SOFIA, BULGARIA—Archaeology in Bulgaria reports that researchers led by Ivan Hristov of Bulgaria’s National Museum of History discovered a Thracian fortress in the Black Sea, on currently submerged land that once connected St. Thomas Island to what is now Bulgaria. Last year, the team conducted a survey of the three-acre island and found a Thracian settlement with ritual pits, an early Byzantine settlement, and a monastery dating to the Late Middle Ages. The researchers suggest the island’s location—on the sea and right off the ancient road from Apollonia Pontica to Byzantium—made it prime real estate.

Read more:

http://archaeologyinbulgaria.com/2018/08/23/archaeologists-find-thracian-byzantine-settlements-medieval-monastery-on-bulgarias-st-thomas-island-in-black-sea/

Matthew G. Marsh (University of North Dakota) has written a book review in 2018 in the Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology for Touraj Daryaee’s “Sasanian Iran (224-651 CE)” [left image] and has noted the following with respect to the state of Sassanian studies: “… the last two decades have seen a marked increase in publications on the Sasanian Empire as authors such as Kaveh Farrokh, Touraj Daryaee, P. Pourshariati, among others, have opened up Sasanian studies to an English speaking audience”. [Marsh, M.G. (2018). Review of Touraj Daryaee. Sasanian Iran (224-651 CE). Costa Mesa, CA: Mazda Publishers, Inc., 2008, xxiii + 140p., ISBN 978-1-56859-169-8. Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology, No. 5.2, pages 75-80].

Parvaneh Pourshariati’s book [above, at right] “Decline and Fall of the Sasanian Empire: The Sasanian-Parthian Confederacy and the Arab Conquest of Iran”, is also a comprehensive and in-depth text that provides a detailed examination of the factors leading to the fall of the Sassanian Empire in the 78th century CE.

Marsh’s review has also cited two of Kaveh Farrokh’s recent textbooks co-authored with top expert scholars such as Katarzyna Maksymiuk (Institute of History and International Relations, Faculty of Humanities, Siedlce University of Natural Sciences and Humanities, Poland), Gholamreza Karamian (Department of Archaeology & History Central Tehran Branch, Tehran Azad University) and Javier Sánchez-Gracia (HRM Ediciones, Zaragoza, Spain) and in the following section of his review (page 79, 2018) – APPENDIX II – ADDITIONAL WORKS ON THE SASANIAN EMPIRE:

Farrokh, K. (2017). Armies of Persia: the Sassanians. Barnsley, England: Pen & Sword Publishing.

By Laura Geggel

This golden bling dates back to Roman times. Credit: Courtesy of Jason Massey

An amateur historian just unearthed a treasure that would turn any archaeologist green with envy: an ornate gold ring dating back to ancient Roman times.

On the face of the ring — which is thought to be 24-karat gold — ancient artisans placed a black onyx with an engraving of the Roman god of victory driving two horses, 

Jason Massey, a member of the Detecting for Veterans group, discovered the detailed ring on July 29 while surveying a field near the town of Crewkerne, England. [Photos: Mosaic Glass Dishes and Bronze Jugs from Roman England]

The 1.7-ounce (48 grams) ring has yet to be formally analyzed, but experts at the British Museum said the ring likely dates to sometime between A.D. 200 and A.D. 300, the BBC reported.

At first, Massey thought the ring was a gold coin, because he found it in the middle of a stash of 60 ancient Roman coins that were buried in the field, he told the BBC. This site has proved fruitful for Massey; in November, he and his friends found a lead-lined coffin and more than 250 coins that also dated to the time of the Roman Empire, the BBC reported.

These lavish finds indicate that a “very high-status Roman villa” once sat at this site, Massey said.

“There’s [a] load of figures floating about [for the value of the ring], but we’re interested in the villa, who’s lived there and where they’ve come from and who the person was that wore this ring,” Massey said.

According to Ciorstaidh Hayward-Trevarthen, a finds liaison officer in Somerset and Dorset, England, “There are a couple of gold rings of that sort of date from Somerset, but they’re not common,” she told the BBC.

And, just as it is today, gold is “an indication that the owner is fairly wealthy,” Hayward-Trevarthen said.

This ring is far from the only Roman artifact uncovered by amateurs. In 2015, a man with a metal detector discovered an exquisitely preserved Roman-era grave in a village north of London, and in 2013, amateur archaeologists uncovered a massive network of tunnels under the Roman emperor Hadrian’s villa, in Tivoli, Italy.

Original article on Live Science.

For the last few years, the Islamic government of Iran has allowed large industrial-scale fishing vessels to become freely active in the Persian Gulf. This action has been faced with ongoing protest by the fishers of southern Iran, who complain that the presence and activities of Chinese fishers has resulted in their unemployment. Nevertheless, no one in the Islamic government has paid serious attention to these protests, sometimes denying the validity of such claims.

Kianoush Jahanbakhsh, one of the members of the City Council in Bandar Abbas Port, has supported people’s claims and announced: “Pay attention to what people say. What they say is truthful. The large Chinese vessels have raised the rate of joblessness and are annihilating generations of livestock in the Persian Gulf.”

He believes it his duty to speak on behalf of the people, but adds that his voice will likewise not be heard.

Another person who agrees with the above claims is Ahmad Moradi, a parliamentary delegate from Hormozgan, who says that, “The Chinese fishing vessels have cruelly curtailed the livelihood of the local fishers and have brought scarcity upon the main food source of the people. Now poor local people are being forced to mainly get their food from the market, with much higher prices.”

By Michael Krumholtz

Archaeologists working at the Wariwillka site in Huancayo have dug up what they are calling evidence of a pre-Incan culture known as the Wari. Peru’s Culture Ministry confirmed the findings Thursday after they were accidentally discovered when a construction project leveled off a structure in the area.

“We are recovering and safeguarding archaeological heritage in accordance with National Cultural Heritage Law,” on-site archaeologist Ronald Sullca told state-run news agency Andina. “We’ve found some lithic remains, fragments of ceramics, human bone remains, and a salvage procedure is being performed before handing them over to Culture Ministry for their protection.”

It is initially believed that the findings are from the Wari Culture, which was present from around 500 to 1000 AD in a large portion of Peru, mainly along the coastline. However, the exact location of the findings was a popular zone for numerous civilizations over the course of different centuries.

“We are going to analyze them (the bones and artifacts) to determine whether they belong to Wari period since the place is located 100 meters away from the archaeological complex of Wariwillka, known as Wankas’ place of origin,” Sullca said.

The current dig area is private land of 500-square meters owned by a local man named Porfirio Aquino who bought it a few decades ago.

Another archaeologist on site commented to Andina that the current excavation spot was most likely a burial site for the Wari culture.

https://perureports.com/2018/08/03/pre-incan-archaeological-remains-found-in-huancayo/

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples seeks to protect and promote the rights, culture and land of indigenous people. Indigenous peoples, descendants of pre-colonial times, have a strong tie to their lands and often suffer from marginalization as a minority group. Despite marginalization, Indigenous People account for about 6% of the world’s population and 90% of its cultural diversity.

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples was designated by the United Nations in December of 1994 with the intention of it lasting only a decade. It is now celebrated annually on August 9, a day that marks the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations in 1982.

International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples Facts & Quotes

• The theme for 2017 International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples was 10th Anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

• According to the UN, there are an estimated 370 million indigenous peoples living in more than 70 countries around the world. There are approximately 5000 different indigenous groups in the world.

• The Amazon River basin represents only 7% of the world’s total service area, but it is also home to 400 different indigenous groups. One of the largest concentrations of indigenous peoples in the world.

• Indigenous peoples represent over 4000 different languages of the 6700 know languages that exist today. Most of these languages are considered to be endangered, meaning at high risk of being replaced by dominant languages.

• The truth is that nobody can own anything. That was an unheard-of concept among indigenous people. We invented that. – Tom Shadyac, American comedian, director, screenwriter, producer and author.

International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples Top Events and Things to Do

• Watch a movie about indigenous people, both about their culture and uniqueness and how they are being slowly eradicated. Some suggestions are: Atanarjuat (2001), The Dead Lands (2014), Kanehsatake (2012) and Four Sheets to the Wind (2007).

• Donate to Survival International. All funds donated are put towards the survival and protection of indigenous peoples rights. They help to defend their lands and lives and help them determine their own future.

• Watch the official UN International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples webcast. It is hosted in the ECOSOC Chamber at the UN headquarters and you can watch it online.

• Spread awareness of social media by using the hashtags #InternationalDayoftheWorldsIndigenousPeoples, #IndigenousPeoples or tag a specific indigenous group such as #cree or #inca.

• Organize a trip to an indigenous reserve near you or plan a trip to visit a country where much of the population is predominantly indigenous. Try visiting Guatemala, Bolivia, Brazil or the Peruvian highlands.

By: Kristina Killgrove*

Numerous legends of the mummy’s curse are whispered in archaeological circles, most without any substance behind them, but a team of Chilean researchers may have just discovered evidence to back it up: toxic red pigment on the clothing of two ancient maiden mummies that could cause mercury poisoning in those who study the dead.

In a new article just out in the journal Archaeometry, a research team led by Bernardo Arriaza of the University of Tarapacá has identified the presence of a red mineral in the burial of two young women — ages 9 and 18 — at the site of Cerro Esmeralda in the city of Iquique in northern Chile. Dating to around 1399-1475 AD, the girls were found to be finely dressed, with a number of silver ornaments and ceramic vessels.

Based on the quantity and quality of these burial goods, the researchers hypothesize that this might have been a ritualized human sacrifice called capacocha carried out by the Inca state. “Capacocha sacrifices,” Arriaza and colleagues explain in their paper, “were performed in commemoration of historical events in the life of the Inca emperor or in response to natural catastrophes.” Interestingly, in the case of this burial at Iquique, it “was found at a lower elevation than many other capacocha sacrifices reported in the literature, which are normally found at higher elevations.”

Even more odd than the location of this burial was the presence of a bright red powder in one of the textiles of the mummies. Red was a very popular color and prized by people in the ancient Andes for millennia; however, the raw material used to create it was most often an iron oxide like hematite because it was easily found in geological deposits. It wasn’t hematite, though, that the researchers found on these mummy maidens.

Arriaza and colleagues instead report that “the new chemical analyses that we obtained showed that cinnabar was present in the clothes of the Cerro Esmeralda mummies.” Unlike hematite, from which we can extract inert iron, cinnabar is a mineral that contains abundant amounts of mercury. “This toxic material is a special and foreign funerary offering in northern Chile,” the archaeologists note, because it almost certainly came from the Huancavelica mine just north of Lima, Peru, over one thousand miles away from where the mummies were discovered.

he Incas are known to have used cinnabar in prestigious and elite social contexts, which suggests to the researchers that the Cerro Esmeralda mummies and their burial were culturally significant. This sacrifice may have been made for political reasons, to bring the arid region of northern Chile under the powerful state forces of the Inca Empire.

But the reasons for the use of cinnabar rather than hematite are not completely clear. Arriaza and colleagues suggest that the mineral was simply popular, as it was with the Romans and ancient Egyptians, and the elite often painted their faces with it. But they also suggest that the Inca may have know of cinnabar’s toxic properties, raising the question “of whether cinnabar was sprinkled to protect the burial from grave robbers.”

Since the archaeologists did not expect to find cinnabar in a burial so far from the nearest known mine, they caution others to be careful in handling artifacts and human remains with red pigments. “Very few archaeological studies have specifically addressed the use of toxic materials in antiquity” and the consequences for modern researchers, Arriaza told me by email. He and his colleagues also write that “archaeologists need to be aware that beautiful red cinnabar contains mercury, posing hidden health risks. It may cause a range of health problems affecting the nervous and muscular systems and the gastrointestinal tract, among others, and even death in cases of extreme exposure.”

While the mummy’s curse has never been proven in the context of ancient Egyptian burials, it is clear that archaeologists need to be extra careful when recovering evidence of the past, because it is not always obvious what toxic materials lurk under the dirt.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinakillgrove/2018/07/25/maiden-mummies-from-ancient-chile-wore-toxic-clothing-archaeologists-find/#e916a4690d7e

The Spies Panel
Copyright: Jim Haberman

Recording of The University of North Carolina recent discoveries by a team of specialists and students at Huqoq in Israel’s Galilee, led by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor Jodi Magness, shed new light on the life and culture of an ancient Jewish village. The discoveries indicate villagers flourished under early fifth century Christian rule, contradicting a widespread view that Jewish settlement in the region declined during that period. The large size and elaborate interior decoration of the Huqoq synagogue point to an unexpected level of prosperity.

“The mosaics decorating the floor of the Huqoq synagogue revolutionize our understanding of Judaism in this period,” said Magness. “Ancient Jewish art is often thought to be aniconic, or lacking images. But these mosaics, colorful and filled with figured scenes, attest to a rich visual culture as well as to the dynamism and diversity of Judaism in the Late Roman and Byzantine periods.”

The first mosaics in the Huqoq synagogue were discovered by Magness’ team in 2012. Since then, Magness, director of the Huqoq excavations and Kenan Distinguished Professor of Early Judaism in the department of religious studies in Carolina’s College of Arts & Sciences, assisted by Shua Kisilevitz of the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University have uncovered additional mosaics every summer. This year, the team’s specialists and students focused their efforts on a series of mosaic panels in the north aisle. Magness said this series is part of the richest, most diverse collection of mosaics ever found in an ancient synagogue. 

Along the north aisle, mosaics are divided into two rows of panels containing figures and objects with Hebrew inscriptions. One panel labeled “a pole between two” depicts a biblical scene from Numbers 13:23. The images show two spies sent by Moses to explore Canaan carrying a pole with a cluster of grapes. Another panel referencing Isaiah 11:6 includes the inscription “a small child shall lead them.” The panel shows a youth leading an animal on a rope. A fragmentary Hebrew inscription concluding with the phrase “Amen selah,” meaning “Amen forever,” was uncovered at the north end of the east aisle.

During this eighth dig, the team also continued to expose a rare discovery in ancient synagogues: columns covered in colorful, painted plaster still intact after nearly 1,600 years.

The mosaics have been removed from the site for conservation and the excavated areas have been backfilled. Excavations are scheduled to continue in the summer of 2019. Additional information and updates can be found at the project’s website: www.huqoq.org.

Mosaics uncovered by this project include:

• 2012: Samson and the foxes

• 2013: Samson carrying the gate of Gaza on his shoulders

• 2013, 2014 and 2015: a Hebrew inscription surrounded by human figures, animals and mythological creatures including cupids; and the first non-biblical story ever found decorating an ancient synagogue — perhaps the legendary meeting between Alexander the Great and the Jewish high priest

• 2016: Noah’s Ark; the parting of the Red Sea showing Pharaoh’s soldiers being swallowed by giant fish

• 2017: a Helios-zodiac cycle; Jonah being swallowed by three successive fish; the building of the Tower of Babel

Archaeologists have been left at a loss by the discovery of some mysterious ruins in Rome, which could be the remains of one of the city’s earliest churches.

The find was made at Ponte Milvio, a bridge along the River Tiber in the northern part of the city. And it came about completely by chance while electrical technicians, who were laying cables along the site, uncovered remains of buildings dating back to between the first and fourth century AD.

Rome’s Archaeological Superintendency called the discovery “an archaeological enigma shrouded in mystery”.

Part of these remains look likely to have been used as a warehouse, but it’s an older building on the higher level that has presented archaeologists with a mystery.

Coloured marbles sourced from north Africa were used in the building’s floors and walls, suggesting that it served an important purpose either for a Roman noble family or for the local community.

And its location close to an early cemetery has led to a theory that it could also be an early religious site, possibly one of Rome’s very first churches, although there were no signs of an altar or religious decoration.

The superintendency confirmed that it was looking into the hypotheses that the remains belonged to “a Roman villa or a Christian place of worship”.

It’s not uncommon for workers to stumble across ancient ruins or remains during routine excavations, as was the case with this find. Work on the capital’s Metro line C was repeatedly delayed by workers coming across centuries-old ruins, including Rome’s oldest aqueduct, and an ancient Roman bath house and tombs were unearthed during works on a new church.

Read more: McDonald’s opens restaurant-museum over ancient Roman road