Submitted by Mary Harrsch on Thu, 03/18/2010 - 12:59
Virtual Çatalhöyük is one of the most well-researched and painstakingly executed ancient world reconstructions in Second Life. But with the rent due, and funding tight, can the researchers keep the environment alive? I spoke to creator Colleen Morgan about the problems of creating reconstructions for high-rent platforms.
Using the latest techniques in forensic archaeology, the University of Reading has revealed a new image of multi-cultural Roman Britain. New research demonstrates that 4th century AD York had individuals of North African descent moving in the highest social circles.
The research conducted by the University of Reading's Department of Archaeology used modern forensic ancestry assessment and isotope (oxygen and strontium) analysis of Romano-British skeletal remains such as the ‘Ivory Bangle Lady', in conjunction with evidence from grave goods buried with her.
The ancestry assessment suggests a mixture of 'black' and 'white' ancestral traits, and the isotope signature indicates that she may have come from somewhere slightly warmer than the UK.
How did the people of the past interact with the Earth? Join the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research's expert teams to discover the many things that the remains of the past can tell us about how people lived.
Did you know that our ancestors gradually switched from collecting food from the wild to farming by keeping animals and growing crops? Learn how farming spread across Europe in our floor game and make your own Neolithic farmer to race across Europe… but beware, there are Mesolithic bandits waiting to ambush you! Find out what bones say about the way people lived in the past. Did Chris Caveman eat mammoths? Did Rachel Roman eat fish? Join our archaeobotanical group to recover cereals of the past, or perhaps the geoarchaeology group to discover the answer that lies in the soil!Don't forget to dig in the McDonald Great Cave... there is much to uncover and identify!
This event - part of the National Science and Engineering Week and the University of Cambridge Science Festival - takes place at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research (Downing Site), Downing Street, Cambridge.
This workshop - at the Archaeological Sciences department of the University of Bradford -will demonstrate some of the exciting ways in which science can be used to understand what happened in the past. Modern archaeology involves many scientific techniques, familiar through television programmes such as ‘Time Team’. The University of Bradford has an international reputation for teaching and research in these areas and this workshop will give you the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in two of the following areas:
Seeing the invisible- using electrical and magnetic measurement to detect buried remains without excavation
From trench to bench- using biological remains to find out what people ate in the past
Molecules through time- making and analysing prehistoric glue
The topics will be introduced using talks about the scientific principles, case-studies of archaeological sites and hands-on laboratory/field activities.
This Friday promises a feast for archaeology lovers in the Toronto area. The Archaeology Centre, at the University of Toronto, is holding Archaeology Research Day. It takes place from 10 am to 4 pm at Koffler House, 569 Spadina Ave., Room 108.
Fifteen presentations will be given on archaeology research happening all around the world. It’s a free event and there’s no registration. If you’re interested in research involving ancient times, you will not be disappointed. Much of the research that is going to be presented dates to that era. Here are some of the highlights:
As part of the Royal Society’s 350th anniversary Capital Science series, meet British Museum scientists and conservators to discover how science unlocks secrets behind some of the Museum’s most iconic objects. Handle raw materials and see the latest behind-the-scenes technology in action.
'See Further with Science' is part of the National Science and Engineering Week and takes place at the Great Court of the British Museum. Suitable for all ages.
When I wrote that it was most likely we'd see more conlusive information on King Tut's pedigree on TV first, I obviously was wrong, partly. Spoiler alert: yes, King Tut died at age 19 of (in order) a failing immune system, a leg fracture and malaria, but for the the fine details, and juicy imagery, you'll need to tune in to Discovery Channel's 'King Tut Unwrapped'. The network - which sponsored Egypt's 'mummy lab' - promises us an unprecedented forensic investigation into the life and times of King Tut that reveals the identity of Tut's parents and grandparents, details on his cause of death and new details of his reign.
The article - to be published tomorrow in the Journal of the American Medical Association alongside the press conference - contains results of over two years of research in two different dedicated 'mummy labs'.
Using the latest techniques in forensic archaeology, the University of Reading has revealed a new image of multi-cultural Roman Britain. New research demonstrates that 4th century AD York had individuals of North African descent moving in the highest social circles.
This Friday promises a feast for archaeology lovers in the Toronto area. The 
Ahead of 
