Friday, January 21, 2005

Vikings in Iran? Danish Archaeologists in Search of Vikings in Iran

Researchers from the Copenhagen Museum in Denmark have traveled to the coasts of the Caspian Sea, northern Iran, in search of clues of relationships between Iranians and Vikings.

A few years ago, a researcher from the Copenhagen Museum, Nadia Haupt, discovered more than one thousand coins and relics that did not belong to the Danish or other Scandinavian cultures, and therefore set to find out more about the historical roots of the Danish civilization.


Well, why not Viking Iranians? After all there are Viking kittens.


No Incan Kittens though. Yet. Implications for the archaeology of warfare in the Andes

Using pre-Columbia Andean South American as a case study, Elizabeth Arkush and Charles Stanish of UCLA further the archaeological debate on the significance of warfare in societal development by re-examining current interpretations of the evidence of ritualized and defensive conflict in the ancient Andes.

Through their research, Arkush and Stanish propose that the incorrect interpretation of defensive architecture, ceremonial activity, and ritualized conflict has led previous scholars to discard warfare as an explanation or recast it as non-serious "ritual battle." In an article that appears in the February 2005 issue of Current Anthropology, Arkush and Stanish argue that this misinterpretation has lead to an overly peaceful vision of the Andean past.


Chinese Oregonians update Remains found in Chinese section of former cemetery

Archaeologists have found human remains, apparently of a young person, beneath a vacant county-owned parking lot in southeast Portland near what was the Chinese section of the Lone Fir Cemetery.

The team found evidence of more than one coffin and a marble grave marker with a person's last name etched in Chinese.

They covered the site and reburied the bones.


Think we blogged this a while back, but this seems to have a bit more info.

Oops. (Maybe) Park construction in Cahokia may have destroyed artifacts, critics say

A new mini-park on a triangular tract known as "the wedge" at the junction of Illinois routes 3 and 157 in Cahokia has drawn criticism from a preservationist who says priceless artifacts may have been destroyed.

"Studies have proved that the wedge is rich in prehistoric, historic Native American and French colonial antiquities, as well as artifacts from more recent times," said Cahokia history buff Cheryl Kutheis.

Cahokia Village Clerk Normal Jones and Trustee Virginia Edwards agree the site's historical value is priceless, but they insist nothing was harmed by constructing the memorial.


Treasure! A king's treasure?

THE biggest archaeological excavation in Hampshire in years is uncovering amazing finds in Winchester city centre.

The dig, believed to be the biggest currently in the country, has revealed important information about a 1,000-year period of history.

The archaeologists have uncovered a coin from the reign of King Canute between 1013-35. He was the king who tried to hold back the sea to admonish his servile courtiers, reputedly near Town Quay in Southampton.


It is not known whether any toilets were discovered or whether the archaeologists on hand were excited about them.

Hooray! Falcons Fly to the Rescue of Ancient Herculaneum

After being buried in boiling mud when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, the ruined ancient city of Herculaneum is now being deluged with acidic pigeon droppings.

The situation has got so bad that archaeologists have called in three falcons to scare away the hundreds of pigeons that have set up home in the once-vibrant Roman town.

The birds will start work in Herculaneum next Monday and are expected to stay for at least a year.


Roman-Era Britons Lived In Suburbia

A spa treatment followed by a trip to the suburbs for a bit of shopping and dining sounds like a day in the life of a wealthy suburbanite, but it also could describe someone's schedule from around the 1st century A.D., as archaeologists in Bath, England have identified an ancient suburb located outside of Bath's main city center.

Since suburbs dating to the Roman period also have been found around other major cities, such as London, the finding adds to the evidence that suburban living is not a modern phenomenon.


And they all drove these really BIG chariots that drove the eco-Romans crazy.

Greek archaeologists prepare diorama of Alexander battle scene


Panayiotis Valmas, the head restorer at the Museum of Thebes, paints a tiny Macedonian toy soldier for the display

But really:
Shrine to Hercules unearthed

Rummaging in the dirt, Costas Kakoseos pulls up pieces of history steeped in legend.

It is an archaeological site dubbed “Hercules’ House” — the place, experts say, that the ancient Greeks may have held to be the mythological hero’s birthplace.

Thebes, an unattractive town about 70 kilometers (about 45 miles) north of Athens, stands on a spectacular buried heritage. The latest excavation, begun last February, revealed the remains of an altar and ancient dwellings used for more than 3,000 years.