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| Gods, Graves, Glyphs Weekly Digest #371 · v 8 · n 7 Saturday, August 27, 2011 |
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Welcome to issue #371 of the GGG Digest. · view this issue · |
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| Gods, Graves, Glyphs Weekly Digest #371 Saturday, August 27, 2011 |
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| Paleontology | |
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| World's Oldest Fossils Found in Ancient Australian Beach |
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· 08/22/2011 8:23:26 PM PDT · · Posted by neverdem · · 19 replies · · ScienceNOW · · 21 August 2011 · · Elizabeth Pennisi · |
Old stomping grounds. This landscape in Western Australia is home to these very ancient fossil cells (inset). Credit: David Wacey/University of Western Australia When Martin Brasier discovered what looked like fossil cells in between the cemented sand grains of an ancient beach in Western Australia, he knew he had his work cut out for him. One of the biggest challenges for geologists is deciding when a fossil is really a fossil, particularly when it comes to early life. There are no bones to go by, and the mineralized spheres representing simple cells and sometimes filaments could easily... |
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| Biology & Cryptobiology | |
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| Scientists discover new monkey species in Amazon |
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· 08/26/2011 1:15:20 PM PDT · · Posted by Red Badger · · 16 replies · · http://www.physorg.com · · August 26, 2011 · · Provided by WWF · |
Scientists on an expedition backed by WWF-Brazil to one of the last unexplored areas in the Brazilian Mid-west have discovered a new species of monkey. The monkey belonging to the Callicebus genus was found in the northwest of Mato Grosso State and is one of the great results from the studies undertaken during an expedition in December 2010 to the Guariba-Roosevelt Extractive Reserve. In May, WWF-Brazil and the scientist who made the discovery, Julio Dalponte, officially handed over the specimen to the EmÃŒlio Goeldi Museum in Belem, Para. "By integrating this animal to a reputable collection such as that of... |
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| Helix, Make Mine a Double | |
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| Science Creates Chickens With Alligator Snouts, Streets of Miami Now Doomed |
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· 08/22/2011 2:18:12 PM PDT · · Posted by nickcarraway · · 52 replies · · Miami New Times · · Mon., Aug. 22 2011 · · Kyle Munzenrieder · |
Harvard scientist Arkhat Abzhanov has done what dozens of drunk Miamians living near the Everglades have probably attempted in a cruder fashion at one point or another: successfully mixed the DNA of a chicken and an alligator. Unlike hypothetical local attempts, however, Abzhanov's method did not involve getting a gator to hump a chicken. Unfortunately. Also unfortunately, our streets are now doomed. Because many modern reptiles and birds evolved from shared ancestors, Abzhanov theorized he could undo evolution by getting chicken embryos to grow reptilian snouts instead of beaks. According to the Daily Mail, Abzhanov injected a small gloop of... |
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| Diet & Cuisine | |
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| Lager Beer's Mystery Yeast |
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· 08/22/2011 7:12:21 PM PDT · · Posted by neverdem · · 20 replies · · ScienceNOW · · 22 August 2011 · · Sara Reardon · |
Bottoms up. Lager, as we know it, is likely a hybrid of S. cerevisiae and a newly discovered yeast from Patagonia. Credit: Stephan Zabel/iStockphoto Lager may have its roots in Bavaria, but a key ingredient arrived from halfway around the world. Scientists have discovered that the yeast used to brew this light-colored beer may hail from Argentina. Apparently, yeast cells growing in Patagonian trees made their way to Europe and into the barrels of brewers. Through the ages, brewers have tried to make their beers better, for instance, by improving on taste or color or making them... |
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| 500 years ago, yeast's epic journey gave rise to lager beer |
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· 08/22/2011 8:03:21 PM PDT · · Posted by allmost · · 30 replies · · Physorg.com · · August 22, 201 · · Terry Devitt · |
In the 15th century, when Europeans first began moving people and goods across the Atlantic, a microscopic stowaway somehow made its way to the caves and monasteries of Bavaria. The stowaway, a yeast that may have been transported from a distant shore on a piece of wood or in the stomach of a fruit fly, was destined for great things. In the dank caves and monastery cellars where 15th century brewmeisters stored their product, the newly arrived yeast fused with a distant relative, the domesticated yeast used for millennia to make leavened bread and ferment wine and ale. The resulting... |
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| Prehistory & Origins | |
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| DNA study deals blow to theory of European origins |
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· 08/24/2011 11:07:22 AM PDT · · Posted by decimon · · 38 replies · · BBC · · August 23, 2011 · · Paul Rincon · |
A new study deals a blow to the idea that most European men are descended from farmers who migrated from the Near East 5,000-10,000 years ago. The findings challenge previous research showing that the genetic signature of the farmers displaced that of Europe's indigenous hunters. The latest research leans towards the idea that most of Europe's males trace a line of descent to stone-age hunters. But the authors say more work is needed to answer this question. The study, by an international team, is published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Archaeological finds show that modern humans... |
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| Ancient Autopsies | |
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| Neanderthal sex boosted immunity in modern humans |
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· 08/26/2011 10:40:58 AM PDT · · Posted by decimon · · 38 replies · · BBC · · August 26, 2011 · · Matt McGrath · |
Sexual relations between ancient humans and their evolutionary cousins are critical for our modern immune systems, researchers report in Science journal.Mating with Neanderthals and another ancient group called Denisovans introduced genes that help us cope with viruses to this day, they conclude. Previous research had indicated that prehistoric interbreeding led to up to 4% of the modern human genome. The new work identifies stretches of DNA derived from our distant relatives. In the human immune system, the HLA (human leucocyte antigen) family of genes plays an important role in defending against foreign invaders such as viruses. The authors say that... |
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| Faith & Philosophy | |
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| Mahavira ("The Great Hero") is largely Unknown in the West |
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· 08/24/2011 10:29:16 PM PDT · · Posted by Brian_Baldwin · · 9 replies · · 08/24/2011 · · brianbaldwin · |
The "founder" of the Jains religion which is primarily in India is called Mahavira, which mean "The Great Hero" (maha -- great, vira -- hero). He lived thousands of years ago, and there is ample evidence that not only was he a near contemporary of the "Buddha", the Buddha or "Intellectual" (buddhi -- mind, Budd -- intellect, Buddha -- the Intellectual) who was a Prince of Nepal called Siddhartha, there is evidence and I personally believe that Mahavira had taught or strongly influenced the "Buddha" in religion and yoga. Mahavira is largely unknown in the West, but that is not... |
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| Near East | |
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| Saudi Arabia discovers 9,000 year-old civilization |
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· 08/26/2011 3:24:20 PM PDT · · Posted by SunkenCiv · · 31 replies · · Reuters · · Wed Aug 24, 2011 · · Asma Alsharif · · ed by Angus MacSwan · |
Saudi Arabia is excavating a new archeological site that will show horses were domesticated 9,000 years ago in the Arabian peninsula, the country's antiquities expert said Wednesday. The discovery of the civilization, named al-Maqar after the site's location, will challenge the theory that the domestication of animals took place 5,500 years ago in Central Asia, said Ali al-Ghabban, Vice-President of Antiquities and Museums at the Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities. "This discovery will change our knowledge concerning the domestication of horses and the evolution of culture in the late Neolithic period," Ghabban told a news conference in the Red... |
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| Let's Have Jerusalem | |
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| Chinese Jews Face Existential Questions (Diminished: In Eyes of Judaism as Well as Beijing) |
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· 08/21/2011 11:42:31 AM PDT · · Posted by SeekAndFind · · 21 replies · · Wall Street Journal · · 08/19/2011 · · Bob Davis · |
KAIFENG, China -- Zhang Xinwang, a moon-faced Chinese man with a spiky beard, calls himself "Moishe." "So do you think I look Jewish?" he asks. For much of the past millennium, Jews in Kaifeng -- descendants of merchants who arrived here from Persia, probably around the 11th century -- have been struggling with an existential question: What does it mean to be Jewish? The handful of Kaifengers who go to Israel are sometimes floored to discover they need to go through a rabbi-certified conversion to be accepted as Jews, while the ones staying home squabble over which of them are really Jewish. The question has... |
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| Middle Ages & Renaissance | |
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| Italian art experts accused of censoring phallic fresco |
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· 08/22/2011 2:54:17 PM PDT · · Posted by woofie · · 82 replies · · The Telegraph · · Monday 22 August 2011 · |
Italian art experts who restored a cryptic medieval fresco depicting a tree of fertility have been accused of censoring the work by painting over the numerous phalluses which dangle from its boughs. The unusual 13th century Tree of Fertility fresco was discovered by chance a decade ago in the Tuscan town of Massa Marittima and has recently been subjected to a three-year restoration. The experts who carried out the restoration have been accused of sanitizing the mural by scrubbing out or altering some of the testicles, which hang from the tree's branches along with around 25 phalluses. "Many parts of... |
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| Did you Mean French Military Defeats? | |
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| Treadmill shows medieval armour influenced battles |
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· 08/27/2011 6:37:40 AM PDT · · Posted by SunkenCiv · · 30 replies · · BBC News · · July 19, 2011 · · Rebecca Morelle · |
Medieval suits of armour were so exhausting to wear that they could have affected the outcomes of famous battles, a study suggests. Scientists monitored volunteers fitted with 15th Century replica armour as they walked and ran on treadmills. They found that the subjects used high levels of energy, bore immense weight on their legs and suffered from restricted breathing. The research is published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The effect of the heavy armour was so great, that the researchers believe it may have have had an impact on the Battle of Agincourt. "It is a huge... |
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| Megaliths & Archaeoastronomy | |
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| King Arthur's round table may have been found by archaeologists in Scotland |
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· 08/26/2011 1:05:30 PM PDT · · Posted by Palter · · 44 replies · · The Telegraph · · 26 Aug 2011 · · Telegraph · |
Archaeologists searching for King Arthur's round table have found a "circular feature" beneath the historic King's Knot in Stirling. The King's Knot, a geometrical earthwork in the former royal gardens below Stirling Castle, has been shrouded in mystery for hundreds of years. Though the Knot as it appears today dates from the 1620s, its flat-topped central mound is thought to be much older. Writers going back more than six centuries have linked the landmark to the legend of King Arthur. Archaeologists from Glasgow University, working with the Stirling Local History Society and Stirling Field and Archaeological Society, conducted the first... |
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| Scotland Yet | |
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| Mystery over Roman battle may rule it out from list (Scotland) |
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· 08/26/2011 12:57:34 PM PDT · · Posted by decimon · · 3 replies · · BBC · · August 25, 2011 · · Steven McKenzie · |
The most northerly battle fought by imperial Rome could be left out of an inventory of Scottish battlefields due to uncertainty over the site.Mons Graupius in AD 83 or 84 saw the 9th Hispana, its cohorts and Roman cavalry defeat 30,000 Caledonians. Locations suggested in the past include Dunning in Perthshire, Carpow in Fife, Bennachie in Aberdeenshire and Culloden in the Highlands. Historic Scotland said an accurate site was needed for inclusion on its list. > In his book, Dando-Collins connects Mons Graupius with the disappearance of the 9th after it was later posted to Carlisle. He said Caledonians had... |
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| Rome & Italy | |
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| Excavations at Tlos reveal Roman works |
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· 08/24/2011 1:12:16 AM PDT · · Posted by Islander7 · · 4 replies · · Daily News · · Aug 18, 2011 · · MUĞLA -- Anatolia News Agency · |
New excavation work in the ancient city of Tlos in Muƒüla¬'s Fethiye district has unearthed several ancient sculptures of Roman emperors. The archaeological team found sculptures of Roman emperors Hadrian; Antonius Pius and his daughter Faistinaminor; Mareus Aurellus as well as the Goddess Issis, according to Taner Korkut, who is leading the dig. |
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| British Isles | |
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| 'Britain's first pre-Roman planned town' found near Reading |
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· 08/20/2011 8:10:56 AM PDT · · Posted by decimon · · 21 replies · · BBC · · August 17, 2011 · · Louise Ord · |
Archaeologists believe they have found the first pre-Roman planned town discovered in Britain.It has been unearthed beneath the Roman town of Silchester or Calleva Atrebatum near modern Reading. The Romans are often credited with bringing civilisation to Britain -- including town planning. But excavations have shown evidence of an Iron Age town built on a grid and signs inhabitants had access to imported wine and olive oil. Prof Mike Fulford, an archaeologist at the University of Reading, said the people of Iron Age Silchester appear to have adopted an urbanised 'Roman' way of living, long before the Romans arrived. "It... |
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| The Revolution | |
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| British used bioweapon in US war of independence |
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· 08/19/2011 12:05:56 PM PDT · · Posted by Pharmboy · · 21 replies · · New Scientist Blog · · 19 August 2011 · · Debora MacKenzie · |
(Image: Everett Collection/Rex Features) A document has just gone on display at Mount Vernon, Virginia -- the museum in the former home of George Washington, first US President. It is an order dated 1777 and signed by Washington himself to send troops that had not been vaccinated for smallpox -- or survived it -- to Philadelphia to be vaccinated. These troops were then to join up with the main army, where the disease was raging. It sounds like amazing foresight for its day. "Washington's careful handling of the smallpox epidemic at the beginning of the war was a significant... |
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| PreColumbian, Clovis & PreClovis | |
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| Scientists Find Huge Underground River Below Amazon |
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· 08/27/2011 6:55:20 AM PDT · · Posted by Fractal Trader · · 29 replies · · IBTimes · · 26 August 2011 · |
Have you heard of a river flowing under a river? In an amazing discovery, scientists have found signs of an underground river flowing below the Amazon. Researchers at the department of geophysics of the Brazil National Observatory have showed evidence of the existence of an underground river that flows 13,000 feet beneath the Amazon. Get US Emails&Alerts The latest US business and financial news as well as issues and events Sample The underground river is now named after Valiya Hamza, the scientist of Indian origin,who has been studying the Amazon region for more than 40 years. The discovery is part... |
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| Catastrophism & Astronomy | |
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| Mount Vesuvius [ erupted and buried Pompeii et al, August 24-25, A.D. 79 ] |
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· 08/27/2011 7:54:23 AM PDT · · Posted by SunkenCiv · · 8 replies · · Wheeling Jesuit University · · January 18, 2011 · · ETE Team · |
Pliny the Elder's ship approached the shore near Pompeii. Ashes were already falling, hotter and thicker as the ships drew near, followed by bits of pumice and blackened stones, charred and cracked by the flames . . . Meanwhile on Mount Vesuvius broad sheets of fire and leaping flames blazed at several points, their bright glare emphasized by the darkness of night. (pp. 429, 431) But they could not land because the shore was blocked by volcanic debris, so they sailed south and landed at Stabiae. Hoping to quiet the frightened people, the uncle asked to be carried to the... |
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| Agriculture & Animal Husbandry | |
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| Bid to Rename Homo Sapiens Is Called Unwise |
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· 08/27/2011 4:50:13 AM PDT · · Posted by SunkenCiv · · 11 replies · · LiveScience · · Wednesday, August 17, 2011 · · Wynne Parry · |
For about 250 years, our species has been known as Homo sapiens, a scientific name in Latin that means "wise man." Given the havoc humans are wreaking on natural systems, putting ourselves and so many other living things in peril, we don't deserve this name, contends Julian Cribb, an Australian science writer and book author... "Changing our species name might risk infringing some of the hallowed rules of nomenclature, but it would send an important signal about our present collective behavior," he writes. Cribb has no suggestion for a new name, "because I want humanity at large to discuss this... |
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| Longer Perspectives | |
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| "Science" When It Suits Them: Forget about creationism and start worrying about the left's faith-based devotion to government |
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· 08/24/2011 10:44:39 AM PDT · · Posted by neverdem · · 25 replies · · Reason · · August 24, 2011 · · David Harsanyi · |
Forget about creationism and start worrying about the left's faith-based devotion to government. So every now and then, liberals are treated to a big self-righteous laugh at the expense of some backwoods Christian conservative candidate who "ignores science" by doubting evolution or global warming -- or, gasp, both. Much, for instance, has been made of Texas Gov. Rick Perry's recent suggestion that evolution is a "theory that's out there" with "gaps in it." He even insinuated that evolution and creationism should both be taught in schools -- because folks are "smart enough to figure out which one is right." Sanctimony to red alert! Now,... |
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| end of digest #371 20110827 | |
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| Gods, Graves, Glyphs Weekly Digest #371 · v 8 · n 7 Saturday, August 27, 2011 |
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34 topics |
Welcome to issue #371 of the GGG Digest. · view this issue · |
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| Gods, Graves, Glyphs Weekly Digest #372 Saturday, September 3, 2011 |
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| Agriculture & Animal Husbandry | |
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| Gardens were important to ancient civilizations |
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· 09/01/20/2011 · · 4:50:15 PM PDT · · Posted by Renfield · · 9 replies · · Times and Transcript · · 9-1-2011 · |
We tend to think of garden design as a relatively new vocation. The truth told by archaeological findings not only lays such thoughts to rest, it tells a tale of a rich and ancient heritage of garden design. One such finding shows a garden of Ninevah, in present-day Iraq, that dates back to 650 BC. There are date palms, trees and shrubs of many types. True, an enemy's severed head is seen hanging from one of the trees, but times were different, or are they? They did like their gardens, however. Our vision of ancient Egyptian temples is one of... |
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| Biology & Cryptobiology | |
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| New Wasp Species Discovered in Indonesia Shocks Scientists |
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· 09/01/20/2011 · · 7:22:14 PM PDT · · Posted by nickcarraway · · 28 replies · · Jakarta Globe · · September 01, 2011 · · Lydia Tomkiw · |
An American scientist working with a team of Indonesians scientists has discovered a new giant black warrior wasp species. The wasp will be added to the list of items named after the country's national symbol, the mythical bird Garuda. The insect-eating predator was discovered by Lynn S. Kimsey, a professor of entomology and the director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Davis, while working with 12 scientists from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) during an expedition to the Mekongga Mountains of Sulawesi. Scientists are shocked by the discovery of the insect, with the male... |
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| Microbe, Your Crobe, His Crobe, Her Crobe | |
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| Antibiotic resistance found in ancient bacteria |
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· 08/31/20/2011 · · 12:37:18 PM PDT · · Posted by Boogieman · · 25 replies · · CBC News · · Aug 31, 2011 · · Emily Chung · |
The same genes that make disease-causing bacteria resistant to today's antibiotics have been found in soil bacteria that have remained frozen since woolly mammoths roamed the Earth. "We've shown for the first time that drug resistance is a really old phenomenon and it's part of the natural ecology of the planet," said Gerard Wright, a biochemist at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont. He led the study that was published online Wednesday in the journal Nature. Wright said this evidence of ancient genes may explain how today's disease-causing bacteria have so quickly become resistant to modern antibiotics. |
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| Epidemics, Pandemics, Plagues, the Sniffles | |
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| Cholera pandemic has a single global source (Bay of Bengal) |
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· 08/31/20/2011 · · 11:27:34 AM PDT · · Posted by decimon · · 8 replies · · BBC · · August 25, 2011 · · Hamish Pritchard · |
A major cholera pandemic has spread in at least three waves from a single global source: the Bay of Bengal.A study in Nature reveals cholera's spread over the last 60 years into Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas, continent-hopping on long-haul flights. The research by a team from Cambridge's Sanger Institute showed the infection is evolving, with the newest waves showing antibiotic resistance. A UK expert said it was "a scandal" cholera was still affecting people. Cholera is a bacterial infection of the intestine that causes diarrhoea. It affects 3-5m people annually in 56 countries, killing between100,000 and 150,000. If... |
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| Helix, Make Mine a Double | |
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| Svante Paabo: DNA clues to our inner Neanderthal |
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· 09/03/20/2011 · · 6:15:38 AM PDT · · Posted by SunkenCiv · · 61 replies · · Daily Exchange · · Wednesday, August 31, 2011 · · Ted Talks (?) · |
Sharing the results of a massive, worldwide study, geneticist Svante Pääbo shows the DNA proof that early humans mated with Neanderthals after we moved out of Africa. (Yes, many of us have Neanderthal DNA.) He also shows how a tiny bone from a baby finger was enough to identify a whole new humanoid species. Svante Pääbo explores human genetic evolution by analyzing DNA extracted from ancient sources, including mummies, an Ice Age hunter and the bone fragments of Neanderthals. |
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| Neandertal / Neanderthal | |
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| Neanderthal survival story revealed in Jersey caves |
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· 08/30/20/2011 · · 8:16:45 PM PDT · · Posted by decimon · · 58 replies · · BBC · · August 29, 2011 · · Becky Evans · |
New investigations at an iconic cave site on the Channel Island of Jersey have led archaeologists to believe the Neanderthals have been widely under-estimated.Neanderthals survived in Europe through a number of ice ages and died out only about 30,000 years ago. The site at La Cotte de St Brelade reveals a near-continuous use of the cave site spanning over a quarter of a million years, suggesting a considerable success story in adapting to a changing climate and landscape, prior to the arrival of Homo sapiens. New investigations at an iconic cave site on the Channel Island of Jersey have led... |
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| Neanderthal skull fragment discovered in Nice |
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· 09/03/20/2011 · · 4:50:34 AM PDT · · Posted by SunkenCiv · · 16 replies · · Riviera Times · · Wednesday, August 24, 2011 · · unattributed · |
Part of a prehistoric skull, dating back 170,000 years, has been discovered during an archaeological dig in Nice. Experts say the discovery could reveal important clues to the evolution of humans. Students Ludovic Dolez and SÈbastian Lepvraud were working on the excavation site, Lazaret Caves, on 13th August, when they came across the partial remains of a forehead belonging to a Homo Erectus. Paleontologist Marie-Antoinette de Lumley, who has been in charge of excavation at Lazaret since 1961, said the bone is an important find: "It belonged to a nomad hunter, less than 25 years old. He may be able... |
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| Prehistory & Origins | |
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| Humans shaped stone axes 1.8 million years ago, study says |
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· 09/02/20/2011 · · 2:05:06 PM PDT · · Posted by Red Badger · · 33 replies · · PhysOrg · · 08-31-2011 · · Provided by Columbia U · |
A new study suggests that Homo erectus, a precursor to modern humans, was using advanced toolmaking methods in East Africa 1.8 million years ago, at least 300,000 years earlier than previously thought. The study, published this week in Nature, raises new questions about where these tall and slender early humans originated and how they developed sophisticated tool-making technology. Homo erectus appeared about 2 million years ago, and ranged across Asia and Africa before hitting a possible evolutionary dead-end, about 70,000 years ago. Some researchers think Homo erectus evolved in East Africa, where many of the oldest fossils have been found,... |
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| Japan | |
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| Ancient forearm bone from tall man found at archeological site in Okinawa |
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· 09/01/20/2011 · · 8:02:35 PM PDT · · Posted by Palter · · 10 replies · · Mainichi Daily News · · 30 Aug 2011 · |
Researchers have unearthed an ancient forearm bone from the Mabuni Hantabaru archeological site in Itoman, Okinawa Prefecture, believed to be from a Jomon period male roughly 169 centimeters tall -- much taller than the average for the period. The bone, measuring about 28 centimeters, is believed to be from the late Jomon period, dating back 3,000-4,000 years. The average height of males from the same period is about 158 centimeters. Takayuki Matsushita, honorary head of the Doigahama Site Anthropological Museum in Yamaguchi Prefecture, which conducted a survey of the area, said the find was unusual. "Even on a national scale,... |
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| Megaliths & Archaeoastronomy | |
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| Tomb found at Stonehenge quarry site (Wales) |
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· 09/01/20/2011 · · 9:08:44 AM PDT · · Posted by decimon · · 14 replies · · BBC · · August 31, 2011 · · Louise Ord · |
The tomb for the original builders of Stonehenge could have been unearthed by an excavation at a site in Wales.The Carn Menyn site in the Preseli Hills is where the bluestones used to construct the first stone phase of the henge were quarried in 2300BC. Organic material from the site will be radiocarbon dated, but it is thought any remains have already been removed. Archaeologists believe this could prove a conclusive link between the site and Stonehenge. The remains of a ceremonial monument were found with a bank that appears to have a pair of standing stones embedded in it.... |
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| Scotland Yet | |
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| Scottish treasure trove revealed (Iron Age) |
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· 09/02/20/2011 · · 5:31:05 PM PDT · · Posted by decimon · · 12 replies · · BBC · · September 2, 2011 · · Unknown · |
A hoard of gold Iron Age torcs found near Stirling is among the highlights of the sixth annual Scottish Treasure Trove report.The torcs --which earned the finder a reward of £462,000 --were found in 2009 but reported to the Queen's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer last year. Other "outstanding" finds were a gold button unearthed in Perth and Kinross and a Papal Bulla found in Fife. Discoveries were also made in East Lothian and the Scottish Borders. The report covers the period from 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 and details finds dealt with by the remembrancer and... |
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| Dunning Iron Age find shows Roman-Pictish link |
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· 09/01/20/2011 · · 6:35:32 PM PDT · · Posted by SunkenCiv · · 26 replies · · BBC News · · August 31st 2011 · · unattributed · |
Archaeologists working near the village of Dunning found an Iron Age broch which has evidence of early contact between the Picts and the Roman Empire. The broch -- a drystone wall structure -- is the first of its kind to be found in the Scottish lowlands for 100 years. Evidence shows that the Roman dwelling was destroyed by fire and then probably reoccupied by a Pictish warlord... Brochs were the preferred residence of the elite during Roman times. The team said the "exquisitely preserved" Dunning example was built at the top of a hill and offers a 360-degree views of... |
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| Ancient Roller Derby | |
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| Archaeologists uncover amphitheatre used to train gladiators near Vienna |
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· 09/01/20/2011 · · 6:43:42 PM PDT · · Posted by SunkenCiv · · 11 replies · · Guardian UK · · Tuesday, August 30, 2011 · · Associated Press · |
Archaeologists say they have located and excavated the ruins of a huge amphitheatre used to train gladiators east of Vienna, describing it as a "sensational discovery". They claim that the ruins found through ground radar measurements rival the Colosseum and the Ludus Magnus in Rome in their structure. The Ludus Magnus is the largest of the gladiatorial arenas in the Italian capital, while the Colosseum is the largest amphitheatre ever built in the Roman empire. |
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| Rome & Italy | |
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| The Riddle of Ancient Roman Concrete |
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· 09/02/20/2011 · · 8:15:56 PM PDT · · Posted by SunkenCiv · · 40 replies · · Roman Concrete · · 1993-1995 · · David Moore, P.E. · |
A most unusual Roman structure depicting their technical advancement is the Pantheon, a brick faced building that has withstood the ravages of weathering in near perfect condition, sitting magnificently in the business district of Rome. Perhaps its longevity is told by its purpose . . . to honor all gods. Above all, this building humbles the modern engineer not only in its artistic splendor, but also because there are no steel rods to counter the high tensile forces such as we need to hold modern concrete together. Describing this large circular building tells much of the intelligence of its builders;... |
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| The Roman Wars | |
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| Extraordinary pictures of the 2,000 year old underground labyrinth where Jewish rebels hid from Roman soldiers |
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· 09/01/20/2011 · · 6:27:14 PM PDT · · Posted by SunkenCiv · · 21 replies · · Daily Mail · · August 31st 2011 · · Rose Parker · |
Cavers crawl along with the complex illuminated by the eerie light from a head torch. The system was once reached through trap doors in Jewish villages,some of which are now archaeological sites, others have been completely destroyed. Today, they may be no more than an indistinct, shoulder-width opening in the ground or hillside. The intrepid may have to crawl, even slither for a few minutes through a pitch-black burrow too cramped for a fully armed Roman legionary. Turns can be so tight cavers may have to back up to a spot where they can flip from head to feet first... |
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| Africa | |
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| Libya's other wealth: Archaeological treasures |
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· 09/03/20/2011 · · 7:56:46 AM PDT · · Posted by MinorityRepublican · · 8 replies · · CNN · · September 3, 2011 · · Libby Lewis · |
(CNN) -- Before Moammar Gadhafi, there were the Phoenicians. And the Greeks. The Romans. The first Arabs. They're a reminder that no civilization -- and no leader -- is forever. The Libyan transitional leaders have a lot to deal with once they stop being rebels, and begin shaping a new Libya: Keeping law and order, setting up a rudimentary government, dealing with money -- and oil. But what about Libya's other wealth? Its archaeological treasures? They are all over the country. In the south, in Acacus, rock paintings 12,000 years old cross an entire mountain range. In the east, the... |
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| Egypt | |
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| Deadly medication?(Pharaoh Hatshepsut) |
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· 08/19/20/2011 · · 7:24:33 AM PDT · · Posted by decimon · · 20 replies · · University of Bonn · · August 19, 2011 · · Unknown · |
Bonn scientists shed light on the dark secret of Queen Hatshepsut's flaconThe corpus delicti is a plain flacon from among the possessions of Pharaoh Hatshepsut, who lived around 1450 B.C., which is on exhibit in the permanent collection of the Egyptian Museum of the University of Bonn. For three and a half millennia, the vessel may have held a deadly secret. This is what the Head of the collection, Michael Hˆveler-M¸ller and Dr. Helmut Wiedenfeld from the university's Pharmacology Institute just discovered. After two years of research it is now clear that the flacon did not hold a perfume; instead,... |
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| Religion of Pieces | |
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| Egypt's Brotherhood Declares War on the Bikini (and the Pyramids too) |
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· 08/28/20/2011 · · 7:48:03 AM PDT · · Posted by Dallas59 · · 55 replies · · JP · · 8/28/20/2011 · |
Sunbathing in Alexandria may soon be a thing of the past, at least if some Egyptian Islamist politicians have their way. clearpxl Egypt's tourism industry has suffered a severe blow since the outburst of anti-regime demonstrations in January. But that did not stop the Freedom and Justice Party, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, from demanding stricter regulations over what tourists can do and wear while visiting the country. The party is urging officials to ban skimpy swimwear and the consumption of alcohol on Egyptian street |
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| Let's Have Jerusalem | |
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| Leftists in Last-Minute Bid to Halt Ir David Excavations |
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· 08/30/20/2011 · · 2:34:17 PM PDT · · Posted by Eleutheria5 · · 10 replies · · Arutz Sheva · · 30/8/11 · · David Lev · |
A group of 150 archaeologists and students sent a petition Tuesday to Environment Minister Gilad Erdan and Sport and Culture Minister Limor Livnat, asking them to drop their support for a law that formalizes private archaeological digs and research at national parks and historical sites. The petition says that the law would "politicize archaeology in Israel and damage the independence of researchers," and calls for the ministers to oppose the "privatization of archaeology," which, they write, would be the death knell of archaeology in Israel. But supporters of the law said that there were already hundreds of independent and private... |
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| Ancient Autopsies | |
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| 2000-Year-Old Burial Box Could Reveal Location of the Family of Caiaphas |
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· 08/29/20/2011 · · 11:05:43 AM PDT · · Posted by decimon · · 18 replies · · American Friends Tel Aviv U · · August 29, 2011 · · Unknown · |
Rare, detailed inscription is genuine, says a TAU researcherIn Jerusalem and Judah, ancient limestone burial boxes containing skeletal remains -- called ossuaries -- are fairly common archaeological finds from the 1st century BCE to the 1st century AD period. Forgers have also added inscriptions or decorations to fraudulently increase their value. So three years ago, when the Israel Antiquities Authority confiscated an ossuary with a rare inscription from antiquities looters, they turned to Prof. Yuval Goren of Tel Aviv University's Department of Archaeology to authenticate the fascinating discovery. Prof. Goren, who worked in collaboration with Prof. Boaz Zissu from Bar... |
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| Israel Scholars Say Biblical Burial Box Is Genuine |
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· 06/29/20/2011 · · 12:15:46 PM PDT · · Posted by marshmallow · · 21 replies · · AP via Church News · · 6/29/11 · |
JERUSALEM -- Israeli scholars say they have confirmed the authenticity of a 2,000-year-old burial box bearing the name of a relative of the high priest Caiaphas of the New Testament. The ossuary bears an inscription with the name "Miriam daughter of Yeshua son of Caiaphas, priest of Maaziah from Beth Imri." An ossuary is a stone chest used to store bones. Caiaphas was a temple priest and an adversary of Jesus who played a key role in his crucifixion. The Israel Antiquities Authority says the ossuary was seized from tomb robbers three years ago and has since been undergoing analysis.... |
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| Jesus Christ the Man: Does the Physical Evidence Hold Up? |
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· 04/17/20/2011 · · 8:16:00 PM PDT · · Posted by SeekAndFind · · 40 replies · · Live Science · · 04/14/20/2011 · · Natalie Wolchover · |
Jesus Christ may be the most famous man who ever lived. But how do we know he did? Most theological historians, Christian and non-Christian alike, believe that Jesus really did walk the Earth. They draw that conclusion from textual evidence in the Bible, however, rather than from the odd assortment of relics parading as physical evidence in churches all over Europe. That's because, from fragments of text written on bits of parchment to overly abundant chips of wood allegedly salvaged from his crucifix, none of the physical evidence of Jesus' life and death hold up to scientific scrutiny. [Who Was... |
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| BURIAL BOX --Oldest physical evidence for JESUS (Passion thoughts-6) |
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· 03/26/20/2005 · · 2:46:33 AM PST · · Posted by Paul Ciniraj · · 3 replies · · 269+ views · · Baseelia Foundation · · 26th March, 2005 · · Pastor Paul Ciniraj · |
From the news... A limestone burial box, almost 2,000 years old, may provide the oldest archeological record of Jesus of Nazareth. Of interest in the news today, the announcement of an archaeological find of potentially great significance: an ossuary (stone box) bearing the inscription "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus". The practice of transferring bones from expensive tombs into ossuaries existed from around 20 B.C. to 70 A.D., and the inscription on the newly recovered ossuary was in a form of written Aramaic used only between about 10 A.D. and 70 A.D. Other scientific tests affirm the antiquity of... |
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| Faith & Philosophy | |
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| The Major Religions of the World ....Revisited: The Significance of Mecca |
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· 08/29/20/2011 · · 5:03:11 PM PDT · · Posted by SunkenCiv · · 64 replies · · Major Religions dot com · · 2008 · · Robert Fawcett · |
It needs to be noted that Arabs had been making the pilgrimage to Mecca-to the enormous granite Ka'aba, the old shrine at the center of the city-for hundreds, possibly thousands of years, before Islam to pay tribute to these 360 gods represented inside the Ka'aba's walls. Muhammad destroyed all but two -- that of the Virgin Mary, and that of Christ. However, even those representations would eventually be banned under Islam's subsequent prohibition of images. This prohibition was not endorsed by the Prophet. Controversies have exploded over images depicting the Prophet Muhammad, namely his depiction as a turbaned terrorist in... |
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| PreColumbian, Clovis & PreClovis | |
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| 'Treasures... of black wood, brilliantly polished': five examples of Taino sculpture |
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· 08/27/20/2011 · · 9:53:51 AM PDT · · Posted by SunkenCiv · · 18 replies · · Antiquity · · Vol 85:329, 2011 · · Joanna Ostapkowicz et al · |
Five wooden sculptures from the pre-contact Caribbean, long held in museum collections, are here dated and given a context for the first time. The examples studied were made from dense Guaiacum wood, carved, polished and inlaid with shell fastened with resin. Dating the heartwood, sapwood and resins takes key examples of 'Classic' TaÃŒno art back to the tenth century AD, and suggests that some objects were treasured and refurbished over centuries. The authors discuss the symbolic properties of the wood and the long-lived biographies of some iconic sculptures. |
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| Epigraphy & Language | |
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| Talking leaves & rocks that teach: the archaeological discovery of Sequoyah's oldest written record |
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· 08/27/20/2011 · · 9:48:30 AM PDT · · Posted by SunkenCiv · · 16 replies · · Antiquity · · Vol 85:329, 2011 · · Rex Weeks & Ken Tankersley · |
The authors investigate the origins of the earliest script of the Cherokees, using inscriptions in the Red Bird River Shelter. Their analysis suggests that the engravings in the cave show the experimental creation of a syllabary (alphabet of signs). This in turn offers support for the historical notion that this writing system was not an ancestral practice preserved through missionaries, but an invention of the early nineteenth century; one that should be credited to the Native American pioneer scholar, Sequoyah. |
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| The Revolution | |
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| Bunker Hill dead may lie under gardens |
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· 03/08/20/2009 · · 11:23:26 AM PDT · · Posted by Pharmboy · · 65 replies · · 2,133+ views · · Boston Globe · · March 8, 2009 · · Brian MacQuarrie · |
In Boston, history is always just below the surface. And in Charlestown, underneath a row of genteel gardens, in the middle of a teeming city, is believed to be a mass grave containing the bones of possibly dozens of British soldiers killed in one of the most important battles in American history. The site, part of the sprawling Bunker Hill battlefield, has been pinpointed by a curator from Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia and a Charlestown historian who are confident they know where the bodies were buried --15 feet underground in what had been a rebel-dug ditch that featured some... |
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| The Civil War | |
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| Scots and the American Civil War |
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· 04/13/20/2011 · · 3:25:29 AM PDT · · Posted by MadMitch · · 64 replies · · The Scotsman · |
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/features/Scots-and-the-American-Civil.6750042.jp IN May, 1864 a young Glaswegian by the name of Bennet Graham Burley stared at the dark, dirty water rising up through a grille and flooding over the floor of his cell and considered his alternatives, neither of which were good. He could remain in this dank, filthy cell in the Union prison on Pea Patch Island in the middle of the Delaware |
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| Thoroughly Modern Miscellany | |
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| Is this the face of Jack the Ripper? |
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· 08/30/20/2011 · · 7:20:13 PM PDT · · Posted by decimon · · 34 replies · · BBC · · August 30, 2011 · · Dr Xanthe Mallett · |
Jack the Ripper is the world's most famous cold case --the identity of the man who brutally murdered five women in London's East End in autumn 1888 remains a mystery. More than 200 suspects have been named. But to Ripper expert Trevor Marriott, a former murder squad detective, German merchant Carl Feigenbaum is the top suspect. Convicted of murdering his landlady in Manhattan, Feigenbaum died in the electric chair in New York's Sing Sing prison in 1894. His lawyer suspected him of the Ripper murders too. No photos of Feigenbaum exist. So Marriott has produced this new e-fit for... |
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| Is This the Face of Jack The Ripper? |
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· 09/02/20/2011 · · 2:19:19 PM PDT · · Posted by Red Badger · · 18 replies · · Discovery News · · Fri Sep 2, 2011 03:39 PM ET · · Rossella Lorenzi · |
Thin-haired with deep-set grey eyes and a large, red pimpled nose: this is how Jack the Ripper, perhaps the most notorious murderer in history, might have looked, according to new archival research into police documents. Retired British police detective, Trevor Marriott, gathered together evidence and has built a case against Carl Feigenbaum, a 54-year-old German merchant seaman, and made him the top suspect for committing the horrific and notorious murders between August and November 1888. At that time, at least five women in the Whitechapel area in London were found horribly disfigured, often with organs missing. The name Jack the... |
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| Not-So-Ancient Autopsies | |
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| Bushranger Ned Kelly's remains found after search by investigators |
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· 08/31/20/2011 · · 4:51:29 PM PDT · · Posted by steveo · · 39 replies · · couriermail.com.au · · 09-01-11 · · unknown · |
THE remains of notorious bushranger Ned Kelly have been found at the former Melbourne prison, Pentridge. An exhaustive 20-month search through historical and genetic records has unearthed one of the most colourful chapters in Australian history, and a man who Attorney-General Robert Clark this morning called "one of the most controversial characters" in our national identity. A DNA sample from Kelly's sister's great grandson, Leigh Oliver, confirmed the remains were those of the bushranger. Doctors and scientists at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine identified the body. Kelly's remains have long been rumoured to be at Pentridge. Attorney General Robert... |
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| Oh So Mysteriouso | |
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| Legendary flower of Buddhist yore blooms at a Mapo convenience store |
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· 09/01/20/2011 · · 2:30:03 PM PDT · · Posted by Winstons Julia · · 33 replies · · CNN · · 09/01/11 · · Staff · |
Korean news outlets are reporting that an udumbara -- a legendary flower in Buddhist literature believed to bloom once every 3,000 years -- has sprouted at a humble Family Mart. Store manager Kim Jong-woo was cleaning when he spotted the 17 tiny flowers growing on the window. He recognized the flowers, he said, from images on television. |
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| end of digest #372 20110903 | |
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