2 . Researchers in Germany have found leftovers of 5,000-year-old burnt porridge inside a ceramic (陶瓷的) pot. The pot was unearthed at a Neolithic settlement known as Oldenburg LA 77. Historians say the site was once home to one of the oldest villages in the German region of Schleswig-Holstein. “As soon as we looked inside the person’s cooking pot, it was obvious that something went wrong.” says Lucy Kubiak-Martens, an archaeobotanist with the Dutch research firm BIAX Consult.

The problem? Whoever attempted to make their meal that day must have cooked it for a bit too long, burning the grains inside.

The research was a teamwork between Kiel University and Kenaz Consult and Laboratory, both in Germany, and BIAX Consult. The team used electron microscopy (显微术) to learn about the chemical composition of the food leftovers. Although burning the food may have ruined someone’s meal thousands of years ago, it also helped preserve the leftovers, allowing today’s researchers to get a better look.

“While the animal fats are absorbed into the ceramic and leave a signal there, the plant food components can only be detected in the burnt food crust,” says Kubiak-Martens in a statement from Kiel University. The researchers found that the leftovers contain barley (大麦) and emmer grains, as well as seeds from a white goosefoot plant. They also learned that the barley was harvested and prepared in a style similar to that of contemporary German farmers. The wheat appears to have been processed in a sprouted (发芽) state., which has “several advantages over unsupported grain”, according to the study. Sprouted gains also have nutritional benefits, such as higher levels of important vitamins like iron and vitamin C, and they are easier to digest.

“Food in the Neolithic Age was therefore by no means tasteless, but rather varied,” according to the statement. “People had a highly differentiated sense of taste and attached great importance to good flavour.”

Previously, researchers thought the pot held dairy products. The new analysis revealed that the leftovers were actually a “sophisticated preparation of plant-based foodstuffs”. The team hopes their findings will help provide a more comprehensive understanding of dietary habits in the region.

3 . Several cultural relics unearthed from the Haihunhou tomb in Nanchang have been confirmed to be official documents presented to the imperial court. The three pieces already released were all written with ink, according to the Nanchang Evening News.

Based on the analysis by Zhang Yuzheng, an expert at Beijing Union University, the relics may be the oldest original copies of senior official documents in the Han Dynasty (BC 206-AD 220), which have great value for the study of ancient official documents.

Among the three publicly released relics, two of them remain fairly intact with exact date information, though the handwriting is partly damaged. Chinese characters meaning “concubine (妾)” and “Haihunhou He” can be seen on the relics, which show that they were written by the Marquis of Haihun Liu He and his concubine.

Zhang Yuzheng suggested that according to Haushu, the documents presented to the imperial court should be in two copies, with the original copy submitted to the emperor and the copy to the minister. The minister would first review the contents and then decide whether it was appropriate to be submitted to the emperor. The system was ended during the reign of Emperor Hanxuan in the Han Dynasty. The unearthed relics from Haihunhou tomb are believed to have been written on the fourth year of Yuankang during the reign of Emperor Hanxun when the system was already ended.

Therefore, Zhang holds that the unearthed relics written with date information “fourth year of Yuankang” were very likely the original copies of official documents, instead of copies.

The whole structure and content are also complete, the handwriting is quite neat, and the format (格式) is strict, consistent with the features of an original copy, according to Zhang.

4 . Archaeologists in Egypt have unearthed a Sphinx statue (狮身人面像) with a smiley face near the Hathor Temple, one of the country’s best preserved ancient sites. The smiling Sphinx is much smaller than the famous Sphinx in Giza, which is 20 metres high. The stone work of art, believed to be a stylized representation of an ancient Roman emperor, was found inside a two-level tomb near the temple in southern Egypt.

Next to the beautifully and accurately carved Sphinx, researchers had found a Roman stone written in hieroglyph (象形文字). Once fully translated, the stone may unveil the identity of the sculpted ruler, who could be Emperor Claudius.

The smiling Sphinx is among a series of discoveries announced over the past few months. The country has uncovered major archaeological discoveries in recent months, primarily in the Saqqara cemetery (墓地) south of Cairo as well as in Giza, home to the only surviving structure of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Recently, Egypt announced the discovery of a hidden nine-metre passage inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, which may lead to the actual burial room of pharaoh (法老) Khufu, or Cheops. Further south, in Luxor, archaeologists had discovered a 1,800-year-old complete residential city from the Roman times.

Hathor Temple, about 500 kilometres south of the capital Cairo, was home to the Dendera Zodiac, a heavenly map which has been displayed at the Louvre in Paris for more than a century. Since Frenchman Sebastien Louis Saulnier took it out of the temple in 1922, Egypt has been attempting to get it back.

Some experts see such announcements as having more political and economic weight than scientific, as Egypt is counting on tourism to revive its vital tourism industry in a severe economic crisis. The government aims to draw in 30 million tourists a year by 2028.

Located in the Yangtze River Basin, the archaeological (考古的) ruins of Liangzhu date back to 3, 300~2, 300 BC. The ruins reveal a nearly state with a unified belief system based on rice cultivation (种植), and this state    1     (offer)evidence that the Chinese civilization started 5, 000 years ago, 1, 000 years earlier than previously     2     (estimate). These ruins are    3     outstanding example of early urban civilization.

Chen Minghui, archaeologist and director of the Liangzhu Workstation, has an    4    (awful) tight schedule everyday as he not only has to deal with research work in Liangzhu and Lishui, but also needs to help review English-version books about the Liangzhu civilization, which    5     (release) soon.

Having worked in Liangzhu for 11 years, Chen is always     6     (confidence) that Liangzhu’s 5, 000-year history is unquestionable as it has all the necessary elements characterizing an ancient civilization, which are also key     7     (factor)that helped Liangzhu to be listed by UNESCO. “We must share our research results with the world,    8     (let) people from all over the world learn from and understand China’s Liangzhu civilization,” the 35-year-old archaeologist said.

    9     Chen hopes is to bring cultural relics (文物)     10     life, detailing all the exciting findings about Liangzhu-related research for people all over the world.

In Diaoyu city, an ancient castle in Southwest China’s Chongqing, a special tour was conducted recently with a focus on damaged walls, old stones and ordinary-looking locations, rather than the photogenic spots     1     (normal) favored by tourists.

Ten people from four     2     (family) were invited to the new archaeology-themed study tour,     3     was organized by Chongqing’s institute of cultural relics (文物) and archaeology. The tour was designec     4    (bring) the cultural relics more vitality (生机) and develop the interest of participants in study ins history and archaeology     5     (office) data shows that Chongqing has about 26,000 immovable cultural relics and over 1.48 million movable ones. By the end of 2021, there had been 108 million state-owned cultural relics.     6     total number of world heritage sites in China had reached 56,     7     (rank) second in the world.

Other than the study tour, Chongqing has promoted the charm of history and culture, such as opening the country’s first archaeology-themed café     8     starting an immersive (沉浸式的) and theatrical experience in a historic structure.

Chongqing     9     (bring) 10 more historical sites into the range of archaeological tourism in the future. These tourist attractions     10     (expect) to inspire the interest of teenagers in history and archaeological culture.