Unearthed! in Spring 2025, Part 2
Stuff You Missed in History Class
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Unearthing Cultural Threads
This chapter examines intriguing archaeological findings across Australia and the world, uncovering insights into ancient food practices and spiritual beliefs. It features discoveries ranging from ancient food caches to significant shipwrecks, shedding light on past dietary habits and advancements in maritime technology. The narrative also highlights the historical journey of domesticated cats in China and touches on cultural connections through music and personal reflections.
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Part two of the spring 2025 installment of Unearthed! features the potpourri category, plus drones/radar/lidar, books and letters, animals, edibles and potables, shipwrecks, swords (sort of) and cats.
Research:
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- Archaeology Magazine. “Ancient Greek Statues Smelled of Perfume.” https://archaeology.org/news/2025/03/17/ancient-greek-statues-smelled-of-perfume/
- Kuta, Sarah. “Man Finds Rare Trove of Winnie-the-Pooh Drawings and Manuscripts in His Father’s Attic.” Smithsonian. 1/28/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/man-finds-rare-trove-of-winnie-the-pooh-drawings-and-manuscripts-in-his-fathers-attic-180985907/
- Leiden University. “Keyhole surgery on old books leads to discovery of medieval fragments.” Phys.org. 1/13/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-keyhole-surgery-discovery-medieval-fragments.html
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- University of York. “The early roots of Carnival? Research reveals evidence of seasonal celebrations in pre-colonial Brazil.” 5/2/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-early-roots-carnival-reveals-evidence.html
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- Vrak Museum of Wrecks. “Oldest Carvel-built Ship from the Nordic Countries Discovered.” 2/21/2025. https://www.vrak.se/en/news/oldest-carvel-built-ship-in-nordics-found/
- Archaeology Magazine. “Brazilian Ship Struck by WWII U-Boat Located.” 2/19/2025. https://archaeology.org/news/2025/02/19/brazilian-ship-sunk-by-wwii-u-boat-located/
- Kuta, Sarah. “Warship Sunk by the Nazis During World War II Located Off the Coast of Brazil.” Smithsonian. 2/5/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/warship-sunk-by-the-nazis-during-world-war-ii-located-off-the-coast-of-brazil-180985996/
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- Anderson, Sonja. “Archaeologists Unearth Early Medieval Sword Engraved With Mysterious Runes in a Cemetery in England.” Smithsonian. 1/6/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-early-medieval-sword-engraved-with-mysterious-runes-in-a-cemetery-in-england-180985768/
- The History Blog. “Rare two-handed medieval sword, axes found in Poland.” 2/21/2025. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72486
- The History Blog. “1,000-year-old scabbard fitting found in Poland.” 3/26/2025. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72759
- Pare, Sascha. “Pet cats arrived in China via the Silk Road 1,400 years ago, ancient DNA study finds.” LiveScience. 3/9/2025. https://www.livescience.com/animals/domestic-cats/pet-cats-arrived-in-china-via-the-silk-road-1-400-years-ago-ancient-dna-study-finds
- Kuta, Sarah. “Staffers Find a Japanese Hand Grenade From World War II at a Museum in Kentucky.” Smithsonian. 1/27/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/staffers-find-a-japanese-hand-grenade-from-world-war-ii-at-a-museum-in-kentucky-180985885/
- Dimacali, Timothy James. “Ancient seafarers in Southeast Asia may have built advanced boats 40,000 years ago.” Phys.org. 2/21/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-ancient-seafarers-southeast-asia-built.htm
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