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Previously unpublished fragments of the Turin King List are discovered in the basement of the Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy.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.