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September 2003 | |
 Mapping Britain’s drowned landscapes
The drowned plains and valleys of the North Sea and English Channel may soon be revealed by British scientists using a revolutionary scanning technique that can create maps as accurate as those made of dry land. In the process, researchers hope to identify locations – sheltered bays, cliffs that may have contained caves, freshwater lakes, riverside sites - that humans may have chosen for habitation. And these prime sites could then be investigated in detail using divers and robot submersibles, with the aim of finding tools, house timbers preserved in sediments and other evidence of human activity.
Dr. Sanjeev Gupta, leader of a team that has already used the advanced sonar technology off the coast of Sussex, says: “Britain has been occupied by human beings for the past 50,000 years and during that time seas levels have dropped, linking our land to Europe on five occasions. In fact, we were more often connected to the continent than we have been an island. Our current status is really the unusual one. That makes this sort of research all the more important”. In glacial and inter-glacial periods the plains, valleys and huge forests of the land bridge would have been home to herds of reindeers and horses, and men and women would have made their homes by its rivers and lakes.
The new technique, known as bathymetry, uses a special echo sounder to make great sweeps across the sea bed. Previous echo sounders have only been able to plot in two dimensions but computers, satellite positioning devices and associated software can now legislate for ocean swell and ship movement to create a perfect three-dimensional image of the underwater landscape.
Gupta and his team have used bathymetry to map the map the course of the River Arun, which now enters the Channel at Littlehampton, Sussex. Ten thousand years ago, at the end of the last ice age when much of the world’s water was trapped in giant glaciers, the Arun continued for several miles into a valley that had been carved by a south-flowing river that combined the waters of the Thames, Rhine and Seine. Only a vague outline of the extended Arun river bed had been made by previous methods. “What we saw was astonishing,” said Gupta. “The topography was incredibly detailed, rich and complex. We could see the river bed that the Arun had created thousands of years ago and examine the bays and cliffs along the valley. We could see a rocky ledge that might have formed a waterfall, an ideal place for an ancient settlement. We could also see where boats have since sunk and settled on top of this landscape.”
Now English Heritage, which has recently been given responsibility for maritime archaeology in Britain, is approaching government and industry for funding to create a national survey of Britain’s territorial waters and to map regions of the North Sea. Dr. David Miles, chief archaeologist of English Heritage, says: “We have better images of Mars and Venus than of two thirds of our own planet. Now we can put that right. [The new technology] offers us a unique chance to open up our history. There could be dozens of perfectly preserved sites down there. Given that Britain is a maritime nation, for whom the sea has been an immense influence, finding out its secrets around our shores is particularly important. For example, we know there was once a Roman lighthouse near Whitby. We could pinpoint that with this technique.” Bathymetry will also be invaluable in pinpointing lost wrecks. There are some 44,000 recorded shipwrecks off the coast of Britain, but extrapolation of shipping statistics suggests that the actual number may be closer to half a million.
Scientists are keen to map the seabed as soon as possible because of the increase in marine cable laying and channel dredging for container shipping, commercial activities which threaten archaeology and marine life. Key sites could be identified and afforded protected status. “We have a good relation with industry over this,” says Miles. “The money for the bathymetry project was provided by the new ‘aggregates levy’ that companies pay to minimise their environmental impact, and they recognise the importance of this sort of surveying as well.” But companies also gain reciprocal benefits from accurate underwater mapping, including the ability to pinpoint new aggregate sites.
Source: Guardian Unlimited (21 September 2003)
Stonehenge referred to public inquiry
Transport minister Alistair Darling has announced that, because of the number of objections to the proposed Stonehenge (England) traffic scheme (Archaeo News, 30 August 2003) there will be a public hearing beginning on February 17 2004. The deadline for objections to the proposals was September 18 2003. According to a spokesman for the Highways Agency a pre-inquiry meeting will be held in November to thrash out arrangements for the hearing, which is expected to last several weeks. Objectors will have a chance to present their cases and the inquiry inspector is expected to examine alternative solutions to the world Heritage Site’s traffic problems. These will include the ACT/Parker plan drawn up by Graham Parker and supported by the Salisbury branch of the Association of Council Taxpayers.
Meanwhile it has emerged that Salisbury District Council will lodge a ‘holding’ objection even though it broadly supports the existing proposals. The Council is concerned about problems that may arise during the construction period, including maintaining access for cyclists and pedestrians, congestion, traffic delays and dust control. They also want to know how noise will be minimised for visitors to the site during construction work. And the Council has mounted a strong response to Highway Agency plans to close the Stonehenge tunnels once a month for maintenance, which would involve diverting A303 traffic through Countess Road and the Packway at Larkhill. The Council considers the diversionary route inappropriate and inadequate an suggests closing one tunnel at a time and a contra-flow system through the open tunnel.
Source: This is Amesbury (10 September 2003)
English henge for sale
A rural property is for sale at Marden, Devizes, Wiltshire (England). This 1.1 million UKP sale (corresponding to about 1,58 million Euros or 1,79 million US$) includes a "5 bedroom house, former mill building, two brick outbuildings and other buildings with considerable renovation/ conversion potential. Set in about 22 acres of water meadows, woodland and pasture paddocks including an Ancient Henge Monument. "
The Marden Henge (Map Reference SU091584) is one of the biggest ever built in Britain, measuring 530 x 360m. The henge used to contain the "Hatfield Barrow". Excavations showed that there had been a 10.5 timber structure on it.
Sources: Britarch Mailing List, Farm & Rural Agency (19 September 2003)
Welsh version of Stonehenge is under construction
The Welsh version of Stonehenge is under construction. Tim Halewood from the Vale of Glamorgan is constructing the area's first solar lunar circle. The ancient timepiece, designed to act as a solar lunar calendar, is being built from stone by the local community at Coed Hills Rural Art Space in St Hilary.
"This will be one of the only working solar lunar calendars in the UK," said Mr Halewood, who studies sacred geometry. "It is a similar concept to Stonehenge but ours will be fully functional. It will act as a great communal focus point for St. Hilary and it will be something the whole community can work together on as we study it." The event is the result of months of research by Tim and a volunteer group exploring ancient sacred geometry and the study of solar lunar circles.
Monica Mahoney, community support worker at Wales Council for Voluntary Action said, "There are about 250 active Millennium Award projects in Wales. Tim's scheme is a great example of how these awards can benefit the whole community. The potential for the grants is wide-ranging. We are always open to new ideas like Tim's, so if anyone has anything in mind, they should apply for a You and Your Community Millennium Award."
The Vale of Glamorgan project qualified for an award from the programme which offers people grants to improve their lives and benefit themselves and their community.
Source: The Western Mail (21 September 2003)
Peeping at Avebury's prehistoric past
Archaeologists exploring Avebury's prehistoric past showed off their findings during an open day. The experts, who are halfway through the month-long Negotiating Avebury Project, thrilled crowds with a guided tour. One of the key tasks of the team is to learn more about Beckhampton Avenue a form of prehistoric hallway which leads to the world-famous stone circle.
Melanie Pomeroy-Kellinger, Avebury World Heritage site officer, is delighted with the progress so far. "This project is about transforming our understanding of the prehistoric landscape relating to Avebury," she said. "It is the final part of a five-year archeological research project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Board."
The team have unearthed several pieces of Neolithic and Roman pottery as well as mysterious large stones.
Source: The Evening Advertiser (19 September 2003)
Prehistoric Iraqi sculpture found
A 5,000-year-old sculpture looted from Baghdad Museum in April has been recovered. The relic was found by Iraqi police and US soldiers in an orchard on the outskirts of the city after a tip-off. The 20-centimetre high marble sculpture of a female head was stolen after the fall of former leader Saddam Hussein.
Of the 15,000 pieces stolen since war began, about 13,000 are still missing, including 32 of great value. The Lady of Warka was one of the most valuable exhibits stolen from the museum. Looting, violence and resistance fighting have continued to blight the country since Saddam was removed from power after British and American troops invaded the country in March. Experts and archaeologists worldwide said the US should have protected precious treasures that were stolen from Iraqi museums during the war.
The curator of the antiquities department, Jabir Ibrahim, said his department received information about a group of people trying to sell the Lady of Warka. The negotiations collapsed for unknown reasons, and the sculpture was then hidden in the orchard, Mr Ibrahim said. "Many people in Iraq and in the world will be delighted with its return," he said. The work is originally from the ancient city of Warka and is due to be returned to the museum. Despite other difficulties in the country, Iraqi culture Minister Mr al-Jazaeri said the recovery of the sculpture, known as the Sumerian Mona Lisa, was a good start to rebuilding the country's heritage.
Source: BBC News (18 September 2003)
Ancient rampart may pre-date Pictish fort site
A team of archaeologists have made a historic discovery in the back garden of a Moray village (Scotland). Burghead is already well-known throughout the world for its Pictish fort site – the largest of its kind in Scotland – but now a group from Edinburgh University have uncovered an ancient rampart which may pre-date the fort.
Professor Ian Ralston and his students are currently undertaking an archaeological investigation on behalf of the Burghead Headland Trust, who wanted to discover if there were any more historic sites to be found in the village. Prof Ralston said: "The Trust were interested in finding out if any other remains of the fort survived. We have been digging in one or two gardens, including one in Church Street, but there was nothing there."
However, the group struck archaeological gold in the back garden of The Brae, in Grant Street, when they dug up the Pictish rampart. "This could be the same age as the fort or maybe older," said Prof Ralston. "It could date from the pre-Roman Iron Age. We are trying to dig up some more of it to get some objects or some wood that we can analyse with radio carbon dating to discover its age."
The earliest ramparts at Burghead date from 400AD and were rough wooden palisades erected by Pictish settlers. Mrs Cath Millar, of the Headland Trust, said: "It’s quite exciting that they have found some of the original stones from the old fort. We’re just waiting to find out how old they are."
Although Burghead’s headland, the location of the Pictish fort, has been designated an ancient site, the archaeologists did not require permission from Historic Scotland to dig in the back garden of The Brae because it is not actually on the Pictish fort site. Prof Ralston and his team, who are staying at the Burghead caravan site, are halfway through their investigations and will be in the area for another week.
Source: The Northern Scot (19 September 2003)
5,000-year-old axe found near Stonehenge
Archaeologists have discovered a 5000-year-old polished stone axe head during an investigation of an area that forms part of the Stonehenge World Heritage Site. Dating back to the Neolithic Age - 3000 to 2500 BCe - the axe head was found, along with a leaf-shaped arrowhead, during a three-week field walk of farmland by Wessex Archaeology.
Covering a 90-hectare area, the farmland is situated within a kilometre of both the Stonehenge monument and the stone circle at Avebury. Tony Trueman of Wessex Archaeology said the exercise was part of a project to improve the conservation of the area by turning ploughed land into grassland pasture.
"The general point is not to plough up land so close to such important remains, because it damages them," said Tony. Explaining that the conversion to pasture gave archaeologists the chance to look for artefacts turned up by the plough, Tony added that there was only a short window of opportunity. "After a while the grass gets too high to see anything, so we have to catch the moment before it gets too long."
Although the axe head has not been used, tools of its type would normally have had a wooden haft and would have been put to work cutting down trees. "The axe head is a very interesting find," explained Andy Crockett, Wessex Archaeology Project Manager, "because it relates to a period in our past when farmers first started to chop down trees to start growing crops and keeping livestock."
Nowadays, farmers are provided with a special grant by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to change the use of land in archaeologically rich areas.
Source: 24 Hours Museum (19 September 2003)
Protests against quarry plans
Environmentalists are protesting against a piece of west Devon countryside (England) becoming a quarry. The Dartmoor Preservation Association and the Ramblers' Association want to stop the china clay company Imerys from using Crownhill Down. The company has historic rights to mine at the site between Plymouth and Dartmoor. A spokesman for Imerys says it has no intention of giving up the rights and the work in the area, but it will take into account the environmental concerns.
Crownhill Down is outside Dartmoor National Park, but the land is considered by the conservationists to be of national park character. The environmentalists argue that Crownhill Down is important for its wildlife, archaeology, landscape value and recreation purposes, and that any quarrying would destroy a beautiful and important area. The Dartmoor Preservation Association in particular is calling for Imerys to give up its rights to quarry the area.
The first of a series of rallies saw walkers and riders converging on the Down from several directions in protest at the plans. But Ivor Bowditch from Imerys said the work will take into account the environmentalists' concerns. He said: "We have, in fact, already undertaken work to establish the ecology and archaeology of the area.
Source: BBC News (20 September 2003)
Ancient Indian idols unearthed
Two idols of Jain Tirthankaras, claimed to be over 2,000 years old, were found while digging a tank in Parmarwali ‘gali’ of Chotila (India). The discovery has sent a wave of excitement through the Jain community in the area and large number of religious heads, community leaders and members have converged to take a glimpse of the idols.
"While digging a pit for water, we hit some stone and when we removed the mud covering it, we were amazed to see two white idols," says Jayshreeba Parmar, near whose house the idols were recovered. The religious head of the nearby Mahavirpuram, Acharya Punyoday Maharaj, upon inspecting the idols, said, "The idols resemble sculptures that are at least 2,200 years old and are of Sambhavnath and Shantinath tirthankaras." Such sculpture was normally the style of the Maurya dynasty, he added. "We can’t say how old these idols are until we study them," said an official of the archaeology department.
Source: The Times of India (16 September 2003)
Prehistoric human figurine found in England
An insight on life 3,000 years ago has been provided by archaeological remains found at Hillfarrance (Somerset, England), including what is thought to be a carving of a human figure. Archaeologists, working on behalf of the Environment Agency to investigate the site of the new flood defence scheme, were surprised to find a pit at the boundary of what is thought to be a prehistoric field system.
They were even more taken aback when excavations of the pit revealed pieces of pottery, burned stoned and worked wood, including part of what may well be a human figurine. The figure, about 45cm long and 12cm in diameter, consists of a forked piece of oak, shaped with a bronze axe, marks of which are still visible on the wood. Only the lower limbs and torso of the model have survived the test of time - it was found with the legs driven into the base of the pit.
Professor Bryony Coles, a leading expert in the field of waterlogged discoveries, said: "At first sight it looks like nothing very much, but it may actually be the remains of a rare prehistoric wooden carving in a humanlike form. The Hillfarrance find, although incomplete, has a number of similarities to known human-like figures from prehistoric Europe and it seems very probable that it too was intended to be one. Its discovery is therefore one of the more important and exciting of recent finds, particularly as it was found in the course of a careful excavation and its context is well documented." Pottery from the pit has initially been dated to the late Bronze Age, 1200-700 BCe, and the finds are thought to provide clues to local customs at that time.
Steve Reed of Exeter Archaeology, which carried out excavations at the site, said: "There seems to be no practical reason for the deposition of these artefacts. The presence of the forked timber driven into the base of the pit, along with the placing of worked and burned wooden artefacts and scorched stones, is highly suggestive of ritual deposition."
Analysis of the waterlogged remains, including plants, pollen and insects, is now under way. It is hoped to provide information about the nature of the local environment thousands of years ago, including man's impact on it by activities such as deforestation, cattle grazing and the types of crops grown in the area. The figure is also being radiocarbon-dated by the University of Waikato in New Zealand. Conservation of the wooden remains is under way so they can go on public display in the future.
Sources: This is Exeter, Wellington Weekly News (17 September 2003)
Ancient artefacts discovered in Vietnam
Archaeologists have unearthed more than 200 objects and a thick stratum of ash, animal bones and mollusc shells at the Rach Nui archaeological site in the Vietnamese southern province of Long An.
This is the second effort made by the archaeologists from the provincial museum and the Vietnam History Museum at the Rach Nui archaeological site just 20 km south of Ho Chi Minh City. Long An has the thickest strata of artefacts of this kind to date in Vietnam.
The findings included a shouldered stone axe, rings made from animal bone, and a large number of earthenware pots, bowls, dishes and cups decorated with different designs.
Source: VOV News (19 Septembr 2003)
Plea to walkers over relics
A Cumbrian museum has urged hill walkers to leave Neolithic relics where they find them on the fells. Stone axes are often found on Lake District (England) scree slopes, and the Tullie House Museum in Carlisle is showing people how to recognise them, enjoy them but not to take them home.
As part of a National Heritage Open Days scheme the Tullie House is allowing people to handle 5000-year-old stone axes from its collection. Many in the collection were picked up by hill walkers and given to the museum.
Now the Tullie staff say the walkers should be considerate and leave the axes where they find them. That way more people can enjoy the sense of discovery, touching them and then leave them for others to have the same experience. In the Mediaeval period it was believed the axes had fallen from the sky and caused thunder; they were also considered lucky charms or that they could reduce pain in childbirth.
Source: BBC News (14 September 2003)
Warfare began after people formed villages
Warfare forms the backdrop of human history. But anthropologists, archaeologists and other scholars tend to disagree on war's origins: Some see it as an ailment of civilization and others say it has deeper roots.
Two anthropologists from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, suggest that although people could have come into conflict before civilization, archaeological remains of burning homes, fleeing refugees and slain captives show simple raids steadily maturing into full-scale warfare as humans settled into villages and society became more stratified.
Their report appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In their study, Kent Flannery and Joyce Marcus examined the past 10,000 years of Mexico's Oaxaca Valley. Until Native American village life began there, even with corn's domestication around 5,400 years ago, no evidence of warfare emerges from the region. But researchers find signs of dwellings burned in raids from 3,500 years ago, when settled life began.
Defensive palisades in the valley were rapidly followed by hieroglyphics depicting slain captives, fortresses and "the first skull rack," the researchers write. Dating of artifacts shows temples burned and captives taken in hieroglyphic descriptions, and a warrior elite was widespread throughout villages in the valley by 2,500 years ago.
Fighting did occur among simpler foraging societies before the settlement of villages, but it was sporadic and seldom led to full-scale warfare, said archaeologist Richard Blanton of Purdue University. "They could solve problems by simply getting up and leaving," he said. But once they had invested the effort in constructing dwellings and other buildings, he added, "It was worth it to stand and fight."
Sources: Gannet News, The Seattle Times (17 September 2003)
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