Ancient Tech, Ancient Rights, and our 50th Issue…this week we go way back!
Ancient Origins Unleashed Debrief
Greetings the Unleashed!
May turned into a busy month at Ancient Origins, with the special 50th Issue of the Ancient Origins Magazine being produced. This bumper edition showcases our dedication to exploring the complexities of ancient times and looking into less explored corners of history to see what we can find. The special edition is well worth a look, along with the 49 back issues which are all available to you if you subscribe. Check it out here - if you love history, you’ll love this!
Sadly, this month we say goodbye to long-term team member Alicia, who was key in the production of all those beautiful magazine issues. Alicia has moved on to fresh fields and we have Cecilia moving in to take over her role as editor of the magazine.
We have also recruited new talent for the Premium Ancient Origins website, with a fresh approach to how we deliver the extra products and materials there.
With all these changes going on, Ancient Origins is set to be supercharged over the coming months with new ideas and projects coming into fruition. Exciting times!
Let’s see what has emerged from the past over the last couple of weeks, with the editor’s picks….
Thresh news…
Neolithic Threshing “Sledge” was Used As Early as 8,500 Years Ago
The threshing sledge, once widely used to separate straw from grain across many Mediterranean countries from Turkey to Spain, may have originated in Greece as early as 6500 BC, according to a remarkable new study. This earns it the distinction of being one of the earliest agricultural machines in Europe, setting the timeline back by 3,000 years than previously thought.
The conclusion was arrived at in a recent study led by an international team of researchers. By employing advanced analytical techniques, including confocal microscopy, on flint tools, the researchers traced the early adoption of this technology, highlighting it as one of the earliest agricultural machines in Europe.
Their research, funded by the European Union, Italy, and Spain, and directed by the University of Pisa in collaboration with the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, has been published in The Journal of Archaeological Science.
Tribulum, and the Increase of Grain Efficiency
The tribulum, an ancient agricultural implement, consisted of a wooden board or frame with sharp stones or metal blades embedded on the underside. Farmers would drag the tribulum over harvested crops, often by animal power, to break apart the cereal stalks and release the grains. Its use spread across various Mediterranean regions, adapting to local agricultural practices.
Known by the Roman term "tribulum" the threshing sledge significantly increased grain processing efficiency. Previously, it was thought that this innovation was associated with the emergence of the first states, but this study reveals its much earlier origins.
“Threshing sledge or tribulum represents an important innovation in agricultural techniques. It allows processing huge amounts of cereals and it has often been associated with an increased agricultural production. Their use is attested during the Late Neolithic/Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age both in south-western Asia and Europe. In the Mediterranean area, their use lasted until few decades ago,” write the authors in the study.
Something to think about…
A Watery Solution to the Enigmas of Khufu Pyramid’s Queen’s Chamber
Following up on my recent article on the ante-chamber in the Khufu pyramid, published on Ancient Origins public site, in which I argued it was a device designed to open and close more than once, this article refurnishes the Queen’s chamber, with a theory that could answer several key questions. All its unexplainable features: the ‘missing layer of tiles’ on the floor, the puzzling niche in the east wall, and the mysterious ‘ventilation canals’ turn into purposeful details. All you need is to add some water!
The Subterranean Chamber
The Subterranean chamber measures roughly 8 by 16 meters (26.25 by 52.50 ft.), longest in the east-west direction. In the eastern half a square hole, turned 45 degrees, is dug deep into the bedrock, and probably once reached ground water. From the southern wall a small square corridor proceeds a little southwards then ends. In the western half a considerable amount of bedrock is left, giving an unfinished impression.
Many believe that this chamber was originally intended as burial chamber but was abandoned during construction, thus the pile of bedrock. If, however, the chamber follows the order of the elements, this is the earth chamber, Geb’s chamber. What better way to demonstrate this than by including bedrock?
A closer look reveals that this actually could have been the burial chamber, if Khufu was buried here at all. It was customary to bury the body in an underground chamber and have an offering chamber above it because it was the earth god Geb who received the body of the deceased. There is even a flat area 2 by 5 meters (6.56 by 16.40 ft.) where it would be possible to assemble a coffin or sarcophagus.
The Greek historian Herodotus visited Egypt c. 500 BC (c. 2000 years after Khufu). He wrote that he was told by priests that the king lay buried beneath the pyramid on an island in a water-filled chamber, into which the water came through a brick canal - an astonishingly precise description of how the chamber may have looked.
And if you look at the bedrock left in the chamber it’s an ‘island’ onto which the coffin could be placed. The vertical shaft probably acted as a well to obtain water. A frame of wood, eventually tightened by clay, would restrain the water from running back. There even is a ledge it could rest on. With the right amount of water it would look as if the water flooded in from the canal in the southern wall, as demonstrated in the drawing above.
Keep reading...
Forbidden love…
Geneticists Think Neanderthals and Sapiens Started Breeding 47,000 Years Ago
Most people alive today carry traces of genes inherited from Neanderthals, indicating a complex history of interbreeding between modern humans and their now extinct cousins. But when exactly we first got together with our ‘cousins’ has proven elusive. Recent genome analysis now suggests that this genetic mingling occurred around 47,000 years ago. If it passes peer review, this research refines our understanding of when and where these interactions took place and their impact on human evolution.
The study, published as a bioRxiv preprint, utilized genomes from ancient and modern Homo sapiens to determine the timing of Neanderthal gene flow into modern human populations. By examining ancient DNA from individuals in Western Europe and Asia, researchers gained new insights into this critical juncture in human history.
Ancient Genomes Reveal a Prolonged Period of Mixing
A recent article on Science explains how the research team, led by Priya Moorjani from the University of California, Berkeley, analyzed genomes from 59 ancient Homo sapiens dating from 45,000 to 2,200 years ago. These samples included DNA from notable ancient individuals such as the Ust’-Ishim man from western Siberia, the Zlatý kůň woman from the Czech Republic, and individuals from Bulgaria’s Bacho Kiro caves and Romania’s Peștera cu Oase caves.
According to the Science report, the study identified regions of Neanderthal DNA in these ancient genomes and compared them to genomes from 275 present-day individuals. Using sophisticated computer modeling, the researchers traced the evolution of Neanderthal genes over time. Their analysis suggested that Neanderthal gene flow into modern human populations began approximately 47,000 years ago, with a prolonged period of interbreeding lasting around 6,000 to 7,000 years.
Fight for the right…
The Cyrus Cylinder and the Ancient Proclamation of Human Rights
More than 2 millennia before the French Revolution introduced the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizens, an ancient Near Eastern monarch issued a charter that is considered to be the oldest known declarations of human rights. This charter is known today as the Cyrus Cylinder.
Discovery of the Cyrus Cylinder, Content, and Inscription
The Cyrus Cylinder was discovered in the ruins of Babylon, in modern Iraq, in March 1879. The ancient relic, which was a foundation deposit at the city’s main temple, the Ésagila, was made of baked clay, and measured 22.5 cm (8.85 in) in length. On the cylinder is an account detailing the conquest of Babylon in 539 BC by Persian king Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Achaemenid Empire, who had created the largest empire of the era. It also describes the capture of Nabonidus, the last king of Babylon. The account was inscribed in cuneiform text and has been dated to between 539 and 530 BC.
The inscription on the cylinder speaks of Cyrus’ promotion of religious, racial, and linguistic freedom and his permission to those deported by the Babylonians to return to their homelands. It extols Cyrus as a benefactor of the citizens of Babylonia who improved their lives, and restored temples and cult sanctuaries across Mesopotamia and elsewhere in the region. Some segments of the text read:
“I announce that I will respect the traditions, customs and religions of the nations of my empire and never let any of my governors and subordinates look down on or insult them while I am alive. From now on…, I never let anyone oppress any others, and if it occurs, I will take his or her right back and penalize the oppressor.”
“I will never let anyone take possession of movable and landed properties of the others by force or without compensation. While I am alive, I prevent unpaid, forced labor. Today, I announce that everyone is free to choose a religion. People are free to live in all regions and take up a job provided that they never violate other’s rights.”
(Translation obtained from Gresham College, England)
A load of bull…
2,000-Year-Old Tomb Found in Tharsa Was ‘Guarded by Bulls’
In the ancient city of Tharsa in modern day Turkey, archaeologists have discovered a 2000-year-old tomb adorned with two bull heads during excavation and cleaning efforts. Now known as Turuş Rock, the tombs are located near Kuyulu village on the Adıyaman-Şanlıurfa Highway.
This collection of tombs is not knew, and they are known as the Turuş Rock Tombs. Excavations started last year in 2021 in the ancient city, where a family cemetery is known to be located.
Belonging to the Roman Period, the Turuş Rock Tombs were carved into the bedrock from the ground downwards. These tombs are accessed by descending 10-13 steps. Various figures and reliefs decorate the walls and doorways of some of these rock tombs, according to Anatolian Archaeology.
But the most striking find has to be the two large bull heads which flank the entrance to a tomb, staring out at interlopers from eternity.
The Bull and the Divine
Archaeologists believe the bull heads were included in the grave to help cleanse the grave's owner of evil spirits. In Roman culture, the bull, symbolic of the god Jupiter, represented power, strength, and unpredictability.
Additionally, it was a symbol of the city of Athens, depicted on many Athenian coins to signify the city's strength and power. In Roman coinage, the bull symbolized strength and fertility and was associated with the god Mars.
Such an association was understandable. Classical bulls were seen as formidable and powerful creatures, particularly in the form of the ancient and extinct aurochs. This lost bovine species was a huge and wild cousin to modern cattle, dangerous and immeasurably strong. The bull's robust and formidable presence on coins signified the might and resilience of the Roman and Athenian states, projecting an image of enduring power to both its citizens and its adversaries.
An interesting look…
Greek Marines Prove Mycenaean Suit of Armor Was Fit for Battle
A suit of armor found at an archaeological site near the village of Dendra, Greece in 1960 has been linked to the famed kingdom of Mycenae, a militarily powerful Late Bronze age fiefdom that holds the distinction of being ancient Greece’s first great civilization.
After an initial examination scholars determined that this particular suit of armor had most likely been worn for ceremonial purposes only, and would not have been used for protection in battle. But a new study just published in the journal PLOS ONE has upended this conclusion, offering evidence to show that this armor was perfectly suitable for battle, and would in fact have provided ample protection to the wearer.
Practical Assessment By the Professionals
This fascinating new evidence emerged not from a laboratory study, but during a live simulation of Late Bronze Age, Mycenaean-era battlefield conditions by Greek Marines affiliated with the Hellenic Armed Forces.
The Marines donned replica armor that duplicated the style of the Mycenaean suit while participating in this mock military exercise, the results of which proved that this armor was both comfortable to wear and not easily violated by the types of weapons that were in use during the heyday of the Greek Mycenaean civilization, which dominated the Greek mainland from approximately 1750 to 1050 BC.
Til next time… keep on moving…
The speculations about the Great Pyramid are so far wrong, they are laughable. Why do you post such nonsense?