Stone Pages Archaeo News: April 2008 Archives

April 2008 index:

12 April 2008: Finnish rock art from 5,000 years ago; The Astuvansalmi rock paintings are located on a steep outcrop, on the shore of lake Yövesi (Finland). The site may have been used for ceremonial purposes. Rock paintings created during...
: Peruvian necklace is 'oldest in Americas'; A necklace found near Lake Titicaca in southern Peru is the oldest known gold object made in the Americas, archaeologists say. Radiocarbon dating puts its origin at about 4,000 years...
: 3,000-year-old ivory carving depicts whaling scene; Archaeologists working in the Russian Arctic have unearthed a remarkably detailed 3,000-year-old ivory carving that depicts groups of hunters engaged in whaling, which pushes back direct evidence for whaling by...
: Researchers find pre-Clovis human DNA; Human DNA from dried excrement recovered from Oregon's Paisley Caves (USA) is the oldest found yet in the New World - dating to 14,300 years ago, some 1,200 years before...
: DNA sheds light on Minoans; Crete's fabled Minoan civilization was built by people from Anatolia, according to a new study by Greek and foreign scientists that disputes an earlier theory that said the Minoans' forefathers...
: Aboriginal site among Australia's oldest; Aboriginal tools found in Western Australia and dating back 35,000 years are surprisingly sophisticated and varied, archaeologists say. And they believe the site may yet reveal artefacts up to 45,000...
: Is there a British Chalcolithic?; Is there a British Chalcolithic? - People, Place and Polity in the later Third Millenium BC (Friday 18th - Sunday 20th April 2008) is a major international conference organised by...
: Ancient ax blade unearthed in Michigan; When Ryan Bernard with his metal detector found a hunk of metal buried 2 feet beneath his backyard last summer, he almost threw it in the trash. Upon further examination,...
: Two stone circles discovered near Manchester; Archaeologist have unearthed two stone circles on the moors of Rochdale (Lancashire, England), about 15km from Manchester. The two nearby sites - an oval made up of collapsed slabs, and...
: Stonehenge: the Lourdes of ancient Britain?; Archaeologists carrying out an excavation at Stonehenge say they have broken through to a layer that may finally explain why the site was built. The team has reached sockets that...
: New stone at Skara Brae commemorates man in space; One of Scotland's most celebrated Neolithic sites is to commemorate a defining moment in the 20th century space race by erecting a new carved stone along its carved stone walk...
: Ancient burial cave discovered in the Philippines; An ancient burial cave was discovered in the Philippine island of Mindanao, south of Manila, and officials have sealed the site to prevent looting of artifacts, many of them jars...
20 April 2008: Neolithic Marathon and The Sarsen Trail 2008; This year the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Sarsen Trail, and to mark this milestone is encouraging us to take part in the 'Walk for Wildlife...
: Earliest Mixtec cremations found in Mexico; An ancient burial site in Mexico contains evidence that Mixtec Indians conducted funerary rituals involving cremation as far back as 3,000 years ago. The find represents the earliest known hints...
: Salt Knowe - Orkney's Silbury Hill?; A combination of modern research and antiquarian 'excavation' looks like confirming that a massive mound to the west of the Ring o' Brodgar (Orkney, Scotland) was not a chambered cairn....
: Exploring rock art in South Africa; The Western Cape's rich rock art heritage has been further enhanced with the discovery of two new sites in the Cedarberg mountains area depicting ancient Khoisan 'rain making' imagery Zimbabwean...
: Exploring mesolithic times of British moorland life; The second phase of a project to find out more about what life was like on the North York Moors (England) thousands of years ago is about to get under...
: Did Romans 'tide up' Stonehenge?; As reported last week, after a gap of some forty four years, Stonehenge is once again being excavated. The excavations are being conducted by Geoffrey Wainwright (ex-English Heritage) and Tim...
: Alpine task force formed to salvage prehistoric treasures; Prehistoric treasures unearthed in the Alps as melting glaciers recede are under threat from looters who are removing many of them. Such is the concern for the newly revealed objects...
: One million artifacts acquired by US museum; Howard Sargent was one of New Hampshire (USA) eminent archaeologists. Mount Kearsarge Indian Museum in Warner, which had a collection of about 2,000 American Indian artifacts, recently acquired Sargent's collection....
: Ancient board-games and a compass-rose unearthed in Iran; An ancient four-pointed compass-rose showing directions of 'four cardinal points' and a number of board-games carved on rocks have been discovered in the Iranian island of Kharg in the Persian...
26 April 2008: Ancient treasures returned to Burkina Faso; France has returned to Burkina Faso a haul of stolen archaeological treasures discovered in a northern French port, the Burkinabe culture minister announced. Filippe Sawadogo said 262 items of 'national...
: Sea level study may change views on Orcadian landscape; A radically different picture of the prehistoric landscape around Orkney's World Heritage Site (Scotland) is beginning to emerge – a landscape which perhaps didn't feature the Stenness and Harray lochs....
: Turkish site a Neolithic 'supernova'; Klaus Schmidt, a member of the German Archaeological Institute, has found in Turkey a temple complex almost twice as old as anything comparable. "This place is a supernova," said Mr....
: Early Pacific settlement dig yields fine jewelry, pottery; Excavation of the earliest human settlement in Fiji has yielded fine jewelry and high quality pottery made by ancient Lapita people some 3,000 years ago — and never produced in...
: Pakistani dam endangers ancient carvings; A high level meeting was held between the elected Pakistani representatives and officials of Northern Areas and the Federal Government to review rock/archaeological carving being impacted by the proposed Basha...
: Buried Dogs were divine 'escorts' for ancient Americans; Hundreds of prehistoric dogs found buried throughout the southwestern United States show that canines played a key role in the spiritual beliefs of ancient Americans, new research suggests. Throughout the...
: Ancient artifacts found in Thai cave; Archeologists found scattered household utensils and pottery belonging to the prehistoric period in a cave in an eastern Thai province bordering Cambodia. Lt. Niran Yano accompanied by archeologists explored a...
: Prehistoric settlement uncovered in Scotland; Biggar Archaeology Group (south Lanarkshire, Scotland) have discovered the location of an ancient 5000-6000-year-old settlement site in a ploughed field at Carwood Farm near the town. After only two days walking...
: Rock-art sites found in India; The Indian Department of Archaeology & Museums has discovered rock-art sites in Warangal and Mahabubnagar districts, priceless stone sculptures in Warangal and a Buddhist settlement in Visakhapatnam. Disclosing the discoveries...
: Old Scatness Broch gets funding after debate; Shetland Councillors this week turned down a three-year funding request towards work on the Old Scatness Broch (Shetland, Scotland), instead approving funds of just under £150,000 for this year only....
: Bandurria may be the oldest Peruvian site; The archaelogical site of Bandurria dating back 3200 BCE (located in the province of Huaura, Lima) is considered the origin of ancient American civilization, said archaeologist Alejandro Chu Barrera, director...