Category: Ann - Part 5

Cambridge dig looking for Anglo-Saxon skeletons finds Roman settlement

A dig in search of Anglo-Saxon skeletons has instead unearthed signs of a sprawling Roman settlement. The discovery was made last week, on the grounds of Cambridge’s Newnham College.

Evidence of a 16th or 17th century farmhouse that could date back to the reign of Henry VIII was unearthed at the site as well.

“We knew there was a Roman settlement here before but we had no idea of the size,” said Dr Catherine Hills.

“The village has been buried under the gardens for nearly 2,000 years, and may have seen the Roman conquest of Britain and Boudicca’s revolt. The 16th-century farmhouse was a complete surprise.”

The site first became of interest in the late 1930s when excavations for World War II air raid shelters lead to the discovery of five skeletons. Back then, archaeologist Dorothy Garrod and a team of women from the college excavated the graves using dessert spoons and toothbrushes.

Click To Watch Video

Episode 6: Boudicca, Celtic Warrior Queen

The Romans hated her, the Celts fought for her and now she is immortalised with a statue in Westminster. But who was Boudicca?

CLICK TO WATCH

After the war, the air raid shelters were covered with soil and the exact location of the graves was lost. But when Dr Hills heard about the story, she was keen to find out more about the mysterious skeletons.

Dr Hills and fellow archaeologists Carenza Lewis saw an opportunity to involve schoolchildren in the hunt for the skeletons, using the excavation to demonstrate the excitement of archaeology and the fun of studying in a Cambridge college.

They invited 20 sixth-form girls from schools in Peterborough, London and Birmingham to help them carry out the dig (more photos from the dig on the university’s Flickr stream).

No mysterious Anglo-Saxon skeletons were unearthed this summer, but the consolation prize was definitely worth the excavation exercise.

The dig revealed large amounts of Roman pottery, enough to convince Dr Hills and Dr Lewis that they dug through to the remains of a 2,000-year-old settlement.

This is significant as it suggests that the Roman presence at Newnham was far more considerable than previously thought.

East Anglia is rich in Roman and medieval remains just waiting to be discovered. People threw away a lot of rubbish, and their old pottery and animal bones are now allowing archaeologists to discover the existence of entire villages, said Dr Lewis.

We are starting to realise the huge extent of Roman settlement around this area.

Rehabilitating the Neanderthals – Accusations Uluzzian Man Took H. Sapiens Tools Prove False

Neanderthals are not stupid For decades scientists believed Neanderthals developed ‘modern’ tools and ornaments solely through contact with Homo sapiens, and it is often said that the cavemen weren’t able to adapt their hunting techniques to the changing climate quickly enough to prevent their extinction.

A new study nowsuggests these sturdy ancients were well capable of innovating without our help, adding to the growing pool of evidence that Neanderthal man was not a primitive, clumbering caveman.

Basically, I am rehabilitating neanderthals, explainsJulien Riel-Salvatore, assistant professor of anthropology at UC Denver. They were far more resourceful than we have given them credit for.

Uluzzian Innovation

About 42,000 years ago, the Aurignacian culture, attributed to modern Homo sapiens, appeared in northern Italy while central Italy continued to be occupied by Neanderthals of the Mousterian culture which had been around for at least 100,000 years. At this time a new culture arose in the south of Italy, one also thought to be created by Neanderthals. They were the Uluzzian and they were very different.

But when southern Italy too experienced a shift in climate, and the trees were replaced by grasslands, the regio’s inhabitants faced the stark choice of adapting or dying out.

This stands in contrast to the ideas of the past 50 years that Neanderthals had to be acculturated to humans to come up with this technology. When we show Neanderthals could innovate on their own it casts them in a new light. It ‘humanizes’ them if you will.

The evidence suggests the Uluzzian began using darts or arrows to hunt smaller game to supplement the increasingly scarce larger mammals they traditionally hunted. Riel-Salvatore identified projectile points, ochre, bone tools, ornaments and possible evidence of fishing and small game hunting at Uluzzian archaeological sites throughout southern Italy.

These innovations are not traditionally associated with Neanderthals, suggesting they evolved independently, likely as a reaction to the dramatic changes in climate. But more importantly, they emerged in an area geographically separated from modern humans.

My conclusion is that if the Uluzzian is a Neanderthal culture it suggests that contacts with modern humans are not necessary to explain the origin of this new behaviour. This stands in contrast to the ideas of the past 50 years that Neanderthals had to be acculturated to humans to come up with this technology, he said. When we show Neanderthals could innovate on their own it casts them in a new light. It ‘humanizes’ them if you will.

The Neanderthal as Intelligent Being

We credit dolphins, monkeys and even pigs with ‘intelligence’, but common perceptionis only to oftenthatof the Neanderthals as thick-skulled, primitive ‘cavemen’. Yet, the Neanderthal weren’t ‘dumb’.

For starters, they had larger cranial capacities than our own species, andmammalian DNA retrieved from Neandertal stone tools suggests theysuccesfully huntend largegame.Neanderthals evenused a primitive form of make-up, although not if this was for ornamental or symbolic reasons (likely both).

Click To Watch Video

MEanderthal iPhone app – Morph yourself (and your friends) into a caveman!

If you’re non-African there’s a good chance 1 to 4% of your DNA is ‘Neanderthal’. But how would we look if we were 100% ‘prehistoric man’? Find out with this free app for iPhone and Android.

CLICK TO WATCH

Also,a study comparing the amount of cutting-edge, production efficiency and life time of Neanderthal tools (flint flakes) with the narrow flint blades used by more modern human argued that there was no technical advantage to the blades. Upper Paleolithic technology was not necessarily better, just different. (If you think ofotherexamples, !)

Where did the Neanderthals go?

The powerfully built (and steroid-fuelled, if you like) Neanderthals were first discovered in Germanys Neander Valley in 1856. The oldest remains with Neanderthal characteristics date to about 130,000 years ago. These Neanderthals disappear from the fossil record in Asia about 50,000 years ago and in Europe about 20,000 years later. Why the Neanderthal vanished remains unclear.

The ‘interbreeding hypothesis’ suggests that they were a subspecies that bred with Homo sapiens, disappearing through absorbtion. An alternative scenario is that Neanderthals were a separate species and got replaced by the Homo sapiens overrun by more advanced modern humans arriving in Europe from Africa.

Riel-Salvatore rejects that the Neanderthals were exterminated by modern humans. Homo sapiens might simply have existed in larger groups and had slightly higher birthrates, he said.

A recent study shows the Neanderthals share between 1 and 4 percent of their genetic material to the people of Asia and Europe. It has been suggested it is due to interbreeding between Neanderthals and the ancestors of non-Africans after they left Africa. But even if we did to some extent sleep with the ‘primitive caveman’, the populations that remained100% Neanderthal were probably out-competed and marginalized to extinction.

Riel-Salvatore’s research, to be published in Decembers Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, isbased on seven years of studying Neanderthal sites throughout Italy, with special focus on the vanished Uluzzian culture.

Exodus Hydrodynamics: How the East Winds Parted the Red Sea

splitting the red sea according to hydrodynamics The biblical narrative of the crossing of the Red Sea has inspired and mystified people for millennia. So far, Archeologists and Egyptologists have found little direct evidence to substantiate many of the events described in Exodus, said to have taken place more than 3,000 years ago.

Now, a new study offers a new hydrodynamic explanation for the miracle a strong east wind, blowing overnight, could have created a land bridge (watch the video) and allowed for passage.

By pinpointing a possible site south of the Mediterranean Sea for the crossing, the study – based on a reconstruction of the likely locations and depths of Nile delta waterways, which have shifted considerably over time – could benefit experts seeking to research whether splitting of the Red Sea ever took place.

The computer model shows the winds pushing the water back at a bend where an ancient river is believed to have merged with a coastal lagoon – named the ‘Lake of Tanis’ by Herodotus – along the Mediterranean Sea. With the water pushed back into both waterways, a land bridge would have opened at the bend, enabling people to walk across exposed mud flats to safety. As soon as the wind died down, the waters would have rushed back in.

“The simulations match fairly closely with the account in Exodus,” says Carl Drews of the National Center for Atmospheric Research. “The parting of the waters can be understood through fluid dynamics. The wind moves the water in a way that’s in accordance with physical laws, creating a safe passage with water on two sides and then abruptly allowing the water to rush back in.”

Splitting the Red Sea? Map with Lake Tanis

The computer simulations by Carl Drews and University of Colorado at Boulder (CU) oceanographer Weiqing Han are intended to present a possible scenario of events.

The book of Exocus describes Moses and the fleeing Israelites trapped between the Pharaoh’s advancing chariots and a body of water that has been variously translated as the Red Sea or the Sea of Reeds. Although the biblical account attributes the splitting of the waters to the Lord’s power, it includes an east wind as natural component in the chain of events.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

James Rennell's reconstruction of the Nile delta according to Herodotus

This enables the Israelites to flee to the other shore. When when the Pharaoh’s army attempts to pursue them in the morning, the waters rush back and drown the soldiers.

Reconstructing ancient topography

Studying maps of the ancient topography of the Nile delta, the researchers found an alternative site for the crossing about 75 miles north of the Suez reef and just south of the Mediterranean Sea.

Although there are uncertainties about the waterways of the time, some oceanographers believe that an ancient branch of the Nile River flowed into a coastal lagoon then known as the Lake of Tanis.

The two waterways would have come together to form a U-shaped curve.

Analysis of archeological records, satellite measurements, and current-day maps enabled the research team to estimate the water flow and depth that may have existed 3,000 years ago.

Using an ocean computer model to simulate the impact of an overnight wind at that site, the researchers found that a wind of 63 miles an hour, lasting for 12 hours, would have pushed back waters estimated to be six feet deep. This would have exposed mud flats for four hours, creating a dry passage about 2 to 2.5 miles long and 3 miles wide. The water would be pushed back into both the lake and the channel of the river, creating barriers of water on both sides of newly exposed mud flats.

As soon as the winds stopped, the waters would come rushing back, much like a tidal bore. Anyone still on the mud flats would be at risk of drowning.

Video: The Physics of a Land Bridge

Sustained winds can cause an event known as a wind setdown, in which water levels are temporarily lowered. This computer animation (by Tim Scheitlin and Ryan McVeigh, NCAR) shows how a strong east wind over the Nile Delta could have pushed water back into ancient waterways after blowing for about nine hours, exposing mud flats and possibly providing an overland escape route similar to the biblical account of the Red Sea parting.

The set of 14 computer model simulations also showed that dry land could have been exposed in two nearby sites during a windstorm from the east.

However, those sites contained only a single body of water and the wind would have pushed the water to one side rather than creating a dry passage through two areas of water.

“People have always been fascinated by this Exodus story, wondering if it comes from historical facts,” Drews says. “What this study shows is that the description of the waters parting indeed has a basis in physical laws.”

Alternative Theories for the Red Sea Escape Route

Scientists from time to time have tried to study whether the parting of the waters, can also be understood through natural processes.

Tsunami

Some have speculated about a tsunami, which would have caused waters to retreat and advance rapidly. Such an event would not have caused the gradual overnight divide of the waters as described in the Bible, nor would it necessarily have been associated with winds.

Wind Setdown & Underwater Reef

Other researchers have focused on a phenomenon known as “wind setdown,” in which a particularly strong and persistent wind can lower water levels in one area while piling up water downwind. Wind setdowns, which are the opposite of storm surges, have been widely documented, including an event in the Nile delta in the 19th century when a powerful wind pushed away about five feet of water and exposed dry land.

A previous computer modeling study into the Red Sea crossing by a pair of Russian researchers, Naum Voltzinger and Alexei Androsov, found that winds blowing from the northwest at minimal hurricane force (74 miles per hour) could, in theory, have exposed an underwater reef near the modern-day Suez Canal. This would have enabled people to walk across.

But according to Drews and Han, the ‘reef scenario’ is unlikely. The reef would have had to be entirely flat for the water to drain off in 12 hours. A more realistic reef with lower and deeper sections would have retained channels that would have been difficult to wade through. In addition, the scientists are skeptical if refugees could have crossed during nearly hurricane-force winds.

The study (published in the online journal PLoS ONE as ‘Dynamics of Wind Setdown at Suez and the Eastern Nile Delta‘) is part of a larger research project by Drews into the impacts of winds on water depths, including the extent to which Pacific Ocean typhoons can drive storm surges.

‘Linn Duchaill’ Viking Settlement Discovered at Annagassan, Ireland

Archaeologists have discovered a 9th century Viking settlement at Annagassan, Ireland.

The discovery is the culmination of a long term research project to identify the site of the Viking fortress of Linn Duchaill.

It was long time suspected that the stronghold was to be found at Annagassan, County Louth, Ireland.

The excavation of three trial trenches now confirms the results of a previous geophysical survey.

A defensive rampart, consisting of a deep ditch and a bank was found. Likely, the fosse was the main fortification of the Norsemen‘s stronghold, which was further protected by the river Glide and the Irish Sea.

The identification of the site as a longphort (a fortified over-wintering spot for Viking fleets) is strengthened by the discovery of bronze rivets used to build and repair ships.

Other finds include cup-up silver for trading and weighing, a brooch pin and part of a human skull.

The longphort of Linn Duchaill was established in AD 841, in the same year as Dublin’s still lost Viking fortress about 60 kilometres south.

Yet, opposed to ‘Dubh Linn’ (sacked by the Irish king Brian Boru in 999), Linn Duchaill was abandoned by the Vikings who left for Britain less than 100 years after its foundation.

The excavation was directed by Dr. Mark Clinton in collaboration with Eamon P. Kelly, Archaeologist, and local historian Micheal McKeown.

Pavlopetri, ‘the city beneath the waves’ to surface in BBC Two documentary

The curvature of the sea surface and the nearby walls is of course caused by the "fish-eye" lens Discovered over 40 years ago just off the coast of Greece, Pavlopetri is the oldest submerged city in the world and the only sunken city in Greece that predates the writing of Plato’s Atlantis myth.

Now, for ‘Pavlopetri, The City Beneath the Waves’, BBC Two is to follow the team of experts excavating the submerged site.

“The future of archaeology is under the water and we are now armed with the technology to unlock the countless fascinating secrets the sea is yet to yield up to us, says BBCTwo’s Janice Hadlow.

The documentary is planned to air next year, and will make extensiveuse of CGI (3D computer generated images) to show for the first time in 3,500 years, how the mighty city of Pavlopetri now five metres below the sea level must have once looked.

The underwater city of Pavlopetriwas discovered in 1967, off the coast of southern Laconia in Greece. It is about 5000 years old.

It is believed that the ancient town sank around 1000 BC yet it remains unknown what caused this. Possibilities include sea level changes, earthquakes, or a tsunami.

So far, evidence for inhabitation during the late Bronze Age, middle Minoan and Mycenaean periods has been found at the 30,000 square meters archaeological site.

Pavlopetri is unique in having an almost complete town plan, including streets, courtyards, more than 15 buildings, two chamber tombs and at least 37 cist graves.

Although eroded over the centuries, the town layout never built over or disrupted by agriculture is as it was thousands of years ago.

It is believed that the ancient town sank at the end of the Mycenaean period, around 1000 BC yet it remains unknown what caused this. Possibilities include sea level changes, earthquakes, or a tsunami.

‘Pavlopetri The City Beneath the Waves’ will show the archaeology team using the latest in cutting-edge science and technology to prise age-old secrets from the complex of streets and stone buildingsthat wasmapped in last year’s survey. (Video from the 2009 Pavlopetri Expedition.)

The team is led by the University of Nottingham’s Dr Jon Henderson. Working alongside the underwater archaeologist on this ground-breaking project will be Nic Flemming, the man whose hunch led to the intriguing discovery of Pavlopetri in 1967, and teams from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and the Australian Centre for Field Robotics.

Iron Age Settlement and Roman Remains discovered at Sutton, South London

Evidence of early Iron Age settlements and Roman remains have found at Sutton borough, south London.

The infant burials and animal remains uncovered across the site are believed to be over 2000 years old.

The discoveries were made by workmen laying the foundations for the new Stanley Park High School on the former site of Queen Mary’s Hospital.

The site lies less than 100m to the northwest of one of the largest 150m in diameter Late Bronze Age hilltop enclosures in southeast England, discovered in the early 20th century.

The archaeological remains are typical of a late Iron Age and early Roman farming settlement. Likely, the area was once a small farming community made up of earth and timber roundhouses with thatched roofs.

The excavations have also uncovered Romano-British enclosures, numerous postholes and pits, many containing multiple animal burials.

These animals which were either whole or partly dismembered appear to have been deliberately sacrificed and deposited in deep (up to 4m) pits cut into the chalk bed rock.

“A very large number of domestic animal skeletons have been recovered – including horses, cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and dogs, says Duncan Hawkins, lead archaeological consultant.

These animals which were either whole or partly dismembered appear to have been deliberately sacrificed and deposited in deep (up to 4m) pits cut into the chalk bed rock.

“This may represent some form of ‘closure’ ritual when the settlement passed out of use with the pits perhaps originally representing grain stores.”

Iron Age features, including a possible livestock pathway, shallow gullies and pits were also identified.

The finds will contribute to our understanding of early life in Britain and Greater London where much other evidence of these periods has been destroyed by earlier development (Top 10 Most Important Ancient Discoveries in London).

The school hopes that the discoveries can be shared with the pupils and used for inspiration in history lessons.

“Building work for our super new school continues while careful excavations are carried out. We are keen to learn more about the artefacts and stories behind them after they have been fully analysed – it will really help to bring ancient history to life for local children when they attend their new school,” says Graham Tope from Sutton Council.

Curious whatlife was like inIron Age Britain? Head to Cheshire this Saturday to celebrate the opening of their new prehistoric dwelling at the Iron Age Open Days. The free event will include demonstrations of Iron Age techniques such as making fire, bread and Iron Age jewellery, with an opportunity to have a go yourself.

Cheshire’s Oldest Standing Wall, Newest Roundhouse and Iron Age Open Days

Left to Right - Dan Garner (Project Officer), Ellie Soper (Project Manager for the Habitats and Hillforts Project), Magnus Theobald (Chester Renaissance) and Chris Park (Acorn Education). - Image courtesy Cheshire West and Chester This Saturday, as part of the Iron Age Open Days, Cheshire celebrates the opening of its brand new prehistoric Roundhouse at Burwardsley. The replica Iron Age Roundhouse, built by Chris Park from Acorn Education, will act as a teaching aid helping to bring archaeology to life for children.

The free event will include demonstrations of Iron Age techniques such as making fire, bread and Iron Age jewellery, with an opportunity to have a go yourself.

Round Houses were the dominant building style of late prehistoric Britain and would have been common to Cheshire throughout the Iron Age.

Archaeological remains of Iron Age round houses have been found in West Cheshire at Beeston Castle, Bruen Stapleford, Chester Business Park and even beneath the Roman Amphitheatre in Chester.

The construction of the Iron Age dwelling is just one project of many that Habitats and Hillforts is undertaking. Over a three year period, Habitats and Hillforts aim to conserve and enhance the string of six important Iron Age hillforts along the sandstone ridge Helsby, Woodhouse, Eddisbury, Kelsborrow, Beeston and Maiden Castle.

The fact that those in Cheshire can see those in North Wales might suggest a tribal identity theres far less intervisibility between Cheshire and Shropshire so maybe the people in Shropshire were from a different tribe.

Earlier this week, “Cheshire’s oldest standing wall” was discovered at the Eddisbury Hill when excavating the Iron Age hillfort’s entrance beneath a potato field. The entrance to the Eddisbury Hill hillfort, thought to be the most elaborate of the six, has seven sets of post holes, each as big as a tree trunk, as well as guard rooms.

I would say that this hillfort is as sophisticated as it gets in the Iron Age, the Northwich Guardian quotes Dan Garner, project officer at the Eddisbury Hill excavations.

The team has three more hillforts to excavate, after which they’ll try to determine how well the forts can see each other project ‘Hillfort Glow’.

Hillfort intervisibility is quite a hot topic at the moment, Garner said. We have computer software that shows where you can and cant see from each hillfort and a lot of our chain has good intervisibility with hillforts in North Wales. We dont really know where tribal boundaries are and intervisibility may define tribal areas. The fact that those in Cheshire can see those in North Wales might suggest a tribal identity theres far less intervisibility between Cheshire and Shropshire so maybe the people in Shropshire were from a different tribe.

Iron Age Open Day organised by Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Habitats and Hillforts project takes place this Saturday, 18 September at the Burwardsley Outdoor Education Centre (the old primary school). The opening of the Iron Age Roundhouse starts at 1.30pm.

Attractions at the open day include living history reenactments, willow weaving, site tours and having a go finding the remains of an Iron Age roundhouse at a mock archaeological dig.

There will also be demonstrations showing hurdle making and hedge laying and a chance to meet the Cheshire Badger Group and Cheshire Bat Group – and a BBQ and refreshments available.

Ticket sale starts for ‘Secrets of the Silk Road’ at the Penn Museum – Exhibition Preview

We all know the face of the Xiaohe Beauty, but what about the Yingpan Man? His clothed mummy - excavated at Yingpan, China - dates to the 3rd to 4th century AD. - Image copyright Xinjiang Institute of Archaeology Tickets go on sale today for “Secrets of the Silk Road” a landmark exhibition from China making its only East Coast stop at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Penn Museum) in Philadelphia February 5 through June 5, 2011. The exhibition aims to reflect the wide extent of the Silk Road trade and cultural interchange (see some of the highlights in this slideshow).

Despite of what its name suggests, the Silk Road isn’t one single route. Rather, it is an extensive interconnected network of maritime and overland trade routes extending from Southern Europe through The Arabian Peninsula, Somalia, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Java-Indonesia, and Vietnam until it reaches China.

This travelling exhibition of materials from half way around the world is opening new doors providing visitors with an unparalleled opportunity to come face to face, literally, with life in East Central Asia, both before and after the formation of the fabled Silk Routes, noted Victor Mair, University of Pennsylvania scholar, and curatorial consultant and catalogue editor for the exhibition.

‘Secrets of the Silk Road’ Preview

Click one of the images to see a larger photograph.

The Secret of Silk

Although recent archaeological evidence a small ivory cup carved with a silkworm design as well as spinning tools, silk thread and fabric fragments is dated to between 4000 and 5000 BC,it is still generally assumedsilk production started in China somewherein thelate 4th millennium BC.

About 500 years later, the domestication of pack animals (we wouldn’t learn to ride until the 1st millennium BC) and the development of shipping technology increased the capacity for prehistoric peoples to carry heavier loads over greater distances; trade started to develop rapidly.

It were not just goods that were exchanged along the first trade routes. Over the centuries, many different peoples controlled parts of the Silk Routes, all using it to spread their technology, ideas, believes and art.

Even before the 1st century AD, the earliest evidence ofsilk reaching Rome, Alexander the Great took the Greek culture into Central AsiawithGraeco-Buddhism as result.

Yet the well-guarded secret of sericulture or silk production did not spread at all.(Recent research does show the possibility that silk production started independently in the Indus Valley, around 2000BC.)

Roman historian Pliny the Elder wrote in his Natural History in 70 BC that “silk was obtained by removing the down from the leaves with the help of water”.

The secret of silk production reached the Middle East only in the 6th century AD, when two monks appeared at Emperor Justinian’s court hiding silkworm eggs in their hollow sticks.

And Europe? It wasn’t until the 13th century that Italy began that Italy began silk production with the introduction of 2000 skilled silk weavers from Constantinople (once Byzantium, modern day Istanbul).

Even then, high-quality silk textiles woven in China would continue to be highly valued in the West, and the trade along the Silk Route continued as before.

TheBeauty of Xiaohe

The appearance of the 3,800 year old Beauty of Xiaohe, one of two strikingly well preserved ‘caucasian’Tarim mummies and their associated artefacts travelling from China, makes “Secrets of the Silk Road” an exhibition that reaches back well beyond the historic period of the Silk Road to tell a tale of long-forgotten peoples and cultures along the worlds legendary trading route.

Tall in stature and fair in complexion, the Beauty was excavated in 2003 (listed as one ofour’Top 10 Most Important Archaeology Finds in China… ever‘). She is one of hundreds of spectacularly preserved mummies, many with surprisingly Eastern European and Mediterranean features, buried in the harsh desert sands of the vast Tarim Basin of Central Asia, in the Far Western Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China.

The Beauty of Xiaohe, will be shown along with a bundled baby mummy dated to the 8th century BC, and the complete trappings of Yingpan Man, a six-foot six-inch mummy, from the 3rd to 4th centuries AD.

The Wide Extent of the Silk Road

Besides the mummies, the exhibition features a wide range of objects, 700 to 3,800 years. Objects include well-preserved clothing, textiles, jewellery, gem-encrusted gold vessels, wood and bone implements, coins and documents even preserved foods (2,500-year-old fried dough and flower-shaped desserts).

Organized by the Bowers Museum, Santa Ana, California in association with the Archaeological Institute of Xinjiang and the Urumqi Museum, “Secrets of the Silk Road” began its U.S. tour at the Bowers Museum (March 27 to July 25) before traveling to the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences, where it is on view through January 2, 2011.

Timed tickets for the Secrets of the Silk Road exhibition at the Penn Museum can be purchased online at www.penn.museum/silkroad or by phone: (877)77-CLICK. Discounted group tickets are available by phone: (215)746-8183, or by email: grouptickets@museum.upenn.edu.

Teacher programs, including a Thursday, November 4 Educators’ Evening, 4:30 to 6:30 pm, are available through the Museum’s Community Engagement Office: (215)898-4015. Teacher materials will be available online starting December 15.

Ancient Egyptian tomb of Karakhamun at Assasif: a major tomb for a minor priest?

TT223 Tomb of ancient Egyptian priest Karakhamun at Assasif Archaeologists have rediscovered the ‘lost’ tomb an ancient Egyptian priest at the Theban Necropolis in Egypt.It was announced today by Egypt’s Minister of Culture, Farouk Hosny, that the team excavating and conservating the tomb has now cleared the burial shaft of tomb and reached its burial chamber.

The tomb is located at Qurnet Murai, south Assasif, on the west bank of the Nile opposite to Luxor, and belonged to a priest named Karakhamun. It dates to the 25th Dynasty (the Reign of Shabaqo, circa 700BC) and is referenced as TT223 (Theban Tomb 223). The el-Assasif area is a well known archaeological site, containing nobles tombs from the New Kingdom, as well as the 25-26th Dynasties.

Dr Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), said that the team discovered the burial chamber of Karakhamun at the bottom of an 8m deep burial shaft. He added it is in very good condition and contains beautifully painted scenes.

The entrance to the chamber is decorated with an image of Karakhamun and the ceiling is decorated with several astrological scenes, including a depiction of the sky goddess, Nut.

Ancient Egyptian Priest Karkhamun

Not much is known about Karakhamun. There is no information about his family, and he himself did not seem to have any important administrative positions. His priestly title, First ‘k Priest, does not signify any particular importance.

Yet Karkhamun’s tomb consists of two spacious pillared halls and a five-room burial chamber, and isthe largest tomb excavated at the South Assasif Necropolis so far. This suggests he had close connections to the royal court or family.

As we know only little about his life, the tomb’s dating to the 25th Dynasty or Nubian dynasty, when Egypt ‘s rulers originated from the Kingdom of Kush is based largely on the priest’s Nubian name.

The tomb’s architectural features as far as they are known also confirm this date. Karkhamun’s serpentine shabti is of a Nubian type with facialeatures that suggest a pre-Taharqo date, probably Shabaqo, writes the South Asasif Conservation Project (ACP) on its website.

TT223 Discovered Thrice

After its initial discovery in the 1820s by Wilkinson, Hey and Burton and again in the 1940s by Lepsius the tomb of priest Karkhamun at Assasif was left open and unprotected. It was photographed in the 1970s by Eigner. Some time after Eigner’s visit,its ceiling collapsed and the tomb became buried once more by the sand.

It was considered ‘lost’ until in 2001 archaeologists started exavating what was a mere crack in the sand,and foundwall carvings with a life-size figure of Karkhamun in front of an offering table.

In 2006, an Egyptian-American team lead by Dr. Elena Pischikova started carrying out conservation works at the tomb as part of the ACP.

Because of the exceptional preservation of colour of the wall paintings, and the quality of the scenes, Dr Pischikova believes the tomb of Karakhamun could be one of the most beautiful tombs from Dynasty 25.

Roman ‘Crosby Garrett’ Cavalry Helmet to go under Christie’s Auction Hammer

'Crosby Garrett' Roman Cavalry Sports Helmet Earlier this year, an astonishing Roman cavalry helmet was discovered in Cumbria. The helmet found complete with face mask is only the fifth known example discovered in the United Kingdom.

Next month, the parade helmet will go on auction at Christie’s London, with Carlisle’s Tullie House Museum as one of the eager bidders for the 200,000 artefact.

Crosby Garrett Helmet Discovery

The helmet was discovered damaged it was broken in 67 pieces but near-complete by a metal detectoristat Crosby Garrett in Cumbria, in May 2010 (images of the headpiece in its discovery state can be seen on the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) website). The find was then restored by conservators at Christies.

It is a pity that the object was restored before there was any opportunity to examine it scientifically, as that would have given us more information about how it came to be in the ground, said Roger Bland, Head of Portable Antiquities and Treasure at the British Museum.

‘Sports’ Helmet for the Roman Auxiliary Cavalry

The helmet is of the Phygian type (named for its shape, alike to a Phrygian cap), and dated to the late 1st or 2nd Century AD. It had a griffin figurine crest attachment.

Its facemask depicts an idealised youthful visage in Greek style, clean shaven with a head of luxurious curly hare.

In antiquity, the polished white-metal surface of the Crosby Garrett face-mask would have provided a striking contrast to the original golden-bronze colour of the hair and Phrygian cap.

Roman Bronze Parade Helmet Crosby Garrett - Image Copyright Christie's Crosby Garette Roman Bronze Parade Helmet on Auction - Image copyright Christie's Detail of the griffin at the top of the restored ‘Phrygian Cap’ and side view of the Roman helmet and facemask. Images copyright Christie’s.

In addition, colourful streamers may have been attached to the rings along the back ridge and on the griffin crest.

The Hippika Gymnasia

The Crosby Garrett Helmet would not have been worn in combat, but on the occasion of ‘cavalry sports’ events, the hippika gymnasia.

Arrian of Nicomedia, a Roman provincial governor under Hadrian, provides us with the only surviving contemporary source of information on cavalry sports events.

The historian describes, in an appendix to his Ars Tactica, how the cavalrymen were divided into two teams which took turns to attack and defend. Hesuggests that the wearing of these helmets was a mark of rank or excellence in horsemanship.

Top 3 Antiquities Sales at Christie’s

1. The Jenkin’s Venus – 7,926,650 in 2002
2. Canford Assyrian Relief – 7,701,500
3. Statue of Ka-Nefer – $2,816,000
See more

The Roman cavalry sports helmets are thought to have been commissioned and purchased by individual soldiers.

Unlike their combat gear which they were issued and required to return at the end of their period of service these types of helmets are often found at burials and other in non-military contexts.

Context of the Find

The helmet’s find spot has been visited by local archaeologists and PAS staff, and a preliminary assessment has been made of the discovery site.

So far, previously unknown evidence for human occupation in the immediate vicinity of the find spot has been revealed.

We very much hope to be able to investigate this further, as it is important to know as much as possible about the context of the find, said Sally Worrel, National Finds Adviser for PAS.

See the Crosby Garrett Helmet… now its still in the UK

The Crosby Garrett helmet will be on public display atChristie’s King Street salerooms from 14 September and at South Kensington from 2 to 6 October.On 7 October, it will be offered for auction at Christie’s (Lot 176 Sale 5488), where it is estimated to realise between 200,000 and 300,000.

“This is a hugely important discovery and we expect considerable interest at both the public preview and at the auction where it is sure to generate great excitement from museums and collectors alike, said Georgiana Aitken, Head of Antiquities at Christie’s London (read an interview with her on Auctioning Antiquities).

To prevent the Crosby Garrett helmet going abroad, one of the bidders will be Carlisle’s Tullie House Museum, but as pointed out by Roger Bland it is always difficult for a museum to acquire an object like this at auction.

We wish the Tullie House Museum best of luck, and fewest of competition!

* Wondering – we certainly did – why this valuable find does not fall under ‘The Treasure Act’ (which most of the time means valuation by the British Museum and purchase by a museum or a group of museums)? Apparently, an object needs to be over 300 years old when found (check) and contain at least 10 per cent by weight of precious metal (gold or silver) to be considered ‘treasure’. Yet, if a ‘hoard’ of Bronze Helmets would have been found (more than two?), it would have qualified as treasure.