Biggest Archaeological Discovery since Tutankhamun's Tomb?

They found a ship that disappeared in the Arctic over 160 years ago. One of two on an expedition to chart the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-29131757

One historian is describing it as the biggest Archaeological discovery since finding the Tomb of Tutankhamun.

The loss of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror prompted one of largest searches in history, running from 1848 to 1859.

The mystery has gripped people for generations, in part because no one knows for sure exactly what happened to the crew.

Experts believe the ships were lost when they became locked in the ice near King William Island and that the crews abandoned them in a hopeless bid to reach safety.

What, for you, would be the biggest Archaeological discovery since finding the Tomb of Tutankhamun?

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The story of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror is fascinating. Dan Simmons wrote a fictional horror/accurate historical novel about Franklin, Crozier and the expedition in "The Terror"

The Terror is a 2007 novel by American author Dan Simmons.[1] The novel is a fictionalized account of Captain Sir John Franklin's lost expedition of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror to the Arctic to force the Northwest Passage in 1845–1848. In the novel, while Franklin and his crew are plagued by starvation and scurvy and forced to contend with mutiny and cannibalism, they are stalked across the bleak Arctic landscape by a monster.[2]

The characters featured in The Terror are almost all actual members of Franklin's crew, whose unexplained disappearance has warranted a great deal of speculation. The main characters in the novel include Sir John Franklin, commander of the expedition and captain of Erebus, Captain Francis Crozier, captain of Terror, Dr Harry D.S Goodsir, and Captain James Fitzjames.[3]

The Terror was nominated for the British Fantasy Award in 2008.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Terror_%28novel%29
It's pretty epic and highly atmospheric. Recommended.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVY8LoM47xI

<3

[iup=3560995]Mockmaster[/iup] wrote:What, for you, would be the biggest Archaeological discovery since finding the Tomb of Tutankhamun?

The unmistakable discovery of Viking or pre-Viking European or Asian settlements/ships/artifacts in the Americas.

King Tut takes me back to my Amiga days. Deluxe Paint :wub:

To answer the question, it wasn't significant on the saem scale as those mentioned above, but Richard III in a car park was staggering. He was one of British history's most notorious and best-known anti-heroes, and there was something very sad about where he ended up*.

* Leicester.

Geological surveys around Macchu Pichu have revealed a hollow chamber under one of the giant terraces. The prevailing theory is that it's an Incan king or high priest's burial which would be the biggest South American archeological discovery ever and certainly on a par with King Tut. Only problem is, because of the city's precarious location, a great deal of it would be permanently damaged and the Peruvian government aren't about to allow their biggest cash cow to be destroyed just for some poxy historical marvel.

[iup=3561039]Ord[/iup] wrote:
The Terror is a 2007 novel by American author Dan Simmons. The novel is a fictionalized account of Captain Sir John Franklin's lost expedition of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror to the Arctic to force the Northwest Passage in 1845–1848. In the novel, while Franklin and his crew are plagued by starvation and scurvy and forced to contend with mutiny and cannibalism, they are stalked across the bleak Arctic landscape by a monster.

Hahaha

[iup=3561185]Alvin Flummux[/iup] wrote:
[iup=3560995]Mockmaster[/iup] wrote:What, for you, would be the biggest Archaeological discovery since finding the Tomb of Tutankhamun?

The unmistakable discovery of Viking or pre-Viking European or Asian settlements/ships/artifacts in the Americas.

The fact you still believe a place can be discovered where people live is just laughable.

Simmons is actually a fantastic writer. The Hyperion Cantos probably the best stores of sci-fi books I've ever read and I've been meaning to get into his more historical novels. That summary makes it sound crap but I'll bet it's a decent read.

[iup=3561259]Dblock[/iup] wrote:
[iup=3561185]Alvin Flummux[/iup] wrote:
[iup=3560995]Mockmaster[/iup] wrote:What, for you, would be the biggest Archaeological discovery since finding the Tomb of Tutankhamun?

The unmistakable discovery of Viking or pre-Viking European or Asian settlements/ships/artifacts in the Americas.

The fact you still believe a place can be discovered where people live is just laughable.

He was talking about the archaeological 'discovery' of the settlements, not saying that they had discovered the Americas.

They were only able to find it because of melting Arctic ice, and the discovery will assist in establishing oil rights. It's a win-win situation.

Website

An interesting discovery no doubt about it, but it's hardly on the level of Tutankhamun''s Tomb because that was from an era roughly THREE THOUSAND YEARS before.

I was on holiday yesterday and I finished reading The Terror. When I came back to the apartment that evening and checked the news they'd put this up. Hell of a coincidence

For me the ultimate would be finding a part of the Library of Alexandria with missing texts still legible. To be honest I think that would blow most discoveries out of the water.

Visiting the Great Library would be my first stop if I had a time machine.

Just to confirm, The Terror is indeed a great book.

To call it a 'monster' as such is arguably misleading. It's much more complicated than that...

[iup=3561520]Karl[/iup] wrote:Visiting the Great Library would be my first stop if I had a time machine.

You'd get there and then realise that none of the scrolls were written in English. :cry:

[iup=3561520]Karl[/iup] wrote:Visiting the Great Library would be my first stop if I had a time machine.

Out of all the things you can do , you pick to read books?

I'd go back and finger strawberry float all the beauties in time.

Last edited by floydfreak on Wed Sep 10, 2014 10:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[iup=3561604]Dblock[/iup] wrote:
[iup=3561520]Karl[/iup] wrote:Visiting the Great Library would be my first stop if I had a time machine.

Out of all the things you can do , you pick to read books?

I'd go back and finger strawberry float all the beauties in time.

lmao me too bro

who would you hit up first?

Biggest Archaeological Discovery since Tutankhamun's Tomb?

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