Archaeologists investigate medieval chapel in Edinburgh

Archaeologists have discovered a fragment of floor tile from high status medieval Scots and a circular, stone-lined well while searching in Edinburgh for the remains of a chapel built almost 500 years ago.

Extensive research suggests the chapel, built by Sir Simon Preston in 1518 and created to rest the “souls” of James III and IV, still lies beneath the "unassuming" buildings of Bridgend Farm.

A medieval church font was found by a former owner of the land, and an archaeological survey last year resulted in a Heritage Lottery Fund grant for a fuller investigation.

“The excavations unearthed clues which prove there was activity in the area at the time the chapel was constructed and in use,” said a spokesperson for Rubicon Heritage, who collaborated with an enthusiastic group of volunteers from the Greater Liberton Heritage Project.

“A fragment of possible medieval floor tile indicates a building of high status in the area – showing that it is not just a farm building.

“Pottery from one trench shows even earlier activity during the 13th and 14th centuries, demonstrating the area was utilised before the establishment of the chapel.

“One of the most exciting features discovered was located in Trench 2 – a circular stone-lined medieval well which could pre-date the chapel.”

The trenches have now been backfilled ahead of analysis work on the finds by experts, with the team hoping to conduct future excavations at the site.

[source]

Twitter Users Speak out: 21 Items Archaeologists Can't Live Without on a Dig

Ancient Digger's Twitter followers are the best. Leave it to them to come up with some funny and completely accurate items that archaeologists can not live without on dig.

As for me, I had a hard time deciding.  I like a good bandanna and comfortable shoes. I have these awesome Columbia hiking shoes that are great in the dirt, but what else?

Ok, so, have you seen my hair? It's like Repunzel length, so I would have to say 20 bobby pins, a good hair tie, and maybe some mascara. Yes I said it, mascara. There's no reason to go into the field not looking your best, lol! I like being dirty, but I like being pretty while I'm getting dirty. That sounded dirty, lol.

1. Patience! @Rockhunter710 , Team Hartman
2. Handkerchiefs to their noses filled with earth ... iughhhhhhhhh!!! :P #archaeology. @zoraxhm
3. Good Scotch  @AinslieCogswell
4. Sharpies, trowels, and toilet paper @kbiittner 
5. On a scorching, hot, summers day, gotta have water in a trench!... I always miss post holes without :( haha! @willsmith700
6. I'm ok with Sharpies, but tape measures! The ability they have to vanish has left me baffled for years! @willsmith700
7. Thermos of whisk- uh, coffee. @AccessArtefacts 
8. A nearby pub!! ;) @xCharliBobx
9. Comfortable shoes, a pen that isn't clogged up with dust/mud, some filthy jokes, a perfectly vertical baulk wall. @lshipley805
10. A spray bottle with water is a must have for wall profiles (esp in rock shelters with low light) @kbiittner 
11. Mascara. I like being dirty, but I like being pretty while I'm getting dirty. @Ancientdigger
12. Well tea at a push but obviously a glass or three of real ale would be better , but LOTS of cake naturally :) @tesschwarz
13. A sense of history, a feeling of déjà vu. @thampuran
14. Pants! Also, brambles. Shorts won't hack it.! @processarch
    
15. Kneepads and insect repellant. @SusanLlewellyn
16. A sense of humor!! @thetimetribe 
17. Change of underwear, maybe ten
18. A sports bra. Gotta keep these babies in tact!
19. Sunscreen or Banana boat Oil. Choose your poison!
20. A knife. You'd be surprised how often we can't find one. ‏@JRyme
21. My Marshalltown of course.
    
    
    

So what is that you as an archaeologist can't live without on a dig? Even if you're not an archaeologist, what do you think they can't live without?

Kids Digging Archaeology at Codorus State Park

Kids between the ages of 9 and 12 are digging for artifacts around the 18th century site of the Mary Ann Furnace.

The summer camp was offered through a partnership between the York County Department of Parks and the York County Heritage Trust as a part of Nature Discovery Week to teach students about archaeology and history through actual excavations.

Jeri Jones from the Department of Parks is the program’s coordinator who specializes in geology and archaeology.

"Every year we continue to put together pieces of the puzzle and find out more about the Mary Ann Furnace," Jones said. "It's a tedious operation but the kids have already learned some things."

Patrick Bochy, a museum educator from the Heritage Trust, assisted the children in identifying artifacts and talking about the history of the area. He said the furnace made ammunition for soldiers during the Revolutionary War and the area has artifacts showing its existence.

Bochy said it's important for kids to take advantage of opportunities like the archaeology camp over the summer to learn more about history and science.

See what the kids have to say about archaeology. So far they all want to find a dead body, a foundation wall (that made me smile), arrowheads (come to Florida we have hundreds of them), a sword and a skeleton. Pretty wishful thinking, but all archaeologists have lofty goals in mind, even though we may not let you know.

Quest For King Solomon's Mines: Featuring Eminent Archaeologist Thomas E. Levy

Watch the full episode. See more NOVA.

It's a Saturday night, and yes, I'm watching NOVA on PBS. I almost couldn't help myself after a colleague sent me the information for the Quest For King Solomon's Mines (follow this link for the full video) on NOVA. Many scholars today question whether King Solomon was a king at all, as no evidence has ever been found by archaeologists, until now.

Mining shafts have been found deep in the deserts of Jordan along with skeletal remains suspected to be Solomon's miners. Could these be the men who held the wealth the Bible chronicles in their hands? Watch and see.

NOVA does a wonderful job in this program, outlining the history of King Solomon, his gold and copper mines, and whether we will ever know the truth about his existence.

Article Blurb via University of California

A new television documentary featuring the work of University of California, San Diego, archaeologist Thomas E. Levy proves that extensive copper production took place in Jordan during what is believed to be the Biblical era of David and Solomon — suggesting that there is some historical veracity to the Hebrew Bible’s (Old Testament) portrayal of their kingdom and that of neighboring Edom in southern Jordan.

A related and newly edited book by Levy — as well as a scholarly paper that appeared last month in a British journal — also advocate for a new high-tech “pragmatic” approach for carrying out historical archaeology in the Levant region of the Middle East, coupled with high precision radiocarbon dating, to ensure objectivity in a discipline fraught with emotional prejudice.

Official Web site of the University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA 92093
(858) 534-2230

Copyright ©2010 Regents of the University of California.

Archaeological Discovery: Gold Adorned Remains of Archaic Woman in Crete

 Source

Small gold plaques, 1-3cm-thick, in different forms (square, triangle, and diamond-shaped) were found next to the remains of the woman, discovered a few weeks ago by the team led by archaeology professor Nikolaos Stampolidis. The findings were inside a 2,700-year-old twin tomb, the only one in ancient Eleftherna, located very close to a necropolis of fallen warriors.

Read the full story of this Archaic golden woman

Introducing Ancient Digger's Video TellTales Week

I’m come to the conclusion-I do that often-readers want more than just articles. If you’re like me, sometimes reading a thousand word articles can be a drag when you haven’t had you’re morning coffee. Am I right or am I right?

I want to get you involved as much as possible, as my goal is to make Ancient Digger a multimedia site. What better way to see who my readers are then to start accepting travelogues and video showcases of you on location at a historical site.

Sometimes it’s easier to understand a site or aspect of history when it’s described in another fashion by a different person. Consequently, I can’t be all over the world at all times, but all of you are. This means many of you have access to sites, maybe even a couple miles away from your home.
I want to hear you’re perspectives. You don’t have to be experts. You don’t even have to put yourself on film. I do, however, want to hear some commentary.

My goal is to receive seven videos. I would like to run a new video every day for a week once a month.

Along with the video, I would like you to provide me:

• A short bio about yourself
• An introduction for your video
• A link to your own website or blog

You can send this information to ancientdigger@gmail.com.

I can’t accept every video sent to me and I do apologize ahead of time. Remember I only need seven, so the sooner you can get your video sent to me the better. I may choose to use your video for a later date. If that’s the case, I’ll let you know via email.

This is something I’m trying and if it works, I would like to devote one week out of every month for your travel videos. Just remember, although the videos are about travel destinations, I still need to hear the history. Don’t give me a commercial. Make it personal!

Now you’re probably wondering what you get out of this deal. Am I right? If you said no, I thank you for your generosity. However, I would like to give you something back.

I will be devoting a page just for you. My video tour guides. Your name and a link to your site will reside there permanently, divided by month submitted and the name of your video.

For Example:

September 2010

Lauren Axelrod “Natives of Florida”

Rules For Video Submission

• Original work only.
• Video Format needs to be compatible with Vista, Windows 7, and XP. If I can’t upload or embed your video to the site, I can’t use it.
• No profanity in the video. Keep it friendly to all ages.
• Please keep the commentary easy to understand.
• Topic of the video should be about travel, archaeology, anthropology, culture, or history. You know what this site’s about, so stick to the format.
• Length of the video must be no less than 2 minutes and no longer than 10 minutes.
• I encourage you to film the video in English. However, if you'd like to film in your native language, I will need the translation for the video or you can add subtitles to the video itself.
• Please do not submit videos already published to YouTube. I want originals.
• Submit all videos to ancientdigger@gmail.com. In the subject line put "Video TellTales Week Submission".

Helpful Tips and Extras

• If you’d like to include friends in the video or family members, it’s entirely up to you.
• You can use music.
• You can use a rendering service like Animoto to create your video. I use them all the time. In that aspect, they will provide you en embed code. Copy and Paste. Very easy.
• Creativity is encouraged. So if I see you in an Indiana Jones hat with a whip, most likely I’ll love it.
• Videos can be made in Windows Live Movie Maker, Animoto, from a video camera, Webcam, or other video software you may have.

Voting

You are more than welcome to comment on the videos once they are published, however voting will not commence until all seven videos have been posted.

To vote, just sign into the comment system and write vote under your favorite video. You will have until the end of the month to vote and you can only vote once. You can, however, encourage your friends and family to vote and comment.

On the first of the month I will announce the winner.

Rewards

The winner will receive a free Ancient Digger T-shirt, 2 Free months of advertising (banner 125 x 125 or link), and an announcement page with a link back to your site.

For all of my six runner ups, you will still receive a spot on the video tour guide page. Your name, link to your video, and a link to your site will reside there permanently.

Ladies, you can chose a shirt from these pages:

T-shirts
Tank Tops

Gentlemen, you can chose a shirt from these pages:

T-shirts Page 1
T-shirts Page 2

Important Dates:

September 11th Videos Due
September 20th Voting Starts
September 30th Voting Stops
October 1st Winner Is Announced


Please Note: This is an off week for the Monday Ground Up Edition. I'm trying to promote the new Video TellTales Week, so make sure you tell your friends and remember, September 11th will come quite soon.

If you have any further concerns or questions, please don't hesitate to use the contact form.

I'm looking forward to seeing the submissions.

Lauren Axelrod
Owner Ancient Digger

Archaeological Finds in Turkey

Canadian archeologists from the University of Toronto are restoration and interpreting an Assyrian tablet from Southern Turkey. The tablet is 43cm long and 23cm wide with 650-700 lines of writing on it and according to archeologist Timothy Harrison, the tablet, dating from about 670 BC, is a treaty between a powerful Assyrian king and his weaker vassal states, written in formal language similar to that used in the Old Testament. The find is just one of a large number of finds from the same site. Over 30,000 artifacts have been unearthed so far.

Read more about the latest archaeological finds in Turkey