Relentless diggers, porcupines often make their burrows at archaeological sites, uncovering antiquities in their way. [credit: courtesy of Israel Antiquities Authority]
Posted on 03/27/2015 9:58:54 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Archaeologists with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) have uncovered a 1,400 year-old ceramic oil lamp with the help of an unlikely aide – a porcupine.
Last week, during a routine patrol at the Horbat Siv ancient ruins – a Roman-Byzantine site near Emek Hefer in central Israel, anti-antiquities theft inspectors found the oil lamp on top of a pile of dirt that a porcupine had unearthed while digging a burrow.
Porcupine’s live in underground burrows that can stretch to as long as 15 meters.
Ira Horovitz from the anti-antiquities theft unit of the IAA said that “the porcupine is an excellent archaeologist, a relentless digger... It often happens that porcupines dig their burrows at the site of archaeological digs... he skillfully throws the dirt aside, and with it whatever archaeological findings are in his path.”
IAA researchers inspected the ceramic piece and the other findings that the porcupine uncovered, realizing that the findings provided information on the time frame in which people inhabited the ancient site.
“The IAA calls on all porcupines to avoid digging burrows at archeological sites and warns that digging at an archeological site without a license is a criminal offense,” the Antiquities Authority jested.
(Excerpt) Read more at jpost.com ...
Relentless diggers, porcupines often make their burrows at archaeological sites, uncovering antiquities in their way. [credit: courtesy of Israel Antiquities Authority]
I didn’t know they had porcupines there. :D
Is this story true?? What an incredible animal if it is!
I didn’t know porcupines practiced archeology.
They’re pretty sharp critters!
Knew a guy who taught special forces. Said porcupine was the worst thing he ever ate. You had to boil it for hours.
Wow, I can’t even imagine that.
The government will probably take it away from the critter that found it.
On the other hand; According to books on the Lewis and Clark expedition, the best thing they ate was ........ Beaver Tail.
Gets lonely on the road, I guess.
Did the porcupine get its three wishes?
A little polish and it will be as good as new.....................
Well they have a built in set of tools.................
Even a blind hog finds a kernel of corn every once in awhile (?)
Yeah, but it provides its own kabobs...........
That’s a good question.
A guy in California unearthed an oil lamp and the genie gave him just one wish.
He said he always wanted to go to Hawaii but was afraid to fly, and asked if the genie could build a highway all the way to Hawaii. The genie laughed and said do you realize how much concrete that would take? Pick something simpler.
So the guy said, “Well, I’ve been divorced three times and each of my ex wives said I didn’t understand them. I would like to understand women.”
The genie said, “Would you like two lanes or four lanes on that highway?”
That’s a good question.
A guy in California unearthed an oil lamp and the genie gave him just one wish.
He said he always wanted to go to Hawaii but was afraid to fly, and asked if the genie could build a highway all the way to Hawaii. The genie laughed and said do you realize how much concrete that would take? Pick something simpler.
So the guy said, “Well, I’ve been divorced three times and each of my ex wives said I didn’t understand them. I would like to understand women.”
The genie said, “Would you like two lanes or four lanes on that highway?”
I bet skinning it was a pain...............
LOL, excuse me while I wipe the iced tea off of my monitor.
What’s the difference between John Kerry in a Corvette convertible and a porcupine backed into a corner?
In the first sityouashun, the prick’s on the inside .... heh.
Crack pipe.
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