BRONZE AGE BOAT TO RISE FROM TAY

Archaeologists in Perthshire will attempt to raise a Bronze Age boat from below the River Tay next month after undertaking excavation work yesterday.

The 3,000-year-old log boat was found by a man with a metal detector on the mudflats near Abernethy, six years ago.

The find was reported to Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust, which has since carried out a series of studies of the vessel, which is visible at low tides.

Radiocarbon dating tests revealed the 30ft boat, which was carved from a single piece of oak, is one of the oldest found in Scotland.

It is thought the vessel was used by hunters to catch fish or to transport goods or people.

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Irish bog bodies help unlock secrets of Iron Age

Life in the Iron Age may have been nasty, brutish and short but people still found time to style their hair and polish their fingernails -- and that was just the men.

These are the findings of scientists who have been examining the latest preserved prehistoric bodies to emerge from Ireland's peat bogs -- the first to be found in Europe for 20 years.

One of the bodies, churned up by a peat-cutting machine at Clonycavan near Dublin in 2003, had raised Mohawk-style hair, held in place with gel imported from abroad.

The other, unearthed three months later and 40 km (25 miles) away in Oldcroghan by workmen digging a ditch, had perfectly manicured fingernails.

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France's new Stonehenge: Secrets of a neolithic time machine

A spectacular discovery of Stone Age menhirs in Brittany could unlock the code to one of the most puzzling chapters of human development, and transform our knowledge of mankind's early history

Some months ago builders were clearing a piece of wasteland in southern Brittany when they struck an enormous hunk of granite. The developer was no historian but he knew instantly what the obstacle must be: the remains of a buried "menhir" or neolithic standing stone.

He ordered a bulldozer to shove the stone underground again before any passing busybody spotted it. He did not want the work on his six seaside bungalows to be halted for a prolonged archaeological dig.

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Bulgarian police have discovered three ancient chariots and two ornaments tossed in an abandoned vine-field close to the central city of Stara Zagora.

The artefacts were found meters away from a mount and archaeologists believe they date back to the II or III century AD, the Bulgarian national TV reported.

Marauders have most likely ripped off exquisite bronze ornaments from the wheels of the chariots, experts think.

The silver ornaments that were spared by the treasure-hunters are rarely seen on Thracian chariots. This made archaeologists think that the artefacts were probably used for special occasions.

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3,000-YEAR-OLD LOG BOAT TO BE RAISED FROM TAY ESTUARY

One of the oldest boats discovered in Scotland is being excavated and raised from its site in the Tay Estuary.

The Carpow log boat, as it is known, situated near Abernethy, was discovered in 2000. Identifying it as a log boat, used for fishing and wildfowling, Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust radiocarbon dated it to 1000BC - the late Bronze Age.

Archaeologist David Strachan of the Trust explained: “It was discovered in 2000 by a metal detectorist – half of it was sticking out of the mud.”

“The buried portion of it was very well preserved with intact transom boards [stern timbers], but the exposed part is deteriorating.”

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Greek Subway Dig Excites Archaeologists

Another subway in Greece, another look into the past.

Tunneling work to build a metro system for the country's second-largest city started Thursday, as Culture Ministry officials signed an agreement to protect antiquities they expect to be discovered during construction.

The agreement follows a massive horde of antiquities uncovered while building a new subway system in Athens, which opened in 2000, with extensions added before the 2004 Olympics. Some of the discoveries are on display at Athens stations.

The subway system for Thessaloniki, where some 1.3 million people live, will span about 6 miles with 13 stations and is due to be completed by 2012, at an estimated cost of $1.27 billion.

Work involving two large tunnel-boring machines started Thursday. The machines were named Cassander and Thessalonica, after the king who founded the northern city 2,300 years ago, and his wife.

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Medieval walkway found at abbey

A medieval walkway which was hidden under years of vegetation growth has been discovered at an abbey in Suffolk.

It was found during redevelopment of Grade I listed Georgian houses built against a wall on the west front of the abbey at Bury St Edmunds.

Still visible are marks made by abbey clerks' hobnail boots which had worn away a path used as a maintenance route between internal walls.

The walkway will now be covered over to preserve it for future generations.

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Bog discovery hailed as Ireland's Dead Sea scrolls

Irish archaeologists are celebrating the discovery of their own Dead Sea scrolls after a bulldozer unearthed fragments of a psalter that may have lain in a bog for more than 1,000 years. The book of psalms was found last Thursday when an engineer excavating bogland in the midlands noticed a bundle near his digger's scoop. It turned out to be the animal skin pages of an early Christian psalter that appears to date back as far as AD800. One psalm - number 89 - was still legible.

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Ancient bones shed light on Roman Britain

Archaeologists uncover farmstead and infant burial site along route of modern water pipeline

ARCHAEOLOGISTS in Yorkshire have stumbled across fascinating remains which are shedding new light on what life was like for ancient Britons under the rule of Rome.

The experts working along the route of a new water pipeline have discovered an ancient farmstead to the south west of Bridlington.

Its occupants kept cattle, sheep and possibly pigs and lived in wood-framed roundhouses which were only yards away from where children were buried in small, round graves.

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'Time team' unearths evidence of Downs dwellers of Iron Age

ARCHAEOLOGISTS have unearthed Iron Age and Roman pottery during a week-long excavation on Farthing Downs.

Fragments were discovered in one of the Anglo-Saxon burial mounds, originally excavated by antiques collector John Wickham Flower in the 19th century.

Archaeologists working at the site believe the pottery must have been missed by Wickham Flower, as he removed all the artefacts he unearthed.

It follows the discovery of human bones in graves near the burial mounds during a dig at the site last year - held, such as this dig, in National Archaeology Week.

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Medieval book of psalms unearthed

Irish archaeologists Tuesday heralded the discovery of an ancient book of psalms by a construction worker while driving the shovel of his backhoe into a bog.

The approximately 20-page book has been dated to the years 800-1000. Trinity College manuscripts expert Bernard Meehan said it was the first discovery of an Irish early medieval document in two centuries.

"This is really a miracle find," said Pat Wallace, director of the National Museum of Ireland, which has the book stored in refrigeration. Researchers will conduct years of painstaking analysis before putting the book on public display.

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Shoreham dig opens window to the past

MEDIAEVAL pottery and the remains of animals were among items uncovered in an archaeological dig in Shoreham.

A team of four people from Archaeology South East took part in the dig in Shoreham High Street, opposite Ropetackle, last week, writes Sam Woodman.

They uncovered a rubbish tip, complete with several pits, dating back to the 14th or 15th century.

Simon Stevens, who led the dig, said: "It is a little mediaeval rubbish site. We have got the normal spread of animal bones and lots of fish bones.

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Iron Age villagers 'behind times'

Iron Age villagers living in west Somerset were 'behind the times' according to evidence unearthed by a team of archaeologists.

The team has been investigating the site at Maundown Water Treatment works near Wiveliscombe.

Six round houses dating back to 100 BC have been revealed by the dig.

A site of this age should show signs of square Roman houses but the existence of only round houses shows the village was behind the times in property style.

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Combing the Mendips for historic treasures

A TEAM of archaeologists will begin a four year hunt for hidden treasures on the Mendip Hills soon.

A dozen English Heritage specialists will use the latest aerial scanning technology as well as field surveys and other traditional archaeological techniques to look for new finds.

They will also be taking a fresh look at known sites, especially historic lead mines like the ones at Charterhouse near Cheddar where they hope to team up with local amateur archaeologists.Work will begin in the coming weeks with a complete aerial survey of the hills and groundwork in Burrington.

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Digging to find answers

Ancient timbers uncovered as part of engineering work and mistaken for modern fence-posts could belong to a 4,000-year-old walkway across marshland on the Norfolk-Suffolk border, archaeologists revealed last night.

The archaeological find, the first of its kind in the region, has been made on the banks of the River Waveney during flood defence work.

Iron Age timbers have been preserved "extraordinarily well" according to archaeologists working at the site, on the Suffolk side of the river, near Beccles.

Now the contractor, Broadland Environmental Services Limited (BESL), has roped off the area and paid for a three-week dig to take place at the site to see what else can be found out about the wooden structure.

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TIME TEAM TO UNCOVER ISLAND'S SECRETS

TIME Team will uncover the early years of Manx Christianity when the popular archaeology programme films in September.
After months of speculation, it has been confirmed the Channel 4 series will feature the Island.

A team of more than 40, including a few well-known faces, will spend three days trying to get to grips with an important area of Manx history.

Series editor Michael Douglas confirmed presenter Tony Robinson, who also played sidekick Baldrick in the BBC comedy Blackadder, will travel here.

The excavation will be overseen by respected archaeologist and Time Team regular Professor Mick Aston and Phil Harding, whose West Country accent, hats and eccentric hair have made him a favourite with fans, will also join the dig.

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Do you dig archaeology?

KEITH Fitzpatrick-Matthews has a message for anyone who thinks that archaeology is boring - it is actually about what makes us human.

"It's about the things we do with the world around us and what it also shows is that all human beings, no matter where they come from and where they lived, are basically the same. It's about the traces you leave behind as you go through your daily lives," said Keith, (pictured right) who works at North Hertfordshire District Council as archaeology development officer.

This week is National Archaeology Week and Letchworth Museum has an ambitious project to rebuild the replica Iron Age round house that burned down there three years ago.

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Archaelogical study

The first stage of an archeological evaluation of the St Chad's Centre development is due to finish this week. The study of the site, behind Well Cottage, has been undertaken by Oxford Archaeology for the last two weeks. The evaluation aims to identify specific underground features which were mapped during an earlier geophysical scan.

It has involved opening ten trenches which could provide evidence for a future decision on whether a fullscale archeological investigation is warranted. Any specific artefacts found will be recorded and stored and if larger underground items are found they will be charted and covered in when the trenches are back-filled and turfed. The final report will assess if further exploration of the site is required at a later date.

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Archaeologists seek hints on 4000-year-old civilization in Tekirdağ

Archaeologists working on an ancient Thracian site in Tekirdağ said on Monday they have unveiled part of an ancient city named Heraion Teichos, which is thought to date back to 2000 B.C.

The excavation team of Mimar Sinan University's Archaeology Department has been working to unearth the ancient city, located near Tekirdağ's Karaevli village, for the last six years.

Head of the excavations, Associate Professor Neşe Atik, told the Doğan News Agency on Monday that they were the first team to conduct the excavation of a Thracian site in Turkey.

Sources of information on the Thracian civilization are very scarce, according to Atik.

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Treasures in Larissa

A marble statue of Artemis was found near Larissa’s ancient theater among a layer of more than 60 column drums, Doric pillars and an expanse of marble stretching more than 140 meters. The headless statue was discovered in the area where researchers were digging for the ancient theater. Artemis, a Thracian deity whose cult reached Attica, was worshipped in caves but is identified with the Hellenistic period.

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