From a cave full of dismembered skeletons to the case of the missing medium-sized dinosaurs,
here are 9 mysterious archaeological discoveries
9. Rabbits Discover Artifacts
Archaeologists recently received help from an unlikely group: a herd of rabbits, whose
burrowing on the remote Welsh island of Skokholm unearthed a trove of prehistoric artifacts
dating back to the Stone Age.
Situated west of Wales in the Celtic Sea, Skokholm only has two human residents -- a
pair of wardens and seabird experts named Richard Brown and Giselle Eagle, who discovered
the archaeological treasures that the rabbits had dug up. They spotted an artifact at the
entrance of a burrow near the island’s cottage and sent photos to experts on the mainland,
who identified it as a Mesolithic tool.
Known as a “beveled pebble,” the item is estimated to be between 6,000 and 9,000
years old. Stone Age hunters likely used it to prepare food, such as shellfish, and/or
to make boats from seal hides. Although similar tools have been found in Pembrokeshire, Cornwall,
and other nearby sites, it’s the first time one has appeared on Skokholm.
The day after the initial discovery, Brown and Eagle found even more artifacts, including
pottery fragments and another tool, in the same place where they found the first one.
Jody Deacon, curator of prehistoric archaeology at the National Museum of Wales, identified
the pottery as an Early Bronze Age burial urn dating back some 3,750 years.
Based on the findings, Royal Commission of Wales archaeologist Toby Driver suspects that
the cottage was built atop an Early Bronze Age burial mound, which was built over a middle
Stone Age hunter-gatherer settlement. And it’s all thanks to the bunnies!!
These discoveries are all firsts for the tiny island, which has served as a national nature
reserve since 2006.
8. A Cult That Exhumed The Dead
When archaeologists first unearthed a collection of flint artifacts at a large Neolithic village
in northern Jordan’s Zarqa River Valley, they initially suspected that the objects
were prehistoric tools. But they were not!
Dating back roughly 10,000 years to 7500 B.C., the violin-shaped artifacts appear to be figurines
representing their ancient owners’ deceased relatives. They were likely used by an ancestor
cult in the ritualistic burial and exhumation of the dead, according to a team of Spanish
archaeologists who published a study on the discovery last year.
Body parts from some of the seven original burials at the site appear to have been dug
up and reburied, coinciding with the idea that the figurines were related to this ritual.
The figurines are the only flint artifacts ever found in Jordan that date back to the
Early Paleolithic or Neolithic periods, with other human representations from the time
and area having been carved from limestone and ivory.
The researchers wrote that the objects reflect a conceptual and artistic revolution that
occurred in the Near East as humans transitioned from hunting and gathering to agriculture.
This change is reflected in the shift from animals to humans as the primary focus of
ancient imagery.
7. Extinct Cave Bear
Late last year, a group of reindeer herders discovered the frozen carcass of an extinct
cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) high above the Arctic Circle in Siberia’s remote Lyakhovsky
Islands. They promptly alerted researchers at the North-Eastern Federal University (NEFU),
who came to get it so they could study it.
The animal died as an adult, probably sometime between 22,000 and 39,500 years ago, and quickly
became encased in ice, which kept its nose, teeth, and internal organs remarkably intact
into modern times. It’s the first wholly preserved specimen scientists have had the
opportunity to examine, as only skeletal cave bear remains were found before then.
According to experts, the cave bear was an ancient species or subspecies that roamed
what is now Europe and Asia alongside other Ice Age giants, including mammoths, saber-toothed
cats, woolly rhinos, and giant ground sloths before going extinct around 15,000 years ago.
Weighing around 1,300 pounds (590 kg) on average, with the largest specimens tipping the scales
at up to 2,200 pounds (998 kg), fully grown males were considerably larger than modern
bears.
Scientists must conduct more tests to determine the bear’s precise age and hope to obtain
a DNA sample for genetic analysis. If possible, they plan to compare the information to the
DNA of a frozen cave bear cub that was found around the same time in another patch of permafrost.
6. Bull Rock Cave
Located in the Blansko area of south Moravia, Czech Republic, the Bull Rock Cave (Býčí
skála) is famous for its archaeological discoveries. It is part of the country’s second-longest
cave system, and it’s shrouded in mystery.
In 1872, Czech archaeologist Jindrich Wankel discovered a settlement inside the cave belonging
to the Bronze Age Hallstatt culture, which existed from the 12th century B.C. to the
sixth century B.C.
Wankel also claimed that he found the brutally dismembered skeletons of 40 young women, including
some who were beheaded and others with missing limbs. Nearby was a small altar holding severed
arm and hand bones hacked off at the elbow, and a skull sliced cleanly down the middle.
Wankel also found what he believed were the remains of a chariot containing a charred
human skeleton.
The archaeologist concluded that he had discovered the grave of a Hallstatt nobleman and 40 ritually
killed young women, perhaps virgins. But he was woefully mistaken, as later investigations
identified 17 of the skeletons as male and determined that the individuals ranged in
age from children up to 60 years old. There was actually no proof that the people died
violently.
Moreover, the so-called chariot turned out to be the remains of three different vehicles
unrelated to one another.
Nobody knows exactly what went on at Bull Rock cave at some point between 700 and 650
B.C., but because ironworking was considered a magical process in the region at the time,
Hallstatt expert Martin Golec theorized that the deceased individuals were perhaps ritually
sacrificed by blacksmith-priests to ensure that their work was successful.
But the skeletons’ origins are also unknown, as the relics found in the cave, including
amber and bronze objects, glass beads, sheet metal vessels, textiles, and ceramic goods,
came from various places, including Italy, the Baltic, and the Caucasus.
And so the mystery continues.
5. Where are the medium-sized dinosaurs?
Some of the most bizarre archaeological discoveries aren’t artifacts themselves, but a lack
thereof. Paleontologists have long wondered why medium-sized carnivorous dinosaurs are
practically missing from the fossil record. There are huge ones and tiny ones, but what
about the medium one?? Scientists have just announced that they may
have finally answered this question.
A new study notes the conspicuous absence of medium-sized dinosaurs, especially those
dating back to the Cretaceous period (145.5 million to 65.5 million years ago) amid a
plethora of massive and small ones. It raises the possibility that young megatheropods -- the
largest meat-eating dinosaurs -- are to blame for the lack of medium-sized species.
“Juvenile megatheropods may have outcompeted other medium-sized dinosaurs, resulting in
deflated global dinosaur diversity,” lead researcher Katlin Schroeder said.
Schroeder and her colleagues made their findings by analyzing data from the Paleobiology Database,
a comprehensive collection of paleontological data. They found herbivorous dinosaurs of
all sizes, but discovered that many dinosaur communities with megatheropods rarely contained
medium-sized carnivores.
Schroeder says it’s possible that the ‘gap’ was being caused by juveniles of those large
megatheropods, which may have been eating different things than their parents, and therefore
competing with medium-sized carnivores. Not all experts agree with the research including
Michael D’Emic, an associate professor in the Department of Biology at Adelphi University
in New York who pointed out the very real possibility that there are fossils of medium-sized
carnivores that just haven’t been found yet.
But in case they don’t, now we know why!
4. Magical Childbirth Girdle
According to a new study, a 10-foot-long (3 meters) strip of parchment featuring Christian
emblems was once used as a magical amulet! Made from four strips of sheepskin that were
stripped thin and sewn together, the girdle likely dates back to the late 15th century.
It’s adorned with religious imagery, including pictures of the nails of the crucifixion,
the holy monogram IHS, a standing figure that may represent Jesus, crucifixion wounds with
blood dripping from them, and Christian texts. It was meant to protect women during pregnancy
and childbirth in medieval England. Known as a “birthing girdle” or “birthing
scroll,” the rare artifact contains traces of plant and animal proteins from ingredients
that were used to treat health problems during pregnancy, as well as human proteins from
actual births.
Biochemist and lead study author Sarah Fiddyment said that this particular girdle shows evidence
of having been heavily handled, since much of the image and text have been worn away.
It also has a lot of stains on it so it looks like it was actively used.
Chemical tests revealed the presence of honey, cereals, legumes (such as beans), and sheep
or goat milk, which were all used in medieval remedies to treat pregnancy ailments.
Birthing girdles were popular at a time when it was common for women to die during childbirth
as a way to protect them from the dangers associated with pregnancy and having babies.
These scrolls were worn wrapped around the waist and baby bump for good luck.
They fell out of favor starting in 1536 during Henry VIII’s “Dissolution of the Monasteries,”
when the ill-reputed monarch targeted these and other church rituals for destruction.
During this time, birthing girdles gained a reputation as a forbidden religious practice
that relied on supernatural help beyond the Holy Trinity.
For this reason, only a few birthing girdles are known to have survived into modern times.
Based on the wear and tear of this one, as well as the ample amount of human proteins
found on it, it was probably used in hundreds of births.
3. Winged Shark
Ninety-three million years ago, during the time of the dinosaurs, a strange-looking shark
with a gaping mouth and wing-like fins swam throughout the world’s oceans. The recently
described species, Aquilolamna milarcae or the eagle shark, somewhat resembled manta
and devil rays, which did not emerge into existence for another 30 million years. Like
those animals, it was a filter feeder, feasting on plankton and other microscopic creatures.
The study is based on a fossil discovered in 2012 in the Nuevo León state of northeastern
Mexico, which was submerged in water at the time when the eagle shark lived. Known as
the Western Interior Seaway, this body of water stretched from the modern-day Gulf of
Mexico to the Arctic Ocean.
Unlike any of today’s sharks, the eagle shark had long, slender fins that made it
wider than it is long, according to lead study researcher Romaine Villo, who spoke with Live
Science about the discovery. Its body measured around 5.4 feet (1.65 meters) long, while
its wingspan was roughly 6.2 feet (1.9 meters) long.
“Another interesting feature is that the head is short, with an indistinct snout and
a wide mouth,” Vullo explained. “The other parts of the Aquilolamna, such as its tail
and caudal [tail] fin, are like [those] in many modern sharks. This gives to Aquilolamna
a unique chimeric appearance.”
The eagle shark had body parts from both of the two distinct body types that are seen
among modern plankton-eating elasmobranchs, the group of sharks, rays, and other fish
with skeletons made from cartilage. It possessed features of the “traditional” shark body
(seen in today’s whale sharks) and species with flattened bodies, like manta and devil
rays.
These characteristics resulted not as a precursor to evolution, but from something known as
convergent evolution, when different groups of creatures evolve independently to have
similar features.
The eagle shark was likely a somewhat slow swimmer that used its elongated fins as stabilizers,
and possibly to propel its body through the water. But the only known fossilized specimen
is incomplete. Its teeth are missing, leaving scientists unsure of what kind of shark it
was. With such limited evidence to go on, they also do not know when it went extinct.
2. Anti-Vampire Amulet
A recently deciphered inscription on a 1,600-year-old amulet claims to protect the wearer from flesh-eating
and blood-sucking evil spirits, according to a new study by archaeologists.
The text is written in Mandaic, the ancient language used by the Mandaeans, an ethnic
group that has lived in what is now southern Iraq and Iran for thousands of years. Resembling
a long, thin piece of lead when unfolded, the amulet measures roughly eight inches (20.32
cm) long and 1.7 inches (4.4 cm) wide. It was intended for a man named Abbiya.
The 62-line incantation reads: “In the name of life, may there be health to the spirit
and soul of Abbiya, the son of Mahua.” It also calls on the archangel Gabriel to “throw
down, bind, strike, kill and fetter the demon” and to stop “spirits who eat flesh and drink
blood” from harming Abbiya.
The amulet is one of three such scrolls purchased by Centre College in Danville, Kentucky in
2009 for $5,000. Because so many artifacts from southern Iraq have been looted in recent
decades, its traceable provenance makes it especially valuable, as many journals will
not publish research on items lacking proof that they were not stolen.
By deciphering the inscription, experts stand to learn more about the Mandaeans’ complex
religion, which blends elements of several different belief systems. Modern-day Mandaeans
still practice some of the age-old traditions of their religion. They are strict non-pacifists
who do not believe in using violence under any circumstances, including self-defense,
and they ritually immerse themselves in water as a way to purify themselves.
1.The Childhood Home of Jesus
Archaeologists working in Nazareth (in modern-day Israel) announced the possible discovery of
Jesus Christ’s childhood home. Made partially from mortar-and-stone walls, the modest first-century
structure was built into a hillside.
Nuns at the Sisters of Nazareth convent first discovered the remains in the 1880s underneath
their church, but it was not dated back to Jesus’s time until 2006, when archaeologist
Ken Dark identified it as a place people believed Christ grew up for centuries following his
death.
Dark admits that it’s unknown whether Jesus actually lived in the modest dwelling, but
said it’s entirely possible.
“It’s impossible to say on archaeological grounds,” he conceded in an article published
in Biblical Archaeology Review. “On the other hand, there is no good archaeological
reason why such an identification should be discounted.”
After all, the structure was found where Jesus is believed to have grown up, and the site
remained protected well into the Byzantine Era, when it was decorated with mosaics and
a church known as the “Church of the Nutrition” was built on top.
At some point, the site fell into disrepair, and crusaders fixed it up in the 12th century
upon their arrival to the Holy Land.
The Nazareth Archaeological Project gained full access to the site in 2006, at which
point experts examined previous drawings of the dwelling and reconstructed its development.
Inside the home, they found broken cooking pots, a spindle whorl used for spinning thread,
and limestone vessels. According to Jewish beliefs, limestone could not be made impure,
suggesting that a Jewish family lived in the home.
The modest home was abandoned sometime during the first century.
Two other first-century houses have been identified in Nazareth in recent years, making for just
a handful of remains from that time period ever found there.
Thanks for watching!! Which discovery was your favorite?? Mine was the mysterious bull
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