Scientists analyzed the sacred blue pigment used by the Mayans in sacrifices and other ceremonies, and finally came to the conclusion that this pigment was a mixture of indigo, minerals and Copa incense.

2. A masked mummy was found in Peru.

This well-preserved mummy, 1700 years ago, wearing a wooden mask, was found in the catacombs of a prosperous community in Lima, Peru. Archaeologists infer from the funerary objects such as spear throwers and looms that this mummy should have been an important person in charge of weaving in Peruvian Moche culture before his death.

3. Stone with Soul

Researchers have discovered the remains of an ancient tomb 2,800 years ago in southeastern Turkey, giving scientists a new understanding of ancient religious beliefs. This basalt stone is engraved with the inscription 13, and one of the senior officials mentioned the food offering made for "my soul lurks in this tombstone". This proves that the culture of the Stone Age believed that the soul was separated from the body and could live in a tombstone.

4. The earliest fecal fossils in North America

Archaeologists found ancient excrement 14300 years ago in caves in eastern Oregon, providing the earliest evidence for human exploration of the American continent. Researchers even extracted DNA from fecal fossils, which may help to uncover the long-standing mystery about the first Americans.

5. The oldest oil painting

Researchers have discovered the oldest known oil painting in the world in a maze of caves in Bamiyan Valley, Afghanistan. At the same place, the Taliban regime blew up two giant buddhas on 200 1.

6. The earliest Europeans

Archaeologists discovered a piece of Homo erectus mandible when digging a cave in northern Spain, which can be traced back to 6,543,800 years ago. This shows that the ancestors of modern human beings set foot on the land of European continent about 500 thousand years earlier than archaeologists thought before.

7. The earliest shoes

When analyzing the 42,000-year-old human phalanges excavated from China, archaeologists found evidence that a man named "Tianyuan No.1" (Tianyuan 1) wore shoes.

8. Ancient shipwrecks in Portugal

Geologists engaged in underwater diamond mining near the coast of Namibia have made a discovery of great scientific value: a cargo ship16th century sank to the bottom of the sea, apparently not looted by underwater treasure hunters. Scientists found nearly 50 pounds of gold coins, navigation instruments, ivory and other treasures on it.

9. Marble head of Roman Empire

Archaeologists found a marble head of a huge Roman emperor in archaeological excavations in central Turkey. Here, big cities in the first century once flourished. Last year, archaeologists found Adrian's head in a Roman bath in Lachausse, SarGalaso province. This year, researchers found pieces of statues of Ustina, wife of Marcus Aurelius and Roman King Antoninus Pius.

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Researchers found a 20-inch-long ivory engraved with pictures of seals, bears and a whaling ship at the archaeological site in Chukota Peninsula, Russia. Daniel Odess, director of the Archaeological Branch of the University of Alaska Museum, said that the earliest age of sea ivory can be traced back to about 3,000 years ago, which shows that the carving on it is "the earliest evidence of whaling".

For the above ten archaeological discoveries, Mark Ross, editor of the website of Archaeology magazine, said that this list did not include some major archaeological discoveries, because they either did not meet the annual selection criteria, or they were found too late to be selected as the top ten archaeological discoveries. One of the most important discoveries is the 60-foot-long statue of the reclining Buddha. It is reported that this statue was found at the Bamiyan site in Afghanistan.

But this sleeping Buddha is not the legendary "sleeping Buddha" in Bamiyan, and it is 1000 feet (about 300 meters) long. An ancient monk in China in the 7th century once described Bamiyan's "sleeping Buddha" in his works, but archaeologists have not found it yet. Ross said that the discovery is still "major news" in view of the fact that the two largest Buddha statues in the world standing in Bamiyan were destroyed by the Taliban regime. The problem is that the people in charge of this archaeological research are trying not to let the outside world know their findings.