The UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Assure Wall is located in the Al-Shirqat District in Iraq of today. The remains of this sacred place lie on the banks of the Tigris river, and it goes back to ancient biblical days. This place was once the capital of the Assyrian Empire.
In 2003 it was listed on the list of world heritage places that are in danger as it was threatened and still is, by riots and war. Since 2017 the grounds of the Assure Wall have been undisturbed however still unapproachable for archeologists to further explore.
Cachette of the Priests
Egypt boasts yet another riveting archaeological find in the Cachette of the Priests. The Cachette is a collection of astoundingly well-preserved mummies that were discovered in an ancient cemetery near Luxor, Egypt. Within the Cachette, which is believed to be 3,000 years old, there are 23 males, five females, and two children.
Notably, the paintings on the coffins were exceptionally preserved, with detailed renditions of hieroglyphs and Egyptian deities. The mummies (many believed to have been priests) were moved from Luxor to the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
The Bronze Shields
These remarkable bronze shields were discovered in Danish boglands and are estimated to have been made between 1100 - 700 B.C. What is really fascinating about the shields is that it is believed that they were not used for war but were ceremonial instead.
The shields were from the Bronze Age, a time period known for its advancement in metalworking (hence the name). It is thought that the etchings on these shields may signify ritual dances that they were used in.
Ice Age Art in the Amazon
In Colombia, archaeologists discovered an eight-mile mural of drawings dating back anywhere from 11,800 to 12,600 years. The art was created using ocher, a natural clay.
The images found on the mural were human handprints along with depictions of alligators, tapirs, monkeys, giant sloths, mastodons, and other creatures that are now extinct. It is thought that the drawings were made by some of the very first people to reach the Amazon as the Ice Age was ending.
Tomb of Romulus
The tomb of the legendary founder of Rome was discovered under the Curia Julia, or the Senate House in Rome, Italy. Inside the tomb was a sarcophagus, but it was found to be empty.
The tomb is made of volcanic stone, and the sarcophagus itself is only about 4.5 feet long. The tomb of Romulus is an on-going excavation, with archaeologists using a 3-D laser scanning method to better understand the site. Further excavations hope to reveal more about the site and perhaps more about the Roman legend.