Archaeologists from St. Alban’s are using CT Scanners to examine the contents of five Roman burial urns found in Hertfordshire.
“Two of the urns contained bones which could be human. An osteoarchaeologist will now examine the bones and help provide even more detail.” – Kelly Abbott
The completion of the examination will include removing the cremated remains, cleaning, and studying the bones for further conclusions – age, sex, and potentially cause of death.
To learn more about the archaeological inquiry into these burial urns, see the article at BBC News.
With the debt crisis and pending austerity measures in Greece, one of the great losers in this could be the Antiquities of Ancient Greece. Already plagued with deficiencies in conservation, preservation, guarding (as highlighted in the recent armed theft at Olympia), Greek antiquities face further cuts. Greek authorities are reaching out to private investors and philanthropists, but without much success.
To read more about the campaign to preserve Greek Antiquities, see the article at MSNBC.
A mass grave recently uncovered in Mexico has, fortunately, been identified as more than 1,000 years old – putting to rest fears that they were victims of modern violence.
The grave contains more than 160 people (men and women) who were likely ritually sacrificed. The bones demonstrated markings of body modification ocular amongst the Ancient native inhabitants.
The USS Monitor was one of the first iron clad naval ships and most famous for engaging in battle with the Merrimack (in the first battle between ironclad ships). When the turret of the Monitor was raised, two skeletons were found along with it.
Now, forensic anthropologists are using the skulls of the deceased crewmen in an attempt to reconstruct the faces of the ship’s sailors. The men both appear to be Caucasian and between the ages of 17 and 24. If successful, this will be the first time their faces have been seen in more than a hundred and fifty years.
A recent find by archaeologists during a tomb exploration in Jerusalem uncovered what could be the earliest archaeological evidence for Christianity in Jerusalem. One ossuary, an object similar to a coffin or sarcophagus, contains a four line Greek Inscription that refers to God “raising up” someone. An ossuary next to it depicts an inscription of an individual in the mouth of a large fish – perhaps a reference to the Biblical figure Jonah, akin to other examples of early Christian art.
The ossuaries have been sent to the Israeli State Collection and are waiting authentication. If the ossuaries prove to be authentic (there are many fakes, most famous the Jesus Ossuary and the James Brother of Jesus Ossuary), then they would represent (by centuries) the earliest evidence for Christianity. The objects would predate the gospels by centuries.
Although the Romans never actually went to ireland, confining themselves to the Big Island (and only making a brief foray into Scotland), it turns out that the Irish occupants did in fact interact with the Romans.
A new Irish Archaeological organization called the Discovery Programme is beginning to research how much of the Romans impacted and interacted with the Irish (including investigations into the possibility of a Roman invasion). While Irish archaeologists have uncovered Roman goods (ceramic-ware, beads, jewelry, etc), until now there has been little investigation into Ireland’s “Roman heritage.”
To read more about new archaeological investigations and the new Discovery Programme, see this article in the Irish Times: “So What Have the Romans Ever Done for US?“
Thieves robbed the museum at Olympia (the site of the ancient Olympic Games). Two armed masked men smashed display cases and grabbed priceless artifacts (at least 60) after overpowering guards at the museum.
In the wake of the chaos of Greece’s financial crisis, violent crime (targeting art) has skyrocketed. To read more about the theft, see the article at BBC News.
I played with digital storytelling in the classroom first semester and it went so well, I decided to do it again this semester as a project grade. To see my first experiment, see my previous post: “My First Attempt at Employing Digital Storytelling in the Classroom.” I followed along similarly to my first attempt but made a few minor adjustments. For example:
Students were given a list of potential topics (a person, an event, etc) and had to sign up for one, no two students could present on the same topic.
I modified my grading rubric.
I emailed the parents in advance to let them know we would be working on this project.
Overall, yet again, the students amazed me with their dedication and hard work. As per usual, we had a few technical difficulties (but far fewer this time than the last). I was also excited to see students helping one another to resolve their problems. Students who really struggled with the technology last semester seemed to be the ones most excelled this time around. I did this project for both my Ancient History and US History classes, so I will include some examples for each.
Here were the instructions for my Freshmen Ancient History Class:
And here are the instructions for the Civil War Project (pretty similar)
The students were also given a copy of the grading rubric in advance:
The students did a great job. Here are some great examples:
After the students finished their projects, we watched them in class. I also included questions from all of their projects on the next quiz. As a small extra-credit opportunity, they were encouraged to comment on their classmates’ videos.
This edition of Archaeology Magazine highlights the quest of modern archaeologists and explorers in locating the original source of the famed Aqua Traina - built by the Emperor Trajan in the 1st century CE. Aqueducts were the key to sustaining the large population of the ancient city of Rome and even today, stand as a testament to Roman engineering and industrialization.
The quest to discover and navigate the Northwest Passage long enticed explorers and politicians throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. The Northwest Passage is a treacherous sea-route through the Arctic Ocean. It was seen as a potential trade route and not successfully navigated until the early 20th century.
The Northwest Passage
This month’s Archaeology Magazine highlights the dangers of the sea journey and the ill-fated voyage by the HMS Investigator, an expedition led by Robert McClure that was abandoned in 1853 after it was irretrievably trapped in the ice. The ship was rediscovered in 2010 and is subject to investigation and excavation by nautical archaeologists.
Due to the environment and frigid waters, the dangers posed to archaeologists are unique. You can read more about their endeavors and what they have discovered int he 2011 field season in this article: “The Saga of the Northwest Passage.”
