Nine carved Neolithic figures strongly reminiscent of the Shmoo of have been unearthed in Orkney. They were discovered in an archaeological exploration at the site of an electrical substation in Finstown. Underneath two feet of midden deposits, the remains of a structure containing the figures were found.

Individual examples of these types of carved stones have been found before, usually churned up by ploughs during agricultural work, but this is the first time nine of them have been unearthed in one place. They are also unusually three-dimensional. Most of the known examples are flat with the sides chipped creating the outline of a tiny head or knob over a wider, longer body. These are rounded and carved all around the “neck.”

The archaeologists working on site uncovered the carved stones scattered around a hearth within the remains of an enigmatic structure that contained three cists, two hearths and a partial ring of holes packed with broken off upstanding stones. Three of the roughly carved figures were also important enough to the people who used the building to be incorporated within the structure of one of the hearths and in the foundations of one of the standing stones. The purpose of the building and how it was used by the inhabitants of this site four thousand years ago is still an enigma.

Dating the necked stones firmly will require further work, since they have also been found on Iron Age sites in Orkney. On initial evidence, the ones from Finstown possibly date to around the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age, roughly 2000BC. Identifying the purpose of these stones, and if they are figurines, will also require further work, with a close study for abrasion, wear and any other marks on these anthropomorphic objects.

The archaeologists also discovered evidence of prehistoric farming at the site: clay subsoil marked with gouges left by ards, stone ploughshares shaped into a point. The lines intersect and hashtag each other, evidence of how intensively Neolithic farmers ploughed up the ground.

The trenches have been covered over and all the Shmoos removed and cleaned. They will be conserved and studied while the development plans for the site move forward.

Archaeologists excavating an archaeological site in the Oman province of Dibba Al-Baya on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula have unearthed an Iron Age tomb containing an Egyptian Eye of Horus amulet, the first ever discovered in Oman. The grave dates to between 100 B.C., the Late Iron Age, and 300 A.D., the Pre-Islamic Period.

The Dibba archaeological site was discovered by accident in 2012. After initial surveys by local archaeologists, the Oman Ministry of Heritage and Culture invited an Italian archaeological mission to excavate it beginning in April 2013. The team has unearthed a funerary complex consisting of two large collective tombs (LCG1 and LCG2), a Parthian grave and a number of ritual pits filled with artifacts including gold jewelry, decorated inlaid shell medallions, bronze, soapstone and ceramic vessels, daggers, arrowheads, all of high quality and in generally excellent condition.  Chamber graves constructed out of stones, the collective tombs were in use from the Late Bronze Age (1600-1350 B.C.) through the Pre-Islamic Period.

From 2013 through 2018, archaeologists unearthed the skeletal remains of at least 188 people, more than 3,500 artifacts and 5,000 beads from LCG1 alone. LCG2, which was discovered during the second season of excavations in 2014, has been equally rich in remains and artifacts with more than 3,000 objects of high value unearthed thus far. Archaeologists have also found restored, expanded and reorganized structures indicating that LCG2 was repeatedly altered over the centuries of use.

The newly-discovered grave was unearthed in LCG2. It was oval in shape and contains the skeletal remains of 12 individuals. Buried with them was a large complement of grave goods: glazed and unglazed pottery, bronze pots, iron heads, imported silver and gold jewelry. The Eye of Horus amulet, a symbol representing projection and good health, was also imported.

Sultan bin Saif Al Bakri, Director General of Antiquities, said, “this necklace is the second to be found at this site, where we had previously found an amulet of the civilisations that originated in Iraq in the form of a stone inscribed with the cuneiform name [Gula], the deity of healing in the Mesopotamian civilisation. This was also used for protection and from for the deceased.

Jolla is said to be the greatest physician and healer of diseases in the Babylonian civilisation dating back to the second half of the second millennium BC. Many discoveries from the site have since found their way to the National Museum of Oman.

Dr. Francesco Genchi, the head of the Italian delegation from the University of Rome emphasized that the findings are indicative of the historic role Dibba played – located on the eastern coast of the Oman Peninsula, where it was linked to ancient global and regional trade routes.

He added that the archaeological evidence found so far indicates that Dibba was considered a sacred area of major importance in the understanding of Iron Age tribal societies across the Arabian Peninsula – and that this site in particular was of great importance for funerary rites.

Archaeologists have discovered a perfectly intact Roman-era chicken egg in a pit at Berryfields in Buckinghamshire. As a matter of fact, archaeologists retrieved four whole eggs from that pit, but three of them were so fragile they broke on contact and graced the company with the unmistakable aroma of 2,000-year-old rotten egg. That makes the one survivor the only complete Roman egg known in Britain, and only the second one ever found anywhere. (The other was discovered in a child’s grave in Rome, clutched in the child’s skeletonized hand.)

Originally used to malt grain for brewing beer, the ancient pit was and still is waterlogged which has allowed for the preservation of organic remains. When its use for malting came to an end in the late 3rd century, people began to use it as a sort of impromptu wishing well, throwing a variety of objects into it for good luck. In addition to the eggs, the team discovered an extremely rare basket made of woven oak bands and willow rods, leather shoes and wooden tools.

Archaeologist Edward Biddulph said the extent and range of discoveries “was more than could be foreseen”. […]

Eggs were associated with fertility, rebirth and the Roman gods Mithras and Mercury.

Eggshell fragments have been found before, usually in Roman graves, but this is the “only complete Roman egg known in Britain” and “a genuinely unique discovery”, Mr Biddulph said.

He believes the eggs and bread basket could have been food offerings cast into the pit as part of a religious ceremony during a funeral procession.

Berryfields is in the area of the medieval town of Fleet Marston. Previous archaeological finds like dense pottery remains and hundreds of coins indicate there was a Romano-British settlement preceding Fleet Marston. A major Roman road linking  Verulamium (modern-day St Albans) and Corinium Dobunnorum (modern-day Cirencester) traversed the site, intersecting with several smaller roads. That prime crossroads location suggests the Roman settlement may have been a market town and/or government administrative center.