This page lists significant events of 2023 in
archaeology.
Excavations
26 June–21 July – Excavations take place at
Lowther Castle Stead in Cumbria, England. The project was led by Sophie Thérèse Ambler of the University of Lancaster.[1][2][3]
19–21 July – Excavations take place at
Sleaford Castle in Lincolnshire, England.[4]
8–18 August – Excavation takes place at the King’s Park, in
Stirling, Scotland to investigate a
Late Prehistoric fort identified in 2017.[5]
14 August–8 September – Excavation takes place at the Burn of Swartigill, an Iron Age site in
Caithness, Scotland.[6]
Finds
January
5 – A study reports that notational signs
from ~37,000 years ago in caves, apparently conveying
calendaric meaning about the behaviour of animal species drawn next to them, are
the first known (proto-)
writing in history.[7][8]
17 – 4,500 year-old Sumerian Lord Palace of the Kings was discovered in
Iraq,
Girsu.[9][10]
21 – A 2,000-year-old stringed musical instrument about 35 centimeters long was discovered at the Go Ô Chùa archaeological site in
Long An province, southern
Vietnam.[14][15]
26 – 16 individual tombs and 6 funerary complex from the Persian, Roman and Coptic periods were discovered by the Egyptian-Spanish archaeological mission at the
Al-Bahnasa archaeological site,
Minya,
Egypt.[21][22]
13 – The remains of the
watermill structure with an associated building that contained two rooms were identified at a small site near
Buckingham,
England.[34][35]
14
A collection of medieval artifacts including a clasp and two
denarii, the crosses, rings made of copper wire, silver ornaments from the 11th-12th century AD was discovered in
Daromin,
Poland.[36]
27 – 1,800-year-old Roman era artifacts including statuettes of the goddess
Venus, a potter's
kiln, coins and clothing pins were discovered by archaeologists in
Rennes, northwest
France.[49][50]
30 – 2,500 year-old
Bronze Age treasure with an
axe head, two bronze hoop ornaments and jewelry was discovered near
Zalewo,
Poland.[51]
4 – A number of ancient dwellings including two rectangular buildings, three
Bronze Age roundhouses, a Roman-era settlement were discovered by the Cornwall Archaeological Unit team at
Newquay,
England.
6 – A research based on an analysis conducted on human hair published in the journal
Scientific Reports has shown direct evidence of drug use by the inhabitants of
Bronze AgeMenorca in the cult cave of Es Càrritx.[58][59]
8
A rock-cut
Etruscan tomb containing a female burial urn and grave goods dating from the 6th century BC was discovered in
Vulci,
Italy.[60]
The sunken remains of an ancient
Roman villa including marble tiled flooring, and numerous
marble columns have been discovered by underwater archaeologists in
Baiae,
Italy.[62][63]
11 – Elite tomb of the noble named
Panehsy from the
19th Dynasty with mudbrick walls and offering bearers was discovered in
Saqqara,
Egypt.[66]
12
A 40 kg 1,200 year-old ball game marker decorated with a bas-relief glyphic band was discovered in the
Casa Colorada complex,
Chichen Itza,
Mexico.[67]
15 - Discovered a large number of artifacts in the small temple of
Paestum. [70]
18 – The wreckage of Montevideo Maru, a Japanese auxiliary ship sunk by a United States submarine during
World War II with over 1000 captive Australians on board, is discovered in the
South China Sea.[71]
21 – The sacrificial remains of 20 young male were found by
INAH in a Mayan pyramid in
Moral Reforma,
Mexico. Decapitated individuals were associated with the
consecration of the pyramid and the consolidation of its relationship with the
afterlife.[75][76]
May
27 – The discovery of the
Moluccan types of vessels depicted in the rock art painting from Awunbarna was announced in
Arnhem Land,
Australia.[77]
29 – The discovery of the several
ossuaries uncovered during the operation to prevent antiquity looting was announced near
Kafr Kanna in
Galilee.[78]
31
The discovery of rammed earth buildings, elite tombs, cemeteries, and hundreds of artefacts was announced in
Qingjian County,
China.[79]
The discovery of the
fortified settlement complex which dates from between 1500 BC to 1300 BC from the Datuotou culture was announced in
Beijing,
China.[82]
24 – Large-sized roman thermal baths discovered in
Mérida, near the amphitheater domus.[88]
26 – The discovery of the
Theatre of Nero in
Rome is announced by Rome’s superintendent Daniela Porro.[89]
28 – An ancient roman merchant ship from the 2nd century BC has been discovered off the coast of
Civitavecchia.[90]
31 – During the early excavations for the construction of a
Conad supermarket a temple, probably dedicated to the
Capitoline Triad, has been found in
Sarsina. [91]
September
6 – Four 1,900-year-old Roman swords have been found in a cave at the
Dead Sea, which might have been hidden by Judean rebels during the
Bar Kokhba revolt after being taken from Roman soldiers.[92]
15 – The head of a statue depicting the
Greek godApollo was found at an excavation site in the
ancient Greek city of
Philippi. The statue dates back to the 2nd or early 3rd century A.D.[93]
20 –
Kalambo structure: The world's oldest wooden structure, dating back ~476,000 years, is identified in
Zambia after first being discovered in 2019. It shows an unexpected early capacity to shape tree trunks into large combined structures, changing views of the technical cognition of early hominins.[94][95]
Undated – Exposure of an early 15th century wooden floor in the
Guildhall of St George,
King's Lynn, England, thought likely to have been trod by
Shakespeare when his playing company visited a century later.[96]
A pair of copper alloy Roman bracelets were found on
Anglesey (
Welsh: Ynys Môn) in September 2023. The bracelets include a silver plate decorated with a raised
triskele. Comparison and analysis suggests the bracelets date to the
2nd century AD. [97]
October
5 –
Calvizzano: During works for the water network a frescoed hellenistic age tomb has been found.[98]
25 – A 2,700-year-old alabaster sculpture of
Lamassu was unearthed in
Khorsabad, which missing head has already been on display in the
Iraq Museum in Baghdad, after being confiscated from smugglers in the 1990s.[101]
27 – A 2,600-year-old
Etruscan tomb which was discovered earlier that year was opened at the Osteria Necropolis in
Vulci.[103]
November
1 – A 3,000-year-old monument was discovered at
Seddin, which might be the meeting hall of King Hinz, a ruler in
Prignitz during the
Bronze Age.[104]
3 – The tomb of the high official "Djehutyemnakht" was revealed in
Abusir which dated back to the
Late Period, decorated with inscriptions of apotropaic spells against snake bites. The discovery was made by a Czech archaeological mission from the
Charles University in May earlier that year.[105]
^Berger, Lee R.; Hawks, John; Fuentes, Agustin; Van Rooyen, Dirk; Tsikoane, Mathabela; Ramalepa, Maropeng; Nkwe, Samuel; Molopyane, Keneiloe (5 June 2023). "241,000 to 335,000 Years Old Rock Engravings Made by Homo naledi in the Rising Star Cave system, South Africa". bioRxiv.
doi:
10.1101/2023.06.01.543133.
S2CID259113360.
^Fuentes, Agustin; Kissel, Marc; Spikins, Penny; Molopyane, Keneiloe; Hawks, John;
Berger, Lee R. (5 June 2023). "Burials and engravings in a small-brained hominin, Homo naledi , from the late Pleistocene: contexts and evolutionary implications". bioRxiv.
doi:
10.1101/2023.06.01.543135.
S2CID259113355.
This page lists significant events of 2023 in
archaeology.
Excavations
26 June–21 July – Excavations take place at
Lowther Castle Stead in Cumbria, England. The project was led by Sophie Thérèse Ambler of the University of Lancaster.[1][2][3]
19–21 July – Excavations take place at
Sleaford Castle in Lincolnshire, England.[4]
8–18 August – Excavation takes place at the King’s Park, in
Stirling, Scotland to investigate a
Late Prehistoric fort identified in 2017.[5]
14 August–8 September – Excavation takes place at the Burn of Swartigill, an Iron Age site in
Caithness, Scotland.[6]
Finds
January
5 – A study reports that notational signs
from ~37,000 years ago in caves, apparently conveying
calendaric meaning about the behaviour of animal species drawn next to them, are
the first known (proto-)
writing in history.[7][8]
17 – 4,500 year-old Sumerian Lord Palace of the Kings was discovered in
Iraq,
Girsu.[9][10]
21 – A 2,000-year-old stringed musical instrument about 35 centimeters long was discovered at the Go Ô Chùa archaeological site in
Long An province, southern
Vietnam.[14][15]
26 – 16 individual tombs and 6 funerary complex from the Persian, Roman and Coptic periods were discovered by the Egyptian-Spanish archaeological mission at the
Al-Bahnasa archaeological site,
Minya,
Egypt.[21][22]
13 – The remains of the
watermill structure with an associated building that contained two rooms were identified at a small site near
Buckingham,
England.[34][35]
14
A collection of medieval artifacts including a clasp and two
denarii, the crosses, rings made of copper wire, silver ornaments from the 11th-12th century AD was discovered in
Daromin,
Poland.[36]
27 – 1,800-year-old Roman era artifacts including statuettes of the goddess
Venus, a potter's
kiln, coins and clothing pins were discovered by archaeologists in
Rennes, northwest
France.[49][50]
30 – 2,500 year-old
Bronze Age treasure with an
axe head, two bronze hoop ornaments and jewelry was discovered near
Zalewo,
Poland.[51]
4 – A number of ancient dwellings including two rectangular buildings, three
Bronze Age roundhouses, a Roman-era settlement were discovered by the Cornwall Archaeological Unit team at
Newquay,
England.
6 – A research based on an analysis conducted on human hair published in the journal
Scientific Reports has shown direct evidence of drug use by the inhabitants of
Bronze AgeMenorca in the cult cave of Es Càrritx.[58][59]
8
A rock-cut
Etruscan tomb containing a female burial urn and grave goods dating from the 6th century BC was discovered in
Vulci,
Italy.[60]
The sunken remains of an ancient
Roman villa including marble tiled flooring, and numerous
marble columns have been discovered by underwater archaeologists in
Baiae,
Italy.[62][63]
11 – Elite tomb of the noble named
Panehsy from the
19th Dynasty with mudbrick walls and offering bearers was discovered in
Saqqara,
Egypt.[66]
12
A 40 kg 1,200 year-old ball game marker decorated with a bas-relief glyphic band was discovered in the
Casa Colorada complex,
Chichen Itza,
Mexico.[67]
15 - Discovered a large number of artifacts in the small temple of
Paestum. [70]
18 – The wreckage of Montevideo Maru, a Japanese auxiliary ship sunk by a United States submarine during
World War II with over 1000 captive Australians on board, is discovered in the
South China Sea.[71]
21 – The sacrificial remains of 20 young male were found by
INAH in a Mayan pyramid in
Moral Reforma,
Mexico. Decapitated individuals were associated with the
consecration of the pyramid and the consolidation of its relationship with the
afterlife.[75][76]
May
27 – The discovery of the
Moluccan types of vessels depicted in the rock art painting from Awunbarna was announced in
Arnhem Land,
Australia.[77]
29 – The discovery of the several
ossuaries uncovered during the operation to prevent antiquity looting was announced near
Kafr Kanna in
Galilee.[78]
31
The discovery of rammed earth buildings, elite tombs, cemeteries, and hundreds of artefacts was announced in
Qingjian County,
China.[79]
The discovery of the
fortified settlement complex which dates from between 1500 BC to 1300 BC from the Datuotou culture was announced in
Beijing,
China.[82]
24 – Large-sized roman thermal baths discovered in
Mérida, near the amphitheater domus.[88]
26 – The discovery of the
Theatre of Nero in
Rome is announced by Rome’s superintendent Daniela Porro.[89]
28 – An ancient roman merchant ship from the 2nd century BC has been discovered off the coast of
Civitavecchia.[90]
31 – During the early excavations for the construction of a
Conad supermarket a temple, probably dedicated to the
Capitoline Triad, has been found in
Sarsina. [91]
September
6 – Four 1,900-year-old Roman swords have been found in a cave at the
Dead Sea, which might have been hidden by Judean rebels during the
Bar Kokhba revolt after being taken from Roman soldiers.[92]
15 – The head of a statue depicting the
Greek godApollo was found at an excavation site in the
ancient Greek city of
Philippi. The statue dates back to the 2nd or early 3rd century A.D.[93]
20 –
Kalambo structure: The world's oldest wooden structure, dating back ~476,000 years, is identified in
Zambia after first being discovered in 2019. It shows an unexpected early capacity to shape tree trunks into large combined structures, changing views of the technical cognition of early hominins.[94][95]
Undated – Exposure of an early 15th century wooden floor in the
Guildhall of St George,
King's Lynn, England, thought likely to have been trod by
Shakespeare when his playing company visited a century later.[96]
A pair of copper alloy Roman bracelets were found on
Anglesey (
Welsh: Ynys Môn) in September 2023. The bracelets include a silver plate decorated with a raised
triskele. Comparison and analysis suggests the bracelets date to the
2nd century AD. [97]
October
5 –
Calvizzano: During works for the water network a frescoed hellenistic age tomb has been found.[98]
25 – A 2,700-year-old alabaster sculpture of
Lamassu was unearthed in
Khorsabad, which missing head has already been on display in the
Iraq Museum in Baghdad, after being confiscated from smugglers in the 1990s.[101]
27 – A 2,600-year-old
Etruscan tomb which was discovered earlier that year was opened at the Osteria Necropolis in
Vulci.[103]
November
1 – A 3,000-year-old monument was discovered at
Seddin, which might be the meeting hall of King Hinz, a ruler in
Prignitz during the
Bronze Age.[104]
3 – The tomb of the high official "Djehutyemnakht" was revealed in
Abusir which dated back to the
Late Period, decorated with inscriptions of apotropaic spells against snake bites. The discovery was made by a Czech archaeological mission from the
Charles University in May earlier that year.[105]
^Berger, Lee R.; Hawks, John; Fuentes, Agustin; Van Rooyen, Dirk; Tsikoane, Mathabela; Ramalepa, Maropeng; Nkwe, Samuel; Molopyane, Keneiloe (5 June 2023). "241,000 to 335,000 Years Old Rock Engravings Made by Homo naledi in the Rising Star Cave system, South Africa". bioRxiv.
doi:
10.1101/2023.06.01.543133.
S2CID259113360.
^Fuentes, Agustin; Kissel, Marc; Spikins, Penny; Molopyane, Keneiloe; Hawks, John;
Berger, Lee R. (5 June 2023). "Burials and engravings in a small-brained hominin, Homo naledi , from the late Pleistocene: contexts and evolutionary implications". bioRxiv.
doi:
10.1101/2023.06.01.543135.
S2CID259113355.