronze weapons such as swords, spears, and shields, as well as the phalanx formation, which allowed for a tight formation of heavily armored soldiers. The Greeks also had a strong navy, which could have given them an advantage in naval warfare.

Population and resources: It's difficult to compare the populations and resources of the two civilizations, as they existed at different times and in different regions. However, it's worth noting that the Mayan civilization is estimated to have had a population of around 10-15 million at its height, while ancient Greece is thought to have had a population of around 5 million. The Mayans were also known for their advanced agriculture techniques, which allowed them to support a large population. Ancient Greece, on the other hand, had a strong tradition of trade and commerce, which gave them access to a variety of resources.

Given all these factors, it's impossible to say for certain who would win in a hypothetical war between the Mayan civilization and ancient Greece. However, it's likely that any conflict between the two would have been highly complex and unpredictable.

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But that would have meant that Greece would have been the ones sailing the Atlantic to attack the Mayans. This means that the Mayans would have had the home field advantage with a population of 15 million people. This would have made any war the greeks waged very tough to win.


It's important to note that the Mayan civilization was not located near the Atlantic Ocean, which would have made it difficult for the Greeks to launch an invasion across the ocean. The Mayan civilization was located in Mesoamerica, which is in present-day Mexico and Central America. The Greeks, being located in the Mediterranean region, would have had to travel a significant distance across the Atlantic Ocean to reach the Mayan civilization. Such a journey would have been challenging even for modern naval vessels, let alone for ancient ships.

If we assume that the Greeks somehow managed to travel across the Atlantic and launch an invasion of the Mayan civilization, the home field advantage would certainly have been in the Mayans' favor. As you noted, the Mayans had a large population and advanced agriculture techniques, which would have allowed them to sustain a large army and feed their population during wartime. However, the terrain and climate in Mesoamerica would have presented challenges for the Greeks, who would have had to navigate dense jungles, mountainous terrain, and hot and humid conditions.

It's also worth noting that the Mayans were a highly organized and sophisticated civilization with a strong military tradition. They had developed advanced techniques for fortification, and their armies were known for their discipline and strategic planning. The Greeks, of course, also had a formidable military tradition, but it's difficult to say how their tactics and technologies would have fared against the Mayans' unique style of warfare.

Overall, it's impossible to say for certain who would have won in a hypothetical war between the Mayan civilization and ancient Greece. The two civilizations were separated by vast distances, and their military tactics and technologies were quite different. Any conflict between the two would have been highly complex and unpredictable.

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Archeologists in Italy unearth ancient dolphin statuette
Source: AP

47 minutes ago

ROME (AP) — Excavations in southern Italy have unearthed terracotta bull heads and a figurine of the Greek god Eros riding a dolphin, shining new light on the religious life and rituals of an ancient city, culture ministry officials said Saturday.

It’s the first trove of artifacts identified from a sanctuary in the ancient Greek city of Paestum, which dates from the 5th century B.C. Paestum, famed for its three massive Doric-columned temples, is near the archaeological site of Pompeii, but farther down the Almalfi coast.

The small temple was first identified in 2019 along the ancient city walls but excavations were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Italian Culture Ministry said in a statement.

Excavations yielded several small terracotta figurines in the first months of resuming work, the Ministry said. Archeologists found seven bull heads found around a temple altar as if placed there on the ground in a form of devotion.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/italy-paestu ... f6d10e66ae