Archaeological News

[Corinthian]

Dinosaur Sex Experts Concur That Animals Mated Front To Back (SLIDESHOW)

 

 

Good to know someone is looking into this sort of thing.

 

Whoever made the models has a sick, twisted mind - I mean fornicating dinosaurs smiling like that?

 

Hey, they're reptilian. They smile naturally.

 

 

[X-Files]

The fossilised skull of a colossal whale with a killer bite has been uncovered by a team who reckon the monster shared the Miocene oceans with a giant shark.

 

 

The bones, dated to 12 to 13 million years ago, were spotted by Klaas Post of the Natuurhistorisch Museum Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in Peru's Ica desert. In homage to Herman Melville's Moby Dick, the beast has been named Leviathan melvillei.

 

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19108-ancient-monster-whale-more-fearsome-than-moby-dick.html

[Ivanhoe]

This is going to upset a few applecarts;

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/13/science/clovis-people-werent-alone-in-north-america-spearheads-and-dna-suggest.html

 

Stone spearheads and human DNA found in Oregon caves, anthropologists say, have produced firmer evidence that these are the oldest directly dated remains of people in North America. They also show that at least two cultures with distinct technologies — not a single one, as had been supposed — shared the continent more than 13,000 years ago.

 

In other words, the Clovis people, long known for their graceful, fluted projectile points, were not alone in the New World. The occupants of Paisley Caves, on the east side of the Cascade Range, near the town of Paisley, left narrow-stemmed spear points shaped by different flaking techniques. These hunting implements are classified as the Western Stemmed Tradition, previously thought to be younger than the Clovis technology.

 

The new research, based on the recent discovery of the artifacts and more refined radiocarbon dating tests, established that the cave dwellers who made the Western Stemmed points overlapped or possibly preceded the Clovis artisans elsewhere, the scientists reported in a paper published online Thursday by the journal Science.

 

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/07/13/clovis-people-had-company-in-early-colonization-of-the-americas/

 

According to Davis, more evidence that the Western Stemmed people were as early or earlier than the Clovis people may come from the site of Coopers Ferry in western Idaho, which contains points that have been preliminarily dated to 13,200 years ago—an age that he and his colleagues are working to confirm. As for the Paisley Caves, although more archaeological material remains to be unearthed there, Jenkins has terminated the excavations in order to preserve the contents for future archaeologists armed with improved study tools and methodologies. Analyses of materials already recovered from the site will continue, however.

[Max H]

Faces of Egyptian mummies on show in Manchester

[BansheeOne]

Ancient Bra Discovery Proves That Women Wore Brassieres In Middle Ages (PHOTOS)

 

By GEORGE JAHN 07/18/12 03:22 PM ET

 

VIENNA — A revolutionary discovery is rewriting the history of underwear: Some 600 years ago, women wore bras.

 

The University of Innsbruck said Wednesday that archeologists found four linen bras dating from the Middle Ages in an Austrian castle. Fashion experts describe the find as surprising because the bra had commonly been thought to be only little more than 100 years old as women abandoned the tight corset.

Instead, it appears the bra came first, followed by the corset, followed by the reinvented bra.

 

One specimen in particular "looks exactly like a (modern) brassiere," says Hilary Davidson, fashion curator for the London Museum. "These are amazing finds."

 

Although the linen garments were unearthed in 2008, they did not make news until now says Beatrix Nutz, the archaeologist responsible for the discovery.

 

Researching the items and carbon dating them to make sure they were genuine took some time. She delivered a lecture on them last year but the information stayed within academic circles until a recent article in the BBC History Magazine.

 

"We didn't believe it ourselves," she said in a telephone call from the Tyrolean city of Innsbruck. "From what we knew, there was no such thing as bra-like garments in the 15th century."

 

The university said the four bras were among more than 2,700 textile fragments – some linen, others linen combined with cotton – that were found intermixed with dirt, wood, straw and pieces of leather.

 

"Four linen textiles resemble modern-time bras" with distinct cups and one in particular looks like today's version, it said, with "two broad shoulder straps and a possible back strap, not preserved but indicated by partially torn edges of the cups onto which it was attached."

 

And the lingerie was not only functional.

 

The bras were intricately decorated with lace and other ornamentation, the statement said, suggesting they were also meant to please a suitor.

 

While paintings of the era show outerwear, they do not reveal what women wore beneath. Davidson, the fashion curator, described the finds as "kind of a missing link" in the history of women's underwear.

 

Women started experimenting with bra-like garments in the late 1800s and the first modern brassiere was patented in the early 19th century. It is thought to have been invented by New York socialite Mary Phelps Jacob, who was unhappy with the look of her gown over a stiff corset.

 

[...]

 

http://www.huffingto..._n_1683029.html

[BP]

Ancient Bra Discovery Proves That Women Wore Brassieres In Middle Ages (PHOTOS)

 

By GEORGE JAHN 07/18/12 03:22 PM ET

 

VIENNA — A revolutionary discovery is rewriting the history of underwear: Some 600 years ago, women wore bras.

 

 

 

Don thee now thy Bra of Wonderment and thy thonge and join me for a glass of mead milady.

[Ivanhoe]

More anthro than archaeo, but here it is.

 

Humans gettin' their freak on;

 

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/chromosomes/features/2012/blogging_the_human_genome_/blogging_the_human_genome_humans_nonhuman_lovers_.html

 

... DNA extracted from old Neanderthal bones proves that all people of European and Asian descent have a few percent of Neanderthal DNA inside them today, equivalent to the amount they inherited from each great-great-great-grandparent.

 

In addition, scientists have discovered that Melanesians, the people who originally settled the islands between New Guinea and Fiji, seduced another archaic human race, the Denisovans, somewhere on the long haul from Africa to the south seas. The Melanesians still carry Denisovan DNA today. In some sense, then, neither Neanderthals nor Denisovans ever quite went extinct: Their DNA lives on in various non-African ethnic groups.

 

 

 

So what about ancient Africans? Did they ever have hominid paramours? Scientists had a harder time answering that question because the hot climate of Africa—unlike the cold Eurasian climate where Neanderthal and Denisovans lived—tends to destroy ancient DNA. A clever study from 2011 got around this limitation, however, and suggests that Africans did indeed indulge in inter-Homo hanky-panky.

 

 

 

We all have that 2nd cousin once removed with the unibrow and the thick knuckles, now our suspicions appear to be confirmed.

 

Questions remain, however. Did early human males use their advanced culture (i.e. mead) to get a leg over on some curious Neanderthal, or did Neanderthal girls with an aversion to back hair pursue the nearby Homo sapiens? Given the size & strength advantage of the Neanderthals, its not like humans of either sex were in a position to say "no"...

[X-Files]

Archaeologists exploring a cave in Namibia have found evidence for the earliest domesticated animals in sub-Saharan Africa. The cave, in the northwestern part of the country, contains stone and bone tools, beads and pendants, pieces of pottery, and the bones of many animals — guinea fowl, ostriches, monitor lizards, tortoises, impala, rock hyraxes and various rodents.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/science/cave-yields-early-record-of-domestic-animals.html

[X-Files]

When archaeologists discovered thousands of medieval skeletons in a mass burial pit in east London in the 1990s, they assumed they were 14th-century victims of the Black Death or the Great Famine of 1315-17. Now they have been astonished by a more explosive explanation – a cataclysmic volcano that had erupted a century earlier, thousands of miles away in the tropics, and wrought havoc on medieval Britons.

 

 

 

In 1258, a monk reported: "The north wind prevailed for several months… scarcely a small rare flower or shooting germ appeared, whence the hope of harvest was uncertain... Innumerable multitudes of poor people died, and their bodies were found lying all about swollen from want… Nor did those who had homes dare to harbour the sick and dying, for fear of infection… The pestilence was immense – insufferable; it attacked the poor particularly. In London alone 15,000 of the poor perished; in England and elsewhere thousands died."

There does not seem to have been any explanation at the time; it was probably assumed to be a punishment from God. London's population at the time was around 50,000, so the loss of 15,000 would have radically changed the city.

 

http://www.guardian....r-london-graves

 

 

 

A silver treasure from the 12th century has been found on the Baltic island Gotland, where over 600 pieces of silver coins have been unearthed, according to reports in local media.

http://www.thelocal.se/42422/20120804/

Edited August 5, 2012 by X-Files

[Colin]

An ancient dam built by the Maya of Central America was discovered during recent excavations, sediment coring and mapping by a team led by the University of Cincinnati at the pre-Columbian city of Tikal. That dam – constructed from cut stone, rubble and earth – stretched more than 260 feet in length, stood about 33 feet high and held about 20 million gallons of water in a man-made reservoir.

Research sheds light on how the Maya conserved and used their natural resources to support a populous, highly complex society for over 1,500 years despite environmental challenges, including periodic drought. These findings on ancient Maya water and land-use systems at Tikal, located in northern Guatemala, is published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in an article titled “Water and Sustainable Land Use at the Ancient Tropical City of Tikal, Guatemala.”

 

rest here

 

I notice the article is quiet on the Mayan recreational activities.

Edited August 7, 2012 by Colin

[T19]

More anthro than archaeo, but here it is.

 

Humans gettin' their freak on;

 

http://www.slate.com...an_lovers_.html

 

... DNA extracted from old Neanderthal bones proves that all people of European and Asian descent have a few percent of Neanderthal DNA inside them today, equivalent to the amount they inherited from each great-great-great-grandparent.

 

In addition, scientists have discovered that Melanesians, the people who originally settled the islands between New Guinea and Fiji, seduced another archaic human race, the Denisovans, somewhere on the long haul from Africa to the south seas. The Melanesians still carry Denisovan DNA today. In some sense, then, neither Neanderthals nor Denisovans ever quite went extinct: Their DNA lives on in various non-African ethnic groups.

 

 

 

So what about ancient Africans? Did they ever have hominid paramours? Scientists had a harder time answering that question because the hot climate of Africa—unlike the cold Eurasian climate where Neanderthal and Denisovans lived—tends to destroy ancient DNA. A clever study from 2011 got around this limitation, however, and suggests that Africans did indeed indulge in inter-Homo hanky-panky.

 

 

 

We all have that 2nd cousin once removed with the unibrow and the thick knuckles, now our suspicions appear to be confirmed.

 

Questions remain, however. Did early human males use their advanced culture (i.e. mead) to get a leg over on some curious Neanderthal, or did Neanderthal girls with an aversion to back hair pursue the nearby Homo sapiens? Given the size & strength advantage of the Neanderthals, its not like humans of either sex were in a position to say "no"...

 

Sounds like someone has found evidence of early Mandingo clubs... somewhere other than Florida

[lucklucky]

When archaeologists discovered thousands of medieval skeletons in a mass burial pit in east London in the 1990s, they assumed they were 14th-century victims of the Black Death or the Great Famine of 1315-17. Now they have been astonished by a more explosive explanation – a cataclysmic volcano that had erupted a century earlier, thousands of miles away in the tropics, and wrought havoc on medieval Britons.

 

 

 

In 1258, a monk reported: "The north wind prevailed for several months… scarcely a small rare flower or shooting germ appeared, whence the hope of harvest was uncertain... Innumerable multitudes of poor people died, and their bodies were found lying all about swollen from want… Nor did those who had homes dare to harbour the sick and dying, for fear of infection… The pestilence was immense – insufferable; it attacked the poor particularly. In London alone 15,000 of the poor perished; in England and elsewhere thousands died."

There does not seem to have been any explanation at the time; it was probably assumed to be a punishment from God. London's population at the time was around 50,000, so the loss of 15,000 would have radically changed the city.

 

http://www.guardian....r-london-graves

 

 

 

So what happeed to the rest of Europe and near the tropics?

[X-Files]

 

So what happeed to the rest of Europe and near the tropics?

 

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/341497/title/13th_century_volcano_mystery_may_be_solved

 

See also

http://www.eh-resources.org/volcanoes.html

[pikachu]

So what happeed to the rest of Europe and near the tropics?

 

http://www.sciencene...y_may_be_solved

 

See also

http://www.eh-resour.../volcanoes.html

 

In short, with Toba, Krakatoa, Tambora, and now Rinjani, Indonesia has been one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) contributors to planet-wide catastrophes in history.

[Corinthian]

In short, with Toba, Krakatoa, Tambora, and now Rinjani, Indonesia has been one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) contributors to planet-wide catastrophes in history.

 

They've been paying that back with those megaquakes in the 2000s....

 

Interestingly, Rinjani looks dirt cheap to climb. Have already contacted some friends and aiming to do a Rinjani climb in November 2013.

Edited August 8, 2012 by TomasCTT

[X-Files]

I notice the article is quiet on the Mayan recreational activities.

 

Yeah, but the Aztecs are always getting thrown under the bus

http://phys.org/news/2012-08-mexico-hundreds-bones-aztec-burial.html

[X-Files]

The glory days of Port Royal ended on 7 June 1692, when a massive earthquake and tsunami, described by the local clergy as God's punishment, sank much of the city into the sea, killing 2,000 people.

Much of the city is preserved just a few metres under water, along with several hundred sunken ships in the harbour.

It is one of the most important underwater sites in the world, according to Robert Grenier, a Canadian marine archaeologist who has worked closely with Unesco.

"This is the richest repository of historic shipwrecks anywhere, and Port Royal itself is part of that heritage," he says.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-18601357

[X-Files]

A team of archaeologists excavating a palace in the ancient city of Avaris, in Egypt, has made a gruesome discovery. The archaeologists have unearthed the skeletons of 16 human hands buried in four pits. Two of the pits, located in front of what is believed to be a throne room, hold one hand each. Two other pits, constructed at a slightly later time in an outer space of the palace, contain the 14 remaining hands. They are all right hands; there are no lefts.

 

http://www.livescience.com/22267-severed-hands-ancient-egypt-palace.html

[X-Files]

For almost two months so far, excavators in Denmark have been uncovering the remains of hundreds of warriors who died violently about 2,000 years ago.

The evidence of violence is clear at the site, which is now a bog. Excavators reported today (Aug. 14) that they have uncovered damaged human bones, including a fractured skull and a thigh bone that was hacked in half, along with axes, spears, clubs and shields.

 

 

http://www.livescience.com/22347-excavation-hundreds-warriors-bog.html

[X-Files]

A human skull dated to about 2,684 years ago with an "exceptionally preserved" human brain still inside of it was recently discovered in a waterlogged U.K. pit, according to a new Journal of Archaeological Science study.

http://news.discovery.com/history/preserved-brain-bog-england-110406.html

[X-Files]

Really old chick with tats.

[Michael Eastes]

For almost two months so far, excavators in Denmark have been uncovering the remains of hundreds of warriors who died violently about 2,000 years ago.

The evidence of violence is clear at the site, which is now a bog. Excavators reported today (Aug. 14) that they have uncovered damaged human bones, including a fractured skull and a thigh bone that was hacked in half, along with axes, spears, clubs and shields.

 

 

http://www.livescien...rriors-bog.html

 

Visby, revisited.

[Ivanhoe]

http://news.yahoo.com/battle-bruised-skeleton-may-king-richard-iii-121528688.html

 

 

 

 

A human skeleton with a cleaved skull discovered beneath a parking lot in England may belong to King Richard III, researchers announced today (Sept. 12), though they have a long way to go in analyzing the bones to determine the identity.

The researchers note they are not saying they have found King Richard III's remains, but that they are moving into the next phase of their search, from the field to the laboratory.

...

"We are hopeful that we will recover DNA from the skeleton," University of Leicester geneticist Turi King said at the briefing, as recorded in a tweet by the university.

[Soren Ras]

For almost two months so far, excavators in Denmark have been uncovering the remains of hundreds of warriors who died violently about 2,000 years ago.

The evidence of violence is clear at the site, which is now a bog. Excavators reported today (Aug. 14) that they have uncovered damaged human bones, including a fractured skull and a thigh bone that was hacked in half, along with axes, spears, clubs and shields.

 

Heh, my lovely wife's uncle is an archaeologist and has taken part in that excavation back in 2009. Don't know if he is involved in the current work ongoing, but I remember him saying that this was a huge find in terms of size. They did about 100 sample digs in a very large area and kept hitting stuff again and again. So most of the find will not be excavated at this time but left in the ground for future generations to tackle. I guess they are focusing on the 200 warriors that seem to have been dumped as sacrifices there after a battle. Should be interesting to follow.

 

--

Soren

[Corinthian]

So Stu...

 

Will you have a strongly worded discussion with the late Richard III (assuming the skeleton they found is him)?