Ancient Artifacts and Cultures Archaeologists are very interested in ancient shipwrecks for different reasons. They want to know what trade went on between different countries, how far the ships traveled, what their cargo was, who built them and how they were constructed and other reasons. I think I have outlined the most important ones. Lately they have been amazed how some of the ships were built. Some ancient Egyptian ships were held together with rope. One would think this would not be conducive to having a very strong ship, but the ships were very strong because of the way the rope was used. The Viking ships which came along at a later date were very seaworthy and could cross oceans. The ancient Greeks built a warship called the trireme which used sails and oars and was the scourge of the sea. It was so fast it put the other ships to shame. Ships were the backbone of many ancient societies and allowed the citizens of those countries to enjoy foods and objects they never would have had and some countries grew rich on this trade. Five ancient ships and their cargos were discovered off the island of Levitha a small Greek island. It is estimated the ships were from the mid-third century B.C. The ships were loaded with jugs called amphora, these are tall ancient Greek or Roman jars which contain two handles and a thin neck. They were very popular for use as containers for food stuffs. Many were used for wine and olive oil. They were made of pottery and experts believe they were first used around 900 B.C. The amphora on the ships came from several different places including some Greek Aegean Islands and also from the ancient Phoenician civilization which was believe to come from Carthage in North Africa. Since we just mentioned Greece archaeologists just made another discovery of a building which was underwater. Underwater archaeology is a branch of archaeology. The building was found off the coast of Salamis, a very special place in Greek history. This is because there was a Battle of Salamis where the Greeks fought the Persians on the sea. Against all odds the Greeks defeated the much larger fleet of the Persians and many believe this changed Western history. The building was believed to be a large public building and was used into Roman times. It was located at the port which since went underwater. It is believed statues in the area were from the 4th century B.C. The archaeologists were very happy to find these things because they are trying to reconstruct what the area was like around that time. In ancient Egypt the main city in the 12th century B.C. was thought to be Heracleion. For many years it was thought to be a mythical place and was called by some the Atlantis of Egypt. That may be over now. Underwater archaeologists have discovered an ancient Greek temple along with ships loaded with treasure. They contained jewelry and gold coins. Along with this was ancient pottery and columns from the era of King Ptolemy II which dates this discovery from 283 to 246 B.C. Here is the kicker. Texts were found which mention Heracleion. Now it is believe the city was real and eventually was consumed by the sea. Sometimes places are found in an area where you least suspect. In this case a cemetery was found at the Giza plateau a place which has been explored many times before. The cemetery is from the Old Kingdom’s Fifth Dynasty which dates from 2465 to 2323 B.C. It does make one wonder why this was not discovered before. Egypt is one of the oldest countries on the planet, but did you ever wonder who was there before them? Scientists have, and they are looking into this. The pre Egyptian period is know as Neolithic Egypt. Most of the evidence being sought is lying under the Nile’s flood plain. Archaeologists are studying Egypt’s western desert for clues and they found some. Sites are being excavated which lie along the former shores of an extinct lake in a place named Gebel Ramlah. There were people there in the Late Neolithic period which ranged from 5,500 to 4,650 B.C. and then more in the Final Neolithic period from 4,600 to 4,000 B.C. who had domesticated cattle and goats. These people created megaliths along with shrines and circles which were calendars. In the Late Neolithic, people began to bury their dead in cemeteries. Artefacts were found in the graves such as fancy pottery, stone, ostrich eggshells and even sea shells. There were also stone weapons and women’s cosmetic appliances. Most of these people lived into their 50s which was a long time in those days. The men were about 5.5 feet tall and the women a little shorter. These were the people who preceded what we think of as the ancient Egyptians. A very strange ancient grave was discovered in China. The grave is 13,500 years old. It contains the body of a woman squatting in the grave, but the body has no head. Some experts think this might symbolize pregnancy. It is unknown why she has no head. As far as the position of the body, there have been other ancient graves found with women in the same position. Thanks to a trove of artifacts found in Mexico the story of the Mayan civilization has changed. Balamkú cave has seven chambers which explain a lot more about the Mayan and alter what was believed about them to a certain extent. The name of the cave means Jaguar God. Over 150 objects were found in the cave. The objects had been sitting there for over 1,000 years. Some of the objects were statues and objects with faces on them. There were all sorts of vessels in the cave. It has turned out the Maya were found to be extremely war like which was unexpected. Archaeologists have found ancient war ruins from the Maya. They were found in northern Guatemala in the form of a fortress with 20 foot high walls and watchtowers. This must have been very threatening to the local population. The fortress is called La Cuernavilla. There is even a moat around it. This could be the largest defensive position ever built in the ancient Americas, according to Stephen Houston an archaeologist who specializes in the Maya culture. Finding fortifications like this is what has convinced historians the Maya were a lot more war like than they ever suspected. It just proves you never know what evidence might be uncovered which changes the way you think about a culture.
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