Latest news with #tomb
The Sun
2 days ago
- Science
- The Sun
Incredible complete handprint found on ancient Egyptian tomb ornament in museum – that had gone unnoticed for millennia
AN INCREDIBLE detail on an Ancient Egyptian tomb item that had gone unnoticed for millennia has been spotted. This "rare and exciting" discovery was found on the artefact as it was prepared for display at a museum exhibition. 4 4 4 A complete handprint was spotted on a clay model designed to go inside a tomb. It is likely the hand of the object's maker, who would have touched it before the clay set, an Egyptologist at Cambridge's Fitzwilliam Museum said. The hand print is estimated to have been left a jaw-dropping 4,000 years ago. Helen Strudwick, senior Egyptologist at the Fitzwilliam Museum, said: "We've spotted traces of fingerprints left in wet varnish or on a coffin in the decoration, but it is rare and exciting to find a complete handprint underneath this soul house. "This was left by the maker who touched it before the clay dried. "I have never seen such a complete handprint on an Egyptian object before." The print was found on the base of a "soul house" - a building-shaped clay model placed inside a tomb. These soul houses may have acted as offering trays - or as a place for the deceased's soul to reside. This particular model is dated to 2055-1650 BC. It is set to go on display at the university's Made in Ancient Egypt exhibition, which opens on October 3. First look inside incredible immersive Egyptian experience coming to Glasgow Strudwick added: "You can just imagine the person who made this, picking it up to move it out of the workshop to dry before firing. "Things like this take you directly to the moment when the object was made and to the person who made it, which is the focus of our exhibition." Analysis suggests this item was made by coating a framework of wooden sticks with clay to form a two-storey building. Its staircases would have been made by pinching the wet clay. The use of ceramics was widespread across Ancient Egypt - both for functional and decorative use. It is not the only amazing Egyptian discovery to be reported in recent weeks. Researchers have used modern technology to learn more about The Bashiri Mummy, also known as the "untouchable one". This mummy has long remain fully wrapped up due to fears of causing damage to the intricately tied fabric. But X-ray and CT scanners have allowed researchers to unveil ancient mysteries without causing such harm to artefacts. Scans revealed that the that Bashiri Mummy would have been an adult man who stood about 5.5 feet tall.
Fox News
2 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Italian archaeologists unveil rare 2,600-year-old tomb untouched by looters: 'Doorway to our ancestors'
Archaeologists recently unearthed a remarkable 2,600-year-old tomb in Italy — a rare find untouched by looters. The discovery was announced by the Italian Ministry of Culture on June 30. In a press release, the organization said the burial mound dated back to the late 7th century B.C., during the Orientalizing period of Italian history. The tomb is part of the Caiolo Necropolis within the San Giuliano archaeological area, some 30 miles north of Rome. The site is famous for housing other ancient burials, including the Queen's Tomb, the Tomb of the Stag and the Tomb of the Beds. The newly discovered tomb has not been officially named, but authorities emphasized its significance – especially as it remained undisturbed for 2,600 years. Its treasures included ceramic vessels still bearing paint, along with bronze ornaments. "Once the slab sealing the chamber was removed, numerous vessels immediately became visible," the ministry said in a statement translated from Italian to English. "Some [were] fine painted ceramics, such as those near the entrance – deliberately placed according to a precise ritual performed before the tomb was sealed," the statement added. "Finding an untouched tomb is incredibly rare. That's what makes this discovery so exceptional." "On the left-hand bed, a basin and several bronze ornamental elements belonging to the deceased remain in situ." The excavation was conducted under the supervision of the Superintendency of Viterbo and Southern Etruria, in partnership with Baylor University. Supervising archaeologist Barbara Barbaro said that the necropolis contains over 500 tombs, though most were looted by either ancient people or modern robbers – but not the most recent one. "Finding an untouched tomb is incredibly rare," Barbaro noted. "That's what makes this discovery so exceptional." Barbaro also said that further study on the site will be "fundamental to advancing knowledge of the ancient world." "A sealed context is crucial not only for preservation but also because it gives us a complete snapshot of life through the ritual of death," she added. "We're thrilled to have rescued this material from those who would illegally profit from it." Reflecting on the emotional weight of the find, Barbaro compared the discovery of the tomb to "a bridge to our past, a doorway to our ancestors." "This is what happens when an untouched tomb is found – it becomes a collective event," the archaeologist said. "The silence … the awe, the respect for those waiting behind that massive stone. The emotion." "We're thrilled to have rescued this material from those who would illegally profit from it," she added. "Now, it will tell a beautiful story for everyone."
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Archaeologists Opened a 2,600-Year-Old Tomb—and Found 4 People Who Time Forgot
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: A team of archaeologists scouring central Italy uncovered a fully intact Etruscan chamber tomb. The sealed chamber is likely around 2,600 years old and contains more than 100 grave goods. Bronze ornaments and delicate silver hair spools are highlights of the find. A rare discovery of a fully sealed Etruscan chamber tomb in Italy came with a bonus: more than 100 grave goods from the seventh century B.C. Located at San Giuliano—about 43 miles northwest of Rome in the hilly region of central Italy—a team of archeologists working on the San Giuliano Archaeological Research Project called the discovery one of the most significant finds in recent decades related to our understanding pre-Roman civilization, according to a statement from Baylor University. 'This completely sealed burial chamber represents a rare find for Etruscan archaeology,' Davide Zori, a professor of history and archaeology at Baylor and a principal investigator on the project, said in a statement. He added that a 'preserved chamber tomb of this age has never before been excavated with modern archaeological techniques' in the region. Once the team entered the 2,600-year-old undisturbed tomb, they found four skeletons on carved stone beds surrounded by more than 100 well-preserved grave goods, including ceramic vases, iron weapons, bronze ornaments, and delicate silver hair spools. The research project has been active in the region since 2016, uncovering over 600 tombs in the necropolis surrounding the Etruscan town, which sits atop the San Giuliano Plateau. So far, though, every other chamber tomb—defined as a tomb carved out of the rock into the shape of a small house with a pitched roof—had been previously looted. Some had been emptied of their valuables as early as the start of Roman occupation in the late third century B.C. Inside the sealed tomb, preliminary analysis suggests the four individuals buried there could be two male-female pairs, but the researchers await more conclusive results. 'The SGARP team has completed the excavation of the tomb, but the study and analysis of the archaeological data yielded by this incredible discovery is just beginning,' Zori said. The research project is a collaboration between a Baylor-led consortium of universities and Virgil Academy in Rome in partnership with the town of Barbarano Romano. The program aims to reconstruct the long-term changes in the human occupation of the plateau and surrounding hills. The team believes that the hundreds of rock-cut Etruscan tombs encircling the plateau were likely associated with the town. 'SGARP seeks to investigate the Etruscan occupation and understand the transitions that followed, including incorporation into the Roman Empire, transformation into a medieval castle, and the final abandonment of the site sometime before 1300 A.D.,' according to a project statement. Along the way, Baylor students remain intertwined in the process. 'Being part of a project that uncovered an unlooted tomb was extremely surreal,' Kendall Peterson, a senior anthropology major from San Antonio, said in a statement. 'It is something that archaeologists hope for their entire careers, and it was incredibly emotional to witness not only our professors' reactions but also the pride and excitement of the local community of Barbarano. It reminded me that we aren't just studying artifacts, we're contributing to a shared cultural heritage that still deeply matters to the people who live there today.' 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? Solve the daily Crossword
Gizmodo
19-07-2025
- General
- Gizmodo
Archaeologists Discover Tomb of Maya King Who Founded a 460-Year Dynasty
A team led by University of Houston archaeologists Arlen Chase and Diane Chase—a married couple about to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary—has discovered the fourth-century CE tomb of an ancient Maya ruler. Talk about a power couple. The Maya ruler in question was Te K'ab Chaak, the first ruler of Caracol, an important Maya city that ruled the southern part of the Yucatan Peninsula from 560 through 680 CE before it was abandoned by the 10th century. Caracol is now the largest Maya archaeological site in modern-day Belize. Te K'ab Chaak rose to the throne in 331 CE and started a royal dynasty that would last over 460 years. Around 350 CE, he was buried at the base of a royal family shrine along with mortuary objects such as jadeite jewelry, a mosaic jadeite mask, carved bone tubes, Pacific spondylus shells, and pottery vessels. The pottery featured scenes including a ruler receiving offerings, the Maya god of traders, and bound captives. Te K'ab Chaak died at an 'advanced age,' according to a University of Houston statement, with no remaining teeth and standing at around 5 feet 7 inches (170 centimeters) in height. The tomb is one of three major burials excavated in the Caracol Northeast Acropolis dating to around 350 CE and raising questions about the contact between Mayans and people in the ancient city of Teotihuacán. By 300 CE, Teotihuacán—around 746 miles (1,200 kilometers) away in modern-day Mexico—had already become a large city and trading hub, and the mid-fourth century saw early contact between the two peoples. 'One question that has perplexed Maya archaeologists since the 1960s is whether a new political order was introduced to the Maya area by Mexicans from Teotihuacan,' Diane Chase said in the statement. 'Maya carved stone monuments, hieroglyphic dates, iconography, and archaeological data all suggest that widespread pan-Mesoamerican connections occurred after an event in 378 AD referred to as 'entrada.'' She adds, however, that archaeological data from Caracol indicates that the situation was 'far more complicated.' The two other burials include a cremation and another tomb. Archaeologists excavated the tomb in 2009. It was covered in hematite and belonged to a woman who was buried with a spondylus bead necklace, pottery vessels, mirror fragments, and two Pacific spondylus shells. The cremation emerged the following year, along with burial goods and practices of central Mexican tradition, including pottery vessels, green obsidian blades, and a carved projectile tip typical of Teotihuacan warriors. Archaeologists suggest that the deceased individual was probably a Caracol royal family member who followed central Mexican ritual practices, if not a royal Maya envoy to Teotihuacan. 'Both central Mexico and the Maya area were clearly aware of each other's ritual practices, as reflected in the Caracol cremation,' said Arlen Chase. In other words, early Maya rulers clearly had Mesoamerican-wide contacts decades before the supposed 'entrada.' 'The connections between the two regions were undertaken by the highest levels of society, suggesting that initial kings at various Maya cities—such as Te K'ab Chaak at Caracol—were engaged in formal diplomatic relationships with Teotihuacan,' he added. Moving forward, the team will continue to investigate the objects and skeletal remains found in Te K'ab Chaak's burial chamber. To absolutely no one's surprise, the Chases' son is also an archaeologist.
Fox News
18-07-2025
- Science
- Fox News
Texas husband-wife team finds 'priceless' royal tomb filled with 1,700-year-old treasures
A Texas archaeologist couple recently unearthed the ancient tomb of a legendary king in Central America — a feat that's been over 40 years in the making. Arlen Chase and Diane Chase, both professors at the University of Houston, uncovered the 4th-century tomb at the Caracol archaeological site in Belize. The university shared the discovery on July 10. (See the video at the top of this article.) Caracol was a major Mayan city established in the 300s A.D. The tomb belonged to Te' K'ab Chaak, the earliest ruler of the city and the founder of its royal dynasty – and it's the first confirmed royal tomb found at the site. "Now in ruins, this metropolis was a major political player in Maya history, dominating the southern part of the Yucatan Peninsula from 560 through 680 AD before its abandonment by 900 AD," the University of Houston said in its press release. Teʼ Kʼab Chaak's tomb was filled with treasures, including 11 pottery vessels and carved bone tubes. Excavators also found a mosaic death mask made of jadeite, along with jewelry made from the same type of gemstone. The Chases are the foremost scholars on Caracol, and this latest excavation is just one of many they've conducted. Their son, Adrian, is also an archaeologist and discovered Caracol's decentralized water system. "The true value of the materials is in what they can tell us about the ancient culture." Judging from the ruler's remains, the Chases also found that Te' K'ab Chaak was 5'7 in height and died at an advanced age. He also had no remaining teeth. Speaking to Fox News Digital, Arlen Chase called the recently unearthed artifacts "priceless." "Professional archaeologists will not put a dollar value on the items they dig up … That being said, the true value of the materials is in what they can tell us about the ancient culture," the expert described. "In this case, most of the individual artifacts are unique, but together they not only tell a story about the individual who once owned them but also enable us to provide a date for the burial." Arlen Chase said the artifacts date to 350 A.D. and "include a full range of vessel types for this time period," including two from the Highlands of Guatemala and shells from the Pacific Ocean. Both these types of treasures, he noted, were the "result of long-distance trade." Arlen Chase also confirmed that archaeologists identified the burial "based on the size of his chamber, the presence of jadeite mosaic death mask and earflares, and everything being covered in cinnabar." Diane Chase told Fox News Digital that the ceramic vessels in particular really showed off Teʼ Kʼab Chaak's status and wealth. "The two Pacific spondylus shells near his head, the jadeite earflares, the carved jadeite tubular beads, and the mosaic jadeite death mask also show his ability to obtain long-distance prestige items," she noted. A car trip between Teotihuacan and Caracol today would take over 23 hours. Ancient people would have had to walk at least 153 days to complete the journey, making the burial offerings particularly special. Above all, Diane Chase noted that finding a ruler's burial is "extremely unusual, and important." She said, "This is the first one we have discovered within the ancient city of Caracol." She added, "Even more important, he is the first ruler of the Caracol dynasty with some 30 other rulers following him (according to the hieroglyphic[s]) before the city was abandoned."
