Rare Roman Bowl found in Old London Cemetery

The bowl was pieced together from fragments found at the site.

Calling it a “miracle of preservation,” archaeologists have unearthed a Roman glass bowl in an ancient cemetery beyond the walls of the old city of London. The millefiori ~ meaning “a thousand flowers” ~ dish is believed to date from around the 2nd to 3rd century AD.

"For it to have survived intact is amazing,” Jenny Hall, curator of the Roman collection at the Museum of London, told Reuters News. “In fact, it is unprecedented in the western Roman world. We are still checking out whether there are similar examples surviving in the eastern part of the empire, in ancient Alexandria for example, but it's the only one in the West.”

The dish was found about nine feet deep in the ancient cemetery in Aldgate, east London, just beyond the old city walls. Romans were required by law to bury their dead outside the city gates.

Archaeologists said the dish was colored bright red when it was first pulled from the earth. The vermilion color has slowly disappeared since excavation as the water-saturated glass dried out. The moisture had preserved the original coloring, and some of the pigment is still distinguishable around the rim.

Click here for the Reuters article.

Native Americans Had Single Ancestral Source

An international team of scientists has concluded that Native Americans derived from a single ancestral population.

“Our work provides strong evidence that, in general, Native Americans are more closely related to each other than to any other existing Asian populations, except those that live at the very edge of the Bering Strait,” said Kari Britt Schroeder, a lecturer at the University of California, Davis, and the first author on the paper describing the study.

“While earlier studies have already supported this conclusion, what’s different about our work is that it provides the first solid data that simply cannot be reconciled with multiple ancestral populations,” said Schroeder.

For years various theories had been argued regarding whether ancestors of Native Americans emigrated to the New World in one wave or successive waves, or from one ancestral Asian population or a number of different populations. The new findings are from painstakingly comparing DNA samples from people in dozens of modern-day Native American and Eurasian groups.

Click here for the UC Davis article.

Temple Images Show Pharaohs and Gods

Here are two photos released this week related to the significant discovery in the Sinai peninsula of four ancient Egyptian temples. Archaeologists believe the four and a brick fortified wall were a religious center at the eastern gateway to Egypt around 1500 BC.

The top photo shows Pharaonic King Tuthmosis II (left) in front of the god Raa Hoor Akhti carved on a wall at one of the temples. The lower photo shows Pharaonic King Ramses II (right) and Geb, god of earth, carved on a wall at another one of the temples.

Click here for my previous post, based on a Reuters article.
Click here for the Associated Press article.

Durable Maya Blue Traced to Palygorskite Clay

Maya blue is a predominant color on this ancient mask.

Ancient Mayans used a rare clay called palygorskite to produce their traditional Maya blue. The clay has been used in Mesoamerica since ancient times and was closely related to socio-cultural aspects of the Mayan culture.

Palygorskite is produced by mixing indigo, an organic dye obtained from the plant of the same name, with a base of palygorskite clay. The resulting compound is extraordinarily resistant to chemical and environmental elements.

Maya Blue was invented between the 6th and the 8th Century and can be found in sculptures, fresco paintings, codices and pre-Columbian decorations across Mesoamerica, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean. It was used during the colonial period to paint frescos in churches and convents. Maya blue was rediscovered in 1931 and scientists were baffled by the stability and persistence of this color found on objects dating back to pre-Columbian times.

"Present day native communities on the Yucatan Peninsula are familiar with and use palygorskite clay for a variety of purposes, ranging from making candles on All Saints' Day and household and artistic pottery to remedies for mumps, stomach and pregnancy pains and dysentery," explained Manuel Sánchez del Río, a physicist at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble (France). Modern pharmacology uses clays like palygorskite to produce anti-diarrhea medicine, a remedy the Maya began to use more than a thousand years ago.

Click here for the complete ScienceDaily article.

Egypt's Zahi Hawass in 'Perpetual Motion'

One name more than any other has cropped up in Ancient Tides ~ that of Zahi Hawass, head of Egypt’s antiquities bureau. Due to his high profile in the usually modest profession of archaeology, it’s no surprise that some controversy surrounds the man.

Earlier this week, the New York Times ran a feature article about Hawass, including these excerpts:

In the seven years since he was named general secretary of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Dr. Hawass has been in perpetual motion. He personally announces every new discovery, was the force behind plans to construct 19 new museums, approved the restoration of nine synagogues in Cairo and has contributed to countless books, documentaries, magazine and newspaper articles all promoting Egyptian antiquities — and, of course, himself.

There are scientists who say he is too concerned with self-promotion and is often loose with facts. There are Egyptian antiquities workers who complain that he takes credit for their accomplishments. But his penchant for drama and his virtual monopoly over Egypt’s unrivaled ancient riches have earned him an international following and helped Egypt sell itself to tourists at a time when tourism dollars are increasingly scarce.

“Whether we like it or not, he is a star, and he lives the life of a star,” said Mahmoud Ibrahim Hussein, chairman of the antiquities department at Cairo University. “When he goes to a place, people gather around him to talk to him. Many professors give lectures; but people pay more to hear Zahi speak.”

Click here for the complete New York Times article.

Four Egyptian Temples Are Major Find in Sinai

Archaeologists have unearthed four pharaonic temples in the Sinai peninsula, including one with fortified walls that served as an important religious center at the eastern gateway to ancient Egypt.

The temples date to the rule of Thutmosis II, who reigned from about 1512 BC and was ultimately succeeded by his wife Hatshepsut, among ancient Egypt's most successful female rulers.

"The discovery is considered among the biggest discoveries in Sinai and includes the largest fortified Pharaonic temple in Sinai, at 80 meters by 70 meters," according to the Egyptian Supreme Council for Antiquities in a statement released today. "It is the only example of a mud brick temple in the New Kingdom era in the (Nile) Delta and Sinai."

The temple was surrounded by walls four meters thick and contained paintings of a number of Egyptian deities, including Horus, the god of the sun, as well as depictions of Thutmosis II and Ramses II.

Click here for the Reuters article.

High-Tech Reveals More of China's Great Wall

A section of the Great Wall in disrepair.

China’s famed Great Wall has gained another 180 miles due to infrared range finders and GPS devices enabling researchers to find portions previously concealed by hills, trenches and rivers.

The newly mapped parts of the wall were built during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) to protect China against northern invaders and were submerged over time by sandstorms that moved across the arid region, according to China’s national mapping agency.

The additional parts mean the Great Wall ~ construction of which began more than 2,000 years ago to prevent incursions into China by the Mongols and others ~ spans about 3,900 miles through the northern part of the country.

Recent studies by Chinese archaeologists have shown that sandstorms are reducing sections of the wall in Gansu to "mounds of dirt" and that they may disappear entirely in 20 years. These studies mainly blame the erosion on destructive farming methods used in the 1950s that turned large areas of northern China into desert. In addition, portions of the wall in Gansu were made of packed earth, which is less resilient than the brick and stone used elsewhere in much of the wall's construction.

China in recent years has begun restoring parts of the wall as well as trying to curb commercial development on or next to the ancient structure.

Click here for the Guardian UK article.

Tomb May Have Held Ramses' Granddaughter

Remnants of the noblewoman's sarcaphagus displays hieroglyphics.

A 3,000-year-old tomb uncovered recently has been identified as belonging to a woman named Isisnofret, possibly the granddaughter of Pharaoh Ramses II, who reigned during the 13th century B.C.

The tomb was found in a burial complex long buried by sand and rubble on a rocky outcrop on the outskirts the ancient royal burial city of Saqqara. The complex includes the base of a pyramid, a monumental gateway, a colonnaded courtyard, and an antechamber with three cult chapels.

Though Isisnofret's chapels are in ruins, partly due to looting, archaeologists have found fragments decorated with hieroglyphics. In general, cult chapels were painted with scenes of daily life and offerings—in case the family failed to provide the real thing.

Inside Isisnofret's tomb building, a limestone sarcophagus was found holding three skeletons—degraded mummies whose ages and sexes have yet to be determined.

Archaeologists at the site are unsure why the sarcophagus holds three bodies, or even what the original state was. The sarcophagus is missing its internal, wooden coffin—perhaps stolen during the ancient pillaging that seems to have stripped the tomb of funerary objects.

Click here for the complete article.

Italian Earthquake Reveals Prehistoric Caves

Last week's powerful earthquake in central Italy unearthed prehistoric dwellings there, according Italian daily La Stampa. Some of the vaulted caves measure nearly 20 feet in height, according to Italian geologist Gianluca Ferretti.

"We are exploring them," said Ferretti, who teaches geology at L'Aquila's university. The caves date back 15,000 years, according to geologists.

"Some of the caves were hollowed out by the first shepherds to inhabit the area, who would also use them as shelters for their animals," said Ferretti's colleague, Antonio Moretti.

But while they represent a fascinating archaeological find, the caves' emergence has worried geologists. "It shows the fragility of the sediment on which the area is built," said Ferretti.

The magnitude 6.3 quake last week destroyed or seriously damaged several thousand buildings and killed about 300 people.

New Findings Point to Ancient Druid Savagry

Ancient Romans considered Britain’s Celts ~ and their priests, whom he named Druids ~ to be a particularly savage people, and new findings seem to be bearing out that observation. Indications now point to cannibalism and ritual human sacrifice on a potentially massive scale.

After a first century BC visit to Britain, the Romans came back with horrific stories about the Celts, who had spread throughout much of Europe over a roughly 2,000-year period. Julius Caesar ~ leading the first Roman landing in 55 BC. ~ said the native Celts "believe that the gods delight in the slaughter of prisoners and criminals, and when the supply of captives runs short, they sacrifice even the innocent."

First-century historian Pliny the Elder went further, suggesting the Celts practiced ritual cannibalism, eating their enemies' flesh as a source of spiritual and physical strength.

National Geographic reports that recent gruesome finds may confirm the Romans' accounts. 

Incriminating evidence includes the 2,000-year-old, bog-mummified body of Lindow Man, discovered in England in the 1980s. At least one thing appears nearly certain about the man: He was the victim of a carefully staged sacrifice.

Other grisly clues come from a cave in Alveston, England. Skeletons belonging to as many as 150 people and dating back to about the time of the Roman conquest were discovered in 2000.

Depiction above is of Roman slaughter of Druids, which may have led to Celtic savagry.

Click here for the complete National Geographic article. The short video below is a preview to a National Geographic television special on the Druid findings.

Temple Reveals Peaceful Passage Between Ages

The ongoing dig at the Tayinat Citadel reveals the noteworthy temple.

Discovery of a well-preserved temple in Turkey ~ constructed during the time of King Solomon around the 10th Century BC ~ casts doubt on the view that the transition from the Late Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age was violent, sudden and culturally disruptive.

Ancient sources such as the Homeric epics and the Hebrew Bible depict an era of widespread famine, ethnic conflict and population movement, including migrations of Philistines and the Israelites, also called the Sea Peoples. According to ScienceDaily:

This is thought to have precipitated a prolonged Dark Age marked by cultural decline and ethnic strife during the early centuries of the Iron Age. But recent discoveries ~ including the Tayinat excavations ~ have revealed that some ruling dynasties survived the collapse of the great Bronze Age powers.

"Our ongoing excavations have not only begun to uncover extensive remains from this Dark Age, but the emerging archaeological picture suggests that during this period Tayinat was the capital of a powerful kingdom, the ‘Land of Palastin’," says Timothy Harrison, professor of Near Eastern Archaeology at the University of Toronto and the director of the project. "Intriguingly, the early Iron Age settlement at Tayinat shows evidence of strong cultural connections, if not the direct presence of foreign settlers, from the Aegean world, the traditional homeland of the Sea Peoples."

The temple’s inner sanctuary ~ also know as its 'holy of holies' ~ will be the focus of the 2009 field season which begins on July 1.

Click here for the complete ScienceDaily article.

Number 10 ~ TREADING (Conduct)

Treading upon the tail of the tiger.
It does not bite the man. Success.

The situation is really difficult. That which is strongest and that which is weakest are close together. The weak follows behind the strong and worries it. The strong, however, acquiesces and does not hurt the weak, because the contact is in good humor and harmless. In terms of a human situation, one is handling wild, intractable people. In such a case, one's purpose will be achieved if one behaves with decorum. Pleasant manners succeed even with irritable people.