Archaeology News: August 4, 2011

The Last 3 Million Years at a Snail's Pace: A Tiny Trapdoor Opens a New Way to Date the Past

Scientists at the University of York, using an 'amino acid time capsule', have led the largest ever programme to date the British Quaternary period, stretching back nearly three million years.

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England's western-most Roman town uncovered

The discovery of 100 Roman coins by local men using metal detectors has led archaeologists to England’s western-most Roman town. “It is the beginning of a process that promises to transform our understanding of the Roman invasion and occupation of Devon,” said Sam Moorhead of the British Museum.

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E. Africa grasslands influenced human evolution: study

A new study suggests that open grasslands dominated East Africa for six million years, influencing the evolution of human ancestors. It had been thought that the region was forested up until two million years ago. “This study shows that during the development of bipedalism – about four million years ago – open conditions were present and even predominant,” said Thure Cerling of the University of Utah.

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University to uncover cistern below campus

The Cibali Cistern is located near Istanbul’s Golden Horn, beneath the campus of Kadir Has University. The university wants to restore the cistern, which was built in the eleventh century with columns taken from other structures.

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Capt. Morgan's lost fleet found?

Archaeologists and divers from Texas State University have found a seventeenth-century wooden ship, or what could be traces of privateer Captain Henry Morgan’s five lost vessels at the mouth of Panama’s Chagres River.

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Archaeologists Use a Hacked Kinect To Create 3-D Scans of Dig Sites

Archaeological digs are a painstaking process even after the earth has been excavated — artifacts must be carefully catalogued so researchers know exactly where they were found, which tells information about their past. On an upcoming dig in Jordan, a modified Kinect could serve as a 3-D scanner, making this process simpler — and decidedly more high-tech.

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Beer and wine archaeologist studies ancient, revealing stains

Archaeologist Patrick McGovern discovers details about ancient cultures -- their trade routes, agricultural practices and more -- by chemically analyzing stains on pot shards, a specialty he innovated, according to a recent Smithsonian profile.

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UDOT Archaeologists Transport the Public Through the Past and the Future

The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is nearing successful completion of archaeological fieldwork on a portion of Southern Utah’s newest road following a rare firsthand view of archaeology-in-action by the public two months ago.

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DORCHESTER: Builders working with local archaeologist

The town's heritage is extremely important and due to the potential archaeological sensitivities of the site, Cowlin has appointed Wessex Archaeology to ensure this important development receives the specialist attention it needs.

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Museum, archaeological site looks for volunteers

The Deer Valley Rock Art Center, an archaeology museum in northwest Phoenix, is inviting individuals to a new volunteer orientation 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 17. Learn about Phoenix's rock art site, and explore opportunities to meet new people, share talents, and engage the community in the preservation of the past.

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Dagestan archaeologists share their recent successes

Dagestan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences held a meeting with participation of journalists and archaeologists, devoted to the Archaeologists’ Day, celebrated on August 15. The event was attended by the deputy director for research work of the Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography DSC RAS, Doctor of Historical Sciences Omar Davudov and the leading researcher DSC RAS ​​Ludmila Hmyrya.

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WEYMOUTH: Visitors are 'Diggin' the Museum'

VISITORS had a chance to join a garden “excavation” when Portland Museum held a hands-on archaeology day. Diggin' the Museum included a series of holes being dug in the garden to see what archaeology could be found in the museum's own grounds.

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Spain Arrests 12 for Looting Archaeological Sites

Spain’s Guardia Civil seized more than 9,000 antiquities and arrested in the Mediterranean region of Valencia 12 people who dedicated themselves to looting archaeological sites using metal detectors.

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