Latest news with #Archaeologists
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Science
- The Guardian
Spanish discovery suggests Roman era ‘church' may have been a synagogue
Seventeen centuries after they last burned, a handful of broken oil lamps could shed light on a small and long-vanished Jewish community that lived in southern Spain in the late Roman era as the old gods were being snuffed out by Christianity. Archaeologists excavating the Ibero-Roman town of Cástulo, whose ruins lie near the present-day Andalucían town of Linares, have uncovered evidence of an apparent Jewish presence there in the late fourth or early fifth century AD. As well as three fragments of oil lamps decorated with menorahs and a roof tile bearing a five-branched menorah, they have also come across a piece of the lid of a cone-shaped jar bearing a Hebrew graffito. While experts are split over whether the engraving reads 'light of forgiveness' or 'Song to David', its very existence points to a previously unknown Jewish population in the town, which eventually fell into decay and abandonment 1,000 years later. The discovery of the materials has led the team to consider whether the ruins of a nearby building, assumed to be an early Christian basilica dating from the fourth century AD, could perhaps have been a synagogue where Cástulo's Jewish community came to worship. When the site of the supposed church was first excavated between 1985 and 1991, archaeologists assumed it was a Christian edifice. 'During the 2012-2013 [dig], we found the roof tile with the five-armed [menorah],' said Bautista Ceprían, one of the archaeologists working on the Andalucían regional government's Cástulo Sefarad, Primera Luz project, which aims to uncover the town's Jewish history. 'Until that moment, we didn't know that there could have been a very small Jewish community in Cástulo.' In a recently published paper, Ceprián and his colleagues David Expósito Mangas and José Carlos Ortega Díez consider the possibility that the 'church' could in fact have been a synagogue. They argue that the lack of Christian materials in the site, combined with an absence of evidence of burials or religious relics – which would normally be expected in a Christian church of the era – could point to its use as a Jewish temple. A nearby baptistry, in contrast, has already yielded Christian finds and burials. Jewish religious law, however, forbids burials within 50 cubits (23m) of a residential area. 'When we looked at the interior of the building a little more closely, there were some strange things for a church; there was something that could have been the hole for a big menorah,' said Ceprián. 'It's also strange that this building doesn't have any tombs.' The authors also point to the site's architectural features, such as its layout, which is reminiscent of some synagogues found in Palestine. 'Synagogues of that time could be more square in shape than Christian basilicas because in Jewish worship, there's usually a central bimah [raised platform], which people sit around,' said Ceprián. 'In a church, the priest performs the rituals in the apse, which means things are more rectangular.' Then there is the location of the possible synagogue; it would have sat in an isolated part of town near a ruined Roman bathhouse that would have been feared and hated by the local bishops. Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion 'The Roman baths were the last pagan place that remained in a city,' said Ceprián. 'It was something diabolical and therefore something that had to be outside the Christian world. It seems to be the case that the baths in Cástulo had already been closed by the end of the fourth century, or the beginning of the fifth century.' He argues that the synagogue's location, so close to a font of paganism, would have helped the local Christian hierarchy in its efforts to conflate Judaism with unholy practices: 'The Jews would have had few options and at that moment it's clear that it's the bishops who are fundamentally organising the town – and it would allow them to relate Jews with evil.' If the researchers' theories were to be confirmed, the Cástulo synagogue would be among the very oldest Jewish temples on the Iberia peninsula. Spain's handful of surviving original synagogues are mainly medieval. The most recently discovered synagogue, in the Andalucían city of Utrera, dates from the 1300s. The problem for Ceprián and his colleagues – as they acknowledge – is the lack of written historical corroboration. 'I'm sure there will be criticism, which is totally legitimate – that's how science works and how it has to work,' he said. 'But of course we believe we've provided data with enough seriousness to allow ourselves to posit it.' Whether the building was a church or a synagogue, those digging up Cástulo have uncovered evidence of what would appear to be a small Jewish community living, if only for a while, in peaceful coexistence with their Christian neighbours. As the centuries wore on and the church propagated the otherness of Spain's Jewish inhabitants in order to forge and galvanise a Christian identity, there were pogroms and, finally, the expulsion of the country's Jewish population in 1492. 'It shows us that there was a good coexistence between all the different social groups or faith groups that were there at that time,' said Ceprián. 'But later, from the time when the Christian church begins to grow stronger in the Roman government, you start to get powerful groups opposed to those who are weaker in society. Oddly, that's something that's happening now, too.'
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Science
- The Guardian
Spanish discovery suggests Roman era ‘church' may have been a synagogue
Seventeen centuries after they last burned, a handful of broken oil lamps could shed light on a small and long-vanished Jewish community that lived in southern Spain in the late Roman era as the old gods were being snuffed out by Christianity. Archaeologists excavating the Ibero-Roman town of Cástulo, whose ruins lie near the present-day Andalucían town of Linares, have uncovered evidence of an apparent Jewish presence there in the late fourth or early fifth century AD. As well as three fragments of oil lamps decorated with menorahs and a roof tile bearing a five-branched menorah, they have also come across a piece of the lid of a cone-shaped jar bearing a Hebrew graffito. While experts are split over whether the engraving reads 'light of forgiveness' or 'Song to David', its very existence points to a previously unknown Jewish population in the town, which eventually fell into decay and abandonment 1,000 years later. The discovery of the materials has led the team to consider whether the ruins of a nearby building, assumed to be an early Christian basilica dating from the fourth century AD, could perhaps have been a synagogue where Cástulo's Jewish community came to worship. When the site of the supposed church was first excavated between 1985 and 1991, archaeologists assumed it was a Christian edifice. 'During the 2012-2013 [dig], we found the roof tile with the five-armed [menorah],' said Bautista Ceprían, one of the archaeologists working on the Andalucían regional government's Cástulo Sefarad, Primera Luz project, which aims to uncover the town's Jewish history. 'Until that moment, we didn't know that there could have been a very small Jewish community in Cástulo.' In a recently published paper, Ceprián and his colleagues David Expósito Mangas and José Carlos Ortega Díez consider the possibility that the 'church' could in fact have been a synagogue. They argue that the lack of Christian materials in the site, combined with an absence of evidence of burials or religious relics – which would normally be expected in a Christian church of the era – could point to its use as a Jewish temple. A nearby baptistry, in contrast, has already yielded Christian finds and burials. Jewish religious law, however, forbids burials within 50 cubits (23m) of a residential area. 'When we looked at the interior of the building a little more closely, there were some strange things for a church; there was something that could have been the hole for a big menorah,' said Ceprián. 'It's also strange that this building doesn't have any tombs.' The authors also point to the site's architectural features, such as its layout, which is reminiscent of some synagogues found in Palestine. 'Synagogues of that time could be more square in shape than Christian basilicas because in Jewish worship, there's usually a central bimah [raised platform], which people sit around,' said Ceprián. 'In a church, the priest performs the rituals in the apse, which means things are more rectangular.' Then there is the location of the possible synagogue; it would have sat in an isolated part of town near a ruined Roman bathhouse that would have been feared and hated by the local bishops. Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion 'The Roman baths were the last pagan place that remained in a city,' said Ceprián. 'It was something diabolical and therefore something that had to be outside the Christian world. It seems to be the case that the baths in Cástulo had already been closed by the end of the fourth century, or the beginning of the fifth century.' He argues that the synagogue's location, so close to a font of paganism, would have helped the local Christian hierarchy in its efforts to conflate Judaism with unholy practices: 'The Jews would have had few options and at that moment it's clear that it's the bishops who are fundamentally organising the town – and it would allow them to relate Jews with evil.' If the researchers' theories were to be confirmed, the Cástulo synagogue would be among the very oldest Jewish temples on the Iberia peninsula. Spain's handful of surviving original synagogues are mainly medieval. The most recently discovered synagogue, in the Andalucían city of Utrera, dates from the 1300s. The problem for Ceprián and his colleagues – as they acknowledge – is the lack of written historical corroboration. 'I'm sure there will be criticism, which is totally legitimate – that's how science works and how it has to work,' he said. 'But of course we believe we've provided data with enough seriousness to allow ourselves to posit it.' Whether the building was a church or a synagogue, those digging up Cástulo have uncovered evidence of what would appear to be a small Jewish community living, if only for a while, in peaceful coexistence with their Christian neighbours. As the centuries wore on and the church propagated the otherness of Spain's Jewish inhabitants in order to forge and galvanise a Christian identity, there were pogroms and, finally, the expulsion of the country's Jewish population in 1492. 'It shows us that there was a good coexistence between all the different social groups or faith groups that were there at that time,' said Ceprián. 'But later, from the time when the Christian church begins to grow stronger in the Roman government, you start to get powerful groups opposed to those who are weaker in society. Oddly, that's something that's happening now, too.'
The Sun
25-07-2025
- Science
- The Sun
Disturbing Ancient Egyptian graves reveal brutal treatment of corpses 5,000 years ago including shock teen girl's burial
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have uncovered a disturbing Ancient Egyptian burial practice that saw people dismembered before being put to rest. The discovery offers a rare insight into the spiritual life of villagers more than 5,000 years ago - and may even mark the beginning of religion for the ancient pharaohs. 3 Researchers found the remains of a teenage girl whose arm had been deliberately severed after her death and positioned to match her left arm. The girl's left arm was bent unnaturally in a more than 90-degree angle and tucked in very tightly. The limb was removed near the lower part of the upper arm and forearm, possibly done using an axe. The muscles were most likely sliced with a flint blade, according to researchers. Her severed arm was carefully arranged to appear almost intact, with the hand placed beside the forearm. Buried in the Adaiima cemetery on the west bank of the Nile river, the remains date back to between 3300 to 2700 BC. The girl's body was carefully aligned with the setting sun on the winter solstice, while her coffin also pointed towards the rising of Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. Celestial alignments, and other symbolic gestures, likely influenced the religious traditions later embraced by Egypt's first pharaohs who emerged between 100 and 400 years later. 3 Her burial may also be the earliest sign of the Osiris and Isis myth - where the goddess Isis reassembles the dismembered body of Osiris beneath the rising Sirius. The tale is thought to symbolise death, rebirth, and cosmic order. Ancient Egyptian Tombs: Over a Thousand Mummies Unveiled The cemetery in which her remains were found is one of Egypt's oldest and most thoroughly studied, and paints a detailed picture about how funerary practices changed over time. Using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, researchers analysed patterns among more than 900 tombs across the 74-acre Adaiima site. Another coffin that was positioned to catch the winter sun contained a woman buried with ornate jewelry and pottery. A third grave, also belonging to a woman, faced the summer sunset and contained a ceremonial staff and plant-fiber wig. The study suggests these early burials shaped the mythology later adopted by Egypt's ruling elite - from their sky-based alignments to their ritual gestures, such as dismemberment. Older graves were placed around earlier, astronomically aligned tombs, suggesting those burials continued to hold religious or ancestral significance over the years. Ivory boat models and fine coffins were found with remains that researchers believed once belonged to individuals of higher status or spiritual importance. Similar to the dismemberment, a singular bone belonging to a child was found placed on the chest of an adult in a later tomb. In the myth of Osiris, Isis gathers the scattered body parts of her murdered husband after he is slain by his jealous brother, Set. "Sepdet, which we know as Sirius, was believed to be the appearance of Isis in the sky," the study said. "When the state emerged, it did not create religion from scratch. "It absorbed long-standing practices and reworked them into royal narratives." 3
Fox News
15-07-2025
- Fox News
Mysterious 1,600-year-old settlement emerges from soil with rare Roman military finds
Archaeologists recently uncovered a mysterious Roman-era settlement site in Germany, complete with building remains and hundreds of artifacts dating back nearly two millennia. The Schafbreite site, located within the western German town of Delbrück, has been settled since the first century A.D. The site was recently excavated by the Regional Association of Westphalia-Lippe (LWL). In a June 13 statement, the LWL announced the results of its excavation, revealing a trove of discoveries that mostly date back to the fourth and fifth centuries A.D. Officials identified hundreds of ancient features at the site, including numerous holes in the ground that were likely from ancient wooden posts. After months of careful digging, archaeologists also found two "clearly identifiable" buildings, along with two pit houses, two wells and a cremation grave — along with several hundred artifacts. "Seven hundred and fifty individual finds were recovered from the ancient cultural layer preserved under a thick ash soil, 600 of which were metal," said the LWL's statement, translated from German to English. Archaeologists also explained that the site "must have been settled at different times, making it a multi-period settlement site." "The finds from various periods also show the inhabitants had access to Roman material culture." "The finds from various periods also show that the inhabitants had access to Roman material culture," the press release said. The statement added, "The new excavations have expanded the picture of this site, as a burial has now been confirmed: The isolated cremation grave contained remains from the pyre, such as charcoal, cremated remains and parts of burned grave goods." In the burial section, archaeologists found that one decedent was buried with a spearhead, two garment clasps and a broken bone comb, in addition to "a fire steel, and an animal head buckle with fittings." "Experts date this buckle to the 4th or 5th century based on its shape. It further confirms the settlers' contact with the Roman cultural sphere, as it belonged to the Roman military belt," officials said in a statement. Historians were unable to identify the mysterious burial. The LWL speculated that the deceased person may have been a Germanic mercenary in the Roman military. "[It's] a special find, as it is the first burial in East Westphalia where parts of a Roman military belt have been detected, previously only known from surface finds in other regions," officials said. Other discoveries at the site included a cattle trough, a construction pit with ceramics and a three-foot-wide well that was made from tree trunks. "The organic preservation was so good that we recovered not only wood but also a leather fragment and even an insect wing," excavation manager Sven Knippschild noted. He added, "Completely extraordinary and unique for the Migration Period in Westphalia was the discovery of a beam piece with various tool marks on the last day of excavation." "[It] was certainly once part of a house and was later recycled for the well construction." Sven Spiong, a lead archaeologist at LWL, said the site offers a glimpse into what life was like during the Migration Period. The era, also known as the Barbarian Invasions, was a time of significant upheaval and change in Europe, lasting from roughly 300 to 600 A.D. "Sites like these help us better understand how the people of the region lived and worked during the arrival of the Romans and in the following centuries." "Sites like these help us better understand how the people of the region lived and worked during the arrival of the Romans and in the following centuries, what interregional contacts and connections they had, and how the settlement structure changed during the Migration Period," Spiong said. Even though the excavation has wrapped up, the recent discoveries are just the beginning of researchers' study of the archaeological site. Experts plan to analyze the wood and charcoal found at the site to help date the site more precisely. Archaeologists will also look at some soil from the well to learn more about what the area around Bentfeld was like over 1,600 years ago. "This [study] may reveal changes in vegetation, landscape, and settlement between the time around the birth of Christ and around 400 A.D.," LWL archaeologist Julia Hallenkamp-Lumpe noted.
CNN
08-07-2025
- CNN
How megalaw affects workers, Rubio impersonator, processed meat: Catch up on the day's stories
5 Things Air travel safety Aviation newsFacebookTweetLink Follow 👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! Someone using AI to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted at least five people — including three foreign ministers, a US governor and a member of Congress. A diplomatic cable said the unknown cyber actor created an account on the messaging platform Signal. Here's what else you might have missed during your busy day. President Donald Trump's megabill is now a megalaw with wide-reaching implications for many Americans. He says it will boost the economy and put more money in people's pockets, especially for hourly workers — but the outcomes aren't always that cut and dry. The Trump administration's broadsides against scientific research have caused unprecedented upheaval at the National Cancer Institute. There has been an exodus of clinicians, scientists and other staffers. Some were fired, and others are leaving in exasperation. Nutrition experts say there's strong evidence against eating processed meat based on a new study about the connection between diet and the risk of major diseases. Researchers also found elevated danger from consuming soda and trans fatty acids. Archaeologists unveiled a Peruvian city that was a thriving hub of trade more than 3,000 years ago. The site — now open for tourism — includes a modern interpretation center, reception areas and walking routes through the preserved ruins. Men's and women's tennis pros are serving faster than ever before, reaching speeds that were once thought to be impossible. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard unleashed a 153 mph rocket at Wimbledon this year. Here's how they do it. Get '5 things' in your inbox If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter. 🩸Let's tick together: These unwelcome summer guests could put you and your family at risk for serious diseases. Experts explain how to stay safe and what steps to take if you get bitten. At least 161 missing and 109 dead in catastrophic Texas flooding, governor says Supreme Court backs Trump's effort to dramatically reshape federal government for now International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Taliban leaders, accusing them of persecuting women 🌌 That's how many light-years away a newly discovered 'fossil galaxy' is from Earth, offering astronomers a glimpse into cosmic history. 🐦⬛ Soaring again: Bearded vultures were hunted to extinction in the Alps, but conservation efforts have spurred a remarkable recovery. 'President Trump's use of the term is very troubling and irresponsible.' Anti-Defamation League 💬 'Blatant and vile': The organization condemned Trump for using the word 'Shylock' to decry amoral money lenders at a rally. The president said he wasn't aware that some people view the term as antisemitic. ✈️ TSA will no longer require all passengers to remove what at airport security checkpoints in the US?A. JacketsB. PhonesC. ShoesD. Sunglasses⬇️ Scroll down for the answer. ⚾ Big hitter: Barry Bonds will be getting a statue outside the Giants' home stadium where he set baseball's career home run record, the team's CEO said. Bonds played in San Francisco for 15 years, and he set the single-season Major League Baseball record with 73 homers in 2001. 👋 We'll see you tomorrow.🧠 Quiz answer: C. Passengers going through airport security in the US will no longer have to take off their shoes.📧 Check out all of CNN's newsletters. Today's edition of 5 Things PM was edited and produced by CNN's Kimberly Richardson and Emily Scolnick.
