Was Christ considered as a Magician?
A bowl found during an excavation of the underwater ruins of Alexandria’s ancient great harbor is engraved with the phrase “DIA CHRSTOU O GOISTAIS,”. It has been interpreted as meaning either “by Christ the magician” or “the magician by Christ.” The bowl is dating to between the late 2nd century B.C. and the early 1st century A.D. It is the world’s first known reference to Jesus.
Image Credit : http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26972493/
Viking Expansion Triggered by Shortage of Wives?
Viking Age is the term denoting the years from about 700 to 1066 in European history. During this period, Scandinavians sailed the whole of the North Atlantic and discovered Iceland and Greenland, and settled parts of England, Scotland, Ireland and Normandy. The reasons for this extraordinary outpouring of peoples from Scandinavia have been debated ever since the Viking Age. Researcher James Barrett, deputy director of Cambridge University’s McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, comes with an answer for the century old question. According to his new research, the young warriors were driven to seek their fortunes to better their chances of finding wives. He argues that selective killing of female newborns in the Scandinavian society led to a shortage of women in the first place, resulting later in intense competition over eligible women.
Mystery ship washes ashore in Alabama after Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike uncovered a mystery ship on the coast of Alabma. Archaeologists say it could be a two-masted Civil War schooner that ran aground in 1862 or another ship from some 70 years later. The wrecked ship is 136.9 feet long and 25 feet wide. The wreck had been found about 6 miles from Fort Morgan. Fort Morgan was used as Union forces attacked in 1864 during the Battle of Mobile Bay.
Image Credit:http://dsc.discovery.com
2100 year old City Wall Found in Jerusalem
In Israel, archaeologists have discovered a 2,100-year-old Jerusalem wall along with beer bottles. These bottles were left behind by 19th century researchers who first discovered the stone defenses. The wall of Jerusalem dates back to the Second Jewish Temple. But it was destroyed in by the Romans in AD 70. According to archaeologists, the wall indicates that Jerusalem had expanded to the south, and it is the largest size in biblical times.
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Ancient Cemetry found in Sahara Desert
Archaeologists from University of Chicago stumbled upon what appeared to be an ancient grave yard when they were searching for the remains of dinosaurs. The graveyard, uncovered by hot desert winds, is near what would have been a lake at the time people lived there. The discovered skeletons were of a woman, possibly a mother, and two children laid to rest holding hands, arms outstretched toward each other, on a bed of flowers. This area is first colonized by a people called Kiffian around 10 000 to 8 000 years ago when Sahara was its wettest.
Ancient Egyptian City Unearthed
A 3,000-year-old remains from an ancient fortified city, the largest yet found in Egypt, has been unearthed while archaeologists exploring an old military road in the Sinai. The fort had been Egypt’s military headquarters from the New Kingdom (1569-1081 B.C.) until the Ptolemaic era. A relief of King Thutmose II (1516-1504 B.C.),also discovered at the site.
Mystery of Disarticulated Donkey
In Florida, during a construction the skeleton of a 17th-century donkey uncovered, all four of its legs had been dis articulated skillfully at the joints. The four limbs placed in the grave with the torso; torso and limbs arranged in a north-south direction. Historical documents suggest Indians provided the labor to mine coquina and transport it to the site of the Castillo. If you have answer to any of the following questions, email archaeology.org.
The Questions…
- Who did it and what was their motive?
- What were the circumstances of the animal’s death?
- Why was it disarticulated and then buried?
