A set of very rare, Assyrian panels depicting Assyrian deities were discovered at a canal in northern Iraq. The archaeological project was a joint effort between Italian and Kurdish researchers.
The canal, located near Mosul, is estimated to be more than 2,700 years old. It’s thought that the ancient canal may have been planned by the Assyrian King Sargon, who reigned between 720 – 705 B.C. The uncovering of both the canal and the panels is most likely just the beginning of more discoveries in the area.
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.
Mammoth Labyrinth
A structure made from the remains of 60 mammoths was found in Russia. The structure was also made from the bones of foxes, reindeer, bears, horses, and wolves. The bone “labyrinth” is 36 feet in diameter and is estimated to have been created over 20,000 years ago, during the Ice Age.
Curiously enough, it is believed the bones may have still had meat on them when they were used for the structure. It’s unclear why the builders created the structure, leaving the only guesses for archaeologists to be for ritual or food storage purposes.
Ancient Chinese Art
Bird-like sculptures dating back to c1500 B.C were discovered in China. The sculptures are thought to be birds and have tiny measurements.
What impressed archaeologists most was the craftsmanship of the sculpture for the time period. In fact, archaeologists believe the birds were created using six different sculpture techniques.