Archaeology News: January 3, 2012

The Ministry of Communications and Works, Department of Antiquities, announces the completion of a short season of archaeological investigation conducted by the Department of History and Archaeology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUT) at the pre-Neolithic site of Vretsia-Roudias in the Troodos mountains (Pafos District). The project is carried out under the direction of Prof. Nikolaos Efstratiou.

When it's 3,000 B.C. and your drinking water comes from the crocodile-filled Nile River, a brewed beverage can be a form of health food. That's why the ancient Egyptians got so good at making beer. Modern Milwaukeeans can learn the Egyptians' brewing secrets at a special Discovery World workshop at 6 p.m. Thursday called: "Ale through the Ages: The Anthropology & Archaeology of Brewing."

They are the jewels in Norfolk’s crown, attracting thousands of visitors every year. However, a debate has begun into exactly how Norfolk’s museums should be managed – as well as by whom – with the final decision likely to impact the way they are run for years to come. With the Norfolk Joint Museums and Archaeology Committee, made up of county, city and district councillors set to discuss the recommendation when they meet on Friday, January 13, today the EDP looks at both sides of the important issue.

The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, as amended, is Federal legislation developed to ensure that our Nation's historical and archaeological properties are not lost through neglect or inadvertently damaged by activities permitted or funded by Federal agencies. Specifically, BOEM and BSEE, as Federal bureaus, are required under Section 106 of the Act to institute procedures to assure that Federal plans and programs contribute to the preservation and enhancement of non-federally owned sites, structures and objects of historical, architectural or archaeological significance.Archaeological sites on the OCS are most likely to be either prehistoric Native American sites dating from the time at the end of the last Ice Age when sea levels were about 200 feet lower then they are today, or historic shipwrecks.

A tsunami-damaged ancient Hawaiian stone platform used for worship has been restored. Ahuena Heiau, Inc. is a nonprofit organization of volunteers from West Hawaii serving as primary caretakers of the heiau. The group says the year-long effort to restore the heiau in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island involved 3,000 hours of volunteer service. The heiau is on the grounds of King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel, which suffered damage from the tsunami triggered by the March 11 earthquake in Japan. The heiau is also on the national and state registers of historic places. Many believe it to be one of the most culturally significant sites in Hawaii. The project was funded in part by the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

There's a big controversy over a landfill scheduled to open in the new year, near one of Italy's most treasured sites, Hadrian's Villa, where a legendary emperor lived more than 18 hundred years ago. Many Romans are upset that tons of waste could be buried so close to the historic complex, and about the odors and pollution the waste could generate.