Philosophy
No people, it isn't an alien in a flying saucer. Archaeology magazine has listed it as one of ten best discoveries of 2010.
A deep looters' trench led archaeologists to a series of amazing, macabre finds beneath the El Diablo pyramid at the modest Maya city of El Zotz. They discovered, just 10 feet beyond where the looters had stopped digging, increasingly bizarre caches, including bowls containing severed fingers, teeth, and a partially cremated infant. "There was mounting evidence of weirdness there," says Stephen Houston of Brown University, who co-led the excavation with Edwin Roman of the Universities of Texas and San Carlos of Guatemala.
The offerings were adjacent to an Early Classic Maya tomb containing the remains of a king dressed as a ritual dancer, complete with a belt adorned with shell "bells" and mammal teeth. "This guy would have made quite a racket," says Houston. He was buried with the skeletons of four infants, the skulls of two older children, textiles, carvings, and an array of ceramics, including a tamale bowl depicting a peccary.
Based on the position, wealth, and date of the tomb (A.D. 350), researchers believe the king may have been the founder of a dynasty. The tomb is located in a palatial complex high above the central part of the ancient city, next to a spectacular stuccoed pyramid that would have been visible for miles around. "We're looking at the way in which the Maya create dynasties," says Houston. "You do it with a loud crash of cymbals."
The discovery also shows that even sites hit hard by looters have much to offer. "It's just a miracle this thing wasn't looted," says Houston.
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Philosophy
Curious piece from a royal tomb in Guatemala
No people, it isn't an alien in a flying saucer. Archaeology magazine has listed it as one of ten best discoveries of 2010.
"Royal Tomb - El Zotz, Guatemala"
by
Samir S. Pate
January/February 2011
Archaeology
by
Samir S. Pate
January/February 2011
Archaeology
A deep looters' trench led archaeologists to a series of amazing, macabre finds beneath the El Diablo pyramid at the modest Maya city of El Zotz. They discovered, just 10 feet beyond where the looters had stopped digging, increasingly bizarre caches, including bowls containing severed fingers, teeth, and a partially cremated infant. "There was mounting evidence of weirdness there," says Stephen Houston of Brown University, who co-led the excavation with Edwin Roman of the Universities of Texas and San Carlos of Guatemala.
The offerings were adjacent to an Early Classic Maya tomb containing the remains of a king dressed as a ritual dancer, complete with a belt adorned with shell "bells" and mammal teeth. "This guy would have made quite a racket," says Houston. He was buried with the skeletons of four infants, the skulls of two older children, textiles, carvings, and an array of ceramics, including a tamale bowl depicting a peccary.
Based on the position, wealth, and date of the tomb (A.D. 350), researchers believe the king may have been the founder of a dynasty. The tomb is located in a palatial complex high above the central part of the ancient city, next to a spectacular stuccoed pyramid that would have been visible for miles around. "We're looking at the way in which the Maya create dynasties," says Houston. "You do it with a loud crash of cymbals."
The discovery also shows that even sites hit hard by looters have much to offer. "It's just a miracle this thing wasn't looted," says Houston.
- Exhumation Of Tycho Brahe
"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark," said Marcellus [an officer] having just seen the ghost of Hamlet's father, the late king of Denmark----"Hamlet" Act I, Scene 4...William Shakespeare. Why did they do this? Was it worth the expense?...
- New Egyptian Pyramids Found By Using Nasa Technology
"Lost Egyptian Pyramids Found?" by Rossella Lorenzi August 10th, 2012 DiscoveryNewsTwo possible pyramid complexes might have been found in Egypt, according to a Google Earth satellite imagery survey.Located about 90 miles apart, the sites contain unusual...
- Nehmes Bastet And The "crypt Kicker Five"?
"Egyptian tomb holds singer Nehmes Bastet's remains"January 16TH, 2012 BBC NEWSArchaeologists working in Egypt have discovered the tomb of a female singer in the Valley of the Kings.The tomb was found by a team from the University of Basel in Switzerland...
- No Sense Of History For China's Tomb Raiders
"China's tomb raiders laying waste to thousands of years of history"Bulldozers and dynamite used to strip priceless artefacts from remote sites, with booty sold on to wealthy collectorsbyTania BraniganJanuary 1st, 2012guardian.co.ukChina's extraordinary...
- Pyramids Probe By Physics
Now physics will probe the ancient pyramids. "Secrets of the Pyramids" by Haley Bridger Symmetry March/April 2008 Volume 5, Issue 2 In a boon for archaeology, particle physicists plan to probe ancient structures for tombs and other hidden chambers. The...