More Interesting Archaeology News There is a saying which states you never know what you might find. Nothing could have been truer for the English when they decided to construct a new railroad line between London and Birmingham. People are excited over the high speed railway being constructed, but some, including archaeologists can’t believe what is being discovered as the build progresses. Complete Roman villages are being found, along with all sorts of artifacts. Trading centers have been found and even a medieval church. The English were quite aware of the Romans who invaded Britain, but not of what would turn up during the railroad construction. It is amazing to me how the Roman villages, towns and such disappeared from all records and faded into oblivion. We always thought if King Arthur did live, it was in either the late fifth or early sixth centuries. There is a tomb in Herefordshire in England which is over 5,000 years old and a legend about King Arthur which goes with it. It is said there was a giant there which King Arthur defeated in battle. The tomb itself is very interesting, It is composed of several large stones arranged in a rectangle, with one or two inside and a 25 ton capstone which was somehow placed atop. Archaeologists want to remove the dirt and see if there are remains in the tomb. The story goes the giant was still around in the 13th century when he fought Arthur, but as he was felled his elbows hit the stone causing an indentation. The tomb was named Arthur’s Stone. It’s amazing to me, in all these centuries, this is the first time the area is being examined. There is a place in South Africa which is known as the Cradle of Humankind. That is quite a title and quite an assumption. There are many fossils there which some scientists believe prove evolution. The dating of fossils just keeps getting pushed further back. Some believe there could have even been older fossils which disprove the evolution theory but since they don’t fit the narrative, we will never get to see them. Recently some of the very oldest bones which are said to be ancient proto humans were found in the Sterkfontein Caves and these bones push the date back more than one million years. To be more exact a fossil of a foot was dated to about 3.7 million years. Ireland is a place which has some very old structures and ruins. An archaeologist was doing work in Galway when he discovered a large Bronze Age fortress. I guess I should say he rediscovered it, since it was previously known about, but no one knew its age. The fortress is in a nature preserve known as Coole Park. The fortress has recently been dated as being from between 1200 years B.C. to 800 B.C. It was measured to about 1,312 feet by 328 feet and thought to be able to hold a few hundred defenders. It is said metal working also went on inside the fort. Evidence has been unearthed in England that people were living there over 600,000 years ago. Even though the site was known about since the 1920s, we have only been able to date the artifacts which were found much more recently. Scientists are saying it was not modern humans who lived there that far back in the past, but a species known as Homo heidelbergensis. They were said to be an ancestor of the Neanderthals. Some fossils were found in China and some scientists are saying they could be from the earliest hominins ever found there. The fossils were said to be 1.6 million years old. They are said to be of Homo erectus. The bones were found in the 1960s at Gongwangling. The bones were only recently dated after a series of examinations took place of different parts of the skull. Lately, Iran has been in the news for their archaeological discoveries. Scientists there have found an incredible number of relics and ruins lately, which date back to 4,000 B.C. The country has a rich ancient history. The findings were made in Sarayan county, South Khorasan province. It is said different cultures occupied this area at different times. Human habitation of the area has been traced back 100,000 years. An ancient cave has been found in Spain which was inhabited by Neanderthals for over 50,000 years. It is known as the Cave of Ardales and is in southern Spain. It contains some of the oldest paintings ever found. Some have been dated as far back as from 64,800 years ago. Thinking on the purpose of the caves has changed recently and it is now thought by some the cave was used to bury the dead. It is also now thought Homo sapiens might have used the cave from time to time. The cave is said to be home to over 1,000 paintings and engravings. The paintings are said to be almost on a par with those of modern humans who inhabited the cave known as Chauvet-Pont d’Arc in France which contains many cave paintings. Again, with Britain. Most of us have heard about Hadrian’s Wall. It was built to show the northwest boundary of the Roman Empire. It took six years to build and 15,000 men. It is 73 miles long. It was a defensive position which contained forts and towers. Archaeologists were surprised to find there were 134 settlements found north of that wall in Scotland. It is now being suggested that trade in items like food could have taken place between some of those places and the Roman Army. Previously, it was thought there was constant conflict with people who lived beyond the wall. There has been a new study into evolution by the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath. The results might astound a lot of people because they suggest we were wrong in classifying things by how they look, which is the basis of evolution. It has been suggested that genetics holds the key. It has been found that some creatures scientists believed were closely related, had no relationship at all when genetic testing was conducted. Thanks to a drought, an ancient forgotten city has started to emerge from the Tigris River in Iraq. The first thing discovered was 100 clay tablets. This shocked archaeologists since they had been under water for so long. The city is a Bronze Age city. It is believed by some the city is the ancient city of Zakhiku, which was an important center for the Mittani Empire in 1550 B.C. to 1350 B.C.
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