Note: this topic is from . Thanks blam.
Posted on 03/08/2002 6:22:51 AM PST by blam
Amateurs find bronze age treasure trove
Allan Hall
TWO amateur treasure hunters who sold bronze age artefacts found on a mountainside to buy a stereo system have stumbled upon one of the greatest archaeological finds in history, writes Allan Hall in Berlin.
Experts say they are certain the haul, which included a circular disc depicting the heavens with sun, moon and stars, is at least 3,600 years old.
This shows Europeans had a rudimentary knowledge of the solar system and its influence on our lives far earlier than previously thought. Harald Meller, an archaeologist, said: "This ranks as one of the 20 most important finds of all time, up there with the tomb of Tutankhamun and the discovery of Otzi the iceman in the Alps.
"The find gives us a whole new puzzle to figure out. It depicts a journey through the heavenly bodies, examples of which are well known in ancient Egypt but not in the middle of Europe and not at this time."
The disc, weighing 2kg and 38cm across, arrived back in the hands of the state of Saxony via a circuitous route. The two amateurs who found it in the Kyffhäuser range at Sangenhausen in east Germany in 2000 took photographs of it - along with bronze amulets, spear tips and two swords - and went on a sales trip.
They approached several dealers and sold it to one for just £10,000, which they said they would use for a new stereo system each and a "few beers".
Then the dealers went hawking it. Wilfried Menghin, museum director for Berlin, said: "They showed me photos and wanted a million marks [£333,000]. I was interested but I had my suspicions about its veracity and whether or not it was theirs to sell."
Soon the police became involved: when the dealers tried to sell the disc for £500,000 in the lobby of a Swiss hotel last month, the purchasers turned out to be police officers and the would-be sellers were arrested. The plate now resides with the archaeological department of the city of Halle.
Mr Meller said: "The real puzzle is to where this plate comes from: who made it, what kind of people were they."
Bill & Ted's excellent archeological adventure.
Wednesday, 6 March, 2002, 21:36 GMT
Iron Age sword returns to islands
A 2,000-year-old sword and an ancient mirror are to be returned to the islands where a farmer found them. He was working with a tractor in a potato field on the Isles of Scilly, off Cornwall, when he uncovered a burial site.
Archaeologists have spent two years studying the objects, which they believe may have belonged to an Iron Age warrior.
They have been described as one of the most important ancient finds in Britain.
Mirrors also have a role in prophesy and foreseeing the future
The stone-lined burial chamber on the island of Bryher also contained a skeleton.
The sword was still in its bronze scabbard, decorated with tiny iron rings that were still clearly visible.
The mirror is intriguing to the archaeologists because it would normally indicate a woman of high birth.
But Celtic men in the Iron Age iron age men were fond of body paint and shaving was just coming into fashion.
Roman clue
There has been considerable speculation about the identity of the skeleton.
Archaeologist Charlie Johns said: "It might have been that they were some sort of warrior priest or priestess, because mirrors also have a role in prophesy and foreseeing the future.
"And one of the few classical references to Scilly, by a Roman author, mentions that Scillonian men and women could look into the future."
Experts have carried out specialist treatment to stop further erosion of the artefacts.
On Thursday they were due to be returned to the islands, for display at the museum on St Mary's
Pictish fort’s secrets uncovered
Frank Urquhart
A TEAM of archaeologists has begun excavations on the Moray coast to try to unlock more of the secrets of the largest surviving Pictish fort built in Scotland.
The fort, on the headland at Burghead, is believed to have been a major power base of the kingdom of the Northern Picts 1,600 years ago.
Plans to demolish a wartime look-out station on the headland to pave the way for a Pictish visitor centre have given archaeologists a rare window of opportunity to learn more about the fort’s construction.
A team from the Edinburgh-based Centre for Field Archaeology will spend three weeks on a major dig, excavating part of what were the main ramparts.
They will strip away more than 150 tonnes of modern rubble and soil to determine how the ramparts were built.
Kirsty Cameron, the project manager on the dig, said: "This is the first large-scale excavation of the ramparts since excavations in 1860 and 1890. It is thought that the ramparts were built by using a timber structure, almost like scaffolding, and then putting rubble in to strengthen it. This type of construction is very rare."
Work will start on building a heritage and interpretation centre once the archaeologists have completed the dig.
The Burghead Headland Trust, which became custodian of the important scheduled ancient monument in 1999, has secured £200,000 in funding to turn the Second World War storm signal post into a museum, with an underground chamber and upper platform offering panoramic views of the Moray Firth.
The trust is planning to complete the visitor centre by the summer.
Mollie Fraser, the trust’s chairwoman, said: "We want to highlight the importance of this site, and its history and heritage, to both residents and visitors, and to preserve it for the future. We hope this will become an established visitor attraction on both tourist and historic trails in this part of Scotland."
Excellent.
Nope! Still no picture. Hmmmm?
Note: this topic is from . Thanks blam.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
