The remains of a female mummy thought to be Queen
Sesheshet are found in a recently discovered pyramid in
Saqqara,
Egypt.[2]
Malaysian archaeologists report the discovery of seven
stone axes possibly dating back 1.8 million years, which would make these the oldest stone axes known.[3]
Archaeologists in
China report the discovery of the oldest cave-houses known. The houses were discovered near
Xi'an, date back some 5,500 years and were created by the
Yangshao culture.[5]
A study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science claims the discovery of the oldest human hairs in
coprolites found in
South Africa. The hairs are between 195.000 and 257.000 years old.[6]
February
Over 20
mummies are discovered at
Saqqara, in
Egypt. The tomb is remarkably intact, and dates to the 7th century BCE.[7]
British archaeologists report the discovery of one of the oldest
watermills known in the country. The mill, dating to the late 12th century, is located along the
Thames.[11]
Researchers announce the discovery of a large amount of fossils near the
La Brea Tar Pits in the city of
Los Angeles,
California,
United States. Among the finds is a
mammoth skeleton, much more complete than earlier mammoths encountered at the pits.[12]
Previously unpublished fragments of the
Turin King List are discovered in the basement of the
Museo Egizio in
Turin,
Italy. The fragments may shed more light on the history of
Ancient Egypt. A new, more complete, publication of the papyrus is expected.[13][14]
March
A
Belgian expedition reports the rediscovery of an
Egyptian tomb dating to the
18th dynasty. The tomb belongs to a high-ranking official in the court of the powerful
PharaohThutmose III. While previously discovered in 1880, the site was subsequently lost under the sand.[15]
While searching for debris caused by
Hurricane Ike, contractors using sonar discover the shipwreck of what is believed to be the
Carolina in the
Gulf of Mexico. The ship sank in 1864.[18]
19th march: a IVth century early christian tomb has been discovered during works for a sewage system in località Trentola,
Marcianise.[20]
June
Archaeologists in
Groningen, the
Netherlands, unearth c. 400 silver coins from the early 16th century. The discovery is one of the largest coin treasures ever found in the Netherlands.[21][22]
Archaeologists in the
Dutch city of
Utrecht discover a 17-meters long
Roman wall under the square in front of the
Dom Tower of Utrecht. It is the largest extant wall of a
castellum discovered in the Netherlands.[23]
Undated: Swedish Maritime Administration
side-scan sonar in the
Baltic Sea locates a wreck, identified in 2019 as belonging to a date around 1500.[37]
Events
January: A new analysis of old excavation reports, combined with newly done fieldwork, leads researches to conclude that the
Sassanid Persian besiegers used poison gas against the
Roman defenders during the
Fall of Dura Europos.[38] The gas, made by adding sulfur crystals and bitumen to prepared fires, was used in tunnels undermining the walls. Almost two dozen Roman soldiers were killed.
February:
Egypt renews its request for the return of the famous
bust of
Nefertiti from the
Egyptian Museum of Berlin in
Germany, after an article by Der Spiegel reports that German archaeologists deceived Egyptians about the worth of the piece after its initial discovery.[39]
February:
Experimental archaeology on replicas of the cannons found on a sunken
Elizabethan warship indicate that the
British employed revolutionary naval tactics at the time, explaining the rise of British marine power during the 16th century.[41]
February: An auction at
Christie's in
Paris,
France, makes a record-breaking 370 million
euros (
US$490 million). The auction sells of the private collection of
Yves Saint Laurent and
Pierre Bergé, which includes Greek and Roman sculptures. The selling of two
Chinese bronze pieces is controversial. They were looted in the 19th century, prompting China to demand restitution.[42][43]
February: A publication in Science discusses the results from a study into over a dozen early hominid footprints, discovered over the last couple of years in
Kenya. The prints date back 1.5 million years and were most likely produced by several individuals of the species
Homo erectus. The results confirm that hominids evolved a modern walking gait even before
Homo sapiens existed.[48]
March: At a conference in
Rome, scientists report that a new analysis of
frescoes in the
Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi reveals that they were covered in cow's
milk. The milk was used as a binder for the paint. The fragments were analyzed as part of a restoration project, after a 1997 earthquake caused part of the vault to collapse.[51]
Mark S. Anderson – Marothodi: the historical archaeology of an African capital (Atikkam).[52]
Ann Garrison Darrin and Beth Laura O'Leary – Handbook of space engineering, archaeology and heritage.[53]
^Gillott, Emily (2010). "A cast iron legacy". In Belford, Paul; et al. (eds.). Footprints of Industry. Oxford: Archaeopress. pp. 107–14.
ISBN978-1-4073-0727-5.