November/December 2021 Issue

JAPAN: The remains of a large colonnaded building were unearthed at the site of the former Heijo Palace in Nara. The building dates to the 8th century A.D., during the Nara Period when the city of Heijo-kyu was Japan’s capital. The structure was likely part of a residence used by emperors and the imperial family, particularly the empress Koken, also called Shotoku (r. A.D. 749–758 and A.D. 765–770).

CHINA: Microfossil residue analysis of ceramic cups found in a 9,000-year-old burial mound at Qiaotou indicates that the dead were sometimes commemorated through ritual beer-drinking ceremonies. This is the earliest evidence of such activity. The cups, which are also the oldest examples of painted pottery in the world, were found to have once contained an alcoholic concoction made from rice, a grain called Job’s tears, and unknown tubers. The sophisticated fermentation process was aided by the inclusion of a specialized mold starter.

EGYPT: New underwater exploration at Thonis-Heracleion located a rare Ptolemaic-era military galley. The 80-foot-long vessel is only the second of its kind found. It was moored next to the city’s temple of Amun when a 2nd-century B.C. earthquake caused the structure’s stone blocks to collapse onto the ship and sink it. The city was one of the most important Mediterranean ports in Egypt before a series of apocalyptic earthquakes plunged it entirely into the sea.