10. Çatalhöyük and the Community - Turkey / Çatalhöyük. Theories about a possible female-centric society have been raised historically concerning Çatalhöyük, a Neolithic settlement in South Anatolia, Turkey.
DNA from 131 individuals across 35 houses on the east mound was analyzed. Young women received five times more burial goods than young boys. Individuals buried in the same house were linked maternally,
suggesting women lived in their birth homes while men migrated after marriage. The research team suggests that based on these findings, Çatalhöyük possessed female-centric social customs, and this structure may have prevented social stratification and maintained egalitarian relationships.
9. Wind of Change in the Andes - Peru / Huanchaco. A lavish tomb, estimated to date from 850 to 1000 AD, was found at the Pampa la Cruz site in Huanchaco, northern Peruvian coast. Two men were buried there,
One was found seated in the 'lotus posture,' typical of the inland Wari (WARI) culture, and beside him was a wooden mirror depicting a crab (anthropomorphized) in the coastal Moche (MOCHE) style, along with semi-precious stones and shell earrings.
The second man was buried seated according to highland traditions and included a bronze alloy knife engraved with a Moche-style warrior figure. The accompanying ceramics also exhibited a hybrid style, showing the integration of Wari and Moche cultures, suggesting significant mutual influence between the inland Wari cultural sphere and the coastal Moche cultural sphere.
8. Hymn of Babylon - Iraq / Sippar. A joint research team from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and the University of Baghdad succeeded in deciphering an ancient Babylonian hymn, approximately 2,000 years old, by assembling 30 clay tablets excavated from the ancient city of Sippar.
They utilized the AI-based platform EBL (Electronic Babylonian Literature). The hymn was confirmed to be 250 lines long, and parts of its content were disclosed, symbolizing the Mesopotamian worldview of divine order, natural harmony, and human prosperity.
7. Discovery of the Missing Pharaoh's Tomb - Egypt / Luxor. The tomb of Thutmose II, whose whereabouts had long been unknown, was discovered in the Valley of the West in the ancient Theban Necropolis, south of Luxor, Egypt. [It was first found in 2022 but speculated to belong to someone else, before being finally confirmed/announced as Thutmose II’s in 2025]
It was initially thought to be a woman's tomb, but a ceiling painted blue with yellow stars was found—a feature exclusive to royal tombs. [The tomb suffered damage from looting and flooding]. The royal funerary text, Amduat, was also found, along with fragments of alabaster jars inscribed with the names of his half-sister/wife, Queen Hatshepsut, and Thutmose II. [The mummy of Thutmose II was found in the Royal Cache at Deir el-Bahari in 1881, not in this tomb, but the tomb itself was finally confirmed]. [Regarding this finding, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities was criticized for exaggerating the discovery, claiming it was the first pharaoh's tomb found in 100 years since Tutankhamun, and also overstating its preservation status].
6. A Meal with Dionysus - Italy / Pompeii. In the dining hall of the so-called 'House of the Thiasus' in Region IX, Insula 10 of the Pompeii excavation site, a massive fresco (Megalography) depicting a Dionysian mystery ritual, created around 40–30 BCE, was discovered. [The house was named the House of the Thiasus after the followers of Dionysus depicted]
It portrays scenes where devotees of Dionysus—the god of wine, ecstasy, and madness—performed secret rites in a banquet hall where people ate and drank. It features Satyrs pouring wine, ecstatic female followers (Maenads), women participating in the ritual, and women hunting. This is considered a highly unique discovery that emphasizes the wildness and participation of Roman women in mystery cults.
5. The Oldest Mummified Human Remains - China / Southeast Asia. A study announced this year by researchers at the Australian National University claims that the world's oldest mummies are not from Ancient Egypt or Chile, but are human remains from Southeast Asia, dried by wood smoke 10,000 to 2,000 years ago.
The ANU team investigated 57 tombs across the Philippines, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and China. They found bodies in a contracted posture with signs of dehydration due to smoke and low temperatures, suggesting this practice served both preservation and held spiritual and cultural significance in Asia.
4. The Papoura Site in Crete - Greece / Crete. During ground preparation for airport construction, a complex circular building from the Bronze Age Minoan civilization was excavated on Papoura Hill in Crete, Greece. It is over 160 feet in diameter, designed with eight concentric stone walls and four arched sections. Traces of paint remain on the walls.
It is estimated to have been built around 3,000 BCE and used until 1,800 BCE. Given the site’s location, it is believed to have been a communal public space used by the local community for feasts and ceremonies.
3. Trace of the First Indo-European Speakers - Eastern Ukraine / Southern Russia. Professor David W. Anthony’s academic team, alongside geneticists and linguists, investigated Proto-Indo-European (PIE).
The research suggests that the earliest form of PIE was used between 4500 and 3300 BCE by nomadic/farming communities in the North Caucasus region during the Copper Age (Eneolithic).
This community later developed into the Yamnaya culture and the early Anatolian Hittite speakers. The ancestors of PIE speakers are estimated to have originated from a small group residing in the modern Eastern Ukraine region.
2. The Returned King - Belize / Caracol. Archaeologist couple Arlen and Diane Chase of the University of Houston, heading the Maya civilization research project, finally discovered the tomb of King Te' Kab Chaak in the Maya city of Caracol after over 40 years of effort.
King Te' Kab Chaak ascended the throne in 331 CE and was an early ruler of Caracol, during whose reign the city grew into the most powerful Maya city in the Southern Yucatán Peninsula. The tomb was found beneath a large void first identified in 1993.
Befitting a king's tomb, the interior was decorated with red pigment extracted from cinnabar, yielding pottery, jewelry, carved bone tubes, and notably,
the 'King's Death Mask' made of jade and shells.
1. A Story from the Neolithic Age - Turkey / Karahantepe. Neolithic excavations are ongoing in Karahantepe, southeastern Turkey, where two unique artifacts have been discovered
술을 붓는 반인반수 사티로스와 술에 취해 황홀한 상태의 여성 추종자들인 마이나드들, 의식에 참여하는 여성과, 사냥하는 여성 등이 등장하며 로마 여성들의 야생성과 신비 의식 참여를 강조한 매우 독특한 발견 사례라고 합니다.
5. 가장 오래된 미라화된 인골 - 중국/ 동남아시아
호주 국립대학교 연구팀의 올해 발표한 조사 자료에서 세계에서 가장 오래 된 미라는 고대 이집트나, 칠레 등이 아니라 동남 아시아에서 약 10,000 ~ 2000년 전 장작 연기로 건조해 만들어진 인골이란 발표가 나왔습니다
호주 국립대 연구팀은 필리핀, 라오스, 말레이시아, 태국, 인도네시아, 중국 등에서 57기 무덤을 조사했는데 시신이 움츠린 자세로 있고 뼈가 연기와 저온에 의해 탈수 된 흔적을 확인했으며 이것은 부패 방지와 더불어 아시아 지역의 영적 , 문화적 의미도 있는 것으로 추정한다고 합니다.
4. 크레타의 파푸라산 유적 - 그리스 / 크레타
공항 건설을 위한 지표면 작업 도중 그리스 크레타 섬의 파포우라 산 정상에서 청동기 시기 미노아 문명의 복합적인 원형 건물을 발굴. 지름은 160피트 이상이며, 8겹 원형 석벽과, 4구획 아치형 건물로 설계되어있고 벽면에 페인트 흔적도 남아있으며
제작 시기는 기원전 3,000년 경으로 기원전 1,800년 까지 사용된 것으로 보이며 유적의 위치를 감안하면 지역 공동체가 함께 잔치나, 행사 등 공공 장소로 함께 사용한 것으로 추정됩니다.
3. 최초 인도-유럽어 사용자 흔적 - 동우크라이나 / 남러시아
데이비드 앤서니 David W. Anthony 교수 학술팀은 유전학자, 언어학자 등과 함께 원시 인도 유럽어(Proto indo Euripean / PIE) 에 대한 조사를 했는데
조사에 의하면 PIE의 초기 형태는 기원전 4500 ~ 3300년 북캅카스 지역의 동기 시대 (Copper age / Eneolithic) 유목 / 농경민들의 공동체에서 사용된 것으로 밝혀졌으며
공동체는 이후 야므나야(Yamnaya) 문화와 아나톨리아 초기 히타이트어 사용자로 이어졌으며, PIE 화자들의 조상은 현재 동우크라이나 지역에 살던 소규모 집단에서 기원한 것으로 추정된다고 합니다.
2. 돌아온 왕 - 벨리즈 / 카라콜
휴스턴 대학교 고고학자이며 부부인 아를렌 체이스 / 다이앤 체이스는 마야 문명 연구 발굴 프로젝트를 담당하며 40년이 넘는 노력 끝에 마야 문명의 도시 카라콜에서 '테 카브 차크' (Te' Kab Chaak) 왕의 무덤을 발견해냈습니다.
테 카브 차크 왕은 기원후 331년 즉위, 카라콜 초기 통치자였으며 그의 통치 시기 카라콜은 유카탄 반도 남부의 가장 강력한 마야 도시로 성장했다고 합니다 무덤은 1993년 첫 조사 지점에서 발견 된 큰 공극 아래에 있었고
내부는 왕의 무덤답게 광물 '진사(Cinnabar)에서 추출해 만든 붉은 안료로 장식되었고 토기, 장신구, 조각 뼈관 등이 출토됐고
특히 옥과 조개 껍데기로 만든 '왕의 데스 마스크' 도 발견되어 큰 성과를 거두었습니다.
1. 신석기 시대에서 온 이야기 - 튀르키예 / 카라한테페
튀르키예 동남부 카라한테페에서 신석기 유적 발굴이 진행되고 있는데 독특한 유물이 두 가지 발견됐
"History is fun... until the comments section turns into a chaotic international mud-slinging match over who owns the first steppe language, all while being reminded that every single discovery pales in comparison to the magnificence of the legendary Hwan-guk."
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