Archaeology thread

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I have a feeling that some of us might be interested in archaeology, given that some of us also have some interest in history and definitely in paleontology. And as distinct as paleontology and archaeology are (something that many laymen are unaware of), both fields of science share some common methodologies, principles, and practices. Likewise, some overlap exists between the time periods paleontology and archaeology are interested in. Maybe archaeology is interesting enough for us to have a subboard dedicated to it, but unless/until such a thing is created, just post anything dedicated to archaeology in this thread.

800 year old falconer figurine found in Norway: www.sci-news.com/archaeology/falconer-figurine-10422.html

Pre-Viking settlement of the Faroe Islands: www.nature.com/articles/s43247-021-00318-0

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Tea residue found in a Chinese tomb dating to the Warring States Period:

The analysis and identification of charred suspected tea remains unearthed from Warring State Period Tomb

Recently, a bowl containing charred suspected tea remains unearthed from the early stage of Warring States period tomb in Zoucheng City, Shandong Province, China. To identify the remains is significant for understanding the origin of tea and tea drinking culture. Scientific investigations of the remains were carried out by using calcium phytoliths analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS) and Thermally assisted hydrolysis—methylation Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (THM-Py-GC/MS) techniques. Modern tea and modern tea residue were used as reference samples. Through phytoliths analyses, calcium phytoliths identifiable from tea were determined in the archeological remains. The infrared spectra of the archaeological remains was found similar as modern tea residue reference sample. In addition, the biomarker compound of tea—caffeine was determined in the archaeological remains by THM-Py-GC/MS analysis. Furthermore, through GC/MS analysis, some compounds were found both in the archeological remains and the modern tea residue reference samples. Putting the information together, it can be concluded that the archaeological remains in the bowl are tea residue after boiling or brewing by the ancient.

www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-95393-w


2,000 year old synagogue found in Israel: www.sci-news.com/archaeology/magdala-synagogue-10374.html


Ethiopian megalithic monuments much older than previously thought:

New Dates for Megalithic Stele Monuments of Gedeo, South Ethiopia

This paper reports the results of an archaeological survey and test excavation conducted in one of the ancient megalithic stele sites in south Ethiopia, Sakaro Sodo. The Sakaro Sodo stele site is situated in Gedeo zone, which is known to have the largest number and highest concentration of megalithic stele monuments in Africa, with an estimate of more than 10,000 stelae in sixty or more sites. Prior to our work, only one absolute date was available (850 ± 40 BP) (Joussaume 2012) from a stele site in the Gedeo zone, suggesting stele sites began to be constructed in the region approximately a millennium ago. We report here new AMS dates suggesting that stelae were being emplaced about 2000 BP, pushing the creation of these monuments back at least a millennium. Additionally, we report preliminary findings from characterizing the geochemical properties of obsidian artifacts recovered from stele sites, and stone used to make stelae. While compositional analysis of obsidian suggests long-distance movement of material from sources located in northern Kenya, petrographic microscopy and electron microprobe analyses show a strong connection of stelae to local geological tuff exposures/sources.

brill.com/view/journals/jaa/aop/article-10.1163-21915784-bja10006/article-10.1163-21915784-bja10006.xml

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Trey's video on the archaeology iceberg might belong here:

Very comprehensive.

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800 year old Norwegian chess piece with Arabic inspiration.

www.sci-news.com/archaeology/toensberg-chess-piece-10436.html

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Medieval pieces of wood and bone with Runic inscriptions found in Norway.

www.sci-news.com/archaeology/artifacts-runic-inscriptions-norway-10443.html

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Iron Age Roman archaeological site uncovered near Banburyshire village.

www.banburyguardian.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/significant-archaeological-site-uncovered-near-banburyshire-village-3522310

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Set of 5,500 year old gold & silver tubes from the Caucasus may be the oldest survivng drinking straws.

www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/19/ancient-metal-tubes-unearthed-in-1897-could-be-oldest-surviving-drinking-straws

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A marvellous sign and a fiery globe: a medieval English report of ball lightning

We describe an entry in a twelfth century monastic chronicle, compiled and composed by Gervase of Canterbury (c. 1145–c. 1210), which gives a credible description of ball lightning. It predates the earliest known report of the phenomenon from England by nearly 450 years. The meteorological descriptions in Gervase's 1195 report are examined in the context of the purpose of the chronicle and we compare them with modern reports of ball lightning. (Image courtesy of Mircea Goia.)

rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wea.4144

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The Hopewell airburst event in the 3rd or 4th century CE.

www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-05758-y

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No mineralogic or geochemical evidence of impact at Tall el-Hammam, a Middle Bronze Age city in the Jordan Valley near the Dead Sea.

www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-08216-x#disqus_thread

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A trend of increased drying is linked to Norse abandonment of southern Greenland in the 15th century CE.

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abm4346

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There is some evidence that Machu Picchu was actually originally called Huayna Picchu.

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00776297.2021.1949833

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Bronze Age European daggers were fully functional and primarily used for processing animal carcasses.

www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-09983-3

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Evidence of an explosive weapon used in 11th-12th century Jerusalem: journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0267350

Oyster farming in indigenous North Americans and Australians: www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-29818-z

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1,200 year old luxury estate and mosque found in Israel.

www.sci-news.com/archaeology/rahat-estate-mosque-10973.html