I will try to keep the news pages updated while John is recovering but this will not be as good and timely as the service John has provided as our Web Editor. Thank you again to everyone
who continues to send in news stories, and all the many good wishes for John.
We really appreciate your support and cannot thank you enough - Polly.
"3000-year-old circular stone wall found in Cusco" Andina (Peru)
"Experts from the Decentralized Culture Directorate of Cusco (DDCC) have unearthed architectural ruins dating back over 3,000 years in Marcavalle archaeological area, located in South-Andean Cusco region.
The finds include a 7-meter-diameter circular wall made of stone and mud belonging to pre-Inca Marcavalle culture in what is today a youth rehabilitation center.
According to Luz Marina Monroy, archaeologist in charge of the research, the ring-shaped structure would have been used as a dwelling and a ritual site.
Archaeologists also discovered part of a similar wall -believed to have been part of a workshop and warehouse- with signs of successive human occupation.
Inside both constructions, the experts found a large number of Marcavalle culture pottery fragments decorated with human and animal faces, obsidian points, stone tools, as well as stone and bone beads."
[Read The Full Story]
[A really interesting discovery of pre-Inca ruins and artifacts. There are some great pictures of the finds, and more information about the Marcavalle culture. Well worth a visit to read the full story and see the images - Ed.]
"Wrong Göbeklitepe skulls reported in Turkish media" Hürriyet Daily News (Turkey)
"Human skulls unearthed in the world's oldest temple Göbeklitepe (9,500-7,500 B.C.), in the southeastern province of Sanliurfa, were recently reported in the Turkish media with the wrong visuals.
Göbeklitepe is among the world's most important ancient sites, dating back to the period of humankind's transition from hunting to settled agricultural life.
Excavations recently unearthed a total of seven skull pieces of three different people, on which straight and deep lines were carved.
Officials say that these findings are the first of their kind in Göbeklitepe.
However, articles about the Göbeklitepe skulls in many Turkish newspapers mistakenly used two photos from completely different geographies and cultures."
[Read The Full Story]
[There are often innocent mistakes made in media reports, and this may be one of them. But the very existence of the Göbeklitepe complex, and it's age of construction at 12,000 yaesr ago, is total anathema to those remaining defenders of an outdated prehistoric paradigm still taught in schools, colleges and universities. Was this a mistake? Or just another attempt to cause confusion in the Göbeklitepe debate.
Well done Hürriyet Daily News for reporting these errors! It's really well worth a visit to read the full story and view the many images and diagrams - Ed.]
For centuries, the culture-also known as the Anasazi-had grown maize and built elaborate villages and sandstone castles. Then, it was gone.
Now, using DNA extracted from ancient turkeys, researchers say they have new insights into where these mysterious people went, though some experts are skeptical of the findings.
'While I think the concept behind the study is a terrific idea, and they present a really plausible case … the evidence is a little weak', says R. G. Matson, an anthropologist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.
Scientists think they know why the Ancestral Puebloans disappeared.
The primary culprit, studies suggest, was a megadrought that would have made it impossible to grow enough food to feed the tens of thousands of people living in the region.
That, combined with factors like deforestation and topsoil erosion, led the Ancestral Pueblos to leave their homes at Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde in search of a better life elsewhere.
[This is a great story that possibly unveils the mystery of what happened to the ancient Puebloan peoples. If the suggestions are correct they are still around, just in a different area. Good job Science for giving us the details! Well worth a visit to read the full story - Ed.]
This counters the view that tropical forests were pristine natural environments prior to modern agriculture and industrialization.
The study, published today in Nature Plants, found that humans have in fact been having a dramatic impact on such forest ecologies for tens of thousands of years, through techniques ranging from controlled burning of sections of forest to plant and animal management to clear-cutting.
Although previous studies had looked at human impacts on specific tropical forest locations and ecosystems, this is the first to synthesize data from all over the world.
In the deep past, groups of hunter-gatherers appear to have burned areas of tropical forests, in particular in Southeast Asia as early as 45,000 years ago, when modern humans first arrived there.
There is evidence of similar forest burning activities in Australia and New Guinea.
By clearing parts of the forest, humans were able to create more of the 'forest-edge' environments that encouraged the presence of animals and plants that they liked to eat."
[Read The Full Story]
[Another incredible story about how ancient peoples 'managed' the natural environment, especially tropical rain forests. This study has gone one step further and looked at the global picture, and found that people have been controlling their environments for over 45,000 years. The story is well worth reading in full to understand the extent of this ancient practice - Ed.]
I will try to keep the news pages updated while John is recovering but this will not be as good and timely as the service John has provided as our Web Editor. Thank you again to everyone
who continues to send in news stories, and all the many good wishes for John.
We really appreciate your support and cannot thank you enough - Polly.
"Ancient royal 'limousine' excavated in central China" China Daily (China)
"Archaeologists have found a "limousine" once owned by the Lord of Zheng State dating back 2,400 years, after five months of excavation in Xinzheng City, Central China's Henan province.
The giant, extravagant chariot, which is 2.56 meters long and 1.66 meters wide, was equipped with rain and sun protection on the top and decorated with bronze and bone ornaments.
It has more than 26 spokes in each wheel, which indicated the owner's noble status.
The 'limousine' was excavated in a funerary pit in tomb of Lords of Zheng State, a vassal state during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) and the Warring States Period (475-221 BC)."
[Read The Full Story]
[Wow! What an amazing discovery in China, and congratulations to China Daily for publishing it. They certainly knew how to travel in kingly style in ancient China. Great pity there wasn't a photograph of the chariot but the story is well worth reading in full - Ed.]
"Impressive 2,700-Year-Old Water System Discovered Near Rosh Ha’Ayin" Jewish Press (Israel)
"An impressively large 2,700-year-old water system was recently exposed at Israel Antiquities Authority excavations near Rosh Ha-Ayin with the help of students majoring in the Education Ministry's Land of Israel and Archaeology studies.
The excavation precedes the construction of a new residential neighborhood initiated by the Ministry of Construction and Housing.
According to Gilad Itach, director of excavations for the IAA, 'It is difficult not to be impressed by the sight of the immense underground reservoir quarried out so many years ago.
In antiquity, rainwater collection and storage was a fundamental necessity. With an annual rainfall of 500 mm, the region's winter rains would easily have filled the huge reservoir.
On its walls, near the entrance, we identified engravings of human figures, crosses, and a vegetal motif that were probably carved by passersby in a later period.
Overall, we identified seven figures measuring 15-30 cm. Most have outstretched arms and a few appear to be holding some kind of object.'"
[Read The Full Story]
[What an amazing discovery! Well done Jewish Press for publishing the details, and for including the equally amazing images of the underground reservoir. It's well worth a visit to read the full story and see the many images of the excavation as well as the subterranean structures - Ed.]
"Ancient monuments damaged in Preseli Hills" Tivyside Advertiser (Cymru)
"Archaeologists and conservationists have repeated a plea to visitors to leave ancient sites and monuments in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park as they find them.
Rocks from Foel Drygarn and Carn Meini (also known as Carn Menyn) in the Preseli Hills are being moved or taken away by visitors who may be unaware of their protected status and significance.
The Preseli Hills has been inhabited for thousands of years, with prehistoric monuments sitting in a landscape of natural cliffs and crags. The area is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
'At Carn Meini we found a number of stones that had been hammered and a stash of broken up bits of bluestone.
Carn Meini’s greatest claim to fame is that its dolerite rock is the famous bluestone that was used to build the inner ring of Stonehenge.'"
[Read The Full Story]
[Ever since Carn Meini was identified as the source of the blustones used at Stonehenge various idiots have gone up there and chipped off bits of the dolerite bluestone to take home as souvenirs.
The Presceli mountain area is the legendary site of the gateway to the ancient celtic underworld - Annwn. If grabbing bits of stone is your intention don't go up there in the mist. You may never return. Please do read the full story - Ed.]
Two projects released results this week on the genomes of around 20 individuals, which together reveal that the history of our species on the continent is much more complex than previously thought.
Africa's neglect until now by ancient-DNA researchers was largely a result of the continent's scorching climate.
Because heat speeds the deterioration of DNA, scientists have focused on sequencing remains from cooler European sites and Siberian permafrost.
The first success in Africa came in 2015, when researchers sequenced the genome of a 4,500-year-old man from Ethiopia who was preserved in a relatively chilly mountainous cave.
But advances in removing contamination, and the discovery that a tiny inner ear bone is chock full of ancient DNA, have convinced researchers that the technology is finally ready to grapple with Africa's past."
[Read The Full Story]
[Great stuff again from Nature News! The reasons why DNA research in Africa has been sadly lacking is explained in detail, and how it has proceeded recenty is outlined. It really is well worth taking the time to read the full story - Ed.]
"Sixth century medical recipe uncovered in St Catherine's Monastery" Ahram Online (Egypt)
"In a ceremony held at his ministry's headquarters, Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany announced the discovery of a very important medical manuscript uncovered by the monks of St Catherine's Monastery in South Sinai during restoration works carried out in the monastery's library.
Mohammed Abdel-Latif, assistant minister of antiquities for archaeological sites, explained that the discovered manuscript is one of those known as "Palmesit" manuscripts, dating to the 6th century AD.
The manuscript is written on leather and bears parts of a medical recipe of the renowned Greek physician Hippocrates.
The manuscript has also three other medical recipes written by an anonymous scribe, one of which contains drawings of medicinal herbs of the Greek recipe."
[Read The Full Story]
[Another good story from Ahram Online! Though attributed to Greek physician, Hippocrates, everyone knows that the Greeks simply stole all the medical knowledge of the far more civilised Africa, and later claimed as Greek, from the Egyptians in the first place - especially Imhotep. Worth reading the full story though - Ed.]
"The Antikythera Mechanism Research Project" Cardiff/Athens Universites (Cymru/Greece)
[In October 1900, Captain Dimitrious Kondos was leading a team of sponge divers near the the island of Antikythera off the coast of Greece. They noticed a shipwreck about 180 feet below the surface and began to investigate. Amongst the artifacts that they brought up was a coral-encrusted piece of metal that later archaeologists found was some sort of gear wheel.
The rest of the artifacts, along with the shape of the boat, suggested a date around 2000 years ago, which made the find one of the most anomalous that had ever been recovered from the Greek seas. It became known as The Antikythera Mechanism.
In 2006 the journal "Nature" published a letter, and another paper about the mechanism was published in 2008, detailing the findings of Prof. Mike G. Edmunds of Cardiff University. Using high-resolution X-ray tomography to study the fragments of the anomalous Antikythera Mechanism, they found that it was in fact a bronze mechanical analog computer that could be used to calculate the astronomical positions and various cycles of the Moon - as seen from the Earth: - Ed]
"Howard Crowhurst in this book has presented the most brilliant analysis of a megalithic site in the entire history of archaeology.
His elucidations of the geometrical, mathematical, and astronomical principles by which ancient Carnac was constructed prove that megalithic science was astonishingly advanced.
The book gives us unprecedented insight into the minds of the intellectuals of a lost civilisation, which we may at last begin to comprehend as a result of what Crowhurst has found during more than twenty years of living on site.
