Posts resume Saturday

Taking tomorrow off to do some Labor Day preparation stuff for Monday...

Will get it all done on Friday, and Saturday will get back to posting in this blog.

Hope all my readers have a good Labor Day weekend!

Nungbi draws Govt attention for preserving stone edifices

From E-Pao: Nungbi draws Govt attention for preserving stone edifices

Nungbi Khulen, August 25 2012: In a bid to preserve the old heritage for future generation of Nungbi Khulen, villagers have drawn the attention of state Archeology Department for recognizing all the rare stone edifices in the village for protection and preservation.

Speaking to Hueiyen Lanpao, A S Saingam, son of village chief of Nungbi Khullen, said that in early days the village is known as Manung Hao by Manipuri Kings.

But later on, the royal palace gave the name of Nungbi Khullen in recognition of stone products including pottery in the village.

The village chief said that the stone edifices at Nungbi Khulen are relics of its culture and tradition.

So, the State Archeology Department should protect and preserve them for the posterity.

As a part of the traditional custom of the village, a huge stone is erected at the entrance gate of each house including the residence of village chief.

There is still a hundred-year old gigantic edifice in front of the chief's house.

A S Saingam recalled that erection of the stone incurred huge financial investment.

The family put the gigantic stone with the help of villagers and a community feasting was arranged along with killing twelve buffaloes.

Richard III's body may be buried under parking lot

Richard III has many fans in the US, who believe he was unjustly vilified by Shakespeare's play - he did not have a humpback, did not murder his nephews, etc.

 http://www.richardiii.net/

From the Windsor Star:  Richard III's body may be buried under parking lot

A 500-year-old mystery of where England's King Richard III was buried after his death in battle may finally be about to be solved, as archeologists prepare to search for his bones beneath a Leicester parking lot.
A team from the University of Leicester starts excavation work this week at the car park, where a Franciscan friary known as Greyfriars housed the monarch's remains after he died at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 - the last English king to die in battle.
"The chances of getting the Greyfriars are about 80 per cent. As for Richard III, it's a real long shot," said the university's Richard Buckley.
"Not only have we got to find the Greyfriars building, but we've also got to find the precise spot where he was buried," added Buckley, co-director of the university's Archaeological Services.
He likened the two-week excavation work to a game of battleships, where archeologists divide the car park into squares and pick a location in the hopes of hitting the right spot.
"It's very much pot luck in a sense, in that you dig a trench and you may find all sorts of things," he added.
Archeologists have access to Richard III's DNA after swab samples were taken on Friday from a direct descendant of the king's sister, Canadianborn Michael Ibsen.
If any of the king's remains are found, they will be reinterred at Leicester Cathedral, just a few steps away from the excavation site.
Bosworth Field is around 25 kilometres away from Leicester in central England and Richard is one of just a few English kings whose final resting place is unknown.
Richard, who only reigned for two years, was portrayed as a powerhungry hunchback in one of William Shakespeare's most famous plays, The Tragedy of King Richard the Third.
His most infamous reputed deed was the murder of two young princes in the Tower of London.
Richard was crowned at Westminster Abbey in July 1483 and died fighting his enemies led by Henry Tudor.
He was the last Plantagenet king and was followed by the Tudor kings Henry VII and Henry VIII.
"If we find him, we'll be able to answer of all those questions: his height, what his build was and obviously how he died," said Philippa Langley, secretary of the Scottish branch of the Richard III Society, who is part of the excavation team.
"We know the research tells us we're in the right place, but as with anything else in archeology, you're not going to know until you cut the ground."

 

UAE: Archeology museum in Aydın opens doors for Eid

From turizmtatilseyahat :  Archeology museum in Aydın opens doors for Eid?

The Aydın Archeology Museum, whose foundations were laid in 2000, finally opened its doors to visitors on Friday, a day before Eid al-Fitr, the three-day holiday that follows the month of Ramadan. An inauguration ceremony was held on Friday with Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay in attendance. Speaking at the ceremony, Günay said the museum is an Eid gift to Aydın residents.
“The museum was slated to open in October, but I wanted it be opened before Eid,” Günay said, adding that the new museum is among the top 10 museums in the country. Officials hope the new archeology museum will attract many visitors during the three-day holiday.
Construction began on the new museum in 2000 but was interrupted by many delays, until recently Günay pushed for its completion. The tender for the construction of the museum was held last year, and work was completed very recently.
Aydın Provincial Culture and Tourism Director Nuri Aktakka said around 3,000 historical artifacts are on display in the 2,500-square-meter museum. “Most of the artifacts were discovered at the Tralleis, Magnesia, Alinda, Nysa, Alabanda and Ortasia historical sites in Turkey. We hope to increase the number of artifacts in the museum in the future. We have many historical sites in Aydın, and excavations are under way to discover more artifacts,” he said.
Aktaka also said 11,000 archeological and 45,000 numismatic and 4,000 ethnographic artifacts are currently registered at the museum and they will be on display by turns.
The museum cost TL 8 million, Aktakka further added.

India: Skull mystery solved

From Deccan Herald: Skull mystery solved

The mystery of skulls found at drains in Annigeri of Gadag district has been solved at last.

The State Department of Archeology and Museums has confirmed that the skulls were of those who died in ‘Dogi Bara’ (skull famine), the most severe famine that claimed several lives in the region during the 18th century. The Archaeology Department has prepared the final report in this regard and it will be submitted to the government soon.

The carbon dating report of the US-based Beta Analytic, a radio carbon dating laboratory, observed that the skulls were around 180 years old and that they were of those who died in the famine of 1830. Interestingly, there are references to the famine and its severity in other records and books.

Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency on Dharwad, complied by James M Campbell in 1894 mentions the frequent famine in the region from 1791 to 1877, which had devastated human life. These famines were compounded by the outbreak of epidemics like cholera and smallpox and killed a large number of people besides forcing mass migration. The gazetteer mentions the Dogi Bara (skull famine) and Byani Bara (terrible famine), which struck the region.

The officials at the State Archaeology Department said the carbon testing report from Beta Analytic has clarified that the skulls were 180 years old. Based on the findings of the report, officials conducted extensive research, referred documents, old gazetteers, manuscripts and concluded that the skulls were of those who died in the famine.

Hundreds of people had died of starvation in the severe famine and the bodies of many were eaten by vultures and animals. In search of food, scores of people of these parts migrated to other areas during this period. When they returned to their villages after some years, they buried the skeletons of their family members who had died in mass graves. Hence, the Archaeology Department has concluded that the Annigeri skulls which were discovered in August 2010 belonged to those who died due to the famine between 1792 to 1796.

The department will submit its final report to the State government in the next 15 days and it will appeal to the government to conserve the place by declaring it as protected area.

 

NY: Unearthing a bit of Canalside history

From Buffalo (NY) News:  Unearthing a bit of Canalside history

Some of Canalside's rich history is coming to the surface, and the public is invited to watch.
Archeologists from the University at Buffalo are searching for artifacts in the foundation of a historic building just steps from the waterfront.
From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, members of the public will be able to watch the archeologists as they work on the site, bounded by Main and Hanover streets - between First Niagara Center and the old Memorial Auditorium site - and ask them questions specific to the area or about archeology in Buffalo in general.
The site is less than a block from where the Erie Canal once was, and archeologists believe that the artifacts found there tell a story about the way people lived in Buffalo during a significant time in the city's history. The canal was an important commercial route, and the archeologists are trying to educate visitors to the site about its past.
Most of the artifacts are from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s, and include bottles, plates and an old toy, said project manager Nathan Montague, a historian and archeologist. They will be catalogued and held for future use, possibly for a museum, he said.
The building that is being excavated is thought to have been built in the 1830s and was torn down in about 1970, he said. It once stood four stories tall and was made of brick. It was used to support the activities on the canal and included warehousing storage, a tinsmith, a wholesale grocer, shops, a tailor and lodging.
"The building was part of a neighborhood at the center of Buffalo's economy," Montague said Sunday. "A lot of commerce came through there."
The area became a "Little Italy" in the early 1900s.
Archeologists have dug as far as they believe is safe and will be looking for artifacts Wednesday, Montague said.
Digging deeper would require more time at the site, he said.
UB won a grant from the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. to excavate the site, as part of Canalside's visitor experience program.
Wednesday marks the eighth and final day this summer that archeologists will be at the site. Montague said he hoped to be able to return to the site for further exploration next year.

 

The Great Convergence 2012 Will Party at the Pyramids

From Nusic Festival Junkies:  The Great Convergence 2012 Will Party at the Pyramids

The 2012 winter solstice may mark the end of the Mayan calendar, but it also will mark the beginning of The Great Convergence, a three day music festival set at the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. Running from December 20-22, 2012, The Great Convergence promises a lineup of world class DJs including Beats Antique, Apparat, Random Rab, Bluetech, Gaudi, Govinda, Desert Dwellers, David Starfire, DJ Dragonfly, Imagika, plus Moontribe DJs: Treavor, Brad, and Dela.
From the website:

The Great Convergence is a calling of the tribes to gather from across the globe for a once in a lifetime experience to intentionally celebrate this potent, transformational time in our lives culminating in a prophesized galactic astronomical alignment that happens once every 26,000 years.

And if epic pyramid raves aren’t enough, there will be a four night, five day Nile River Cruise from December 23-28 that takes festie fans from Luxor to Aswan. Tickets for the music festival and the cruise are sold separately. Three day passes to the music festival start at $550 with a variety of packages. Click the link below to get more information.
via The Great Convergence

 

Google adding panoramic views of Mayan ruins

From Boston.com  Google adding panoramic views of Mayan ruins

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Google Inc. is adding interactive images of dozens of pre-Hispanic ruins to the ‘‘Street View’’ feature on its Google Maps website.

Google Mexico and Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History announced Thursday that 30 sites have been added to Street View, and dozens more will be coming online this year. The eventual goal is 90 sites.

The feature allows users to click on map locations to obtain 360-degree, interactive images composed of millions of photos taken at street level by specially equipped vehicles. Google uses a special, three-wheeled bicycle to generate images of the Mexican sites, many of which don’t have paved areas.

The sites already online include Chichen Itza, Teotihuacan and Monte Alban

New Study Suggests Humans, Not Climate, Killed Off Neanderthals

From Smithsonian.com:  New Study Suggests Humans, Not Climate, Killed Off Neanderthals

Roughly 40,000 years ago, the Neanderthals that lived in the Mediterranean disappeared. Whether they simply up and left, or died off, is anybody’s guess. They were still a common sight in western Europe for another 10,000 years, so outright extinction is off the table.
In trying to understand what lead to the Neanderthal’s decline, archaeologists favor three ideas, either: climate change did it, humans did it, or a catastrophic volcanic eruption did it. A new study lead by John Lowe and described by the journal Science suggests two of the three are now off the table.
The researchers collected incredibly small particles of volcanic glass, known as cyrptotephra, that were produced by a massive eruption of the Campi Flegrei supervolcano in southern Italy. That event, which took place 40,000 years ago and is known as the Campanian Ignimbrite (CI) eruption, sent volcanic ash far and wide across the region. It also caused the temperature to drop by a couple of degrees, which had been held up as a potential cause for the Neanderthal’s decline.
According to Science, Lowe’s research found that the shift from the Neanderthal’s stone tools to the modern human’s more complex equipment lay underneath the supervolcano’s ash layer at research sites on both sides of the Mediterranean Sea, meaning that “modern humans had replaced Neandertals before the catastrophic events of 40,000 years ago.”
The authors also found that the marks left behind by a sudden global cooling, known as a Heinrich Event, happened at the same time as the supervolcanic eruption—aka, it also occurred after the Neanderthals were already on their way out.
With the eruption and climate change crossed off their list, Lowe and his team put the blame on the only other remaining suspect: humans. Even in the court of law, though, this charge probably wouldn’t hold. Kate Wong for Scientific American, interviewing Clive Finlayson, explains:

The authors claim evidence of competition from modern humans as the cause of the Neanderthal extinction. This is the default argument – we think we didn’t find evidence of climate or volcanic activity on the Neanderthal extinction, therefore it must have been modern people. Why? Show it!

 

Biola's mammoth find sets campus apart in archeology

From Whittier Daily.com:  Biola's mammoth find sets campus apart in archeology

Sometimes when things are lost for a great amount of time, they become treasures. An educational treasure was found at Biola University in La Mirada in 2002 when workers were digging on the campus for the construction of the Hope Hall dormitory.

Bones from a Columbian Mammoth were found and the site was taken over by the Archaeology department where it is in use as a working dig site for students.

Paul Langenwalter, Program Director of Biological Anthropology, said a backhoe operator was excavating when he clipped they edge of the mammoth's pelvis. He ending up pulling out a number of its vertebrae and parts of its ribs.

"It was providential when it was discovered," Langenwalter says. "We were starting out with a new full-scale anthropology department and it permitted us to expand it substantially."

The mammoth that was found is the same species that is at the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles.
Langenwalter says that the mammoth site is a great place to teach students with a hands-on experience of excavations. "Most field classes have to go 25 to 30 miles or more to be able to have an outdoor classroom," he said.

As the students excavate the area they also find bone fragments from lizards, rabbits, antelope and wheel snails.

"Our job at this site is not to recover everything as quickly as possible," he says, "but rather to train the next generation of students to become competent field archaeologists."

Forget ‘Borat’ — D.C. exhibit shows the real Kazakhstan

From the Kansas City Star:  Forget ‘Borat’ — D.C. exhibit shows the real Kazakhstan

WASHINGTON — The first question might be, where is Kazakhstan? The second is, why go see an exhibit about it?
The answer is simple. Kazakhstan is basically unknown to Americans outside of the 2006 movie “Borat,” and has more to offer.

“Nomads and Networks,” which opened Saturday at the Arthur M. Sackler museum in Washington, D.C., provides a snapshot of this vast country and its ancient history

Found to the south of Russia and the west of Mongolia and China, Kazakhstan is slightly less than four times the size of Texas. One third of it is steppe grasslands, where nomadic tribes tamed horses and were formidable mercenaries in antiquity.

The exhibit concentrates on Iron Age Kazakhstan from about 8th to 3rd centuries B.C.E. There aren’t many written sources of that time outside of Greek historian Herodotus, who “refers a little bit of what is going on there,” says archeologist and curator Alexander Nagel. Herodotus wrote in the 5th century

“Nomads and Networks” give us insight into the nomadic culture that dominated the wide steppes. It starts two large stones carved with petroglyphs. One glyph has two ibex, a curly-horned mountain goat, obviously an animal very important in this ancient culture since it re-occurs often in the exhibit. The other has some kind of man.

As usual, the dead tell the most about life thousands of years ago. Archeologists are now opening some of the “thousands of kurgans — burial mounds — all over Kazakhstan,” says Nagel.

“In the fourth millennium B.C., they drank horse milk, they used horse bones for houses. Horses were very important for this culture.”

Out of one kurgan came two coffins, an older woman and younger man, and thirteen sacrificed horses. One was decked out with an elaborate leather mask with ibex-style cedar horns, and a tiger attacking an elk-patterned felted “saddle cover cloth.” Nagel says that whether the horses actually wore them during ceremonies “has not been answered yet.”

Ornamental horse tack items include a bit for a bridle. Out of a kurgan came a number of tiny “Snow Leopard masks” made of turquoise and gold that could be sewed on clothing. In the mineral-rich area, “Gold was readily available all over the place.”

Many of the kurgans were well preserved by permafrost. “As long as they are in the earth, they’re safe,” Nagel says, but he doesn’t know if they have been affected by the global warming.

It wasn’t all tiny items for the nomads. One kurgan had a slender gold diadem with a horned deer, chimera, wild geese and a horned dragon. Huge cauldrons, decorated with curved-horned antelopes, were used either ceremonially or just cooking the nightly meal.

In February 2012, Kazakhstan signed UNESCO convention against illicit traffic in antiquities laws. “Kazakhstan is fully aware there is a market there,” says Nagel. “In the case of Kazakhstan, I haven’t heard about anything” being sold.

The Sackler has added extras such as landscape photographs of Kazakhstan to the original exhibit from New York. On the museum’s website, “Nomads and Networks” plans to link to a running blog to archeologist Claudia Chang, who currently is excavating in Kazakhstan.

Nagel was a letterpress operator in East Germany but was able to study archeology in his mid-20s, and has worked in Greece and Iran before coming to the Sacker as an assistant curator.

He’s very enthusiastic about the exhibit. “I love Kazakhstan. The people are so interested in sharing their knowledge with other cultures.”
———
NOMADS AND NETWORKS: THE ANCIENT ART AND CULTURE OF KAZAKHSTAN
Arthur M Sackler Gallery, Washington D.C.
Through Nov 12

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/08/13/3760366/forget-borat-dc-exhibit-shows.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/08/13/3760366/forget-borat-dc-exhibit-shows.html#storylink=cpy

 

60 is the new 40

On August 10, 2012, the Cheyenne chapter of the AARP hosted a seminar called Gray Matters - which was free and provided a free lunch - unfortunately fish and cheesecake, blech - from 4 to 6 was a reception for all travelers who had come in for the AARP National Spelling Bee to be held on the 11th.

I attended that and it was a lot of fun. The emcee introduced a few folks, we talked about words, there was a "mock" spelling bee (which only consisted of about 20 people getting up and being questioned on one word...._ and so on. And there were finger foods there - Chinese food to be precise. Don't know where they got it from or if they cooked it on site (Little America is a hotel and resort where people come to play golf among other things) but it was delish.

The spelling bee started at the ungodly hour of 8:30 am (Well...8:30 is not so ungodly but I had to get up at the ungodly hour of 6:30 to get there in time for registration, etc.) It started with 4 rounds of 25 words each - which was a Written Test.

The first 25 words were extremely easy. They asked words like "Greetings" and "Navel" and "Mince." I suppose a few might have been considered difficult... "Animus" and "Lacuna."


The second 25 words were equally easy, but I did miss MUGWUMP.


I assume they did this just to help everyone settle the nerves and get new people used to what was going on. People had trouble hearing some of the words (hey, they were all over 50 and most over 60) and the Pronouncer  would come down and tell them the word face to face and have them say it back, etc. Indeed, the Pronouncer did an excellent job.


Third round was where they started asking the difficult words.


I missed:
QUESTIONARY INERCALATE
TUATARA
SKOSH
VIRIDITY
WIMBLE

The fourth round was the real killer. I only got 12 out of 25 right. I missed:

FELICIFIC
DOVEKIE
FLYTING
NAPERY
COTYLEDONARY
WELTSCHMERRZ
OPPUGNER
AECIOSPORE
SYNCYTIAL
KNUR
IRIDIUM
TUYERE
HYOSCYAMINE

I then stayed for the Oral rounds and was joined by one of my friends from my Scrabble Club. (I think an audience could have assembled for the Written rounds, too. There were chairs there and family were in them...but I think most people only wanted to come see the Oral rounds where you actually saw the speller's faces as opposed to their backs, etc.)

Two of the people I met last night at the reception made it to the Orals. One of them it was his first trip to the Bee and he was successful his first time out. Made it through about 10 rounds. (In the Orals, you miss two words and you're out.) Another one was an elderly woman from Minnesota who also got through about 10 rounds before being knocked out.

There were three sisters and a brother who had come as a sort of family reunion. The eldest sister made it to the Oral rounds but was bounced after only two rounds. This was too bad and it was because she was a bit unlucky - she got two 6-syllable words in a row while some of the others were getting much easier ones (but still, not ones I could have spelled). But she was disqualified along with several other people in the same round, so hopefully she didn't feel too bad.

The words in the Oral Rounds were extremely difficult. Several times more difficult than the toughest words in the final round of the Written.


But, had I studied for a year, I think I could have handled them.


And it is my intention to study for a year and  get into the Orals next year.


So, why is the title of this blog entry 60 is thenew 40?


Because it is.


People are living longer. You don't want to outlive your money and more importantly you don't want to outlive your sense of enjoyment of life. And learning new things every day is enjoyment and keeps the mind active.


The AARP Spelling Bee is held every year, and it gives you an excellent reason to travel to Cheyenne and see The Cowboy State. You'll meet lots of interesting people.


You do have to study.


I studied very desultorily for about a month...combine all the time I studied and it was about 10 hours. Not nearly enough, but then, I'm a good speller so the Written Rounds were relatively easy - except for that killer last round.


Why learn words that you'll never, ever say in real life?Well, because they're interesting. And the concepts of what you'll learn, you can apply in other areas. So it's a win win.


So start planning to live a long, healthy, active, intellectual life, and do it now, however old you might be!

Posts resume Monday

I'm participating in the AARP Cheyenne Spelling Bee today, Saturday, and need to recover Sunday....

So Monday, posts resumes.

Cutting edge technology helps archaeologists explore historic site

From Catskill Daily Mail:  Cutting edge technology helps archaeologists explore historic site

GREENPORT — A number of professionals in the fields of archaeology and history gathered at the Van Hoesen House on Route 66 Thursday to see what some cutting edge archeological tools could tell them about the 270-year-old Dutch domicile and its surroundings.

Miles Capen of the Foerster Group, based in Pennsylvania, brought a magnetometer, which resembles a cyclist’s version of a plow, and is used to detect metallic artifacts, outbuildings and barns.

Underground Imaging Technologies of Latham brought its Terravision II,  a contraption pulled by a golf cart and uses ground-penetrating radar to retrieve images of things between three and 12 feet underground.

“It’s an MRI for the ground,” said UIT geologist Max Grade.

The New York State Museum will be digging up the area to the rear of the building, which is toward Route 66, from Aug. 13 to 24. The tools utilized Thursday are meant to target items of interest within the earth in order to limit the amount of digging. 

“This was the rear of the house, where you’d expect to find the privy,” said Susan Winchell-Sweeney, UIT project archeologist. “We’re hoping to narrow that down.”

UIT is doing the work pro bono, she said, in collaboration with the New York State Museum, the Van Hoesen Historical Foundation and the New Netherlands Institute.

Brian Yates, one of several representatives of the New York State Office of Historic Preservation on hand, said he was there because it was a good opportunity to see where technology is taking us and how it integrates into archeological research. 

“A value we like to see in a remote survey is that it’s non-intrusive,” he said. “With a remote survey you have the opportunity to picture the information before you start digging; or perhaps even avoid digging.”

Tracy Miller and other archeologists from the Albany-based Hartgen Archeological Associates were on the site to check out the new technology.

Also observing the activity was Charles Orser, curator of historical archeology for the New York State Museum. The museum worked at the site last year, he said. The southwestern wall has been showing some stress, caused by water leaks.

The Van Hoesen House Historical Foundation wanted to put in a water pipe to improve the drainage, so Winchell-Sweeney, at that time working with the museum, did some exploration and found some 18th century materials that might help date the house, Orser said.

As a public service, the museum staff dug a trench where the water pipe was laid. “There has never been archeology at this house,” he said. “It’s an important house with a good preservation group.”

At the back of the house, where the digging will take place, there’s a good chance there were outbuildings, a barn, a shed, or an outdoor kitchen.

“The coolest thing,” he said, would be to find evidence of slave quarters. “There hasn’t been a lot of study of Dutch (slaveholders).”

A tree that fell down in a recent storm turned up some artifacts, he said, such as shells, that could be the remnants of food, or that might have been used for paving. 

Ed Klingler, who heads up the Van Hoesen House Historical Foundation, said “at this point, a documented study of the house is important. We’ve reshuffled the board, and we’re moving ahead to start minor stabilization work.”

Meanwhile, he said, members are collecting as much information as they can about the site, and looking toward creating a long-range plan.

Klingler said he believes the house may date to the early 1740s, though some authorities place its birth a decade a letter. 

Eventually, Dendochronological data may be used, in which the  house’s wood is sampled and its rings compared to known data samples to give an accurate date, he said.  

Klingler said the Van Hoesen House is one of only half a dozen examples of its type. A brick manor house, it was high-end in its day. It was owned by Jan Van Hoesen, who was the grandson of the patentee, Jan Franz Hoesen, and married Tanneke Whitbeck of Claverack.

“The Van Hoesens owned Hudson,” he said. “This was the eastern edge of their patent. They sold the rights to Claverack Landing that brought the whalers to Hudson.”

The historical investigators hope to add to our knowledge of the lives that inhabited and/or surrounded this house. They have 10 days to look at their latest pieces of evidence, then the digging starts.

“Hopefully by next week we’ll have some rough maps,” Winchell-Sweeney said.

There will be an open house for interested persons to see the excavation in progress Aug. 22. 

 

Earliest known use of 'black drink' in North America discovered

From The Examiner:  Earliest known use of 'black drink' in North America discovered


A team of archeologists and anthropologists reported the first known use of “black drink” in North America in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on August 6, 2012. The study was reviewed at the Eureka Alert web site the same day.

View slideshow: Black Drink

“Black drink” is a high caffeine content ceremonial beverage brewed from the roasted leaves and stems of Yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria). The beverage was commonly used in purification rituals by Native Americans in the southeastern United States.

The scientists analyzed the residual contents of pottery beakers from Greater Cahokia (which included settlements in present-day Saint Louis, East Saint Louis and the surrounding five counties) and determined the people of Greater Cahokia were the first known Native Americans to brew and use “black drink” in ceremonies and rituals.

Residents of Cahokia, a massive pre-Columbian settlement near the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, consumed "Black Drink" from special pottery vessels like this one.
 Photo credit:  L. Brian Stauffer U

The key biochemical markers of the drink - theobromine, caffeine and ursolic acid - were found in the right proportions in eight beakers that appear to be a Cahokia invention. The design and decoration of the beakers indicate a ceremonial or religious element was involved.

The beakers date from A.D. 1050 to 1250.

The peoples who created Greater Cahokia lived more than 100 miles from any source of the holly that was needed to make “black drink”. The researchers conclude the residents of Greater Cahokia received the holly through trade and the ceremonial use of “black drink” was transferred to Native Americans throughout much of what is now the southeastern United States.

Greater Cahokia is an archeological mystery. More than 50,000 people lived in and around Greater Cahokia. This was the largest population center in North America at that time. The people of Greater Cahokia had all the trappings of religion, art, and culture that distinguish a civilization. No one knows why the Cahokia culture just disappeared about 900 A. D.

Paper
Ritual Black Drink consumption at Cahokia

Authors
Patricia L. Crown a,1 , Thomas E. Emerson b , Jiyan Gu c , W. Jeffrey Hurst d , Timothy R. Pauketat e , and Timothy Ward c
a Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131; b Illinois State Archaeological Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL 61820; c Keck Center for Instrumental and Biochemical Comparative Archaeology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Millsaps College, Jackson, MS 39210; d Hershey Technical Center, Hershey, PA 17033; and e Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801

 

Kenya: Experts Dig Up Evidence On Old Malindi Kingdom

From All Africa:  Kenya: Experts Dig Up Evidence On Old Malindi Kingdom

CHINESE and Kenyan archeologists are optimistic of making a major discovery in Malindi after they unearthed some mammalian skeleton, bullet cartridges and an ancient house wall in a site near the Malindi chief's camp.

The archeologists are excavating several sites in Malindi and Mambrui in search of an ancient Malindi Kingdom believed to be at the site of the first contact between the Swahili and the Chinese in the 14th century.

Yesterday, the National Museum of Kenya's head of Coastal Archeology Jambo Haro said they have discovered some ancient material suggesting some kind of "mortuary practices". "We have been able to recover substantial information which we want to put under scientific analysis so that we can find out the exact ages of some of the material and information," said Haro.

NMK Coast region assistant director Athman Hussein said although the discovery is unique, it is not conclusive until more tests and analysis are done. "Some tools were discovered about a metre underground that are believed to have been covered by some natural disasters. We are optimistic about this excavation," said Hussein.

In mid-July, a group of nine Chinese archeologists from Peking University in Beijing joined six of their compatriots, who had arrived in the country earlier, and two Kenyan experts to start excavating three sites in Mambrui. Haro said some of the areas in Malindi and Mambrui have not yet been excavated as they await the arrival of the Chinese State television, CCTV, crew who will stream the event live from the site. "They were supposed to arrive in the country last week, but they never came. I don't know when they will be arriving," said Haro. The leader of the excavation team Dashu Qin said the group will be at Mambrui for months for the excavation exercise. Hussein and Haro said the discovery will be a major boost to Kenya's tourism industry as it will place the country amongst the top world heritage destinations.

 

Kaleidoscope → New archeological evidence for the Patriotic War of 1812

From the Voice of Russia:  Kaleidoscope  →  New archeological evidence for the Patriotic War of 1812 

A group of archeologists from the Moscow-based Historical Museum have been working for three years in Kaluga district searching for new evidence for the Tarutino battle, which was a turning point in the Patriotic War of 1812. The most valuable finds are marked on the maps to find out all the details related to the battle and re-establish the course of events. Two hundred years on, the Patriotic War of 1812 remains a poorly-examined historical event.

After Kutuzov`s army left Moscow, troops led by Gen. Miloradovich stayed in the rearguard, repelling Marshal Murat`s attacks and preventing the French from pursuing the retreating Russian army. On October 3, 1812, the Russian troops managed to stop the enemy 60km to the south-west from Moscow near the village of Spas-Kuplya.

The detachment led by Miloradovich ensured a strong defense to let the rearguard forces reach the Nara River, where Kutuzov`s army was settled near the village of Tarutino. Having failed to prevent the Russian from retreating, Murat stopped pursuing them. A battle near Spas-Kuplya marked the end of Kutuzov`s legendary Tarutino maneuver, which helped the army to avoid new fights with the French and settle near Tarutino.

When archeologists arrived there to search what once was a battle field, they learned that their discoveries could be used to re-establish the course of the events, says Mikhail Gonyany, the deputy head of the department of historical and archeological studies at the State Historical Museum…
We found the perimeters of the area occupied by the Russian forces. We also found various items in the place where soldiers were wounded or killed. Each find was marked on the map. I believe that we have carried out the most detailed archeological search ever.

A method of battle archeology developed by the head of the expedition is a unique system which can be used to ensure the most accurate re-establishment of the events. Each meter of the battle field is carefully examined. Although this area has always been cultivated in the past two centuries, the traces of the 1812 war are still easy to find.

Before being recovered each find is listed on the map. Depending on the whereabouts of case shots or bullets, the remains of rifles or harness, experts re-establish the battle.

Some discoveries are really amazing. It was established that jagers were the first to stop Napoleon`s army. A researcher for the Historical Museum, Gennady Nefedov, says that jagers were the only Russian infantry troops who knew how to fight in extended order.

Jagers were small special purpose forces. When the Russian army entered Tarutino, jagers were repelling attacks by Murat`s corps.

It is a known fact that during the Tarutino battle Marshal Murat was wounded in the leg by a Cossack pike. That battle marked the beginning of Napoleon`s retreat from Russia. The success of the Tarutino maneuver encouraged the Russian army to launch a counteroffensive.

The finds recovered by the Tarutino expedition will be unveiled at the Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812, which is scheduled to open near Red Square on 6 September. It is also planned to release a book about the results of the expedition.