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Was There an Overlooked Culture in Bronze Age Türkiye that Thrived?

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The remnants of Seyitömer Höyük in western Turkey exemplify a classic Luwian settlement.

Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, Department of Excavations; Luwian Studies #0255

Surveys of archaeological locations in western Turkey have uncovered numerous significant towns that thrived during the Bronze Age. This lends credence to the contentious theory that this area hosted influential political entities which contributed to the upheaval in the eastern Mediterranean around 3,200 years ago.

Historically, scholars have recognized several prominent Bronze Age civilizations coexisting in the Eastern Mediterranean from approximately 2000 to 1200 BC, including the ancient Egyptians, the Mycenaean Greeks, and the Hittites of present-day central Turkey.

Yet, President Eberhard Sanger, Luwian research, has long thought that critical elements might be missing from the current understanding. He theorizes that there existed a number of formidable states in western Turkey, positioned between the Hittites on the eastern side and the Mycenaeans on the western side.

A decade ago, Sanger revealed findings based on satellite imagery suggesting that western Turkey was home to archaeological sites supporting his theory. However, the timelines of occupation at these locations remained unclear from the images alone.

In the ensuing years, Sanger and his team have analyzed excavation reports from various Turkish sites and personally visited many locations to deepen their knowledge of their historical context.

The focus has been on large sites exceeding 100 meters in diameter, where archaeologists uncovered Bronze Age pottery. The newly published database catalogs 483 archaeological sites across western Turkey fulfilling these criteria. “We are studying settlements that hosted hundreds of individuals over centuries,” Sanger noted.

He speculates that these settlements were organized into a network of small states, which he collectively refers to as the Ruwian states. This evokes parallels to Mycenaean civilization, which also appeared to be comprised of several small states, each with its respective palace and king. Sanger remarked that these provinces remain largely unrecognized due to the tendency of Turkish excavators to focus on individual site contexts rather than regional interactions.

The notion that a small yet significant state existed in this region isn’t entirely inconsistent with current evidence. “There was a substantial kingdom known as Arzawa in western Anatolia,” states Guy Middleton from Newcastle University, UK, who did not participate in the study. “The king of Arzawa communicated with the pharaoh.” [Amenhotep III] During a period when the neighboring Hittite kingdom was waning, he was referred to as the “Great King,” akin to one of the gangsters.

However, much archaeological evidence pertaining to Arzawa and additional Ruwian provinces remains elusive, according to Sanger. He attributes this partly to the fact that many sites associated with these states experienced continued occupation well after the Bronze Age, effectively burying the Ruwian layers under more recent archaeological layers. “It can take years or even decades of excavation to reach Bronze Age strata,” he remarked.

Ian Rutherford, a researcher from the University of Reading in Britain, states that “Luwian” was a term used by the Hittites to refer to the people of western Anatolia, but without additional evidence, it’s challenging to ascertain if everyone there was Luwian or if non-Luwian cultures were also present. “I remain skeptical,” he commented.

Most provocatively, Sanger posits that the Luwian states occasionally formed extensive political coalitions that could contend with the more recognized Bronze Age civilizations of the Eastern Mediterranean. He even suspects that a Luwian confederacy played a role in the collapse of Hittite civilization approximately 3,200 years ago, instigating an assault on ancient Egypt at that time. A mysterious group known as the Sea Peoples often features in these historical events, and Sanger believes they were Luwians. Many researchers, including Middleton, contend that the narrative surrounding the collapse of the Sea Peoples and Bronze Age civilizations is considerably more intricate and nuanced.

Nevertheless, Sanger finds support for his theories in unexpected sources. One such source is the myth of the Trojan War in ancient Greece, set during the late Bronze Age. In this narrative, vast numbers of Mycenaean Greeks purportedly engaged in a protracted ten-year conflict at Troy, which Sanger identifies as one of the proposed Luwian states.

He points out that the account appears odd, given that it reportedly took ten years for such a large Greek army to seize a relatively modest city. He theorizes that the tale gained traction in the centuries following the Bronze Age as audiences at that time interpreted it to depict a significant clash between the Greeks and a robust coalition of warriors from various Luwian provinces. “Fiction must resonate,” remarks Sanger.

Cairo and Alexandria, pioneers of science in the ancient world: Egypt

Experience an unforgettable adventure through Cairo and Alexandria, two of Egypt’s most famed cities, where ancient history intertwines with contemporary allure.

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Enormous Bronze Age City Unearthed in the Kazakh Steppe

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Aerial image of Seminyarka ruins

Peter J. Brown

A remarkable 140-hectare site, tracing back 3,600 years, has been uncovered in the plains of northeastern Kazakhstan, significantly altering our perception of prehistoric life in Eurasia. This discovery indicates that the Central Asian steppes were once inhabited by Bronze Age societies equal in complexity and connectivity to more prominent ancient civilizations.

“It’s not just a missing piece; it’s like losing half the puzzle,” states Barry Molloy, who obtained his PhD from the University of Dublin, though he was not part of this study.

The Bronze Age was notable for the rise of various prominent cultures, such as the Shang and Zhou dynasties in China, Babylonians and Sumerians in what is now Iraq, and multiple Mediterranean cultures including Egyptians, Minoans, Mycenaeans, and Hittites.

For a long time, the vast steppes of Central Asia were believed to be home to mobile groups residing in yurts or tents. However, Seminyarka, or “City of the Seven Valleys,” appears distinctly different and may have served a crucial role in the distribution of bronze tools among civilizations.

Initially identified in the early 2000s, the site overlooks the Irtysh River, which begins in China’s Altai Mountains, traverses the plains of Kazakhstan, and continues through Siberia to the North Pole.

Mirjana Radivojevic and colleagues from University College London have been documenting the site since 2016. Their findings reveal that Seminyarka included extensive earthworks, likely for defense, as well as at least 20 enclosed dwelling structures, likely mud-brick, and a central monumental building believed to have been used for rituals and governance. The pottery discovered dates the site to around 1600 BC.

Notably, evidence of crucibles, slag, and bronze items suggests that significant areas were dedicated to the production of copper and tin-bronze, an alloy primarily composed of copper with over 2% tin.

Radivojevic noted that the slag’s composition matches tin deposits from the Altai Mountains, about 300 kilometers away.

She mentions that the tin could have been transported by individuals traversing the steppes or via boats on the Irtysh River, or extracted directly from the water. “The Irtysh River was a vital source of tin during the Eurasian Bronze Age, with seasonal flooding aiding in the extraction process,” she explained.

The organized layout of Semyalka contrasts sharply with the dispersed camps and small villages typically associated with nomadic communities in the steppes.

Without thorough excavation efforts, team members indicate they are unsure whether the buildings were constructed simultaneously or over a prolonged period. Dan Lawrence from Durham University states, “However, the design is unmistakably clear. Ordinarily, this suggests contemporary construction, as sequential builds would unlikely align so neatly.”

Given its strategic location along a river near significant copper and tin resources, researchers propose that Seminyarka was not just a hub for bronze production but also an epicenter of trade and regional influence, serving as a crucial linkage in a vast Bronze Age metal network connecting Central Asia with the broader continent.

“The Irtysh River was a heavily trafficked route,” Lawrence remarked. “It’s essentially laying the groundwork for what would become the Silk Road, representing an early form of globalization.”

Radivojevic emphasized that this site reshapes our understanding of Bronze Age societies in the steppe, demonstrating their sophistication comparable to contemporary cultures.

“This indicates they were organized and capable of mobilizing resources and defending their interests,” said Molloy. “The presence of concentrated materials like ores and metals signifies a level of social organization extending beyond local dynamics, fitting into intricate networks that spanned Eurasia, where metals served as critical connections within those networks.”

Cairo and Alexandria, pioneers of science in the ancient world: Egypt

Embark on an unforgettable journey through Cairo and Alexandria, two iconic cities in Egypt that beautifully blend ancient history with modern allure.

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Archaeologists Discover 2,500-Year-Old Honey in Bronze Jars Unearthed in Italy

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Archaeologists have reexamined the 2,500-year-old remnants discovered in bronze containers at an underground shrine in Paestum, Italy, previously categorized as a mixture of wax, fat, and resin. Utilizing a multi-species approach, the researchers identified lipids, sugar degradation products, hexose sugars, and key royal jelly proteins.

Paestum Honey: (a) An underground shrine in Paestum, Italy. (b) One of the Hydrias showcased in 2019 alongside a Perspex box containing Ashmolean Museum residues. (c) A graphic representation of the arrangement of bronze artifacts within the shrine. (d) Samples extracted from the core of the residue. Image credit: Da Costa Carvalho et al. , doi: 10.1021/jacs.5c04888.

Honey played a crucial role in ancient societies.

Historical texts and depictions indicate that honey was utilized as an early sweetener in medicinal recipes, rituals, and cosmetics.

Within ancient Greek and Roman traditions, bees and honey were of significant religious and symbolic value.

Honey is thought to confer wisdom, with myths stating that Zeus was given honey in his infancy.

Discovering honey in archaeological residues offers direct chemical evidence of the collection, exploitation, and processing of bee products, illuminating early agricultural and subsistence strategies in various regions globally.

In 1954, excavations at an ancient Greek site in Pestum, southern Italy, dating back to around 520 BC, unveiled an underground shrine dedicated to an unknown deity. This shrine housed a bronze bottle and two amphoras encircling an empty iron bed.

The container was found to hold a paste-like residue with a distinct waxy aroma.

Archaeologists noted that the residue was initially a liquid or semi-liquid. Traces were discovered on the exterior of a vessel that had originally been sealed with a cork disk.

The excavation reports underscored the shrine’s sacredness, with the empty bed’s inaccessibility suggesting the presence of the deity.

Additionally, archaeologists identified the original contents of the bronze bottle as honey, a revered symbol believed to have originated from honeycomb, though only traces of beeswax persisted as a prominent element.

Subsequent laboratory analyses of samples with varying residues ruled out honey from the composition.

In 2019, when the residues from Paestum reached the Ashmolean Museum for display during the final evening of the Pompeii exhibition, it presented a fresh opportunity to reassess the biomolecular composition, leveraging recent advances in mass spectrometry technology.

Researchers from Oxford University, including Luciana da Costa Carvalho and James McCulla, analyzed the residue samples, determining their molecular composition through several modern analytical methods.

The analysis revealed that the ancient residues bore nearly identical chemical signatures to modern beeswax and honey, with elevated acidity levels indicative of changes due to prolonged storage.

The chemical profile of the residue appears to be more complex than that of pyrolyzed beeswax, hinting at the existence of honey or other substances.

Residues in contact with the bronze jar showed a mixture of sugars that had reacted with copper.

Hexose sugars, frequently identified in honey, were present in higher concentrations in the ancient residues compared to modern beeswax.

Proteins linked to Royal Jelly, known to be secreted by western honeybees, were also identified in the residues.

These findings suggest that the ancient material may indeed be remnants of ancient honey.

However, researchers have not entirely ruled out the presence of other bee products.

“The ancient residues are not simply traces of what people consumed and offered to the gods; they represent intricate chemical ecosystems,” remarked Dr. Da Costa Carvalho.

“Investigating these substances will unveil how they have evolved over time, paving the way for future studies on ancient microbial activities and their potential applications.”

A paper detailing the study’s findings was published today in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

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Luciana da Costa Carvalho et al. Immortal symbol: evidence of honey in bronze jars from 530 to 510 BC. J. Am. Chemistry. Soc, published online on July 30th, 2025. doi:10.1021/jacs.5c04888

Source: www.sci.news

Bronze Age Briton Experiences Brutal Attack and Cannibalism

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New research has revealed that during the early Bronze Age in England, at least 37 people may have been “systematically dismembered” and eaten in the aftermath of “extremely violent” attacks.

The study, published in the journal ancient, revealed that more than 3,000 bones were excavated from a 50-foot hole at Charterhouse Warren in southwest England.

The bones, which were first discovered in the 1970s by cave explorers, showed an “abundance of cut marks,” prompting researchers to conduct further analysis.

Lead author Rick Schulting, a professor of scientific and prehistoric archeology at the University of Oxford, described the violence inflicted on the bodies as exceptional, with victims being killed with blows to the head, systematically dismembered, skinned, and crushed.

The study suggests that this extreme violence likely occurred in a single event between 2210 BC and 2010 BC, making it a unique example of violence in early Bronze Age Britain.

An example of cranial trauma in a Bronze Age skull recovered from Charterhouse Warren.
Antiquity Publications Ltd / Cambridge University Press

This act of violence was likely not isolated and may have sparked a cycle of revenge within and between communities in the Early Bronze Age, according to Mr. Schulting.

The motives behind such attacks are difficult to determine, but the study suggests that tensions may have escalated from accusations of theft and witchcraft, leading to an uncontrollable spiral of violence.

Victims may have been eaten to dehumanize and treat them like animals, involving a large number of aggressors based on the number of victims and the dismemberment process, the study noted.

The bones were found alongside animal fossils, indicating early evidence of slaughter, which the researchers believe was driven by hunger as the attackers had access to plenty of food.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Archaeologist argues that Bronze Age town of Arnata exemplifies ‘slow urbanism’

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During the Bronze Age, northwestern Arabia, the region between Mecca and Aqaba, was home to interconnected city walls centered around small fortified cities, such as the recently discovered town of al-Nata in the Khyber Oasis in the Medina province of Saudi Arabia. There were oases dotted around the area.

3D virtual reconstruction of the Bronze Age town of Arnatar. Image credit: Charloux others., doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0309963 / AFALULA-RCU-CNRS.

The development of metropolitan settlements was a major step in the evolution of human civilization.

This urbanization process can be difficult to study in northwestern Arabia, in part due to the region's lack of well-preserved archaeological sites compared to better-understood regions such as the Levant and Mesopotamia. I understand.

However, excavations in recent decades have uncovered exceptional ruins that provide insight into the early stages of urbanization in northwest Arabia.

In a new study, CNRS archaeologist Guillaume Charroux and colleagues focused on the Bronze Age town of Al Nataa, which was inhabited from around 2400 to 1500 BC.

The town is approximately 1.5 hectares in area and includes a central area and nearby residential areas surrounded by a protective wall.

According to researchers, about 500 people lived in Arnata.

Although similar in size and composition to other sites of similar age in northwest Arabia, these sites are smaller and less sociopolitically complex than modern sites in the Levant and Mesopotamia.

Scientists suggest that Al Nata represents a state of “hypo-urbanization”, a transition period between nomadic pastoralism and complex urban settlement.

Archaeological evidence so far indicates that small fortified cities dotted northwestern Arabia during the Early to Middle Bronze Age, a period when other regions were showing later stages of urbanization.

Further excavations throughout Arabia will provide more detailed information about the timing of this transition and the changes in social structure and architecture that accompanied it.

“Archaeologists have discovered the first small Bronze Age town (c. 2400-1300 BC) in northwest Arabia connected to an extensive network of walls, raising questions about the early development of local urban planning,” the authors said.

Their paper was published in the online journal PLoS ONE on October 30, 2024.

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G. Charroux others. 2024. Bronze Age towns in the walled oasis of Khyber: A discussion of early urbanization in northwestern Arabia. PLoS ONE 19 (10): e0309963;doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0309963

Source: www.sci.news

Rare Bronze Age Wooden Tools Unearthed in British Trenches

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Archaeologist removing excess mud from a Bronze Age plow

wessex archeology

A Bronze Age wooden spade has been unearthed by British archaeologists. It is extremely rare that wooden artifacts from such an ancient period have been preserved.

This spade offers a glimpse into life at a time when people grew crops and increasingly lived in settled communities.

“It’s very specific,” he says ed treasure At Wessex Archaeology, Salisbury, UK. “It’s a very direct connection to the past.”

The spade was discovered in a bog near Poole Harbor on England’s south coast, where Wessex Archeology has been excavating for several years. of The Moors of the Arne Coastal Change Project is working to restore the region’s coastal wetlands, and archaeologists are carrying out excavations to ensure that no useful artifacts are accidentally lost.

The researchers were digging a ring gully, a circular trench that is thought to have originally surrounded the shelter. In one of the ring gullies they found the handle of a spade. “It was an almost unbelievable moment,” says Treasure, who was not personally present. “I could tell right away that it was a carved piece of wood.” The spade was carved from a single piece of oak.

Moist conditions did not expose the shovel to oxygen, slowing down rot.

Using debris found with the spade, the team radiocarbon-dates the spade to 3,400 to 3,500 years ago. “A small part of the spade broke off during the burial, but we used it as a date,” Treasure said. Nearby pottery also showed a similar age. This dates the origins of the spade back to the Middle Bronze Age.

“We’re in the midst of some pretty big changes in prehistoric Britain,” Treasure says. People stopped living as nomads and began spending more time in settled communities, growing a variety of grains and other foods.

However, there are no signs of permanent settlement at this location throughout the year. Of course, it was and still is a wetland. “We strongly believe this is a seasonal use of this landscape,” Treasure says. People may have brought in animals for summer grazing, cut peat for fuel, or collected reeds for thatching.

Future research will try to understand how plows were made and what they were used for. “It may have been used to cut peat on site,” Treasure said. “It may also have been used to dig the ring ditch where it was discovered.”

It is rare that a spade from this era has been preserved. One of the only other examples is the Brynlow shovel. Discovered in Cheshire in 1875rediscovered in the 1950s It was discovered by fantasy author Alan Garner in a school assembly hall and was eventually radiocarbon dated to almost 4,000 years ago.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Finds from the Bronze Age indicate that market economics may have originated earlier than previously believed

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Bronze Age metal hoard from Weisig, Germany

J. Lipták/Landesamt für Archäologie Sachsen

Bronze Age Europeans earned and spent money in much the same way we do today, indicating that the origins of the “market economy” are much older than expected.

That’s the controversial conclusion of a new study that challenges the view that elites were the dominant force in Bronze Age economies and suggests that human economic behaviour may not have changed much over the past 3,500 years or more.

“We tend to romanticize European prehistory, but the Bronze Age was not just a fantasy world where townsfolk and peasants served their needs as a backdrop for great lords,” he said. Nicola Ialongo “It was a very familiar world, with family, friends, social networks, markets, jobs, and ultimately having to figure out how to make ends meet,” says Professor at Aarhus University in Denmark.

Bronze Age Europeans, from 3300 to 800 BCE, were not meticulous bookkeepers like people in other ancient societies, such as those in Mesopotamia. But Ialongo and Giancarlo Lago Researchers at the University of Bologna in Italy suggest that the treasure trove of metal they left behind may hold important insights into their daily lives and the roots of modern economic behavior.

Lago and Ialongo analyzed more than 20,000 metal objects from Bronze Age burials in Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and Germany. These metal objects came in many different forms, but around 1500 B.C. they began to be standardized by weight, which is how they were classified. Many experts These are distinguished as a type of pre-monetary currency.

“The discovery of widespread systems of measurement and weight allows us to model things that have been known for centuries in ways that have never been modeled before,” Ialongo says. “This not only gives us new answers to old questions, but it also gives us new questions that no one has asked before.”

The team found that the weight values ​​in their vast sample followed the same statistical distribution as the daily expenses of a modern Western household: small everyday expenses, represented by lighter pieces, dominated the consumption pattern, while larger expenses, represented by heavier pieces, were relatively rare. This pattern is similar to that found in the average modern wallet, with many small bills and very few large bills.

Lago and Ialongo interpret their find as evidence that the Bronze Age economic system was regulated by market forces of supply and demand, with everyone participating in proportion to how much they earned. This hypothesis contrasts with the influential view put forward by anthropologist Karl Polanyi in the 1940s, who characterized the modern economy, based on monetary gain, as a new phenomenon distinct from ancient economies centered on barter, gift exchange, and social status.

Richard Brunton A researcher from Purdue University in Indiana called the study credible: “I think this argument will stimulate debate among archaeologists and economic anthropologists who have been based for decades on erroneous assumptions about the antiquity of market economies,” he said.

“I think this paper adds useful fuel to that criticism,” Brunton says, “and to me it sheds entirely new light on the function of bronze deposits and the potential use of bronze coins as a unit of exchange.”

but, Erica Schonberger Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland are skeptical of the team’s conclusions. “It’s dangerous to assume that ordinary people in premodern times used money in normal economic activities,” says Schonberger. “For example, medieval English peasants only got money for selling their produce when lords began to demand money in lieu of rents or taxes in kind. They gave most or all of that money directly to the lords. They sold to get money, but they didn’t use it to buy things they needed. We’re still a long way from modern economic behavior.” [in the Middle Ages].”

Lago and Ialongo hope that their work will inspire other experts to carry out similar studies on artefacts from different regions and cultures. They suggest that market economies are a natural development across time and cultures, and that such systems are not something new or unique that has emerged in Western societies over the past few centuries.

“Technically, we haven’t proven that the Bronze Age economy was a market economy,” Ialongo says, “we simply have no evidence that it wasn’t. And we’re just pointing out a contradiction: why is everyone so convinced that there wasn’t a market economy when everything we see can be explained by a market economy model? In other words, if the simplest explanation works well enough, why should we have to imagine a more complex one?”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Discovery of Silver and Bronze Coin Hoard from Gallus Revolt Unearthed in Israel

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Jewish Revolt Constantius Gallus, alias Gallus' RebellionThe Roman Civil War of 351-354 AD broke out during the Roman Civil War and was the last Jewish revolt against Rome.

Bronze and silver coins from the 4th century AD found at Lod in central Israel. Image courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

The 1,650-year-old treasure was discovered by archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). rodcentral Israel.

The treasury contains 94 silver and bronze coins dating from 221 to 354 AD.

“The most recent coins date to the period of Gallus' revolt (351-354 AD),” the IAA archaeologists said.

“Documentary evidence for the revolt is scarce, but there are documents that document the destruction of major Jewish communities, such as Lod, Tzipori, and Tiberias, by the armies of Constantine Gallus.”

Also found were impressive stone and marble artifacts, inscriptions in Greek, Hebrew and Latin, and inscriptions bearing the names of Jewish men of priestly descent.

“This is probably a magnificent Jewish building where the city's elders lived,” said IAA archaeologists Shahar Crispin and Mol Wiesel.

“We know from Talmudic texts that Lod was the most important center for the Jews after the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.”

“Famous 'Sages of Rod' include Rabbi Eliezer ben Horcanos, Rabbi Tarfon, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Yossi Hagalili.”

“The building, destroyed down to its foundations, is a clear indication that the rebellion was forcibly put down with violence and brutality, and was not merely a localized uprising as previous studies have claimed.”

“This is the only evidence so far of the scope and power of this rebellion in Lod, which is in the heart of the country.”

“It is difficult to determine whether this magnificent building was used as a synagogue, a study hall, a meeting place for the elders, or all three functions combined,” said IAA professor Joshua Schwartz.

“What is clear, however, is that the size of the buildings, the coin deposits, and the assemblage of archaeological finds produced by the excavations fit well with the description of Lod/Diospolis as depicted in both Jewish and non-Jewish sources as a center of Torah-faithful Jewish life during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods.”

“Lod's role as a leading community with elders continued from the time of its destruction until this moment, when it was brutally destroyed in the Gallus Rebellion.”

“The incredible finds made here reinforce our commitment to researching and protecting Rod's history and rich heritage,” said IAA director Eli Escuse.

“Together with the city's new exhibition centre with its beautiful rod mosaics, we will bring this building into public awareness.”

Source: www.sci.news

Pompeii in England: Remarkably Preserved Bronze Age Village Offers Glimpse into Ancient Life

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An intact ax with an intact handle was found under one of the burnt structures on the grounds of Mast Farm.

cambridge archaeological unit

The ruins of a Bronze Age settlement in eastern England have been beautifully preserved after being destroyed by fire 3000 years ago. Exploring the ruins provides an incredible snapshot of how the British lived at the time, from what people ate for breakfast to the tools they used to build their homes.

Archaeologists first discovered the ancient wooden pillars in 1999 at the Mast Farm quarry near the small town of Whittlesea. A subsequent small-scale study tried to figure out if there was anything interesting there, he said. chris wakefield at the University of York, UK. But it wasn’t until his 2015 that Wakefield and his colleagues conducted serious excavations at the site.

The research team discovered the structural remains of four large circular dwellings (usually wooden circular dwellings with conical thatched roofs) dating from 3,000 to 2,800 years ago. Tree stumps suggest that it was built on raised platforms connected by wooden walkways over a small river that flows through the area. Judging by the size of the waterway, there may have been about 10 roundhouses in the settlement, Wakefield said.

Tree-ring analysis of wood taken from the structure suggests that the settlement was destroyed a year after its construction, with the houses falling into the muddy waters below. Wakefield said the waterlogged, oxygen-depleted environment prevented the settlement from deteriorating, resulting in its unprecedented level of preservation. The charring of objects by fire also served as a protective layer against environmental decay. “Almost everything that was in these people’s homes at the time of the fire has been preserved and is still being discovered nearly 3,000 years later,” Wakefield said.

The way items fell into the mud provided clues as to the layout of each house. Stepping through the door, the kitchen area tended to be on the east side of the house, with the sleeping area to the northwest and the livestock pens to the southeast.

Chemical analysis of kitchen utensils such as pots, bowls, cups and jars suggests that the settlement’s prehistoric inhabitants probably ate porridge, cereals, honey and stews made from beef, mutton and fish. .

“This is the best evidence we have for understanding prehistoric diets and cooking methods,” he says. Rachel Pope At the University of Liverpool, UK. “This is the closest you will ever get to walking through the doorways of a 3,000-year-old roundhouse and finding out what life was like inside.”

Illustration depicting daily life at one of the mast farm structures

Judith Dobie/Historic England

A toolbox filled with axes, sickles, and razors was a staple in every household. “One of the most beautiful things one of my colleagues found was an amazing two-part axe,” Wakefield says. “What’s amazing about this particular design is that the ax head itself is inserted into an additional piece of wood that can be replaced.”

The clothes recovered at the scene had a lush, velvety feel and were made from the finest fibers produced in Europe at the time, Wakefield said. Decorative beads, which may have been used in necklaces, have also been found throughout the site, and likely came from elsewhere in Europe or the Middle East.

The settlement has been likened to the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, which was buried in ash after a volcanic eruption in 79 AD. “Archaeologists sometimes talk about Pompeii-like discoveries, moments where time stood still, and this is one of them. Burnt-out settlements offer evidence of the time just before and after the fire some 2,900 years ago. It gives us a detailed look into people’s lives in the months leading up to it.” michael parker pearson At University College London.

“Mast Farm is not a once-in-a-generation site. It is very likely that there will never be another site that tells more about Bronze Age Britain.” Richard Maggwick At Cardiff University, UK.

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  • ancient humans

Source: www.newscientist.com

Possible Origins of the Basque Language Unraveled by Ancient Bronze Hand

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Ancient bronze hand discovered in Irregui, northern Spain

Juancho Egana

An inscription found on a 2,000-year-old metal needle may be written in a language related to modern-day Basque. If this interpretation is correct, it could help explain one of the biggest mysteries in linguistics: the origin of the Basque language.

However, other linguists say there is not enough evidence to link the inscription to Basque.

The bronze hand was discovered in July 2021 at the top of a hill called Irregui in the Pyrenees Mountains in northern Spain. Archaeologists have been excavating there since 2007, first discovering a medieval castle and then exploring a much older settlement from the Iron Age.

This settlement was founded between 1500 and 1000 BC. It was probably attacked by the Romans and abandoned in the 1st century BC.

Irreghi's hand is a bronze plate measuring 14 centimeters long, 12.8 centimeters wide, and only 0.1 centimeter thick, with a patina tint. On the back of the hand are his four lines of text, rewritten by first scratching and then dotting into the metal.

Most words cannot be associated with any known language, but the first word is “sorionek”. Matin Ayesteran Professors at the University of the Basque Country in Bilbao, Spain, and their colleagues claim it is similar to Basque. Zorio cat, which means “lucky.” Furthermore, the last word is “elaukon”, which is likened to a Basque verb. Zelaucon.

Irregi's hand carved in a mysterious language

Matin Ayesteran et al.

It is said that this hand was probably intended to represent good fortune or attract good fortune by appealing to the gods. Mikel Edeso Eguia in Aranzadi Scientific Society Assisted with excavations at Donostia (also known as San Sebastian), Spain.

The researchers also claim that the hand is evidence that languages ​​related to Basque have been spoken in northern Spain for 2,000 years. Most languages ​​currently spoken in Europe belong to the Indo-European family, but Basque does not. “It has nothing to do with any other language we know,” says Edeso Eguia. Previous research has tentatively linked the Basques to a group of people known as the Bascons, who lived in the Pyrenees according to classical sources.

However, the idea that the inscriptions on the hands are written in a language related to Basque is not widely accepted.After the hand was first described in his 2022 book, linguists Celine Munour at the University of Pau and the Adour region in France. Julen Manterola Presented at the Basque University of Vitoria-Gasteiz Criticism.

“There's not enough evidence,” Manterola said. This is also because there are very few words in the hands of the Irregian language. Not enough, he says, to properly compare with known languages.

Furthermore, the connection with the Basque language is based almost exclusively on the similarity between “sorionek” and “solionek”. Zorio cat. “You can't connect other words with historical Basque,” ​​Munor says.

Even that similarity can be misleading, Manterola says. Similar phrases in Basque have changed in predictable ways over the centuries, arriving at their current form. Zorio catmust have taken a completely different path.

“We expect more inscriptions to emerge,” Munour says. “In this case, we will be able to learn more about the possible relationship between this language and the Basque language.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com