Ancient civilizations and archeology, latest news, photos, videos. Ancient civilizations and archeology, latest news, photos, videos Volunteers required for

Research is carried out by:

State Hermitage Museum;
Université de Paris 1-CNRS;
University of Lodz (Poland).

Venue:

Smolensk region, Velizh district.
We live in a tent camp in a picturesque pine forest, not far from the river. Western Dvina.

Dates:

Object of study:

Pile settlement of the mid-3rd millennium BC. Serteya II in the north of the Smolensk region. More information about the excavations at http://neenawa.com/expeditions.

Volunteers are needed for:

excavations of the peat bog,
underwater research (if available *CMAS/PADI),

Archaeological seminar and field school:
Studies of Neolithic pile settlements in the northwestern region of Russia - structure, chronology and economics.

The school is organized and conducted by the following organizations:

State Hermitage Museum (Russia);
MAE Trajectoires. De la sédentarisation à l’État. UMR 8215. University of Paris 1-CNRS (France);
University of Lodz (Poland);
St. Petersburg State University, Department of Cartography and Geoinformatics (Russia).

Responsible for the organization:

Andrey Mazurkevich, Yolen Megro, Peter Kittel and Ekaterina Dolbunova.

Venue:

Russia, Smolensk region, Velizh district.

Dates:

The field school will be held in the archaeological areas of the Sertei River and lakes Sennitsa and Usvyatskoe. Participants will be able to become familiar with the paleogeography and archeology of the area. While studying at the archaeological field school, excavations will be carried out in the peat bog and underwater part of the settlement of Serteia II (3rd millennium BC). During previous years of underwater excavations, the remains of pile dwellings were discovered. Were found interesting materials, which help to better describe the life of the ancient inhabitants of this settlement. More detailed information can be found.

Research objectives:

continuation of excavations;
determining the chronological location of various parts of the region;
finding new information about activities and material world various dwellings;
collection of new data on the structural features of pile buildings and;
research of resources on the formation of traditions in the construction of pile buildings in this region (the Western Dvina River basin).

Program activities:

Topographical work - jointly with the St. Petersburg state university, Department of Cartography and Geoinformatics.
Practice in geological research and paleogeographical work - together with the University of Lodz, P. Kittel.
Organization of excavation sites.
Continuation of excavations of the cultural layer in the peat bog.
Underwater excavations (for diving license holders).
Use of archaeological materials.
Protection of archaeological heritage and restoration of archaeological finds.
Primary processing of materials (study of artifacts, spatial analysis, etc.).

Lectures and excursions:

Paleogeography and geology of the Lovat-Dvina river basin and the Sertei microregion (excavations with P. Kittel);
Archeology of the Neolithic of North-West Russia;
Early pottery of the hunter-gatherer communes of Eastern Europe;
Archeology in the State Hermitage;
Conservation of organic artifacts, ceramics;
Excursions around the Sertey microregion, Sennitsa and Usvyaty.

Lectures within the framework of the archaeological seminar: conducted by specialists of Scandinavian archeology (list of documents in preparation).

Conditions:

Participants live in tents at a camp organized by the expedition in the forest. The nearest city is 40 kilometers away. A small river is located in the camp. Travel expenses are paid by the participants themselves. Tents and food during the field school are provided by the expedition.

If you would like to take part in a field school, please contact us by email with your short resume:

Head of the expedition Andrey Nikolaevich Mazurkevich, [email protected].
Deputy Chief Ekaterina Dolbunova, [email protected].

Archaeological excavations of the ancient settlement of Rakushechny Yar (7-5 thousand BC)

Research is carried out:

State Hermitage Museum;
Don Archaeological Society (A.V. Tsybriy).

Venue:

Rostov region.

Dates (preliminary):

Object of study:

Rakushechny Yar is a unique multi-layered monument with perfectly preserved remains of structures and ancient artifacts - one of the most ancient for the entire territory of Eastern Europe.

Volunteers are invited for:

archaeological excavations of the monument;
working with artifacts (participation in field conservation work, marking exhibits, graphic recording of artifacts and objects).

For questions regarding participation in excavations, please contact:

Dolbunova Ekaterina Vladimirovna, [email protected].

Thanks to these important finds, new pages were opened in the history of our country. So, are you ready to find out what shocked the archaeologists, and behind them - the whole scientific world last year? Read!

1. Unexplored Tauris.

A huge amount of archaeological research in 2017 was carried out in preparation for the construction of the Tavrida highway. The highway will connect the Crimean Bridge, Kerch, Simferopol and Sevastopol, and will become the main transport artery of the Crimean peninsula.

Archaeologists are seizing the moment and studying what the earth has hidden for centuries. Hundreds of discoveries have been made. Let's list briefly.

God's head

Before the construction of the Kerch Bridge began, archaeologists examined the bottom of the strait separating Crimea from the mainland. Many finds were brought to the surface, but the most interesting was the head of a large terracotta sculpture. It is life-size and very well preserved. The head belonged to a statue of an ancient hero or god. Based on the manufacturing technology, the find was dated to the 5th century BC. According to archaeologists, it was made in one of the Greek cities of Asia Minor. Now leading experts in ancient Greek art are trying to unravel the history of the find.

Roman manor

For decades, this unremarkable hill rose at the 11th kilometer at the edge of the road that connected two urban districts of Kerch. Now it has been excavated, and it turned out that in its depths was hidden a rural estate from Roman times, where representatives of the middle class of the Bosporan kingdom lived in the middle of the 1st century AD. Since the family was not wealthy, the finds were as follows: many fragments of ceramics, fragments of terracotta figurines, a series of bronze figured pendants, jewelry - rings and rings, bronze brooches, pendants and onlays, glass beads.

Old Bridge

In October 2017, scientists from the Institute of Archeology Russian Academy Sciences (RAS) discovered the oldest engineering structure in Crimea. It turned out to be a small stone bridge, which was found in the Belogorsk region, near the village of Nekrasovo. An arched single-span bridge was built across the Ashil stream, which flowed in this place, but end of the 19th century century has completely dried up. The length of the structure is about 30 meters, the width is about 8 meters, the width of the arch is no more than 2 meters. Archaeologists believe that the construction of the bridge was timed to coincide with the journey of Empress Catherine II to the southern regions of the Russian Empire.

Kubrick and steamboat

In November, on the Malakhov Kurgan in Sevastopol, road builders accidentally found a cabin personnel batteries number 111 under the command of Captain-Lieutenant Alexei Matyukhin, who held the defense of the slopes of Sevastopol Bay during the Great Patriotic War. In the vicinity, four cockpits, two large cellars, as well as three positions of anti-aircraft DShK (mounted heavy machine gun) and two 45-mm cannons in pillboxes were found. And earlier, in April, off the coast of Crimea, the ship Boy Federsen (formerly "Kharkov"), which sank during the Great Patriotic War, was discovered, which, presumably, was exporting valuables from the occupied German army peninsula.

In just one year, 80 were made in the vicinity of the future Tavrida highway alone. archaeological discoveries. Experts say Crimea is experiencing a golden age of archaeological research.

2. Moscow treasures.

In Moscow, the main work under the “My Street” program was completed in December 2017. Of course, the main goal was to improve the capital's 118 streets or city squares. But as the excavations progressed, the workers kept coming across treasures. A total of 6,000 artifacts were recovered.

Stone Age. Researchers fell into the hands of tiny silicon tools - it turned out that these Stone Age. The first people appeared on the territory of modern Moscow 27 thousand years ago!
Secret room. A special room at the base of the Kitai-Gorod wall, opposite the Church of St. John the Evangelist under Elm. When the defenders of the fortress from the time of Ivan the Terrible were in earshot, they could monitor the enemy on the other side of the wall. Stone cannonballs were found next to the secret room - an ammunition depot for medieval artillerymen.
Relics from the 12th century. On a hundred square meters This summer, on Exchange Square, archaeologists and builders extracted from the ground half a thousand objects, dating back to the 12th century. The discovered objects indicate that already in the 12th century Moscow was a large trading city with extensive connections.

Treasure of silver coins from the 15th – 17th centuries.

Treasures. At the exhibition at the Museum of Moscow you can see treasures, as well as copper coins, ceramics and objects everyday life Muscovites of different times. More than three treasures of silver coins were found, and many more copper coins were found in the form of wallets and individual coins. Even a “squeak” was discovered - a coin with a pointed edge, which was used by a pickpocket in the 18th century.

3. Church of the Annunciation in Veliky Novgorod.

In 2017, excavations of the Church of the Annunciation on the Settlement in Veliky Novgorod were completed. This is the second oldest stone Orthodox church in the north of Rus'. The church was built in 1103 by Prince Mstislav Vladimirovich, the son of Vladimir Monomakh, and destroyed in the 14th century, then rebuilt and destroyed again during the war.

Church before restoration.

During two years of excavations, scientists completely uncovered a temple from the early 12th century, the architecture of which was unknown to us. The remains of walls, floors, and the bases of dome pillars have been cleared, and numerous fragments of 12th-century frescoes have been collected from the rubble of the destroyed building. But the most remarkable finds are fragments of plaster with graffiti inscriptions. Among them are records of the death of Prince Vsevolod Mstislavich, he is one of the brightest figures of Russian history XII century.

The museumification of the remains of the Church of the Annunciation on Gorodishche, the installation of “archaeological windows” here will make it possible to exhibit the remains of the building of the early 12th century and will be the next step in the development of a network of similar archaeological exhibitions in the open air in our country.

The temple is preparing to receive tourists. Autumn 2017.

4. Mysterious Aleyka.

The object that came into the spotlight in 2017 is the Aleyka-7 burial ground in the Kaliningrad region. This is a necropolis with 800 burials of the 4th-7th centuries, that is, the era of the migration of peoples and the very beginning of the Middle Ages.

Neighborhood of Aleyka, Kaliningrad region.

Several burials were discovered on Aleyka, containing objects of very high artistic quality. This is horse equipment, a weapon, the top of a drinking horn with a bird's head. Similar things accompanied burials in this era military elite. They are found in different parts of Europe and reflect the very high mobility of this elite. Exactly the same horn pommel was found in the Sutton Hoo mound, in England, in one of the most famous necropolises of the Anglo-Saxon nobility.

Golden horn top.

These finds indicate that the elite of the Estii, a Baltic people who inhabited the Sambian Peninsula, experienced significant Germanic influence during this period. These are completely new pages of world history, because the monuments of this time in the Kaliningrad region have been little studied, and the undisturbed burials of the military elite of that time have not been excavated.

5. Treasure sword.

Gnezdovo is a microdistrict on the outskirts of Smolensk. There were about 4.5 thousand burials of the 9th-11th centuries underground here. This forgotten necropolis was discovered by chance in 1867 during the construction of the Oryol-Vitebsk railway Since then, excavations have been going on here.

In 2017, archaeologists were in for a surprise - a sword supposedly dating back to the 10th century. Such finds, as scientists note, have not been found here for 30 years.

The bladed weapon, which had lain in the ground for more than a thousand years, is well preserved and promises to tell researchers about medieval Rus' something new.

To be continued…

For a long time, ancient civilizations have remained the subject of human thought. 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 by scientists and historians is ancient civilizations. The topic of the primary people of yesteryear is always relevant. For now, the question remains a mystery, and scientists’ hypotheses vary.

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

Forbidden Archeology

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

Archeological news is prohibited: it causes deep contradictions with existing generally accepted concepts and requires correction of existing knowledge.

2017 brought many archaeological discoveries.

We were able to discover long-lost temples, as well as discover ancient settlements, a giant statue, and records of the oldest solar eclipse.

1. A giant colossus under the slums of Cairo

This year, archaeologists discovered three ancient tombs near the city of Samalut and the tomb of the jeweler Amenemhat near the Valley of the Kings with a mass of artifacts. But the most exciting discovery is a giant statue found in March near the Cairo suburb of Mataria. First, the three-ton torso of the statue was dug up, then its head, and then the pedestal and two fingers. It was a statue of Pharaoh Psamtek I from the 26th Dynasty, and its height is 9 m.

2. Solving the Henley mystery

On February 17, 1864, the Confederate submarine Henley sank. Its wreckage was discovered in 1995 and raised in 2000. The skeletons of all eight crew members were in place, and they did not appear to have attempted to escape. The question arose: what killed them? Earlier this year, researchers said the submarine's death was caused by the explosion of its own torpedo.

3. No ecocide on Easter Island

For many years there was a myth about “ecocide”, that is, the Rapa Nui aborigines allegedly died out due to wars and deforestation. Archaeologist Carl Lipo argues that the main evidence of warfare is only rumors from 300 years ago. As for the trees, the culprit in their death was the Polynesian rat. Additionally, raids from the mainland, introduced diseases, and forced migration since the 18th century are what actually led to the loss of the population.

4. The Long Lost Temple of Artemis

After almost 100 years of searching, archaeologists have found the remains of the lost ancient temple, dedicated to Artemis, on the Greek island of Euboea. To clarify: no, this is not the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders, which was located on the territory of modern Turkey. They had been looking for the island temple since the end of the 19th century, and the main source of information was the not entirely accurate records of Strabo, the Greek geographer and historian of the 1st century.

5. Historical finds on Antikythera

The wreck of a Roman Empire-era ship was discovered back in 1900 near the Greek island of Antikythera. It was then that a complex device was discovered, called the “Antikythera mechanism”. However, the wreckage turned out to be a treasure trove of historical artifacts. Just recently, divers raised the hand of the bronze statue. Archaeologists suggest that the remaining parts can be found somewhere nearby.

6. Ancient settlement found in Canada

Early history North America very vague, and new discoveries constantly prove this. This year one of the earliest settlements was found on Triquet Island, off the coast of British Columbia, where ancient people found home and refuge. After excavating several meters of soil, archaeologists discovered a layer of soil with a prehistoric hearth about 14 thousand years old.

7. The first Viking woman

Back in the late 19th century, 1,100 10th-century Viking graves were found in the village of Birka on the island of Bjorko (Sweden). But only one of them immediately stood out. It contained full equipment: a sword, axe, spear, combat knife, arrows, shields and horses, that is, the tomb clearly belonged to a respected warrior. Everyone thought he was male, but this year researchers used DNA samples taken from the skeleton's hand and tooth and saw that he was missing a Y chromosome. It was a woman!

8. Lost City of Alexander the Great

Drones have proven to be an invaluable tool for obtaining aerial images of hard-to-reach areas. This is how the lost city of Kalatga Darband, founded by Alexander the Great at the end of the 4th century, was found. It is located in modern Iraq, but after several centuries the city disappeared, and information about it was lost for almost 2000 years. Excavations at the site have already revealed Greco-Roman statues and Greek coins to the world.

9. The Oldest Record of a Solar Eclipse

Oldest recorded solar eclipse occurred on October 30, 1207 BC. Scientists calculated this date by comparing ancient Egyptian and biblical texts. The biblical story is taken from the Book of Joshua in Old Testament. And the Egyptian text says that Pharaoh Merneptah defeated the people of Israel in Canaan during the fifth year of his reign. Using this information, researchers claim that the only solar eclipse visible from Canaan was on the afternoon of October 30, 1207.

10. Subway builders stumbled upon a Roman aqueduct

Construction workers working on Rome's new metro line stumbled upon part of one of the oldest aqueducts in Roman history, 18 meters below Piazza Selimontana. The aqueduct is approximately 2,300 years old and probably subsequently fell into disuse and was used as a sewer.

2017 brought many archaeological discoveries. We were able to discover long-lost temples, as well as discover ancient settlements, a giant statue, and records of the oldest solar eclipse.

1. A giant colossus under the slums of Cairo

2. Solving the Henley mystery

3. No ecocide on Easter Island

4. The Long Lost Temple of Artemis

After nearly 100 years of searching, archaeologists have found the remains of a lost ancient temple dedicated to Artemis on the Greek island of Euboea. To clarify: no, this is not the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders, which was located on the territory of modern Turkey. They had been looking for the island temple since the end of the 19th century, and the main source of information was the not entirely accurate records of Strabo, the Greek geographer and historian of the 1st century.

5. Historical finds on Antikythera

6. Ancient settlement found in Canada

The early history of North America is very obscure, and new discoveries constantly prove this. This year, one of the earliest settlements was found on Tricket Island, off the coast of British Columbia, where ancient people found a home and refuge. After excavating several meters of soil, archaeologists discovered a layer of soil with a prehistoric hearth about 14 thousand years old.

7. The first Viking woman

8. Lost City of Alexander the Great

9. The Oldest Record of a Solar Eclipse

The oldest recorded solar eclipse occurred on October 30, 1207 BC. Scientists calculated this date by comparing ancient Egyptian and biblical texts. The biblical story comes from the Book of Joshua in the Old Testament. And the Egyptian text says that Pharaoh Merneptah defeated the people of Israel in Canaan during the fifth year of his reign. Using this information, researchers claim that the only solar eclipse visible from Canaan was on the afternoon of October 30, 1207.