Welcome back, everybody!  I’m Rick Pettigrew, delivering our four top news stories from this past week of Archaeologica.  Send us feedback on The Archaeology Channel Facebook page or post a message on our social networking site, ArchaeoSeek!

Excavators in China uncovered a jade and stone workshop in the ruins of the capital of the ancient and mysterious Shu Kingdom.  The draining of a lake in central Norway surprisingly exposed several firepits made by pre-Viking Sami people.  A genetic study of the Four Corners potato on the Colorado Plateau reveals that the plant was actually transported and cultivated as an important staple alongside maize and other important crops.  And archaeologists in Turkey came across a rare temple of the mysterious Roman Mithras cult.

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And now, here’s Laura Kennedy with the Audio News from Archaeologica!  We hope you find this to be a valuable part of your day!

Welcome to the Audio News from Archaeologica!  I’m Laura Kennedy, and these are the headlines in archaeological and historical news for the week of July 21st through the 27th, 2024. 

We begin this week in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, home of the legendary 4,500-year-old ruins of Sanxingdui [SAN shing dwee], or Three Star Mound.  

As reported by ArkeoNews, the ruins are considered one of the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th Century and are believed to lie at the heart of the mysterious ancient Shu Kingdom.  The site held a treasure trove of sacrificial bronze, gold, jade, and ivory objects in pits that lay hidden until the mid-1980s.

Recently, archaeologists uncovered a jade and stone workshop site there dating back to the middle Shang Dynasty, circa 1600 to 1046 BC— predating the burial period of the site's sacrificial pits.  This is the first such find at Sanxingdui.  Located about half a mile from the sacrificial pits, the workshop contained artifacts ranging from blanks, fragments, and waste to completed projects.  This is an indication of a well established early production chain.  

According to Ran Honglin, who is in charge of the archaeological work at the Sanxingdui Ruins site under the Sichuan Province Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute, the discovery of the workshop will help shed light on several mysteries.  Among them are the origins of the large quantities of raw jade and stone materials found at Sanxingdui, the techniques used in their crafting and production, and how the finished works were distributed.

The workshop will also help archaeologists clarify the layout of what they believe is a carefully planned high-walled city at the heart of the Shu Kingdom, measuring some 2.25 square miles.  The recent uncovering of city gates, canals, water gates, and roads has validated the city’s existence.  Earlier discoveries of sacrificial and palace areas also confirmed the city’s existence.

Xinhua [SHEEN hwah] News Agency reports that future efforts will seek to locate bronze production workshops and further uncover the mysteries of the ancient Shu civilization.

Next, we travel to central Norway, where the draining of the artificial Lake Nesjøen cleared the way for an archaeological team to find proof of a pre-Viking settlement in what is now Trøndelag  county.

As reported by ScienceNorway, the team sought evidence of the Sámi [SAHM ee], the ancient indigenous people of the northern region of Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Russia's Kola Peninsula.  

The traditional Sámi lands, known as Sápmi [SAHP mee], have been inhabited for thousands of years, long before the first Viking raid.  Thousands of Sámi still inhabit  Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Russia.  As skilled hunters, fishers and herders, they strive to live in harmonious balance with the harsh climatic conditions above the Arctic Circle.  

According to lead archaeologist Harald Bugge Midthjell, the vegetation-free surface made finds easier to spot.  In one area, they uncovered several Sámi firepits dating from the Viking Age and the 8th century.  Until Lake Nesjøen was drained, no one knew of any significant Sámi settlement in Trøndelag during this time period.

Midthjell had no doubt that these were Sámi fire pits.  He notes that they're often built in a distinctive manner that marks them as being from traditional settlements of a certain size.  The pits were also built up with surrounding stones, indicating they were permanent settlements and not temporary campsites.

During this time, the growing Viking population was expanding not only across the North Sea, but also northward into the Sápmi.  The two groups soon formed a mutually beneficial relationship.  Sámi hunters provided the Norse with furs, skins, and fish. 

In exchange, Viking craftsmen and traders offered skillfully crafted weapons, tools, jewelry, and textiles; in addition, Vikings also made and traded luxury items like glassware, pottery, and exotic spices.  Sámi artisans learned Viking craftsmanship and artistry, while Vikings learned the Sámis' sophisticated Arctic hunting, trapping and survival techniques.  The two groups also exchanged ideas, knowledge and beliefs.

Their relationship was not entirely peaceful.  As Viking societies encroached on traditional Sámi lands, societal and cultural tension was inevitable.  Since a huge part of the economic foundation of Viking societies was slave labor, it's likely that many Sámi were forced into servitude and that they resorted to violence in return.  Yet, while the two groups may not have reached the level of friendship, they had periods of cooperation and mutual respect between them.

Our third story takes us to southern Utah, where genetic analysis of a wild tuber dubbed the Four Corners potato has shown that ancient native populations first domesticated it as a staple crop on the arid Colorado Plateau.

As reported by the University of Utah, scientists from Red Butte Garden and the Natural History Museum of Utah showed that domestication of a plant species can begin with people gathering and replanting a propagating portion of the plant in a new location.  

According to Lisbeth Louderback, curator of archaeology for NHMU, such transport is one of the early crucial steps in the domestication of native plants into crops.  

Researchers have long viewed this tuber as a "lost sister" of maize, beans and squash, the three "sister crops" grown in the arid landscape.

The authors collected DNA samples from modern Four Corners potato populations, both near archaeological sites and from non-archaeological populations in the potato’s natural range in the Mogollon [moh-goh-YOHN] Rim of central Arizona and New Mexico.  The plants thrive in high altitude conifer woodlands, and thousands of small tubers can grow beneath a single pinyon pine canopy.

To create viable seeds, the tubers' flowers must receive pollen from a different plant with specific, compatible genetic factors.  Without it, plants will clone themselves by sprouting from underground stems to create a genetically identical daughter plant.  This cloning capability allows the plant to persist in difficult conditions.  It also creates a genetic stamp marking where each population originated, which persists for hundreds of generations.

The Utah team's findings indicated that the potato was transported and cultivated, likely by the ancestors of modern Pueblo Hopi [HOPE ee],  Zuni [ZOO nee], Tewa [TAY wah], Zia [ZEE uh], Diné [dih NEH], Southern Paiute [PIE yoot], and Apache tribes.  Remarkably, the study, published in the American Journal of Botany, revealed that genetic relationships among archaeological populations did not correspond to geographic proximity.

While its unique distribution startled scientists and researchers, local tribal members weren't surprised.  The wild tuber has twice the protein, calcium, magnesium and iron of an organic red potato, and a single tuber can yield up to 600 small tubers in just four months.  That would have made it a coveted trade item and a vital source of nutrition in lean winter months.  It also made the Southwest an important —and overlooked—secondary region of domestication.

According to Dr.  Bruce Pavlik, former director of conservation at Red Butte Garden and lead author of the study, combined with maize, cacao and agave, the Four Corners potato epitomizes the major influence of humans on plant diversity in the landscape over millennia.

This week's final destination is Zerzevan [ZAIR-zih-vahn] Castle in southeastern Turkey, where excavations in Mesopotamia have uncovered a 1,900-year-old underground temple.  

As reported by ArkeoNews, participants from across the Roman Empire stayed in the temple while participating in secret ceremonies and rituals of the Mithras [MITH rahss] cult.  The excavations revealed where Mithras followers from different parts of the Empire stayed during certain periods of the year. 

According to excavation director Aytaç Coşkun [EYE-tatch COHSH-kun], archaeologists were unaware of the temple’s existence when work at the castle began in 2017, and it was only discovered by chance.  It is now considered the most important structure of Zerzevan Castle.

Mithras was an ancient Persian sun god adopted into Roman beliefs.  The Mithras cult, so veiled in secrecy that none of its beliefs and rites were allowed to be recorded, first became popular toward the end of the first century AD.  

During the next two centuries, the mystery religion—especially appealing to soldiers, traders and aristocrats drawn to its emphasis on discipline, loyalty, and brotherhood—spread to the frontiers of the Roman empire.  It was banned during the spread of Christianity in the 4th century AD.

The temple was carved into the main rock underground on the eastern wall of the castle.  The entrance is decorated by columns, a large niche in the center and two smaller niches on the sides.  According to UNESCO, it is one of the last Mithras sanctuaries in the world and possibly the best preserved. 

The now-ruined castle sits on a rocky hill overlooking the Tigris River Valley.  Originally, the Eastern Roman Empire built the castle in the 4th century as a military garrison on the ancient trade route between Diyarbakır [dee ahr buh KEER] and Mardin [mar DEEN].  The castle’s location was at a strategic point in ancient times, along “The Royal Road” established by the Persian King Darius the Great in the fourth century BC.  

The castle was in use until the 7th century.  Excavations have been underway for ten years, focusing this year specifically on the Mithras temple structure.

That wraps up the news for this week!

For more stories and daily news updates, visit Archaeologica on the World Wide Web at www.archaeologica.org where all the news is history! Also, be sure to check out our new subscription platform, Heritage Broadcasting Service, at heritagetac.org!

I’m Laura Kennedy and I’ll see you next week!