Note: "Cnidus or Knidos (pronounced K-nee-dos) lies at the tip of a long finger of land projecting into the sea in the south-west corner of western Turkey. It was founded in around 360 BC on terraces built into ground that rises a 1, 000 feet from the sea to a towering fortified acropolis. The city was inhabited until late antiquity, when it was abandoned, probably as a result of repeated raids by pirates." Source: The British Museum
"Cnidus boasted two fine harbours, four theatres and other fine civic and sacred buildings, the most important of which were situated on the western edge, overlooking the sea and with a fine view of the island of Cos. The Cnidians exported their wine and other produce far and wide, but the city was chiefly famous for its statue of Aphrodite. This naked representation of the goddess of love was carved by the Athenian sculptor Praxiteles, celebrated for his ability to turn white marble into living flesh.
"The male puppy with its arrow-head milky teeth was less than two months old when it died. It was found in summer 2018 inside a lump of a frozen ground near Indigirka River, north-east of Yakutsk. Its full body, muzzle, and even whiskers and eyelashes have been preserved by permafrost." Source: Ancient Origins.
"The reason for the puppy’s death has not been determined yet, although its position did not suggest distress, unlike the previously discovered Tumat puppies [next video]."
Video from 2016.
Note: These aren't the only ancient mummified dogs (or wolves -- it's unclear in some cases) that have been found over the years:
"There are a number of recently discovered specimens which are proposed as being Paleolithic dogs, however their taxonomy is debated. These have been found in either Europe or Siberia and date 40,000-17,000 YBP. They include Hohle Fels in Germany, Goyet Caves in Belgium, Predmosti in the Czech Republic, and four sites in Russia: Razboinichya Cave in the Altai Republic, Kostyonki-8, Ulakhan Sular in the Sakha Republic, and Eliseevichi 1 on the Russian plain. Paw-prints from Chauvet Cave in France [next video] dated 26,000 YBP are suggested as being those of a dog, however these have been challenged as being left by a wolf." (Wikipedia)
"A canine conundrum solved? Domestic dogs emerged from not one, but two wolf families at opposite ends of Eurasia, according to fresh evidence." Source: New Scientist (2016).
"But it appears that both camps may be right. An analysis of modern and ancient DNA has revealed a deep split in the family tree of European and Asian dogs."
The short history of the Mongols is so complex and covers so much territory that I'm not even going to try to describe it all here. Basically, Genghis Khan united the savage Mongol tribes of the steppes, invaded China, then sent some of his forces west to attack Europe. The Great Khan and his sons led these various battles, spreading terror and massive destruction wherever they went.
"The Mongol invasion of Europe in the 13th century was the attempted conquest of Europe by the Mongol Empire, by way of the destruction of East Slavic principalities, such as Kiev and Vladimir. The Mongol invasions also occurred in Central Europe, which led to warfare among fragmented Poland, such as the Battle of Legnica (9 April 1241) and in the Battle of Mohi (11 April 1241) in the Kingdom of Hungary." Source: Wikipedia.
Genghis Khan died in 1227 AD. One of his sons, Ogedei, became the new Khan in 1229. The Mongol forces in the West could have conquered Europe, changing world history forever, but they began to withdraw in 1242. To this day, no one knows for sure what happened. According to Wikipedia, "the true reasons for the Mongol withdrawal are not fully known, but numerous plausible explanations exist."
The invaders might have left following the death of Ogedei in the East. It's also possible that their forces were bogged down and stretched too thin after suffering a large number of casualties. The weather may have played a role, the harsh winter making it difficult to feed their horses, and internal rebellions could have weakened them as well.
The Mongols were always an unstable coalition and their unity depended on strong, charismatic leaders like Genghis Khan. His death led to the inevitable wars of succession and by 1294 "the Mongol Empire had fractured into four separate khanates or empires, each pursuing its own separate interests and objectives." (Wikipedia) After that it wasn't long before Mongol rule collapsed all over Eurasia.
The Mongols may have been responsible, at least in part, for carrying the Black Death into Europe, but the growth in trade between East and West probably had more to do with the spread of the contagion. One way or another, the Mongols had a devastating effect on Eurasia. Overall, they are thought to have been responsible, directly or indirectly, for the deaths of up to 40 million people. Despite that incredible statistic, however, some historians argue that the impact of the Mongol invasions was beneficial for the regions they vanquished:
"In nearly every country the Mongols conquered, they brought an unprecedented rise in cultural communication, expanded trade, and a blossoming of civilization. Vastly more progressive than his European or Asian counterparts, Genghis Khan abolished torture, granted universal religious freedom, and smashed feudal systems of aristocratic privilege." Source: "Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World," by Jack Weatherford.
All of that could be true, I suppose, though I find it hard to believe that Genghis Khan abolished torture. If so, that would mean that the Great Khan was more humane that most of our recent US presidents (which wouldn't really surprise me now that I think about it). I'm sure that the Mongols were more than just a horde of bloodthirsty marauders, but if they were such an advanced civilizing force it's difficult to understand why their empire collapsed so quickly.
"Archaeologists have unearthed a Bronze Age skeleton that was buried with an unusual garment: a collar or headdress made of dozens of bird beaks and skulls." Source: Live Science.
"The so-called birdman's remains, which date to about 5,000 years ago, were discovered at the Ust-Tartas dig site in Siberia's Novosibirsk region, The Siberian Times reported."
Note: "...the 'birdman' had company; the archaeologists discovered a two-tiered grave nearby. An upper layer held the bodies of two children, who were approximately 5 and 10 years old when they died. On the lower level — and underneath a wooden divider — was the skeleton of an adult male.
"The last woolly mammoths lived on Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean; they died out 4,000 years ago within a very short time. An international research team ... has now reconstructed the scenario that could have led to the mammoths' extinction. The researchers believe a combination of isolated habitat and extreme weather events, and even the spread of prehistoric man may have sealed the ancient giants' fate." Source: Science Daily.
Note: According to this scenario, the mammoths' habitat shrank during the warming that followed the end of the last ice age and a group of the animals ended up isolated on Wrangel Island by rising sea levels. According to Wikipedia, they survived on the island "until 2500–2000 BC, the most recent survival of all known mammoth populations. Isolated from the mainland for 6000 years, about 500 to 1000 mammoths lived on the island at the time."
"A total of 131 hanging coffins were recently discovered in Moping township of Zigui county, central China's Hubei province. The coffins were found on a cliff that was 50 meters wide and 100 meters high." Source: Archaeology News Network (2015).
"It is one of the biggest hanging coffin tomb sites to be found so far in Chinese mainland. The wooden coffins were placed in man-made caves or natural rock tunnels on the cliff. According to archaeologists, these hanging coffin tombs can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty of 1,200 years ago, and the tomb owners were Bo people, an ancient aboriginal tribe in southwest China."
Tourist video from 2013. Audio improves about halfway through.
"Hanging coffins are an ancient funeral custom of some ethnic groups, especially the Bo people of southern China. Coffins of various shapes were mostly carved from one whole piece of wood. Hanging coffins either lie on beams projecting outward from vertical faces such as mountains, are placed in caves in the face of cliffs, or sit on natural rock projections on mountain faces." Source: Wikipedia.
"It was said that the hanging coffins could prevent bodies from being taken by beasts and also bless the soul eternally. Spiritually, the Bo people viewed the mountain cliffs as a stairway to heaven and believed that by placing the coffins up high the deceased would be closer to heaven. A practical reason for placing the coffins on cliffs includes isolation, so that they are hard for animals to reach and less vulnerable to destruction."
"Mehrgarh is an archaeological site situated in the Balochistan, in the southwestern part of Pakistan. In the native Balochi language, ‘mehr’ is said to mean ‘love’, and ‘garh’ means heaven. Thus, the name of the site may be taken to mean ‘the heaven of love’." Source: Ancient Origins.
"Mehrgarh is considered one of the most important Neolithic sites in South Asia, with some of the earliest evidence of agriculture discovered there. Thus, Mehrgarh is sometimes referred to as the earliest farming settlement in South Asia. Additionally, Mehrgarh is a precursor to the Indus Valley Civilization, one of the cradles of civilization . Archaeologists have divided the occupation of Mehrgarh into seven chronological periods, which provides a picture of how the site developed over the millennia."
Views of the archaeological site begin at 4:57.
"Mehrgarh is a classic tell site , a tell being an artificial mound created over time. As the occupants of the site built new structures over the ruins of old ones, the mound gradually increased in height, and, after many generations, forms a tell."
More videos of Mehrgarh can be found on YouTube, but most of them aren't in English. This very ancient site has apparently been seriously damaged by tribal warfare, looting, official indifference and politically-motivated vandalism:
"Despite its significance, the site of Mehrgarh is in a sorry state today." (Ancient Origins) "..."In 2002, the site became an unfortunate victim of a tribal feud between the Raisani and Rind tribes. Rockets fired by both tribes badly damaged the site. Additionally, although the site was under the control of the Raisani, the Rind also had claims over it. Not content with the way things were, the latter decided simply to bulldoze the site.
"In addition to local problems, Mehrgarh faces international ones as well. In October 2014, the Italian authorities confiscated antiquities in Rome that were stolen from Mehrgarh. In a 2015 article, it was reported that the objects have not been repatriated yet due to bureaucratic red tape and the lack of interest from Pakistani authorities."
Notes: "The Belitung shipwreck (also called the Tang shipwreck or Batu Hitam shipwreck) is the wreck of an Arabian dhow which sailed a route from Africa to China around 830 AD. The ship completed the outward journey, but sank on the return journey, approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) off the coast of Belitung Island, Indonesia." Source: Wikipedia.
The Belitung shipwreck, along with two other ships discovered in the area, "turned out to be an undersea treasure trove of such massive historical significance that Shanghai, Singapore and Doha in Qatar are vying with each other to buy the cargo," according to The Independent (2011) .
"The treasure was part of a huge cargo of eighth-century porcelain that traders from the Chinese Tang dynasty had put aboard an Arab dhow for export to Malaysia, India and what is now Saudi Arabia. The dhow's remains, found among the treasure, suggest the ship was wrecked on the treacherous underwater reefs of Indonesia's Karimata straits on its outward voyage through the Java sea." (The Independent)
"Microliths - small stone tools - are often interpreted as being part of composite tools, including projectile weapons, and essential to efficient hunting strategies of Homo sapiens. In Europe and Africa, the earliest appearance of these lithic toolkits are linked to hunting medium and large-sized animals in grassland or woodland settings, or as adaptations to risky environments during periods of climatic change. Yet the presence of small, quartz stone tools in Sri Lanka suggests the existence of more diverse ecological contexts for the development and use of these technologies by some of the earliest members of our species migrating out of Africa." Source: Archaeology News Network.
This report describes microliths discovered at the "cave site of Fa-Hien Lena (1) in the tropical evergreen rainforests of Sri Lanka." These stone tools "have been dated to between 48,000 and 45,000 years ago. This is as early, or earlier, than the well-known 'Upper Palaeolithic' technologies of Europe associated with Homo sapiens, and highlights that these sophisticated toolkits were a key part of our species' ecological flexibility as it colonized the Eurasian continent."
(1) I'm not sure about this, but I think that the Fa-Hien Lena cave mentioned in this article is the same as the Fa-Hien or Pahiyangala cave shown in the video above. According to Wikipedia, human remains found in the cave date back to "the same period as European Cro-Magnon man and other Late Pleistocenehominids in the Eastern Hemisphere."
The discovery of these stone tools provides yet more evidence that early humans migrated into the region much earlier than previously believed:
"...In the last decade, growing archaeological evidence has documented the use of tropical rainforest resources by Homo sapiens in several locations in South Asia, South East Asia, and Melanesia between 45,000 and 36,000 years ago. This is much earlier than previously considered, especially given stereotypes that these environments were 'barriers' to human migration, with disease, dangerous animals, and limited resources all posing challenges."