April 2: Teams of anthropologists and archaeologists begin searching the
Fresh Kills Landfill on
Staten Island for human remains of victims of the
September 11 attacks in 2001. Over 30 fragments of human remains are subsequently identified.[4]
April 9: In
England, metal detectorist Dave Crisp discovers the
Frome Hoard, 52,503 Roman coins dating to the period 253 to 305, one of the largest hoards ever found in Britain.[6]
May
A fragment of a clay tablet is discovered in the
Ophel section of the
City of David in
Jerusalem. The fragment, with a surface of 2 by 2.8 centimetres (0.79 by 1.10 in), is the oldest piece of writing from Jerusalem yet discovered, dating back to the 14th century BC. The high quality of the
Akkadian writing indicates that it was engraved by a royal
scribe and speaks to the importance of Jerusalem as a political center in that era.[7]
Skeletons featuring marks that could have resulted from a violent death are uncovered during an ongoing investigation in Driffield Terrace near the centre of
York in
England. Archaeologists believe the cemetery to be that of
gladiators. Bite marks on one skeleton suggest that the gladiator was bitten by a large
carnivore which would be consistent with gladiatorial battles in
Ancient Rome.[9]
The
Areni-1 shoe, the world's oldest leather shoe is found in a cave in the
Vayots Dzor Province of
Armenia. The 5,500-year-old shoe dates back to approximately 3,500 BC and is in excellent condition, due in large part to being buried under a pile of sheep dung.[9]
Vatican officials announce that the earliest-known
icons of the
ApostlesPeter and
Paul have been discovered in the
catacombs of an eight-story office building in
Rome. The images date to the second half of the 4th century and are believed to decorate the tomb of a Roman noblewoman. The tomb also houses the oldest known images of the Apostles
John and
Andrew.[10]
July
Egyptian archaeologists unveil a recently discovered double-tomb in
Saqqara. The tomb is the resting place of a father and son who served as heads of the royal scribes. The tomb dates to the
6th dynasty making it 4,300 years old. Archaeologists hail this find as one of the most colorful
Old Kingdom tombs ever discovered. They also believe that, when excavated, this area just west of the
Step Pyramid of Djoser, could be one of the largest cemeteries in
ancient Egypt.[11]
The first
Philistine temple is unearthed at
Tell es-Safi,
Israel, the historic site of the city of
Gath. The find provides archeological context for the
Biblical narrative of
Samson (
Book of Judges chapters 13 to 16), who destroys a Philistine temple by pulling the two main pillars together.[12]
The second (and larger) of the
Salme ships from the
Viking Age, containing the remains of more than 20 dead men, is found in the village of
Salme on the island of
Saaremaa,
Estonia. Several weapons, everyday items, gaming pieces and animal remains are also found.[13]
Stone point
arrowheads are recovered from
Sibudu Cave,
South Africa, which date back 64,000 years. The arrowheads have traces of blood and a plant resin
glue. This is the oldest known use of arrows.[18]
The
Theban Desert Road Survey, a program led by
Yale University, announces the discovery of an ancient Egyptian settlement along an ancient caravan route in the
Western Desert. The settlement was a major administrative and economical center, estimated to have been in use from 1650 BC to 1550 BC.[19]
September: An 8th-century BC
Moabite temple is discovered near the city of
Madaba,
Jordan. The temple contains around three hundred religious artifacts, including a figurine of the animal god
Hadad. The artifacts will be displayed in the
Jordan Archaeological Museum.[20]
Undated: Excavations at
Taposiris Magna in Egypt uncover a huge headless granite statue of a Ptolemaic pharaoh and portions of the original gateway to a temple dedicated to the god Osiris.
The largest
Aztec stone sculpture with its original coloring is unveiled at an exposition at the Templo Mayor museum in
Mexico City. The sculpture which was discovered in 2007 depicts the Aztec god
Tlaltecuhtli. The exposition also displays many offerings found along with the sculpture.[23]
A
radiocarbon dating study of plant matter, usually from offerings at Egyptian kings' burial sites, is published in Science. The researchers have compared these dates with presumed historical dates using
Bayesian inference to determine if there is any correlation. Among the findings is that the
Old Kingdom began between 2691 and 2625 BC, while the
New Kingdom began between 1570 and 1544 BC.[31]
A British archaeologist announces that sedimentary evidence suggests that
Neanderthals entered
Kent soon after the land bridge from mainland
Europe appeared, about 100,000 years
BP, 40,000 years earlier than previously thought.[32]
July: Archaeologists working for the
Natural History Museum excavating a coastal site at
Happisburgh in
East Anglia announce that it was occupied by a date as early as 950,000 years BP, the earliest and northernmost evidence of human expansion into
Eurasia.[33]
August 10: Archaeologists working on the
Stone Age site at
Star Carr in
North Yorkshire announce that they have found the earliest surviving remains of a house in
Britain, dating from at least 8,500 years BC.[34]