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Recently I released a video on the Greatest Archaeological Discoveries of 2022,
but in this one, I want to share with you what I think are the greatest historical discoveries of
2022. A historical discovery would be something scholars have found after examining an ancient
artifact or document. This includes scientific testing. So these kinds of discoveries can often
happen some time after something is dug up, maybe even years or decades or centuries later.
As I am a historian and not an archaeologist, these kinds of discoveries are more up my alley,
so to speak. So I am excited to share them with you.
Here are what I think are the top 20 historical discoveries of this past year.
#20. God of Palmyra Identified In the ancient Syrian city of
Palmyra, an anonymous god has puzzled archaeologists and historians for 100 years.
Several inscriptions have been found exalting the deity. But in 2022 we have a breakthrough
regarding the identity of this deity. An archaeologist discovered around 2,500
inscriptions in Aramaic on various architectural elements in Palmyra. 200 texts dating from the
2nd and 3rd centuries contained phrases such as "He whose name is blessed forever", "Lord
of the Universe" and "Merciful". These phrases were similar to those used in 1st millennium BCE
temples in ancient Mesopotamia to give thanks to various deities including Marduk-Bel, Nabu,
Hadad, and Nergal. These findings suggest that the anonymous god of Palymyra was actually not
one god but multiple deities, indicating a polytheistic religious tradition in Palmyra.
#19. Function of Bronze Age European Daggers Determined
Copper-alloy daggers, widespread in Bronze Age Europe, have long been a mystery for
archaeologists. Many believed they were ceremonial objects used in funerals to
show the status of the deceased. Others thought they may have been weapons or
tools. But a new method developed by an international team allowed the extraction
of organic residues from ten such daggers found in Pragatto, a Bronze Age site in
Italy. The study revealed that the daggers were used to process animal carcasses,
including the slaughtering of livestock and butchering. This novel method enables
the analysis of a wide variety of copper-alloy tools and weapons from anywhere in the world.
#18. Mayan Tooth Sealant Determined Did you know Mayans were interested
to show off gemstones on their teeth? But how did they fix them? A recent study suggests Mayans may
have used plant-based adhesives to fix gemstones to their teeth. From the analysis of eight teeth
found in burial sites across the Mayan empire, researchers found 150 organic molecules common
in plant resins. Statistical analysis revealed the sealants could be separated into four groups
based on their location, suggesting local practitioners each had their own recipes.
Most samples included ingredients found in pine trees, which other research suggests can fight
bacteria that cause tooth decay, and two teeth showed evidence of sclareolide, a compound with
antibacterial and antifungal properties. Oils from mint plants were also used as adhesives.
#17. Quarry for Baths of Herod Discovered Herod the Great, the king of Judea at
the time of Jesus’ birth was known for his luxurious tastes including his famous
calcite-alabaster baths. Previously, we believed Herod imported his baths from Egypt. But in 2022,
this was shown to be wrong. A calcite-alabaster quarry in the Te'omim cave, Israel was found to
be the source of royal artifacts. Researchers used four analytical methods to determine the
origin of the artifacts and found that calcite-alabaster from Israel could be
distinguished from that of Egypt. The discovery confirms that the calcite-alabaster industry
in Judea in the first century BCE was developed enough to serve the luxurious standards of Herod.
#16. History of Curia Pompeia Established The Curia Pompeia was an important meeting
place for Roman senators during the Roman Republic. It was believed to be built during
the time of the famous Roman general, Pompey the Great. A recent study has found that the
site was constructed in multiple phases. This was determined through the use of archaeometry,
a scientific discipline that uses physical and chemical analysis techniques on archaeological
materials. Archaeometry tells us about the stages of construction of a building and was
successfully applied to study the place where Julius Caesar was buried. The study analyzed
samples of mortar from the site and found that it was constructed in three distinct phases: during
the time of Pompey in 55 BCE, under Augustus, around 19 BCE, and in the early medieval period.
#15. Pompeii Genome Sequenced No relation to Pompey the Great. Have
you wondered what the unfortunate victims of the Mt. Vesuvius eruption at Pompeii looked like? Were
they fit? Or did they suffer from diseases like us? The remains of a man and a woman were found
in the House of the Craftsman in Pompeii in 1914. For the first time, scientists have sequenced the
genome of a victim. While DNA was extracted from both, the scientists were only able to sequence
the man's entire genome. The genome reveals that the man, aged 35-40, had dark hair, brown eyes,
and a genetic predisposition for baldness. He had been infected with several parasites, including
tapeworm. It also showed that he may have had tuberculosis before his death. The genome provides
valuable insight into the lives of Romans and shows remarkable similarity with modern Italians.
#14. New Light on Origins of Domestic Chickens Chicken and rice may have been inseparable since
the early days of human civilization. That’s right! Two new studies have offered insights
into the domestication of chickens and their spread across the world. The studies suggest
that the birds were domesticated in Southeast Asia around 3,500 years ago in rice fields,
and were transported westward not as food but as exotic or revered creatures.
Chickens did not arrive in central China, South Asia, or Mesopotamia until 3,000 years ago.
Chickens and rice cultivation then spread across Asia and Africa in tandem, with people possibly
viewing chickens as sacred creatures. Chickens only arrived in northwest Africa between 1,100
and 800 years ago, and in Mediterranean Europe no earlier than 2,800 years ago.
#13. Mystery of Roman Lopsided Dice Solved People have been rolling dice for thousands
of years and the Romans were particularly fond of dice games. The Romans believed the gods
influenced the outcome of the dice roll. But Roman dice were often asymmetrical and biased
towards the numbers one and six. Why? Was it for cheating? Well, in a recent study, researchers
enlisted psychology students to place pips on reproductions of blank Roman dice and found that
most students placed the one and six pips on the largest opposing surfaces of the lopsided dice,
just as the Romans did. This suggests that both groups involuntarily chose this configuration,
rather than making a conscious effort to cheat and stack the odds in their favor.
#12. Lost City of Natounia Found The city of Natounia believed to
be in the modern-day Kurdistan region of Iraq was known only through its coins.
But no one knew where it was. An archaeological site in Iraqi Kurdistan, which was excavated
between 2009 and 2022 has now been identified as Natounia. A 2,000-year-old fortress,
called Rabana-Merquly, is located there in the Zagros Mountains and is nearly 2.5 miles long,
with two smaller settlements and a religious complex. The fortress was on the border of
Adiabene, a minor kingdom that paid tribute to the Parthian Empire around 2,000 years
ago. Within the fortress, entrance wall reliefs depict life-sized carvings of an anonymous ruler.
Researchers believe that this unknown ruler could be the direct descendent of Natounissar,
the ruler of Natounia. This is not certain, but it seems to be a strong possibility.
#11. Ancient Chinese Bronze Recipe Determined Bronze is made from copper and tin, right?
A 2,300-year-old text from China, the Kao Gong Ji, talks about two elusive ingredients, "jin" and
"xi" for making Bronze. The recipes, which were part of a larger text called The Rites of Zhou,
had confounded researchers for more than 100 years as they believed the ingredients
translated to copper and tin. But in 2022, researchers have concluded that "jin" and
"xi" are likely premixed metal alloys after analyzing the chemical composition of ancient
Chinese coins. One was made of copper, tin, and lead, and the other copper and lead. The
findings suggest bronze-making in ancient China relied on mixing alloys rather than pure metals.
#10. Mayan Rubber Balls Made from the Dead
Have you wondered what happened to the Mayan leaders after their death? Researchers from
Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History found 400 urns containing human ashes,
rubber, coal, and plant roots while excavating the Toniná temple complex in southern Mexico. The
urns revealed a startling secret! Ancient Maya rulers' remains were made into rubber balls used
in the ritual game of "pelota!" The urns found in a crypt beneath the Sun Temple were believed
to have been used to manufacture rubber balls for the game. Inscriptions on the three scoring hoops
at the site suggest that three ancient dignitaries were taken to the "Cave of the Dead," where they
underwent a 260-day process of "transmutation" before their remains were used to make the balls.
#9. Tomb of Wen of Han Found Systematic excavations and
investigations on a mausoleum located at Jiangcun Village in the ancient city of Xi'an, which was
discovered in 2006. But new research done there has traced the tomb to that of Emperor Wen,
also known as Liu Heng, who reigned between 180 and 157 BCE during the
Western Han Dynasty. Emperor Wen of Han was an important figure in Chinese history. His reign,
along with that of his son, Emperor Jing, is remembered as a time of peace and prosperity.
Thanks to this discovery we now know where all 11 Western Han emperors are buried in the area.
#8. Mass Migration into Britain Discovered Have you wondered, how did Celts like Boudicca
come to live and rule Britain? What was their effect on British culture and food habits? We
have evidence of a large migration to Britain that took place between 1400 and 870 BCE and may have
contributed to the spread of Celtic languages. A study analyzed DNA from 793 ancient skeletons
and found that around half the ancestry of later populations in England and Wales came from these
migrants, who introduced new practices such as the intentional burial of Bronze objects as offerings
to gods. The research also revealed that a gene allowing people to digest raw milk increased
rapidly in Britain during the Iron Age, 1000 years before it did in other parts of northern Europe.
#7. Origin of the Avars Discovered The Avars were a group of warriors
who lived in Europe around 1,500 years ago, after the collapse of the Western
Roman empire. They were eventually defeated by Charlemagne in the late 8th century. But their
origins were shrouded in mystery. A recent study suggests Avars likely migrated from Mongolia to
Europe and mixed with the local population. DNA analysis of Avar remains showed that
the Avar population was large and there were continued migrations from Mongolia over time.
Even 200 years after the migrations began, the Avars retained a strong East Asian signature.
#6. Route of the Bantus Discovered The Bantu Expansion, which saw the
spread of Bantu languages throughout sub-Saharan Africa, was believed to have taken place through
a corridor in the Savannah grasslands 2500 years ago. Scientists believed Bantus being
an agricultural people couldn’t have survived in the forests of Central Africa. But a new study
suggests the Bantu expansion took place about 4,000 years ago, much earlier than previously
thought, and in a different direction. The study used linguistic data from more than 400 Bantu
and closely related languages to build a language family tree and reconstruct the geographic spread
of Bantu speakers. The Bantus migrated through the tropical rainforests of Central Africa.
The study reveals that farmers can indeed adapt to rainforests.
#5. Origins of Maize Discovered A new study has revealed that over half
of the ancestry of the ancient Maya civilization can be traced back to migrants who arrived from
South America around 5600 years ago, bringing with them new varieties of corn that sustained
the Maya culture. The study analyzed remains from two rock shelters in Belize and found that
the Maya have inherited more than half of their DNA from this influx of migrants from the south,
with the remainder coming from ancient hunter-gatherers and ancestors of
people in the Mexican highlands. Analyzing the dental remains of the new migrants, scientists
found maize consumption went up from 10% in the ancient hunter-gatherers to 50% in the migrants.
This is the earliest evidence of maize being used as a dietary staple.
#4. Ancient Iberian Tribe Found to be Basque Ancestor
Vascones, an Iron-Age tribe from Northern Spain are believed to be the ancestors of
modern Basque people. They spoke a language called Proto-Basque. But for a very long time,
we believed the Vascones were illiterate, with no writing system. A bronze hand found
by archaeologists in Spain, known as the Hand of Irulegi, challenges this long-held belief.
The Hand of Irulegi contains the oldest written example of Proto-Basque. Five words inscribed on
the hand, written in 40 characters, suggest Vascones knew how to write. The first word,
sorioneku, is a forerunner of the modern Basque word zorioneko meaning good luck/good omen.
The discovery may change how scholars view the Vascones and their use of writing.
#3. Continuity of Minoan Civilization Found For a long time, we believed that the Minoan
civilization, on the island of Crete underwent a significant cultural change because of a Mycenaean
invasion around 3,500 years ago. The Minoans adopted a new language and economic system,
burial customs, dress, and drinking habits, from the invading Mycaeneans.
But recently researchers found evidence of significant continuity in everyday practices,
including the use of obsidian tools for harvesting crops, suggesting that the
population had largely remained local and of Minoan descent. The researchers believe
that while the Minoan elites were aligned with Mycenaeans, most people continued to live their
lives in much the same way as before, leading to a more complex political situation on the island.
#2. Lost Branch of Nile Discovered Near Pyramid Wouldn’t it be easier to build the pyramids if
the construction materials such as limestone and granite could be transported along a waterway?
Researchers have found evidence that a now-defunct arm of the Nile called the Khufu Branch once
flowed near the pyramids of Giza, making it easier for ancient architects to transport the limestone
blocks used in the construction of the Great Pyramid. The researchers used sediment cores,
pollen grains, and other clues preserved in the desert soil to reconstruct the history
of the Khufu Branch over the past 8,000 years. The branch dried up completely around 600 BCE.
#1. Ancient Star Map Found Inside Medieval Manuscript
Hipparchus a 2nd-century BC Greek astronomer, is believed to have made the earliest known
attempt to chart the entire night sky. But the star catalog of Hipparchus was
thought to be hypothetical with no actual evidence of its existence.
We only find references about it in literature. In 2022 team of researchers discovered a fragment
Hipparchus’ star map concealed beneath the pages of a medieval manuscript. The book,
Codex Climaci Rescriptus at St. Catherine's Monastery in Egypt was hiding the star catalog.
The researchers used multispectral imaging to reveal the coordinates of the stars.
So there you have it, the 20 greatest historical discoveries of 2022. But I probably should address
a purported historical discovery from this past year that I did not include and you
may be wondering about. And that is the supposed discovery of a previously unknown Roman emperor
named Sponsian. An academic paper came out in November authenticating a coin depicting Sponsian,
and it caused quite a stir in the news. However, other specialists are arguing
that there are strong indications the coin is a forgery. So that’s why I didn’t include it.
Anyway, let me know if you liked this list, and if you think I left something important off of it.
If you haven’t seen my Greatest Archaeological Discoveries video,
I will leave a link to it below, so you can check it out. If you like what this channel
is doing and would like to support it, you can do it with a Super Thanks or more long term at
patreon.com/WorldofAntquity. Thank you for watching.
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that the subject is important, even in the modern world. You might also wish to use it
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Catch you later.