Summer 2023's Most Significant Archaeological Discoveries
A marble head was recovered from Lake Nemi on June 25 by the local civil protection, possibly linked to Emperor Caligula's legendary ships. In Segesta, Sicily, a Hellenistic altar and two sculpted stone blocks emerged from vegetation, declared by regional officials to be in perfect condition. A marble head of a female statue, likely Aphrodite, was found during the restoration of the Mausoleum of Augustus in Rome. Drought in Mexico exposed the 16th-century Temple of Quechula in the Grijalva River. In China, archaeologists announced the discovery of a Bronze Age city at the Zhaigou site in Henan province, dating to the early Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BCE), with hundreds of artifacts including painted pottery, tombs, and ornaments.
Key facts
- Marble head found in Lake Nemi on June 25, 2023, possibly linked to Caligula's ships.
- Hellenistic altar and two sculpted blocks uncovered in Segesta, Sicily.
- Marble head of a female statue, likely Aphrodite, found at Mausoleum of Augustus in Rome.
- Temple of Quechula (Santiago) emerged from Grijalva River in Chiapas, Mexico due to drought.
- Bronze Age city discovered at Zhaigou site in Henan, China, dating to early Shang dynasty.
- Hundreds of artifacts found at Zhaigou, including painted pottery, tombs, and ornaments.
- Sicilian regional president Renato Schifani and assessor Francesco Paolo Scarpinato commented on Segesta finds.
- Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri commented on the marble head discovery.
Entities
Institutions
- Protezione Civile comunale di Nemi
- Corriere della Sera
- Regione Siciliana
- archeomedia.net
- CGTN
- Artribune
Locations
- Lake Nemi
- Nemi
- Castelli Romani
- Italy
- Calatafimi Segesta
- Segesta
- Trapani
- Sicily
- Rome
- Mausoleum of Augustus
- Piazza Augusto Imperatore
- Grijalva River
- Chiapas
- Mexico
- San Juan Quechula
- Zhaigou
- Henan
- China