Archaeology: The world as a time capsule

With drought prominently featured in the newspapers currently, it is wise to remember how important a reliable source of water is to a civilization. The final failure of water replenishment caused the downfall and/or dispersal of the Hohokam and Anasazi cultures in the American West. Many other places on earth since the dawn of man have had these very problems as in Mohenjo-Daro in the Middle East. We would be wise to study and learn.

Baffling Viking Artifacts Found in Cave DUBLIN (Reuters) - A hoard of Viking artifacts found in a cave in southern Ireland is baffling archaeologists. The hoard discovered by a heritage worker cleaning the cave comprises coins, bronze and silver ingots and conical objects made of silver wire. ``Nothing like these have been seen anywhere, let alone in the Viking world. There is no parallel,'' Andrew Halpin, keeper of Irish antiquities at the National Museum in Dublin, told Reuters Friday. ``We think they could be ornaments for garments, or some kind of cloak fastener, but we're not sure. It's a very important find for academics studying this era,'' he said. The hoard, found in county Kilkenny, south of Dublin, also includes Anglo-Saxon coins dating from 940, confirming historical evidence that the Vikings maintained settlements in both Ireland and northern England at the time. Halpin said the cave may have been used as a refuge and the artifacts probably formed part of someone's personal wealth stashed for safe keeping during some kind of emergency. A Viking presence at the site had been well established, he said, and there were records of a massacre of 1,000 people in the cave about 40 years before the earliest date on the coins. Vikings first carried out hit-and-run raids on Ireland in 795 and later founded settlements, including most of Ireland's existing major towns, around 840.

Oops!

Is not there a theory about the Vikings reaching the Americas long before Columbus? It seems quite possible; they seem to have been everywhere. Great article! I will take the liberty of searching for pictures of my own country's Copan Ruins. I will post them as soon as I can find them.

And here is the first...if it wishes to appear. Spring is not behaving normally, imo.

Brava, Amiga Mia. Lovely Copan stela you posted. The first archaological photograph. Who better than you to post it?! Muchas Gracias, Es muy interesante. (now correct my Spanish as I check your English...)

Not only is my Spanish bad, I also mixed in Italian. I had better stay with the jumble English of my Mother tongue. Perhaps you could add some Gaelic?!

I see no errors in your lovely Spanish salutation! How wonderful to read! I see no Italian anywhere, though... "Cop�n, located in western Honduras, was once a Classic Maya royal center, the largest site in the southeastern part of the Maya area. Covering about 29 acres, it was built on the banks of the Cop�n River on an artificial terrace made of close to a million cubic feet of dirt. Over time, people spread out from the central core and built homes in outlying areas that had formerly been used for crops. Cop�n's nobles built smaller, rival complexes on sites that were increasingly further from the core. In spite of its wealth, power, and size, Cop�n collapsed. No monuments seem to have been produced after A.D. 822." This from the learner.org site.

Missing posts from changing servers: Response 12 of 13: Ginny (vibrown) * Mon, Jan 31, 2000 (12:11) * 6 lines Archaeology has always interested me, but I haven't had a chance to do much research on it. When I went to Bolivia for the 1994 solar eclipse, I remember reading that the Inca civilization covered most of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and northern Chile. Apparently Bolivia had a pre-Inca civilization near Lake Titikaka; I think they were called the Aymara. Where were the Maya and Aztec civilizations located? Response 13 of 13: Marcia (MarciaH) * Mon, Jan 31, 2000 (12:55) * 7 lines The Maya peopled the southern area of Mexico, The Yucatan Peninsula, and most of Central America. They were in power from pre-1000 BC until the Spanish Conquest in the 1500's AD. The Aztec were succesors of the Toltecs from about 1300 AD until the Spanish conquest. In the 1200-1521AD period the Aztecs established an empire and constructed their capital on a marshy island beneath what is now Mexico city. Their empire extended south to Guatemala. Their terms for the ancient cultures in the area are the ones we use today. The Mayan civilization encompasses Pre-classic 1000BC - 250AD when they were mostly an egalitarian civilization. The rise of shaman priest-kings led to Classic Mayan time of 250AD - 900AD which saw the creation of city and village systems, math using a zero,(They had no Millennium problems!) and a vast network for overland trade. Post Classic Mayan 900AD-1521AD population became too vast for natural resources to sustain which brought about the decline of the cities and central power. Source: The National Geograpohic Mesoamerican timeline. back to regular programming

A really good book on the impact of geology on archaeology is "Unearthing Atlantis" by Charles Pellegrino, highly readable and informative, even if you know next to nothing about either discipline. The Atlantis of the title refers to the Minoan culture of the eastern Mediterranean. One of the sites of Minoan habitation was the island of Kalliste, the most beautiful. Well it was until one of the most violent and loudest vulcanic eruptions blew 2/3's of the island away, and may possibly have been the cause of the Biblical 10 Plagues on Egypt.(That's Pellegrino's assertion). The island then got the name it would be known by until past classical times, Thera, the place of fear. The excavation on the island, now called Santorini (St. Irene), has been riddled with infighting and backbiting on the of the academic establishment and the Greek government.

Yes! I am familiar with this book. He is an adherent of the Thera origin of Atlantis. One of the saner books in this wide open to wild theories discussions. Whatever happened there, it did in more than just the enormous Volcano which blew itself into oblivion along with an entire culture.

Just watched a really good archeology TV programme. Must be the season fro them cos there are several on different channels at the moment. This one is called Time Team (they have a web site if i find the address I'll post it). They do a three day dig together with local archeologists who have called the team in. todays programme was in Coventry, England and they were escavating part of the original cathedral there trying to find the cloisters. They use geophysics to take ground soundings as well as conventional archeological 'digging'. They found the cloisters, lots of medieval floor tiles, a skeleton, that at first was thought to be modern and murdered, but turned out to be medieva, and an artist gave his impression of the scene. They also did a virtual reality tour of the cathedral.

How neat! Thanks for sharing that. Would love to work with that team. Gotta come back as a British Archaeologist in the next life (just before the one in which I come back as a geologist... and the one as an anthropologist...) Whilst I was visiting Canterbury Cathedral, they were replacing the most eroded scuptures on the outside. There was a flatbed truck full of small pieces of the old Caen stone. I asked the loader what was going to happen to these pieces. He said they were going to the local landfill. I asked for a piece and he let me select the one I wanted. In my rock collection not boasts a little part of the original Canterbury Cathedral (but not the one St Augustine built...)

Did you see the Roman exhibition there? we went once when I lived in kent and I thoght it was very impresive. Just recently we were in Winchester for a weekend, and in the shopping Centre (Mall) as you came out of the car park into the Mall there was a walk through exhibition of the excavation that had been done before the shopping centre could be built. It even had light up scenarios and a sound track! All freee!

Gads! They'd have to drag me away with a block-and-tackle! Yes, visited the Kent site some years ago. That must have been SOME villa! The mosaics are reknowned world-wide, I believe!

there's another one near Cirencester that we've been to. It seemed massive and there was a surprising amount above ground (just), and they marked out the bits that weren't. I love visiting those sort of places.

If I lived over there, I'd have climbed every hillfort, crawled through every fogou, peeked into every dolmen and chambered long "burial" mound, pondered the significance of every stone circle and ditch-and-mound monument...*sigh* Oh, and I'd have been through every little and giant church and cathedral. There is nothing quite like walking through Salisbury Cathedral at dusk and looking at a small casket containing the bones of someone buried in 616. Incredible! Cirencester ("Sisister" yes? Or is it "Sinsister"?) is on my "next time" list.

Make that ditch-and-bank. Got it confused with Motte and Bailey which should also be on that list...

Trouble is it's like living in London - you get so used to it you don't notice what's on your doorstep.

Yes, I know...I grew up in suburban New York City, and the only time I was ever to the top of the Empire State Building was with a tourist. Never been to the Statue of Liberty...!

I once went to the Statue of Liberty on a ferry full of teenage French girls, Japanese heavy-metal kids, and Greek-Americans from Astoria, Queens. I forgot the Dutch tourists in sensible shoes. My favorite part was when Lady Liberty could be clearly seen from the right side of the boat, they announced that it would be best if people didn't head to the right side of the boat. So of course everyone ran to the right side of the boat, I didn't, but English is my native tongue. Sorry, that had nothing to do with archaeology. But there are interesting archaeological finds made in New York City, particularly if there is excavation in Lower Manhattan. The city grew from south to north. Aaron Burr once lived in what now is Harlem; it was the country then. Some of the things which were found include colonial era ships and a slave cemetery. I honestly wasn't trying to sully your discussion with mention of "Unearthing Atlantis". I bought my copy of the book from A Common Reader, and they don't really sell crackpot books. I mentioned it because I've always been fascinated by Minoan civilization, Arthur Evans' excavation at Knossos and other sites. It was one of the world's great eary civilizations, dazzling and sophistocated. The Egyptians traded with the Minoans and treated them with honor, by not referring to them as "barbarians in the presence of Ra". That was the usual Egyptian term for foreigners. All of this was ended for most intents by the Thera eruption/explosion, a geological event both extrodinary and catastophic. An event of that magnatude would not only be disasterous to the local area, but on a worldwide scale. And I liked Pellegrino's collection of data worldwide to posit his argument.

Yup! There were farms all over Manhattan and Brooklyn, and the Bronx was wilderness. Please tell us what you discovered in the book you are reading, although Wolf would probably welcome it in her Paraspring Conference http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/read/paraspring/13/new See you there! Hey, did anyone notice I finally figured out how to put that cute graphic back on my title page??? Yay!!!

Cheryl, there is nothing crackpot from that bookshop. I know! I buy stuff from their catalog and read it like it was as good a book as the things they sell! I really think this is a great place to post a discussion of that book. It certainly was a geophysical event of gigantic magnitude which caused the upheaval in the first place Have you, by chance, ever read "Gods, Graves and Scholars" by C. W. Ceram? If not, please get yourself a copy. It was my first archaeology book and I was hooked. (Actually, "living" in the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art is what really convinced me that I needed to be an archaeologist. I visited there so often as a child I knew my way around as though it were home.)

Yes, I do own a copy of "Gods, Graves and Scholars". I got and interest in archaeology from 2 sources, my father and my maternal grandfather. I remember going to the museum with my Dad to see the mummies. He was fascinated by ancient Egypt, and the Meso-Americans, and the African kingdoms, and the classical cultures of Greece and Rome. On a note closer to home, we used to walk in the woods and look for Indian (Native American) arrowheads. My maternal grandfather was Greek Cypriot, and very aware of his native island's very ancient history. On the subject of another island, Manhattan, I'll check at the library for that particular information. It wasn't one of my own books.

Fascinating! Have you antiquities around your home in your collection? We have the making of a new topic for collecting conference! Where we lived in New Rochelle, N.Y. it was farmed so long that nothing was still around from ancient times, but I did find a chunk (2"x3"x1") of massive garnet tranported there from upstate NY by the last glaciers!

Wow! Apparently the area around my part of the village was a pig farm from the Danish invasion of southern England (last millennium). we also think there are some plague mass graves somewhere. However, I've never turned anything up yet.

Those Mass Graves must be just about everywhere considering half of the population of Europe died in the plague. That garnet mass I found measures 8cm x 5cm x 2.5cm.

I think it's quite surprising we don't dig up more. There's also a mass of ley lines in this area. I think one goes through the house two doors up from me.

Ah, Ley lines. Yes! Alfred Wadkins and "The Old Straight Track" Shall we discuss these here or in Paraspeing where Wolf has just created crop circles and other such things. I think these'd fit right into that topic, no? I'd love to hear of your experiences concerneing Ley lines...

I can crreate it here...Never mind - going to create Geomaganetism!!!

Egyptians Find Tomb of Ancient God Osiris GIZA, Egypt (Reuters) - Sinking water levels have revealed a granite sarcophagus of the ancient Egyptian god Osiris in a 30-meter (98 feet) deep tomb at the Giza pyramids, Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass said Wednesday. Osiris was one of the most important gods of ancient Egypt who according to mythology was murdered by his wicked brother Seth. He was buried by Isis, his sister-wife, and brought back to life as judge of the dead and ruler of the underworld. Hawass said the sarcophagus, which he dated to 500 BC in the New Kingdom, was surrounded by the remains of four pillars built in the shape of a hieroglyphic 'Bir' or 'House of Osiris'. The excavation unearthed 3,000-year-old bones and pottery found in the underground water, he said. ``I never excavated this shaft because it was always full of water. But when the water went down about a year ago, we started the adventure,'' he told Reuters. After dirt and most of the remaining water were cleared from the shaft, located between the Sphinx and the Pyramid of Chefren (Khafre), archaeologists found three underground levels, with the submerged Osiris sarcophagus at the lowest. ``Many people believed there were tunnels going to the Sphinx and another leading to the Great Pyramid but only when we sent a young boy into a tunnel in the west wall (of the tomb shaft) did we find this exciting discovery,'' said Hawass.

From a friend who would like opinions of the readers herein (Now, if I can ever get this guy to post for himself I'll be esctatic!) according to a friend of mine, ancient Maya carvings predict the inundation of the NY/NJ area by quake and tsunami in/around 2012. How? fun speculations may abound. Post it yourself and see what others say.

The excavation at Santorini is called Akrotiri. I visited the site when I went to Greece in 1991. According to the guidebook, the excavations began in 1967 by Prof. Spyridon Marinatos. (He's actually buried at the site.) It's supposed to be a Bronze Age settlement from about 1500 BC. They found a lot of Minoan pottery and frescoes, similar to those found in Knossos, Crete. The theory is that there was a big earthquake before the eruption, and that the eruption caused tsunamis that hit Crete. They never found any bodies in Akrotiri, so the population managed to leave before the eruption, probably after the earthquake. I don't know if anyone has finally figured out where the people went; they had no idea back in 1991. The theory of Akrotiri as Atlantis is obviously controversial. I took a course in Greek Civilization back in college, and the professer mentioned the Atlantis theory as a load of rubbish. Who knows? Schliemann was convinced he found Troy, but all we really know is that he found 9 levels of a very big city (and he wound up destroying most of it). There's usually some small grain of truth to most legends, though.

By the way, I love the new graphic for the conference, Maria! Looks great!

Thanks, Ginny - it was the original grahpics, which were placed there for me as a surprise by my programmer who taught me everything I know, which I just got back up - they had to set me up with new space on Terry's hard drive, I then ftp'd all of the stuff out of my old files onto my hard drive here at home then back to the new place then locate the url for the graphic and repost it. Not all that difficult, but it took time and some thinking and care. I am happy to see it up again, also. I am delighted you are posting this here. Akrotiri is as good a place for Altantis as is currently available. Actually, it is the only place that makes sense to me.

Back to Atlantis, is it? I'm in agreement with those who think that the Minoan civilization was the basis for the Atlantis legend. Something had to have happened. The Minoans were an actual civilization, and the Thera eruption was an actual event. Marcia, you asked if I had any items of archealogical interest in my home. Unfortunately no. I've moved a lot since completing school. All my Dad and really ever found were arrowheads. I grew up in central Pennsylvania, there is farming there, but there are also the wooded slopes of the Alleghenies. (We lived on the western edge of central PA.) Anyway if you know what to look for, you can still find some arrowheads or maybe a spearpoint. The closest archealogical site to Pittsburgh is Meadowcroft Rock Shelter, which is to the north. The site was discovered in the 1970's and was very controvesial. Why? Because the dating of the artifacts placed them at atleast 14,000 years old. American Indians weren't supposed to be east of the Mississippi River, much less in Pennsylvania 14,000 years ago. That was the conventional wisdom at any rate. Then in the 1980's a site was excavated in Brazil that was dated at 30,000 to 35,000 years. They're still trying to sort all this out. Concerning Pittsburgh, 2 new stadia are being built. When the foundations were being prepared, they found farming artifacts from the early 19th century and everyday artifacts from after industrialization. Yes, they even found a few American Indian items. The current 3 Rivers Stadium is built on land that was once an island in the Ohio River. There was a narrow channel seperating it from the shore. When the first Europeans got there, they reported that human sacrifices took place there. Could be propaganda or not.

I graduated from Penn State, the daughter of Philadelphians. Married a guy from Williamsport, dated a guy from New Kensington, and am now with a guy from south of Pittsburgh. I do know about Pennsylvania. Current house male says they picked loads of American Indian arrowheads of out the plowed fields (of course they are long gone.) By the time I got to Pennsylvania I was on fossil hunts and I still have the lovely examples of dolomite and limestone goodies I found. Three-rivers confluence was a very powerful place (see water lines and ley lines). In Hawaii, such sources commanded human sacrifice. In Britain and Western Europe the same thing happened!

Hmm, I wonder if there are any interesting archealogical sites around here? (Besides the ongoing "big dig" fiasco, I mean. ;-) Marcia, I know it takes time to move files around, but it's worth the effort. Looks great!

Thanks, Ginny. I am almost done getting graphics back onto the place - at least the ones I can do easily. It looks so different from the other conferences that I like to rest in here and admire when I am not off finding other goodies to share with everyone. Boston area should have all sorts of good stuff going on because the place was inhabited for so long. You mean that under-the-highway subway they are digging is not a Good thing? In Hawaii, the theory is "build a highway and dig it up again to put the sewers and power lines. Then patch it unevenly." Not sure why they do it that way, but it is bone-jarring! About the only good things we find in this exercise is charred tree remnants which yield Carbon-14 to tell the age of the lava flow through which they just blasted.

The Bid Dig is supposed to relieve all the traffic problems in Boston when it's finished...*if* it's ever finished. As usual for government projects, this one is way over budget (to the tune of $1.4 billion), and in danger of having its federal funding cut off. Apparently the feds are starting an investigation into the shortfall. They have dug up most (if not all) of the existing highways in Boston for this project, so they certainly can't leave the project unfinished; the governor and the head of the Mass Turnpike Authority would both be lynched! Fortunately, I live and work outside of Boston; the only impact on me is my wasted tax dollars, which is bad enough! There's a Big Dig website that describes the project at http://www.bigdig.com. It includes a link to the "Archaeology of the Central Artery Project: Highway to the Past" exhibit at the Commonwealth Museum. Apparently archeologists did find a lot of artifacts before construction started.

OK, went into BigDig and noted the Bechtel is doing the job. You DO know how prominently they figure in the trilateral commission and other pseudo or really nefarious-minded world movers and shakers! Somehow I am not surprised. I'll go back and hunt through that teeny-print pulldown for the archaeology stuff. Thanks! Is it gonna be a road rather than mass transport system like the BART?

From what I understand, it's a new set of highways and tunnels, replacing most of the major roads in Boston. The Ted Williams tunnel is already finished and in use. I haven't heard anything about replacing/expanding the MBTA lines, but they probably are digging near some of the lines, anyway. Hmm, I've never heard of Bechtel. Should I be happy, or more worried than ever? :-) That little window they give you is pretty annoying, isn't it? Haven't found a way to enlarge it, yet.

From the Big Dig FAQ (also at http://www.bigdig.com): What are you building? The project includes two main elements -- the extension of Interstate 90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike) from its current terminus south of downtown Boston under Boston Harbor to Logan Airport, and the replacement of Interstate 93 through downtown Boston, including a tunnel through the heart of the city. The I-90 extension includes the first major project milestone, the Ted Williams Tunnel under the harbor, which opened in December 1995. Other major elements include four major highway interchanges; a two-bridge, 14-lane crossing of the Charles River on the northern edge of downtown Boston; the world's largest highway tunnel ventilation system; the world's most advanced electronic traffic management and incident response system; demolition of the existing elevated Central Artery (I-93) downtown; and 150 acres of new parks and open space, including 27 acres downtown where the elevated Central Artery now stands. An important feature of the project is keeping the City of Boston open for business throughout more han a decade of construction, which involves (among many other things) holding up the six-lane elevated highway while tunneling for an eight-to-ten-lane underground expressway directly underneath. See the project summary, "Gee Whiz" (about engineering marvels), Mitigation, and Facts and Figures for more information. Are you nuts ?? The project may look like an unbelievable challenge but with design virtually complete and construction past the half-way mark, the amazing vision is becoming a reality. The fact is that there is really no other way to solve Boston's legendary traffic problems. The city's downtown highway, the Central Artery, can't be expanded in place. There is no other place to put a new highway (we can't plow down another neighborhood, and we can't put a new road on top of the waterfront, for example), so the only alternative is to build the new highway underneath the old one. Because the work takes so long, there is no choice but to invest in the techniques that will keep the city open for business during construction. Because the project's two highways (I-93 downtown and I-90 to Logan Airport) thread their way through an old and often fragile city, there is no choice but to adopt the engineering marvels that take the tunnels down 120 feet to pass under a subway line, solidify pudding-like soils so that the road can be built under a channel off Boston Harbor, or protect historic brick buildings and towering modern skyscrapers from construction taking place just a few feet from their foundations. Traffic is so bad on and around the elevated Central Artery that it would be nuts not to build a new highway system for the people of Boston and New England.

Here's the link to the "Highway to the Past: The Archaeology of the Central Artery". It was under "Dirt on the Dig"...cute, eh? http://www.bigdig.com/thtml/dod_arch.htm

Can't do anything with pop-up boxes except to close them. Can't even bookmark most of them. Bechtel? You can die happy not knowing anything about them, but if you think there is an evil plot afoot to take over the world by the Gnomes of Zurich, you need to read up on them. They have their clickable logo there - or if you are Really interested in dirt, do a web search...heh...heh...! (Shall read the rest of what you wrote as soon as I feed the house male his lunch)

Now I'm curious! I will have to check out Bechtel later. Signing off for now...catch you later!

Yeow! I could not wait to drive through a tunnel surrounded by pudding-consistency soil overlaid by a subway traintracks surmounted by a roadway. Never mind, I think! That archaeology site was really interesting. Love the old bottles they found. And, North America's oldest Bowling Ball. It is a really nicely setup interactive website and, having done some of that, I appreciate the good ones a whole lot. Archaeology fans, take the virtual tour! Thanks, Ginny. Oh, Bechtel built Hoover Dam and the Oakland Bay Bridge amongst other things...

Response 65 of 67: World Builder (MarciaH) * Mon, Feb 21, 2000 (20:09) * 9 lines NEW STONES AT AVEBURY new series of slabs at Avebury stone circle in western England, discovered under a farmer's field, probably formed a causeway linking the circle, or henge, to a contemporary burial site at Beckhampton, a mile to the southwest. University of Leicester and Southampton archaeologists now believe that the complex, whose main circle was last excavated in 1930, covered a much larger area than originally thought and was probably built in several stages. The existence of buried avenues was first suggested in the 1720s by the English antiquarian William Stukeley, although many dismissed his theories as guesswork. Some years ago, however, an avenue was uncovered leading from Avebury to nearby West Kennet, and the latest find appears to confirm Stukeley's beliefs and the notion that Avebury was connected to other ceremonial sites. Avebury, constructed between 2800 and 2700 B.C., includes the world's largest stone circle (1,401 feet in diameter), numerous barrows, and the 130-foot-tall Silbury Hill, the largest man-made mound in Europe. Evidence of a "woodhenge" has also been unearthed at the site. Large holes, six feet deep and arranged in circles, are thought to have supported giant wooden pillars up to 17 feet tall. While the pillars might have formed part of a ritual building, they are much larger and closer together than necessary to support a roof and are more likely to have been a free-standing wooden henge, possibly one of 40 similar structures in Wessex, the Anglo-Saxon kingdom that in the late ninth and tenth centuries included much of southern England. The latest discoveries have major implications for Stonehenge. If there were other wooden structures in the region, then Stonehenge may not be as unique as was once thought. Henges, in stone or (more usually) wood, were simply part of the religious landscape of the period. The idea of henges dotting ancient Britain is reinforced by the discovery of the so-called "Seahenge," a remarkably well-preserved timber circle, on a remote Norfolk beach in November 1998. Comprising 55 timber posts, with an upturned oak stump in the middle, it was exposed by winter gales that swept away a peat dune covering it. Seahenge is the first circle to be found with an intact oak stump at its center. Other sites have revealed hollows in their centers but until now no one knew what had caused them. Seahenge is extremely fragile and was only preserved thanks to its peat covering. This past summer archaeologists from the Norfolk County Council's Archaeological Unit excavated and dismantled the circle. Once cleaned, studied, and treated, it may be reconstructed near its original site.--CHRIS HELLIER http://www.he.net/~archaeol/

These are the pictures which apply to the article just above about Avebury Stone Circle. They are visible in the aerial photograph - and for scale, there is a pub in that henge. In fact, they built the village - church and all - and never noticed the henge and stones! Anyway, each of those stones is the size and weight of a car. Stuckey's drawing shows the "avenues" which were considered pure conjecture for decades. Now they are reassessing his drawings.

If you flip the drawing above top to bottom, it is aligned with the photograph at the bottom. Silbury Hill is the whitish mound in the left center background, and the left to right street in the photograph are aligned on the stone "avenues" This is one of my most favorite places in Britain. We have had lunch of apples and cheese in the town museum's carpark, and I have walked every inch of the place. I long to go back...

Awesome pictures!! How the heck could they build in the middle of that big circle and not notice it? Now I gotta look at my pictures from Stonehenge again. How close is Avebury to Salisbury plain?

I think it is just about 20 miles (hunting through my several books on the topic I can't find it at the moment,) on Marlborough Downs just north of Salisbury Plain. It is near the place where the Sarsen stones were left by glaciation 10,000 years ago and was the source of both Avebury and Stonehenge Sarcens. The most remarkable thing is the momuments all around Avebury. The oldest known trackway, the Great Berkshire Ridgeway runs right by it. Silbury Hill, the largest man-made earthen hill in the world, is adjacent. Then, on the skyline from Avebury, two of the longest and largest long barrows are silhouetted against the sky. Calling them "burial chambers" is like having someone excavating a cathedral at some remote future point and calling it a burial house just because the edifice contains the remains of famous (to us) people. Actually, from south of Stonehenge to north of Avebury, where you will find the Uffington White Horse, it is pretty much full of ancient monuments and burial chambers of var ous sorts. I'll hunt up a map which detail what all can be found there. Wiltshire is a very special place, indeed!

When I went to Stonehenge, I picked up a small tourist book that gives a brief description of a lot of ancient monuments, burial mounds, chalk drawings, and the like. It does seem like Wiltshire has the largest section in that book. Fascinating! I never got to Avebury, but hopefully one day I'll go back...there's a lot more I would love to see in Britain!

There are so many goodies on that Blessed Isle... The first time we drove north on the 345 roadway I was consulting my map (I am navigator) and Frank asked if the stones out my window indicated anything. I looked up, and it was a jaw-dropping experience. The stones were HUGE and we were about to enter the henge, itself. I had no idea it was going to be anything like that monumental. Btw, the ditch is now about 9' (2.7M) deep but originally was about twice that. Rain and erosion have silted it up a bit. It was dug by our ancestors with pick and shovel made from deer antlers and shoulder-blades! Of course, chalk is softer than most other stones, but this is not your blackboard slate variety of chalk...

Make that ditch originally over 30' deep (over 10 M) The resulting bank was as high making the entire ditch-and-bank from the outside a daunting 60+ feet (20M).

I am consulting the definitive book on Avebury (which I purchased there): Avebury by Aubrey Burl. It is a book which I would own whether or not I had been there. I recommend it highly.

Prehistoric Avebury is the book by Aubury Burl (I have every book and guide he has written, I think!). Here is an excellent webpage with links and pictures of and about Avebury http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~aburnham/eng/aveb.htm I am still hunting for a good map of the area and my old bookmarks are no longer valid and working. I begin the hunt anew.

I saw the Seahenge dig (on TV)- the Time team (I wrote about earlier) were involved as well as English Heritage and the Norfolk Archeology team. The oak trunk in the centre was actually installed upside down (roots in the air). There was a lot of opposition to the dig by druids and others, despite the fact that the site was being badly eroded. They erected a facsimile site nearby as they thought it might have looked. It was amazing with wooden pillars higher than a man and a low arch entrance with the big oak stump in the middle. The name seahenge is really a misnomer because it was not underwater. The sea levels have risen and the early sealine was quite a distance away.

For a good look-see at the goodies in the "Stonehenge Area" http://www.amherst.edu/~ermace/sth/nearby.html Good links and photographs for you to ponder while I hunt up the map I have IRL in my hot little hands. Aaarrrrrgh!

I had never heard of the Seahenge until I read and posted that article. Must do a search for that, as well. These henge monuments, let me state emphatically, had and have NOTHING whatsoever to do with Druids, ancient or modern. They worshipped in groves of trees. These henge momuments were long abandoned by the time of the Keltic inmigration to Britain in 500 BC. These Henges are thousands of years old!

Thanks for the Avebury article and all the attendant information on henges. I was familiar with the concept of "woodhenges", but Seahenge is new. You do know that visitors can no longer walk up to or touch the stones at Stonehenge. It would seem that there was a problem with tourists carving into and writing grafitti on them. Did you know that in the 19th century there was a suggestion that Stonehenge be incoporated into a railway station. It's true! On the subject of Celtic stone monuments, does anybody know much about Carnac or Kerrec in Brittany? All I know is there are lot of megaliths there, row upon row of them.

From http://www.channel4.com/nextstep/timeteam/2000seahenge.html The wooden 'henge' rescued from the sea off the Norfolk coast. UPDATE In the spring of 2050BCE, a huge oak tree was felled and its stump upturned and half-buried on a site near to what is now Holme-next-the-Sea in Norfolk. The following year, a number of smaller oaks were felled and cut into 56 posts, which were arranged in a circle around the central stump. The Bronze Age monument, hailed by some modern archaeologists as among the most exciting ever discovered, could have formed some kind of ceremonial site, perhaps with special astronomical or other significance. Alternatively, it has been proposed that it could have been a place of �excarnation�, where bodies were laid out after death to hasten the process of decomposition and speed the spirit on its way to the afterlife. Both the circle and the people who built it were long forgotten before the land on which it stood became submerged by the sea. Its existence had vanished even from folk memory until, almost 4,000 years after its construction, the shifting sands off the East Anglian coast moved again to reveal its presence. �Seahenge�, as the monument was to become known, turned into a minor archaeological cause celebr� as Druids and modern-day pagans organised sit-in protests against English Heritage�s decision to remove and preserve it. Agreement was eventually reached over the future of the �henge� and, in the summer of 1999, it was finally recorded and removed to the Flag Fen Bronze Age Centre, near Peterborough. There, as well as being preserved, the ancient timbers were subjected to detailed dendochronology (tree-ring dating) and carbon dating techniques. It was from these that such a precise date could be arrived at for the felling of the trees that make up the Seahenge circle. The tree rings gave three possible dates, which were narrowed down to just one -- 2050BCE -- after statistical comparisons with a series of carbon dating tests. The time of year -- beween April and June -- was obtained by an examination of the final growth ring of the main stump, which showed that the tree had been felled in the spring. Time Team�s visit to Seahenge helped cast some fresh light on the circle, the people who built it and the techniques they used. It included the construction of modern replica, which it is hoped will be found a home in the area permanently. As the first Bronze Age monument that has ever been precisely dated, Seahenge provided an exciting special venture for the Team. Web resources http://www.flagfen.freeserve.co.uk/index.html The Flag Fen Laboratories, Bronze Age site and visitor centre, near Peterborough, is where the main oak stump and posts from Seahenge are being preserved and studied (not yet on public display). This website provides further details of the centre, its excavation work and visitors� facilities. For example, Flag Fen�s Visitor Centre houses the Museum of the Bronze Age containing artefacts found on site, including the oldest wheel in England on permanent display. Guided tours of the ongoing excavations at the site are available in the spring and summer. http://www.norfolk-now.co.uk/Content/Features/New_Seahenge/default.htm Useful site produced by Eastern Counties Newspapers with help from the Norfolk Archaeological Unit, providing a great deal of background information, including about the kind of people who might have constructed the circle, and a useful Q&A section. Not updated with latest details following the removal and study of the timbers, though. http://druidry.org/obod/text/news/woodhenge.html The Order of Druids� �Woodhenge News� site has an extensive selection of press articles and public statements relating to Seahenge, as well as a few high-quality photographs. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_544000/544947.stm The BBC has a number of news reports relating to Seahenge, including how it was dated to spring 2050. Its site includes a Realplayer video report on the lifting of the timbers, audio interviews with Alex Bayliss of English Heritage on dating the timbers; and archaeologist Maisie Taylor describing preservation work at Flag Fen. Further reading Bronze Age Britain by Michael Parker Pearson (Batsford/English Heritage, 1996) Based on the prehistoric evidence, as well as current research and debate, this book examines how life in Britain changed during the period 4000-900 BC. Illustrated with lots of maps, plans, reconstructions and photographs. Flag Fen by Francis Pryor (Batsford/English Heritage, 1991) Fascinating account of the discovery of this Bronze Age site. The Flag Fen Laboratories are where the Seahenge timbers are being studied and preserved. An exciting archaeological adventure story. The Significance of Monuments by Richard Bradley (Routledge, 1998) The author traces the history of Neolithic and Bronze Age burial mounds, henges, stone circles and barrows since their first appearance 6,000 years or more ago. He provides insights into what they might have meant to and their role in the lives of prehistoric people in Europe.

Oh Maggie!! You dear, dear lady! Now, to find an image to post. If they have one, I shall post them! As to the Megaliths in any part of Europe, they seem to hgave been raised by the same cultures - the Beaker People (because they buried their dead with beaker-shaped pottery). Britain's culture came from the Iberian peninsula, most likely. At least, that was the theory last I looked. I'd be delighted to learn of new ones. I knew that Stonehenge was no longer accessable. in '77, '79' and '81 when we were there we could walk right up to the stones. Alas, during WW2 a general wanted it removed for an airport runway (tanks are all over the place and are trashing Salisbury Plain at an alarming rate. In the 1800's they rented sledge hammers so one could break of parts of the stones for souvenirs! Amazing!

It's amazing there's anything left of Stonehenge at all. I remember reading about 2 years ago that some Pagan religious groups were protesting because the only people allowed to go into Stonehenge on their holidays were the Druids. The other Pagans found this grossly unfair.

SEAHENGE from the website Maggie posted in her article:

SEAHENGE

That is the tiniest woodhenge I have ever seen. Woodhenge near Stonehenge is much larger and was probably the ritual place used while building the more durable Stonehenge. Durrington Walls is a H U G E monument with a housing estate obliterating a lot of it, but that is probably where they lived.

re: post #34, i saw that show! they said they couldn't go into the other halls because of the water. amazing!! i was waiting with bated breath to see where all the tunnels led! because i was trying to catch up, didn't catch up on everything, scanned through. so what is the seahenge? i can't see anything in that picture but sand bags and butts!

Seahenge is like a stone circle but the uprights are oak. Most of it has either rotted away or has been silted in. You can see them poking up about a foot or so. Henge means a circular monument around which is a bank and ditch. Lots of henges never had stones or uprights, but Stonehenge is the prototype and there is no other like it. It has shaped, mortise and tenon lintels and shaped sarsens. Most of the others are just stones chosen for their natural shape and set in alignments. Anything you can add about the Egyptian tomb? Sounds wonderful and amazing and breathtaking to watch. I'll watch the journals to see if they leak anymore information to the public. Fascinating!!!

There was another dig quite recently on Salisbury plain when the army wanted to build a new tank track. They found two sites, one was bronze age. I'll see if I can 'dig' up some details. There was an 'epic' book on Salisbury I read ages ago - same guy who wrote 'Hawaii', Marcia you must know it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/ancestors/ser3pro6.shtml Hunter of the Plain To the north of Stonehenge, lies the vast expanse of the Army's Salisbury Plain Training Area, over 25,000 hectares (60,000 acres) of largely untouched downland. Last year, during the upgrading of one of the many tank tracks that cross the Plain, a prehistoric burial was discovered, lying in apparent isolation within a deep chalk cut pit. What made this burial so unusual was that, resting in the skeleton's hand was a clue to it's age, a finely worked flint arrowhead dating to the time of the first building of Stonehenge. This meant that the burial had to be late Neolithic, some time around 2500BC. There was an additional puzzle though. Next to the burial was a short length of curved ditch, but with our burial outside it. A magnetometer survey showed that it was part of a circular ditch, about 35m in diameter, but excavation provided no clues about its date or its function. To me there were two options, it could either be a small henge, a roughly circular temple of Neolithic date, which would fit in well with the date of the arrowhead or, what seemed more likely to me, a levelled round barrow. These are burial mounds of Bronze Age date, many from about 2000 BC to 1500BC and they cluster in their hundreds around the Stonehenge area. Their shape and size varies enormously but I felt that our circular ditch was probably a ploughed down 'disc' barrow, a beautiful shape that looks like a target or shield from above. So, I thought that we had a Neolithic burial (about 2500BC) and a barrow from the Bronze Age, a few centuries later, say around 1800BC. However - when a radiocarbon date came back from a sample of bone from the burial it was around 1600BC and snails from the circular ditch, analysed by Mike Allen, suggested that it was of Neolithic date. Why can't archaeology sometimes be a bit more simple! But did the arrowhead mean that we had found a prehistoric archer? When the skeleton was examined by bone expert Jackie McKinley she found that it was of a very well built man aged about 35 when he died, certainly powerful enough to have used a prehistoric bow. There were no clues about how he had died, but the arrowhead did not seem to have been the cause, unlike the famous 'murder victim' from Stonehenge whose bones still had the tips of flint arrows embedded in them 4000 years after his death. To find out more about prehistoric archers we enlisted the help of Alan Course and Hilary Greenland. Under Alan's expert tuition I made a flint arrowhead similar to our man's (although far less finely worked, I must add) while Hilary made us a replica of a Neolithic bow from yew, the perfect bow wood. Her pattern was the oldest surviving bow from this country, from Meare Heath in Somerset. Initial tests showed that Hilary's bow was very powerful and so, to test its strength, and the effectiveness of my arrowhead (now fitted to a shaft by Alan) we took them both to the Defence Evaluation Research Agency (DERA) where the Army's modern weapons are put through their paces. The speed and drag of the arrow, its penetrative power and the power of the bow suggested, when fed into the computer programme that calculates the performance of a bullet, that the arrow would fly no more than 65 metres when shot from Hilary's bow. But this calculation does not take into account the human factor involved in archery and, in the field, the arrow flew for nearly 100 metres, rising to around 160 metres when the feather fletchings were trimmed to reduce drag. So who was our man? Was he an archer, a hunter who roamed Salisbury Plain in the Bronze Age and why was he buried outside the henge or barrow that must have been the reason for choosing his burial place? What is certain is that he lived and died at a time when Salisbury Plain, with its temples and burial mounds, clustering around the magnificent and by now ancient Stonehenge, was the spiritual heart of prehistoric Britain. Our man would have known Stonehenge, he may have made the pilgrimage there at Midsummer and, perhaps more importantly, at the Winter Solstice, the turning of the year when life is renewed. He may even have helped to build Stonehenge...

Marcia, didn't you say I would find Portuguese petroglyphs here?

I am still awakening. I shall post them for you as soon as I get through the posts in Geo (I think we are giving Drool a run for the most popular right now!)

http://www.he.net/~archaeol/ PORTUGUESE PETROGLYPHS When construction workers laboring on a bridge in northeastern Portugal's C�a Valley lowered the Pocinho Dam lake by nine feet in early December, archaeologists and rock art experts jumped at the chance to nose around. Their investigations were rewarded with the discovery of a new petroglyph panel to add to the array of local rock art dating from Palaeolithic times to the 1950s (see "Rock Art Saved," March/April 1996). The latest discovery, at Fariseu, is a vertical outcropping incised with bovine and horse images, some sporting two or more heads on single bodies to suggest animation. The Fariseu panel, covered at the base by undisturbed Palaeolithic strata, has been dated to 21,000 years before present. "Until now," Joao Zilhao of the Instituto Portugu�s de Arqueologia told ARCHAEOLOGY, "the dating of the stylistically Palaeolithic C�a Valley rock art to the Palaeolithic was supported only by indirect evidence. This was very strong evidence, but, in the language of the courts, only circumstantial. Now we have the strongest possible evidence: stratigraphy. After the Fariseu finds, no one in good faith can question the Palaeolithic chronology of the C�a Valley rock art." At the end of December the art was reburied and water levels restored. Archaeologists hope to lower the lake again this summer.--ELIZABETH J. HIMELFARB

This is right near me but I haven't seen it in the 'flesh' yet. The WWW site http://www.etoncollege.com/lake.html has photos. Eton College is constructing an Olympic sized rowing lake on the north bank of the river Thames at Dorney, Buckinghamshire. In advance of the construction a major archaeological investigation is taking place, organised by the Oxford Archaeological Unit. Aerial Photography Aerial photography shows that alongside the present river there is a series of gravel islands divided by ancient, relict river channels. Cropmarks reveal some of the evidence of past human activity on the dry islands: an early Bronze Age barrow cemetery (about 1800 BC), later Bronze Age field systems (about 1000 BC) and a Romano-British farmstead. Evaluation To supplement the evidence of aerial photography a large number of evaluation trenches were cut by machine across the 150 hectare site. These showed that the historic landscape was even more complex than first thought. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aerial view of the Roman farmstead showing the rectangular enclosure ditch upstanding in the growing crop. Inside the enclosure the circular ditch surrounding a house and various blobs indicating storage pits are also visible. Plan of the site on the north bank of the modern River Thames, with former channels of the river and its tributaries shown in blue. The cropmark sites, which show on the dry gravel terraces alongside the river, are also marked (dark green on yellow). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The most significant discovery was a major channel of the Thames which was active in the late prehistoric and Roman period. On the banks of this channel were Mesolithic (about 8000 BC) and Neolithic (c. 4000 BC) settlements. Alterations were made to the design of the rowing Lake construction in order to preserve some of the most important of the archaeological deposits, particularly the rare, waterlogged Mesolithic sites. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Flint arrowheads found on the alluvial floodplain next to the former course of the river Thames. These arrowheads date from the Neolithic (4000-2200 BC) and Early Bronze Age (2200-1600 BC). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Thames Channel The River Thames has been called `liquid history'. On its banks are countless royal palaces and of the most important historic towns in Britain from London to Abingdon and Oxford. Since the last century the Thames itself has been continuously dredged. Large numbers of prehistoric weapons and prestige objects such as the Battersea shield (now in the British Museum) have been found, indicating the wealth of material deposited in the river. Unfortunately little now remains in the river itself owing to the dredging. The channel has been scoured clean. So the discovery of a 2km long section of prehistoric Thames is of major importance. Surviving within the Channel are prehistoric trees, the remains of a beaver dam and the layers of silt which act as a guide to past climate, river flow and human activity in the catchment area. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wattle trackway laid upon horizontal timbers between the uprights of another timber bridge crossing the former Thames. Only the tops of the uprights are visible; these were over 2 m long. Late Bronze Age pot found in the former channel of the river Thames next to upright wooden posts around a sandbank. This was probably a deliberate offering made when the posts were driven in. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alluvium The silt or alluvium deposits are a particularly important indicator of human activity. As the natural climax woodland was cleared from about 4000 BC there was increased run-off into the river valley. Alluviation is particularly evident from about 2000 years ago as arable farming intensified and the population increased. The Eton Rowing Lake alluvial sequence is one of the most complex so far observed in the Thames Valley. Dating by Optical Stimulated Luminescence and C14 is helping to define the sequence. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Uprights of a timber bridge crossing the former channel of the river Thames. The timbers have not been fully excavated, and the figures are standing on the river silts. This particular bridge dates to c. 600 BC; part of an earlier bridge dating to c.1300 BC is visible to the left of the person farthest from the camera. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Earliest Bridges over the Thames The most interesting human artefact found in the Channel are the remains of six prehistoric timber bridges, dated from about 1300 BC to 300 BC. They probably indicate a favoured crossing point of the river between two spits of dry gravel. These are the earliest bridges known over the Thames and the largest complex of its kind in Britain. One of the bridges had carefully laid wattle hurdles running between two lines of uprights. These were clearly later than the bridge and suggest that a trackway had been laid as a ford over the silted channel. Parts of two human skeletons and large numbers of animal bones were found alongside the bridge. These support the theory that human remains and offerings were deliberately placed in the river in late prehistoric times. The strongest evidence for this came from a sandbank where human and animal bones had been placed between upright posts along with a late Bronze Age pot (about 800 BC). Other finds from the prehistoric channel include a 2m long oak mallet or pile driver, perhaps used in the bridge construction, and the head of a wooden ard or simple plough. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oak pile-driver or mallet found in the former Thames, perhaps used to drive in the upright supports for the bridges. Bronze Age ring-ditch under excavation in 1996. The edge of a second ring-ditch is visible in the foreground. These ditches originally surrounded burial mounds, now ploughed away. Crouched inhumation burial found around one of the Bronze Age ring-ditches, dating to c. 1800 BC. This is the burial of a woman aged between 25 and 30, who stood around 1.57 m tall. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Bronze Age Cemetery In 1996 the ring ditches of four Bronze Age barrows were excavated, along with a cluster of crouched inhumation burials and cremations. Some of the original barrow burials had been damaged by the modern agriculture and drainage ditches. However one burial included a highly decorated middle Bronze Age globular vessel (about 1500-1200BC). Several of these rare pots have been found on the site. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Neolithic Midden A remarkable find was made in 1996. One of the glacial river channels was used as a rubbish dump, or midden in the early Neolithic period (about 3500 BC). A small sample has so far produced 16,000 finds- flint tools, broken pots and animal bones. This is the period of the first farming communities in Britain. Artifacts and biological evidence from the earliest agricultural communities are extremely rare. This is one of the largest such deposits ever found in Britain. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maggie, what great things you have posted this morning. Incredible for one little lady to post on my most favorite of topics. I had not heard of the man buried so differently near Stonehenge. That is fascinating and I will pass it on to family who were there with me. I have not had time to digest it yet, but I will and have more to say then. The Thames channel is amazing bit of history going back to the Mesolithic! There are not a whole lot of mesolithic remains around. They were built over, grown over, the sea took them or whatever, but this find is so exciting. Now, I don't have to wait for Antiquity to publish the report. We have Maggie on the scene. Get thee over there and let us know what you can see (a soggy trench, no doubt!)

Unfortunately it's on very private land (after all Prince William goes to Eton!) I've craned my neck as we go past on the motorway, but haven't seen anything yet.

How disappointing. It looks as though it is on the seacoast, but Eton is not. Hmmm...is it a very wide river (gotta get my Ordnance Survey Atlas out!)

Wow, you folks have been busy! What great links and pictures!! I never realized how many different "henges" existed. How did the Druids end up getting associated with these circles, anyway? Maggie, do you live near any of these places?

They did not at all. Unfortunately, a prominent Antiquarian a few hundred years ago (having more money than brains, unfortunately) stated that it was a temple erected by the Druids...I shall cite it better in the morning, but it was a fanciful notion which gathered cult status after his death. I have Aubrey Burl's first book, which enumerated and describes all stone circles in the British Isles as his published PhD thesis. It is a wonderfully readable book, and I wish I could have tagged along on his research treks. He is the one who wrote the book on Avebury which I cited earlier. There are several hundred stone circles; I will get the exact number in the morning when I can see better.

I live about 25 mins away from the site at Eton, an hours drive from stonehenge. But it's little use going there now you can't get to it.

That is so sad - on both accounts - that you cannot get into it. Do you like Avebury? Actually, the town is Amesbury. I always thought that weird since it is halfway inside of that gigantic henge. Y'know, if it weren't for those latter-day bogus "druids" (objectivity has nothing to do with it), we'd all be able to get much closer to Stonehenge. I can recall sitting on the grass in the shade of one of the largest Sarsens for the longest time and just absorbing the feeling of the place. I was there long enough to see the teeny daisies blooming in the cropped grass and to remember the ambience of the place. It was lovely and we were the only ones there most of the time aside from the guards. Fortunately, the Sarcen is an extremely hard form of sandstone and almost impervious to human battering on the usual scale of activity. Those stones are still there almost 4000 years on...

A little aside: I wondered how Maiden Castle (a colossal iron-age Hillfort and not a castle at all) and the rest of the "monuments" were kept so neatly groomed. After we'd climbed to the summit, we discovered why. The momuments are kept well trimmed by the biggest and healthiest sheep I have ever seen. They are moved from place to place as needed, and the only residuals are the "meadow muffins" you have to be careful not to tread on.

I visited Stonehenge in 1995. We weren't able to get right up to the stones, but we were able to walk by and get some pictures. If you were careful, you could keep the fences out of the frame. I don't know if it's been closed off even more than that. Still have to take another look at my slides from that trip... Never got to Maiden Castle; where is that?

Maiden Castle is in Dorset. I believe it is the largest hillfort and the one the Romans had to conquer to conquer Britain and bring baths, indoor plumbing and straight roadways to the Barbarians...!

I feel very lucky to have visited sites that are now closed, or have been in a long while. Stonehenge is one of them. Wonderful place.

Funny thing about Stonehenge...I had read so much hype and "New Age" stuff about the place that I did not even want to stop there the first time. The pleading of son David made me get out of the car. We walked up to that back stone, the biggest and tallest of them all. (We had just seen "2001, A Space Odyssey" prior to leaving for Britain.) We stood within inches of it looking up at it silhouetted against the sky. Suddenly, both of us had a hair-raising experience and we backed away together. That Black monolith in the movie HAD to have been in Clarke's mind when he wrote the book on which the movie was based. Stonehenge has held my interest ever since and I have a rather large collection of books on the subject.

I never really got into the "New Age" things concerning Stonehenge or the Pyramids for that matter, but I digress. I remember reading that one of the very remarkable things about Stonehenge is that is a lunar calculator. It was constructed to be in alighments with and to predict lunar eclipses. This wasn't known until the 1970's and was discovered with the help of (then) recent developments in computer science. The striking thing about this is that it takes a higher degree of mathematical sophistocation to construct a lunar calculator/observatory than a solar one. Not bad for people who apparently didn't have writing.

Indeed! Thanks for bringing that up about Stonehenge's alignments. I have that book, too. Stonehenge Decoded by Gerald S. Hawkins. He ran all of the coordinates of alignments of the stones. (There is more than a circle of stones at Stonehenge.) If Stonehenge had been erected anywhere else on earth the alignments would not have worked! A great overview with images is available: http://witcombe.sbc.edu/earthmysteries/EMStonehengeD.html "Floor plan" of Stonehenge:

Note that in the aerial view at the top right a wide white band appears. That is the 345 Highway. When Stonehenge was first offered to the nation for �7000. It was considered too much money for an old pile of stones, even though it included many acres of land around it. When it became available again and purchased by the National Trust, it included only the immediate land around it. You can see the result - a highway ! If you walk away from the monument and look back, you will see that it is built on a slight hillside...but the top of the lintels is dead straight level. It is the most incredible place and unique in all the world.

Sorry to be pedantic, but Stonehenge is at the junction of the A303 and the A360. In most ways it is outrageous to build a road so close, but on the other hand, it's great that you can get your fill of wonder every time you drive down to Devon & Cornwall.

Thanks, Mark I have a very bad map in front of me. Getting out the OS maps again. (Every so often I slip in an error to see if anyone catches it - but that was not one of them.) The 345 goes through Amesbury, no? The nearest town to Stonehenge? Btw, That is a great drive to Cornwall - full of "leylines" and ancient goodies for those with a discerning eye and an interest in the subject. Please, continue to be pedantic. I need to have the right information out there.

It would seem that in some respects, Stonehenge is a bit like the Rodney Dangerfield of ancient monuments -- it don't get no respect. Well it's getting more than it used to anyway.

It has gotten respect. During WW2 it was considered so important that it was ringed with tangles of barbed wire and search lights so the Nazi bombers would see it and not destroy it (Hitler wanted British Heritage intact when he conquered the place...) The obscenities did not happen (except for the loss adjacent land) until the latterday "druids" started buring their dead in the henge and slaughering chickens on the "altar" stone (an upright which has fallen flat)... Nowadays it is getting all the respect it can handle and still be approachable. I purchased a Tower Minted commemorative coin of Stonehenge last time I was there and the obverse has the "floor plan" engraved upon it. It is one of my very most prized possessions!

But, Cheryl, upon thinking of them renting out sledge hammers to bash off your own souvenirs, you are right. I get furious every time I think about it!

(Marcia)renting out sledge hammers to bash off your own souvenirs What was this??

Here's some more for you from http://www.eng-h.gov.uk/archaeometry/StantonDrew/ There are some great pics on the site. STANTON DREW STONE CIRCLES (Somerset, England) [ Please note : the sites of these stone circles, although in the care of English Heritage, lie on private land. You are welcome to visit them during daylight hours on payment of an entrance fee of �1.00 (please leave the money in the honesty box at gate from the car park). However, please do not take dogs with you, do not leave litter, and respect the country code.] Stanton Drew lies off the beaten track and it is perhaps for this reason that its remarkable prehistoric stone circles have not received the same level of interest and exploration as their more famous relatives at Avebury and Stonehenge. This obscurity, and the lack of modern intrusions into their surroundings, has protected the solitude and character of these sites. Very little is known about them. The great stones (or megaliths), and the patterns they make in the landscape, remain mysterious; no excavations are recorded, nor have any modern surveys been made - that is, until very recently. This note provides you with a very brief background to the site and of the results of this new research. The megalithic sites There are three stone circles at Stanton Drew: the Great Circle being one of the largest in the country. The other two, to the south-west and north-east respectively are smaller. Both the great Circle and the north-east circle were approached from the north-east by short `avenues' of standing stones. Most of the stones have fallen, although a few still remain upright. In the garden of the village pub is a group of three large stones called The Cove, and to the north, across the river Chew, is the site of a standing stone called Hautville's Quoit. Their proximity to each other, and alignments between some of them, indicate that these sites are related as a single complex, and it is a fair assumption that Stanton Drew was once a place of primary significance during the later Stone Age. History and folklore The circles are thought to have been originally noted by the famous antiquarian John Aubrey in 1664, and the first plan of them was published by William Stukeley in 1776. Although several other observers have written about them, they remain very much as first recorded over three hundred years ago. In the absence of many facts about the sites, the stones have attracted a considerable tradition of folklore. The most persistent tale is that the stones represent the members of a wedding party and its musicians, lured by the Devil to celebrate on the Sabbath and thus becoming petrified in their revels. Archaeology and recent survey Stone circles such as those here are known to date broadly to the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age (approx 3000-2000 BC), and many examples are known, mostly from western and northern Britain. In southern England the stone circles and avenues at Avebury and Stonehenge testify to a long and complex history within a landscape dense in other evidence of prehistoric activity. The circles are believed to have played an important part in contemporary social and religious life, and there is evidence that some were aligned with major events of the solar and lunar calendar. They are difficult subjects to tackle archaeologically, though, and their interpretation is the subject of much discussion, a debate much enlivened by the interests and theories of the `New Age'. Apart from the certainty that the stone settings at Stanton Drew share an affinity with ritual complexes such as Avebury, there is little material evidence to take this interpretation further. Contemporary prehistoric sites seem to be rare in the vicinity although they probably await discovery. In order to try and lift this veil of ignorance a little, and also to help improve the day-to-day management and presentation of the circles, English Heritage have recently initiated geophysical research at the site. Geophysical survey Geophysical survey is a method of examining an archaeological site without having to dig it up. Several techniques can be used, but the one that has so far proved most effective at Stanton Drew is magnetometry. This relies on the fact that all soil is slightly magnetic and that this magnetism is concentrated and enhanced in many types of archaeological feature. Measurements made with a portable magnetometer, carried across the site at regularly spaced intervals, allows a picture of the local magnetic field to be built up. Magnetic `anomalies' are revealed in the subsequent computer plots as patterns which indicate the presence of buried features such as pits, ditches and hearths. Fluxgate gradiometer survey of Stanton Drew [67.5Kb GIF] This year the Ancient Monuments Laboratory of English Heritage has carried out a magnetometer survey [67.5Kb GIF] of the large field which contains the Great Circle and the north-east circle. The results have been astonishing and have, at a stroke, demonstrated that the megalithic remains at Stanton Drew are but the ruin of a much more elaborate and important site than had previously been dreamed of. Lying under the pasture within the Great Circle are the remains of a highly elaborate pattern of buried pits. They are arranged in nine rings concentric with the stone circle at the centre of which are further pits. The rings of pits vary in diameter, from about 23m to 95m. Although the magnetic signal is extremely weak, and it is difficult to make out individual features, it appears that the pits are about a metre or more in diameter and are spaced about a metre apart on the outer circle. Left: Caesium gradiometer survey in progress [90.5 Kb JPEG]. Right: Caesium gradiometer survey of part of the area within the great circle [65Kb GIF]. This more sensitive instrument resolves the individual pits more clearly. Just as remarkable is the discovery that the Great Circle is itself contained within a very large buried enclosure ditch (approximately 135m outer diameter). This is about 7m wide and has a broad gap or entrance facing to the north-east. Such enclosures, or henges, are a well known feature of later Neolithic Britain and are assumed to be the foci of ritual activity. Several henges enclose stone circles, and rings of pits are also a feature of some of them. Sites which bear the closest similarity to the patterns emerging at Stanton Drew include Woodhenge, near Stonehenge, and the Sanctuary, near Avebury. At these and other sites, the pits are known to have held timber uprights although it is not clear whether these were part of roofed or open structures. It seems probable that at least some of the pit circles at Stanton Drew once held massive posts. The circles are the largest and most numerous yet recorded at any site and surely indicate the investment of immense effort and enterprise in the service of preh storic beliefs as yet only dimly perceived. Interpretation plan of magnetometer surveys [10.5Kb GIF] The magnetic survey also covered the area of the north-east stone circle and found at its centre a quadrilateral of four pits aligned with the opposing pairs of the 8 stones that comprise the circle. Here again is evidence of hidden elaboration: perhaps these are ritual pits, or they might be the holes of stones that have since been removed. Comparison of Stanton Drew with other henges with timber circles [19.5Kb GIF] These results are thus very remarkable and will thrust Stanton Drew well into the limelight of research as scholars come to terms with the details and their implications. Although no excavation at the site is foreseen at present, further survey work is planned which will aim to explore other parts of the site (the south-western circle, for instance) and will try and refine details of the main henge complex. Paul Linford (P.Linford@eng-h.gov.uk), Copyright � Historic Buildings & Monuments Commission for England.

neat! any pictures of the stones??

Yes, on the site - I'm not clever enough yet to patch them in. Marcia probably will when she sees it. I'd not heard of this site at all, but then I don't know Somerset much, I usually pass through on my way to Devon. http://www.eng-h.gov.uk/archaeometry/StantonDrew/

I'll post 'um just as soon as I eat something (long day at the ball field.) Maggie, you have discovered one of my most favorite sites. Thanks for posting the URL.

Stanton Drew is near Bristol, England...across the Bristol Channel from South Wales. From: http://www.stonepages.com/England/Inglese/StantonDrew.html and http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~aburnham/eng/stant1.htm

No, Stanton Drew is not a recumbent stone circle in which a specially-placed stone was placed on its side lengthwise. These simply fell over. All, if I remember correctly, recombent stone circles are in Scotland. Gi, it was in the 18th and 19th century when they rented out sledge hammers at Stonehehenge. The barbarity of the very idea offends me to the soul.

From the BBC - Friday, October 15, 1999 Published at 09:48 GMT 10:48 UK Stonehenge face mystery Silently watching us for 4,000 years? By BBC News Online Science Editor Dr David Whitehouse Has the face of the creator of Stonehenge been staring at us unrecognised for more than 4,000 years? A British archaeologist claims to have seen a face carved into the side of one of the mighty stones at Stonehenge. It is the first face ever seen on the Neolithic monument and one of the oldest works of art ever found in Britain. It was recognised by Terrence Meaden, an archaeologist with a fascination for the ancient standing stones of the British Isles. "I just happened to be there at the right time of day because only when the light is right can you see it properly. During the summer months it is only obvious for about a hour each day around 1400." It is amazing that it has never been recognised before. Dr Meaden believes that it was missed because previous researchers concentrated on the fronts of the standing stones and not their sides. The particular viewing conditions to see it at its best will have also played a part in it not being seen. "But once you see it it's obvious," he says. It seems to carry a serious expression, almost a frown, as it looks across the Salisbury plain. Stonehenge was built about 2450 BC but why does Dr Meaden believe the carving was made at the time and was not done much later. "Why would anyone do that?" he asks, "The type of stone, Sarsen, is the hardest stone know to man. It would have taken hundreds of hours working on a platform to do it. Why bother?" Meaden's photographs are being evaluated by other archaeologists. He also claims that other faces can clearly be seen on the Avebury stones not far from Stonehenge. But who is the face of Stonehenge? "We will never know," says Meaden, "He could be the patron of the monument or even its architect. Perhaps the designer of Stonehenge has been looking at us for four thousand years and we didn't see him." Terence Meaden can be contacted by email at terence.meaden@stonehenge-avebury.net.

That most curious article was found at URL http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_474000/474977.stm

Curiouser and curiouser... http://www.stonecentric.connectfree.co.uk/aveburyi.html

Remember how much I applauded the work of Aubury Burl? Here is the Megalithic web site with which he is associated: http://www.megalith.ukf.net/ From that site this map of Megalithic Britain - there are a lot of stone circles and other alignments out there!

OK, England's back on line and awake (actually it's mid-afternoon!). Drats, I thought I'd discovered stonepages.com only to find you already knew!!! In the above map it's the clusters that interest me. Why? Is there any connection with the geomagnetism lines? Is the pattern continued in mainland Europe? I've got a book somewhere on early settlement patterns, maybe there's a connection somewhere.

Maggie, I have been at this for more than 5 years...I began with a Commodore 64 where everything was done is Dos, you used lynx to surf the web and emailed using Pine. I can still do all of that, but how primitive it all is! However, I discovered some more good new URLs last night when I was posting all of the above, so Keep finding them and letting me know. I am always delighted when you find new things or discover ones which are truly worthy which I already knew about. I was having trouble figuring out which place to post that map. Perhaps I should post it both places? From the Bronze Age onward the tin in Cornwall was much sought after to harden the copper found on Cyprus. That's why the Romans needed Britannia. More on that after breakfast...

Cyprus and Cornwall, we're kind of back to the Minoans. Yes, well a lot of Bronze Age people sailed out of the enclosed Mediterranean, hugging the coast of Western Europe, to Cornwall. Britain was the tin island. I'm a bit partial to the Minoans as they were extraordinary artists, and even had indoor plumbing. Seriously, what survives of Minoan art is remarkably beautiful. About the face on Stonehenge -- it may be a face, but it looks as though it might be a natural formation in the rock. Seeing a face there might be analogous to seeing pictures in the formations of clouds. Only clouds are fleeting.

Of course, those faces are tricks of lighting and good imagination. Be sure to check the link I posted ("stonecentrics") at Geomagnetism. Very odd, indeed. He even admits to retouching some of the pictures. Go figure! Those who WANT to see them will see them everywhere!

Who can we recruit to check it out?! Mark? Maggie? Mike, how about a weekend at the White Hart in Salisbury?

i know i know this post refers to one from way back: what's a petroglyph? *grin* oh, and they should've brought me along on that stonehenge thing, i would've seen the face right away (good imagination, i guess).....love the pics!

Like a heiroglyph or any other sort, glyph means carved work. Petros is Greek for rock (thus St Peter) It simply means rock carvings. They are all over Hawaii, as well. New Grange (In Ireland)has spectacular ones and the Aborigines in Australia have theirs, as well as Amerindians, theirs. I think even we have them on our public buildings...! Love to get you to Stonehenge You'd feel vibes and all kinds of fun things!

imagine what a child would feel in a place like that? you know, children are so oblivious to adult rules (no ghosts, can't see angels, etc.) that they'd be bound to feel something there. one day, i'll see stone henge in the flesh!

thanks for the definition, that's the idea i had but wanted to make sure!

...thanks for being interested and asking *Hugs* I know you will feel things all around Stonehenge and Salisbury Plain which is one huge antiquity which the military should get off while there is still something there. I told you the experience David and I had...it was palpable the feeling that we should not be so close to the stone and not to touch it. They drive tanks all over the place there and fire live ordnance for practice. I know it is important to practice and our guys go into the saddle between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea to do it - where there is just about nothing but bleak lava fields.

usually they practice out in the deserts and such. didn't know stonehenge was in the middle of such a field. i certainly hope the practice is for those in the know and not beginners who'd be sure to knock a stone or two over. geez!

Tell me about it. Some General wanted the stones removed so he could build a runway there during WW2. Britain is small, but they don't need to do that. Sheesh! Just lucky the Gods were looking over it. Between the sledge hammer renters and the generals...I am amazed that it is still there. Remember Avebury? The Huge Henge with the village inside of it? Guess where they got the stones for all of those houses, the church, walls everywhere?! Arrrrgh!

Seems like a lot of significant archaeological sites have been destroyed through sheer ignorance. Happened a lot in Greece and Turkey... The experience you and David had at Stonehenge sounds really eerie, Marcia. Can't get close enough to the stones to feel anything like that now, though. I was also thinking that those faces are more tricks of lighting and imagination than anything else, like the face on Mars. I think we have a natural tendency to look for patterns in things, anyway. Isn't that how our brain tries to process and organize the sensory input we receive?

I agree with you, Ginny, but we are pragmatists and scientists. Others may be more sensitive to other things we cannot even imagine. My ESP does not even work.

My ESP has never worked, either...though I admit that sciense doesn't have a clue what the human brain is fully capable of. The temple of the sun at Tiwanaku in Bolivia had some very definate faces carved in the walls, but I don't think that site is as old as Stonehenge.

The temples at Malta are the oldest Megalithic structures, as I recall with the Boyne Valley 'tombs' in Ireland of which New Grange is the best restored are also very old. 8000 years old. There in one on Cornwall which just might be as old...More tomorrow on Ballowal.

Unlikely to make it out to Salisbury Plain myself for a few months - don't think one can get close enough to the stones to check out the "sculpting" anyway. On Newgrange, I was listening to a phone-in at Christmas where as recently as the Sixties, members of the public could just borrow the key to the gate off the farmer who owned the field with the passage burial-chamber, and go for a look. It wasn't till 1975 or so that a professor of archaeology suddenly wondered about the winter solstice, and went to camp out in the burial chamber for the longest night. Lo and behold, come the dawn the place was flooded with natural light for the first time that anyone modern had ever seen.

Incredible! I do wish they had a better name than passage burial-chamber or chambered barrow or whatever. I think there are just a few of them in Ireland and a few on Anglesey (which you also had to go to the farmer for the key when we were there in the late 70's and early 80's). Just as St Paul's Cathedral is not a chambered passage tomb, neither is Newgrange or its ilk. I shall post pictures and goodies about the Boyne Valley "tombs" as soon as I awaken and catch up with the overnight posts. Thanks, Mark!

Newgrange and the Bru na Boinne Newgrange is a passage-grave that overlooks the valley of the Boyne river in County Meath, Ireland. It is widely considered to be one of the most significant archaeological sites in Europe. In Irish tradition the Bru na Boinne (the Gaelic for "Valley of the Boyne") is sacred in and of itself, a reason why several other passage grave complexes, such as Dowth and Knowth, were built there. Newgrange, though, is special. Newgrange is the only passage-grave ever excavated that is aligned so as to allow the light from the Winter Solstice sunrise to enter and light the main chamber deep within the mound. This has significant spiritual meaning, as the Winter Solstice is the time of the longest night, and the sunrise after this night (as the Druids would have celebrated it) would mark the beginning of the return of light to the world. Building a passage-grave so that the light of the beginning of the sun's annual resurrection may fall on the remains of the ancestors is a powerful symbol, and serves to show the ancient Celts' considerable theological, astronomical and architectural sophistication. The purpose behind the construction of Newgrange remains, to a degree, a mystery. While the excavation of the barrow earlier in this century revealed the remains of several individuals within the central chamber, whether interment was the initial and sole intent behind Newgrange is uncertain. The alignment with the Winter Solstice and the white quartz facing of the monument suggest that this monument was constructed with more than burial in mind, but the inner chamber is too small for more than a handful of individuals to witness the brilliant Solstice sunrise. Would the highest of the Celtic elite celebrate the holiday within, while others gathered outside for a group ceremony? Or could Newgrange have been constructed for the exclusive use of a very high-ranking noble family, as a private catacomb and worshipping space? The remains found had few grave goods to support the second theory, but unsupervised access to the mound for decades before the excavation could explain the lack of luxurious artifacts. The state in which the remains were found also leads to some speculation, a mix of burnt and unburnt bones, in some disarray. Were all of an individual's remains brought here, or just part? Were remains left here forever, or were they circulated yearly, removed after the Solstice light had imbued them with the spirit of resurrection? Unless some startling resource is found, speculation may provide the only answers to the many questions. In Irish mythology, Newgrange is the home of Aenghus mac Og, god of love. He won the site from his father, the Dagda, by means of a trick. Aenghus had been away when the magical places of Ireland had been parcelled out to the various gods, and upon returning, begged his father that he might have Newgrange for only the space of a day and a night. When twenty-four hours had passed, the Dagda returned to claim his own, only to have Aenghus refuse to give up Newgrange, claiming that all of time could be divided into the space of day and night, and that Newgrange was therefore His until the end of time, by the terms of the agreement. Aenghus is supposed to have lived quite happily there for some time, with his wife, Caer Ibormeith, whom he wooed and won in the form of a swan, as she was enchanted into that shape. Newgrange is well worth visiting, and is a very popular site with tourists to Ireland. There is a waiting list for as long as ten years for the privilege of being inside the mound at sunrise on the morning of December 21, the Winter Solstice. The freedom to walk within this sacred monument is now in danger, however, as moisture from the breath of the hundreds of daily visitors has been found collecting on the stones inside the mound, risking irreparable damage - the monument is as weatherproof as the day that it was built, but the pervading humidity from tourists' breath was not a force that was forseen or engineered against.

Winter Solstice Sunrise at Newgrange by Will Hurley Many years ago, my maternal grandfather led me into a large man-made earth and stone mound, in county Meath, Eire. Being raised in the U.S.A. and only 14 at the time, I did not appreciate where he was taking me or why. During the previous eight or nine years, he had often told me he wanted to show me a wonder of the ancient world. Every morning before sunrise on the solstices and equinoxes he would wake me up and make me go outside with him. For most of those years I would whine and complain about it -- I wanted to stay in bed, it was cold outside, I didn't feel like getting up so early. But he made me do it anyway. We would stand facing east to watch the first rays of the sun. The first year he had me stand in a specific spot, and he wrote in a notebook exactly where the sun appeared on the horizon. He also had me watch other spots on the horizon, by holding my thumb upright while closing one eye and then the other. When I reached the age of ten, he made me write the notations. Each year afterwards, he had me compare the previous years' spots to those of the new year. The first couple of years I did not see a difference. Maybe I really didn't notice a difference, or maybe I was too young to care. Then I saw that the point where the sun touched the horizon was slowly changing. It was not something I could compare between sightings year to year, but over a few years a change was noticeable. Granddad finally explained the earth science reasons that were behind this, and said he would take me on a long airplane ride to show me why he had made me get up all those mornings. The night before we were to go into the mound, Granddad seemed very depressed. When I asked him why, he told me the morning might be overcast, and we might not be able to see the sunrise. I learned in later years he had called in many favors from his youth in Ireland to do this with me. After a while he decided that we would go to the mound anyway, just in case. We met several other people just before we entered. Everyone seemed quiet to me, but I sensed a great deal of excitement. We entered the mound about an hour before sunrise. The first thing that I noticed was the odor. It wasn't a bad smell, but it seemed old to me, like a mix of a stone cellar and a damp forest all at the same time. We used flashlights to find our way to the rear of the passageway. The floor was not smooth, and someone could have tripped and hurt themselves without the lights. It was very dark after everyone turned off their lights. Completely dark. For a while this made me uncomfortable. I knew I was standing next to Granddad, but I could not see him or anyone else. I tried to calm myself down by taking slow measured breaths (an exercise he had taught me). I began to hear the others breathing. Someone began to hum softly. Others joined in. I realized it was a tune Granddad often hummed or whistled and I knew how it went, so I joined in as well. About twenty minutes later, while everyone was still humming, I noticed it was getting a little lighter. I could just barely make out the shape of the people who stood between me and the door. Then everyone went silent. A glow had begun to appear at the front of the opening, over the door. Soon a ray of light was on the wall. I thought someone was outside, shining a floodlight through a small hole. The light slowly kept moving toward us. Then I realized what Granddad had been doing all those years. He had been preparing me for this very moment. The sun was slowly making its way to the innermost chamber of the mound, and finally reached it. The emotions of observing and participating in this age old event are indescribable. Even though we had been prepared for disappointment if it had been an overcast morning, this millenia old event had occurred again. All too soon the sun had lit up the inner chamber and now it was beginning to dim. Feelings of regret that nature and man's light show was over were nothing compared to the awe of this marvel. Over the years I have often remembered that morning. Through study I now know that this only happens on the winter solstice. Occasionally the same effect can happen the day before or the day after. What is amazing is that this has been happening every year for over four thousand years. Built over a thousand years before the Egyptian pyramids, the inhabitants of prehistoric Ireland created a monument to man's ingenuity and nature's never-ending cycles.

More of Newgrange

way kewl! *grin* back to maggie saying scientists don't know much about our brains, i've read that humans use only 10% of their brain. can you imagine what we'd be capable of if we used 20%, 15%? kinda creepy. well, i think clairvoyance comes from a glimpse into that area. and because humans only want logical answers to everything, we logically call those folks crazy. we do seek patterns so things make sense to our brains, but i could never doubt that there IS a face in that stone! i like patterns so this rock appeals to me, love the swirls! reminds me of snail shells or nautilus shells....

Spirals are some of the oldest petroglyphs (Yes!) known...and they occur all over the world in all cultures. Sacred dances are done sunwise directions and mazes in hedges (as well as the maze in the tile on the floor of Chartres Cathedral...they are very old, indeed! This more properly goes in Geomagnetism but is fascinating anywhere.

Did I really say that? sounds too profound for me!!! *lol* I think there is a LOT that we don't understand. The more I see and hear about how people used to live, the more I feel I don't understand human life. At times it seems like an immense amount of knowledge has been lost, despite all our computers and technology and stuff. I don't think it's wierd metaphysical stuff either, but aspects of these brains of ours that we don't understand and therefore despise. (I'm not saying I despise it just that ....) I'll shut up for now.

Well said (and please, don't shut up!) You did mention that when commenting on my suggestion that we had probably forgotten more of what we originally knew than we remember... No wonder we have problems if we are only using 10% of the available space. There are some people I know whose brains must be smooth and unwrinkled...

I was the one who made the comment about the human brain, and I have heard that same statistic, Wolf. I've always wondered what it would take just to tap into another 10% of our brainpower. Maybe that's what geniuses like Einstein were doing...just wish we knew *how* they did it! I can totally believe that I have forgotten more of what I've learned than I can remember! I've tried ginko biloba, but it hasn't helped.

Wail'll you get some age on you! Sometimes all we remember is stuff we do not need. It is most aggravating!

i'm sorry about the mix up of who said what *grin* i do that a lot! (talk about memory)....

http://www.paddynet.com/island/newgrange/ancient.html Covering an area of one acre, Newgrange is one of the most impressive prehistoric monuments in Europe. The entrance, which is almost sixty feet long, leads to the main chamber, which has a corbelled roof and rises to a height of nineteen feet. The traditional name for Newgrange and the grouping of tombs to which it belongs, was Brugh na B�inne; and it was regarded as the otherworld dwelling of the divine Aonghus Mac �g - Aonghus the Youthful. Older than Stonehenge, the giant megalithic tomb of Newgrange was probably erected about 3,200 BC (in calendar years). It is one of a group of 40 passage tombs including Knowth and Dowth, that are enclosed on three sides by the river Boyne. Passage tombs are generally found in clusters giving rise to the theory that they were ancient cemeteries, perhaps for leading families. They consist essentially of a round mound or cairn with a long, stone lined passage leading from the outside to a chamber within. As with Newgrange, which can still be seen by the naked eye from the Hill of Tara, some 15 miles away, they tend to be situated on hill tops and commanding sites. The mound is enclosed on the outside by a circle of standing stones of which twelve remain. This gives the impression that the monument was built and designed to stand out from the landscape - perhaps as a beacon for pagan worship. The present day reconstruction, aimed at restoring the site to its pre-historic appearance, gives this theory further substance. Many have likened it to a grounded flying saucer; and it is the subject of much controversy. However, during the Newgrange excavations between 1962 - 1965, much research focused on the original shape of the cairn. This information was drawn from the accounts of those who had visited the monument in the preceding centuries: all of them commented on its flat top. And the positioning of the white quartz stones that reinforce the front of the mound is based entirely on meticulous engineering analysis of the cairn collapse. The white quartz gives the monument a particularly startling facade and it is worth noting that this was only positioned at the front of the cairn, facing the sun. White quartz is known for its energy-dispersing properties and it may, therefore, have been used to absorb and channel its life-giving energy, or it may simply have provided further visibility to those wishing to reach the site. In addition, there were large numbers of oval granite boulders found amongst the collapsed quartz facade. These have been scattered randomly through the reconstructed facade, without acknowledgement to any possible use for these dark stones as patterning elements within the quartz. The twentieth century restorers were not prepared to risk a spiral pattern. The reasons for the use of quartz and granite, and their design, must have been of consequence because the builders of the Newgrange went to great lengths to put the stones there. They are not found locally. The nearest place that they could have collected the quartz was from the Wicklow Mountains to the South; and such a journey would have taken them seven days going by canoe along the Boyne and down the coast. The granite was probably collected around the Mourne Mountains, some days to the North. The cairn itself is reinforced at its base by a continuous circle of stones, called kerb stones. Many of these are ornamented. The most spectacular of these are the entrance stone, and the stone opposite the entrance on the other side of the mound. There is much speculation as to the meaning of these complex designs and many consider them to have solar symbology as sun worship was the most widely spread cult in pre-historic Europe. One of the most interesting features of the mound, particularly in view of the fact that it is a feature unique to Newgrange, is the roof-box above the entrance to the passageway. It consists of two low side-walls, a back corbel and a roofstone; and it is through this gap that the dawn sun beams on the winter solstice. Its purpose is unknown, but some have speculated that the builders: must have held the sun in such high regard that they gave it a separate entrance. Entering the passage tomb is a remarkable experience: the corbelled roof extends to 19ft and the central chamber has three recesses which contain massive stone basins that are thought to have been receptacles for cremated remains, but they may also have had other ceremonial functions. Many of the orthostats or standing stones lining the passage-way are decorated. The eastern recess shows the most decoration and once again this points to sunworshipping as the sun rises in the east. The pre-Celtic inhabitants had no written language. This has lead to the thinking that the artwork at Newgrange, comprising mainly of three-dimensional geometric designs, must have described the world in which they lived. Their complex patterns of loops, spirals, diamonds, zig zags and lozenges reveals a concern for harmony and balance of pattern, rather than with anthropological / representational art; and in this sense, it seems quite spiritual in nature. Some interpretations of the symbols give substance to the argument that its builders were probably sunworshippers. The suggestion that Aonghus was a sun deity lends further support to this interpretation.

Natural Features Newgrange, on the ridge of Brugh na B�inne, lies between the valleys of the Boyne river and the little tributary river Mattock. On the ridge, each mound is set on the top of a knoll, as it may have been necessary for ritual purposes to set the mound on a high point. The site is a splendid vantage point looking straight down on the Boyne, which is one of the great rivers of Ireland, flowing through a fine fertile valley. Newgrange was first brought to broad modern attention after 1699 by the Welsh antiquarian, Edward Lloyd. Until then, it was simply a huge, yet somehow 'magical' grass-covered mound. The landscape of Ireland is peppered with many such mounds, also known as S�dhe. The Valley of the Boyne is effectively the Northern boundary of the Central lowland plain of Ireland. To the North lies the undulating hill country of County Louth, and the line of drumlins which mark the borders of old Ulster. The drainage basin of the river Boyne coincides with the fertile pastureland of County Meath where, today, grazing cattle, coppiced woodland and prosperous farms help to create a scene not unlike the Cheshire Plain on the opposite side of the Irish Sea. But six thousand years ago, this was all forest. If we stand on the top of Newgrange and look about us in every direction, we overlook a basin of about 50 square kilometres before rising ground cuts off our view. Then if we imagine this basin as completely cleared of trees, we can get some idea of the kind of clearance that would have been required to produce a Neolithic farming community large enough to undertake the enormous task of building the complex of monuments at Brugh na B�inne. By about five thousand years ago, everyone working within this radius could either see the monuments, or feel that he ought to be able to see them, and could have a sense of devotion or commitment to these mysterious and sophisticated structures, which were constructed more than a thousand years before the pyramids of Egypt. http://www.paddynet.com/island/newgrange/natural.html#ridge

this is neat!

Never been there, but I most assuredly would like to go there. Wolfie, you'd love it!!!

Barrows, chambered tombs and other antiquities in Stonejeng's immediate area: http://www.amherst.edu/~ermace/sth/nearby.html In Stonehenge's Vicinity Although Stonehenge is a world-famous site, other "henges," stone (or wood) circles, and barrows abound in the area surrounding "the Henge." Here is a map of the area around Stonehenge. Barrows Barrows are ancient burial chambers. There are two main types of barrows: long barrows, built in the Neolithic Period (4000 BCE - 2500BCE) and round barrows, built in the Bronze Age (2000 BCE - 1000 BCE). Stonehenge I, the first stage of construction at Stonehenge, when it was just the Bank and Ditch (see map.), goes back to the time of the long barrows. However, Stonehenge IV, the "version" that is most famous today, was built at a time when the round barrows were on the declin e. Long Barrows: Long Barrows can be found in Wessex and Sussex, and also in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. They are most numerous in the immediate area of Stonehenge. They were used for the burial of important people. Excavation shows that the pe rson was kept above ground for a time, perhaps on top of a platform, until others died, and the bodies could be put in the barrow and the barrow covered over with earth. The Entrance to West Kennet Long Barrow Photo Credit: Emily Mace. Round Barrows: Round barrows, built at the time of Stonehenge IV, also surround the area of Stonehenge. In fact, within the Henge's Bank and Ditch are two round barrows. There are four types of barrows: bowl, bell, pond, and disc. As with the l ong barrows, round ones only housed important People buried in these barrows often had their possessions about them: daggers, bronze maces, stone battle-axes, in the graves of the men, and in the graves of women, bead necklaces and other ornaments. Origi nally bodies were buried in a crouched position, but later bodies were cremated. Clusters of Barrows: Normanton Down King Barrows Winterbourne Stoke cross-roads Henges Besides Stonehenge, there are three other monuments in the area which have earned the designation of "Henges:" Woodhenge, Coneybury Henge, and Durrington Walls. Nothing except marks on the earth remains of these barrows, but their existence has been disc overed by aerial photography, which revealed the post holes and the various ditches and embankments. Woodhenge: Today they have filled in the post-holes with cement posts about waist high. Like Stonehenge, it had an outer bank, which, like so many of these monuments, is very much flattened by ploughing. It was built about 2300 BCE. Inside the ditch were six concentric oval rings, which once held wooden posts. Near the center there is a small grave, in which the body of a three-year old with a split skull was found. Archaeologists think it was a dedicatory burial, and as such it would be t he only evidence of human sacrifice in Neolithic Britain. The original use of the posts, whether as supports of a roof, or otherwise, is unknown. Symbolic axe-heads found in two of the outer rings suggest that it was a temple. Woodhenge. Source: Atkinson, p. 33. Coneybury Henge: All that remains of this henge, too, is a bank and ditch surrounding post holes and other pits. Some pits contain pottery. It appears to have been used only a short time before it was abandoned, around 3500 BCE. Durrington Walls: This monument consisted of a huge oval bank 30 m wide, which too has been largely damaged by plowing. There were two entrances on opposite sides. Inside the circle were two circular timber structures, one to the north, one to the south. In the photos below, the left-hand drawing shows the northern structure, the right the southern. They are both only possible reconstructions.

The Durrington Walls structures look smaller by comparison with Woodhenge, but in fact they are huge. Woodhenge is intimate and would fit in one's side yard. Well, almost...

isn't it strange how they all use circles as their basis for construction? (does this play into it at all?)

speaking of side yards, on hgtv, one show visited a garden where the owner built a mini stone henge. he uses a lot of celtic influences in his garden. it was quite lovely.

The latest insult to Stonehenge - from The Times Good News: this page seems to have had an effect! Thanks to the effect of much campaigning and many letters sent through this page in 1996, the disastrous plans for Stonehenge have been dropped. However, an equivalently barbaric project is being carried out in America with regard to the traditional native Apache Indian peoples. http://www.wolflodge.org/urgentnews/apache1.htm has teh details. John Birchall writes to us to say "Independent p.3 on Friday (June 6) gave the new alternative plans for Stonehenge which involve Madame Tussauds paying for removal of modern accretions and grassing over of nearby road; new carpark; and in return Mdme Tussauds would get the right to run a commercial 'interpretation centre'. Access to the monument to be free of charge and unrestricted; the Independent billed it as a populist move motivated by the new government. I am sure your faxes were worthwhile - it is important for us to constantly remind quango's (English Heritage included) that they are under public scrutiny, even if unelected. I am writing to The Chairman of English Heritage to express support - this should also help to keep them up to the mark! July 20 1996 GENERAL NEWS Stonehenge to be �163.65m theme park STONEHENGE is to become a �163.65 million theme park using private investment and lottery cash. The plan includes a visitors' centre with a virtual reality tour, shops, restaurants and a monorail to the stones (Peter Foster writes). For the first time, English Heritage, which is responsible for the monument, will use the Government's Private Finance Initiative under which business puts up part of the money. The centre, with 8,000 square metres of floor space and parking for 3,000 cars, is expected to attract 1.8 million visitors a year, nearly double the present number. Finances permitting, work should start next year and be completed by the end of the decade. Opponents say that the plan will destroy Stonehenge's mystical appeal. Paul Sample, a Liberal Democrat Wiltshire county councillor, said: "This abhorrent commercialism is out of keeping." Click here if you want to write a letter of protest mailto:remote-printer.Department_of_National_Heritage_re_Stonehenge@441712116210.iddd.tpc.int,latrobe@mistral.co.uk,441719733001@faxaway.com to the UK Department of National Heritage and English Heritage. It will get printed on their fax machines: remember to give your snail mail address or fax number for reply - Please mark it re: STONEHENGE - and ask for a reply! click here to write a letter of protest to the UK Department of National Heritage and English Heritage. latrobe@mistral.co.uk Mark it Re: PLEASE FORWARD - Re: STONEHENGE and I (David Pinnegar) will manually fax it to them - remember to give your snail mail address or fax number for reply - and don't forget to ask for a reply!

More Africa archeology - and Stone Heads!!! Stone heads recall Africa's forgotten past By: Matthew Bunce Broadcasted on BICNews 10 February 1998 GOHITAFLA, Ivory Coast (Reuters) - When Bernadette Vouinan tripped over a rock with eyes and a nose in 1982, she unearthed one of the first of more than 1,000 ancient stone head sculptures to emerge from Ivory Coast's pre-historic soil. The origin of the heavy granite and laterite stones of up to three feet high and 2,000 years old remains a mystery. But some villagers have no doubts, even challenging theories on East Africa's Rift Valley as the cradle of mankind. ``We believe they were created and placed in the earth here by God,'' said one farmer in the remote Marahoue valley in central Ivory Coast where many of the heads have been found. Such lore attributes flattened rocks found there to the creator's footprints as he stepped back to heaven. Farmers are often less star-struck, selling any heads they find to tourists for a pittance. Ivorian anthropologists staging an exhibition in the commercial capital Abidjan this month hope to dispel myths and spur a wider interest in promoting Africa's forgotten past. ``It means we have had art for a long time,'' said leading anthropologist Georges Niangoran-Bouah, chief researcher on Marahoue. ``And where there is art there is civilization.'' The problem is that West Africa's tropical climate means clues to history often rot, leaving only rich oral tradition. GOD'S TEST-BED FOR HUMANS ``We Africans say man was not made in a day. And the most important part of man is the head,'' Niangoran-Bouah told Reuters. Folklore says the myriad facial designs -- many Marahoue heads have no mouth, nose or eyes -- are but one sign of God's use of Marahoue as a human test-bed. Later carvings with busts and full figures show man's head at one third rather than one seventh of his height. ``African artists think God must have made a mistake,'' said Niangoran-Bouah, holding a giant-nosed head nicknamed Charles de Gaulle, one of his garden collection of 200 stones. The faces, once used in mask rituals, are said to have been buried by God to protect women and children from seeing them. But some village wives have more pressing domestic concerns. ``They are very good. They withstand the heat,'' said one cook who was using three around a fire to support her pots at Diacohou. BEFORE OUR ANCESTORS The heads have yet to be accurately dated but similar stones in Senegal date back as far as 2,000 years. ``No one knows what role the heads played in ancient times,'' Niangoran-Bouah said. ``They are not the work of men known to us or our ancestors,'' said Ta-bi-Tra, a hunter at Gohitafla, now inhabited by Ivorian President Henri Konan Bedie's ruling Baoule tribe. Baoule warriors arrived there under Queen Abla Pokou in the 17th century, displacing Gouro tribes who in turn had pushed out the Wan culture in the 15th century. ``The Wan consider them to be ancestral objects,'' said Niangoran-Bouah, citing the stories of nearby Wan descendants, including a theory that the heads betrayed them to the enemy. The heads are also seen as grave charms for Wan warriors, homes for dead mens' souls or guardian spirits and talismans. ``We make offerings for a safe voyage, to find a good partner or fight off evil sorcerers, eaters of souls, jealous people and poisoners,'' said one soothsayer. ``We trust them.'' Animal sacrifices in cult rituals ensured successful childbirth and stone heads still play a part in ritual exorcisms and purification of adulterers. One man described being inhabited by a spirit from stones surrounding his house. ``I have 13 children, they all come from the stones.'' Prehistoric stone heads have been found around the world, from Africa to Europe and America. Marahoue's are thought to be among the largest and oldest along Africa's Atlantic coast. Ivorian standing stones are larger than average and found deeper in the ground than similar African examples, suggesting a greater age of up to 7,000 years, Niangoran-Bouah said. Such African megaliths weighing between half a ton and 15 tons are found in a northwestern strip on the Mediterranean and pockets in a wide west-east sub-Saharan band between Senegal and Kenya. Villagers showed Reuters a 19-foot rock said to be one of the largest African megaliths. In Mali, to the north, anthropologists have been baffled by the Dogon culture's ability to predict cycles of an invisible satellite of the star Sirius, which appears every 60 years. The Dogon, whose God Amma is said to have thrown a ball of clay into space to create Earth, is just one example of deep civilization in Africa often brushed over by colonists. ``This civilization before the pre-colonial period honorsour country,'' Niangoran-Bouah said. ``During colonial times the stones were probably kept hidden in the forest. The whites did not see them.'' That, for better or worse, is no longer the case. � Copyright 1998, Reuters News Service

Amazing stuff. Maggie! Are there pictures anywhere that you know of? Or shall I make myself useful and search for them?

I haven't found any pics to go with this yet - there weren't any on the site.

Guess I'd better get on it...whilst you get on with exorcising, exercising or just plain doing your PhD stuff (technical talk gets me all excited for the hunt for stone head pictures...)

(actually I've been trying to earn some money! Maybe I'll be able to get a good camera to take nice pics with)

Make it a digital and you will have the best of both worlds without having to worry about running out of film! (Still trying to get on your web thingy so I can join and give you credit, but I cannot - they are overhauling their website and told me to come back later.)

(I should be getting check from them soon - maybe it'll save my marriage! oops the phone bill's enormous again) I'm a bit wary of getting only a digital camera not an ordinary one - I think I need both, oh yes, and a camcorder, wish, wish, wish

*Sigh* Yes, I know...!

Fascinating about the stones in Africa! I had never heard of Newgrange before, either. Still learning a lot around here... A digital camera and camcorder are on my wish list, *after* a negative/slide scanner. I have a lot of prints/slides that I want to scan in to put on my web page, but the hand scanner I have is such a pain. It also doesn't give as good an image as the ones scanned from the original film. I still love my old SLRs, especially while digital cameras and photo quality printers are still evolving.

You can't beat the old SLR's for sharpness, septh of focus and versatility. Iki's digital is about like an SLR and he has taken incredible pictures with it. I am delighted to see you tonight...I was talking to myself for a while!

Thanks, Marcia! Things were quiet at work for a little while, but now it's back to the usual hectic pace. (I just found out that Lucent is spinning off my group and a few others as a separate company. Looks like end of Sept. timeframe. I'm not sure if that's good or bad, yet.) I'll try to check in on weekends, at least...when I'm procrastinating from homework. (I'm taking a C++ class that ends in May. It's fun, but it keeps me busy.) I love all the info about the different henges! It's almost 2am here, so I guess I better sign off for now. 'Night!

G'night Ginny! Henges are my fav topic! Later!

Four miles north of Hereford, adjacent to the River Lugg, a tributary of the River Wye, are the Suttons. Two small villages, located a mile or so to the south west of the Iron Age hillfort of Sutton Walls, they have long been associated with King Offa of Mercia, who ruled this powerful Saxon kingdom from 757 to his death in 796. Offa�s Dyke, the vast earthwork that marked Mercia�s western borders, is just a few miles away. And there is historical evidence to suggest that, three years before the end of Offa's reign, he came to a royal vill, or palace, in a place called Sutton. But no archaeological proof of its precise location has ever been found. The area around the Suttons is rich in archaeological sites. The Sutton Walls hillfort has earthworks on a scale comparable with Maiden Castle. There is evidence of both Roman and Saxon occupation in the vicinity. And a medieval manor house, Freen's Court, complete with fishponds, artificial water channels, dams, a lake and a moat, is known to have existed on the site -- giving landscape expert Stewart Ainsworth more than his usual share of exciting �lumps and bumps� to get worked up about when he arrived on the scene. Then, perhaps most exciting of all, there were the tantalising results of an aerial photographic survey carried out in 1990. This produced some remarkable pictures of previously unrecorded parch marks on the grassy meadow next to the River Lugg and adjacent to the former manor house structures. These showed what appeared to be a series of post holes or stone pads on which posts would have been mounted to support a large aisled building. This could have been built of timber or stone and appeared to consist of up to nine bays, each approximately four metres wide. Next to this were further parch-mark outlines of a �multi-celled� building, up to 60 metres in length and 10 metres wide. Could either of these structures have been associated with King Offa's palace? Comparison with similar sites at Northampton and elsewhere suggested the structures may have had a Saxon origin. Certainly English Heritage was sufficiently convinced by the possibility to declare the whole area a scheduled ancient monument. With only a dozen Anglo-Saxon palace sites ever having been positively identified in Britain, the discovery of a thirteenth would have been a major archaeological find indeed. As so often in this series, Time Team was treading new ground with this programme. The Project Design -- basically a very detailed breakdown of the proposed investigation of the site, which has to be approved by English Heritage in advance of any excavation of a scheduled ancient monument -- had been prepared not by the Team but the county archaeologist, Keith Ray. Time Team had worked with him before in his previous post, at Plympton in the 1999 series, and he was to act as project director on this occasion. He also brought along his deputy, Tim Hoverd, as excavation director and a team of experienced local diggers to work alongside the Team's usual crew. An English Heritage inspector, Paul Stamper, was present throughout to keep an eye on things and ensure that the Project Design was adhered to. A diary of each day's dig, together with photos and details of some of the artefacts found was kept on the Timesite website [http://www.timesite.co.uk], which ran �live� with the excavations as they took place last October. Suffice to say here that, as ever, things did not run exactly according to plan. For a start, a geophysics survey carried out by English Heritage eight years previously turned out not to be as useful as it might have been because the all-important grid reference details to locate it precisely had gone missing. Then the long, wet grass resulted in confusing readings being produced by Time Team's own geophysics survey. And to cap it all, after a half-day delay before the first turf could be lifted, all the digging in the main trenches -- involving the shifting of 17 tonnes of material, it was estimated -- had to be done by hand because permission to excavate scheduled ancient monuments stipulates that no machines can be used. In fact, none of the excavations at the Suttons yielded artefacts or structures that could be definitively dated to the Saxon period. Trench One, a section cut through an earthwork bank, produced no finds at all, turning out to be part of a dam associated with the various water features that once stood on the site. Trench Two, when it finally got underway, quickly produced a stone post pad, but as Mick Aston suspected when it first emerged, it was of a later date. And Trench Three contained plenty of building material, nearly all of it post-medieval. The massive Trench Four was later dug on the site of a knoll some 300 metres from the main site, and two further trenches were later put in the area of an enclosure ditch and platform by the village church. It was not until relatively late in the excavations that Trench Two uncovered an early wall, which could be dated by the presence of a piece of an earthenware cooking pot to the 12th century or earlier. And Trench Two saved up its buried treasures until the very last, when the charred remains of a wooden floor were discovered late on the final day. These were radio-carbon dated to almost 1,000 years ago, about the same age as the pottery sherd from Trench Two and another found in Trench Four. Then, with the Team�s investigation winding down at the end of the third day, came the revelation that the post pads in Trench Two did not line up with the parch marks on the aerial photographs. In fact, there were signs of post holes on a slightly different alignment, something far more consistent with a high-status Saxon building -- such as a palace. There was no proof, of course, that this was what it was, but as Tony Robinson summarised, it was certainly �a strong candidate� for future archaeological investigations to focus on. The murder of Aethelbert and the founding of Hereford In the bloody and tumultuous times of the late eighth century, both murders and marriages were common among the conflicting royal dynasties of Anglo-Saxon England. The surprise Viking raid on the monastic community of Lindisfarne in 793 gave an added spur to efforts to bring together and strengthen the different kingdoms, and King Offa of Mercia was always seeking out opportunities to enhance his own position. In 792, King Aethelred of Northumbria had married Offa�s daughter, Princess Aelflaed. Then, in 794, King Aethelbert of East Anglia visited the Mercian court at the Sutton palace, with a view to marrying another of Offa�s daughters, Princess Aelfryth. There are various accounts of what happened next, ranging from the largely factual account in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle to the heavily embroidered reports contained in the hagiographies of the saints, dating from the 12th century and later. What is certain is that Offa had Aethelbert executed. One of these Lives of St Aethelbert took up the story thus: �Aethelbert, the holy and Christian King of the East Angles goes into Mercia to seek the hand of King Offa�s daughter Aelfryth. He is lodged in the royal vill called Sutton [hospitatur in regia villa Suttun nominata] where he has a vision, prefiguring his martyrdom. Offa is persuaded by his wicked wife Coenfryth and an East Anglian exile Winberht, that Aethelbert is plotting against him and allows Winberht to cut off his head. Aelfryth, horrified, makes a vow of virginity and declares her intention to become a hermit at Crowland. �On Offa�s orders, the body is thrown into a marsh beside the River Lugg [in paludem prope ripam Lugge fluminis]. As a result of a vision, Berhtferth, Offa�s chamberlain, and his friend Ecgmund retrieve the body and take it in an ox-cart to a place called Fernlage, by the River Wye [ad locum qui Fernlage dicitur propter ripan fluminis Waege]. They raise and wash the body and, after a long search, the head, and take it on the cart as instructed by the vision, but -- as pre-ordained by God, the head falls off the cart at a place called Lyde [Luda]; a blind man stumbles upon the head, recovers his sight and chases after the cart, catching it at Shelwick [Sceldwica]. The martyr's body is buried in a place marked with a column of light, and a minster is built on the venerated site. �This place ... was once called Fernlage ... but the name was afterwards changed ... [and] ... was called Hereford.�

This is such great stuff. We Need to have this program in the US. I have been to Offa's Dyke. Re the Suttons, I expected Sutton Hoo to be nearby, but I was on the wrong side of the Island! Please check that link again. I could not make it work!

The URL is right, but it doesn't work. Try http://www.channel4.com/nextstep/timeteam/update.html The link to timesite is on there.

Oh Boy! That link works just fine! Splendid and there are all sorts of goodies on that webpage. Mahalo plenty!

If you have downloaded Quicktime, by all means go to this url and take a sweep around the diggings. It is fantastic! http://www.channel4.com/nextstep/timeteam/2000waddon.html

To all who have contributed on this page, I'd like to say "HI" to all those who share an intellectual interest in this subject and I hope to visit again and share anything of interest which I may find during my studying. I'm now off to watch Time Team. Let you know how it goes. Bye. From viola.

Hi viola, nice to meet you - come again soon!

oops - scrap that - it's maggie on viola's machine!!!

hi viola and maggie! how was time team? anything interesting happen?

Time Team found a Roman temple in sight of the Millennium Dome, near London. The Time Team dig gets underway in Greenwich Park, the oldest of Britain's royal parks and birthplace of Henry VIII: Henry VIII was born there, Elizabeth I played in its gardens and the meridian line runs right through it. Greenwich Park, in sight of the Millennium Dome in south London, is the oldest royal parkland in Britain, having first been enclosed in 1433. That means that, despite later landscaping, many archaeological features remain there, untouched by the buildings and other developments that have covered up most of the rest of London. Various earthworks are readily visible within the park boundaries, including a large number of Saxon barrows and a mound, surrounded by iron railings, that has long been associated with Roman remains on the site. These remains were the subject of excavations during 1902-3. But all that was visible to visitors almost a century later were a few Roman tesserae, or mosaic fragments, stuck together in a clump of concrete. The precise locations of the three trenches dug at the beginning of the 1900s had not been properly recorded, and many of the finds made at the time had since disappeared. Nevertheless, enough had been discovered then to indicate the presence here of an important Roman structure. One of Time Team's principal objectives was to try to find out what it was. The previous week's programme in search of King Offa's palace at the Suttons, near Hereford, had seen the Team's long-suffering geophysics surveyors joshed over their inability to give Phil a quick and exact location in which to dig his trench. One of their difficulties -- that the long, wet grass was interfering with the megnetronomy results -- led to one unkind visitor to the Time Team website forum asking whether this was geophysics' equivalent of Railtrack's 'wrong leaves on the line' type of excuse. Greenwich delivered further grist to the mill of those who like to tease John Gater, Chris Gaffney and Co when the geofizzers declared that on this occasion their readings were being upset not only by the metal railings that surrounded the few visible Roman remains, but also by the fact that the ground was too dry. 'Let's hope for rain,' they announced, to the general dismay of the rest of the Team. The railings were taken down, but nothing could be done about the dry ground. This resulted in Chris Gaffney resorting to an unorthodox, but effective, method of locating the line of Roman walls beneath the surface. This involved tapping on the ground with an upturned pickaxe and judging the presence of stone beneath the surface by the change in sound. Meanwhile, some cynics questioned whether geophysics was needed at all, since the 'parch marks' in the grass provided clearly visible evidence of underlying structures anyway. 'Just dig on the dry bits,' as Tony Robinson's new archaeological dictum had it. These marks indicated the presence of a substantial rectangular structure on the site. The nature of the finds made in 1902-3, which included more than 400 coins, high-quality pottery and statuary, had also suggested some sort of high-status building. Time Team wanted to confirm that the rectangular structure was indeed of Roman origin, and to find out whether the building had been a temple, a villa or a military or other establishment. Two finds in particular, both made on the third day, were to provide important evidence. A Roman roof tile was found in Trench Two, which had been set up under Carenza's supervision on the line of the rectangular enclosure and soon revealed a Roman wall not far beneath the surface. The tile was inscribed with the letters PPBR, standing for Procurator of the Province of Britannia. The beginning of the letter L, which also appeared on the edge of the tile, was thought to stand for Londinium. The procurator was the second most important official in Roman Britain, responsible for much of the province's finances, military supplies and transport. The presence of his stamp on the tile indicated that there had been an important public building on the site associated with Roman London. An even more significant find was made in the small Trench Five, on the west side of the mound. This comprised a piece of broken limestone on which the letters MIN and ILIV could be made out in two rows, one above the other. A further three letters CVS formed part of a third row underneath. The presence of the letters MIN led to immediate speculation that it referred to the Roman goddess Minerva. One of Time Team's Roman experts, Guy de la B�doy�re, was called upon to feed the letters into his computer database of inscriptions from Roman Britain to identify the words in which they appear most often. Minerva turned out not to be the most likely word. Rather the inscription in which the letters MIN were most likely to be found was determined to be ET NUMINEB AUG, referring to the spirits or deity of the emperors. The letters ILIV were most likely to be found as part of the name CAECILIVS, and the letters CVS as part of the name PRISCVS. Both were common Roman names and Mark Hassall, Britain's foremost authority on Roman inscriptions, explained that the stone had probably been part of a dedication to the gods, perhaps placed there by a wealthy patron by the name of CAECILIVS PRISCVS. Whatever the exact explanation, the discovery added weight to the other evidence from this and the 1902-3 excavations that this had been the site of a Roman temple. Because of its location on high ground on the line of Watling Street, the main Roman highway from Canterbury and the south east, it would have formed an important and readily visible landmark as that road approached London.

Spanna, we enjoyed Time Team, you should have seen it! All the info has been included on the page- Enjoy!

hi viola and maggie! how was time team? anything interesting happen?

hi viola and spanna!!

Imagine my delight as Mama of this site to find my baby has not only grown up but is walking all by herself! Welcome all - and most especially to the "Frieds of Maggie" club. I am counting on your on-site-in-Britain accounts to made immediate the stuff I can only copy from the web and gather out of my memory banks. Feel free to take shoes off and make yourself comfortable. Again, E komo mai - welcome!

Been to Greenwich and I am trying to imagine where this dig is happening. There are lots of open grassy spaces there abouts and it is quite lovely, even on a leaden-skied late May day with the dank chill coming off the Thames. Viola, Spanna...Most delighted that you share our interest in Antiquities and will help add to my knowledge of the local digs....*wishful sigh* (Maggie, you are too funny! Welcoming Viola from her own computer. *lol* I wondered if traffic was so slow in here that she had to welcome herself!)

i know, that's what i thought!! viola was talking to herself....

(Maggie sent me an email requesting I remove the Viola-to-Viola welcome, but by that time I had posted my comment and left it as she posted it.) Silly Me!

I forgot to log in - classic mistake, I felt really silly!!!. We were having fun! We posted the origianal message at uni then went off and watched time team and came back to uni and posted it in for you. We thought of you all as we paddled (well, they did - I'm too old and the sea was too cold!) in the sea at West Wittering (isn't that a lovely name *lol*). Lots of flint on the beach but no interesting fossils, although viola found a rock with a hole in it which has dark crystals glinting inside. We were looking for rose quartz. (wrong topic, but i thought you'd like to know!)

Viola found a geode. Merlin's Crystal Cave! How exquisite. I am envious! I need a beach with something beside lava granules. crushed coral or peridots all over it. You have to row to get to the nearest Telly?! (I know abut you, and NO WAY are you too old for anything!!!) Thanks for the teaser, though. Looking forward to more Time Team reports. Thanks, Maggie! *hugs*

Oh that's what a geode is, I never knew and meant to ask.

Geode is a cavity (often entirely enclosed) which has perfect crystals formed in that space. They range from tiny with minute crystals to ones the size of large tubs and larger still. I have several of differing size with all sorts of crystal (one type for each geode) - usually of the quartz family.

I remember seeing a beautiful geode in my grade school science class. It was about 6" across and filled with amethyst crystals.

They commonly are amethysts and two of mine are, as well. Plus parts of some which must have been absolutley staggeringly huge!

Staggeringly huge -- would that be anything like having your own cave if you had the whole geode?

From the merest hint of an arc on the largest one, I'd say yes - I am fairly small boned and can curl up into a small ball and tuck my long legs in, too. Not enough for a large man, I think, but Merlin in the Crystal Cave would have fit in just fine! Imagine finding one like that and opening it just enough to get inside! Incredible!

The boy Merlin would have fit; but if I remember the Mary Stewart books correctly, didn't he grow up to be rather tall?

Yes, but also some native Britain in him (Welsh) gave him light bone structure - much like the sort of Briton from which I spring. Of course, when the power was on him he rose to awesome stature...and paid for the privilege with a hangover of monumental proportions! I love those books, and I got shouted down by those posting with me in Books conf / Arthurian. *sigh* Those who must speed read and cast aside what which they cannot are missing out on so much!

I never knew what a geode was, either. Now I have a great picture in my mind of Merlin lying inside one... Marcia already knows I loved Mary Stewart's books, too. I didn't find her books difficult to read, but then I'm no speed reader by any means. Does that mean I can't talk about Stewart when I finally get to that Arthurian topic??

Ginny, you gotta talk on the Arthurian topic! I was the only one in there upholding the Merlin Trilogy (which I adore) and trying to get Amy to read them. John, who had already read them for course work in college, accused me of evangelizing...so outnumbered and alone in the disucssion, I quit. Please come back and let us discuss it!!!

David (my non-bookreading-for-pleasure son) and his father read them at the same time I did per my recommendation. We all loved them. Must be the speed readers of the world who cannot be bothered. They miss so much!!!

Oops I'm out of this - which trilogy?

The trilogy in question takes the Arthurian legend and tells it from Merlin's point of view. It is a well- researched work and gripping reading. The best of its sort extant, IMHO. The books are in paperback (she is a Scotswoman) and consist of "The Crystal Cave," "The Hollow Hills," and "The Last Enchantment" followed by another taking the Mordred theme, "The Wicked Day." Author is Mary Stewart. If you have time for reading frivilous things, this set is splendid! I have read mine so many times that they are falling apart!

Mmm read it many years ago - will look it out again. Have you read the stephen lawhead pendragon trilogy? Talliesin, Merlin, Authur. I have the first two.

NO!!! I shall look for them! Oooh, Goody!

I thought they were good. I had actually thought of sending them to you!!!!

If I cannot find them here I shall reimburse you and if that is alright, I will agree. But, let me hunt for them online and here in Hilo, first. Thanks, dear!

No time team report tonight - they've got technical problems and it won't be posted on the site until 27th. More bedtime reading: Earthworks Wiltshire between two worlds shared time, A suspended bridge circling ancient skyline, Mindscape myriad of standing stones, Shimmering spectres touched by pagan bones Retrospective following footsteps of mystic migration Ceremonial rites hypnotic chanting resonant vibration, Suspended past turning spiral helix DNA, Pay silent homage lost spiritual stairway, Echoed voices woven tapestry threads connect, Your tribe, my tribe earned respect, Existing mingled, merged juxtapose yet unresolved, Open book sentenced to be unsolved. (Nicola Fowler)

Oooh, I love that. Exactly how it is and how it feels!

Thought you would. I like poetry!

Wolfie has an entire conference dedicated to poetry...check it out sometime. Lovely stuff. John has written some excellent stuff he posted in there and he posted one in Geo2 for the first time seen anywhere. It was an incredible privilege!

Hi All, Thankyou for your messages. Yes Maggie, the sea was lovely. Thankyou for a lovely afternoon! By the way, there was a brilliant documentary on the other night about the infamous pirate Blackbeard and his sunken ship which they reckon has been found offshore. If I can download the info from the sight you can all have a look. Watch this space...

Blackbeard's Revenge Blackbeard the pirate is a figure who seems to belong more to legend than to fact. It is believed that he was English who may have come from Bristol. In order to frighten his enemies and crew, he was known for stuffing smoking fuses in his hair for dramatic effect. In one famous incident, he shot Isreal Hands, one of his most trusted men, in the knee. His excuse was that if he didn't kill one of his crew now and then, they would forget who he was. His ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, was the most powerful warship and allowed him to rule the waves from the Caribbean to the North Carolina coast. However, this power was short-lived for he had the ship for less than a year before it sank. According to an eyewitness, this was on the 10th of June 1718 at Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina. The ship had ran aground on a sandbar at the mouth of the inlet. It was obvious from the position of a ship anchor that Blackbeard had made strenuous efforts to pull the ship off but to no avail. It was then left to the elements. Blackbeard, promptly, abandoned some unwanted crewmembers on a barren island. They would have died if a ship hadn't passed by a few days later. The 'Queen Anne's Revenge' was originally a French vessel called The Concorde. She was transporting African slaves to the Caribbean, when in 1717, Blackbeard had captured her off the island of Martinique. The pirate was fortunate because the Concorde crew were weakened with dysentery and the remaining healthy crewmembers were in no position to defeat the pirates after a long and tiring voyage. Through the Queen Anne's Revenge and his three other ships, Blackbeard captured some 23 ships and stripped them of anything of value. Just the sight of his flag, which shows a skeleton of the devil carrying a spear and an hourglass, made many ships surrender without a fight. The Royal Navy was helpless because they had just ten ships to police the entire American coastline. Later in 1718, Blackbeard sought shelter on the island of Ocracoke which is a hundred miles away to the north. On November 21st the pirates came ashore at Springer's Point. It is believed that they met up with other pirates and celebrated the night away. However, two vessels of the Royal Navy were lying in wait and attacked early the next day. Blackbeard fought furiously as he was determined never to surrender. He died after being shot five times and had 20 sword cuts.

I hope this is ok. I thought it was interesting, but there was so much more on the actual programme. It's a pity they have to condense it. Thankyou Marcia for the information on my rocks. They are sitting at home on the arm of the sofa at the moment. ( I have nowhere else to put them at the moment!)

Hi viola, nice to see you back again. Why does it not surprise me that you have nowhere else to put your lovely rock - hee hee! want some suggestions???). (Ignore me I'm just jealous!) Which programme was that - I think I must have missed the listing.

Viola, it might be a migratory rock from Hawaii and bad luck - I think I need to have it here for your safety and for my own collection (only fooling, of course because I am jealous, too) Had to shoot Blackbeard 5 times? He was as hard to kill as Rasputin was! Thanks for the interesting read. I hope we get the program over here - eventually, as all things always are!

The programme was on last monday night on BBC1 and is a series exploring different subjects. Next week it had something to do with the exploration of Pandora's Box (?) if that means anything to you? The series is called 'Voyages to the Bottom of the Sea'. Enjoy! The stone is still in the living room. I just hope the insane one doesn't throw it away, (although that would be a first!) I shall treasure it and keep my eyes open for any more.

Viola, take it to Uni and scan it. Save it as a jpeg file and send it me. Put it on the scanner so the hole is pointing downwards and the scanner light can show up the crystals. I think we're coming down sometime next month so maybe we can go exploring again. Do NOT let the insane one get hold it !!!! Hide it or something. P.S. thump Spanna for me please - with pleasure, and tell her to stop messing with your email or else!

Yes, Pandora's Box means something to me The only thing which did not get out was Hope. Famine, pestilence and all those good things did get out! The HMS Pandora is at the bottom of the sea...I wonder if that is the one which they will be exploring?!

THE MYSTERY OF THE COCAINE MUMMIES. The mystery that baffled Egyptologists and called into question whole areas of accepted scientific fact. In 1992, routine tests on a mummy in a Munich museum revealed high body levels of cocaine and nicotine. But such substances were not available in ancient Egypt, as they come from the Americas which were not to be 'discovered' for thousands of years after the passing of the Egyptian dynasties. Are the mummies fakes? Were the substances from plants that have since disappeared? Or were there trade routes between Egypt and South America that predate accepted chronology? If you have questions about any of the science subjects raised in the programme, or any other science topic, you can call the experts at Science Line on: 0808 800 4000. All calls are free and lines are open 1pm to 7pm Monday to Friday. Sorry there isn't more. I have tried to access the site and the time team site as well but so far I have had no luck. Thankyou for the messages. I will hit spanna very hard and let you know if she bruises.

[Aren't you trying to get Spanna's attention rather than inflicting damage on her?!] Viola, that is a teasing bit of information there. Most curious to know what they discover!

It is similar to the mystery concerning the golden peanuts found in an ancient Chinese tomb. Peanuts are New World plants and would have been unknown in China at that time. The golden peanuts were small pieces of gold worked into little sculptures of peanuts.

Peanuts are native to Brazil. Most interesting! Maybe they have just not found the progenitor of the peanut we know today. There is no reason a similar legume could not have been native to China - many of these plants produce underground nodules which fix nitrogen in the soil.

It's marine archeology evening here. Just seen underwater exploration in the dead sea looking for Sodom and Gomorrah, and the pandora's box/ship programme Viola talked about. I'll see if I can trace a URL for them as they were both so interesting.

Thank you for that, Maggie - I'm far too claustrophobic to ever find underwater archaeology fun IRL, but I am fascinated by watching others do it.

I loved the special which ran last year on tv about underwater archaeology concerning the city of Alexandria in Egypt. They found pieces of the Pharos in the harbor.

Oh yes....and lots of obelisks and other neat stuff. Everything but the Library...but don't get me started on that...*sigh*

MMmm we had that here too. I couldn't cope with being in a submarine though. I love watching it - but the thought of being shut up and under water - yuk! mind, the thought of being shut up anywhere ........ (Yes, I'm going to bed!!!)

G'night Maggie...*lol*

Just read all your responses. Sorry, that was all the info that was available although I was able to get the info on Pandora's Box... PANDORA'S SECRETS. On the 28th of August 1792, the HMS Pandora sank off the northern coast of Australia when she had hit a reef, keeled over and sank. She was on her way back to Britain with 14 prisoners but hadn't found any trace of the Bounty. Her mission had started two years previously when she left Britain with orders to arrest the mutineers and bring the Bounty home. In 1789, the first mate, Fletcher Christian, had cast Captain Bligh and 18 others adrift in an open boat. However, the boat wasn't large enough to take all the crew members who wanted no part of the mutiny. Captain Bligh had noted their innocence so these crewmembers greeted the Pandora when it arrived at the island of Tahiti. However the Pandora captain quickly slapped them in irons. He then sent soldiers to capture the six mutineers who had fled into the mountains. After eighteen days, they were all captured and brought to the ship. The 14 prisoners, guilty and innocent alike, were then caged in a specially built eleven foot wooden cell on the top deck. It was nicknamed Pandora's box and it was like a sauna with only two tiny gratings supplying the only fresh air. In it's search of the Bounty, the Pandora came within two days sailing of Pitcairn Island where the Bounty mutineers had settled. However the mutineers fate was only revealed to the outside world when they were discovered some fifteen years later. In the night that the Pandora sank, some thirty-five men lost their lives. The diving team discovered the remains of three men who had gone down with the ship. One of the skeletons was discovered in the Captain's cabin. His skull was intact and forensic anatomist Meiya Sutisno was able to reconstruct his face. It is believed that he was Robert Bowler who was the pursers steward. The University of Queensland are keen to establish the identity of these three skeletons from the Pandora casualty list. To aid their research, they would like to hear from direct living descendants of the Pandora crew. If you are able to help, please find more details in their website address. It is in our Wrecks and Diving information guide. The Pandora survivors managed to climb aboard tenders and reach the safety of a sand cay. After two days on the baking sand cay, the survivors climbed into four open boats and Captain Edwards took them to the Dutch island of Timor, a journey of some 1,000 miles. There, they purchased a larger ship and sailed back to England. It had been an epic journey of nearly 30,000 miles. Captain Edwards was court-martialled for the loss of his ship but acquitted. Of the prisoners, six were found guilty and two publicly hung. The remainder were acquitted or pardoned. Today, the descendants of the mutineers of the Bounty still live on Pitcairn Island. Hope you find this interesting. I wasn't able to watch the programme about Sodom and Gomorrah but I hope it was good. Gotta go, I shall try and trace Time Team for you. Bye...

Viola, that was not only good..it was spectacular. Thanks for posting it. It is what was indistinctly remembered about the HMS Pandora saga. Time Team has an excellent website with panoramic scenes which are zoomable. Great stuff!

Thanks Viola, I didn't get round to looking at the site. I sat curled up in bed watching all this, absolutely enthralled.

Ta for your messages. Please can you tell me if the new Time Team website is available yet as I was unable to access it. Also, I think that the series finished last week!!!!! Now my Sunday nights will be extremely dull!

Viola, Maggie posted this and it is bookmarked for all time in my Netscape http://www.channel4.com/nextstep/timeteam/

Thankyou Marcia, that is brilliant!!!!! By the way, did you get maggie's message from spanna? Her modem is down and will probably be broken for quite a while but she is hoping to visit in a few weeks and will hopefully be able to use the computers here.

Yes, thank you! I am shortly to answer her note. Thanks for reminding me. *hugs* to her from me!

I'm back on!!!! HI! We took the lid off (the computer silly!) and transferred the modem to another com port, and it seems my comport 1 has died not the modem. hence why I am online at 10.30 in the morning - with permission of course! Thanks Spanna and Viola for keeping me in touch!

Aha!!! That is why you are here! Good news. I thought you have "borrowed" someone else's computer for the duration. Welcome back!

Is this the relevan spot to report findings of new Sphinxes in Egypt found just recently. Apparently they are in a row forming some form of road. Just a short paragraph reported on our teletext in Oz. Has anyone else more information. It looks quite fascinating what they have found

Thanks Anne, hadn't seen that, will look out for it now.

Couldn't find reference to what Anne was saying, but I fouind this site which looks to have some interesting stories of discoveries. http://www.earthchangestv.com/egypt/index.htm

This is the place. The benefit of living where we get the morning last. It gives everyone else a chance to post neat stuff where I can find it when I awaken. I shall look for the sphinxes, too. Maggie!!! I think you hit the Mother-lode of goodies. Will post things from that site I am sure. Mahalo, Dear!

Hiya folks, just thought that this might interest you. It's the next episode in the series of Voyages to the Bottom of the Sea. This (and much more) can be accessed at www.bbc.co.uk/history. Cromwell's Forgotten Wreck In the summer of 1653, Oliver Cromwell sent a fleet of six vessels to finally crush the Royalist uprising in Scotland. One of these ships was the 'Swan' whose mission was to seize Duart Castle, a Royalist stronghold which overlooks the Sound of Mull. When the Swan arrived on the 5th of September 1653, the Royalists had already fled so the Castle put up no resistance. The ship was sunk, eight days later, during a violent storm. Anchored in the bay, the ship was torn free and the wind drove her repeatedly against the rocks before she sank. She was to be lost for some 300 years before being discovered by a naval diver in 1979. The Swan had been built in 1641 and started life in the King's service. However in 1645, while their captain was away, the crew did a deal with the Parliamentarians. In a ritual handover, they surrendered their weapons in a pledge of loyalty for Cromwell. The Parliamentarian authorities then ceremonially returned their weapons and the crew sailed for the Parliamentarian cause. The wreck was identified as the Swan because of a wooden carving which had been raised from the wreck. On it, was the carved badge of the heir apparent to the throne. This proved that the ship had been under the command of Charles I. After sifting through the archives, a letter from the 1600's was discovered which helped pinpoint the wreck's identity. It was from the Scottish Parliamentarian Commander, Robert Lilburn to Oliver Cromwell. Robert Lilburn mentions three Parliamentarian ships including the Swan which were sunk in Scottish waters at this time. However, the Swan was the only one which had been 'captured' from the Royalists. Clearly the wreck must be the Swan. Now, the wreck is the subject of painstaking research by leading marine archaeologist, Colin Martin, who has written our History of marine archaeology. In order to protect the fragile wreck, it has been designated as a protected wreck which means that there is a exclusion zone around it and no one can dive it without licence

Just found some more interesting info from the same site... The Black Hand For over 30 years on a remote and isolated spot on the Cheshire Borders, a strange mound has caused some puzzlement. In 1962, farmer Gerry Fair, first had the idea that it may be of historical importance. Meet the Ancestors took up the baton and soon discovered that this was once the site of a chapel. Cistercian Monks had built an abbey here in 1158 and the fact that they were Cistercian held the key to the chapel's remote location. They loved wild places and part of their ethic was to convert wild, barren places into productive land. An early 17th century map has the Poulton Chapel still standing, but was probably not used after Henry VIII's Reformation. The chapel and surrounding land had passed on to a local family called the Manleys around the 14th century. A meeting with amateur genealogist Joyce Cook and a visit to the Cheshire Records Office put Julian Richards firmly on the trail of the Manleys. Carefully maintained local papers and documents, identified wealthy landowner Sir Nicholas Manley's will dated 1520. In it he states "My body will be buried in the chapel of Poulton in the church in the chancel, and after my death and my wife's. A priest to be found to sing there for my soul". Armed with this new knowledge, Julian went back to locate the chancel. Site archaeologist Mike Emery had already discovered some graves here, but unfortunately the skeletons were not good enough to restore. However, in the middle of the chancel (what would be considered prime spot) a very well-preserved male skeleton had been found. Initial exploration indicated that it was dated around 1500 - the time of the Manleys. All the bones were carefully removed and taken for analysis to Bradford University. Bone specialist, Charlotte Roberts confirmed the bones belonged to a man measuring 6'3", and probably in his late fifties. This was enough information for medical artist Richard Neeve to begin reconstructing his face. Meanwhile Joyce Cook had established the Manley family tree from Sir Nicholas in the 1500's to present day. Julian managed to track down Michael Roger Manley, a direct descendant if DNA analysis linked the skeleton in the grave to him. Both Michael and his son Mark left body fluids for DNA testing. Unfortunately the special type of DNA they needed for testing could not be found in any of the bones. However there was another clue which may have linked them. The Manley family crest was a black hand and it had been suggested by Joyce that the name Manley could have come from the French word "main" meaning hand. Michael and Mark Manley both have very large hands and so did our man in the grave. Although, not conclusive, many of the pieces of the ancestral jigsaw do fit together, the modern day Manleys may well have found their ancestor. Footnote: All of the burials from the Poulton chapel site will, after study, be given a Christian reburial at a Cistercian monastery Many people have asked if we tried to use DNA to prove the link that had been established by genealogical research. Yes we did. At Glasgow University Dr Will Goodwin is still working on the samples of ancient and modern DNA. This was always going to be difficult though as male lineage can only be determined by using Y chromosone DNA of which there is much less than the mytochondrial DNA that is passed through the female line. Although Y chromosone DNA is widely used to determine paternity, there are great difficulties in trying to use it in a case where as many as 16 transfers from father to son may have taken place.

OOOOOOOOOO! Neat stuff. Thanks Viola. Btw, when you want to post a link, put the http:// in front of the www stuff and it will auto-magically make it a hotlink as in http://www.bbc.co.uk/history.

That programme Meet the Ancestors' is amazing - I watch it every week. The finds made in U.K. are quite amazing from Roman matron to Anglo Saxon 12 year old girl - this is where we are at present - I shall watch again tonight. The way they make up the skull into a face absolutely amazes me. Thank you to Viola for that special info.

I missed the aquatic archeology on monday because of french class and we forgot to record it. Don't suppose you did Viola???

Sorry maggie, The under water programme was not videoed although we did video meet the ancestors. (Is that any help?) From viola.

2000 series: York 26 March, 6pm One thousand years of British history in three days As if trying to discover all that can be discovered about a site in just three days wasn't challenge enough, when the Time Team Live programme went to York in September 1999, the Team set themselves three very different sites to investigate as well. 'I know,' you can imagine some bright spark at the Time Team planning meeting suggesting. 'York has got lots of remains from the Roman, Viking and medieval periods. Instead of choosing between them, why don't we go for all three?' And so it was that Tony Robinson and the team of experts found themselves faced with the challenge of explaining 1,000 years of British history over a sunny late summer weekend. The three sites explored at York comprised: A Roman cemetery under the lawn of the Victorian Royal York Hotel next to York railway station. Here the Team uncovered three skeletons -- belonging to a young man, a mature woman and, most poignantly, a four-year-old girl. Next to the young man were chicken bones, the remains of a 'feast for the dead' to mark his passage to the afterlife. Other finds included various coins and fragments of glass, similar to that made in a reconstruction of Roman glass-making techniques carried out for the programme. A Viking 'tenement block' beneath a derelict plot at Walmgate. Similar to the building found at Coppergate during the 1970s, this excavation produced remains of wattle boundary fences, amber, leather-working and grains, seeds and nuts indicative of the Viking diet. It also yielded a superb glass bead, unlike anything found in Britain before. The medieval hospital of St Leonard's, in the Museum Gardens by the River Ouse. This site was fully explored, making it possible to locate all the major structures of this large medieval complex. There was also a second world war air raid shelter, uncovered on the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of war and stretching the period covered by the Team excavations in York to the best part of two millennia. The Team's trip to York was not only covered live on television. Events were reported as they unfolded on the Time Team Live website. By far the most ambitious such project yet attempted in British archaeology on the internet, this attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors during the course of the weekend. Even before the Team got to York, the website was up and running with a wealth of detail about the city, its history, past excavations and sources of further information and reading. And during the weekend, our cyber-team backed up what was appearing on the television screens with a huge range of material covering every aspect of the excavations. RealVideo snippets revealed off-screen activity, while RealAudio interviews with the Team and other experts gave the lowdown on what was happening at the three main sites and in the incident room. In between the live broadcasts, a diary and regular updates provided detailed reports of what was going on. Questions were answered and discussions took place on the Forum. And photos and information about the finds were posted almost as soon as they were made. You can still access all of this information by exploring the Live web pages and reading through the 'Old Topics' on the Time Team Forum. York Archaeological Trust is planning to run a training excavation at the St Leonard's hospital site, York (as featured on Time Team), in the summer of 2000. If you would like details of this, information will be posted on the York Archaeological Trust website www.yorkarch.demon.co.uk as soon as arrangements have been finalised; or send a stamped-addressed envelope to: York Archaeological Trust Training Excavations 2000 Cromwell House 13 Ogleforth York YO1 7FG TIM TAYLOR, TIME TEAM SERIES PRODUCER ON THE YORK LIVE EVENT: The live programme is now a regular event in Time Team's calendar. Because of the pressures and tight time scale, it is ultimate television of a particular kind -- the polar opposite in some ways of the documentary. It involves a huge technical and logistical support team -- more than a hundred staff, camera crews, edit suites, satellite vans, a website team and three teams of archaeologists alongside our presenters: Tony, Sandy Toksvig, our live 'stalwart', and, in York, Paul Thompson. The financial investment is huge, as is the pressure for the archaeology to deliver. Although Time Team accept that we will not always find what we hope for, and that this is the reality of archaeology and part of the ethos of the programme, the atmosphere of a 'live' makes it difficult if there are too many archaeological dead ends. There were three sites in York and this, and the knowledge that wherever you dig there you are likely to find archaeology, gave us a certain amount of security. Each transmission for live television has to be a specific length, and must be timed and scripted so that Tony can read the linking pieces to camera that introduce each new section on autocue. From the start, the script assumes a certain progress in the archaeology. The researchers and I try to be as realistic as possible, but there is something slightly unreal about a script, prepared a month before a shoot, that reads: '11-o-clock day one, locate remains of Roman burials on the cemetery site.' Somehow reality, technology and expectation have to be matched up. The director, Jeremy Cross, has to attempt to keep a grip on the production, transmission and developing story lines, while the researchers, assistant producers and Philip Clarke, the executive producer, adjust the storyline, scripts and autocue pieces to camera so that they show what is actually happening. I keep them aware of where the archaeology is going and push or drag the excavations and discoveries in the direction that is best for the programme. I also have to make sure the archaeology is not misrepresented, which involves negotiating both the speed and the strategy of the excavations with the local archaeologists -- in York they were John Oxley from the City Council, Keith Emerick from English Heritage and the site supervisors, Nick Pearson, Patrick Ottaway and Barney Sloane. I also receive vital information from our Time Team diggers. We need to achieve the programme's archaeological goals without pushing the archaeology further than is appropriate. On Day Two of the York dig we faced a situation that is typical of the issues that arise on Time Team excavations. A third burial had emerged at the Roman cemetery site and there was also additional evidence from geophysics -- who had, with their usual accuracy, located the first burial site for us. They had found a 'curved shaped' anomaly that might indicate a building. The local archaeologists were convinced that there was not enough time left to excavate both targets. At the end of the day, the key parties -- John Oxley, Keith Emerick, Nick Pearson, Mick Aston and I -- tucked ourselves into a cosy corner at the Royal York Hotel to go over the options. The script team and directors were meeting upstairs to develop the next day's story lines and needed to know, as soon as possible, the direction the archaeology would take. Despite a certain amount of pressure from them, Mick and I were determined to listen to what the archaeologists had to say. After an hour we arrived at an agreement that allowed the excavation to expand into the new sites but ensured that the excavators would have as much time as they needed to do their job properly and record the results. With Time Team's diggers, York's experienced excavators and Margaret Cox and her team of osteoarchaeologists on hand, we made a good case that the work would be carried out to the highest standards. This kind of discussion -- balancing programme requirements with archaeological need -- is a regular and vital event on Time Team shoots, and the fact that we achieved this within the pressure of a live programme is a measure of its importance. A final memory of York illustrating another crucial element to the balancing act that is Time Team was at the end of Day Three. Everyone was exhausted as we approached our last segment of the transmission, at the Roman cemetery. I had walked through all Tony Robinson's next sequences with Phil Harding, Margaret Cox and the other archaeologists, checking responses and giving them a sense of how long they might have for spontaneous chat. When Tony arrived, surrounded by cameramen and sound crews trailing cables and accompanied by his autocue operator, he talked to Margaret about the first two burials and then turned to Phil who would be taking him on to the next trench. Tony's opening question didn't get the usual obvious answer. Live sequences are usually high on adrenaline and scattered with words like 'amazing' and 'incredible', but Phil had been given space to respond. The crowds of local people who had looked on patiently for three days were attentive. Phil had been watching the excavation of a four-year-old child, who had died in Roman York more than 1,700 years ago. He commented on the smallness of the ribs and Tony told him that the results of DNA tests showed the skeleton was that of a girl. Phil, clearly moved, talked for a few minutes about his feelings about the child's death. Watching Phil and Tony create that moment -- the cameras and microphones capturing it for transmission to an audience of millions -- was for me a defining event. We hadn't glossed over that small tragedy and rushed to the next item. In a way, the balance Time Team achieves between television and archaeology was encapsulated in that moment -- which happened because of the teamwork of the people who had taken part in the programme, and was made possible by the relationships that had been forged over three days with the local archaeologists and diggers, and the people of York who came in their thousands to see the sites.

I can remember looking at York Cathedral from the train as we paused there on the way to Scotland...How I wanted to get out and look around. Alas, there was no time on our packed (by me) itinerary. *sigh* Perhaps one day I will get back and take the time to tour the digs in York. They sound fascinating!

Thanks for posting that Viola, I totally forgot. I've never been to York , but I'd like to go sometime.

This appeared in the Sunday Times yesterday. Marcia, I sent you the picture if you want to put it in. Medieval Zoo found at the Tower of London Excavation work beneath the ramparts of the Tower of London has revealed new evidence of a medieval menagerie which held an extraordinary array of animals. A dig under the Lion Tower and new research in royal, cathedral and university archives have produced proof that 100 different species were once housed within the walls of the palace. Bones of rhinoceroses, antelopes and tigers have been discovered as well as the skins of snakes and alligators. The remains of ostriches, brought by sailing ship from Africa have also been found. The huge flightless birds died after they were fed nails because their keeper thought that iron was good for them. One was found with 90 nails in its throat. The menagerie was founded during the Crusades in the reign of King John (1199-1216) and was closed in 1835 when London Zoo opened in Regent�s Park. Never bigger than the size of a �largish suburban garden� according to researcher, the Tower zoo stood beneath what is now the West Tower, near the Thames. Most of the early animals came through kings and some queens of Europe exchanging gifts. �. The King of Norway sent his polar bear to Henry III in about 1250 and the elephant, a year or so later was from a French monarch, who in turn had taken it from the Middle East. The elephant walked from Kent to the capital, but died after it was plied with wine to keep out the cold. The polar bear fared better, swimming and living off fish in the Thames. A zebra also made it�s way to the Tower and was regularly ridden by a young boy as it paraded around a tiny yard. �Sometimes animals had been captured in wars, � said Rory Browne (Professor of History at Harvard) �Captive lions, in particular, really appealed to kings. After all the king himself was the arch beast�. Hence Henry III during whose reign the Tower zoo was substantially built up, had three lions on his coat of arms. �.. Although experts had been aware of the existence of the zoo, the excavations, partly financed by BBC2s Timewatch programme, have revealed extraordinary details of the historic animal residents of one of England�s most famous i stitutions. The programme will be shown in the UK on BBC2 on Saturday 15th April at 8 pm

Maggie's Scanned Photo

A man approached a local in a village he was visiting. "What's the quickest way to York?" The local scratched his head. "Are you walking or driving?" he asked the stranger. "I'm driving." "That's the quickest way!"

That is quite bizarre!!!!!

How so?

...the story I mean. By the way, I've just visited the channel 4 website and there are quite a few interesting sites there. The site is http://www.channel4.com , then click on nextstep and you can visit all the history, eg Time Team. There is another good page called To The Ends of the Earth. All are highly recomended. Also Marcia, did maggie send you a photo of me and spanna? If she did please believe me when I tell you that my teeth are nowhere near as big as they look in the photo.

Oh my goodness!!!!! I can't believe I'm actually writing to you at the same time as you are writing. Spanna has suggested that I change my pseudonym for a joke so I thought maybe I'd call myself something original...like...bananapants...???

...AND, for those who are interested, there is an article on http://www.bbc.co.uk/history about the history of Christian art and the images of Jesus. The programme is actually on tonight but for those who can't watch it I hope the website will be satisfactory. Well gotta go, there is a programme I videoed this evening about the dead sea scrolls which I am going to watch now. Goodnight!

The history of the depiction of Jesus is a really interesting topic. The earliest pictorial depictions of Jesus from the Roman Empire show him as a beardless young man. The convention of depicting a bearded Christ came about at about the time of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire. Jesus was always depicted as a beautiful young man, within the conventions of Byzantine Art. He was shown as having an oval face, wide eyes, a very straight, narrow nose, small mouth, and of course, a beard. Unfortunately, due to the efforts of the Iconoclasts very few icons remain from the Byzantine Empire. One of the most extraordinary and beautiful to survive is Christ Pantocrator from the Monastery of St. Catherine in Sinai. Pantocrator means judge, so Christ is shown holding the Book of Judgement. It is conventional in Eastern Orthodox Christian religious art to present Jesus as Christ the Redeemer or Christ the Judge. The St. Catherine's icon is notable because the the two halves of Christ's face are different. This was in ended to present both the human and divine natures of Jesus. The icon is also the work of artist of extraordinary talent. As far as I know,the artist is unknown, and was probably one of the monks.

Don't worry viola the directions to york were for me!! did you see the ark of the covenant programme this evening. i meant to phone you about it.

Hang on... I need to check that link since it will be absolute ages before the US gets the program - if we do at all... Thanks for the URLs and the interesting articles. Now, if I could only get my sticky fingers into the good soil of England and muck about for a while....*sigh*

well you do it virtually alll the time!!! *grin* (Yes, I'm goinggggggg)

Picture is lovely, Viola. *Hugs* I am totally enchanted and shall not share with a soul if that is your wish. We gotta get back on tomorrow/later at the same time. It is fun and really amazing considering the distance involved.

Maggie! It is Waaaaaaay past your bed time. You need adult supervision *grin* Christ in Byzantine art is supposedly influenced by the classic Greek extant likenesses of Alexander the Great. From thence they were permutations thereof. Russian Orthodox Icons were much different and most likely had and idealized image gleaned from many sources. Cheryl, do you know of any URLs where the Two-sided Icon might be found? I would love to see it and if I can get it small enough, to post it.

ooo I fogot I've got a lovely little icon on my wall - i shall get it down and scan it. i found it in a junk hsop years ago. it's very old.

Does it have jewels? Is it Russian Orthodox sort? I am most interested in seeing it. How interesting. Your Junque Shoppes have much nicer things in them than ours. Out here it is just that - Junk!

Out here, Very Old and Prehistoric means before Captain Cook. Very old in Europe can be a whole other millennium. How old? Any maker's marks on the back?

No, nothing fancy, very plain in fact. It's orthodox, but I haven't traced it yet. I doubt it's valuable but I like it. It was almost black when I got it. i cleaned it with bread and grapeseed oil, and it has come up well. I'm scanning it now. I don't know how it will come up because it's not too bright.

You know how to tend old things. I am used to people telling me they used abrasive cleanser or steel wool to get the "old stuff" off. *shudder* I'll probably scan better than shiny-bright which causes flare.

Have you got it yet?

Maggie's Icon: Please tell us of what material and method it is made.

Can anyone read the Greek text? Maggie says she paid �1 for it!

Quarter inch depth piece of wood. Just a little over 5 inches tall by just under 4 inches wide. I think it is oils, although it may be some kind of print I suppose, the surface is very crackled. The edges are very worn. It has a rustic feel to it.

Is there any other color but black outline? Might it be pen and ink? Or is the entire surface painted? (What do you want for �1 ?!)

I don't understand the question. what black outline? no it's definitely notpen and ink, it's antique paint surface of on oily kind. there is ia slight sheen to most of it if you tilt it - that came back after i'd restored it.

The only color I can see is the background color and the black outline which details the image. I was just curious if there were other colors involved or is what we see what you see?!

No I see the picture as it is normally. I think something is seriously wrong in how you are seeing it.

I can't make out much of the greek text on the icon, but I think it starts out as "I am the light of the world", or something like that. I'll take another look when I'm less tired. Here's a link to some Orthodox icons: http://www.ocf.org/OrthodoxPage/icons/icons.html

Oooh, Ginny!!!! Thanks! How could I forget?!

(Ginny is Greek!!! for those who do not frequent other topics on other conferences...)

I wish I had learned to speak Greek! My grandmother tried to teach me, and I got as far as learning the alphabet and pronunciation, but I never got the hang of Greek grammar. I do have a Greek-English dictionary, though...

me too, from NT greek study days, but I've forgotten most of it. If I can figure out how to post speical characters in here I'll try and post the inscription. I think it's a well known bible verse, so once we've figured some key words I will be able to find it.

Thank you Ginny. Nobody ever tried to teach me to read Greek. My Grandfather could read it of course and all of his children can read it to some degree or other. They, however, never tried to teach their children. Spoke to my mom, the semi-Luddite, she avoids computers as much as possible. Anyway, Mom can read some Greek, but since she avoids the internet like the plague, and I don't read Greek, I have to explain the icon as best I can over the telephone. Mom says from what she knows about icons the text is probably from the Gospel of John, as it seemed to be the most favored in some ways in the Orthodox Church. Mom also noted that the Eastern Orthodox Bible doesn't contain the Book of Revelations.

Fascinating! Gotta blow up the texts of both icons and get them off to Ginny for further work. Remember this is old Greek, not contemporary stuff...!

Maggie, your computer has a little handy program called Character Map and using it you can summon up the complete Greek alphabet plus stuff like � � � and the rest of the fun things in there.

Just to confirm the conclusions already drawn, the Greek text says something close to: "Go eimi io phos tou kosmoi ho akolouthon emoi ou peripate dei en te skouia all' exei phos tes" (apologies for incorrect or obscured characters or transcriptions), and is unquestionably the original of John 8:12 "I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

Thank you for the translation, Mark. How extraordianry, An Englishman who not only is a whiz (yes, you are!) at Cricket, but also likes baseball, and can read Greek. Just your ordinary well-bred and educated Briton...*sigh* It makes sense that the passage quoted above is the one the icon makers would use.

Thanks Mark, you got there just ahead of me. Here's my reading of it. Ego eimi to phostou kosmou ho akalouthon emoi ou me peripatesei I am the light of world the companion/disciple my (pl)where -ve follow en te skotia all exei to phos tes zoes in the darkness but go out the light of life The first E was actually in red and doesn't show up too well through the scanner, and the 'me' (-ve) was obscured by one of the hands.

Oh blow - I had it nicely interleaved and it got mucked up. sorry Ego eimi to phostou kosmou ho akalouthon emoi ou me peripatesei I am the light of world the companion/disciple my (pl)where -ve follow en te skotia all exei to phos tes zoes in the darkness but go out the light of life I'm trying again

Understood! Yapp software does incredible stuff with neatly arranged stuff. It likes to make its own decisions and they are not usually the way we planned them to appear...*sigh* Thanks all, for the translations. I sent Ginny a vastly enlarged copy of just the book and hands. Have not heard from her, yet...

This all sounds rather interesting stuff. How comes I missed it all? There seems to be lots more archaeology programmes on at the moment focusing on Christ and Biblical matters, but that's not really surprising considering the time of year! I hope you all have a great Easter and I shall try and access more info on any of the programmes that I have seen.

Nice to see you again Viola. Thanks for the treacle tart (it was yummy even if it was well done - my fault!). I'll show you the icon when you come to visit sometime!

Oooh, I NEED a treacle tart!!! The nearest one is probably in New Zealand. *sigh* I miss the stuff, too, Viola. Comeon over! We'll rent them when they come out on video...*grin*

(I hear she's gone home for the easter hols - she'll be back soon) There's a history of archeology programme on TV now, but I'm finding it a bit boring, not sure why. Out at dinner today, perusing my hosts bookshelves I came across the Watkins - the old straight track. Is that the one you were talking about earlier? T.s got interested now. I also picked up Wilcock -A guide to occult britain which I'm not sure about but will have a look. It does have some black and white photos.

Schleimann boring? Not so! Mostly about Britons, I'd venture to guess. Just my sort of program, actually...

From: Timothy Troy, University of California Berkeley Forwarded by: David Newbury, University of North Carolina dnewbury@unc.edu Prof. J. Desmond Clark, emeritus professor of paleoarchaeology at the University of California, Berkeley, and one of the preeminent paleoarchaeologist and Africanists in the world, has just shown me a copy of a March 29, 2000 article from the Daily Telegraph (London) entitled: "Last Record of African Explorers Faces Ruin." The article was written by Ishbel Matheson in Livingstone, Zambia. It reads in part: "A priceless collection of books and documents, detailing the earliest days of European exploration in Africa, is under threat of destruction. The Livingstone Museum in southern Zambia has hundreds of valuable books, written by the first missionaries, adventurers and prospectors in central Africa. But the building's leaking ceiling collapsed in recent heavy rains, and many publications were damaged beyond repair. Others need expensive conservation work to save them. Piles of ancient, sodden volumes, with subjects as diverse as elephant-hunting and native practices, have been left to dry in the tropical heat. Early newspapers, with vivid descriptions of life in what was then British-ruled Northern Rhodesia, can scarcely be opened, for fear of tearing fragile, brittle pages. Flexon Mizinga, the keeper of history at the museum, said: 'It means the whole history is wiped out. When you lose this kind ofthing, there is no replacement. You can't get copies anywhere else. These are the only copies we have. Valuable historical documents, which escaped the flood, are slowly disintegrating because the museum has no money for conservation. The original letters and journals of David Livingstone, the Scottish missionary, are the pride of the collection. He was the first European to discover the nearby Victoria Falls, and he is remembered affectionately in the area as a Christian who campaigned to stop slavery. His notebooks describing his second Zambezi [River] expedition in 1858 are stored in the museum, with those of his companions, even though the institution is ill equipped to preserve them. The journals of Sir John Kirk, a botanist, and Richard Thornton, a geologist, which record their first impressions of the African landscape and its commercial potential for the British Empire, are in battered cardboard boxes. The acidity of the brown paper which wraps the notebooks is slowly eating away the handwritten testimony of these Victorian explorers. In the museum's clock tower, amid a jumble of books and newspapers, is the work of Thomas Baines, an artist and a member of the Zambezi expedition. A beautiful first edition of his famous Victoria Falls watercolours lies on a tabletop, vulnerable to the fierce heat and high humidity of the southern Zambia climate. Kinglsey Choongo, a museum curator, says, 'The documents will not see the beginning of another century.' Family members of the early explorers and settlers gave historical items to the museum because they wanted their ancestors' contribution to this part of Africa remembered. It seems, however, that in Livingstone and Zambia the history of the whites in Africa is being erased from the national consciousness. Tim Holmes, an author, lives in Zambia and has written a biography of Dr. Livingstone. He believes the museum has been starved of funds because its collection is perceived as a relic from the colonial past.'After independence came, what Zambians wanted to know most of all, is their own history. The colonial history was seen as an irrelevant burden. But trying to ignore colonialaism is like trying to tell the history of Britain without the Romans.'It is the former colonial countries who are now trying to help the museum out of its immediate crisis. The European Union has pledged 250,000 pounds. Conservationists fear that the money is too late because so much damage has been done. Nor will it be enough for the extensive upgrade needed to preserve the collections." Dr. Clark was the director and primary curator of the Livingstone Museum in its early manifestations from 1937 to his departure for Berkeley, California in 1961. In 1951 he raised the funds needed for a major expansion of the museum complex and library in Livingstone. A modest man, Clark neverless has told me in recent oral history interviews I have conducted with him for the Regional Oral History Office of the Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley, that it was he who built the magnificent book and manuscript collection for the museum's library. He personally worked with the descendants of David Livingstone and others to do so. Though now eighty-four years old, Clark can list practically every rare book title, journal and manuscript collection which is held in the Livingstone Museum library. Curiously, however, Clark's great legacy to the world will be his work as a paleoarchaeolgist in Africa. The paleolithic and neolithic archaeolgical collections at the Museum are the result of his work over the course of his years working in Central and East Africa. It was always Clark's intention also to build the museum's collections and library for the Zambian people. In the 1950s he instituted museum outreach educational programs in a concerted effort to help the local peoples learn more about their early history. Long before other museums instituted the practice, Clark designed small, portable travelling exhibitions for this purpose. Understandably it saddens him greatly to see that the museum and its resources are falling into ruin. I would hope that IFLA and its membership could rally support for Flexon Mizinga, Kingsley Choongo and others in Livingstone who are waging the uphill battle to preserve what remains of this priceless library collection. Thank you for spreading the word.

This should be posted in Books conference...perhaps in the intro or conference business. Thanks, Maggie.

Hi, Yes, I am at home at the moment but I am at my parent's computer. I return to Chichester tomorrow. I'm afraid I haven't seen any more interesting programmes yet but I did get the Time Team book for Easter. If I come across anything worth scanning (which I probably will) I shall give it a try. There's loads of photos and interesting info. I shall show you when you next visit Chichester maggie, and I promise to make another treacle tart (this time cooked for just the right length of time!!!!!)

There you are! Yippee! Hope your Easter has been lovely, Dear...I am delighted to see you here if only for a moment. o created some new topics and posted a whizzo one on crop circles at Stonehenge...(no comment)

Tonight on the The Learning Channel they had a program on the Ark of the Covenant. I would like to hear from anyone who saw it. It covered all the bases from space men through the Knights Templar. Shades of Holy Blood, Holy Grail. It did not cover any new material, but it was interesting from the standpoint of seeing the places mentioned in all of the books on the subject. With the major omission of the Rennes-le-Chateau connection. They claimed (they being the Knights Templar and guardians of Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland) thatr there are no fewer than 5 Arks of the Covenant, and they are all still in existance. Of course, none of this could be proven, so it was an exercise in futility for those who wanted a definite yes or no to the question of its still existing. Please comment if you happened to see it.

There's supposed to be an Ark of the Covenant still in existence in Ethiopia. It's at St. Mary's Monastery, I believe. I'm sorry I don't know exactly where in Ethiopia. The Ark is the life-long responsibility of one of the monks, at his death another is chosen from among the brothers.

Yes! I have Graham Hancock's book on the subject. The TLC program I cited above was more current than the research GH did for his book. Neither of them got close to discovering its whereabouts. I suspect, for the devout, you will not change their belief of its whereabouts, and for those still searching, it will be like the Holy Grail...ever out of reach. Just... Aloha Saskia..*hugs*

The latest history of Archeology programme was much better than the two earlier ones. I still don't like the presenter's style much. This one was Schiemann and Petrie. The earier ones were BORING - and we like archeo programmes. Programme 1 Stones and Bones Over the past 250 years archaeologists have completely changed our view of human history. Before archaeology became a scientific discipline, most people thought that the Bible, which has been interpreted as saying that God put Adam and Eve on Earth one day in 4004BC, was literally true. Now, archaeologists have proved that hominids � that is, human beings and their immediate ancestors � have been around for about five million years. From the beginning, archaeologists have grappled with ways of answering the big question: where does the human race come from? Unlike other historians, they have had few documents to go on � instead, they have had to find answers through digging into the earth. The following sections trace the development of archaeology from its early beginnings at Herculaneum. 1736 VENUTI AND HERCULANEUM In southern Italy, which is divided into several independent states, a new king, Charles, begins his rule by buying a small estate on the Bay of Naples. He wants to have a large area on which to hunt. He is told that the farm is famous for its deep well, in which many ancient Roman statues have been found. The king sends his royal antiquary, Count Marcello Venuti, to take a look inside the well. He�s been told that an ancient temple is buried there, but he discovers a curving set of stone steps that look like theatre seats. Then he finds an ancient Roman inscription which tells him that it was a theatre and gives him the name of the city in which it had been built: Herculaneum. Venuti tells Charles that he has an ancient city buried under his estate. It had been covered in lava and ash when the volcano Vesuvius, which still exists, erupted on 24 August 79AD. People had known from manuscripts and books that this had happened, but no one knew exactly where the buried city was. Thirteen years later, Venuti discovers another buried city nearby. It is the now legendary Pompeii, which was covered by volcanic ash so rapidly that most of its buildings and all the everyday objects of its citizens were preserved. These discoveries illustrate the birth of archaeology because they show that remains of the past life of our ancestors are always with us � they are buried under the accumulated layers of time and can be found by excavation. 1816 THOMSEN and COPENHAGEN In Copenhagen, Denmark, Christian Thomsen � a pioneering coin-collector � is appointed keeper of the national archaeological collection. He discovers that although all the objects have been labelled, they have not been classified or arranged in any order. Thomsen decides that because early humans probably used the most advanced materials for weapons, he should organise these ancient objects according to what they were made out of. He arranges the artefacts into Stone Age objects, Bronze Age objects and Iron Age objects. By doing so, he invents a way of grouping what we find in the earth into a story, a history of progress from stone, through bronze and on to iron. His system of three ages is still used by museum curators. 1840s-1860s WORSAAE and DENMARK Christian Thomsen�s assistant at the national museum is Jens Jacob Worsaae. He�s been excavating since the age of 15 and he realises that by looking in Denmark�s ancient mound burials, he always finds the Stone Age burials below the Bronze Age burials and the Iron Age are always on top. From this fact, he concludes that the Stone Age is the most ancient and the Iron Age the most recent, with the Bronze Age in between. From now on, archaeologists can argue that artefacts found in different layers of the earth can be dated to different historical ages. Worsaae is appointed archaeologist royal, becoming the first professional archaeologist, and influencing scholars all over Europe. 1879 De SAUTUOLA and ALTAMIRA In the cave of Altamira, on the north coast of Spain, an amateur archaeologist Marcelino de Sautuola excavates the entrance in the company of his daughter Maria. She wanders inside the cave, looks up at the ceiling and exclaims: �Papa, papa, there are painted bulls.� At first, professional archaeologists don�t believe that such wonderful images could have been painted in the Stone Age, because they assume that early humans were barbarians. It is even suggested that de Sautuola faked them. However, similar paintings are soon found in French caves which have been sealed since ancient times, so their authenticity cannot be doubted. Altamira is dubbed �the Sistine Chapel of the Stone Age�. 1881 PITT-RIVERS and THEBES Augustus Henry Lane-Fox Pitt-Rivers travels up the Nile to the ancient city of Thebes, modern-day Luxor. He finds ancient flints embedded in cemetery walls that are known to be 4,000 years old. The flints had been scraped up when the ancient Egyptians took excavated earth to build these walls. From this, Pitt-Rivers deduces that the flints are much older than the walls, and thus that the history of human beings goes back beyond the 4,000 years suggested by Biblical sources. These flints, he concludes, are older than the pharaohs. As well as making beautiful drawings of the tombs at Thebes, Pitt-Rivers also organises archaeological digs at his estate in Cranbourne Chase in the West Country in 1885. 1927 LAMBERT and MOUNT CARMEL The British administration in Palestine, which ruled the country in the days of Empire, decides to quarry rock from the biblical mountain of Carmel, which lies south of Haifa. Charles Lambert, a professional archaeologist, is sent to see if such work will damage any ancient remains. Digging in some shepherds� caves, Lambert finds a broken sickle handle which is carved with the image of an animal. It is the first piece of Stone Age art to be found outside Europe and proof that agriculture was being practised in ancient Palestine. Lambert also finds ancient flint tools. His expedition is soon followed by that of Dorothy Garrod, the first female professor at Cambridge University, who finds skeletons preserved in lime, at the time the most complete remains of early humans ever found. 1976 LEAKEY and LAETOLI Gradually, over the decades, archaeologists seek the origins of human beings outside Europe. Slowly, Africa emerges as the cradle of humanity. At Laetoli in Tanzania, archaeologist Mary Leakey discovers a trail left by three people walking across a flat expanse of volcanic ash 3,500,000 years ago. They are by far the earliest human footprints known to science. Dating them is made possible by the discovery of carbon dating, devised by Willard F Libby, a former atom bomb scientist, in 1946. He discovers that all organic materials have a tiny amount of naturally occurring radioactivity. One of these materials, called Carbon 14, loses its radioactivity at a constant rate from the moment the organism dies. By measuring the level of radioactivity remaining, the age of many objects can be established. Since the 1960s, such scientific dating methods have been developed and are now more accurate than ever. From being a hobby for rich mavericks, archaeology has grown into a fully-fledged science, able to answer questions about how long ago our ancestors walked the earth. Over the past 250 years archaeologists have completely changed our view of human history. Before archaeology became a scientific discipline, most people thought that the Bible, which has been interpreted as saying that God put Adam and Eve on Earth one day in 4004BC, was literally true. Now, archaeologists have proved that hominids � that is, human beings and their immediate ancestors � have been around for about five million years. From the beginning, archaeologists have grappled with ways of answering the big question: where does the human race come from? Unlike other historians, they have had few documents to go on � instead, they have had to find answers through digging into the earth. The following sections trace the development of archaeology from its early beginnings at Herculaneum. 1736 VENUTI AND HERCULANEUM In southern Italy, which is divided into several independent states, a new king, Charles, begins his rule by buying a small estate on the Bay of Naples. He wants to have a large area on which to hunt. He is told that the farm is famous for its deep well, in which many ancient Roman statues have been found. The king sends his royal antiquary, Count Marcello Venuti, to take a look inside the well. He�s been told that an ancient temple is buried there, but he discovers a curving set of stone steps that look like theatre seats. Then he finds an ancient Roman inscription which tells him that it was a theatre and gives him the name of the city in which it had been built: Herculaneum. Venuti tells Charles that he has an ancient city buried under his estate. It had been covered in lava and ash when the volcano Vesuvius, which still exists, erupted on 24 August 79AD. People had known from manuscripts and books that this had happened, but no one knew exactly where the buried city was. Thirteen years later, Venuti discovers another buried city nearby. It is the now legendary Pompeii, which was covered by volcanic ash so rapidly that most of its buildings and all the everyday objects of its citizens were preserved. These discoveries illustrate the birth of archaeology because they show that remains of the past life of our ancestors are always with us � they are buried under the accumulated layers of time and can be found by excavation. Back to time line 1816 THOMSEN and COPENHAGEN In Copenhagen, Denmark, Christian Thomsen � a pioneering coin-collector � is appointed keeper of the national archaeological collection. He discovers that although all the objects have been labelled, they have not been classified or arranged in any order. Thomsen decides that because early humans probably used the most advanced materials for weapons, he should organise these ancient objects according to what they were made out of. He arranges the artefacts into Stone Age objects, Bronze Age objects and Iron Age objects. By doing so, he invents a way of grouping what we find in the earth into a story, a history of progress from stone, through bronze and on to iron. His system of three ages is still used by museum curators. Back to time line 1840s-1860s WORSAAE and DENMARK Christian Thomsen�s assistant at the national museum is Jens Jacob Worsaae. He�s been excavating since the age of 15 and he realises that by looking in Denmark�s ancient mound burials, he always finds the Stone Age burials below the Bronze Age burials and the Iron Age are always on top. From this fact, he concludes that the Stone Age is the most ancient and the Iron Age the most recent, with the Bronze Age in between. From now on, archaeologists can argue that artefacts found in different layers of the earth can be dated to different historical ages. Worsaae is appointed archaeologist royal, becoming the first professional archaeologist, and influencing scholars all over Europe. Back to time line 1879 De SAUTUOLA and ALTAMIRA In the cave of Altamira, on the north coast of Spain, an amateur archaeologist Marcelino de Sautuola excavates the entrance in the company of his daughter Maria. She wanders inside the cave, looks up at the ceiling and exclaims: �Papa, papa, there are painted bulls.� At first, professional archaeologists don�t believe that such wonderful images could have been painted in the Stone Age, because they assume that early humans were barbarians. It is even suggested that de Sautuola faked them. However, similar paintings are soon found in French caves which have been sealed since ancient times, so their authenticity cannot be doubted. Altamira is dubbed �the Sistine Chapel of the Stone Age�. Back to time line 1881 PITT-RIVERS and THEBES Augustus Henry Lane-Fox Pitt-Rivers travels up the Nile to the ancient city of Thebes, modern-day Luxor. He finds ancient flints embedded in cemetery walls that are known to be 4,000 years old. The flints had been scraped up when the ancient Egyptians took excavated earth to build these walls. From this, Pitt-Rivers deduces that the flints are much older than the walls, and thus that the history of human beings goes back beyond the 4,000 years suggested by Biblical sources. These flints, he concludes, are older than the pharaohs. As well as making beautiful drawings of the tombs at Thebes, Pitt-Rivers also organises archaeological digs at his estate in Cranbourne Chase in the West Country in 1885. Back to time line 1927 LAMBERT and MOUNT CARMEL The British administration in Palestine, which ruled the country in the days of Empire, decides to quarry rock from the biblical mountain of Carmel, which lies south of Haifa. Charles Lambert, a professional archaeologist, is sent to see if such work will damage any ancient remains. Digging in some shepherds� caves, Lambert finds a broken sickle handle which is carved with the image of an animal. It is the first piece of Stone Age art to be found outside Europe and proof that agriculture was being practised in ancient Palestine. Lambert also finds ancient flint tools. His expedition is soon followed by that of Dorothy Garrod, the first female professor at Cambridge University, who finds skeletons preserved in lime, at the time the most complete remains of early humans ever found. Back to time line 1976 LEAKEY and LAETOLI Gradually, over the decades, archaeologists seek the origins of human beings outside Europe. Slowly, Africa emerges as the cradle of humanity. At Laetoli in Tanzania, archaeologist Mary Leakey discovers a trail left by three people walking across a flat expanse of volcanic ash 3,500,000 years ago. They are by far the earliest human footprints known to science. Dating them is made possible by the discovery of carbon dating, devised by Willard F Libby, a former atom bomb scientist, in 1946. He discovers that all organic materials have a tiny amount of naturally occurring radioactivity. One of these materials, called Carbon 14, loses its radioactivity at a constant rate from the moment the organism dies. By measuring the level of radioactivity remaining, the age of many objects can be established. Since the 1960s, such scientific dating methods have been developed and are now more accurate than ever. From being a hobby for rich mavericks, archaeology has grown into a fully-fledged science, able to answer questions about how long ago our ancestors walked the earth. http://www.channel4.com/nextstep/ (click on great excavations picture) (Marcia do you want to go and post in the pix? I'm running out of time, I meant to post the programmes so far)

Archeologists Finish Roman Bath Restoration CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian archeologists have completed the restoration of the largest of five Roman baths found near the Mediterranean coast in the northern Sinai, officials said Thursday. ``Restorations to a Roman bath, dating back to the Roman period in the third century AD, took one year to complete,'' said Gaballah Ali Gaballah, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, while inspecting the restored baths. Mohamed Abdel Maksoud, director of Sinai antiquities, said the baths were built of red brick and included rooms decorated with mosaics of Indian design, water tanks, a section for hot and cold bathing and a steam room. The baths are said to have been used by Roman rulers. They are situated outside the Pilosome Citadel on the Mediterranean coast road between al-Qantara and al-Arish, some 130km (80 miles) northeast of Cairo.

I thought that Lescaux was the Sistine Chapel of the Stone Age. No matter, both sites are remarkably beautiful. I think the Lescaux paintings are slightly older than those at Altimira. Tourists can no longer actually view the actual cave paintings at Lescaux, due to the effect of the humidity from all the visitors breath on the cave environment and the paintings. You can, however, tour a reproduction of the famous cave paintings.

Lascaux and Altamira are supposedly the most significant. But, we are nit picking here. It is subjective opinions on things so much more significant than that they are good art.

Hi!!! Yep, I'm back! Not really much to say. I recall seeing a good programme recently but I have been working hard and I am extremely tired thus causing my brain to want to sleep. When I have woken again I shall try and look up about the programme and post it onto this page. I think it was another channel4 prduction. Watch this space...

...watching... but have to go to a double-header baseball game in an hour, so take your time to get your brain well-rested and back into gear. I had heard that you were too busy to get into trouble (well, almost!) *hugs* Welcome back!

If you're interested in Pompeii, check http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/pompeii/page-1.html From the home page, click on the link to the forum. It gives you a large clickable map of the town plus images. It gives building plans, photos, and some explanations. A link in the section on the Imperial Cult Building brings up a study of how the room and roof might have been constructed, along with several fly-around animations of the sructure as it might have looked. It's definitely worth a visit! (One of my 'love to go there sometime' places!)

Thanks for that. It is definitely one of my Gotta Go places...perhaps in another lifetime...*sigh*

me too *sigh*

I don't know, don't be a pair of doubting Thomas's. If you want to you will get there. If something is worth going for you'll do it. Positive thinking and enthusiasm and a LOVE of archaeology and you'll go ANYWHERE! ENJOY!

For me it is not doubting, it is reality. Especially when financial obligations take priority and it is not easy to hitch a ride to Pompeii from the middle of the Pacific. However, I have not given up on going other places closer to home which call me clearly and insistently!

OK Viola, when are we going? Come on, I need some cheering up!!! I'm still trying to get to York, but that MAY be possible if we can find somewhere to stay on the way up to Scotland this week, and if someone does something about it! (shoulder surfers please note)

Shoulder surfers in my experience are selective blind when looking at the monitor. If it is meant for him to see, you just might have to post it in something which might attract his attention. York would be a natural place to stop and peer at the past!

*sigh* stopping in Sunderland instead. Maybe in August ..... now what archeo is going on there?? must do a search

If you need help or come up empty, I know of some places for you to check..

Please let me know any suggestions. Have arranged a stopover in Pontefract coming home the following week. We shall pass through York and do a reccy prior to a possible longer visit on the way up to scotland in August.

I shall investigate my archy guide books for the area and let you know if I find anything other than the odd castle. That's the place pronounced "pumfret" or something similar?

check this url, Maggie http://www.casandpont.freeserve.co.uk/front.htm

Maps: http://freespace.virgin.net/stuart.lonsdale/ Museum http://www.wakefield.gov.uk/lifestyle/pontmuse.htm Collieries http://www.nce-league.freeserve.co.uk/pontefract_colls.htm Calderdale - the best one on this post, I think: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/north_east_england_history_page/Calderdale.htm

Thanks. I think we will visit Pontefract. The castle and museum sound interesting. I'll post about it in Travel/england etc. when I get back.

Great! Have a splendid time!

when they discuss a dig, these measurements are the ones used: Acres And Hectares An acre is a measurement of area equal to 43,650 square feet or 4,840 square yards. Originally, an acre had to be a fixed-shape rectangle, 660 by 66 feet. But in current usage, it can be any shape as long as it has the same total square footage. Some other countries, such as Ireland and Scotland, have traditionally used somewhat different definitions of the acre. There is also a metric equivalent--the hectare, which is 10,000 square meters, or almost 2.5 acres.

Check out this site for loads on archeology in Mali. http://www.ruf.rice.edu/%7Eanth/arch/mali-interactive/aboutproject/index.html Here's a taste: The archaeological site of Jenn�-jeno is located within a huge, seasonally flooded basin called the Inland Niger Delta, in the West African country of Mali. Every year, after the rains begin further south, where the mighty Niger River has its source, the swollen river rushes downriver (towards the north!). When it enters the flat, Inland Niger Delta basin, the waters spread out and flood all the lowest areas to a depth of 2-3 meters. The floodwaters cover an area about 300 kilometers long by 100 kilometers wide! Needless to say, people who want to live in the Inland Niger Delta year-round have to build their houses on high ground, or create some high ground to live on. Many of the villages are on high mounds that have accumulated over centuries, with the surface getting higher and higher everytime a mud house is abandoned and decays. The mounds become like islands when the floodwaters rise. Sometimes they can be quite big. The modern town of Jenn�, for example, has over 10,000 inhabitants settled on a mound over six meters high. Jenn� will be our home while we are digging at Jenn�-jeno, located three kilometers away across the floodplain. According to tradition, Jenn�-jeno ("ancient Jenn�) is the early site of Jenn�. The town moved to its present location sometime around a thousand years ago, although we aren't sure why the inhabitants moved, finally abandoning Jenn�-jeno totally by 1400 A.D. The fact that Jenn� and Jenn�-jeno are so closely related historically and share many features allows us to look at Jenn� for clues to help us understand how the early Jenn�-jeno people lived. One of the main goals of the project is to do some excavation at Jenn�-jeno to salvage, or rescue, information from several areas of the mound that are cut by huge erosion gullies. Thousands of potsherds, beads, and many other kinds of artifacts are being washed out of the soil and into the gullies every year during the torrential rains in June and July. Along with them goes all possibility for the archaeologist to figure out when and how they were used. Earlier work at Jenn�-jeno by the two American archaeologists on the project, Rod and Susan McIntosh, showed that town life in large, settled communities began over 1500 years ago in this region. At that time, in the late 1970's, people thought that town life in areas south of the Sahara only developed in the last few hundred years. The discovery that Jenn�-jeno had grown very large soon after it was first settled in 250 B.C. came as a big surprise. As the earliest known urban settlement south of the Sahara, Jenne-jeno is one of the very few World Heritage archaeological sites recognized by UNESCO in sub-saharan Africa. Because it is an important site for our understanding of the development of civilization south of the Sahara, its slow destruction by erosion is a matter of grave concern. The World Monuments Fund has provided money to Malian archaeologists to rescue archaeological information in endangered sections of the site, and to fill in the gullies in order to stop further erosion. Malian and American members of the project team are working together toward this important goal.

Mali has been known for years as a very rich country as far as archaeology goes. Thanks for that url and the "taste"

there's also been an awful lot of 'poaching' of artifacts. There's more on that site about that too. There's an 'artifact' market in Bamako. I went past but didn't go anywhere near it!!!

Ancient Cities Reported Found Under Sea Off Egypt ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (Reuters) - Archaeologists on Saturday showed off relics retrieved from the nearly complete ruins of ancient cities they said they had discovered on the seabed off the Egyptian coast. The joint French and Egyptian team said the cities of Menouthif and Herakleion, submerged more than 1,000 years ago, lay in five to 10 meters (15-30 feet) of water about six km (3.75 miles) off the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. ``We are very excited because we are used to finding the remains of a tomb, a church or a mosque, but this time we are finding complete cities cities that were heard about from the classical writings,'' said Gaballah Ali Gaballah, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. ``Most probably they disappeared because of seismic causes,'' said Franck Goddio, head of the Paris-based European Institute of Marine Archaeology. A rise in the Mediterranean sea level and sudden submersion caused by earthquake, or climate changes, could explain the annihilation of the cities, he said. The cities were legendary in antiquity for their wealth and arts as well as their many temples dedicated to the gods Serapis, Isis and Osiris. An intricately carved 1.5-meter (five-foot) black granite statue of Isis was shown to the media after being raised from the seabed. ``To me she looks 17 years old but in reality she is probably around 1,200 years old,'' Goddio said. Gaballah said researchers were aware of the existence of the ancient cities but could not pinpoint their exact location. ``Thanks to modern technology and the efforts of the Egyptian-French team, we could pinpoint cities that were read about in Greco-Roman literature,'' he told Reuters. Also discovered during two years of undersea exploration were the head of a pharaonic statue of a sphinx, jewelry and gold coins dating from the Byzantine and Islamic eras. The archaeologists said the coins showed the region had not been submerged until the eighth century, although the cities had been founded many hundreds of years earlier. The archaeologists said they had also identified two other submerged cities in the same area, Canopus and Thonis, but had not yet retrieved relics from them.

Maggie, grave robbers have been the bane of Archaeologists since mankind began to learn from their past. I know Britain had passed a Treasure Trove law, but some countries are so poor and their governments are so corrupt that it is almost useless to try. The best way to stop this illegal trade is to do as you did...stay as far away from it as possible. Things purchased better have good and legal provenance sheets with them.

Following what we are talking about - this appeared in the Sunday Times this morning. Gangs smuggle best of Africa's art to Britain Jon Ungoed-Thomas and Peter Watson TRIBAL crowns, carvings and terracotta statues dating back more than 2,000 years are being plundered from Africa for British collectors, an investigation has revealed. Organised gangs with up to 1,000 workers have dug up dozens of protected sites to satisfy demand in Europe. The Nigerian high commission in London has complained about the quantity of goods without any provenance being openly sold by auction houses and antique dealers. The trade is so well established that artefacts that would have fetched �30,000 a decade ago are now on sale for a tenth of the price. The government is examining ways of cracking down on sales thought to be worth up to �500m a year. Government officials in Africa are so concerned they have effectively banned the export of all treasures. London outlet: Telfer-Smollett says he has no way of knowing if the art he sells is smuggled Michael Telfer-Smollett, a dealer in African art based in Notting Hill, west London, sold The Sunday Times a Yoruba tribal crown for �275, which Nigerian officials say would have been banned from export. The crown, decorated with wading birds, is believed to have been made early last century for the king in the walled city of Abeokuta. "It's an elaborate work and might have been used in ceremonies," Telfer-Smollett said. Dr Patrick Darling, an archeologist who has worked extensively in Africa, said: "It's been smuggled out. It would never have been allowed to leave the country legally." Telfer-Smollett said yesterday: "Most of my African stuff is bought to me by Africans. They come streaming over with bagfuls of stuff. I don't believe the crown was smuggled, but it's impossible to check. It's up to the authorities in Nigeria to check it before it comes out." Artefacts are bought locally for a few pounds and smuggled out via neighbouring countries. Others are excavated or stolen from museums and temples. The looters particularly target Nok terracotta figures, named after the village on the Jos plateau in Nigeria where the sculptures were discovered. These provide the earliest evidence of a sculptural tradition south of the Sahara. Even artefacts in museums are not safe. Curators complain that items are "borrowed" and never returned amid allegations of corruption. The National Museum in Lagos has so few artefacts it displays replicas. "It's a scandal the way in which archeological material is being lost because of systematic pillaging," said John Picton, of the School of Oriental and African Studies. "It's illegally smuggled out of Africa, but there is no law against selling it here." Archeologists are angered at Britain's refusal to sign the Unesco treaty, which aims to prevent the looting of antiquities. The problem is so widespread that the Royal Academy of Arts had to withdraw several pieces from an exhibition of African art because of fears they were smuggled. "They included Nok pieces which could not have been acquired legitimately," said Picton. The Nigerian high commission has also complained to the London auctioneer Bonhams about its tribal art sales, which regularly include items without provenance. In one sale in April 1997, the commission highlighted six lots that it considered suspect, including a Nok terracotta head. Bonhams has assured the commission that it never accepts any material that has been illegally exported. The commission believes that any item without a detailed history should be removed from sale. Nigeria now wants stricter controls in Britain against illegal imports. "This is the history of Nigeria which is being stolen and sold to art collectors in Europe and the United States," said Greyne Anosike, cultural attach� at the commission.

That is truly horrifying. They are stealing and voiding any direct evidence of our past. Items found en situ are about as objective as "history" can be without coloring by the author. Now, that part of it is rendered as just another antiquity with no provenace, no value but what the black market will bear. How tragic!

Stephen, welcome to Geo and most especially to Archaeology. I talked to Maggie and she told me about you. I am so envious of your working on restoring stone circles; would love to hear about the one in Scotland. A recumbent? My "bible" of Stone circles of the British Isles is by Aubrey Burl and what a thesis that was! How I wish I could have carried his stuff around - and just admire the places. After three trips to Britain crawling through fogous in Cornwall and through sheep paddocks to climb Windmill Hill, it is good to have someone here who know of what I am speaking. Aloha! If you need to contact me in Yahoo, I am kilauea83.

Studying artifacts "in situ" is a fairly new development even among archaeologists. At one time the object was to gather as many relics as possible, which were themselves as valuable as possible.

Not in the last too centuries. Before that, it was considered treasure and so much for history. In situ is the best scenario and the devoutly wished-for situation for all artifacts...

But just imagine the knowlege that was lost, in addition to the damage done.

Just a look at the tombs of Egypt is enough to make you cry. In the US, we managed to level the largest mound of the Woodland folk and build St Louis on the site. Obscene. It makes me very angry then proundly sad at the loss. I would almost rather not know.

...and they levelled a large Hillfort outside of London to build Heathrow.....

At least Rome doesn't have a subway. It was decided not try and build one, for archaeological reasons.

Yup - the catacombs beat them to it - fortunatly! However, when they were tunnelling under London for the Undeerground, they found hippo bones and elephant and ancient extinct wonderments there. Who'd have thought!

Come on in - the water's fine! *grin* (and the Pirhan's don't bite)

Hi Marcia, Thanks for the greeting to this completely new experience. I have been meaning to post a message, but my technological capabilities ended with flint tools...I will e-mail you soon....Stephen.

Come on in - the water's fine! *grin* (and the Pirhan's don't bite)

...and so he did... Thank you and Aloha Stephen! We all started out in here much as you are now - and I worked my way up to what you see now. It just takes persistence, a lot of mistakes and some guidance - all of which I am happy to provide *smile*

I feel the sudden urge to float over the conference strewing frangipani (plumeria)and ginger blossoms in his way... Am I happy to have a *real* archaeologist here? You'd better believe it! *Hugs*

A real live archaeologist. I'm now too petrified to post here again. Okay, petrified is the wrong word. Embarassed is more accurate.

Don't do that to me! I NEED you here. I shall never again mention who the new people posting are. Besides, we need to keep his interest here and if I have to dance to do it, we'll all be embarrassed. (Maybe he is kidding...maybe I am kidding...maybe...) Cheryl, Please don't desert me! I NEED your insight!

I'm not leaving. I was just kidding. Actually, it's great to have a real archaelogist. Now we can all be enlightened in our dabbling.

That's what I thought, actually! This man is man of charm and cultivation. He will correct us most kindly and gently

Who is this real live archaeologist? Perhaps I had better keep my incoherant ramblings about the origins of monuments to myself then. We wouldnt want anyone to get the wrong end of the stick would we? A man of charm and cultivation? That doesnt sound like many of the field archaeologists I know. Who is this mystery man Marci?

Oh, not to worry abut him....he is someone who got bored and decided not to enter the commentary. Boring! Unimaginative and totally unresponsive. I think we are well done with him....probably just someone with ill humor and no affection in his heart for anything.......*smile*

Your incoherent rambling are enchanting this reader. Please continue as thoughts enter your mind....*hugs*

Stephen, Dear, anytine you wish to comment on your origin of monuments please do. My mind is travelling back to the places so familiar to my heart and I need to meet you there and for you to tell me what you are thinking.....please?!

...*out of body experience*... wonder if I can summon up one for Wiltshire...

Does anyone know if anymore has been discovered about the Henge monument at Marden? It was reputed to be the biggest yet known.

On one of the trips to England we investigated what was visible, but there is precious little remaining of surface visibility and much of that was in a small wooded area.

There was another of the 'Secrets of Lost Empires' programmes on last night in he UK. I just checked, and they showed in the US earlier this year on PBS. Go and check the following URL for details. there's some really good photos and video footage. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/ The programme I saw was about 'Pharaoh's Obelisk' http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/obelisk/raises.html The soaring stone monuments known as obelisks were the Egyptian pharaohs' way of capturing a ray of revered sunlight in stone. In this section, follow NOVA's ultimately successful attempts to raise an obelisk of its own. Also, learn where ancient Egypt's obelisks have ended up today, explore other Egyptian monuments using QuickTime VR, and more. this really is worth a look - GO SEE!!!!

(Yup i'm back on form - finding all sorts of stuff again) This sounds interesting. No pix though. Found it when I was looking up on your earlier query. There's also a good Bibliography at http://csweb.bournemouth.ac.uk/consci/text_kn/knbiblio.htm _______________________________________________________________________________ From http://csweb.bournemouth.ac.uk/consci/text_kn/knintro.htm Introduction to the Knowlton henge complex -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The group of Late Neolithic henge monuments at Knowlton is generally recognised as one of the five most important enclosure complexes in Wessex at this time (Renfrew 1973; Wainwright 1989). These complexes consist primarily of massive earthwork enclosures up to 480m across, and often associated with other Late Neolithic monuments such as timber circles and monumental mounds. The importance of these complexes is demonstrated by their continued role in the Early Bronze Age when they became the focus for round barrow cemeteries. Nonetheless, despite their obvious significance, their function remains poorly understood. Their role as the effective centres of Wessex have been stressed by several authors (Bradley and Chapman 1986; Wainwright 1989, 147), whilst it has also been noted that they may have acted in the maintenance of relations with other distant communities via the axe trade (Bradley 1984, 54). In terms of the activities which occurred within the henge enclosures, Burgess (1980, 326) argues that the Wessex henges may have held a permanent population of holy men or retainers to a chief. This view is supported by Mackie (1981) who goes a stage further by suggesting that we should compare the large henges of Wessex as being similar to Early Christian monastic sites, combining a ritual role with the domestic life of a resident population. The idea of both a domestic and a ritual role to henge enclosures appears to be supported by the evidence recovered from excavation at Durrington Walls, although the excavators were more cautious in their interpretations (Wainwright and Longworth 1971). The potential for display at henge sites is also a popular theme in the interpretation of their function. This is a corollary of their design which places the bank outside the ditch thereby creating a grandstand effect from which audiences could view activities taking place in the centre (Burgess 1980, 237). If this is the case we could therefore argue that the role of the ditch was to act as a physical barrier between the observers and the observed, allowing a view, but not access. The suitability of henges to this role is amply shown by the Roman conversion of the henge of Maumbury Rings, Dorchester, into an amphitheatre. Nonetheless, we cannot assume that since we can see the value of henges as auditoriums that their builders held similar views. In this respect it should be noted that at Mount Pleasant the site was, for a time, surrounded by a timber palisade, which would have obstructed both visibility and access to the interior from the banks (Wainwright 1979). With such equivocal evidence, perhaps we hould take the view of Darvill (1987, 81-2) that it is likely that henges fulfilled many functions, and indeed changed their role through time. Extensive fieldwork has been carried out at and around four of these henge enclosures: Avebury (Smith 1965; Ucko et al 1991), Stonehenge and Durrington Walls (Wainwright and Longworth 1971; Richards 1990; Cleal et al 1995); Mount Pleasant (Wainwright 1979), and Marden (Wainwright 1971). At Knowlton however, little or no fieldwork has been carried out and, when this latter complex is mentioned in discussions of henge monuments, it is usually considered by analogy with these better known sites. The extent to which these analogies are accurate is unclear, and can only be resolved by considerable fieldwork in this little understood part of Wessex. At first sight the lack of fieldwork at Knowlton is curious since just 500m to the north lies Cranborne Chase, where there has been considerable work in recent years in the examination of Neolithic landscape patterns (see Barrett et al 1991; Tilley 1994). These studies have demonstrated the importance of Cranborne Chase in the Early Neolithic, with the long barrows and the Dorset cursus forming obvious focal points for activity. Nonetheless, it seems equally clear that in the Later Neolithic, the local communities ceased building major monuments in Cranborne Chase and diverted their attention to the construction of the henge complex at Knowlton, just to the south (see area plan). That this geographical shift has been so little studied can be explained by examining the history of research in this part of Dorset. Cranborne Chase is well known as the proving ground for the modern approach to archaeological fieldwork pioneered by General Pitt Rivers in the late 19th century (Barker 1977, 13). His excavations in the area included many famous sites such as Wor Barrow, South Lodge, and the Martin Down enclosure (Pitt Rivers 1898). Unfortunately for the study of British prehistory, the extent of the General's lands ended at the boundaries of Cranborne Chase, and Knowlton lay just outside of this area. The legacy of Pitt-Rivers' fieldwork appears to have acted as a magnet for archaeologists whose new research could refer back to the wealth of evidence he collected. As this level of data for the Neolithic of Cranborne Chase has increased, it seems to have become increasingly difficult to fit the relatively unknown complex at Knowlton into the picture. It is certainly apparent that it will be many years before the quantity of data concerning this latter area compares with that currently available in Cranborne Chase. In order to make some first steps in rectifying this imbalance Bournemouth University has begun a series of free-standing projects at the Knowlton complex aiming to enhance the general level of knowledge in the area. Through this program of targeted research it is hoped to examine all of the major monuments in the immediate area through detailed survey and small excavation projects. This work will provide a framework, both for the interpretation of the role and extent of the Knowlton complex within the Allen valley, and also its relationship to the wider landscape of Cranborne Chase. http://csweb.bournemouth.ac.uk/consci/text_kn/knback.htm Background to the henge complex -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Site location The complex of monuments at Knowlton lies in the parish of Woodlands which is in turn within East Dorset District Council (centred on SU02450994). It is situated c.2 miles south of Cranborne and c.6 miles north of Wimborne, around the junction of the B3078 and Lumber Lane which meet beside the bank of the Southern Circle. The most prominent site in the complex is the Church Henge which still survives as a substantial earthwork, and at which there is limited parking. Complex period/type Knowlton Rings consists of 4 earthworks: the North Circle, Church Circle, Southern Circle, and the 'Old Churchyard'. In addition to these sites, to the east of the Church Circle is the Great Barrow, the largest round barrow in Dorset, and almost certainly directly related to the henges. Within a one mile radius of these earthworks there are also a large number of barrows and ring-ditches with particular foci to the SSW and NE of the henges see site plan. The Central and Southern Circle are generally seen on morphological grounds as being classic henges, while the North Circle was regarded by Harding and Lee (1987) as a 'possible henge'. The status of the 'Old Churchyard' is also uncertain although documentary research suggests that it pre-dates the medieval period. Within the Church Circle is the ruin of Knowlton church which contains architectural features dating from the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries. Detail of the church from southwest A plan of the complex is included in the RCHM volume for East Dorset (RCHM 1975) which shows the four circles, the Great Barrow and the clusters of barrows and ring- ditches to the SSW and NE. Since this survey was completed further study in the area (Grinsell 1982, Papworth 1988) has revealed a number of new ring-ditches. In addition, the dry summer of 1995 has added considerably to our knowledge of sites within the Knowlton area, with two further enclosures being located by aerial photography, as well as confirmation that the outer ditch of the Great Barrow is discontinuous (Green pers. comm.). Aerial view of henge complex Previous work The only published excavation within the area of the Knowlton complex prior to Bournemouth�s work was an examination of a pipe trench which cut a chord through the outer ditch of the Great Barrow revealing a skeleton dated by the excavators to the Anglo-Saxon period (Field 1962). More recently, in 1986 a programme of fieldwalking was carried out by the Allen Valley Fieldwalking Group. This focused on eight fields to the east of the B3078. Although it has not been possible to examine the material personally, interim publication noted a lithic scatter c.800m to the south of the Southern Circle (Hall 1988, 154-5).

Even more ..... Hey I found the Journal British Archeology is freely available online - full articles. The following item is from Issue no 43, April 1999. and follows the discussion we had earlier about barrows and a Time Team excavation. Check it out. http://britac3.britac.ac.uk//cba/ba/ba43/ba43feat.html Bury the dead in a sacred landscape Bronze Age barrows are often found near rivers, lakes and springs. David Field explains why Where did Bronze Age people bury their dead? Where were the favoured locations for their round barrows? For years, there has been an unquestioned assumption within archaeology that over 3,000 years ago people preferred to site barrows on the tops of hills and ridges, or on the `false crests' of prominent hills, as these were places that commanded the widest view. Quite why this incorrect assumption has prevailed may be partly because it offers an enduring image of funeral ceremonies taking place at visually dramatic points in the landscape. Archaeologists have also tended to focus on the relatively few surviving barrows on the chalk downs, while paying less attention to the greater number of flattened barrows in lower locations such as lower hill slopes and river valleys. Recent surveys of the evidence as a whole across large tracts of southern England suggest, in fact, that relatively few barrows were positioned on the highest points in the landscape. Most were rather built on sloping ground, usually on the middle or lower slopes of a hill, where drainage is good. Remarkably large numbers were also sited close to springs, lakes, or rivers, sometimes in the valley floor but often along the upper reaches of the river. It is difficult to escape the conclusion that water and well-drained soils were deliberately sought out for the location of Bronze Age barrow cemeteries. These observations allow us to revise our interpretation of certain aspects of Bronze Age funeral practice. The idea of the existence of `ritual landscapes' in prehistory is now well-established, and from ethnographic records we know that many non-western societies regard the whole landscape as imbued with sacred or mythological significance. It is easy to imagine how features such as caves and springs might be thought to provide a point of contact with the spirit world. Seen in this light, the positioning of barrow cemeteries may suggest a funeral practice in the British Bronze Age as much concerned with the sanctity of the landscape as with status display, leaderveneration and other such traditional interpretations. It has long been thought that surviving barrow cemeteries tend to cluster in certain restricted areas - such as, for example, around Stonehenge and Avebury. This clustering has been said to reflect the location of the summer pastures of a transhumant community, or the presence of settlement nearby, or even the existence of a property or territorial boundary. It has also been argued that earlier monuments attract later ones around them. The assumption has been, however, that these concentrations are genuine. In fact the areas where barrows exist today as earthworks appear to be amongst the few that have escaped episodes of intensive cultivation during the Roman, medieval and later periods. Recent research by the English Royal Commission in North-East Yorkshire indicates that there is greater chance of survival where barrows are located on steeper ground rather than on gentler slopes, and this is likely to be the case for the southern chalk too. Many large clusters may have been lost long ago. Air photography has revealed many such levelled cemeteries and the emphasis has shifted as a result. The concentration of ring ditches on the Isle of Thanet in Kent, for example, compares with extant barrow distribution around Stonehenge. Pioneering work by Peter Woodward and Stephen Green in the Great Ouse valley of Cambridgeshire during the 1970s helped to draw attention to the number of levelled round barrows along river valleys. Here, over 400 ring-ditches, most of them likely to be levelled barrows, occurred in often quite large clusters at intervals along the river terrace. Along the Avon valley, in Wiltshire, air photographs show that a string of levelled barrow cemeteries extend all the way to the river's source, close to the great henge at Marden. A similar pattern can be seen around other rivers, for example the Wylye, Nine Mile River, and the Kennet, all in Wessex, as well as elsewhere. Other water features may also have been important markers. In Hampshire, for example, some barrows tend to focus on lakes and meres. New surveys of surviving barrows in the south-east of England, Salisbury Plain, and the Marlborough Downs have also offered a different perspective. Even among surviving examples, few are found on the highest points in the landscape. Instead barrows are found on middle or lower slopes or around the foot of a hill. Sometimes low ridges in the lee of higher hills were used. Many cemeteries of barrows on the chalk - such as Ladywell Barrows, near Imber on Salisbury Plain, Rockley on the Marlborough Downs, and the Seven Barrows at Lambourne in Berkshire - can in fact be interpreted better as groups located around the heads of valleys or at places where springs formerly emerged. If we accept that barrows may have been placed near rivers and springs for sacred reasons, it remains to ask what those sacred reasons might be. No answer is certain. But it is nonetheless interesting that in China, cemeteries have for centuries been placed in carefully chosen positions in the landscape. Ideally such sites are well-drained - to allow the life-force to `drain away' - being situated on slopes with a water feature or sump at the foot, and sheltered from supposedly evil north winds by a mountain or hill. These factors are considered of such importance that where no natural drainage feature is present a ditch is often dug to provide one. In a sacred landscape, prominent landscape features often develop their own mythology. In this light, it may be no accident that the many barrows along the South Downs escarpment are not mirrored by a similar distribution on the North Downs. The South Downs escarpment faces north, the North Downs face south. The North Downs escarpment therefore receives more light - encouraging different vegetation - and the complementing opposites of light and shade, north and south, could perhaps have had some sacred significance; albeit one whose exact meaning may no longer be recoverable. It also seems that a concept of harmony within the landscape may have played some part in the placing of burial mounds. Barrow cemeteries are rarely geometric, but are often aesthetically pleasing. The final plan often seems to have been deliberately arranged, even though individual barrows may have been constructed over centuries. A number of barrow cemeteries may also have been aligned on celestial features, along a north-east/south-west axis. The barrow cemetery at Winterbourne Stoke crossroads, near Stonehenge, is perhaps the best known example. This is the same alignment incorporated in Stonehenge itself, in a number of other stone circles and also in typical middle Bronze Age co-axial field systems (see BA, November 1997, May 1998). The Bronze Age landscape, therefore, appears to have been arranged according to a cosmological plan that was widely understood and accepted. Now, the latest survey work suggests that the burial mounds of the dead, like the monuments, field systems, and possibly even domestic architecture of the living, were ordered according to a system in which the landscape itself played a defining role. David Field is an archaeologist with the English Royal Commission (RCHME), which merged this month with English Heritage

Comments on any of this anyone????? One bit that stuck out for me in the above article was 'In a sacred landscape, prominent landscape features often develop their own mythology'. That seems to link in with the item we had earlier in geomyth about Aboriginal 'songlines' in Australia. I haven't come across this in Africa yet but I will ask questions when I am in Mali in October.

In the January/February 2000 issue of Archaeology Magazine new findings at Avebury, one of which is a woodhenge similar to the one near Stonehenge were discussed. Near Stonehenge there are several including Durrington Walls which has quite a large one and a smaller one which will never be fully excavated because a housing estate was built squarely atop most of the entire area. Has anymore informations come out of the study of Avebury's newly rediscovered woodhenge or the Beckhampton / West Kennet Avenues? I have Burl's book on Avebury but it was written before any of these new finds. Would appreciate an update if you have one!

I have read the above postings on ritual and scared landscapes....a lot of the ideas I have researched for my thesis...so as soon as I cut out the technical jargon I will try and post something coherant on the subject...

Aloha Stephen. We await your posting with great anticipation (having read the entire thesis with great pleasure) and encouraging you to take your time as we exercise patience. I am delighted that you are posting here *smile*

oh new blood! haha, welcome stephen. don't mind me, i'm just a little wolfie.

Vampire Wolfie strikes again...*grin*

sorry.....off topic drift again.....*sigh*

(Now where's Buffy when we need her? guess the house male's monopolising her again! - sorry, it's late and I'm goofy!)

*laugh* Oh dear, second childhood or just burgeoning manhood there? He is in good company. There is an entire topic for the program in the TV conference... (Am surprised there is not a Babes conference one as well...I have one there!)

(I don't!)

(yet!)

I think the creator of same is no longer creating. Mine for John was the last one of that sort I did in Screwed...and Male Babes taught me not to do that again..!

From NASA's children's site: For several days following June 16, the Moon will appear nearly full and, of course, there's another full Moon every month. Each one hovers above the horizon for a while as it rises, triggering the 'Moon Illusion.' The illusion simply lasts longer for northern observers near the time of the summer solstice. (Oh to be at any stone circle in the British Isles about now...*sigh*)

It has the same effect on the recumbent stone in the Scottish circles?!

I cut this out to post ages ago - and lost it in the debris. From the Sunday Times April 14 Bespectacled warriors who terrorised ancient Britain The mere sight of their double horned battle helmets was enough to strike fear into the hearts of the Brits. But as archeologists have discovered the Vikings who rampaged across Britain and Europe also wore something a little less daunting on their heads - spectacles! Clear disks uncovered at Viking settlements in Sweden, which were at first thought to be jewellery are in fact sophisticated lenses. German scientists who examined the finds were astounded by the standard reached by ancient opticians who were working between 700 and 1000 AD. the principles they used to make these lenses were not really understood until many centuries later, yet these people managed to employ these principles to create lenses that were perfect for a wide variety of uses. Their cut is practically perfect and the surface is almost perfectly elliptic. The optical quality can be compared with that of modern spectacles. But the archeologists who found the lenses at settlements in Gotland say that they don't prove the Vikings were a y more civilised than previously thought. It is thought that they probably stole the lenses from merchant caravans that travelled across from eastern Europe or the Byzantine Empire. The Vikings were always raiding the Byzantines and once they realised what these lenses could be used for they would have been much prized. The size of the lenses also indicates that some were used to make the first crude telescopes, 500 years earlier than the Dutch opticians thought to have invented them for seafarers. the largest had a radius of 50mm and a thickness of 30mm.

Interesting image, big hulking Vikings wearing glasses. I wonder if they had shades too?

That is amazing. I am wondering how the ground the lenses and how they calibrated them one with the other. Nothing is worse than glasses whose lenses do not match. It makes me seasick-feeling. Despite my favoring gentlemen who wear them, I somehow cannot imagine how it helped their image as fearsome warriors (from whose loins the Hemming lineage arose.) I am wondering why it did not get more press. That is amazing, as I said...

there was a rather fanciful line drawing attached, but my scanne is offline just now, and I wasn't convinced!!! I think the Byzantine point of origin would be an interesting line to follow and see if there is more anywhere on their techniques and use of telescopes.

This from Reuters which is probably old news to some but new to me: Scientists Probe Riddle of Stonehenge Skeleton LONDON (Reuters) - The skeleton of a man executed up to 2,100 years ago at Stonehenge, Britain's greatest prehistoric monument, was shown in public for the first time Friday. The bones, which date from between 100 BC and 1000 AD, were first unearthed in 1923 and stored in London, where they were thought to have been destroyed in the Nazi Blitz in 1941, according to government conservation body, English Heritage. The skeleton was found to have survived by author Mike Pitts during research for a book about the giant stone circle in western England. After using modern forensic techniques, scientists have concluded that the man did not die of natural causes as had been thought but was the victim of an execution. Archaeologist Jacqueline McKinley said the man, who was about 35, died from violent beheading. There is a small nick on the lower jaw and a cut on the fourth neck vertebra, indicating he was beheaded by a sharp sword. "Why he was executed is not known," English Heritage said. "But it is possible that he was singled out for special punishment, as Stonehenge clearly represents a dramatic and important site for the event and the man's burial." Scientists are using carbon-dating techniques to try to find out exactly when the man died. It is only the fourth complete skeleton to have been found at Stonehenge, a World Heritage Site built between 3050 BC and 1600 BC. http://news.excite.com/news/r/000609/09/science-britain-stonehenge-dc/

I think i must hae missed that too. curious!

Bespectacled Vikings. Now there's an image. It has been surmised that a lot of the reason for the bad press the Vikings got was due to the fact that they weren't Christians. At least not in the early stages of their entry onto the world stage. They particularly favored raiding monasteries and church, as the Church was rich. Since monks were virtually the only people who were literate then -- it was they who wrote what survives from that time.

Cognicized, Conceptualized and Cultural Landscapes - Some brief thoughts on new approaches to landscape archaeology. The concept of �ritual landscape� is one which still runs through much of the writing on prehistory. This term is, however, outmoded and outdated for the very reason that it attempts to compartmentalize prehistoric landscapes into the �economic� and the �ritual�, the �sacred� and the �profane�. There is, however, no evidence that such a demarcation existed in the past and we should really be looking at landscapes as a whole and not attempting to categorize them into areas that, although they may make life easier for the archaeologist, had little or no relevance in prehistory. So where are we to start when attempting to understand prehistoric landscapes? As mentioned already the term �ritual landscape� is not one that should be relied on too heavily. Neither should interpretations based on the breaking down of landscapes into the �normal� categories of Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age landscapes be approached uncritically. In the past landscapes, and the monuments contained within the landscape, have been approached mainly in terms of the monuments themselves. So much has been written about sites such as Stonehenge and Avebury in Britain, and comparable monuments in America, such as Cahokia, that it is often easy to forget that the monuments themselves are only a small part of the picture. We must never lose sight of the fact that what we are looking at is a �cultural landscape�, a landscape that is not only a product of human activity and manipulation, but is conceptualized and perceived in the minds of the people interacting with their lived environment. This idea of �cognitive landscapes� is one that may take some time to come to terms with, but the lived landscape is as much a cultural and cosmological construct as a more easily recognizable piece of material culture. The crux of this argument is based around the idea that manipulation of the landscape, and the construction of monuments is not solely related to the kind of economic determinizm suggested by Colin Renfrew (1973). If we look beyond the monuments themselves, at the landscape, the scatters of artefacts around unaltered �natural� places and at anthropological study of significant places in the landscape, it is possible to see that the concepts that up until relatively recently have been associated solely with the construction of the earliest monuments, have their origins much further back in prehistory. If we look at studies of Australian Aboriginal culture (see especially Josephine Flood - The Archaeology of the Dreamtime), and various studies of Native American society, we can see that the ideas more normally associated with the building of monuments within the landscape are much more concerned with developments in human thought patterns and cognitive evolution than in any kind of economic determinizm. If we want to study the development of landscapes over time it is much more important that from now on we look at the landscape as an evolving entity rather than as a series of monumental sites associated with specific periods in prehistory. If we use this approach in conjunction with more recent work on developments in human cognition, then we may have a much better chance of understanding, not just prehistoric landscapes, but of prehistory as a whole.

Stephen, Thank you seem hardly adequate to express my delight with your posting. It is fascinating. Being able to walk the places they walked must be almost a religious experience, for those who have the ability and empathy to feel their presence. One day I shall return and feel that once again.

Woven cloth dates back 27,000 years Clay bearing a textile imprint together with a cast By BBC News Online science editor Dr David Whitehouse Woven clothing was being produced on looms 27,000 years ago, far earlier than had been thought, scientists say. It had been thought that the first farmers developed weaving 5,000 to 10,000 years ago. But Professor Olga Soffer, of the University of Illinois, is about to publish details in the journal Current Anthropology of 90 fragments of clay that have impressions from woven fibres. Professor Soffer revealed some her findings recently when she said that a 25,000-year-old figurine was wearing a woven hat. If confirmed, her work could change our understanding of distant ancestors, the so-called Ice Age hunters of the Upper Palaeolithic Stone Age. More at......http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_790000/790569.stm

Domesticates, Monuments, Death & Society. Some brief thoughts on the adoption of agriculture in Neolithic Europe. One of the great paradoxes and debates surrounding interpretations of Neolithic society in Europe is to what extent did the adoption of agriculture create the hypothesized ideas of social stratification deemed by some necessary for the construction of the earliest monuments. Colin Renfrew (1973) suggested that in order to create the correct social and economic stratification necessary for the construction of the earliest Neolithic monuments, it is necessary to have an agrarian economy in place before hand. At the opposite end of the spectrum Julian Thomas (1999) argues that at the time the earliest monuments were constructed in Britain, the evidence for an economy based almost solely on agriculture is practically non existent. As usual the real truth lies somewhere these two polar opposites, although my own opinion on reassessment of the evidence (evidence which admittedly Renfrew would not have had access to) is that the �truth�, if indeed truth is a concept applicable to prehistory, is probably much closer to the Julian Thomas view than to Renfrew�s. So how are we to solve this problem that has caused so much debate and controversy in the past? Perversely it is not to the biological remains that we should turn first, but to the monuments themselves, but first we must look at ourselves, and at the development of the human mind. Steven Mithen (1996) has pointed out that the cognitive abilities to produce not just functional stone tools, but also items of quite breathtaking beauty, were in place as far back as the Upper Palaeolithic at least. The adoption of agriculture then can not be seen as a quantum leap in human cognition as has sometimes been suggested in Childesque ideas of some form of �Neolithic Revolution�. What we are in fact seeing is a very small part of a long term process, a process that may not necessarily, in its initial stages at least, have been consciously embarked upon at all. This raises another question as to who domesticated what? Did prehistoric communities domesticate plants, or was it the other way round. The major change in the Mesolithic / Neolithic transition was not the beginnings of the use of domesticates per-se but the construction of the first monuments. This has in turn led to deterministic theories about environmental and economic change being responsible for the social change and the social stratification thought necessary for the origins of monumentality. By looking at a couple of case studies it is hoped to show that the transition from a hunter / fisher / gatherer (HFG) based economy, to an economy based on agriculture was a much longer term event that did not really reach an intensive level into well into the Iron Age. The table above shows some of the arguments put forward both for and against continuity and change in the Meso. / Neo. transition. Archaeology, however, obstinately refuses to fall into such neat columns. Let us now examine some of the changes that occurred in the earlier Neolithic to see whether or not we can identify the origins of ideas most usually associated with the Neolithic back into the Mesolithic. In my own research into the origins of monumentality, I have suggested that perhaps the concepts associated with monuments at least can be traced back into the forest environment of the Mesolithic (Appleby, 2000). I have also suggested that perhaps manipulation of woodland in the Neolithic may not, in fact, be purely for economic reasons but that perhaps Neolithic communities were creating a kind of �aesthetic of landscape� associated as much with phenomenology and cosmology as with economy (ibid.). Rather than outlining the main points of that paper again I now propose to look at some of the more general concepts associated with the Neolithic in Britain and Europe, and see how these can be used to fit in with the idea that adoption of an agrarian economy was somehow a determining factor in the construction of earlier Neolithic monuments. The first monuments to appear in the British Neolithic are the long barrows and long cairns associated with ritual disposal of the dead. Writers such as Renfrew (1973) have postulated that perhaps these can be seen as boundary or territorial markers in the landscape. These in some way define the boundaries between different groups of early agriculturalists, and were primarily built by utilizing an agricultural surplus to feed the people building the monuments. This suggests a certain amount of social hierarchy and complexity, with the elite at the top being able to co-opt and coerce their social underlings. Robert Chapman (1981) was also suggested that perhaps the building of early Neolithic burial mounds in some way marks out not only territory, but also creates a sense of �belonging� to a certain place, and therefore to a certain territory by the placing of the ancestors into these mortuary monuments. In this sense the ancestors almost become a separate species, still living in the landscape inside the monuments. These socio-economic views are very much a product of their time, and very processual in origin. Other than the monuments themselves there is no real evidence to back this theory up. The pollen diagrams for this period suggest that at the time the first mortuary monuments were constructed around 90% of the British Isles would have been covered in primary woodland (Bennett, 1989). This immediately discounts certain aspects of the theory on two counts. Firstly, by its very nature primary woodland is not really conjusive to any intensive form of agriculture, other than a shifting garden based agriculture. Also the idea of early mortuary monuments being a kind of �visual boundary� between the territorial claims of different social groups does not really work either because, unless you are Superman and have some sort of highly developed x-ray vision, getting clear lines of sight through areas of primary forest is impossible. Certainly, these monuments would not have been constructed at random, but at places that had significance to the communities that built them. This significance, however, can not really be equated to the adoption of agriculture as the evidence suggests otherwise. What we need to do is look at the symbolism associated with these monuments and try and base our interpretations on this. The symbolism associated with eralier Neolithic is notoriously difficult to interpret and it is not our place here to really try and understand the whole sequence. Very basically what we see in the earlier Neolithic is burials of groups of individuals under long mounds or lang cairns, some of these, such as Waylands Smithy in Berkshire, are built on top of earlier burials. Richard Bradley (1998) has suggested that these long mounds can be seen as symbolic �houses of the dead�, and indeed, at some Linearbandkeramik sites on the edge of the loess in continental Europe, there is evidence that suggests that houses of the dead were constructed directly on top of the foundations of earlier dwelling places. Certainly these ideas have a number of ethnographic parallels where houses of the deceased are destroyed and avoided, as they are still associated with the presence and spirit of the dead person. Perhaps then this is a more feasible explanation, with symbolic aspects of the �house of the dead� being more important than associations with social hierarchies and the rise of the individual. The individual does not really become visible in the archaeology of the Neolithic until much later, with the introduction of single inhumations in the later Neolithic and early Bronze Age. What I am not suggesting here is that in some way domesticates came to be adopted much later than has previously been suggested. Certainly, there is evidence from the earlier Neolithic that domesticated animals had been introduced from continental Europe in the 4th Millenia BCE. My argument is based around the idea that in the earlier Neolithic there was not the wholesale adoption of domesticates as previously theorized. What we see is a rather more gradual adoption of domesticates, and in the intial phases at least, these would have been used alongside collected natural resources. There are many ideas that can be brought into this equation, not only for the building of monuments and the adoption of agriculture, but for the social ideas in place at the time. Gender theory is one approach that needs to be considered. Watson and Kennedy (1998) have forwarded the idea that even if we use the traditional androcentric man the hunter / woman the gatherer roles for prehistory, it is still possible to see that perhaps women�s role in the adoption of agriculture was greater than has previously been realized. Also by looking at the symbolism associated with changes in material culture over time, and by looking at this in its landscape context, inculding studying how landscape usage changed over time, it should be possible ot get a much better idea of the role changing exploitation changed over time. By looking at how concepts of time, space and place developed as societies developed from a HFG economy to an agrarian one, and how this manifested itself in material culture and in developing ideologies and cosmologies, we should hopefully better be able to understand not just the economic and environmental implications of an increased reliance on domesticates, but the social implications too. These are no more than random thoughts, based on my own past research. I have not tried to back much of what I have said up with any in depth studies of excavation reports and recent theoretical developments. These thoughts were mainly pulled in a fairly incoherant form off the top of my head. Hopefull though there are some ideas here that can be used in your paper in conjunction with other evidence. The bibliography below will also hopefully be of some help. Bibliography: Allen, M.J. 1997. Environment and Land Use: The Economic Development of the Communites who built Stonehenge (an Economy to Support the Stones), in Cunliffe, B. & Renfrew, C. Science and Stonehenge: 115-144. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Appleby, S.C. (2000) Beetles, Bones & Standing Stones - An archaeological and anthropological study of the origins of monuments is a wooded landscape. Unpublished BA Dissertation, University of Reading. Barrett, J.C. 1994. Fragments from Antiquity - An Archaeology of Social life in Britain 2900 - 1200 BC. Oxford & Cambridge (MA): Blackwells. Bell, M. & Walker, M.J.C. 1992. Late Quaternary Environmental Change: Physical and Human Perspectives. Harlow: Longman. Bennett, K.D. 1989. A Provisional Map of Forest Types for the British Isles 5000 Years Ago, Journal of Quaternary Science 4: 141-144. Bradley, R. 1984. The Social Foundations of Prehistoric Britain: Themes and Variations in the Archaeology of Power. Harlow & New York: Longman. Bradley, R. 1993. Altering the Earth: The Origins of Monuments in Britain and Continental Europe. Edinburgh: Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Monograph Series No. 8 Bradley, R.J. 1998. The Significance of Monuments. London and New York: Routledge. Bradley, R.J. 2000. An Archaeology of Natural Places. London & New York: Routledge. Caseldine, A.E. 1984. Palaeobotanical Investigations at the Sweet Track, Somerset Levels Papers 10: 65-78. Caseldine, A. 1988. A Wetland Resource: The Evidence for the Environmental Exploitation in the Somerest Levels during the Prehistoric Period, in Murphy, P. & French, C. (eds.), The Exploitation of the Wetlands: 239-265. Oxford: B.A.R. Chapman, R. 1981. The Emergence of Formal Disposal Areas and the �Problem� of Megalithic Tombs in Prehistoric Europe, in Chapman, R., Kinnes, I. & Randsborg, K. (eds.), The Archaeology of Death: 71-81. Cambridge, New York and Melbourne: Cambridge University Press. Cleal, R.M.J., Walker K.E & Montague, R. (eds.). 1995. Stonehenge in it�s Landscape: Twentieth Century Excavations. London: English Heritage Archaeological Report No. 10. Coles, B. 1988. Fossil Insect assemblages from the Somerset Levels: The work of Maureen Girling, in Murphy, P. & French, C. The Exploitation of the Wetlands: 5-20. Oxford: B.A.R. Coles, B. & J. 1995. Enlarging the Past. Edinburgh: Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Monograph No. 11. Coles, B. & J. 1989. People of the Wetlands - Bogs, Bodies and Lake Dwellers. London: Thames & Hudson. Coles, B. & J. 1986. Sweet Track to Glastonbury. London: Thames & Hudson. Coles, J. 1984. The Archaeology of Wetlands. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Conkey, M.W. & Gero, J.M. 1991. Tensions, Pluralities and Engendering Archaeology: An Introduction to Women and Prehistory, in Gero, J.M. & Conkey, M.W. (eds.), Engendering Archaeology: Women and Prehistory: 3-30. Oxford & Malden (MA): Blackwells. Conkey, M.W. & Spector, J. 1984. Archaeology and the Study of Gender, in Hays-Gilpin K. & Whitely, D.S. (eds.), (1998) Reader in Gender Archaeology: 11-45. Oxford & New York: Routledge. Darvill, T. 1987. Prehistoric Britain. London & New York: Routledge. Darvill, T. 1997. Ever Decreasing Circles: The Sacred Geographies of Stonehenge and it�s Landscape, in Cunliffe, B & Renfrew, C. (eds.), Science and Stonehenge: 167-202. Oxford & New York: Oxford University Press for The British Academy. Edmonds, M. 1999. Ancestral Geographies of the Neolithic. London & New York: Routledge. Evans, J.G. 1999. Land & Archaeology - Histories of Human Environment in the British Isles. Stroud & Charleston (SC): Tempus. Hirsch, E. 1995. Landscape: Between Place and Space, in Hirsch E. and O�Hanlon, M. (eds.), The Anthropology of Landscape: Perspectives on Place and Space: 1-30. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Mithen, S. 1996. The Prehistory of the Mind. London: Thames & Hudson. Orme, B. 1981. Anthropology for Archaeologists. London: Duckworth. Parker-Pearson, M. 1993. Bronze Age Britain. London: Batsford. Richards, J. 1990. The Stonehenge Environs Project. London: English Heritage. Richards, J. 1991. Stonehenge. London: Batsford / English Heritage. Thomas, J. 1999. Understanding the Neolithic. London & New York: Routledge. Tilley, C. 1994. A Phenomenology of Landscape - Places, Paths and Monuments. Oxford & Providence (RI): Berg. Watson, P.J. & Kennedy, M.C. 1998. The Development of Horticulture in the Eastern Woodlands of North America: Women�s Role, in Hays-Gilpin & Whitely, D.S. (eds.), Reader in Gender Archaeology: 173-190. Oxford & New York: Routledge.

Where do I begin...?! Stephen, this is wonderful stuff. Many questions are tumbling around in my head which are vying for answers and attention. I seem to need to be brought up to date with the literature much as the authors do whose books I rely on. Your sharing your expertise with us makes me both delighted and aware of the gaps in my understanding of the most recent findings and interpretations. More when I absorb this posting, and thank you for including the bibliography.

If you can email me the file containing the table I will post it for you. American education standards fall so far below English standards that your BA thesis would probably be worthy of a MSc or higher. I wish you would publish in a journal and get proper credit for your insight and analysis. I am stunned and amazed by your brilliance. ...and, you quoted from "The Hobbit" Thank you!

Thank you Stephen for that erudite theory, I have read about and looked at with much interest, iron age forts on the North Downs and the Harrow Way, a roadway across the top of the downs, and in particular the prominent roadway not far from Boxhill and Mickleham. Also have seen and pondered the many standing stones and barrows in Wales. I certainly found what you had to say most interesting and found it answered some of the queries I have held. Now a question - I have read somewhere and have spoken too about the subject a late lamented friend who was quite knowledgable having travelled to many different places(Roger Price)- about the possibility of a great civilisation before the great flood which took place in the middle east many thousands of years ago. I have been to the end of the great rift valley just outside Eilat in the Negev and witnessed for myself the proof of such a flood which actually happened in ancient times. Our Israeli guide made a great show of pointing out the sea shells and marine debris embedded in the rock. How do you all think on this?

Anne, not trying toaddress the Archaeolgy, but rather the geology... there are sea fossils in the rocky mountains. Mountains are push-up of ancient sea beds. This does not necessarily mean The Flood did not happen but that there are other reasons for the shells atop the mountains in Israel.

There is a theory that the Flood was actually an account of the drastic rise in the level of the Black Sea at the end of the Ice Age.

That epoch was full of such disastrous flooding and land transformation. It was during this time that Britain became islands separate from Europe.

Which is why they are known as continental islands, having once been part of a larger continent, but later seperated from the larger land mass.

Yup *smile*

I fear I did not explain myself properly. The sea shells and other marine detritus was in a line two inches deep more than half way down the valley. It was situated at the King Solomon's Mine (copper I think from memory) It was a strange place - slaves worked there and graffitti from that time was carved into the rock walls on either side of an ancient roadway. A temple of sorts was situated half way up where the slaves worshipped their gods. Well worth a visit.

Fascinating, Anne...Have you pictures or shall I hunt for some?

Stephen, feel free to return to your subject (of which you have much more to say!) or wade in on this...

Been there and was revolted when we guess the wrong day for the solstice travesty at Stonehenge and landed right in the middle of it. Tuesday June 20, 3:09 PM BBC News The lure of Stonehenge The public can celebrate summer solstice at Stonehenge on Wednesday for the first time more than a decade. What is the appeal of this ancient stone circle? Perhaps none have expressed the magic and mystery that is Stonehenge quite so, er, eloquently as mock rock gods Spinal Tap. In the imaginatively titled Stonehenge, the band thrash out a tribute to the ring of stones: "Stonehenge, where the demons dwell, where the banshees live and they do live well,Stonehenge, where a man is a man and the children dance to the pipes of pan,Stonehenge, 'tis a magic place where the moon doth rise with a dragon's face." Come the dawn of midsummer on 21 June, members of the public can try to tap into the magic for the first time in 15 years. About 10,000 people - curious tourists, New Age revellers and pagan worshippers - are expected to mark the summer solstice at sunrise, free to wander in and around the stones. English Heritage banned solstice celebrations in 1985, and later threw up a perimeter fence crowned with barbed wire, following a nasty showdown between riot police and revellers. The demonstrators had taken exception to the National Trust injunction against their plans to stage a free festival in and around the World Heritage Site. The resulting clash, in which 700 people were arrested, became known as the Battle of the Beanfield. Trouble also brewed at last year's invitation-only event, when gatecrashers clambered onto the stones. Secrets of the ancients What is it about this 5,000-year-old ring of moss-covered stones with a scenic view of the A303 that exerts such strange pulling power? Perhaps it is the mystery that shrouds the origins of the monument. It remains unclear to this day for what purpose the stones were erected on Salisbury Plain - was Stonehenge intended to be a temple, a burial ground or a calendar? Almost the only common belief among Stonehenge scholars is that the stones are aligned with both the winter and summer solstices. When the midsummer sun rises directly over the heel stone, it marks the turning of the season and the approaching harvest season. At midwinter, the sun rises over a stone on the opposite side of the circle. Haul halted The site is thought to date back to about 3100BC, when it was little more than a ditch and a circle of round holes cut into the chalk. Cremated human bones have been excavated from the site. It was abandoned soon after, and left untouched for more than 1,000 years. Some experts believe bluestones from the Preseli Hills in southwest Wales were heaved 240 miles on sleds and boats to the Wiltshire site in about 2150BC. It is this journey that the ill-fated Millennium Stone project has attempted to recreate. The three-tonne stone is now 17m under water off the Pembrokeshire coast after sinking over the weekend. By 2000BC, sarsen stones were erected, with the largest weighing in at 50 tonnes. Modern calculations show that it would have taken 500 men to pull one stone. Within 150 years, the bluestones were rearranged in the horseshoe and circle seen today. Originally, there were 60 stones in the circle but many have since crumbled. The joint chief of the British Druid Order, Greywolf, explains on the order's website why worshippers beat a path to the ancient site. "Having felt the resonance of the stones responding to the beat of a drum, having heard the voices of our ancestors join in the Awen chant, having seen the priests and priestesses of elder times walk among the stones, I could hardly fail to recognise the power of the place."

This is as good a place as any to post this as any. Happy Summer Solstice, unless of course you're in the southern hemisphere, then Happy Winter Solstice. In Europe the Summer Soltice became associated with the Feast of St. John the Baptist, actually June 23. The association is similar to that of the Winter Solstice with the Feast of Christmas, Dec. 25. Traditionally in rural France St. John's Day was when marriage proposals were made.

I was going to look for something appropriate like the sun rising over the "heel" stone...I just might yet. Thanks for reminding me...

(Yes, Stephen, I know that the only reason the sun rises over the "heel" - or "hele" - stone is because it has fallen out of the upright position at which it originally stood... and that neither name is appropriate for the stone, anyway.)

Millennium project to move bluestone from Wales to Stonehenge A six-month journey to discover how the builders of Stonehenge transported giant Welsh stones from the Welsh mountains is set to get under way. It remains a mystery how the huge blue stones from the Preseli mountains were dragged 200 miles to the ancient ceremonial site. But a group of volunteers from The National Trust and Pembrokeshire College are attempting to finally discover the methods used to move the stones using a rock called the Millennium Stone. They plan to re-enact a possible route of the Stone Age builders using methods they will first rehearse at Withybush Aerodrome, near Haverfordwest. International engineering company Whitby Bird and Partners and economic development body Menter Preseli will oversee the volunteers using 21st century knowledge. Inner circle The puzzle centres on how the builders of Stonehenge created the inner circle of bluestones which originate from north Pembrokeshire. From April the Millennium Stone will be moved over land and water using methods that would have been available in the Stone Age. The modern day volunteers will use ropes, sleds and runners, while the trip across water will be made using replica Stone Age boats that have already been built. The route the stone will take begins in the Preseli Mountains then down to the Cleddau Estuary to the Bristol Channel at Milford Haven. The sea journey will end at Bristol. Marathon trek From there, the stone will travel along the route of the River Avon to Dolemeads and then along the Kennet and Avon Canal before a final overland stage to Stonehenge. It is anticipated the stone will reach the ancient site by September. The �100,000 Millennium Stone project has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund as part of the Millennium Festival. Menter Preseli put the idea forward under the European Union Leader II programme and the scheme is linked in with the Celtic Voyage 2000, also taking place in Pembrokeshire.

Millennium project to move bluestone from Wales to Stonehenge continued... The ambitious Millennium project to transport a Pembrokeshire bluestone from the Preseli Hills to Stonehenge has hit further problems. The three-tonne stone is now lying off the Pembrokeshire coast near Dale after sinking over the weekend. It has been abandoned by volunteer rowers because of strong winds. go to http://news6.thdo.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/wales/newsid%5F794000/794299.stm for story and pix

Marcia I am afraid I do not have any photographs but I am sure somewhere in Israel there are some.

I will do a Google search for it. Thanks! I am instructing a new seismologist on logging in......Yay!!!

Of course, as explained in #384 above, the bluestone is now lost underwater after a fraught journey in which volunteers gave up on wearing "authentic" animal skins as it was too cold, insisted on wearing "unauthentic" protective gloves as the stone and rope surfaces were too rough, and then many pulled out through boredom. Meanwhile the real Stonehenge was at last re-opened to the public for the Solstice, and 6,000 turned up to see in the dawn. The Times carries a humorous report on the lunatic fringe.

Thanks, Mark......have to hunt on The Times website to see if they have the article available. I shudder when I think of the trash heap of humanity which showed up the time we misguessed the solstice. Amazing how easy it is to pull out of a difficult project when the "religious" or whatever it was motivation is missing!

2000-06-22 EGYPT: TOMBS CAST FRESH LIGHT ON EGYPT PYRAMID BUILDERS By Reim Bashir GIZA, EGYPT, June 22 (Reuters) - Restoration of tombs at the pyramids of Giza is casting fresh light on the builders of the towering monuments, an Egyptian archaeologist said on Thursday. Zahi Hawass, director of the Giza plateau where the pyramids are located, told Reuters work on tombs of workers and their supervisors, found by Egyptian archaeologists 10 years ago, had revealed two cemeteries designed as mini-replicas of the complex around the pyramids. "This discovery proves that the builders of the pyramids of Giza were Egyptians and that they were not slaves as some archaeologists have claimed," Hawass declared. "They prepared the tombs just like they did for the pyramids complex, with the funerary temple to the east of the pyramids and a causeway leading from it to an offering basin at the foot of the causeway," he said. "They prepared these tombs to last forever just like they would do for the queens and kings. Slaves would not do that." The tombs, located to the south of the Sphinx at the eastern foot of the three great pyramids, were built at the end of the 4th Dynasty in the reign of the pharaoh Khufu (Cheops). The upper-level tombs were built of solid limestone for technicians, craftsmen and artisans, along with their families. The lower-level tombs, made of less durable mudbrick and rock such as granite and basalt left over from pyramid construction, were built for the workmen who moved the huge stone blocks used for the great pyramids 4,600 years ago. Sometimes workers were buried with the supervisors in the upper-level tombs. Archaeologists have found curses inscribed in the tomb of a man named Pety and his wife, warning unwanted visitors that crocodiles would eat them if they entered the tomb. ANCIENT MEDICAL TREATMENT Hawass said that among the skeletons found at the site, 12 had broken arms, with wooden boards placed on them as splints. One was of a man with an amputated leg who lived for 14 years after completion of the pyramid. The skull of a man who survived for two years after that date showed signs of brain surgery. "These discoveries prove to us that medical treatment took place at the time and workers received good care," Hawass said. Workers were five to six feet (1.53 to 1.83 metres) tall and did not live past 35 years of age. Bilharzia, a disease still prevalent in Egypt that is caused by parasitic worms and transmitted from water-snails, was the commonest cause of death. Archaeological evidence showed the workers wore clothes very similar to the traditional garb of Egyptian farm workers. "Men used to dress in galabiyas, or flowing robes, tied around the waist and held sticks in their hands just as peasant workers dress today," Hawass said. He said the cemeteries and settlements indicated that the workforce that constructed the pyramids was smaller than the 100,000 workers estimated by some researchers. "Around 20,000 workers helped build the Giza pyramids based on the size of the settlements we discovered," Hawass argued. Near one causeway, archaeologists found an unfinished double statue of a man and a woman with the man's right foot placed in front of the left, reversing the normal pattern. "In ancient Egyptian times, statues were built with the man's left foot placed in front of the right symbolising him leaving home to go to work, while the woman's two feet were placed side by side symbolising her place in the home. "This discovery shows that this statue was constructed by an unprofessional craftsman and had a flaw, which explains why it was placed in the workers' tombs," Hawass said.

I'm not surprised that the current observation is that the Pyramids weren't consctructed by slaves. In one of my history classes I remember the teacher saying that Egypt was not a slave society, as the later classical cultures of the Greeks and the Romans would be.

This is true. Motivation is important (so is staying alive)... Never did think that sort of construct could have been accomplished with slaves.

Ancient gold treasure found By Ramdutt Tripathi in Lucknow Indian archaeologists say that gold treasure found early this month in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh could be highly significant. The treasure belongs to the Indus Valley civilisation and may be about 5,000 years old. A farmer in the village of Mandi in Muzaffarnagar district found the treasure while levelling his field. Archaeologists are now planning a proper excavation of the site, in the hope of finding more about the lost civilisation of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro. Accidental discovery The treasure was in some containers found buried in the field. It is believed that a part of the treasure was removed by the land owners and other villagers. Later, the authorities managed to recover about 10kg of the jewellery. A joint team of the state's Department of Archaeology (DoA) and the federal Archaeological Survey of India inspected the materials. Precious jewellery DoA Director Rakesh Tewari said the jewellery found from the site comprises mainly beads made of gold, banded agate, onyx and other semi-precious stones. Two copper containers, one circular in shape and the other rectangular, were also found. Mr Tewari says that this material is comparable to the jewellery found from the Harappan phase of Lothal and Mohenjo-daro. There are several sites related to the Indus Valley civilisation in Pakistan and India, but Mr Tewari says this is the first time that such a huge quantity of gold jewellery has been recovered . Archaeological significance This also means that the area of the Indus civilisation is much larger than previously presumed. In his report to the government, Mr Tewari has emphasised that the new site is of great archaeological significance. He has recommended further investigation of the Mandi village site. The report also says that the residents of Mandi village are curious about the gold and may try to dig the site up again. The district administration has deployed the police force to protect the site. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_797000/797151.stm

In the Guatemalan jungle, a Brigham Young University professor has unearthed one of the most significant pieces of Mayan culture ever discovered -- a rock panel scrawled with hieroglyphics about a coldhearted warrior who ruled a city. "It's easily one of the biggest panels ever found of this sort," said BYU anthropology professor Stephen Houston. "It probably is the champion panel." The professor and other archaeologists discovered the slab April 15 while digging at a Mayan excavation site once called Piedras Negas in the northwest part of Guatemala. The limestone slate is believed to be more than 1,200 years old and was originally placed at the top of a pyramid that was the burial site of the city's ruler, King Itsam K'anahk, who reigned from 639 to 686, more than 800 years before Columbus sailed to America. The dig, which started in 1997, is run and funded in part by BYU, the Guatemalan university Universidad del Valle, and the National Geographic Society. The stone tablet is 7 feet by 5 feet, about a foot thick and weighs so much -- 3,500 pounds -- that it had to be airlifted out by helicopter. It is now on display at the national museum in Guatemala City. The panel was found at the base of one of two pyramids next to the acropolis, the city's palace, and has more than 100 hieroglyphics. The carved writings surround a scene in which horrified captives are brought before the king. "You can see them moaning and screaming, and they're kind of clutching themselves in terror," said Houston, who helped decipher Mayan hieroglyphics at Yale University before moving to BYU in 1994. "In contrast, the king and his two head warriors are shown with an utter lack of emotion." In other words, Houston said, don't mess with those three. Houston described the Mayans of that time as "brutally warlike." After all, they would sacrifice humans by chucking them down the steep 100-foot pyramid stairs. But they were "paradoxical," he said. "You have this brutally warlike people, but you have this exquisite art style. They would be sniffing bouquets of flowers but think nothing of throwing captives down bloody pyramid steps. This is what makes them so alluring and strange." The panel, which most likely was commissioned by the king's son, was sculpted to be a central symbol for the city and the king's burial at the bottom of the pyramid, Houston explained. "This tomb marked by this panel would have been the most striking feature in the royal palace," he said. "It's encapsulating his life as a warrior. He seems to be very proud of the misery he is causing to his enemies." George Stuart, an expert in Mayan culture in North Carolina and former vice president of research and exploration for the National Geographic Society, agrees the find is important. "It's really rare to find them in good shape, and they were lucky this time," he said. "This seems to be one of the biggest ones and one of the more interesting because of the inscription on it. It's nice to find a record of someone's reign." The slab apparently toppled down the pyramid after a warring kingdom called Yaxchian invaded the city sometime in the year 800. While smashing the palace, the enemy must have struck the panel down. "It slid down from the top of the pyramid on what must have been a wild toboggan run to the base," Houston said. "We were fortunate because it had fallen face down. If it had fallen face up, all of the hieroglyphics would have eroded." Houston and staff archaeologist Ernesto Arrendondo discovered the slab buried only 10 to 15 inches below dirt and loose stone. "I stuck my hand in to feel the hieroglyphics, and I knew we had something amazing," Houston said. In three years, Houston and Guatemalan archaeologists have unearthed hundreds of ceramics, jewelry, tools made of bone, and figurines from the site, which is surrounded by rain forest and is a four hour hike and mule ride to the nearest town. And because of the nearly constant rain the rest of the year, they can excavate only from March through May. "Otherwise, it's like digging fudge," Houston said. Last season, there were 25 archaeologists and 85 workers at the site, but they might not have the funding to continue next year. "This site has one of the richest and most beautiful collections of Mayan culture," Houston said. "This panel is the cap of the dig. This is what we had hoped to find. This is why I do this. It's an experience not a lot of people have." http://www.sltrib.com/2000/Jun/06242000/utah/61570.htm

Leonardo's second sitting for Last Supper FROM RICHARD OWEN IN ROME A HITHERTO unknown second version of The Last Supper which Italian art experts believe Leonardo da Vinci painted two years after his masterpiece has come to light in a parish church near Milan. The fresco, to be unveiled today so that international art experts may examine it, includes a self-portrait which suggests that the Renaissance master had a squint. After the fresco was painted in the 15th century in the apse of the Church of San Rocco at Inzago, a small town northeast of Milan, it was partly plastered over. Those sections of the painting which remained visible were later obscured by an "undistinguished" 18th century altarpiece. Father Davide Mazzucchelli, the parish priest, said that he had been struck by the "sheer beauty" of the head of Christ in the fresco after he took over the parish ten years ago. He called in Massimo Peron, a restorer from Varese, who in 1998 began cleaning and repairing the painting, which has been dated to 1499. Experts from the office of the Superintendent of Arts in Milan believe that it is by Leonardo's workshop, with "key contributions", including the heads of Christ and the apostles, by the master himself. Martin Kemp, Professor of the History of Art at Oxford University and a leading authority on Leonardo said that in 1499, the year Milan was invaded by the French, Leonardo was "never in one place for long", and had returned to Florence by the next year. Professor Kemp said he could not give an opinion without seeing the fresco, but it was "plausible" that Leonardo had allowed his workshop to complete the design. In a trick of perspective which suggests a painter of high calibre, the fresco, measuring about 19 square yards, is painted on a curved wall, although the table appears to be a perfect rectangle. The "supper" in the painting includes potatoes, confirming a date after 1493, when potatoes were introduced to Europe from newly discovered America. There are also two-pronged forks, a sophistication known to have been introduced by the court of Duke Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan. Some restorers are convinced an Apostle on the far left of the painting is a self-portrait of Leonardo with long, silver hair and a pronounced squint. "The left eye is looking at Christ but the right one looks straight out at us" Father Mazzucchelli said. "This may finally explain why Leonardo painted the world the way he did". Another clue is that none of the figures has a halo, one of Leonardo's "signatures". Leonardo (1452-1519), who began his career in Florence, entered the service of the Duke of Milan in 1482, deploying his genius not only as a painter and sculptor but also as architect, military and hydraulic engineer, town planner, and organiser of sumptuous court entertainments. In his 18 years in Milan he was thought to have produced only six paintings, including The Last Supper. Last year it was unveiled after a controversial 20-year restoration, with critics noting that restorers had "filled in gaps" and only 20 per cent of the work could be said to be "original". Father Mazzucchelli said experts had used computer imaging and infrared techniques to compare the heads in the Inzago fresco with those in Milan, and had concluded they were "by the same hand". more....http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/tim/2000/06/24/timfnffnf01002.html

A little modern archeology pondering.... Today I wandered to one of the big buildings in downtown Chicago for lunch - was reading Ley Hunter and wondered if there were any sacred alignments in the big cities - stuff that was done on purpose that was subliminally integrated into the cityscape. If you look at the big city - you have plenty of modern 'ley' lines - the roads and other paths that lead in from the country. For those who are of the cult of the dollar, there are some temples were the shaman, dressed in ceremonial garb (the suit...), wave their arms, chant, and jump about with the hope that their divinations will turn a profit... But, I digress.... What I was looking for was the modern ley with links to a sacred path - very sublime but still focusing power or guiding to a sacred site. A point where during the Solstice or Equinox, the stars and planets would align and would transform the cold and impersonal concrete into something mysterious and part of the great Earth grid - even for a brief moment. Lunch was over and I wandered back through the crowded streets which lined up with more than just the normal.... de Mike

The chase for the Almighty Dollar has replaced the hunt for the White Stag, Holy Grail, and the interface between this and the Otherworld. Any river is a sacred line of power. E lines radiate across the entire earth for those who believe and can sense them. In the beginning of this topic I placed maps you might wish to check, and if you are truly interested (Stephen has gone missing....) I will hunt more on this subject for you. There are fascinating first person accounts early in this topic, as well, by those who have lived near and trod the ley lines in Southern England. Check Geo 27 for discussions and maps

I saw the restored Last Supper in Milan last year, and even if it isn't mostly original any more, it's still wonderful. Fascinating news about the "workshop"

There has been a lot of discussion about that restoration of Last Supper. I am delighted to hear you think it is still wonderful. Nothing like getting the grime off of the paintings we thought we knew...

The Stonehenge Haul Saga continues..... Ancient stone's modern hitch BY SIMON DE BRUXELLES VOLUNTEERS using prehistoric techniques to take a three-tonne rock from west Wales to Stonehenge yesterday received a helping hand from a crane, a salvage tug and a team of divers from the Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service. The stone from the Preseli mountains plunged into the sea two weeks ago while being carried on a platform between two leather-hulled Stone Age boats. However, yesterday divers from the RMAS's tug Moorfowl placed a harness around the stone 17 metres down on the seabed and a crane winched it to the surface. The tug then sailed to Gelliswick Bay where the stone was taken ashore. It will be hoisted back on to the original vessel and resume its 240-mile journey at the weekend. The volunteers involved in the project had been awarded �100,000 by the Heritage Lottery Fund to follow in the footsteps of the prehistoric monument's builders. Phil Bowen, who helped to organise the operation, said: "I am absolutely delighted. I was worried we would never see the stone again." The stone will be rowed along the coast towards Bristol and then transferred to a replica neolithic barge for a short journey up the River Avon to Bath. The barge will then drift along the Kennet and Avon Canal as far as Honey Street near Devizes. The final stage will see it dragged overland 26 miles to the Stonehenge site. The Millennium Stone project, organised by Menter Preseli, the rural development organisation, has been plagued with mishap and delay since it began in March. Dillwyn Miles, the Welsh historian, said: "They have used modern methods to help the stone on its way and that totally invalidates what they claim to be doing."

The First Pen and Ink? Famed Lindisfarne Gospels Yield Hidden Sketches By Reagan Duplisea What may be the oldest metal-point sketches � drawings in an early version of pen and ink � have been discovered hidden under the texts and elaborate embellishments of the famous Lindisfarne Gospels manuscripts of Britain. Sixty previously undetected drawings were found under the Latin manuscript at the British Library by curator Michelle Brown. They were spotted through a microscope and appear to be made by a metal-tipped pen that left imprints on the calfskin pages. The ancient sketches appear to be practice drawings that were made on the back of each page. The manuscript was mostly written about A.D. 698 by the monk Eadfrith on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne off the coast of Northumberland. The gospels were then taken to Durham Cathedral for safekeeping from Viking raiders. They now make their home in the London museum. Before this discovery, the oldest metal-point drawings were from the twelfth century. The manuscript is one of Britain's greatest treasures.

Archaeologist uncovers 6th century crozier in Offaly Archaeologists working in a Co Offaly bog have discovered a wooden crozier which may be the earliest of its kind recovered in Ireland, dating from the 6th century AD. The find was made by Ms Ellen O' Carroll of Archaeological Development Services, working for Bord na M�na in advance of its peat harvesting programme at Leamanaghan. The crozier, which is being examined by experts in Dublin, has been preliminarily identified as cherrywood. It was found stuck vertically in the peat beside an ancient track through the bog. Ms O' Carroll said the crozier was carved longitudinally from a stem or branch and then polished. Although broken at several points along its length, it can be fitted together. "When it is fitted it would appear to be 1.25 metres in length and 25 mm in diameter. It would probably have been held along the shaft as its height would inhibit holding it at the crook," she said. "What is really interesting about the crozier is that the crook itself has a Greek cross located in a circle incised into the wood and the tip of the shaft is stepped and pointed. "There may have been a metal point originally positioned on the end but we cannot be sure of that. But we do believe that this is probably the earliest dated in Ireland so far." She explained the crozier was unearthed beside a wooden togher, or pathway, which had been dated by dendrochronology to AD 596. More http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2000/0622/hom5.htm

First tower of London built by the Romans EVIDENCE that a Roman "tower block" stood in the City of London 1,700 years ago has been unearthed by archaeologists. Excavations have revealed the remains of a massive high-status domestic building on a sprawling site near the present Leadenhall Market. The dimensions suggest that the house, up to 131ft wide, could have had four or five floors plus a tower reaching 82ft above the ground. At a time when Roman London was less than safe, a wealthy family could have found refuge there. The discovery has been linked to a 4th-century aristocratic woman whose elaborate sarcophagus was found a year ago in a nearby cemetery at Spitalfields. More... http://www.sunday-times.co.uk:80/news/pages/tim/2000/07/01/timnnfnnf01003.html

Hard to see how site dimensions found in a dig can suggest an 82ft tower. I hope the archaeologists aren't getting a little too speculative. I saw the above sarcophagus as my company for a while owned the site in Spitalfields. Also found in one of the cemeteries on the site (which had repeatedly been used as a cemetery age after age) was a 15th century syphilitic bone, refuting the accepted wisdom that syphilis was brought back to Europe from the Americas.

Thanks for your first hand report. How did they ever keep you out of the dig? One of the most poignant memories of London was a dig on the Bank of Westminster site which bore the sign "volunteers wanted". I had to be dragged away protesting before I plunged into the very deep hole they has excavated. It still haunts me. I always wondered how the syphilis got to the Americas before the Europeans. Thanks for that update, too. Between BJD lurking and digs outside your business, it must make for a busy day!!!

DISCOVERING ARCHAEOLOGY Newsletter for July 5, 2000 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml --- Feature Stories --- - CANADA'S ICEMAN REVISITED Research Begins on Human Remains Found in a Glacier http://www.DISCOVERINGARCHAEOLOGY.COM/articles/070300-iceman.shtml - THE FIRST PEN AND INK? Famed Lindisfarne Gospels Yield Hidden Sketches http://www.DISCOVERINGARCHAEOLOGY.COM/articles/063000-pen.shtml - EGYPTIAN TREASURES IN EUROPE (CD-ROM) Reviewed by Bob Partridge http://www.egyptrevealed.com/062800-statues.shtml Plus these Feature Reports: - The Titanic...Finders Keepers? http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47686-2000Jul4.html - American Archaeology Professor Detained in Greece http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/w-eur/2000/jul/02/070200981.html - Rising Water and Turkish Treasures http://www.msnbc.com/news/427265.asp - They Got the Wrong Jesse James http://www.foxnews.com/science/063000/jessejames.sml - Desert Cave Pictographs May Not Be Real http://www.foxnews.com/science/063000/egypt_drawings.sml - Season of Discovery http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/000710/lost.htm ----- The Discovering Archaeology Newsletter finds the week's most interesting archaeological stories and presents them to you in a simple, easy to read format on the web. Read these and other interesting features, including Readers Polls, Book Reviews, Archaeological Event Calendars and much more at: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml

On the subject of the Biblical Flood. There is a new theory concerning it. The authors of this theory are William B.F. Ryan and Walter C. Pitman, two senior geophysicists at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. They hypothosize that the deluge might have occurred in the area of the Black Sea. Using sound waves and coring devices to probe the sea floor, they found that 7600 years ago, the Black Sea was a freshwater lake lying hundreds of feet below the level of the world's rising oceans. When the Mediterranean spilled into the Sea of Marmara causing it to finally burst through the narrow Bosphorus, causing 10 cubic miles of seawater a day to pour into the Black Sea, which was then 500 feet lower. The farms and villages around the shore of the Black Sea were swept away. The sea would have pushed inland for up to a mile each day, causing the inhabitants to flee. Perhaps survivors dispersed across Europe and Asia Minor, carrying their languages, their genes, and their memory of the catastrop e with them? Last summer Robert Ballard found the remnants of a beach near the sea's south shore under 500 feet of water. In the sediments were lakeshore rocks and shells; there were freshwater shells of an age of 7,800 years and saltwater shells of 7,300 years old. Indicating freshwater being inundated by saltwater. Ballard is planning to search for evidence of human settlements along the drown shore. Here is a link to read more about Robert Ballard's expedition: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/events/releases/pr991117.html

Thanks for that, Cheryl. I had heard he was planning this expedition but did not know when or for whom. I am delighted that National Geographic is his sponsor.

Scientific American Discovering Archaeology Weekly DISCOVERING ARCHAEOLOGY Newsletter for July 12, 2000 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml --- Feature Stories --- - INTRODUCING KIDS TO THE PAST A Project Takes Archaeology to School and Puts Youngsters in the Field http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/0900toc/9randn11-past.shtml - Pinning the Worth of an Ancient Theft About 3200 years ago, give or take a few hundred years, the merchant Wenamun had a pretty bad trip to Phoenicia. http://www.egyptrevealed.com/051200-wenamun.shtml Plus these Feature Reports: - The Hunt for Ghengis Khan's Tomb http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/20000706/hi_genghis.html - Chefren's Pyramid Reopens http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000706/sc/egypt_pyramid_dc_3.html - Restoring Archimedes' Manuscript http://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view.cgi?/news/2000/07/11/archimedes000711 - Pacific Island Colonists Via Taiwan http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/20000630/aw_pacific.html - Glyphs Tell of Mayan Horror http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/20000630/aw_maya.html - Pack Rats as Preservers http://dallasnews.com/texas_southwest/108650_packrats_09tex.html - The Search for Sunken Lands, Gods, and Civilizations http://www.franckgoddio.org/english/projects/backtolight/default.asp

Tuesday July 11 10:00 AM ET Scientists Find Archimedes' Words ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) - Scientists at Rochester Institute of Technology are restoring a 10th century manuscript - the only known copy in the original Greek of some of the writings of mathematician Archimedes. The text, which scholars believe was copied in the 10th century by a scribe from Archimedes' original scrolls, was erased 200 years later by a monk who reused the parchment for a prayer book. It was purchased anonymously at a 1998 auction for $2 million. Using digital cameras and processing techniques as well as ultraviolet and infrared filters, the scientists captured images of the original words and drawings that were washed away and then covered with a new text. ``There is always a residual, traces of what was there,'' said Robert Johnston, an archaeologist and RIT professor emeritus. ``It's amazing what can come out. Soon, nothing will be secret or hidden.'' Archimedes lived from about 287-212 B.C. The manuscript is the only copy in the original Greek of Archimedes' theory of flotation of bodies, which holds that the buoyant force on an object immersed in a fluid is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced. The text and diagrams also detail his mathematical treatises and mechanical theorems and contain the roots of modern calculus and gravitational theory. The team is working on five pages from the text as part of a competition that will determine who will analyze the entire manuscript, which contains more than 170 pages. ``This book is Archimedes' brain in a book,'' said William Noel, curator of the Walters Arts Gallery in Baltimore, where the manuscript is kept. ``What we need to do is X-ray that brain.'' RIT's scientists plan to finish their work by September. The gallery expects to make a selection by the end of the year. The text is on vellum, a writing surface made from animal skin. It was cleaned off in the 12th century and the valuable parchment was reused in a Greek prayer book. The book disappeared from the Convent of the Holy Sepulchre in Constantinople in the 1920s. It resurfaced in the possession of a French family in the 1930s and was sold by the family in 1998.

The latest assault on Stonehenge's environment: http://www.britarch.ac.uk/cba/stone1.html

There's a forensic archeo programme on TV soon this evening looking at a possible ancient murder at Stonehenge. I'll see if I can find anything on it on the net later.

Have read about it on the net and posted about it above - a sacrifice as they all were back then...

DISCOVERING ARCHAEOLOGY Newsletter for July 26, 2000 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml --- Feature Stories --- - RESTORING THE MAP OF ANCIENT ROME Scientists and Computers are Reassembling a Huge Depiction of the Old City http://www.DISCOVERINGARCHAEOLOGY.COM/articles/072600-rome.shtml - Face to Face with Pharaoh Ever since the first tourists and travelers visited Egypt, one aspect of the ancient culture has been of particular fascination - the preserved bodies of the ancient dead. http://www.egyptrevealed.com/071500-mightypharaoh.shtml Plus these Feature Reports: - Dateline... Mesa Verde http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/mesaverdefire000722.html - The Monkey Lives http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/scopestrial000723.html - Holy Land Rest Stop http://www.eurekalert.org/releases/cu-amp072400.html - An African-American Business in the Old West http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2000/jul/23/510540502.html - Titanic Salvagers Race against Time http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/20000724/hi_titanic.html - Let the Games Begin http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/07/07212000/firstfans_2862.asp - Studying Things Passed http://www.academicpress.com/inscight/07212000/graphb.htm - The Emperor's Private Battleground http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/20000725/aw_hi_colosseum.html - The Monk's Remains and Syphilis http://www.ananova.com/news/story/heritage_health-diseases-syphilis-uk_916540.html ----- The Discovering Archaeology Newsletter finds the week's most interesting archaeological stories and presents them to you in a simple, easy to read format on the web. Read these and other interesting features, including Readers Polls, Book Reviews, Archaeological Event Calendars and much more at: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml

Scientific American Discovering Archaeology Weekly DISCOVERING ARCHAEOLOGY Newsletter for August 02, 2000 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml --- Feature Stories --- - WHEN THE RAINS STOPPED Constant Shifts in Climate Molded Much of Human History http://discoveringarchaeology.com/0900toc/9focus1-rains.shtml - Archaeology Live! It's midnight in the middle of the eastern Sahara Desert. Cairo lies some 230 miles to the northeast � and in-between is nothing but four hours of sand. http://www.egyptrevealed.com/073100-archlive.shtml Plus these Feature Reports: - Chinese Toilet http://www.foxnews.com/science/072600/sky_toilet.sml - Another Civilization's Remains Discovered in Iran http://sg.dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/entertainment/afp/article.html?s=singapore/headlines/000801/entertainment/afp/3_000-year-old_remains_discovered_near_Tehran.html - Finland's Undersea Museum http://www.latimes.com/news/asection/20000728/t000070685.html - Raising the Hunley http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/07/07262000/hunley_2869.asp - Civil War Blockade Runner Excavated http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000729/us/civil_war_ship_1.html - The Roman Open Aire Museum http://www.villa-rustica.de/indexe.html - Calculate like an Egyptian http://www.bigchalk.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/WOPortal.woa/wa/HWCDA/file?fileid=161183&flt=CAB -----

Scientific American Discovering Archaeology Weekly DISCOVERING ARCHAEOLOGY Newsletter for August 09, 2000 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml --- Feature Stories --- - THE EARLIEST MUMMIES Were Mothers in the Andes Trying to Preserve Lost Children? http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/080400-mummies.shtml - STONE FOR THE EMPERORS Purple Porphyry Carved from Egypt Surrounded Roman Royalty http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/0900toc/9feature1-emperors.shtml Plus these Feature Reports: - The National Underwater and Marine Agency http://www.numa.net/ - The Remains of the Titanic http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20000807/2525421s.htm - The First Americans http://www.sciam.com/2000/0900issue/0900nemecek.html#further - China's Other Great Wall http://www.latimes.com/news/asection/20000804/t000073045.html - Tut's Butt http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/08/08032000/0175-0564-britain-tutankhamen.asp - Creationists Lose in Kansas http://www.academicpress.com/inscight/08022000/grapha.htm - The Oracle at Delphi http://www.sltrib.com/08032000/thursday/8890.htm - Ishi Goes Home http://www7.mercurycenter.com/premium/local/docs/ishi06.htm

Shall we speak of the glamour of Archaology? Stephen has spent his summer working on this project. Nothing like excavating Thames muck. It is hard labour as well. The Archaeology of the Eton Rowing Lake SUMMER EXCAVATION 26th June to 18th August 2000 A large area on the north bank of the river Thames is being excavated in a series of summer seasons in advance of the construction of the Rowing Lake. The site, which is situated in open countryside next to the village of Dorney in South Buckinghamshire, is unique because of the preservation of a substantial channel of the prehistoric river Thames, within which waterlogged wooden structures have been located. The floodplain alongside contains a sequence of Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age in situ occupation horizons with flint knapping scatters, hearths and other artefact spreads sealed within the alluvium. On the gravel terraces the cropmarks indicate probably the best surviving Bronze Age landscape in the Middle Thames valley, with settlement, field systems and burials in barrows, flat graves and cremation urns. An enclosed Roman farmstead overlies Bronze Age settlement alongside the former course of the Thames. Results from the work in 1995, 1996 and 1997 exceeded expectations. Six Bronze Age and Iron Age waterlogged timber bridges were found, while a pair of Neolithic middens came to light in a channel. On the floodplain Neolithic knapping areas have been revealed, while on dry ground Bronze Age barrows and waterholes and an Iron Age and Roman farmstead have been excavated. The project is headed by Tim Allen from the Oxford Archaeological Unit. The professional team invites assistance from students from British universities, local archaeological societies, and other interested groups and individuals. A wide variety of experience of archaeological fieldwork and finds is available working with one of the foremost professional Units in the country. The 2000 season will examine the extensive Bronze Age enclosure system and settlement. The site lies west of London close to Windsor Castle, and is easily accessible by rail from London Paddington and by road from the M4, A4 or M40, while Heathrow Airport is also nearby. There are no on-site facilities, but details of local campsites are available. Work will be Monday to Friday, with the weekends off; the standard working day will be from 8 am to 4.30 p.m. http://www.oau-oxford.com/eton.htm

The Eton Rowing Lake The Oldest Bridge across the River Thames The oldest bridge on the River Thames was discovered last summer in excavations at the Eton rowing lake at Dorney in south Buckinghamshire. In fact, the possible remains of two bridges were discovered, one Bronze Age, one Iron Age. The earlier consisted of two lines of timbers on opposing banks of the channel - the surviving timbers did not go right way across. There were unfortunately too few rings for tree-ring dating, but two timbers have been radiocarbon dated by the British Museum, one to 1100 � 50 bc, the other to 1200 � 40 bc which between them calibrate to between 1300 and 1400 BC. Alongside were two parallel lines of timbers forming the later structure, this time running right across the channel, a distance of approximately 35 metres. Again, samples from two of the timbers were sent to the British Museum and radiocarbon dated at respectively 500 �50 bc and 470 � 50 bc. However, as these dates fall into the notorious radiocarbon �wiggle� in the Iron Age, they can only be calibrated loosely to between 800 and 400 BC. http://www.archaeology.co.uk/hilites/eton.htm

Photos and interesting commentary by the head of the dig: http://wtin.simplenet.com/lake.html Best writeup of the history and findings so far (1998) http://www.wargrave.net/history/jun98.html (Would love to see a picture of the guy digging the huge holes and excavating all those "very old snail shells"...)

Scientific American Discovering Archaeology Weekly DISCOVERING ARCHAEOLOGY Newsletter for August 16, 2000 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml --- Feature Stories --- - THE EARLIEST MUMMIES HIDDEN HISTORY OF CENTRAL PARK http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/081500-central.shtml Plus these Feature Reports: - Ice age planetarium http://www.numa.net/ - Dateline... Israel http://abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DailyNews/hominid_000811.html - Ancient Sarcophagus Discovered in Iran http://www.sciam.com/2000/0900issue/0900nemecek.html#further - Minoan Tupperware http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DailyNews/minoanpots000809.html - Archaeologist Buries Findings: http://detnews.com/2000/metro/0008/10/d09-103210.htm - China to Spend $12 million to Save Relics http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000812/wl/china_three_gorges_1.html

A medieval wall painting that was unknown has been discovered in a church near me - at Checkendon near Henley, Oxfordshire. It was found when they removed the old organ. Apparently the victorians stripped a lot of plaster off to get to the brickwork in the rest of the church, stripping the wall paintings at the same time (BTW they did more 'vandalism' then Henry VIII and reformation!). This fragment escaped ob,iteration because they didn't bother to strip behind where the new organ was to go. Part of the painting depicts a man on horseback outlined in red. It's being restored by English Heritage and the Churches Trust. It's supposed to be one of the most important finds of this kind for a lONG while. I haven't been able to get to see it yet as it's not on public display while the restoration takes place.

Took a trip down the length of Hadrian's Wall from Carlisle to Newcastle. Visited a couple of sites. Go visit http://www.vindolanda.com This is the current area of archeological excavation. Vindolanda is one of the forts along the wall. We were surprised to find how much excavation still needs to be done. If you visit the site click on visitor information and then find 'Archaeology and Excavation News' - that will take you to the digs. Look at 'earlier 2000' and you will see the early british huts that have been discovered. The excavation of these is continuing as they find more of them. I saw one entire one which had just been unearthed and two guys were still working on on a further one. The bath house which is the current dig is not open to the public yet, but we could see it clearly. On our trip up to Scotland we visited the Temple of Mithras along the wall. It was amazingly preserved and surprisingly small. The fort by which it stood is no more than a big grass mound now and has not been excavated. However, the temple has the three altar pillars intact. One of these has carving which goes right through the stone and is amazingly fine.

Maggie, thanks for theses goodies. I have a HUGE problem with the Victorian treatment of antiquities. One of the biggest abuses was their fondness for planting copses of trees atop long barrows for "aesthetics". It has made a mess of the interiors with the roots rearranging the structures therein. If they had only stuck to constructing "Follies"

Scientific American Discovering Archaeology Newsletter for August 23, 2000 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml --- Feature Stories --- - PRESERVING POTS Huge Collection of Southwest Pottery Wins Grant for Conservation http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/082200-pots.shtml - ONLINE CONTEST! Answer the question correctly and win great prizes from Egypt Revealed! Just for kids! https://orion.he.net/%7Esaa49000/onlinecontest.shtml Plus these Feature Reports: - A Cable Car At Machu Picchu http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20000818/2563775s.htm - Research Supports Anasazi Cannibalism Theory http://www.cortezjournal.com/1news699.htm - Dateline... Bulgaria http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000822/wl/bulgaria_archaeology_1.html - The Modern Saga of Spirit Cave Man http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/news/local/html98/cave17m_20000817.html - Dateline... South America http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid_842000/842442.stm - Sweden's Ancient Crematorium/Temple http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000820/wl/sweden_temple_dc_1.html - Searching for Buried Secrets http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_890000/890163.stm - Drought And The Americas http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/08/08212000/climatetrip_2954.asp - Archaeology on Antelope Island http://www.sltrib.com/08202000/utah/14100.htm ----- The Discovering Archaeology Newsletter finds the week's most interesting archaeological stories and presents them to you in a simple, easy to read format on the web. Read these and other interesting features, including Readers Polls, Book Reviews, Archaeological Event Calendars and much more at: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml

This article will probably offend someone I used to know and love, but it is from The Times, So hang the cost! RETURN OF THE NATIVE An open stones policy at Stonehenge Yesterday came the summer solstice and with it the return of a time-honoured tradition to Stonehenge: it rained. Who knows? - perhaps the sun had spotted all those would-be druids ironing their bedsheets the day before and so decided to join in the general festivities and get out some linen fancy dress of its own. It made its 4.43am entrance swathed in damp sheets of stratus which, judging from the drizzle of accompanying rain, must have been pulled still wet from some celestial washing machine. Not that that mattered to the covens of witches and warlocks, wizards and weirdos who had gathered to welcome it under Stonehenge's triluthon lintels. They tootled their greetings on seaweed-stem horns. Worshippers were grateful, quite simply, to have been permitted entrance, for yesterday was the first time in 16 years that Stonehenge has been admissible to anyone but the man with the mower. Seven thousand or more gathered to give gratitude to the great gods of English Heritage: hordes of hippies and tribes of transcendentalists, scrums of spiritualists, armies of new agers. Some were pagan, others were simply practical: some came with their oak leaves, others with picnic hampers; some with bongo drums, others with umbrellas. But then the only truly traditional thing about the entire event was the rain - which was just as well for, in probably the only first hand account that exists of druidical ceremonies, Pliny describes a ritual slaughter of two white bulls which, in this day and age, would have gone down as badly with the EU abattoir regulators as it would with the animal rights protesters who were very probably among the festive groups. Certainly the only human sacrifice that appears to have been performed, was that made by one, Bob, who disapparelling himself of all but his bobble hat poured out libations of Ice Dragon Cider on the grass. Bogus it certainly is. Today's ancient orders of the druids date back about as far as the Celtic revival of the 1970s which - though that might seem to some readers like remote history - is but the whisk of a dreadlock on Stonehenge's 4,000 year timescale. But still the fact that a horde of would-be barbarians managed to mark the solstice so jubilantly without a single arrest being made, or any damage being done to the site, vindicates the open stones policy of English Heritage. And although cacophonies roused by warring styles of celebration may have broken in on the peace preferred by some druids, at least it would have drowned out the modern rumble of early morning traffic on the A303.

Witches, warlocks, wizards, and wierdos -- that sounds like a show on the Discovery Channel or maybe the History Channel. Did the man with the lawnmower show up eventually?

Wondering that myself. What a job! Been there and I would volunteer to mow the place just to absrob the atmosphere!

I can imagine you with putting the finishing touches on the job by neatly trimming around the stones with garden shears.

There you go! All neat and tidy. You do not think I would pollute such sacred space with a weed whacker...*gasp* Then maybe they would let me play with the archaeologists who arrive from time to time...

(I can't believe I actually posted that. It is one thing to think things. Quite another to post it...)

(yeah, well I didn't get to play with the archeologists working at Vindolanda on Hadrian's Wall - they were too busy for the likes of me.... *sigh*)

Understood... and I understand the *sigh* too. *HUGS* Maggie

There are very few hands-on 'public' digs where a visitr can join in. At Vindolanda one can become a friend of the Vindolanda Trust and apply for a place on one of the digs. Both the guys working there when I visited were local - from their Geordie accents. Talking of digs: here's a site to go and look at. This is an ongoing archeological project in Mali. I think the team go back each year. http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~anth/arch/mali-interactive/index.html

Each spring, Archaeology Magazine and Biblical Archaeology Review pubish digs which take volunteers, inluding contact people and what it will cost you. I was jesting in my comment on Stonehenge. Somewhat poignantly, however...

Maggie, I'm sorry you didn't get to work with the archaeologists at Hadrian's Wall.

...me, too! Then I could have visited her...and...and...! *sigh*

Well, it nearly happened this trip - maybe we'll get it (and the money) together one year!!! I did get to stand and watch the hunky males though. First time IRL, only ever seen active digs on TV. Time Team Live are on TV this weekend. They are working in Canterbury. I'll try and find the URL and post it (lost my links on this machine so have to start over...)

Oh *sigh* Now you are telling me that archaeologists are hunks, too?! I think neither of us would be safe if I were there. Perhaps digging a hole in a drained rowing lake? Screening the diggings for artifacts...or very old land snails...I hear there are hunks there, too.

Well, you'd have liked the two guys working at Vindolanda .....Anyway, I had a chaparone .... Haven't heard any more about the Eton rowing lake. Did drive past a while back though.

Was really fed up yesterday afternoon. The Time Team live main 1 1/2 hour broadcast was cancelled because the Benson and Hedges cricket cup final was being played - postponed because of rain from Saturday. Even my husband was annoyed (and he loves cricket...). The excitement of TT live is just that that it is live and you see things as they happen. He's just told me that for some reason the video recorder did not even record the later short Time Team report. Oh well, back to the website for info.

Check out http://www.channel4.com/ and click on the time team picture to get to the current reports site. Just found out from there that there is an extended programme at lunchtime today, so we'll watch that and I'll report on that later ... Here are the reports so far from Canterbury...Chronology of the digs at the three sites opened up: Greyfriars, Blue Boy Yard, Tyler Hill Greyfriars - Saturday 26 August, Sunday 27 August Saturday 26 August Trench One Trench One is situated over the cloisters of the church. 10am Opened up. 11am Top of wall uncovered, possible first sighting of the Friary. 12.20 Sheets of polythene are unearthed, coverings from the 1970s Louise Millard excavations. When Millard finished her dig, she covered the walls with polythene before filling the earth back in. Trench Two Trench Two is situated over the chancel of the Friar�s church. The trench is divided by a wall and split into two parts: Trench 2a - south of the wall, Trench 2b - north of the wall. 10.30 Opened up. 11.30 A bone handle to a knife is found in Trench 2b, probably dated around the 15th/16th century. 12.30 A coin is found in Trench 2b, given a provisional date of the 15th century. 14.00 Two structural supports made of brick from a late 19th century, early 20th century forcing house (greenhouse) are uncovered. Trench Three 1pm The archaeologists begin debating where to start a third trench. Sunday 27 August Trench One 9.15 Extended trench by one metre so that the wall on the other side of the cloister can be uncovered. 10.15 Carved stone window mullion found Trench Two 9.30 In Trench 2b, two pits are uncovered containing tiles, Mark Horton, the tile specialist from Tyler Hill, suggested that the tiles have been produced locally, possibly Tyler Hill and are dated circa 15th century. 10.00 Uncovered possible chancel wall. 10.15 Trench 2a, the diggers have removed, photographed and recorded the greenhouse so that they can continue digging down to medieval layer. Trench Three 10.30 Tiles unearthed last night are identified as being identical to those from Tyler Hill and dated circa 13th century. Blue Boy Yard- Friday 25 August,Saturday 26 August,Sunday 27 August Friday 25 August 18.25 The mechanical digger makes its first inroads into the concrete-covered site at Blue Boy Yard. A 5 metre-square trench is to be dug on the site. Saturday 26 August 12.00 Mechanical digger halted as first finds � of early 16th-century blue and white glazed pottery � are uncovered. 13.00 The first Roman find at Blue Boy Yard � a pottery shard. 14.30 A piece of 12th-century Tyler Hill pottery is uncovered. It is followed by possibly fifth-century Anglo-Saxon pottery shards. 16.00 A coin from the reign of King Cunoblinus (Cymbeline), who died in 42 AD, is found in the spoil heap by a metal detectorist. Sunday 27 August 15.30 The results of soil sample tests by soil scientist Dr Richard MacPhail confirm that the Roman temple precinct area was probably used as a cattle corral after the Romans left. A bone lice comb find, together with large quantities of human hair, sets off the team on a search for lice in the cess pit refuse. The cess pits in general are yielding a wide variety of finds. 16.20 As the finds dry up, the mechanical digger is brought in to clear the final debris from the trench. The non-Roman material is now cleared to prepare for the investigation of the Roman layers tomorrow. 18.00 The team finds its first lice -- in human hair from the cess pits. Tyler Hill Saturday 26 August 8.30 am The security guards open the site for the production crew. Everybody prepares equipment before the archaeologists and cameo specialists arrive. 9.00am The Time Team diggers arrive, led by Mick-the-dig Worthington. Regular Time Team digger Ian Powesland also appears, ready to co-ordinate work with some local Canterbury archaeologists. 9.30am Deturfing (removing the top layer of grass) commences on the first trench. It�s at this stage that features could appear so the diggers follow up deturfing with cleaning back the underlying soil. 9.32am Everyone discovers that the soil here is like concrete! 11.15am Things are a bit stalled on site as the archaeologists and even the mechanical digger are struggling with the soil conditions. More later�

Ah, neither Marcia nor Maggie would be safe with those hunky archaeologist milling about. Would it rather be that said archaeologists wouldn't be safe? Just being silly. Thanks for the detailed posting, Maggie.

They did a special 1 hour Time Team programme lunch time yesterday and a later report back. The finds at Canterbury have been spectacular. They have uncovered an intact medieval tile factory, and excavation will continue to uncover this unique factory site. It is truly immense! Last night was 'Roman' night again on the TV and there was a really good programme about Nero. Then there was another programme about Gladiators which was fascinating, and a further one on Trajan's column which depicts the Dacian wars and is a history of Roman warfare. By 10.30 pm I was completely Roman'd out *grin*

I am so jealous!!! All I have of Canterbury is a small chunk of the original Caen Limestone exterior which they were replacing.

I understand from someone who is on a dig, that it gets to be an old thing. Scholarship calls when your supervisors will only let you dig. I guess that is part of the apprenticeship process (or grad student.) Makes for fantastic physiques, however!

Hmm, physique is a male thing I think!!! Ah, so that's why there are so many hunks on digs....To be truthful I don't think I have the energy to dig really .....Just like the thought of it.

Nit picking in my thing. I'll wash and screen the diggings but I'd really rather pick over the screenings. Digging is not for me. I am far too slender to do heavy digging!

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN - DISCOVERING ARCHAEOLOGY Newsletter for August 31, 2000 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml --- Feature Stories --- - SWALLOWED BY THE SANDS Archaeologists Hope to Solve the Mystery of Persia's Lost Army of Egypt http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/082800-sands.shtml - ONLINE CONTEST! Answer the question correctly and win great prizes from Egypt Revealed! Just for kids! This week's prize is the Pharoah game CD-Rom by Sierra. https://orion.he.net/%7Esaa49000/onlinecontest.shtml Plus these Feature Reports: - Discovery at Lake Titicaca Questioned http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000823/wl/bolivia_titicaca_ruins_1.html - Cambodia's Army Profits From Archaeo-Tourism http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/08/08292000/cambodia_2982.asp - Titanic Salvager's Erie Haul http://www.accessatlanta.com/partners/ajc/read/titanic0816.html - Ming Dynasty Bowl Recovered From Spanish Shipwreck http://sg.dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/world/afp/article.html?s=singapore/headlines/000830/world/afp/Ming_dynasty_bowl_found_in_wreck_of_Manila_galleon.html - Excavating in Aphrodisias, Turkey http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/082900sci-archaeo-turkey.html - This Old House http://www.denverpost.com/news/news0828c.htm - Venice is Sinking http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/082900sci-venice-flooding.html - Do Graffiti, Go to Jail http://www.vernal.com/aug16/fr.defacing.p1.html ----- The Discovering Archaeology Newsletter finds the week's most interesting archaeological stories and presents them to you in a simple, easy to read format on the web. Read these and other interesting features, including Readers Polls, Book Reviews, Archaeological Event Calendars and much more at: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml

(http://www.volcano-hawaii.com/petroglyphs.htm) Petroglyphs Ancient Hawaiian Rock Art Want to get a true picture of the history of Hawai'i? You can learn a lot from Hawaiian petroglyphs - ancient rock carvings that tell stories about early life on the islands. The Hawaiian petroglyphs is a great mystery of the Pacific. No one knows who made them or why, but it seems that perhaps ordinary people, not artists, etched the linear and triangular figures into the pahoehoe lava. These graphic carvings, more than 3,000 of them, were probably made as part of ritual or prayer and speak of spiritual phenomena - mana. Upon approaching a petroglyphs field, a wonderful cast of characters leap to life. There are dancers, paddlers, fishermen, and family groups. Turtle, dog, ship and horse symbols are also depicted, as well as fish hooks, spears, poi pounders and canoes. There are 135 different petroglyphs sites on six inhabited islands, but most of them are found on the Big Island of Hawai'i.

Scientific American Discovering Archaeology Weekly Newsletter for September 06, 2000 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml --- Feature Stories --- - THE REAL VIKING LEGACY Trade, not Terror, was the Hallmark of the Norse http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/090100-vikings.shtml - ONLINE CONTEST! A Contest for kids! Answer the question correctly and win great prizes from Egypt Revealed. This week's prize is the Pharoah game CD-Rom by Sierra. https://orion.he.net/%7Esaa49000/onlinecontest.shtml Plus these Feature Reports: - Thawing Out Mr. Cool http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000405944438668&rtmo=r2QbXF3X&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/00/9/3/wmum03.html - Russia's Oldest Book http://www.sptimes.ru/current/news/n_dig.htm - Archaeologists Find Bronze Age City http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000831/sc/bulgaria_bronze_age_1.html - Dateline: Siberia http://www.abc.net.au/news/newslink/weekly/newsnat-3sep2000-31.htm - Excavations at Olonski, Poland http://www.princeton.edu/~bogucki/oslonki.html

Marcia aren't you glad to know that some of your Danish ancestors had real business acumen and weren't blood-thirsty thugs. Well, some of them might have been that too, as Europe was rapant with blood-thirsty thugs at that time. It was called the Dark Ages. I think the Vikings got really bad press because their favored targets were monasteries. The monasteries were rich, but monks were just about the only people who could write then in Europe. Hence, the Vikings were attacking the very people who wrote the history.

Believe it or not...(funny you should mention it)...in the 1910 Encyclopaedia Britannica there is an article on King Hemming (spelt precisely that way) who managed amongst other things to limit Charlemagne's nothern conquests and King Hemming's southern conquests by treaty. According to them (I Xeroxed it for posterity), he was the only one who was strong enough to limit Charlemagne by treaty. Thanks for noting that some had more than muscles between their ears. Like the Irish slave raiders who took Partick to Ireland, there were bullies in every crowd - even nowadays...

Friday September 8 2:02 AM ET Scientists Uncover Mayan Marketplace http://dailynews.yahoo.com/htx/ap/20000908/sc/guatemala_lost_city_1.html By WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press Writer GUATEMALA CITY (AP) - Scientists and looters ignored the ruin for nearly a century because it appeared devoid of temples and burial sites that might yield valuable treasures and artifacts. They had no idea what they were missing. Underneath the jungle curtain of mud and dense foliage was a sprawling lost city called ``Cancuen,'' (can-ku-win), one of the most important commercial centers of the Mayan world for more than 1,200 years. Cancuen has been rediscovered by Guatemalan and American scientists working deep in the country's northern jungles. They believe it will take 10 years to fully unearth the city, which dates to 400 B.C. It is buttressed by a 270,000-square-foot Mayan palace. With three floors - each 66 feet high - and 170 rooms, it is among the most grandiose Mayan structures ever discovered, the National Geographic Society announced Friday. The society is a chief sponsor of the Cancuen excavation project. ``We started off working with what we thought was a small palace, part of a small Mayan settlement,'' said Arthur Demerest, a Vanderbilt University archaeologist and head of the Cancuen project. ``What we found was a palace 20 times as large as we were expecting and an important Mayan marketplace that had been forgotten for almost 100 years.'' Built in the shadow of the hulking palace, the 5-square-mile city featured a crowded rectangular layout of heavy stone walls, 11 spacious stone-tiled patios and buildings with cubbyhole-like rooms and thick, multileveled roofs. While Demerest said scientists aren't sure how many Mayan merchants traded in Cancuen, the city is thought to have attracted thousands from nearby highland settlements, including the sprawling, majestic city of Tikal, 85 miles to the northeast. Cancuen, an ancient Maya word meaning ``Place of the Serpent,'' became a key trading post because of the sprawling River Passion in what is known today as southern Peten, Guatemala's northernmost province, Demerest said. First discovered in 1905 by Austrian explorer Tobert Maler, scientists and looters ignored the site for years. ``A city that was built only for commercial purposes and not for religious ones seemed uninteresting to a lot of academics and worthless to a lot of looters,'' Demerest said, adding that the city is now overrun with such jungle-dwelling animals as howler monkeys. Cancuen lacked the breathtaking temples that dominate Tikal and other Mayan sites because its inhabitants worshipped and buried their dead in surrounding highland areas. ``All of the fantastic temples you see at other sites are an effort to copy the altitude of the highlands that surrounded Cancuen,'' said Demerest, who said that being close to the heavens was the cornerstone of Mayan religious practices. ``In Cancuen they had the real thing.'' Though work at the site has been suspended until next spring because of the rainy season, scientists have already recovered dozens of artifacts in nearby mountain caves. Cancuen remained shrouded by jungle until 1967, when a group of Harvard graduate students returned to the city for less than a week and brought back crude sketches of what they thought was waiting to be discovered there. Demerest and scientists from Guatemala's City's Valley University were drawn back to the area in April because hieroglyphics inscribed in artifacts recovered in Tikal and Dos Pilas, the ancient Maya's largest commercial center, made reference to a marketplace called Cancuen and its powerful fourth-century B.C. ruler, Tah Chan Wi, or ``Celestial Fire.'' Frederico Fahsen, the foremost Guatemalan authority on deciphering Mayan hieroglyphics and the Cancuen project's co-director, said the Cancuen ruler married his daughter to the king of Dos Pilas, 55 miles to the northeast, to establish relationships with surrounding settlements rather than go to war with them. ``Mayan cities have been in constant war, with their constructions dedicated to the gods and the heavens,'' Fahsen said. ``Here we have exactly the opposite.''

Marcia, I feel certain that you are a descendent of the astute and diplomatically capable King Hemming. The story of the Mayan discovery is striking news. My Dad was very interested in the great cultures of Mesoamerica, particularly the Maya. It is also a great find in that it is not a ceremonial center, rather a commercial Mayan settlement.

Indeed! about the Mayan ruins... If I were not feeding enough mosquitoes here I would hunger more for the Belize and Guatamala - Yucatan area. Alas, there is so much blood I have to give... It is rare to find non-royal or ritual sites anywhere. Careful study should yield much information on those whose labor kept the kings and priests in the status to which they were accustomed.

News from Ancient Sites Directory 9th September 2000 Hello Everybody, I've been spending quite a lot of my spare time updating The Ancient Sites Directory recently. I've overhauled the "look and feel" of the pages, hoping to make them friendlier to use and navigate (especially for those using 800x600 screen resolutions - which is most of you). New sites are what you'll be wanting to hear about, and I have quite a few of those on-line after our recent trip to Orkney. Some of the new sites were visited on the journey up to get the ferry:- Aviemore - stone circle Cairn O'Get - chambered tomb The Camster Cairns Carn Liath - broch Once on the Orkney Islands we had some old favourites to visit again and some sites on other islands to see for the first time. Plus we were among the first members of the general public to explore the enigmatic Mine Howe, re-discovered just about a year ago. New sites added to the directory from Orkney so far:- Holm of Papa Westray North - chambered tomb Holm of Papa Westray South - chambered tomb + excellent prehistoric carvings Mine Howe - subterranean passages Quoyness - chambered tomb To access any of these pages click on the "contents" button from the home page (http://www.henge.org.uk) and then find "Highland" and "Orkney" in the menu. I have many more sites to add as and when time allows. Shortly after we returned from our visit the discovery of a new chambered tomb on the island of Westray was made public. This is a repeat of our previous visit in 1998 when about a week after we got home the discovery of a tomb at Crantit, just outside Kirkwall was announced. I'm beginning to feel that we're jinxed! For anybody wishing to read more about the Orkney Islands I can highly recommend a visit to Orkneyjar (http://www.orkneyjar.com) a site published by Sigurd Towrie. He covers all aspects of the heritage of the island from the depths of the prehistoric past through local folklore and dialect. Cheers for now, Chris -- Chris Tweed - ICQ: 71688382 For PGP Public Key email pgp@henge.org.uk with subject of "*send pgpkey" Ancient Sites Directory - http://www.henge.org.uk

Tuesday September 12 7:02 PM ET Yemeni Temple Could Uncover Queen of Sheba http://dailynews.yahoo.com/htx/nm/20000912/sc/discovery_yemen_dc_1.html By Rajiv Sekhri TORONTO (Reuters) - A Canadian archeologist said on Tuesday that his team was slowly unraveling the secrets of a 3,000-year-old temple that may have belonged to the Queen of Sheba. Half-buried under the sands of the southern Arabian desert in northern Yemen, the Mahram Bilqis or Temple of the Moon God contains priceless documents and artifacts from the time of the biblical queen. The temple was a sacred site for pilgrims in Arabia from around 1200 BC to 550 AD, the time that fits with history's record of the Queen of Sheba and her visit to King Solomon of Israel. ``To have such historical, religious and cultural connection to one site is tremendous. Not often in archeology do we have that.'' Professor Bill Glanzman told Reuters. Glanzman, who teaches archeology at the University of Calgary and is the project's director, said: ``We've probably excavated less than one percent of the site, with many of its treasures still buried far beneath the sands.'' The discovery and excavation of the temple began in 1951 by the late American archeologist Wendell Phillips. But it was halted abruptly a year later because of political unrest. Work was restarted in 1998 by the American Foundation for the Study of Man, a nonprofit organization that spearheads such projects. Glanzman said the temple could become an ``eighth wonder of the world,'' attracting people from around the world. ``We think it has the potential to become a world-class tourist site, where tourists can walk around and really feel what happened thousands of years ago.'' But another expert disagrees. ``This is the most optimistic of statements at the moment, given the economic and political situation and the problem of raising money for such things,'' said Edward Keall, senior curator of Middle Eastern Archeology at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. ``I do not expect to see it in my lifetime,'' he said. ``As of the moment, the Yemeni government does not have control over the various tribal groups that live in the country and who believe that they own the land,'' Keall said. But Glanzman tries to sell the importance of the excavation, saying it is as important a discovery as the ruins of Pompeii, the pyramids of Giza or the Acropolis. ``The sanctuary is packed with artifacts, pottery, artwork and inscriptions, opening a new door to the ancient civilizations of southern Arabia,'' he said. Glanzman said his team could be finished with the excavation within 15 years.

Thanks again, Maggie - this is fascinating! Maybe even more than digging land snails out of Eton Rowing Lake...*sigh* Sources: Reuters | SPACE.com | AP Wednesday September 13 2:16 AM ET Explorer Finds Evidence of Life Before Great Flood By Sue Pleming WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. explorers said on Wednesday they have found signs of human habitation hundreds of feet below the Black Sea where a catastrophic flood occurred about 7,500 years ago, which some scientists say is linked to the biblical story of Noah. Explorer Robert Ballard, famous for discovering the wreck of the Titanic, said his National Geographic expedition found a ''rectangular structure,'' possibly that of a building, about 310 feet (90 meters) below the sea's surface, indicating people lived there before a massive flood inundated the area. ``We now know people were living on that surface when that event (the big flood) took place because we are now finding evidence of human habitation,'' said Ballard in a telephone interview from the Northern Horizon research ship, about 12 miles (20 km) off the Turkish shore. ``This is an incredible find. It's clear a vast amount of real estate is under water and that a vast amount of people were living around the Black Sea,'' said Ballard, adding that it was far more significant than his Titanic discovery in 1985. Ballard said his team made its finding three days ago, in the second week of a five-week expedition. They hope to make more findings and will do precise mapping and photo documentation before anything is brought up to the surface. ``Our job is to find as many structures as we can, to explore them and to see what they tell us about the people that lived here and present that to the world and let the world draw it's own conclusions,'' he said. Ballard said it was too soon to say whether there was a link between the great flood he believes occurred in the Black Sea and the one depicted in the Bible. ``What we are trying to do is gather facts. We are testing that theory and so far we have not found any holes in it. We will continue to gather data,'' Ballard said. The artifacts found by Ballard's team were captured by sonar and on pictures taken by a roving vehicle called Argus that is about the size of a washing machine and attached by fiber-optic cable to the research ship. The rectangular structure measures about 12-feet (4 meters) in width and is 45-feet (15 meters) long, with carved wooden beams, wooden branches and stone tools collapsed among the mud matrix. ``It's architecture and artifacts were of the Neolithic bronze age, which is from about 7,000 years ago,'' said Ballard. The team's chief archeologist, Fredrik Hiebert, described the finding as the ``Pompeii of landscapes'' and said it was typical of the wattle and daub homes seen on land. ``This is a major discovery that will begin to rewrite the history of cultures in this key area between Europe, Asia and the ancient Middle East,'' said Hiebert, an archeologist from the University of Pennsylvania. ``This looks to me, as an archeologist familiar with this region, like the typical architecture of the people who lived around the Black Sea,'' he said. The cataclysmic flood in that area was tentatively linked to the biblical story of Noah in the book of Genesis by U.S. geologists William Ryan and Walter Pitman of Columbia University in their 1997 book ``Noah's Flood.'' The two geologists believe Noah's flood took place not in the Middle East, as might be assumed from reading the Bible, but in the area around the Black Sea. The geologists theory of a great flood in the Black Sea was based on their discovery of a drowned landscape as seen in seismic profiles and sediment cores. Pitman said he had ``never been so excited in his life'' as he was with Ballard's finding, adding that it would probably revive debate over his Noah's Flood theory. ``I certainly believed that there had to be people living there but finding the structure was like finding a needle in a haystack,'' Pitman said from his home in New York. Ballard said the extraordinary state of preservation of the wood and other organic materials of such great age was most likely due to the site's closeness to the Black Sea's deeper, oxygen-free waters. Hiebert said it was possible human or animal bones could have survived in the waters because organic material that would typically disappear would have been preserved. ``We do think that human remains would be extremely well preserved, opening up the whole Pandora's box of DNA and discovering who these people truly were,'' said Hiebert. Scientists believe the Black Sea was a freshwater lake until it was flooded by the Mediterranean Sea about 7,000 years ago. Ryan and Pitman's research showed today's Black Sea was transformed when melting glaciers raised the level of the Mediterranean, causing water to break through the strip of land separating the Mediterranean from the smaller freshwater lake.

I read somewhere that Bosphorus means "ox crossing". It seems a litte deep to cross oxen there now, unless the bovines are excellent swimmers.

Canoes Show Life in Neolithic Paris http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000914/wl/france_neolithic_canoes_1.html (picture via link) Thursday September 14 2:33 PM ET By MARILYN AUGUST, Associated Press Writer PARIS (AP) - Thousands of years before the Bateaux Mouches began plying the Seine with sightseers, Neolithic Parisians cruised the river in dugout canoes, fishing and trading with their neighbors upstream. Three 6,000-year-old canoes, unveiled Thursday, suggest human settlements were set up at the location of present-day Paris up to 1,500 years earlier than had been believed. The 20-foot canoes, each hewn from a single oak log, will be the centerpiece of a new wing of the Carnavalet Museum scheduled to open later this year. The dugouts, the earliest of which experts say dates to 4,500 B.C., were unearthed along with thousands of artifacts by French archaeologists in 1990 during a major urban renewal project on the banks of the Seine at Bercy, in southeastern Paris. ``The site is the most spectacular of its kind ever found in Paris and shows that the city is much older than we had thought,'' said Philippe Velay, archaeology curator at the Carnavalet. Other Neolithic remains were found under the courtyard of the Louvre Museum in central Paris when it was undergoing renovations in the early 1980s, he said. But that find, much smaller than the Bercy one, was not studied in depth at the time. Together, the finds suggest two Neolithic communities a few miles apart that had contact with each other via the Seine, which at the time was over a mile wide in parts. Experts had previously put the earliest settlements in the Paris region to around 3,000-2,500 B.C. The Neolithic period, characterized by polished stone tools, pottery and agriculture, ranges from 8,000-3,500 B.C. The Bercy site could have had between a few hundred and a thousand people living in it at one time. Along with a total 11 canoes, archaeologists found some 50,000 objects - including perfectly preserved fragments of ceramic bowls and cups, a flint and a millstone. A double tomb was unearthed containing the skeletons of two children, aged 9 and 5, curled in the fetal position. Also found were a polished ax, wooden bow and a fish hook, as well as beaver, turtle and wolf remains, Velay said. ``This suggests that the earliest city dwellers were concerned primarily with their own survival, and hunted and fished for food,'' he said. The canoes - some large enough to hold six people - were found about 26 feet underground, perfectly preserved in the soil. One boat was split in half inadvertently by a bulldozer working on the site. ``The biggest challenge was figuring out a way to make sure that their discovery was not the first step towards their disappearance,'' said archaeologist Philippe Marquis, who made the discovery in September 1990. ``We had to make sure they didn't just dry out and crumble, and basically, we just kept them wet using an ordinary lawn sprinkler,'' he said. Marquis said that if archaeologists had had the opportunity to stay and excavate longer, they could have unearthed more of the settlement. A public park has since been built over the site. Since their discovery, which was not made public at the time, the canoes underwent a $280,000 treatment at a laboratory in Grenoble to stabilize the condition of the wood. They will be displayed in temperature- and humidity-controlled cases.

Wow, neat! Bet there are handsome and intelligent archaeology grad students digging holes in the sludge there too. Wondering why they do not use undergrads for peon labor. Oh well... I wouldlike a update o n the Eton Rowing Lake but think I wil have to search it out for myself. Mahalo Maggie!

As you wished - http://www.oau-oxford.com/eton.htmThe Archaeology of the Eton Rowing Lake SUMMER EXCAVATION 26th June to18th August 2000 A large area on the north bank of the river Thames is being excavated in a series of summer seasons in advance of the construction of the Rowing Lake. The site, which is situated in open countryside next to the village of Dorney in South Buckinghamshire, is unique because of the preservation of a substantial channel of the prehistoric river Thames, within which waterlogged wooden structures have been located. The floodplain alongside contains a sequence of Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age in situ occupation horizons with flint knapping scatters, hearths and other artefact spreads sealed within the alluvium. On the gravel terraces the cropmarks indicate probably the best surviving Bronze Age landscape in the Middle Thames valley, with settlement, field systems and burials in barrows, flat graves and cremation urns. An enclosed Roman farmstead overlies Bronze Age settlement alongside the former course of the Thames. Results from the work in 1995, 1996 and 1997 exceeded expectations. Six Bronze Age and Iron Age waterlogged timber bridges were found, while a pair of Neolithic middens came to light in a channel. On the floodplain Neolithic knapping areas have been revealed, while on dry ground Bronze Age barrows and waterholes and an Iron Age and Roman farmstead have been excavated. The project is headed by Tim Allen from the Oxford Archaeological Unit. The professional team invites assistance from students from British universities, local archaeological societies, and other interested groups and individuals. A wide variety of experience of archaeological fieldwork and finds is available working with one of the foremost professional Units in the country. The 2000 season will examine the extensive Bronze Age enclosure system and settlement. The site lies west of London close to Windsor Castle, and is easily accessible by rail from London Paddington and by road from the M4, A4 or M40, while Heathrow Airport is also nearby. There are no on-site facilities, but details of local campsites are available. Work will be Monday to Friday, with the weekends off; the standard working day will be from 8 am to 4.30 p.m. Application forms may be obtained from the OAU . The telephone number is O1865 243888 and Fax number 01865 793496, or you can email postmaster@oau-oxford.com.

ou may want ot check out http://www.oau-oxford.com/news.html lots of news of digs

Visited the Rollright Stone Circle in the Cotswolds today. I think it is probably my favourite stone circle....you can walk round them and touch them. Across the road is the King stone. Can't get near that, but it is impressive. There is another group of stones in a field near the Rollrights. Here is a site to visit that has lots of pictures for you to see, and info.http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/carolrb/rollright/rollright1.html

As I said before to this lady, if she were not such a special friend, I would be jealously hateful of her treading the sacred ground of my ancestors...*sigh* I am delighted you are appreciating what I can only remember through pictures taken by me ages ago. Thanks!

What really surprised me was the way Hannah remembered it all ...she and I had a special time there yesterday --while house male was taking pix for you ...the last time we were there was when she was 13. For anyone planning to visit ...the stile opposite the king's men stones leading to the king stone is badly broken ...there is a much better, hidden, stile a few yards down the road. The King stone is surrounded by iron fencing and you can only stand and look ...which is a pity becuase it is the one I am most drawn to and would most like to touch. We couldn't find an access point to the whispering stones ..maybe it was further down the road than we looked. They are in the middle of a farmer's field. When you come over next Marcia, we'll definitely go there ... I promise. At least you have been there .....(which is more than I have been for HAWAII!!!!!!! *grin*)

Taking you up on that offer one day, my dear....and the standing invite to the volcano stands... *sigh* one of the delights of hiking to the long barrows and other things on the hilltops is climbing over stiles. No one in the US knows what they are anymore - we use ugly barbed wire everywhere - and I had not seen one until I climbed over my first one. Just more added joy and data for my memory banks! Updated: Wednesday, Sep. 13, 2000 at 09:51 CDT Archaeologists in London may have found woman gladiator's grave By ROBERT BARR Associated Press LONDON -- No one knows her name, or how she died, but archaeologists think she was a gladiator in Roman London. And, from the evidence, a very popular one. The existence of female gladiators in Roman times has long been known to historians, but now what are believed to be the first remains of one -- a young woman in her 20s, buried with high honors -- have been unearthed at a Roman cemetery in London. The Museum of London displayed the evidence for the first time Tuesday. Only a piece of the young woman's pelvis escaped the flames of her funeral pyre -- enough to say that she was in her 20s. The belief that she may have been a gladiator comes from the ceramics buried with her in what was a walled cemetery on the south bank of the River Thames, in present-day Southwark. One dish was decorated with a fallen gladiator and other vessels with symbols associated with gladiators, said Hedley Swain of the Museum of London. Three lamps found in the grave were decorated with images of the Egyptian god Anubis. This jackal-headed deity was associated with the Roman god Mercury, and Swain noted that slaves dressed as Mercury were employed to drag away the bodies from amphitheaters. "The fact that we have this association with gladiators indicates that she was a gladiator, or someone deeply involved with gladiators," said Jenny Hall, curator of early London history at the London Museum. "It is obviously quite a wealthy burial," she added. Hall says its "70 percent probable" that the woman was a gladiator. "It is always the case with archaeology, that you are left with tantalizing glimpses," she said. The grave was excavated in 1996 and the analysis was completed recently. "There is evidence of a very exotic and high-status feast, including dates, almonds, figs and a dove," Swain said. There were also remains of pine cones imported from the Mediterranean, which apparently were burned as incense. It has long been known that women fought as gladiators. An inscription in Pompeii refers to women in the arena, and the Emperor Septimius Severus, who ruled from A.D. 193 to 211, allowed combat by women. Graves excavated at Trier, in Germany, may have remains of male gladiators. Hall said she knew of no other gladiator graves excavated anywhere else in the world. A show opening Oct. 21 at the British Museum includes a second-century relief carving of two women fighting. Each has a short sword and a shield. The inscription, which says that both were granted "an honorable release from the arena," identifies one as Amazonia, the other as Achillea, a feminine form of Achilles. Ralph Jackson, curator of Romano-British antiquities at the British Museum, said he was not convinced that the London Museum had found a woman gladiator. "I would characterize it as possibly a gladiator," he said. "I would say that it is a very notable find, to have a female burial with eight lamps." Jackson noted that gladiators, in general, had a very low status. "The only lower thing was an actor or an actress," he said. Archaeologists from the museum also continue to analyze the results of their excavations of the Roman amphitheater found near the present Guildhall in the financial district. That amphitheater, discovered in 1986, had room for 7,000 spectators, which would have been about a third of the population of Roman London. http://www.Museumoflondon.org.uk

"An archeologist is the best husband any woman can have. The older she gets, the more he is interested in her!" --Agatha Christie

But can't he always dig up her past? Sorry, that is a really old archaelogy joke.

*laugh* Um... yes...but there is something totally charming about younger Archaeologists. They have a passion that is difficult to replicate elsewhere!

The Most-Complete Hominid Skull A 2 million-year-old Skull Emerges From a New South African Site http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/042600-skull.shtml by Robert Locke South African Journal of Science The nearly complete skull of an early hominid has emerged from a rich, new treasure trove of hominid fossils discovered in South Africa. Andre Keyser discovered the skull while working under the auspices of South Africa's University of Witwatersrand. He said Wednesday (April 26) that the skull, which dates to 1.5 million to 2 million years old, is the most complete ever to be scientifically described. The skull, along with its lower jaw (or mandible) and complete set of teeth, is attributed to Paranthropus robustus, which other scientists refer to as Australopithecus robustus. Also found was a second, larger mandible from the same species. Keyser said the smaller specimen probably is that of a female and the larger one of a male. Robustus is generally considered a dead-end species that is not a human ancestor. The hominid had a rather flat face, with a protruding, ape-like jaw and mouth. Its molars were very large, probably to accommodate a vegetarian diet, while the front teeth were quite small. Keyser said the just-reported skull was found in October 1994 at the previously unreported site of Drimolen, about 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) northeast of the famous hominid site of Sterkfontein. The sites are within 100 kilometers (62 miles) of Johannesburg, South Africa. Discovered by Keyser and Rosalind Smith, the fragile pieces of skull were reconstructed by Ron Clarke. The Drimolen site has so far yielded 79 fossil-hominid specimens, including some early species of Homo. Many animal fossils and 24 items identified as bone tools also were reported. Keyser is a retired geologist formerly with the Geological Survey of South Africa. The excavations were under the direction of the University of Witwatersrand's Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research. Also of interest: http://www.cnn.com/TECH/9712/16/baby.skeletons/ Prominent hominid fossils http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/specimen.html

Ah...where DO we put hominid fossils? Paleo? With the Coprolites and gastroliths and petrified wood??? Perhaps they do belong in Archaeology since it deals with humankind. Thanks, Maggie!

Potentially Toxic Artifacts Found By CHRISTINE HANLEY, Associated Press Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - David Hostler learned the troubling news when he journeyed more than 3,000 miles from his Hoopa Valley reservation, California's largest, to dig through troves of tribal artifacts on display and in storage at Harvard University. Arriving at the Ivy League school's Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, which owns the largest collection of American Indian remains outside the Smithsonian, officials suggested he don a pair of gloves and a dust mask before sifting through the collection. ``That's when I found out some of the artifacts had been contaminated,'' said Hostler, a director of the Hoopa museum and a ceremonial leader of the tribe, which has 4,000 members and an 89,000-acre reservation about 40 miles outside the northern California coastal city of Eureka. Two years later, Hostler and fellow Indians across the United States remain unsettled by the notion that human remains and sacred objects being returned to them under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, or NAGPRA, may be poisoned with heavy metals and pesticides that were used as preservatives. On Friday, representatives of California's 110 tribes began arriving at San Francisco State University for a three-day workshop aimed at raising awareness of the potential health risks that scientists consider especially acute because many of the artifacts - steeped in spiritual significance - have been or will be returned to their traditional use. ``For people who are only hearing about this for the first time, it's only human to be scared and angry,'' said Lee Davis, an anthropology professor at SFSU and consultant for the Hoopa tribe. Pesticides and other toxins, including mercury and arsenic, have been routinely used on all kinds of artifacts to preserve them and keep insects away, with the idea that the objects would only be displayed under glass. But that changed when the repatriation act, passed in 1990, required museums to return headdresses and other regalia to their rightful tribal owners.

...the rest of the message begun above: It is unclear how widespread the contamination may be, since most of the evidence is anecdotal and no official empirical studies have been conducted to determine whether mercury, arsenic, DDT and other toxins used as pesticides or preservatives persist in harmful levels. SFSU on Friday released preliminary findings of a study showing traces of mercury in a handful of items that have found their way back to the Hoopa tribe. There were also low levels of pesticides on some samples, including DDT and naphthalene, an active ingredient in mothballs. But Peter Palmer, a chemical analyst who led the study, questioned whether the results were reliable, saying he was ``not sure how they would hold up in a court of law.'' He and other researchers noted how they are impeded by financial constraints and limited in the types of testing they can do since a lot of the cultural material must remain intact, and removing toxins could be destructive. ``There are no easy answers - a lot of uncertainties,'' Palmer told a large group of other scientists, Indian leaders and observers during one of Friday's sessions, calling the study a ``best effort'' by students. ``At least we've done this much.'' Palmer and other scientists agree more in-depth studies are needed. On Sunday, organizers plan to start drawing up a cohesive plan to address the issues raised at the workshop. ``The ramifications are complex,'' said Jeff Fentress, coordinator of SFSU's artifact testing lab. ``Where did all these contaminants come from? What other contaminants are there? What exposure have we all had all these years? And last, what do we do about it?'' For the tribes, the waiting could mean sacrificing tradition. ``Repatriation is important for preserving our culture and educating our youth, and carrying on our religion as it always was,'' Hostler said. ``At this time, hopefully we'll find solutions on how to get the poisons out.''

Three months after my marriage my new husband began teaching at a tiny college with an even tinier museum. The chemicals were so strong that you could smell them as soon as you entered the building. I wonder if any museums are toxin-free if they have been collecting for many years.

Shrine untouched for 2,000 years found in Croatia By Davor Huic http://uk.news.yahoo.com/001002/80/al8ma.html ZAGREB (Reuters) - An international team of archaeologists has uncovered what may be a pre- Roman pagan shrine that has lain undisturbed beneath the hills of southern Croatia for more than two thousand years. The Croatian-Canadian team says the site, dating from the third century BC, is the only shrine of the ancient Illyrian people ever found. They believe they are the first people to have set foot in it since it was sealed up as Rome's legions marched across Europe. The dramatic discovery was made deep inside a cave at Spila, near the village of Nakovana on the Peljesac peninsula in southern Dalmatia, about 100 km (60 miles) northwest of the Adriatic city of Dubrovnik. Pottery and a huge phallic stalagmite in the cave indicate that it was used as a shrine. "We believe that the centre of the cave served as an altar for some pagan ritual, probably linked to fertility or potency," Dr Staso Forenbaher of the Croatian Institute for Anthropological Research told Reuters. "To our knowledge, this is the only Illy ian sanctuary ever found," he added. MIGRATING SLAVIC TRIBES The Illyrians inhabited the western Balkans before the Romans conquered the region and were assimilated by migrating Slavic tribes in the early Middle Ages. Albanians are their only modern descendants. Forenbaher and Dr Timothy Kaiser of the Royal Ontario Museum discovered deeper channels in the Spila cave almost by accident, during excavations at the entrance in August 1999. They returned a year later to lead the project. The cave contains several layers of archaeological material dating from the early neolithic era, 6,000 years BC. The most valuable findings were hidden behind a mass of stones and earth deep inside. Forenbaher said he believed the entrance might have been sealed on purpose, at some point during the first century BC at the time of the Roman conquest, possibly to prevent the sanctity of the site from being broken. "It looked completely intact. The surface was crusty, and there was no evidence whatsoever that any human or animal had walked there for centuries," said Forenbaher. The fact that the shrine has been completely untouched for two millennia makes its significance even greater. "Hopefully, this will give us a chance to try to reconstruct what had been going on there," Forenbaher sa d. As the team went into the cave, a corridor 50 metres (164 feet) in length and tall enough for a person to stand up in, opened up roughly in the middle of a circular area about 10 metres (32 feet) in diameter. In the middle of this stood a 60-cm (two-feet) tall red and white stalagmite in the form of a phallus. The team believe it played a central role in whatever rituals went on in the cave when it was used as a shrine. PLATES AND CHALICES "We dug around and under the stalagmite and found that it had not grown there naturally. It had to be brought in from someplace else -- perhaps even from the cave itself -- to be installed there by humans," Forenbaher said. Scattered around were hundreds of pieces of Hellenistic pottery, mostly plates and chalices, some of them bearing inscriptions in ancient Greek and Latin. Their function and position around the phallus indicate they were used in some sort of a ritual that included feasting, drinking and probably making offerings to pagan gods. Most pieces seem to have originated from Magna Graecia -- Greek colonies in southern Italy -- and from Greek settlements in the southern Dalmatian islands of Korcula (Korcyra Nigra), Hvar (Pharos) and Vis (Issa). The team dug out about three tonnes of material from the cave, taking everything they could find to the Dubrovnik Archaeology Museum for further research, Forenbaher said. They also found containers with what looked like remains of food that will be sent t Britain to be analysed, while radioactive carbon dating will be done in Croatia. More than 100 kg (200 lb) of collected pottery will be sorted out and put together by local experts. "We expect first reports to come out within a year, and the whole project to take three years," Forenbaher said

http://freespace.virgin.net/philip.dunn/knowlton.htm Check out the aerial view of this Henge group. I remember driving past on the way to Bournemouth to spend the night, and it is startling the number of barrows around this henge group. You cannot miss it on the right as you drive south. TheChristaion church standing in the middle of the largest henge attracts your attenion immediately! This entire site is worth visiting. Very interesting stuff in there - especially about the Gough Cave in Cheddar Gorge! Check it out!

Scientific American Discovering Archaeology Weekly DISCOVERING ARCHAEOLOGY - Newsletter for October 04, 2000 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml --- Feature Stories --- - WORLD'S OLDEST BRUSH HUTS Some of the Earliest Homes are discovered in Israel's Jordan Valley http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/100400-huts.shtml FROM EGYPT REVEALED: - Finding the Pharaoh's Vizier More Secrets from the Valley of the Golden Mummies. http://www.egyptrevealed.com/1000toc/100300-pharaoh.shtml Plus these Feature Reports: - The Questions in a Dazzling Tomb http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/03/science/03TOMB.html - Roman Shipwrecks Discovered http://www.worldnews.com/?action=display&article=3763371&template=worldnews/search.txt&index=recent - A 2,000-year-old Shrine in Croatia http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/reuters20001002_79.html - Hopis Dispute Cannibalism Theory http://www.abqjournal.com/news/1hopis09-29-00.htm - Outhouse Archaeology http://www.sacbee.com/news/news/local02_20000929.html - Sound Waves Hunt for Artifacts http://unisci.com/stories/20004/1003002.htm - Contaminated Artifacts http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/09/30/MN16969.DTL

Scientific American Discovering Archaeology Weekly DISCOVERING ARCHAEOLOGY - Newsletter for October 11, 2000 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml --- Feature Stories --- - THE "FOLSOM" COWBOY The Remarkable Legacy of George McJunkin http://www.DISCOVERINGARCHAEOLOGY.COM/articles/101100-folsom.shtml FROM EGYPT REVEALED: - Finding the Pharaoh's Vizier More Secrets from the Valley of the Golden Mummies. http://www.egyptrevealed.com/1000toc/100300-pharaoh.shtml Plus these Feature Reports: - Hyena Den Archaeology http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000579381554028&rtmo=aqJJK9aJ&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/00/10/6/nden06.html - Deep Mysteries http://www.latimes.com/news/asection/20001005/t000094667.html - The Father of Underwater Archaeology http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/0399toc/GeorgeBass.shtml - Life Down On The Body Farm http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,195020050,00.html - Virtual Palenque http://www.virtualpalenque.com/ - Nordic Underwater Archaeology http://www.abc.se/~m10354/uwa/ - Contemporary Guide To An Ancient Spice: http://www.saffroninfo.com/ ----- The Discovering Archaeology Newsletter finds the week's most interesting archaeological stories and presents them to you in a simple, easy to read format on the web. Read these and other interesting features, including Readers Polls, Book Reviews, Archaeological Event Calendars and much more at: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml

Scientific American Discovering Archaeology Weekly DISCOVERING ARCHAEOLOGY - Newsletter for October 18, 2000 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml Discovering Archaeology Newsletter is sponsored by Rolex. --- Feature Stories --- - MISREADING THE BONES A Brutal Conquistador was Innocent of a Georgia Slaughter http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/1000toc/10randn04-bones.shtml FROM EGYPT REVEALED: - Lost City of the Pyramids A Complex Community Supported the Builders of Egypt's Greatest Monuments http://www.egyptrevealed.com/1000toc/101200-pyramids.shtml Plus these Feature Reports: - Classic Greek City Found: http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/20001017/hi_helike.html - Britain's Stone Age Atlantis http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/10/10162000/atlantis_3155.asp The Lascaux Lunar Calendar http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_975000/975360.stm - Mega Etruscan City Unearthed http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/20001016/hi_etruscan.html - Vance Haynes http://www.post-gazette.com/neigh_washington/20001015wadave1.asp - Archimedes' Ancient Text Revealed http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20001013/us/archimedes__words_1.html ----- The Discovering Archaeology Newsletter finds the week's most interesting archaeological stories and presents them to you in a simple, easy to read format on the web. Read these and other interesting features, including Readers Polls, Book Reviews, Archaeological Event Calendars and much more at: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml

Stone Age 'Atlantis' Found in North Sea By The Independent October 16, 2000 SCIENTISTS ARE unearthing the long-lost secrets of Britain's own Atlantis - a vast area of former dry land under what is now the North Sea. The investigations are revealing how ancient Stone Age communities were wiped out by a series of apocalyptic floods which, scientists believe, are a stern warning of the devastation that global warming and rising sea levels can cause. After the last Ice Age, melting ice caused the southern half of the North Sea to rise by some 65ft in 2,000 years, submerging an area in the North Sea the size of modern Britain. But researchers at Durham University have now established that Britain also suffered a series of shorter term but catastrophic floods with terrible effects on human communities, killing 2,000- 3,000 people at a time. Whereas populations were able to adapt to long-term sea level rise, they would have been unable to escape from the periodic super- floods which resulted from it. There were periods in which very large flat areas became vulnerable to tidal surge inundation for several hundred years before becoming permanently submerged. Between 7600 BC and 5900 BC around 1,000 square miles of North Sea region dry land would have been overwhelmed by 15ft-high tidal and storm surges on average four times a century - once a generation. more... http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/10/10162000/atlantis_3155.asp

Yet more background to support the widespread existence of the Flood Legend in many different cultures. Wasn't the Baltic Sea once dry land, as well? I think that the Baltic is supposed to be a relatively shallow sea.

About the Baltic, Yes! Mediterranean too. Probably much of the Caribbean was above seal level once, as well.

Scientific American Discovering Archaeology Weekly DISCOVERING ARCHAEOLOGY Newsletter for October 26, 2000 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml Discovering Archaeology Newsletter is sponsored by Rolex. --- Feature Stories --- - POTTERY, JAGUARS & HOLIDAY INNS Familiar Images Grease the Wheels of Travel and Commerce http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/1000toc/10commentary1-holiday.shtml FROM EGYPT REVEALED: - Giza the Truth By Ian Lawton and Chris Ogilvie-Herald http://egyptrevealed.com/reviews/gizathetruth.shtml Plus these Feature Reports: - The Artifacts of Ancient Ur: http://chicagotribune.com/news/metro/chicago/printedition/article/0,2669,SAV-0010190227,FF.html - The Florida Canoe Caper: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20001019/us/ancient_canoes_1.html - The Vikings: http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/20/arts/20VIKI.html - Royal Mummy Relocated in Raid: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20001023/od/mummy_dc_1.html

DISCOVERING ARCHAEOLOGY Newsletter for November 02, 2000 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml --- Feature Stories --- - OBELISKS IN EXILE Monuments of Stone Stand the Test of Time Around the World http://discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/102500-obelisks.shtml Plus these Feature Reports: - Dateline... Egypt: http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/20001031/hi_royalboat.html - The America's First Root Crop http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/31/science/31OBSE.html - Divers Looting D-Day Remains http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/10/10312000/normandy_3233.asp - New Anasazi Connection http://www.cnn.com/2000/NATURE/10/30/anasazi.clues.ap/index.html - The Restoration Of An Ancient Library http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/10/10302000/alexandria_3229.asp - Hunting May Have Started Later Than Previously Thought http://unisci.com/stories/20004/1027006.htm ----- The Discovering Archaeology Newsletter finds the week's most interesting archaeological stories and presents them to you in a simple, easy to read format on the web. Read these and other interesting features, including Readers Polls, Book Reviews, Archaeological Event Calendars and much more at: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml

Archaeologist Sorry for Planting Artifacts TOKYO (Reuters) - A prominent archaeologist apologized on Sunday for planting artifacts at an excavation site so he could claim credit for discovering Japan's oldest stoneware. "I have nothing more to say except that I am deeply sorry for what I've done," Shinichi Fujimura told a televised news conference. Japanese media said Fujimura, a senior director at the Tohoku Paleolithic Institute, planted eight stoneware pieces at an excavation site and claimed the stoneware dated back to an early stage of the Stone Age. Fujimura made the announcement of his "discovery" on October 27 and initially it enhanced his reputation among his peers as having "a god's hands" for his ability to find artifacts. The archaeologist gave his televised apology after Japanese media gave prominence to a different version of events. The national daily Mainichi Shimbun, on the front page of its Sunday edition, ran video stills of Fujimura placing the stoneware pieces in a hole and covering them up with dirt. The archaeologist said after being caught by the paper that he went out alone to the excavation site several times in the early hours of the morning to bury dozens of artifacts that he claimed he "discovered" later in the day, media reported. Archaeologists believe human communities lived at the excavation site 600,000 years ago.

Never know where to put Neanderthal material, so I am putting this link here and in Archaeolgy, thanks to Dar of Yahoo's anthropology club. It is a great site and the club is full of informative people with a passion for the the subject. Excellent site for all things Neanderthal and other modern forms of mankind: http://www.neanderthal-modern.com/index.html

The 10 families of man who settled Europe are revealed in gene tests By Roger Highfield EUROPEAN men are almost all related to just 10 male lineages whose descendants migrated from the east in three waves over the past 40,000 years, scientists reported last week. A genetic study of 1,007 men across Europe and the Middle East found that 95 per cent of them could be traced to one of 10 categories. On average, more than 80 per cent of European men have inherited characteristics from two waves of Palaeolithic ancestors 40,000 and 25,000 years ago, according to the study published in the journal Science. The oldest male lineage - characterised by a genetic marker called M173 - contributes to half of the genetic make-up of European males. Their advent coincides with the arrival of what archaeologists call the Aurignacian people, known for rock art and finely crafted tools. The second wave is thought to be called the Gravettian culture, known for its Venus figurines and delicate blades. The remainder were thought to have arrived after an ice age some 10,000 years ago, when there was a third - Neolithic - migration of the first farmers from the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East. The higher levels of the latter genetic make up in the south of Europe suggest that some of these farmers travelled by boat along the coast. The international team, led by Dr Ornella Semino, from Pavia University in Italy, studied the "male" chromosome - Y chromosomes - of men. Since its genetic information passes only from father to son, DNA variations on the Y chromosome can be used to trace paternal ancestry. The researchers analysed 22 such markers, and found that nearly all the individuals in the study could be linked to 10 groups of male ancestors. The investigators said: "Two lineages . . . appear to have been present in Europe since Palaeolithic times. "The remaining lineages entered Europe most likely later during independent migrations from the Middle East and the Urals." ...thanks H_H from Yahoo's Prehistory club!

The Y chomosomes are a bit analogous to mitochondrial DNA. While it is true that only men inherit a Y chomosome, while everybody inherits mitochondrial DNA. Yet mitochondrial DNA can only be passed on by the mother. Everyone in the world carries only his or her mother's mitochondrial DNA. This is what led to the Eve theory that everybody in the world can be traced back to a single female ancestor who lived in Africa millena ago.

Archaeologists Find Sarcophagus in Egyptian Tomb ABU SIR, Egypt (Reuters) - Archaeologists excavating a 4,000-year-old tomb near Cairo found an empty sarcophagus on Monday that they said could yield vital clues about the collapse of the pyramid-building era in ancient Egypt. Zahi Hawass, director of the Giza Plateau, told Reuters that a team of Egyptian and Czech archaeologists discovered the stone coffin in a sixth dynasty tomb at the pyramids of Abu Sir 17 miles southwest of Cairo. "This sarcophagus was found empty. It means that some people entered this tomb after it was built 4,200 years ago," said Hawass. He said he expected more sixth dynasty tombs to be found there soon. The sarcophagus came to light as archaeologists explored a bone-littered burial chamber about 60 feet underground. "This is a private tomb from the Old Kingdom, belonging to Inti, a judge and keeper of the city of Nekhen," said Bretislav Vachala, director of the Czech Institute of Egyptology at Charles University in Prague and joint leader of the mission. He said the whole area south of the Abu Sir pyramids was packed with tombs of the Old Kingdom elite. "Here we can witness the period more than 4,000 years ago, the clue to understanding the period when the age of pyramid builders came to an end before the collapse of the Old Kingdom," Vachala said. "The tomb was robbed in ancient times. The stone coffin is broken from one corner and the bones are scattered all over the burial chamber," he said. The treasures may have gone, but hieroglyphic drawings remain to tell the story of the tomb's original occupant. Inti's two sons are depicted along the entrance walls, while on the chapel walls, his wife is drawn kneeling at her husband's feet. Inti himself is shown in several ways: standing with a scepter and stick in his hand, sitting with his wife at his feet, and standing with offerings of food and drink. Vachala and his team began excavating the tomb in October and expect to finish documenting it next month.

Scientific American Discovering Archaeology Weekly DISCOVERING ARCHAEOLOGY -Newsletter for November 22, 2000 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml --- Feature Stories --- - OBELISKS IN EXILE Monuments of Stone Stand the Test of Time Around the World http://discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/102500-obelisks.shtml Plus these Feature Reports: - In Search of a Religion's Origins http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/11/11202000/wirbuddha_3332.asp - Czech Archaeologist Find Another Tomb http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20001121/wl/egypt_archaeology_3.html - Wisconsin Rock Art http://www.cnn.com/2000/NATURE/11/20/cave.art.ap/index.html - The Case of the Elgin Marbles http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/11/11172000/elginmarbles_3308.asp - The Archaeological Method and Healing http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/11/17/MN75981.DTL - Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave... http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/japan_archaeologist0001105.html - World's Oldest Cave Paintings (?) http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1000000/1000653.stm - The Sarmatic Culture of Western Russia http://unisci.com/stories/20004/1101006.htm - The Pyramids and the Stars http://abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DailyNews/pyramids001115.html

OLD WORLD NEWS Perhaps a bit 'old' for this newsletter, but interesting nonetheless, is a report that the 400,000 year-old-remains of a woman indicate she might have had capacity for speech: http://www.newsday.com/coverage/current/discovery/tuesday/nd5778.htm A French archaeologist is claiming to have discovered the remains of a 6000-year-old civilization in Balochistan (watch the wrap) http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/nov2000-daily/24-11-2000/main/update.htm#10 A Czech team has discovered a 4,300 year-old-tomb near Cairo (unfortunately with an empty sarcophagus): http://centraleurope.com/news.php3?id=223363 http://www.spokesmanreview.com:80/news-story.asp?date=112200&ID=s883302 http://www.latimes.com:80/news/science/science/20001123/t000112486.html http://www.msnbc.com:80/news/493234.asp?cp1=1 http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/newsid_1035000/1035784.stm Last week, listland was all arage in response to Kate Spence's suggestion that star positions could be used to date the pyramids ... here's the coverage (mind the wrap as required): http://209.19.141.102/news/2000/11/11172000/egypt_3319.asp http://helix.nature.com/nsu/001116/001116-10.html http://www.worldnews.com/?action=display&article=4436303&template=worldnews/search.txt&index=recent http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1024000/1024779.stm http://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view.cgi?/news/2000/11/16/egypt_star001116 http://www.lineone.net/express/00/11/16/news/n3720-d.html http://www.cnn.com/2000/TECH/space/11/16/ageofpyramids.ap/index.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000579381554028&rtmo=qxdtMXR9&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/00/11/16/npyr16.html http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DailyNews/pyramids001115.html Also in the world of pyramid theories, the Independent has a report suggesting the Egyptians borrowed the design from Scotland (insert editorial comment of your choice here)(mind the wrap): http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2000-11/pyramid141100.shtml Also on the 'insert editorial comment of your choice' front, the Belfast Times reports on plans to search for the Ark of the Covenant in, er, Ireland: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/today/nov16/News/ark.ncml Returning to the Egyptian front, the Express has an article by David Rohl on the search for Cambyses' lost army: http://www.lineone.net/express/00/11/16/features/f0100splash-d.html A couple of reports on what's been found at Umm el-Marra (I think these are about the same site): http://www.latimes.com:80/news/science/science/20001123/t000112488.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7215-2000Nov12.html The Daily Star has a touristy/historical piece on Persepolis (scroll down quite a bit, if necessary): http://www.dailystarnews.com/200011/18/n0111809.htm#BODY4 'South Nexus' reports on the discovery in Iran of the coffin of a woman dating to ca. 200 B.C.: http://www.southnexus.com/newspopup_news.php?date1=18/11/2000&sequence=1&cnews= The Independent reports on the discovery of a 3,000 year-old megalithic 'temple' bigger than Stonehenge in Wales: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2000-11/temple261100.shtml Iron Age Scotland was apparently milking cows, according to a BBC report: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1024000/1024888.stm News24 has a brief item on the discovery of a Roman "Titanic" off the coast of Sicily -- some sort of luxury cruise ship with assorted affinities with Pompeii (I'll try to track down more on this one): http://news.24.com/News24/Technology/Science_Nature/0,1113,2-13-46_939109,00.html We also have a report on conservators at the British Museum revealing one of the most detailed images (on a knife) of a Roman gladiator ever found in Britain: http://209.19.141.102/news/2000/11/11142000/wireknife_3307.asp King Arthur's 'round table', which supposedly resides in Winchester Castle, has turned out to probably date from the time of Edward I: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2000-11/round231100.shtml A wire report tells of excavations in Tilaurakot, home of the Buddha: http://209.19.141.102/news/2000/11/11202000/wirbuddha_3332.asp Xinhua reports on the discovery of an ancient pottery workshop in Mongolia: http://202.84.17.11/english/htm/20001122/232333.htm A piece on the Reuters health wire suggests that evidence from teeth proves that rat-born nasties caused the big plague (and the same techniques might be used to figure out the plague at Athens, apparently) (mind the wrap): http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2000/11/23/eline/links/20001123elin006.html Completely unaware of the above, apparently, other scholars are claiming that rats were 'framed' for the plague: http://www.express.co.uk/00/11/26/news/n4720.shtml In the world of art history, the latest controversy is over a pile of bones which may or may not belong to Giotto: http://www.spokesmanreview.com:80/news-story.asp?date=112100&ID=s882699 http://abcnews.go.com/sections/science/dailynews/giotto001120.html http://www.cnn.com/2000/STYLE/arts/11/20/italy.giottoremains.ap/index.html I don't know why, but I'm always interested in discoveries of wine from shipwrecks, so here's another example: http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Spectator/_daily|news1051 Ananova reports on the arrest of a Bulgarian antiquities smuggler: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_121480.html?nav_src=newsIndexHeadline In a totally unrelated story, Bloomberg reports on assorted antiquities hitting the auction block at Sotheby's: http://www.bloomberg.com/pgcgi.cgi?T=finer99_art.ht&s=AOhPoYBQkQW50aXF1 I don't know how to classify this one, but Sir Ranulph Fiennes' 'perfect adventure' has a sort of leering archaeological/relic hunter feel to it: http://observer.co.uk/life/story/0,6903,402901,00.html NEW WORLD NEWS Japan Times reports that the Japanese are going to contribute funds to help preserve some Maya monuments in Bolivia: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20001126a4.htm A spelunker has discovered some 1000-year-old cave paintings/etchings in Wisconsin (this one doesn't 'feel right' for some reason) (watch da wrap):

Scientific American Discovering Archaeology Weekly DISCOVERING ARCHAEOLOGY Newsletter for November 29, 2000 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml --- Feature Stories --- - SOUTHERN INDIA'S MYSTERIOUS RULERS A Granite Pillar Records a Royal Family's Gift to its Subjects http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/112900-india.shtml Plus these Feature Reports: - Science, Swaying Palms, and Sea Breezes http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/11/11272000/micronesia_3340.asp - Japanese Ruins Up for World Heritage Designation http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/11/11272000/wirunesco_3352.asp - 30 Times Bigger Than Stonehenge http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2000-11/temple261100.shtml - What the Bones Can Tell You http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,230010824,00.html - Cave Tomb Discovered in Nabetieh http://www.dailystar.com.lb/27_11_00/art11.htm - The Virtual Museum of Nautical Archaeology http://ina.tamu.edu/ - Forest Fires Play Archaeologist http://www.latimes.com/news/state/20001128/t000114118.html

Found: temple sacred for 3,000 years The astonishing past: Stone Age site 30 times the size of Stonehenge is discovered Archaeologists have discovered a mysterious 4,700-year-old temple that is the largest Stone Age structure ever found in Western Europe. More than a half a mile across and covering 85 acres, the site in mid-Wales is 30 times the size of Stonehenge. A six-year research programme has revealed that the vast, egg-shaped religious complex consisted of 1,400 obelisks, each towering up to 23ft into the air. Made of oak, they were arranged as an oval with a perimeter of one-and-a-half miles. At its western end, archaeologists have discovered the site of the temple's main entrance � flanked by 6ft diameter timbers that may have stood 30ft tall. Despite its vast size, the site is baffling archaeologists. They are certain that it had a religious function � but what was being worshipped or venerated remains a mystery. The focal point appears to have been a natural spring � and possibly some sort of shrine. The complex may have been built on such a grand scale to include a second possible shrine 500 yards north-west of the spring and an area of further ritual activity about 200 yards to the north-east. The main entrance is oriented towards sunset on the summer solstice � the point at which the sun disappears after the longest day of the year. Detailed examination has revealed that the enclosed area was kept clear for almost 3,000 years. Outside the oval, archaeologists have found a normal level of flint and other prehistoric finds. Inside there have been almost no finds at all. "They must have kept it extraordinarily clean," said Dr Alex Gibson, an archaeologist who has spent much of the past six years investigating the site for Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust. It remained untouched by normal � secular � human activity from its construction in 2700BC, through the late Neolithic and the whole of both the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, which ended after the Roman invasion of AD43. The absence of debris of human activity from the earlier parts of the Neolithic era suggest the area may have been taboo for even longer � possibly from 4000BC. After the arrangement of 1,400 oak obelisks was constructed � just before the time that most of Stonehenge was built � it is likely that ordinary people were not just barred from the site, as they probably had been for generations, but were also prevented from seeing inside it. Archaeologists believe planks were used to close the gaps between the obelisks for at least the bottom third of their height. The temple was almost certainly kept exclusively for the use of the priesthood � probably shamans whose function was to maintain spiritual contact with ancestors and deities. However, when the Roman invaders arrived, its very sanctity seems to have made it a target. For, in common with many other native British sacred sites � including Stonehenge � the place appears to have been deliberately violated. The Romans seem to have chosen to insult local sensibilities by building first a marching camp on one part of the site and then a permanent fort on another. The site � at Hindwell, three miles east of New Radnor in Powys � is being seen as one of the most important in Europe. "We were bowled over by the sheer scale of the structure � and the fact that it appears to have remained sacred for thousands of years," Dr Gibson said.

DISCOVERING ARCHAEOLOGY - Newsletter for December 07, 2000 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml --- Feature Stories --- - CANNIBALS AT COWBOY WASH Biomolecular Archaeology Solves a Controversial Puzzle http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/120600-cowboy-1.shtml Plus these Feature Reports: - Oldest Human Ancestor Discovered In Kenya http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20001204/ts/fossils_find_dc.html - New Theory for the Nasca Lines http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/12/12052000/nascalines_3379.asp - Search4Science http://www.search4science.com - The Canadian Iceman Project http://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/NWview.cgi?/news/2000/11/30/iceman001130 - Chemical Analysis to Trace Population Migrations http://news.excite.com/news/uw/001128/tech-43 - Anasazi Exodus http://www0.mercurycenter.com/premium/scitech/docs/migrate28.htm - The Philosophical Emperor http://ancient.thevines.com/leaf/AA0000363772/2/ ----- The Discovering Archaeology Newsletter finds the week's most interesting archaeological stories and presents them to you in a simple, easy to read format on the web. Read these and other interesting features, including Readers Polls, Book Reviews, Archaeological Event Calendars and much more at: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml

I'll have to check out that Canadian Iceman project, sounds like a hockey player.

Tell Nan!! She's got a thing for hockey players....

EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 32 -- December 10, 2000 THE BIG NEWS The big news this week (judged solely by press coverage) appears to be the discovery of George Washington's still: http://www.nandotimes.com/healthscience/story/body/0,1079,500287227-500453881-502977445-0,00.html http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/12/06/washington.whiskey.ap/index.html OLD WORLD NEWS Potentially big news, but losing the coin toss, is the discovery of what is apparently the oldest human ancestor: http://www.iol.co.za/general/newsview.php?click_id=87&art_id=ct20001205121018851O435130&set_id=1 http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/12/12052000/wirefossil_3382.asp Arabic News has a nice feature on Ugarit: http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/001206/2000120601.html The same source also has a somewhat vague report on 'new Egyptian discoveries': http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/001205/2000120506.html Potentially big news, but I think the journalist types are reading a bit too much into it, is the discovery of a pair of entwined lovers, supposedly master and slave, along with a pile of gold in Pompeii: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000579381554028&rtmo=wew0Kstb&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/00/12/9/wpomp09.html http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,48958,00.html Also on the Pompeii front, Canada's own National Post has an excellent feature on the erotic art of Pompeii: http://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?f=/stories/20001205/393447.html Bloomberg has a report on the auction of a 'year 5 of Israel' shekel: http://www.bloomberg.com/pgcgi.cgi?T=finer99_art.ht&s=AOi_0ABPuUmFyZSBJ The Observer brings a report on Boudicca's nastier side: http://observer.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,406152,00.html The Egyptian News service brings word of the discovery of a sunken Roman port: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o041220c.htm The Houston Chronicle reports that a chunk of a Roman wall in Spain has collapsed due to heavy rains: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/world/767265 Xinhua reports on the discovery of some ancient iron plates in Central China: http://202.84.17.11/english/htm/20001206/254654.htm The same source reports on the discovery of a rather large stone turtle: http://202.84.17.11/english/htm/20001206/254154.htm National Geographic News has a report on the discovery of a tomb in Vietnam, which should shed light on that region's bronze age: http://209.19.141.102/news/2000/12/12042000/wirvietnam_3374.asp NEW WORLD NEWS Also potentially big news, but I think this has been mentioned before (?), researchers have connected Peru's Nazca lines to water sources: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/12/001201073347.htm http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/12/12052000/nascalines_3379.asp As with other sites of major forest fires this summer, the Sequoia National Forest conflagration has turned out to have revealed quite a few significant archaeological sites: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/12/08/MN156509.DTL A fish trap near Olympia Washington has been dated to the fifteenth century: http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?o1827_BC_WA--IndianArtifacts&&news&newsflash-oregon CLASSICISTS CORNER The Guardian has a somewhat interesting editorial about 'classism' which takes its start from Macauley's "Lays ...": http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/saturday_review/story/0,3605,408691,00.html An editorial in the Atlanta Constitution has plenty of Classical content as it compares the current US election difficulties to ancient Rome: http://www.accessatlanta.com/partners/ajc/epaper/editions/tuesday/opinion_a3c289d5a178719310a0.html Time Magazine has a nice little article on the benefits of Latin for English instruction: http://www.time.com/time/education/article/0,8599,90457,00.html SAGAS Humans out of Africa/DNA http://helix.nature.com/nsu/001207/001207-8.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1058000/1058484.stm http://abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DailyNews/human_evolution001206.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/499641.asp?cp1=1 FOLLOWUPS Mummy CAT scans: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o051220h.htm http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,46461,00.html Roman luxury ships: http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2000/12/03/stinwenws01011.html King Tut DNA tests: http://itn.co.uk/news/20001205/world/11mummy.shtml http://www.cnn.com/2000/NATURE/12/05/king.tut.ap/index.html Wisconsin Cave Paintings (I'm not sure if this one will still come up): http://radio.cbc.ca/insite/AS_IT_HAPPENS_TORONTO/2000/11/30.html World's Oldest Love Song: http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/20001206/hi_hu_song.html Cambyses' army (boy, they better find something ... they're certainly building the hype): http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2000/12/08/p7s2.htm http://209.19.141.102/news/2000/12/12082000/wirpersia_3408.asp AT ABOUT.COM Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill's latest is about Vincent Panella's first novel, which feature Julius Caesar's kidnapping by pirates: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa120500a.htm?terms=a1 Archaeology Guide Kris Hurst has an interview with Judith Winters, editor of Internet Archaeology: http://archaeology.about.com/library/weekly/aa120400a.htm Latin Guide Janet Burns has a nice little collection of Christmas-related songs in Latin: http://latin.about.com/library/weekly/aa120400a.htm

the following is from dave salisbury's "an occult guide to legendary london", at this URL: http://members.tripod.co.uk/Brit_Nephilim/page29.html "Christchurch, Spitalfields During the restoration work following the Great Fire of London, one of Sir Christopher Wren's contemporaries built a string of strange churches across the city. Nicholas Hawksmoor claimed to be following the ancient building traditions of the early Christian basilicas, but his obelisk-like spires and trompe d'oeuil effects have drawn admiration and conspiracy theorists in equal measures. Christchurch, Spitalfields is Hawksmoor's best example. Haunted does not describe the feeling of a church built atop a plague pit, over the road from what used to be the biggest abattoir in the world. A recent excavation of the crypt (now a drop-in centre for homeless alcoholics) unearthed a series of lead lined coffins full of liquefied corpses which archaeologists had to shovel out into bags for analysis. Does lead stop a Nephilim from returning to its stasis? Hmm. If anywhere in London is the site of a Black Moon Ka nexus, it's here." then there's this, from "spoilheap: burial archaeology", at this URL: http://www.spoilheap.co.uk/burintr.htm "The period from the beginning of the 16th century has been identified as the start of the modern era and is termed post-medieval by archaeologists. Historians date this change from the reign of Henry VII and his innovations in government. Most of the evidence for this period is historical rather than archaeological, but a few excavations have been carried out in post-medieval churches, notably in London (St. Bride's and Christchurch, Spitalfields) and Holland (Zwolle). Other archaeological methods have been used to record standing monuments in churchyards and other funerary objects. Spitalfields burial in coffins within crypts, often stacked in precarious positions, sometimes even on their heads excavated to recover a group of identifiable burials archaeologically for anthropological study. also provided an insight into 18th and 19th c. crypt burial customs, and a closely dated series of funerary artefacts. allowed for comparison of historical and archaeological data e.g. accounts of contemporary funerals compared with the total disarray of coffins and bodies within the crypts."

Prehistoric Treasure Found in Trash RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - A retired Brazilian carpenter had hoped to get rich off a piece of trash his sons dug out of a garbage dump 40 years ago: a 2.6 million-year-old mammoth molar the size of a small television. The family of Francisco Porfirio dos Santos, 88, uncovered the prehistoric molar at a dump in the Boogie-woogie shantytown of northern Rio de Janeiro some four decades ago. But dos Santos only recently took the fossil to the National Museum to find out what it was, said Deise Dias, a biologist at Rio de Janeiro's National Museum, Tuesday. "After 40 years of sitting on the fossil he brought it to us to identify and now he's saying he wants to sell it," she said. Dias said the tooth belongs to a mammoth, a sort of extinct elephant which had hairy skin and long curved tusks which roamed the earth millions of years ago. Mammoth remains have been found in North America, Asia and Europe but not in South America. "It's a beautiful piece with rich scientific value, but absolutely no commercial value, especially since it's illegal to sell fossils in Brazil," added Dias. "It's a pity all the media blitz went to his head, but we can't buy it."

DISCOVERING ARCHAEOLOGY Newsletter for December 13, 2000 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml --- Feature Stories --- - A WARRIOR CAMP Pre-Viking Chieftains Likely Drove Scandinavian Conflicts http://discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/121200-warrior.shtml Plus these Feature Reports: - Pompeii Love http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/20001212/hi_hu_pompeii.html - DNA Investigations of King Tut Postponed http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20001212/sc/egypt_tutankhamun_1.html - Archaeological Field School in Tuscany http://www.smu.edu/~poggio/2000fieldseason.html - Refreshing the Frescoes http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns226827 - World's Oldest Love Song http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/20001206/hi_hu_song.html - Japan's Stone Age Man Hoax Update http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/07/world/07JAPA.html?pagewanted=2 - Maine's Sunken Wreck http://www.herald.com/thispage.htm?content/archive/news/yahoo/digdocs/100360.htm - DNA and an Ancient Persian Riddle http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/12/12082000/wirpersia_3408.asp - Tomb Discovery in Vietnam http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/12/12042000/wirvietnam_3374.asp - Learn Hieroglyphics http://egypttourism.org/English/TravelTips/Hieroglyphic.htm ----- The Discovering Archaeology Newsletter finds the week's most interesting archaeological stories and presents them to you in a simple, easy to read format on the web. Read these and other interesting features, including Readers Polls, Book Reviews, Archaeological Event Calendars and much more at: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml

Scientific American Discovering Archaeology Weekly DISCOVERING ARCHAEOLOGY Newsletter for December 20, 2000 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml --- Feature Stories --- - CHOMPING AT THE BIT Researhers find the first ridden horse http://discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/121900-horses.shtml Plus these Feature Reports: - Athens Subway http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/19/arts/19ARTS.html - Two new sites in India http://www.timesofindia.com/151200/15indi44.htm - The Vikings and The Vatican http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/19/science/19HEYE.html - Battlefield Archaeology and the Collapsing Tunnels http://www.theage.com.au/news/2000/12/15/FFXUE48YPGC.html - Remote Desert City Holds Priceless Manuscripts http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/12/12112000/wirdesert_3414.asp - Dateline... Bulgaria http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20001218/wl/bulgaria_tomb_1.html - The Aerial Archaeology Research Group http://rs6000.univie.ac.at/AARG/ - Student Stories in Archaeological Fiction http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~kah2/fiction.htm ----- The Discovering Archaeology Newsletter finds the week's most interesting archaeological stories and presents them to you in a simple, easy to read format on the web. Read these and other interesting features, including Readers Polls, Book Reviews, Archaeological Event Calendars and much more at: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml

EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 35 -- December 31, 2000 ]|[=================================================================]|[ Editor's note: Depending on your mail software, some urls may wrap (especially those from the Telegraph) which will require you to rebuild the url at your end; if you get a 'file not found', check to see if the url wrapped on you. Most urls should be active for at least eight hours from the time of 'publicatio'. ]|[=================================================================]|[ As we enter a new year (and Millennium), your editor would just like to wish everyone a happy and prosperous New Year. It's been a quiet week, as one might expect, but I'm still happy to report that over the past year, subscriptions to Explorator increased by 50% and hopefully the next year will bring an even greater increase! Thanks for your support! OLD WORLD NEWS Xinhua via Northern Light reports on the discovery of some 3500-year-old structures in Iran: Http://library.northernlight.com/FB20001223260000013.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc Egypt Revealed via USA Today reports on the discovery of a pile of inscriptions in Egypt (from all periods) which are threatened by road construction: http://www.usatoday.com/weather/science/archaeology/inscript121800.htm Another story suggests some recent discoveries by a British team might challenge ideas of the origins of the Egyptians: http://www.hindustantimes.com/nonfram/281200/detFOR12.asp http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4110040,00.html The Bergen Record has an interesting "Antiques Roadshowish" story wherein the donation of some pots to Richard Stockton College might prove that they are actually wares from Magna Graecia: http://www.bergen.com/ed/urn26200012265.htm Ananova reports on plans to possibly rebury 'Seahenge': http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_156765.html?menu= Business Week has an interview with Robert Vergnieux on the use of new technology in archaeology: http://www.businessweek.com/ebiz/0012/eo1229a.htm For what it's worth, Northern Light picked up a Reuters story on a book which describes how the Knights Templar took the Holy Grail *and* the Ark of the Covenant to some island in the Baltic Sea: http://library.northernlight.com/HB20001224010000016.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc In the same department from TASS via Northern Light is a somewhat confusing report on the discovery of the tomb of St. Nicholas (a bit suspicious this one): http://library.northernlight.com/FB20001220270000219.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc NEW WORLD NEWS I couldn't find any ... told you it was a bit slow this week. ON THE NEWSSTANDS Archaeology Magazine has a new online issue, with a full text article on the Karachi mummy and abstracts on forging Minoan artifacts and making mummies (by Bob Brier) among other things: http://www.archaeology.org/curiss/toc/toc.html CLASSICIST'S CORNER The Lakeland Ledger has a piece on a local archaeologist's search for the historical Jesus: http://www.theledger.com/local/local/25arch.htm Rediff Online has a report on a booklet which suggests Indians discovered the Pythagorean theorem long before Pythagoras (among other things): http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jan/01rss.htm FOLLOWUPS Sunken cities in Aboukir Bay: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/12/001214082602.htm http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000140326706927&rtmo=as3sHb3L&atmo=HHHHHHHL&pg=/et/00/12/27/wcleo27.html Egyptian prosthetic toes: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/hsn/20001222/hl/walk_like_an_egyptian_1.html http://www.arabia.com/article/0,1690,Life|36125,00.html Thracian tomb in Bulgaria: http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/breakingnews/International/0,3561,622736,00.html REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html English translation (probably delayed ... hasn't been updated since August): http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.html EXPLORATOR IS ARCHIVED AT: http://www.onelist.com/archive/Explorator ]|[================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR is a weekly newsletter representing the fruits of the labours of 'media research division' of The Atrium. Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured on a daily basis for news of the ancient world (broadly construed: practically anything relating to archaeology or history prior to about 1700 or so is fair game) and when a sufficient number of urls are gathered (usually a minimum of three stories), they are delivered to your mailbox free of charge! Those articles that don't expire, plus supplementary links eventually find a home at: Commentarium (news articles) http://web.idirect.com/~atrium/commentarium.html The Rostra (audio files) http://web.idirect.com/~atrium/rostra.html A media archive of links of files that have previously appeared in Commentarium or at the Rostra is currently under construction. ]|[================================================================]|[ Explorator is Copyright (c) 2000 David Meadows; Feel free to distribute these listings via email to your pals, students, teachers, etc., but please include this copyright notice. These listings are not to be posted to a website; instead, please provide a link to either Commentarium or Rostra (or both)! You can subscribe to or unsubscribe from this list by going to the following web page: http://www.egroups.com/subscribe.cgi/Explorator

EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 36 -- January 7, 2001 OLD WORLD NEWS Kathimerini has a tantalizingly brief article on a dispute over rights to dig where what is possibly the oldest human skull in Europe was found: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=65090 NG News has an item on how the receding waters of the Sea of Galilee have revealed a neolithic site: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/01/0102galilee.html The San Francisco Chronicle has an interesting piece on a biopsy done on a 3,500 year-old mummy: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/01/03/MNW107794.DTL An animal cemetery has been discovered in Egypt: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/World/Africa/2001-01/egyptian030101.shtml http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/20010105/di_hi_ratmummy.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/newsid_1098000/1098102.stm http://www.arabia.com/article/0,1690,Life|36597,00.html Also on the Egyptian front, the Independent has an interesting item on how a scholar has traced the origins of the concept of "the mummy's curse": http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2000-12/mummy311200.shtml The Jerusalem Post has a somewhat shocking item on how the IAA treated a certain artifact: http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/01/05/News/News.18885.html The Sunday Times has a report on Thor Heyerdahl's theory that viking "tax exiles" settled in America: http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/01/07/stifgnusa02002.html The BBC reports on Iraq's ongoing efforts to restore its heritage: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/newsid_1102000/1102547.stm The Sunday Times has a report on Greece's plans to destroy a huge chunk of the site of the Battle of Marathon for Olympic event purposes: http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/01/07/stifgneur01004.html The Indian Express has a piece on the discovery of an inscription which sheds light on Hindu rule in 9th century Afghanistan: http://www.expressindia.com/ie/daily/20010105/iin05014.html The People's Daily reports on the discovery of a number of Shang Dynasty tombs (this one and the following items should have been in last week's issue): http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200012/19/eng20001219_58230.html The same source also has a couple of items on what excavations in Sanxingui are revealing: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200012/13/eng20001213_57743.html http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200012/11/eng20001211_57502.html Xinhua via Northern Light reports on the discovery of a pair of horse graves in China: http://library.northernlight.com/FB20010104840000319.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc Science Daily has an item on how volcanic eruptions may have really made the Dark Ages 'dark' (this isn't really a new story): http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/01/010102061812.htm Back to the BBC, which has an interesting report on excavating shipwrecks from the Zuider Zee: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/from_our_own_correspondent/newsid_1102000/1102498.stm NEW WORLD NEWS The Canadian version of Discovery Channel has an interview online with David Johnson in regards to the evidence that the Nazca Lines in Peru have associations with water sources (a brief bit of text, but otherwise requires Windows Media Player): http://www.exn.ca/Stories/2001/01/04/60.cfm ON THE NEWSSTANDS There's a new issue of Biblical Archaeology Review on the stands, the highlight of which is its annual guide to digs: http://www.bib-arch.org/bar2.html Bible Review also has a new online issue, with articles on "King David, Serial Murderer" and "The Gospel of Thomas" , among other things: http://www.bib-arch.org/br2.html And we might as well round out the BAS triad: Archaeology Odyssey has a new issue out (new to me) with an article on kingship in Sumer, another guide to digs, etc.: http://www.bib-arch.org/aod2.html CLASSICIST'S CORNER Kathimerini has a report on an exhibit of photos of the Acropolis over time (pardon the awkward description): http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=65101 I missed this one ... the Boston Globe a month ago had a report on the revival of Classical Greek in a certain county jail (!): http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/344/metro/At_county_jail_study_of_classical_Greek_enjoying_a_revival+.shtml The Cincinnati Enquirer has a piece on the return of Latin to a high school in that city: http://enquirer.com/editions/2000/12/26/loc_latin_classes_return.html REVIEWS The LA Times has a review of Finkelstein and Silberman *The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts*: http://www.latimes.com/news/state/20010106/t000001538.html SAGAS Kennewick Man: http://www.msnbc.com/news/323998.asp?cp1=1 http://www.kgw.com/kgwnews/oregonwash_story.html?StoryID=11677 Elgin Marbles (same story, different papers): http://www.southam.com/ottawacitizen/newsnow/cpfs/world/010105/w010540.html http://www.vancouversun.com/cgi-bin/newsite.pl?adcode=w-mm&modulename=world%20news&template=international&nkey=vs&filetype=fullstory&file=/cpfs/world/010105/w010540.html AT ABOUT.COM Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill's latest is on Solon: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa010201a.htm?terms=a1 Archaeology Guide Kris Hirst's latest is on archaeology-related careers: http://archaeology.about.com/library/weekly/aa010101.htm Latin Guide Janet Burns' lastest is on why datives and pluperfects are called that: http://latin.about.com/homework/latin/library/weekly/aa011701a.htm FOLLOWUPS Egyptian petroglyphs: http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/20001229/hi_hu_rockart.html Egyptian prosthetic toes: http://www.sciam.com/news/010301/2.html Seahenge (with an excellent photo at the BBC): http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1100000/1100790.stm http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2001-01/seahenge050101.shtml Cities in Aboukir Bay (watch the wrap ... this is the same AP story from last week) http://www.thestar.com/apps/AppLogic+FTContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=978496256338&call_page=TS_News&call_pageid=968332188492&call_pagepath=News/News (Not) Arthur's Round Table: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,61-61297,00.html REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html url:http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html url:http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html English translation (probably delayed ... hasn't been updated since August): http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.html url:http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.htm EXPLORATOR IS ARCHIVED AT: http://www.onelist.com/archive/Explorator ]|[================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR is a weekly newsletter representing the fruits of the labours of 'media research division' of The Atrium. Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured on a daily basis for news of the ancient world (broadly construed: practically anything relating to archaeology or history prior to about 1700 or so is fair game) and when a sufficient number of urls are gathered (usually a minimum of three stories), they are delivered to your mailbox free of charge! Those articles that don't expire, plus supplementary links eventually find a home at: The Media Archive (just going up as of January 7, 2001): http://atrium-media.com/mediaarchive.html ]|[================================================================]|[ Explorator is Copyright (c) 2001 David Meadows; Feel free to distribute these listings via email to your pals, students, teachers, etc., but please include this copyright notice.

That must be be, a Viking tax exile!

Boy, did they ever pick the wrong place for a white male worker to hide his taxes!!! Perhaps that is why so few Vikings are still here?!

Scientific American Discovering ArchaeologyWeekly DISCOVERING ARCHAEOLOGY Newsletter for Januarary 13, 2001 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml --- Feature Stories --- - UNLOCKING PANDORA'S MYSTERIES Forensic Anthropologists Search for Clues about Mysterious Sailors http://discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/010801-pandora.shtml Plus these Feature Reports: - Australian Challenge to the Out of Africa Theory http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1108000/1108413.stm - Modern Threat to Ancient Cave Petroglyphs http://www.msnbc.com/news/512223.asp - Chinese Bones and DNA http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200101/03/eng20010103_59506.html - Roman Coin Cache Uncovered http://globalarchive.ft.com/globalarchive/article.html?id=010110001253&query - Why Texas Isn't Part of Canada http://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?f=/stories/20010103/424314.html - China Ruins May Become a World Heritage Site http://english.china.com/cdc/en/culture/articles/0,1677,3734-106000,00.html - The Mummy Has a Wooden Toe http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20001228/hl/mummy_toe_1.html - The Brazil Mound http://farwestern.com/brazilmound/pagei.html -----

3.4 Million-Year-Old Skeleton Found in Ethiopia ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (Reuters) - An Ethiopian scientist has discovered the well-preserved 3.4 million-year-old partial skeleton of a child hominid, which experts say should provide valuable information in the study of human evolution. Dr. Zeresenay Alemseged, a palaeoanthropologist, told reporters in Addis Ababa Saturday they had found a fragment of a lower jaw and an exceptionally well-preserved partial skeleton, including the skull, of a child early hominid. They were discovered in the Busidina-Dikika sector of the Afar region, in an area bordering the Republic of Djibouti. Busidina-Dukika lies south of Hadar, where numerous fossils of Austrolopithecus Afarensis, including the famous Lucy, have been discovered. "This is probably the earliest well-preserved young hominid so far known," he said, adding that the discovery would help in filling a gap between the earliest known hominids and those from later periods. "The new hominid is an important addition which may fill in the gap between Lucy, which is dated to 3.2 million years, and a similar hominid species from Laetoli, Tanzania, and dated at 3.7 million years," he said. Alemseged, a post-doctoral research associate at the Institute of Human Origins at Arizona State University, led a mission to prehistoric sites in Busidina and Dikika in 1999 and 2000.

EXPLORATOR - Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 37 -- January 14, 2001 OLD WORLD NEWS Plenty of versions of this AP story: archaeologists have found what they believe is an insole dating to some 3000 years B.C./B.C.E.: http://www.enn.com/news/wire-stories/2001/01/01122001/ap_footprint_41315.asp http://www.nj.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?a0550_BC_AncientInsole&&news&newsflash-international http://austin360.com/shared/news/technology/ap_story.html/Science/AP.V0881.AP-Ancient-Insole.html Just as folks were figuring out what to do with Seahenge, another was discovered (maybe): http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/Environment/2001-01/seahenge110101.shtml http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1111000/1111952.stm http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003864436460684&rtmo=lvwbQQQt&atmo=rrrrrrrq&pg=/et/01/1/11/nheng11.html And while we're on the subject of henges, it's big news in Britain, apparently, that much restoration work went into Stonehenge: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/010901/times_stonehenge.sml http://www.newscientist.com/dailynews/news.jsp?id=ns9999310 The Telegraph has a brief item on how the Nile is threatening inscriptions at Karnak: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003864436460684&rtmo=psSl3M1e&atmo=rrrrrrrq&pg=/et/01/1/12/wnile12.html Arabia.com has a feature on pyramids in the Sudan: http://www.arabia.com/article/0,1690,Life|37185,00.html The Charlotte Observer has an item on a new permanent display of artifacts from Israel at UNCC: http://www.charlotte.com/observer/local/pub/oldstuff0112.htm There are a couple of reports on the discovery of a bust of Caesarion (in the waters off Alexandria, of course): http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/20010112/hi_ceasar.html http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/010801/times_caesarion.sml Other news from Abukir bay ... this seems like old news, no?: http://www.iol.co.za/html/frame_news.php?click_id=31&art_id=qw97931550066B221 The Telegraph reports on the impending exhibition of a Roman gold coin hoard: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003864436460684&rtmo=lvwbQQQt&atmo=rrrrrrrq&pg=/et/01/1/11/ncoin11.html ... while the Independent reports on the discovery of a new one: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2001-01/coin100101.shtml The Times of India reports that archaeologists have found an ancient 'idol making unit': http://www.timesofindia.com/today/06ente13.htm The Age reports on the trial of seven men accused of robbing a tomb near Beijing: http://www.theage.com.au/breaking/0101/12/A13265-2001Jan12.html NEW WORLD NEWS CNN has a report on the threat posed by mining operations to petroglyphs in the Dominican Republic: http://www.cnn.com/2001/STYLE/arts/01/10/cave.art.ap/index.html The Billings Gazette has a report on how a piece of 'repatriation' legislation is working: http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?section=local&display=content/local/debate.inc ON THE NEWSSTANDS There's a new issue of British Archaeology on the webstands, with plenty of news items and features on the Bignor Roman Villa, Avebury, and Neanderthals, among other things: http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba51/ba51toc.html CLASSICIST'S CORNER ... sorry, the search engines came up dry this week ... AT ABOUT.COM Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill gives us a rundown of what folks have been chatting about: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa010901a.htm ?terms=a1 Archaeology Guide Kris Hirst has an article on the Koster site: http://archaeology.about.com/library/weekly/aa010801a.htm Latin Guide Janet Burns has a selection of Roman-related January trivia: http://latin.about.com/library/quizzes/blJanuaryTrivia.htm FOLLOWUPS Animal mummies (actually, this is one I missed): http://www.independent.co.uk/news/World/Africa/2001-01/egyptian030101.shtml Black Sea/Noah's Flood: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/09/science/09FLOO.html SAGAS The "out of Africa"/maybe not debate has a new installment to complicate matters: http://www.msnbc.com/news/514732.asp?cp1=1 http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/01/0111origins.html http://www.newscientist.com/dailynews/news.jsp?id=ns9999307 http://www.sciam.com/news/010901/2.html http://www.theaustralian.com.au/common/story_page/0,4511,1594904%255E8882,00.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1108000/1108413.stm http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/Science/2001-01/dna090101.shtml ... and another twist on the same idea: http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWSScience0101/11_skulls-ap.html http://www.oweb.com/newslink/National/AncientHumansP0229.html http://www.bergen.com/morenews/oldones200101127.htm REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html url:http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html EXPLORATOR IS ARCHIVED AT: http://www.onelist.com/archive/Explorator

EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 38 -- January 21, 2001 ]|[=================================================================]|[ OLD WORLD NEWS What might be construed as the big news of the week, based on press coverage alone, is the theory that early bone tools reveal that early hominids chowed down on termites: http://www.msnbc.com/news/517206.asp http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/hominid_termites.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1119000/1119359.stm http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/Science/2001-01/dinner160101.shtml http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/17/science/science-humans-dc.html The Telegraph and MSNBC have a brief item on using DNA analysis to learn about when horses were domesticated: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003864436460684&rtmo=fs3aMa0s&atmo=rrrrrrrq&pg=/et/01/1/19/whors19.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/518171.asp Just when you thought the 'Noah's flood' thing had died down, a team of researchers from Canada is suggesting the site may have been near the Persian Gulf: http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWSScience0101/14_manitoba-cp.html http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_173982.html?menu= http://www.nypostonline.com/news/worldnews/21462.htm The Frontier Post has a (somewhat strange) article on the Near East and Aegean art: http://frontierpost.com.pk/weekend.asp?id=4&date1=1/21/2001 Nando Times and the Macedonian Press Agency report that the FBI has (finally) returned a large number of antiquities purloined from the museum at Corinth a decade ago: http://www.nandotimes.com/global/story/0,1024,500301332-500481694-503309637-0,00.html http://www.hri.org/news/greek/mpab/2001/01-01-19.mpab.html#12 The Athenian News Agency has an all too brief report on the discovery of some Geometric period tombs in Cyprus: http://www.hri.org/news/greek/ana/2001/01-01-15.ana.html#19 The International Herald Tribune has a piece on the Etruscans: http://www.iht.com/articles/8109.htm I'm sure we'll hear more about this one next week ... EurekaAlert has an interesting press release on how a Classics grad student (yay!) has found proof that Homer was right about burnt sacrifices in the Bronze Age: http://www.eurekalert.org/releases/uc-cds011901.html Techie types will be interested to learn that archaeologists have unearthed a prehistoric C compiler (sorry ... I couldn't resist including this one): http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/16227.html Xinhua via Northern Light reports on the discovery of a 3200-year-old noble's tomb in central China: http://library.northernlight.com/FB20010117780000030.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc A number of tombs have also been discovered near Shanghai: http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010119340000017.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc The same source has a wrap up of recent discoveries all over China as well: http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010115390000602.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc NEW WORLD NEWS I couldn't find any New World stuff this week!! ON THE NEWSSTANDS The January issue of Scientific American has an interesting commentary piece on the development of writing: http://www.sciam.com/2001/0101issue/0101wonders.html Discovering Archaeology has put up an article on the city of Aperlae (in Lycia): http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/011401-turkey.shtml http://www.usatoday.com/weather/science/archaeology/2001-01-16-aperlae.htm CLASSICIST'S CORNER Ekathimerini has posted an article from December 1969 (I doubt that's right ... there's a ref to 1998 in it) about the 'Cabernet Sauvignon of Antiquity' -- Phliasios wine -- with plenty of ancient refs ... interesting stuff: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=67087 The New York Times has an extended piece on Cleopatra, with refs to the exhibition in Italy, movies, etc.: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/20/arts/20CLEO.html FOLLOWUPS Baharaiya Oasis mummies: http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/010118/2001011829.html Karachi mummy: http://news.excite.com/news/r/010119/08/odd-mummy-dc http://www.timesofindia.com/160101/16nbrs26.htm Ancient insoles: http://chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/article/0,2669,SAV-0101140394,FF.html Zeugma: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/doc/1047/1:FAITH1/1:FAITH10119101.html SAGAS The Out-of-Africa vs. Not-necessarily-so debate: http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/dsnews/219nd1.htm AT ABOUT.COM Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill's latest is on Hanno of Carthage's little trip: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa011801a.htm?terms=a1 Latin Guide Janet Burns' has a guest-written feature on Augustus: http://latin.about.com/homework/latin/library/weekly/aa011401a.htm REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html English translation (probably delayed ... hasn't been updated since August): http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.html

I have persmission from the senior writer of this article to post it. If there is enough interest in the citations, I will post them as well. Thanks JSK! A SUBSTITUTE HAY WAGON IN SOUTHERN OHIO: NOTES ON RURAL MATERIAL CULTURE John S. Kessler and Donald B. Ball ___________________________________________________________________________________________ A simple implement resembling a mono-runner sled used for the transportation of hay from the field in the days before baling became a locally common practice is described as observed in a restricted section of rural Ohio in 1945. This device appears to be previously unreported in the European and regional material culture literature; no antecedent implement is presently known. The simplicity and temporary nature of such items of material culture demonstrate the problems in inherent in interpreting disarticulated yet previously recycled historic artifacts. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Editor�s Note: The description of the subject farm implement for the first time in print affords the opportunity to simultaneously document this humble and little known item of material culture and contemplate its interface with regional historic archaeological investigations. As may be noted from the following discussion, the few items of likely recycled stable hardware needed to construct this implement serve to clearly demonstrate the problems - if not impossibility - of confidently interpreting certain categories of disarticulated historic artifacts. A major portion of the senior author's childhood was spent in Brushcreek Township in rural Highland County, (south-central) Ohio. This location at the edge of the Appalachian escarpment was in many respects atavistic, retaining the southern-weighted flavor, customs, and methods of the 19th and perhaps 18th centuries. One possible holdover from earlier times was a method for transporting hay from the field in which it was cut to the haystack. In general, the prevailing method for hay harvest (prior to the local rise in popularity of baling in the 1950s) was cutting with a horse drawn or tractor mounted sickle bar mower, raking into windrows, and loading into a wagon to which hay racks had been attached for transport to the stack site This process was labor and equipment intensive. A typical crew consisted of two wagons with drivers (each wagon pulled by either a team of horses or a tractor), at least three loaders, and one stack builder. This broke down into six people, two wagons, and four horses or two tractors. If the hay was being stored in a hay mow (barn loft), about the same size crew would have been required for reasonable efficiency. During the season of 1945 while World War II was still in progress, there was a shortage of either manpower, equipment, or both in the hay crew with which the senior author (then 12 years of age) was associated. Consequently, a different method of transporting the hay to the stack site was adopted. After being cut and allowed to partially cure, the hay was raked and piled into "doodles". A hay doodle was in fact a small stack about four ft (1.2 m) in height and about the same in diameter. Thus, a hayfield would be filled with these small stacks or, colloquially, doodles which needed to be transported to the hay stack. TRANSPORTING HAY The actual transportation was assigned to the senior author and another boy somewhat older in age. This was accomplished by providing each of us with a horse to which a rather unusual contrivance was attached via a single tree. As recalled over half a century later, this device (Figure 1) consisted of a pole made from a freshly cut hickory sapling about three to four in. (7.6-10 cm) in diameter at the base and about eight ft (2.4 m) in length. A ring was attached by #9 wire to the basal end while the other end had been sharpened to a point with an ax. One end of a rope about twice the length of the sapling was tied to the single tree while the other was passed through the ring attached to the basal end of the pole. Another ring equal to or greater in size than the basal ring was then attached to the free ("bitter") end of the rope. Thus, FIGURE 1. A SUBSTITUTE HAY WAGON FROM RURAL OHIO. when the pole was pulled behind the horse, the ring attached to the rope would prevent that rope from being pulled completely through the basal ring. After these contrivances were attached, the horses were ridden into the hayfield and halted at a hay doodle. Here a hay hand would shove the sharpened end of the pole under the doodle, put the rope over the doodle, and place the ring tied to the bitter end over the sharpened end of the sapling. The doodle was then in a loop formed by the rope over its top and the sapling beneath it. When the horse walked forward, the loop tightened as the bitter end ring was pulled up the length of the pole and the rope was pulled through the basal ring. In this fashion, the doodle was secured and pulled to the stack site where it was released by removing the bitter end ring from the sharpened end of the sapling. It is perhaps notable that most of the authors� professional lives have been associated with fieldwork in rural settings in the eastern, southeastern, and midwestern portions of the United States. However, we recall only one instance of encountering a situation bearing similarity to that described herein. During the late 1960s while driving in the Pocanos of Pennsylvania, a small hillside hayfield (estimated less than 5 acres/2 hectares) containing "doodles" was casually noted by the senior author. Whether these doodles" were later moved by use of the mono-runner sled is not known. The steep topography of the field, however, would have been hazardous to the stability of a wheeled hay wagon but not to a farm sled or sledge as it was sometimes called. Although to the best of the senior author's recollection at least 10 doodles would have been required to equal one wagon load of hay, this method reduced the previously enumerated personnel and equipment requirements to but one stacker, two hay hands, two boys, two horses, and no wagons or tractor. However, it increased the effort required at the hay stack as there was a loss of the elevated platform which would have been provided by a hay wagon. Regardless, it worked well allowing three farm neighbors and two boys to successfully "make hay" during a year when resources were minimal. DISCUSSION The authors have no knowledge as to either the origin or name(s) of this device. Though it may have been invented due to the necessity of that particular time, this is highly doubtful. At the time this implement was observed and used, there was no experimentation or trial and error. These devices were built and they worked the first time. In consequence, it appears logical to believe that due to necessity a piece of the past was reclaimed and put to good use. A brief review of the literary sources referable to material culture studies in both the Old and New World produced no additional information concerning historical antecedents of these humble implements. Although the relative simplicity of the device would suggest some possible antiquity, its origins remain unknown. Historical studies of English farming practices from the 11th-16th centuries note that hay production was a regular, though secondary, farm activity (Ault 1972:25-27; Homans 1970:41-42). Among the early non-wheeled forms of transport reported in the Scottish Highlands are a travois-like horse-drawn sledge fashioned from two parallel poles; a sled with two parallel runners; and the slipe (also slype), fabricated from a sturdy forked tree trunk (Grant 1961:281-283). Though the practice of �making hay� is briefly discussed, no mention is made of any specialized means of transporting it (ibid.:97-98). Generally similar drawn vehicles (typically designed for human rather than horse motive power) wer also used in Ireland (Evans 1957:170-174). In that area, the two recorded means of carrying dried hay to the selected storage site were slipes and a wheeled platform called a rick-shifter (ibid.:155). Studies of traditional Welsh transportation devices have recorded only human-drawn slide-cars (a form of travois) and horse-drawn sleds (Fox 1931). Synoptic studies of traditional French agricultural tools and implements (Delamarre and Hairy 1971) and forms of rural transportation (Delamarre and Henninger 1972) make no mention of the use of a device such as observed in Ohio. Of the forms of non-wheeled transportation recorded in Europe, sleds are abundantly documented in the folk cultural literature of the southeastern United States (cf. Glassie 1969:187-188; Riedl et al. 1976:149-150, plate 70) and "lizards" (vernacular name for slipe) have also been recorded in the region (Cavender 1975; Riedl et al. 1976:150-151, fig. 55). Implements such as the Ohio hay sled are not reported in either studies of southeastern traditional woodcraft (Clarke and Kohn 1976) or early American farm life (Sloane 1974). Though the material culture of hay stacking and storage is well documented in the western states (Jordan et al. 1997:105-121), the conveyances actually used to transport the hay are not discussed. CONCLUSION The combined attributes of size, load limitations, minimal cost, and ease of construction of these implements as observed in this part of rural Ohio suggest that such mono-runner sleds were probably used by small scale farmers for short distance hauling in situations too steep for the safe use of a wagon or, in the reported instance, when confronted with atypical periods of labor shortage which necessitated the revival and use of an archaic, less efficient but simultaneously less personnel intensive means of transporting their crop. Much as it may be anticipated that the near universal availability of tractors has effectively rendered this implement obsolete in terms of practical farm usage, it may reasonably be speculated that even in an era dominated by draft animals, its relative inefficiency likely always relegated it to being a secondary - rather than primary - means of harvesting hay. With the assistance and observations of colleagues in the region, the origin, history, distribution, and, indeed, t e name(s) of this work-a-day item of material culture may be better understood. As an aside, it is somewhat interesting to speculate that the senior author may be the last living person to have used this device.

EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 35 -- December 31, 2000 ]|[=================================================================]|[ OLD WORLD NEWS News24 has a feature on new technology being used on the Dead Sea Scrolls: http://news.24.com/News24/Technology/Science_Nature/0,1113,2-13-46_968917,00.html Also in Israel, the prime minister has ordered a halt to excavations on Temple Mount: http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=01/22/01&id=107528 http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/01/22/News/News.19995.html I think this is a repeat (the photo is for sure), but MSNBC has a feature on archaeological matters in Yemen: http://www.msnbc.com/news/518350.asp USA Today/Egypt Revealed have a piece on the playing of a couple of 'trumpets' from King Tut's tomb: http://www.usatoday.com/news/science/archaeology/2001-01-27-ancientmusic.htm http://www.egyptrevealed.com/012401_tutstrumpet.htm The Observer has an excerpt from Anthony Sattin *The Pharaoh's Shadow* which is somewhat interesting: http://www.observer.co.uk/travel/story/0,6903,429704,00.html National Geographic reports on plans to move homes away from the Valley of the Kings etc.: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/archaeology.html Business Week has a chapter excerpt from W. Michael Blumenthal *The Invisible Wall* which has some interesting, albeit fleeting, bits of ancient history: http://www.businessweek.com/chapter/blumenthal.htm A couple of sources report on an underwater archaeological expedition searching for various pirate ships: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_regional/ship01192001.htm http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010124/3011912s.htm Also on the pirate front are a couple of reports on dives off the coast of Kenya (which includes pirate remains and prehistoric ones): http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/breakingnews/International/0,3561,690378,00.html http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Kenya-Sunken-Treasure.html The Guardian has an item on how Hippocrates still has stuff to teach us: http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4121846,00.html RussiaToday has a feature on ancient art in Uzbekistan (no decent pictures, alas): http://www.russiatoday.com/news.php3?id=269678 A couple of sources on the discovery of an 'Anglo Saxon gold disk' or 'erotic ring': http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_182949.html?menu= http://www.the-journal.co.uk/cfm/newsstory.cfm?StoryId=227871 The Herald reports on the discovery of a 12th-century cemetery in Kinghorn (Scotland): http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/archive/26-1-19101-23-55-34.html Xinhua's weekly wrap-up of archaeological work in China: http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010122630000321.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010122630000339.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc The BBC reports on the increasing rate of discovery of coin hoards: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1133000/1133910.stm And as long as we're talking about coin hoards, here's one I missed a few weeks ago (despite having been given a heads up) from the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1109000/1109308.stm One we'll likely hear more about: a Eurekalert press release (and several spawned articles) tells of one prof's theory on the connection between collapse of societies and climate change: http://www.eurekalert.org/releases/umass-ccp012501.html http://www.smh.com.au/news/0101/28/world/world4.html http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-26-09.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000140326706927&rtmo=lvSbnzAt&atmo=HHHHHHHL&pg=/et/01/1/26/wclim26.html The BBC has an interesting item on what a Raphael painting has recently revealed: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/from_our_own_correspondent/newsid_1130000/1130895.stm NEW WORLD NEWS The Free-Lance Star reports on the discovery of a paleo-Indian site near Fredericksburg: http://www.fredericksburg.com/news/Local/Culpeper/0127arti.htm The BBC reports on the archaeological potential of Ek Balam http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid_1136000/1136198.stm An AP report tells of a dig near Independence Hall in Philadelphia, which reveals a culturally-diverse early colony: http://www.msnbc.com/news/519972.asp http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/dig_philly010123.html http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/012301/phili_dig.sml CLASSICIST'S CORNER National Defense magazine has a sidebar piece which cites classical precedents for psyops: http://nationaldefense.ndia.org/article.cfm?Id=427 (full article at http://nationaldefense.ndia.org/article.cfm?Id=425) ABCNewsguy John Stossel makes passing mention that there were classical (and even more ancient) precedents for making New Year's resolutions (is this true??): http://abcnews.go.com/sections/2020/ABCNEWSSpecials/001229_stossel_feature.html One I missed last week: the Washington Post had a feature on presidential inaugurations with a sidebar on the origin of the word: http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7659-2001Jan17.html Folks might be interested in some tragic productions in Ireland: http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2001/0126/reg3.htm FOLLOWUPS Ages ago, it seems, we heard of a project to move a bluestone to Stonehenge ... here's the latest: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/wales/newsid_1129000/1129102.stm Homer accuracy: http://enquirer.com/editions/2001/01/27/loc_discovery_settles.html Horse domestication: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/23/science/23OBSER-2.html Fujimori fraud: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20010128b2.htm SAGAS Elgin Marbles: http://www.hri.org/news/greek/ana/2001/01-01-25.ana.html#22 OBITUARY Oliver Gurney: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/27/world/27GURN.html AT ABOUT.COM Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill's latest is on Nefertiti: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa012201a.htm Archaeology Guide Kris Hirst's latest is on the medieval town of Kootwijk: http://archaeology.about.com/library/weekly/aa012201a.htm Latin Guide Janet Burns has a piece on Latin haiku: http://latin.about.com/library/weekly/aa011601a.htm AND ANOTHER THING ... Indiana Jones has been voted the top movie hero of all time: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/newsid_1138000/1138584.stm http://library.northernlight.com/HC20010126010000024.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html English translation (probably delayed ... hasn't been updated since August): http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.html EXPLORATOR IS ARCHIVED AT: http://www.onelist.com/archive/Explorator

NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2, 2001 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml This Week's Feature Reports Hail Caesar�s A casino is paying for an archaeological dig TV Archaeologist Helps Identify War Casualties British archaeologist helps with the healing process The Archaeology Of Shipwrecks UNESCO fights to save our underwater heritage Archaeology in Mali Political unrest hampers archaeological research Tale of Two Trails Bones and DNA reveal the history of human origins The EMuseum Come stroll through Minnesota State University�s virtual gallery � if you dare! http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml

EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 40 -- February 4, 2000 ]|[=================================================================]|[ OLD WORLD NEWS Egypt Revealed has an interesting item on Egypt as "cradle of the neurosciences": http://www.egyptrevealed.com/020201-neuroscience.shtml A brief item at Egypt Online tells of the discovery of a bust of Isis, dating to Ptolemaic times: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o270121c.htm The same source relates the discovery of some Ptolemaic-era baths (the date at the top of the page is wrong; this is a new item): http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o010221.htm One I missed last week: the Lebanon Star has an interesting item on the remains of Tabinet, king of Sidon: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/features/27_01_01_b.htm The Times on plans for the Roman Forum: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,20-76039,00.html The online news section of Archaeology magazine has an interesting item on mob activity in regards to (modern) Pompeii (so to speak): http://www.archaeology.org/online/news/mob.html They also have a short feature on Magnesia on the Maeander: http://www.archaeology.org/online/news/magnesia/index.html The Journal reports on plans to excavate a Roman fort in County Durham: http://www.the-journal.co.uk/cfm/newsstory.cfm?StoryId=229097 Discovering Archaeology has a brief item on wrestling in history (mostly in ancient Greece): http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/013101-hulkhogan.shtml What might be the oldest Christian church has been discovered in Jordan (this is a bit of a deja vu, no?); there's a video tour of the church at the CNN site: http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/meast/01/29/jordan.church/index.html National Geographic news has a nice feature on the TAY project, which is webbifying plenty of archaeological and historical data relating to ancient Turkey: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/02/0202_turkeyweb.html As might be suspected, the recent earthquake in Gujarat has caused damage to many ancient monuments: http://www.indiaexpress.com/news/regional/gujarat/20010201-7.html http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_193039.html?menu=news.latestheadlines http://www.cnn.com/2001/TRAVEL/NEWS/02/01/quake.monuments.ap/index.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=003864436460684&rtmo=rrrrrrrq&atmo=rrrrrrrq&pg=/ixworld.html The Xinhua summaries of recent archaeological finds in China: http://library.northernlight.com/FB20010131630000016.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc http://library.northernlight.com/FB20010131620000315.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc The New York Post has a reviewish sort of thing of Oscar Muscarella's work claiming up to 45 items at the Met might be forgeries/fakes: http://www.nypost.com/02012001/entertainment/21538.htm In a similar vein is a EXN.ca story on a suspect Minoan artifact at the Royal Ontario Museum: http://exn.ca/Stories/2001/01/31/52.cfm NEW WORLD NEWS A Science Daily press release (and others) on one scholar's theory on the Hohokam "multiethnic network: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/02/010202073801.htm http://www.eurekalert.org/news.pub.brief.html I suspect we'll be hearing more about this one, a Eurekalert press release about the Texas A&M excavations at the Gault site: http://www.eurekalert.org/releases/tam-taf013101.html Discovering Archaeology has a feature on a certain person's redating of Tiwanako and why it's wrong: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/013101-15,000mistake.shtml On a more positive note, the same source has a feature on a recently-discovered urban area at Palenque: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/013001-palenque.shtml REVIEWS The New York Times has a review of Finkelstein and Silberman *The Bible Unearthed*: http://www.nytimes.com/books/01/02/04/reviews/010204.04triblet.html CLASSICIST'S CORNER The Salt Lake Tribune has a feature on the religious origins of the Olympic games: http://www.sltrib.com/02032001/saturday/68198.htm The followup to the "Images of Alexander"-test-at-Harvard-cancelled-because-of-a-bomb-threat story: http://news.excite.com/news/uw/010131/university-107 A nice article on a high school ancient civ teacher: http://www.pioneerplanet.com/seven-days/sun/news/docs/029173.htm A review of a performance of Oedipus Rex, set in contemporary Africa: http://www.bostonphoenix.com:80/boston/arts/theater/documents/00408547.htm A review of Medea, starring Fiona Shaw: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/newsid_1148000/1148799.stm Another old one which turned up this a.m. for some reason ... a nice little history of the calendar: http://www.sptimes.com/News/010101/Columns/Julius_Caesar_s_old_d.shtml AT ABOUT.COM: Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill has a couple of interesting items this week, including a feature on St. Patrick: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa020101a.htm and a guest feature on Carthage and Human Sacrifice: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa020101a.htm Archaeology Guide Kris Hirst has a feature on the 'Aryans': http://archaeology.about.com/library/weekly/aa012901a.htm Latin Guide Janet Burns has a nice feature on Hadrian: http://latin.about.com/library/weekly/aa012401b.htm FOLLOWUPS Animal cemetery at Abydos: http://www.archaeology.org/online/news/pet.html Climate and the collapse of ancient societies: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/01/010129065659.htm http://www.spacer.com/news/greenhouse-01b.html Wisconsin cave: http://www.archaeology.org/online/news/wisconsin/index.html SAGAS Temple Mount: http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/02/02/News/News.20703.html http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/02/01/Features/Features.20649.html EH? Not really archaeological, but the scan this week picked this thing up from the Age, which relates the tale of an Italian countess who may or may not be tied to Tut's curse (tough to say ... I don't have coffee in me yet so I don't know if it's just bad writing or me): http://www.theage.com.au/news/2001/02/03/FFXYF3B7PIC.html REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html English translation (probably delayed ... hasn't been updated since August): http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.html EXPLORATOR IS ARCHIVED AT: http://www.onelist.com/archive/Explorator

Pyramid in Peru Yields Unprecedented Buried Treasure Archeology: UCLA scientists find unique cultural artifacts in three 1,500-year-old tombs of the Moche people. By THOMAS H. MAUGH II, Times Staff Writer UCLA archeologists have found three unlooted tombs in a 1,500-year-old Moche pyramid in Peru, a finding that has left them scratching their heads over the burial chambers' unusual contents. Each of the three treasure-filled tombs was accompanied by a miniature tomb containing a copper figurine of the deceased and miniature versions of the tomb's artifacts--something never seen in any culture before, even in the most elaborate Egyptian chambers. Perhaps even more puzzling, all three of the deceased, and two other young males apparently included as sacrifices, were giants among the short-statured Moche people, whose empire flourished in the desert plain between the Andes and the Pacific from about AD 100 to 800. "More than 350 Moche burials have been excavated [by archeologists]," said UCLA archeologist Christopher B. Donnan, who led the team, "but neither I nor my colleagues have seen anything elsewhere remotely like the ones at this site." Fewer than 15 of those previously discovered tombs contained silver and gold, but all three of the new ones do, and one contains unusual amounts, suggesting that its occupant was very powerful. The tombs and artifacts are expected to give archeologists new insights into the religious beliefs of the Moche, said archeologist Steve Bourget of the University of Texas at Austin. The discovery, announced Wednesday by the National Geographic Society, which sponsored the excavation, is also important because the tombs are from the early stages of the Moche empire. Most previous discoveries have dated from the end of the Moche empire. "We certainly know what happened at the end [of the Moche empire], but what happened at the beginning has been a mystery," said Moche expert Carol Mackey, a professor emerita at Cal State Northridge. "It's really important to find a beginning and an end of something." The Moche were primarily farmers, who probably migrated to the Peruvian plain from Central America. They diverted rivers into a network of irrigation canals, growing corn, beans, chili peppers, potatoes and squash. They also dined on ducks, llama, guinea pigs and fish. A sophisticated culture, the Moche raised huge pyramids of sun-dried mud bricks, laying their noblest dead inside. They also created splendid objects of gold, silver and copper. Although the Moche apparently had no written language, their artifacts are decorated with scenes of hunting, fishing, combat, punishment, sexual encounters and elaborate ceremonies. Their departure from the area is a source of some mystery, but many experts believe that it was hastened by a prolonged drought followed by a series of floods. They were eventually succeeded in the region by the Incas. The new tombs were discovered at Dos Cabezas, the first big settlement identified from the early Moche culture. Dos Cabezas is at the mouth of the Jaquetepequa River, about 40 miles south of Sipan, where even more elaborate tombs were found in the 1980s. Donnan's team began working at Dos Cabezas in 1994, initially confining its efforts to exploring and preserving opened tombs that already had been looted. Members also discovered a fishermen's neighborhood and an enclave occupied by farmers during the early Moche period. The team has been searching intensively for workshops and tools to explain how the Moche constructed the sophisticated artifacts found there, said team member Alana Cordy-Collins of the University of San Diego, but so far without success. Donnan found the first tomb in the summer of 1997. It contained an adult male with a 15-year-old female lying crosswise at his feet--most likely a sacrifice. The man had been buried wearing a cylindrical metal headdress and a gold nose ornament. Four "absolutely awesome" ceramics were arrayed in the corners of the tomb, Bourget said. "Each piece is museum quality," he said. One was a white ceramic vampire bat, one was a black sea lion, one was a red condor and the last was a brown owl. The bat is associated with human sacrifice, Bourget said. The sea lion is associated with being the victim of a sacrifice. The owl is associated with the preparation of funeral offerings and the condor is associated with eating the dead--liberating the soul of the dead by taking the flesh off the bones. At one end of the tomb, Donnan said, was a little compartment containing a copper figurine wrapped in textiles and accompanied by miniature artifacts. "When we finished, the big question for me--and one that haunted me throughout the next school year--was what was the relationship between the little compartment and the tomb?" Donnan said. "We were at a loss to explain it." The following summer, the team opened a second tomb that contained 10 to 15 times as many riches as the first, Donnan said. "The only tombs that are richer are those that were excavated at Sipan." The individual was buried in multiple layers of textiles, with 14 headdresses, clubs, spears, spear throwers, three gold-plated shields, a burial mask and five gold objects in his mouth. "Around the corners were the most spectacular set of ceramic vessels ever found in a Moche tomb, even better than those at Sipan," he added. And at the end of the tomb was a small compartment, about 14 inches square, containing another copper figurine wrapped in textiles. With it were a miniature burial mask, a miniature circular shield, two war clubs, spears and other small artifacts. "It was now clear that the figurine was meant to be a miniaturization of the figure in the tomb," Donnan said. A third tomb, opened in the summer of 1999, was very similar to the first. The final surprise was the size of the deceased. Moche ranged in height from 4 feet 10 inches to 5 feet 6 inches, at most. All the deceased were between 5 feet 9 inches and 6 feet tall--the equivalent of 7-footers in today's society. "We had never imagined males of this stature," Donnan said. The skeletons were all very thin and fragile and at least partially misshapen. Cordy-Collins is convinced that the three people suffered from a genetic disease, possibly Marfan syndrome, a congenital disease marked by unusually long limbs, fingers and toes, and heart abnormalities. "These were people who had a genetic disorder that disabled them," she said. "They could not have led an active life. Yet they were maintained as elite individuals, not looked down on. Did the disorder make them revered? We don't know. But it provides a window into their social behavior." Copyright 2000 Los Angeles Times

Good grief!!! Great story, Marcia, glad I looked ... Yup - just got online for first time in months - only $3 an hour from Mali!!!! Anyway, greetings to all.

OH MAGGIE!!! Aloha! We have missed you!!! Lovely things found in that tomb too. I will post image locations as soon as good ones are available.

Maggie, you're back! Greetings to you and your family.

EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 42 -- February 18, 2001 ]|[=================================================================]|[ Editor's note: Depending on your mail software, some urls may wrap (especially those from the Telegraph) which will require you to rebuild the url at your end; if you get a 'file not found', check to see if the url wrapped on you. Most urls should be active for at least eight hours from the time of 'publicatio'. ]|[=================================================================]|[ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thanks for heads ups (headses ups ... er, heads upses ... er, when does that coffee finally come up (actually it's green tea these days) to: rmhowe, Bill Kennedy, Sally Winchester, Michael Ruggieri, Chris Laning, Glenn Meyer, and DC Briscoe! OLD WORLD NEWS I'm positive this is really a story from last year, but Czech archaeologists have confirmed that the song they found in an Old Kingdom tomb was a love song: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/02/0213_1stlovesong.html A somewhat strange/chatty piece on King Tut in the Christian Science Monitor: http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2001/02/16/fp23s2-csm.shtml I'm pretty sure this isn't 'new', but Discovering Archaeology has an item on a Stonehenge-like structure in Yemen: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/020801-yemen.shtml The Egyptian State Information Service (and others) reports on the discovery of a statue of Septimius Severus in Alexandria: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o120221b.htm http://www.timesofindia.com/130201/13mide15.htm http://www.arabia.com/article/0,1690,Life|39843,00.html An AP story via NorthernLight reveals that the scaffolding will be removed from the Parthenon in time for the Olympics: http://library.northernlight.com/EC20010214530000082.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc Ekatherimini reports on four recently-acquired 6th/5th century B.C./B.C.E. Greek vases now on display at the Goulandris: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=71655 Ekatherimini also has a nice feature on the Via Egnatia: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=71477 The Tahoe Tribune reports on a recently-acquired Hellenistic-era mummy mask: http://www.tahoe.com/tribune/stories.2.16.01/YourTown/cultureflerun16Feb9437.html The Chicago Sun-Times has a feature on the restoration of Stonehenge a century or so ago: http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/stone18.html The Irish Times reports that 'reconstruction' of a megalithic tomb has been halted at Carrowmore: http://www.ireland.com:80/newspaper/ireland/2001/0215/hom15.htm The same source has a report on the number of sites found by the Cork Archaeological Survey: http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2001/0213/reg3.htm Storms in Wales have revealed a medieval settlement: http://www.worldnews.com/?action=display&article=5677105&template=worldnews/search.txt&index=recent AlphaGalileo and Ananova report on the discovery of a (17th or 18th century) phallic drinking cup (photo at Ananova): http://www.alphagalileo.org/ReadNotice.cfm?releaseid=5571 http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_206635.html?menu= Xinhua's wrapup of recent discoveries in China (via NorthernLight): http://library.northernlight.com/FB20010131620000315.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010206360000053.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc Xinhua also reports on the discovery of an ancient musket: http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010207770000016.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc Frankfurter Allgemeine has a feature (in English ... don't worry) on the renewed interest in plaster cast collections (mind the wrap): http://www.faz.com/IN/INtemplates/eFAZ/docmain.asp?rub=%7BB1311FFE-FBFB-11D2-B228-00105A9CAF88%7D&doc=%7BCB6E0FA0-FFBE-11D4-A3B3-009027BA22E4%7D&width=1024&height=740&agt=explorer&ver=4&svr=4 NEW WORLD NEWS The big new world news is the discovery of a Moche tomb in Peru (lots of coverage ... photos at NG): http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/02/0215_moche.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/530988.asp http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010215/sc/moche_dc_1.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5712-2001Feb14.html http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12880&m=A09&aa=1&eidos=S http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/02/15/MN193959.DTL http://www.theage.com.au/news/2001/02/18/FFXAR3A6AJC.html The Pilot reports that a pile of bones remains a mystery, three years after their discovery: http://www.pilotonline.com/news/nw0217bon.html NOT SURE HOW TO CLASSIFY THIS ONE A Scottish power company has attempted to bill the Suenos Stone: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/scotland/newsid_1170000/1170273.stm ON THE NEWSSTANDS Bible Review has a new issue out, with an online feature on the earliest Christian inscription, among other things: http://www.bib-arch.org/br2.html Mercator's World has a nice online feature on Olaus Magnus' (b. 1490) map of Scandinavia: http://www.mercatormag.com/601olaus.html CLASSICIST'S CORNER The Times has an interesting piece on naming of flowers with mentions of Theocritus, L&S, etc.: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,217-83260,00.html Folks might be interested to read a feature in Katherimini on director Philippos Koutsaftis: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=71150 ... and the same source tells that Euripides' Hecuba will be playing at Epidaurus this summer: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=70803 The LATimes has a feature on UCIrvine's *Dionysus 2001'* theatrical series: http://www.latimes.com/editions/orange/20010216/t000014219.html Charles Williams II has donated $16 million to UPenn's museum of archaeology and anthropology!: http://inq.philly.com/content/inquirer/2001/02/15/city/PENN15.htm http://www.mcall.com/html/news/regional/b_pg002b2_newgift.htm The Museum of Ancient Cypriot Art has opened in Athens: http://www.hri.org/news/cyprus/cypio/2001/01-02-14.cypio.html#01 http://library.northernlight.com/FB20010215600000145.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc The Tampa Tribune is reprising (?) an article on the Florida JCL's Regional Classics Forum: http://www.tampatrib.com/News/MGA4NHJL4JC.html FOLLOWUPS Akhenaten: For the scores of folks who joined me in quizzically pondering the claims on the Egypt State Information Service page about an Old Kingdom Akhenaten, here's some better accounts: http://www.arabia.com/article/0,1690,Life%7C39747,00.html http://library.northernlight.com/HA20010211430000018.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc There's also a better account at the 'source': http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o150221n.htm Seahenge II http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,74-82092,00.html http://www.latimes.com/news/science/science/20010215/t000013716.html Claudius and the 'shrooms http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010210/us/emperor_poisoned_2.html Herculaneum papyri: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20010212/scrolls.html AT ABOUT.COM Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill's latest is on Hellenistic epigrams: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa021301a.htm Latin Guide Janet Burns has a nice guest feature on Lupercalia: http://latin.about.com/library/weekly/aa021401a.htm OBITUARIES Geoffry Bibby http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,60-82827,00.html Brian Hope-Taylor http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/text_only.cfm?id=46927 REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html English translation (probably delayed ... hasn't been updated since August): http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.html EXPLORATOR IS ARCHIVED AT: http://www.onelist.com/archive/Explorator

A Scientific American discussion of who where the first Americans is worth looking through. Great links, too. http://www.sciam.com/2000/0900issue/0900nemecek.html

EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 43 -- February 25, 2001 ]|[=================================================================]|[ Editor's note: Depending on your mail software, some urls may wrap (especially those from the Telegraph) which will require you to rebuild the url at your end; if you get a 'file not found', check to see if the url wrapped on you. Most urls should be active for at least eight hours from the time of 'publicatio'. ]|[=================================================================]|[ Aknowledgements: thanks are accruing to Mark Elliot, Judy Underwood, Ruth McGurk, Bill Phelps, Bill Kennedy and Patrick Rourke (hoping as always that I haven't left anyone out!). OLD WORLD NEWS There is evidence for the claim that the first domesticated animal was the goat: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/Science/2001-02/goat190201.shtml http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/02/0220_goat.html The Egyptian State Information Service has a vague article on the search for Zarzora: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o240221u.htm The Detroit News has a preview of the Royal Tombs of Ur exhibit: http://detnews.com/2001/entertainment/0102/24/e01-191990.htm The same source reveals the discovery of an Akhenaten-era statue of a priest and his wife: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o220221b.htm ... and a Mameluke-era water reservoir: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o190221H.htm In case you missed it, the sun illuminated the image of Ramses II at Abu Simbel this week: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o220221a.htm http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/02/0221_abusimbel.html Cairo is coming under fire for bulldozing homes in the Valley of the Kings (and Queens): http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=kCNL1Zkp&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/2/18/wegy18.html A professional talk is getting some coverage -- it deals with the role water supply and water management had on the development of early civilizations: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/02/010221071726.htm Plenty of coverage of this one: the discovery of a 2nd-3rd century B.C./B.C.E. Greek (?) shipwreck in the deep water of the Mediterranean is challenging the theory that ships tended to hug the shore: http://www.hri.org/news/greek/mpab/2001/01-02-24.mpab.html#01 http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/23/science/23ap-wreck.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/534511.asp http://dsc.discovery.com/news/ap/20010220/wreck.html http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=72697 eKathimerini has a brief item on some smuggled items in Cyprus: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=72694 I missed this one last week: Frankfurter Allgemeine has a very nice feature on the Cleopatra exhibit at the Palazzo Ruspoli: http://www.faz.com/IN/INtemplates/eFAZ/docmain.asp?rub=%7BB1311FD3-FBFB-11D2-B228-00105A9CAF88%7D&doc=%7BCB6E1057-FFBE-11D4-A3B3-009027BA22E4%7D ... and I might as well toss in this one from the same source on an Egyptian exhibition in Hanover (original date Jan. 30): http://www.faz.com/IN/INtemplates/eFAZ/docmain.asp?rub=%7BB1311FD3-FBFB-11D2-B228-00105A9CAF88%7D&doc=%7B2893B856-F584-11D4-A3B3-009027BA22E4%7D USAToday has a touristy piece on Carthage: http://www.usatoday.com/life/travel/leisure/2001/2001-02-22-carthage.htm Also plenty of coverage of this one: analysis of bones have revealed that Rome had to deal with quite a malaria problem: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/20/science/20ROME.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1180000/1180469.stm http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/02/0221_malariarome.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4139301,00.html The Warrington Guardian has an item on the discovery of a Roman site in the area: http://www.thisischeshire.co.uk/cheshire/warrington/news/WARR_NEWS1.html The Telegraph reports on the return of a Roman statue of Diana: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000140326706927&rtmo=weAsftKb&atmo=HHHHHHHL&pg=/et/01/2/24/wscul24.html There's also a big debate going on in Rome over suggestions that the Via dei Fori Imperiali should be moved: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1186000/1186394.stm The Independent reports on excavations of one of the Vikings' earliest settlements: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/Science/2001-02/viking220201.shtml http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/02/0222_viking.html Recent excavations have demonstrated that the Great Wall of China is considerably longer than previously thought: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/23/science/23ap-archaeo.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/534506.asp http://dsc.discovery.com/news/ap/20010220/wall.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/asia-pacific/newsid_1184000/1184306.stm The Telegraph has a piece on the archaeological evidence for dissection of humans: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=kCNL1Zkp&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/2/18/nbod18.html USNews has an interesting article on some new evidence for early Christianity in ancient China: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/010305/china.htm Xinhua's weekly newsbriefs on discoveries in China (via Northern Light): http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010219400000014.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010219400000022.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc NEW WORLD NEWS The BBC has a piece on the looting of Mayan sites: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/02/010221071726.htm The Salt Lake Tribune has an interesting piece on how pioneer overlander types tended to their bodily functions en route: http://www.sltrib.com/02252001/utah/74614.htm The Chicago Tribune has a useful piece on endangered sites around the world: http://chicagotribune.com/article/0,1051,SAV-0102180082,00.html The Albuquerque Journal has an item on the Anasazi: http://www.abqjournal.com/scitech/254830scitech02-18-01.htm ON THE NEWSSTANDS Egypt Revealed has a new online feature on crime and punishment in ancient Egypt: http://www.egyptrevealed.com/022301-crimeandpunishment.htm Biblical Archaeology Review has new online content on controversy around the Qumran cemetery, excavating the tribe of Reuben, Dead Sea Scrolls copyright issues, Helios in synagogue mosaics, and other items: http://www.bib-arch.org/bar2.html Speaking of newsstands, does anyone know what's happened to Discovering Archaeology? ON THE WEB The Bible and Interpretation site has some items of interest, including an article by Finkelstein and Silberman (of The Bible Unearthed fame), a piece on Translating Exodus, and info on the Tel Hisban expedition: http://www.bibleinterp.com/ CLASSICIST'S CORNER One I missed: the Cinci Enquirer has a piece on Kathryn Gutzwiller's work on Greek epigrams: http://enquirer.com/editions/2001/02/15/loc_new_light_shed_on.html Sicilian environmentalists vs the mafia in re Lake Pergusa: http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/atc/20010220.atc.14.rmm Athens News has a nice feature on "the queen only Homer understood": http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12883&m=A10&aa=1&eidos=S The Chicago Tribune has a piece on the Vatican's intention to make Isidore the patron saint of the Internet: http://chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/perspective/article/0,2669,SAV-0102180305,FF.html The Trib also has a feature on a Roman re-enactment groups visit to a local school: http://chicagotribune.com/news/metro/mchenry/article/0,2669,SAV-0102230391,FF.html FOLLOWUPS Olympic rowing site row: http://library.northernlight.com/EC20010222520000035.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12885&m=A03&aa=1&eidos=S http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12883&m=A03&aa=1&eidos=S http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=72179 Tombs in Peru: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=Qwx0LeaR&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/2/17/wperu17.html AT ABOUT.COM N.S. Gill's latest is a review of Christopher Faraone's *Greek Love Magic*: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa022001a.htm Kris Hirst's latest is on the growing gap between the public and archaeological types (and other cultural resource personnel): http://archaeology.about.com/library/weekly/aa021901a.htm Janet Burns' latest is on second declension feminine nouns: http://latin.about.com/library/weekly/aa021801a.htm REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html English translation (probably delayed ... hasn't been updated since August): http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.html EXPLORATOR IS ARCHIVED AT: http://www.onelist.com/archive/Explorator ]|[================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR is a weekly newsletter representing the fruits of the labours of 'media research division' of The Atrium. Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured on a daily basis for news of the ancient world (broadly construed: practically anything relating to archaeology or history prior to about 1700 or so is fair game) and when a sufficient number of urls are gathered (usually a minimum of three stories), they are delivered to your mailbox free of charge! Those articles that don't expire, plus supplementary links eventually find a home at: The Media Archive (just going up): http://atrium-media.com/mediaarchive.html ]|[================================================================]|[ Explorator is Copyright (c) 2001 David Meadows; Feel free to distribute these listings via email to your pals, students, teachers, etc., but please include this copyright notice. These listings are not to be posted to a website; instead, please provide a link to either Commentarium or Rostra (or both)! You can subscribe to or unsubscribe from this list by going to the following web page: http://www.yahoogroups.com/subscribe.cgi/Explorator

***Taliban May Destroy Buddha Statues *** KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- The ruling Taliban are endangering Afghanistan's history by ordering the destruction of all statues in the country, including two towering 5th century images of Buddha, opponents said Tuesday. ``It is a great loss, a tragedy for the Afghan people and for the world,'' said Angelo Gabriele de Ceglie, Italy's ambassador to Pakistan and a representative of the Society for the Preservation of Afghan Culture and Heritage. He made the comments in Kabul, Afghanistan's capital. Afghanistan's supreme leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, on Monday ordered the destruction of all statues, including the two giant ancient Buddhas, saying they were offensive to Islam. ``Because God is one God and these statues are there to be worshipped, and that is wrong, they should be destroyed so that they are not worshipped now or in the future,'' Omar said in his edict.

Hi, Just looking in - posted in Travel and cultures. Keep up the good work

let me know which photos to post!!!!!! Thursday March 1 9:37 AM ET Afghans Smash Ancient Statues, Defy World Appeals ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The radical Taliban movement began smashing all statues from Afghanistan's rich cultural past Thursday, turning its back on urgent international appeals to save the ancient artifacts. In Kabul, Mullah Qudratullah Jamal, the ruling Taliban's information and culture minister, said centers where the campaign had been unleashed included Bamiyan Province -- site of two soaring statues of the Buddha hewn from a solid cliff that are the most famous relics of Afghanistan's history. ``All statues will be destroyed,'' he told reporters. ''Whatever means of destruction are needed to demolish the statues will be used.'' ``The work began early during the day. All of the statues are to be smashed. This also covers the idols in Bamiyan,'' he said. Russia, Germany, India and Pakistan condemned the destruction and appealed to the Taliban to reconsider. International alarm was first sparked Monday, when Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar ordered the smashing of all statues, including the two famous Buddhas that soar 125 feet and 174 feet above Bamiyan. The United Nations cultural agency UNESCO Wednesday appealed directly to the Taliban -- a fundamentalist movement that regards all human likenesses of divinity to be un-Islamic -- to reverse its decision. ``UNESCO considers this to be a crisis,'' Christian Manhart, head of UNESCO's Asian division in the cultural heritage department, told Reuters. Muslim Pakistan, one of Taliban's very few foreign supporters, joined the international chorus Thursday. ``Pakistan attaches great importance to and supports the preservation of the world's historical, cultural and religious heritage,'' the foreign ministry said. ``We appeal to the Afghan government to take measures to fully protect Afghanistan's rich historical monuments, sites and artifacts which are part of the world's cultural heritage.'' India Vows Action India said it would try to stop the destruction. ``The government of India will raise this issue at every international forum including the United Nations. We will make all attempts to stop the demolition of Lord Buddha's statue,'' parliamentary affairs minister Pramod Mahajan told parliament. ``This is not only a statue, but a legacy of humanity. Nobody should demolish it,'' he said. Thailand and Sri Lanka -- both largely Buddhist nations -- have made similar appeals. Earlier this week, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged the Taliban ``to do all in their power to preserve the unique and irreplaceable relics of Afghanistan's rich heritage, both Islamic and pre-Islamic,'' a spokesman said. Russia denounced the Taliban step as vandalism. ``This intention (to destroy the statues) can only be classed as an assault on cultural and historical treasures, not only of the Afghan people but of world civilization,'' the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement Thursday. ``The Taliban's vandalism against material objects of the rich spiritual heritage of the ancient Afghan world shows their clear enmity to common human values,'' it added. Germany condemned the Taliban action. ``Germany is appalled by the willful destruction of cultural artifacts in Afghanistan. The damage to culturally unique Buddha statues by the Taliban cannot be justified,'' the foreign ministry said in a statement issued in Berlin. Taliban officials insist there will no reversal. Statues Declared Un-Islamic The Taliban has steadily conquered most of Afghanistan in recent years, and now controls its cities and highways. The destruction of artifacts -- also under way in the national museum in Kabul, which housed a prized collection of early Buddhist statues -- has inflicted new damage to the Taliban's already poor ties with most countries.

EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 44 -- March 4, 2001 ]|[=================================================================]|[ Editor's note: Depending on your mail software, some urls may wrap (especially those from the Telegraph) which will require you to rebuild the url at your end; if you get a 'file not found', check to see if the url wrapped on you. Most urls should be active for at least eight hours from the time of 'publication'. ]|[=================================================================]|[ Happy Zoroastrian New Year everyone: http://www0.mercurycenter.com/premium/local/docs/onpen02.htm OLD WORLD NEWS Egypt Online has a brief feature on the Sun Boats of Cheops: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/calendar/html/cl030398.htm#2 The Lebanon Daily Star has a piece on the origins of the Arabic language: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/features/02_03_01_b.htm The Times has a touristy piece on various ancient sites in Libya: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,71-92671,00.html http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,71-92682,00.html The latest entry in the our-ancestors-were-cannibals sweepstakes is the Britons (no doubt soon to be the subject of an installment of Eat the Ancestors ... sorry ... couldn't resist): http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/Science/2001-02/cannibal260201.shtml http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/uk.cfm?id=50706&keyword=the http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=Vkk5VlZx&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/2/28/nbone28.html http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/cannibals_uk010227.html As you've no doubt seen on countless news reports, the Taliban in Afghanistan is deliberately damaging several ancient Buddhist monuments: http://www.archaeology.org/online/news/afghanistan/index.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1197000/1197900.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1196000/1196363.stm http://www.msnbc.com/news/536573.asp http://www.independent.co.uk/news/World/Asia_China/2001-03/tal030301.shtml http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Afghanistan-Buddha.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10297-2001Mar1.html http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=73512 If you'd like some background on the Bamiyan site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1198000/1198379.stm A brief item in various sources suggests rail construction of links to the Channel Tunnel are turning up plenty o sites: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_219476.html?menu= http://www.nceplus.co.uk/news/news_article/?pid=1&aid=12417&sid=60&channelID=4 Tests on some pipes (the smoking kind) suggest Bill Shakespeare might have had access to drugs: http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/reuters20010301_780.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/538051.asp ITAR-TASS via Northern Light has an item on the discovery of a coin of the Bosporan Kingdom: http://library.northernlight.com/FB20010223630000149.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc Xinhua via Northern Light reports on the discovery of a number of tombs: http://library.northernlight.com/FD20010302440000065.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc ... and well preserved mummies in Lop Nur: http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010226460000045.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc ... along with the usual weekly news briefs: http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010227100000025.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010226690000104.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc NEW WORLD NEWS Another week when I couldn't find anything!!!! ON THE NEWSSTANDS There's a new online issue of Archaeology out, with online features on Timbuktu, the deepwater Greek shipwreck mentioned last week, an interview with Rosalie David, among other things: http://www.archaeology.org/main.html Mercator's World has some new stuff online, including a feature on how to identify fake maps and one on Willem Blaeu: http://www.mercatormag.com/ CLASSICIST'S CORNER A review of a production of Prometheus in Athens: http://www.independent.co.uk/enjoyment/Theatre/Theatre/Reviews/2001-02/prometheus230201.shtml ... and of Mister Hercules: http://www.independent.co.uk/enjoyment/Theatre/Theatre/Reviews/2001-02/slaughter280201.shtml Athens News has a touristy piece on Rome and the "Coliseum": http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12890&m=A20&aa=1&eidos=S Portland Press has an item on homeschooling Latin: http://www.portland.com/news/state/010304homeschool.shtml A pile of classicists have weighed in on the Marathon rowing venue thing: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,59-93391,00.html EXHIBITIONS The Toledo Museum of Art is hosting "Eternal Egypt: Masterworks of Ancient Art from the British Museum": http://www.toledomuseum.org/exhibitions.html http://www.absolutearts.com/artsnews/2001/03/01/28162.html Rain of the Moon: Silver in Ancient Peru is on at the Met: http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId=%7B30C85F8F-D237-11D3-936E-00902786BF44%7D http://www.iht.com/articles/12305.html ERRATA In the last issue I was not so diligent in my cutting and pasting and so many of you wrote to tell me (thanks!) the BBC story on the looting of various Mayan sites is at (would you believe I almost miscut and mispasted again!): http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid_1184000/1184233.stm FOLLOWUPS Viking Village: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/Science/2001-02/viking220201.shtml Herculaneum library: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/Science/2001-02/latin110201.shtml Malaria and Rome: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,74-90312,00.html Peruvian tombs: ... at least some of the links at the Discovering Archaeology site have started to work: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/030101-moche.shtml http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=Vkk55Plx&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/2/17/wperu17.html http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/02/15/MN193959.DTL

]|[=================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 46 -- March 18, 2001 ]|[=================================================================]|[ Editor's note: Depending on your mail software, some urls may wrap (especially those from the Telegraph) which will require you to rebuild the url at your end; if you get a 'file not found', check to see if the url wrapped on you. Most urls should be active for at least eight hours from the time of 'publicatio'. ]|[=================================================================]|[ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Thanks to Sally Winchester, Eric Cline, Hillary Cool, and Mark Elliott for the headseseses up this week (hoping once again that I haven't left anyone out but I've got a nagging feeling that I have!) Thanks to all who signed the UNESCO petition last week! Alas, it was in vain (see the followups section), apparently, as many folks suspected it would be ... OLD WORLD NEWS Last week it was Macchu Picchu; this week it's the colossi of Memnon which are in danger of collapse: http://www.ahram.org.eg/weekly/2001/525/tr2.htm The Telegraph has a very nice feature on the importance of discoveries in the "Canyon of the Boats": http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000579381554028&rtmo=0xKs2Kiq&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/3/17/tlcivil17.html The Egyptian State Information Service has a brief item on upcoming archaeological projects: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o170321m.htm There are a couple of reports on what mummy portraits tell about the health of the folks they were put on: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o170321a.htm http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o150321.htm http://www.iol.co.za/html/frame_news.php?click_id=117&art_id=qw984654782186B252 This probably should be a followup, but since it was first mentioned here so long ago, it's probably news to many of our new subscribers ... the archaeologists working on the 'Queen of Sheba's Temple' are suggesting that it might be much larger than previously expected: http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWSScience0103/16_sheba-sun.html http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/stories/010316/5015177.html An errant tourist has apparently returned a chunk of something he purloined from the Acropolis: http://www.hri.org/news/greek/mpa/2001/01-03-13.mpa.html#12 The LA Times has a touristy piece on a mosaic in the National Museum of Naples: http://www.latimes.com/travel/stories/20010311/t000021342.html InScight has an item on the genetic legacy of the Vikings: http://www.academicpress.com/inscight/03162001/graphb.htm IndiaExpress reports on the discovery of a "well planned" copper age city: http://www.indiaexpress.com/news/regional/rajasthan/20010313-0.html The BBC and People's Daily are reporting the discovery of what is believed to be a piece of the Buddha's hair: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/asia-pacific/newsid_1224000/1224892.stm http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200103/15/eng20010315_65142.html The Times has a piece on the medieval remains found in the Bullring district of Birmingham: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-99984,00.html The Telegraph has an interesting piece on the "hidden costs" of finding archaeological remains (from a homeowner's/developer's p.o.v.): http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000579381554028&rtmo=gjGblZYu&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/3/17/tparch17.html The illicit antiquities trade seems much in the news this week; an article in the Art Newspaper, e.g., deals with "my life as a tombarolo" (this might be an older article): http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=4890 Considering what's going on in Afghanistan, the fact that ancient art from there is being smuggled out and sold to collectors might not be a bad thing: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4150072,00.html ... but an article on smuggling of artifacts from Mali reminds us of the 'bad side': http://www.independent.co.uk/news/World/Africa/2001-03/mali170301.shtml Also apropos is mention that Britain has signed an agreement aimed at dealing with the illicit antiquities trade: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-99226,00.html On an entirely different note, the great cities of the past are being held up as ominous warnings of what might happen to the megacities of today: http://www.freep.com/news/nw/city15_20010315.htm NEW WORLD NEWS Macleans magazine has a nice feature on the 'who got here first' discussion, written from a Canadian perspective: http://www.macleans.ca/xta-asp/storyview.asp?viewtype=browse&vpath=/2001/03/19/Cover/47976.shtml ... with a largeish sidebar on the 'treating remains with respect' issue: http://www.macleans.ca/xta-asp/storyview.asp?viewtype=browse&vpath=/2001/03/19/Cover/47825.shtml Folks working on the Hunley are apparently going to attempt to recreate the faces of the crew: http://www.charlotte.com/observer/local/pub/hunley0315.htm REVIEWS One I missed: another review of the Barrington Atlas: http://www.latimes.com/travel/stories/20010311/t000021342.html The Cinci Enquirer has a review of E. Cline, *The Battles of Armageddon: Megiddo and the Jezreel Valley from the Bronze Age to the Nuclear Age: http://enquirer.com/editions/2001/02/27/tem_israel_war_history.html ... you can also listen to an interview with the author about the book at: http://www.wamu.org/ram/2001/p2010315.ram ON THE NEWSSTANDS I don't know how to classify this one, so I'll put it here: the American Journal of Archaeology is apparently going to be available (for a price, of course) on line with a new document delivery model: http://library.northernlight.com/FB20010314240000182.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc CLASSICIST'S CORNER In case you missed it, Loyola University in Chicago is preparing to dump its classical studies program: http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/loy15.html eKathimerini reports that Cyprus is supposedly planning to erect a statue of Aphrodite which will rival the Eiffel Tower(!): http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=75128 Gladiator is, of course, mentioned in a nice piece in the Independent which focuses on the fallout from the recent spate of Hollywood historical (hysterical?) epics: http://www.independent.co.uk/argument/Commentators/2001-03/evans120301.shtml A restaurant in London is supposedly offering authentic ancient Greek fare: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,3837311,00.html There's a nice piece in the New Republic on marginalia (honest!): http://www.thenewrepublic.com/032601/kermode032601.html A review of a performance of the Agamemnon in San Francisco: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/03/15/DD221460.DTL Northern Light has a piece from the WSJ which deals with the Latin version the 'The Grinch', but I couldn't get it to connect this a.m.; maybe it will work for others: http://library.northernlight.com/UU20010316090000027.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc The Kentucky Post has a guest column which defends the humanities: http://www.kypost.com/2001/mar/15/kguest031501.html WEBSITES The Bible and Interpretation site has posted the field report of the 2000 excavations at Sepphoris by the Institute of Archaeology of Hebrew University: http://www.hum.huji.ac.il/archaeology/zippori/2000/zippori-2000-reoprt.html The same site also had a link I followed to Brown University's website on the excavations at Petra ... both are nice sites worth a look: http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Anthropology/Petra/ EXHIBITS The National Gallery of Victoria (Australia) is hosting an exhibition devoted to the Dead Sea Scrolls: http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/deadseascrolls/ AT ABOUT.COM: Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill's latest is a review of Steven Saylor's *Venus Throw*: http://ancienthistory.about.com/homework/ancienthistory/library/weekly/aa031301a.htm Latin Guide Janet Burns has a feature on augury in ancient Rome: http://latin.about.com/library/weekly/aa031501a.htm Archaeology Guide Kris Hirst has a feature on Leicester University's distance learning Ph.D. program in archaeology: http://archaeology.about.com/science/archaeology/library/weekly/aa031401a.htm ... last week's chat was with Anita Cohen-Williams; the transcript is available at: http://archaeology.about.com/science/archaeology/library/chat/n_cohenwilliams.htm ... tonight's chat is with Barto Arnold of the INA (you can now ask a question even if you can't make the 9-11 EST time slot): http://archaeology.about.com/science/archaeology/library/chat/blchatarnold.htm ... next week: Judy Bense from the University of Western Florida will chat about public participation in archaeology FOLLOWUPS Despite the protests, the Bamiyan Buddhas were destroyed (the Times of India page has a pile of links to stories with various viewpoints from around the region; the page from Archaeology Magazine is also rather in depth): http://www.timesofindia.com/today/pagetali.htm http://www.archaeology.org/online/news/afghanistan/index.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1216000/1216110.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1218000/1218577.stm http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?eo20010317a3.htm http://www.independent.co.uk/news/World/Asia_China/2001-03/taliban130301.shtml http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-100189,00.html http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010317/wl/afghanistan_buddhas_9.html Temple Mount: http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/03/15/News/News.22997.html http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/03/15/Columns/Columns.23012.html Pyramid inspiration: http://www.archaeology.org/0103/abstracts/desert.html http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_241040.html?menu= Marathon rowing site: http://sports.yahoo.com/oly/news/ap/20010314/ap-athens2004.html Hand taken from frieze in BM: http://www.eKathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=74528 http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000579381554028&rtmo=VDDDk8fK&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/3/11/nmus11.html Iron Age Chariot (Scotland): http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/scotland/newsid_1215000/1215962.stm http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-98036,00.html Coin hoards from Britain: http://www.theartnewspaper.com/archaeology/archeology.asp OBITUARY Hubert Savoury (scroll down quite a bit): http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,60-97631,00.html REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html English translation (probably delayed ... hasn't been updated since August): http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.html EXPLORATOR IS ARCHIVED AT: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Explorator/messages ]|[================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR is a weekly newsletter representing the fruits of the labours of 'media research division' of The Atrium. Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured on a daily basis for news of the ancient world (broadly construed: practically anything relating to archaeology or history prior to about 1700 or so is fair game) and when a sufficient number of urls are gathered (usually a minimum of three stories), they are delivered to your mailbox free of charge! Those articles that don't expire, plus supplementary links eventually find a home at: The Media Archive (just going up): http://atrium-media.com/mediaarchive.html ]|[================================================================]|[ Explorator is Copyright (c) 2001 David Meadows; Feel free to distribute these listings via email to your pals, students, teachers, etc., but please include this copyright notice. ]|[=================================================================]|[

]|[=================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 47 -- March 25, 2001 ]|[=================================================================]|[ Editor's note: Depending on your mail software, some urls may wrap (especially those from the Telegraph) which will require you to rebuild the url at your end; if you get a 'file not found', check to see if the url wrapped on you. Most urls should be active for at least eight hours from the time of 'publicatio'. ]|[=================================================================]|[ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Thanks for the heads up to Sally Winchester and Bill Kennedy! Lotsa stuff today ... a pile of followups too! OLD WORLD NEWS A boat discovered some forty years ago near Hull now lays claim to being Europe's oldest boat: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4156753,00.html http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-102840,00.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1234000/1234529.stm The Sphinx is (once again, it seems) in danger of falling apart: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/World/Africa/2001-03/sphinx180301.shtml http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o210321k.htm This is sort of a followup: more mummies have been discovered at the Barhariya Oasis site: http://www.theage.com.au/breaking/0103/22/A31127-2001Mar22.shtml http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o220321h.htm http://www.oweb.com/newslink/international/EgyptArchaeologyP0617.html Greek police have recovered a bunch of smuggled Minoan artifacts: http://stacks.msnbc.com/news/547808.asp A trio of Greek shepherds have found bits and pieces of eight or so Greek statues: http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/breakingnews/International/0,3561,800431,00.html http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12902&m=A35&aa=6&eidos=S http://www.iol.co.za/html/frame_news.php?click_id=588&art_id=qw985010101340B262 Greek archaeologists have been busy excavating the palace of Alexander the Great: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-101058,00.html ... and the Times has a little article on the cultural context of Al: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,649-102173,00.html ... and a piece on how the Macedonians weren't really barbaroi: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-101056,00.html New Scientist reports on evidence that the Vikings who came to Scotland in the ninth century planned on staying: http://www.newscientist.com/dailynews/news.jsp?id=ns9999541 Some guy with a metal detector has found an Iron Age horde in Britain: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-102839,00.html ... and as long as we're on the subject, the Guardian has a report on what metal detectors have been turning up: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4158370,00.html The Boston Globe has a nice report on some puzzling bronzes from China's Sichuan province: http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/079/science/In_China_strange_bronze_heads_rewrite_history+.shtml An eighth-century nativity scene from China has got the media just a-buzzing: http://www.freep.com/news/nw/china19_20010319.htm The Daily Yomiuri reveals the discovery of a pile of Buddhas in Angkor: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20010325wo61.htm Iraq is celebrating the 5000th anniversary of the development of writing: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=aC5JdBKJ&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/3/21/wirq21.html http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/iraq010320_writing.html http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,56-102938,00.html Discovering Archaeology has finally put up some different content, including a feature on Ignatius Donnelly, who pretty much created the Atlantis story as we usually see it: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/011701-atlantis.shtml Fans of Time Team (I wish they'd show it across the pond here), will be dismayed to learn that the hoof-and-mouth breakout has pretty much nixed excavation of most of the sites they'd planned on: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4150290,00.html Folks thinking of a career in archaeology/museology etc. might be interested in some pieces in the Guardian this week: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4155535,00.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4155116,00.html NEW WORLD NEWS The New York Times has a nice feature on Maya sweathouses: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/20/science/20SWEA.html The Washington Post has a nice feature on Donald Shomette's work in Maryland: http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/metro/md/A20596-2001Mar17.html There seems to be quite a bit of coverage of the human remains being found in the Hunley: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/03/0321_hunleyfind.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/545501.asp CNN has a mostly-video report on the search for pre-Clovis sites in Texas: http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/science/03/22/texas.dig.t_t/index.html REVIEWS The Times has a double review of N. Reeves, *Akhenaten: Egypt's False Prophet* and J.H. Taylor, *Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt*: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,217-102151,00.html ON THE NEWSSTANDS There's a new online issue of Bible Review out, with features on the authorship of the Gospel of Luke and the evidence for the historical King Saul: http://www.bib-arch.org/br2.html There's also a new issue of British Archaeology, with features on Traprain Law, power drinking in Iron Age Europe (honest!), and Claudius' harbour: http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba57/index.html CLASSICIST'S CORNER More on Loyola: http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/atc/20010323.atc.04.rmm http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/class19.html http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,270007420,00.html EXHIBITIONS Antioch: The Lost Ancient City: http://www.absolutearts.com/artsnews/2001/03/25/28294.html http://www.clevelandart.org/AntiochExhib/html/index.html AT ABOUT.COM: Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill's latest is on the Jewish calendar: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa032001a.htm Latin Guide Janet Burns has a feature on Roman names: http://latin.about.com/library/blnames.htm Archaeology Guide Kris Hirst has a feature on the repercussions of foot and mouth disease: http://latin.about.com/library/blnames.htm ... last week's chat was with J. Barto Arnold; the transcript is available at: http://archaeology.about.com/science/archaeology/library/chat/n_arnold.htm ... tonight's chat is with Judy Bense (UWestFla) on public participation in archaeology (you can ask a question even if you can't make the 9-11 EST time slot): http://archaeology.about.com/science/archaeology/library/chat/blchatarnold.htm ... next week, Bill Kelso will be talking about Jamestown. FOLLOWUPS Taliban activities and results: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/World/Asia_China/2001-03/statues220301.shtml http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/03/0323_statuefree.html http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/03/0320_smuggled.html http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/032101-terrorism.htm Marathon rowing site: http://stacks.msnbc.com/news/546223.asp http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12901&m=A35&aa=1&eidos=S http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12902&m=A06&aa=1&eidos=S http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010320/sp/oly_athens_2004_3.html http://www.eKathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=76140 Mummy portraits: http://www.iol.co.za/html/frame_news.php?click_id=117&art_id=qw984654782186B252 Lady X reconstruction: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o180321m.htm Seahenge: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=aC5JdBKJ&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/3/23/nheng23.html Cleopatra's signature: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-102814,00.html Elgin Marbles: http://www.abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20010324_492.html OBITUARY William Reed: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/doc/1047/1:METRO38/1:METRO380320101.html REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html English translation (probably delayed ... hasn't been updated since August): http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.html EXPLORATOR IS ARCHIVED AT: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Explorator/messages ]|[================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR is a weekly newsletter representing the fruits of the labours of 'media research division' of The Atrium. Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured on a daily basis for news of the ancient world (broadly construed: practically anything relating to archaeology or history prior to about 1700 or so is fair game) and when a sufficient number of urls are gathered (usually a minimum of three stories), they are delivered to your mailbox free of charge! Those articles that don't expire, plus supplementary links eventually find a home at: The Media Archive (just going up): http://atrium-media.com/mediaarchive.html ]|[================================================================]|[ Explorator is Copyright (c) 2001 David Meadows; Feel free to distribute these listings via email to your pals, students, teachers, etc., but please include this copyright notice. ]|[=================================================================]|[

]|[=================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 48 (!) -- April 1, 2000 ]|[=================================================================]|[ Editor's note: Depending on your mail software, some urls may wrap (especially those from the Telegraph) which will require you to rebuild the url at your end; if you get a 'file not found', check to see if the url wrapped on you. Most urls should be active for at least eight hours from the time of 'publicatio'. ]|[=================================================================]|[ Happy daylight savings time to everyone in those parts of the world who observe such things! Thanks for the heads ups to Sally Winchester, John Carr, Ernest Loewinsohn, and Bill Kennedy (a.a.h.i.h.n.l.a.o.) OLD WORLD NEWS ABC (Australia) reports that a 3100-year-old mummy has had a "sex change" of sorts: http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/scitech/SciTechRepublish_267644.htm eKatherimini has an item on the excavations at (Minoan) Palaikastro: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=76822 The Chicago Tribune had a nice article last weekend on the state of archaeology/sites in Iraq: http://www.chicago.tribune.com/news/nationworld/article/0,2669,SAV-0103250412,FF.html Zahi Hawass is challenging the long-held notion and soon-to-be BM exhibition that Cleopatra wasn't exactly a Helen-of-Troy league beauty: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o290321h.htm http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/newsid_1250000/1250323.stm http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20010326/cleo.html http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/03/25/magazine.html http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/03/25/stinwenws01027.html A number of frescoes stolen from Pompeii have been returned: http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/03/25/stinwenws02012.html? A watering trough outside a British pub has turned out to be a Roman sarcophagus: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_256054.html?menu=news.quirkies The Lebanon Daily Star has a piece on Roman glass: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/features/30_03_01_b.htm A new documentary on the 'real' Jesus is getting a lot of hype primarily (it seems) for the facial reconstruction: http://www.msnbc.com/news/550752.asp http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/virtualjesus010327.html http://dsc.discovery.com/news/ap/20010326/jesus.html http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=63407 A scholar has suggested that Robert the Bruce's organs were not interred with his body: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000579381554028&rtmo=lvAS7vbt&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/3/29/nbob29.html Xinhua reports on the top 100 Chinese archaeological discoveries of the 20th century: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/20010329/391415.htm They also report on a project to determine the origin of Chinese civilization: http://library.northernlight.com/FB20010329590000097.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc http://library.northernlight.com/FB20010329590000105.html?cb=229&dx=1006&sc=0#doc Discovering Archaeology has put up a new feature on Cambodia "After the Nightmare": http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/033001-cambodia.htm First it was recreating the beer drunk by various ancient cultures, now it's recreating perfumes from Pompeii: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000579381554028&rtmo=psN3BBMe&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/3/30/wpomp30.html Folks might enjoy reading the historical basis for Britain's tax year: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=psNQMh3e&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/3/24/cmtax124.html NEW WORLD NEWS The Inland Empire Online has a column all about Mesa Verde sites on the web: http://www.inlandempireonline.com/columns/garrett/ There's a new (?) suggestion on what happened to Walter Raleigh's 'lost colonists': http://www.pilotonline.com/news/nw0331cro.html ON THE NEWSSTANDS There's a new issue of Archaeology Odyssey out, with some nice online content on ancient copies (Greek and Roman), the Hurrian city of Urkesh, the origins of the jury system, and several other items: http://www.bib-arch.org/aod2.html Atlantic Monthly has an article on "The Genetic Archaeology of Race": http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2001/04/olson-p1.htm EXHIBITIONS Athens News has a review of Waldemar Deonna - Paul Collart: Two Swiss Archaeologists Photograph Greece 1904-1939: http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12902&m=A38&aa=1&eidos=S http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=76807 CLASSICIST'S CORNER A preview/reviewish thing tells all sorts of gossipy stuff about the movie Cleopatra (the one with Liz): http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?BCCode=E&storyKey=55058 cf.: http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/032901/enc_5766382.html Knowledge Management magazine has a feature "Taxonomy of the Ancients", on how Callimachus organized the Library at Alexandria: http://www.destinationcrm.com/km/dcrm_km_article.asp?id=812 REVIEWS The Independent has a review of A. Everitt, *Cicero: A Turbulent Life*: http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=62436 WEBSITES A very nice website (in Spanish) on Roman engineering: http://www.traianus.f2s.com/index1.htm OBITUARIES Nicholas Hammond http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=63213 http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12903&m=A35&aa=3&eidos=S Helge Instad (some in Norwegian): http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/SeattleTimes.woa/wa/gotoArticle?zsection_id=268448413&text_only=0&slug=ingstad01&document_id=134279924 http://www.dallasnews.com/obituaries/326077_ingstadobit_31.html http://www.aftenposten.no/kul_und/kultur/d201143.htm http://www.vg.no/pub/vgart.hbs?artid=5377351 http://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2001/03/29/250020.html Margaret Jones http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=63980 FOLLOWUPS Bahariya Oasis: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/03/0329_goldenmummynew.html Maya bath houses: http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/Sunday-Times/stifgname03001.html? Buddhas in Afghanistan: http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=5390 http://www.lanka.net/lakehouse/2001/04/01/new16.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1242000/1242856.stm http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/032101-terrorism.htm Baghdad ancient writing conference: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/03/0326_writing.html Europe's oldest boat: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=aCXu69aJ&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/3/29/ecnboat29.html Nauticos deepwater ancient shipwreck (this one is close to a month old; folks might want to revisit the item in Archaeology magazine on it ... it's the last item in this list; the first item is a bit of video which I could not get to work, but maybe it will for you): http://www.nytimes.com/images/2001/03/27/science/27SHIP.ram http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/27/science/27SHIP.html http://www.sacbee.com/voices/news/voices03_20010331.html http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12903&m=A11&aa=3&eidos=S http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=63486 http://www.iht.com/articles/15022.html http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010328/wl/mediterranean_shipwreck_dc_1.html http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2001/03/29/fp7s1-csm.shtml http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/03/0329_shipwreck.html http://www.archaeology.org/0103/etc/wreck.html The Hunley: http://www.msnbc.com/news/545501.asp http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010324/sc/life_hunley_dc_3.html http://web.thestate.com/content/columbia/2001/03/24/a1/hunley24.htm http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/03/0321_hunleyfind.html http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/03/0328_hunleyupdate.html AT ABOUT.COM Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill's latest in on the labours of Hercules: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa032701a.htm Latin Guide Janet Burns has a feature on demonstratives: http://latin.about.com/library/bldemonstratives.htm Archaeology Guide Kris Hirst has a feature on the Archaeology Channel: http://archaeology.about.com/science/archaeology/library/weekly/aa032801a.htm ... last week's chat transcript (Judy Bense): http://archaeology.about.com/science/archaeology/library/chat/n_bense.htm ... tonight's chat is with Bill Kelso (talking about Jamestown): http://archaeology.about.com/science/archaeology/library/chat/blchatarchive.htm ... next week: Justin Kerr and Sandra Noble (FAMSI, on the Maya Vase Rollout Project and the Precolumbian Portfolio) DIVERSIONS Athens News has a review of Sierra's *Master of Olympus -- Zeus* computer simulation/game thingie: http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12903&m=A44&aa=4&eidos=S REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html English translation (probably delayed ... hasn't been updated since August): http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.html EXPLORATOR IS ARCHIVED AT: http://www.onelist.com/archive/Explorator ]|[================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR is a weekly newsletter representing the fruits of the labours of 'media research division' of The Atrium. Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured on a daily basis for news of the ancient world (broadly construed: practically anything relating to archaeology or history prior to about 1700 or so is fair game) and when a sufficient number of urls are gathered (usually a minimum of three stories), they are delivered to your mailbox free of charge! Those articles that don't expire, plus supplementary links eventually find a home at: The Media Archive (just going up): http://atrium-media.com/mediaarchive.html ]|[================================================================]|[ Explorator is Copyright (c) 2001 David Meadows; Feel free to distribute these listings via email to your pals, students, teachers, etc., but please include this copyright notice. These listings are not to be posted to a website; instead, please provide a link to either Commentarium or Rostra (or both)! You can subscribe to or unsubscribe from this list by going to the following web page: http://www.egroups.com/subscribe.cgi/Explorator

I'll check out that Maya bathhouse link.

I'm curious about that too. All I can imagine that it deals with the Cenote at Chichen Itza... or something similar. Fascinating!

Archaeologists uncover 'fabulous' chariot Martin Wainwright Guardian Saturday April 7, 2001 The reputation of prehistoric Britons was notched up another peg yesterday, with the discovery of the oldest iron age chariot to be unearthed by archaeologists. Apart from the slight hitch that its owner was probably French, the mass of intricate bronze-work, inlaid coral and skilled joinery was described as "fabulous" proof of ancient native expertise by English Heritage and the British Museum. more... http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4166971,00.html

Prehistoric man may have had dentists LONDON (Reuters) - Pre-historic people living in Asia 8,000 years ago may have used stone-tipped drills to repair teeth. In what could be one of the earliest examples of dentistry, scientists at the University of Missouri-Columbia in the United States have found tiny, perfectly rounded holes in teeth found in Mehrgarh in pre-historic Pakistan, which they suspect were drilled to repair tooth decay.

The above come complete with image at this url http://uk.news.yahoo.com/010411/80/bk0kx.html

Well, I'm glad to hear that the owner of the oldest existing Bronze Age Chariot was probably French. The Gauls were Celts like the Britons. Still, the British Museum claims it as "fabulous" proof of ancient native expertise. What was it Napoleon said? "Perfidious Albion". To all of those at Geo who are English/British, I'm just kidding.

Thanks - considering that Gallic soldiers were used to conquer Albion are we not all relatives separated by our own self-perceived prejuidices? anglo/german/gaulish relatives all blame one another for their problems. Ah, the joys of being Celtic! I really want to see that chariot. Sounds incredible!

That's very true. Especially in regard to the French and Germans. It irritates the French to no end that the native language of Charlemagne was a form of German. The Germans also claim Charlemagne as great hero. They call him Karl Grosse.

]|[=================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 51 -- April 22, 2001 ]|[=================================================================]|[ Editor's note: Depending on your mail software, some urls may wrap (especially those from the Telegraph) which will require you to rebuild the url at your end; if you get a 'file not found', check to see if the url wrapped on you. Most urls should be active for at least eight hours from the time of 'publicatio'. ]|[=================================================================]|[ Greetings archaeophiles! Curiosity question: if this newsletter went to an html mail format (which would help with the perpetual url wrap problem), would it bother anyone? Thanks to Bill Kennedy and Gene Barkley for the headses upses this week (a.a.h.i.h.l.n.o.o.) ... OLD WORLD NEWS The Egyptian State Information Service has a brief item on the discovery of some Amenhotep-era artifacts: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html4/o210421W.htm ... as well as some predynastic stuff: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/note/html/n120421a.htm The Business Recorder (and others) has a piece on the claims of a couple of French researchers to have found "passages to hidden portions of the Great Pyramid" ... no doubt soon to be a documentary: http://www.brecorder.com/story/000000/200104/20010420/200104200196.shtml?Top~Stories http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/scitech/SciTechRepublish_279993.htm eKatherimini reports on the discovery of a 5th-century B.C./B.C.E. copper cauldron at Argos: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?aid=79099 eKatherimini also has a report on a 4th-century B.C./B.C.E mass grave found at Pydna: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?aid=79054 The Times reports on the restoration of Trajan's arch at Benevento: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-113354,00.html The Independent reports on plans to locate and excavate a Roman ship which sank in the Tyne estuary: http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=67471 This was actually announced already within the last year or so, but a group at Stanford is going to use computer technology to reassemble the Forum Urbis: http://sanjose.bcentral.com/sanjose/stories/2001/04/16/daily37.html A large section of the Aurelian wall in Rome collapsed this week: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1280000/1280611.stm http://news.24.com/News24/Technology/Science_Nature/0,1113,2-13-46_1011661,00.html http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/world.cfm?id=64721 http://my.cnn.com/jbcl/cnews/Go?template=otmDetStory&art_id=6690997&uid=987437873088&page_exclude=1 The Architects' Journal supposedly has a report on the discovery of an "ancient carving of a Roman warrior" but I can't get it to load properly at my end; maybe it will work for you: http://www.ajplus.co.uk/news/news_article/?pid=2&aid=14379&sid=60&channelID=4&NewsComingFrom=Construction The Irish Times reports on the discovery of an iron age skeleton: http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2001/0421/reg3.htm The Getty Museum has returned a second-century bust of an athlete to Italy: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4171745,00.html ... while the Met has returned an image of Seti I to Egypt: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html4/o190421n.htm ABCNews reports on the discovery of a "cave full of teeth" in China (this one's actually a little more ancient than I usually cover, but it's interesting): http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/chinacave010417.html Xinhua via Northern Light reports on the discovery of a tomb in Shanxi province: http://library.northernlight.com/FE20010418060000015.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc ... and more: http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010417510000045.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc Thor Heyerdahl is looking for the origins of the Vikings ... in Russia: http://news.24.com/News24/World/Europe/0,1113,2-10-19_1013838,00.html Archaeologists have found the site of London's Hope theatre: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=QwaSwLxR&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/4/22/nhope22.html NEW WORLD NEWS The Denver Post has a report on "America's first archaeological subdivision": http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1002,53%257E22737,00.html The Idaho Statesman has one of those introductory sort of things to 'Archaeology Week' in Idaho: http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/daily/20010418/LocalNews/105060.shtml The St. Petersburg Times has a nice article on looting of sites: http://www.sptimes.com/News/041801/Citrus/Looters_of_artifact_s.shtml ON THE NEWSSTANDS Egypt Revealed has an article by Mark Lehner on the city of folks who worked on the pyramids: http://www.egyptrevealed.com/041501-cityopyramid_builders.htm Discovering Archaeology has an article on the excavation of an 1800's steamboat: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/041201-oklahoma.htm CLASSICIST'S CORNER The Times has a piece on the benefits of a classical education (in anticipation of the meeting of the Classical Association): http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,7-116056,00.html ... and Hollywood's depiction of gladiators: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-117357,00.html eKathimerini has an article on learning ancient Greek via the internet: http://www.eKathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=79064 ... and what's on at Herodes Atticus' theatre in the next month or so: http://www.eKathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=79032 The Independent has a piece on the fifty best places to see in Rome (with links!): http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=67582 ... and a passing mention on the influence of Thucydides on Colin Powell: http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=67848 I'm not sure what to make of this one ... claims of Egyptians in the FYROM: http://www.eKathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=79017 Folks might be interested (for comparative purposes) in the Christian version of the torch race: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=qxbLKd99&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/4/16/wholy16.html ... and a new 'Slavocentric' view of history: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=asbXxHwL&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/4/19/warth19.html The University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Archaeology has discovered some Ming art in its storage rooms: http://worldnews.about.com/newsissues/worldnews/gi/news/~5a0e214.htm?PM=n3042001e The hype is beginning in anticipation of the official opening of the new Library at Alexandria: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html4/o150421y.htm http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html4/o170421p.htm AT ABOUT.COM Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill's latest is a piece on Artemis: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa041701a.htm Archaeology Guide Kris Hirst's latest is a guest piece on the electronic antiquities market: http://archaeology.about.com/library/weekly/aa041801a.htm ... last week's chat with Rosemary Joyce: http://archaeology.about.com/science/archaeology/library/chat/n_joyce.htm ... tonight's chat (9-11 EDT) with Larry McKee on African-American archaeology: http://archaeology.about.com/science/archaeology/mpchat.htm FOLLOWUPS Ahenaten-era artifacts: http://news.24.com/News24/Africa/Features/0,1113,2-11-37_1010967,00.html Cleopatra at the BM: http://library.northernlight.com/EC20010418040000036.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc Herculaneum papyri (nothing new ... I wish they'd just get on with it): http://www.oweb.com/newslink/national/ScorchedPapyrusP0225.html http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,270013890,00.html? http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/science/04/20/scorched.papyrus.ap/index.html http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/0,1643,500475007-500729186-504140350-0,00.html http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/breakingnews/US/0,3560,862492,00.html http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_266946.html?menu=news.technology http://www.msnbc.com/news/562226.asp Hunley: http://www.msnbc.com/news/545501.asp http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/news/2001/apr/17/041705300.html http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/03/0328_hunleyupdate.html Karachi mummy (with photo): http://www.time.com/time/asia/news/magazine/0,9754,106425,00.html Latest Bahariyah Oasis finds: http://www.egyptrevealed.com/042001-valleyofmummies.htm Temple Mount: http://www.msnbc.com/news/561175.asp Seahenge: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4170978,00.html Vesuvius: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-113355,00.html http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/17/science/17OBSER-1.html REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html English translation (probably delayed ... hasn't been updated since August): http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.html EXPLORATOR IS ARCHIVED AT: http://www.onelist.com/archive/Explorator ]|[================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR is a weekly newsletter representing the fruits of the labours of 'media research division' of The Atrium. Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured on a daily basis for news of the ancient world (broadly construed: practically anything relating to archaeology or history prior to about 1700 or so is fair game) and when a sufficient number of urls are gathered (usually a minimum of three stories), they are delivered to your mailbox free of charge! Those articles that don't expire, plus supplementary links eventually find a home at: The Media Archive (just going up): http://atrium-media.com/mediaarchive.html ]|[================================================================]|[ Explorator is Copyright (c) 2001 David Meadows; Feel free to distribute these listings via email to your pals, students, teachers, etc., but please include this copyright notice. These listings are not to be posted to a website; instead, please provide a link to either Commentarium or Rostra (or both)! You can subscribe to or unsubscribe from this list by going to the following web page: http://www.yahoogroups.com/subscribe.cgi/Explorator Or, send by sending a blank email message to: mailto:Explorator-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

DISCOVER ARCHAEOLOGY ONLINE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER; APRIL 11, 2001 Saludos, and thank you for subscribing! Click here to get there: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml Your Feature Report for this week: * French Explorer Maps Sunken City * The Battle of Korcula * Dateline ... Egypt * Artifact Thief Apprehended * New Tombs Discovered in Bahariya * Protection of the Terracotta Warriors * Sudan Archaeology * Anthony's Egyptology and Archaeology * Minoan Research Click here to get there: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml

Seahenge may be saved from watery grave The tale of Seahenge took a dramatic new turn last night when it was revealed that the ancient timbers might not be heading for a watery grave after all. Government body English Heritage met yesterday to decide the fate of the Bronze Age timber circle, which was controversially removed from the beach at Holme-next-the-Sea, near Hunstanton, almost two years ago. Its ruling commissioners were expected to agree that the circle should be reburied later this year, close to the spot where it was originally found. But yesterday, officials heard that fresh evidence had come to light about the timbers, along with new scientific techniques which would enable it to be studied. "We brought the commissioners new information, and we want to carry out more research because there is far more potential," English Heritage's chief archaeologist David Miles said after the meeting. "There are marks in the surface which are very slight marks, like bruises in the wood. "It's all about how we capture these marks, because if the timbers were conserved or reburied now, they would be lost." New digital modelling techniques will enable the marks to be copied onto a 3D digital likeness of each timber, stored on computer. Mr Miles suggested the new marks, which were just visible to the naked eye, could shed new light on how the timber circle was first built in 2049BC. "There may be complications as to how it was built," he added. "It might well have been modified and we want to do some more dating on it as well." Scientists at the Flag Fen Bronze Age research centre, near Peterborough, have been studying the timbers since they were removed from the beach at Holme almost two years ago, amid angry protests. Two weeks ago, it was claimed that the timbers would disintegrate if reburied on the beach. Last night Mr Miles said the claim, which surfaced in New Scientist magazine and The Guardian, differed from what English Heritage had been told about the circle's chances of survival. Now any firm decision will await the outcome of the latest round of research, which will be carried out at Flag Fen. The circle's future could even be referred back to the Timber Circle Forum, which was formed from local councils and other interested bodies, to decide its fate. "We've got to consider the future," said Mr Miles. "We would certainly come up and talk to the Timber Circle Forum about the fact that the site could be more important." South Norfolk plant hire tycoon Mervyn Lambert was an outspoken critic of the timbers' removal from the beach. He led a high court bid which failed to halt the excavation. But English Heritage said it would conserve the timbers. Then it emerged that neither Norfolk County Council or West Norfolk council was prepared to pay for the work. And the Timber Circle Forum believed that the option of burial in Holme's clay deposits was believed to offer the best chance of preserving Seahenge, in case anyone decided to fund a proper display to house it in the future. "So they've just found some new marks they hadn't noticed yet after 21 months," Mr Lambert said last night. "Nothing surprises me now. "In the high court, almost two years ago, English Heritage said they could not guarantee long-term conservation of the timbers without removing them from the beach. "Twenty-one months on they've done nothing towards conservation." Geoff Needham, chairman of Holme Parish Council, said: "They classed it as the most important archaeological discoveries of the century, but the way they have treated it is an absolute disgrace. "It was one of the biggest acts of vandalism ever created in the name of archaeology." The timber circle first came to the notice of archaeologists in early 1998 after a Bronze Age axe head was found nearby. Since its removal the following summer, more timbers have been exposed by the shifting tides at Holme beach, including what appears to be the remains of a larger circle. Mr Miles said the fresh artefacts were probably a fish trap and a burial mound, of which there were many similar examples dotted across the country. http://www.edp24.co.uk/Content/Search/nfdetail.asp?Brand=EDPONLINE&Category=NEWS&ItemId=NOED26+Apr+2001+11%3A33%3A23%3A403

Peru Complex May Be Oldest City By PAUL RECER, AP Science Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - About the time that pyramids were being built in Egypt, a civilization in Peru was building the Americas' first urban center, a complex of stone pyramids, plazas and intricate irrigation canals, researchers say. A site called Caral, 125 miles north of Lima, ``may actually be the birthplace of civilization in the Americas,'' said Winifred Creamer, a Northern Illinois University professor and co-author of a study appearing Friday in Science. Jonathan Haas of Chicago's Field Museum, Creamer's husband and a co-author of the study, said that Caral has been aged-dated to as early as 2,627 B.C. and excavations show it once covered some 160 acres on the floor of Peru's Supe Valley. The people living there created a civilization of farmers, craftsmen and fishermen. Haas said there was a central government or organization strong enough to induce hundreds of workers to labor long to build a sprawling complex of six pyramids, apartment-like buildings, open stone-cobbled plazas and irrigation canals that tapped a nearby river. Researchers say that the site, some 125 miles north of Lima, shows evidence of being a thriving inland metropolis that lasted for hundreds of years and then declined into oblivion. It was rediscovered in 1905, but is only now being studied in detail. ``What we're learning from Caral is going to rewrite the way we think about development of early Andean civilization,'' said Haas. Caral's civilization was age-dated from woven reeds and other material extracted from a 60-foot high pyramid. Haas said the people used reed bags to carry stones to put inside the pyramid as it was being built. ``They filled the reed bags with stones, carried them on their shoulders to the building site and then dumped them in, bag and all,'' said Haas. In Peru's dry climate, the reed material survived the ages and scientists used it to age-date the site, he said. Haas said that the people of Caral lived on vegetables - squash, beans and root crops - and seafood. They did not grow grains or make pottery, both of which are common for other ancient civilizations. Instead, Haas said, the Caral people grew cotton and wove it into nets used for fishing. The researchers found evidence that the people ate lots of seafood -- anchovies, sardines and shellfish. He said there were no large animals in the area to provide food so they depended on the sea. The Pacific Ocean coast is about 14 miles from Caral. Caral thrived for more than 600 years and was home over the centuries to thousands of people, although Haas said the peak population of the city is still not known. Eventually, the Caral society faded, replaced by new complexes in other civilizations built to the north and to the south. It's believed that descendants of the Caral people became the Incas, who were ruling the Andes when the Europeans arrived in the 16th century. Haas said that six pyramids, some rising by 60 feet above wide bases, dominate the site. There are also fitted-stone plazas and smaller pyramids with stairs and top-floor rooms that were probably upper class housing. Nearby, more modest homes, built of adobe, have been excavated. People at Caral depended heavily on irrigated farming and the site may have been the first in the Americas where water was moved in large volumes for agricultural use, said Haas. The water came from the nearby Supe River. There were no nearby forests or other sources of wood, said Haas, but there is evidence that the people chipped stones to make tools and carved large rocks to fit into building walls. - On the Net: Northern Illinois University: http://www.niu.edu/pubaffairs/presskits/wcjo/ Science: http://www.eurekalert.org Thanks K3

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-120993,00.html FRIDAY APRIL 27 2001 Peru's first city thrived as Egypt built pyramids BY MARK HENDERSON, SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT AN ADVANCED civilisation was thriving on the coast of modern-day Peru at the same time as the pyramids were built in Egypt - more than 1,000 years earlier than was previously thought, American researchers have discovered. New radio-carbon dating of plant fibres found at Caral, 120 miles north of Lima, has revealed that the ancient city was built as early as 2600BC, making it by far the oldest urban settlement yet identified in the Americas. The findings, published today in the journal Science, suggest that the significance of the Caral civilisation has been badly underestimated by archaeologists and anthropologists. The inhabitants of the city had developed technology on a par with much of that found in Ancient Egypt at about the same time: they had the know-how to irrigate fields and to build monumental pyramids, though they never learnt to make ceramic pottery, a fact that continues to puzzle anthropologists. Jonathan Haas, curator of anthropology at the Field Museum in Chicago, who led the study, said Caral had previously been dated to about 1600BC. "Our findings show that a very large, complex society had arisen on the coast of Peru centuries earlier than anyone thought," Dr Haas said. "This is a project that comes along once in a generation and offers opportunities rarely glimpsed in the field of archaeology." Caral is dominated by a central zone containing six large platform mounds arranged around a huge public plaza. The largest of these mounds, known as Piramide Mayor, stands 60ft high and measures 450ft by 500ft at its base. All six central mounds were built in only one or two phases, providing strong evidence of complex planning, centralised decision-making and mobilisation of a large labour force - all of which suggest an advanced civilisation. Stairs, rooms, courtyards and other structures were constructed on top of the pyramids as well as on the side terraces. Excavations are now planned to determine whether there were rooms or tombs inside the mounds. Other architecture at the site also indicates a high level of cultural complexity. In particular, three sunken circular plazas testify to the emergence of a well-organised religion with open, public ceremonies. Other villages in Peru are known to have been occupied before 2600BC and some even had small-scale public platforms or stone rings. All, however, are much smaller in scale.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/560131.asp?cp1=1 Black magic in Greece's Golden Age This ancient Greek katara, or curse, was found in the ancient Kerameikos cemetery in Athens, dating back to the 4th and 5th centuries B.C. During the Golden Age of ancient Greece, magicians worked in secret and buried the hexes with the dead. ASSOCIATED PRESS ATHENS, Greece, April 22 - During the Golden Age of ancient Greece, no one was safe from spells, not even exalted politicians and orators. MAGICIANS WORKED in secret and buried hexes with the dead, who they believed would carry them to the underworld. Some curses were for opponents in lawsuits. Others sought to hex a political figure. Still others meant to bring harm to enemies. "I bind to the earth," begin some of the inscriptions on the 55 "katares," or curses, found during nearly nine decades of excavations at the ancient Kerameikos cemetery near the ancient marketplace where politicians made public addresses. Specialists are now restoring and studying the katares for a planned book that explores how rites of black magic - although outlawed in ancient Greece - played a fundamental role in a society that also prized logic and the intellect. The book will mark the first comprehensive volume on the katares of ancient Athens. "These practices were indeed carried out ... They shed light on the political and cultural history," said Jutta Stroszeck, head of the German Archaeological Institute of Greece, which leads the cemetery digs. The katares found were inscriptions etched into lead, sometimes found with figurines. They were often buried in the graves of youths because it was believed a premature death would get the spell to the underworld gods faster, archaeologists said. THE ZENITH OF A SOCIETY Although katares have been discovered throughout the Mediterranean, the Athens collection tells of the life of a society at its zenith: the Age of Pericles about 2,500 years ago when the Parthenon was built. The objects also give fascinating examples of the direct connection between ancient superstitions and daily life. "Katares were the appropriate medium to destroy political opponents," said Felice Costabile, an expert in ancient inscriptions at the University Magna Graecia in Catanzaro, Italy. The ancient magicians - outlaws to the Athenian authorities - apparently performed a secret ritual to prepare the katares. But it is uncertain what exactly transpired, experts say. It could be that the magicians were responsible for finding the lead, writing out the curses and finding tombs of young people who had recently died. Katares were also dropped in wells, another avenue to the underworld. "You made the spell in the very moment that you wanted to weaken the another person ... to impede, to make immobile to bind somebody," Stroszeck said. "It is clearly an statement of hate." Some katares meant to curse a warrior were accompanied by small bent swords. Others were male figurines with hands tied behind their backs, pronounced genital organs, birdlike heads and numerous inscriptions. A BRACELET FOR THE DEAD A different type of katara was shaped in the form of a bracelet and placed in the hands of the dead, perhaps to be carried to the underworld or improve the potency of the hex, Stroszeck said. Etched into one katara are the names of Lykourgos, an Athenian politician who participated in managing the city's finances and building program and lived from 390 B.C. to 324 B.C. The name of Hyperides, an orator who lived about the same time and who led the city to battle with the Macedonians in the Lamian War in 323 B.C., was found on another. One of the most important finds is a lead plate with three curses inscribed on it. They are written together as if in a book of three columns and show how ancient texts were composed 2,400 years ago on papyrus, Costabile said. "It did not have any relation to the official religion as it was then," said Stroszeck, referring to the ancient belief in the 12 Olympian gods led by Zeus.

]|[=================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 52 -- April 29, 2001 OLD WORLD NEWS The Daily Star has a feature on the Canaanite site of Yarmuta: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/28_04_01/art3.htm A conference on how best to preserve the monuments of the Middle/Near east has political implications: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/newsid_1295000/1295319.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/newsid_1295000/1295008.stm MSNBC (and others) has an interesting item on black magic in the ancient Greek world: http://stacks.msnbc.com/news/560131.asp http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12907&m=A05&aa=1&eidos=S http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=79231 Police have confiscated a hoard of interesting illegally-excavated artifacts near Vonitsa: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?aid=80390 AthensNews has a lengthy touristy piece on ancient Troezen: http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12907&m=A24&aa=1&eidos=S A fourth-century Egyptian coffin is on display in Rochester: http://library.northernlight.com/EB20010427170000046.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc Another bit of fallout from Afghanistan: the left foot of Zeus is on display in Tokyo: http://www.asahi.com/english/asahi/0426/asahi042604.html The Aberdeen Herald has a brief item on a recent Iron Age discovery in that city: http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/archive/24-4-19101-0-1-2.html The Times (South Africa) has a feature on the excavations at Uxellodunum ('eat your heart out Asterix'): http://www.iol.co.za/html/frame_news.php?click_id=79&art_id=qw988311781884B216 (cf. http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_275516.html?menu=) There was a fair bit of coverage this week devoted to the discovery of a Roman-era armoury/armour in Roman Carlisle: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1297000/1297752.stm http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,478537,00.html http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-120182,00.html http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/04/0427_romanarmor.html A Roman villa at El-Jem will soon be open to the public: http://www.news24.co.za/News24/Technology/Science_Nature/0,1113,2-13-46_1014411,00.html A third-century Celtic fibula has reached a rather high price at auction: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=gjSGSbru&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/4/26/ngold26.html Also at auction at Christie's ... a pile of Italian vases, many of them looted apparently: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,7-118293,00.html Le Figaro has an item (in French) on damage done and threatened to the Henri IV-era Chateau de Saumur (watch the wrap): http://www.lefigaro.fr/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?pagename=FutureTense/Apps/Xcelerate/View&c=figArticle&cid=FIGI72LWTLC The Times of India reports on damage done to Mnajdra Temple: http://web.infinito.it/utenti/m/malta_mega_temples/mnajdest/times15.html The BBC has an item on damage done to the Zoukoudian Caves: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/asia-pacific/newsid_1298000/1298621.stm CNN has a piece on the threat to ancient cities in Laos: http://www.cnn.com/2001/TRAVEL/NEWS/04/26/laos.ancientcities.ap/index.html SwissInfo reports on an exhibition of ancient textiles from the Taklamakan Desert: http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/Swissinfo.html?siteSect=201&sid=661022 NEW WORLD NEWS There was major coverage of the discovery/redating of the Peruvian city of Caral: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1298000/1298460.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid_1299000/1299426.stm http://www.nandotimes.com/noframes/story/0,2107,500476670-500732206-504186344-0,00.html http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/city010426.html http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/nation/science/A8889-2001Apr26.html http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2001/04/27/fp1s3-csm.shtml http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/042601-oldestperucity.htm http://www.enn.com/news/wire-stories/2001/04/04282001/reu_peru_43240.asp http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-120993,00.html http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/world.cfm?id=67657 http://www.msnbc.com/news/564981.asp http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010426/sc/science_city_dc.html http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/04/0426_perucity.html The Telegraph has a feature on the Mayan site of Las Milpas: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=0xbKbsGq&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/4/28/wmay28.html The Salt Lake Tribune has an interesting item on a pile of old footwear originally found in Promontory Cave: http://www.sltrib.com/04272001/utah/92394.htm http://www1.standard.net/stories/local/04-2001/FTP0284@local@28cave@Ogden.asp The Washington Post has a nice piece on the slave graves at what was once James Madison's home: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8417-2001Apr26.html The Columbus Dispatch has an item in anticipation of a conference (held last week) called "Old and New World Prehistory at the Crossroads": http://www.dispatch.com/news/news01/apr01/670378.html ON THE NEWSSTANDS Archaeology Magazine has a new online issue with abstracts of articles on ancient Abydos, the recently-discovered inn at Pompeii, the spiritual life of slaves in America, and numerous other items: http://www.archaeology.org/0105/toc/toc.html The Art Newspaper has apparently updated its archaeology page (but not copyright date!), with items on Stonehenge, the statue of Cybele recently found in Greece, threats to sites in Sicily, and a cache of coins from Syria: http://www.theartnewspaper.com/archaeology/archeology.asp Biblical Archaeology Review also has a new online issue, with articles on stone shrines in the Negev, the battle over ownership of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Abraham's Ur, among other things: http://www.bib-arch.org/bar2.html Egypt Revealed has a piece in anticipation of a F. Goddio lecture on the layout of the sunken bits of ancient Alexandria (with a fairly good map): http://www.egyptrevealed.com/042601-goddio-sunkencity.htm CLASSICIST'S CORNER This is the sort of thing I've been dying to do with my classes: http://inq.philly.com/content/inquirer/2001/04/26/local_news/PDIG26.htm The Independent has a precis of Peter Wiseman's presidential address to the Classical Association: http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=69022 http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-117802,00.html More from the meeting: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-118372,00.html FOLLOWUPS Buddha birthplace: http://stacks.msnbc.com/news/563429.asp Cleopatra at the BM: http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12907&m=A02&aa=3&eidos=S Herculaneum Papyri: http://www.standard.net/stories/local/04-2001/ftp0103@local@20decode@ogden.asp The Hunley: http://www.hunley.org/html/Excavation/excavation_update_apr_27.htm http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/04/0427_hunleyapril27.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/565751.asp Karachi mummy: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=fsDwD0os&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/4/29/wmum29.html Pyramid hidden cavities: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/newsid_1285000/1285707.stm http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12907&m=A16&aa=4&eidos=S http://www.egyptrevealed.com/042301-debunkfrench.htm Seahenge: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1298000/1298533.stm Troy: Myth and Reality: http://www.msnbc.com/news/556889.asp OBITUARIES Laurence Flanagan: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,60-120135,00.html AT ABOUT.COM Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill's latest feature is on Spartacus: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa042101a.htm Archaeology Guide Kris Hirst has put up the transcript of last week's chat with Larry McKee (this week's has, alas, been postponed): http://archaeology.about.com/science/archaeology/library/chat/n_mckee.htm REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html English translation (probably delayed ... hasn't been updated since August): http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.html EXPLORATOR IS ARCHIVED AT: http://www.onelist.com/archive/Explorator ]|[================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR is a weekly newsletter representing the fruits of the labours of 'media research division' of The Atrium. Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured on a daily basis for news of the ancient world (broadly construed: practically anything relating to archaeology or history prior to about 1700 or so is fair game) and when a sufficient number of urls are gathered (usually a minimum of three stories), they are delivered to your mailbox free of charge! Those articles that don't expire, plus supplementary links eventually find a home at: The Media Archive (just going up as of January 7, 2001): http://atrium-media.com/mediaarchive.html ]|[================================================================]|[ Explorator is Copyright (c) 2001 David Meadows; Feel free to distribute these listings via email to your pals, students, teachers, etc., but please include this copyright notice. These listings are not to be posted to a website; instead, please provide a link to either Commentarium or Rostra (or both)! You can subscribe to or unsubscribe from this list by going to the following web page: http://www.egroups.com/subscribe.cgi/Explorator Or, send by sending a blank email message to: mailto:Explorator-subscribe@egroups.com or mailto:Explorator-unsubscribe@egroups.com ]|[=================================================================]|[

Gladiator-Era Armor Factory Found By Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News May 2 � Archaeologists working in northern England have excavated one of the most important finds in Britain from the Roman period- an armor workshop containing rare gladiator-era garb and other Roman military equipment. more... http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20010430/gladiator.html

---------------------------------------------------------- / PHYSICSWEB: E-mail alert \ (http://PhysicsWeb.org) ========================================================== ---------------------------------------------------------- | News ========================================================== * Carbon clock could show the wrong time: (10 May) Carbon dating is a mainstay of geology and archaeology - but an enormous peak discovered in the amount of carbon-14 in the atmosphere between 45 thousand and 11 thousand years ago casts doubt on the biological carbon cycle that underpins the technique. The study led by physicist Warren Beck of the University of Arizona, US, could also affect estimates of how quickly the Earth can re-absorb the excess carbon dioxide generated by fossil fuels (J W Beck et al 2001 Science to appear). [ http://PhysicsWeb.org/article/news/5/5/7 ] ----------------------------------------------------------

Va. Highway Work Unearths Ancient Quarry of Jasper By Craig Timberg Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, May 4, 2001; Page B01 CULPEPER COUNTY, Va. -- The drive for the future here has turned up tantalizing clues about Virginia's prehistoric past. In the path of a long-awaited four-lane highway, archaeologists working for the Virginia Department of Transportation discovered reddish-brown pieces of jasper, a rock that the continent's earliest settlers used for spear points, knives and other tools. Hundreds of pieces of it, in flakes that looked like the result of human handiwork, turned up in a test pit right in the path of where the new and improved Route 3 was to pass through a rural stretch of this county halfway between Charlottesville and Washington. Five years and $300,000 of state-funded digging later, archaeologists are hailing the site, dubbed Brook Run, as a rare and exquisitely well-preserved ancient quarry. It dates to more than 11,000 years ago, a time many scientists call the earliest human habitation of the region. The site consists of two pits, nearly 14 feet deep through bedrock and soil, and less than two feet across at the bottom. Archaeologists are puzzling over how ancient people, without the benefits of backhoes or even a modern shovel, managed to dig so deep to extract stones from a vertical seam so narrow. "They must have been very narrow people who went down there and hauled that stuff out," marveled Michael F. Johnson, Fairfax County staff archaeologist. They are equally astonished that Brook Run was found at all in a place where scientific models didn't predict human settlements and no disruption at the surface offered a hint of what lay beneath. The shovel test pits were dug about every 50 feet along the 10-mile highway corridor from Lignum to the outskirts of the town of Culpeper. Such surveys for historic and cultural artifacts are common for road-building projects; finds as valuable as Brook Run are not. "If [highway officials] had just walked through here without doing the shovel test, they never would have found the site," said archaeologist Eric Voigt, whose firm, the Louis Berger Group, has a contract with the Virginia Department of Transportation. Voigt and crews of up to a dozen workers have spent the past year excavating the site. The evidence they found suggests that Paleo-Indians, the ancestors of today's American Indians, came across the jasper by accident -- as VDOT did -- maybe while following game or traveling to villages on the Rappahannock or Rapidan river, more than a mile away. Over the next several hundred years, Voigt said, the Paleo-Indians returned repeatedly, digging deeper each time into the seam of jasper and carrying back hunks of the rock to their villages, where they fashioned it into tools. Voigt and his crew found a rock hearth dating back 11,500 years but little other evidence of human habitation here. "This site does show, even more strongly, how important really good raw materials were to these folks," he said. Dating the site were pieces of burned wood that fell into the narrow pits. Carbon dating of the burned wood and the rock hearth put the age of the site between 10,500 and 11,500 years ago. Voigt stirred brief hopes of a more stunning discovery when one relic initially appeared to be 15,000 years old. Archaeologists had long agreed that humans arrived in the Americas across a land bridge from Asia and settled the continent about 11,500 years ago. But recent discoveries have challenged that, and some archaeologists were hoping that Brook Run would offer proof that humans settled in the Americas thousands of years earlier and perhaps arrived along a different route. A site called Cactus Hill, in Sussex County south of Richmond, has relics seeming to date back that far, but the finding remains controversial. At Brook Run, a more precise reading this week of the oldest relic put its date at 11,500 years ago. Virginia was then emerging from the Ice Age and had a climate far colder than today, with more pine trees and a different mix of wildlife, including bison. There are few archaeological sites on the East Coast as old as Brook Run. Virginia has three others, Cactus Hill, Thunderbird in Warren County and Williamson in Dinwiddie County. Smithsonian archaeologist Dennis Stanford visited Brook Run this week and came away astonished. "We didn't know people did that type of quarrying," he said. "Every bit of data that can be gleaned out of each site is just wonderful." Voigt and his crews have extracted more than 700,000 relics from Brook Run for analysis. They plan to fill the site with sand and cover it with plantings so future archaeologists will be able to continue exploring it. To make that easier, VDOT has revamped its designs for improving Route 3. Officials plan to build a narrower median strip so the new road doesn't disturb the ancient quarry. "There's just no way you can justify paving over this site," said VDOT spokesman Jim Jennings. � 2001 The Washington Post Company

More on the above story on the ancient site in Virginia http://www.culpepernews.com/Archive/n1feb01.htm#past

Wow! Yet another controversial site to conflict with the conventional thought as to when the Native Americans arrived. Perhaps they are right in their view that they have always been here. Then maybe those who acertain that the arrived about 30,000 years ago are right. Or perhaps there was no one migration, but a succession of migrations into the Americas by different means and routes over a long period of time.

Yup - the "Clovis First" debate has probably been buried for good. Too much evidence points to earlier than formerly though occupation of the North American continent!

My considered opinion (Please, prove me wrong!) is that many migtrations of many sorts of origins occurred. Over a very long time. I think we are just beginning to discover what is in those woods. Even as far east as the East Coast of North America! Check the age of Meadowcroft and contemporary structures!

Meadowcroft is considered to be at least 13,000 years old, I think. The Meadowcroft data was considered extremely controversial in the early days of the excavation.

I think the Meadowcroft dates are still controversial. Groundwater seepage and nearby springs were though to contaminate the site, but think the Clovis Firsters are fianlly conceding that Clovies was NOT first no matter what dates the afix to Meadowcroft.

Silbury Hill is about to be subjected to a 3D seismic scan: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=rQFhmbXX&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/5/18/nstone18.html Archaeologists have found stained glass which might be associated with Lady Godiva: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4186858,00.html The discovery of a 17th century shipwreck might delay pipeline construction in Dublin Bay: http://www.iol.co.za/html/frame_news.php?click_id=588&art_id=qw990116701574B264 Not really archaeology or ancient, but interesting nonetheless is the claim that Anne Boleyn might have been pregnant when she was executed: http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=73561 The Guardian has a feature on what a career in archaeology might involve: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4188105,00.html

Archaeology is hopelessly enmeshed in politics, wars etc. During war, opposing sides are always quick to target monuments of national importance and national pride, and the archaeologicalo heritage of opposing sides. Archaeology is endlessly manipulated to suit the ideology of people. But on a more humorous note I decided to post some howlers I personally was told by people I met. The funny thing is not so much the ignorance but the pride and "know-all" attitude of the people I was speaking to. Some people love to bash/show off to archaeologists for some reason.... 1) (On the temples of Ireland and Malta) "But they have the same spirals. I think I have understood what happened. An irish craftsman who made the symbols on Newgrange travelled to Malta and made them on the temples there as well". 2) (On the Pyramids of Egypt) "You have an absolutely closed mind. Can you not at least consider that there was a possibility that the pyramids were build by aliens from the Plaedes? No? But u CANT say no! You are so closed minded!" 3)(on megaliths) "I dont call them megaliths. I have read many books on the subject and prefer to call them sarsens. Have you sarsens in Malta?" (she didn't realise that sarsen was a stone type that some of the stonehenge megaliths were made out of) 4)(Guide taking us around the Hypogeum) "And here is the hole where there was the snakepit, and justabove it in that niche they kept a statue of the mother goddess holding snakes (???). Right above us are the famous red ochre spirals. They are the trees of life like the tree of life in the Bible and Mesopotamia (????) and in those hollows over there women slept offering their dreams to the goddess (??????????)." (needless to say for once i was speechless). 5) (Angry man talking to me over phone when i was working at the arch museum) "Tourists come up to me and ask me where the Salina catacombs are and I am ashamed to tell them they were destroyed by people putting rubbish in them and that you lot did nothing to stop it. I used to go to the catacombs everyday! Now they are building over them!! You lot are **&%$#@#" ...(ME) "Excuse me sir where exactly do you place the salina catacombs?"...(HIM)..."what do you mean? under X overY of course!"...(ME)..."uhh...no..not exactltly they are in L under S"...(HIM)..."OH" **click** (know-all man in attendance of archaeology lecture on the building of the temples) "I disagree with this presentation. It would have taken far more labour to build the temples. I am an engineer! I know these things. You didn't even mention the guy who would have written down all the plans and given them to the others to follow..." (umm maltese temples are dated to 5000-3000 in all..like..no writing in Malta then? ouch this was bad...it was a public lecture) Thanks for this, Si�g http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/prehistoricarchaeology

Thanks for this H_H Secrets of Stone Age hill to be revealed By David Derbyshire, Science Correspondent THE largest and most mysterious Stone Age earth mound in Western Europe may be about to reveal some of its closely guarded secrets. Archaeologists are assembling on the summit of Silbury Hill, in Avebury, Wiltshire, to carry out its first three-dimensional seismic scan. The survey will reveal the extent of damage caused to the World Heritage Site by 18th and 19th century investigators. It may also solve the long-standing mystery of whether chambers, tunnels and burial rooms lie within the mound. Silbury Hill is about 130ft high and has a circumference at its base of 1,640ft. It covers five acres and is made from 12 million cubic feet of soil and chalk. It was built between 2800 and 2000 BC, but its purpose remains a mystery. The hill has attracted numerous legends. According to one, a solid gold knight and horse are hidden in a burial chamber. Last year a hole appeared on its flat summit, the result of a partial collapse of a vertical mine shaft dug by the Duke of Northumberland into the middle of the mound in 1776. His excavation found nothing, but archaeologists believe that the shaft was carelessly filled in. The hole at the summit, which measures 24ft by 18ft wide and is around 12 feet deep, is threatening the stability of the site. English Heritage, which is funding a dig to find out more, said a seismic scan within the next few weeks would reveal the extent of the instability and the state of other mine shafts dug in 1849, 1867, 1886 and 1968. Amanda Chadburn, English Heritage's inspector of ancient monuments, said: "The excavations will provide us with knowledge essential to our understanding of the hill's present condition. "Together with a seismic survey, it will enable us to solve some extremely complex technical problems and decide on the most effective strategy for repairs." The mound is thought to have religious significance and forms part of a complex of monuments in Avebury. http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/prehistoricarchaeology

Ancient cemetery discovered in Costa Rica San Jose, Costa Rica - Human remains more than 2 500 years old have been found on Costa Rica's Pacific coast and are believed to be part of an important pre-Colombian cemetery, scientists said on Wednesday. A fisherman discovered the site in April when he came across some bones 200 miles (320 kms) north-east of the capital, San Jose, said Vicente Guerrero, an archaeologist with the National Museum. Among the cadavers is a small child whose remains were well preserved. The site had been covered by the ocean, but was exposed during a low tide common in April. Guerrero said the burial was unique in its detail. Scientists have been able to determine the subjects' sex, age, height and cause of death. - Sapa-AP

More on P I C T I S H http://www.linguistlist.org/~ask-ling/archive-1998.7/msg00983.html and especially http://www.britannica.com/seo/p/pictish-language/ (the britannica article will list sources. There is some disagreement among scholars but generally, newer scholarship indicates that the Picts spoke a very ancient dialect of Brythonic or P-Celtic, like the language of the Gauls and Britons, rather than Goidelic or Gaelic like the Irish and Scotts. There are those who still disagree, however. When Columba went to proselytize the Picts he needed a translater even though he spoke both Briton and Irish. People of the "non-Celtic" school point to this as evidence that the Picts were a non-Celtic ore even non-Indo European people. But the fact of the matter is that this evidence is not dispositive because people who speak linguistically similar languages often cannot understand each other. For example, a French person would need a translator to converse with people who spoke Spanish, though they are both Romance languages. An even better way of looking at it is to say that even the same language may be unintelligible if you look at a much older dialect than the one with which you are familiar. How many modern English speakers can understand Beowulf, for example? Greek, too, has undergone significant changes in the last 1000 years; I'm told that Byzantine Greek (used in the Orthodox liturgy) is almost unintelligible to modern Greek speakers. Thanks Doug oldestcivilizations@yahoogroups.com

H_H - thank you for sending me this. It is 'orrible! Duchas objects to King's Island plans By �ibhir Mulqueen, Midwest Correspondent D�chas, the Heritage Service, says a proposed hotel development for the King's Island area of Limerick will erase a medieval laneway and ignores important monuments. The application by King's Island Developments to build a 107-bedroom hotel is for an area which formed part of the historic walled city. A substantial part of the wall runs through the site, Ms Triona Lonergan of the development applications section of D�chas told Limerick Corporation. The proposal is for two interconnected curvilinear blocks, reaching a height of 20.5 metres, in an area bounded by the Northern Relief Road, the medieval Long Lane and Sir Harry's Mall, which runs alongside the Abbey river. The developers also propose building a pedestrian boardwalk across the river. "It is proposed to erase all trace of a medieval laneway, the widening of a second medieval lane and the substantial loss of the southern end of Sir Harry's Mall," Ms Lonergan said. more... http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2001/0522/hom15.htm

Have asked for a legal opinion on this one .. let you know if I find out anything

Thanks for that Maggie!

DISCOVER ARCHAEOLOGY ONLINE WEEKLY, MAY 24, 2001 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml The Feature Report Menu: * Dateline ... Caral, Peru * Indian Seabed Hides Ancient Remains * Oldest European Calendar Deciphered * So You Want To Be An Archaeologist * China Strengthens Cultural Relics Protection Laws * Hunley Commander's Remains Found * Seafood Gave Modern Humans Edge * Egyptian Farmer Discovers Ottoman Warship * Archaeoseismological Research * U.S. Customs Returns Relic To China * People Of Mystery * The Marathon Battlefield/The War Continues Click here to get there: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml Thank you for subscribing!

From 'orrible 'orace with thanks from me: Digging deep to uncover secrets of ancient tomb Recent geophysical tests conducted at one of Ireland's most fascinating landmarks will provide some new insights into the mysteries of the Newgrange passage tomb in Meath's Boyne Valley. The use of modern technology allows archeologists to map out what lies hidden underground using electronic waves. It is now known that the process conducted for the first time at the historic site has produced a number of startling discoveries. A report on the findings, which are believed to show a long "avenue of the dead" leading up to the monument, is now being evaluated by experts. Details are likely to be released in the coming months. Constructed around 3000BC, Newgrange is one of Ireland's oldest man-made structures and a master feat of engineering even today. It is the oldest structure in the world with a recognised solar alignment. The drum-shaped passage tomb is part of a cluster which includes the smaller structures at Knowth and Dowth.While it is known as a passage tomb (the remains of six people were found inside), experts believe the structure and its surrounds fulfilled a number of functions which are still not clear today. It is thought to be a religious site and may also have been a gathering point for political use. Newgrange is best known for its marking of the winter solstice on December 22 - the shortest day of the year. At Newgrange, a "light box" opening above the entrance channels the sunlight in a beam right down the internal passage almost to the end of the tunnel. When Newgrange was first constructed, the alignment of the earth and sun were slightly different and the beam of sunlight would have reached right to the central chamber, illuminating it fully. The chamber at the end of the Newgrange tunnel has a corbelled stone roof built by stacking flat stones one on top of another in a reducing circle - using their own weight to create stability. � Tunnel vision: archeologists have found an "avenue of the dead" leading to the Newgrange tomb. Photograph: Eamonn Farrell Passage tombs like Newgrange and its neighbours, Knowth and Dowth, were made by building a stone tunnel and the relevant chambers and then stacking boulders and earth on top. Newgrange has 200,000 tonnes of rock and stands 42ft (13 metres) high and 260ft (80 metres) across. Outside Newgrange is "dashed" with gleaming quartz which cannot be found locally. The tomb is surrounded by large stones, some of which are carved with spirals thought to represent the sun while others show lined carvings. Newgrange was first excavated in the 1960s by Professor Michael J O'Kelly. The monument was excavated and restored to its present form. The Boyne Valley was first occupied 7,000 years ago by a pre-Celtic people who farmed the fertile valley. Dowth was the first tomb to be built followed by Newgrange and then Knowth. The Knowth site is more rounded and only 33ft deep but contains two tunnels back to back, one facing east and the other west. Knowth was continually occupied, later providing a fortress for Celtic and then Norman use. Dowth has remained unexcavated. Copyright 2001 Times Newspapers Ltd.

photograph and url for the above article http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/05/27/stipripri02021.html

Horrible, *Hugs* again for this article. Fascinating stuff! Earliest Scots discovered Frank O�Donnell (fodonnell@scotsman.com) AMATEUR archaeologists have discovered the earliest known evidence of human settlement in Scotland - dating from 8500BC. The remains of a temporary camp at Cramond, on Edinburgh�s northern foreshore, were uncovered with more than 3,000 artefacts, including around 300 stone tools and tool fragments. Tiny fragments of discarded hazelnut shells were the crucial evidence that the inhabitants of the mesolithic site were the earliest known people to have lived in Scotland - pushing the starting date for Scottish civilisation back around 500 years. The find proves the theory that people began to recolonise Scotland almost immediately after the last Ice Age. John Lawson, of Edinburgh City Council�s archaeology service, said: "It�s exciting to think these are the oldest known remains of settlers in Scotland. This is one of the most significant archaeological finds in the UK." Cramond now contains links to all periods of human occupation in Scotland. Previous excavations have uncovered a Roman fort, the underlying medireview church and village and a Roman lioness sculpture. A team of archaeologists began digging trenches in an area close to a Roman bath house in 1995. The dig expected to uncover further Roman remains but it quickly became apparent the team from the Edinburgh Archaeology Field Society had stumbled upon a mesolithic site. Careful analysis of the findings, with the assistance of the local authority and the National Museums of Scotland, has taken six years and it is only now archaeologists have been able to confirm the significance of the discovery.

Found this brilliant site ...have a look http://www.ghcc.msfc.nasa.gov/archeology/archeology.html

Here's a great link if you want to find lots of archeology sites. There's sure to be something of interest to you here .... http://bubl.ac.uk/link/hum.html

Regarding Newgrange,I have long thought that the book was still open and now that the proper tools are being used we should soon see how old the site actually is.But I wonder why the other Irish sites are so neglected.The time scale of all the guesses regarding all aspects of the prehistoric occupation of europe ,never mind just Ireland,must be pushed back a good few thousand years.Recent studies by younger Archaeologists versed in all the disciplines are putting the skids under the old farts who have dominated the field for far too long.Simply..it has been a cake walk for the old brigade to bullshit and get away with nonsense,the time of the real Archaeologist has come at long last

I trust you are out there encouraging them. I know your bit of the Auld Sod is sacred ground to you and no stone will be unturned in your efforts to get to the history of the place. Modern technology has been embraced by the new archaeologists, but the power still lies in the Old Boy Network who refuse to upgrage their memory banks or install new thinking. Those I used to worship have become stumbling blocks (go to a fogue in Cornwall to see a real one!) in the path of advancement of Archaeology. You are sadly right, but as long as you are custodian of even a small part of our ancient past, I will rest contented that what can be done will be done correctly. Go to it, man! I am right behind you carrying the lunch and notebooks.

This stuff Horace just sent me is amazing stuff. I wonder if I should post it under Mysterious Geo... for the time being check out http://www.geocities.com/mythical_ireland/ancientsites/dowth/index.html Mahalo Nui Loa, Horace. How I would love to see the Boyne monuments!!!

Liam, thanks for this! http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/Print/0,3858,4194064,00.html Stones that could be Britain's pyramids Backwardness of ancient Britain is myth, says historian Fiachra Gibbons, arts correspondent Tuesday May 29, 2001 The Guardian The history books tell us how the Romans brought civilisation to the barbarians of Britain. But yesterday an archaeologist turned that long-held belief upside down by claiming that the ancient people of these islands were far more advanced than any of the early Mediterranean cultures. More daring still, Barry Cunliffe, professor of European archaeology at Oxford, also disputes what he calls the "established pseudo-history" that the Celts swept westwards through Europe until they reached the Atlantic seaboards of Spain, France, Britain and Ireland. "There is simply no evidence for this," he said. "There was no great movement of peoples towards the Atlantic, because they were already there," he told the Hay-on-Wye book festival yesterday. "Only recently have we begun to discover that these people were far more advanced than those around the Mediterranean. We have underestimated dramatically the complexity of these people." Professor Cunliffe said the view of Stone Age Britain as backward had been skewed by our historical reliance on Greek and Roman classical texts, which were thick with prejudice and ignorant of almost anything beyond the Pillars of Hercules (Gibraltar). "For all these years we have been looking at Europe the wrong way round, and the idea that civilisation flowed out from the Mediterranean out to the barbarian edges of Europe has clouded our view that it flowed the other way too." He said the Atlantic civilisations that began to develop on favoured stretches of coasts such as southern Spain, Galicia, Brittany, Cornwall, Ireland and the western |isles of Scotland during the Mesolithic period from 6000 BC were the "most advanced and stable communities in Europe". He went on: "They were the first, for instance, to make what we call 'careful burials' and to leave offerings for the dead, surrounding their heads with red ochre to symbolise blood. You find remarkable similarity in these coastal burials from Iberia right up to Ireland and even to Denmark." The huge shellfish middens on which Stone Age people lived, and later buried their dead, also contained hooks and bones of large deep sea fish which proved that they had seagoing vessels. Prof Cunliffe said it was from these middens that the huge megalithic tombs, standing stones and circles that still pockmark Britain and Ireland, sprang up by 3000BC. "Thirty years ago it was held that these great stone monuments were influenced from the Mediterranean cultures, but carbon dating has begun to prove that this building was happening here long before they began to appear in southern Europe." The "astonishing complexity and daring" of these vast tombs, like those at Newgrange in Co Meath, Ireland, and Maes Howe on Orkney is as impressive as anything in Egypt at the same time. The professor, who has developed his theories in his new book Facing The Atlantic, and a forthcoming volume which follows Pytheas the Greek's circumnavigation of Britain in 320BC, said it was "very mistaken" to dismiss these Atlantic civilisations because they did not develop early forms of writing. "There is a tendency to say that the complex, urban societies that developed in the eastern Mediterranean were more advanced because they had writing," he said. "But these Atlantic ones were innovative in other ways. They were hugely more advanced in navigation, shipbuilding and their solar knowledge, and that of the seasons and the stars." But perhaps Prof Cunliffe's most extraordinary claim is that the Gaelic, Welsh, Cornish, Galician and Breton languages are not the last vestiges of a tongue carried by Celtic invaders from northern India, but were local languages which grew from the aboriginal population.

Good Grief, Middens have given rise to New Grange? Dowth and Nowth? Have they truly yielded fish bones at the bottom? Oh my heavens! Imagine living on your own rubbish tip?! We were a smelly lot. I can only wonder that we did not die off from some plague brough about by flies and rats who surly shared our abode. I think I need another bath!

Horace, The dolmen at Bree has a recumbent stone circle? I am all astonishment. A mini Boyne monument! I recall seeing dolmens in Wales and in Cornwall. None had standing stones around them. Henge traces, but no stones that I recall. *Getting out my books again* Your website is wonderful. May I offer my congratulations on a job well done?! I plan to spen hours in your company scraping the ground softly with a badger brush so I do not harm the glass shards. I also plan to get a bit of Rhyolite for my volcanic rock collection. Plants I will tackle in a bit elsewhere. Your home is wonderful. You did a splendid job on it! http://homepage.eircom.net/~bree

Thank you for your kind words Marcia and I must send you some Rhyolite,some limestone from the cliffs of Moher in Co. Clare and some 430 million year old fossil bearing limestone from the Hook Head here in Wexford which is sadly disappearing due to the action of Mother Nature ,Liam PS I did a post recently in your lovely conference and one of the young and fragrant members said that I did not sound horrible at all.Any more slanderous libelous stuff like that and I will show how horrible I am.Not horrible indeed,where do these youngsters get their ideas from?

OOOOOOuuuuuuuuu Sacred stones from the Emerald Isle?! FOSSILS?????? I will understand if it is not possible... The thought is lovely and the suggestion is much appreciated. See??? Not Horrible at all. Or is that for scaring the ladies who get too close? How horrible are you half way around the world? Can you scare straight through the earth?!

Me? scare ladies? never

Ah, That is nice to know. You warned us about how horrible you could be. I'll never tell what a pussycat you really are! Tell them to stick their cell-phone masts... well, trying to be a lady about this is not easy. Just tell them to shove them ! I'll help!

A pussycat? Marcia do you mean that Horrible Horace might occasionally be, just a little bit, horrible. After all, pussycats may have soft fur and purr, but they also have fangs and claws.

and things that go bump in the night

Uh oh... I'd better behave myself. Lots of stuff goes bump in the night when you dwell in a house 250 years old and live on land occupied for aeons. You don't happen to have Indian burial grounds, do you? You don't want to build your Hale (Hawaiian for "house") on that! Native Hawaiian burials are also not a good thing to build upon. Night-marchers, you know!

French Scientists Revive Napoleon Poisoning Theory French scientists on Friday presented new findings which they say prove that Napoleon was poisoned with arsenic, reinforcing the controversial theory that the emperor was murdered by French and British conspirators. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010601/sc/life_napoleon_dc_1.html ***watch out for that Napoleon Brandy!

I'm more inclined to believe that Napoleon poisoned himself rather than endure the sheer boredom of life on St. Helena.

I thought it was the aresenic on his wallpaper that did it. Copper arsenate was commonly known as Paris Green and was the chief source of green pigment for art and printing (and wallpaper) early on. It is illegal to use it now, for good reason!

I thought that some of you might be interested in this link in regard to the Celts. http://www.ares.u-net.com/celtindx.htm

Ooouuu yes!!! Thank you ... will report back. I have been "buried" in pyroclastic flows all morning and this will be a pleasant break ! Mahalo Nui!

I have downloaded that site to read later ,Cheryl,thank you for the link.A little caution on some "Celtic " sites ,racists have been known to take over the celtic history and twist it to try to prove some theory of a master-race in the Nazi style.I am not exactly a Politically Correct person but i abhor these people.That said there are some very good sites dealing with my great(to the power of megawatt)granddaddy.I will post some links later..I am still the new boy in this very nice and active Conference.(Thats another kiss you owe me Marcia)

There are some slightly "off-beat" (trying to be charitable) links there that should provide sfor some interesting conversation. Horace, you and I share these hisroty reconstructionists. The damage everything they touch. Soil and despoil. (All you have to do is make sure you have the entire url listed including the http part) *BIG HUGS* I am so delighted to have you join us. I hope you feel right at home. Thank you *kisses* for the lovely compliment! You are the ones who make it work. Otherwise you get my monologues all the time... Politically Correct is an oxymoron to me. How offensive!

Back to some nice Archaeo..sorry I have not yet upated my site on the ad-freeEircom,but if anyone is interested the photos of the stones surounding the Dolmen are on http://www.geocities.com/bree_house ,go to the photofile,which shows 4 blank buttons,click on the third one down(I hope,I'm on apple and blackberry wine just now) it should show a list of photos with red bits all over. Any questions to breehouse@eircom.net Liam

Ok... Wonder if you wrote this before or after our little conversation...*;) Thank you!

I found them!!! Thank you. The are on the photofile page. Just scroll down below the four dolmen ones and there are 13 photos complete with the arrows (must have Welshmen about!) Hugs... I hope you slept soundly!

There may well be a full circle of stones around that Dolmen,its very overgrown with brambles etc and as its not on my land I cant touch anything.maybe we will have a little conversation later............

Better to let the brambles hide the desirable stone rather than to have someone blast them to small bits and make chimneys out of them. Every been to Avebury? The entire town and walls around gardens are built out of that monument's stones. They even tried to bury then since they considered standing stones to be blasphemous. (Don't get me started on the evils done in the name of God.) Keep your stones hidden until someone protects it under the Ancient Momuments protection statutes - if they exist (the statutes, that is) Is it possible to porbe with a long pipe that would not damage the stones nor hurt them? As in an aluminum thin-walled pipe? At least you might be able to locate more of them if that were the case. Talk later... You usually manage to find me!

That was a nice link Cheryl ,thank you, I have read an enjoyed the site

I am only allowed to look at and take pics of the Dolmen Marcia,otherwise it would be completly explored by now. I would have brought you in as special advisor and such a nice time would have been had...

OOOOOOuuuuuuu yes! *Big wistful sigh*

damn,just missed you..had to after a fox..after telling you all about locking up on time I was 30 mins late and a poor duck was taken right at the window.By the time I got the gun the %*@@##$ was gone with duck over its shoulder.When it comes back I will be waiting.Talk to you soon

Ah, we did talk. The fox got his unhappy dinner and I got to talk to you. I trust you are loaded and ready for bear next time. *Gathering up rocks for Nick* Did you say you wanted a Lava nymph in that box, too?

Horace, I'm glad that you enjoyed the site. The man whose site it is has a book, either just our or just coming out, called "The Atlantic Celts". I'm sorry to hear about one of your ducks. I hope the rest are safe. Lava nymph? Marcia are you thinking of mailing yourself to Ireland?

*wide-eyed innocence* Just wanted to see the Dolmen for myself...

Published online before print June 5, 2001 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 10.1073/pnas.121590798 http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/121590798v1 Ornaments of the earliest Upper Paleolithic: New insights from the Levant Steven L. Kuhn, Mary C. Stiner, David S. Reese, and Erksin G�le� Department of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0030; Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, P.O. Box 208118, New Haven, CT 06520-8118; and � Paleoantropoloji, Ankara �niversitesi, Dil ve Tarih-Corafya Fak�ltesi, Shhiye, 06100, Ankara, Turkey Two sites located on the northern Levantine coast, ��azl Cave (Turkey) and Ksar 'Akil (Lebanon) have yielded numerous marine shell beads in association with early Upper Paleolithic stone tools. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates indicate ages between 39,000 and 41,000 radiocarbon years (roughly 41,000-43,000 calendar years) for the oldest ornament-bearing levels in ��azl Cave. Based on stratigraphic evidence, the earliest shell beads from Ksar 'Akil may be even older. These artifacts provide some of the earliest evidence for traditions of personal ornament manufacture by Upper Paleolithic humans in western Asia, comparable in age to similar objects from Eastern Europe and Africa. The new data show that the initial appearance of Upper Paleolithic ornament technologies was essentially simultaneous on three continents. The early appearance and proliferation of ornament technologies appears to have been contingent on variable demographic or social conditions. To whom reprint requests should be addressed. E-mail: skuhn@u.arizona.edu. www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.121590798 Archaeologists Home In on Body Ornament Origins From earrings and necklaces to lipstick and tattoos, humans across cultures decorate themselves. Yet exactly how and why this practice came about has proved somewhat of a mystery, owing to holes in the archaeological record. Findings announced today in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, however, are offering new insight. According to the report, the technology for making body ornaments such as beads and pendants emerged simultaneously in Europe, Asia and Africa more than 40,000 years ago�perhaps as a new form of communication among the expanding populations in these regions. Previous work had turned up ancient ornaments crafted from shells, teeth, ivory and stone dating to the early Upper Paleolithic period in Africa and Europe. The new research, conducted by Steven L. Kuhn and Mary C. Stiner of the University of Arizona and their colleagues, shows that people in the Levant were making ornaments back then too. Recent excavations at a cave in Turkey and reappraisal of some Lebanese remains, the team reports, have revealed shell beads that are at least 41,000 years old. Full text: http://www.sciam.com/news/060501/2.html

I would love to see pictures of their finds...

Speaking of Dolmens... I had a long bit written just as my computer froze and took my thoughts with it. Here, thanks to Liam for permission http://www.geocities.com/bree_house/dolmen.html The Dolmen at Bree, County Wexford, Ireland. � Liam Ryan 2001

Under the above photo on the webpage for the dolmens the buttons will take you to further pictures. Some Dolmens are quite cramped inside and some, like Lanyon Quoit in Cornwall were reputedly high enough for a man on horseback to ride though in the "old days" (Probably in the 18th century.) Lanyon is quite high compared with the others I have seen which strongly resemble the one from Bree. There was a turf mound over this stone structure originally. With some you can still see the outline on the ground of the extent of the mound's circumference. And, lest I be unclear, "quoit" is the name in Cornwall for "dolmen" used elsewhere.

And the word Dolmen is from a beton word meaning "stone table" and you can see why

"men" is for stone as in menhir (standing stone)... if I remember correctly.

Ok, what did you do to change your pictures? You changed urls!!! That means I wait til you quit fiddling with your website or download them to mine... You ARE Horrible, after all.

i have'nt changed a thing Marcia what pics are changed?

http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/read/Geo/17.612 Your dolmen no longer shows and instead of the image that ugly little "where an image should be" (that broken little pink and blue box) is there instead.

You learned how to delete, did you? Or are you giving us the silent treatment? (Anyone wanting toknow how to delete their own posts can contact me for the command string. You can only delete your own posts unless you are the Conference Creator )

pressed the wrong button,sorry

submit instead of redisplay,have i got to stand in the corner?

You, never! Unless I am in the corner of choice, perhaps? Feeding the wolf, of course!

From Maggie, with hugs - Indian tribe objects to archaeological dig June 7, 2001 Posted: 8:43 AM EDT (1243 GMT) TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan (AP) -- An American Indian tribe is trying to halt an archaeological dig at the site of a 17th-century settlement where Indians and French settlers once lived. The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians contends the research team from Michigan State University is showing disrespect for what many natives consider sacred ground. The dig is taking place in St. Ignace, an Upper Peninsula town on the Straits of Mackinac, where Lakes Huron and Michigan converge. Missionary Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit priest, founded the village in 1671. Some tribe members complained the student workers smoked in the pit, wore heavy boots that could have crushed artifacts, and did not show proper deference to their surroundings. Full text: http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/science/06/07/excavation.protest.ap/index.html

Subject: bones of contention Date: Sun, 3 Jun 2001 00:11:02 -0400 The Body in Question The discovery of the remains of a 9,000-year-old man on the Columbia River has set off a conflict over race, history and identity that isn't just about the American past, but about the future as well By Steve Coll Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, June 3, 2001; Page W08 http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/style/postmagazine/A99386-2001May30.html A middle-aged man with a long face died near the north bank of the Columbia River about 9,000 years ago. He had known violence: crushed ribs, a chipped elbow, a fractured skull. A stone-tipped spear or projectile once plunged into his right hip, leaving a fragment in his bones. He survived and wandered western America for months and perhaps years afterward. The man lived among hunter-gatherers who covered vast distances in small bands. They rarely stopped for more than a few days. They made little effort to store food. Some may have trekked on long, solo walkabouts. A restless search for elk, bison, deer and pronghorn dominated their lives. Continually at risk, they had little time for decorative arts or social ritual. But they had tools, spears, language and something like ambition. In the coulee-riven plateau between the Rockies and the Cascades where the man with the long face died, there were very few people -- perhaps as few as 500 or 1,000 in all of what is now eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, Idaho and Nevada, scholars say. Bitter winters and erratic vegetation threatened famine, but a man who could take a spear in his hip and keep walking had a fair chance on this terrain. Today the man's skull and skeleton lie in storage in Seattle's Burke Museum, sequestered by a federal court order. If he could somehow be revived, he might be dismayed to learn that he has become known as Kennewick Man, after the shabby electricity-generating town in eastern Washington ("Welcome to Kennewick: A Public Power Community") where his bones were discovered in 1996 by beer-sodden college students sneaking into a speedboat race. Five years on, because of a scientific, cultural and legal battle that would be difficult to explain to him or any of his fellow hunter-gatherers, the man's final resting place seems unlikely to be decided until the U.S. Supreme Court expresses an opinion. Meanwhile, disputants in Bonnichsen et al. v. United States of America and its related, sprawling Interior Department proceeding are set to reconvene before a federal magistrate in Portland, Ore., on June 19. Presiding will be Judge John Jelderks, who has noted that "some of the issues presented in this case are questions of first impression that have not previously been addressed by any court." In the lawsuit, eight prominent American archaeologists and physical anthropologists seek to block the U.S. government from delivering Kennewick Man's remains to a coalition of five Northwest Indian tribes, who claim him as an ancestor and intend to honor him by reburying him. In siding with the Indians, the government cites a 1990 federal law that gives tribes extensive rights over remains judged as "culturally affiliated" with modern Indians. The law seeks in part to redress grave-robbing and racist theorizing by 19th-century white scientists who studied Native American bones. The anthropologists who sued argue that these particular remains are a rare scientific treasure. The bones are like precious books in a government library, the scientists say, and they have a First Amendment right to study them. At stake, argues the Smithsonian Institution's Douglas Owsley, one of the plaintiffs, is "the right to ask questions of the past." But then-Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt concluded last September that Kennewick Man is likely an ancestor of modern Indians and that the scientists have no legal basis to stop reburial. The tribes accuse the scientists of perpetuating exploitive study of Native American bones. "We are very much involved as well as intrigued and interested in our own history, as well as all history," says Jeff Van Pelt of the Federated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation. "But science needs to have some kind of ethical foundation on controlling how far is too far." The case has become so inflamed that scholars involved speak of shouting matches and threatened fisticuffs at academic conferences, as well as vindictive silent treatments meted out in divided university anthropology departments. Debate about race has deepened the resentments. When Kennewick Man was first discovered, some scientists examined his skull's shape and declared that he might have physically resembled modern Europeans, not modern Native Americans. Newspapers and magazines carried sensational stories describing speculation by scholars that modern Indian tribes might be descended from Asian people who arrived later than a previously unknown European group. (Very few scholars credit this theory today.) For a while, a small religious sect of Norse revivalists based in California, called the Asatru Folk Assembly, joined the Kennewick Man lawsuit, arguing that the bones may have belonged to one of their ancestors. The conversion of a 9,000-year-old skeleton into a racialized proxy for conflicts about American culture and identity provoked angry interventions by yet more scholars. They saw no convincing evidence of European origin. All the talk about Kennewick Man's identity, they argued, dangerously misconstrued the meaning of race. Initially, much of the controversy seemed to concern mysteries of the American past. When and how did people first arrive here? Who would control evidence about that history -- scientists, the U.S. government or Indian tribes? The longer the case has dragged on, however, the less it has served to illuminate the American past, and the more it has seemed to reveal the American present. Jim Chatters was watching "Star Trek: The Next Generation" on television when it came to him. For months he had been walking streets and staring at strangers, looking for a face and head shape that matched what he saw in Kennewick Man's skull. To him, the skull had contours that "you typically find in Europeans," as he recalls. "I was looking hard . . . Some people from India that I saw looked similar but they lacked -- the cranial form was different." Then onto the TV screen strode Capt. Jean Luc-Picard, the British actor Patrick Stewart. Eureka! "I said, 'Whoa, that's the closest I've seen." In his office basement on a March afternoon four years later, Chatters's hands brush across a replica of Kennewick Man's head. "You can already see the Patrick Stewart sighting," he is saying. Unshaven, Chatters wears jeans and a polo shirt and sports a gold earring. He keeps the Kennewick head replica as an icon in his musty split-level home in eastern Washington. "Look how the nose projects," he says, caressing the head rapidly, "the slight backward sweep of the cheekbones, this very delicate jaw . . ." Chatters's life changed when the coroner of Benton County, Wash., telephoned almost five years ago. The coroner had been asked to examine a mysterious skeleton discovered during the Tri-City Water Follies hydroplane boat race on the dam-slackened Columbia. A former federal research scientist who now ran his own archaeology firm, Chatters was the coroner's occasional consultant. Initially, Chatters declared that the bones probably belonged to a 19th-century European settler. He then sent a fragment off for radiocarbon dating. When the lab reported that it was about 9,000 years old, Chatters helped organize a news conference, although no peer-reviewed scientific work had been completed. Before the assembled media, Chatters declared that the skeleton "looks like no one I've ever seen before." But if he had to choose a category, he would say the bones looked "Caucasoid," most resembling those of a "pre-modern European." Enraged by these racial speculations, five local Indian tribes organized a formal coalition to demand the bones for reburial. They said the skeleton much more likely belonged to an ancestor of theirs than to some sort of ancient Caucasoid. ("Caucasoid" is a term used by physical anthropologists to describe skull and skeletal shapes common today in Europe, the Middle East and South Asia, and does not typically refer to skin color. However, the word "Caucasian," which is often used by Americans to refer to whites, is defined in Webster's as a synonym of "Caucasoid." Thus even when scientists believe they are using a technical, race-neutral term, they can be understood as referring directly to race.) The five Northwest tribes argued that federal law required Chatters to consult with them when digging for bones with probable Indian origin -- he seemed to be doing an end run around the law, they said. Indian cultural traditions held that ancestors should be buried with privacy and dignity, they said; Chatters was now making a public spectacle of the remains. The decision about the skeleton's fate fell to the Army Corps of Engineers, which managed the land where it was found. Without explaining itself, the Corps quickly sided with the Indians and moved to hand over the bones. That's when the eight scientists found a lawyer and went to court. The injunction they won in the fall of 1996 put Kennewick Man's bones on hold and is still in force. The Indians involved speak bitterly of Chatters's catalyzing conduct. They see him as a self-aggrandizer trying to acquire a national reputation from human remains he should never have been able to control. (Chatters has a book out this month from Simon & Schuster about what Kennewick Man reveals about early America.) Chatters and some of his scientific colleagues "chose to be possessive and aggressive" when the remains were first discovered, says Adelin Fredin, an anthropologist with the nearby Colville Indian tribe. Chatters used legal ambiguities to challenge tribes' control over archaeological resources in the Northwest, Fredin says. "My opinion is that politics and ambition mixed real well." From the start, the tribes saw the struggle over Kennewick Man's skeleton as connected to wider challenges to Indian legal rights pressed by conservative politicians. Congress, state legislatures and federal courts -- seeking to honor broken treaties and redress past abuses -- have provided Northwestern Indian tribes with expanding legal authority over natural resources and cultural sites. Chatters seemed to be deliberately -- provocatively -- trying to help those who want to roll back these tribal rights. Chatters denies such motives and is harshly critical of the Indians. "This modern-day hyper-politicized ethnicity business is irrelevant" to his pursuit of science, he says. "God, I will tell you, this has been an education in the racial politics of America to me." He says some of the evidence presented by local tribes to support their claim of ancestral connection to the bones has been invented. "Having grown up around them, I know 90 percent of this is bunk." Some academic anthropologists rebuke Chatters for his comparisons of Kennewick Man to Patrick Stewart. Such talk of European-ness in poorly studied bones was "bold speculation," wrote Alan Swedlund of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and Duane Anderson of the School of American Research recently. "We cannot understand why it was necessary to make such controversial and incendiary claims." But other anthropologists laud Chatters's effort to protect very old remains for scientific study. Some of the scientists suing over Kennewick Man believe his remains and about a dozen other skeletons from the same period "look surprisingly non-American Indian and leaning a little bit toward Caucasoid attributes," in the words of George Gill, a University of Wyoming anthropologist who joined the case. Gill and others theorize about a previously unknown population that might have lived in the American Northwest 9,000 or more years ago, a group that might have died off from disease or war. (After some initial excitement about the possibility, Gill and all but a handful of scholars today are deeply skeptical about the idea that this supposed mystery group came from Europe. But they think the group may have had an Asian lineage distinct from the ancestors of many modern Indian tribes.) In their skull shapes and skeletons, "what you find with these ancient ones is that almost uniformly [they] fall outside the range of modern populations," says the Smithsonian's Owsley. "I firmly believe there are groups in the past that did not survive to the present day, and Kennewick certainly could be one of those." Other anthropologists reject such speculation as premature, saying there is not nearly enough physical evidence. Yet others emphasize that skull and skeletal features may never provide a reliable way to identify population groups that lived so long ago, because not enough is known about how skulls and skeletons change shape over thousands of years due to shifting diets and environments. Although the divide is not neat or absolute, these debates reflect a split between physical anthropologists, who study bones and defend their value as windows on the past, and cultural anthropologists, who usually study living peoples and who think that bone science, at best, offers limited insights. The debates also reflect fevered disarray in the academic study of early North America. Until very recently, nearly all scientists taught a confident, consensus narrative about how the continent was first populated. As the Ice Age ended about 12,000 years ago, they said, Asian mammoth hunters migrated from Siberia across a land bridge that stretched to modern Alaska. The migrants then headed south through an ice-free corridor that led to today's Montana. From there the hunters spread out and propagated. This was always a questionable theory, more securely grounded in facts about prehistoric geology than in hard evidence about human movements. Yet the story was often taught in American schools as if it were certain. No more. Kennewick Man surfaced just as new discoveries were encouraging radical revisions of old theory. Evidence of late Ice Age human settlements on California's channel islands, in Chile and elsewhere suggests that humans may have first moved around the Americas by boat, and may have arrived much earlier than previously believed. If a current consensus can be said to exist, it describes multiple migrations from multiple Asian origins by multiple means over thousands of years -- certainly not a single march across the land bridge. Archaeologists investigating prehistory have no records, no texts, and very little undisputed evidence. Their work necessarily depends upon inference and imagination. The Indians involved in the Kennewick case understand this. Some of their own history is retold similarly -- a blend of facts, myths, stories Marvels the Umatilla's Jeff Van Pelt about the scientists he is battling in court, "They can take a very little bit of information and tell one of the greatest stories you've ever heard." The scientists who theorize about early America do so amid the multicultural tensions of the modern United States. Sometimes the language they select to describe possible ancient migrations and group rivalries seems to echo current talk-radio debates about immigration, race, Indian rights and the American melting pot. "The most creative theories are often imaginative visions imposed upon facts; the source of imagination is also strongly cultural," writes the evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould in The Mismeasure of Man. Some targets of scientific investigation "are invested with enormous social importance but blessed with very little reliable information." When this is true, "a history of scientific attitudes may be little more than an oblique record of social change." So it is, certainly, with the question of race, the emotive issue joined on the first day Jim Chatters caressed Kennewick Man's skull, searching for evidence of his identity. Human migration to the Americas helped create the modern idea of race. The notion that people could be divided into distinct races was "a social mechanism invented during the 18th century to refer to those populations brought together in colonial America," as the American Anthropological Association puts it. Race became the idea by which English and other European settlers justified the subjugation of Indians and African slaves. Initially, white settlers explained their concept in biblical terms. Later, Darwin provided a biological framework for racists: White superiority had resulted from natural selection. Race and racism still thrive as social constructs, as lived experience. In this sense, as long as racial discrimination produces hate crimes, racial profiling by police, bias in the workplace and other offenses, then race not only exists, it is urgent. Yet race as lived experience has always depended to some extent on underlying assumptions about biology, on beliefs that racial groupings offer some meaningful way to describe physical human variation. In recent years, however, scholarship about the biology of race has been undergoing a quiet upheaval caused by insights from genetic science. And in the same way that Kennewick Man has stoked fresh debate about American prehistory, he has also provoked new argument about the meaning of race. Mapping the global distribution of DNA in humans, evolutionary biologists such as R.C. Lewontin and Alan R. Templeton have shown that modern social races are barely perceptible in genetic terms. There is far greater variation within any given racial group than there is between two racial groups. That is, any two typical African American neighbors have many more genetic differences between them than they do, as a pair, in comparison with two whites down the street. Considering a variety of genetic evidence such as DNA and blood types, the American Anthropological Association's executive board concluded three years ago that about 94 percent of human physical variation occurs within social races, just 6 percent between them. As humans fanned out and conquered the planet, they slept with one another so copiously as to blur the kinds of genetic groupings that define subspecies in other mammals. Rampant copulation and global dominance over thousands of years produced a human species that is exceptional among animals in its genetic homogeneity. Two clans of chimpanzees that live on opposite sides of a mountain will in some cases breed separately until they evolve into genetically distinct subspecies. Two similar clans of humans will in every case climb over the mountain and interbreed energetically until it is impossible to tell the original clans apart -- so says humanity's global genetic map. Still, there are some genetic differences between human population groups. When agriculture led some groups of people to sit still for generations, their tendency to mate with partners close at hand produced some genetic clustering -- thus the approximately 6 percent variation between racial groups. The problem for defenders of the race concept, however, is that even these mild group differences correlate best with geographical distance, not traits like skin color or hair type that are commonly used to define social race. (See charts, pages 21 and 22.) In other words, the most accurate way to describe the small genetic variation that exists between groups is not to focus on visual traits such as skin color, but to ask how far one group lives from another. The farther away one group is from another, the greater the genetic variation. All in all, "when you quantify it at the molecular genetic level -- and take all of the biases about skin color and hair out of it -- humans come out remarkably homogenous," Templeton says. Human skin color variation probably reflects differing adaptations to ultraviolet light over thousands of years among dispersed, sedentary populations, evolutionary biologists believe. Yet variations in skin color correlate with very few other physical traits -- not with hair texture, not with skull shape, not with skeletal shape and certainly not with important DNA clusters, according to evolutionary biologists. As biology, color is an isolated and unenlightening issue, truly just skin deep. "We're not saying that human variation doesn't exist. Obviously it does. It's just that 'race' doesn't explain it," says Alan Goodman, an anthropologist at Hampshire College. Because people depend so heavily on eyesight to interpret the world, they are susceptible to over-interpretation of visual cues such as color, Goodman says. Physical anthropologists who try to group people past and present by the shapes of their skulls and skeletons have created additional confusion and debate. Certain very stable skull features such as teeth can be useful guides to human variation, nearly all anthropologists agree. But while physical anthropologists strongly defend the use of skull shapes to generalize about population groups, others question whether their methods are reliable. Ninety years ago, the founder of modern American anthropology, Franz Boas, demonstrated that human skull shapes can change markedly within a single generation due to environmental factors. Today there is little scientific consensus about how rapidly such skull-shape changes occur and why. Using data on thousands of skulls from around the world, and measuring those skulls 57 different ways, anthropologist John Relethford of the State University of New York College at Oneonta has shown recently that about 85 to 90 percent of skull variation occurs within racial groups, and only 10 to 15 percent between them -- closely matching the variation of molecular DNA. Kennewick Man has become a symbol of this wider race debate because the scientists suing over his remains are nearly all physical anthropologists involved with skull research. Some of these scientists, such as Chatters, say skull shape can be a good way to gain insights about population groups, but that the larger concept of biological race should be rejected. Others, like the Smithsonian's Owsley, say the question of whether biological race exists is irrelevant. But another plaintiff, George Gill, argues vocally that biological races do exist and ought to be acknowledged. Gill, a physical anthropologist, says that when he examines modern skeletons while working with law enforcement, he can predict race accurately from the shape of skulls and bones about four times out of five. Given this, Gill asks, why shouldn't he continue to use racial language to describe human variation? "I think using the racial lens is often the easiest and best way to look at it," he says. Other anthropologists "think they're helping to reduce racial conflict and racism by ignoring race or denying race," Gill continues. "I think that's a mistake." Since all biologists admit there is at least some human variation between groups, the question is what language to use to describe those groups. Why not race? "Some of us are afraid to use these words, and some of us are not," Gill says. Gill enrages many cultural anthropologists. They see his insistence on race as advancing a destructive system of thought -- a set of ideas that has spilled the blood of millions. They ask, Why retain the language and categories of race when the underlying biology is not at all convincing? These anthropologists see Gill's ability to deduce race from skeletons as a kind of conjurer's trick that depends on circular definitions and faulty data. In any event, what genetic research makes clear, they say, is that the very modest group variation described by physical anthropologists "is not race, it's geography," says Goodman. Even if the idea of biological race were vanquished, racism would remain. And because racism persists as lived experience, laws have been enacted to fight discrimination. To enforce civil rights laws, for instance, the federal government monitors bias in housing and employment. To do that, it needs to measure racial groups accurately. And so it must define racial categories. The government's official policy on race definition is contained in the Office of Management and Budget's "Directive 15: Race and Ethnic Standards for Federal Statistics and Administrative Reporting," which was updated and reissued in 1997. The directive rejects a biological basis for race even while reinforcing the importance of race categories. The government's race categories "are not anthropologically or scientifically based" and "should not be primarily biological or genetic in reference," the directive says. "Race and ethnicity may be thought of in terms of social and cultural characteristics as well as ancestry." Some civil rights activists fear that a rejection of biological race will lead to premature declarations that America is a colorblind society, undermining legal protections for minorities. But most anthropologists want to move faster toward a world where race language and concepts are in retreat. In a reply to Directive 15, the American Anthropological Association argued that it would be better to phase out the language of race because of its false and misleading biological connotations, and perhaps use phrases such as "ethnic origins" that may more clearly denote cultural identity. And what does all this debate say about the identity of 9,000-year-old Kennewick Man? Is he Caucasoid? Indian? Indian but not the same as modern Indian? A nonspecific, generalized early American? "We want to order the world. And gray is harder to order," argues Goodman. Ultimately, "Kennewick Man could be the textbook case of why race science doesn't work." To reach the office of Douglas Owsley, the Smithsonian anthropologist suing for the right to study Kennewick Man, you step through the lobby of the National Museum of Natural History off Constitution Avenue, climb the stairs to the third floor, and enter a hall lined with rows and rows of storage bins. The bins appear at first to be innocuous trays that might hold nuts and bolts at a hardware store. But then you notice, in a few that have been opened, the odd bony finger sticking out. Inside, as it happens, are many human bones. Skulls. Rib cages. Thigh bones. Feet. Hundreds and hundreds of dead Indians lie stored in these Smithsonian halls. They are among the 18,000 Indian remains collected by the museum as biological specimens from graveyards and military battlefields in the American West during the 19th century, as the Army waged what amounted in many cases to campaigns of extermination against indigenous tribes. In a few instances, skeletons were collected as battle trophies. Thousands of these remains are still curated today for scientific study in one of the country's most prestigious cultural institutions. Like the debates about early American migration and biological race, the story of these bones marks a path to the meanings of Kennewick Man. In 1865, Surgeon General William Hammond issued an order to all Army medical officers "to collect, and to forward to the office of the Surgeon General, all specimens of morbid anatomy, surgical or medical, which may be regarded as valuable." At forts around the West, Indian-hunting Army surgeons fanned out to comply. The surgeons eventually collected about 800 skeletons, including those of some Indian battle victims who were boiled down to their bones, packed up and shipped by train to Washington. There they joined the remains of about 2,000 other Indians at the Army Medical Museum, a macabre laboratory of saws and brain measurement devices located for many years in Washington's old Ford's Theatre, after it was closed because of Abraham Lincoln's assassination. The Army's collection was the most militaristic expression of a wider 19th-century enthusiasm for pilfered Indian skeletons. Bone fever gripped museums across the country, from the Smithsonian to Harvard to New York to St. Louis. Curators competed for skeletons from commercial brokers. Rewarded with cash and inspired by early American naturalists such as Thomas Jefferson, western travelers routinely robbed Indian grave sites or bartered for skulls, hoping to contribute to science. Back East, scientists aiming to prove the innate superiority of whites studied crackpot textbooks such as Samuel Morton's influential Crania Americana. Scribbling by candlelight, the scientists poured birdshot into hollowed Indian skulls to measure just how little brain they could hold. Their work created a foundation for the race science that later offered intellectual underpinnings for the Holocaust. By the time 20th-century anthropologists and curators concluded it was unethical to collect Indian bones, America's museums possessed a vast inventory -- the 18,000 remains at the Smithsonian, plus tens of thousands more at other major municipal museums and universities. (The Smithsonian also has a large anthropological collection of human brains from the same period that is stored today in Suitland.) A campaign for redress by Indian leaders led finally to the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, or NAGPRA, sign

There is also a theory that Kennewick Man shared certain characteristics with the surviving current Ainu population of northern Japan.

Alas theory,if the USA wasn't so tied by PC, fact and not theory would rule.Try searching some of the European and Australian,Middle Eastern and newly emerging web sites from the former communist countries.The wealth of information on these sites is overwhelming and not hidebound by consideration of some Micky Mouse set of rules.From this side of the world it appears that the Native American needs to have his palm greased before he will do anything...........

Ah yes, you are allowed to say that since you are not one of the heirs of the perpetrators of evil against all nations other than the white ones. It is an unhappy situation no matter whose side you take. I could just as well claim that man as MY ancestor since he was caucasian and NOT indian. I am more than a little furious at the way this has been handled. We all lose in this one. Americans can be so stupid about some very important things!

The power that Elizabeth Dole wielded is good example ........You can die for America as a teenager but not have a drink.Alcohol has replaced the "Reds s the new enemy.What sort of prissy nation is developing here? Dole? do you know how she manipulated the rules of the Great USA for her own narrow ends?

Why is there a guilt factor in all aspects of life these days?

Sorry I should have said in "some "countrys

In the time of Slavery for example ,the Irish were treated by the English in a manner that no slave owner could afford.After all he had to buy a slave ..we came free ..think about it.we were expendable

And yet I was happy to work and live in England and I like the English..then I dont have any guilt complex

I don't have a guilt complex either. I have never met anyone I did not appreciate on a personal level. Character matters. Your ancestors do not. you are a very good sort, H_H, in more ways than one would imagine. *hugs* Hate to mention this, but didn't the Irish acquire their Patron Saint on a slave raid to Wales?!

Liam, would you please let us know about Elizabeth Dole, and is it about the Red Cross? I have not a whole lot good to say about the Red Cross.

Dole threatened to withhold funds from States that did not hike the drinking age limit,she actually wants it to be 25!! imagine half a liftime gone without a glass of Californias best.Yes we got the slave from Wales and other places as well

The Puritans took over the US long ago. The now lurk in th guise of politicians and Tipper Gore and her ilk were finding hidden messages in rock music where none existed and her stickers were an added inducement to buy them for the kiddies she was trying to protect. As for age limits on drinking, that is liek gon control. They drink earlier and earliier in gradeschool because they are not taught how to deal with it at home. I got watered wine early in life for dinner and never did drink, nor did my sisters. Making things illegal just drives it underground and makes it more and more intriguing. Dole and her like are a menace.

Thanks Don! I wish you had time to come read and participate... Chicago Natural History Museum to Return Totem Pole to Indian Tribe in Alaska The Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) - The Field Museum of Natural History will give one of its most treasured items, a 27-foot totem pole, to an American Indian tribe that asked for its return. The totem pole was taken as part of an 1899 expedition to collect American Indian artifacts and other items in the Alaskan territory for the museum. It will be shipped by summer to Cape Fox, Alaska, a spot considered sacred by members of the Tlingit Native American nation. "This is a very important object for us to have returned and it will be the cause for much celebration," said Irene Shields, a spokeswoman for the 16,000-member Tlingit nation. "These items are so important for us to have to convey our traditions and history to our children and grandchildren." The pole is the latest of several items the museum has returned to American Indian groups under terms of the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. The museum, which has one of the country's largest American Indian collections, has returned a carved wheel, beads and eagle feathers to the Arapaho tribe in northern Arizona. It has also given back a stone basket to the San Manuel Mission band of Indians in California, and a shaman's robe to the Kootznoowoo in Alaska. "I try to understand the times when our sacred objects were taken from us and I know they were different then," Shields said. "Being able to get these things back is all very new to us." AP-ES-06-10-01 2009EDT This story can be found at : http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAD9X2HTNC.html

http://www.vernonweb.com/vwnews.htm "Representatives of Native American nations who were present at the 5/31 TC meeting made comments to the effect that, in light of earlier TC meetings concerning the park plan, the TC's actions had been deceitful and treacherous. They pointed out the township's deliberate bulldozing of the artifacts grounds before an alternative park design could be presented. It was also suggested that, if remains of Lenni Lenape inhabitants are disturbed, a federal human rights issue might be in prospect."

Roots � Deep Ones The perils of looking into American prehistory. By John J. Miller, NR's national political reporter June 9-10, 2001 � Printer-Friendly E-mail a Friend ne of the secrets of archaeology is that many truly great finds aren't made by archaeologists. It was a farmer, Harold Conover, who stumbled on a clue in the late 1980s that led to a magnificent site in Virginia called Cactus Hill. Conover and his wife were walking on logging roads near their home when he spotted a few Indian artifacts mixed in the sand. He soon traced the sand back to a quarry about ten miles away. Thanks to this detective work, a group of archaeologists led by Joseph McAvoy started digging near that quarry in the early 1990s. They unearthed signs of human habitation stretching back about 18,000 years � making Cactus Hill one of the two or three oldest sites in North America. They also found evidence to support one of the most provocative developments of our time: the growing suspicion among physical anthropologists, archaeologists, and even geneticists that some of the first people who settled in the New World were Europeans. continued @

Terry... arrrgh! what is the rest of that url? Fascinating. I have a friend who is an archaeologist for the Army Corps of Engineers. He gets to go out and discover what is worth saving and if the road or dam construction should be halted until he can do excavating and so forth. He can walk the ground and sense things we never see and find things lying "hidden in plain sight." It is truly a gift. And the product of hard work and study.

http://www.nationalreview.com/weekend/anthropology/anthropology-miller060901.shtml Does this work?

It did Terry ,will read it later

Thanks Terry! Now, if only I could find my FTP files on the net so I could post a few images...*sigh* I see that you managed to post, Horace! does this mean your spring difficulties are fixed?

http://www.adn.com/metro/story/0,2633,274172,00.html Natives give DNA to solve mystery of ancient man PUZZLE: 500-year-old body was found at glacier's foot. By Cathy Brown The Associated Press (Published June 13, 2001) Juneau -- Southeast Alaska Natives are donating drops of blood this week to help unravel the mystery of a man who died more than 500 years ago on the ice of British Columbia. The body of the man called Kwaday Dan Sinchi, or "Long Ago Man Found," was discovered by sheep hunters in 1999 at the foot of a melting glacier in Tatshenshini-Alsek Park near the British Columbia-Yukon border. Champagne and Aishihik First Nations in Canada decided to take DNA samples from present-day Tlingit of Southeast Alaska and Athabaskan Tutshone people in Canada to see if genetic material links them with the ancient man. "People are very interested to find out, if it's possible, which communities he may be connected to," said Chuck Smythe, an ethnologist with Sealaska Heritage Foundation in Juneau. "It's very interesting to know because this man was found in an area that was a shared area between the Canadian tribes and the Alaska tribes, and there was a lot of intermarriage and trade, commerce and interaction." Harryet Rappier of Juneau said the pin prick to draw her blood was a small inconvenience for the chance to learn more about her relatives to the north. Her mother was born in Klukshu, Yukon, in 1903. "I just can't get enough information from that part of the country," Rappier said. "I'd like to know more about my mother's people." Loretta "Betty" Marvin of Juneau, whose mother was born in Haines, was also happy to cooperate. "To me this is pretty interesting, very fascinating, to be able to find out and check back,what is it, 500 years, and there's maybe a possibility I could be a relative," Marvin said. "And it's just kind of fascinating to know what DNA can do." More than 50 people showed up at the Sealaska building in Juneau on Monday and Tuesday to share stories and blood samples with a team of First Nations workers. In Alaska, the First Nations group is particularly interested in testing DNA of people with ancestors from Yakutat, Klukwan and Haines. Along with the blood samples, the group is collecting genealogical information. The DNA study is one of a couple dozen studies First Nations and universities in Canada, the United States, Great Britain and Australia are conducting on the man and the artifacts found near him, said Sarah Gaunt, heritage planner for Champagne and Aishihik First Nations. Although the man's head was missing, ice preserved most of the body, Smythe said. Studies so far have shown Kwaday Dan Tsinchi was probably in his late teens or early 20s and was in good health. He had food with him -- a pouch of dried chum salmon was found in his robe. Gaunt said the cause of death isn't known yet. Oral history suggests his fate may have been common. "There's quite a lot of stories here and in the Interior of people who traveled and didn't come home," Gaunt said. Hunting tools, a hat, robe and other artifacts lay near the body. The hat and robe have been dated to between 1415 and 1445, A.D. Where Kwaday Dan Tsinchi was from is a puzzle. The finely woven spruce root hat found with him was in the style of the coastal Tlingit, but the robe was of Interior gopher fur -- a material Harryet Rappier remembers in a blanket her grandmother once had. The hunting tools also provide conflicting clues, Gaunt said. Some of the wood is from coastal trees, but in other cases the wood comes from the Interior. And researchers found pollen on the robe from a meadow-like area, from high alpine alder, from river valley vegetation and from coastal hemlock. "There's four ecosystems represented in the coat alone, which means it was a well-traveled coat," Gaunt said. While some Lower 48 Native Americans have objected to studies of ancient remains, Gaunt said this case was different because a legal agreement between Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and the British Columbia government clearly gave First Nations ownership of the body and the artifacts found with it. That level of control provided the comfort needed to proceed with studies, Gaunt said. The group allowed access to the remains for biological studies only until December of 2000. A decision on how the body ultimately will be laid to rest hasn't been settled, Gaunt said.

On the other hand.....*HUGS* to Liam for this: Gum disease decoded SCIENTISTS have successfully read the entire genetic code of a bacterium believed to cause gum disease. The breakthrough is a major advance in the effort to develop vaccines and drugs to combat Porphyromonas gingivalis. The genetic code of the cause of adult periodontitis and tooth loss were released on the internet on Tuesday. The project to read all 2.3 million "letters" of code was carried out by Dr Robert Fleischmann at the Institute for Genomic Research in Rockville, Maryland, in collaboration with the Forsyth Institute in Boston. 26 April 2001: Diabetes linked to gum disease

To Don, for 25 year of meritorious and diligent service for the Army Coprs of Engineers as an archaeologist on behalf of all Americans, with great affection and appreciation: Maile & Tuberose Traditional Green Open End Maile Lei twined together with 2 White Tuberose Lei. This combination of three leis is worn by men's for weddings and special occasions.

I forgot your Rolex and your Range Rover... I'll bring them with me!

Prime rib dinner for the gentleman served in the manner he wishes and where he wishes. He did not even get a peanut butter sandwich! We do not compensate devotion very well in this country. I am most disappointed! *Hugs* Don!

OLD WORLD NEWS The Tucson Citizen has a feature on early humans' diet: http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/local/6_14_01fish.html A recent paper is disputing the Scot's Irish origins: http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/archive/11-6-19101-0-51-36.html A bronze age site has been revealed near Hostivice: http://www.pbj.cz/common/article.asp?id=121541&site=1 Six tombs dating to 3000 B.C./B.C.E. have been discovered outside Cairo: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_324538.html http://www.smh.com.au/news/0106/16/review/review9.html http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/story_14329.asp http://www.theage.com.au/breaking/2001/06/12/FFXIWM1KUNC.html A British weather man has suggested weather can explain a number of Biblical events: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=QeSk3e3R&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/6/17/nbibl17.html A number of Sassanid dynasty coins have been found: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010613/sc/syria_archaeology_1.html http://europe.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/meast/06/13/syria.coins.ap/index.html The Cyprus PIO has a brief item on the excavation of the theatre at Paphos: http://www.hri.org/news/cyprus/cypio/2001/01-06-13.cypio.html#03 There is now more evidence that the Colosseum was built from spoils from the sack of Jerusalem: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000579381554028&rtmo=wKtet5fb&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/6/15/wcol15.html Also in regards to the Colosseum, plans are in the works to restore it to its original colour: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010614/wl/italy_colosseum_2.html http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/w-eur/2001/jun/14/061400786.html http://www.iht.com/articles/22999.html (spelling!) A dozen or so Roman ships found near the Sardinian port of Olbia are beginning to give up their secrets: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1385000/1385326.stm MSNBC has a feature on Australian archaeologist Rhys Jones: http://www.msnbc.com/news/587594.asp Researchers using archaeological evidence have suggested that taller people live longer: http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=77944 The latest use of DNA research appears to be to determine the origins of India's caste system: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/hsn/20010519/hl/genes_confirm_origin_of_india_s_castes_1.html Weird stuff: museum officials in Britain have to deal with an upsurge in "mummy worship": http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=77419 NEW WORLD NEWS Genetic testing is being done to find living relative of Canada's "Ice Man": http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWSScience0106/13_ancient-ap.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/586829.asp http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20010613_474.html http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/national/27407_ice14.shtml There's concern about 'mom and pop' approaches to er, 'archaeology' in Oregon: http://www.kptv.com/news/local/story.asp?content_id=466348 http://www.kgw.com/kgwnews/oregonwash_story.html?StoryID=21386 The Arizona Republic has a feature on Phoenix archaeologist Todd Bostwick: http://www.arizonarepublic.com/arizona/articles/0612Dig12.html It sounds like we're going to be hearing more about Mesa Verde: http://db.oklahoman.com/cgi-bin/show_article?ID=701491&pic=none&TP=getlifestyle http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/national/27337_ruins14.shtml http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_617159,00.html cf. http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/0699toc/6special-mv1.shtml ON THE NEWSSTANDS Egypt Revealed has a piece on a "gender confused" mummy: http://www.egyptrevealed.com/061401-mummysexchange.shtml CLASSICIST'S CORNER A bunch of runners have retraced the gruelling 110km route of Euchidas: http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12913&m=A48&aa=1&eidos=S The Independent has a touristy sort of piece with plenty of classical references on Italy: the land of myths: http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=77459 FAZ has a feature on the temple of Zeus at Olympia: http://www.faz.com/IN/INtemplates/eFAZ/docmain.asp?rub={B1311FD3-FBFB-11D2-B228-00105A9CAF88}&doc={6C641DF5-5FE1-11D5-A3B5-009027BA22E4}&width=800&height=572&agt=netscape&ver=4&svr=4.7 There's a big article on Atlantis kicking around various newspapers: http://news.excite.com/news/ap/010613/12/ent-wkd-atlantis-myths FOLLOWUPS Herakleion: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-2001200227,00.html http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html4/o090621ka.htm http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=194471&thesection=news&thesubsection=world http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,503588,00.html Hunley: http://www.msnbc.com/news/588079.asp Phillipeion returned antiquities: http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12914&m=A39&aa=3&eidos=S OBITUARIES Graham Webster: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,60-2001200161,00.html Edward Wright: http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/breakingnews/International/0,3561,973614,00.html AT ABOUT.COM Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill's latest is on Teiresias in Ovid's Metamorphoses: http://ancienthistory.about.com/homework/ancienthistory/library/weekly/aa061201a.htm

Ancient village leaves little evidence in Hawaii Kai The old heiau has almost disappeared, and restoration may be impossible By Nelson Daranciang ndarancian@starbulletin.com Nothing remains of the ancient Hawaiian village in Hawaii Kai. Only rocks covered with old construction material mark the nearby heiau. In 1993, John Delima said, a friend took him to the site where they made a traditional Hawaiian offering. They also surveyed the surrounding area. "It pains me to see that nothing is or was ever done to protect this heiau or the remains of the village," he said. "I just wanted to spread awareness of it and maybe somebody would step up and put a fence around it and people would leave it alone." Archaeologist Gilbert McAllister plotted the location of Hawea Heiau in 1930 for the Bishop Museum, which published his findings in "Archaeology of Oahu." "It was already damaged in 1930. Rocks were taken to reconstruct the Keahupua O Maunalua Fish Pond (now known as Kuapa Pond). And it was finished off during the construction of Kaluanui Road in the '50s and '60s for Mariners Ridge," said Sarah Collins, state archaeologist. The heiau was mauka of the Hawaii Kai Post Office on the side of the hill, Collins said. Delima said he found a map showing that the village stretched from the heiau down toward where the Oahu Club now sits. But when he surveyed the site, he found no signs of the village. Collins said no burials were found in the area. more... http://starbulletin.com/2001/06/17/news/

Got sharp eyes, keen love for the past and a passion for its preservation but no diploma to show you are worthy? These guys will take care of that need and help you fulfill this dream! http://www.cr.nps.gov/seac/pii.htm#NAI1990

From Ireland from Liam.... thanks!!! Luas archaeological digs uncovers human skeleton By Frank McDonald, Environment Editor Archaeological digs along the route of Dublin's Luas light rail system have revealed a partially dismembered human skeleton and a 14th century animal horn from an extinct species of cattle, among other major finds. Mr Jim Quinlan, architect with the light rail project office, said the former Maguire and Patterson site off Church Street had yielded a surprising amount of material, including an 18th century cobbled lane with four previous road surfaces. As its location is near St Michan's Church, dating back to 1095, desktop studies identified the site as having high archaeological potential. As a result, the office commissioned archaeologists Margaret Gowen and Company to excavate it. Old maps suggest the site may lie within the curtilage of St Michan's, though it is now separated from the church by a Law Library building. Barristers there were given a presentation on the dig. Finds included an intact 18th century wine bottle, pottery jug and drinking vessel. But Mr Quinlan said the skeleton was the "most exciting find of all". Missing its right arm and leg, it may date from the 18th century also. Pending a report on the dig, the site is to be back-filled and covered to protect further deposits below the excavated level. The archaeologists have moved to another site beside the former Jameson distillery in Smithfield, where two wells and a cess pit which may date from the sixth century have been found. According to Mr Quinlan, although laying Luas trackbeds does not require significant construction depths, the diversion of sewage mains, electricity lines and other utilities can mean deep digs. An earlier excavation at Ballymount, adjacent to a prehistoric enclosure to the north of Tallaght, yielded shards of pottery and a cobbled yard. Further digging last summer revealed a possible souterrain chamber. The archaeologists are on call to deal with unexpected finds along the Luas alignment. They are monitoring the demolition of buildings on the south side of Mary's Abbey. All of the excavations have been licensed by D�chas, the Heritage Service. http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2001/0619/hom12.htm

From Liam, again... June 19 � The battle between Indians and scientists over a 9,300-year-old skeleton is landing in court, again. A U.S. magistrate in Portland, Ore., is hearing oral arguments today in the lawsuit brought by eight prominent anthropologists against the federal government over whether they can study Kennewick Man. They say the skeleton, found in 1996 by college students near the banks of the Columbia River in Washington, doesn't resemble modern American Indians and could radically change theories about the earliest inhabitants of the Americas. Some scientists say Kennewick Man's bones most resemble those of modern people in East Asia. But scientists may never have the opportunity for further study. In September, the Department of Interior ruled the skeleton should be turned over to five Northwest tribes who claim the skeleton as an ancestor and want to rebury it under a 1990 federal law. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, or NAGPRA, was designed to give tribes power over Indian remains and artifacts held by museums or found on federal and Indian land. more... http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/kennewick_hearing010619.html

The Sun has just set here and I have tried to capture the scene on a slide show at http://homepage.eircom.net/~bree/dolmen.html hope the magic comes through.And moments later the most spectacular meteorite for years spun its magic too..what a night

OH LIAM!!! Great portent!!!

Liam, this is from you, for which I give my thanks. It is fascinating to think how far back the not-out-of-Africa origins might go... Korean-Russian Team Unearth Neolithic Settlements Korea and Russia have conducted a joint excavation on Suchu Islet, located near the Russian city of Havarovsk, and successfully discovered two underground settlements that go back to the Neolithic age it was announced Thursday. The project was carried out in July and August of 2000 by Korea's National Institute of Cultural Properties and the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology (a Siberian branch of Russian Academy of Sciences). Along with excavations of the two settlements, the joint team also unearthed many artifacts of the same age inside the settlements, 8,000 in total, which included figures of women and animals made of clay. The two settlements are said to date back to 3,500-4,000 B.C. The Suchu Islet has long been considered a treasure for the world's archaeologists, due to its wealth of artifacts dating back to antiquity. http://www.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200106/200106210296.html

Tribes unearth their past in paper Documents buried in East Coast archives offer Northwest Native Americans valuable, and often painful, links to their history Saturday, June 23, 2001 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Alice Tallmadge, Correspondent, The Oregonian http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/news/oreg onian/nw_71recor23.frame EUGENE -- When George Wasson traveled to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., more than 25 years ago, it was to hunt down and piece together the shards of his Native American legacy. That simple quest has led to the discovery of more than 110,000 pages of forgotten documents that are helping 45 tribes from throughout the Northwest establish stronger links to their past and better understand their cultural and historical identities. The trove includes archival documents -- maps, letters from Indian agents, military documents, word lists and cultural notes from early explorers -- that had been inaccessible to Native American tribes for decades. Wasson admits that the discovery of the documents, found during two research trips to the National Anthropological Archives and the National Archives, both at the Smithsonian Institution, opens searing wounds about how native people were treated by Western settlers and the U.S. military. But they also are giving hope and strength to hundreds of Native Americans whose ancestors once had dominion over lands that stretched the length of the Oregon coast and to Southwest Washington and Northern California. "The worst tragedy to a cultural group is not merely the brutality and slaughter of the people," said Wasson, a member of the Coquille Tribe and a doctoral recipient from the University of Oregon. "Holocaust is terrible, but the immediate pain is for young people who are separated from their culture and traditions. They inherit the pain and anguish of their ancestors." "These documents mean more to us than interesting papers," said Jason Younker, a UO doctoral candidate and member of the Coquille Tribe. "They are actually proof that we were here." The Coquille Tribe was terminated in 1954, Younker said. "And until restoration in 1988, we were not Indians. Growing up a generation from that experience has a tremendous impact on your psyche. Now here we have overwhelming credibility to what we have already known: that we truly are the Coquille people." The Coquille Tribe and the university have co-sponsored the project, and copies of all the documents are being housed in the UO Knight Library's Division of Special Collections. Younker, who helped research archives at the Smithsonian, estimated the tribe has invested about $110,000 on the project. This tribe recently donated $10,000 to support research and access to the collection. Digging out history Wasson first got wind of a possible trove of documents in the mid-1970s when he traveled to the Smithsonian to do research. He found the unpublished field notes of John P. Harrington, an ethno-linguist who interviewed the oldest speakers of coastal Native American dialects in the 1930s and '40s. Wasson said he never forgot "the vast amount of information held back there" on native people. An assistant dean of students at the UO, Wasson retired and returned to graduate school. In 1995, he secured funding from the university to establish the Southwest Oregon Research Project. He used the funds to take tribal researchers and a group of students to the Smithsonian. The group pored over paper and microfiche documents until their eyes burned, marking everything that referred to Indian tribes who once populated the southwest Oregon coast. Although told they "wouldn't find much," they unearthed 50,000 pages of documents. The researchers' mission was not to actually read through all the documents, but sometimes they couldn't stop themselves, Wasson said. Sometimes they wept. "There was a soldier's comments about marching people from Port Orford to Yachats," Wasson remembered. "An old woman was walking barefoot. He gave her cloth to bind her feet, but it didn't help. He wrote that he could tell when she was ahead of him, he could see her bloody footprints, climbing over the rock, climbing over the (area of) Sea Lion Caves." On their return, the group gave copies of the documents to the UO library. They also presented copies to seven Oregon coastal tribes, distributing the papers at a potlatch (give-away ceremony), the first held in the area in 150 years. A return trip in 1999 yielded 60,000 more pages of documents, this time with a geographical reach that extended into southern Washington, Central Oregon, western Idaho and Nevada. The group held a second potlatch a few weeks ago, presenting copies of relevant documents to representatives of 44 Northwest tribes. Jon Erlandson, UO professor of anthropology, called Wasson the "godfather" of the research project. "These documents have been hidden and inaccessible to Indian people and other scholars for decades, sometimes 100 years," he said. "Now Indian people can read them, use them and rewrite their own histories in their own communities." Erlandson said the documents paint a different story than that found in history books, giving details of such events as the coastal Indians' forced removal from their homelands and the Supreme Court's refusal to accept the testimony of native elders in determining land ownership. "It's a very emotional process of discovery," he said. "For some, it's too painful to continue. For others, the opportunity to right the wrongs of traditional history is very compelling." So far, aspects of the research have been the focus of six doctoral candidates and six master's papers. The research also will help historians and archaeologists. Because destruction of Oregon's coastal tribes came so swiftly as a result of the California gold rush, much information was lost before it could be collected, said Richard Hanes, cultural program leader for the Bureau of Land Management for Oregon and Washington. He said the documents will enable public land agencies to give more protection to traditional sacred sites. Erlandson said the project also shows that anthropologists don't have to be at odds with Indian tribes, as in the controversy over ancient human remains dubbed the Kennewick Man. "This is a wonderful example of collaboration and the synergy that develops when we build bridges between institutions of higher learning, the tribes and the Smithsonian," he said. "This is the way it ought to be done." JoAllyn Archambault, director of the American Indian Program at the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History, agreed. "This is one of those rare projects where everyone wins," she said. "The value to native people is just amazing. Just incredible." Wasson, who completed his doctorate Friday, said the archival project is still in its infancy and needs to grow. The materials already collected have to be researched, he said, and there needs to be expansion into other areas. Plus, the vein of archival treasure at the Smithsonian is far from being tapped out, he said. "It's stunning how much there is back there."

Also from Liam and The Telegraph, the fount of interesting stuff for geo: Napoleon 'poisoned by French royalists' A LEADING British expert on Napoleon has given his backing to the theory that the deposed French Emperor was assassinated by his fellow countrymen. Dr David Chandler, considered the foremost living authority on Napoleon, believes that history books should be re-written to include a final chapter on the conspiracy behind his death. It has taken decades for Dr Chandler and other academics to accept that one of the greatest military commanders in history was assassinated. For more than a century, it had been accepted that Napoleon died from stomach cancer aged 52 on May 5, 1821. But Dr Chandler is now "99.9 per cent certain" that one of France's greatest heroes was poisoned by his campatriots on St Helena, the south Atlantic island to which he was exiled following defeat in 1815. The historian claims that between his arrival and his death six years later, Napoleon was systematically poisoned with arsenic given to him by Count Charles de Montholon, a man he regarded as his closest friend on the island but who, in fact, was acting on the orders of French royalists. The monarchy was motivated by the fear that Napoleon would return to France and lead another revolution. Earlier this month, hair belonging to Napoleon was found to contain excessive amounts of arsenic in tests commissioned by Ben Weider, a Canadian millionaire and historian who has championed the murder theory for the last 50 years. Dr Chandler, whose works on the French-born Corsican include the Campaigns of Napoleon, has taken 30 years to accept his conclusions. He said: "After long checking, I am convinced 99.9 per cent that Napoleon was murdered. The only murderer must have been Count Charles-Tristan de Montholon. De Montholon was in the right place at the right time and had a sufficient motive to kill his emperor." An army officer who had an undistinguished career during the Napoleonic wars, de Montholon had left himself open to bribery after he was caught stealing money from regimental funds. The Comte d'Artois, brother of Louis XVIII, who had tried to assassinate Napoleon on several occasions, used the information to blackmail de Montholon to become the assassin. For years de Montholon fed his leader wine laced with arsenic which made him ill but was not deadly. However, a mixture of an orange drink, bitter almonds and calomel created a lethal cocktail. Calomel added to arsenic produces strichnine which both kills and then removes all symptoms.

EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 4, Issue 8 -- June 24, 2001 ]|[=================================================================]|[ OLD WORLD NEWS A trio of 5600-year-old mummies are challenging conventional theories for the reasons for the process: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-2001201920,00.html Here's one I missed: back in May, FAZ had a piece on Tel Cheura (in English): http://www.faz.com/IN/INtemplates/eFAZ/docmain.asp?sub={F1B72E51-3783-11D4-A3AA-009027BA22E4}&doc={C7B015D3-52D1-11D5-A3B5-009027BA22E4} National Geographic has a nice piece on the search for the Queen of Sheba: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/06/0612_sheba.html Athens News has a feature on the Helike project: http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12915&m=A25&aa=1&eidos=S (check out the project website at: http://www.geoprobe.org/helike/index.html ) A body has been found for Livia's head in the Ashmolean: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,61-2001210561,00.html They've re-erected the obelisk which once graced the hippodrome at Caesarea: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010618/wl/israel_obelisk_1.html It wouldn't be summer without an account of the goings on at Stonehenge at the solstice: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1398000/1398810.stm http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4208370,00.html http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/06/0620_Stonecircles.html http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-2001211781,00.html Mitteldeutsche Zeitung has a feature on a very large 9th century graveyard being excavated near Buro: http://www.mz-web.de/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=mz_web/pages/regionales/news_ArtikelColl&RegionalRubrik=anh&RegionalRubrikName=Anhalt&MZWebArtikelID=993240121027 Robert Ballard is heading back to the Black Sea to look for evidence of the/a Flood: http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/06/17/stifgneeu01002.html UNESCO is worried about Mohenjodaro: http://www.dawn.com/2001/06/19/nat21.htm A university in Britain will be offering an MA in Archaeology for Screen Media in an attempt to reduce the number of howlers in programs like Time Team: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=qKqpJte9&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/6/24/ndeg24.html A group in California used a huge kite to raise a 30 foot obelisk ... hmmmmmmmm: http://www.austin360.com/shared/news/technology/ap_story.html/Science/AP.V2774.AP-Obelisk-Kite.html http://www.nj.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?a0604_BC_ObeliskKite&&news&newsflash-national NEW WORLD NEWS The Kennewick Man saga has been renewed: http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,44633,00.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/323998.asp http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2001/06/21/p2s2.htm http://www.cbsnews.com/now/story/0,1597,297296-412,00.shtml http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/science/06/19/kennewick.man.ap/index.html http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010619/ts/kennewick_man_1.html http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/kennewick_hearing010619.html The Tennessean has a feature on local archaeologist Elizabeth Kellar: http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/01/04/06043797.shtml?Element_ID=6043797 The New York Times has a very interesting feature on the artistic/stylistic side of native american rock art: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/19/science/19ROCK.html A 16th-century Spanish fortress (maybe) has been discovered near Asheville: http://www.charlotte.com/observer/local/catawba/docs/dig0622.htm REVIEWS Archaeologists will certainly want to read the review of Edward Fox, *Palestine Twilight: The Murder of Dr Edward Glock and the Archeology of the Holy Land: http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/06/24/stibooboo01014.html National Review has a review of Page Dubois *Trojan Horses: Saving Classics from the Conservatives*: http://www.nationalreview.com/weekend/books/books-kopf062301.shtml EXHIBITIONS Absolute Arts has a review of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery's "Egypt Revealed: Life and Death in Ancient Egypt" (there's nothing at the BMAG site itself on this yet other than an announcement that the exhibition is coming): http://www.absolutearts.com/artsnews/2001/06/23/28746.html ON THE NEWSSTANDS There's a new online edition of Biblical Archaeology Review out, with articles on the evidence for early Christianity at Yattir and King Hezekiah's seal: http://www.bib-arch.org/bar2.html Egypt Revealed has a feature on the pharaohnic village: http://www.egyptrevealed.com/062001-pharaonicvillage.htm I'm not sure whether this is really a 'newsstand' piece, but an online journal called Transoxiana was recently brought to my attention and it has several articles (by graduate students at the University del Salvador) on the ancient near eastern/egyptian world (in Spanish). Worth a look: http://www.salvador.edu.ar/transox/index.html CLASSICIST'S CORNER Latin continues to make a comeback: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/06/0614_wirelatin.html ... and folks might want to look at a similar sort of article from a German newspaper (in German, of course): http://www.ngz-online.de/ngz/news/korschenbroich/2001-0623/latein.html ... and one from the beeb: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/education/newsid_1396000/1396858.stm There's an interesting analogy (sort of) between the Colosseum and the Temple of Janus: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010619/wl/italy_death_penalty_1.html Someone's gone and reconstructed an ancient Greek organ and it will actually be played: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-2001210658,00.html The idea of an Olympic Truce is still kicking around: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=86740 Folks might be interested in a review of *Hercules in Love*: http://jumpfn.123jump.com/story.htm?news_id=6449021&sid=3 I think I missed the original of this in Athens News, but John Carr has written a not-so-complimentary piece on the London Hellenic Society: http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12912&m=A11&aa=2&eidos=A ... and a recent letter to the editor is interesting as well: http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12914&m=A08&aa=3&eidos=S AT ABOUT.COM: Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill's latest is on the Battle of Adrianople: http://ancienthistory.about.com/homework/ancienthistory/library/weekly/aa061901a.htm Archaeology Guide Kris Hirst has some advice for the folks who don't want to do archaeology any more: http://archaeology.about.com/science/archaeology/library/weekly/aa062001a.htm Latin Guide Janet Burns brings us a timeline of Roman emperors: http://latin.about.com/homework/latin/library/bltimelineemper.htm FOLLOWUPS Bamboula: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/06/010605074203.htm Colosseum Restoration: http://www.cnn.com/2001/TRAVEL/NEWS/06/19/italy.colosseum.ap/index.html Elgin Marbles: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/arts/newsid_1402000/1402072.stm http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=79471 Herakleion: http://www.exn.ca/Templates/webisode.asp?story_id=2001062251 (a discovery.ca "webisode") http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html4/o180621n.htm (an amazingly unedited piece) http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html4/o160621x.htm (nothing really new except the date) Macchu Picchu: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid_1403000/1403740.stm Marathon Rowing row: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010621/sc/olympics_grave_dc_1.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport/hi/english/newsid_1400000/1400587.stm Mesa Verde (not Monte Verde): http://www.post-gazette.com/healthscience/20010618mesaverdehealth3p3.asp Nefertiti mummy: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20010618/nefertiti.html Roman Fleet near Sardinia: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1385000/1385326.stm REGULAR FEATURES http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html EXPLORATOR IS ARCHIVED AT: http://www.onelist.com/archive/Explorator ]|[================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR is a weekly newsletter representing the fruits of the labours of 'media research division' of The Atrium. Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured on a daily basis for news of the ancient world (broadly construed: practically anything relating to archaeology or history prior to about 1700 or so is fair game) and when a sufficient number of urls are gathered (usually a minimum of three stories), they are delivered to your mailbox free of charge! Those articles that don't expire, plus supplementary links eventually find a home at: The Media Archive (just going up): http://atrium-media.com/mediaarchive.html ]|[================================================================]|[ Explorator is Copyright (c) 2001 David Meadows; Feel free to distribute these listings via email to your pals, students, teachers, etc., but please include this copyright notice. These listings are not to be posted to a website; instead, please provide a link to either Commentarium or Rostra (or both)! You can subscribe to or unsubscribe from this list by going to the following web page: http://www.egroups.com/subscribe.cgi/Explorator

Liam I want to see this!!! TV howlers spark producers' history degree A NEW university degree that will teach graduates how to make episodes of Time Team and other archaeological programmes is to begin later this year, in an attempt to make television history programmes more accurate. Academics at Bristol University, who will run the MA course in Archaeology for Screen Media with producers from the Channel 4 series, said that the new qualification was needed because many historical programmes contained significant errors. Among the worst offenders cited are the recent BBC series What the Romans Did for Us, and Surviving the Iron Age, also from the BBC, which is described by those teaching the new degree as little better than a game show. Even David Starkey's acclaimed Henry VIII is accused of containing inaccuracies, which the academics believe would have been spotted if a trained archaeologist had been monitoring the series. One example, they said, is cameras switching from Dr Starkey talking about the Tudor king to give a view of part of a castle built in the wrong century. Dr Mark Horton, a reader in archaeology at Bristol University, who is organising the new degree, said that one of the reasons for the errors was that dons were often poor at presenting their subject on television. The result is that many programmes were made with little expert advice. more... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=004826292612046&rtmo=a5a4WXWJ&atmo=rrrrrrrq&pg=/et/01/6/24/ndeg24.html

Corlea Trackway - Ireland In 1984, at Corlea near Keenagh, Co. Longford, removal of peat by Bord na M�na's production machinery revealed a great timber roadway which had lain buried in the bog for centuries. Tree ring analysis carried out at Queen's University, Belfast revealed the trees used were felled late in 148 B.C. or early in 147 B.C and identified the roadway as the only known example in Ireland of an Early Iron Age road. In 1985 the roadway at Corlea was excavated under the auspices of the National Monuments Branch of the Office of Public Works. The road, which was made of massive oak planks, extended for over one kilometre across the bogland, connecting an isolated drumlin island of mineral soil with the mainland. A similar trackway had extended westwards from the drumlin island across the bog at Derraghan for one kilometre. Dating of this roadway showed it to be of the same age as the Corlea road and established the existence, over two thousand years ago, of a substantial road system capable of carrying wheeled traffic. The Corlea road was constructed of heavy planks split from oak trunks using timber wedges. These oak sleepers were between 3m and 4m long and up to 60cm wide, and were laid across parallel pairs of timber runners on average about 1.4m apart. The runners were logs of birch or ash, up to 10m in length and laid end to end directly onto the Iron Age bog surface. Where the roadway ran across wet areas of bog, several runners were used. At one point eight runners were used to bridge what was probably a difficult area. In other sections brushwood was laid as a supporting raft for the heavier timbers. Mortices were generally cut into the ends of the oak planks through which long pegs of birch or hazel were fixed to secure the road surface Thousands of timber sleepers were used in constructing the Corlea roadway which reveals a high level of woodworking knowledge and skill in Early Iron Age Ireland. The Corlea road was a major undertaking capable of carrying wheeled vehicles. It has been speculated that it may have been part of an ancient highway linking the pagan ceremonial sites of Cruachain in Connaught and the Hill of Uisneach in Leinster, but its precise function is as yet unclear. In the course of archaeological investigations several smaller bog trackways (or toghers) were discovered in the area of Corlea. The oldest trackway was dated to the middle of the fourth millenium B.C. This was made of tightly packed layers of hazel, alder and birch placed lengthwise along the track and supported occasionally by cross timbers to form a trackway about 1.6m wide. Another track, which has been dated to about 2259 B.C., crossed over the earlier Neolithic path at one point. The depth of peat between the trackways, about 80cm, illustrates how the bog was growing during that time. This trackway was constructed of substantial timbers of oak and ash laid across branches of birch which had been placed lengthwise along the path to create a track between 2m and 2.5m wide. A brushwood track dated to about 1200 B.C. was made of tight bundles of long hazel rods laid along the path to form a trackway about 1.5m wide and up to 25cm thick. A simple narrow trackway, dating from about 587 A.D. was made of single oak planks, up to 30cm wide, laid end to end on short transverse supports. These trackways were probably built to allow the early inhabitants of the region maintain contact between communities across the expanses of inhospitable and treacherous wetlands. more and pictures too... http://www.bnm.ie/discovering_peatlands/corlea.htm

Dating study 'means human history rethink' Archaeological findings may have to be dated again A complete rewrite of the history of modern humans could be needed after a breakthrough in archaeological dating techniques. British and American scientists have found radio carbon dating, used to give a rough guide to the age of an object, can be wrong by thousands of years. It means humans may have been on earth for a lot longer than previously thought and accepted versions of early history could need a radical rethink. Experts have known for years that carbon dating is inexact but until researchers from Bristol and Harvard completed their study no one knew by how much. more... http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1413000/1413326.stm Mahalo Nui Loa, Liam!

Skara Brae usurped as oldest site Archaeologists believe they have found the site of what could be Scotland's oldest farm. The farm is thought to be 6000 years old - up to 1500 years older than the "World Heritage" archaeological site at Skara Brae in Orkney. The archaeologists from Stirling University have spent nearly two years working at the site, near Blairgowrie in Perthshire. The exact location is being kept secret, but it is close to a burial mound known as Cleave Dyke, which dates from a similar period. The team has found evidence of flint tools having been made and a large, roughly circular enclosure, which they believe may have been home to an extended family of about 30 people. more... http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/scotland/newsid_925000/925037.stm

I have just read that Carbon Dating can be as much as 10000 years out,so some of my rants going back some time ,are now being proven to be correct.Never ever equate a Micky Mouse Professorship with reality and accuracy!!

Hey, I was married to academe for years. You do not need to tell me!!! Thanks Liam. I am always delighted to hear from you!

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_344317.html?menu= Story filed: 16:26 Wednesday 4th July 2001 Bronze age village saved from the diggers Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of a British Bronze Age village dating back 3,500 years. Diggers were about to plough up the ancient farmsteads to build a new gravel quarry. Archaeologists were called in to excavate the site in Shorncote near Cirencester, Gloucestershire. They discovered remains representing a settlement of about 18 homes as well as fragments of animal bones, cereal, fruit and nuts. Many of the remains were perfectly preserved because they lay under water for thousands of years. Historians are piecing together the finds to paint a portrait of the lifestyle of Bronze Age people. Senior archaeologist Gill Hey, from the Oxford-based historical unit leading the discovery, said: "This is very significant because we have never found a settlement or remains of buildings of that period in this area before. "The earliest remains we had before now were 500 years more recent. The farmstead we found dates back 3,500 years to 1,500 BC. Buildings of this period are very unusual nationally." The latest finds from the Hills Aggregates Quarry will be carefully restored before going on display in Cirencester's Corinium Museum. Staff from the Oxford Archaeological Unit plan to unearth a neighbouring Roman farmstead and hope to open the whole site to visitors next year.

Too bad the Reading Univsersity archaeologists did not get to it first. Thanks, Maggie. It is ages before I can find most of the British archaeology finds in news without spending my day prowling UK sources. They are simple not carried here, alas. Nothing like living on your own rubbish tip to make for good archaeology far in the future. We must have been a frangrant lot!

From Our Man In China (he gets around!) Liam: MongoliaA three-story pyramid dating 5000 years back has been discovered in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The pyramid, which looks like a trapezoidal hill from afar, is located on a hill one kilometer north of Sijiazi Town, Aohan County. The pyramid is about 30 meters long and 15 meters wide at its base. This is considered the best-preserved pyramid built during the Hongshan Culture period that has been found so far, said Guo Dasun, an archaeologist in charge of the excavation. Seven tombs and one altar were also found on the top of the pyramid. Archaeologists also discovered a number of pottery pieces with the asterisk character inscribed on the inner wall. The asterisk character is believed to be related to the understanding of ancient people on astrology. Among the culture relics excavated from one of the seven tombs are a bone flute and a stone ring and a full- sized stone statue of Goddess unearthed from another tomb. What astonished the archeologists is a one palm-sized stone genital found on the inner wall of a tomb with a small stone statue of Goddess below. Guo Dasun said that most of these relics are found for the first time and will shed light on studying the origin of Chinese civilization. http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/province/mongolia.html

EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 4, Issue 10 OLD WORLD NEWS There is a ton of coverage of the new cave art find near Cussac, France: http://news.24.com/News24/Technology/Science_Nature/0,1113,2-13-46_1048236,00.html http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=81813 http://www.archaeology.org/online/news/france.html http://www.ecnnews.com/cgi-bin/s/thestory.pl?slug-07CAVE http://www.msnbc.com/news/596544.asp http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-2001230838,00.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1423000/1423021.stm http://dsc.discovery.com/news/reu/20010702/cave.html http://www.lemonde.fr/article/0,5987,3244--205403-,00.html (in French) http://news.excite.com/news/r/010705/09/news-france-cave-dc http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010705/sc/france_cave_dc_1.html http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010704/wl/france_cave_engravings_1.html http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010705/wl/france_cave_dc.html http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news_photos?p=cussac&n=20&c=news_photos (11 photos) EXN (Discovery Channel Canada) has a (video) report on some petroglyphs found in Yemen: http://www.exn.ca/inc/demo1.asp?Video=20010508-ht-yemen.asx A brief report suggests a "stone age" (surely wrong?) woman has been discovered during road work in Denmark: http://www.news24.co.za/News24/Technology/Science_Nature/0,1113,2-13-46_1047384,00.html http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_343883.html?menu= A Hyksos era tomb was discovered this week, with the aid of an ancient "road map" which will probably have many implications: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html4/o030721z.htm A brief AP story reports on the discovery of the tomb of a New Kingdom priest: http://europe.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/meast/07/04/egypt.tomb.ap/index.html http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010704/wl/egypt_tomb_1.html http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html4/o040721a.htm (I think this is the same) The Egyptian State Information Service reports that the pyramid of Chephren will be opened to the public (cf. Zahi Hawass' update below): http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html4/o070721j.htm http://news.24.com/News24/Africa/Northern_Africa/0,1113,2-11-38_1049065,00.html http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_343514.html?menu= The same source briefly reports on the discovery of an Old Kingdom temple: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html4/o070721k.htm http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/010707/2001070720.html ... and the base of a pyramid (I think this is a followup) of Nub-Khabr-Ra: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html4/o020721I.htm http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html4/o300621n.htm An Assyrian temple has been discovered in Iraq: http://www.theage.com.au/breaking/2001/07/07/FFXIP3T9UOC.html This is probably really a followup, but AthensNews is reporting the discovery of a mysterious mass grave near Kalamata: http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12917&m=A10&aa=3&eidos=S A Roman-era site has been discovered in Ismailia (Egypt): http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html4/o050721.htm ... and some Roman-era antiquities were found in Alexandria too: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html4/o020721e.htm HumanOasis/Discover Archaeology reports on research which is pushing back the date of the oldest steel in England: http://www.humanoasis.com/Feature%20Stories/070401-Originsofsteel.html http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/web%20articles/070301-Origin%20of%20Steel%20in%20Englandweb.htm Peoples Daily has an item on the discovery of a 5000-year-old pyramid in Mongolia: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200107/06/eng20010706_74356.html The Ilisu Dam Project is once again in the news: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,516405,00.html A report in the Telegraph suggests major problems with the assumptions of C14 dating: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=0Ks20beq&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/7/5/tesdate05.html The Dallas Morning News has a feature on Lew Binford: http://www.dallasnews.com/science/413179_binford_08liv..html Science Daily has an item on looting of sites in Iraq: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/07/010706081613.htm NEW WORLD NEWS The Miami Circle is back in the news, with the discovery of associated human remains: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/krmiami/20010704/lo/ancient_cemetery_found_at_brickell_park_1.html http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-2001231482,00.html http://www.miami.com/herald/content/news/local/dade/digdocs/106582.htm http://news.excite.com/news/ap/010704/16/miami-ruins A German "treasure hunter" is claiming to have found the wreck of Captain Morgan's pirate ship: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-2001232149,00.html ON THE NEWSSTANDS There's a new issue of British Archaeology out, with online features on cannibalism, 8th century York, and other things: http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba59/index.shtml Zahi Hawass has finally found the time to update his Giza Update feature at Egypt Revealed: http://www.egyptrevealed.com/news_from_giza.htm Egypt Revealed also has a new article on the threat to Egyptian monuments from underground water: http://www.egyptrevealed.com/070401-monumentsinperil.htm ... and a feature on the tomb of a pair of 12th Dynasty priests: http://www.egyptrevealed.com/070701-egyptianpriests.htm ON THE WEB This one's pretty interesting if you have the patience to get it to load: the Jerusalem Archaeological Park has a virtual archaeological dig sort of thing which includes a nifty timeline of the Temple at various periods etc.: http://www.archpark.org.il/index.asp Folks over on the Amun list have been mentioning Discovery Channel (Canada)'s 'webisodes' which feature interviews with various folks etc.; I used to follow them but found they only existed for a week or so and *never* covered matters archaeological, but now they appear to be more permanent (or at least less ephemeral). Here's a couple webisodes which should be of interest to Explorator readers (a bit of catching up): On Cave Art and petroglyphs: http://www.exn.ca/Templates/webisode.asp?story_id=2001062954 On ancient Alexandria: http://www.exn.ca/Templates/webisode.asp?story_id=2001062251 CLASSICIST'S CORNER Here's one I missed: a couple of weeks ago, the Sunday Times magazine had a major feature on Archimedes: http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/06/17/stimazmaz03006.html Fans of Jukka Ammondt's rendering of Elvis tunes in Latin might be interested in his latest album, in Sumerian: http://www.rollingstone.com/news/newsarticle.asp?nid=14189 http://www.nme.com/NME/External/News/News_Story/0,1004,35308,00.html http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010702/re/life_elvis_sumerian_dc_1.html http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/world/2001/0703/wor2.htm A confused reference appears to have led to a sort of anti-classics rant in the Guardian (cf. Jasper Griffin's piece below): http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4216223,00.html Folks will likely want to listen to Tom Sienkewicz' comments on the revival of Latin: http://www.theconnection.org/archive/2001/07/0706b.shtml Every three years they perform a Greek tragedy in the original language at Cambridge ... but you knew that already: http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/07/08/stiednedn01002.html The Salt Lake Tribune has a touristy piece on visiting Rome post-Jubilee: http://www.sltrib.com/07082001/travel/travel.htm If you haven't seen it yet, Jasper Griffin has written a piece on the 'death of literatre England' in the Spectator: http://www.spectator.co.uk/article.php3?table=old§ion=current&issue=2001-07-07&id=867 Peter Jones' column in the Spectator is also worth a look (I'll be regularly providing a link to this): http://www.spectator.co.uk/article.php3?table=old§ion=current&issue=2001-07-07&id=881 AT ABOUT.COM Archaeology Guide Kris Hirst's latest is on Lascaux: http://archaeology.about.com/library/weekly/aa070401a.htm Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill's latest is on Steven Saylor's *House of the Vestals*: http://ancienthistory.about.com/homework/ancienthistory/library/weekly/aa071001a.htm REVIEW The Guardian has a review of Heather Pringle, *The Mummy Congress* and Brenda Fowler *Iceman*: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4217209,00.html NOT SURE HOW TO CLASSIFY While Tomb Raider continues to be the current archaeological flick of record (I'm still waiting to see it!), I'm sure most folks will be happy/relieved to learn that there's going to be another Indiana Jones movie: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4216737,00.html http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,2286417%255E2902,00.html ... and Hollywood apparently wants to make a movie about Bruce Mann: http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/shtml/NEWS/P16S2.shtml OBITUARY William D.E. Coulson: http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12917&m=A12&aa=2&eidos=S FOLLOWUPS Alexandria Under Water: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html4/o030721v.htm Cleopatra: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html4/o030721a.htm Hopi in Alberta: http://www.vny.com/cf/News/upidetail.cfm?QID=199193 http://www.exn.ca/inc/demo1.asp?Video=exn20010629-hopi.asx Kites and Obelisks: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/06/0628_caltechobelisk.html ]|[================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR is a weekly newsletter representing the fruits of the labours of 'media research division' of The Atrium. Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured on a daily basis for news of the ancient world (broadly construed: practically anything relating to archaeology or history prior to about 1700 or so is fair game) and when a sufficient number of urls are gathered (usually a minimum of three stories), they are delivered to your mailbox free of charge! Those articles that don't expire, plus supplementary links eventually find a home at: The Media Archive (coming very soon): http://atrium-media.com/mediaarchive.html

ANCIENT DNA UNRAVELS HUMAN ORIGINS http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2001/july/origins.htm In this new online science magazine, an interesting article details the unravelling of our species' origins. Beyond the fossil trail lie the genetic imprints left by our ancestors - and they suggest that we began our journey towards a global human race in Southern Africa.

Thank you for the link to the new magazine. I think Liam might disagree with the article, however. It is an interesting field and will continue to be controversial for perhaps as long as man lives!

Rubbish,Out of Africa is nonsense as anyone READING the current research across the world will see.The whole african thing is based on fragments of bone and imagination

(Just KNEW it'd get a reaction!!! *grin*)

Marcia look in Melungeons in Cultures .. I found a DNA article for you there too ...dunno if its less contraversial ..we'll see .... (Tony's auntie who we're very fond of is dying ...need to go to her ...may not be around much ..hugs)

Maggie,you are girl after my own cynical heart!! I love getting the fights going, Marcia has seen me stir it up in other clubs and its so much FUN

Maggie, my love to you! *HUGS* and my condolences. Yup, i knew you were up to something. Hugs to Liam, too. Very special ones for being so brilliantly to the point. I love his directness and other things about the man whose values are so right. Please continue to have fun!

(I'm back home .....wiped out after sitting with a dying aunt ...she died 3.20 am on Friday in her sleep. A little plain wooden cross and a hand to hold were all she wanted ....Still a bit weepy, but that's for me .. not her ..she's at peace now.) From English Culture: http://englishculture.about.com/library/weekly/aa071001a.htm Lady in the Glass Could archaeologists be looking at the image of an Anglo-Saxon queen? Archaeologists believe that fragments of painted glass found in rubble at Coventry's first cathedral, part of a great Benedictine abbey which was destroyed in the dissolution of the monasteries, depict the image of Lady Godiva (d. 1070). Although the it dates from the 14th century - 300 years after the Anglo-Saxon Christian princess rode naked through the marketplace to save her people from unjust taxes - the glass was produced a century after the first written version of the legend. Indeed, during the 1300s glass was a great luxury, and stained or painted glass even more so, indicating that the woman was definitely of high status. The fragments were pieced together from thousands of shards of medieval glass, and it is also possible that more of the image may still lie in boxes that have not yet been examined. Although there is little evidence to prove its authenticity, the piece does show the face of a beautiful woman with long wavy hair, suggesting to some that it could be the earliest image of the city's heroine The tombs of Godiva and her husband, Leofric, were looted and destroyed many centuries ago. Records indicate they were both buried in the small church they founded on the hilltop in Coventry. Around this grew an impressive cathedral, far bigger than the cathedral destroyed in the Blitz or its modern replacement. The glass was found within the ruins of the nave, meaning the men who destroyed the abbey probably smashed it in from outside. It is thought to have come from a large window in the nave, near the site of the lost tombs. Legend says that when Lady Godiva informed her husband that the townspeople were crippled by excessive taxes, he scornfully offered to relieve them if she rode naked - or in some versions simply "unadorned", without any head covering or jewellery - through the marketplace. Although her flowing locks covered her naked body, much later versions of the story include an unfortunate tailor who was struck blind for peeping at her through his shutter. He was henceforth known as 'Peeping Tom'. The face and any other fragments will be displayed in a new visitor's centre, due to open in August 2001

More on the DNA issue (*duck*) http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/web%20articles/060601-mungoman.htm Scientists challenge claims for 60,000 year old Australian DNA Scientists based in Britain and Denmark have questioned claims made in January that DNA extracted from a 60,000 year old Australian fossil challenge the "Out of Africa" theory. In a letter published in the journal Science on June 1st, they argue that the DNA may be contaminated, and even if it is not, it does not fall outside the range of modern human DNA variation. In January, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA published a paper by Gregory Adcock and colleagues, reporting that sequences of ancient mitochondrial DNA had been recovered from 10 Australian fossil humans. While 9 of them fitted within known human variation, it was claimed that the oldest sequence, from the 60,000 year old Mungo 3 fossil, was distinct from those of recent humans, and cast doubt on the theory that modern humans had originated in Africa. Further commentaries and media coverage claimed that the results in fact supported the alternative multiregional model of human origins.

Dont be too sad Maggie

I Emailed my condolences to Maggie. She knows the aunt is in a much better place now. Thanks, dear, for your fascinating bit about the Lady Godiva bit. Hmmm...wondered what certain archaeologist in Britain were doing. I had thought just about every inch of the old Coventry Cathedral had been excavated after the carpet bombing it got from the Queen's cousins. Now I want to SEE it! Liam you are a treasure! Nothing whatsoever horrible about you when the chips are down or a little furry fellow is endangered or misses his momma in the night. *HUGS*

Thanks . am not too sad .. just wiped out from sitting up a couple of nights ....and trying to get my brain back into gear to write again ....Will be back in cultures conference again shortly ....check out the new postings there ..I'm sure you'll find something to disagree with!!! How about an Irish topic in there???

I was trying to find more Melungeon stuff. There seems to be some controversy of which I will refrain from mentioning! I'll wrestle you for Liam. he is my main source of things archaeological and ecological about Ireland. Poetry has Limericks... I shall add him to my Babes list even though I think he does not know where it is on Spring. This is one great guy and I will give him up very reluctantly!

giggle

mmmhmmm!

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Hey there Maggie,talking of culture and Coventry Cath. I was there for the premiere of Brittans "War Requiem" in the early70's absolutely wonderful.Lived in The Royal Spa for many years and worked in Coventry.Come to think of it friend of mine sang in that concert and her name was Maggie too.

Have sung in other Britten performances .... in 1970s but not that one!!! *grin* Did you see Brit Arch posting on seahenge???? A stargate???? That should get us going .....

I missed this story because I was in Mali ...did anyone else see anything about it??? Look up the link to see pix. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1111000/1111952.stm No sequel to Seahenge 11 Jan 2001 Winter storms have exposed the new ring to the world. Archaeologists are examining a mysterious circle of wood which has emerged from under the shifting sands on the coast of Norfolk in the UK. The structure was discovered just 100 metres from the site where the famous Bronze Age monument known as Seahenge was uncovered more than two years ago. Researchers are aware of several features on the beach at Holme-next-the-Sea which may hail from the same period of history as the henge but none, they believe, is as significant as the now excavated oak ring. As well as the new circle, there is a single, unexplained stump sited close to a 19th Century shipwreck. The new circle was probably the rotting timber supports of a simple burial mound or barrow, said Norfolk county archaeologist Brian Ayers. He said it might be Bronze Age but although "exciting" was not exceptional. "There are 40,000 such mounds in the country," he said. "The unusual thing here is that normally one would get a Bronze Age barrow consisting of great heap of earth and, occasionally, within it a circle of post holes where posts have been rotted away. Here, if it is a barrow, we've lost the earth but we've retained the posts." The BBC's Mike Liggins reports on the emergence of a new wooden circle. Brian Ayers urged people not to flock to the beach in the way they had to see Seahenge because of the detrimental impact such an invasion might have on local wildlife. The recently uncovered timbers can only be seen at low tide, the time when wading birds come on to the beach to feed. His request was echoed by Gary Hibberd from the Norfolk Wildlife Trust. "If you care about the beaches in Norfolk and the wildlife that live on them, please stay away for the time being," he said. The new circle is slightly bigger than Seahenge and instead of a central upturned stump has two flattened logs. The central logs were first spotted last August by archaeologist John Lorimer. The surrounding ring appeared as winter storms shifted the sands. "As soon as I saw the ce tral posts - how they are - I knew we had another circle," he said. "It's nearly the same [as Seahenge], only bigger." The new circle features two central posts. The Seahenge timbers were removed, against some local people's wishes, and taken to the nearby Bronze Age research centre at Flag Fen. The structure, which was probably used for death rituals, was extensively studied under carefully controlled preservation conditions. Scientists, who combined a number of techniques including complex mathematics, were able to show that the wood for the henge came from trees felled in 2049 and 2050 BC. Now, with the investigations complete, Seahenge is likely to reburied. However, the same process of excavation and study will not be applied to the new circle. It will be left in place. "We do need to put this into context," said Brian Ayers. "When you have an exceptional feature like the original timber circle, you have to take exceptional measures. But the norm is to study things and monitor them." The original Seahe ge is likely to go back under ground.

I have posted a whole bunch on Seahenge - some of which came from a guy Liam is not all that crazy about - but he WAS thre and my only live source at the time. From Liam who is he was closer ..... well lucky he isn't! Thanks, Luv! Burial chamber reveals haunting sound of past John Burns NEWGRANGE, Ireland's world-renowned neolithic burial chamber, may have been used as a prehistoric "echo chamber" in religious ceremonies, according to two scientists who have discovered that the 5,000-year-old grave has the ability to alter sound. While the burial chamber was not designed for that purpose by our neolithic ancestors, they would have inevitably discovered the amazing acoustic effects in Newgrange and exploited them in religious ceremonies, the scientists say. Aaron Watson, an archeologist, and David Keating, an acoustic expert, carried out up to 10 hours of sound tests at Newgrange last month in conjunction with the BBC. The tests, including humming, bursting balloons, banging drums and playing "standing waves" to the stones, will be broadcast on a Radio 4 documentary next week. The University of Reading scientists have conducted similar tests at Stonehenge and other neolithic sites. "We had a loudspeaker making a humming tone and as you moved towards the sound, it got quieter. It was very unusual," said Keating. "However, if you moved away towards the side chambers, the sound got louder. Even with modern knowledge of acoustics, it is quite an eerie and odd effect." Keating believes neolithic priests or druids may have exploited this phenomenon in ceremonies. "If they were humming in the main chamber, and there was no visible evidence they were making that sound, someone could believe that the noise was coming from the side chambers where the bodies of the dead were buried," he said. "It is inevitable that priests or druids would have found this effect and exploited it, or it is possible they believed that when they made this noise they were bringing the dead to life." Keating believes the acoustic tricks may help explain how Newgrange was constructed by such a primitive society. It was built 500 years before the great pyramid of Giza and a millennium before Stonehenge. It was aligned with the winter solstice; only at dawn on December 21 each year does the sun's light pass through a 25cm opening above the entrance. Watson and Keating found a strange effect from beating drums in the chamber. Inside, the noise is very loud but outside, a listener only hears a distant drum. Stone Age Sound, the BBC documentary, will be broadcast on July 24 at 11am.

I know you posted on Seahenge ..so did I at the time! But what I posted about in 692 was a second monument discovered later 100 meters from Seahenge .. Also on the Brit Arch list someone asked if anyone had noticed a similarity between Seahenge and a 'stargate' ... I assume in jest ..but wondered if anyone had thoughts on it!

This is from my anthro listserve: For those who may not know, the CNN program - Science & Technology Week - occasionally has segments on matters of interest to archaeologists and anthropologists (and buffs). They recently had an item, with video footage, on the Upper Paleolithic engravings in the newly discovered cave in France. And I would expect to see something about the Temple of Ishtar discovery in Iraq, and about the Ardipithecus ramidus kaddaba discovery in Ethiopia, in the very near future. In the U.S. Eastern time zone the program airs at 13:30 on Saturday (your airtime may be different). If you set your VCR to record it you can scan through it later to see if it had any articles of personal interest to you each week.

More controversy!!! The cover story for the July 23, 2001 issue of Time Magazine is about the new Ardipithecus ramidus kadabba discovery, and Time Magazine has put this story on the web! http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101010723/cover.html

another 2 scraps of bone, another rash of theory!we have more in common with piggies and some viruses than we have with these "bones".Would the $1.7 million in grants have anything to dowith this research?

If the first I hear about it is on CNN it is highly suspect in my mind. Liam, that grant has everything to do with it, and you realize this irony. It must be a slow news day, as we say. Maggie, I had heard of the caves in France. I post a long list of new things covering all of Geo in 40 once a week. Most of these subjects have been covered in the links it contains. What I need to do is to reinstate my subscriptions that lapsed when I contemplated leaving Hilo. How incredibly foolish I was and you all my hurl invectives at the offender, though I suspect he will get his double - payback is you-know-what.

(For anyone who cares, it was not in this life - but it is well to remember. I am a bit older and a whole lot wiser now!)

OK ... no more from me ...that's why I used to email stuff ..off to my own corner

It is a good thing to post these and let everyone know the difficulties they pose when those of us who are not into archaeology - and we cannot all be up on everything going on in the world. Please put it out there - we do not discredit you - rather the hastily drawn conclusions of the writers. I cannot believe the archaeologists I know psersonally are so slipshod or hungry that they would rush to publish erroneous material. Maggie, you have such great sources, Please continue. I need you to do so. I cannot be on so many elists. I am already on more than I can handle comfortably in a 12 hour day! *HUGS*

Besides, we are not shooting the bearer of the news, just the news. Post away and let those who are well up on the subject toss roses or stones depending on what it deserves! Thanks, Maggie!

If you read what you posted you can see why I thought you were saying that you didn't want stuff posted here and I should check out on 40 first ....I just don't have time and I'm too stressed out at the moment to check out ... which lead me to over react to almost everything. If you're happy for me to post and sometimes get it wrong ..then OK. But the whole point of publishing is for people to come back at you .... *stir stir* That's why it terrifies me! Be gentle with me folks .. bad time just now ....early Sept looms near and still nowhere to live and I've yet to come to terms with the fact that I won't get finished on the PhD by the end of the year!

O dear. Maggie. That is a bit more than one small lady can deal with at one time. I was rather hoping you would graguate in December when a "friend" of mine gets his MSc in Geoarchaeology and plunges into his PhD. I rather fancied a photograph but I guess I will just have to imagine it, now. You neglected to mention amongst all of the above you are shortly to become mother of the bride. *Hugs* for success on all fronts! Post away, dear. We'll sort it out! Between you and the BBC you seem to have the most fascinating bits and pieces this side of Liam (across the Celtic Sea.)

Ok, Liam, post your piece you sent me to look over. I am working on the four good methods of dating prehistoric samples from Archaeological digs. Your points are so well taken, it surely deserves a wider audience than the tunnel-visioned club might give it. I can even think of a few archaeologists I know personally who might agree with you and one I am certain would not. He no longer matters, actually... It is the younger generation of archaeologists who are going to dare dispue the accepted norms. I know one who already has pointed out how woefully ill-equipped the old guard is to handle modern technological tools. They not only refuse to use it, they refuse to acknowledge its usefulness.

OBSIDIAN CLOCK Obsidian is the term for the material known as volcanic glass. Obsidian was a material of choice for prehistoric tool and weapon makers. Determining the age of these obsidian arrowheads, knives, and spear points left by our Mexican and Central American ancestors has always been a challenge for archaeologists. If you read The Obsidian Clock, ORNL method chips away barriers to dating prehistoric human artifacts at http://www.ornl.gov/reporter/no7/clock.htm you will learn how ORNL and University of Tennessee, Dept. of Anthropology Researchers have created the Obsidian Clock dating technique called ODDSIMS (Obsidian Diffusion Dating by SIMS (Secondary Ionization Mass Spectrometry)). The Obsidian Clock tools AKA ODDSIMS method is fully explain as to how and why it works, as well as the problems encountered in field use. It seems "some established chronological systems may go out the window if the ODDSIMS method continues to provide consistent and reproducible results." With more progress on this dating technique science may finally know exactly how long ago many ancient civilizations and cultures flourished. (This also works with flint. I have some lovely half nodules from a Salisbury Plain road fill rock pile. Freshly cleaved and showing all that nature allows)

Regarding the recent finds of the "oldest human" bits in Ethopia.I am coming to the conclusion that yet again the experts could be and probably are wrong.My research which is as always cross-disciplinary is shouting out that humans and apes did not split form each other but rather that they are different strains of developement from an earlier form.Like it or not we share over 90%(nearer 95% in some reports) of our genetic makeup with Viruses so the monkey bit is a side-road driven by those too idle to get onto the Highway and too scared of the oppinion of their "peers" to get their collective heads out of their butts".Out of Africa" is popular ,ok if you are studying apes but Human as in US PEOPLE types have developed in a crescent across from Spain to Japan on the current documentation and maybe even further when the real search starts.Prehensile thumb? So what?Remember that in some places on the web, and elsewhere, long winded and detailed articles were written about the Scythians? Have you read the rece t reports on excavations of Scythian sites showing the 2000 year disrepancy in the "expert" dating ? 25% error is not exactly scientific is it? And the exploration of Central Europe has only just started.Its no wonder that crap like the Valetta treaty is being foisted on to us,the Acedemics have had it so easy for so long that they can't cope with the exposure of their waste of funds and even more damning their waste of TIME.Serandipity has been a bigger source of information than all the PHds laid end to end.Maybe these people should take work as Interns with the US government and really get laid end to end!PS The inaccuracy of Carbon Dating has been in question for a while, I raised that point before but was ignored.Now, I know of 4 very good methods for dating prehistoric samples ,do you?

and that took FIVE attempts to post..if there is anything worse than an academic gobshite its a bloody ISP like Eircom, the Irish one. If i get cut off agiain tonight some one will DIE!!!

Please, Liam, not you! You simply cannot be the sacrifice to the cyber gods. Thanks for that magnificent post - I love it.

Hmmm ... actually a geophys archy is one reason not to graduate in dec!!! grin. No no twin photos. Actually I'm not too far off schedule .. had a a good supervisory session today ..feel a little happier ... but masses of edited material to plough through.... and I still have a video to produce!

Oh and er .. we were house hunting in Reading.

Oh no........*grin* I could be a neighbor...

Gas workers uncover Scottish Bronze Age cemetery online.ie 10 Jul 2001 Gas pipeline workers in Northern Scotland have uncovered a 3,500-year-old Bronze Age cremation cemetery. The find was made near Auchnagatt and includes 10 cremation urns and human bones. All the finds have been transferred from the site at Skilmafilly to Marischal Museum, Aberdeen, to be analysed. Aberdeenshire Council archaeologist Ian Shepherd said: "Latest advances in archaeology mean we will be able to analyse the ashes in the pots like never before. "Tiny crystallised fragments of DNA contained in the bone fragments can reveal all sorts about the person who died, including when they died, possibly their sex and whether they were in good health." Original article at: http://www.online.ie/news/viewer.adp?article=1401418

Things like this give me nightmares - especially the last sentence... Iron age discovery at road scheme Relics dating back 3,000 years have been unearthed during work on a new motorway near Birmingham. The discoveries were made by archaeologists working alongside the construction teams on the Birmingham Northern Relief Road (BNRR). Their finds have included Bronze Age charcoal mounds, an Iron Age settlement and a Roman farmstead. The Iron Age discovery, near Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, is the first of its kind in the area. Work continues All removable items are being taken away allowing work on the 27-mile-toll road to continue. They will eventually be displayed in museums. Previous discoveries along the route of the BNRR have included a medieval fishpond at Wishaw, Warwickshire, and a Roman burial ground containing 50 cremations at Wall, Staffordshire. Major discovery Dr Mike Hodder, planning archaeologist for Birmingham City Council, described the finds as a "major discovery". He said there had been previously been strong evidence of Bronze Age settlement in the area. But little had been known about the Iron Age. Dr Hodder told BBC WM: ""These are very important new discoveries of Birmingham's very earliest period of history. "Myself and the local archeologist agreed the archeology would be managed as part of the road construction. " The excavations started a few months ago". http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1437000/1437374.stm

NBC News had a good vignette last night about the guy who inspired the archeaologist in Jurassic Park, you know, Sam Neill's role.

Yes, and on something I was watching they switched between the film character and the actual excavation being carried out by the Palenontologist. I found it fascinating!

Maggie, I hope that you're doing well and that the househunting has improved. Thanks for posting the Time magazine article. Of course, there will always be debates in paleoarchaeolgy.

Here we go gathering nuts in may

*Hugs* How delightful to have the Horrible one back amongst us. Did you fall into your keg of rice beer or did the night patrol find you out when you were flipping your Joe Cocker CD? Liam, luv, there will always be nuts amongst us. Without them we would not have forests nor squirrels. I just wondered about nuthatches. What actually do they hatch out of those nuts?

The Sam Neill character in the "Jurassic Park" movies is either based on Robert Bakker or Jack Horner. I think it might be Bakker, but I'm not sure.

(What a pity ... I'm back down from Scotland by 18th August or I'd go to this ....) Still I thought you'd find it interesting. Invitation: FROM SCRIBE TO SCANNER; COMPUTERS, IMAGES AND ANCIENT DOCUMENTS 1-4pm Monday, 3 September 2001 C305 Joseph Black Building, University of Glasgow Digital detective work is breaking new ground in deciphering ancient stone inscriptions and writing tablets. A team of classicists and engineers have been brought together by the British Academy and the Hunterian Museum to give live demonstrations of their imaging techniques. Techniques such as 3D active imaging using projected laser light could have a huge impact for historians trying to understand ancient artefacts. But the benefits do not end there. The team have developed an imaging technique to help read stilus tablets and a variant to some of their analysis has proved to be of value for analysing mammogram images for early detection of breast cancer The presentation is part of the British Association�s 2001 Festival of Science. The event will be followed by a tour of Glasgow University�s Hunterian Museum and a reception to which all members of the audience are invited. Presentation team: Dr Alan Bowman FBA Centre for the Study of Ancient Documents, Oxford University Professor Mike Brady FRS FREng Dept of Engineering Science, Oxford University Dr Charles Crowther Centre for the Study of Ancient Documents, Oxford University Professor Lawrence Keppie Hunterian Museum, Glasgow University Professor Andrew Wallace Dept of Computing & Electrical Engineering, Heriot- Watt University The event will appeal to anybody with an interest in archaeology or science, whether an expert or novice. Attendance is free but it is essential to register in advance. For further details: Jonathan Breckon The British Academy Tel: 020 7969 5263 Email: jbreckon@britac.ac.uk

Great groans of anguish accompany this response to your post regarding archaeological sleuthing. Thanks for sharing it - I wish at least one of us could go and report back!

from Liam. We finally won a round for ancient monument preservation ! Ancient stones block by-pass - and will THREE ancient standing stones which lie in the path of the �140m Waterford by-pass road are holding up the administration of a South Kilkenny woman's last will and the sale of her house and seven acres of land. The status of the standing stones was the subject of an objection against confirmation of a CPO at an oral hearing by Bord Pleanala in Waterford yesterday. more... http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=487876&issue_id=5006

Step forward for Acropolis museum An international committee which will decide the winner of the competition for the new, 50-billion-drachma Acropolis museum was set up yesterday. The museum, originally planned by the government to be ready before the 2004 Athens Olympics, will be built in the former gendarmerie barracks in Makriyianni, under the Acropolis. The deadline for submission of projects is August 10. The 13-member committee, presided over by distinguished archaeologist and former Socialist MP Dimitris Pantermalis, has an international flavor with six members from Germany, Great Britain, Australia, Italy and Spain. They include noted Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, who has already been commissioned for two Olympics-related projects. The jury's composition and setup was made public a year after former Culture Minister Theodoros Pangalos announced that competitors were to submit their plans by October 2000 and that a committee was to decide the winner by the end of November. Pangalos's dismissal last November delayed decision making considerably. This is the second competition for the museum. The first, in 1989, had been awarded to Italy's Manfredi Nicoletti and Lucio Passarelli but was canceled due to the discovery of antiquities on the site. The new design must incorporate the finds. http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=94415

Tombs Found in Mongolia Might Hold Genghis Khan By Andrew Stern CHICAGO (Reuters) - A team searching for Genghis Khan's elusive grave site said on Thursday it has discovered a walled burial ground 200 miles northeast of the Mongolian capital that may contain the 13th century conqueror's remains along with priceless artifacts. "It is an exciting discovery because it's located near where some other important events occurred in Khan's life," said University of Chicago history professor John Woods, who directed the summertime expedition organized by former Chicago commodities trader and lawyer Maury Kravitz, an amateur explorer who has studied Khan for 40 years. more... http://reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=sciencenews&StoryID=161415#

East-West Exchange Starts 5,000 Years Ago: Experts BEIJING, Aug 7, 2001 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- More than a dozen heads of maces dating back to between 3,000 and 5,000 years ago, extremely similar to those used by kings of ancient Egypt, were recently unearthed in northwest China. "The findings indicate that the contact between east and west civilizations began as early as the prehistoric period," said Li Shuicheng, a professor from the archaeological department of Beijing University. Previously, historical documents and archaeological discoveries have shown that east and west cultural exchanges started from the Qin and Han dynasties over 2,000 years ago. The new discovery greatly pushes back that date. http://library.northernlight.com/FB20010807550000160.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc

Hi Marcia, Around 3000 BC, people lived in settlements complete with streets, squares and mud-brick houses centered around a large palace-like structure which belonged to the tribal leader. The most complete Neolithic settlements in Greece are in DIMINI (inhabited from 4000 to 1200 BC) and in SESKLO, both about 5 km west of the city of Volos. John

John, you are absolutely enchanting to me. You have everything wonderful near to you so I might search for it and post what I discover by digging on the net. I knew Greece had lovely things - we are still building things looking like the Parthenon all over the world! I just did not realize how close to you were visible antiquities. I suspect ever cm of Greece is somehow holy ground for the archaeologically inclined. One day in some lifetime, I will see it with my own eyes. Thank you... and so much more!

I was searching for your ancient volcano and found Dimini - they must be close to one another. I did find several sites - in Greek, and one in Czech. I am going to have to learn many languages in my quest for things Ancient and Volcanic in Greece. The Museum in Volos must be a wonderful expereince. I can get lost in Museums for the longest time and not ever feel alone. History Magnesia was among the first areas in Greece to be inhabited. Archaeologists have brought to light Mesolithic finds from the Sarakinos cave, Neolithic settlements such as Dimini and Sesklo, as well as forgotten Mycenean cities that played an important role during the Bronze Age. All these discoveries prove that distinguished cities were found in the district around present day Volos and that they reached their peak during the Mycenean era. Among them there was the legendary Iolkos, capital of Mycenean Thessaly and site of today�s Volos. More plus pictures... http://www.travel-pelion.gr/makrinitsa/magnesia/magnesia_history_gb.htm

================================================================ AFRICA, EUROPE, AND ASIA ================================================================ The Egyptian State Information Service reports on the discovery of a plaque for Thutmose IV: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html4/o230821k.htm A brief item in the same source gives an idea of who's digging where ...: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html4/o200821a.htm ... and something on the ancient Egyptians' etiquette: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html4/o210821n.htm The Star Tribune has a report on a lecture series "The Archaeology of Ancient Israel" recently hosted by the LA Museum of Ancient Art: http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/643796.html HumanOasis has a brief item on the excavations at Nemea, where the ancient hippodrome has been discovered: http://www.humanoasis.com/Feature%20Stories/082301-Tracks%20of%20Ancient%20Athletes.html A "spectacular" pre-Greek-influence Scythian mound has been discovered: http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=7174 The Times has a report on what Mount Caburn (in East Sussex) might really have been used for: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,61-2001290444,00.html I don't know what readers will make of this, Space.com has a news item on the use of satellite technology to find Noah's Ark (there's a link there as well to similar technology being used to find Amelia Earhart's plane): http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/planetearth/noahs_ark_010823-1.html A study of bones suggests that medieval Britons who lived in villages were actually better off health-wise than their country cousins: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4244639,00.html The mystery of the location of William Wallace's Stirling bridge might not be a mystery for long: http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/08/26/stiscosco02013.html http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/shtml/NEWS/P40S4.shtml This should be a followup, but it's getting renewed attention ... back in May we drew your attention to the discovery of stained glass which might be associated with Lady Godiva: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-2001292274,00.html The BBC has a feature on Lady Godiva herself: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/in_depth/uk/2000/newsmakers/newsid_1507000/1507606.stm http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2001/08/23/ngodi23.xml http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-2001292274,00.html Discovery.com (and others) have an interesting report on the 'rescue' of a Venetian island and two 700-year-old ships: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20010820/venice.html http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99991182 http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010821/wl/italy_submerged_island_1.html Xinhua (via Northern Light) reports on the discovery of a HUGE Han Dynasty coin hoard: http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010823370000028.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc ================================================================ THE AMERICAS ================================================================ It's deja vu all over again (8^)) ... the discovery of aboriginal remains have put a halt to development of some prime Miami real estate: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010823/ts/miami_ruins_1.html http://www.usatoday.com/news/healthscience/science/anthro/2001-08-24-ancient-miami.htm http://www.bergen.com/morenews/grave24200108247.htm http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0108240313aug24.story http://www.archaeology.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?page=0109/newsbriefs/miami [can't resist this one] The National Post reports on some stone circles in southern Alberta which didn't quite pan out: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/national/story.html?f=/stories/20010825/666889.html OSU Research has a nice article on the fate of Mayan scribes who toiled for defeated kings: http://www.osu.edu/researchnews/archive/mayans.htm The first extensive archaeological survey of the South Puget Sound area is bearing fruit: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/134331862_squaxin21m.html The Tampa Tribune reports on the discovery of a tool-making site: http://www.tampatrib.com/News/MGAFV14KSQC.html A 17th century tobacco-manufacturing factory has been discovered in Providence (Maryland): http://sunspot.net/news/local/annearundel/bal-ar.digs24aug24.story?coll=bal%2Dlocal%2Dheadlines A dig in Idaho has failed to come up with evidence for the Ward Massacre of 1854: http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=347&NewsID=164731&CategoryID=2143&show=localnews&om=2 More light is being shed on Annapolis' historical African-American community: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=2242736&BRD=2101&PAG=461&dept_id=392169&rfi=6 Nasa has put up some new images of the Nazca lines: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=5103 ================================================================ ON THE NEWSSTANDS ================================================================ Archaeology Magazine has a new look and new online content, including a guide to Nero's Domus Aurea: http://www.archaeology.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?page=pdfs/nero/index and abstracts of items in the current print issue on mummies, Israel Finkelstein's work, and other things: http://www.archaeology.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?page=curiss/index Speaking of Archaeology magazine, if you haven't checked out their ongoing coverage of the Anglo-American Project in Pompeii's dig this summer, it's worth a look: http://www.archaeology.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?page=online/features/pompeii/index Archaeology Today has some new online content, including a piece on tool use by early hominids: http://www.archaeologytoday.net/web%20articles/081401-Tools,%20Termites%20and%20Hominids.htm ... and some items stemming from the analysis of Oetzi's stomach contents: http://www.archaeologytoday.net/web%20articles/081401-otzi.htm Egypt Revealed has a feature on mapping Egyptian sites: http://www.egyptrevealed.com/081501-mapping%20egypt.htm ================================================================ ON THE WEB ================================================================ The Whitehall Farm Roman Villa project has its latest field reports online: http://www.whitehallvilla.co.uk/ ================================================================ AT ABOUT.COM ================================================================ Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill's latest is a review of Karen Essex's *Kleopatra*: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa082801a.htm ================================================================ REVIEWS ================================================================ The Bible and Interpretation site has a review of K. Armstrong, *Jerusalem*: http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/Jerusalem_OneCity.htm Athens News has a reviews of the "Oxford Archaeological Guide to Greece": http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12924&m=A38&aa=2&eidos=S CAA has a review of Katherine Dunbabin's *Mosaics in the Greek and Roman World*: http://www.caareviews.org/reviews/dunbabin.html ================================================================ CLASSICIST'S CORNER ================================================================ A pair of reviews of Medea at Epidavros: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=96763 http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12924&m=A39&aa=1&eidos=S ... and Seven Against Thebes, with some commentary on relevance: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=96243 Mike DiMaio's De Imperatoribus Romanis site is getting media attention: http://24hour.modbee.com/24hour/technology/story/684117p-745269c.html Peter Jones in the Spectator: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/in_depth/uk/2000/newsmakers/newsid_1507000/1507606.stm Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html U.S. Weather in Latin: http://latin.wunderground.com/ ================================================================ OBITUARIES ================================================================ E.T. Hall: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/21/obituaries/21HALL.html http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,60-2001292239,00.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4241884,00.html Julian Pitt-Rivers: http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=90490 ================================================================ FOLLOWUPS ================================================================ Elgin Marbles (yes, there is something new): http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12924&m=A35&aa=1&eidos=S Genghis Khan: http://www.csmonitor.com/2001/0823/p14s2-stgn.html http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/08/0820_wiregenghis.html Queen Anne's Revenge: http://www.charlotte.com/observer/local/pub/blackbeard0825.htm Temple Mount: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,285-2001292015,00.html http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/w-me/2001/aug/20/082009211.html ================================================================ ALIA One I missed: the New York Times had a brief item on why the Dog Days of summer are so named: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/10/science/space/12SKYWATCH.html ================================================================ EXPLORATOR is a weekly newsletter representing the fruits of the labours of 'media research division' of The Atrium. Various on-line newsand magazinesources are scoured for news of the ancient world (broadlyconstrued: practically anything relating to archaeology orhistory priorto about 1700 or so is fair game) and every Sunday they aredelivered to yourmailbox free of charge! ================================================================

Archaeologist Uses Air Force Robot By ERIN EVERETT, Associated Press Writer HELENA, Mont. (AP) - When Meriwether Lewis first pushed his ``great experiment'' into the Missouri River near present-day Great Falls in 1805, he surely beamed. ``She lay like a cork,'' he wrote in his journal. But the iron-framed boat that Lewis designed floated only for a moment before it leaked and sank, taking with it his high spirits. ``The circumstance mortified me not a little,'' he wrote. Lewis and expedition co-commander William Clark gave the boat a proper burial in a field near the river's great falls. It was never mentioned again. But now, archaeologist Ken Karsmizki intends to find it. Karsmizki, of the Columbia Gorge Discovery (news - web sites) Center in The Dalles, Ore., has enlisted the help of an Air Force robot equipped with a giant metal detector, and will set out the second week of September to find the boat he believes is still buried. The boat, dubbed by some ``the holy grail of the exploration,'' would solve a brainteaser for archaeologists and historians if it is found. ``What we would learn that nobody knows is exactly what that thing looked like - the engineering,'' Karsmizki said. ``What was it that they had imagined and then constructed?'' The journals say Lewis designed the frame, which was fabricated by Harper's Ferry arsenal in West Virginia. The expedition carried the 220-pound frame to the great falls, and assembled it at the explorers' White Bear Island camp. The frame came in 10 sections, so it could be adjusted depending on the availability of materials for covering it. Fully assembled, the government vessel was 36 feet long, 21/2 feet deep and 41/2 feet wide. The frame was covered with elk and buffalo hides and sealed with a mixture of beeswax, animal fat and charcoal. more... http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010826/sc/exp_buried_boat_1.html

This is a bit of a wonder for me who has stood in the same place and looked 360� to admire Avebury. Take a look and at the second one in Wales, as well. http://www.henge.org.uk/wiltshire/aveburypano.html http://www.henge.org.uk/dyfed/gorsfawrpano.html

This article in infuriates me. Go be crazy and chase after UGFS's but leave our antiquities alone! Alien seekers damage Stone Age mound Silbury Hill: Sacred place or waste tip Trespassing UFO hunters have climbed into Silbury Hill in Wiltshire, UK, damaging the biggest man-made Neolithic mound in Europe. English Heritage closed the 4,000-year-old mound to the public after an 18th Century mining shaft opened up in the summit in May last year. The alien hunters broke into the site under cover of darkness soon after the hole was discovered. Evidence of the trespass has only come to light now, after a video of the foray was included in a documentary film. More... http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1511000/1511448.stm

================================================================ AFRICA, EUROPE, AND ASIA ================================================================ The New York Times (and others) have an item on the alignment of the pyramids: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/28/science/social/28PYRA.html There appears to be controversy over a Turkish excavation of Salamis (Cyprus): http://library.northernlight.com/FB20010831720000173.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc The New York Times has a travel feature on Minorca, which has a good overview of the archaeological history of the Balearics: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/26/travel/MINOR.html The Aftenposten has a piece (in Norwegian) on the discovery of a strange arrangement of human skulls: http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/article.jhtml?articleID=183210 DNA analysis is shedding more light on when Central Asia was populated post-out-of-Africa: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1502000/1502189.stm The Roman villa at Chedworth (Cheltenham) has revealed the skeleton of an infant: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_386332.html http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-2001302658,00.html MSNBC has an interesting item on recent excavations/research at the Colosseum: http://www.msnbc.com/news/622857.asp Kyodo News has a report on the discovery of an almost complete 7500 year-old skeleton in China: http://home.kyodo.co.jp/all/display.jsp?an=20010828073 Here's one I missed: China Daily reports on the discovery of a large number of ancient mace heads in Northwest China: http://www1.chinadaily.com.cn/news/cn/2001-08-13/26240.html People's Daily has a report on the discovery of some very ancient (pre?) writing: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200108/31/eng20010831_78972.html The Ancient capital of the Dian kingdom might have been found: http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=31&si=504600&issue_id=5190 http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-2001302980,00.html The Buddhas of Angkor Wat are under threat from looting: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/08/0828_angkorbuddhas.html The British Museum has plans to make its ca. 4 million objects in storage more available to the public: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,542811,00.html Iraq is seeking the return of a number of artifacts in European museums: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=1403503408 A little out of the regular time period covered by this newsletter, but folks might be interested that an expedition has been launched to find the remains of Amelia Earhart: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/reu/20010827/amelia.html http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/08/0828_wireamelia1.html Not quite sure how to classify this one: the Independent has a piece called 'Beirut Stories' which focuses on a diving school in Beirut but which has some interesting info on underwater sites unexplored and/or lost (I think): http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=91833 The same newspaper reports on the recreation of neolithic dung- flavoured ale: http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=91895 ================================================================ THE AMERICAS =============================================================== The TimesDaily has a report on an ongoing dig into a mound in Shiloh (Tennessee) National Military Park: http://www.timesdaily.com/news/stories/8110newsstories.html A pre-Columbian temple has possibly been found on a Mexican mountain top: http://www.news24.co.za/News24/Technology/Science_Nature/0,1113,2-13-46_1072796,00.html A Hohokam site in Phoenix is about to be bulldozed by a gravel mining company: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/breaking/0830ruins30.html The Concord Monitor reports on the threats to an Abenaki site hear Holderness: http://www.concordmonitor.com/stories/front0400/abenaki_site_clash.shtml http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/Main.asp?SectionID=25&SubSectionID=378&ArticleID=38991 A two-year rescue dig near Townsend, Tennessee is winding down: http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/01/08/08189011.shtml?Element_ID=8189011 The Las Vegas Sun has a feature on archaeological theft: http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/lv-other/2001/aug/31/512293814.html

What is possibly the oldest fortified settlement in the Aegean has been discovered on the island of Andros: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?aid=98628 AthensNews has a piece on the history of the excavations at Troy (I believe this was in the Times of London previously): http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12926&m=A24&aa=1&eidos=S Assorted Iron Age boats found near Fiskerton (UK) are being excavated: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-2001305231,00.html A Hellenistic site has been discovered near the Pakistan/Afghanistan border: http://www.dawn.com/2001/09/07/nat17.htm Chinese archaeologists have excavated (maybe) some 2000-year-old wine: http://www.hindustantimes.com/nonfram/020901/dtLFOR43.asp It would appear that Greek museums and sites still suffer from the problems they have suffered from for many years: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=98610

A midden along the Withlacoochee river is proving to be a rich source of animal remains (as opposed to fish and shellfish): http://www.sptimes.com/News/090601/Citrus/Mound_is_fresh_snapsh.shtml The Miami Herald has a piece on the search for Pelikalaha: http://www.miami.com/herald/content/news/local/florida/digdocs/006615.htm A vague report of the discovery of a 2000-year-old skeleton on Vancouver Island: http://www.spokesmanreview.com/news-story.asp?date=090201&ID=s1017641&cat=section.regional A unique burial site has been found in Boteourt County (Virginia): http://info.timesdispatch.com/printversion.cgi?url=http%3A//www.timesdispatch.com/vametro/MGB8YOWT9RC.html&oaspagename=printthispage A gold-rush-era ship has been discovered in San Francisco's financial district: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2001/09/08/MN214923.DTL http://www.modbee.com/24hour/nation/story/788958p-849702c.html http://www.nando.com/nation/story/75251p-1058850c.html

Not sure where to put this but it somehow is important: Athens bailiffs seek SS atrocity reparations FROM ROGER BOYES IN BERLIN BAILIFFS in Athens will take over some of Germany�s most important cultural offices in the Greek capital next week and attempt to auction them off in order to compensate the victims of an SS massacre. This extraordinary development, the result of a Greek court ruling on Tuesday, could open a new round of international wrangling about how to settle wartime crimes. Germany�s Goethe Institute � the equivalent of the British Council � is a prime piece of property only a few minutes walk from the Greek Parliament and situated at the very hub of Athens. Other buildings due to be impounded include the German Archaeological Institute and the German School � all owned by the German Government, which is being sued for �18 million by villagers of the mountain community of Distomon. There, not far from the ancient site of Delphi, SS tank grenadiers ran amok on June 10, 1944, slaughtering 218 civilians, including old women and babies. The skulls of the victims have been preserved in the village and are regarded as a shrine to Greek suffering at the hands of the Germans. A Greek court in Livadia awarded the survivors �18 million against the German Government in 1997, but Germany has not paid up, arguing that a state-to-state compensation payment of DM115 million (�37 million at today�s exchange rates) paid to Athens in 1960 covered all outstanding claims. more... http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-2001310153,00.html

Prehistoric People Cared for Kin, Study Shows WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Early humans were willing to lend a helping hand -- or at least some mushy deer meat -- to assist elderly and incapacitated members of their clans, tens of thousand of years earlier than previously believed, scientists said on Monday more... http://reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=sciencenews&StoryID=209944

Sounds tasty...mushy deer meat. I guess it beats starving!

From Horrible_Horace http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/archaeologyireland Taking a look at the Archaeology of archaeology,your most excellent and exalted founder has become a little disgruntled.( OK so I am a crankey bastard at times .so what??) I am forming an enlighten impression that this whole darned subject started out life as an excuse for rich sods to have an excuse to travell abroad.hence all the out of Africa and such nonsense. These early Archys were a sorry lot for the most part,failing to even get a job running a plantation or embassy in Basutoland or wherever.That was the fate of the more stupid offspring of the arisotocracy jes a little while back.Now this idle bunch were hardly going to go to Siberia or the relative comfort of Bandar Abbas and fearing the tendancy of the Turks to sodomise tourists off they trotted to the dark continent instead. Once there they found Egypt a little full,what with Huns and Frogs and other continentals,so onwards to the sandy bits,the jungles being full of natives and animals." Ah " they said "this is our bit " and then they found somes bones which they made some informed decisions on and declared them to be very old indeed.After a while some more of them arrived and found more bones which they declared to be even older..and so on.This process continues as we speak(so to speak) In more modern times in Ireland and I'm sure elsewhere also as well ,the shortage of Aristos opened up the subject to those who failed to qualify for Medicine and Engineering and other difficult subjects and so instead of being a bit of fun for the Gentry it became a serious subject of study for the lesser gifted ,who spent many hours in debate,arriving at decisions which are now being shamefully scorned by the new race of young Archys using scientific tools .Tools which the old brigade depise because their cosy sinecure is threatened,as the utter crap they espouse is debunked daily. Most of the excavations recently seem to have taken longer than the origional construction of the site,due allowance being made for scientific study. So where do we go from here?All the new finds that I knowoff have been made by accident or amateurs.Yet the full rigours of the law designed to protect monuments will be misused to hound any field walker lucky enough to make a find,and silly enough to announce the find in earshot of the Holy People of Archy.Its enough to make you spit

You are right, Liam. As I told you on your home turf at Yahoo, I am reading a book recommended to me by a practicing archaeologist who works for the US Gov't saving as much of our heritage from freeways as possible. "TUTANKHAMUN, The Untold Story" by Tomas Hoving. Liam is right. Give it a look!

A 2,000 year old manuscript of the Torah (maybe) has been found in the UAE: http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=26492 The theatre at Aspendos -- or rather, the concerts being held there -- are causing much concern amongst archaeologists: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7409-2001Sep11.html The tomb of Alexander the Great's grandmother (Eurydice) was broken into and robbed some time this summer: http://news.excite.com/news/r/010912/13/odd-antiquities-dc http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?aid=99363 http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-2001314555,00.html http://us.news2.yimg.com/f/42/31/7m/dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010912/od/antiquities_dc_1.html A bronze age canoe has been found in Scotland: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-2001313884,00.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=V1kmwZlx&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/9/13/ecncano13.html An ancient cave temple has been found in India: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_394521.html?menu= Researchers have found the fault line which caused a massive earthquake in plague-ridden 1356 Europe: http://www.msnbc.com/news/628398.asp The Middle English Lexicon Project has been brought to an ende: http://www.sltrib.com/09162001/nation_w/132626.htm

From Liam - with great thanks! Trust plans to restore copper-miners' winch Copper mining and the Allihies area of west Cork have been synonymous for thousands of years. The Illustrated Archaeology of Ireland records that radiocarbon dating of the Mount Gabriel Mine on the Mizen Peninsula suggested it was being worked between 1700 and 1500 BC, making it the oldest copper mine in north-west Europe. More recently, the copper mine above the village of Allihies was worked up to 1880 when it closed. The local copper miners then emigrated with their skills to the mines of Michigan and Butte, Montana, where their presence and influence has been well documented. In Allihies, they left behind what is known as a man engine house, basically a sophisticated winch with steps which allowed miners to travel 2,000 feet down into the bowels of the mine and back up again after their shift was over. The Cornish-designed winch was a big improvement, even if working conditions were still barbarous. Now the Mine Heritage Trust of Ireland wants to restore and preserve the man engine house for posterity. Mr John Morris of the trust says that plans to begin the project were stymied by the foot-and-mouth scare when members were unable to travel to Allihies to begin surveying the mine which is on land that has passed into commonage used by sheep farmers. There is nothing in Ireland like this man engine house, he says; it is one of only 20 in the world and the best example extant. A grant from the Heritage Council to facilitate the work, was unable to be taken up because of the foot-and-mouth restrictions but it is hoped this will become available again. Cork County Council will also provide funds. Today Mr Morris will travel to Allihies to begin the trust's work afresh now that the allclear has been given. ireland.com - The Irish Times - IRELAND

Tuscany's Excalibur is the real thing, say scientists Rory Carroll in Rome - The Observer The sword of St Galgano, said to have been plunged into a rock by a medieval Tuscan knight, has been authenticated, bolstering Italy's version of the Excalibur legend. Galgano Guidotti, a noble from Chiusdano, near Siena, allegedly split the stone with his sword in 1180 after renouncing war to become a hermit. For centuries the sword was assumed to be a fake. but research revealed last week has dated its metal to the twelfth century. Only the hilt, wooden grip and a few inches of the 3ft blade poke from the hill, which still draws pilgrims and tourists to the ruins of the chapel built around it. 'Dating metal is a very difficult task, but we can say that the composition of the metal and the style are compatible with the era of the legend,' said Luigi Garlaschelli, of the University of Pavia. 'We have succeeded in refuting those who maintain that it is a recent fake.' Ground-penetrating radar analysis revealed that beneath the sword there is a cavity, 2m by 1m, which is thought to be a burial recess, possibly containing the knight's body. 'To know more we have to excavate,' said Garlaschelli, whose findings have been published in Focus magazine. Carbon-dating confirmed that two mummified hands in the same chapel at Montesiepi were also from the twelfth century. Legend has it that anyone who tried to remove the sword had their arms ripped out. In English legend the sword Excalibur is pulled from a stone by the future King Arthur, heralding his glory. In Galgano's case the miracle signified humility and holiness. The son of an illiterate feudal lord, Galgano had a reputation for arrogance and selfishness. After a vision of the Archangel Michael, however, he retired to a cave to become a hermit. Lured out by his family he was thrown by his horse while passing Montesiepi, a hill near Chiusdano, where another vision told him to renounce material things. Galgano objected that that would be as difficult as splitting a rock and to prove his point he struck one with his sword. The rock, it is said, yielded like butter.

Stalagmites in Caves Show History By PAUL RECER, AP Science Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Stalagmites created over thousands of years in New Mexico caves preserve a rainfall climate record of the arid Southwest and help explain why ancient Americans fled the high, dry mountains and settled in river valleys some 700 years ago, researchers say. Victor J. Polyak of the University of New Mexico said that two-foot-long stalagmites taken from Carlsbad Caverns and from two other caves contain mineral deposition rings that correspond to levels of precipitation in the region. Polyak, first author of a study appearing Friday in the journal Science, said the rings formed in the stone by the slow dripping of mineral-rich water are similar to growth rings found in tree trunks. more...http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20011005/sc/stalagmites_climate_2.html

How to mess with an archaeologist's head: excavations of a 17th century shipwreck have also turned up a possibly paleolithic hand axe: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_411508.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery The Guardian (et al) has a piece on the mystery of why Britons appear to have disappeared from the archaeological record for 100,000 years or so: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,558200,00.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1565000/1565002.stm http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-2001332868,00.html Sewage construction has revealed a bronze age site in Limerick: http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2001/0928/hom6.htm Also in Ireland, housing construction has revealed a number of tunnels in Cork: http://www.unison.ie/corkman/stories.php3?ca=34&si=516836&issue_id=5310 Al-Ahram has a feature on what's being done to Menkaure's pyramid: http://www.ahram.org.eg/weekly/2001/552/tr2.htm There are plans for a new museum of antiquities near Giza: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html4/o260921o.htm Here's some interesting noggin fodder: Greece recently passed a law which requires archaeologists to publish within a certain time frame or lose their right to direct excavations: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?aid=100849 The Roman camp at Carnuntum (Austria) has been located using ground-penetrating radar: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010923/sc/austria_roman_ruins_1.html The Times (et al) reports on the discovery of a pair of Roman-era water lifting machines in London: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-2001333960,00.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/england/newsid_1564000/1564325.stm http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99991343 The AP wire has a feature on a mini-sub called the Thetis which will prove useful in underwater archaeology situations: http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/science/09/24/archaeology.sub.ap/index.html http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010923/sc/exp_archaeology_by_sub_1.html In China, archaeologists report the discovery of a number of carts and the remains of draught animals dating to the Zhou dynasty: http://library.northernlight.com/FB20010926450000146.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc This should be a followup, but since it happened so long ago ... the extent of Shinichi Fujimura's 'salting' of paleolithic sites in Japan is becoming very clear: http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20010929p2a00m0fp009001c.html http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_411388.html?menu=news.quirkies http://home.kyodo.co.jp/all/firstp.jsp?news=technology&an=#20010929134

Congratulations to Stephen on his MSc in Geoarchaeology

Iraqi Archaeologists Find Ancient Temple to Ishtar Last Updated: October 21, 2001 03:00 PM ET BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi archaeologists in a new find have uncovered a temple dedicated to the goddess Ishtar at the ancient city of Babylon, 56 miles south of Baghdad, the weekly Tikrit newspaper reported Sunday. "Cuneiform inscriptions on the 25 artifacts found at the temple indicate that the building dates back to the old Babylonian era, and to the reign of King Hammurabi (179-1750 BC) in particular," Tikrit quoted a source at the Antiquities and Heritage Department as saying. Ishtar was the goddess of love in Babylonia and Assyria. Under various names, the cult of the mother goddess was universal in the ancient Near East. Tikrit reported that excavation teams had also discovered a house with an open courtyard, a number of rooms and graves inside the house in the temple area. "Artifacts included a relief on a clay tablet of a woman breast-feeding her child, the first ever to be found," it quoted the source as saying. The excavations also yielded a number of jars, clay tablets, seals used at that time, and toys. A well and two canals used to carry water to the temple and the houses and clay basins to collect water were uncovered.

Some Neolithic art has been discovered on the Greek island of Andros: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011018/wl/greece_neolithic_dc_1.html Cyprus Mail has a brief item on the discovery of some Bronze Age tombs: http://www.cyprus-mail.com/October/13/news4.htm Bronze Age tombs have also been discovered at Ras al Khaimah: http://www.gulfnews.com/Articles/people-places.asp?ArticleID=29286 AlphaGalileo has a press release on recent research into the Maykop people: http://www.alphagalileo.org/ReadNotice.cfm?releaseid=7604 A Hellentistic/Roman era settlement has been discovered near Ioannina: http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12932&m=A10&aa=5&eidos=S

A Gallic Stonehenge may be a vital link in evolution Sanjida O'Connell Guardian Thursday October 18, 2001 In Saint-Just, a village in central Brittany, is one of the largest collections of neolithic monuments in northern France. Giant quartz blocks straggle across the hillside, some weighing up to 30 tons, many brought from the surrounding region. A Gallic equivalent of Stonehenge, archaeologist Dr Chris Scarre believes the monuments were built when people changed from being hunter-gatherers to farmers and that such buildings were indicative that people's world views changed as they began to farm. Scarre, the deputy director of the McDonald Institute at Cambridge University, has been studying settlements in northern France for 20 years. Genetic studies have tried to decipher whether Europe's population descends from the first wave of colonists that arrived as the ice age receded, or whether later settlers are the ancestors of modern Europeans. The spread of these settlers could be linked to the spread of farming. "Archaeology has always suggested that there are large areas of Europe where people were hunting and gathering but began farming," says Scarre. His studies indicate that small-scale farming took place here, but it was another two to three hundred years before farming became widespread. Ultimately these settlers inspired a radical new way to view the landscape. "Hunters and gatherers in Europe don't build much in the way of physical structures," says Scarre, "yet from the beginning of farming in Western Europe you get these massive monuments." Neither was it a case of having sufficient numbers of people or resources, argues Scarre. "It's a question of wanting to. Suddenly they look at the world in a different way and they start to build these monuments. They pick up all sorts of resonances between monuments and landscapes." Scarre argues that people began relating to the landscape in a particular way, almost copying it. He gives the example of an alignment on Gree de Cojoux, a hill in Saint-Just where there are three rows of stones. Two run east-west, the third is at a right angle and consists of five massive quartz blocks in a line 25 metres long along a naturally rocky outcrop. "The row of standing stones appears to be aligned on a natural rock formation, blending the cultural and natural," says Scarre. Burial tombs at Saint Just were made from the local schist, but the stone alignments were solid quartz, the same kind that runs in thin veins through the rocky outcrops. Scarre believes the people, by carrying chunks of quartz from the surrounding valley, were "trying to unlock something they thought was in the land already." More... http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4279520,00.html

The remains of a medieval village have been found near Somerset: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/england/newsid_1599000/1599898.stm There are plans in the works to excavate London's Rose Theatre: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/england/newsid_1597000/1597821.stm

As much as I appreciate museums and would be content to be lost forever in the British Museum, here is the flip side of this issue: A pile of antiquities from various periods has been found buried in the yard of a holiday home in Greece: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=103897 http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_424334.html http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12932&m=A10&aa=0&eidos=S Another case from Greece: http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12932&m=A10&aa=7&eidos=S The British Museum has returned a stolen Egyptian statue to the Sudan: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1600000/1600389.stm http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-2001355635,00.html

The Descendents Of Horsewomen Buried Only Men The archaeological expedition of Volgograd State University has for ten years been working at the South of the Volgograd region. Here, in the near-Volga-river steppes, there are hundreds of burial-mounds made by nomadic tribes. The scientists are working along the river Aksay (the left tributary to the Don river); this region is very rich with artifacts. Nomadic life did not stop for several thousand years here. The wide Aksay flood-lands with lush steppe vegetation attracted ancient Eurasian cattle-breeders of the Neolithic Age; then catacomb and shell-makers of the Bronze Age; Polovets and Pecheneg people of the Middle Ages; but Sarmat people of the Iron Age made the most number of burial-mounds. It is the latter that the archaeologists at Volgorad State University are studying. They excavated fourteen burial-mounds last year and ten more burial-mounds this summer dating from the second century B.C. up to the third century A.D. More... http://www.alphagalileo.org/ReadNotice.cfm?releaseid=7467

Bath discovery opens window on 13th-century Jewish world BY DALYA ALBERGE, ARTS CORRESPONDENT ARCHAEOLOGISTS have unearthed a 13th-century ritual bath that provides exceptional physical evidence of the Jewish community in medieval London. The bath, or mikveh, reveals new information on life in the city before the expulsion of the Jews by Edward I in 1290. The Museum of London Archaeology Service discovered it in Gresham Street in the City of London. The bath consists of a semicircular basin about 4ft across and more than 4ft deep and is built of blocks of masonry, with a flight of stone steps leading into it. Although the upper parts of the structure and steps were destroyed by later buildings, the remains of seven steps survive. Bruce Watson, who is heading the excavation, said that archaeologists had assumed that it was the entrance to a medieval cellar, until they noticed �the beautiful nature of the close-jointed masonry�. They led down to an outside tank with a puddle clay floor, which was meant to hold water. He said that it was a ritual bath which would have been at least 5ft deep. more... http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-2001371420,00.html

FRIDAY OCTOBER 26 2001 Greece to build �29m home for Elgin Marbles BY DALYA ALBERGE, ARTS CORRESPONDENT THE Greek Government has commissioned a design for a �29 million Acropolis Museum crowned with a glass structure intended to hold the Elgin Marbles � even though Britain shows no sign of giving them back. Nicos Papadakis, a spokesman for the Greek Embassy in London, said that the plan would send a clear message to Britain. �With this project, which does cost a lot of money, we�re simply manifesting in a practical way our commitment to completing this project in the expectation that the Parthenon sculptures will grace the new rooms of the museum in Athens,� Mr Papadakis said. �This shows our determination to forge ahead.� He said that the issue would not go away. more... http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-2001372085,00.html

A personal comment on the Parthenon Freize (commonly known as the Elgin Marbles): Please read the rest of the above story. Anyone with a sense of history and fairness knows that none of the Marbles from the Arcopolis in Athens belongs anywhere but in Greece. That they are creating a safe and protective building to house them is to be applauded. I have seen them in their sterile surroungings in the British Museum. It is protective of them, but it gives no sense of the context for which they were created. Next time, I hope to see them in Greece, where they rightfully belong.

Neolithic Rock carvings unearthed in Greece A SERIES of digs carried out at the newly discovered Neolithic settlement of Strofilas on the island of Andros uncovered significant rock carvings. The excavations, which started in June under the supervision of archaeologist Christina Televanou, brought to light a dozen ships incised on the outer face of the settlement's defensive wall and measuring 20-30cm. A 1.5-metre long carving depicting 17 animals and a 15m2 group of ships and fish were discovered in the settlement. http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12933&m=A35&aa=4&eidos=S

'Bronze Age Pompeii' Found Buried by Vesuvius ROME (Reuters) - Italian archaeologists have discovered one of the world's best-preserved prehistoric villages, a "Bronze Age Pompeii" that was buried in volcanic ash near the world-famous Roman city almost 4,000 years ago. The ancient settlement was overwhelmed by volcanic flow when Mount Vesuvius erupted around 1800 BC, smothering the village near present-day Nola in southern Italy many centuries before Pompeii suffered the same fate. "This is by far the best-preserved prehistoric village in Italy and one of the best in the world. Everyday life in the ancient Bronze Age is preserved there," Giuseppe Vecchio, the director of the excavation, told Reuters. Vecchio discovered the village north of Vesuvius while doing routine tests to grant a company a license to build a shopping center and underground parking lot on the site. But the cross sections of the earth revealed part of an ancient pottery kiln. "It was a complete surprise, a really extraordinary find," he said. While much of the original structures, especially the wood beams of huts, was destroyed, the original forms are preserved in molds made of volcanic ash and mud. "For the first time we can see things about prehistoric life that we had only imagined," Vecchio said. "People didn't have time to grab their things when they fled, so we can see what they ate, how they cooked, what social life was like." Explorations so far have revealed three huts up to eight meters (26-ft) high, pots full of grains, sheep bones, a cage holding the bones of pregnant goats and hunting and cooking tools made from other bones. Archaeologists expect to find more dwellings. At most sites around Europe, all that is left of Bronze Age villages are holes in the ground where huts used to stand. RECONSTRUCTION PLANNED No human remains have been found at Nola, unlike at Pompeii, which was destroyed by Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD killing an estimated 2,000 people and freezing the once-bustling commercial town under a sea of ash. With its well-preserved shops, houses, amphitheater and baths, Pompeii is one of Italy's top tourist sites. Archaeologists at Nola hope to complete their excavations in the next couple of months. They plan to reconstruct the village at a nearby archaeological museum and possibly open the site to tourists. "This is a prehistoric Pompeii, the Pompeii of the ancient Bronze Age," said Salvatore Nappo, an archaeological consultant and Pompeii expert. "It will teach us about the period, but also shows that the area has been inhabited for thousands of years." Other late Bronze Age period villages have also been discovered in the area, although they were not preserved in volcanic ash the way the Nola site was. Archaeologists believe one nearby settlement was destroyed by a flood. Today, a giant pool of magma still lies beneath Vesuvius and extends at least 400 square kilometers under some of Italy's scenic coastline, making a fresh eruption possible at any time. The last major eruption of the imposing volcano, which overshadows Naples, was in March 1944, as Allied troops landed in Italy during World War Two.

Thank to Neil for the following: Explorers View 'Lost City' Ruins Under Caribbean By Andrew Cawthorne HAVANA (Reuters) - Explorers using a miniature submarine to probe the sea floor off the coast of Cuba said on Thursday they had confirmed the discovery of stone structures deep below the ocean surface that may have been built by an unknown human civilization thousands of years ago. Researchers with a Canadian exploration company said they filmed over the summer ruins of a possible submerged ``lost city'' off the Guanahacabibes Peninsula on the Caribbean island's western tip. The researchers cautioned that they did not fully understand the nature of their find and planned to return in January for further analysis, the expedition leader said on Thursday. The explorers said they believed the mysterious structures, discovered at the astounding depth of around 2,100 feet and laid out like an urban area, could have been built at least 6,000 years ago. That would be about 1,500 years earlier than the great Giza pyramids of Egypt. more... http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011206/sc/cuba_discovery_dc_1.html

================================================================ AFRICA, EUROPE, AND ASIA ================================================================ You knew it was coming: a pair of geologists are challenging the Pittman-Ryan theory on the flooding of the Black Sea region: http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWSScience0111/25_nfld-cp.html The Irish Independent has a brief item on high hopes for finding a 3200-year-old goldsmith's workshop in Mayo: http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=649166&issue_id=6490 A Hungarian expedition has found all sorts of sites relating to pharoahnic mining activities: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html5/o281121z.htm A statue of Mut has been discovered near Karnak: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html5/o031221n.htm Well, at least *something* escaped the Taliban's antiquity-smashing: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=110372 cf sadly: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2001560012-2001565718,00.html Ha'aretz has a very in-depth article on the excavations of Herod's palace: http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=101418 Deseret News has a feature on the Nag Hammadi library: http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,355010719,00.html? A brief item on the excavation of a Roman winery in Abu Qir: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html5/o061221j.htm The Museum Lauriacum folks are miffed that plans are in the works to send 30 years' worth of finds elsewhere for cataloging (in German): http://ooe.orf.at/oesterreich.orf?read=detail&channel=4&id=164042 Genetic evidence is providing more information as to the extent of Viking settlement in Britain: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/england/newsid_1689000/1689955.stm Xinhua has an item on the discovery of a West Han Dynasty sacrificial pit: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2001-12/06/content_150239.htm ... and a Southern Song Dynasty palace: http://library.northernlight.com/FA20011205810000075.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc ... and a Tang Dynasty wooden (!) building: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2001-12/04/content_146179.htm A very brief item in China Daily reports on the discovery of a very well-preserved body dating from the Ming dynasty: http://www1.chinadaily.com.cn/news/lf/2001-12-06/46878.html http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-2001565696,00.html Not sure how to classify this one, but if you read through it, you'll find a cancer treatment which was discovered due to an archaeological discovery: http://www.msnbc.com/news/667259.asp ================================================================ THE AMERICAS ================================================================ A bit out-of-date but a good read nonetheless, the Stanford Report has a piece on John Rick's discoveries this year at Chavin de Huantar, not least of which were a number of Strombus shells: http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/report/news/october24/chavin-a.html An ancient Incan doorway has been discovered in the Andes: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20011205/wl/peru_incan_discovery_1.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-1363967,00.html http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/ap12-05-173956.asp?reg=AMERICAS This is technically a followup, but since it has been so long since we heard about it ... a Canadian exploration company is claiming to have found evidence of a lost civilization off the coast of Cuba: http://www.msnbc.com/news/668477.asp?cp1=1 http://dsc.discovery.com/news/reu/20011203/cuba.html# http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/341/nation/Explorers_pinpoint_lost_city_near_Cuba+.shtml http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=109015 There's a new claim that the Mayans did not routinely engage in human sacrifice: http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99991650 Evidence has finally been found to confirm a French presence in the 1700's near what is now Peoria: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2001-12/uoia-wsp120301.php http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_465162.html The number of potential sites in Clark County (Washington) has been expanded: http://www.columbian.com/12052001/clark_co/236255.html

The Greek Drachma has a history that goes back to the beginning of the use of coins as money. The world's first coins appeared simultaneously in two places - China and the kingdom of Lydia in what is now western Turkey at the end of the seventh century BC. No-one knows what the Lydians called their coins, but not long after the Lydian ruler Croesus was minting his legendary fortune. In the middle of the sixth century BC, Greeks in Athens and the island of Aegina had begun producing silver drachmas. The word "drachma" is Greek for "handful". It was taken as the name for a coin because it was worth a handful of iron spits known as obols, which earlier Greeks had used for money. Heavier silver or gold coins were known as staters. Coins minted on the island of Aegina were stamped with the image of a turtle, those in Athens with an owl. At each mint the weight was precisely calibrated, though it differed from one city-state to the next. "It was the mother of all later coinage systems," says Jonathan Williams of the British Museum. Automatic vending Before long drachmas were being minted at Greek settlements in southern Italy, with the result that the Romans switched from using bronze bars to coins in about 300 BC. And at roughly the same time Philip of Macedonia and his son Alexander the Great were producing huge quantities of coins to finance their military conquests. A big copper five-drachma coin was used in the first recorded automatic vending machine, used to dispense ceremonial water in Greek-governed Alexandria in 150 BC. Jesus Christ, in one of the parables recorded by Saint Luke, refers to a woman who had 10 drachmas but lost one. The writer Josephus, reporting on the Roman siege of Jerusalem in AD 70 says that starving people in the besieged city were selling bundles of withered grass for four drachmas. Further afield, Indian drammas, and dirhams from North Africa and Central Asia, which were used in trade all over Russia, are descendants of the drachma. Depreciation The ancient Greeks began the art of coin design, and some experts believe Greek artists working in Italy have never been matched. Usually coins bore images of plants and animals or gods and goddesses, sometimes views of cities or temples. It was only in the third century BC that one of Alexander the Great's successors started stamping coins with his own head. The drachma disappeared for almost a millennium while Greece was ruled by foreign powers, but made its return shortly after the creation of the modern Greek state in 1827. Jonathan Williams says it was a conscious throwback to the nation's golden age. "An ancient people gets its freedom back - what more natural for that people to have an ancient Greek name for its coinage," he says. "It's a symbol of antiquity." The changeover evokes mixed feelings among Greeks, who will miss the drachma with their hearts, while recognising that it's been a weak currency - now worth only one twelfth as much against the dollar as it was in 1970. For this reason they will welcome the euro, which promises to be a rock of stability by comparison.

The above article on the history of the Greek Drachma was from http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1627000/1627442.stm I think the Euro might be a good economic move but it rather ruins part of what makes each country so wonderfully different from the rest. I guess I am too much of a romantic.

Irish man finds rare Bronze Age necklace DUBLIN (AP) � When a man walked into Tim Keane's store and asked him to identify an unusual necklace, the jewel dealer got very excited. What the man presented was a Bronze Age torc, a strand of twisted gold worn around the neck or upper arm of a child. More than 3,000 years old and very rare, it is regarded as extremely valuable. "He produced this piece and asked could we identify what it was," Keane said today. "Needless to say I got very excited when I saw it. Keane, owner of Michel Jewelers in Cork, said "it was like a unicorn walking through the door, I was so excited." He said the piece is a ribbon torc, made in Ireland in the second half of the Bronze Age in a time called the Ornament Arising period. "It is a twisted gold child's necklace or amulet. If you got a piece of metal laid it flat and kept twisting, it would end up like a spring. That's the best way to describe it," he said. The torc has been handed to officials of the National Museum in Dublin, who are planning to display it. A preliminary assessment by Peter Woodman of Cork's University College has confirmed it is around 3,200 years old. Authorities are not identifying the area where the artifact was discovered so that it is left undisturbed while archeologists search for other pieces. Under Irish law, the state has first claim to such treasures, but in most cases the finder is given a reward calculated according to the item's value. http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1007032217472&call_page=TS_Ontario&call_pageid=968256289824&call_pagepath=News/Ontario

Thor Heyerdahl is back in the news, this time with a claim that Odin is based on a real life king who fled north to escape the Romans: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/30/international/30BRIE.html http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=sciencenews&StoryID=415842 http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1353000/1353343.stm

A first century A.D. Roman burial site has been found in Wales: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/wales/newsid_1684000/1684894.stm http://www.newswales.co.uk/?section=Culture&F=1&id=5006 Some sixth-century A.D. warrior paraphernalia has been found near Sutton Hoo: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-2001545142,00.html ... and there's a bit about Sutton Hoo too: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-2001545138,00.html Here's another case where conservationists did rather more damage than conserving, this time in regards to a Leonardo drawing of Orpheus: http://www.allemandi.com/TAN/news/article.asp?idart=8215 Another major site buried by Vesuvius (but in the Bronze Age!) has been discovered near Nola: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_460049.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology http://etad.telegraph.co.uk/html.ng/site=et&spaceid=box2&logstatus=f&transactionID=10072945263083872&Sect=uk&view=details http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;$sessionid$SNVZ0MIAAIARFQFIQMGSFF4AVCBQWIV0?xml=%2Fnews%2F2001%2F11%2F28%2Fwpomp28.xml eKathimerini has a report on the emergency excavations of an ancient cemetery at Kephisia: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=109840

Ancient graves discovered near Kifissia train station Archaeologists struggle to save remains of cemetery spanning 800 years A Roman marble portrait from the Louvre of orator, sophist and public benefactor Herodes Atticus, the most illustrious resident of ancient Cephisia. By Nicholas Paphitis Kathimerini English Edition A couple of streets down from the electric railway terminus in one of the less leafy parts of Kifissia, the most extensive traces yet known of the northern Athenian suburb's ancient past have emerged in the form of a cemetery spanning 800 years of use. A rescue excavation that started in March and still continues on a building site on the corner of Acharnon and Socratous streets has revealed 45 graves dating from Geometric to Roman times, many of which yielded rich pottery artifacts. The 2,000-square-meter site, only half of which has been fully excavated, also contains remains of a round Roman building of dressed marble blocks that stand almost six feet tall. Possibly a Nymphaeum - sections of a waterproofed floor that would have contained a small pond have been found in the structure - it will be incorporated in a luxury apartment complex. The summer finds, in combination with two smaller cemeteries and several fourth century BC houses unearthed on Kato Kifissia construction sites over the past four years, have helped archaeologists form a clearer picture of the ancient deme of Cephisia, celebrated in antiquity for its abundant waters and cool groves of deciduous trees. http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=109840

Roman mosaics were found near Lopen (Britain): http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/england/newsid_1642000/1642564.stm http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-2001385297,00.html http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=103765 http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,589468,00.html http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2001/11/08/nmos08.xml&sSheet=/news/2001/11/08/ixhome.html Timbers from Seahenge have yielded the oldest metal-made axe cuts in Britain: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,602119,00.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/england/newsid_1664000/1664196.stm Also on the British Bronze Age front, some guy has found a bronze age burial in his back yard: http://ews.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/england/newsid_1670000/1670707.stm Obviously coinciding with Harry Pottermania, the Telegraph has a piece about ancient wizards: http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2001/11/19/nwiz19.xml&sSheet=/news/2001/11/19/ixhome.html

Acropolis Museum foundation stone to be laid in June BY CHRISTY PAPADOPOULOU THE FOUNDATION stone for the Acropolis Museum will be laid in June, Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos told the press on November 20, adding that the exhibition space will be ready in time for the 2004 Olympic Games. Complete with the Parthenon Hall, which will remain empty until the British Museum returns the Parthenon Marbles, the space will function as "an ongoing challenge and invitation for the Marbles' return", Venizelos said. "It will serve as a painful reminder for those who wish to keep the monument in a mutilated condition." more... http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12937&m=A39&aa=3&eidos=S

DEMOCRITUS He was a philosopher and he lived at Avdera city in the ancient Macedonia of ancient Greece. (460-370 B.C). Democritus describing that the structure of the matter came to the conclusion that the smallest element was the atom. Atom in Greek means that it can't be cut, or divided more. Describing the centre of the atom named it 'pirin'. The meaning in Greek comes from two words pyr (fire) and ein (is)! He found a very interesting way to describe what could be found inside the atom if anyone dares to divide it! Today we are trying to find a safe way of using that power playing with the fire... Maybe we have to learn from our mistakes what Democritus told us. The atom has more parts but don't divide it because inside there is fire! From: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Ithaca/5743/en/dimokritos.htm Democritus stated that all existing things, like the earth, the moon and the sun and stars moved as in a vacuum. And he also maintained worlds were infinite, and of different sizes. He stated there were worlds where neither sun nor moon existed. Democritus stated worlds could be destroyed by clashing one with another. Some worlds are without animals and plants, and contains no moisture. John

Thank you, John! The 10 Drachmae coin has Democritos' image on the obverse and an atom on the reverse. I looked for him using a search engine wondering what atoms had to do with Democracy. Nothing, really! I mistook his name for the founder of democracy. I did not discover any other sites telling me much about him. I wonder how soon children will forget who these great people of Greek history were since they now do not see them and will not ask why they are on their coins. Euros will be a great help to visitors, but also a great disservice to those who will populate the countries involved in the new currancy. *sigh*

Pavement slide uncovers cave in Plaka district 07/01/2002 18:39:41 A cave apparently hidden since antiquity came to the forefront on Monday after the pavement gave way on a secondary road near the Acropolis in central Athens. A truck parked exactly over the three-metre cave subsequently fell in, police said. According to reports, the subterranean cavity was located recently during work for a new metro line passing nearby, although support beams placed by construction crews failed to prevent the landslide. Archaeologists and engineers were dispatched to the site, located in the old quarter district of Plaka. http://www.ana.gr/

so that's why we have mud slides! how very interesting!!!

I cannot believe the archaeologists and engineers failed to put timber supports in there. I hope no one was hurt and that nothing of antiquity was damaged. Wow! When we have mud slides, all we have underneath is lava flows. *sigh*

but they didn't know that stuff was there in the first place, did they?

Under the Acropolis? In Athens? Actually, they did know. They had found it earlier when digging for a metro line and had it surveyed but neglected to support it properly. That is why it fell in with the weight of the truck on it. I'd suspect every inch of that magnificent country is rife with antiquities of the most irreplaceable sort. *Sigh* Too bad progress and preservation cannot be more compatible.

that's what i get for skimming through articles! *wink*

I wish I could find a longer one. I will search for more information and, hopefully, for the original finding of the cave. I'd really be interested in finding what is in that cave!

I think none of the known world was the same after the death of Alexander ANCIENT TRADERS SUFFERED BOOM AND BUST Alexander the Great's death plunged Babylon into economic turmoil. http://www.nature.com/nsu/020101/020101-9.html

There are several of great interest among the following ================================================================ AFRICA, EUROPE, AND ASIA ================================================================ The New Yorker has a nice article on what ice cores tell us about ancient climate etc.: http://www.newyorker.com/FACT/?020107fa_FACT A shrine erected in honour of Ramses II has been found in an ancient Egyptian army base: http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2001/1230/breaking44.htm http://www.arabia.com/egypt/life/article/english/0,5127,19979,00.html http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;$sessionid$D1NW0IYAADAMRQFIQMFSFFOAVCBQ0IV0?xml=/news/2001/12/30/uw06.xml&sSheet=/portal/2001/12/30/ixport.html Perhaps the same?: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html6/o050122e.htm or: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html5/o311221j.htm The Egyptian State Information Service also has a feature on Carter's discovery of Tutankhamen: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html6/o030122.htm ... and news that the Kalabsha Temple restoration is almost complete: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html5/o010122a.htm Tutankhamen also features in a somewhat strange 'news' story in the Guardian (this is one of those things which probably made sense in the print version): http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4327484,00.html There is word that a new chamber of some sort has been discovered by georadar in the Great Pyramid (article in French): http://www.egypt.edu/actualite/2002/020101/01janvier01.htm A new development in the Temple Mount saga: http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2002/01/02/News/News.40993.html The Middle East Wire has a feature on Biblical archaeology: http://www.middleeastwire.com/commentary/stories/20011227_1_meno.shtml There's plenty of coverage of one scholar's claim that a long-known artifact actually came from the throne of Midas: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/03/science/social/03MIDA.html http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-01/uop-uak122101.php http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/arts/newsid_1742000/1742019.stm http://stacks.msnbc.com/news/681100.asp http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/01/020103074806.htm http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20020103/od/midas_dc_1.html http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?aid=113367 A brief item on the discovery of a Greco-Roman period town in the Sinai: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html6/o030122i.htm A major Roman coin hoard has been found in Moray (Scotland), although the conclusions being drawn from it are somewhat suspect: http://www.news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=3152002 ... while the discovery of a dog burial in Silchester is causing more questions to be asked: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,626325,00.html A team of Greek archaeologists is headed to Afghanistan to see, well, what's left: http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12943&m=A35&aa=1&eidos=S http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_487723.html?menu= http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=113509 http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/ap01-04-154838.asp?reg=ASIA

More great things found in Greece Rare Macedonian Tomb Unearthed in Northern Greece ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek archaeologists have discovered an ancient Macedonian tomb, part of a war memorial from the time of Alexander the Great, the Culture Ministry said Tuesday. "Such buildings are rare," the ministry said in a statement. "The monument is of special archaeological importance not just for the Epirus (region) but the whole of Greece." The tomb measuring 2.28 by 2.35 meters dates back to Hellenistic times, about 330-150 BC, and is part of a larger memorial which includes an open-air yard and a store-room. Discovered in September near the northern Greek town of Ioannina, the monument is located on an ancient road leading from the western coastline to the Epirus region. The building had apparently been looted by antiquities smugglers and contained no artifacts. The tomb is close to the Dodoni oracle, where ancient worshippers hoped to receive prophesies from the god Zeus, and which Jason visited on his mythical quest for the golden fleece.

THE PARTHENON MARBLES WILL NEVER LEAVE THE BRITISH MUSEUM Athens, 15 January 2002 (18:15 UTC+2) The Parthenon Marbles, also known as the Elgin Marbles, will never leave the British Museum to return to Greece, stated the London Museum director to the London Times newspaper. The statement was made in response to the campaign for the return of the marbles to the Acropolis launched by at least 90 British parliament members and personalities from the world of art and literature. Greek Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos stated that Greece is not interested in the legal aspect of the dispute and it simply wants the marbles to be returned to their natural place. http://www.mpa.gr/article.html?doc_id=244522

Evidence shows Greeks were first to cultivate the almond tree and enjoy the taste and nutrients the dry fruit offered BY CONNIE PHILLIPSON ALMONDS are probably the oldest and most widely known of the world's nut crops, having helped to sustain our hunter/gatherer ancestors with their monounsaturated oils, more calcium than any other nut, B vitamins and vitamin E, and a small amount of protein. The nuts are the fruit seeds of Prunus dulcis, that was formerly known as P amygdalus, and which is also known as Amygdalus communis. Don't you sometimes wish that scientists would make up their minds! At any event, the almond tree is native to the Mediterranean area and western Asia, and was apparently first cultivated by the Greeks. An almond seed was found at the Neolithic level of Knossos on Crete, under the palace complex, and wild almonds were discovered at the Neolithic sites of Sesklo and Dimini in Thessaly, showing a presence in the Aegean area of at least 5,000 years. more... http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.prnt_article?e=C&f=12946&t=04&m=A40&aa=1

wow! that's neat.....we oughto include this tidbit in garden. i'll copy it and put it there now.

Great idea. The only Greek on scene I know has not come into this topic, I think. I do NOT support Britain's claim to the Parthenon marbles! Perhaps he is afraid I just might.

THE ANCIENT CITY OF ATHENS A photographic archive of the archaeological and architectural remains of ancient Athens (Greece). It is intended primarily as a resource for students of classical art & archaeology, civilization, languages, and history at Indiana University as a supplement to their class lectures and reading assignments and as a source of images for use in term papers, projects, and presentations. This site will be useful to all who have an interest in archaeological exploration and the recovery, interpretation, and preservation of the past. View of the Acropolis and the South Slope from the southwest (from near the Philopappos Monument). In the background to the right of the Parthenon are Mt. Lykabettos and Mt. Penteli. http://www.indiana.edu/~kglowack/athens/

Oh John! You do know my vulnerabilities. Pictures like the one you posted of the Acropolis is what made me want to be an archaeologist since my youngest days. But, where I lived there were no antiquites in our soil when we made gardens. Not even arrowheads like other people find. So, I collected rocks. Thank you! What a feast for my eyes and my soul to see your post. I will investigate the rest of the links there. Have you ever found anything ancient? Bits of pottery? I have this page saved in my bookmarks because it is very detailed and has the same deep blue skies and magnificent edifices. http://www-media.dbnet.ece.ntua.gr/wacro/erecht01.htm

Acid could wreck wreck If you are planning to visit the restored wreck of the Swedish ship, the Vasa, get your skates on - by a quirk of chemistry, the ship's timbers are producing sulphuric acid and threaten to consume themselves from within. Due to the overzealous addition of one too many gundecks, the top-heavy warship keeled over and sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. Left for 333 years marinating in the sulphurous waters of Stockholm harbour, the Vasa soaked up large quantities of hydrogen sulphide, which was then converted to a reservoir of benign sulphur in its timbers, Magnus Sandstrom of the University of Stockholm and colleagues have found. More... http://www.nature.com/nsu/020218/020218-15.html

I need one of these - unfortunately they were sold out: http://seis.natsci.csulb.edu/rmorris/cophap.htm

TRIVIA ~ Early human habitation Bluefish Cave is only one of several sites that are current- ly candidates for the earliest human site in North America. Many have been claimed to be early but only a few have fair- ly strong evidence for occupation dating to before about 11,000 years ago. Meadowcroft Rockshelter (Pennsylvania) has levels with stone tools that have been radiocarbon dated to 19,000 to 11,000 bp (bp means radiocarbon years before 1950 and is not exact- ly equal to 19,000 to 11,000 years ago). Cactus Hill (Virginia) has some levels questionably dated to about 16,000-15,000 bp. The Chesrow Complex (Wisconsin) has mammoth skeletons that may have been killed or butchered by humans. These date to around 12,000 and 13,000 bp. Bluefish Caves (Yukon) has stone tools mixed with bones that have been dated to approximately 12,000 to 25,000 bp (but the stone tools may actually belong to occupation that dates to 11,700 bp and later). Valsequillo (Puebla, Mexico) has a crudely worked artifact associated with shells that have been dated to about 21,800 bp. It's possible that the "artifact" is actually only a natural rock, though. The information given above comes from "The Peopling of the New World: Present Evidence, New Theories, and Future Dir- ections" by Stuart J. Fiedel published in 2000 in the Journal of Archaeological Research.

This is an outrage. What is Berlin using for curators?! FRIEZE DAMAGED 380 BC panels depicting Odysseus are cracked at Berlin exhibition A 2,500-year-old stone frieze loaned by an Austrian museum for an exhibition of ancient Greek art in Berlin has been accidentally damaged, the German news magazine Tagespiegel reported yesterday. The organizers said that three panels of the 220-meter-long frieze, which comprises about 100 panels in all, dating to 380 BC, fell while they were being mounted for display. Their fronts were not damaged but they suffered cracks on the back. The panels � insured for up to 1 million euros each � have been returned to Vienna for repair. They illustrate the wanderings of Odysseus after the Trojan War. The frieze is from Goelbasi, in present-day Turkey.

German archaeologists claim to have found a bronze age star chart: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_533690.html In a much anticipated bout, Korfmann and Kolb finally came to blows at a conference over their differences about the site of Troy (the two pieces from the Times are different): http://www.thetimes.co.uk/newspaper/0,,170-218343,00.html http://www.thetimes.co.uk/newspaper/0,,170-218264,00.html An early Christian cemetery has been found in Athboy (Ireland): http://www.unison.ie/meath_chronicle/index.php3?ti=50&ca=34&si=693684&issue_id=6920

================================================================ CRIME BEAT ================================================================ Vandalism has been committed in the archeological park of Kos and damaged a mosaic: http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/content.asp?aid=13977 http://www.mpa.gr/article.html?doc_id=254412 Another raid on a Greek home: http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12951&m=A10&aa=5&eidos=S Museum staff are accused of aiding in the theft of various artifacts from the National Taiwan Museum: http://www.taipeitimes.com/news/2002/02/27/story/0000125571

Kalamata antiquities raid nets mini-treasure trove POLICE in the southern port city of Kalamata confiscated two ancient statues, more than a dozen ancient coins and arrested a man allegedly trying to sell the artefacts, authorities said on February 22. Archaeologists said they appeared to date from the Hellenistic period, between the 3rd and the 1st centuries BC, while the 16 bronze coins were from the later Byzantine times. The antiquities were found during a raid on the home of Pandelis Semertzidis, 44, in Kalamata. Photo: http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12951&m=A10&aa=5&eidos=S

I suspect stolen antiquities are a problem for any country older than Hawaii - but even we have this problem with raiding of ancient burial caves. Poi pounders seem to be the prize because they are made of stone and are about the only things to survive long periods of time.

Campaign for Parthenon Marbles return begins in Belgium 13/03/2002 22:50:31 BRUSSELS (ANA - V. Demiris) A campaign for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece was launched in Belgium on Wednesday by Belgian senators Francois Roelants du Vivier and Paul Wille, at a press conference in the Belgian capital. Entitled 'Parthenon 2004', the campaign aims to put pressure on the British government and the British Museum, where the Parthenon Marbles are currently on display, to return the ancient sculptures in time for the start of the Athens Olympics in 2004. The Belgian campaign mirrors a similar campaign started up in Britain with the same aim. http://www.ana.gr/

Do you think that the curator or curators at the Berlin museum will lose his or their job(s) over the damaging of the Greek friezes. It seems unlikely that the Austrian museum in question will be loaning anything to Berlin for quite some time.

Interestingly, Cheryl, I asked my archaeologist-friend about this appalling event. He assured me these things happen - hairline cracks not apparent on the face develop and carvings literally fall apart in their hands. If that were the case, why weren't they x-rayed for this possibility and stabilized on some sort of stable background? I guess I am just too much of an idealist. I suspect there was more than a little damage done to inter-museum loans!

Shrine to earthy love at riding venue Archaeologists investigating an eastern Attica site earmarked for an Olympic horseriding venue have come across the remains of a 2,500-year-old shrine where the rites of love were celebrated and performed, as well as a cluster of Mycenaean graves. The discovery � one of the chief nightmares of officials racing to complete lagging preparations for the 2004 Games � on the 2.1-hectare Markopoulo plot, some 15 kilometers southeast of the capital, could cause construction delays but is not expected to force a change of venue. Archaeologist Olga Kakavoyianni, who supervises excavations at the site in the Mesogeia plain played down the significance of the find, which is linked to Aphrodite, goddess of love. �It is a small shrine, by no means a temple,� she told Kathimerini�s English Edition. �It consisted of an external wall enclosing a series of small rooms.� These stone structures, tentatively identified as bath and relaxation rooms, would have been used by priestesses of Aphrodite � who combined the attributes of celestial love and sexual passion � to offer sexual services to visitors. A much larger sanctuary of Aphrodite, the famous temple on Acrocorinthos above ancient Corinth, was described by the Roman geographer Strabo as �so wealthy that it possessed as temple-slaves more than a thousand prostitutes who were dedicated to the goddess.� The fourth-century-BC Markopoulo shrine, discovered in 2001, belonged to the ancient agricultural settlement of Myrrhinous, on much of which the riding center is being built. Working since 1998, archaeologists have also discovered several Mycenaean chamber tombs whose contents have not been investigated. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100008_15/03/2002_14442

The Seven Wonders of The Ancient World Although most people know that a list exists of the Seven World Wonders, only few can name them. The list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World was originally compiled around the second century BC. The first reference to the idea is found in History of Herodotus as long ago as the 5th century BC. Decades later, Greek historians wrote about the greatest monuments at the time. Callimachus of Cyrene (305BC-240BC), Chief Librarian of the Alexandria Mouseion, wrote "A Collection of Wonders around the World". All we know about the collection is its title, for it was destroyed with the Alexandria Library. The final list of the Seven Wonders was compiled during the Middle Ages. The list comprised the seven most impressive monuments of the Ancient World, some of which barely survived to the Middle Ages. Others did not even co-exist. Among the oldest references to the canonical list are the engravings by the Dutch artist Maerten van Heemskerck (1498-1574), and Johann Fischer von Erlach's History of Architecture. Today, archaeological evidence reveals some of the mysteries that surrounded the history of the Wonders for centuries. For their builders, the Seven Wonders were a celebration of religion, mythology, art, power, and science. For us, they reflect the ability of humans to change the surrounding landscape by building massive yet beautiful structures, one of which stood the test of time to this very day. http://ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos/wonders/ John

A Brief History of Life by Lexi Krock For most of us, the Pyramids symbolize the distant past. After all, they're more than 4,500 years old. But for geologists and palaeontologists, they might as well have been built yesterday. That's because these biographers of the primordial deal in increments of millions and even billions of years as they struggle to reconstruct our planet's life history, which is so vast that those 4,500 years would have to be replicated a million times over to reach back to Earth's beginnings 4.5 billion years ago. Looked at another way, if one were to measure our planet's age as a single 24-hour day, the first human civilizations would appear less than a second before midnight. The geological time scale, established by scientists in the mid-19th century and agreed upon internationally, breaks down the eternity of our planet's history into more manageable units than years. The scale functions as a massive calendar, dividing the history of life into eras, periods, and epochs based on fossil evidence. In this feature, explore the history of life on Earth as we know it today, from the earliest bacteria to the first modern humans. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/link/history.html# John

The closest I have come to the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World as delineated by the Chief Librarian of the (Library) Mouseion (the root of our word, museum?!) of Alexandria was in the British Museum. Therein is a reconstruction of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus of King Mausolus who gave his name to the structure and all subsequent burial structures. The exhibit contained bits and pieces of what was left of it. http://ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos/wonders/mausoleum.html About the reconstruction of the Library at Alexandria, see this link. I had no idea they were going to try this. Where are they going to get those missing thousands of plays by Sophocles? Where is the science we are still trying to re-discover? This will be a hollow attempt but more of symbolism than substance. Thank you for the links, John! I'd like to post a bit on each one or should we make them go to the links we post? I suspect posting would be the better of the two ooptions. http://www.unesco.org/webworld/alexandria_new/ Next, about the geological timeline. I had thought of a topic of PaleoAnthropology. But, is that different from Archaeology and/or Paleontology? It really is, but would we find enough to talk about? Suggestions?

MIXER, AN AGE-OLD GREEK INVENTION (Cultural, Scientific & General News Category) February 2002: Do you think that mixer is a modern instrument? Anything but that! Archaeologists found a mixer of more than 8,000 years. The earthen deep vessel found in excavation in Yiannitsa nearby the ancient Macedonia's capital Pella, has in its bottom a concavity which was formed by the intense contortion of a wooden shaft that laid in vessel's base. 'Thus, it is substantiated the invention and the use of mixer before 8,000 years before at least' announced the archaeologist Mr. Panikos Chrysostomou, Director of the excavation in the paleolithic settlement during the Archaeological Symposium held in Thessaloniki. The recent excavational cuts brought to light a lot of mobile finds and earthen anthropomorphous and zoomorphous figurines of the Premier Neolithic period. The houses founded during the excavation date between 6,300 and 6,000 BC. http://www.Greekproducts.com Classic Newsletter#23, March 2002

For those of you with way too much time on your hands and a knowledge of archaeology, a puzzle for you: http://archaeology.about.com/library/weekly/aabyb031702a.htm

the closest i've ever been to the seven wonders is the discovery channel (though i may have been even closer during my brief stay in Kuwait) marcia, i'm not even gonna try the puzzle (but my curiousity is piqued!)

oooooooohhh, you didn't say it was a crossword!!! printing it out right now!

I know what you mean, Wolfie!!! As soon as I saw that it was a crossword puzzle, I also had to print it out!

The British Museum might be as close to the Parthenon as I ever get, too. So much to see and only one life to do it...*sigh*

(The puzzle is not as archaeological as I expected, and I used to be a memeber of the AIA.)

Explorers Unearth Lost Inca Stronghold in Peru Reuters Mar 18 2002 6:10PM LIMA, Peru (Reuters) - In the first major Inca find in four decades, Peruvian and British explorers say they have discovered a hidden city, perched on an Andean hilltop, that may have sheltered stalwarts of South America's legendary empire as they made a last stand against Spanish conquerors. Located on a narrow ridge around 11,000 feet up in Peru's windswept, southern Andes, the Inca citadel of Corihuayrachina is a mysterious gathering of religious platforms, funeral towers, and food storehouses. British scholar and guide Peter Frost told a news conference on Monday he first spotted the ruins in the rugged, isolated Vilcabamba region some 300 miles south-east of Lima three years ago. Frost said the site was the biggest of its kind found since 1964 and could have been occupied by the Inca when they took to the hills after the Spanish conquest. It is about 22 miles southwest of the famous Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. The Incas once ruled a vast swath of South America stretching from Colombia to Chile, but Spain's Francisco Pizarro and his band of 160 treasure-hunters, using cannons and horses, brought that empire to a bloody end in 1533. Some Inca, moving with an army of 50,000 to the more remote Vilcabamba area, held out against the invaders for nearly 40 years. "It's a jigsaw puzzle. What we're finding are more pieces ... to get a better sense of what was happening in that area," said Frost, who has lived for 30 years in the Inca's imperial capital Cusco in southern Peru, gateway to Machu Picchu. European diseases like measles ravaged the empire, cutting its population from an estimated 32 million people in 1520 to 5 million in 1548. Frost said he found Corihuayrachina -- eyeing it from afar but not able to actually reach it -- when he was leading a group of tourists through the remote region in 1999. Funded by the Washington-based National Geographic Society, Frost was finally able to set foot on the cloud-shrouded site two years later in June, 2001, trekking four days along winding mountain paths with a team of scientists and excavators. UNTOUCHED BY SCIENCE "This was an area totally untouched by science," said Peruvian archeologist and expedition co-leader Alfredo Valencia, who along with local workers hacked away at the thick leaves and vines covering squat buildings and murky tombs. But Frost said the scientists were still in the early stages of puzzling out who inhabited Corihuayrachina, how they lived, and why they chose to live in such an inhospitable place. "If (the site) was occupied after the Spanish conquest, what will we find? If we find human remains, will they show European diseases?" Frost said. Like most of the scores of native shrines, tombs and temples across this Andean nation, the explorers said the site had been looted over the years by local grave-robbers and now the graves were only filled with pottery fragments and bones. But unlike Machu Picchu, discovered in 1911 by American explorer Hiram Bingham, Frost said the recent find was not home to the Inca elite. Machu Picchu has been named a United Nations World Heritage site and draws throngs of tourists from across the globe. Unlike Machu Picchu, only stone foundations some 2-3 feet high remain of the new find's structures, which were originally constructed with adobe or wood. National Geographic is due to release a television special chronicling the Corihuayrachina discovery in May.

Lesson 10: Middle Minoan Crete POTTERY, CHRONOLOGY, AND EXTERNAL CONTACTS Middle Minoan IA (ca. 2050/2000-2000/1950 B.C.) Middle Minoan IB (ca. 2000/1950-1900/1850 B.C.[palace sites], 1750/1720 [non-palatial sites]) Middle Minoan IIA-B (ca. 1900/1850-1750/1720 B.C.) Middle Minoan IIIA-B (ca. 1750/1720-1700/1675 B.C.) ARCHITECTURE Palaces Monumental Non-Palatial Complexes The "Town Mosaic" from Knossos The House Model from Archanes BURIAL CUSTOMS Larnax Burial Pithos Burial Tholoi of Mesara Type Chamber Tomb RELIGION WEAPONRY FIGURES WRITING Pictographic or Hieroglyphic Script Linear A The Phaistos Disc *.*.*.*)*()*()*()*()*()Middle Minoan Crete POTTERY, CHRONOLOGY, AND EXTERNAL CONTACTS [The absolute dates listed below are essentially those suggested by Manning 1995: Appendix 8.] Middle Minoan IA (ca. 2050/2000-2000/1950 B.C.) The pottery of this phase develops directly out of that of the preceding EM III period. At Knossos, it is best represented by the finds from the houses under the kouloures (see below under "Architecture: Palaces") in the area of the later palace's West Court. The east Cretan equivalent is typified by the finds from House D at Mochlos and House B at Vasiliki. In the Mesara, the phase is well represented by a large deposit from Patrikies. At Mallia, pottery from houses underlying the southern edge of the later palace is contemporary. Polychromy in a light-on-dark style (the use of both white and red/orange on a solidly painted dark ground) begins in this phase, though it is relatively rare, especially in the east. Also beginning in this phase is the particular form of relief decoration known as "barbotine". Dark-on-light pattern-painted pottery is still common, however, especially at Knossos, and all pottery is still handmade. The straight-sided cup (also known as a Vapheio or Keftiu cup) makes its first appearance. A major difference between EM III and MM IA pottery at Knossos is the far greater frequency of curvilinear decoration in the later period. In the east, representational or naturalistic motifs appear on pottery, more often floral than faunal. Although a good deal of MM IA pottery, as well as imitations of it, comes from coastal sites of the eastern Peloponnese (see handout on MH Greece), little has been found in the central Aegean islands (e.g. at Phylakopi on Melos) and only a very few pieces have been found further east, on Samos and on Cyprus. The site of Kastri on Kythera was probably first permanently settled by Minoan colonists in this phase. Middle Minoan IB (ca. 2000/1950-1900/1850 B.C.[palace sites], 1750/1720 [non-palatial sites]) The first certain palaces are now constructed at Knossos and Phaistos. The pottery is characterized by the first use of the fast wheel, by increasingly thinner vessel walls, by more complex polychrome decoration (Walberg's Early Kamares), and by crinkled rims and other features indicative of the influence of metalwork. The {carinated} ("having a sharply angular body profile") cup first appears now and continues to be common through the MM IIIA period. Close contacts are maintained with the eastern Peloponnese and now are extended for the first time on a similar scale to the central Aegean islands (Ayia Irini on Keos, Phylakopi on Melos, Paroikia on Paros, and probably Mikri Vigla on Naxos). The earliest Minoan pottery from the Dodecanese (the Serraglio on Kos, Ialysos/Trianda on Rhodes) and the coast of Western Anatolia (Iasos, Miletus, Knidos) is probably also of this period. Cretan sherds of MM IB-IIA date have been found at Kahun and Harageh in Egypt in levels datable to the early 19th century B.C. Minoan objects are now also firmly attested at such Levantine sites as Ras Shamra (ancient Ugarit) and are more numerous on Cyprus. Middle Minoan IIA-B (ca. 1900/1850-1750/1720 B.C.) These two designations describe ceramic styles (Walberg's Classical Kamares) current at the palatial sites of Knossos, Phaistos, and Mallia but rarely found outside of them except in certain specialized cult contexts (e.g. the Kamares Cave or the peak sanctuary on Mt. Iuktas). As a result, MM IIIA directly succeeds MM IB at most Minoan sites, although MM II is stratified between MM IB and MM III at Knossos and Phaistos and therefore does have some chronological value, however limited. At Knossos and Phaistos, the end of MM IIB is marked by a major destruction horizon (probably due to an earthquake) which defines the end of the Protopalatial or Old Palace period. At Mallia, a shrine and the impressive Protopalatial complex known as Quartier Mu appear to have been violently destroyed by fire at about the same time or perhaps slightly later. During the 18th century, ceramics became a major art form and the best "{Kamares ware}" (also known as "eggshell ware" due to the thinness of its walls - it is so fine that many have argued that it must have been mouldmade rather than having been thrown on a wheel) is of a technical and artistic quality never again attained during the Aegean Bronze Age. Significantly, use of this extremely fine tableware, elaborately decorated with complex abstract patterns and occasionally representational motifs in the form of stylized plants, animals, or human beings, was to all intents and purposes restricted to the palatial centers where it was produced, to cult centers on peaks and in caves which were probably maintained by the palatial �lite, and to foreign centers which arguably acquired it through the medium of gift exchanges between their �lites and those of the Minoan palaces. A notable feature of this class of pottery is the rich polychromy of its decoration in a light-on-dark style employing abundant white and a number of shades of red, orange, and yellow on a black ground. By far the richest assortment of this pottery comes from the place at Phaistos, and the Mesara area of southern Crete is arguably the region within which this particular art form reached its technical and aesthetic apogee. Middle Minoan IIIA-B (ca. 1750/1720-1700/1675 B.C.) This period witnesses the rebuilding of the palaces at Knossos, Phaistos, and possibly Mallia (where the existence of a true palace in the Protopalatial period is not altogether certain at present), as well as the construction of the palace at Zakro. Pottery no longer appears to have constituted a major art form in this phase (= Walberg's Post-Kamares), with the result that MM III vases, though perfectly serviceable and technically still of high quality, seem dull and lack-luster compared to those of MM IB-II. Most tableware is either unpainted, solidly painted, or decorated with white patterns on a dark coated ground. Polychromy is relatively rare. The carinated cup disappears during this period and the most popular drinking vessels are straight-sided (Vapheio or Keftiu) cups and semiglobular "teacups". At Knossos, the pottery from the Temple Repositories and the Room of the Lily Vases, as well as from several quite recently published large deposits found in houses west of the palace, exemplifies the shape and decorative ranges of the period. During this phase, Minoan influence expands and intensifies throughout the southern Aegean. For the first time there is good evidence for Minoan contacts with the western Peloponnese, especially with Messenia. Minoan artists and craftsmen have been considered by some to be resident at some Mainland sites at this time (potters at Ayios Stephanos, smiths at Mycenae). The sites of Trianda (Rhodes), the Serraglio (Kos), Miletus, Iasos, and Knidos are thought by many to be firmly established Minoan colonies by this time if indeed they had not been settlements of this kind earlier. In the Cyclades, Minoan influence becomes so pervasive in this and the ensuing Late Cycladic (LC) I period that Cycladic culture in many ways is in danger of losing a distinct identity. It is against this backdrop of marked Minoan cultural expansion in the early Neopalatial period that, in the opinion of most specialists, the later Greek traditions of a Minoan thalassocracy (or sea-empire) must be evaluated for their potential historicity. ARCHITECTURE Palaces At Knossos, and perhaps at Mallia, architectural remains of the Old Palaces are largely overbuilt or otherwise masked by remains of the later New Palaces. Although this is also true for much of the Old Palace at Phaistos, there the entire west facade, the west court in front of it and the associated theatral area, and a good part of the west wing (including a suite of rooms usually identified as a shrine) are easily visible due to the fact that the builders of the New Palace relocated the later western facade a considerable distance to the east of the Old Palace's western margin. This west wing was fronted by a series of large paved courtyards at three different levels and was entered by means of two major entrances [one into the southwest wing near its southernmost point; a second and more impressive one at the junction of the northwest and southwest wings where a paved causeway crossing the west court apparently led directly through the palace's western half and into the paved and colonnaded central court] as well as through at least five minor entrances. In the paved courts west of the main west facades of the first palaces at both Phaistos and Knossos are three monumental examples of the stone-lined, circular pits known individually as a{kouloura}. The Protopalatial successors of the earlier EM III hypogeum at Knossos, these constructions, significantly, lie outside the palace buildings themselves, in a large public court which separates the palace from the surrounding town. Often identified in the past as storage facilites for grain, these semisubterranean (at least in this period) structures are not at all well-suited for such a purpose, as Strasser has made clear. They may therefore have more to do with the control and storage of water or simply, as Evans originally thought, with refuse disposal. To be dated earlier than the earliest surviving, positively identified palatial structures are certain novel building techniques (e.g. the use of cut ashlar masonry; drilling of mortises in the tops of ashlar blocks to hold tenons for the attachment of large horizontal timbers) which are prominent features of the first palace buildings. These techniques are first employed no later than MM IA, and probably as early as EM III, both at Mallia (the monumental tomb of Chrysolakkos) and Knossos (the massive terrace walls to the northwest of the later palace identified by Hood as the remains of an EM III palace). These breakthroughs, however, are not cited here to diminish the significance of the architectural revolution which occurred when the first palaces were constructed in MM IB, for it was only then that certain tools (e.g. the pick and the axe-adze) as well as numerous, subsequently typical Minoan architectural features (e.g. orthostates, cut jamb and column bases, dadoes, stone drains, etc.) are either first attested or at least attested with any frequency. Public architecture on the scale of the palaces would have required not only specialized masons but also very large labor forces, far greater than those employed in any earlier Minoan building projects. Another impressive architectural form which may predate the earliest palaces and which seems to have persisted for at least some time after these were first built before disappearing is the fortification wall. Long thought never to have existed in Minoan architecture, fortifications have quite recently been documented in substantial numbers by Alexiou during the last couple of centuries of the Prepalatial era (the EM III and MM IA periods) and into the age of the first palaces (MM IB-II). They include examples from both palatial (Knossos, Mallia) and non-palatial sites. The most impressive of the latter is a recently discovered circuit at Kouphota (Ayia Photia) in east Crete which features both towers at intervals along the exterior and a large, 37-room rectangular complex on the interior, all probably constructed in MM I and abandoned before that period's end. Recent excavations in southern Crete at the sites of Monastiraki (in the inland Amari valley) and Kommos (on the coast just southwest of the sites of Phaistos and Ayia Triadha) have revealed additional palatial complexes of the Old Palace period. That at Monastiraki has produced several important deposits of sealings as well as a well-preserved building model (of a shrine?) comparable in a number of respects to the somewhat later example from Archanes (see below). The newly recognized palatial complex at Kommos [Building AA] is a large building organized around a central rectangular court which is bounded on the north and south short sides by stoas fronted by half-a-dozen columns; unlike the nearby palace at Phaistos, that at Kommos was not built until late in the Protopalatial period, during MM IIB, and consequently had quite a short "lifetime" before being buried in the Neopalatial era under another palatial complex [Building J/T]. Monumental Non-Palatial Complexes Impressive Protopalatial structures which are clearly not palaces in form (although they may have had many of the functions of a Minoan palace) are best studied at Mallia. To the northwest of the later palace is a large rectangular open space (29.10 x 39.80 m.) furnished with a plaster floor and enclosed on all four sides by massive foundations which originally supported banks of seats. This space was probably the functional equivalent at Mallia of the theatral areas at Knossos and Phaistos, here four-sided because the unit as a whole, owing to the flat topography of the site, could not be easily built up as high as at Phaistos and Knossos. To the southwest is a large, for the most part subterranean (as preserved) building known as the "Hypostyle Crypt". Within it are a series of five large storerooms furnished with rows of platforms on which pithoi holding liquids were set and along which elaborate drainage facilities were constructed to recover anything that was spilled. Rooms with carefully plastered walls to the west of the storerooms are furnished with benches and have been suggested by the French to constitute a council hall. A good deal further to the west is a large, irregularly shaped and multistoreyed complex known as Quartier Mu which actually consists of three distinct house units, the most impressive of which is the "Central House" covering an area of some 450 m.2 and consisting of some thirty rooms on the ground floor alone. This large building includes a shrine at the west with a fixed rectangular hearth at its center, four storerooms along the north having the same elaborate provisions for drainage as those in the "Hypostyle Crypt", a paved hall, a sunken "lustral basin" of the type common in Minoan palaces and later Neopalatial villas, a lightwell, and two stairways leading to upper floors which are no longer preserved. Industrial (E), storage (NW), and residential and cult (W) areas are neatly compartmentalized and segregated as in the contemporary palaces. Architectural features in this structure without parallel in EM houses include ashlar masonry, columns and cut-stone column bases, and pavements and "causeways" of cut slabs. This and other large Protopalatial houses are evidence for an emerging stratification in MM society not attested in this fashion during the EM period, during which all houses at a given site (e.g. Myrtos) are of essentially the same size. On the other side of a narrow road from the three large houses of Quartier Mu are located three contemporary workshops: one used by smiths in which were found several moulds for the production of bronze tools; one by potters whose tools included moulds for the production of figured attachments to clay vases in the form of shells, fish, and cats; and one by seal-cutters who appear to have specialized in three-sided prisms. These smaller and much less elegantly appointed buildings are considered by the excavators to have housed artisans employed by the higher-ranked residents of the quasi-palatial structures across the street to the west. Found mostly within the larger, more impressive residences were numerous clay objects of different forms inscribed with signs of the "Hieroglyphic" script: 9 tablets, 13 medallions, 2 cones, 16 noduli and several kinds of sealings. The entire complex was short-lived, having been both built and destroyed (by a fierce fire) within the MM II period (ca. 1800-1700 B.C. by the conventional lower chronology). Whether all of these distinct buildings at Mallia were simply annexes of a Protopalatial palace which occupied the same site as the preserved Neopalatial palace or were instead dispersed elements with palatial functions which did not coalesce into a single building until the Neopalatial period at the site still remains to be established. It is, however, clear that major portions of the Neopalatial palace site were occupied by significant constructions in the Old Palace period (e.g. the probable shrine in the northeastern part of the later west wing from which come a ceremonial bronze sword and the well-known stone axe in the form of a leopard; a second probable shrine under the later residential quarters, somewhat further north in the later palace's west wing, in which two other swords and a collection of miniature juglets, one incised with a hieroglyphic inscription, were found; the storage rooms of the later palace's east wing which feature moulded channels and buried jars in the plastered floors so that, as in the Hypostyle Hall and the storerooms of the mansions in Quartier Mu, loss from spillage of valuable liquids could be kept to an absolute minimum). The "Town Mosaic" from Knossos A series of some two dozen mould-made fa�ence plaques representing building facades which probably served to decorate a wooden chest and which were found in MM IIIA fill near the Loomweight Basement in the east wing of the Knossian palace is known as the "Town Mosaic". Other fragments of this complex work of art represent trees, soldiers, goats, oxen, the prow of a ship, and bits of sea water. The whole composition may have been comparable to that on the silver "Siege Rhyton" from Shaft Grave IV at Mycenae or to that of the "Fleet Fresco" from Thera, both of which are quite a bit later in date (LM IA). All of the houses have two or three storeys. Windows are common in the upper storeys, rare on the ground floor. A common feature is a small rectangular projection above the flat roof, marking a covering over the staircase leading to the roof as the somewhat later three-dimensional model building from Archanes described below makes clear. A number of features of the buildings represented by these plaques (e.g. frequency of ashlar masonry; beam-end friezes; combinations of half-timbering and ashlar masonry) do not appear to correspond with the realities of most MM house architecture. The House Model from Archanes Found in a room identified as a possible workshop within an impressive building of MM IIIA date, this piece is paralleled in Minoan art only by an as yet unpublished model from a palatial complex at Monastiraki (on display in the Rethymnon Museum) and by some scrappy fragments of another model (or models) from Knossos. The Archanes model is a small (0.31 x 0.29 x 0.15-0.18 m. high) terracotta model of a two-storeyed building having windows, columns, a lightwell opening onto a typical Minoan hall, a stairway, and a projecting balcony on the second storey. Like the facades of the "Town Mosaic", it is invaluable for the information it provides about the elevation of Minoan buildings, probably townhouses, of the 18th and 17th centuries B.C. Actual townhouses at Knossos of the MM III period (e.g. the House of Fallen Blocks and a recently excavated house on Gypsades Hill) are comparable to that represented by the Archanes model in that they occupy small areas in plan and feature no more than three rooms on the ground floor. Such humble dwellings lie at the opposite end of the spectrum of MM domestic architecture from the large manses characteristic of Quartier Mu at Mallia. BURIAL CUSTOMS Larnax Burial In the MM period, larnakes become shorter and deeper when elliptical than they had been in the EM period. At the same time, the rectangular form, which always lacks legs in the MM period, appears. MM larnakes are painted only very rarely. By the end of the period, the custom of larnax burial has spread throughout east and central Crete and is unknown only in the west. Pithos Burial Appearing for the first time not long before the MM period begins, this is perhaps the most common type of MM burial. Pithoi containing bodies may be deposited in simple pits, either isolated or in groups referred to as "pithos cemeteries", in caves, in tholoi, in rectangular ossuaries, and in chamber tombs. When used for burials, pithoi may be laid sideways, stood on their rim, or stood right side up. The size of the individual pithos varies considerably, usually according to the size of the corpse it contains. Pithoi, like larnakes, are rarely painted. Most appear to be re-used domestic vessels rather than items made expressly for funerary purposes. This mode of burial continues into the LM I period but has become very rare by LM III. Though attested from Chania in the west to Siteia in the east, it is perhaps most popular in the north and east. Tholoi of Mesara Type Tholos tombs of this type continue to be used, as well as to be built, until at least as late as MM II and probably until quite far into the MM III period. An important series of such tombs was excavated in the 1960's and 1970's at the site of Archanes not far south of Knossos. The latest of the Archanes tholoi, said to have been constructed in MM IA and to have gone through no less than six architectural phases before its final use in the LH IIIA period, is peculiar in having a dromos (or entrance corridor) which links it typologically with the earliest tholoi of "Mycenaean" type found both on Crete and on the Greek Mainland. It now seems more likely than ever that the "Mycenaean" tholos tomb is derived directly from the Early Minoan or "Mesara" type of tholos, despite the claims by a number of British authorities (e.g. Cavanagh and Laxton, Dickinson) that the "Mycenaean" tholos owes no debt of any kind to the earlier Minoan form. Another of the Archanes tholoi (Tholos C or Gamma), this one of MM IA date, is notable for its relatively complete state of preservation, which unmistakably reveals that small tholoi of "Mesara" type were indeed fully vaulted in stone. This particular tomb is also important for revealing close links with the Cyclades in the form of a number of both stone and bone or ivory FAF's which it contained. Chamber Tomb Destined to become the most common type of tomb in the LM period, the chamber tomb is first attested by several examples of MM II-III date in the Mavrospelio cemetery near Knossos and in the Epano Gypsades cemetery at the same site. The normal Minoan, as well as Mycenaean, chamber tomb has a horizontal or downward-sloping entrance passage, the dromos. This usually widens a bit at the end closest to the door of the tomb and its side walls often have an inward inclination as they rise. The actual doorway of the tomb, the stomion, is narrower than the dromos and opens into what is usually a roughly rounded or rectangular tomb chamber with, at least on Crete, a ceiling which is either flat or convex (i.e. domed). Aegean tombs of this general type have been variously derived: (1) [Evans] The Minoan form is derived from Egypt, the Mycenaean from the Minoan. (2) [Persson] Both Minoan and Mycenaean forms are independently derived from Egypt. (3) [Pini] The Minoan form is derived from Cyprus, where chamber tombs begin in the local Cypriot EBA. The Mycenaean form is derived from the Minoan form through such sites as the Minoan colony at Kastri on Kythera. Pini's argument runs as follows: In both late MM and LM chamber tombs, pieces of bedrock are sometimes left in the form of pie

Pini's argument runs as follows: In both late MM and LM chamber tombs, pieces of bedrock are sometimes left in the form of piers within the chamber to help support the roof. The plans of such tombs are as a result bi- or tri-lobate and are particularly close to those of somewhat earlier Cypriot tombs. Significantly, such multi-chambered plans are rare on the Greek Mainland at any time during the Mycenaean period. Antechambers are rarely if ever present in Minoan chamber tombs, in marked contrast with the situation in Egypt where the antechamber of such a tomb remained open so that sacrifices and offerings could be made to the dead. A Minoan chamber tomb, on the other hand, was sealed by a blocking wall built across the stomion and the dromos was then completely filled in. If a tomb marker of some kind was not placed in the dromos fill, the location of a Minoan chamber tomb could easily be forgotten within a year or two of its last use, an unthinkable happening in Egypt. It is, of course, by no means impossible, as Dickinson has pointed out, that chamber tombs could have been independently "invented" on both Crete and the Mainland or, alternatively, that both the Minoan and the Mainland examples are somehow connected with either EH versions of the basic form known from sites such as Manika in Euboea and Pavlopetri in Laconia or with early Middle Cycladic examples such as those from Phylakopi. In any case, the later chamber tombs, unlike tholoi of the "Mesara" type, have no consistent orientation in terms of their entrances or the alignment of their dromoi. The direction in which a dromos runs is entirely determined by the topography and often the geology of a particular necropolis. Individual chamber tombs normally contain multiple inhumation burials, but the manner in which these burials are disposed within the tomb chamber - in pithoi, larnakes, wooden coffins, or simply laid out upon the tomb floor - varies considerably. Chamber tombs are particularly characteristic of north-central Crete and are relatively rare in the east. RELIGION Both hilltops and caves for the first time reveal unambiguous evidence of being used for cult purposes in the MM I period. Of the fifty or so hilltops which have been claimed as Minoan "peak sanctuaries", at least twenty-five are generally considered to be accurately identified as such and at none of these does the evidence for cult activity predate central Cretan MM IA. Cave sanctuaries are fewer in number (Amnisos, Idaean, Iuktas, Kamares, Psychro, Skoteino, Stavromyti) but are similar to the peak sanctuaries in that cult begins at them no earlier than MM I. It is likely that the development of both forms of cult place is to be connected with the rise of the palaces in MM IB or slightly earlier. Certain artifactual types, such as polychrome Kamares pottery and inscriptions in Linear A or a script allied to that on the Phaistos Disc (see below), are found only in the palaces or at such specialized cult locations, another fact suggesting a direct connection between the two. In all probability, the �lite who built and occupied the first palaces on Crete maintained its power through claims to a special connection with divinities which were worshipped at special cult places established by that �lite. WEAPONRY MM weapons are relatively rare, and this fact has led to the somewhat simplistic conclusion that the Minoans were peace-loving and simply did not indulge in warfare. An interesting hoard of apparently ceremonial weapons was found in the ruins of a Protopalatial building, perhaps part of an "Old Palace", at Mallia. The hoard includes the earliest sword in the Bronze Age Aegean, a long, tangless rapier with a gold-sheathed hilt and a rock-crystal pommel, as well as a brown schist axehead in the form of a rampant leopard, extensively decorated with running spirals, and a dagger, also hilted in gold, which was probably a companion piece for the sword. Two other swords, one having a gold-plated pommel decorated in the repouss� technique with the figure of an acrobat, were found in another late Protopalatial context at Mallia, under the later residential quarters of the Neopalatial palace. FIGURES There is a great variety of human and animal figurines during this period. The best known are the fa�ence "snake-goddesses" from the MM IIIB Temple Repositories at Knossos, the terracotta figurines of male and female worshippers from peak sanctuaries at Petsopha, Kophinas, Iuktas, and several other locations, and the groups of large bulls being grappled with by tiny human beings from tholos tombs in the Mesara. WRITING At least three different systems of writing in Crete can be dated to the Middle Minoan period: Pictographic or Hieroglyphic Script This appears in MM IA and continues into the MM IIIB period, a "life history" of some 500-550 years. The signs are, as the name of the script implies, pictorial and the script has an overall "glyptic" character. The earliest examples occur on MM I seals with three or four sides. The number of surviving texts is small, examples coming only from Knossos, Phaistos, and Mallia. The texts themselves are very short. Aside from the numerals (a decimal system), the script is undeciphered and is likely to remain so. There is no uniformity in the direction in which the script is written. Linear A The discovery of early Linear A (so-called "Proto-Linear") texts in the ruins of the First Palace at Phaistos has pushed back the date of this script's first appearance to MM IIA or perhaps even to MM IB. It used to be thought that Linear A developed directly out of Pictographic (about one third of the signs in Linear A closely resemble Pictographic forms), but it now seems possible that Linear A and Pictographic are virtually contemporary in terms of their appearance. Linear A never appears on seals and has a general "graphic" character. Texts read uniformly from left to right and there is an extensive use of {ligature}s (combined or compound signs). There appear to be definite local variations in this script. It has a relatively wide distribution, having been found at some twenty different sites on a wide variety of different objects. Only three sites outside of Crete itself have so far produced examples of true texts (as opposed to an individual sign or two) in this script: Ayia Irini on Keos, Phylakopi on Melos, and Akrotiri on Thera. Texts occur most frequently on clay tablets. Major archives have been found at Ayia Triadha (168 tablets) dating to LM IA and at Chania dating to about the same time period. Tablets are also known from Archanes, Knossos, Mallia, Phaistos, and Zakro. Significantly, texts are also known on six stone libation tables from various sites, on spoon-shaped mortars, on a doorjamb, on a gold ring, on a miniature gold axe, on silver and gold pins, on a bronze tablet, on a fair number of bronze ingots, and in cuttlefish ink on the inside of a clay cup. The latest Linear A inscriptions appear to be no later than LM I and hence all predate the supposed Mycenaean occupation of Knossos in LM II and early LM IIIA. The language of Linear A is definitely different from the archaic form of Greek which is the language of the graphically related Linear B script. The Linear A script, like Linear B, is a syllabary and consists of some 85 distinct signs. Various decipherments of Linear A have been claimed but none have met with general approval. While it is possible that the language of Linear A comes from a known language family (e.g. Semitic or Indo-European) and hence that closely allied languages still exist, it is just as likely that the language of the Minoans, like modern Turkish or Basque, had no close linguistic relatives even in antiquity, in which case the chances of its ever being deciphered are exceedingly slim. The Phaistos Disc "...an approximation to printing, immense in potentiality but null in effect - a freak." Found in the north part of the palace at Phaistos in a MM IIIB context, this baked clay object lacks close parallels in Crete and is likely to be an import. The "writing" consists of stamped signs in groups of between two and seven divided by horizontal and vertical incised lines. The signs are to be read from the outside towards the inside, retrograde. On one side of the disc there are thirty-one groups, on the other thirty. The text is so neatly fitted into the space available for it that the impressed "writing" must have been fully planned before execution. There are forty-five different signs, so the script is probably a syllabary rather than an alphabet. There are no obvious numerals. The script may be of southwest Anatolian origin - Lycia has been suggested - but this is not much better than a guess, since no comparable contemporary scripts are in fact known from that part of Asia Minor. Similar signs, perhaps evidence of the same script, have been found on a bronze axe from the Arkalochori Cave.

I did not realize it would copy so much to Geo.. it came from http://archaeology.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://devlab.dartmouth.edu/history/bronze%5Fage/lessons/10.html%2322

The tricky part of decyphering the Linear A & B examples is how to read them. It was discovered that Linear B (the only one of the two which has been successfully decyphered) is read ina manner called boustrophedon meaning as an ox plows a field. Line one would read left to right. Line 2 would read right to left and so on. An excellent discussion of the Greek language and its history: http://www.translexis.demon.co.uk/new_page_2.htm

A very early Greek (around 650 BC) inscription with the text running from left to right then doubling back to run from right to left. This form of writing, resembling the path of the ox-drawn plough across a field, is known as boustrophedon. Unlike the example of linear B above, this is an early forerunner of the Greek script still in use today. I see that this website (the one cited above) has described and shown how it looks. Please note that these examples were found at Knossos on Crete. Frozen for all time in the ejecta from the eruption of Thera.

Another comprehensive site for the archaeology of the Aegean is from Dartmouth University http://devlab.dartmouth.edu/history/bronze_age/ I have found one from Penn, but since I have been treated rather poorly by an archaeologist from that institution, I think I will let you find it for yourself. That is rather petty of me - here it is: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~ekondrat/aegean.html

An absolute treasure of a site MUSEUMS OF GREECE http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~ekondrat/greekmuseum.html

dolphins with duckbills! thanks for the wonderful research marcia! in your first example of heiroglyphics, one of the characters looks like something found on egyptian walls (egyptian cross) (assuming that the elongated A and the backwards S are one character, it would be the fourth character from the left)

PRESSURES FOR THE RETURN OF THE PARTHENON MARBLES The pressures for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece intensified after the revelations made by the London newspaper "Guardian" according to which, the British Museum sold a total of 30 16th century bronze plates in the 50s and 60s. The plates in question, known as the Benin Plates, were parts of the Nigeria art treasures. The museum's decision was in absolute contrast with its internal regulations that forbid the breaking up of a work of art. For the record, the British Museum maintains that the Parthenon Marbles belong to its collection and is not in a position to return them to Greece.

Ships of Thera The first famous ships of the ancient Greek were the ships of Thera. Representations of them are saved in vessels but also in wall paintings in Thera. The wall paintings are dated to the 1500 - 1600 B.C. Strange is that this knowledge for the ships declines up to much more late near the 700 B.C. when the Corinthus presented the first form of trireme. Had 40 metres length and used 150 oarsmen in three lines and also 50 persons for the rest needs. John

i like looking at the old wooden ships--they were so neat!! have you heard a peep out of marcia? i'm so worried about her (have sent a couple of mails but she must be down again)

*P E E P* I'm back. Do I need an excuse from my mother? This might take a while. At least I won't cough on you and spread my germs! Thanks for missing me, Wolfie, Sweetie! Thanks, John. I can never get enough of archaeology and most especialy Greek archaeology. Function and beauty in one magnificent wooden structure! ONE MILLION VISITORS IN VERGINA IN FIVE YEARS Thessaloniki, 1 April 2002 (17:18 UTC+2) About one million people visited the archaeological site of Vergina since 1997 and their number is expected to be increased after the construction of the Museum of Vergina. The announcement was made by Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the death of archaeologist Manolis Andronikos, who discovered the tomb of King Philippos B' father of Alexander the Great. The new museum will allow the treasures of every monument in the archaeological site of Vergina to be exhibited separately.

oh, Vergina, at first i thought it was virginia *silly me-laugh*!!

I did too!!!! Wolfie, we truly so think alike! I thought it was a typo! Now, I am going to do a bit of research on what is there and resport back.

This place is so remenicent of New Grange in Ireland and West Kennet Long Barrow in England. I was stunned to know passage graves were elsewhere in Europe. Of course, it make sense since the tribes that populated Britain were migrants from the east. How likely is it that we are all related?! The Royal Tombs at Aigai: a Museum on the Site On the discovery of the Royal Tombs of Vergina (Aigai) in 1977, an immediate programme was launched to preserve the magnificent murals which adorned them. At the same time a conservation laboratory was set up on the spot to save and restore the extremely important portable objects they contained. For the preservation of the Royal Tombs themselves a subterranean structure was built in 1993 to encase and protect the ancient monuments by maintaining a constant temperature and humidity, both indispensable for the preservation of the wall paintings. Externally the structure has the appearance of an earth mound; inside it are the treasures found in the Royal Tombs, which have been on exhibition since November 1997. http://alexander.macedonia.culture.gr/2/21/211/21117a/e211qa07.html

Go look at the Ministry of Culture website. Wander around and let your eyes feast on the magnificance of the artistic creations of ancient Greece. We pale by comparison.

I knew that Wolfie would love the painting of the dolphins. The Minoans exceled at wall paintings of great vitality, refinement, and beauty. Interestingly, the Minoan dolphins are much more accurate representations than those of the 16th and 17th centuries.

thanks for that cheryl, of course i did!

Trireme The Athenian trireme had length of roughly 35 metres and biggest speed the 20 Km/h (other however him calculate in the 15Km/h). Usually it covers 100 kilometres daily being useful as commercial ship but also as martial ship. It was equipped (in its front part) with a ram that was invested with metal. It could ram and sink the enemy ships. Its power during the naval battles, was based in the force of the 170 oarsmen, even if it was sailboat. Oarsmen were seated in three carefully drawn levels (The two internally and one externally). They are used three lines of oars in synchronism. Bigger double oars placed in the stern of the ship were used as helm. Trireme had draught of only 60 cm. So, it could sails in very shallow waters without problem. John

I was reading in the culture site and discovered they also carried 30 spare oarsmen to take over for those injured or incapacitated. I also think we might relieve another fable about those oarsmen. They were not galley slaves. They were trained military men capable of swinging about and maneuvering that great boat in most weather. If you believe Hollywood epic movies, you will think they were all slaves and shackled to their seats. That makes about as much sense as using slaves to pilot our United States Air Force jets!

Lovely image, John! Again I am grateful for your sharing your wealth of information and national heritage with us.

Mysterious Minoan-era ring a �masterpiece� An engraved gold piece of jewelry of doubtful origin known as the 'Ring of Minos� has been pronounced by experts as an original, 3,500-year-old Minoan work from Crete, Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos confirmed yesterday. A ministry committee of experts vetted the ring and estimated its value at 400,000 euros (163 million drachmas), he said, adding that a reward will be paid to the Cretan family that handed it over to the authorities. Venizelos said the 15th century BC ring - which was found at Knossos in 1928 - will be displayed at the Iraklion Archaeological Museum. Archaeologist Katie Demakopoulou, former director of the Athens National Archaeological Museum, called the ring a �masterpiece of Minoan art. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100018_04/04/2002_15022

GENUINE RING OF KING MINOS WORTH 400,000 EURO The ring of King Minos, a find from the 15th century BC, was authenticated by the Central Archeological Coucnil (KAS), while at the same time it was valued at 400,000 euro. Nonetheless, the scientific and historic value of the find is much greater, as Minister of Culture Evaggelos Venizelos stated, pointing out that the ring will be turned in to the Heracleon Museum. The Minister of Culture also stressed that the citizen who turned the find in to the Archeological service will be rewarded. "I am not in a position to reveal the amount of the reward at present, because I want to evaluate all the facts of the case, taking into consideration the response of the KAS, and it is a great pleasure for me that the object known as the King of Minos, as it is known in the bibliography - because there is always an element of myth involved - will be turned over to its natural owners, the people of Crete, the people of Heracleon. It will be turned over to the Archeological Museum of Heracleon, which is entering a new period as an autonomous unit of the Ministry of Culture. Thus, this is a development strengthening the prestige of the Heracleon Museum", added Mr. Venizelos.

MOHENJO-DARO Mohenjo-Daro was a city located in the south of Modern Pakistan in the Sind Province, on the right bank of the Indus River. It was built between four and five thousand years ago, and lasted until 3,700 BP. It was part of the Harrapan Civilization, and the city had at least 35,000 residents. Mohenjo-Daro means �mound of the dead�. The city was approximately one square mile in size. In 1922-1927 large scale excavations at Mohenjo-daro were carried out by R. D. Banarjee and continued by M. S. Vats and K. N. Dikshit under the direction of Sir John Marshall. E. J. H. MacKay carried out further excavations from 1927 to1931. Sir Mortimer Wheeler made small excavations in1950. http://emuseum.mnsu.edu/archaeology/sites/middle_east/mohenjo_daro.html

Salt Range (Pakistan) Temples http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/arth/meister/pakistan.html

Professor returns stolen Acropolis fragment after 30 years A US fine arts professor who returned a stolen marble fragment from a sculpture on the Acropolis to Aegean Minister Nikos Sifounakis in Sydney yesterday said his �significant gesture� set a precedent for the return to Athens of the Elgin Collection of marbles. Californian Jim Bertholm admitted to having stolen the fragment as an anti-junta protest in 1972, when he led a group of students to the Acropolis. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100026_06/04/2002_15110

A river runs through it: Athens' ancient graveyard The ancient cemetery of Kerameikos offers its visitors both sculpturalmasterpieces and curious amphibians BY DIANA FARR LOUIS WHY IS it that of my first visit to the Kerameikos, the ancient cemetery of Athens at the bottom of Ermou Street, my most vivid memory concerns hopping frogs? Our guide must have been telling the group fascinating details about the site, pointing out landmarks and bringing the place of the dead back to life, but her commentary has left no trace in my mind. Instead, it has been supplanted by a vision of totally unexpected yellow-and-green spotted creatures croaking by the side of a stream. I suppose it is a measure of how thirsty we Athenians are for nature, that the presence of any wildlife other than pigeons, alley cats and mangy dogs can be more exciting than a historic monument. For Athens holds the dubious honour of having the lowest ratio of green to cement of any major European city, and maybe too we take old stones for granted. And while Paris, Rome, London, Prague, Budapest and a host of other capitals have romantic rivers adding colour, life and diversity to their city-scapes, the rivers of Athens - all three of them - have been boxed into concrete channels and buried almost totally out of sight. The Ilissos and Kiphissos suffered this fate in the mid 20th century; the Eridanos, which flowed through the centre of Athens, was covered over by the Romans, if not even earlier. And yet it is the Eridanos that makes the Kerameikos more than just an interesting collection of tombs and historic walls. Although it probably was never more than a seasonal torrent, swollen by winter rains and virtually dry in August, its muddy banks were a wonderful source of clay. Which brings us to a chicken-and-egg story: Did the area become the potters' district because this was where the cemetery was located (from the 12th century BC on) or did the cemetery become established there because of the proximity of the potters? Potters were as essential to funerals as morticians are today, since urns were required for grave offerings and as containers for ashes. Unlike the Orthodox Church, the ancients did not consider cremation anathema. In any case, the district took its name from Keramos, a son of Dionysos and Ariadne and patron of the potters (kerameis). Eridanos, on the other hand, was a river god, one of the three thousand sons/rivers from the union of Oceanos and Tethys, which also resulted in three thousand daughters, the Oceanids. With its source at the foot of Lycabettus, the Eridanos flowed through what is now Syntagma Square; you can see a small section of the petrified bed bristling with shards and behind glass on exhibit in the Metro station. From there its course ran under Philellinon, Othonos and Mitropoleos streets, down Adrianou (where a bit of ancient channel lies exposed) and alongside the tracks at Monastiraki. Then it bends to the northwest and enters the cemetery enclosure, where it surfaces for a few hundred metres before entering another underground channel and eventually joining up with the cemented bed of the Kiphissos, which parallels Pireos Street. Granted, this slow-moving trickle is not much to look at. But the fact that it exists at all is remarkable and reflects the symbiosis of archaeology and ecology. Few laws preserve ecosystems that occupy prime real estate in the middle of a burgeoning city, but they do protect ancient monuments and therefore, inadvertently, some vestiges of nature manage to survive in these sites, even when surrounded by heavy traffic and noxious smog. A booklet prepared by the ministry of culture in 2000 catalogues these vestiges, reporting that the Kerameikos is home to fifteen species of birds and animals, one fish - a minuscule creature called the mosquito fish that can cope with the river's shrinking waters - and 188 plant species within its 40,000 square metres. This does not mean that you will see anything more exotic than a tortoise or a caper bush, but I find it comforting that hedgehogs may be napping in a shady burrow or that the Callas impersonator concealed in the branches of a Jerusalem thorn tree is actually a Sardinian warbler. It is also reassuring that some branch of the government actually cared enough to conduct this census and publish the information in such an attractively produced, impeccably translated edition. It comes as a welcome diversion from the 'Great Works in Progr ess' that seem to gobble most public resources. more... http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.prnt_article?e=C&f=12956&t=06&m=A24&aa=1

For Imran, who will porbably never come here to see it: IMPORTANT/ HISTORICAL PLACES Of the MARDAN DISTRICT Shahbaz Garhi is situated on Mardan Swabi Road at a distance of 12 kilometer from Mardan. The emperor Babar in his book Tuzk-e-Babri has given reference of this monastery. It has also been stated that this village has named with the name of a famous religious person. 1n the ancient books the name of this village is Varshapura. In 7th century, a Chinese pilgrim Mr.Haven Sang, visited this monetary and recorded this polosha in his book. A servant of Ranjit Singh, Mr.Moart saw this inscription in 1832 for the first time and made a thirteen lines copy. Later on Herd Duclus Assistant Commissioner Mardan stated that these words are of Khoroshti language. so much more and pictures... http://www.mardan.sdnpk.org/Historical%20Sites.htm

The acute pain of my inability to read any Greek is compounded by this little bit of English: In the course of this research project (*) a multidisciplinary approach has been undertaken to re-examine the documentary and archaeological evidence combined with extensive geological Prospection regarding these most elusive of industrial minerals of Antiquity, the Lemnian and Samian earths. They were famed in Classical / Roman and the Ottoman periods primarily for their healing properties as well as a wide range of other applications, as fuller's earth, pigments and clays for pottery-making. Despite extensive documentation, the Lemnian sphragis (seal) and the two types of Samian earth, the colyrium and the aster, have remained distinctly elusive in the archaeological record. The reason is that as raw materials, products and industrial waste they are readily assimilated into the background of the natural environment. Not only are they elusive in the field but the main ingredients to which they owed their curative properties have not been identified either. This joint research program between Glasgow and Athens, part of a larger program into the nature and methods of processing of other industrial minerals in the Aegean (**) has been aimed at identifying their mineralogy and potential locations of extraction on their respective islands as well as illuminating the nature of the main ingredient responsible for their curative properties. (**)GUAD, as a member of the British School at Athens is currently carrying our research on industrial minerals in Antiquity in Melos (Melian and Kimolian earths, alum and sulphur). http://www.archaeometry.gr/r-projects/Samos-pro/samos.htm

Not happy with the above I hunted onward to discover more about Bentonite. My son used it extensively and he left me some for my collection. Industrial Mineral exploitation in Antiquity in the Aegean http://www.archaeometry.gr/r-projects/Samos-pro/samos_result.htm

Of course there is a volcanic connection: In the course of geological prospection, altered and weathered pyroclastic rock was observed in the crags about 20m NW of the spring. Some were intensely altered showing coloursfrom white to yellow and brown to red. X- ray diffraction analyses showed that clay minerals like montmorillonite and illite were the main components with crystoballlite, relict feldspar, quartz and alunite. Alunite, a potassium aluminium sulphate forming as the result of high temperature alteration of feldspathic volcanic rocks, is usuall associated with alum and sulphur. Alum, aluminium sulphate, was well known in antiquity for its medicinal properties but being particularly soluble, it would have bee washed by rain out of the high volcanic ground into the alluvial sediment in the fields below or into man-made traps.

And, you thought archaheology was boring! yes I understand what they are saying in that last post. I'll explain it when we get around to discussing how volcanoes work. Suffice it to say, that was the state of medicine when Galen was the supreme physician of the world.

Samian Earth: the case of "colyriun" and "aster" Although documentary evidence of the exploitation of Samian earth dates from the time of Theophrastus in the 4th century BC it is Pliny in c. 50 AD (Nat. Hist.) who details two distinct varieties. These are "colyrium" an eye salve and "aster" which was used as a soap as well as in medicines. Samian earth is described as a white, soft lightweight substance, clearly a valuable versatile material, a typical industrial mineral. The present search for Samian earth followed the suggestions of the Samiot geologist Karageorghiou (1947) and IGME geological maps, that the volcanic rocks in the vicinity of Platanos were the likely source. These rocks have been altered to a soft absorbent clay mineral known as fullers' earth or bentonite. However, the medicinal value of this material is only limited, as an absorbent of toxic substances and it is likely that a second substance was present with more powerful medicinal and antiseptic properties. The existence of borate minerals, like collemanite identified in localities near Platanos point to the special substance being a soluble borate, well established ingredient in modern pharmaceutical products. Therefore it is suggested that Pliny's colyrium contains borate as the active ingredient while aster was a clay used as fullers' earth. http://www.archaeometry.gr/r-projects/Samos-pro/samos_result.htm

Archaeologists threaten strike over dwindling resources By Elias Hazou THE ANTIQUITIES Department yesterday warned it would take drastic measures, including possible strike action, unless the government stepped in to improve working and organisational issues. The department claims severe under-staffing is jeopardising the proper preservation of archaeological sites and artefacts, since the current number of archaeologists and technicians cannot cope with the workload. Giorgos Filotheou, president of the department's council, painted a grim picture of the situation. He cited the example of Larnaca, where if no measures were taken to re-organise the facilities there, by the year 2008 just one technician would be on duty. "Clearly, this is a political issue," said Filotheou, explaining that government policy on antiquities was outdated and needed to change immediately. "After human life, our cultural heritage is the next most important thing," Filotheou noted. If no action was taken, he went on, the department's staff, "who are already putting in superhuman efforts," would dwindle further and not be able to provide even the minimum of services. The department has asked for a better hiring scheme that would help gradually replace retiring archaeologists and other staff, and better organisation and facilities. It has recommended that the government commission a relevant study. Citing another example, Filotheou said that only one person was on duty at the department's library in Nicosia. Also, from 1988 to 2002, just one additional technician was hired. Filotheou compared the situation in Cyprus to that in other countries, such as Greece and Israel, where the ratio of staff to archaeological sites was far better. The free areas of Cyprus have approximately 700 archaeological sites and monuments; the antiquities department staff numbers 66, and there are just 11 archaeologists out in the field. The department has already appealed to the Minister of Communications, who it says "responded with understanding." But the core problem seems to be the unavailability of funds. "Everyone says they care about our cultural heritage, but when it comes down to acting, no one is willing to foot the bill," Filotheou remarked. In what seemed a muffled warning, he said the department would take drastic measures if the government took no corrective action over the next few months. This might include going on a strike, said Filotheou, but did not elaborate further. The department was founded in 1935 during British rule. Copyright Cyprus Mail 2002

Greeks grapple with the idea of having the Athens 2004 Games represented bya symbol of arguable identity BY JOHN HADOULIS A WEEK after the conical figures of Athena and Phevos traipsed onto the international stage at their special April 4 unveiling, Greeks are still trying to come to terms with the reality of having these mascots serve as ambassadors to the Athens 2004 Games. The first signs weren't encouraging. "What on earth are they?" wondered Express daily. "Strong promotion may eventually succeed in selling [the mascots] to the public, but they are definitely a poor choice," it added. Critics are amazed that Athena and Phevos are the best result organisers could come up with after a 13-month competition, which attracted 196 design proposals from Greece and abroad. "Ethics prevent me from commenting on the abomination that was chosen," one of the competition finalists said in a telephone interview. Some wonder whether the choice was entirely Greece's to make. "I fear that the final judgement was passed by foreign sponsors of the Games, people who have nothing to do with the Greek spirit, " says film director Yiannis Smaragdis. "ATHOC president Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki is a woman of very good taste, " he notes. "How could this mistake have been made?" more... http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.prnt_article?e=C&f=12957&t=01&m=A03&aa=1

Suffice it to say they did not ask me. I'd have chosen nothing that looked like what they did choose. With all that Greece has contributed to design (including the horizontal bars of Geo) this was surely the least indicative their creative genius. Was it really a foreign conspiracy? For what reason? I am stunned!

Bridge the gap between East and West - visit Pergamon (in Turkish Bergama)for a taste of Satan's throne but also a touch of Hellenism BY STACEY SHACKFORD AS AN archaeology student, Pergamon (to be found in modern-day Bergama) was a dream come true for me: A magnificent acropolis, topped by the enormous, well-preserved ruins of the Temple of Trajan, surrounded by an entire ancient city and an insanely steep 10,000-seat amphitheatre. Below, the equally well-preserved Asclepion, with its columned sacred way, theatre, underground passageway, pantheon and slightly radioactive spring. It was the most extensive archaeological site I had ever seen, and, three years later, still is. Of course, it was also much more than archaeology. Archaeology alone would not have lingered with me for so long, nor drawn me back again with such urgency. I also fell in love with the modern city and its people - with an unnamed eatery smaller than my kitchen where I had the best breakfast of my life and the friendly young boy who led me there. When you have a love affair with a place, it comes on unexpectedly and stubbornly refuses to leave. My love affair with Bergama began in March 1998. Three other girls and I had chosen Turkey as our Spring Break destination while archaeology students in Athens. Our first stop, of course, was Istanbul, where we nearly froze to death while spending hours gazing in awe at the Topkapi Palace and Blue Mosque. Then we hit Cannakale and the ancient ruins of Troy, before stopping in Bergama on our way to a washed-up resort town and a ferry to Rhodes. At that time, I had not yet gotten to the Hellenistic period in my ancient history, architecture and sculpture classes, so I did not immediately recognise the importance of the ancient city of Pergamon. We were there at the suggestion of a fellow student who insisted it was "awesome." We may have only been there a day or two, I don't remember exactly. It seemed like an eternity. We hunkered down in a hostel, took a taxi up the 5 km road winding around the mountain that is the ancient acropolis, and spent the next few hours working our way back down, dumbstruck. On this trip, taken in mid-August, I headed straight to Bergama from the Greek island of Lesvos. I came with a different companion, one who had heard me reminisce endlessly about the place, and who had never been to Turkey herself. We didn't attack the acropolis immediately, but waited until early the next morning, when we could actually climb to the top. There was a fence around the site, which I didn' t remember before, but we quickly found a gaping hole in it and climbed through. At 8.15am, the site wasn't even officially open yet, and we could feel people glaring at us from inside an air-conditioned tour bus parked at the gate, waiting to be let in. There's nothing like being alone among the crumbling remains of an ancient city, with no fences, no guards, no immediate sign of modern civilisation. You can almost feel history seeping up into you from the dust at your feet. Even without knowing anything at all about the history of the place, you can sense the ghosts of Roman Pergamon leading donkey carts past the long strip of stores in the agora. much more and images http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.prnt_article?e=C&f=12957&t=06&m=A24&aa=1

Thousands of Inca Mummies Found Near Lima WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Thousands of Inca mummies, some of them bundled together in groups of up to seven, have been unearthed from an ancient cemetery under a shantytown near Lima in Peru, National Geographic announced on Wednesday. Believed to be the largest cemetery from one time period excavated in Peru, lead archeologist Guillermo Cock said as many as 10,000 Incas were possibly buried at the site at Puruchuco in Peru's Rimac Valley between 1480 and 1535. But Cock, a Peruvian archeologist, said the site was being destroyed at an alarming rate by humans, including the release of thousands of gallons of sewage daily into the shantytown's streets that had seeped underground and damaged some mummies. "The consequences of humanity on these burials are terrible," said Cock, adding that some of the mummies were riddled with worms. "It was not a pretty sight." Cock, who estimates they uncovered the remains of between 2,200 and 2,400 Incas, said the cemetery provided a huge scientific sampling of the Inca people from infants to the elderly and from the rich to the very poor. "We have what in sociological terms, we would call the perfect sample to project presidential elections. Each social class and group and age is proportionally represented," Cock told a news conference at National Geographic's Washington headquarters. "This will give us a unique opportunity to look into the Inca community, study their lives, their health and their culture," added Cock, who has been doing archeological work in Peru since 1983 and is an adviser to the Peruvian government. The Incas once ruled a vast swath of South America stretching from Colombia to Chile but Spain's Francisco Pizarro and his band of 160 treasure hunters, using cannons and horses, brought that empire to a bloody end in 1533. Some of the "mummy bundles" contained as many as seven people buried along with their possessions and weighed hundreds of pounds. So far, Cock said only three bundles had been unwrapped in what was a painfully slow, expensive process. It would take generations before the full implications of the find were known. One of the unwrapped bundles, nicknamed the Cotton King, was made up of hundreds of pounds of raw cotton. Inside was the body of an Inca noble and a baby as well as 70 items including food, pottery, animal skins and corn. Among the most interesting discoveries were the number of elite members of Inca society, some of whom were still wearing the elaborate feather headdresses they were buried in. FALSE HEADS Another striking find was 22 intact and 18 disturbed "false heads," or falsas cabezas. These are mummy bundles usually reserved for the elite with a bump on top filled with cotton and resembling a human head, many of them with wigs. These bundles contain several people, one of them the key person and the remainder probably accompanying him in the afterlife. The bodies of adults are in the traditional fetal position, with their possessions arranged around them. "Prior to our excavations, only one falsas cabezas bundle from the Inca Period had been recovered by an archeologist, in 1956," said Cock. Cock said it was unclear whether all of the bodies in these bundles were related but probably when a key person died his body was put aside until the remainder of his party died and could be buried with him. About 50,000 to 60,000 artifacts were retrieved from the site and 22 of these are on display at National Geographic, including ancient ceramic pots and patterned textiles. Cock and his team worked at a frenetic pace over the past three years to salvage as much as they could from the cemetery before the shantytown was leveled for development. The site is known as Tupac Amaru by the 1,240 families who sought refuge there from 1989 after fleeing guerrilla fighting in the Peruvian highlands. Aside from the toll the cemetery has taken from tens of thousands of gallons of liquid being dumped daily into the ground, other graves were destroyed by bulldozers in 1998. Shantytown dwellers fought to remain on the site and archeologists turned the area into a giant dig, building bridges for people to cross the streets. Some of the residents joined in the dig. Some of the graves were found very close to the surface, especially in a dusty school playground which had been leveled several years ago. The excavation ended last July, and Cock said houses now cover most of the untapped areas. "Having to walk away is frustrating. What's left may have been a huge contribution to knowledge of the Inca."

Bergama's biblical and archaeological proportions Bridge the gap between East and West - visit Pergamon (in Turkish Bergama)for a A taste of Satan's throne but also a touch of Hellenism BY STACEY SHACKFORD The Asclepion at Pergamon More... http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.prnt_article?e=C&f=&t=06&m=A24&aa=1

AS AN archaeology student, Pergamon (to be found in modern-day Bergama) was a dream come true for me: A magnificent acropolis, topped by the enormous, well-preserved ruins of the Temple of Trajan, surrounded by an entire ancient city and an insanely steep 10,000-seat amphitheatre. Below, the equally well-preserved Asclepion, with its columned sacred way, theatre, underground passageway, pantheon and slightly radioactive spring. It was the most extensive archaeological site I had ever seen, and, three years later, still is. Of course, it was also much more than archaeology. Archaeology alone would not have lingered with me for so long, nor drawn me back again with such urgency. I also fell in love with the modern city and its people - with an unnamed eatery smaller than my kitchen where I had the best breakfast of my life and the friendly young boy who led me there. When you have a love affair with a place, it comes on unexpectedly and stubbornly refuses to leave. My love affair with Bergama began in March 1998. Three other girls and I had chosen Turkey as our Spring Break destination while archaeology students in Athens. Our first stop, of course, was Istanbul, where we nearly froze to death while spending hours gazing in awe at the Topkapi Palace and Blue Mosque. Then we hit Cannakale and the ancient ruins of Troy, before stopping in Bergama on our way to a washed-up resort town and a ferry to Rhodes. At that time, I had not yet gotten to the Hellenistic period in my ancient history, architecture and sculpture classes, so I did not immediately recognise the importance of the ancient city of Pergamon. We were there at the suggestion of a fellow student who insisted it was "awesome." We may have only been there a day or two, I don't remember exactly. It seemed like an eternity. We hunkered down in a hostel, took a taxi up the 5 km road winding around the mountain that is the ancient acropolis, and spent the next few hours working our way back down, dumbstruck. On this trip, taken in mid-August, I headed straight to Bergama from the Greek island of Lesvos. I came with a different companion, one who had heard me reminisce endlessly about the place, and who had never been to Turkey herself. We didn't attack the acropolis immediately, but waited until early the next morning, when we could actually climb to the top. There was a fence around the site, which I didn' t remember before, but we quickly found a gaping hole in it and climbed through. At 8.15am, the site wasn't even officially open yet, and we could feel people glaring at us from inside an air-conditioned tour bus parked at the gate, waiting to be let in. The sacred road of the Asclepion There's nothing like being alone among the crumbling remains of an ancient city, with no fences, no guards, no immediate sign of modern civilisation. You can almost feel history seeping up into you from the dust at your feet. Even without knowing anything at all about the history of the place, you can sense the ghosts of Roman Pergamon leading donkey carts past the long strip of stores in the agora. I was glad we decided to approach the acropolis this way, the same way the ancient people would have come. It also led us to wonder about practical things: How did they ever get those enormous marble columns up there? Where did they get water? What was this used for? I now know more about ancient Pergamon than I did three years ago. Scholars believe there was a Persian settlement at Pergamon, but the city really began to develop after Alexander the Great conquered it in 334 BC and one of his generals, Lysimachos, established his treasury there. A renowned school of sculpture developed from this wealth during the fourth century BC. Pergamon sculpture has a severe yet realistic style, marked by exaggerated muscles, frowning tragic-looking figures and lots of dishevelled hair. Examples of this can be viewed at the Archaeological museum downtown, which also features an interesting outdoor "garden of ruins", where Muslim funerary stellae mix with Hellenistic columns, cannonballs and an enormous Byzantine bell. Returning to history - Eumenes I later expanded the territory around Pergamon and started a building programme on the acropolis in 263 BC that was continued by his successor, Attalos I, with the temple of Athena and th e library of Pergamon, which at its peak contained 260,000 volumes and rivalled the library of Alexandria. An interesting footnote to history is related to the library: the Egyptian kings, alarmed at the library's growth, banned the export of papyrus to stop the production of books; this led to the revival of writing on animal skins and the invention of the paged book. It was under the reign of Attalos' son, Eumenes II, that the city reached its height. His kingdom stretched from the Marmara to Cappadocia and his influence reached Rome. The theatre and gymnasium were built during this time, as well as the famous Altar of Zeus, whose magnificent relief sculptures have unfortunately been carted away to Berlin. The Romans later turned the city into a thriving cultural and commercial centre, and at one time its population reached 150,000. In the second century AD, the Asclepion of Pergamon p picked up where Epidaurus left off and became the prime health centre in the Aegean. The ruins that remain today were constructed mostly by Hadrian. Hadrian is also believed responsible for the construction of the enormous red-brick Serapeion, better known as the Red Basilica, which lies along the river directly below the acropolis. In Roman times, it is believed Egyptian gods were worshipped there. In the Byzantine period, it became a church. Its fame, however, stems from its mention as one of the "Seven Churches" of Asia Minor - St John refers to it as home of the throne of the devil. What remains of all this history? Remarkably, quite a lot. The acropolis is about five times bigger than the acropolis of Athens, and you can spend an entire day exploring its agoras, gymnasiums, temples, palaces, walls and underground tunnels. The Red Basilica Another fond memory I had of Bergama was standing atop the ancient acropolis as the call to prayer rang out from several mosques across the city. The chants echoed off the hillside in the most mesmerising way. It was a great introduction to the modern city of Bergama, which I soon came to love as much as the ancient one. The place has a sense of unadulterated authenticity and timelessness that I have yet to discover elsewhere. It's an odd thing, because you know there is tourism there - every once in a while a busload of ogling old ladies speeds through town, heading straight for the acropolis - but it's hard to believe. People are genuinely excited to meet you. Children chase you through the streets, serenading you with hellos and offering presents. The most rewarding experience is wandering through the old quarter of town at the foot of the acropolis, where cobblestone streets lead you past Ottoman houses painted pink, blue, green, and every colour in between, faded into the most delicate hues. Paint flicked off in places reveals even older layers of spectacular colour, which give the buildings a pretty, mottled look. The houses? inhabitants are even more interesting. We saw old men and women who looked about 1 0 years old, both in age and costume, and curious young children who shyly approached, grinning. Everyone was amazingly friendly and eager to practice their English, if they had any. Otherwise, they tried to communicate through ingenious hand gestures and facial expressions. more... http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.prnt_article?e=C&f=&t=06&m=A24&aa=1

Greeks model Olympic mascots on wrong Homer Helena Smith in Athens Sunday April 21, 2002 The Observer They have been likened to a pair of post-disaster mutants, an unmentionable part of the male anatomy, condoms, and perhaps worst of all, the Simpsons. As murky as their preparations for the 2004 Olympics may be, the Greeks are making one thing very clear: they loath Ph?vos and Athen?, the cartoon mascots that will symbolise the world's most cherished sporting event when the games return to Athens. In the two weeks since the ungainly duo were unveiled, Hellenes have lambasted them as an outrageous affront to the nation's cultural heritage. Although inspired by a seventh century BC terracotta figurine and given ancient Greek names - Ph?vos is another name for Apollo the god of music and light, and Athen? the goddess of wisdom - the smiling, bell-shaped twin siblings have been denounced for being decidedly un-Greek. Even worse, they have unbecoming torsos, huge, flat feet - and four toes, in the style of the four-fingered Simpsons. 'If we see these things at the opening ceremony, it will be a national catastrophe,' snarled filmmaker Yiannis Smaragdis. 'No matter how much I try to be positive, they just seem to be so very tasteless,' lamented popular Athenian actress Dina Konsta. Informal polls have shown that 75 per cent of the population agree. The mascots' creator, little-known Greek artist Spyros Gogos, had hoped the brother and sister images would represent all the values encompassed by the Olympic ideal: the brotherhood of man, equality of the sexes, and as fun-loving children, participation in the games irrespective of victory. No other mascot to date, the Games' organisers declared, had managed so successfully to marry the past with the present. In Ph?vos and Athen?, the world had two gods in human form to represent the ultimate in human competition. 'The 2004 Olympic mascots are unique,' Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, the Games' president said somewhat defensively. 'They have a long history, as well as a modern face.' The furore adds to the woes surrounding Athens 2004. Since winning its bid for the Olympics in 1997, Athens has been savagely criticised for the chaotic way it has prepared for them. Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said Greece would need 'to run a marathon at a sprinter's pace' if it wanted to put on a problem-free Games. Delays in the construction of key sports venues, including the Olympic village, have frayed nerves. Refurbishment of the main stadium is so behind schedule there will be no time for test events. Foot-dragging on infrastructure projects, such as vital bridges and roads, has led to several works being cancelled. This month, Denis Oswald, the IOC's top inspector for Athens 2004, said the lack of suitable hotels in the Greek capital 'and chaotic plans to build new ones' was particularly worrying. Plans to host visitors in cruise liners berthed in the port of Piraeus would not solve the problem, he said. There were not only security concerns but the worry of people being trapped in Athens' notorious traffic jams. Fears of the Games being marred by a terrorist strike have increased dramatically since 11 September. As the home of November 17, the terrorist group who murdered British defence attach?, Brigadier Stephen Saunders in June 2000, Greece is viewed as Europe's 'soft underbelly'. 'Security and transport will be a concern till the end' groaned Oswald. As will in-fighting between the different ministeries and agencies handling the Games. 'We can't seem to agree on anything,' sighed one Olympics official. Ph?vos and Athen?, Greece's maligned mascots, would surely agree. http://observer.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,687827,00.html

I have to admit that I think Greece has much more lovely things to represent them than Athena and Phoebus, but they did not ask for my approval. I suspect that they will become endearing to all of use because of what they represent, and not because of what they resemble.

I have heard the Athens 2004 Olympic mascots referred to as "phallic". Do you think that is the effect that was intended? I hope not.

Heanvens No.... I have also seen this but think it is unwarranted. See Sports 58 and travel 40 for more about Athens 2004 and the mascot controversy.

Remains of ancient factory found on Salamina acropolis Ioannina University excavations unearth some significant Mycenaean relics An ancient factory dating from the late 13th to the early 12th century BC is the latest finding at the Mycenaean acropolis of Salamina. Two big buildings situated close to each other are part of an extensive organized complex, which included a guarded entrance. Other significant finds include part of a copper ingot or talent from Cyprus. Yiannis Lolos, director of Ioannina University�s excavations on Salamina, says the Mycenaean settlement in the Kanakia area can be identified as the �ancient city� of Salamina, which was recorded by the geographer Strabo, who noted that it was deserted in his era (1st century BC - 1st century AD). In other words, it is the oldest capital on the island. Lolos sums up the research done to date: �The late Mycenaean coastal settlement at Kanakia, Salamina, is known to have existed in the Middle Helladic and Early Helladic ages. It comprises an acropolis (the main built-up areas of which cover about 4.5 hectares) and smaller peripheral dependent neighborhoods. In addition to the 12 buildings and urban traces found in 2000, two large buildings (with a triangular fortified entrance) were excavated in autumn 2001, with the support of Ioannina University, the municipality of Salamina and private sponsors.� The first building is a large two-story factory measuring 11.5 x 18 meters, with work areas and other areas. Stone tools, quantities of mineral ores used for coloring, pieces of two clay tubs, low platforms and some work benches were found in the workshop. The second building has a large fortified entrance of an unusual shape, to enable those entering the building to be observed: It is a double triangular gate, the only one of its kind from late Mycenaean Greece or Cyprus. The guard on the gate must have been impressive. Lolos explains that the guard would have included slingers and archers, because a sling stone and a special stone tool for working on arrows were found. References in the �Iliad� indicate they were used in Mycenaean times, but the only visual representation of them is on the famous silver �Siege Rhyton� from Mycenae. The excavation also turned up significant finds related to the connection between Mycenaean Salamina and other Aegean island centers and Cyprus in the late 13th to early 12th century: A painted jug with a spout typical of the 12th century BC and part of a talent made from pure copper imported from Cyprus. The copper ingot has four extremities. �Apart from its importance for the study of international trade in the late Bronze Age, its special shape and the fact that it was found in two prehistoric shipwrecks on the Asia Minor shore, this find contributes to the promotion of marine archaeology,� says Lolos. The wide distribution of copper talents along sea routes is evidenced by the cargoes of ships wrecked at Kimi, Evia, during the the time of Minoan naval domination: The Uluburum of 1305 BC the Helidoni in 1200 BC, and other marine finds of unknown provenance. more and pictures... http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/content.asp?aid=15601

An Iron Age settlement has come to light near Glasgow: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_569688.html An Anglo Saxon burial has revealed a glass bowl (the yahoo stories are virtually identical, but two of them claim, as often, that archaeologists "stumbled upon" the artifact ... I can just see it now, the late Peter Sellers as a Clousseauesque Heinrich Schliemann): http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,686712,00.html http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_570032.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4397082,00.html http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020418/ap_wo_en_ge/britain_anglo_saxon_bowl_2 http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020418/ap_on_re_eu/britain_anglo_saxon_find_2 http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020418/ap_wo_en_ge/britain_anglo_saxon_bowl_1

The 'machination' of ancient Greeks Exhibition at Gazi's 'Technopolis' explores the often overlookedtechnological know-how rooted in Greek civilisation BY CHRISTY PAPADOPOULOU TECHNOLOGY, an essential part of ancient Greece along with art, philosophy and history, has yielded inventions that are used even today in a more advanced form. Ancient Greek Technology, a unique exhibition - currently hosted at the Athens Municipality Technopolis, in Gazi - sheds light on a subject least known and rather neglected by modern-day academics and researchers of ancient Greek life. Twenty-five mock-ups of ancient technological achievements spanning the period from the 6th century BC and onwards and structured around thematic sections - construction, navigation, metallurgy, cranes and pumps, measuring instruments, automation and technology in music and sports - make up the show's dynamic. These are complemented by audio-visual material, captions and explanatory text (in both Greek and English) as well as few epigraphs inscribed with the terms laid down by the State for the construction of specific public works and the penal clauses in case of their breaching by the contractor. Organised in collaboration with Thessaloniki's Technical Museum and the Society for the Study of Ancient Greek Technology, and featuring participation from the Epigraphic Museum, the 1st Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities and the European Cultural Centre of Delphi, this educational in its orientation show premiered in Thessaloniki in 1997 and has travelled since then to Hanover (2000) and Frankfurt (2001). Though the greatest technological achievements of ancient Greece were realised with the contribution of science from the 6th century BC and onwards it was as early as 1600 BC that three-storey houses were built. The West House of Akrotiri in Thera, an earthquake-resistant urban house from the height of Minoan civilisation, complete with a storeroom and workshops on the ground floor communicating via staircases with the domestic quarters on the upper floor, is an excellent example of the ancients' construction skills. Situated in the Roman Agora the clock tower of Andronekos Cyrrestos, also known as the Tower of the Winds (2nd century BC), was decorated in relief with personified depictions of the main winds. Standing out for its architectural grace the clock tower was engraved with sundials and contained a hydraulic clock. The art of navigation is spotlighted through models of ancient vessels. Among the most known is Kyrenia II, a miniature model of the 4th century BC, 14-metre long cargo-ship that was found off the coast of Cyprus. The Greek Institute for the Protection of Nautical Tradition has constructed a faithful mock-up (in terms of dimensions and materials used) of the ancient ship, which has already sailed to Paphos in Cyprus as well as to Japan and the US. Metals from the mining centres of Lavrio, Sifnos and Thassos opened up new horizons - either in their pure form or as an alloy - competing with widely exploited by that time materials such as stone, wood and clay. As part of the exhibition's metallurgy section, visitors are introduced to a comprehensive show of the different phases of casting bronze statues based on the 'lost wax' technique, widely used even today. Mechanisms such as cranes and pumps were used in ancient times as an alternative to human labour. Such an example is the screw of Archimedes (3rd century BC) used in irrigation and for pumping sea water out of a boat's hold. The section dedicated to measuring instruments is particularly impressive. In Heron's Odometer the movement of a chariot's wheels was translated through a system of communicating discs into units for the measurement of a distance covered. Comprising of seven circular intersecting rings the Astrolabe of Ptolemy (2nd century AD) is an astronomical instrument on which the celestial sphere is projected stereographically. It was used for the measurement of the longitude and latitude of stars from any point of the earth and for finding out the distance between the moon and the sun. Another astronomical device of great precision invented most probably in Rhodes was the Antikythera mechanism. Consisting of 29 variously shaped gears simultaneously activated with a handrail, this complex in its operation mechanism rendered the movement of the sun and the moon in the zodiac. Considered the ancestor of the steam engine, Heron's Aeolipile (an example of automation) exploits the pressure of vapour converting it into motive circular power. Also in the same category are the gates of an altar which opened automatically once the fire of the altar was lit and closed once it went out. Invented by the great Alexandrian engineer Ktesivios, Hydraulis was the first keyboard instrument ever made. Considered as the ancestor of the organ, Hydraulis consisted of metal pipes of various shapes, fed with air of stable pressure and activated for the production of sound by means of special levers or keys. After seeing this exhibition, it becomes obvious that the ancient Greeks' hostile stance towards technology was no more than a myth and that many of today's achievements are owed to their pioneering expertise bequeathed to us through the centuries. * Ancient Greek Technology' is on at the Athens Municipality Technopolis (100 Pireos St, tel 010-3453548 or 010-3474507) through to June 30. Open: daily 10am-2pm and 5-9pm, weekends included. http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12958&m=A38&aa=1&eidos=S

Stone Circles: Stonehenge and Beyond Who built them; why were they built, and what do they mean? By Leon Fitts for British Heritage Magazine Dotting the countryside of England, Wales, and Scotland are what the English historian Henry of Huntingdon, in 1130, called 'stones of an amazing size'. No one, he said, can 'guess by what means so many stones were raised so high, or why they were built there.' Huntingdon specifically had Stonehenge in mind, but his description can apply to any of the circular megalithic enclosures in the United Kingdom and the wonderment they have inspired since their construction. These lonely places, often with stark stones standing in defiance of gravity and time, inspire and mystify. Who built them; why were they built, and what do they mean? Questions like these haunt most who see them. pictures and much more... http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/prm/blstonecircles.htm

Mummies Past and Future Treasure for Poor Peruvians Reuters Apr 24 2002 1:56PM PURUCHUCO, Peru (Reuters) - Trudging up a dusty rise overlooking a shantytown on the outskirts of Lima, Joel Luyo treads on what once was a sacred burial site of the Inca empire, whose thousands of recently excavated mummies, scientists say, could unlock secrets of the past. But for Luyo and other desperately poor families, the mummies are mostly a hope for a brighter future. "Nobody here knew what lay under the ground -- nobody suspected. It was totally abandoned, filled with trash dumps," said Luyo, a local council member who, like thousands of people who leave rural jungle or mountain homes to try their luck in the crime-ridden Peruvian capital each year, helped settle the Tupac Amaru squatter town 12 years ago. National Geographic's announcement in Washington last week that more than 2,000 mummies had been uncovered beneath Tupac Amaru fanned world interest in the Inca empire, which dominated a vast swath of South America from Colombia to Chile until it was toppled by Spanish conquistadors in the 1530s. Lead archeologist Guillermo Cock and his team of experts say the mummies they have recovered -- all of which were buried alone or in groups of up to seven bodies in large, cotton sacks -- could reveal secrets about diet, disease, death and, most importantly, everyday life for people from 1480-1540. Cock's Lima laboratory is overflowing with hundreds of mummies, their black hair topped with colorful feathers from jungle birds, leathery skin tattooed or adorned with red paint, gnarled but preserved hands still bearing fingernails. Shelves are stacked not only with dozens of infant mummies but the artifacts that accompanied them into the next world: flawless earth-colored and black ceramics decorated with tiny frogs and monkeys, copper staffs, and intricately woven bags that were stuffed with coca leaves and look like new. AN ARCHEOLOGICAL GOLD MINE Although there are a few ruins around Tupac Amaru, no one suspected its 12,000 squatters were living atop an archeological gold mine. When residents applied for property titles to legalize their ramshackle homes, they were told they had to pay for excavations, which revealed the mummies in 1999. Dirt-poor residents had to come up with $7 a month -- a fortune in a country where half the population lives on $1.25 or less a day -- to finance most of the dig so they could get property titles. Cock said they paid more than $100,000 in all. Scientists dug up streets, schoolyards and parks, saying they had to work urgently because sewage and water from the town -- with no water, phones, and until recently, electricity -- was seeping underground and decomposing the mummies. "The situation was unbearable both for the people and for the remains. The remains didn't deserve this fate, nor did the people deserve to live in such conditions," Cock said. Susan Haun, a University of Pennsylvania anthropologist, is working to extract DNA samples from mummies' teeth that, unlike flesh and hair, were not contaminated by sewage. She said the discovery is important not only for the quantity of mummies, ceramics and textiles found, but also because the people buried spanned social classes and ages. "This is a great sociological sample ... because it's so large and the people who died here probably only spanned two generations. It's like a snapshot," Haun said, cradling the head of a mummified 5-year-old child in her hands -- the child's dark brown hair wrapped in cotton, and skin and flattened ear still visible. A MUMMY MUSEUM After National Geographic's high-profile announcement, some townspeople feared they could be evicted for more excavation. Cock says he does not want to send townsfolk packing, but also says that what has been found so far could be just 25 to 40 percent of the entire stash of mummies. Today, residents of the town -- where teen-agers play soccer around Inca ruins on a late-summer day -- say they want a mummy museum. "With tourism, we could get more income," Luyo said. Squinting against the fierce glare from the rocky hills around Tupac Amaru, Luyo says he, like most of his neighbors, is proud of the fact that the shantytown in which he lives has caught the world's eye for its cultural treasures. He said that with so much attention fixed on those buried underneath Tupac Amaru, he hopes that the town's living also will be given a chance to make their lives better. "We've contributed a great deal through great sacrifice," he said.

I have a pic of Stonehenge as my wall-paper at work. Get's lots of comments (not as many as the pics of Colin Firth i have as my screen saver -but still people do ask about the standing stones...) :-)

Stonehenge is amazing. I did NOT want to go to that "tourist trap" that my mind has imagined it to be. Only the pleadings of my son changed my mind and therest is history. My house is full of little things and big of Stonehenge. Each time we visited Britain, we stayed in Salisbury so I could return. Each nuance is etched in my memory. I miss it. Remind me to take a digital photo of my Stonehenge "watch." You'll love it. It really works!

i take the roll of your son, when i'm traveling in England. I always have to talk my friends into seeing it. And they're always glad i made them visit once they see it with their own eyes. Those stones are just awe inspiring. i remember watching some show a few months back (Nova i think) where they tried to re-enact moving a similar size stone from the coast -where they think Stonehenge's stones came from, using the technology available from that time period. -dont think they suceeded.

OK, I do it too, now, but I also first suggest they visit Avebury. That is one completely incredible set of monuments there - large enough to contain an entire little town complete with church and pub. Please tell me you have been there or I shall send you back!

*whispering confession* nope, havent been there. But i've been to Bath and bought a hat. ;-)

Bath? You are into Regency Crescents. Ah well, just keep going up the road A345 (Mark will correct me if I made the mistake I made the first time I posted about it) from Salisbury north up to the Marlborough downs. It's not all that far and you are tracing the route the men who brought the megaliths to Salisbury Plain used when they moved the Sarsen stones (the very hardest of all sandstone.) It is truly worth the hour or less trip and traffic is fairly light if you pick a day NOT involved with a celestial calendar. Been there and did that - once! I got the full treatment of Faux Druids and hippies. Avoid it at all costs. I wonder if Cosmo has been there. Hmm we might need to ask ehsewhere unless he reads more of Geo than I think he does.

One of my favorite pictures of Avebury:

Four henges, Marden Henge, Durrington Walls, Avebury and Mount Pleasant, are far larger than all others at 462, 462, 427 and 345 m in mean diameter respectively. Avebury is also a dramatic outlier among stone circles, with an outer stone circle having a mean diameter of 331.6 m. Inside the gigantic Avebury henge and stone circle are located two megalithic stone circles of 103.6 m, the same diameter as a stone circle surrounding the Newgrange tumulus. http://www.jqjacobs.net/astro/aegeo_4.html I'm still seeking more information about Marden Henge. We drove there to see what was visible. Not much! But for so huge a henge monument, we surely need to do some excavation. Stephen! Get that PhD and do some digging. Please!

Antiquity theft networks continue to covet Greek cultural heritage Archaeological sites and churches are the favorite targets for looters according to Interpol report An Archaic relief depicting two female figures with upraised hands. The artifact was one of the 284 pieces stolen in 1990 from the Archaeological Museum of Ancient Corinth. Today, it is once again on display after a successful operation by the FBI three years ago in Miami, Florida. By Miron Varouhakis - Kathimerini English Edition Places of worship and archaeological sites top the list of places in Greece favored by art thieves, while their preferred loot includes vases, paintings and sculptures. These are some of the basic findings by Interpol�s Stolen Works of Art program, launched in recent years in a drive to crack down on international theft networks that steal, transport and trade cultural objects on a global scale. According to Interpol, France and Italy are the two most affected countries, as the ever-increasing demand in an already drained fine arts market has, in turn, created a need for new, obscure sources of objects d�art. Greece also ranks among countries which have suffered cultural losses from local and cross-border art theft networks, with some 3,554 objects of cultural worth having been stolen, according to Interpol statistics from 1999. Vases, paintings, icons, sculptures and statues, as well as ceremonial objects are some of the cherished spoils sought over the years by art thieves in Greece. Moreover, places of worship and archaeological sites are by far the places targeted most by thieves of Greek antiquities and art. Interpol reports note that 47 of 141 art theft cases in Greece in 1999 occurred in churches, followed by archaeological sites with 27 reported cases, while museums, castles and art galleries each claimed fewer than five incidents. Although museums in Greece are not ostensible targets of art theft rings, one case made the headlines over a decade ago when, on April 12, 1990, thieves broke into the Archaeological Museum of Ancient Corinth and stole 284 artifacts, with a total value of approximately $2 million. It took a painstaking 10-year investigation and close cooperation between American and Greek law enforcement agencies, as well as Interpol, before agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) were able to retrieve the stolen antiquities. Following information that a number of the stolen objects had been consigned for auction at Christie�s in New York by a woman identified as Wilma Sabala, FBI agents raided a location in Miami, Florida on June 7, 2000, where they discovered 265 of the stolen antiquities. A further investigation led to the recovery of several more pieces and FBI officials on January 18, 2001 returned a total of 274 artifacts to the Greek museum and Culture Ministry officials during a ceremony held in FBI offices in New York. Interpol argues that it is difficult to gauge the extent of the illicit art trade, mainly because a theft is often not discovered until the stolen objects appear in the official arts market. Another problem is the lack of information being provided by the countries involved to international police agencies. In an effort to keep up with the fast pace of developments in technology and international crime, Interpol has developed a database of information available to all Interpol member states. More recently, the law enforcement agency Stolen Works of Art unit produced a CD-ROM featuring detailed records of stolen and recovered artworks. As many as 50 pieces are featured on Interpol�s website under the heading �Recently stolen works of art,� while as many as 152 works of art are listed as �unclaimed.� �This form of traffic will never cease, but if we want to reduce it, we must work together,� the agency noted in a statement. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_2271738_26/04/2002_15853

Sponge-diver nets 216,000-euro reward A fisherman who handed over to the authorities a record treasure trove of 30,000 Roman coins from an eastern Aegean shipwreck will receive a 216,000-euro reward, following a decision by the Ministry of Culture. In late July 2000, Christos Galouzis from the small Dodecanesian island of Kalymnos and his assistant, Stavros Michas, were diving for sponges off Astypalaia, the westernmost of the island complex, when they located a group of shipwrecks 47 meters deep. One contained the treasure � 182 kilos of, mainly small denomination copper coins. Culture Ministry experts evaluated the find at 432,000 euros and awarded Galouzis half that sum. The fisherman said he would share the reward with Michas. The coins, which date from the second and third centuries AD and were originally in a wooden chest, were probably destined for the payment of Roman soldiers. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_2274597_26/04/2002_15861

LASERS TO CLEAN MONUMENTS Athens, 26 April 2002 (16:43 UTC+2) Lasers will be put to use in an attempt to clean the smog that has settled on the western Frieze of the Parthenon, after the approval of the pertaining study by the Central Archeological Council. The method was initially tested on the surfaces of ancient architectural structures and sculptures, on parts of ancient monuments, the preservation circumstances of which are similar to those of the western Frieze, and on selected areas of the Frieze itself. Specifically, it was established that lasers can be used to deal with all forms of dirt, with no ill effect to the marble surface the colored layers. http://www.mpa.gr/article.html?doc_id=265544

Will Britain lose its Marbles? Court to decide The long-running dispute over the rightful home of the Elgin Marbles looks likely to end in a bitter court battle and a family row between the descendants of the Scottish earl who first removed the ancient stones from Athens more than 200 years ago. The British Government is named as a defendant in a court case being prepared by a group of Greek shipping tycoons advised by Bruce Tattersall, a barrister and distant relative of the 7th Earl of Elgin. Mr Tattersall claims that the earl, cousin to his great, great grandmother, illegally acquired the 2,500-year-old marbles when he took them from the Acropolis and arranged for them to be sent to England in 1801. The lawsuit, which is also being supported by the former judge and Bloody Sunday inquiry barrister, Sir Louis Blom-Cooper QC, is based on the civil law of theft also known as "conversion". But the current 11th Earl of Elgin dismissed any question of illegality yesterday. "Nobody has said thank you for the incredible mission that he [Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin] undertook, which saved the artefacts from destruction. "The Turkish authorities gave him leave to take them." In a draft writ to be lodged at Marylebone County Court, lawyers for the Parthenon Marbles Trust argue that "legal title" was never passed to Lord Elgin or the British Museum under Greek, Ottoman or English law. http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=285458

Al-Qaeda's Role in the Destruction of Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE FEATURES)--April 17, 2002--Al-Qaeda and Taliban hardliners in Afghanistan conspired to ``break the cultural neck of the nation'' in an attempt to consolidate power in the country, according to an exclusive report in the May/June issue of Archaeology magazine. In an interview with managing editor Kristin Romey, Paul Bucherer-Dietschi, director of Switzerland's Afghanistan Museum, outlines the Taliban's change in attitude toward Afghan heritage under pressure from Osama bin Laden's terrorist organization, which culminated in the calculated destruction of the 1,500-year-old colossal Bamiyan Buddhas by al-Qaeda demolition experts in March of last year. The destruction of the Buddhas captured world attention, but few knew at the time that it was the work of al-Qaeda. ``Afghan Taliban refused to do the job,'' says Bucherer, ``so Mullah Omar sent in foreigners-Arabs, Chechens, Sudanese-to blow them up. These guys were experts. They drilled holes four, five, six feet into the rock and stuffed them with explosives.'' Accompanying the article are exclusive photographs taken by Bucherer that document the systematic destruction of the Kabul Museum collections. ``The Taliban came in the morning, hammered until prayer time, paused, hammered again, paused for tea, then hammered for the rest of the day,'' he recalls. At the crossroads of great eastern and western empires, Afghanistan was home to over 3,000 years worth of remarkable cultures. Alexander the Great built magnificent Greek cities in the country, and Afghanistan's powerful Buddhist kingdoms were the first to give the Buddha a human form, sculpting its image in the Gandharan style-an exquisite synthesis of classical Greek and Indian art-and carving towering figures of the Buddha into the cliffs of Bamiyan. By the end of 2000, al-Qaeda forces had effectively taken over Afghanistan, bankrolling the hardline Taliban elements that supported them. Al-Qaeda, under increasing pressure from the U.S., was keen on strengthening its grip on the country; Afghan nationalism, reflected in the stone monuments and elaborate sculptures going back thousands of years, was getting in the way. On a trip to Kabul in December of that year, Afghan archaeologists pleaded with Bucherer to spirit whatever artifacts remained in the once-prestigious Kabul Museum and various storerooms out of the country. Hamstrung by the reluctance of international organizations such as UNESCO to support the removal of artifacts from Afghanistan, Bucherer could offer no help. ``Even if I had the agreement of UNESCO, I doubt whether the Afghans would have managed to bypass al-Qaeda and get the materials out,'' he says. The Afghanistan Museum, a museum-in-exile established under an agreement between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance in 1998 to safeguard what remained of the country's cultural treasures, won the official support of UNESCO following the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas.

False idol: Author's research indicates MFA's Snake Goddess is a Fake by Christopher Cox Sunday, April 21, 2002 With his passion for archaeology, Kenneth Lapatin had to dig deep into the past. The object of his great obsession was a small, gold-and-ivory statue in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts and considered one of the masterpieces of Bronze Age art. But more than a decade of research led Lapatin to an unpopular conclusion: The famed, 6-inch figurine wasn't made by the Minoans, a long-lost civilization that flourished on the Mediterranean island of Crete 3,500 years ago. It was, in fact, a forgery less than 100 years old. ``Forgers create what society wants, and what society wants tells you how it constructs the past to suit its own needs,'' said Lapatin, 40, author of a just-published book on the topic, ``Mysteries of the Snake Goddess: Art, Desire, and the Forging of History'' (Houghton Mifflin Co., $24). The Cambridge resident, a professor of art history at Boston University, has long been familiar with the statue. Anyone with an interest in classical history would know of the MFA's treasure, which the museum acquired in 1914 and has since been reproduced in numerous art history texts. Most recently the Snake Goddess has been a source of inspiration for feminist scholars and New Age philosophers. What Lapatin didn't know about was the murky history surrounding the object, which had no provenence or verified spot of discovery, though it supposedly came from the ancient city of Knossos and was subsequently carried to Boston by a Greek immigrant. In the course of researching a scholarly book about ancient gold-and-ivory statuary, Lapatin began to doubt the Snake Goddess' authenticity. the rest of the story... http://www2.bostonherald.com/lifestyle/lifestyle_trends/life04212002.htm

V. cool pic of Avebury, Marcia! Will definately have to add it as a must see on my next trip! :-)

Welcome S B Robinson. Hi Marcia and all, I think that you are talking about this gold-and-ivory statue. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston c. 1500 B.C. The snake goddess is the source of all life and the central figure in Minoan religion. Below she is represented in elaborate court dress, exposing her breasts. She holds two snakes, which symbolize the mysterious life. On her hat sits a lion. Minoan Snake Goddess From Knossos, Crete (c. 1600 BCE) Fa�ence, height 13 1/2 inches (34.3 cm) (Archeological Museum, Herakleion,Greece) Wishes from Greece John

May I ask you for the place where you live S B Robinson? I need it in order to add your place in the table of weather forecasts in Geo portal. Wishes again John

California, Bay Area (East Bay if we're getting specific)

John needs a city, EsBee. Hayward? San Francisco? Yes, John that is the very statue mentioned as being a fake. My sister saw that while in college on a field trip to Boston Fine Arts Museum. I think I have not the heart to tell her is it fake. As I recall from the pictures and books she brought home for me about it, this is a very beautiful and skillful fake. How sad that we have reduced our gifted artists to making false antiquities to feed either their egos their families. The Metropolitan in New York City for years had a place of honor for their Kouros later proven to be a fake. Thus far, one of my favorites, "The Dying Gaul" has his integrity intact. "Laacoon" is another favorite, but it is not Greek so it doesn't count! *;)

Livermore, Ca.

John, I looked up Livermore CA and found it here http://english.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=Livermore%2C+CA

Hi S B Robinson, Your place included in our Geo Portal. -See your time and temperature of your place together with these of the rest friends in Geo directly. -Click on your name and see your weather parameters and forecast for the next days. -Click on the icon that shows time/temp. on the left of your name and see the sky upwards of your head at the same moment. Regards John

Thanks John :-)

Kouros found in Kerameikos By Iota Sykka - Kathimerini Archaeologists excavating one of the best-known ancient sites of Athens have discovered a 2,600-year-old statue of a rare type and in a good state of preservation. The 2-meter-high kouros statue, depicting a naked youth standing upright with his hands clenched by his sides, was found by German Archaeological Institute archaeologists in the ancient Kerameikos cemetery during work to clean a channel associated with the Eridanus River � which traversed the site in antiquity. Archaeologists working with the Ministry of Culture who have seen the statue described it as a unique find of vast importance as it dates to the Protoarchaic Period and is one of the very few known kouroi of that time. They say it is incredibly beautiful and artistically impressive. The statue was found lying face-down at a shallow depth. Everyone who has seen it says the work preserves most sculptural details to an extraordinary degree. It is the most impressive of all the non-architectural finds unearthed by the German Archaeological Institute, and emerged from a spot where nobody had expected such a surprise. The excavation started a few weeks ago, and yielded a series of finds that were important enough to persuade the Ministry of Culture�s Central Archaeological Council to extend the Institute�s excavation permit for three more weeks, following a proposal by archaeologist Liana Parlama, director of the ministry�s Third Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities. The impressive kouros was photographed by a special ministry team before being shut in a case. It is now being guarded in a secure location, ahead of being studied, conserved and then exhibited in a fitting manner. [In November 2000, Culture Ministry archaeologists excavating the site of the ancient town of Thera, on the island of Santorini, discovered a 2.3-meter-high statue of a kore, a dressed young woman, dating to around 640 BC.] http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100014_30/04/2002_16000

There was a terrestrial Eridanus River once? I can see it celestially very easily but never knew it actually existed. How wonderful. More paleogeology!

Indeed, existed a river Eridanus as it existed a river Ilissos and some others. These rivers disappeared by the monster of the incontrollable building! Some other rivers as Kifissos are reduced enough. It is also true that are existing buildings in the floor of a small lake without water today, at the west outskirts of Athens. It is not surprising the fact that with normal rain becomes serious flood in enough areas. I imagine that we are not alone in this crazy. But Nature knows well how to take back what is necessary. I am sorry but this is the reality. John

John you are not alone at all. My son's house is on a perched water supply. In downtown Hilo, streets and buildings are built on artesian wells and springs that only appear during very wet times of the year. They are always being pumped and routed around for safety. I am sorry about the Eridanus River. I thought maybe the last ice age changed it as the rivers of the US were changed. I have no problem with that, but I do worry when it is man's stupidity at work. *Sigh* Thank you for the information. I will seek it further.

They actually erected a building in a dry lake bed?! Incredible!

Not only a building. But almost a part of an entire city!!!!!!!! Believe it. John

Are the lawyers as aggressive in Greece as in the US? If so, this is going to prove to be a very expensive oversight. It cannot be much above the water table unless it is on a sealed caprock lake bed. It will be morbidly interesting to see what transpires as time passes. With the wet winter you just experienced, I am certain they had water problems.

"The same level of thinking that created them cannot solve the problems that exist in this world. (Albert Einstein)" John

Exhibition of 200 artefacts at the National Archaeological Museum showcasesglassmaking techniques from the Prehistoric period up to Late Byzantine times BY CHRISTY PAPADOPOULOU WHETHER plain or intricately decorated, transparent or iridescent, they are bound together by their fragility and elegance. Over 200 rare glass vessels - bowls, jugs, flasks and vases - of distinct beauty are displayed at the National Archaeological Museum through to July 30. Comprising select pieces from the museum's collection, the Fragile Luxury exhibition offers insight into glassmaking techniques employed in mainland Greece and on the islands from the Prehistoric period to Late Byzantine times. One of the show's oldest exhibits dating to the 15th-14th centuries BC is a rim and neck fragment of an Egyptian vase from the Acropolis of Mycenae decorated with coloured threads. Indicatively in Greece the word kyanos (used to define glass) is first encountered in Linear B tablets from Pylos and Mycenae. When not grouped by type or shape, vessels are classified by context as in the case of the Palaeokastro Treasure comprising the finds of a richly furnished grave accidentally brought to light by farmers near Karditsa, Thessaly in the early 1900s. On show are three glass vessels: two amphora-shaped, handle-free imitation agate vases and a transparent one. Dating to the 2nd century BC and cast in two, these were possibly used as ceremonial discs. Another eye-catching item exhibited in context is a bluish green hemispherical bowl bearing floral motifs on the outside. Its bottom decorated with a carved rosette, this glass vase creating the visual effect of relief comes from the Antikythera shipwreck first registered at the north coast of Antikythera in 1900 with additional research operations following in 1953 by Frederic Dumas and in 1976 by Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Apart from marble and bronze statues the cargo ship also carried important Hellenistic period monochrome and polychrome glass vases (the latter of three types: "millefiori", lace-work and strip-mosaic bowls) - also represented in this show - dating to the early 1st century BC. A colourless bucket with a yellowish tinge said to be from Cyprus (late 4th century BC), a mould-blown cinerary urn with separately applied handles (1st-2nd century AD) and variously-shaped unguentaria from Kerameikos, Piraeus, Corinth, Megara and Amorgos - ranging from tiny to unusually large dimensions - and a miniature Negroid head flask (2nd century AD) also attract the visitor's attention. Standing on its own with a mirror placed beneath it in order to facilitate the viewing of its relief-like decoration is a transparent two-handled bowl (1st century BC-early 1st century AD) engraved on the outside with two Cupids - one on each side - mounted on a sea-griffin and a seahorse respectively. Cast in one piece and wheel-polished on the outside this vessel was found in a grave on the island of Siphnos. The core-forming technique, which flourished from the late 6th century BC onwards, was used to manufacture mainly amphoriskoi, alabastra, aryballoi and oinochoai. Casting yielded finely fashioned transparent as well as mosaic vessels. From the 1st century BC, glassblowing proved to be revolutionary as it transformed glass-making from an art reserved to a select elite to an affordable commodity for all. Belonging in the latter category are two 14th century AD flasks - one decorated with lozenges, the other with vertical lines - found in a grave inside the theatre of Dionysos, at the foot of Athens' Acropolis. http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.prnt_article?e=C&f=12959&t=04&m=A38&aa=1

wow!! glassware so intricate from way back then!!

In Hawaii, bottle collectors are happy to find one 50 years old. Archaeological excavation on such delicate things as blown glass must require the patience and dedication of a neurosurgeon.

Not to mention some really top quality brushes and other tools to coax the earth off the glass.

Badger hair, as I recall, for the brushes, and dental tools for extracting the tiniest bits from the rock-hard soil in which they are entombed. I'd LOVE doing that. I am a micro-manager.

Finally a sensible use for those little fish hooks and tiny icepicks that the dental hygenist stabs into my gums on a regular basis.

Indeed!!! I was just thinking that *;)

*laugh* my dad used to get those so he could fiddle with his model trains! and just yesterday, i read that they are also used to help clean seashells!!

I clean my computer keyboard with one. I should excavate a larger area so things would not keep sliding onto the floor!

Sculpture From Athens Dig Is Ancient Masterpiece ATHENS (Reuters) - A marble statue unearthed in Athens last month is the third known masterpiece of an outstanding Greek sculptor who lived more than 2,500 years ago, archaeologists said on Friday. "This discovery is very important as we now have a new masterpiece by one very renowned sculptor," Greek Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos told reporters. The archaic Greek statue -- a Kouros -- was carved in the sixth or seventh century B.C. by the Sculptor of Dipylo, named after the place where his first statue was found a century ago. His real name remains a mystery. The statue of a standing male youth was in excellent condition, displaying the stern expression, almond-shaped eyes and long, ornate curls characteristic of the Archaic period. It was found lying face down near a branch of the ancient river Iridanos during excavations by the German archaeological school in the central Athens district of Kerameikos, the site of the ancient city walls and cemeteries. Only two other works by the Sculptor of Dipylo have been discovered, both standing male youths like the latest find. One is now in the New York Metropolitan Museum and one in the National Museum in Athens. The rigid Kouros -- and the female equivalent, the Kore -- statues preceded the more naturalistic, Classical sculptures of Athens' Golden Age. Their fists are clenched, arms close to the body, and usually one foot is stepping out ahead of the other. "There is no doubt that this is the work of the sculptor of Dipylo," German archaeology Professor Wolf-Dietrich Niemeier told reporters during a presentation of the finds. Niemeier is leading the excavation. The German Archaeological Institute, which has been digging in the same area since 1913, also unearthed two marble lions, fragments of a Sphinx whose exact twin was found almost 100 years ago, and the remains of two capitals, all from the sixth century B.C. Asked if there were more ancient artefacts in the Kerameikos area, despite 150 years of extensive excavations, Niemeier said anything was possible. "A hundred years ago archaeologists discovered the first finds of the sculptor (of Dipylo) and we were almost certain that that was it. Now I can only say that I really, really don't know any more," he said.

yaaay, any pics yet?

I'm still looking for the elusive picture. You can rest assured that I will post it as soon as I find one.

A picture released by the Greek culture ministry of an ancient sphinx dated 560 B.C., one of the important findings, which came into light during excavations at the Kerameikos ancient cemetary in Athens, and were presented during a press conference at the ministry on Friday. The excavations were carried out by the German Archeaological Institute. http://www.ana.gr/

I am still looking for the statue of the kouros. Even if I keep it for my eyes only. If you wonder why, search google.com for what a kouros is.

uh oh!!

Alas, as I mentioned some time ago, bits of a delicate nature are missing from most of these beautiful naked Greek male youth statues. Noses and other parts which protrude from the main body seem most fragile. You can find lovely examples here http://www.eekman.com/virtual_gallery/sculptures/kouros.shtml

Masterpiece revealed - Statue found at Kerameikos is work of early 6th century master Archaeologists cleaning a channel associated with the Eridanus River that flowed through the Kerameikos cemetery in antiquity were surprised to discover an early sixth-century BC masterpiece by the first great Attic sculptor, known as the Sculptor of Dipylos because of the site where part of this kouros�s twin was found in 1916. The new kouros was found face down along with other marble sculptures. It was used to hold up a road surface and showed marks from cart wheels. The marble statue of a young man that was discovered in the ancient Kerameikos cemetery last month is a masterpiece created by the first great sculptor of Attica, officials said yesterday. The 2.10-meter-high statue is the better-preserved twin of a kouros, as the archaic type is known, part of which was found in 1916 and is on display at Athens�s National Archaeological Museum. A slightly smaller one (1.84 meters), found in 1932, is at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. The statue was found lying face down on April 5 during a German Archaeological Institute excavation aimed at cleaning a channel associated with the Eridanus River, which traversed the cemetery in antiquity. The statue, dating from about 600 BC, was the most important of several other finds, including a sphinx (dated to about 560 BC and whose twin is also in the Athens museum after being found in 1907), two early-sixth century marble lions (one of which is in perfect condition) and fragments of columns. �After 140 years of excavations at the Kerameikos no one could have imagined a new work by the Sculptor of Dipylos coming to light. And yet this happened,� archaeologist Wolf-Dietrich Niemeier, who is responsible for the digs, said at an official presentation at the Culture Ministry yesterday. The artist�s name is not known but he has been named for the fact that the first kouros was discovered at the Dipylos, or Double Gate, on the eastern side of Keremeikos. �We have a new masterpiece by a known sculptor, the sculptor of Dipylos,� said Culture Minister Evangelos. Niemeier said that the finds were discovered near the Sacred Gate (on the west side of Kerameikos) under a dirt track which was created during the construction of Athens�s new defensive walls by Themistocles in 479-478 BC. �It appears that the Eridanus would flood at this point now and then. The sculptures show marks of wagon wheels that passed over them. In a way, they held up the road surface,� Niemeier said. Further research will indicate their original placements. Niemeier surmised that Persian invaders destroyed the burial plots and the Athenians had then used the fragments in construction work. �The new finds from Kerameikos enrich our picture of Athens�s archaic sculpture. It is especially important that we have a new masterpiece by the first great Attic sculptor, the Dipylos sculptor,� he said. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100004_11/05/2002_16308

I wish they had turned him over! I've seen the one in the Metropolitan! He was holding up the road surface?! How terrible that is.

Aha! Persistence and determination has proven fruitful. I have a front view! From CNN international: Ancient statue 'a masterpiece' ATHENS, Greece (AP) --German archaeologists digging in a Greek burial ground have found a 2,600-year-old statue that appears to be another masterpiece by an acclaimed -- but anonymous -- ancient artist. The find -- a nearly complete statue of a young man called a "kouros" -- bears the stylistic hallmarks of works attributed to a sculptor known only as Dipylos after the neighborhood where his works were found. "After 140 years of excavations ... no one could imagine that a new work by the Dipylos sculptor would come to light. But it happened," Wolf-Dietrich Niemeier, head of the German archaeological digs in the area, said Friday. The new statue was discovered in March along with other antiquities, including two lion sculptures and a sphinx, near the Sacred Gate, one of two portals into ancient Athens. The finds date from the Archaic period, which was about 900-510 B.C. Another Dipylos kouros is at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. The National Archaeological Museum in Athens also has one. Digs in the area have been going on for more than a century and fragments of several kouros figures have been found. But it is rare to find one as complete as the latest find, which is missing portions of its legs and face. Similarities in facial features, hair and body type among all the finds have led experts to believe they were created by the same artist or workshop. Niemeier said the newly uncovered statue has striking similarities to the Dipylos work in New York. When it was complete, the statue may have stood as tall as 6 feet 6 inches tall. "This find is important ... Greece, which is a vast archaeological area, provides and will always provide the joy of this kind of discovery," said Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos. Kouros are sculptures of standing young men, typically with one leg slightly forward. Their original use or meaning is unknown. Some were later used as building material for roadways, presumably after they lost their cultural significance. The sphinx dates back to 560 B.C. and is the twin of one found in 1907. One of the two lions was found in fragments, but the other was intact, Niemeier said.

Kouros are sculptures of standing young men, typically with one leg slightly forward. Their original use or meaning is unknown. Some were later used as building material for roadways, presumably after they lost their cultural significance. My favorite thing - smashing up antiquities to make roadways. How sad I am...

Two olive trees rowed to Otranto by crew of the Olympic Idea craft The Olympic Idea is a triacontor � a replica of the 30-oared craft that plied the Mediterranean in antiquity. It set out from Piraeus on Palm Sunday and arrived in Otranto on May 2, bearing two olive trees from Iraklion to this formerCretan colony to build cooperation and cultural ties between Greece and the Grecophone areas ofsouthern Italy. HELBI A 30-oared triacontor called Olympic Idea has sailed from the port of Piraeus to the port of Otranto in Sicily, carrying two olive trees from Iraklion, Crete, to be planted in the park of Otranto. The intention was to establish new deep roots for cooperation and cultural exchanges between Greece and the Greek-speaking areas of southern Italy. The triacontor and its crew of 30 young rowers set out on Palm Sunday, April 28, and arrived in Otranto on May 2, where it met with a rapturous reception from the eight mayors of the Greek-speaking areas of southern Italy. Otranto was the Cretan colony Idria in antiquity. In addition to the two olive trees, the boat also bears the Olympic Idea, which is its name. The whole enterprise was organized by the Ligue Europeenne and its president, Ioannis Sakellaridis.

I have created Hisory 10 to discuss Greece's history. I can think of no country more deserving of this tribute - my humble opinion, of course. http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/read/history/10/new Historical Setting of Greece THE BURDEN OF HISTORY lies heavily on Greece. In the early 1990s, as new subway tunnels were being excavated under Athens, Greece's museums were being filled to overflowing with the material remains of the past: remnants of houses from the Turkokratia (the era of Ottoman rule); coins and shops from the period of the Byzantine Empire; pottery remains from the Greek workshops that flourished during the Roman Empire; and graves, shrines, and houses from the classical period when Athens stood at the head of its own empire. The glories of ancient Greece and the splendor of the Christian Byzantine Empire give the modern Greeks a proud and rich heritage. The resilience and durability of Greek culture and traditions through times of turmoil provide a strong sense of cultural destiny. These elements also pose a considerable challenge to Greeks of the present: to live up to the legacies of the past. Much of the history of the modern state of Greece has witnessed a playing out of these contradictory forces. An important theme in Greek history is the multiple identities of its civilization. Greece is both a Mediterranean country and a Balkan country. And, throughout its history, Greece has been a part of both the Near East and Western Europe. During the Bronze Age and again at the time of the Greek Renaissance of the eighth century B.C., Greece and the Near East were closely connected. The empire of Alexander the Great of Macedonia brought under Greek dominion a vast expanse of territory from the Balkans to the Indus. The Byzantine Empire, with its heart in Constantinople, bridged the continents of Europe and Asia. Greece's history is also closely intertwined with that of Europe and has been since Greek colonists settled the shores of Italy and Spain and Greek traders brought their wares to Celtic France in the seventh century B.C. A second theme is the influence of the Greek diaspora. From the sixth century B.C., when Greeks settled over an expanse from the Caucasus to Gibraltar, until the dispersal of hundreds of thousands of Greeks to Australia and Canada during the 1950s and 1960s, Greeks have been on the move. The experience of the diaspora has been and continues to be a defining element in the development of Greece and Greek society. The third major theme is the role of foreign dependence. Until 1832, the Greek nation had never existed as a single state. In antiquity, hundreds of states were inhabited by Greeks, so the Greek national identity transcended any one state. For much of their history, Greeks have been part of large, multiethnic states. Whether under the suzerainty of the emperors of Rome or the dominion of the Ottoman Empire, much of Greek history can only be understood in the context of foreign rule. In more recent times, the fortunes of Greece have been linked in integral ways to the struggles of the Great Powers in the nineteenth century and the polarizing diplomacy of the late twentieth-century Cold War. The history of Greece and the Greek people, then, is bound up with forces and developments on a scale larger than just southeastern Europe. To understand the history of Greece, one has to examine this complex interplay between indigenous development and foreign influences. http://www.gogreece.com/learn/history/historical_settings.html

Temple ruin goes hi-tech Ancient ruins unearthed by builders on a housing development in Wiltshire could be turned into a tourist attraction. Archaeologists believe the discovery, much of which is still buried beneath a modern housing estate, is an extensive Roman water temple. Now experts are examining the idea of using display panels to simulate the temple and setting up a website to recreate how the site would have looked. There has been uncertainty over what to do about the find since is was stumbled upon by workmen at Abbey Meads, Swindon, in 1996. Play area At that time the construction of 25 new houses was cancelled. The site, surrounded by about 1,000 houses, is still used by locals as a play area. Paul Weston, from Land Use, a firm researching how to develop the ruins, said: "We are proposing a small observatory platform where you will be able to look at a reconstruction of the site." A hoard of silver coins and a stone-lined water system were also discovered at the location. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/england/newsid_1975000/1975136.stm

BRITISH MUSEUM CHANGESPOSITION ON PARTHENON MARBLES London, 26 May 2002 (19:53 UTC+2) The new Director of the British Museum, Neil McGregor, who will take up his duties in August, agreed, according to today's �Sunday Telegraph�, to start working on the Parthenon Marble's issue as soon as he begins. In fact, Mr. McGregor is prepared to have discussions with the British Committee for the Repatriation of the Parthenon Marbles for the first time in the long conflict of the two sides. The Telegraph mentions that the British Museum is more lax on the Marbles issue, although today's Director recently stated that the marbles will never return to Greece. According to the Sunday Times, this apparent change in attitude has to do with the fact that the Greek government promised to give the British Museum other recent archeological finds, in exchange for the Marbles. This could allow the British Museum, always according to the Telegraph, to cover a huge deficit it has by charging visitors for a possible special exhibit of new archeological finds from Greece. http://www.mpa.gr/article.html?doc_id=270805

* Faces from the Ice Age * A German scientist is reawakening interest in what he thinks may be the oldest lifelike drawings of humans yet discovered. Full story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_2012000/2012385.stm

Has the face of the creator of Stonehenge been staring at us unrecognised for more than 4,000 years? A British archaeologist claims to have seen a face carved into the side of one of the mighty stones at Stonehenge. It is the first face ever seen on the Neolithic monument and one of the oldest works of art ever found in Britain. It was recognised by Terrence Meaden, an archaeologist with a fascination for the ancient standing stones of the British Isles. "I just happened to be there at the right time of day because only when the light is right can you see it properly. During the summer months it is only obvious for about a hour each day around 1400." It is amazing that it has never been recognised before. Dr Meaden believes that it was missed because previous researchers concentrated on the fronts of the standing stones and not their sides. The particular viewing conditions to see it at its best will have also played a part in it not being seen. "But once you see it it's obvious," he says. It seems to carry a serious expression, almost a frown, as it looks across the Salisbury plain. Stonehenge was built about 2450 BC but why does Dr Meaden believe the carving was made at the time and was not done much later. "Why would anyone do that?" he asks, "The type of stone, Sarsen, is the hardest stone know to man. It would have taken hundreds of hours working on a platform to do it. Why bother?" Meaden's photographs are being evaluated by other archaeologists. He also claims that other faces can clearly be seen on the Avebury stones not far from Stonehenge. But who is the face of Stonehenge? "We will never know," says Meaden, "He could be the patron of the monument or even its architect. Perhaps the designer of Stonehenge has been looking at us for four thousand years and we didn't see him." Terence Meaden can be contacted by email at terence.meaden@stonehenge-avebury.net. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_474000/474977.stm

Here is the "face" at Avebury. Esbee, get thee hither and look into it for us!

i see a face in both of them (but i could see a face in the smoke from the world trade centers too)

I see Mme Pele in the smoke clouds over the volcano, too. I really should have put those "faces on the megaliths" in Geo 31 which is where the rest of them are. If you look long enough at anything I think it is possible to see anything you wish to see. That German one is truly imaginative. I saw nothing of what he saw.

Esbee, get thee hither and look into it for us! Right! i'm on the case. Will be there ASAP!! ....er, of course, that wont be for another year, but still - *happy dance* *singing* i'm going back to England!! It does look like a face, doesnt it?

Better late than never... Antiquities law Parliament yesterday passed a new law on antiquities, according to which anyone illegally in possession of objects dating to before 1453 must declare them to the authorities within 12 months of the law�s publication in the government gazette and may be allowed to keep them. Restrictions also apply, in some cases, to artifacts up to 100 years old. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100022_31/05/2002_17062

Yup it does look like a face. I'd love to join you on that trip...*sigh*

Why Dont you???? You'd be most welcome! :-)

Sweetie, I'm leaving for your neck of the woods for a week at least on Thursday!

Can you do lunch on Sunday??????

are you really??? *WOW*

Hang on. Gotta check with Iki. Email me your phone number, please!!! I'll be midstate, Wolfie, but we just have to meet one of these days. perhaps on my return trip. More details in email *;)

Yes, I am. Been loading and talking to people on my laptop to make sure I can contact them all and have addresses I need. If you don't hear from me,. drop e a line with Hello as the subject and I will add you to my address list. Thanks. Geo will not be forsaken!

First volume of 'Protato's Relics' presented Athens, 05/06/2002 (ANA) The first of two volumes of ''Protato's Relics'', a publication including all ritual relics safeguarded for centuries at Protato's temple, was presented during a special event held at the Old Parliament building on Tuesday. Among others, Environment, Town Planning and Public Works Minister Vasso Papandreou, Education Minister Petros Efthymiou, Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos and Alternate Foreign Minister Tassos Giannitsis attended the event. Father Ioannis, a monk and secretary of the Holy Community, referred to the contents of the first volume, saying that the Holy Community appealed to acknowledged Greek experts for its excellent appearance. http://www.gogreece.com/news/headlines/story.html?id=5358

Historical background: On an autumn stormy night in the middle of the Sicilian Channel a sailing cargo ship is in serious distress. The captain is cursing for having ignored the first signs that a few hours before had warned of the weather worsening, and for having decided not to stop for the night in Pantelleria Island in front of which the ship had passed two hours before, just after the sunset. The 24 meters long ship, rigged with a single mast and a big square sail, left the port of Carthage on the African coast early the morning before, heading toward the port of Marsala, in Sicily, were she planned to arrive the next morning with her mixed cargo composed mostly of 600 amphorae of three different qualities of wine, 50 amphorae of oil, other goods, some slaves to sell on the slave market in Selinunte and a few passengers. The first half of the 110 NM trip went very fine, until in view of the island of Pantelleria, when the south-western breeze turned into a fresh and taut NW wind, with moderated waves. he captain evaluated the new situation, considering the possibility in heading towards Pantelleria and passing the night there. Finally decided to head directly toward Sicily. The wind grew stronger, reaching soon a stormy force with very heavy sea. The ship can't proceed, the sail gets damaged, and many times the ship risks to capsize. The captain decides to head back toward Pantelleria, hoping to find a shelter along the coast of the island. While inverting her course the ship is invested by giant waves on her side, and the mast gets broken. The sailors manage to somehow repair it, and now the ship heads toward Pantelleria with reduced sail. In the darkness of the night the captain views what seems to be a small repaired bay with relatively calm waters behind a rocky headland, and decides to try to reach it. While approaching he gives orders to the men to stay ready with anchors and sailing rigs. But something goes wrong, the sea and wind push the heavy ship over the opening of the bay, and towards the ro ks. The men can clearly hear the thunder of the waves breaking on the rocks; they throw at sea all the anchors trying to arrest the ship, but it is all vane. All the anchors get broken, and the ship hits violently and repeatedly on the rocks. Tons on water enter from the broken hull, then the sea takes back what already is a floating wreck; part of the cargo is overthrown at sea, until the ship finally sinks. Some of the men survived, but the majority of the crew, passenger and "goods" drowned. If you'd like to read more about this classical era shipwreck: http://www.fifthd.com/divestore/classes/events.htm

Finding the lost city of Atlantis is tantamount to locating the Holy Grail. So when Anton Mifsud and a group of Maltese investigators put together a compelling body of research citing Malta as one of the fabled civilisation�s remnants, more than a few eyebrows were raised. In publication now since 2000, the concise study has sparked wide interest, while also attracting international TV crews and publishers. This is mainly due to the validity of the suggestions put forth in Malta � Echoes of Plato�s Island, authored by Anton Mifsud, Simon Mifsud, Chris Agius Sultana and Charles Savona Ventura. The research presented by Anton Mifsud makes a strong case that the Maltese and Pelagian Islands � which include Lampedusa, Linosa and Lampione � are the remnants of Plato�s Atlantis, although he had originally set out with the intention of disproving such a theory. Mifsud explains that he actually became frustrated by his failure to discredit the suggestion put forth by fellow researcher Chris Agius Sultana � that today�s Maltese Islands form part of what was left when the sizeable land mass of Atlantis was submerged. The link for this is: http://www.maltamag.com/topstory/atlantis100402/

Thank you Cheryl!!! I can't wait until I have a moment to read the REST of the stories. They are currently retracing ancient ship routes in modern rebuilds of athe same ships.

This is for those who interested on the genealogical tree of the Greek ancient god's. ...In the beginning, Hesiod says, there was Chaos, vast and dark. Then appeared Gaea, the dep-breasted earth, and finally Eros, ' the love which softens hearts ', whose fructifying influence would thenceforth preside over the formation of beings an things. From Chaos were born Erebus and Night who, uniting, gave birth in their turn to Ether and Hemera, the day. On her part Gaea first bore Uranus, the sky crowned with stars, ' whom she made her equal in grandeur, so that he entirely covered her '. Then she created the high mountains and Pontus, ' the sterile sea ' with its harmonious waves... Find more information about each one here: http://www.ancientgreece.com/mythology/mythology.htm With my special regards to Marcia's friends in the Tennessee archaeological company. John

How wonderful, John! I will give your regards to my friends and let them know that not only the people they study had geneologies. It looks quite familiar not only from remembering my childhood studies of Greek Mythology and trying to keep who was who is my mind, but it is also something I have come tolook over bvery carefully over the weekend and this week in reveiwing all I heard presented in learned papers at the conference. Zeus did create a lot of children, but his ancestry was memorable!

As an aside, I find it remarkable that Athena is listed as from the union of Zeus and Hera. I thought Athena came full born and in armor from her father's head. I did not know who or if there was a mother involved!

*laugh* everyone came from chaos!!

Have you think that the myths but also the Old Testament are trying to tell humans a truth that they can not understand with their knowledge Marcia? Indeed! Finally, Everything came really from Chaos Wolfie. Remember also Big-Bang theory. Our universe became from the NOTHING! John

Yes, John, you are quite right. Allegories have always been forms of teaching us what we should know and what to believe is true. We are more than a little dense and stubborn in coming to terms with these mystical truths. I am trying. My Host has found his answers. I am still looking. Chaos has been my life forever. I try to be the calm still place within it so I can think quietly, but that is not always possible. The truth remains unchanged no matter what form the tales take to make it easier to understand. We just have to find the right ones for us, I suppose. Each of us.

Finally, there will always be MUCH humans do not understand. If their egos are not in the way, then some sort of prejudgement is. *Sigh*

The Boule - Development and Spread of a Greek Institution in Ancient Times The Boule, a basic institution of the ancient city-state in historical times, consisted of the citizens' representatives who assembled in order to confer and decide about public affairs. In the cities of Ionia it was called "Boule", "Gerousia", or "Synedrio", whereas in the Dorian cities it was called "Alia", "Apella", or "Aliaia". The first archaelogical finds of buildings serving this purpose date back to the 6th century BC, although already in prehistorical times certain open spaces or buildings were used as places of assembly by the members of a particular community. The first reference to the term "Boule" is found in Homer's epics, where it means the council of noblemen attending the king and assisting him in the exercise of the legislative, executive, and judiciary powers. The decisions of this aristocratic body were announced at the assembly of the active citizens, which consisted of the warriors and was called initially "Agora" and later "Ekklesia". The "Boule" and "Ekklesia" of historical times were government bodies of varying size, social constitution and political role in different cities and periods, and thus defined the democratic or oligarchical character of the government of each city-state. As they developed historically from the archaic to the classical period, these bodies were expanded and represented wider strata of the population to a different degree in different cities. At the same time the common citizens participated more actively in public affairs, as a result of the expanded responsibilities of the "Ekklesia of Demos" (Assembly of the People). This development culminated in the democratic regime of Athens in the middle of the 5th century BC. The Boule of Athens, consisting of 500 members, i.e., 50 members from each of the ten tribes, was invested with considerable consultative, legislative and judiciary powers. It drew up laws and proposals, the so-called "provouleumata", on political, economic and administrative matters, and submitted them for voting to the "Ekklesia of Demos", the general assembly of the citizens. The executive authority at the highest level was exercised by the "Prytany", consisting of the 50 representatives of each tribe who held office alternately for one tenth of the year. The Hellenistic and Roman periods were characterised by interference in the cities' internal affairs on the part of Hellenistic monarchs and Rome. Through increasing subjugation to them the city gradually lost its political autonomy, and the political role of the Boule, as a symbol of local self-government, was limited. These developments took place both in the Greek mainland and the Greek colonies, since the institution of the Boule spread along with the Greek colonial expeditions, mainly to Asia Minor as well as to Lower Italy and Sicily. Much more here: http://www2.fhw.gr/projects/bouleuterion/ John

I will go seek more information about the Boule. Is that the same root for which we get Boulean logic? I suspect it is! Thank you for a bit of classical archaeology in a house full of archaeologists who talk about archaeology of a far different sort. I can better relate to yours than to mine (if southern archaeology is anything like "mine" though I rather think it is NOT.) I have been proofing a rather lengthy paper for a jopurnal for my host. He was kind enough to acknowlede my research contributions and now is kind enough to listen to my suggestions. I am most pleased. This is about as close as I will get to becoming an archaeologist! For that reason alone, this time away from Hilo has been of great worth to my heart and soul. Discussions long into the night result from sitting down to have something small to eat. One night we alctually talked until after the sun rose. My mind has hungered just to listen to such a conversation. To take part in this is a honor and joy I will never forget. And, I am living surrounded by books it will take me two lifetimes to read, but I eagerly devour one whenever I can. My absence from Geo is unconscionable but please forgive me. This is a dream of a lifetime to have the opportunity to be present at discussions of the most elemental archaeological research - and the resultant episodic tales of interesting things that happened during t e course of researching it. Thank you again, John. Our foundations could never pass the tests of the Bouleans of Ancient Greece. We are getting far too indiscriminate and thoughful.

No Marcia. It has the root of the Greek ancient word "VOULOMAI" = "I WANT". Boule or VOULI = The place where they are expressing and discussing what they wanted or what were their opinion on each subject. They used logic but not the Boolean Logic. "smile" John

Do you believe that the helicopter existed in the ancient world? This is a photo of an ancient temple at Abydos, Egypt. It shows some objects that seem like our contemporary aircraft. Do you think that you see a helicopter on it? Find more about ancient flying machines here: http://paranormal.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.veling.nl%2Fanne%2Ftemplars%2Fancientaircraft_nf.html John

well, yeah, it looks like a helicopter. where'd you get this pic? i've watched just about everything on the ancient pyramids and this is the first time i've seen anything like this!

Oh John! This is very strange and amazing and VERY easy to fake. Do you believe in their authenticity? Erik Von Daniken was full of this sort of thing. Many followed him and the innocent public swallowed it whole.

(Yes, I understand the Boolean Logic!!! *;))

I don't know. But I wonder. Look what big steps have made our technology the last 50 years. And he makes bigger and bigger steps every second now. Why we are the first generation that can make incredible things? In any case is mystery. I am very reserved against Erik Von Daniken. But when I wondered what is doing a green hill at the mid of low land, I was informed that there was ancient buildings under it. Just as Erik Von Daniken suggests. John

i've never heard of erik von daniken......

Wolfie, Von Daniken wrote books explaining many things all of which were space beings created. Anything we cannot explain he explained away with alien asissistance. Unhappily he did not do very good research even if some of his theories have proven true. In turn, he created a bit of a rush for other suthors to make other such suggestions and a lot of books appeared in the same manner as his. I have just about all of them since my Dad and I discussed them./ Unhappily, most played down religion as worshipping these aliens. "Chariots of the Gods" was Von Daniken's first and most famous book.

By way of introduction, I am an archaeologist working in Louisville, Kentucky. My research interests are oriented primarily toward historic era sites and materials including the study of 19th century rural farmsteads, sites associated with niter mining and the production of blackpowder, the identification and analysis of archaeologically recovered firearm-related artifacts, 19th century grave markers, and folk/traditional architecture. A current research project is an extended study of Civil War era paper mills in the Confederate South. For me, part of the excitement of my field is not merely the chance to examine a wide variety of early materials but the opportunity to explore many little known and previously overlooked vistas of past lifeways. Comments and discussion on archaeological topics are welcomed.

Welcome, Don! You honor us with your presence. I am certain when people find you are the REAL thing that many questions will arise for your answering. Per tradition, I add my *HUGS* of Aloha and a warm hope that you will feel very much at home here. As my host, you have been more than kind. This was unexpected and is greatly appreciated. You do us great honor on Geo's third birthday.

Welcome Donald. It is great honour your presence between us. Geo is based on scientific reality from its creation time before just three years. So, your scientific position will help us understand our roots, from where and through what filter meshes we are going to the unknown future. Archaeologist is a time researcher walking on unknown paths of previous levels of the human life. A small part of the work of an Archaeologist is that he is distinguishing and conclude for the historical events (Most people believe that it is the whole work of an Archaeologist). I know that it is not true. Materials, technology and the way of life in the past years are very interesting since the pleated frill of history has many dark areas. I am glad that I can discuss with you. Personally, I hate the platitudinous history (mainly for those dates) but I am very interested for the lost captures of the human perceptive mind. My best wishes from Volos, Central East Greece. John

Hi Don, Marcia and all. City of Knossos The Palace of King Minos From the Palace of Knossos Inside the Queen's mansion in the east wing of the palace. �Excavations showed that the area was inhabited since the Neolithic times (6000 BC and perhaps even earlier) and verified that the Neolithic levels of Knossos are amongst the deepest in Europe. An important Pre Palace already existed on this Neolithic site as far as 3000 BC. while the first Palace was built around 2000 BC and destroyed 300 years later. On the same site a new Palace was built, more elaborate than the previous, only to be severely damaged from an earthquake one hundred years latter. During this period we see the development of a series of satellite buildings like the "Little Palace", the "Royal Villa" and the "South House". Knossos has now developed into a large city whose population - judged by the adjacent cemeteries - must have not been less than 100 000 inhabitants. The Palace now lives and prospers until the next disaster of around 1450 BC connected to the volcanic eruption of Santorini. Following this event, it is restored once more and used by the Achaean sovereign until at least 1380 BC although other city states in Crete had already been destroyed. After its final destruction the palace was not used again except for the "temple of Rhea" in later historical times. Knossos survived through the historical times as a great city - state until the first Byzantine times. Its final decline came during the Middle Ages where it was diminished to an unimportant small village with the name "Makrys Toihos". The Palace of Knossos is divided by its central court into two wings, the West and the East. The West wing where the visitor enters today is where the religious and official state rooms are found while the East wing is occupied by domestic rooms and workshops. More and good photos here: http://www.dilos.com/region/crete/kn_01.html John

Hi Don Find local weather forecast and the sky map for your place in our portal. It is under Weather, Time & SKY Reports For GEO-Friends. Best regards from the hot Greece John

Don is working offline and I have the modem cord (is it possible to link up a W95 and W98 computer in a peer to peer network?) Thank you for posting the weather for this location. The links are even better. My humble gratitude and great hugs of aloha are yours for being the heart and soul of Geo during my forced "vacation" from home here with you. You are back on my desktop. Next - to find you on my IM...*SIGH*

New Acropolis Museum by 2004 ANA An artist�s impression of the new Acropolis Museum (c), as seen from the Acropolis. Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos announced yesterday that construction company Themeliodomi had been chosen for the first phase of the project, the foundations. The second phase is to begin sometime around September. The foundations of the new Acropolis Museum will begin to be laid by early next month and the building will be completed before the Athens Olympics, Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos said yesterday. Denying reports that construction had been delayed, he said during a news conference, �We say with certainty that construction of the Acropolis Museum will be completed before the 2004 Olympics.� Venizelos rejected criticism that the museum would damage antiquities at the Makriyianni site facing the Acropolis. He argued that the building would stand on �stilts,� like the roof over the Akrotiri antiquities on Santorini. Athens hopes the new museum will help its efforts to repatriate the Parthenon Marbles that Lord Elgin sold to the British Museum. Prof. Anthony Snodgrass, chairman of the British Committee for the Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles, who was at the news conference, noted that public opinion in Britain was increasingly in favor of their return. He noted that the British Museum's new director, Neil McGregor, who assumes his duties in August, had agreed to meet with him. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100004_17/07/2002_18832

In the summer of 2000 and 2001, a scientific team directed by the Greek archaeologist Dr. Dora Katsonopoulou, President of the Ancient Helike Society, and Dr. Steven Soter of the American Museum of Natural History in New York, brought to light the Classical Greek city of Helike, destroyed and submerged by an earthquake and seismic sea wave in 373 BC. They also discovered its prehistoric predecessor, which was evidently submerged in the same place about two thousand years earlier. Classical Helike was the principal city of Achaea, in the northern Peloponnesos. It had a venerable pan-Hellenic temple and sanctuary of Poseidon, the god of earthquakes and the sea. For centuries after the city was destroyed, ancient writers reported that its submerged ruins could still be seen. Later the site was silted over and lost. The rest of this article is at: http://www.geoprobe.org/helike/news.html

Ruins May Be Ancient City Swallowed by Sea By JOHN NOBLE WILFORD From the New York Times, October 17, 2000, Section: Science Copyright The New York Times In a winter night in 373 B.C., the one-two punch of an earthquake followed by a surging tidal wave destroyed the grand old Greek city of Helike, near the Gulf of Corinth. The city was, coincidentally, a venerated center for worship of Poseidon, the god of earthquakes and the sea. The land and the city ruins sank beneath the sea, and all the people were said to have perished. Ancient Greece had not known a natural disaster as devastating in more than 1,000 years, when an exploding volcano destroyed much of the island of Thera, modern Santorini. The Helike catastrophe, some scholars speculate, may have inspired Plato's story of Atlantis, a land that supposedly sank to the bottom of the sea. For several centuries after the disaster, writers like Pliny, Strabo and Ovid reported that the ruins could still be seen on the sea floor, just offshore. Then all traces of Helike disappeared. Here was another "lost" city to challenge the sleuthing instincts of archaeologists. In excavations this summer, Greek and American researchers uncovered what they think is the first evidence pointing to the location of Helike (pronounced ha-LEE-key). After 12 years of searching, mostly offshore and invariably in vain, they began digging on a coastal plain near the town of Aigion, 45 miles northwest of Corinth. Some of their first trenches yielded stones of a paved road and building walls, classical ceramics and a bronze coin, which was minted in the late 5th century B.C. "It's just a glimpse," one of the researchers, Dr. Steven Soter of the American Museum of Natural History, said in an interview. "But it's the first strong evidence for Helike that is consistent with descriptions in ancient accounts." Dr. Soter and Dr. Dora Katsonopoulou, an archaeologist and president of the Ancient Helike Society in Aigion, reported the discovery at a recent conference of archaeologists in Greece. Though Dr. Soter is a planetary scientist, his research on earthquakes drew him into the search for Helike in collaboration with Dr. Katsonopoulou. Dr. Soter directed the use of remote-sensing technology like magnetometry and ground-penetrating radar in surveying buried terrain where the city was thought to be. These surveys, followed by the sinking of scores of bore holes, located ancient ceramic fragments and other evidence of human occupation over an area of about one square mile. Digging among the orchards and vineyards of modern villages, archaeologists reached layers of sediment 10 feet deep bearing classical pottery along with seashells and other marine remains. In their reports, the researchers said these findings suggested that the pavement and wall stones were from the time of Helike's destruction and supported stories that the city ruins were for a long time submerged in the sea or a lagoon. The ruins were buried by silt, which, combined with a general uplifting of the land, had left the once-submerged site about half a mile inland from the present shore. A house built on the shore between the Selinous and Kerynites Rivers in the 1890's is now about 1,000 feet from the sea. "It's a very important find in classical studies," said Dr. Robert Stieglitz, an archaeologist and classics professor at Rutgers University at Newark. "These are definitely signs of a settlement. Now they need to expand the excavations to look for the temple and theater and other public buildings that should be at the core of a city like Helike." As a measure of his confidence that the site of Helike has been found, Dr. Stieglitz said he would join the expanded excavations next summer. Dr. Soter and Dr. Katsonopoulou said the discovery of paving stones from a buried road might be especially rewarding. So far, only a short segment of the road's cobbles and boundary boulders have been uncovered, but enough to tantalize archaeologists. "We think the road may be the best thing we could find," Dr. Soter said. "This could lead us to the rest of the city. And it could provide a relatively undisturbed `time capsule' from the classical period of Greece." On the other hand, Dr. Soter acknowledged, the earthquake and tsunami, a towering sea wave, might have left few recognizable ruins. Scientists suspect that a strong earthquake set off a submarine landslide, which in turn produced the tsunami. Aftershocks of the quake could have caused the landscape to collapse, perhaps sinking below sea level. And a tsunami, perhaps more than 35 feet high, could have swept away most of the remains. But digging deeper and wider at the likely site of Helike will probably be irresistible to archaeologists seeking to learn more about public and private life during the golden age of Greece. At the time of Helike's destruction, Plato was teaching and Aristotle was a boy of 12. Socrates and Aristophanes had died at the beginning of the century.

Archaeologists from UCLA and the University of Delaware have unearthed the most extensive remains to date from sea trade between India and Egypt during the Roman Empire, adding to mounting evidence that spices and other exotic cargo traveled into Europe over sea as well as land. "These findings go a long way toward improving our understanding of the way in which a whole range of exotic cargo moved into Europe during antiquity," said Willeke Wendrich, an assistant professor of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at UCLA and co-director of the project. "When cost and political conflict prevented overland transport, ancient mariners took to the Red Sea, and the route between India and Egypt appears to have been even more productive than we ever thought." "The Silk Road gets a lot of attention as a trade route, but we've found a wealth of evidence indicating that sea trade between Egypt and India was also important for transporting exotic cargo, and it may have even served as a link with the Far East," added fellow co-director Steven E. Sidebotham, a history professor at the University of Delaware. The rest of the article is at: http://www.college.ucla.edu/berenike.htm

What's new in the world of achaeology? Is the world a time capsule?

What goods did India offer for trade, Cheryl?

The world is indeed a time bcapsule. Thanks TERRY!!!

Thanks for the great articles, Cheryl. I had missed them. Fascinating!

DB stitting beside the unique drystone wall of about 2 meters in height. Plum Creek, Spencer County, Kentucky

That wall is about 2 1/2 feet (.76M) THICK and 1,800 feet (550 M) LONG.

IMPORTANT FINDINGS IN THE PERAMA CAVE Important findings among them, human bones, came to light during the recent exploratory missions conducted in the Perama Cave by the Speleology Club of Ioannina. The human bones and the cave-bear teeth found by an exploratory team were discovered 60 meters away from the spot where the bones of another cave-bear, that lived 300.000 years ago, were found 40 years ago. http://www.hri.org/news/greek/mpa/2002/02-07-08.mpa.html

Terry, you'd asked what was India trading with the Roman Empire. Among those things were spices, especially black peppercorns. South Indian peppercorns dating from the first century have been excavated in Germany. Other goods included Indian coconuts, batik cloth, as well as exotic gems, including sapphires and carnelians. There were also glass beads which may have come from Sri Lanka.

If I recall correctly, there was also trade is scents and incense.

Sandalwood, of course, among others. You're right, Marcia.

According to Gutasagan (the Gotlandic Tale), Gotland was an enchanted island , which rose every evening and sank again every morning. The enchantment was broken when a man by the name of Tjelvar came to the island, bringing with him fire. Geological studies have shown that, although the tale might not be true, the island has sunk and risen again many times from the sea. In this way Gutasagan, written down in the beginning of the 13th century, tells its version of the origin of Gotland. Still today the island is as enchanted, very rich on memories from the past. In an endless number of archaeological remains in the countryside as well as in Visby you can see ancient time, middle ages and present time running side by side. You can see it from the more than 90 middle age churches still in use. Archaeological findings show that people have lived on Gotland for over 8,000 years. Over 31,000 ancient remains have been recorded, making the island one of the richest areas in Scandinavia in this perspective. Everywhere in the landscape one is impressed by mighty shipmoulds and stonegraves from the bronze age, as well as the more than 700 gravefields from the iron age. You can read more at: http://gotland.luma.com/History.html

Thanks, Cheryl. This is fascinating and new to me. However, I am not surprised. Little volcanic islands have formed and submerged into the North Atlantic off Iceland for as long as written history has been kept there. The Sagas go even further back in time. How great that Ultima Thule has another name and a little geology to back it up. I rather like the whole idea. Heaven? Not warm enough for me, but it makes sense geologically.

Hope for the Temple of Zeus Ditching 16-year old plans � which were never implemented � to partially conserve the battered Temple of Olympian Zeus in central Athens, one of the capital�s major landmarks, the Ministry of Culture has expressed willingness to press ahead with a wide-ranging facelift on the ruined building. During a meeting late on Tuesday, the ministry�s Central Archaeological Council (KAS) decided to commission a study on conserving the entire structure, which was the largest temple in mainland Greece. By the end of August, KAS agreed, the ministry�s restoration service must decide on the basic guidelines along which the study will be drawn up. In 1986, the ministry had approved restoration work on two of the temple�s 16 surviving Corinthian columns � initially, there were 104 � that supported a massive slab of marble from the architrave, which contains a large crack. But KAS found that project unsatisfactory. Council members stressed that conservation should proceed even at the cost of having the monument shrouded in scaffolding during the 2004 Olympics. The temple was completed in 131 AD, eight centuries after it was started. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100012_01/08/2002_19402

Only 800 years to finish the Temple of Zeus. That is even longer than it took to finish one of the most famous Gothic cathedrals of a later age. Cologne Cathedral was started in 1248 and was not completed until 1880; the latter generations of builders always remained faithful to the original plans. It only took over seven centuries for Cologne Cathedral, has opposed to the eight required for the completion of the Temple of Zeus. Oh, to have seen the Temple at its height in the 2nd Century, CE.

A large sophisticated civilization equal to Sumeria and Mesopotamia and thriving at the same time at least 5,000 years ago was lost in the harsh desert sands of the Soviet Union near the Iran and Afghanistan borders. But now details are beginning to emerge. This week I visited archaeologist Fredrik Hiebert at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology. There he has some exquisite pottery shards the Russian government gave him permission to bring back to the United States from his recent excavations in the Kara Kum desert of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan on the Iran and Afghanistan borders. No American archaeologist had been there since 1904 when New Hampshire archaeologist and geologist, Raphael Pumpelly, discovered ancient ruins at Anau in southern Turkmenistan near Iran. But the Soviets did not develop the Anau site. In the 1970s, Soviet archaeologists working west of Afghanistan reported vast ruins, all built with the same distinct pattern of a central building surrounded by a series of walls. Several hundred were found in Bactria and Margiana on the border that separates Afghanistan from Russia's Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. But nothing was reported beyond a few Soviet journals that were never translated. Then in 1988 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Dr. Hiebert first received permission to travel to Anau. He has discovered it is about 2,000 years older than the Bactria and Margiana sites further to the east, going back nearly seven thousand years to at least 4,500 B. C., or the Bronze Age. Not only are the oldest shards from there of high craftsmanship, this past summer Dr. Hiebert also found a black rock carved with red-colored symbols that, to date, are unidentified but considered to be evidence of a literacy independent of Mesopotamia. The discovery is revolutionary to earlier academic thought that Sumeria was the first civilization with language. If you want to read further about the "First Asians", here's the link: http://www.crystalinks.com/firstasians.html

Greek archaeologists have recently discovered a Late Neolithic or Chalkolithic period settlement that dates back to 5,000 BC on the island of Andros, the Cyclades, Greece. This settlement (which is actually a town, by the standards of that era) lies on the Strofilas plateau in western Andros and is unique in many ways. It is large, intensively built, fortified and very well preserved. The main body of the town stretches in an area of about three hectares and has --among others-- a number of big, rectangular, arch-ending buildings. Other findings include refined artwork (pottery, jewels), utilities, stone tools and weapons equipped with opsidian stone pikes, as well as figurines and many objects made of copper. Due to the variety and quantity of the latter, prehistoric archaeologists might have to reconstruct some of their views, regarding the start and level of metallurgy in the Aegaean. Indeed, the island of Andros seems to have been the ideal place to work out such techniques, for several reasons: it lies near continental Greece, it is rich in waters and has many fields that could easily support agriculture -a doubtlessly attractive area for people to settle. http://users.hol.gr/~ianlos/a014.htm

Great posts, Cheryl. My little first archaeological "dig" was anticlimatic. We found nothing but also were not disappointed as we were not expecting anything. Rescue archaeology is not like finding Troy, unfortunately! But, I did enjoy holding the shovel and carrying the maps.

Greek concern over museum�s lost head Not missing the opportunity to score points over the custodians of the Elgin Collection of Parthenon Marbles, Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos yesterday sought explanations from the British Museum regarding the theft, this week, of a Greek artifact from its collections. The battered, 6th-century BC marble head of a woman was acquired by the museum in 1922, and Greece has never sought its return � unlike the architectural sculptures removed from the Parthenon by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century. The ministry yesterday said Venizelos has written to the museum�s new director, Neil MacGregor, �seeking information on the theft... given the historic and cultural interest Greece has in Greek antiquities, wherever they may be.� The 12-centimeter high head was found to be missing on Tuesday, and is believed to have been stolen the same day. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100012_03/08/2002_19487

Thanks to DirtDevil JohnG for sending me the following: Oldest bakery found -- and looks familiar By Seif Al-Nasrawi From the International Desk Published 7/28/2002 1:20 PM View printer-friendly version CAIRO, July 28 (UPI) -- An American archaeological team has discovered the remains of the oldest bakery to date used by ancient Egyptians to produce "sun bread" -- bread still made today in Egypt's southern villages, officials said Sunday. The secretary-general of the Archaeological Higher Council, Zahi Hawas, said the archaeologists were digging south of the Sphinx in Giza when they found what was, in the third millennium B.C., a fully stocked and functioning bakery. He told United Press International the discovery showed modern farmers in the rural villages in Egypt were still using the same methods to produce the same bread their forefathers made more than 4,000 years ago. The team, headed by archaeologist Mark Lener, found trays and tools used to make and ferment the dough. Also uncovered were closets used to store the seeds before sending them to the bakeries, Hawas said. Egyptologists said ancient Egyptians succeeded in producing yeast during the Old Dynasty (2686 to 2181 B.C.), and used it to produce the oldest known types of alcoholic beverages and 12 kinds of bread and pastries. Team leader Lener told UPI the team also found tools and equipment used to construct two of the three pyramids of Giza, built to bury two of the most important pharaohs who ruled in the Fourth Dynasty between 2613 and 2494 B.C. Among other discoveries: -- a collection of archaeological pieces used to count the laborers building the two pyramids, believed to have exceeded 20,000 workers; -- primitive statistical drawings to record the number of tools handed out to the workers; -- an industrial zone that manufactured bronze tools and special uniforms for the laborers building the pyramids. -- 250 ceramic stamps printed with the names of the Pharaohs Khafra and Manqara, owners of the second and third largest pyramids in Egypt. The latest discoveries came within an archaeological campaign by Egyptian and U.S. archeologists in the Giza and Sakkara areas to uncover tools and technologies used by the ancient Egyptians to build the pyramids.

Thanks Marcia, and thanks to DirtDevil JohnG. The Egyptians had a saying that was, "Like barley, eaten but maligned." They cultivated both wheat and barley. Wheat has always been incredibly valued a crop; this can be evidenced in that it has, and is, virtually never used as animal fodder. The Egyptians valued wheat higher as foodstuff than barley; however, they did make beer from barley.

I was just reading an archaeology report prepared in the prospect of a certain little river valley being submerged under a lake. They mentioned that the first white settlers in the valley raised corn for food and what was left over they made into "moonshine" (distilled spirits) which proved to be much more profitable. I suggest every new settler on the planet has discovered this truth. Even the ancient Egyptians!

Prehistoric burial ground discovered A prehistoric burial ground has been found at the site of a lost abbey in Cheshire. Cremated fragments of human bone believed to date back up to 4,000 years have been excavated in the hamlet of Poulton near Chester. They were discovered with broken pieces of pottery, believed to be the container in which they were buried. The Daily Post reports scientific tests confirm the bone is human and work is now under way to dig up all the remains. The discovery came during excavations to find the abbey of Poulton, which once stood on the site, bordering the Duke of Westminster's Eaton estate. Archaeologist Mike Emery, who is the brother of actors Ralph and Joseph Fiennes, said: "The burial ground dates from between 2,300 BC and 1,000 BC. In the past we have discovered evidence hinting at prehistoric activity but this is a major find. "Once the site has been fully excavated we will send the bone for dating and we should be able to find out how many people were buried here, their gender and ages." Gerry Fair, a former Lord Mayor of Chester, who owns the land where the remains were found, says they'll go on permanent loan to the city. Mr Emer has run the dig independently for four years and is currently registering the Poulton Research Project as a charity. http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_644681.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

Archaeologists excavate monastery to reveal Gaza Strip�s ancient lineage Away from the ongoing violence, researchers uncover the vestiges of Palestine�s Byzantine past EPA An archaeologist looks at the site of an ancient Byzantine monastery on Monday, near Nusseirat in the Gaza Strip. A mere 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Gaza City, after a short drive through lush vineyards, one discovers the stunning site of an ancient Byzantine monastery whose first church is believed to have been erected at the end of the fourth century AD. The site was first excavated by the Palestinian Authority in 1998, four years after it took control of the Gaza Strip. By Sophie Claudet - Agence France-Presse NUSSEIRAT, Gaza Strip - Just a short drive outside Gaza City, through lush vineyards, Palestinian and French archaeologists are excavating a remarkable Byzantine monastery which they hope will draw tourists once the violence is over. The site, whose first church is believed to have been erected at the end of the fourth century AD, was first excavated by the Palestinian Authority in 1998, four years after it took control of the Gaza Strip. �But the Israeli army stumbled on the site when it was still occupying the area, although the Israelis did not carry out proper digs,� explained Abdelaziz Midan, the site�s archaeological supervisor. The current works, mainly intended to uncover the remaining 20 percent of the large monastery that spans one and a half hectares (3.7 acres) in the middle of the Gaza Strip, are being undertaken by a French delegation of experts and financed by the French Consulate in Jerusalem. �We are working closely with the Palestinians at the Tourism and Antiquities Ministry,� said Rene Elter, who heads the French cooperation mission. �We bring them our expertise and benefit in return from their prior knowledge of the site,� he said. Midan could not agree more: �We greatly benefit from this cooperation by learning more about the significance of the site, by having access to technologies and an expertise we do not have or cannot afford.� Once the entire site is uncovered and its remarkable mosaics are restored, Palestinians hope to turn part or all of the site into a museum � with French help. �There are no tourists now, but they will be back one day,� says Ahmed Abdelrahman, who is responsible for the site�s excavation. Pupils and local inhabitants are already drawn to the site, attracted by its beauty and originality in the otherwise battered and impoverished Gaza Strip. To Elter, the site is of great importance on more than one account. �The monastery was originally built around the remains of Saint Hilarion, who settled here as a hermit. With him started the construction of monasteries throughout historical Palestine.� Saint Hilarion, of Greek descent, was born in Gaza in AD 329 and fled to Cyprus when his secluded hermitage was overrun by monastic followers. Although he died there, his remains were brought back to Gaza around AD 370. �Until the eighth century, this site was a mandatory resting and worshiping area for pilgrims coming from Jerusalem on their way to the Sinai,� he said. North of the monastery, vestiges of a hostel and the well-preserved remains of a hamam, or Turkish bath, with marble tubs, large pools, and a sophisticated plumbing network still stand. Elter attaches special value to this site because �it links Palestinians to ancient history, to their roots and ancestors. In fact, the Byzantines are more of their ancestors than they are ours,� he adds. The Nusseirat site, 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of Gaza City, is one of the many Byzantine sites on the Gaza Strip, which also housed a large Roman city and port, rivaling Alexandria. �Egyptians, Persians and Greeks also once inhabited the Gaza Strip. The oldest vestige ever found here dates back 3,500 years and is Egyptian,� said Elter. Midan and Abdelrahman noted that Palestine and its indigenous Canaanite people were always occupied but that �some occupations were much better than others. The rulers were changing but the population stayed pretty much the same,� says Midan, who could not help drawing his colleagues� attention to an F-16 Israeli warplane streaking over the site. �It�s surreal working here because we�re cut off from reality, except for a few reminders when we hear bombings, shootings and planes in the distance,� says Elter. Meanwhile, Palestinian workers are busy uncovering and cleaning newly found mosaics whose tints of blue, red, green and ocher are wonderfully intact. Previously discovered mosaics feature delicate drawings of animals, birds, fountains and flowers. In the center of the site lie three floors of mosaics with intricate geometric patterns on which the last of the three churches that have been discovered so far was built. Elter is confident that yet another church will be discovered under the mosaics, one dating back to Saint Hilarion�s times. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_310430_08/08/2002_19621

Ancient tombs looted for antiques By Philippe Coumarianos - Agence France-Presse BAKHCHISARAI, Ukraine - Small-time tomb-raider Volodya shone his torch into the ancient terra-cotta amphora and swore. No gold. No precious stones. No documents. Nothing. Foiled, yet again. Night after night, Volodya and his band have combed the forests of southern Ukraine, tracking down one grave after another, in search of gold bracelets, rings and broaches commissioned by wealthy merchants but drawn a blank. Twelve burial sites, all dating back to the mists of time, have offered up a barrow-load of clay pottery but little that would flutter the hearts of the collectors and specialists who frequent the region�s illegal antiquities markets. �Hey, look over here,� hissed Sergei, an accomplice, as he bent over a stone slab he had uncovered at a depth of 3 meters (10 feet). �Another tomb.� Several hefty blows with a steel bar later, and Volodya is able to squeeze through a passage into the neighboring vault. This time the beam of his torch falls onto the scattered remains of a woman buried some 1,500 years ago. Scratching around among the bone fragments, he�s able to unearth a few bronze bits and pieces, some multicolor paste-glass necklaces, and some red earthenware jars, worth maybe a few hundred dollars at the Sevastopol flea market where Ukrainian and Russian collectors do their antiquity shopping. Every weekend in the season, the merchants and the adventurers gather on the hill overlooking the Black Sea port to negotiate their deals and commissions for the stolen historic treasures. Contacts are made by phone, or through trusted intermediaries for whom a nod is as good as a wink. The prize objects � gold artifacts, statuettes, glazed objects and vases from the Hellenic era � are sure of a rapid transfer to Moscow where they will change hands for a handsome profit. Some find their way onto the international antiquities market and to the auction houses where they can fetch tens of thousands of dollars. �It�s a disaster. Thousands of tombs have been looted in the past 10 years, and there�s no sign of it abating,� said Culture Ministry official Shukri Seytumerov. The Crimean peninsula, jutting into the Black Sea, forms a historic crossroads between the Mediterranean world and the Eurasian steppes. It has been home to numerous civilizations. The Scythians, among the earliest of the region�s known occupants, were followed from about the seventh century BC onward by the Greeks, to be succeeded by the legionnaires of Rome and the emperors of Byzantium. The burial sites, scattered over what is now wild and broken terrain, mostly date back to the period between the second century BC and the fourth century AD. Older Greek and Roman tombs are exceedingly rare. �Most of the tombs belonged to ordinary people. The objects buried with them usually have no commercial value but are extremely valuable historically,� said Seytumerov. During the winter, bands such as Volodya�s roam the region looking for possible sites and preparing for the spade work which they begin in the spring. They move in groups of three or four, communicating by cell phone and leaving men strategically posted to stand watch in case the police should show. �Their leaders are specialists, often having extensive historical knowledge comparable with archaeological experts,� Seytumarov noted. �Unfortunately, Ukrainian law is not strict enough to stamp out the trade in antiquities and the police are inefficient,� he said. In most cases, he noted, the few tomb-raiders who fell into police clutches faced little more than a suspended sentence. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_2031903_16/08/2002_19837

To GEO's resident archaeologist (even if he is currently too busy to be more than my guidance at this time...) HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DON !!! Ti leaf and Orchid Lei. Ti leaf for protecion against evil and orchids for beauty.

I did close the tags. I wonder what went wrong...b

14th century window on burrowed time Rabbits have been credited with unearthing the remains of a rare glass window which once adorned a 14th century manor house. An English Heritage spokesman says the rabbits, which burrowed into what appeared to be a mundane grass-covered hump, had uncovered a large quantity of hand-painted medieval glass. Conservation experts are now attempting to preserve the glass before it deteriorates after being exposed to the air. Further details about the discovery, which was made at a secret location in Warwickshire, are expected to be released by English Heritage later. Story filed: 08:16 Tuesday 13th August 2002 http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_649042.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

If you keep company with an archaeolgist long enough you will end up being suggested for giving a paper. I think the one I have kept company with of late has me in mind for a future meeting at which he will also give a paper. My topic will either be stone walls of central Tennessee - a survey. Or gravehouses of the same area. I photographed the latter last weekend and foundthem unique and fascinating. I will post images of them shortly. I am curious if anywhere else in the world has such structures.

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Marci, John, Cheryl, and others -- my sincere apologies for being silent these past few weeks. During this time, I have been continuing my work relating to a rather extended study of paper mills in the southern Confederacy during the American Civil War (1861-1865) as an aspect of industrial archaeology, the study of "archaic" manufacturing facilities. According to the 1860 Federal manufactures census schedules, there were but 24 such mills recorded in the southern states out of 555 in the entire nation. Efforts on the part of the Confederates resulted in the construction of several additional mills but the vast majority of these were destroyed during the war. The focal point of my efforts has been directed toward the history and architecture of the 1849 William S. Whiteman paper mill near the small settlement of Whites Creek near Nashville, (Davidson County) Tennessee. As best as I can determine, this forlorn structure is likely the last standing Confederate paper mill in existence. It operated as a paper m ll until the spring of 1862 when Whiteman fled Nashville in advance of the Union occuption of that town. After the war, it was not placed back into service and was converted into use as a barn about 1870 (a function it still serves). The paper making equipment was apparently sold long ago. The property left Whiteman family hands in 1919. Comments from folks familiar with any comparable studies would be greatly appreciated. Marci will be posting a photograph of this structure in the near future.

1849 Whiteman Paper Mill near Nashville, Tennessee

Notes on Whiteman Paper mill: The picture posted above is as the mill looks today. The center part with two windows, loft and main door are the original brick structure painted white on the outside. Interior shots to follow. The extensions to the left of the photograph are cattle sheds added after the mill ceased operation. The above photograph is in glorious black and white in preparation for journal publication on which Don is working.

hi Don!!

Center of Athens set to get new park by 2004 The 7-hectare area is situated next to the Byzantine Museum A panoramic view of the existing area surrounding Vassilisis Sophias and Vassileos Constantinou avenues as well as Rigillis Street. The new park, which will be constructed next to the Byzantine and Christian Museum, is set to become a mini oasis for Athenians. By Dimitris Rigopoulos - Kathimerini By the spring of 2004, once the extension to the Byzantine and Christian Museum is complete, the residents of Athens will be able to enjoy what is expected to be a unique, 7-hectare leisure park, an oasis between two of the city�s busiest roads (Vassilisis Sofias and Vassileos Constantinou) which will combine relaxing walks with archaeological sightseeing. Two events were catalytic to the forwarding of this ambitious plan: First and foremost was the discovery of the Aristotle Lyceum and the decision to transform it into an open-air archaeological site. The other factor was that the area on the corner of Vassileos Constantinou and Rizari, which once was an apartment building that was knocked down and then subsequently left to turn into a stinking swamp, is currently being transformed into a 700-space underground car park that will serve the nearby Evangelismos Metro station. According to the director of the Byzantine and Christian Museum, Dimitris Constantios, �intense pressure was applied on the ministries of Culture and Public Works for the right to exploit the land above the car park and make it a part of the park.� Their efforts paid off well and besides getting permission to use the area above the car park, the group was also allowed to plant trees and shrubbery which, according to Constantios, are part of a well-researched landscaping plan that examined the species of flora that existed in the area during antiquity. �We want to recreate the landscape and that is why you will not see plants here which have nothing to do with the Athenian reality,� he said. The new park will be open 24 hours a day (the museum will hire security personnel and have a closed-circuit television surveillance system installed) and admission will be free of charge. The aim of the park will be, first and foremost, to create a model environment and, secondly, to provide a leisurely ambience for visitors to the museum or to Aristotle�s Lyceum. �If we succeed in attracting more people to the museum that way, then so much the better,� said Constantios. To add to visitors� enjoyment, the museum also has a cafe overlooking the park at the back of the museum while there are plans to build a restaurant there as well. Furthermore, an idea to have a small-sculpture display area is being discussed, as are plans for a small, 400-seat amphitheater that will host various shows during the summer months. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/civ__2452120KathiLev&xml/&aspKath/civ.asp?fdate=19/08/2002

My best wishes for your birthday Don. I am late but it is better now instead never, as we say in Greece. I find your work very interesting and useful even if I work on completely different object. John

We say "better late than never" as our recycling of ancient axioms continues. I suspect that if we each did only one thing everyone considered "important" that history and many other fields would suffer. We hardly have time to teach today's children what we once learned. How will they ever know what is important and what is a waste of time? Only they can determine that. We each put pieces of the human experience puzzle into place to make a complete picture. John is as valuable in his profession and research as is Don in his. We need everyone. That, my mother informed me, was the reason we each liked different things. So we could get the most complete picture possible! Thanks for each of your different interests. Your expertise is what makes Geo precious.

Hello Don and I hope that you had a very Happy Birthday! Thanks for posting about your work concerning industrial archaeology in relation to the Whiteman paper mill. I must admit that I don't readily associate the Confederacy with industrialization, other than textile mills. That is a shortcoming on my part and I can only learn.

I am in agreement with you, Cheryl. I grew up in the part of the US were the American Revolution was fought. I am also learning about the Confederacy. Imagine life without paper. You can begin with newsapapers and end in the bathroom. Money and messages were all important in wartime and the North had the south blockaded. Things got VERY difficult before they got any better. It is a fascinating work Don is doing. I am fascinated at being in on each new discovery. I am learning with the rest of us. Don is an excellent guide!

Mycenaean cemetery in Vari yields rich finds A cluster of richly furnished ancient graves dating to Mycenaean times has been discovered on the southern outskirts of Athens close to a settlement of the same period, a report said yesterday. According to the Ethnos daily, archaeologists conducting a rescue excavation in Vari have located 26 graves so far, which date from the 15th to the 12th centuries BC. This spans most of the Mycenaean era, the best-known remains of which are the citadels of Mycenae and Tiryns, and the Palace of Pylos in the Peloponnese. Over 100 vases have been recovered, along with terracotta figurines, copper knives, seals, gold beads and steatite pendants. They had been laid in 24 chamber graves � up to three meters wide with approaches up to 4 meters long � and two shaft graves, of the same type as the royal burials in Mycenae. The settlement was 300 meters away. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_2785960_20/08/2002_19950

Cliff-cut Alexander scheme on the rocks A grandiose scheme, inspired by Greek-Americans, to carve an 80-meter-high likeness of Alexander the Great on a cliff in northern Greece has been denounced as a monstrosity by archaeologists and environmentalists alike, who are threatening legal action against the 30-million-euro project. The project's backers, who include local authorities in the area of Asprovalta and Vrasna, some 90 kilometers (56 miles) east of Thessaloniki at the far end of the Halkidiki peninsula, claim the rock-carving will �emphasize the Greekness of Macedonia� and attract tourists. �The archaeologists are calling it a monstrosity, but we say it is the best thing being done in Greece,� local mayor Angelos Frantzis told Kathimerini. �If they want a monument, why don't they do it in front of the town hall?� a local antiquities official countered. �Why destroy the rock. Is it theirs?� http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100016_21/08/2002_19985

Marcia, you're right, what is life without paper. It's so common, that we tend forget how important it is. Was it the Chinese who developed paper as we know it. I do know that the Egyptians had papyrus, made from a kind of reed. I suppose that it may well be classed as a sort of paper. In Europe in the Middle Ages and early Rennaissance, paper was made from cloth rags. I have used 100 percent linen rag paper when I was an art student. I somehow remember some association with the Chinese and paper, though. I know that they made rice paper, but I really don't know who came up with making paper from wood pulp. One last thing about paper, in Japan pre-pakaged food items are enclosed in an edible paper made from the skin that forms on top of tofu during the process of making it. That would be paper from soy beans.

I rather agree with the archaeologists and the environmentalists on the subject of the Alexander sculpture. From the standpoint of archaeology, what undiscovered sites might possibly be compromised or destroyed by the work involved carving the sculpture. Environmentally, what creatures habitats would be distupted by it, as well. Lastly, what about the geological ramifications concerning this particular sculpture. I'm certain that there are reasons in its favor, as well. They just don't seem as compelling to me.

The "paper" Cheryl mentions as wrapping for some foods ( candy mainly ) is edible. In Hawaii it is readily available. It is tasteless. The paper question I will answer tomorrow. In the meanwhile may I suggest a book with just the information you seek. Papermaking: The history and technique of an ancient craft by Dard Hunter. I have a copy and it is full of great information. Published in 1978, it is available in reprint paperback.

Thanks, Marcia.

Shawn, who rents the new construction from me, found a very strange and mysterious artifact today. It's solid bronze. It's a fragment of a sphere and it ahas strange symbols on it. I've never seen anything like it and have no idea what it could be. I took some pictures of it and I'll post them here when I get them transferred out of my camera. It's a fascinating object.

We're waiting to see the object. All we can say from Don's professional view is that it is not prehistoric - American-wise, anyway.

On our way home from Illinois archaeology site inspection we watched the moon rise a bright rosy pink. I wonder how it will appear in Athens: MOONLIT RUINS - Archaeological sites open to the public tonight Dozens of archaeological sites will be open to visitors free of charge from 9 p.m. tonight until 1 a.m., under the Ministry of Culture�s annual policy of allowing public access to selected monuments on the night of the August full moon. Concerts will be held at most of the 56 sites involved, which include the Athenian Agora, Olympia, Delos, Mystras, Dodona and Dion. The Athens Acropolis will be open but without music. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100018_23/08/2002_20063

solid bronze? wow. strange symbols? *humming the twilight zone theme* you know, it could be a relic from skirmishes earlier in this countries history. maybe the symbols are just worn and the only parts you see are making it so you cannot recognize it. can't wait to see the pics!

Just processed them and ftped them to geo.

Don looked carefully at your pictures and asked again where it was found. He said during the Spanish-American War the Mexicans made small cannon balls out of COPPER. He says this one looks very like rough made cannon balls he has seen from that period. b

If nothing else, Shawn has found a piece of History and it makes a good paper weight or bookend.

i'm thinking cannonball too, in fact, before i even got to your suggestion, i was thinking that!

I asked Don if that was what it could be before I showed him the picture. I agree it is most likely that it is a cannonall.

That's my theory also. I wonder if I should take a metal detector to the area where we discoverd this cannonball. I wonder what the markings mean?

Definitelyon the metal detector. He will check but he guesses it might be a foundry mark. Make that the Mexican War. (My error is saying the Spanish American.)1830s is the date for it. 0.70inch round musket balls would also be found in the same area if associated with a battle and not an accidental loss by a collector. Don is curious to know the context in which it was found.

Internet campaign to solve 30 year mystery of stolen pots http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_655335.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology Officials trying to recover more than 100 artefacts stolen three decades ago are mounting a 'no questions asked' internet campaign. Staff at Kolomoki Mounds State Historic Park in Georgia are posting 'wanted' photos of more than 100 pieces of missing pottery on their website. The collection of 1,500-year-old Native American artefacts was stolen from a South Georgia museum in 1974. Park superintendent, Eric Bentley, said: "We're not all that interested in prosecuting the people responsible - we just want our pots back, no questions asked. "We believe they're still out there, on someone's shelf or for sale in some flea market or artefact show." The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports the museum was unguarded and the thieves stole every item on display. Officials admit the trail has gone cold and the internet appeal is a last resort. Pictures of the missing pottery can be found on the park's website. http://www.geocities.com/kolomokistatepark/

YES to the metal detector!!!

Terry, you should also find inch-square thin black translucent pieces of flint used in the muskets a gun flints. Look for them. They make pretty and interesting things to display and to collect. Don has a study box of them from a shipwreck whose happening I found in articles on the internet. They were the first real hard evidence of a historic event I ever held in my hand. The second was minnie (mini or minne) balls which were the bullets fired in the Civil War. Quite unlike anything I had ever seen!

To one and all, thank you for the very kind birthday wishes. At 55, I don't like to think I'm getting older -- just ever closer to retirement when I can devote much more time to the research projects that really interest me. To reurn for a moment to the copper object from Texas (and I hope not being over redundant on comments that Marci has already posted), I suspect the piece is half of a broken canon ball dating to the Mexican-American War of the 1830s. As I recall reading in an archaeological study of the Palo Alto Battlefield, the Mexicans at that time lacked iron foundries but did have copper mines and the facilities to smelt same. The markings likely relate to the factory which made the item. Also recovered at the Palo Alto Battlefield were "small" shot on the order of 1.5 inches (3.8 centimeters) in diameter -- these were also fired from canon in clusters. The types of related artifacts which might be encountered in association with this likely canon ball are ca. 0.70 inch (15.75 mm) diameter round lead balls fired from the smoothbore longarms of that era. I'm not immediately certain of their supply of gunflints -- though these may be black (or oxidized as a dull gray) suggestion production at Brandon, England, France was also exporting some flints (theirs were typically a "honey" yellow in color). I hope these comments help more than confuse the issue.

Thank you for your clarifications, Don. I find if I mess up the message sufficiently well, the person who really knows what I was trying to say will say it as intended. The only gun flints I have seen in real life were black, but I know there are other colors of flint that were used. Thank you for the clarification, again! Of course you know this exists but may I call to your attention the new Americana topic for discoveries in this part of the world dealing with things of American History and Folkways. Geo 81.

I prefer to say, "This is my XXth turn around the Sun", in each of my birthday Don. But I can use your words for retirement. Suddenly I become too close to it. I feel very strange because I was not ready� John

John, with all your electronics background, do you have an amateur radio license?

Albania yields Athena statue BUTRINT, Albania (AP) - Albanian archaeologists say they have discovered a 2,000-year-old statue in the ancient town of Butrint � ancient Greek Buthrotos � their first major find since the site was opened to researchers nearly 75 years ago. The statue, believed to depict Athena, the goddess of wisdom, was found last weekend at a dig in the town 300 kilometers (180 miles) south of Tirana. �We have no other sculpture so big and powerful as this,� said chief archaeologist Dhimiter Condi, happily embracing the statue for photographers. The heavy marble statue, believed to date to the time of the Roman Emperor Octavian Augustus, is 2.16 meters (7.09 feet) tall and 0.65 meters (2.13 feet) wide and stands on a solid base. �It is a vivid figure on the move,� said Auron Tare, manager of Butrint National Park. The Butrint site, located at a lake of the same name, was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1992. Many cultural activities � including the Miss Albania contest, concerts and festivals � are regularly held at an ancient theater on the site that seats 1,500. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100014_28/08/2002_20227

EVENT FOR THE RETURN OF THE NIKE OF SAMOTHRACE An event for the return of the statue of the Nike of Samothrace from the Museum of Louvre to its home, the island of Samothrace in northern Aegean, will take place on August 31 organized by the municipality of Samothrace. A message by the Daily Newspapers Journalists' Association of Macedonia-Thrace will be read by a representative of the association's board of directors in support of the demand. In the message it is stressed that the return of the Nike of Samothrace will be a victory of civilization and the efforts will continue until the goal is met. http://www.goGreece.com/news/headlines/story.html?id=7675

Archaeological dig at Bell's Tavern Park City residents are still learning about the people who built Bell's Tavern. Information about the old tavern has been unveiled in the past through archaeological digs that have taken place at the tavern's ruins. Several items have been unearthed through the digs, which usually take place in September each year. Another archaeological dig is scheduled to take place next week -- Sept. 12-14. Jay Stottman, staff archaeologist with the Kentucky Archaeological Survey, will be heading the dig this year. Helping him will be students from area schools. Students in the fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grades will be taking part in the digs, which will be held at 8:45 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. Each session will last approximately an hour. The archaeology digs coincide with the Bell's Tavern Heritage Festival, which will be held Saturday, Sept. 14, and with plans to stabilize the tavern ruins and turn the immediate area around the tavern into a community park. A group of Kentucky masons recently visited the ruins to see what type of work they could do in stabilizing them, said Joy Lyons, chairperson of Bell's Tavern Historical Park Commission, which is overseeing the project. "I like very much the idea of Kentucky craftsmen working on the ruins," Lyons said. "They are Kentucky stone masons who are capable of stabilizing the ruins." At one point, the Bell's Tavern Historical Park Commission had discussed utilizing the services of the Historic Preservation Training Center, which is based in Maryland and is connected with the National Park Service, for stabilizing the tavern's ruins. "They can do it for us, but with our TEA-21 project money we are going to try to get the most we can for every dollar," Lyons said, adding that if the commission decides to work with the Kentucky masons, they would have someone within the state who could do repair work in the future. The city received a $350,000 matching federal grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Equity Act for the 21st Century or TEA-21 for Bell's Tavern Historical Park project last November. Approximately $170,000 of the grant money will be used to stabilize the major stones of the Bell's Tavern ruins. The remainder of the money will be used to develop the area around the ruins into a community park. more... http://www.glasgowdailytimes.com/display/inn_local_news/newsb.txt

Don has seen the site above. It is, incidentally, in Kentucky. He is not working on this project, though. I would like to see it...

The quest for the Lost Colony ring By CATHERINE KOZAK, The Virginian-Pilot � September 3, 2002 BUXTON -- Unearthed nearly four years ago, among the broken remnants of an American Indian civilization, there was a ring. Once worn by an English nobleman, the 16th century gold signet ring was no doubt the most spectacular find in archaeological explorations of Croatan, the ancient capital of the only chiefdom that lived permanently on the Outer Banks. Few have seen the ring since. Many want to. more and pictures... http://www.pilotonline.com/news/nw0903art.html

And more curiousity about the ancient Americans: Ancient Illinois village unearths lode of questions CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Digging under a blazing sun in an Illinois cornfield, archaeologists this summer unearthed a fascinating anomaly: a 900-year-old square hilltop village. The discovery near Shiloh -- about 15 miles southeast of St. Louis -- challenges previous notions of the area's first people and adds a piece to the puzzle that was Cahokia, a huge "mother culture" that suddenly appeared, and just as suddenly vanished, leaving only traces of its majesty and meaning in the 11th century. more and photos... http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-09/uoia-aiv090202.php

The NEW Battle of Marathon? Battle over Marathon finds The revelation that Bronze Age building remains have been found during construction work for a controversial Olympic venue near Marathon in northern Attica took on a political twist yesterday with the opposition leader accusing the government of neglecting antiquities. Premier Costas Simitis canceled a visit planned for this week to the site of the 2004 rowing center at Schinias after New Democracy Chairman Costas Karamanlis arrived there unexpectedly yesterday to inspect the finds, whose existence the government only conceded on Sunday following a Kathimerini report. He complained to journalists that the Early Helladic remains, which, according to a Culture Ministry preliminary report, belong to two insignificant dwellings, �were discovered not as a result of a systematic excavation but during earthworks for the construction of the rowing center.� Construction work at the northern end of an artificial lake has stopped to allow excavation of the finds, which end abruptly at the edge of the lake. �I must point out that this is the spot that the government claimed was under the sea [in antiquity] and allowed to be built on despite objections by archaeologists and historians,� the conservative leader added. The Culture Ministry, which has steadily rejected arguments the venue is being built on the site of the final stages of the 490 BC Battle of Marathon, says the 3000-2000 BC foundations belonged to isolated buildings on the verge of an ancient swamp. Yesterday, Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos said he would decide on the fate of the finds once the full excavation report is available. �It is not fitting for the opposition leader to suddenly descend, in the company of television cameras, on an excavation without having first notified the archaeological authorities,� he said. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100010_10/09/2002_20711

Old English mill built from captured US ship Scientists say a water mill in an English village contains ship timbers dating back to the last time the United Kingdom and US were at war. Beams used to build Wickham Mill in Hampshire were taken from the USS Chesapeake. The ship was captured by the Royal Navy off Boston in 1813. To this day, they still bear the signs of cracks and splinter damage caused by cannon fire during fierce fighting in which 93 sailors were killed and 156 wounded. As well as showing the signs of battle damage they also offered a glimpse into the history of the Chesapeake, which negro plantation slaves helped to build in 1799. The 1812 war between Britain and the US arose indirectly from the Napoleonic Wars. Resentment over the Royal Navy stopping and searching neutral American ships bound for blockaded ports spilled over into a conflict that lasted three years. The Star Spangled Banner was written during the war, and the White House was burned by the British. HMS Shannon engaged the Chesapeake in the coastal waters off Boston. The American commander, Captain James Lawrence, was mortally wounded and his last words "Don't give up the ship" passed into US Navy folklore. Describing the story, Dr Robert Prescott from the research team at the University of St Andrew's said: "This was the great age of the frigate. This was where all the dashing young commanders wanted to be. It attracted young hotheads." After repairs, Chesapeake was sold by the Royal Navy in 1819 for breaking up. The following year, a builder called John Prior bought some of her timber for �3,450 for the water mill. The mill's dimensions reflect those of the ship, which was carefully dismantled so that every last inch of the long timbers could be used. Speaking at the British Association Festival of Science at Leicester University, Dr Prescott said: "When you go into the mill you can easily be fooled into thinking you are on board a ship. All the beams over your head which hold up the floor above you are gun deck and quarter deck beams from the ship, and all the lintels that span the openings of doors and windows are from the ship." http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_668004.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

Phenomenon at Loch Ness A skeptical Earth scientist throws more cold water on Scotland's liveliest legend. The Loch Ness Monster is a well-known, even beloved icon for all kinds of believers and skeptics. Is the legendary Scottish creature merely the roilings of earthquake gas? Not far from Nessie's home lake, a provocative visitor from Italy has argued just that. The occasion was a 2001 gathering of geoscientists in Edinburgh, Scotland, called Earth System Processes, the first-ever collaboration by the Geological Society of America and the Geological Society of London. Such gatherings are a carnival of science, and the research presented there is fresh, unpublished, speculative, even provocative. Meeting presentations are also considered "gray literature," useful snapshots but not formal publications that are reviewed beforehand by fellow scientists. So the latest Loch Ness theory, presented in a poster session by Luigi Piccardi, was nothing truly serious. Piccardi has been arguing recently that the mythology and sacred places of the ancient Mediterranean owe a lot to geologic activity, like earthquakes or the Delphic Oracle. In Edinburgh, Piccardi presented a poster extending that argument to Scotland. The earliest account of the monster in Loch Ness, from the seventh century, refers to the creature's appearance and disappearance being accompanied by shaking. And the lake happens to lie directly upon the active Great Glen earthquake fault. "In this light," goes his reasoning, "many modern eyewitness reports attributed to Nessie may find a simple natural explanation. > > http://geology.about.com/library/weekly/aa070101a.htm

U.S. Scientists Find Famous Viking Site in Iceland September 16, 2002 07:45 PM ET By Gina Keating LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California archeologists have discovered a Viking Age farm in northern Iceland that may have been home to Snorri Thorfinnsson, the first European child born in North America and a hero in Norse folk legends, the University of California Los Angeles announced on Monday. More on Reuters-Science John

The local archaeological news is at a site not thought to have any value and under pressure for modern development they found Late Woodland pottery pieces and some human bones. This is very exciting. In this area, these finds have not been made since I have been acquanited with it. I await further developments. Other than being an archaeologist myself, this is a very close exciting second place option.

Stone Age woman ate like a wolf THE thigh bone of a Stone Age woman who ate almost as much meat as a wolf has been found in a dried-up channel of the Trent. It gives archaeologists their earliest look at the development of the British diet. Chemical analysis of the 7,700-year-old femur shows that the �Lady of Trent�, whose remains were unearthed at the Nottinghamshire village of Staythorpe, was not one to eat her greens. Her diet had a meat content more similar to that of a wolf or a lion than of modern man. Further evidence of her diet comes from bones of a similar age belonging to deer and wild cattle, many bearing cut marks typical of human butchery, that were found at the site. The discovery, by scientists from Sheffield University who were monitoring gravel extraction for a housing development, is highly significant. Very few human bones from the Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) have been found in Britain. Glyn Davies, of the university�s archaeological research and consultancy unit, said that the discovery had already cast important light on the lifestyle of Britain�s inhabitants in a little-known period. �This was an extremely rare he said. �It tells us that here was a settlement of humans that lived inland, hunting animals, when people generally moved around seasonally between the hills and the coast.� The Lady of Trent�s thigh bone suggests she was about 5ft 2in. She probably lived in a community of 10-25 individuals, from several families, who would have hunted game with flint-tipped or fire-hardened wooden spears. She lived between 5700 and 5600 BC, radiocarbon dating has shown. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,1-2-398917,00.html

She may have tall for her time!

The clockwork computer From The Economist print edition The Antikythera mechanism An ancient piece of clockwork shows the deep roots of modern technology WHEN a Greek sponge diver called Elias Stadiatos discovered the wreck of a cargo ship off the tiny island of Antikythera in 1900, it was the statues lying on the seabed that made the greatest impression on him. He returned to the surface, removed his helmet, and gabbled that he had found a heap of dead, naked women. The ship's cargo of luxury goods also included jewellery, pottery, fine furniture, wine and bronzes dating back to the first century BC. But the most important finds proved to be a few green, corroded lumps�the last remnants of an elaborate mechanical device� Much more in: Economist.com, Science & Technology

I remember that set of gears and other clockwork items corroded into what looked like a watch maker's nightmare. How old it is compared with the modern usage of clockwork! Thank you, John, for reminding us that we have forgotten much and still have much to learn!' We went out on another archaeological survey of a site yesterday. This time to Indiana and a national guard training facility. They want to widen a road and move a little stream. Nothing was found archaeologically, but they did have a great static display of armaments, and the only exisitng (as far as we knew) Prisoner of War chapel from WW2. It was built by Italian prisoners. The whole site was built for German and Italian POWs and after the war, was given to the state of Indiana for training of their National Guard troops. We even got to see some. Especially pleasant, it was a beautiful sunny day with deep clear blue skies and cool temperatures. "October's bright blue weather..." How I have missed autmun!

2004 venue�s ancient finds to be saved - Survey: area was under water The battered remains of three 4,500-year-old houses discovered on the site of an Olympic sporting venue near Marathon in northern Attica will be preserved with two of the buildings to be shifted a few dozen meters out of the way, the government said yesterday. The dwellings, which were probably linked to a larger settlement to the north, were discovered last month. But while announcing his determination to save the Early Bronze Age remains from destruction, Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos failed to convincingly defend his main argument in favor of the government's controversial decision to build the Olympic rowing course at Schinias on land linked with the 490 BC Battle of Marathon. The findings of a geological survey, conducted last year under Thessaloniki University geologist Antonios Psilovikos and presented yesterday at a press conference hosted by Venizelos, showed that, since Neolithic times, the Schinias area - some 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Athens - has been covered by freshwater swamp and lake, salt marsh, and lagoon. Venizelos has long claimed that Schinias was covered by the sea in the fifth century BC, in order to dismiss critics who say the venue is being built on swampland where the final phase of the battle took place. �For the past 5,500 to 6,000 years, the area was under water,� Psilovikos said. �There is no doubt whatsoever of that.� The 120 soil samples taken by Psilovikos's team revealed traces of aquatic life from which conclusions were taken on the historical morphology of the area. �We found hundreds of shells,� he said, �belonging to freshwater shellfish, shellfish that live in low-saline water and seawater shellfish.� �In this area, any thought not only of battle but even of approach would have been impossible. Anyone trying to get there would have sunk in the mud, and would have been totally unable to advance.� This, however, concurs with ancient historians' accounts of the defeated Persian invaders fleeing their Athenian pursuers into a large swamp which accounted for a large portion of the Persian casualties. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100006_27/09/2002_21379

Roman iron factory uncovered A Roman iron factory has been discovered at a remote moorland site. A team from the University of Exeter unearthed the site during a month-long dig near Brayford, Exmoor. Archaeologists believe large quantities of iron were produced at the 2,000-year-old site for use across the UK and abroad. Excavation director Dr Gill Juleff said: "Clearly what was being produced was over and above the needs of the local population. It would probably have gone to an international market." The team of 20 students and archaeologists dug a 30 metre long trench to uncover an intact factory floor. Furnaces where iron was smelted were also found in the 10-metre-deep trench. Pottery remains also discovered at the site date back to the second and third centuries AD. Dr Juleff said: "The big question is whether it was a site run by local people or whether the work was directed by the Roman Army. She added: "What is interesting about this is that until very recently it was believed that the Romans hadn't reached this far, but now the story is quite different. Archaeologists will continue excavation work on Exmoor next summer. The dig forms part of a four-year project funded by English Heritage. http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_677823.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

2004 venue�s ancient finds to be saved Survey: area was under water The battered remains of three 4,500-year-old houses discovered on the site of an Olympic sporting venue near Marathon in northern Attica will be preserved with two of the buildings to be shifted a few dozen meters out of the way, the government said yesterday. The dwellings, which were probably linked to a larger settlement to the north, were discovered last month. But while announcing his determination to save the Early Bronze Age remains from destruction, Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos failed to convincingly defend his main argument in favor of the government's controversial decision to build the Olympic rowing course at Schinias on land linked with the 490 BC Battle of Marathon. The findings of a geological survey, conducted last year under Thessaloniki University geologist Antonios Psilovikos and presented yesterday at a press conference hosted by Venizelos, showed that, since Neolithic times, the Schinias area - some 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Athens - has been covered by freshwater swamp and lake, salt marsh, and lagoon. Venizelos has long claimed that Schinias was covered by the sea in the fifth century BC, in order to dismiss critics who say the venue is being built on swampland where the final phase of the battle took place. �For the past 5,500 to 6,000 years, the area was under water,� Psilovikos said. �There is no doubt whatsoever of that.� The 120 soil samples taken by Psilovikos's team revealed traces of aquatic life from which conclusions were taken on the historical morphology of the area. �We found hundreds of shells,� he said, �belonging to freshwater shellfish, shellfish that live in low-saline water and seawater shellfish.� �In this area, any thought not only of battle but even of approach would have been impossible. Anyone trying to get there would have sunk in the mud, and would have been totally unable to advance.� This, however, concurs with ancient historians' accounts of the defeated Persian invaders fleeing their Athenian pursuers into a large swamp which accounted for a large portion of the Persian casualties. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100006_27/09/2002_21379

Italy to return a fragment of the Parthenon frieze to Greece 30/09/2002 21:19:12 ROME (ANA/L/Hatzikyriakos) - A fragment of the Parthenon frieze presently housed in Palermos Museo Nazionale will be returned to Greece during Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampis official visit to Athens on 6 November, Italian daily La Republica reported on Monday. The 14-by-13.4-inch foot of Pithos, a fragment from the eastern Parthenon frieze, gifted 150 years ago by a British diplomat to the Palermo Museum, will be returned to Athens by the Italian President, the article said, adding that this would be enough to ?rekindle? the confrontation over the return of various archaeological finds, now housed in museums around the world, to their countries of origin. According to La Republica, this is a ?gesture of friendship? providing the Greek authorities with the opportunity to resume the campaign for the repatriation of the Parthenon Marbles that are now housed in Londons British Museum. Sculpted in the fifth century BC, the 176-yard frieze was removed from the Parthenon 200 years ago by Lord Elgin, the British Ambassador to Istanbul at the time. http://www.hri.org/news/greek/apeen/2002/02-09-30.apeen.html

Face of original Londoner revealed The face of a pre-historic British woman can be seen for the first time in over 5,000 years. She has been dubbed the capital's first lady and the original Londoner after becoming the oldest human ever unearthed in the city. Researchers reconstructed her face and now believe she may have come originally from either Derbyshire, the Mendips or perhaps further north. Shepperton Woman, named after the place in the west London suburbs where her grave was found, had her face rebuilt by medical artists using the same procedures used in police investigations when detectives try to find the identity of human remains. The skeleton dates from the Stone Age - between 3,640 and 3,100BC. The face shows a woman with striking but heavy features who died aged between 30 and 40 years. Shepperton Woman will go on display to the public for the first time on October 18 at the Museum of London in the centre of the City. Hedley Swain, head of early history at the Museum, said: "She seems to have travelled quite widely within Britain but not abroad. "Life would have been pretty tough for her. People at that time lived in quite large, extended family groups or tribes. They had to work very hard to struggle for existence." The body was originally recovered from Staines Road Farm, in Shepperton, in 1989 and the remains were reconstructed by facial anthropologist Caroline Wilkinson of Manchester University. Medical artists took two weeks to rebuild it before a plaster cast was made. Clay was then applied and gradually the reconstructed face of the individual appeared - more than five millennia after she died. Photo of her likeness: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_683602.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

someone did a computer likeness of King Tut and it was scary to see!

King Tutankhamun was scary? How so? He was so young!!

the image the computer created looked creepy--but not because it was ugly or anything, just creepy. think i saw it on msn.com or ccn.com.....supposed to have some special about who really did want to take over after him.

here's a link to the King Tut stuff--but, clicking on the article about what he looked like doesn't bring up the pic as I saw it for the first time--this one is less eerie: http://dsc.discovery.com/anthology/unsolvedhistory/kingtut/kingtut.html

Looking... BTW, I think someone is messing around with the graphics and programming. Suddenly I am getting a lot of little boxes amongst the letters of the programming titles and buttons here, but not the posted texts. Interesting! I have no idea what this means. It reminds me of a Japanese webite!

This is the reconstructed likeness - more likely than the stock portrayals: From the website Wolfie cites above. Not nearly as cute as the little statues!

but not ugly, that's for sure. the other picture had more upturned corners of the mouth, making it look like he had scars across his cheeks. but it must've been another website i saw that pic at. will check cnn.com and see what they have.

Hi Wolfie!!! It is fun to be on the same time you are even if we cannot IM. *sigh* Fleshing out the Acropolis bones Nearly 150 years of excavations on the summit of the Acropolis have laid bare the limestone base, now worn slippery by millions of pairs of shoes, on which the monumental buildings of the fifth century BC were erected. But in some years, if plans presented on Sunday by a leading Acropolis expert are implemented, tons of earth will be used to restore the surface of the citadel rock to its classical form. Speaking at the end of an international meeting on the 27-year-old Acropolis restoration project, architect Manolis Korres, who has headed restoration efforts on the Parthenon, proposed covering the exposed bedrock with earth. He said exposure to the elements was damaging the monuments� foundations and destabilizing the rock itself, as well as the enceinte. In classical times, he argued, the soil on the walled summit of the rock was distributed among a series of artificial terraces that contained sanctuaries to the gods. The Acropolis Restoration Service, which manages work on the citadel, wants to implement Korres�s plans after 2006, when a 31.5-million-euro cycle of restoration is due to end. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100016_08/10/2002_21770

Speaking of the Acropolis... In Nashville, Tennessee, there is a full size replica of the Parthenon. I would love to go see it. Perhaps I might get there after all. I just spoke to the person who could get me there and he agreed it would be a great idea to visit. Oooh!!!

Roman statue unearthed in Paphos building site A CYPRIOT pensioner saw a marble elbow protruding from rubble at a building site and unearthed a large 2000-year-old Roman-era statue. "It is in very good condition, it is the best preserved we have found in Paphos," said Efstathios Raptou, head of the Paphos division of the antiquities department. The white marble statue, missing its head, was possibly cast in the mould of a woman who lived at the time, he said. The statue was discovered Paphos on Saturday and has been moved to a local museum for maintenance. Cyprus was under Roman rule from 30 BC to 330 AD. (R) http://www.goGreece.com/news/headlines/story.html?id=9017

marcia, you have got to email me!!!!

Just did!

MoD hoping to strike gold with salvage deal A deal has been struck between the Ministry of Defence and a US salvage company to search for a treasure trove of gold coins worth up to �2.8 billion in a sunken British warship. HMS Sussex, which went down in a storm off Gibraltar in the Mediterranean Sea in 1694, was thought to be carrying nine tonnes of gold coins belonging to the Treasury. When the Sussex sank she was loaded with gold and silver that was headed to Spain to be handed over to the Duke of Savoy to fund his war against King Louis XIV during the war with France. The contract allows Odyssey Marine Exploration, which found the ship in 1998, to claim a share of the booty. Under international law the warship and its cargo is considered to be the property of its home country. The salvage project is expected to begin next year and Odyssey will spend three to six months exploring the wreck, which is a half-mile deep. more... http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_685202.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

Australian shipwreck could pre-date Captain Cook Archaeologists believe a shipwreck found buried off Australia's east coast could pre-date the arrival of Captain James Cook The team found the 100ft wreck buried under sand on Fraser Island, about 680 miles north of Sydney. Team leader Greg Jeffreys says a row of four cannons suggests the ship was a European military exploration vessel from the 17th century. "The cannon definitely are not English cannon. We know the style of most of the English cannon, so we are looking at a European ship - probably 1650s around that era," he said. Photographs of the weapons will be sent to experts to verify their age and where they were made. Jeffreys says as the ship is excavated other finds such as dinner plates, glasses, weapons or money could provide more accurate evidence of its origin. Captain Cook is credited with being the first European explorer to find and chart Australia's east coast in 1770. http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_685328.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

Is the ship Dutch, do you think? I know that the Dutch had been sailing in the vacinity of Australia's west coast around the time of Cook's expedition.

Quite possibly Dutch. Abel Tasman got around there a lot. Burial box is 'proof of Jesus' An archaeologist is claiming an inscription on a burial box is the oldest solid evidence Jesus existed. more and picture http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_694350.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

Experts solve crop lines mystery The remains of a massive Iron Age cattle ranch have been identified in North Yorkshire. The ranching operation stretches for more than 10km on a chalky hillside near Malton. It's being hailed as a major find by archaeologists because of its sheer scale. The site has baffled experts since mysterious lines were spotted in crops over it when aerial photographs were taken in the 1950s. But a team of archaeologists, including English Heritage investigator Dave MacLeod, believe they have now solved the mystery. Although there are no physical remains on the site, by using the latest techniques of aerial archaeology combined with ground excavations, the team examined the lines - which are thought to date back to the 2nd century BC. They identified ditches and banks which created funnels used to channel thousands of livestock into droveways leading to the only reliable water source in the area. It's thought the funnels were part of a much bigger system stretching over 20km. Mr MacLeod said: "Nowhere else in the UK do we see funnel structure of this complexity or on such a massive scale. "Essentially we are looking at the remains of a highly sophisticated cattle business that is more reminiscent of the High Chaparral than small scale peasant farming. It paints a vastly different picture of the Iron Age. "English Heritage, which was involved in the project as part of the BBC2 series Time Flyer, says the site will not be protected as there are no physical remains on it. Story filed: 15:48 Friday 25th October 2002 http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_696939.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

Thanks Marcia. Will have to look for further details

NASA Images Find 1,750,000 Year Old Man-Made Bridge The Hindustan Times 10-10-2 WASHINGTON (PTI) -- The NASA Shuttle has imaged a mysterious ancient bridge between India and Sri Lanka, as mentioned in the Ramayana. The evidence, say experts matter-of-factly, is in the Digital Image Collection. The recently discovered bridge, currently named as Adam's Bridge and made of a chain of shoals, 30 km long, in the Palk Straits between India and Sri Lanka, reveals a mystery behind it. The bridge's unique curvature and composition by age reveals that it is man-made. Legend as well as Archeological studies reveal that the first signs of human inhabitants in Sri Lanka date back to the primitive age, about 1,750,000 years ago and the bridge's age is also almost equivalent. more and image... http://rense.com/general30/nasa.htm

Sensational Finding at Samoil Fortress - Golden Mask Alike the Trebenista Ones Excavated (Vest, 3.10.2002) - This is an epochal discovery for the Macedonian, Balkan and European archaeology since it sheds additional scientific light to the widely famous Trebenista necropolis near Ohrid. The tomb and all the items found in there date back to 5th B.C. pointing to the oldest burial within the Lichnidos necropolis. A golden postmortem mask and a golden glove with a golden ring were discovered at the Samoil Fortress three days ago (Monday, 30 September). more and pictures... http://www.culture.in.mk/story.asp?id=4829

Just in time for Hallowe'en: 2,000 bodies found underneath family home A Romanian family plans to move out after finding they were sharing their home with more than 2,000 dead bodies. The find was unearthed in the cellar of the property after plumbers came in to repair a pipe and discovered the skeletons under the floor. The Oana family say they have been living in the house in Sibiu, Transylvania, for half a century but no longer want to return after being told of the find. more... http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_690236.html

Transylvania sounds like a place where a plumber would find some bodies. But 2,000!

*Laugh* You're right, Terry. And no hauntings like in Indian Burials scenarios? I am surprised! Temple to gay love unearthed near Rome A temple devoted to gay love has been discovered by archaeologists in Italy. They found remains which were once dedicated to a lover of the Emperor Hadrian about 20 miles east of Rome. The temple of Antinous dates from 134 AD shortly after his death. Zaccaria Mari, the head archaeologist on the site says archaeologists have dug up parts of the walls of the monumental temple and made a couple of exploratory excavations. He told 365Gay:"We found a series of fountains and planters for interior gardens, niches for statues and very important marble fragments, some with Egyptian hieroglyphics," Mr Mari said. "I'm sure this discovery will cause a lot of controversy, because it flies in the face of previously accepted theories, but only further excavations will give all of the answers." Historians are divided over whether the emperor's favourite lover committed suicide in the river Nile or was pushed in. Antinous was despised by the emperor's jealous aides, but it could never be proven that he was murdered. Other scholars claim Antinous committed suicide before old age destroyed his looks. He was 21. http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_710095.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

Ancient iceman 'probably killed by his own people' A man frozen in Alpine ice more than 5,000 years ago could have been shot with an arrow by one of his own people. The body of "Otzi the Iceman" was discovered by hikers in 1991 as ice melted in the Schnalstal glacier, high in the Italian Alps. Otzi was found half emerged from the ice and his body was first thought to be that of a modern climber. Closer examination showed he was still wearing goatskin leggings and a grass cape. His copper-headed axe and a quiver full of arrows were found nearby and radio-carbon dating showed the body was more than 5,000 years old. Scientists believe Otzi came from the southern Alps after studying artefacts found with his body. Last year an arrow-head embedded inside the mummified corpse was found and the latest research has helped to narrow the search for the iceman's attacker. Professor Annaluisa Pedrotti, from Trento University in Italy, was called in to examine the arrowhead. She said: "The type of arrowhead found in Otzi's body has a very specific 'tanged' shape. It occurs only in the southern Alps and in northern Italy, not in the northern Alps where the arrowheads tend to have a flat base. That means that the guilty party lived south of the Alps and was probably one of Otzi's own people." She said it was still unclear how Otzi died and that many questions remained to be answered. http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_708952.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

Scientist: Oldest American skull found (CNN) -- Researchers said it may be the oldest skull ever found in the Americas: an elongated-faced woman who died about 13,000 years ago. But perhaps more significant than the age, researchers said, is that the skull and other bones were found while a well was being dug near Mexico City International Airport. Because the remains were discovered outside the United States, scientists will be able to study the DNA and structure of the skeleton without the objection of Native American groups, who can claim and rebury ancestral remains under a 1990 U.S. law. "Here Mexico is providing the opportunity to see what clues these bones can yield about man's arrival in the American continent," Mexican anthropologist Jose Concepcion Jimenez Lopez said. The oldest skull in the Americas up to now, believed to be that of "Buhl Woman," was found in 1989 at a gravel quarry in Idaho. Scientists said it dates back 10,500 to 11,000 years. But researchers scarcely studied those bones before the Shoshone-Bannock tribe claimed and reburied them. The "Pe�on Woman III" -- which scientists believe is now the oldest skull from the New World -- has been sitting in Mexico City's National Museum of Anthropology since 1959. At the insistence of geologist Silvia Gonzalez, who had a hunch that the bones were older than previously thought, the remains were taken to Oxford University to be carbon-dated. And indeed, tests proved Gonzalez's assertion. Scientists said they believe that the Pe�on Woman died anywhere from 12,700 to 13,000 years ago at the age of 27. Did humans arrive in the Americas by boat? Emboldened by her finding, Gonzalez will try to prove her theory that the bones of the Pe�on Woman belong not to Native Americans, but to descendants of the Ainu people of Japan. She said she bases her hypothesis on the elongated, narrow shape of the Pe�on Woman's skull. Native Americans, she said, are round-faced with broad cheeks. "Quite different from Pe�on Woman," she said. She said she believes descendants of the Ainu people made their way to the New World by island hopping on boats. "If this proves right, it's going to be quite contentious," said Gonzalez, who teaches at John Moores University in England and received a grant last week from the British government to conduct her research. "We're going to say to Native Americans, 'Maybe there were some people in the Americas before you, who are not related to you.' " Gonzalez's theory is controversial but gaining credence in scientific circles, where up to now many believed hardy mammoth hunters were first to arrive in the Americas 14,000 to 16,000 years ago by crossing into Alaska from Siberia. Gonzalez and other scientists said they believe people may have arrived in America as much as 25,000 years ago. She points to evidence of camps -- man-made tools, a human footprint and huts dating back 25,000 years -- that have been found in Chile as evidence of man's imprint on the Americas long before mammoth hunters. Searching for answers to coastal migration Gonzalez will embark on a three-year journey to prove her theory. As part of that journey, she will travel to Baja California to study the Pericue people, who shared the same elongated faces of the Pe�on Woman. She said she believes that the Pericue, who for unknown reasons went extinct in the 18th century, may hold the answers to coastal migration of man from Asia to America. The bones of the Pe�on Woman will have DNA extracted to compare it with genetic matter of the Pericue, she said. Scientists also said they hope to study clothes fibers found near the skeleton and try to piece together how the woman died. Gonzalez said the skeleton does not show any wounds or obvious injuries. "We still have a long way to go," she said. "But we have a good start." This is the link to the article: http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/science/12/03/oldest.skull/index.html

Thanks Cheryl. America's earliest written language uncovered Carvings believed to be the earliest form of written language in the Americas have been found in Mexico. Symbols dating back to 650BC were found by archaeologists in the San Andreas region of Tabasco state, near the Gulf of Mexico. They were found on chips from a stone plaque and on a cylinder stone used for printing that were unearthed in a dig at the site of an ancient Olmec city near La Venta. The symbols are 350 years older than the oldest previously discovered American writings. Kevin Pope and Mary Pohl have published their study in the American Science magazine. Mr Pope told The News online: "Only a handful of civilisations have ever made the leap from spoken to written language." The carvings were interpreted to mean "king" and "3 Ajaw", which researchers believe was the name of a ruler. The Olmec's system of carvings for dates and names was adopted by the Mayas, who then developed it into a highly sophisticated language over the next 1,000 years. http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_723136.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

A British archaeologist has uncovered what is probably the unluckiest church in the world The church was wrecked by two earthquakes, a flood, and a landslide - all of which happened while it was still being built. It later became an opium den and after it was abandoned most of the remains were washed into the sea. St Phocas' Church was founded on what is now a clifftop at the Turkish city of Sinop, on the shores of the Black Sea, because this is where its patron saint was martyred. The site was discovered when the Sinop museum found pieces of late Roman mosaic washed up at the coastal village of Chiftlik in the mid-1990s. Dr Stephen Hill, from the University of Warwick, was asked to investigate by the museum and he found not just a mosaic, but the site of a large, previously unknown 4th century church. "It will survive into next year but its long-term future is not good. It probably won't see too many more Friday 13ths," he said. The church's founder, St Phocas, the patron saint of gardeners and sailors, was a Christian hermit who dug his own grave the day before he was martyred by Roman soldiers in the 2nd century AD. http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_726609.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

Treasure in Kythnos sanctum On one of the least developed Cycladic islands, archaeologists have hit on one of the most coveted prizes of Greek archaeology � the unplundered inner sanctum of an ancient temple replete with offerings in precious metals and luxurious pottery items. A team led by University of Thessaly Associate Professor of archaeology Alexandros Mazarakis-Ainian discovered the treasure chamber in a ruined temple of a female divinity at Vriokastro on Kythnos, on the western fringe of the archipelago. The sanctum � called adyton by the ancient Greeks � was forbidden to all but the priests of the temple and contained sacred statues of the divinity as well as offerings brought by worshippers. These could include precious jewels, gifts donated by dignitaries to enhance their own prestige and spoils of war. �Behind the cella (main hall) of the temple, and on the other side of a wall with a threshold in its middle, where nobody would have expected it, we discovered the adyton,� Mazarakis-Ainian said in an interview published in yesterday�s Vima daily. �On the earthen floor and in the destruction layer covering it, in other words, practically on the surface, we found some 1,500 precious objects.� The opulence is impressive. Finds, which dated mostly from the seventh to the fifth centuries BC � thus defining the life span of the temple � included 70 golden artifacts, 150 in silver, 450 in bronze, 70 terracotta figurines, 50 intact and many smashed vases. The majority of the pottery was painted, and some pieces have been linked to master painters. There was also a small stone bead incised with a boat, dating from Minoan times, which could have been a family heirloom. The temple, which may have belonged to Hera or Aphrodite, was probably destroyed by earthquake. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100011_19/12/2002_24404

Neolithic gold on Myconos At the furthest recess of the Bay of Panormos, which cuts deep into the northern coast of Myconos, archaeologists excavating a 7,000-year-old settlement have unearthed well-preserved remains of public buildings and a rare example of the Neolithic goldsmith�s art. Dig head Adamantios Sampson told Kathimerini that this year�s excavation at Ftelia, a beach popular among windsurfers, turned up two small buildings ending in apses that were probably not used as simple dwellings. He believes the structures � whose walls survive to a height of 1.8 meters � may have been granaries, or even cult areas. An earlier building, dating to around 5000 BC, is seen as a precursor of the Megaron type that evolved into the basic unit of the Mycenaean palace and the first Greek temples. This year�s excavations also unearthed large quantities of locally made Neolithic pottery, obsidian blades, terracotta figurines and the fired clay model of a boat, as well as an extremely rare circular gold pendant with a hole in the middle for suspension. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100014_24/12/2002_24564

bathhouse in Jesus' hometown Archaeologists and Bible scholars have refuted claims a bathhouse unearthed in Nazareth may have been used by Jesus. The remains of the vaulted and tiled room were found under a Nazareth souvenir shop. The structure lies a few paces from a well where Eastern Orthodox churches believe the Angel Gabriel told Mary she would give birth to Jesus. Owner Elias Shama is convinced the edifice is classical Roman and that Jesus himself may have visited it. But Tel Aviv Antiquities Museum archaeologist Tzvi Shacham says all the evidence indicates it was built at least a millennium after Christ. Stephen Pfann, president of the Jerusalem-based University of the Holy Land, added the Roman part of Nazareth covered a small area where the modern Basilica of the Annunciation now stands, and it never extended as far as Mr Shama's shop. http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_729492.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

About the Neolithic site at the Bay of Panormos, would that be evidence of the Helladic culture?

Interesting question. I'll ask the resident professional archaeologist.

Rare cannon recovered from Cromwellian wreck Archaeologists have discovered what is believed to be one of the most significant underwater finds ever made. They have found a 17th century iron cannon, thought to be the only one of its kind still in existence. It was recovered from the wreck of the Swan, a small Cromwellian warship lost off Mull while attacking the royalist stronghold of Duart Castle in 1653. Colin Martin of the University of St Andrews, who has been excavating the eroding wreck for 10 years, recently discovered the historic cannon. He has been working at the wreck site in conjunction with the National Museums of Scotland (NMS) and Historic Scotland. Dr Martin said the cannon had the initials of John Browne, King Charles I's royal gunfounder, on it. "In the 1620s Browne developed a completely revolutionary new type of gun - one which was much lighter for the weight of shot it fired, allowing more to be carried on the king's ships," said Dr Martin. "These stronger and lighter new guns were called 'drakes', and the secret of their success was a tapered end to their bores, where the pressure of the gunpowder explosion was greatest." Conservators at the NMS are currently removing layers that have built up on the cannon over hundreds of years. St Andrews University said conservationists hope to find out soon whether the cannon is indeed a drake. Work is expected to reveal that it is probably the only iron example of this type of gun known to have survived into modern times. http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_738054.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

Huge Bronze Age haul found in Austria Europe's biggest-ever discovery of Bronze Age weapons and jewellery has been made in Austria. Archaeologists believe the hoard could prove Bronze Age Europe rivaled Greece in terms of early society and technology. The scientists from the University of Innsbruck and the Austrian National Memorial Office have so far found 360 pieces buried at the side of a crevice in Moosbruckschrofen am Piller in Tyrol. It is thought they were laid there as part of a ritual offering sometime between 1550 and 1250 BC. As well as swords, axes, spearheads, sickles and jewellery the historians also found part of a bronze helmet. It is thought the helmet could be one of the earliest such finds, Austrian Broadcasting Company ORF reported. The only other helmet thought to be from the 14th or 13th century BC was one that had been discovered on Crete, which the experts say is of a totally different sort. http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_739588.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

British archaeologists uncover ancient Egyptian town British archaeologists have discovered the 'Egyptian Lourdes'. The desert town dates back to 2,500 BC and was probably home to priests and builders working on Memphis pyramids. It is thought that the 4,000 people there would have earned a living by selling religious objects and charms. Team leader Ian Mathieson, a 75-year-old retired surveyor from Edinburgh, described the find as "absolutely fabulous". He discovered the town near Saqqara, 15 miles from Cairo, with 10 British archaeologists and said: "Our first guess is that it was inhabited by priests and workers, a bit of a thing like Lourdes." Mr Mathieson said the team stumbled on the town while searching for an ancient road. He said: "We had an idea that there was a road which people used to transport these 50 tonne bits of stone up to the huge sarcophaguses at the temple. "We didn't find a road, we found a lake, and we found that the lake had a town on the side of it." "We're convinced that there was quite a big community making religious objects to be buried in the catacombs at the burial site." Excavation has not yet begun but geo-thermal surveys show that the site covers an area of around one mile by three-quarters of a mile. http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_749921.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

Scientists discover 'milk of the ancients' Scientists have found what ancient Britons may have eaten by looking at their broken dirty dishes. Research from Bristol Uiversity found people could have been eating dairy foods as long as 6,000 years ago. Although scientists knew settlers in prehistoric Britain kept domestic animals, it was uncertain whether they were raised for their meat, or for products such as wool or milk. Now university chemist Dr Mark Copley has examined potsherds - ancient broken dishes - from archaeological sites across the country to discover ancient eating habits. He and his colleagues looked at material from sites in Britain settled during the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages. He said: "What we looked at are pots which have been used in cooking. When you boil meat or any food you get fats from the food and they get absorbed into the vessel itself. These survive for thousands and thousands of years." Residues from each site indicated the presence of dairy products, but the age of samples involved differed from site to site, pointing to the gradual spread of dairying practice throughout Britain. Of particular interest were three sites with dairy residues from the Neolithic era - a period when consumption of dairy products had previously been uncertain. The researchers suggest the widespread availability of dairy products may have had major impacts on the diet, health and subsistence economy of ancient people. http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_744324.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

World's oldest wheel found in Slovenia, claim archaeologists Archaeologists claim to have unearthed the world's oldest wheel in Slovenia. Experts estimate that the wheel is between 5,100 and 5,350 years old. That makes it just 100 years older than the previous record-holders from Switzerland and southern Germany. The wheel, which is made of ash and oak, has a radius of 70 centimetres and is five centimetres thick. It was found buried beneath an ancient marsh settlement near the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana. Dr Anton Veluscek, from the Archeological Institute at the Slovenian Academy of Arts and Sciences, was part of the team that made the find. He said: "The wheel is surprisingly technologically advanced - much more so than the later models found in Switzerland and Germany." http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_754415.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

This article about the most ancient wheel reminds me of the unfinished millstone Don showed me in a creek in Tennessee. You could see where the outline was chipped out but for some reason it was not freed and used. Fascinating!

Hmmmm...Marcia, I'm taking Anthro 280 this semester which is essantially archaeology. I have to do a research paper thats due in May. I was curious if you had any ideas. I'd like to talk about it with you on IM sometime when you get a chance. Thanks. Hugs!

Sure, Julie! I have a paper I am working on which I think would be excellent for your purposes. I have the IM booted and waiting for your arrival on my monitor. Invisible, as always, but I am watching for you. HUGS ! I can even give you my web sources. Anthropology is what the degree is in the US. Only in Europe can you get degrees in Archaeology!!!

With gratitude to the gentleman in charge for the email he sent, please read the following: The first report of the Kythnos excavation is now available at the web site of the University of Thessaly at http://www.ha.uth.gr/gr/department/07.html (in Greek and English). Prof. Alexander Mazarakis Ainian Director of Kythnos Excavations

Load the pfd link and let it load completely. The photographs are splendid. I wish I were there, too. http://www.ha.uth.gr/gr/department/kythnoseng.pdf

I missed this due to travel: http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100011_19/12/2002_24404 Treasure in Kythnos sanctum On one of the least developed Cycladic islands, archaeologists have hit on one of the most coveted prizes of Greek archaeology � the unplundered inner sanctum of an ancient temple replete with offerings in precious metals and luxurious pottery items. A team led by University of Thessaly Associate Professor of archaeology Alexandros Mazarakis-Ainian discovered the treasure chamber in a ruined temple of a female divinity at Vriokastro on Kythnos, on the western fringe of the archipelago. The sanctum � called adyton by the ancient Greeks � was forbidden to all but the priests of the temple and contained sacred statues of the divinity as well as offerings brought by worshippers. These could include precious jewels, gifts donated by dignitaries to enhance their own prestige and spoils of war. �Behind the cella (main hall) of the temple, and on the other side of a wall with a threshold in its middle, where nobody would have expected it, we discovered the adyton,� Mazarakis-Ainian said in an interview published in yesterday�s Vima daily. �On the earthen floor and in the destruction layer covering it, in other words, practically on the surface, we found some 1,500 precious objects.� The opulence is impressive. Finds, which dated mostly from the seventh to the fifth centuries BC � thus defining the life span of the temple � included 70 golden artifacts, 150 in silver, 450 in bronze, 70 terracotta figurines, 50 intact and many smashed vases. The majority of the pottery was painted, and some pieces have been linked to master painters. There was also a small stone bead incised with a boat, dating from Minoan times, which could have been a family heirloom. The temple, which may have belonged to Hera or Aphrodite, was probably destroyed by earthquake. Greek earthquakes strike again. John! They need you!

'Oldest set of human footprints found at volcano' Scientists have found the oldest set of human footprints to be discovered, preserved on an Italian volcano. They were left by three small human-like creatures who scrambled down the side of the mountain between 325,000 and 385,000 years ago. Researchers say it is clear from the tracks that the pigmy hominids, probably no taller than 1.5 metres, walked on two legs. The footprints, found at the Roccamonfina volcano in Campania, southern Italy, are locally known as "devils' trails". Reporting the discovery in the journal Nature, the scientists led by Paolo Mietto, from the University of Padua, Italy, wrote: "We believe that these tracks are the oldest human footprints found so far and that they were made by hominids who had a fully bipedal, free-standing gait, using their hands only to steady themselves on the difficult descent." The tracks, designated A, B and C, are preserved on the surface of a single layer of volcanic ash and descend a steep slope that in places is almost vertical. Trail A consist of 27 footprints, which at one point follow a Z-shaped path presumably made to negotiate the slope more easily. Trackway B is composed of 19 footprints crossing the slope in a single straight line and curving roughly 45 degrees to the right. There is evidence of slipping - an occasional handprint can be seen on the slope beside the track. In contrast trackway C follows a straight line with 10 regular footprints made over a smaller incline. "Although the footprints do not show all of the known features of contouring human bipedalism, there are enough similarities to support the idea that they are indeed human and fully bipedal," said the scientists. http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_759683.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

Vatican accused of destroying history to build car park The Vatican has been accused of destroying ancient Roman burial grounds to build a new underground car park for tourists. Tempers frayed between Vatican officials and archaeologists after bulldozers uncovered tombs dating back 2,000 years to the time of Nero. Work was temporarily halted to allow archaeologists to examine the site, but officials insisted that it should carry on as they had a tight schedule and urgently needed the 300 space car park. Among the tombs uncovered was one bearing the name of Nero's secretary and his wife, and apart from Roman graves, early Christian ones dating back to the 4th century AD were also found. A Vatican Museum source said:''This whole area is rich with history and heritage and work should stop so a proper excavation can be carried out. We are talking history here but the public works department are just not interested.'' Bishop Giovanni Danzi, of the Vatican public works department, said:''The car park is vital to the Vatican. It is very difficult to park near here and it really does need to be built. ''Yes, some small items were found, but I don't think they were historically very significant. The whole of Rome is full of ancient history so it's not unusual to uncover items such as this, but as I have said the car park is vital.'' Professor Andrea Carandini, who has led numerous digs in Rome, said:''I think the Vatican should really think whether this car park is absolutely necessary, especially if items of a historically value have been discovered.'' http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_759593.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

How can the tomb's of Nero's secretary and his wife not be considered of historical and archaeological importance? Or maybe I'm just being dense.

They are! It seems the Vatican has its own agenda, but I won't go there.

Hungry dogs find 2,500-year-old mummy Two dogs digging for a buried bone in their owner's backyard in Chile found a 2,500-year-old mummy. Ivan Paredes, who lives in Arica, could not believe his eyes when his dogs dug up the ancient body. He told La Cuarta online: "The dogs were trying to find bones buried in the backyard as usual, but they started to bark very loud and I came to check what was going on and found the mummy of child." Archaeologists believe it is the remains of a boy buried by his parents who would probably have been farmers. The mummy, said to be in good condition, is being transferred to the San Miguel de Azapa museum. Archaeologists believe Mr Parades's backyard could be an ancient burial site and want to excavate it. http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_764118.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

Has Wolfie read your that last item? She might be amused, furry archaeologists with cold, wet noses. Maybe the dogs could be honorary members of the dig for being the intitial discoverers of the mummy.

The Amesbury Archer The invader who founded Stonehenge The richest Bronze Age burial ever discovered in (Britain) was unearthed in 2002 at Amesbury, only three miles from Stonehenge. Who was he? Where did he come from? Did he have any relationship with Stonehenge? The Burial The main burial had to be uncovered on the day it was discovered, due to security reasons. As is usual in the Bronze Age, it is a crouched burial. but there was a wealth of finds that accompanied the body. In front of his face there were two beaker pots, no doubt filled with beer for the next world. There was a wrist guard on his wrist to protect his arm from the snap of the bow-string. There were two more beakers behind him, and a cache of flints - no doubt all that remains of a a quiver-full of arrows; while by his feet was yet another beaker and more equipment. The archer was 35 to 45 years old when he died and probably walked with a limp due to an injury to his left knee. Preliminary calibrated radiocarbon dates centre on around 2,300 BC. How do we know he was an archer? For one thing, he was buried with numerous flint arrowheads of this distinctive 'barbed-and-tanged' variety that is typical of the beaker period in the early Bronze Age. Another indication that he was an archer came from two wrist-guards, shaped pieces of stone designed to protect his wrist from the backlash of the bow. The Archer was buried wearing (one); the (other) one was by his knees. Another diagnostic find consisted of these three knives, made of copper. They are very similar to the early daggers, but these were so small that they may have been knives. They were made of copper, rather than bronze, suggesting a very early date before the alloying of copper to make it harder had been discovered. The outline of the former handle of wood or horn can be seen on the largest knife, which was by his knees. (The) most diagnostic feature - part of one of the beakers, where a comb had been used to make a pattern. It is very similar to the beakers known as AOC beakers - All Over Cord beakers, which are found all over Europe and have long been used for evidence for widespread beaker migrations, and for a beaker invasion of this country. Where did he come from? This is the most controversial aspect of all. Our teeth contain oxygen, and the oxygen has three different forms, called isotopes, and as we grow up, our teeth preserve the isotopes of the water we drank when we were young. Oxygen isotope analysis of the archer's teeth suggests that he was brought up on the continent. The Archer's teeth showed values (indicating somewhere) from Switzerland up to Scandinavia. This presents a dramatic challenge to current academic interpretations of the Early Bronze Age. Traditionally, 'beakers' were held to mark the spread of a 'Beaker folk' across Europe, in a huge prehistoric migration, similar to the Greek migrations of the early Iron Age,or to the Germanic and Viking migrations in the Dark Ages at the end of the Roman era. However over the past 20 years, many academics have challenged this view, and argued that the spread of beakers marked the spread of a beaker 'cult package' and that there were no migrations at all. The discovery of the Amesbury Archer suggests that this view is sheer nonsense and that there really were beaker invasion after all - here is a beaker invader. If so, this has an important corollary. It has long been recognised that what little pottery has been discovered associated with the stone phases of Stonehenge is beaker. However the nearby monument at Durrington Walls is filled with 'Grooved Ware' pottery, with Beaker only found in the upper, destruction layers when the site was destroyed or abandoned. Is this Amesbury Archer therefore, the leader of the Beaker invaders? Was he the man who led the attack on Durrington, after which it was abandoned? And in place of Durrington, did he decide to build an even more elaborate monument not far away on what had hitherto been a subsidiary site at Stonehenge? If so, he was not so much the King of Stonehenge as rather the founder of Stonehenge. He ordered the construction of the monument, and was buried on a site where from which his spirit could see it arise. http://www.archaeology.co.uk/issues/ca184/archer/archer.htm

OOOH Cheryl, What exciting news about the archer burial. Somehow I am surprised more have not been found. Salisbury Plain was a very labor intensive place. Only the nobles and warriors were granted a barrow burial.

Did you follow the link to view the photos that accompanied the article? You're right though, it is surprising that more haven't been found.

Treasures Looted from Baghdad Museum Feared Lost Mon April 14, 2003 03:44 PM ET By Niala Boodhoo WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Antiquities experts, dismayed that U.S. officials failed to heed their warnings to protect Baghdad's historic artifacts during the war, said on Monday they were concerned the priceless treasures looted from Iraq's main museum may never be recovered. U.S. archeological organizations and the U.N.'s cultural agency UNESCO said they had provided U.S. officials with information about Iraq's cultural heritage and archeological sites months before the war began. University of Chicago professor McGuire Gibson was among a group that met Pentagon officials several times and presented them with a list of archeological and other sites that should be protected, particularly the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad. "We warned them about looting at the very beginning," said the archeologist who has worked extensively in the region. "I was assured it would be secured." Now, he said, the loss was immeasurable. "The Baghdad museum is the equivalent of the Cairo Museum. It would be like having American soldiers 200 feet outside the Cairo museum watching people carry away treasures from King Tut's tomb or carting away mummies," said Gibson. The museum, which housed key artifacts of ancient Mesopotamia, which was among the earliest civilizations, was ransacked and its contents taken or destroyed in a wave of looting that has swept the Iraqi capital since the collapse of President Saddam Hussein's rule last week. UNESCO's deputy director, Mounir Bouchenaki, said on Monday leading archeologists will meet in Paris on Thursday to seek ways to rescue Iraq's cultural heritage. They also plan a fact-finding mission to Iraq. Iraq's ancient dynasties, a cradle of civilization that existed long before the Egyptian, Greek or Roman empires, created the world's earliest forms of writings and built the first major cities of Nineveh, Nimrud and Babylon. Gibson likened the museum's destruction to that of the famed library founded by Alexander the Great in Egypt that was destroyed more than two thousand years ago. Secretary of State Colin Powell told reporters the United States was concerned about the looting at the museum and was working to secure the facility. "The United States understands its obligations and will be taking a leading role with respect to antiquities in general but this museum in particular," he said. CUNEIFORM TABLETS ON EBAY? Powell said the U.S. would work with UNESCO, which earlier urged the U.S. and Britain to take immediate steps to protect and preserve a heritage considered to be "one of the richest in the world." A 1954 Hague Convention mandates protection of cultural property during conflict, an international group of archeologists and antiquities experts warned before the war. While Iraq had ratified the convention, the United States and Britain, both partners in the war in Iraq, have not. Of the more than 170,000 objects in the museum were treasures like an alabaster Uruk Vase that dates back to 3500 B.C., Gibson said. The museum also held tablets of cuneiform writing that still had to be translated. "We understand most of the best pieces are gone," said the Archeological Institute for America's Patty Gerstenblith, adding she heard looters cut off heads of larger statues that could not be moved. Some items have already reportedly shown up for sale in Paris, Gibson said. Two markets for the items would exist: collectors willing to pay millions for the high-end items and others who would pay much less for smaller items like pottery. "Average kind of pottery could well sell on (the Internet auction site) eBay for like $20 or $50," Gerstenblith said, adding small pieces have been smuggled out of Iraq during the U.S. economic embargo. Experts are trying to set up a Web site to provide a catalog of what was in the museum in Baghdad and Gerstenblith said they were appealing to the White House to take emergency measures to order troops to be on the lookout for artifacts. In the meantime, the loss of objects with not only historical and cultural, but scientific and religious value, was devastating, Gerstenblith, a DePaul University professor said: "We have allowed to be destroyed not only our own heritage but the heritage of future generations." http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=focusIraqNews&storyID=2563696

Pillagers Strip Iraqi Museum of Its Treasure Sat Apr 12, 2:59 PM ET By JOHN F. BURNS The New York Times BAGHDAD, Iraq (news - web sites), April 12 � The National Museum of Iraq recorded a history of civilizations that began to flourish in the fertile plains of Mesopotamia more than 7,000 years ago. But once American troops entered Baghdad in sufficient force to topple Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s government this week, it took only 48 hours for the museum to be destroyed, with at least 50,000 artifacts carried away by looters. The full extent of the disaster that befell the museum only came to light today, after three days of frenzied looting that swept much of the capital. As fires in a dozen government ministries and agencies began to burn out, and as some looters tired of pillaging in the 90-degree heat of the Iraqi spring, museum officials reached the hotels where foreign journalists were staying along the eastern bank of the Tigris River. They brought word of what is likely to be reckoned as one of the greatest cultural disasters in recent Middle Eastern history. A full accounting of what has been lost may take weeks or months. The museum had been closed during much of the 1990's, and like many Iraqi institutions, its operations were cloaked in secrecy under Mr. Hussein. So what officials told journalists today may have to be adjusted as a fuller picture comes to light. It remains unclear whether some of the museum's priceless gold, silver and copper antiquities, some of its ancient stone and ceramics, and perhaps some of its fabled bronzes and gold-overlaid ivory, had been locked away for safekeeping elsewhere before the looting, or seized for private display in one of Mr. Hussein's ubiquitous palaces. What was beyond contest today was that the 28 galleries of the museum and vaults with huge steel doors guarding storage chambers that descend floor after floor into darkness had been completely ransacked. Officials with crumpled spirits fought back tears and anger at American troops, as they ran down an inventory of the most storied items that they said had been carried away by the thousands of looters who poured into the museum after daybreak on Thursday and remained until dusk on Friday, with only one intervention by American troops, lasting about half an hour, at lunchtime on Thursday. Nothing remained, museum officials said, at least nothing of real value, from a museum that had been regarded by archaeologists and other specialists as perhaps the richest of all such institutions in the Middle East. As examples of what was gone, the officials cited a solid gold harp from the Sumerian era, which began about 3360 B.C. and started to crumble about 2000 B.C. Another item on their list of looted antiquities was a sculptured head of a woman from Uruk, one of the great Sumerian cities, dating to about the same era, and a collection of gold necklaces, bracelets and earrings, also from the Sumerian dynasties and also at least 4,000 years old. But an item-by-item inventory of the most valued pieces carried away by the looters hardly seemed to capture the magnitude of what had occurred. More powerful, in its way, was the action of one museum official in hurrying away through the piles of smashed ceramics and torn books and burned-out torches of rags soaked in gasoline that littered the museum's corridors to find the glossy catalog of an exhibition of "silk road civilization" that was held in Japan's ancient capital of Nara in 1988. Turning to 50 pages of items lent by the Iraqi museum for the exhibition, he said that none of the antiquities pictured remained after the looting. They included ancient stone carvings of bulls and kings and princesses; copper shoes and cuneiform tablets; tapestry fragments and ivory figurines of goddesses and women and Nubian porters; friezes of soldiers and ancient seals and tablets on geometry; and ceramic jars and urns and bowls, all dating back at least 2,000 years, some more than 5,000 years. "All gone, all gone," he said. "All gone in two days." An Iraqi archaeologist who has participated in the excavation of some of the country's 10,000 sites, Raid Abdul Ridhar Muhammad, said he had gone into the street of the Karkh district, a short distance from the eastern bank of the Tigris, at about 1 p.m. on Thursday to find American troops to quell the looting. By that time, he and other museum officials said, the several acres of museum grounds were overrun by thousands of men, women and children, many of them armed with rifles, pistols, axes, knives and clubs, as well as pieces of metal torn from the suspensions of wrecked cars. The crowd was storming out of the complex carrying antiquities on hand carts, bicycles and in boxes. Looters stuffed their pockets with smaller items. Mr. Muhammad said he found an American Abrams tank in Museum Square, about 300 yards away, and that five marines had followed him back into the museum and opened fire above the looters' heads. This drove several thousand of the marauders out of the museum complex in minutes, he said, but when the tank crewmen left about 30 minutes later, the looters returned. "I asked them to bring their tank inside the museum grounds," he said. "But they refused and left. About half an hour later, the looters were back, and they threatened to kill me, or to tell the Americans that I am a spy for Saddam Hussein's intelligence, so that the Americans would kill me. So I was frightened, and I went home." He spoke with deep bitterness against the Americans, as have many Iraqis who have watched looting that began with attacks on government agencies and the palaces and villas of Mr. Hussein, his family and his inner circle broaden into a tidal wave of looting that targeted just about every government institution, even ministries dealing with issues like higher education, trade and agriculture, and hospitals. American troops have intervened only sporadically, as they did on Friday to halt a crowd of men and boys who were raiding an armory at the edge of the Republican Palace presidential compound and taking brand-new Kalashnikov rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons. American commanders have said they lack the troops to curb the looting while their focus remains on the battles across Baghdad that are necessary to mop up pockets of resistance from paramilitary troops loyal to Mr. Hussein. Mr. Muhammad, the archaeologist, directed much of his anger at President Bush (news - web sites). "A country's identity, its value and civilization resides in its history," he said. "If a country's civilization is looted, as ours has been here, its history ends. Please tell this to President Bush. Please remind him that he promised to liberate the Iraqi people, but that this is not a liberation, this is a humiliation." http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=68&ncid=68&e=13&u=/nyt/20030412/ts_nyt/pillagers_strip_iraqi_museum_of_its_treasure

U.S. says it will protect Iraqi antiquities, repair museum Tuesday, April 15, 2003 at 09:00 JST WASHINGTON � Criticized for not preventing the pillage of Iraqi antiquities, the United States vowed Monday to take a "leading role" in protecting artifacts and repair damage to the National Museum of Iraq which was looted last week. In addition, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Washington was working with the United Nations, the European Union and Interpol to prevent stolen objects from leaving Iraq and warned thieves that they would face prosecution. "This kind of looting causes irretrievable loss to the understanding of history and to the efforts of Iraqi and international scholars to study and gain new insight into our past," Powell said in a statement. Separately, the president of the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD), Maxwell Anderson, urged museums and collectors to spurn any offer to acquire Iraqi artifacts. Anderson "called on museums and collectors around the world not to acquire antiquities stolen from the Baghdad Museum, and urged that information leading to the recovery of artifacts be passed on to appropriate authorities," the AAMD said in a statement. Earlier, Powell told reporters that the United States was deeply concerned by the looting of the national museum Baghdad, which he called "one of the great museums in the world." Powell said Washington would work with others "not only secure the facility, but to recover that which has been taken and also to participate in restoring that which has been broken." Deputy State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said U.S. officials had been in contact with the international police agency Interpol to locate and return stolen objects before they turned up in the thriving global black market for such items. Powell said he had spoken Monday with Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, about possible ways to protect Iraq's cultural heritage. And, he said U.S. officials had been in touch with the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to explore steps that could be taken. UNESCO's chief, Koichiro Matsuura, on Saturday called on U.S. and British authorities to immediately protect Iraq's cultural heritage by monitoring and guarding archeological sites and cultural institutions. Iraq's national museum fell victim to looters on Friday in the lawless atmosphere that engulfed Baghdad after the arrival there of U.S. troops on Wednesday. Pottery artifacts and statues were broken and overturned, while administrative offices were wrecked, according to witnesses. Iraq, among the earliest cradles of civilization and home to the remains of such ancient Mesopotamian cities as Babylon, Ur and Nineveh, has one of the richest archaeological heritages in the world. Shortly after the war began on March 20, a group of 18 prominent archaeologists appealed for the U.S.-led coalition to spare Iraq's priceless antiquities. "The extraordinary significance of the monuments, museums and archeological sites of Iraq � ancient Mesopotamia � imposes an obligation on all peoples and governments to protect them," they said in March 21 open letter published in Science magazine. They also called on the international community to take a post-war role in assisting in the protection of antiquities from looting and themselves pledged to help Iraqi Department of Antiquities do its job. Some of the signatories were among a team of scholars to have worked with the Pentagon and the State Department before the war to identify some 4,000 sites that should be protected. Despite these efforts, they expressed deep concern that the fall of the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein would erode the control of cultural watchdogs in the country and spur looting, particularly at the museums in Baghdad and Mosul. (Wire reports) http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=8&id=256726

Thanks, Cheryl! I was just looking for articles to post when yours showed up on my monitor. Looting museums is about the lowest manking can go, and you can bet there will be buyers out there!!! It makes me sick! Looking for archer burial pictures... see next post.

For Archer Burial in the UK... http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/projects/amesbury/excavation_images.html

Thanks for the link to the archer photos, Marcia. This seems to be a really important find. The news about the Iraqi artifacts is too depressing. You're right about there being buyers. The one article above notes that some items have already shown up for sale on the international market. I saw one museum offical interviewed on television; he was just despondent. He said that not only was it the loss of Iraq's cultural heritage, it was a loss to the world's cultural heritage. Everyone has lost something of great importance. It was a very sad interview.

Looters ransack Iraq's National Library By Charles J. Hanley April 15, 2003 | BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Looters and arsonists ransacked and gutted Iraq's National Library, leaving a smoldering shell Tuesday of precious books turned to ash and a nation's intellectual legacy gone up in smoke. They also looted and burned Iraq's principal Islamic library nearby, home to priceless old Qurans; last week, thieves swept through the National Museum and stole or smashed treasures that chronicled this region's role as the "cradle of civilization." "Our national heritage is lost," an angry high school teacher, Haithem Aziz, said as he stood outside the National Library's blackened hulk. "The modern Mongols, the new Mongols did that. The Americans did that. Their agents did that," he said as an explosion boomed in the distance as the war winds down. The Mongols, led by Genghis Khan's grandson Hulegu, sacked Baghdad in the 13th century. Today, the rumors on the lips of almost all Baghdadis is that the looting that has torn this city apart is led by U.S.-inspired Kuwaitis or other non-Iraqis bent on stripping the city of everything of value. But outside the gutted Islamic library on the grounds of the Religious Affairs Ministry, the lone looter scampering away was undeniably Iraqi, a grizzled man named Mohamed Salman. "It was left there, so why leave it?" he asked a reporter as he clung to a thick, red-covered book, a catalog of the library's religious collection. The scene inside was total devastation. In much of the library, not a recognizable book or manuscript could be seen among the dark ash. The destruction has drawn condemnation worldwide, with many criticizing U.S.-led coalition forces for failing to prevent or stop the looting, sometimes carried out by whole Iraqi families. On Tuesday, U.S. officials acknowledged they were surprised by the rampage and said troops were too occupied by combat to intervene when they first reached Baghdad. "I don't think anyone anticipated that the riches of Iraq would be looted by the people of Iraq," U.S. Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks said at a U.S. Central Command briefing in Qatar. The United Nation's cultural agency and the British Museum announced Tuesday they will send in teams to help restore ransacked museums and artifacts. Koichiro Matsuura, director-general of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, called on customs officials, police, art dealers and neighboring countries to block the trading of stolen antiquities. Among the National Museum's treasures were the tablets with Hammurabi's Code _ one of mankind's earliest codes of law. It could not be immediately determined whether the tablets were at the museum when war broke out. Thieves smashed or pried open row upon row of glass cases at the museum and pilfered or destroyed their contents. Missing were the four millennia-old copper head of an Akkadian king, golden bowls and colossal statues, ancient manuscripts and bejeweled lyres. The looting and burning _ the museum in the northern city of Mosul also was pillaged _ has dealt a terrible blow to a society that prides itself on its universities, literature and educated elite. "I can't express the sorrow I feel. This is not real liberation," said an artist in a wing of the National Library that had been looted but not burned. The thin, bearded, 41-year-old man, who would not give his name, was going through old bound newspapers and tearing out pages whose artistic drawings appealed to him. "I came yesterday to see the chaos, and when I saw it, I decided to take what I could," he said. The three-story, tan brick National Library building, dating to 1977, housed all books published in Iraq, including copies of all doctoral theses. It preserved rare old books on Baghdad and the region, historically important books on Arabic linguistics, and antique manuscripts in Arabic that teacher Aziz said were gradually being transformed into printed versions. "They had manuscripts from the Ottoman and Abbasid periods," Aziz said, referring to dynasties dating back a millennium. "All of them were precious, famous. I feel such grief." No library officials could be located to detail the loss. Haroun Mohammed, an Iraqi writer based in London, told The Associated Press some old manuscripts had been transferred from the library to a Manuscript House across the Tigris River. Except for wooden card catalog drawers and a carved-wood service counter which somehow escaped the flames, nothing was left in the National Library's main wing but its charred walls and ceilings, and mounds of ash. The floor on the ground level was still warm from the flames. Long rolls of microfilm littered the courtyard. "This was the best library in Iraq," said music student Raad Muzahim, 27, standing among piles of paper in the periodical room. "I remember coming as a student. They were hospitable, letting students do their research, write their papers. Armored vehicles were positioned on the nearby street, manned by U.S. Marines. They did nothing to stop Tuesday's continuing trickle of looters. http://www.salon.com/news/wire/2003/04/15/iraq_library/

Iraq �liberated� as arsonists burn the library of Korans By Robert Fisk So Monday was the burning of books. First came the looters, then the arsonists. It was the final chapter in the sacking of Baghdad. The National Library and Archives ... a priceless treasure of Ottoman historical documents, including the old royal archives of Iraq ... were turned to ashes in 3,000 degrees of heat. Then the library of Korans at the Ministry of Religious Endowment was set ablaze. I saw the looters. One of them cursed me when I tried to reclaim a book of Islamic law from a boy of no more than 10. Amid the ashes of Iraqi history, I found a file blowing in the wind outside: pages of handwritten letters between the court of Sharif Hussein of Mecca, who started the Arab revolt against the Turks for Lawrence of Arabia, and the Ottoman rulers of Baghdad. And the Americans did nothing. All over the filthy yard they blew, letters of recommendation to the courts of Arabia, demands for ammunition for troops, reports on the theft of camels and attacks on pilgrims, all in delicate hand-written Arabic script. I was holding in my hands the last Baghdad vestiges of Iraq�s written history. But for Iraq, this is Year Zero; with the destruction of the antiquities in the Museum of Archaeology on Saturday and the burning of the National Archives and then the Koranic library, the cultural identity of Iraq is being erased. Why? Who set these fires? For what insane purpose is this heritage being destroyed? When I caught sight of the Koranic library burning � flames 100 feet high were bursting from the windows � I raced to the offices of the occupying power, the US Marines� Civil Affairs Bureau. An officer shouted to a colleague that �this guy says some biblical [sic] library is on fire�. I gave the map location, the precise name � in Arabic and English. I said the smoke could be seen from three miles away and it would take only five minutes to drive there. Half an hour later, there wasn�t an American at the scene � and the flames were shooting 200 feet into the air. There was a time when the Arabs said that their books were written in Cairo, printed in Beirut and read in Baghdad. Now they burn libraries in Baghdad. In the National Archives were not just the Ottoman records of the Caliphate, but even the dark years of the country�s modern history, handwritten accounts of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, with personal photographs and military diaries, and microfiche copies of Arabic newspapers going back to the early 1900s. But the older files and archives were on the upper floors of the library where petrol must have been used to set fire so expertly to the building. The heat was such that the marble flooring had buckled upwards and the concrete stairs that I climbed had been cracked. The papers on the floor were almost too hot to touch, bore no print or writing, and crumbled into ash the moment I picked them up. Again, standing in this shroud of blue smoke and embers, I asked the same question: why? So, as an all-too-painful reflection on what this means, let me quote from the shreds of paper that I found on the road outside, blowing in the wind, written by long-dead men who wrote to the Sublime Porte in Istanbul or to the Court of Sharif of Mecca with expressions of loyalty and who signed themselves �your slave�. There was a request to protect a camel convoy of tea, rice and sugar, signed by Husni Attiya al-Hijazi (recommending Abdul Ghani-Naim and Ahmed Kindi as honest merchants), a request for perfume and advice from Jaber al-Ayashi of the royal court of Sharif Hussein to Baghdad to warn of robbers in the desert. �This is just to give you our advice for which you will be highly rewarded,� Ayashi says. �If you don�t take our advice, then we have warned you.� A touch of Saddam there, I thought. The date was 1912. Some of the documents list the cost of bullets, military horses and artillery for Ottoman armies in Baghdad and Arabia, others record the opening of the first telephone exchange in the Hejaz � soon to be Saudi Arabia � while one recounts, from the village of Azrak in modern-day Jordan, the theft of clothes from a camel train by Ali bin Kassem, who attacked his interrogators �with a knife and tried to stab them but was restrained and later bought off�. There is a 19th-century letter of recommendation for a merchant, Yahyia Messoudi, �a man of the highest morals, of good conduct and who works with the [Ottoman] government.� This, in other words, was the tapestry of Arab history � all that is left of it, which fell into The Independent�s hands as the mass of documents crackled in the immense heat of the ruins. King Faisal of the Hejaz, the ruler of Mecca, whose staff are the authors of many of the letters I saved, was later deposed by the Saudis. His son Faisel became king of Iraq � Winston Churchill gave him Baghdad after the French threw him out of Damascus � and his brother Abdullah became the first king of Jordan, the father of King Hussein and the grandfather of the present-day Jordanian monarch, King Abdullah II. For almost a thousand years, Baghdad was the cultural capital of the Arab world, the most literate population in the Middle East. Genghis Khan�s grandson burnt the city in the 13th century and, so it was said, the Tigris river ran black with the ink of books. On Monday, the black ashes of thousands of ancient documents filled the skies of Iraq. Why? http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_16-4-2003_pg4_20

Inquiry demanded over US failure to stop library looting By Andrew Gumbel 16 April 2003 The burning of Iraq's National Library is a "devastating loss" and is the equivalent of losing the British Library, international academics said. The US military's failure to prevent the calamity must be investigated to prevent it happening again, they added. After the looting and burning at government ministries and the ransacking of Iraq's main archaeological museum, the burning of the library, with its thousands of rare printed books and hand-written archives, marks a further erasure of Iraq's past, obliterating large chunks of Middle Eastern history and destroying many unique documents. Geoffrey Roper, head of the Islamic Bibliography Unit at Cambridge University, said: "If people's personal possessions are lost they can be replaced, but these things can never be replaced. "The archive contained a lot of early Arabic printed books, which are very scarce and very fragile, a lot of which have survived in just one or two editions. We've also lost material from the library of the Ministry of Religious Endowments, which contained rare early legal and literary materials, priceless Korans, calligraphy and illumination � the kind of thing that appeared in international exhibitions in the past," he said. Some of Iraq's most valuable collections may yet be safe, because they were stored separately at the Saddam Library. If those too had been looted, Dr Roper said, it would mean "a whole nation's collections had been wiped out". Andreas Riedlmayer, an Islamic art and architecture specialist from Harvard who has also studied the destruction of the National Library in Sarajevo during the Bosnian conflict, said he believed some of the destruction was quite deliberate. Although mob rule played a part, he believed some archives � especially in ministries and police stations � were deliberately destroyed to eradicate the evidence of Saddam Hussein's repressive rule. In the case of libraries and museums, he believed many of the most precious treasures had been taken intact for sale on the international art market, and the rest destroyed to create confusion about what was missing. "One must not oversimplify it. There was no one clear motive," Dr Riedlmayer said. "But this was certainly opportunistic on the part of people who held positions of power. At the National Museum, the vault doors were opened undamaged, which means someone had a key and deliberately let the mob in." He said: "One speculation is that people with access stole selected valuable objects and then left the place open, hoping everything would be attributed to the mob rather than to them." Dr Riedlmayer described the failure of American troops to prevent the looting as "totally discreditable", saying they had violated a whole series of international conventions on the rules of war. He said an investigation was essential, not so much to assign blame as to make sure everyone understood what had gone wrong. http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=397629

Thanks for keeping us current on the ancient destruction of the world's earliest civilization. We ALL are victims of this horror. I was stunned that someone set fire to the library and burned up the second oldest extant copy of the Q'ran. One day maybe they will see the error of their ways - way too late.

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_771607.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology Standing stone is found to rival Stonehenge Archaeologists working at the ancient Avebury stone circle have uncovered what could be one of the largest standing stones in the country. Experts at English Heritage and the National Trust say the stone could weigh in at 100 tons, rivalling the largest megaliths at its fellow site in Wiltshire, Stonehenge. The surprise discovery was made during work at the 4,500 year-old stone circle to straighten two stones known as the Cove, which have begun to lean over the last 300 years and experts feared might collapse. The team from the Universities of Wales, Leicester and Southampton found the stone was buried much deeper beneath the ground than previously thought. They found that one of the stones, which stands at 14ft high above the ground, exists at least 7ft below the surface and could possibly go down to 10ft. Amanda Chadburn, Inspector of Ancient Monuments at English Heritage, which is the guardian of the stones, said: "We were amazed when we discovered that the stone went so much deeper than we expected. "Ground penetrating radar and probing had suggested it existed to only about one-and-a-half to three feet below the surface. It is absolutely enormous and could weigh as much as the trilithon at Stonehenge." Although it was originally planned to bring both stones at the Cove to an upright position, the investigations show that only the other stone - which is 16ft high above ground and predicted to exist to 4ft below ground, requires straightening. The biggest stone will now be left, as it is considered safe. Rob Mimmack, property manager at Avebury for the National Trust, which owns the monument, said: "The stone is being fixed in the ground with lime concrete. "Within two to three weeks we will be taking down the scaffolding and people will have access to the stones again for the first time since 1997 when they were fenced off for safety reasons."

totally off the subject but in the right topic, methinks, what happened to Discovery Civilization Channel???? i happen to go into my channel guide and the thing is gone and now they have Discovery Times. what is up with that?

Different times of day they run programs from their other Discovdery Channels such as Discovery International (or is that History International?!) Try another time and it will be back to normal. These teases are usually only an hour long.

Historic Thebes comes to light Thebes, Athens�s powerful neighbor in antiquity, remained something of a mystery in later centuries, known more as the setting for the myths centered on Oedipus and for the role described by historians. But this is set to change soon with the announcement by Prof. Vassilis Aravantinos on 22 years of excavations around the Boeotian capital. In a speech titled �New evidence of unknown Thebes in historical times,� Aravantinos yesterday described finds that included 20,000 movable objects (such as figurines, inscriptions, gravestones and clay vessels), the contents of 1,200 unplundered graves � some of which date back to the Archaic era (1000-700 BC) � and the head of a kouros (youth) dating from 510 to 500 BC which, uniquely, wore a cap aimed at protecting the statue from bird droppings. No photos were available yesterday of the unpublished finds, most of which came from rescue digs at construction sites ranging from homes to major public works. �They fill in a puzzle, providing a portrait of Thebes in historical times,� Aravantinos said. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100016_15/05/2003_29632

Six more bodies found near 'King of Stonehenge' site Archaeologists have discovered six more bodies near the grave of the so-called King of Stonehenge. The remains of four adults and two children were found at a site in Amesbury, Wiltshire. It is about half-a-mile from that of the Amesbury Archer, the Bronze Age man who was buried with the earliest gold found in Britain. It is thought he might have had a major role in creating Stonehenge. Tests showed he was born in the Alps region in central Europe. The latest bones discovered are some 4,500 years old - the same age as the Archer, said Salisbury-based Wessex Archaeology - which excavated the site during the digging of a trench this month. http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_783642.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

Archaeologists unearth Britain's first cave pictures Robin McKie, science editor Sunday June 15, 2003 The Observer Archaeologists have discovered 12,000-year-old engravings carved by ancient Britons in a cave in Creswell Crags, Derbyshire. The depiction of the animals - which include a pair of birds - is the first example of prehistoric cave art in Britain. The discovery - by Paul Bahn and Paul Pettitt, with Spanish colleague Sergio Ripoll - is set to trigger considerable scientific excitement, for it fills a major gap in the country's archeological record. 'If this is verified, it represents a wonderful discovery,' said Professor Chris Stringer, of the Natural History Museum, London. 'There are fine examples of cave art in Spain and France but none has been found here - until now.' More and photo... http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/news/story/0,11711,977904,00.html

Ancient tools found at Carrow Road The ancient flint tools could be 12,000 years old A cluster of rare flint tools unearthed at Norwich City's football ground could date back 12,000. Archaeologists have found flint artefacts on the site of a new stand at the club's Carrow Road ground. Experts believe the tools could be from the Upper Palaeolithic era. Lots more and photo... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/england/norfolk/2994828.stm

Permanent home plan for Seahenge A home for the ancient timber circle is planned in King's Lynn Proposals to put the ancient Seahenge timber circle on display in Norfolk have been put forward. The circle, discovered five years ago and at present being conserved at Flag Fen in Cambridgeshire, could form the centrepiece of the redeveloped Lynn Museum in King's Lynn. The plan would give Seahenge, discovered off the coast of Norfolk at Holme-next-the-Sea near Hunstanton in 1998, a permanent home. Seahenge sat unnoticed and undisturbed off the coast for almost 4,000 years. great photo and more info... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/england/norfolk/3011098.stm

to keep this site available for children, I post the following briefly: Mother Stonehenge by Josie Glausiusz Anthony Perks, an endocrinologist and professor of gynecology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, sees a symbolic meaning in Stonehenge that other researchers have overlooked: MUCH more http://www.discover.com/July_03/breakstone.html

Eight thousand years of history beneath Terminal 5 Archaeologists say the largest single dig in the UK has provided an insight into 8,000 years of history. A team of 80 archaeologists working at the 250-acre site of the new Terminal 5 building at Heathrow Airport unearthed 80,000 objects, some dating back to 6,000BC. These included 18,000 pieces of pottery, 40,000 pieces of flint and the only wooden bowl found dating to the Middle Bronze Age (1,500BC to 1,100BC). The experts, who spent more than 15 months on the excavation, were able to piece together how communities living on the site and the landscape itself have changed over the last 8,000 years. Framework Archaeology, formed especially to tackle the project, found evidence that people were creating field boundaries from around 2,000BC - 500 years earlier than previously thought. http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_800431.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

I was unhappy when they leveled a hillfort to build that airport. This above article makes me even more unhappy!

Stuffed dormice a Roman favourite Roman bowl The remnants of a Roman hare stew Archaeologists in Northamptonshire are unearthing the recipe secrets of the Romans. Excavations in the county have shown the dish of the day 2,000 years ago was freshly-grilled hare and stuffed dormice. The excavations are at Whitehall Villa, Nether Heyford, just yards from the Grand Union Canal, are revealing the secrets of Northamptonshire's Roman Heritage, including their unusual diet. Archaeologist Martin Weaver said a burned bowl found at the site contained the remnants of hare stew. "They also ate dormice - stuffed - and oysters. They loved their oysters," he said. Lots more ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/northamptonshire/3080263.stm

Mystery capsule reveals 2,000-year-old Roman ointment A Roman capsule unearthed at an archaeological dig in central London has been opened to reveal a pot of 2,000-year-old cream. More on the next beauty secret fad... http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_803956.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

Rare Iron Age cremation found in Dorset Prehistory News Archaeologists working at Britain's biggest excavation site near Wareham are celebrating a rare discovery of national importance and a first for Dorset. A student from Bournemouth University uncovered a 20cm pot which turned out to be evidence of the first Iron Age cremation ever found in Dorset. The pot filled with human remains was found intact at Bestwall Quarry - where archaeologist have unearthed a wealth of finds, including 30 Roman kilns. Archaeologist Lilian Ladle said: "We've found three Roman cremations and a number of Bronze Age cremations but during the late Iron Age in Dorset bodies would be put out to rot or buried. more plus some really "curious" links... http://www.stonehenge.uklinux.net/article.php?sid=2146411016

Ancient stone circle found on remote island An ancient stone circle which has lain buried for more than 3,000 years has been found on a remote Scottish island. The circle is the latest to have been discovered at a site widely considered as second in importance to Stonehenge. Experts said the new circle was very exciting, as it had been built not into soft ground but propped up on a rocky outcrop. They have also located the quarry where the rocks came from, a rare discovery in archaeological terms. The circle, called Na Dromannan, has been found overlooking the standing stones of Callanish on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. more... http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_813926.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

Ancient Celtic spoon is 2,000-year-old A 2,000-year-old spoon, used for scooping out shellfish, has been discovered at the site of a Celtic village. The tiny, copper alloy metal Romano British spoon, the handle of which is missing, was found by workmen at the Chysauster site, which is just three miles from Mounts Bay, near Penzance, Cornwall. A similar spoon was found during recent excavations in Newquay, north Cornwall. more... http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_810465.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

how cool! marcia, you're just gonna have to take your archaeologist and visit scottland and all those magical places!!

That would be fantastic! What is even more incredible is just by weeding your garden you can find treasure (be sure you report it to the proper authorities if you do find anything!!!) which makes weeding interesting for the first time in my particular life...! I rather fancy that Celtic seafood spoon, too. Hmm. I wonder if they made complete sets so I might still find one?! The stone circle is a minor miracle. Aubrey Burl has done exhaustive work on stone circles of the British Isles (I have at least 3 of his books on the subject) and he did not find this one?! I am impressed. I want to find pictures, next. If I do, so will you!

And, all I find in my garden is weeds... Man finds Roman tablet in garden Experts are studying a gold Roman tablet engraved with magic symbols found by a man tending his garden. The tablet, a thin plate covered in Greek writing asking a god for protection and magic symbols, was found in Dereham, Norfolk, and handed to museum staff in Norwich. A spokesman for Norfolk County Council said the tablet, which is about an inch square and thought to date back to the second century AD, had been passed to the British Museum where it was being valued by experts. Officials have not released who found the coin or exactly where or when. But the council spokesman added: "Museum staff think it could be a very important find." http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_820277.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology It is thought to be the fourth tablet of its kind found in Britain.

More about the Neanderthals: Potholers uncover 35,000-year-old human jawbone Scientists believe a 35,000-year-old jawbone may be the oldest relic of modern human ancestors discovered in Europe. The fossil was found by potholers in a cave once used by hibernating bears in Romania's Carpathian Mountains. Experts dated it to between 34,000 and 36,000 years ago - a period during which early modern humans co-existed with the last of the Neanderthals. Other bones from the same cave - a skull fragment, a facial skeleton and a partial brain case - are still undergoing analysis, but thought to be the same age. Professor Erik Trinkaus, from Washington University in St Louis, USA, said: "The jawbone is the oldest directly dated modern human fossil. "Taken together, the material is the first that securely documents what modern humans looked like when they spread into Europe. Although we call them 'modern humans', they were not fully modern in the sense that we think of living people." Prof Trinkaus and his team found that most of the specimens' anatomical characteristics were similar to those from other early modern human fossils found in Africa, the Middle East, and later in Europe. But certain features, such as the unusual molar teeth size and proportions, indicated a more primitive origin - and a possible link with Neanderthals. Scientists disagree on whether or not early modern humans and Neanderthals ever bred. The Neanderthals, which populated Europe millions of years before early modern humans, had more primitive features and were less advanced tool users. Many scientists are convinced the two were separate species incapable of having offspring. But others view the Neanderthals as a sub-species of Home sapiens, and believe interbreeding was possible. more... http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_821928.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

900-year-old ship found beneath rice field A sailing vessel that experts believe sank off the coast of southern India 900 years ago has been found buried in a rice field. The ship is made of local Indian wood but the craftsmanship is not, leading experts to suggest it was made by ancient Chinese, Japanese, Egyptians or Arabs. The government of southern Kerala state has excavated the 22-metre long, five-metre wide ship, after it was found in a rice field in Thaikal, a coastal village. After centuries of land buildup, it was 50 metres deep in the inland field when workers tilling the field two years ago noticed some of its wooden planks protruding. More... http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_831662.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

Trying to catch up in here too. My new email is marshallsmyth@lycos.com

Hi Marshall! Marcia, please send me an email (mswolf68@hotmail.com). My alternate address for you isn't working!!!

None of my emailshas been working. My son and wife called me to see if I was alive since my email at all addresses they knew came back to them. I have no idea why. I've been "enjoying" Kentucky's finest flu and finally getting to see some snow. The snow I like. Yay! Marshall is back!

Please send me an email Marci so I can get reconnected via this cumbersome means.

Did so. Cumbersome? What other means would you prefer to use?

Ancient sun disc declared a treasure A court has declared a priceless 4,000-year-old Welsh gold sun-disc as treasure. Experts say the Copper Age or early Bronze Age artefact, no bigger than a milk bottle top, is one of the most exciting finds in years. The National Museums & Galleries of Wales will now try to buy it for the nation. Freelance archaeologist Simon Timberlake found it at Cwmystwyth Mines, near Aberystwyth, in a burial plot at the site of a Roman and medieval lead-smelter last year. It proved to be one of the earliest kinds of metal object ever created in Britain and Ireland and the first of its kind discovered in Wales. Mr Timberlake, a member of the Early Mines Research Group, said: "This discovery was made quite by chance, whilst we were investigating a Roman and medieval lead-smelting site about 500 metres away from the early mine." An inquest in Aberystwyth has declared the disc to be treasure after hearing experts detail its importance. It's price will now be assessed by the independent Treasure Valuation Committee. A spokesman for the NMGW said: "This is a priceless find in archaeological terms. It is only the third known piece of goldwork from this period." Adam Gwilt, curator at the NMGW, added: "Gold sun-discs are one of the very earliest kinds of metal objects ever to have been made and used in Britain and Ireland. "The first of its kind from Wales, this fragile sheet disc seems to have been used as an item of adornment on a few special occasions, here upon the death of an individual. "It is tempting to see this person as connected in some way with very early mining on Copa Hill over 4,000 years ago, perhaps one of a group of travelling prospectors or a person of some standing who lived nearby." http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_841449.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

Buried megaliths discovered at stone circle site Archaeologists have discovered an arc of buried megaliths that once formed part of the great stone circle at Avebury in Wiltshire. The National Trust says the existence of these enormous stones, originally constructed more than 4,500 years ago, has remained a puzzle for the last 300 years. Visitors to Avebury will see most of the standing megaliths in the western half of the stone circle. The famous map of Avebury drawn up by William Stukely in the 1720s showed that many of the stones in the south east and north east quadrants of the circle were missing. Now, the first ever geophysics survey of these areas of Avebury, carried out by the National Trust, has revealed that at least 15 of the megaliths lie buried in the circle itself. The massive stones show up very clearly as computer images and the National Trust has been able to identify their sizes, the direction in which they are lying and where they fit in the circle. Martin Papworth, the National Trust's archaeologist for Wessex said: "This is a truly exciting find and completes the circle of Avebury. "These stones were erected over 4,500 years ago and the world of archaeology suspected that most of these stones had been demolished and lost forever. "We know that many of the Avebury stones still standing up to three hundred years ago were broken up for building stone in the 17th and 18th century. "Until now, no-one had realised that some of these stones had survived intact and that they actually lay buried in the earth, next to their original locations." Now, although the National Trust said it has no plans to raise the stones that have been so well protected by the earth for around 700 years, it is considering using ground probing radar to create three dimensional images of each of the buried stones and raise them as computer images. Story filed: 15:25 Tuesday 2nd December 2003 http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_843553.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

I hope they excavate them and restore them to the stone circle. Avebury is my favorite place on earth!

Iron Age chariot found near the M1 An Iron Age chariot from about 500 BC has been discovered by engineers working on the new A1 motorway in West Yorkshire. More and picture... http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_843692.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

Early man's carvings found in Germany Small figurines believed to be carved from mammoth ivory more than 30,000 years ago have been discovered in a cave in southern Germany. Among the earliest undisputed artworks ever found, they are providing new clues into the migration and religious beliefs of early humans. The figurines depict a water bird, what appears to be a horse's head and a lion-man. The one-inch lion-man is similar to a near one-foot-long figurine previously found in a nearby valley, which had been cited as evidence of shamanism - the belief that spirits can be influenced by priests known as shamans. Birds, especially water birds, are known to be favourite shamanistic symbols, which means "advocates of the shamanistic hypothesis are going to be very happy about these finds," said study author Nicholas Conard. more...http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_848047.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

Fabulous finds as Saxon king's tomb is unearthed The tomb of an East Saxon king containing a fabulous collection of artefacts has been unearthed. The burial chamber, believed to date from the early 7th century, has been described by experts as the richest Anglo-Saxon find since the Sutton Hoo ship burial in Suffolk - one of Britain's most important archaeological locations. The site in Prittlewell, Southend, Essex was filled with everything a King might need in the afterlife, from his sword and shield to copper bowls, glass vessels and treasures imported from the farthest corners of the then known world. The remains of the nobleman's body have dissolved in the acidic soil, but two gold foil crosses were found which suggest he was a newly-converted Christian. more... http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_862828.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

I've been looking for photos of the finds of the Saxon burial mentioned above. I'll post them when I find them. I've seen Sutton Hoo in the British Museum and it is worth the effort to get to them.

Apparently there has also been a chariot burial mostly intact discovered. This is rare for the UK.

Would that be a Celtic chariot burial?

Interesting question. The ones in China are listed as Bronze Age. The one in West Yorkshire is listed as Iron Age, and since the Celts were the inventors of iron working, and they were the main population in Britain during the Iron Age, I surmised it was a Celtic burial. This site has lots of photos http://www.oxfordarch.co.uk/pages/chariot_burial.htm

Excitement over Viking find Viking experts are anticipating one of the most important archaeological excavations in Britain following the discovery of what may turn out to be the site of a 9th century boat burial. It follows the uncovering of a range of artefacts by amateur metal detector enthusiasts including boat building nails. The discovery among a hoard of 9th century artefacts has raised hopes it could signal the site of a Viking boat burial - which would make it the first to be found in England. more... http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_866983.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

Ancient remains could be oldest pet cat NewScientist.com news service People tamed cats as pets at least 9500 years ago, say researchers who have unearthed the grave of a prehistoric tabby in Cyprus. The Stone Age moggy appears to have been carefully placed alongside a human corpse, along with offerings including jewellery and stone tools. Until now, historians thought the ancient Egyptians first domesticated cats about 4000 years ago. But evidence suggests cats were culturally important outside Egypt long before that. Stone and clay figurines of cats up to 10,000 years old have turned up in Syria, Turkey and Israel. And archaeologists have found cat bones more than 9000 years old on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, which has no native feline species. "The first discovery of cat bones on Cyprus showed that human beings brought cats from the mainland to the islands, but we could not decide if these cats were wild or tame," says Jean-Denis Vigne of the French research organisation CNRS and the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. Now Vigne and his colleagues have discovered the remains of a Neolithic cat at the ancient village of Shillourokambos in Cyprus, and the manner of its burial suggests the animal was a pet. http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994867

Ancient jewellery found in African cave Shell beads point to Stone Age sophistication. Diamonds are a girl's best friend, but shell necklaces were all the rage in the Stone Age. So say archaeologists who have unearthed what may be the oldest jewellery ever discovered. The 75,000-year-old beads were found in the Blombos Cave on the southern tip of South Africa. A team led by Christopher Henshilwood of the University of Bergen, Norway found over 40 pea-sized shells with bored holes and worn areas showing that they had been strung on a necklace, bracelet or clothes. The beads predate jewellery excavated from sites in Europe and Africa by at least 30,000 years, they report in Science. http://www.nature.com/nsu/040412/040412-9.html

Cheryl, you need to find the jpg url to post a photo rather than a shtml or html url. I've done it more often than I'd like to admit. I'll go search for your posted url anyway. Thanks for posting this. Cats, it seems have been around far longer than the Egyptians' mummified creatures!

'Shell beads' could be world's oldest necklace Scientists excavating a cave in South Africa believe they have found the world's oldest necklace. Perforated shells found at Blombos Cave appear to have been strung as beads about 75,000 years ago, according to research published in American journal Science. Archaeologists conducting the dig on the coast of the Indian Ocean said the beads provided some of the earliest evidence of our ancestors' modern behaviour. A total of 41 shells, from a tiny river-dwelling mollusc scavenger, were discovered in a layer of sediment deposited during the Middle Stone Age - making them 30,000 years older than any previously identified personal ornaments. The shells, which were found in clusters of up to 17 beads, all contained holes and had marks in similar positions. The research stated they appeared to have been selected for size and deliberately perforated after being found in rivers 20km from the site. more... http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_923093.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

It seems we have been decorating ourselves for more then just millennia!

Pompeii find shows secrets of the Samnites By Bruce Johnston The discovery in Pompeii of a pre-Roman temple is being hailed as evidence that the city was sophisticated and thriving 300 years before Vesuvius erupted. The temple is said to be of Mephitis, a female deity worshipped by the Samnites, a mysterious ancient people who preceded the Romans in Pompeii. The temple complex includes a sanctuary where it is thought girls from good families worked briefly in "sacred prostitution" as a rite of passage to full womanhood. The Samnites were previously thought of as mountain warriors, whose settlements thrived due to a military pact with Rome, but archaeologists say the finds suggest instead that theirs was an advanced society in its own right. The discovery is the result of a three-year joint project by the University of London and the University of Basilicata in Italy. It is said to have come as a "complete surprise". http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/07/05/wpom05.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/07/05/ixworld.html

interesting find, cheryl!

Intreresting indeed. Now I have to find the source of my notices because they got eaten by my old computer's breakage. Ah here it is! In the rarified air of WAG thinking comes the following: Ananova: Atlantis 'found in Spain' A German scientist thinks he may have discovered Atlantis - in Spain. Dr Rainer Kuehne says satellite images of southern Spain reveal features on the ground that match Plato's descriptions of the fabled city. He thinks descriptions of Atlantis as an 'island' simply refer to parts of Spain that were destroyed by a flood between 800 and 500 BC. The photos of the Marisma de Hinojos salt marsh near Cadiz show two rectangular structures in the mud and parts of concentric rings that may once have surrounded them More... http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_980335.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

Excavations show Maya culture 'ahead of its time' Elaborate ritual objects have been uncovered in the ancient ruins of a city in Guatemala. The findings at the 2,000-year-old site suggest the Maya civilisation was more advanced than previously thought, reports BBC News Online. The city, Cival, thrived in what is generally considered the 'pre-classic' period - but it bore the hallmarks of the more advanced 'classic' period. The excavations, supported by the National Geographic Society, have unearthed two monumental carved masks, 120 pieces of polished jade, a ceremonial centre that spanned 800m (2,600ft) and an inscribed stone slab dating to 300 BC. more... http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_948671.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery.archaeology

Small relatives may add layer to human history By Lee Bowman Scripps Howard News Service - Detailing "a new and surprising twig" on the human family tree, scientists report Thursday they've discovered the remains of a clan of tiny human relatives, standing about 30 inches tall, that lived on an isolated island in eastern Indonesia as recently as 18,000 years ago. Bones from seven individuals of the new species have been recovered from a 130-foot-deep cave called Liang Bua on the island of Flores, a tropical island already renowned for being home to many animal species found nowhere else in the world. Dubbed Homo Floresiensis, or Flores Man, by the team of Australian and Indonesian researchers who found them, the diminutive humans seem to have had the island to themselves for at least 100,000 years before they became extinct, possibly victims of a volcanic eruption around 12,000 years ago or perhaps done in by the arrival of modern humans. Evidence from the cave shows Flores Man walked upright, made stone tools, built fires and worked together to hunt large game, yet sported a grapefruit-sized brain about a quarter the size of the brains of modern humans. Its brain capacity and stature are more in line with a pre-human species that lived in Africa more than 3 million years ago, but other features, like large eye sockets and small front teeth, put the creature in the more modern Homo family. Archaeological evidence shows modern humans have been living practically next door in New Guinea for at least 50,000 years, but scientists also know that full-sized archaic humans, Homo erectus, continued to live along the Solo River in nearby Java until at least 50,000 years ago. Peter Brown, a professor of archaeology and paleontology at the University of New England in Australia and lead author of one of two papers describing Flores Man published in the journal Nature, says the discovery suggests that the human family has been a lot more varied and adaptable than has been recognized. "People of this body size were supposed to be extinct three million years ago. Yet we missed them by so little in time. This begs the question of what else are we going to find?" said Brown. Already, he and his colleagues plan to look for signs of similar clans in other caves around the region. But other anthropologists who reviewed the papers before they were published are so puzzled by the jumble of features, some more ape-like than human, that they think it's wrong to include the creatures in the recent human family tree at all. The existence of Flores Man, along with recent evidence that clusters of Neanderthals survived in Europe until about 30,000 years ago, suggests the human family album is becoming more crowded. For most of the roughly 160,000 years that modern humans have been around, our species "seems to have shared the planet with other bipedal and cultural beings - our global dominance may be far more recent than we thought," observe British evolutionary experts Marta Mirazon Lahr and Robert Foley, in a Nature analysis of the research. "The Flores fossils add a new and surprising twig to the hominin (human) family tree," they said. Brown and his colleagues believe that Flores Man evolved from larger archaic humans who may have reached the island on bamboo rafts from other islands as far back as 800,000 years ago, based on the age of stone tools found elsewhere on Flores. Flores, a former Portuguese colony, even today is off the beaten path. The last time the island made news was in 1992 when a series of tsunamis struck the north shore, wiping out several villages and killing more than 1,700 people. The scientists argue that the small size of the species came about over time because natural selection favored dwarfing on an island where the selection of animals for food was limited to birds, reptiles and one large mammal. Such adaptations are common among many animals on islands, including Flores, which featured a miniature elephant, the Stegodon, that Flores Man hunted and cooked, charred bones found in the cave confirm. While modern humans are known to have been in the area for tens of thousands of years before Flores Man disappeared, there's no evidence of interaction. Bones from deer, pigs and porcupine were also found in the soil of the cave - but only in layers above where the dwarf human skeletons were found - suggesting that the new species arrived with modern humans. Lying just below those bones on the cave floor is a thin layer of material laid down 12,000 years ago by volcanic eruption that marked the demise of both the Stegodons and Flores Man. http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=WEEFOLK-10-27-04&cat=II

We May Not Be the Only Humans on Earth A 3ft tall 'hobbit' discovered on a remote Indonesian island has raised the extraordinary possibility that our human species might not be alone on Earth. The female creature has been identified as a completely new member of the human race. But, although she lived 18,000 years ago, scientists believe her relatives survived for thousands more years on the island of Flores. And experts have not ruled out the possibility of her descendants, or other unknown human species, still hiding in the impenetrable forests and cave systems of South-East Asia. Mythical tales abound in the region of a race of little people that dwell on the islands of Indonesia. Dutch explorers who colonised Flores 100 years ago were told colourful stories of a human-like creature local inhabitants called 'ebu gogo'. The tales described how they could be heard 'murmuring' to one another, and how, parrot-fashion, they repeated back words spoken to them. Dr Henry Gee, senior editor of scientific journal Nature, said scientists who made the discovery were now having to think again about these stories' source. 'Until they found this creature they would have dismissed them as tales of hobbits and leprechauns, but no longer,' he told a news conference last night. from http://www.rednova.com/news/display/?id=98344 How about them' hobbits?

cool!

Strange world of island species Robin McKie on a discovery that sheds light on our distant past - and possibly our present Sunday October 31, 2004 The Observer On one island visited by Sinbad during his travels, he found a giant bird with the wingspan of a whale, while Odysseus, according to Homer, discovered an island race of one-eyed giants who ate humans. Great stories, but tame stuff compared with reality. On the island of Flores in the Malay Archipelago, scientists have found remains of a race of three-foot high humans who hunted pony-sized elephants and rats as big as dogs and who battled dragons with saliva laced with deadly bacteria. When it comes to the fantastic, you can never beat science. Certainly, the furore that surrounded last week's reports that fossil-hunters have discovered the bones of a new human species, Homo floresiensis , is scarcely surprising. This little hominid lived a mere 18,000 years ago, it transpires (and so must have shared Flores with Homo sapiens for millennia), made some nifty stone tools and butchered mini-elephants (called stegadons) with alacrity. As Cambridge anthropologist Robert Foley says: 'Discoveries don't get better than this.' from http://observer.guardian.co.uk/focus/story/0,6903,1340260,00.html

that's way cool!

The 30 inches tall mad us wonder about that. three feet is what most anthropologists are reporting. Oddly enough that news happened just before we attended the Meeting of the Kentucky Academny of Science in Murry, KY last weekend. The item was added to two papers presented to the archaeology section. It is not all that common to have living news in archaeology!!!

Imagine a race of people 30 inches tall? That smacks of the Tennessee "Pygmies" that Don has been writing about. In fact, his paper was about just those people.

Tennesee pygmies? Is there more information you can share on them here, Marcia?

do tell marcia!! (hi cheryl)

Hi Wolfie! Yes, please do tell us about the Tennesee pygmies.

The Rise and Fall of the Mayan Empire NASA Science News for November 15, 2004 NASA scientists are using space satellites to unravel one of the great mysteries of the ancient world. The long-lost secrets they're discovering could help modern people in Central America avoid the fate of the Maya. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2004/15nov_maya.htm?list89800

/ New theory on Stonehenge mystery A fresh theory on how Stonehenge was built has been tested out by a group of experts and enthusiasts. Gordon Pipes, of the Stonehengineers group of scientists and archaeologists, has suggested that levers may have been used to move the giant stones. They have tested his "stone-rowing" theory which involves a 45-tonne stone being levered on a track of logs. "It's akin to rowing a boat, weights can be picked up with levers using body mass and balance," said Mr Pipes. Mr Pipes, from Derby, combined his interest in prehistory and his skills as a carpenter to test his idea. The method is said to require little effort and be just as efficient whether uphill, downhill or on level ground. Many theories have been put forward for the engineering of Stonehenge, including the belief that the stones were dragged or rolled into place. Mr Pipes is planning more experiments on Salisbury Plain next summer in an effort to prove his suggestion. They will involve attempts to move two blocks, weighing 10 tonnes and 40 tonnes, half a mile in a day. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/wiltshire/4064817.stm

There will never be a shortage of opionions on Stonehenge. I heard that every age gets the one it deserves. Ours seems to hover between New Age and Space Age.

Did you read the article about the great wall of China? It seems like the thing that made the mortar used in building was rice flour.

Ooops, mean the thing that made the motar so strong was rice flour

I heard that but immediately forgot it. I'll go chase it down on Google and report. Thanks for reminding me, Lucie!

On The Antiquity Of Pots: New Method Developed For Dating Archaeological Pottery The contents of ancient pottery could help archaeologists resolve some longstanding disputes in the world of antiquities, thanks to scientists at Britain's University of Bristol. The researchers have developed the first direct method for dating pottery by examining animal fats preserved inside the ceramic walls. Archaeologists have long dated sites by the visual appearance of pottery fragments found around the site. The new analytical technique will allow archaeologists to more accurately determine the age of pottery and, by extension, the age of associated artifacts and sites. The research builds on recent work that has shed light on the types and uses of commodities contained within the vessels. The findings will appear in the Sept. 30 edition of Analytical Chemistry, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society. more... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/09/030930055244.htm

from the Museum of Natural History website On a balmy June morning in 1874, several thousand people gathered in Manhattan Square, an undeveloped tract of New York City's Central Park between 81st and 77th Streets, to see President Ulysses S. Grant lay the cornerstone for the permanent home of the American Museum of Natural History. After an elaborate ceremony, Grant spread mortar over a copper box that contained newspapers, magazines, books, coins, and currency. Then the stone was lowered into place, and he struck it three times with a silver trowel from Tiffany's. The ceremony ended when Albert S. Bickmore, the Museum's founder, repeated the blows for good luck. Once again, a container of cultural relics and recorded knowledge is being installed on the Museum's grounds, to be opened in the year 3000. This "Times Capsule" (winner of a competition by the New York Times) is on display in the exhibition "Capturing Time: The New York Times Capsule." The practice of leaving time capsules with messages for people in the future has existed in some sense for thousands of years. The Sumerians buried texts addressed to future rulers in the foundations of palaces and temples, according to anthropologist Robert Ascher, of Cornell University. But the present custom--deliberately burying sealed vessels filled with artifacts that reflect particular aspects of a culture and setting a specific date for their retrieval by others--evolved in the United States. One of the earliest examples of such a vessel was the Century Safe, sealed for the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia by a Civil War widow, Mrs. Charles Deihm. In 1976, during Bicentennial celebrations, President Gerald Ford opened the safe, which contained autographs and photographs of officials and other mementos of the bygone era. But Thornwell Jacobs, president of Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, raised the concept to a new level in 1936. Inspired by the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen a decade earlier, which revealed vivid details of life in ancient Egypt, Jacobs outlined a plan to preserve a record of life from ancient times to the middle of the twentieth century in what he called the Crypt of Civilization. By 1940 he had sealed, in a heavily reinforced former underground swimming pool, an encyclopedic record of human civilization--from Lincoln Logs to 640,000 pages on microfilm from classics such as the Bible, the Koran, the Iliad, and Dante's Inferno---to be opened in the year 8113. The idea caught the attention of the Westinghouse Company, which was planning a promotional event for the 1939-40 New York World's Fair. During the fair, company officials buried what they called the Capsule of Cupaloy--a seven-and-a-half-foot copper-alloy cylinder with an inner heat-sealed glass tube--in New York's Flushing Meadows, saying it was not to be unearthed for 5,000 years. It was then that the expression "time capsule" was coined by G. Edward Pendray, the company publicist also responsible for creating the word "Laundromat." Since then, time capsules have proliferated. Some have even gone into space, like the twelve-inch, gold-plated copper records incised with sounds and images from Earth (encased in aluminum and equipped with a playing needle and instructions written in symbols) and affixed to NASA's Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 before their 1977 launches. Both spacecraft will eventually bounce out of our solar system to drift in a remote region of the Milky Way Galaxy, where they will probably remain for hundreds of millions of years--long after the Sun "will have reduced Earth to a charred cinder," as the late astronomer Carl Sagan, director of the project, put it. The discs may thus serve as a cosmic calling card to extraterrestrials and perhaps also as a memorial to humankind. Now, at the new millennium, the International Time Capsule Society (ITCS) estimates that more than 10,000 capsules have been sealed and countless others have been buried secretly in backyards by private individuals. "Hundreds more have been planned to celebrate the year 2000," says Paul Hudson, a historian at Oglethorpe University and an ITCS founder. The contents of the container will be on display in Gallery 77 until the Times Capsule is sealed and installed. Enclosures range from the biological, such as hair samples that will provide a human DNA profile, to the cultural--a compendium of "lost practices" with entries on such by-then-extinct behaviors as "smoking," "reproductive sex" "embarrassment," and "reading the New York Times." "It's a kind of instant archaeology that is especially popular with Americans," says Hudson. Ascher adds that if the trend continues at the same rate, "future Earthlings may infer that we were obsessed with explaining ourselves, just as we sometimes believe that the Maya were obsessed with time, and the Egyptians with death."

http://www.timecapsule2k.com/ It's a roll yer own time capsule. Get it and set up to release in the year 3000. From the site: "Preservation - The Easy Way Replacing the air in your Time Capsule 2000 Since oxygen is the deteriorating element, we believe the simplest and most effective method of preservation is to remove the air and replace it with an inert gas, after which the contents will remain as they were when placed in the time capsule. Simply place all items inside your time capsule, screw the lid onto the time capsule, coating the screws with any silicon gel and placing the gasket between the lid and the flange, and then take the capsule to a local bottled gas supplier who will replace the air. Argon or nitrogen are the most commonly used oxygen-free gases and typically come in a gas bottle with a low-pressure hose and a hand operated push valve. The valve end is placed into a tube, which is then inserted into your time capsule through one of the two screw holes. The gas distributor will calculate the volume of gas needed from the size of your time capsule. Since the gas in heavier than air it will push the air out of the other screw holes, and will prevent the air from returning to the time capsule while the screws are replaced. "

So, what would you include in your time capsule for the year Y3K?

good question....my daughter made a mini one over the holidays (school project) but i don't know what she put in there.

we can't open it until 2010. she'll be 17.

That's fun. Where did you put it? Underground?

no, it was wrapped in giftwrap and stored with all the christmas stuff. she barely remembered putting it together.

What a great idea. My son told me too late that he wanted all those icky Christmas decorations he remembered from childhood. Oops. Guess I joined the ranks of moms who throw good stuff away. Those of you aho haven't, please set aside a few of the most memorable ones for 10 years hence. You'd be glad you did. Keeping out the Oxygen and humidity is most of the battle in preservation. This looks like such a great idea.

That's one way to cut down on clutter. Bury it all as a time capsule.

*laugh* we'll all have landfills in our backyards!!!

You laugh !! I know that is what I had to clean out of my house in Hawaii. Not worth digging up again and NOT worth burying unless it is to get rid of it. I seem to know lots of folks with landfills in their backyards !!

I'm going to get a schoolbus. Fill it up with Apple //s, Macs and IBM PCs and bury it to open in 2050. You think I'm kidding don't you?

Terry, Have we ever doubted you?! I know by now there must be millions of outdated computers out there not worth recycling for their parts. Go for it. I can remember my first computer with NO memory. Zero! We had to load each program from tape into the "computer" to use it - Each time we wanted to use it !! But it beat manual typewriters. In my time capsule I'd put something indicative of every decade I'ved lived. You'd be surprised how much stuff would be in there !

I sure don't want all these computers in my garage anymore.

http://www.archaeologychannel.org/content/video/ephemera_56kW.html Archeology TV. The striking images in Ephemera were achieved using a data projector to physically project filmed interviews onto the building fabric of West Kennet long barrow, part of the ancient Avebury complex in Wiltshire, UK. The result was a unique tactile fusion between Neolithic stone and modern digital technology. West Kennet was selected because it sits, guardian-like, opposite Silbury Hill � the site of a live televised excavation by the BBC in 1968 as part of the hugely popular series, Chronicle. Upon the illuminated stone, the three interviewees � all regular TV archaeology protagonists � discuss archaeology�s portrayal on British TV beginning with the BBC excavation and moving onto the 90s surge in popularity of TV archaeology that Channel 4�s Time Team initiated. Time Team has made archaeology popular unlike any TV series before or since. As well as a new series of episodes each year, the program has generated many specials, live events transmitted over the course of a weekend and national-scale projects such as last year�s Big Dig and this year�s forthcoming Big Roman Dig. The three participants are: Mike Pitts, editor of British Archaeology magazine. Mike regularly appears in documentaries about Stonehenge and Avebury, most notably Secrets of the Dead: Murder at Stonehenge. His news-stand magazine includes a column, written by students on the MA in Archaeology for Screen Media course, which reviews UK TV archaeology. Julian Richards, TV and radio broadcaster. Julian is probably best known as the presenter of BBC 2�s Meet the Ancestors and Blood of the Vikings as well as radio series including BBC Radio 4�s Mapping the Town. Meet the Ancestors pioneered the use of the then new lightweight mini-DV cameras to create a far more mobile TV-production experience on a restricted budget, but one that reflected that sense of �mucking-in� that working on an archaeological dig is about. Julian�s website is http://www.archaemedia.net/tv.asp. Francis Pryor, President, Council for British Archaeology http://www.britarch.ac.uk/. Francis regularly appears on Channel 4�s Time Team as well as writing and presenting his own series including Britain AD. As the film begins to probe archaeology�s portrayal a little deeper, and asks whether the reconstructions featured in these programs genuinely advance our understanding of the past, Francis Pryor cites the reconstruction of Seahenge that he was directly involved with for the Time Team Seahenge special. From this, the current and future state of TV archaeology is discussed which, at the time of filming, was represented by new series such as BBC 2�s Hidden Treasure and Channel 4�s Extreme Archaeology, both faster-paced, visually slicker programs with snappy music and younger participants but thinner on content and long-term viewer appeal. Curiously, both those series have not returned to UK screens and are unlikely to do so, at least in their previous incarnations. Ephemera is somewhere between a talking head documentary and a video installation. The concept behind the video projections was to place the importance back upon the archaeology by literally making the interviewees elements within the archaeological context, rather than following the normal pattern of having the archaeology serve as cutaways that mask over edits in the more dominating interview. The technique of fusing different technologies to create news ways of engaging viewers is one that the film-maker intends to develop for his future work.

I've BEEN in West Kennet Long Barrow! I do wish we had the archaeology channel. I would seldom watch anything else!

Remains at Louisville, KY building site may be of ancient Indians Archaeologists have found what they believe are the 5,000-year-old remains of two American Indians at a southern Jefferson County site planned for development. Bone fragments were unearthed last week during an archaeological survey of a 55-acre site near Interstate 65 and Outer Loop slated for a Wal-Mart, restaurants and condominiums. Spear tips and burned rock were found several years earlier at the site, officials said. The remains, accompanied by trash pits, charcoal, carbonized seeds and tools, suggest a camp used by nomadic hunters who might have gathered medicinal herbs and food in the wetland area around 3000 B.C., said David Pollack, a Kentucky Heritage Council archaeologist and site-protection manager. more... http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050420/NEWS01/504200431/1008/NEWS01

did you go out to the site, marcia?

Not yet. It is fairly near where I live so I suggest there will be trips there with great regularily - though mostly to see Walmart and not the dig. I'll tell you what we discover if allowed to get near the place. This is not uncommon. There was a sizeable population around the river valleys of the Ohio and Mississippi, as well as the Tennessee and Kentucky rivers. Lively trade brought gulf shells into their lives. I think we are just beginning to scratch the surface of what is really here.

I think that the site which is now downtown Pittsburgh, the confluence of the the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, to form the Ohio River, was considered a place of power by ancient Americans.

That is almost as bad as the fate of the huge mound levelled to make room for the city of St Louis, Missouri. With all that land out there, they had to level the largest mount in North America?!! Welcome back, Cheryl. I was concerned about you!!! I missed you, too !!

What Lies Beneath in Pompeii Going Deep Yields New Perspective on Ancient Roman City By Daniel Williams Washington Post Foreign Service POMPEII, Italy -- For Pompeii's 2 million yearly visitors, the overwhelming attraction is the captivating view of daily life in the Roman Empire evoked by the city's temples, taverns, houses and public baths, and by its ever-popular brothels with their erotic frescoes. This summer, visitors might be forgiven for failing to notice a series of newly dug trenches at the southwest exit to the city. The site looks like an example of below-street plumbing in mid-repair, yet it provides a tiny glimpse of a fact obscured by Pompeii's better-known association with the imperial era: A non-Roman civilization thrived here for three centuries, with its own temples, houses, taverns, baths and saucy sexual practices. Last month, a team of archaeologists from Italy's Basilicata University uncovered the remains of a structure built by the Samnites, a mountain warrior people who conquered, inhabited, built up and ruled Pompeii before Roman chariots wheeled into town. The diggers were looking for something else -- remains of Pompeii's harbor. Instead, they found a pre-Roman temple wall, clay offerings to the Samnite goddess of love, and a basin and terracotta pipes indicating the site of a ritual bath. The Basilicata researchers were digging below Pompeii's surface because the focus of excavations had changed. For the past 250 years, most excavation has concentrated on the Roman city that was suspended in ash and stone by the eruption of Vesuvius in A.D. 79. Until the 1990s, local officials believed constant discoveries from the Roman era were needed to keep Pompeii in the news and to preserve its spot as Italy's most popular tourist attraction. But current administrators say this approach has become counterproductive, pointing out that they can barely afford to maintain the scores of monuments already exposed along Pompeii's lava-stone streets. As a result, only 34 acres out of Pompeii's excavated 115 acres are open to visitors, half the expanse on view 50 years ago. The damage resulting from these years of neglect is readily visible in the dead city. Tourists pick up small pieces of marble for souvenirs, plastic water bottles lie at the feet of Roman columns and stray dogs roam the streets. Thieves frequently raid the sites. During the past 30 years, more than 600 items, from frescoes to bricks, have been pilfered from Pompeii. One of the worst thefts occurred in 1977, when someone hacked 14 frescoes from a villa known as the House of the Gladiators. And in January, thieves cut two frescoes from the House of the Chaste Lovers. (Pompeii houses are usually named after prominent paintings, sculptures or other artifacts.) Administrators suspect that some guards participated in past looting, while local criminal gangs have tried to bid on restoration projects. In any case, Pompeii's archaeological superintendent, Pietro Giovanni Guzzo, in office for a decade, decreed an end to the expansion of digs outward. He says digging down not only allows him to spend money on preserving the already exposed parts of Pompeii, but also is scientifically rewarding. "By searching vertically, one uncovers the full history of the city. The surface Roman part is only part of the story," Guzzo said in a recent interview. "Going deep doesn't cost so much. It won't include restoration or opening more area to tourism or hiring more guards." Subterranean Pompeii may not contain the luxurious villas and elegant sculptures found on the surface, but for archaeologists trained to perceive a universe in a clay shard, it is no less exciting. "Pompeii is a city which, unluckily for it but fortunately for us, is best known for being destroyed. In everyone's mind, it is frozen at the moment of destruction, when it was a Roman city," said Emmanuele Curti, the chief archaeologist on the latest dig. "But Pompeii was a city long before that, and it's good to remind the world of that." In short, it's time the Samnites got their due. "They were traditionally considered unimportant, but that's because they lost out to the Romans, and the Romans got to write history," Curti said. The Samnites were a tribal people who occupied much of southern central Italy and expanded to the Pompeii area around the 6th century B.C. Beginning in 343 B.C., they fought three wars with Rome, which had not yet become the peninsula's sole power. Taking advantage of a moment when the Samnites were busy fighting the Greeks, the Romans invaded their territory. The Romans tried to set up colonies near Naples, but the Samnites struck back. At one point, Samnite troops trapped a Roman army in a mountain pass and forced it to surrender. The humiliated Roman Senate eventually orchestrated a counterattack. Preparations for renewed war included construction of the Appian Way, a road that runs south from Rome toward Naples. The Romans also adopted the checkerboard offensive troop formation used by the Samnites. Historians consider the flexible formation a major military advance for the future rulers of the Western world. For the third war, the Samnites allied with Gauls and Etruscans. To Rome, this was truly an axis of evil; all were venerable foes. But the Samnites were defeated quickly, their allies later. Pompeii fell in 290 B.C. Still, the Romans were interested in peace, not occupation. They signed an alliance that permitted the Samnites to effectively rule themselves and maintain autonomy for 200 years. That long peace ended early in the 1st century B.C., when the Samnites, along with other subjugated peoples, rebelled. You're either with us or against us, the Romans decided. They not only conquered Samnite cities, including Pompeii, but established military colonies inside Samnite territory, forced Latin on the people and killed anyone who resisted. The victorious general, Lucius Cornelius Sulla, built a temple to Venus in Pompeii. Until last month, it was thought the temple stood on unimportant ground in the ancient city. It turns out that it was built on top of the Samnites' temple to Mephitis, their own love goddess. Archaeologists say they expect to find the center of the temple beneath the toppled columns of the Roman Temple of Venus. The bath and amulets indicate the Samnite practice of ritual prostitution, in which young women, rich and poor alike, submitted to sex as a rite of passage, said Curti, the archaeologist. "To our post-Victorian minds, the practice seems strange. But we can't look at this society through our eyes," he observed. "Probably, the practice became professional at some point. This was, after all, a port city." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19216-2004Jul27.html

Fascinating History! Beneath a level of 'civilisation' there are probably many others waiting to be exposed. In the few antiquities I have come across I wonder about the stories they could tell. Mike r-c-i

We have lived on our own rubbish heaps for thousands of years. The most fertile places archaeologically are either privies or middens both dealing with trash and waste from our having lived there. Considering the trash accumulated in my former home in Hawaii, we are still not more civilized than when we crawled out of caves all of those millennia ago. Now if we want to entertain future diggers, we need to begin flushing broken dishes and jewelry and other household goodies ?!

*laugh* at least people like the AM can use their metal detectors and find things besides bottle caps and nails!

I'm trying to cut back on trash and on stuff in general and get down to the more essential items I need to make a living and enjoy life.

good thinking! i yell at people in the office and at home for not recycling the stuff that's supposed to be recycled!

I recycle everything I can.

but, i do admit, despite all of my tree-hugging, i am quite wasteful.....

Recycling is absolutely necessary. We so that here rather religiously. In fact, I have avoided buying things with too much packaging. How are you wasteful, Wolfie? I am still wearing things dozens of years old. When fun is digging in the dirt for rocks or relics, old clothes are a necessity !

don't know where to begin---we waste food, buy new things instead of fixing old things or making do with what we have already.....but, when it comes to things around the house such as clothing, toys, furniture, we do love to donate to goodwill or some other organization (not trying to toot horn here). i'd much rather donate than have a garage sale (i know, it's only a few extra bucks)--it's just easier for me. i subscribe to magazines, read them, then take them to work. i must say, though, that my recycle bin is usually fuller than my garbage can, that's a good thing! but today, we cleaned out the fridge of stuff past it's use by date and there were a lot of things being thrown out.

since you have kids you are doing very well on conservation !! Get them out of the house and you'll improve even more. I applaud your efforts at donating. I hate yard sales with a passion, so I understand where you are coming from. Hugs wolfie, it is so good to be back. BTW I have seen a ring with Mystic fire stone in it and it is stunning. How is yours holding up?

i love to GO to garage sales, just not having one of my own......my ring is still fine---though i had a jeweler add more (shoot, what are they called? the little pieces of gold that hold the stone in place).....yeah, those, and one broke off already. haven't lost the stone but i just think it was poorly designed to begin with. needless to say, i don't wear it often and much prefer my alexandrite (did i tell you i bought another one with 3 stones, great color changing properties, in white gold?)

Oh yes, I meant I hate having my own. Occasionally we find good old equipment at yard sales. DB already has a large floor-standing corn sheller in the dining room and an old Singer treadle sewing machine I'd love to get working. Prongs hold stones in place in jewelry settings. OOOH You did get an Alexandrite!! Natural or created? I want one so much... I guess that happens in another lifetime along with the geology/archaeology/astronomy profession.

Prongs should not even snag if they are designed right. You can have a jeweler fix it for you or get you a whole new setting.

Let's hope this one is not a planted fake. So much lately has been just that. First Temple-era seal discovered By ETGAR LEFKOVITS A First-Temple period seal has been discovered amidst piles of rubble from Jerusalem's Temple Mount, an Israeli archaeologist said Tuesday, in what could prove to be an historic find. The small - less than 1 cm - seal impression, or bulla, discovered Tuesday by Bar-Ilan University archaeologist Dr. Gabriel Barkay amidst piles of rubble from the Temple Mount would mark the first time that an written artifact was found from the Temple Mount dating back to the First Temple period. The 2,600 year old artifact, with three lines in ancient Hebrew, was discovered amidst piles of rubble discarded by the Islamic Wakf that Barkay and a team of young archaeologists and volunteers are sifting through on the grounds of a Jerusalem national park. more plus pictures... http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1127787594479

that's cool--as i was rereading the posts above the word "prong" popped in my head. i seem to snag prongs all the time....in fact, my anniversary ring had to be fixed because i snagged a prong (the jeweler was surprised i even noticed it!) yes, i'll have to reset that mystic fire topaz. both of my alexandrites are created (read: affordable and for those that don't know, they are real stones that have been helped).....marcia, they have wonderful color properties!

didn't see a link to a pic of that seal (it's really small, huh?)...

I'll post a link to that seal when it becomes available on the internet. I'm curious about it too. We think we are about a small spool of thread or about the lenth of a quarter (25 cent piece) I try very hard to get rings that are smooth concerning prongs or I'll snag everything and some places on people, too. Ouch! Could you email me if you don't want to post it, which dealer you got your stone from - the alexandrite. I guess I will have to buy one online and I am not too ptoud to have a created gem. They are all but mined out in the real world.

don't remember where i got the first one but the second was found at overstock.com--very nice quality too (just not crazy about white gold)....

here it is: http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?page=proframe&prod_id=1141517

and the first one...the funny thing is i chose my stone, setting, and side stones and couldn't find anything like it on the website, NOW they have the same exact ring in the size and cut stone i ordered---must be pretty popular: http://www.stuller.com/public/product.aspx?prodGrpID=dba3b4b4-47ec-4469-a7e6-43e6e33c4957&categoryID=eff68680-78ee-4aac-b9b2-414b11aedac7

on my last post, mine doesn't turn pink--it goes from purply-blue to a lovely sea green....not sure if i can capture the color change for you or not but will try. the first one from overstock is a deep purply-blue but changes to pink outside.

I have one from Mexico that goes from a purply-blue to a steel blue-green. It isinteresting and I like it very but... I want one that goes from red to green andback again. My other one goes from a purple to a green (class b color change) and neither of them is particularly pretty, but the change is what makes it inetesting. They usually set Alexandrites in sterling silver or white gold. I have one in each. I think I agree it might be prettier in yellow gold, come to think of it. It is just the way the Russians did it for the Tsar in silver.

Jewel of the Magdalenian period A necklace and pendants made 15,500 years ago have been discovered in the Praile I cave; it is the most important Upper Paleolithic find in the Basque Country in recent years Mikel Lizarralde � DONOSTIA (San Sebastian) A Magdalenian treasure of the Upper Paleolithic has lain hidden for the last 15,500 years in the Praile I cave in Deba (Gipuzkoa). Excavations done over the last few years by a team led by the archaeologist Xabier Pe�alver of the Aranzadi Society of Sciences have uncovered spectacular jewellery. Four stunning necklaces of smooth black stone, another one of goats� teeth and a 12-cm pendant made by Cro-Magnon man have been discovered in the cave. There are 29 items in all, each one made by hand and engraved. The find in the Praile I cave is not only the most important in the Basque Country in recent years, but also one of the most significant ones in the European continent as far as the Upper Paleolithic period is concerned. The Praile I cave was discovered in 1983 by Mikel Sasieta and Juan Arruabarrena, members of the Munibe group of Azkoitia (Gipuzkoa), and is one of the Paleolithic�s most significant archeological clusters. http://www.berria.info/english/ikusi.php?id=1832

For the Stonehenge afficiandos amongst us: Yorkshire team find ancient road A TEAM of archaeologists from Sheffield University have revealed significant new insights into the role of Stonehenge after discovering a prehistoric ceremonial road. The team, also from four other universities, discovered the avenue. It proves there was a walkway between a henge (a circular momument) at Durrington Walls, and the River Avon, three miles away, blowing a hole in the theory the standing stones at Stonehenge were a one-off feature. The new find supports the team's theory that Stonehenge was in fact just one part of a much larger complex of stone and timber circles linked by ceremonial avenues to the river. Radiocarbon dates indicate the henge was in use at the same time as the sarsen stones were erected at Stonehenge. The newly-discovered roadway, with its rammed flint surface, is wider than most modern roads and more substantial than any other Neolithic track in Europe. It runs for about 100 metres (328ft) from the timber circle within the great henge to the river. Analysis has shown that the avenue was heavily trampled by prehistoric feet, and archaeologists have unearthed numerous finds along its edge. Prof Mike Parker Pearson, from the University of Sheffield's Department of Archaeology, believes Stonehenge and Durrington Walls, together with its adjacent site of Woodhenge, were linked by the river to form a single complex. He has suggested the entire complex was a funerary monument. The work was filmed for a Channel 4 Time Team special, to be screened next year. http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=55&ArticleID=1223025

wouldn't you know I'd spell aficionado wrong. Arrrrgh

I did that once with a domain name, afirthianado.com.

I'd love to see some graphics on the location of this new track. I know the Durrington Walls / Stonehenge area very well. This fascinated me. We are just beginning to understand what that little remnant is - a bit of a much greater complex. Sort of like finding the high altar of a vanished cathedral.

I wonder just how large the complex was.

yeah, i can't wait to see pics either.

I have looked long and hard and the lay of the land on Salisbury Plain and there is no reason it could not stetch out for miles. The entire area is full of barrows of various ages and types. That plain has been sacred land for so long anything is possible. Now if we could only keep the army from using it for an artillary range !!!

actually, artifacts are what keeps the spot from being used! (in some states over here, anyway)...

Oh yes. DB worked for the Army Corps of Engineers and what he found at sites under consideration for development determined if it secured for future generations or left to the devices of current needs. Of course there is the one high up official during WW2 who wanted Stonehenge demolished because it was at such a great location for an air strip !!!

Project to help Dorset people love ancient barrows A new project aims to increase people's awareness, knowledge and appreciation of the landscape between Weymouth and Dorchester (Dorset, England). It is being launched on November 5 by the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty team which hopes the project will appeal to everyone who enjoys the countryside. Among outstanding features of the area are the strange 'lumps and bumps' which litter the skyline between Broadmayne and Hardy's Monument - and which few realise are round barrows that have been there 4,000 years. Some long barrows go back as far as 5,000 years, which experts say is an extraordinary survival feat considering their simple construction from native chalk with soil on top. There are some fine round barrows examples to see while walking the inland South West Coast Path route from Came Down, over Ridgeway Hill and on towards Gould's Hill and Hardy's Monument. The AONB said its project had been designed to encourage local people to get out on foot and explore the area and to get them more involved with it. The team hopes to achieve this with a Lumps and Bumps photographic competition, entries for which will be displayed at the county library in April 2006 and there will also be a watercolours and oils competition. The AONB added that there was even a chance that a few volunteers might be able to help English Heritage surveyors re-survey ancient earthworks. A new booklet is being released at the project's launch, and there will be a free awareness morning at Portesham Village Hall with guest speakers including archaeologist Dr Bill Putnam and reconstruction artist Jane Brayne. A second awareness day is scheduled for Dorset County Museum on November 26. For project details call 01305 756785 or see the href="http://www.dorsetaonb.org.uk/"

4,000-Year-Old Noodles Found in China John Roach for National Geographic News A 4,000-year-old bowl of noodles unearthed in China is the earliest example ever found of one of the world's most popular foods, scientists reported today. It also suggests an Asian�not Italian�origin for the staple dish. The beautifully preserved, long, thin yellow noodles were found inside an overturned sealed bowl at the Lajia archaeological site in northwestern China. The bowl was buried under ten feet (three meters) of sediment. "This is the earliest empirical evidence of noodles ever found," Houyuan Lu of the Institute of Geology and Geophysics at Beijing's Chinese Academy of Sciences said in an e-mail interview. Lu and colleagues report the find tomorrow in the science journal Nature. The scientists determined the noodles were made from two kinds of millet, a grain indigenous to China and widely cultivated there 7,000 years ago. Modern North American and European noodles are usually made with wheat. Archaeochemist Patrick McGovern at the University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia said that if the date for the noodles is correct, the find is "quite amazing." Even today, he said, deft skills are required to make long, thin noodles like those found at Lajia. "This shows a fairly high level of food processing and culinary sophistication," he said. Noodle History Noodles have been a staple food in many parts of the world for at least 2,000 years, though whether the modern version of the stringy pasta was first invented by the Chinese, Italians, or Arabs is debatable. Prior to the discovery of noodles at the Lajia archaeological site, the earliest record of noodles appears in a book written during China's East Han Dynasty sometime between A.D. 25 and 220, Lu said. Other theories suggest noodles were first made in the Middle East and introduced to Italy by the Arabs. Italians are widely credited for popularizing the food in Europe and spreading it around the world. Additional evidence is needed to prove that the noodles found at Lajia are the ancestor of either Asian noodles or Italian pasta. "But in any case, the latter is only documented two millennia later," Lu said. Gary Crawford, an archaeologist at the University of Toronto at Mississauga in Canada, said finding 4,000-year-old noodles in China is not a surprise. "It fits with what we've generally known�that noodles have a long and important history in China," he said. Ingredient Sleuthing To determine what the noodles were made from, Lu and colleagues compared the shape and patterning of the starch grains and seed husks in the noodle bowl with modern crops. The team concluded the noodles were made from two kinds of millet�broomcorn millet and foxtail millet. The grain was ground into flour to make dough, which was then likely pulled and stretched into shape. Foxtail millet alone, the researchers say, lacks the stickiness required to allow the dough to be pulled and stretched into strings. While archaeological evidence suggests wheat was present in China 4,000 years ago, it was not widely cultivated until the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618 to 907), Lu said. According to Crawford, the fact that the noodles were made of millet is not surprising. His own research at a similarly dated site in northern China shows ample millet and rice but very little wheat. However, he added, the discovery of well-preserved millet noodles helps explain the lack of grain seeds found at some archaeological sites. "One suspicion is grain seeds were made into a type of food through boiling and flour production. That would not necessarily leave much in the way of grains to be � recovered," he said. " � and if they were making noodles, that would explain it." According to Lu, in poor, rural areas of northwestern China, millet is still used to make noodles. "These modern millet noodles have a harder texture than the wheat noodles, so they are commonly called iron-wire noodles," he said. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/10/1012_051012_chinese_noodles.html

Beer Brewing Paralleled the Rise of Civilization Kurt Stoppkotte National Geographic News Malting, mashing, boiling, and fermenting � the basic process of brewing beer has remained relatively unchanged for thousands of years. Using his own gravity-fed brewing system, fabricated of Styrofoam coolers, plastic tubes, sliced kegs, and a propane stove, home brewer Steve Marler of Arlington, Virginia, pursues an activity that has been associated with the beginnings of civilization. "I'm just converting starches into sugars, boiling it with hops and adding yeast," Marler said. "Basically, it's very simple, and in a few weeks I will be able to enjoy the fruits of my labor." The brewing methods that Steve Marler employs in the backyard of his suburban home are undoubtedly much like those that were used 6,000 years ago by the Sumarians, whose beer brewing was the first recorded knowledge of the practice. Hailed by Caesar Michael Jackson, author of the World Guide to Beer, says the relatively simple process of converting grain into a palatable substance�or "liquid bread"�is at least as old as civilization. "There is a perfectly respectable academic theory that civilization began with beer," he noted. Some people contend that beer may have been the staple of mankind's diet even before bread was invented. During the Neolithic Revolution, bands of hunters and gatherers began forming organized communities to cultivate the land�the beginning of civilization. "We know that in farming the land, they grew things, and the first thing grown was cereal grains in the Fertile Crescent of the Middle East," said Jackson. "The first thing they did with that grain," he added, "was make it into beer. We don't know whether they were trying to make beer, or just trying to find a way to make grain edible." The idea behind the theories about the early emergence of beer is that grains could be grown in poorer soils and required less water to grow than other crops, such as grapes. Unlike grapes, however, grains had no juice to extract. Therefore, they had to be soaked in water, which led to a natural fermentation process that produced what Julius Caesar described as "a high and mighty liquor." So which came first, beer or civilization? Dave Alexander, owner and operator of the Brickskeller in downtown Washington, D.C., argues that "beer is probably the reason for civilization." There is pretty strong evidence that after the first sampling of fermented beverages, man realized he had to end his nomadic life and settle down to grow grains and to continue to produce the beer," Alexander surmised. Simple Process, Varied Results Although the brewing process has remained basically the same, the results now vary considerably. The Brickskeller, a clearinghouse for beers from around the world, opened in 1957 with 51 beers on its menu. Today, it has 971 varieties in stock. The vast selection is what attracts Mike Bengston, who has frequented the Brickskeller for 20 years. "There is always a beer that will fit every mood you are in," he said. The large increase in the range of beers available over the past 15 years stems mainly from the growth of microbreweries and their challenge to large-scale industrial beer production. At the Old Dominion microbrewery in Ashburn, Virginia, 50 kegs of beer are brewed every four hours. "In a big brewery, it looks very complicated, with all the different pipes and pumps and all kinds of things, but really, all they are doing is moving stuff around," said Scott Zetterstom, Old Dominion's master brewer. "You're just making sugar water, and it's really not that complicated." Although the brewing process itself has remained fairly consistent for more than 10,000 years, a beer gets its distinctive flavor from how the grain-derived sugar water is fermented and other ingredients that may be added. Alexander is proud to be able to offer his customers 971 different varieties. Yet he is quick to defend the major breweries from attacks by beer drinkers who tend to treat the products of microbreweries as inherently superior. "The fact of the matter is that it was those [traditional] beers that actually got you to drink in the first place, and they will always be the beers that still get people to like beer," said Alexander. "They have an important place in the world of malted beverages for that reason, and they will always be popular." http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/04/0424_kurtbeer.html

Ancient Chocolate Found in Maya "Teapot" By Bijal P. Trivedi National Geographic Today Analysis of residue from a ceramic "teapot" suggests that the Maya, and their ancestors, may have been gobbling chocolate as far back as 2,600 years ago, pushing back the earliest evidence of cacao use more than 1,000 years. "This reopens the whole debate about who first invented chocolate," said Jonathan Haas, curator of the mouthwatering "Chocolate" exhibition at the Field Museum in Chicago. The first chemical evidence of cacao use came about 15 years ago after the analysis of residue from a vessel found at the Mayan site of Rio Azul in northeastern Guatemala and belonging to the Early Classic period of Maya culture�approximately A.D. 460. But Michael Coe, co-author of The True History of Chocolate, believes based on a slew of evidence, some linguistic, that the roots of chocolate go much further back to the great Olmec civilization, which preceded the Maya. "The Maya derived a lot of their high culture from the Olmec," said Coe, also professor emeritus of anthropology at Yale. "Even the word 'cacao' is not a native Maya word�it's Olmec." The Olmec lived in the southern Gulf of Mexico between 1500 and 500 B.C., and their influence extended to Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, Costa Rica, and El Salvador. "The new find is hard chemical evidence that the Mayans were drinking chocolate in 500 B.C.," said Coe, suggesting that people were cultivating the cacao tree long before the Maya civilization, which flourished in southern Mexico, the Yucat�n, and the highlands of Belize between 500 B.C. and A.D. 1500. Chocolate is made from the seeds of the cacao tree, which are swaddled in gooey white flesh inside green-yellow pods. The seeds and the pulp are scooped out of the pod and allowed to ferment until the seeds are a rich dark brown. The seeds are then dried, and then roasted before being ground to produce a thick chocolate paste. Chocolate for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner The Maya had a lifestyle many kids would envy�chocolate at every meal. "It was the beverage of everyday people and also the food of the rulers and gods," said Haas. In fact, the scientific name for the cacao tree is Theobroma cacao�"food of the gods." Hieroglyphs that depict chocolate being poured for rulers and gods are present on Maya murals and ceramics. Now the newly-analyzed spouted ceramic pot reveals the deeper darker history of this almost drug-like substance. Mayan teapots have always fascinated Terry Powis, an archaeologist at the University of Texas at Austin, which is how his investigation began. "Spouted vessels are very distinct from other Mayan ceramics and quite rare, typically associated with elite burials," he explained. Fortunately for Powis, fourteen such vessels were excavated in 1981 from a site at Colha, which lies close to the Caribbean coast in northern Belize, and have since been housed at the University of Texas, Austin. The Maya occupied Colha, which is known for its production of stone tools and its Preclassic spouted vessels, continuously from about 900 B.C. to A.D. 1300. The Essence of Chocolate Powis's goal was to determine whether the vessels were indeed used to pour some type of chocolate libation. He scraped residue from the vessels and sent the samples to W. Jeffrey Hurst, who has a delicious job as an analytical biochemist at the Hershey Foods Technical Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Using "high performance liquid chromatography coupled to atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry," Hurst analyzed all the samples. The first instrument separates all the components of the mixture and the other measures the molecular weight of each. Cacao is a blend of more than 500 chemical compounds. Of this tasty compendium the signature chemical is a compound called theobromine�the chemical marker of cacao. Of the 14 samples analyzed, 3 were positive for theobromine, "chocolate, that is," said Powis. The study is published in the July 18 issue of the journal Nature. These spouted vessels were first dubbed chocolate pots about 100 years ago. Archaeologists knew from Spanish accounts that the Maya drank liquid chocolate and just assumed that the teapots were used to pour the beverage. "Now we have proof," said Powis. Chilli, Honey and Maize With Your Chocolate? By the time the Spanish reached the Maya, around the 1500s, everyone was drinking chocolate�rich and poor alike. Traces of chocolate have been found in ordinary Maya houses. The Maya drink was very different from America's thin, watery hot chocolate, said Powis. According to Spanish accounts�many of which come from Bishop Diego de Landa, whose descriptions of Maya culture and language are the primary tools used today to translate Maya glyphs�the Maya enjoyed their hot chocolate thick and foamy. While standing, Maya poured the chocolate drink from one vessel to another on the ground. The drop, together with the fatty cacao butter, produced a thick head of rich, dark, chocolate foam�the most coveted part of the drink. Chemical analysis of these vessels is now becoming a standard tool in archaeology. As long as they're not washed, they can be analyzed for ancient residues. Powis hopes to use the same type of studies to reveal the other ingredients used in the chocolate drinks. From Spanish records, Mayanists already know that the chocolate was mixed with maize, water, honey, or chilli. But what other secret ingredients are discovered will be a sweet surprise. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/07/0717_020717_TVchocolate.html

Chocolate and Holidays�A Long History National Geographic News What does Easter have in common with Valentine's Day, Halloween, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Mexico's Day of the Dead? They're all celebrated with chocolate. How did people learn to extract this sublime pleasure from the bitter seeds of the cacao tree? No one knows. When the Europeans reached the capital of the Aztec Empire, they found a people who used cacao seeds to make a frothy, spicy drink used in royal and religious ceremonies. This ancient delicacy and its roots and cultural importance are the subject of an exhibition that opened recently at the Field Museum in Chicago. Interesting facts from the exhibition and companion books published in conjunction with the event: � Obrana cacao, the name of the tree that produces chocolate, means "food of the gods." � In the 19th century, people began adding condensed milk to cocoa to produce milk chocolate. (Cacao refers to the bean or tree; cocoa is a product derived from cacao.) � The Aztecs used cacao seeds as money. � The Aztecs sometimes fed their sacrificial victims chocolate beverages to calm them before the sacrifice. � During World War I chocolate began to be shaped in the form of bars for eating. � White chocolate contains cocoa butter, but no cocoa solids. Chocolate purists argue that the confection should not be called "chocolate" at all. � Cacao seeds are traded on the commodities market�under the name "cocoa"�along with pork bellies and soybeans. � Mexicans today use chocolate as an offering on the Day of the Dead, in the form of mol�, a spicy sauce made with chilies and chocolate. � Foil-wrapped chocolate coins are given to children as Hanukkah "gelt." � In the United States, chocolate has a place in nearly every holiday celebration: heart-shaped boxes of chocolate for Valentine's Day, chocolate bunnies for Easter, wrapped candies for trick-or-treaters at Halloween, and cups of hot cocoa to warm Christmas carolers. � Sales of chocolate products in the United States total $13 billion a year. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/03/0328_0328_choclate.html

Maya Murals May Depict Murder of Royal Scribes Hillary Mayell National Geographic News A new study offers a gruesome illustration of the pen being mightier than the sword. It suggests that the official scribes of Maya kings, who were considered important to the kings' power, were especially targeted by enemies in warfare. If captured, they were executed�after their fingers were broken and their fingernails ripped out, according to a researcher who has taken a much closer look at Maya murals. Kevin Johnston, an anthropologist at Ohio State University, first began thinking about the fate of captured scribes when he saw a photo enhancement of a mural from Bonampak in National Geographic. Bonampak is a Maya site in the Chiapas state of southern Mexico. The mural depicts captured scribes�bound, semi-nude, and with their fingers broken and bleeding. Some have already been executed. "I was looking at it and I had a 'eureka!' moment," said Johnston. "I realized they were holding quills, and that I had seen similar depictions in other places. Johnston, whose study is published in a recent issue of the journal Antiquity, said: "Destroying a conquered king's ability to communicate is a powerful act of symbolism." Human Captives During the Classic Maya period, A.D. 250 to A.D. 800, the Maya civilization consisted of 50 or more city-states spread across Mexico, Belize, northern Guatemala, and western Honduras. A king ruled each city-state, which consisted of farmlands surrounding urban centers. Warfare between neighbors was common. Besides the usual spoils of war, the conquerors sought human captives, which were essential for a king to maintain power. One measure of a kingdom's wealth was its large temples, ceremonial plazas, and palaces. Building these monuments required a great deal of manpower, which was often provided by the forced labor of those captured in battle. A king also used captives as human sacrifices to the gods. Human sacrifice was seen as necessary for the king to maintain a relationship with the gods and keep them happy, thereby ensuring healthy, abundant crops. Scribes were important to a king as well, to document his spiritual superiority, success in battle, and political might. Power of the Pen Reading and writing were elite functions in Maya society, and scribes were minor royalty, related to nobles or sometimes even to the king. By immortalizing a king's victory in battle and ready communication with the gods, a scribe played an important and highly visible role in maintaining the king's power. Scribes wrote on a variety of media, including pots, stone, books of deerskin covered with a thin layer of plaster, and other small portable objects, said Johnston. Text was also posted on stelae, tall stone obelisks that frequently surrounded the central plaza. Steve Houston, a Maya scholar at Brigham Young University, has suggested that some of the texts were designed to be read aloud to assembled crowds. In Maya society, Johnston said, "writing was a political tool of persuasion and authority. Scribes were deliberately targeted in warfare to silence the king's mouthpiece, which would compromise his power and reveal his vulnerability." Johnston thinks a king may have had additional motives for executing an enemy's scribes. The conquering king already had numerous scribes of his own and would not need their services, and because the captured scribes were typically related to the defeated king in some way, their loyalty was questionable. Another View Mary Miller, a professor at Yale, is the lead researcher on the Bonampak restoration, for which the computer-enhanced photographs of the murals are being produced. She has a slightly different, if even more gruesome, interpretation of the bleeding fingers depicted in the artwork. Miller believes that the scribes' fingernails are not being ripped out, but the fatty pads on their fingers are being cut away from the bone. She is also not sure that captured artists and scribes were executed. "I've been arguing for years, since at least 1986, that artists are one of the most important pieces of tribute a conquering king could have, and that captive workers were often forced to produce works of art," she said. "After warfare, in many cases you can see styles of art change." Johnston agrees that such artistic tribute was required of captives in some cases. There is very limited evidence at the moment to tell whether artists, scribes, and carvers were treated differently. Reconstruction of the murals at Bonampak are a multi-year project for Miller and her colleagues, and their findings are just beginning to be published. "As more of the data is published," said Miller, "it will engender a lot of discussion, as new details of the richness and complexity of Maya cultural practices emerge and we can take a fresh look at Maya warfare." http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/11/1126_Mayanscribes.html

Oooh goodies ! Chocolate even. But they drank it without sugar. Try it sometime. It'll give you halucinatins, too. I was wondering when the ancient noodles would be posted. Yuck. I think I had some of those with the 1000 yr old eggs in my cupboard in Hilo. I've been sidetracked into some lunatic fringe archaeology reading lately. It is fun even if it isn't true. Don and I have also been discussing the difficulties of curating thousands of tons of plainware and lithics salvaged each year. New laws need to be made or some other source of funding. There simply is not enough room to store all of this stuff and no one can afford to do so anyway. Thanks, Cheryl!

Read this one aloud to yourself AN image of a Roman gladiator wearing only a G-string has been dug from the bed of the River Tees. http://www.teesdalemercury.co.uk/teesdale-news/story,975.html

ohhhhh, chocolate! cheryl, you find some of the neatest articles! marcia, no way!!! where's the picture?

I've been looking for the pictures myself. When I find them, you can bet I will let you know where to see them. Welcome home, Wolfie. I hope everything went well.

thanks marcia *hugs* we had a wonderful time!

So excellent is this news. LIttle wolfies need tending now. They are at "that" age! We're off to Nashville to visit the state archaeologist (I think I recall that is who he is.) In any case the weather is lovely and the fall leaves are gorgeous. We'll have a great time no matter what.

*laugh* your visit to nashville almost sounds like you're going to the doctors or something! *heehee* take pictures of the foliage, we don't have much of that down here!

It should be a great day for the drive to Nashville Marci. What route did you /are you taking?

found this article today about the unearthing of a church in Israel: http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/11/06/israel.ancient.church.ap/index.html

The Nashville trip was lovely. That archaeologist we visited has a basemennt worth the envy of the civilized world. It is carpteted and lined with illuminated glass cases full of artifacts he has excavated that were not needed or desired by the establishment sponsoring the dig. Worse, educational institutions are also not interested. In any case he photographs them, makes exhaustive notes and then publishes them to make a record of his finds. I was never so close to such lovely things in my life. I even got to hold some of it. Best of all, he has a pile of artifacts outside his front door full of unlabeled and unclassified things hoping to interest his grandchildren. None have shown any interest yet but I certainly was. The lady of the house gave me a grocery sack and I filled it with potsherds, mineral specimens (many with crystals), lithics (stone tools from the stone ages) and some just plain curious pieces. Next I want to find them in context. I guess I am the only person on the planet who ha not found a single spear point or other stone Indian tool. The leaves were beautiful. Last weekend we were off to Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond for the annual Kentucky Academy of Sciences meetings. DB gace a paper and I got to meet and renew acquaintences with archaeologists from all over the state. It was a great weekend completed by a meeting of the Falls of the Ohio Archaeological Society in Indiana where we heard from one of the men who did the excavation of a riverbank on the Ohio River that was undercut and collapsed taking part of a roadway with it revealing a large Missippisn settlement area.

Today's amazing archaeology article is finding evidence of an earthquake attributed to Archangel Michael: When the Earth moves, beware of snakes, whales and archangels, says Steve Jones Tuesday, in the Orthodox Church, was Michaelmas, the feast of the Archangel Michael, patron saint of grocers and victor over the fiery dragon of Revelations. Like many saints, he was fond of apparitions, and in AD 439 descended with alarming instantaneity on Sant'Angelo, a small town in the boot of Italy. Legend has it that Michael landed with such force as to leave an imprint in the rocks, an event celebrated in a sanctuary that still stands. That Christian monument is on the site of a much older Greek shrine, an entrance to the underworld. Now archaeologists have uncovered a great fault - a step in the rocks - beneath the building's floor. Michael's long-lost footprint is proof of an ancient earthquake that caused one segment of land to slump against its neighbour and the locals, Greek or Christian, to assume that the commotion was due to the bumpy touchdown of a deity rather than the uneasy movements of the Earth. more... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2005/11/08/ecfjones08.xml

Pennsylvania hunters may use prehistoric weapon Pennsylvania hunters may use prehistoric weapon An ancient weapon that struck fear in the hearts of Spanish conquistadors, and that some think was used to slay woolly mammoths in Florida, may soon be added to the arsenal available to Pennsylvania (USA) hunters. The state Game Commission is drafting proposed regulations to allow hunters to use the atlatl, a small wooden device used to propel a 6-foot-long dart as fast as 80 mph. The commission could vote to legalize its use as early as January. It's unclear which animals atlatlists may be allowed to hunt, but the proposal is being pushed by people who want to kill deer with a handmade weapon of Stone Age design. The name, usually pronounced AT-lad-ul, is derived from an Aztec word for �throwing board.� In Alabama, one of a handful of states that allows the use of atlatls for hunting or fishing, few hunters use them during deer season, said Allan Andress, the chief fish and game enforcement officer for the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Even spear hunters�Alabama game law also allows spears� outnumber those using atlatls. "As you might imagine, it�s not something that most people have the skill or the patience for," Andress said. To use an atlatl, throwers hook arrow-like hunting darts into the end of the atlatl, which is generally a wooden piece about 2 feet long. The leverage of the atlatl allows them to throw the 5- to 8-foot darts much farther than they could throw a spear. There is evidence that the weapons were used more than 8,000 years ago in Pennsylvania, said Kurt Carr, an archaeologist with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Prehistoric atlatls have a distinctive counterweight feature called a winged banner stone that has helped confirm their existence at digs in Huntingdon and Bucks counties, among other places, said Carr. Atlatl use goes back as far as 12,000 years elsewhere in North America and far longer in Europe. If the commission gives preliminary approval in January, a final vote in April could clear the way for atlatl hunting in Pennsylvania late next year. Source: Associated Press, CBS 3 (12 November 2005)

It is not uncommon to see atlatl use at archaeological meetings and conferences. I have not yet tried it but watching others is great fun. It is fairly easy to master, as far as I could tell. I'll report on how well I did and how difficult it really is when I get the courage and opportunity next time I get the opportunity to try.

I'm worried about those who go hunting to drink using an atlatl. Okay, it's silly on my part, but every year a few of them do manage shoot one another. Now they might have spear throwers. Tell us how it works out for you when you get a chance to you use one Marcia.

I need to find a good graphic, but essentially it is thrown as any spear is thrown with arm cocked over shoulder. The atlatl has a launcher attached and a bannerstone for added impetus. You use an overhand throwing motion stopping just as it comes by your ear. The bannerstone carries forward and the inertia you have built up launches the spear. I worried immediately about the drinkers in the woods huring spears and making macho jokes about it - then someone loses an eye. (That seesm to be my favorite thing to worry about.)

Thank AE for the following. Fascinating possibilities... A 1,200-Year-Old Murder Mystery in Guatemala By JOHN NOBLE WILFORD Archaeologists and forensic experts in Guatemala have made a grisly discovery among the ruins of an ancient Maya city, Cancu�n. In explorations during the summer, they found as many as 50 skeletons in a sacred pool and other places, victims of murder and dismemberment in a war that destroyed the city and, it seems, served as a beginning of the collapse of the classic period of the Maya civilization. The precipitous decline of the Maya is one of the enduring mysteries of American archaeology. As the scale of the massacre became apparent, the archaeologists called on Guatemalan forensic investigators for their experience with mass burials of modern war. The team, established in 1996 to excavate the mass graves from Guatemala's civil war, has also analyzed sites in Bosnia, Kosovo and Rwanda. Arthur A. Demarest, an archaeologist at Vanderbilt University who directed the excavations, described the discovery yesterday in an announcement by the National Geographic Society and in an interview by telephone from Guatemala City. "This is probably the most important thing I've ever discovered," said Dr. Demarest, who has explored Maya ruins since the 1980's. more... http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/17/international/americas/17maya.html?emc=eta1&pagewanted=print

maybe the mayans were like a cult (remember the kool-aid masacre?) and they were all killed as part of it or something. this is interesting though.

Great suggestion, Wolfie. I was just wondering how they can talk about possible disembowelment when there are only skeletons?! Remember Waco? The guys who were sure their space ship was in the tail of a comet? Be careful, people ! Think !! Happy Thanksgiving, all.

Hi all Picked up a couple of trinkets at the local 'toy' store - they were selling Egyptian scarab beetles (tiny carvings of beetles). Bought two - quite reasonably priced - one had a carving of the deity Bes and the other had a weave pattern between two Horus Hawks perched on baskets. Estimated age 1500 to 2000 BC. Fascinating objects! de Mike

What were they made out of?

One was made out of Steatite (sp?) - possibly both. There were others made out of various materials - Lapis Lazuli, silver, alabaster, etc. These two had very interesting underbelly engravings - I went with those even though there were chips in the top of the beetle over the more intact ones without inscriptions on the bottom. I did some net reading - Bes is the deity of dance and merry making although other info sites described Bes to be a house hold guardian - he was a dwarf with very scary features but benevolent - main job was to scare off demons. The Horus hawks have something to do with the pharoes. Note these were the hawk birds - not the human with hawk head. de Mike

I have a bracelet of scarabs but they are of modern making. How great to have an genuine antiquity. The ones that are here in the house fastinate me. I can look and ponder for a long time knowing someone had to make this to survive. Most of our things are lithic tools and not decorative adornment like scarabs. I guess the folks in long-ago America had real beetles adorning them. *;) Mike, did you know that scarab beetles are dung beetles?

Hi Marci! After I found these scarabs I did some searching for their history plus the significance of the symbols - the scarabs pushed balls of dung which was interpreted to symbolize the movement of the sun across the sky. I had the feeling that here was something made thousands of years ago and who's hands did it pass through? Very interesting on the lithic tools - I have a few arrow points I found in west Texas as well as a scraper tool. Again, who made this, what was its story. Here is something made by hand many generations ago - if the item could only speak and tell its story! This is what I find the most fascinating about antiques and antiquity. de Mike

Mayan treasure found in Guatemala Archaeologists working in Guatemala say they have uncovered one of the most spectacular pieces of artwork created by the ancient Mayan people. They say they have discovered a mural depicting the Mayan creation myth and the coronation of a king, thought to be more than 2,000 years old. Archaeologist William Saturno said it was like finding the Mayan equivalent of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel. 'Unique' find Mr Saturno, of the University of New Hampshire, said the mural - painted in greyish blue, orange and flesh tones - was discovered at the western wall of a room attached to a pyramid. The mural on the wall - measuring 0.9x9m (3x30 ft) - includes four deities, which are variations of the same figure, the son of the maize god, offering a blood sacrifice from his genitals. The first deity stands in the water and offers a fish, establishing the watery underworld, Mr Saturno said. The second stands on the ground and sacrifices a deer, establishing the land; the third floats in the air, offering a turkey to establish the sky; and the fourth stands in a field of flowers, the food of gods, establishing paradise. The crowned Mayan king is depicted at the end of the mural, Mr Saturno said. "It was like discovering the Sistine Chapel if you didn't know there had been a Renaissance," Mr Saturno said at a news conference. "It's like knowing only modern art and then stumbling on the finger of God touching the hand of Adam," he said. Mr Saturno first reported the discovery of the site in 2002. The western wall is thought to be painted about 100 BC, but was later covered when the room was filled in. Archaeologists say the artwork is particularly unique because it dates from hundreds of years before the classical Mayan period. The Mayans - known for their prowess in astronomy and mathematics - dominated southern Mexico and parts of Central America for some 1,500 years. The mural and William Saturno's research will be featured in the January issue of National Geographic magazine. The mural was discovered at the San Bartolo site in northern Guatemala. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4526872.stm

Yes !! The Sistine Chapel of the Maya, so they say. The National Geographic website has some nice closeups of that ceiling. Very impresive. Not like anything Mayan I've ever heard of. Mike, Don has a maul with a groove for lashing it onto a sturdy limb and is dated to 10,000 BP. I can get lost for a long while just pondering what the life of the maker was like and what history had evolved around it. Keep collecting. This stuff is the most contemplative thing I can actually hold in my hand.

MURDERED 2,500 YEARS AGO Clare Raymond Hair, flesh and eyes intact, the two bodies found in an Irish bog looked like recent IRA victims. But they were.. TORTURED, maimed and disembowelled, the two savagely slaughtered bodies were a grisly sight for the Irish peat bog workers who unearthed them. One of the dead men was found in County Meath, Ireland. The other was discovered three months later, just 25 miles away in Co Offaly. With soft flesh, fingernails, masses of red hair, teeth and eyeballs still intact, it seemed that the corpses had been freshly buried. And detectives thought they had stumbled across IRA victims. But when state pathologist Marie Cassidy saw the water-logged graves, she suspected the remains were much older than they seemed. And today, after an 18-month investigation by an international team of experts, it has been revealed that the men were killed 2,500 years ago. Miraculously, their remains have survived from the Iron Age in near-perfect condition, thanks to the moist Irish peat in which they were buried. What emerged from the bog were not skeletons, but well-preserved body parts. The peat had halted decomposition - the bodies did not even carry the stench of a rotting corpse. Advertisement The bog bodies are now at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin. So far they have been seen only by archaeologists and scientists, but they will go on public display at the Museum in May. I am one of the few people to get an early glimpse of them, lying on slabs in a starkly-lit laboratory. Both are covered by white paper sheets. "These are our ancestors and we should treat them with the greatest of respect," says Ned Kelly, Keeper of Irish Antiquities. "They died in a particularly horrific and terrifying manner. "We owe it to them to ensure that their terrible end isn't trivialised or sensationalised. They give us an insight into the dark side of human nature." One sheet is pulled back to reveal the body of Clonycavan man - named after the area in Co Meath where he was unearthed in February 2003. A young man, 5ft 2ins tall, his skin has been dyed brown and his hair turned ginger by the peat. He has a squashed nose and wonky teeth. Pores are visible around his nose and he has a wispy beard. His forearms, hands and lower abdomen are missing, believed to have been hacked off by the peatcutting machine. Even so, it is clear he met a violent end. His skull has been smashed open and there is a slash across his cheekbone. The other bog body has been called Oldcroghan man after the ditch at Croghan Hill, Co Offaly, where he was discovered. The head, lower limbs and body from the hips down were missing. Oldcroghan man was in his early to mid-20s and his arm span indicates he was 6ft 6ins tall. There are two cuts where his nipples would be - a sign that he was tortured. He has been stabbed in the chest and has a cut on his arm. His huge hands are creased with lines and clasped into fists. His fingernails are perfectly preserved, polished and manicured - suggesting he was a man of high status, untroubled by manual labour. This headless bog body was found naked, apart from a plaited leather band around his left arm - something which curator Isabella Mulhall, who has co-ordinated the project, describes as a "very significant find". Of the 150 or so bog bodies that have turned up over the years, only a dozen are well preserved. The last complete one to emerge was in Meenybradden, Co Donegal in 1978. She was a woman in her late 20s or early 30s, dating from the 1570s. The last bog body was found in 1984 at Lindow Moss in Cheshire - a 25-year-old man whose skull had been smashed with a heavy object, he was also strangled with a cord and had his throat cut. He bled for some time before being placed face-down in the bog. Since then, archaeological science has developed greatly. The Dublin team knew to keep these recent finds in wet peat from the sites where they were found. Carbon testing showed that Clonycavan man died between 392- 201 BC and Oldcroghan man from 362-175 BC. From his distorted head, computers can digitally recreate his skull to show us how this Celt looked nearly 2,500 years ago. Analysis of his hair shows that his diet was rich in vegetables, suggesting he died in summer. And he had also been using an Iron Age hair gel of plant oil mixed with a pine resin grown in the south western part of France and Spain - showing that even 2,500 years ago there was trade between Ireland and southern Europe. The clues to headless Oldcroghan man's life lie in his nails. Their high levels of nitrogen indicate he had a protein-rich diet and probably died in the winter when vegetables were scarce and meat was the main source of food. FOOD in his stomach reveals his last meal was wheat and buttermilk. Scars on his lungs show he had pleurisy. If it seems unsettling knowing such intimate details of a man who was brutally murdered so long ago, spare a thought for Head of Conservation Rolle Read. He had to drive the 60 miles from the burial site to the Museum with Oldcroghan man in the back of his family car. "It spooked me for weeks afterwards," says Rolle. "I wasn't comfortable with it at all. I had flashbacks and nightmares. I imagined crashing and feeling his arms on my shoulders. "But as I've been working with these bodies I've become attached to them. They were murdered so I feel sorry for them. I go home and think, 'What did they go through?'" Their discovery has rewritten history. It was once thought that bog bodies were criminals, killed as punishment. But archaeologist Ned Kelly has found that 40 bog bodies were buried on tribal borders or boundaries. "My belief is that these burials are offerings to the gods of fertility by kings, to ensure a successful reign," says Ned. "And that bodies are placed in the borders surrounding royal land or on tribal boundaries to ensure a good yield of corn and milk. "If my theory is true, this is a huge breakthrough in Iron Age studies. That we can come face to face with somebody from more than 2,000 years ago is an extraordinary thing." http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16556771&method=full&siteid=94762&headline=mudered-2-500-years-ago--name_page.html

how fascinating! thanks cheryl!

Those new Irish bog bodies are tne most fascinating reading. Recently I have seen photos of what remains (that the peat cutter didn't get.) How fortuitous it was that they were deposited into the most preserving atmsphere outside a desert that there could possibly be. I hope a good book is written about them as was written about Lindow Man and the Scandanavian finds of a similar nature.

Bog bodies, that has a certain ring to it.

Forensic anthropologists have reconstructed what this bog man might have looked like. I'm absoluely certain he could walk around today and no one would think anything was different about him. Speaking of forensic anthropologists, is everyone familiar with the Bone Farm at University of Tennessee run by Dr. Bill Bass? The resident archaeologist took a course from him in human osteology but has happily never been to the farm.

Body Farm is closer... http://www.rense.com/politics6/flesh.htm

First Knights Templar are discovered April 10, 2006 LONDON: The first bodies of the Knights Templar, the mysterious religious order at the heart of The Da Vinci Code, have been found by archaeologists near the River Jordan in northern Israel. British historian Tom Asbridge yesterday hailed the find as the first provable example of actual Knights Templar. The remains were found beneath the ruined walls of Jacob's Ford, an overthrown castle dating back to the Crusades, which had been lost for centuries. They can be dated to the exact day -- August 29, 1179 -- that they were killed by Saladin, the feared Muslim leader who captured the fortress. "Never before has it been possible to trace their remains to such an exact time in history,' Mr Asbridge said. "This discovery is the equivalent of the Holy Grail to archaeologists and historians. It is unparalleled." http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story/0,20281,18761160-5001027,00.html

we already knew the knights templar existed....that's neat that they actually found the bodies of a few. amazing that they can get the exact day, how'd they do that?

There are documents in Arabic telling of Saladin's victory over that fortress. By comparing calendars it is easy to know which date it pertains to. His scribes took very good notes and provided the details of time of day and so forth. It really is neat. I have seen many Templar graves in Brtitain but none were of crusaders still on crusade. The ones just found are the real thing in situ.

1,500-year-old royal mummy found in Peru BUT WEAPONS AT SITE PUZZLE ARCHAEOLOGISTS By Thomas H. Maugh II Los Angeles Times Archaeologists in Peru have discovered a 15-century-old mummy of a tattooed Moche woman entombed with a dazzling collection of weapons and jewelry. The woman, clearly a member of royalty, was buried with a sacrificed teenage slave at her feet and surrounded by multiple signs of femininity, including precious jewelry, golden needles and bejeweled spindles and spindle whorls for spinning cotton. But her burial bundle also contained gilded copper-clad war clubs and finely crafted spear throwers -- objects never seen in a Moche woman's tomb. ``Why would a woman be accompanied by weapons?'' asked archaeologist John Verano of Tulane University, who reported the find in the June National Geographic magazine. ``It's somewhat of a mystery who she is.'' Given the quantity and unusual preservation of the artifacts, he added, ``it is going to take archaeologists years of work to try and unravel the mystery.'' Intercity alliances University of California-Los Angeles archaeologist Christopher B. Donnan, who has been working for years in the nearby Jequetepeque Valley, said many of the burial goods are identical to royal artifacts he has discovered there. ``There are implications of contact between royalty in two different valleys,'' he said. ``We've never been able to recognize something like that before.'' The find suggests that the Moche, like other South American cultures, cemented alliances between cities through intermarriage. The mummy was discovered by Verano and Peruvian archaeologists from the National Institute of Culture at a site called El Brujo, or ``The Wizard,'' on the Peruvian coast about an hour's drive north of Trujillo and 300 miles north of Lima. The site was occupied by a variety of groups from about 2500 B.C. through the Spanish colonial period, when it was abandoned. The Moche flourished there from about A.D. 100 to 700. They primarily were farmers who diverted rivers into a network of irrigation canals. A sophisticated culture, the Moche raised huge pyramids of sun-dried adobe bricks, laying their noblest dead inside. Although they had no written language, their artifacts document their lives with detailed scenes of hunting, fishing, combat, punishment, sexual encounters and elaborate ceremonies. Huge pyramid The mummy was discovered in a pyramid called Huaca Cao Viejo, a massive structure 100 feet tall and 150 feet on a side. It was built in several phases, with successive generations enlarging it. The mummy, which dates to about A.D. 450, was placed on a covered patio that was subsequently buried under 15 feet or so of adobe bricks, which protected it from the weather and looters. The mummy bundle ``was huge, obviously symbolic of her status,'' Verano said. But to remove it, the team first had to take out a skeleton lying alongside it. ``It was a well-preserved sacrifice, with a rope around its neck -- the girl had been strangled,'' he said. Some servants were sacrificed at funerals, while others volunteered to accompany their masters into the afterlife. It took eight men to lift the bundle from the grave and carry it to a nearby lab for inspection. The team then carefully removed the hundreds of yards of cotton cloth that encased the body, revealing a woman who was about 5 feet tall -- average for the time -- and in her mid- to late 20s. She was apparently in good health with no signs of nutritional deficiencies, although she had one tooth that would have become abscessed if she had lived longer. Her abdominal skin was wrinkled and collapsed, and bone scarring indicated the woman had given birth at least once. With no obvious cause of death, Verano speculated that it was ``most likely some sudden infectious disease, like pneumonia or bronchitis, that wouldn't leave a mark on the skeleton.'' http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/14599200.htm

I have seen notices of this Peruvian find. Thanks, Cheryl, for posting this article. Fascinating ! I wonder contageous some of the viruses are that they had so long ago and for which we have no antibodies!

Buried in love for 5000 years Nick Pisa THEY have lain together, locked in each other's arms, for more than 5000 years. The story of enduring love has been revealed by archaeologists who unearthed the hugging skeletons at a neolithic site at a less-than-romantic industrial estate in Valdaro, northern Italy. Elena Menotti, who is leading the dig, said: "I am so excited about this discovery. We have never found a man and a woman embraced before and this is a unique find. "We have found plenty of women embracing children but never a couple. Much less a couple hugging � and they really are hugging. "They are face-to-face and their arms and legs are entwined." One theory being examined by experts is that the man was killed and the woman then sacrificed so his soul would be accompanied in the afterlife. "It's possible," Ms Menotti said. "From an initial examination they appear young as their teeth are not worn down � but we have sent the remains to a laboratory to establish their age." An initial examination of the couple � dubbed the Lovers of Valdaro � revealed the man (on the left in the picture) has an arrow in his spinal column while the woman has an arrow in her side. "I've done digs at Pompeii, all the famous sites. But I've never been so moved because this is the discovery of something special," Ms Menotti said. Five thousand years ago the surrounding area was marshland and criss-crossed by rivers. The environment helped preserve the skeletons in their near-perfect state. The tribes of the region thrived by hunting and fishing. http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21187868-5001021,00.html

There is a very evocative photo of the couple en situ on this site as well as more details of the burial. http://dwb.sacbee.com/24hour/healthscience/story/3547650p-12764361c.html A very special Valentine.

Greek archaeologists unearth rich tomb ATHENS, Greece - Archaeologists on a Greek island have discovered a large Roman-era tomb containing gold jewelry, pottery and bronze offerings, officials said Wednesday. The building, near the village of Fiscardo on Kefalonia, contained five burials including a large vaulted grave and a stone coffin, a Culture Ministry announcement said. The complex, measuring 26 by 20 feet, had been missed by grave-robbers, the announcement said. Archaeologists found gold earrings and rings, gold leaves that may have been attached to ceremonial clothing, as well as glass and clay pots, bronze artifacts decorated with masks, a bronze lock and copper coins. The vaulted grave, a house-shaped structure, had a small stone door that still works perfectly � turning on stone pivots. On a nearby plot, archaeologists also located traces of what may have been a small theater with four rows of stone seats, the ministry said. Previous excavations in the area have uncovered remains of houses, a baths complex and a cemetery, all dating to Roman times � between 146 B.C. and 330 A.D. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070405/ap_on_sc/greece_ancient_tomb

The British have a new Viking Hoard on their hands. Lovely stuff. I need to get a link for you but it made the news in the past week. Thanks Cheryl!

Nan Madol is a mysterious "lost city" on Pohnpei in the Caroline Islands sometimes called the "Machu Pichu of the Pacific" or the "Venice of the Pacific". http://www.janeresture.com/micronesia_madol/ http://www.uoregon.edu/~wsayres/NanMadol.html http://www.science-frontiers.com/sf045/sf045p01.htm

Early seafood, makeup found in S. Africa By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer WASHINGTON - In one of the earliest hints of "modern" living, humans 164,000 years ago put on primitive makeup and hit the seashore for steaming mussels, new archaeological finds show. Call it a beach party for early man. But it's a beach party thrown by people who weren't supposed to be advanced enough for this type of behavior. What was found in a cave in South Africa may change how scientists believe Homo sapiens marched into modernity. Instead of undergoing a revolution into modern living about 40,000 to 70,000 years ago, as commonly thought, man may have become modern in stuttering fits and starts, or through a long slow march that began even earlier. At least that's the case being made in a study appearing in the journal Nature on Thursday. Researchers found three hallmarks of modern life at Pinnacle Point overlooking the Indian Ocean near South Africa's Mossel Bay: harvested and cooked seafood, reddish pigment from ground rocks, and early tiny blade technology. Scientific optical dating techniques show that these hallmarks were from 164,000 years ago, plus or minus 12,000 years. "Together as a package this looks like the archaeological record of a much later time period," said study author Curtis Marean, professor of anthropology at the Institute of Human Origins at Arizona State University. This means humans were eating seafood about 40,000 years earlier than previously thought. And this is the earliest record of humans eating something other than what they caught or gathered on the land, Marean said. Most of what Marean found were the remnants of brown mussels, but he also found black mussels, small saltwater clams, sea snails and even a barnacle that indicates whale blubber or skin was brought into the cave. Marean figured the early people, probably women, had to trudge two to three miles to where the mussels, clams and snails were harvested and to bring them back to the cave. Then they put them over hot rocks to cook. When the food was done, the shells popped open in a process similar to modern-day mussel-steaming, but without the pot. Marean and colleagues tried out that ancient cooking technique in a kind of archaeological test kitchen. "We've prepped them the same way," Marean said in telephone interview from South Africa. "They're a little less moist (than modern steamed mussels). They definitely lose some moisture." Marean also found 57 pieces of ground-up rock that would have been reddish- or pinkish-brown. That would be used for self-decoration and sending social signals to other people, much the way makeup is used now, he said. There have been reports of earlier but sporadic pigment use in Africa. The same goes with rocks that were fashioned into small pointy tools. But having all three together shows a grouping of people that is almost modern, Marean said. Seafood harvesting, unlike other hunter-gatherer activities, encourages people to stay put, and that leads to more social interactions, he said. Yet 110,000 years later, no such modern activity, except for seafood dining, could be found in that part of South Africa, said Alison Brooks, a George Washington University anthropology professor who was not associated with Marean's study. That shows that the dip into modern life was not built upon, said Brooks, who called Marean's work "a fantastic find." Similar "blips of rather precocious kinds of behaviors seem to be emerging at certain sites," said Kathy Schick, an Indiana University anthropologist and co-director of the Stone Age Institute. Schick and Brooks said Marean's work shows that anthropologists have to revise their previous belief in a steady "human revolution" about 40,000 to 70,000 years ago. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071017/ap_on_sc/early_seafood

Headless Skeletons Help Solve Mystery By Rob Taylor,Reuters CANBERRA (Oct. 30) - A 3,000-year-old burial site in Vanuatu containing 60 headless skeletons and skulls in pots is helping end the mystery over colonization of the Pacific and the first Polynesians, archaeologists said on Tuesday. The remains have enabled scientists to reconstruct the lives and habits of the seafaring Lapita people, who settled Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa from Melanesian islands scattered to the west. "We've got the archaeological record, but until now the actual people have been missing from the story," researcher Stuart Bedford, from the Australian National University, told Reuters. The remains were found in 2003 at an archaeological dig on Efate Island, in the tiny South Pacific nation of Vanuatu, in a cemetery in use by the Lapita at the time of Egypt's Pharaohs. The Lapita are believed to be ancestral Polynesians, moving east from Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands over thousands of miles of ocean, taking with them their crops and animals. The burial site at Teouma, on the southern coast of Efate, was first uncovered by bulldozers clearing land for a shrimp farm, and was excavated by scientists from Britain, New Zealand and Australia. The skeletons were buried with ornate ceramic pots, some in carefully laid south-facing graves, and in one case three heads were laid on the dead person's chest, the researchers wrote in an October article for the journal American Antiquity. None of the remains had an attached skull and the heads may have been removed after burial, the researchers said, with the grouping of three skulls possibly due to mystical significance the islanders had for the number. Bedford said chemical analysis of their teeth revealed vital information about the origins, diets and burial practices of the Lapita. At least four of the 60 had migrated from distant coastal locations, possibly as far as Southeast Asia. "Although they traveled long distances by sea, they nonetheless were farmers as much as they were fisher folk," said Alex Bentley, from Durham University, who led the team. http://news.aol.com/story/_a/headless-skeletons-help-solve-mystery/20071030150009990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

Temple built 4,000 years ago unearthed in Peru Rueters UK LIMA (Reuters) - A 4,000-year-old temple filled with murals has been unearthed on the northern coast of Peru, making it one of the oldest finds in the Americas, a leading archaeologist said on Saturday. The temple, inside a larger ruin, includes a staircase that leads up to an altar used for fire worship at a site scientists have called Ventarron, said Peruvian archaeologist Walter Alva, who led the dig. It sits in the Lambayeque valley, near the ancient Sipan complex that Alva unearthed in the 1980s. Ventarron was built long before Sipan, about 2,000 years before Christ, he said. "It's a temple that is about 4,000 years old," Alva, director of the Museum Tumbas Reales (Royal Tombs) of Sipan, told Reuters by telephone after announcing the results of carbon dating at a ceremony north of Lima sponsored by Peru's government. "What's surprising are the construction methods, the architectural design and most of all the existence of murals that could be the oldest in the Americas," he said. Lambayeque is 472 miles from Lima, Peru's capital. Discoveries at Sipan, an administrative and religious centre of the Moche culture, have included a gold-filled tomb built 1,700 years ago for a pre-Incan king. Peru is rich in archaeological treasures, including the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu in the Andes. Until the arrival of the Spanish in the 1500s, the Incas ruled an empire for several centuries that stretched from Colombia and Ecuador in the north to what are now Peru and Chile in the south. "The discovery of this temple reveals evidence suggesting the region of Lambayeque was one of great cultural exchange between the Pacific coast and the rest of Peru," said Alva. http://uk.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUKN1018888320071111?pageNumber=2&sp=true

Such good stuff. Thank you for posting. I have the word of the family archaeologist that he would post things in the topic I made for him if I came back here. Stay tuned. His early American folk archaeology is fascinating and I get to go along when he inspects sites.

May I recommend one of my favorite places on the net for archaeology: The Megalithic Portal: http://www.megalithic.co.uk/

Awesome marci!

Original 'Gladiator's' Tomb Unearthed in Rome Rossella Lorenzi, Discovery News Oct. 15, 2008 -- Italian archaeologists have discovered the tomb of the ancient Roman hero believed to have inspired Russell Crowe's character in the hit movie "Gladiator," Rome's officials announced on Thursday at a press conference. Marble beams and columns, carvings and friezes first emerged from the Roman soil during construction work to build a residential complex in Saxa Rubra, not far from the headquarters of Rai, Italy's state-run television station. According to Cristiano Ranieri, an archaeologist who led the excavation at the site, the huge fragments belonged to a monumental marble tomb built on the banks of the Tiber River at the end of the second century A.D. "This is the most important ancient Roman monument to come to light for 20 or 30 years," Daniela Rossi, an archaeologist for the city of Rome, told reporters. Further excavation revealed a huge marble inscription that declares the tomb belonged to Marcus Nonius Macrinus, a general and consul who achieved major victories in military campaigns for Antoninus Pius, the Roman emperor from 138 to 161 A.D., and Marcus Aurelius, emperor from 161 to 180 A.D. Born in Brescia in northern Italy in 138 A.D., Macrinus was one of the emperor's favorite men (his villa on the shores of Lake Garda is currently under excavation). He was consul in 154 A.D. and proconsul of Asia in 170 to 171 A.D (consuls were the highest civil and military magistrates in Ancient Rome). The life of Marcus Nonius Macrinus is believed to have inspired the fictional character Maximus Decimus Meridius in Ridley Scott's film. In the movie, Meridus, also a general and a favorite of Marcus Aurelius, fell from grace after the emperor's death and ended up in exile in North Africa -- to return as a gladiator and take revenge. Although the tomb collapsed long ago, the large marble blocks are intact and perfectly preserved by the Tiber's mud. Reassembling them should not be a difficult task, Rossi said. "We know that the area was subjected to frequent floods in ancient times. Just like Pompeii, a disaster helped preserve the monument. After a particularly strong flood, the mud from the river basically sealed the collapsed marble blocks," Rossi said. While the construction work for the residential complex has been halted, Rome's officials plan to first reassemble the tomb in a 3-D model, and then fully reconstruct it as the centerpiece of a public archaeological display now underway in the area. http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/10/16/gladiator-tomb-rome.html