3,000-Year-Old Mass Burial

Archaeologists have discovered a mass burial site in the south of Scotland that dates to about 3,300 years ago.

Excavations undertaken in 2020 and 2021 revealed a Bronze Age barrow, which is an ancient burial mound. Inside the mound, cremated bones of several people were contained inside 5 closely-packed urns.

It is postulated that some event—possibly a famine—had resulted in so many burials at the same time. The cremated bones of at least 8 individuals were placed in this one burial event sometime between 1439 and 1287 BC. A small group of pits to the north revealed late Neolithic activity between 2867 and 2504 BC.

It is significant that the mass burial remains were cremated and buried almost immediately. This is unusual because there was a tradition in the Bronze Age of leaving bodies out for some time.

Other Bronze Age sites in the region indicate this may have been a time of stress, as they show evidence of famine and abandonment.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/archaeologists-uncover-3-000-year-old-mysterious-mass-burial-site/ar-AA1Syr5p?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=694401e571684f4395fc7525d4997578&ei=20

Ancient Note Pad

These days, most people do a lot of their shopping by clicking a few buttons. That might be convenient, but it can make it difficult to keep track of when your new armoire or bookshelf will actually show up. In ancient Turkey, somebody kept such details written down on a palm-sized piece of clay.

The Accana Mound is the site of the ancient Anatolian city of Alalah, which served as the capital of the Mukis Kingdom. The ruins found there date as far back as 4,000 years ago. At an excavation at the Accana Mound, researchers recently unearthed a small clay tablet inscribed with cuneiform writing. A study of the tablet has narrowed its origin to some time in the 15^th century BC, during the Late Bronze Age.

Initial readings of the tablet’s Akkadian cuneiform revealed details of a major furniture purchase, including an ample number of wooden tables, chairs, and stools. The experts are still working through the writing and are slowly gathering information about the buyers and sellers involved. Therefore, this small tablet offers a window into the city’s economic processes. Alalah was located along a trade route at the time, so it would have been a center of commerce in addition to being a capital.

The small piece of clay measures only 4.2 centimeters by 3.5 centimeters and is just 1.6 centimeters thick. It weighs 28 grams. But despite its small size, the tablet will help paint a much larger picture of Bronze Age Turkey.

There have been other similar discoveries in the region, including in 2023 when another cuneiform tablet was discovered that details the purchase of an entire city and, one presumes, the furniture in it.

The area was first excavated in the late 1930s. But, after finding this clay list of furniture, it seems there’s still plenty of things to discover.

And who knows? Perhaps the tablet’s details will provide some home-décor inspiration.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/archaeologists-uncovered-a-mysterious-ancient-tablet-with-major-historical-implications/ar-AA1M0JK3?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=fdce9a9bb7794d6189ca2cd589838f5c&ei=14

Mysterious Monolith

On the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, archaeologists have unearthed a temple believed to be 4,000 years old, which features a mysterious monolith. The remains of the sacred space were identified at the archaeological site of Erimi.

The prehistoric settlement of Erimi is located in south-central Cyprus more than 300 feet above sea level, on a limestone terrace. Cyprus is located in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, and serves as a crossroads between Europe, Africa and Asia.

Around 2000-1600 BC, in what’s known as the Middle Bronze Age, a community settled on the Erimi hill. In this Bronze Age community, scientists discovered a room in which they found a monolith measuring more than 7 feet in height. The monolith is completely smooth and features a motif in the center.

The monolith, which had stood in the center of the room, had collapsed onto the floor and destroyed a large amphora placed at its feet. An amphora is a type of container with a pointed bottom. Its characteristic form dates back to prehistoric times.

Peculiarities of this room indicate it is a sacred space. It is believed that the activity that supported the community economically also involved its members ideologically and symbolically. This small sacred space in Erimi is the oldest example known on the island.

I wish the article had included a rendering of the motif on the monolith. It’s always exciting to get a glimpse of what was considered important and special to people from another age.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/archaeologists-discover-mysterious-monolith-in-4-000-year-old-temple/ar-BB1pKQPq?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=5a6a04505124448aa6c13993dfb41141&ei=50