Olive Trees Were First Domesticated 7,000 Years Ago
Olive Trees Were First Domesticated 7,000 Years Ago A joint study by researchers from Tel Aviv University and the Hebrew University unravelled the earliest evidence for the domestication of a fruit tree. The researchers analyzed remnants of charcoal from the Chalcolithic site of Tel Zaf in the Jordan Valley and determined that they came from …
Archaeologists study crumbling 1,300-year-old shipwreck
Archaeologists study crumbling 1,300-year-old shipwreck A 1,300-year-old shipwreck is so fragile that air could destroy it has been unearthed in southern France and archaeologists face a race against time to reveal its medieval secrets. The partial remains of the “extremely rare” 40-foot-long boat, which radiocarbon dates from between A.D. 680 and A.D. 720, were unveiled …
Preserved by Nature: Studying the Spectacular Salt Mummies of Iran
Preserved by Nature: Studying the Spectacular Salt Mummies of Iran In 1993, miners at the Chehrabad Salt Mine in the Zanjan province of Iran discovered a body. Clearly a man, the body had flowing white hair and a beard and was sporting a single gold earring. Though he didn’t initially appear that old, carbon dating …
‘Stunning’ Anglo-Saxon burial site found along HS2 route
‘Stunning’ Anglo-Saxon burial site found along HS2 route An Anglo-Saxon burial site containing the remains of more than 140 people interred with some of their most favoured objects, including jewellery, knives and even a personal grooming kit, has been discovered by archaeologists working on the HS2 route. The site, near Wendover, Buckinghamshire, contained a “stunning …
DNA analysis reunites Viking relatives in Denmark after 1,000 years
DNA analysis reunites Viking relatives in Denmark after 1,000 years The 150 bones have been lent to the Danish museum by the Oxfordshire Museum in Britain for three years. Separated for 1,000 years, two Viking warriors from the same family were reunited last week at Denmark’s National Museum, as DNA analysis helps shed light on …
Mysterious Perfectly Preserved Ship Found in the Baltic Sea
Mysterious Perfectly Preserved Ship Found in the Baltic Sea Beneath the frigid waters of the Baltic Sea, investigators have discovered perhaps the best-preserved ship from the Age of Discovery. It was found on the seafloor and it is almost intact. The researchers were amazed by the condition of the vessel, which is roughly 500 years …
Rare Byzantine Plates Found Off Coast Of Southern Turkey
Rare Byzantine Plates Found Off Coast Of Southern Turkey One of the world’s richest plate sets from the Eastern Roman Empire has been discovered off the coast of the southern province of Antalya’s Adrasan district. “We were not hopeful of finding anything considerable,” said Selçuk University Archaeology Department academic Hakan Öniz. “Just then, we found …
‘Cursed’ Mummies From El-Mezawaa Necropolis Restored
‘Cursed’ Mummies From El-Mezawaa Necropolis Restored A team from Egypt’s Mummies Conservation Project has finished restoring a group of seven mummies in the El-Muzawaa necropolis in Dakhla oasis, completing the first phase of the project, Gharib Sonbol, head of Ancient Egyptian restoration projects at the Ministry of Antiquities, told Ahram Online. The restoration of Al-Muzawaa …
The ancient Egyptian mummy of a young girl is first with a bandaged wound
The ancient Egyptian mummy of a young girl is first with a bandaged wound Scientists found the first recorded example of a bandaged wound on a mummified body, which could offer more insight into ancient medical practices. The finding was published in the International Journal of Paleopathology, a peer-reviewed journal. The researchers said they discovered the …
16th-Century E. coli Sample Extracted from Italian Mummy
16th-Century E. coli Sample Extracted from Italian Mummy E. coli, short for Escherichia coli, has been among the most thoroughly studied bacteria since it was discovered in the 19th century, but researchers are only starting to understand its evolutionary history. Now, for the first time, scientists have extracted the genetic code of a 400-year-old version …