WreckMap Britain 2006

Following a successful pilot scheme in 2005 the NAS will be running WreckMap Britain 2006 with the support of Seasearch, Crown Estates, PADI Project Aware and the British Sub-Aqua Jubilee Trust. Visit the NAS stand at LIDS (1st-2nd April 2006).

We hope to encourage as many of the 100,000 active divers in the UK as possible to participate as a part of their normal diving activities - just take a recording slate with you when you do a planned dive on a wreck site, record what you see and then report it back to us.

We are not expecting you to attempt a detailed and accurate survey during your dive. Rather, we would like you to record some basic, but specific, information about what you see and to make a simple, "swim-over" or profile sketch of the dive site (see example). A special Wreckmap Britain recording form has been prepared to assist you in recording the desired information.

Go to the website...

Festival of History

English Heritage's big summer event, the Festival of History, takes places 12th/13th August at Kelmarsh Hall, Northamptonshire and last year was attended by over 17,000 people.

Please see http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/festivalofhistory/ for further details.

"This is an action-packed, fun and quality weekend, with the highlight event this year being a WW1 aerobatic display of dog fights in the skies above. We are also hosting a round of the Knights’ Tournament (www.english-heritage.org.uk/knights), a fast-pace competition which has been a big hit with the crowds at the two weekends already played this year. As well as these spectaculars, there will be a wide range of activities for children and families, with battle re-enactments, living history, music and dance, and Terry Jones heads up our celebrity lecture programme."

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Scottish Archaeology Month

Scottish Archaeology Month is an annual event whcih happens every September in Scotland, and is broadly similar to National Archaeology Week in England.

This year there will be 300 events happening all accross Scotland. The link for this is 'scottisharchaeologymonth.com'.

The 2006 Events Guide will appear on the above website.

Go to the Council for Scottish Archaeology's homepage...

Early signs of elephant butchers

Bones and tusks dating back 400,000 years are the earliest signs in Britain of ancient humans butchering elephants for meat, say archaeologists.

Remains of a single adult elephant surrounded by stone tools were found in northwest Kent during work on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.

Scientists believe hunters used the tools to cut off the meat, after killing the animal with wooden spears.

The find is described in the Journal of Quaternary Science.

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Historic church in line for £500,000 restoration

A MINSTER in Yorkshire which dates from the 13th century is in line for £500,000 of restoration work.

The scheme to repair decaying stonework, rotting woodwork and a badly damaged roof at Howden Minster has been welcomed by the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu.
English Heritage will cover more than half of the £522,000 estimated cost, but the minster's finances will be exhausted by funding the balance.

The minster's Parochial Church Council has agreed to carry out work recommended by English Heritage that entails the restoration of the pinnacles and stonework of the west front.

Investigations into other parts of the building will establish priorities for the next phases of restoration

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Rare finds unearthed in city dig

A 13th Century well house and the stock of a wartime chemist's shop are among artefacts unearthed as part of an archaeological dig in Southampton.

The discoveries were made during a seven-month excavation at the French Quarter site in the city centre.

The dig has been carried out as part of plans to redevelop the area into flats, shops and offices.

Finds dating back 1,000 years to late Saxon times and rare pottery imports were also found, developers said.

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More on Bosnian "Pyramids"

In "Bosnian 'Pyramids' Update," which was posted on June 14, 2006, I commented on the news stories concerning geologist Aly Abd Alla Barakat, who was said to be from the Egyptian Mineral Resource Authority. According to the stories, Barakat declared that the hill was indeed a pyramid, though a "primitive" one. Was Barakat there officially? What was his expertise? The news stories said that he was "sent by Cairo" (Reuters, June 5) and that he was an "expert in pyramids" (Deutsche Presse-Agentur, June 2). Barakat, we were told, had sent his report to Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, who had "recommended him to the foundation leading the excavation work" (Agence France-Presse, June 12). Taking it all together, you might believe that Barakat had been dispatched by Dr. Hawass. Could that be true?

Unable to confirm any of this, I asked Dr. Hawass directly. Concerning Barakat, he states: "Mr. Barakat, the Egyptian geologist working with Mr. Osmanagic, knows nothing about Egyptian pyramids. He was not sent by the SCA, and we do not support or concur with his statements." The supposed pyramid, Dr. Hawass says, is "evidently a natural geologic formation" and that "Apart from its general outline, this hill bears absolutely no resemblance to the Egyptian pyramids." He concludes that, "Mr. Osmanic's theories are purely hallucinations on his part, with no scientific backing."

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Out of Africa--with Worms

The latest tapeworm research suggests a time frame for human migration out of Africa, and also reveals that people gave the parasite to domestic animals such as pigs--not the other way around.

According to Eric P. Hoberg, a zoologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and his colleagues, tapeworms probably jumped from predators to humans between 2 and 2.5 million years ago, when hominids inhabited savannah environments in sub-Saharan Africa and were likely hunting or scavenging the same prey favored by hyenas and lions. Of the three tapeworms that infect people today, the researchers linked one, Taenia solium, most closely to a species that uses hyenas and African hunting dogs as its hosts. The other two, T. saginata and T. asiatica, are linked most closely to a species with lions as its host. Because T. solium and the pair T. saginata/T. asiatica are only distantly related, it appears that two tapeworms independently made the jump to hominids: the ancestor of T. solium, and a single parent species of both T. saginata and T. asiatica.

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Humans Gave Big Cats Ulcers

Early humans living in Africa's open savannahs probably made easy pickings for large predatory cats, but a new study suggests that at least one of the meals didn't sit well.
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A large cat dining on the entrails of one our early ancestors thousands of years ago contracted an ulcer-causing bacteria that spread to lions, cheetahs and tigers and which persists to this day, a new study concludes.

The strange finding will be detailed in an upcoming issue of the journal PLoS Genetics.

Too similar

Helicobacter pylori are bacteria that cause chronic stomach pains and ulcers in humans. Other animals, including non-human primates, are infected by other Helicobacter species that are only distantly related to H. pylori. The one exception is H. acinonychis, a microbe that infects large felines such as lions, tigers and cheetahs.

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FSU Etruscan expert announces historic discovery at ancient site

Digging on a remote hilltop in Italy, a Florida State University classics professor and her students have unearthed artifacts that dramatically reshape our knowledge of the religious practices of an ancient people, the Etruscans.

"We are excavating a monumental Etruscan building evidently dating to the final years of Etruscan civilization," said Nancy Thomson de Grummond, the M. Lynette Thompson Professor of Classics at FSU and director of the university's archaeology programs in Italy. Within the building, de Grummond's team located in early June what appears to be a sacrificial pit and a sanctuary -- finds remarkable for the wealth of items they are yielding that appear to have been used in religious rituals.

Nearly every summer since 1983, de Grummond has taken groups of FSU students into Italy's Tuscany region to participate in archaeological digs at Cetamura del Chianti, a site once inhabited by the Etruscans and ancient Romans. In the final days of this year's program, de Grummond and her students unearthed what she calls "the most thrilling" find she has seen in 23 years at Cetamura.

She explained that the Etruscans, who once ruled most of the Italian peninsula, were conquered and absorbed by the Romans in the second and first centuries B.C.E. ("Before the Common Era"). Prior to that time, however, they were a highly advanced civilization that constructed roads, buildings and sewer systems and developed the first true cities in Europe. They also built large, complex religious sanctuaries -- which may have been the purpose served, in part, by the Cetamura structure.

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European man 'worked on terracotta army tomb'

Archaeologists have unearthed evidence that a foreign worker helped build the terracotta army mausoleum, the resting place of China's first emperor, who died more than 2,200 years ago.

The remains of the worker, described as a European man in his 20s, were among 121 shattered skeletons in a labourers' tomb 500 metres from the mausoleum in the north-western city of Xian, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.

According to Xinhua, the man may be "China's first foreign worker", though it is unclear whether he was an employee or a slave of emperor Qin Shi Huang.

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Ancient Brazilian tribes 'charted the heavens'

Did the early indigenous peoples of the rainforest look to the stars to measure time and mark the passage of the seasons? Archaeologists believe they did.

This photograph shows what is being called the tropical Stonehenge, a grouping of 127 granite blocks, each 10ft high and spaced at regular intervals around a grassy hilltop in northern Brazil. On the winter solstice, 21 December, the shadow of one of the blocks disappears, leading experts to believe the formation was used as a calendar.

"Only a society with a complex culture could have built such a monument," said Mariana Petry Cabral, of the Amapa Institute of Scientific and Technological Research.

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France's Cluny Abbey restored

Cluny, France - Visitors to Cluny Abbey can now get a glimpse of life there 1 000 years ago thanks to a virtual tour of the church, once the biggest in Christendom, which was 90 percent destroyed some two centuries ago.

The 3-D tour is part of a major €20-million restoration project for the Benedictine abbey which in 2010 will celebrate its 1 100 birthday.

"People come here today to visit a ruined church and it is obviously out of the question that it should be rebuilt," said Jean-Paul Ciret, head of cultural development at France's national monuments body, Monum.

"So in order to make the monument more intelligible to people and to see what no longer exists we have turned to new technology."

Founded in 910, the church in central-eastern France was a major place of pilgrimage with the monastery becoming the most influential and prestigious in Europe from the 10th to 12th centuries.

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Did ancient Amazonians build a 'Stonehenge'?

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) -- A grouping of granite blocks along a grassy Amazon hilltop may be the vestiges of a centuries-old astronomical observatory -- a find archaeologists say indicates early rain forest inhabitants were more sophisticated than previously believed.

The 127 blocks, some as high as 9 feet, are spaced at regular intervals around the hill, like a crown 100 feet in diameter.

On the shortest day of the year -- December 21 -- the shadow of one of the blocks disappears when the sun is directly above it.

"It is this block's alignment with the winter solstice that leads us to believe the site was once an astronomical observatory," said Mariana Petry Cabral, an archaeologist at the Amapa State Scientific and Technical Research Institute.

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Historic brick castle is restored

A historic Leicestershire landmark has been restored in a project costing almost £500,000.

English Heritage brought in a firm of specialist conservation contractors to save Kirby Muxloe castle. It will re-open to the public on 1 July.

It has taken two years to restore the castle's brickwork and moat bridge.

Parts of the castle were built in 1480 for Lord Hastings. It was one of the earliest examples of the use of bricks in this country.

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'Tropical Stonehenge' found in Amazon

A Stonehenge-like grouping of granite blocks along a Brazilian Amazon hilltop may be the remains of a centuries-old astronomical observatory, experts say.

Archaeologists say the find indicates early rainforest inhabitants were more sophisticated than previously believed.

The 127 blocks, some as high as 9ft, are spaced at regular intervals around the hill, like a crown 100 feet in diameter.

On the shortest day of the year - December 21 - the shadow of one of the blocks disappears when the sun is directly above it.

'It is this block's alignment with the winter solstice that leads us to believe the site was once an astronomical observatory,' said Mariana Petry Cabral, an archaeologist at the Amapa State Scientific and Technical Research Institute.

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Iron Age farm to give up its secrets

The remains of an Iron Age farm are expected to give up more of their secrets during an annual Norfolk dig which gets underway next month.

The first serious excavation of the site was carried out last summer, uncovering ditches and a paved yard which could have been used to keep cattle.

Now it is set to become one of the focal points of the Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project's 2006 season, which starts on Sunday, July 9.

SHARP was launched in 1996 with the aim of building up a complete history of Sedgeford, near Hunstanton, and attracts volunteer archaeologists from around the world.

So far the summer explorations have unearthed more than 270 skeletons from a Saxon cemetery, a horde of Iron Age coins and the long-lost end of a torc, as well as numerous other artefacts.

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Digging deep into Caithness' past

Seven archaeology projects will be run across Caithness this summer to investigate its Neolithic, Iron Age and war-time history.

Experts will investigate the area's ancient cairns, brochs, crannogs, castles and shipwrecks.

With the help of local divers, they also hope to solve the mystery sinking of a World War I German warship.

There will be nothing of this scale anywhere else in the UK running at the same time this year.

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Replica of 3,300-year-old shipwreck arrives in Bodrum

The Uluburun II, which is on display in Bodrum, started to be built in 2004 using late Bronze Age techniques and set sail in 2005

A replica of the oldest known shipwreck, Uluburun II, built by the 360 Degree Historical Research Association in Urla, İzmir, arrived in Bodrum on Monday for display as part of activities marking the 80th anniversary of Cabotage Day.

Previously the ship had anchored in Istanbul, Marmaris, Cyprus and Kaş readying for the Cabotage Day celebrations, a maritime festival that commemorates the establishment of Turkey's sea borders and celebrated annually on July 1, reported the Anatolia news agency.

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Rocca Montis Dragonis Field School

The Museo Civico Archeologico di Mondragone and Libera Università Umanitaria Euromediterranea are pleased to announce the next session of the Rocca Montis Dragonis Field School. The project is lead by Dr. Luigi Crimaco, who is the Director of the Museo Civio di Mondragone and currently, Dr. Crimaco is the Administrator of the Soprintendenza Archeologica di Pompei.

The project centers a castle(la Rocca) and principal residential building
patterns of the second century B.C. and the second century A.D., which we
find in the surrounding of the now modern town of Mondragone, situated on
top of Mount Petrino.

Find Project details here...

Key archeological find at Bulgaria's Veliko Turnovo

A gold Thracian breastplate found near the village of Golemanite, Veliko Turnovo municipality, has proven pivotal to the re-construction of the Thracian Calendar. Using a mathematical model, Ventseslav Tsonev of the Regional Historical Museum in Veliko Turnovo presented his findings at a conference on Treasures and Sacred Typography, held recently in Sliven.

“In the Thracians’ calendar, there are three seasons and 60 main holidays. A year consisted of 12 months with 360 days, five days being added to the last month every year.” As there are no written records dealing with the Thracians’ concept of time, the reconstruction of the calendar was done on the basis of the symbols on the metal plates worn by the Thracians. Tsonev has studied seven out of 40 Thracian breastplates found in Bulgaria. Particular attention has been paid to a gold breastplate found near Golemanite. The inscriptions on these breastplates consist mainly of serpents, geometrical figures and lines. Studies have indicated that the number of serpents and lines are fixed to correspond to the numbers considered to be holy by the Thracians. According to Tsonev, the Thracians’ calendar resembles very closely the one used by Egyptians for thousands of years. In the main, knowledge of the Thracians has tended to rely solely upon ancient Greek depictions of them as a savage, tribal society that had no politics and no alphabet of its own.

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Fears over historic wall erosion

A heritage expert has warned that increasing numbers of visitors to Hadrian's Wall may be damaging the historic site.

Walkers have flocked to the Roman wall, which spans the north of England from Tyneside to Cumbria, many attracted by the 84-mile (135km) National Trail.

But Prof Peter Fowler, a United Nations World Heritage Advisor, said not enough was being done to protect the wall.

National Trails has argued it is doing all it can to prevent erosion.

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Why the Romans built a road to nowhere

The Romans were a methodical people, not given to acts of folly - so why did they apparently build a road to nowhere? Known as the Peddars Way, it is a typically straight track marching from near Thetford directly through the heart of west Norfolk until it peters out at an isolated coastal spot at Holme, and is now favoured by walkers and cyclists.

But just what its original purpose was when it was built around 2,000 years ago is a question that has long perplexed historians.

Andrew McCloy is the latest to investigate. He devotes a chapter of his new book, Exploring Roman Britain, to the Peddars Way, and has reached a tentative conclusion.

"Usually the routes ended at a fort or garrison, or had another obvious destination," he says.

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Medieval hall to reopen its doors

A 14th Century hall in Lincolnshire that was restored with a £600,000 lottery grant is reopening as an art gallery and museum.

Ayscoughfee Hall in Spalding will have newly installed interactive displays illustrating the house's history.

Designer Mike Oakenfull said the medieval ceilings and windows are a highlight of the hall.

It will also have interactive games to encourage children to learn more about the history of the house.

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Greece gets rare Roman coin back

A rare Roman coin has returned to Greece from Britain after a landmark settlement, which Athens hopes will bring back more classical treasures.

The 1st-Century denarius - equivalent to a day's wages for a Roman foot soldier or labourer - is set to be unveiled at the Greek Culture Ministry.

A British coin dealer is urging the Greek government to start paying market rates to those who find antiquities.

The coin was handed over after Greece proved it had been unearthed illegally.

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Stone Age Discovery

Newly discovered giant stone tools reveal unexpectedly early human design skills.

An important archaeological dig undertaken by the University of Southampton, has produced over twenty flint handaxes, including two of exceptional size and quality, which may lead to a reassessment of the level of human development in the Early Stone Age.

The dig, at a site at Cuxton in Kent, uncovered a sharply pointed 307mm handaxe - the second largest found in Britain. Preserved in almost mint condition, the handaxe displays exquisite, almost flamboyant, workmanship in addition to its extreme size. Another giant handaxe was also uncovered beside it, this time a cleaver, 179mm long by 134mm wide.

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BATTLE TREASURE ON EBAY

TREASURE hunters are raiding historic Scots battlefields - then selling ancient relics on the internet.

Gangs with metal detectors are plundering the nation's heritage and flogging their finds, say archaeologists.

One collector is thought to have made thousands of pounds illegally selling items to fans of Oscar-winning movie Braveheart in America.

Historians claim such items are often sold on internet auction sites like eBay.

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Stonehenge visitor plan supported

English Heritage plans for a new Stonehenge visitor centre are being recommended for approval.

Salisbury District Council had refused the original plans amid fears a train to ferry visitors to the site would damage the environment.

There were also concerns about whether the nearby A303 would be upgraded.

The plans have been resubmitted following an appeal and a final decision on the centre will be made by the council on 10 July.

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Key archeological find at Bulgaria's Veliko Turnovo

A gold Thracian breastplate found near the village of Golemanite, Veliko Turnovo municipality, has proven pivotal to the re-construction of the Thracian Calendar. Using a mathematical model, Ventseslav Tsonev of the Regional Historical Museum in Veliko Turnovo presented his findings at a conference on Treasures and Sacred Typography, held recently in Sliven.

“In the Thracians’ calendar, there are three seasons and 60 main holidays. A year consisted of 12 months with 360 days, five days being added to the last month every year.” As there are no written records dealing with the Thracians’ concept of time, the reconstruction of the calendar was done on the basis of the symbols on the metal plates worn by the Thracians. Tsonev has studied seven out of 40 Thracian breastplates found in Bulgaria. Particular attention has been paid to a gold breastplate found near Golemanite. The inscriptions on these breastplates consist mainly of serpents, geometrical figures and lines. Studies have indicated that the number of serpents and lines are fixed to correspond to the numbers considered to be holy by the Thracians. According to Tsonev, the Thracians’ calendar resembles very closely the one used by Egyptians for thousands of years. In the main, knowledge of the Thracians has tended to rely solely upon ancient Greek depictions of them as a savage, tribal society that had no politics and no alphabet of its own.

Read the rest of this article...

Scottish Archaeology Month

Scottish Archaeology Month is an annual event whcih happens every September in Scotland, and is broadly similar to National Archaeology Week in England.

This year there will be 300 events happening all accross Scotland. The link for this is 'scottisharchaeologymonth.com'.

The 2006 Events Guide will appear on the above website.

Go to the Council for Scottish Archaeology's homepage...

Festival of History

English Heritage's big summer event, the Festival of History, takes places 12th/13th August at Kelmarsh Hall, Northamptonshire and last year was attended by over 17,000 people.

Please see http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/festivalofhistory/ for further details.

"This is an action-packed, fun and quality weekend, with the highlight event this year being a WW1 aerobatic display of dog fights in the skies above. We are also hosting a round of the Knights’ Tournament (www.english-heritage.org.uk/knights), a fast-pace competition which has been a big hit with the crowds at the two weekends already played this year. As well as these spectaculars, there will be a wide range of activities for children and families, with battle re-enactments, living history, music and dance, and Terry Jones heads up our celebrity lecture programme."

Read the rest of this article...

France Moves to Save an Icon From Sediment and Sea Grass

LE MONT-SAINT-MICHEL, France -- For 13 centuries, this imposing outcrop of granite just off the coast of France, with its unforgettable, eerie silhouette, has withstood the ravages of man and nature. Its abbey has welcomed pilgrims, its ramparts and towers have helped repel invaders, and its shores have stood up to some of Europe's mightiest tides.

But today, Mont-Saint-Michel, long a symbol of French power and identity and the country's most popular tourist destination outside Paris, is succumbing to a relentless invasion of silt and sea grass, which are surrounding the island and threatening to make it part of the mainland.

"If we don't do anything at all, in 40 years Mont-Saint-Michel will be part of the continent," said François-Xavier de Beaulaincourt, who is leading a project to stop the shoreline's advance. By his account, it was about 2 1/2 miles from the island in the mid-1800s, but today, depending on tide levels, it can be as little as 50 feet away.

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Orkney events for Archaeology Month 2006

Orkney's programme of events to celebrate Scottish Archaeology Month in September has been released. The events run throughout the month, starting on Saturday, September 2 at the Orkney Museum.

Rising tide seminar - Recent work around Europe has uncovered evidence of prehistoric sites that now lie submerged beneath the sea. Could the same apply to Orkney? We know that relative sea level was much lower here at the end of the Ice Age and a new project is setting out to investigate the underwater landscape. A team of archaeologists provide insights from exciting sites in Denmark and the Solent and look at the possibilities from Orkney. Caroline Wickham-Jones – chair and introduction to the work just starting in Orkney; Anders Fischer (National Forest and Nature Agency of Denmark) – The submerged prehistory of Denmark; Sue Dawson (St Andrews University) – Past sea level change and Orkney; Julie Gibson (Orkney Archaeological Trust) – The impact of sea level change on the existing coastline and archaeology of Orkney; Garry Momber (Hants and Isle of Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology) – Diving for Stone Age sites in the Solent. Tuesday 5th September 6.00 – 8.30pm in the King Street Hall, Kirkwall. The rising tide seminar will be repeated in the sanday school on thursday 7th september. 6.00 – 8.30pm

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MASSIVE ARCHAEOLOGY PROJECTS ANNOUNCED FOR CAITHNESS, SCOTLAND

There won’t be a dull moment in Caithness this summer, if you’re an archaeologist.

The most northerly county on the British mainland will undergo more excavations and underwater explorations than any other region in the country over the next few months, with projects looking at Neolithic and Bronze Age cairns, Iron Age brochs and crannogs, medieval castles and shipwrecks. One team will reverse the trend and rebuild some stone structures in 3000BC style.

“At last,” said Emma Sanderson, Archaeological Development Officer for the Caithness Archaeological Trust, “the academic world is beginning to realise what unspoilt world class archaeology Caithness has to offer.”

Indeed, because the remote, sparsely populated region has undergone less development than the Central Belt of Scotland, it possesses a wealth of well-preserved archaeological remains – with many treasures yet to be discovered.

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10-YEAR ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECT FOR CAISTOR ROMAN TOWN

The Roman archaeological site, Venta Icenorum, at Caistor St Edmund just south of Norwich is to undergo a 10-year excavation project in an attempt to delve deeper into its pre-Roman history.

Excavations and surveys will commence around July/August of 2006 and will allow archeologists to find out more about the period of history just before the Romans. It may even change our view of Britain's ancient past.

Michael Bentley, Countryside and Heritage Manager for South Norfolk District Council explains: “We are hoping to discover the real history of Caistor Roman town. There have been many theories as to who inhibited the Roman settlement before the Romans themselves - hopefully this project will uncover the exciting truth.”

It is suggested there might have been an Iron Age settlement on the Roman grounds prior to the Roman settlement, which will hopefully be revealed by the excavation. All of the results will be posted on a website specifically for the Caistor dig.

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Archaelologist scoops treasure

A SILVER grooming implement found in Markyate by an amateur archaeologist earlier this year could date from the 15th Century, according to the British Museum.

The medieval silver ear scoop was found on farmland by Luton man Mark Coles in January while he was metal detecting with the permission of the landowner.

In accordance with the Treasure Act 1996, Mr Coles reported his find to the Verulamium Museum in St Albans, which in turn arranged to have it examined by the British Museum in London.

The ear scoop was officially declared treasure by coroner Edward Thomas at an inquest at Hatfield Coroner's Court last week. Despite its name, a report by Dr Dora Thornton at the British Museum said the 6.3cm-long implement was probably used for cleaning nails. Dr Thornton said a recent book published about dress accessories used between 11.50 and 1450 had identified a similar item as being from the 15th Century.

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Shell Jewelry Said to Be 100,000 Years Old

Archaeologists think they have found evidence that in one respect people were behaving like thoroughly modern humans as early as 100,000 years ago: they were apparently decorating themselves with a kind of status-defining jewelry — the earliest known shell necklaces.

If this interpretation is correct, it means that human self-adornment, considered a manifestation of symbolic thinking, was practiced at least 25,000 years earlier than previously thought.

An international team of archaeologists, in an article in Friday's issue of the journal Science, reported their analysis of small shells with distinctive perforations that appeared to have been strung together as ornamental beads. Chemical study showed that the two shells from the Skhul rock shelter in Israel were more than 100,000 years old, and the single shell from Oued Djebbana, in Algeria, was about 90,000 years old.

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Revolutionary research dispels the agricultural revolution

The wild lentil (lens culinaris) is a low, unobtrusive plant that yields about 10 seeds. To increase the plant's chance of survival, some of the seeds that fall from its pods fail to sprout during rain. Typically, only one of the plant's 10 seeds sprouts immediately when they reach maturity. The remaining seeds stay in the ground, waiting for their turn to sprout. Each year, only about 10 percent of the seeds sprout.

This phenomenon, called "seed dormancy," helped wild lentils survive harsh conditions in the Middle East but did not help mankind, which preferred to use the seeds as raw material in soups and stews. It is difficult to support a family from a few seeds of a plant when one is not sure how many of them will sprout and how many simmering pots they will produce.

Therefore, about 11,000 years ago, some of the wild lentils changed habit. They were transformed by a genetic mutation that caused them to lose their seed dormancy characteristics - all of the seeds of these genetically morphed plants sprouted at once and grew to glorious proportions. Man saw this was a good sign, and began to collect these seeds. That was the first step in the domestication of the lentil.

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Study reveals 'oldest jewellery'

The earliest known pieces of jewellery made by modern humans have been identified by scientists.

The three shell beads are between 90,000 and 100,000 years old, according to an international research team.

Two of the ancient beads come from Skhul Cave on the slopes of Mount Carmel in Israel. The other comes from the site of Oued Djebbana in Algeria.

The finds, which pre-date other ancient examples by 25,000 years, are described in the US journal Science.

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1,000 skeletons found in Rome catacombs

ARCHAELOGISTS exploring one of Rome's oldest catacombs have discovered more than 1,000 skeletons dressed in elegant togas.

Experts are thrilled by the find - which dates from about the first century - as it is the first "mass burial" of its kind identified. Mystery surrounds why so many bodies were neatly piled together in the complex network of underground burial chambers, which stretch for miles under the city.
Click to learn more...

It was the custom then for Rome's upper classes to be burnt not buried, so it is thought the skeletons may be early Christians. Tests are being carried to establish whether they suffered violent death or were victims of an unknown epidemic or natural disaster.

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Ancient bling pushes back frontier of intelligence 25,000 years

MODERN human behaviour such as body adornment, figurative thought and probably complex language began at least 25,000 years earlier than was previously believed, according to an analysis of shell beads kept in museum collections since the early 20th century.

The perforated shells from 100,000 years ago, held by the Natural History Museum in London and the Musée de l’Homme in Paris, have been identified as the earliest known example of jewellery. The discovery shows that the early humans who made the beads, which were probably strung as necklaces, were capable of sophisticated behaviour that we recognise in people today.

Making and wearing beads requires an ability to understand symbols and a concept of beauty, both of which are considered hallmarks of the modern human brain. It is also probable that the ancient jewellers spoke a form of language, scientists said, and as some of the shells were found hundreds of miles from the coast, they may even have been trading with one another.

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500 year old spoon discovered

A SILVER spoon, found near Billingshurst, is thought to be more than 500 years old.
A treasure inquest in Horsham heard that the spoon was found by metal detectorist Geoff Patterson, in a field.

It was sent to Caroline Barton, assistant treasure registrar at the British Museum, where experts decided that the 12.67g silver spoon probably dates back to the 15th century.

Because of the spoon's age and precious metal content, West Sussex deputy coroner Dr David Skipp ruled that it was treasure.

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TIME TEAM COULD SOON FILM IN ISLAND

AN Isle of Man episode of popular archaeology series Time Team is 'very much on the cards', according to series editor Michael Douglas.
Discussions are in the final stages and potential excavation sites have been chosen by the team behind the Channel 4 show, although they haven't been revealed.

It is expected a decision on whether filming will go ahead will be taken next month.

That means the Island could feature in the next series of the Sunday teatime favourite, due to be broadcast in January, with long-serving crew members like archaeologist Phil Harding expected to take part.

'It is safe to say it is still very much on the cards,' Mr Douglas said.

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Oldest known beads reported found

Three shells with holes bored into their centers, excavated in Israel and Algeria, may be the oldest known personal decoration, researchers say in a new paper.

The two perforated shells from Skhul. The vertical line represents 1 cm (0.4 in). (Courtesy Marian Vanhaeren and Francesco d'Errico)
The discovery may change scientists’ views of how human culture emerged, according to the researchers.

Until recently, scientists generally thought the first signs of modern human culture appeared 40,000 years ago, when anatomically modern humans arrived in Europe.

But the beads appear to be more than 100,000 years old, the new study found, suggesting modern behavior began earlier and developed more gradually.

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Massive Roman coins find at Shippam site

A massive hoard of Roman coins has been unearthed by archaeologists probing the former Shippams factory site in Chichester city centre.

Many have congealed together down the centuries, and an accurate assessment cannot be given until restoration work is completed but they run into many hundreds, and estimates are up to 2,500.

They are being X-rayed and examined this week to see how they are stuck together and how they can be successfully taken apart.

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Giant Search For Wildlife

The first wildlife survey of the Cerne Abbas Giant in Dorset is set to get under way.

The National Trust, who own the land around the well-endowed giant, will examine the plants and insects that live in the area.

"The Cerne Abbas Giant has a very special place in Dorset folklore and attracts thousands of visitors every year", said National Trust Advisor Simon Ford.

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PM enters Stonehenge debate

PRIME Minister Tony Blair entered the Stonehenge road improvements debate this week by stating his government fully recognises the importance of finding a practical way forward in solving the traffic problems besetting the monument and surrounding area.

He said the government also recognised the unique importance of the World Heritage site, as well as the wider economic impact on the south-west.

The Prime Minister was replying to a letter from Salisbury MP Robert Key, in which he was asked for his personal assistance in bringing the Stonehenge A303 road saga to an end.

Mr Key said he believed the tunnel option for the A303 one of five road scheme options currently on the table could be financed through the new national tolling system, announced by the secretary for state for transport, Douglas Alexander.

The scheme would not see toll booths on the road, but all drivers' journeys would be tracked and charged accordingly.

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Getty announces tentative deal with Italy in antiquities dispute

The J. Paul Getty Trust, which has been negotiating with Italian authorities over demands to return antiquities alleged to have been illegally obtained, said Wednesday it reached a tentative agreement to send “very significant objects” to Italy in exchange for loans of comparable items.

The announcement, identified as a joint statement with the Italian Ministry of Culture, came after several days of talks in Rome. However, it did not reveal which items would be involved or state whether they were the disputed antiquities. A Getty spokesman, Ron Hartwig, declined to elaborate on the statement.

“The Italian government will receive from the Getty a number of very significant objects, including several masterpieces,” the statement said. “In return, as a sign of fruitful dialogue and collaboration among the parties, Italy will provide loans of objects of comparable visual beauty and historical importance.”

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UR: A VIDEO ESSAY ON TAMIL - PART 1

Location: India Length: 26 min.

In south India is a culture with a continuous literary tradition more than 2000 years old. With 80 million speakers, Tamil is one of few languages besides Greek that is both classical and modern. This video essay outlines in images and music the development of the rich Tamil culture and writing systems. The origins of its earliest written script, found on cave walls, is a mystery. Some say it descends from the still undeciphered Indus script used 4000 years ago in modern Pakistan and northwestern India and that the Indus people spoke Dravidian, ancestral to Tamil.

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Digital archaeology

One of the prime reasons that many people scour the skies in search of signs of extra-terrestrial life is to disprove a theory that sentient life is not sustainable. Many fear that once the apes, lizards, fish or glowing green jellyfish become advanced enough to have a civilisation, they may develop nuclear devices and wipe all proof of their existence off the face of their planet. That is if they are lucky. More likely, they will blow their planet to bits.

The reasoning thus goes, that if we can find proof of intelligent life on another planet, that means we are not unique in the universe and sentience is sustainable.


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Bog bodies found were society's elite

Research into Iron Age bog bodies discovered in the midlands of Ireland has revealed they were elite members of society who may have met violent deaths as part of kingship rituals.

See more pictures of the amazing discovery

As the bodies discovered in 2003 went on display at the National Museum of Ireland, Eamonn Kelly, the keeper of Irish antiquities, said they were placed along significant boundaries of ancient kingdoms linking them to sovereignty and kingship rituals during the Iron Age.

"The bodies fit in, in that they are also offerings, they are offerings to the territorial gods or goddesses but they may also at a practical level have represented the elimination of perhaps failed candidates for kingship or deposed kings," said Mr Kelly on the two bodies discovered in bogs at Oldcroghan, Co Offaly and Clonycavan, Co Meath.

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Open Context: Sharing Archaeological Data Digitally

A new tool in the open source arsenal announced its beta launch last week. Called Open Context, the project involves scientists from Cambridge University (UK), Harvard University, the Smithsonian Institution, U.C. Berkeley, and the University of Chicago, and is supported by grants from the William and Flora Hewett Foundation, "inkind" services from Deloitte and Touche and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and help from individual donors.

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Professor Leslie Alcock

Archaeologist who excavated King Arthur’s ‘Camelot’ and redefined the scholarship of his discipline

PROFESSOR Leslie Alcock will be most widely remembered for his book Arthur’s Britain, which made a lasting impact on the scholarly community and was hugely popular, and for his excavations at the hill fort of South Cadbury-Camelot, Somerset, which attracted worldwide attention. These were the popular highlights of a career that had a profound influence on the practice of archaeology in Britain and on the study of early medieval Britain in particular.

As a native Mancunian Alcock counted himself among the Gwr y Gogledd, “men of the North” and consequently developed a lifelong interest in the Celtic history and archaeology, which he pursued in Cardiff and later in Glasgow.

He won a scholarship to Manchester Grammar School, 1935-42, after which he served in the Gurkhas in India, reaching the rank of captain. His Indian experience had an anthropological dimension (probably not intended by the Army). Not only did he become fluent in Urdu and Punjabi, but his close involvement with non-western culture influenced his understanding of archaeological evidence. The Army may also have kindled his interest in the study of ancient warfare, one of his favourite themes.

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World Heritage bid hope for wall

Scotland's culture minister has thrown her weight behind the bid to make the Antonine Wall a World Heritage Site.

Patricia Ferguson said the wall, at one time the most northern frontier of the Roman Empire, was "an outstanding archaeological treasure".

Five local authorities are also supporting the bid, which was officially launched in 2003.

The Antonine Wall runs 37 miles from Bo'ness, near Falkirk, to Old Kilpatrick in West Dunbartonshire.

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Archaeologists discover Byzantine port in Istanbul

Archaeologists have discovered an ancient Byzantine port in an area of Istanbul that was to be an underground station.

What might be a church, an old gate to the city and eight sunken ships have been found so far.

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SMASHED VASE MAN IS CLEARED

A MAN who smashed three 17th-century museum vases then claimed he tripped on his shoelaces will not face charges, police said yesterday.

Nick Flynn, 42, was arrested and bailed on suspicion of criminal damage after he fell on stairs and smashed the Qing dynasty porcelain vases on a windowsill at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.

They are part of a set of five estimated to be worth up to £300,000.

Police said: "A 42-year-old man arrested on suspicion of criminal damage has been released without charge.

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Antonine Wall could become World Heritage Site

Scotland is to bid to make the Antonine Wall a World Heritage Site.

Built in 141, it formed the Northern Frontier to the Roman Empire and stretches 60 kilometres from Old Kilpatrick in West Dunbartonshire to Bo'ness, near Falkirk.

Although most of it has been destroyed over time, parts can still be seen and later today local council representatives will sign up for the bid to make the Antonine Wall the country's fifth World Heritage Site.

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Byzantine port unearthed in Turkey

Archaeologists say they’ve dug up millennium-old sunken ships

Turkish archaeologists announced Tuesday that they have discovered an ancient Byzantine port in an area that was slated to become an underground station for a modern rail tunnel.

They're calling the find the "Port of Theodosius," after the emperor of Rome and Byzantium who died in the year 395, and say the items they're digging up here could shed significant light on the commercial life of this ancient city. Through the ages, the metropolis has been known as Byzantium, Constantinople and finally Istanbul.

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Front garden yields ancient tools

The Britons of 250,000 years ago were a good deal more sophisticated than they are sometimes given credit for, new archaeological evidence suggests.

It comes in the form of giant flint handaxes that have been unearthed at a site at Cuxton in Kent.

The tools display exquisite, almost flamboyant, workmanship not associated with this period until now.

The axes - one of which measured 307mm (1ft) in length - were dug up from old sand deposits in a front garden.

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Saving Grace For Leicestershire Historic Monument

Grace Dieu Priory, an ‘at risk’ Leicestershire ruin dating back to 1235, has been saved after a campaign lasting ten years and costing more than £500,000. The Priory will officially open on Saturday 1 July 2006 with school orchestras and choirs, maypole dancing and an exhibition of relics discovered at the site.

‘The Friends of Grace Dieu’, a group of local residents, architects, archaeologists, and specialist contractors, among others, will continue to maintain and develop the site as well as run events. The restoration has involved architectural exploration, planning conservation and developing additional paths, which will allow riders on the Sustrans National Cycle route to pass through the Grace Dieu woods. A thanksgiving service will take place at the Priory on July 2.

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Vicini alla scoperta della tomba di Alessandro Magno

«Siamo a due passi da una scoperta di straordinaria portata! Nel giro di poco tempo potremmo trovare i resti della tomba di Alessandro Magno!».

È categorico Jean Yves Empereur, Direttore del Centre d’études alexandrines, impegnato nello scavo sistematico dell’immensa necropoli dell’antica Alessandria d’Egitto (la "nekròpolis" descritta dal geografo greco Strabone): questo cimitero, allestito all’inizio del periodo tolemaico (attorno al 300 a. C.), è stato utilizzato fino ai primi secoli della cristianità e dunque conserva migliaia di sepolture.

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Prehistoric pottery is found at bridge site

ARCHAEOLOGISTS have uncovered what they believe is the broadest range of elaborately decorated prehistoric pottery ever found in Scotland, at the site for the new Kincardine Bridge.

The discovery shows that large groups of Scotland's first settlers crossed over the River Forth at the site of the new bridge up to 6,000 years ago.

Excavations have uncovered prehistoric settlements dating from around 4,000BC, when hunter-gatherers, who previously moved along Scotland's coasts, established the first permanent communities. A series of houses and other buildings dating to four periods of history from the Stone Age to medieval times have been found.

Other finds included ceremonial and working axes made with stone from the Ochil Hills.

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'Bog men' on display

Iron Age men found buried in peat bogs go on display at the National Museum in Dublin today.

The "Kingship & Sacrifice - An exhibition of bog bodies and related finds" display will be officially opened by Arts Minister John O'Donoghue this afternoon.

The ancient human remains were found in a preserved state in 2003 at Oldcroghan, Co Offaly and Clonycavan, Co Meath.

A team of international specialists helped the National Museum to study the artefacts.

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Rare sword had 7th Century bling

An Anglian sword found at a castle in Northumberland has been declared the only one of its kind in the world.

Experts at the Royal Armouries in Leeds, say X-rays of the 7th Century sword prove it was made from a unique method using slices of carbonised iron.

The sword lay in a suitcase, after being unearthed in an excavation at Bamburgh Castle in 1960.

Archaeologist Paul Gething said the extremely rare sword would have had "serious bling factor".

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Extensive study into Roman town

A major archaeological project at the nationally-important Caistor Roman town in Norfolk is to be launched within the next few weeks.

Researchers hope the origins and development of the settlement at Caistor St Edmund, just south of Norwich, will emerge for the first time during eight to 10 years of work.

The town was once the regional centre of East Anglia and is one of only three Romano-British towns remaining undeveloped.

The site, owned by the Norfolk Archaeological Trust and managed by South Norfolk Council, was also the market town for the Iceni tribe, led by Queen Boudicca.

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Etruscan tomb yields oldest art

In Italy's most sensational archaeological find in years, an Etruscan tomb near Rome has yielded the oldest examples of painting in Western civilisation .

Experts could barely contain their excitement as they showed reporters five roaring lions and a flock of waterbirds that have emerged from the ground at the buried Etruscan city of Veio north of Rome .

"We are at the dawn of what has been called Orientalising civilisation," said Rome University Etruscanologist Giovanni Colonna, illustrating the discovery just outside the perimeter of the Veio Archaeological Park .

Colonna said the tomb, probably the last resting place of a prince, predated the previously oldest tomb at Veio - known as the Tomb of the Ducks - by some ten years, meaning it was built in about 690 BC .

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Tomb raider leads Italy police to ancient paintings

Italy unveiled on Friday a new archaeological site that some experts say houses the oldest paintings in the history of Western civilization.

Italy's culture minister took reporters to an unremarkable field outside Rome under which they were shown a room carved into the hillside, decorated with colorful frescoes which archaeologists said were 2,700 years old.

"It's a prince's tomb that is unique, and I would say is at the origins of Western art," said Minister Francesco Rutelli, standing on what, until two weeks ago when the site was found, was just a field of barley.

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Anglo-Saxon sword rescued from skip

A unique Anglo-Saxon sword has been discovered in an old suitcase in the attic of the archeologist who unearthed it nearly 50 years ago.

The seventh century "pattern-welded" Bamburgh Sword, which was forged for a king, narrowly avoided being dumped in a skip by workers who were clearing the house of the archeologist and broadcaster Brian Hope-Taylor after his death. It was rescued by some former students who had gone to the house after hearing that his books were being sold off.

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Summer solstice at Maltese prehistoric sites

Heritage Malta will be allowing a limited group of people to experience the summer solstice from its Hagar Qim and Mnajdra prehistoric temples on the morning of Wednesday, 21 June. Pre-booked participants will have to assemble at Hagar Qim at 05:45am. After witnessing this phenomenon they would then proceed with a guided tour of Hagar Qim and Mnajdra, followed by a visit to Ta' Hagrat and Skorba temples in Mgarr.

At the dawn of this day of the year with the longest daylight period, sunlight passes through a hole at Hagar Qim temples, known as the 'oracle hole', which opens onto a chamber on the northeast side of the temple. Here, the sun's rays project a disk of light on a stone slab at the entrance of the apse. As the minutes pass, the disk becomes a crescent, then elongates into an ellipse, elongates even further and finally sinks out of sight as though into the ground. At Mnajdra, the first rays of the sun light up the edge of a megalith found to the left of the central doorway connecting the first pair of chambers to the inner chambers.

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Robin Hood's 'house found' - in Sheffield

Archaeologists claim they have found the remains of Robin Hood's house - in Sheffield.

The outlaw is usually associated with Nottingham but researchers believe he came from the South Yorkshire village of Bolsterstone.

Experts from Sheffield University have started a preliminary dig at the site of an 11th century castle in the village.

Robin Hood is a mythical character but researchers believe he was based on the son of Waltheof, the Earl of Huntingdon who fiercely opposed the Norman invasion.

Waltheof was the father of Robert Fitzwalter, an archer who became known as Robin Hood.

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WAS ROBIN HOOD'S HOUSE IN SHEFFIELD?

IT won't go down well in Nottingham, but a pile of stones near Sheffield could be Robin Hood's home.

For centuries it has been thought the legendary archer was based in Sherwood forest while he robbed from the rich and gave to the poor.

But now archaeologists claim they have found the remains of his house - 52 miles away in South Yorkshire.

And that could be a bit of a blow for Nottingham and Sherwood forest where visitor centres have been making a killing from Robin Hood merchandise. Experts from Sheffield University have started a preliminary dig at the site of an 11th century castle in the village of Bolsterstone.

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Iron Age protection from Castlelaw hillfort

AT SOME point in the centuries leading up to the birth of Christ, a prominent spur of the Pentlands, the hill range outside Edinburgh, was enclosed by a timber palisade. This wooden structure was designed to provide a defensive barrier for the local Iron Age in habitants. It was the beginning of what became Castlelaw Hillfort.

The Iron Age was a time of considerable unrest between local groups as people competed for land and cattle. New weapons led to different techniques of warfare, aided by the advent of iron which could be mass-produced relatively simply and cheaply. In addition, there was a new threat to the Celtic tribes as they faced up to the menace posed by the northward march of the Romans. A fort like this may not have been permanently occupied, but it would provide shelter for many people and their herds in times of danger.

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11,000-year-old grain shakes up beliefs on beginnings of agriculture

Bar-Ilan University researchers have found a cache of 120,000 wild oat and 260,000 wild barley grains at the Gilgal archaeological site near Jericho that date back 11,000 years - providing evidence of cultivation during the Neolithic Period.

The research, performed by Drs. Ehud Weiss and Anat Hartmann of BIU's department of Land of Israel studies and Prof. Mordechai Kislev of the faculty of life sciences, appears in the June 16 edition of the prestigious journal Science.

It is the second time in two weeks that Kislev and Hartmann have had an article in Science. They recently wrote about their discovery of 10,000-year-old cultivated figs at the same Jordan Valley site.

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Graffiti found at ancient Italian prison

Graffiti left by prisoners held by the Inquisition in Sicily more than 200 years ago have been found on the walls of an ancient prison.

The Steri, the Inquisition's headquarters, is being converted into a museum, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. Between 1601 and 1782, hundreds of people the Catholic Church suspected of heresy or witchcraft were held there for questioning and torture, few of them emerging alive.

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Experts' hope over shipwreck find

Two well-preserved 18th Century shipwrecks, found by a team of Bristol archaeologists in the Caribbean, could shed new light on life in the 1700s.

They were discovered in 2005 while the Bristol University team was trying to locate HMS Nymph, a warship which sank in the British Virgin Islands in 1783.

Marine archaeologists are to investigate the two sites and try once again to locate the Nymph.

They will use a robot to collect video data which will then be catalogued.

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Bulgaria Uncovers Roman Script

A Bulgarian archeologist has discovered in central Bulgaria a script about Roman Emperor Galien, it was announced Sunday.

The writing was found at the Sostra site, which was the predecessor town of Today's Troyan, in central Bulgaria.

According to the inscription, Emperor Galien (ruled over 253-268) has led a legion to Sostra.

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Man Leads Archaeologists to Frescoed Tomb

A suspected tomb raider turned police informant has led archaeologists to what experts described Friday as the oldest known frescoed burial chamber in Europe.

The tomb, located on a hilly wheat field north of Rome, belonged to a warrior prince from the nearby Etruscan town of Veio, according to archaeologists who took journalists on a tour of the site.

Dating from around 690 B.C., the underground burial chamber is decorated with roaring lions and migratory birds.

"This princely tomb is unique and it marks the origin of Western painting," said Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli, referring to the ancient art of burial painting.

(The article includes a picture of the frescoes)

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Man Leads Archaeologists to Frescoed Tomb

A suspected tomb raider turned police informant has led archaeologists to what experts described Friday as the oldest known frescoed burial chamber in Europe.


Dating from around 690 B.C., the underground burial chamber is decorated with roaring lions and migratory birds.

"This princely tomb is unique and it marks the origin of Western painting," said Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli, referring to the ancient art of burial painting.

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Roman treasure discovered on farm

Farm contractors have unearthed 2,000 Roman coins beneath a field at a farm near Carmarthen.

The coins, which date from late Roman times, have been categorised as "treasure".

They contain a small amount of silver, but experts have not yet put a value on the find.

The exact location of the discovery is being kept secret to protect the site from treasure hunters. The HM Coroner has been informed.

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A monumental waste

For the 37th day, Michael Ellison, from the Planning Inspectorate, was sitting in an office block in Salisbury considering submissions to the public inquiry on proposed improvements to the A303 at Stonehenge.

He listened to the final one, from the Highways Agency, before announcing that he had received another letter from Mr Justin Furtado, objector number 1,465.

Then, after describing a small change to the position of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, Mr Ellison called the inquiry to an end.

It was the afternoon of Tuesday May 11, 2004, and Mr Ellison had heard more than 60 people give evidence in person and ploughed through a further 1,500 written submissions.

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Bosnians unite in pyramid selling that pays off for all

It has spawned a T-shirt, souvenir and hotel industry, drawn thousands of visitors and volunteers every weekend, and become a rare symbol of national unity in a country riven by ruinous sectarian war.

Last week, it won the backing of Unesco, the world's foremost educational and cultural body.

There is just one thing missing from Bosnia's so-called Pyramid of the Sun, acclaimed by some as the most important archaeological discovery in Europe for more than a century - a pyramid.

Despite the fact that Semir Osmanagic, who claims to have discovered it, has no formal archaeological training and believes, among other things, that the South American Mayans descended from visitors from outer space, more people apparently want to believe his theory that Bosnia is home to giant pyramids than to debunk it.

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Medieval skeletons to be reburied

Medieval skeletons unearthed during work on a Lincolnshire bypass are being reburied on Sunday.

The remains of 44 priests and workers from a medieval hospital and chapel were discovered during archaeological excavations at Partney near Spilsby.

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Ancient monument aligned to sun

An archaeologist has discovered that the passage into a burial mound on Anglesey was built to catch the rising sun on the summer solstice.

Steve Burrow said he was "elated" when the sun filtered in through trees as he sat in the Bryn Celli Ddu chamber.

He made the discovery as he researched a book about burial tombs in Wales from 4,000-3,000 BC.

Carbon dating on the site has also revealed it may contain the oldest building in Wales.

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Cemetery gives up Saxon secrets

Archaeologists have struck gold to unearth buried treasure in Carterton.

Experts have been investigating part of a new cemetery in Black Bourton - and have discovered a Saxon gilded buckle.

Archaeologists from the John Moore Archaeological Service made the discovery during a dig on a 30m by 15m area of land at the site.

Pupils from Edith Moorhouse Primary School were among children invited to visit dig to find out about archaeology and the area's history.

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Archeologists, journalists plan vast database of Greek antiquities abroad

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) - Greek archeologists and journalists said Thursday they are teaming up on an ambitious project to catalogue thousands of Greek antiquities owned by foreign museums and collections.

But organizers said the resulting database would not be used to boost repatriation claims.

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France's Mont Saint Michel to become island once again

The mediaeval abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel -- a jewel of France's architectural heritage -- is to become an island once again, with the start of a massive engineering project designed to reverse centuries of silting.

Built 1,300 years ago on a rock off the northwestern Normandy coast, the Mont Saint Michel is France's main tourist attraction outside Paris. But the the encroachment of surrounding mudflats has spoiled the insular character of the Benedictine abbey, which is now only cut off from the mainland at very high tides.

"Historically, the Mont was more than four kilometres (2.5 miles) from the mainland. Today it is only a few dozen metres (yards) away," said project director Francois-Xavier de Beaulaincourt.

Experts believe that at the current rate of silting, the Mont Saint Michel would be permanently connected to the mainland -- even at high tides -- by 2040.

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Festival of History

English Heritage's big summer event, the Festival of History, takes places 12th/13th August at Kelmarsh Hall, Northamptonshire and last year was attended by over 17,000 people.

Please see http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/festivalofhistory/ for further details.

"This is an action-packed, fun and quality weekend, with the highlight event this year being a WW1 aerobatic display of dog fights in the skies above. We are also hosting a round of the Knights’ Tournament (www.english-heritage.org.uk/knights), a fast-pace competition which has been a big hit with the crowds at the two weekends already played this year. As well as these spectaculars, there will be a wide range of activities for children and families, with battle re-enactments, living history, music and dance, and Terry Jones heads up our celebrity lecture programme."

Road plans put Stonehenge status at risk

Stonehenge risks being stripped of its status as a world heritage site because of "second-rate" government proposals to ease traffic congestion at the monument, the National Trust said yesterday.

Sarah Staniforth, historic properties director with the trust, said the national committee of Unesco, which administers world heritage sites, had reviewed the situation and Stonehenge could be taken off the list because of poor traffic management. The trust's warning comes as ministers prepare to decide what to do to ease congestion on the A303, which passes the ancient stones.

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Reports: Turkey orders 500-year-old inscription erased from castle

Turkey's Islamic-rooted government has ordered a 500-year old Latin inscription believed to have been carved by the Knights of St. John erased from an old castle, newspaper reports said Tuesday.

In the written order, the Culture Minister told museum officials to scrape away the inscription "Inde deus abest," or "Where God does not exist," carved at the entrance to the dungeon of the Castle of St. Peter in the Aegean resort of Bodrum, Hurriyet, Sabah and Milliyet newspapers reported Tuesday.

The ministry claimed the inscription had no historical value, the papers said.

Culture Ministry officials would not immediately comment on the reports but said a statement would be released on the issue later.

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New glacier theory on Stonehenge

A geology team has contradicted claims that bluestones were dug by Bronze Age man from a west Wales quarry and carried 240 miles to build Stonehenge.

In a new twist, Open University geologists say the stones were in fact moved to Salisbury Plain by glaciers.

Last year archaeologists said the stones came from the Preseli Hills.

Recent research in the Oxford Journal of Archaeology suggests the stones were ripped from the ground and moved by glaciers during the Ice Age.

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Basques Were Fishermen More Than 8,000 Years Ago

The Basques that settled 8,300 years ago in the Jaizkibel Mountain near the Basque coast were skillful enough to go fishing two kilometres out to sea.

The human beings that lived in the Basque Country in the Mesolithic, more than 8,000 years ago, set sail out to sea fishing, something which meant 50 percent of their diet, Aranzadi society of sciences reported Tuesday after examining archaeological remains found in Gipuzkoa.

They did not hunt whales, as their descendants many years after, neither tuna nor anchovy as the current Basque fishermen but the Basques that settled some 8,300 years ago between the Pasaia and Hondarribia coast, were skillful enough to set sail one or two kilometres out to sea to fish.

Moving from Paleolithic to Neolithic and immersed in climatic and cultural changes, men had no alternative but to search for new ways to get food and made their way out to sea, Alvaro Arrizabalaga, member of the Aranzadi Society of Sciences and Prehistory professor at the Basque Public University explains.

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Alte Handschriftenfragmente der ULB Düsseldorf nun im Internet abrufbar

Fast 700 Handschriftenfragmente vom beginnenden achten bis zum sechzehnten Jahrhundert konnten im Rahmen eines nun abgeschlossenen DFG-Projektes an der ULB Düsseldorf inventarisiert und digitalisiert werden. Die Abbildungen der Fragmente mit den zugehörigen Beschreibungen stehen nun in einer Datenbank online zur Verfügung.

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Mosaic find halts work

WORK has stopped on a new Italian restaurant after builders uncovered a high-quality Roman mosaic floor.

The patterned floor was revealed as trenches were being dug for a new kitchen at the Trinity Street, Dorchester, premises.

Restaurant owner Luciano Tombolani said he was not surprised to find Roman remains at the site but he was astonished by the quality.

He said: "This looks to me like a very important person's house. It must have been done by craftsmen perhaps four or five of them from Rome maybe came here to work on it."

Mr Tombolani, who is from Venice, added: "They came over here and have stopped me from working on my restaurant now."

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Digging up the past

Experts are uncovering the lives of Perthshire residents of centuries ago at a fascinating project near Pitlochry. There is evidence of stone walls 1.5 metres thick at Black Spout Wood, where heritage officer Sarah Winslow (left) and assistant archaeologist Lindsay Farquharson were investigating yesterday. The high-status homestead could date from the late iron age, some 2000 years ago.

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How the bow and arrow helped humans to colonise the world

The invention of the world's first bows and arrows may have played a part in the eventual colonisation of much of the world by Homo sapiens.

In a groundbreaking paper published yesterday, Paul Mellars, one of Britain's leading archaeologists and a Cambridge professor, suggests Homo sapiens' dominance of much of the world was triggered by a technological revolution which caused a demographic explosion between 60,000 and 80,000 years ago. As a result, the population of one particular human ethnic group expanded up to 1,000 times over.

The dramatic population increase then forced tribes to search for new hunting grounds, first within Africa, and then, by 60,000 years ago, outside it.

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Ice Age fly discovered alive and well in Scotland

ENTOMOLOGISTS wait a lifetime for a new species, then two turn up at once.

Scientists have discovered two new species of fly in the Scottish mountains, only about 50 miles (80km) apart.

New species of insect are unusual in Britain, one of the most studied countries in the world, but to find two so close together is particularly rare.

The black Christii fly (Ectaetia christii) and a fungus gnat (Creagdhubhia mallochorum), each about 2mm long, were found during a survey of flora and fauna on the Cairngorms.

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Skeleton a challenge to historians

The discovery of a tragic teenager enslaved in 11th century Norfolk has shed new light on the troubled history of the Romani people.

Archaeologists revisiting finds made at Norwich Castle have uncovered fresh DNA evidence suggesting the Romanis, often referred to as gipsies, arrived in Europe 400 years earlier than first thought.

The surprise identification challenges conventional wisdom and comes after scientists took a fresh look at finds made in 1991.

Although there are now large Romani populations in Mediterranean and eastern Europe they are thought to have originated from India and reached Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries. They are first described in Britain in the early 1500s.

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Ancient city finds fans but Albania tourism hobbled

A friend of Roman orator Cicero pleaded with him to lobby Julius Caesar not to build a colony near his estate in Butrint because he feared he would lose land.

Titus Pomponius Atticus described the area as "the quietest, coolest, most pleasant place in the world".

The story, recounted in Butrint's museum, does not say if Cicero approached Caesar, but the latter built a colony here in 44 BC.

Two millennia later, Lord Rothschild and his team of British archaeologists had better luck in convincing Albanian leaders to refrain from building and instead manage the 29 square km (11.2 sq miles) around Butrint's ancient ruins as a national park.

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The Battle to Save the Cave

Mold, mistreatment and an insular bureaucracy threaten France's most famous--and beautiful--cave art. A rare inside look at how the rot set in

For more than 17,000 years, the bestiary of the Lascaux cave in southwestern France survived the ravages of history, unseen and undiscovered. Entering it now is like walking into a time capsule, where 12-foot-long bulls and plump yellow horses appear to float across the vaults like religious apparitions. Although the draftsmanship is strikingly Modernist--on exiting the cave in 1940, Pablo Picasso is said to have remarked, "We have invented nothing"--these creations are remnants of the Upper Paleolithic Age, when our hunter-gatherer ancestors acquired the gift of consciousness and a knack for nature drawing.

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Bosnian 'pyramid' created by nature, say European experts

Stone blocks believed by Bosnian researchers to be part of Europe's first pyramid are nothing but a natural formation, European experts said after examining the hillside site near Sarajevo.

"My opinion and the opinion of my colleagues is what we saw was entirely geological in nature," said Anthony Harding, head of the European Association of Archaeologists.

Harding, a professor of archaeology at the University of Exeter in Britain, was speaking here after a brief visit Thursday to the hills near Visoko, a town some 30 kilometres (19 miles) north of Sarajevo, where excavation work has been taking place since April.

"Further work of the same kind would simply produce the same results. I don't think it would change any view about what the nature of the hill is," he told reporters.

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Archaeologist uncover 6,500-year-old Neolithic shrine in Prague

Archaeologists have uncovered a 6,200-6,500 year-old round shrine (rondel) from the Neolithic Age in Prague, archaeologist Milan Kucharik from the Museum of the Capital Prague told reporters today.

The shrine served religious rituals, and it was probably also used for feasts and exchange of goods, said Kucharik.

The rondel building with a 23-metre diameter was enclosed by two ditches with three palisades and it had two gates - one from east and the other from west.

The shrine´s age may be determined more precisely on the basis of the analysis of animal bones found in the rondel, Kucharik said.

Archaeologists have been searching the spot at the construction site Prague´a Na Hurce neighbourhood since March.

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DFG-Nachwuchspreis für Dr. Jonas Grethlein

Dr. Jonas Grethlein vom Seminar für klassische Philologie an der Universität Freiburg erhält den Heinz-Maier-Leibnitz-Preis, den die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft alljährlich an junge Wissenschaftler vergibt.

Ausgehend von einem umfassenden modernen Geschichtsbegriff geht Jonas Grethlein Geschichtsbildern in unterschiedlichen literarischen Gattungen nach. Dazu gehören Epen wie die Ilias, Tragödien der Klassik und Geschichtsschreibung. Er bearbeitet die alten Texte mit zeitgenössischen Fragestellungen und wendet moderne Theorien an, um eine neue Sicht auf die antiken Texte zu eröffnen. Der Blick auf andere Zeiten und Kulturen ist für ihn ein Weg, die eigene Zeit besser zu verstehen und das eigene Geschichtsbild zu schärfen. Für ihn ist der Preis Ansporn, die klassische Philologie für derzeit geführte allgemeinwissenschaftliche Debatten zu öffnen."

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Final fight to save 1066 battlefield

The final push in a long-running fight to save the site of the "other battle of 1066" will begin tomorrow.

Campaigners will be appealing against a housing development on a water meadow near the scene of the Battle of Fulford, which is on the outskirts of York.

It was seen by some as a crucial factor in Saxon King Harold's defeat less than a month later by William, Duke of Normandy, at Hastings.

Objectors believe that a proposed approach road for the 750-home project will obliterate the heritage site.

But Persimmon Homes, the developers, and the city's archaeologist, argue that there is not enough archaeological evidence to pinpoint the battlefield's exact location.

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Dig finds no treasures

Archaeologists digging on the site earmarked for Redcar's Coatham Links scheme say they have found nothing to hamper the development.

Five archaeologists have dug and scoured seven trial trenches, looking for possible historical relics.

But after two weeks on site, only sand, old glass bottles and a few fragments of 19th and 20th century pottery have been found.

The work was commissioned by Redcar and Cleveland Council's development partner Persimmon Homes as part of preparatory work for the controversial planning application due later this summer.

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Il mistero del 'Codex Rescriptus'

Sembra una spy-story piena di intrighi tra cattedratici dell'Ottocento, la vicenda del Codex rescriptus (V sec. d.C) della Biblioteca Capitolare di Verona.
Un prezioso Codice considerato perduto e recuperato attraverso tecnologie mutuate dalla Nasa.

Il 'mistero' verrà illustrato martedì alla facolta' di giurisprudenza, dove sara' presentata la ricerca che ha portato alla riscoperta paleografica del testo.

Si parlera' della tecnica con cui e' stato ritrovato il contenuto , ma verra' spiegato anche come nell'800 il manoscritto sia stato al centro di una spietata lotta fra accademici.

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Search for India's ancient city

Archaeologists working on India's south-west coast believe they may have solved the mystery of the location of a major port which was key to trade between India and the Roman Empire - Muziris, in the modern-day state of Kerala.
For many years, people have been in search of the almost mythical port, known as Vanchi to locals.

Much-recorded in Roman times, Muziris was a major centre for trade between Rome and southern India - but appeared to have simply disappeared.

Now, however, an investigation by two archaeologists - KP Shajan and V Selvakumar - has placed the ancient port as having existed where the small town of Pattanam now stands, on India's south-west Malabar coast.

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Ancient stone tablets found in Turkey

Ancient stone tablets and seals unearthed during archaeological excavations at the Surtepe tumulus, in the southeastern province of Sanliurfa (Turkey), could shed light on other ancient structures discovered in the area. A team of experts headed by project director Jesus Gil Fuensanta of Spain who have been working in the area as part of the Tilbes salvage project, discovered a monumental building - believed to belong to the Persian-Achaemenid period - at the Surtepe mound during excavations in 2005. Surtepe is a large site covering 50 hectares and is believed to have been an area of settlement even during the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze ages (fourth and third millennia BCE).

Fuensanta explained in a statement that the Persian building "was found in a place formerly uncovered by villagers. It had an official use until the early fourth century BCE. Up to three meters of its massive mud-brick walls were preserved, and it has traces of a paved court. During the 2005 excavations, different rooms of the building were also excavated. On the inside, which was partly burnt, were typical Achaemenid pots and fragments and administrative artifacts."

Among the finds in the site are a royal glass seal in the Achaemenid style that had been disfigured by fire and depicts a fertility scene with a leader praying, said Fuensanta. Another impression on a jar shows a typical iconograph of royal worship. According to Herbert Sauren, a German specialist in ancient Semitic languages, one of the seals has official Aramaic (the administrative language of the Achaemenids) writing and refers to the capacity of a vessel.

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Irish archeology nears crisis point

THE unprecedented boom in property development and road building has unearthed thousands of archeological artefacts but most of them lie gathering dust in warehouses, hidden from public view.

With nearly 200 times more excavations being carried out than in the early 1990s, new discoveries are no longer being reported and Ireland’s museums no longer have space to house them. As a result, academics claim the country is being denied an opportunity to learn more about its history.

A report prepared by University College Dublin (UCD) and the Heritage Council says an unprecedented amount of new information about Ireland’s ancient cultures remains unpublished because of “systemic failures” and pressure from developers to get archeology “out of the way for the next development”.

Archaeology 2020 says the treasure trove of knowledge and artefacts that should have accompanied the increase in excavations is not reaching the public domain.

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Archaeologists uncover ‘remarkable’ building

ARCHAEOLOGISTS working in a Perthshire forest have made some “remarkable” prehistoric discoveries.

Excavations began at the site of an ancient fortified house at Black Spout Wood near Pitlochry as part of Perthshire Archaeology Month and the findings have caused quite a stir.

Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust archaeologist Sarah Winlow is excited by what has been uncovered.

“The remains of this prehistoric homestead are truly remarkable,” she said.

“The sheer size of the walls and their sturdy construction mean the house must have been a high status, imposing residence.”

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Another brief item from Basilicata:

Una necropoli gallo-romana e' stata scoperta nel sud della Francia:accoglie tombe di adulti con feretri di legno e sepolture di bambini interrati. Situata sul ciglio di un' antica strada gallo-romana, la necropoli della tarda antichita' (IV-VI secolo d.C.) e' stata protetta bene. Un settore artigianale e' stato riconosciuto in prossimita', svelando la presenza di attivita' di trasformazione del ferro dei giacimenti pirenei.

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British expert nixes Bosnia pyramid claim

A British archaeologist on Friday rejected claims that a hill in central Bosnia is a man-made structure that many local residents insist is a pyramid.

Professor Anthony Harding, who is president of the European Association of Archaeologists, visited Visocica hill and said the formation was natural.

"Not any evidence at all has been found" to support the claim the site would be an archaeological site, he said.

No pyramids are known in Europe, and there are no records of any ancient civilization on the continent ever attempting to build one.

The pyramid theory was launched by an amateur researcher last year but it has been disputed by a number of local and international experts, who claim that at no time in Bosnia's history did the region have a civilization able to build monumental structures. They say the hill is simply a strange natural formation.

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Neanderthaler uit Scladina-grot geeft oudste DNA vrij

Wetenschappers hebben DNA van een 100.000 jaar oude Neanderthaler kunnen bestuderen. Dit is het oudst gekende DNA van het menselijke type tot nu toe. Het DNA werd geëxtraheerd uit de tand van een Neanderthal-kind dat gevonden werd in Scladina, een Belgische grot in de buurt van Luik. Dat staat te lezen in de nieuwste editie van het vaktijdschrift Current Biology.

De studie beweert dat de Neanderthalers genetisch veel verschillender dan dat we eerst dachten. De wetenschappers isoleerden het mitochondriaal DNA en dit werd onderzocht. Het DNA bevatte 123 paren die werden ontcijferd en vergeleken met andere gekende DNA-sequenties van Neanderthalers gedateerd tussen 29.000 en 42.000 jaar oud.

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British Archeologist Weighs in on Bosnian Pyramid Scheme

A British archaeologist on Friday rejected claims that a hill in central Bosnia is a man-made structure that many local residents insist is a pyramid. [See Initial LiveScience Report]

Professor Anthony Harding, who is president of the European Association of Archaeologists, visited Visocica hill and said the formation was natural.

"Not any evidence at all has been found'' to support the claim the site would be an archaeological site, he said.

No pyramids are known in Europe, and there are no records of any ancient civilization on the continent ever attempting to build one.

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North Ossetia Plundered of its Golden Age

Archaeologists in North Ossetia say an ancient and unique heritage is slipping away because of systematic plunder, while the authorities stand by and do nothing.

“Each year our institute rescues around one million US dollars' worth of historical relics from being stolen or destroyed,” Mark Bliev, director of the institute of history and archaeology at North Ossetia’s State University, told IWPR.

Bliev and his colleagues regularly go out on excavation trips to try to preempt the grave robbers who dig up valuable items.

They have saved an impressive amount, he said,“There are over 200,000 pieces. For example, a set of golden harness fittings found near a dig in the small town of Zilginsk [on the outskirts of Beslan] is worth over two million US dollars on the world market. It dates from the Sarmatian period of the third century BC.”

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Excavations restarted in Nysa

Archaeological excavations to unearth the ancient site of Nysa, located at Sultanhisar in the Aegean province of Aydın, have begun for the season, reported the Anatolia news agency on Thursday.

Associate Professor Musa Kadoğlu, a lecturer at Ankara University, told reporters that 50 people would take part in the excavations, to be headed by Professor Vedat İdil.

Kadoğlu added that the excavations, which started 16 years ago, were scheduled to last until Sept. 15 for this season.

Last year's dig, sponsored by the Tourism and Promotion Foundation of the Ancient Site of Nysa, unearthed 5 percent of the entire area, at a cost YTL 100,000.

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Ancient Astronomy Artifact Bears Hidden Text

A shoebox-sized bronze device scooped out of a Roman-era shipwreck at the dawn of the 20th century has baffled scientists for years. Now a British researcher has stunningly established it as the world's oldest surviving astronomy computer.

A team of Greek and British scientists probing the secrets of the artifact, known as the Antikythera Mechanism, has managed to decipher ancient Greek inscriptions unseen for over 2,000 years, members of the project say.

"Part of the text on the machine, over 1,000 characters, had already been deciphered, but we have succeeded in doubling this total," said physician Yiannis Bitsakis.

Bitsakis is part of a multi-disciplinary team of researchers from universities in Athens, Salonika and Cardiff, the Athens National Archaeological Museum and the Hewlett-Packard company.

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