Gold Ring Uncovered at Medieval Castle Site in Poland
KRAKÓW, POLAND—Notes from Poland reports that a gold ring thought to date to the eleventh or twelfth century has been discovered in the basement of one of the four residential towers at Wawel Royal Castle. Construction of this tower began in the late fourteenth century. The ring, decorated with two engraved faces turned in opposite directions, was resting on what may have been a defensive rampart from an older structure. “This is the only example in which human images (or figural ones in general) are depicted on an early medieval ring from Poland,” said Jerzy Trzebiński of the archaeology department in the castle museum. He thinks the two faces may represent Janus, the two-faced Roman god. The ring may have belonged to a member of the elite class during the reign of the Piasts, who governed Poland between the tenth and fourteenth centuries. To read more about the castle and Krakow's history, go to "Off the Grid: Krakow, Poland."
Ancient Bedbug Body Parts Identified at Vindolanda
NORTHUMBERLAND, ENGLAND—The Guardian reports that two thoraxes thought to belong to the common bedbug, Cimex lectularius, have been identified among artifacts excavated at Vindolanda, a Roman garrison site located near Hadrian’s Wall, the northern border of the Roman Empire in what is now northern England. Archaeoentomologist Katie Wyse Jackson of University College Dublin found the insect parts among items dated to about A.D. 100. The bedbugs likely traveled to Britain on clothing and mattresses carried by Romans, she surmised. Wyse Jackson has also found insects in soil samples from the site that offer clues to daily life. “I can learn about trade, food storage, hygiene, [and] waste disposal from what species are present and in what numbers,” she said. “At the moment, I’m finding a large amount of grain and dung beetles.” These insects, she explained, suggest that the space was not clean. For more on Vindolanda, go to "The Wall at the End of the Empire: Life on the Frontier."
CT Scans Expose Medieval Coin Hoards From France
GUÉRANDE, FRANCE—Four coin deposits, discovered during an excavation ahead of a construction project near the west coast of France, were examined in 3-D through computed tomography scans at the University of Caen, according to a statement released by France’s National Institute for Preventative Archaeological Research (INRAP). The coins in the first cache, dated to between 1180 and 1204, had been placed in an oak container. A building was later constructed on the site in the fourteenth century. The other three deposits, dated to 1341 or 1342, were found in a corner of one of the rooms of this building. Coins in these deposits had been placed in ceramic containers. All of the fragile caches were removed from the site in soil blocks. Information obtained through the imaging process allowed the scientists to determine what materials were involved and helped them to ascertain the best way to proceed with the excavation in the laboratory. For example, the scans revealed that the coins in one of the fourteenth-century containers had been sorted and placed into four squares of linen fabric. These cloth envelopes had then been placed into a larger leather one. The researchers were therefore ready to handle the delicate organic materials. Photogrammetry was also used to create 3-D models of the contents of all four containers before they were disassembled. These models will help the scientists to investigate how money was managed as they work to identify the more than 2,000 coins. To read about CT scanning of a clump of corroded silver coins from a Portuguese shipwreck, go to "Is It Esmeralda?"
Tuberculosis Detected in Neanderthal Remains
SZEGED, HUNGARY—According to a Live Science report, a study including biomolecular analysis and morphological observations of two skeletons bearing both Neanderthal and modern human features reveals that both individuals had tuberculosis (TB). Carbon dating of the bones, found in northern Hungary’s Subalyuk Cave in 1932, revealed that the adult died between about 37,000 and 38,000 years ago, while the three- or four-year-old child died between 33,000 and 34,000 years ago. Researchers led by György Pálfi of the University of Szeged found bony lesions likely brought about by TB infection on the adult’s spine and on the interior of the child’s skull. Bone samples from each of the skeletons also tested positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB. Additionally, the researchers confirmed the diagnosis in the child with spoligotyping, a technique used to identify gene sequences of TB in a sample. The presence of the bacterium was confirmed in both individuals with lipid biomarker analysis, which is used to characterize communities of microbes in a sample. Pálfi and his colleagues think that Neanderthals could have contracted TB from hunting and eating infected animals, such as bison, and that the disease may have contributed to their extinction. To read about the ancient spread of tuberculosis, go to "Across the Atlantic by Flipper."
Medieval Sculptures Recovered in India
KARNATAKA, INDIA—The Hans India reports that bridge construction on the Krishna River near the city of Raichur in southwestern India uncovered two ancient Hindu sculptures carved from green rock. The first depicts an avatar of Lord Krishna, and the second is a lingam representing Lord Shiva. Historian Padmaja Desai thinks the sculptures may have been carved in the eleventh century, during the rule of the Western Chalukya Empire. Archaeologists from the Karnataka Department of Archaeology suggest that the sculptures may have been submerged in the river to protect them during the rise of the Bahamani Sultanate in 1347 or the Adil Shahi Dynasty in 1489. Further study of the sculptures and exploration of the area where they were found is being planned. To read about a third-century B.C. sculpture of an elephant discovered in India's state of Odisha, go to "The Elephant and the Buddha."
2,000-Year-Old Collection of Iron Weapons Found in Poland
HRUBIESZÓW, POLAND—According to a Science in Poland report, a collection of iron spearheads, battle axes, and a wood-cutting ax were discovered in disturbed earth in a forest in southeastern Poland and taken to archaeologists Bartłomiej Bartecki and Anna Hyrchała of the Hrubieszów Museum. Three of the heavily corroded items have not yet been identified, but Bartecki and Hyrchała think the items may have belonged to warriors from the Przeworsk culture, who lived in the region from about the first century B.C. through the second or third century A.D. The grave of a warrior of the Przeworsk culture had previously been unearthed near the spot where the weapons were found, although there is no evidence that there was once a larger cemetery at the site. The objects could also have been left behind by the Goths, who lived in the region from the second or third century through the fifth century A.D. In either case, it appears that the items had been collected into a bag or another container made of organic materials and then thrown into a swamp, Bartecki explained. Conservation of the artifacts will be undertaken at the Stanisław Staszic Museum, he added. “Only after these procedures will it be possible to properly determine the nature of the discovery in question and its chronological and culture affiliation,” he said. Researchers will also investigate the site where the weapons were found. For more on ancient arms, go to "Weapons of the Ancient World."
Waterlogged Paleolithic Sites in China Excavated
CHENGDU, CHINA—Xinhua reports that more than 100,000 stone, wood, and bone tools; fossilized animal bones; plant matter; ebony; and traces of fire and toolmaking were recently uncovered at the Mengxihe site, which has been dated to between 50,000 and 70,000 years old. First discovered in 2019, an additional 11 similar waterlogged sites have since been identified along the Mengxi River in southwestern China. Zheng Zhexuan of the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology said that the animal remains include the bones of elephants, rhinoceros, bears, cattle, deer, macaques, fish, turtles, snakes, frogs, birds, porcupines, and bamboo rats. The plant matter represents more than 30 kinds of trees, fruits, seeds, and herbs that may have been used to treat illnesses, Zheng added. To read about a 13,500-year-old bone sculpture unearthed in Henan, go to "Oldest Chinese Artwork," one of ARCHAEOLOGY's Top 10 Discoveries of 2020.
Possible Ancient Game Boards Identified in Kenya
NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT—According to a statement released by Yale University, archaeologist Veronica Waweru identified a possible series of game boards at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in the highlands of central Kenya after receiving information from local partners that a prehistoric site there was being looted by tourists. She thinks the rows of shallow pits drilled into the rock may have been used to play a version of the two-player strategy board game now known as Mancala. Some of the pits were deep enough to hold a handful of stones, while others had eroded away over time into shallow pockmarks, Waweru explained. She also noted that 19 burial cairns are situated in the same area as the game boards. So, while herders may have used the boards while their flocks grazed, people who came to visit the burial cairns may have played games, too. Marks consistent with sharpening metal knives, perhaps during the butchering process for ritual feasting, have also been found. To read about an ancient game board found in the ruins of a site in the Qumayrah Valley, go to "Around the World: Oman."
Roman Wooden Bed Unearthed in London
LONDON, ENGLAND—According to a report in The Guardian, the disassembled pieces of a complete Roman funerary bed have been recovered from waterlogged soil near the underground River Fleet in central London. The well-made oak bed, which has carved feet and was joined with small wooden pegs, came from the grave of a man who died in his late 20s or early 30s. Archaeologist Michael Marshall of the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) explained that there are accounts of Romans being carried on beds like this one in funeral processions, and that they are sometimes found depicted on tombstones. “We didn’t know that people were buried in these kinds of Roman burial beds at all,” he said. “That’s something that there is no previous evidence for from Britain.” Five rare oak coffins were also found in the Roman cemetery. To read about other Roman artifacts uncovered in the city, go to "Roman London Underground."
Ice Age Footprints Discovered in Morocco
MORBIHAN, FRANCE—Two trackways made up of 85 well-preserved footprints were discovered on a rocky platform covered in clay sediments on the coast of Morocco by Mouncef Sedrati of the University of Southern Brittany and his colleagues, according to a Live Science report. The prints are thought to have been left behind by a group of at least five modern humans about 90,000 years ago, based upon optically stimulated luminescence dating of quartz in the sand. Measurements of the length and depth of the footprints suggest that the group contained children, adolescents, and adults, Sedrati said. His team will work quickly to complete their analysis of the trackways because the rocky shore platform holding them may collapse. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Scientific Reports. To read about fossilized Ice Age footprints uncovered in the New Mexico desert, go to "Ghost Tracks of White Sands."
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