For Those Interested in Archaeology

"An ancient weapons 'factory' dating back 10,000 years has been discovered right beside the remains of a felled woolly mammoth, palaeontologists say.
Prehistoric people used the site in Siberia to carve off ivory slivers from the two tusks of the hairy beast to use in spears and butchering tools, scientists believe.
The mammoth remains, preserved in permafrost, were found this summer on Kotelny Island, part of the New Siberian archipelago in the Russian Arctic.
Ironically the Kremlin's modern-day weaponry is now arriving on the same island, as Vladimir Putin builds a major Arctic military base called the Northern Shamrock near the site.
Examining the bones, specialists from the Academy of Sciences of Yakutia - the country's coldest region - found man's 'handiwork' on the tusks, and also markings on a rib suggesting that the animal was hunted by humans.
'Traces of processing, presumably by an ancient man, were found on the tusk fragments,' mammoth expert Innokenty Pavlov told The Siberian Times.
Carved shards of ivory had sharp edges useful for butchering, but also used by ancient man for killing, for example in spears which have been found at other Siberian sites.
'The state of tusk remnants clearly points that the humans sliced it to make implements (and weapons).' "
www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-7175487/10-000-year-old-weapons-factory-Siberia.html

 

"A 3,400-year-old palace has emerged from a reservoir in the Kurdistan region of Iraq after water levels dropped because of drought.
The discovery of the ruins in the Mosul Dam reservoir on the banks of the Tigris River inspired a spontaneous archeological dig that will improve understanding of the Mittani Empire, one of the least-researched empires of the Ancient Near East, the Kurdish-German team of researchers said in a press release.
"The find is one of the most important archaeological discoveries in the region in recent decades," Kurdish archaeologist Hasan Ahmed Qasim said in a press release.
The palace would have originally stood just 65 feet from the river on an elevated terrace. A terrace wall of mud bricks was later added to stabilize the building, adding to to the imposing architecture.
Ivana Puljiz, an archeologist from the University of Tübingen's Institute for Ancient Near Eastern Studies, describes the palace, known as Kemune, as a carefully designed building with mud-brick walls up to two meters (6.6 feet) thick.
Some of the walls are more than two meters high, and various rooms have plastered walls, she added.
The team also found wall paintings in shades of red and blue, which were probably a common feature of palaces at the time but have rarely been found preserved.
"Discovering wall paintings in Kemune is an archaeological sensation," she said in a press release.
"Kemune is only the second site in the region where wall paintings of the Mittani period have been discovered," Puljiz told CNN in an email."
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/iraq-palace-drought-scli-intl/index.html

Sure there's a WW2 Auxunit OB somewhere on this hill too.
"Michael Alexander spent a day with an archaeological team on the East Lomond hill in Fife and discovered how recent digs could shed new light on Scotland’s early history.
Kneeling at the edge of a muddy trench as the weather closed in and the stunning views across the Fife landscape faded into the gloom behind me, it was remarkably engrossing to use a trowel to gently scrape back layers of soil – untouched for millennia – to potentially reveal archaeological evidence of an ancient settlement beneath.
The remains of a wall, a prehistoric flint arrowhead and the base of a kiln or furnace had already been discovered by volunteers in the days prior to my visit.
But who would have thought that my discovery of a 4000-year-old Bronze Age pottery fragment – possibly the “find of the day”, according to the lead archaeologist – could be so satisfying?
My small, yet significant, find was made amid ancient fragments of charcoal and bone when I joined an archaeological dig for a day on the southern shoulder of the East Lomond hill above Falkland.
Excavations by teams of professionally led community volunteers in 2014 and 2017 had already confirmed that one of Fife’s largest hill forts stood on the summit of the Kingdom’s second highest peak watching over the land below."
www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/scotland/917394/how-archaeology-could-transform-knowledge-of-relations-between-fifes-ancient-picts-and-the-roman-empire/?fbclid=IwAR09NiYNC0NB0sGXzy93SqMw-yKL39SgJ5Gi1BV4Le6XpY3WTWWL3mBlFxA

 

"The biblical city of Ziklag in which David resided after fleeing the rage of King Saul has reportedly been unearthed in the Judaean foothills.
The dig, led by the Israeli Antiquities Authority, found the remains of buildings and Philistine-era artefacts beneath a burnt rural settlement from King David's time.
In the ancient narrative, the city was gifted to David by the ruling Philistine King Achish of Gath, with the former shepherd and future king serving as Achsish's vassal.
The Philistines — a feared enemy of the Israelites — are believed to have arrived in the region from the Mediterranean in the 12th century BC.
Ziklag went on to be burnt by Amalekite raiders when David was away fighting with the Philistine army.
Ziklag's location has long been the subject of scientific debate, with 12 possible locations having previously been put forward from across southern Israel.
None of these sites, however, feature evidence of their having been consecutive Philistine and Israelite settlements, which would be needed to fit what is believed to be the historical narrative, said the Israeli Antiquities Authority in a statement.
Experts from the Israeli Antiquities Authority, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Australia's Macquarie University now report having unearthed Philistine-era buildings from under a rural settlement dated back to a time linked to the biblical King David.
Excavations at the Khirbet Al-Rai site, located near Kiryat Gat in central Israel, began in 2015. "
www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-7225329/Researchers-say-ancient-Philistine-town-located-Israel.html

 

"Genetic analysis has revealed that the ancestors of modern humans interbred with at least five different archaic human groups as they left Africa and entered Eurasia.
DNA analysis reveals our ancestors moved east out of Africa and had several encounters with various different hominid species and mixed and mated with them.
Two of the archaic groups are currently known – the Neanderthals and their sister group the Denisovans from Asia.
But researchers, from the University of Adelaide's Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, have detected traces of DNA from two mystery groups, which survives on only in modern populations - no physical remains have been found.
By mapping the location of past 'mixing events' they contrasted the levels of archaic ancestry in the genomes of present-day populations around the world.
'Each of us carry within ourselves the genetic traces of these past mixing events,' said first author Dr João Teixeira, Australian Research Council Research Associate, ACAD, at the University of Adelaide.
'These archaic groups were widespread and genetically diverse, and they survive in each of us. Their story is an integral part of how we came to be.
'For example, all present-day populations show about two per cent of Neanderthal ancestry which means that Neanderthal mixing with the ancestors of modern humans occurred soon after they left Africa, probably around 50,000 to 55,000 years ago somewhere in the Middle East.'"
www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-7248259/Ancestors-modern-humans-sex-FIVE-different-archaic-human-species.html

 

A handy map...

 

"A huge prehistoric settlement dating back 9,000 years unearthed near Jerusalem by Israeli archaeologists during preparations for a new highway could rewrite the history of humans in the region.
Home to around 3,000 individuals during the Stone Age the settlement, near modern-day Motza, disproves the long-standing theory that humans did not live in Judea at this time and is being called the area's 'big bang' as well as being a 'game-changer' for our knowledge of humankind's settlement of the country.
The site has revealed large buildings, flint tools, including thousands of arrowheads, axes for chopping down trees, sickle blades and knives - proving the city was a bustling hub of complex society.
It was thought that the area was previously uninhabited and only the other bank of the Jordan river had such vast cities but the site, which covers dozens of acres, has forced them to reconsider all they know about Israeli history.
According to the Antiquities Authority, this is the first time that such a large-scale settlement from the Neolithic Period is discovered in Israel, and one of the largest of its kind in the region
Before the discovery, it was widely believed the entire area had been uninhabited in that period, during which people were shifting away from hunting for survival to a more sedentary lifestyle that included farming.
Jacob Vardi, co-director of the excavations at Motza on behalf of the Antiquities Authority, said: 'It's a game changer, a site that will drastically shift what we know about the Neolithic era.'
'So far, it was believed that the Judea area was empty, and that sites of that size existed only on the other bank of the Jordan river, or in the Northern Levant.
'Instead of an uninhabited area from that period, we have found a complex site, where varied economic means of subsistence existed, and all this only several dozens of centimetres below the surface.'
The archaeological team discovered large buildings, including rooms that were used for living, as well as public facilities and places of ritual."
www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-7252515/Prehistoric-city-offers-glimpse-ancient-living-near-Jerusalem.html

 

Good week for the old Artichokery so far!
"Archaeologists have uncovered what they describe as a "stunning example" of Neolithic decorate stone in Orkney.
The notch-marked slab was discovered at Ness of Brodgar, the location of a well-preserved and sophisticated complex of stone buildings.
The site was built and occupied by people more than 5,000 years ago.
Archaeological excavations began at Ness of Brodgar more than 15 years ago and the site covers an area of about six acres (2.5 ha).
The decorated stone was found on Monday, followed by further discoveries of smaller carved stones during the rest of the week.
Painted stonework and tools are among other previous finds made at Ness of Brodgar.
The site forms part of the Heart of the Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site."
'Stunning' Neolithic stone discovered

 

"An archaeological charity hopes to uncover the history of a ruined site in the Highlands.
Borg is a post-medieval settlement located a few miles south of Berriedale in Caithness.
But the Caithness Broch Project believes that the settlement is much older than previously thought.
The ruins are near the remains of an Iron Age broch, a type of fortified dwelling, and the name Borg is Norse for broch.
Brochs were built in Scotland more than 2,000 years ago.
The project team is in the early stages of its investigation.
As well as looking at the site's early history, information has been sought on the occupation of the site through to the 19th Century.
The settlement appears on a map made in 1747, but other archive material suggests that by 1877 the roofs of the houses had been removed and the settlement was uninhabited."
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-49070369?intlink_from_url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/scotland&link_location=live-reporting-story

 

"Teenagers who lived 4,000 years ago have been found buried facing each other in a remarkable grave in Kazakhstan.
The ancient pair are believed to have been aged 16 or 17 when they died and archaeologists say there were likely from a 'noble family' in their culture.
It's not clear whether they were siblings or lovers but the prehistoric pair were buried gazing at each other for their journey to the afterlife.
Experts have yet to work out how they died but there are plans to carry out research on the remains to find out.
The youngsters were found in an ancient burial complex called Kyzyltau cemetery, which is made up of five hills in the remote Karaganda region.
Gold and bronze treasures were found in their grave and the young woman wore two bracelets on each arm, as well as pendants depicting the sun.
She also wore precious gold temple rings shaped like earrings, say archaeologists."
www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-7296817/Teenage-lovers-4-000-years-ago-buried-facing-remarkable-grave-Kazakhstan.html

 

Kazakhstan version of the bards best called "Nurasyl and Rayana"

 

Be interesting to see what the experts turn up.

 

Sure I saw these on a tv programme not so long ago?
"EGYPT archaeologists uncovered two perfectly preserved cities sunken near the mouth of the River Nile.
The Egyptian town of Heracleion and the Greek city of Canopus were first spotted by an RAF plane in 1933. However, World War 2 and the Cold War prevented further exploration of these waters, until 2000, when archaeologist Frank Goddio of the French Institut European d’Archologie Sous-Marine used state-of-the-art technology to expose the secrets. Armed with geo-sensing surveying tools, he was able to measure the Earth’s surface to map out the seabed.
The images chronicled the sunken landscape and its main topographical features.
Divers, including Dr Damian Robinson, director of the Oxford Centre of Maritime Archaeology, were called in to take a better look.
Dr Robinson said in 2016: “Using a nuclear resonance magnetometer, specially developed by a French energy commission, Dr Goddio was able to measure the Earth’s magnetic field and variations in it caused by the local deposit geology."
www.express.co.uk/news/world/1160058/egypt-river-nile-buried-city-heracleion-canopus-frank-goddio-spt

 

Jeez, another good week so far.
"Opposing research institutes have agreed to set aside their disputes over the nature of the so-called 'Armenian Stonehenge' to solve its mysteries for once and for all.
Made up of 223 stones, Carahunge has been argued to predate Wiltshire's Stonehenge by 2,500 years — but its purpose has long been a bone of contention.
Although some archaeologists have argued that the prehistoric site was used as an astronomical observatory, others contend it was just a conventional settlement.
Members of the Bnorran Historic-Cultural NGO and the Armenian Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography co-signed an agreement on July 30 to collaborate in plumbing the mysteries of Carahunge, which lies near Sisian, in Armenia's Syunik Province.
For the former group of researchers, the archaeological site — which some experts claim is 7,500 years old — represents the earliest-known observatory.
'We think Carahunge — where more than 200 stones are located, with 80 having holes in them — is an ancient astronomical observatory,' Bnorran board member Arevik Sargsyan told Armenpress.
This idea is partly based on the work of the physicist Paris Herouni, who had argued that the ancient complex dated back to around 5,500 BC.
Some of the stones, he suggested, had been deliberately positioned in order to align with Deneb, the brightest star in the constellation of Cygnus, along with the positions of the sun and the moon at certain times in the year.
'According to another opinion, Carahunge isn’t an astronomical observatory,' Ms Sargsyan said.
For them, she added, 'it is simply an ancient site, a settlement, which has a status of a mausoleum.'"
www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-7309577/Mystery-Armenian-Stonehenge-built-7-500-years-ago-soon-solved.html

 

Which bit?

 

Read a bit about Cahokia, but not much.
Probably a variation of the old "we've-no-idea-what-the-Hell-it-is-so-it-must-have-been-ritual" idea. Or "astronomical observatory", when all else fails.
But that's the cynic in me .

 

Maybe this bit...
"Some of the stones, he suggested, had been deliberately positioned in order to align with Deneb, the brightest star in the constellation of Cygnus, along with the positions of the sun and the moon at certain times in the year."?