Archaeology

Roman parade mask discovered in Romania

Published

10 months ago

February 6, 2023

A Roman parade mask has been discovered by an amateur archaeologist in the Albeni commune, located in the Gorj County of Romania.

The discovery was made by Betej Viorel, an amateur archaeologist who was conducting a metal detecting survey, when he came across an iron mask from the Roman period and reported his find to local authorities.

In Romania, the ownership of a metal detector requires written authorisation from the Police. Using a metal detector at known archaeological sites is strictly prohibited without the prior permission of the Ministry of Culture.

Any finds older than 100 years are to be surrendered to the relevant authorities within 72 hours, with 30% of the value of the find rewarded. When a find is classified as treasure, the reward is increased to 45%.

According to Gheorghe Calotoiu from the Gorj County Museum, the mask was likely worn by a soldier stationed either at the Roman fort of Bumbești-Jiu, now known as Vârtop, or a military outpost somewhere in the vicinity.

The mask is relatively intact but has corroded due to the high iron content and exposure to oxygen and water in the soil. The artisan who created the mask has made perforated holes around the nostrils for breathing, and slits in the eyes and mouth.

Experts date the mask to the 2nd or 3rd century AD, a period when parts of Romania was located in the Roman province of Dacia, also known as Dacia Traiana. The region was conquered by Emperor Trajan between AD 98–117 after two campaigns that devastated the Dacian Kingdom of Decebalus.

Dumitru Hortopan, Director of the Gorj County Museum said: It will undergo a restoration process in the laboratory next to the Romanian Academy, after that it will be classified and exhibited in the permanent exhibition of the Gorj county museum.

Header Image Credit : Gorj County Museum

Archaeology

Archaeologists find 22 mummified burials in Peru

Published

36 mins ago

December 8, 2023

A Polish-Peruvian team of archaeologists have uncovered 22 mummified burials in Barranca, Peru.

The discovery was made on the Cerro Colorado hill, where the researchers unearthed the burials in one of four mounds located in a cluster.

Bioarchaeologist, Łukasz Majchrzak, said: “The bodies are wrapped in fabrics and plant material known as burial bundles. Between the layers of the fabrics we found ceramics, tools, and cult objects placed as funerary offerings.”

The team also found corn cobs and unidentified plant materials, which were likely placed as food for the deceased on their journey to the afterlife.

Six of the burial bundles contain the remains of adults placed in the fetal position, with their upper and lower limbs tucked under their chests.

According to the researchers, the adult burials are arranged vertically, which makes them appear as if they were sitting. They all have a similar external appearance, wrapped in thick fabric and entwined with rope.

One of the adult bundles is decorated with geometric patterns, while the remaining bundles – as Majchrzak suggests – may contain representations of animals and deities.

The other 16 burial bundles mostly contain the remains of children no older than 2 years old who were placed in a horizontal position.

The team plan to use computed tomography to examine completely preserved burial bundles that have no visible damage to allow for a non-invasive anthropological analysis. In further stages, they plan to carry out a chemical and isotope analysis, including the strontium isotope, which will determine whether the burials are from a local population.

Header Image Credit : R. Dziubińska

Archaeology

Oldest prehistoric fortress found in remote Siberia

Published

2 hours ago

December 8, 2023

An international team, led by archaeologists from Freie Universität Berlin has uncovered an ancient prehistoric fortress in a remote region of Siberia known as Amnya.

According to a study, published in the scientific journal “Antiquity”, the fortress is a complex system of defensive structures around an ancient settlement, dating from 8,000 years ago.

The fortress is spread across two settlement clusters, Amnya I and Amnya II. Amnya I consists of extant surface features such as banks and ditches, which enclose the tip of a promontory, and 10 house pit depressions. Ten further house pits, located approximately 50m to the east, comprise the open settlement of Amnya II.

Excavations have uncovered approximately 45 pottery vessels within the wider complex, including pointed and flat-based forms that reflect two distinct typological traditions.

The Amnya settlement complex signifies the start of a distinctive, enduring trend of defensive sites among hunter-gatherers in northern Eurasia—an almost continuous tradition that persisted for nearly eight millennia until the Early Modern period.

Tanja Schreiber, archaeologist at the Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology in Berlin and co-author of the study, explains, “Through detailed archaeological examinations at Amnya, we collected samples for radiocarbon dating, confirming the prehistoric age of the site and establishing it as the world’s oldest-known fort.

“Our new palaeobotanical and stratigraphical examinations reveal that inhabitants of Western Siberia led a sophisticated lifestyle based on the abundant resources of the taiga environment,” added Schrieber.

The construction of fortifications by foraging groups has been observed in different parts of the world, primarily in coastal regions during later prehistoric periods. However, the early in inland western Siberia is unparalleled.

According to the researchers, the discovery transforms how we perceive ancient human communities, questioning the notion that the establishment of permanent settlements with grand architecture and intricate social systems began solely with the rise of agriculture.

Header Image Credit: Nikita Golovanov