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10 Amazing Archaeological Discoveries Revealed in 2022

10 Amazing Archaeological Discoveries Revealed in 2022

By Paul SmithPublished about a year ago 8 min read
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10 Amazing Archaeological Discoveries Revealed in 2022

The wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship, which was lost for more than a century in Antarctic waters, the remnants of woolly rhinoceros that formerly roamed southern England, and eight mummified infants who were likely victims of human sacrifice. These are just a few of the incredible discoveries made by researchers in the previous 12 months. Continue reading for fascinating details about the year's worth of archaeological activity.

By Paul Smith

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10 Endurance Found

The polar exploration accomplishments of Sir Ernest Shackleton in the early 20th century are legendary. The British Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, one of his missions, departed in the summer of 1914. The South Pole was to be used as a route across the Antarctic. But early in 1915, the ship that was transporting the party to Antarctica, got stuck in ice in the Weddell Sea off the Antarctic coast. The 28-person crew had been trapped for months and had no choice but to abandon the ship and make their way as far as they could toward civilization. Despite all odds, they all made it through. The distressed ship, meanwhile, sank beneath the ice. When Shackleton and his group abandoned the ship in November 1915, that was the last time anyone saw it. Until a team utilizing underwater robots discovered it 10,000 feet (3,050 meters) underneath the ice of the Weddell Sea in March 2022, that is. Dr. John Shears, the project's director, declared, "We have accomplished what many people felt was impossible.

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9 Human Sacrifice

This ghastly 2022 discovery definitely belongs in that category of terrible archaeological finds. An excavation was being conducted by researchers in Peru, some 24 kilometers (15 miles) east of Lima, the capital city. The grave of a "high-ranking person" from pre-Incan periods, which occurred between 1,000 and 1,200 years ago, was being unearthed. This person had been mummified; he or she was probably 25 or 30 years old and may have been a prosperous trader. But another creature came out of the grave. Eight cloth-wrapped mummified youngsters were discovered by the excavators. Pieter Van Dalen Luna, one of the team's leaders, stated that the kids "would have been sacrificed, in accordance with our working hypothesis, to follow the mummy to the underworld." Pre-Incan Peruvian tribes frequently interred people of rank with human sacrifice victims in grisly rituals.

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8 Big Game

The largest land animal you're likely to see in the United Kingdom, according to British wildlife specialists, is a red deer. Foxes and badgers are the top predators in terms of hierarchy. But not that long ago, a much wider variety of animals roamed the wilds of the undeveloped area on the British mainland. A February 2022 announcement of an archaeological find served as a powerful affirmation of that fact. This find was not only "a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all engaged," but also "a big discovery of national significance," according to the lead archaeologist at the dig. The remains of several unusual species were discovered during an excavation in Devon county in southern England. Amid the last Ice Age, between 30,000 and 60,000 years ago, the bones of mammoths, wooly rhinos, and even hyenas were discovered.

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7 Finding a Goddess

This find demonstrates that not all remarkable discoveries are made by expert archaeologists. In the Gaza Strip's Khan Younis, a Palestinian farmer named Nidal Abu Eid was working his field. We discovered it by accident, Abu Eid told the BBC. We scrubbed it with water because it was muddy. Even though he didn't teach archaeology, he was aware that he had made a big discovery. We knew it was valuable, but we had no idea that it had such high archaeological importance, said Abu Eid. We give God praise and are pleased that it has persisted in Palestine from Canaanite times. And the 8.7-inch (22-centimeter) stone head, which dates back 4,500 years, was made by the Canaanites. It is the crown of the Canaanite goddess of love and battle, Anat.

6 Ghost Footprints

In Utah's Great Salt Lake Desert in July 2022, archaeologists discovered some unusual footsteps that have been dubbed "ghost footprints." The footprints left by people wearing only their bare feet were really left by our own ancient ancestors, possibly 12,000 years ago, as the last Ice Age was coming to an end, rather than by ghosts. As they traveled to a location they were working on nearby, the researchers accidentally saw a few of the imprints. A total of 88 footprints were discovered after further ground penetrating radar analysis. According to researchers, they belonged to a group of adults and kids, with the youngest member being maybe just 5 years old. These prehistoric humans were traversing what at the time were enormous swamps. Anya Kitterman, one of the archaeologists, described these prehistoric footprints as a "find of a lifetime."

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5 A Royal Shipwreck

The Duke of York is at sea in HMS Gloucester, a Royal Navy ship, on May 6, 1682. He is an important guy since his brother, Charles II, who is the present monarch, is next in line to the throne. But while the ship is sailing off the English coast of the North Sea, calamity strikes. The ship sinks after becoming stuck on a sandbank. Up to 250 of the 330 passengers and workers aboard perish as the seas shut around it. And that was the last anyone saw of the Gloucester until the brothers Julian and Lincoln Barnwell, two intrepid divers, stumbled upon the wreck 340 years later. After four years of unsuccessful searching, they were about to give up on their quest to locate the Gloucester when they made their discovery. It was truly beautiful and uplifting, Lincoln told the BBC. Being there immediately seemed like a luxury because it was so exhilarating. The Duke of York, too? Fortunately, he lived, and in 1685 he succeeded to the British throne as James II.

4 Historic Phallus

It could very well be the crudest graffiti ever written in the history of humanity. It's the instantly recognisable stylised image of the male genitalia that we're referring to. The popular phallus emblem has been used since at least ancient Roman times, as demonstrated by this specific archaeological find. This intimidating 18-inch (45-centimeter) phallus is actually a carved relief that is perched haughtily on a sizable chunk of rock in southern Spain. This location was formerly inhabited by Iberians, but about 2,200 years ago, the Romans acquired control. "It was popular to put [phallic symbols] on the exterior of houses, and warriors carried little phallic amulets as emblems of virility," said lead archaeologist Andrés Roldán. However, this one is abnormally big.

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3 40 Mistresses

Due to the current civil war that has raged in the sad country, several of Syria's archaeological treasures have suffered greatly. But in 2022, archaeologists discovered a magnificent Roman mosaic that, despite being 1,600 years old, is remarkably well preserved. The mosaic, which is 65.5 by 20 feet (20 by 6 meters) in size, lies in the village of Rastan in central Syria. Beautiful illustrations depict a variety of mythological scenarios that the ancient Greek poet Homer depicted in his epic books The Iliad and The Odyssey. Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons, is seen being slain by Hercules. Neptune, the Roman deity of the sea, and his 40 girlfriends are also depicted. Rebel soldiers formerly controlled the building where the mosaic was discovered. They even made an unsuccessful attempt to sell it.

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2 USS Samuel B. Roberts

During the Battle off Samar in October 1944, the American Navy ship Samuel B. Roberts sank to the bottom of the Philippine Sea. And "off" is indeed the appropriate word here. After a fierce struggle in which the Samuel B. Roberts was pitted against overwhelming odds, the Japanese sank the ship. There were 224 men on board when she sank, and 89 of them perished. After 50 hours in the water, the crew members who were still on board were rescued. [16] The finding was made by Texas businessman Victor Vescovo utilizing his own two-person submarine, the Limiting Factor. Vescovo stated of the struggle that resulted in the American ship's sinking, "It was really an unbelievable act of courage. Those men were engaged in life-or-death combat on both sides. The Samuel B. Roberts is the deepest shipwreck ever discovered, lying at a depth of 22,621 feet (6,895 meters). The USS Johnson, at 21,180 feet, was the second-deepest wreck ever discovered (6,460 meters). She was also misplaced during the Battle off Samar and found by Vescovo.

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1 24 Etruscan Bronze Statues

It is quite surprising to hear that submerging a bronze figure in a mixture of hot water and dirt can effectively preserve it over many generations. But at a historic resort in Italy called San Casciano dei Bagni, archaeologists discovered not just one but 24 magnificent bronze statues. The exquisitely crafted statues are thought to be older than 2,000 years. In this region of Tuscany, close to the city of Siena, the Etruscans built a network of spas. Following the Etruscans, the Romans expanded the complex, and the hot springs there are still used today. However, how did these magnificent statues wind up at the bottom of a murky pool? The statues may have been left in the hot springs as a tribute to the ancient gods by affluent people, according to archaeologists.

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AdvocacyClimateHumanityNatureshort storySustainability
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About the Creator

Paul Smith

I love writing stories on things that inspire me, I love to travel explore

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