Sunday Round Up: Top Archaeology and Anthropology News 1/30/2011

Evolution teaching poor in U.S. high schools Most U.S. high school biology teachers "fail to forthrightly explain evolutionary biology," finds an educator survey. And at least 13% "strongly support" teaching creationism. Recent advances in the study of human evolution . A poster for a 1985 lecture by Alan Walker. Evolution, the inheritance of changed characteristics across generations, is the fundamental unifying concept underlying biology, as a National Research Council science education standards released in 1996 noted. That report said, "... 'biological evolution' cannot be eliminated from the life science standards." ~USAToday

Looters Smash Treasures And Mummies In Egyptian Museum Looters broke into the Cairo museum housing the world's greatest collection of Pharaonic treasures, smashing several statues and damaging two mummies, while police battled anti-government protesters on the streets.  Arabiya television showed soldiers, armed and in battle fatigues, patrolling the museum that houses tens of thousands of objects in its galleries and storerooms, including most of the King Tutankhamen collection. Display cases were shattered and several broken statues and porcelain figures lay on the floor.  ~New York Times

This Week In Pennsylvania Archaeology The production of stone tools dates to 2.6 million years. By the time our ancestors arrived in Pennsylvania, at least 16,000 years ago, they had mastered this technology and were using relatively sophisticated flint knapping techniques. During Paleoindian times (11,150 to 10,000 years ago), these early inhabitants in Pennsylvania quickly discovered the best quality stone for tool manufacture, preferring cherts and jaspers. Paleoindians frequently traveled well over 200 km to obtain the highest quality material in the region. Metarhyolite and quartz were added to the list of preferred lithic materials for chipped stone tools during the Early Archaic period (10,000 to 9000 years ago). By Middle Archaic times (9000 to 6000 years ago), there did not seem to be strong lithic preferences and Native Americans used a variety of materials that were available locally. ~This Week In Pennsylvania Archaeology

Tony Moore makes 'Footsteps of Jesus' series You may have seen Tony Moore on TV, talking about the Holy Land in a series called “In the Footsteps of Paul,” which seeks to bring to life the historical and cultural world of the Bible. Actually, Moore prefers to call it Bible Land. “I don’t consider it holy,” he says, “but it is where the stories happened, so it’s special.” Those who knew Moore when he was a teenager in Salisbury might be surprised to learn how far he’s come since the wild days of his youth. Moore, who now lives in Chino, Calif., was in town recently following the death of his father, Billy Moore, and he found a few hours to talk to the Post about his life’s path. Middle Eastern Stone Age Tools Mark Earlier Date for Human Migration out of Africa Just beyond a shallow, narrow sea lay an open topography of grassy savanna, populated by plentiful game and few predators. This watery barrier—likely not more than five kilometers wide—would have been but a small obstacle for a group of modern humans accustomed to navigating African lakes with boats and rafts. But this short crossing, enabled by coincidental climate change, might have led the species—possibly for the first time—out of Africa and into Arabia, and eventually deeper into Asia, Europe and the rest of the globe. ~Scientific American What lies beneath - Local archaeologists dig up Surrey's medieval past Today Preston Haw in Tadworth is a typical-looking residential area -- but strange lumps and bumps in the grass betray a surprising secret. The area was the site of a medieval settlement 800 years ago. Although excavated by eminent archaeologist Brian Hope-Taylor in the 1950s a local group of volunteers is finding out all about the area's history. Reporters Steven and Barnaby drop by to find out what they have unearthed. Newnham College excavation When Cambridge University Lecturer in Archaeology Dr Catherine Hills discovered that Anglo Saxon remains could be buried in the grounds of Newnham College, Cambridge, she and her colleagues set about organising a dig to find them. Key to its success would be the help of 20 sixth-form girls from schools in London, Birmingham and Peterborough, all of whom stayed in the college for a week to sample life at Cambridge. What did the girls make of their stay? And did they unearth skeletons in the garden? Expedition Congo2010 - archaeology DR Congo Els Cornelissen at work near Congo River (DRCongo) -Expedition congo2010 - Pottery www.africamuseum.be

Stanford archaeologist shows how the Romans made pottery in Britain In the shadow of Hadrian's Wall, Roman soldiers defended their empire's northern borders in Great Britain, passed the time in their bathhouses and inevitably drank a lot of wine. They also made an awful lot of pots. But how? Melissa Chatfield, a research fellow in ceramic geoarchaeology, was determined to find out. Hence, way out on the edge of the Stanford campus, a narrow column of pale smoke rose behind the Stanford Community Farm building last weekend. The source was a 5-foot-high grass mound atop a 12-foot-square wooden box. It was modeled on several ancient kilns in England dating to the first century B.C. and the early Roman kilns that followed. Chatfield and her crew had been creating the mound for six weeks. Climb up on the wet grass and peer down into the hole: About 40 pots glowed in the orange flames in the interior of the kiln, lined with granite cobbles. ~Archaeology Daily

Berlin shows off real-life 'Indiana Jones' treasures A treasure trove of 3,000-year-old giant birds, lions, and goddesses goes on show in Berlin on Friday with a past so incredible that it could rival archaeology action film hero Indiana Jones. The story kicks off nearly 100 years ago when Max von Oppenheim, the son of a rich German banker, fell in love with the Middle East as a diplomat keeping an eye on British empire-building. He stumbled across the ruined palace of an Aramaean king, buried in the desert, as German engineers toiled on the nearby Berlin to Baghdad railway line along what is today the Turkish-Syrian border. After two digs, from 1911-1913 and 1927-1929, Oppenheim brought back many of his finds to Berlin where they were housed in their own museum. ~Sify News

Open Access Archaeology: Two Different Approaches Archaeological site information is a precious commodity; once material is fully excavated it is the only knowledge we have of the site. After spending, years (or even decades) excavating a site the information can become packed away in a few notebooks or boxes, lost in the realm of gray material, and not uncovered until needed by another regional specialist or graduate student. Some information becomes a heavily guarded secret to prevent loss of material, either due to looting of the site or forced return due to NAGPRA. A third option now exists: make the information visible on the internet. This is the option that I am advocating for: open access archaeology. ~Cultural Heritage Informatics Initiative

Kinship: A Short Comparison of Unilineal and Bilineal Descent

Descent is described as a permanent social unit whose members claim common ancestry. There are two different descent groups when considering the difference between unilineal and bilineal descent.

Lineage-a group that can prove common decent from an ancestor.

Clan-claims it but can’t demonstrate it (IE the 12 Tribes of Israel).

Unilineal Descent

Unilineal traces the descent through both the patriline and the matriline and the only way to be attached to this lineage is to be born into it, and consequently the only way out, is to die. This can be seen in the blood lines of the Tudors, whereas the only way to add to the direct line of the lineage is to bear children. The end of the line, however, is when the last of the lineage dies, therefore not passing his or her blood line to the next generation. In any case, a person with one such lineage will state the same line of persons every time. Everyone is related in some sense.

Read the entire article  Difference Between Unilineal and Bilineal Descent for Size of Groups in a Culture via Ancient Digger at Socyberty

Archaeologist Aaron Levinthal Digging Up Ocean City's Culture

Have you ever wondered what lurks beneath those lovely flowers in your garden? Perhaps an odd mound is present on your 10 acre farm.

Aaron Levinthal thinks about that all the time. But he doesn't just wonder; he digs down to discover, but more importantly, to gain a better understanding of those who lived here before us.

His carefully trained eyes see things differently than most of us do. "The coolest thing, really, is that most people don't realize what's under the grass in their own backyard," says Levinthal. "With a little education, you gain a new perspective. 15,000 years of culture is only inches away."

Aaron Levinthal has been spending his summers in Ocean City since he was a teenager. Over the years, he has come to appreciate the character, the culture, and the rich history of the region. What may simply be identified as an arrowhead is, to Levinthal, a reflection of an entire culture which relied on a subsistence strategy which we can only begin to understand.

Read the Entire Article about Aaron Levinthal via DemarvaNow

Origination of Poker: Where Did It Start?

When I was little, my father and I would take every Sunday to play a hand of poker or watch a classic movie with singing and dancing. My first recollection of the game of poker was in the movie Showboat, where Howard Keel played the illustrious character of Gaylord Ravenal, a steamboat card player who, from time to time, ran into some pretty bad luck. What does this have to do with archaeology or history? I think it’s important to note where our historical interests actually stem from and some of mine go back to my Sunday poker games with my father and the men in old west movies, who made the game as popular as it is today.

Brief History of Poker

The first picture that comes to mind when I think of poker is a singer like Billy Holiday singing in a juke joint , dressed up in a sequin mini dress, on the banks of the Louisiana. The men would drink liquor from their yellow colored glasses and a guitar player would be playing the blues as broken men turned the tide and became winners in a lucky hand. 

The German game of poker called Poch, originating over 500 years ago and using betting and bluffing, was the first time in history poker had ever been played. This has been speculated, however.

If you’ve never heard of Poch or Pochspiel, the game uses a 32 card pack and typically up to 6 players. The cards are ranked high to low, just like American poker-A, K, Q, J, 10, and so on. Poch is played on wooden player board and designs can range from the simple to the extravagant.

Consequently, poker was speculated to have originated during the 16th century in Persia. The game was called As Nas and it was played with a 25 card deck containing five suits of cards.

On the other hand, between 900 and 1000 AD, poker was said to have started, or rather invented, by the Chinese. Of course, gaming has been around since the beginning of time,  many people believe, so it’s quite hard to say where it did begin. What do you believe?

Poker In The US: Started By French Settlers

In the United States, we first saw poker being played in New Orleans by  French settlers. In fact, poker was and still is quite popular in France where it’s legal to play. The French brought over a game called Poque which is similar to “draw poker” we play in the states.

New Orleans continued to draw sugar plantation owners and riverboat hustlers as it evolved as the first gambling city in America. The first casino was opened by John Davis in 1822 and offered guests 24 hour service, gourmet food, various games, roulette, alcohol, and of course poker. After some time,casinos started popping up and the first idea of the Vegas strip was born.

Like many old time gamblers, a man could lose his shirt to the casinos in town so finding a back swamp joint, like the aforementioned juke joints, was often a way to increase his odds. This wasn’t always the case, however. Many thieves and cheats frequented these saloon like establishments, so in actuality, the odds were almost always against a man who wasn’t familiar with the inner workings of the room.

Around 1911, gambling was outlawed throughout the Louisiana Purchase territory, however this never stopped gambling enthusiasts and professional poker players.