Archaeology News for the Week of September 25th, 2011
October 1, 2011
Tay Son dynasty coin unearthed
The Viet Nam Institute of Archaeology has announced new discoveries unearthed during the recent excavation of Thoai Ngoc Hau and his wives' tombs, including a coin dating back to the Tay Son dynasty (1778-1802). (Viet Nam News) (Photo courtesy of Pham Huu Cong)
‘Dumb’ Neanderthals Likely Had a Smart Diet
Instead of Neanderthals being dim-witted hunters who only dined on big game, new findings suggest they had more balanced diets, with broad menus that may have included birds, fish and plants. (Live Science)
Burial site believed linked to Vikings is centuries older
A medieval burial ground discovered earlier this year in Rush, Co Dublin, is several hundred years older than it was originally thought to be. (irishtimes.com)
Old Hampton taverns served the elite
Sifting through thousands of artifacts from a 1989-90 excavation — then comparing them with household inventories from the mid-1700s — he's discovered that the taverns and their clientele were very high-style indeed. (dailypress.com)
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September 30th, 2011
Stone-age toddlers had art lessons, study says
Research on Dordogne cave art shows children learned to finger-paint in palaeolithic age, approximately 13,000 years ago (The Guardian) (Photograph: University of Cambridge/PA)
Excavation in Camelon reveals hidden Roman past
Archaeologists have uncovered precious Roman artefacts in what is described as the most important find locally for generations.
Specialists say they have found evidence of at least two Roman forts dating back to the first and second centuries AD. (The Falkirk Herald)
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September 29th, 2011
Oldest Monumental Center in the World Attracts New Conservation Efforts
The 11,000-year-old Early Neolithic site of Göbekli Tepe is now an object of new conservationist efforts, even while archaeological excavations and research continues. (Popular Archaeology)
Nearly 7,000-year-old city unearthed
Archaeologists announced the discovery of an ancient settlement on the shores of the Dardanelles yesterday, estimating that the recently unearthed ruins may be roughly 7,000 years old. (Today’s Zaman)
New Archaeological Find Discovered: Holy Trinity "Lie" Uncovered
An unprecedented new discovery—which some predict will "devastate" Christianity in the years to come—seems to show that the "Holy Trinity" of “God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit” is nothing more than a pale echo of an ancient and very powerful "Three-in-One" religion once common throughout Europe. (PRWeb)
Pre-Incan human sacrifices unearthed in Peru
Peruvian archaeologists have found evidence that a pre-Incan civilization, the Chimu of northern Peru, practised human and animal sacrifices.
The remains of 40 children and 74 llamas, sacrificed around 800 years ago, were found in the village of Huanchaquito. (BBC News)
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September 28th, 2011
Mexican archaeologists find human footprints in Chihuahua that may be 25,000 years old
Five footprints from human feet, calculated to be between 4,500 and 25,000 years old, were discovered in the Sierra Tarahumara, in Chihuahua. Specialists said that the foot prints could belong to the first men who lived in this region that is today known as northern Mexico. (artdaily.org)
Jordan recovers 620 artifacts from Israel
The Jordanian authorities have recovered 620 artifacts from Israel through US mediation after 44 years of captivity, a senior official announced Tuesday. (Arab News)
Lost ‘Great Escape’ tunnel found at twin town Zagan
The discovery of a missing tunnel at Stalag Luft II, on the outskirts of Zagan, the Polish twin town of Duns, has solved a mystery which dates back to 1945. (Berwickshire News)
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September 27th, 2011
Revisiting the Chauvet CaveFor a seasoned spelunker like Jean-Marie Chauvet, a December day in 1994 held one of the defining moments of his life. Following a tell-tale warm draft of air deep inside a cave, he and his team mates dug until they were able to open a narrow hole, just large enough through which to crawl. They each in turn squeezed through, then crawled a few feet through a natural passage and dropped down about 30 feet by ladder to a new, soft earthen floor. They scanned the area with their flashlights. What they saw left them, for a moment, speechless. "I kept thinking," recounted Chauvet, "We're dreaming. We're dreaming." (Popular Archaeology)
These are the 800 year old remains of what archaeologists believe was a witch from the Middle Ages after seven nails were found driven through her jaw bone. (Daily Mail)
Study seeks reasons for switch to farming
Archaeologists say research on islands around Britain could provide clues to why people gave up being hunter-gatherers and turned to farming 6,000 years ago.
The researchers say they hope to settle a long-running debate about whether the change -- around 4,000 B.C. -- was due to colonists moving into Britain from mainland Europe or whether the indigenous population gradually adopted the new agricultural lifestyle themselves, The Independent reported. (UPI.com)
Mayan film documentary claims proof of aliens
In a release to TheWrap, Luis Augusto Garcia Rosado, the minister of tourism for the Mexican state of Campeche, said new evidence has emerged "of contact between the Mayans and extraterrestrials, supported by translations of certain codices, which the government has kept secure in underground vaults for some time." (WHNT News)
NM national monument reopens archaeological sites
The prehistoric Native American archaeological sites that fill the heart of northern New Mexico's Bandelier National Monument have reopened to visitors, three months after the largest wildfire in the state's recorded history sent employees scrambling to save rare artifacts and irreplaceable artwork. (CBS News)
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September 25th, 2011
Jobless Bulgarian stumbles across ancient treasure worth $2 million
A jobless Bulgarian man scraping a living by hunting for scrap metal has uncovered a haul of Bronze Age treasure worth 1.5 million euros, about $2 million. (The Daily Star)
Archaeologists dig at historic Saratoga battlefield; artifacts sought ahead of PCB dredging
Archaeologists are digging for artifacts in a battle-scarred and history-rich stretch of the upper Hudson River where thousands of Europeans, Americans and Native Americans fought and died during more than a century of sporadic warfare, culminating in the Americans' defeat of the British at Saratoga. (The Republic)
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Experience where fiction meets fact at the exciting new exhibition, Indiana Jones and the Adventure of Archaeology, beginning April 28, 2011 at the Montreal Science Center. This will be like an amusement park of learning for the whole family, with a rare collection of artifacts on loan from the National Geographic Society and the Penn Museum.
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Researched and written by Spanish colonial coin expert Carol Tedesco, the succinct, 40 page Treasure Coins of the Nuestra Senora de Atocha and the Santa Margarita answers all the most frequently asked questions about the fascinating and “most coveted and widely traded money on earth,” including what the coins look like when first discovered, the meanings of the various markings, how they are cleaned, conserved and graded, what they were worth in the 17th century, and the most up-to-date information on the names and periods of office of the men who made them. To order, see www.lostgalleons.com.
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