French archaeologists investigating a site in Kenya have announced the discovery of a 2.34-million-year-old tool manufacturing center. The discoveries at the site suggest a level of sophistication that has not conventionally been attributed to early hominins of the time. Were the toolmakers australopithecine or homo? Nobody knows, yet. Read More
After a one-week break, excavations resume at the famous New Testament site and the ancient Geshurite city complex. Rubble from the collapsed Roman wall continues to be removed from the ancient cobblestone street, and more excavating within City Gate Chamber No. 2. Small finds were also unearthed, including a small (possibly) Roman coin and small fishing weights...........
A limited archaeological excavation currently being conducted at the Middle Bronze Age site of Tel Kabri holds out the possibility of future seasons of continuing expanded excavations. Excavations and survey work this summer will focus on determining the remaining dimensions and potential features of a Middle Bronze Age palace that contains Minoan-style frescoes, as well as an Iron Age fortress that is attributed to Greek mercenaries. One of the aims of the project, if expanded, will be to deepen current knowledge about the connection between the ancient Minoans of Crete and Greek mariners whose descendants colonized this part of the world and established a foothold. The project organizers hope to expand on the work previously done at the site. Read More
Archaeologists are uncovering the remains of a relatively advanced civilization located in Europe approximately 2,000 years before the pyramids of Egypt dotted the desert landscape of the Nile river valley. Now considered to be the remains of Europe's oldest civilization, 150 large earth- and wood-built temples were uncovered across central Europe, the largest complex having been discovered in the area of Dresden, Germany. The structures are dated to between 4800 and 4600 B.C. Along with the architectural remains, stone and bone tool and ceramic figurine artifacts were unearthed. The discovery is so recent that scholars have not yet had time to determine a name for the civilization or to identify it with any other European culture of the time period.
Clearing the rubble atop an ancient cobblestone road, digging deeper within an ancient chamber of an Iron Age city gate complex...............
Scientists may not ever be able to reproduce dinosaurs, as dramatically depicted in the popular film "Jurassic Park" -- but ancient date palms? That's another trick, entirely......but a successful one. Israeli scientists have recently successfully germinated a nearly 2,000 year old date palm seed excavated from Masada, the ancient cliff-top fortress where, in 73 A.D., a group of 960 Jewish zealots held out against a Roman siege before finally ending their own lives rather than succumbing to the hands of Roman victors. By studying the resurrected date palm, scientists hope to discover what made the famous Judean date palm so well regarded in ancient times for its shade, beauty, medicinal products and food.
A recent study is suggesting that the evolutionary picture of our species' descent from a source population in Africa is somewhat more complex than previous research indicates. Read the post on the "Nusapiens" blog for more information.
Recent studies conducted by a team of archaeologists in Iran have revealed that stone tools uncovered there are determined to be about 400,000 years old. They were discovered in an area where it has long been held that human presence dates back to about 50,000 years. If the earlier date holds, the tools could be associated with a hominid species that sojourned here long before our own (homo sapiens).
Tiberias Israel -- The Tiberias Excavations under the direction of Yizhar Hirschfeld of the Hebrew University will continue excavations at the ancient site of the same name in November of 2005. A call for volunteers has been published at the project's website, which posts more information about the dig, including opportunities in the Spring and Summer of 2006. The November dig will focus on uncovering more of the features of a Roman theatre complex, which may have had a seating capacity of up to 5,000 individuals. In addition to excavation and the processing of artifacts, the experience will include fascinating evening lectures and field trips to other archaeological sites which are, as anyone who is familiar with the archaeological treasures of this country would say, a real treat (along with the unforgettable experience of the dig itself). More information about the specific dates will be posted soon.
Louise Leakey discovers a molar which she identifies with Paranthropus Boisei. Read about it, and much more, in her latest dispatch from the Koobi Fora Research Project.
Shai Schwartz reports from the Field (see the previous posting for background):
Dr. Nicolae Roddy brought a group of 11 volunteers from the
Work continues leveling the Iron Age street leading north from the main gate. The surface layer is quite packed down from the traffic (a little trivia - the Syrians had a position at
In Chamber 2 (inside the Iron Age city gate on the left as you enter) layers of brick were removed that were from the collapse of the 2nd story structure. Again, this was from the destruction of the city and subsequent earth quakes.
The "find of the week" is a large piece of a "crater" (a large bowl) probably from the 11th century BCE. It's covered with "reed impressions". The "reed impressions" were made by taking a piece of reed and poking the end into the wet clay to make a pattern on depressions. It probably was used for ritual purposes to the chthonic gods as it appears to have a scheme reminiscent of a snake; revered by ancient peoples.
We also found a beautiful bead which looks like it's composed of glass fused onto glass. It was found during sifting when the conscientious volunteer broke open a clump of dirt; pointing out how important each phase of digging, sifting, washing is.
See the official website for more information about the Bethsaida Excavations Project.
If you are an undergraduate student or graduate looking toward a possible advanced degree in archaeology...........or even if you are far beyond those years in your life journey but you would like to get some additional education -- here is a website full of information and resources to help you plot your educational roadmap.
As noted in a previous posting, the Koobi Fora Research Project has fielded its operations and the team is now fully engaged in excavating and surveying the rich fossil exposures near the eastern shore of Lake Turkana. Led by Meave and Louise Leakey (both related to the famous scientists, Mary and Louis Leakey), the long-term project holds the promise of adding significantly to piecing together the puzzle of human origins. To give you a taste of what is happening, here is a full "reprint" of the first Dispatch from the field. There are other, more recent dispatches, all of which are written personally by Louise Leakey herself:
