Archaeology
Phallus wind chime found at Roman Viminacium
Archaeologists excavating at Viminacium have uncovered a Roman phallus wind chime known as a tintinnabulum.
Viminacium was the provincial capital of the Roman province of Moesia Superio, located in the Kostolac region in Eastern Serbia. The city was first occupied during the 1st century AD, serving as a major communications and commercial hub, while also playing a crucial role in fortifying the Roman Empire’s northern frontier.
At its height, the city boasted a population of approximately 40,000 residents within a 1111 acre area, along with a legionary fortress, a hippodrome, an amphitheatre, a theatre, a forum, bathhouses, as well as a multitude of residences and domūs. Viminacium was destroyed in AD 441 by Attila the Hun, and then again in AD 582 by the Avars during the Migration Period.
Recent excavations have uncovered a tintinnabulum, a Roman wind chime that acted as a door amulet to keep away evil spirits. They were often hung at thresholds, such as entranceways to shops and dwellings, or under the peristyles around the inner courtyard or garden.
The tintinnabulum was found in the remains of a collapsed building destroyed by fire adjacent to one of the main city streets. The object is cast from bronze and depicts a magical phallus at the centre with two legs, wings, and a tail.
The Romans 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.
Phallic imagery can be found across the Roman world in sculptures, mosaics, frescoes, and portable objects, such as pendants or bulla, to ward off evil that may prey on children (in particular, young boys), or from the wandering evil eye (malus oculus) of men.
Speaking to sveoarheologiji, a representative from the Viminacium Archaeological Park, said: “It was for this reason that the owner of the building hung the tintinabulum in front of his gate. He believed that this object had powerful magical properties that could help him.”
Header Image Credit : The Archaeological Institute
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
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
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
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
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