In the ruins of an ancient city in northeastern Syria, archaeologists have uncovered what they say is substantial evidence of a fierce battle fought there in about 3500 B.C.
The archaeologists, who announced the find yesterday, described it as the oldest known excavated site of large-scale organized warfare. It was a clash of northern and southern cultures in ancient Mesopotamia, the land where urban civilization began, in a region that includes Iraq and parts of Syria.
The discovery was reported by Clemens Reichel of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, who was co-director of the Syrian-American excavations at the site, known as Tell Hamoukar. The ruins are in the upper fringes of the Tigris and Euphrates Valleys, near the Iraq border and within sight of the Taurus Mountains of southern Turkey.
The interesting thing about this story is nearer the end where they talk about what happened to the city after the battle ended. The evidence seems to indicate that it was not occupied by the attackers, but left as-is. This could result in a Pompeii-esque situation where many of the items of everyday use are in or close to their use positions. Lewis Binford coined the term "Pompeii Premise" for this kind of situation.
More here.
More Maya Murals
A bit more on it here.
Do NOT think about Russell Crowe right now G-String-Clad Gladiator Found
Divers exploring a river near a former Roman Empire fort and settlement in Britain have found a piece of pottery that depicts the backside of a rather buff gladiator wielding a whip and wearing nothing but a G-string, according to British researchers.
The image represents the first known depiction of a gladiator in such revealing attire. It adds to the evidence that ancient Romans viewed gladiators not only as fearless warriors, but also as sex symbols.
Philippa Walton, who analyzed the object and is a finds liaison officer for the Cambridgeshire County Council, described the artifact to Discovery News. "The find is a small shard of pottery possibly from a drinking beaker made in Britain in the 3rd century A.D.," Walton said. "It depicts a man wearing a G-string and possibly holding a whip and is likely therefore to represent a gladiator."
Maeshowe winter solstice as viewed by Neolithic man
THE GREAT mound of Maeshowe has dominated the skyline of Orkney for almost 5,000 years. It is a spectacular sight and a visit to the chambered tomb provides one of the highlights for visitors to the Orkney islands. Today, as we stoop to enter and walk down the low 11 metre passage to the chamber with its massive stonework, we are reminded of the ingenuity of those original builders.
Its apparent uniformity masks a long and complex history of change. The story of Maeshowe began at midwinter around 3,000 BC and even today it is the winter solstice that really brings the monument to life.
Pretty good article describing the thing. Read it all.
5000-year-old Twin Grave Discovered in Burnt City
For the first time, a grave in which two twins were buried was unearthed during archaeological excavations in the historical site of Burnt City.
Burnt City historical site, situated in Sistan va Baluchistan province in southeast of Iran, is one of the most important pre-historic sites of the country. Eight seasons of archaeological excavations in the site indicate that Burnt City was an important center of civilization and trade some 5000 years ago. Burnt City is regarded as a crucial historical site in the eastern Iranian plateau.
“During the latest excavations in this historical site, we were able to unearth several historical graves and to discover the skeleton remains of infant twins who were buried alongside each other,” said Farzad Forouzanfar, an anthropologist of the Archeological Research Center of Iran.
Roman forts had a woman's touch
Women lived and worked in Roman military forts, according to a telltale trail of lost hairpins and beads.
This dispels the notion the forts were male-only domains, says archaeologist Dr Penelope Allison of the Australian National University.
She presents her analysis of the archaeological record at the Australasian Archaeometry Conference in Canberra this week.
"These were not segregated communities," says Allison, who has been studying evidence from 1st and 2nd century forts on the western frontier of the Roman Empire.
Way cool non-archaeological story It's Sensitive. Really.
For centuries, the tusk of the narwhal has fascinated and baffled.
. . .
Scientists have long tried to explain why a stocky whale that lives in arctic waters, feeding on cod and other creatures that flourish amid the pack ice, should wield such a long tusk. The theories about how the narwhal uses the tusk have included breaking ice, spearing fish, piercing ships, transmitting sound, shedding excess body heat, poking the seabed for food, wooing females, defending baby narwhals and establishing dominance in social hierarchies.
But a team of scientists from Harvard and the National Institute of Standards and Technology has now made a startling discovery: the tusk, it turns out, forms a sensory organ of exceptional size and sensitivity, making the living appendage one of the planet's most remarkable, and one that in some ways outdoes its own mythology.
The find came when the team turned an electron microscope on the tusk's material and found new subtleties of dental anatomy. The close-ups showed that 10 million nerve endings tunnel from the tusk's core toward its outer surface, communicating with the outside world. The scientists say the nerves can detect subtle changes of temperature, pressure, particle gradients and probably much else, giving the animal unique insights.
Lots of speculation on what this may mean. One imagines it must have some other purpose besides 'sensing' since it's only the males (mostly) that have them. Or the trait could simply be a sex-linked one without any sort of sexual selection involved. Still, fascinating discovery.