2023-12-27 09:12:35
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[EN VIDÉO] The drone at the service of archeology With a drone with four propellers, capable of flying autonomously or in manual mode,…
The year 2023 was punctuated by archaeological and historical discoveries, each more important than the last. From ancient forgotten cities in the remote plains of Egypt to imperial treasures in Chinese tombs, researchers from all continents have worked to exhume the most beautiful relics. They allow us to better understand past events, both human movements in prehistory and civilizational developments throughout history. A look back at ten major archaeological events of the last twelve months.
When history survives war
Iraq’s modern history is punctuated by war and violence. Between the invasion of the United States in 2003 and the gangrenegangrene of the Islamic State in the 2010s, research suffered numerous setbacks in the Middle Eastern country. But since 2022, activity on the excavation sites has gradually resumed. In February 2023, archaeologists discovered the remains of a Sumerian royal city in Girsu, north of Nassiriya. This site was one of the high places of Antiquity in the Fertile CrescentFertile Crescent, particularly during the Ur III period, around 2,100 BC.
Further north, a few kilometers from Mosul, Iraqi scientists rediscovered a magnificent winged statue in November. This impressive figure, exhumed in Khorsabad around thirty years ago, was hidden in 2014 by residents of the region keen to preserve their historical heritage. Called “Lamassu”, the statue has not been altered and is expected to join the National Museum of Iraq in the coming months.
Italy, land of archeology
Italian archaeologists are counting a substantial harvest to their credit for 2023. In December alone, an ancient domus containing magnificent decorations was explored before its opening to the public in 2024, while Pompeii continued to reveal its secrets. In the ” Regio IX » of the city destroyed by VesuviusVesuvius in 79, messages inscribed on the walls of a building during a political campaign were found. A few weeks later, historians are trying to understand a strange building, having all the characteristics of a bakery… A very particular bakery, several elements of which are reminiscent of jails. For researchers, slaves probably worked to produce bread and other foodstuffs for the city’s citizens.
Treasure hunt in the Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea has always been an important maritime traffic basin, since Antiquity. In November, Italian divers brought up nearly 50,000 ancient pieces a few kilometers from the coast of Sardinia. A priceless treasure dating from the 3rd century, a few years before the decline of the Western Roman Empire. With the added bonus of superb artifacts from Africa and the Orient.
Still in the Mediterranean but this time near the harbor of Toulon, French archaeologists got their hands on interesting objects dating from the 19th century. Locked in the wreck of a 200-year-old ship lying at the bottom of the water, academics launched a real investigation to find the place of origin of the recovered artifacts. These were produced in France, approximately 130 kilometers from Toulon, during the 19th century. A collection which reinforces a local heritage already rich in history.
The jewels of pre-Columbian America
In the summer of 2023, large-scale excavations revealed the existence of more than 130 pre-Columbian sites in Bolivia. In the province of Carangas, on the border with Chile, dozens of places documented by the first Spanish explorers were located by modern archaeologists. To arrive at this record number, scientists used a clever technological mix, combining field investigation and the use of drones and satellite images.
In Mexico, at the popular site of Chichén Itzá, while exploring the depths of a pyramid, archaeologists unearthed a warrior mask and several ritual artifacts. Sporting singular finery, this Mayan mask rested under the feet of tourists, locked away since the 11th century.
The mysteries of Egyptian antiquity
Going up the Nile Nile, one of the most beautiful towns in Egypt displays its wonders before the eyes of visitors and archaeologists. The city of Luxor preserves the magnificent monuments of the ancient city of Thebes. Among the massive statues, imposing obelisks and more modern buildings lie traces of life during the Roman Empire. On the eastern bank of Luxor, it is a complete residential area that archaeologists have exposed for all to see. Dating from the 3rd century, it is made up of classic dwellings but also two dovecotes and workshops – in this case a forge – as evidenced by the artifacts preserved in the ground.
It took years of work for Egyptologist Victoria Almansa-Villatoro to confirm: the Egyptians knew that certain irons came from space. Here, no eccentricities including aliens but an applied study of hieroglyphic texts. And certain symbols found in the Pyramid Text are unmistakable, meaning both “iron” and “sky”. An important discovery because the correlation drawn up by the scribes dates from around 2,600 BC. Dozens of centuries before modern scientists really looked into the question of meteorites and their composition…
Understanding the advances of the Neolithic
Whole weeks of searching square kilometers of land in the Marne finally paid off. At the end of August, the CNRS and Inrap announced the discovery of an enclosure murmur and a 5,000-year-old dwelling on the Val-des-Marais site.
A notable breakthrough in an area surveyed since the 19th century, as explained by professor and archaeologist Rémi Martineau. The start of an adventure lasting several years aimed at unearthing the entirety of this living space dating from the recent Neolithic in order to understand a little-known era in the history of France.
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