Journey to Delphi, the navel of the Earth

The viewer of the new interactive tour through the Sanctuary of Delphi, created by the cultural center "Hellenic World'', is first asked if he has ever been to the "navel of the earth" as a visitor. The answer is given by pressing the corresponding button on the seat of the "Dome", the hemispherical virtual reality theater of the "Hellenic World" where the tour is presented, and frankly, it doesn't really matter what one answers. Because whether he has set foot in Delphi or not, he will be taking a complete virtual journey for young and old through the space and time of the Delphic sanctuary and oracle, which for centuries was a cult center and a symbol of the unity of the ancient Greek world.

The start is as it would have been in ancient times: from the meeting point of the religious processions at the beginning of the "Sacred Road", the central axis of the Sanctuary of Delphi. Citizens, princes and representatives of entire cities marched on it, especially from the 6th to the 4th century BC, when the Delphic Oracle was in its heyday, who had come to ask for an oracle and who expressed their gratitude to Apollo with impressive offerings.

These tributes have survived only in the descriptions of Pausanias, on which the interactive tour of the "Hellenic World '' at Delphi is based (as well as on the excavation results). And as it turns out, they were brilliant votive offerings: The bronze bull that the Corfu citizens dedicated to their god after a great fishing success in 480 B.C., the 37 statues with which the Spartans commemorated their victory over the Athenians at Aigos Potamos in 405 B.C., the statue of the Trojan Horse that the Argeans commissioned in 414 B.C. to commemorate their victorious battle with the Spartans at Therea, they are depicted here in all their glory with the help of technology.

"Now let us turn our gaze to the left," exhorts through the microphone the "Hellenic World" museum educator who has taken over the live "guided tour" of Delphi, asking educational questions to encourage audience participation. What is seen now is the "Treasure of the Sifneans", one of the most magnificent and decorated buildings of the Sanctuary of Delphi, which served as the treasury of the inhabitants of Sifnos and their own offerings.

The best preserved part of the building is the north side of the frieze, where the giant battle is depicted. However, with the help of virtual reality, it is possible to see the other representations of the frieze, such as the Judgment of Paris or the Abduction of the Leucippids, in their true colors. In the corresponding building in Athens, the "Treasury of the Athenians", the viewer has the opportunity to enter the interior and admire a variety of vases, weapons and other tributes, while another impressive Athenian votive, the "Stoa of the Athenians", is also presented in its original form.

Encounter with Pythia

And when you come to the temple of Apollo, when you "look" at the bronze statue of the god (dedicated to him by the Greeks after the naval battle of Salamis) up close, when you "marvel" at the tripod of Plataea (which was transferred to Constantinople in 324 AD ), when you admire the column with the dancers, the Sphinx of the Naxians and some other important monuments, above all, when you enter the sanctuary of the temple (leaving behind the inscriptions with the sayings of the seven sages of antiquity or the mysterious Delphic "E" in the Pronaos), when you "meet" Pythia and hear a taste of her oracles, you now feel, as far as technology allows, all of Delphi before your eyes.

The ancient theater is depicted in great detail, and the view of the Delphic landscape from its upper part is magnificent. In that way the virtual reality presented in the previous 40 minutes ends, for which a team of 3D modelers, programmers, archeologists, but also the executive director of the Greater Hellenism Foundation and head of its research and science programs, Dimitris Efraimoglou, were responsible.

The world of Greek clay figurines

For centuries in ancient Greece, figurines were made of baked clay, as it was one of the most malleable and cheapest materials. But for a long time they were considered insignificant mass products. The special exhibition "Perfection and mass - The world of Greek clay figurines" ("Klasse und Masse. Die Welt griechischer Tonfiguren") at the internationally renowned "Altes Museum" in Berlin puts the spotlight on the often underrated clay and an equally undervalued art form. The focus is on the richness of colorful figural representation as well as the production, use and reception of ancient clay figurines. It ties them back into the historical context of their use, opening up a new perspective in scholarly research for the organizers.

The 56 selected figurines, which will be shown together with other individual objects that have rarely or never been exhibited before, such as ceramic and marble statuettes, come from the famous "Collection of Antiquities" (Antikensammlung) of the National Museums in Berlin. It is a collection of ancient Greek, Roman and Etruscan works comparable to those of the Louvre and the British Museum, surpassed only by their counterparts in Italy and Greece, according to the newspaper "Die Welt". The entire "Collection" was exhibited for the first time in 72 years in 2011 in the "Old Museum" which was renovated after the reunification of Germany, as it preceded the Second World War, the transfer to the Soviet Union and the return to what was then East Berlin. The exhibits provide an overall picture of the diverse world of ancient clay figurines and illuminate many aspects of everyday life in ancient Greece.

Clay was used in antiquity not only for the mass production of figurines accessible to the common people, but also for individual, colorful figurines that were very elaborately crafted. These benches were also popular among the ancient social elite. Among them are unique pieces of great value, as evidenced by the impressive "Venus of Haile" (140 BC) found in Myrina in Ionia. The famous clay statuette was acquired in 1930 by the Maican Maximilian von Heil and is considered the masterpiece of the "Old Museum". It depicts the goddess in a garment that glides over her body with incomparable elegance. The former "Queen of Prussia", as the "Süddeutsche" newspaper described her in its first report twelve years ago, is missing the ends of her arms and one leg.

From the 7th century BC, the potters increasingly used hollow molds of fired clay with which they could produce an entire series of similar figures. Their partial use for the head or the body led to numerous combinations and variations. Each finished mold could in turn serve as a die for another generation of figurines. With the help of molds, they could be easily copied or distinguished from each other. However, this technique was used not only to produce mass figures, but also unique figures of very high quality.

In 1870, ancient clay figurines called "Tanagraia", were found near Tanagra, elegant and colorful figurines of young women with artfully folded clothing, mostly tunic and robe, which made this genre famous and established a real fashion. The depictions of mostly young women and their clothing corresponded to the taste of the European bourgeoisie of the time and quickly replaced the then popular - also small - porcelain figurines as decorative elements in living and dining rooms, as the bourgeoisie saw in the figures an equivalent to them. On the art market, the Tanagraia reached top prices, but they eventually ended up in museums. Among them were many fakes, and it was not until the end of the 20th century that scientific research was able to clarify which ones were genuine. In the 19th century, clay figurines were downgraded to mere decorative elements, but artistically some of them could definitely compete with small sculptures. Some from the Hellenistic period, according to experts, even reach the perfection of large sculpture. The masterful figures of Tanagra and Myrin date from this period.

Today, they also impress with their intense colors, some of which are amazingly well preserved and give an impression of the color spectrum that also dominated sculpture. In the 4th century BC, the color palette was expanded, and expensive colors such as blue and gold were used, as well as pastel shades such as pink and light green. From the 3rd century BC, pastel colors predominated, while some particularly important ones were additionally gilded. Their color spectrum changed over the centuries: before the 5th century BC, they preferred clear and bright colors such as red and yellow, but then potters also experimented with shades and light reflections. In painting, garments were highlighted and details or features of the figures were emphasized. Observing such details also makes it possible to reconstruct the lost colors of the marble sculptures, since the ancient colorings in them are rarely preserved as well as in the clay statuettes.

We now know that many of them also played an important role in the daily life of people in ancient Greece, providing us with important information, from social norms to religious beliefs. The scenes and motifs depicted seem almost taken from real life and had important functions in many aspects of life. From myths to bread baking, a variety of subjects were recorded in clay. Findings in tombs, shrines, and houses indicate that the figures were used for very different reasons. Many of them played an important role in religious worship, being consecrated to shrines on certain occasions in life: in the case of women, for example, on the occasion of their marriage and motherhood. In private houses they were placed as part of a domestic cult for the protection of the family. In necropolises, they were found mainly in the tombs of young people as substitutes for objects that would have been consecrated to the gods during ceremonies marking important milestones on the way to adulthood. The function and meaning of the figurines in this context is still being intensively researched.

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The Temple of Hatshepsut, also known as the Djeser-Djeseru, is an ancient temple complex located in the Deir el-Bahri complex near Thebes (Luxor). It was built for the female pharaoh Hatshepsut, who ruled Egypt during the 18th dynasty in the 15th century BCE. She is notably known as the Forgotten Female Pharaoh who fell victim to Damnatio Memoriae. The temple is known for its striking architecture and intricate reliefs and carvings, and it offers a glimpse into the life and reign of one of ancient Egypt's most powerful and enigmatic rulers.

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Today we will discuss the recent happening with Lake Mead and its shocking discoveries.

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We list some of the more well known calendars in each of these categories - such as the Chinese calendar, the Hebrew, the Islamic, or the Indian National Calendar - explaining in which circumstances they are used and understanding how most of the world, save a few exceptions, has adopted the Gregorian Calendar as its main civil calendar, using local ones for cultural and religious purposes only.

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What Was Aztec Hygiene Like

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When Spanish conquerors first encountered the Aztec peoples during the early 16th century, they were amazed by their techniques for keeping themselves and their surroundings clean. A stark contrast to European practices at the time, the Aztec empire went to great lengths to provide clean water to the masses, rid the air of perceived pollutants, and use natural ingredients to promote health and hygiene.

Remains of ‘Big John’, the largest known triceratops, fetch nearly €6.6m

At a Paris auction on 2021, a private, anonymous American collector paid 6.65 million euros ($7.74 million) for the fossilized remains of ‘Big John’. Big John is the largest triceratops dinosaur the paleontologists ever unearthed.

Big John roamed modern-day South Dakota more than 66 million years ago. It got the name after the owner of the land where they discovered the dinosaur’s bones.

“It’s being acquired by an American collector, and that individual is absolutely thrilled with the idea of being able to bring a piece like this to his personal use,” said Djuan Rivers, a representative for the buyer.

They found the first bone from the colossal skeleton, the head alone is 2.62 meters in length and two meters in width

Paleontologists found 60% of the skeleton by 2015. It is a rare feat since the skeleton consists of over 200 fragments. They meticulously put the whole skeleton together piece by piece in Italy to prepare for the Paris auction.

Big John the triceratops

There was a traumatic lesion on the skull. Researchers believe that its cause is that another triceratops hit it from behind.

“The history behind this and the duration of it is absolutely impressive. So to be able to be a part of preserving something of this nature that was actually found in the U.S., in South Dakota, is also something extremely special,” Rivers said.

Then, the name Triceratops means “three-horned face”.

Before commission and other charges, the hammer price at the Drouot auction house was 5.5 million euros. The skeleton was likely to sell between 1.2 and 1.5 million euros, according to Drouot. An unnamed private American bidder bought it.

“It’s a record for Europe,” said auctioneer Alexandre Giquello. He described exponential growth in the relatively new market of dinosaur fossils. “We’re creating a market.”

On 2020, Christie’s auction house in New York sold a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton for $31.8 million.

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Ancient mirror and iron sword found in the 4th century Nara burial mound in Japan

Researchers have unearthed a shield-shaped bronze mirror and massive iron sword in an ancient kofun burial mound here, unprecedented discoveries of their kind in Japan.

The unusually shaped mirror and sword of more than 2 meters were discovered at the Tomiomaruyama kofun, Japan’s largest round kofun, which was created in the second half of the fourth century.

The Nara Municipal Buried Cultural Properties Research Center, which excavates and researches kofun, and the Nara prefectural Archaeological Institute of Kashihara, which assists in the excavation, announced the discoveries on Jan. 25.

The Nara center started excavating the Tomiomaruyama kofun in fiscal 2018.

During the current fiscal year, experts excavated a part of the kofun called "tsukuridashi," which is a projected part in the middle portion of the burial mound, and found a burial facility housing a 5-meter-long wooden coffin.

The experts discovered an iron sword and a bronze mirror in the clay that covered the coffin.

Archaeologists have uncovered a massive burial mound in Siberia, revealing a skeleton buried with gold

A Polish-Russian team unearthed the woman's remains accompanied by a gold pectoral ornament along with a bronze mirror inside a large mound that they believe is 2,500 years old. The ancient tomb also held the remains of five people buried with a treasure trove of grave goods, such as a crescent moon-shaped pendant, bronze mirror and gold earrings. The study was conducted at the archaeological site Chinge-Tey is located in the Touran-Uyuk valley in northern Tuva, a republic in the Asian part of Russia.

The site is called the 'Siberian Valley of the Kings' because of the many large mounds filled with treasures.

The Scythians, an umbrella term for nomadic groups that lived on the steppes between the Black Sea and China from about 800 B.C. to about A.D. 300, created the burial mounds.

On 2021, Polish archaeologists from the Jagiellonian University in Kraków discovered two graves at the site after detecting them through “aerial laser scanning” technology.

The first of these was in the central part of a destroyed, almost completely flattened mound with a diameter of approximately 25 metres.

The mounds were actually built as a wooden burial chamber with solid beams supporting the structure.

Inside the mound, the researchers found two bodies, one of a woman who died at the age of about 50, and the other of a toddler, aged about 2-3 years old.

Archaeologists also discovered gold ornaments, an iron knife and a very well preserved decorated wooden comb.

Dr Łukasz Oleszczak from the Jagiellonian University in Kraków told Science in Poland: “A particularly interesting artefact was a golden pectoral ornament, a decoration hung at the neck in the shape of a sickle or crescent.

Dr Oleszczak stressed that such objects, generally found in mounds from southern Siberia, were almost exclusively discovered in the graves of men.

He added: “They were considered symbols of belonging to a social group, caste, perhaps warriors - in any case, men.

“Its presence in the grave of a woman is a very interesting deviation from this custom.

“This certainly confirms the unique role of the deceased in the community of the Valley of the Kings.”

He also highlighted that the woman was buried in the central part of the tomb, which was located very close to great mound that researchers believed belonged to a nomad prince.

He said: “It seems that, like the others buried in this barrow, she belonged to the prince's entourage”.

According to the researchers, the graves come from the 6th century BCE, when the peoples of Scythian origin lived in these areas.

New ancient archaeological discovery is rewriting human evolution in Africa

In 2015, a new species of early human, named Homo naledi, was discovered in the Rising Star Cave in South Africa. This discovery, led by paleoanthropologist Lee Berger, is significant because it suggests that Homo naledi lived alongside other early human species, such as Homo erectus and Homo habilis, and may have coexisted with our own species, Homo sapiens, for tens of thousands of years.

The discovery of Homo naledi is rewriting the story of human evolution in Africa, as it challenges the previously held belief that our early ancestors were the only hominids present on the continent at that time. It also raises questions about the cognitive abilities and behavior of this species, as the deliberate disposal of the dead in the cave where the remains were found suggests a level of complexity previously thought to be unique to Homo sapiens.

There has been new archaeology in Africa that has changed everything that we knew or predicted about the evolution of human beings. This discovery directly impacts our understanding of the origin of humans and their evolution to the modern period. The saga, which we thought was so simple, that the transition from one period in history to another happens gradually after a certain period of time, turns out to be a little bit more complicated, which has been proved by this mysterious and shocking discovery.

Today we will discuss the new ancient archaeological discovery that is rewriting the evolution of humans!

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