October 01, 2003Archaeology Blog Archives |
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Stephen H. Lekson on influential mythologiesLekson quotes the most influential archaeologist of our day, Henry Jones, Jr., in his 1999 book The Chaco Meridian.04:10 PM # The Digital Michelangelo ProjectFrom Stanford University, a project to digitize the works of Michelangelo, creating 3D computer models for each statue, architectural setting, and map fragment. Although this isn't about ancient art, this may be the wave of the future.03:04 PM # Cavemen at the BBCThe BBC has a new page on prehistoric peoples, which they, of course, call Cavemen: BBCi - Science - Cavemen02:00 PM # Grants.Gov: ScienceAn electronic storefront to assist in getting Federal money out of the United States Government for that project you've always had in mind.10:09 AM # WAC Discussion ListNew email discussion list developed to discuss the World Archaeological Congress adn its various activities.05:16 AM # Looting Stymied in GuatemalaAn article in the Tennesseean discusses how quick work by Vanderbilt University and the National Geographic Society have tracked down a 600-pound stela from a Maya site in Guatemala. A tale of archaeology, looting and a savvy Vanderbilt professor - Thursday, 10/30/0309:41 PM # Looting Stymied in GuatemalaAn article in the Tennesseean discusses how quick work by Vanderbilt University and the National Geographic Society have tracked down a 600-pound stela from a Maya site in Guatemala. A tale of archaeology, looting and a savvy Vanderbilt professor - Thursday, 10/30/0309:41 PM # Looting Stymied in GuatemalaAn article in the Tennesseean discusses how quick work by Vanderbilt University and the National Geographic Society have tracked down a 600-pound stela from a Maya site in Guatemala. A tale of archaeology, looting and a savvy Vanderbilt professor - Thursday, 10/30/0309:28 PM # Aurel Stein: Hero or Goat?The BBC news targets one of archaeology's Achilles heels: archaeology's underpinnings were based on cultural artifacts stolen from a lot of countries. A critique of the early archaeologist/adventurer Aurel Stein called The original Chinese takeaway08:58 PM # Michael Goodchild on maintaining intellectual depthGeographer Michael Goodchild reflects on the trouble with specialization. From an interview with Nadine Schuurman, published in Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 1998.04:08 PM # Yearning for YemenArchaeologist Juris Zarins from Southwest Missouri Stte discusses how modern times have affected his research: Conversations: A Yearning for Yemen01:54 PM # History of Medieval CyprusA feature article in the Cyprus Weekly by Barbara Lyssarides describes how the legal system worked on Cyprus during the Middle Ages. Crime and Punishment in Mediaeval Cyprus10:52 AM # American JourneysA fabulous collection of documents pertaining to the colonization of the American continents, from Eric the Red to George Catlin. From the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the WIsconsin Historical Society.10:16 AM # Hierakonpolis, City of the HawkRenee Friedman discusses the history of the ancient city of Hierakonpolis this month in Archaeology magazine: City of the Hawk08:10 AM # Tea Leoni on how she almost became an anthropologist - ArchaeologySometimes even anthropologists get a break... from an article in the San Jose Mercury News from December 1997.04:06 PM # Justin Kerr's Maya RolloutsArticle in Archaeology magazine describes the career of Justin Kerr, whose Maya rollout images have graced the FAMSI pages: Picture Perfect02:08 PM # Linear B (Cambridge)From the Mycenaean Epigraphy Group at Cambridge University Classics department, a new page on Linear B celebrating the 50th anniversary of the decipherment by Chadwick and Ventris.01:46 PM # Bethsaida FindingsAn article in Haaretz describing recent research by Rami Arav at Bethsaida, called Judging by these remains, the Tanakhic description is anchored in reality10:49 AM # Lindesay on the Great WallArchaeology magazine this month has an article by William Lindesay on the Great Wall of China, called In the Shadow of the Wall05:06 AM # William Least Heat-Moon on the lack of yesterdays on the roadFrom his 1983 classic road trip, "Blue Highways"04:05 PM # Fort EdwardsEighteenth century home of Joseph Edwards, and a fort during the French and Indian Wars; this website is from the Fort Edwards Foundation, and it has a lot of information about the foundation as well as the site.10:57 AM # Spying and ConspiringArchaeological imperialism at its ugliest; our dark history as spies for our various western governments is discussed in this article in Khilafah called: Spying and conspiring06:36 AM # Ancient EphesusFrom Umit Yoruk at the Kusadesi web site, a vast wealth of information on the ancient city of Ephesus.02:42 AM # Colin Renfrew Calls It LootingIN a speech to the University of Pennsyvlania Museum, Cambridge University archaeologist Colin Renfrew accused museums and private collectors of indirectly supporting looters around the world: Scholar accuses museums of looting05:19 PM # Oscar Wilde on our duty to historyAh, Oscar Wilde: at least he clearly believed in modern historians... from his 1891 book called "The Critic as Artist".04:04 PM # Herman Melville on the Textbook of TyrantsA comment on the past from the writer of Moby Dick, taken from his 1850 book called White-Jacket.04:03 PM # SikaitAmerican-Dutch research in the Egyptian Eastern Desert have included among other things, excavations in Sikait, the only large-scale emerald mine of the Roman empire, and potentially used as early as the Ptolemaic period as well.01:30 PM # Manual for Sampling Pollen, Starch, and MacroFloral SamplesFrom Paleoresearch Institute, a commercial laboratory conducting pollen and phytolith analyses among others, a manual on how to correctly sample for such research.12:33 PM # The Great Michigan HoaxFrom the Grand Rapids Press, an interview with Michigan State Archaeologist John Halsey on a local hoax purporting to explain the ancient settlement of Michigan: Archaeology's great hoax09:31 PM # Confucius on diligenceA few words from a very wise man.05:28 PM # John Pohl's MesoamericaAnother great page from FAMSI, this one an introduction to the archaeology, geography, history, and writing of central America.04:17 PM # Grahame Clark on wasting one's lifeFrom Clark's 1993 book called A Path to Prehistory, as cited in Brian Fagan's 2003 book called "Grahame Clark: An Intellectual Biography of an Archaeologist".06:02 AM # The History of the Maya CodicesFrom FAMSI, another fabulous website, this one by Randa Marhenke on the history of the Maya Codices, and including downloadable pdf files of the codices themselves.05:58 AM # Stephen Dedalus (James Joyce) on how he feels about historyFrom James Joyce's bizarre and wonderful classic novel Ulysses.05:17 PM # Jeremy Sabloff on archaeology's role modelsFrom Sabloff's article "Communication and the future of archaeology", published in American Anthropologist in 1999.04:00 PM # Ancient Synagogue Found in AlbaniaFrom Science Daily, a report from Hebrew University of Jerusalem investigations at a site in the city o fSaranda, Albania, which identified a 5th-6th century synagogue. Remnants Of Ancient Synagogue In Albania Revealed03:51 PM # African-American Archaeology.A new email discussion list for the Archaeology of the African Diaspora in the New World. Membership is open to anyone having a serious interest in researching and interpreting the material lives of African Americans. Discussion will focus on these topics and related cultural heritage concerns.03:49 PM # 2.6 MYA Site FoundAccording to an article by John Noble Wilford in the NYT, researchers in Ethiopia have found a site with both stone tools and fossilized animal bone in the Afar region of Ethiopia. Pretty amazing: New Clue on Which Came First, Tools or Better Diets07:56 PM # Nathan Light on the mental prison of modern mythsArchaeologist Nathan Light, from a 1999 article in the now-defunct Discovering Archaeology called Tabloid Archaeology: Is television trivializing science?05:15 PM # Military Road Found in NYEvidence suggesting intact bits of an 18th century Military road through upstate New York is reported in this article in Newsday: Old road with a bloody past is subject of mapping project01:37 PM # Ancient Faces?This falls in the category of "too weird to ignore", archaeologist Pietro Gaietto claims to have found a piece of portable art with a face carved into it, that "would have been an extinct human species that died out 150,000 years ago", but from what's in the story I surely don't get how he figured that out. The article is in the BBC news: Ancient carved 'faces' found06:48 AM # Non-Human Use of Fire?Okay, maybe the story got garbled in translation, but what it says on the Discovery Channel website is that archaeologist Helena Cave Penny has found an archaeological site in Wiltshire that dates between 250,000 and 300,000 years ago and has a possible hearth: Early Evidence Of Fire Found07:44 PM # Robert L. Bettinger, on the cost of doing businessArchaeologist Robert L. Bettinger, from a paper he gave at the SAA meetings in 1998.05:14 PM # 13,000 BP Skeleton Found off TexasA news article in the Star Telegram reports that US Fish and Wildlife Service workers found a human skeleton off the Gulf Coast of Texas with a c14 date of 13,000 years. If true, these bones are definitely among the earliest human remains found in the American continent: The mystery of Brazoria Woman: Is she the oldest North American?06:34 AM # 5th Century Chapel FoundNews article in the Telegraph reports on Bristol University's excavations at a Roman villa in Bradford that turns out to include a 5th century chapel Telegraph Unearthed: a luxury Roman villa with chapel and granny flat07:31 PM # John Guare on Amnesia and History - ArchaeologyPlaywright John Guare (Six Degrees of Separation), from a 1990 interview in the International Herald Tribune.05:12 PM # Looting in AsiaThe online version of Time has a lengthy article on the problem of looting in Asia---although why the writer thinks archaeologists joke about looting is beyond me. Stealing Beauty02:27 PM # Pompeii: Buried in AgesArguably the best known archaeological site in the world--and one of the best documented on the web.08:31 AM # Susan Sontag on vanishing beautyWriter Susan Sontag, in her essay "Melancholy Objects" comments on the past05:10 PM # New Scientist on Laser Imaging at StonehengeA New Scientist article has a picture of the images from Wessex Archaeology, taken at Stonehenge and reported to show axeheads. Lasers reveal invisible Stonehenge carvings10:21 AM # Calusa InvestigationsAn article in the Herald Tribune discusses John Worth's investigations into Calusa period sites in Florida: Mysteries of the Calusa06:23 AM # NPS investigations at Monocacy to BeginExcavations at Monocacy National Battlefield are set to begin this week, in a suspected slave community dated to the late 18th-early 19th centuries, according to this article in the Washington Times: Dig planned for large slave 'village'06:12 AM # Baghdad Looting UpdateThis week, an interview with the lead investigator into the looting at the Baghdad museum appears in Archaeology magazine's online features: A Conversation with Matthew F. Bogdanos03:05 AM # Patrick Henry on the lamp guiding his feetFrom a 1775 speech to the Virginia convention, Patrick Henry knows what the light of knowledge looks like.04:18 PM # Bone, Boats, and BisonA review of E. James Dixon's Bones, Boats, and Bison, in which he discusses the latest concepts of how the Americas were first colonized.02:08 PM # Palenque Slab FoundArticle in China Daily reports on the discovery of a carved stone stele at Palenque: 1,200 year-old slab from Mayan ruins site in southern Mexico02:00 PM # Why be an Archaeologist?This NYT article is the result of an interview with Craig Morris, co-curator of the new American Museum of Natural History's exhibit on Petra, discussing why he likes being an archaeologist: there's Always New Joy to Be Found in Ancient Ruins08:58 AM # Chaco Mystery Solved?One of the most interesting questions at Chaco has always been---how the heck did they feed everybody? Research from Linda Cordell suggests that some of the corn might have been imported from outside of the canyon, in this article from AJC.com: Ancient corncobs unlock riddle04:09 AM # Carl Sagan, on the loss of the library at AlexandriaA quote from Carl Sagan's Cosmos on the lesson we should learn from the burning of the Library at Alexandria.04:16 PM # Karen Olsen Bruhns, Customs AgentKaren Olsen Bruhns, archaeologist at San Franscisco State University, discusses her second job as a United States custom agent tracking illegally imported archaeological treasures.02:30 PM # Miami Stone Circle to be BuriedArchaeologists plan to bury the Miami Stone Circle until they can figure out a way to make it safely open to the public, according to this story in the Miami Herald: Miami Circle archaeological find will be reburied10:55 AM # Three Gorges: BaiheliangAn article in China News reports on the investigations at Baiheliang, a Tang Dynasty site recorded before the reservoir at Three Gorges was filled: Baiheliang: Ancient Hydrologic Station06:51 AM # B. S. Johnson on the Future of ArchitectureA quote from Bergholt Stuttley Johnson, Ankh-Morpor's most acclaimed architect, quoted in that rascal Terry Pratchett's Men at Arms.04:11 PM # Beneath SydneyExcavations in downtown Sydney, Australia revealed evidence of the 1820s maritime occupations: Houses beneath houses as another Sydney is revealed03:53 PM # Guardian's Stonehenge StoryA bit more on the laser show at Stonehenge is reported in the Guardian: Lasers reveal Stonehenge's 'art gallery'03:49 PM # Rock Art found at StonehengeA BBC News story reports that lasers have been used to identify two previously unknown rock carvings at Stonehenge. Lasers uncover Stonehenge secrets03:47 PM # Çatalhöyük: Urban Life in Neolithic AnatoliaÇatalhöyük is one of the earliest urban centers in the world; and Ian Hodder's study of its shrines has included the most forward-thinking and vital work in archaeology today.02:40 PM # Near Eastern ArchaeologyFrom the American Museum of Natural History, a website on the ancient city of Petra, designed in conjunction with an exhibit.12:53 PM # A Maya elder on the importance of knowing your past - ArchaeologyA Maya elder, speaking of the need to maintain Mayan ethnicity in the face of the conflict in Guatemala. Quoted in a 1997 article in Cultural Survival Quarterly by Victor D. Montejo04:10 PM # Remains, a poem by David MasonPoet David Mason reflects on the safety he finds in death02:27 PM # Fort Hood Excavations to be Led by MercyhurstA news story in NEPA News (Northeastern Pennyslvania) reports that Mercyhurst College just won a big fat contract from Fort Hood in Texas to spend a year excavating a large site: Mercyhurst tabbed to lead archaeology dig in Texas02:57 PM # A Guide to Graduate Schools in Archaeology: FAQThe Guide to Graduate Schools in Archaeology generated a collection of excellent questions. So, here are the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and the Relatively Coherent Answers (RCA)08:00 AM # Steamboat ExcavationsThe Star-Telegram has a story about an underwater investigations by the Oklahoma Historical Society and the Institute of Nautical Archaeology at Texas A&M on a mid-19th century steam boat sunk in the Red River. Salvage Crew05:58 PM # Walt Kelly on the view behind us - ArchaeologyQuote of the day from the creator of Pogo, from the book Impollutable Pogo published in 1970.04:03 PM # A Guide to Graduate Schools in ArchaeologyWhether you're looking for a graduate school, a contact to explain some esoteric culture or time period, or just a way to keep up with academic archaeology today, the About.com Guide to Graduate Schools in Archaeology will prove a great resource.12:36 PM # Space, Society, and Six Degrees of.. Whom?An article from Space.com reports on an interesting project from members of the space scientific community which is of interest to public scientists everywhere. The group is trying to make space more relevant to regular folks using the "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" game. Hmmm. Space, Society, and Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon08:53 AM # Camille Paglia on voyages to the past - ArchaeologyFrom Paglia's 1999 article in the Wall Street Journal stating that archaeology is unfairly maligned.04:06 PM # IgNobel from Hot AirAh, here it is: the IgNobel Home Page, from the Annals of Improbable Research, highlinghting this year's winners. The Ig Nobel Web Page12:45 PM # OzymandiasA poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley on the frailness of political power expressed as an archaeological site.09:09 AM # Acheulian Site in IndiaReport in New Scientist on Michael Petraglia's investigations at 1.7 million year old site in the southwest Indian state of Kamataka. The title is Early Humans Smart but Forgetful, something I can certainly relate to.08:43 AM # Alice Beck Kehoe on tolerance for ambiguity. - ArchaeologyA quote from Kehoe's 1998 book, the Land of Prehistory.04:02 PM # IgNobel Prizes on CNNCNN has a story on the IgNobel prizes, given out at Harvard in early October: 'IgNobels' honor founder of dead people club02:38 PM # Rock Markings in NorthumberlandBBC news report describes findings in Northumberland of several deeply incised marks in stone that they can't identify to culture, suggesting possible recent fakes, but pretty darn good ones. Mystery markings baffle experts10:36 AM # Iron Age Warrior Found in NorfolkEDP24 News reports on excavations at an Iron Age site near Mildenhall has found, along with buildings, pottery and flint tools, the remnants of a muscular chap thought maybe to be an Iceni warrior. Was this an Iceni warrior?08:32 AM # Charles Austin Beard on seeing starsHistorian Charles Austin Beard on four lessons of history.06:23 PM # Heinrich Härke and Bettina Arnold on dealing with political influence in archaeologyFrom Heinrich Harke's 1998 article in Current Anthropology called "Archaeologists and Migrations: A Problem of Attitude?" and a response by Bettina Arnold.04:00 PM # Prehistoric Footpaths in Costa RicaScience Daily News reports on Payson Sheets' latest expeditions to Costa Rice, this time using NASA archaeologists and remote sensing specialists to identify ancient footpaths. Prehistoric Footpaths In Costa Rica Indicate Intimate Ties With Villages, Cemeteries02:22 PM # World Archaeological Congress 4A trip to South Africa makes a convincing argument that we should all try to get to more World Archaeological Congresses02:01 PM # Risk ConversionBrian Kenny, editor of the not-for-profit archaeological newsletter and website on southwestern archaeology called SWAnet, makes a plea for support.10:58 AM # HIttite-Egyptian Correspondence Tablet FoundArticle in the Al-Ahram reports the find of a Hittite tablet message sent from King Hattusli II to Ramses II and is thought to be part of diplomatic correspondence during the 13th century BC Ancient peace08:14 AM # Charles Austin Beard describing Hari SeldonHistorian Charles Austin Beard may have been an intellectual source for Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy. Here's some of the evidence.06:22 PM # Medieval KootwijkA small 6th-11th century settlement in what is now the Netherlands provides a window into the early Medieval farming communities of the Lowlands.02:59 PM # Goryeo Dynasty ShipwreckA story in the Korea Herald reports on the underwater archaeological investigations of an 11th century vessel containing 667 sets of celadon dishes belonging to the Goryeo Dynasty Goryeo celadon cargo found in shipwreck12:56 PM # A. J. Toynbee on using history well - ArchaeologyForm an NBC television broadcast in 1955.09:01 AM # Joseph Ransdell on the new conception of scienceA quote of the week from the September Forum Archive.08:59 AM # Ayodhya AgainAccording to a report in the India Times, the Archaeological Survey of India wants to make some editing changes to its report on the highly controversial Ayodhya excavations. What sounds like innocent printing errors in this context are substantive, difficult changes to make. And you thought diong culturla resource management was fraught with danger in your side of the world! ASI wants to redo Ayodhya report - The Times of India07:52 AM # Charles Baudelaire on the Pleasure We DeriveFrench poet Charles Baudelaire on the qualities we like about the past.06:20 PM # History of Chemical WarfareNew article from John Noble Wilford at the NYT on the ancient history of chemical warfare: From Hydra Venom to Anthrax Myth10:15 AM # Bassett on the new mediaAnthropologist Keith Bassett, from "Postmodernism and the crisis of the intellectual".06:19 PM # Pictographic Right-HandednessArticle in the NYT called Ancient Righties reports on arguments from the University of Montpelier on the handedness of ancient cave painters.12:17 PM # IAA may sell artifactsAccording to a recent article in Ha'aretz, the Israeli Antiquities Authority is actually considering selling some artifacts on the open marke to support their budget. If they do it, this will set one heck of an international precedent, no doubt about it... Antiquities Authority considers trading finds on open market08:09 AM # Iron Age Site in FinlandA new press release from the Sámi Museum Siida reports on a new site found in Inari, Finland last week by writer Seppo Saraspää : Siida - Late Iron Age silver deposit found at Nanguniemi, Inari, Finland10:06 PM # J. G. Ballard on his fears for the futureA quote from the classical science fiction writer J. G. Ballard, on what he thought the future held in 1930.06:17 PM # Celebrating 50 Years of DNA ResearchA special set of webpages on the New Scientist website compiled recent stories on DNA research, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Watson & Crick's discovery: DNA: 50 Year Anniversary04:18 AM # SAA Award for Excellence in Public EducationThe Society for American Archaeology is seeking nominations for archaeologists, educators, and institutions for their important contributions to Outstanding Achievement in the Sharing of Archaeological Knowledge and Issues with the Public. This year, they're looking for an educator, so if you know of any teachers who might qualify, read on!08:20 PM # Paul Bahn on Being an ArchaeologistA funnier quote from Pleistocene cave art research Bahn, on what it takes to be a real archaeologist.06:10 PM # How did the Red Baron die?New in ScienCentral, an article on studies about the famous Luftwaffe pilot known as the Red Baron of WWI (not to mention Charles Schultz's Snoopy) fame: The Red Baron's Last Bullet12:25 PM # Remote Sensing TechniquesA story in the Economist this week talks about remote sensing techniques used in archaeology these days: What lies beneath08:10 AM # Pompeii InvestigationsFrom the Discovery Channel, news concernign the latest excavations by Naples Oriental University at Pompeii: Older Layers Of Pompeii Unearthed06:08 PM # Paul G. Bahn on classifying Paleolithic artA quote from cave art researcher Paul Bahn.06:08 PM # Anglo-Saxon Warrior QueenThe Discovery Channel has an article this week on the Time Team excavations in an Anglo-Saxon cemetery in Lincolnshire. Locals are calling one of the more unusual burials "Xena", always a good sign: Remains Of Xena-Like Woman Found06:05 AM # Catherine Morland on the torment of reading historyOne of Jane Austen's deliciously airhead characters on how she feels about history.06:03 PM # African Burial GroundArticle in Newsday describes a reburial ceremony for remains from the African burial site: NY African burial site remains make final journey04:00 PM # Archimedes Text UncoveredAn article in ScienCentral reports investigations at the Walters Museum that seem to have found a book written by the 3rd century BC mathemetician Archimedes hidden beneath a medieval text. Mystery Book01:08 PM # Three Gorges FindingFrom China News, a story on plank and stone roads, part of an ancient transportation network revealed during the Three Gorges project: Ancient Cliff Roads of the Three Gorges12:02 PM # Arioti and Oxby on false oppositionsWho says you can't gather food and hunt at the same time?06:02 PM # 100 Most Endangered World MonumentsReport from Archaeology magazine on the release of the new list from World Monuments Fund of the 100 most endangered momuments: 2004 List of 100 Most Endangered Sites Announced12:30 PM # A Lesson in Applied ArchaeologyAn interview with Clark Erickson on his work studying ancient agricultural fields in the Lake Titicaca region of Peru and Bolivia; and how local farmers are trying the old ways.06:25 AM # IgNoble Prize: Murphy's LawNew Scientist has an article about the origins of Murphy's Law, honored at the annual Ig Noble Prize celebrations at Harvard. Murphy's Law Honoured - 50 years late. The latest Annals of Improbable Research has the longer version.04:16 PM # Anonymous on archaeology's greatest contributionA joke from an archaeologist who prefers to remain anonymous.04:00 PM # Earliest Modern HumansHere's a more sedate discussion of Trinkhaus's work: Earliest European modern humans found02:29 PM # Excavations Banned in Southern EgyptAccording to a story in the Taipei Times, Zahi Hawass has banned foreign excavations in southern Egypt for the next decade. Egypt bans new excavations by foreign scholars12:28 PM # Seeing the LightYour guide posts her ideas on how peer review might work on the Internet.06:13 AM # Anonymous critics at Raiders of the Lost ArkA shriek of horror from momentarily unhinged movie-goer archaeologists at a first viewing of the first Indiana Jones movie.05:59 PM # Chasing the Baghdad LootInterview by Radio Netherlands with Iraqi archaeologist Selma al-Radi discusses the reality of the situation concerning artifacts looted from the museums in Iraq. Chasing the Baghdad loot12:25 PM # Adams on the importance of subsistenceA quote from Douglas Adams, the late very lamented science fiction writer of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.05:57 PM # Repatriation Movement in the UKArticle in the Observer describes recent efforts by aboriginal peoples to retrieve skeletal materials stored in the Duckworth Museum at Cambridge University. Scientists fight to save ancestral bone bank12:18 PM # |
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