A rare pre-Christian temple, which may have been used by an English king, has been discovered at a Suffolk royal settlement. The site at Rendlesham, in the east of England, was said to have been built by King Redwald, who died in AD 625 and is buried at nearby Sutton Hoo, the site of two Anglo-Saxon cemeteries dating from the 6th to 7th centuries. In his book Ecclesiastical History of the English People, the Venerable Bede, a monk and historian, wrote that the king built a temple to house altars to Christ and pagan gods. The location of the temple was lost to time but archaeologists believe the remains of a building so close to the king's burial site could well be the temple mentioned by Bede.
Read on to discover why experts believe this is the long-lost temple...
Community archaeology project, Rendlesham Revealed, made the discovery, with children from local primary schools helping with the excavation. In 2022, the same team uncovered the remains of a large timber grand hall, confirming the location as a royal settlement. Earlier in 2023, the excavations found evidence of fine metalwork including the mould used for casting decorative horse harnesses similar to those found at Sutton Hoo. The project's Professor Christopher Scull said: “The results of excavations at Rendlesham speak vividly of the power and wealth of the East Anglian kings, and the sophistication of the society they ruled. The possible temple, or cult house, provides rare and remarkable evidence for the practice at a royal site of the pre-Christian beliefs that underpinned early English society."
The whole complex (pictured) shows the foundations of three new timber buildings, including the royal temple. Professor Scull added: “Its distinctive and substantial foundations indicate that one of the buildings, 33 foot long (10m) and 16 foot wide (5m), was unusually high and robustly built for its size, so perhaps it was constructed for a special purpose. It is most similar to buildings elsewhere in England that are seen as temples or cult houses, therefore it may have been used for pre-Christian worship by the early Kings of the East Angles.”
Now read on for more extraordinary archaeological discoveries from 2023 so far, from the world's first 'pizza' to Europe's oldest shoes...
A team of archeaologists have discovered the long-lost Monastery of the Deer in northeast Scotland. It's thought that the earliest written Scots Gaelic in the world was produced here in the late 11th and early 12th centuries. The Gaelic text was placed in the margins of the Book of Deer – a pocket gospel anthology first written in the 10th century and one of the most celebrated historical artefacts in the Celtic world. The site of the monastery was uncovered in a field near the ruins of the 13th-century Deer Abbey in Aberdeenshire. Investigations at the site have been ongoing since 2009, but a 2022 dig yielded the mystery-solving discovery of the building’s remains.
The Lord Palace of the Kings was the stuff of legend, an ultra-ancient structure that stood above the fabled Sumerian city of Girsu (now modern day Tello in Iraq) more than 4,500 years ago. When it was discovered earlier this year, the director of the British Museum, Hartwig Fischer, called the site "one of the most fascinating I've ever visited". He hopes the discoveries there will shed new light on one of the world’s oldest civilisations.
Archaeologists in Peru working on site in Pañamarca have discovered two magnificent murals that pre-date Incan culture by several centuries. Painted in vivid red and gold, the murals depict two two-faced men, one of whom is holding a feather fan in one hand and a goblet topped by greedily drinking hummingbirds in the other. The murals are the work of the Moche, an agricultural-based society that flourished in northern Peru between AD 500 and 800. They adorn a large, partly excavated ceremonial hall, that is believed to hold huge political or religious significance.
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This runestone excavated from an ancient grave near Tyrifjorden, west of Oslo, is now thought to be the oldest in the world. After studying the sandstone block, archaeologists believe that the runes scratched onto the surface are over 2,000 years old, making those letters the earliest known runes carved into stone. The reddish-brown 31cm-by-32cm (12 x 12.5 inch) stone will now go on display at the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo. Professor Kristel Zilmer of the University of Oslo described the find as "the most sensational thing that I, as an academic, have had."
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Archaeologists at the ancient Egyptian site of Saqqara uncovered a gold leaf-covered mummy that they believe is the oldest and most complete mummy ever found in the country. The remains belong to a non-royal man named Hekashepes and were found in a sealed limestone sarcophagus that had not been opened for 4,300 years. It is one of several newly discovered tombs found near the region’s famous Step Pyramid, itself the oldest surviving pyramid in Egypt. The tombs are decorated with murals, hieroglyphics and scenes of daily life from the 25th to 22nd centuries BC.
An enormous seven-and-a-half foot long (2.28m) sword has been unearthed from a 1,600-year-old burial mound near the city of Nara in Japan. It is far too long and unwieldy to have been used in battle, leading archaeologists to speculate that it was buried with a high-status individual to ward off evil spirits. The weapon is known locally as a ‘dako’ sword and is characterised by its distinctive, undulating blade often compared to a snake. This one dates from the early Kofun period (250-538 AD), an era known for its large burial mounds protecting the corpses of the ruling class.
This unique golden glass fragment dating back to the 4th century AD was discovered by workers building a new metro station in Rome. The rare find depicts Roma – the goddess who personified ancient Rome – and may have once formed the bottom of a drinking glass. It’s the first artefact of its kind ever found, with the use of gold leaf suggesting it was a luxury item. It will take pride of place in a small museum being built within the metro station to showcase all the artefacts discovered during construction.
A US-Italian team excavating the archaeological remains of the Sumerian city of Lagash have discovered what they believe to be the oldest known watering hole on Earth. The tavern dates back to 2,700 BC and includes an open-air dining area, a food preparation area, traces of food remains and even a five-millennia-old refrigerator. A tablet detailing an ancient recipe for beer was also found. Project director Holly Pittman told AFP that it was obviously “a place where people – regular people – could come to eat. We call it a tavern because beer is by far the most common drink, even more than water, for the Sumerians."
A stunningly well-preserved set of 6th-century mosaics uncovered near the city of Jericho has shed light on the often unheralded influence of the Byzantine Empire in the region. Set on the floor of a church, the mosaics depict vine braids and animal figures interwoven with traditional ornate patterns as well as an ancient Greek inscription praising Georgios and Nonus, presumably wealthy patrons of the church's construction. Uncommonly, the church was not converted or destroyed during the early Islamic Period, saving these incredible mosaics to be discovered all these years later.
Archaeologists on a recent dig in Egypt's Dendera temple complex unearthed what could be described as the ‘Mona Lisa’ of Egyptian antiquities, a miniature sphinx wearing an enigmatic smile, complete with dimples. Dr Mamdouh Damahi, who was part of the archaeological team from Ain Shams University, believes the small statue represents the Roman emperor Claudius, who was responsible for expanding Rome's reach in the region in the 1st century AD. They also discovered a Roman tablet, featuring inscriptions in both hieroglyphs and demotic – the script used to communicate with ordinary Egyptians and key to unlocking the meaning of the more pictorial hieroglyphics.
Earlier this year Spanish archaeologists came upon a rare find – the remains of a medieval synagogue housed within the walls of a nightclub in the town of Utrera, Andalusia. Most synagogues of the period were destroyed by the Spanish Inquisition, but by following a 1604 account by a local priest, the archaeologists were able to trace the synagogue to a building that has been a hospital, children’s home, restaurant and most recently, a disco pub. A remarkable amount of the synagogue's original brickwork remains intact, with the project's lead archaeologist Miguel Ángel de Dios claiming: "This is like a megaphone through which the Sephardic Jews can speak to us...”
Archaeologists and palaeologists working across a series of sites in north-eastern Brazil have determined that stone age tools originally attributed to ancient humans were in fact made by capuchin monkeys from the same period. In a report published in journal The Holocene, archaeologist Agustín Agnolín and palaeontologist Federico Agnolín said tools found in Pleistocene sites such as Pedra Furada are consistent with the capuchin-made lithic deposits created by the animals cracking open nuts using rocks in the present day. “We are confident that the early archaeological sites from Brazil may not be human-derived, but instead may belong to capuchin monkeys,” the researchers said.
A recent study in Scientific Reports has concluded that the 12 severed hands found at a 15th Dynasty (c.1640-1530 BC) Hyksos palace at Tell el-Dab‘a in north-eastern Egypt were part of a gruesome ritual whereby soldiers presented the amputated right hands of their enemies to the pharaoh to curry favour. The practice was chronicled in temple inscriptions and reliefs from the New Kingdom onwards, but this find is the first time that physical evidence can be used to learn more about the procedure and the individuals whose hands were taken.
Earlier in 2023 a new moai was discovered on Easter Island when unseasonably hot weather saw water levels on Lake Rano Raraku drop dramatically, revealing the statue resting in the sediment. The statue is smaller than its counterparts on the island but no less significant and archaeologists are investigating the site searching for evidence of other moai statues and tools that could have been used to create them.
Lying on the ancient Appian Way in Rome, historians thought they knew everything there was to know about the impressive ruins of Villa dei Quintili. But then archaeologists from the Italian ministry of culture stumbled upon something truly extraordinary when they were trying to find one of the starting posts for the villa’s chariot track – a lavish ancient Roman winery with luxurious dining rooms offering views of fountains that gushed with wine. The hypothesis is that the emperor visited the villa annually to inaugurate that year’s vintage with a ritual and a spectacularly drunken banquet.
Archaeologists got quite the surprise recently when they were excavating a temple to the Egyptian goddess Isis in the ancient port city of Berenike and stumbled upon a two-foot (60cm) tall statue of Buddha. Crafted in AD 100, it’s the first such statue found west of Afghanistan and forms part of a growing body of evidence that there was a rich trade relationship with India when Egypt was controlled by Rome. Archaeologists believe the statue may have been built locally and suggests a permanent Indian merchant community, rather than just traders passing through.
Ahead of opening a burial cave dedicated to Salome, the midwife of Jesus, Israeli archaeologists have uncovered a number of priceless artefacts from its courtyard, including dozens of lamps (pictured) covered with carvings of pomegranates and intricate geometric designs. It is believed that the oil lamps were rented by pilgrims to light their way inside the cave for their prayers, proving that it was an important site for early Christians. Intricate stone carvings, soaring arches and a mosaic floor were also uncovered at the entrance to the cave.
These are the most marvellous mosaics found across the world
Three remarkably well-preserved bronze swords unearthed in a tomb near the town of Aegio in the Peloponnese are so old they predate classical ancient Greek civilisation. The weapons were crafted by the Mycenaeans, a late-Bronze Age people that controlled the Peloponnese and the Aegean Sea between 1700 and 1100 BC. The swords are still in good condition, their wooden handles still partly visible, and were found in a 12th century BC Mycenaean necropolis that also contained vases, beads, necklaces, rock crystals and golden wreaths among its burial items.
A handful of terracotta figurines depicting Greek god Eros riding a dolphin are among a feast of new finds to emerge from the ancient city of Paestum on Italy's southwestern coast. Paestum was established by Greek colonists around 600 BC under the name Poseidonia. One of the Eros figurines bears the signature of the famous Avili family of potters and ceramicists, whose presence had never before been documented in Paestum. Equally intriguing are seven terracotta bulls' heads found near the temple's altar. The altar has grooves in the stonework for collecting blood from ritual sacrifices – some of them almost certainly from bulls.
The results of a recent aerial survey of the Mirador-Calakmul karst basin of Northern Guatemala, conducted by researchers from Idaho State University, have begun to bear fruit. The light detection and ranging (LiDAR) survey revealed 964 previously unknown ancient Maya settlements beneath the brush, dating predominantly back to the Preclassic period (around 1,000 BC-150 AD). Now, archaeologists on the ground are unearthing countless treasures, suggesting a far more sophisticated, populous and unified Maya society flourished here than previously thought.
Here are more stunning treasures discovered in Mayan and Incan temples
Archaeologists excavating among sand dunes in the Negev desert have discovered the fragments of 4,000-year-old ostrich eggs beside the site of an ancient firepit. The remains of eight crushed eggs were found near Nitzana on the Israel-Egypt border at a campsite used by nomads "since prehistoric times". Lauren Davis, excavation director for the Israel Antiquities Authority, says their proximity to the fire, alongside stones, flint, tools and pottery sherds, implies that the eggs were cooked, providing an incredible insight into the life of the ancient peoples inhabiting the region.
A 3,000-year-old sword unearthed in southern Germany is in such good condition that archaeologists say it “almost still shines.” It was excavated in Nördlingen, between Nuremberg and Stuttgart, and has been dated to the end of the 14th century BC. Professor Mathias Pfeil, head of the Bavarian state office for the preservation of historical monuments (BLfD), said swords from this era had previously been found in burial mounds opened in the 19th century but never in this condition. “The state of preservation is extraordinary,” he told The Guardian. “A find like this is very rare.”
Archaeologists have come across a gruesome discovery in a cave in Israel that suggests it was used as a "portal to the underworld". Three human skulls, more than 120 oil lamps and artefacts including bowls and axes were found in Te'omim Cave in the Jerusalem Hills. Said to date back to the late Roman era (2nd-4th century AD), these artefacts suggest use by a possible religious cult, whose members would communicate with the dead to help predict the future – a practice known as necromancy (or death magic). A study in the Harvard Theological Review states: "We assume the craniums were placed together with the oil lamps as part of a ritual of magic, conducted in the cave in that period."
When an Iron Age burial pit was found in the Isles of Scilly in 1999 containing human remains, a sword and a mirror, it had professionals stumped. Typically, 2,000 years ago, men were buried with weapons and women with mirrors – but this was the first time in western Europe a grave from the period had been found with both. New DNA analysis solved the mystery in July 2023, revealing that the grave belonged to a woman. It suggests that Iron Age women were more active in combat than previously thought, paving the way for later female warriors like Boudicca.
A stunning hoard of medieval treasures was unearthed in Germany in March 2023, and it was discovered by a trainee detectorist on one of his first ever outings. Nicki Andreas Steinmann had only used a metal detector twice before, but struck literal gold during a supervised session near the Haithabu archaeological site in Schleswig-Holstein, uncovering an eight-centuries-old trove of medieval metals and jewels. Probably buried in the first half of the 13th century (some of the currency can be traced to the reign of Danish king Valdemar II), the most striking find was a pair of golden earrings, elaborately crafted in the Byzantine style to house a cluster of sparkling precious stones.
Archaeologists in Sudan were stunned when they happened upon a hidden complex of rooms covered with ornate Christian artworks in the ancient Makurian capital of Old Dongola in April 2023. A Polish team were exploring Funj Period dwellings when they found an underfloor chamber filled with frescoes that have "no parallel in Nubian painting". Makuria was a Nubian Christian kingdom that ruled parts of modern-day Sudan and Egypt from the 5th century to the 15th and held off Arab Muslim armies for nearly a millennium. The paintings feature depictions of Christ, the Virgin Mary, the Archangel Michael and at least one Nubian king, alongside pleas to protect the city from attack.
The internet went wild in July 2023 for what appeared to be an ancient Roman fresco depicting the world's first known pizza. Uncovered during new excavations in the ruined city of Pompeii, the dish was painted on the wall of a house that once adjoined a bakery, and appears to consist of a raised circular crust topped with various fruits including a pomegranate, a date and something that looks suspiciously like a pineapple. Archaeologists have been quick to point out that the 'pizza' is missing a few key ingredients – namely mozzarella and tomato – but have said that it could be an ancestor of the modern dish.
Archaeologists in Spain discovered a sprawling ancient bathhouse hiding in the UNESCO-listed Roman ruins of Merida in July 2023 – another stunning site in a city that's already flush with them. Two thousand years ago Merida was a Roman city named Emerita Augusta, founded by legendary emperor Augustus to settle retired soldiers from his legions in 25 BC. The new bathhouse was found next to the city's vast theatre and amphitheatre – today the site's best-known features – in a Roman domus named the Casa del Amfieatro, and was probably part of a public complex of still-unknown scale.
The astonishing discovery of an ancient ape's skull in Turkey might've rewritten the history of evolution as we know it. The fossil of Anadoluvius turkae, a species the size of a male chimpanzee, was found in the city of Cankiri, northeast of Ankara, and appears to predate African apes, suggesting human origins may lie in Europe. The partial skull is said to be 8.7 million years old, whereas remains found in Africa were around seven million years old. Prof David Begun, of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Toronto, said: “This new evidence supports the hypothesis that hominins originated in Europe and dispersed into Africa along with many other mammals between nine and seven million years ago, though it does not definitively prove it."
Archaeologists have discovered what could turn out to be the earliest-known village of any kind in Europe, should the results of carbon dating prove their hypothesis. Found embedded at the bottom of the Albanian side of Lake Ohrid (on the border with North Macedonia) are hundreds of tree-trunk stilts that the team believed formed the basis of an 8,000-year-old settlement built over the lake. While it’s too early to tell the extent of the village’s original size, a now-submerged defensive wall of tens of thousands of wooden spikes suggest it was substantial.
A hoard of sunken treasures revealing secrets of the Pharaohs has been found in an underwater temple belonging to the god Amun. Gold jewellery (pictured), silver ritual instruments and fragile alabaster containers used for perfumes or unguents were discovered at the site of Thonis-Heracleion in the Bay of Aboukir, off the coast of Egypt in September. The European Institute for Underwater Archaeology, which uncovered the precious objects, believes the temple was where the pharaohs came "to receive from the supreme god of the ancient Egyptian pantheon the titles of their power as universal kings."
Europe's oldest shoes have been discovered after lying in a Spanish bat cave for more than 6,000 years. The well-preserved espadrille-like sandals were found by a team of scientists in Cueva de los Murcielagos in Granada, together with intricately-woven baskets and other wooden artefacts and tools. The discoveries reveal the surprising skills expressed by our neolithic ancestors. Professor Francisco Martinez Sevilla, who led the team of researchers, said: "It opens a window of opportunity to understanding the last hunter-gatherer societies of the early Holocene (the name for the current geological epoch)."
Five tiny mysterious gold treasures have been found in a pagan religious temple in Hov, Norway. Measuring less than 1cm tall, the intricately detailed gold foil figures depict men and women wearing gowns and robes and seen with animals, jewellery, weaponry and drinking cups. Buried in walls and within post holes, the treasures are said to have been intentionally placed as if they were an offering to the building. While such foils are common across Scandinavia, it's rare to find them in Norway. Archaeologist Nickolai Echkoff believes the discovery tells a story about the importance of the area. He said: "The figurines and (temple) thus confirm it is as a seat of power in the late Norwegian Iron Age."
Archaeologists in the German town of Freising, a little way outside Munich, have uncovered the skeleton of a man sporting a metal prosthetic hand that dates back to between 1450 and 1620. Analysis revealed the man was 30 to 50 years old when he died, his prosthesis featuring four individually-formed, curled fingers attached to a palm crafted from sheet metal. Marks on the bones indicate that the man may have undergone some sort of amputation, after which the prosthetic was likely tightly strapped to the stump. Unusually, his thumb bone remained intact.
Now read on for even more amazing worldwide wonders we've only just discovered