Turd update Bronze Age droppings reveal health of ancients
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have found rare 3000-year-old human fossilised droppings revealing the healthy diet of Scotland's ancient inhabitants.
Work on a Bronze Age farmhouse in Catpund, Shetland, has unearthed the coprolites, which give clues on the population, health and wealth distribution of the former islanders.
The research has provided data on prehistoric diseases and may shed more light on the environments and evolution of plants and animals.
See, that's what's nice about working with sediments, artifacts, etc., as opposed to being a coprolite analyst: people don't move away from you at parties when you tell them what you study.
Ruined castle to be propped up by £75,000 project
THE ongoing cash crisis in local government has persuaded the council to stabilise the district's only castle rather than repair it.
Grade II listed Betchworth Castle is a designated ancient monument and has been a source of ongoing debate for years.
Public access to the rickety remains has recently been granted through a land deal with Betchworth Golf Club and conservationists have pushed for money to be spent on the castle to allow public viewing.
Lost
Ancient village ruins found in Shaanxi
Chinese archaeologists found ruins of a 2,700-year-old village in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.
The ruins date from the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th Century B.C to 771 B.C.) Sections of a row of houses in the ruins are well preserved, said Yang Yachang, a researcher with the provincial archaeology research institute.
A lot of stone knives and pottery utensils were found in the houses, which were built on a base of pounded earth. Archaeologists also found millet and bean seeds in the houses.
Yang said that the discovery provides new model for studies on ancient residential culture.
That's the whole thing.
Ancient coin found in Jaffa market
A rare coin with the words "The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost" in ancient Arabic has been uncovered in an archaeological excavation in a Jaffa market, Israel's Antiquities Authority announced Thursday.
The Crusader-era half-drachma coin, which was found in 12th century building, includes other classic Christian motifs such as the cross, and an Egyptian blessing.
That ought to be worth a couple drachmas. And that's the whole thing, too.
Tsunami update Lost and found
For a few minutes, after the water had receded far from the shore and before it came raging back as a tsunami, the fishermen stood along the beach and stared at the reality of generations of legends.
Or so they say. Spread across nearly a mile, the site was encrusted with barnacles and covered in mud. But the fishermen insist they saw the remains of ancient temples and hundreds of refrigerator-sized blocks, all briefly exposed before the sea swallowed them up again.
Good for you, Kathryn Archaeologist discovers ancient ships in Egypt
Kathryn Bard, a CAS associate professor of archaeology, recently discovered the first ancient remains of Egyptian seafaring ships. Photo by Kalman Zabarsky
Kathryn Bard had “the best Christmas ever” this past December when she discovered the well-preserved timbers and riggings of pharaonic seafaring ships inside two man-made caves on Egypt’s Red Sea coast. They are the first pieces ever recovered from Egyptian seagoing vessels, and along with hieroglyphic inscriptions found near one of the caves, they promise to shed light on an elaborate network of ancient Red Sea trade.
Prehistoric artefacts found in town centre
Excavations on the site of the PalaceXchange shopping development in Enfield Town have revealed a collection of prehistoric relics.
The exciting finds, which include 3,000-year-old flint cutting tools and the remains of a medieval pot, were unearthed on a site adjacent to Woolworths and opposite the Independent's office, in London Road.
Sean Steadman, of Gifford Archaeology, said: "It was clear there was archaeological potential in Enfield Town, and we have been working with the developer to establish that potential.
Fight! Fight! Spotlight falls on powerline's impact on artefacts
Barrick Gold mine opponent Neville Williams will lead an inspection today into the impact of powerline works on Aboriginal artefacts in southern NSW.
On Monday, the Wiradjuri elder told the Land and Environment Court Country Energy had resumed work on the line in January, despite being ordered to stop last October.