6 The existence of the lost Trojan city of Tenea was confirmed in Greece in 2018, 34 years after the first evidence was found in 1984. Findings indicate the lavish lifestyle people of those times enjoyed. 

Three thousand years after its founding, the discovery of different types of artifacts close to village Chiliomodi has finally confirmed the existence of the lost and wealthy city of Tenea. Evidence of a sarcophagus in 1984, drew a team of archaeologists to the site again.

That the Trojans were wealthy is evident from the bones, precious jewelry, bullion, vases, and other expensive grave items recovered from the tombs outside the city in 2018. Further up to the north, extensive building facilities with burials of children in the foundations of walls of the residential city ascertained the presence of Tenea. A series of buildings with organized rooms, remnants of clay, marble, and stone floors and walls indicate the city’s luxurious construction.

Researchers also found an atrium with architraves, columns, and other architectural features in the interior of the structures. Also excavated were jars with over 200 coins, and a unique coin designed for the journey to the next world. The findings also include clay pipes, ceramic pots and utensils, and a bone dye. The pottery had distinct shapes with shades of Eastern influence. Among the interesting findings is an engraved iron ring with a seal depicting Serapis, (Greco-Egyptian sun deity), and Cerberus., the mythical three-headed dog that guards the doors of the underworld.

Excavations will continue, and researchers aim to develop a topographical map of Tenea. (1, 2)

7 Researchers identify a 3,000-year-old Mayan structure larger than their pyramids in 2020 using sophisticated technology. The structure may have served as a communal center or probably was once a marketplace.    

Aguada Fénix in Tabasco, Mexico, is a 3,000-year-old complex with a massive, earthen platform topped with a series of structures including a 13-foot-high pyramid identified early June 2020. This is by far the largest and oldest monumental construction in the Mayan region, which was captured by LiDAR technology in 2017 among dense forestation. It is so enormous that, from the ground, it would have been impossible to discover its huge rectangular shape and conclude that it was man-made.

The elevated platform is 1.4 km long, 400 meters wide, 10-15 meters high, and in volume terms (including the buildings on it), surpasses even the Great Pyramid of Giza at 3.7 million cubic meters. It has nine causeways, with the longest being 6.3 km and a series of reservoirs linked to it. The plaza was probably a ceremonial complex involving lots of people, with the causeways being used for processions. A community with no societal hierarchy may have built it. There is another premise that the platform could be a central precinct of another large place. Another view is that it could also have been a marketplace.

Researchers have found a cache of jade axes, symbolic of the end of the collaborative construction project. Also, the unusual pattern to the layers of different soil colors likely denotes the contribution of different groups. (1, 2)

8 In 2018, an eight-year-old girl found a 1,500-year-old, pre-Viking sword in a lake in Sweden. The site may have been a place of sacrifice as another object is retrieved.  

A family vacationing in Sweden did a fantastic job of keeping the discovery of a pre-Viking era sword in July 2018, a closely guarded secret. Some fun time at a lake led to one of Scandinavia’s most priceless discovery. A young family member was swimming in the Lake Vidostern in Jonkoping County, in southern Sweden. That’s when she felt something in its shallow waters. On pulling out the object, which also had a handle, she knew she had found a sword.

A local archaeologist who inspected the artifact, dated the sword to be at least 1,500 years old, older than even the Viking era. The sword was extremely well-preserved in an encasing of wood and leather. It was just under one meter long, however, rust and age had rendered it a black-brown color. The archaeologists undertook further searches for such other objects before the discovery was made public in October 2018. Incidentally, a brooch dating back to the 3>rd century was also found. Swedish museum specialists were completing conservation works on the sword before it would be made available to visitors. (source)

9 Archaeologists uncover 800-year-old ‘treasure tunnels’ of the Knights Templar under Israeli city. The tunnels served as a conduit for hauling gold to their ‘treasure tower’ and as a link to the port city. 

Some 800 years ago, a fabled monastic order of Catholic crusaders called the Knights Templar led Crusades between the 11th and 13th centuries. The Knights Templars were devout Catholics and warrior monks who fought for God, glory, and gold. Just as their mission is legendary, so is their gold, which they secretly moved through hidden underground tunnels.       

In October 2019, LiDAR scans by an archaeologist and a team from National Geographic revealed the presence of a series of tunnels and a guardhouse below the ancient port city of Acre, Israel. These tunnels below the streets of Israel possibly led to a “treasure tower.” The archaeologists believe that the tunnels served to connect the “treasure tower” with the city’s port. The tower is itself now buried below layers of rock and dirt. A video grab released by National Geographic also shows underground Templar caves, which were typical constructions of the 12th-century medieval times. The team also uncovered remnants of the soldiers’ once-extravagant headquarters.

They, however, did not find any evidence of gold, and it was not known if further excavations would take place. (1, 2)

10  An almost entirely intact Roman-mosaic villa floor dating back to the 3rd century was unearthed in Italy. The artistic floor is a part of a villa, probably belonging to a prestigious owner.  

“Breakthrough does not only come from hard work but with consistency in working hard.” – Nokwethemba Nkosi

This holds true for the archaeologists of northern Italy who have finally discovered a mosaic floor below a vineyard in Negrar di Valpolicella, near Verona city. Decades of failed attempts finally led to the serendipitous discovery of this ancient architectural splendor in May 2020.

The findings came to light when the team was discovering “exploratory trenches” in a bid to locate a villa in the hilly area above Negrar di Valpolicella. The mosaic floor is a part of a villa complex already being excavated at the site. The colorful detail comprised of blue and vermillion tiles, which form intricate geometric and floral patterns. They are reminiscent of the opulence and stature of the owner in the Roman period. Held almost perfectly intact in the earth’s bosom, this structure dates back to the 3rd century BCE. Interestingly, parts of the floor and villa were discovered by scholars a century ago before the excavation was halted in 1922, only to resume last summer. After suspending excavations on some occasions in the past year, the team met with success within a week of recommencing exploratory works.  (1, 2)