Archaeological sensations of 2024
The oldest, the biggest and the most important – that’s what “Archaeological Sensations 2024” is! And among them are papyri discovered in Egypt by our archaeologists as the “Największy skarb 2024” (eng. “Greatest Treasure of 2024”).
– I’m glad, because this is the only award that went to Mediterranean and African archaeologists, and there were more than a dozen nominations for various projects from Egypt, Sudan, Oman – comments prof. Marta Osypińska from the Institute of Archaeology at UWr, whose research won in the “Największy skarb 2024” category.
What unique discoveries have Polish archaeologists managed to make both at home and abroad in the past year? We learned on January 16, 2025, the results of the annual nationwide summary organized by the magazine “Archeologia Żywa.”
Archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology at the University of Wrocław, under the direction of prof. Marta Osypińska, have discovered papyri in Berenike with correspondence of Roman centurions, deposited in graves in an ancient animal cemetery. The documents, preserved in good condition and listing names such as Haosus, Lucius and Petronius, reveal details of the trade in exclusive goods, as well as the daily needs of the legionaries, such as tents and food for the dromedaries. This find sheds new light on the activities of the Roman administration and the soldiers of the Third Cyrenaic Legion, known for its suppression of the uprising in Jerusalem and expansion in Nubia, among other things. Additionally, it emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of the research, combining archaeology with history and epigraphy. “This discovery enriches our understanding of Egyptian history under Roman rule and demonstrates how seemingly random objects can open new chapters in scientific research,” – reads the justification.
The Berenike research was also nominated in the “Najważniejsze zagraniczne odkrycie polskich archeologów 2024” (eng. “The most important foreign discovery by Polish archaeologists 2024”) category.
Indeed, at a cemetery in the ancient port of Berenike, on the Red Sea, Polish archaeologists have uncovered more than 200 new animal burials, including monkeys, dogs and cats from the 1st to 2nd centuries AD. Particularly unique are the monkey graves – each was wrapped in cloth and buried with toys. The finds, including sacrificial calf burials, shed new light on the emotional life of Romans on the eastern borders of the empire.
You can read more about this research here: https://uwr.edu.pl/en/the-vibrant-world-of-antiquity-from-the-time-of-quo-vadis/
Of the 10 categories of the “Archeologia Żywa” magazine’s poll, our scientists and their discoveries were nominated in four. In addition to “Największy Skarb 2024,” the title of which went to papyri discovered in Egypt, our archaeologists were also nominated in the “Unikatowy artefakt 2024” (eng. “Unique Artifact 2024”) and “Najważniejsze odkrycie archeologiczne w Polsce 2024” (eng. “Most Important Archaeological Discovery in Poland 2024”) categories. And this is due to the analysis of bones with incisions discovered in a cave in Silesia’s Dziadowa Skała.
A notched brown bear bone, considered the oldest manifestation of symbolic thinking in the Polish lands, has been reexamined nearly 70 years after its discovery in Dziadowa Skała Cave. Research under the direction of prof. Tomasz Płonka and prof. Andrzej Wiśniewski of the Institute of Archaeology at the University of Wrocław has shown that the incisions were made consciously, not by accident, which may indicate the creativity of the Neanderthals.
Więcej informacji o plebiscycie: https://archeologia.com.pl/10-najwazniejszych-odkryc-archeologicznych-2024-archeologiczne-sensacje/
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Date of publication: 17.01.2025
Added by: M.J.
