Greek Teens Discover Ancient Tomb in Zagori

Two young Greeks discovered an ancient tomb near the region of Zagori. Archaeologists were excited to find that the tomb had not been looted and they estimated that it dates back to the Byzantine times.

The tomb was found right next to a basketball field. The landscape around the field had changed over the winter, due to heavy rainfall and the intense weather conditions that led to erosion and multiple landslides. Eventually the ground retreated, revealing the ancient site.

While playing in the area the two young men noticed a large stone. According to the 18-year-old student Nikos Tsoumanis curiosity got the best of them. They went exploring and were amazed when they realized what they had discovered. With the help of some friends the teens dug up part of the area, uncovering some bones but also jewelry such as rings and bracelets.

The authorities were called on scene immediately, while a team of archaeologists arrived in Zagori later in the day to seal the tomb. (source)

Roman Era Getae-Dacian Family Tomb Discovered in Bulgaria

A Roman Era family tomb with Getae-Dacian, i.e. Thracian features has been discovered near the town of Velikovo, General Toshevo Municipality, in Bulgaria’s northeastern Dobrich District.

The discovery has been made in rescue excavations by archaeologists from the Dobrich Regional Museum of History, with Boyan Totev as lead archaeologist, and Dobri Dobrev as his deputy.

The rescue digs have been undertaken following a brutal treasure hunting raid which had damaged and exposed the tomb, General Toshevo Municipality has announced.

The region around the town of Velikovo is known for numerous necropolises from the Roman Era. Read more.

Inscription Spurs Debate Over Mysterious Greek Tomb

An incomplete inscription might reopen the debate about the identity of the owner of a tomb from the Alexander the Great era, according to new research into blocks from the circular retaining wall of the mysterious mound. The tomb was unsealed in northern Greece 18 months ago.

Dated to between 325 B.C. – two years before Alexander the Great’s death – and 300 B.C., the tomb is located in Amphipolis, east of Thessaloniki, and is billed as the largest of its kind in the Greek world, measuring more than 1,600 feet in circumference.

According to study author Andrew Chugg, a missing Π, or pi, clearly discards the archaeologists’s theory linking the burial to Hephaestion, Alexander the Great’s beloved friend and general. Read more.

Beijing to display relics from ancient tomb

NANCHANG, (Xinhua) – More than 400 relics unearthed from a Chinese tomb will be displayed in Beijing, authorities said Monday.

The precious items from the tomb of the first “Haihunhou” (Marquis of Haihun) will be on show for three months at the Capital Museum starting from March 2, said Xu Changqing, head of the Jiangxi Cultural Relics and Archeology Research Institute.

“Some items will be displayed to the public for the first time,” Xu said.

It will be the second time that the relics from the tomb are on public display. Last year, a display featuring 120 items from the tomb attracted some 180,000 visitors to the Jiangxi Provincial Museum. Read more.

Egyptian Middle Kingdom tomb discovered at El-Lisht

An Egyptian-American mission from Alabama University has stumbled upon a very well preserved tomb of King Senosert I’s stamp bearer while conducting cleaning work in an area south of King Senosert I’s pyramid.

Mohamed Youssef, director of the Dahshur archaeological site, told Ahram Online that the tomb is dated to the 12th dynasty during the reign of the Middle Kingdom King Senosert I.

The tomb is carved in the bedrock of the necropolis and has a mud brick ramp. The walls of the tomb are engraved with scenes depicting the deceased at work in front of deities and in different position with his family. Excavation work is now in full swing to know more about the tomb and the deceased. Read more.

Prosthetic Leg with Hoofed Foot Discovered in Ancient Chinese Tomb

The 2,200-year-old remains of a man with a deformed knee attached to a prosthetic leg tipped with a horse hoof have been discovered in a tomb in an ancient cemetery near Turpan (also spelled Turfan), China.

The tomb holds the man and a younger woman, who may or may not have known the male occupant, scientists say.  

“The excavators soon came to find that the left leg of the male occupant is deformed, with the patella, femur and tibia [fused] together and fixed at 80 [degrees],” archaeologists wrote in a paper published recently in the journal Chinese Archaeology.

The fused knee would have made it hard for the man to walk or ride horses without the prosthetic leg, the researchers found. The man couldn’t straighten his left leg out so the prosthetic leg, when attached, allowed the left leg to touch the floor when walking. The horse hoof at the bottom of the prosthetic leg acted like a foot. Read more.

Latest finding seals ownership of 2,000-yr-old Chinese tomb

NANCHANG, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) – Several ancient cauldrons have been found in the tomb of the Marquis of Haihun, confirming beliefs the tomb belongs to a deposed emperor from the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - 24 AD),archaeologists announced on Wednesday.

Nine ding, or ancient cauldrons, were found during the latest excavation into the tomb of “Haihunhou” (Marquis of Haihun) in east China’s Jiangxi Province, said Yang Jun, who led the archaeological project.

“The number nine was only used by Chinese emperors in early feudal times, and it is common for tombs of emperors to be called ‘nine-ding tombs’,” said Yang.

“Such traditions were relaxed before the Western Han dynasty, but a set of nine dings is strong testament to the tomb owner’s high status,” he said. Read more.

Rare Ming Dynasty tomb with murals found in east China

JINAN, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) – Archeologists in east China’s Shandong Province have excavated a tomb dating back to about 500 years with rare brightly colored murals .

Wang Zimeng with the provincial institute of archaeology said on Sunday that the tomb of the mid to late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) was discovered in Zhangdian District, Zibo city.

The tomb consists of three burial chambers. Exquisite murals depicting people, dragons, a phoenix and flowers were painted in the tomb.

Ming tombs with such murals are rarely found. This new finding is the only one in Zibo area.

Wang said the tomb is important for research on funeral customs during the dynasty. (source)

Ancient Board Game Found in Looted China Tomb

Pieces from a mysterious board game that hasn’t been played for 1,500 years were discovered in a heavily looted 2,300-year-old tomb near Qingzhou City in China.

There, archaeologists found a 14-face die made of animal tooth, 21 rectangular game pieces with numbers painted on them and a broken tile which was once part of a game board. The tile when reconstructed was “decorated with two eyes, which are surrounded by cloud-and-thunder patterns,” wrote the archaeologists in a report published recently in the journal Chinese Cultural Relics.

The skeleton of possibly one of the grave robbers was also discovered in a shaft made within the tomb by looters. Read more.

Archeologists find suspected portrait of Confucius in ancient tomb

NANCHANG, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) – Chinese archeologists claimed Saturday to have unearthed a portrait of Confucius from a tomb that is at least 2,000 years old.

After they pieced together a broken lacquer screen found in the main chamber of the tomb, the archeologists said they restored two portraits, one of which is believed to be of Confucius.

“The Chinese characters on the screen include the names of Confucius, his father, Shu Lianghe, and one of his favorite disciples, Yan Hui,” said Zhang Zhongli, deputy chief of the excavation team in east China’s Jiangxi Province. “These names are evidence that at least one of the two men painted on the screen is Confucius himself.” Read more.

Ancient tomb found in north China

Chinese archaeologists discovered a burial tomb for a noble that could date back to the Liao Dynasty (916 to 1125 AD), in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, authorities said Friday.

The tomb, 300 meters from the tomb of a concubine, is in Duolun county, according to the regional institute of archaeology.

“They are in the same valley. Its owner may be a key member of the concubine’s family,” said Gai Zhiyong, deputy head of the institute.

Currently, archaeologists are removing the tomb door, which is made from crystal-like bricks and its passage features black bricks. Gai said the delicate decorations inside the grave show the high rank of this noble. Similar decorations have only been found in two Liao Dynasty tombs, and both were high-ranking nobles.

The Liao Dynasty was founded by the Khitan tribes and ruled the northern part of China. (source)

Pre-Roman tomb unearthed in Pompeii

A rare pre-Roman tomb has been unearthed in Pompeii, shedding new light on life at the site in the fourth century BC.

The tomb dates to the time of the Samnites, an Italic people living in south-central Italy who fought against the Romans. It was found by surprise during a dig led by a French archaeological team from the Jean Bèrard centre in Naples.

The team have already made several notable discoveries – including an exceptionally well preserved pottery workshop - but this latest could outdo them all.

“It is an exceptional find for Pompeii because it throws light on the pre-Roman city about which we know so very little,” said Massimo Osanna, the archaeological superintendent of Pompeii. Read more.

Tutankhamun’s tomb to be closed soon

The tomb of legendary boy pharaoh Tutankhamun in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings will close from October for restorations, the antiquities ministry said Sept. 20.

The pharaoh, who died aged 19 in 1324 B.C. after a reign of nine years, is best known for the treasures found in his burial chamber, which include an 11-kilogram solid gold funerary mask incrusted with lapis lazuli and semi-precious stones.

The authorities have decided to restore the tomb, discovered near the southern city of Luxor in 1922 by British archaeologist Howard Carter, to “preserve it and protect it” as it is “one of Egypt’s most important archaeological sites,” Antiquities Minister Mamduh al-Damati said in a statement. Read more.

Tomb of Phrygian king to shed light on history

A wooden tomb, which has been unearthed in the ancient city of Gordion, the capital of Phrygia, in Ankara’s Polatlı district, will shed light on the history of the region, according to officials.

Professor Charles Brian Rose, the head of the Gordion ancient city excavations and an anthropologist from the University of Pennsylvania, said the new tumulus which had been found during illegal excavations by treasure hunters in the Beyşehir neighborhood was 17 meters in height and a significant tomb of a Phrygian king.  

Rose said technical examinations revealed it was the second wooden tomb of a Phrygian king ever found in the world. 

“According to examinations, it is a Phrygian tumulus from the eighth century B.C. It is a very big tumulus. Read more.

A look at the tomb preserved of the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum, Hong Kong.

The tomb was likely built for a Chinese officer attached to the local garrison. According to the information provided by the evidence found in the structure, it is thought that the tomb was built during the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25 - 220), though the Southern Dynasties period is also suggested.

In 1955 when the Hong Kong government was leveling a hill slope at the present-day Lei Cheng Uk Estate, the tomb was accidentally rediscovered, and later excavated by workers of the Public Works Department, Hong Kong, as well as members of Hong Kong University. The tomb has four chambers, with a dome vault at the centre. 

The first photo shows the interior of the tomb, and the second a model of the tomb at the Hong Kong Museum of History.

Courtesy the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum, Hong Kong. Photos taken by Baycrest & Mk2010.