#archaeology

#archaeology

Around 10,000 years ago, a paradigm shift in human history began to unfold. Prior to this transitional period, which archaeologists refer to as the Neolithic Revolution -the final phase of the Stone Age-small societies were organized around hunting and gathering for sustenance. During the Neolithic period, the gradual adoption of agricultural practices forever changed the way we live. Over the next few thousand years, humans began domesticating plants and practicing animal husbandry in different parts of the world.

While Rubio was on this tour of ancient Jerusalem, Israeli planes bombed the most important storage depot of ancient artefacts in Gaza City, pulverising three decades of archaeological work. The battle over history has long been part of the broader Israeli-Palestinian struggle. Officials from the Israel Antiquities Authority have followed Israeli troops into occupied zones in search of artefacts. But that struggle has seldom been as conspicuous as in the past month.

A forgotten royal castle that is believed to have once been home to kings who ruled parts of Scotland has been discovered in a major archaeological project. In a recently released book, archaeologists reveal the existence of a castle at Finlaggan, on the isle of Islay, which is unnamed and previously unknown from the 12th and 13th centuries. Archaeologists have spent nearly 30 years analysing research that was undertaken at the historical site on Islay from 1989 to 1998.

The newly discovered tombs are believed to date back to the Hellenistic or Hellenistic-Seleucid period. Archaeologists in drought-hit Iraq have discovered 40 ancient tombs after water levels in the country's largest reservoir declined, according to an antiquities official. The tombs, believed to be more than 2,300 years old, were unearthed at the edges of the Mosul Dam reservoir in the Khanke region of Duhok province in the country's north.

Archaeologists have unearthed ancient structures in Turkey that could represent the world's earliest human settlement. The discovery was made at Mendik Tepe, near Göbekli Tepe, the 12,000-year-old site known for its monumental stone pillars and early rituals. Experts noted that the new structures may predate Göbekli Tepe and are likely nearly 7,000 years older than Stonehenge, placing them at the very cusp of the Neolithic Revolution.

Researchers at the National Museum of Denmark have uncovered an ancient Viking figurine from the 10th-century with an immaculate hairstyle. The 'very well-groomed' figure, just 1.2 inches (3cm) tall, has a middle parting, fancy imperial moustache and a long braided goat beard. Peter Pentz, curator at the National Museum of Denmark, described the figure as 'the first thing that comes close to a portrait from the Viking period'.

Archaeologists in Kiryat Gat, about 40 miles south of Tel Aviv, uncovered the first-ever Canaanite workshop in the region. The factory contained long flint blades and massive stones used to shape and mold weapons with precision. Researchers also discovered hundreds of underground pits, some lined with mud bricks, that served as storage areas, dwellings, workshops and even ritual spaces. The scale and sophistication of the site reveal that the Canaanites had organized settlements, specialized crafts and thriving trade networks.

The cesspit was found at the outflow of the 13th/14th century garderobes (toilets that were basically niches built into castle walls with open holes over a shaft that disgorged waste into a ditch or moat). Rebecca Nichols, a senior project manager from Pre-Construct Archaeology, which is overseeing the works, said the team were very surprised when they made the discovery. Ms Nichols said the team had found a cesspit or soakaway, capped with a worn millstone but added we're not quite sure which one yet.

'I couldn't believe I'd found something so quickly into my first ever excavation. It was actually quite overwhelming,' Souza said.

The remains of the ancient baths were found beneath the water in the sunken city of Baiae, on the coast of the Bay of Naples.

The Römerswein, or Speyer wine bottle, is the oldest known unopened wine bottle, dating between 325 and 359 AD, discovered in a Roman tomb.

Archaeologists have unearthed a 2,000-year-old coin in Jerusalem that was minted shortly before the destruction of the Second Temple, an event Jesus predicted in the Bible.

An unprecedented grouping of rare bipyramidal ingots has been discovered in the Sava River in Tolisa, northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, dating to between the La Tene culture and the Roman era.

The gilded bronze fibula is engraved with stylized zoomorphic figures and is a unique find for Finland, measuring 2.6 inches in length with extensive surviving gilding.

Cannibalism was likely the result of a violent episode between competing Late Neolithic herding communities about 5,700 years ago.

Twelve sacrificial pits were discovered containing offerings including the remains of burned houses, ceramics, dog bones, and human skulls, near Gerstewitz, eastern Germany.

The discovery of a 900-year-old ceramic ceremonial vessel at the Harran Archaeological Site in Turkey is significant as it showcases sophisticated multicolored lusterware glaze typical of medieval Islamic craftsmanship.

The discovery of oil lamps and Hebrew artifacts in Castulo suggests a previously unknown Jewish community in the late Roman era, around the fourth or fifth century AD.