A small slave badge engraved with the year ‘1853’ that was discovered in Charleston, South Carolina earlier this year is one of Archaeology Magazine’s top 10 discoveries in 2021.
It was a square copper piece that served as a permit. This allowed the servants to use the city without the need to go to their owners, who would have to pay between $10-$35 for the tag.
The badge made Archaeology Magazine’s list because Charleston was the only US location to provide the working permit, making the artifact a very rare discovery.
The list also includes the discovery of Egypt’s 3,500-year-old Golden City that is deemed the most significant find since King Tutankhamun and footprints found in New Mexico made by the earliest humans to trek across America 23,000 years ago.
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Archaeology Magazine has been published for more than 70 years by the Archaeological Institute of America and the top 10 list will appear in the magazine’s January/February 2022 issue, which is set to hit newsstands this week.
Marley Brown, associate editor of Archaeology Magazine, said in a statement: ‘We felt the tag had to be included because it’s a reminder of an individual who may otherwise have been lost to time and to the dehumanizing system of enslavement.
‘What’s more, the fact that the College of Charleston team recovered the object from its archaeological context provides a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the person who may once have worn it — a real gift considering many of these tags have no provenance.’
The College of Charleston found the tag, which indicates the servant may have lost their permit as they worked to construct the structure that was built in 1785.
This year has produced several amazing discoveries, with Egypt’s Golden City making Archaeology Magazine’s list for being the largest ancient city to be uncovered in Luxor. An announcement was made on April 8. Excavations revealed bakeries and workshops as well as burials for humans, jewelry and mud bricks with seals from Amenhotep 3.
Initial plans were to locate Tutankhamun’s Mortuary Temple where the young King was mumified. But they found something more. The amulet that was found at this site is shown in the picture
This institution is both the 13th and oldest of its kind in America.
The 18th-century saw the first slave tags and they were still in use up to 1865.
These stamps were usually stamped with the date and occupation of the bearer (fisherman, slave, porter, etc.). They were also assigned a registration number.
It was used as proof that the enslaved person’s owner had approved this person to work for someone else and outside of the owner’s location.
The tag was discovered at an excavation site at 63½ Coming St, where a solar pavilion was set to be built.
A thorough investigation was required to determine the extent of the problem because the South Carolina Department of Energy provided federal funds to the school to finish the project.
It was February when the digging began. In March, the slave badge emerged and was announced officially in June.
The September discovery of ancient human footprints in New Mexico is another highlight. British and American archaeologists found the prints, which are 23,000 years old, while working in Alkali Flat at White Sands National Park.
The majority of prints found at White Sands belonged to children and teens, but a few were from adults. According to scientists, this suggests a ‘activity that is playful and of people of various ages coming together.
Jim Newhard, a classics professor, landscape architect and director of the college’s Center for Historical Landscapes, said in a statement: ‘You felt the evil.
‘It redoubled in my mind that not only was this artifact an expression of enslavement, so were the other objects we were recovering.’
This year has produced several amazing discoveries, with Egypt’s Golden City making Archaeology Magazine’s list for being the largest ancient city to be uncovered in Luxor.
An announcement was made on April 8 that excavations had revealed bakeries, workshops, and burials for animals, humans, as well as jewelry and pots with seals from Amenhotep I.
Another amazing discovery for the year is September’s oldest art found in Tibet. A Bronze Age map was unearthed by France in Bronze Age. There are also two life-size camel carvings that represent some of the oldest known animal art in history. This carving could be as old as 8,000 years.
Five sequences of hand- and footprints are the oldest known artworks in the world. They date back to around 226,000 years. These impressions were discovered in Quesang on a rock outcrop back in 2018. They are three to four times more old than cave paintings from France, Indonesia, and Spain.
Although the initial goal of the team was to find Tutankhamun’s Mortuary temple, where the young King received status rites and was mumified, they discovered something much greater.
Betsy Brian is Professor of Egyptology at John Hopkins University, Baltimore USA. She stated that “The discovery of the lost city was the second most significant archeological discovery after the tomb of Tutankhamun”.
Leather tools were found in Contrebandiers Cave, near the Atlantic coast, Morocco. They are made from animal bones, and can be shaped into human-like shapes.
‘The discovery of the Lost City, not only will give us a rare glimpse into the life of the Ancient Egyptians at the time where the Empire was at his wealthiest but will help us shed light on one of history’s greatest mystery: why did Akhenaten & Nefertiti decide to move to Amarna.’
This city is situated between Rameses III’s Medinet Habu Temple and Amenhotep III’s Memnon Temple.
Archaeologists began excavating in September 2020, and found a number of formations using mud bricks within weeks.
A top find is another: the September discovery of ancient footprints in New Mexico.
British and American archaeologists discovered the 23,000 year-old prints while working in Alkali Flat at White Sands National Park.
Researchers say the prints, which appear flat (a sign that the person was barefoot), reveal much more than a date. The prints give a peek into the life of people during the Upper Paleolithic Era (which began about 40,000 year ago).
Many of the tracks were left behind by teenagers and young children. There was also occasional track from adults and mammoths.
Another amazing discovery for the year is September’s oldest artwork, which was discovered in Tibet. A Bronze Age map from France and Morocco were also unearthed.
Archaeology also mentions the Newfoundland settlement where Vikings were first seen in New World, 1,000 years before Christopher Columbus.
It also includes a rare border marker from Italy as well as a mass grave for a crusader found in Lebanon.
A sequence of five footprints and hand prints is the oldest artifact in the world. It dates back approximately 226,000 years.
A massive map of the Bronze Age was discovered in France. It is believed to be Europe’s oldest map. French scientists discovered that the marks were created 4,000 years ago. They depict an area of Western Brittany in France.
There is an additional ancient rock on the list: a stone once marking the limits of Rome’s city-limits, and it dates back to Emperor Claudius (AD 49).
First discovered in Quesang in 2018, the impressions are approximately three- to four years older than the cave art of France, Indonesia and Spain.
The leather working tools, excavated from Contrebandiers Cave near the Atlantic coast of Morocco, are made of animal bones and were fashioned into shapes that look like human hands.
The archaeologists believe the tools are made of animal rib bone that dates back to between 120,000-90,000 years.
The Bronze Age map discovery is a massive stone that was uncovered in France in April is thought to be Europe’s oldest map.
Two mass graves with 25 Crusaders found dead in Holy Land during the 13th-century war have been discovered in Lebanon.
There are wounds in the remains that indicate the soldiers died after the use of swords and maces. Some bones have charring which indicates they had been burned when dropped into the pit.
French scientists have determined that these markings are etched over 4,000 years and represent a region in Western Brittany.
The slab, dubbed Saint-Bélec Slab, includes elements the team says they would expect in a prehistoric map – including ‘repeated motifs joined by lines to give the layout of a map.
Another ancient rock is also included in the list: a stone which once marked the boundaries of the ancient city of Rome. It dates back to the time of Emperor Claudius, AD 49.
The most shocking discovery is the two mass graves that contained 25 Crusaders killed in a Holy Land 13th century war. They were found in Lebanon.
There are wounds in the remains that suggest the soldiers died after the use of swords and maces. Some bones have charring which indicates the soldier was burned when they fell into the pit.