4 Best Archaeological Discoveries of 2018

New Nazca Lines in Peru 

Thanks to drones and satellites, 2018 saw the discovery of more etchings in Peru. More than 50 mysterious new examples have been found in the Palpa province and most of them appear to depict human figures. Peruvian archaeologist Luis Jaime Castillo Butters, the new glyphs' co-discoverer, told National Geographic, “Most of these figures are warriors. These ones could be spotted from a certain distance, so people had seen them, but over time, they were completely erased.”

Evidence of the world’s oldest bread unearthed in Jordan 

Charred remains of a flatbread were discovered at a 14,000-year-old dig site, situated in the northeastern part of the country, earlier this year. This new discovery proves that humans began making bread millennia before agriculture was developed. Prior to this discovery, the earliest evidence of bread came from Turkey and those remains were 9,000-years-old. Now, archaeologists and historians can push this date back by more than 5,000 years.

An incredible discovery in Pompeii

Back in May, archaeologists uncovered the remains of a man whose head had been crushed beneath a giant stone block. From the position of the body and the damage to the skeleton, archaeologists gathered that he was probably trapped while trying to escape the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79. The unfortunate victim had his thorax crushed and his skull is yet to be located, although it is thought that he was over the age of thirty and suffered from a leg condition that could have presented walking difficulties, which in turn would have hindered his attempt to flee the area. 

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An untouched Egyptian tomb 

Earlier this month, the tomb of a high priest – untouched for 4,400 years ­­­– was discovered at the incredible Saqqara pyramid complex near Cairo. It has been described as exceptionally well preserved and is filled with statues that depict pharaohs as well as brightly coloured hieroglyphs.

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