Archaeology News

Scientists have devised a new molecular technique, inspired by Celtic Knots and trees, which could be used in the treatment of multiple diseases.

Researchers at the Network of Excellence for Functional Biomaterials (NFB) in NUI Galway have discovered a new process that could be used in the industrial and medical fields.

“Polymerisation is the adding together of many smaller units,” says research assistant to the project’s leader Doctor Wenxin Wang, Ben Newland. “It is one of the most important processes in industrial manufacturing.”

The new process gives scientists a “simple method to produce large quantities of well-defined material”, which could be used in diagnostic, therapeutic and imaging processes in the body Newland says.

 

A Cambodian composer has revealed the sound of an ancient harp which has gone unheard for more than eight centuries.

The pin harp is shown being played by maidens in the stone reliefs on the walls of the Angkor Wat temple complex.

It lends its name to pinpeat orchestras, which perform ceremonial music of the royal courts and temples in Cambodia.

Archaeology lecturer Preap Chanmara says unlike the other orchestra instruments - cymbals, xylophones, flutes and drums - the pin harp has been lost.

"We know that there are many music instruments on the sculptures - some even dating back to the time before Angkor Era: the 7th century to the 13th century," he said.

Our aim is to introduce youngsters to Lebanon’s heritage and to enjoy it.                 • Tripoli and the Cedars: Discover a 1000 years old city with its souks, mosques, churches and castle...

As many as 32 posts in the department, including those of 14 curators, ten archaeological officers, five epigraphists and a pre-historic epigraphist and archaeologist have been vacant for years now.

Archaeological experts fear the threat by the non-selected candidates will further delay conservation works that need to be undertaken on a war footing in several of the 85 protected monuments in the State.

Further, the delay in filling up the vacancies will delay heritage projects including new excavations announced in the recent budget.

Some of the projects that have been scheduled for 2013-14 include excavation in Srirangam — the assembly constituency of the Chief Minister — in Tiruchi, at a cost of Rs. 2 lakh, conservation of a Swasthik well in Lalgudi in Tiruchi at a cost of Rs. 25 lakh and conservation of Manora memorial pillar at Sarabendrarajapattinam in Pattukottai of Thanjavur at a cost of Rs. 12 lakh.

Copper coins and a 70-year-old map with an ‘X’ marked on it may lead to a discovery that could change everything we've been led to believe about Australia's discovery.

From the elegant silhouette on the tails of the national airline fleet to the overstuffed animals perched atop the Post Office roundabout...

The ancient Minoans were genetically European, DNA study reveals.

The eastern “panhandle” of the kingdom of Jordan is partly covered by a vast and rugged lava desert, the Harrat, covering about ca. 11.400 km2 (Fig. 1). Scoured by wind in winter and scorched dry by the sun in summer, the surface is covered by black basalt stones, making this area seem as uninviting, hostile and inaccessible as is imaginable.

Nevertheless this modern day desolate desert proves to be as rich in archaeological heritage as one may wish.

More than a thousand flint tools and waste generated on during their treatment were discovered near Pietrowice Wielkie (Silesia) by archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology, University of Wrocław - told PAP head researcher Dr. Andrzej Wiśniewski.

The flint workshops, remains of which were found by archaeologists, had been used by Neanderthals. The researchers are waiting for more detailed information on the site dating. The workshop is certainly more than 45 thousand years old.

"Tools were made by a specific canon of Neanderthals living in Central Europe. These items have a cutting edge on both sides, they are bifacial" - said Dr. Wiśniewski.

A major Mayan Monument had been bulldozed for roadfill aggregate. 7news went to Orange Walk District, near the northern district boundary to find out that Noh Mul – or at least a large part of it – is no more. It’s a stunning development – and Jules Vasquez reports.

 

Jules Vasquez reporting
Noh Mul. it’s name means the Big Hill but it’s not so big any more, this once towering and stout ceremonial center in San Jose/San Pablo has been whittled down to a narrow core by excavators and bulldozers. Whodunnit? Contractors who’re using the rich gravel and limestone content to fill roads in nearby Douglas Village.

 

Now, this was the main temple, the ceremonial center for Noh Mul, at about 20 metres among the tallest buildings in Northern Belize - and it’s not centuries old, it’s millennia, thousands of years old and the thought that it’s rich limestone bricks cut with stone tools in the BC era, the thought that this could be used for road fill is a manifest outrage and a particularly painful one for these Archeologists who were called out to the area today. We were there when they first arrived and got their initial emotional reaction:

 

Dr. Allan Moore - Archaeologist, Institute of Archaeology
"This is one of the largest bulding in Norther Belize. I am appalled! I was hoping that when I was driving up from the main San Juan road that it would not be this one but when I got closer I couldn't believe it when I saw all the trucks. This is an incredible destruction."

The 1,800-year-old Tyche Shrine in Side has been restored and opened to visitors with a ceremony attracting a number of senior figures.

Speaking at a ceremony for the shrine, Antalya Gov. Ahmet Altıparmak said it was very important to unearth cultural artifacts buried under the soil.

Altıparmak also said there were many valuable unearthed monuments and works in the region around Side. The remains are still standing but excavations need to be undertaken, according to Altıparmak.

Leading archaeologists have denounced the poor state of conservation of the Roman remains at Antinopolis in Egypt, the city built by the emperor Hadrian, who ruled Rome from 117AD to 138AD. The revolution that swept through the country in 2011 and the subsequent exit of its president, Hosni Mubarak, who is currently in jail facing corruption charges, have affected the security and conservations of many historical sights in the country, especially those that are far from major city centres. Antinopolis, located near the Nile over 30km south of the nearest large town, Minya, is a perfect target.

 

Until recently, the Roman hippodrome there was still intact, although it has now been swallowed by the ever-expanding cemetery for the neighbouring small town called Sheikh ‘Ibada. Out of the four hippodromes built by the Romans in Egypt, this was the only one that survived. Large areas are being prepared for redevelopment and parts of the ancient necropolis on the north of the site have already been converted into farmland.

 

Groups of children pass by us, grinning, armed with spades with which they dig out artefacts and sell them. People don’t like our presence here

New research from the University of Reading shows that Ice Age people living in Europe 15,000 years ago might have used forms of some common words including I, you, we, man and bark, that in some cases could still be recognised today.

The English word brother and the French frère are related to the Sanskrit bhratr and the Latin frater, suggesting that words as mere sounds can remain associated with the same meaning for millennia. But how far back in time can traces of a word’s genealogical history persist, and can we predict which words are likely to show deep ancestry? These questions are central to understanding language evolution and to identify linguistic superfamilies uniting the world’s languages

Archaeologists said this week that after working for seven years on Downtown’s Riad al-Solh Square they have reason to believe that ruins there include the remnants of a gate that served as a main entrance to an ancient Roman city.

I’m sure this is common knowledge to everyone reading this article, but Indiana Jones is one of the most famous and recognisable characters in all of pop culture. Modelled after the do-gooders of 1930s film serials, Indiana Jones has become a film icon and one of the most universally beloved movie characters of all time.

With intelligence, bravado, wit and charm, Indy uppercuts Nazis, cracks his bullwhip and seduces the panties off of many attractive females… all while saving the world. Women want to be with him, men want to be him, and Nazis gleefully bend over and receive their beat downs at the mere presence of his fists. It simply isn’t possible to name a cooler character than Indiana Jones, and don’t even try to say Han Solo. Compared to Indy, Han is just a scruffy nerf-herder.

The Indiana Jones franchise has not only been commercially successful but has had a profound and lasting influence on society. Despite being a homage to various adventurers who came before him, Indy has directly influenced the characterisation of heroes like Nathan Drake of the Uncharted videogame series and Lara Croft of Tomb Raider.

Archaeologists digging under Lincoln Castle have made contact with the remains of a previously unknown church that is at least 1,000 years old.

The earliest find was a cemetery with several skeletons, associated with the remains of two stone walls. Further investigation revealed more burials, including at least one stone coffin. As explorations continue, it seems that the remains all belong to a stone church built after the Romans left and before the Norman conquerors came. During this period the English and the Danes competed for supremacy in Northern England.

An early start and a short hike saw me on top of East Lomond Hill just as the sun began to rise, ready to get some kite aerial shots. Approaching the distinctive profile of the hill - which can be seen right across Fife and a good distance beyond - I could see wisps of cloud forming off of the hilltop, visible in this photo.

The city of Amarna was a 17 year period of change and drama in Egypt's ancient history. It was established as the capital city of Egypt in 1353 BC during the late 18th dynasty by Pharaoh Akhenaten....

A major Mayan Monument had been bulldozed for roadfill aggregate. 7news went to Orange Walk District, near the northern district boundary to find out that Noh Mul – or at least a large part of it – is no more. Jules Vasquez reports.

An extraordinary voyage through mythical China is offered to visitors of Paris’s Guimet Museum in a rare collection of ancient China bronzes.