This page lists significant events of 2024 in
archaeology.
Finds
January
4 – A
rock-cut tomb dating back to the
Second Dynasty was uncovered in
Saqqara by a team of Japanese and Egyptian archaeologists. The tomb contained artifacts from various periods, spanning over the
Late Period, the
Ptolemaic period, and the
18th Dynasty. Among the findings were remains of an adult with a colored mask and a small child, in addition to two terracotta statues depicting
Isis and
Harpocrates.[1]
11 – The
Upano Valley sites are discovered as the oldest known complex Amazonian society, predating other such societies by over a millennium. They are located in the
Upano River valley in eastern
Ecuador, and are a cluster of archaeological sites in the
Amazon rainforest, The sites comprise several cities; they are believed to have been inhabited as early as 500 BC.[2]
Discovered a 1st century A.D.
Roman villa in
Bacoli during the works for the new public park, likely belonged to
Pliny the Elder.[3]
13 – Two Doric greek temples discovered in
Paestum[4]
February
20 – Discovery of a medieval church and tombs under
Piazza San Marco in
Venice during stone paving restoration works.[5]
March
4 – A 1,200-year-old tomb of the
Gran Coclé culture containing the remains of an elite lord, as many as 31 sacrificial victims, and gold artifacts has been discovered in
Panama’s El Caño Archaeological Park.[6]
The top half of a statue of
Ramesses II was found in an archaeological site at the ancient city of
Hermopolis, now Al-Ashmunin,
Egypt.[7][8]
8 – A
piece of bread dating back to 6,800 BC was found in
Konya,
Turkey, at the site of the
Neolithic site of
Çatalhöyük. This is believed to be the world's oldest known bread. It was found in a destroyed oven structure in the "Mekan 266" area. Archaeologists also found wheat, barley, pea seeds, and a round "spongy" residue.[9][10]
29 – A partially complete set of 17th century
Hussar armor is discovered in the village of Mikułowice, Poland. The set will go on display at the
Castle Museum in
Sandomierz after inspection and conservation.[14][15]
5 – A 4.5 m (15 ft) by 3 m (9.8 ft)
Mycenaean building along with over 30
ceramic vessels were uncovered on the summit of Mount Ellanio on the Greek island of
Aegina. The ceramic vessels were dated back to the Mycenaean palatial period, between 1200–1050 BC.[22]
8 – Archaeologists found a 7th century
hermitage of
Guthlac and his sister
Pega, which stands on the site of a much older
henge dating back to between 1502 and 1323 BCE. [24]
A collection of glassware dating back to the Roman period was uncovered in
Nîmes,
France. Nîmes was known as Nemausus in antiquity and emerged as a
Roman colony during the 1st century BC. The collection includes
strigils, ornate
glass vases, ceramics, a glass paste cup, lamps, and fragments of funerary monuments and
amphorae. [29]
16 – Three
ancient Romangraves dating to the 5th or 6th century AD were found in the ancient Roman city of Ossónoba, in what is now
Faro, Portugal. The graves were sealed with limestone labs, believed to be re2used parts from older buildings in the area. The graves are of a man between the ages of 39 and 45 years old, a woman under the age of 25, and a baby under six months old. Archaeologists also recovered other Roman artifacts near the graves: ceramics, bone dice, nails, pins, a spoon, evidence of a dye factory, and coins minted between A.D. 306–307.[31][32][33]
18 – Archaeologists discover a horseshoe-shaped monument and a collection of weapons and ornaments dating back to the Neolithic at a site in
Marliens, France.[34]
28 – Two glass bottles containing a mysterious liquid are found at
George Washington's
Mount Vernon estate in
Virginia,
United States. Experts believe the bottles were originally filled with cherries and were placed in the ground to refrigerate between 1758 and 1776.[39]
A 7,000-year-old Late Neolithic settlement is uncovered near the
Timiš River,
Banat, northeastern
Serbia. The area covers roughly 11 to 13 hectares and is surrounded by up to six ditches. The settlement is associated with the
Vinča culture, dating back to between 5400–4400 BC.
2 – Five human skeletons missing their hands and feet are found underneath a house that belonged to
Nazi leader
Hermann Goering, in
Gierłoż,
Poland. The remains are of a baby, a 10-year-old child, and three adults. One of the skeletons had a deformed jaw and a twisted spine.[41][42]
17–21 – The 5th Annual World Cultural Heritage Youth Symposium takes place in
Athens,
Greece, with the theme "This is my living Heritage!". The symposium brings together students and teachers to engage with the
Intangible World Cultural Heritage. [48]
26 – An exhibition honoring the 200-year anniversary of
Lord Byron's death opens at at the
Acropolis Museum in
Athens. The exhibition highlights Lord Byron's authentic Sultanic passport and
firman, annotated traveler images from the
Acropolis and the
Parthenon, and excerpts from Byron's poems "The Curse of Minerva" and "
Childe Harold's Pilgrimage."[50]
May
3 – The Knaresborough Heritage Centre is launched in
Knaresborough,
North Yorkshire,
England. The centre has been worked on for four years by a large group of volunteers, and features artefacts from the region.[51]
4–8 – The 2024 World Neolithic Congress is set to take place in
Şanlıurfa,
Türkiye. The conference brings together discussion of diverse
Neolithic formations and provides a platform for comparing increasing Neolithic social complexity in different parts of the world. [53]