Latest news with #Arkeonews
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Medieval ‘testicle dagger' lives up to its name
Nearly eight years of excavation work at a medieval fortress in Gothenburg, Sweden has yielded a number of revealing archeological finds. But one item stands out among the crossbow arrows, beer taps, and cookware—a 15th century 'testicle dagger' whose name makes sense once you see its design. Sweden's Gullberg hill served as a strategic military outpost for hundreds of years and is one of the country's most important historical defensive compounds. Overlooking Göta River, the area long functioned as the nation's sole direct access point for the North Sea while the rest of the western coast remained under the domain of Denmark-Norway. The very first structures were erected under the direction of King Birger in 1285, but by 1455 'Gullbergs hus' (literally 'Gullberg's house') had fallen deep enough into disrepair to warrant a rebuild. Gullberg Castle was sacked twice, once by the Danes in 1523 during the Swedish War of Liberation and again in 1612 amid the Kalmar War. The fortress was reconstructed a final time in 1692 and formally renamed Westgötha Leijon, or the Westrogothic Lion. Only in 1822 was the compound finally decommissioned. In present-day Gothenburg, the need for a new train station along Sweden's Västlänken line necessitated renewed archeological surveys at Westgötha Leijon between 2014 and 2023. Despite previous examinations around the site, the most recent outings still surprised researchers. 'We didn't think there would be as much left as there was,' Anders Altner, an archeologist at the State Historical Museum, explained in a statement. Architectural finds included remnants of houses, earthworks, and walls, as well as a fortress gate and a tower basement. According to Alter, the buildings were erected using a mixture of components like stone, brick, earthen ramparts, and timber. While the first building dates back as early as the 14th century, many of the individual objects discovered by archeologists ranged between the 15th and 17th centuries. These included weaponry like light cannons and pistols, along with artifacts from daily life such as a limestone sundial, beer taps, a soup spoon, and a sand spreader—a palm-sized perforated canister used for sprinkling fine sand over newly written documents to soak up excess ink. Then there's the testicle dagger. Although its iron blade is broken and significantly chipped, the wooden hilt crafted from curly birch remains in surprisingly excellent condition. Its decorative designwork leaves little to the imagination and answers any lingering questions about how the weapon earned its nickname. Even for a knife, the overall shape is particularly phallic, with a penis-like pommel and two decorative, testicle-like orbs above the grip. As Arkeonews explains, many experts believe its wielder wore their dagger 'in a manner befitting its suggestive shape.' But aside from its explicit imagery, the testicle dagger likely served its owner beyond pure ornamentation. The handle's design, while 'Not Safe For Work' by today's standards, would have offered a better grip and additional force when attempting to damage an opponent's armor. Combined with the other, less-phallic weapon artifacts, the testicle dagger helps to better contextualize life at the frequently besieged Gullberg Castle and later Westrogothic Lion redoubt. With excavations largely complete, the fortress artifacts (yes, including the dagger) are currently on display at the Historical Museum in Stockholm through January 2026. For those who can't get over to Sweden in time, there's also an exhibition booklet available online.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
View the Parthenon as it stood in 432 BCE
You can now get a sense of the awe-inspiring Parthenon in all its former glory thanks to a multiyear endeavor merging history and 3D computer modeling. University of Oxford archeologist Juan de Lara combined primary source information, astronomical data, and CGI to digitally recreate the ancient Greek pilgrimage site as it appeared to visitors arriving at the temple in 432 BCE. The result offers a remarkable look at one of the Hellenistic period's greatest architectural achievements, and presents a template to digitally recreate numerous other major historical locations for researchers, historians, and museum goers. If the Parthenon's ruins seem grand even 2,500 years after its completion, just imagine what the temple was like at the height of its influence. Construction on the 228-by-101 foot building finished in 438 BCE, although it would take another six years before artisans fully completed its decorations and artwork. While only portions of the exterior building exist today, historical records describe a remarkable pilgrimage site dedicated to Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, handcrafts, and warfare. 'Based on the data I have been able to gather, the visual experience of each temple—as well as the rituals performed within it—varied significantly depending on the deity being worshipped, the origin of the cult, and the temple's geographical context,' de Lara explained in a May 6 interview with Cambridge Core. 'However, from the fifth century BCE and as we move into the Hellenistic period, there is a marked increase in a conscious staging of the religious experience.' Central to the temple was a nearly 40-foot-tall statue of the divine protector of Athens designed by the renowned sculptor Phidias. Historical records indicate the monument was of chryselephantine construction, meaning it was crafted from both gold and ivory. Previous studies of similar iconography suggest the Parthenon's goddess statue was built using a technique that involved unrolling and softening ivory to create veneers that artisans subsequently glued together. The surrounding temple structure was constructed primarily from marble and other stonework shaped and polished to increase their inherent luminosity. The statue was also positioned in a way so that the Parthenon's water basins, windows, and skylights all further emphasized the deity's grandeur. Archeological analysis indicates attendants generally kept the Parthenon's interior dimly lit coupled with burning copious incense to foster a feeling of awe and reverence. However, this ambience shifted every four summers during the Panathenaic Festival. During those days, the statue of Athena's geographic location and angle caught the dawn's sunlight in such a way as to beam directly onto her golden robes. 'Imagine entering the Parthenon—your eyes, still weary from the bright sun outside, slowly adjusting to the gradual darkness within,' de Lara told Arkeonews. 'As sunlight filters through the temple's doorway, it strikes the gold of the goddesses' robes with a luminous vertical beam. This was the effect the architects and Phidias intended to create. It must have been magical.' While de Lara has a dedicated website to the Parthenon 3D project, he hopes his approach will inspire others to conduct similar recreations of other famous historical landmarks. These could then be integrated into museum exhibits, as well as virtual reality headsets to approximate a first-person experience of seeing these wonders of the ancient world.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Mass grave of over 120 Roman soldiers found under soccer field
Soccer field renovations near Vienna, Austria recently revealed a significant—if grim—archeological find: a mass grave dating back to the first century CE and Roman empire. The gravesite contained the skeletons of potentially over 150 soldiers. According to archeologists, the discovery is as dark as it is unique, and may provide unexpected new insights into life on the Roman frontier at the height of the nation's power. The city of Vienna has existed for hundreds of years, but its history extends even further into the past. Roughly 2,000 years ago, Rome's forces stretched into present-day Austria and established multiple military outposts across the region. One of the largest garrisons constructed was a settlement known as Vindobona on the Danube River, and it eventually grew to include 16,000 to 20,000 residents. Rome ultimately left Vindobona to the Huns in 433 CE, and the outpost was subsequently abandoned for centuries. However, experts only have historical accounts of combat in the region prior to this and t no direct evidence. In October 2024, a construction team came across a sea of skeletal remains while working on renovations to a soccer field in Vienna's neighboring town of Simmerling. Archeologists from the Vienna Museum soon visited the site and confirmed the extraordinary: a mass grave of at least 129 individuals, but likely many more. Further analysis confirmed that the bodies belonged almost exclusively to 20 to 30 year old Roman legionnaires, all of whom appear to display evidence of fatal battle injuries from spears, swords, daggers, and bolts. But as surprising as this discovery is from an everyday perspective, it also proved hard for archeologists to believe. As history shows, Rome wasn't known for its lack of military campaigns. But until the fourth century CE, Romans didn't even bury they cremated them. 'In the Roman Empire, there were strict burial rituals, and precise rules had to be followed for the time after death,' Kristina Adler-Wölfl, Vienna's head of archeology, said in a city announcement. 'Since cremations were common in the European parts of the Roman Empire around 100 AD [CE], inhumations are an absolute exception. Finds of Roman skeletons from this period are therefore extremely rare.' 'Within the context of Roman acts of war, there are no comparable finds of fighters,' dig leader Michaela Binder added on April 4 in Arkeonews. Historical accounts report multiple battles between Roman forces and Germanic tribes on the Danube border during the reign of Emperor Domitian (81-96 CE). These led his successor, Emperor Trajan (98-117 CE), to expand the Vindabona fortification borders, later known as the Danube Limes. 'The mass grave in Simmering is the first physical evidence of fighting from this period and indicates the location of a battle in the area of present-day Vienna,' said archeologist Martin Mosser. According to Mosser, the mass gravesite may directly relate to Emperor Trajan's decision to bolster defenses in the area following the Germanic conflict. Archeologists plan to further excavate the gravesite, as well as conduct DNA and isotopic analyses to better understand the warriors' living conditions. In time, the unique discovery may also expand and clarify what we know about Roman history during the first century. 'In Vienna, one is always prepared to encounter Roman traces as soon as one opens up a pavement or opens the earth,' said Veronica Kaup-Hasler, Vienna's Executive City Councillor for Culture and Science. 'After all, Vindobona laid the foundation stone of our city.'
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Archaeologists Discovered the Skeletal Remains of an Ancient Culture's Warriors
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." A trio of graves were uncovered in Germany during a dig for a new power line The bodies' burial style, and the vessels buried with them, indicate that they were part of the 4,500 year old Bell Beaker culture One body was buried with a still-preserved stone armguard, while another had arrowheads and indications of a quiver, suggesting the buried had been archers in their lifetimes 'Speak! speak! thou fearful guest!/Who, with thy hollow breast/Still in rude armor drest,/Comest to daunt me!' So begins Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem 'The Skeleton in Armor,' inspired by an actual armor-adorned Viking skeleton uncovered in 1863. It's an evocative image, a soldier's skeleton still dressed for combat. It gives a greater meaning to 'They died with their boots on.' But these armor-adorned corpses can offer more than a chilling visage of wars long-forgotten. They can also offer crucial clues for archaeologists and researchers looking to better understand the past. That was the case recently when a remarkable discovery from the Copper Age was made during an otherwise routine dig for a new power line. As Arkeonews reported, the infrastructure project uncovered a ten-grave cemetery in Förderstedt, Germany, that dates back 4,500 years. Three of the burials have thus far been fully uncovered and found to be well preserved. 'A common burial mound covered all three deceased,' noted Susane Friederich, the project leader affiliated with the State Office for Heritage Preservation and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt. The manner in which those bodies were buried offered insight into the identities of the bodies, in a general sense. The bodies were all found in a hunched position, and facing the east, a practice common in a people known as Beaker, or Bell Beaker, culture. Bell Beaker culture gained its name from the type of container used to store food which was buried with the deceased 'for the journey to the afterlife,' a practice not dissimilar to the practice of placing resin or linen wrapped foods in tombs in Ancient Egypt. One such Bell Beaker, roughly 15 centimeters in diameter, was found in one of the uncovered graves, with food still inside. Within another, they found a piece of armor that indicated not only that the deceased had likely been a warrior, but precisely what had been his weapon of choice. A stone arm guard was found in the grave, measuring roughly eight by four centimeters. An arm guard is a protective piece commonly employed by archers to protect their bow arm, as the force of the bow string on upon release could otherwise injure an unprotected forearm. In the third uncovered grave, more evidence of archery was discovered. 'The third grave is remarkably well-preserved,' Friedrich notes. 'In the back area of a warrior, two arrowheads were found. They were very close together. Additionally, a quiver was faintly outlined in the sediment.' The quiver, used to hold additional arrows for an archer, did not survive the thousands of years of burial, as it was likely crafted from organic materials. 'Only a different color and structure in the sediment indicate that the deceased was buried with his equipment.' It should be noted, however, that while the presence of arrows and even armor can absolutely be seen as evidence that the deceased were warriors, it's also possible that such an archer could have also been employed as a hunter, using his weapon not for war, but to procure food. It's also possible both could be true. Further excavation and investigation could offer a clearer picture, and that's precisely what the team intends to do. Arkeonews reports that the plan now is to excavate the graves entirely and relocate them to a laboratory for a closer examination. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
