Sad confirmation Obituaries: Robson Bonnichsen

Robson Bonnichsen of College Station, Texas, died of natural causes Saturday in Bend. He was 64.

He was born in Twin Falls, Idaho, to Everett and Helen Williams Bonnichsen.

He married Peggy Hays in August 2003 in Aloha.

He had over 44 years of archeological field experience. He was a professor of anthropology at Oregon State University and was the director of the Center for Study of the First Americans at both Oregon State University and Texas A & M University from 1991 to 2002.

Survivors include his wife, Peggy Hays of College Station, Texas; sons, Sven of Portland, Shield of Tucson, Ariz., and Max of California; brothers, Bill of Moscow, Idaho, and Joe of Albany; sister, Janet Towle of Tigard; and one grandchild.

A service will be Thursday, Jan. 6, at the Tigard Christian Church, 13405 S.W. Hall Blvd., in Tigard.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Center for Study of the First Americans, Department of Anthropology, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas, 77843-4352.

That's the whole thing. No doubt more will be written on his life and work and we'll post those as well when they come across the wires.

Thieves! Buddha head stolen from Indian Museum

Antique thieves have struck again, this time in the heart of Kolkata. A rare, sandstone head of Buddha, brought to the Indian Museum from Sarnath, was stolen from the museum’s Archaeology Long Gallery on the ground floor on Wednesday afternoon.
The fifth century artefact, about 24 cm in height, is considered an artistic masterpiece of the Gupta period.
It was apparently a neat, clean and easy job — the thief or thieves (police don’t know yet whether it was one person or more) just walked in, lifted the the glass case covering the artefact and walked off with it.

Well. At least they noticed it right away.

Discovery weaves a picture of life for villagers

EXCAVATIONS at a village have unearthed the graves of weavers from the eighteenth and nineteenth century, giving researchers an insight into the lifestyles of the workers at the time.
Derek Alexander, archaeologist with the National Trust for Scotland, said two digs had taken place at different locations in Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire.
"There was an excavation at the Weaver's Cottage, and a separate one which was instigated by some rebuilding work along the south side of the graveyard at Kilbarchan West Parish Church.
"They both gave us a chance to look at the history and archaeology of the weaving industry, which played an important role in Scotland's economy," he said.

Experts differ over origin of ancient pictographs

While experts differ over the origins of prehistoric pictographs at Hueco Tanks, most people go there to enjoy the wilderness or take in some of the park's history.

Idalia Sullivan, formerly of El Paso, on Wednesday took three of her nieces on a guided tour that made several stops at some of the rock formations with paintings.

"I climbed the rocks here as a teenager, and came back recently, and was blown away by what I saw," said Sullivan, who was visiting from California. It was the first time her El Paso nieces -- Tamara Hoefner, 15; Kristin Hoefner, 12; and Raven Anchondo, 5 -- had gone to Hueco Tanks State Historic Site.

Antiquities Market update Museums Advised to Check Bible-Era Relics

Experts advised world museums to re-examine their Bible-era relics after Israel indicted four collectors and dealers on charges of forging items thought to be some of the most important artifacts discovered in recent decades.

The indictments issued Wednesday labeled many such ``finds'' as fakes, including two that had been presented as the biggest biblical discoveries in the Holy Land - the purported burial box of Jesus' brother James and a stone tablet with written instructions by King Yoash on maintenance work at the ancient Jewish Temple.

Shuka Dorfman, head of the Israel Antiquities Authority, said the scope of the fraud appears to go far beyond what has been uncovered so far. The forgery ring has been operating for more than 20 years.

This: Golan said in a statement Wednesday ``there is not one grain of truth in the fantastic allegations related to me.'' He said the investigation was aimed at ``destroying collecting and trade in antiquities in Israel.''

You say that like it's a BAD thing. . . . .

China Discovery I Scientists discover ancient sea wharf

Archeologists say that they have found the country's oldest wharf and it is believed to be the starting point of an ancient sea route to Central and West Asia.

The discovery has reaffirmed the widespread belief that the ancient trade route started in Hepu County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, archeologists said at yesterday's symposium on the nation's marine silk road.

After three years of excavation, archeologists have unearthed a wharf that is at least 2,000 years old in Guchengtou Village, according to Xiong Zhaoming, head of the archeological team.

China Discovery II 3,000-year-old woodcarving discovered

The Chengdu Archeological Team discovered a 3,000-year-old painted woodcarving of a head during the second phase of excavation at the Jinsha site's ritual area. It is the oldest and most intact sculpture over its type ever discovered in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

According to Wang Yi, curator of the Chengdu Municipal Museum, the woodcarving was found buried about three meters below the earth's surface.

The item in question:


And Andie's blog has a couple more links to the Fayum granaries stories here and here.

And a few things we missed lately:

UF Study: Bigfoot Myth Persists Because It Depicts Humans’ Wild Side

There’s plenty to debunk about the Bigfoot myth, but people may not listen because they have a love-hate relationship with the gigantic hairy monster, says a University of Florida researcher.

“People express a reverence for the grandeur of the animal and derive meaning from Bigfoot because it represents where we came from,” said UF anthropologist David Daegling. “I think Bigfoot depicts the wild and uncultured side of who we are, a side we are both attracted to and repulsed by.”

Interesting, but only vaguely archaeology Research Points To New Theory Driving Evolutionary Changes

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have used canine DNA to identify a genetic mutation mechanism they believe is responsible for rapid evolutionary changes in the physical appearance of many species.

The findings, based on data gathered from hundreds of museum specimens of dogs and from blood samples of volunteered live dogs, offer a new explanation for the sudden, rapid rise of new species found in the fossil record. They also help explain the variability in appearance among individual members of a species, such as the length of the nose in different breeds of domestic dogs.

A mechanism for punctuated equilibirum at last?

There's More to the Mimbres Than the Pottery

The NAN Ranch Ruin in southwestern New Mexico has yielded the "most comprehensive body of information ever gathered at a single Mimbres site," according to author and anthropologist Harry Shafer. This impressive scholarly volume presents findings from 20 years of extensive excavations at the NAN Ranch ruin -- offering new views of the ancient Mimbrenos that once thrived in New Mexico from about A.D. 600 to 1140.

"Mimbres culture is no longer seen as just a culture whose architecture was a poor copy of the ancient Anasazi to the north but with pottery that was unrivaled in terms of its painted imagery and design," Shafer states. "The Mimbres phenomenon was a regional fluorescence in its own right that drew upon resources and people from neighboring groups in the desert and mountains."

Burning question in the Blogosphere

In case anyone hasn't seen it, there is some controversy out among various more politically-oriented bloggers regarding an aspect of Jared Diamond's latest book, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. The whole thing was started by a guest blogger at Andrew Sullivan's blog. Basically, it was a comment on the political tone of Malcolm Gladwell's review of the book, but has since snowballed somewhat into a discussion of Greenland Norse dietary practices.


Matthew Yglesias posted thrice on the subject (here, here, and here) and also someone named Fritz Schrank.

We are noncommital at this point, but the issue probably needs some work, if any interested readers out there have anything to say. We found a couple of papers, none really referencing fish consumption, but at least one mentioning extensive use of other marine life (seals).

Interesting thing we've never heard of The Computational Geometry of Mayan Pyrite Mirrors

Among the artifacts found in the ancient Mayan ruins were many pyrite mirrors. The mirrors are composed of several pieces that were intelligently fit together to form a complicated geometrical structure. This structure can be represented as a planar embedding of vertices, edges, and faces that closely resembles a graph structure called a Voronoi diagram. Using several different methods, it can be approximated how close the mirror is to an actual Voronoi diagram, and how far the vertices would have to be moved to match the structure exactly. The concept of a Voronoi diagram gives insight into how the mirrors might have been constructed.

We'd never heard of these pyrite mirrors before, nor did we know what Voronai diagrams were. Seems an interesting concept though. We got this via email and the author is looking for insights as to how the Maya mirrors were designed.

Unconfirmed report (from Archaeology Magazine's web site) that Robson Bonnichsen has passed away.

Will relate more when we find out more.

Update: Amazon women of Roman Britain BURIED WOMEN ‘WERE IN AMAZON FIGHTING TRIBE’

TWO bodies unearthed from an ancient cemetery at Brougham, near Penrith, have changed experts’ views on Roman Britain.

For the 1,750-year-old remains – found at the site in the 1960s – have been identified as women warriors who may have been from the fabled Amazon fighting tribe of Eastern Europe.

The discovery has astonished archaeologists and historians because women were not previously known to have fought in the Roman army, which occupied Britain between 55BC and AD410.

Their artists' conception of what the Amazon women may have looked like:


Our artists' conception of what the Amazon women may have looked like:


Who do you want to get your news from?

And a good thing it is Tomb of Genghis Khan receives some TLC

A large-scale renovation of the mausoleum of Genghis Khan is underway in Inner Mongolia.

The tomb of the founder of the Mongol Empire of the Middle Ages is in North China's Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region.The project at a cost of 180 million yuan (US$22 million will hopefully receive 50,000 tourists a year, said Mengkeduren, head of the mausoleum's administrative bureau.

Oops Relic Discovered Stolen After Over 2 Years

National Museum of Korea director Yi Kun-moo on Monday officially apologized for Gyeongju National Museum’s loss of a stone relic and announced that it will reinforce security of outdoor museum exhibits.

``We will focus on tightening security of the museum’s cultural possessions and according to the results of the criminal investigation, we will punish those who are responsible for its loss,’’ Yi said during a news conference at the National Museum of Korea in northern Seoul.

Cemeteries update Volunteers catalog old cemeteries

Metro's plans to add turn lanes at the intersection of Edmondson Pike and Cloverland Drive were interrupted recently when the 19th-century child's grave was found on the property.

Remnants of an old graveyard fence and the child's grave marker were discovered amidst overgrown vines and trees after Metro purchased an option on the property, according to Metro attorney Philip Baltz.

When Metro finds an old cemetery on land it wishes to use, it files a petition in Chancery Court to declare the cemetery unsuitable for interment and then hires a licensed funeral director to move the remains in accordance with state law, Baltz said.

That's a nice article detailing what happens with cemeteries in Tennessee and how burials developed over time from small family plots near the homesteads to large, central cemeteries later on.

Breaking news! Archaeologists Find Egyptian Stone Age Stores

Archaeologists in Egypt have found eight Stone Age grain stores at an oasis southwest of Cairo that help show the shift from hunting to agricultural societies, the Ministry of Culture reported.

The ministry said the discovery was made by a team from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in an area north of Fayoum 60 miles southwest of Cairo, where 67 grain stores were found in 1926.

"The well-preserved nature of these stores helped experts to understand the transformation of societies, from depending on hunting to a stable agricultural society," government antiquities chief Zahi Hawas said in the statement.

The statement did not say when the discovery was made.

That's the whole thing. We did a quickie search and think it may refer to this work, either the particular season described at that link, or related work in a different season. As the article above states, other grain storage facilities were found by Caton-Thompson and Gardner earlier and provided the basis for the Fayum Neolithic subsistence model. Check out Andie Byrnes' Neolithic Faiyum page for a good background discussion including Koms W and K, which is Caton-Thompson's site.

Yet another article on the Port Angeles site Discovery of ancient village derails bridge repair

If it had been only one skeleton, the project would have continued. Even a few dozen skeletons might not have been enough to persuade Washington state officials to abandon a $283 million bridge-repair project along the Strait of Juan de Fuca, about 65 miles northwest of here.

But what construction workers stumbled upon went beyond anything ever found in the Pacific Northwest: an ancient Indian village dating back 17 centuries, with lodges, dance halls, and cemeteries containing hundreds of skeletal remains. Nearly 300 complete skeletons have been unearthed, many of them buried in clusters, including entire extended families.

One thing: ''Every time we'd find one of our ancestors, we'd wrap them in a blanket and put them in a cedar box, and pack them in, and you could feel the silence among us. We wondered: 'Is this my great-grandfather? Is this my great-grandmother?' " Um, no. Possibly (great x 82-ish)-grandmother/father.

And still more from Scotland Digging for clues to North Berwick's past

HISTORIC relics from one of the first settlements at North Berwick are being unearthed at a new archaeological dig.

The excavation is taking place on the site of a future extension to the Scottish Seabird Centre at the town’s harbour.

It follows on from a dig held four years ago which uncovered skeletal remains, including those of a murder victim, on the site of the old St Andrew’s Kirk graveyard, which is next to the centre.

And archaeologists working on the new site say it may contain even more fascinating artefacts than those previously uncovered.

Generally beheaded???? Human Sacrifice Was Common in Burnt City

According to archeological research in the 5000-year-old burnt city, in eastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, sacrificing human beings was a common practice in ancient times.

After excavating a number of graves in the cemetery of the burnt city, the Iranian archeological team came across signs of murder and generally beheaded bodies.

Major Climate Change Occurred 5,200 Years Ago: Evidence Suggests That History Could Repeat Itself

Glaciologist Lonnie Thompson worries that he may have found clues that show history repeating itself, and if he is right, the result could have important implications to modern society.

Thompson has spent his career trekking to the far corners of the world to find remote ice fields and then bring back cores drilled from their centers. Within those cores are the records of ancient climate from across the globe.

From the mountains of data drawn by analyzing countless ice cores, and a meticulous review of sometimes obscure historic records, Thompson and his research team at Ohio State University are convinced that the global climate has changed dramatically.

Hardly news, but it sounds good.

Tribal rock art offers clues to religious beliefs of old

Unlike the imposing grandeur of the cathedrals of Europe, a spiritual place on a mountain ledge in southern Arizona, also recognized as a holy site for hundreds of years, has a sense of serenity to it - an unspoiled, natural feel.

Many generations of American Indians have used it for religious ceremonies, leaving evidence of their other-world communion - symbols painted on the rock face sheltered by an overhang, cryptic images that confound those of today's so-called "organized" religions, but which continue to hold special meaning for tribal members.

This seems like a good thing ARCHAEOLOGY: Vista Del Rio honors its former residents

The Vista Del Rio neighborhood on the city's Northeast Side is a quiet, residential area - probably not unlike it was 1,000 years ago when another neighborhood - of the Hohokam culture - occupied the same turf.

The city is putting finishing touches on a ramada and a series of walkways through the newly designated Vista Del Rio Archaeological Park, a 4-acre set-aside just north of Tanque Verde and Dos Hombres roads.

A formal dedication program is anticipated in January or February.

The latest blockbuster archaeology program from Discovery Pompeii: The Last Day

Scheduled for broadcast on Sunday, Jan. 30. We believe there is a web site devoted to this program (besides the Discovery Channel link above), but can't find it anywhere. Well, we only saw a brief advertisement for it once, so it may be largely mythical.

Kind of a neat site. Check out the Recent Discoveries link on that page.

Another lost city. . .found! Archeologists find ancient village near Tel-Aviv

Archeologists have discovered a village near the Mediterranean coast dating from the 4th century B.C., the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Sunday - a rare find.

The discovery provides an unusual insight into a turbulent period when there were intense struggles for control over the area, said Uzi Ad, who led the dig.

During this period the region was under the rule of the Egyptian Ptolemy empire and then the Selucid Greeks from Syria before it was conquered by the Jewish Hasmonean dynasty in the second century B.C.

Yet another Homo hobbitus update Indonesian 'hobbit' legends may be factual

Mount Ebulo, Indonesia - Nellis Kua is too old to remember his exact age, but his eyes light up when he talks of the gang of hobbit-like creatures his grandparents told him once lived in the forest on the slopes of this still smoking Indonesian volcano.

"They had these big eyes, hair all over their body and spoke in a strange language," said Kua, his skin leathered by a lifetime tending coffee and chilli pepper crops under the harsh tropical sun.

"They stole our crops, our fruit and moonshine. They were so greedy they even ate the plates!"

Drunken little Australopithecines. . . .we are at a loss to contemplate anything quite so humorous.

This would be bad Conversations: Hunting Fakes

Jane Walsh, an anthropologist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, is best known for her work with museum collections and for exposing several crystal skulls, once thought to be Precolumbian, as nineteenth-century German fakes. She is now working with several museums to create a database that can be used to identify bogus Precolumbian jade, crystal, and other stone artifacts. She talked to ARCHAEOLOGY about why you shouldn't always trust what you see at museums.

More from Scotland Arthur's Seat arrow pinpoints Bronze Age living

A YOUNG brother and sister who discovered an ancient arrowhead on Arthur’s Seat were praised today for helping piece together Scotland’s "ancient historical jigsaw".

Robert Simon, 12, and his ten-year-old sister Kirsty found what they thought was an odd-shaped stone on a path above Dunsapie Loch.

They handed it over to the Museum of Scotland, where staff identified the stone as an early Bronze Age flint arrowhead, dating from as long ago as 2000BC. It has now been donated to the Museum of Edinburgh on the Royal Mile.

Ivory Punica granatum update Ivory pomegranate 'not Solomon's'

An ancient ivory pomegranate thought to be the only relic of King Solomon's Temple is from a different period, the Israel Museum in Jerusalem has said.

The museum had regarded the thumb-sized artefact, thought part of a sceptre, as one of its most precious possessions.

However, Israeli experts conducting an investigation discovered the artefact was much older than believed.

Archaeologist finds teeth of the mountains

The tooth in Bob Mierendorf's hand looked small, like a splinter of white gravel encased in a clear, plastic cylinder.

But then, salmon aren't loved for their tusks.

Mierendorf, a National Park Service archeologist based in Marblemount, and his team spent days last summer sifting dirt to find the salmon tooth and other very old bones.

The find was like many others Mierendorf has made in the park during his 18 years there, a happy accident followed by weeks sifting dirt over a mesh screen.

Port Angeles update What's left at the graving yard site? Tribe's waterfront activity ebbs

A simple weather-worn tarp held down by beach cobbles covers remnants of one of the Klallam longhouses discovered at the former graving yard site.

``This is the fallen wall of a 700- to 800-year-old big house that was naturally burnt,'' said Lower Elwha Klallam tribal member Carmen Charles while working at the 22.5-acre waterfront site on Wednesday.

``They are scientifically done with this and told us if we want to preserve it that we would have to find a curator.

Good question: What is next? The project is cancelled so there's no more money to continue with the salvage operations. Either the tribes or some enterprising academic will need to write a grant for more money. Or they could just leave it all sit.

Following news courtesy of the EEF

"Egypt restores ancient mural from US":
http://www.sis.gov.eg/online/html11/o211224n.htm
Recovery of a mural from Helwan that was on auction.

Press report: "Mataria's living legend"
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/722/hr1.htm
"Thousands of pilgrims converge on the site of the Tree of the Holy Virgin each Christmas." The article briefly makes a link between the many trees connected with the Madonna in Coptic folklore, and the ancient Egyptian tree goddeses.

[Next two items submitted by Michael Tilgner]

Press report: "Field Museum to use X-ray machine to scan priceless specimens"
URL: http://abclocal.go.com/wls/news/122104_ap_ns_xray.html
"Researchers will also use the X-ray to determine whether the mummies of two gazelles, two falcons and a cat have animals inside."
Another report on this topic:
URL: http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-mummy21.html

Articles about the recent crisis of the IFAO, including an interview with Bernard Mathieu:
URL: http://egyptologienews.free.fr/articles.htm
petition with more than 130 signatures - pdf-file: 80 KB
URL: http://www.bubastis.be/actu/images/petition.pdf

Bob Brier and Michael Zimmerman, "The Remains of Queen Weret", in: Chungara, Revista de Antropología Chilena, Vol. 32, No. 1, 2000, pp 23-26. Text in English. In HTML.
http://snipurl.com/bkct
"The skeletal remains of Queen Weret of the Twelfth Dynasty (circa 1880 B.C.) were examined. Preliminary conclusions about age at death, health, and related factors are discussed."

Two overview articles in English:
-- "Scarabs" by Robert Bianchi (3 pages, in PDF, 55kB):
http://www.oup.com/us/pdf/ancient.egypt/scarabs.pdf
-- "[AE] Medicine" by Robert Ritner (4 pages, in PDF, 61kB):
http://www.oup.com/us/pdf/ancient.egypt/medicine.pdf
These are promotional samples from 'The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt' (2001).

End of EEF news

Update on new Peruvian civilization Ancient Peru site older, much larger

A Peruvian site previously reported as the oldest city in the Americas actually is a much larger complex of as many as 20 cities with huge pyramids and sunken plazas sprawled over three river valleys, researchers report.

Construction started about 5,000 years ago — nearly 400 years before the first pyramid was built in Egypt — at a time when most people around the world were simple hunters and gatherers, a team from Northern Illinois University and Chicago's Field Museum reports in today's issue of the journal Nature.

Mostly the same info as earlier. And here's the BBC version.

That seems to be it for news so far today. We expect the weekly EEF news to be coming in and we'll post that when we get it.

Err, unless we bugger out early for the holiday, too. In that case, we'll be happily tipping back a few brandy-laced egg nogs and engaging in yuletide merriment and to heck with Egyptology.

The news just keeps dribbling in. . . .

Archaeologists demonstrate widespread civilization flourished on Peru's coast 5000 years ago

The Norte Chico ("little North") region midway on the Peruvian coast contains the earliest known evidence of a cohesive, large-scale and organized society in the Andean region. Recent archaeological discoveries, reported in the December 23 issue of the journal Nature, reveal the extent of this civilization.

A scientist might not pick that area as a likely site for an early and extensive civilization. There was no pottery. The people did not have a staple grain-based food, usually characteristic of other early civilizations. It was not even particularly fertile - irrigation was needed to grow crops. Neverthless, the research team has shown that the Andean area was home to a hunting and gathering society that developed into a complex society with monumental architecture, large circular ceremonial structures, and a mixed economy of agriculture and marine exploitation - all earlier than any other Andean civilization.

"This area is one of the world's 'cradles of civilization,'" said John Yellen, program manager at the National Science Foundation, which partially funded the study. "So this project's evidence of a highly developed, widespread society earlier than had been thought is very important. It provides new insight into the pathways that led to the development of complex societies."

That's the bulk of the text from this link, but it also contains other links with more details (like this one).

We sure hope it was Fascinating talk on archaeology at Civic Trust

Familiar historical anchors at Clew Bay Heritage Centre and Newport were the opening pictures to a fascinating illustrated talk given by Karl Brady of the Underwater Archaeology Unit (UAU) of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, to the Westport Civic Trust. This unit, formed in 1997 and with a complement of four archaeologists who are also divers, has been tasked with creating an inventory of shipwrecks around the coast. The unit also, among other responsibilities, has an input into assessing planning applications when they might impinge on maritime heritage.

New studies show Jiroft was an international trade center 5000 years ago

Studies by foreign archaeologists and experts on seals recently discovered in the Jiroft area prove that Jiroft was an international trade center 5000 years ago.

The head of the excavation team in the region, Yusef Majidzadeh, said on Wednesday that several ancient seals in various shapes were discovered during the most recent excavation at the site.

“The twenty-five discovered seals show that the regional people made use of seals in their business. They used to put products inside jars, covered the tops with mud, and then sealed them up,” said Majidzadeh.

Experts continue to collect and analyze beach artifacts

Experts have slightly revised their analysis of artifacts found on a Lewes beach this fall, saying the bricks, pottery and other objects probably date to a period running roughly from 1700 to 1730.

Craig Lukezic, an archaeologist for the state of Delaware, said the new determination was made amid continued inspection of items displayed in recent days by people who gathered them from sands near Roosevelt Inlet.

The artifacts were dredged from beneath Delaware Bay by the Army Corps of Engineers as sand was pumped ashore in September and October. Most of the rare objects were broken in the process.

Back to Alexander Movie Commentary: Alexander

Dr. Eugene Borza, Professor Emeritus of Ancient History, The Pennsylvania State University, has seen Alexander, and has authored a commentary on the film from an archaeological and historical perspective.

Kind of a lengthy review, with (praise the gods) only one paragraph devoted to the sexuality stuff.

And Christmastime fun The Three Kings & the Star

One of the most evocative tales in the Bible is that of the journey made by the wise men to Bethlehem. Today, the Three Kings and the Star are celebrated in Christmas carols, on greeting cards, and with front-yard light displays. But the popularity of the story is not new. From a just few lines in the book of Matthew, the story and veneration of the three grew over the centuries. And, in Cologne, Germany, there is a gilded shrine that, if you choose to believe, has held the remains of the wise men since the middle ages.

Mostly a review by Mark Rose of Archaeology.com on the latest installment of the Learning Channel's "Mummy Detective" series (which we have been rather amiss in tuning into, we regret to say), this one featuring Bob Brier. As is usual with such presentations, we seem to be left with a nice history lesson, a few intriguing details to ponder, but ultimately a big "Eh, who knows."

Homo hobbitus update Tourism Rebounds on Island of "Hobbit" Fossil Find

Picture a tropical island with three-foot-tall (one-meter-tall) locals, dolphin-size lizards, rabbit-size rats, and pygmy elephants, all coexisting in the shadows of active volcanoes. This was the island of Flores, Indonesia, thousands of years ago.

Modern-day Flores, an isle of small villages and crude infrastructure, never sought to be a major tourist attraction. But last October scientists announced a surprising discovery—the excavation of the 18,000-year-old remains of some of Flores's earliest inhabitants, a hobbit-like species of diminutive humans known as Homo floresiensis. (See pictures.) As a result, many now believe that Flores could be Indonesia's next travel hot spot.

WIth the size of those Komodo dragons running around, we predict the tourist boom will drop rather quickly. Also considering there isn't anything to "see" anyway.

Non-archaeological site we couldn't pass up How to build an Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC) in your basement

Why build an AGC?

Early computers are interesting. Because they're simple, you can (if you like) actually understand the entire computer, from hardware to software.

The AGC is the most interesting early computer because: a) it flew the first men to the moon; and b) it's the world's first integrated circuit (IC, or microchip) computer. It also has interesting architectural features.

Someone once said, an infinite number of monkeys typing away at keyboards would eventually recreate all the works of Shakespeare; well now, thanks to the Internet, we know it's true. We can say with all confidence that, within 20 years, nothing will escape the notice of someone Out There on the Web.

We find this utterly fascinating, but we're all medium-core nerds anyway. Expect slow download times for the documents, not only because they're large (forget about it if you have dialup) but because Instapundit linked to it, so there will be immense traffic for several days. Hattip to the latter, too.

Update on Port Angeles project This article doesn't give much more than the previous one (below) but does add this: "According to MacDonald, the state's archaeologists simply hadn't dug deeply enough to find remains before starting the project. . ." That'll teach 'em. We will be eagerly awaiting some sort of report on this. It still seems rather incredible that something of this size hadn't been found in earlier test excavations. If most of the site was covered by later (natural) deposits, that should have been taken into account. But, we are outsiders looking in, so we reserve judgement. We predict this will be a major issue later on.

We still think it should have been beer Archaeologists find remains of Biblical city

Archaeologists have uncovered remains of the Biblical city of Cana where the Bible says Jesus Christ performed his first miracle, turning water into wine, Israel's antiquities authority has said.

The stone remains of buildings, household utensils and a Jewish purification bath were discovered during excavations west of the Israeli village of Kfar Kana, eight kilometres from Nazareth, a statement on Tuesday said.

The ancient settlement, known from both Jewish and Christian tradition, existed for 700 years throughout the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods, the statement added.

More here.

Archaeologists unveil mystery of children buried in Bam Citadel walls

A team of archaeologists solved the puzzle of children’s bodies buried in the walls of the Bam Citadel over the past years, a member of the team announced Tuesday.

“In a thorough study made over the recent months, we found out the bodies date back to the Qajar era and they had been buried in the walls when the citadel was under siege by the gunmen of Nosratoddoleh Farmanfarma.

“Bodies of the adults had been kept in specific places and they were buried out of the citadel after the siege finished,” added Asghar Karimi.

We guess this must mean something. We don't know what.

Dancing tonight, followed by beheadings and cannibalism 7,000 Years of Religious Ritual Is Traced in Mexico

Archaeologists have traced the development of religion in one location over a 7,000-year period, reporting that as an early society changed from foraging to settlement to the formation of an archaic state, religion also evolved to match the changing social structure.

This archaeological record, because of its length and completeness, sheds an unusually clear light on the origins of religion, a universal human behavior but one whose evolutionary and social roots are still not well understood.

The new findings are the fruit of 15 years of excavations in the Oaxaca Valley of southern Mexico that have brought to light a remarkably complete series of structures used for religious purposes. Dr. Joyce Marcus and Dr. Kent V. Flannery, two archaeologists at the University of Michigan, describe their results in the current Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

We linked this earlier, but not to an article with this much detail.

Somewhere. . . . Earliest Depiction of a Rainbow Found?

An ancient bronze disc that looks a bit like a freckled smiley face may show the world's earliest known depiction of a rainbow, according to a report published in the new issue of British Archaeology magazine.

If the rainbow interpretation proves to be correct, the rare image also would be the only known representation of a rainbow from prehistoric Europe.

The round bronze object, called the Sky Disc, was excavated in 1999 at Nebra in central Germany. It was said to have been found at an ancient astronomical observatory site, similar to Stonehenge. While the disc, as most metal objects, cannot be accurately dated, its style and content suggest the Bronze Age.

Women warriors from Amazon fought for Britain's Roman army

THE remains of two Amazon warriors serving with the Roman army in Britain have been discovered in a cemetery that has astonished archaeologists.

Women soldiers were previously unknown in the Roman army in Britain and the find at Brougham in Cumbria will force a reappraisal of their role in 3rd-century society.

The women are thought to have come from the Danube region of Eastern Europe, which was where the Ancient Greeks said the fearsome Amazon warriors could be found.

Artist's conception of what they may have looked like:

Breaking news! State ends transportation project on ancient tribal site

Washington state is abandoning its transportation project at Port Angeles, after spending $58 million there.

The decision by the state Department of Transportation was in response to a request Dec. 10 by the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe to leave the site. Construction of a dry dock there inadvertently disturbed more than 300 intact skeletons of the tribe's ancestors and uncovered an ancient Klallam Village, Tse-whit-zen. Portions of the village date back 17 centuries.

We admit to being somewhat conflicted by this development. It is an extremely important site and one that will enrich our knowledge of the Northwest's past for years to come. But still, $58 million is no small chunk-a-change. Never mind that besides losing that amount will be a still more expensive operation yet to get off the ground. We would like to think local tribes would be willing to contribute some portion of their gambling proceeds to offset the cost somewhat.

Non-archaeology news too good to pass up Platypus sex is XXXXX-rated (May be sub-only)

The weird and wonderful duck-billed platypus just got even more weird and more wonderful.

Platypuses are famous for laying eggs yet producing milk, having a bird-like bill and a skeleton with reptilian features. Now it turns out that the mammal has an equally eye-catching way of deciding its sex, according to a study by Frank Grützner and Jenny Graves at the Australian National University in Canberra, and colleagues.

In most mammals, including humans, sex is decided by the X and Y chromosomes: two Xs create a female, while XY creates a male. In birds, the system is similar: ZW makes for a female, while ZZ makes for a male.

But in platypuses, XXXXXXXXXX creates a female, while XYXYXYXYXY creates a male.

We here at ArchaeoBlog adore the platypus. Almost as much as sea slugs.

For more information about the humble platypus, see the Australian Platypus Conservancy or the Tasmanian government's platypus page (plus a movie!).

Lemurs are cool, too.

Just a couple of items today so far. We may or may not have more later.

Joint Field School Publishes Findings from Excavations in Jordan

For 10 years, University of Arkansas students and professors have been digging up pieces of the past and changing the way archeologists view life in the Middle East during the first millennium. Now the U of A and Yarmouk University in Jordan have published the results of their initial years of excavation and study.

“Sa’ad: A Late Roman/Byzantine Site in North Jordan” was recently published by the Deanship of Research and Graduate Studies at Yarmouk University. It is the first of a series of monographs to be produced as part of the agreement between the U of A and Yarmouk.

The goal of the field school’s research project is to reconstruct the quality of life of the rural people from the Byzantine era, from about the time of Christ to A.D. 800. The evidence shows that these people had better health and more wealth than typically believed to be characteristic of rural Byzantine life, said professor Jerome Rose, who co-directs the field school at Sa’ad alongside professor Mahmoud el-Najjar of Yarmouk.

And from the same source. . . Catastrophic Flooding from Ancient Lake May Have Triggered Cold Period

Imagine a lake three times the size of the present-day Lake Ontario breaking through a dam and flooding down the Hudson River Valley past New York City and into the North Atlantic. The results would be catastrophic if it happened today, but it did happen some 13,400 years ago during the retreat of glaciers over North America and may have triggered a brief cooling known as the Intra-Allerod Cold Period.

Assistant Scientist Jeffrey Donnelly of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution presented the findings at the American Geophysical Union's fall meeting in San Francisco today. Donnelly and colleagues analyzed data from sediment cores, walrus fossils and pollen to precisely date the discharge from Glacial Lake Iroquois down the Hudson River Valley at 13,350 years ago. The flood waters broke through a spot of land where the Verazanno Narrows Bridge now stands to reach the North Atlantic.

Fight! Fight! Archeologists accuse Mesa Verde of banning books

A group of archaeologists is accusing officials at Mesa Verde National Park of keeping titles off of the park's bookstore shelves for containing the term "Anasazi," a term widely used for the ancestral American Indians of the Four Corners region. Some tribes object to the term.

The Pecos Conference, an informal group of regional archaeologists, says books are being left out of park bookstores because they do not use the name "ancestral Puebloans," the term preferred by regional tribes.

Errrrrr. . . . Mystery of 'chirping' pyramid decoded (Subscription only)

A theory that the ancient Mayans built their pyramids to act as giant resonators to produce strange and evocative echoes has been supported by a team of Belgian scientists.

Nico Declercq of Ghent University and his colleagues have shown how sound waves ricocheting around the tiered steps of the El Castillo pyramid, at the Mayan ruin of Chichén Itzá near Cancún in Mexico, create sounds that mimic the chirp of a bird and the patter of raindrops1.

The bird-call effect, which resembles the warble of the Mexican quetzal bird, a sacred animal in Mayan culture, was first recognized by California-based acoustic engineer David Lubman in 1998. The 'chirp' can be triggered by a handclap made at the base of the staircase.

Upshot: The pyramid makes funny noises when noises are directed at it. The researchers think it might or might not have been designed that way. We think not.

Results of recent call for site web sites

Got this via email from a colleague. A couple of these sites have been posted here before, the rest are new. We definitely concur on the Civil War site. We found it quite easy to navigate and informative, if you're into that sort of thing. (Hattip: Peter Lape )

Theban Mapping Project: http://www.thebanmappingproject.com/
Excellent. Clear, easy to navigate. Has lots of nice pictures and stuff
for lay people. (two people recommended this site, and it turns out that the designers the Burke hired also worked on this project)

Prehistoric and Predynastic Egypt:
http://www.egypt.ukideas.com./index.html
by Andie Byrnes. Not site-specific, but she's put a lot of good textual material there with as many references to online articles as she can find.

Try the Smithsonian's Arctic Studies Center web site
http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/
It has several online exhibits and other information. They have been working on this for years.

I thought Payson Sheets website on Ceren was cool. http://www.cerensite.us/

Also, I like the Iceman interactive website (Discovery Channel) b/c you can click on different items related to him and read about how these relates to the different hypotheses about his death (good example of hypothesis testing!).
http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/iceman/interactive/interactive.html

i've always like the science museum of minnesota's catalhoyuk site, http://www.smm.org/catal/, despite the fact that they target a young
audience. this was one of the first sites that allowed visitors to take a virtual tour of the site and exhibits and tried a problem-based approach to gaining info about the archaeology. i particularly like the 360 degree cameras.

I like the Institute for Human Origins website http://www.becominghuman.org
It has an interactive learning section and a streaming video documentary.

The workspace feature on this mapping website really allows you to interact with the maps online, something that may prove useful for presenting field documents.
http://www.davidrumsey.com/other_atlases.html

I like Virtual Museum of Canada site:
(http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Echo/e_index.html). It's fairly basic, but I like the disolves that give the viewer a sense of the area prior to presenting the info. They also have a limited selection of artifacts to give a sense of each area, rather than inundating the viewer with dozens/hundreds of choices. The Virtual Museum Exhibits site includes links to quite a few cool sites
(http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/PM.cgi?LM=Exhibits&LANG=English&AP=vecatlist).


This is a Civil War site, but I like the way the data is structured as a virtual archives.
There is a lot of raw data on the site, enabling people to ask their own questions and research them in some detail. It's not as flashy as some of the others, but is very interactive and thought provoking.
http://valley.vcdh.virginia.edu/


Chucalissa Virtual Village: http://cas.memphis.edu/chucalissa/virtual_village.html

Lubbock Lake site: http://www.depts.ttu.edu/museumttu/lll/

Archaeologists believe they have discovered part of throne of Darius

Iranian archaeologists believe they have found a part of one leg of the throne of Darius the Great during their excavations at Persepolis, the ancient capital of the Achaemenid dynasty, the director of the team of archaeologists announced Sunday.

“Four archaeologists of the team found a piece of lapis lazuli during their excavations in water canals passing under the treasury in southeastern Persepolis last year,” said Alireza Askari, adding, “The studies on the piece of stone over the past year led the archaeologists to surmise that the stone had probably been a part of a leg of the throne of Darius.”

Gold! Archaeologists strike gold in secret spot

Eleven small, golden reliefs have been unearthed at an archaeological dig somewhere in eastern Norway. Officials won't say where, because they think more of the 1,400-year-old gold objects will be found at the site.

"This is a tremendously unique and exciting discovery, the kind an archaeologist makes only once in a lifetime," professor Heid Gjøstein Resi told newspaper Aftenposten. Resi, who's tied to the Oslo museum housing Viking treasures (the Oldsakssamlingen at the Kulturhistorisk Museum), has been leading the excavation where the gold objects were found.

That's one of the weird, paradoxical things about working in archaeology: Finding "valuable" (i.e., gold, statues, etc.) is really cool and occasionally significant and will no doubt bring you fame and fortune, but it means unless you post armed guards at your site 24/7 it'll be looted quicker than a frog on hot asphalt.

This seems weirdly out of date Holy Fake?

(CBS) Correspondent Bob Simon has a story about the Bible and truth. More precisely, it's about Biblical antiquities and how they can be seen to prove that the stories told in the Bible really happened.

Just two years ago, the world of biblical archaeology was rocked to its foundations, and all because of a stone box that was discovered in Israel, and called an ossuary.

Ossuaries were used to hold the bones of the dead approximately 2,000 years ago, in the time of Jesus. The discovery of this ossuary created more excitement among Christian scholars than anything since the Shroud of Turin. And like the Shroud, no sooner was it unveiled than it came alive, with questions.

We were under the impression that this was largely discarded as authentic many months ago.

Report: Remains of 7,500-Year-Old Man Found in UAE

Archaeologists in the United Arab Emirates have found the remains of a 7,500-year-old man, the oldest skeleton found in the country, the official WAM news agency reported Monday.

The skeleton was found buried on Marawah island, some 100 miles off the coast of the capital Abu Dhabi. The man was aged between 20 and 40 years.

It was buried facing east, indicating a sophisticated community lived on Marawah, WAM quoted Peter Hellyer, executive director of the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey, as saying.

Excavations at the island, which have lasted several years, have also unearthed remains of buildings and utensils. The UAE is located on the tip of the Arabian Peninsula.

Now, this is cool UNIQUE ROCK CARVING FOUND AMONGST ARCHAEOLOGY AFTER MOORS FIRE

Archaeologists are pondering one of the most intriguing archaeological discoveries for some years after a fire revealed a unique carved stone thought to be 4,000 years old.

The find came to light after a blaze in 2003 at Fylingdales near Whitby consumed two and a half square kilometres of heather moorland - before being brought under control by hundreds of fire fighters and a water-dumping helicopter.

However, in the fire’s aftermath archaeologists were astonished to find a vast array of archaeological remains – uncovered by the intensity of the blaze, which burnt away much of the peat.

“The fire had a devastating impact, but it also revealed an astonishing archaeological landscape,” said Neil Redfern, English Heritage Inspector of Ancient Monuments.

CSI: Laramie


Officials try to identify remains found at Old Fort Laramie

Officials are still trying to determine the identity of a man whose grave was unearthed last summer.

Forensic studies indicate the man died between 1850 and 1860 at the age of about 25.

Assistant State Archaeologist Danny Walker and his crew found the remains after identifying a series of depressions that indicated collapsing graves.

Down comes the budget axe Aztalan cuts worry archaeologists

Wisconsin's best-known archaeological site may become a political football as lawmakers dicker over the next state budget.

The Department of Natural Resources is proposing cutting $45,500 of funding to Aztalan State Park. The move is one of many cuts the department suggested in its budget request to Gov. Jim Doyle.

The DNR Board approved the cut last week. Some critics said it would open the park to looting and vandalism. A local lawmaker suggested the DNR is playing budget politics.

Neat site.

As promised, last week's EEF news:

"More than Tut t-shirts. Egypt wants to make more money off its cultural heritage":
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/721/eg11.htm

The government has decided to adopt a new approach to dealing with cultural heritage that it hopes will generate the revenue necessary to carry out this important work. That is the crux of the Culture Ministry-affiliated holding company currently being formed based on a ministerial decree issued by former Prime Minister Atef Ebeid in July 2004.

The company is designed to generate revenue for the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) to enable it to better invest in archaeological excavation and restoration, promoting archaeological and cultural awareness among the public, diversifying archaeology-related professional services, and producing high-quality commercial products.

Some press reports on recently aired TV shows:
-- "Mummy Autopsy":
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6667398/
-- "The Sphinx Unmasked"/"Secrets of the Sphinx":
http://news.independent.co.uk/media/story.jsp?story=592003
"Vassil Dobrev believes the Sphinx was created by Djedefre."
-- "The Valley of the Golden Mummies":
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/721/eg10.htm
Interviews Dr Hawass, See also (photo):
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/721/_fr3.htm

"Egypt unveils 2,500-year-old tomb. Discovery made in 'Valley of the Golden Mummies':
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6706019/
About the newly found mummies plus the discovered tomb of the brother of the governor of Bahariya (500 BC). With photographs.
Other (more or less the same) press reports on this:
http://snipurl.com/bd40 (AP/Yahoo)(with slide show)
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/story.jsp?story=592527
With some different photos:
http://www.sltrib.com/nationworld/ci_2487031

"Three ancient pieces seized in Menia"
http://www.sis.gov.eg/online/html11/o151224q.htm

Editorial: "King Tut, Part 2"
"The Met has decided not to show Tut, Part 2, because it refuses to charge extra for special exhibitions. That honors a commitment and a cultural function that are vital to protect."
URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/07/opinion/07tue2.html?oref=login
[use as id and password: "eefeef"]

Press report: "Time-travelling with Tut" [current egyptomania]
URL: http://snipurl.com/bf0g
About the current Egyptomania, and the Australian Museum's exhibition 'Life beyond the Tomb'.

[Next three items submitted by Michael Tilgner. Note: We're posting the whole thing w/o dynamic linking, just for those interested in such things -- eds.]

* The Obelisk Inscriptions of Queen Hatshepsut in the temple of Karnak
-- Unusual photographic view of the obelisk
URL: http://www.allsky.de/de/allsky/d_306.htm
-- Drawings: LD III, 22-24
LD II, 22 (293 KB) - standing obelisk (N, W):
URL: http://snipurl.com/bf0j
LD II, 23 (281 KB) - standing obelisk (S, E):
URL: http://snipurl.com/bf0m
LD II, 24 (281 KB) - fallen obelisk (24 a-c), base inscription (24 d):
URL: http://snipurl.com/bf0o
-- Photograph of the base inscription - Western side (70 KB)
URL: http://www.maat-ka-ra.de/pictures/bauwerke/kar_temp/karn_ob3.jpg
-- Hieroglyphic text: Urk. IV, 357-373
URL: http://snipurl.com/bf0p
-- English translation (shaft inscriptions and base inscription of the
standing obelisk, base inscription of the fallen obelisk) in: James Henry
Breasted, Ancient Records of Egypt, vol. II, Chicago, 1906, sections 304-321
URL: http://snipurl.com/bf0q
-- English translation (shaft inscriptions and base inscription of the
standing obelisk): Lichtheim II, 25-29
-- Hieroglyphic text of the standing obelisk
URL: http://www.rostau.clara.co.uk/Hatshepsut/
-- Hieroglyphic text, photograph, transliteration and English translation of
the inscriptions of the standing obelisk
URL: http://members.tripod.com/obeliscos_egipcios/kahatn_en.htm
-- same website with Spanish translation
URL: http://members.tripod.com/obeliscos_egipcios/kahatn.htm
-- French translation of the base inscription (partial)
URL: http://2terres.hautesavoie.net/hegypte/texte/hatchetx.html
-- Description, including a German translation of the shaft inscriptions of
the standing obelisk [based on: Elke Blumenthal, Ingeborg Müller, Walter F.
Reineke, Adelheid Burkhardt (eds.), Urkunden der 18. Dynastie. Übersetzung
zu den Heften 5-16, Berlin, 1984, pp. 29-30]:
URL: http://www.maat-ka-ra.de/german/bauwerke/kar_temp/hat_obl.htm
-- German translation of the base inscription: TUAT II, 545-548
-- William Stevenson Smith, Two Fragments from Hatshepsut's Karnak Obelisk,
in: Bulletin of the Museum of Fine Arts [in Boston], vol. XL, pp. 45-49
(1942) - pdf-file: 2 MB
URL: http://www.mfa.org/giza/pdf%20files/bmfa40_1948_42to49.pdf

* Dedication of the Obelisks by Hatshepsut (block 302 of the Red Chapel)
-- Hieroglyphic text: Urk. IV, 374-375
URL: http://snipurl.com/bf0s
-- English translation in: James Henry Breasted, Ancient Records of Egypt,
vol. II, Chicago, 1906, section 305
URL: http://snipurl.com/bf0u
-- Photograph and English translation
URL: http://www.maat-ka-ra.de/english/bauwerke/red_chap/sw/block_302.htm
-- Photograph and German translation
URL: http://www.maat-ka-ra.de/german/bauwerke/red_chap/sw/block_302.htm

* Graffito of Senenmut in Sehel concerning his work on Hatshepsut's obelisks
[lost pair]
-- Drawing and English translation [based on: Dariusz Niedziólka, Some
Remarks on the Graffito of Senenmut at Aswan, Proceedings of the First
Central European Conference of Young Egyptologists. Egypt 1999: Perspectives
of Research, Warsaw 7-9 June 1999, Warsaw, 1999, pp. 85-104]
URL: http://www.maat-ka-ra.de/english/bauwerke/kar_temp/hat_obl.htm
-- Drawing and German translation
URL: http://www.maat-ka-ra.de/english/bauwerke/kar_temp/hat_obl.htm

Online version of: Norman de Garis Davies, Two Ramesside Tombs at Thebes, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1927. XIX, 86 pp., XLII pls.
URL: http://snipurl.com/bf10

F. Wendorf and R. Schild, "Nabta Playa and Its Role in Northeastern African Prehistory", in: Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 1998, pp. 97-123; PDF file (1.79 MB):
http://us.share.geocities.com/arqueobox2/FWendorf_NabtaPlaya.pdf (Note: Wasn't working when we tried it)

* [For the younger subscribers & teachers:]
Sydney Grammar School has an Academic Extension program
http://www.sydgram.nsw.edu.au/CollegeSt/extension.html
with onlist (in PDF):
-- "Reading Hieroglyphs", by F. A. Amati & M. M. Bishop
http://www.sydgram.nsw.edu.au/CollegeSt/extension/hieroglyphs.html
-- Russell Buzby, "Imperialism in Early New Kingdom Egypt", Kaleidoscope Eyes, October 2002, pp.1 -18; in PDF, 79 kB:
http://www.sydgram.nsw.edu.au/CollegeSt/extension/Oct02/Buzby.pdf

Brian Noell, "Race in Late-Antique Egypt: Moses the Black and Authentic Historical Voice", in: Eras, edition 6, November 2004. In HTML.
http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/eras/edition_6/noellarticle.htm
The early sixth-century tale of Moses of Scetis, a black man in Roman Egypt, "can be employed to explore the literary construction of the African in the late-antique world."

Dr Franz Renggli, "The Sunrise as the Birth of a Baby: The Prenatal Key to Egyptian Mythology", in: Journal of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health, 16(3), Spring 2002, pp. 1-18; in PDF, 540 kB:
http://www.franz-renggli.ch/en/artikel/The_surise_as_birth_of_a_baby.pdf
The author, a psychoanalyst, presents the ideas of the Dutch historian of religion B. H. Stricker about The Book of the Earth/Aker, which Stricker calls The Embryonic Treatise, as he thinks this netherworld book contains a divine embryology. [Should that sound rather esoteric - well, it is IMHO, but I must confess Stricker's work is not my cup of tea.]

[Submitted by Troy Sagrillo (netherworld@scarlet.be)]
Ingrid Hjelm, Thomas L. Thompson, "The Victory Song of Merneptah, Israel and the People of Palestine", in: Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Vol. 27 No. 1, pp. 3 - 18; in PDF, 144 kB:
URL: http://snipurl.com/bf11
"This study examines aspects of the hymn's rhetoric and literary metaphors, and discusses, among other things, the themes of Merneptah's transcendent greatness and his mythic roles (...)" and "discusses the nature of the association that can be established between the Merneptah stele and the later history of the region of Palestine and biblical Israel."
[The authors belong to the Biblical Studies field, Ultra-Minimalist corner.]

Online review of a childrens' book (fiction) with Egyptological angle: Emily Sands, "Egyptology: Search for the Tomb of Osiris"
http://www.iberkshires.com/story.php?story_id=16238

[Submitted by Thierry Benderitter (clb83130@wanadoo.fr)]
I have the pleasure to announce to you that the new version of the Osirisnet website is now operational.
http://www.osirisnet.net
Apart from a thorough overall update, the pages now are all available in English (thanks to Jon Hirst), and numerous pages on tombs are available in Spanish (thanks to Francisco Lopez)
and German (thanks to Brigitte Goede).
Future projects (in preparation):
the tombs of Ay, Tutankhamon, Tuthmosis IV, Benia, Nakht, Ramose, Montuemhat, Senmut, the governors of Beni Hassan, the tombs of Amarna, and a dozen others among which are
those totally unknown of the public at Meir. The temple of Tephibi, the temple of Ptah in Karnak, the chapels of the XXVIth Dynasty in Karnak, the temple of Merenptah and
the associated museum, etc.
I like to take this opportunity to make a request to the EEF members: if you have original photos of the monuments and the tombs, photos of which you think that they could
be reproduced on the site, they will be very welcome!

End of EEF news

Much to blog today, there will probably be several entries throughout the day. Sorry we missed last Friday. EEF news is coming shortly.

More on Hood Canal project Bridge project yields long-forgotten graves

At first, it was a few scattered shards. Soon, though, complete skeletons began to emerge. There were men and women whose arms and legs were entwined in a ritual embrace of death. There were entire families — babies, children, parents and grandparents, as many as 11 in one grave — who seemed to have died suddenly and had been buried together. Pandemics of smallpox and other white-man fevers probably caused the massive die-offs, archaeologists now say.

"In my opinion, there is no other archaeological site in the country that has a direct association with so many human remains," said David G. Rice, senior archaeologist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Seattle.

Shipwreck hunters worry about preserving history

The search team was still out on Lake Superior this fall when elation over finding a legendary shipwreck gave way to a sobering realization and then to a vow.

Team members decided to do what was necessary to protect the wreck of the Benjamin Noble, a freighter that sank in a wintery gale in 1914. Its 20-member crew died in the disaster.

"We look for shipwrecks kind of for fun, and we do it for the history. But we also respect these sites. And the Noble, it's a grave site. It's different from all the other wrecks we've found in that regard," said diver Randy Beebe of Duluth. "We want to make sure the Noble, and all wrecks, are preserved."

Not to worry Archaeologists fighting against time to save ancient sites from waters of Karun-4 Dam

As Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (CHTO) has been rendered helpless by dam construction projects in the regions of ancient sites, the director of the study project of the Karun-4 Dam said here on Saturday that saving potential ancient sites that would be flooded by the reservoir of the dam will be the next mission for Iranian archaeologists.

We may be wrong, but we kind of doubt anything will actually be "lost" under the waters. More likely, it will be better preserved for posterity.

Scum Police find 100 stolen Roman artefacts

Police in southern Italy have seized some 100 ancient Roman treasures, from marble busts to vases, that were unearthed by archaeological scavengers and sold illegally to collectors.

A Naples police unit that specialises in archaeology raided homes, restaurants and hotels, said Lorenzo Marinaccio, the unit’s commander. The raids stemmed from an investigation of scavengers and traffickers.

The finds included a sarcophagus and busts of bearded men, all made of marble.

We're easily excited ARCHAEOLOGISTS EXCITED BY 500,000-YEAR-OLD AXE FIND IN QUARRY

A Stone Age hand axe dating back 500,000 years has been discovered at a quarry in Warwickshire.

The tool was found at the Smiths Concrete Bubbenhall Quarry at Waverley Wood Farm, near Coventry, which has already produced evidence of some of the earliest known human occupants of the UK.

It was uncovered in gravel by quarry manager John Green who took it to be identified by archaeologists at the University of Birmingham.

So how come they find really cool, easily identifiable artifacts like this in Europe from 500,000 years ago, but anything older than about 12,000 here in North America is virtually all barely recognizable as man-made?

More good stuff from Iran Iran, France to cooperate in archaeology

Iran and France signed an agreement in Paris on Wednesday night to cooperate in archaeology.

According to the agreement signed for Iran by Head of Iran's Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization Hossein Marashi and for France by its Minister of State for Cooperation, Development and Francophonie Xavier Darcos, the French experts are to offer educational and training courses for their young Iranian colleagues.

Marashi told IRNA that the French archaeologists who have been the first to carry out projects in Iran are still interested in cooperating with Iranian experts.

He also said that according to the agreement necessary measures to introduce Iran to French tourists will be taken in France as of next year.

He said it was also agreed that French experts would cooperate with Iran in building 10 new hotels in the country.

Marashi arrived in Paris Tuesday to explore avenues for cooperation between the two countries in such areas as cultural heritage, archaeology, tourism, museums and holding exhibitions.

That's the whole thing.

Mummy alert


Mexican archaeologists dig up ancient mummy

Mexican archaeologists reported on Thursday the discovery of a 2 300-year-old mummy of a female child along with some fabric, hair, feathers and plant remains in a dry, cold, high-altitude cave in the central state of Queretaro.

Archaeologists received a tip about some human remains in the cave in a mountainous area known as the Sierra Gorda. They searched the cave, located about 2 900 metres above sea level, and found the girl's mummified remains, which lacked one arm.

"This is one of the oldest mummies to have been found in Mexico," according to a press release from the Templo Mayor Museum, part of the National Archaeology and Anthropology Institute.

More on the flute story
Plus a picture!


After the hunt, ice age man chilled out - with a flute

He is better known for his hunting skills, but now it appears that ice age man did not merely chase prey - he was also fond of music.

German archaeologists revealed yesterday that they had discovered one of the world's oldest musical instruments, a 35,000-year-old flute carved from the tusk of a now-extinct woolly mammoth.

The flute was dug up in a cave in the Swabian mountains in south-western Germany, and pieced back together again from 31 fragments. Its discovery suggests that ice age man, who roamed across Europe during prehistoric times, had precocious aesthetic talents, and probably discovered music far earlier than previously assumed.

Artifact source debated

Treasure hunters who collected artifacts from Lewes Beach over the last month had an opportunity Thursday to have them cataloged by archaeologists from the state Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs.

The documentation sessions took place at the Zwaandael Museum on Savannah Road in Lewes.

Pottery shards, broken bottles and crockery have been found on the beach following an offshore dredging and beach replenishment effort by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Fight! Fight! The Indus Script--Write or Wrong? (Subscriber-only, unfortunately)

Academic prizes typically are designed to confer prestige. But the latest proposed award, a $10,000 check for finding a lengthy inscription from the ancient Indus civilization, is intended to goad rather than honor. The controversial scholar who announced the prize last month cheekily predicts that he will never have to pay up. Going against a century of scholarship, he and a growing number of linguists and archaeologists assert that the Indus people--unlike their Egyptian and Mesopotamian contemporaries 4000 years ago--could not write.

That claim is part of a bitter clash among academics, as well as between Western scientists and Indian nationalists, over the nature of the Indus society, a clash that has led to shouting matches and death threats. But the provocative proposal, summed up in a paper published online last week, is winning adherents within the small community of Indus scholars who say it is time to rethink an enigmatic society that spanned a vast area in today's Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan--the largest civilization of its day.

Too bad, it's a nice article.

Not much to blog today. EEF news ought to be coming in sometime this afternoon though.

Settled life speeds social and religious evolution

The shift from nomadic life to settled village life can lead to a rapid development of religious and social complexity and hierarchy, according to a detailed chronology of the Valley of Oaxaca in Mexico. Only about 1300 years separate its oldest ritual buildings - simple ‘men’s huts’ - and the first standardised temples of the Zapotec state, an archaeological study suggests.

“This is the first study to show how the co-evolution of social and religious complexity occurred, and what steps were involved,” says Joyce Marcus at the University of Michigan, US, who led the work.

Anchors a-weigh! Replica of Bronze Age boat ready to set sail on a 4,000-year-old journey

A REPLICA of a 4,000-year-old Bronze Age boat found near Hull will set sail on the Humber in the new year – close to where the original was discovered.
The plank boat, the oldest of its kind found in western Europe, was one of three discovered at North Ferriby by Hull amateur archaeologist, Ted Wright, between 1937 and 1963.
Yesterday a half-scale replica, named Ferriby I, was unveiled at the Streetlife Museum, in Hull, where it will be used as a local focus for SeaBritain 2005, a celebration of the UK's maritime heritage.
The boat, built in Southampton, has been trialled successfully on the Solent, despite being only half the size of the original.

Cleopatra: Scientist, Not Seductress?

Medieval Arabic texts suggest that Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII was a brilliant early mathematician, chemist and philosopher who wrote science books and met weekly with a team of scientific experts, according to a forthcoming book.

If historians can verify the medieval accounts, then the real Cleopatra likely bore little resemblance to the sexy seductress described by Greek and Roman scholars.

We're dubious.

Roman remains found by busy road

THE remains of a “waterfront” settlement dating from Roman times have been discovered in a Suffolk village.

Archaeologists have found pottery, brooches, coins and other items on a site at Stoke Ash, beside a tributary of the River Dove and close to the A140 road, itself Roman in origin.

Information gleaned from the site and from the adjacent Thornham Estate is adding to the academic understanding of the Roman occupation of Britain.

It also suggests the area has been a hive of human activity for many thousands of years, with evidence of early agriculture, industry and buildings.

Good for them Aboriginal archaeologists take a stand

Conflicts between Aboriginal communities and archaeologists in Australia may be reduced by the establishment of a new watchdog, its founding members say.

The Indigenous Archaeological Association (IAA) will monitor archaeologists to ensure they appropriately consult Aboriginal communities on whose land they are working.

"It's an independent archaeological body that represents the interests of indigenous archaeologists and provides a voice for Aboriginal people on archaeological issues," said Aboriginal archaeologist, Stephen Free.

More from the Pacific Northwest Buried treasures: Archaeologists unearth 1800s-era artifacts from site located along the Columbia

Archaeologists are excavating a Columbia River site believed to be an early Chinook Indian village that could yield new information about the tribe and its relationship with fur traders of European descent.

The site dates to between 1800 and 1830, said Bob Cromwell, an archaeologist at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.

"We don't have very many archaeological sites or artifacts representing this early period of the fur trade," Cromwell said. "It tells us about how active the Chinook were in trading in this early period."

Lost temple. . . .found! Ancient Apollo sanctuary found on uninhabited Greek islet

Hundreds of ancient objects from as far apart as Asia Minor (in modern-day Turkey), Greece, Egypt and Cyprus were discovered among the remains of a previously unreported, pre-Christian sanctuary on an uninhabited Greek islet in the Aegean Sea.

Archaeologists conducting excavations on Despotiko island since 1997 uncovered, among others, a valuable statuette dating from 680-660 BC, statue parts, tools, weapons, pearls, even an ostrich egg, the Greek culture ministry announced Wednesday.

The sanctuary was dedicated to ancient Greek god Apollo and was used as a place of worship from the 7th century BC to Roman times. Only the sanctuary's auxiliary buildings, but not the main temple, have been recovered so far.

That's the whole thing.

Well, here we go. McMaster Researchers Seek To Unlock The Mysteries Of Ancient Potters

In a remote village in southwestern Italy, Kostalena Michelaki stands over an open flame firing pots as would have been done more than seven thousand years ago.

By looking even deeper into the clay shards, the McMaster archaeologist will begin to understand the way Neolithic people lived, and in the process will dispel the myths and stereotypes surrounding ancient societies.

The making of ceramics is a long process, she says, as it requires the collection of raw materials (clays, inclusions, water and fuel), their preparation, the formation of the vessel’s shape, the finishing and decoration of the surface, drying and firing. "At each step potters have to make decisions about what material or tool to use and how to proceed," she says. "Their decisions are affected by several factors. Their environment will give them many or a few options of raw materials. The function for which they intend a vessel will also be important. A water jar must be able to hold water; a cooking pot must be able to withstand heat. Equally important will be the norms, traditions and organization of their society."

Materials science is becomg much more of a presence in archaeology. For a neat study on controlled engineering analyses of some southeastern ceramics see:

Feathers, J. K.
1990 Explaining the Evolution of Prehistoric Ceramics in Southeastern Missouri. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Washington. University Microfilms, Ann Arbor.

Computer modeling lets scientists make virtual re-creations of ancient people, things

Dr. Douglas Robertson swears that one of the best vantage points for observing a 5,300-year-old Egyptian mummy mask is in his laboratory at UPMC Montefiore.

Make no mistake: The funerary mask of what may have been a noblewoman from the court of Ramses the Great is physically on display 550 miles away at the St. Louis Art Museum. But a full-color, three-dimensional model of the mask resides in Robertson's computer.

And only the computer model can be turned or flipped for viewing at any angle.

Update from Hierakonpolis Fixing the Fort at Hierakonpolis

Conservation isn't just a buzz word; it is a responsibility for all of us who cherish Egypt's ancient heritage. Our winter 2004 season at Hierakonpolis is dedicated to translating this word into action as we begin the stabilization and repair of the imposing structure we call the Fort, actually the Ceremonial Enclosure of King Khasekhemwy and the oldest freestanding mud-brick monumental structure in the world. (This project is made possible through a grant from the World Monuments Watch, a program of the World Monuments Fund.)

Rising up near the edge of the cultivated plain, the Fort dominates the low desert of Hierakonpolis. It is, in fact, our only standing monument, and if you can only have one, what a one to have! Approximately 67x57m (220ft x 185ft), with walls 5m (16ft) thick, it is still preserved in places to its original height of 9m (30ft). Decorated on its exterior with a series of pilasters creating a niched facade, the chief symbol of royalty at this time, it was originally plastered white. It must have been a striking sight in its time, and almost 5,000 years later, this monument stands as a testament to the abilities of its builder, King Khasekhemwy, the last king of the Second Dynasty (ca. 2686 B.C.). In form and monumentality, it is a direct ancestor of the great stone pyramid complexes of Egypt. And it is perhaps no surprise that the first of these--the Step Pyramid at Saqqara--was built by Djoser, his immediate successor and, appropriately enough his probable step-son.

The people working at Hierakonpolis keep posting regular updates both at Archaeology magazine and at their own web site.

civilisation parallel to Harappa? Experts wonder

Was Gujarat the cradle of an independent civilisation, contemporary of the classical Harappan civilisation around the Indus Valley? This view is gaining academic credence in the community of archaeologists specialising on the subject across the country. The Sorath (present Saurashtra) region civilisation, dating back to 3700 BC at some places, was distinct from the classical Harappan as it developed in the Indus Valley, say researchers in the field.

‘‘It maintained its separate identity in many ways even as a cultural, economic and technological exchange took place between the two,’’ said Professor Vasant Shinde of the Pune-based Deccan College Research Institute, while addressing a seminar on ‘Harappan Civilisation and Gujarat: Problems and Perspectives’.

And now for something completely different Cat headstone sells for £200,000

A stone carving that was used as a cat's headstone has sold for £200,000 at auction - five times its estimate.

The medieval limestone relief of St Peter was discovered at a quarry by a stonemason Johnny Beeston, from Dowlish Wake, Somerset.

He took it home and used it as a grave marker when stray tabby cat Winkle died. But when he himself passed away the stone was examined by a historian.

We can only hope that Winkle has a new headstone to mark his passing.



(Hattip to FFFFT)

More from the Pacific Northwest Buried treasures: Archaeologists unearth 1800s-era artifacts from site located along the Columbia

Archaeologists are excavating a Columbia River site believed to be an early Chinook Indian village that could yield new information about the tribe and its relationship with fur traders of European descent.

The site dates to between 1800 and 1830, said Bob Cromwell, an archaeologist at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.

"We don't have very many archaeological sites or artifacts representing this early period of the fur trade," Cromwell said. "It tells us about how active the Chinook were in trading in this early period."

Lost temple. . . .found! Ancient Apollo sanctuary found on uninhabited Greek islet

Hundreds of ancient objects from as far apart as Asia Minor (in modern-day Turkey), Greece, Egypt and Cyprus were discovered among the remains of a previously unreported, pre-Christian sanctuary on an uninhabited Greek islet in the Aegean Sea.

Archaeologists conducting excavations on Despotiko island since 1997 uncovered, among others, a valuable statuette dating from 680-660 BC, statue parts, tools, weapons, pearls, even an ostrich egg, the Greek culture ministry announced Wednesday.

The sanctuary was dedicated to ancient Greek god Apollo and was used as a place of worship from the 7th century BC to Roman times. Only the sanctuary's auxiliary buildings, but not the main temple, have been recovered so far.

That's the whole thing.

Well, here we go. McMaster Researchers Seek To Unlock The Mysteries Of Ancient Potters

In a remote village in southwestern Italy, Kostalena Michelaki stands over an open flame firing pots as would have been done more than seven thousand years ago.

By looking even deeper into the clay shards, the McMaster archaeologist will begin to understand the way Neolithic people lived, and in the process will dispel the myths and stereotypes surrounding ancient societies.

The making of ceramics is a long process, she says, as it requires the collection of raw materials (clays, inclusions, water and fuel), their preparation, the formation of the vessel’s shape, the finishing and decoration of the surface, drying and firing. "At each step potters have to make decisions about what material or tool to use and how to proceed," she says. "Their decisions are affected by several factors. Their environment will give them many or a few options of raw materials. The function for which they intend a vessel will also be important. A water jar must be able to hold water; a cooking pot must be able to withstand heat. Equally important will be the norms, traditions and organization of their society."

Materials science is becomg much more of a presence in archaeology. For a neat study on controlled engineering analyses of some southeastern ceramics see:
Feathers, J. K.
1990 Explaining the Evolution of Prehistoric Ceramics in Southeastern Missouri. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Washington. University Microfilms, Ann Arbor.

Computer modeling lets scientists make virtual re-creations of ancient people, things

Dr. Douglas Robertson swears that one of the best vantage points for observing a 5,300-year-old Egyptian mummy mask is in his laboratory at UPMC Montefiore.

Make no mistake: The funerary mask of what may have been a noblewoman from the court of Ramses the Great is physically on display 550 miles away at the St. Louis Art Museum. But a full-color, three-dimensional model of the mask resides in Robertson's computer.

And only the computer model can be turned or flipped for viewing at any angle.

Update from Hierakonpolis Fixing the Fort at Hierakonpolis

Conservation isn't just a buzz word; it is a responsibility for all of us who cherish Egypt's ancient heritage. Our winter 2004 season at Hierakonpolis is dedicated to translating this word into action as we begin the stabilization and repair of the imposing structure we call the Fort, actually the Ceremonial Enclosure of King Khasekhemwy and the oldest freestanding mud-brick monumental structure in the world. (This project is made possible through a grant from the World Monuments Watch, a program of the World Monuments Fund.)

Rising up near the edge of the cultivated plain, the Fort dominates the low desert of Hierakonpolis. It is, in fact, our only standing monument, and if you can only have one, what a one to have! Approximately 67x57m (220ft x 185ft), with walls 5m (16ft) thick, it is still preserved in places to its original height of 9m (30ft). Decorated on its exterior with a series of pilasters creating a niched facade, the chief symbol of royalty at this time, it was originally plastered white. It must have been a striking sight in its time, and almost 5,000 years later, this monument stands as a testament to the abilities of its builder, King Khasekhemwy, the last king of the Second Dynasty (ca. 2686 B.C.). In form and monumentality, it is a direct ancestor of the great stone pyramid complexes of Egypt. And it is perhaps no surprise that the first of these--the Step Pyramid at Saqqara--was built by Djoser, his immediate successor and, appropriately enough his probable step-son.

The people working at Hierakonpolis keep posting regular updates both at Archaeology magazine and at their own web site.

civilisation parallel to Harappa? Experts wonder

Was Gujarat the cradle of an independent civilisation, contemporary of the classical Harappan civilisation around the Indus Valley? This view is gaining academic credence in the community of archaeologists specialising on the subject across the country. The Sorath (present Saurashtra) region civilisation, dating back to 3700 BC at some places, was distinct from the classical Harappan as it developed in the Indus Valley, say researchers in the field.

‘‘It maintained its separate identity in many ways even as a cultural, economic and technological exchange took place between the two,’’ said Professor Vasant Shinde of the Pune-based Deccan College Research Institute, while addressing a seminar on ‘Harappan Civilisation and Gujarat: Problems and Perspectives’.

And now for something completely different Cat headstone sells for £200,000

A stone carving that was used as a cat's headstone has sold for £200,000 at auction - five times its estimate.

The medieval limestone relief of St Peter was discovered at a quarry by a stonemason Johnny Beeston, from Dowlish Wake, Somerset.

He took it home and used it as a grave marker when stray tabby cat Winkle died. But when he himself passed away the stone was examined by a historian.

We can only hope that Winkle has a new headstone to mark his passing.



(Hattip to FFFFT)