Harvard University and the Archaeological Research Center of Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (CHTO) plan to ink an agreement on studying an ancient site located on the Atrak riverbank in the northeastern Iranian province of Golestan, an expert of the center announced on Saturday.
“According to the agreement, a group of Iranian archaeologists and a team of experts from Harvard will be working on the Atrak riverbank on the Iranian-Turkmen border to study the civilization of the ancient site and its links with nearby ancient sites in Turkmenistan,” Karim Alizadeh added.
And mohr from Mehr Ancient artifacts smuggled from Jiroft coming home to Iran
A group of Iranian experts is currently in London preparing to repatriate 118 artifacts which were smuggled from the ancient site of Jiroft, a legal official of Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (CHTO) said on Friday.
“The experts are in London to pack the relics in a scientific way for safe transportation to Iran,” Yunes Samadi added.
The artifacts will be returned to Iran on March 7.
How prehistoric farmers saved us from new Ice Age
Ancient man saved the world from a new Ice Age. That is the startling conclusion of climate researchers who say man-made global warming is not a modern phenomenon and has been going on for thousands of years.
Prehistoric farmers who slashed down trees and laid out the first rice paddies and wheatfields triggered major alterations to levels of greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, they say.
As a result, global temperatures - which were slowly falling around 8,000 years ago - began to rise. 'Current temperatures would be well on the way toward typical glacial temperatures, had it not been for the greenhouse gas contributions from early farming practices,' says Professor William Ruddiman of Virginia University.
We predict this will go by the wayside in short order. On the other hand, it's politically correct so maybe it'll become a signficant meme.
NAGPRA in Hawaii update Panel to hear disputes over artifacts
A federal panel will take up conflicts over Native Hawaiian artifacts from a burial cave at Kawaihae, as well as other disputes over the handling of cultural objects, in a three-day public hearing set to convene March 13 at the East-West Center.
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Review Committee will meet from 1 to 5 p.m. on March 13 and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 14 and 15 in the center's Keoni Auditorium.
The first day will involve presentations of evidence by the principal parties in each dispute, with public comment on the second day and committee members deciding on their recommendations before adjourning.
WHat did they know and when did they know it??? Early 1990s archaeology reports tell of presence of Tse-whit-zen
Three archaeological reports written in the early 1990s for construction projects at the Port Angeles paper mill concluded that the site was within the immediate area of the ancient Klallam village of Tse-whit-zen.
The construction areas -- at what is now the mill operated by Nippon Paper Industries USA -- were west of the state Department of Transportation's abandoned Marine Drive graving yard site.
Transportation shut down the graving yard project Dec. 21 after workers discovered hundreds of remains and thousands of artifacts from Tse-whit-zen and, in particular, remains from the village's cemetery.
Apparently, not much, reading the whole article. The gist seems to be that some earlier work made reference to a possiblility of substantial remains in the area but no actual evidence of such. So really, nothing new here other than to report on earlier work done in the area.
Paleoanth news Ethiopia Archaeologists Make Important Fossil Find
Archaeologists studying human origins in eastern Ethiopia have discovered 12 fossils that appear to be older than the famous fossil "Lucy," the team leader said on Saturday.
"The discovery of 12 early hominid fossÿil specimens estimated to be between 3.8 to 4 million years old will be important in terms of understanding the early phases of human evolution before Lucy," Ethiopian archeologist Yohannes Haile Selassie told a news conference.
Save the park! One-of-a-kind Mehrauli archaeological park facing death by neglect
Its Delhi’s only Archaeological Park, spread out over a sprawling 200 acres in Mehrauli, encompasses over 100 historically significant monuments built over five centuries—from the early 11th century to the late Mughal period. Among its attractions are the Jamali Kamali mosque, Quli Khan’s tomb, Gandhak-ki-baoli, Rajaon-ki-baoli, Madhi Masjid and Balban’s tomb—all within walking distance of each other.
Yet, on a walk through the park, all one finds is stinking nullahs clogged with plastic and waste from neighbouring colonies, pigs scurrying around, illegal restaurants and unplanned drains built by digging through 10 feet of underlying archaeology.
Experts Uncover Ancient Mayan Remains
Scientists working at the Copan archaeological site in western Honduras said Sunday they have unearthed the 1,450-year-old remains of 69 people, as well as 30 previously undiscovered ancient Mayan buildings.
Copan, about 200 miles west of Tegucigalpa, the capital, flourished between A.D. 250 and 900, part of a vast Mayan empire which stretched across parts of modern-day Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. The site was eventually abandoned, due at least in part to overpopulation, historians believe.
But. . .but. . .we LIVE for cracked pots! From Excavating To Supervising, State Archaeologist Digs His Work
There's a medieval philosophical principle called Occam's Razor that says, essentially, the simplest explanation is usually the preferred one.
It's something that state archaeologist Ryan Wheeler tries to adhere to.
``It's a good rule for an archaeologist to live by,'' Wheeler said. ``It keeps you from becoming a crackpot.''
TV update The World's Most Influential Civilizations are Explored in The Science Channel's Three-Part Series, WHAT THE ANCIENTS KNEW, Beginning Monday, March 14
Exploring the Roman Empire, early Egypt and the Chinese dynasties, WHAT THE ANCIENTS KNEW is a panoramic journey into the technological past that shaped our world. Host Jack Turner travels back in time to understand the motivations behind early solutions and inventions, demonstrating how ancient machines worked and explaining why they were developed. The series kicks off Monday, March 14, from 8-9 PM, with the one-hour The Romans; The Egyptians premieres the following Monday, March 21, from 8-9 PM; and the series concludes Monday, March 28, with The Chinese from 8-9 PM (all times ET/PT).
Hmmmmmm. We rather like the idea, but are troubled by quotes such as The Egyptians were also the first culture to believe in life after death. . .. Still, it may be interesting.
Finally, a proposal
We have noticed several (non archaeological) news stories recently regarding the World Year of Physics which is 2005. This is, of course, reminiscent of the International Geophysical Year (actually 18 months) of 1957-58. The former marks the 100th anniversary of Einetein's publication of three very important papers, while the latter was designated to coincide with the 11-year maximum of sunspot activity.
So hey, why not an International Archaeological Year? It would be a chance for archaeologists worldwide to participate cooperatively in highlighting issues important for archaeology: conservation, antiquities trafficking, aboriginal issues, etc. A lot of this stuff has been bubbling for some time, so perhaps it's a good time to spend an entire year bringing them all to the front burner and starting the process of doing something about it.
We have, however, been stumped as to what year this could commemorate. It would have to be done in, say, the next 5 years or so, but we have yet to come up with a suitable event that sits somewhere within the next few years. We immediately thought of Carter's discovery of Tutanhkamun's tomb, but that would push it back to 2022. Another possibility is Arnold and Libby's 1949 paper "Age determinations by radiocarbon content: Checks with samples of known age".
So, make a Comment, send the post to colleagues/friends, or at least start thinking about it.