Unearthed! Year-end 2024, Part 1
Stuff You Missed in History Class
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Unearthing History's Treasures
This chapter delves into recent archaeological discoveries, including Amelia Earhart’s aircraft and the ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, alongside fascinating insights from Pompeii and the Paris catacombs. It highlights how groundbreaking DNA analysis is reshaping our understanding of historical narratives and familial relationships among Pompeii's victims. The exploration of these historical artifacts and findings underscores the interaction between art, archaeology, and contemporary interpretations.
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This first installment the end of year 2024 edition of Unearthed! starts with updates, so many shipwrecks, and so much art.
Research:
- Giuffrida, Angela. “Painting found by junk dealer in cellar is original Picasso, experts claim.” The Guardian. 10/1/2024. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/oct/01/painting-found-by-junk-dealer-in-cellar-is-original-picasso-experts-claim
- Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “‘Horrible’ Painting Found by a Junk Dealer Could Be a Picasso Worth $6 Million.” ArtNet. 10/1/2024. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/junk-dealer-picasso-2545786
- Kuta, Sarah. “This Shipwreck’s Location Was a Mystery for 129 Years. Then, Two Men Found It Just Minutes Into a Three-Day Search.” Smithsonian. 9/30/2024. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-shipwrecks-location-was-a-mystery-for-129-years-then-two-men-found-it-just-minutes-into-a-three-day-search-180985165/ Peru murals https://archaeology.org/news/2024/10/01/additional-moche-murals-uncovered-in-peru-at-panamarca/
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- Feldman, Ella. “Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers From ‘The Wizard of Oz’ Sell for a Record-Breaking $28 Million.” Smithsonian. 12/10/2024. s-from-the-wizard-of-oz-sell-for-a-record-breaking-28-million-180985620/
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- Kuta, Sarah. “See the Wreck of Ernest Shackleton’s ‘Endurance’ in Astonishing Detail With This New 3D Scan.” Smithsonian. 10/18/2024. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-wreck-of-ernest-shackletons-endurance-in-astonishing-detail-with-this-new-3d-scan-180985274/
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- Whipple, Tom. “Letters reveal the quiet genius of Ada Lovelace.” The Times. 6/14/2024. https://www.thetimes.com/uk/history/article/ada-lovelace-letters-shed-light-woman-science-1848-kdztdh9x0
- Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “This 18th-Century Painting Could Rewrite Black History in Britain.” ArtNet. 10/14/2024. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/this-18th-century-painting-could-rewrite-black-history-in-britain-2552814 Factum Foundation. “William Blake’s Earliest Engravings.” 2024. https://factumfoundation.org/our-projects/digitisation/archiox-analysing-and-recording-cultural-heritage-in-oxford/william-blakes-earliest-engravings/
- Whiddington, Richard. “William Blake’s Earliest Etchings Uncovered in Stunning High-Tech Scans.” ArtNet. 10/23/2024. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/william-blake-earliest-engravings-copper-plates-bodleian-2558053
- Kinsella, Eileen. “X-Ray Analysis of Gauguin Painting Reveals Hidden Details… and a Dead Beetle.” ArtNet. 12/2/2024. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/gauguin-little-cat-analysis-van-gogh-museum-2577081
- Oster, Sandee. “Archaeologists reveal musical instruments depicted in Zimbabwe's ancient rock art.” Phys.org. 11/29/2024. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-archaeologists-reveal-musical-instruments-depicted.html
- Niskanen, Niina. “Prehistoric hunter-gatherers heard the elks painted on rocks talking.” EurekAlert. 11/25/2024. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1065949
- Metcalfe, Tom. “WWII British sub that sank with 64 on board finally found off Greek Island.” LiveScience. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/wwii-british-sub-that-sank-with-64-on-board-finally-found-off-greek-island
- Medievalists.net. “Tudor Sailors’ Bones Reveal Link Between Handedness and Bone Chemistry.” https://www.medievalists.net/2024/11/tudor-sailors-bones-reveal-link-between-handedness-and-bone-chemistry/
- Benzine, Vittoria. “Astonishing Trove of Rare Roman Pottery Uncovered Beneath Sicilian Waters.” 11/7/2014. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/rare-richborough-pottery-underwater-sicily-2565780
- Kuta, Sarah. “Divers Recover 300-Year-Old Glass Onion Bottles From a Shipwreck Off the Coast of Florida.” Smithsonian. 10/31/2024. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/divers-recover-300-year-old-glass-onion-bottles-from-a-shipwreck-off-the-coast-of-florida-180985358/
- Babbs, Verity. “This Sunken Ship May Be the 1524 Wreckage From Vasco da Gama’s Final Voyage.” ArtNet. 11/30/2024. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/sunken-ship-vasco-da-gama-2577760
- Roberts, Michael. “Researchers locate WWI shipwreck off Northern Ireland.” PhysOrg. 12/3/2024. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-wwi-shipwreck-northern-ireland.html
- ACS Newsroom. “New hydrogel could preserve waterlogged wood from shipwrecks.” EurekAlert. 12/3/2024. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1066769
- Dedovic, Yaz. “Bad weather led Dutch ship into Western Australian coast.” EurekAlert. 12/8/2024. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1067496
- Bassi, Margherita. “1,200 years ago, a cat in Jerusalem left the oldest known evidence of 'making biscuits' on a clay jug.” LiveScience. 8/28/2024. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/1-200-years-ago-a-cat-in-jerusalem-left-the-oldest-known-evidence-of-making-biscuits-on-a-clay-jug
- Oster, Sandee. “Tunisian snail remains provide insights on a possible 7700-year-old local food tradition.” Phys.org. 10/8/2024. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-tunisian-snail-insights-year-local.html
- Medievalists.net. “Vikings and Indigenous North Americans: New Walrus DNA Study Reveals Early Arctic Encounters.” https://www.medievalists.net/2024/10/vikings-and-indigenous-north-americans-new-walrus-dna-study-reveals-early-arctic-encounters/
- Billing, Lotte. “Early interactions between Europeans and Indigenous North Americans revealed.” Lund University. Via EurekAlert. 9/28/2024. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1059638
- Bliege Bird, R., Bird, D.W., Martine, C.T. et al. Seed dispersal by Martu peoples promotes the distribution of native plants in arid Australia. Nat Commun 15, 6019 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-50300-5
- Tutella, Francisco. “Landscape effects of hunter-gatherer practices reshape idea of agriculture.” 10/10/2024. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1060928
- aranto, S., Barcons, A.B., Portillo, M. et al. Unveiling the culinary tradition of ‘focaccia’ in Late Neolithic Mesopotamia by way of the integration of use-wear, phytolith & organic-residue analyses. Sci Rep 14, 26805 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-78019-9
- Brinkhof, Tim. “People Were Making Focaccia Bread 9,000 Years Ago.” ArtNet. 12/15/2024. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/ancient-focaccia-recipe-study-2580239
- Ward, Kim. “How MSU is bringing shipwrecked seeds back to life.” MSU Today. 11/6/2024. https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2024/how-msu-is-bringing-shipwrecked-seeds-back-to-life
- Kuta, Sarah. “Seeds That Were Submerged in a Lake Huron Shipwreck for Nearly 150 Years.” Smithsonian. 11/25/2024. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-are-trying-to-make-whiskey-using-rye-seeds-that-were-submerged-in-a-lake-huron-shipwreck-for-nearly-150-years-180985493/
- Tutella, Francisco. “Peaches spread across North America through Indigenous networks.” Penn State. Via EurekAlert. 11/22/2024. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1065907
- Irish Central Staff. “2000-year-old fig discovered by Irish archaeologists in Dublin.” Irish Central. 11/25/2024. https://www.irishcentral.com/news/archaeologists-fig-drumanagh-dublin
- Kieltyka, Matt. “Genetic study of native hazelnut challenges misconceptions about how ancient Indigenous peoples used the land.” EurekAlert. 12/5/2024. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1067317
- Pflughoeft, Aspen. “2,800-year-old bakery — with tools and food remains — uncovered in Germany” Miami Herald. 11/29/2024. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article296316409.html#storylink=cpy
- Chinese Academy of Sciences. “Traces of 10,000-year-old ancient rice beer discovered in Neolithic site in Eastern China.” Phys.org. 12/9/2024. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-year-ancient-rice-beer-neolithic.html#google_vignette
- McHugh, Chris. “Medieval origins of Oxford college unearthed.” BBC. 12/15/2024. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd0el584nrvo
- Morgan Library and Museum. “New Work by Frédéric Chopin Recently Discovered in the Collection of the Morgan Library and Museum.” https://host.themorgan.org/press/Morgan_Chopin_MediaRelease.pdf
- Henley, Jon. “Remains of man whose death was recorded in 1197 saga uncovered in Norway.” The Guardian. 10/27/2014. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/27/remains-of-man-whose-death-was-recorded-in-1197-saga-uncovered-in-norway
- Babbs, Verity. “Archaeologists Unearth a 2,000-Year-Old Inscription Honoring an Ancient Wrestler.” ArtNet. 10/26/2024. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/archaeologists-unearth-a-2000-year-old-inscription-honoring-an-ancient-wrestler-2557032
- Whiddington, Richard. Amateur Sleuth Uncovers Bram Stoker’s Lost Supernatural Tale—A Precursor to ‘Dracula’?” ArtNet. 11/22/2024. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/lost-bram-stoker-story-gibbet-hill-found-2557360
- British Library. “An unknown leaf from the Poor Clares of Cologne.” Medieval Manuscripts Blog. https://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2024/12/poor-clares-of-cologne.html
- Thompson, Karen. “The Incas used stringy objects called 'khipus' to record data—we just got a step closer to understanding them.” Phys.org. 11/13/2024. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-incas-stringy-khipus-closer.html
- Whiddington, Richard. “An Archaeologist’s 150-Year-Old Message in a Bottle Is Uncovered by Norwegian Researchers.” ArtNet. 11/20/2024. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/archaeologists-150-year-old-message-uncovered-norwegian-lorange-2572859
- Kuta, Sarah. “Read the 132-Year-Old Message in a Bottle Found Hidden Inside the Walls of a Scottish Lighthouse.” Smithsonian. 11/26/2024. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/read-the-132-year-old-message-in-a-bottle-found-hidden-inside-the-walls-of-a-scottish-lighthouse-180985528/
- Benzine, Vittoria. “Professor Translates 2,600-Year-Old Inscription That Linguists Claimed Could Never Be Read.” ArtNet. 11/20/2024. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/2600-year-old-inscription-decoded-2572494
- Alberge, Dalya. “16th-century graffiti of Tower of London prisoners decoded for first time.” The Observer. 12/1/2024. https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2024/dec/01/16th-century-graffiti-of-tower-of-london-prisoners-decoded-for-first-time
- Oster, Sandee. “Ancient Iberian slate plaques may be genealogical records.” Phys.org. 12/3/2024. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-ancient-iberian-slate-plaques-genealogical.html
- Robbins, Hannah. “Oldest known alphabet unearthed in ancient Syrian city.” EurekAlert. 11/20/2024. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1065620
- Göttingen University. “Press release: Skill and technique in Bronze Age spear combat.” 8/10/2024. https://www.uni-goettingen.de/en/3240.html?id=7562
- Jackson, Justin. “'Getting high' in Paleolithic hunting: Elevated positions enhance javelin accuracy but reduce atlatl efficiency.” Phys.org. 10/16/2024. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-paleolithic-hunters-benefited-high.html#google_vignette
- Diamond, L.E., Langley, M.C., Cornish, B. et al. Aboriginal Australian weapons and human efficiency. Sci Rep 14, 25497 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-76317-w
- Langley, Michelle and Laura Diamond. “First-ever biomechanics study of Indigenous weapons shows what made them so deadly.” Phys.org. 10/28/2024. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-biomechanics-indigenous-weapons-deadly.html
- Babbs, Verity. “Rare Portrait of the Last Byzantine Emperor Unearthed in Stunning Greek Find.” ArtNet. 12/18/2024. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/byzantine-emperor-constantine-xi-fresco-greece-2589737
- Nelson, George. “Archeologists Discover Hidden Tomb in Ancient City of Petra and a Skeleton Holding Vessel Resembling Indiana Jones’s ‘Holy Grail’.” 10/22/2024. https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/petra-ancient-city-jordan-secret-hidden-tomb-archaeology-1234721828/
- Osho-Williams, Olatunji. “Archaeologists in Petra Discover Secret Tomb Hiding Beneath a Mysterious Structure Featured in ‘Indiana Jones’.” Smithsonian. 10/15/2024. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-in-petra-discover-secret-tomb-hiding-beneath-a-mysterious-structure-featured-in-indiana-jones-180985275/
- Anderson, Sonja. “Archaeologists Say This Tiny Amulet Is the Oldest Evidence of Christianity Found North of the Alps.” Smithsonian. 12/19/2024. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-say-this-tiny-amulet-is-the-oldest-evidence-of-christianity-found-north-of-the-alps-180985674/
- UCL News. “Stonehenge may have been built to unify the people of ancient Britain.” 12/20/2024. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2024/dec/stonehenge-may-have-been-built-unify-people-ancient-britain
- Casey, Michael. “Centuries-old angels uncovered at Boston church made famous by Paul Revere.” Associated Press. 12/24/2024. https://apnews.com/article/boston-old-church-angels-uncovered-paul-revere-4656e86d3f042b8ab8f7652a7301597c
- Benzine, Vittoria. “Thousands of Stolen Greek Artifacts Just Turned Up in an Athens Basement.” ArtNet. 12/19/2024. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/stolen-greek-artifacts-found-athens-basement-2589662
- The History Blog. “Unique 500-year-old wooden shoe found in Netherlands cesspit.” 12/24/2024. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/71988
- Anderson, Sonja. “Archaeologists Discover Rare Clay Commander Among Thousands of Life-Size Terra-Cotta Soldiers in China.” Smithsonian. 12/31/2024. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-rare-clay-commander-among-thousands-of-life-size-terra-cotta-soldiers-in-china-180985747/
- Gammelby, Peter F. “Water and gruel—not bread: Discovering the diet of early Neolithic farmers in Scandinavia.” Phys.org. 12/20/2024. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-gruel-bread-diet-early-neolithic.html#google_vignette
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