Category: Ann - Part 8

Man’s First Domesticated Animals Were Tools Before Food

Almost 32,000 years ago, man got its first puppy. Today still, humans have a special connection with animals, regardless if they are sitting on our laps, or – point on our plates. Why is it in our nature to accept of all kinds of creatures into our families and homes? What came first, the carbonade that would stay put, or the steadfast companion in the pursuit for game? And what if our first prehistoric attempts at art were no mindless doodling or sacred effigies, but an early publication of ‘Useful Beasts for Dummies’?

In a paper describing a new hypothesis for human evolution based on our tendency to nurture members of other species, palaeoanthropologist Pat Shipman argues that the human-animal link goes well beyond simple affection. She proposes that, over the last million years, the interdependency of early man with other animal species the animal connection” played a crucial in human evolution.

“Establishing an intimate connection to other animals is unique and universal to our species,” said Shipman. “No other mammal routinely adopts other species in the wild no gazelles take in baby cheetahs, no mountain lions raise baby deer,” Shipman said. “Every mouthful you feed to another species is one that your own children do not eat. On the face of it, caring for another species is maladaptive, so why do we humans do this?”

Shipman, a professor of biological anthropology at Penn State University, suggests that the animal connection was prompted by the invention of stone tools 2.6 million years ago. “Having sharp tools transformed wimpy human ancestors into effective predators who left many cut marks on the fossilised bones of their prey,” Shipman said.

Every mouthful you feed to another species is one that your own children do not eat. On the face of it, caring for another species is maladaptive, so why do we humans do this?”

This putour ancestorsin direct competition with other carnivores for prey.Humans who learned to observe and understand the behaviour of both their potential prey and competitors, were more successful at obtaining large amounts of meat without a doubt an evolutionary advantage.

The majority of early prehistoric art depicts animals. Shipman sees this as evidence that the evolutionary pressure to develop an external means of storing and transmitting information symbolic language came primarily from the need to share and handle what we knew about other species.

Though we cannot discover the earliest use of language itself, we can learn something from the earliest prehistoric art with unambiguous content. Nearly all of these artworks depict animals. Other potentially vital topics edible plants, water, tools or weapons, or relationships among humans are rarely if ever shown,” Shipman explains.

Shipman concludes that detailed information about animals became so advantageous that our ancestors began to nurture wild animals a practice that led to the domestication of the dog about 32,000 years ago.

Surely, if insuring a steady supply of meat was the point of domesticating animals, as traditionally has been assumed, then dogs originally ferocious wolfs – would be a very poor choice as an early domesticated species? “Wolves eat so much meat themselves that raising them for food would be a losing proposition,”the professorpoints out.

Instead, Shipman suggests, the primary reason for domestication was to transform the animals we had been observing for millennia into living tools during their peak years, then only later using their meat as food. “As living tools, different domestic animals offer immense renewable resources for tasks such as tracking game, destroying rodents, protecting kin and goods, providing wool for warmth, moving humans and goods over long distances, and providing milk to human infants” she explains.

Domestication is a process that takes generations and puts selective pressure on abilities to observe, empathize, and communicate across species barriers. Once accomplished, the domestication of animals offers numerous advantages to those with these attributes.

“The animal connection is an ancient and fundamentally human characteristic that has brought our lineage huge benefits over time,” Shipman summarises. “Our connection with animals has been intimately involved with the evolution of two key human attributes tool making and language and with constructing the powerful ecological niche now held by modern humans.”

Pat Sherman’s paper is to be be published in the August 2010 issue of the journal Current Anthropology. In addition, Shipman has authored a book for the general public, titled The Animal Connection.

What will Otzi the Iceman’s DNA teach us?

The Chalcolithic Iceman was found on lying on his stomach, with his arm in an ackward position. Possibly, his companions tried to remove a arrowhead from his shoulder. - Image courtesy the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology tzi has not been put on ice, on the contrary – things are hotting up for him! By decoding tzi the Iceman’s DNA, scientists have reached a new milestone in their study of the world’s mostfamous glacier mummy.

Experts from three institutions have pooled their skills in order to map tzis entire genetic make-up: Albert Zink, Head of the EURAC Institute for Mummies and the Iceman, together with Carsten Pusch, from the Institute of Human Genetics at the University of Tbingen and Andreas Keller from the biotech firm febit in Heidelberg. Together the researchers reached a historic moment in the study of the 5,000 year old mummy.

tzi’s genetic profile is based on a defrosted bone sample extracted from the pelvis of the ice mummy. The scientists then used sequencing technology to decode the millions of building blocks which make up tzis genome, creating a DNA library which contains the largest data set ever recovered from the iceman. This work on the iceman turned out to be a ground-breaking activity for the research team. We are dealing here with old DNA which in addition is heavily fragmented, explains Albert Zink, who is entrusted with the care of tzi.

When a body was found on the Austro-Italian border in 1991, 3210 metres above sea level,it was at first assumed to be a modern corpse. Only afterthe bodywas removed from the ice, radiocarbon dating onthe upper thigh bone revealed the corpse’sto be that of a LateNeolithicmountaineer.tzi, as the 5300-year-old glacier corpse was soon nicknamed was found fully clothed and with his hair, eyes and even content of his intestines still intact.Although the mummy weights only 13 kilograms, theChalcolithic iceman must have weighed about 50, and is estimated to have been 1.60 metres tall. He wore his dark brown hair loose at shoulder lenght, and had dots and lines tattood on his lower spine, behind his left knee and on his right ankle, likely inteded as a cure for arthritis. Amongst others, the iceman carried a copper axe, a flint knife, arrows and an unfinished bow.

We knowtheIceman was not in good health when he died, but thecause and exact circumstances of tzi’s death in early summer and around the age of 46 are still debated. At first it was thought he was surprised by a winter storm, or ritually sacrificed. Only in 2001, the discovery of an arrowhead lodged in tzi’s shoulder prompted speculation that he died a violent death.Further research revealed bruises and cuts, as well as evidence the Tyrolean Iceman received a blow to the head. It is unlikely tzi was alone at the time of his death.

In 2000, scientists defrosted the natural mummy for the first time and sampled DNA from his intestines. The study of tzi’s mitochondrial DNA showed he belongs to subhaplogroup K1, meaning he shares an a common ancestor with at least 8% of modern Europeans. Further research found that surprisingly he belongs to a branch of that genetic group that is thought to beextinct, or at leastextremelyrare.

A 40x30 cm wall opening allows visitors to the South Tyrol Museum to take a look into the refrigeration chamber in which the mummy is conserved at a temperature of -6 degrees Celcius and 98 percent air humidity. - Image courtesy the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology Albert Zink and Andreas Keller recently published (in collaboration with the Egyptian team led by Zahi Hawass) the latest findings on the life and the medical condition of Tutankhamen and his family. They hope to do the same for tzi and are studying tzi’s genetic profile, looking for answers to the many questions surrounding the iceman and human evolution. Which genetic mutations can be observed between earlier and present day populations? Are any of tzis descendants still around today and if so, where might they be found?

The researchers say that by comparing the iceman’s genetic make-up and predisposition to various types of ailments, tzi can teach us about todays genetic diseases and other illnesses (such as diabetes or cancer) as well.

They promise to publish their data analysis as well as the resulting conclusions by next year, in time to celebrate the 20th anniversary of tzi’s discovery.

Since 1998, the Tyrolean Iceman and the artefacts found with him areon display at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Italy. The mummy is kept in a special refrigeration chamber, at the constant temperature of 6 C.

Underwater Archaeology: Diving the Maya Underworld

Videographer Marty O'Farrell captures divers taking a core sample from the bottom of pool 6. Steering clear of crocodiles and navigating around massive submerged trees, a team of divers started mapping some of the 25 freshwater pools of Cara Blanca, Belize, which were of importance to the ancient Maya civilisation.

So far, the divers found fossilized animal remains, bits of pottery and in the largest pool explored an enormous underwater cave.

The underwater archaeology project, led by University of Illinois anthropology professor Lisa Lucero, was the first of what the professor hopes will be a series of dives into the pools of the southern Maya lowlands in central Belize.

The divers so far have explored eight of the 25 known pools of Cara Blanca, with the volunteer divers returning this summer to assess whether archaeological excavation is even possible at the bottom of the pools, some of which are more than 60 meters deep.

They could have been making offerings to the rain god and other supernatural forces to bring an end to the drought

“We don’t know if it’s going to be feasible to conduct archaeology 200 feet below the surface,” Lucero said. “But they are going to try.”

After three weeks of surveying(see this slideshowon the University’s website), Maya structures have been found near two of the eight pools.

“The pools with the most substantial and most obvious settlement at the edge also turn out to be the deepest that we know,” Lucero said.

No vessels other than water jars were found in the structures built near the pools.

The use of these pools at the end of the Late Classic period (roughly 800-900AD) corresponds to an enduring drought that deforested parts of Central America and some believe ultimately drove the Maya from the area.

University of Illinois anthropology professor Lisa Lucero, who led the expedition, surveys Pool 1, the deepest of the pools her team explored. The need for fresh water could have drawn the Maya to the pools.

“They could have been making offerings to the rain god and other supernatural forces to bring an end to the drought,” Lucero said.

The chemistry of the water in each of the pools is distinct and the water in Pool 1, containing the submerged cave and a Maya structure at its edge, held the freshest water of the pools surveyed.

Yet the water contained a lot of soluble minerals,problematic for anyone who used it as their primary water supply. Those who drank the water over an extended period would have been at risk of developing kidney stones,Lucero explained.

The divers also extracted core samples of the sediment at the bottoms of two of the pools. Analysis of the soil, debris and pollen in the cores isexpected to offer insight into the pool’s natural history and their surrounding region.

The Maya believed that all land was covered bywater in ancient times.An understanding possibly inspired byfossils, which served as proof that land was once covered by the sea.

‘The surface of the earth had not appeared. There was only the calm sea and the great expanse of the sky,‘ reads the Popol Vuh creation myth.

It is only when the gods ordered the water to retire, and land emerged, that the actual era began.

Thus, tothe Mayans, openings in the earth, including caves and water-filled sinkholes called cenotes from the Maya word for ‘well’represented portals to the underworld, and they often left offerings there.

Ceremonial artefacts of the Maya have been found in pools and lakes in Mexico, but not yet in Belize.

Reconstruction of Mexico Ice Age Woman suggests Several Migration Waves

la mujer de las malmas underwater skeleton and reconstruction Scientists have made a reconstruction of a 10,000 year old ancient woman, based on the skeletal remains found near Mexico’s Caribbean coast. Surprisingly, the reconstruction resembles people from Southeastern Asia,rather than Northern Asia.

In 2002, divers discovered the remains of an Ice Age woman at an underwater cave 4.5 km from Tulum, on the Ycutan Peninsula. The well-preserved remains 90% complete are estimated to be between 10,000 and 12,000 years old.

Based on the skeleton, experts have now reconstructed what Mujer de las Palmas (The Woman of the Palms) must have looked like with surprising results. The body structure, skin and eyes are similar to those of Southeast Asia people. According tothe scientists, this reinforces the hypothesis of multiple migration waves to the Americas, not just from Northern Asia but also from the Central and Southern areas. Additional, local ‘micro-evolution’ was just as important as migration.

Based on the skeleton remains, anthropologists and archaeologists from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology (INAH) concluded the woman named Mujer de las Palmas, after the cave where she was discovered- was 1m52 tall, weighed approximately 58 kilos and was between 44 and 50 years old at time of death.

After extensive study of the skull, the researchers found that its physical features do not correspond with the characteristics of Mexican indigenous population, nor with ancient inhabitants of America. Her face is more similar to people from Southeast Asia, says Alejandro Terrazas, anthropologist at the National University of Mexico.

Terrazassays this indicates that American Continent was populated by several migratory movements, rather than by one or two waves from Northern Asia that arrived through Bering Strait, as most theories say happened.

History is not that simple, there were a lot of movements, Terrazas explains. What Mujer de las Palmas reveals is that there were more migrations from Southern and Central Asia that resulted in a local evolution in America, producing a great diversity of populations that already existed when the Clovis Culture developed (13,500 years ago).

Our position at present, based on the study of Mujer de las Palmas, is that the model of two migrations of Paleoamericans and Amerindians is very limited, he continuous.

Yet, the anthropologist cautioned that although the scientific reconstruction is based on skull measurements and calculations of the muscle and other tissue that once covered her face – one can never be completely sure.

Ten millennia ago, the Yucatan area was very different from the peninsula we know today.The landscape was more desert prairie than jungle, and the Las Palmas cava was not yet flooded. Animals as well as people would havesought shelter and water in the caves.

The reconstruction of la Mujer de las Palmas is on display at the ‘Altered Planet: Climate Change and Mexico’ exhibition in Guanajuato, together with virtual reconstructions of central Mexico’s other ‘oldest remains’: el Hombre de Tepexpan (about 4,000 years old), la Mujer del Pen (more than 10,000 years old) and el Hombre del Metro Balderas (also about 10,000 years old).

Tutankhamun’s Chariot on its Way to New York City

The Chariot - found in the Antechambre - is unique, in that it does not look like the other chariots found, and does not appear in wall paintings. - Image courtesy of the Egyptian Museum News that King Tut’s chariot will leave Egyptto join the final leg of the ‘Tuankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs’ exhibition in New York its first trip abroad has been confirmed by an SCA press release. In the same release Dr Hawass and his team say they continue to stand behind the findings published in JAMA earlier;King Tut died of complications from malaria and Kohlers disease.

Mr. Farouk Hosni, Minister of Culture, confirmed that one of King Tuts chariotsis travelingto New York City, the first time that a chariot from Tutankhamun’stomb will be allowed out of Egypt. The chariot will arrive in New York City on Wednesday and will be accompanied by a conservator and the Director of the Luxor Musuem, where the chariot is currently displayed.

Maybe it was King Tut’s hunting chariot, or just a fun, nimble knock-around – the 18th dynasty’s equivalent of a privileged young man’s sports car

The Odd One Out

This chariot that is on its way to the Discovery Times Square Exposition(Dr Hawass would have preferred the MET) stands outfrom the other five chariots found among Tutankhamun’s burial treasures. Compared to the ceremonial chariots(see the slideshow here), it lacks decoration and has a very light, open sided construction. Its tires are extremely worn, suggestingthechariot was used frequently in hunting expeditions, possibly by the young king. Howard Carter – who found the chariot in the south-east corner of the Antechamber along with three other chariots, described the chariot as, of more open, lighter construction probably for hunting or exercising purposes.

Maybe it was King Tut’s hunting chariot, or just a fun, nimble knock-around – the 18th dynasty’s equivalent of a privileged young man’s sports car, Helen appropriately proposes in our earlier announcement.

Earlier CT-scans (theirdataused to ‘3D print’ an exact clone of King Tut’s mummy for the Discovery Square exhibition) have shown that King Tutankhamun suffered a fracture to his left leg, which is often attributed to as apparently, there were no stairs to tumble down from in Ancient Egypt a ‘hunting accident’. Dr Hawass says the Boy King’s broken bone makes the inclusion of Tutankhamuns chariot to the New York exhibit even more interesting; the young king may have fallen from this very chariot. He adds, As we discover more about Tutankhamuns death, we may find that this very chariot is an important piece of the puzzle that weve been working for decades to solve.

Sandro Vannini - King Tut Hunting Box

Team stands behind ‘Malaria and Kohler’s Disease’

The second part of the statement concerns the medical report detailing the testing done on Tutankhamun and members of his family that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The article, Ancestry and Pathology in King Tutankhamuns Family (and accompanying TVdocumentary ‘King Tut Unwrapped’)describes how Dr. Hawass and his team uncovered part of the King Tut family tree, as well as a probable cause of death.

Click To Watch Video

The Death of King Tut: Murder or Accident? (feat. Dr. Zahi Hawass)

Some of the most asked questions about King Tutankhamun have centred around his death, and whether he was murdered. Dr Zahi Hawass enlightens us in this video on how the latest technology has been used to find the answer this question.

CLICK TO WATCH

Besides the usual responses – debate about racial genetics (King Tut is Scottish?) and left-out Pharaohs (Smenkhare) – scientists from Hamburgs Bernhard Noct Institute for Tropical Medicine replied to research in a letter send to JAMA. In the letter, they dispute the claims that King Tut died of malaria, and suggest sickle-cell disease as an alternative cause of death. The SCA’s statement reads that while some of the symptoms between malaria and sickle-cell disease are similar, Dr. Hawass and his team, stand behind their findings and reaffirm that Tutankhamun died of complications from malaria and Kohlers disease, an ailment that effects blood supply to the bones.

Neolithic Henge Discovered at Stonehenge

New Henge Discovered at Stonehenge - Magnetometer Imaging A second henge has been discovered near Stonehenge, less than one kilometre away from the iconic stone circle. A cutting edge archaeological survey (view images), part of the ‘Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project‘ has uncovered the henge-like monument.

Because of the circular monument’s shape, the archaeologists believe the henge to be contemporary to Stonehenge. The henge comprises of a segmented ditch, surrounded by a ring of pits up to one metre in diameter. It is possible the pits held a free-standing timber structure and inside the circle is a burial mound, which was added later.

With two entrances on the north-east and south-west sides, the Late Neolithic monument appears to be on the same orientation as Stonehenge.

Project leader Vince Gaffney hailed the find as one of the most significant yet for those researching the UKs most important prehistoric structure. This finding is remarkable, Professor Gaffney said. This discovery is completely new and extremely important in how we understand Stonehenge and its landscape.

Its location, a short distance from Stonehenge, and the fact that the two monuments were inter-visible, raises exciting new questions about the complex sacred landscape that existed around Stonehenge when the sarsen and bluestone monument was constructed, commented Paul Garwood, prehistorian at the Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity at the University of Birmingham.

Click images for a larger version

The sub-surface discovery was made using a magnetometer. The devicemeasures and maps magnetic fields in the soil. Different layers or deposits of earth and rock each have theirown magnetic properties. If soilhas been moved – in this case byearthwork constructionand ditch infill -thisis visible from the variations in soil magnetism against the general background of the earth’s magnetic field.

The next step for the international team is mapping the monument using an array of technologies that will allow them to view this new discovery, and the landscape around it, in three dimensions.

The Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project aims to in three years time map 14 square kilometres of the Stonehenge Landscape using the latest geophysical imaging techniques, ‘virtually excavating’ Salisbury Plain. They’ll then recreate visually the iconic prehistoric monument and its surroundings as it was in the third millennium BC. The project is supported by the National Trust and facilitated by English Heritage.

“This new monument is part of a growing body of evidence which shows how important the summer and winter solstices were to the ancient peoples who built Stonehenge, commented Dr Amanda Chadburn, Stonehenge archaeologist at English Heritage.

She continues, the discovery is all the more remarkable given how much research there has been in the vicinity of Stonehenge, and emphasises the importance of continuing research within and around the World Heritage Site.

Nearby, English Heritage archaeologists are excavating Marden Henge. The henge, close to the source of the River Avon, is at least ten times bigger than Stonehenge, and contained a huge mound, similar to nearby Silbury Hill, which collapsed in 1806.

Wiltshire is one of the world’s richest Neolithic regions, and is littered with mysterious monuments such as Woodhenge, West Kennet Long Barrow, Bluestonehenge (discovered last year by the Stonehenge Riverside Project) and the Durrington Walls, an ancient settlement you can explore at Heritage Key’s Stonehenge Virtual.

The Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project: Virtual Excavation & Digital Recreation

Archaeologists at the University of Birmingham are heading to Stonehenge to lead the Britain’s biggest-ever virtual excavation, a far from superficial look at the Stonehenge landscape. The Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project will use the latest geophysical imaging techniques to visually recreate the iconic prehistoric monument and its surroundings as it was more than 4000 years ago.Update 22/07/2010 First result is the discovery of a henge, about 900m from Stonehenge itself. Magnetometer images & photos here. The Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project, started early July, aims to bring together the most sophisticated geophysics team ever to be engaged in a single archaeological project in Britain to work alongside specialists in British prehistory and landscape archaeology in a three-year collaboration.

Maya Royal Tomb Found Beneath El Diablo Pyramid

Mayan Treasure from the burial beneath the El Diablo pyramid, Guatamale - Image credit Arturo Godoy Archaeologists excavating in the Guatamalanjunglehave discovered a royal tomb, filled with colourful 1,600-year-old Mayan artefacts, beneath the El Diablo pyramid. The well preserved tombis packed with carvings, ceramics, textiles, and the bones of six children, possibly the remains of a human sacrifice.

The archaeological team, led by Stephen Houston, professor of anthropology at Brown University, uncovered the tomb beneath the El Diablo pyramid in the city of El Zots, Guatamalain May. Last week, the discovery of the tomb, dated to between 350 and 400AD, was made public.

Houston said the first pointer to the discovery was something odd in the deposit the team was digging, at a small temple built in front of a sprawling structure dedicated to the sun god, an emblem of Maya rulership.

When we sunk a pit into the small chamber of the temple, we hit almost immediately a series of caches – blood-red bowls containing human fingers and teeth, all wrapped in some kind of organic substance that left an impression in the plaster. We then dug through layer after layer of flat stones, alternating with mud, which probably is what kept the tomb so intact and airtight.

The tomb itself is about 6 feet high, 12 feet long, and four feet wide. I can lie down comfortably in it, Houston said, although I wouldnt want to stay there.

Then, on May 29th 2010, Houston was with a worker who came to a final earthen layer.

I told him to remove it, and then, a flat stone. Wed been using a small stick to probe for cavities. And, on this try, the stick went in, and in, and in. After chipping away at the stone, I saw nothing but a small hole leading into darkness.

They lowered a bare light bulb into the hole, and suddenly Houston saw an explosion of color in all directions – reds, greens, yellows. It was a royal tomb filled with organics Houston says hed never seen before: pieces of wood, textiles, thin layers of painted stucco and cord.

When we opened the tomb, I poked my head in and there was still, to my astonishment, a smell of putrification and a chill that went to my bones, the dig’s director said. The chamber had been so well sealed, for over 1600 years, that no air and little water had entered.

artefact from the discovery of mayan royal tomb at el diablo pyramid, el zotz The tomb itself is about 6 feet high, 12 feet long, and four feet wide. I can lie down comfortably in it, Houston said, although I wouldnt want to stay there.

It appears the tomb held an adult male, who was between 50 and 60 he died from natural causes, but the team’s bone analyst, Andrew Scherer, assistant professor of anthropology at Brown, has not yet confirmed the finding.

And who was this man buried with such a wealth? Though the findings are still very new, the group believes the tomb is likely from aruler they only know about from hieroglyphic texts.

These items are artistic riches, extraordinarily preserved from a key time in Maya history, said Houston. From the tombs position, time, richness, and repeated constructions atop the tomb, we believe this is very likely the founder of a dynasty.

According to Houston, the tomb shows that the ruler is going into the tomb as a ritual dancer: He has all the attributes of this role, including many small bells of Spondylus shell with, probably, dog canines as clappers. There is a chance too, that his body, which rested on a raised bier that collapsed to the floor, had an elaborate headdress with small glyphs on them. One of his hands may have held a sacrificial blade.

The blade was probably used for cutting and grinding through bone or some other hard material, and its surface seems to be covered with red organic residue. Though the substance still needs to be tested, it doesnt take too much imagination to think that this is blood, Houston said.

So far, it seems likely that there are six children in the tomb, some with whole bodies and probably two solely with skulls. The children – ranging in age from 1to 5 – were “probably sacrificed”in honour of the ruler.

We still have a great deal of work to do, Houston said. Remember, weve only been out of the field for a few weeks and were still catching our breath after a very difficult, technical excavation. Royal tombs are hugely dense with information and require years of study to understand. No other deposits come close.

The ancient Maya kingdom of El Zotz is located within a day’s walk (about 20kms) from Tikal, the capital of one of the largest and most powerful kingdoms of the ancient Maya.Yet, El Zotzflourished in the midst of the 1st millennium AD- after Tikal was defeated by Caracol (Belize) and Calakmul (Mexico).It is likely thatEl Zotz allied with Tikal’s enemies and that relations between the two cities were hostile. According to a textfound atTikal, in the 8th century AD,El Zotz wasengaged in battle against Tikal, and the last known hieroglyphic inscription to refer to El Zotz describes the city as being the target of an attack by Tikal.

Neolithic Rock Art discovered at Cambridgeshire Quarry

prehistoric rock art cambridgeshore village of over A unique piece of 4,500-year-old rock art has been unearthed in the Cambridgeshire village of Over.

The prehistoric slab of sandstone is unlike anything previously found in Eastern England.

The hand-sized neolithic artefact, which possible dates back as far as 2,500 BC, was found at Needingworth Quarry by Open University student Susie Sinclair.

Intothe stone’ssurface, two pair of concentric circles are etched, typical of late Neolithic ‘Grooved Ware’ art.

Researchers do not know if the motif represents a type of meaningful art, or if it is nothing more than Neolithic doodling.

Examples of similar Grooved Ware art have been discovered at sites elsewhere in Britain, such as Skara Brae, but the Over stone is the first object with these scratch patterns found in Eastern England.

Dr. Chris Evans, Director of the Cambridge Archaeological Unit, explains: “It’s unique in Eastern England, with the nearest comparable example being the similar scratch patterns on a sandstone plaque from a Grooved Ware site in Leicestershire. Otherwise you would have to look to Wessex or Northern Britain and the much more formal Megalithic Art of the period.”

Neolithic Artefact with Grooved Ware art discovered at Needingworth Quarry, Over, Cambridgeshire As such, the sandstone slab may provide more information about connections between the different communities inhabiting the area 4,500 years ago.

At that time, the Needingworth area was a delta-like landscape, dominated by the River Great Ouse.

There would not have been one river, but many, carving up the valley into a series of small islands and wet marshlands.

Only in Medieval times the river was straightenedand thefenlands drained.

The Cambridge Archaeologial Unit has been excavating at the quarry for more than a decade.

So far Neolithic ‘pit settlements’, large groups of barrows and a Bronze Age fieldsystem extending for hundreds of hectares on both sides of the river have been identified in the Needingworth prehistoric landscape.

Since 2007, the quarry landis – quite appropriately – being restored to be part of a massivewetland bird reserve, the largest of its kind in Europe.

The stone will make its first public appearance since the discovery was made this Saturday (July 17th), when it will go on display at Over Village Carnival.

BBC Two’s upcoming history specials: Ancient Worlds, Pompeii, Britain & the Bible’s Buried Secrets

BBC Two Ancient Worlds with Richard Miles The BBC has officially announced its TVschedule for this autumn and winter, promising its audience a big focus on history, with new programmes and new presenters. What to expect from the Beeb this autumn and winter, when the rain and cold keeps you locked into your home?

The autumn & winter 2010/2011 programming includes ‘Behind Closed Doors’ with Amanda Vickery, ‘The Do-Gooders’ with Ian Hislop and programming to mark the Battle of Britain’s 70th anniversary, with a drama-documentary based on Geoffrey Wellum’s book, First Light.

Ancient history specials served on these coldand dark winter nights will be ‘Pompeii’with Mary Beard, ‘Ancient Worlds’ with Richard Miles, Neil Oliver’s two-part ‘History of Ancient Britain’ and a look at Holy Land archaeology.

‘Ancient Worlds’ with Richard Miles

Archaeologist and historian Richard Miles embarks on a six-part odyssey from the first cities of Mesopotamia to the Christianisation of the Roman Empire to tell the story of what he argues is mankinds greatest achievement civilisation.

In the West, the term “civilisation” has been consigned to the museum display case. Embarrassed by its chauvinistic and elitist connotations, we have increasingly taken refuge in more politically correct and soft-focused terms such as “culture” to explain human origins. ‘Ancient Worlds’ seeks to rescue civilisation from its enforced retirement and celebrate such a hard-fought invention. Expect stunning locations and bold propositions about the origins of human society.

Neil Oliver’s ‘History of Ancient Britain’

For those who were wondering Neil Oliver (who earlier brought Britain ‘Cleopatra: Portrait of a Killer’) was doing at the Stonehenge Summer Solstice 2010 celebrations, here’s a huge clue:

In ‘History of Ancient Britain’ he embarks on an epic quest through thousands of years of ancient history to tell the story of how Britain and its people came to be.

The first part of the story takes him from the glacial wasteland of ice-age mammoth hunters, through the glories of the Stone Age, to the magnificence of international Bronze Age society. Neil travels the length and breadth of the British Isles exploring some of its greatest wonders and revealing how science is solving mysteries while getting hands-on experience of ancient technology.

Tapping into the latest discoveries and experimental archaeology, History Of Ancient Britain Part I gets under the skin of this mysterious world, the lives of the people who inhabited it, and the tipping points that changed their lives and made ours. History Of Ancient Britain Part II will continue the story through the Iron Age and the Celtic kings to the Romans.

BBC Two will air 'Pompeii' with Cambridge Professor Mary Beard

‘Pompeii’ with Mary Beard

Mary Beard, Cambridge Professor of Classics, author of ‘Pompeii- The Life Of A Roman Town‘ (Bija interviewed Beard here) and avid blogger, gleans evidence from an extraordinary find in the ancient city of Pompeii to provide a fascinating new insight into the people who lived in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius before its cataclysmic eruption in 79AD.

In a dark cellar in Oplontis, a suburb of ancient Pompeii, the remains of more than 50 victims of the eruption are put under the microscope of forensic science. The remains are submitted to a barrage of tests that, together with a fresh look at other finds in the city, unlock a valuable scientific snapshot of Pompeiian life and there are some surprises in store.

The programme features a visit to bars, baths, brothels,dining rooms and an ancient cesspit, where viewers can see what really went through ancient digestive tracts and learn about Roman hygiene: We can see ever so clearly where the water comes into the pool, but there isn’t a single place where it can go out. Make sure you don’t go to the baths if you have an open wound. You are likely to die of gangreen if you do.

‘The Bible’s Buried Secrets’ with Francesca Stavrakopoulou

Hebrew Scholar Francesca Stavrakopoulou examines how recent archaeological discoveries are changing the way stories from The Bible are interpreted and how these, in turn, are forcing a re-assessment of the understanding of the legacy of Judaism, Christianity and Islam both in the Middle East and in the West.

In thenew three-part series ‘The Bible’s Buried Secrets’, Francesca travels to major archaeological digs throughout the Middle East to investigate the origins of the story of the Garden of Eden, the emergence of the worship of one God and the historical context of King David – and his wondrous kingdom.

She also visits Khirbet Qeiyafa (a fortified city in Judah from the time of King David), the ancient city of Ugarit in Syria (considered to be the single most important biblical archaeological discovery of the last century) and the Tell es-Safi/Gath excavations (blogging here).

Following Francesca on her journey through some of the world’s most beautiful but inaccessible landscapes, The Bible’s Buried Secrets aims to place some of its most iconic stories into a new historical context.

A promising menu for those dark winter evenings, don’t you think? Hot choco and BBC iPlayer, here I come! No need to wait until winter for excellent history documentaries in the UK.For this month’s rainyevenings, you can settle down in front of the TVandswitch to‘King Arthur’s Round Table Revealed’, whichpremiers on History ChannelJuly 19th. For a truly historical docudrama, trytuning in toChasing Mummies. Really, the destruction of Atlantis isn’t nearly as devestatingly shocking asZahiHawass’ rage: “Nobody talk! Nobody talk! NOBODYTALK!!!”Just quoting! We’re happy for you tochat, and look forward to your opinions on theBBC’s upcoming ‘authorative history’ programmes. Everybody talk, ! 😉