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I figured we might as well start a thread where we can lump fun archaeological finds that pop-up in the news and then comment on them...,

Here is one I ran across lately:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49325627

Researchers in Pompeii uncover "sorceror's treasure trove" of items.



I love the carved figures in this image.

In it were crystals, ceramic, amethysts and amber. Scarabs (beetle-shaped amulets) from the Middle East were identified, along with various gems, including a carnelian with a craftsman figure and a glass bead engraved with the head of Dionysus, the Roman god of wine, fertility and ritual madness.

I was on an excavation in Italy this summer. Would have loved to find stuff like that. Alas, we found nothing but pottery sherds, a few loom weights and other typical farmhouse stuff. Oh, and a stone floor with some kind of drainage or gutter. And weird cracks in the ground that were probably caused by an earthquake. That was kinda cool.

Ancient hippies with their crystal therapies, probably believed volcanos cause autism!

But seriously, good idea for a thread.

This one comes from a different thread, but thought I would re-post it here for discussion:

https://siberiantimes.com/science/casestudy/features/warriors-3900-year-old-suit-of-bone-armour-unearthed-in-omsk/

Archeologists are intrigued by the discovery of the complete set of well-preserved bone armour which is seen as having belonged to an 'elite' warrior. The armour was in 'perfect condition' - and in its era was 'more precious than life', say experts.

It was buried separate from its owner and no other examples of such battle dress have been found around Omsk. Analysis is expected to determine its exact age but Siberian archeologists say it dates from 3,900 to 3,500 years ago.

That's pretty cool, I wonder if it was more ceremonial or functional.

I'm surprised I couldn't find any more recent articles than 2014 about it, it seems like it would be a really fascinating find to analyze. Whether it was designed for it or not, it would have been very functional. Lamellar works to an extent even with unhardened leather. It's design spreads impact, and reduces the danger of point failure. There's several examples of other bone suits of lamellar among metal poor areas, like Inuits and other northern tribes.

What makes this one really cool is the length of the lames on the torso- most suits of this type have to choose which way to point the lames, up or down. For a cavalry, the lames would point up, so a thrust from below would be less likely to penetrate. For infantry, it would be point down because no one's trying to stab you from below. This style doesn't have that weakness, though I wonder how much it compromises its ability to spread the force of blows. I'd guess the harder lames compensated for it, or it was a very early form of lamellar.

I have in the past started threads based on recent finds. I did so once not too long ago, and may have started other threads on other finds back in the mists of Dakka that I no longer clearly remember.

 Orlanth wrote:
I have in the past started threads based on recent finds. I did so once not too long ago, and may have started other threads on other finds back in the mists of Dakka that I no longer clearly remember.

How many of them were related to some English royalty being buried under a carpark?

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:

 Orlanth wrote:
I have in the past started threads based on recent finds. I did so once not too long ago, and may have started other threads on other finds back in the mists of Dakka that I no longer clearly remember.

How many of them were related to some English royalty being buried under a carpark?

None that I remember.

https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/635275.page