Stone Pages Archaeo News: January 2005 Archives

January 2005 index:

1 January 2005: Humans may have studied insects to master farming; Raymond Lane reexamined the work of archaeologist James Mellaart finding that within the period 10,000-4,000 BCE, humans may have studied the insect’s role of plant pollinator in order to understand...
: Toys that make a noise go back to the Bronze Age; Parents who are irritated tomorrow by noisy toys may console themselves: children have been making a racket since the Bronze Age. Archaeologists believe they have identified one of the earliest...
: Scottish siblings find a Bronze Age flint arrowhead; When schoolchildren Robert and Kirsty Simon chanced upon an oddly shaped piece of stone by a path, they did not realise they had found an important piece of Scotland's "ancient...
: Prehistoric granaries found in Egypt; A team from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) has unearthed eight granaries that are relics from agricultural life in the Neolithic era. The granaries were discovered last...
: 3,000-year-old woodcarving discovered in China; The Chengdu Archeological Team discovered a 3,000-year-old painted woodcarving of a head during the second phase of excavation at the Jinsha site's ritual area. It is the oldest and most...
8 January 2005: Ancient henge discovered near Chester; Cheshire has a wooden henge after archaeologists made the discovery near Chester (England). Researchers working at Poulton, on the Duke of Westminster's land, were amazed to find the Bronze Age...
: Bronze Age arrow head donated to museum; An arrow head more than 3,000 years old has been found in North West Essex (England) and donated to Saffron Walden Museum. It was spotted by Essex Finds liaison officer...
: 'Sleeping Beauty' mountain on Lewis under threat; The 'Sleeping Beauty' or 'Sleeping Mother' or 'Sleeping Goddess' mountain - as it is variously called - is on the island of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides off the west...
: UK hands over 30 Iranian ancient artifacts; Customs officials of London's Heathrow Airport handed over 30 ancient artifacts to the Iranian Embassy in London. The artifacts were being smuggled into Britain but were confiscated by customs agents....
: Prehistoric potteries discovered in Syria; Dutch Archeologists unearthed unique samples of clay potteries at the archeological site of Tel Abyad, north of Syria. During the excavations, the Dutch team discovered scores of potteries and jars...
: Oetzi murdered in power play?; Oetzi the Iceman, the world's oldest and best-preserved mummy, might have been murdered in a struggle for power, according to a new theory that identifies the 5,300-year-old mummy as the...
: Chalcolitic artifacts unearthed in Iran; A joint Iranian and British archaeological team recently discovered 7000-year old artifacts and ruins dating back to the Chalcolithic era (7000 to 3500 BCE) in northern Bushehr (Iran). "The team...
: Laser scans to unlock the mistery of Mousa broch; A team of archaeologists has helped unlock 2000-year-old secrets of an ancient tower described as one of the wonders of European archaeology. Mousa Broch, located on the island of Mousa...
: Heritage Action campaigners always very active; Thornborough Henges campaigners have clashed again with quarry firm, Tarmac. This time it is over a British Museum exhibition of archaeological treasures that is being sponsored by Tarmac, prompting accusations...
: 5000-year-old commercial seal discovered in Iran; The oldest known commercial seal, estimated to be about 5000 years old, was recently discovered at the historical site of Jiroft in southeastern Iran. The director of the archaeological team...
: Winter solstice celebrations; The Long Man of Wilmington was the setting for a celebration of the winter solstice staged by East Sussex druids. More than 60 druids gathered on the top of the...
: Society to challenge ancient stone cover-up decision; Whitby Literary and Philosophical Society may challenge the decision to deny it the chance to display an important archaeological discovery. The society was disappointed to miss out on a significant...
14 January 2005: River exposes ancient grinding holes; Pits used by ancient Indian tribes to grind acorns and crack shellfish have been revealed after a river washed away the sand covering them in Monterey County, California, USA. The...
: Creswell Crags cave art given protection grant; The protection of Britian's oldest cave art is to be safeguarded following the awarding of a substantial grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Creswell Crags, a limestone gorge in Derbyshire,...
: Ancient Chinese horse skeletons to be DNA tested; Twelve horse skeletons unearthed from ancient burial tombs in China are to be DNA tested in a bid to learn more about the way they were treated. Scientists from Shaanxi...
: Hill of Tara campaigners deliver submissions to Transport Committee; Campaigners opposing plans to build a motorway through the historic Tara-Skryne Valley in County Meath, Ireland, have delivered 2,000 submissions to the Oireachtas Transport Committee. The proposed M3 motorway would...
15 January 2005: Could the rain forest have been home to complex societies?; For much of the last half-century, archeologists have viewed the South American rain forest as a ''counterfeit paradise" whose inhospitable environment precluded the development of complex societies. But new research...
: Ancient tomb discovered in Cyprus; A three thousand years old ancient tomb has been discovered in Karpass peninsula. The tomb, which is dated on the Geometric era (1050-750 BCE), was discovered in Agios Adronikos village,...
: Trees threaten Iron Age hill fort; Conservation work is to be carried out on an Iron Age hillfort in North Somerset (England) to save an ancient monument. The site at Weston Woods near Weston-super-Mare is being...
: New species may have relatives in next villlage; A growing number of scientists are challenging the sensational discovery last year of a new species of one-metre-tall intelligent humans whose 13,000-year-old bones were said to have been found in...
: Duddo Four Stones to be safeguarded; A new partnership looks set to safeguard north Northumberland's ancient monuments. Duddo Four Stones, a scheduled ancient monument on the Duddo Estate, is being protected with funding from both Defra's...
: Bronze Age log canoe found in Vietnam; Australian archaeologists have unearthed one of the oldest log canoes ever found in South-East Asia. A team from the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra and conservators from the National...
: Texan road part of ancient burial site; Construction on an area road in Corpus Christi (Texas, USA) has been delayed partly because of its location on an ancient American Indian burial site. "There was the potential for...
: Ancient rock carvings go online; Archaeologists have discovered more than 250 new examples of prehistoric rock carvings, it has been revealed. The panels were unearthed during a two-and-a-half year search of the moorlands of Northumberland...
16 January 2005: Neolithic stone tool workshop spotted in China; Archaeologists have discovered what is believed to be China's largest stone tool processing workshop of the Neolithic Age. The workshop, with an area of 1,200 sq metres, was spotted in...
21 January 2005: Healing ceremony at ancient burial site; Tribal leaders held a healing ceremony last week at the site of an ancient Indian village in Washington State, USA. Construction work begun in August 2003 uncovered around 315 intact...
: Archaeologists begin excavation of 3400 year old wall; A combined team of German students and Iranian archaeologists have begun excavating a huge wall discovered in the 3400 year old ruins of the ancient city of Kabnak in Khuzestan...
: Replica Bronze Age boat makes maiden voyage; Students from Hull University in the north east of England this week launched a replica Bronze Age boat. The boat, named Oakleaf by North Ferriby schoolgirl Katherine Imrie, set out on...
: Tourism potential of Scottish village's ancient past; A veteran campaigner is urging the members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) to unlock the tourism potential of one of Scotland's most ancient historic areas. Cramond, four mile north west...
: Ritual complex saved from the developers; Plans for a massive film studio development in Perthshire, Scotland, have temporarily been put on hold. The controversial plans would have radically altered a rich ritual landscape which features a...
: Rare Iron Age wooden bowl unearthed in England; Archaeologists working on a site near Lincoln, England, having uncovered wooden and stone artefacts, some dating back to 3,000 years ago. The site was discovered during work on a flood...
23 January 2005: Workmen find body in bog machine; Workmen at the Bord na Mona works in Mountdillon (Co Longford, Ireland) made a chilling discovery when they uncovered what is now known to be parts of a human skeleton...
: Archaeologists discover 6000-year-old rocky village in Iran; Iranian archaeologists recently discovered a 6000-year-old rocky habitation with more than 800 cells in the Barez Mountains, east of the Halil-Rud River in southern Kerman Province, the director of the...
: Prehistoric huts found in Colorado; A team of archaeologists looking for historical artifacts at the Rueter-Hess Reservoir construction site (Colorado, USA) has found traces of huts used by nomadic tribes up to 5,000 years ago....
: The return of the Bronze Age dagger; A Bronze Age dagger has been returned to the town that it has called home since about 1400 BCE. The prehistoric weapon was unearthed during the excavation of Testwood Lakes...
27 January 2005: The Iron Age brought to life; Work on a replica Iron Age village in the Forest of Dean, on the English side of the border with south Wales, is to begin next month and is expected...
: Cave to reveal secrets of Bronze Age Scotland; Archaeologists working in a cave on the Isle of Skye, off the west coast of Scotland, hope that their investigation will reveal more about life on the island 2,000 to...
: Shrine to Hercules unearthed in Greece; Archaeologists working on the site of a hotel development in Thebes, Greece, believe they may have uncovered a shrine to Hercules mentioned by a classical poet writing 2500 years ago....
: Britain may have been multicultural 400,000 years ago; Archaeologists working on the site of the Channel Tunnel high-speed rail link at Ebbsfleet in Kent, south-east England, have uncovered evidence that there may have been more than one species...
30 January 2005: Iranian airport lies on 3200-year-old treasure; Scholars believe that the 3200 year-old historical Ma’mourin Hill which was found accidentally during the construction project of Imam International Airport, can be turned into the greatest historical, scientific, and...
: English farmers given ancient site advice; A new service has been launched to advise farmers and estate managers in North Yorkshire (England) how to preserve important ancient sites on their land. The county council has appointed...
: Archeologist unearths biblical controversy; Canadian archeologist Russell Adams's interest is in Bronze Age and Iron Age copper production. He never intended to walk into archeology's vicious debate over the historical accuracy of the Old...
: Did early humans 'turn off' Australia's monsoons?; Landscape burning by ancient hunters and gatherers may have triggered the failure of the annual Australian Monsoon some 12,000 years ago, resulting in the desertification of the country's interior that...
: Neolithic village found in China; The Ningbo Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology announced that, after a 4-month excavation of 725 square meters, they have confirmed the discovery of a 7,000-year-old village of the early...
: Scientists find prehistoric remains in Mexico; Scientists announced the discovery of the remains of 10 people, one dating back to 1,300 BCE, providing evidence of prehispanic cultures in Mexico City's sprawling Chapultepec Park. The scientists said...
: Ancient musical instruments unearthed in Vietnam; Musical instruments thought to be about 3,000 years old have been found by a team of Vietnamese archeologists. Known as lithophones, the ancient instruments are typically made of 11 slabs...
: Neolithic causeway found by 'Time Team' Archaeologists; Archaeologists working for the Channel 4 programme 'Time Team,' uncovered the Neolithic causeway in Northborough (Cambridgeshire, England). The site, which a local archaeologist says was a former marketplace, dates back...
: Happy end in sight for Nine Ladies stone circle; Protesters who have camped for five years at a Peak quarry say they are planning to leave now victory is in sight. They have been campaigning to save the quarries...
: 5,000-year-old settlement found in Colorado; Five thousand years ago, a band of ancient people built homes on the edge of a stream in what is now Parker (Colorado, USA). It was not a temporary camp,...
: Bronze Age skeletons unearthed in Kent; Archaeologists have unearthed a unique site in Kent (England) which they claim contains the best preserved examples of Bronze Age skeletons. The discovery was made in a six-month excavation of...
: Threat to prehistoric sites in Wiltshire; A huge swathe of threatened countryside should be given special protection from "ghastly modern architecture" if developers get the go-head, campaigners said. Environmentalists called on their local council and MP...
: France seizes African archaeological objects; French customs officials have seized 845 African archaeological objects, including rare figurines, destined for possible resale in Belgium, the government said on Saturday. The French Finance Ministry said in a...
: Stonehenge: what happened to the tunnel plans?; The future of Britain's most famous monument is under threat because plans to divert traffic from the landmark may be lost in "bureaucratic long grass". The National Trust is calling...