Continued excavations of the Minoan Neopalatial complex at Sissi, Crete

A team of the Université Catholique de Louvain under the auspices of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Lasithi and the Belgian School at Athens, aided by experts and students from many Greek and foreign universities, continued the excavation of a monumental court-centered building on the Kephali-hill at Sissi (Lassithi, Crete) during the summer of 2017.

Aerial view of the court-centred complex at Sissi 
[Credit: © EBSA/N. Kress]

The entire complex largely dates to the Neopalatial period of the Minoan civilization, roughly the 16th c. BC, and was abandoned close in time to the Santorini eruption, ash of which was found within the building.

Started in 2015, we finally achieved the clearance of the plastered central court, which is seen to have a maximum size of 16.50 by 33 m.

Ritual Installations and paved corridor leading into court 
[Credit: © EBSA/J. Driessen]

Several ritual installations are found on and along this central court, which was directly accessible from the outside to the southwest via a finely paved corridor with ashlar walls.

The excavation further revealed large parts of the east and west wings of the complex; the latter also comprises a circular water-collecting basin with an associated subterranean cistern.

Fragments of ritual vase, probably a kernos, from the Central Court 
[Credit: © EBSA/Chronis Papanikolopoulos]

The excavation further identified an early phase of Mycenaean occupation (end of 15th c. BC) within the settlement while the exploration of the cemetery was continued.

Source: Belgian School at Athens [September 22, 2017]

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Ancient textiles reveal differences in Mediterranean fabrics in the 1st millennium BC

Textiles represent one of the earliest human craft technologies and applied arts, and their production would have been one of the most important time, resource and labour consuming activities in the ancient past.

Twill example from Civita Castellana, Italy, seventh century BC [Credit: Margarita Gleba]

In archaeological contexts, textiles are relatively rare finds, especially in Mediterranean Europe where conditions are unfavourable for organic material preservation. Many archaeological textile fragments do, however, survive in mineralised form, which forms the basis of a new study published in Antiquity.

Detailed analysis of several hundred textile fragments has provided, for the first time, a much more detailed definition of the textile cultures in Italy and Greece during the first half of the first millennium BC.

According to Dr Margarita Gleba, the study's author and researcher at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, "Luckily for us, during the Iron Age (c. 1000-400 BC) people were buried with a lot of metal goods such as personal ornaments, weapons and vessels. These metals are conducive to the preservation of textiles as the metal effectively kills off the micro-organisms which would otherwise consume the organic materials, while at the same time metal salts create casts of textile fibres, thereby preserving the textile microstructure."

Weft-faced tabby example from Corfu, Greece, sixth century BC [Credit: Artex]

"This is how we get such a large number of textiles, even though they only exist now in tiny fragments. Through meticulous analysis using digital and scanning electron microscopy, high performance liquid chromatography and other advanced methods we are able to determine a lot of information including the nature of the raw materials and structural features such as thread diameter, twist direction, type of weaving or binding, and thread count."

The technical differences suggest that during the Iron Age, textiles in Italy more closely resembled those found in Central Europe (associated with the Hallstatt culture that was prevalent in modern-day Germany, Austria and Slovenia) while the textile culture of Greece was largely connected with the Near East.

Dr Gleba added, "There is overwhelming evidence for frequent contact between Italy and Greece during the first half of the first millennium BC, but this evidence shows that their textile traditions were technically, aesthetically and conceptually very different. This means that the populations in these two regions are making an active decision to clothe themselves in a certain way and it may have to do with traditions set up already in the Bronze Age."

"Textiles have been and still are widely considered one of the most valuable indicators of individual and group identity. Even in societies today, we frequently form opinions of others based on the type of cloth they are wearing: tweed is associated with Irish and British country clothing, cashmere with Central Asia and silk with the Far East for example."

"Curiously, by Roman times, the establishment of Greek colonies in southern Italy and more general oriental influences observed in material culture of Italic populations leads towards gradual disappearance of the indigenous textile tradition. Our future research will attempt to understand the cause behind this change in textile culture."

Source: University of Cambridge [September 21, 2017]

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3-D analysis of dog fossils sheds light on domestication debate

In an effort to settle the debate about the origin of dog domestication, a technique that uses 3-D scans of fossils is helping researchers determine the difference between dogs and wolves.

3D plot of PC1–3 mandible shape variation. Black: dogs, dark grey: Alaskan wolves, light grey: European wolves, 
dark red: Ivolgin fossils, green: Ust’-Polui fossils, purple: Pleistocene Alaskan wolves, cyan: 1600CE fossil dogs, 
orange: unknown Alaskan fossil canids, pink: 1600CE fossil wolf [Credit: Scientific Reports (2017)]

In the ongoing debate, one camp believes dogs were domesticated in the Paleolithic age (more than 17,000 years ago), when humans were hunter-gatherers. The other camp believes domestication occurred in the Neolithic age (17,000 to 7,000 years ago), when humans first established agriculture and civilizations.

Abby Grace Drake, a senior lecturer in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and her colleagues have been analyzing 3-D scans of ancient fossil canid mandibles to determine whether they belong to dogs or wolves. The answer, they find, is not so simple.

The researchers found that in the early stages of domestication, the skull changed shape but evolution of the mandible lagged behind and did not co-evolve with the skull. Their study is reported in the journal Scientific Reports.

"A lot of the fossil evidence for the date of dog domestication is based on morphological [structural] analysis of mandibles," said Drake, the paper's first author. Robert Losey, an anthropologist at the University of Alberta, Canada, is a senior co-author of the paper. "Our study shows that when you measure modern dog mandibles and wolf mandibles using 3-D measurements you can distinguish them, and yet when we looked at these fossil mandibles, they don't look like dogs or wolves."

Wolves have fairly straight mandibles while dog mandibles are curved, structural features that become evident in a 3-D scan. In a proof of principle, when analyzing the 3-D structures of mandibles of modern dogs, Drake and colleagues correctly classified 99.5 percent of the samples as being dog or wolf.

This video shows how a canid mandible changes shape and curves during its transition from wolf to dog 

[Credit: Abby Grace Drake/Cornell University]

However, 3-D analysis of fossil records from four ancient sites, two from Russia and two from Alaska, found that most of those fossil mandibles could not be classified as either dog or wolf, even though features in canid skulls from the same sites as well as other data proved that the samples were dog remains.

Other evidence also showed that these canids were domesticated: The remains were found within human dwellings, remains at both the Russian sites revealed butchery marks, indicating that they were eaten, and isotope analysis of canid and human remains from one of the sites - Ust'-Polui, in the Russian Arctic - showed canids and humans were both eating fish, and humans were feeding their canids.

Since mandibles do not appear to evolve as rapidly as the skull, the results show they are not reliable for identifying early dog fossils, Drake said.

Four of 26 fossil mandibles from Ust'-Polui, which was occupied from 250 B.C. to 150 B.C., were identified as dogs, while three of the mandibles from the site were identified as wolves.

At another site, Ivolgin, in southern Russia, occupied between 300 B.C. and 200 B.C., none of the 20 mandibles were identified as dogs, though 8 were identified as wolves. All of the skulls found at these sites, 12 from Ivolgin and five from Ust'-Polui, were clearly identified as dogs.

Canid fossils of wolves and dogs from the Alaskan sites from 1600 CE were used as controls and to compare genetic testing against the structural 3-D data.

A 2015 paper by Drake and Michael Coquerelle, an anthropologist at the University Rey Juan Carlos in Alcorcon, Spain, and a co-author on the current paper, used the 3-D technique to refute a claim that dogs existed 30,000 years ago. That claim was based on linear caliper measurements of skulls. Linear measurements are inaccurate because dog and wolf skull sizes overlap, Drake said. On the other hand, 3-D analysis of skulls uses landmarks across the skull to identify differences between dogs and wolves in the angle of the muzzle, or snout, and in the angling of the eye orbits.

"The earliest dogs I've seen in my analysis are from 7,000 to 9,000 years ago," Drake said.

Author: Lindsey Hadlock | Source: Cornell University [September 21, 2017]

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Viking boat burial found in Norway

On one of the last days of the excavation in the market square, archaeologists from the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) became aware of a feature with a somewhat special shape.

The boat dates between the seventh and 10th centuries, around the time the Vikings began exploring and raiding Europe 
[Credit: Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU)]

The feature, which was dug into the natural deposits, had been disturbed in several places by later pits and postholes, but it was quite clearly boat-shaped.

"Careful excavation revealed that no wood remained intact, but lumps of rust and some poorly-preserved nails indicated that it was a boat that was buried here", says archaeologist Ian Reed.

The remains of the boat show that it was at least 4 meters long and oriented more or less north-south.

Skeletal remains

The boat contained two long bones, which, like the boat, were oriented north-south.

"This suggests that there was a human skeleton contained within the boat. Because of the poor state of preservation we will have to carry out DNA tests to be 100% certain that the bones are human", says Reed.

The boat is damaged several places by pits and post holes. Cautious excavation has reveiled that there is no wood left 
but clumps of rust and some poorly preserved nails that show that this is probably a boat grave 
[Credit: Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU)]

Sheet bronze and a key

Other finds included a small piece of sheet bronze, located up against one of the bones, as well as what are likely personal items from the grave.

"In a posthole dug through the middle of the boat we found a piece of a spoon and part of a key for a chest. If this is from the grave then it can probably be dated from the 7th to the 10th century", says Reed.

Could it be an Åfjord boat?

The location away from today’s harbor and the fjord suggests that the boat grave dates from the late Iron Age, or perhaps the early Viking Age.

"It is likely a boat that has been dug down into the ground and been used as a coffin for the dead. There has also probably been a burial mound over the boat and grave", says NIKU’s Knut Paasche, a specialist in early boats.

Sketcth of an Åfjord boat [Credit: Nordlandsbåten og Åfjordsbåten av G. Eldjarn og J. Godal, 1988.]

He believes that the boat type is similar to an Åfjord boat, which has historically been a common sight along the Trøndelag coast.

"This type of boat is relatively flat in the bottom midship. The boat can also be flat-bottomed as it is intended to go into shallow waters on the river Nidelven. Boat graves are common from the Iron Age and into the Viking Period, but this is the first time a ship burial from this period has been discovered in Trondheim city centre."

"This is another discovery by NIKU that refers to a Trondheim older than the medieval city. Other Viking settlements such as Birka, Gokstad or Kaupang, all have graves in close proximity to the trading centre", says Paasche.

Work on the boat has now been completed.

Source: Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research [September 21, 2017]

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New scientific dating research unravels the story of life in prehistoric Orkney

A new study, published today in Antiquity journal, is challenging the previously understood narrative for prehistoric life on Orkney. It was led by Professor Alex Bayliss of Historic England and is based on the interrogation of more than 600 radiocarbon dates, enabling much more precise estimates of the timing and duration of events in the period c.3200-2500 BC.

Excavating the Smerquoy Hoose [Credit: © Colin Richards]

The study is part of a much wider project, The Times of Their Lives, funded by the European Research Council (2012-2017), which has applied the same methodology to a wider series of case studies across Neolithic Europe. That project has demonstrated many other examples of more dynamic and punctuated sequences than previously suspected in 'prehistory'.

Neolithic Orkney is well-preserved and is a time of stone houses, stone circles and elaborate burial monuments. World-renowned sites such as the Skara Brae settlement, Maeshowe passage grave, and the Ring of Brodgar and Stones of Stenness circles have long been known and are in the World Heritage Site (given this status in 1999). They have been joined by more recent discoveries of great settlement complexes such as Barnhouse and Ness of Brodgar.

The new study reveals in much more detail than previously possible the fluctuating fortunes of the communities involved in these feats of construction and their social interaction. It used a Bayesian statistical approach to combine calibrated radiocarbon dates with knowledge of the archaeological contexts that the finds have come from to provide much more precise chronologies than those previously available.

Aerial view of Barnhouse [Credit: © Colin Richards]

Professor Alex Bayliss of Historic England, leader of the Orkney study, said: 'This study shows that new statistical analysis of the large numbers of radiocarbon dates that are now available in British archaeology really changes what we can know about our pasts. People in the Neolithic made choices, just like us, about all sorts of things - where to live, how to bury their dead, how to farm, where and when to gather together - and those choices are just beginning to come into view through archaeology. It's an exciting time to be an archaeological scientist!'

The study indicates:

• Orkney was probably first colonised in c. 3600 cal BC (cal indicates dates calibrated by radiocarbon dating). There was an expansion and growth of settlement and building of monuments from c. 3300 cal BC.

• Settlement peaked in the period c. 3100-2900 cal BC

• There was a phase of decline c. 2800-2600 cal BC, measured by the number of stone houses in use

• Settlement resumed in c. 2600-2300 cal BC, but only away from the 'core' area of the Brodgar-Stenness peninsula in western Mainland. It was probably about this time that the Ring of Brodgar itself was erected, probably bringing people together from across Orkney but into what was now a sacred, not a domestic, landscape

Excavating Ring of Brodgar [Credit: © Colin Richards]

The study suggests that the period saw competition between communities that was played out in how they buried their dead and in their communal gatherings and rituals.

The study also throws up other complexities in the sequence of development on the island:

• An overlap between the construction of different kinds of burials tombs - passage graves and large stalled cairns - in the later fourth millennium cal BC

• An overlap between the emergence of the new pottery style, flat-based Grooved Ware, characteristic of the Late Neolithic in Orkney, and the round-based pottery of earlier Neolithic inhabitants

• The first appearance of the non-native Orkney vole, Microtus agrestis, c. 3200 cal BC. This is significant as it is found today on Orkney and on the European continent but not in mainland Britain. It was probably introduced via direct long-distance sea travel between Orkney and the continent. The study therefore also considers whether new people from continental Europe were part of this complex cultural scenario.

Ring of Brodgar [Credit: © Colin Richards]

Professor Alasdair Whittle of Cardiff University, Principal Investigator of The Times of Their Lives, said: 'Visitors come from all over the world to admire the wonderfully preserved archaeological remains of Orkney, in what may seem a timeless setting. Our study underlines that the Neolithic past was often rapidly changing, and that what may appear to us to be enduring monuments were in fact part of a dynamic historical context.'

Professor Colin Richards of the University of the Highlands and Islands in Kirkwall, Orkney, and co-author of the study, said: 'Our study shows how much remains to be discovered in Orkney about the Neolithic period, even though it may appear well known. This applies throughout the sequence, including in the period of decline at its end.'

Source: Historic England [September 20, 2017]

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2017 excavations at Minoan cemetery in Petras Siteia concluded

The excavation of the unplundered Pre- and Proto-Palatial Minoan cemetery (2800-1800 BC) at Petras Siteia in eastern Crete continued for the 12th season under the direction Dr. Metaxia Tsipopoulou, with excellent results.

Minoan site of Petras [Credit: Petras Excavations Facebook]

In previous years some 17 monumental tombs, a funerary rock shelter, three pits and two extensive ritual spaces erected and used by prominent families of the palatial settlement have been excavated.

Monumental tomb [Credit: Petras Excavations Facebook]

The quantity and preservation of the skeletal remains is exceptional, as well as the variety of grave goods, many of which are made from imported raw materials.

Some of the grave goods discovered this year [Credit: Petras Excavations Facebook]

Finds include a large number of gold and silver jewellery, bronze tools, more than 200 stone vases, 65 seals carved from ivory and semi-precious stones, two signet rings and numerous small ceremonial statues.

Aerial view of the Minoan cemetery at Petras [Credit: Petras Excavations Facebook]

The quantity of ceramics is also very important and includes a large number of decorated, mainly ritual, vessels.

This year's excavations focused primarily on Early Minoan II and Middle Minoan II burial groups, which yielded new ivory seals, unique gold jewellery, beads of gold and semi-precious stones, as well as stone vases, figurines and polychrome 'Kamares' ware.

Source: ANA-MPA [September 20, 2017]

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Lost temple of Artemis found on Greek island of Euboea

A Swiss-led team of archaeologists in Greece has made a spectacular find: the temple of Artemis, a famous open-air sanctuary of antiquity.

Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture

Researchers have been looking for the sanctuary for more than a century. The site was found at the foot of the Paleoekklisies hill near the small fishing town of Amarynthos on the Greek island of Euboea. It’s about 10km from the place where the temple was wrongly thought to be located.

Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture

Since 2007, the search for the sanctuary has been led by Karl Reber, a professor at the Universty of Lausanne and director of the Swiss School of Archaeology in Athens.

Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture

Researchers found parts of a massive wall dating back to the classical era, which they believe belongs to the stoa or portico built near the temple. Exploratory trenches were opened in Amarynthos in 2012, and the Swiss team brought to light a bigger part of the building.

Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture

Now, after also finding artefacts with inscriptions, they are sure that they have located the site of the Artemis Amarynthia, which was the end point of the annual procession of people from the once prosperous trading city of Eretrea, 10km away.

They held a festival in honour of Artemis, the untameable goddess of hunting in Greek mythology. She was worshipped as the patron goddess of Amarynthos, which takes its name from an Eretrean man who was besotted by Artemis.

Source: Swissinfo [September 20, 2017]

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60 ancient shipwrecks found by climate scientists at bottom of Black Sea

Dozens of perfectly preserved ancient shipwrecks have been found at the bottom of the Black Sea. A total of 60 wrecks were discovered dating back as far as 2,500 years, including galleys from the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires.

Dozens of perfectly preserved ancient shipwrecks have been found at the bottom of the Black Sea. This image shows a 3D 
model of a Roman ship lying in over 2000m (650 ft) of water. Its mast still stands, both quarter rudders with their tillers
 are still attached. Rope is still draped over the frames due to the preservation of materials 
in the Black Sea’s anoxic conditions [Credit: BlackSeaMap]

Scientists stumbled upon the graveyard while using underwater robots to survey the effects of climate change along the Bulgarian coast. Because the Black Sea contains almost no light or oxygen, little life can survive, meaning the wrecks are in excellent condition.

Researchers say their discovery is 'truly unrivalled'. Many of the ships have features that are only known from drawings or written description but never seen until now. Carvings in the wood of some ships have remained intact for centuries, while well-preserved rope was found aboard one 2,000-year-old Roman vessel.

The wrecks, such as this one from the Medieval period, are astonishingly well preserved due to the anoxic conditions 
(absence of oxygen) of the Black Sea below 150 metres (490 ft). This trading vessel was found with 
the towers on the bow and stern still mostly in place [Credit: Rodrigo Pacheco-Ruiz]

The project, known Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project (Black Sea MAP), involves an international team led by the University of Southampton's Centre for Maritime Archaeology.

Ed Parker, CEO of Black Sea MAP, said: 'Some of the ships we discovered had only been seen on murals and mosaics until this moment. There's one medieval trading vessel where the towers on the bow and stern are pretty much still there. It's as if you are looking at a ship in a movie, with ropes still on the deck and carvings in the wood. When I saw that ship, the excitement really started to mount – what we have found is truly unrivalled.'

Shown here is a shipwreck from the Ottoman period discovered 300 metres beneath the Black Sea. Many of the 
wrecks' details and locations are being kept secret by the team to ensure they remain undisturbed 
[Credit: Rodrigo Pacheco-Ruiz]

Most of the vessels found are around 1,300 years old, but the oldest dates back to the 4th Century BC. Many of the wrecks' details and locations are being kept secret by the team to ensure they remain undisturbed.

Black Sea water below 150 metres (490 ft) is anoxic, meaning the environment cannot support the organisms that typically feast on organic materials, such as wood and flesh. As a result, there is an extraordinary opportunity for preservation, including shipwrecks and the cargoes they carried.

The researchers used two Remotely Operated Vehicles (pictured) to survey the sea bed. These have discovered a number 
of wrecks over a series of expeditions spanning three years, including the one pictured from the Byzantine period, 
found in October last year [Credit: Rodrigo Pacheco-Ruiz]

Ships lie hundreds or thousands of metres deep with their masts still standing, rudders in place, cargoes of amphorae and ship's fittings lying on deck. Many of the ships show structural features, fittings and equipment that are only known from drawings or written description but never seen until now.

Project leader Professor Jon Adams, of the University of Southampton, said: 'This assemblage must comprise one of the finest underwater museums of ships and seafaring in the world.'

While the primary focus of the project is to carry out geophysical surveys, shipwrecks, including this one from the 
Ottoman period, have given new insights into how communities live on the shores of the Black Sea 
[Credit: Rodrigo Pacheco-Ruiz]

The expedition has been scouring the waters 1,800 metres (5,900ft) below the surface of the Black Sea since 2015 using an off-shore vessel equipped with some of the most advanced underwater equipment in the world. The vessel is on an expedition mapping submerged ancient landscapes which were inundated with water following the last Ice Age.

The researchers had discovered over 40 wrecks across two previous expeditions, but during their latest trip, which spanned several weeks and returned this month, they uncovered more than 20 new sites.

Scientists have accidentally discovered a graveyard of ancient shipwrecks while using underwater Remotely Operated 
Vehicles to survey the effects of climate change along the Bulgarian coast. Pictured are researchers exploring 
a recently discovered 2,000-year-old Roman galley buried in the seabed [Credit: BlackSeaMap]

Returning to the Port of Burgas in Bulgaria, Professor Jon Adams said: 'Black Sea MAP now draws towards the end of its third season, acquiring more than 1300km [800 miles] of survey so far, recovering another 100m (330 ft) of sediment core samples and discovering over 20 new wreck sites, some dating to the Byzantine, Roman and Hellenistic periods.' 

The researchers are using two Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) to survey the sea bed. One is optimised for high resolution 3D photography, while the other, called Surveyor Interceptor, 'flies' at four times the speed of conventional ROVs.

The researchers had discovered over 40 wrecks across two previous expeditions, but during their latest trip, which 
returned this month, they uncovered more than 20 new sites, including a 2,000-year-old Roman galley 
shown here [Credit: BlackSeaMap]

The Interceptor carries an entire suite of geophysical instrumentation, as well as lights, high definition cameras and a laser scanner. Since the project started, Surveyor Interceptor has set new records for depth at 5,900ft (1,800 metres) and sustained speed  of over six knots (7mph), and has covered 1,250 kilometres (776 miles).

Among the wrecks are ships from the Roman, Ottoman and Byzantine Empires, which provide new information on the communities on the Black Sea coast. Many of the colonial and commercial activities of ancient Greece and Rome, and of the Byzantine Empire, centred on the Black Sea.

De Jersey said it was possible that a monk hid the body of the porpoise because he was not supposed to have it, or that the body was placed in the hole in salt to preserve it.

“It may have been packed in salt and then for some reason they didn’t come back to it.”

Another intriguing theory is that the animal had some sort of religious significance to the people who used the island. “The dolphin has a strong significance in Christianity but I’ve not come across anything like this before,” said De Jersey. “It’s the slightly wacky kind of thing that you might get in the iron age but not in medieval times.”

He said it was the most unusual find in his 35-year career. “It’s very peculiar, I don’t know what to make of it. Why go to the trouble of burying a porpoise in what looks like a grave. It’s a wonderful surprise.”

As well as the porpoise remains, shards of 14th-century pottery, a prehistoric stone tool and what is believed to be the remains of the walls of the monks’ retreat have been found.

The porpoise remains have been removed and will be studied by a marine expert.

Author: Steven Morris | Source: The Guardian [September 19, 2017]

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'Exceptionally rare' crucifix found by metal detectorist in England

An "exceptionally rare" ancient crucifix has been unearthed by an amateur metal detectorist. The 2cm (0.78in) tall lead object, which depicts Christ on the cross, was found in the village of Skidbrooke, Lincolnshire, by Tom Redmayne. It is thought to date from between AD 950-1150.

The 2cm artefact depicts Christ on the cross [Credit: Adam Daubney]

Archaeologist Adam Daubney, from Lincolnshire County Council, said it is one of only three known examples in the country.

Mr Redmayne, who found the crucifix on Sunday, said he did not initially realise the significance of his discovery. He said he knew it was a crucifix, and was possibly old due to its crude design.

However, he said it was only when he researched the item online he realised it was something special. Despite the artefact having little monetary value, he said, it offers a unique insight into the lives of ordinary people at the time.

The object was found by a metal detectorist in the village of Skidbrooke, Lincolnshire 
[Credit: Adam Daubney]

Finds officer Mr Daubney said the crucifix was probably made overseas. He said it was likely to come from an "archaeologically invisible" period in terms of everyday artefacts. "We have lots of place names founded at the time, but in terms of artefacts they are few and far between," he said.

The crucifix bears an image of Christ on the cross, similar to types found in Scandinavia. "This object is probably telling us something about cross-channel trade and religion," he said. He said his task now was to try and find out more about the crucifix's origins.

Similar items have been found in Cottam, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, and at Swinhope, near Binbrook, in Lincolnshire.

Source: BBC News Website [September 19, 2017]

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Excavations at Minoan palace of Zominthos yield complex architectural features, rare artefacts

Staircases, richly decorated walls and important artefacts are among the findings of this past season's excavations at the extensive and complex Minoan palace of Zominthos, on the Psiloritis (Ida) mountain in central Crete, the ministry of Culture and Sports announced Monday.

Aerial view of entrance leading to the palace's main court [Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture]

Entrance leading to the palace's main court [Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture]

The excavations on the palace were conducted by emerita director of antiquities Efi Sapouna-Sakellaraki from July to August. Excavations on a section of the palace began in the '80s by archaeologist Yiannis Sakellarakis, and have been conducted annually since 2004.

NE entrance leading through a hallway to the eastern wing's shrine [Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture]

Interior staircase leading to upper floor [Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture]

The ministry said that the new evidence revealed by this summer's excavations includes data about "the complex's internal layout and its architecture (staircases, rich wall decorations), with multiple findings from the excavation of the interior and its rooms, where a very rare coin was found from Marcus Aurelius' reign (161-180 AD). All elements point to the significance of this huge, labyrinthine building at an altitude of 1,200 meters."

Pendant in shape of a sea shell [Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture]

Rock crystals, like the above, were found throughout the palace complex [Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture]

Among the new data uncovered during this season, according to the Culture ministry, are two new entrances, one in the NE corner of the palace leading through a hallway to the eastern wing's shrine, and the other - damaged by alterations in the Mycenaean and Roman years and by looters in the 60s - leading to the palace's main court. The palace appeared to have multiple levels, internal staircases, floors constructed of expensive materials and walls lavishly decorated. Some of the walls have survived to a height of three meters.

Large hall with central pillar [Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture]

Stone storage units for the safe-keeping of valuable items, as suggested by a locally produced Egyptian scarab, 
a sealstone and several conch shells that were found here [Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture]

Palace rooms have yielded stamps, vessels in different shapes, stone cases for valuables, a local reproduction of an Egyptian scarab made of copper, and seashells that were not meant for consumption, pointing to the worship of a sea goddess. Other findings include bronze daggers, sections of large ceramic storage jars, and remains of beehives.

Bonze coin of Marcus Aurelius (AD 161-180) [Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture]

The date of the earliest settlement on Zominthos (around 1900 BC), almost coinciding with the first settlement in the Knossos area, and its proximity to the Idaean Cave, the most important and perhaps earliest shrine on Crete, point to the significance of the palace in the economic, political and religious network of the island of Crete.

Source: ANA-MPA [September 18, 2017]

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Ancient Greek fortress unearthed in southern Russia

Archaeologists have unearthed a fortress in Russia’s Krasnodar Region, which was apparently founded by Greek colonists in the fifth century BC, head of the expeditions department at the Research Center for Cultural Heritage Preservation Ivan Tupalov told TASS, adding that the citadel had been found in the area where an energy bridge to Crimea is under construction.

Credit: © Vyacheslav Prokofiev/TASS

"Security work was underway in connection with the construction of the energy bridge between Rostov and Taman [the part of the energy bridge that would incorporate Crimea in Russia’s energy grid, ensuring uninterrupted power supply to the peninsula - TASS]," he said. "During excavations, an ancient fortress was unearthed. Judging by its fortifications, it was a Greek citadel founded by colonists, who came to settle the Black Sea coast… Such discoveries are not made every day," Tupalov added.

According to him, the fortress is estimated to date back 2,500 years, as it is believed to have been built approximately in the fifth century BC. Its walls were made of mud bricks, that’s why they did not last till today, but some traces can be seen in places where the ditch was and towers once stood. The citadel had an area of around eight hectares. In the seventh and eighth centuries AD, the earthern ramparts left over from its walls were turned into a burial ground, while in the past decades, the area was partly occupied by fields.

Tupalov said that scientists have yet to find answers to a lot of questions. The number of the citadel’s residents is still unknown (it can be estimated based on the number of the uncovered ceramic sherds). Another puzzling question is whether during ancient times, the Kuban River was connected to the sea by a firth or the did the Greeks build their fortress on the seashore, or did they move deep inland, which was uncommon for them.

Besides, archaeologists have found a number of noteworthy artefacts. "For instance, a bowl has been excavated which has an interesting picture of figures engaged in a dance resembling the modern Greek 'sirtaki' dance," Tupalov said. "Besides, there are various small incense burners as the Greeks were very fond of fragrances, there are also pieces of jewellery and ceramic sherds," he added.

The Greeks, who came to the territory of the present-day Kuban in the fourth century BC, established their or colonies on the sea coast. They founded the Bosporan Kingdom on the shores of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, spreading their civilization and peacefully coexisting with peoples living on the Taman Peninsula. In the fourth century AD, the Hun tribes drove the Greeks out of this area.

Source: TASS [September 18, 2017]

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Man charged for theft of fossil footprints in Crete

Greek police arrested on Friday a 55-year-old man in connection with the theft of 10 fossilised footprints which were stolen on earlier this week from the site where they were uncovered in Kissamos, Western Crete, authorities said.

The vandalised site, showing fresh sand along the edges of the slab where it has been lifted and the holes left 
by the removal of two blocks in the centre [Credit: Babis Fassoulas]

The suspect faces charges of violating laws on protection of cultural heritage. Authorities were able to locate quickly in regions of Kissamos and Thessaloniki all ten fossils. The objects will be send to Chania to be examined by experts.

The site has been buried in haste to avoid further thefts [Credit: Babis Fassoulas]

Ten of some 40 footprints on the site were cut away and removed from the rock where they were found by a Polish paleontologist in 2002. The 5.7-million-year-old fossils are believed to belong to a hominid ancestor of modern humans and their discovery could upend established theories of human evolution.

The buried site [Credit: Babis Fassoulas]

The theft was reported by a member of the public that visited the site on Tuesday and alerted local police, and was later confirmed by the Natural History Museum of Crete. The investigation of the case is continuing.

Source: ANA-MPA [September 15, 2017]

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Secrets of ancient Irish burial practices revealed

A new analysis of bones taken from a century-old excavation at Carrowkeel in County Sligo has revealed evidence of the burial practices and death rites of the ancient people of Ireland.

Some of the jawbones from the original Carrowkeel excavation a century ago, which were re-discovered 
in the Duckworth Laboratory at the Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies 
at University of Cambridge [Credit: IT Sligo]

The findings, which have been published in the journal Bioarchaeology International, are part of a project applying modern techniques and research questions to the human remains.

The team of researchers includes Sam Moore, lecturer in Prehistoric Archaeology at IT Sligo, and the group’s work focussed on the 5300 years-old Passage Tomb Complex at Carrowkeel. This site is one of the most impressive Neolithic ritual landscapes in Europe.

“The bones were analysed from an original excavation of Carrowkeel in 1911, led by Prof R.A.S. McAlister,” explains Sam.

“They were subsequently presumed missing or lost until a group of boxes with the name ‘Carrowkeel’ on them was discovered in the archive in the University of Cambridge in 2001. The bones date from between 3500 and 2900 BC."

A view of Cairn K at the Carrowkeel Passage Tomb site in County Sligo [Credit: IT Sligo]

The project was led by Dr Thomas Kador (University College London), with osteological research undertaken by Dr Jonny Geber from the Department of Anatomy at New Zealand’s University of Otago. The group also included Sligo based archaeologist Dr Robert Hensey and independent researcher Pádraig Meehan.

The team analysed bones from seven passage tombs that included both unburnt and cremated human remains from around 40 individuals.

Dr Geber says he and his colleagues determined that the unburnt bone displayed evidence of dismemberment.

“We found indications of cut marks caused by stone tools at the site of tendon and ligament attachments around the major joints, such as the shoulder, elbow, hip and ankle,” he says.

Cut marks on some of the human remains which were discovered at Carrowkeel. Cut marks, marked in white (above) 
and magnified (below), observed on a left humerus (upper arm) from Cairn K (a), the ilium of a left coxae (part of pelvis) 
from Cairn K (b), and a right femur (upper leg) from Cairn K (c) [Credit: Jonny Geber]

Dr Geber says the new evidence suggests that a complex burial rite was undertaken at Carrowkeel, which involved a funerary rite and placed a particular focus on the “deconstruction” of the body.

So why would people in pre-historic Ireland have performed such rituals?

“Attempting to understand the reasons these ancient communities dismembered the bodies is one of the real fascinations with this research,” says Sam Moore.

“In the societies of the past, ancestry had more to do with group identity. This appears to have held real importance in Neolithic Ireland.”

An aerial view of Carrowkeel in County Sligo, showing Cairns E & F in the foreground; 
Lough Arrow in the background [Credit: IT Sligo]

While evidence of similar pre-historic funerary rites has been uncovered in the UK, this is the first definitive discovery of similar practices during the same period on the island of Ireland.

The re-analysis of the bones uncovers high level of complexity and diversity of the funerary rites, which perhaps was not fully recognized previously.

The new study has been able to show that the Carrowkeel complex was a highly significant place in Neolithic society in Ireland, which had an important role in facilitating interaction with the dead and a spiritual connection with the ancestors.

Source: Institute of Technology Sligo [September 15, 2017]

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