Ruins of ancient village unearthed in central China
The ruins of a complete ancient village have been discovered on the western edge of Yinxu, an important archaeological site dating back 3,000 years, in the central China province of Henan. Twenty-seven homes, built over several decades around 1200 BCe during the Shang Dynasty (1600–1100 BCe), were unearthed by archaeologists from the Archaeological Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and Henan Provincial Cultural Heritage and Archaeological Research Institute.
According to Wang Xuerong, an associate research fellow with CASS’s Archaeological Research Institute, “This is the first time that semi-subterranean residences half-built into the ground have ever been found at Yinxu or among ruins from the Xia [2100–1600 BCe], Shang [1600–1100 BCe], and Zhou [1100 BCe–771 BCe] Dynasties.”
“Although the unearthed rooms are small compared with the foundations of palaces and temples unearthed at Yinxu, they reflect the vivid and colorful lives of ancient common people who lived in areas adjacent to the city proper,” Wang added.
Since the discovery of the ruins of Yinxu in 1899 in Anyang, the ancient capital of the Shang Dynasty, excavations have revealed many interesting finds, including tombs, foundations of palaces and temples, jade carvings, and oracle bones, which are inscribed animal bones and tortoise shells used for divination by Shang kings and carry the earliest known examples of Chinese characters.
The newly excavated village is laid out on north–south lines, with the houses spaced for ventilation and all the rooms in the houses connected by “halls” and “living rooms”, as in modern houses. Some of the rooms contain between one and three earthen platforms, which experts believe were used as beds. Judging from the number of beds and rooms, the village’s population is estimated to have been between 100 and 150. Intact cooking ranges have also been found in the village.
Since April of this year, the team of archaeologists has been excavating an area of 23,000 square metres, which has included 380 tombs dating from the Shang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD). Those from the Shang Dynasty were found to contain about 150 bronze weapons, including daggers, spears, swords, axes, and arrowheads.
Source: People’s Daily Online (18 July 2003)
Baja California rock art dated to 7,500 years ago
The giant rock art murals that grace the walls of hundreds of shelters and caves found in the hills of the high sierra in Baja California Sur (Mexico) date back as far as 7,500 years ago, according to data from an ongoing study of the area. The ancient dates for the paintings cast little light on the mystery of who made them and why, but it suggests that whoever the painters were they came well before the Aztecs.
"Once we did the dating and got to know how old they are, we were surprised by their antiquity because they look so fresh, so well preserved," said Alan Watchman, a geoscientist and Australian Research Fellow at the Australian National University in Canberra and co-leader of the study team. The paintings are of static giant humans and animals bound in herd-like movement, mostly done in red and black but also in white and yellow.
The murals had previously never been dated and even today little is known about the people who created them or what they were meant to communicate. Watchman and his colleagues are conducting a multi-year project in the Sierra de Guadalupe to put the paintings in cultural context. Before the team started work, about 90 rock art sites were known in the region. Since then, the team has documented more than 320 additional sites. Now that preliminary dates for the paintings are established, the team is searching for a site they can excavate for other materials to substantiate the dates of the art and help tell the story of who the painters were.
Harry Crosby, an author and Baja California rock art expert, said that until archaeologists are able to substantiate the rock art dates with other well-dated materials the mystery of the painters will remain. "A lot of these rock art sites have over-painting," said Crosby. "One figure is painted on top of another. In some places they have as many as five layers." To Crosby this suggests that many years must have passed between the first painting and the last. Watchman, who is a specialist in rock art dating, obtained his dates from painted samples collected in 2001. More than 30 samples have been dated so far and several of them are at least 5,000 years old. Some go back 7,500 years, suggesting a painting culture that lasted for millennia. Further studies in the years to come may resolve the mystery of who painted the murals, for what reasons, and how they vary through space and time.
Source: National Geographic News (17 July 2003)
Iron Age 'industrial' kilns discovered in Italy
Archaeologists have discovered what appear to be the precursors of today's industrial kilns, dating back to the Iron Age. The discovery was made at Piani d'Emma (Italy), during a archaeological field campaign carried out by Bergamo University and Lecco's Civil Museum. During excavations traces of metal working were found in conjunction with iron ore extractors, dating 3rd century BC.
According to Marco Tizzoni of Bergamo University "It is the most ancient proof of iron ore reduction in the region found thus far. We are looking at what are probably some of the first proto-historic mines in Lombardy. The kilns were very simple: small clay structures resting at the feet of the mountain, they were used in conjunction with hand driven vents, which allowed for the creation of iron in a paste form".
The ore was mined at nearby sites - archaeologists explained - which were used, according to scant documentation up until the 18th century. The material found thus far is being studied and great attention is being paid to the process' by-products, coal, and kiln fragments. A new, in depth campaign will start after the latest finds.
Source: Agenzia Giornalistica Italia (17 July 2003)
Australia colonized earlier than previously thought?
Prehistoric stone tools discovered at Rottnest Island and Rockingham could rewrite the story of Australia's colonisation by early humans. The tools could be at least 70,000 years old and there is no archaeological evidence of early human occupation until about 50,000 years ago.
WA Museum archaeologist Charlie Dortch, who found the Rottnest artefacts on a recent field trip with scientists from the Australian National and James Cook universities, said it was a major find. "Rottnest Island stands to become the oldest human cultural site in the country," Dr Dortch said after inspecting the Rottnest site. He would not commit to an age for the artefact in the absence of reliable dating, but one of the team members suggested the Rottnest artefact could be at least 70,000 years old. The location of the Rottnest and Rockingham finds are being kept secret until they can be removed.
The black-speckled piece of white stone flint is embedded in ancient sandstone. Rough estimates of the Rottnest artefact's age are based on the geological layering of the rock in which it was found, known as Tamala limestone. Ancient coastal communities camped on the continental plain, then west of Rottnest Island, during low sea levels when rock outcrops were mined to make tools. Fashioned by stone tool knappers, they were used to gut fish and small birds, sharpen spears and trim wooden implements.
The Rockingham remains look like a small skull cap poking out of the ground. Dr Dortch said the team found the artefacts after studying the ancient Tamala limestone at Rottnest.
The West Australian (19 July 2003)
