The oldest map in Europe, a "lost golden city" in Egypt, and a massive geoglyph in India are just some of the archaeological discoveries that were reported in 2011. Live Science takes a look at some of the best history and archaeology stories of 2021.
Carlo Oetheimer and Yohann Oetheimer are associated with Archaeological Research in Asia.
A hugegeoglyph was found in India near the Pakistan border, covering an area of about 20.8 hectares. The spirals and line go back and forth.
A hike along the lines of the geoglyph would take 30 miles. The purpose of the geoglyph is not clear. A team of scholars using a tool called Google Earth discovered theglyph, which is difficult to see from the ground.
The world's largestgeoglyph was revealed by the world's largest search engine.
There are some good videos for you.
The Golden City was lost.
The "Lost Golden City" has been buried under Luxor for over 3000 years. The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has an image.
Near Luxor, archaeologists have found a "Lost Golden City". The Rise of Aten was founded by pharaoh Amenhotep III, who ruled between 1391 and 1353 B.C. Historical documents show that Amenhotep III had three palaces in the city.
The city was known from historical records but not until this year. Zahi Hawass, the former minister of state for antiquities affairs and the archaeologist who led the Golden City excavations, said in a translated statement that many foreign missions searched for the city and never found it.
The 'Lost Golden City' was discovered in Egypt.
The crucifixion of the Romans was uncovered.
A nail was found in the man's foot, which was evidence that he was crucified. The image is from Albion Archaeology.
The body of a man who was crucified when he was between 25 and 35 years old was found in the UK. His hands would have been tied to a cross and he would have died from a nail being driven through his heel bones.
His leg bones were thin, which means that he had been chained up for a long time before his crucifixion. The man may have been a slave and was buried in the third or fourth century. There are very few examples of crucifixion from the Roman Empire.
There is rare evidence of Roman crucifixion in the UK.
Europe's oldest map.
Bournemouth University has an image credit.
The oldest map in Europe is a series of engravings on a stone slab in France. The researchers said that the slab has a series of lines that represent the Odet River and its surrounding valley in western France.
The stone slab was found in 1900. A study of the engravings, which used photogrammetry to create a highly detailed 3D image of the slab, revealed that the engravings form a map. It could have been used to show the territory a prince or king ruled.
Europe's oldest map, a stone slab, was unearthed in France.
Ancient lovers embrace.
The photo was taken by Qian Wang and the illustration was done by Anqi Wang.
A couple were buried together in a loving embrace about 1,500 years ago. Despite the passage of time, their embrace was still intact when archaeologists found their remains.
"This is the first couple found in a loving embrace anywhere in China, and it's the first one I've ever seen," said lead researcher Qian Wang in an email.
The man had a broken arm and a missing finger and was between 29 and 35 years old. The woman had a few teeth but no injuries. The woman may have killed herself to make it easier to be buried in a loving embrace.
A burial in China holds lovers locked in eternal embrace.
The world's oldest pet cemetery.
The image was taken by Marta Osypiska.
A pet cemetery that may be the oldest known example in the world was discovered in Egypt. The animals that were buried in this cemetery died of natural causes and were treated with love. Animals were sacrificed at other sites in Egypt.
A large dog was wrapped in a mat of palm leaves and found at the pet cemetery. They also include dogs and cats who were very old when they died and may have needed help from their owners to eat. "Our discovery shows that we humans have a deep need for companion animals," said lead researcher Marta Osypiska, a zooarchaeologist at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw.
The world's oldest 'pet cemetery' was discovered in ancient Egypt.
11,000-year-old parade.
Human depictions and obelisks are seen at Karahantepe, one of the important settlements of the Neolithic period, in Haliliye district of SanliurFA, Turkey. Esber Ayaydin/Anadolu Agency is the author.
A prehistoric parade was held at a site in Turkey called Karahantepe, which was 11,000 years old and contained a building with phallus shaped pillars and a carving of a human head. Necmi Karul, a professor of prehistoric archaeology at Istanbul University, wrote in a paper that all pillars are shaped like phallus. The building is part of a larger complex. The site is being excavated in 2019.
Gobekli Tepe is an archaeological site that has large buildings and carvings of animals and human heads. Two of the oldest known monumental sites were built by people.
Human head carvings and phallus-shaped pillars were discovered at an 11,000-year-old site in Turkey.
The oldest war monument is old.
The ancient memorial was flooded from the construction of a dam. The image is from the Euphrates Salvage Project.
Archeologists say that the world's oldest known war monument is a 4,300-year-old burial ground in Syria. There are at least 30 dead warriors along with equids and pellet. Archaeologists found that soldiers with equids were grouped in different areas that soldiers with pellets were in. The bodies of the war dead were piled into a structure.
The people who live in the area call the mound the "white monument" because it glistens in the sun. Anne Porter, a professor of ancient Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations at the University of Toronto and one of the study researchers, said in a statement that the discovery shows that ancient people honored those killed in battle.
The world's oldest war monument may be a Pyramid-shaped mound holding 30 corpses.
The man is a dragon.
The illustration shows what a dragon man might have looked like. Credit: Chuang Zhao
Scientists in China have discovered a new human species called Homo longi which means "Dragon Man." The skull was found in 1933 but was hidden for 85 years in a well during the Japanese occupation of China.
The skull of Homo is known to exist and it is believed that Dragon Man is a related species. It's not clear when Dragon Man first appeared and when it went extinct, but the skull is 130,000 years old.
Some scientists think that Dragon Man may be a new human species and that the skull may be from a Denisovan, a hominid that has few known fossils.
The new human species 'Dragon man' may be our closest relative.
Oldest ghost drawing.
The British Museum has a line drawing of James Fraser and Chris Cobb.
The oldest known depiction of a ghost is an engraving on a 3,500-year-old Babylonian tablet that is barely visible to the naked eye. The ghost is male, has a beard, and is being led by a rope to the Underworld by a woman.
The spell on the tablet is supposed to kill a ghost. Shamash, the sun god, is called upon to help the ghost pass over into the afterlife. "Do not look behind you" is the last line of the ritual. The British Museum has a tablet that was acquired in the 19th century, but it wasn't seen until recently.
Oldest ghost drawing found on Babylonian tablets.
Live Science published the original article.
