Today, Archaeology Magazine has rolled out its “Top 10 Discoveries of 2012.” The list includes (in no particular order):
2,000 Year Old Stashed Treasure
Category Archives: Ancient Near East
New Research Suggests Carthage Baby Cemetery Not for Sacrificial Victims
One of the infamous characteristics of Ancient Carthage was, according to their Roman enemies, their prolific practice of child sacrifice. Many ancient historians mention the practice, the most colorful by Diodorus Siculus
Denis Jarvis; burial ground of Tophet
“There was in their city a bronze image of Cronus extending its hands, palms up and sloping toward the ground, so that each of the children when placed thereon rolled down and fell into a sort of gaping pit filled with fire.” Hist20.14.6
New research suggests that the child burials of Carthage may not in fact be evidence of the practice (or at least of it being wide-spread). Rather, they are burial sites for infants and fetuses that died as a result of premature birth. Infant mortality was high in the ancient world (in some cases, 40% of children died before reaching their fifth birthday). The loss of a child during pregnancy or birth was also a common occurrence.
Jeffrey Schwartz, Ph.D. asserts that the majority of burials found here represent children that died of natural causes and not from the horrific murder of infants to the God Ba’al.
To learn more about these findings, read the article at MSNBC or purchase the more extensive Academic Journal Article at Antiquity.
Should the Bamiyan Buddhas be Rebuilt?
The Buddha’s before and after their destruction (courtesy of Wikipedia).
The Buddhas of Bamiyan were monumental sculptures that stood in Afghanistan for 1,500 years. In March of 2001, the Taliban of Afghanistan succeeded in their efforts to destroy the statues in spite of wide spread protest. The Taliban government used the Islamic ban on images as justification for the extirpation of the monuments. The Times quoted Mullah Mohammed Omar as stating, ”Muslims should be proud of smashing idols. It has given praise to God that we have destroyed them.”
Since the overthrow of the Taliban in 2003, archaeologists and art historians have surveyed the rubble of the Buddha’s to determine whether or not they could be repaired or reconstructed. The overall consensus was that the damage was too thorough and pervasive to allow effective reconstruction. However, a small group – most notably the German International Council on Monuments and Sites – have continued to argue and push for the statues to be rebuilt.
The decision remains controversial and likely will be debated for decades. To read more about the debate, see the article at BBC News.
Top 10 Archaeological Discoveries of 2011
This month’s Archaeology Magazine highlights the top ten finds of the 2011 Field Season. The list includes:
A Viking Boat Burial in Scotland- A Neolithic Community in Jordan
- Open Source Australopithecus in South Africa
- First Domesticated Dogs in the Czech Republic
- Remains of a female Mayan Ruler in Guatamala
- Gladiatorial School in Austria
- Ancient Chinese Takeout in Xinjiang China
- War Formations of Lake Titicaca in Peru
- Atlantic Whaler found off the coast of Hawaii
- Arab Spring Impact on Tunisia, Syria, Egypt, & Libya
The Sumerians Enjoyed Alcohol… Just not Beer
Alcohol is as old as civilization… in fact, some anthropologists have argued that civilization developed so that humans could better brew and ferment grain, rice, and grapes – in short, to produce alcohol.
Ancient Sumer, the world’s oldest civilization, has hundreds of cuneiform tablets focused on the fermentation of grains but key ingredients to beer, namely barley, was not part brewing process (or at least not in the records). So, while the Sumerians had fermented grains, technically, beer may not have been on that list.
Archaeologists Uncover Lovers Trinket in Jerusalem
Archaeologists working in Jerusalem have uncovered a small clay pipe with the phrase:
“Love is the language for lovers.” or, more literally
“Heart is language for the lover.”
These types of pipes were very common throughout the region during the Ottoman Period. To read more about the romantic discovery, see the article Archaeologists Uncover Lovers’ Pipe Dreams in Jerusalem’s Dig.
“Treasure of Benghazi” Stolen From Tumultuous Libya
After the death of Muammar Gaddafi has provided a brief respite for Libyans. As the civilization begins to take a catalogue, one of the greatest heists in history has been publicized. The so called “Treasure of Benghazi,” the world’s largest collection of gold and silver coins (many dating to the time of Alexander the Great) have gone missing from a bank vault in Libya.
Antiquities dealers believe this could be the largest archaeological heist in history. Some have speculated the the looted coins are now in Egypt. To learn more about this, see the article in the BBC or the Sydney Morning Herald.
What are the Dead Sea Scrolls?
Google, in conjunction with the Israeli Museum, has made a chunk of the Dead Sea Scrolls available online. You can view the the Digital Dead Sea Scrolls here.
However, while many people have heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls, few actually know what they are or why they are important.
This month’s Biblical Archaeology Review highlights the history of the Dead Sea Scrolls including who wrote them, where they were placed, how they were discovered, and their relevance to Biblical Scholars.
Read more in their article “Where Were the Dead Sea Scrolls Found and Who Put Them There?”
Google Makes Dead Sea Scrolls Available Online
Internet giant Google has enabled scholars to post a chunk of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the most important documents to Biblical scholars aside from the Old and New testaments. The announcement has generated a great deal of excitement amongst professional and lay scholars alike – providing ready access to the materials to the public for free.
Google has been making a number of forays into the educational world – most specifically with the Google Art Project. To see the available material of the Dead Sea Scrolls, see the Digital Dead Sea Scrolls.
To learn more about the project, see these articles on the BBC, LA Times, Fox News, and ABC News.
“Nazca Lines” Discovered in the Middle East
Nazca Monkey
The famous Nazca Lines in South America, a series of geoglyphs visible only from the sky, appear to not be a unique find. New satellite mapping technologies has identified a series of wheel-shaped geoglyphs in the Middle East – the program is focused in Jordan.
The wheels are theorized to be 2,000 years old, located on lava fields, and are upwards of 80 feet in diameter. The wheels appear to be encompassed in a larger landscaping. It’s an amazing find in Jordan.
To learn more about this discovery, read the article in Living Science.
