• Ann

    ‘Rare’ Bronze Age hoard unearthed at Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex

    Archaeologists have unearthed Bronze Age hoard containing 3000-year-old axe heads, spear tips and other metal objects in a field in the Burnham-on-Crouch area, Essex. The objects foundat the fieldinclude an pottery container with heavy metal contents unearthed undisturbed. The first finds at the location were all metal work and reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme in September. At the same field, metal detectorists later discovered an in situ pottery vessel. They covered up the pot, and reported this find tothe PAS as well. A dig was planned, and early October,archaeologists from PAS joined the landowner and four metal detectorists to…

  • owenjarus

    Was King Tut killed by a hippo? The father of Egypt’s New Kingdon executed? Week of Egyptian events kicks off in Toronto

    Toronto is the place to be this week for fans of ancient Egypt. Especially if youre interested in the gruesome ways that two of its pharaohs might have died. King Tut: Death by Hippo? This Wednesday, at 7 pm at theU of Tcampus, Dr. Benson Harer of California State University at San Bernardinowill argue that King Tutwasmauled to death by a hippo his lecture istitled”What really killed King Tut: The Hippo Heresy.” Dr. Harer is a medical doctor and adjunct professor of Egyptology atCalifornia State so he brings a unique perspective to this issue. Indeed, the death of King Tut…

  • malcolmj

    US Army Sergeant Creating Map of 1200 Archaeological Sites in Iraq

    The US military has been heavily criticised for its disregard for Iraq’s heritage sites since invading the country in 2003 – ancient minarets have been bombed, precious artefacts allegedly looted at the National Museum, and a full scale camp, including a helipad, constructed slap bang on top of Babylon. As part of a recent drive to demonstrate renewed sensitivity for the Cradle of Civilization’s venerable past, a US Army sergeant has set about creating a detailed map accurately pinpointing as many of Iraq’s estimated 1,200 archeological hotspots as possible. Sgt. Ronald Peters is a geospatial analyst with Multi-National Corps-Iraq C-7,…

  • Ann

    Silbury Hill’s true story – construction process was more important than design

    Standing 30 metres high and 160 metres wide, Silbury Hill in England is one of the world’s largest man-made prehistoric mounds. It was constructed in the Neolithic, about 25 kilometres north from Stonehenge. Silbury Hill Construction It is estimatedtheconstruction of Silbury Hill involved half a million tonnes of material and around four million man-hours of work equivalent to about ten years for a crew of a hundred people working 7/7 for more than ten hours a day. New and more precise dating of materials found inside the hill nowsuggests the main construction happened in about 100 years, involving some three…

  • owenjarus

    Chief Archaeologist: New discoveries show First Emperor’s Mausoleum influenced by foreign ideas

    Acrobats from Burma, workers from Central or West Asia, and a mausoleum design inspired by work in the Middle East – the Mauseoleum of China’s First Emperor was a cosmopolitan place says Dr. Duan Qingbo, the man in charge of excavating it. The mausoleum was created about 2,200 year ago and served as a tomb for Qin Shi Huang – the first emperor of China. While the emperor’s tomb is largely unexcavated, archaeologists have found thousands of life-size terracotta figures nearby. It’s believed that this army was created to serve the emperor in the afterlife. Dr. Duan (Duan is his…

  • owenjarus

    Chief Archaeologist: New discoveries show First Emperor’s Mausoleum influenced by foreign ideas

    Acrobats from Burma, workers from Central or West Asia, and a mausoleum design inspired by work in the Middle East the Mauseoleum of Chinas First Emperor was a cosmopolitan place says Dr. Duan Qingbo, the man in charge of excavating it. The mausoleum was created about 2,200 year ago and served as a tomb for Qin Shi Huang the first emperor of China. While the emperors tomb is largely unexcavated, archaeologists have found thousands of life-size terracotta figures nearby. Its believed that this army was created to serve the emperor in the afterlife. Dr. Duan (Duan is his family name)…

  • Ann

    Neolithic knife find at Tirnony Dolmen excavations hints at undisturbed burial

    Archaeologists excavating the 5,000-year-old Tirnony Dolmen at Maghera, Northern Ireland say the best find of the dig so far a Neolithic flint blade suggests the ancient burial site is undisturbed. The Tirnony Dolmen or portal tomb is a single-chamber megalithic tomb, estimated to be about 5,000 to 6,000 years old. In April this year, the ancient tomb’s massive capstone fell off, severely damaging one of the supporting stones. Now, the necessary repair works offer archaeologists from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency the chance of a lifetime excavating the ancient burial monument. The 4.5cm long, 1cm wide knife blade made from…

  • publication

    Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Roman Legion

    Legions of Rome The Definitive History of Every Roman Legion by Stephen Dando-Collins No book on Roman history has attempted to do what Stephen Dando-Collins does in Legions of Rome: to provide a complete history of every Imperial Roman legion and what it achieved as a fighting force. The author has spent the last thirty years collecting every scrap of available evidence from numerous sources: stone and bronze inscriptions, coins, papyrus and literary accounts in a remarkable feat of historical detective work. The book is divided into three parts: Part 1 provides a detailed account of what the legionaries wore…

  • Ann

    5000 Years of History at Zurich Rescue Excavations: Stone Age Wooden Door (and more)

    Rescue excavations at the construction site of an underground car park in the Swiss city of Zurich are exceeding all expectations. So far, the remains of at least five successive prehistoricsettlements came to light, as well as some amazing finds. These including a flint dagger from Italy anda 5000-year-old wooden door – looking incredibly good for its age. The oldest of the settlements discovered at the Opera House digis dated to as early as 3700 BC. Underneath these remains, the archaeologists from Zurich’s Structural Engineering Department found sediment layers, which will offer information about the fluctuating water levels of Lake…

  • Ann

    York’s ‘Headless Romans’ (gladiators, according to some) had exotic origins and diet

    In 2004, agroup of 80 individuals were discovered at Driffield Terrace, in York. They were buried between the late 1st and early 4th centuries AD, on a large cemetery on the outskirts of Eboracum, the Roman town of York. They are unusual because they are all believed to be male,most are adults and more than half had been decapitated. When these 30 bodies were buried some got their heads in the right place on their shoulders. Others saw their heads placed between their knees, on their chests or down by their feet. In one double burial the two bodies even…