Lost Records of Nubia’s Ancient Cemeteries Found

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND—According to a Newsweek report, a set of excavation records thought to have been lost during World War II has been found in an archive at the University of Cambridge by biomedical Egyptologist Jenny Metcalfe of the University of Manchester. The excavations, conducted in lower Nubia between 1907 and 1911, unearthed more than 7,000 sets of human remains from more than 150 Nubian cemeteries. The 495 recovered record cards are mostly from the second excavation season, although there are a few from the first season. These cards include information on each individual’s historical age, age at the time of death, sex, long bone and skull measurements, teeth present, evidence of illness or trauma, and evidence of healing from serious illness and injury. “The oldest cemeteries excavated in this survey belong to the ‘A-group’ Nubian population, which began around 3800 B.C., although there is evidence of human occupation in the region before this,” Metcalfe said. “The recording cards cover individuals from the A-group period through to the Christian-period cemeteries dating to around A.D. 500 to 1100,” she added. The information will make a significant contribution to understanding the lives of ancient Nubians, she concluded. To read about excavations of an ancient Nubian capital city on the Nile, go to "A Nubian Kingdom Rises."

Hidden Tudor Paintings Revealed at Cambridge College

CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND—BBC News reports that wall paintings dated to the early sixteenth century were discovered during restoration work in a roof space at Christ’s College, Cambridge. The images cover a 20-foot-wide space, and are thought to have decorated the school’s original library. The paintings include a red Lancastrian rose, a portcullis, and a possible fleur-de-lis. In 1505, Lady Margaret Beaufort, a member of the House of Lancaster, became the college’s patron. Her son, Henry VII, became the first Tudor king of England in 1485 after his victory over Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field and the end of the Wars of the Roses. The portcullis is the badge of the Beaufort family. “A powerful and pious woman, with a keen interest in scholarship, Lady Margaret left her indelible mark on the college,” commented art historian Christina Faraday of Cambridge University. “The motifs continue to be tied up with the college’s identity to this day,” she added. The paintings will receive some basic restoration work before they are recovered. For more on the Battle of Bosworth Field and Henry's accession to the throne, go to "The Rehabilitation of Richard III."

Rock-Cut Tombs Discovered in Upper Egypt

AL BAHNASA, EGYPT—A series of rock-cut tombs has been discovered in Upper Egypt by a team of researchers from the University of Barcelona and the Institute of the Ancient Near East, according to an Ahram Online report. Mostafa Waziri of the Supreme Council of Antiquities said that the tombs have been dated to the Ptolemaic (304–30 B.C.) and Roman and Byzantine (30 B.C.–A.D. 641) periods. Terracotta statues depicting the goddess Isis-Aphrodite wearing a foliage crown were found in the tombs. Some of the Roman-era mummies were equipped with gilded and colored funeral masks, while golden tongues had been placed in the mouths of two of them. “The team discovered parts of a ruined structure adorned with captivating drawings depicting intricate details of plants, grapevines, and various animals, providing valuable insights into the daily life and cultural significance of Al Bahnasa during ancient times,” added Adel Okasah of the Central Administration Department for Middle Egypt Antiquities. To read about a Ptolemaic temple of Isis on the island of Philae, go to "When Isis Was Queen."

2,500-Year-Old Burials Unearthed in Northern Mexico

NUEVO LEÓN, MEXICO—Live Science reports that the 2,500-year-old burials of two adolescents and a baby have been found in a cave chamber in northeastern Mexico. Traces of basketry, textiles, and possible cotton fibers were found in the burials, suggesting that the remains, which were found in pieces, may have been interred in bundles. Moisés Valadez Moreno of Mexico’s National Institute of History and Anthropology (INAH) said that beads made from freshwater shells, spear points, and plant remains were also recovered from the burials. The shells likely came from the area of the Gulf of Mexico, some 180 miles away, he explained. Additional study of the bones may reveal the children’s cause of death, if they died at the same time, if the bodies had been ritually dismembered, and if the three individuals were related to each other. To read about a rare kind of mass grave unearthed in southern Mexico City, go to "Circle of Life."

Study Analyzes Unusual Burials at Tintern Abbey

MONMOUTHSHIRE, WALES—According to a report in The Guardian, a recent excavation suggests that local people were buried on the grounds of Tintern Abbey after the dissolution of the monasteries by King Henry VIII. The excavation was conducted by Cadw, the historic environment service of the Welsh government, at the beginning of a conservation project to protect the ruined church’s eroding stone walls. In all, 18 of the many graves found at the site were unearthed, and two of them, containing the remains of a woman and two children, were analyzed. These graves were found just outside the main body of the church. The woman, who died in her 30s or 40s, appears to have been disabled. She was buried in a shallow grave, perhaps in secret. The two children, aged about one and five, were buried together. Their remains showed signs of stress that may have been caused by poor nutrition or disease. “Tintern was the resting place of the great and the good in the medieval period—the benefactors, the patrons, the marcher lords,” explained Gwilym Hughes of Cadw. “This appears to have changed dramatically in the middle of the sixteenth century with the dissolution. It was still used as a sacred place for burial, but this time not by the elite, but by people who appear to have been marginalized by society,” she concluded. Medieval window glass, floor tiles, pottery, and coins were also recovered. To read about the portrait of a medieval Welsh abbot that was carved on his grave slab, go to "He's No Stone Face."

4th-Century Temple Reflects Gradual Conversion to Christianity

SPELLO, ITALY—Cosmos Magazine reports that a monumental Roman temple dated to the fourth century A.D. has been discovered less than 100 miles north of Rome in the town of Spello. “It will significantly aid in the understanding of the ancient town, the ancient townscape, and city society in the later Roman Empire because it shows the continuities between the classical pagan world and early Christian Roman world that often get blurred out or written out of the sweeping historical narratives,” said Douglas Boin of Saint Louis University. He explained that the emperor Constantine (reigned A.D. 306–337), who converted to Christianity circa A.D. 312, instructed the people of the town of Spello to build a temple in honor of his ancestors, and to worship them there. “Things didn’t change overnight,” Boin explained, resulting in an imperial cult dedicated to the family of a Christian ruler. “It’s so weird and I love that we can bring it to light,” he concluded. Christianity eventually became the official religion of the Roman Empire in A.D. 380, decades after the death of Constantine the Great. To read about the Arch of Constantine, go to "A Monumental Imperial Biography."

Royal Medieval Jewelry Unearthed in Hungary

VISEGRÁD, HUNGARY—Hungary Today reports that researchers from King Matthias Museum and the National Archaeological Institute of the Hungarian National Museum excavated the site of a medieval palace in northern Hungary, and discovered a pair of gilded silver clothing clasps in its courtyard. The jewelry, dated to the first half of the fourteenth century, would have been worn at a woman’s neckline. The researchers think the clasps may have been worn by Queen Elizabeth Piast, a member of the Polish royal house of Piast who married Charles I of Hungary in 1320. She is thought to have lived at the Visegrád palace after the death of her husband in 1342. The building was eventually demolished at the end of the fourteenth century. Replicas of the historic structures will be built as part of the Visegrád Renaissance Development Program. To read about a Roman doctor's instruments unearthed near present-day Jászberény, go to "Around the World: Hungary."

What Did Early Human Ancestors Eat?

BURGOS, SPAIN—A new analysis of the teeth of early primates recovered from Egypt’s Fayum Depression, including those of members of the genera Propliopithecus, Apidium, and Aegyptopithecus, suggests that they ate mostly soft foods, such as fruit and insects, according to a Science News report. Dental anthropologist Ian Towle of Spain’s National Center for Research on Human Evolution (CENIEH) and his colleagues examined more than four hundred fossilized primate teeth dated to between 29 and 35 million years old. Only five percent of the teeth in the study had sustained damage visible to the naked eye. “That’s right at the low end of what we see in living primates,” Towle said. Monkeys that consume hard foods may have damage to as many as half of their teeth, he added. Decay in two of the Propliopithecus teeth could indicate that the soft foods may have been sweet fruits. Previous analysis of the shapes of Apidium and Aegyptopithecus teeth, however, suggested that these creatures ate hard foods, like seeds and nuts. “At the moment, we really don’t know why [different methods] are coming up with different results,” Towle said. “It’s definitely something that’s going to be interesting for researchers to look into.” Read the original scholarly article about this research in American Journal of Biological Anthropology. To read about monkey-made stone flakes that could be mistaken for human-made tools, go to "The Monkey Effect."

Kingdom of Macedonia’s Ancient Palace of Aigai Reopens

VERGINA, GREECE—According to an Associated Press report, Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced the reopening of the site of the 2,300-year-old Palace of Aigai after a 16-year excavation and restoration project. The structure was built by Philip II, ruler of Macedonia from 359 to 336 B.C. and father of Alexander the Great. Considered to be the largest structure in classical Greece, the 160,000-square-foot palace consists of column-lined courtyards, courts, banquet halls, and temples decorated with patterned marble floors and mosaics. Tombs found near the palace contained a gold casket and the possible remains of Philip II. To read about a mystery cult into which Philip and his wife Olympias were initiated, go to "Secret Rites of Samothrace."

Signs of Hunter-Gatherer Life Examined in Britain

READING, ENGLAND—BBC News reports that footprints and fish traps dated to the Mesolithic period have been found in the Severn Estuary, where the River Severn meets the Bristol Channel, between southwestern England and southern Wales. Martin Bell of the University of Reading said that the 7,000-year-old traps were made by strong, flexible willow stems woven around wooden stakes to form a V-shaped fence. “The discovery is particularly important because, within the channel containing the fish traps, low tides have revealed hundreds of footprints of people, animals, and birds,” he explained. The footprints appear to travel between campsites and the edge of the channel where the traps were located. Many of them belonged to small children, he added. To read about traces of a lost Mesolithic world submerged beneath the North Sea, go to "Letter from Doggerland: Mapping a Vanished Landscape."