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GERMANY| Mesopotamian vase sheds light on Germany's artefacts trade
Archaeological Legislation, Legal Proceedings and Criminal Activities
June 30, 2009
The case sounds more like an esoteric crime novel than a simple legal tussle, involving as it does archaeologists, rare-coin dealers, customs officials, and the Iraqi embassy in Berlin. At its heart is a golden vase just six centimeters high that may or may not have its origins in ancient Mesopotamia. The vase is currently being held by Michael Mueller-Karpe, an archaeologist at the Roman-Germanic Central Museum in Mainz, Germany. Three years ago he was charged with providing the court with an expert opinion on the provenance of the object, which is at the center of a lawsuit over fencing illegally trafficked goods. [...]
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INDONESIA| Ancient structure unearthed in Semarang
Archaeological Excavations, Survey and Projects
June 30, 2009
A structure believed to be an ancient bath was found near Ngempon Temple in Derekan village, Semarang, Central Java, tempointeraktif.com reported Tuesday. The ruins are located on a riverbank, 200 meters away from the Hindu temple. Ngempon stands on the other side of the river, close to hot and cold springs. Wahyu, an official from the Center for Preservation of Cultural Heritage, who came to the location, said the newly discovered structure was believed to date back to the eighth century. Nurkholis, a local resident who found the structure, said, “I immediately reported the finding to a worker restoring Ngempon Temple. He told me to stop digging until an official from the center arrived.” [...]
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FRANCE| Prehistoric european cave artists were female
Science, Research and Technology Advancements
June 30, 2009
Inside France's 25,000-year-old Pech Merle cave, hand stencils surround the famed "Spotted Horses" mural. For about as long as humans have created works of art, they've also left behind handprints. People began stenciling, painting, or chipping imprints of their hands onto rock walls at least 30,000 years ago. Until recently, most scientists assumed these prehistoric handprints were male. But "even a superficial examination of published photos suggested to me that there were lots of female hands there," Pennsylvania State University archaeologist Dean Snow said of European cave art. By measuring and analyzing the Pech Merle hand stencils, Snow found that many were indeed female--including those pictured here. [...]
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NETHERLANDS| Computer recognises archaeological material and fake Van Goghs
Science, Research and Technology Advancements
June 30, 2009
[...] The ‘proof of the pudding’ of his technique for automatic image analysis is a system for the automatic analysis and recognition of archaeological material such as pottery, Roman coins and glass from the Middle Ages. Van der Maaten has also successfully used the technique to distinguish forgeries and paintings by contemporaries of Van Gogh from paintings by Van Gogh himself. Two major problems alleviated. One of the challenges Van der Maaten faced was the large number of pixels, and thus the high dimensionality of image-space representations. Another major challenge was the variation of images resulting from changes in illumination, rotations or changes of scale of the object. Van der Maaten was able to alleviate these problems by testing new techniques in visualisation experiments and then extrapolating those techniques and re-testing them in a number of variants. [...]
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UNITED STATES| De Luna shipwreck rising from the deep
Underwater Archaeology
June 30, 2009
A stone cannon ball, a bright green ceramic dish piece, a chicken bone. These are just a few of the items that have been recovered from a 450-year-old shipwreck sitting under 12 feet of water in Pensacola Bay. The wreck, designated Emanuel Point II, is part of the fleet commanded by Pensacola's founder, Don Tristan de Luna, University of West Florida archaeologists said. The underwater excavation is being conducted this summer by about 20 UWF maritime archaeology students. "This helps us get a better understanding of the people who came here to start a colony — what they brought and what they ate," said John Bratten, anthropology and archaeology department chair. "It also helps fill in the gaps that the historical record doesn't tell us." The vessel was located in 2006 and identified in 2007 as part of Luna's colonization fleet that made landfall in 1559. [...]
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UNITED KINGDOM| Dig aims to uncover castle past
Archaeological Excavations, Survey and Projects
June 30, 2009
The first major archaeological dig to take place at a medieval castle near Swansea is underway. Experts and volunteers are hoping to uncover artefacts along with clues as the original layout of Oystermouth Castle in Mumbles. They will be on site digging and examining trenches for three weeks. The ruined castle was recently given a £1.7m restoration lifeline which will pay for conservation works and for a new interpretation centre. The dig is focusing on an area outside the west tower where archaeologists are looking for an outer wall and a ditch. They are also examining the knoll after a geophysical survey commissioned by the friends of the castle suggested underneath the ground were walls. [...]
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UNITED STATES| UOG-UH summer archaeology field school at Ritidian
Archaeological Excavations, Survey and Projects
June 30, 2009
Ten students representing seven universities located in Guam, the U.S. mainland, Canada, and the Commonwealth of the Bahamas participated in the University of Guam - University of Hawaii Summer Archaeology Field School held June 1 – 26 at Ritidian. “The field school provides training in archaeological field and laboratory research for graduate and undergraduate university students,” said James M. Bayman, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. “Research is conducted in a manner that honors and celebrates Chamorro history, culture, and traditions.” The field school research also assists the US Fish and Wildlife Service with its mandate to responsibly manage, study, and preserve its rich natural and cultural resources. Through their field school research, the students established professional connections with local archaeologists, historic preservation professionals, and members of the Chamorro community. [...]
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PHILIPPINES| Ancient Philippine boat re-created for odyssey
Heritage, Preservation and Conservation
June 29, 2009
Adventurers who conquered Mount Everest successfully launched a replica of an ancient Philippine boat Saturday that they will use to sail around Southeast Asia and possibly to Africa to promote Filipino pride and unity.The replica of the balangay — a wooden-hulled boat used in the archipelago about 1,700 years ago — was built in 44 days by native Badjao boat-builders from the southernmost Philippine province of Tawi Tawi using traditional skills handed down through the generations.About 300 spectators counted down to the launch, cheering and applauding as the bow hit the water in Manila Bay. [...]
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ETHIOPIA| Ethiopia: AAU preparing to launch postgraduate program in paleoanthropology
Palaeontology
June 29, 2009
The Addis Ababa University (AAU) is preparing to launch new postgraduate education program in paleoanthropology.University academicians were gathered at the Arat Kilo Science Faculty on Saturday to discuss the launching of the program.Program coordinator, Dr. Mohammed Omar said on the occasion that the launching of the program would contribute to the development and use of a number of heritages found in the country while helping the institution to produce more scholars in the field.The new program increases the number of postgraduate fields to six. It also helps the nation to effectively manage and make use of its heritage and history of ancient humans.Director General of the Ethiopian Heritage Studies and Conservation Authority, Jarra Hailemairam on his part said Ethiopia could be regarded as the first country, which has a number of paleoanthropological studies.The authority will continue in its support to the AAU so as to make the institution effective in the implementation of the new program, he added. [...]
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LEBANON| Cornerstone laid for Sidon archaeological museum
Museum Exhibits, Events and Information
June 29, 2009
The cornerstone for Sidon's first archaeological museum was placed in the coastal city's Frres archeological site on Saturday. The project will be executed and supervised by Lebanon's Culture Ministry and funded by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, which allocated around $5 million to build the museum.The laying of the foundation stone was held on the same excavation site where the British Museum delegation has been uncovering ruins for many years now. The reception was attended by caretaker Premier and Sidon MP Fouad Siniora.An array of political and social figures attended the reception, which was opened by both the Lebanese and Kuwaiti national anthems.The head of the Council for Reconstruction and Development (CDR) Nabil al-Jisr stressed the importance of the project in displaying to the public the "valuable ruins uncovered in Sidon over the years." [...]
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