Bronze Age droppings reveal health of ancients

ARCHAEOLOGISTS have found rare 3000-year-old human fossilised droppings revealing the healthy diet of Scotland's ancient inhabitants.

Work on a Bronze Age farmhouse in Catpund, Shetland, has unearthed the coprolites, which give clues on the population, health and wealth distribution of the former islanders.

The research has provided data on prehistoric diseases and may shed more light on the environments and evolution of plants and animals.

The Herald

Cornish Heritage Website Launched

The County Council's Environment and Heritage Service has launched a new website detailing Cornwall's natural environment, historic environment, countryside and archives. It contains extensive information and has more than 1,400 pages which have been collated by relevant experts and officers. The address is:

http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/Environment/envhome.htm

Cornish Heritage Website Launched

The County Council's Environment and Heritage Service has launched a new website detailing Cornwall's natural environment, historic environment, countryside and archives. It contains extensive information and has more than 1,400 pages which have been collated by relevant experts and officers. The address is:

http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/Environment/envhome.htm

New Website for Cornish Heritage

The County Council's Environment and Heritage Service has launched a new website detailing Cornwall's natural environment, historic environment, countryside and archives. It contains extensive information and has more than 1,400 pages which have been collated by relevant experts and officers. The address is:

http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/Environment/envhome.htm

Archeologist Believes He Has Found St. Paul's Tomb

Vatican archeologist believes he has rediscovered the tomb of St. Paul, buried deep beneath the main altar of the Rome basilica dedicated to the apostle.

The sarcophagus, which lay hidden for centuries, had a hole into which the faithful could stick pieces of cloth to make secondary relics, said Giorgio Filippi, the archeologist and inscriptions expert at the Vatican Museums who carried out the studies.

The tomb lies directly beneath a historic inscription that reads: "Paul Apostle Martyr." The marble sarcophagus was apparently first placed there during reconstruction of the basilica in 390 AD.

Catholic Herald

Roman hoard unearthed

A metal detector has discovered a hoard of Roman treasure in West Norfolk.
Stephen Brown was on farmland when he stumbled across 25 second century bronze coins and a gold ring dating from the fourth century.

The piece of jewellery, which measures 3mm across, was slightly "squashed" when Mr Brown discovered it last March.

It is currently being analysed by experts at the British Museum in London.
The coins, which were found in November last year, have pictures on them of Hadrian, the Roman Emperor who ruled from 117 AD to 138 AD.

The hoard was declared treasure trove at an inquest in Lynn's St Margaret's House on Thursday.

Kings Lynn Today

ST PATRICK’S/CHRISTIAN HERITAGE TOURISM SIGNATURE PROJECT LAUNCHED

Plans for the St Patrick’s/Christian Heritage tourism signature project, which aims to develop the tourism package in the Armagh/Down area into an internationally recognised visitor attraction, were launched today in Armagh.

Launching the plan to an audience of local tourism providers in Armagh’s Market Place Theatre, Northern Ireland Tourist Board Chairman, Tom McGrath, said: "The qualities of the Armagh/Down tourism product, with modern visitor facilities and interactive interpretation are very impressive, but even more inspiring is the unique story of St Patrick and the legacy across the whole region."

"This action plan will ensure that public and private sector tourism providers will work together to develop a competitive product that will attract and keep many more visitors to this region."


The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment

Any skeletons in your closet? Well, 42 actually

SKELETONS in the closet were a real-life problem for Ashford Price when he opened a cupboard in his late aunt's bedroom to be confronted with dozens of human remains.
The grand Georgian townhouse in the stately sweep of Swansea's leafy St James's Crescent had hidden a secret for decades until its owner, Brenda Morgan, 84, passed away.

Police were immediately called after the discovery, but suspicions were dampened when it was noticed all the bones had been carefully cleaned and numbered.

The remains were in fact 42 human skeletons dating back over 3,000 years to the Bronze Age. They had been discovered at Dan yr Ogof caves by the Morgan family 80 years ago.

I C Wales

Neanderthals sang like sopranos

Neanderthals had strong, yet high-pitched, voices that the stocky hominins used for both singing and speaking, says a UK researcher.

The theory suggests that Neanderthals, who once lived in Europe from around 200,000 to 35,000 BC, were intelligent and socially complex.

It also indicates that although Neanderthals were likely to have represented a unique species, they had more in common with modern humans than previously thought.


News in Science

Neanderthals Sang at High Pitch?

Neanderthals possessed strong, yet high-pitched, voices that the stocky hominins used for both singing and speaking, according to recent British news reports.

The theory suggests that Neanderthals, who once lived in Europe from around 200,000 to 35,000 B.C., were intelligent and socially complex. It also indicates that although Neanderthals likely represented a unique species, they had more in common with modern humans than previously thought.

Discovery Channel

Neanderthals Sang at High Pitch?

Neanderthals possessed strong, yet high-pitched, voices that the stocky hominins used for both singing and speaking, according to recent British news reports.

The theory suggests that Neanderthals, who once lived in Europe from around 200,000 to 35,000 B.C., were intelligent and socially complex. It also indicates that although Neanderthals likely represented a unique species, they had more in common with modern humans than previously thought.

Discovery Channel

Neanderthals Sang at High Pitch?

Neanderthals possessed strong, yet high-pitched, voices that the stocky hominins used for both singing and speaking, according to recent British news reports.

The theory suggests that Neanderthals, who once lived in Europe from around 200,000 to 35,000 B.C., were intelligent and socially complex. It also indicates that although Neanderthals likely represented a unique species, they had more in common with modern humans than previously thought.

Discovery Channel

Tara and the two-leaf shamrock

THE royal estate of Tara is Ireland’s premier national monument, encapsulating over 5,000 years of extraordinary history and mythology.

WB Yeats wrote: “Tara is, because of its associations, probably the most consecrated spot in Ireland.” Both of the Irish national symbols, the harp and the shamrock, originate at Tara.

These emblems have been promoted for decades throughout the world by the Irish Tourist Board to identify something unique about Ireland, and with great effect: Tara and its symbols have become readily recognisable motifs for Ireland and what it is most prized for internationally, its culture, rich history and beautiful landscape.

Yet there are plans to build a four-lane tolled motorway, the M3, at the foot of the Hill of Tara, with a major floodlit flyover-interchange only 1,200 metres from the summit.

Motorways are generic, and can be seen everywhere; the entire landscape of Tara is one of a kind, unique in the world.

Irish Examiner

See also the SAVE TARA / SKRYNE VALLEY CAMPAIGN

Gallic skeleton more than 2100 years old found in Geneva cathedral

A skeleton of a Gaul more than 2,100 years old was discovered under Geneva's cathedral and is believed to be that of military or religious dignitary from the Allobroges tribe, the Swiss press reported.

The body of a man aged about 45, buried around 120 BC, was found some 10 meters (35 feet) underneath the church's choir, the weekly Le Matin said.

Only the legs, pelvis, arms and half of the lower spinal cord have been exposed, as the rest of the body was covered by rocks that were difficult to move.

"I would not be surprised if it is the remains of a great military leader," said Charles Bonnet, the archeologist who made the discovery, who is known for having found the statues of the black pharaohs in Sudan in 2003.

Yahoo News

Castle plans face village buy-out

The fate of a historic north Derbyshire castle is uncertain after people living nearby said they want to buy the site from a property developer.
Protesters believe it is the only way to stop housing being built on the site of Riber Castle near Matlock.

They say plans to build apartments and houses in the grounds will lead to more traffic and pollution.

The developer has already been granted planning permission but the scheme still must go before a public inquiry.

BBC News

TOURISM BAROMETER: Historical pros and cons

EVIDENCE that the Government is keen to make Bulgaria’s cultural and historical heritage a focus of tourism was unveiled on March 3.

Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg performed a ground-breaking ceremony for a project near Kazanluk related to the so-called Thracian “Valley of the Kings”. The ceremony took place at the tomb, found last autumn of Seuthes III, who ruled in the 4th century BCE.

Saxe-Coburg called the Thracian tombs “more than unique and incredible”, comparing them to the ancient finds in Greece.

“We should develop this sector very carefully and try really hard because competition in cultural tourism is rather stiff,” Saxe-Coburg said.

Sofia Echo

Archaeologists tackle chess puzzle

A grubby green cousin of the world's most famous chessmen is puzzling archaeologists.

The little knight on horseback, recently found by an amateur using a metal detector on farmland in north Nottinghamshire, is startlingly similar to chesspieces found hundreds of miles away in 1831, on a beach on the isle of Lewis.

The find is being announced today at a British Museum conference to mark the government's agreement to keep funding a scheme to encourage the reporting of all finds.

The Guardian

Ancient skeleton found under Geneva cathedral

A skeleton of a Gaul more than 2 100 years old was discovered under Geneva's cathedral and is believed to be that of a military or religious dignitary from the Allobroges tribe, the Swiss press reported on Sunday.

The body of a man aged about 45, buried at around 120 BC, was found 10m underneath the church, the weekly Le Matin said.

Only the legs, pelvis, arms and half of the lower spinal cord have been exposed, as the rest of the body was covered by rocks that were difficult to move.

"I would not be surprised if it is the remains of a great military leader," said Charles Bonnet, the archeologist who made the discovery, who is known for having found the statues of the black pharaohs in Sudan in 2003.

IOL Discovery

Earthworks site cleared for archaeologists

A mystery which has remained unsolved on Dartmoor (England) could soon be resolved, thanks to volunteers who have cleared scrub from earthworks on Roborough Down. Volunteers from the Dartmoor Preservation Association and Roborough Commoners Associations have worked with school groups to clear the area of scrub and gorse for approximately two days a month. The clearance had to be complete by Sunday, February 27, to enable archaeological work to take place.

The scrub has hidden the site for centuries and DPA development officer Dru Butterfield said clearing it was 'a massive task'. "We had to work quickly to clear the scrub before the bird nesting season started," she said. Dru said they had managed to complete the work on time, with around 25 volunteers turning up on Sunday to finish it. "We uncovered a smaller site which is part of the earthworks, and we're excited to find out what it's all about," she said. "No-one knows for sure exactly what 'The Earthworks' are. They are one of the remaining mysteries of Dartmoor's past. Hopefully, clearing the site will enable archaeologists from the Dartmoor National Park Authority and English Heritage to solve the puzzle at last."

Archaeologists will be examining the site and it is hoped the survey of the area will be carried out over the next four to six weeks.

Stone Pages

Talk will unveil Iron Age secrets

People in Swindon (England) will have the chance to re-live the Iron Age thanks to archaeologist Dr J D Hill, from the British Museum. In a series of talks at the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, he will take people back more than two thousand years and give an insight into how archaeology is producing a different image of this 800-year period of history. Dr Hill will also talk about some of Wiltshire's Iron Age sites such as Barbury Castle. The talk, 'New views on Iron Age Britain', will be held at the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, Bath Road, Old Town on Friday, March 18. The talks will begin at 7.30pm and tickets are priced at £4.50 and £3 for members. Call 01793 466556.

Stone Pages

Sutton Hoo treasure returning home

ONE of the priceless treasures found at the Sutton Hoo burial site is returning home to feature in a new exhibition.

The mysterious Celtic "hanging bowl" is being loaned from the British Museum to launch the new season at the National Trust centre at the site, believed to be the resting place of Raedwald, Saxon king of East Anglia, and his ship.

Archaeologists and historians have been unable to agree on the use of the fragile 1,500 year old bowl – though it may have served in pagan religious ceremonies.

A hanging bowl was highly decorated with enamels and made of metal and suspended by leather cords or chains threaded through attached side loops.

Evening Star

Artefacts of medieval life found

Archaeologists have unearthed evidence of life and society up to 800 years ago in Cambridgeshire.

The excavations at a site on George Street in Huntingdon revealed pottery, animal remains and brick lined pits, which were used for tanning leather.

The bulk of the artefacts are believed to date from the 12th to 14th centuries with some as recent as the 19th century.

Finds from the site are on display in the Cromwell Museum until April.

BBC News

Viking sagas read through the lens of climate change

Ancient Icelandic sagas may be full of treachery, death and destruction, but the real villain behind all the foment could well have been climate change. According to a Canadian scientist, there's a direct link between changes in regional temperatures and the thematic content of the sagas.

The research is based on newly reconstructed temperature records gained from ocean sediment cores collected off the coast of Vestfirdir, the northwest peninsula of Iceland by scientists from the University of Colorado. Analysis of mollusc shells within these cores has provided an astounding, almost weekly, record of temperature changes in the region.

"The difficult social periods in the sagas and other histories correspond to periods when cooler winters were coupled with what were some of the coldest summers of the last 2,000 years," says Dr. William Patterson, an associate professor of geology at the University of Saskatchewan who is leading the research linking seasonal climate change and Norse sagas.

The new temperature record was gleaned from microscopically thin layers cut from the mollusc's growth rings, each layer representing a few days in the animal's submarine life. The layers were powdered and the oxygen and carbon isotope values measured to create a record of environmental stresses, that were primarily due to temperature, on the Icelanders.

EurekAlert

Venetian Grinds

The secret behind Italian Renaissance painters' brilliant palettes

While sifting through 15th- and 16th-century documents at the state archives in Venice, Louisa Matthew came across an ancient inventory from a Venetian seller of artist's pigments. The dusty sheet of paper, dated 1534, was buried in a volume of inventories of deceased persons' estates.

As Matthew, an art historian at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., scanned the more-than-100 items on the list, she realized that it was exactly what she had dreamed of finding. "I remember thinking, 'Did someone plant this here?'" she says. "And why hadn't anyone noticed this before?" This inventory of artists' materials could hold the answer to a question that had long vexed conservation scientists: How did Venetian Renaissance painters create the strong, clear, and bright colors that make objects and figures in their paintings appear to glow?

Science News

Mycenaean tomb lost to Attica development

An impressive tomb used by a Mycenaean family that ruled parts of eastern Attica over 3,000 years ago is to vanish from sight, 10 years after its discovery, due to the Culture Ministry’s straitened finances.

According to a decision by the ministry’s Central Archaeological Council late on Wednesday, the large subterranean chamber tomb — which archaeologists describe as unique in Attica — will be reburied to allow development on the plot where it was found, at Glyka Nera, on the eastern fringes of Athens

Kathimerini

Village church saved

A medieval church at the heart of a rural community has been saved this week thanks to a £149,000 grant towards essential repairs.

All Saints' Church, Beckingham, is one of 19 historic churches nationwide to receive help from English Heritage and the Lottery.

The building, thought to date back to Norman times, contains high quality coursed rubble and ashlar stonework indicative of the period.

It closed six years ago with the likelihood that it could be declared redundant because of the high cost of repairs, which included releading and waterproofing the leaking roof over the main body of the church.

Newark Advertiser

Dig the sense of history

Saturday is taxi day. We have three boys, each with a full schedule of music lessons, swimming sessions, sports tuition or competition and a need to see friends outwith the bounds of the school day. Living, as we do, halfway along the tail of this skinny, dragon-shaped island, a trip to anywhere and back will put ten miles on the clock. I always try to work the drop-off and pick-up times of all these activities into some kind of "round trip". But it’s nonsense really: the island isn’t round and there’s only one road along each limb, so there is no circuitous route.

Today is the exception that proves the rule. We can drop off Miles for his fiddle lesson, take Dale to his friend’s farm at the North end, see a man about a dog, visit the newly exposed archaeological site, collect Miles and get home again within an hour and without retracing our steps. This is thanks to the fact that the North end road loops around our largest fresh water loch - North Loch - and rejoins the main island road further west.

The Scotsman

Coin discovery sheds light on Turkic civilization

Göktürk find refutes claims that the Turkic peoples were merely plunderers and barbarians

Ancient coins from the first known Turkic culture, the Göktürks, have been discovered during archeological excavations in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, reported the Doğan News Agency.

Associate Professor Yavuz Daloğlu, an instructor at Dokuz Eylül University who presented the findings of historian Dr. Babayar Gaybullah to the public, stated that claims asserting that the Göktürk people did not have any structure of governance have been proven wrong by this discovery. He commented that this discovery refutes claims that the Turkic peoples were merely plunderers and barbarians.

Turkish Daily News

Pigs domesticated 'many times'

Pigs were domesticated independently at least seven times around the globe, a new study has found.

The discovery was made by linking the DNA of tame porkers with their wild relatives, Science magazine reports.

The researchers found tame pigs in several locations were closely related to wild boar in the same region, suggesting local domestication.

This challenges the notion that boar were tamed just twice before being transported throughout the world.

BBC News

Gräber, Siedlungen und Identitäten. Das 4. bis 7. Jahrhundert im Westen

Vom 27. bis 30. 4. 2005 findet an der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg eine internationale Tagung mit dem Thema "Gräber, Siedlungen und Identitäten. Das 4. bis 7. Jahrhundert im Westen" statt.

Archäologische und historische Untersuchungen zu Gruppen und Identitäten im frühen Mittelalter befinden sich in einem Paradigmenwechsel. Lange Zeit prägten nationale Perspektiven die Ansätze und bohrende Fragen nach "den Ursprüngen". Der Versuch einer möglichst strikten, idealtypischen Trennung zwischen "Germanen" und "Romanen" hat darin seine wesentliche Ursache. Inzwischen beginnt eine andere Perspektive in den Mittelpunkt zu rücken. Statt des Trennenden wird nun die gemeinsame Lebenswelt in Spätantike und frühem Mittelalter analysiert, werden die zeitgenössischen Verhältnisse, ihre Wahrnehmung und ihre Veränderungen untersucht. Wie sich neue politische und soziale Strukturen herausbildeten, auf welche Weise neue Identitäten an die Stelle bisheriger, sich auflösender Zuordnungen traten, ist nun von zentralem Interesse. Nicht Römer oder Germanen, sondern ganze Bevölkerungen unterschiedlicher individueller Herkunft hatten Anteil an einer Entwicklung, die (mit dem Titel eines Forschungsprogramms der European Science Foundation der 1990er Jahre) als "Transformation der römischen Welt" beschrieben werden kann.

Archäologie

Striking old gold off the coast of Devon

A TEAM of amateur archaeologists has discovered one of the world’s oldest shipwrecks off the coast of Devon, believed to date back to 1,300BC.

The find, in 60ft of water, has caused much excitement among marine archaeologists, who believe that the artefacts on board could give the clearest picture yet of life in the Bronze Age.

The South West Maritime Archaeological Group, who made the discovery, found bronze axes, swords and a cauldron hanger, along with a torc — a solid gold bracelet — suggesting that the ship may have been more than an ordinary trading vessel.

The items are believed to have come from the Seine Valley and could shed light on the sophistication of Britain’s earliest links with the Continent.

Times On-Line

Sorry, we don't climb up ladders, say police

There are times, it seems, when the long arm of the law isn't quite long enough.
And so it proved in the case of the broken stained-glass windows. Police called in to investigate vandalism at a medieval church refused to inspect the damage because, they told church officials, they didn't have specialist 'ladder training'.

Two gently-leaning 12ft ladders led to the five broken windows, some of which date from the 14th century.

But the officers decided it was too dangerous to go up and take photographs. Last night the churchwarden criticised safety rules which he claimed work in the criminals' favour.

Daily Mail

Europa Nostra throws weight behind Allianoi

The ancient Hellenistic city in Bergama is in danger of being submerged and lost forever to the waters of Yortanlı Dam

The Pan-European Federation for Heritage, Europa Nostra, asked for Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül's help in saving the ancient city of Allianoi from being flooded by Yortanlı Dam, which is to begin operation in November.

Europa Nostra Executive President Otto von der Gablentz and representatives of nongovernmental organizations, the European Council and UNESCO wrote a letter to Gül and asked for help in rescuing Allianoi and its Roman baths. Gablentz said Gül should fight to save these ruins and that they should remain for future generations to see. The letter, dated March 1, 2005, also said it was unusual to see Roman thermal springs of such splendor outside areas of Roman habitation and that this Roman bath was historically important.

Turkish Daily News

Divers find Bronze Age treasure off south-west England

A team of amateur divers have recovered artefacts from what may be one of the oldest shipwreck sites in the world.

The thirteen members of the South West Maritime Archaeological Group (SWMAG) were diving off the coast of Devon at Salcombe, in south-west England, when they found Bronze Age jewellery and weapons on the seabed.

The find was made last October, and included axes, rapiers, a cauldron handle and a gold torc. Swords were retrieved which are amongst the earliest found in north-west Europe. Some of the finds were of northern French origin and are types which are rare in Britain. The finds date from 1300 BCE, and since they are believed to have come from a shipwreck, they have been declared to the Receiver of Wreck at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Stone Pages

The Iron Age warrior gives up his secrets

HE could have been an Iron Age warrior monarch, equal in legendary status to King Arthur.

Buried with full honours in Yorkshire, his final resting place became a shrine to the nation.

And the man whose remains and chariot were discovered while digging roadworks in West Yorkshire could have been so revered that thousands visited his grave 400 years after his death to stage a feast in his honour – and to show the invading Romans that they would never be cowed.

Archaeologists from Bradford who are now studying the astonishing find of a skeleton buried with an intact chariot believe his grave may have became a focus for national pride still remembered during the Roman colonisation.

Angela Boyle, who led the excavation, said it was astonishing.
"It flies in the face of all our theories. The preservation of all the elements was particularly excellent. It's hugely significant."

Yorkshire Post

Head Blow Did Not Kill King Tut, CT Scan Suggests

One of the great mysteries of ancient Egypt has just become a little less mysterious. Scientists who've been studying the 3,300-year-old mummy of King Tutankhamen say computerized scans contradict the long-held theory that a blow to the head killed the boy pharaoh.

Archeologists believe King Tutankhamun ascended the throne during the so-called 18th dynasty of ancient Egypt, when he was just 8 years old. He died at 19 and was mummified.

British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered King Tut's tomb, in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor, Egypt, in 1922. It was filled with some 5,000 artifacts, including a life-size golden mask of the young man's head. Since then, scientists have wondered how Tut died.

NPR

EXCAVATION: Archaeological dig uncovers relics from Bronze Age to 19th century

ARCHEOLOGISTS have unearthed evidence of medieval life – including fragments of pottery and animal bones – at an excavation near Huntingdon.
The finds have been discovered by archaeologists from the Archaeological Field Unit of Cambridgeshire County Council, who are working in conjunction with Clegg's Ltd on behalf of the County Council at Walden House on George Street.

The excavations have unearthed archaeology which spans an enormous period of time, from the Bronze Age to the 19th century, but the bulk of the remains are from the 12th to 14th centuries.

Archaeologists found many large pits that may have been dug to extract sand and gravel, as well as a large oven and evidence of small scale metal working.

Peterborough Today

Ancient chariot excites experts

A chariot burial site uncovered in West Yorkshire could be the final resting place of one of Britain's ancient tribal leaders, archaeologists say.
The well-preserved remains, found by road contractors near Ferrybridge, are thought to be about 2,400 years old.

But evidence suggests that people were still visiting the grave during Roman times - 500 years after his burial.

Experts believe that native Britons may have used the site as a shrine to re-assert their national identity.

BBC News

Dig Manchester!

The University of Manchester's Field Archaeology Centre is to continue its successful 'Dig Manchester' project, which gives local communities the opportunity to sample archaeology in their own area, after receiving £500,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

'Dig Manchester' began with an excavation of Moston Old Hall, and brought together the University, the city, the local community, schools and businesses in an exemplary partnership, as well as a local 'champion' in the form of Councillor Paul Murphy. Robina McNeil, director of the Greater Manchester Archaeology Unit commented: "The idea was to involve the local community from school children to senior citizens in a local dig, to not only uncover some history, but to bring about a sense of community and pride.

"The results were far more positive than we could have imagined. Businesses gave goods in kind, like lunches for people on the dig, tools and electronic equipment to download images. The whole community became involved in the dig and archaeological inquiry was seen to be particularly beneficial. Moreover a sense of community pride emerged that was perhaps not there before. In fact, the crime rate for the area dropped by 45% whilst the dig was underway! Membership of the Moston & District Archaeology & Social History Group soared, so we hope that what Manchester does today, the world will follow tomorrow".

EurekAlert

Divers find Bronze Age axe

Divers have discovered a hoard of Bronze Age artefacts including swords and rapiers off the Devon coast.

The items are thought to come from an ancient shipwreck. The swords are among the earliest found in north-west Europe, and the find also includes a gold bracelet, a cauldron handle, an axe head and an adze.

The objects, now being studied at the British Museum, were discovered last summer off Salcombe by the South West Maritime Archaeology Group. Divers at the Salcombe Cannon shipwreck, which has already yielded Europe's largest collection of 17th century Moroccan gold coins, were surprised to find evidence of a far older wreck.

Telegraph

DIVERS DISCOVER BRONZE AGE WRECK AND ARTEFACTS OFF DEVON COAST

A group of divers has brought a snapshot of Bronze Age life to the surface after unearthing a group of 3,000-year-old artefacts at an ancient wreck site off the Devon coast.

Including swords, axe heads, a cauldron handle and a gold bracelet, the finds were discovered by members of the South West Maritime Archaeology Group (SWMAG) in summer 2004 and reported to English Heritage and the Receiver of Wreck.

"This is a very exciting find which shows the breadth of information which is available from shipwreck sites," explained Receiver of Wreck, Sophia Exelby.

24 Hour Museum News

Next step in theatre's excavation

Shakespeare's Rose Theatre is taking a step nearer to being recreated with trustees saying they are ready to move onto the next phase of excavation.

The venue's remains were discovered on London's Bankside in 1989.

A number of celebrities, including Richard Briers, Sir Ian McKellen and Zoe Wannamaker, will meet for a reception at the site on Tuesday.

Trustees say they are ready to apply for funding for excavation after 15 years of planning and fund-raising.

BBC News

See also the Rose Theatre

Fossil bones may give up secrets of cavemen

THE mysteries of whether birds are descended from dinosaurs and if cavemen were cannibals could be solved by techniques developed at York University to unlock the secrets of fossils.

Scientists believe a whole range of questions about the human and dinosaur family trees could be answered by examining proteins remaining in preserved bones.
DNA is the best tool for examining our past – but DNA only survives in fossils less than around 100,000 years old.

But protein can be found in much earlier archaeology, and can help scientists build up a picture of what the DNA sequence might have been.

Researchers at York University have made it possible for an international team to extract and sequence protein from a 75,000-year-old Neanderthal fossil discovered in Shanidar Cave in Iraq.

They used the University's £500,000 protein mass spectrometer to investigate the remains: the oldest fossil protein ever sequenced.

Yorkshire Post

TRUST NEEDS DIGGERS TO HELP WITH EXCAVATIONS

The St Piran Trust, in partnership with the Historic Environment Service of Cornwall County Council, is to excavate St Piran's old church later this year. The ruins of the monument lie half-buried and neglected on Gear Sands near St Piran's Oratory.

The dig will take place in September, by which time the trust must find a large number of volunteers to help with the physical work of digging and barrowing away sand.

The excavation will involve removing 250 tonnes of sand from the interior of the church and smaller works around the outside.

In March 2004 English Heritage conducted a geophysical survey of the church site. The results showed an indication of tiny ploughed fields and possible buildings.

This is Devon

Scan reveals King Tut's mysterious injury

The results of a CT scan done on King Tutankhamun's mummy indicate the boy king was not murdered, but may have suffered a badly broken leg shortly before his death at age 19 - a wound that could have become infected, Egypt's top archaeologist said today.

Zahi Hawass announced the results of the CT scan about two months after it was performed on Tut's mummy. Hawass says the remains of Tutankhamun, who ruled about 3,300 years ago, showed no signs that he had been murdered - dispelling a mystery that has long surrounded the pharaoh's death.

Guardian

DEVON DIVERS FIND 3,000 YEAR OLD BRONZE AGE ARTEFACTS ON SHIPWRECK SITE

A group of divers have discovered a submerged hoard of Bronze Age artefacts off Salcombe, Devon. The find includes swords and rapiers, palstave axe heads, an adze, a cauldron handle, and a gold bracelet.

The artefacts have been reported to English Heritage and declared to the Receiver of Wreck at the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, as it is believed that these relics come from an ancient shipwreck. The artefacts are currently being studied at the British Museum, which also holds the finds from the nearby 'Moor Sands' Bronze Age wreck site.

The South West Maritime Archaeology Group (SWMAG) had been diving under licence from the Department for Culture, Media & Sport, on the shipwreck known as the Salcombe Cannon site last summer, (where they discovered a hoard of gold coins in 1995), when they found evidence of a far older wreck.

The new site falls within the protected area of the Salcombe Cannon shipwreck site, which is designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973. This means that this area is already protected from unauthorised and illegal diving.

Government News Network

Exciting finds as abbey is restored

WORK to improve Whalley Abbey has thrown light on life in the years after Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries.

The Blackburn Diocese is carrying out £1million worth of work to upgrade its historic retreat house and conference centre.

It will include creating a new dining hall and reception area, installing en-suite bathrooms in its 32 bedrooms and putting in a new disabled lift.

But work, which started at the end of January, has already thrown up a number of architectural clues to the building's use in the time of the Reformation.

This is Clitheroe

700-year-old tunnels dug out on farm

A FARMER has unearthed a network of 700-year-old tunnels beneath his Lothians farm.

The network, which does not appear on any records, features a large arched tunnel which runs for around a mile beneath Park Farm, near Linlithgow, West Lothian.

Peter Waddell was shocked when he uncovered the large stone-built cavern believed to be built by medieval monks.

Excited archaeologists believe the tunnel, just a few miles from the historic Linlithgow Palace, dates back to the early 14th century when a secretive sect of monks farmed the land.

The Scotsman

British Rock-Art Group Conference

The 2nd annual conference of the British Rock-Art Group will be held at the University of Bristol, Dept of Archaeology & Anthropology, 43 Woodland Road, Clifton, Bristol, on Saturday 23 April 2005 10.00 a.m. - 5 p.m.

A fieldtrip to Cheddar Gorge/Burrington Combe is planned on Sunday 24 April. Speakers include: George Nash, Graham Mullen, Linda Wilson, Aron Mazel, Clive Waddington, Christopher Chippindale, Tertia Barnett, and Margarita Diaz-Andreu The conference fee of £5 includes refreshments.

Contact: Julie Shackleford, CHE, Dept. of Archaeology & Anthropology, 43 Woodland Road, Bristol, BS8 1UU, United Kingdom. Tel: 0117-9546068; Email: Julie.Shackleford@bris.ac.uk

Stone Pages

How prehistoric farmers saved us from new Ice Age

Ancient man saved the world from a new Ice Age. That is the startling conclusion of climate researchers who say man-made global warming is not a modern phenomenon and has been going on for thousands of years.

Prehistoric farmers who slashed down trees and laid out the first rice paddies and wheatfields triggered major alterations to levels of greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, they say.

As a result, global temperatures - which were slowly falling around 8,000 years ago - began to rise. 'Current temperatures would be well on the way toward typical glacial temperatures, had it not been for the greenhouse gas contributions from early farming practices,' says Professor William Ruddiman of Virginia University.

Observer

Were cavemen painting for their gods?

The meaning of Ice Age art has been endlessly debated, but evidence is increasing that some was religiously motivated, says Paul Bahn

At least 70,000 years ago, our ancestors began to adorn their bodies with beads, pendants and perhaps tattoos; by 35,000 years ago, they had begun to paint and engrave animals, people and abstract motifs on cave walls, like those in Lascaux, France, and Altamira in Spain. They sculpted voluptuous figurines in ivory or stone, such as the Venus of Willendorf.

Telegraph

Iron Age fort threatened by planned coal mines

Plans to opencast a stretch of the Dearne Valley in Barnsley (South Yorkshire, England) should be halted until an Iron Age fort is located and preserved, councillors have said. Coun Michael Stokes said a full survey should be conducted to locate the ancient settlement, which is on the banks of the River Dearne, before UK Coal started 'tearing up' parts of the valley. He first learned of the remains of the fort in the 1980s when he was involved in the derelict land reclamation of the area. He said he was told about it by academics from York University, which was responsible for all archaeological sites in the West Riding. But they would not release details of its whereabouts fearing it would become a target for vandals.

UK Coal owns much of the valley from Low Barugh to Smithies. The firm has identified seven small areas that it wants to mine. Work has already started at one area off Dearne Hall Road, but all other sites still require planning permission. Coun Stokes said: "We need to know where the fort is before they start tearing up parts of the valley and the way to do that is to have a full archaeological survey. Unfortunately the university would not release the whereabouts of this fort as it feared it would become a target for vandals and would be better off left buried."

Stone Pages

Did hobbits live until 200 years ago … when humans killed them off?

THE scientists who discovered the skeleton proving that a species of human dwarfs lived in Indonesia 18,000 years ago are to return to investigate claims that the species survived until modern times.

Researchers, who found a female skeleton of a new kind of early hominid on the Indonesian island of Flores named it Homo floresiensis – and nicknamed it “the hobbit”.

They have gathered local tales that suggest villagers lived alongside the 3'-tall hominid until just two centuries ago, when the humans killed off their neighbours.

The discovery of the skeleton surprised scientists and seems to give credibility to folk stories about little people which informed JRR Tolkien’s creation of The Hobbit.

Sunday Herald

Ethiopia Archaeologists Make Important Fossil Find

Archaeologists studying human origins in eastern Ethiopia have discovered 12 fossils that appear to be older than the famous fossil "Lucy," the team leader said on Saturday.

"The discovery of 12 early hominid fossÿil specimens estimated to be between 3.8 to 4 million years old will be important in terms of understanding the early phases of human evolution before Lucy," Ethiopian archeologist Yohannes Haile Selassie told a news conference.

"It is hoped that the new discoveries will allow scientists to connect the dots, furthering our knowledge of the time period in human evolution," he added.

Lucy is Ethiopia's world-acclaimed archaeological find. The discovery of the almost complete hominid skeleton, estimated to be at least 3.2 million years old, in 1974 was a landmark in the search for the origins of humanity.

Yohannes said the new find was made approximately 37 miles north of the site where Lucy was discovered in the eastern region of Afar.

Reuters

Archaeologist buried alive seeking relics

An Austrian archaeologist has been buried alive and killed after the pit he was working in collapsed in Salzburg, Austria.
Two women working with him were able to dig out from the dirt and call for help, but their 30-year-old colleague from a Salzburg museum suffocated, police said on Friday.

The archaeologists were looking for relics on a long-buried Roman farm that is now on the grounds of an industrial site.

Reuters

Bulgarian Archaeologists in Search for Thracian King's Body

In the 2005 Bulgarian archaeologists will aim at discovering the body of the ancient Thracian king Seutus III, the archaeologist Georgi Kitov said Friday.

The archaeologists will search for the king's remains at the Goliamata Kosmatka tomb, where they found a bronze helmet with a sign reading that it has belonged to the ancient king.

This is a clear proof that Seutus III has been buried in this place, according to Kitov.

About BGN 180,000 will be needed for three month of excavations, Kitov also said.

Novinite

FSU anthropologist leads incredible journey through 'hobbit' brain

Findings counter conventional wisdom on brain size vs intelligence -

Florida State University professor and chair of anthropology Dean Falk led an international team of scientists on an incredible virtual journey through the tiny brain of an 18,000 year-old hobbit-sized human. What they found has upended conventional evolutionary wisdom on the relationship of brain size to intelligence.

Medical News Today

Brain scan suggests 'Hobbit' capable of complex reasoning

A brain scan of the "Hobbit" apeman found in Indonesia last year appears to have settled a scientific dispute as to whether the creature was indeed a new member of the human family or just an unfortunate suffering a congenital brain disease.

The Hobbit's remains, which were found last year on the Indonesian island of Flores, were thought to herald a discovery that could, if proved, force a rethink of human evolution.

Homo floresiensis was about three feet tall when fully mature, with a head perfectly in proportion to the rest of its body. Its remains, when tested, were shown to be about 18,000 years old.

However, an Indonesian anthropologist, Teuku Jacob of Gadjah Mada University, claimed that, far from being a new species, H. floresiensis was a person suffering from the congenital brain disease microcephaly. Professor Jacob then locked away the remains and refused access to other scientists.

Independent

İzmir Agora to relive ancient heyday

Shops at the entrance to the old marketplace of Smyrna will offer products similar to those of 2,000 years ago sold by salespeople dressed in period clothing

Four stores located at the north entrance of the ancient agora in İzmir are going to be restored to serve as shops where products unique to the Aegean region and İzmir will be sold, the Doğan News Agency reported on Monday.

Studies involved with the planned excavations to be made this year at the İzmir, or Smyrna, Agora, the largest such marketplace in the world, are continuing within the framework of the Kemeraltı project, sponsored by the Greater İzmir Municipality. The excavation and restoration are being carried out by the İzmir Archaeology Museum.

Turkish Daily News

Dig uncovers market cross remains

Archaeologists excavating Norwich market before refurbishment work begins have uncovered the foundations of the medieval Market Cross.

An original cross was built in 1411 and stood 60ft tall, dominating the market.

The last structure stood opposite what is now Davey Place and featured a chapel on top of a plinth 30ft wide.

David Adams site manager of the Norwich Market Archaeology Project said: "It is an octagonal building demolished in the 1730s but it is fantastic to see it."

BBC News

Taking a trip back in time

VISITORS to a top attraction will be taken 12,000 years back in time, with the help of 21st century technology from a York company.

The Continuum Group, based in Margaret Street, will transport people from the computer age to the Ice Age by designing a museum to show off the UK's finest examples of Ice Age cave art at Creswell Crags on the Derbyshire/ Nottinghamshire border.

The consultancy arm of the group has already helped Creswell Heritage Trust to secure a mighty £4.26 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, to safeguard the art, hidden in caves in the limestone gorge which are not yet open to the public.

This is York

Vampire rabbit mystery unravels

A vampire rabbit with long red nails is just one of the bizarre exhibits in a new display charting the history and archaeology of Tyne and Wear.

The rabbit is one of 7,000 archive entries to go live on Tuesday on a new website, which also features long forgotten sports, wars and witchcraft.

Other unusual entries include the 9ft-long skeleton of a Roman soldier found in Fulwell, Sunderland in 1795.

The Sitelines Project is run by Tyne and Wear Museums and Newcastle Council.

BBC News

Here's a fascinating site....

A new website chronicling the history of Tyne and Wear goes online from today. Jamie Diffley takes a look at the more unusual side to our history.

Do you know the mystery of the Vampire Rabbit (pictured) that stands guard over a solicitors' doorway in Newcastle city centre?

Or are you aware that the first recorded horse race in Newcastle was in 1623 when the council of the time shelled out £20 for two silver pots?

IC Newcastle

Bigger brains aren’t always better

Nearly 3 million years ago, our ancestors had brains about as big as modern chimps. Since then the brain that would become human grew steadily, tripling in size. But this extra cranium capacity may not have resulted in smarter hominids.

As far as tool-making is concerned, there is little evidence of improvement over much of the period that the brain was growing.

"Archaeology has found that brain size grew gradually, but cleverness took steps," said William Calvin, a neurobiologist from the University of Washington.

The most dramatic of these steps is referred to by some as the Mind’s Big Bang. It occurred between 50,000 and 70,000 years ago. This burst of creativity resulted in bone tools, including sewing needles and throwing sticks. There was also a flourishing of portable art, such as necklaces and pendants, as well as cave paintings.

MSNBC News

Experts' joy over Iron Age relics

An important archaeological discovery has led experts to believe Ryton-on-Dunsmore was home to a high-ranking Iron Age family more than 2,000 years ago.

Scientists have found the first-ever complete example of an Iron Age kiln, which they believe a prehistoric family may have used to turn smelt iron into tools or jewellery.

The clay oven was unearthed on the site of a £3 million safety improvement scheme on the A45, near the junction with the A445.

Before, fragments of kilns had been dug up elsewhere in Britain, but the Ryton discovery means scientists will be able to work out exactly what they were used for.

I C Coventry

'Atomic Paring Knife' Will Help Probe Ancient Civilizations

Mississippi State researchers are acquiring a high-tech laser instrument described as an “atomic paring knife” that will be used, among other things, to probe the mysteries of ancient civilizations.

Hailed as the first such unit of its type in the Southeastern United States, the university’s Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer will provide organizations across Mississippi—academic, non-profit and industrial—with unique capabilities for quantitative surface analysis and depth profiling.

It was purchased with a National Science Foundation grant of more than $264,000 awarded to a team of MSU researchers at Diagnostic Instrumentation and Analysis Laboratory—known as DIAL—and Cobb Institute of Archaeology.

“The instrument can be used to map surfaces—find defects or specific surface features,” said DIAL director John Plodinec. “One also can do depth profiling—using the laser system as an atomic paring knife, peeling away layer after layer of material.”

Newswise

Repair cash for historic churches

Historic churches across the East Midlands are being given more than £1m for repairs.

The money from English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund will be used to repair 19 listed churches and religious buildings in the region.

Seven Lincolnshire churches are getting £350,000, with the biggest payout for All Saints Church at Beckingham.

The 12-Century church is already closed and was at serious risk of shutting altogether.

BBC News Lincolnshire

See also BBC News Cumbria and BBC News Shropshire

Ancient sky map or fake? German experts row over star disc

One of Germany's most acclaimed archaeological finds - a 3,600-year-old disc depicting the stars and the planets - is at the centre of a dispute following claims that it is a modern forgery.
According to Germany's museum establishment, the Sky Disc of Nebra is the oldest depiction of the heavens discovered and offers an insight into the Bronze Age mind.

But the authenticity of the disc has been challenged by one of the country's leading archaeologists, Peter Schauer of Regensburg University. He told a court in Halle that the artefact was nothing more than an amateurish forgery.

Prof Schauer said that the ancient-looking green patina on the artefact was not old at all, and had probably been artificially created in a workshop using acid, urine and a blowtorch.

Guardian

Henges - new pressure group launched

A NATIONAL campaign group fighting to protect the Thornborough Henges has launched an independent pressure group dedicated to preserving the ancient monuments and their surroundings.
Heritage Action has been campaigning to try and stop quarry firm Tarmac extending its sand and gravel operations to the Ladybridge Farm site, half a mile away from the henges.

Now the campaign is being taken up by a newly formed group, TimeWatch, which wants a total cessation of quarrying within a one-mile radius of the monuments.
George Chaplin, a Heritage Action member and the new chairman of TimeWatch, revealed the reasons for the splinter group.

"When we first started campaigning about Thornborough, there was just a handful of us and we were extremely pleased to find a supportive home within Heritage Action," he said.

"Now our campaign group has grown so large within Heritage Action that it made sense to launch an independent group in its own right, with a wider remit and set of priorities.

"The new group will keep its focus on Thornborough's archaeology but will widen its involvement into all other related issues.

North Allerton Today

See also Time Watch

MEDIEVAL GRAVEYARD EXCAVATED BY ARCHAEOLOGICAL TEAM IN ORKNEY

Severe storms which lashed Orkney in January have revealed a medieval graveyard containing more than 20 skeletons. A rapid response archaeology team has been working on the scene at a pace, before the sea consumes the remains.

Orkney Archaeological Trust had planned to excavate the site in the summer, with funding from Historic Scotland. However, the urgent situation drove a decision to undertake the excavation immediately and a team of archaeologists arrived on the site on February 18.

Patrick Ashmore, Head of Archaeology at Historic Scotland, explained that his organisation has a call-off contract with AOC Archaeology.

“This contract is designed to allow AOC Archaeology Group to rapidly assess fresh discoveries of buried human remains,” he said, “and so with the agreement of Orkney Archaeological Trust and the kind permission of the landowner Mr Ronald Cook of Rendall, we were able to instruct AOC Archaeology Group to send out a team of archaeologists to excavate the most vulnerable burials and assess the situation.”

24 Hour Museum News

Diggers find oven at Roman hotspot

A ROMAN oven and pieces of pottery have been uncovered beneath the site of a new shopping arcade.

Developers are building a £120 million centre, the Grand Arcade, in Wigan but because of the town's rich Roman heritage they have asked a team of archaeologists to carry out a dig on the site.

As a result the team of experts has uncovered the first Roman remains to be found in the town for more than 20 years.

Manchester Online

Ancient sky map or fake? German experts row over star disc

One of Germany's most acclaimed archaeological finds - a 3,600-year-old disc depicting the stars and the planets - is at the centre of a dispute following claims that it is a modern forgery.
According to Germany's museum establishment, the Sky Disc of Nebra is the oldest depiction of the heavens discovered and offers an insight into the Bronze Age mind.

But the authenticity of the disc has been challenged by one of the country's leading archaeologists, Peter Schauer of Regensburg University. He told a court in Halle that the artefact was nothing more than an amateurish forgery

Guardian