Stuff I've Found

In Archaeology we call this fire-cracked-rock, or FCR. It’s a rock that has been altered and or broken by deliberate heating. The rocks are common in many Archaeology sites, but are particularly prevalent in south central America. In many cases, fire-cracked rock results when stones were used to line hearths or were heated to provide a longer lasting heat source.

 

HISTORICAL DATA SHOWS TRAIL OF TEARS IMPACT ON CHEROKEE SKULL SIZE

Researchers from North Carolina State University and the University of Tennessee have found that environmental stressors – from the Trail of Tears to the Civil War – led to significant changes in the shape of skulls in the eastern and western bands of the Cherokee people. The findings highlight the role of environmental factors in shaping our physical characteristics…READ MORE AT…http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/04/2014/historical-data-shows-impact-on-cherokee-skull-size

Startled tribal men in a remote part of the Amazon basin in Brazil shake their spears as they are pictured from above.

The pictures, shot from a plane earlier this week, were taken of the isolated tribe on the Peruvian border.

It is thought the tribe have had little to no contact with with the outside world…READ MORE AT…http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2592321/Amazing-pictures-deep-Amazon-startled-tribesman-shaking-spears-plane-pictured-sky.html

Were the ancient Greeks and Romans color blind?

Homer left historians with the impression that the ancient Greeks and Romans had an underdeveloped appreciation of color. The ancients, in fact, were a shade more sophisticated than that and understood color in a completely different way to us, argues Mark Bradley…READ MORE AT…http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/bodysphere/5267698

Archaeology Humor

A little dated, but still funny.

Secret desert camp used by First World War hero Lawrence of Arabia is discovered intact with rum jars and a campfire.

A secret desert camp used by Lawrence of Arabia has been found intact almost 100 years after he left it.

The hideout in modern-day Jordan was still littered with spent cartridges and broken gin bottles when a team of archaeologists found it - thanks to an RAF pilot's vaguely-sketched map.

It was used as a vital base by Thomas Edward Lawrence, the British intelligence officer who would pass into legend for his guerilla raids against Turkish forces in the First World War…READ MORE AT… http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2587193/Secret-desert-camp-used-First-World-War-hero-Lawrence-Arabia-discovered-intact-rum-jars-campfire.html

Intimate tattoo of man's name discovered on inner thigh of 1,300-year-old MUMMY

A tattoo of a man's name has been discovered by scientists on the inner thigh of a 1300-year-old mummy.

Egyptologists at the British Museum made the startling discovery while examining the ancient mummified body of a Sudanese woman, thought to have died around 700 AD.

The symbol, tattooed on the skin of the inner thigh of her right leg, spells out the ancient Greek characters M-I-X-A-H-A, which translates as Michael.

But it's not for a secret lover however, as the tattoo is thought to be a protective biblical symbol representing the Archangel Michael…READ MORE AT…http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/egypt-mummy-tattoo-intimate-ink-3274266

Two more colossal pharaoh statues unveiled in Egypt

Luxor (Egypt) (AFP) - Archaeologists on Sunday unveiled two colossal statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III in Egypt's famed temple city of Luxor, adding to an existing pair of world-renowned tourist attractions.

The two monoliths in red quartzite were raised at what European and Egyptian archaeologists said were their original sites in the funerary temple of the king, on the west bank of the Nile…READ MORE AT…http://news.yahoo.com/two-more-colossal-pharaoh-statues-unveiled-egypt-153602577.html

Working in Archaeology is a connection to the past.

One of the greatest joys of Archaeology is unearthing an artifact that may not have been touched for a thousand years or more. You hold history in your hand. At that moment you have an indelible bond with the person who last touched it. Was the piece flaked off as the flintknapping plied their craft; or is it a tool worn to a nub and tossed away? We can all read about the past, but working as an Archaeologist you can experience it.

Above are some of the pieces I've found: 

Back Row: All the pieces except for the big one on the right are flakes. Those are the pieces that break off when the tools or weapons are being formed. The big one is a bi-facial. That’s a piece that has been worked on both sides. The craftsman will hone or smooth a piece to finish their work. We don’t know if this piece was finished or broke while being formed and discarded. 

Second Row: This is a 450 million-year-old Crinoid fossil that had been carefully chiseled out of a probable limestone formation and made into a necklace. 

First Row: The piece on the left was a spearhead. We can determine this by the size of the piece. The one in the middle is an almost formed arrowhead. As it was being worked a small part flaked off and the piece was tossed away. The one on the far right is a scrapper. In fact, it resembles a small wood plane. The type of tool used by woodworkers to extract small slices of wood. This piece would have been used to clean the hides of any fat or muscle still attached to the hide. 

Neanderthals could speak like modern humans, study suggests

An analysis of a Neanderthal's fossilized hyoid bone - a horseshoe-shaped structure in the neck - suggests the species had the ability to speak.

This has been suspected since the 1989 discovery of a Neanderthal hyoid that looks just like a modern human's…READ MORE AT…http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-25465102

Statue of pharaoh's daughter unearthed in Egypt

A statue of the daughter of King Amenhotep III, grandfather of Tutankhamen and ruler of Egypt around 3,350 years ago, has been unearthed by a team of Egyptian and European archaeologists…READ MORE AT…http://news.yahoo.com/statue-pharaohs-daughter-unearthed-egypt-131416131.html

CLOVIS GENOME SETTLES DEBATE ON INDIGENOUS AMERICAN LINEAGE

Inhabiting what is now North America around 12,600 years ago the Clovis people (named after the type site in New Mexico) were not the first humans to walk this land, but they do represent the first widespread occupation of the continent – until the culture mysteriously disappeared only a few hundred years after its origin…READ MORE AT… http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/02/2014/clovis-genome-settles-debate-on-indigenous-american-lineage

10 Coolest Archaeology Discoveries of 2013

Archaeologists dig through the faint traces of the past to learn more about human history. And 2013 was a big year for new archaeology finds.

From royal tombs to the mysterious vanished inhabitants of Europe, here are some of the strangest and most exciting archaeology finds of the year.

Read more at: http://www.livescience.com/42257-2013-big-archaeology-stories.html

Two Men Accused of Stealing Artifacts From the Great Pyramid

CAIRO, EGYPT—Two German men described as amateur archaeologists have been accused of entering the pyramid of Khufu without permission and stealing samples of the king’s cartouche from a compartment near his burial chamber. 

The two men reportedly smuggled the artifacts out of Egypt and conducted tests on them at Dresden University. The case has been referred to Egypt’s prosecutor-general and the names of the two men have been handed over to Interpol. The German embassy in Cairo has denounced the actions of the men, who were not affiliated with the German Archaeological Institute. 

450 Million Year Old Fossil Used to Make a Native American Necklace

This a 450 million years Crinoid fossil that Native American's turned into a necklace. I was working on a deep auger, Geo-Morphology project and found about fifty of these. They varied in size from about 3 cm to 1/4 cm. In the middle of each of them was a carefully drilled hole. 

I also found two pieces of twisted bone. Both measured about 8 cm in length. After doing some research I discovered this would have been the centerpiece. The Crinoid beads would be arranged from widest in the center and smallest near the shoulders. 

The area I was working in had been a mound but an idiot farmer bulldozed it. He decided he needed a new metal barn and didn't give a crap about the history he was destroying.

Mystery of Tut's Father: New Clues on Unidentified Mummy

Egyptologists have uncovered new evidence that bolsters the controversial theory that a mysterious mummy is the corpse of the heretic pharaoh Akhenaten, husband of Nefertiti and, some experts believe, the father of King Tut.

The mummy's identity has generated fierce debate ever since its discovery in 1907 in tomb KV 55, located less than 100 feet (30 meters) from King Tutankhamun's then hidden burial chamber.

Read More At: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/07/070710-king-tut.html

Ancient City Discovered Beneath Biblical-Era Ruins in Israel

Archaeologists have unearthed traces of a previously unknown, 14th-century Canaanite city buried underneath the ruins of another city in Israel.

The traces include an Egyptian amulet of Amenhotep III and several pottery vessels from the Late Bronze Age unearthed at the site of Gezer, an ancient Canaanite city.

Read more at: http://www.livescience.com/41143-city-found-under-canaanite-city.html

Egypt: Israel has returned 90 stolen antiquities: Collection had been put on block by Jerusalem auction house

Israel has returned a collection of 90 antiquities after discovering that the artifacts – presented for sale at auction - had been stolen, Egyptian authorities said on Monday.

The collection reportedly included clay vessels and vases, stelae and cultic figurines.

Antiquities theft is a huge problem for archaeologists…

Read more at:  http://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/1.557448

King Tut's Sister Stolen in Massive Museum Heist

PRETORIA, South Africa - King Tut's sister is missing and Egypt has issued an international alert for her return.

UNESCO and Interpol are working with Egyptian authorities to recover the priceless artifact, a limestone figurine of the young pharaoh's sister from the 14th century BC. The young girl holds a piece of fruit and her hair flows loosely on one side-a symbol of her youth-but her head is held high, a decidedly regal look on her face.

Read more at: http://news.yahoo.com/king-tuts-sister-stolen-massive-museum-heist-161842178--abc-news-topstories.html  

Nevada petroglyphs the oldest in North America

Ancient rock etchings along a dried-up lake bed in Nevada have confirmed to be the oldest recorded petroglyphs in North America dating back 10,000 years,  Read more at http://news.yahoo.com/nevada-petroglyphs-oldest-north-america-215350914.html