Archaeology may be the discovery of and research of things that happened long ago, but it is an ever-changing field. Every year new discoveries are made that either teach us something new or show us what we thought we knew was wrong. 2022 was no different, it was a year full of exciting discoveries. From a close-up inside look at an Egyptian pharaoh’s coffin to a 9,000-year-old shrine found in Jordan, 2022 was a great year to be a history fan. As we prepare to move into next year let’s take a look at 10 of the most exciting archaeological discoveries of 2022
Amenhotep I’s outer sarcophagus and his head and body after scanning inside. ( S. Saleem and Z. Hawass / Frontiers in Medicine )
1. A Look Inside Amenhotep’s Coffin
Historically we haven’t always been great at looking after or showing respect to important archaeological discoveries. A disturbing example of this is Egyptian mummies. Rather than being treated with the respect and reverence, a body deserves, all too often mummies have been treated as novelties.
The Victorians went as far as throwing exclusive mummy unwrapping parties . Sadly this has left modern historians and archaeologists with precious few royal mummies that have not been unwrapped and damaged.
Thankfully the mummy of Amenhotep I, which was first discovered in 1881, was never unwrapped because it was believed to be too beautiful to destroy. For over a hundred years, Egyptologists have been desperate to take a look at the face of Amenhotep. This year, thanks to the use of noninvasive CT scans, they finally got to see inside Amenhotep’s mummy.
Antarctic explorer Earnest Shackleton’s long lost Endurance shipwreck, which sank in 1915, has finally been found at a depth of 10,000 feet or 3050 meters off the coast of the icy continent. Source: Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust / National Geographic / Endurance22
2. Endurance at the Bottom of the Sea
Using a remotely operated submarine the Endurance was found 10,000 feet underwater, around 4.6 miles south of its last estimated position. It turns out the ship is in remarkably good shape, thanks to the frigid sea’s lack of wood-eating parasites. Sadly, it has been deemed unsalvageable as the ship is completely flooded with water. Still, the team’s work is a fascinating look into a long thought lost piece of history.
Ice Age animal bones, including this woolly rhinoceros jaw, have been discovered in Devon. Source: AC Archaeology
3. Mammoths in Devon, England
So this next discovery is technically more paleontology than archaeology, but it’s still one of the most interesting discoveries of the year. When you think of British wildlife the biggest thing that comes to mind is perhaps the red deer. And the most dangerous thing that comes to mind might be a particularly grumpy badger.
It turns out that not that long ago British wildlife was a bit more exotic. During the construction of new houses in Sherford, near Plymouth, some rather peculiar bones were found in a previously undiscovered cave. A team of archaeologists, led by Rob Bourn, was brought in.
These ancient Iraq carvings dating to the Assyrian Empire were unearthed near the Mashki Gate in Mosul, escaping destruction by IS in 2016. Source: Iraqi Ministry of Culture
4. Ancient Artworks Rescued From ISIS
Tragically over the last few years, the terrorist group ISIS has made a concerted effort to destroy as many archaeological artifacts as they can across the Middle East. Museums have been raided and monuments that survived millennia have been looted and destroyed. While the group has claimed they seek to destroy anything they consider to be harem or immoral, the truth is they have been selling much of what they looted on the black market to fund their war.
Two of the ancient monuments destroyed by ISIS were the Mashki and Adad gates at the ancient site of Nineveh in Iraq. The site dates back over 4000 years and at its height was the capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. The gates were iconic and their destruction was a tragedy.
5. The Discovery of Queen Neith’s Tomb in Egypt
Back to Egypt for another Royal discovery. Ancient Egypt may be one of the most widely studied periods in human history but what many people don’t realize is that we still have huge gaps in our knowledge when it comes to Ancient Egypt. Ancient Egyptian civilization lasted for over 3,000 years and there are huge chunks of time where we have blanks.
They soon discovered her name was Neith and that she was completely missing from the historical record. As Zahi Hawass, an Egyptologist working at the site put it, “It is amazing to literally rewrite what we know of history, adding a new queen to our records.”
Reconstructed use of the oldest drinking straws, found in the Maikop kurgan. (V. Trifonov / Antiquity)
6. The World’s Oldest Straws?
Not all exciting archaeological discoveries have to be earth-shattering or rewrite the history books like the discovery of Neith did. Sometimes they just give us an interesting glimpse into the lives of our ancestors.
all suggest that the tubes were used to drink barley beer. While Trifonov’s discovery may not have made it into the papers it is an important reminder of just how wrong archaeologists sometimes get things. These 8 tubes went from being glorified tent poles to evidence of a Mesopotamian drinking tradition all thanks to the hard work of one determined archaeologist.
One of the six sacrificed children found in the tomb of an important man in the ancient Andean city of Cajamarquilla. The tiny skeletons were wrapped tightly in cloth. Source: PHYS
7. Sacrificed Mummies in Peru
Not all archaeological discoveries are as pleasant as discovering ancient drinking straws. In 2022 researchers working in a digital 15 miles (24km) east of Peru’s capital, Lima, made a rather macabre discovery.
They were excavating the grave of a high-ranking pre-Inca noble or wealthy merchant dating back 1000-1200 years ago when they found the mummified remains of eight children all swathed in cloth. The team’s leader, Pieter Van Dalen, believes the children were likely close relatives of the grave’s owner.
An aerial view of the newly discovered BC Buddhist temple found in the Barikok ruins of Pakistan. Source: Ca’ Foscari University
8. The Oldest Buddhist Temple
Buddhism is believed to have been founded in Northern India at some point between the late sixth and early fourth centuries BC. In 2022 in the Northwestern part of northwest Pakistan known as Greater Gandhara a Buddhist temple dating back to the second century BC was found.
The temple, found in the city of Barikot, was found by Luca Maria Olivieri and his team from the ISMEO (International Association of Mediterranean and Oriental Studies). It is the oldest known Buddhist temple in the region and one of the oldest in the world.
The male figure situated between two leopards (K. Akdemir/ Antiquity Publications Ltd ).
9. The Oldest Narrative Ever Discovered?
We all love a good story. Here is one that dates back over 11,000 years. In 2022 two benches were found at excavations in Sayburc, a village in South Eastern Turkey. While the discovery of two benches may not be particularly exciting, what was carved into them is.
As the dig and research into the site continues it is hoped more important insights into the traditions of these neolithic people will be discovered.
One of the ancient faces carved in stone at a remarkably well-preserved Neolithic shrine found at a prehistoric gazelle hunting camp in Jordan’s eastern desert. Source: Jordan Tourism Ministry
10. A Very Ancient Hunting Shrine
2022 saw another important Neolithic discovery, this one dating back around 9000 years and originating in the deserts of Southeastern Jordan. Mohammad Tarawneh and his team of archaeologists from Al-Hussein Bin Talal University and Wael Abu-Azizeh of the French Institute found a stone shrine believed to be the earliest ritual structure ever unearthed.
The shrine was found at a Neolithic campsite near a network of “desert kites”. These are pairs of rock walls that crisscross the desert. The shrine is a scale model of one of the desert kites. Along with the shrine a large stone altar was also unearthed. It is believed the altar was used for the butchering of gazelle as a part of rituals held at the shrine. The team believes rituals were held to invoke the aid of supernatural forces in future hunts.
Conclusion
2022 was a year full of exciting archaeological discoveries and picking only 10 was a tough task. All over the world thousands of teams of archaeologists are hard at work, unearthing discoveries that continue to shape our understanding of human history.
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