Well-preserved Ming Dynasty tomb unearthed in China’s Shanxi Province

Well-preserved Ming Dynasty tomb unearthed in China’s Shanxi Province

Well-preserved Ming Dynasty tomb unearthed in China’s Shanxi Province

Archaeologists from the Shanxi Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology have unearthed a well-preserved tomb from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in Xinzhou city of Northern China’s Shanxi province.

To coordinate with a national highway realignment project, archaeologists from the institute and local cultural relics and archaeology departments in Xinzhou excavated relics in the city’s Xinfu district.

Even though the tomb is over 430 years old, its elaborate funerary furniture and wooden coffin are still intact and in excellent condition. In Shanxi, it is rare to find a tomb in such good condition with well-preserved wooden furnishings.

The excavations have uncovered the remains of structures from the Longshan Period (2900-2100 B.C.) and the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), and 66 tombs from the Han, Tang, Jin, Yuan and Ming and Qing dynasties.

Among them was an intact Ming Dynasty tomb discovered on the west terrace of Hexitou village in Xinzhou’s Xinfu district.

Comprising a sloping passageway 17 meters (55.7 ft) long, a central burial chamber, and a smaller rear chamber, the tomb stretched about 25.3 meters (83ft) in length.

A striking image captured the tomb’s sealed entrance, adorned with a stone gatehouse and a set of imposing double doors. The gate is stone carved to imitate a wood structure.

Two dragon heads look outwards on each end of the roof. The stone slabs above and on each side of the doors are carved with florals.

Archaeologists discovered two beautifully decorated wooden coffins with intricate motifs in the main burial chamber, as well as two niches: one in the south with four porcelain jars and one in the north with five porcelain jars and four bottles. The porcelain vessels contained grains, liquids, or oils.

Brightly colored flowers, grasses, and specifically peacocks are painted on the well-maintained inner coffin. The better-preserved exterior coffin of the larger of the two features gold patterns in the shape of diamonds set against a tan backdrop.

The smaller chamber is furnished with wooden altars, tables, chairs, candlesticks, lampstands, incense burners, tin pots, tin cups, tin plates, painted wooden figurines, inkstones, brushes, pen holders and other writing utensils.

An epitaph inscribed in seal script offers a clue to the possible identity of the deceased: “Epitaph of the Prince of Ming Ru Hou’an,” hinting at a noble lineage and prestigious title.

The second coffin, distinguished by a diamond-shaped pattern, bears an inscription in regular script. The inscription reads: “Ming Gu Rong Kao Hou Ru Wang Gong”, translating to “Entrusted by the Ming Dynasty to serve the royal court as a palace official.

The wooden burial objects and sacrificial items were well-preserved, making this discovery rare in the city and even throughout the whole province, according to the institute.

2,000-Year-Old Rock Art Sites Discovered In Jalapão, Brazil

2,000-Year-Old Rock Art Sites Discovered In Jalapão, Brazil

Scientists have discovered 16 new archaeological sites while investigating a large area in Jalapão, in the eastern part of the state of Tocantins, Brazil.

2,000-Year-Old Rock Art Sites Discovered In Jalapão, Brazil
Mountains in Jalapão, the state of Tocantins, Brazil.

The National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (Iphan) archaeology team has announced that new archeological sites are believed to contain rock art, including human and animal footprints, engraved symbols, and figures depicting celestial bodies.

The press release issued by Brazil’s Ministry of Culture suggests these artistic expressions were likely created approximately 2,000 years ago.

Archaeologist Rômulo Mac edo from IPHAN  explained that the carved symbols and rock art prominently feature human footprints. Additionally, there are imprints of animals like deer and wild pigs, along with figures that appear to represent celestial bodies.

Tocantins Archaeological Heritage Is Endangered

Recent findings have enriched the archaeological legacy of Tocantins, a state known for its vast potential in archaeological research. The state boasts numerous sites registered by Iphan, many of which are now part of an extensive archaeological complex situated in Jalapão.

These areas have evidence of human settlements dating back to 12,000 years ago and contain pre-colonial archaeological sites that were established prior to the arrival of European colonizers.

Additionally, structures related to archaeology from the past are present, highlighting this region’s significance as a point of contact between the Amazon Forest and Central Brazil’s Cerrado biome.

As infrastructure development grows in the Amazon states, Tocantins has seen a notable surge in archaeological research conducted as part of environmental licensing. This has enabled the gathering of data from previously unexplored archaeological areas.

In this scenario, archaeological work is carried out by firms dedicated to preserving heritage in regions affected by economic activities. Two key actions are prioritized: organizing and sharing knowledge about discovered assets and integrating archaeological considerations into environmental licensing procedures.

New rock art found by archaeologists investigating the Jalapão in Brazil.

Previous studies conducted in the region have indicated that ancient populations favored residing near minor streams and rivers, which are tributaries of the Rio do Sono.

Archaeologists speculate that this choice may have been influenced by the ease of fishing using traps or bows and arrows provided by these smaller water bodies. Additionally, they served as a vital source of water.

Evidence of archaeological sites has been discovered along the Monte Santo and Vermelho rivers and Espingarda, Caracol, Rapadura, Olimpo, Formosa, and Brejão streams.

Regrettably, as highlighted by the IPHAN archaeologist, this cultural asset is under threat due to various factors.

Wind erosion, vandalism, forest fires, and deforestation are among the main threats to the identified sites. To minimize these impacts, Iphan initiated conservation and heritage education actions in the region to protect and promote this Brazilian cultural heritage.

A 3,300-year-old tablet found at Büklükale from Hittite Empire describes catastrophic invasion of four cities

A 3,300-year-old tablet found at Büklükale from Hittite Empire describes catastrophic invasion of four cities

A 3,300-year-old tablet found at Büklükale from Hittite Empire describes catastrophic invasion of four cities

Archaeologists have unearthed a 3,300-year-old clay tablet depicting a catastrophic foreign invasion of the Hittite Empire in Büklükale, about 100 km from Turkey’s capital Ankara.

A translation of the tablet’s cuneiform text indicates that the invasion occurred during a Hittite civil war, presumably in an attempt to support one of the fighting factions.

Previously, only broken clay tablets had been found in the excavations at Büklükale, but this one is in almost perfect condition.

Based on the typology and distribution of the collected pottery shards, Büklükale is thought to be a single-period city belonging to the Hittite Empire Period and having a diameter of 500 m.

The palm-size tablet was found in May 2023 by Kimiyoshi Matsumura, an archaeologist at the Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology, amid the Hittite ruins at Büklükale.

The Hittites used the Hurrian language for religious ceremonies, Matsumura told Live Science, and it appears that the tablet is a record of a sacred ritual performed by the Hittite king.

“The find of the Hurrian tablet means that the religious ritual at Büklükale was performed by the Hittite king,” Matsumura told Live Science in an mail. “It indicates that, at the least, the Hittite king came to Büklükale … and performed the ritual.”

According to a translation by Mark Weeden, an associate professor of ancient Middle Eastern languages at University College London, the first six lines of cuneiform text on the tablet say, in the Hittite language, that “four cities, including the capital, Hattusa, are in disaster, ” while the remaining 64 lines are a prayer in the Hurrian language asking for victory.

Büklükale site consists of two archeological areas, namely “Lower City” and “Upper City”.

The Hurrian language, which was spoken from the last centuries of the third millennium BCE until the Hittite empire’s final years (c. 1400–c. 1190 BCE), is now extinct and is not related to either the Indo-European or Semitic languages. Hurrian was originally the language of the region’s Mitanni kingdom, which later became a Hittite vassal state.

The language is still poorly understood, and experts have spent several months trying to learn the inscription’s meaning, Matsumura said.

It turns out, the Hurrian writing is a prayer addressed to Teššob (also spelled Teshub), the Hurrian name of the storm god who was the head of both the Hittite and Hurrian pantheons.

 “It praises the god and his divine ancestors, and it repeatedly mentions communication problems between the gods and humans. The prayer then lists several individuals who seem to have been enemy kings and concludes with a plea for divine advice,” Matsumura said.

The Hittite Empire collapsed in the early 12th century for a variety of reasons, including civil war, climate change, and invaders such as the Sea Peoples, Kaskis, Phrygians, and Mycenaean Greeks pushing the borders of Hatti.

But it seems that the invasion indicated by the tablet has nothing to do with the end of the Hittite Empire. Matsumura said the tablet dates to the reign of the Hittite king Tudhaliya II, between about 1380 to 1370 B.C. — roughly 200 years before the Late Bronze Age collapse.

The tablet “seems to come from a period of civil war which we know about from other [Hittite] texts,” he said. “During this time, the Hittite heartland was invaded from many different directions at once … and many cities were temporarily destroyed.”

Although the Hittite Civil War is known as a period of civil war that destabilized the Hittite Empire in the last decades of its existence, it is understood that this problem has been ongoing since the past.

Cover Photo: The ancient tablet is inscribed with cuneiform text in both the Hittite and Hurrian languages. The Hittite inscription describes the outbreak of war, and the Hurrian inscription is a prayer for victory. Image credit: Kimiyoshi Matsumura, Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology.

An Ancient Large Clay Vessel “Hum” 1.75 Meters High Unearthed in Kyrgyzstan

An Ancient Large Clay Vessel “Hum” 1.75 Meters High Unearthed in Kyrgyzstan

An Ancient Large Clay Vessel “Hum” 1.75 Meters High Unearthed in Kyrgyzstan

During recent archaeological excavations in the town of Uzgen in the Osh province of Kyrgyzstan, a 1.75-meter-high clay vessel known as a ‘hum’ was unearthed.

The ancient settlement of Uzgen is the center of the oasis rich of monuments of settled and nomadic people, dating in a wide chronological range. It belongs to a zone of early contacts on the Silk Road, being the most eastern city center of Davan, as the city of Ju-Chen known on Chinese sources is traditionally localized here in the context of military expeditions of 104-99 BC.

The main period of development is IV-I centuries BC.

However, the town flourished under the rule of the Qarakhanid state in the 10th century AD. It was one of the capitals of the Karakhanids, who called it Mavarannahr and left three well-preserved mausolea.

This amazing discovery was announced by Turarbek Abdyrahmanov, an archaeologist from the Kyrgyz Republic’s National Academy of Sciences.

The excavations, led by Mars Boranbaev, had begun 10 days ago when on March 1 a ‘Hum’ was discovered 2.5 meters below ground level.

The artifact, believed to have been built between the 7th and 4th centuries BC, was carefully removed unharmed and transferred to the Uzgen Museum of Architecture and Archaeology.

“After meticulous cleaning, the ‘hum’ now awaits further examination as part of our ongoing research endeavors,” Abdyrahmanov elaborated.

“Already, fragments of clay pottery indicative of the Shoro-Bashat culture have been unearthed, signaling the rich historical tapestry of the region.”

By the end of the Bronze and Early Iron Ages, began to form, Shorobashat culture in the Ferghana Valley.

The era of the Late Bronze and the Early Iron Age in the Fergana Valley parallel there were nomadic (Kairakkum and Eilatan, 11th-3rd century BC) and sedental (Chust and Shorobashat, 14th-1st centuries BC) cultures. Shorobashat culture is a sedentary agricultural culture.

The excavation site is located close to the Kyzyl-Oktiabr area, where plans are in the works for a bypass road. It has great historical potential.

Abdyrahmanov noted that increased archaeological research has been conducted in the hopes of finding more ancient artifacts because of the busy activity around the old city.

The ‘hum,’ towering at 1.75 meters in height and spanning 1.30 meters in width, serves as a testament to the ancient civilizations that once thrived in these lands.

The Americas’ oldest known bead discovered near Douglas, Wyoming

The Americas’ oldest known bead discovered near Douglas, Wyoming

The Americas’ oldest known bead discovered near Douglas, Wyoming

Archaeologists have discovered the oldest known bead in the Americas at the La Prele Mammoth site in Converse County, United States. The oldest known bead in the Americas was discovered by University of Wyoming archeology professor Todd Surovell and his team and is in the shape of a tube made of bone that is approximately 12,940 years old.

The campsite was located along Le Prele Creek near the North Platte River, not far from present-day Douglas.

Perhaps it is more appropriate to refer to it as a hunting camp. While that may not seem unusual, this camp was not for processing deer or elk, but rather a mammoth. 

The site was active approximately 13,000 years ago.

The bead measures 7mm in length by 1.6mm and was likely worn as a decorative item on clothing. Both ends of the bead are smoothed and polished, while the surface has a layer of red ochre.

Grooves found on the outside of the bead are consistent with creation by humans, either with stones or their teeth.

Professor Todd Surovell’s research is published in Scientific Reports; the paper is titled “Use of hare bone for the manufacture of a Clovis bead.”

Members of the research team included collaborators from UW, the Office of the Wyoming State Archaeologist, the University of Manchester, Weber State University, and Chico State University.

An aerial view of the La Prele Mammoth site in Wyoming’s Converse County.

The La Prele Mammoth site preserves the remains of a killed or scavenged sub-adult Columbian mammoth and an associated camp occupied during the time the animal was butchered.

By using mass spectrometry, or ZooMS, to extract collagen for zooarchaeology, the team was able to ascertain the origin of the bone bead and obtain valuable information about the chemical makeup of the bone.

The researchers concluded that the bead was made from either a metapodial (the bones that link the phalanges of the digits to the more proximal bones of the limb) or a proximal phalanx (a bone found in the fingers and toes of humans and other vertebrates) of a hare.

This discovery provides the first secure evidence for the use of hares during the Clovis period, a prehistoric era in North America that peaked around 12,000 years ago. It is named for the Clovis archaeological site in New Mexico, where unique stone tools were discovered.

Scottish Farmer Discovers 5,000-Year-Old Lost City

Scottish Farmer Discovers 5,000-Year-Old Lost City

Scottish Farmer Discovers 5,000-Year-Old Lost City
Scottish Farmer Discovers 5,000-Year-Old Lost City

One day a farmer found a large stone on the island of Orkney in Scotland that didn’t look like it belonged to the environment.

When the farmer moved over the rock, he had a lifetime surprise. Skara Brae, a city hidden and lost that was about 5,000 years ago, was located underneath the stone.

The farmer thought it was a house at first because it seemed very small to be a city. But the farmer soon realised after showing to people what he had discovered that  it was the lost city after all.

Skara Brae History

Orkney is an island with a very long history. It actually has one of the oldest British settlements to ever exist. Historians believe Skara Brae was an active city more than 5,000 years ago.

If this is true, then that makes Skara Brae older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. Since most of it got covered with sand dunes over the years. Thus it was preserved well for thousands of years.

When it was an active city, probably it had about 50 to 100 people in it. That might not seem like a lot, but it sure is for a city back in those days when the population of people was much less.

Neolithic Lifestyle

The inhabitants of Skara Brae were makers and users of grooved ware, a distinctive style of pottery that had recently appeared in northern Scotland. The houses used earth sheltering, being sunk into the ground.

They were sunk into mounds of pre-existing prehistoric domestic waste known as middens. This provided the houses with stability and also acted as insulation against Orkney’s harsh winter climate.

On average, each house measures 40 square meters (430 sq ft) with a large square room containing a stone hearth used for heating and cooking.

Given the number of homes, it seems likely that no more than fifty people lived in Skara Brae at any given time.

The homes were not just sheltered for the citizens of Skara Brae. The center of each home contained a waterproof basin that could have possibly been used to catch fish for eating.

600 million-year-old fossils of tiny humanoids found in Antarctica

600 million-year-old fossils of tiny humanoids found in Antarctica

600 million-year-old fossils of tiny humanoids found in Antarctica
600 million-year-old fossils of tiny humanoids found in Antarctica

In the rocky terrain of the Whitmore mountain range of Antarctica, fossilised skeletal remains of what seem to be very small humans have been found.

Tiny fossilized skeletons were found in the Whitmore mountain range

Interestingly enough this finding was made when yours was truly assigned to The National Reporter in Antarctica to debunk a ridiculous tabloid story about the area’s UFO base.

We came across a group of palaeontologists who were looking for evidence that dinosaurs had once roamed the Antarctic continent before it broke loose from Africa and South America and drifted south to its present location while researching this dumb storey with many classmates.

What they found instead astonished them, not only because of what it was but because of its age.

Top; Basecamp with National Reporter tent in the foreground. Bottom; Star reporter Ace Flashman walking with his investigative team.

“We tested the fossils and have determined without a shadow of doubt that they are at least 600 million years old.”

Doctor Marly of Cambridge University told us.  “600 million years ago, jellyfish first appeared. There were no human beings in the world and there wouldn’t be any for for nearly five hundred and 60 million years. There weren’t even any dinosaurs around at that time.”

“The first skeleton we found was hidden within the layers of a large piece of sedimentary rock that we had broken loose from the mountainside.

The first fossilized skeleton they found was less than a foot tall.

We knew that it would most likely  contain some fossils because of its type and age.” Dr.Marly explained.

“When we split the rock apart  we were completely confused.  Here was this fossil from an age when the appearance of the first vertebrates were still millions of years off and it was a complete skeleton. And not only that, it appeared to be human.”

“The second skeleton was a very good specimen, Unlike the first one, the second skeleton was in a fully extended position with excellent detail.” Dr. Marly told us.

The second tiny skeleton was very well-preserved and showed quite a bit of detail.

“It is quite obvious from our study of these skeletons that they are definitely human and not a species of primate.  Who they were and how large their population was and if they were technologically advanced is a complete mystery.”

The fossils have been flown to the National institute of ancient studys in Washington DC  for further analysis.

The National Reporter  will be doing a follow-up report on this amazing discovery within the next few months.

The National Reporter would also like to stress to our readers that these tiny fossilized humanoid skeletons are not the remains of extraterrestrial aliens as we expect the tabloids will be reporting it when the news breaks.

2,700-year-old Children’s Cemetery unearthed in Turkey’s Tenedos

2,700-year-old Children’s Cemetery unearthed in Turkey’s Tenedos

2,700-year-old Children’s Cemetery unearthed in Turkey’s Tenedos

A 2700-year-old children’s cemetery was discovered during ongoing excavations in the ancient city of Tenedos in Bozcaada,  southeast of the Dardanelles.

Bozcaada (Tenedos) Bozcaada is the modern Turkish name for the legendary island of Tenedos. The name Tenedos refers to the legendary hero Tenes, who ruled the island during the Trojan War.

According to legend, Tenedos was the staging station of the Greek task force under Agamemnon during the Trojan War. It was used by Xerxes as a base during the Persian War.

Discoveries continue in the ongoing excavations in the ancient city of Tenedos under the direction of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Archeology Department Faculty Member Professor Turan Takaoğlu.

During the 2023 excavations, many child graves were detected in the necropolis area of the city. It was noteworthy that children who died at an early age had different types of burial practices. The children were buried with their grave goods in Pithos tombs, amphora tombs, and stone masonry tombs.

Grave within a grave

The most interesting of the children’s graves was a 6th century BC pithos or cube grave into which a second pithos grave was placed in the 4th century BC.

Six terracotta figurines and a bronze pin in the shape of a horse’s foot were placed inside the later pithos grave.

These statuettes depict two dancers wearing Phrygian headdresses, one of them a woman playing the stringed musical instrument lyre, and the remaining three standing women in Eastern costumes that can be associated with the cult of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine.

Bronze needle.

The figurines were subjected to restoration and conservation procedures by Dr. Çilem Yavşan. After the excavation season, the finds were delivered to the Troy Museum Directorate.

Professor Ömer Can Yıldırım, Vice President of the Excavation, told İHA that excavation works were carried out in Bozcaada Castle and Ancient Necropolis Area in 2023.

Yıldırım said, “Especially in the studies carried out in the Necropolis area, an area previously unknown in the archaeological literature and limited as a burial area for children was detected. Among the graves identified in this area, the structure we defined as a pithos grave showed the feature of a pithos within a pithos and provided the emergence of data that was not previously known in archaeological data.”

“The first burial here was made in the 6th century BC and then, after a period of about 200 years, a second burial was made in the 4th century BC, that is, in the Late Classical Period,” said Professor Yıldırım.

Yıldırım said, “When we look at the general characteristics of the artifacts, the way they are dressed, the goddess motifs are indicative of the beliefs that prevailed in this period and the respect for children buried at a young age related to reaching God.

When we evaluate these artifacts in terms of history, the stylistic and analogical features of the artifacts show that these artifacts were manufactured approximately 2,700 years ago and placed in the grave of a child who died at a young age.

“We can say that the types of clothing found on the artifacts are more related to the eastern Phrygian culture and the cult of Cybele as well as Dionysus. This feature clearly shows us that this religious ideology was dominant especially in the 4th century BC in the Necropolis of Tenedos.

The typological features reflected by the artifacts provide us with significant data in understanding the cultural characteristics of the Tenedos Necropolis during the Late Classical Period,” he said.

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