🧐 Ancient Beat #40: The Huns, an enormous solar calendar, and 1,000 new Maya sites
Happy holidays, folks! And welcome to issue #40 of Ancient Beat. As of today, we’re back to full-length issues. If you’d like to gift yourself a subscription to read the full shebang, the holiday sale is still going on — 20% off! Click here to get the deal.
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Alrighty, let’s get into the latest ancient news. 👇
🗞 Ancient News: Top 5
Archaeologists Discover Huge Lost Civilization in Guatemala — Nearly 1,000 Maya sites have been discovered in the Mirador-Calakmul Karst Basin (MCKB) of northern Guatemala thanks to a new LIDAR survey. The finds are more than 2,000 years old and include pyramids, platforms, ballcourts, reservoirs, and 110 miles of raised roads. According to the study, “The LiDAR survey revealed an extraordinary density and distribution of Maya sites concentrated in the MCKB, many of them linked directly or indirectly by a vast causeway network.”
Tree Ring Study Suggests Drought Encouraged Attila’s Huns to Attack the Roman Empire — A study of tree rings found that, rather than gold, it was extreme droughts from 430-450 CE that were behind Hunnic attacks on the Roman Empire. According to the study, the droughts caused migrations, a change in subsistence practices (mixing agricultural and pastoral diets), and a change in their social and political organization as they became raiders. According to Ulf Büntgen, “We found that periods of drought recorded in biochemical signals in tree-rings coincided with an intensification of raiding activity in the region.” Hunnic attacks on the Roman frontier increased when Attila came into power, and according to Susanne Hakenbeck, “Climate-induced economic disruption may have required Attila and others of high rank to extract gold from the Roman provinces to keep war bands and maintain inter-elite loyalties. Former horse-riding animal herders appear to have become raiders.” The Hunnic migration into eastern and central Europe is thought to have begun the barbarian migrations which led to the fall of the Roman Empire.
Ancient Mexico's Solar Calendar in the Mountains Identified — A new study found that the Mexica used mountains in the Basin of Mexico (Mexico City) to track the sunrise. They were able to achieve incredible accuracy in monitoring seasonal variations and even accounted for leap years using this system. The researchers concluded that the ancient astronomers must have stood in one place to do this, and they then used manuscripts to track it down — a temple at the summit of Mount Tlaloc. And they even found a long causeway that aligns with the rising sun on February 24, which is the beginning of the Mexica new year. According to the researchers, the primary function of this was that when the sun rose at a certain point in the mountains, the Mexica knew to plant.
Study Suggests Walking May Be Linked to Treetop Foraging — While it was previously thought that our ancestors moved toward bipedalism when dense forests made way for woodlands and grasslands seven million years ago, it may have actually been an adaptation driven by foraging strategies on flexible treetop branches. A new study suggests this primarily because wild chimpanzees in woodlands and grasslands today spend an equal amount of time in trees to those in dense forests, despite there being fewer trees. This indicates that the decrease in trees is unlikely to have been the evolutionary stimulus.
Stunning Grave Find Once Belonged to A Dark Age Female Church Leader — Archaeologists unearthed a beautiful 30-piece necklace made with Roman coins, glass, and semi-precious stones. They also found two decorated pots, a copper dish, and a large silver cross decorated with unusual human faces. The grave is thought to be that of a high-ranking woman. Burying people with lots of grave goods tends to be a pagan notion, but Christian beliefs were obviously present in the burial too, indicating that the woman probably lived between 630 and 670 CE when pagan and Christian beliefs were still intertwined. This may have been one of the earliest women in Britain to be a leader in the church, and according to Levente-Bence Baláz, “This is the most significant early medieval female burial ever discovered in Britain.”
That’s it for the free Top 5! If you’re a free subscriber and you’d like to read another 18 headlines and 5 pieces of recommended content covering newly discovered Viking settlements, 300,000-year-old tool usage, a 2,500-year-old grammatical machine, hunter-gatherer potters, the oldest story ever put into stone, and more, sign up for the paid plan below. Don’t miss the 20% off I mentioned above. And if you want access but it’s still a little too steep for you right now, just shoot me an email. 😃
🗞 Ancient News: Deep Dive
An Ancient Puzzle Posed 2,500 Years Ago Now Has an Ingenious Solution — 2,500 years ago, a man named Pāṇini wrote a text called the Aṣṭādhyāyī, which included about 4,000 grammatical sūtras that are supposed to have worked like an algorithm to generate grammatically correct Sanskrit words using a base and suffix… but scholars have never been able to get it to work quite right. Now, a PhD student may have solved it with a small tweak. In short, when two rules of equal strength conflict, they thought that that a metarule stated that the rule that was listed later should win. But he realized that the metarule actually says that the rule that applies to the suffix should win over rules that apply to the base of the word. That simple tweak may have solved an age-old riddle and, if correct, it will revolutionize the study of Sanskrit. Interestingly, the student was about to quit but instead took some time off to enjoy the summer, and when he got back to work, he figured it out within minutes. There’s a lesson in there somewhere.
300,000-Year-Old Flakes Indicate Ancient Tool Use — Flint flakes that were dropped 300,000 years ago by ancient hominins were found at the site of Schöningen in Germany, alongside a Eurasian straight-tusked elephant. The flakes would have come from sharpening flint tools. Three bone implements were also found. The find provides new insight into ancient wood processing, as some of the flakes showed wood residue. And the wear on some of the flakes showed they the tools were used to cut animal tissue — perhaps to butcher the nearby elephant. According to Nicholas Conard, “This is the first study to produce such comprehensive results from 300.000-year-old re-sharpening flakes.”
Coin Hoard Minted by Ptolemy VI Found in Israel — A cylindrical wooden box with 15 tetradrachm coins was discovered in a cave in a ravine called Wadi Murabba’at in Israel. The coins were minted by Ptolemy VI, a Greek king of Ptolemaic Egypt, and this dates it to 2,200 years ago. The coins were placed in sheep’s wool, beneath a purple woolen cloth, which was beneath a layer of small stones and earth. Though it wasn’t mentioned in this article, other sources state that this was likely hidden by a refugee fleeing the Maccabean revolt, a Jewish rebellion against the Seleucid Empire.
Israeli Archaeologists Excavating ‘Jesus Midwife’ Tomb — Archaeologists are re-excavating a burial cave complex dating to the 1st century CE, which is thought to be the resting place of Salome, the midwife of Jesus in the Gospels. They’ve found a colonnaded forecourt there with evidence of shops, along with remnants of oil lamps with decorations of plants and flowers which were probably leased or sold to pilgrims who wished to enter the cave and pray. This practice went on as late as the 9th century.
Huge Viking Hall from Harald Bluetooth’s Time Discovered in North Jutland — A large viking hall was discovered in Denmark. According to Thomas Rune Knudsen, “The post holes are so large that many archaeologists would hardly think at first glance that it could really be such a massive construction. It was only when the third hole in a row appeared that I was convinced that I was standing in front of something extraordinary.” It was probably an important gathering place for political meetings, guilds, and so forth. Since it’s similar to the houses found near Harald Bluetooth’s ring castles, it is tentatively dated to roughly the 10th century. A local rune stone leads archaeologists to believe that this might have belonged to the family of Runulv den Rådsnilde.
Islands of the Tropical Pacific Ocean were Settled Much Earlier than Previously Thought — Researchers found that the islands of Micronesia are sinking, meaning that the relative sea level has actual risen quite significantly, instead of falling like it did on other islands in the Pacific over the past 5,000 years. This has implications on the monumental ruins of Nan Madol — stone buildings on islets just off the island of Pohnpei, which were thought to have been constructed 1,000 years ago. According to Juliet Sefton, “We propose that Pohnpei and Kosrae perhaps weren't settled anomalously late, but rather they were settled around the same time as the other islands in the Pacific. People arrived and lived at the coast, but subsidence of the islands caused relative sea level rise, which submerged the oldest archeological evidence.” She is referring to two migrations about 3,300 years ago that are thought to have populated the nearby Pacific islands. The study also suggests that the two migrations could have interacted with each other there.
Denisovan DNA May Have Shaped Immune Systems in Papua New Guinea — A new study found that the people of Papua New Guinea may have inherited genetic variants from the Denisovans, and these variants may affect their immune systems. The study shows that it has affected Papuans’ risk for developing diabetes, severe covid, and celiac disease. It may also affect alcohol consumption and smoking habits. According to Irene Gallego Romero, “Denisovan DNA is missing from [genomic datasets]; it’s missing from the U.K. Biobank, which is where you would go to work out what a [gene] does.” So the study looked and Papuans, whose DNA is roughly 5% Denisovan.
Magnificent Ancient Egyptian Gold and Soapstone Jewelry Discovered at Tell El-Amarna Necropolis — Some interesting jewelry has been discovered in a burial at the Tell El-Amarna necropolis of Egypt. The gold and soapstone jewelry dates to the 18th Dynasty (1550-1292 BCE). It includes three rings, along with a necklace with petal-shaped pendants. One of the rings depicts the god Bes, while another has a name on it in hieroglyphics translating to Lady of the Earth.
Ancient Granaries Reaching Back More Than 5,000 Years Discovered in Henan, China — 16 granaries from the Yangshao civilization (5000-3000 BCE) of the Yellow River were found at the Huangshan ruins in China. The discovery indicates that there was probably a good amount of commerce going on, and it provides insight into the social conditions there. Furthermore, grass seeds were previously discovered at the ruins, indicating that this may have been a place of agricultural production.
Proof of Biblical Kings of Israel, Judah Deciphered on Jerusalem Rock Inscriptions — Five royal inscriptions in stone have been deciphered in Israel. The inscriptions mention Hezekiah and describe the actions of his reign, including a water project, ritual reform, the conquest of Philistia, and the accumulation of property. The water project in question is Siloam Tunnel, which is a marvel of engineering, and which actually feeds the Pool of Siloam, where Jesus was said to have cured a blind man. The inscriptions also indicate the exact date of this project — 709 BCE. According to Gershon Galil, “In these new inscriptions, there are answers to many issues that scholars have debated for years.”
Ancient Roman Settlement Discovered in Deal, UK — A Roman settlement, probably a large farm or small hamlet, was found in Deal, England. It dates to between the 1st and 4th centuries CE. Finds include pottery recovered from cremation burials, as well as pits, ditches, and postholes. The latter indicates that there were once large timber buildings. The site was continually occupied during the Roman period.
Ancient Warrior’s Grave Uncovered in Romania — The remains of a warrior, his horse, decorated weapons, and jewelry were found in a grave in Romania. The grave is from somewhere between the 4th and 10th centuries CE.
Bog Body Discovered in Denmark — Human and animal bones have been discovered, along with a flint axehead in an ancient bog on Denmark’s island of Zealand. The bones include leg bones, a pelvis, and a lower jaw. The remains are over 5,000 years old and the researchers believe they may have belonged to a human sacrifice. A full excavation is planned for the spring.
Archaeologists Discover Ancient Layers Beneath Qazvin Mosque — Archaeologists found ancient layers of flooring including cement, lime mortar, flooring bricks, and plaster coated bricks beneath the mosque known as Masjed-e-Jameh Atiq in Iran. In total, seven architectural stages have been revealed. It is said that the mosque was originally built on top of a Sassanid fire temple, and this discovery may shed light on the veracity of that story.
Study Hints at Heavy Toll of Illness in a Medieval German Village — A new study about how pathogens circulated in early medieval populations found that as many as one-third of the people who were buried there actually carried an infectious disease. Oofta. Crop failures and famine brought on by cold temperatures at the time may have contributed to this high rate.
Late Period Tombs Excavated in Northern Egypt — Twenty burials were discovered at the site of Tel El-Deir, Egypt. Some date to the Late Period (712-332 BCE), and one of those contained gold fragments depicting deities. Funerary amulets, a headrest, canopic jars, and statues of deities were also found.
Ancient Hunter-Gatherers Were Potters, Too — It was previously believed that pottery started in Anatolia as a package deal with agriculture and animal husbandry 9,000 years ago, and spread from there. But a new study says hunter-gatherers learned how to make pots in the Far East 20,000 years ago, and then about 7,900 years ago, it began to spread rapidly into northern Europe. The speed suggests that the knowledge was passed from group to group; it was not introduced by a new group migrating to the region. So hunter-gatherers were adopting new technologies like pottery and incorporating them into their nomadic lifestyles. According to Henny Piezonka, “Hunter-gatherer societies are not backwards or simple, but were innovators in their own right” — something I tend to harp on a lot.
Ancient Cotton Fibers Dating Back 7,000 Years Discovered In NE Israel — 7,000-year-old dyed wild cotton fibers have been discovered at Tel Tasf, a prehistoric village in Israel. This pushes the use of cotton in the Jordan Valley back by several hundred years. It is thought that the fibers were part of ancient textiles. The cotton probably originated in the Indus Valley region, thousands of kilometers away, where cotton was used as early as 8,500 years ago. This indicates a much larger trade network than originally thought. Shades of blue, pink, purple, green, and brown/black were seen on a few of the fibers.
❤️ Recommended Content
Let’s start with another 1-star review. This time we’re going to the Propylaia Acropolis in Athens, Greece. “Couldn’t find the post office.” Um, I don’t know if you’re looking in the right place, but thanks for the review. 😂
While I was away there was quite a bit of hubbub about the world’s oldest narrative carving — a scene of a man holding his phallus surrounded by leopards, and another scene of a man and a bull, located at the site of Sayburç in Turkey. It dates back to 11,000 years ago. Here’s a video that gives you all the details. And here’s a fascinating discussion about it from the Prehistory Guys. Man, I’d love to know that story!
This video interview touched on some of my favorite topics — they discuss folklore and mythology, and whether they can be used to inform archaeology.
Since it took place juste a couple of days ago, here’s an article with a few interesting tidbits about the solstice and what it meant to ancient peoples.
And since the end of 2022 is upon us, here’s an article with some of the most extraordinary discoveries of the year, which includes some archaeological discoveries, as well as some other discoveries of interest. And here’s another article, this one specifically about archaeology. But if you’ve been a subscriber for a while, you already know all about this stuff, right?
Well, that’ll do it for this week. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday. Stay warm! 🥶
And until next time, thanks for joining me.
-James
(newish twitter: @jamesofthedrum)
P.S. If you like what you’re seeing, please consider forwarding it to a friend. It would mean a lot! 🙏