Archaeology

[AndyinPA]

Lovely piece.

[much ado]

As far as I know, it's still very much used today.

It is. I inherited a couple bronze statues from Estiveo's Mom, both by an artist who used it.

The first 75 seconds of this YT video is a quick demonstration of a lost wax bronze casting...

[AndyinPA]

She's right. It is fascinating. Thanks.

[keith]

Am i the only one who thought that the lost wax process was a process that was lost in antquitity and could not be reproduced in modern times

Reply to self.

I did not make myself clear. I was diabused of my mistaken thought well before I was eighteen years old.

My mistaken belief was only during elementary school when I first heard of it.

[much ado]

Another bronze story...

Our son is interested in swords. He has a couple of old swords and has bought some replicas. So a couple of years ago I was Googling ancient bronze swords and came across this interesting story...

In 2017, a young doctoral student in archaeology at Ca' Foscari University of Venice made a day trip to a museum on a small island in the Venetian Lagoon (San Lazzaro degli Armeni). Near the end of her tour she passed a small glass case of medieval swords. From her studies on grave objects found in so-called “royal tombs” in the Caucasus, Anatolia and Aegean regions during the Bronze Age, she recognized one small sword as being far older than the others in the case. Though thousands of previous visitors had seen the sword, Vittoria was the first to recognize it for what it was. It proved to be one of the oldest swords ever found.

5,000-year-old sword is discovered by an archaeology student at a Venetian monastery





The sword is so old that it is made of arsenical bronze. Arsenic is often found naturally in copper ores, so it was known to harden copper earlier than tin. See Arsenical bronze.

So I explored the monastery in Google Maps street view. And there, at the end of the path, I found the small glass case with two shelves containing swords. The street view was made in 2015. You can see the ancient sword at the front right of the bottom shelf, patiently waiting to be discovered by Vittoria two years later.





Here is a Google Maps link that should take you to the street view that I took the above screen caps from. The glass case should be in the lower left of the view. You can move around the room to see what it looked like back then.

https://www.google.com/maps/@45.4123581 ... ?entry=ttu

[RTH10260]

[RTH10260]

Iraq unearths 2,700-year-old winged sculpture first discovered in the 80s

The National News
The National is funded in whole or in part by the Emirati government. Wikipedia

27 Oct 2023

The alabaster statue of Assyrian deity Lamassu was largely intact despite its size

[RTH10260]

an older video on above subject

[Suranis]

Yabbut, the casting is only one of the really tricky technologies. What about the mining? The only tin mine I ever heard of, like most idiot Americans, was in Cornwall. Tin miners in Cornwall, yeah, that's the ticket. But wait, the Bronze Age was while the people in Cornwall were still dyeing themselves blue and fighting with clubs. They didn't have tin mines in Cornwall for freakin' centuries after the Bronze Age.

So tell us about tin mining.

And copper mining.

The Romans were very advanced Miners. Its not my area of expertise at all, but I did hear a lecturer mentioning that they did things like diverting a river over an area to strip off the topsoil off an area or cut through a valley.

All I can tell you is look up wikipedia and bask in its knowledge.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mining_in_ancient_Rome

[RTH10260]

the description on Youtube contains further references

[Foggy]

I moved some paleobiopedantic posts, but how come they call it archeology, when they still haven't even found Noah's Ark (Arch?)?

[Volkonski]

Huge network of ancient cities uncovered in the Amazon rainforest

https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/12/americas ... index.html

Archaeologists working deep in the Amazon rainforest have discovered an extensive network of cities dating back 2,500 years.

The highly structured pre-Hispanic settlements, with wide streets and long, straight roads, plazas and clusters of monumental platforms were found in the Upano Valley of Amazonian Ecuador, in the eastern foothills of the Andes, according to a study published in the journal Science on Thursday.

The discovery of the earliest and largest urban network of built and dug features in the Amazon so far was the result of more than two decades of investigations in the region by the team from France, Germany, Ecuador and Puerto Rico.

The research began with fieldwork before deploying a remote sensing method called light detection and ranging, or lidar, which used laser light to detect structures below the thick tree canopies.

Lead study author Stéphen Rostain, an archeologist and director of Research at France’s National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), described the discovery as “incredible.”

“The lidar gave us an overview of the region and we could appreciate greatly the size of the sites,” he told CNN Friday, adding that it showed them a “complete web” of dug roads. “The lidar was the cherry on the cake.”

Rostain said the first people who lived there, 3,000 years ago, had small, dispersed houses.

However, between approximately 500 BCE and 300 to 600 CE, the Kilamope and later Upano cultures began to build mounds and set their houses on earthen platforms, according to the study authors. These platforms would be organized around a low, square plaza.

[RTH10260]

R.I.P. Christopher Columbus .....

[RTH10260]

The Oregon Trail

Covered Wagon and Guns Discovered by SCUBA Divers: Deep in River

Search and Discovery
12 Jan 2024

Amazing underwater discovery of a wrecked Oregon Trail covered wagon deep in the Columbia River. It's been 170 years on the bottom and only now being found. Imagine making it all the way across the US in a wagon to crash on the rocks and flip your rented raft only hours from the finish line. We discover two Northwest trade rifles. These Flintlock rifles as well as bottles and a wagon wheel see the first humans on scuba after all this time.

[RTH10260]

Canada

[RTH10260]

Reporting on a fresh re-excavation at a known archeological site, originally analyzed in 1932-38, but this time digging deeper.

Homo sapiens already reached northwest Europe more than 45,000 years ago
The arrival of Homo sapiens in cold northern latitudes took place several thousand years before Neanderthals disappeared in southwest Europe

JANUARY 31, 2024

• An international research team reports the discovery of Homo sapiens fossils from the cave site Ilsenhöhle in Ranis, Germany. Directly dated to approximately 45,000 years ago, these fossils are associated with elongated stone points partly shaped on both sides (known as partial bifacial blade points), which are characteristic of the Lincombian-Ranisian-Jerzmanowician (LRJ). This archaeological technocomplex is temporally situated between the Neanderthal-associated Middle Palaeolithic and the Upper Palaeolithic made by Homo sapiens. Further, at Ranis, the LRJ also contains bifacial leaf points, which are fully worked across both sides, and have been interpreted, by some researchers as evidence for a link with local Neanderthals. The new discoveries now document the earliest known Homo sapiens fossils in Central and northwest Europe and reveal for the first time the makers of the LRJ. The partial bifacial blade points found at Ranis – one of the main type-sites of the LRJ – have also been discovered at other localities across Europe, from Moravia and eastern Poland across to the British Isles, and can now be linked to an early arrival of small groups of Homo sapiens in northwest Europe several thousand years before Neanderthals disappeared in southwest Europe.

The three published studies describe the Homo sapiens fossils from Ilsenhöhle at Ranis and their associated context (Mylopotamitaki et al.), the diet and lifeways of these first pioneers (Smith et al.), and the environmental conditions they faced in Central and NW Europe (Pederzani et al.). “The Ranis cave site provides evidence for the first dispersal of Homo sapiens across the higher latitudes of Europe. It turns out that stone artefacts that were thought to be produced by Neanderthals were in fact part of the early H. sapiens tool kit. This fundamentally changes our previous knowledge about this time period: H. sapiens reached northwestern Europe long before Neanderthal disappearance in southwestern Europe”, says Jean-Jacques Hublin, Professor at the Collège de France, Paris and emeritus director at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany

An international research team led by Jean-Jacques Hublin (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and Collège de France, Paris), Shannon McPherron (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology), Tim Schüler (Thüringisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie) and Marcel Weiss (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology) re-excavated Ranis between 2016 and 2022.

The aims were to locate remaining deposits from the 1930s excavation, clarify the stratigraphy and chronology of the site, and identify the makers of the LRJ. At the bottom of the eight metre deep sequence, the researchers discovered layers containing the LRJ. “The challenge was to excavate the full eight metre sequence from top to bottom, hoping that some deposits were left from the 1930s excavation. We were fortunate to find a 1.7 metre thick rock the previous excavators did not get past. After removing that rock by hand, we finally uncovered the LRJ layers and even found human fossils. This came as a huge surprise, as no human fossils were known from the LRJ before, and was a reward for the hard work at the site”, says Marcel Weiss of the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.




https://www.mpg.de/21451099/0125-evan-h ... o-150495-x

[Volkonski]

Not that I am an expert but I have wondered if legends about trolls and dwarves and such come from a time when homo sapiens and Neanderthals coexisted.

[RTH10260]

A race against time – and weather – in Canada shipwreck mystery
It’s up to 300 locals in the north Atlantic town of Cape Ray to recover a shipwreck that appeared last month

Leyland Cecco in Toronto
Fri 9 Feb 2024 11.30 CET

Freezing waves crashed into Shawn Bath and Trevor Croft as they braved the unforgiving swells of the north Atlantic. Snow fell gently as the pair of local residents took turns with a hacksaw: one cutting through the planks of a centuries-old shipwreck while the other kept a close watch on the cresting breakers.

“Each wave lifts you up and can toss you around. And the ship is full of copper, brass and wood spikes sticking up everywhere, so there’s potential for injury,” said Bath, a former urchin diver who, with Croft, runs a local marine cleanup project. “But it’s just super exciting to be a part of the whole thing.”

A shipwreck that mysteriously appeared off the southern coast of Newfoundland last month is at risk of disappearing just as quickly, as storms batter the remains of the vessel. Keenly aware that they’re in a race against time and forces of nature, dozens in the Canadian coastal community of Cape Ray have banded together to protect the wreck from what could be its second demise.

The wreck is submerged even at the lowest tides, a troubling development for those who have visited the site frequently. Last week, residents fastened lines to the wreck to hold it in place.

“The last couple of days, the ship has taken quite a pounding. We’ve had a strong wind and a lot of snow. And the ship’s been breaking up over the last few days with pieces washing ashore,” said Bath. “That’s good – it means we can recover [the fragments]. But right now we need to get the ship out of water before the next storm comes.”



https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/ ... wfoundland?

[RTH10260]

The UK once again

‘Very rare’ clay figurine of Mercury discovered at Roman site in Kent
Previously unknown settlement in Small Hythe was once an important infrastructure link

Esther Addley
Fri 23 Feb 2024 06.00 CET

A “very rare” clay figurine of the god Mercury, one of fewer than 10 ever found in Britain, has been discovered at a previously unknown Roman settlement that once sat next to a busy port – but is now 10 miles from the sea.

The site of the settlement, in the modern hamlet of Small Hythe (or Smallhythe), near Tenterden in Kent, now sits among fields, but was once an important link in the Roman empire’s import and infrastructure network in southern England and the Channel.

The coastline in this part of Kent has changed dramatically since the Roman era, thanks to large-scale land drainage and reclamation and the silting of a once wide river estuary. Archaeologists in the 1990s excavated the site of a medieval shipyard in Small Hythe that was once visited by King Henry V.

Part of a roman tile stamped with Classis Britannica, the mark of the Roman fleet. Photograph: James Dobson
The discovery that it had previously also been the site of a Roman settlement, along with the artefacts found there, was “massively exciting”, according to Nathalie Cohen, a National Trust archaeologist.

The settlement was small in scale and modest in prestige, said Cohen. “It’s not Roman Londinium, it’s not Cirencester. It’s a smallish settlement by a port.” That said, “it would have been vital in the logistics chain for exporting timber and iron out of [south-east England] and importing materials from the continent”.

Other finds from the site include a tile stamped with the mark of the Classis Britannica, the Roman fleet in Britain, underlining the significance of the waterside site.

The undoubted star find, however, is the figure of Mercury – the god of the fine arts, commerce and financial success – of which only the head remains, wearing his characteristic winged headdress. While models of the god are more common in metal, “to come across a head of a figurine of Mercury in pipeclay is incredibly rare,” said Cohen.




https://www.theguardian.com/science/202 ... mall-hythe

[RTH10260]

just a snippet into ancient history of the UK

Excavating An Undisturbed Neolithic Tomb On Orkney Island | Digging For Britain | Unearthed History

Unearthed History - Archaeology Documentaries
23 Feb 2024

We delve into the transition from Mesolithic to Neolithic cultures, showcasing advancements in technology and societal structures. Additionally, explorations into Paleolithic hunters and Neanderthals offer insights into Britain's distant past. Through excavations and analysis, archaeologists piece together the puzzle of ancient Britain, revealing a rich tapestry of human civilization buried beneath the earth.

Welcome to Unearthed History -- the home for all things archaeological! From ancient Roman ruins to buried medieval mysteries, we'll be bringing you award-winning documentaries that explore the remnants of long lost civilizations

[RTH10260]

Italy

Long-buried Atlas statue raised to guard Temple of Zeus in Sicily once more
Eight-metre statue dating from fifth century BC restored and assembled piece-by-piece to be displayed in Valley of the Temples

Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo
Thu 29 Feb 2024 13.32 CET

A colossal statue of Atlas that lay buried for centuries among ancient ruins has been reconstructed to take its rightful place among the Greek temples of Agrigento in Sicily, after a 20-year research and restoration project.

The statue, standing at 8 metres (26ft) tall and dating back to the fifth century BC, was one of nearly 38 that adorned the Temple of Zeus, considered the largest Doric temple ever built despite never being completed.

“The Atlas will become one of the highlights of the Valley of the Temples,” said Francesco Paolo Scarpinato, a cultural heritage assessor, in a joint statement with the Sicilian governor, Renato Schifani. “We can finally introduce this imposing work to the international community.”

The statues were discovered in 1812 by Charles R Cockerell, a young British architect who was visiting Agrigento to study the ruins of the ancient city of Akragas, founded in about 582BC. Cockerell was one of the first people to realise that a massive piece of sandstone near the old Temple of Zeus was not a part of the sanctuary’s pediment but instead the head of a statue of Atlas.

In Greek mythology, Atlas was a Titan or god, who was forced to bear the sky on his shoulders after being defeated by Zeus, one of the next generation of gods called Olympians.



https://www.theguardian.com/culture/202 ... -once-more

[RTH10260]

Wooden furniture of Herculaneum preserved from Vesuvius

Ancient Rome Live
8 Feb 2024

Wooden furniture is rarely preserved in excavations of Roman sites. An exception is the material from Herculaneum. Usually, these items are not on display, but on the occasion of a new exhibit, we are now able to examine the world of carpentry through these objects of everyday life- and many other artifacts- rarely preserved from Antiquity. A truly unique collection of artwork from ancient Herculaneum.

[Volkonski]

Mass grave with 1,000 skeletons found in Germany

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/06/europe/m ... index.html

Archaeologists say they have discovered what may be the largest mass grave ever excavated in Europe at a site in southern Germany.

Roughly 1,000 skeletons of plague victims have so far been found in mass graves in the center of the city of Nuremberg, which experts believe may contain a total of more than 1,500 people, according to a press release published Tuesday.

The remains were discovered during an archaeological survey prior to the construction of new residential buildings in the city.

Melanie Langbein, from Nuremberg’s department for heritage conservation, told CNN that eight plague pits were identified, each containing several hundred bodies.

“Those people were not interred in a regular cemetery although we have designated plague cemeteries in Nuremberg,” said Langbein.

“This means a large number of dead people who needed to be buried in a short time frame without regard to Christian burial practices,” she said.

Because of this, an epidemic such as the plague is “more than likely” the explanation for the mass graves, according to Langbein.

Nuremberg suffered plague outbreaks roughly every 10 years from the 14th century onward, she said, making it a challenge to date the remains.

[RTH10260]

‘Holy grail of shipwrecks’: recovery of 18th-century Spanish ship could begin in April
The San José, sunk in 1708, has been at the center of a dispute over who has rights to the wreck, including $17bn in booty

Luke Taylor in Bogotá
Mon 18 Mar 2024 11.30 CET

Since the Colombian navy discovered the final resting place of the Spanish galleon San José in 2015, its location has remained a state secret, the wreck – and its precious cargo – left deep under the waters of the Caribbean.

Efforts to conserve the ship and recover its precious cargo have been caught up in a complicated string of international legal disputes, with Colombia, Spain, Bolivian indigenous groups and a US salvage company laying claim to the wreck, and the gold, silver and emeralds onboard thought to be worth as much as $17bn.

When Colombia tried to auction off part of the bounty to fund the colossal costs of recovering the ship, Unesco and the country’s high courts intervened.

But eight years after the discovery, officials now say they are pushing politics to one side and could begin lifting artefacts from the “holy grail of shipwrecks” as soon as April.

“There has been this persistent view of the galleon as a treasure trove. We want to turn the page on that,” Alhena Caicedo, director of the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History, said. “We aren’t thinking about treasure. We’re thinking about how to access the historical and archeological information at the site.”




https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... k-recovery

[RTH10260]

another one from the UK treasure trove ...

Bronze age objects from ‘Pompeii of the Fens’ to go on display
Settlement on stilts dropped into River Nene after a fire nearly 3,000 years ago and was preserved in silt

Harriet Sherwood
Wed 20 Mar 2024 06.00 CET

A bronze age settlement built on stilts that dropped “like a coffee plunger” into a river after a catastrophic fire has provided a window on our past lives, according to the archaeologist that led the investigation of the Cambridgeshire site.

Must Farm, nicknamed the Pompeii of the Fens, offers “exceptional clarity” because of a combination of charring and waterlogging, said Mark Knight, of Cambridge University’s archaeological unit.

On Wednesday, two open-access publications are being launched that comprehensively detail the finds from the excavation at a working brick clay quarry. Next month, some of the preserved objects will go on display at Peterborough Museum in an exhibition that tells the story of bronze age life in the short-lived settlement and its discovery almost 3,000 years later.

Must Farm, which dates to about 850BC, was inhabited for only about nine months before it was destroyed by fire. Its roundhouses were built on stilts over a tributary of the River Nene. The cause of the fire is unknown. The speed at which it took hold gave residents no opportunity to grab their most precious possessions. “It was get out or die,” said Knight.

As the roundhouses collapsed under the weight of their roofs, jewellery, pottery, clothing, tools and even food that was cooking in pots fell into the muddy river below. Vegetation in the river cushioned their impact, preventing damage; the objects and the wooden structures of the roundhouses sank into silt.



https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... ridgeshire