2023 in archaeology

This page lists significant events of 2023 in archaeology.

Excavations

• 26 June–21 July – Excavations take place at Lowther Castle Stead in Cumbria, England. The project was led by Sophie Thérèse Ambler of the University of Lancaster.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 19–21 July – Excavations take place at Sleaford Castle in Lincolnshire, England.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

• 8–18 August – Excavation takes place at the King’s Park, in Stirling, Scotland to investigate a Late Prehistoric fort identified in 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 14 August–8 September – Excavation takes place at the Burn of Swartigill, an Iron Age site in Caithness, Scotland.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Finds

January

• 5 – A study reports that notational signs from ~37,000 years ago in caves, apparently conveying calendaric meaning about the behaviour of animal species drawn next to them, are the first known (proto-)writing in history.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• 17 – 4,500 year-old Sumerian Lord Palace of the Kings was discovered in Iraq, Girsu.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 27 – 1,600-year-old fragment of Roman dodecahedron unearthed in Belgium, Flanders.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

February

• 20 – A study reports that 2,000 year-old disembodied 6.3 inches long wooden phallus toy was revealed at the Roman Fort of Vindolanda by the Newcastle University.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 21 – A 2,000-year-old stringed musical instrument about 35 centimeters long was discovered at the Go Ô Chùa archaeological site in Long An province, southern Vietnam.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 22
  • The remains of two elite brothers were found in a Bronze Age tomb in Tel Megiddo, Israel. The early evidence of a Bronze Age cranial surgery called trepanation was also identified in one of the males.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • A study reports the earliest evidence of bow and arrow use outside Africa Template:Crossreference – ~54,000 years ago in France, showing the earliest known H. sapiens to migrate into Neandertal territories Template:Tooltip.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• 26 – 16 individual tombs and 6 funerary complex from the Persian, Roman and Coptic periods were discovered by the Egyptian-Spanish archaeological mission at the Al-Bahnasa archaeological site, Minya, Egypt.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 28 – A study reports that steel chisels were already in use in Europe on the Iberian peninsula around 2,900 years ago.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

March

• 1 – Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs inscribed on sandstone blocks was discovered in Old Dongola, Sudan by Polish archaeologists.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 4
  • A submerged prehistoric site with the remains of extinct species was discovered in the Quintero Bay on the central Chilean coast.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • A treasure hoard weighing 3 kg was uncovered in a ceramic jar in Lublin Voivodeship, Poland.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 6 – A Roman era sphinx was revealed at the lower level of the Dendera Temple complex in Qena, Egypt.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 7 – A 1,800 year-old Roman era stone altar was discovered in the grounds of Leicester Cathedral by the University of Leicester, England.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 9
  • Evidence of the Romano-Celtic religious temple was discovered near the Lancaster Fort during a hydrogeophysics training session in Lancaster, England.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • A cemetery dated to the Tang Dynasty with over 300 artifacts was unearthed in Datong, China.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Pre-Columbian temple complex made of dried bricks with destroyed human burials was discovered near Barranca, Peru.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 10 – The remains of the Roman amphitheater were discovered at the Roman city of Ategua, Cordoba, Spain.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 13 – The remains of the watermill structure with an associated building that contained two rooms were identified at a small site near Buckingham, England.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 14
  • A collection of medieval artifacts including a clasp and two denarii, the crosses, rings made of copper wire, silver ornaments from the 11th-12th century AD was discovered in Daromin, Poland.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • 3 Mycenaean bronze swords dating to the 12th century BC were revealed in the Greek tomb on the Trapeza Plateau in the Peloponnese, Greece.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 17 – Roman era mosaic made of red, blue and white tiles was discovered by Oxford Archaeology team in Olney, Buckinghamshire.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 18
  • An ancient circular shape ring ditch was uncovered in Derbyshre, England.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • A serpent sculpture which served to guide the route from the El Templo was discovered at Chichen Itza, Yucatán, Mexico.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Adobe walls with 1,400 year-old ancient murals depicting double-faced figurines were discovered at Pañamarca, Peru.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 20
  • Celestial reliefs depicting the heavens with the signs of zodiac were discovered during re-coloring works in the Temple of Esna, Egypt.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Maya burial chamber with offerings and skeletal remains was discovered in Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • More remains of the Matriya Sun Temple with a number of quartzite stone from the time of Horemheb was uncovered in Heliopolis, Egypt.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Byzantine period mosaic with a series of floral patterns was revealed by the Israel Antiquities Authority in Shoham, Israel.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 21 – The remains of a mosaic flooring with geometric pattern below the AD 79 floor level of the corridor was revealed in Pompeii, Naples, Italy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 25 – 2,000 Ptolemaic era Ram (male sheep) heads with other votive offerings were uncovered at Temple of Ramesses II in Abydos by the University of York archaeologists.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 27 – 1,800-year-old Roman era artifacts including statuettes of the goddess Venus, a potter's kiln, coins and clothing pins were discovered by archaeologists in Rennes, northwest France.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 30 – 2,500 year-old Bronze Age treasure with an axe head, two bronze hoop ornaments and jewelry was discovered near Zalewo, Poland.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 31 – A 1,000-year-old square-shaped brick tomb containing three people from the Jurchen Jin dynasty has been found in Shanxi province, China.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

April

• 2
  • 4,500-year-old axe-shaped and tiger patterned ritual weapon was discovered in Wuxi, China.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • The remains of a Roman street and residence have been discovered beneath Exeter Cathedral, Cloister Garden, United Kingdom.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 4 – A number of ancient dwellings including two rectangular buildings, three Bronze Age roundhouses, a Roman-era settlement were discovered by the Cornwall Archaeological Unit team at Newquay, England.
• 6 – A research based on an analysis conducted on human hair published in the journal Scientific Reports has shown direct evidence of drug use by the inhabitants of Bronze Age Menorca in the cult cave of Es Càrritx.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 8
  • A rock-cut Etruscan tomb containing a female burial urn and grave goods dating from the 6th century BC was discovered in Vulci, Italy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Ornate frescos showing Christian scenes with various depictions have been uncovered by the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology in Old Dongola, Sudan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 10
  • The sunken remains of an ancient Roman villa including marble tiled flooring, and numerous marble columns have been discovered by underwater archaeologists in Baiae, Italy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • A 4- meter-tall marble Roman statue fragment has been discovered near the St. Vladimir’s Cathedral in Chersonesus.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • 1,5-square-km sand-dune farming with about 370 checkboard crop plots including ceramic, glass, coins and marble fragments was uncovered in Caesarea, Israel.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 11 – Elite tomb of the noble named Panehsy from the 19th Dynasty with mudbrick walls and offering bearers was discovered in Saqqara, Egypt.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 12
  • A 40 kg 1,200 year-old ball game marker decorated with a bas-relief glyphic band was discovered in the Casa Colorada complex, Chichen Itza, Mexico.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • A sunken Nabataean temple dedicated to the deity Dusares along with two marble altars from Roman period was discovered at Pozzuoli, Italy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 18 – The wreckage of Montevideo Maru, a Japanese auxiliary ship sunk by a United States submarine during World War II with over 1000 captive Australians on board, is discovered in the South China Sea.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 19
  • Traces of a Roman cemetery with burials and sanctuary was discovered in Elewijt, near Zemst, Belgium.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Two ornate stone busts, including jewelry and hairstyles which are thought to be the first facial representations of the Tartessian goddesses were discovered at Turuñuelo, Spain.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 21 – The sacrificial remains of 20 young male were found by INAH in a Mayan pyramid in Moral Reforma, Mexico. Decapitated individuals were associated with the consecration of the pyramid and the consolidation of its relationship with the afterlife.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

May

• 27 – The discovery of the Moluccan types of vessels depicted in the rock art painting from Awunbarna was announced in Arnhem Land, Australia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 29 – The discovery of the several ossuaries uncovered during the operation to prevent antiquity looting was announced near Kafr Kanna in Galilee.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 31
  • The discovery of rammed earth buildings, elite tombs, cemeteries, and hundreds of artefacts was announced in Qingjian County, China.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • The discovery of the huge Bronze Age cemetery with barrows up to twenty was announced in Salisbury, England.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

June

• 1
  • The discovery of the 1.54 meters high pre-Columbian statue, similar to The Young Woman of Amajac, was announced in Hidalgo Amajac area, Veracruz, Mexico.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • The discovery of the fortified settlement complex which dates from between 1500 BC to 1300 BC from the Datuotou culture was announced in Beijing, China.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

• 5 – Scientists report potential evidence that Homo naledi, an extinct species of small-brained archaic human discovered in 2013 in South Africa, and living as long as 500,000 years ago, buried their dead, created art in their caves and used fire. It is reported to be a controversial theory, with some experts noting that the evidence did not yet support these "extraordinary conclusions" and "could have a range of other explanations".<ref name="NYT-20230605">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

July

• 2 – Buried airframes of British-built Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft of the 1940s are being excavated in Ukraine, it is announced.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

• 24 – Large-sized roman thermal baths discovered in Mérida, near the amphitheater domus.<ref>https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article277600808.html</ref>

• 26 – The discovery of the Theatre of Nero in Rome is announced by Rome’s superintendent Daniela Porro.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

• 28 – An ancient roman merchant ship from the 2nd century BC has been discovered off the coast of Civitavecchia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

• 31 - During the early excavations for the construction of a Conad supermarket a temple, probably dedicated to the Capitoline Triad, has been found in Sarsina. <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

September

• 6 – Four 1,900-year-old Roman swords have been found in a cave at the Dead Sea, which might have been hidden by Judean rebels during the Bar Kokhba revolt after being taken from Roman soldiers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 20 – The world's oldest wooden structure is identified in Zambia after first being discovered in 2019.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Undated – Exposure of an early 15th century wooden floor in the Guildhall of St George, King's Lynn, England, thought likely to have been trod by Shakespeare when his playing company visits a century later.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

October

• 5 - Calvizzano: During works for the water network a frescoed hellenistic age tomb has been found.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Events

January

• 16 – Poznań Young Researchers' Archeology Conference was held in Poland in Biskupin Archaeological Museum.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

February

• 9 – the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Tomb of Meru were opened to the public after the restoration.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 27 – The Archaeological Museum of Elefsina has reopened to the public following the conclusion of restoration works.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

March

• 13 – 4th Scientific Conference of the Faculty of Archaeology "Przeszłość ma przyszłość!/ The Past Has a Future!" took place at the Faculty of Archaeology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 13 – The National Museum of Antiquities has unveiled a treasure of gold jewelry and silver coins to the public in the Netherlands.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Deaths

April

• Rosemary Cramp, British archaeologist specialising in Anglo-Saxon studies (born 1929)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Anna Maria Bietti Sestieri, Italian archaeologist (born 1942)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

• List of years in archaeology

References

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