Clipmarks | Aribeth's Archaeology collection

The Anasazi mystery

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 19:32:01 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman

about 30 miles east of Tucson, the ancient stone ruin archaeologists call the Davis Ranch Site doesn’t seem to fit in. Staring back from the opposite bank, the tumbled walls of Reeve Ruin are just as surprising

Some 700 years ago, as part of a vast migration, a people called the Anasazi, driven by God knows what, wandered from the north to form settlements like these, stamping the land with their own unique style

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

These Anasazi newcomers

were distinctive in other ways. They liked to build with stone

Why, in the late 13th century, did thousands of Anasazi abandon Kayenta, Mesa Verde and the other magnificent settlements of the Colorado Plateau and move south into Arizona and New Mexico?

Looking beyond climate change, some archaeologists are studying the effects of warfare and the increasing complexity of Anasazi society. They are looking deeper into ancient artifacts and finding hints of an ideological struggle, clues to what was going through the Anasazi mind.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

The gods in colour

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 02:11:22 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman

Clip Source: www.archaeology.org

Leave your preconceived notions of ancient art at home. A groundbreaking exhibition

shows how marble statues actually looked in antiquity: covered from head to toe in vibrant paint.

The exhibition corrects a popular misconception,

people generally associate classical art with white marble sculpture. "What you would have seen when you walked through an ancient city, cemetery, or sanctuary," she explains, "would have been colorful sculpture: painted marble, colorful bronze, gold and ivory cult images.

Original (not on view in the exhibition): Greek, ca. 320 B.C.; marble, height of friezes 58 cm; Istanbul, Archaeological Museum

Above: Alexander Sarcophagus, color reconstruction of part of one long side (Courtesy Stiftung Archäologie, Munich)

Caligula

Athena

Original (not on view in the exhibition): Greek, ca. 490-480 B.C.; marble, overall height ca. 340 cm; Staatliche Antikensammlungen und Glyptothek, Munich

Aristion

"Zeus Altar" is older than Zeus

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 21:10:23 GMT

clipped by: invictus

Clip Source: www.eurekalert.org

“On the highest point of the mountain is a mound of earth, forming an altar of Zeus Lykaios, and from it most of the Peloponnesos can be seen,” wrote Pausanias, in his famous, well-respected multi-volume Description of Greece. “Before the altar on the east stand two pillars, on which there were of old gilded eagles. On this altar they sacrifice in secret to Lykaion Zeus. I was reluctant to pry into the details of the sacrifice; let them be as they are and were from the beginning.”

What would surprise Pausanias—as it is surprising archaeologists—is how early that “beginning” actually may be. New pottery evidence from excavations by the Greek-American, interdisciplinary team of the Mt. Lykaion Excavation and Survey Project indicates that the ash altar—a cone of earth located atop the southern peak of Mt Lykaion where dedications were made in antiquity— was in use as early as 5,000 years ago—at least 1,000 years before the early Greeks began to worship the god Zeus.

Tags: archaeology, greece, zeus, minos

Exploring the "lost city" of Mycenaeans

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 23:30:58 GMT

clipped by: invictus
clipper's remarks: Professor Daniel J. Pullen is unearthing a 3600-year-old "lost city" in Aegean coast.

Clip Source: www.eurekalert.org

Along an isolated, rocky stretch of Greek shoreline, a Florida State University researcher and his students are unlocking the secrets of a partially submerged, “lost” harbor town believed to have been built by the ancient Mycenaeans nearly 3,500 years ago.

“This is really a remarkable find,” said Professor Daniel J. Pullen, chairman of FSU’s Department of Classics. “It is rare indeed to locate an entire town built during the Late Bronze Age that shows this level of preservation.”

The settlement, referred to as Korphos-Kalamianos by Pullen and Tartaron, rests on the shores of the Saronic Gulf in the western Aegean Sea about 60 miles to the southwest of the Greek capital, Athens.

Tags: archaeology, aegean, mycenaean, lost city, science

1,000 Graves Unearthed in Ancient Greece

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 03:04:33 GMT

clipped by: carrerinyes

Clip Source: dsc.discovery.com

1,000 Ancient Graves Unearthed in Greece

March 11, 2008 -- Greek workers discovered around 1,000 graves, some filled with ancient treasures, while excavating for a subway system in the historic city of Thessaloniki, the state archaeological authority said Monday.

Some of the graves, which dated from the first century B.C. to the 5th century A.D., contained jewelry, coins and various pieces of art, the Greek archaeological service said in a statement.

Thessaloniki was founded around 315 B.C. and flourished during the Roman and Byzantine eras. Today it is the Mediterranean country's second largest city.

Most of the graves -- 886 -- were just east of the city center in what was the eastern cemetery during Roman and Byzantine times. Those graves ranged from traces of wooden coffins left in simple holes in the ground, to marble enclosures in five-room family mausoleums.

A separate group of 94 graves were found near the city's train station, in what was once part of the city's western cemetery.

Did an Ancient Language of Universal Symbols Exist?

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 09:24:43 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

Over the last several years, similar petroglyphs have been identified on as many as five continents. They all date from roughly the same time-period. In the late 20th century, archaeologists discovered a collection of symbols carved in stone as petroglyphs in the Negev desert of Israel that appeared to be writing. Dating of these symbols showed that they were made over an extended period time, beginning around 1700 BC.

This strange collection of symbols was first examined by Dr. James Harris, a petroglyph expert and archaeologist from Brigham Young University. He identified the alphabet as being a proto-Canaanite system, which successfully translated by using old-Hebrew or Thalmudic phonetic sounds.

Earlier, William McGlone, an amateur archaeologist and retired space engineer, discovered the same collection of symbols carved in heavily patinated stones surrounding the Southeast town of La Junta, Colorado

the patina corresponded to the same era as the writing found in Harkarkom in Israel.

Tags: petroglyphs, archaeology, language, symbols

Top 10 Archaeological Discoveries of 2007

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 04:31:47 GMT

clipped by: invictus
clipper's remarks: This is Archaeology Magazine's Top 10 list - mine would be a little different. If you visit source site, there are more discoveries of 2007 which didn't make it into the magazine's list but proposed by scholars.

Clip Source: www.archaeology.org

Solar Observatory at Chankillo, Peru

Nebo-Sarsekim Cuneiform Tablet

New Dates for Clovis Sites

Early Squash Seeds, Peru

Ancient Chimpanzee Tool Use

Urbanization at Tell Brak, Syria

Lismullin Henge, Tara, Ireland

Polynesian Chickens in Chile

Homo habilis & Homo erectus

Greater Angkor, Cambodia

Inside the palace of Augustus - pics

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 18:37:09 GMT

clipped by: righthand
clipper's remarks: Lived in by Augustus before he became Rome's first emperor in 27BC, the house is situated above the grotto where Romans may have worshipped Romulus, the city's founder, and was also handy for watching horse racing in the Circus Maximus at the foot of the hill. "Augustus wanted to be near the grotto, but could also see the races from up here," said Italy's culture minister, Francesco Rutelli.

The restoration, begun after the house was found in the 1970s, has reconstructed shattered frescoes in deep reds, yellows and blues featuring theatrical masks and mythical animals. "The extremely high quality of the frescoes befits the owner, although these were the fashions of the time and don't offer much insight into Augustus's individual taste," said Angelo Bottini, Rome's archaeological chief.

Tourists - who will be allowed in five at a time - may be surprised to see how modest the study, bedroom, entrance hall and dining room were. Augustus, Julius Caesar's great nephew, avoided excess

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

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1968: Archaeologist Claudio Moccheggioni examines pieces of painted plaster found in the three-room palace on Palatine Hill, in Rome. After it was discovered, experts identified the site as the house of the emperor Augustus

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

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Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

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Objects painted over brightly coloured backgrounds

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

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A visitor looks at vivid red frescoes

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

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Decoration in the fashion of the period

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

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The palace is situated above a grotto where Romans may have worshipped Romulus

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

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Decorative birds

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

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Mythical creatures are seen on some pieces of fresco

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

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The magnificent view over Rome from the palace

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

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A detail of one of the frescoes

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

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Visitors photograph one of the rooms

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

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Geometric patterns on a frescoed ceiling

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

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The fragile pieces of fresco show the painstaking restoration work

Photograph: Franco Origlia/Getty Images

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Rome, Italy: The house of the Roman emperor Augustus opens after decades of painstaking restoration

Inside the palace of Augustus

Tags: italy, photos, history, archaeology

Secrets of Antikythera Mechanism, world's oldest calculating machine, revealed

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:45:58 GMT

clipped by: Beholder

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

The secrets of the worlds oldest calculating machine are revealed today, showing that it had dials to mark the timing of eclipses and the Olympic games.

The dictionary sized crumbly lump containing corroded fragments of what is now known to be a marvellous hand cranked machine is known as the 'Antikythera Mechanism' because it was discovered near the tiny island of Antikythera, between Crete and mainland Greece.

"We knew that this 2,100 year-old ancient Greek mechanism calculated complex cycles of mathematical astronomy. It really surprised us to discover that it also showed the four-year cycle of ancient Greek games," reports Dr Tony Freeth of Images First, a TV company, and three academic colleagues today in the journal Nature.

Earlier work on the mechanism, which dates to around 150 to 100 BC, showed it displays the date, positions of the Sun and Moon (including its variable motion), the phase of the Moon, a complex 19-year calendar and sophisticated eclipse prediction dials.

Tags: archeology, antiques, antikythera

Baghdad museum's slow recovery

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 08:02:30 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

The Assyrian Hall at the Iraqi National Museum is breathtaking

The Assyrians once ruled a large empire

Stone panels from the royal palace at Khorsabad run along the walls.

The carvings on the friezes depict daily life in the Assyrian royal court, which at its height about 3,000 years ago controlled a region stretching across much of the modern Middle East.

Recent work in the hall has included the addition of a modern arch, which is flanked by ancient bulls with eagle wings and human heads.

It forms the entrance to the hall, which gives you the sense of walking into an Assyrian palace.

Perhaps the Assyrian gallery is so stunning because it is so unexpected in Baghdad.

Many of Iraq's ancient treasures have been looted since 2003

That collection was devastated in the days following the US-led invasion in 2003, when looters emptied the vaults.

Some important artefacts have been returned, including the Warka vase, which is over 5,000 years old.

Iraqis are fiercely proud of their cultural heritage.

Petra, The Lost City Of Stone

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 22:29:21 GMT

clipped by: carrerinyes
clipper's remarks: From the American Museum Of Natural History. the site is well worth a visit.

Clip Source: www.amnh.org

Lost Cities - pics

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 10:09:08 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Don't know why they are called lost cities. If photos have been taken, I would presume they have been pound.

Clip Source: www.shunya.net

Ancient Amman

Tags: pics, lost, cities, that, have, been, found

Stonehenge's huge support settlement

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 18:31:13 GMT

clipped by: mickfinn

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Archaeologists working near Stonehenge have uncovered what they believe is the largest Neolithic settlement ever discovered in Northern Europe.

Remains of an estimated 300 houses are thought to survive under earthworks 3km (2 miles) from the famous stone rings, and 10 have been excavated so far.

"What is really exciting is realising just how big the village for the Stonehenge builders was," says Professor Mike Parker Pearson of Sheffield University.

Allowing four per house, he estimates there could have been room for more than 2,000 people.

The settlement is buried beneath the bank of Durrington Walls, a great circular ditched enclosure.

The settlement beneath Durrington Walls dates from around the time of the construction of Stonehenge's sarsen stones, about 2600 to 2500 BC.

The current excavations at Stonehenge began four years ago and are part of a 10-year project.

Durrington Walls holds clues to the Stonehenge story

Bone and other artefacts are being dug up

Tags: stonehenge

100 Most Endangered Sites

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:57:48 GMT

clipped by: Lubaska

Clip Source: wmf.org

World Monuments Watch

Every two years, WMF announces the World Monuments Watch list of 100 Most Endangered Sites to call international attention to cultural heritage sites around the world threatened by neglect, vandalism, armed conflict, climate change, or natural disaster.

Complete lists by year (pdf): 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006

Clip Source: wmf.org

Cultural Heritage Sites of Iraq, Iraq

Long known as "the cradle of civilization," Iraq is home to more than 10,000 cultural heritage sites

Historic buildings in Baghdad and other urban areas have been damaged, not only as a consequence of military activity and terrorism, but also from vandalism and looting.

Clip Source: wmf.org

Afghanistan

Clip Source: wmf.org

Azerbaijan

Clip Source: wmf.org

Australia

Clip Source: wmf.org

Bosnia

Clip Source: wmf.org

France

Clip Source: wmf.org

Georgia

Clip Source: wmf.org

China

Clip Source: wmf.org

Cyprus

Clip Source: wmf.org

Egypt

Clip Source: wmf.org

Luxor

Clip Source: wmf.org

Greece

Clip Source: wmf.org

Ghana

Clip Source: wmf.org

India

Clip Source: wmf.org

Italy

Clip Source: wmf.org

Transhumance Cultural Landscape, Italy

Clip Source: wmf.org

Rock Art, Libya

Clip Source: wmf.org

Malta

Clip Source: wmf.org

Mexico

Clip Source: wmf.org

Peru

Clip Source: wmf.org

Slovakia

Clip Source: wmf.org

Sri Lanka

Clip Source: wmf.org

Turkey

Clip Source: wmf.org

United States

Clip Source: wmf.org

Uzbekistan

Tags: wmf, world, archeology, architecture, monuments

The Heliocentric system on the ancient floor of the Tholos of Epidaurus!

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 10:14:04 GMT

clipped by: astronkyttaron

Clip Source: www.altani.gr

The pavement in the interior of the Tholos

Clip Source: www.altani.gr

Heliocentric system
In the interior pavement

Clip Source: www.altani.gr

TOTAL DATA OF THE PLANETARY SYSTEM
ON THE PAVEMENT OF THE THOLOS

Clip Source: www.altani.gr

Precession of the Equinoxes

Clip Source: www.altani.gr

The apparent course of the Sun
on the outer coronna of the Tholos

Clip Source: www.altani.gr

The labyrinth of the Tholos

Clip Source: www.altani.gr

The hidden meaning of the name "Epidaurus"

In this sacred name all the letters, used in different combinations, give additional details, concerning the quality of the vibrations of the supreme holy, healing sanctuary of Epidaurus, and that of the activities, which used to take place there.

Tags: ancient greece, civilization, culture, geometry, mathematics, math, astronomy

Clipmarks | Aribeth's Archaeology collection

The Anasazi mystery

The gods in colour

"Zeus Altar" is older than Zeus

Exploring the "lost city" of Mycenaeans

1,000 Graves Unearthed in Ancient Greece

1,000 Ancient Graves Unearthed in Greece

Did an Ancient Language of Universal Symbols Exist?

Top 10 Archaeological Discoveries of 2007

Inside the palace of Augustus - pics

Secrets of Antikythera Mechanism, world's oldest calculating machine, revealed

Baghdad museum's slow recovery

Petra, The Lost City Of Stone

Lost Cities - pics

Stonehenge's huge support settlement

100 Most Endangered Sites

The Heliocentric system on the ancient floor of the Tholos of Epidaurus!

The pavement in the interior of the Tholos

Heliocentric system In the interior pavement

TOTAL DATA OF THE PLANETARY SYSTEM ON THE PAVEMENT OF THE THOLOS

Precession of the Equinoxes

The apparent course of the Sun on the outer coronna of the Tholos

The labyrinth of the Tholos

The hidden meaning of the name "Epidaurus"

Heliocentric system
In the interior pavement

TOTAL DATA OF THE PLANETARY SYSTEM
ON THE PAVEMENT OF THE THOLOS

The apparent course of the Sun
on the outer coronna of the Tholos