Updated Articles and Resources
- Calakmul - The Ancient Maya Site of CalakmulCreated: 2009-11-09 @ 19:57:16 EST
Calakmul is an ancient archaeological site in Mexico, one of the great Maya civilization capital cities during the Late Classic period… - Belgian Anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss, 1908-2009…Created: 2009-11-03 @ 21:39:33 EST Updated: 2009-11-03 @ 22:02:43 EST
Belgian anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss is still quite influential on archaeology today (not to mention philosophy, theology, and literature). His theories, oddly enough, had to do with… - The Indians of Iowa - A book review of The Indians of Iowa…Created: 2009-11-02 @ 20:43:38 EST
The Indians of Iowa is a book of profiles of Native American tribes that resided in what is today the midwestern state of Iowa… - Woolley and the Royal Cemetery at UrCreated: 2009-11-01 @ 07:31:59 EST Updated: 2009-11-01 @ 14:24:08 EST
The ancient city of Ur was excavated by C. Leonard Woolley in the 1920s and 1930s. This photo essay includes several photos taken and plans of the site drawn during Woolley's excavations, provided … - Avoiding Archaeological Disasters - A Book Review…Created: 2009-10-31 @ 08:48:36 EDT
Avoiding Archaeological Disasters looks to be a useful tool for construction project managers to get a sane handle on what could happen, to get the spadework done before the construction starts, an… - Artifacts of the Royal Cemetery of UrCreated: 2009-10-25 @ 10:55:56 EDT
A collection of artifacts from C. Leonard Woolley's excavations of the Royal Cemetery at Ur, and the collection at the University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology… - Ancient City of Ur - Mesopotamian Urban City of Ur…Created: 2009-10-25 @ 10:29:12 EDT Updated: 2009-10-25 @ 10:37:16 EDT
The Mesopotamian city of Ur, known as Tell al-Muqayyar, was an important Sumerian city state between about 2025-1738 BC. … - Megafaunal Extinctions Trivia QuizCreated: 2009-10-11 @ 13:45:10 EDT
A quiz about the Megafaunal Extinctions: sans serif font trivia quiz extinctions document url body background… - Megafaunal Extinctions Quiz ResultsCreated: 2009-10-11 @ 13:45:09 EDT
Thanks for taking our quiz about Megafaunal Extinctions!… - Megafaunal Extinctions Trivia QuizCreated: 2009-10-11 @ 13:42:17 EDT
A quiz about the Megafaunal Extinctions: sans serif font trivia quiz extinctions document url body background… - Archaeology CryptoquotesCreated: 2009-10-10 @ 08:41:33 EDT
Archaeology Cryptoquotes… - Gardar - Viking Estate in the Eastern Settlement of Greenland…Created: 2009-10-05 @ 20:36:57 EDT
Gardar - Viking Estate in the Eastern Settlement of Greenland… - We Three Kings Trivia QuizCreated: 2009-10-04 @ 09:31:39 EDT Updated: 2009-10-04 @ 09:49:32 EDT
A quiz about Three Kings of Ancient History: sans serif font kings trivia trivia quiz document url three kings… - We Three Kings Quiz ResultsCreated: 2009-10-04 @ 09:31:39 EDT Updated: 2009-10-04 @ 09:49:15 EDT
Thanks for taking our quiz about We Three Kings of Ancient History!… - Ardipithecus Ramidus - An Ancient Human Ancestor Surprises…Created: 2009-10-02 @ 07:58:09 EDT
An ancient human ancestor, Ardipithecus ramidus, deals paleontologists a surprise, a surprise supported by intensive research into fossil animal and plant remains, skeletal analysis, and habitat in… - Staffordshire Hoard - Anglo Saxon Gold Staffordshire Hoard…Created: 2009-09-24 @ 11:19:33 EDT Updated: 2009-09-24 @ 13:17:26 EDT
Treasures are displayed as part of the The Staffordshire Hoard, the UK's largest collection of Anglo Saxon treasure ever found, at Birmingham Museum on September 24, 2009 in Birmingham, England. Th… - Linearbandkeramik Quiz ResultsCreated: 2009-09-23 @ 16:05:38 EDT
Thanks for taking our quiz about the Linearbandkeramik!… - Linearbandkeramik Trivia QuizCreated: 2009-09-23 @ 16:05:38 EDT
A quiz about the LBK: sans serif font trivia quiz document url lbk body background… - Slash and Burn - Agricultural Method called Slash and Burn…Created: 2009-09-22 @ 21:18:59 EDT
Slash and burn--also known as swidden or shifting agriculture--is a form of growing crops that involves the rotation of several plots of land. … - Mixed Cropping - Agricultural Technique known as Mixed Cropping…Created: 2009-09-22 @ 18:46:05 EDT Updated: 2009-09-22 @ 21:16:19 EDT
Mixed cropping, also known as inter-cropping or co-cultivation, is a type of agriculture that involves planting two or more of plants simultaneously in the same field… - Ancient Farming - Methods of Ancient FarmingCreated: 2009-09-22 @ 11:33:30 EDT Updated: 2009-09-23 @ 08:05:02 EDT
Ancient farming methods used by farmers throughout the world varied quite a bit. Farmers developed many ways to maintain soils, ward off frost and freeze cycles and protect their crops from animals… - Experiments in Projectile Point Technology - Bibliography of Project…Created: 2009-09-21 @ 10:46:02 EDT Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 15:20:52 EDT
This brief projectile point bibliography includes recent articles from archaeologists about the functions of arrow and spear points, determined at least in part from experimental archaeology… - Western Zhou Chronology and King ListCreated: 2009-09-19 @ 14:46:39 EDT Updated: 2009-09-19 @ 14:51:28 EDT
A list of the recorded kings and leaders of the Western Zhou dynasty, between the rule of King Wen beginning in 1099 BC and that of King You, ending in 771 BC… - Persian Empire Trivia QuizCreated: 2009-09-19 @ 07:50:20 EDT Updated: 2009-09-19 @ 07:55:01 EDT
A quiz about the Persian Empire: sans serif font persian empire trivia quiz document url body background… - Persian Empire Quiz ResultsCreated: 2009-09-19 @ 07:50:20 EDT
Thanks for taking our quiz about the Persian Empire!… - Persian Garden - Model for the Garden of Eden Persian Garden…Created: 2009-09-18 @ 10:31:25 EDT Updated: 2009-09-18 @ 11:27:40 EDT
The Persian garden at Pasargadae is the earliest known garden in the world, and is thought to be the model for the Biblical Garden of Eden. … - Guinea Pigs - History of Guinea PigsCreated: 2009-09-17 @ 13:05:08 EDT Updated: 2009-09-17 @ 13:08:52 EDT
Guinea pigs are small rodents domesticated about seven thousand years ago in South American Andes mountains primarily for food. … - Archaeology Site Types Quiz ResultsCreated: 2009-09-13 @ 15:14:58 EDT Updated: 2009-09-13 @ 15:55:59 EDT
Thanks for taking our quiz about the Archaeology Site Types!… - Archaeology Site Types Trivia QuizCreated: 2009-09-13 @ 15:14:58 EDT
A quiz about Archaeology Site Types: sans serif font trivia quiz document url body background archaeology… - Midden - What is a MiddenCreated: 2009-09-13 @ 14:02:09 EDT
A midden is the archaeological term for a trash heap. Archaeologists love middens, because they contain the broken remains from all kinds of cultural behaviors, including food stuff and broken croc… - Pit House - Ancient House Type called a Pit House…Created: 2009-09-13 @ 10:09:21 EDT
A pit house (also spelled pithouse) is a type of dwelling that was excavated partly into the earth, from a few inches to more than three feet… - Fortified Settlement - Archaeological Site Type called Fortified Set…Created: 2009-09-13 @ 08:58:47 EDT
A fortified settlement is a dwelling, village or urban settlement in prehistory (or history for that matter) that has defensive structures such as moats, enclosures or ramparts… - Upper Paleolithic Textiles from Dzudzuana Cave…Created: 2009-09-12 @ 08:22:08 EDT
Archaeological investigations at Dzudzuana Cave in the Republic of Georgia have recovered flax (Linum usitatissimum) fibers from four Upper Paleolithic occupations, the oldest some 32,000 years old… - Dzudzuana Cave - Early Upper Paleolithic Dzudzuana Cave in Georgia…Created: 2009-09-11 @ 08:09:29 EDT Updated: 2009-09-11 @ 11:26:53 EDT
Dzudzuana is a rockshelter with important, stratified Early Upper Paleolithic occupations, located in the western part of the Republic of Georgia, 5 kilometers east of the similarly dated Ortvale K… - From Hunting to Farming - Mesolithic to Neolithic Transition in Euro…Created: 2009-09-08 @ 15:12:48 EDT
The transition from hunting to farming in central Europe has long been a source of fascination to many. Recent archaeological investigations have improved our understanding of this difficult, viole… - Glass History Quiz Results [About Archaeology]Created: 2009-09-07 @ 08:03:55 EDT
Thanks for taking our quiz about the History of Glass!… - Glass History Trivia QuizCreated: 2009-09-07 @ 08:03:55 EDT
A quiz about the History of Glass: sans serif font trivia quiz history trivia glass history history of glass… - Jwalapuram - Middle Paleolithic Site of Jwalapuram…Created: 2009-08-31 @ 11:12:02 EDT
Jwalapuram is an open air site located in the Jurreru River valley of Kumool district in Andhra Pradesh of southern India, where 7.5 meters of river sediment includes artifacts before and after the… - Aztec Empire Quiz Results [About Archaeology]Created: 2009-08-31 @ 09:57:04 EDT
Thanks for taking our quiz about the Aztec Empire!… - Aztec Empire Trivia QuizCreated: 2009-08-31 @ 09:57:04 EDT
A quiz about the Aztec Empire: sans serif font aztec empire trivia quiz document url body background… - Kurgan - What is a KurganCreated: 2009-08-30 @ 11:06:38 EDT Updated: 2009-08-30 @ 11:11:48 EDT
A kurgan is a type of burial mound built by several groups of nomadic people of central Asia… - Burial Types - Ancient Types of Burials - Burial Types…Created: 2009-08-30 @ 09:33:25 EDT Updated: 2009-08-30 @ 11:19:05 EDT
Over the millennia since the earliest burial, people have buried their dead in many different ways. Each burial type listed on this page includes descriptions, dates and images of typical burials… - The Human Family Tree Migration PathwaysCreated: 2009-08-28 @ 11:33:37 EDT Updated: 2009-08-28 @ 11:53:47 EDT
The Human Family Tree Migration Pathways… - Time Team America Trivia QuizCreated: 2009-08-23 @ 11:18:31 EDT Updated: 2009-08-24 @ 07:40:05 EDT
A quiz about the PBS Series, Time Team America: sans serif font trivia quiz pbs series document url time team… - Time Team America Quiz Results [About Archaeology]Created: 2009-08-23 @ 11:18:31 EDT Updated: 2009-08-24 @ 07:39:39 EDT
Thanks for taking our quiz about the PBS Series, Time Team America!… - Time Team ArchaeologyCreated: 2009-08-23 @ 08:34:39 EDT
Time Team is a television program that started in Britain in 1997 and still airs on Channel 4. Led by actor Tony Robinson, the Time Team drops in on archaeological sites all over the world. The pro… - China Archaeology - the Archaeology of China in PicturesCreated: 2009-08-20 @ 16:00:48 EDT Updated: 2009-08-20 @ 16:10:56 EDT
China Archaeology - the Archaeology of China in Pictures… - Viking TimelineCreated: 2009-08-18 @ 11:54:11 EDT
A Viking Timeline, showing the major events of the Viking Age as they colonized, or attempted to colonize, Europe and North America… - The Vikings - Who Were the VikingsCreated: 2009-08-18 @ 11:31:18 EDT
The Vikings were a farming culture, who originated in Scandinavia about the 4th century AD, and began to spread out and conquer the Europe in the 9th century AD. They were mostly defeated or subsum… - Heat Treatment - Flint Knapping and Heat TreatmentCreated: 2009-08-17 @ 09:37:27 EDT Updated: 2009-08-17 @ 10:49:30 EDT
Heat treatment in stone tool making (or flint knapping) refers to the controlled use of fire on raw lithic material to improve its flaking quality… - Viking Age Trivia QuizCreated: 2009-08-16 @ 10:58:39 EDT
A quiz about the Viking Age: sans serif font trivia quiz document url body background background color… - Viking Age Quiz Results [About Archaeology]Created: 2009-08-16 @ 10:58:39 EDT
Thanks for taking our quiz about the Viking Age!: sans serif font viking timeline quiz results age resources document url… - Academic Viking Archaeological Projects - A List of Academic Project…Created: 2009-08-16 @ 09:01:08 EDT
As I was building the About.com Guide to the Viking Age, I realized how difficult it was for anybody to discover the Viking Age pages in archaeology that are produced by universities. This list of … - The Viking Age - About.com Guide to the Viking AgeCreated: 2009-08-16 @ 08:29:36 EDT
The Viking Age was a time of great change on the European continent. The Viking Age traditionally refers to the period in northern Europe between the first Scandinavian raid on England, in AD 793, … - Eastern Settlement - Norse Settlement of GreenlandCreated: 2009-08-14 @ 14:35:07 EDT
Eastern Settlement - Norse Settlement of Greenland… - Skraelings - Who were the SkraelingCreated: 2009-08-14 @ 14:34:47 EDT
Skraelings is the term used by the Viking settlers of Greenland and the North American continent to describe their direct competition for land in those regions, and there is some active debate amon… - Beginish Island - Viking Settlement on Beginish Island IrelandCreated: 2009-08-14 @ 14:34:06 EDT
Beginish Island is a small island located in the Irish Sea between Valentia Island and the Iveragh peninsula, in County Kerry, Ireland, with the ruins of a 10th century Viking Age settlement… - Viking and Norse Archaeology BibliographyCreated: 2009-08-14 @ 14:33:41 EDT
A bibliography of recent academic journal articles and books about the Vikings and Norse… - Viking Trade - Exchange Networks within Viking TradeCreated: 2009-08-14 @ 14:33:09 EDT
The Vikings had an extensive trade network throughout Europe, based on cod and exotic goods and maintained by a group of tradesmen… - Viking Economics - The Economic System of The VikingsCreated: 2009-08-14 @ 14:25:10 EDT Updated: 2009-08-14 @ 14:29:48 EDT
Over the 300 years of the period called the Viking Age, the economics of the people known as the Vikings changed and adapted, and sometimes failed. … - Landnam - Viking Farm Settlement Practices in Greenland and Iceland …Created: 2009-08-14 @ 11:37:32 EDT Updated: 2009-08-14 @ 14:30:47 EDT
Landnám is the Old Norse word (roughly translated as "land take") which refers to the Viking style of land management practices, widely believed to have led to the environmental … - Longphort - Viking Settlement in Ireland LongphortCreated: 2009-08-14 @ 11:17:12 EDT Updated: 2009-08-14 @ 14:31:02 EDT
A longphort (plural longphuirt) is the name of a permanent stronghold constructed by the Vikings on the shores of Ireland… - Ath Cliath - Viking Longphort in Dublin called Ath CliathCreated: 2009-08-14 @ 11:08:47 EDT Updated: 2009-08-14 @ 14:31:20 EDT
Áth Cliath is the name of a Viking longphort established at least as early as 841 AD at what was to become Dublin, Ireland. … - Viking Social Structure - Class Systems and the Viking Social Struct…Created: 2009-08-14 @ 10:47:46 EDT Updated: 2009-08-14 @ 14:30:18 EDT
Viking society is traditionally described as highly stratified, with three classes as written into mythology, slaves (thrall), farmers (karl), and aristocracy (jarl or earl)V… - Viking Villages - Settlement Strategies of the VikingsCreated: 2009-08-14 @ 10:14:42 EDT Updated: 2009-08-14 @ 14:31:38 EDT
Viking settlers lived not so much in villages, but rather on isolated, regularly spaced farmsteads surrounded by grain fields, and led by chieftainships with multiple farmsteads… - Viking Raids - The Early Medieval Practice of Viking RaidsCreated: 2009-08-13 @ 16:42:46 EDT Updated: 2009-08-14 @ 14:29:15 EDT
Viking raids were a characteristic of the Scandinavian early medieval pirates called the Vikings, particularly during the first 50 years of the Viking Age (~793-850)… - Silbury Hill - Enormous Man Made Mound Silbury HillCreated: 2009-08-05 @ 15:58:05 EDT Updated: 2009-08-05 @ 16:00:05 EDT
The site of Silbury Hill is a gigantic flat-topped earthwork, in Wiltshire, England, and it is in fact the largest prehistoric man-made mound in prehistoric Europe… - Time Team America - Resources for Time Team AmericaCreated: 2009-08-02 @ 15:03:41 EDT Updated: 2009-08-02 @ 18:34:20 EDT
The very first program for Time Team America is on Fort Raleigh, the first English colony located in the Americas… - History of ClovisCreated: 2009-07-29 @ 11:03:00 EDT
Do you think Clovis was first? Do you agree with the "Black Mat" theory? Here's where you can weigh in... … - Aryan Invasion Theory - Alternative ExplanationsCreated: 2009-07-29 @ 10:43:33 EDT
Do you have an alternative explanation for the Aryan Invasion than that presented here? … - Eddie Izzard on the Time Team - Archaeology QuotationsCreated: 2009-07-27 @ 10:32:20 EDT
Stand up comedian visited Britain's Time Team, when they were excavating a Roman period site, and in this bit from Sexie, he describes the experience. … - Fremont People - Archaeological Culture of the Great Basin Fremont P…Created: 2009-07-27 @ 10:10:07 EDT
- What I Like (or Don't Like) about the Time Team ProgramsCreated: 2009-07-20 @ 10:34:51 EDT
A place for users to comment on the Time Team programs, either the original Time Team or the new Time Team America… - Cassava or Manioc - the Domestication of CassavaCreated: 2009-07-15 @ 16:02:53 EDT Updated: 2009-07-16 @ 09:54:53 EDT
Cassava (Manihot esculenta), also known as manioc, tapioca, yuca and mandioca, is a domesticated species of tuber, originally domesticated on the southwestern border of the Amazon Basin. … - Archaeology FAQ: A Career in ArchaeologyUpdated: 2009-11-09 @ 07:45:31 EST
What kind of job can I get in archaeology? Does it pay well? Do you have to work when it's hot? These are the questions that everyone who is thinking about being an archaeologist wants to know. … - Claude Lévi-StraussUpdated: 2009-11-03 @ 21:14:08 EST
A brief description of the career of Claude Levi-Strauss… - Claude Levi-Strauss on the Richness of the Past - Archaeology Quotat…Updated: 2009-11-03 @ 20:48:17 EST
Anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss weighs in on the immense riches of the human race, from Tristes Tropiques… - Nazca - Timeline and Definition of the Nazca Civilization…Updated: 2009-11-01 @ 19:12:07 EST
The Nazca (often spelled Nasca in archaeological texts) civilization was located in the Nasca region as defined by the Ica and Grande river drainages, on the southern coast of Peru between about AD… - Amelia Earhart and Archaeology - Archaeological Investigations into…Updated: 2009-10-27 @ 08:29:14 EDT
Amelia Earhart's disappearance in 1937 has long been a fascinating mystery. In this article, Thomas F. King, Senior Archaeologist of the TIGHAR project, reports on recent archaeological evidence co… - Rose Cottage Cave (South Africa)Updated: 2009-10-25 @ 12:51:12 EDT
Rose Cottage is a Middle Paleolithic (Howiesons Poort) cave site located in the eastern Free State of South Africa. … - Ur - Ancient Mesopotamian City of Ur in IraqUpdated: 2009-10-20 @ 08:14:02 EDT
The archaeological ruins of the Mesopotamian capital city of Ur, also known as Tell al-Muqayyar, is located near the modern town of Nasiriya in southern Iraq… - Baltic Amber - History of the Amber Trade and Baltic Amber…Updated: 2009-10-14 @ 08:23:19 EDT
Baltic amber is a fossilized tree resin which formed about 60 million years ago and was actively traded beginning in the Mesolithic period of Europe. … - Blogging for Archaeology Outreach: The Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeologi…Updated: 2009-10-14 @ 08:21:23 EDT
The Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project website, called Official and Unofficial, is an innovative use of the weblog for public outreach… - Flores Man: A BibliographyUpdated: 2009-10-14 @ 08:20:26 EDT
A bibliography on the hominid known as Flores man… - Smoke Pfeiffer's Directory of National and International Archaeologi…Updated: 2009-10-14 @ 08:19:42 EDT
National and international archaeological societies, derived from Michael "Smoke" Pfeiffer's Directory of Archaeological Societies… - Egypt and Egyptology - Archaeology Graduate Schools by Program Focus…Updated: 2009-10-14 @ 08:18:06 EDT
A catalogue of archaeological departments that are focused on the study of Egypt and Egyptology. … - An Unnamed Roman Emperor Comments on the Good Life - Archaeology Quo…Updated: 2009-10-14 @ 08:13:29 EDT
In the medieval manuscript Gesta Romanorum is reported this comment, said to have been written on the sarcophagus of an ancient Roman emperor. … - Vindija Cave - What and Where is Vindija Cave…Updated: 2009-10-12 @ 19:58:58 EDT
Vindija Cave is a stratified archaeological site in Croatia, which has several occupations associated with both Neanderthals and Anatomically Modern Humans (AMH). … - Archaeology Games and QuizzesUpdated: 2009-10-12 @ 07:35:22 EDT
A collection of games and quizzes about various topics in archaeology… - Giant Ground Sloth Extinction in the Americas…Updated: 2009-10-11 @ 10:56:07 EDT
A news story from researchers at the University of Florida suggests megafaunal extinctions may have been the result of human predation, rather than climate change… - Megafauna Extinctions - What were the Megafauna Extinctions…Updated: 2009-10-11 @ 10:53:22 EDT
At the end of the last ice age (ca 15,000-10,000 years ago), 85 percent of the large mammals (called megafauna) went extinct. … - Megafauna - A Definition of MegafaunaUpdated: 2009-10-11 @ 10:32:55 EDT
Megafauna is a term used by archaeologists and paleontologist to refer to large-bodied mammals, that is, any mammal weighing more than 100 pounds (45 kilograms)… - Moche Culture - Timeline and Description of the Moche Culture…Updated: 2009-10-11 @ 08:40:18 EDT
The Moche culture was a South American society, whose sites were located along the arid coast of what is now Peru between 100 and 800 AD… - Loren Eiseley on Melancholy Secrets - Archaeology Quotations…Updated: 2009-10-10 @ 10:57:37 EDT
Philosopher Loren Eiseley (1907-1977) was a wonderful writer of natural and cultural matters. Here's a quotation from his book The Night Country… - Doug Charles on Shades of the Past - Archaeology Quotations…Updated: 2009-10-10 @ 10:11:15 EDT
Doug Charles the possibilities of the different interpretations of the past, in this quote from an article in the American Anthropologist. … - Ahrensburg CultureUpdated: 2009-10-04 @ 14:10:41 EDT
The Ahrensburg culture is the name archaeologists have given to the early prehistoric (transitional Late Paleolithic to Mesolithic) culture of Scandinavia, 12,500-9000 BC… - AMS (Accelerator Mass Spectrometry) Radiocarbon Dating …Updated: 2009-10-04 @ 13:22:23 EDT
AMS radiocarbon dating is a form of radiocarbon dating that is more precise and requires less carbon than conventional radiocarbon methods. … - Silk Road - The Archaeology and History of the Silk Road…Updated: 2009-10-04 @ 08:18:10 EDT
The Silk Road (or Silk Route) is the name given to a network of trade routes crossing Asia, first reported to have been used during the Han Dynasty [206 BC-220 AD] in China… - A Walking Tour of Machu Picchu, PeruUpdated: 2009-10-04 @ 08:15:22 EDT
The residential palace of the Inca king Pachacuti has drawn tourists from all over the world because of its lovely impossible location at the edge of the world. Gina Carey was at Machu Picchu durin… - Human History - Archaeological Guide to Human HistoryUpdated: 2009-10-04 @ 08:02:12 EDT
Archaeologists study humans and human behaviors, and the data they produce help to understand the past, present and future. The time lines they study begin with prehumans (Australopithecus) and con… - Archaeology Definition - Several Forms of an Archaeology Definition…Updated: 2009-09-28 @ 20:14:14 EDT
What is Archaeology? The study of archaeology has been defined in a number of silly and serious ways. Here's a collection of pithy quotes from archaeologists and non-archaeologists… - Imhotep [2667-2648 BC]Updated: 2009-09-24 @ 15:12:13 EDT
The architect, vizier, wizard, doctor, and scribe named Imhotep is a most maligned and mysterious figure of Egypt's Old Kingdom, and one of the few non-royal people known from the period… - Robert Broom [1866-1951]Updated: 2009-09-24 @ 15:09:14 EDT
Robert Brooom was a Scots-born South African paleontologist, and a specialist in Australopithecines. His work included excavations and study at Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, and Kromdraai… - The Sphinx: A Poem by Ralph Waldo EmersonUpdated: 2009-09-24 @ 14:56:32 EDT
During the 19th century, many of the planet's great writers and poets wandered into the ruins of the ancient world. Ralph Waldo Emerson was one of them; The Sphinx, published in 1841, is his poetic… - Linearbandkeramik Culture - What is the Linearbandkeramik Culture…Updated: 2009-09-23 @ 13:37:05 EDT
The Linearbandkeramik Culture (LBK) is the name given by German archaeologist F. Klopfleisch in 1884 to the first true farming communities in central Europe… - Swifterbant Site and Culture - The Netherlands Neolithic Transition …Updated: 2009-09-23 @ 11:30:23 EDT
Swifterbant is the name of the type sites of the Swifterbant culture, a Late Mesolithic and Neolithic culture located in the Netherlands… - Subsistence - What is Subsistence Updated: 2009-09-22 @ 21:12:26 EDT
Subsistence, to an archaeologist anyway, refers to the suite of behaviors that humans use to feed themselves… - Sedentism - What is SedentismUpdated: 2009-09-22 @ 21:10:59 EDT
Sedentism is the term archaeologists use to describe the process of settling down. … - Seasonality - What is SeasonalityUpdated: 2009-09-22 @ 21:07:09 EDT
Archaeologists use the term 'seasonality' to mean the part of a year a particular activity takes place. … - Pastoralism - What is PastoralismUpdated: 2009-09-22 @ 21:04:46 EDT
Pastoralism is the name given to the way of life in which people herd animals. … - Horticulture - What is HorticultureUpdated: 2009-09-22 @ 21:02:09 EDT
The archaeological use of the term horticulture is used to describe a subsistence strategy between hunting and gathering and full fledged agriculture. … - Agricultural Field SystemsUpdated: 2009-09-22 @ 20:58:56 EDT
A "field system" generally refers to the innovative prehistoric and historic agricultural programs with elements such as raised fields, irrigation ditches, and the use of natural fertiliz… - Horticulture and Gardening - A BibliographyUpdated: 2009-09-22 @ 11:11:53 EDT
A bibliography of horticulture and gardening, from an archaeological perspective… - Did Schliemann Find Troy - Homeric QuestionsUpdated: 2009-09-22 @ 10:28:21 EDT
Heinrich Schleimann believed that the site of Hisarlik was in fact the ancient city of Troy. But was he right? A description of the archaeological evidence at Hisarlik… - Clovis First vs. Pre-Clovis: A Bibliography of the New World Entrada…Updated: 2009-09-22 @ 10:19:20 EDT
A bibliography of articles and books on the Clovis period and its possible precursor, Pre-Clovis… - Linearbandkeramik Bibliography - A Bibliography of the Linearbandker…Updated: 2009-09-22 @ 08:43:13 EDT
The first true farming communities in Europe are called the Linearbandkeramik, or LBK for short. This bibliography was built to go along with the About.com guide to the LBK… - Yazilikaya Relief Carving: Hattusha, Capital City of the Hittite Emp…Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 18:19:16 EDT
This carving at the rock shrine of Yazilikaya illustrates two female gods, with long pleated skirts, curly-toed shoes, earrings and high headdresses… - Relief Carving, Yazilikaya: Hattusha, Capital City of the Hittite Em…Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 18:19:08 EDT
This rock relief at Yazilikaya shows a carving of the Hittite king Tudhaliya IV being embraced by his personal god Sarruma… - Demon Carving at Yazilikaya: Hattusha, Capital City of the Hittite E…Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 18:19:00 EDT
Yazilikaya is a rock sanctuary located just outside the city walls of Hattusha, and it is known world wide for its numerous carved rock reliefs… - Yazilikaya: Rock Shrine of the Ancient Hittite Civilization: Hattush…Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 18:18:54 EDT
Yazilikaya (the House of the Weather God) is a rock sanctuary located up against a rock outcrop outside of the HIttite city of Hattusha, used for special religious festivals… - The Palace of Buyukkale: Hattusha, Capital City of the Hittite Empir…Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 18:18:47 EDT
The Palace or Fortress of Buyukkale contains the ruins at least two structures, the earliest from the pre-Hittite period, with a Hittite temple built essentially on top of the earlier ruins… - Underground Chamber at Hattusha, Capital City of the Hittite Empire…Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 18:18:41 EDT
One of eight subterranean chambers or 'posterns' lying underneath the old city of Hattusha, and among the oldest structures in the Hittite capital… - Underground Passage at Hattusha, Capital City of the Hittite Empire…Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 18:18:34 EDT
A triangular stone passage is one of several subterranean passages which travel beneath the lower city of the Hittite capital of Hattusha. … - Hieroglyph Chamber: Hattusha, Capital City of the Hittite Empire…Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 18:18:28 EDT
The Hieroglyph Chamber is located near the southern Citadel. The reliefs carved into the walls represent Hittite deities and rulers of Hattusha… - Sacred Pool and Chamber at Hattusha, Capital City of the Hittite Emp…Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 18:18:21 EDT
Adjacent to the sacred pools at Hattusha are underground chambers, of unknown use, possibly for storage or religious reasons. At the center of the wall at the top of the rise is a sacred niche… - Cultic Pool at Hattusha, Capital City of the Hittite Empire…Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 18:18:11 EDT
At least two cultic water basins, one decorated with crouching lion relief, the other undecorated, were part of the religious practices at Hattusha. This large pool likely contained purifying rain … - Lion Water Basin at Hattusha, Capital City of the Hittite Empire…Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 18:18:04 EDT
On the road from the palace at Buyukkale, right in front of the Great Temple's northern gate, is this five-meter long water basin, carved with the relief of crouching lions. It may have contained w… - The Great Temple of Hattusha, Capital City of the Hittite Empire…Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 18:17:58 EDT
The Great Temple at Hattusha was built during the reign of Hattusili III, during the height of the Hittite Empire. … - The Lion Gate at Hattusha: City of the Hittites…Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 18:17:50 EDT
The southwestern gate of the upper city of Hattusha was guarded by a pair of stone lions standing at the base of a parabola arch and guard towers. … - The Lower City of Hattusha, Capital City of the Hittite Empire…Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 18:17:40 EDT
The lower city of the Hittite Empire capital of Hattusha is the oldest part of the city, built before the mid-eighteenth century BC by the Hatti civilization. … - The Upper City of Hattusha, Capital City of the Hittite Empire…Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 18:17:32 EDT
A general overview of the city of Hattusha and an introduction to the capital city of the Hittite empire and its archaeology; photo by Nazli Evrim Serifoglu… - A Photo Essay of the Hittites: Hattusha, Capital City of the Hittite…Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 18:17:13 EDT
A photo essay of the Hittite site of Hattusha. The Hittite empire ruled what is now Turkey from 1650 to 1200 BC, from its capital city of Hattusha. Archaeological excavations at the site of Hattush… - Dugouts and Dugout Dwellings: Immigrant Housing in 19th-century Minn…Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 18:11:58 EDT
Dugouts were a kind of housing used by European pioneers as first homes as they established their farmsteads in the northern middle west of the United States. Archaeologist Donald Linebaugh excavat… - Recreating Raised Field Agriculture in Bolivia - A Lesson in Applied…Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 18:06:16 EDT
In Part 2 of our interview, University of Pennsylvania archaeologist Clark Erickson discusses how he and his colleagues went about recreating ancient forms of agriculture in the Lake Titicaca regio… - Olmec Writing? The Cascajal Block Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 17:24:45 EDT
Photographs of the large serpentine block discovered in a gravel quarry in the state of Veracruz, Mexico, and carved with 62 glyphic signs. The Cascahal block appears to be the oldest form of a wri… - Cascajal Closeup: Earliest Writing in Americas? …Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 17:13:17 EDT
Cascajal Closeup: Earliest Writing in Americas? … - Cascajal Closeup: Earliest Writing in Americas? …Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 17:13:08 EDT
Cascajal Closeup: Earliest Writing in Americas? … - Cascajal Closeup: Earliest Writing in Americas? …Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 17:12:55 EDT
Cascajal Closeup: Earliest Writing in Americas? … - Cascajal Closeup: Earliest Writing in Americas? …Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 17:12:46 EDT
Cascajal Closeup: Earliest Writing in Americas? … - Cascajal Block: Epigraphic Drawing
Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 17:12:34 EDT
Cascajal Block: Epigraphic Drawing … - Enhanced Photograph of the Cascajal BlockUpdated: 2009-09-21 @ 17:12:21 EDT
This image is slightly enhanced to allow a little better viewing of the detail. You may be able to tell from this photograph that the surface has been weathered, and a patina is apparent on the inc… - The Cascajal block, Veracruz, Mexico.Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 17:12:02 EDT
The block weighs 12 kilograms and is 36 centimeters long, 21 centimeters wide and 13 centimeters thick, and it is made of native serpentine. The object is pillow-shaped in cross-section, with five … - The Cascajal Block: Evidence of Early Olmec Writing…Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 17:04:39 EDT
Side view of Cascajal block, Veracruz, Mexico… - Astronomical ObservatoriesUpdated: 2009-09-21 @ 15:18:20 EDT
Astronomical observatories have been built by humans for thousands of years, all over the world. Here's a selection of the some of the most interesting observatories from our ancient past… - Arrowheads: Top Myths and Facts about Arrowheads…Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 10:59:23 EDT
Arrowheads are among the most easily recognized artifact in the world. These little tools are often the subject of a number of myths, legends and misconceptions; here is a description of the five t… - Sparta (Greece)Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 08:30:29 EDT
Sparta was one of several city states that arose in Greece during the Classical period (others include Athens, Corinth, and Thebes)… - Tirana Mosque of Et'hem Bey, AlbaniaUpdated: 2009-09-21 @ 08:24:53 EDT
Tirana Mosque of Et'hem Bey, Albania… - Coprolite - What is a CoproliteUpdated: 2009-09-21 @ 08:12:40 EDT
Coprolite is the name given to fossil feces, preserved human excrement discovered in an archaeological context… - Behistun Inscription - What is the Behistun Inscription…Updated: 2009-09-19 @ 09:19:23 EDT
The Behistun inscription is a "rosetta stone" for Old Persian, Elamite, and Akkadian language… - Persian Empire - Timeline and Definition of the Persian Empire…Updated: 2009-09-19 @ 09:18:35 EDT
At its height about 500 BC, the Persian empire had conquered Asia as far as the Indus River, Greece, and North Africa including what is now Egypt and Libya… - Achaemenid Dynasty Timeline and DescriptionUpdated: 2009-09-18 @ 15:24:44 EDT
The Achaemenids were the ruling dynasty of Cyrus the Great and his family over the Persian empire, from 550-330 BC, when it was conquered by Alexander the Great. … - Seleucid EmpireUpdated: 2009-09-18 @ 14:38:32 EDT
After Alexander the Great died, his empire fractured into numerous satrapies, one of which was the Seleucid Empire… - Merv Oasis - What is the Merv OasisUpdated: 2009-09-18 @ 12:23:37 EDT
The Merv Oasis is located in the delta of the Murghab River in what is today southeastern Turkmenistan, about 200 kilometers north of the town of Takhta Bazar… - The Royal Road of the Achaemenids - The Royal Road…Updated: 2009-09-18 @ 11:50:07 EDT
The Royal Road was a major intercontinental thoroughfare built by the Achaemenid king Darius the Great (521-485 BC), to allow access to their conquered cities. It is also the road that Alexander th… - Pasargadae - Achmaenid Dynasty Capital of Pasargadae…Updated: 2009-09-18 @ 10:19:38 EDT
Pasargadae was the ancient capital city of the Achaemenid Dynasty built by Cyrus II (also known as Cyrus the Great) in the 6th century BC. … - Nimrud, IraqUpdated: 2009-09-18 @ 08:31:47 EDT
The archaeological site of Nimrud is one of the most important Assyrian sites in the world… - Persepolis - What and Where is PersepolisUpdated: 2009-09-18 @ 08:21:11 EDT
The archaeological site of Persepolis was part of the Achaemenid Dynasty of the Persian Empire, established by King Darius about 515 BC… - Ruth Benedict on the Purpose of Anthropology - Archaeology Quotation…Updated: 2009-09-17 @ 16:56:38 EDT
Anthropologist Ruth Benedict on why she believes the study of anthropology is a useful one. … - Animal Domestication - Table of Dates and Places of Animal Domestica…Updated: 2009-09-17 @ 13:11:24 EDT
Domestication is the process of genetically adapting an animal or plant to better suit the needs of human beings; this page includes a definition of domestication and a table of domestication dates… - William Least Heat Moon on the Lack of Yesterdays on the Road - Arch…Updated: 2009-09-16 @ 09:52:33 EDT
William Least Heat Moon's Blue Highways was a song of the road for a generation. … - Geoglyphs - What Are GeoglyphsUpdated: 2009-09-13 @ 13:45:15 EDT
Geoglyphs are works of art that were made from moving or arranging stones or earth on a landscape. … - Temples - What Archaeologists call Shrines or Temples…Updated: 2009-09-13 @ 13:37:08 EDT
Basically, archaeologists think of the word temple as meaning one of three kinds of shrines… - Monumental Architecture - What is Monumental Architecture…Updated: 2009-09-13 @ 13:35:29 EDT
Monumental architecture, at an archaeological site, refers to large man-made structures of stone or earth… - Causeways - What is a CausewayUpdated: 2009-09-13 @ 12:39:54 EDT
A causeway is an early form of transportation system, consisting of a narrow, man-made earthen or rock structure that bridged a waterway. … - Quarry Sites - What is a Quarry SiteUpdated: 2009-09-13 @ 10:55:25 EDT
A quarry or mine site is where raw material--stone or metal ore--was mined for use as building material or tool construction. … - Fish Weir - What is a Fish WeirUpdated: 2009-09-13 @ 10:23:06 EDT
A fish weir or fish trap is a step forward in fishing technology, used in North America for the past several thousand years… - Walking Tour of Sannai Maruyama - Jomon Living at Sannai Maruyama…Updated: 2009-09-13 @ 09:53:30 EDT
A photo essay on what archaeology has discovered about the Jomon as seen at the Sannai Maruyama site… - Desert Castles - What are Desert CastlesUpdated: 2009-09-13 @ 09:50:22 EDT
Desert castles are Islamic fortifications built during the earliest days of Islamic expansion, in the 8th century AD. … - Cliff Dwellings - What are Cliff DwellingsUpdated: 2009-09-13 @ 09:39:42 EDT
The term "Cliff dwellings" generally refers to Anasazi culture sites such as Mesa Verde, Colorado in the United States that have residences built right into the sheer cliffs of mountains… - Mammoth Bone DwellingsUpdated: 2009-09-13 @ 09:36:24 EDT
A mammoth bone dwelling is a very early type of housing used by hunter gatherers in central Europe during the Late Pleistocene and constructed substantially of the bones and tusks of ancient mammot… - Hill Forts - What are Hill FortsUpdated: 2009-09-13 @ 08:59:56 EDT
Hill forts in archaeology describe dwellings or settlements built with defensive structures such as enclosures, moats, or ramparts, generally built in Europe during the late Bronze Age and Iron Age… - Uruk - Mesopotamian city of UrukUpdated: 2009-09-13 @ 08:34:37 EDT
The ancient Mesopotamian capital of Uruk is located on an abandoned channel of the Euphrates river about 155 miles south of Baghdad… - Mesopotamia Timeline and DefinitionUpdated: 2009-09-13 @ 08:20:21 EDT
Mesopotamia is an ancient civilization that took up pretty much everything that today is modern Iraq, a triangular patch wedged between the Tigris River, the Zagros Mountains, and the Lesser Zab Ri… - History of Shoes - Footwear and Shoes History…Updated: 2009-09-11 @ 09:13:39 EDT
Evidence for the earliest use of shoes--protective covering of the foot--appears to date from the Middle Paleolithic period of approximately 40,000 years ago. … - Mezhirich (Ukraine)Updated: 2009-09-11 @ 08:58:45 EDT
The archaeological site of Mezhirich is an Upper Paleolithic site located in Ukraine near Kiev, and it is one of the best preserved sites of its type excavated to date… - RCYBP - Radio Carbon Years Before the Present or RCYBP…Updated: 2009-09-10 @ 15:38:14 EDT
RCYBP (Radio Carbon Years Before the Present and abbreviated in many different ways) is a shorthand reference to the uncalibrated date recovered from carbon 14 dating. … - Underwater, Maritime and Marine - Archaeology Graduate Schools by Pr…Updated: 2009-09-10 @ 10:48:16 EDT
Programs that provide advanced training in underwater, marine, and maritime archaeology. … - George Lucas on Maya Archaeology - Archaeology Quotations…Updated: 2009-09-07 @ 11:58:32 EDT
This is what archaeologists speculate director George Lucas said when he saw the Maya site of Tikal in 1976. … - Plant Domestication - History of Plant Domestication - Table of Date…Updated: 2009-09-07 @ 11:43:46 EDT
A table of dates, places, and links to further detailed information about the domestication of plants… - The Solutrean-Clovis Connection - Peopling America Theory called So…Updated: 2009-09-07 @ 11:34:30 EDT
The Solutrean-Clovis connection is a theory suggesting that the original human colonizers of the North American continent were direct descendants of Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherers from the Iber… - Glass - An Illustrated History of GlassUpdated: 2009-09-06 @ 15:52:23 EDT
Glass is a transparent hard substance created by the application of enormous amounts of heat to sand or quartz. Nature's glass is made by volcanic action, superheating and creating the substance ca… - A Glass Making Workshop for Ramses the GreatUpdated: 2009-09-06 @ 13:24:40 EDT
Excavations at the New Kingdom Egyptian capital of Piramesses have identified an early glass making workshop, built under and no doubt for the use of the glass artisans in the court of Ramesses II… - Iulia Felix (Italy) - Roman Shipwreck of Iulia Felix…Updated: 2009-09-06 @ 10:26:41 EDT
The Iulia Felix (also spelled Julia Felix) is the name of a Roman ship wrecked in the Adriatic Sea six miles off the coast of the town Grado during the last part of the 2nd century or first half of… - Sidon - Phoenician City State and Harbor Sidon…Updated: 2009-09-06 @ 10:17:31 EDT
The archaeological site of Sidon includes the ruins of what was an important city-state of the Iron Age civilization of Phoenicia also called Canaan, and the center port for trade between Assyria, … - Archaeology Around the WorldUpdated: 2009-09-06 @ 10:10:13 EDT
Archaeology is practiced in all of the seven continents and most of the countries in the world. Archaeologists come from many of these countries as well. Here you'll find resources both to the cult… - Faience - What is FaienceUpdated: 2009-09-06 @ 09:07:35 EDT
Ancient faience is a completely manufactured material created (one assumes) to imitate the bright colors and gloss of hard-to-get gems and used in jewelry throughout Egypt and the Near East beginni… - Torcello - Glass-Making Workshops in the Venetian Lagoon at Torcello…Updated: 2009-09-06 @ 08:55:24 EDT
Torcello is the name of an island in the Venetian lagoon, where evidence for the development of Venetian glass-making arising from that of the Romans has been identified… - Aquileia - Roman Empire Center of AquileiaUpdated: 2009-09-06 @ 08:53:59 EDT
Aquileia is an important archaeological site in northern Italy, and it was one of the richest Roman towns during the imperial period… - Dog History - Domestication and Dog HistoryUpdated: 2009-09-05 @ 09:21:26 EDT
When and where the partnership of dog and humans first occurred is currently under considerable debate. … - Archaeology FAQ: Why Do Conquering Civilizations Rebuild in the Sam…Updated: 2009-09-03 @ 11:10:57 EDT
After one civilization conquers another's land, why did they often rebuild in the same exact place, over the top of the ruins of the previous buildings? A few guesses might be in order. … - Maxine Singer on the Thread Holding Us Together - Archaeology Quotat…Updated: 2009-08-31 @ 11:29:46 EDT
A quote from neuroscientist Maxine Singer, president of the Carnegie Institute, on what thread holds the sciences together… - Aztecs - Study Guide to the AztecsUpdated: 2009-08-30 @ 17:40:23 EDT
The Aztec civilization was the last great precolumbian civilization on the American continents. This study guide is a capsule description of the important elements of the Aztecs, some facts and fig… - Tlaxcala (Mexico) Updated: 2009-08-30 @ 16:50:33 EDT
Tlaxcala is the name of the state and its capital city in Mexico; and one of the rival city states with the Aztec nation in the mid-15th century AD… - Urnfield CemeteryUpdated: 2009-08-30 @ 11:24:20 EDT
An urnfield cemetery, or jar burial, is a type of secondary burial that involves placing the cremated body of a deceased person into a large jar or urn, within a large defined cemetery area. … - KhirigsuurUpdated: 2009-08-30 @ 10:15:20 EDT
A khirigsuur is a type of monument found on Bronze Age sites in the Mongolian region of China… - Cairn - What is a CairnUpdated: 2009-08-30 @ 09:37:22 EDT
A cairn is, in essence, an intentionally-laid pile of rocks. … - Olduvai Gorge, TanzaniaUpdated: 2009-08-29 @ 10:06:22 EDT
Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania is an ancient hominid archaeological site in Tanzania, excavated by the Leakeys in the mid-1950s. … - Inca - Study Guide of the Inca - Inca Empire Study Guide…Updated: 2009-08-29 @ 09:46:04 EDT
The Inca were the largest pre-hispanic empire of South America when it was 'discovered' by the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century AD… - Oldowan Tradition - The Lower Paleolithic Oldowan Tradition…Updated: 2009-08-28 @ 12:42:27 EDT
The Oldowan Tradition is the name given to a pattern of stone-tool making by our hominid ancestors, some 2.5 million years ago. … - Lokalalei - Lower Paleolithic Complex of Lokalalei…Updated: 2009-08-28 @ 12:39:57 EDT
The Lower Paleolithic archaeological sites called Lokalalei are located in the Lake Turkana region of Kenya, and are dated between 2.3 and 2.4 million years old. … - Gona - The Lower Paleolithic Site of GonaUpdated: 2009-08-28 @ 12:39:00 EDT
At 2.6 million years old, the Lower Paleolithic site called Gona or Kada Gona in Ethiopia is the earliest site yet to contain evidence of chipped stone tool making… - Southern Dispersal Route - What is the Southern Dispersal Route…Updated: 2009-08-28 @ 10:24:41 EDT
The Southern Dispersal Route refers to a theory concerning an early migration of modern human beings from southern Africa to the east along the coastlines of Africa, Arabia and India to Australia a… - Middle Paleolithic - Timeline of the Middle Paleolithic…Updated: 2009-08-28 @ 10:18:00 EDT
The Middle Paleolithic period (ca 200,000 to 45,000 years ago or so) is the period during which Archaic humans including Homo sapiens neanderthalensis appeared and flourished all over the world. … - Lost Bodies - Archaeological Site Type of Lost BodiesUpdated: 2009-08-24 @ 09:18:11 EDT
One kind of site type that doesn't really have a name, per se, but certainly happens often enough, is what I'm calling a "lost body". … - Medieval, Byzantine and Ottoman Periods - Archaeology Graduate Schoo…Updated: 2009-08-22 @ 11:10:02 EDT
A list of academic programs that emphasize the study of the Byzantine, Ottoman, and Medieval periods in history as archaeological studies. … - Applying to Grad School - The Application Process From the Universi…Updated: 2009-08-22 @ 11:08:33 EDT
Graduate student applications go through a process at the university departments to which they are sent. This process, while somewhat long and involved, is standard or nearly so in most university … - Guide to Graduate Schools in Archaeology - Alphabetic Listing U-ZUpdated: 2009-08-22 @ 11:07:08 EDT
A listing of all the universities in the world that award post-graduate degrees in archaeology, whether in religion, classics, ancient history, geology, anthropology or archaeology departments… - Megalithic MonumentsUpdated: 2009-08-22 @ 09:38:19 EDT
Megalithic monuments are huge hunks of stone that were assembled or brought together by our prehistoric ancestors for reasons of their own. Here's the latest ideas on what… - Patty Jo Watson [born 1932]Updated: 2009-08-21 @ 11:34:55 EDT
American archaeologist Patty Jo Watson is a true pioneer in 20th century archaeology… - Anthony F. C. Wallace Asks When is Now? - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2009-08-19 @ 09:36:36 EDT
Historian and writer Anthony F. C. Wallace made this observation about the slipperiness of time in an interview for Ethnohistory. … - Chankillo Photographs - Astronomical Observatory Photos of ChankilloUpdated: 2009-08-18 @ 12:20:11 EDT
A selection of photographs from the prehistoric Chankillo astronomical observatory of Peru, by Ivan Ghezzi… - Recent Cosmic Impacts on Earth - Do Global Myths Reflect an Ancient …Updated: 2009-08-18 @ 12:16:01 EDT
In this essay, contributor Thomas F. King describes the work of archaeologist Bruce Masse, who uses the nascent subfield of geomythology to trace world reactions to a postulated comet crash ca 2800… - Nenana Complex - What is the Nenana ComplexUpdated: 2009-08-18 @ 12:10:33 EDT
The Nenana Valley of central Alaska is the site of one of the earliest archaeological occupations in the North American continent… - Blackwater Draw - The Archaeological Site of Blackwater DrawUpdated: 2009-08-18 @ 12:08:45 EDT
Eleven thousand years ago, a small lake near Clovis, New Mexico, was populated with extinct forms of elephant, wolf, bison, and horse, and the people who hunted them… - Pinnacle Point - What is Pinnacle PointUpdated: 2009-08-17 @ 10:48:36 EDT
PP13B is the scientific designation for a sea cave in the coastal cliffs at Pinnacle Point near Mossel Bay, South Africa. … - Flint Knapping - What is Flint KnappingUpdated: 2009-08-17 @ 10:07:56 EDT
Flint knapping is the process by which stone tools are made… - L'Anse aux Meadows - Viking Settlement in North America L'Anse aux M…Updated: 2009-08-16 @ 09:42:38 EDT
Archaeological excavations in Newfoundland, Canada, reveal evidence of a failed Viking colony on the Atlantic shore of the American continent… - Oseberg - Viking Ship Burial of OsebergUpdated: 2009-08-14 @ 14:37:09 EDT
The Oseberg is a Viking boat-grave excavated in Norway in 1904 and probably dated to about 830 AD. … - Dorestad - What is DorestadUpdated: 2009-08-14 @ 14:36:51 EDT
Dorestad is the name of a Medieval coastal trading site located in the delta region of the Rhine and Maas rivers in the Netherlands, occupied between about 675-875 AD. … - Hofstadir - Icelandic Viking Site of HofstadirUpdated: 2009-08-14 @ 14:34:25 EDT
Hofstaðir is the name of a Viking settlement located in northeastern Iceland, where archaeological and oral history reports a pagan temple was located… - Viking Silver - Hoards of Viking SilverUpdated: 2009-08-14 @ 14:31:55 EDT
Viking silver is another name referring to a hoard is a stash of (mostly) silver coins, ingots, personal ornaments and fragmented metal left in buried deposits throughout the Viking empire between … - Phaistos Disk - What is the Phaistos DiskUpdated: 2009-08-12 @ 15:51:43 EDT
The Phaistos Disk is the name given to a pottery disk, both sides impressed with mysterious symbols and said to have been discovered by Italian archaeologist Luigi Pernier at the Minoan palace of P… - Nathan Light on the Mental Prison of Myths - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2009-07-13 @ 12:35:23 EDT
A quote from archaeologist Nathan Light on how tabloid archaeology might be trivializing science… - Susan Crate on Climate Change and Advocacy - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2009-07-02 @ 12:59:13 EDT
Anthropologist Susan Crate discusses the role of anthropology in advocating for climate change's effects on indigenous communities… - Captain Spaulding's Greatest Contribution to Science - Archaeology Q…Updated: 2009-06-29 @ 11:34:52 EDT
Groucho Marx's mad explorer Jeffrey T. Spaulding on what he considers the highlight of his career. … - Hochschild on True Science - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2009-06-29 @ 11:31:49 EDT
Political scientist Jennifer Hochschild muses on what makes a science, even a social science, a real gain in knowledge and insight. … - Max Mallowan on Agatha Christie and Older Wives - Archaeology Quotat…Updated: 2009-06-26 @ 12:23:33 EDT
A quote from archaeologist Max Mallowan, widely attributed to his mystery novelist wife Agatha Christie, is on of our favorite archaeology-related quotes. … - Von Igelfeld on German ArchaeologyUpdated: 2009-06-22 @ 09:41:29 EDT
Professor Dr Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld is the madly oblivious (and fictional) academic philologist and hero of several short stories by Alexander McCall Smith. … - Howard Winters on the Meaning of Civilization - Archaeology Quotatio…Updated: 2009-06-15 @ 12:28:07 EDT
A quote from archaeologist Howard Winters, on categories and how they're affected by civilization… - Anthropology Definitions - A Collection of Anthropology DefinitionsUpdated: 2009-06-15 @ 12:00:41 EDT
Anthropology is, in short, the study of human beings; their culture, their behavior, their beliefs, their ways of surviving. Here is a collection of other definitions of anthropology from anthropol… - James William Lett on Anthropology's Charm - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2009-06-08 @ 10:34:14 EDT
Anthropologist A. L. Kroeber is known for many things, including this observation from his choice of careers; but it is probably best quoted by Eric Wolf, and used by James William Lett in this exa… - Domenica Macdonald on the Soft Life of Some AnthropologistsUpdated: 2009-06-01 @ 12:07:08 EDT
Domenica Macdonald is a fictional anthropologist, the creation of Alexander McCall Smith, in his 44 Scotland Street series, with a very specific viewpoint about her fellow scientists. … - John Lloyd Stephens on the Moral Effect of Maya Monuments - Archaeol…Updated: 2009-05-25 @ 10:57:26 EDT
Traveler John Lloyd Stephens was among the first white explorers to get a glimpse of the Maya monuments; here's what struck him about them. … - Forensic Anthropology - Definition of Forensic AnthropologyUpdated: 2009-05-19 @ 11:40:54 EDT
Forensic anthropology is the study of human behaviors as they apply to the law. Here are more definitions of the study of forensic anthropology… - Paleontology - Definition of PaleontologyUpdated: 2009-05-19 @ 11:33:44 EDT
Paleontology is the study of the fossil forms of all life, animals and plants. Here is a collection of definitions. … - Paleoanthropology - Definition of PaleoanthropologyUpdated: 2009-05-19 @ 11:22:13 EDT
Paleonanthropology is the study of our near-human ancestors, Australopithecus, Neanderthals, and other primates. Here are some other definitions of the study. … - Henry David Thoreau on Unremarkable History - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2009-05-18 @ 10:18:52 EDT
American essayist Henry David Thoreau was not a big fan of the adulation of history, as you can tell from many of his writings. … - Henry David Thoreau on What to Do with Ambitious Boobies - Archaeolo…Updated: 2009-05-18 @ 10:09:36 EDT
The American writer Henry David Thoreau had little use for glorifying the wonders of the past, exemplified by this quote from Walden. … - Robertson Davies on Domestic Architecture - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2009-04-20 @ 10:09:31 EDT
Novelist Robertson Davies wrote a very peculiar murder mystery called Murther and Walking Spirits, in which he comments on archaeologist tastes in houses. … - Bruce Trigger on Multiple Viewpoints - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2009-04-13 @ 10:01:01 EDT
Canadian archaeologist Bruce Trigger's breadth of career gives him a broad understanding of what archaeology could or might be. … - Stephen J. Gould on Creationist's Need for Miracles - Archaeology Qu…Updated: 2009-03-27 @ 10:08:08 EDT
Stephen J. Gould is one of the most accessible scientists on the planet; and a very good one indeed. … - J. William Schopf on Our Honored Ancestors - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2009-03-16 @ 08:59:33 EDT
Biologist J. William Schopf is credited with this succinct put down to the pride of nations. … - Bruce Trigger on Indirect Contacts - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2009-03-02 @ 09:28:46 EST
Bruce Trigger defines archaeology by way of a left-handed compliment. … - Christine Finn on Authenticity - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2009-02-12 @ 11:56:18 EST
Archaeologist Christine Finn comments on the problems of defining sacred and profane religious relics. … - Ralph Waldo Emerson on the Folly of Retrospection - Archaeology Quot…Updated: 2009-02-12 @ 11:42:23 EST
Like all transcendentalists, Emerson was suspicious of people who spend too much looking deep into the past. … - T.S. Eliot on History's Cunning Passages - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2009-02-12 @ 11:38:46 EST
From T.S. Eliot's 1920 poem called Gerontion, comes Quote 159, on whispering ambitions of the past… - Bob and Ray's Tips on Keeping a Tidy Museum - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2009-02-06 @ 11:35:28 EST
From the outrageously silly humor of radio comedians Bob (hang from your thumbs) Elliot and Ray (write if you get work) Goulding, a salient tip on how to keep a tidy museum… - Charles Austin Beard on Seeing Stars - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2009-02-06 @ 11:08:02 EST
Charles Austin Beard was a remarkable historian with a witty turn of phrase. This attributed quote is said to have been in response to a request for a book on the lessons of history. … - John Ruskin Laying Stone on Stone - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2009-02-06 @ 10:41:18 EST
Writer John Ruskin is perhaps best known for his treatises on politics and social history. … - Voltaire on Ancient Tricks - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2009-02-06 @ 10:09:43 EST
From French writer Voltaire's voluminous correspondence, we have obtained a slew of aphorisms about just about anything, including the past. … - Glynn Isaac on Overextending Our EnthusiasmUpdated: 2009-02-02 @ 09:26:15 EST
Paleontologist and archaeologist Glynn Isaac was a prolific and influential writer, whose work in Africa still resonates today. Here is a quotation from his seminal tome on Olorgesailie. … - Oscar Wilde on the Value of Archaeology - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2009-02-01 @ 09:50:54 EST
Oscar Wilde was a poet, writer, and playwright who was fascinated by archaeology--but knew what it was good for: art. … - Bulwer Lytton on the Aid of Archaeology to Historical RomanceUpdated: 2009-01-28 @ 17:43:16 EST
Edward Bulwer-Lytton was a famously dreadful writer of historical romances, and, not-so-famously, the president of the British Archaeological Congress in the mid-19th century. … - Kenneth Weiss on Finding HybridsUpdated: 2009-01-28 @ 09:36:25 EST
Anthropologist Kenneth Weiss asks if it is possible to find a middle ground between two sharply polarized views--or should we try for a hybrid?… - Confucius on the Extension of Great Knowledge - Archaeology Quotatio…Updated: 2008-10-09 @ 16:50:17 EDT
Chinese philosopher Confucius on the wisdom of applying yourself… - Octavia Butler on Letting the Past Go - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2008-10-09 @ 16:45:38 EDT
From Octavia Butler's 1998 book Parable of the Talents, comes a quote from her book within a book, Earthseed: The Book of the Living, by Lauren Oya Olamina. … - Anonymous Critics at a Movie Theatre - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2008-10-09 @ 16:31:40 EDT
Not all archaeologists' reactions to the Indiana Jones movies were positive, strangely enough. … - Paul Bahn on Multiple Theories in Paleolithic Art - Archaeology Quot…Updated: 2008-10-09 @ 16:27:53 EDT
This quote from archaeologist Paul G. Bahn is from his 1995/1996 article in Evolutionary Anthropology called "New developments in Pleistocene art." … - Barbara Bocek on Rampant Rodents - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2008-10-09 @ 16:26:46 EDT
From her classic article on the measured effects of burrowing animals on archaeological sites, Barbara Bocek describes her results in painful detail. … - Henry Ford on Why History is Bunk - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2008-10-09 @ 16:26:23 EDT
Henry Ford said 'History is bunk' in all kinds of ways; here's one he said in the Chicago Tribune that's a little different than the usual… - Douglas Adams on the Importance of Subsistence - Archaeology Quotati…Updated: 2008-10-09 @ 16:25:43 EDT
An archaeology quote from Douglas Adams' classic Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, on the historical importance of a good diet… - James Joyce (Stephen Dedalus) on History's Nightmares - Archaeology…Updated: 2008-10-09 @ 16:25:06 EDT
A quote from James Joyce's Ulysses on how Stephen Dedalus looks on the past… - Charles Darwin on Useful Observations - Archeology QuotationsUpdated: 2008-10-09 @ 16:18:48 EDT
This quote was taken from an 1861 letter from Charles Darwin to Harry Fawcett; and it shows how the (r)evolutionary scholar contemplated his findings… - Donald Crabtree on the Beauty of Projectile Point Technology - Archa…Updated: 2008-10-09 @ 16:16:48 EDT
By most accounts, Donald Crabtree was an important scholar in the understanding of how prehistoric people made arrowheads and other stone tools; but he also understood the innate beauty of the obje… - Paul Bahn Bluffs his Way in Archaeology - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2008-10-09 @ 16:11:50 EDT
A quote from Paul Bahn, from his hilarious 1989 book "Bluff your way in archaeology." … - Peter Bleed on Living in the Human NicheUpdated: 2008-08-10 @ 09:40:52 EDT
Archaeologist Peter Bleed describes why he believes it took so long for the docile reindeer to be domesticated… - Geoffrey Bibby on Why an Archaeologist Digs - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2008-08-04 @ 16:18:41 EDT
From Archaeologist Geoffrey Bibby's Testimony of the Spade, a quote about the reason for all that earth-moving. … - T.R.Talbott on the Ice Man - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2008-02-18 @ 13:42:45 EST
A quote on the Ice Man from T.R. Talbott, from a 1997 contest entry of the Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest for the best opening sentence of the worst of all possible novels… - Albania Archaeology in PhotosUpdated: 2007-08-15 @ 10:54:38 EDT
A photo essay of important and interesting archaeological sites to see in Albania… - John Steinbeck on the Literature of Science - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2007-05-22 @ 15:28:10 EDT
American writer John Steinbeck's Sea of Cortez is one of the best pieces of science writing ever completed. … - Allie Fox (Paul Theroux) on Evolution's Little Joke - Archaeology Qu…Updated: 2007-04-18 @ 12:50:02 EDT
Writer Paul Theroux's character Allie Fox from the Mosquito Coast rants about how evolution has played a dirty trick on him. … - Carmel Shrire on Why She Became an Archaeologist - Archaeology Quota…Updated: 2007-03-27 @ 17:24:28 EDT
South African archaeologist Carmel Shrire is a witty and awesomely talented writer, and here she makes a joke about the best things about archaeology. … - Doel and Clarke on Post-Modern Fatigue Syndrome - Archaeology Quotat…Updated: 2007-03-21 @ 15:57:21 EDT
Witty geographers Marcus A. Doel and David B. Clarke comment on the ennui brought on by the post-modern generation. … - Ptahhotep on the Limits of Skill - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2007-03-13 @ 17:37:50 EDT
The Old Kingdom Egyptian vizier and teacher Ptahhotep from the 6th dynasty, wrote a text that survives to this day, called The Instruction of Ptahhotep. … - Lord and Turekian on the Diplomacy of Science - QuotationsUpdated: 2007-02-10 @ 10:45:50 EST
In a February 9, 2007 issue of Science magazine, Kristin Lord and Vaughan Turekian propose that scientists take a more active role in diplomacy. … - Howard Carter on the Good Old Days - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2007-02-06 @ 09:19:28 EST
This quote comes from the quintessential Egyptologist Howard Carter, who in 1920 discovered Tutenkhamen's tomb; from a technical report on the boy king's tomb. … - Heinrich Harke and Bettina Arnold on Political Influences - Archaeol…Updated: 2007-01-23 @ 17:29:24 EST
The two fragments that make up this quotations come from an article in Current Anthropology by Heinrich Harke, and the response to that article by Bettina Arnold, disputing the effects of political… - Terry Hunt on the Genocide on Easter Island - Archaeologist Quotatio…Updated: 2007-01-09 @ 13:24:15 EST
Terry L. Hunt provides evidence that the Easter Island civilization was decimated not by their own hand, but by the incursion of diseases and slave trading from Western civilization. … - What Does That Quote Mean? Archaeology FAQUpdated: 2006-11-19 @ 10:54:04 EST
What does George Orwell's quote, "Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past" mean? I would also like to know where I can find the meanings of o… - Adrian Praetzellis on Having Too Much Fun - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2006-11-07 @ 10:16:50 EST
This quote is from Adrian Praetzellis' book Dug to Death, in which he (in the guise of character Hannah Green) describes why fieldwork is just too much fun. … - Herman Melville on the Textbook of Tyrants - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2006-10-31 @ 08:41:45 EST
An appropriate quote from the writer of Moby Dick, concerning what lessons we might learn from the past… - Edward Bruner on Interpreting Tourism - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2006-10-10 @ 20:47:44 EDT
Historian and philosopher Edward Bruner considers the modern day implications of tourism. … - George Orwell on Controlling the Past - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2006-09-29 @ 16:47:03 EDT
1984 as a novel has a great deal to say to our 21st society; here's a quote appropriate for archaeologists. … - Yasumaro on the Teachings of the Ancients - Archaeology QuotationsUpdated: 2006-09-25 @ 16:35:24 EDT
Yasumaro was the author of the oldest surviving written document of the Japanese language, the Kojiki. … - Rosemary Joyce on the Illusory "Ancient Maya" - An Archaeology Quota…Updated: 2006-03-30 @ 16:13:42 EST
In a recent review article in Reviews in Anthropology, Rosemary Joyce looks at four recent publications in Maya archaeology and argues that the term "Ancient Maya" is an umbrella term tha…