• Possible tomb of Chinese tyrant uncovered

    History-of-China.com

    A detail of the Thirteen Emperors Scroll, created in the 7th century, showing Emperor Yang of Sui.

    By Megan Gannon, LiveScience

    Archaeologists have found a tomb in eastern China that may be the grave of the notorious Emperor Yang of Sui, according to news reports.

    With inscriptions revealing the surprising identity of the deceased, the burial chamber measures about 215 square feet (20 square meters). It was uncovered in Yangzhou, a city about 175 miles (280 kilometers) southeast of Shanghai, China's state news agency Xinhua reported.

    Shu Jiaping, who leads Yangzhou's institute of archaeology, told Xinhua that researchers are "still not sure whether it was the emperor's final resting place, as historical records said his tomb had been relocated several times."

    Emperor Yang, also known as Yang Guang, is remembered as a fearsome and decadent tyrant. During his rule from 606 until his death at the hands of rebels in 618, he forced millions of laborers to take part in ambitious construction projects, such as building royal palaces,  completing of the Grand Canal and reconstructing of the Great Wall. Emperor Yang also launched costly military campaigns, including a failed conquest of Goguryeo, an ancient kingdom of Korea, which eventually led to the collapse of the Sui Dynasty.

    Grave robbers seem to have looted the tomb in the 1,500 years since the emperor's death, according to China Daily. However, archaeologists reportedly found some items considered telltale signs of royalty inside the tomb, including a jade belt with gold details. The tomb was exposed at a construction site last year, and it is connected to another chamber that may belong to the emperor's wife, Xinhua reported.

    Emperor Yang's final resting place pales in comparison to those of other Chinese rulers. An army of life-size clay warriors famously guards the city-sized tomb of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, who died in 210 B.C. The main burial chamber of Qin Shi Huang has yet to be excavated, but according to legend, it has rivers of mercury and a ceiling encrusted with gems. Archaeologists recently found the emperor's palace complex at the site near the city of Xi'an.

    Follow Megan Gannon on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on LiveScience.com.

    Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

  • Medieval knight's tomb found under parking lot

    Headland Archaeology/ Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation

    This carved slab, thought to be the headstone of a medieval knight, was found under a parking lot in Edinburgh.

    By Megan Gannon, LiveScience

    A medieval headstone and skeleton have been found underneath a parking lot in Scotland, and researchers believe they might belong to a knight.

    Archaeologists who were on hand during the construction of a new building in Edinburgh uncovered a carved sandstone slab, decorated with markers of nobility — a Calvary cross and a sword. Nearby, the team found an adult skeleton, which is thought to have once occupied the grave. Scientists plan to analyze the bones and teeth to learn more about this possible knight or nobleman.

    "We hope to find out more about the person buried in the tomb once we remove the headstone and get to the remains underneath, but our archaeologists have already dated the gravestone to the thirteenth century," Richard Lewis, a member of the City of Edinburgh Council, said in a statement.

    "This find has the potential to be one of the most significant and exciting archaeological discoveries in the city for many years, providing us with yet more clues as to what life was like in medieval Edinburgh." [8 Grisly Archaeological Discoveries]

    Builders at the site expected they would find historic objects during construction. Before it became a parking lot (coincidentally, once used by the University of Edinburgh's archaeology department), the site housed the 17th-century Royal High School, the 16th-century Old High School, and the 13th-century Blackfriars Monastery, researchers said. Archaeologists also apparently uncovered some medieval remains of the monastery, which had been destroyed and somewhat lost since the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century.

    "We always knew that the building retrofit might uncover historical artifacts — given the site's history — but this knight is an extraordinary and exciting find," said Andy Kerr, director of the Edinburgh Center for Carbon Innovation, which is undertaking the construction at the site.

    Parking lots are turning out to be treasure troves in the United Kingdom. Last summer, a mutilated skeleton was unearthed from a medieval church that had been buried underneath a lot in Leicester, England. Scientists recently announced that the bones were confirmed to belong to King Richard III, who was apparently buried there after his death at the Battle of Bosworth Field, during the War of the Roses. In fact, the English monarch's remains are still the center of much fascination and passionate debate. For instance, was the real-life king the villain described in the Shakespeare play of his namesake? And where should King Richard III's bones be re-interred?

    Email Megan Gannon or follow her @meganigannon. Follow LiveScienceon Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook& Google+. Original article on LiveScience.com

    Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

  • Toothy tumor found lodged in 1,600-year-old Roman corpse

    Photo copyright International Journal of Paleopathology

    Archaeologists working at the site of La Fogonussa near Lleida, Spain, uncovered an ancient female skeleton with an odd tumor embedded with teeth hidden in her pelvis.

    By Owen Jarus
    LiveScience

    In a necropolis in Spain, archaeologists have found the remains of a Roman woman who died in her 30s with a calcified tumor in her pelvis, a bone and four deformed teeth embedded within it.

    Two of the teeth are still attached to the wall of the tumor researchers say.

    The woman, who died some 1,600 years ago, had a condition known today as an ovarian teratoma which, as its name indicates, occurs in the ovaries.The word Teratoma comes from the Greek words "teras" and "onkoma" which translate to "monster" and "swelling," respectively. The tumor is about 1.7 inches (44 millimeters) in diameter at its largest point.

    "Ovarian teratomas are bizarre, but benign tumors," writes lead researcher Núria Armentano, of the ANTROPÒLEGS.LAB company and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, in an email to LiveScience.

    The tumors come from germ cells, which form human eggs and can create hair, teeth and bone, among other structures. [ See Images of Bizarre Tumor & Remains ]

    This is the first time scientists have found this type of teratoma in the ancient world.

    "(T)his is an extraordinary case, not only for its antiquity, but also its identification in the archeological record," writes the research team in a paper published recently in the International Journal of Paleopathology.

    Photo courtesy Núria Armentano, cropping by Owen Jarus

    A close-up view of the two teeth still attached to the tumor.

    The woman lived at a time of decline for the Roman Empire, with new groups (popularly known as the "barbarians") moving into Roman territory, eventually taking over Spain and other areas.

    Who was she?
    Archaeologists found the woman buried in a necropolis near Lleida in the Catalonia region of Spain. They only found a few artifacts buried with her: tiles known as tegulae that had been put over her body to form a gabled roof.

    "Tegulae graves were the most common Roman burials. She was not an important or rich person. She had a low socioeconomic status," Armentano explained.

    The researchers note in their paper that while it's possible the woman never experienced symptoms, it's also possible that, despite the tumor being benign, it ultimately killed her.

    "This ovarian teratoma could have been the cause of this woman's death, because sometimes the development of teratomas results in displacement and functional disturbances of adjacent organs," the researchers write. They note that infection, hemolytic anemia and pregnancy complications can also occur with an ovarian teratoma, events that could also have caused the woman's death.

    The tumor would not have changed her outward appearance, and researchers can't tell for certain what affect it had on her, Armentano explained.

    "We suppose that, at least during a long part of her life, she was completely unaware of this tumor. Depending on the eventual complications, she could have suffered, but there" is no evidence of this, writes Armentano. "She could have died because of many other causes!"

    Despite that uncertainty, historical records do indicate that this woman lived in a time period of great change. King's College London Professor Peter Heather notes in his book "The Fall of the Roman Empire" (Oxford University Press, 2006) that, by A.D. 411, Spain had been divided between groups known as the Vandals, Suevi and Alans.

    The ancient writer Hydatius wrote that the "Spaniards in the cities and forts who had survived the disasters surrendered themselves to servitude under the barbarians, who held sway throughout the provinces."

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