Something other than politics today: 10 Outstanding Archaeological Discoveries from 2024
Pompeii Porn
In 2024, archaeologists came across a mansion complete with wall paintings of an explicitly erotic nature. Pompeii porn, if you will, although the Romans of the time regarded it as completely normal to have walls decorated with frescoes depicting sexual activity. In fact, over the years, researchers have uncovered plenty of erotic frescoes and statuary at Pompeii, which was hidden from public view until relatively recently for fear of offending delicate sensibilities.
Lost Amazonian Cities
Airborne LiDAR technology, which uses lasers to create 3D maps of the ground, has allowed researchers to look some 2,500 years into the past. The mapping has revealed some 15 urban centers, a probable 6,000 homes, agricultural terraces, and roads, which Rostain calls “a lost valley of cities.” These existed for around 1,000 years, with a population possibly as high as 30,000, until the site was abandoned by the Upano people who lived there from around AD 300 to 600. As Rostain points out, this sophisticated ancient civilization is unlike any we previously knew about in the Amazon.[2]
A Roman Wall
…His excitement comes from the probability that this wall was actually built by Roman soldiers to defend against the legendary slave uprising led by Spartacus. Spartacus, of course, was the rebel gladiator who headed an uprising by thousands of Roman slaves in 73 BC.
Human Sacrifice
… researchers have dubbed the man “Lord of the Flutes.” The tomb also revealed other more gruesome remains of up to 32 people who were likely sacrificed when their master died “to serve as companions,” as Mayo put it. One particular female body was placed beneath the nobleman and may have had “some sort of social relationship” with the Lord of the Flutes.
A Clan Chieftain’s Shoe Buckle
The 1746 Battle of Culloden in the Scottish Highlands was Bonnie Prince Charlie’s final fling in his attempt to seize the British crown. This last battle on British soil saw a crushing victory for King George II’s forces against a rebel Jacobite army of mostly Highland clansmen. New excavations at the battle site, which lies some 5 miles (8 km) from Britain’s most northerly city, Inverness, have unearthed some intriguing artifacts.
Submarine USS Harder
During WWII, the USS Harder, also known as SS-257, sank more Japanese ships than any other American submarine….Escaping unscathed, the Harder soon saw action against Japanese shipping and, under the command of Sam Dealey, went on to sink 18 Japanese vessels of various classes over the course of six patrols.
But it was on that sixth patrol that disaster struck…. The exact location of the wreck remained a mystery until 2024 when the U.S. Navy’s History and Heritage Command confirmed that a sunken vessel discovered in 3,000 feet (914 meters) of water by the Lost52 Project in 2023 was indeed the USS Harder.[6]
Oldest Cave Painting
… Scientists say the cave painting was created 51,200 years ago, and that makes it around 5,000 years older than any other cave painting we know of. Thus, the Sulawesi paintings give a new, earlier date for when we can be sure humans were capable of creative art. The wall art depicts a wild pig and what looks like three human figures.
Speaking to the BBC, Professor Maxime Aubert said, “The painting tells a complex story. It is the oldest evidence we have for storytelling. It shows that humans at the time had the capacity to think in abstract terms.”
Early Humans
Archaeologists excavating a German cave unearthed remains of humans who they were able to date as having lived between about 44,000 and 47,500 years ago. That makes them the oldest Homo sapiens remains ever discovered in Europe. This discovery means that humans and Neanderthals co-existed for thousands of years longer than researchers previously believed.
Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Last Ship
Born in 1874 in Ireland, Ernest Shackleton became one of the most feted Antarctic explorers of his generation…. In 1914, another Antarctic foray saw Shackleton and his men trapped by ice floes for 15 months aboard the Endurance.
… The Quest continued in service right up until 1962, when she sank off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, with the precise whereabouts of the wreck a mystery for more than 60 years.
A Memorial University’s Marine Institute expedition discovered the historic ship in 1,300 feet (390 meters) of water in the Labrador Sea. …
The Oldest Bread and the Oldest Cheese
Previously, the earliest known bread came from Egypt and was just 3,500 years old. However, archeologists in Turkey made a groundbreaking discovery in 2024 while they were excavating at the Çatalhöyük Stone Age site in Turkey. There, they uncovered a fragment of fermented bread that dates back to 6,600 BC, some 8,600 years ago. The unbaked loaf was found near an oven and even had the imprint of a finger clearly visible.
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