Post by anansi on Aug 9, 2020 22:47:06 GMT -5
Most exciting find in Egypt’ 6,000-year-old breakthrough rewrites ancient history
EGYPT's forgotten city, which experts think could be linked with the birth of the ancient civilisation, has been re-excavated by archaeologist Dr Renee Friedman who says she has found evidence of the "world's first zoo" dating back more than 6,000 years, Express.co.uk can reveal.
.Hierakonpolis was the religious and political capital of Upper Egypt at the end of the prehistoric era, between 3200BC and 2686BC, but the first settlement of this forgotten city may date back to the late Badari culture more than 6,000 years ago. The first evidence of its ruins were excavated towards the end of the 19th century by the English archaeologists James Quibell and Frederick W. Green who theorised the city had at least 5,000 and possibly as many as 10,000 inhabitants at its height. More recently though, the area was excavated further by a multinational team of archaeologists, Egyptologists, geologists, and members of other sciences, which was coordinated by Michael Hoffman until his death in 1990
But she revealed how experts discovered this vast area – estimated to be around three miles squared – was also hiding a number of bizarre burials that left experts scratching their heads.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, Dr Friedman said: “Hierakonpolis is a very important site for the beginning of the Egyptian civilisation.
“It has been known to be an important site for over 100 years, very important artefacts were found there in 1898.
“Then in the Seventies, we went back to the site to look around some more.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, Dr Friedman said: “Hierakonpolis is a very important site for the beginning of the Egyptian civilisation.
“It has been known to be an important site for over 100 years, very important artefacts were found there in 1898.
“Then in the Seventies, we went back to the site to look around some more.
“We found this cemetery and began excavating it, but not only did we find human burials, we found these very strange animals that took us some time to figure out what they were.”
Dr Friedman went on to detail how the strange discoveries just kept coming.
She added: “You don’t expect to find seven baboons in a grave and a wild cat and a hippopotamus buried along with humans.
“We began again in the Nineties, and as we excavated, we found more and more animals.
Dr Friedman went on to detail how the strange discoveries just kept coming.
She added: “You don’t expect to find seven baboons in a grave and a wild cat and a hippopotamus buried along with humans.
“We began again in the Nineties, and as we excavated, we found more and more animals.
Every time we found a human burial, we would find stranger and stranger animals.”
During the new series, Dr Friedman takes viewers to the location of the burials, where she has found the remains of hippopotami, hartebeest, elephants, baboons, and African wildcats.
She said during the documentary: “So here, in essence, we have the world’s first zoo and it dates back over 6,000 years.”
Remarkably, Dr Friedman revealed to Express.co.uk that she now believes the ancient civilisation captured, cared for and showed off these exotic animals.
She said: “Although all these animals have obviously been buried, we see that they sustained injuries that were healed and had to be healed under human care.
During the new series, Dr Friedman takes viewers to the location of the burials, where she has found the remains of hippopotami, hartebeest, elephants, baboons, and African wildcats.
She said during the documentary: “So here, in essence, we have the world’s first zoo and it dates back over 6,000 years.”
Remarkably, Dr Friedman revealed to Express.co.uk that she now believes the ancient civilisation captured, cared for and showed off these exotic animals.
She said: “Although all these animals have obviously been buried, we see that they sustained injuries that were healed and had to be healed under human care.
“Keeping it alive is another skill too, we have a leopard, wild cattle, two elephants, hippopotami, crocodiles – all these animals represent power.
“These are animals they were afraid of, that caused chaos and by capturing them they showed control over them.”
During the series, which aired last week, narrator Mark Bazeley explained why this ancient settlement still gives archaeologists a huge opportunity to peek into a part of history scarcely documented.
He stated: “The zoo from the dawn of history played an incredible role in shaping the Egyptian civilisation.
“But Hierakonpolis has only just begun to reveal all of its secrets
“These are animals they were afraid of, that caused chaos and by capturing them they showed control over them.”
During the series, which aired last week, narrator Mark Bazeley explained why this ancient settlement still gives archaeologists a huge opportunity to peek into a part of history scarcely documented.
He stated: “The zoo from the dawn of history played an incredible role in shaping the Egyptian civilisation.
“But Hierakonpolis has only just begun to reveal all of its secrets
Renee Friedman’s team have only excavated 20 percent of the area and the finds just keep on coming.
“Her findings are redefining everything scholars thought they knew about Egypt in the time before the pharaohs.”
Dr Friedman even found some new evidence while the cameras were rolling.
She said: “So here, eroding outside of this tomb, is a baboon bone.
“This is probably the elbow of one of the seven that were buried here.
Because these tombs were heavily plundered repeatedly, you find this explosion of bones around you and every so often one decides to reappear just like this.”
Renowned Egyptologist Salima Ikram said Dr Friedman’s finds are shining a light on a forgotten part of Egypt’s history.
She explained: “The zoo is one of the most exciting finds that has been made in Egypt because it has all these animals there that were kept, in captivity, as such a core part of religious belief and had a major role to play in Egyptian rituals.
www.express.co.uk/news/world/1320259/egypt-archaeology-hierakonpolis-forgotten-city-found-ancient-zoo-burial-pharaohs-spt
“Her findings are redefining everything scholars thought they knew about Egypt in the time before the pharaohs.”
Dr Friedman even found some new evidence while the cameras were rolling.
She said: “So here, eroding outside of this tomb, is a baboon bone.
“This is probably the elbow of one of the seven that were buried here.
Because these tombs were heavily plundered repeatedly, you find this explosion of bones around you and every so often one decides to reappear just like this.”
Renowned Egyptologist Salima Ikram said Dr Friedman’s finds are shining a light on a forgotten part of Egypt’s history.
She explained: “The zoo is one of the most exciting finds that has been made in Egypt because it has all these animals there that were kept, in captivity, as such a core part of religious belief and had a major role to play in Egyptian rituals.
www.express.co.uk/news/world/1320259/egypt-archaeology-hierakonpolis-forgotten-city-found-ancient-zoo-burial-pharaohs-spt
