Some very interesting things have been happening in archaeology. One which may be of interest to many people is located in Jerusalem. The Washington Post has reported that there is a dig there which has been going on for decades. The dig is taking place in an old abandoned building which happens to be next to a museum. What makes this dig really interesting is the fact it could be the place where Jesus’s trial took place. We all know Jerusalem is a very historic place, so when the museum wanted to expand the archaeologists came in peeling away layers of history next to the building and found something they never expected. The building they were digging in was an ancient prison and when the archaeologists got under it they found even more ancient sewers which were believed to have been built by King Herod the Great. It is not 100% clear where Jesus was tried, but many think in was in King Herod’s palace and it could have been located where the sewers were found. They believe Pilate was a guest in the palace. Others think he was tried in a Roman general’s tent at a Roman encampment.

An underground city so large it was the biggest found has been discovered. It had been dated at 5,000 years old. The city was found in Turkey in the Cappadocia region. This region was famous as being part of the Roman Empire at one time. The city is in the province of Nevsehir. It was found by accident when preparations were being made for a new housing development. The area is famous with archaeologists for the amount of underground settlements. This makes me wonder why anyone would want to build there, anyway the builders had to cancel their project. A lot of money was spent on the housing project, but the government doesn’t feel it was a loss considering what they discovered. It is huge compared to any other underground city found in this area and the world.

Czech archaeologists have made what is being called a remarkable discovery at Abusir in Egypt. With everything which has already been found in Egypt you may wonder why their discovery is receiving so much attention. Maybe it is the fact they found the tomb of a previously unknown Egyptian Queen, Chentkaus III. She is believed to have been the wife of pharaoh Neferefre who died about 4,500 years ago. “How do we know the tomb was that of Neferefre’s spouse? For one thing, the chamber was marked as hers several meters below the desert. We also found evidence of her title as a queen and the mother of one of the kings of the 5th dynasty.” When the archaeologists were asked if the discovery had been accidental they replied no, because they have spent years in the area and have ideas where to dig using different technology.

One of the things which interests’ archaeologists and historians are ancient ship building methods. We are always trying to figure out if our ancient relatives had the ability to travel the seas. The shipwreck of a 9th century merchant ship was found under sprinklers. The ship was found in Turkey along with 37 shipwrecks from the Byzantine Empire. They were discovered at a site called Yenikapi in Istanbul. The ships were located in what used to be the port of an ancient city.Β  The city was named Constantinople and the ships date as far back as the 5th century with some being as recent as the 11th century. One of the reasons archaeologists are so excited over the ships is their condition which has been described by then as exceptionally good. "Never before has such a large number and types of well-preserved vessels been found at a single location," said Cemal Pulak of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology at Texas A&M University. The archaeologists have learned that the ship builders were using a more complex method to build these ships than was previously thought. Archaeologists found the transition from building the shell first to building the skeleton first and attaching planks was well under way by the 7th century. Another reason this find excited archaeologists was the fact Byzantine galleys were found for the first time. The ships were composed of galleys which have oars and sailing ships.

Archaeologists are now thinking the idea that Gaza was rural during the 10th century B.C. might be wrong. The reason for this change in thinking was the discovery of ancient seals. Seals were used by ancient authorities. Some archaeologists now say the seals may prove that Biblical accounts of David and his son Solomon are true and they were kings. The pieces of the seals which were found were once used to seal expensive goods. "They're little bitty mud balls but they're really important because of what they suggest about what's going on," said an author. “After tying the scroll or other item, ancient officials would wrap part of the string with clay and stamp it with an official seal to show that it had not been opened.”

New Orleans is famous for a lot of things and just about everyone has heard of it. Recently bones were discovered on Basin Street. The Coroner discovered the bones were far older than suspected and decided they were historic. The authorities decided that there would be no investigation. The bones which were discovered in the 300 block of Basin Street, just outside the French Quarter in TremΓ© and were turned over to LSU FACES lab, and reinterred.

Something most unexpected was discovered by archaeologists in China. It has been described as a high-tech pottery center which was turning out delicate celadon ceramics during the Bronze Age, 3,000 years before the Industrial Revolution. This type of pottery is hard to create and very high temperatures are required. It has a glaze of crackle in white, grey, bluish or jade-green. The Kilns must reach a temperature of over 1,000 degrees Celsius. This was thought impossible for people of that time period. The site is known as the Erlitou Bronze Age site. What is truly important here is the fact previously it was thought this type of pottery only dated back to 200 AD. Europe did not develop this technology until the 17th century AD.