Ancient History Magazine

In the modern, developed world, the mystery and power of rivers has mostly been reduced to a byway for slow-moving bulk goods and expensive leisure vessels. However, nature occasionally reminds us of the power and importance of rivers, often with tragic consequences. Floods can be devastating, causing terrible damage, while droughts can cause famines with long-lasting consequences. In the ancient world, people were more than aware of the importance of rivers. They brought much-needed drinking water, they watered crops, and they served as natural defences and highways. Without modern technology, even with the relatively advanced engineering of ancient Rome, floods were frequent, and famines were even more dangerous. As such, rivers were given far more respect, they were even revered as gods in their own right. There are so many…

Ancient reclamation centre found at Metropolis A site believed to have functioned as a junkyard or reclamation centre has been found by archaeologists in the ancient city of Metropolis, located in İzmir, Turkey. They uncovered around 2000 bronze fragments of statues that were deliberately broken in antiquity to be melted down and recast into new items. Among the recovered pieces are heads, eyes, fingers, and sandals, along with square and rectangular bronze plates, indicating the city’s role in statue production or repair. “For our profession, these are extraordinary finds,” Professor Serder Aybek, from Dokuz Eylül University, told local media. He explained that bronze statues were significant artworks in the ancient world, and that their fragmentation at Metropolis suggests a process of recycling. Dr Aybek suggested that some of the bronze…

A 2600-year-old Phoenician shipwreck has been successfully removed from the seabed off the coast of southeastern Spain by marine archaeologists. The ancient vessel, known as Mazarrón II, was first discovered in 1994, near the town of Mazarrón, just 1.8 m (6 ft) below the Mediterranean Sea’s surface. It had been carrying a cargo of lead ingots when it sank and was preserved under sand for centuries. Archaeologists invested 560 hours diving at the wreck site to make detailed diagrams of its remains, cracks, and fissures. However, coastal developments and shifting sea currents left the wreck increasingly vulnerable to destruction. In response, a team of fourteen divers worked between September and November 2024 to carefully retrieve the 8.2 m- (27-ft)-long wooden ship, piece by piece. The fragments have now been transferred…

The burial of an individual encased in liquid gypsum – a soft white or grey mineral consisting of hydrated calcium sulfate – and sealed in a stone coffin has been excavated by archaeologists at a Roman-era cemetery in Cambridgeshire, England. This is a technique known from Roman times but is still not fully understood. This process sometimes preserves organic materials. In this specimen, impressions of a shroud and a small piece of fabric were identified. Gypsum burials are typically associated with urban Roman centres like York, making this example in a rural context particularly rare. The gypsum was artfully carved and transported 48 km (30 mi) from a quarry, suggesting significant wealth. The cemetery was found ahead of a project to expand the A47 road. It contained fourteen graves located…

Enheduanna is the world’s first known individually named author. She was born into royalty as the daughter of the famous king, Sargon of Akkad, in 2285 BC. Enheduanna lived in Ur, an area located in modern-day southern Iraq. Sargon, her father, was the first ruler to unite northern and southern Mesopotamia. In doing so, he created the Old Akkadian Empire, which is often described as the world’s first empire. Enheduanna lived during a period of great social, religious, and political upheaval, and in her role as a priestess, she would have been involved in shaping these changes. Masterpieces from Mesopotamia The world of ancient Mesopotamia was home to numerous literary masterpieces. These include the world’s first tragic epic, Gilgamesh, the Babylonian creation narrative, Enuma Elish, and the early flood story,…

Enheduanna’s relationship with Inanna and her several poems to the goddess may reflect the Sargonid dynasty’s cooption of the deity for political means. Prior to Sargon’s conquests, Inanna was worshipped throughout Mesopotamia, but her main centre of worship seems to have been Uruk, with the Eanna district of the city devoted to the goddess from its earliest period. Uruk was also, coincidentally, the main centre of opposition to Sargon’s conquests in southern Mesopotamia. With his defeat of Uruk, Sargon may have adopted Inanna as his protector in an attempt to assert his authority over the city. In the Sumerian legend of Sargon’s origins, for example, Inanna protects Sargon from the schemes of Ur-Zababa, the king of Kish. Her worship, especially after she was syncretized with the goddess Ishtar, was promoted…