Thursday, June 17, 2004

Save the (indoor) rain forest! Archaeology project won't delay hotel, rain forest

Excavation of an ancient campsite discovered along the Iowa River is not expected to disrupt construction of a multi-million hotel and conference center and an indoor rain forest nearby.

John Doershuk, director of the general contracts program in the Office of the State Archaeologist at the University of Iowa, said excavation of the site is expected to begin this summer. Doershuk said the site is north of where a $60 million hotel and convention center and the $180 million Iowa Environmental/Education Project are to be built.

Doershuk said radiocarbon tests done on artifacts retrieved from the site date it between 3,000 and 4,000 years old. So far, several dozen artifacts have been retrieved including a spear point, chips and flakes associated with tool making, and rocks one would find around a campfire, Doershuk said.

Doershuk said follow-up soil-boring tests showed additional artifacts buried a few feet below the surface. He said the archeological site covers about 10,000 square feet.



Is it possible to have another story on Troy? Homer's ancient Troy would have only small resemblance to Brad Pitt's Hollywood city (Bit of data required before reading)

Turkish guide Mustafa Askin stood on top of a crumbling tower of the ancient city of Troy and pointed to a grassy field where he says Achilles and Hector most likely fought to the death.

"The duel took place down there, in front of us," Askin said, pointing to a green field near a small spring outside of the city walls, a field that bares little resemblance to the sandy beach where Brad Pitt and Eric Bana battled it out in the movie "Troy."

Archaeologists are grumbling that the film bears only a partial likeness to the city they have been painstakingly uncovering after decades of research, digs that show a large walled city that grew rich from trade, but was later burned to the ground.

"Why didn't they film it here?" asked Askin, an amateur archaeologist, guide and author of the book "Troy" as he stood atop the limestone city walls. "This is real atmosphere."


We reiterate that, except regarding egregious factual errors (such as cavemen battling Tyranosaurs), we archaeologists just need to give movie makers some artistic leeway. After all, if all E.R. doctors looked like George Clooney and made a big deal out of inserting a chest tube, half the female population would be walking around on crutches.

Artist's conception of all E.R. doctors:



Archaeological sites in Sabaragamuwa on the verge of deterioration

Several rock caves in the Sabaragamuwa province with important archaeological value are on the verge of deterioration due to human encroachment, former Director General of the Department of Archaeology, Dr. Shiran Deraniyagala said.

Some elements are said to have deliberately destroyed archaeological sites and removed artifacts.


We can't pronounce it, can you?