How Easter Island’s giant statues “walked” to their final platforms
Workers with ropes could make the moai "walk" in zig-zag motion along roads tailor-made for the purpose.
by Jennifer Ouellette
Easter Island at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=easter+islands
Fresco Provides Rare Details About Ancient Fire Ritual
By Michael Shenkar et al.
https://archaeology.org/news/2025/09/11/fresco-provides-rare-details-about-ancient-fire-ritual/
Archaeologists Say They’ve Solved the Mystery of This Marble Statue. Its Subject Was a Woman Who Might Have Helped an Ancient City Achieve Political Freedom
The marble sculpture, discovered at Chersonesos Taurica in Crimea in 2003, has been identified as a woman named Laodice
by Ella Feldman
Original article:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s40494-025-01975-6
Medieval Artefacts Discovered in Canadian Thrift Shop
A small thrift shop in Chilliwack, British Columbia, has become the unlikely source of a remarkable medieval mystery. Eleven rings and two medallions, believed to date from the Middle Ages, were purchased for just $30 before being donated to Simon Fraser University (SFU) for study.
https://www.medievalists.net/2025/09/medieval-artefacts-discovered-in-canadian-thrift-shop/
Archeology at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=archeology
A Massive Eruption 74,000 Years Ago Affected the Whole Planet
Archaeologists use volcanic glass to figure out how people survived.
By: Jayde N. Hirniak
https://daily.jstor.org/a-massive-eruption-74000-years-ago-affected-the-whole-planet/
Full article:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/27052512?mag=a-massive-eruption-74000-years-ago-affected-the-whole-planet&seq=1
Volcanoes at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subjects/search/?query=volcanoes
American archeologist Esther Boise Van Deman died #OTD in 1937.
She utilized detailed measurements and meticulous documentation of building materials and techniques, which enabled a more precise understanding of the chronological development of Roman construction practices. One of her most notable contributions was her work on the Roman concrete construction technique known as "opus caementicium."
#OTD in 1902.
Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais discovers the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient mechanical analog computer.
The mechanism is composed of at least 30 bronze gears housed in a wooden frame. It features dials, pointers, and inscriptions that correspond to various astronomical cycles. The front dial is believed to show the zodiac and the solar and lunar calendars, while the back dials include the Metonic, Saros & Callippic cycles.
Alexander von Humboldt: the groundbreaking naturalist who bankrupted himself to share his life’s work.
By Bienvenido León via @ConversationUS
Books by Alexander von Humboldt at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1995
Turkey’s Ancient Göbekli Tepe May Be Home to the World’s Oldest Solar Calendar
By Shiori Chen via @mymodernmet
https://mymodernmet.com/gobekli-tepe-calendar/
More information can be found below:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6bekli_Tepe
American archaeologist and anthropologist Zelia Maria Magdalena Nuttall was born #OTD in 1857.
She discovered two forgotten manuscripts of pre-Columbian manuscripts in private collections, one of them being the Codex Zouche-Nuttall. She decoded the Aztec calendar stone and was one of the first to identify and recognise artefacts dating back to the pre-Aztec period.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zelia_Nuttall
Books by Zelia Nuttal at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/35649
Archaeologists May Have Just Found the Oldest Alphabet Ever
By Margherita Bassi via @gizmodo
https://gizmodo.com/archaeologists-may-have-just-found-the-oldest-alphabet-ever-2000528376
The World’s Earliest Writing System May Have Been Influenced by Older Symbols Found on Stone ‘Cylinder Seals’
By Sarah Kuta
Viking pregnancy was deeply political – new study
Despite its central role in human history, pregnancy has often been overlooked in archaeology.
By Marianne Hem Eriksen
Vikings at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=vikings&submit_search=Search
La Tène Period: The Flourishing of Celtic Art
Celtic people lived in Europe before Julius Caesar's conquests.
https://www.thecollector.com/la-tene-period-celtic-art/
Celtic subjects at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subjects/search/?query=celtic
Bronze torque
1,600-Year-Old Mosaic Unveiled for the First Time Ever in Western Negev
In northwestern Negev, near Kibbutz Urim and the Gaza Strip, the 1,600-year-old Be’er Shema mosaic has been unveiled to the public for the first time.
By Eva Baron
New Discovery of 3,000-Year-Old Babylonian Text Sheds Light on Women’s Roles in Ancient Society
By Emma Taggart
https://mymodernmet.com/babylon-text-cuneiform-tablets/?
Full paper available here:
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/iraq/article/literary-texts-from-the-sippar-library-v-a-hymn-in-praise-of-babylon-and-the-babylonians/B477D54E6554CA35718880339B3736CD
![STATUE IN QUARRY.
Ready to be launched; movement prevented by stone wedges. Base towards spectator.
[No. 57. Fig. 60.]
https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/69807/pg69807-images.html#Page_124
This picture shows a large, unfinished stone statue lying horizontally in its original rock quarry. The statue appears to have been nearly detached from the surrounding bedrock, with its base facing the viewer. The massive figure, partially shaped and smoothed, is still held in place by stone wedges that prevent its movement.
A man standing beside the statue provides a sense of scale, emphasizing the monument’s impressive size and the precision of the ancient stonework. The surrounding rocky walls bear visible tool marks, suggesting the stages of carving and extraction.
This image documents an important archaeological moment, capturing the statue “ready to be launched”—a stage between creation and transport—illustrating the techniques and monumental ambition of its makers.](/proxy/post_attachment/876363/757fb668e3.jpg "STATUE IN QUARRY.
Ready to be launched; movement prevented by stone wedges. Base towards spectator.
[No. 57. Fig. 60.]
https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/69807/pg69807-images.html#Page_124
This picture shows a large, unfinished stone statue lying horizontally in its original rock quarry. The statue appears to have been nearly detached from the surrounding bedrock, with its base facing the viewer. The massive figure, partially shaped and smoothed, is still held in place by stone wedges that prevent its movement.
A man standing beside the statue provides a sense of scale, emphasizing the monument’s impressive size and the precision of the ancient stonework. The surrounding rocky walls bear visible tool marks, suggesting the stages of carving and extraction.
This image documents an important archaeological moment, capturing the statue “ready to be launched”—a stage between creation and transport—illustrating the techniques and monumental ambition of its makers.")
