Archaeology

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This magazine is dedicated to discussions on the latest news, stories, and developments in archaeology. Whether you are an archaeologist yourself, or simply interested in the subject and the human past, this is the place for you. Here you can share your knowledge, ask questions, and engage in discussions on archaeological topics, as well as topics of the historical record, and more. While we try to keep the focus on stories and discussions with scientific basis, thought experiments are welcome. If there is something you’re interested in and this seems the place to discuss it, or if you’re simply not sure of the distinction, don’t shy away! Join the conversation and let's explore the world of archaeology together!

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Archaeologists in France Have Discovered a 2nd-Century Roman Sarcophagus, Still Fastened Close With Lead Staples | Artnet News (news.artnet.com)

submitted 1 year ago by Pons_Aelius@kbin.social to c/Archaeology@kbin.social

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Archeologists in Reims, northeastern France, have found an unopened Roman sarcophagus with the remains of a woman and her funerary goods.

First word discovered in unopened Herculaneum scroll by 21yo computer science student (scrollprize.org)

submitted 1 year ago by frankPodmore@slrpnk.net to c/Archaeology@kbin.social

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cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/3200775

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/3194334

Scrolls count as books, right?

They've managed to find actual words in a two-thousand year-old, burned scrolls from Herculaneum.

The exciting bit? The words they've read so far appear to be from a previously unknown ancient text. And there are over six hundred other scrolls. If we can read more of them, we'll find lost texts. Maybe some we've heard of, maybe some we haven't. Either would be amazing!

From the article:

The Herculaneum papyri, ancient scrolls housed in the library of a private villa near Pompeii, were buried and carbonized by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. For almost 2,000 years, this lone surviving library from antiquity was buried underground under 20 meters of volcanic mud. In the 1700s, they were excavated, and while they were in some ways preserved by the eruption, they were so fragile that they would turn to dust if mishandled. How do you read a scroll you can’t open? For hundreds of years, this question went unanswered.