Archaeology News for the Week of January 8th, 2012

December 2011, Daily News

Sun, Jan 08, 2012

January 13th, 2012

Remarkable Cave City Needs Guardian Angels

It is off the beaten path of world tourism. Unlike the great monuments of ancient Rome, Greece, Egypt, China and Mesoamerica, it sees comparatively fewer visitors. Yet if casual tourists or expeditionary scholars were to see it, they would likely say that it is every bit as impressive as the Roman Colosseum or the Pyramids of Giza. Built astride and into the sheer cliff face of a mountain, it resembles something of a hybrid of ancient Petra in Jordan and the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings of the U.S.....or, for those familiar with the Tolkien works, a Minas Tirith in ruins. Known as the cave city or monastery of Vardzia, it was dug into the side of Mount Erusheli near the town of Aspindza and the Mtkvari river in southern Georgia during the late 12th century. Today, it is a tourist destination for Georgians, Europeans and others throughout the world who know of its existence. But some of its remarkable remains will crumble away into oblivion if expert care and conservation is not realized in full. (Popular Archaeology)

Unique discovery of jade necklace from ancient Mayan ruler at Tak’alik Ab’aj

Discovery of the necklace of the ancestor of the Mayan- Señor de la Greca - Lord of the Fret Design, the Return to the ancestor at Tak’alik Ab’aj. This is the latest finding at the ancient city of Tak'alik Ab'aj. Tak'alik Ab'aj fulfilled for almost two millenniums, a rich and vigorous role in Mesoamerican history. The sculptured monuments buried there through the centuries, whose tops still emerge from the ground, gave way to the name, which in the K'iche' language means Standing Stone. Tak'alik Ab'aj is an ancient pre-Hispanic city situated in El Asintal, Department of Retalhuleu at the pacific piedmont of Guatemala. This important long distance trade and cosmopolitan cultural center is transcendent because of its long history which endured 1700 years (800 B.C. - 900 A.D). At its beginnings Tak'alik Ab'aj interacted and participated with the Olmec culture, and at its surmise, was one of the protagonists in the development of the early Maya Culture (The Guatemala Times)

Laser Mapping Helps Archaeologists and City Planners

Caracol, the site of an ancient Mayan city, is the largest archeological site in Belize, and has been a focus of scientific exploration for decades. Until recently, however, the only way researchers could uncover its wonders was to slowly and laboriously hack their way through the dense jungle overgrowth with machetes and other tools. (US News Science)

Coastal archaeology on the Western Isles

The first major study of its kind has been carried out on archaeological sites along the coasts of the Western Isles. Dr Alex Hale, of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), is pictured at a fish trap on South Uist (BBC News)

Archaeologists Dig In French Quarter

Dozens of archaeologists were digging up history Thursday in the French Quarter. It was a rare chance to dig into the past of everyday citizens of New Orleans. The archaeologists gathered at 933 Conti St., which is the future home of the Irish Cultural Museum. Archaeologists from the University of New Orleans said the dirt can become a diary.(WDSU.com)

WW2 letter discovered in Louis XV desk at Versailles

For 67 years, a message from Nazi-occupied France remained hidden in a secret drawer of a desk that belonged to France's 18th century King Louis XV. Restorers at the Chateau of Versailles recently discovered the letter, written by a World War II-era colleague who last restored the bronze-coated bureau. (http://www.3news.co.nz)

January 12th, 2012

Potential medieval village among Western Isles 'finds'

Archaeologists' chance encounter with an islander has led them to the site of a possible medieval fishing village on the Western Isles. The site is among potential new historic finds made along the islands' coasts following tip offs from members of the public. Archaeologists said they were told about the village after bumping into local man JJ MacDonald. A diver also alerted the experts to 5,000-year-old pottery from a loch. (BBC News)

Archaeology: Ancient image of Thracian horseman found at Bulgaria’s Perperikon

Archaeologists in Bulgaria announced on January 12 2012 that they had found a unique ceramic relief of a Thracian Horseman – a key figure in cult worship – estimated to date from the fourth century BCE, at the country’s Perperikon site. Perperikon, an ancient site of worship that has hosted more than one forms of faith over the centuries, regularly has yielded astonishing archaeological finds. (The Sofia Echo)

Florida divers discover WWII sub in Mediterranean

The Key Largo-based Aurora Trust, a not-for-profit ocean exploration and education foundation, has solved a World War II British mystery. On May 8, 1942, under the cover of darkness, the British submarine HMS Olympus (N35) was attempting to leave the British Naval Base in the Grand Harbor of Malta, a small island nation blockaded by the Germans and Italians. But the Olympus didn’t get far before striking a mine and sinking. (The Bellingham Herald)

Hallaton helmet unveiled after nine-year restoration

What has been hailed as one of the most significant recent UK Iron Age finds is going on display after a nine-year conservation project. The decorated Roman cavalry helmet was discovered at a site in Leicestershire. Experts said its date, close to the Roman invasion of 43 AD, meant it could be evidence of Celtic tribes serving with the Roman army. (BBC News)

Ancient Menorah Stamp Marked Kosher Bread

A tiny stamp bearing an image of the Temple Menorah and likely placed on baked goods some 1,500 years ago has turned up during excavations near the Israeli city of Akko, researchers announced. (Live Science)

Study of palaeoenvironment from West Baray shows drought at time of Angkor’s collapse

A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shed light on environmental factors that contributed to the collapse of Angkor in the 14th century. Periods of drought were inferred from a palaeoenvironmental study of the West Baray spanning 1,000 years, revealing a large amount of sedimentation (and thus water input) to the man-made lake prior to the 14th century, and much less sedimentation in the 14th and 15th century. (SEAArch)

January 11th, 2012

Close Encounters of the Ancient Kind

Comparatively few people are privileged to get within a foot or two of the physical remains (actual or cast) of ancient or historic human ancestors......at least, not without the necessary scientific credentials and sanctions reserved exclusively for the scientists who are responsible for examining and studying them. The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, however, has made it possible for the interested public to approach and position their eyes within inches of some of the most significant skeletal, fossil, and mummified finds of the past two centuries. (Popular Archaeology)

Nicotine buzz from 1,300 years ago

Researchers have identified traces of nicotine inside a 1,300-year-old Mayan flask, confirming the vessel's ancient use and providing the earliest chemical evidence of tobacco in Maya culture. There's been ample evidence from textual and pictorial sources that the Maya smoked tobacco. For example, at Mexico's Palenque archaeological site, one of the carved stone panels at the Temple of the Cross shows a man smoking what appears to be an ornate pipe. (MSNBC.com)

2,000 Year-Old Cave Paintings Found in Guanajuato, Mexico

Archaeologists get £1m funding boost to carry out research at Stone Age Star Carr site

ARCHAEOLOGISTS have secured more than £1 million in funding to delve deeper into the history of Britain’s earliest surviving house discovered in North Yorkshire, writes Daniel Birch. A team of archaeologists from the universities of York and Manchester helped unearth the house at Star Carr, a Stone Age site, near Scarborough, in 2010. (Gazette & Herald)

January 10th, 2012

Orcadian temple predates Stonehenge by 500 years

The discovery of a Stone Age temple on Orkney looks set to rewrite the archeological records of ancient Britain with evidence emerging it was built centuries before Stonehenge. Archeologists have so far found undisturbed artefacts including wall decorations, pigments and paint pots, which are already increasing their understanding of the Neolithic people. Experts believe the huge outer wall suggests the site was not domestic, while the layout of the buildings has reinforced the view it might have been a major religious site. Archaeologists think the temple was built 500 years before Stonehenge, regarded as the centre of Stone Age Britain. (Herald Scotland)

Using Modern Tools to Reconstruct Ancient Life

To the naked eye, the white, powdery substance appeared to be plaster. That’s what the professional and volunteer archaeologists at a dig in Israel concluded. To be certain, though, they subjected the chalky dust to spectroscopy and a petrographic microscope, only to discover that it was not a manufactured substance, but decayed plant life and fecal matter. (The New York Times)

January 9th, 2012

Look into the eyes of a rare ancient African sculpture

If they exist at all, most unglazed clay objects from ancient times are now rubble, mere fragments of their former glory. This terracotta head, at around 2000 years old, is a rare exception. Excavated from a village in Nigeria, this is one of the best-preserved examples of its kind ever discovered. It is a product of the Nok culture that flourished from about 1000 BC to AD 500, when it mysteriously died out, and provides examples of the earliest figurative art in sub-Saharan Africa. (New Scientist)

Shivling, pottery hint at big discovery

Officials of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Ranchi circle, today excavated a stone shivling and a large number of clay utensils near a stupa at Ma Bhadrakali temple, Itkhori, confirming religious confluence and hinting at a well-developed civilisation that flourished around 9th century AD. (The Telegraph, Calcutta, India)

Claim of Maya ruins in Georgia sparks controversy

A claim that the Mayans left stone ruins in the mountains of North Georgia has sparked a controversy. The claim was made by Richard Thornton, an architect, who says he has been studying the history of the native people of southeastern United States. (Digital Journal)

Why all the trash at Pompeii tombs? It was garbage problem

The tombs of Pompeii, the Roman city buried by a volcanic eruption in A.D. 79, had a litter problem. Animal bones, charcoal, broken pottery and architectural material, such as bricks, were found piled inside and outside the tombs where the city's dead were laid to rest. To explain the presence of so much garbage alongside the dead, archaeologists have theorized that 15 years before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, an earthquake left Pompeii in disrepair. (MSNBC.com)

January 8th, 2012

New Early Warning System Spotlights Endangered Archaeological and Cultural Heritage Sites

The Global Heritage Network (GHN), the world's first early warning and site monitoring system dedicated exclusively to endangered cultural heritage sites in developing countries, became operational in March of 2011. Since then, GHN efforts have been joined by hundreds of conservation experts around the world. The Network features updated satellite imagery for 175 of the developing world’s most significant archaeological and cultural heritage sites, including profile information on at least 80 of those sites. The Network has been spotlighted by major media organizations such as National Geographic and USA Today. (Popular-Archaeology)

Cave Paintings from 2,000 Years Ago Found in Central Mexico

Mexican archaeologists found some 3,000 cave paintings, some almost 2,000 years old, in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, the National Anthropology and History Institute, or INAH, said. Sources at the institute said that the discoveries were made between August and October 2011, but were not announced until specialists confirmed their antiquity and completed their analyses. (Latin American Herald Tribune)

San Francisco dig unearths artifacts

The big dig for San Francisco's multibillion dollar transportation terminal has unearthed some artifacts from the city's heady Gold Rush days, including opium pipes from a Chinese laundry and a chipped chamber pot found in a backyard outhouse. The 70 artifacts have city archaeologists eager for more and local residents pondering the ground beneath their feet. (TheEagle.com)

Fresh eye on Ropar Indus Valley site

Pakistan has been the big boy of Indus Valley excavation, Partition having gifted it both Mohenjo-daro and Harappa. India now plans to make the most of what it has been left with. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will dig up a site in Ropar, Punjab, where the remains of that old civilisation were first seen in independent India, in 1953, but where excavations stopped in 1955. (The Telegraph, Calcutta, India)

2,000-year-old relief bust found in Stratonikeia

A 2,000-year-old relief bust of a king was discovered during excavations in ancient Stratonikeia in Muğla's Yatağan district. Dr. Bilal Söğüt, a professor of archeology at Pamukkale University and head of the excavations, told the Anatolia news agency that they found a street in the ancient city which began with a gate and was lined with columns. During their excavations, they also discovered the bust of a king dating back to the Hellenistic period. (TodaysZaman.com)

Archeology: Italy, small Sphinx found in Etruscan tomb

A statue measuring about 50 centimetres and closely resembling the Sphinx of Giza (Egypt) has been found in the archaeological area of Vulci (Montalto di Castro), in the Viterbo province. (www.Ansa.it)

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