Archaeology by Prau123 – Page 244 – Main Forum

Prau123 · 2020-04-23T00:56:31Z

Here's an update on some of the new discoveries in recent years in the Mesoamerican region. Tonina - Considered the new tallest structure in Mesoamerica. It's debatable since El Mirador is actually 172 meters tall. The largest structure is still Cholula. There are still several areas in the El Mirador Basin that needs to be excavated and measured. There are 61,000 plus sites that were scanned a few years ago and that was only a mere portion of the El Mirador Basin. 15 facts about the Maya Civilization 1. THEIR PYRAMIDS AND CITIES ARE STILL BEING DISCOVERED.It’s amazing to think that something as large as a pyramid could elude archaeologists today. But it was only a few years ago that a Maya pyramid more than 1000 years old was discovered at Toniná in the Mexican state of Chiapas. It had been hidden under what was believed to be a natural hill. In 2015, researchers said this newfound monument was actually Mexico’s tallest pyramid at 246 feet (75 meters) in height, surpassing the 213-foot Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan. The ruins of two Maya cities concealed by thick vegetation were also recently discovered in Mexico’s state of Campeche. Tonina Picture They also found El Palmar and Angamuco a few years ago also. El Palmar - El Palmar is 40 to 70 times larger than previously acknowledged. It’s 40 times larger than we thought it was,” Garrison says. “This is now this huge city that would have been a rival to Tikal An early city called El Palmar seemed now to be 70 times larger than we had suspected, with raised fields for agriculture. An “isolated” royal palace had an extensive swath of settlement extending a kilometer or more. Angamuco - Angamuco had as many buildings as Manhattan city. A new laser-mapping technology, called lidar, has been used to confirm a truly mind-blowing ancient city buried in western Mexico. Called Angamuco, researchers say that it has about 40,000 buildings. This is around the same amount of building foundations as there are in Manhattan, New York. Whoa! El Mirador - Articles: Videos:

The Turin Shroud has been a subject of debate for decades. Some believe it to be the original cloth used to cover Jesus Christ after his crucifixion, while others dismiss it as a clever forgery created by an unknown artist in the 1300s.

But a team of scientists in southern Italy recently found that a fragment from the cloth could date back around 2,000 years – to the time of Christ. They also have a theory explaining why the previous date given for the mysterious relic's origin might have been incorrect.

Professor Liberato De Caro, who works for Italy's National Research Council, said: "The Shroud has been the centre of attention for centuries. It was touched by countless people, displayed during parades, affected by smoke from candles. There was a great deal of contamination. That is why the carbon dating gave a result that suggested that it dated from medieval times."

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Professor De Caro explained that the advanced technique he used to date the Shroud wasn't available in the 1980s when the previous tests were conducted. "It's a sort of radiography, similar to the type of scan that you would do on a bone to see if there is a fracture," he said.

"But this X-ray penetrates the material very deeply to analyse it at a microscopic level. Over time, the structure of the material degrades. We can tell from that how much time has passed and therefore date the object.", reports the Express.

Working with a very small piece of the relic, less than a millimetre square, De Caro's team say they' have conclusively dated the age of the fabric to about 2,000 years. He can't definitively say who is is pictured on the Shroud, simply that they lived at around the same time as Jesus.

People stand in front of the Holy Shroud during the Solemn Exposition — The shroud was first exhibited publicly in the 1350s (Image: (Image: Getty Images))

Modern attempts to duplicate the image have largely been unsuccessful, although Shroud expert Russ Breault previously told the Express that a 40 nano-second burst from a high-powered ultraviolet laser had left a scorch mark on a test swatch of fabric that was uncannily similar to the Shroud image.

A brilliant new study conducted by an international team of researchers has revealed the construction processes employed at the Casas del Turuñuelo archaeological site in Guareña, Badajoz, Spain. This research sheds new light on one of the best-preserved earthen structures from the Bronze Age in the western Mediterranean, offering a detailed reconstruction of its building methods, piecing together the techniques that allowed this colossal, monumental edifice to stand the test of time so successfully.

The research team, comprising scholars from the Universities of Helsinki and Murcia, as well as the Institute of Archaeology (CSIC—Junta de Extremadura), have been led by Esther Rodríguez Gonzales and Sebastian Celestino Pérez of CSIC since 2014. Working at the site dated to the 5th century BC, they’ve published their finds in the journal Scientific Reports.

Aerial view of the Casas del Turuñuelo site, where evidence of animal sacrifice conducted by the Tartessos culture was uncovered. (Iborra Eres, et. al. / CC BY 4.0 DEED)

Aerial view of the Casas del Turuñuelo site, where evidence of animal sacrifice conducted by the Tartessos culture was uncovered. (Iborra Eres, et. al. / CC BY 4.0 DEED)

In Harmony with Local Materials and Environmental Conditions

The construction techniques employed by the Tartessians demonstrate an advanced understanding of local materials and environmental conditions, with the use of adobe (sun-dried bricks) and rammed earth (compressed soil), which allowed them to create durable structures that were both sustainable and well-suited to the climate of southwestern Spain.

Marta Lorenzon, a prominent member of the research team from the University of Helsinki, emphasizes the core objectives of their study in a press release:

"We sought to investigate how earthen materials were processed and employed, the organizational structure behind the labor, and the degree of expertise within the community responsible for its construction. Our aim was to illuminate the building methods, resource exploitation, and the socio-political mechanisms that enabled such monumental architecture."

By sourcing their building materials locally, they minimized the need for long-distance transportation and worked in harmony with the natural landscape. The Casas del Turuñuelo site, in particular, exemplifies these methods, showcasing a sophisticated coordination of labor, with skilled artisans overseeing the preparation and layering of earthen materials.

The Casas del Turuñuelo site, attributed to the Tartessian culture, showcases a sophisticated use of earthen construction materials, which, according to Benjamín Cutillas Victoria, one of the co-authors of the study, represents an adaptive and highly sustainable architectural approach. This approach reveals a level of ingenuity and environmental awareness in the Tartessians, often underexplored in previous scholarship.

Aerial view of the Casas del Turuñuelo tumulus, 2017. (Proyecto Construyendo Tarteso/Scientific Reports)

Aerial view of the Casas del Turuñuelo tumulus, 2017. (Proyecto Construyendo Tarteso/Scientific Reports)

As Lorenzon notes:

"This research provides a valuable window into sustainable building techniques from antiquity, which could inform modern architectural practices. The coordinated use of local and natural resources exemplifies an eco-friendly approach that remains highly relevant today."

In addition to architectural insights, this study offers a broader understanding of the socio-economic structures of ancient societies, particularly in terms of labor organization and resource distribution. The effective coordination of labor in such large-scale construction is almost unparallelled across history and time.

“The ability to reconstruct these ancient techniques provides invaluable insights into how this protohistoric culture thrived and adapted, offering a new dimension to our understanding of their ingenuity and resilience”, Lorenzon concludes.

The Tartessos: A Late Bronze Age Culture in the Iberian Peninsula

Tartessos, anchored by a thriving port city bearing its name, emerged in the ninth century BC as a dominant force in the southwestern third of the Iberian Peninsula. For approximately 400 years, it was regarded by the ancient Greeks and other contemporaries as a near-mythic civilization, renowned for its abundant resources and advanced technologies.

The Tartessos culture, emerging during the Late Bronze Age in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula, represented a unique blend of indigenous Paleo-Hispanic traditions and external Phoenician influences, reports The Heritage Daily. This hybrid culture developed in a region rich in natural resources, especially metals, and was characterized by its now-extinct Tartessian language.

They adopted various elements from their Phoenician trading partners in the Mediterranean, while still maintaining distinct local practices. This cultural exchange led to a society that was not only advanced in terms of trade and political organization but also distinct in its religious practices and artistic expression.

The Tartessians were particularly skilled in metallurgy, producing highly decorative and ornate metal objects that showcase their craftsmanship. Characteristic Tartessian bronze artifacts include pear-shaped jugs, shallow dish-shaped braziers with loop handles, incense burners adorned with floral motifs, and elaborate fibulas and belt buckles.

Their religious beliefs were similarly shaped by Phoenician influence, with deities such as Astarte (or Potnia) and Baal (or Melkar) being worshipped, illustrating the cultural integration that occurred through sustained contact with Phoenician traders.

However, after centuries of prominence, Tartessos abruptly vanished from the historical record, reports Atlas Obscura. The reasons behind its sudden disappearance remain a subject of debate among scholars. Some theories suggest that environmental changes, shifts in trade routes, or political upheaval contributed to the culture's decline. Others speculate that Tartessos may have been absorbed or overshadowed by rising powers such as Carthage or Rome.

Top image: Mudbrick wall documented in the south corridor of the structure and a selection of imported materials, including glass bowls from the Eastern Mediterranean and a fragment of Pentelic marble sculpture. Source: Project Construyendo Tarteso/Scientific Reports

By Sahir Pandey

Archaeology [Sticky] Archaeology by Prau123

Turin Shroud 'is real' as scientists discover 'evidence' it is 2,000 years old

For centuries, the Turin Shroud has been one of the most controversial and hotly-debated religious relics in the world - but now a scientist has declared it is genuine

There is an ancient underwater 'Stonehenge' beneath Lake Michigan in US. It was created by...

Story highlights

How was the Stonehenge created beneath Lake Michigan?

Advanced Construction Techniques by 5th Century BC Tartessos Culture Discovered

In Harmony with Local Materials and Environmental Conditions

The Tartessos: A Late Bronze Age Culture in the Iberian Peninsula