2018 in archaeology

This page lists major archaeological events of 2018.

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Excavations

• May 20–June 16 - Excavation of Shiloh in Samaria.[1]
• June - Excavation at site of 1969 Woodstock music festival in New York (state).[2]
• Foundations of original Wulfhall in Burbage, Wiltshire, England.
• Start of archaeological investigations along 150 mile route of High Speed 2 railway between London and Birmingham, UK, ahead of main construction work starting in 2019.[3][4]

Explorations

• May - Investigation of hulk of 1852 diving support vessel at Newshot Island in the River Clyde, Scotland.[5]

Finds

• January
  • A prehistoric site, dating back half a million years, between Jaljulia and Highway 6 in Israel.[6]
  • A hoard of coins and other treasure from the time of Viking ruler Harald Bluetooth is found near Schaprode in Germany.[7]
• January 1 - A 2,700 years old seal with the inscription "belonging to the governor of the city" is discovered in Jerusalem, supporting the Biblical claim that the city had governors at the time.[8]
• January 21 - A bottle thrown into the sea in 1886 as part of a German oceanographic experiment is found on an Australian beach.[9]
• February - Ancient Egyptian cemetery found in Minya, Egypt.[10]
• February 3 - Announcement of discovery of the tomb of priestess Hetpet from the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt at Giza with well-preserved wall paintings.
• March 4 - Aircraft carrier USS Lexington, wrecked in 1942 off the north-eastern coast of Australia, discovered by American entrepreneur and explorer Paul Allen (dies October 15).[11]
• March 17 - Light cruiser USS Juneau (CL-52), wrecked in 1942 at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, discovered by Paul Allen.[12]
• April - Nazi German submarine U-3523, sunk in 1945 in the Skagerrak, discovered by Sea War Museum Jutland.[13]
• April 22 - A bust of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius is unearthed in the Temple of Kom Ombo in the southern city of Aswan, Egypt.[14]
• April 23- The discovery of the shrine of god Osiris- Ptah Neb, dating back to the 25th dynasty in the Temple of Karnak in Luxor was announced.[15]
• May - the gold Bronze Age Shropshire bulla found in England.[16]
• June - Nazi German submarine U-966, sunk in 1943 off the coast of Galicia (Spain), discovered by Spanish divers.[17]
• June - A head carving, dating back over 2,800 years, is discovered at the ancient city of Abel-beth-maachah in northern Israel. The sculpture might depict either one of the rulers in the region: King Ahab of Israel, King Hazael of Aram-Damascus or King Ethbaal of Tyre.[18]
• July - Russian cruiser Dmitrii Donskoi, scuttled in 1905 following the Battle of Tsushima, discovered by a South Korean treasure-hunting company.[19]
• July - An Egyptian sarcophagus of what is initially thought to be the tomb of Alexander the Great is found in groundwater in Alexandria. The sarcophagus is subsequently opened to reveal three skeletons along with some mysterious drawings[20][21] and a 3,000-year-old cheese.[22]
• July - The discovery of an extremely rare Egyptian gilded burial mask which probably dates to Saite-Persian period was announced by German-Egyptian researchers’ team in Saqqara[23]
• August - Foundations of what is thought to be the oldest library in Germany discovered in Cologne; the building dates from 2 AD.[24]
• August 16 - An English-led team announce the identification of embalming chemicals used in Ancient Egypt around 3500 BCE.[25]
• Summer - Pre-Viking sword in Vidöstern lake, Jönköping County, Sweden.[26]
• September - 400-year-old shipwreck off Cascais in Portugal found.[27]
• September 12 - Discovery in Blombos Cave, South Africa, of a stone carrying an (abstract) drawing in ochre pigment about 73,000 years old – the earliest known human drawing – is announced.[28]
• September 17 - A sphinx is discovered at the Temple of Kom Ombo near Aswan, the statue likely dates back to the Ptolemaic dynasty.[29]
• September 29 - A cemetery of 1,000 layered burials dating back to the Iron Age and a Neolithic village are found near the town of Korçë in southeastern Albania, after 18 months of excavations.[30]
• October 8 - Remains of a 1500-year-old Byzantine church are discovered in Sinanköy, Edirne Province in East Thrace.[31]
• October 13 - A small shrine is discovered in Akrotiri, Greece, dating back to the Bronze Age.[32]
• October 15 - A ship burial subsequently confirmed to contain a Viking ship is discovered by ground-penetrating radar at Gjellestad near Halden, Norway.[33]
• October 18 - A Celtic settlement is found in the Canton of Lucerne, dating back to the first century BC.[34]
• October 23 - Announcement of discovery of the substantially intact wreck of a Greek cargo vessel from around 400 BCE in the Black Sea by an Anglo-Bulgarian team.[35]
• October 31 - A Byzantine mosaic is found in Kharayeb, Syria, which might be a church floor dating back to 412 AD.[36]
• November 7 - Announcement of discovery of an early painting of an animal, a banteng from at least 40,000 years BP, in the Lubang Jeriji Saléh cave in Borneo located by an Australian-led team.[37]
• November 11 - Seven ancient Egyptian tombs are located at the ancient necropolis of Saqqara, dating back to the Fifth and Sixth Dynasties.[38]
• November 16 - A 4,000-year-old board game called 58 holes carved into the floor of a rock shelter in Azerbaijan.[39]
• November 19 - Announcement of discovery of the oldest known Levallois stone tools in East Asia at Guanyindong Cave site, Guizhou, southwest China, dated to approximately 170,000–80,000 years ago.[40]
• November 21 - Announcement of discovery of the ancient Greek city of Limnae on the Gallipoli peninsula, in modern Turkey.[41]
• November 24 - Announcement of discovery of tomb probably from the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt with two perfectly preserved mummies in the Assasseef valley near Luxor by a French-led team working since March.[42]
• December
  • Announcement of discovery of United States Air Force Lockheed C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft 37789 crashed in English Channel in 1969.[43]
  • Announcement of discovery of 15th century skeleton in thigh-high boots found beside the River Thames in south London.[44]
  • German submarine UC-61, abandoned in 1917, emerges from sands of Wissant in the north of France.[45]
• December 15 - Announcement of discovery of an Egyptian high priest's tomb, dating back to 4,400 years ago, in Saqqara.[46]
• December 21 - A Byzantine church is discovered in Akrotiri Peninsula, Cyprus, dating back to the reign of Emperor Heraclius.[47]
• December 24 - Announcement of discovery of remains of a harnessed horse at the Villa of the Mysteries, Pompeii.[48]
• December 29 - Announcement of discovery of a 13th century stone ball probably fired from a trebuchet near Edinburgh Castle in Scotland.[49]
• December 30 - Roman sarcophagi found at Tel Al-Deir near Damietta, Egypt.[50]

Events

• August 2 - Reports of tests on 5,000-year-old burnt human bones of 25 people found at Stonehenge in England suggest that ten came from more than 160 km (100 mi) away in West Wales.[51]
• August 15 - 2018 British Isles heat wave: Historic England announces that the dry summer has revealed many new archaeological sites through cropmarks in aerial photography.[52]
• September 2 - National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro is engulfed by fire.[53][54][55]
• October 10 - Troy Museum opens.

Deaths

• January 31 - Elizabeth Hartley, American archaeologist and former Keeper of the Yorkshire Museum (b. 1947).[56]
• July 1 - Gordon Hillman, British archaeobotanist (b. 1943)[57]
• August 1 - Rotraut Wisskirchen, German biblical archaeologist and academic, Order of Merit (2011) (b. 1936)[58]
• August 29 - Robin Birley, English archaeologist, excavator of Vindolanda (b. 1935)[59]
• December 3 - Roger Mercer OBE, British archaeologist (b. 1944)[60]
• December 11 - Noël Duval, French archaeologist, (b. 1929)[61]

See also

• List of years in archaeology

References

1. "The Shiloh Excavations". Retrieved 2018-01-08.
2. "Archaeologists Investigate Woodstock Concert Site". Archaeology. Archaeological Institute of America. 2018-06-21. Retrieved 2018-06-22.
3. "HS2 begins archaeology work exploring over 10,000 years of British history". GOV.UK. 2018-10-26. Retrieved 2018-11-10.
4. "Controversial HS2 burial site dig at London Euston begins". BBC News. 2018-10-26. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
5. Graham, Ellie; Dawson, Tom; Liscoe, Steve (2019). "The Newshot Island Boat Graveyard: an assemblage of 19th‐century vessels on the Clyde". International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. 48: 151–171. doi:10.1111/1095-9270.12332. hdl:10023/21138.
6. "Prehistoric site discovered between Jaljulia and Highway 6". Ynet news. 2018-01-07. Retrieved 2018-01-08.
7. "Germans find 'Harald Bluetooth' medieval treasure". BBC News. 2018-04-16. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
8. "Israeli archaeologists find 2,700-year-old 'governor of Jerusalem' seal impression". Reuters. 2018-01-01. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
9. "Oldest message in a bottle found on Western Australia beach". BBC News. 2018-03-06. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
10. "See Inside This Newly Discovered Ancient Egyptian Cemetery". National Geographic. 26 February 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
11. "USS Lexington: Lost WW2 aircraft carrier found after 76 years". BBC News. 2018-03-06. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
12. "Sunken USS Juneau Famous for the Sullivan Brothers Discovered on St. Patrick's Day". Paul G. Allen. Vulcan Inc. 2018-03-19. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
13. Daley, Jason. "Wreck of Nazi Germany's Most Advanced U-Boat Discovered". Smithsonian. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
14. "Archaeologists find bust of Roman emperor in Egypt".
15. DPA, Daily Sabah with (2018-04-22). "Archeologists find Roman emperor bust, ancient shrine in Egypt". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
16. "Rare Bronze Age Gold Bulla declared as treasure". Shropshire.gov. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
17. "German WW2 U-boat wreckage found off Galicia by Spanish divers". BBC News. 2018-07-06. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
18. "A Face from the Bible May Appear in This Tiny Sculpture". Live Science. 7 June 2018.
19. Smith, Josh (2018-07-19). "'Treasure ship' claim raises eyebrows in South Korea". Reuters. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
20. "Egypt sarcophagus: Mystery black tomb opened in Alexandria". BBC. 20 July 2018.
21. "That Massive Black Sarcophagus Contained 3 Inscriptions. Here's What They Mean". Live Science. 20 August 2018.
22. Heller, Susanna (2018-08-17). "The world's oldest cheese has been found in a tomb in Egypt and it might be poisoned — but people want to eat it anyway". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
23. Starr, Michelle. "Archaeologists Have Uncovered a Place Where The Ancient Egyptians Mummifed Their Dead". ScienceAlert. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
24. "'Oldest library in Germany' unearthed". BBC News. 2018-08-02. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
25. Gill, Victoria (2018-08-16). "Ancient Egyptian mummification 'recipe' revealed". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
26. "Girl, 8, pulls a 1,500-year-old sword from a lake in Sweden". BBC News. 2018-10-04. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
27. "Portuguese 400 year old shipwreck found off Cascais". BBC News. 2018-09-24. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
28. "'Oldest known drawing' found on tiny rock in South Africa". BBC News. 2018-09-12. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
29. "Archaeologists find sphinx at Egypt temple". BBC News. 2018-09-17. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
30. "AP Photos: Ancient cemetery unearthed in Albania". The Associated Press. 29 September 2018.
31. "Remains of 1500-year old Byzantine church found in Turkey's northwest". Hürriyet Daily News. 12 October 2018.
32. "Santorini Excavation Brings to Light Impressive New Findings". Greek Reporter. 12 October 2018.
33. "Viking ship burial discovered in Norway just 50cm underground". The Guardian. 15 October 2018.
34. "Archaeologists uncover rare Celtic remains". Swiss Info. 16 October 2018.
35. "Shipwreck found in Black Sea is 'world's oldest intact'". BBC News. 2018-10-23. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
36. "Mosaic painting dating back to fifth century AD discovered in Hama countryside". SANA. 31 October 2018.
37. "Oldest cave painting of an animal discovered in Borneo". BBC News. 2018-11-07. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
38. "Ancient Egyptian tombs yield rare find of mummified scarab beetles". Reuters. 11 November 2018.
39. "A Bronze Age game called 58 holes was found chiseled into stone in Azerbaijan". www.sciencenews.org. www.sciencenews.org. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
40. Hu, Yue; Marwick, Ben; Zhang, Jia-Fu; Rui, Xue; Hou, Ya-Mei; Yue, Jian-Ping; Chen, Wen-Rong; Huang, Wei-Wen; Li, Bo (19 November 2018). "Late Middle Pleistocene Levallois stone-tool technology in southwest China". Nature. 565 (7737): 82–85. doi:10.1038/s41586-018-0710-1. PMID 30455423. S2CID 53873016.
41. "Ancient city discovered in Çanakkale". Hurriyet Daily News. 21 November 2018.
42. "Ancient Egyptian tomb unveiled". BBC News. 2018-11-24. Retrieved 2018-11-25.
43. Kirby, Emma Jane (2018-04-18). "The mystery of the homesick mechanic who stole a plane". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
44. "Medieval skeleton in thigh-high boots found by Thames". BBC News. 2018-12-04. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
45. "German WW1 submarine emerges off French coast". BBC News. 2019-01-12. Retrieved 2019-01-12.
46. "Egypt tomb: Saqqara 'one of a kind' discovery revealed". BBC News. 2018-12-15. Retrieved 2018-12-15.
47. "Important Christian Monument Discovered in Cyprus". Greek Reporter. 2018-12-21. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
48. "Pompeii horse found still wearing harness". BBC News. 2018-12-24. Retrieved 2018-12-24.
49. "Grassmarket finding could shed light on the capture of Edinburgh Castle". City of Edinburgh Council. 2018-12-29. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
50. "Roman-Period Sarcophagi Found in Egypt". Archaeology. 31 December 2018.
51. Kennedy, Maev (2018-08-02). "Bones found at Stonehenge belonged to people from Wales". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
52. "Heatwave reveals England's lost prehistoric sites". BBC News. 2018-08-15. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
53. "Rio's 200-year old National Museum hit by massive fire". Reuters. 2018-09-02. Archived from the original on 2018-09-03. Retrieved 2018-09-02.
54. "Fire engulfs 200-year-old Brazil museum". BBC News. 2018-09-02. Archived from the original on 2018-09-03. Retrieved 2018-09-03.
55. "Incêndio atinge prédio do Museu Nacional, no Rio". UOL Notícias (in Portuguese). 2018-09-02. Retrieved 2018-09-02.
56. Henig, M. (20 February 2018). "Fellows Remembered: Elizabeth Hartley FSA". 401. SALON: The Newsletter of the Society of Antiquaries of London. Retrieved 20 February 2018. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
57. Jones, Martin (2018-08-23). "Gordon Hillman obituary". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
58. Prof. Dr. Rotraut Wisskirchen (in German)
59. "Robin Birley". British Film Institute. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
60. "Roger James Mercer". The Scotsman. 6 December 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
61. In memoriam Noël Duval (1929-2018) (in French)