Romanian archaeologists discover Roman stronghold

Romanian archaeologists have unearthed an unknown Roman stronghold dating back more than 2,000 years in the southwest Mehedinti County, Romanian Rompres news agency reported on Wednesday.

The archaeologists discovered that the fortification, in the Izvoarele locality, was from the time of the Roman emperor Diocletian, showing that it was built after the Romans withdrew their armies from Dacia (271-274 BC). The fortification was one of the strongholds in the defence system built by the Romans along the Danube.

Read the rest of this article...

Neanderthal's last stand

Gibraltar may have been the last refuge of the Neanderthals, according to the results of a six-year archaeological dig.

The findings, which show that Neanderthals lived alongside modern humans for thousands of years, bring fresh evidence to the debate on what happened to our evolutionary cousins, and whether modern humans drove them to extinction.

Clive Finlayson from the Gibraltar Museum and his colleagues found Neanderthal artefacts in a site called Gorham's Cave. The dig there has so far unearthed 103 items, including spear-points, knives and scraping devices, bearing the marks of Neanderthal craftsmanship. Radiocarbon dating suggests that most of the objects are about 28,000 years old, with the youngest being 24,000 years old.

Read the rest of this article...

Remains of Roman bath house uncovered in Kent

Substantial remains of an octagonal Roman bath house, probably reused as a Christian baptistry, have been uncovered during a student training excavation near Faversham in Kent.

The central cold plunge pool was five metres (16ft) across, and stood within a structure which also had underfloor heating and hot pools, probably originally under a domed roof.

Bits of painted wall plaster, blue floors and multicoloured mosaics were found by students from Kent Archaeological Field School.

Read the rest of this article...

Archaeologist Backs Dig at Bosnia Site

An Egyptologist who investigated two hills in central Bosnia believed by some to be ancient pyramids on Wednesday recommended that archaeological digs be carried out there.

After investigating the two hills for a week, Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Ali, a professor of Egyptology in Cairo, said nobody should be jumping to conclusions but having in mind everything he had seen in Visoko, his recommendations would be that 'it is worth digging here.'

'You have to be patient. This might take decades,' he said.

Read the rest of this article...

Skeletons from historic battle unearthed

REMAINS of victims of the longest and bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil have been unearthed beneath the floor of the dining room of Towton Hall near Tadcaster.

Four skeletons, all of which display evidence of horrendous sword injuries, date from the Battle of Towton in North Yorkshire in 1461, when the Yorkists massacred the Lancastrians during the Wars of the Roses.

The discovery forms part of a 10-year long investigation into the archaeological evidence of the battle, which cost the lives of about 28,000 men. It was prompted by the unearthing of a mass grave at the hall in 1996, which contained 37 victims.

Read the rest of this article...

Young Archaeologists dig for facts and fun

AN INTREPID group of Whitehaven youngsters are seeking new members to join them in their quest to uncover the secrets of Cumbria’s past.

The Young Archaeologists Club is a group of eight-to-16-year-olds who meet on the last weekend of every month, and take part in hands-on workshops, attend field trips and explore all aspects of archaeology, both ancient and modern.

The nationwide Young Archaeologists Club was formed in 1972, and the Whitehaven branch has been running since 1998. The club has 3,000 members across Britain, and 60 local branches.

Averil Dawson is a visitor host at The Beacon, and the assistant leader of the Whitehaven branch.

She thinks the Young Archaeologists Club provides the perfect mix of education and adventure.

Read the rest of this article...

Stone Age female statue unearthed

Archaeologists have unearthed the largest Neolithic female figurine ever found in Italy, according to a press report .

The 7,000-year-old stone statuette, discovered during excavations of a burial site near the northern Italian city of Parma, is over 20 centimetres tall, the archaeological monthly Archeo reported .

It depicts a woman with an oval face, slit eyes, a prominent nose and long hair. Her arms are bent at her elbows, sticking out at right-angles to her body .

Although such statuettes are fairly common, it is rare to find figurines this old in Europe, and the majority represent a mother earth divinity with a swelling belly symbolizing fertility .

Read the rest of this article...

Colourful beginning for humanity

Evidence is emerging from Africa that colours were being used in a symbolic way perhaps 200,000 years ago, a UK scientist working in the region claims.

Lawrence Barham has been studying tools and other artefacts left by ancient humans at a site in Zambia.

He says the range of mineral pigments, or ochres, found there hints at the use of paint, perhaps to mark the body.

If correct, it would push back the earliest known example of abstract thinking by at least 100,000 years.

Read the rest of this article...

Archaeologists find traces of legendary Viking centre By Thoralf Plath

By Thoralf Plath, Kaliningrad, Russia- Russian and German archaeologists believe they may have found traces of human settlement in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad that could lead to the legendary Viking trading centre of Wiskiauten. The find lies three kilometres south of the coastal resort of Selenogradsk in a field near the Curonian Spit, a narrow strip of sand dune off the coast.

The stone structures found almost a metre down are the remains of a well and several houses and date to the 12th century.

"This is still a bit recent, as the Viking era is at least two centuries earlier," the head of the German team, Timo Ibsen, says.

"But we are on the right track."

Read the rest of this article...

Dig unearths evidence of Neolithic partying

STONEHENGE visitors had the opportunity to get a glimpse of what life was like in Britain more than 4,000 years ago over the bank holiday weekend.

A team of 100 archaeologists, from various universities around Britain, along with Wessex Archaeology, has been carrying out excavations as part of the seven-year Riverside Project at Woodhenge, Durrington Walls and Stonehenge Cursus to find out more about the sites and their links with Stonehenge in the 26th Century BC.

Over the weekend the public was invited to attend excavation open days which included tours of the site, the opportunity to meet the archaeologists, and re-enactments of life 4,000 years ago. The open days were a great success with over 2,000 people turning up to see what the team had unearthed.

Read the rest of this article...

Greece to loan Minoan antiquities to British Museum

Greece has agreed to loan London's British Museum a collection of priceless Minoan-era antiquities for an exhibition to be held by 2009, the Greek culture ministry has said.

Among antiquities on display will be the renowned bull-leaping frescoes from the Minoan palace of Knossos, Crete, a 3,700-year-old site excavated by British archaeologist Arthur Evans in the early 20th century.

The loan will be possible because of ongoing restoration works on Crete's Heraklion Museum, where the antiquities are currently housed, a culture ministry official said Friday.

Greek daily Eleftherotypia Friday reported that the loan "aims to reopen talks for the return of the Parthenon Marbles," a collection of sculpted friezes depicting gods, men and monsters shipped to Britain in the early 19th century on orders from Lord Elgin, British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.

Read the rest of this article...

Late Roman villa unearthed in ancient city of Laodicea

A villa dating back to the late Roman era has been unearthed in the ancient city of Laodicea, located close to the Aegean village of Eskihisar, announced Associate Professor Celal Şimşek, head of excavations at the site.

Şimşek, of Pamukkale University, said the villa had been unearthed near a railway line to the south of the ancient city, reported the Anatolia news agency.

Illegal excavations had been carried out in the region some time ago, added Şimşek, and his team of archaeologists were able to make out some mosaics through the resulting hole. “Therefore, we launched excavations in this area, although it's not a part of our program. And we discovered a villa there,” he stated.

Read the rest of this article...

Der Glauberg in keltischer Zeit. Öffentliches Symposium

Das Hessische Landesmuseum Darmstadt zeigt bis 2007 die aufsehenerregenden Funde keltischer Fürstengräber, die Mitte der 1990er Jahre am Glauberg entdeckt wurden. Die seither stattfindenden Ausgrabungen vor Ort nehmen das Landesmuseum und das Amt für archäologische Denkmalpflege nun zum Anlass eines öffentlichen Symposiums. Vom 14. bis 16. September 2006 diskutieren Archäologen, Althistoriker, Kulturgeographen, Geo- und Biowissenschaftler die jüngsten Erkenntnisse zu frühkeltischem Leben auf dem Glauberg.

Read the rest of this article...

Cornish crosses are fitted with microchips after wave of thefts

Since the 10th century, travellers to Cornwall have been helped by hundreds of distinctive Celtic crosses, carved from rough-hewn granite, which mark their route. But a recent wave of thefts, fuelled by Cornish nationalism, has prompted officials to adopt a 21st-century solution to help to protect the ancient signposts.

Cornwall County Council has become so alarmed at the loss of the relics that, in an effort to deter thieves, it is fitting them with microchips.

The crosses have become a powerful symbol of Cornish independence and the authority believes that they are being stolen to meet a growing interest in the region's heritage and nationalism.

Read the rest of this article...

Cave colours pose a new tongue-twister

OUR early human ancestors may have been smarter than we have given them credit for.

Archaeologists have found evidence that language developed at least 100,000 years before the evolution of modern-day Homo sapiens, the supposedly wise version of human-like species.

According to findings in a cave complex at Twin Rivers in Zambia, Homo heidelbergensis, believed to be a common ancestor of both modern humans and Neanderthals, made and used a range of colours. These included red, yellow, brown, pink, black and a "sparkling" purple.

Read the rest of this article...

Remains of battle victims found at hall

REMAINS of victims of the longest and bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil have been unearthed beneath the floor of the dining room of Towton Hall in North Yorkshire.

Four skeletons, all of which display evidence of horrendous sword injuries, date from the Battle of Towton in North Yorkshire in 1461, when the Yorkists massacred the Lancastrians during the Wars of the Roses.

The discovery forms part of a 10-year long investigation into the archaeological evidence of the battle, which cost the lives of about 28,000 men. It was prompted by the unearthing of a mass grave at the hall in 1996, which contained 37 victims.

Read the rest of this article...

Egyptian Writing "Scanned" Using High-Tech Methods

Jean Revez studies old things, but that doesn't make him wedded to old ways.

The professor of Egyptian history at the University of Montreal in Canada is developing one of several emerging techniques for electronically recording and interpreting ancient stone inscriptions.

Today most archaeologists record writing and other architectural details using pencils, pens, and paper, "tools that are really quite ancient," Revez said.

In his vision of the future, epigraphists—archaeologists who study inscriptions—will rely instead on digital cameras, specialized computer software, and their dexterity with a mouse.

Read the rest of this article...

Discovery Films Ancient World's Sanctuary at Perperikon

A team of Discovery Channel has commenced filming the royal palace at Perperikon - ancient sanctuary believed to be more respected than Delphi Oracle.

The world-popular travel channel has sent its team for the first time in Bulgaria, intrigued by the yet not completely known world of ancient Thracians.

The team including a producer and a photographer is to tour all the sites related to the history and culture of Thracian tribes.

Read the rest of this article...

Body art made its mark 300,000 years ago, scientists claim

The use of coloured pigments in early forms of body art may have begun many tens of thousands of years earlier than previously thought, according to a study of artefacts found at an ancient archaeological site in Africa.

Scientists working at the Twin Rivers hilltop cave near Lusaka in Zambia have found evidence for the use of colours - possibly for body painting - as early as 300,000 years ago.

This would predate the known use of coloured pigments in cave art by more than 200,000 years and, if confirmed, mark the point when humans began to experiment with paint.

Read the rest of this article...

Modern humans, not Neandertals, may be evolution's 'odd man out'Looking incorrectly at Neandertals

Could it be that in the great evolutionary "family tree," it is we Modern Humans, not the brow-ridged, large-nosed Neandertals, who are the odd uncle out?

New research published in the August, 2006 journal Current Anthropology by Neandertal and early modern human expert, Erik Trinkaus, professor of anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis, suggests that rather than the standard straight line from chimps to early humans to us with Neandertals off on a side graph, it's equally valid, perhaps more valid based on what the fossils tell us, that the straight line should be from the common ancestor to the Neandertals, and the Modern Humans should be the branch off that.

Trinkaus has spent years examining the fossil record and began to realize that maybe researchers have been looking at our ancient ancestors the wrong way.

Read the rest of this article...