10 exotic Viking burial goods that they brought to Valhalla

The Viking tombs reveal that the Norse transported unusual trinkets from their travels abroad to the afterlife. The Norse were global travelers throughout their lifetimes.

The Saga of the Ynglings claims that Odin gave instructions to mortal Vikings regarding how to bury the dead: "He decreed that the dead were all to be cremated along with their possessions and said that everyone should arrive in Valhalla with the riches from his funeral pyre, and with the treasures he had hidden in the earth."

Scandinavians in the Middle Ages used sails and ships to travel the world and collect treasures from other lands. These unusual Viking artifacts retain exploration and adventure stories.

1 Glassware Found in Viking Graves

Frankish glass goblet found in Swedish burial, via the Swedish History Museum, Stockholm

The Vikings established Birka, a commercial and manufacturing village, on the island of Björkö in Lake Mälaren. Between the late ninth and the tenth centuries, Birka saw the burial of thousands of people. A variety of grave objects were present in the graves.

Inside the Birka burials, archaeologists discovered glassware from the Rhineland, France, and the British Isles. It was expensive and time-consuming to make glass vessels. The glass cups that the Vikings used to drink from were not made by them; instead, they had to import them from other parts of Europe and the Near East. Glass goblets were taken to the tomb alongside other riches of more visible worth by the Vikings since these artifacts were so valuable to them.

Glass goblet possibly imported from the British Isles, via the Swedish History Museum, Stockholm

2 Tating Ware Jugs

Tating ware jug from Central Europe, via the Swedish History Museum, Stockholm

Another burial from Birka lacked a coffin but contained interesting grave goods. Feathers and wool covered the grave where the Viking once rested. Archaeologists also recovered a jug of Tating ware design. The jug dated to the eighth or ninth century CE and had been decorated with applied tin foil. The top layer of foil appears to display geometric shapes, while crosses become apparent towards the base of the jug.

One theory suggests that the jug originally belonged to Christians in the west and somehow made its way into the hands of the Scandinavians. While Viking Age Scandinavians made ceramic bowls, the Tating ware décor of the jug in the grave is a style from Central Europe.

Additionally, the Rhineland produced soft, yellow pottery known as Badorf ware, which the Vikings imported. The Tating pottery jug was carried by a Viking toward Valhalla or possibly to an afterlife of a different faith because of something about it that drew his attention.

3 Beads

Amber, glass, mosaic, and rock crystal beads from treasure find, via the Swedish History Museum, Stockholm

The Vikings were skilled bead makers. They imported a wide variety of beads from all over the world in addition to producing a sizable amount of glass beads. Many of these beads have been discovered by archaeologists in the graves of Viking men, women, and children. Frequently, carnelian and rock crystal were used to make imported beads. Vikings frequently traded slaves, fur, and other European products for rock crystal and carnelian beads from the Black Sea region and the Near Eastern trade routes. Numerous larger beads with mosaic designs have also been discovered by archaeologists.

For a while, researchers thought that only mosaic beads from the Mediterranean region had been transported. However, evidence from trading ports suggests that the Vikings independently acquired the skill of creating mosaic beads. Other necklaces from Viking Age graves include coins from the Near East as well as a range of beads from Scandinavia, Europe, and the East. Above and beyond the tomb, a necklace made of beads collected from near and far served as a meaningful memento.

4 Dirhams

Dirham excavated from Viking cremation, via the Swedish History Museum, Stockholm

Archaeologists assessed their findings after unearthing 1100 burials on the island of Björkö. Over 120 graves were discovered to have coins in them. All over the Viking world, including Scandinavia, England, Western Europe, Byzantium, and Rome, these coins originated. However, the majority of the coins, like the dirham shown above, were from the Middle East. Around 803/804 CE, this dirham was produced in modern-day Afghanistan. The Sassanid, Umayyad, Abbasid, and Samanid dynasties were represented by the additional dirhams that the Vikings carried to Valhalla. These coins are used by archaeologists to aid in the creation of chronologies and learn more about the relationships of the Vikings to other cultures.

Unanswered is the question of why the Vikings took so many of these coins with them to their graves. Were they tidbits of extra cash, evidence of heroic deeds, or something else?

5 Buddhas

So-called Buddha Bucket, via the Museum of Cultural History, Oslo

Vikings brought the majestic ship, the Oseberg, ashore in Norway in about 834 CE. They constructed a burial room in the back and woven a tapestry around the interior. Two recently deceased women were taken inside the Oseberg. Their mourners started putting extravagant items like combs, animals, elaborate trunks, carts and sleighs, and a bucket in the vessel. The women were then left to rest concealed beneath the ground as dirt was piled up around the ship. Archaeologists discovered the magnificent ship centuries later, one of the most complex discoveries ever made in the Viking era.

Buddha statue from Viking Sweden, via the Swedish History Museum, Stockholm

The container seems to have been produced in Ireland. It is made of dark brown wood with exquisite handles that show two guys seated with their legs crossed and three bands of gold. The Buddha Bucket is the name given to this container.

In another location in Sweden, archaeologists discovered a Buddha figure that was most likely created in the East in the late 4th and early 6th century CE. It is unclear how much the Vikings knew about their trading partners in the East, Buddha, or Buddhism, but these unusual discoveries show that Viking Scandinavians had an understanding of other worlds and religious figures. What is certain is that they believed these prized possessions from other worlds were significant enough to possess for all time.

6 French Suit Buckles

Suit buckles from France were found in Swedish burial, via the Swedish History Museum, Stockholm

The Vikings left their fields in the ninth century and went to England, where they started a legacy of bloodshed and robbery. Charlemagne ruled over most of what is now France, Holland, Belgium, and western Germany at the time. During the reigns of Charlemagne and his son, Louis the Pious, the Vikings circled the area for years but avoided France. Then, in the year 841 CE, "Danish pirates" crossed the English Channel and set fire to Rouen. Over the ensuing years, they persisted in plundering churches as they prepared for the ultimate target: Paris. A Viking fleet headed upon Paris in 845 CE with the intention of capturing the city. However, Charles the Bald, the new monarch, was prepared. He confronted the Vikings with silver and gold. Paris temporarily escaped unhurt after the Vikings accepted the offer.

Scandinavians buried valuables from France along with them in tombs all around the Viking globe. Archaeologists in Birka discovered the grave of a woman who appeared to be of high status. She was interred with both Scandinavian and foreign artifacts. For instance, investigators discovered an amulet that was worn around her neck and was produced in Scandinavia: Thor's hammer. However, they also discovered French enameled suit buckles. How did this woman acquire these belt buckles? Did she gain them through coercive bribes or friendly trade?

7 Silk

Silk fragment from a burial in Birka, via the Swedish History Museum, Stockholm

A Norwegian monarch once sent his warriors on a hasty mission to Byzantium, according to folklore. Their goal was to bring back eastern silk. In a different legend, Icelandic historian Snorri Sturluson recounts Norwegian King Sigurd's journey to Constantinople in the twelfth century. There, the Emperor threw open the city gates and welcomed the foreign delegation to a chamber decorated with "precious cloths."

Numerous woven silk fragments have been found in the graves of both men and women throughout Viking Age excavations in Scandinavia. Many of these silks, according to archaeologists, were imported from the Eastern Mediterranean, Byzantium, and Central Asia. When the Viking weavers returned home, they cut the silk into strips and used foreign textiles to embellish the edges of clothes. Despite the abundance of silk fragments discovered in Viking burials, there are still very few silk objects that have been retrieved. It's possible that further silk has degraded. A few select Vikings may have had access to silk as a high-status import instead. The prestige of exotic silk persisted after the end of the Viking Age, according to stories from the Icelandic Sagas.

8 An Irish Ring Pin

Ring pin found in Swedish burial, likely imported from Ireland or the British Isles, via the Swedish History Museum, Stockholm

As word of the Viking invasion on Rathlin Island off Ireland's northeast coast spread, the Irish listened with concern. The Vikings began raiding Ireland in 795 CE, and they continued to do so for the following few decades. The Vikings started building transient ship docks in Ireland in the 830s. These ports enabled them to raid more frequently and spend the winter in Ireland. Dublin developed into one of the major Viking centers, but the Irish became weary of the invaders and drove the Scandinavians out in 902 CE.

The Vikings persisted, and fifteen years later they came back to retake Dublin. Scandinavian graves provide evidence of contacts between Scandinavia and medieval Ireland. Ring pins were a popular British Isles import. Vikings used ring pins, which came in a variety of elaborate designs, to keep their cloaks fixed. It would appear that Vikings needed to look their best while traveling to Valhalla.

9 Inscribed Finger Rings

Ring inscribed with “Allah,” via the Swedish History Museum, Stockholm

In Birka, Sweden, a grave was discovered by archaeologists at some point in the late 19th century. When they opened the coffin they discovered it was empty. Only the burial goods remained after the grave's skeleton remains had vanished. Clothing, brooches, scissors, a needle box, glass, rock crystal, and carnelian beads, as well as a ring, were all found in the disappeared Viking's grave. Archaeologists think a woman was buried in the burial based on the characteristics of the grave items. Her ring shows that she had a life that went beyond Birka's borders.

The ring has a band of silver and is composed of violet amethyst glass. Her ring was examined, and an Arabic inscription was found. On the ring is written, "Allah." The ring is so distinctive that no other rings like it have been discovered in Scandinavia yet. The ring is identified as an exotic and probably valuable object in Viking Age Scandinavia by both the glass and the foreign inscription. There was trade between Scandinavia and the Middle East, according to historical sources. Archaeologists have also theorized that the woman buried there may have also been from the Middle East because the owner of the ring's body is still missing. Others speculate if Vikings had conversion campaigns to Islam similar to early Christian missions.

10 Peacocks in a Viking Burial for a Chief

Roman or Byzantine peacock mosaic, 3rd-4th century CE, via the Metropolitan Museum, New York

He passed away approximately 900 CE. His name is unknown, but he must have been a powerful Viking. He was approximately 5'9" tall. He died violently sometime in his forties, most likely during combat. In Norway, his folks interred him in the back of the Gokstad. He was given a horn game board, horn game pieces, fishhooks, kitchen utensils, six beds, and a sled before being dispatched to the hereafter. They might have also interred him with other precious stones or valuable objects. Looters, however, arrived at the Gokstad before archaeologists and took numerous significant artifacts. Then the Vikings dug about five meters of soil and buried the Gokstad and their dead chieftain.

The Gokstad was dug up by antiquarians in the 1880s. The damage caused by the looters was unfortunate, but they also missed a lot. 64 shields, dragon heads, and three smaller boats were found during the excavations. The slain warrior seems to have been constantly on the go. But he wasn't by himself. 12 horses, 6 dogs, 2 goshawks, and 2 peacocks belonged to him. Peacocks originated in South Asia. The Caliphate, Byzantium, Rome, and the Carolingian kingdoms had all welcomed peacocks by the time the Vikings buried the Gokstad. Since the Vikings interacted with many of these nations, they might have learnt about or acquired peacocks from any of them. Nevertheless, the peacock would have been a rare and exotic pet for the majority in medieval Norway.

Source: https://www.thecollector.com/exotic-viking...

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Researchers looking for Cleopatra's tomb found a tunnel that was a "geometric miracle"

In 2022, archaeologists found a massive, magnificent tunnel beneath a temple in the ancient city of Taposiris Magna, which is now a ruin on the coast of Egypt. This tunnel has been dubbed a "geometric miracle" by specialists.

The tunnel beneath the temple at Taposiris Magna. (Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities)

The structure was found 13 meters (43 feet) below the surface by Kathleen Martinez of the University of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic and colleagues during ongoing excavations and exploration of the temple. A remarkable 1,305 meters (4,281 feet) of sandstone had been hacked through to create the 2-meter-tall tunnel.

According to a statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in November 2022, it is strikingly comparable to the 1,036-meter Tunnel of Eupalinos, an aqueduct from the 6th century BCE on the Greek island of Samos. The conduit was unmatched in its day in terms of design and construction and is frequently referred to as an engineering wonder.

The tunnel resembles another, older tunnel from ancient Greece that was used to transport water. (Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities)

The Taposiris Magna tunnel's engineering is as outstanding even though it is not without equal.

Despite the Taposiris Magna tunnel's similarities to the Eupalinos Tunnel and its submerged portions, its purpose is yet unknown.

Martinez, who has been working in Taposiris Magna to find the missing tomb of Cleopatra VII since 2004, thinks that the tunnel would be a good lead. In the past, the excavations have produced hints that appear to point to the well-known queen and the final Ptolemaic monarch.

The tunnel is hewn from the Egyptian bedrock. (Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities)

Ptolemy II, the son of legendary general Alexander the Great and a forebear of Cleopatra (who ruled from 51 BCE until her suicide in 30 BCE), constructed Taposiris Magna circa 280 BCE.

The research team surmises that the temple was erected in honor of Cleopatra's favorite god, Osiris, and his consort, the goddess Isis. There have also been discovered statues of Isis as well as coins with the names and likenesses of Cleopatra, Alexander the Great, and other historical figures.

In the temple, burial shafts with Greco-Roman graves have also been discovered. If they are discovered at all, Cleopatra and her husband Mark Antony may have been buried in tombs that are comparable to these ones.

The tunnel's potential connection to these long-lost tombs was unknown to researchers, but further investigation may reveal more.

Alabaster heads were also found at the temple site. (Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities)

Exploring the adjacent Mediterranean Sea will be the next step. A series of earthquakes that struck the coast between 320 and 1303 CE caused a portion of the temple to collapse and be engulfed by the waters. Additionally, prior excavations had uncovered a system of tunnels that connected Lake Mariout to the Mediterranean.

A thorough excavation of these ruins could reveal more information about the enigmatic old city, whether or not the tombs are discovered. Pottery fragments and a rectangular slab of limestone have already been found in the tunnel.

As the then-Minister for Antiquities Zahi Hawass stated 13 years ago, "If we discover the tomb of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, it will be the most important discovery of the 21st century. If we did not discover the tomb of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, we made major discoveries here, inside the temple, and outside the temple."

Source: https://www.sciencealert.com/archaeologist...

Spain's enigmatic hand-tied remains have archaeologists stumped

Six young men's ancient remains were discovered face-down, with their hands bound, and covered in stones in a cave on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria. The bones have baffled archaeologists for years, and they are desperate to solve the mystery.

Archaeologist Veronica Alberto from Tibicena, an archaeology company, works on the extraction of human remains, in Galdar, on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, March 9, 2023. (Reuters Photo)

Evidence from the Caleta de Arriba site suggests that a terrible death occurred there centuries ago, maybe before the Spanish conquest of the archipelago off the coast of northwest Africa in the 15th century.

They are not buried strictly speaking... Veronica Alberto, who is in charge of the excavation, described this technique as a funerary one that "denotes very strong symbolic violence."

She told Reuters that the bodies had been thrown stones after being forcibly placed on the uneven area. On some of them, the limbs were bound or strapped.

"It might be an indigenous burial, but given the characteristics of the archaeological site, we need to broaden our thinking and take into account the possibility that they could be from other post-conquest eras, such as the 16th, 17th, or 18th centuries," Alberto continued.

Without artefacts, researchers are waiting for radiocarbon dating studies on the bones to assist them determine the time period.

The fact that they only discovered men led the archaeologists, who operate on the incline using safety ropes, to conclude that it was not a typical burial site. All six of the individuals had powerful arms, which indicated that they engaged in similar physical activity.

Source: https://www.dailysabah.com/life/science/my...

Cosmic rays were used to discover an underground Greek tomb in Italy

The subterranean burial that was found is approximately 2,500 years old, but researchers hadn't been able prior to access all the Greek burials.

Illustrative image of an underground tomb.

According to a new study, cosmic rays and lasers were used to uncover a 2,500-year-old Greek settlement beneath Naples, Italy.

The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Scientific Reports last month, states that catacombs of Christians who lived there during the Roman era were also discovered. The discovery was specifically located in the “Sanità” district near the center of the city.

According to the study, the researchers who took part already knew about the Greek burials but were unable to reach them until cosmic rays made it possible for them to look inside the archeological sites without having to dig. The process of the researchers' use of muography to find previously undetected subsurface voids is also described in depth.

Describing the muon

A muon is a subatomic particle that has a mass larger than that of an electron. Muons are created by cosmic rays in the Earth's atmosphere, and their traces were captured using nuclear emulsion technology.

Moon and Earth’s Atmosphere (credit: NASA)

The muons, which are "high energy charged particles produced by cosmic rays," were detected using detectors that could be found underground at a depth of 18 meters. This was done to track the muon flux over a number of weeks.

According to the analysis, the locations most likely date back to when Naples was still known as "Cumae." It was also known as Neapolis (New City).

Another significant archaeological find was made in Naples this month; according to a report from last week, archaeologists from two Naples-area institutions discovered the ruins of an ancient temple that had been submerged in the western Mediterranean off the city's shore. The Nabatean temple, which was erected in honor of the god Dushara, is thought to have existed while the Phlegrean Peninsula was inhabited by the Nabataeans.

Source: https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-...

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Evidence of human migrations throughout the cold period from China to the Americas and Japan

Researchers have followed a female lineage from northern coastal China to the Americas using mitochondrial DNA. The team discovered evidence of at least two migrations by combining modern and ancient mitochondrial DNA: one during the last ice age and one during the melting period that followed.

Graphical abstract showing ice age migration routes from northern coastal China to the Americas and Japan. Credit: Li et al.

Another branch of the same lineage may have traveled to Japan about the same time as the second migration, which could account for the parallels in Paleolithic archaeological sites in the Americas, China, and Japan. The work is published online in Cell Reports on May 9 2023.

According to primary author Yu-Chun Li, a genetic anthropology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, "The Asian ancestry of Native Americans is more complicated than previously indicated." We demonstrate that northern coastal China also contributed to the gene pool of Native Americans in addition to the previously mentioned ancestral sources in Siberia, Australo-Melanesia, and Southeast Asia.

Despite the long-held belief that Native Americans were descended from Siberians who traversed the transitory land bridge of the Bering Strait, more recent genetic, geological, and archaeological data points to the possibility of numerous waves of migration of humans to the Americas from other regions of Eurasia.

A team of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences followed the path of a potential ancestral lineage that connects East Asian Paleolithic-age populations to founding populations in Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, and California in order to shed light on the history of Native Americans in Asia. Mitochondrial DNA, which can be utilized to determine kinship through the female line, contains the questioned lineage.

After examining more than 100,000 modern and 15,000 ancient DNA samples from all around Eurasia, the researchers were able to pinpoint 216 modern and 39 ancient people who belonged to the uncommon ancestry. The researchers were able to determine the lineage's branching history by contrasting each of these individuals' accumulated mutations, geographic locations, and carbon-dated ages.

They were able to pinpoint two migration events from northern coastal China to the Americas, and they believe that in both instances the migrants arrived in America more likely via the Pacific coast than the inland ice-free route (which would not have been open at the time).

During the Last Glacial Maximum, when ice sheet covering was at its highest and conditions in northern China were probably unfavorable for humans, the first radiation event took place between 19,500 and 26,000 years ago. Between 19,000 to 11,500 years ago, during the ensuing deglaciation or melting era, the second radiation took place. At this time, there was a substantial rise in human numbers, perhaps brought on by the improving climate, which may have encouraged migration to new areas.

A surprising genetic connection between Native Americans and Japanese people was also found by the researchers. Another group split off from northern coastal China during the deglaciation and migrated to Japan. We were shocked to see that this ancestor also contributed to the gene pool in Japan, particularly the native Ainus, adds Li.

The Paleolithic populations of China, Japan, and the Americas have many archaeological features, which is explained by this discovery. The three areas were particularly similar in how they made stemmed projectile tips for spears and arrowheads. According to lead author Qing-Peng Kong, an evolutionary geneticist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, "this suggests that the Pleistocene connection among the Americas, China, and Japan was not confined to culture but also to genetics."

Y chromosomal DNA provides complementary evidence that Native American male ancestors also existed in northern China at about the same period as these female ancestors, despite the study's focus on mitochondrial DNA.

Native American ancestry is now part of the picture, but there are still many unanswered questions. According to Kong, "the origins of several founder groups are still elusive or debatable." Next, in order to get a fuller picture of Native Americans' ancestry, we intend to gather and research more Eurasian lineages.

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Ancient human DNA discovered in tooth jewelry dating back 25,000 years

Thanks to DNA preserved in the artifact, researchers have determined that a tooth pendant found in southern Siberia's Denisova Cave belonged to a lady who lived between 19,000 and 25,000 years ago.

A top view of the pierced elk tooth discovered in the Denisova Cave in southern Siberia - Copyright MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR EVOLUTIONARY ANTHROPOLOGY/via REUTERS

The DNA of the owner of a deer-tooth jewelry that was buried in a remote Siberian cave for tens of thousands of years has been found by a group of researchers located in Germany.

It is believed that the antique jewelry, which was discovered in southern Siberia's Denisova Cave, belonged to a woman who lived between 19,000 and 25,000 years ago.

The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology's Elena Essel claims that she and her colleagues created and applied a novel method to extract DNA from an artifact.

The entrance to the Denisova Cave in southern Siberia where the tooth was foundCopyright Richard G. Roberts/Handout via REUTERS

Archaeologists are now able to retrieve genetic evidence of ancient humans from the physical artifacts they have left behind after their deaths. This process is inspired by how police solve crimes using "touch DNA," or, to put it another way, utilizing DNA left over after a person touches an object.

Before the development of this new method, scholars could only connect an artifact to a person if they had been buried wearing it. The new technique will make it possible to determine the biological sex and genetic heritage of the person who previously owned or worn a certain item.

However, because teeth and bones are porous enough to absorb human DNA from contact with bodily fluids like blood, sweat, and saliva, the new DNA extraction method can currently only be used to identify who used specific artifacts in daily life. Fortunately for scholars, however, the bones and teeth of animals and, on occasion, humans were commonly employed in ancient times in the construction of ordinary tools, religious objects, and jewelry, like this pendant. This was due to a scarcity of easily available materials thousands of years ago.

According to our hypothesis, the likelihood that a significant amount of DNA is present in the substance increases with the length of intimate body contact... However, we are unsure of whether we are talking about days, months, years, or decades," Essel says.

Scientist Elena Essel of the Max Planck Institute works in their laboratory in Leipzig, Germany on the pierced elk toothCopyright Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology/Handout via REUTERS

These researchers, who have been fascinated by the Denisova Cave for decades, have made a significant finding using the information they have gleaned from the tooth pendant.

Along with Homo sapiens, Neanderthals, and another extinct human species known as Denisovans have all lived there in the past. The cave is the key to a wealth of knowledge about our prehistoric predecessors for the study team.

It was discovered that the tooth belonged to a wapiti deer, or an elk, thanks to the novel procedure that allowed the researchers to recover the DNA of the animal. They recovered human DNA from the tooth's pores using the same technique, concluding that the genetic material came from a girl whose ancestry is most akin to Native Americans and Siberians who lived farther east than the cave.

With the use of science, they were also able to estimate the pendant's construction date, which coincided with earlier investigations into the radiocarbon dating of the layer of cave floor silt where the artifact was found.

An artistic interpretation of an ancient pendant made with an elk tooth, found at the Denisova Cave in southern SiberiaMyrthe Lucas/Handout via REUTERS

Archaeologists are now able to comprehend historical cultures with a level of depth that has never before been feasible thanks to the DNA technology, which represents a significant advancement in ancient world studies.

Marie Soressi, a co-author from the Netherlands' Leiden University, explained the significance of the discovery as follows: It's incredible. It implies that we'll be able to respond to really basic queries like what jobs men and women were performing at the time. We'll have concrete evidence to support our claims.

Source: https://www.euronews.com/culture/2023/05/0...

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In the world of archaeology, few discoveries are as exciting and monumental as uncovering secrets from the past that rewrite the history books. And that's exactly what happened at Cleopatra's Tomb in Egypt. Join us as we delve deep into the past and uncover the shocking truth behind this discovery. Could this be the missing piece that completes the puzzle of one of history's most fascinating eras?