Archaeology News: May 30, 2013

History of Stonea Camp brought to life by archaeologist and storyteller

David Crawford-White, of Oxford Archaeology East, spoke about the history and archaeology of the site, which lies on what was once the border of the Iceni and the Coritani tribes.

Described as the lowest ‘hill’ fort in England, it has been occupied since the Bronze Age and is believed to be the site of a major battle between the conquering Romans and the Iceni tribe, whose queen was named Boudicca.

Archaeologist found after losing his way in Woods

It has been reported that the Vienna archaeologist is safe and sound after he lost his way in the woods. After the 82-year old man was lost in the enigmatic forests, a search party was deployed to find him.

Germans Return Stolen Antiquities to Greece

In the month of June, Greek stolen antiquities that are in Germany will be given back to Greece. About 8,000 pieces of vases dating to the Neolithic age were exported illegally to Germany by a group of foreign archaeologists under the guidance of Alfred Rosenberg, Hitler’s chief ideologist, after an illegal excavation conducted in a region next to the Greek town of Velestino in 1941.

Han Dynasty Tombs Discovered in China

Twenty tombs dating to the Han Dynasty have been found along the Yangtze River, near the Three Gorges Dam. Reports indicate that 430 artifacts, ranging from ceramics to objects made of iron and bronze, were recovered from the tombs by archaeologists from the Chongqing Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.

Enigmatic Structure in Sea of Galilee Puzzles Israeli Archaeologists

Israeli archaeologists are scratching their collective heads over the discovery of a behemoth-like conical and circular structure that is located at the bottom of the Sea of Galilee.

The monumental, man-made structure made of boulders and stones was discovered during a routine sonar scan in 2003.

Etowah Indian Mounds to highlight archaeological discoveries Saturday

Opting for modern surveying techniques over trowels and shovels, Adam King and his archaeological teams continue to provide insight into Etowah Indian Mounds State Historic Site’s illustrious past. Over the past eight years, King — the research associate professor with the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology — has detected significant elements in soil profiles, such as remnants of residential structures or fireplaces.

Rugged African terrain led humans to walk upright

Archaeologists have found that our upright gait may have begun in the rugged landscape of Africa, which was a terrain shaped by volcanoes and shifting tectonic plates.

A new study by University of York challenges evolutionary theories behind the development of our earliest ancestors from tree dwelling quadrupeds to upright bipeds capable of walking and scrambling.

Direct Evidence: Projectiles are at Least 90,000 Years Old

Archaeologist Corey O’Driscoll has developed a method of determining if wounds on bones were made by spears thrown from a distance. Indirect evidence from examining stone point, suggests that humans living in Africa began hurling weapons as early as 500,000 years ago, but this evidence is often disputed.

Archaeology News: April 22, 2013

Story of Baum's Bridge begins in prehistoric times

The Kankakee River along southern Porter County has long been known for its prehistoric and historic human activity. The spot surrounding the Collier Lodge at Baum's Bridge was especially active and has had numerous archaeological investigations.

Roman-Era 'Cosmetics' May Have Treated Eye Chlamydia

Roman-era toiletry sets consisting of tweezers, scrapers and other artifacts have long been interpreted as beauty aids. But it's possible the tools had a more gruesome use: to treat a type of Chlamydia that infects the eye.

Burrup Peninsula rock art among world's oldest

Research into the rate of erosion of Pilbara rocks has put an upper limit on the possible age of up to a million ancient Aboriginal engravings in the Burrup Peninsula of Western Australia.

The peninsula and surrounding Dampier Archipelago have the highest concentration of rock art in the world. The carvings, called petroglyphs, include depictions of human-like figures, human faces and animals that no longer inhabited the region, including the Tasmanian tiger.

Brain size points to origins of 'hobbit'

A new study of fossil skulls has weighed into the debate on the identity of the ancestor of the so-called 'hobbit'. Japanese researchers argue today in Proceedings of the Royal Society B that Homo erectus is the most likely predecessor of the famously diminuitive creature known as H. floresiensis.

"We conclude that evolution from early Javanese H. erectus to H. floresiensis was possible in terms of brain size," say Dr Yousuke Kaifu and colleagues, from the University of Tokyo and the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo.

Oldest European Medieval Cookbook Found

A 12th-century manuscript contains the oldest known European Medieval food recipes, according to new research.

The recipes, which include both food and medical ointment concoctions, were compiled and written in Latin. Someone jotted them down at Durham Cathedral’s monastery in the year 1140.

It was essentially a health book, so the meals were meant to improve a person’s health or to cure certain afflictions. The other earliest known such recipes dated to 1290.

Richard III may have gone through painful medical treatments to ‘cure’ his scoliosis

Dr Mary Ann Lund, of the University’s School of English, has carried out research into the kinds of scoliosis treatments available at the time Richard III was alive.

The remains of Richard III discovered by University of Leicester scientists revealed that the King suffered from severe scoliosis, which he probably developed in early adolescence.

Archaeology News: April 16, 2013

Archaeologists in Fermanagh discover 600-year-old murder mystery beneath controversial crannog

Archaeologists excavating the crannog site in County Fermanagh believe a 600-year-old skeleton was the victim of an ancient murder mystery.

Experts working on the Drumclay Crannóg at Enniskillen believe the woman’s remains which date back to the 15th or 16th century were buried in an “irregular” way. Investigators also found that the woman’s skull was damaged, however it is not known if this happened after death.

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Muslim Perspectives on the Military Orders during the Crusades

On July 4, 1187, the armies of Saladin, sultan of Egypt and Syria, surrounded thousands of Crusaders surmounting the Horns of Hattin near Tiberias in Galilee. Exhausted by heat, thirst, and days of marching and fighting, the Crusaders were forced to surrender. Thousands of the resulting prisoners were sold into slavery, but not all. While King Guy and the Frankish aristocrats who had led their followers to disaster were allowed for the most part to ransom themselves, the knights of Military Orders faced a different fate. After his triumphant victory, Saladin singled out the captive Templar and Hospitallers for execution.

La Tene Warriors Uncovered

A team of Inrap archaeologists recently uncovered an exceptionally preserved necropolis dating to the 4th – 3rd centuries BC in Buchères, north central France.

Tomb containing two burials and a sword, dating to 4th century BCE. © Denis Gliksman, Inrap
The team uncovered fifteen spectacular funerary enclosures, quadrangular, circular and horseshoe in shape dating from both the pre Celtic Bronze Age and early Iron Age.

‘Citizen archaeologists’ needed for Orkney’s eroding coastal heritage

If you enjoy the coast, know about your local heritage – or want to explore it further, you could make a real contribution to a national project which is being run by The SCAPE Trust and the University of St Andrews.

The Scotland’s Coastal Heritage at Risk project is looking for volunteers who can visit threatened coastal archaeological and historical sites in their local areas to take photographs, record their current condition and contribute information to a national database of coastal archaeological sites.

Horse-related artifacts unearthed in London dig

Several fascinating horse-related objects are among a treasure trove of 10,000 Roman objects unearthed during an archaeological dig in London. Many of the finds contain obscene imagery, such as a 1st century AD Roman pendant. It would have been used by cavalry and features a copper-alloy fist and phallus. It is believed to have had a pair of clappers to make a jingling sound as the horse moved.

Their finds include a padded and stitched piece of leather with an image of a gladiator fighting mythical animals. The leather has been elaborately worked by its creator. Archaeologists say it is one of the most puzzling finds at the site to date. They suspect it may have come from a chariot, but can only guess because nothing similar has ever been found.

Research Reveals How Australopithecus sediba Walked, Chewed, Moved

New research appearing in six papers in the journal Science describes how the hominid Australopithecus sediba walked, chewed, and moved around 2 million years ago. The research offers a comprehensive depiction of some of the most complete early human ancestral remains ever discovered.

Pottery cooked from the start

Ancient leftovers indicate that the earliest pottery was used by hunter-gatherers for cooking, thousands of years before farming communities began heating their food in vessels.

Chemical analyses of charred food clinging to pottery fragments from sites across Japan indicate that hunter-gatherers who lived there between 15,300 and 11,200 years ago cooked freshwater or marine animals in ceramic vessels, say bioarchaeologist Oliver Craig of the University of York in England and his colleagues.

Anthropology student finds excitement in the mundane

As a 38-year-old graduate student watches volunteers go through archeological materials from the Leonis Adobe site in Calabasas, she becomes excited with mundane objects like a nail, a marble and broken pieces of ceramic.

Ann Stansell, a second-year anthropology graduate student, works in CSUN’s Anthropological Research Institute once a week where she recently started overseeing undergraduate anthropology students who volunteered to help. The university has acquired much archaeological material since the 1960s and the inventory has never been properly organized.

Carbon-14 dating links Maya Long Count calendar and European calendar

The Maya are famous for their complex, intertwined calendric systems, and now one calendar, the Maya Long Count, is empirically calibrated to the modern European calendar, according to an international team of researchers.

"The Long Count calendar fell into disuse before European contact in the Maya area," said Douglas J. Kennett, professor of environmental archaeology, Penn State.

"Methods of tying the Long Count to the modern European calendar used known historical and astronomical events, but when looking at how climate affects the rise and fall of the Maya, I began to question how accurately the two calendars correlated using those methods."

© Museum der Kulturen

The researchers found that the new measurements mirrored the most popular method in use, the Goodman-Martinez-Thompson (GMT) correlation, initially put forth by Joseph Goodman in 1905 and subsequently modified by others. In the 1950s scientists tested this correlation using early radiocarbon dating, but the large error range left open the validity of GMT.

"With only a few dissenting voices, the GMT correlation is widely accepted and used, but it must remain provisional without some form of independent corroboration," the researchers report in today's (April 11) issue of Scientific Reports.

A combination of high-resolution accelerator mass spectrometry carbon-14 dates and a calibration using tree growth rates showed the GMT correlation is correct.

The Long Count counts days from a mythological starting point. The date is comprised of five components that combine a multiplier times 144,000 days – Bak'tun, 7,200 days – K'atun, 360 days – Tun, 20 days – Winal, and 1 day – K'in separated, in standard notation, by dots.

Archaeologists want to place the Long Count dates into the European calendar so there is an understanding of when things happened in the Maya world relative to historic events elsewhere. Correlation also allows the rich historical record of the Maya to be compared with other sources of environmental, climate and archaeological data calibrated using the European calendar.

The samples came from an elaborately carved wooden lintel or ceiling from a temple in the ancient Maya city of Tikal, Guatemala, that carries a carving and dedication date in the Maya calendar. This same lintel was one of three analyzed in the previous carbon-14 study.

Researchers measured tree growth by tracking annual changes in calcium uptake by the trees, which is greater during the rainy season.

The amount of carbon-14 in the atmosphere is incorporated into a tree's incremental growth. Atmospheric carbon-14 changes through time, and during the Classic Maya period oscillated up and down.

The researchers took four samples from the lintel and used annually fluctuating calcium concentrations evident in the incremental growth of the tree to determine the true time distance between each by counting the number of elapsed rainy seasons. The researchers used this information to fit the four radiocarbon dates to the wiggles in the calibration curve. Wiggle-matching the carbon-14 dates provided a more accurate age for linking the Maya and Long Count dates to the European calendars.

These calculations were further complicated by known differences in the atmospheric radiocarbon content between northern and southern hemisphere.

"The complication is that radiocarbon concentrations differ between the southern and northern hemisphere," said Kennett. "The Maya area lies on the boundary, and the atmosphere is a mixture of the southern and northern hemispheres that changes seasonally. We had to factor that into the analysis."

The researchers results mirror the GMT European date correlations indicating that the GMT was on the right track for linking the Long Count and European calendars.

Events recorded in various Maya locations "can now be harmonized with greater assurance to other environmental, climatic and archaeological datasets from this and adjacent regions and suggest that climate change played an important role in the development and demise of this complex civilization," the researchers wrote.

[Eureka Alert]

Archaeology News: April 10, 2013

Thracian exhibit at archaeological museum in Sofia

The archaeological museum in Bulgarian capital city Sofia is exhibiting several pieces of weaponry and armour attributed to Thracian king Seuthes III, discovered by archaeologist Georgi Kitov near Kazanluk in 2004.

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China reports top 10 archaeological finds in 2012

Chinese authorities on Tuesday announced the top 10 archaeological discoveries made in 2012, with the earliest dating back to the Paleolithic era. Among the most significant discoveries was the ruins of a small city, the largest of its kind in neolithic China, discovered in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

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8,000 artefacts and rising: City dig pronounced the 'most important ever' in London

When archaeologists were called to a site in the City of London where an ugly office block and a bar once stood, they were sceptical that it held any secrets. Yet six months into the dig on Bloomberg Place, a three-acre site close to Mansion House tube station, experts believed they have stumbled across the most important find of Roman London artefacts in recent memory and have dubbed it the “Pompeii of the north”.

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4,000-year-old stone tools, earthenware unearthed from banks of river Narmada in Bhopal

Archaeologists have found 4,000-year-old stone tools and earthenware in a remote village on the banks of river Narmada in Harda district of Bhopal. The treasures that have emerged could change our whole understanding of how evolution of mankind began along the Narmada. These priceless relics belonging to Chalcolithic Age are probably the most important archaeological discovery ever made in the region.

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Severe damage done to Nazca Lines

According to reports from the Peruvian newspaper El Comercio, serious damage to elements of the outer boundary of the world famous Nazca lines has been caused by heavy machinery belonging to a quarry firm removing limestone from the area.

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The damaged lines are located near the Panamericana Sur Highway and an adjacent area has also been affected. There are hundreds if not thousands of these lines and trapezoids on the Nazca plain with many of the most famous geogylphs such as the spider, hummingbird and monkey, etc. all undamaged.

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New Research Holds Fascinating Revelations About an Ancient Society’s Water Conservation and Purification

University of Cincinnati research at the ancient Maya site of Medicinal Trail in northwestern Belize is revealing how populations in more remote areas – the hinterland societies – built reservoirs to conserve water and turned to nature to purify their water supply. Jeffrey Brewer, a doctoral student in the University of Cincinnati’s Department of Geography, will present his findings on April 11, at the Association of American Geographers’ annual meeting in Los Angeles.

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Traces of Norman Castle Found

The remains of a building from Northampton’s Medieval castle have been found on the site of the town’s railway station. Archaeologists working on the site ahead of the development of a new station, have found three 12th Century walls from a stone building just feet underneath the station’s car park.

Archaeologist Tim Upson-Smith said: “We certainly weren’t expecting to find a stone building this well preserved and this close to the surface.”

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Food Cans Exonerated in Franklin Expedition Deaths

A long-standing Arctic mystery has become even more baffling with research that appears to debunk a common theory about the demise of the Franklin expedition.

Chemists at the University of Western Ontario used an array of the latest analytic techniques to conclude that poorly made cans of food were not responsible for the lead that poisoned the officers and crew of the doomed 19th-century voyage to explore the Arctic.

Archaeology News: April 8, 2013

Djehuty Project discovers significant evidence of the 17th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt

The Djehuty Project, led by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), has discovered on the hill of Dra Abu el-Naga in Luxor (ancient Thebes), the burials of four personages belonging to the elite of the 17th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, who lived about 3.550 years ago. These findings, discovered during the 12th campaign of archeological excavations of the project, shed light on a little-known historical period in which Thebes becomes the capital of the kingdom and the empire's foundations become established with the dominance of Egypt over Palestine and Syria to the north, and over Nubia to the south.

Sharjah museum marks 20 years, archaeological ‘gems’ go on show

Over 100 items pertaining to archaeological discoveries will be on display at the Sharjah Archaeology Museum, which is marking its 20th anniversary.

The 7-month-long exhibition, starting April 7, is titled “Our Monuments Narrate Our History” and includes findings unearthed since the first local archaeological excavation mission in 1993.

Israeli Archaeologists Find Rare Artifacts near Ashkelon

Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) have unearthed a huge wine press and a ceramic model of a church dating back to the early-Byzantine period (5th – 6th centuries CE).

Stanbury Hill Project unearths Bingley Moor history

A team of archaeologists have unearthed evidence which suggests Bingley Moor used to be as warm as the South of France. The Stanbury Hill Project, a community archaeology venture, has been investigating a prehistoric 50,000 square metre site since 2008 and will share its findings with the public later this month.

Sunken Ancient Egyptian Port-City Reveals Some Of Its Secrets

The ancient Egyptian sunken port-city of Thonis-Heracleion is now having some of its secrets revealed thanks to new research from the University of Oxford. The port-city served as the obligatory gateway to Egypt sometime around the first millennium BC, being the place where incoming cargo from other regions was inventoried and taxed, before being transferred to Egyptian ships for transport down the Nile.

Chemical Analysis Leads to New Discoveries in Archaeological Research

Gathered together at the 245th National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in New Orleans on April 8, 2013, a body of scientists revealed the advances and discoveries that have been made in recent years using chemical and biological analysis on archaeological finds, and how they have helped elucidate the human past. Of note was a presentation by Joseph G. Barabe, a senior research microscopist at McCrone Associates, who helped verify the authenticity of the much-publicized and controversial "Gospel of Judas", the ancient 3rd century AD manuscript that related a Gnostic gospel written in Egyptian Coptic and whose content consists of conversations between the Apostle Judas Iscariot and Jesus Christ.

UR Project confirms massive building complaex in Southern Iraq

The Ur Region Archaeology Project has put together a team of Iraqi and international expertise to begin a new age of discovery, using the latest techniques to unveil and interpret a shared heritage. The team, directed by Professor Stuart Campbell, Dr Jane Moon and Robert Killick, has already discovered a remarkable new structure. First spotted from satellite remote sensed images, the building complex is thought to be an administrative centre serving one of the world’s earliest cities.

Archaeology News: April 4, 2013

Bronze warship ram reveals secrets

Known as the Belgammel Ram, the 20kg artefact was discovered by a group of British divers off the coast of Libya near Tobruk in 1964. The ram is from a small Greek or Roman warship – a “tesseraria”. These ships were equipped with massive bronze rams on the bow at the waterline and were used for ramming the side timbers of enemy ships. At 65cm long, the Belgammel Ram is smaller in size and would have been sited on the upper level on the bow. This second ram is known as a proembolion, which strengthened the bow and also served to break the oars of an enemy ship.

Anthropology students conduct live field work

A couple of weeks ago, anthropology students spent their Saturday combing through soil in an attempt to find artifacts from prehistoric people at Camp Tyler. The first discovery happened shortly after they arrived when a group of students uncovered a pottery sherd they believe could be more than a thousand years old.

Archaeologists Explore Ancient Sumerian Settlement Site in Iraq

Tell Khaiber, as the site is called, is playing host to one of the first major archaeological projects with extensive participation by foreign scientists since the hiatus caused by the political situation and hostilities of the Iraqi war. Consisting of an international mix of six British archaeologists representing four UK institutions and four Iraqi archaeologists from the State Board for Antiquities and Heritage of Iraq, the team expects to uncover not just monumental buildings, but evidence that may shed new light on the environment and lifeways of the people who inhabited the site.

Guarding the legacy of emperors

A dedicated few in Beijing's suburbs keep a lookout for tomb raiders, day and night. It was a clear day in March, and the air was still cold on this morning of early spring in Beijing. Li Jianzhong, a 54-year-old keeper of the Yongling Mausoleum, was walking along a path as usual, checking to see if there was any problem or threat in the mausoleum.

The mausoleum, in which Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and his three empresses were buried, was empty, except for several researchers - college students guided by their archeology professor. Like most of other tombs of the Royal Mausoleum of Ming, Yongling Mausoleum is not open to the public.

Gate to Hell Discovered

Italian scientists have announced the discovery in Pumakkale, Turkey, of the ruins of what was known in ancient times as Pluto’s Gate, or Plutonium, in Latin.

Thought by the ancients to be the gateway to Hell, it was described by the Greek geographer, Strabo, who lived between about 64 B.C. and 24 A.D., during the time of Julius Caesar. According to Strabo, Pluto’s Gate was an orifice in the hillside that filled up with a thick mist that was immediately lethal to anyone who entered.

Spielberg Double Feature: Indiana Jones, Always, And How Death Defines Us

Aside from their shared release year, what do Steven Spielberg's double-dips have in common? This was the question we here at the Cinema Blend looked to discover in this investigative series. In 1989, Spielberg released the third film of his Indiana Jones adventures, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, as well as the largely forgotten fantasy-drama Always. It had be years since I'd watched Last Crusade, and aside from recognizing its title from Audrey Hepburn's filmography, I'd never heard of Always. Much to my surprise, both films have some stark similarities in their heroes and the crucial decision each must face, though the lesson lands better in the former.

Historical society digs into Marco Island’s ancient past

Alongside professional archaeologists, volunteers will sift through midden — mounds of crushed shell and other remnants — at a Marco Island archaeological site starting Sunday, April 7. The ensuing five-day dig is part of The Big Sift, an effort by the city and the Marco Island Historical Society to glean physical evidence of the island’s original Calusa Indian inhabitants who arrived more than 6,000 years ago.

Oswego War of 1812 Symposium Adds Underwater Archaeologist to Roster

Dive into history at the third annual Oswego War of 1812 Symposium from Friday to Sunday at the Lake Ontario Conference and Event Center. Jonathan Moore, senior underwater archaeologist with Parks Canada, discusses the archaeological exploration of two shipwrecks from the war.

Archaeology News: March 27, 2013

Artifacts Shed Light on Social Networks of the Past

An article published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences sheds light on the transformation of social networks in the late pre-Hispanic American Southwest and shows that people of that period were able to maintain surprisingly long-distance relationships with nothing more than their feet to connect them. Led by University of Arizona anthropologist Barbara Mills, the study is based on analysis of more than 800,000 painted ceramic and more than 4,800 obsidian artifacts dating from A.D. 1200-1450, uncovered from more than 700 sites in the western Southwest, in what is now Arizona and western New Mexico.

A catastrophic mass extinction of birds in the Pacific Islands followed the arrival of the first people


Research carried out by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and collaborators reveals that the last region on earth to be colonised by humans was home to more than 1,000 species of birds that went extinct soon after people reached their island homes.

The paper was published today (25th) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. Almost 4,000 years ago, tropical Pacific Islands were an untouched paradise, but the arrival of the first people in places like Hawaii and Fiji caused irreversible damage to these natural havens, due to overhunting and deforestation. As a result, birds disappeared. But understanding the scale and extent of these extinctions has been hampered by uncertainties in the fossil record.

Richard III's distant relatives threaten legal challenge over burial

Last year, a human skeleton identified as that of Richard III was discovered at a medieval monastery site by a team from Leicester University. The Plantagenet Alliance, a group of 15 people who claim to be descendants of relatives of Richard III, wants the king’s bones to be buried in York, where he spent his childhood. The members assert that their right to a private and family life was violated by the Ministry of Justice, which granted an archaeological investigation license to Leicester University. “Re-interment on the nearest consecrated ground is in keeping with good archaeological practice. Richard has lain in the shadow of St Martin’s Cathedral, Leicester, for over 500 years….There is no obligation to consult living relatives where remains are older than 100 years,” said a spokesperson from the university. Richard III’s final resting place will probably bring in significant tourist revenue.

Egyptian tomb raiders persist under poor economy

Well-organized and well-armed gangs of thieves reportedly continue to plunder Egypt’s archaeological sites, while illegal construction encroaches upon them and sometimes even covers them. “Under Mubarak, (the pyramids) were seen as a revenue stream for tourism, and a point of pride. This government just doesn’t care,” said archaeologist Monica Hanna. Kamal Wahid of Egypt’s Antiquities Ministry says that the reports of damage are exaggerated, and counters that the new government simply lacks the resources to protect archaeological sites because of the steep drop in foreign tourism.

Sutherland shipwreck intrigues archaeologists

Archaeologists are trying to piece together clues to the identity of a shipwreck in the north-west Highlands. Three cannons and part of a wooden hull lie on the seabed near Drumbeg in Sutherland.

Archaeologists believe it could be the remains of a Dutch vessel that got into difficulty between 1650 and 1750. The site was given emergency protected status on 18 March this year, but the Scottish government has proposed giving it a more permanent designation.

Fish-based diets can cause headaches for archaeologists

Fish-based diets may be good for your health, but they can cause headaches for archaeologists.

While archaeologists are aware fish-based diets could cause inaccuracies in Carbon-14 dating, they were not aware the anomalies could go up to 500 to 2,100 years.

"I had not anticipated an error of up to 2000 years ... The implications of this discovery are fairly frightening, because it is crucial for archaeology to have a reliable dating procedure," Felix Riede, an archaeologist at Aarhus University who uses Carbon-14 dating in his work, said in an article posted on PastHorizonsPR.com.

Archaeology News: March 25, 2013

Before Dinosaurs' Era, Volcanic Eruptions Triggered Mass Extinction

More than 200 million years ago, a massive extinction decimated 76 percent of marine and terrestrial species, marking the end of the Triassic period and the onset of the Jurassic. The event cleared the way for dinosaurs to dominate Earth for the next 135 million years, taking over ecological niches formerly occupied by other marine and terrestrial species.

It's not clear what caused the end-Triassic extinction, although most scientists agree on a likely scenario. Over a relatively short time period, massive volcanic eruptions from a large region known as the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) spewed forth huge amounts of lava and gas, including carbon dioxide, sulfur and methane.

Artifact found in Friendship is 3,500 years old

What began as a study of native American culture at the Friendship Village School turned into the realization that an artifact found in a scallop drag is actually 3,500 years old. Jimmy Wotton found the ax head in his scallop drag.

Stone ships show signs of maritime network in Baltic Sea region 3,000 years ago

In the middle of the Bronze Age, around 1000 BC, the amount of metal objects increased dramatically in the Baltic Sea region. Around the same time, a new type of stone monument, arranged in the form of ships, started to appear along the coasts. New research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden shows that the stone ships were built by maritime groups.

19th-century Butchery Discovered

Excavation to the Hailongtun Castle in Zunyi, Guizhou ProvinArchaeologists have found the brick-lined foundations of a nineteenth-century slaughterhouse at a construction site for a new school building. Located on the outskirts of Alexandria’s Old Town, the land was also used as a cattle run. An industrial archaeologist will be consulted about some machinery that was also unearthed. “It’s really the only site where we’re going to find anything out about a nineteenth-century butchery. It’s just really something that came as a surprise,” said acting city archaeologist Fran Bromberg.ce

Excavation to the Hailongtun Castle in Zunyi, Guizhou Province

Archaeologists from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences have surveyed Hailongtun Castle, established in 1257 and destroyed by war in 1600. Excavations have focused on the newer of two palaces, but a treasury, a pavilion, a quarry, and watch towers have also been found. Bricks, tiles, and roof sculptures in the shape of dragons were probably fired in nearby kilns. Inscribed steles have provided information about the history of the castle and its administrative system. Other finds include porcelain cups, dishes, bowls, plates, and stemmed cups; coins; glass wares; iron locks and fittings; copper armor scales; ceramic pipes for water; and ink stones. Haichao Monastery was built on the site in 1603 and later renovated in 1645.

Pre-Viking tunic found by glacier as warming aids archaeology

More than 1,600 ancient objects have been found in southern Norway as its glaciers retreat. Some of the artifacts are made of rarely preserved organic materials. One such item is a tunic made of greenish-brown lamb’s wool in a diamond pattern. It has been dated to A.D. 300, and may have been lost along a Roman trade route. “The tunic was well used—it was repaired several times,” said Marianne Vedeler of Norway’s Museum of Cultural History. Researchers wonder why someone would have taken off the tunic while traveling so close to a glacier.

Archaeology News: March 19, 2013

Nina Pinta Replica Ships to dock at Fishermen's Village Marina

On Friday March 29th, the ‘Pinta’ and the ‘Nina’, replicas of Columbus’ ships will open in Punta Gorda. The ships will be docked at Fishermen’s Village Marina, 1200 W. Retta Esplanade, until their departure early Thursday morning April 4th.

The ‘Nina’ was built completely by hand and without the use of power tools. Archaeology magazine called the ship “the most historically correct Columbus replica ever built.” The ‘Pinta’ was recently built in Brazil to accompany the ‘Nina’ on all of her travels. She is a larger version of the archetypal caravel. Historians consider the caravel the Space Shuttle of the fifteenth century.

Thieves steal artifacts from Jbeil archaeology museum

Thieves broke into Jbeil archaeological museum and stole 30 small artifacts in a daring overnight raid in the town of Jbeil Monday, the National News Agency reported. Local and government officials, including Culture Minister Gaby Layoun, arrived at the museum to inspect the crime scene as a police forensics team began work on extracting fingerprints to identify the perpetrators. The artifacts were stolen by thieves overnight and were easily carried out of the museum, Layoun said in a statement after visiting Jbeil earlier in the day.


Digital Archaeology: 3D Modeling Reveals Ancient Artifacts

Every archaeological site contains a wealth of information about the past, and context is key. A knife found by a stone hearth tells a different story than one alongside a human skeleton. Unfortunately, excavating the site to reveal the story also destroys it. Detailed records are the only way archaeologists can keep archaeology from erasing the past rather than preserving it. Today, they're using 3D modeling tech to preserve the information found in a site, find new places to dig, or create models of ancient artifacts via 3D printing.

Ancient stone tools show the pace of remarkable technological enhancements over time

Stone Age man's gradual improvement in tool development, particularly in crafting stone handaxes, is providing insight into the likely mental advances these early humans made a million years ago. Better tools make for better hunting, and better tools come from more sophisticated thought processes. Close analysis of bits of chipped and flaked stone from across Ethiopia is helping scientists crack the code of how these early humans thought over time.

Museums and Popes

On top of the Capitoline Hill in Rome are a group of art and archaeological museums known as the Capitoline Museums (Musei Capitolini). While the plan for the layout of the museums was the work of Michelangelo Buanarroti in 1536, the museums actually began in 1471 when Pope Sixtus IV donated a collection of ancient bronzes to the people of Rome. The bronzes all had great symbolic value to Rome and its history. The collection was located on Capitoline Hill and is often credited as the oldest public collection of art in the world.

US 'hair archaeologist' recreates coiffures of antiquity

By day, Janet Stephens cuts and colors at a hair salon. By night, she is an amateur archaeologist, meticulously recreating hairstyles dating back to the times of Roman antiquity. Stephens, 54, who has worked as a hairdresser for more than two decades, recreates updos from the Roman era at her home in Baltimore, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) from Washington, DC. She combines her vocation as hairdresser with her love of archaeology, in the process revealing the secrets of how women wore their hair in ancient times.

An Archaeologist Reviews Tomb Raider

This past week I purchased the Tomb Raider reboot. Reboots are all the rage now: Batman, Superman, Ninja Turtles, Star Trek, James Bond; half the stuff I grew up liking as a kid is being modernized. Lara Croft was one character who desperately needed an overhaul. The campy, one dimensional heroine of 1996’s original Tomb Raider left much to be desired. Originally, Lara was a stoic, crack shot, capable of outrageous gymnastic maneuvers despite her cartoonishly plump mammaries. She was shallow and uninteresting; more an object of male fantasy than of female empowerment. But her adventures were fun. And even while the past three games (Legend, Underworld, and Anniversary) have taken steps to add breadth and depth to her being, it still felt as though pieces were missing.

Cirencester Roman cockerel 'best find' in 40 years

A restored Roman cockerel figurine is the best result from a Cirencester dig in decades, archaeologists have said. The enamelled object, which dates back as far as AD100, was unearthed during a dig in 2011 at a Roman burial site in the town. It has now returned from conservation work and finders Cotswold Archaeology said it "looks absolutely fantastic".

Disputed finds put humans in South America 22,000 years ago

Stone tools unearthed at a Brazilian rock-shelter may date to as early as 22,000 years ago. Their discovery has rekindled debate about whether ancient people reached the Americas long before the famed Clovis hunters spread through parts of North America around 13,000 years ago.

Rail dig may reveal Black Death graves

Archaeologists said on March 15 they had found a graveyard during excavations for a rail project in London which might hold the remains of some 50,000 people killed by the “Black Death” plague more than 650 years ago. Thirteen skeletons laid out in two neat rows were discovered 2.5 meters below the road in the Farringdon area of central London by researchers working on the 16 billion pound ($24 billion) Crossrail project.

Archaeology News: March 15, 2013

Chinese coin found on the island of Manda, Kenya
(John Weinstein / The Field Museum)

600 Year Old Chinese Coin Found on Kenyan Island

An expedition of archaeologists has unearthed a 600-year-old Chinese coin on the island of Manda, off the northern coast of Kenya. “This finding is significant. We know Africa has always been connected to the rest of the world, but this coin opens a discussion about the relationship between China and Indian Ocean nations,” said Dr Chapurukha Kusimba of the Field Museum, who co-led the expedition with Dr Sloan Williams of the University of Illinois at Chicago.

'Black Death' skeletons found in the Crossrail closet

Crossrail workers are shocked to discover 13 skeletons buried under a square in the City of London - and archaeologists say there could be a mass grave containing the bones of 50,000 people nearby.

Archaeology director digs out skeletons from dept cupboard

Director of the State Archaeology department, R Gopal, made a startling revelation on Thursday that his department was “run by a mafia”. Speaking at the 125th year celebrations of the Department of Epigraphy at the Exhibition Grounds here, Gopal said fake bills to the tune of Rs 40 crore had been prepared at the house of conservation engineer S M Pujari at Siddartha Nagar in the city. Gopal said there was little room for corruption, as long as the department was receiving Rs one crore from the government. However, the situation started “degenerating” after funds were sanctioned in several crores of rupees.

So, what did the Romans do for us? New digs reveal truth about Hadrian's Wall

Stretching the breadth of northern England, Hadrian's Wall is a majestic reminder of the ambition and might of the Roman Empire's conquest in Britain. Now, new archaeological evidence has suggested, contrary to previous belief, that the Romans far from co-existing peacefully with the locals, ejected them by force in order to build the 73-mile divide.

Will the study of archaeology soon become a thing of the past?

Richard III's discovery showcased UK academia, says Michael Braddick. But as student demand for certain subjects falls, should we have grave concerns for our future knowledge base? Finding Richard III (on the premises of Leicester social services no less) is testament to the ingenuity of archaeologists. Weaving together findings from historical analysis of texts with scientific analysis of the skeleton and the site, they have made an overwhelming case that these are the remains of the king.

‘Lost’ Indian village discovery topic of archaeology talk

Diligent research and methodical investigation has solved a long-standing local mystery. Mary Ann Levine, associate professor of anthropology at Franklin and Marshall College, is convinced she's discovered Otstonwakin, the long-lost Woodlands Indian village once inhabited by "Madame" Catherine Montour along the Loyalsock Creek. Levine will discuss her research and conclusions at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 16, at the Lycoming County Historical Society's Taber Museum, 858 W. Fourth St. The talk, " Uncovering Madame Montour's Otstonwakin: Archaeological Excavations at an 18th-Century Native American Village," is free and open to the public.

Florida College students win archaeology grant

For local students, an appreciation for Florida's rich history has paid off. Two New College of Florida students, Matt Andersen and Jodi Johnson, won Cornelia D. Futor Archaeology Student Grants, sponsored by the Time Sifters Archaeology Society of Sarasota. The grants are to be used at the students' discretion to continue with their studies. Andersen, the first-place winner, received $200. Johnson received $100 for second place. The grant competition is open to undergraduate and pre-doctoral graduate students enrolled at a college in the Sarasota, St. Petersburg and Tampa area and is based on excellence in archaeology research papers.

Archaeology News: March 14, 2013

Cultic Sexual Symbols Uncovered in a Stone Age Site

The phallic figurine. Photograph: Dr. Ya’akov Vardi

A new site dating to the Stone Age was exposed in large scale archaeological excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is carrying out at Ahihud Junction prior to the construction of a new railroad line to Karmiel by the National Roads Company. In the excavations, which are spread over 1,800 square meters, remains of two main periods were discovered: the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period and the Early Chalcolithic period (seventh millennium BCE – fifth millennium BCE).

Hershel Shanks Urges Megiddo Expedition to Try Wet-Sifting

The oldest writing ever found in Jerusalem almost got missed. The recently discovered fragment of cuneiform text dates to the 14th century B.C., which makes it Jerusalem’s oldest writing. It is so small that the archaeologists working at Eilat Mazar’s excavation just south of the Temple Mount didn’t see it when was dug out of the ground. In the March/April 2013 issue of BAR, editor Hershel Shanks explains how this scrap of Jerusalem’s oldest writing was saved.

Row over Richard III’s final burial site rumbles on

The bones of Richard III should be reburied under a modest slab in the floor of Leicester cathedral, “a place of dignified simplicity” rather than a grandiose modern reinvention of a medieval tomb, the cathedral authorities have decided – in a move that will do nothing to resolve the debate over where and how the king should finally be buried.

Discovering Early Farming Society in Israel

The Israel Antiquties Authority announced the discovery of an unprecedented Neolithic site in Israel on Wednesday, March 13, 2013. The earliest evidence, from a seventh millennium B.C.E. Pre-Pottery Neolithic culture, includes permanent architectural installations, plaster floors and obsidian tools. Obsidian is not local to the region, revealing that the Neolithic culture had access to long-distance trade networks. In addition, excavators uncovered large quantities of bean seeds, serving as one of the oldest known examples of legume domestication in the ancient Near East.

Science on Saturday at the McDonald Institute

The McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research will be opening its doors this Saturday, the first weekend of the 2013 Cambridge Science Festival. Bring your family along to meet our researchers and discover the past through the tools of archaeological science with a range of fun and interactive activities.

Hidden Archaeology - Brien Foerster (The justBernard Show)

Brien Foerster, known for his appearances on Ancient Aliens is our favorite kind of researcher. Following his instinct and relying on his expertise he goes outside his comfort zone to find the hidden truths of human history. Brien is also contributing writer for Graham Hancock and is associated with Lloyd Pye of the Starchild project, who is analyzing the DNA of elongated human skulls of the Peruvian Paracas culture on his behalf. The preliminary results of this have been included in the book, The Enigma Of Cranial Deformation: Elongated Skulls Of The Ancients.

Dickson Mounds Museum Hosts Archaeology Program for Kids

Dickson Mounds Museum is hosting “Be an Archaeologist for a Day” for kids ages 9 to16 years old on Saturday, April 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Kids will work side by side with professional archaeologists and learn excavation and artifact identification techniques, and how to process finds. The program will begin with hands-on preparatory activities indoors, and then, weather permitting, will be held outdoors for the afternoon.

Ancient Chinese coin found on Kenyan island by Field Museum expedition

A joint expedition of scientists led by Chapurukha M. Kusimba of The Field Museum and Sloan R. Williams of the University of Illinois at Chicago has unearthed a 600-year-old Chinese coin on the Kenyan island of Manda that shows trade existed between China and east Africa decades before European explorers set sail and changed the map of the world.

National Museum Wales to bid for Bronze Age treasure axes in Pembrokeshire

Tom Baxter and Luke Pearce found the warrior hoard during an August detecting visit to a field under pasture in the community of Nevern. Dated to around 2000 BC, they are thought to have been buried in a “special place” in the landscape, close to a stream source with a view of the sea.

Nomad Archaeology in the Near East

With the introduction of the Negev Emergency Survey, a series of systematic field surveys of the entire Negev had been undertaken since 1978. Numerous ancient ephemeral campsites were documented from all periods with the remains of tents and associated features being identified exclusively from the Classical period beginning with the Nabateans and continuing through the Early Islamic period. Using these data, I made an ethno-archaeological study by combining the survey-based research and making an ethnographic comparison with recent Bedouin black tents and campsites in the southern Negev.

Archaeology News: March 11, 2013

Turkish minister criticizes archaeology excavations

Archaeologists around Turkey are not taking their job seriously enough, Tourism and Culture Minister Ömer Çelik has said, according to daily Hürriyet. Çelik made the comments in an interview with Der Spiegel Magazine at the Berlin International Tourism Bourse, a well-known travel trade fair. German archeologists have been overseeing excavations at Göbekli Tepe, he said, adding that a total of 11,000 sculptures went missing from the site in 2010. “I am not accusing them of stealing, however, this is evidence that they are not giving sufficient importance to security issues.”

Cultural Anthropology Goes Full-OA!

The Society for Cultural Anthropology (a section of the American Anthropological Association) is excited to announce a groundbreaking publishing initiative. With the support of the AAA, the influential journal of the SCA, Cultural Anthropology, will become available open access, freely available to everyone in the world. Starting with the first issue of 2014, CA will provide world-wide, instant, free (to the user), and permanent access to all of our content (as well as ten years of our back catalog).

Famed Viking 'sunstone' did exist, believe scientists

Researchers who have spent three years poring over a cloudy crystal discovered in the wreck of an Elizabethan ship sunk off the Channel Islands believe they have proved that it could be the substance described by the Norsemen as helping to locate the sun when obscured by cloud. The so-called sunstone has long been the subject of scientific intrigue after it was described in one Icelandic saga as a magical gem which, when held up to sky, would reveal the position of the sun even before dawn or after sunset.

Ancient city Troy to have own museum

There is huge potential for further excavation at the site, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University academic Rüstem Aslan told Anatolia news agency. “For the past 15 years, everyone has been discussing the dream of a Troy museum. The construction of the museum will start soon.”

Fort St. Joseph Museum, WMU, offer archaeology camp

Western Michigan University and the Fort St. Joseph Museum are inviting members of the public to join in a week of excavations at the site of Fort St. Joseph during the 2013 Field School in Historical Archaeology. Officials said it's a great opportunity to experience hands-on history and learn what it means to be an archaeologist.

Archaeology Festival set for March 30 at Johnson history museum

The Palm Beach County Archaeological Society and Historical Society of Palm Beach County will host an Archaeology Festival from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 30 at the Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum at the historic Palm Beach County Courthouse, 300 N. Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach.

Historic Macedonia Tower to become museum

Edirne’s Macedonia Tower will become an archeology museum following restorations. The tower is one of the four greatest ramparts of a castle built in the northwestern province of Edirne during the Roman Empire and it is keeping it’s attraction for the cultural events as it’s secrets reveal.

Archaeology News: March 7, 2013

Research on the bones of 200 ancient Egyptians revealed that they suffered from hunger and malnutrition and a whole range of infectious diseases as well as having an extremely high infant mortality rate. These are some of the conclusions drawn from Qubbet el-Hawa Tomb 33, a project carried out by the University of Jaen, in which anthropologists from the University of Granada (UGR) participated, along with the Ministry of State for Antiquities.

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Archaeological dig on new homes site uncovers lost locket

Archaeologists working on the site of a housing development in Kendal have uncovered a locket which is believed to have been lost more than 60 years ago. The small locket was discovered by archaeologists digging on the site of the town's former cattle market, which is soon to be turned into a multi million pound housing scheme being built by Home Group and Time and Tide.

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Stone-Age Skeletons Unearthed In Sahara Desert

Archaeologists have uncovered 20 Stone-Age skeletons in and around a rock shelter in Libya's Sahara desert, according to a new study. The skeletons date between 8,000 and 4,200 years ago, meaning the burial place was used for millennia.

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The Ancient Ironworks of Angkor

The discovery of pre-Angkorian ironworks sites in Preah Vihear province in 2010 is a tale of perseverance with a measure of luck, as is so often the case with important archeological finds.

For years, archeologist Thuy Chanthourn had been exploring the countryside along the path of an Angkorian-era road that linked Preah Vihear temple and the Stung Treng City area, hoping to find the site of a large settlement named Mlu Prei mentioned decades ago in an obscure French research document.

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The discarded infants of ancient Poggio Civitate horrify, provoke and fascinate 2,500 years later

More than 2,500 years after tiny infant bones were scattered, perhaps offhandedly, amid animal remains on the floor of an Etruscan workshop, recently-discovered fragments of those bones are causing a stir far beyond Italy's Poggio Civitate Archaeological Project.

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Scientists discover distant relatives of gardeners’ friend

In a new article published in the Journal of Paleontology, two paleontologists, including one from Simon Fraser University, describe the most diverse group of fossilized green lacewing insects known.
Green lacewings are familiar to gardeners, who value them in organic pest control, for their consumption of large numbers of aphids. The closest modern relatives to these insects are most diverse in southeastern Australia, the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.

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Man's Best Friend Had Some Roots in Siberia 

By extracting and analyzing DNA from a fossil tooth and mandible of a prehistoric canine skull dated to approximately 33,000 years ago, a team of research scientists have concluded that the fossil remains belong to one of the oldest known ancestors of the modern domesticated dog.

Archaeology News: February 28, 2013

Ancient Lost Continent Discovered in Indian Ocean

Photograph by Danita Delimont, Alamy

A well-known tourist destination, Mauritius (map) is located about 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers) off the coast of Africa, east of Madagascar. Scientists think the tiny island formed some nine million years ago from cooling lava spewed by undersea volcanoes.

But recently, researchers have found sand grains on Mauritius that contain fragments of the mineral zircon that are far older than the island, between 660 million and about 2 billion years old.

Egypt won't rent Pyramids to foreign firms, says antiquities ministry

The Egyptian antiquities ministry has rejected a proposal by the finance ministry to rent out the country's major archaeological sites to international tourism companies in an attempt to reduce the government's budget deficit. Some archaeologists have called the proposal 'insulting' and 'humiliating.'

Archaeology Day at the Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon’s sixth annual Archaeology day will be celebrated on Saturday, March 23, 2013, which commemorates Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month. Special programs, activities and demonstrations will be held at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center throughout the day, with a special evening program at the Shrine of the Ages.

Dig on Tinian pushes back settlement 3400 years

Evidence for the human occupation of Tinian Island 3,500 years ago has been uncovered by a team of Australian archaeologists. These early Micronesians originated in China, and then traveled to Taiwan and the Philippines. Archaeologists are debating whether or not they stopped at islands such as Palau or Yapp on the long journey from the Philippines to the Marianas because researchers have not found the characteristic red-coated pottery and houses built on stilts there. “The sites being excavated in the Marianas Islands are a little bit older than those to the south of the equator, in the Lapita region of Melanesia. They appear to be 100 or 200 years older. So this now looks like the first movement of these people from the Philippines, reaching the Marianas Islands across a very large area of sea,” said Peter Bellwood of Australian National University.

Taksim excavations reveal historic Ottoman structures

Excavations continuing as part of the project to pedestrianize Taksim have revealed two water outlets 80 centimeters in diameter from the late Ottoman period, halting work in the area.

Istanbul Culture and Tourism Director Ahmet Emre Bilgili issued a statement that the historical remains were 60-70 meters below the asphalt, adding that he and Istanbul Archaeology Museums Director Zeynep Kızıltan inspected the excavation area.

New Technologies in Archaeology: Flag Fen Archaeology Park, Peterborough

Those who visited Flag Fen this summer will have seen the amazing virtual reconstruction of the site as it might have been when the causeway dominated the landscape, over 3,000 years ago. The IBM Visual and Spatial Technologies Centre (VISTA) produced this visualization from data collected on-site.

Now join Dr Henry Chapman, Director of VISTA, as he discusses the exciting work of the centre, and how visual and spatial technologies are revolutionizing how archaeology, and other disciplines, understand the past.

New Archaeology Institute Hopes To Lead to Increased Collaboration

In order to consolidate the scattered offerings of several University departments, the Cornell Institute of Archaeology and Material Studies was founded this semester, according to Prof. Sturt Manning, archaeology, director of the Institute. Manning said the CIAMS will bring together 18 faculty members from various departments into what he called a “single, synergistic venue.”

Using human remains in teaching archaeology

The using human remains in teaching archaeology event will bring together specialists in human remains and teaching archaeology to discuss the current challenges faced in meeting the sometimes-competing demands of education, legislation, and respect for the beliefs of diverse religious groups and other stakeholders.

Top Archaeology Stories: Week Ending December 30

Ancient Digger brings you the latest archaeology news. Here are the top stories on Ancient Digger for the week ending December 30, 2012.

Best Graduate Schools, Universities, and Colleges for Archaeology and Anthropology
I have compiled several lists in order to help you determine the top graduate colleges and universities with the best programs for anthropology and archaeology, as well as the top undergraduate colleges, universities and school programs for anthropology and archaeology.

Pompeii: Erotic Art and Roman Sexuality
Pompeii is an archaeological site, which was destroyed around AD 79 by Mount Vesuvius. It was a town full of aristocrats and artisans. Artisans who were previously slaves, who gained freedom in Pompeii and became wealthy merchants. Pompeii was a place for the super-rich! The Palm Beach of the Roman world. It was a place known for sexual indiscretions. One could choose his or her desires from a list of murals, pointing in the direction of their sexual perseverance. You would hang your belongings on a peg, a peg conveniently located near an erotic scene, a reminder of where you left your things. Then you would proceed with your indiscretions in secret rooms or bathhouses.

Mystery of the Pyramids Revealed in Coral Castle
 The architecture of the pyramids is a combination of revolutionary masonry work and a focus on the heavens, in which the structures face the sky in an attempt to possibly appease the gods.

Excavation of Roman Art's Center Complete
Archaeologists who have completed the excavation of a 900-seat arts centre under one of Rome's busiest roundabouts are calling it the most important Roman discovery in 80 years.The centre, built by the emperor Hadrian in AD123, offered three massive halls where Roman nobles flocked to hear poetry, speeches and philosophy tracts while reclining on terraced marble seating.

Sacred Vessels Discovered at Tel Motza
Rare evidence of the religious practices and rituals in the early days of the Kingdom of Judah has recently been discovered at Tel Motza, to the west of Jerusalem. In excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is currently conducting at the Tel Motza archaeological site, prior to work being carried out on the new Highway 1 from Sha'ar HaGai to Jerusalem by the National Roads Company (previously the Public Works Department), a ritual building (a temple) and a cache of sacred vessels some 2,750 years old have been uncovered.

Crowd Gathers at Stonehenge for Winter SolsticeMore than 5,000 people have gathered to mark the winter solstice at Stonehenge. The attendance was equivalent to five times the number that turned out at Salisbury Plain for last year's event.

The Best Schools For Nautical, Maritime, and Underwater Archaeology in the US
Typically nautical, maritime, and underwater archaeologists study artifacts in ocean or sea environments. However, specialization usually doesn't occur until graduate school after the student has received a BS in Anthropology.

US Archaeology and Anthropology Schools and their Disciplines
I created this comprehensive list of Archaeology and Anthropology Schools in the United States and their Disciplines to assist students looking into the fields of anthropology and archaeology. When I first started looking for schools I quickly figured out, it was overwhelming. I had to visit dozens of websites just to gather the information I needed, to determine whether the college or university had the archaeology discipline I was interested in.

Hospital Heals Old Artifacts
As Turkey’s capital, Ankara is already home to some of the country’s best hospitals. For those tasked with protecting Turkey’s heritage, however, one stands out from the others: the restoration and conservation atelier at the Ankara Museum of Foundational Works – an “old artifact hospital.”

Interview with the Founder of Dig-It Games and Creator of Mayan Mysteries 
I had the immense pleasure of interviewing Suzi Wilczynski, the founder of Dig-It Games. Suzi is a former archaeologist and teacher who has bridged the gap between entertainment and education. Her games were created for people who crave the challenge of a puzzle and who seek knowledge by solving the complexities of a mysterious ancient society through critical thinking.

Archaeology, Paleontology, and Anthropology News: October 29, 2012

Easter Island’s gargantuan stone statues walked. That is the controversial claim from archaeologists who have demonstrated the feat with a 4.4-tonne model of one of the baffling busts. They describe their work in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

Nearly 1,000 statues litter Easter Island's 163 square kilometers, with the largest weighing 74 tons and standing 10 meters tall. Much about the megaliths is mystery, but few of the enigmas are more perplexing than how the statues were shuttled kilometers from the rock quarries where they were carved.

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Theirs was the immortal battle: a fierce tyrant battling a defender armed with three lethal horns and protected by a bony frill around its neck. Yet the violent fight between Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops is hardly the stuff of Hollywood hype. Tyrannosaurus bite marks are well known on the fossil bones of Triceratops but, so far, such fossils have always been studied in an isolated manner.

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Researchers from Guatemala uncovered the grave of King K'utz Chman, a priest who is believed to have reigned around 700 B.C., at the Tak'alik Ab'aj dig in Retalhuleu in western Guatemala. Packed with jade jewels and other artifacts, K'utz Chman's grave is the most ancient royal Mayan burial ground found to date, investigators said.

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On the banks of the Danube, in the northwest corner of Bulgaria, lie the remnants of an ancient Roman settlement called Ratiaria, host to a priceless cultural heritage. Craters pockmark the huge site, evidence of a scourge threatening one of the world's great troves of antiquities: looters digging for ancient treasure to sell on the black market. Archaeologist Krasmira Luka, who heads a team excavating part of the 80 hectare (200 acre) site, says the area has been repeatedly raided by thieves who dig pits looking for ancient coins and jewelry. Everything else, including precious ceramic vessels and other historically significant artifacts, is smashed to pieces.

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Twenty-six pieces of ancient Mexican pottery has been recovered in Bigfork as part of a crackdown on smuggling involving more than 4,000 artifacts in several states. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents announced the seizures Thursday morning. ICE agents tell us the 26 objects have a total value of: $3,245, who add the items were found in Big Fork, and that the gallery assisted ICE with the investigation. No charges were filed.

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Iraqi police have confiscated scores of artifacts and arrested two smugglers in the southern Province of Dhiqar, al-Zaman news reported on Monday. The stolen items include rare statues and coins from different periods in Iraq’s ancient history. The two smugglers in question have long been dealing in stolen relics. One police source was quoted as saying on condition of anonymity: “Interior Ministry forces in coordination with the Iraqi army seized 64 archaeological pieces as well as 114 bronze coins in a district of al-Fajir.”

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In the course of the excavation process in Can Sadurní cave (Begues), members of the Col-lectiu per la Investigación de la Prehistòria i l'Arqueologia del Garraf-Ordal (CIPAG), together with the University of Barcelona Seminar of Studies and Prehistoric Research (SERP), found the torso, with one complete arm and the initial part of the other, of a human figurine made of pottery. Its chronostratigraphic unit makes it, until now, the most ancient human figurine of the Prehistory in Catalonia; it is dated 6500 years ago.

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A new chemical analysis of modern diets suggests Stone Age humans ate less meat than previously thought. The findings, published in the November issue of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, may explain why many archaeologists estimate that prehistoric people got most of their calories from lean meat or fish when modern humans would be literally poisoned by such a protein-heavy diet.

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Giant German hippopotamuses wallowing on the banks of the Elbe are not a common sight. Yet 1.8 million years ago hippos were a prominent part of European wildlife, when mega-fauna such as woolly mammoths and giant cave bears bestrode the continent. Now palaeontologists writing in Boreas, believe that the changing climate during the Pleistocene Era may have forced Europe's hippos to shrink to pygmy sizes before driving them to warmer climates.

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With domed heads and thick, bony skull protuberances, pachycephalosaurids are well known by seven-year-olds and paleontologists alike. The dinosaurs are thought to have used their thick domes to headbutt each other, perhaps as part of courtship behavior. But whereas children recreating these vicious displays simply ram plastic models of the animals together in a straight line, a study now suggests that pachycephalosaurs may have bashed one another in a number of different ways.

1,000 Years Old Funerary Chamber Discovered in Michoacan

Photo: DMC INAH. H. Montaño.

The discovery of a funerary chamber of more than a 1,000 years old, in the Archaeological Zone of Tingambato Michoacan, with an unidentified character’s burial, accompanied by 19,000 green stone beads, shells and human bones, is one of the most outstanding results of a special archaeological investigation and conservation project by INAH in five different pre Hispanic sites in this zone.

According to the archaeologists of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH-Conaculta), the architectural complexity of the mortuary chamber and the burial’s wealth (which belong to the Classic period (AD 200-900) indicate that the remains belong to a high ranking character from the ancient metropolis of Tingambato.

The cultural particulars of the burial haven’t been identified yet, but it’s inferred that the chamber matches the funerary traditions of the West, such as shaft tombs and the tombs of El Opeño, although these we built during the Pre Classic period (300 through 200 BC) and continuing through the Classic period (400 through 600 AD). Archaeologist Melchor Cruz, coordinator of the conservation and investigation works of Tingambato, reported that the characteristics that have dominated in Tomb II and the wealth of the burial indicate that Tingambato must have had a major importance in the pre Hispanic culture of this region, which until now “could have been a governing center of the Classic Mesoamerican period, in the central region of what today is Michoacan”.

The funerary space is composed of a sandstone ceiling, these stones were thoroughly worked to make narrow and long shapes, one on top of the other, glued together with mud, and arranged counter clockwise; the walls are covered with a stucco made of vegetable fibers. This sepulcher is added to the one discovered in 1979, Tomb I of Tingambato, by archaeologist Roman Piña Chan. Melchor Cruz said that the quantity of shell beads that were found in the chamber convey possible relation to the ancient settlers of Tingambato with other towns in the coast. Also, it shows that this city could have been a possible strategic point in a commercial route to Cuenca de Patzcuaro.

“The burial’s arrangement was a complete paraphernalia: we found hundreds of beads carved in rectangular and square shapes, snail shells of about two through eight millimeters (0.07 and 0.31 inches) tall; some of those materials were probably used for necklaces and covered the human skeleton up to the thorax and the arms; underneath the individual’s remains we found a layer of sandstone placed on the floor of the funerary chamber.”

It was in July 2011, through the Michoacan Special Project, that after three decades, they renewed the explorations of Tingambato, parallel to the major maintenance work of ancient buildings. The discovery was registered while the grass was being trimmed and remains of pre Hispanic archaeology were being searched for. A worker put his foot in a hole made by a mole and his foot sank 10 centimeters (3.93 inches) until it stopped on hard ground. To verify what this was, archaeologist Melchor Cruz introduced his hand in the hole and touched a piece of sandstone, he then thought this might be a tomb. This is the second tomb that is discovered in this site.

The specialist said that this tomb was different than the mortuary chamber found in 1979 since this one has a more complex structure in the chamber walls, the buttresses of the ceiling and the stucco cover.

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Are Archaeologists Close to Identifying Richard III?

Archaeologists searching for the lost grave of King Richard III have unearthed a skeleton with a metal arrow in its back which they believe could be the remains of the medieval monarch.

The skeleton was exhumed from a car park behind council offices in Leicester last Tuesday during an archaeological dig by a team from the University of Leicester and is now being subjected to laboratory analysis. It was found in what is believed to be the choir of the Grey Friars church, the site of which was also uncovered during the three-week archaeological dig and which is believed to be the burial site of the monarch according to historical records. Initial examinations have revealed it to be the skeleton of an adult male with the remains said to be in a good condition. It also has a curved spine.

Richard Taylor, from the University of Leicester, told media at a press conference that the skeleton appears to have suffered significant trauma to the skull at or near the time of death.

"This appears consistent with, although not certainly caused by, an injury received in battle. "A bladed implement appears to have cleaved part of the rear of the skull," he said. The skeleton was found with a barbed metal arrowhead between the vertebrae of the upper back. Mr Taylor added that the skeleton has spinal abnormalities, which are consistent with reports of the monarch's appearance.

Mr Taylor said: "We believe the individual would have had severe scoliosis which is a form of spinal curvature. "This would have made his right shoulder appear visibly higher than the left shoulder. "This is consistent with contemporary accounts of Richard's appearance."

He added: "We are not saying today that we have found Richard III. What we are saying is that the search for Richard III has entered a new phase. "Our focus is shifting from the archaeological excavation to laboratory analysis. "This skeleton certainly has characteristics that warrant extensive further detailed examination."

Richard III died in the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. Richard Buckley, from the University of Leicester and who led the dig, said: "It was so unexpected. The area of the church we were looking at was beginning to come together in terms of interpreting where the choir was so we knew we were in the east end of the church. "The skeleton was buried in a grave without a coffin. It was probably a shrouded burial, just buried in a shroud, with no grave goods. The head shows sign of trauma consistent with wounds incurred in battle. Between two of the vertebrae was an iron arrowhead, possibly with barbs and also the individual has curvature of the spine and it's a male."

When asked whether he believed it was the remains of the King, Mr Buckley said: "He's a very strong candidate indeed but it's going to take a few weeks for the DNA analysis to come through."

Speaking at the site of the archaeological search, Dr Turi King, from the University of Leicester team, said: "We've taken teeth out under clean conditions from which we'll try and get DNA so the DNA analysis will be the next thing. "The skeleton is in very good condition so I'm very hopeful. We've taken teeth out and a femur so the next thing will to be to try and get DNA out of that."

The DNA from the skeleton will be analysed and compared with those of Michael Ibsen, a descendant of Richard III. Mr Ibsen, 55, lives in London but was born in Canada to Joy Ibsen, a direct descendent of the King's eldest sister Anne of York. DNA has been taken from the furniture maker, whose mother was the 16th generation niece of Richard III, and this will be now be compared to samples taken from the skeleton. The results of the tests could take up to 12 weeks to be completed. Mr Ibsen was not present at the press conference in Leicester today.

Phillipa Langley, from the Richard III Society, has been working with the project and was on site when the remains were found. She said: "I was sitting on a chair watching the entire thing. There was a tumult of emotions. I think shock, excitement, sadness and happiness all mixed into one. "It means a great deal and I think it's going to mean a great deal for research into Richard III and all those who are involved in learning about this much maligned king.

"I hope now that more of the truth will come out and we will get to a more realistic perspective of the real man and not the Tudor myth." The project has been filmed for a Channel 4 documentary which will be aired later this year.

Source: Daily Record