Exciting world wonders we've only just discovered

[Master]

Qalatga Darband, Iraqi Kurdistan, 2017
Thanks to declassified spy footage and drone photography, a lost city is being slowly unearthed in Iraqi Kurdistan. Built around 331 BC, Qalatga Darband is thought to have been established by Alexander the Great. It’s believed the fortified city sits on what was a well-trodden route between Iran and Iraq.

The site was originally detected when experts watched declassified spy footage that was made public in 1996, but the area’s political volatility meant nothing could be done at first. Recently though, a team of Iraqi and British archaeologists, led by specialists from the British Museum, have been excavating. So far, they’ve uncovered terracotta roof tiles and Greek and Roman statues, among then one of Aphrodite.

The Ness of Brodgar, Scotland, 2003
What was once thought to be a natural hill on remote Orkney in fact turned out to be a vast Neolithic temple complex, covering over six acres of land. After the nearby Ring of Brodgar became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999, radar surveys were undertaken on the surrounding area and, in 2003, the Ness of Brodgar was detected.

Excavations, which are still ongoing, have discovered walls 20-foot-thick walls, painted stonework, pathways, pottery and more than 12 temples, all built over 5,000 years ago.

The huge discovery, which predates Stonehenge, has changed our understanding of ancient Britain and is the world’s most significant Neolithic discovery in recent times. On select summer dates, you can visit the dig

The Terracotta Army, Xi’an, China, 1974
In 1974, labourers digging a well in China happened upon a life-sized terracotta soldier. When archaeologists came to investigate, they eventually unearthed thousands of similar figures, standing in trenches. And so began one of the most exciting archaeological discoveries in history.

It’s now thought there are around 8,000 soldiers and archers, plus 130 chariots and 520 horses. The sculptures are all painstakingly created, with unique facial expressions, detailed uniform and treads on their shoes. Many were originally painted, although the pigment has faded over time.

It’s thought the army was created to guard the body of Emperor Qin Shihaung, who died in 210 BC and whose tomb lies around a mile away. You can see the figures at the Terracotta Army Museum in Xi’an, in West China’s Shaanxi Province. From February to October 2018, a selection of the warriors will also be exhibited at Liverpool’s World Museum.

[Master]

Hanuman Dhoka Palace treasures, Nepal, 2011
When labouurers were renovating this former royal palace in 2011, they happened on a treasure trove, tucked away in a store room underneath a building. Stuffed inside three boxes was a huge stash of gold and silver coins and ornaments, weighing in at around 661 pounds. The hoard is believed to be an offering to the gods and goddesses.


Homo naledi, South Africa, 2013
In 2013, a couple of cavers took the world by storm when they discovered a vast haul of over 1,500 fossilised bones in a chamber deep in the Dinaledi cave system near Johannesburg. When the skeletons were eventually removed by an all-female team of archaeologists, it emerged they were in fact the remains of a previously undiscovered primitive species of human, with an ape-like torso, hands, curved fingers and brains about the third of the size of ours.

Further analysis suggests this extinct species existed 236,000-335,000 years ago, which means they may have roamed Earth at the same time as early human beings. One theory proposes that Homo naledi, as the species is now known, used the caves as a place to deposit the dead. You can see some of the intriguing fossilised remains at the enthralling Almost Human exhibition at Maropeng, an hour's drive from Johannesburg.

The Rosalila Temple, Honduras, 1989
In 1989 a beautifully-preserved pink temple was discovered hidden inside a pyramid in the ancient Maya city of Copán, Honduras. Thought to date back to the sixth century AD, the three-story structure was buried under mud, plaster and stone.

The temple’s inner walls were coated in soot from torches and, inside, several religious artifacts were discovered, including incense burners, stone pedestals and flint knives thought to be used in sacrifices. Today, a life-size replica of the Rosalila, which features its intricate artwork, is on display at the Sculpture Museum in Copán.

The Royal Tombs of Sipán, Peru, 1987
In 1987, a series of tombs were unearthed near Sipán, on Peru’s north coast. The most intriguing and exciting discovery was a 16x16 foot tomb, which housed a wooden coffin containing a skeleton.

It soon became clear this was the body of someone important – he was dressed in a gold mask, holding a shield and wore a headdress and copper sandals. He’d also been buried surrounded by treasures, including gold bells, a gold and copper rattle and hundreds of gold, silver and ceramic offerings.

Today, experts believe he is an important Mochican warrior priest, now known as the Lord of Sipán. He wasn’t alone in his tomb either. Three women, a child, two men and two llamas were also buried with him – it’s believed some had died previously, whilst others were sacrificed. You can see many of the artifacts on display at the Royal Tombs of Sipán Museum in Lambayeque, Peru. Responsible Travel’s Off the Beaten Track Peru tour also takes in the Royal Tombs of Sipán.

The Lost City, Colombia, 1972
For over 300 years, Colombia’s Lost City remained hidden from the outside world, known about only by the natives living deep in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains. Then in 1972, a group of bird hunters happened on an ancient stone staircase carpeted with moss. When they hacked their way through, they found the ruins of a vast city, buried under thick foliage.

Built around AD 800, Colombia's Lost City (or Teyuna, as it was known) was home to several thousand Tairona people. But it was abandoned after the Spanish Conquistadors arrived in the late 16th century and gradually reclaimed by the fast-growing jungle.

Today, nearly an acre of of the Lost City is open to tourists, although a far bigger area remains hidden by thick jungle foliage. The only way to get there is via a strenuous five-day hike, culminating in a thigh-burning climb up 1,200 steps. But it’s well worth it to explore the magnificent tiered terraces, mossy stone paths and ceremonial platform.

The Zeugma mosaics, Turkey, 1992
These spectacular floor mosaics were discovered in the ancient city of Zeugma, in today's Turkey, which was founded by Alexander the Great in 300 BC. But in 2000 the Turkish government built a vast dam just a mile away, which threatened to leave the area submerged under water. Cue a desperate attempt to excavate and save as many of the mosaics as possible, before they were lost forever.

The glass floor mosaics, which were discovered in Roman villas, are now on display at the Zeugma Mosaic Museum in Gaziantep, Turkey. Built to house them in 2011, it’s now the largest mosaic museum in the world.

Marvel at the intricate works, which include Titan Oceanus, the beautiful Gypsy Girl (pictured), and murals. There’s also a huge bronze statue of Mars, and incredible partially reconstructed Roman villas, including those of Poseidon and Dionysus.

Historic Jamestowne, Virginia, 1994
The live archeological site of Historic Jamestowne gives an amazing insight into what life was like for the 104 travellers who established the first permanent English settlement in North America in 1607. Under frequent attack by Native Americans, the settlers quickly built themselves a triangular fort using logs. Since 1994, when excavations began, the remains of the original James Fort have been found, along with more than 1.5 million artifacts.

The remains of burial sites, wells, bread ovens, gun platforms and empty wine bottles have also been unearthed, along with thousands of Native American artifacts. One of the most exciting discoveries has been the church site where tobacco grower John Rolfe married Pocahontas, who inspired the Disney movie. A daughter of Virginia’s most powerful Native American, she acted as peacemaker between the English and the Powhatan tribe.

In 2012, archaeologists also discovered the mutilated skull and leg bone of a teenage girl, which proved to be groundbreaking evidence that the colony turned to cannibalism. It’s thought the settlers were forced to her body when Chief Powhatan laid siege to the fort in the winter of 1609-10, trapping them inside for several dark months. In a desperate bid to stay alive they also turned to eating horses, snakes and rats, and only 60 of the 300 survived.

El Castillo’s hidden pyramid, Chichén Itzá, Mexico, 2016
With its 365 magnificent steps, 554-foot ball court and imposing height, the four sided El Castillo pyramid (or the Temple of Kukulkan) is one of Mexico’s biggest tourist draws. And in 2016 archaeologists discovered it was hiding a secret. Already aware that a second pyramid lay hidden inside, they performed scanning techniques and discovered a third.

It’s thought this 'Russian Doll' effect is down to the temple being built in three marked phases. The new discovery, which is 33 feet high, was constructed between AD 600-800, the second between AD 850-900 and the visible exterior pyramid between AD 1050-1300.

Temple of the Night Sun, Guatemala, 2010
A three-day trek from the Maya citadel of Tikal (pictured) lies El Zotz, an ancient city hidden in the dense rainforest. In 2010, a team uncovered an ornate pyramid. It’s thought the structure, called the Temple of the Night Sun, dates from around AD 350, and that it was built for the body of a deceased king. In its heyday, it would have been blood-red, and visible for miles around, a powerful symbol of his dynasty.

Padmanabhaswamy Temple treasure, India, 2011
With its elaborate exterior, Padmanabhaswamy Temple looks dramatically decadent, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Buried deep within, in a series of vaults, lie treasures said to be worth billions. The contents of one chamber, Vault A, remained shrouded in mystery for years, but after a legal battle it was finally unsealed in 2011, so an inventory could be taken.

Inside, it’s said a dazzling array of gold, silver and coins was discovered, including sparkling rubies, diamonds and 18-foot gold chains studded with gems. A sixth chamber, Vault B, remains locked and the former royal family of Travancore are fighting for it to remain that way, for fear that opening it will enrage the deity. Legend dictates that a curse hangs over the tomb, meaning terrible things will happen to anyone who unseals its doors.

Gobekli Tepe, Turkey, 1994
Until 1994, Gobekli Tepe was thought to be an abandoned medieval burial ground, then German archaeologist Klaus Schmidt discovered it was something rather more astonishing. He found vast limestone pillars, towering up to 16 feet tall and set in circles, along with pulverised human and animal bones. It’s now thought that this could be the world’s oldest religious complex, built some 12,000 years ago. Six temples have been excavated, but geomagnetic surveys suggest there may be 18 more.

The pillars are carved with lions, scorpions and snakes, and weigh up to 60 tons. It remains a mystery how the hunter-gatherers shifted them into position, but the remarkable feat suggests society in 10,000 BC was far more developed than we thought. In early 2017, a report in Science Advances also announced the discovery of three skulls at the site, which had holes in them. It’s thought the they might have been suspended in the air and that Gobekli Tepe was part of an ancient skull cult.

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[El Kabong]

Gobeckli Tepe is very curious. Amazing how humans gathered together to form centers of civilization and we've only been around for the blink of an eye geologically speaking

[Master]

Gobeckli Tepe is very curious. Amazing how humans gathered together to form centers of civilization and we've only been around for the blink of an eye geologically speaking

Yes some good places to visit and see the glory of some of these civilisations.

[walrus]

These ancient civilizations are amazing. How much did we loose throughout history when these civilations were unable or didn't want to share inventions.

http://www.antikythera-mechanism.com/

This ancient computer always blew my mind

Antikythera Mechanism
The antikythera mechanism is currently housed in the Greek National Archaeological Museum in Athens and is thought to be one of the most complicated antiques in existence. At the beginning of the 20th century, divers off the island of Antikythera came across this clocklike mechanism, which is thought to be at least 2,000 years old, in the wreckage of a cargo ship. The device was very thin and made of bronze. It was mounted in a wooden frame and had more than 2,000 characters inscribed all over it. Though nearly 95 percent of these have been deciphered by experts, there as not been a publication of the full text of the inscription.

[Master]

These ancient civilizations are amazing. How much did we loose throughout history when these civilations were unable or didn't want to share inventions.

http://www.antikythera-mechanism.com/

This ancient computer always blew my mind

Antikythera Mechanism
The antikythera mechanism is currently housed in the Greek National Archaeological Museum in Athens and is thought to be one of the most complicated antiques in existence. At the beginning of the 20th century, divers off the island of Antikythera came across this clocklike mechanism, which is thought to be at least 2,000 years old, in the wreckage of a cargo ship. The device was very thin and made of bronze. It was mounted in a wooden frame and had more than 2,000 characters inscribed all over it. Though nearly 95 percent of these have been deciphered by experts, there as not been a publication of the full text of the inscription.

That is amazing, just imagine they would have had their version of Bill Gates :-)

[Master]

An aerial photo of one of the structures uncovered in a recent study of pre-Columbian archaeological sites in the Amazon. (University of Exeter).
The settlement looked like*little more than 11 mounds*of earth surrounded by a sunken ditch. But if Jonas Gregorio de Souza closed his eyes, he could imagine*the*Boa Vista site as it would have*appeared*800 years ago. Perhaps, the archaeologist said, those mounds were houses circling a central square. Outside the defensive ditch, gardens and fruit trees might have flourished. The mile-long road leading to the enclosure may have had a ritual purpose, its surface hardened by countless ceremonial processions. Or maybe it linked the village to others, forming a chain*of communities that crisscrossed the whole southern Amazon basin.

There was a time when no archaeologist expected to discover such an elaborate settlement in this relatively resource-poor part of the rain forest.*But in a paper published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications, de Souza and his colleagues describe*the mound village and 80 other newly discovered*archaeological sites*from the years 1250 to 1500.
They predict that the region hides hundreds more undiscovered sites, and that as many as a million people might have carefully managed the*rain forest long before Europeans arrived.

“It's an important paper,” said Dolores Piperno, an archaeobotanist at the National Museum of Natural History who has worked extensively in the Amazon but was not involved in the new study.*Though she wasn’t quite convinced*by de Souza’s conclusions about*the size of the region’s pre-Columbian population, the discoveries add to a growing body of evidence that large communities flourished in one of the world’s most diverse landscapes.

A researcher stands in one of the ditches discovered during the new study. (José Iriarte)

Fifty years ago, she said, “prominent*scholars thought that little of cultural*significance had ever*happened in a tropical forest. It was supposed*to be too highly vegetated, too moist. And the corollary*to those*views was that people never cut down the forests; they were supposed to have been sort of ‘noble savages,’*” she said.

“But those views have been overturned,” Piperno continued. “A lot of importance*happened in tropical forests, including agricultural*origins.”
Collaborating with scientists*from Britain and Brazil, de Souza, a research fellow at the University of Exeter in England, identified the new
archaeological sites by looking at satellite images of the*Upper Tapajós Basin, on Brazil’s border with Bolivia. This area is considered a “transitional zone,” where rainfall is more sparse and seasonal and the rain forest shifts into a savanna-like ecosystem. Since the basin is far from the floodplains that*enrich other landscapes, researchers*have long overlooked it, de Souza said, assuming that it couldn’t sustain*large groups of people.

But the aerial surveys revealed dozens of geoglyphs —*geometric-shaped trenches carved into the earth. Though the sites range in shape and size — the smallest is just 30 meters across, the largest almost 400 meters — many were like Boa Vista, harboring villages inside*or nearby.

The Amazon rain forest, bordered by deforested land prepared for the planting of soybeans, is seen in a 2015*aerial photo taken over Brazil's Mato Grosso state. (Paulo Whitaker/Reuters)
De Souza and his collaborators spent a month conducting on-the-ground surveys of 24 of those sites. All of them contained evidence that they*had been inhabited: abandoned stone tools and broken ceramics, buried trash heaps, an enriched soil called terra preta*that is characteristic of indigenous land management through burning and adding fertilizer.*By measuring how much of samples’ radioactive carbon had decayed over the years, the researchers dated*wood charcoal found at the sites to*the early and mid-1400s.

Since the 1970s, scientists have identified large, elaborate geoglyphs across other*parts of the Amazon. Some*have estimated there*is about 60,000 square miles of terra preta*in the basin. Others’ research shows that*entire regions of the rain forest are dominated by tree*species*once*cultivated for food by indigenous people.*And*highly planned networks of villages have been identified on either side of the region de Souza studied.

The latest discovery, de Souza said, suggests there was a continuous string of settlements across the entire southern rim of the Amazon basin.
“It seems that it was a mosaic of cultures,” he*continued. The villages shared*some practices — enriching the soil, cultivating Brazil nut and cocoa trees, encircling their*homes with protective ditches —*but spoke a diverse array of languages.

Plugging their findings into models that predict population densities, de Souza and his colleagues estimate that between 500,000 and a million people lived in this part of the Amazon,*building between 1,000 and 1,500*enclosures.
Piperno*was skeptical that the region’s pre-Columbian population was really so large, pointing to studies showing that fewer people were*needed to construct these earthworks than was previously believed.
De Souza agreed that*there is plenty more work to be done. He and his colleagues plan to excavate the Boa Vista site and to conduct surveys seeking more settlements.

“It’s probably the case that some areas of the*Amazon were sustaining large populations and others were not,” he said. “Because*there is so little research, we are slowly discovering what was happening in each.”
These discoveries don’t affect just our understanding of the past; they have implications for the future. Huge swaths of the Amazon*are being lost to logging, clear-cutting for agriculture, wildfires, dams, mining and other forms of habitat degradation. The rain forest’s ability to act as “the lungs of the world” by inhaling carbon dioxide is declining.

Though conservationists often speak of this region as having been a “pristine” landscape, studies*by de Souza and others suggest that indigenous people influenced and enriched the rain forest for hundreds of years. If we want to preserve the Amazon, researchers say, we need to take those impacts into account.

“The forest is an artifact of modification,” de Souza said. He quickly added: “It has nothing to do with the kind of practice we are seeing nowadays — large-scale, clearing monoculture.*These people were combining small-scale*agriculture with*management of useful tree species. So*it was more a sustainable kind*of land use.”

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[Master]

Peru: Why you should visit Kuelap instead of Machu Picchu

The air is thin and misty up here, hanging in droplets from the hood of my raincoat. Edging forward to the sparse barrier of the mountaintop it feels as though I am standing right above the clouds – and, at an elevation of 3,000m, I suppose I am. Peering over the edge, the foggy nothing completely surrounds me and the world below is unknown and forgotten.*

More than 5,000 people lived protected and secluded up here on a mountaintop in northern Peru over 1,500 years ago. They were known as the Chachapoyas or “Cloud Warriors”. I walk slowly around the 400 or so stone house ruins that remain from their settlement, stopping in the centre of one to take it all in. The walls are crumbled and broken in places and the roofs are long gone, yet enough remains that if I close my eyes I can imagine what it once must have looked like.

Narrow channels run around the perimeters of the sleeping quarters; I am amazed to hear from my guide, Carlo, that these were used to house the families’ cuy (guinea pigs). These furry little rodents acted as a living, moving central heating system and were also kept as livestock, and cuy remains to this day a popular traditional food in Peru.*

Although nature has reclaimed the site over centuries of limited visitation, beautiful and fascinating details can still be seen. Along the walls of the round houses, jaguar and snake designs have been carved into the rock, symbolising the power and strength of the warriors who lived here.

Life changed irrevocably for the Chachapoyas in 1470 when they were conquered by their southern neighbours, the Incas, who themselves fell to Spanish invaders just 60 years later.

Although the Incas attempted to decimate the cloud warriors, recent scientific evidence shows that the Chachapoyas people were not completely wiped out. A 2017 study published in Scientific Reports found that indigenous DNA originating from the Chachapoyas lives on in descendants living in the same area today.

Their homeland, the fortress of Kuelap, was built between 600 and 900 years before Machu Picchu. It’s on a higher mountain and is a larger site than Peru’s most famous attraction in the south, yet until recently it’s been difficult to visit this 5th Century citadel. Just 30 years ago the trek from Kuelap to the nearest road took a staggering two months to complete; up until last year, the journey still required a four-hour hike or an hour and a half car ride up a windy, nail-biting mountain road. But in March 2017, a cable car was installed at an estimated cost of $20 million, which covers 4km of the journey in just 20 minutes.

There’s still enough of a hike left to give visitors a bit of a challenge to enjoy as they make their way from the gondola along paved steps that wind through to the entrance of the great walled city. Horses are available to hire for those who need a little extra help.

Just outside the entrance my guide stops us and produces leaves from the muña plant, sometimes called Andean mint. Passing the fresh, fragrant leaves from hand to hand, their aroma is released with each warm touch. Carlo instructs us to inhale the scent, believed to counter altitude sickness and act as an offering to the ancestors.

To get to the very top of the*settlement, I climb up precarious, jagged stone steps covered in slippery moss. I gingerly make my way up the slope, searching for any tiny foothold and holding onto the sparse lengths of railing to haul myself up to safety. I press myself against the damp, cold stone to let other, more confident, climbers pass.*

Carlo notices my absence by his side and hops expertly from step to step, helping other visitors scale the slope as he makes his way back down to the platform where I’ve hung back. With an encouraging grin, he beckons me to continue. This is the final ascent, the trickiest part – I am so close to the Kuelap settlements and the chance to look out from this cloud fortress; I can’t give up now.

With Carlo’s help and advice – “Step there, no, on this one” – the ancient steps are navigated in a few minutes and we emerge into the open, green space at the very top of the mountain.

I can feel my pulse in my neck as I take a moment to collect myself. A disinterested brown llama looks on, dew collected on his long eyelashes as he chews on some grass. Here, at the top of the world, I feel peaceful, contented – the only sound comes from my own ragged breath, and the humming of the llamas.

Machu Picchu is indeed a wondrous marvel that deserves its reputation. But with an over saturation of tourists which often threatens the ruins, it might be worth looking further north for your dose of history – especially when it’s this magnificent.*

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