For a long time, ancient civilizations have been the subject of human reflection. The level of their development and achievements is amazing and makes you think about the primary source of people's knowledge.

The subject of in-depth study of scientists and historians is ancient civilizations. The theme of the primary nationality of past years is always relevant. While the question remains a mystery, and the hypotheses of scientists differ.

The ancient technologies of the cultures of past centuries are intriguing and have long attracted the attention of scientific minds. In terms of the level of development, ancient methods were many times superior to modern achievements.

forbidden archeology

Forbidden archeology includes discoveries that are largely kept secret from the public due to the unwillingness of the real inhabitants to comprehend and accept them. Sometimes the finds discovered by scientists cannot be attributed to any of the existing cultures of the area. Often, experts discover the causes of mysterious phenomena.

News of archeology is banned: they cause deep contradictions with the existing generally accepted concepts, require the correction of existing knowledge.

2017 has become a significant year for archeology. We have made new discoveries and rethought those that were made many years ago. However, we still have a lot to learn (and always will), but this year has helped us better understand the world that existed hundreds and thousands of years ago.

In this fascinating article, we will find long-lost temples, unravel a military mystery, explore the mystical Easter Island, excavate the site of ancient settlements, discover a huge statue and documented evidence that relates to the first solar eclipse in human history.

1The Huge Colossus Found Beneath The Slums Of Cairo

Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Khalid El-Enani said 2017 was "a year of archaeological discovery," especially after the period of stagnation that followed the Arab Spring in 2011. In 2017, archaeologists discovered a Roman-era tomb near the city of Minya, three other burials near Samalut, and a tomb belonging to a jeweler named Amenemhat near the Valley of the Kings (the latter containing hundreds of artifacts). However, the most amazing discovery was a giant statue found in March near Mataria, a suburban area of ​​Cairo.

First, archaeologists discovered the three-ton torso of the statue, and a little later, the head. Further excavations revealed a pedestal and two fingers. Officials are sure that the rest of the statue is in the same place. Judging by the size of the torso, the statue was about nine meters high.

What makes this discovery particularly intriguing is the fact that initially experts thought it was a statue depicting Ramesses II the Great, since it was found near the ruins of his temple. However, during the subsequent examination, the engraved inscription "Heaven AA" was found on the statue, which was used only by Pharaoh Psammetichus I of the 26th dynasty. This makes the find the largest late period statue ever found in Egypt.

2 Solving the H. L. Hunley Submarine Mystery

On February 17, 1864, H. L. Hunley, a Confederate States of America submarine, became the first combat submarine to sink a battleship (it was the sloop-of-war USS Housatonic). This success was very costly: on the same day, the submarine H. L. Hunley disappeared without a trace, along with the crew. Nothing was known about her fate for 130 years. The place of death of H. L. Hunley was discovered only in 1995, and the submarine itself was raised to the surface only five years later. The skeletons of all eight crew members were found inside. The question arose - what could kill them?

According to one popular theory, the sloop-of-war USS Housatonic managed to punch holes in the hull of H. L. Hunley before sinking, or the submarine collided with another ship while heading home. However, in early 2017, the researchers announced that they had found the answer to the question after conducting large-scale experiments - the crew of H. L. Hunley was killed by the explosion of his own torpedo.

The submarine was only armed with a pole mine, a weapon that was not designed to detach, so it essentially just rammed the USS Housatonic. The explosion caused a pressure wave that swept through H. L. Hunley and was strong enough to kill or incapacitate the submarine's crew. Those soldiers who did not die instantly could experience ruptured lungs and lose consciousness. As a result, the submarine, having lost control, went to the bottom.

3. Lack of Ecocide on Easter Island

In 2017, a genetic study was conducted to debunk the myth of "ecocide" on Easter Island. According to this theory, the people of Rapa Nui provoked their death by wars and the destruction of forests. Easter Island is small in size, but it is well known for its stone monolithic Moai statues. The more scientists explored this tiny piece of land, which today is almost completely devoid of resources, the more they believed that it was the activities of local residents that caused ecocide on Easter Island.

This idea stemmed from two statements. First, the population of the island numbered in the tens of thousands before the arrival of Europeans in the early 18th century; after this event, it was sharply reduced to just a couple of thousand. Secondly, the Rapa Nui people carelessly destroyed the forest, which led to a reduction in crop yields and a shortage of timber. This eventually resulted in a war that led to the extinction of the population.

Archaeologist Carl Lipo was one of the first to oppose the theory of mass warfare between island tribes. He says that the only evidence of hostilities on Easter Island is oral history, which this moment there are almost 300 years, so it can hardly be considered reliable. In addition, studies have shown that in reality, only 2.5% of the human remains found on the island showed any signs of trauma. As for the forest, it is most likely that the cause of its destruction was partly Polynesian rats, which ate palm nuts and seedlings.

What's more, a new genetic study casts doubt on the generally accepted theory that South Americans made contact with the people of Rapa Nui long before Europeans arrived. According to scientists, it was slave raids, imported diseases and forced migration in the 18th century that became the reasons that led to a sharp decrease in the population of Easter Island.

4 Lost Temple Of Artemis

After 100 years of searching, archaeologists have finally announced that they have found the ruins of a lost ancient temple dedicated to Artemis. Its ruins are located on the Greek island of Euboea, not far from the coastal city of Eretria. (It should be noted that this is not the same Temple of Artemis, which was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and is now located in the territory of modern Turkey.)

Archaeologists began searching for this temple at the end of the 19th century. They were working in the wrong direction, which is why it took them so long to find him. Their main source of information was the writings of Strabo, a Greek geographer and historian who lived in the 1st century. He wrote that the temple was located in seven stages from ancient city Eretria. Eventually, the temple was found 60 stadia (nearly 11 kilometers) from that spot.

The search party was on the right track after discovering a Byzantine church that was much further away than Strabo claimed in his notes; it was built from stones, which, as it turned out, had once been an ancient Greek building. Having lost faith in the authenticity of the historian's records, archaeologists decided to move closer to Amarynthos, a city that was closely associated with the goddess Artemis. They first discovered galleries in the northern and eastern parts of the excavation site. Later they managed to find a sanctuary and inscriptions with the name of Artemis.

5. Antikythera ship

The Antikythera ship, which dates back to the Roman era, was found in 1900 near the Greek island of Antikythera. He became famous thanks to a complex device, which was dubbed as " antikythera mechanism»; it is considered the world's first analog computer.

The Antikythera ship turned out to be a real treasure trove of artifacts, and after a recent dive it became clear that it is fraught with many more amazing things. Divers managed to find a number of relics, but most attention archaeologists were attracted by the hand of a bronze statue. And that's why. Firstly, bronze statues are the rarest artifacts of antiquity. We know from historical records that they were incredibly popular, however, due to the cost of bronze, most of them were melted down and recycled. Secondly, the hand fragment does not match any of the torsos of the statues we were able to find. This has led archaeologists to believe that the rest of the statue may be somewhere close to where it remained untouched until this year's excavations.

An expert on ancient Greek statues, Professor Carol Mattus, considers the Antikythera ship a time capsule that will provide us with invaluable information about ancient statues and their transportation.

6An Ancient Settlement Discovered In Canada

The early history of settlement in North America is full of gaps, and new discoveries are constantly changing our understanding of that period. This year, archaeologists discovered one of the first North American settlements on Tricket Island off the coast of British Columbia. This new finding supports the idea that coastline British Columbia has experienced a major human migration at some point in history. Moreover, it is also a reason to trust oral histories the first peoples, because it was thanks to the legends of the indigenous inhabitants of the Heiltsuk that this discovery was made. Tricket Island was a small piece of land that did not freeze over during the last ice age so their ancestors decided to move there. During excavations, archaeologists discovered a layer of soil that contained a prehistoric hearth. They recovered small flakes of coal that were about 14,000 years old.

7. The first female warrior among the Vikings

In the 1880s, archaeologists discovered a large Viking burial dating back to the 10th century at the settlement of Birka on the island of Björk. It consisted of 1100 graves, among which the one that stood out on an elevated terrace next to the garrison stood out. It contained "the complete equipment of a professional warrior" - a sword, an axe, a spear, a battle blade, arrows, shields and the remains of horses. What's more, archaeologists have also found a Hnefatafl board game on the skeleton's lap. According to Dr. Charlotte Hedenstjerna-Jonsson, the buried man was a strategist who made military decisions.

The grave clearly belonged to a high-ranking warrior. Everyone has always believed that he was a man, but over the past decades, some scientists have begun to doubt this, claiming that the skeleton belonged to a woman. Earlier this year, a new study was carried out, which showed that the discovered remains of a warrior really belonged to a woman.

Scientists at Stockholm University used DNA samples taken from the hand and teeth of the skeleton to show that whoever it belonged to was missing the Y chromosome. This discovery is likely to change our understanding of the gender norms of that era. Researchers believe that in the tombs discovered in Denmark, they found several more skeletons belonging to female warriors. They hope to test their DNA in the near future.

8. The Lost City of Alexander the Great

Drones have proven to be an invaluable tool for archaeologists due to their lightness and speed; they are able to take high-quality aerial photographs of hard-to-reach places. In a short period of time, drones have helped uncover many ruins, sunken ships, and other historical relics. One more item can be added to this list - the lost city founded by Alexander the Great. The city in question is called Kalatga Darband; it is located in present-day Iraq. It was founded around the end of the 4th century BC and flourished thanks to the wine trade. Despite this, after a few centuries the city disappeared from historical records and was considered lost for almost 2000 years. The first photographs of Kalatgi Darband were taken by the CIA in the 1960s using reconnaissance satellites. The images were declassified in 1996 and only recently fell into the hands of scientists, who realized that they depicted the outlines of ancient ruins. Iraqi and British archaeologists joined forces to take modern drone photographs of the area and discovered the lost city. At the site of its excavations, Greco-Roman statues and Greek coins have already been found. Progress is slow as British researchers dedicate part of their efforts to teaching their Iraqi counterparts how to operate and protect historic sites in conflict-affected areas.

9. Scientists set the date for the first solar eclipse in human history

According to scientists from the University of Cambridge, the first recorded solar eclipse in the history of mankind occurred on October 30, 1207 BC. They established this date by comparing ancient Egyptian and biblical texts and developed a new code for calculating eclipse dates, taking into account factors such as the planet's rotation. The biblical texts in question are taken from the Book of Joshua in the Old Testament. When Joshua led the people of Israel to Canaan, "The sun stopped and the moon stopped." The Cambridge scientists were not the first historians to think that this part could refer to a real astronomical event. However, they were the first to think that this was probably not a total, but an annular eclipse, in which the Moon forms a "ring of fire" because it is too far from the Sun and therefore cannot completely cover its disk.

There is independent archaeological evidence supporting the presence of Israelites in Canaan between 1500 and 1050 BC, in the form of the Merneptah Stele. This ancient Egyptian text, which was found in a museum in Cairo, states that Pharaoh Merneptah defeated the people of Israel in Canaan during the fifth year of his reign. Referring to these time frames, Cambridge researchers claim that the only solar eclipse that could be observed in Canaan occurred on the afternoon of October 30, 1207 BC. Moreover, scientists can now use this date as a fixed point in history to date other events, such as the reign of Merneptah or, more importantly, his father Ramesses II the Great.

10 Subway Workers Discovered A Roman Aqueduct

At the end of 2016, workers on a new Rome metro line stumbled upon a "sensational find of great importance." After spending some time studying it, archaeologists issued an official statement on it in April of this year. As it turns out, they discovered part of one of the oldest aqueducts in Roman history, which is 32 meters long and 2 meters high and is located 18 meters below Celimontan Square. According to archaeologist Simone Moretta, the aqueduct is approximately 2,300 years old and is most likely part of the Aqua Appia, a Roman aqueduct built in 312 BC. After the construction of improved aqueducts in Rome, this was no longer used and adapted for sewage.

The aqueduct is still being explored; it is planned to be dismantled in order to be moved to another place and put on public display.

2017 was a generous year for historians and archaeologists. Scientists managed to make several sensational discoveries and get answers to questions that arose during the study of artifacts and fossils discovered many years ago. Excavations still continue, because secrets await us at every corner, but the discoveries of this year have already helped scientists to better understand how our world was arranged hundreds and thousands of years ago.

In this incredible list, you'll learn about long-lost temples, giant statues, ancient settlements, the very first mention of a solar eclipse, uncover a military secret, and hear about the debunked Easter Island myth.

10Giant Colossus Discovered Beneath Cairo Slums

Egypt's Minister of Antiquities, Khaled Alnani, acknowledged that 2017 was a veritable "year of archaeological discovery" for his country, due in no small part to the lull since the 2011 Arab Spring protests. This year, near the city of Minya, researchers unearthed a tomb from the time of the Roman Empire; in the Samalut city area, three ancient graves were found, which may be only part of an even larger large cemetery; and near the Valley of the Kings (gorge) was found the tomb of a jeweler named Amenemhat, which contained hundreds of unique artifacts. But the most delightful discovery was a gigantic statue unearthed in March in a suburban area of ​​Cairo, in Mataria.

First, archaeologists stumbled upon the three-ton torso of the statue, and then dug up the head itself. Further work made it possible to reveal to the world the pedestal and toes of the giant colossus. The authorities believe that scientists will soon be able to dig up, if not the entire statue, then most of it. Given the size of the torso, the height of the entire sculpture is probably 9 meters.

For science, this discovery is of particular value. Initially, experts believed that they discovered the statue of Ramesses II the Great, because it was located near the ruins of his temple. However, further study of the site led to an engraving of unexpected content. The discovered phrase "Neb Aa" is an inscription that was used only for the pharaoh Psamtek I (Psamtek I, circa 664-610 BC). This means that the giant statue turned out to be the largest find from the Late Period of Egyptian history.

9 Hunley Submarine Mystery

On February 17, 1864, the Confederate States of America submarine H.L. Hunley became the first ship in history civil war that sank an enemy ship. The breakthrough was achieved during an attack by the US Navy propeller sloop Housatonic, but the price of success was too high - the Hunley itself and its entire crew also sank, and their location remained unknown for almost 130 years.

The wreckage of the submarine was discovered in 1995, and in 2000 they were finally lifted from the bottom for detailed study. The bodies of all 8 crew members were at their posts, and scientists could not find the slightest sign that the soldiers were trying to escape. What killed these people? If they were conscious, wouldn't they try to leave the sinking ship?

Perhaps the soldiers from the enemy ship Housatonic managed to shoot down the side of the Hunley, which hastened its fatal sinking. Although there is a possibility that the submarine collided with another ship on the way home. However, in early 2017, scientists announced that they had finally solved the mystery of the Confederate submarine. After conducting large-scale experiments, the researchers came to the conclusion that the Hunley crew died due to the explosion of their own guns.

The submarine was equipped only with a pole mine, and this type of missile was never intended to be launched over long distances. With its help, the crew rammed the enemy ship, but this provoked an explosive wave, which turned out to be powerful enough to pass through the hull of the submarine and kill all the people on board. It turns out that either the crew died almost immediately, or all participants in the attack received a lung injury, due to which they lost consciousness, lost control of the submarine and drowned.

8 Ecocide On Easter Island

The results of a genetic study released in 2017 were further confirmation that there was no ecocide (mass destruction) on Easter Island. It seems that new evidence may debunk the myth that the Rapanui people (local residents) disappeared due to internecine wars and ecological disaster caused by various anthropogenic factors.

Today, Easter Island is best known for its legendary Moai stone statues. An almost barren piece of land, this island has become a real center of serious research, and for recent decades it has already been visited by many respected archaeologists. Previously, experts believed that the natives were themselves to blame for the disappearance of their culture. They came to this conclusion for two reasons. Firstly, archaeological finds suggest that tens of thousands of people once lived here, and by the time the first Europeans arrived in the early 18th century, the population of local residents was already estimated at only 2-3 thousand. Secondly, scientists came to the conclusion that Rapanui mercilessly cut down forests, both for the needs of settlements and in the process of making and installing famous idols. Deforestation led to problems with crops, depletion of resources and provoked local residents to real wars for the best parts of the island. For a long time it was believed that all this was the reason for the disappearance of purebred rapanui.

Archaeologist Carl Lipo was the first to challenge the version of mass clashes between the island tribes. He argues that the main evidence of large-scale civil strife is oral history, which is now almost 300 years old, which means that it is difficult to rely on them. In addition, only 2.5% of the human remains found on Easter Island indicate a traumatic death. As for the disappearance of trees, the Polynesian rats, which are so omnivorous that they eat not only palm fruits, but also young trunks and stems of plants, could cause the biggest damage.

A recent genetic study calls into question the generally accepted view that centuries before the visit of Europeans, South Americans managed to make contact with Rapanui. According to new data, the reasons for the destruction of the Easter Island aboriginal population were the slave trade, diseases brought to the island, from which the locals had no immunity, and forced relocation in the 18th century to hard labor in distant European colonies.

7. The Long Lost Temple of Artemis

After nearly 100 years of searching, archaeologists say they have finally found the ruins of a lost ancient temple of Artemis, the Greek goddess of fertility and the hunt. As it turned out, the remains of the sanctuary are located on the Greek island of Euboea, near the coastal town of Amarynthos. For reference, we are not talking about the very Temple of Artemis, which is located on the territory of modern Turkey and has long been included in the list of Seven Wonders Ancient World.

Scientists have been looking for the ruins of the lost temple since the late 19th century, and it took so long to discover it only because the search was initially conducted in the wrong direction. The main source of information for the researchers was Strabo, a Greek geographer and historian of the 1st century AD. Almost 2000 years ago, this learned man wrote that the temple was 7 stages from the ancient city of Eretria. However, in the end, the temple was found almost 60 stages or 11 kilometers from the place described by Strabo.

The search team hit the right track after they found the Byzantine church. It was much further away than Strabo indicated, and its masonry obviously used stones from which another ancient building had been built before. Having lost confidence in the words of the ancient Greek historian, modern archaeologists have shifted their search closer to Amarynthos, who in the past was often associated with the goddess revered by the Greeks.

First, the researchers discovered the galleries of the northern and eastern parts of the temple, and then excavated the central part of the sanctuary. The inscriptions with the name of Artemis were the main confirmation that in 2017 the century-long search was finally crowned with success.

6. New discoveries in the area of ​​the Greek island of Antikythera (Antikythera)

In the scientific community, few people do not know about the wreckage of an ancient ship discovered near the island of Antikythera. The ship has been carefully studied for quite a long time, but it is possible that many more discoveries are waiting for us related to this amazing artifact from the time of the Roman Empire. The wreckage was found by sea sponge divers in 1900, and the remains of the ship received their celebrity for an incredibly advanced mechanism for those years, discovered aboard an antique sailboat. The device was then called the most ancient analogue of a computer.

However, in addition to the mysterious mechanism, there was also a whole treasury of historical relics on the Antikythera ship, and the most recent dives give reason to believe that another sensation awaits scientists ahead. Among the most unexpected finds made during recent expeditions was the hand of a bronze statue. Scientists were truly delighted with such an artifact, and there are at least two reasons for this. Firstly, bronze statues are one of the rarest artifacts in the history of archeology, because products from this alloy were considered very valuable in ancient times, but most of them were subsequently melted down and recycled. Secondly, the hand fragment does not match any of the statues found at the crash site. This means that the rest of the statue is still waiting in the wings. Perhaps scientists are waiting for a whole collection of bronze artifacts hiding at the bottom in an area that was first explored just a few months ago.

An expert on ancient Greek relics, Professor Carol Mattusch (Carol Mattusch) considers Antikythera a real time capsule, which will still give us incredibly valuable information about ancient statues and ancient ships. In addition, in the future, this place will be the first where bronze artifacts will be searched for with aiming and using modern technologies. Previously, bronze relics were found by chance during non-archaeological dives or in fishing nets, and all these were rather rare isolated cases.

5. Ancient settlements discovered in Canada

Early history of the inhabitants North America is full of dark spots, and new discoveries are constantly forcing scientists to change their understanding of how and when the first settlers appeared here. This year, archaeologists discovered traces of one of the oldest North American stops.

The find was made on Triquet Island in the British Columbia area, and it strongly supports the theory that at some point in history there was a massive migration of peoples in this coastal region. The discovery was made on the basis of the stories of the Heiltsuk Indians, which means that other indigenous legends may also be a valuable source of information for choosing a new excavation site.

According to the stories of the Indians, Triket Island was once a part of the land that did not freeze completely even during the last ice age. That is why the ancestors of the native Indians took refuge in the local forests for some time. At a depth of several meters, archaeologists discovered a layer of soil with ancient spears, fish hooks and tools for making fire. The artifacts are about 14,000 years old. The finds turned out to be even older than the Egyptian pyramids!

4. The first female Viking warrior

In the 1880s, archaeologists discovered a huge 10th century Viking graveyard in the area trading city Birka on the island of Björkö (Birka, Bjorko). Approximately 1100 graves were found at the burial site, but one of them turned out to be completely unusual. This grave was located on an elevated terrace and hid in itself the full ammunition of a professional - a sword, an ax, a spear, a combat knife, arrows, shields and even horses. On the skeleton's lap lay a board game called hnefatafl, which, according to Dr. Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson, indicated the remains of a strategist who made important military decisions.

Before the archaeologists was the grave of a high-ranking warrior, and for a long time everyone believed that it was certainly a man. Recent years 20 in the scientific community there were doubts about this, since the skeleton also had female features, and in early 2017 all disputes were completed thanks to the results of the latest study, which proved that the discovered body belonged to a woman.

Researchers at Stockholm University (Stockholm University) used DNA samples recovered from the bone of the hand and tooth of the skeleton, and proved that the mysterious Viking did not have a Y chromosome. The discovery means that for the first time scientists have unearthed the tomb of a high-ranking Viking warrior, and it forces us to almost completely reconsider our understanding of the social and gender norms of that distant era. Swedish researchers believe that they will be able to find other female graves among the soldiers' graves in Denmark, and the good old DNA test will again be able to help them in this.

3. The Lost City of Alexander the Great

IN Lately Drones have repeatedly proven their value for archaeological exploration due to their lightness, speed and high-quality aerial photography. These unmanned devices can be sent to the most inaccessible corners of the planet, where common man getting there is not so easy. In a fairly short period of time, drones have helped to discover a number of ancient ruins, sunken ships and other historical relics, and this year another incredible object was added to the existing list - a lost city founded by Alexander the Great himself.

The city is called Qalatga Darband, and it is located on the territory of modern Kurdistan. The settlement was founded around the end of the 4th century BC, and at one time a thriving center for the wine trade developed here. A few centuries later, this place literally evaporated from all historical annals, and for almost 2000 years, absolutely nothing was heard about it.

The first photographs of Kalatgi Darband were taken around the 1960s using CIA intelligence satellites. The pictures were declassified only in 1996, and they fell into the hands of scientists only recently. On them, the researchers noticed the outlines of the mysterious. A joint team of Iraqi and British archaeologists have launched drones into the air to capture modern images of the area where the mysterious city was supposedly hiding.

During the excavations, scientists have already managed to find Greco-Roman statues and Greek coins. The study of the area is very slow, since the lost city is located in the disputed territories, which are claimed by both the Kurds and the Arabs. British researchers have to teach their Iraqi partners how to excavate properly so as not to damage the artifacts themselves, because the presence of representatives of local authorities is a prerequisite.

2. The oldest mention of a solar eclipse

A team of researchers from the University of Cambridge believes that the oldest record of a solar eclipse dates back to October 30, 1207 BC. Scientists came to this conclusion by comparing the ancient Egyptian and biblical texts. Based on them, they created an algorithm that calculated the date of the eclipse, taking into account a number of variables, including the rotation of the Earth over time.

The oldest documented eclipse is supposedly mentioned in the biblical Book of Joshua (Old Testament). This passage of Scripture tells how Joshua led the people of Israel into the land of Canaan, and on one of the days of this procession, at the request of the successor of Moses, “the sun stopped, and the moon stood” (Joshua 10:13). The Cambridge scholars are not the first to suspect that this passage we are talking about a real astronomical phenomenon. However, they were the first to suggest that this was not a total eclipse, but an annual eclipse during which the Moon is too far away to completely cover the solar disk. It is in this case that the “ring of fire” appears.

Biblical tales are supported by one independent archaeological evidence, which proves that the Israelites did indeed pass through the Canaan lands between 1500 and 1050 BC. This event is written in the Merneptah Stele, an ancient Egyptian text found in the Cairo Museum. The granite stele tells of the victory of Pharaoh Merneptah in the battle over the people of Israel in Canaan in the fifth year of the reign of the Egyptian king.

Comparing the biblical stories with the events mentioned on the Merneptah Stele, Cambridge scientists came to the conclusion that the only solar eclipse that could be observed in this part of the world occurred on the afternoon of October 30, 1207 BC. The discovery could allow experts to use the date of the eclipse as a reference point for calculating other important dates, including the years of the life and reign of Merneptah's father, Ramesses II the Great.

1 Subway Workers Discovered A Roman Aqueduct

At the end of 2016, Italian workers involved in the construction of a new branch of the metropolitan metro made " sensational discovery incredible importance." After carefully checking the find for its authenticity in April 2017, Italian archaeologists finally made an official statement. It turns out that the builders accidentally dug up part of the oldest aqueduct in the history of Rome.

The discovered fragment of the water pipe stretches for 32 meters in length and has 2 meters in height. The aqueduct was found at an impressive depth of 18 meters under Piazza Selimontana (Piazza Selimontana), which in itself is a major achievement for ancient people with their modest technologies. According to archaeologist Simona Morretta, the ancient structure is about 2,300 years old. It was probably once part of the Aqua Appia system, the oldest Roman aqueduct built in 312 BC. When new and more advanced aqueducts appeared in Rome, this outdated plumbing, apparently, ceased to be so in demand and soon began to be used as a sewer.

The sensational find allows archaeologists to properly study both the structure itself and the remains of food and animal bones. Perhaps here, scientists will discover not only the animals that were part of the diet of the ancient Romans, but also ancient pets. Research on the aqueduct is still ongoing, and in the future, the authorities plan to dismantle it and move it to a more convenient location for public viewing.

The authoritative American journal Archeology named the top ten discoveries of the year. Some of them, frankly, raise doubts about their significance, but they do not argue about tastes.

("Pot-bellied Hill") is one of the most mysterious monuments. 10-12 thousand years ago, the inhabitants of Anatolia (modern Turkey) built ring structures there from large stones. In these structures they gathered for some religious or social needs.

And so the researchers found that in ancient times human skulls were hung in such structures. They were separated after death, cut in a special way, engraved and painted on them. This is some kind of rite unknown to us. But whose skulls deserved such attention - especially revered people or, conversely, enemies, is still unclear.

At the bottom Pacific Ocean discovered the sunken American heavy cruiser Indianapolis from World War II. She was the last US Navy capital ship sunk during that war. His crash went down in the history of the American Navy as the most massive loss of personnel (883 people) as a result of one flood. In addition, it was Indianapolis that delivered critical parts of the first atomic bomb later dropped on Hiroshima. The ship was lost shortly after completing this controversial mission. It was sunk by a Japanese submarine. They tried to find the cruiser for many decades, but all attempts remained in vain. And so, by comparing the position of another ship, which was last seen by the Indianapolis, with the route of the latter, historians have calculated the likely area of ​​the crash. Then submersible found a cruiser. A raisin cake has lain in a rusty jar in Antarctica for 106 years. Most likely, it was left by one of the members of the expedition of Robert Scott. The researchers say that the cupcake looks to be well preserved due to the cold and dry air. Of course, no one dared to eat it. It should be noted that the value of such a find, especially getting into the annual rating, looks rather strange.

In Mexico City, during excavations at the foot of the Aztec Templo Mayor ("great temple"), they discovered a large number of gold objects and the skeleton of a young wolf sacrificed. Among the finds are ear and nose ornaments, as well as a breastplate. The latter is usually part of a warrior's outfit, but in this case it adorned the wolf. The head of the beast looks to the west, which symbolizes its following the sun, to another world. The sacrifice was made during the reign of Ahuizotl (1486-1502), during the period of wars and the expansion of the Aztec empire. Found in 2017, the complex is the richest in 40 years of excavations of the temple.

A large inscription carved on a rock near the ancient Egyptian city of El-Kab sheds light on the formation of the writing of this civilization. Four characters appeared around 3250 BC, during the period of the so-called Zero Dynasty. The researchers saw four symbols: the head of a bull on a pole, two storks and an ibis. In later inscriptions, such a sequence was associated with the solar cycle. The inscriptions from the period of the Zero Dynasty known until 2017 were small in size (no more than 2.5 cm). The height of the newly discovered signs is about half a meter.

Early Homo remains, such as Neanderthals and Denisovans, have only been discovered at a limited number of sites in Europe and Asia. Moreover, many sites were without human bones, which made it difficult for geneticists to work. In the past year, a group of researchers managed to trace the genetic markers of the presence of ancient Homo in ordinary-looking cave deposits. Scientists studied seven sites ancient man from the territories of France, Belgium, Spain, Croatia and Russia. They managed to detect the DNA of Neanderthals at three sites up to 60 thousand years old, and in the Denisova Cave - the DNA of not only Neanderthals, but also Denisovans. The age of samples from this monument is about 100 thousand years. In most cases, genetic traces come from layers where no human remains have been found before.

In England, four torkves were found - neck hryvnias. Jewelry dates back to the time from 400 to 250 years. BC, making them the oldest early Iron Age gold objects ever found in Britain. The find is interesting not by the very fact of its antiquity, but by the fact that it is not at all typical for its time. For people of the Bronze Age, gold jewelry was not something unusual, but with the development of iron, jewelry for some reason disappears. Why this happened is not exactly known. Perhaps the fact is that trade ties with the places where the gold came from were interrupted. It should be noted that the objects were discovered by amateurs with metal detectors. Because of this, there are so many assumptions: the context of the find (in which structure they lay) remained unknown, and the date was established according to the style of the items. Science, as always in such cases, has lost a significant amount of information.

Metro builders in Rome have opened part of the ancient Roman aqueduct. This is most likely the site of the Aqua Appia, the oldest aqueduct known to us. It was built in 312 BC. The remains of the structure were found near the Colosseum, at a depth of 17-18 meters, which is usually unattainable for archaeologists because of the danger of collapse of the sides of the excavation. The aqueduct is made of blocks of gray tuff, it has been preserved to a height of about 2 meters. The length of the open area is about 30 meters. During the construction of the aqueduct, limestone was not used, so the construction "lived" for a short time.

Avebury, a place of worship near Stonehenge, is famous for its ring of stones, the largest in Europe. This year, archaeologists have determined that an earlier square structure lies within one of its inner rings. It was discovered using georadar. The square dates back to around 3500 BC. It was previously believed that Avebury was built from the outer rings to the inner ones. Now it turns out that this is not the case. There was a house in the very center of the monument. When the dwelling was abandoned for some unknown reason, the place where it was was marked with a giant stone, and the shape and orientation of the house was marked with a square structure. And already rings appeared around her, like circles on the water. From the moment the house was abandoned, up to 300 years could pass. And only after that people decided to turn it into a monument. Probably, it was a place of departure of some tribal cults. Excavations will show how true this hypothesis is.

For the first time, the remains of ancient people were dug up in Jebel Irhud back in 1962. The jaw found then was considered Neanderthal, and then it was re-dated several times. The spread of dating was quite large: from 30 to 190 thousand years. Now the layers in which both the jaw and several new bones were found have been significantly older - up to 240-378 thousand years. Moreover, researchers believe that these are not Neanderthals at all, but real sapiens, that is, our ancestors. The authors of the discovery decided to call them the oldest homo. They had flat and short faces, like modern people, but the teeth are larger and the skull is longer. That is, the facial section of the skull of the Irkhudians was much more progressive than that of modern people.