Archeologists discover 2,500-year-old Midas dynasty tomb in Turkey
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Archeologists uncover skeletons in 'Indiana Jones' filming location
'Expedition Unknown' host Josh Gates joined the excavation of a tomb beneath Petra that is estimated to be at least 2,000 years old.
A 2,500-year-old royal tomb has been discovered by archeologists at the site of an ancient city in Turkey.
After four months of excavations, Penn Museum and Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University archeologists discovered a well-preserved royal tomb chamber that dates back to 8th century BCE (800 to 701 BCE). The tomb's roof was collapsed, but objects inside remained intact, including bronze vessels used during banquets, iron rods, a pair of large bronze cauldrons and assorted smaller bronze cauldrons, jugs and bowls, according to a news release.
The tomb was discovered at the archeological site of Gordion, the capital of the Phrygian kingdom, which controlled much of Asia Minor during the first millennium BCE, Gordion Excavation Director C. Brian Rose said in a news release. Gordion is located in northwest Turkey, about 60 miles southwest of Turkey's capital Ankara.
At one time, Gordion was ruled by King Midas, famously known for his "golden touch." Archeologists believe that the newly-discovered tomb may have belonged to a member of the Midas dynasty.
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Archeologists used magnetic prospection technology to find the tomb, a news release states. This geophysical method uses variations in Earth's magnetic field to identify objects below the surface, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
To archeologists' surprise, the tomb indicated a cremated burial. Up until this latest excavation, researchers believed the first cremation to occur in Gordion was more than 100 years later.
Vessels inside the tomb also featured textiles adhered to their exterior, which indicate that textiles were an important industry in Gordion, Rose said in a news release.
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The tomb was located near and appeared like the Midas Mound tomb, which is believed to have housed the body of King Midas' father.
The Gordion site has proved fruitful for archeologists for 75 years, since Penn Museum began leading excavations there in 1950. Previous excavations included the oldest wooden building in the world, dating back to 740 BCE. Others include the earliest colored stone mosaics found in Gordion, the best-preserved citadel gate of the first millennium and a gilded ivory sphinx of the 6th century BCE, according to a news release.
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.
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Miami Herald
a day ago
- Miami Herald
Ancient ‘ice mummies' found in Siberia had hidden tattoos. Now, we can see them
Nearly a century ago in the frigid Altai Mountains of southern Siberia, explorers discovered frozen tombs. They were described as 'mounded monuments' with underground chambers 'lined with log cabin-like constructions' deep below the surface, according to a study published July 31 in the peer-reviewed journal Antiquity. Researchers known by the names V. Radlov, M. Gryaznov and S. Rudenko contributed to their discovery and excavations between 1895 and the middle of the 20th century, according to the study. 'Some of these tombs were encased within a permafrost lens, leading to the preservation of a rich assemblage of organic artefacts made from wood, leather, felt and textiles, as well as mummified human bodies,' researchers said. For decades, researchers have known that the 'Pazyryk ice mummies' were decorated with tattoos, but the full extent of their artistic expression was unknown — until now. The site dates to the early Iron Age, or a little more than 2,000 years ago, according to the study. In the past, archaeologists have only been able to see poor-quality, monochrome interpretations of the tattoos on the mummies based on drawings, leaving out both the intricate designs as well as the techniques used to create them, according to the study. Tattoos were first noticed on the ice mummies on a male from tomb 2 in the 1940s, but no tattoos were identified on the female from the same tomb, or the male or female from tomb 5, according to the study. New infrared imaging of these bodies now shows that this wasn't accurate, and all four bodies had been tattooed, researchers said. The study specifically examined the female mummy found in tomb 5, and a combination of floodlights, digital cameras and near-infrared imaging showed her detailed tattoos for the very first time. 'The tattoos on the body of the female individual from Pazyryk tomb 5 broadly cluster into four regions: left hand, left forearm, right hand and right forearm,' according to the study. 'While the images on the hands are mostly simple designs, the most elaborate of which is a rooster on the left thumb, the forearms display some of the most complex Pazyryk tattoos currently identified.' The tattoos showed varying degrees of line thickness, skill and precision, suggesting that multiple kinds of tattoo tools were used, as well as potentially multiple artists, according to the study. One of the tattoos on the woman's forearm was likely completed in multiple sessions and uses 'clever' placement to utilize the natural contours of the woman's wrist to 'enhance' the animal's form on the body, researchers said. 'This decision showcases the artist's expertise while also establishing the central feline as the main focal point of the design,' according to the study. 'The tattooist skillfully applied and expanded upon rules of perspective, depicting the heads of the leopard and upper tiger turned to face the viewer.' The tattoo on the woman's right forearm provides evidence of various tool use, researchers said. 'The use of clear parallel lines with negative space, along with the finer details in the hooves, stripes, paws and antler tips, likely required at least two different tool arrangements. The linework is clear and consistent, with nearly double the amount of outlining present on the left forearm,' researchers said. 'Achieving such crisp and uniform results, especially with hand-poked methods, would be a challenge even for contemporary tattooists using modern equipment.' Some gold tattoo needles have been found at the frozen tomb sites, but researchers haven't discovered tools with multiple needles that could have been used to create these more complex images, according to the study. The exact process for these images, therefore, remains a mystery. The new images of the mummy also helped researchers better understand the ancient people's cultural relationship with tattoos because cut marks made while preparing the body for burial went directly through some of the tattoos. 'The global cross-cultural sample of indigenous and historic tattooing traditions includes multiple examples of belief systems wherein the presence of intact tattoos was critical in the spiritual transition to the afterlife,' according to the study. 'The apparent disregard for preserving tattoo designs during Pazyryk burial preparation suggests that the social or spiritual function of the marks ended with the death of the individual. We thus posit that the tattoos of the Pazyryk people were intricately tied to the world of the living and had limited relevance in a burial context.' The site is located in modern-day central Russia. The research team includes Gino Caspari, Aaron Deter-Wolf, Daniel Riday, Mikhail Vavulin and Svetlana Pankova.
Time Business News
a day ago
- Time Business News
A Majestic Companion of Humanity
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By 2000 BCE, domesticated horses had spread to regions such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Europe, revolutionizing agriculture, warfare, and transport. Their speed and strength made them invaluable for travel, trade, and conquest. Horses are known for their powerful build, elegant posture, and intelligent eyes. They belong to the species Equus ferus caballus . Adult horses typically stand between 14 to 17 hands high (a 'hand' equals 4 inches), and they weigh between 900 to 2,000 pounds, depending on the breed. Mane and tail : Long, flowing hair used for protection against insects and weather. : Long, flowing hair used for protection against insects and weather. Hooves : Strong keratin-based structures that protect the feet and support weight. : Strong keratin-based structures that protect the feet and support weight. Teeth : Adapted for grinding grasses, showing both age and gender characteristics. : Adapted for grinding grasses, showing both age and gender characteristics. 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Shire: One of the largest and strongest breeds. Smaller in height but strong and sturdy. Ideal for children or mountainous terrains: Shetland Pony Welsh Pony Hackney Pony Each breed has unique traits in terms of temperament, speed, strength, and color. Few animals have shaped human history like the horse. They have been our allies in war, agriculture, exploration, and sport. In Warfare Before tanks and trucks, horses were the engines of war. From Genghis Khan's Mongol cavalry to the Napoleonic Wars, horses carried warriors into battle and pulled artillery across battlefields. The bond between a soldier and his horse was often one of mutual respect and survival. In pre-industrial societies, horses were critical to plowing fields, transporting goods, and maintaining trade routes. The invention of the horse collar in medieval Europe improved efficiency and helped increase crop yields. Horses allowed people to explore vast new territories — from the American West to the Silk Road. 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CNN
a day ago
- CNN
New imaging reveals intricate tattoos on 2,000-year-old Siberian ‘ice mummy'
Archaeologists have used cutting edge techniques to reveal new information about the intricate tattoos of a woman that lived in Siberia during the Iron Age. Although the prehistoric remains date from more than 2,000 years ago, the skin, and therefore the tattoos, of mummies from the region's Pazyryk culture have been preserved in permafrost in the Altai mountains, according to a statement from the journal Antiquity, which published the study, on Thursday. The tattoos 'have long intrigued archaeologists due to their elaborate figural designs,' said study author Gino Caspari, an archaeologist at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology and the University of Bern, in the statement. However, previous research on the tattoos has been based on early schematic drawings. 'These interpretations lacked clarity regarding the techniques and tools used and did not focus much on the individuals but rather the overarching social context,' said Caspari. Now, however, researchers have been able to produce a 3D scan of one tattooed mummy using newly-available high-resolution near infrared photography, shedding light on the high-level of craftsmanship of Pazyryk tattoo artists. Researchers worked with modern tattoo artists to identify the tools and techniques used by their ancient counterparts, revealing that this particular mummy had more intricate tattoos on its right forearm than on the left. While the two tattoos share many of the same characteristics, the right arm shows 'a finer attention to detail and a greater array of visual techniques' compared to the left, according to the study. The right arm tattoo most likely took at least two sessions to complete, and makes use of the contours of the wrist to allow the tattoo to flow over the arm, it adds. This 'clever placement' not only 'showcases the artist's expertise,' but emphasizes a feline animal as the focal point of the tattoo, according to the study. This expertise is further demonstrated by the clear and consistent linework, said the researchers. 'Achieving such crisp and uniform results, especially with hand-poked methods, would be a challenge even for contemporary tattooists using modern equipment,' they wrote. This may mean that the work was carried out by two different artists, or the same artist at different stages of training, indicating that tattooing was a skilled craft for the Pazyryk, requiring formal training and technical ability, according to the statement. 'The study offers a new way to recognize personal agency in prehistoric body modification practices,' said Caspari. 'Tattooing emerges not merely as symbolic decoration but as a specialized craft – one that demanded technical skill, aesthetic sensitivity, and formal training or apprenticeship.' This is not dissimilar to modern tattoo artists, he added. 'This made me feel like we were much closer to seeing the people behind the art, how they worked and learned and made mistakes,' said Caspari. 'The images came alive.'
