Nicosia excavations complete

THE Department of Antiquities has announced the completion of this year’s excavations at the hill of Ayios Georgios, Nicosia, the proposed site for the erection of the new House of Representatives building.

The excavations, which started on March 21, under the direction of Dr Despo Pilides, followed the demolition of the large building block on Skyrou Street and the removal of the surfaces of the modern roads.

Excavations focused on the investigation of the areas under the now removed modern roads, which coincide with the east and south foundations of the main building of the House of Representatives and the unification of the areas excavated in previous years.

An area of more than 11,000 square metres, possibly the western part of an ancient settlement, has been revealed. A large area in the centre of the site will be left unexcavated for future research, with a major concern being the conservation and preservation of the site.

Cyprus Mail

Azerbaijan Proposes Monitoring Of Historic Monuments in Occupied Land

The Organization for Protection of Historic and Cultural Monuments in the Occupied Azerbaijani Territories has proposed to hold a monitoring of the monuments jointly with international organizations.

The move aims to put an end to the destruction of historical, cultural and archeological monuments by aggressor Armenia in the occupied areas, chairman of the organization Faig Ismayilov told an international conference in Baku on Friday.

Ismayilov said his organization has passed an appeal to international organizations as well as Azerbaijani government bodies, the public and socio-political organizations.

The appeal points out that Armenia has occupied 20% of Azerbaijan’s territory an
d about one million people have become refugees and internally displaced persons as a result of the Armenian aggression.

JTW News

Ancient earthworks in Jersey may stop shooting plan

A Jersey (Channel Islands) resident is objecting to a proposed extension to the Crabbé shooting range because he believes the suggested area is an important archaeological site. Peter Judge says that field 108, which is proposed as a site for clay pigeon shooting, has remnants of an earthworks hill fort which could date back to the Iron Age. He wants the area to be surveyed and then excavated to discover the full and accurate history of the site.

Mr Judge said: "There is evidence that this is an archaeological site, and I think this was realised as far back as 1958. A Société Jersiaise bulletin at the time stated: 'There were signs of ploughing within the last few months at the bottom of the deep eastern part of the ditch, so that this, the most impressive part of the structure, may be in immediate danger.' This shows that the Société were well aware at the time that there is something there that needs protecting and investigating further."

Stone Pages

Cairns to get protective covering

Bronze Age cairns on Exmoor (England) are to be wrapped in fabric to protect them from souvenir hunters. The ancient monuments on Dunkery Beacon in Somerset are thought to be more than 3,000 years old.
The National Trust said they had been damaged over the years by walkers and sightseers taking stones as souvenirs. An earlier attempt to get the cairns covered was turned down, but an appeal this week to the Planning Inspectorate was successful.
The trust's countryside manager Nigel Hester said: "We are delighted by this decision. We will be beginning work on the cairns over the forthcoming months to protect them in advance of the winter weather." The geo-textile fabric will be covered with stones and then seeded with heather and moorland grasses.

Stone Pages

Update on the future of Silbury Hill

English Heritage has announced the latest stage in the process to repair and preserve Silbury Hill (Wiltshire, England), the largest Neolithic construction of its type in Europe, and part of the ancient landscape of Avebury, a World Heritage Site.

Since the collapse in 2000 of infilling to a shaft at the top of the Hill, English Heritage along with a team of expert external advisors, has carried out extensive investigations into the condition of the Hill and research as to the best way forward to preserve its long term stability. This work outlined a number of options for the future of the Hill, one of which has now been selected by English Heritage for further exploration and feasibility studies.

The option chosen is to re-enter Silbury Hill via the tunnel dug to its centre in 1968, and then remove existing collapse and inadequate backfill in the tunnel, before properly backfilling it. The tunnel and other voids within the Hill would be filled with chalk to the same density as the surrounding mound material. The work of backfilling would take place backwards from the centre of the Hill, and enable contractors to remove any temporary supports left after previous excavations. The work would be accompanied by an archaeological investigation programme which would fully record all the parts of the Hill which are exposed again and enhance our knowledge of its construction.

Stone Pages

Excavations Reveal Secrets of Roman Road

KOMOTINI, Greece - Archaeologists excavating along the Via Egnatia are revealing the secrets of the ancient Romans' equivalent of an interstate highway.

Stretching 535 miles across modern-day Albania, Macedonia and Greece, the stone-paved road made the going easy for charioteers, soldiers and other travelers. It was up to 30 feet wide in places and was dotted with safety features, inns and service stations.

"This was a busy road, and the Romans managed to make it completely functional," archaeologist Polyxeni Tsatsopoulou told The Associated Press.

Built between 146 and 120 B.C. under the supervision of the top Roman official in Macedonia, proconsul Gaius Egnatius, the highway ran from the Adriatic coast in what is now Albania to modern Turkey, giving Rome quick access to the eastern provinces of its empire.

Yahoo News

Woodstown excavation to proceed!

THE Save Viking Waterford Action Group have welcomed comments from Minister for Transport Martin Cullen that it was his understanding that a State-funded excavation, in conjunction with the National Museum of Ireland, is planned for the settlement of Woodstown in the near future.

Mr. Cullen made his comments on RTE’s Morning Ireland. He agreed that the site provided unique evidence of Ireland’s historical past and said that this was the reason the N25, which was originally planned to run through the area, had been moved. Save Viking Waterford spokesperson, Dr Catherine Swift expressed her delight at his words. “This is wonderful news.

This is the first time anyone from the government has confirmed that an excavation is planned. Hundreds of thousands of listeners to RTE radio heard Mr Cullen make a public commitment to the excavation of Woodstown.

Waterford News & Star

Ancient Iraqi harp reproduced by Liverpool engineers

A team of engineers at the University of Liverpool has helped reproduce an ancient Iraqi harp – the Lyre of Ur
Engineers from the University's Lairdside Laser Engineering Centre (LLEC) employed revolutionary laser technology to engrave authentic designs onto Gulf Shell (mother of pearl) – the original material used to decorate the body of the harp.

Dr Carmel Curran, who carried out the work at the LLEC, commented: "This is the first time we have laser processed this type of material and the results are remarkable. It is fantastic to be involved in the recreation of such a piece of history."

"The shells we engraved came from the Indian Ocean. The laser techniques we used to engrave the shell are normally applied to materials such as plastics, metals, fabric and wood."

The Lyre was discovered in a mass suicide grave in the ancient city of Ur in Iraq by British archaeologist, Sir Leonard Woolley. Uncovered in 1929, the remains were kept in a museum in Baghdad until they were destroyed during the recent war in Iraq.

EurekAlert

Egnatia digs reveal Roman road secrets

KOMOTINI - Archaeologists excavating along the route of the ancient Via Egnatia are revealing the secrets of the ancient Romans' equivalent of an interstate highway.

Stretching 861 kilometers (535 miles) across modern-day Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Greece, the stone-paved road made the going easy for charioteers, soldiers and other travelers. It was up to 30 feet wide (9 meters) in places and was dotted with safety features, inns and service stations.

«This was a busy road, and the Romans managed to make it completely functional,» archaeologist Polyxeni Tsatsopoulou told The Associated Press.

Built between 146 and 120 BC under the supervision of the top Roman official in Macedonia, proconsul Gaius Egnatius, the highway ran from the Adriatic coast in what is now Albania to modern Turkey, giving Rome quick access to the eastern provinces of its empire.

Kathimerini

Roman lead industry found in bog

Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a Roman lead smelting site in a peat bog in Ceredigion.
Dating back about 2,000 years, Cambria Archaeology said mines in the Borth area could have supplied the heavy, bluish-grey metal for production.

It added that blocks of Welsh lead may have even been transported to other parts of the Roman Empire.

Last year, archaeologists hinted they had found a Roman "industrial estate", but until now had little evidence.

BBC News

Roman 'motorway' secrets unveiled

ARCHAEOLOGISTS excavating along the ancient Via Egnatia in Greece are revealing the secrets of the ancient Romans’ equivalent of an Interstate highway.

Stretching 535 miles across modern-day Albania, Macedonia and Greece, the stone-paved road made the going easy for charioteers, soldiers and other travellers. It was up to 30 feet wide in places and was dotted with safety features, inns and service stations.

“This was a busy road, and the Romans managed to make it completely functional,” archaeologist Polyxeni Tsatsopoulou told The Associated Press.

Built between 146 and 120 B.C. under the supervision of the top Roman official in Macedonia, proconsul Gaius Egnatius, the highway ran from the Adriatic coast in what is now Albania to modern Turkey, giving Rome quick access to the eastern provinces of its empire.

Ancient engineers did such a good job that the Via Egnatia remained in use for some 2,000 years, sticking to its original course even as its paving slabs were plundered for building material. But over the last century, what’s visible of it has dwindled to less than two miles in total.

IC Wales

Ancient Discovery in Rome

The discovery was made recently by archaeologists working in the Traiano forum near the Colosseum.

"We found this big head, 60 cm. It was definitely of (Emperor)Constantine, 300 years after Christ, maybe after the period at the height of his glory," Rome culture counsellor Gianni Bornia, said during the unveiling at a news conference on Thursday (July 28).

Locks of hair are combed forward to frame the closely shaven face andthick eyebrows arch over upward gazing eyes. Archaeologists say thephysiognomy compares favourably with the emperor's traits as depicted on imperial portraiture, such as coinage.

"We thought about immediately restoring this statue but at thesame time we wanted to announce it to the world because what's happening in this archaeological dig is of international scientific importance," Bornia said.

See Video at Reuters

Roman Castle found in Kosovo

Archaeologists in Kosovo have discovered a castle dating back to the 4th century.

The Balkan province of 2 million people is better known for ethnic conflict, but in the past six years, since the war, relative calm has been restored, allowing important archeological work to continue.

The discovery of the castle was made in Harilaq, 25 kilometres west of Pristina, in June, and archeologists are at the first stage of uncovering the remains, which cover approximately 100 by 150 metres.

Archeologist Jahja Drancolli said the discovery was unique in that they had known the ruins of a castle were somewhere in the area south of the Kosovo capital.

"This project is unique because we discovered a fortification which we knew was there. The fortification was built in two stages, the first stage is from the fourth century and the second dates from the first half of the sixth century, from the time of the Emperor Justinian," he explained.

See Video at Reuters

Firm's land offer in quarry battle

SIXTY acres of land could be set aside to preserve undiscovered archaeological relics in a twist to the long-running dispute over the controversial extension of a Yorkshire quarry.

Campaigners have been battling for more than two-and-a-half years against proposals to extend Nosterfield Quarry to land near Thornborough Henges, the Neolithic earthworks in North Yorkshire which date back 5,500 years.
The quarry's owner, Tarmac Ltd, yesterday announced that it was willing to donate a total of 60 acres of land to the nation to ensure the proposals for the extension were approved.

The land has been offered to either English Heritage or a suitable charitable trust to take control of.
The 60-acre package of land is next to the most northern of the three henges, which are near Ripon and have been described as the Stonehenge of the North.
But campaigners remain sceptical of Tarmac's motives behind the offer, which was announced to the media yesterday before it had even been debated by a working party set up by North Yorkshire County Council to look into the proposals.
The county council is due to consider the plans for the extension at a meeting in September, almost three years since blueprints for the extension were made public in November 2002.

The publicity officer for the Friends of Thornborough Henges pressure group, Mike Sanders, said: "We are cautious about the motives and how the scheme will actually be implemented.

"It appears that Tarmac is attempting to win the hearts and minds of the public and of course the councillors who will be voting for this in September.

Yorkshire Post

Hadrian’s Wall forms first part of trans-national World Heritage Site

Hadrian’s Wall – a UK World Heritage Site since 1987 – has become the first part of a major trans-national World Heritage Site known as Frontiers of the Roman Empire.

The Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site also includes the Upper German-Raetian Limes, which follow a length of over 550km from the River Rhine in the north-east of Germany to the River Danube in the south east.

The aim of the scheme is to encourage more countries – initially just those in Europe – to add their sections of the Roman Frontier to the new single World Heritage Site, which was created at the annual World Heritage Committee held in Durban, South Africa, between 10 and 17 July.

UK culture minister David Lammy said: “As it develops, the Site will provide the potential to unite the people of many countries in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa in a common shared heritage.”

Sir Neil Cossons, chair of English Heritage, added: “English Heritage is pleased that this development is based on the existing Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site and that the tried and tested method of site management and co-operation developed at Hadrian’s Wall is being used as the basis of this wider initiative.”

Leisure Opportunities

Ancient stone phallus found in Germany

Tubingen, Germany - A stone phallus 28 000 years old has been discovered in a cave in Baden-Wuertemberg in southern Germany, according to archeologists with the University of Tubingen.

In assembling 14 stone fragments found last year in the Hohle Fels cave, archeologists rebuilt the phallus, which is 20cm long and 3cm wide.

It will be on display at the prehistoric museum in Blaubeuren.

The caves in the Blaubeuren region, which sheltered Neanderthal man, are among the most important archeological sites in Europe.

The oldest object representing a bird, dating back 32 000 years, was discovered a few years ago in the same cave. - Sapa-dpa

IOL Discovery

Bulgaria unearths Thracian riches

Archaeologists in Bulgaria have unearthed the treasure-filled tomb of what is thought to be a Thracian king.
A golden crown, ring, armour and other artefacts dating back 2,400 years were found with the skeleton in a tomb near the south-eastern town of Zlatinitsa.

National Museum of History director Bozhidar Dimitrov said the Thracian king was a young ruler who was buried with two horses and a favourite dog.

Excavations of burial mounds across Bulgaria have unearthed similar finds.

But Professor Dimitrov says there is something different about this burial.

BBC News

Tomb discovery reveals treasures after 2,400 years

Archaeologists have unearthed 2,400-year-old treasure in a Thracian tomb in eastern Bulgaria, the director of the country's history museum said yesterday.

Professor Daniela Agre, who led the team of 15 from the Bulgarian Archaeological Institute, said the finds, made on Saturday, provided enormous clues to understanding one of Europe's most mysterious ancient people.

"The Thracians are one of the founders of European civilisation, this is important for all of us, not just Bulgaria," she said. "The period of the grave is exceptionally important. It was a peak moment in the development of Thracian culture, statesmanship and art. They had very strong contacts and mutual influences with Greece, Anatolia and Scythia."

Among the objects found were a golden laurel and ring, rhytons - silver drinking vessels shaped like horns, Greek pottery and military items including weapons and armour.

Telegraph

Scientists seek fresh chance to dig up Stonehenge's secrets

Stonehenge has always mystified. Julius Caesar thought it was the work of druids, medieval scholars believed it was the handiwork of Merlin, while local folk tales simply blamed the devil.

Now scientists are demanding a full-scale research programme be launched to update our knowledge of the monument and discover precisely who built it and its burial barrow graves.

This is the key recommendation of Stonehenge: an Archaeological Research Framework, edited by Timothy Darvill of Bournemouth University, soon to be published by English Heritage. It highlights serious flaws in our knowledge of the monument, which is now a World Heritage Site.

'Stonehenge has not been well served by archaeology,' admitted Dr David Miles, chief archaeology adviser to English Heritage. 'Much of the area was excavated in the 19th century, when gentleman amateurs - glorified treasure-hunters, really - would get their labourers to dig great trenches straight into its barrows and graves.

Observer

Iron Age hill fort restored

Work has been completed to restore the area around the Uley Bury Iron Age hill fort. The DEFRA-backed project covers 38 acres on land above the village of Uley (Cotswolds, England). The hill fort, which dates back around 2500 years, is encircled by a bridle path that gives wonderful views over the Severn Vale. It is both a Scheduled Ancient Monument and, because of its species-rich grassland, a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Before the conservation work was carried out, trees had been self-seeding and the top of the site was farmed for arable crops. This had meant that the area of undergrass was shrinking and with it the valuable rare habitat of chalk/limestone grassland. Tree roots were damaging the monument's structure and the trees themselves were obscuring the landscape views.

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