The World's First Archaeologists and Their Role in Defining History

The roots of archaeology – “the study of human history and prehistory through the archaeology excavation of sites and the analysis of physical remains,” to quote the Oxford English Dictionary – can be traced back in their most basic form as late as the age of the last emperor of Babylon, Nabonidus, in the 6th century BC, and perhaps even further, to the ancient Egyptians.

In the thousands of years that have passed since, the discipline has become a highly professionalised pursuit, with a broad and firmly-established range of techniques and practices, a complex theoretical framework and a strong ethical code. But it hasn’t taken a direct route to get there.

The origins of archaeology as an actual science were only really established after the Enlightenment in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries, when the likes of Englishmen John Aubrey (1627-1697) and William Stukeley (1687-1765), Italian Count Marcello Venuti (circa 1738) and German Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717-1768), started conducting systematic, recorded studies of sites and artefacts using techniques recognisable to modern antiquarians.

These were the Founding Fathers of archaeology, who first broke ground in the discipline as we know it today.

Source from Great site : http://heritage-key.com/world/worlds-first-archaeologists-and-their-role-defining-history

Pre-Inca Remains Found in Peru

Peruvian archaeologists have found remains from a person believed to be a leader of a key pre-Inca civilization that is more than 1,200 years old, one of the researchers said.

Carlos Elera told AFP the remains from the northern region of Lambayeque are from what some call the Sican culture that flourished in the area between around 700 and 1375 AD.

He said among the remains found two weeks ago in the archaeological complex Las Ventanas is a type of sarcophagus for an adult with a headdress and a feathered eye mask, which are "characteristic of the nobles of the Sican culture."

The researcher also said that objects found included a ceremonial knife, ceramics, textiles with copper plates.

Elera reported that since April when the research began at Las Ventanas, the remains of about 20 people have been found in good condition.

Among them were remains of a child of three to four years old believed to be from between 1100 and 1150 AD.

Sican culture emerged around the years 700-750 AD and remained in force until 1375, recording its apogee stage between 900 and 1100.

Researchers believe the culture flourished for around 200 years under seven to eight "lords of Sican" and then vanished after the Chimu conquest of the Lambayeque region around 1375 AD, a group that also preceded the Incas.

Norway Finances Controversial Archaeology Excavations in Bulgaria

Amid the on-going controversy regarding the authenticity of the recently discovered remains claimed by some archaeologists to have belonged to Saint John the Baptists, the Norwegian Embassy announced on Monday that Norway is financing the archaeology excavations during which the remains were found.

“The archaeology excavations, as well as the restoration of the monastery complex at the Saint Ivan island near Sozopol are financed by the Norwegian government in the framework of the European Economic Area (EEA). The entire sum granted by Norway for the project is 584,028 euro, which cover 90 per cent of all expenses,” according to an official press release distributed to media and published on the embassy’s website today.

According to the embassy’s information, the excavations on the Saint Ivan island are one of the nearly 62 project that have received support from EEA’s Financial mechanism and the Norwegian programme for cooperation during the first phase of cooperation between Norway and Bulgaria for the period between 2007 and 2009.

Ahead is a second financing stage for the period between 2009 and 2014, in which Norway will grant Bulgaria 126.6 million euro for a variety of projects, connected to cultural heritage conservation, green energy and energy effectiveness, health care, academic activities, education, as well as labour market, civil society and justice sector initiatives.

Today, Ambassador Tove Skarstein will visit the excavations on the Island of Saint Ivan and will take a look at the remains of Saint John the Baptist, kept in the Saint George church in the nearby town of Sozopol.

“We are happy that important archaeological projects are financed with Norwegian money, and in this way we are helping Bulgaria preserve its rich cultural-historical heritage. Of course, first we’ll have to wait for the results from the ongoing analyses of the finds. It would be a great joy if it turns out they have a high historical value,” Mrs Skarstein said, in regards to the remains, found during the excavations, which some archaeologists claim belonged to Saint John the Baptist.

As BalkanTravellers.com reported, a team of archaeologists discovered on the island small arm, leg and facial bone fragments, as well as a tooth and a heel, which were almost immediately said to have belonged to one of the founders of Christianity, Saint John the Baptist.

Following this announcement, a debate, chiefly between Bulgarian minister without portfolio, former head of the National History Museum and Sozopol-native, Bozhidar Dimitrov and members of the Bulgarian archaeological community ensured, regarding both the haste of such statements before the bones’ authenticity could be confirmed. The debate is still ongoing and has deepened, with vulgar insults having been exchanged between Dimitrov and prominent archaeologists over the past several days.


Source from Great Site : http://www.balkantravellers.com/en/read/article/2187

Rare 2,200-year-old gold coin found in Israel

A rare gold coin dating back 2,200 years was discovered by a combined university research team in Israel, a top Israeli antiquities official said Thursday.

Dr. Donald T. Ariel, head of the Coin Department of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), said the coin ranked in the top five of the rarest finds in that country's history.

"Intrinsically, for coin research, it's a very exciting find," Ariel told CNN. "This is an amazing numismatic find. The coin is beautiful and in excellent preservation. It is the heaviest gold coin with the highest contemporary value of any coin ever found in an archaeology excavation in Israel."

Ariel said the coin weighs almost one ounce (27.71 grams), while most ancient gold coins weighed about 4.5 grams. It was minted in Alexandria, Egypt, by Ptolemy V and dates to 191 BCE. It is only the second gold Ptolemaic coin ever found in Israel.

The obverse, or 'head' of the coin, portrays Queen Arsinoe II Philadelphus.

The reverse, or 'tail,' illustrates two "overlapping cornucopias decorated with fillets," according to the IAA.

In the parlance of antiquities experts, the coin's denomination is referred to as a "mnaieion," meaning a one-mina coin, and is equivalent to 100 silver drachms, or a mina of silver.

The meaning of the word Philadelphus is "brotherly love" and in this context relates to the fact that Queen Arsinoe II Philadelphus was married to her brother, Ptolemy II, who was her second husband. She was first married at age 15 to Lysimachus, king of Thrace, who was one of Alexander the Great's generals.

Ariel said it was not uncommon in that period of history for siblings to intermarry.

The coin was found by U.S. researchers working for the University of Michigan and the University of Minnesota on June 26. It was embedded in a stone wall "separating the northwest storeroom of the Hellenistic administrative building from a room currently identified as a kitchen," according to Ariel.

Ariel speculated it was possible the coin had been secretly hidden and the owner, or the person who possessed the coin at the time, may not have been able to retrieve it for unknown reasons.

Source from great site : http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/08/12/israel.rare.coin/index.html

Huge Roman coins find for hobbyist

One of the largest ever finds of Roman coins in Britain has been made by a man using a metal detector.

The hoard of more than 52,000 coins dating from the 3rd Century AD was found buried in a field near Frome in Somerset.

The coins were found in a huge jar just over a foot (30cm) below the surface by Dave Crisp, from Devizes in Wiltshire.

"I have made many finds over the years, but this is my first major coin hoard," he said.

After his metal detector gave a "funny signal", Mr Crisp says he dug down 14in before he found what had caused it.

"I put my hand in, pulled out a bit of clay and there was a little Radial, a little bronze Roman coin. Very, very small, about the size of my fingernail."

Mr Crisp reported the find to the authorities, allowing archaeologists to excavate the site.
Offering to gods

Since the discovery in late April, experts from the Portable Antiquities Scheme at the British Museum have been working through the find.
Advertisement

Dave Crisp explains how he discovered the coin hoard

The coins were all contained in a single clay pot. Although it only measured 18in (45cm) across, the coins were packed inside and would have weighed an estimated 160kg (350lb).

"I don't believe myself that this is a hoard of coins intended for recovery," says Sam Moorhead from the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

"I think what you could see is a community of people who are actually making offerings and they are each pouring in their own contribution to a communal ritual votive offering to the gods."

It is estimated the coins were worth about four years' pay for a legionary soldier.

"Because Mr Crisp resisted the temptation to dig up the coins, it has allowed archaeologists from Somerset County Council to carefully excavate the pot and its contents," said Anna Booth, local finds liaison officer.

Somerset County Council Heritage Service now hope the coroner will declare the find as treasure. That would allow the Museum of Somerset to acquire the coins at market value with the reward shared by Mr Crisp and the land owner.

The story of the archaeology excavation will be told in a new BBC Two archaeology series, Digging for Britain, presented by Dr Alice Roberts and made by 360production, to be broadcast in August.

UWF Archaeologists Discover Second Oldest Shipwreck in the U.S.

It was the last week of Archaeology field school in the summer of 2006 when two University of West Florida students found a few stones lying on the floor of Pensacola Bay and thought there may be something more. That’s all it took for John Bratten and Gregory Cook, both maritime archaeology professors at UWF, to look further and find that they had a lot more on their hands than a few stones. UWF publicly announced that after several months of evaluation, the shipwreck in Pensacola Bay formerly known as “Target 17” is the remains of one of the colonization ships of the Tristan de Luna fleet that sank in Pensacola Bay during a hurricane in 1559.

The Hungate Archaeological Dig, York

This is a hidden gem. If you are planning a trip to York, you really must go and see this. Prior to the building of a new housing estate, the remains of an old slum street, demolished in the 1950s, are being excavated.

Archaeological excavation Ljubljana

Archaeological excavation of Roman well - Second half of 1. - 3. Century AD in Slovenia

Archaeology: Digging for the Truth of the Bible

Among biblical figures whose existence has been attested by archaeology.


Influential archeologists in Israel are declaring that archeology has proved "the Israelites were never in Egypt, did not conquer the land in a military campaign and did not pass it on the 12 tribes of Israel," and "the empire of David and Solomon never existed." At the same time, other leading archeologists strongly disagree, assuring us that such claims "are either grossly misleading, illogical, disingenuous or all three."


Can the Old Testament be trusted for its historical account and does archeology digs provide evidence for its accuracy. What does the evidence say? Dr. Patton has personally investigated the claims and presents the evidence in a way that will allow you to draw your own conclusions.


Dr. Patton has a broad educational background; four years at Florida College, Temple Terrace, FL (Bible); two years at Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN (Geology); two years at Indiana Univ./Purdue Univ., Indianapolis, IN (Geology); two years, Pacific School of Graduate Studies.


He has worked as Geologist in US, Canada, Australia, England, Mexico, Peru, bolvia, Cambodia, Israel, and Jordan. Dr. Patton has participated in dinosaur excavations in Colorado, Texas, Utah, Wyoming and Canada. He is credited with excavating the longest consecutive dinosaur trail in North America, totaling 157 tracks, extending over 500 feet.


He is a member of the Geological Society of America and was a speaker at their 1997 annual convention. Dr. Patton lectures at universities accross the United States. He has conducted up to twelve Creation/Evolution Seminares a year for twenty five years. He has participated in numerous public debates on creation/evolution including radio and TV debates. He has testified three times before Texas State Textbook Committe, Austin, TX.


Presently, Dr. Patton is consulting geologist & partner in Mazada Corporation, Dallas, TX. He is a staff geologist of the Creation Evidence Museum, Glen Rose, TX, staff geologist for the Qumran Plateau excavation in Israel, an area supervisor at the City of David excavation in Jerusalem and charman of the Metroplex Institute of Origon Science. He preaches for the Melrose church of Christ in Richardson, Texas.

Archaeological Excavation of the Most Ancient Arched Gate in the world - Canaanite Cit y of Ashkelon (1850 BCE)

The Archaeological Excavation of the most Ancient Arched Gate in the world - The Canaanite City of Ashkelon (1850 BCE)Israel -1

Irish Archaeological Field School from RTE Nationwide

Do you want to archaeology dig abroad?

Do you want to earn university credits by undertaking archaeological fieldwork and archaeology excavation at beautiful Irish historic sites under the tuition of leading experts?

Would you like to experience life as an archaeologist while immersing yourself in the richness of the Irish life?

If the answer to one of more of these questions is YES, then the Irish Archaeological Field School is for you.

We are Irelands leading provider of university accredited, site based archaeological research and training. The ethos of the school is to provide an opportunity for students and enthusiasts of archaeology and anthropology to experience at first hand the excitement of archaeological excavation within an established research framework.

Excavations are undertaken in a research environment led by a team of highly qualified and experienced archaeologists using the most sophisticated technologies, including GPS topographical survey, geophysics, photo-planning and more.

In addition to the archaeological excavations, an extensive programme of cultural activities is on offer, including tours of historic sites, folklore, reconstructions, re-enactments, language, music, food and more.

Underwater Archaeology: Excavating the Nile with Dr Hawass

Underwater Archaeology: Excavating the Nile with Dr Hawass

Dr Zahi Hawass examines some of the finds being excavated from the bottom of the River Nile near Aswan, explaining that the river was used as a trade route, with boats carrying various materials and goods along the Nile. Sometimes, boats would sink and with them the goods they carried, which is what is being excavated. Dr Hawass explains that archaeological excavation are not only found in the desert sands, but also in the waters of the river.

Choptank Road Archaeology Excavation 2007

Choptank Road Archaeology Excavation site in 2007.

Project Overview:

• Purpose of meeting.


• Anticipated Constraction Duration.


• Project Contrator

Archaeology Excavations: AIA Classroom Excavation Projects

Conducting an archaeological digs is messy, but it offers fun, mystery, and kinesthetic learning that applies to many academic contexts and subjects.

Digs

can illuminate the problems all researchers confront when they must draw conclusions on the basis of insufficient evidence. They can help teachers reveal how cultures have changed through time. Through observation and inference, students learn invaluable interpretive skills in a hands-on context, while having fun and solving a problem. Details are found by http://www.archaeological.org

About AIA :

The AIA is the national organization for people who share an interest in Britain's industrial past. It brings together people who are researching, recording, preserving and presenting the great variety of this country's industrial heritage. Industrial architecture, mineral extraction, heritage-based tourism, power technology, adaptive re-use of industrial buildings and transport history are just some of the themes being investigated by our members. Every year the Association monitors over 200 hundred applications to alter or demolish industrial sites and buildings. We work with other amenity groups to protect Britain's heritage and represent Britain on the International Committee for the Conservation of the Industrial Heritage.

New Discoveries in Chinese Archaeology

Features some of the most prolific archeological sites in China, including the Tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi, the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE) and Sanxingdui.

Prehistoric Mammoth Discovered

A baby mammoth which died 37000 years ago could unlock the genetic map of some extinct animals. It's the best preserved prehistoric animal.


Archaeological features covered just below the surface often leave tell-tale 'lumps and bumps', plough action in fields can lift archaeological material to the surface, in areas of restricted human activity, worked flint scatters can survive untouched for many centuries and standing buildings and field boundaries can be of great antiquity yet archaeologically unexamined. Survey of these sorts of features across huge areas, through measured walkovers or aerial photography, can produce a new perspective on the archaeological record and identify areas requiring better management or areas where excavation could be advantageous.


Such survey is usually accompanied by documentary and historic research to better inform the findings. Advances in survey technology have allowed the rapid and exact analysis of wide areas by relatively untrained personnel making the process an efficient way of learning more about the historic environment. 3D laser scanning, Total stations and digital photography have helped reduce the time and cost involved in such work.