http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/archaeology/ en-us Tue, 29 Dec 2009 07:07:06 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416797/posts Chinese archaeologists believe they have found a nearly 1800-year-old tomb belonging to the legendary ruler Cao Cao, who was known as a cruel tyrant but also a cunning military strategist and poet. PHOTOS: Cruel tyrant's tomb foundThe tomb is located in central Henan province, not far from the Yellow River and near the city of Anyang, where Cao Cao ruled the Kingdom of Wei from 208 to 220, when he died at age 65, the state China Daily reported Monday. "Excavation has been going on for nearly one year, and we'll come up with further evidence," the paper quoted Guan... Nine News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416797/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 07:07:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2412724/posts The remains of the first dwelling in Nazareth that has been dated back to the time of Jesus have been unveiled - just days before Christmas. The find that could shed new light on what the hamlet was like during the period the New Testament says Jesus lived there as a boy, Israeli archaeologists said. The dwelling and older discoveries of nearby tombs in burial caves suggest that Nazareth was an out-of-the-way hamlet of around 50 houses on a patch of about four acres. It was evidently populated by Jews of modest means who kept camouflaged grottos to hide from... Daily Mail UK http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2412724/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:40:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412169/posts NAZARETH, Israel — Israeli archaeologists say they have uncovered remains of the first dwelling in Nazareth that can be dated back to the time of Jesus.They say the find sheds a new light on what Nazareth might have been like in Jesus' time — probably a small hamlet with about 50 houses populated by poor Jews.Archaeologist Yardena Alexandre of the Israel Antiquities Authority says remains of a wall, a hideout and a cistern were found after builders dug up a convent courtyard.Alexandre said Monday archeologists also found clay and chalk vessels used by Galilean Jews of the time — an... Google http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412169/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:51:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2409268/posts A team of archaeologists and scientists says it has, for the first time, found pieces of a burial shroud from the time of Jesus in a tomb in Jerusalem. The researchers, from Hebrew University and institutions in Canada and the US, said the shroud was very different from the controversial Turin Shroud. Some people believe the Turin Shroud to have been Christ's burial cloth, but others believe it is a fake. The newly found cloth has a simpler weave than Turin's, the scientists say. The body of a man wrapped in fragments of the shroud was found in a tomb... bbc http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2409268/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 02:53:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2391535/posts A searchable map detailing 40 years of Israeli archaeological work in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, developed for the USC Digital Library, has won the 2009 Open Archaeology Prize from the American Schools of Oriental Research.A nonprofit organization founded in 1900 and located at Boston University, the American Schools of Oriental Research support the study and public understanding of peoples and cultures of the Near East. The prize, to be presented today at a professional meeting in New Orleans, recognizes “the best open-access, open-licensed, digital contribution to Near Eastern archaeology by an ASOR member.” Project leaders Lynn Swartz Dodd... LA Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2391535/posts#comment Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:56:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2389075/posts ROSEBURG, Ore. -- Mount Mazama's catastrophic volcanic eruption created Crater Lake over 7,600 years ago. But it also created a sort of time capsule for Oregon scientists. Now researchers from the Umpqua National Forest and the Oregon State Museum of Anthropology are digging in. This Passport in Time project actually started last summer, but was put on hold after the Williams Creek fire broke out in July. Now dozens of volunteers and researchers are back to unearth Oregon's history. These archaeologists spend hours sifting and digging, all in hopes of finding something ancient. "We're looking for artifacts that will demonstrate... KEZI.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2389075/posts#comment Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:37:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386277/posts The exhibit was organized by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the East Jerusalem Development Company with funding from the William Davidson and Estanne Fawer Foundation. It is intended to be the first of several exhibitions to be presented at the Davidson Center in the Jerusalem Archaeological Garden. israelnationalnews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386277/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:00:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2384899/posts 2,500 years ago, an army of 50,000 men left an oasis in western Egypt and were never heard from again. Now, archaeologists think they may have uncovered the missing troops, who were probably killed in a sandstorm. ...the team decided to investigate Bedouin stories about thousands of white bones that would have emerged decades ago during particular wind conditions in a nearby area. Indeed, they found a mass grave with hundreds of bleached bones and skulls. "We learned that the remains had been exposed by tomb robbers and that a beautiful sword which was found among the bones was sold... Boing Boing http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2384899/posts#comment Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:19:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2383599/posts Chinese challenge to 'out of Africa' theory 00:01 03 November 2009 by Phil McKenna The discovery of an early human fossil in southern China may challenge the commonly held idea that modern humans originated out of Africa. Jin Changzhu and colleagues of the Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology in Beijing, announced to Chinese media last week that they have uncovered a 110,000-year-old putative Homo sapiens jawbone from a cave in southern China's Guangxi province. New Scientist http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2383599/posts#comment Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:39:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2382618/posts Herodotus wrote of a 50,000-man strong army that set out on foot into the Egyptian desert in 525 B.C. and was never heard from again ... until today.A pair of Italian archaeologists have uncovered bronze weapons, a silver bracelet, an earring and hundreds of human bones in the vast desolate wilderness of the Sahara desert. Twin brothers Angelo and Alfredo Castiglioni are hopeful that they've finally found the lost army of Persian King Cambyses II. According to the Greek historian Herodotus, Cambyses II and his armied were buried by a cataclysmic sandstorm in 525 B.C. He wrote, "a wind... FOXNews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2382618/posts#comment Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:18:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2371955/posts ELIZABETH -- Many of the headstones marking the graves in New Jersey’s oldest cemetery are no longer readable, not only because they’re worn, but because they’re partially underground. While excavating around the headstones in the Old First Presbyterian Church cemetery in Elizabeth last week, archaeologist Seth Gartland found stones had sunk several feet, leaving only the top half exposed. When workers elevated the decaying stones, Gartland discovered inscriptions that had long been hidden. Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-LedgerRows and rows of markers in the cemetery of the First Presbyterian Church on Broad St. The cemetery is currently undergoing a project of preserving... The Star-Ledger (Newark) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2371955/posts#comment Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:44:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2370241/posts JERUSALEM-TORONTO – The Archaeological Research currently taking place in the ‘Walls Around the Old City’ national park at the City of David in Jerusalem is in the public’s best interests, according to an Israeli Supreme Court decision regarding two recent petitions against the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). The petitions were submitted by residents living near the excavation site. According to a press release issued by Yaen Vered, the IAA representative in Canada, it is the IAA’s opinion that “these residents are being incited by other factors whose considerations are political and improbable.” In a telephone conversation with the Jewish Tribune,... Jewish Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2370241/posts#comment Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:05:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2366535/posts Church members from Utah and abroad gathered on Friday to hear some Book of Mormon stories their teachers have never told them. The lessons centered around Mesoamerica, including Mexico and Guatemala, as the most likely setting for Book of Mormon peoples and events at the 7th annual Book of Mormon Lands Conference at the Red Lion Hotel in Salt Lake City. The conference drew 280 attendees — the conference’s biggest crowd ever — as a result of key speakers such as Dr. John L. Lund, Joseph Allen and Jerry L. Ainsworth, said Stephen L. Carr, senior vice president of the... BYU Daily Universe http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2366535/posts#comment Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:50:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2364307/posts CAIRO (Reuters) – Archaeologists have unearthed the site of a pharaonic-era sacred lake in a temple to the Egyptian goddess Mut in the ruins of ancient Tanis, the Culture Ministry said on Thursday. The ministry said the lake, found 12 meters below ground at the San al-Hagar archaeological site in Egypt's eastern Nile Delta, was 15 meters long and 12 meters wide and built out of limestone blocks. It was in a good condition. Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2364307/posts#comment Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:19:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2351004/posts ROME – Archaeologists on Tuesday unveiled what they think are the remains of Roman emperor Nero's extravagant banquet hall, a circular space that rotated day and night to imitate the Earth's movement and impress his guests. The room, part of Nero's Golden Palace, a sprawling residence built in the first century A.D., is thought to have been built to entertain government officials and VIPs, said lead archaeologist Francoise Villedieu. The emperor, known for his lavish and depraved lifestyle, ruled from 37 A.D. to 68 A.D. The dig so far has turned up the foundations of the room, the rotating mechanism... AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2351004/posts#comment Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:55:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2347873/posts WIESBADEN, Germany — A team of archaeology students and experts believe they have unearthed remnants of a Roman settlement from the second or third century near the construction site of an Army housing project, but the discovery isn’t expected to affect the project. The team, from nearby Mainz University, discovered a Roman coin, pieces of pottery, roof tiles, decorated bricks and 23 pieces of raw lead. The students also believe they have found the wall outlines of a building. "We think it’s from the first to third century after Christ," said Dr. Guntram Schwitalla, a district archaeologist in Hessen. "If... Stars and Stripes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2347873/posts#comment Fri, 25 Sep 2009 05:15:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2348164/posts According to a report in the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram, by Wajih Al-Saqqar, archeologists have discovered ancient Egyptian coins bearing the name and image of the Biblical Joseph. Following are excerpts from the article: [1] "Koranic Verses Indicate Clearly That Coins Were Used in Egypt in the Time of Joseph" "In an unprecedented find, a group of Egyptian researchers and archeologists has discovered a cache of coins from the time of the Pharaohs. Its importance lies in the fact that it provides decisive scientific evidence disproving the claim by some historians that the ancient Egyptians were unfamiliar with coins and conducted... MEMRI http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2348164/posts#comment Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:29:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2339261/posts Aboard a pontoon boat chugging past the marshland of Maryland's upper Patuxent River on a recent Saturday, Ralph Eshelman pointed to the spot where the muddy brown water hides a shipwreck nearly two centuries old, part of the American flotilla that defended the Chesapeake Bay when the British burned Washington during the War of 1812. Nearly 30 years ago, Eshelman helped direct a team of marine researchers who discovered the wreck, one of the war's most significant artifacts. After a limited, month-long excavation of the site east of Upper Marlboro in 1980, the wreck was reburied under four feet of... The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2339261/posts#comment Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:43:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2337706/posts JERUSALEM – Israeli archaeologists have uncovered one of the earliest depictions of a menorah, the seven-branched candelabra that has come to symbolize Judaism, the Israel Antiquities Authority said Friday. The menorah was engraved in stone around 2,000 years ago and found in a synagogue recently discovered by the Sea of Galilee. Pottery, coins and tools found at the site indicate the synagogue dates to the period of the second Jewish temple in Jerusalem, where the actual menorah was kept, said archaeologist Dina Avshalom-Gorni of the Israel Antiquities Authority. AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2337706/posts#comment Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:04:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2333758/posts Archaeologists have solved an ancient mystery surrounding the famous Easter Island statues. At 2,500 miles off the coast of Chile, the island is the world's most remote place inhabited by people. Up to 1,000 years ago, the islanders started putting giant red hats on the statues. The research team, from the University of Manchester and University College London, think the hats were rolled down from an ancient volcano. Dr Colin Richards and Dr Sue Hamilton are the first British archaeologists to work on the island since 1914. They pieced together a series of clues to discover how the statues got... BBC News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2333758/posts#comment Mon, 7 Sep 2009 05:54:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2326361/posts Scholar Blocks Reports of Old Excavations In the late 1960s the ancient synagogue at Ein Gedi, on the shore of the Dead Sea, was excavated by Israeli archaeologist Dan Barag, a student of the great Nahman Avigad. The finds were extraordinary—two well-preserved mosaic floors on top of one another in the main room, a large mosaic inscription in the entrance corridor, a hoard of Byzantine coins, a disc from a roll of the Torah, a water basin for washing hands and a magnificent bronze menorah. The only problem is that a report on the excavation has never been written—not even... Biblical Archaeology Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2326361/posts#comment Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:19:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2320886/posts A 16,000-year-old clay figurine of a female was found by archaeologists during excavations in southern-eastern Turkey. The mother goddess sculpture was discovered in the Direklu Cave in the Kahramanmarafl Province, which archaeologists have been excavating since July 15, Gazi University Archaeology Department lecturer Cevdet Merih Erek told national media. The find suggests that women had a high social status in the region at the time the figurine was made, Erek explained. In addition, it challenged archaeologists' previous knowledge by suggesting that the method of using fired clay to make figurines was much older than previously thought. Before this recent discovery,... Balkan Travellers http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2320886/posts#comment Fri, 21 Aug 2009 01:03:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2316098/posts Aug. 13, 2009 -- An enormous system of caves, chambers and tunnels lies hidden beneath the Pyramids of Giza, according to a British explorer who claims to have found the lost underworld of the pharaohs. Populated by bats and venomous spiders, the underground complex was found in the limestone bedrock beneath the pyramid field at Giza. "There is untouched archaeology down there, as well as a delicate ecosystem that includes colonies of bats and a species of spider which we have tentatively identified as the white widow," British explorer Andrew Collins said. Collins, who will detail his findings in the... Vorchester | Discovery News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2316098/posts#comment Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:09:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2312842/posts COLLINSVILLE -- Human sacrifice! Victims buried alive! Read all about it in "Cahokia -- Ancient America's Great City on the Mississippi." According to this new book by University of Illinois archaeologist and professor of anthropology Tim Pauketat, the mound builders were not always the idyllic, corn-growing, pottery-making, fishing-hunting gentle villagers depicted in various dioramas at the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Collinsville. Pauketat said these long-vanished people practiced human sacrifice of women and men on a mass scale and weren't always careful to bury only the dead. Based on years of study of artifacts including many from the extensive... BND http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2312842/posts#comment Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:41:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2308349/posts Is there, within the Grand Canyon, an enigmatic system of tunnels that is evidence of an ancient Egyptian voyage to America? Is it all bogus? Or is the truth most likely somewhere in between? On April 5, 1909, a front page story in the Arizona Gazette reported on an archaeological expedition in the heart of the Grand Canyon funded by the Smithsonian Institute, which had resulted in the discovery of Egyptian artefacts. April 5 is close to April 1 – but then not quite… so perhaps the story could be true? Nothing since has been heard of this discovery. Today,... Philip Coppens http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2308349/posts#comment Wed, 5 Aug 2009 00:39:04 GMT