Roman Gold Coin Discovered on Island of Alderney

BAILIWICK OF GUERNSEY, CHANNEL ISLANDS—A gold coin has been discovered at a Roman site on the island of Alderney, according to a BBC News report. The coin has been dated to the fourth century A.D., during the reign of the emperor Valens, who ruled from A.D. 364 to 378. Archaeologist Phil de Jersey said the coin will help researchers date the Roman occupation of the site. “It’s all adding to the picture of the intensive Roman settlement that was here,” he said. To read about a Celtic coin hoard unearthed on the island of Jersey, go to "Ka-Ching!"

Revolutionary War Barracks Found in Virginia

WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA—WAVY 10 reports that traces of a barracks dated to the Revolutionary War period have been found near the visitor center at Colonial Williamsburg. Historic maps and documents indicate that the barracks was constructed between 1776 and 1777 to house up to 2,000 soldiers and 100 horses on an area of roughly three to four acres. The structures are thought to have been burned down in 1781 by British troops under the command of General Charles Cornwallis. Artifacts recovered from the excavation, which was conducted ahead of a construction project, include bricks from eighteenth-century chimneys; gun hardware; lead shot; and officers’ high-end ceramics. The location of the new building was shifted to preserve the site. To read about another Revolutionary War site, go to "Off the Grid: Mount Independence, Vermont."

Project Maps Possible Path of Lost Nile River Branch

WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA—According to a Cosmos Magazine report, geomorphologist Eman Ghoneim of the University of Carolina Wilmington and her colleagues have found evidence of a 40-mile-long branch of the Nile River that flowed some 4,700 years ago along the western banks of the modern Nile. The evidence was collected through the analysis of soil cores, ground-penetrating radar and tomography surveys conducted by the Egyptian National Institute, and the study of historic maps. The suggested path of the so-called Ahramat Branch is believed to have flowed by the pyramids at Abusir, Saqqara, Dahshur, Lisht, and Giza. These monuments are now surrounded by the Western Desert, but in antiquity, they were probably accessed by water and surrounded by fertile land. “There’s a common acceptance that the pyramids must have been near a waterway because they’ve got these [boat] docks, but for the first time we’ve created a map and checked on the ground that this was actually the case,” explained geomorphologist Tim Ralph of Macquarie University. Knowledge of the path of the Ahramat Branch could help researchers find lost temples and monuments through study of ancient descriptions of their locations along the river, he added. “If the river has moved… archaeologists who are looking for these places may be looking in a different place. It might help people find other sites,” Ralph concluded. To read about a defunct arm of the Nile along which workers might have transported blocks to build the Great Pyramid, go to "Around the World: Egypt."

1,800-Year-Old Tombs Excavated in Eastern China

RIZHAO, CHINA—The Miami Herald reports that three tombs have been discovered inside a partially damaged burial mound near the coast of eastern China by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Each of the tombs, which have been dated to the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 220), has a sloping passageway to its entrance and held two burials. Two of the structures carried the surname Huan, suggesting that the structures belonged to the same family. And while two of the tombs had been looted in antiquity and only contained wooden coffins, the third remained intact. Its main chamber was made up of two rooms connected with miniature wooden windows and doors and likely held the remains of a married couple. More than 70 artifacts, including an iron sword, bronze mirrors, and different types of pottery, were recovered from the chambers. A rare coffin carriage, which would have been used to transport a coffin, was also found in the intact tomb. To read about bronze mirrors found in Han Dynasty tombs, go to "Mirror, Mirror."

Hair Analysis Hints at Beethoven’s Health Status

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS—According to a Live Science report, analysis of two hair samples attributed to Ludwig van Beethoven by a team of researchers including Nader Fifai of Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School and William Meredith of San José State University has detected high levels of heavy metals, including lead, arsenic, and mercury. DNA analysis of the hair samples indicated that they both came from the same person, or from a set of identical twins. The DNA analysis also determined that the individual had been infected with hepatitis B, which carries a high risk of liver disease. The researchers suggest that the levels of toxic metals in the samples could have contributed to hearing loss; gastrointestinal issues; and jaundice, a symptom of liver disease, all known to have been suffered by the eighteenth-century composer. The researchers think Beethoven may have ingested high levels of lead by drinking wine, which was often dosed with lead acetate as a sweetener and preservative. Glass wine bottles were also made with traces of lead at the time. Meanwhile, fish caught in the Danube River for human consumption were likely contaminated with arsenic and mercury, the researchers explained. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Clinical Chemistry. To read about a Roman town that is near to Vienna, the City of Music where Beethoven lived, go to "Off the Grid: Carnuntum, Austria."

New Thoughts on Decline of Roman Town in Egypt

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN—According to a Newsweek report, Laura Motta of the University of Michigan and her colleagues radiocarbon dated plant remains recovered from the site of Karanis and found that this Roman agricultural settlement in Egypt's Fayum Oasis was probably abandoned later than previously thought. Thousands of people are thought to have lived in Karanis, based upon the residential neighborhoods, production facilities, granaries, temples, and the bath complex that have been unearthed at the site. The dates obtained from 13 plant samples, which were taken from different areas of Karanis, indicate that the settlement was not in complete decline in the fourth century A.D., and had not been abandoned by the fifth century. Rather, the new dates suggest that people were still inhabiting areas of Karanis in the sixth century, and some may have continued to live there until the Islamic conquest of the region in the seventh century A.D. The new chronology for the site could contribute to the study of the fall of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the medieval period, the researchers concluded. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Antiquity. To read about Roman-era mummy portraits unearthed in the Fayum, go to "At Face Value."

Endurance Running May Have Helped Prehistoric Hunters

ONTARIO, CANADA—Science Magazine reports that archaeologist Eugène Morin of Trent University, behavioral ecologist Bruce Winterhalder of University of California, Davis, and their colleagues reviewed historic accounts written by travelers, explorers, and missionaries for information about persistence hunting, the practice of chasing prey at a run over long distances. The researchers found 391 descriptions of persistence hunting in the more than 8,000 texts written between the sixteenth and twenty-first centuries in the study. “When it does work, it’s just as good, or maybe better, than other techniques,” Winterhalder said. Walking and stalking prey, he explained, could take several hours, while running after prey may result in a quicker kill. While the running prey sprints, it becomes susceptible to overheating, exhaustion, and collapse, while the modern human can run at a steady pace and keep cool by sweating. This tactic would also give the running hunter an advantage in difficult terrain, the researchers said. Paleolithic hunters may have also employed this technique from time to time, in addition to employing communal hunts, traps, snares, stalking, and ambushing, Morin and Winterhalder suggest. “If you’re stuck to one method, you’re going to starve,” Morin concluded. To read about hunters in Peru some 9,000 years ago, go to "Lady Killer."

Underground Anomaly Detected in Giza’s Western Cemetery

CAIRO, EGYPT—An L-shaped structure was detected using ground-penetrating radar and electrical resistivity tomography about six feet beneath Giza’s Western Cemetery by a team of scientists from Tohoku University, Higashi Nippon International University, and Egypt’s National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, according to a Live Science report. During the Old Kingdom period (ca. 2649–2150 B.C.), members of the royal family and high-ranking officials were buried in stone or mudbrick structures called mastabas in the Western Cemetery. The underground anomaly, which measures about 33 feet long, was identified in an area where no aboveground structures have been found. Motoyuki Sato of Tohoku University suggests that the shape of the anomaly is too sharp to have come about through a natural phenomenon. The geophysical readings also indicate that the space had been backfilled with a mix of sand and gravel, he added. The survey also suggests there is a second, deeper structure at the site that was perhaps accessed through the L-shaped structure. Excavation of the site has begun. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Archaeological Prospection. For more on Giza and the construction of the pyramids, go to "Journeys of the Pyramid Builders."

Indoor Pool Uncovered at Roman Villa in Albania

DURRËS, ALBANIA—According to a Miami Herald report, an indoor pool has been uncovered at a Roman villa located near western Albania’s Adriatic coastline. Researchers from Albania’s National Institute of Cultural Heritage said that the 1,600-year-old rectangular pool is decorated with well-preserved mosaics. Two shallow bathtubs coated with waterproof mortar were also found at the site. In another area of the villa, the excavators also unearthed a large brick floor, several walls, and fragments of mosaics that may have been part of a two-story bathhouse. To read more about Albanian archaeology, go to "Letter from Albania: A Road Trip Through Time."