A publication of the Archaeological Institute of America
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Greek Statues Pulled From Qatari Exhibition
DOHA, QATAR—The Greek government has agreed to pull two statues, dating to the sixth and second centuries B.C., respectively, from its roughly 600-piece strong exhibit "Olympics - Past and Present," in response to Qatari officials' desire to cover up the midsections of the nude male forms. Representatives of the Persian Gulf state's culture ministry suggested that the unadorned statues would shock female visitors to the exhibit, so the figures were shipped back to Athens.
Preserving Endangered Ancient Footprints
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND—Preserved footprints of human ancestors can offer a wealth of information on everything from ancient climate to the evolution of the human gait. But, impressions dating back tens of thousands of years are not always fossilized in stone. In fact, footprints dating to 1.5 million years ago sit in sand at the northern Kenyan site of Ileret that is in danger of coastal erosion. Researchers at the Bournemouth University contrasted two methods of recording footprints: photographing the impressions from various angles to build up a complete picture, called digital photogrammetry, and optical laser scanning, which can build 3-D light maps of the footprints. Photogrammetry is quicker and less expensive, whereas laser scanning is more precise and more expensive. The research team suggests using both together to make up for each method's shortcomings.
Maya Civilization More Ancient Than Previously Thought
EL CEIBAL, GUATEMALA—New radiocarbon dates from the ancient Maya city of Ceibal suggest the origins of Maya civilization were both older and more complicated than previously thought. In the past, archaeologists have theorized that the influence of the older Olmec civilization was the major factor in the rise of Maya city states, while others held that the Maya developed their civilization independently. Now a team led by the University of Arizona's Takeshi Inomata suggests the answer is somewhere in the middle. The archaeologists have discovered a ceremonial platform at Ceibal dating to around 1000 B.C., about two hundred years before the Olmec built similar structures at the city of La Venta. At the same time, the team says they have evidence that the rise of Maya civilization was part of a broad cultural shift throughout Mesoamerica, and not an independent phenomenon.
MUSCAT, OMAN—An international team of archaeologists have excavated a limestone burial chamber on Oman's Musandam Peninsula, an isolated region whose history is poorly understood. Holding the remains of almost two hundred people, the tomb dates to around 1300 B.C. and measures 45 feet long and eleven feet wide. The team also recovered artifacts such as swords and jewelry, but still know very little about the people who were buried here, though they probably had ties with the ancient civilizations across the Straits of Hormuz in what is today Iran. The team is now using ground penetrating radar to search for more burial chambers in the area.
Roman-Era Industrial Zone Discovered in Egypt
CAIRO, EGYPT—A third-century industrial zone where amphorae, tableware, and bronze statues were produced has been uncovered at the site of Tell Abu-Seifi, in the northern Sinai. Administrative buildings, galleries, and a residential area were also found. An engraving at the site shows how Roman soldiers in the region were divided and distributed among local military castles. “It is a very important discovery that highlights Egypt’s economical and commercial relation with its neighboring countries on the Mediterranean Sea,” said Mohamed Ibrahim, Minister of State for Antiquities.
A Knight’s Family Crypt Unearthed in Scotland
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND—A month ago, while digging in a parking lot, archaeologists uncovered the grave of a man who had been buried in a medieval sandstone tomb with an ornate sword. Seven additional skeletons, including three adults and four infants, have been found, leading the team to believe the site is a knight or nobleman’s family crypt. “This site just keeps on getting more interesting—it is turning out to be a real treasure trove of archaeology. We just can’t seem to stop finding skeletons and bones,” said archaeologist Ross Murray. A new building for the University of Edinburgh will be constructed on the site.
“Wise Man” Petroglyph Found in Veracruz
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO—Farmers discovered a group of 500-year-old petroglyphs at the foot of the Cerro del Sombrete in northern Veracruz. According to Maria Eugenia Maldonado Vite of the National Institute of Anthropology and History, one of the images, inscribed on a large rock, represents a priest or wise man. “In his left hand (the only one visible) he wears a symbol that could represent a cane or a time glyph, also the rest of the scene is composed of four elements that can be interpreted as solar or astronomical connotations,” she explained.
Pyramid Builders Were Well Fed
GIZA PLATEAU, EGYPT—The 10,000 workers who built the pyramid of Menkaure are known to have lived in a town located to the south of the Sphinx. A new analysis of animal bones from the site suggests that those workers and their overseers were supplied with more than 4,000 pounds of meat from cattle, goats, and sheep a day, in addition to fish, beans, lentils, grain, beer, and other foods. “They probably got a much better diet than they got in their village,” said Richard Redding of Ancient Egypt Research Associates. The tens of thousands of animals and their caretakers would have been spread out across the Nile Delta, until they were brought to the workers’ town for consumption. Archaeologists have recently found a structure with a round pen where the animals may have been slaughtered.
Buried Couple Found Holding Hands
CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA—The skeletons of a medieval couple that had been buried holding hands have been unearthed at a monastery in Romania, along with the remains of a child. “We can see that the man had suffered a severe injury that left him with a broken hip from which he probably died,” said Adrian Rusu of the Cluj-Napoca Institute of Archaeology and History of Art. Scientists can only speculate that his partner died of a “broken heart,” since suicide would have prevented her burial in consecrated ground. The child may or may not be linked to the couple.
Did the Spanish Take Over Timucuan Structures?
ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA—University of Florida archaeologist Kathy Deagan is looking for evidence of Europeans in St. Augustine in 1565. “It was the first settlement in Florida by Pedro Menendez de Avilés and it lasted for about a year until the Native Americans drove out the Spaniards,” she said. She is excavating a structure that may have been built by the Timucuans, based upon the post holes found in a circular shape, but used by the Spanish, who left behind an olive jar, tiny glass beads, musket balls, and pieces of metal. “The storehouse of the Spanish was struck by flaming Indian arrows and there was a big fire. Part of the building exploded because they had gunpowder stored there. We don’t know if that’s the exact thing we’re seeing here, but it could be,” Deagan added.
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA—As many as 3,000 people may have made up the founding population of Australia, according to a controversial new study Alan Williams of Australian National University. He used a database of radiocarbon dates obtained from Australian cooking pits, human burials, shell mounds, and charcoal deposits, thinking that the growth of the human population would be reflected in the number of surviving archaeological sites. By calculating the rate of change in the population over time, and then using the population estimate in 1788, when Europeans arrived, he estimates that the population 45,000 years ago must have been between 1,000 and 3,000 people. Estimates based on the genetic diversity of modern aboriginal Australians have suggested a considerably smaller founding population. “It’s not just a family that got stuck on a raft and washed away. It’s people with the intention to move, to explore,” he said.
Han Dynasty Mirror Workshop Discovered
BEIJING, CHINA—More than 100 stone molds, foundry pits, wells, and pipes have been found in eastern China, at the ancient city of Linzi. Located within the site’s industrial zone, the workshop produced bronze mirrors some 2,000 years ago, during the Han Dynasty, when bronze mirrors, which had been objects owned only by the elite, were mass produced. The molds had been carved with images to decorate the highly polished metal objects. “It’s the first time that a bronze mirror workshop has been discovered, providing precious insights into technologists used for China’s ancient mirror making,” said Bai Yunxiang of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
HONOLULU, HAWAII—Space archaeologists met at the annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology earlier this month to discuss how the UNESCO World Heritage Convention could be applied to cultural heritage sites on planetary bodies beyond the Earth. For example, the Apollo artifacts on the Moon are owned by the U.S. government, but the protection of the Apollo landing sites could be complicated by the Outer Space Treaty of 1967. “What my colleagues and I are trying to accomplish is to legally protect a site of unprecedented human achievement on land that cannot be owned by anyone,” said Joe Reynolds of Clemson University. He thinks that the President could use the 1906 Antiquities Act to create a national monument on the Moon with an executive order, or Congress could pass the Tranquility Base National Historic Landmark Act. Also of concern are interplanetary spacecraft that are no longer functioning. They will “eventually enter interstellar space and become the archaeological representatives of Homo sapiens to the rest of the galaxy,” said Peter Capelotti of Penn State University.
1,000-Year-Old Minaret Destroyed
ALEPPO, SYRIA—The minaret of Aleppo's eleventh-century Great Mosque, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been destroyed by fighting between government troops and the Free Syrian Army. Both sides of the civil war claim that the other is responsible. Other parts of the mosque have been badly damaged, and artifacts such as a box said to contain a strand of the Prophet Muhammad’s hair have been looted according to some reports. The armies have been fighting for control of a military airbase located near the mosque.
