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2,700-year-old fabric found in Greece

ATHENS -- Archaeologists in Greece have discovered a rare 2,700-year-old piece of fabric inside a copper urn from a burial they speculated imitated the elaborate cremation of soldiers described in Homer's "Iliad."

The yellowed, brittle material was found in the urn during excavation in the southern town of Argos, a Culture Ministry announcement said Wednesday...

The cylindrical urn also contained dried pomegranates —- offerings linked with the ancient gods of the underworld —- along with ashes and charred human bones from an early 7th century B.C. cremation.

[Archaeologist Alkistis] Papadimitriou said the material was preserved for nearly 3,000 years by the corroding copper urn. "Copper oxides killed the microbes which normally destroy fabric," she told The Associated Press.
Read entire article at AP