Top 10 Archaeology (Magazine) Discoveries
Saturday December 13, 2008
Archaeology Magazine's list of top 10 archaeological discoveries in 2008 has been published. The colossi of Roman emperors and relatives have been mentioned on this site. The others have not. The third entry is the discovery of an ancient stele in good condition that includes an inscription that indicates the people of the area believed the soul existed in the afterlife.
- Sacred Maya Blue - Chichén Itzá, Mexico
- Wari Masked Mummy - Lima, Peru
- Kuttamuwa's Soul (8th C. B.C. funerary stele thought to contain a soul, depicting a high official named Kuttamuwa.) - Zincirli, Turkey
- American Genes - North America
- Oldest Oil Paintings - Bamiyan, Afghanistan
- First European - Atapuerca, Spain
- Earliest Shoes (from around 40,000 years ago) - Tianyuan Cave, China
- Portuguese Indiaman - Namibia
- Imperial Colossi - Sagalassos, Turkey
- Origins of Whaling - Chukotka Peninsula, Russia
The Archaeology Guide, Kris Hirst, has written an expanded list -- especially for those who find 10 inadequate.
Comments
n.s.; these are all very interesting, yet this seems to me to be a real “politically correct” list. few of these sites are on a par with major finds of the greco-roman world. all ancient cultures are not equal; few in fact are as significant as classical culture.
Please post your list of the top 10 archaeological discoveries of 2008.
Bah humbug, Homburg! Since when has whaling or the study of human sacrifice by pre-Columbian Americans been “politically correct”?
If there is tokenism it’s with the inclusion of the colossi of Sagalassos. At least one of them was found last year.
One which was sadly too late to make the list is the discovery of a 3rd century AD battlefield in northern Germany. That looks like it could be very exciting.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,596619,00.html