Search for Spanish Viking sites underway

A research project is underway to perform a comprehensive study of Viking sites in Spain.

Dr Irene García Losquiño from the University of Aberdeen’s Centre for Scandinavian Studies, says she was surprised how little is known, even in academic circles, about the Vikings movements in Spain.

“There are written accounts of Viking raids in northern Spain but, archaeologically, absolutely nothing has been done on an academic scale,” she said. “Internationally, there is only a vague knowledge that the Vikings went there. They visited the area from around 840 until the 11th century but there is no realisation that there is this vast thing to be explored. Most of the studies focus on their activities in other countries such as Britain and Ireland.”

[Full story]

Story: University of Aberdeen | Photo: University of Aberdeen

Evidence of Vikings found in Arctic Canada

A stone vessel found on Baffin Island in Canada is evidence of a Viking presence in the area around 1000 A.D.

Dr Sutherland and her colleagues from the Geological Survey of Canada-Ottawa and Peter H. Thompson Geological Consulting Ltd have now discovered that the interior of the vessel contains fragments of bronze as well as small spherules of glass.

The object, according to the scientists, is a crucible for melting bronze, likely in order to cast it into small tools or ornaments. Indigenous peoples of northern North America did not practice high-temperature metalworking.

[Full story]

Story: Sci-News | Photo: Patricia D. Sutherland et al

Monumental entryway found at Herod’s palace

A 20-meter-high entry complex has been found at the Herodian Hilltop Palace in Jerusalem.

The Hebrew University archaeologists — Roi Porat, Yakov Kalman and Rachel Chachy — suggest that the corridor was built as part of Herod’s plan to turn Herodium into a massive artificial volcano-shaped hill, a vast and impressive monument designed to commemorate the architect-King.

Surprisingly, during the course of the excavations, it became evident that the arched corridor was never actually in use, as prior to its completion it became redundant. This appears to have happened when Herod, aware of his impending death, decided to convert the whole hilltop complex into a massive memorial mound, a royal burial monument on an epic scale.

[Full story]

Story: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem | Photo: The Herodium Expedition at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Two of President John Tyler’s grandsons are still alive

Here’s an interesting historical tidbit sent in by an ABAH reader: Two of the America’s 10th President John Tyler’s grandsons are still alive. John Tyler was born in 1790 and served as President from 1841-1845.

It’s a really interesting story that you’re still, you know, around. Could you just explain how this happened? How someone born in 1790 still has living grandchildren?

Well, he was a good man! [laughs] Both my grandfather — the president — and my father, were married twice. And they had children by their first wives. And their first wives died, and they married again and had more children. And my father was 75 when I was born, his father was 63 when he was born. John Tyler had fifteen children — eight by his first wife, seven by his second wife — so it does get very confusing. I really do not know — it’s amazing how families drift apart. When I was a child, I did know most of the descendents, but as you get more generations down the line, it’s hard to keep track of everybody.

[Full story]

Story: Dan Amira, New York Magazine | Photo: Vision Forum Ministries

The secret to Roman concrete’s strength

Researchers have used x-ray technology to identify the secret to Roman concrete’s longevity and strength.

Working at ALS beamline 12.3.2, a superconducting bending magnet X-ray micro-diffraction beamline, the research team studied a reproduction of Roman volcanic ash-lime mortar that had been previously subjected to fracture testing experiments at Cornell University. In the concrete walls of Trajan’s Markets, constructed around 110 CE, this mortar binds cobble-sized fragments of tuff and brick. Through observing the mineralogical changes that took place in the curing of the mortar over a period of 180 days and comparing the results to 1,900 year old samples of the original, the team discovered that a crystalline binding hydrate prevents microcracks from propagating.

[Full story]

Story: Lynn Yarris, Berkeley Lab | Photo: Marie Jackson

2,800-year-old farmhouse found in Israel

A 23-room farmhouse which dates back 2,800 years has been found at Rosh Ha-‘Ayin in Israel.

An impressive farm house, 2,800 years old, which comprised twenty-three rooms, was exposed in recent weeks during archaeological excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is carrying out in Rosh Ha-‘Ayin before the city is enlarged in an initiative by the Ministry of Construction. According to Amit Shadman, excavation director on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “The farm, which is extraordinarily well-preserved, extends across an area of 30 × 40 m and was built in the eighth century BCE, the time of the Assyrian conquest. Farm houses during this period served as small settlements of sorts whose inhabitants participated in processing agricultural produce. The numerous wine presses discovered in the vicinity of the settlement indicate the wine industry was the most important branch of agriculture in the region. A large silo, which was used to store grain, shows that the ancient residents were also engaged in growing cereal.”

[Full story]

Story: Israel Antiquities Authority | Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority

Bones of Mary Rose sailors analysed

Raman spectroscopy has been used to analyze the bones of sailors on Henry VIII’s flagship, the Mary Rose.

The sailors’ bones were analysed with Raman spectroscopy, a pioneering, non-destructive laser technology, to identify evidence of bone disease. The application of Raman spectroscopy to the study of bone diseases in historical populations was novel and the work has been published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

Tibia bones were obtained from The Mary Rose Trust, bones that appeared anatomically healthy and bones that were abnormal in shape. The deformations in the abnormal bones were suspected to be due to a metabolic bone disease such as rickets (the poor diet of the average person in the 1500s would have increased the prevalence of rickets). The results of the Raman study confirmed that the abnormally shaped bones did in fact have chemical abnormalities, which could potentially signify the presence of rickets.

[Full story]

Story: NHS | Photo: Wikimedia Commons

8,000-year-old olive oil found in Israel

Traces of olive oil have been found on 8,000-year-old pot sherds found at Ein Zippori in Israel.

“Although it is impossible to say for sure, this might be an olive species that was domesticated and joined grain and legumes – the other kinds of field crops that we know were grown then. Those crops are known from at least 2,000 years prior to the settlement at Ein Zippori. With the adoption of olive oil the basic Mediterranean diet was complete. From ancient times to the present, the Mediterranean economy has been based on high quality olive oil, grain and must, the three crops frequently mentioned in the Bible,” they said in a statement.

[Full story]

Story: Times of Israel | Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority

Six 10th century B.C. clay seals unearthed at Khirbet Summeily

Six clay seals have been discovered at the early Iron Age site of Khirbet Summeily in southern Israel.

Six official clay seals found by a Mississippi State University archaeological team at a small site in Israel offer evidence that supports the existence of biblical kings David and Solomon.

Many modern scholars dismiss David and Solomon as mythological figures and believe no kingdom could have existed in the region at the time the Bible recounted their activities. The new finds provide evidence that some type of government activity was conducted there in that period.

Jimmy Hardin, associate professor in the MSU Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, said these clay bullae were used to seal official correspondence in much the same way wax seals were used on official documents in later periods.

[Full story]

Story: Mississippi State University | Photo: University of Wisconsin/Nathaniel Greene

Odd and Amusing WWII Facts

Col D. G. Swinford, USMC, Ret and history buff has put together a collection of odd and amusing WWII facts that I found pretty fascinating!

1. The first German serviceman killed in WW II was killed by the Japanese ( China , 1937),
   
   The first American serviceman killed was killed by the Russians ( Finland 1940);
   
   The highest ranking American killed was Lt Gen Lesley McNair, killed by the US Army Air Corps.


2. The youngest US serviceman was 12 year old: Calvin Graham, USN. He was wounded and given a Dishonorable Discharge for lying about his age.
   
   His benefits were later restored by act of Congress.


3. At the time of Pearl Harbor, the top US Navy command was called CINCUS (pronounced ‘sink us’);
   
   The shoulder patch of the US Army’s 45th Infantry division was the swastika.
   
   Hitler’s private train was named ‘Amerika.’
   
   All three were soon changed for PR purposes.


4. More US servicemen died in the Air Corps than the Marine Corps. While completing the required 30 missions, an airman’s chance of being killed was 71%.


5. Generally speaking, there was no such thing as an average fighter pilot. You were either an ace or a target.
   
   For instance, Japanese Ace Hiroyoshi Nishizawa shot down over 80 planes. He died while a passenger on a cargo plane.


6. It was a common practice on fighter planes to load every 5th round with a tracer round to aid in aiming. This was a big mistake.
   
   Tracers had different ballistics so (at long range) if your tracers were hitting the target 80% of your rounds were missing.
   
   Worse yet tracers instantly told your enemy he was under fire and from which direction.
   
   Worst of all was the practice of loading a string of tracers at the end of the belt to tell you that you were out of ammo. This was definitely not something you wanted to tell the enemy. Units that stopped using tracers saw their success rate nearly double and their loss rate go down.


7. When allied armies reached the Rhine, the first thing men did was pee in it.
   
   This was pretty universal from the lowest private to Winston Churchill (who made a big show of it) and Gen. Patton (who had himself photographed in the act).


8. German Me-264 bombers were capable of bombing New York City, but they decided it wasn’t worth the effort.


9. German submarine U-120 was sunk by a malfunctioning toilet.


10. Among the first ‘Germans’ captured at Normandy were several Koreans.
    
    They had been forced to fight for the Japanese Army until they were captured by the Russians and forced to fight for the Russian Army until they were captured by the Germans and forced to fight for the German Army until they were captured by the US Army.


11. Following a massive naval bombardment, 35,000 United States and Canadian troops stormed ashore at Kiska, in the Aleutian Islands .
    
    21 troops were killed in the assault on the island…………….. It could have been worse if there had actually been any Japanese on the island.


12. The last marine killed in WW2 was killed by a can of spam.
    
    He was on the ground as a POW in Japan when rescue flights dropping food and supplies came over, the package came apart in the air and a stray can of spam hit him and killed him.

Thanks to Mosche for forwarding this along!

Egyptian bead found in Denmark Bronze Age grave

Analysis of glass beads found in a Bronze Age grave in Denmark have revealed that one of them was made in Egypt.

Twenty-three glass beads from Denmark were analysed using plasma-spectrometry. Without destroying the fragile beads, this technique makes it possible to compare the chemical composition of trace elements in the beads with reference material from Amarna in Egypt and Nippur in Mesopotamia, about 50 km south east of Baghdad in Iraq. The comparison showed that the chemical composition of the two sets of trace elements match.

The researchers’ first object for comparison was a bead from a wealthy woman’s grave at Ølby, about 40 km south of Copenhagen. The woman had been buried in a more extravagant fashion, lying in a hollowed-out oak trunk and wearing a beautiful belt disc, a smart string skirt with tinkling, shining small bronzes tubes, and an overarm bracelet made of amber beads, and a single blue glass bead.

[Full story]

Story: Jeanette Varberg, Aarhus University, Flemming Kaul, National Museum of Denmark, Bernard Gratuze, Université dOrléans, ScienceNordic

| Photo: ScienceNordic

Quileute petroglyph found in Washington

A man and his son on a fishing trip in Washington stumbled across a petroglyph on a rock that depicts figures from Quileute mythology.

It was big — about 2 feet in diameter, with a domelike top filled with grooves and small depressions. Reid scraped off some moss so they could see it better.

All Wasankari could make out were “just some triangles and rectangles and shapes,” but he realized they had found something special.

“The symbols that we saw were too unique,” said Wasankari, a 44-year-old contractor who grew up in the area and now lives in Gig Harbor.

[Full story]

Story: Joseph O’Sullivan, Seattle Times | Photo: Mark Harrison, Seattle Times

Humans mastered fire 350,000 years ago

Flint tools and debris found in Tabun Cave in Israel suggests that humans mastered fire 350,000 years ago.

In layers older than roughly 350,000 years, almost none of the flints are burned. But in every layer after that, many flints show signs of exposure to fire: red or black coloration, cracking, and small round depressions where fragments known as pot lids flaked off from the stone. Wildfires are rare in caves, so the fires that burned the Tabun flints were probably controlled by ancestral humans, according to the authors. The scientists argue that the jump in the frequency of burnt flints represents the time when ancestral humans learned to control fire, either by kindling it or by keeping it burning between natural wildfires.

[Full story]

Story: Nala Rogers, Science Magazine | Photo: Ron Shimelmitz

1,300-year-old imperial building found in Japan

The foundation holes of a 1,300-year-old imperial building has been found in Japan’s first capital: Kashihara.

The holes, 1.2 meters to 2 meters across, were discovered in the Toho Kanga section, which is known as the district for government ministries. Toho Kanga was located 250 meters east of the ruins of Daigokuden hall, where the emperor performed important rituals.

Seven similar holes were found in a previous study two years ago.

Combined with the new finds, archaeologists now believe the holes were used to hold stones that propped up a structure about 8 meters by 11 meters comprising many posts.

[Full story]

Story: Kazuto Tsukamoto, The Asahi Shimbun | Photo: Kazuto Tsukamoto

Viking feasting hall found in Sweden

Archaeologists working in Sweden has located the foundation of a Viking feasting hall.

The Aska barrow, where the hall has been found, was long seen as a burial mound. But archaeologists have now revealed that it is a foundation platform for a large building, most likely dating from the Viking Period. The hall was probably the home of a royal family whose rich graves have previously been excavated nearby.

“Parallels are known from several of the era’s elite sites, such as Fornsigtuna near Stockholm and Lejre near Roskilde. The closest similarities are however seen in a recently excavated feasting hall at Old Uppsala near Stockholm. Such close correspondences suggest intensive communication between the two sites”, says Martin Rundkvist of Umeå University

[Full story]

Story: Stockholm University | Photo: Martin Rundkvist

Cancer found in 4,500-year-old skeleton

Researchers examining the bones of a man who died in Siberia 4,500 years ago have discovered that he suffered from lung or prostate cancer that had spread throughout his body.

“This is one of — if not the oldest — absolute cases of cancer that we can be really, really confident saying that it’s cancer,” said Angela Lieverse, a bioarchaeologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.

She said there have been similar cancer discoveries in remains estimated to be 5,000 to 6,000 years old. But those involved unconfirmed cancers or tumours that were later found to be benign.

[Full story]

Story: CBC News | Photo: Angela Lieverse, University of Saskatchewan, The Canadian Press

Largest Roman water basin found

Archaeologists working in Rome have uncovered the largest Roman water basin yet found.

A dig in Rome related to work on the city’s new C metro line has uncovered the largest ancient Roman water basin ever found, Rossella Rea, the scientific head of the excavation, said on Wednesday. “It was inside an ancient Roman farm, the nearest to the centre of Rome ever found,” said Rea, who leads an all-women team at a site for the construction of a new metro station that also features archaeologists Francesca Montella and Simona Morretta. The ancient structure, situated in the San Giovanni district of modern-day Rome, is a monster.

“It’s so big that it goes beyond the perimeter of the (metro) work site and it has not been possible to uncover it completely,” Rea explained. “It was lined with hydraulic plaster and, on the basis the size that had been determined so far, it could hold more than four million litres of water”.

[Full story]

Story: ANSA | Photo: ANSA

Hoard of Roman and Pictish silver found in Scotland

A hoard of more than 100 pieces of Roman and Pictish silver has been discovered in a field in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

“Silver objects were chopped up into bullion and then used and exchanged as payment, bribes, tribute and reward. People buried their wealth to keep it safe, but many did not return to recover their hoard.

“The new finds include late Roman coins, pieces of late Roman silver vessels, bracelet and brooch fragments and other objects that would have been highly prized objects in their day.

“Our work in north-east Scotland is increasingly showing that Pictish communities in this area were part of powerful kingdoms in the early medieval period.”

[Full story]

Story: Herald Scotland | Photo: Herald Scotland

The world’s oldest engraving discovered in shell

While cataloging a collection of mollusk shells found in the 19th century, a researcher noticed an engraving inside one of the shells that is 300,000 years older than the previously thought oldest engraving.

“When I got to image number 298 I almost fell off my chair. It was one of those eureka moments where I thought, ‘this really does have the potential to rewrite what we know about human evolution’,” he says.

The freshwater mollusc shells fossils, found in the same area and dated to around same time that Homo erectus lived, had geometric patterns etched into them, such as zigzag grooves, and holes in the precise location that would be easiest to open the shell.

Scientists also identified a polished shell that had been modified as a tool for cutting or scrapping.

[Full story]

Story: Karl Gruber, Australian Geographic | Photo: Henk Caspers, Naturalis

DNA confirms King Richard III’s remains

DNA analysis has conclusively proved that the remains found under an English parking lot two years ago do, in fact, belong to King Richard III.

“The evidence is overwhelming that these are indeed the remains of Richard III,” University of Leicester geneticist Turi King said during a press conference.

Just how overwhelming? King and colleagues put pretty astounding odds on their claim: Taken together, the genetic, genealogical and archaeological evidence show that there’s a 6.7 million to 1 (or 99.99 percent) chance that the 500-year-old skeleton is the king’s.

The new research into Richard’s genes also revealed that the king had blue eyes and blond hair, at least in childhood. The findings were published today (Dec. 2) in the journal Nature Communications.

[Full story]

Story: Megan Gannon, LiveScience | Photo: University of Leicester

Reactions divided on tunnel underneath Stonehenge

Reactions are divided regarding a proposal to dig a tunnel under Stonehenge to bury the A303.

Reaction to the government’s announcement of proposals to bury the A303 under Stonehenge in a tunnel is deeply split among archaeologists and conservation groups, some regarding it as a historic victory, others as a disaster which will irreparably damage a world heritage site.

English Heritage and the National Trust – owners of the site and the surrounding landscape – hailed a momentous victory for the historic environment, but others accused them of abuse of guardianship for accepting a tunnel far too short to solve any problems.

Simon Thurley, chief executive of English Heritage, welcomed “the biggest single investment ever by government in this country’s heritage” and called it a momentous decision.

[Full story]

Story: Maev Kennedy, The Guardian | Photo: Matt Cardy, Getty Images

Paleolithic Venus figurine found in France

A 23,000-year-old limestone Venus figurine has been uncovered in northern France.

“We were expecting to find classical vestiges such as tooled flint or bones,” said archaeologist Clement Paris.

But on their second day of fieldwork, the team found a pile of limestone that included fragments which did not seem natural.

“That same night we carefully pieced together the 20-odd fragments and realized it was a female statuette,” he added.

Carbon-14 dating showed the statue to be 23,000 years old.

[Full story]

Story: RelaxNews | Photo: Denis Charlet, AFP

Neolithic ax found in Denmark

A neolithic ax, complete with wooden handle, has been found on the Danish island of Lolland.

The 5,500-year-old Neolithic axe was found during archaeological surveys ahead of a multi-billion euro tunnel project.

The axe seems to have been jammed into what was once the seabed, perhaps as part of a ritual offering.

The lack of oxygen in the clay ground helped preserve the wooden handle

[Full story]

Story: BBC News | Photo: Museum Lolland-Falster

Army enlisted to help x-ray sword

Archaeologists have turned to the army for help in x-raying an Anglo-Saxon sword that is too large for their usual machines.

“The x-ray images confirmed several things that we suspected about the sword, and revealed some interesting features.

“The sword was made by a process called pattern welding, where several bands of metal are beaten together to create a single strengthened blade.

“In this case, three twisted rods of wrought iron with steel surfaces were used, showing as a distinctive pattern on the x-ray image.

“The blade itself was also edged in steel. This is probably because steel can be sharpened to a much finer edge than iron. It is possible to tell the difference between metals on an x-ray image as they corrode in different ways.”

[Full story]

Story: Ben Miller, Culture24 | Photo: Wessex Archaeology

Tomb paintings examined in Amphipolis

Painted figures have been found on the door frames of a 2,300-year-old tomb currently being excavated in Amphipolis.

Painted human figures have been discovered at the mysterious, richly-decorated tomb in Amphipolis in northern Greece, according to a news announcement by the Greek Ministry of Culture.

Found on the door frames of the second chamber, the figures will be examined with lasers.

Pictures of the newly found paintings, as well as additional information, have not yet been released.

“We are not hiding anything. New findings are revealed slowly as the restoration process continues,” Greek Culture Minister Kostas Tassoulas said.

[Full story]

Story: Rossella Lorenzi, Discovery News | Photo: Discovery News

1,700-year-old cemetery excavated in China

A cemetery dating back 1,700 years has been excavated along the Silk Road in northwest China.

The cemetery was found in the city of Kucha, which is located in present-day northwest China. Ten tombs were excavated, seven of which turned out to be large brick structures.

One tomb, dubbed “M3,” contained carvings of several mythical creatures, including four that represent different seasons and parts of the heavens: the White Tiger of the West, the Vermilion Bird of the South, the Black Turtle of the North and the Azure Dragon of the East.

[Full story]

Story: Owen Jarus, LiveScience | Photo: Chinese Cultural Relics

Tourist heavily fined for defacing Colosseum

A Russian tourist has been slapped with a €20,000 fine after he was caught etching a letter into one of the ground-floor bricks of the historic Colosseum in Rome. This is the fifth tourist this year who has been caught damaging the ancient stadium.

The man used a sharp stone to carve the 25-cm-tall letter on a ground-floor brick wall on the south side of the monument but was caught in the act by a guard and arrested.

The next day the 42-year-old tourist received a suspended four-year jail sentence and now has three months to pay the fine whose severity is described as “justified” by the Colosseum director Rossella Rea.

The city’s archaeology superintendent Mariarosaria Barbera said the damage is “significant”, adding that the incision removed part of the surface as well as “compromising the conservation and image” of the ancient structure.

[Full story]

Story: Wanted in Rome | Photo: Wanted in Rome

Bone analysis reveals mammoth-meat diet

Analysis carried out on human remains found at a prehistoric site in the Czech Republic has revealed that the people living there ate large quantities of mammoth meat.

They found that humans did consume mammoth — and in large quantities. Other carnivores, such as brown bears, wolves and wolverines, also had access to mammoth meat, indicating the high availability of fresh mammoth carcasses, most likely left behind by human hunters. Surprisingly, the dogs did not show a high level of mammoth consumption, but rather consumed essentially reindeer meat that was not the staple food of their owners. A similar situation is observed in traditional populations from northern regions, who often feed their dogs with the food that they do not like. These results also suggest that these early dogs were restrained, and were probably used as transportation helpers.

[Full story]

Story: Universitaet Tübingen | Photo: Nomad_Soul, Fotolia

1,300-year-old Egyptian spell book deciphered

A 1,300-year-old Egyptian parchement codex containing a series of invocations and spells has been deciphered.

“It is a complete 20-page parchment codex, containing the handbook of a ritual practitioner,” write Malcolm Choat and Iain Gardner, who are professors in Australia at Macquarie University and the University of Sydney, respectively, in their book, “A Coptic Handbook of Ritual Power” (Brepols, 2014).

The ancient book “starts with a lengthy series of invocations that culminate with drawings and words of power,” they write. “These are followed by a number of prescriptions or spells to cure possession by spirits and various ailments, or to bring success in love and business.”

For instance, to subjugate someone, the codex says you have to say a magical formula over two nails, and then “drive them into his doorpost, one on the right side (and) one on the left.”

[Full story]

Story: Owen Jarus, Live Science | Photo: Ms. Effy Alexakis, Macquarie University Ancient Cultures Research Centre

Ancient rock art found near Sydney

Rock art dating back tens of thousands of years has been found in Sydney’s north shore.

The site, located in Sydney’s north shore area, is in a pocket of pristine bush that has kept the art hidden for generations.

Locals were not aware of the presence of the site because it was either obscured behind vegetation or dismissed as graffiti.

The site was discovered by chance, when Sydney Water investigated a traditional fishing hook found in the soil.

[Full story]

Story: Anne Barker, ABC News | Photo: Anne Barker, ABC News

Marble headstone unearthed in Athens

A marble headstone dating back to 400 B.C. has been found in the Kerameikos area of Athens.

According to the official announcement, the shape and style of the sculpted marble of the headstone date from the third quarter of the 4th century B.C.. It is possible that the sculpture was initially placed in the ancient burial ground along the road in front of the Sacred Gate. It is estimated that later on, the headstone was used as building material and specifically as a door sill. Archaeologists also suggest that the marble piece had a third use later on, possibly as a cover of the sewer under the Sacred Road (Iera Odos street today) when the Athens sewage system was built in 6th century A.D..

[Full story]

Story: Philip Chrysopoulos, The Greek Reporter | Photo: The Greek Reporter

Terracotta army modeled on real soldiers

New research suggests that the 7,000 soldiers that make up China’s famous Terracotta Army may each have been individually modeled off of a real soldier.

“If a thief presses an ear against a door or a windowpane, that can be as effective as a fingerprint,” says team member and UCL archaeologist Andrew Bevan. If the terra-cotta warriors portrayed real people, each statue should have distinctively shaped ears.

But taking measurements of the clay ears was a risky proposition. The fragile warriors are packed so tightly in their burial pit that moving among them with calipers could have damaged them. So the team used new digital technology known as structure-from-motion to create precise, three-dimensional reconstructions of the warriors’ ears.

[Full story]

Story: Heather Pringle, National Geographic | Photo: O. Louis Mazzatenta, National Geographic Creative

Unfinished vases found at Pompeii pottery workshop

Excavations taking place at a pottery workshop in Pompeii has led to the discovery of ten unfinished vases.

The vases were found sealed under a layer of ash and pumice from Mount Vesuvius’ devastating eruption of 79 A.D. and it appears they were just ready to be fired.

They were dropped and abandoned, along with the kilns, after frightened potters saw a pine tree-shaped column of smoke bursting from Vesuvius on Aug. 24, 79 A.D.

Reaching nine miles into the sky, the column began spewing a thick pumice rain. Like many Pompeii residents, the scared potters probably rushed in the streets, trying to leave the city.

[Full story]

Story: Rosella Lorenzi, Discovery News | Photo: Laëtitia Cavassa

Anglo-Saxon cemetery found in Suffolk

20 Anglo-Saxon burials (containing the remains of 21 individuals) have been unearthed in Suffolk, England.

“It was quite a surprise. We had done a series of trial trench excavations and had no idea they were there.

“We were very lucky they had survived because they were less than a foot down and the land had been ploughed very recently.”

Exning has strong links to King Anna, who converted to Christianity in the early 7th century, and is reportedly the birthplace of Queen Etheldreda, his daughter, who had Ely named after her.

[Full story]

Story: Cambridge News | Photo: Cambridge News

Bronze Age shaving razor found in Siberia

A thin bronze plate that may have been used for shaving has been found at a 4,000-year-old site in Siberia.

A rudimentary razor blade used by fashion-conscious men 4,000 years ago has been unearthed on the site of an ancient settlement in Siberia. Archaeologists found the Bronze Age bathroom accessory during an expedition to the Vengerovo region of Novosibirsk.

The thin bronze plate had been sharpened on both sides and experts believe it was used to trim beards and cut hair, and may have doubled up as a knife.

What is particularly interesting about the find is that razors were only starting to become popular in the Bronze Age as males put a stamp on their individual identities.

[Full story]

Story: Siberian Times | Photo: Vyacheslav Molodin, Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences

WWII aircraft found underwater near Republic of Palau

Two WWII aircraft has been found under the waters of the Pacific near the Republic of Palau.

The group narrowed their search area and in March 2014, the AUVs found the remainder of the Avenger bomber, which had been missing in action for 70 years. A few days later, sonar images helped reveal a second aircraft, an F6F Hellcat, in a second location.

“It was an exciting time, but also a solemn time because you know there are potentially servicemen still in the plane,” said Moline, who attributes the discovery to the combination of BentProp’s historical knowledge of the area and archival records, and the advanced robotics technology provided by UD and Scripps.

[Full story]

Story: University of Delaware | Photo: University of Delaware

Remains recovered from Amphipolis tomb

The skeletal remains of a high-ranking man have been recovered from a late fourth-century B.C. tomb found in Amphipols, Greece.

The burial site at Amphipolis is the largest ever discovered in Greece.

The culture ministry said the almost intact skeleton belonged to a “distinguished public figure”, given the tomb’s dimensions and lavishness.

Chief archaeologist Katerina Peristeri said “the tomb in all probability belongs to a male and a general”.

The excavation has fascinated Greeks ever since Prime Minister Antonis Samaras visited the site in August 2014 and announced it amounted to “an exceptionally important discovery”.

[Full story]

Story: Giorgos Christides, BBC News | Photo: Greek Culture Ministry

Decorative murals found in Chinese tomb

A 1,000-year-old tomb, complete with decorate murals depicting daily life in the area, has been found in northern China.

Found not far from a modern day railway station, the circular tomb has no human remains but instead has murals which show vivid scenes of life. “The tomb murals mainly depict the daily domestic life of the tomb occupant,” and his travels with horses and camels, a team of researchers wrote in their report on the tomb recently published in the journal Chinese Cultural Relics.

On the east wall, people who may have served as attendants to the tomb’s occupant are shown holding fruit and drinks. There is also a reclining deer, a crane, bamboo trees, a crawling yellow turtle and a poem. The poem reads in part, “Time tells that bamboo can endure cold weather. Live as long as the spirits of the crane and turtle.”

[Full story]

Story: Owen Jarus, Live Science | Photo: Chinees Cultural Relics

Ice Age infant burials found in Alaska

The remains of two infants, which date back 11,000 years, have been uncovered at an archaeological settlement in Alaska.

Potter made the new find on the site of a 2010 excavation, where the cremated remains of another 3-year-old child were found. The bones of the two infants were found in a pit directly below a residential hearth where the 2010 remains were found.

“Taken collectively, these burials and cremation reflect complex behaviors related to death among the early inhabitants of North America,” Potter said.

In the paper, Potter and his colleagues describe unearthing the remains of the two children in a burial pit under a residential structure about 15 inches below the level of the 2010 find. The radiocarbon dates of the newly discovered remains are identical to those of the previous find–about 11,500 years ago–indicating a short period of time between the burial and cremation, perhaps a single season.

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Story: Science Daily | Photo: Ben Potter, UAF

Prehistoric reed basket found on Scottish island

An ancient woven reed basket has been exposed during recent storms on the Scottish Island of North Uist.

The basket, about half a metre in length, contains a handful of worked quartz stones, and a handful of diverse animal bones.

Local archaeologist Kate MacDonald of Uist Archaeology spoke of her excitement at the find.

She said: “It’s rare to find well-preserved organic material. It indicates that this basket must have been kept under water from the day that it was placed, or lost, there. Perhaps it was in a freshwater loch until it was covered over by encroaching beach sediment.

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Story: Susy Macaulay, Island News & Advertiser | Photo: Island News & Advertiser

Stone Age footprints found during tunnel excavation

Footprints left by fishermen 5,000 years ago have been found by archaeologists excavating ahead of tunnel construction in Denmark.

The footprints were found alongside a metre-long system of fishing weirs used to feed a nearby Stone Age community.

The discovery of the prints’ close proximity to the weirs, suggest the fishermen attempted to safeguard their constructions before a flood came in and covered it all with sand.

Judging by the size of the prints, at least two people waded out into the silted seabed in an attempt to salvage what they could. With every step, the sand left behind by the flooding got pushed further into the bed to leave behind the tell-tale prints.

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Story: Magnus Stroyer, The Copenhagen Post | Photo: Museum Lolland-Falster

Roman pond found in West Sussex village

An ancient pond and other assorted artifacts have been found at the site of a Roman settlement in West Sussex.

The objects, dating back to AD100 show there was a Roman settlement in the village of Barnham, West Sussex County Council says.

Over the last six weeks, Roman pottery, ancient rubbish pits and ditches have been found at the site.

It is thought the settlement may have started in the late Iron Age before the Roman conquest in AD43.

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Story: BBC | Photo: West Sussex County Council

Depiction of unknown god found in Turkey

Archaeologists working in Turkey have uncovered the image of an unknown bearded diety in an ancient sanctuary in Turkey.

Münster archaeologists excavated a unique Roman relief depicting an unknown god in an ancient sanctuary in Turkey. According to a first assessment, the one and a half metre (five feet) high basalt stele which was used as a buttress in the wall of a monastery shows a fertility or vegetation god, as classical scholar and excavation director Prof. Dr. Engelbert Winter and archaeologist Dr. Michael Blömer of the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” said after their return from the sacred site of the god Jupiter Dolichenus close to the ancient city of Doliche in Southeast Turkey. “The image is remarkably well preserved. It provides valuable insights into the beliefs of the Romans and into the continued existence of ancient Near Eastern traditions. However, extensive research is necessary before we will be able to accurately identify the deity.”

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Story: Cluster of Excellence | Photo: Forschungsstelle Asia Minor

19th-century shipwreck uncovered during Hurricane Sandy construction

The remains of a 19th-century ship has been discovered 25 feet beneath the sand in Brick, New Jersey, during post-Sandy construction to build a 3.5-mile-long coastal wall.

Mayor John G. Ducey said workers using a specialized drill struck the relic last week. They were doing excavating work for the 3.5-mile long structure, which is intended to shield Route 35 and oceanfront homes in Mantoloking and Brick on the northern barrier island from the catastrophic impact of a future major hurricane or nor’easter comparable to the Oct. 29, 2012, disaster.

“They hit something. It broke the head on the machine,” Brick Deputy Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Joe Pawlowicz told CBS New York. “They decided to replace the head. They replaced the head, and it also broke.”

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Story: CBS New York | Photo: CBS New York

Joseon Dynasty shipwreck found off Korean coast

The wreckage of a Joseon-era cargo ship has been found off the coast of South Korea’s Mado Island.

“A pilot excavation of the shipwreck site resulted in the discoveries of two buncheong-ware ceramics. It’s highly likely that the vessel is from the Joseon era,” the institute said in a press release.

Buncheong refers to ceramics with a gray or bluish-green body, decorated with white. It is associated with the earlier part of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

The salvaging of 111 pieces of white ceramics ? all thought to date back to the late 18th or early 19th century ? from the sea floor near the shipwreck site also increased the likelihood of the vessel being a Joseon-era relic.

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Story: Korea Herald | Photo: Yonhap

Remains of Bronze Age children found in England

The remains of two children who were buried during the Bronze age have been uncovered in Buckinghamshire, England.

The skeletons of two pre-pubescent children have been discovered by archaeologists during an “amazing” dig at the back of an antiques shop which has also revealed pottery suggesting their bones could come from a Bronze Age burial.

The bodies, whose teeth pinpointed their owners’ ages to between ten and 12, contained 250 bones and fragments. Experts in Marlow say the pit they were found in, which was originally opened up in March 2013, included a burial mound disturbed during the 12th century.

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Story: Ben Miller, Culture 24 | Photo: MOLA

Medieval chess pieces found in England

Two medieval chess pieces carved from antler have been found in the East Midlands of England.

“They provide us with clear evidence of antler and bone working in the town, making something which is effectively a leisure product.

“It took quite a lot of effort to hand carve and finish these kind of things, so it’s going to be something that you’re paying the craftsman for.

“It’s almost certain we will publish something about this material as it’s of interest to researchers looking into history of board games.”

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Story: BBC News | Photo: MOLA

Three mosaics found in southern Turkey

Three new mosaics have been found at the Greco-Roman centre of Zeugma, located in southern Turkey.

The uncovered mosaics were displayed at a press conference attended by Gaziantep Mayor Fatma ?ahin and the head of the excavations, Professor Kutalm?? Görkay.

Görkay said excavations at Zeugma, which was one of the most important centers in the Eastern Roman Empire, had started in 2007, adding that good progress had been made with the support of the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality and ?? Bank.

“There are still unexcavated areas. There are rock-carved houses here. We have reached one of these houses and the house includes six spaces. We have also unearthed three new mosaics in this year’s excavations,” he said.

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Story: Hurriyet Daily News | Photo: AA Photos

Ancient village found in Columbia

The remains of a pre-Columbian village have been found in central Columbia.

According to the involved archaeologists, the remains found at the site dated from 900BC until approximate 1500AD when most indigenous groups died amid a violent Spanish colonization of territory belonging to the ancient Muisca people.

The archaeologists found numerous pieces that are in a good enough condition to be displayed in local museums. Some 90% of the approximately 20 metric tons of archaeological material will be used for scientific research.

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Story: Adriaan Alsema, Columbia Reports | Photo: EPM

Roman skeletons found in school grounds

The remains of two adults Romans have been found during construction at a primary school in Worcestershire.

The adult female, aged over 50, was found with hobnails, which are associated with rural Roman agricultural burials.

The other was an adult male, aged 25 to 30 who had signs of degenerative joints and osteoarthritis. Also found were a selection of Roman pots.

Archaeologist Tom Vaughan said: “The remains have been thoroughly examined and found to be from the Roman era. The excavations, including the finds of hobnails with the adult female are typical of Roman internments in the area and similar to recent excavations near Wyre Piddle and St John’s, Worcester. It is well known that there was Roman occupation around Bredon Hill.”

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Story: James Connell, Worcester News | Photo: Worcester News