ASSYRIAN CAPITAL IN DANGER OF FALLING INTO THE TIGRIS

An Iraqi antiquities official warned this week that the first capital of Assyria, the 4,500 year old city now known as Qalah Sharqat, is in danger of falling into the Tigris River.

"This season, the river washed away dozens of clay tablets and statues because there is no protective flood wall," said Mohammed al- Jabouri, who works for the antiquities department in Salah al-Din. He said that the river has also washed out 30 meters of Assur, Assyria's ancient religious capital. "The antiquities department in Salah al-Din province has repeatedly asked the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to protect [Qalah Sharqat] from the flood, but the ministry has done nothing so far, as if this is a matter of no concern," al-Jabouri said.

The site was partially excavated in the early 1900s, but was abandoned after World War I. No work has been done since then to complete the excavation.

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RENOVATION TO MODERNIZE LUXOR UNDERWAY WHILE MANY FUME IN SILENCE

A large renovation and restoration project is currently underway in Luxor, home to Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. Golf courses, five-star hotels, and an IMAX theater will appear in the city and lights will flood the Valley of the Kings by 2030. The Supreme Council of Antiquities is also working to restore the sphinxes along the way between the Karnak and Luxor Temples.

Many buildings have been demolished as a result of the project, including the old bazaar in Luxor, and homeowners living in the construction zone have been bought out. "We just cleaned the houses, cleaned the streets. You'll never find a clean city like Luxor now in Egypt,” said Samir Farang, who heads the renovation project. 

Many, however, including residents, architects, and archaeologists, are not happy with the project. Very few are openly vocal for fear of the consequences from the government, such as imprisonment or cuts in funding. "They want it to be all asphalt and strip malls and shopping centers. That's their idea of modern and progressive,” said one resident. "Many buildings from many different periods have been erased, or will be, and I think that's entirely negative," added an architect who works on Egyptian heritage projects. "At the end of the day, you're left with a kind of Disneyland piece of pseudo-pharaonic stuff, and the rest of it is swept away." 

Some homeowners in the area are prepared to take a stand. "They do what they want, we do what we want," said a resident of Maris. "We will beat and be beaten, we will kill and be killed. After we die they can take our homes." Despite this and other requests to halt the project, Farang remains seemingly unconcerned about the opposition. “Just a few people, maybe I removed their houses or something like that, they want to criticize,” he said. “We're talking about destruction for the public good. There are victims for every development."


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10 HAN DYNASTY TOMBS UNCOVERED DURING CONSTRUCTION WORK

Construction work at the site of a future apartment complex in South Beijing revealed at least 10 ancient tombs, thought to be from the Han Dynasty. Song Dachuan, head of the Beijing Cultural Relic Institute, told Chinese media on Monday that the tombs had been dated to the Han Dynasty based on the results of the initial excavation.

Archaeologists working on the site commented that the group of tombs could possibly belong to one family, based on the comparable sizes and styles of both the tombs and burial goods. The site is now being guarded by security while construction resumes in other parts of the area.



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LOCATION OF PHARAOH USERKARE'S LONG-LOST TOMB POSSIBLY DISCOVERED

A professor of archaeoastronomy has tentatively discovered the location of 6^th Dynasty pharaoh Userkare’s long-lost tomb near Saqqara. Giulio Magli, of Milan’s Polytechnic University, will publish his research in the next issue of Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry. By connecting lines between the tombs of the rulers of Egypt’s 6^th Dynasty, Professor Magli has identified a location in South Saqqara where Userkare’s tomb may be located. "We are talking of meridian and diagonal alignments, with pyramids raised at their intersections. The only missing piece in this sort of grid is the pyramid of Userkare," he said. "Diagonal axes -- generally oriented northeast by southwest -- governed Giza, Abusir and the Saqqara central field. But we have a different pattern with some 6th dynasty kings: their funerary monuments in South Saqqara appear to have been  planned according to meridian, north-south axes.”

Pharaoh Userkare is known only from Egypt’s king lists. He was the second ruler of the 6^th Dynasty, between Teti and Pepi I. "When Pepi I took control a few years later, Userkare disappeared from history. Finding his tomb might help understand those obscure years. The walls in his burial might also contain intact copies of the Pyramid Texts," said Magli.

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NEWLY DISCOVERED MYCENAEAN TOMBS COULD BE EVIDENCE OF CLASSLESS SOCIETY

Five chamber tombs were recently opened near Mycenae which date to 1350-1200 BC – the time of the Mycenaean Golden Age. Archaeologists have not yet found any elite burials, despite a wealth of human remains. One of the directors of the excavation project, Professor Angus Smith, discussed the findings recently, noting that the existence of the tombs is “no doubt related to the growth of Mycenae.” The absence of elite burials, though, has been proposed as tentative evidence of an ancient egalitarian society.

The Mycenaeans were known for their rich elite burials. The grave goods discovered at Ayia Sotira, the site of the recently uncovered tombs, were “modest finds.” There is a “distinctly different character to those around Mycenae. The wealthy and very wealthy tombs are missing,” Smith said. Various theories regarding this absence include grave robbing, undiscovered elite burials, and the aforementioned egalitarian society. “It does seem to be a community of agriculturalists who don’t seem to have a clear leader or clear elite mixed in amongst them,” Smith added. “Were they governed by the palace at Mycenae which sort of oversaw them? Or were they removed enough that they had their own system of politics and government but one that didn’t produce clear elites?”

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OCTAVIAN WAS NAMED AS EGYPTIAN PHARAOH AT PHILAE

 

A newly translated Roman victory stele from the Temple of Isis at Philae shows Octavian’s name inscribed in a cartouche – proof that the Roman ruler was also viewed as an Egyptian pharaoh.

It is generally believed that Octavian was never crowned as pharaoh, although Egypt became part of his domain. The stele was erected in April 29 BC. Octavian became “Augustus” two years later, in 27 BC. The stele, which notes the end of Ptolemaic and Ethiopian rule in Egypt, was erected by the priests at the Temple of Isis and was commissioned by Octavian’s appointed prefect in Egypt, Gaius Cornelius Gallus.

The new translation was recently published in The Trilingual Stela of C. Cornelius Gallus from Philae. Professor Martina Minas-Nerpal, of Swansea University in Wales, was a part of the team who worked on the translation. “The name of Octavian is written in a cartouche - he’s treated as any other Egyptian king,” she said. “They had to have an acting pharaoh – the only acting pharaoh (possible) under Octavian was Octavian,” she said. “The priests needed to see him as a pharaoh otherwise their understanding of the world would have collapsed… He (Octavian) needed to have a calm province and the key element to keeping the province calm were the priests – they were key to the population.”

The Ptolemaic kings of Egypt used a similar strategy in order to relate to the traditional Egyptian kingship theology, especially strong in southern Egypt, where Philae is located.

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PARTHIAN WORLD HERITAGE SITE TO BE EXCAVATED

Iranian media reported last week that a team from the Kermanshah University of Science and Technology will work with archaeologists to excavate an ancient Parthian settlement at the World Heritage Site of Bistun.

"Last [Iranian] year under the directorship of archaeologist Mehdi Rhabar we focused our research on the Sasanian dynastic palace, and the outcome will be published in due course. In the process we have carried out a survey and opened a number of trenches on the nearby slope, which have been proven to be Parthian and will be our research objective for the next year [Iranian year]", said the director of the Bistun Archaeological Research Centre, David Daneshian.

Bistun, in western Iran, is located on an ancient trade route between Iran and Mesopotamia. The site also contains remains from prehistoric, Median, Achaemenid, Sasanian, and Ilkhanid periods. Bistun has been plagued by vandalism and plundering in the past. It was registered as a World Heritage Site in July 2006.

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LEAD SARCOPHAGUS FOUND NEAR ROME COULD CONTAIN "SOMEBODY OF SUBSTANCE"

A lead sarcophagus discovered in Gabii, outside Rome, could contain a gladiator or Christian dignitary, archaeologists say.

The 1,700 year old sarcophagus was discovered last year in a pit sealed with cement and is preparing to undergo lab testing. The find is unusual for a number of reasons. Romans generally cremated their dead. Among the uncommon Roman burials in sarcophagi, only a few hundred have been discovered in lead coffins. Of these lead coffins, most are rectangular in shape. The one found in Gabii has been described as having a burrito shape.

Archaeologists have not made much progress so far with the find. The coffin was not discovered with any grave goods, and x-ray and CT scans are not able to penetrate the lead. It is being transported to the American Academy in Rome for further testing, where scientists hope to get a glimpse inside without having to open the coffin completely.

Researchers hope the sarcophagus will lead to new insights into the Gabii civilization. Jeffrey Becker, a Roman archaeologist, notes that the lead "is a sure marker of somebody of some kind of substance," since lead was highly valuable during the time of the burial. Previous such sarcophogi have held elite clerical members, soldiers, and gladiators.

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MUMMY OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT FOUND IN ALEXANDRIA

[Our 2010 April Fools Post]

Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt, today announced the discovery of what is “most probably” the mummy of Alexander the Great. “I know this is Alexander,” said Hawass. “I can feel it in my heart.”

Alexander, who drank himself to death at a young age, was preserved for 2 years after his death in Babylon, where he died. His body was then paraded through the eastern part of his empire to Alexandria, the city he founded in Egypt. Egyptian embalmers there mummified their king’s body as a traditional Egyptian pharaoh. Ptolemy I is reported to have kept Alexander’s mummy in Egypt, although the funeral procession was supposed to have continued throughout the empire on its way to Alexander’s homeland in Macedonia.

In 1995, a Greek team discovered what they thought was Alexander’s tomb in the Siwah oasis in Lybia. They had hoped to discover his mummy as well, but searches proved fruitless. “They were looking in the wrong place,” explains Hawass. “He was obviously buried in the city that bears his name – Alexandria.

While analysis of the mummy and further excavations are still underway, Hawass briefly presented the evidence that identified it as belonging to Alexander. “Alexander was famous for his upward gazing expression. And as you can see in these low-res pictures, the mummy’s eyes look like they might have been looking upward. So, we can say, this is most probably Alexander.”

Some experts are not convinced that the mummy is actually Alexander, though. “We need to be very careful that we do not jump to conclusions,” said one Hellenistic scholar who wished to remain unnamed. “While I have great respect for the Supreme Council of Antiquities, I think they may have gotten a little ahead of themselves here.” He pointed out that none of the artifacts discovered with the mummy had yet been dated to Alexander’s era. 


“We can only hope that this is a poorly executed April Fools joke,” he added.

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NEW ANCIENT SCOTTISH WRITTEN LANGUAGE IDENTIFIED

Scotland’s Pict society, which existed between 300 and 843, created elaborate rock engravings, known now as Pictish Stones. The engravings, once thought to be a form of art, have recently been identified as a written language.

"We know that the Picts had a spoken language to complement the writing of the symbols, as Bede writes that there are four languages in Britain in this time: British, Pictish, Scottish and English," said Rob Lee, who worked on the report in the Proceedings of the Royal Society. "We know that the three other languages were -- and are -- complex spoken languages, so there is every indication that Pictish was also a complex spoken language.”

Lee and his colleagues Phillip Jonathan and Pauline Ziman, of the University of Exeter, studied the engravings using a mathematical process in order to analyze order and direction in each stone. The data was compared with various other written languages, including Egyptian hierolgyphs, Chinese, and Old Norse; the results showed that the Pictish Stones contained characteristics of writing based on a spoken language.

"It is unclear at the moment whether the [other surrounding] imagery, such as the knots, form any part of the communication," Lee said. He also added that what they have discovered so far "does not amount to deciphering” the ancient Pictish writing. "We will have to wait for the discovery of what would be the Pictish equivalent of the Rosetta Stone, which made possible the cracking of the Egyptian hieroglyphic code," he said. "This may or may not ever happen."

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PART OF NERO'S PALACE COLLAPSES IN ROME

A part of the ceiling of Rome’s infamous emperor Nero’s palace collapsed Tuesday as repair work was underway at the site. A section of the garden above the roof consequently fell into the palace. Officials reported no injuries.

Nero’s Golden Palace, or Domus Aurea, was built in the 1^st century AD. It was opened to the public in 1999 and was closed for a year in 2005 due to safety reasons cited by Italy’s culture ministry.

The portion that collapsed was constructed by Trajan as a bath area. Trajan’s gallery is not normally open to the public.

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ARCHAEOLOGISTS RUSH TO EXCAVATE AND PRESERVE ASSYRIAN CITY BEFORE THE SITE IS FLOODED

Archaeologists in southeast Turkey are working diligently to excavate and preserve as much as they can of Tushan, an Assyrian city, before a hydroelectric dam floods the area. Tim Matney, who is leading a team of German, Turkish, and British archaeologists, are scheduled to return to Tushan in early April to continue their work. "This is a pragmatic, conservationist rescue dig," said Matney, who also noted that he now has a “slightly less cumbersome system to work with” in regards to the Turkish bureaucracy.

Matney’s team has uncovered a large mud brick building, several cuneiform tablets in the palace, and countless fragments of pottery, vessels, and animal bones. The construction of the dam has been delayed until 2013, but there is still much work to be done. Nothing remains above ground at the site. It is unclear how much of the area will be flooded, but Matney remains confident that the work will be done regardless.

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RUINS OF EASTERN HAN CITY FOUND IN CHINA

Archaeologists in China have discovered the ruins of a 2,000 year old city dating to the Eastern Han Dynasty. The site is about 18,000 square meters and is located in the Jiangxi province. Part of the city wall is still intact, and a moat was discovered surrounding the entire city.

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NEW METHOD COULD REVOLUTIONIZE DATING OF ANCIENT TREASURES

Scientists on Tuesday announced the development of a new method to determine the age of ancient artifacts that does not require damaging the remains in any way. Previously “off-limits” artifacts may now potentially be dated using the new technique. "This technique stands to revolutionize radiocarbon dating," said Dr. Marvin Rowe, head of the research team. "It expands the possibility for analyzing extensive museum collections that have previously been off limits because of their rarity or intrinsic value and the destructive nature of the current method of radiocarbon dating.”

Carbon dating requires scientists to remove a small sample of the target object, which they then subject to treatment of acids and bases before finally burning the sample in order to analyze the C-14 in the carbon dioxide gas it emits.

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POMPEII SNACK BAR REOPENS TO SERVE ANCIENT ROMAN CUISINE

A thermopolium in Pompeii, preserved under volcanic ash from Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD, is being reopened to the public after an extensive excavation and restoration project. A Roman thermopolium is comparable to a modern day fast food restaurant, in that it served ready-to-eat food to customers and was a popular hang-out spot for locals.

300 randomly-selected VIPs were chosen on Sunday to attend an advance opening of the ancient Pompeiian eatery. A snack bar at the thermopolium will be open to tourists to give a taste of Roman café life. The snack bar includes an L-shaped counter and a painting of Mercury and Bacchus facing its customers. The bar, which faces onto the Via dell’Abbondanza, would have been a popular lunch spot for many sections of society at Pompeii.

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ANCIENT PETROGLYPHS AT ARIZONA'S "PICTURE ROCKS" VANDALIZED

Ancient petroglyphs at Picture Rocks, a Hohokam Indian site northwest of Tuscon, have been damaged by vandals over the last three years, the Arizona Star reports.

"People have been seen vandalizing petroglyphs. There has been some damage - defacing of the rocks," said the site’s assistant director, Peter Tran. The damages also include added graffiti and modern drawings meant to resemble the ancient pictures. “The recently added designs and graffiti can be seen from some distance away, which greatly detracts from the overall view and contextual integrity of the prehistoric rock symbols," Tran said. "Vandalism incidents at Picture Rocks and other petroglyph and pictograph sites also cause problems for native peoples, anthropologists and art historians who study rock art and its archaeological context."

Picture Rocks is currently open free to the public. Warning signs have been recently posted threatening prosecution for vandals.

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INGREDIENTS FOR "MAYA BLUE" PIGMENT WIDELY MINED

The ingredients of “Maya Blue," a pigment used by the Classic Maya, may have been widely mined, an archaeologist reports. It was previously suggested that the ingredients were traded within the Yucatán Peninsula, and mined only in Mexico.

Austin State University’s Leslie Cecil , however, has traced the pigment's chief ingredient to the Petén region of Guatemala, a significant location in the cultural heritage of the Maya.

"Geochemical analyses demonstrate that the Ixlu pigment has the traditional Maya Blue structure, but it was manufactured from clays in central Petén, Guatemala," he said. "If Maya Blue was being used in the southern Maya lowlands as it was in the northern Maya lowlands, then it should not seem too shocking that some southern lowland Maya (perhaps ritual specialists) may have learned the technology and specialized knowledge behind the manufacture of Maya Blue."

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TWO LARGE STATUES UNEARTHED IN LUXOR

Two large statues, one of Thoth and another of Amenhotep III standing next to Re-Horakhty, have been discovered in Luxor near Amenhotep III’s mortuary temple. The discovery comes as archaeologists work to reduce underground water around temples in the area in order to help preserve them. Amenhotep III ruled during Egypt’s 18^th dynasty; the statues are approximately 3,400 years old.

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SUDAN'S KUSH CIVILIZATION GRADUALLY YIELDING ITS SECRETS

A team of French, British, and American archaeologists are working to uncover a northern Sudanese civilization, which once controlled the Egyptian pharaoh’s throne. At the same time, the Louvre is working on an upcoming exhibition on a dynasty that ruled the civilization, called Kush, for a millennium. The ancient Kushite capital of Meroe is purported to hold mysteries to rival ancient Egypt, including pyramids and stelae inscribed in an undeciphered language.

The pyramids have been excavated, but there is much left to uncover in regards to the Kushite culture. "We have a chronology, but it's not very precise," said the deputy director antiquities. Claude Rilly, an expert in the ancient Meroitic language, adds, "We know about 50 words in Meroitic, but we need about a thousand of them to understand a language. So we have an enormous amount of work to do.” Rilly also says there are many untouched sites to explore in Sudan, including sites about which we know nothing at all.

The lack of tourism among the Kushite ruins also adds to their appeal, especially for the archaeologists currently working on the site. "There is a magic beauty about these sites that is heightened by the privilege of being able to admire them alone, with the pyramids, the dunes and the sun," said Guillemette Andreu, head of antiquities at Paris' Louvre museum. "It really sets them apart from the Egyptian pyramids, whose beauty is slightly overshadowed by the tourist crowds."

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MASS GRAVE IN SOUTHERN ENGLAND CONFIRMED TO CONTAIN EXECUTED VIKINGS

Fifty bodies discovered in a burial pit last year in Dorset, England, have been identified as executed Vikings. The find dates to between 910 and 1030 AD. Researchers were able to identify the victims as Scandinavian based on isotopes taken from teeth, with one man possibly originating north of the Arctic Circle.

"Any mass grave is a relatively rare find, but to find one on this scale, from this period of history, is extremely unusual and presents an incredible opportunity to learn more about what is happening in Dorset at this time,” said project manager David Score, who is with Oxford Archaeology.

Further tests are planned to hopefully develop an understanding of the diets, lifestyles, and demographic makeup of the Norse warriors.

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NORSE COLONIES IN GREENLAND AND ICELAND EXPERIENCED CLIMATE COOLING

Climatologists have conducted a new study in the North Atlantic using data from mollusk shells. They have succeeded in developing the most precise chronological temperature record for the ancient Norse colonies in Greenland and Iceland. The findings show that the colonists experienced a drop in temperature of 6 degrees Celsius shortly after the colonies were established.

“We’re aware from written documents of the kinds of things that people faced in the North Atlantic over the last 1,000 years,” one of the scientists said. “This is a way to quantify the experiences they had.” Famines described in the old Norse Sagas, dating to establishment of the colonies, have been linked to the drop in temperature.

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GATE DISCOVERED AT TERRACOTTA ARMY TOMB IN CHINA

Archaeologists have discovered a northern gate at the tomb of China's first emperor, famous for his massive terracotta army. The gate, which is the fourth discovered, leads to the tomb's outer city and confirms historical accounts that attest to the tomb possessing four gates.

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TOMBS OF PRIESTESS DYNASTY EXCAVATED IN CRETE

A report was recently released in Archaeology Magazine detailing the discovery last summer of tombs in Crete containing a high priestess of Zeus and three acolytes. Previous findings included cremated remains of other priestesses buried together in pithoi jars. According to the report, all of the women appear related and formed a sort of dynasty in the area for 200 years.

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MAYAN FOUNTAIN DISCOVERED BY ARCHAEOLOGISTS IN PALENQUE

Archaeologists working at the Mayan urban center of Palenque have discovered a pressurized water system constructed 1,400 years ago. Palenque, located in southern Mexico, flourished in the 7^th century AD. An anthropologist and civil engineer working on the site noted that "The ancient Maya are renowned as great builders, but are rarely regarded as great engineers. Their constructions, though often big and impressive, are generally considered unsophisticated.” However, they point out, "many Maya centers exhibit sophisticated facilities that captured, routed, stored, or otherwise manipulated water for various purposes." An archaeologist from the University of Illinois also notes Palenque’s unique water systems.

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CAT SCANS REVEAL HEART DISEASE IN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN MUMMIES

American and Egyptian cardiologists have conducted CAT scans on 22 mummies in the Egyptian National Museum of Antiquities. The team’s findings show that, contrary to popular belief, heart disease is not just a modern problem. "We can confirm that the disease was present in many [of the mummies]," said one of the team’s researchers. "The findings suggest that we may have to look beyond modern risk factors to fully understand the disease." The oldest mummy with the symptoms dated to 1530 BC.
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ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE DATES CIVILIZATION IN MALAYSIA AS THE OLDEST IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA

An archaeological site at Sungai Batu has proven that civilization in Malaysia existed much earlier than originally believed. The civilization is the oldest in South-east Asia. The site has yielded evidence of economy, religion, and commerce, and has been dated to 110. A conservation project is currently in the works.

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"VAST" HARAPPAN SETTLEMENT EXCAVATED IN INDIA

A “vast” Harappan settlement has been excavated in India’s Kutch district. It is believed to be about 4,500 years old, and is surrounded by a large mudbrick fortification.


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BOOK ON MAYAN LITERATURE DRAWS SCHOLARLY AND LITERARY PRAISE

Dennis Tedlock's 2000 Years of Mayan Literature has drawn wide acclaim since its recent publication in January. The book explores the growth and evolution of literature in the Mayan world from stone carvings to paper documents. It has been praised for its "highly readable" presentation and its sound scholarly research. Tedlock is a recognized authority on Mayan writing and culture.

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Purchase "2000 Years of Mayan Literature" at Amazon.com

BRONZE BOX CONTAINING 250 HELLENISTIC COINS DISCOVERED IN SYRIA

A local Syrian man discovered a bronze box on his land, which contained approximately 250 Hellenistic coins. The collection is a mixture of silver drachma and tetra-drachma coins, with inscriptions varying from "King Phillip" to "Alexander" to "King Alexander." The coins have been turned over to the Aleppo Department of Archaeology and Museum.

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