Archaeological Discoveries that Challenge Our Present View of the Ancient World

Last year provided ancient history enthusiasts and archaeologists with an array of exciting discoveries that have both pushed the boundaries of scientific research as well as our understanding of the past. The following four discoveries are supposed to challenge our present view of the ancient world.

Teenager Discovers Previously Unknown Maya City

Last year, 15-year-old Canadian William Gadoury transformed the archaeological academic world by utilizing ingenious reasoning to hypothesize that an undiscovered Mayan city existed in a remote and inaccessible part of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. According to his theory, the Mayan chose their city locations by following constellations. Although no other scientists in history had noticed that there was a correlation between the location of Mayan cities and the stars, studies, and analyses conducted on the area via satellite confirm that the existence of at least 30 buildings and a pyramid. Gadoury named the site “K’aak Chi” a Mayan word meaning “the fire mouth”.

Norwegain Archaeologists Discover Viking King Olaf Haraldsson’s Shrine

A shrine dedicated to miracle-making Viking King Olaf Haraldsson was discovered in Trondheim, Norway. A team of archaeologists discovered the foundations of an 11th-century wooden church which is supposed to be the location where the Viking kings body was enshrined after he was declared to be a saint. The team’s excavation also revealed a small, rectangular, stone platform located at the building’s east end which is supposed to be the altar upon which St. Olaf’s coffin was cited in 1031. The site is considered to be an important discovery in Norwegian’s religious, cultural, and political history.

Earliest Map in History Discovered in Denmark

The intriguing find from the Danish Island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea was uncovered in a ditch and is supposed to contain one of the earliest maps discovered in human history. The puzzling stone map, however, is incomplete as it is part of a two-set piece of which one remains undiscovered. The stone was excavated during archaeological field studies being conducted at the Neolithic shrine Vasagard.

Discovery of Mystery Species that Bred with Ancient Humans

Last year, a study of genomes of Australasians dramatically revealed some sections of DNA which did not match any known hominin species. The astounding findings mean that ancient humans bred with a mystery species in the distant past and that the human family tree is more complex than originally assumed. Scientists hypothesize that ancient humans bred with the unknown species as they migrated to Australasia from Africa.

These archaeological findings not only remind us of our great ancestors’ creative minds but also provide us with a chance of better understanding the way the ancient world functioned. As more discoveries are made, the human race gets to appreciate the world.