Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Airports 'will kill heritage'
British High Court heard that ancient monuments, woodlands and hundreds of homes will be lost if expansion at three airports goes ahead. The claim was made as local councils launched a challenge against Government plans for London’s Heathrow, Stansted and Luton airports. They want the judge to declare proposals in a Government White Paper unlawful.
Tom Hill, for councils around Stansted and Luton, told the court the processes leading up to the White Paper were "inadequate and unlawful". He warned much-loved landscapes would be "swept away" if the proposals went ahead. Woodlands and hedgerows, homes and ancient landmarks would be obliterated and thousands more homes affected by noise. Mr Hill said: "The expansion bandwagon has already started to roll, and unless the court intervenes it will be unstoppable."
Stonepages
8,300-year-old grave unearthed in Bulgaria
A grave dug some 8,300 years ago was disclosed during excavation works near the Veliko Tarnovo village Dhzulyunitsa, in Bulgaria. The archaeologists were working in a Neolithic village, when they found the grave, which is said to be of a child aged 10 to 15. It is still not clear whether the child was a girl or a boy.
Children were buried near their homes probably because ancient people believed they could be reincarnated, archaeologist Nedko Elenkov underlined. Ceramic pots and a grain mill as well as a unique stone sceptre and a home altar were found in a nearby home. Excavation works will go on.
Stones Pages
Replica of Bronze Age boat ready to set sail on a 4,000-year-old journey
A REPLICA of a 4,000-year-old Bronze Age boat found near Hull will set sail on the Humber in the new year – close to where the original was discovered.
The plank boat, the oldest of its kind found in western Europe, was one of three discovered at North Ferriby by Hull amateur archaeologist, Ted Wright, between 1937 and 1963.
Yesterday a half-scale replica, named Ferriby I, was unveiled at the Streetlife Museum, in Hull, where it will be used as a local focus for SeaBritain 2005, a celebration of the UK's maritime heritage.
The boat, built in Southampton, has been trialled successfully on the Solent, despite being only half the size of the original.
Yorkshire Today
York Minster tops visitor league
York Minster attracted more visitors last year than any other cathedral in England, latest figures show.
Some 1.16m people passed through its doors in 2003, English Heritage says, pushing Canterbury Cathedral into second place with 900,000 visitors.
Nearly nine million visited the 42 Anglican cathedrals in England.
BBC News
Cathedrals bring millions to area
Research at three of the South East's cathedrals has revealed they are worth millions to their local economies.
Canterbury, Chichester and Guildford were among eight cathedrals which provided in-depth case studies for the report by English Heritage.
BBC News
Archaeologists Unearth 8, 300 Year-old Settlement in Central Bulgaria
Archaeologists in central Bulgaria discovered remains of an 8, 300 year-old New Stone Age settlement, a report said Monday.
Bulgarian News Network (You need to register with BNN to read this)
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
The past is just under our feet
A LEAFLET with the words Introducing: Vale of Clwyd - Historic Landscape by Jonathan Neale, Feature Writer, Countryside Council for Wales caught my eye recently and, as I enjoy history and walking in the countryside, I decided to visit the Vale to find out more.
First I met Richard Kelly, an expert in the Welsh landscape, who explained why outstanding historic landscapes in Wales have been placed on a register.
"What's special about the Vale of Clwyd is that its countryside tells the story of how people have lived on the land for a very, very long period of time, from prehistoric people living in caves near Tremeirchion at around 30,000 years ago right through to Victorian field enclosures," he said.
I C Wales
Museum casts aside 4,500 exhibits
Up to 4,500 objects are being removed from the National Maritime Museum as part of a huge clear out.
The museum said it does not have enough room to show all of its 2.5m objects so it has decided to disperse or dispose of thousands of historic items.
The Museums Association said mistakes had been made in the past where objects deemed "unfashionable" became popular decades later.
BBC News
English Heritage joins Common Information Environment
English Heritage has signed up to the principles of the Common Information Environment Group, a group of key public sector organisations providing online content across a variety of sectors.
It's another stepping stone towards the vision of an online environment in which all citizens of the UK can access high-quality information freely and easily.
A key aim of this group is to ensure that the investment of some £2bn worth of online content estimated to have been created out of public funds is repaid by making as much of it as possible accessible by all citizens of the UK.
Public Technology Net
Rock Art event in England
Archaeology enthusiasts from across the north rolled up for a sell-out conference to experience recording rock and the Lake District’s (England) rich history. The gathering, exploring thousands of years of the area’s diverse past, brought 200 enthusiasts to Windermere for a Lake District National Park Authority organised exploration.
With a unique combination of spectacular natural landforms, adapted by passing centuries of residents, the authority has been at the helm of archaeological investigation and conservation in the Lake District. Authority archaeologist Eleanor Kingston said: "We had excellent, nationally-renowned speakers, covering topics which ranged widely in period and scope. People arrived to hear about prehistoric rock art, the Neolithic period in the central fells, the development of villas in the landscape and the impact of slate working." The date, November 26, has been set for a similar event next year.
Stonepages
Monday, December 13, 2004
Treasure House gives up its secrets
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have unearthed some hidden secrets of Beverley's past on the site of the planned Treasure House in Champney Road.
Several clues to the history of that part of the town have been unearthed during an exploration of the site by East Riding Council and Humber Field Archaeology.
These include bronze needles, lead weights and a thimble, suggesting that a cloth finishing or leather workshops were once situated there.
Contractors have also revealed the remains of medieval chalk foundations dating from between the 12th and 15th centuries. During this time Beverley was a particularly prosperous place to live, but it was followed by a very rapid decline which saw many properties razed to the ground.
Beverley Today
Secrets of iron foundry uncovered
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have uncovered the remains of an iron foundry that played a crucial part in a city's 19th Century industrial history.
York Archaeological Trust is working on the site of the Walker Iron Foundry in Walmgate, York.
Teams have uncovered walls and found structures including a brick-lined pit which housed a wheel, probably driven by a steam engine. It is thought to have been used for powering the foundry bellows.
This is the North East
DECOUVERTE à Tintignac Naves en Corrèze
Vue générale des structures de l'Age de Fer, avec au premier plan les trous de poteaux du bâtiment circulaire au centre du sanctuaire protohistorique ; les murs appartiennent à la galerie du temple gallo-romain des 1er et 2ème siècles.
Pictures from the excavations at Limousin Culture
See also Gallic war treasure discovered in southern France
Sunday, December 12, 2004
Clay lamps shed new light on daily life in antiquity
Artificial light permeates many aspects of our daily lives. It is so pervasive in society that, compared to the ancient world, its presence and significance goes roughly unnoticed. Yet, its effect on our lives is far greater and its use considerably more complex. Through fiber optics, for example, light is a vital delivery system of information, transmitting words and images across the globe on the Internet and on satellite television.
Today as in antiquity, light has served the principle utilitarian function of illuminating dark spaces. It has also performed a symbolic role. Take, for example, the timeless practice of lighting a candle or lamp in memory of loved ones. In ancient times, people would leave votive lamps behind in tombs. A modern example of this practice is found in the Pre Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, where 33 years after the burial of Doors legend Jim Morrison, bereaved fans of the rock star continue to light candles at his grave.
Daily Star
For the cradle of English civilisation, go to the Wirral
The people of Merseyside have another reason to stoke their sense of pride - the history of England may have been forged in Wirral.
Viking enthusiasts looking for the site of an epic battle that was instrumental in the birth of the idea of Englishness believe they have found it at what is now Bromborough, south-east of Bikenhead.
Independent
Ancient Apollo sanctuary found on uninhabited Greek islet
Hundreds of ancient objects from as far apart as Asia Minor (in modern-day Turkey), Greece, Egypt and Cyprus were discovered among the remains of a previously unreported, pre-Christian sanctuary on an uninhabited Greek islet in the Aegean Sea.
Archaeologists conducting excavations on Despotiko island since 1997 uncovered, among others, a valuable statuette dating from 680-660 BC, statue parts, tools, weapons, pearls, even an ostrich egg, the Greek culture ministry announced Wednesday.
Yahoo News
Tatoulis balks at Acropolis costs
Confirming reports of funding cuts for the Acropolis conservation and restoration work, the Culture Ministry said yesterday that budgeting for the marathon project had to be “rationalized” and rendered “credible.”
Deputy Culture Minister Petros Tatoulis, who is on a visit to Albania, said he was unhappy with the planning and budgeting by archaeologists and architects leading the massive project — which started in 1975.
Kathimerini
Ice Age mammoth flute found in Germany
Archaeologists have unearthed a 35,000-year-old flute made from a woolly mammoth’s ivory tusk in a German cave, the University of Tübingen said Friday.
The flute, one of the oldest musical instruments discovered, was pieced together from 31 fragments found in a cave in the Swabian mountains in southwestern Germany, the university said.
The mountains have yielded rich pickings in recent years, including ivory figurines, ornaments and other musical instruments. Archaeologists believe humans camped in the area in winter and spring.
MSNBC News
Saturday, December 11, 2004
Saxon find brings clues to history
A NUMBER of ancient artefacts discovered by a metal detecting enthusiast have given vital clues to Suffolk's history.
Six gold and silver fragments discovered in a Witnesham field have given historians the chance to confirm details about life in Suffolk around 1,500 years ago.
At a treasure trove inquest on Wednesday, Great Suffolk Coronor Dr Peter Dean confirmed the artefacts met the criteria for treasure.
Evening Star
Cat's gravestone fetches £200,000 at Sotheby's
A stone marking a pet cat's grave fetched more than £200,000 at Sotheby's yesterday after experts said it was a 1,100-year-old Anglo-Saxon carving.
The relief depicting St Peter was found in a salvage yard 20 years ago by a stonemason, Johnny Beeston, who took it back to his home in Dowlish Wake, Somerset, where he and his wife Ruth decided it would make a headstone for their cat Winkle.
After Chris Brewchorne, an amateur archaeologist from the town, realised its significance as he walked past, experts identified it as probably part of a Christian cross from 900AD.
Telegraph
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