An inscription found on an ancient mound site in Southern Turkey is thought to be a recording of the military victories of Anatolian King Hartapu. Archaeologists from the University of Chicago unearthed the inscription, but little is known of the enigmatic ruler.
The inscription does confirm, however, that Hartapu was a Neo-Hittite ruler. The region where the inscription was discovered, Turkmen-Karahoyuk, was once a sparsely populated area that, during the time of Hartapu, grew into a much larger, bustling town spanning over 300 acres.
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.
Oldest Mayan Temple
The largest and oldest Mayan ceremonial structure was found on a Mexican cattle ranch close to Guatemala. The temple is estimated to have been built between 1,000 and 800 B.C. This makes it older than the Mayan pyramids!
Now called Aguada Fenix, the platform-like structure was hidden in plain sight as it appeared to be a natural part of the surrounding ranchland. The Mayans were known for their advancements in technology, but their civilization was extinct by 800 A.D.
Gato Nazca
Peru is well-known for the Nazca lines or pre-Colombian geoglyphs that have been etched into the sands. One of the most recent geoglyphs discovered is in the shape of a cat which has been named the Gato Nazca.
The Gato Nazca is estimated to have been built between 200 and 100 B.C. Though it was severely eroded when it was first discovered, careful work by archaeologists has helped reveal the details of the impressive geoglyph. The Gato Nazca may look like a simple drawing, but it is an important finding that can reveal much about an ancient civilization.