Friday, June 30, 2006
WreckMap Britain 2006
Following a successful pilot scheme in 2005 the NAS will be running WreckMap Britain 2006 with the support of Seasearch, Crown Estates, PADI Project Aware and the British Sub-Aqua Jubilee Trust. Visit the NAS stand at LIDS (1st-2nd April 2006).
We hope to encourage as many of the 100,000 active divers in the UK as possible to participate as a part of their normal diving activities - just take a recording slate with you when you do a planned dive on a wreck site, record what you see and then report it back to us.
We are not expecting you to attempt a detailed and accurate survey during your dive. Rather, we would like you to record some basic, but specific, information about what you see and to make a simple, "swim-over" or profile sketch of the dive site (see example). A special Wreckmap Britain recording form has been prepared to assist you in recording the desired information.
Go to the website...
# posted by David Beard @ 8:02 PM 
Festival of History
English Heritage's big summer event, the Festival of History, takes places 12th/13th August at Kelmarsh Hall, Northamptonshire and last year was attended by over 17,000 people.
Please see http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/festivalofhistory/ for further details.
"This is an action-packed, fun and quality weekend, with the highlight event this year being a WW1 aerobatic display of dog fights in the skies above. We are also hosting a round of the Knights’ Tournament (www.english-heritage.org.uk/knights), a fast-pace competition which has been a big hit with the crowds at the two weekends already played this year. As well as these spectaculars, there will be a wide range of activities for children and families, with battle re-enactments, living history, music and dance, and Terry Jones heads up our celebrity lecture programme."
Read the rest of this article...
# posted by David Beard @ 7:59 PM
Scottish Archaeology Month
Scottish Archaeology Month is an annual event whcih happens every September in Scotland, and is broadly similar to National Archaeology Week in England.
This year there will be 300 events happening all accross Scotland. The link for this is 'scottisharchaeologymonth.com'.
The 2006 Events Guide will appear on the above website.
Go to the Council for Scottish Archaeology's homepage...
# posted by David Beard @ 7:58 PM
Early signs of elephant butchers
Bones and tusks dating back 400,000 years are the earliest signs in Britain of ancient humans butchering elephants for meat, say archaeologists.
Remains of a single adult elephant surrounded by stone tools were found in northwest Kent during work on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.
Scientists believe hunters used the tools to cut off the meat, after killing the animal with wooden spears.
The find is described in the Journal of Quaternary Science.
Read the rest of this article...
# posted by David Beard @ 7:56 PM
Historic church in line for £500,000 restoration
A MINSTER in Yorkshire which dates from the 13th century is in line for £500,000 of restoration work.
The scheme to repair decaying stonework, rotting woodwork and a badly damaged roof at Howden Minster has been welcomed by the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu.
English Heritage will cover more than half of the £522,000 estimated cost, but the minster's finances will be exhausted by funding the balance.
The minster's Parochial Church Council has agreed to carry out work recommended by English Heritage that entails the restoration of the pinnacles and stonework of the west front.
Investigations into other parts of the building will establish priorities for the next phases of restoration
Read the rest of this article...
# posted by David Beard @ 7:51 PM
Rare finds unearthed in city dig
A 13th Century well house and the stock of a wartime chemist's shop are among artefacts unearthed as part of an archaeological dig in Southampton.
The discoveries were made during a seven-month excavation at the French Quarter site in the city centre.
The dig has been carried out as part of plans to redevelop the area into flats, shops and offices.
Finds dating back 1,000 years to late Saxon times and rare pottery imports were also found, developers said.
Read the rest of this article...
# posted by David Beard @ 7:50 PM
More on Bosnian "Pyramids"
In "Bosnian 'Pyramids' Update," which was posted on June 14, 2006, I commented on the news stories concerning geologist Aly Abd Alla Barakat, who was said to be from the Egyptian Mineral Resource Authority. According to the stories, Barakat declared that the hill was indeed a pyramid, though a "primitive" one. Was Barakat there officially? What was his expertise? The news stories said that he was "sent by Cairo" (Reuters, June 5) and that he was an "expert in pyramids" (Deutsche Presse-Agentur, June 2). Barakat, we were told, had sent his report to Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, who had "recommended him to the foundation leading the excavation work" (Agence France-Presse, June 12). Taking it all together, you might believe that Barakat had been dispatched by Dr. Hawass. Could that be true?
Unable to confirm any of this, I asked Dr. Hawass directly. Concerning Barakat, he states: "Mr. Barakat, the Egyptian geologist working with Mr. Osmanagic, knows nothing about Egyptian pyramids. He was not sent by the SCA, and we do not support or concur with his statements." The supposed pyramid, Dr. Hawass says, is "evidently a natural geologic formation" and that "Apart from its general outline, this hill bears absolutely no resemblance to the Egyptian pyramids." He concludes that, "Mr. Osmanic's theories are purely hallucinations on his part, with no scientific backing."
Read the rest of this article...
# posted by David Beard @ 7:50 PM
Out of Africa--with Worms
The latest tapeworm research suggests a time frame for human migration out of Africa, and also reveals that people gave the parasite to domestic animals such as pigs--not the other way around.
According to Eric P. Hoberg, a zoologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and his colleagues, tapeworms probably jumped from predators to humans between 2 and 2.5 million years ago, when hominids inhabited savannah environments in sub-Saharan Africa and were likely hunting or scavenging the same prey favored by hyenas and lions. Of the three tapeworms that infect people today, the researchers linked one, Taenia solium, most closely to a species that uses hyenas and African hunting dogs as its hosts. The other two, T. saginata and T. asiatica, are linked most closely to a species with lions as its host. Because T. solium and the pair T. saginata/T. asiatica are only distantly related, it appears that two tapeworms independently made the jump to hominids: the ancestor of T. solium, and a single parent species of both T. saginata and T. asiatica.
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# posted by David Beard @ 7:49 PM
Humans Gave Big Cats Ulcers
Early humans living in Africa's open savannahs probably made easy pickings for large predatory cats, but a new study suggests that at least one of the meals didn't sit well.
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A large cat dining on the entrails of one our early ancestors thousands of years ago contracted an ulcer-causing bacteria that spread to lions, cheetahs and tigers and which persists to this day, a new study concludes.
The strange finding will be detailed in an upcoming issue of the journal PLoS Genetics.
Too similar
Helicobacter pylori are bacteria that cause chronic stomach pains and ulcers in humans. Other animals, including non-human primates, are infected by other Helicobacter species that are only distantly related to H. pylori. The one exception is H. acinonychis, a microbe that infects large felines such as lions, tigers and cheetahs.
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# posted by David Beard @ 7:48 PM
FSU Etruscan expert announces historic discovery at ancient site
Digging on a remote hilltop in Italy, a Florida State University classics professor and her students have unearthed artifacts that dramatically reshape our knowledge of the religious practices of an ancient people, the Etruscans.
"We are excavating a monumental Etruscan building evidently dating to the final years of Etruscan civilization," said Nancy Thomson de Grummond, the M. Lynette Thompson Professor of Classics at FSU and director of the university's archaeology programs in Italy. Within the building, de Grummond's team located in early June what appears to be a sacrificial pit and a sanctuary -- finds remarkable for the wealth of items they are yielding that appear to have been used in religious rituals.
Nearly every summer since 1983, de Grummond has taken groups of FSU students into Italy's Tuscany region to participate in archaeological digs at Cetamura del Chianti, a site once inhabited by the Etruscans and ancient Romans. In the final days of this year's program, de Grummond and her students unearthed what she calls "the most thrilling" find she has seen in 23 years at Cetamura.
She explained that the Etruscans, who once ruled most of the Italian peninsula, were conquered and absorbed by the Romans in the second and first centuries B.C.E. ("Before the Common Era"). Prior to that time, however, they were a highly advanced civilization that constructed roads, buildings and sewer systems and developed the first true cities in Europe. They also built large, complex religious sanctuaries -- which may have been the purpose served, in part, by the Cetamura structure.
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# posted by David Beard @ 7:42 PM
Thursday, June 29, 2006
European man 'worked on terracotta army tomb'
Archaeologists have unearthed evidence that a foreign worker helped build the terracotta army mausoleum, the resting place of China's first emperor, who died more than 2,200 years ago.
The remains of the worker, described as a European man in his 20s, were among 121 shattered skeletons in a labourers' tomb 500 metres from the mausoleum in the north-western city of Xian, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.
According to Xinhua, the man may be "China's first foreign worker", though it is unclear whether he was an employee or a slave of emperor Qin Shi Huang.
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# posted by David Beard @ 5:48 PM
Ancient Brazilian tribes 'charted the heavens'
Did the early indigenous peoples of the rainforest look to the stars to measure time and mark the passage of the seasons? Archaeologists believe they did.
This photograph shows what is being called the tropical Stonehenge, a grouping of 127 granite blocks, each 10ft high and spaced at regular intervals around a grassy hilltop in northern Brazil. On the winter solstice, 21 December, the shadow of one of the blocks disappears, leading experts to believe the formation was used as a calendar.
"Only a society with a complex culture could have built such a monument," said Mariana Petry Cabral, of the Amapa Institute of Scientific and Technological Research.
Read the rest of this article...
# posted by David Beard @ 5:47 PM
France's Cluny Abbey restored
Cluny, France - Visitors to Cluny Abbey can now get a glimpse of life there 1 000 years ago thanks to a virtual tour of the church, once the biggest in Christendom, which was 90 percent destroyed some two centuries ago.
The 3-D tour is part of a major €20-million restoration project for the Benedictine abbey which in 2010 will celebrate its 1 100 birthday.
"People come here today to visit a ruined church and it is obviously out of the question that it should be rebuilt," said Jean-Paul Ciret, head of cultural development at France's national monuments body, Monum.
"So in order to make the monument more intelligible to people and to see what no longer exists we have turned to new technology."
Founded in 910, the church in central-eastern France was a major place of pilgrimage with the monastery becoming the most influential and prestigious in Europe from the 10th to 12th centuries.
Read the rest of this article...
# posted by David Beard @ 5:45 PM
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Did ancient Amazonians build a 'Stonehenge'?
SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) -- A grouping of granite blocks along a grassy Amazon hilltop may be the vestiges of a centuries-old astronomical observatory -- a find archaeologists say indicates early rain forest inhabitants were more sophisticated than previously believed.
The 127 blocks, some as high as 9 feet, are spaced at regular intervals around the hill, like a crown 100 feet in diameter.
On the shortest day of the year -- December 21 -- the shadow of one of the blocks disappears when the sun is directly above it.
"It is this block's alignment with the winter solstice that leads us to believe the site was once an astronomical observatory," said Mariana Petry Cabral, an archaeologist at the Amapa State Scientific and Technical Research Institute.
Read the rest of this article...
# posted by David Beard @ 12:20 PM
Historic brick castle is restored
A historic Leicestershire landmark has been restored in a project costing almost £500,000.
English Heritage brought in a firm of specialist conservation contractors to save Kirby Muxloe castle. It will re-open to the public on 1 July.
It has taken two years to restore the castle's brickwork and moat bridge.
Parts of the castle were built in 1480 for Lord Hastings. It was one of the earliest examples of the use of bricks in this country.
Read the rest of this article...
# posted by David Beard @ 12:18 PM
'Tropical Stonehenge' found in Amazon
A Stonehenge-like grouping of granite blocks along a Brazilian Amazon hilltop may be the remains of a centuries-old astronomical observatory, experts say.
Archaeologists say the find indicates early rainforest inhabitants were more sophisticated than previously believed.
The 127 blocks, some as high as 9ft, are spaced at regular intervals around the hill, like a crown 100 feet in diameter.
On the shortest day of the year - December 21 - the shadow of one of the blocks disappears when the sun is directly above it.
'It is this block's alignment with the winter solstice that leads us to believe the site was once an astronomical observatory,' said Mariana Petry Cabral, an archaeologist at the Amapa State Scientific and Technical Research Institute.
Read the rest of this article...
# posted by David Beard @ 12:14 PM
Iron Age farm to give up its secrets
The remains of an Iron Age farm are expected to give up more of their secrets during an annual Norfolk dig which gets underway next month.
The first serious excavation of the site was carried out last summer, uncovering ditches and a paved yard which could have been used to keep cattle.
Now it is set to become one of the focal points of the Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project's 2006 season, which starts on Sunday, July 9.
SHARP was launched in 1996 with the aim of building up a complete history of Sedgeford, near Hunstanton, and attracts volunteer archaeologists from around the world.
So far the summer explorations have unearthed more than 270 skeletons from a Saxon cemetery, a horde of Iron Age coins and the long-lost end of a torc, as well as numerous other artefacts.
Read the rest of this article...
# posted by David Beard @ 12:13 PM
Digging deep into Caithness' past
Seven archaeology projects will be run across Caithness this summer to investigate its Neolithic, Iron Age and war-time history.
Experts will investigate the area's ancient cairns, brochs, crannogs, castles and shipwrecks.
With the help of local divers, they also hope to solve the mystery sinking of a World War I German warship.
There will be nothing of this scale anywhere else in the UK running at the same time this year.
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# posted by David Beard @ 12:11 PM
Replica of 3,300-year-old shipwreck arrives in Bodrum
The Uluburun II, which is on display in Bodrum, started to be built in 2004 using late Bronze Age techniques and set sail in 2005
A replica of the oldest known shipwreck, Uluburun II, built by the 360 Degree Historical Research Association in Urla, İzmir, arrived in Bodrum on Monday for display as part of activities marking the 80th anniversary of Cabotage Day.
Previously the ship had anchored in Istanbul, Marmaris, Cyprus and Kaş readying for the Cabotage Day celebrations, a maritime festival that commemorates the establishment of Turkey's sea borders and celebrated annually on July 1, reported the Anatolia news agency.
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# posted by David Beard @ 12:10 PM
Rocca Montis Dragonis Field School
The Museo Civico Archeologico di Mondragone and Libera Università Umanitaria Euromediterranea are pleased to announce the next session of the Rocca Montis Dragonis Field School. The project is lead by Dr. Luigi Crimaco, who is the Director of the Museo Civio di Mondragone and currently, Dr. Crimaco is the Administrator of the Soprintendenza Archeologica di Pompei.
The project centers a castle(la Rocca) and principal residential building
patterns of the second century B.C. and the second century A.D., which we
find in the surrounding of the now modern town of Mondragone, situated on
top of Mount Petrino.
Find Project details here...
# posted by David Beard @ 12:07 PM
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Key archeological find at Bulgaria's Veliko Turnovo
A gold Thracian breastplate found near the village of Golemanite, Veliko Turnovo municipality, has proven pivotal to the re-construction of the Thracian Calendar. Using a mathematical model, Ventseslav Tsonev of the Regional Historical Museum in Veliko Turnovo presented his findings at a conference on Treasures and Sacred Typography, held recently in Sliven.
“In the Thracians’ calendar, there are three seasons and 60 main holidays. A year consisted of 12 months with 360 days, five days being added to the last month every year.” As there are no written records dealing with the Thracians’ concept of time, the reconstruction of the calendar was done on the basis of the symbols on the metal plates worn by the Thracians. Tsonev has studied seven out of 40 Thracian breastplates found in Bulgaria. Particular attention has been paid to a gold breastplate found near Golemanite. The inscriptions on these breastplates consist mainly of serpents, geometrical figures and lines. Studies have indicated that the number of serpents and lines are fixed to correspond to the numbers considered to be holy by the Thracians. According to Tsonev, the Thracians’ calendar resembles very closely the one used by Egyptians for thousands of years. In the main, knowledge of the Thracians has tended to rely solely upon ancient Greek depictions of them as a savage, tribal society that had no politics and no alphabet of its own.
Read the rest of this article...
# posted by David Beard @ 1:18 PM
Fears over historic wall erosion
A heritage expert has warned that increasing numbers of visitors to Hadrian's Wall may be damaging the historic site.
Walkers have flocked to the Roman wall, which spans the north of England from Tyneside to Cumbria, many attracted by the 84-mile (135km) National Trail.
But Prof Peter Fowler, a United Nations World Heritage Advisor, said not enough was being done to protect the wall.
National Trails has argued it is doing all it can to prevent erosion.
Read the rest of this article...
# posted by David Beard @ 1:17 PM
Why the Romans built a road to nowhere
The Romans were a methodical people, not given to acts of folly - so why did they apparently build a road to nowhere? Known as the Peddars Way, it is a typically straight track marching from near Thetford directly through the heart of west Norfolk until it peters out at an isolated coastal spot at Holme, and is now favoured by walkers and cyclists.
But just what its original purpose was when it was built around 2,000 years ago is a question that has long perplexed historians.
Andrew McCloy is the latest to investigate. He devotes a chapter of his new book, Exploring Roman Britain, to the Peddars Way, and has reached a tentative conclusion.
"Usually the routes ended at a fort or garrison, or had another obvious destination," he says.
Read the rest of this article...
# posted by David Beard @ 1:16 PM
Medieval hall to reopen its doors
A 14th Century hall in Lincolnshire that was restored with a £600,000 lottery grant is reopening as an art gallery and museum.
Ayscoughfee Hall in Spalding will have newly installed interactive displays illustrating the house's history.
Designer Mike Oakenfull said the medieval ceilings and windows are a highlight of the hall.
It will also have interactive games to encourage children to learn more about the history of the house.
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# posted by David Beard @ 1:15 PM
Greece gets rare Roman coin back
A rare Roman coin has returned to Greece from Britain after a landmark settlement, which Athens hopes will bring back more classical treasures.
The 1st-Century denarius - equivalent to a day's wages for a Roman foot soldier or labourer - is set to be unveiled at the Greek Culture Ministry.
A British coin dealer is urging the Greek government to start paying market rates to those who find antiquities.
The coin was handed over after Greece proved it had been unearthed illegally.
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# posted by David Beard @ 12:23 PM
Stone Age Discovery
Newly discovered giant stone tools reveal unexpectedly early human design skills.
An important archaeological dig undertaken by the University of Southampton, has produced over twenty flint handaxes, including two of exceptional size and quality, which may lead to a reassessment of the level of human development in the Early Stone Age.
The dig, at a site at Cuxton in Kent, uncovered a sharply pointed 307mm handaxe - the second largest found in Britain. Preserved in almost mint condition, the handaxe displays exquisite, almost flamboyant, workmanship in addition to its extreme size. Another giant handaxe was also uncovered beside it, this time a cleaver, 179mm long by 134mm wide.
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# posted by David Beard @ 12:21 PM
BATTLE TREASURE ON EBAY
TREASURE hunters are raiding historic Scots battlefields - then selling ancient relics on the internet.
Gangs with metal detectors are plundering the nation's heritage and flogging their finds, say archaeologists.
One collector is thought to have made thousands of pounds illegally selling items to fans of Oscar-winning movie Braveheart in America.
Historians claim such items are often sold on internet auction sites like eBay.
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# posted by David Beard @ 12:19 PM
Monday, June 26, 2006
Stonehenge visitor plan supported
English Heritage plans for a new Stonehenge visitor centre are being recommended for approval.
Salisbury District Council had refused the original plans amid fears a train to ferry visitors to the site would damage the environment.
There were also concerns about whether the nearby A303 would be upgraded.
The plans have been resubmitted following an appeal and a final decision on the centre will be made by the council on 10 July.
Read the rest of this article...
# posted by David Beard @ 9:52 PM
Key archeological find at Bulgaria's Veliko Turnovo
A gold Thracian breastplate found near the village of Golemanite, Veliko Turnovo municipality, has proven pivotal to the re-construction of the Thracian Calendar. Using a mathematical model, Ventseslav Tsonev of the Regional Historical Museum in Veliko Turnovo presented his findings at a conference on Treasures and Sacred Typography, held recently in Sliven.
“In the Thracians’ calendar, there are three seasons and 60 main holidays. A year consisted of 12 months with 360 days, five days being added to the last month every year.” As there are no written records dealing with the Thracians’ concept of time, the reconstruction of the calendar was done on the basis of the symbols on the metal plates worn by the Thracians. Tsonev has studied seven out of 40 Thracian breastplates found in Bulgaria. Particular attention has been paid to a gold breastplate found near Golemanite. The inscriptions on these breastplates consist mainly of serpents, geometrical figures and lines. Studies have indicated that the number of serpents and lines are fixed to correspond to the numbers considered to be holy by the Thracians. According to Tsonev, the Thracians’ calendar resembles very closely the one used by Egyptians for thousands of years. In the main, knowledge of the Thracians has tended to rely solely upon ancient Greek depictions of them as a savage, tribal society that had no politics and no alphabet of its own.
Read the rest of this article...
# posted by David Beard @ 9:50 PM
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Scottish Archaeology Month
Scottish Archaeology Month is an annual event whcih happens every September in Scotland, and is broadly similar to National Archaeology Week in England.
This year there will be 300 events happening all accross Scotland. The link for this is 'scottisharchaeologymonth.com'.
The 2006 Events Guide will appear on the above website.
Go to the Council for Scottish Archaeology's homepage...
# posted by David Beard @ 2:30 PM
Festival of History
English Heritage's big summer event, the Festival of History, takes places 12th/13th August at Kelmarsh Hall, Northamptonshire and last year was attended by over 17,000 people.
Please see http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/festivalofhistory/ for further details.
"This is an action-packed, fun and quality weekend, with the highlight event this year being a WW1 aerobatic display of dog fights in the skies above. We are also hosting a round of the Knights’ Tournament (www.english-heritage.org.uk/knights), a fast-pace competition which has been a big hit with the crowds at the two weekends already played this year. As well as these spectaculars, there will be a wide range of activities for children and families, with battle re-enactments, living history, music and dance, and Terry Jones heads up our celebrity lecture programme."
Read the rest of this article...
# posted by David Beard @ 2:28 PM
France Moves to Save an Icon From Sediment and Sea Grass
LE MONT-SAINT-MICHEL, France -- For 13 centuries, this imposing outcrop of granite just off the coast of France, with its unforgettable, eerie silhouette, has withstood the ravages of man and nature. Its abbey has welcomed pilgrims, its ramparts and towers have helped repel invaders, and its shores have stood up to some of Europe's mightiest tides.
But today, Mont-Saint-Michel, long a symbol of French power and identity and the country's most popular tourist destination outside Paris, is succumbing to a relentless invasion of silt and sea grass, which are surrounding the island and threatening to make it part of the mainland.
"If we don't do anything at all, in 40 years Mont-Saint-Michel will be part of the continent," said François-Xavier de Beaulaincourt, who is leading a project to stop the shoreline's advance. By his account, it was about 2 1/2 miles from the island in the mid-1800s, but today, depending on tide levels, it can be as little as 50 feet away.
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# posted by David Beard @ 2:20 PM
Orkney events for Archaeology Month 2006
Orkney's programme of events to celebrate Scottish Archaeology Month in September has been released. The events run throughout the month, starting on Saturday, September 2 at the Orkney Museum.
Rising tide seminar - Recent work around Europe has uncovered evidence of prehistoric sites that now lie submerged beneath the sea. Could the same apply to Orkney? We know that relative sea level was much lower here at the end of the Ice Age and a new project is setting out to investigate the underwater landscape. A team of archaeologists provide insights from exciting sites in Denmark and the Solent and look at the possibilities from Orkney. Caroline Wickham-Jones – chair and introduction to the work just starting in Orkney; Anders Fischer (National Forest and Nature Agency of Denmark) – The submerged prehistory of Denmark; Sue Dawson (St Andrews University) – Past sea level change and Orkney; Julie Gibson (Orkney Archaeological Trust) – The impact of sea level change on the existing coastline and archaeology of Orkney; Garry Momber (Hants and Isle of Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology) – Diving for Stone Age sites in the Solent. Tuesday 5th September 6.00 – 8.30pm in the King Street Hall, Kirkwall. The rising tide seminar will be repeated in the sanday school on thursday 7th september. 6.00 – 8.30pm
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# posted by David Beard @ 2:14 PM
MASSIVE ARCHAEOLOGY PROJECTS ANNOUNCED FOR CAITHNESS, SCOTLAND
There won’t be a dull moment in Caithness this summer, if you’re an archaeologist.
The most northerly county on the British mainland will undergo more excavations and underwater explorations than any other region in the country over the next few months, with projects looking at Neolithic and Bronze Age cairns, Iron Age brochs and crannogs, medieval castles and shipwrecks. One team will reverse the trend and rebuild some stone structures in 3000BC style.
“At last,” said Emma Sanderson, Archaeological Development Officer for the Caithness Archaeological Trust, “the academic world is beginning to realise what unspoilt world class archaeology Caithness has to offer.”
Indeed, because the remote, sparsely populated region has undergone less development than the Central Belt of Scotland, it possesses a wealth of well-preserved archaeological remains – with many treasures yet to be discovered.
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# posted by David Beard @ 2:13 PM
10-YEAR ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECT FOR CAISTOR ROMAN TOWN
The Roman archaeological site, Venta Icenorum, at Caistor St Edmund just south of Norwich is to undergo a 10-year excavation project in an attempt to delve deeper into its pre-Roman history.
Excavations and surveys will commence around July/August of 2006 and will allow archeologists to find out more about the period of history just before the Romans. It may even change our view of Britain's ancient past.
Michael Bentley, Countryside and Heritage Manager for South Norfolk District Council explains: “We are hoping to discover the real history of Caistor Roman town. There have been many theories as to who inhibited the Roman settlement before the Romans themselves - hopefully this project will uncover the exciting truth.”
It is suggested there might have been an Iron Age settlement on the Roman grounds prior to the Roman settlement, which will hopefully be revealed by the excavation. All of the results will be posted on a website specifically for the Caistor dig.
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# posted by David Beard @ 2:12 PM
Archaelologist scoops treasure
A SILVER grooming implement found in Markyate by an amateur archaeologist earlier this year could date from the 15th Century, according to the British Museum.
The medieval silver ear scoop was found on farmland by Luton man Mark Coles in January while he was metal detecting with the permission of the landowner.
In accordance with the Treasure Act 1996, Mr Coles reported his find to the Verulamium Museum in St Albans, which in turn arranged to have it examined by the British Museum in London.
The ear scoop was officially declared treasure by coroner Edward Thomas at an inquest at Hatfield Coroner's Court last week. Despite its name, a report by Dr Dora Thornton at the British Museum said the 6.3cm-long implement was probably used for cleaning nails. Dr Thornton said a recent book published about dress accessories used between 11.50 and 1450 had identified a similar item as being from the 15th Century.
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# posted by David Beard @ 2:11 PM
Shell Jewelry Said to Be 100,000 Years Old
Archaeologists think they have found evidence that in one respect people were behaving like thoroughly modern humans as early as 100,000 years ago: they were apparently decorating themselves with a kind of status-defining jewelry — the earliest known shell necklaces.
If this interpretation is correct, it means that human self-adornment, considered a manifestation of symbolic thinking, was practiced at least 25,000 years earlier than previously thought.
An international team of archaeologists, in an article in Friday's issue of the journal Science, reported their analysis of small shells with distinctive perforations that appeared to have been strung together as ornamental beads. Chemical study showed that the two shells from the Skhul rock shelter in Israel were more than 100,000 years old, and the single shell from Oued Djebbana, in Algeria, was about 90,000 years old.
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# posted by David Beard @ 2:10 PM
Revolutionary research dispels the agricultural revolution
The wild lentil (lens culinaris) is a low, unobtrusive plant that yields about 10 seeds. To increase the plant's chance of survival, some of the seeds that fall from its pods fail to sprout during rain. Typically, only one of the plant's 10 seeds sprouts immediately when they reach maturity. The remaining seeds stay in the ground, waiting for their turn to sprout. Each year, only about 10 percent of the seeds sprout.
This phenomenon, called "seed dormancy," helped wild lentils survive harsh conditions in the Middle East but did not help mankind, which preferred to use the seeds as raw material in soups and stews. It is difficult to support a family from a few seeds of a plant when one is not sure how many of them will sprout and how many simmering pots they will produce.
Therefore, about 11,000 years ago, some of the wild lentils changed habit. They were transformed by a genetic mutation that caused them to lose their seed dormancy characteristics - all of the seeds of these genetically morphed plants sprouted at once and grew to glorious proportions. Man saw this was a good sign, and began to collect these seeds. That was the first step in the domestication of the lentil.
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# posted by David Beard @ 2:07 PM
Friday, June 23, 2006
Study reveals 'oldest jewellery'
The earliest known pieces of jewellery made by modern humans have been identified by scientists.
The three shell beads are between 90,000 and 100,000 years old, according to an international research team.
Two of the ancient beads come from Skhul Cave on the slopes of Mount Carmel in Israel. The other comes from the site of Oued Djebbana in Algeria.
The finds, which pre-date other ancient examples by 25,000 years, are described in the US journal Science.
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# posted by David Beard @ 2:49 PM
1,000 skeletons found in Rome catacombs
ARCHAELOGISTS exploring one of Rome's oldest catacombs have discovered more than 1,000 skeletons dressed in elegant togas.
Experts are thrilled by the find - which dates from about the first century - as it is the first "mass burial" of its kind identified. Mystery surrounds why so many bodies were neatly piled together in the complex network of underground burial chambers, which stretch for miles under the city.
Click to learn more...
It was the custom then for Rome's upper classes to be burnt not buried, so it is thought the skeletons may be early Christians. Tests are being carried to establish whether they suffered violent death or were victims of an unknown epidemic or natural disaster.
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# posted by David Beard @ 2:48 PM
Ancient bling pushes back frontier of intelligence 25,000 years
MODERN human behaviour such as body adornment, figurative thought and probably complex language began at least 25,000 years earlier than was previously believed, according to an analysis of shell beads kept in museum collections since the early 20th century.
The perforated shells from 100,000 years ago, held by the Natural History Museum in London and the Musée de l’Homme in Paris, have been identified as the earliest known example of jewellery. The discovery shows that the early humans who made the beads, which were probably strung as necklaces, were capable of sophisticated behaviour that we recognise in people today.
Making and wearing beads requires an ability to understand symbols and a concept of beauty, both of which are considered hallmarks of the modern human brain. It is also probable that the ancient jewellers spoke a form of language, scientists said, and as some of the shells were found hundreds of miles from the coast, they may even have been trading with one another.
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# posted by David Beard @ 2:46 PM
500 year old spoon discovered
A SILVER spoon, found near Billingshurst, is thought to be more than 500 years old.
A treasure inquest in Horsham heard that the spoon was found by metal detectorist Geoff Patterson, in a field.
It was sent to Caroline Barton, assistant treasure registrar at the British Museum, where experts decided that the 12.67g silver spoon probably dates back to the 15th century.
Because of the spoon's age and precious metal content, West Sussex deputy coroner Dr David Skipp ruled that it was treasure.
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# posted by David Beard @ 2:43 PM
TIME TEAM COULD SOON FILM IN ISLAND
AN Isle of Man episode of popular archaeology series Time Team is 'very much on the cards', according to series editor Michael Douglas.
Discussions are in the final stages and potential excavation sites have been chosen by the team behind the Channel 4 show, although they haven't been revealed.
It is expected a decision on whether filming will go ahead will be taken next month.
That means the Island could feature in the next series of the Sunday teatime favourite, due to be broadcast in January, with long-serving crew members like archaeologist Phil Harding expected to take part.
'It is safe to say it is still very much on the cards,' Mr Douglas said.
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# posted by David Beard @ 2:41 PM
Oldest known beads reported found
Three shells with holes bored into their centers, excavated in Israel and Algeria, may be the oldest known personal decoration, researchers say in a new paper.
The two perforated shells from Skhul. The vertical line represents 1 cm (0.4 in). (Courtesy Marian Vanhaeren and Francesco d'Errico)
The discovery may change scientists’ views of how human culture emerged, according to the researchers.
Until recently, scientists generally thought the first signs of modern human culture appeared 40,000 years ago, when anatomically modern humans arrived in Europe.
But the beads appear to be more than 100,000 years old, the new study found, suggesting modern behavior began earlier and developed more gradually.
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# posted by David Beard @ 2:39 PM
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Massive Roman coins find at Shippam site
A massive hoard of Roman coins has been unearthed by archaeologists probing the former Shippams factory site in Chichester city centre.
Many have congealed together down the centuries, and an accurate assessment cannot be given until restoration work is completed but they run into many hundreds, and estimates are up to 2,500.
They are being X-rayed and examined this week to see how they are stuck together and how they can be successfully taken apart.
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# posted by David Beard @ 6:09 PM
Giant Search For Wildlife
The first wildlife survey of the Cerne Abbas Giant in Dorset is set to get under way.
The National Trust, who own the land around the well-endowed giant, will examine the plants and insects that live in the area.
"The Cerne Abbas Giant has a very special place in Dorset folklore and attracts thousands of visitors every year", said National Trust Advisor Simon Ford.
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# posted by David Beard @ 6:07 PM
PM enters Stonehenge debate
PRIME Minister Tony Blair entered the Stonehenge road improvements debate this week by stating his government fully recognises the importance of finding a practical way forward in solving the traffic problems besetting the monument and surrounding area.
He said the government also recognised the unique importance of the World Heritage site, as well as the wider economic impact on the south-west.
The Prime Minister was replying to a letter from Salisbury MP Robert Key, in which he was asked for his personal assistance in bringing the Stonehenge A303 road saga to an end.
Mr Key said he believed the tunnel option for the A303 one of five road scheme options currently on the table could be financed through the new national tolling system, announced by the secretary for state for transport, Douglas Alexander.
The scheme would not see toll booths on the road, but all drivers' journeys would be tracked and charged accordingly.
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# posted by David Beard @ 8:24 AM
Getty announces tentative deal with Italy in antiquities dispute
The J. Paul Getty Trust, which has been negotiating with Italian authorities over demands to return antiquities alleged to have been illegally obtained, said Wednesday it reached a tentative agreement to send “very significant objects” to Italy in exchange for loans of comparable items.
The announcement, identified as a joint statement with the Italian Ministry of Culture, came after several days of talks in Rome. However, it did not reveal which items would be involved or state whether they were the disputed antiquities. A Getty spokesman, Ron Hartwig, declined to elaborate on the statement.
“The Italian government will receive from the Getty a number of very significant objects, including several masterpieces,” the statement said. “In return, as a sign of fruitful dialogue and collaboration among the parties, Italy will provide loans of objects of comparable visual beauty and historical importance.”
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# posted by David Beard @ 8:21 AM
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
UR: A VIDEO ESSAY ON TAMIL - PART 1
Location: India Length: 26 min.
In south India is a culture with a continuous literary tradition more than 2000 years old. With 80 million speakers, Tamil is one of few languages besides Greek that is both classical and modern. This video essay outlines in images and music the development of the rich Tamil culture and writing systems. The origins of its earliest written script, found on cave walls, is a mystery. Some say it descends from the still undeciphered Indus script used 4000 years ago in modern Pakistan and northwestern India and that the Indus people spoke Dravidian, ancestral to Tamil.
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# posted by David Beard @ 1:59 PM
Digital archaeology
One of the prime reasons that many people scour the skies in search of signs of extra-terrestrial life is to disprove a theory that sentient life is not sustainable. Many fear that once the apes, lizards, fish or glowing green jellyfish become advanced enough to have a civilisation, they may develop nuclear devices and wipe all proof of their existence off the face of their planet. That is if they are lucky. More likely, they will blow their planet to bits.
The reasoning thus goes, that if we can find proof of intelligent life on another planet, that means we are not unique in the universe and sentience is sustainable.
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# posted by David Beard @ 1:57 PM
Bog bodies found were society's elite
Research into Iron Age bog bodies discovered in the midlands of Ireland has revealed they were elite members of society who may have met violent deaths as part of kingship rituals.
See more pictures of the amazing discovery
As the bodies discovered in 2003 went on display at the National Museum of Ireland, Eamonn Kelly, the keeper of Irish antiquities, said they were placed along significant boundaries of ancient kingdoms linking them to sovereignty and kingship rituals during the Iron Age.
"The bodies fit in, in that they are also offerings, they are offerings to the territorial gods or goddesses but they may also at a practical level have represented the elimination of perhaps failed candidates for kingship or deposed kings," said Mr Kelly on the two bodies discovered in bogs at Oldcroghan, Co Offaly and Clonycavan, Co Meath.
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# posted by David Beard @ 12:22 PM
Open Context: Sharing Archaeological Data Digitally
A new tool in the open source arsenal announced its beta launch last week. Called Open Context, the project involves scientists from Cambridge University (UK), Harvard University, the Smithsonian Institution, U.C. Berkeley, and the University of Chicago, and is supported by grants from the William and Flora Hewett Foundation, "inkind" services from Deloitte and Touche and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and help from individual donors.
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# posted by David Beard @ 12:18 PM
Professor Leslie Alcock
Archaeologist who excavated King Arthur’s ‘Camelot’ and redefined the scholarship of his discipline
PROFESSOR Leslie Alcock will be most widely remembered for his book Arthur’s Britain, which made a lasting impact on the scholarly community and was hugely popular, and for his excavations at the hill fort of South Cadbury-Camelot, Somerset, which attracted worldwide attention. These were the popular highlights of a career that had a profound influence on the practice of archaeology in Britain and on the study of early medieval Britain in particular.
As a native Mancunian Alcock counted himself among the Gwr y Gogledd, “men of the North” and consequently developed a lifelong interest in the Celtic history and archaeology, which he pursued in Cardiff and later in Glasgow.
He won a scholarship to Manchester Grammar School, 1935-42, after which he served in the Gurkhas in India, reaching the rank of captain. His Indian experience had an anthropological dimension (probably not intended by the Army). Not only did he become fluent in Urdu and Punjabi, but his close involvement with non-western culture influenced his understanding of archaeological evidence. The Army may also have kindled his interest in the study of ancient warfare, one of his favourite themes.
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# posted by David Beard @ 7:51 AM
World Heritage bid hope for wall
Scotland's culture minister has thrown her weight behind the bid to make the Antonine Wall a World Heritage Site.
Patricia Ferguson said the wall, at one time the most northern frontier of the Roman Empire, was "an outstanding archaeological treasure".
Five local authorities are also supporting the bid, which was officially launched in 2003.
The Antonine Wall runs 37 miles from Bo'ness, near Falkirk, to Old Kilpatrick in West Dunbartonshire.
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# posted by David Beard @ 7:50 AM
Archaeologists discover Byzantine port in Istanbul
Archaeologists have discovered an ancient Byzantine port in an area of Istanbul that was to be an underground station.
What might be a church, an old gate to the city and eight sunken ships have been found so far.
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# posted by David Beard @ 7:49 AM
SMASHED VASE MAN IS CLEARED
A MAN who smashed three 17th-century museum vases then claimed he tripped on his shoelaces will not face charges, police said yesterday.
Nick Flynn, 42, was arrested and bailed on suspicion of criminal damage after he fell on stairs and smashed the Qing dynasty porcelain vases on a windowsill at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.
They are part of a set of five estimated to be worth up to £300,000.
Police said: "A 42-year-old man arrested on suspicion of criminal damage has been released without charge.
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# posted by David Beard @ 7:48 AM
Antonine Wall could become World Heritage Site
Scotland is to bid to make the Antonine Wall a World Heritage Site.
Built in 141, it formed the Northern Frontier to the Roman Empire and stretches 60 kilometres from Old Kilpatrick in West Dunbartonshire to Bo'ness, near Falkirk.
Although most of it has been destroyed over time, parts can still be seen and later today local council representatives will sign up for the bid to make the Antonine Wall the country's fifth World Heritage Site.
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# posted by David Beard @ 7:47 AM
Byzantine port unearthed in Turkey
Archaeologists say they’ve dug up millennium-old sunken ships
Turkish archaeologists announced Tuesday that they have discovered an ancient Byzantine port in an area that was slated to become an underground station for a modern rail tunnel.
They're calling the find the "Port of Theodosius," after the emperor of Rome and Byzantium who died in the year 395, and say the items they're digging up here could shed significant light on the commercial life of this ancient city. Through the ages, the metropolis has been known as Byzantium, Constantinople and finally Istanbul.
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# posted by David Beard @ 7:46 AM
Front garden yields ancient tools
The Britons of 250,000 years ago were a good deal more sophisticated than they are sometimes given credit for, new archaeological evidence suggests.
It comes in the form of giant flint handaxes that have been unearthed at a site at Cuxton in Kent.
The tools display exquisite, almost flamboyant, workmanship not associated with this period until now.
The axes - one of which measured 307mm (1ft) in length - were dug up from old sand deposits in a front garden.
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# posted by David Beard @ 7:44 AM
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Saving Grace For Leicestershire Historic Monument
Grace Dieu Priory, an ‘at risk’ Leicestershire ruin dating back to 1235, has been saved after a campaign lasting ten years and costing more than £500,000. The Priory will officially open on Saturday 1 July 2006 with school orchestras and choirs, maypole dancing and an exhibition of relics discovered at the site.
‘The Friends of Grace Dieu’, a group of local residents, architects, archaeologists, and specialist contractors, among others, will continue to maintain and develop the site as well as run events. The restoration has involved architectural exploration, planning conservation and developing additional paths, which will allow riders on the Sustrans National Cycle route to pass through the Grace Dieu woods. A thanksgiving service will take place at the Priory on July 2.
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# posted by David Beard @ 2:37 PM
Vicini alla scoperta della tomba di Alessandro Magno
«Siamo a due passi da una scoperta di straordinaria portata! Nel giro di poco tempo potremmo trovare i resti della tomba di Alessandro Magno!».
È categorico Jean Yves Empereur, Direttore del Centre d’études alexandrines, impegnato nello scavo sistematico dell’immensa necropoli dell’antica Alessandria d’Egitto (la "nekròpolis" descritta dal geografo greco Strabone): questo cimitero, allestito all’inizio del periodo tolemaico (attorno al 300 a. C.), è stato utilizzato fino ai primi secoli della cristianità e dunque conserva migliaia di sepolture.
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# posted by David Beard @ 2:31 PM
Prehistoric pottery is found at bridge site
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have uncovered what they believe is the broadest range of elaborately decorated prehistoric pottery ever found in Scotland, at the site for the new Kincardine Bridge.
The discovery shows that large groups of Scotland's first settlers crossed over the River Forth at the site of the new bridge up to 6,000 years ago.
Excavations have uncovered prehistoric settlements dating from around 4,000BC, when hunter-gatherers, who previously moved along Scotland's coasts, established the first permanent communities. A series of houses and other buildings dating to four periods of history from the Stone Age to medieval times have been found.
Other finds included ceremonial and working axes made with stone from the Ochil Hills.
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# posted by David Beard @ 2:25 PM
'Bog men' on display
Iron Age men found buried in peat bogs go on display at the National Museum in Dublin today.
The "Kingship & Sacrifice - An exhibition of bog bodies and related finds" display will be officially opened by Arts Minister John O'Donoghue this afternoon.
The ancient human remains were found in a preserved state in 2003 at Oldcroghan, Co Offaly and Clonycavan, Co Meath.
A team of international specialists helped the National Museum to study the artefacts.
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# posted by David Beard @ 1:24 PM
Rare sword had 7th Century bling
An Anglian sword found at a castle in Northumberland has been declared the only one of its kind in the world.
Experts at the Royal Armouries in Leeds, say X-rays of the 7th Century sword prove it was made from a unique method using slices of carbonised iron.
The sword lay in a suitcase, after being unearthed in an excavation at Bamburgh Castle in 1960.
Archaeologist Paul Gething said the extremely rare sword would have had "serious bling factor".
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# posted by David Beard @ 1:23 PM
Extensive study into Roman town
A major archaeological project at the nationally-important Caistor Roman town in Norfolk is to be launched within the next few weeks.
Researchers hope the origins and development of the settlement at Caistor St Edmund, just south of Norwich, will emerge for the first time during eight to 10 years of work.
The town was once the regional centre of East Anglia and is one of only three Romano-British towns remaining undeveloped.
The site, owned by the Norfolk Archaeological Trust and managed by South Norfolk Council, was also the market town for the Iceni tribe, led by Queen Boudicca.
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# posted by David Beard @ 1:22 PM
Etruscan tomb yields oldest art
In Italy's most sensational archaeological find in years, an Etruscan tomb near Rome has yielded the oldest examples of painting in Western civilisation .
Experts could barely contain their excitement as they showed reporters five roaring lions and a flock of waterbirds that have emerged from the ground at the buried Etruscan city of Veio north of Rome .
"We are at the dawn of what has been called Orientalising civilisation," said Rome University Etruscanologist Giovanni Colonna, illustrating the discovery just outside the perimeter of the Veio Archaeological Park .
Colonna said the tomb, probably the last resting place of a prince, predated the previously oldest tomb at Veio - known as the Tomb of the Ducks - by some ten years, meaning it was built in about 690 BC .
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# posted by David Beard @ 1:21 PM
Tomb raider leads Italy police to ancient paintings
Italy unveiled on Friday a new archaeological site that some experts say houses the oldest paintings in the history of Western civilization.
Italy's culture minister took reporters to an unremarkable field outside Rome under which they were shown a room carved into the hillside, decorated with colorful frescoes which archaeologists said were 2,700 years old.
"It's a prince's tomb that is unique, and I would say is at the origins of Western art," said Minister Francesco Rutelli, standing on what, until two weeks ago when the site was found, was just a field of barley.
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# posted by David Beard @ 1:18 PM
Monday, June 19, 2006
Anglo-Saxon sword rescued from skip
A unique Anglo-Saxon sword has been discovered in an old suitcase in the attic of the archeologist who unearthed it nearly 50 years ago.
The seventh century "pattern-welded" Bamburgh Sword, which was forged for a king, narrowly avoided being dumped in a skip by workers who were clearing the house of the archeologist and broadcaster Brian Hope-Taylor after his death. It was rescued by some former students who had gone to the house after hearing that his books were being sold off.
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# posted by David Beard @ 12:19 PM
Summer solstice at Maltese prehistoric sites
Heritage Malta will be allowing a limited group of people to experience the summer solstice from its Hagar Qim and Mnajdra prehistoric temples on the morning of Wednesday, 21 June. Pre-booked participants will have to assemble at Hagar Qim at 05:45am. After witnessing this phenomenon they would then proceed with a guided tour of Hagar Qim and Mnajdra, followed by a visit to Ta' Hagrat and Skorba temples in Mgarr.
At the dawn of this day of the year with the longest daylight period, sunlight passes through a hole at Hagar Qim temples, known as the 'oracle hole', which opens onto a chamber on the northeast side of the temple. Here, the sun's rays project a disk of light on a stone slab at the entrance of the apse. As the minutes pass, the disk becomes a crescent, then elongates into an ellipse, elongates even further and finally sinks out of sight as though into the ground. At Mnajdra, the first rays of the sun light up the edge of a megalith found to the left of the central doorway connecting the first pair of chambers to the inner chambers.
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# posted by David Beard @ 12:14 PM
Robin Hood's 'house found' - in Sheffield
Archaeologists claim they have found the remains of Robin Hood's house - in Sheffield.
The outlaw is usually associated with Nottingham but researchers believe he came from the South Yorkshire village of Bolsterstone.
Experts from Sheffield University have started a preliminary dig at the site of an 11th century castle in the village.
Robin Hood is a mythical character but researchers believe he was based on the son of Waltheof, the Earl of Huntingdon who fiercely opposed the Norman invasion.
Waltheof was the father of Robert Fitzwalter, an archer who became known as Robin Hood.
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# posted by David Beard @ 12:12 PM
WAS ROBIN HOOD'S HOUSE IN SHEFFIELD?
IT won't go down well in Nottingham, but a pile of stones near Sheffield could be Robin Hood's home.
For centuries it has been thought the legendary archer was based in Sherwood forest while he robbed from the rich and gave to the poor.
But now archaeologists claim they have found the remains of his house - 52 miles away in South Yorkshire.
And that could be a bit of a blow for Nottingham and Sherwood forest where visitor centres have been making a killing from Robin Hood merchandise. Experts from Sheffield University have started a preliminary dig at the site of an 11th century castle in the village of Bolsterstone.
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# posted by David Beard @ 12:11 PM
Iron Age protection from Castlelaw hillfort
AT SOME point in the centuries leading up to the birth of Christ, a prominent spur of the Pentlands, the hill range outside Edinburgh, was enclosed by a timber palisade. This wooden structure was designed to provide a defensive barrier for the local Iron Age in habitants. It was the beginning of what became Castlelaw Hillfort.
The Iron Age was a time of considerable unrest between local groups as people competed for land and cattle. New weapons led to different techniques of warfare, aided by the advent of iron which could be mass-produced relatively simply and cheaply. In addition, there was a new threat to the Celtic tribes as they faced up to the menace posed by the northward march of the Romans. A fort like this may not have been permanently occupied, but it would provide shelter for many people and their herds in times of danger.
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# posted by David Beard @ 12:10 PM
11,000-year-old grain shakes up beliefs on beginnings of agriculture
Bar-Ilan University researchers have found a cache of 120,000 wild oat and 260,000 wild barley grains at the Gilgal archaeological site near Jericho that date back 11,000 years - providing evidence of cultivation during the Neolithic Period.
The research, performed by Drs. Ehud Weiss and Anat Hartmann of BIU's department of Land of Israel studies and Prof. Mordechai Kislev of the faculty of life sciences, appears in the June 16 edition of the prestigious journal Science.
It is the second time in two weeks that Kislev and Hartmann have had an article in Science. They recently wrote about their discovery of 10,000-year-old cultivated figs at the same Jordan Valley site.
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# posted by David Beard @ 12:08 PM
Graffiti found at ancient Italian prison
Graffiti left by prisoners held by the Inquisition in Sicily more than 200 years ago have been found on the walls of an ancient prison.
The Steri, the Inquisition's headquarters, is being converted into a museum, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. Between 1601 and 1782, hundreds of people the Catholic Church suspected of heresy or witchcraft were held there for questioning and torture, few of them emerging alive.
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# posted by David Beard @ 12:06 PM
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Experts' hope over shipwreck find
Two well-preserved 18th Century shipwrecks, found by a team of Bristol archaeologists in the Caribbean, could shed new light on life in the 1700s.
They were discovered in 2005 while the Bristol University team was trying to locate HMS Nymph, a warship which sank in the British Virgin Islands in 1783.
Marine archaeologists are to investigate the two sites and try once again to locate the Nymph.
They will use a robot to collect video data which will then be catalogued.
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# posted by David Beard @ 7:07 PM
Bulgaria Uncovers Roman Script
A Bulgarian archeologist has discovered in central Bulgaria a script about Roman Emperor Galien, it was announced Sunday.
The writing was found at the Sostra site, which was the predecessor town of Today's Troyan, in central Bulgaria.
According to the inscription, Emperor Galien (ruled over 253-268) has led a legion to Sostra.
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# posted by David Beard @ 7:05 PM
Man Leads Archaeologists to Frescoed Tomb
A suspected tomb raider turned police informant has led archaeologists to what experts described Friday as the oldest known frescoed burial chamber in Europe.
The tomb, located on a hilly wheat field north of Rome, belonged to a warrior prince from the nearby Etruscan town of Veio, according to archaeologists who took journalists on a tour of the site.
Dating from around 690 B.C., the underground burial chamber is decorated with roaring lions and migratory birds.
"This princely tomb is unique and it marks the origin of Western painting," said Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli, referring to the ancient art of burial painting.
(The article includes a picture of the frescoes)
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# posted by David Beard @ 7:03 PM
Man Leads Archaeologists to Frescoed Tomb
A suspected tomb raider turned police informant has led archaeologists to what experts described Friday as the oldest known frescoed burial chamber in Europe.
Dating from around 690 B.C., the underground burial chamber is decorated with roaring lions and migratory birds.
"This princely tomb is unique and it marks the origin of Western painting," said Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli, referring to the ancient art of burial painting.
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# posted by David Beard @ 7:00 PM
Roman treasure discovered on farm
Farm contractors have unearthed 2,000 Roman coins beneath a field at a farm near Carmarthen.
The coins, which date from late Roman times, have been categorised as "treasure".
They contain a small amount of silver, but experts have not yet put a value on the find.
The exact location of the discovery is being kept secret to protect the site from treasure hunters. The HM Coroner has been informed.
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