Ancient Horse 'Cult' and a Bronze Age Pyramid Discovered

The Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan claims the discovery of a huge Bronze Age pyramid.

Archaeologists and students at the Eurasian National University have been excavating the Bronze Age pyramid since 2014.

The building, which is unique to the Eurasian steppes and dates to the second millennium BC, may have been connected to an ancient horse religion.

Ulan Umitkaliyev, head of the archaeology and ethnology department of the Eurasian National University, stated in a press release that "this is a very complex construction." "The steppe pyramid was incredibly precisely constructed; it is hexagonal.

"There are eight rows of stones and thirteen meters between each face. There are multiple circles in the midst of this extremely intricate structure.

Since 2014, archaeologists from the L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University have been researching the site in Kazakhstan's Abai area. The Bronze Age, which spanned from 3300 BC to 1200 BC and was marked by the use of bronze for tools and weapons, was largely centered on the Eurasian steppe. The steppe region, which runs from Eastern Europe to Asia, served as a route for trade, migration, and cultural interchange during this time.

According to the National Science Foundation, people began domesticating horses in Kazakhstan at this time. And the walls of the pyramid can be seen reflecting this.

The walls outside the building in the same complex are dominated by pictures of animals, particularly horses, according to Umitkaliyev. "A camel is also depicted there."

Each face of the hexagonal pyramid spans roughly 42 feet.

Indeed, these horses made it possible for people to travel farther and helped spread languages, foods, ideas, and cultural expression along the Silk Road, a network of trade routes that ran through Eurasia from the second century BC until the middle of the fifteenth century.

The additional gems that the archaeological team has uncovered at the site show evidence of this rich cultural interchange.

"Findings in excavations, ceramics, female gold earrings, and other jewelry indicate that this Bronze Age was the center of culture in ancient times," stated Umitkaliyev. The discovery of horse bones near the stone building indicates that the religion of the horse was particularly strong even at the time.

Students from the university and researchers from other countries will assist in the site's continued excavation.

Source: https://www.newsweek.com/bronze-age-pyrami...

Early Pleistocene Hominin Extinction in Europe Was Due to Extreme Glacial Cooling, Study Finds

The southern European temperature substantially dropped around 1.1 million years ago, which led to the extinction of archaic people on the continent, according to new paleoclimate research.

Margari et al. discovered the occurrence of previously unknown extreme glacial conditions around 1.1 million years ago in Europe.

The glacial cooling of Europe around 1.1 million years ago increased temperatures beyond what prehistoric people could endure, which resulted in the eradication of human communities.

Early human ancestors may have traveled from southwest Asia to Europe as early as 1.4 million years ago, according to the oldest human bones in Europe that have previously been discovered in Iberia.

Generally speaking, the weather at that time would have been warm and rainy, with brief moments of mild cold.

The prevailing assumption up until now has been that once people arrived, they were able to endure numerous climate cycles and adjust to more difficult environmental conditions after 900,000 years ago.

Professor Chronis Tzedakis of University College London stated that "our discovery of an extreme glacial cooling event around 1.1 million years ago challenges the idea of continuous early human occupation of Europe."

Professor Tzedakis and his team evaluated the pollen content in a deep-sea sediment core that was obtained from off the coast of Portugal as well as the chemical makeup of marine microorganisms in the study.

This made it clear that there had been sudden climate changes, which had led to an intense glacial cooling, which had resulted in ocean surface temperatures off Lisbon falling below 6 degrees Celsius and semi-deserts growing on the nearby land.

"To our surprise, we found that this cooling at 1.1 million years ago was comparable to some of the most severe events of recent ice ages," stated Dr. Vasiliki Margari of University College London.

"A cooling of this magnitude would have put small hunter-gatherer bands under considerable stress, especially since early humans may have lacked adaptations like sufficient fat insulation and also the ability to make fire, effective clothing, or shelters," said Professor Nick Ashton of the British Museum.

The authors used their supercomputer Aleph to simulate a climate to mimic the harsh conditions during this time in order to analyze the impact of climate on early human populations.

The results of the simulation were combined with the fossil and archaeological evidence of early human settlement in southwest Eurasia to create a human habitat model, which forecasts how conducive the environment was to early human occupation.

Professor Axel Timmermann, head of the IBS Center for environment Physics at Pusan National University, stated that the findings "showed that 1.1 million years ago climate around the Mediterranean became too hostile for archaic humans."

The results of the human habitat model and the paleoclimate information put together show that southern Europe, including Iberia, was depopulated during the Early Pleistocene.

The likelihood of a protracted pause in European habitation is increased by the apparent absence of stone tools and human remains over the ensuing 200,000 years.

Professor Chris Stringer, a researcher at the Natural History Museum in London, said that in this scenario, more hardy humans with evolutionary or behavioral changes that allowed survival in the harshening glacial conditions may have recolonized Europe around 900,000 years ago.

Source: https://www.sci.news/othersciences/anthrop...

Learn What the Bible Has to Say About the Euphrates River

One of the world's most important rivers historically is the Euphrates. The Assyrians, Babylonians, and Sumerians were just a few of the mighty civilizations that originated in the Tigris-Euphrates River region. The entire area would be a dry desert without these twin rivers. Millions of people in Turkey, Syria, and Iraq depend on the intense agriculture and livestock keeping that the Euphrates supports. It is not surprising that the Christian Bible makes reference to such a significant river. In fact, as we'll discover, the Bible declares that the Euphrates is where human history begins and ends.

The Euphrates River valley is one of the early birthplaces of human civilization.

The Eden Garden

The Euphrates River is originally mentioned in the Bible as one of the rivers that were in the Garden of Eden. The Bible tells how God made a garden as the perfect place for the first humans to live after explaining how He created the world. A river passed through the garden, according to Genesis 2:10–14, and then split into the Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates headwaters. So where was Eden's Garden? Biblical scholars have suggested that it was either close to the Persian Gulf's mouth, where they empty today, or in the region of Turkey and the Caucasus.

The Bible sets the Garden of Eden, the original home of humanity, at the Euphrates River.

Residence of Abraham

God decides to start operating via a man named Abram (eventually changed to Abraham) as the biblical narrative progresses. He resided in Ur, which was formerly a harbor city on the Persian Gulf at the Euphrates River's mouth. The ancient city of Ur is now located far inland in contemporary Iraq due to changes in the coastline throughout time. According to Genesis 11:31, the family eventually moved to Israel, the land that God had promised them, after leaving their own country. Abraham is regarded as the father of both the Jewish and the Arab peoples. Why do we mention the Euphrates though it isn't specifically referenced in this section of the Bible? Because Ur was there, as we know from archaeology, and due to Abraham's crucial role in the biblical narrative.

Mesopotamia, along the Euphrates, was home to a series of powerful civilizations in antiquity.

The Exile from Babylon

One of the greatest ancient empires to rise along the banks of the Euphrates was Babylon. Babylon is criticized in the Bible for its depravity, yet it also describes how God will use Babylon to further his objectives. Israel had breached the terms of their agreement with God by becoming disobedient. He consequently gave the Babylonians permission to conquer their territory and exile thousands of people. Jeremiah, a prophet, urged them to remain there, establish fields and homes, and expand their families. God promised to deliver them from exile one day and give them permission to reside in the Promised Land. On the banks of the Euphrates, Israelites composed some of the Jewish mourning songs included in the book of Psalms.

This is a restoration of the Ishtar gate of the city of Babylon, where the Israelites were taken into exile.

The Armageddon Battle

The Bible doesn't only start at the Euphrates River's source. It also finishes there. Four angels have reportedly been imprisoned at the Euphrates, according to the final book of the Bible, Revelation. They will be set free at the end of the world to wreak havoc on the planet with fire, smoke, and sulfur. The recruitment of a 200 million soldier army is related to this destruction (Revelation 9:13–19).

During the Persian Gulf Wars, Turkey used its dams to dry up the river to assist the American war effort.

Surprisingly, the Euphrates is currently in risk of drying up in Iraq due to a number of Turkish-built dams that have blocked off a large portion of the river's headwaters, a drought brought on by climate change, and a growing population in the area.

An Interpretation of Symbols

Christians don't all hold these prophesies to be literal interpretations. A spiritual conflict between the forces of good and evil is how some people interpret the Battle of Armageddon. The Euphrates' eventual drying up might serve as a metaphor for the destruction of obstacles to evil. People will behave more and more immorally when the global system comes to an end. Whatever the case, whether real or symbolic, it is obvious that the Euphrates is a key location in the Bible's account of God's interactions with mankind throughout history.

Christians differ in their interpretations of prophecies. Some see them as literal, others as symbolic.

Source: https://a-z-animals.com/blog/discover-what...

Unoccupied tombs were discovered in a subterranean crypt of a medieval church in England

Current excavations at Exeter Cathedral in England have uncovered vacant tombs, a putative medieval crypt, and more.

After removing a portion of the cathedral’s floor, workers discovered hidden parts of the original church. (Image credit: Exeter Cathedral )

The high altar of Exeter Cathedral in England, a medieval crypt, and two empty bishops' graves have all been discovered by archaeologists working there.

The ancient structure, which was built in the Norman architectural style in 1114, is still standing on the same location as the cathedral, which was built around A.D. 1400. The Normans arrived in England from France's Normandy in 1066. The rest of the Anglican church was rebuilt between around A.D. 1270 and 1350 in a decorated Gothic style, according to Smithsonian Magazine, even though the two towers of the original structure are now linked as a part of the nave walls as they seem now.

An ongoing building project to install an underfloor heating system includes the excavations. They started by removing the altar, which is where the priest stands when preaching. According to BBC News, once the flooring of the quire (also called choir), the area of the cathedral where the clergy and choir sit during religious services, was removed, workers discovered the cathedral's 900-year-old original underground floors as well as much more.

John Allan, an honorary university member at the University of Exeter and the cathedral's archeologist, told BBC News that an unexpectedly deep backfilled chamber below the altar, to the east, must be a Norman crypt. The most intriguing archaeological find at Exeter Cathedral has undoubtedly been made here.

Related: Sarcophagus from the 14th century discovered in the Notre Dame Cathedral after a fire

According to a statement, the discovery refutes the long-held assumption that the cathedral never had a subterranean crypt and shows that it was filled in around A.D. 1300.

A set of empty tombs that most likely belonged to two bishops—Robert Warelwast (a nephew of the founder bishop William Warelwast, who passed away about A.D. 1155) and William Brewer (who passed away in A.D. 1244—were discovered after the backfill of the crypt was removed. The duo were moved from their original burial locations to the quire in A.D. 1320, thus these empty rooms were not a surprise.

In the cathedral's cloister garden, researchers previously dug up a Roman house wall, timber houses, and an early Roman roadway in March, according to a report from BBC News at the time.

As an Anglican church, the cathedral is still used by worshippers today.

Source: https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/su...

Reconstruction of the largest genetic family tree for Neolithic people in France using ancient DNA

Using ancient DNA, researchers generated two sizable Neolithic family trees.

An artist's interpretation of what each individual may have looked like, based on DNA. The dotted squares and circles represent male and female individuals, respectfully, who were not found at the site or whose remains lacked significant DNA. (Image credit: Drawing by Elena Plain; reproduced with the permission of the University of Bordeaux / PACEA)

The largest ancestral human record ever reconstructed, two elaborate Neolithic family trees that span several generations have been stitched together by French researchers using ancient DNA.

The Gurgy burial site in the Paris Basin region of northern France, which dates back 6,700 years, served as the foundation for the family trees. A study that was published on July 26 in the journal Nature describes how researchers began studying the genomes of 94 of the 128 people, including children and adults, whose remains were recovered from the site recently due to advancements in obtaining and analyzing ancient DNA data. The site was excavated in the middle of the 2000s.

Around 12,000 years ago, Neolithic societies initially appeared in the Near East, which includes West Asia, Southeastern Europe, and North Africa. Many human tribes switched from hunting and gathering to farming during this time. Due to the change in lifestyle, people were able to establish themselves and form long-lasting communities, which produced the expansive burial plot.

According to Maté Rivollat, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Archaeology at Ghent University in Belgium and the study's lead author, "the size of a family tree that huge for that time period" was mind-boggling. We came to the conclusion that we could investigate the community's sociological features.

The graveyard at the location was the only one around, and many of the bones were "not well preserved and corroded," according to Rivollat.

Nevertheless, "the bones were good enough [to extract] DNA," she affirmed, "and we were able to get DNA from 94 of the individuals."

Researchers concluded that the family's lineage could be traced back to just one "founding father." According to a statement, his skeleton was special because it was first interred at an unidentified location before being relocated to Gurgy to be close to his relatives. The archaeologists also discovered a woman's remains next to him, but they were unable to recover any DNA.

The researchers created two family trees by looking at the Y-chromosome (paternal lineages) and mitochondrial DNA (maternal lineages) data, as well as each person's age at death and genetic sex. The study found that the first tree, which was the largest to date and connected 64 people across seven generations, and the second, which contained 12 people across five generations.

An adult man (top skeleton) buried some 6,000 years ago in what is now France was a son of the man from whom dozens of people also buried at the site are descended. (Image credit: Stéphane Rottier)

A "patrilineal pattern" soon developed, connecting successive generations via the male line of ancestors. According to the statement, researchers also discovered that while the women left the village where they were born, the men remained.

The women who were interred there, according to Rivollat, "were not related and came from somewhere else." Inbreeding wasn't happening, either, and we believe that this system of female movements prevented it.

The absence of half-siblings and the fact that sons and girls had the same parents was another intriguing feature of the community, suggesting that its members were monogamous rather than polygamous, according to the statement.

It was clear that the heirs were aware of who was interred there, Rivollat stated. "The more closely related they were, the closer they were buried together."

Source: https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/la...

Workers constructing a new water infrastructure in Navenby discovered an ancient sacrifice offering that included the remains of two red deer

While setting up a new water grid in Navenby, workers discovered an ancient sacrifice offering.

The earliest remains found during archaeological excavations as part of a massive project to build a new drinking water grid, SPA, across the East of England, were two red deer skeletons discovered in an infilled pit, thought to have been killed possibly as sacrifices, more than 4,000 years ago.

Archaeologists must evaluate the potential harm that groundworks for the new pipes could do to buried archaeological sites before the pipes for SPA are laid.

The skeletons of two red deer have been found in an infilled pit in Navenby.

This work is completed using a straightforward procedure that includes geophysical surveying, digging trial trenches, and then performing targeted open area excavations in areas where earlier surveys have found significant archaeological relics.

The red deer skeletons were unearthed at Navenby alongside some bell-shaped pottery known as Beaker pottery, although there were no signs of butchery.

The Beaker People, a distinctive society whose members hail from the European continent, are responsible for creating this. A hundred years or so later, Britain started to notice the pots.

A small, rural hamlet made up of two roundhouses and five smaller post-built structures, possibly granary stores, arose on the site during the Iron Age, some thousand years later.

Maintenance and realignments indicate that this small village has been occupied for a long period and has undergone some redesign.

The Roman era appears to have taken center stage, with the only Roman activity at the site consisting of three cremations and a human burial, possibly indicating ancillary funerary activity on the outskirts of a settlement.

"These fascinating and significant finds are helping to shape our understanding of what life was like in Lincolnshire many thousands of years ago," said Jonathan Hutchings of the archaeology team assisting in the delivery of the new water system.

"People from the Early Bronze Age may have sacrificed or left an offering with the red deer.

As an alternative, it might have served as a form of "funeral" for the deer or a means of deterring or attracting ghosts. While it's important to have water pipes and pumps, our work also provides communities with a window into the past, allowing them to learn about their history, legacy, and origins. This helps us better comprehend the nature of our country.

One of the UK's largest infrastructure projects is the SPA water grid. Once finished, hundreds of kilometers of underground, interconnected pipelines would transport millions of liters of water every day from wetter to drier regions, from Elsham in North Lincolnshire to Essex and Suffolk.

However, the accountable water provider, Anglian Water, is dedicated to leave a lasting social and environmental legacy along the route.

In addition, fresh trees were planted, dozens of boxes for bats, owls, and dormice were built, and a life-saving defibrillator was given to 11 primary schools.

Source: https://www.granthamjournal.co.uk/news/anc...

First-ever Welsh trove of Iron Age gold coins to be designated a treasure

The first cache of gold coins from the Iron Age found in Wales has been designated as treasure. In Llangoed on Anglesey in 2021, three metal detectorists discovered 15 coins that contained both gold and silver.

The coins, known as staters, were found scattered across the corner of a field (Image: © Amgueddfa Cymru National Museum Wales)

Peter Cockton, Lloyd Roberts, and Tim Watson discovered the stater coins in a field's corner and reported their discovery to the Portable Antiquities Scheme. On August 9 2023, Kate Robertson, the senior coroner for North West Wales, pronounced the stash to be treasure.

Since I've been looking for history for more than 14 years, discovering a gold stater has always been at the top of my dream list, according to Lloyd Roberts, who discovered the first two coins. Can you picture my amazement, joy, and surprise when I called out to my friend Peter, having dug up a gorgeous complete gold stater in pristine condition, having never anticipated to really find one, let alone in Anglesey?

"That one coin alone would have made my year," Mr. Roberts continued, "but I continued to find another on my next signal, and then Peter found a total of three." We both just sat down, had coffee, and imagined what our surroundings and people's lives were like more than 2000 years ago after getting in touch with the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

"I'm relatively new to metal detecting and was encouraged to give it a try by my dad during lockdown," said Tim Watson, who discovered the remaining 10. I had already explored this topic a few times without discovering much of interest then, one evening, I essentially hit gold.

"I ran home to show my wife, and we both gasped at the beauty of this coin, which was unlike anything else I had ever seen, flawlessly maintained with such unique stylized motifs. In the weeks that followed, I made the decision to upgrade my metal detector, which was money well spent because I went on to discover an additional nine coins in the same location.

In September 2021, Gwynedd Archaeological Trust paid a visit to the area where the coins were discovered alongside Mr. Watson and the landowner Gwyn Jones after additional coins were discovered. They searched for any archaeological artifacts that would have provided information on why the coins were buried.

The field had been under pasture and last plowed 15 years prior to the initial finding. Before being transported to Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales in October 2021 so a report could be given to the coroner, the coins were given to the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS Cymru).

The coins were struck between 60BC and 20BC at three different mints across what is now Lincolnshire. They are attributed to the Corieltauvi tribe, who inhabited the geographical area of the modern East Midlands during the late Iron Age. (Image: © Amgueddfa Cymru National Museum Wales)

The hoard is a magnificent illustration of the rich archaeological landscape that exists in north west Wales, according to Sean Derby, historic environment record archaeologist and Portable Antiquities Scheme finds recording officer at Gwynedd Archaeological Trust.

The findspot is located in a known prehistoric and early Roman activity area and contributes to our understanding of this region, despite the fact that the immediate proximity of the find did not provide any hints as to the find's provenance.

Between 60 BC and 20 BC, three distinct mints in what is now Lincolnshire produced the coins. They are credited to the Corieltauvi tribe, which resided in the present-day East Midlands region during the late Iron Age.

Each piece features a highly stylized design that was inspired by Phillip II's Macedonian gold coins, which have an Apollo bust on the obverse (heads side) and a two-horse chariot and charioteer on the reverse (tails side).

The staters' reverse depicts a stylized triangular-headed horse with different symbols surrounding it, while the obverse depicts Apollo's wreath and hair. The symbols serve as the primary identifying characteristics that categorize coins into their many varieties.

Coin discoveries from the Iron Age are uncommon in Wales since the tribes that now call modern Wales home did not produce their own coins and hardly ever used those of other tribes. Rarely do pre-Roman habitation sites in Britain turn up Iron Age coinage.

The way we use coins today was probably not how the coins were utilized back then. Instead, it is believed that they were given as alliance- or loyalty-building presents amongst elites or as sacrifices to the gods, while in rare circumstances, it is possible that they were used for expensive expenditures.

The coin cache is sought after by Oriel Môn in Anglesey. The local find is exciting news for Oriel Môn, according to Ian Jones, building and collections manager at Oriel Môn. We are thrilled to acquire the coins, which are significant nationally, for the Anglesey Museum collection and to put them on exhibit for the general audience.

Source: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-n...

Decoding of an Ancient Mysterious Script

Using the same method that helped interpret the Rosetta Stone, archaeologists have partially decrypted the 'unknown' writing system of the Kushan Empire.

KUSHAN INSCRIPTION DISCOVERED ON A ROCK FACE IN TAJIKISTAN. CREDIT: BOBOMULLO BOBOMULLOEV

Between the first and third centuries, the ancient Kushan Empire, which spanned from what is now Uzbekistan into northern India, contributed to the introduction of Buddhism to East Asia. Archaeologists first noticed items in the area of the empire carrying a "unknown Kushan script" that they couldn't decipher in the 1950s. But in July 2023, scholars from Germany and Tajikistan declared that they had successfully partially decoded the ancient writing system.

The researchers did this by contrasting a trilingual text discovered in Afghanistan by French archaeologists in the 1960s with a bilingual text discovered in Tajikistan by Tajik archaeologists in 2022.

A "bilingual text" or a "trilingual text" is a parallel piece of writing that conveys about the same meaning in two or three languages. These multi-script writings served as the equivalent of the Rosetta Stone for scholars, enabling them to recognize words and symbols in the Kushan writing system from antiquity.

The discovery of the Kushan "Rosetta Stone(s)"

When characters from the unidentified Kushan script were discovered inked on a stairway at Surkh Kotal in Afghanistan in the 1950s, archaeologists were able to identify it for the first time. The script was discovered once more on a boulder at Dat-i Nwur, also in Afghanistan, in the 1960s by French archaeologists. Along with two additional scripts that represented the Bactrian language and the Gndhr language, the text on the boulder also included the Kushan script.

The trilingual text did not, however, instantly result in a breakthrough in the comprehension of the obscure Kushan script. According to Svenja Bonmann, a linguist at the University of Cologne in Germany and the lead author of the recent article about the unidentified Kushan script published in Transactions of the Philological Society in July 2023, this was at least partially because French archaeologists took shoddy photos of the trilingual text and used an inaccurate drawing of it to discuss the discovery.

Researchers were unable to translate the untranslated Kushan script in the absence of clear, exact photographs of the trilingual text. Archaeologists discovered numerous additional examples of the script over the following several decades, including an inscribed silver bowl in Kazakhstan, but they were unable to decipher its meaning. Then, in 2022, Tajik archaeologists discovered a bilingual document in Tajikistan's Almosi Gorge that had both the Bactrian language and an unidentified Kushan script.

According to Jakob Halfmann, a linguistics scholar at the University of Cologne and a co-author of the latest report, "[the archaeologists] were following information provided by a local man." He had noticed writings on the sides of nearby mountains, and he had tried to inform archaeologists about them for a while, but they just listened to him and believed him last year. They immediately launched an expedition, during which they discovered that there were in fact inscriptions.

The Tajik archaeologist Bobomullo Bobomulloev discovered the bilingual script, and together with Bonmann, Halfmann, and Natalie Korobzow, another linguist at the University of Cologne, they tried to interpret the text (Bobomulloev and Korobzow are also co-authors on the new article).

THE TITLE ‘KING OF KINGS’, ON THE LEFT ON A KUSHAN INSCRIPTION FOUND IN TAJIKISTAN, ON THE RIGHT ON THE INSCRIPTION FOUND IN AFGHANISTAN.

One of their most important discoveries was that they were able to identify the ruler Vema Takhtu's name in both the bilingual and trilingual manuscripts because it occurred in the Bactrian portions of both texts.

This approach is comparable to the method French philologist Jean-François Champollion used to translate the Rosetta Stone, which is famous for containing a section written in Greek, Egyptian Demotic script, and Egyptian hieroglyphs. Champollion began by recognizing royal names like Cleopatra in the Greek script and then locating them in the areas of the stone that were written in ancient Egypt.

Bringing the Kushan Empire to light

The majority of documented Kushan script artifacts were discovered in the contemporary nations of Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan between the second and third centuries B.C. Along with languages like Bactrian, Gandhr, and Sanskrit, the script corresponded to an unidentified Iranian language that was probably one of the Kushan Empire's official tongues.

Research by Bonmann and her coworker is important because it adds to the body of knowledge about Vema Takhtu, who ruled the Kushan Empire in the first century and extended its dominion into northwest India. Before, some academics argued over whether he actually existed. The discovery of his name in two distinct specimens of Kushan writing strengthens the historical proof that he was a significant Kushan Empire monarch.

The authors of the new piece not only named Vema Takhtu but also named the expressions "king of kings" and "great savior"—both of which describe Vema Takhtu. The writers think they have roughly half of the Kushan characters figured out, and they intend to figure out more in the future. The empire and the people who lived there about two millennia ago may be better understood with further study.

Source: https://www.history.com/news/ancient-kusha...

In a Polish "necropolis" cemetery, archaeologists found a 17th-century "vampire child" with a padlocked ankle

The head archaeologist on the excavation told Insider that they have discovered the remains of what they believe to be a 17th-century "vampire" infant who was buried face down and padlocked to the ground in an effort to allay the villagers' anxieties that the child wouldn't rise from the dead.

Archeologists discovered the skeletal remains of what they believe to be a 17th-century "vampire child" in an unmarked Polish cemetery. Łukasz Czyżewski

The child's bone remains, which experts estimate to be between 5 and 7 years old, were found in an unmarked mass grave in the Polish hamlet of Pień, close to Ostromecko.

The "necropolis," which is Greek for "city of the dead," is also where archaeologists found a "vampire" woman who had been buried with a sickle laying across her neck and a padlock fastened to her big toe in case she tried to rise from the dead.

The two graves were discovered just two meters apart in the cemetery, which his team believes to be a makeshift graveyard for "the excluded," or those who were not welcome in Christian cemeteries for various reasons, according to archaeology professor Dariusz Poliński of Nicolaus Copernicus University, who oversaw both digs.

Triangular padlocks were attached to people’s feet to keep them tethered to the ground once buried, Poliński said. Magdalena Zagrodzka

About 100 graves have been discovered in the cemetery, according to Poliński and his team of researchers. Many of these graves exhibit unusual burial practices, including "anti-vampiric" strategies to prevent people from "coming back from the grave," such as triangular padlocks fastened to people's feet to keep them tethered to the ground, as well as proof that grave sites were disturbed or dug into after the initial burial.

A individual could have been interred in such a cemetery for a number of reasons, according to Poliński. The person might have had an illness or an uncommon physical condition that altered their appearance, or they might have displayed bizarre conduct that made others dread them while they were alive.

Through a translator, Poliński added, "It might have also been that someone died violently and unexpectedly in peculiar circumstances." "Sudden death was frequently regarded as something that people ought to fear."

Villagers in the seventeenth century were also prone to worry about drowned victims and unbaptized or unchristened youngsters being buried.

Archeologists also found a collection of loose bones near the child's gravesite, as well as a pregnant woman. Magdalena Zagrodzka

Near the child's tomb, according to Poliński, archaeologists also discovered a group of loose bones and a pregnant woman carrying a fetus estimated to be around 6 months old.

According to Insider's Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert and Marianne Guenot, Matteo Borrini, lead lecturer of forensic anthropology at Liverpool John Moore University, "vampire burials" were a regular practice throughout Christian Europe as early as the 14th century.

People used to link "vampiric" epidemics with periods of huge mortality that, though at the time unexplained, are now thought to have been pandemics or widespread poisonings. According to Borrini, the prevailing belief was that these "vampires" would hunt down and murder their family members first before turning on their neighbors and other villagers. This belief corresponded to how we currently understand the spread of infectious diseases.

Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/archaeolog...

Ancient Greeks - Real Faces Recreation

In this video we will be bringing to life some ancient Greek faces especially from the golden age. Having some personal knowledge of ancient Greece, this could be the first part of an info, teach thingy about this subject or perhaps the Persian invasions of Greece.

12 Most Amazing Archaeological Finds Scientists Still Can't Explain

Archaeologists and scientists often work together to solve the mysteries of a discovery. An archaeologist might be able to say roughly where and when an artefact or an object was made, but they can’t always say why or how it was made. In those circumstances, they’ll turn to a scientist for assistance. There are times when the scientists can’t help, though - and those are the times that allow us to make videos like this one!

Why The Giraffe Got Its Neck

How and why the giraffe's neck emerged in the first place has been a mystery that generations of biologists have argued over – one that has made us reconsider our understanding of how evolution actually works over and over again. Watch the video to find out more!

Jesus' Tomb Explained--the evidence & the story!

Join us in today’s video as we travel from Israel to Rome to Turkey, to explain the evidence for and tell the story of the first and most important archaeological dig ever conducted...the excavation of the Tomb of Jesus. Enjoy!

Ancient Giants in America: The Mysterious Blonde Hair Blue-Eyed Giants of Catalina Island

A fascinating and highly controversial chapter of prehistoric America is said to have been found on the sun-drenched shores of Catalina Island, off the coast of Southern California. Hidden among the quiet beaches and rolling hills, there allegedly lies proof of an ancient race of fair-haired giants, taller and more robust than the modern human.

Identified through the discovery of giant skeletons, the giants are said to have possessed technology far advanced for the time. This assertion has sparked a vivid debate among scholars, archaeologists, and enthusiasts alike.

Meanwhile, a more widely accepted archaeological treasure resides just north on Santa Rosa Island — the Arlington Springs Man. Discovered in 1959, it is the oldest known human skeleton in North America. These remains, belonging to a man who roamed the Earth over 13,000 years ago, have significantly enriched our understanding of early human migration patterns and life in prehistoric North America.

What are the stories of these discoveries that have contributed to the compelling mystery of our human past and the eternal quest for our origins…?

Secret Nasty Kinky Sex Lives Of Roman Gladiators

Gladiators were the rock stars of ancient Rome, embodying the virtues of the society but also viewed as social outcasts. Despite their low status, they were lusted after by women who desired their sweaty bodies and even used their blood as an aphrodisiac.

However, gladiators were also akin to sex workers in Roman society, with little standing and often compared to actors and those in the sex industry.

This unique position allowed for sexual encounters, with some women hiring gladiators as bodyguards or engaging in sexual relations with them. The erotic fascination with gladiators was evident in Roman graffiti and even in the beauty of the gladiators themselves, who were chosen based on their attractiveness.

White Huns: Rise and Decline

In the following video we will be talking about the White Huns - the Hephthalites. Their origins, rise and decline, their attacks on India and the Sassanid empire and beyond. Enjoy!