Archaeology
Atlantean type sculpture discovered in the Archaeological Zone of Chichén Itzá
Archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have discovered an Atlantean type sculpture while prospecting for a new road in the Archaeological Zone of Chichén Itzá.
Chichén Itzá was a Maya city that rose to regional prominence in Mexico’s Yucatan toward the end of the Late Classic and into the early part of the Terminal Classic. The site covers an area of 4 square miles, which at its peak is estimated to have had a population of around 35,000 inhabitants.
The people of Chichén Itzá had a tradition known as the Cult of the Cenote, which involved the offering of human sacrifices to the rain god, Chaac. As part of this ritual, individuals were cast into the city’s principal cenote located in the northernmost section of the site. Alongside these sacrifices, valuable items such as gold, jade ornaments, and other treasures were also deposited.
According to a press announcement, archaeologists prospecting for a new road as part of the Mayan Train project have discovered an Atlantean type sculpture associated with a Maya domestic complex.
Atlantean type sculptures are anthropomorphic statues, where previous studies at Chichén Itzá have uncovered similar examples at the Temple of Warriors. The recently discovered Atlantean type sculpture is male in appearance and has both arms raised while holding an object. According to the researchers, the statue is 90 centimetres in height and was likely part of a ceremonial altar.
Atlantean figures have also been found at other pre-Columbian cultures of Mesoamerica such as the Toltec culture that constructed large statues of Toltec warriors at Tula, in addition to Atlantean figures found at the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan.
Header Image Credit : INAH
Archaeologists from Cotswold Archaeology are excavating the crash site of a WWII B-17 Flying Fortress in an English woodland.
The B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC).
The bomber was mainly used in the European theatre for daylight strategic bombing, complimenting the RAF Bomber Command’s night bombers in attacking German industrial, military and civilian targets.
Cotswold Archaeology have been tasked by the Defense POW / MIA Accounting Agency to search the crash site for the remains of the pilot, who died when the B-17 crashed following a system failure in 1944.
Image Credit : Cotswold Archaeology
At the time, the plane was carrying a payload of 12,000lbs of Torpex, an explosive comprised of 42% RDX, 40% TNT, and 18% powdered aluminium. Torpex was mainly used for the Upkeep, Tallboy and Grand Slam bombs, as well as underwater munitions.
The pilot was declared MIA when the plane exploded into an inferno, however, using modern archaeological techniques, the researchers plan to systematically excavate and sieve the waterlogged crash site to recover plane ID numbers, personal effects, and any surviving human remains.
It is the hope of the excavation team members that they will be able to recover the pilot’s remains and return him to the United States for burial with full military honours.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Defense whose mission is to recover unaccounted Department of Defense personnel listed as prisoners of war (POW) or missing in action (MIA) from designated past conflicts.
Header Image Credit : Cotswold Archaeology
Sources : Cotswold Archaeology
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
Archaeologists excavating at the ancient Tharsa necropolis have uncovered a Roman Era tomb guarded by two carved bull heads.
Tharsa is located near Kuyulu village in southeastern Turkey along the Adıyaman-Şanlıurfa Highway.
The site was situated on a major Roman highway from Doliche to Samosata, which today consists of a two settlement mounds and a large necropolis that dates from the 3rd century to the Byzantine period.
Excavations first commenced in 2021 which discovered a collection of Turuş Rock Tombs, a type of tomb construction carved directly into the bedrock.
In the latest season, archaeologists have excavated another Turuş Rock Tomb, however, this example was found to have two carved bull heads which is decorated with garlands and rosettes between the horns.
Bull heads, known as Bucranium, were a form of carved decoration commonly used in Classical architecture. In Ancient Rome, bucrania were often used on the friezes of temples in the Doric order of architecture, later influencing the architecture of buildings from the Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical periods.
Architectural examples of bucrania are representations of the practice of displaying garlanded, sacrificial oxen, whose heads were displayed on the temple walls.
Like similar Turuş Rock Tombs, the bull heads are carved directly into the bedrock, guarding a dozen rock cut steps descending into the burial chamber which has three arched niches known as acrosolia.
Mustafa Çelik, Deputy Director of Adıyaman Museum, said, “Tharsa Ancient City consists of 3 main archaeological areas: Big Mound, Small Mound and Necropolis Area. We started excavations in the necropolis area in 2024. We added 2 more rock tombs to the rock tombs we had previously uncovered. One of them is the rock tomb we identified today.”
Header Image Credit : Adıyaman Museum
Sources : Adıyaman Museum
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
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