Burial remains of a dog that lived over 7,000 years ago in Siberia suggest the male Husky-like animal probably lived and died similar to how humans did at that time and place, eating the same food, sustaining work injuries, and getting a human-like burial.
"Based on how northern indigenous people understand animals in historic times, I think the people burying this particular dog saw it as a thinking, social being, perhaps on par with humans in many ways," said Robert Losey, lead author of a study about the dog burial, which has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology.
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Monday, February 28, 2011
How Stone Age man kept his pores clean... in the SAUNA
The remains of a 4,500-year-old sauna have been discovered by archaeologists excavating a Stone Age temple.
They unearthed the foundations of the building at Marden Henge, near Devizes in Wiltshire.
Located close to the River Avon, the neolithic ‘sauna’ was in a key position overlooking a ceremonial area at the site.
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They unearthed the foundations of the building at Marden Henge, near Devizes in Wiltshire.
Located close to the River Avon, the neolithic ‘sauna’ was in a key position overlooking a ceremonial area at the site.
Read the rest of this article...
Britain may pull out of funding heritage sites
Britain is threatening to withdraw its support for the United Nations agency responsible for designating world heritage sites such as Stonehenge after a government review found it unable to justify the millions it receives from British taxpayers.
The UN Educational and Cultural Organisation, Unesco, was established in 1945 to promote peace and culture and academic corporation, but accusations of anti-Western bias and financial mismanagement led to Margaret Thatcher pulling Britain out of the agency in 1985. Tony Blair rejoined it in 1997.
But now an investigation into how effectively £3billion of British aid is spent is understood to have shown Unesco the 'yellow card'. The review found it was wasting money and failing to show concrete outcomes in return for the £12m it receives each year from the UK.
Read the rest of this article...
The UN Educational and Cultural Organisation, Unesco, was established in 1945 to promote peace and culture and academic corporation, but accusations of anti-Western bias and financial mismanagement led to Margaret Thatcher pulling Britain out of the agency in 1985. Tony Blair rejoined it in 1997.
But now an investigation into how effectively £3billion of British aid is spent is understood to have shown Unesco the 'yellow card'. The review found it was wasting money and failing to show concrete outcomes in return for the £12m it receives each year from the UK.
Read the rest of this article...
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Garden dig leads to a grave discovery
Pat Tiernan is a keen fan of television's 'Time Team' and amateur archaeology. But he never thought a dig in his back garden would unearth items up to 4,000 years old.
After starting work on an extension to his home in Collinstown, Co Westmeath, he was astonished to discover a skeleton and other items.
Pretty soon a team from the National Museum was excavating and evaluating his find which included human remains and a Bronze Age bowl.
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After starting work on an extension to his home in Collinstown, Co Westmeath, he was astonished to discover a skeleton and other items.
Pretty soon a team from the National Museum was excavating and evaluating his find which included human remains and a Bronze Age bowl.
Read the rest of this article...
New Discovery ‘will rewrite Stonehenge’s history’
Researchers from Leicester and Wales have shed new light on the origins of bluestones at Stonehenge- long believed to have come from ‘sacred hills’ in Wales.
Geologists from the National Museum Wales, University of Leicester and Aberystwyth University, have uncovered new evidence of its origins - which brings into question how the rocks were brought to the Salisbury Plain.
One type of bluestone at Stonehenge, the so-called ‘spotted dolerite’, was convincingly traced to the Mynydd Preseli area in north Pembrokeshire in the early 1920s. However, the sources of the other bluestones - chiefly rhyolites (a type of rock) and the rare sandstones remained, until recently, unknown.
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Geologists from the National Museum Wales, University of Leicester and Aberystwyth University, have uncovered new evidence of its origins - which brings into question how the rocks were brought to the Salisbury Plain.
One type of bluestone at Stonehenge, the so-called ‘spotted dolerite’, was convincingly traced to the Mynydd Preseli area in north Pembrokeshire in the early 1920s. However, the sources of the other bluestones - chiefly rhyolites (a type of rock) and the rare sandstones remained, until recently, unknown.
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The Iceman Mummy: Finally Face to Face
Brown-eyed, bearded, furrow faced, and tired: this is how Ötzi the Iceman might have looked, according to the latest reconstruction based on 20 years of research and investigations.
Realized by two Dutch experts, Alfons and Adrie Kennis, the model was produced with the latest in forensic mapping technology that uses three-dimensional images of the mummy's skull as well as infrared and tomographic images.
The new reconstruction shows a prematurely old man, with deep-set eyes, sunken cheeks, a furrowed face and ungroomed beard and hair.
Read the rest of this article...
Realized by two Dutch experts, Alfons and Adrie Kennis, the model was produced with the latest in forensic mapping technology that uses three-dimensional images of the mummy's skull as well as infrared and tomographic images.
The new reconstruction shows a prematurely old man, with deep-set eyes, sunken cheeks, a furrowed face and ungroomed beard and hair.
Read the rest of this article...
Ancient Britons: Iron Age riches in Cornwall
The South West has more ancient monuments than anywhere else in the country providing a rich history of how people used to live.
As part of our continuing series on Ancient Britons, BBC Spotlight's David George, helped by archaeologists, and enthusiasts, has been looking at bronze age sites in Cornwall.
Many of these ancient monuments have survived because the high places have not been developed.
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As part of our continuing series on Ancient Britons, BBC Spotlight's David George, helped by archaeologists, and enthusiasts, has been looking at bronze age sites in Cornwall.
Many of these ancient monuments have survived because the high places have not been developed.
Read the rest of this article...
Oldest subarctic North American human remains found
Fairbanks, Alaska—A newly excavated archaeological site in Alaska contained the cremated remains of one of the earliest inhabitants of North America. The site may provide rare insights into the burial practices of Ice Age people and shed new light on their daily lives.
University of Alaska Fairbanks archaeologist Ben Potter and four colleagues published their discovery in the Feb. 25 edition of the journal Science.
The skeletal remains appear to be that of an approximately three-year-old child, found in an ancient fire pit within an equally ancient dwelling at the Upward Sun River site, near the Tanana River in central Alaska. Radiocarbon dating of wood at the site indicates the cremation took place roughly 11,500 years ago, when the Bering Land Bridge may still have connected Alaska and Asia. Initial observations of the teeth by UAF bioarchaeologist Joel Irish provide confirmation that the child is biologically affiliated with Native Americans and Northeast Asians.
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University of Alaska Fairbanks archaeologist Ben Potter and four colleagues published their discovery in the Feb. 25 edition of the journal Science.
The skeletal remains appear to be that of an approximately three-year-old child, found in an ancient fire pit within an equally ancient dwelling at the Upward Sun River site, near the Tanana River in central Alaska. Radiocarbon dating of wood at the site indicates the cremation took place roughly 11,500 years ago, when the Bering Land Bridge may still have connected Alaska and Asia. Initial observations of the teeth by UAF bioarchaeologist Joel Irish provide confirmation that the child is biologically affiliated with Native Americans and Northeast Asians.
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11,500-Year-Old Remains of Cremated 3-Year-Old Discovered
An archaeological dig in Alaska has uncovered the oldest human remains ever found in Arctic or Subarctic North America – the cremated skeleton of a 3-year-old.
The chlid's burned bone fragments were found in a fire pit in the remains of an ancient house near the Tanana River in central Alaska. Researchers date the cremation to 11,500 years ago. After the child's body was burned, researchers report in the Feb. 25 issue of the journal Science, the house and hearth were buried and abandoned.
"The fact that the child was cremated within the center of the house … this was an important member of society," said study author Ben Potter, an archaeologist at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
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The chlid's burned bone fragments were found in a fire pit in the remains of an ancient house near the Tanana River in central Alaska. Researchers date the cremation to 11,500 years ago. After the child's body was burned, researchers report in the Feb. 25 issue of the journal Science, the house and hearth were buried and abandoned.
"The fact that the child was cremated within the center of the house … this was an important member of society," said study author Ben Potter, an archaeologist at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
Read the rest of this article...
Pictures: Otzi the Iceman's New, Older Face Unveiled
Prematurely aged, with leathery, wrinkled skin, deep-set eyes, and a shaggy beard, this new reconstruction of "Ötzi" the Iceman is a far cry from past reconstructions that showed him as a strapping middle-aged man.
Notably, the new model, developed by Dutch artists Alfons and Adrie Kennis, has brown eyes based on recent research that showed the 5,000-year-old Iceman did not have blue eyes, as previously thought.
The latest Iceman reconstruction is based on new 3-D scans of Ötzi's body and will be the focus of an exhibition called "Ötzi 20," which will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the naturally mummified body's discovery in the Italian Alps. "Ötzi 20" will run from March 1 to January 15, 2012, at the South Tyrol Museum of Archeology in Bolzano, Italy.
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Notably, the new model, developed by Dutch artists Alfons and Adrie Kennis, has brown eyes based on recent research that showed the 5,000-year-old Iceman did not have blue eyes, as previously thought.
The latest Iceman reconstruction is based on new 3-D scans of Ötzi's body and will be the focus of an exhibition called "Ötzi 20," which will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the naturally mummified body's discovery in the Italian Alps. "Ötzi 20" will run from March 1 to January 15, 2012, at the South Tyrol Museum of Archeology in Bolzano, Italy.
Read the rest of this article...
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Origins of Farming in Europe Result of Human Migration and Cultural Change, Study Suggests
It has long been debated as to whether the transition from a largely hunter-gatherer to an agricultural subsistence strategy in Europe was the result of the migration of farmers from the Near East and Anatolia, or whether this transition was primarily cultural in nature. A new study, co-authored by researchers at University College Cork and the University of Kent suggests that the prehistoric adoption of farming practices in outlying regions of Europe, Scandinavia, the Baltic, European Russia and the Ukraine, was the result of cultural diffusion.
The new study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, uses measurements of skulls of hunter-gathering (Mesolithic) and early farming (Neolithic) prehistoric populations from Europe, Near East and Anatolia to find answers.
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The new study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, uses measurements of skulls of hunter-gathering (Mesolithic) and early farming (Neolithic) prehistoric populations from Europe, Near East and Anatolia to find answers.
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Wednesday, February 23, 2011
New discovery throws further light on the origins of famous bluestones of Stonehenge
The ongoing debate surrounding the source of the famous bluestones formimg the distinctive inner circle and horseshoe of Stonehenge has taken another turn after new findings emerged from Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales.
One type of bluestone, the so-called spotted dolerite, was convincingly traced to the Mynydd Preseli area of North Pembrokeshire in the 1920s, but the origins of many of the others have remained a mystery. Now geologists at the museum in Cardiff believe they have identified the source of one of the rhyolite types.
Read the rest of this article...
One type of bluestone, the so-called spotted dolerite, was convincingly traced to the Mynydd Preseli area of North Pembrokeshire in the 1920s, but the origins of many of the others have remained a mystery. Now geologists at the museum in Cardiff believe they have identified the source of one of the rhyolite types.
Read the rest of this article...
Researchers Map Out Ice Sheets Shrinking During Ice Age
A set of maps created by the University of Sheffield have illustrated, for the first time, how our last British ice sheet shrunk during the Ice Age.
Led by Professor Chris Clark from the University´s Department of Geography, a team of experts developed the maps to understand what effect the current shrinking of ice sheets in parts of the Antarctic and Greenland will have on the speed of sea level rise.
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Led by Professor Chris Clark from the University´s Department of Geography, a team of experts developed the maps to understand what effect the current shrinking of ice sheets in parts of the Antarctic and Greenland will have on the speed of sea level rise.
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Decorated sandstone boulder found after dig
ARCHEOLOGISTS have discovered that an artefact found during last year’s dig at Eddisbury Hill is a decorated sandstone boulder dated between the late Neolithic and late Bronze Age.
The old red sandstone boulder, which has multiple engravings on one of its surfaces, was found in the entrance area of Eddisbury Hillfort.
The series of motifs are usually associated with Neolithic or Bronze Age burial ritual found in or close to cairns and barrows.
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The old red sandstone boulder, which has multiple engravings on one of its surfaces, was found in the entrance area of Eddisbury Hillfort.
The series of motifs are usually associated with Neolithic or Bronze Age burial ritual found in or close to cairns and barrows.
Read the rest of this article...
Too hot, too cold, just right: Testing the limits of where humans can live
On an isolated segment of islands in the Pacific Ring of Fire, residents endure volcanoes, tsunamis, dense fog, steep cliffs and long and chilly winters.
At least it might be for inhabitants of the Kuril Islands, an 810-mile archipelago that stretches from Japan to Russia. The islands, formed by a collision of tectonic plates, are nearly abandoned today, but anthropologists have learned that thousands of people have lived there on and off as far back as at least 6000 B.C., persevering despite natural disasters.
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At least it might be for inhabitants of the Kuril Islands, an 810-mile archipelago that stretches from Japan to Russia. The islands, formed by a collision of tectonic plates, are nearly abandoned today, but anthropologists have learned that thousands of people have lived there on and off as far back as at least 6000 B.C., persevering despite natural disasters.
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Giving Lucy a foot to walk on
New fossil evidence from Hadar, Ethiopia suggests that Australopithecus afarensis, the humanoid species thought to have existed between about 2.9 and 3.7 million years ago, had the first modern feet. The fossilized bone researchers found is the fourth metatarsal, a bone that connects a human’s heel with the fourth toe. According to Carol Ward, an anthropologist at the University of Missouri, the fossil supports the claim that the foot of Australopithecus, the group the famous Lucy came from, was human-like and therefore that Lucy and her kind had given up living in trees.
Commenting on the study, Prof. Chris Stringer, a paleoanthropologist at London’s Natural History Museum, said although this bone provides evidence that Australopithecus had a similar foot anatomy to humans, the bone’s function is highly debatable. Stringer claimed that even if the bone’s purpose were similar to that of Homo sapiens, Australopithecines were only at the very beginning of the evolution of the modern foot.
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Commenting on the study, Prof. Chris Stringer, a paleoanthropologist at London’s Natural History Museum, said although this bone provides evidence that Australopithecus had a similar foot anatomy to humans, the bone’s function is highly debatable. Stringer claimed that even if the bone’s purpose were similar to that of Homo sapiens, Australopithecines were only at the very beginning of the evolution of the modern foot.
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Why early man could have done with a dose of aspirin
Back pain is often blamed on lazy lifestyles – watching television and eating too much.
But debilitating backache dates back millions of years, according to a Cambridge University researcher who is looking at fossil records of human bones.
His research also paints a picture of early man being more caring than some envisage – with those suffering from disability being looked after.
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But debilitating backache dates back millions of years, according to a Cambridge University researcher who is looking at fossil records of human bones.
His research also paints a picture of early man being more caring than some envisage – with those suffering from disability being looked after.
Read the rest of this article...
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Unlocking Noord-Holland's Late Neolithic Treasure Chest
About the Project
The project Unlocking Noord-Holland's Late Neolithic Treasure Chest was initiated by Hans Peeters (then Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency, now University of Groningen) and received a € 500,000.- grant by the Dutch Research Foundation NWO. On the basis of this grant and subsidiary grants from the universities of Leiden and Groningen and the unpaid involvement of various specialists from the Cultural Heritage Agency a multidisciplinary project on the Single Grave Culture of Noord-Holland saw its official start in September 2009. The project combines the research expertise from researchers from the Cultural Heritage Agency, two universities and various firms. All participants are introduced in this first newsletter.
This project aims to unlock and integrate cultural/ecological information and research data in order to provide a sound basis for cultural modeling and development of heritage management strategies. We will thereby obtain a better understanding of site variability in relation to landscape use, subsistence strategies and the material world of the inhabitants.
Visit the website...
The project Unlocking Noord-Holland's Late Neolithic Treasure Chest was initiated by Hans Peeters (then Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency, now University of Groningen) and received a € 500,000.- grant by the Dutch Research Foundation NWO. On the basis of this grant and subsidiary grants from the universities of Leiden and Groningen and the unpaid involvement of various specialists from the Cultural Heritage Agency a multidisciplinary project on the Single Grave Culture of Noord-Holland saw its official start in September 2009. The project combines the research expertise from researchers from the Cultural Heritage Agency, two universities and various firms. All participants are introduced in this first newsletter.
This project aims to unlock and integrate cultural/ecological information and research data in order to provide a sound basis for cultural modeling and development of heritage management strategies. We will thereby obtain a better understanding of site variability in relation to landscape use, subsistence strategies and the material world of the inhabitants.
Visit the website...
Structures of Roman fort defences never before seen in Britain have been unearthed during an excavation in Wales. Archaeologists have uncovered sect
Italy has ruled the fashion world for longer than we thought. That, at least, is the claim of archaeologists who say they have evidence that Neanderthals were using feathers as ornaments 44,000 years ago. The tenuous claim adds fuel to the debate over whether our distant cousins were simple brutes or as cultured as Homo sapiens.
Marco Peresani at the University of Ferrara in Italy found 660 bird bones mixed in with Neanderthal bones in Fumane cave in northern Italy. Many of the wing bones were cut and scraped where the flight feathers were once attached, suggesting the feathers had been systematically removed.
Just like the shells which Neanderthals may have worn as jewellery, Peresani thinks the feathers were used as ornaments. He dismisses other explanations on the grounds that many of the species are poor food sources and fletched arrows had not been invented at the time. João Zilhão at the University of Barcelona in Spain says it is more evidence that Neanderthals were as cultured as H. sapiens. On the other hand, Thomas Higham at the University of Oxford says Peresani has pushed his data too far.
Read the rest of this article...
Marco Peresani at the University of Ferrara in Italy found 660 bird bones mixed in with Neanderthal bones in Fumane cave in northern Italy. Many of the wing bones were cut and scraped where the flight feathers were once attached, suggesting the feathers had been systematically removed.
Just like the shells which Neanderthals may have worn as jewellery, Peresani thinks the feathers were used as ornaments. He dismisses other explanations on the grounds that many of the species are poor food sources and fletched arrows had not been invented at the time. João Zilhão at the University of Barcelona in Spain says it is more evidence that Neanderthals were as cultured as H. sapiens. On the other hand, Thomas Higham at the University of Oxford says Peresani has pushed his data too far.
Read the rest of this article...
Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site Revised Research Framework (SARRF)
Wessex Archaeology is pleased to announce that we are co-ordinating the revision and updating of the Avebury and Stonehenge resource assessments, and will also be writing a single revised research framework uniting both parts of the World Heritage Site into a harmonised volume with a five year currency.
The resource assessment aims to be complete by June 2011, and regular updates regarding the progress of the project will be posted on the SARRF website. The revised research agenda will be open to public consultation in September 2011, with both the resource assessments and research agendas publicly accessible online via the project website. Following public consultation and comment, there will also be a public seminar at the end of the year, to discuss the research agenda and develop the strategies to make the agenda achievable, as well as encourage wide stakeholder participation and community ownership of the product.
Read the rest of this article...
The resource assessment aims to be complete by June 2011, and regular updates regarding the progress of the project will be posted on the SARRF website. The revised research agenda will be open to public consultation in September 2011, with both the resource assessments and research agendas publicly accessible online via the project website. Following public consultation and comment, there will also be a public seminar at the end of the year, to discuss the research agenda and develop the strategies to make the agenda achievable, as well as encourage wide stakeholder participation and community ownership of the product.
Read the rest of this article...
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