Archaeology
Researchers extract ancient DNA from a 2,900-year-old clay brick
Researchers from the University of Oxford have extracted ancient DNA from a 2,900-year-old clay brick that originates from the ancient city of Kalhu.
Kalhu, also known as Nimrud, is an ancient Assyrian city located in Iraq’s Nineveh Governorate. The city covered an area of 890 acres and emerged as the capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire during the reign of Ashurnasirpal II (883–859 BC).
Ashurnasirpal II constructed a large palace and numerous temples following a period of decline during the Bronze Age Collapse of the mid-11th to mid-10th centuries BC.
Numerous inscriptions found in the city have given researchers insights into the re-emergence of Kalhu, with one such inscription describing Ashurnasirpal II’s palace: “The palace of cedar, cypress, juniper, boxwood, mulberry, pistachio wood, and tamarisk, for my royal dwelling and for my lordly pleasure for all time, I founded therein. Beasts of the mountains and of the seas, of white limestone and alabaster I fashioned and set them up on its gates.”
During this period around 2,900-years-ago, a brickmaker prepared a clay brick for the palace construction, from which researchers from the University of Oxford have been able to extract and sequence ancient DNA by using a novel aDNA analysis.
The scientists managed to distinguish 34 separate taxonomic plant groups. Among these groups, Brassicaceae (cabbage) and Ericaceae (heather) stood out as the plant families with the highest number of sequences. Additional families that were represented included Betulaceae (birch), Lauraceae (laurels), Selineae (umbellifiers), and Triticeae (cultivated grasses).
The interdisciplinary group, consisting of assyriologists, archaeologists, biologists, and geneticists, managed to juxtapose their discoveries with contemporary botanical data from Iraq and historical Assyrian depictions of plants.
The mud composition of the brick was likely sourced from the nearby Tigris river, combined with substances such as chaff, straw, or animal dung. After moulding the brick into shape, it was then engraved with cuneiform writing and placed under the sun for drying. As a result of opting not to fire the brick and allowing it to dry naturally, this has contributed to the preservation of the genetic material trapped within the clay.
Dr Troels Arbøll from the University of Oxford, said: “‘Because of the inscription on the brick, we can allocate the clay to a relatively specific period of time in a particular region, which means the brick serves as a biodiversity time-capsule of information regarding a single site and its surroundings. In this case, it provides researchers with a unique access to the ancient Assyrians.”
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-38191-w
Header Image Credit : Arnold Mikkelsen and Jens Lauridsen
Archaeologists from Oxford Archaeology have uncovered a well-preserved Bronze Age wooden well in Oxfordshire, England.
The discovery was made during construction works for the Benson Relief Road in compliance with planning conditions to ensure archaeological finds are recorded.
John Boothroyd, Senior Project Manager at Oxford Archaeology, said: “When investigating what appeared to be a standard pit for the site, the archaeological team started exposing the remains of a preserved wooden post driven vertically into the ground.”
Excavations revealed that the posts formed the uprights of a wattle structure lining the edge of the pit, which have been well-preserved due to the soil conditions being waterlogged.
The timber structure was digitally recorded, before being carefully dismantled by hand for removal to the Oxfordshire Museum Service.
Samples of the preserved wood have been sent for further analysis to indicate the type of wood used in the construction. Excavations also found pieces of struck flint, animal bone and pottery used for storage and waste.
Previous studies of the area around Benson and as far as Wallingford have revealed traces of Bronze Age activity and settlement.
“Despite the extremely challenging conditions, the team were able to expose and fully record the well. The specialist soil samples collected will also help establish what the surrounding landscape would have been like, and the intensity to which it was settled, when the well was actively being used.”
Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Development Strategy, said: “This find gives fantastic insight into the area’s past land use. It is thought the well may have been used for agricultural irrigation purposes for settlements nearby. Archaeological surveys like this are an important part of the process of delivering construction schemes. They help us identify and understand past residents of the area and record them for future generations.”
Header Image Credit : Oxford Archaeology
Sources : Oxfordshire County Council
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
A restoration project to remove invasive plants from dunes in the Heist Willemspark, Belgium, has led to the discovery of three intact WWII bunkers.
Heist Willemspark is located in the Knokke-Heist municipality, situated on the coastline of Belgium near the border with the Netherlands.
During WWI, the area of the park was used as a German position for heavy artillery batteries known as “Freya” and “Augusta”, and a series of forward observation bunkers for ranging shipping in the English Channel.
A number of these structures were repurposed by the German army in WWII, and further fortified as part of the Atlantic Wall, a system of coastal defences built between 1942 and 1944 along the coast of continental Europe. The area of the Atlantic Wall at Heist Willemspark was designated by the German army as Stützpunkt Heyst.
Image Credit : Municipality of Knokke-Heist
According to a press statement by the Municipality of Knokke-Heist, the bunkers were discovered by the Agency for Nature and Forests during a restoration project called LIFE DUNIAS.
Excavations at a depth of only a few feet revealed three Gruppenunterstand Type VF2a bunkers. The VF2a is intended for housing a Gruppe (the smallest German unit consisting of 10 soldiers) who operated forward radar positions. The bunkers at Heist Willemspark measure 6 by 7 metres externally, and are capped by a concrete reinforced roof measuring 1 metre thick.
The project also found traces of brick trenches, a fragment of a concrete track, and large amounts of rubble containing objects such as utensils, ammunition, cabling, and water pipes.
A representative of LIFE DUNIAS said: “These ruins illustrate the previous attempts to completely erase the park’s war history. The lighter structures were demolished and reduced to rubble, while heavier bunkers were covered with a layer of soil and hidden, as if they had never existed.”
Header Image Credit : Municipality of Knokke-Heist
Sources : Municipality of Knokke-Heist
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
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