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