Kids to be archaeologists as new building could uncover a Roman camp

TODAY it's home to a Leeds school with more than 1,000 students.

But backtrack 2,000 years and the site of Allerton High in Moortown could have been occupied by soldiers from one of history's largest empires.

The east end of the site may have once contained a Roman camp, it has been discovered.
The discovery was made by surveyors preparing for a new £25m school to replace the current buildings in two years.

In the meantime, a group of Allerton pupils aged 11 and 12 studying the Romans will be taking part in an official archaeology dig to investigate the site.

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Medieval finds of what could be 'lost village'

A PLOUGHED field on the outskirts of Nuneaton could be the site of the lost medieval settlement of Copston Parva.

Dozens volunteered to become archaeological sleuths for the day in a bid to unearth clues and pinpoint the exact location of the long-forgotten Warwickshire village.

About 100 people converged on farmland between Nuneaton and Hinckley - and they discovered "huge amounts" of medieval material.

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Armring found by builder's son is bought by museum

Pure gold... rare piece of Viking jewellery returns to the city of York

ONE of the rarest pieces of Viking gold jewellery to be found in Britain or Ireland has returned to the City of York.

The arm ring – weighing 325 grammes – was found among the possessions of a former builder after the 88-year-old man died in February, 2004.

It was taken to York coroner, Donald Coverdale, by Douglas Ingle who found the ring while sorting through his father's belongings and realised it had archaeological importance.

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1,600-year-old dog found in Roman well at Liss

ARCHAEOLOGISTS digging on the site of a Roman settlement in Liss have discovered the skeleton of a dog they believe was offered as a gift to the gods 1,600 years ago. Archaeozoologist Sheila Hamilton-Dyer, told The Herald it was not uncommon to find dogs at the bottom of Roman wells and “Brutus” , as the Liss volunteers have christened the remains, was probably placed in the well by Roman settlers. “Dogs are found at the bottom of Roman wells on about half of the sites excavated,” she told The Herald. “It’s probably associated with the fact that they were associated with death, and I think this dog was already dead when it was thrown or placed in the well, judging by the ‘floppy’ way it was lying.”

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Rare Iron Age settlement is about to be unearthed

ARCHAEOLOGISTS will soon be uncovering a rare Iron Age settlement in a North Somerset village.

The ancient site at Goblin Combe Environmental Centre in Cleeve is the only known Iron Age settlement in Britain not to have been dug up.

The trees and plants currently covering the site will be cleared this winter in preparation for a team of archaeologists to study the site in detail.

A group of 45 pupils from Broadoak Mathematics and Computing College in Weston started the work this week by helping clear some trees.

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Oxford archaeologists want to join studies on Iran's salt men

"A group of Oxford University archaeologists has prepared a plan, asking to participate in the study, and the Center for Archaeological Research is investigating the plan," Abolfazl Aali told the Persian service of CHN on Wednesday

"The archaeologists will be invited to the project if their plan is approved by the center. The collaboration would be a good experience for both sides," he added.

Last year, pieces of clothing and DNA samples from three of the four ancient salt men were sent to Oxford University for carbon-14 dating.

"The Chehrabad Salt Mine is one of the world's unique ancient sites, but there are also similar sites in other countries where their archaeologists have had many experiences, which could be helpful for us," Aali said.

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Neanderthal 'butcher's shop' found near Somme

Neanderthal finds are like prehistoric buses. You wait for tens of thousands of years, and then two important revelations come along together.

French and Belgian archaeologists have found proof that Neanderthals - mankind's closest relatives - were living in near-tropical conditions, hunting rhinoceros and elephant, close to what is now France's Channel coast 125,000 years ago.

No traces of Neanderthal activity have previously been found in north-west Europe during this period - a 15,000-year interval between two ice ages.

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Archaeologists excavating a Roman settlement in Liss believe they have unearthed the remains of a dog over 1,600 years after it fell down a well.

The curious incident of the dog from the fourth century has led to a modern day investigation in a field at the village.

The ill fated mutt came to a sad end at the bottom of a well.

More than 1,600 years later, its skeleton has been recovered by amateur archaeologists carrying out excavation work on the settlement.

The remarkably well preserved remains are currently being analysed by an expert in animal bones.

Meanwhile, the dog has been given a suitably Roman name by the archaeologists – Brutus.

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Secret Death Chamber Found in Temple of Apollo

Underneath the Temple of Apollo in the Hierapolis located near Denizli, Turkey, archaeologists have made an astounding discovery. There is a tunnel underneath the temple leading from a death pit outside to a secret chamber under the main temple where priests may have secretly prepared the sacrifices made outside - and this is all related to the famed hot springs which even today bring in large numbers of tourists.

In this way, a sacrifice tossed into the pit would seem to miraculously appear, fully prepared, in the temple not long after. That doesn't sound so amazing, except for one fact: the death pit killed instantly due to large amounts of poisonous gasses from a geologic fault that the temple was built over. No one could approach or enter the pit, so no one would suspect priests being able to enter to retrieve the sacrifice, with or without an underground tunnel.

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The Croatian Apoxyomenos in Italy

The Croatian Apoxyomenos in Italy

Apoxyomenos, The Athlete of Croatia will be on view in the Medici Riccardi
Palace in Florence between 30th September 2006 and 30th July 2007. The ancient bronze statue Apoxyomenos, the figure of a young athlete, was
found in 1996 by a Belgian tourist under the sea off the little island
near Losinj in Croatia. The statue was lying on a sandy seabed, stuck
between two rocks, at a depth of approximately 45 m.

Information from Andrea Devlahovic

For more info, please visit: www.palazzo-medici.it

THE TEXARKANA ARCHAEOLOGY BLUES

Location: Arkansas Length: 6 min.

Life as a cultural resource management (CRM) field archaeologist might not be what you expect. In this sequel to our first video spinoff of the Shovel Bum zine, T-Bone tells about a freeway project near Texarkana, Arkansas. Irate landowners, scenic delights, large snakes, night-screaming roommates, and backbiting co-workers all help to portray the "shovel bum lifestyle." In this episode by the University of New Mexico's Troy Lovata, T-Bone (using Trent's real voice) and Betsy finally get fed up with the scene in Arkansas and head west to greener pastures.

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8,400-year old settlement unearthed in İzmir’s Ulucak tumulus

A team of archaeologists working at the Ulucak tumulus, located in İzmir's Kemalpaşa district, have unearthed a Neolithic settlement area dating back some 8,400 years, an archaeologist announced last week.

Archaeologist Fulya Dedeoğlu of Ege University told the Doğan News Agency that excavations had been under way in the area since 1995.

She said they believed their latest discovery could be the oldest settlement dating from the Neolithic period unearthed to date and added that further excavations on the lower levels could reveal even older remains.

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BULGARIA TRYING TO PROTECT TREASURES FROM CRIMINAL GROUPS

Bulgarian archaeologists and criminal groups were in a race to find ancient treasures first, an article in The Guardian named Bulgaria Fights to Save its Golden Past from the Curse of the Gangsters said.

A number of Thracian treasures have already been found on the territory of Bulgaria, the report said. These artifacts were about to disprove claims that the Thracians were “barbarian race whose greatest contribution to history was Spartacus, the slave who rebelled against Rome.”

At the same time, criminal groups proved sometimes more skillful and faster than archaeologists and managed to unearth ancient treasures first, The Guardian said.

Some Thracian treasures could even rival findings from ancient Troy, the report said. Among the most impressive pieces were a solid gold mask and a platinum dagger found recently.

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Fragments from a sacred landscape

To the untrained eye it looks like a piece of rubble. For archaeologists however, this 4,000 year-old fragment is part of the one of the most significant discoveries in Norwich for more than 60 years.

It was unearthed at an excavation in Ber Street and is believed to come from a Bronze Age Round Barrow - also thought to be the first ever found in the heart of the city.

Giles Emery, project officer for NAU which is part of Norfolk Property Services (NPS), said: “The monument would have measured up to 20m in diameter, consisting of a central burial or cremation covered by a circular mound surrounded by a ditch and bank.

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Money runs out for excavating oldest church

The tourist development venture at a Christian altar found at the Megiddo Prison, considered the world’s oldest church dating to the third of fourth century CE, has been halted because of a lack of money. The Israel Antiquities Authority financed the excavations and preservation of the site for years, but says it can no longer bear the cost.

Since the relevant authorities have not allocated the necessary resources to dedicate the site and develop it into a global tourist attraction, the Antiquities Authority has had to cover the ruins with sand and a tarpaulin in order to preserve them. The purpose is to prevent natural or human-induced damage to the uncovered mosaic. The decision is reversible, and if and when money is found to continue development of the site, the Antiquities Authority can continue activity at the dig to prepare it for visitors.

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Archaeologist gagged by power firm

ENERGY chiefs have been accused of gagging one of Scotland's leading archaeologists after he discovered that proposed power lines would run through the site of a major "lost" battlefield.

Dr Tony Pollard has pinpointed the precise location of the 1715 Battle of Sheriffmuir, but the firm that commissioned the work, Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE), will not let him reveal his findings due to "legal advice".

SSE is already facing growing environmental opposition to its plans for a £320m, 137-mile string of pylons from Beauly in Inverness-shire to Denny in Stirlingshire.

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National Geographic Channel Seeks The Historical Truth In SEARCH FOR NOAH′S ARK

National Geographic Channel Investigates The Latest Clues And Competing Theories In The SEARCH FOR NOAH′S ARK

"There′s an Indiana Jones kind of quality to it - you′ve got a secret map for a priceless treasure."

It is a tale of divine punishment, human survival ...and historical truth? In one of the seminal stories of the Bible, Noah is handpicked by God to build an ark and save his family and the animals of the earth from a catastrophic worldwide flood meant to punish human beings for their wicked ways. Strikingly similar stories have been told for thousands of years in the Middle East and among North and South American Indian cultures. Is this a remarkable coincidence or a conceivable - and provable - historical fact?

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Tolbooth found in Capital's facelift

THE remains of Edinburgh's medieval tolbooth have been unearthed during road repairs on the Royal Mile.

Historians have always known the tolbooth was located somewhere between St Giles' Cathedral and the City Chambers, but until now had been unable to pinpoint its location.

The archaeological investigations, carried out as part of a £1.5 million upgrade of the Royal Mile, have discovered a large section of the lost building's northern wall which they believe dates to the late 14th century.

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That huge gap between us and the cavemen is getting smaller all the time

The remains of a neanderthal settlement have been found on the Rock of Gibraltar, carbon-dated to just 24,000 years ago. This is 10,000 years later than the last known remains and, according to the rampant neanderthal lobby, brings these lovable people almost to the present day. It proves to those who have championed their cause that every discovery about neanderthals has them surviving longer than was previously thought.

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Life on the edge: was a Gibraltar cave last outpost of the lost neanderthal?

The final resting place of the last neanderthals may have been unearthed by fossil-hunters excavating deep inside a cave in Gibraltar.

Primitive stone tools and remnants from wood fires recovered from the vast Gorham's cave on the easternmost face of the Rock suggest neanderthals found refuge there, and clung to life for thousands of years after they had died out elsewhere.

Carbon dating of charcoal fragments excavated alongside spear points and basic cutting tools indicates the cave was home to a group of around 15 neanderthals at least 28,000 years ago, and possibly as recently as 24,000 years ago. Previously uncovered remains lead scientists to believe the neanderthals died out in Europe and elsewhere some 35,000 years ago.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 .

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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In the end they really weren't so horrible

RAPING and pillaging. Longboats and horned helmets. Beards and ginger hair. Is that all there was to the Vikings?

Certainly the people who came from what is modern-day Scandinavia - Norway, Sweden and Denmark - and travelled to Scotland over 1200 years ago leaving their homes behind them, must have had more about them than a taste for beer and hunks of animal flesh. Yet this is the way many people today think of Vikings.

It's hardly surprising when you think of the way they're portrayed on film and television. And even though there's a variety of evidence available when studying Viking Scotland including language, place-names, documentary sources, oral tradition and archaeology - there are still many questions unanswered.

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Etruscan Holy City Discovered

Italian archaeologists believe they have found the mysterious sanctuary which was the religious and political centre of the Etruscan civilisation. The Etruscans were an ancient people known to have lived in the area of Italy between Rome and Florence from the 8th century BC until they were absorbed by Rome about 600 years later. For centuries they dominated the fledgling city on the Tiber and even supplied its first kings. But most traces of the Etruscan civilisation, which produced sophisticated art, were obliterated as Roman grew into an empire .

The Etruscan world was organised around a federation of 12 city states. Each spring the political and religious leaders from the cities would meet at a holy place called the Fanum Voltumnae to hold a council. Here they would discuss military campaigns, civic affairs and pray to their common gods. Chief amongst these was Voltumna, god of the underworld. Until now it has never been clear where the Fanum, which means sanctuary, was located and historians have been looking for it for at least six centuries .

Now, after extensive digs at a site near the hill town of Orvieto, 60 miles north of Rome, a team of archaeologists from Macerata University is sure the mystery has been solved. They have found the walls of a central temple, two important roads and part of the perimeter wall of an extensive shrine, all built in the tufa stone used by the Etruscans. They have also uncovered fragments of 6th century BC ceremonial vases used for religious rites. "It has all the characteristics of a very important shrine, and of that shrine in particular," said Simonetta Stopponi, professor of Etruscan studies at Macerata University. Listing some of those characteristics, she mentioned "the scale of the construction, its intricate structure and layout, the presence of wells and fountains and the central temple building".

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Archaeologists from VU Amsterdam at the heart of a European heritage project in Italy; Multi-million grant for new approach to Classical heritage

In the Apulia region of southern Italy, VU archaeologists will be assisting with the establishment of archaeological parks around the ruins of two cities dating from classical antiquity. The European Union has allotted a total of 1.1 million euros to this project, which takes an entirely new approach to digs. This time, the objective is not to search for objets d'art and then exhibit them in museums elsewhere. Instead, the objects that are dug out of the ground are to be retained in their local context, and the history of the cities in question is to be made accessible in the form of parks.

The two walled cities in southern Italy were partially excavated at the end of the 1990s and at the start of the year 2000. The digs were conducted by Gert-Jan Burgers, Douwe Yntema and Jan Paul Crielaard, classical archaeologists from the Faculty of Arts at VU Amsterdam. For two thousand years, the cities had remained buried under vineyards and fields of grain. The remains really fired the imagination of the local population. For this reason, the local authorities appealed for European grants, in order to construct visitors’ centres on site.

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Construction Workers Uncover Roman Village in Bonn

A UN construction site in Bonn was converted to an archeological dig when a 2,000-year-old Roman village was discovered. Jugs, plates, remnants of a public bath and a paved street reveal a surprisingly modern people.

The mass of dirt directly across from the plenary hall in Bonn's former government quarter looks like the surface of the moon. Deep pockets have been dug out in several spots and three excavators are boring their way deeper into the ground.

Nora Andrikopoulou-Strack is standing on one of the other-worldly dirt mounds, with clay-smeared boots on her feet and a broad smile on her face. She is responsible for turning this construction site into an archeological dig.

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Britain's human history revealed

Eight times humans came to try to live in Britain and on at least seven occasions they failed - beaten back by freezing conditions.

Scientists think they can now write a reasonably comprehensive history of the occupation of these isles.

It stretches from 700,000 years ago and the first known settlers at Pakefield in Suffolk, through to the most recent incomers just 12,000 years or so ago.

The evidence comes from the Ancient Human Occupation of Britain Project.

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German gesture reopens debate on Elgin Marbles

THE British Museum was under new pressure to return the Elgin Marbles to Greece yesterday after a German university gave back a tiny sculpture taken from the 2,500-year-old Parthenon.

The 3in by 5in sculpture of a man's foot, from the north section of the Parthenon frieze, was handed back by Heidelberg University, and Giorgos Voulgarakis, the Greek culture minister, said: "This is a major symbolic gesture ... a new page in the previously deadlocked debate for the return of all [Parthenon] sculptures from museums abroad."

Greece says the Elgin Marbles - removed by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century - are an integral part of the temple on the Acropolis in Athens.

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Delos relics to be rescued, restored with EU funding

he House of the Lake and the House of the Diadoumenos, which are both in the ancient sanctuary of Delos, are expected to be restored and maintained through a project funded by the EU’s Third Community Support Framework and managed by the Central Archaeological Council. The two relics have been ravaged by nature and neglect.

Two monuments at the archaeological site of Delos in the Cyclades will be restored and maintained with European Union money, after the Greek Central Archaeological Council (KAS) approved two studies for the relics’ upkeep earlier this summer.

Delos, which mythology says is the birthplace of Artemis and Apollo, is considered one of the most important archaeological sites in the Cyclades.

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Remains of ‘Viking’ boat discovered by archaeologists at Castlebar lake

ARCHAEOLOGISTS working on the Castlebar sewage scheme stumbled upon what has been described by the National Museum of Ireland as a ‘significant and exciting archaeological find’.

While trench testing close to Lough Lannagh they uncovered a wooden boat, believed to be medieval with a strong possibility that it could even be from the Viking period of around 1,100 years ago.
Measuring 10 feet long and some six-foot wide, the boat is in reasonable condition having been preserved in a blanket of peat which covered it from once the Castlebar lake receded.


It may have been used as a cargo or fishing vessel. Its discovery was made possible due to a drop in the water levels of the lake which have dropped significantly since the 1800s when water was diverted for a mill race. The Moy Drainage Scheme in the 1960s also led to a lowering of the lake levels by as much as 12 feet.
The discovery was made by Olga Sheehy, who is one of a team of six archaeologists headed by licensed archaeologist, Joanna Nolan, currently working at the site.

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Ancient treasures found

SOFIA (Bulgaria): A 2,200-year-old set of gold jewellery was unearthed from a Thracian burial mound on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, the archaeologist who led the excavations said on Monday. Daniela Agre said her team in late August found dozens of tiny jewellery pieces in the tomb of a woman, most likely a Thracian priestess, near the resort of Sinemorets, about 500 km southeast of the capital, Sofia. The discovery included two earrings, crafted like miniature chariots, as well as parts of gold necklaces, one decorated with a sculpture of a bull's head. A tiny plaque that appears to be the necklace's fastener bears a Greek inscription, saying ``made by Demetrius,'' Ms. Agre said, suggesting this could have been the name the nobleman who ordered the jewellery.

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Rare mural-covered Bronze Age tomb discovered

Sofia, Bulgaria - Archaeologists in southern Bulgaria have located remains of a completely preserved Thracian domed tomb decorated with murals, the daily Trud reported on Monday.

The tomb, near the town of Haskovo, 234km southeast of Sofia, is made of big stone blocks and has two chambers forming a dome at the top. There are paintings of horses and Thracian armed warriors on the walls.

The Thracians were Bronze Age people, whose civilisation thrived in the Balkans from 2000 BC until the invasion of the Slavs in the sixth century AD.

This is only the second Thracian tomb with murals of humans discovered in Bulgaria and one of the most significant in Thracian archaeology in this century, experts say.

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Enthusiast uses Google to reveal Roman ruins

Using satellite images from Google Maps and Google Earth, an Italian computer programmer has stumbled upon the remains of an ancient villa. Luca Mori was studying maps of the region around his town of Sorbolo, near Parma, when he noticed a prominent, oval, shaded form more than 500 metres long. It was the meander of an ancient river, visible because former watercourses absorb different amounts of moisture from the air than their surroundings do.

His eye was caught by unusual 'rectangular shadows' nearby. Curious, he analysed the image further, and concluded that the lines must represent a buried structure of human origin. Eventually, he traced out what looked like the inner courtyards of a villa.

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Hadrian's Roman soldiers 'had military tattoo'

A pictorial exhibition exploring the history of tattooing in Britain is to go on display in the unlikely setting of Newcastle University's Museum of Antiquities (Tuesday 29 August).

Currently fashionable among celebrities, footballers and pop stars, historical texts and archaeological evidence suggest that some form of tattooing has been practised in the British Isles for thousands of years.

'It's a little known fact, but it would appear that all of the legionaries and some of the auxiliaries on Hadrian's Wall would have had a tattoo', says the University's Director of Archaeological Museums and Roman expert, Lindsay Allason-Jones.

The evidence comes from the Roman writer Vegetius, whose Epitome of Military Science, written around the 4th Century AD, is the only account of Roman military practice to have survived intact.

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Dig unearths 'unique' Roman baths

An archaeological dig in Kent has turned up a Roman bathhouse described as "totally unique" for the county.
The remains of the 5th Century building were uncovered in a field in Faversham by students working with the Kent Archaeological Field School.

Dr Paul Wilkinson said the Roman baths came to light during a number of excavations for Swale Borough Council.

He claimed the octagon-shaped bathhouse was a "very exciting" find and a first for the South East.

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New discoveries in Aljezur

THE RUINS of two mosques have been unearthed during the latest archaeological dig at Ponta da Atalaia, on the Aljezur coast. Excavation work, co-ordinated by archaeologists Rosa and Mário Varela Gomes, began on August 1 and will continue until the end of the month.

For the fifth consecutive year, remains have been uncovered from the mythical Rîbat da Arrifana, a fortressed monastery built by Ibn Qasi, a Sufi master and Muslim monk-warrior who lived there with his community during the 12th century.

The archaeologists have already discovered the remains of six mosques and their respective oratories, the foundations of a circular minaret and those of what is thought to have once been a school.

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Iron Age chamber found under tractor

An underground chamber undisturbed since the Iron Age was revealed on North Uist when a 10ft hole opened beneath the wheel of a tractor.

Archaeologists assessed the find at Port nan Long at the north of the island, which has been sealed off from the public.

Dr Mary MacLeod, Western Isles Council's archaeologist, was delighted to declare the hole an Iron Age souterrain, or underground chamber.

She said: "It is particularly exciting because it is so well preserved.

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ARCHAEOLOGIST'S FIND REVEALS THE THINKERS OF 400,000 YEARS AGO

Neanderthals were much more like modern humans than has been previously thought, according to a Bristol University archaeologist. Professor Joao Zilhao made the discovery after re-examining finds from one of the most famous palaeolithic sites in Europe.

He has unearthed evidence which he says shows that Neanderthals - commonly viewed as primitive - in fact made ornaments of their own designs.

The ornaments may help prove that the species was capable of "symbolic thinking" - that is attaching a meaning to an object.

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1,300-year-old Saxon buckle goes on show

A rare 1,300-year-old Saxon buckle, unearthed with a metal detector, will go on public display for the first time today.

The copper alloy Byzantine-style buckle, which dates from AD600-720, is only the second of its type to have been found in England. Faye Simpson, archaeologist at the Museum of London, said it was "as beautiful as anything you could hope to find on Bond Street".

It was found on the outskirts of London by treasure hunter Bill Robson, who handed it to the museum. It is unusual because an artefact of this type would normally be found in Spain or Portugal, the museum said.

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Rare 1,300-year-old Saxon belt buckle goes on display

A rare 1,300-year-old Saxon belt buckle unearthed with a metal detector will go on public display for the first time today.

The copper alloy buckle, which dates from AD600-720, is only the second one of its type to have been found in England.

It was discovered recently on the outskirts of London by treasure hunter Bill Robson, who handed it to the Museum of London.

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Archeologists find unique Thracian gold near seaside

A unique gold treasure from Thracian times was found on Sunday near the town of Sinemorets at the Bulgarian seaside, news agencies reported.

The excavations near the mouth of Veleka River continued during the day and the field is guarded by the police.
Local people have dug the hill for inert materials and later archeologists discovered the gold treasure, Darik radio announced. There are lots of gold and silver vessels and cult clay tiles with the image of Mother Earth Goddess. Up to the Sunday evening an extremely valuable wreath and a set of golden earrings have been brought out of the hill. Archeological work goes on without stopping, Darik radio added.

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Uncovering the burial mounds of Bronze Age Scots

FOUR thousand years ago work began to erect the great earthen burial mounds that comprise the Bronze Age barrow cemetery at the Knowes of Trotty, in Harray, Orkney. There are at least 16 barrows - or graves - in two rows, nestling between the edge of the farmlands and the foot of the moorland. Many were raised upon natural mounds to enhance their prominence.

It is a spectacular site, even today, and there are indications that in the Bronze Age the Knowes of Trotty was a cemetery of special significance. The barrows were built to honour the dead of the local farmers and represent a change in burial ritual away from the communal interments of Neolithic farming sites like Maeshowe and more towards individual burials that often incorporated the use of fire to cremate the body. Burial in the Bronze Age celebrated the individual and often included grave goods, perhaps as an indication of status and for use in the after world.

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http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article1222308.ece

Neanderthals were much more advanced than has been thought, according to a new examination of finds from a famous cave site that indicates that the creatures designed and made their own jewellery.

It had been assumed ornaments found with their bones were "borrowed" from ancestors of modern humans, or copied. This is now believed to have been a mistake.

Neanderthals lived in Europe long before the early modern humans, Homo sapiens, 40,000 years ago. The two sub-species existed side-by-side for about 10,000 years, after which the Neanderthals vanished.

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Dig unearths round table evidence at Windsor Castle

Evidence of a building linked to the myth of King Arthur and the knights of the round table has been found at Windsor Castle.

The circular structure was built by Edward III in the 14th century to house the round table intended to seat the original 300 Knights of the Garter. Archaeological proof of the building was uncovered by members of Channel 4's Time Team in the castle's quadrangle.

Although the stones have been removed, rubble in-fill where they were originally located remained in place. The show's presenter, Tony Robinson, said the discovery could help settle years of debate among historians over the existence of the building. "The round table building is one of our most significant ever archaeological finds. It is something that helped to establish Arthurian legends of the knights of the round table.

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Rare Saxon belt goes on display

A rare Anglo-Saxon belt buckle found by a treasure hunter with a metal detector is going on public display for the first time.

The copper alloy buckle dates from between AD600 and AD720 and is only the second one of its type found in England.

It was unearthed recently on the outskirts of London by Bill Robson, who handed it to the Museum of London.

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There is a little Neanderthal in a lot of us

People who have large noses, a stocky build and a beetle brow may indeed be a little Neanderthal, according to a genetic study. But the good news is that other research concludes that Neanderthals were much more like us than previously thought.

People of European descent may be five per cent Neanderthal, according to a study published in the journal PLoS Genetics, which suggests we all have a sprinkling of archaic DNA in our genes.

"Instead of a population that left Africa 100,000 years ago and replaced all other archaic human groups, we propose that this population interacted with another population that had been in Europe for much longer, maybe 400,000 years," says Dr Vincent Plagnol, of the University of Southern California, who with Dr Jeffrey Wall analysed 135 different regions of the human genetic code.

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Augustus' tomb to get rehab

Roman officials hope that the mausoleum of Augustus, founder of the Roman empire, can be restored to its ancient glory.

The tomb was stripped of much of its travertine marble in the middle ages and surrounded by an ugly piazza under Mussolini. The city is holding an international competition for plans to renovate the mausoleum and its surroundings, the Italian news agency Ansa reported.

Archaeologists say the work will also give them a chance to explore the site.

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Chester's Roman plans lie in ruins after lottery blow

AMBITIOUS plans for a new visitor centre at Chester's famous Roman amphitheatre have suffered a serious blow after failing to gain support from funders.

Chester City Council has been told by the Big Lottery Fund it will not pay for a feasibility study to build the centre after the demolition of part of a Grade II listed building in the city centre.

Cllr Ann Farrell, Chester's cabinet member for culture, said the Roman heritage was a key part of the city's appeal to tourists and last year the amphitheatre was the second most visited site in Chester after the cathedral.

She pledged the plans would not be dropped despite the set-back, and they would seek other sources of funding.

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Archaeological Study Tour to Provence - June 2007

Friday, 1 to Saturday, 9 June 2007

An Archaeological Study Tour to the Luberon area of Provence.

Leaving from London Embankment

Full details can be found here...

Castle visitors to relive life of Medieval soldiers

VISITORS to Craigmillar Castle can experience life as a soldier in the Middle Ages this weekend.

An archery display and an exhibition of 15th century weaponry will take place on Sunday.

Nick Finnigan, Historic Scotland events manager, said: "It's a chance to discover the difference between a crossbow and a warbow, a sword and a great sword.

"And visitors will be able to find out what life was like for real Scottish medieval soldiers."

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Treasure found!

A FATHER and son metal detecting in a Clitheroe farm field unearthed 28 medieval coins.

And an inquest ruled the coins are officially treasure and Ron Blair and his son, James, must now wait for an offer of "reward" from the British Museum.

"We have no idea how much it will be, but we are not expecting a fortune," said Ron (60), of Windermere Avenue, Clitheroe. "When we were given permission to search the land we agreed to split anything we found of value 50/50 with the landowner and that is what we will be doing."

Ronald and his son, James (37), of Nelson Street, Clitheroe, initially started finding coins on the ploughed land near Clitheroe on March 18th. They found more coins the following day and returned a week later to complete the search.

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DIGGING DEEP TO BRING BENTLEY HISTORY TO LIFE

An archaeological dig at a site which played a major role in two episodes in British history has been awarded new funding of almost £25,000.

Bentley Hall Cairn provided shelter for King Charles II when he fled from Cromwell's troops after the Battle of Worcester in 1651. And in 1743, it was the scene of a riot by a mob demanding the prosecution of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, after he preached there.

A geophysical survey - funded by the Darlaston Local Neighbourhood Partnership and the Bentley Cairn Restoration Group has already been carried out.

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A pivotal foreign institution

A double anniversary for the establishment known as the American School of Classical Studies

Excavators with drive. The American School of Classical Studies began excavations at the Ancient Agora in Athens in 1931. This is a photo of the west side of the Agora at the start of excavations. It is taken from the north toward the hill of Kolonos Agoraios and the Hephaesteion.

When the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA) was founded 125 years ago, it had only seven members and 12 collaborating universities and its location was a small building on Amalias Street. Today, the school accepts the most distinguished students in archaeology and classical studies from its 168 affiliated universities in North America and is a vital part of cultural life in Greece, both through the important excavations that it conducts on ancient sites, its specialized publications and the Gennadius Library.

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Russian museum plunderers arrested

Russian police have arrested two men and charged them with stealing $100 million in artifacts from St. Petersburg's Hermitage Museum.

Information from a Moscow art dealer reportedly led to the arrest of the two suspects, one the husband of the museum's late curator, and the other her son, a correspondent for London's Independent newspaper reported.

Former curator Larisa Zavadskaya died of a heart attack in October last year, when the Hermitage began the inventory that led to the discovery the museum had been robbed of 221 items over six years.

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Tag der offenen Grabung am Sempachersee, Kanton Luzern

Das Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte der Universität Bern führt in Zusammenarbeit mit der Kantonsarchäologie Luzern bis Mitte August eine Notbergung auf der Halbinsel Zellmoos in Sursee durch, da die spätbronzezeitlichen Schichten auf der Mariazell-Halbinsel akut von der Austrocknung bedroht sind. Neben hoch interessanten Funden aus dem Alltag der "Pfahlbauer" kam ein sehr seltener Befund einer spätbronzezeitlichen Bodenkonstruktion zum Vorschein.

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York Minster: now available on eBay and in suburban gardens

TO THE dismay of conservationists, York Minster is helping to fund the restoration of its East Front by selling off original medieval stonework from the West Front.
Fashioned with religious devotion by master masons in the 14th century, carved stones that once formed an integral part of the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe have found themselves reposing as ornaments in suburban gardens after a sale last week that raised a disappointing £12,000 towards a £23 million refurbishment project.

Other buyers have disclosed that they intend to cut the ancient stones into small pieces and sell them as souvenirs of Old England on the internet, in the hope of lively interest from American buyers.

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Traces of war god Ares found in city of mother goddess, Metropolis

Excavations conducted in the ancient city indicate that Metropolis is the second settlement in Anatolia believed to have housed a temple of Ares -- the Olympian god of war and son of Zeus in Greek mythology

Excavations since 1989 to unearth the ancient city of Metropolis, located in İzmir's Torbalı district, have uncovered archaeologically significant structures and artifacts.

Metropolis -- dating back to 725 B.C. -- gets its name from the temple of mother goddess Meter Gallesia found in the area and thus means "the city of the mother goddess�.

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Hinter die Schnittkante sehen - Tag der offenen Grabung in Isingerode

Am Sonntag, den 13.8. 2006 sind alle Archäologiebegeisterten eingeladen die Grabungen am der spätbronze- /früheisenzeitlichen Wallanlage bei Isingerode, Kreis Wolfenbüttel zu besuchen. Seit Juni diesen Jahres werden die Ausgrabungen von Mitgliedern des Vereins "Freunde der Archäologie im Braunschweiger Land" (FABL) unter der Leitung von Wolf-Dieter Steinmetz, Kustos des Braunschweiger Landesmuseums durchgeführt.

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Ancient structures in Hasankeyf will collapse if moved, archaeologist warns

The construction of Ilısu Dam continues, and so do the warnings from scholars that plans to relocate the ancient city of Hasankeyf -- to be submerged under the dam's waters -- would cause it to be lost forever.

Professor Abdulselam Uluçam, head of excavations at Hasankeyf, said on Sunday that the ancient structures in the town cannot be relocated because they would immediately crumble.

“As a scientist, I say that the artifacts in Batman's Hasankeyf district cannot be relocated. If you try to move those artifacts without reinforcing them, they will collapse. A committee will decide on the issue in the coming days,” said Uluçam in his evaluation of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's speech over the weekend, in which he stated that the ancient city would be moved.

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Another Ancient Tomb Discovered in Egypt?

Just months after archaeologists gleefully clamored over the first tomb to be found in Egypt's Valley of the Kings since 1922, there may be another.

Located just meters from the last tomb — KV-63 excavated earlier this year — Nicholas Reeves of the Amarna Royal Tombs Project, working under the Valley of the Kings Foundation, claims the group has detected what he believes will turn out to be another tomb, and possibly a royal one at that.

"This new discovery is important on several levels," he said in an e-mail. "First of all, for what it might turn out to be — perhaps the burial place of Akhenaten's missing women and not impossibly Nefertiti herself, the most beautiful woman of the ancient world.

"Second, for what, in strategic terms, it might do for archaeology in the Valley of the Kings — by its staggering potential to pull Egyptologists up short and ensure that work in the Valley slows down, focuses itself, prepares adequately and doesn't miss a trick either within or outside the tombs when the digging begins."

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Experts search for Ice Age man in excavation at cave beauty spot

EXPERTS are searching a northern beauty spot for clues about Ice Age artists who etched pictures of animals on to cave walls some 13,000 years ago.

The engravings of animals were found at Church Hole cave, Creswell Crags, at Welbeck near Worksop three years ago and are evidence the limestone gorge near Worksop is one of the most northerly areas explored by man in the Ice Age.

Yesterday a team from the University of Sheffield and the British Museum started digging outside the cave in the hope that over the next two weeks they will unearth more major findings at the site.

It is the first major excavation at the site since the 1920s.

Dr Paul Pettit from Sheffield University's Department of Archaeology, who is leading the dig, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity to work at such and important site. We know that Church Hole was excavated very rapidly by the Victorians in the 1870s and very little is known about the animals and people who inhabited this cave during the Ice Age.

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Drought unearths treasure trove of ancient monuments

THE summer drought has unearthed a treasure trove of finds for historians taking a birds eye view of Wales.

Heatwave conditions, which have parched the Welsh countryside, proved ideal for aerial archaeologists.

Last night they were described as the best for at least adecade with a host of buried sites revealed from the air.

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales made major discoveries using light aircraft to survey the Welsh landscape.

"It has been absolutely astounding. Discoveries have been made across Wales visible both as cropmarks in ripening crops and scorched grassland," said a spokesman.

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Roman wall unearthed at city site

Archaeologists working in Leicester say they will be able to find out more about the city's history after the discovery of part of a Roman wall.

The find was made by experts excavating the new Shires Shopping Centre site on Freeschool Lane.

It is a large section of wall and an archway, believed to be part of a market hall.

The building was first discovered in the 1950s under High Cross Street, but this section of the wall had collapsed.

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Atipanakuy

Location: Peru Length: 7 min.

Atipanakuy is a Quechua word meaning "confrontation" or "fight." This imaginative film, much of it in Quechua with English and Spanish subtitles, reflects the Taki Ongoy cultural resistance movement of the 1500s and the rediscovery of Peruvian history through the rebirth of two scissors dancers, who dance through modern Peruvian culture. Juxtapositions of time and space, the past and the present, show the scissors dancer as a unique survivor and bearer of the ancient Andean civilization that is visible today mostly in its ruins.

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Greece fights for its lost treasures

An untold amount of Greek heritage has been lost to international smugglers, but now Greece is fighting back, determined to bring its treasures home.

The gate of Apollo in the Cycladic island of Naxos
Greece is littered with antiquities and archaeological sites
"Smuggling is a very big problem and it is becoming bigger by the day. Everybody in Greece is doing some kind of digging or looting somewhere."

Yannis - the name he gives himself - is a key figure in the international smuggling network.

In an exclusive interview for BBC Radio 4's Crossing Continents, conducted at a secret location, he revealed his insights.

"It starts at the top, from politicians down to ordinary people," he continued, "and the motivation is always money."

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Golden dagger found in tomb sharp as it was 5,000 years ago

A GOLDEN dagger dating to 3,000BC and 500 golden ornaments have been found in a tomb in central Bulgaria, an archaeologist said yesterday.

The six-inch dagger was said to be in perfect condition and still sharp despite the passage of 5,000 years since it was made.

"It's a really sensational discovery," Bozhidar Dimitrov, head of the Bulgarian national museum, said.

"The dagger, which we believe is made of gold and platinum, most probably belonged to a Thracian ruler or to a priest. No item of this type was found even in the legendary city of Troy."

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Ancient dagger found in Bulgaria

Archaeologists have discovered a precious golden dagger dated to about 3,000BC in a Thracian tomb in the centre of Bulgaria.

It is the latest find from one of many tombs believed to have formed the cradle of Thracian civilisation.

The dagger, made of an alloy of gold and platinum, was found near the village of Dubovo.

Bozhidar Dimitrov, head of Bulgaria's National Museum, told Reuters news agency the discovery was "sensational".

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Keith Lilley, Chris Lloyd and Steve Trick, 2005

This resource derives from the Mapping the medieval urban landscape research project which began in 2003 with two years funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Using mapping as a medium, the project examined how urban landscapes were shaped in the middle ages, the project furthers an understanding of the forms and formation of medieval towns. It is the first project to have used spatial technologies – Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) – as a basis for mapping and analysing medieval urban landscapes. The project team was Dr Keith Lilley (director), Dr Chris Lloyd (co-director), and Dr Steven Trick (researcher) and the research was conducted at Queen’s University Belfast.

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Medieval Justice Not So Medieval

Labeling idleness a crime may have been a bit strict, but the justice system in medieval England should never be considered backwards.

Punishments for offenses in those days were perhaps even more sensible and humane than they are now, say some historians. [Medieval Torture's 10 Biggest Myths]

"The common view of the medieval justice system as cruel and based around torture and execution is often unfair and inaccurate," said University of Cambridge historian Helen Mary Carrel. Most criminals received gentle sentences merely meant to shame them, Carrel said, with the punishments often carried out in the open so townspeople could bring them charity.

Carrel presented her views recently during the International Medieval Congress, hosted by the University of Leeds.

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Cat drags in new theory on Scottish cairns

The actions of a domestic cat have thrown up a new theory about ancient stone burial cairns in Caithness (Scotland). Archaeologists built a mock-up of the structures as part of an experiment. Emma Sanderson, of Caithness Archaeology Trust, said it was found that a dead rabbit had been left in the replica by a cat. She said it could mean that animal bones found in real cairns were not the remains of ceremonial offerings, as thought, but left by other creatures.

Archaeologists built reconstructions of burial cairns and ancient towers called brochs as part of a series of research projects and excavations carried out in Caithness over the summer. The archaeologists are now analysing their field work, including new insights into cairns.

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Neolithic site confirmed at Orcadian Bronze Age cemetery

Questions surrounding an 'unusual' building at the Knowes o' Trotty Bronze Age cemetery (Harray, Scotland) have been answered – at least partially. The structure has turned out to be an early Neolithic house, which predates the Harray cemetery by approximately 1,500 years. Dating from around 3,500 BCE, the structure resembles the Knap o' Howar in Papa Westray. The house, and the various finds from within, is also very similar to buildings excavated at Stonehall in Firth.

The house was originally discovered during an exploratory dig at the Knowes o' Trotty in 2002. Subsequent excavations left the archaeologists puzzled as to its origin and purpose. But returning to the site this year it became clear that a Stone Age settlement was once sited at the foot of the Ward of Redland. Dr Jane Downes, of Orkney College, and Orkney Archaeological Trust's Nick Card, led the excavators. They extended the previous trenches to clarify the extent and layout of the building. It was oblong in shape and measured approximately 7m x 4m.

The different wall constructions showed that multiple phases of occupation, with a large central hearth – typical of Neolithic dwellings throughout Orkney – dominating the floorspace. A second doorway in the structure was particularly intriguing. Built into the south-west corner of the building, it led into a small, stone cell dug into the slope of the hill.

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Ancient Gold Dagger Unearthed in Central Bulgaria

Archaeologists have unearthed a gold-platinum dagger and more than 500 gold ornaments from an ancient tomb in central Bulgaria.

The director of Bulgaria's National Historic Museum says the artifacts are part of a treasure trove first discovered last year in a Thracian-era tomb that may be the resting place of an ancient ruler or priest.

Speaking Sunday in Sofia, Bozhidar Dimitrov said the 16-centimeter dagger, which dates back to the third millennium B.C., remains extremely sharp and in near-perfect condition.

The burial site was discovered two years ago near a village in central Bulgaria. Last year, archaeologists found more than 15,000 miniature gold pieces at the site.

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Turkey begins controversial dam

Turkey has begun building a major dam, despite criticism that the project will ruin an ancient archaeological site and displace thousands of people.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan led a ceremony to begin work on the Ilisu dam in the south-eastern Turkey.

Turkey says the $1.55bn (£800m) project will help irrigate vast areas of farmland and provide vital energy.

Critics argue that it will destroy ruins and artefacts at the Hasankeyf site dating back thousands of years.

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Roman temple to make way for insurers

Like many institutions in the City of London, it was dedicated to truth, honour and courage - and it also catered for visitors who liked to celebrate with a drink.

More recently it has been a tourist attraction, but now the third-century Temple of Mithras, one of the most important Roman discoveries in the City, is to move from its location in Queen Victoria Street to make way for the £300m Walbrook Square development by the Legal and General insurance group.

The temple will be returning to its original underground location beside the covered-over river Walbrook, which was an important source of fresh water in Roman Londinium.

The move, which has the support of English Heritage and the City of London Corporation, reverses the journey made by the temple in 1962.

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Iron Age site dig open to public

Archaeologists excavating an Iron Age farmstead in west Wales say the site may have been home to "several families" as early as 200 BC.

After two weeks' digging at the 2,000-year-old plot, the team have uncovered the remains of a circular house together with pits and postholes.

Other buildings found last year appear to have been surrounded by two large protective ditches and banks.

The site, near Tremain, Ceredigion, is open to the public on Sunday 6 August.

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U.K. census finally online -- 921 years later

Domesday Book, a 'national treasure,' can be searched on website

The Middle Ages met the Internet age Friday when the Domesday Book, a survey of England conducted almost 1,000 years ago, went online.

The Domesday Book -- the oldest record held by Britain's National Archives and one of the country's most valuable documents -- details the landholdings and resources that belonged to King William the Conqueror in 1085. It gives a minute record of the wealth of England and the families settled throughout the countryside at that time.

Now, the text of the book in the original Latin, along with an English translation, was put online at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/domesday.

Anyone with an Internet connection can -- for a fee -- download copies of handwritten records that provide a picture of life in the 11th century.

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More pieces of hidden bog book found

More fragments of an ancient manuscript concealed in a Co Tipperary bog over 1,000 years ago with a view to later recovery, have been found by the National Museum of Ireland, writes Seán Mac Connell

The discoveries also include a fine leather pouch in which the manuscript was originally kept.

Museum experts have excavated the site at Faddan More, in north Tipperary, since the discovery of the manuscript last month by excavator driver Eddie Fogarty.

He found the book on July 20th while digging peat on a bog owned by brothers Kevin and Patrick Leonard, according to a statement issued by the museum last night.

It said archaeologists and conservators had completed excavation of the area where the ancient manuscript was found. It described the find as "an extremely significant discovery".

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Children and adults will dig Archaeology Week

A RANGE of talks, tours and workshops are to be held to celebrate the fifth annual East Lothian Archaeology Week.

Among the locations being used is the John Muir Birthplace in Dunbar and old parts of Prestongrange.

There will also be a tour of the archaeological remains at Bilsdean and Dunglass.

Biddy Simpson, East Lothian Council heritage officer, said: "All events are free and there should be something for everyone, no matter your age or level of interest."

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Bronze Age boat is uncovered

THE village of Netley, in Rathnamaugh, Crossmolina, was the scene of some painstaking work this week as archaeologists toiled to excavate a prehistoric logboat discovered some weeks ago in the area.

The dugout or logboat was stumbled upon in the course of pipe laying works as part of the Ballina Regional Water Scheme being carried out by Ward & Burke. Upon the discovery, on Sean and Aileen Gough’s land in Netley, Mayo County Council enlisted a team of archaeologists to assess and unearth the artefact. Following a visit to the site, The National Museum has expressed significant interest in the find.

Site Director, Ms Joanna Nolan, told the Western People: “The boat dates back to pre-historic times; obviously a tree-trunk boat, it is most likely Bronze Age which would be 3000 years ago”.

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Experts discover Bronze Age motorway

Experts have been called in to investigate what is believed to be the remains of an ancient motorway, it emerged today.

A trio of university archaeologists were contacted after contractors working in Suffolk unearthed a number of vertical timbers thought to have once supported an ancient wooden causeway.

Experts said excavations at the site of a multi-million pound flood alleviation project for Broadland had revealed the remains of a structure which ran for more than half-a-mile, from dry land on the edge of Beccles Town marshes, across a swamp to a spot on the River Waveney.

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Rolling stones helps broch study

Archaeologists and volunteers spent more than two years constructing a 10m tall replica of an Iron Age stone-built tower - only to demolish it.

The project, run in a quarry at Spital, near Thurso, Caithness, was part of research into brochs.

There are estimated to be 200 of them lying in ruins in the region.

Knocking down the reconstructed tower is helping archaeologists to better differentiate tumbledown brochs from the remains of other buildings.

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Drought holds key to centuries-old mystery

Archaeologists puzzling over a 500-year-old architectural enigma in a drought-bleached suburban park believe they have finally solved the mystery of its identity - and that the key lies with the Tudors' struggles to cope with water shortages similar to those we face today.

The mysterious structure in the heart of Bruce Castle Park in Tottenham, north London, has in the past been variously explained as a garden folly, or a platform for flying hawks.

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