12 Crucial Archaeology Findings Of 2018 That Have Left Historians Puzzled
In 2018, several significant archaeological discoveries were made worldwide, leaving historians and archaeologists puzzled as they tried to unravel the mysteries behind these findings. Here are twelve of the most crucial archaeology findings of 2018:
The world’s oldest known intact shipwreck was found near the coast of Bulgaria by the Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project. The Greek merchant ship is believed to be around 2,400 years old and was discovered more than a mile under the surface of the Black Sea. The shipwreck remained in remarkable condition due to the Black Sea’s depths being oxygen-free, allowing researchers to examine and learn more about shipbuilding in the ancient world.
Archaeologists excavated the last unexplored area of Pompeii known as Regio V. It was in danger of collapse since mud, ashes, and hardened bits of lava from the unexplored area were sliding towards the already explored area. Inside the excavated area, researchers found a new set of frescoes and a room built as a shrine to the guardian deities known as Lares. The house of Jupiter was partially excavated in the late nineteenth century, and brightly colored walls and frescoes, including the first mythological scene found during these excavations, were uncovered.
Researchers from the University of Copenhagen found evidence of the first bakers 14,400 years ago. At least 4,000 years before the start of agriculture, the Natufians already had ovens and made bread-like products from wild cereals and tubers. Residues from three Natufian stone mortars analyzed by scientists at Stanford University showed evidence of the Natufians brewing beer from wild wheat and barley 13,000 years ago, proving that our ancestors were bakers and brewers before the dawn of agriculture.
German and Egyptian archaeologists found an ancient funeral parlor in Egypt, which was considered a mummy workshop. The workshop’s open courtyard had a tunnel leading to burial chambers with dozens of mummies. One of the biggest findings in those chambers was a sarcophagus that belonged to a lady named Tadihor. She had a silver mask on her face, which had a deep religious meaning in Egyptian culture since the bones of gods were believed to be made of silver and gold. A mummy carrying a silver mask meant that the deceased person was beginning a transformation into a god after their death.
Archaeologists discovered Yersinia pestis, the bacteria that caused the Black Death plague, in skeletons from 3800 BC. This discovery suggests that pestis lineages were established during the Bronze Age and had an earlier outbreak that had a significant effect on migration across Europe and Asia. The sudden spread of steppe herders from Eastern Europe to Western Europe between 3000 and 2500 BC may have been caused by a pandemic.
The oldest human footprint was found on Calvert Island, Canada. The footprints belonged to three people, a child and two others who may have been adults, and are possibly older than 13,000 years. The footprints were visible because the three humans stepped on wet clay that hardened and filled with sand. A small piece of wood found with the footprints was used to run radiocarbon dating on the prints, revealing they dated back between 13,300 and 13,000 years ago.
In 2018, archaeologists made some remarkable discoveries that left historians puzzled. One of the biggest questions that was answered was about the first people to live in America. Previously, it was believed that the Clovis culture, who came from Siberia around 13,000 years ago, were the first inhabitants of America. However, excavations in Texas revealed tools that are older than 13,000 years, with some of them dating back to between 20,000 and 16,000 years ago, making them thousands of years older than any tool known to belong to the Clovis people. This suggests that people may have come to America much earlier than previously thought.
Another fascinating discovery was a stone with red lines drawn on it that is believed to be 73,000 years old, making it the oldest sketch ever found. The Blombos cave where the sketch was discovered also had Homo Sapien bone tools, teeth, engravings, and beads made from seashells. This finding may also have provided further information on Homo Sapiens’ use of symbols, which is the foundation for mathematics and language.
Swiss archaeologists announced the discovery of the earliest representation of a human body part in Europe. It was found using metal detectors alongside a bronze dagger and a rib bone. The artifact dates back to the middle of the Bronze Age and is a unique sculpture since metal objects from the Bronze Age are extremely rare.
Recent excavations in Israel have found that the world’s oldest beer may have been brewed for a funeral over 13,000 years ago, making it the oldest man-made alcohol in the world. A graveyard cave in Israel had traces of wheat and barley lining pits carved into bedrock, which were hypothesized to be leftovers from beer brewing, probably as a part of a funerary feast.
In 2018, archaeologists found a new sarcophagus in Egypt that raised the most media attention. Inside the sarcophagus, they found the body of a young woman and two men, as well as red sewage that had somehow managed to seep inside. Despite the disgusting appearance of the sewage, there were people who asked to drink it, believing it held special powers. The sarcophagus is considered to be the largest ever found in Alexandria.
Finally, archaeologists found a 4,500-year-old ramp system that was used to pull alabaster stones up a steep slope. This discovery may have answered the age-old question of how the Great Pyramid at Giza was constructed. Using sleds attached to wooden posts and ropes, ancient Egyptians were able to pull up the alabaster blocks out of the quarry on very steep slopes of 20 percent or more.
