Latest news with #tomb
Gizmodo
3 days ago
- General
- Gizmodo
Archaeologists Discover Tomb of Maya King Who Founded a 460-Year Dynasty
A team led by University of Houston archaeologists Arlen Chase and Diane Chase—a married couple about to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary—has discovered the fourth-century CE tomb of an ancient Maya ruler. Talk about a power couple. The Maya ruler in question was Te K'ab Chaak, the first ruler of Caracol, an important Maya city that ruled the southern part of the Yucatan Peninsula from 560 through 680 CE before it was abandoned by the 10th century. Caracol is now the largest Maya archaeological site in modern-day Belize. Te K'ab Chaak rose to the throne in 331 CE and started a royal dynasty that would last over 460 years. Around 350 CE, he was buried at the base of a royal family shrine along with mortuary objects such as jadeite jewelry, a mosaic jadeite mask, carved bone tubes, Pacific spondylus shells, and pottery vessels. The pottery featured scenes including a ruler receiving offerings, the Maya god of traders, and bound captives. Te K'ab Chaak died at an 'advanced age,' according to a University of Houston statement, with no remaining teeth and standing at around 5 feet 7 inches (170 centimeters) in height. The tomb is one of three major burials excavated in the Caracol Northeast Acropolis dating to around 350 CE and raising questions about the contact between Mayans and people in the ancient city of Teotihuacán. By 300 CE, Teotihuacán—around 746 miles (1,200 kilometers) away in modern-day Mexico—had already become a large city and trading hub, and the mid-fourth century saw early contact between the two peoples. 'One question that has perplexed Maya archaeologists since the 1960s is whether a new political order was introduced to the Maya area by Mexicans from Teotihuacan,' Diane Chase said in the statement. 'Maya carved stone monuments, hieroglyphic dates, iconography, and archaeological data all suggest that widespread pan-Mesoamerican connections occurred after an event in 378 AD referred to as 'entrada.'' She adds, however, that archaeological data from Caracol indicates that the situation was 'far more complicated.' The two other burials include a cremation and another tomb. Archaeologists excavated the tomb in 2009. It was covered in hematite and belonged to a woman who was buried with a spondylus bead necklace, pottery vessels, mirror fragments, and two Pacific spondylus shells. The cremation emerged the following year, along with burial goods and practices of central Mexican tradition, including pottery vessels, green obsidian blades, and a carved projectile tip typical of Teotihuacan warriors. Archaeologists suggest that the deceased individual was probably a Caracol royal family member who followed central Mexican ritual practices, if not a royal Maya envoy to Teotihuacan. 'Both central Mexico and the Maya area were clearly aware of each other's ritual practices, as reflected in the Caracol cremation,' said Arlen Chase. In other words, early Maya rulers clearly had Mesoamerican-wide contacts decades before the supposed 'entrada.' 'The connections between the two regions were undertaken by the highest levels of society, suggesting that initial kings at various Maya cities—such as Te K'ab Chaak at Caracol—were engaged in formal diplomatic relationships with Teotihuacan,' he added. Moving forward, the team will continue to investigate the objects and skeletal remains found in Te K'ab Chaak's burial chamber. To absolutely no one's surprise, the Chases' son is also an archaeologist.
Fox News
4 days ago
- Science
- Fox News
Texas husband-wife team finds 'priceless' royal tomb filled with 1,700-year-old treasures
A Texas archaeologist couple recently unearthed the ancient tomb of a legendary king in Central America — a feat that's been over 40 years in the making. Arlen Chase and Diane Chase, both professors at the University of Houston, uncovered the 4th-century tomb at the Caracol archaeological site in Belize. The university shared the discovery on July 10. (See the video at the top of this article.) Caracol was a major Mayan city established in the 300s A.D. The tomb belonged to Te' K'ab Chaak, the earliest ruler of the city and the founder of its royal dynasty – and it's the first confirmed royal tomb found at the site. "Now in ruins, this metropolis was a major political player in Maya history, dominating the southern part of the Yucatan Peninsula from 560 through 680 AD before its abandonment by 900 AD," the University of Houston said in its press release. Teʼ Kʼab Chaak's tomb was filled with treasures, including 11 pottery vessels and carved bone tubes. Excavators also found a mosaic death mask made of jadeite, along with jewelry made from the same type of gemstone. The Chases are the foremost scholars on Caracol, and this latest excavation is just one of many they've conducted. Their son, Adrian, is also an archaeologist and discovered Caracol's decentralized water system. "The true value of the materials is in what they can tell us about the ancient culture." Judging from the ruler's remains, the Chases also found that Te' K'ab Chaak was 5'7 in height and died at an advanced age. He also had no remaining teeth. Speaking to Fox News Digital, Arlen Chase called the recently unearthed artifacts "priceless." "Professional archaeologists will not put a dollar value on the items they dig up … That being said, the true value of the materials is in what they can tell us about the ancient culture," the expert described. "In this case, most of the individual artifacts are unique, but together they not only tell a story about the individual who once owned them but also enable us to provide a date for the burial." Arlen Chase said the artifacts date to 350 A.D. and "include a full range of vessel types for this time period," including two from the Highlands of Guatemala and shells from the Pacific Ocean. Both these types of treasures, he noted, were the "result of long-distance trade." Arlen Chase also confirmed that archaeologists identified the burial "based on the size of his chamber, the presence of jadeite mosaic death mask and earflares, and everything being covered in cinnabar." Diane Chase told Fox News Digital that the ceramic vessels in particular really showed off Teʼ Kʼab Chaak's status and wealth. "The two Pacific spondylus shells near his head, the jadeite earflares, the carved jadeite tubular beads, and the mosaic jadeite death mask also show his ability to obtain long-distance prestige items," she noted. A car trip between Teotihuacan and Caracol today would take over 23 hours. Ancient people would have had to walk at least 153 days to complete the journey, making the burial offerings particularly special. Above all, Diane Chase noted that finding a ruler's burial is "extremely unusual, and important." She said, "This is the first one we have discovered within the ancient city of Caracol." She added, "Even more important, he is the first ruler of the Caracol dynasty with some 30 other rulers following him (according to the hieroglyphic[s]) before the city was abandoned."
The Sun
11-07-2025
- Science
- The Sun
Lost tomb & body of ancient 1,700-year-old king buried with chilling death mask uncovered in Mayan temple
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have uncovered the 1,700-year-old tomb of the earliest known ruler of the ancient Maya city of Caracol. The tomb of Te K'ab Chaak, who once ruled over what is now modern-day Belize, was filled with a trove of ancient burial items. 5 5 5 A number of impressive objects, including 11 pottery vessels, jadeite jewellery, a mosaic jadeite mask and Pacific spondylus shells, were found at the burial site, which dates back to around 350 AD. As is typical for Maya funerary masks, the one found - though broken - was made by fitting together small pieces of jadeite, a precious green stone, into a mosaic pattern. The discovery of Te K'ab Chaak's tomb provides new insights into the origins of Maya dynastic rule and early regional interactions in Mesoamerica. After more than four decades of excavation, married archaeologists Arlen F. Chase and Diane Z. Chase from the University of Houston made a breakthrough. This marks the first time a Caracol king has been identified. Te K'ab Chaak became ruler in around 331 AD, founding the royal dynasty of Caracol - a major Maya metropolis until its abandonment by 900 AD. The Chases believe that Te K'ab Chaak was of advanced age at the time of his death. He stood around 5 feet 7 inches tall, according to their estimations. Te K'ab Chaak's tomb was located at the base of a royal family shrine. Archaeologists uncovered a cremation burial containing the remains of three individuals, dating to around 350 AD. LOST AT SEA Inside sunken ancient Egyptian city known as 'Venice of the Nile' with incredible temples that drowned 1,200 years ago The tomb also held items from central Mexico, including knives, obsidian blades and atlatl points. The discovery comes just over a month after an ancient Mayan city was discovered by archaeologists in northern Guatemala. The nearly 3,000-year-old remains include remarkable pyramids and monuments that appear to be "sculpted with unique iconography". This ancient city, named Los Abuelos - the Spanish for "The Grandparents" - once stood around 13 miles from the significant archaeological site of Uaxactún, according to Guatemala's culture ministry. 5 5 Los Abuelos gets its name from two human-like sculptures of an "ancestral couple" found there. These figures "could be linked to ancient ritual practices of ancestor worship", the ministry added. The city is likely to have been "one of the most ancient and important ceremonial centres" of Mayan civilisation. Meanwhile, another ancient Mayan city was discovered deep inside a dense jungle within the Balamkú ecological reserve in the Mexican state of Campeche. Named Ocomtún - which means "stone column" in Yucatec Maya - the city was hailed as a "monumental" discovery by Mexican authorities in 2023. The settlement dates from roughly 250 AD and 1000 AD. Ocomtún boasts remains of several massive pyramid-like structures, three plazas with "imposing buildings", numerous stone columns and other cylindrical structures. One pyramid is estimated to have stood as tall as 82 feet, towering over the surrounding jungle. Who were the ancient Maya? THE Maya were an ancient, indigenous Mesoamerican civilisation that inhabited present-day Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador. Flourishing for over two millennia - from around 2000 BC until the Spanish conquest in the 16th century AD - they developed one of the most sophisticated cultures in the ancient Americas. The Maya are celebrated for their achievements in architecture, mathematics, astronomy, art and writing. They built vast cities with tall step pyramids and palaces and also created intricate jadeite masks and objects. Their writing system, known as Maya hieroglyphs, was one of the most complex in the pre-Columbian Americas, used to record historical events, religious texts and royal genealogies. Maya mathematicians independently developed the concept of zero and used an advanced vigesimal system. This enabled them to produce highly accurate calendars. The Maya were conquered and destroyed by the Spanish invaders in around 1600 AD. But millions of Maya people still live today, preserving their languages and traditions.
New York Times
10-07-2025
- Science
- New York Times
Maya Ruler's Tomb Is Unearthed in Belize, With Clues to His Ancient World
The archaeologists worked in the shadow of towering Maya ruins, piercing the floor of a structure they had searched years before. Below, they found an even more ancient chamber, still holding a body and the treasures it was buried with: a rare mosaic death mask and jadeite jewelry, shells from the Pacific and elaborate designs on pottery and bone. It was the 1,700-year-old tomb of a Maya ruler — the first ever found at Caracol, the largest Maya site in Belize — and it held clues to a Mesoamerican world where cities contended with one another from hundreds of miles apart. 'They've found a very early ruler, so that's very important, and he's claimed to be the founder of a dynasty,' said Gary Feinman, an archaeologist at Field Museum of Chicago who was not involved in the excavation. 'That's a major find.' Arlen Chase, one of the archaeologists working at Caracol, was among the first to enter the tomb. 'As soon as we saw the chamber, we knew we had something,' he said. From the style of ceramic vessels, he knew the tomb was exceptionally old. From the red cinnabar all around, he knew it was for someone of very high status. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Fox News
23-06-2025
- General
- Fox News
Archaeologists discover untouched tomb linked to King Midas' dynasty: 'High level of wealth'
A tomb likely linked to the family of King Midas was recently uncovered in Turkey — offering more details about life during the reign of the legendary leader. The discovery was made at the Gordion archaeological site some 60 miles southwest of the Turkish capital of Ankara. The royal tomb dates to the 8th century B.C. and was found after a grueling four months of excavating. Gordion was the capital of the Phrygian kingdom, which controlled most of western and central Anatolia in the first millennium B.C. Its most famous king is King Midas, the ruler known for his "golden touch." He controlled the kingdom between 740 and 700 B.C. With the burial chamber dating back to 750 B.C., evidence suggests the new discovery belonged to his family. University of Pennsylvania professor C. Brian Rose, who directs excavations at the site, spoke with Fox News Digital about the recent discovery. The tomb, dubbed Tumulus T-26, contained a great display of wealth, including various well-preserved bronze objects and iron tools, said the historian. Interestingly, the remains of the decedent were also cremated. "Royal tombs are often organized in clusters, so it seems likely that the newly excavated tombs belonged to his family." Rose said the bronze vessels "attest to a high level of wealth," on top of the tomb's proximity to the burial mound of Midas' father. "Royal tombs are often organized in clusters, so it seems likely that the newly excavated tombs belonged to his family," he said. Miraculously, the royal chamber was untouched by burglars, so several artifacts were still intact. A notable find was a pair of large bronze cauldrons that were used to serve food and drink during a funeral feast. Rose said that although no food residue was found on the vessels, previous discoveries at the site have shed light on what ancient Phrygians ate. "There was surviving food residue from the funeral ceremony of Midas' father in 740 BCE," he noted. "We therefore know that they served a spicy lentil and barbecued sheep or goat stew that was washed down with an alcoholic beverage – a mixture of grape wine, barley beer and honey mead." He added, "Some of the vessels had wax strips applied to their sides and the name of the owner was written. If you put your bowl down, you could easily find it again." The recent find follows others made at the same archaeological site. Archaeologists previously found a burial named Tumulus T-52, which housed over 3,000 amber beads. While the bronze objects in Tumulus T-26 indicate wealth, Rose said the discovery of the beads in Tumulus T-52 was unprecedented. "This constitutes one of the largest assemblages of amber found anywhere in the ancient world, and scientific testing shows that it was imported from the Baltic," he noted. "This is the kind of feature that one would expect in a royal assemblage, and the discovery supplies welcome information regarding the long-distance trade networks to which Gordion was connected." Archaeologists across the world uncover an untold number of ancient tombs every year – and some are lucky enough to find well-preserved artifacts, too. Last month, Egyptian officials announced the discovery of several high-ranking Ancient Egyptian officials' tombs. In Syria, a contractor recently stumbled across an expensive Christian tomb complex dating back to the Byzantine Empire.
