Columbus, Silver, and Failure
Friday August 31, 2012
The first European town in the New World was established by Christopher Columbus after his second voyage across the Atlantic, in 1494.
Samples of galena, a silver-bearing lead ore, and worked ... Read More
The Mississippians
Monday August 27, 2012
Between 1000 and 1500 AD, the people living in the midwestern and southeastern parts of what is today the United States began to grow maize, to build platform mounds, to ... Read More
The Archaeological Imagination: A Book Review
Friday August 24, 2012
Michael Shanks' new book from Left Coast Press, The Archaeological Imagination, is a thought experiment on steroids.
The Archaeological Imagination cover art. Left Coast Press, Inc. 2012.
The book is ... Read More
Archaeology in High School?
Monday August 20, 2012
Caleb G writes: "Two years from now I will be in college and I was hoping to get a major in history. Once I have completed college, how would I ... Read More
Distinguishing Wild from Domestic Pigs
Friday August 17, 2012
How do you tell a wild pig from a domestic one in the archaeological record?
What do you mean, my mother was a wild sow? European domestic pig, descendant of ... Read More
Chinchorro Mummies and the Environment
Wednesday August 15, 2012
According to a new article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week, the elaborate cult of the dead evidenced by the first mummies in the world ... Read More
Date Palm History
Monday August 13, 2012
The date palm (with the great name of Phoenix dactylifera L) is a tall, lovely tree that grows in oases in deserts and subtropical zones of Africa and southern Asia.
Date ... Read More
Ancient Herbal Wines of Egypt and Palestine: A Photo Essay
Wednesday August 8, 2012
Patrick McGovern at the University of Pennsylvania has been studying the origins of wine making for a very long time. Recently, his work with the excavators of the tomb of ... Read More
Dilmun: Trading with Mesopotamia
Monday August 6, 2012
Dilmun was an important trading center on the Persian Gulf, connecting the great civilizations of Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) and Meluhha (the Indus Valley of modern day Pakistan and India).
Location ... Read More
West African Adobe Architecture in Danger
Friday August 3, 2012
Recent news stories have reported on the chaos in Mali, as Taliban-based forces have taken over the ancient city of Timbuktu and reportedly begun destroying the famous historical buildings. What ... Read More
Research Paper Topics: A Library
Thursday August 2, 2012
We're starting a new school year all too soon, and if you are among those returning to classes, you know, as I do, there will be research papers in your ... Read More