The Importance of the Discovery of King Tut’s Tomb
Today the man who first discovered the young King Tutankhamun’s tomb would have been 138.
Unfortunately, Howard Carter died 17 years after he first unearthed the tomb from lymphoma.
The discovery of King Tut’s tomb was a huge archeological breakthrough for many reasons.
First, it was discovered during a time of very uncertain times in between two World Wars. It gave people who had only read grim news for years finally something to enjoy and talk about.
Second, over the course of many centuries all of the tombs had been raided by thieves and it was believed that none of the tombs really held much at all. That is why when Carter entered the tomb and found a immense collection of gold and ornate treasures he knew he had found something truly special. Not only were all the decorations and treasures still in the tomb, the sarcophagus and mummy were still present. This led to a world wide interest in ancient Egypt, which still exists today, and also provided people with hundreds, if not thousands, of artifacts to examine and study.
News on the Ancient World – May 7th
Here is a rundown of the news stories from the past week and anniversaries of important events from the coming week. As always, most of the news stories come from http://www.ablogabouthistory.com/. I highly recommend checking it out to keep updated on news regarding history.
- Chinese Archaeologists have discovered a tomb dating back 2500 years that may have belonged to one of the warlords of the Eastern Zhou Period(770-256BCE). The tomb was discovered in January in Shandong Province and several bronze weapons, jade jewelry and ritual utensils have been found. The remains of the warlord archaeologists presume was buried there have yet to be found. The tomb was found on a steep hill, which was unusual given that warlords tended to be buried on mountains. The unique aspects of this tomb may shed more light on an extremely chaotic period in Chinese history. Source: http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-04/24/content_15126480.htm
- The Temple of Hathor, on the island of Philae in Upper Egypt is due to be opened this month after a program to restore the long deteriorated temple. The temple was originally built by King Ptolemy VI and expanded under Ptolemy VII and the Roman Emperors Augustus and Tiberius. That the site has been restored, its blocks had been deteriorated and the walls cracked, points to the ability of workers and archaeologists to restore and reinforce ancient buildings, even when they are pretty poor shape. Source: http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/40238/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/Philaes-Hathor-temple-gets-facelift-in-advance-of-.aspx
- Evidence has been uncovered from the remains of a large, sunken, Roman vessel, found six months ago near the shore of Marausa Lido, contains evidence of Roman smuggling activities. The vessel dates from the 3rd century CE and primarily contains jars, which have been perfectly preserved, of walnuts, figs, olives, wine, oil and fish sauce. Also found on the ship were a bunch of terracotta tubes, pointed at one end, which were used by builders to reinforce vaulted ceilings. These fictile tubes were approximately a quarter of the cost in North Africa than they were in Rome and were likely smuggled by sailors looking to pad their small pay. This vessel is in pieces but when the pieces are assembled it will be the most complete Roman ship ever discovered. Archaeologists in Salerno are expecting it to be restored and on displayed within 2 years. More importantly this discovery sheds more light on both commerce in the Roman world, and smuggling activities which is one of many activities which are not well recorded in ancient sources. Source: http://news.discovery.com/history/roman-shipwreck-smuggling-120425.html
- In an excavation beginning in 2010, archaeologists have discovered the remains of a small temple in the mountains between Ilia and Messinia in Greece, across from the famous temple of Epicurean Apollo. The temple dates from the 6th century BCE and seems to have been demolished and some point to make way for a larger temple. Various pieces from the temple, including its triglyphs, and items dedicated to the god of the temple, including bronze figure of a naked man holding a spear, and some sharp iron weapons. Tools used to build a small temple were also found. It is unclear exactly what god the temple was dedicated too, but presumably it was a deity that was involved war in some way. Source: http://greece.greekreporter.com/2012/04/24/ancient-temple-discovered-in-messinia/
- Archaeologists working on the Struma Highway in Bulgaria have found a Necropolis dating back approximately 2800 years. Archaeologists are apparently perplexed at the size of the site and the amount of time it was in use, although there are two ancient settlements that have been found in the region. source: http://www.sofiaecho.com/2012/05/02/1818561_archaeology-ancient-necropolis-found-in-path-of-bulgarias-struma-motorway
- In excavations in Jerusalem a building has been discovered below the base of an ancient drainage channel near the Western Wall of Temple Mount. It is the closest building to the First Temple that has thus far been uncovered. Among the discoveries was a personal seal of a semi-precious stone marked with Lematanyahu Ben Ho, meaning ‘belonging to matanyahu ben ho’. The rest of the inscription has been erased. Such personal seals were common during the First Temple Period. Source: http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Early+History+-+Archaeology/Hebrew_seal_Matanyahu_uncovered_Jerusalem_1-May-2012.htm
Posted in History News | 
Ancient History, Archeology, Eastern Zhou, Egypt, Greece, Greek, Jerusalem, Roman | 
Hoard of Roman coins found in England
Hoard of Roman coins found in England
One of the largest collections of Roman coins — over 30,000 silver pieces — has been recovered in England from the building site of a new hotel in Bath, just 450 feet from the historic Roman Baths.
Known as the Beau Street Hoard, from the street where they have been unearthed, the coins date to 270 A.D., a time of great upheaval when the western Roman empire was threatened by civil war and barbarian invasion.
Read more of the story at Hoard of Roman coins found in England | Fox News.
Story by Rossella Lorenzi – Fox News; Photo by Cotswold Archaeolgy
Old Outhouse Unearths Unexpected Treasures
Lafayette woman excavates old outhouse to unearth unexpected treasures
While excavating her home’s old outhouse pit, Rebecca Schwendler set down her trowel and picked up the phone after unearthing what looked like two human finger bones and the top of a human thigh bone.
Eight men and one woman from the Office of the Medical Examiner and the Lafayette Police Department stood in her Old Town Lafayette backyard a day later and sent the remains to Colorado State University for analysis.
Read more of the article at Lafayette woman excavates old outhouse to unearth unexpected treasures – Longmont Times-Call.
Story by Pam Mellskog – Longmont Times-Call
7th Century Teenager Found In Bed
Experts find ancient teen in bed 
Archaeologists excavating near Cambridge have stumbled upon a rare and mysterious find: The skeleton of a 7th-century teenager buried in an ornamental bed along with a gold-and-garnet cross, an iron knife and a purse of glass beads.
Experts say the grave is an example of an unusual Anglo-Saxon funerary practice of which very little is known. Just over a dozen of these “bed burials” have been found in Britain, and it’s one of only two in which a pectoral cross – meant to be worn over the chest – has been discovered.
Read more of the story at Experts find ancient teen in bed | News24.
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