Archaeology
Ornate brick-chambered tomb from the Jin Dynasty discovered in China
Archaeologists have uncovered an ornate brick-chambered tomb from the Jin Dynasty in the Shanxi province of China.
Excavations were conducted by the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology near the village of Dongfengshan in Yuanqu County as a result of construction works for a new pipeline.
The tomb dates from the Jin Dynasty, a period officially known as the Great Jin that existed from AD 1115 until AD 1234. The Jin dynasty was created in modern Jilin and Heilongjiang by the Jurchen tribal chieftain, Aguda. The dynasty continued to rule until the last emperor, Aizong, committed suicide by hanging himself to avoid being captured by the Mongols.
Archaeologists uncovered a square-shaped brick-chambered tomb constructed with carved bricks that imitates wood. The tomb consists of the main burial chamber which is accessed by a stepped passageway leading through a corridor from a sealed doorway.
Image Credit : Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology
The length of the burial chamber measures roughly 2 metres on each side and reaches a height of 3.4 metres to form an octagonal roof with 13 stacked inclining layers of bricks.
The north wall of the chamber shows a gatehouse flanked on either side with a depiction of a man and woman sitting behind tables on ornately carved chairs. The man is shown with a goatee and is wearing a gown with a belt around his waist, while the woman is wearing a double-breasted gown with her hands folded in the sleeves.
On the west and east walls are lattice panels or doors which are carved with flowers on the lower partition. The upper parts of the panels show varying patterns of concave, octagonal, or uniform square shapes.
Image Credit : Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology
Three burials were placed in the chamber consisting of a young child and two adults who died at the age of between 50 and 60 years old. Placed alongside the burials were porcelain bowls, jars, a lamp, and glazed pots.
Also uncovered is a land purchase certificate made from brick with an inscription in calligraphy that roughly translates as “Wang Village” with the names of “Gongcao and Mingchang.” An examination of the certificate dates it to around AD 1190 to AD 1196 during the reign of Emperor Zhangzong of Jin.
Speaking on the discovery, the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology said: “The excavation of this tomb has enriched our understanding of the Jin Dynasty in the southern Shanxi area. The land purchase certificate has a clear date which provides an accurate basis for the dating of other tombs in the same period.”
Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology
Header Image Credit : Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology
Excavations at the Roman fort of Vindolanda have uncovered a possible phallus carving near Hadrian’s Wall.
Vindolanda (translated as “white field” or “white moor”) was a Roman auxiliary fort that guarded a major highway called the Stanegate.
No less than nine forts were built of timber or stone at Vindolanda from between AD 85 to AD 370, creating one of the most complex archaeological sites in Britain and a unique cultural legacy of frontier life.
Today, Vindolanda is an ongoing active archaeological site, with previous excavations uncovering thousands of perfectly preserved shoes, textiles, wooden objects, and the Vindolanda tablets (the oldest surviving documents in Britain that date from the 1st and 2nd century AD).
During the latest season of excavations, a possible phallus symbol has been uncovered in the last remaining turfed area within the boundaries of the fort. The symbol is carved into a stone slab and could be a depiction of a fascinus, used to invoke divine protection.
Phallic imagery can be found across the Roman world in sculptures, mosaics, frescoes, and portable objects such as pendants or bulla.
The Roman’s believed that the phallus was the embodiment of a masculine generative power, and was one of the tokens of the safety of the state (sacra Romana) that gave protection and good fortune.
Along the corridor of Hadrian’s Wall, there are 59 known phalli which consist of incised, relief, or sculpture phalli. Each architectural type of phalli have been grouped into one of nine morphological traits: the rocket, the hammer, the kinky-winky, the splitcock, the pointer, the double-dong, running hard, the beast, and the lucky dip.
Header Image Credit : Dr Rob Collins, FSA (via Twitter)
Sources : Vindolanda Trust
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
An analysis of carbonised papyrus from the Roman town of Herculaneum has revealed the burial place of Plato.
Plato (427 – 348 BC), was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical period and taught the doctrines that would later become known as Platonism.
Plato’s most famous contribution is the theory of forms (or ideas), which has been interpreted as advancing a solution to what is now known as the problem of universals.
The scroll is one of many examples recovered at Herculaneum, a Roman town in the present-day comune of Ercolano in South-West Italy.
Along with the nearby city of Pompeii, Herculaneum was destroyed during the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, burying the town under thick layers of ash and pumice.
Image Credit : CNR – Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
Numerous scrolls and parchments made from papyrus were carbonised under the intense heat, however, as part of an ongoing project by archaeologists, a scroll containing the History of the Academy of Philodemus of Gadara (110-40 BC) has been partially deciphered.
The team used modern imaging techniques such as infrared, ultraviolet optical imaging, molecular and elemental imaging, thermal imaging, tomography, and optical microscopy digital.
Approximately 1,000 words have been identified (around 30% of the text entirety) which includes new details about Plato, the development of his Platonic Academy, and information that identifies his place of burial.
Archaeologists already knew that Plato was buried somewhere in the Platonic School in Athens, however, this latest revelation has pinpointed his burial to a private garden near the so-called Museion or sacellum sacred to the Muses.
Furthermore, the text has revealed that Plato was sold as a slave following the conquest of the island of Aegina by the Spartans sometime around 404 BC to 399 BC.
Header Image Credit : CNR – Image Credit : iStock
Sources : CNR – Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerchenrc
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
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