Archaeology
Evidence of ancient fossil hunting found in Bronze Age Mycenae
A fossilised bone discovered in the legacy collections from the archaeological site of Mycenae represents one of the earliest known examples of ancient fossil hunting.
According to a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, the bone belonged to an Stephanorhinus, an extinct genus of rhinoceros native to Eurasia and North Africa.
Before people understood the true context of fossils, they interpreted them through the lens of their cultural, religious, and mythological beliefs.
In Ancient Greece, the fossilised remains of large animals could be seen as the bones from mythical giants, dragons, or other legendary creatures.
The example described in the study was originally discovered at Mycenae, an ancient city near Mykines on the north-eastern Peloponnese, Greece.
It was found in a deposit of objects placed in a basement store sometime during the 13th century BC. It fossil was originally recovered by excavations in the 1970s, but only recently has the example been analysed at the Mycenae Museum.
Although it is speculated, the paper authors have explored the possible interpretations for what the fossil was collected for.
“It could reflect a contagious magic object that brought luck, religious, and/or mythical essence to a user or situation. This supernatural quality could have been linked to a giant mythical being, much like later associations of fossils with heroes and monsters in Greek historical times,” said the study authors.
The researchers also emphasised the importance of finding a fossil within a secure archaeological context, confirming that fossil hunting in mainland Greece extends back to the Late Bronze Age.
“Our context-based study of the Mycenae fossil provides new insights to characterize early depositional practice with fossils and clarify the timeline of early fossil use in mainland Greece, pushing it back securely to the Late Bronze Age,” added the study authors.
Header Image Credit : Meier
Sources : Meier, J.S., Pliatsika, V. & Shelton, K. The earliest evidence of large animal fossil collecting in mainland Greece at Bronze Age Mycenae. Sci Rep 14, 19158 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-68778-w
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
Archaeologists from the APSARA National Authority have uncovered a guardian statue at the Banteay Prey Nokor temple complex in Kompong Cham, Cambodia.
Known locally as the temple of “Wat Nokor in Khum of Kompong Siem”, or “Wat Angkor”, Banteay Prey Nokor was constructed during the reign of Jayavarman VII (AD 1181–1218), the first king devoted to Buddhism in the Khmer Empire.
The complex covers an area of 37 acres and consists of a central tower surrounded by four laterite wall enclosures made from sandstone and laterite.
In addition to being the largest ancient temple complex in Kampong Cham Province, it has several distinguishing features. One of the most notable is its construction from black sandstone, which sets it apart from other temples of the period, typically built from brick or reddish sandstone.
Image Credit : Phouk Chea / Chea Sarith
Archaeologists from the Department of Preservation and Archaeology at the APSARA Authority recently excavated one of the gateways of Banteay Prey Nokor, clearing away layers of rubble from the collapsed upper structure.
Upon removing the rubble material, a guardian door statue was uncovered to the right of the eastern entrance to the gateway. The statue is broken into six pieces – breaking at the neck, the left forearm, the waist, and below the knees of both legs.
According to the researchers, the statue, which originally stood at a height of around 1.6 metres, is of the Bayon style, in reference to the Bayon state temple of Jayavarman VII at the centre of Jayavarman’s capital, Angkor Thom.
“The sandstone gate guardian will now be stored at the Preah Norodom Sihanouk-Angkor Museum,” Angkor Wat’s heritage police said in a statement. “It will be preserved and studied further.”
Header Image Credit : Phouk Chea / Chea Sarith
Sources : APSARA National Authority
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
Archaeologists from the State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology (LDA) of Saxony-Anhalt have rediscovered the Mallerbach Chapel at the site of the Kaltenborn monastery.
Between 1524 to 1525, a large number of peasants, urban lower classes, and lesser nobles living in the German-speaking areas in Central Europe rebelled against a combination of economic, social, and religious factors. These include:
Economic hardship and inequality: Peasants faced heavy burdens from taxes, dues, and rents imposed by landlords, the church, and secular rulers.
Feudal oppression: Many peasants grew increasingly resentful of the limitations placed on their freedoms by feudal lords, including restrictions on hunting, fishing, and access to communal lands.
Religious influence: The Reformation inspired many peasants who saw in it a call for social and economic reform against a corrupt church.
Legal grievances: Peasants sought greater control over local governance and justice. They were frustrated by the arbitrary decisions made by their lords and demanded more influence over the laws and rules that governed their daily lives.
Image Credit : LDA
Following the outbreak of the Peasants’ War, insurgents from the nearby villages of Riestedt and Emseloh plundered the Kaltenborn monastery near Allstedt in the German district of Mansfeld-Südharz, leading to the monastery’s decline and eventual dissolution in 1538.
According to a press statement by the LDA: “It’s destruction – an act of rebellion against the Cistercian convent of Naundorf, which was in charge of the Chapel of St. Mary and to which the Allstedt residents were subject to taxes – can be seen as the first flare-up and harbinger of the coming uprising of the ‘common man’ against the authorities.”
Recent excavations at the monastery site have located the 12th/13th century Mallerbach chapel, a sacred place of worship for pilgrims who came to witness a weeping image of the Virgin Mary.
Archaeologists have uncovered the original floor plan of the chapel, which measures around 17 metres in length with a rectangular choir and semicircular apse. Excavations have also found the altar foundations, as well as traces of burning from the time of the German Peasants’ War.
Header Image Credit : LDA
Sources : State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology (LDA)
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
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