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Medieval watercourse unearthed
2006-12-29 06:52:01
Workmen preparing the site of new public toilets have unearthed a 600-year-old sandstone watercourse, believed to have been an important feature of the Shrewsbury Abbey grounds in medieval times.The find was made as contractors broke the ground for the new loos being built in Abbey Foregate.Construction is due to start in the new year, and archaeologists were hired by Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council to keep a watching eye on the development.The existence of a redundant Victorian culvert was known and had been recorded some years ago, and a pair of brick tunnels were duly unearthed.Read the rest of this article...
More About: Earth , Water , Near , Course , Medieval

Shattered clues for solving Greek island's riddle
2006-12-27 18:51:01
Unlike its larger, postcard-perfect neighbors in the Aegean Sea, Keros is a tiny rocky dump inhabited by a single goatherd.But the barren islet was of major importance to the mysterious Cycladic people, a sophisticated pre-Greek civilization with no written language that flourished 4,500 years ago and produced strikingly modern-looking artwork.A few miles from the resorts of Mykonos and Santorini, Keros is a repository of art from the seafaring culture whose flat-faced marble statues inspired the work of 20th century masters Pablo Picasso and Henry Moore.Indeed, more than half of all documented Cycladic figurines in museums and collections worldwide were found on Keros. Now, excavations by a Greek-British archaeology team have unearthed a cache of prehistoric statues -- all deliberately broken -- that they hope will help solve the Keros riddle.Read the rest of this article...
More About: Hat , Island , Land , Clues

EXCAVATING TELEVISION
2006-12-27 18:51:01
Location: Worldwide Length: 10 min.In this personal-voice and very witty short film by University of Southern California student Amy Ramsey, the archaeologist/filmmaker explores what the public knows, and often misconstrues, about her field of study. She interviews people and finds out that they often have inaccurate perceptions about archaeology. She concludes that the media are largely responsible for misleading people about archaeology and urges her audience to be a bit skeptical about archaeology stories they see and hear through media sources.Watch the video...
More About: Television , Tele , Levi , Sion , Visi

Plan to move Viking ships meets opposition
2006-12-27 18:51:01
The University of Oslo has decided to move three grand Viking ships, probably by truck and barge, to a new museum across town, despite dire warnings that the thousand-year-old oak vessels could fall apart en route.A retired curator of the current Viking Ship Museum said that the fragile ships, two of which are nearly 24 meters, or 80 feet, long, were almost equal in archaeological importance to the Pyramids."Even if I have to live till I am 100, I will go on fighting this move," the former curator, Arne Emil Christensen, who is 70, said in an interview. "The best way to stop it is still through diplomacy, but, if necessary, I will be in front of the ships, chained to the floor."The university board of directors voted this month to move the sleek- hulled vessels, over the objections of Christensen and several other scholars, including the former director of the British Museum, David Wilson, and the director of the Center for Maritime Archaeology in Denmark, Ole Crumlin- Pedersen. The...
More About: Ships , King , Move , Plan

Plan to move Viking ships raises dire predictions
2006-12-26 18:50:02
The University of Oslo has decided to move three grand Viking ships, probably by truck and barge, to a new museum across town despite dire claims that the thousand-year-old oak vessels could fall apart en route.A retired curator of Oslo's current Viking Ship Museum said the delicately preserved ships, two of which are nearly 80 feet long, were almost equal in archaeological importance to the pyramids."Even if I have to live till I am 100, I will go on fighting this move," the former curator, Arne Emil Christensen, 70, said in an interview. "The best way to stop it is still through diplomacy, but, if necessary, I will be in front of the ships, chained to the floor."The university's board of directors voted, 8-3, this month to move the sleek-hulled vessels over the objections of Christensen and several other Viking Age scholars, including the former director of the British Museum, David Wilson, and the director of Denmark's Center for Maritime Archaeology, Ole Crumlin-Pedersen. The...
More About: Predictions , Ships , King , Move , Plan

Huge wind farm may threat Hebridean archaeology
2006-12-26 18:50:02
The company behind the UK's largest onshore wind farm project, proposed for the Hebridean island of Lewis (Outer Hebrides, Scotland), has unveiled revised plans for the scheme. The reworked proposal comprises 181 wind turbines compared with the 234 which were originally planned. While the overall number of turbines has been reduced, the impact on the archaeology of Lewis may be catastrophic. The real problem is not just that the archaeology of Lewis is practically unknown, but the whole of the interior of the island is covered by raised peat bog that can be several metres thick. This was formed since the Bronze age (Callanish before it was excavated was a few stones sticking up through over a metre of bog). So there is likely to be a whole buried prehistoric landscape below the peat, but it is very difficult to detect. Numerous stone circles, burial mounds and cemeteries, settlements and houses, burnt mounds, fields and field boundaries can all be expected. This could be poten...
More About: Archaeology , Wind , Ride , Bride , Idea

Avebury tourist office to close in 2007
2006-12-26 18:50:02
Kennet District Council is to close its tourist office at its World Heritage site at Avebury (Wiltshire, England). Despite the ancient stone circle attracting huge numbers of visitors every year the council wants its tourist office to close in October. Members of the community development executive were given a report at their November meeting outlining options for the future of Avebury Tour ist Information Centre. They agreed to close the TIC, which is based in the Chapel, with effect from October 31, 2007 subject to the satisfactory resolution of legal and staffing issues. The process of negotiation and consultation has now started.Read the rest of this article...
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Rome's ancient treasures inspire a new generation
2006-12-26 18:50:02
ROME: Of all the old sayings about the Eternal City at least one remains simply true ? dig a deep hole almost anywhere here, and you'll unearth an archaeological artifact, or two.Yet a wave of public and private building projects is suddenly focusing unusual attention on Rome 's rich subterranean world as one treasure after another emerges at a steady clip."We're walking on the world's largest untapped underground museum," said Maria Antonietta Tomei, a government official responsible for coordinating archaeological digs in Rome.During the last week, reports surfaced that 800 coins from the fourth and fifth centuries B.C. had been unearthed during the reconstruction of a movie theater near the Trevi Fountain.Read the rest of this article...
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Heathrow: Iron Age roundhouse (photo)
2006-12-23 06:47:01
Terminal 5, Heat hrow, has been one of the biggest construction projects in the world. Excavations by Framework Archaeology, in advance of the construction works, have uncovered almost 9,000 years of history.The land the new Terminal is being built on was previously a sewage sludge works. The divisions on this photograph mark the drying beds of the sludge works.Archaeologists have excavated the ditch around an Iron Age roundhouse, which was dug to drain the water running off the roof. Yet another excellent photo from Wessex Archaeology!View the photo...
More About: Photo , House , Throw , Round

Wooden bowl from a Bronze Age waterhole (Photo)
2006-12-23 06:47:01
Terminal 5, Heathrow, has been one of the biggest construction projects in the world. Excavations by Framework Archaeology, in advance of the construction works, have uncovered almost 9,000 years of history.It is rare for wooden objects to survive from the Bron ze Age (c.2400-700 BC). This wooden bowl survived because it was kept damp, in a waterhole. An excellent photo from Wessex Archaeology.View the photo...
More About: Photo , Wood , Water

Stonehenge ceremonies start early
2006-12-23 06:47:01
Some had turned up in flowing robes while others were wearing lovingly-crafted winter solstice wreaths decorated with berries and ivy.The problem for the assorted pagans, druids and pantheists who arrived at Stone henge yesterday morning to celebrate the winter solstice was that they had arrived a day early.Around 60 people had gathered at the stone circle, cloaked in frost and fog, to celebrate what they believed was the winter solstice. The staff who guard the precious monument in Wiltshire explained they were 24 hours early.Read the rest of this article...
More About: Start , Star , Stonehenge , Early

4800-Year-Old Artificial Eyeball (Photos)
2006-12-23 06:47:01
Archaeologists in Burnt City announced unprecedented discovery of an artificial eyeball, dated to 4800 years ago, in this historic site.Announcing this news, director of Burnt City archaeology excavation team, Mansur Sajadi, said that this eyeball belongs to a sturdy woman who was between 25 to 30 years of age at the time of death. Skeletal remains of the woman were found in grave number 6705 of Burnt City's cemetery.Regarding the material used to make this artificial eyeball, Sajadi said: "The material this artificial eyeball is made of has not yet been determined and will be assessed through later testing. However, at first glance it seems natural tar mixed with animal fat has been used in making it."Read the rest of this article...
More About: Photo , Photos , Eyeball , Ball , Year

Researchers identify a 'heartbeat' in Earth's climate
2006-12-23 06:47:01
A few years ago, an international team of researchers went to the middle of the Pacific Ocean and drilled down five kilometers below sea level in an effort to uncover secrets about the earth's climate history. They exceeded their expectations and have published their findings in the Dec. 22 edition of the journal Science. The researchers' drilling produced pristine samples of marine microfossils, otherwise known as foraminifera. Analysis of the carbonate shells of these microfossils, which are between 23 million to 34 million years-old, has revealed that the Earth 's climate and the formation and recession of glaciation events in the Earth's history have corresponded with variations in the earth's natural orbital patterns and carbon cycles. The researchers were particularly interested in these microfossils because they came from the Oligocene epoch, a time in Earth's history known for falling temperatures. "The continuity and length of the data series we gathered and analyzed a...
More About: Research , Climate , Search , Hear

HYMS researchers focus on human evolution
2006-12-23 06:47:01
A Hull York Medical School (HYMS) researcher has played a key role in a study which has cast important new light on Neanderthals.Dr Markus Bastir was part of an Anglo-Spanish team which studied 43,000-year-old Neanderthal remains at El Sidrón in Spain, revealing significant physical differences between those from northern and southern Europe.Dr Bastir, who was based in the functional morphology and evolution research unit of HYMS (fme) for the last two years, analysed the mandibles of Neanderthals discovered at El Sidrón. The analysis revealed north?south variations, with southern European Neanderthals showing broader faces with increased lower facial heights. The research findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).Read the rest of this article...
More About: Evolution , Research , Human , Search , Cher

Newgrange: Photos of the winter solstice 2006
2006-12-23 06:47:01
Photos by Michael Fox.See the photos here...
More About: Photo , Photos , Winter , Inter , Range

ARTEFACTS FUND NEARS ITS TARGET
2006-12-22 06:46:02
The Corinium museum is now just £1,800 short of saving a hoard of historic gold.After receiving a £5,000 boost from the Arts Fun d, the Cirencester landmark now has £18,200.They need £20,000 to keep a Bronze Age treasure dating back to 1150BC.They were found by metal detector enthusiast Steve Taylor in a field in 2004 and are currently on display in the Cotswold museum.But the museum needs to raise funds to buy the 59 artefacts, and stop them leaving Cirencester.Read the rest of this article...
More About: Facts , Arte , Fact , Near

Ancient and modern could bring conflict of interests on Holy
2006-12-22 06:46:02
ARCHAEOLOGICAL finds dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period and possibly even earlier could shed new light on the history of Holy Island.A possible Anglo Saxon timber structure, medieval houses and significant quantities of animal bone and pottery have been found.However, the discoveries could prove a major stumbling block to plans for a much needed affordable housing scheme on Holy Island.It is only a few weeks since Holy Island Community Development Trust submitted plans for a £500,000 development to create four much needed affordable homes at Sandham Lane.Dick Patterson, Trust chairman, admitted: "It's given us a bit of a headache but we knew there was always a good chance there would be finds of archaeological interest on a place like Holy Island."Read the rest of this article...
More About: Inter , Conflict , Ring , Interests , Interest

Viking longships plan perilous trip to new museum
2006-12-22 06:46:02
Viking longships ruled the seas 1,000 years ago and even crossed the Atlantic and now three of them may face a new perilous trip -- albeit just 6 km (4 miles) across Oslo.Oslo University, which looks after them, wants to move the ancient wooden vessels from the Viking Ship Muse um on the edge of the Norwegian capital to a new city-centre museum for all Viking artefacts.Click to learn more...But Wednesday's vote for the move by the university board sparked disputes on Thursday about whether or not they were strong enough to survive or would splinter apart on the way."We shouldn't just look at the troubles ... we could make the best Viking ship museum in the world" by moving the ships, Egil Mikkelsen, director of the Viking Ship Museum, told Reuters.Read the rest of this article...
More About: Ships , Trip , King

Anglo-Saxon finds in church work
2006-12-22 06:46:02
An ancient church in East Sussex has been found to be 100 years older than was thought after restoration work uncovered hidden windows and paintings.The original construction of St Andrew's Church , at Bishopstone, near Seaford, is now being dated back as far as the late 7th Century.A four-year project costing £115,000 gave the church its first major restoration since the 1840s.Anglo-Saxon finds were made when old plaster was removed from the walls.Read the rest of this article...
More About: Work , Find

Nero's Golden Palace to reopen Jan. 30
2006-12-22 06:46:02
Rome's famous tourist attraction to partially open in midst of restorationNero 's Gold en Pala ce will be partially reopened to tourists in January, even while archaeologists and restorers keep working to shore up the ancient imperial residence which had been in danger of collapsing because of heavy rains.Starting Jan. 30, small groups will be allowed to visit about half of the sections that were open before rainwater infiltrated the building a year ago, damaging frescoes and raising safety concerns, officials said during a tour on Tuesday.Restoration of the 1st century palace will continue during the tours and special scaffolding has been set up to protect visitors from any falling debris.Read the rest of this article...
More About: Open

Archaeological Summer Schools and Training Excavations
2006-12-22 06:46:02
The New Year is a time when many people start to think about plans for the summer, including archaeological summer schools and training excavations.It seemed a good idea, therefore, to put a list of useful links to help you with your choice.You can find the list at: www.archaeology.eu.com/schools.htmlIf you know of summer schools and training excavations that do not yet appear on the list, please send details to: Archaeology in Europe
More About: Summer , Schools , Training , School , Rain

Nero's palace in Rome to reopen after safety scare
2006-12-22 06:46:02
The palace of Nero, one of Rome 's most popular tourist sites, will partly reopen to the public in January after being closed for more than a year for emergency repairs, officials said.The Domus Aurea, or House of Gold, had attracted an average of 1,000 visitors every day until water leaks last December stoked fears that the nearly 2,000-year-old palace might collapse.Italy's government and the city of Rome have earmarked more than 4 million euros ($5.27 million) for the repairs, which officials described on Tuesday as part of a broader initiative to rescue the city's eroding archaeological sites."The Domus Aurea is the crown jewel of a more important (restoration) job we're doing," said Rome mayor Walter Veltroni.Read the rest of this article...
More About: Safety , Open , Care , Palace

ARCHAEOLOGISTS PRESERVE AND RECORD STONE MINES BENEATH BATH
2006-12-22 06:46:02
Combe Down Stone Mine s near Bath are being stabilised and recorded as part of a long running programme by Oxford Archaeology.The mines, situated about two kilometres south of the city of Bath, were extensively quarried for the highly sought after Bath limestone between 1730 and 1860 and did not cease operations until the early years of the 20th century. The high quality stone was used not only for buildings in Bath but also in the construction of prestigious buildings such as Buckingham Palace.Working in tandem with Hydrock, the structural engineering company who are stabilising the site, Oxford Archaeology hope to assess the significance of the deposits and provide advice upon their preservation and recording.Ianto Wain, Project Manager of the site says, ?We have to be reactive so we have a permanent archaeologist who goes down with the engineers to record the deposits they encounter."Read the rest of this article...
More About: Bene , Record

Vikings to invade Ireland
2006-12-22 06:46:02
The Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde has reconstructed a long ship from the Viking age to undertake a voyage to Dublin, Ireland An exact reconstruction of a Viking ship from the 11th century will be launched in 2007 on a historic journey from Roskilde to Dublin and back.Ship owner Carsten Brebøl's non-profit foundation has donated DKK 2 million to the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde to support the project. The new ship has been dubbed The Sea Stallion.The original ship, Skulderlev 2, was built in Dublin in 1042 and found at the bottom of Roskilde Fiord in 1962. Since then the ship has been on display at the Viking Ship Museum.The Sea Stallion, named one of twelve representatives of outstanding Danish design and craftsmanship in the Cultural Canon by the Ministry of Culture, has been built at the Viking Ship Museum Boat yard using the methods, materials and tools of the Viking Age. The boat has a length of 30 meters, a 3.8 meter width and a total of 60 oars. It can hold a crew of up to...
More About: Land , King , Invade , Kings

How a manuscript found in an Irish peat bog was saved
2006-12-22 06:46:02
An astonishing discovery in an Iris h bog is posing an unusual conservation challenge. A chance find by a peat cutter last summer in County Tipperary, southern Ireland, turned out to be a psalter, which has been dated to around 800 AD. The discovery has been described as the Irish equivalent of the Dead Sea Scrolls.National Museum of Ireland conservator Rolly Read and his team are now stabilising the compacted vellum mass. The difficult issue is how to separate the pages, preserving as much as possible of the ancient text. Read the rest of this article...
More About: Script , Save , Manu

Bone fragment likely not Joan of Arc
2006-12-19 06:44:01
CHINON, France - A rib bone and a piece of cloth supposedly recovered after Joan of Arc was burned at the stake are probably not hers, according to experts trying to unravel one of the mysteries surrounding the 15th century French heroine.Eighteen experts began a series of tests six months ago on the fragments reportedly recovered from the pyre where the 19-year-old was burned for heresy.Although the tests have not been completed, findings so far indicate there is "relatively little chance" that the remnants are hers, Philippe Charlier, the head of the team, told The Associated Press on Saturday.The fragment of linen from the 15th century "wasn't burned. It was dyed," Charlier said. And a blackened substance around the 6-inch rib bone was not "carbonized remains" but vegetable and mineral debris, "something that rather resembles embalming substance," he said.Read the rest of this article...
More About: Men , Like , Bone , Fragment

Humans Migrated Out of Africa, Then Some Went Back, Study Sa
2006-12-19 06:44:01
Humans first moved out of Africa about 70,000 years ago, but 30,000 years later some of them moved back.That's according to a new study based on DNA evidence from ancient human remains found in Africa.The study shows that a small group of early humans returned to Africa after migrating to the Middle East.In addition, the research suggests that the humans' return occurred around the same time that another group of humans left the Middle East and moved into Europe. Read the rest of this article...
More About: Study , Human , Back , Uman

Illicit artefacts sold as eBay turns blind eye
2006-12-19 06:44:01
Roman and Anglo-Saxon jewellery and other artefacts are still being sold illegally on eBay, despite the website?s promise to clamp down on the trade. The British Museum has told The Times that it is alarmed at the number of sellers offering gold and silver that has apparently been found on British soil but has not been reported. The Treasure Act 1996 requires the reporting of all gold and silver objects more than 300 years old, and groups of coins that are more than 300 years old and found on the same site. Read the rest of this article...
More About: Facts , Arte , Ebay , Fact , Blind

Visualising the past in 3D: The River Arun
2006-12-19 06:44:01
Archaeologists at Wessex Archaeology have completed a 3D animation that reveals a prehistoric landscape, now submerged under the English Channel, as it might have appeared 8000 years ago. At the end of the last ice age the River Arun in West Sussex flowed a further 8 miles out. Archaeological survey has revealed the lay of the land, and what plants and trees grew there. The complex evidence has been turned into a compelling animated tour showing how the landscape might have looked and how families made a living from the land and the sea. The Seabed Prehistory project was established to research ways of identifying evidence of prehistoric landscapes in and around aggregate dredging areas. This dredging provides many of the raw materials, such as gravel, needed for the buildings industry. The project was designed to see if equipment that is commonly used by the offshore industry could also identify archaeological remains. It was an opportunity for archaeologists and the aggreg...
More About: Visual , Past , Sing

Protecting ancient Welsh forts from modern invasion
2006-12-19 06:44:01
Ancient Welsh people from the Iron Age were defended by forts, often built on cliff-top promontories for extra security. The very reasons they chose these locations create problems today with the narrow strips of land being eroded on both sides by the sea. A partnership between the National Trust and Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority is helping to ensure that these important monuments remain safely accessible to interested visitors, while making sure they are protected from the impact of pounding feet. At Longhouse, a promontory fort between St Davids and Fishguard, the path has been routed away from eroding cliffs. The new footpath will also help protect the fort's ramparts. Similar concerns led to work at Porth y Rhaw where footpaths crossed the ramparts and ran along crumbling clifftops. Emma Plunkett Dillon, archaeologist for the National Trust, said, "We know that features like Porth y Rhaw are very popular but unfortunately such historic landmarks can't wit...
More About: Forts , Modern , Invasion , Sion