Thursday, May 05, 2005

Good article The Seeds of Civilization

Since researchers first began digging at Catalhoyuk (pronounced "Chah-tahl-hew-yook") in the 1960s, they've found more than 400 skeletons under the houses, which are clustered in a honeycomb-like maze. Burying the dead under houses was common at early agricultural villages in the Near East-at Catalhoyuk, one dwelling alone had 64 skeletons.

Archaeologist Ian Hodder and his colleagues are also working to decipher paintings and sculptures found at Catalhoyuk. The surfaces of many houses are covered with murals of men hunting wild deer and cattle and of vultures swooping down on headless people. Some plaster walls bear bas-reliefs of leopards and apparently female figures that may represent goddesses. Hodder is convinced that this symbol-rich settlement, one of the largest and best-preserved Neolithic sites ever discovered, holds the key to prehistoric psyches and to one of the most fundamental questions about humanity: why people first settled in permanent communities.


It looks as if the full text is available in PDF without subscription.

Another nice article Jacques de Morgan; An Archaeologist Who Found Oil

The history of archaeological research in Iran may be divided into two periods: before and after the Second World War. The early period can in turn be subdivided into a first phase of mainly French activity (ca. 1884-1931), and a second phase in which archaeology in Iran became a multinational affair (1931-40). The modern period can be subdivided into what might best be called the “quiet phase” (1940-57) and the “explosive phase” (1958-78).


The formatting of the web page bites (at least in Firefox) but it's worth cutting and pasting it into a text editor to read.

St. Baldred of the Bass update East Lothian Archaeological Discovery




Archaeologists believe they could be on the verge of throwing new light on a legendary figure from Scotland's Dark Ages - St Baldred of the Bass. They are investigating an ancient church and graveyard in East Lothian - and believe analysis of some of the 200 skeletons they have found there could establish a link with St Baldred.

The ancient site was unearthed by accident. Ploughing uncovered human remains on a farm in East Lothian and when archaeologists were called in, they found a medieval graveyard and church. Canes now mark the location of up to 200 graves and the church's foundations have been revealed. The delicate task of removing the skeletons is underway.


Video, too!

And every article should have at least one cool picture like this:

Obviously, this ancient man was killed by being run through with a metal tape measure. . .

Mohr from Mehr First clay seal discovered at Tang-e Bolaghi

The Iranian and German archaeologists currently working near the construction site of the Sivand Dam in Tang-e Bolaghi, Fars Province recently discovered the first clay seal at the site, the head of the team announced on Wednesday.

Mojgan Simin said that the seal, which bears geometrical patterns, is a sign of trade in the region.


Finally, we here at ArchaeoBlog have a vast archive of photocopied papers we were forced to read and regurgitate on command required to read and understand during our graduate careers. We've decided to, on occasion, grab one of these out of our files, give it a fresh read, and write up a summary on What It Meant For Archaeology. Call it a Great Papers of Archaeology series. Hopefully it will provide a nice trip down memory lane for those who obtained their Ph.D.s in eras more properly used for C-14 calibrations, and perhaps give all those young whipper-snappers out there some idea of how we got here in case it hasn't been covered by their current coursework. Also, we've put a section at the end for those lay readers with an interest in the history of archaeology but who may not relish the thought of reading all that boring and pedantic claptrap technical jargon.

The first paper we chose, quite at random, was one that appeared in Science in 1964 by William Longacre, Archeology as Anthropology: A Case Study. This was at the start of what came to be known as the New Archaeology and, we argue, provides a great, relatively brief introduction to the basic philosophy of that strain of thought. Plus, it appeared in a non-archaeological journal so it was meant for a wider audience anyway.

We welcome comments on the content and concept, and also suggestions on additional papers that ought to be reviewed. In the future, we are also contemplating posting contributions from outside scholars to create a repository of essays. We'll also plop a link to all of them when, errr, we get around to creating a central web page for them. In the meantime, enjoy.