Traces of chocolate have been found for the first time on a 2,500-year-old plate at the Paso del Macho site in Mexico. “This indicates that the pre-Hispanic Maya may have eaten foods with cacao sauce, similar to mole,” according to a statement released by Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History. It had been thought that cacao beans were only prepared as beverages for consumption by the elite.

The Sechelt Nation of British Columbia has been working with archaeologist Terence Clark of the Canadian Museum of Civilization and Gary Coupland of the University of Toronto at a 4,000-year-old chieftain burial site. In 2010, they excavated more than 350,000 stone beads from the grave of a man thought to be a Shishalh chief. The beads probably adorned a robe that has disintegrated. Since then, students from the band have assisted archaeologists with the excavation of additional graves. “Our ultimate goal is to have this land protected and returned to the Band,” said Sechelt Indian Band chief Garry Feschuk.

In Antakya, Turkey, construction workers building a hotel uncovered a portion of the ancient city of Antioch. The developer responded by funding a full-scale excavation by archaeologists from around the world. They uncovered layers of the ancient city, including a Roman-era mosaic measuring more than 9,000 square feet. A new architect was brought in to the project to design a hotel and a museum that would sit above the archaeological site. “This represents a positive example of the coordination between cultural heritage management and modern urban development,” said Hatice Pamir of Mustafa Kemal University.

Mosaic floors from the Byzantine city of Kourion have been unearthed in Cyprus. Excavators think the mostly intact floors may have been part of a seaside luxury villa. An additional floor fragment that was found was probably associated with a cistern. Cisterns were used after an earthquake destroyed the city’s aqueduct system in 365 A.D.

The remains of a church and a monastery have been unearthed during the expansion of the airport in Najaf, Iraq. The church is thought to be 1,700 years old, and one of the earliest Christian buildings in the country. It may also be part of the city of Hira, an important center of the early church known from historical sources. “I know if we were to work more, we will find more and similar churches,” said archaeologist Ali al-Fatli. The church’s stone crosses and artifacts have been moved to the National Museum in Baghdad.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Friday, August 3, 2012. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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