Ancient Cuneiform Tablet Reveals Previously Unknown Language to Researchers

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BY THE ARCHAEOLOGIST EDITOR GROUP

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During recent digs in Turkey, archaeologists have learned a previously undiscovered ancient language from an ancient tablet.

A public research university in Germany named Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg claims that the extinct tongue is a member of the Indo-European family, which includes a large number of closely related languages that are all believed to have originated from a single prehistoric progenitor.

At the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Boazköy-Hattusha in Turkey's northern Orum region, a ritual text written on a tablet led to the identification of the most recent Indo-European language. The Hittite Empire, one of the great powers of the Near East during the Late Bronze Age, probably between 1650 and 1200 B.C., originally had its capital at Boazköy-Hattusha.

For more than a century, Boazköy-Hattusha has been the site of excavations overseen by the German Archaeological Institute (DAI).

According to the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, some 30,000 clay tablets have been discovered at the site so far, which have provided insight into a number of facets of life during the Hittite era. The inscriptions on the tablets are written in cuneiform, which is regarded as the earliest type of writing ever discovered. Cuneiform is a script that was used to record various ancient Near Eastern languages. It was created by the Sumerians of Mesopotamia more than 5,000 years ago.

The majority of the inscriptions discovered at Boazköy-Hattusha document the extinct Hittite language, which is the first Indo-European language to have been formally recorded. There are also speakers of other languages at the location, including Luwian and Palaic.

Hattusha

Yet this year's digs, directed by professor Dr. Andreas Schachner of the DAI's Istanbul Department, unexpectedly turned up a recitation of a long-lost language. On a cuneiform tablet with a ritual text written in Hittite, the language was concealed. The language of the land of Kalama, which is thought to be where the modern towns of Bolu or Gerede in northern Turkey are located, is referred to in a Hittite ceremonial book as the lost language.

According to a news release from Daniel Schwemer, chair of ancient near eastern studies at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, "the Hittites were uniquely engaged in chronicling ceremonies in other languages."

The newly found language is still entirely unintelligible. But, according to Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, professor Elisabeth Rieken of the Philipps University of Marburg in Germany, an expert in Anatolian languages, has established that the Kalasmaic language is a member of the Indo-European language family.

Researchers claimed earlier this year that they had cracked an ancient script that had baffled historians for decades.

Anatolian civilizations

After discovering medieval artifacts, Kenilworth Pool intends to alter

A new swimming pool's plans need to be revised in light of the discovery of medieval ruins nearby.

Ceramics and buildings have been uncovered at the Kenilworth site

At Abbey Fields in Kenilworth, pottery and at least five structures, some dating to the 13th century, were found.

On September 27, a meeting will be conducted to give the public an update on the project.

Ian Davison, leader of the Warwick District Council, said the revelation will result in extra expenses and delays.

The new, multimillion-pound swimming center, which will have a second indoor pool, has been under construction since September.

The find was made by a company tearing down the old pool while it conducted site investigations with Archaeology Warwickshire.

Prior to St Mary's Abbey being disbanded in the 16th century, Abbey Fields was farmland that belonged to that institution.

The discovery will mean increased costs and delay in the pool's development, Warwick District Council said

The public meeting at St. Nicholas Church will provide an overview of the results and discuss the need to create specific, updated strategies to safeguard the discovered medieval ruins.

"The aim of this event is to bring the public fully up to date with the Abbey Fields Swimming Pool project," Mr Davison said:

"The significant, historic medieval remains necessitate substantial additional costs and time delays, so residents will be given an insight into the important decisions that the council will need to make in the coming months."

The council's project team has been working closely with Historic England since the findings were made, and they have authorized updated plans to elevate the level of the proposed new swimming pool structure so that it stands over the relics.

The site of 'Pingyang' in Shanxi is revealed through ancient tombs

The Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology announced on September 18 the discovery of 215 tombs in Xiangfen County, Shanxi Province, dating from the Neolithic to the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) periods.

An aerial view of the tombs unearthed in Xiangfen County, Shanxi Province, China. /Photo provided by Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology

They add credence to the hypothesis that the legendary civilisation established by Yao, one of the Five Emperors in Chinese mythology, was born in "Pingyang," the region beneath Xiangfen County that is today known as Yaodou District.

A combined archaeological team carried out the excavations from June 2020 to July 2022. The excavation area was split into two areas, east and west of the Fenhe River, where a total of 348 archaeological sites were cleared and 215 tombs were discovered.

Two settlements were included in the eastern area, and 145 graves were discovered there. 959 objects, including 222 bronze items, 21 iron items, and 528 pottery items, were included with the burial materials.

Three settlements in the western region, totaling 69 tombs and 437 ancillary burial artifacts, were found there. There were also 196 additional ash pits, a home site, six stoves, and two kiln sites discovered.

A photo shows some pottery items unearthed in Xiangfen County, Shanxi Province, China. /Photo provided by Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology

The ancient city site of Guchengzhuang, a cultural heritage site in Xiangfen County, where pottery with the inscription "Pingshi" was unearthed, is located about 300 meters to the southeast of the excavation area. Pingyang County was established as the location of the ancient city during the late Warring States period (475-221 BC), when the area was conquered by Qin forces, after these pottery pieces were proven to have been produced under its direction. During the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC–25 AD), the county's name was later changed to Xiangling County.

This area, according to archaeologists, is home to a wide range of artifacts from various historical periods, and the Guchengzhuang City Site offers more proof that Pingyang actually served as the capital of the famous civilisation that Yao established.

Shoewear may be 148,000 years old, according to archaeologists who discovered an ancient "sandal" mold

Long-held assumptions regarding sandals have been completely disproved by a mysterious collection of footprints discovered in three different places throughout South Africa.

The ancient imprint appears to show a sandal mould (Image: Charles Heim)

The human footprints discovered on the Cape's coast are estimated to be 148,000 years old. And while it was widely believed that sandals were used in Jesus' day, it was not believed that they were worn in the Stone Age, which was many centuries earlier.

However, the newly discovered footprint reveals that people were wearing sandals with "rounded anterior ends, crisp margins, and possibly evidence of strap attachment parts." An international team of researchers lead by Charles Helm from Nelson Mandela University made the study public.

The fossils were found in South Africa (Image: Getty Images)

He wrote: “The purported tracks have dimensions that are broadly consistent with those of hominin tracks. “Track sizes appear to correspond to the tracks either of juvenile track-makers, or else small-adult hominin track-makers.

“While we do not consider the evidence conclusive, we interpret the three sites, as suggesting the presence of shod-hominin track-makers using hard-soled sandals. In the Middle Stone Age, a significant foot laceration might have been a death sentence.

Three separate sites were analysed by the experts (Image: Getty Images)

“Ichnological evidence from three palaeosurfaces on South Africa’s Cape coast, in conjunction with neoichnological study, suggests that humans may indeed have worn footwear while traversing dune surfaces during the Middle Stone Age. The hominin track record may be biased towards identification of tracks made by barefoot individuals, therefore the development of criteria for the identification of shod-hominin tracks should aid in future interpretation efforts.”

Years of professional notions that stone age people roamed around barefoot could be disproved by the data given. Museums all around the world are well renowned for their presentations of "early man," which depicts them without anything on their feet. However, they may now be compelled to change the displays.

Israel finds a stoneworkshop from the Second Temple in the West Bank

It was common practice to utilize stone tools during the Second Temple era, and in fact, stone tools have been found at practically all of the region's archaeological sites.

Second temple site for the production of stone tools, September 2023

According to a statement released on Monday by the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), construction on Route 437 in the West Bank revealed the remains of a Second Temple-era quarry and an early stone tool production facility.

The Staff Officer for Archaeology in the Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria, who works under the auspices of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), oversaw the excavation.

The Second Temple period used stone tools.

Researchers came to the conclusion that the area operated as a center for mining and tool distribution for Jerusalem and the surrounding area after discovering a comparable tool production setup in the same location about thirty years ago.

Second temple site for the production of Stone tools, September 2023 (credit: COGAT SPOKESMAN)

Nearly all Second Temple-era sites in the area have been found to feature various types of stone implements, including cups, bowls, trays, and other objects.

The Staff Officer for Archaeology in the Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria, Benny Har-Evan said of the discovery: "The Civil Administration will continue to work day and night for the preservation of the archaeological sites and finds in Judea and Samaria, which are part of the treasures and culture of the region.

"It is a great privilege to carry out the excavations and discover an ancient and rich world under the soil of the area. We are all getting to know and glimpse a life full of culture and prestige that the area has known throughout the generations, thanks to these extraordinary discoveries."

This 300,000-year-old fossil could be a new branch in the human family tree

A 300,000-year-old fossilized jawbone has been found by scientists in a cave in eastern China; it might represent a new branch in the human evolutionary tree.

Digital reconstruction of the skull that was found in Hualongdong, China

It's interesting how the specimen combines elements from the past and the present.

It raises more questions about what kind of prehistoric humans lived there for about 800,000 years between the Middle and Late Pleistocene.

The mandible, like Homo sapiens, lacks a genuine chin

The mandible was unearthed in Hualongdong, an area in eastern China, and it was discovered to have both contemporary and ancient traits.

Early human species like Homo erectus shared a robust jawbone along with them.

In addition, it lacks the genuine chin that distinguishes Homo sapiens. The side of the mandible that connects to the upper jaw, however, resembles contemporary humans more and is thinner than that of early hominins.

Early Homo sapiens may have had a common progenitor with us

According to palaeoanthropologist Xiujie Wu, who was a member of the study, the Hualongdong people may represent an early Homo sapiens progenitor or near cousin that has never been identified.

The Hualongdong mandible has traits from both the past and the present, just like the remains discovered in the early 2000s in the Moroccan archaeological site of Jebel Irhoud.

One of the first members of the evolutionary lineage that contains Homo sapiens is assumed to be represented by the Jebel Irhoud bones.

Understanding the Pleistocene human ancestry of East Asia

"More fossils and studies are necessary to understand [the Hualongdong people's] precise position in the human family tree," mentioned Martinón-Torres, a team member.

She asserted that ancient proteins taken from bones could provide more information about the Hualongdong people's relationships with both more primitive species and modern humans.

Researchers found the bones of 16 people during cave excavations in China. Numerous of these remains were discovered to be those of a 12- to 13-year-old boy's cranium.

It is unclear how humans have occupied East Asia

Yameng Zhang of Shandong University claims that the image of human occupancy in East Asia throughout the Pleistocene is unclear. It is unknown which of the various archaic hominin species that lived in East Asia during the Middle Pleistocene could have been the ancestors of modern humans.

Researchers discover "buried secrets" of a Spanish fleet that drowned in 1810 and claimed hundreds of lives

Spanish authorities stated Thursday, September 14, that an inquiry into a Spanish vessel that sank more than 200 years ago has uncovered "buried secrets" including well-preserved structural features.

A diver examines the Santa María Magdalena, a warship of the Spanish Navy that shipwrecked in 1810.

According to a press statement from the Spanish Federation of Underwater Activities, a "exciting investigation" is being conducted by the organization into the 1810 storm-sunk Spanish Navy vessel Santa Mara Magdalena. The mission originally meant to save the ship, which is still submerged, but it has "evolved into a saga of astonishing discoveries," the agency said. The ship was highlighted in a 2020 documentary exploring its history and is the only wreck of its era currently being investigated in Spain.

When the ship sailed in October 1810 as part of a Spanish-British alliance to seize a city that was ruled by the French during Spain's War of Independence, the tale of the ship's drowning began. According to the agency, the vessel possessed 34 cannons and a "rich history of service," but after losing its moorings, it was caught in a "sudden and violent storm" that caused it to capsize in November 1810. It was "one of the greatest maritime tragedies" in the nation's waterways at the time because it was thought to have 500 sailors and soldiers on board. Only eight men managed to survive the shipwreck and swim to land, according to wrecksite.eu, an online database that tracks shipwrecks. From their wounds, five of the men passed away.

Cleaning of the ship shows preserved wood under sand and sediment.

One significant finding, according to the EPA, was that around 86 square feet of the lining boards along the bilge of the frigate were "free of structural or biological damage." The bilge is the area where a ship's sides and bottom converge. According to the Spanish Federation of Underwater Activities, the ship is "truly unique" as a result of its preservation, and overall, it is in a "exceptional state of conservation."

The expedition's goal, according to the regional paper La Voz de Galicia, is to map the ship's structure and comprehend how it was constructed. Because of this, scientists must operate underwater to remove sand and debris from the ship.

Round projectiles found aboard the ship.

Lead investigator and underwater archaeologist Antón López told La Voz de Galicia that the ship had been found to have "ballasts and ammunition" and referred to it as a "real underwater museum."

These discoveries, according to the Spanish Federation of Underwater Activities, allow Spain's maritime heritage to be revealed.

"Each find is a tribute to the brave sailors and soldiers who braved the treacherous waters more than two centuries ago, and a tribute to their legacy that endures through time," the agency mentioned.

Has Mexico discovered the truth about the Ek' Balam Mayan Acropolis?

An image on a stone cover discovered at the archeological site of Ek' Balam in Mexico may shed light on the ancient Mayans.

A structure at Ek' Balam.

According to Mexico's Culture Ministry and National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), a mural painting on a stone block used by the prehistoric Mayans as a vault cover has been found in one of the constructions of the Ek' Balam Acropolis.

In the previous year, seven other painted vault covers with a similar style have been discovered in Yucatán, Mexico.

At a press conference led by Mexico's Interior Secretary Luisa Mara Alcalde Luján at the start of September, the discovery was made public.

The recently discovered vault lid was painted red instead of black, in contrast to earlier discoveries. The lid features a "U"-shaped sign that might stand in for a cave with water below as a probable allusion to the underworld, where a snake appears to be making its way in. There is a reptile's head and part of its body visible, which could be related to the serpentine god K'awiil.

Northward view of Ek-Balam. (credit: FLICKR)

Archaeological discoveries at the location, according to Diego Prieto Hernández, general director of INAH, have revealed significant information, including the names of some of the kings of Talol (Ek' Balam), as well as the dates on which the chambers of the royal palace or Acropolis were constructed.

The significance of Ek Balam

Leticia Vargas de la Pea and Victor Castillo Borges, the project's coordinators, claim that this discovery can reveal information about the architects behind the east elevated plaza of the Acropolis as well as the time period in which they were constructed.

Hernandez also emphasized that 27 sites in the southeast and on the Yucatan Peninsula have benefited from the Improvement Program in Archaeological Zones, which has led to significant discoveries.

A team of Oxford archaeologists makes important historical discoveries

Significant discoveries have been uncovered by an Oxford archaeology team working on a house development site.

Oxford Archaeology North staff at Little Asby Common (Image: Ed Nix)

The BBC was informed by the Oxford Archaeology North (OAN) team that the Lancashire site had evidence of both Roman and Iron Age habitation.

Speaking to the BBC, Paul Dunn from OAN said: “Unlike other Iron Age sites in Lancashire we have found ceramics and pottery in Bourne Hill.”

He continued by saying that while the dig at Thornton, near Blackpool, had revealed circular homes with their surrounding ditches, it stood out from other excavations due to the discovery of Iron Age bowls and Roman pottery.

He added: “Lancashire was wet with marshland and settlements tended to be on a hill.

"It is a significant site because there are signs of a long occupation from the Iron Age to Roman Britain."

The Byzantine Empire: A Complete Overview

The Byzantine Empire: History of Endurance and Triumph

The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, stood as a testament to resilience and longevity, persevering for over a thousand years after the fall of Rome. Triumphs, difficulties, and a rich cultural and historical tapestry were all part of this enduring legacy.

One of the pivotal figures in Byzantine history was Emperor Justinian, whose reign saw significant military successes and enduring legal influence that shaped the empire for centuries to come. However, Justinian also faced internal unrest, which led to riots and required extensive rebuilding efforts, including the commissioning of the iconic Church of the Holy Wisdom, or Hagia Sophia.

Following Justinian's reign, the empire encountered a period of weakening and external threats, particularly in the 700s. Despite these challenges, the Byzantine Empire managed to fend off invasions and maintain its core territories, demonstrating its resilience yet again.

The First Byzantine Iconoclasm and its consequences marked a significant chapter in the empire's history, bringing about religious controversies and shaping the cultural and artistic landscape.

The Byzantine Empire was not only a hub for trade but also a center of culture and innovation. Its silk production and conflicts with the West underscored its importance in the global economy and political dynamics.

The Macedonian Renaissance later renewed classical knowledge and supported the arts, contributing to the empire's cultural and intellectual influence.

Under Emperor Basil II's rule, the Byzantine Empire enjoyed wide-reaching control, a testament to its enduring power and influence.

However, the empire faced new threats and territorial losses after the defeat of Emperor Romanos IV, precipitating a period of struggle and recovery under leaders like Alexios I.

The Byzantine Empire's struggle for survival culminated in the face of the Ottoman expansion and the iconic siege of Constantinople, ultimately leading to the empire's fall in the early 1460s, marking the end of the Medieval Age and the end of an era for the Byzantine Empire.

Throughout its history, the Byzantine Empire exemplified endurance, triumph, and cultural richness, leaving an indelible legacy that continues to resonate in the present day.

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We'll be discussing the Neanderthals in detail, from their origins to their extinction. We'll also be discussing their place in human evolution, and their relationships with other human species. If you're interested in Neanderthals or human evolution, this video is for you!

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The Brandiers Farm Roman Tile Kiln Mysteries Has Been Solved!

Any type of excavation was not encouraged by the weather. Nevertheless, a team of amateurs and archaeologists was committed to solving the riddle of the Roman tile kiln at Brandiers Farm, UK.

Roman tile kiln from the air. Credit: Cotswold Archaeology

It took a long time and a lot of effort to clean up the area following storm Antoni's torrential rain and strong gusts. However, committed volunteers were able to contain the situation, allowing for the resumption of archaeological research.

To learn the truth about the Roman tile kiln was one of the objectives.

The Roman tile kiln should be symmetrical, but up to this point, we haven't been able to see the northern half's back edge. Although we kept cleaning the area around the wall in spite of our first assumption that it had been stolen, we just couldn't find any tiles!

The Cotswold Archaeology team explains in a press release that "on Monday, August 14, we machined off part of the redeposited natural to attempt and understand why there is nothing surviving here, but this still didn't address the enigma of the missing north half of the kiln.

The region was examined after a layer of Roman debris to the southeast of the kiln was removed the following day. The team found a new structure, thus this was a successful shift!

Two members of the crew "have been digging just to the west of this, down the side of the kiln, and have discovered evidence of an even earlier kiln, which may have fired the tiles that were used to construct our Brandiers kiln"

The Cotswold Archaeology crew cleaned the kiln while they worked on Wednesday, and they "uncovered a heat-affected surface at the back of the flue, and revealed the north-side interior wall." It was also found that the south-side outer wall was heat-affected, supporting the theory that an earlier kiln stood next to ours and probably used the south-side wall as a flue wall.

Archaeologists told the media, "We're even floating the idea of a chain of kilns, each sharing walls and flues as time went by."

Cotswold Archaeology said that there were further discoveries to be made elsewhere on the site. In Trench 6, the volunteers discovered a drainage canal that diverted rainwater away from the kiln terrace, keeping the Roman potters' feet dry during the humid British summer.