Hallado en Ávila un verraco a medio tallar de granito del siglo I en una tierra de labor

• Su singularidad reside en que está esculpido sólo por una de sus caras
• Se utilizaban para colocar sobre las tumbas de incineración

El Museo Provincial de Ávila ha incorporado a su colección la escultura zoomorfa de un verraco que data de los siglos I-II después de Cristo y que cuenta con características únicas, lo que le hace ser "singular", ya que se encuentra tallado por una sola de sus caras.
Según ha explicado durante su llegada al contenedor cultural el jefe del Servicio Territorial de Cultura, Alejandro Núñez, se trata de una "escultura zoomorfa con forma de toro, tallada en granito de la zona" de Aldea del Rey Niño, un barrio anexionado de la capital abulense.
Allí fue descubierto este verraco el pasado mes de marzo por la Patrulla Verde de la Policía Local, que de forma casual pasaba por la finca "Valdeprados" y observó lo que podía ser un verraco y se lo comunicó tanto a la Guardia Civil, como a la Junta.
El hijo del propietario de la finca, Félix Sanchidrián, ha comentado que esta escultura zoomorfa de 1,7 por 1,10 metros, llevaba "sobre una piedra" en torno a veinte años, momento en el que salió a la luz cuando los dueños "estaban preparando el campo para arar y sacaron varias piedras".
Todas ellas se las llevaron para "hacer una pared", pero al ver la que correspondía a este verraco cuya importancia y significado desconocían, la separaron y la colocaron "sobre una piedra en la que ha estado durante 20 años".
Según el arqueólogo territorial del Gobierno autonómico en Ávila, Francisco Fabián, se trata de "una pieza importante, porque está a medio hacer y eso de cara a la didáctica y a las investigaciones puede servir de mucho".
Tanto Fabián como Núñez han subrayado el hecho de que se trate de una pieza "única" por esta circunstancia, aunque no se han atrevido a especular sobre los motivos por los que su autor pudo dejar esta pieza a medio terminar.
"No lo vamos a saber nunca", ha apuntado el arqueólogo territorial en torno a los motivos de su estado actual, si bien considera que este tipo de verracos eran "los que estaban encima de una tumba de incineración romana", lo que confirmaría que se trata de un testimonio de los siglos I-II después de Cristo.
El jefe del Servicio Territorial de Cultura ha agradecido la colaboración de los dueños de la finca en la que apareció la escultura zoomorfa, que han firmado un acuerdo con la Administración autonómica, de manera que la pieza ha pasado a formar parte desde hoy del Museo Provincial de Ávila como depósito.
En este contexto, ha subrayado el hecho de que la sociedad esté "concienciada sobre la importancia del legado cultural", lo que propicia que se produzcan este tipo de colaboraciones.
Este verraco, considerado un caso único de escultura zoomorfa a medio tallar en la provincia, ha sido depositado hoy en el Museo Provincial, después de ser trasladada desde la finca de la Aldea del Rey Niño en un camión del que ha sido bajada mediante una polea.
En la actualidad se considera que hay cerca de medio millar de verracos repartidos por las provincias de Salamanca, Zamora, Toledo, Cáceres y Ávila, que alberga cerca de la mitad de todas ellas, según Francisco Fabián

http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2012/04/27/castillayleon/1335536978.html

200 ancient forts found in Chinese mountains

IANS
Beijing
 In a discovery that has baffled Chinese archaeologists, more than 200 ancient fortresses have been found in a mountainous region in the northern part of the country.

The fortresses were discovered in the Qinling mountains in Shaanxi province during the recent third national cultural relics
Li Guang, chief of the county cultural relic management institute, said the fortresses are scattered across mountain tops or tucked in hidden places.

While small fortresses could only hold a few people, more than four large sites were found that could each hold between 400 and 500 people, he said. According to available records, most of the forts were built at the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and in the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to protect the wealthy from farmer uprisings.
"Local celebrities and rich people led the construction of the fortresses, which have the mountains as the base and stones as their walls," he said.

"The forts were easy to guard because three sides of every fortress are on steep slopes, while one side connects the mountain peak."

Smuggled Cargo Found on Ancient Roman Ship Investigation of a recently excavated Roman shipwreck reveals ancient sailors smuggled on the side.

Rossella Lorenzi

THE GIST

• A roman shipwreck was recently excavated in shallow waters near an Italian beach resort.
• The most complete Roman ship ever found, the cargo vessel sank off the coast of Sicily some 1,700 years ago.
• Among the ship's official cargo were hidden stashes of valuable interlocking tiles used in construction.

enlarge

A Roman shipwreck, dating to the third century AD, has revealed signs of smuggling. Click to enlarge this image.
Sebastiano Tusa

Evidence of ancient smuggling activity has emerged from a Roman shipwreck, according to Italian archaeologists who have investigated the vessel's cargo.
Dating to the third century AD, the large sunken ship was fully recovered six months ago at a depth of 7 feet near the shore of Marausa Lido, a beach resort near Trapani.
Her cargo, officially consisting of assorted jars once filled with walnuts, figs, olives, wine, oil and fish sauce, also contained many unusual tubular tiles.
The unique tiles were apparently valuable enough for sailors to smuggle them from North Africa to Rome, where they sold for higher prices.

They are small terracotta tubes with one pointed end. Put one into the other, they formed interlocking, snake-like tiles. Rows of these so-called fictile tubes were used by Roman builders to relieve the weight of vaulting," Sebastiano Tusa, Sicily's Superintendent of the Sea Office, told Discovery News.
Tusa will detail the wreck discovery in a forthcoming publication by the Museum of the Sea in Cesenatico, within a national meeting of underwater archaeology and naval history.
Following an analysis of the jars and their contents, Tusa and colleagues concluded that the 52- by 16-foot ship was sailing from North Africa when she sank some 1,700 years ago, probably while trying to enter the local river Birgi.
In North Africa the vaulting tubes cost a quarter of what builders paid for them in Rome.
"It was a somewhat tolerated smuggling activity, used by sailors to round their poor salaries. They bought these small tubes cheaper in Africa, hid them everywhere within the ship, and then re-sold them in Rome," Tusa said.

DNEWS VIDEO: Marine archaeologists take their profession to a whole new level -- the bottom of the ocean.

According to Frank Sear, professor of classical studies at the University of Melbourne, vaults featuring rows of fictile tubes were most common in North Africa from about the 2nd century AD.
"The tiles were also frequently imported to Sicily and turn up in many places such as Syracuse, Catania, Marsala and Motya. There are good examples of them in the baths of the late Roman villa at Piazza Armerina," Sear, a leading authority on Roman architecture, told Discovery News.
NEWS: Roman Shipwreck Full of Wine Jars Found
The smuggled cargo, as well as the jars and ceramic food bowls used by the sailors, were recovered in perfectly preserved condition.
The old cargo vessel was completely covered by a thick layer of clay and sea grass meadows -- a sort of natural coating which has also preserved most of the ship's wooden structure.
"We have recovered more than 700 wooden pieces. Both the left and the right side of the hull has remained almost intact. Once reassembled, this will be the most complete Roman ship ever found," Tusa said
Now under restoration at a specialized lab in Salerno, the vessel is expected to be displayed in a local museum within two years.

 http://news.discovery.com/history/roman-shipwreck-smuggling-120425.html

Bones of early American disappear from underwater cave

Frank Nowikowski

One of the first humans to inhabit the Americas has been stolen – and archaeologists want it back.

The skeleton, which is probably at least 10,000 years old, has disappeared from a cenote, or underground water reservoir, in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula.

In response, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in Mexico City has placed "wanted" posters in supermarkets, bakeries and dive shops in and around the nearby town of Tulum. They are also considering legal action to recover the remains.

The missing bones belong to a skeleton dubbed Young Man of Chan Hol II, discovered in 2010. The cenote in which it was found had previously yielded another 10,000-year-old skeleton – the Young Man of Chan Hol, discovered in 2006.

The earlier find has anatomical features suggesting shared heritage with Indonesians and south Asians. Other skeletons found in cenotes in the area with similar features may date to around 14,000 years ago. Such finds imply that not all early Americans came from north Asia. This deals yet another blow to the idea that the Clovis people crossing an ancient land bridge between Siberia and Alaska were the first to colonise the Americas. Clovis culture dates to around 13,000 years ago.

Both skeletons were laid to rest at a time when sea level was much lower than it is today and the cenote, now about 8 metres below the water, was dry. Archaeologists have also found the remains of elephants, giant sloths and other animals in the caves, giving an indication of what the ancient humans ate.

INAH researchers have been aware of creeping theft of specimens from cenotes, but they lack the resources to guard the hundreds of sites that dot the peninsula.

 http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21741-bones-of-ancient-american-stolen-from-underwater-cave.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news

Professors sue to stop ancient bones transfer

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Two skeletons that rested undisturbed on a San Diego cliff top for nearly 10,000 years are at the center of a modern court battle.
The University of California, San Diego, had intended to transfer the skeletons of a man and woman to a American Indian tribe for traditional burial. But lawsuits are complicating the plan.
The bones were discovered in 1976 during an excavation at University House, the traditional La Jolla home of the UC San Diego chancellor. The university was preparing to hand over the bones to the local Kumeyaay tribe when three UC professors filed a lawsuit Monday in Northern California to block the transfer.
Margaret Schoeninger of UC San Diego, Robert Bettinger of UC Davis and Timothy White of UC Berkeley argue that the bones are precious research objects and there is no evidence that they are Native American remains.
In a declaration, Schoeninger said the skeletons were not buried in a way consistent with ancient Kumeyaay practices and collagen taken from the bones indicated the two ate ocean fish and mammals different from that of the tribe.
"These are not Native Americans," said James McManis, a San Jose lawyer for the professors.
 
These are not Native Americans," said James McManis, a San Jose lawyer for the professors.
"We're sure where they're from," he told U-T San Diego (http://bit.ly/IgSIwF). "They had primarily a seafood diet, not the diet of any way of these tribes. They were a seafaring people. They could be traveling Irishmen who touched on the continent.
"The idethis incredible treasure over to some local tribe because they think it's Grandma's bones is crazy."
Respecting Native American preferences, the university has not permitted DNA testing of the bones, which are being kept at the San Diego Archaeological Center in Escondido.
In anticipation of the professors' suit, a dozen bands of Kumeyaay filed their own federal suit earlier this month, demanding transfer of the skeletons.
By law, Native American remains held by federal agencies or institutions receiving federal funds must be given to Native Americans. That includes unidentified remains found on aboriginal lands, said Dorothy Alther, an attorney for the Kumeyaay Cultural Repatriation Committee, which represents the 12 bands.
"A lot of the tribes were concerned that their ancestors were lying around in the basements of museums and not being properly interred," she said.
a that we're going to turn
 
What we're saying is that these are Native American remains," Alther said. "But even if someone says they are not, they were found on aboriginal lands. They go to the Kumeyaay."
The university is aware of the competing lawsuits, spokesman Jeff Gattas said in a statement.
"We believe the University process has achieved a decision that is in accordance with both the law and our commitment to the respectful handling of human remains and associated artifacts," he said.

Associate Press
 http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_20477032/professors-sue-stop-ancient-bones-transfer

Archaeologist says Lincoln arena demolition is traipsing over artifacts

By Deena Winter | Nebraska Watchdog

LINCOLN — An anthropology professor politely told arena officials today that they’re botching a once-in-a-lifetime chance to dig archaeological treasures out of the ground before it is paved over or covered in concrete in preparation for hoards of people heading to Lincoln’s future Pinnacle Bank Arena

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Professor Peter Bleed told the Joint Public Agency overseeing arena construction that he supports Lincoln’s $344 million arena project – he even led a student expedition in search of hidden archaeological treasures in the summer of 2010. But he’s disturbed by the city’s “consistent disregard for cultural resources” and the history of the Watson-Brickson lumber yard being demolished to make way for arena parking.
The arena and nearby developments and infrastructure are literally being built in the birthplace of Lincoln, where the city sprang up alongside the railroad depot. The area Bleed is concerned about is officially called Block 51 – bounded by O, N, Sixth and Seventh streets. Bleed and his students scratched around the margins of the lumberyard two years ago in search of evidence of a hotel dating to the 1870s where 35 bachelors once lived. After 1903, the area was converted to a lumberyard.
Bleed watched the lumberyard demolition last week, and said historical business records inside the buildings were “ignored” – he took photos of sheets of paper strewn about and caught up along a fence, among which he found a receipt for lumber to build a barn in Alvo in 1927.
“That was pretty neat,” he said – except for the fact that it was blowing in the wind.
The demolition was only supposed to level the buildings, but Bleed said the demolition went below the surface. He showed the board pictures of the outline of a foundation of a building dating to the 1870s.
“That’s an architectural signature that we would’ve predicted was there,” he said.
But he was disappointed to see the area covered in water after a weekend of storms.
“The architectural potential for documentation of life, landscape and activities of people who made our town is going to be compromised very soon,” Bleed said.
The role of those cultural resources should be addressed and given standing in the planning, Bleed said, but “that’s not systematically happening now.” He said the State Historic Preservation Office told him it has not been involved in planning, even though the Archaeological Resources Protection Act requires archaeological resources on public lands to be removed and protected.
“Somebody looked and said ‘Nope, no archaeology there,’ ” Bleed said. “This is an important resource.”
Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler, who chairs the arena board, asked whether Bleed was implying any law was broken, and Bleed said no.
“I thought we covered most of what needed to be examined,” Beutler said, referring to Bleed’s previous excavations. “Obviously we didn’t do a good enough job on the Watson-Brickson property.” Continue reading at Nebraska Watchdog.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Professor Peter Bleed told the Joint Public Agency overseeing arena construction that he supports Lincoln’s $344 million arena project – he even led a student expedition in search of hidden archaeological treasures in the summer of 2010. But he’s disturbed by the city’s “consistent disregard for cultural resources” and the history of the Watson-Brickson lumber yard being demolished to make way for arena parking.
The arena and nearby developments and infrastructure are literally being built in the birthplace of Lincoln, where the city sprang up alongside the railroad depot. The area Bleed is concerned about is officially called Block 51 – bounded by O, N, Sixth and Seventh streets. Bleed and his students scratched around the margins of the lumberyard two years ago in search of evidence of a hotel dating to the 1870s where 35 bachelors once lived. After 1903, the area was converted to a lumberyard.
Bleed watched the lumberyard demolition last week, and said historical business records inside the buildings were “ignored” – he took photos of sheets of paper strewn about and caught up along a fence, among which he found a receipt for lumber to build a barn in Alvo in 1927.
“That was pretty neat,” he said – except for the fact that it was blowing in the wind.
The demolition was only supposed to level the buildings, but Bleed said the demolition went below the surface. He showed the board pictures of the outline of a foundation of a building dating to the 1870s.
“That’s an architectural signature that we would’ve predicted was there,” he said.
But he was disappointed to see the area covered in water after a weekend of storms.
“The architectural potential for documentation of life, landscape and activities of people who made our town is going to be compromised very soon,” Bleed said.
The role of those cultural resources should be addressed and given standing in the planning, Bleed said, but “that’s not systematically happening now.” He said the State Historic Preservation Office told him it has not been involved in planning, even though the Archaeological Resources Protection Act requires archaeological resources on public lands to be removed and protected.
“Somebody looked and said ‘Nope, no archaeology there,’ ” Bleed said. “This is an important resource.”
Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler, who chairs the arena board, asked whether Bleed was implying any law was broken, and Bleed said no.

“I thought we covered most of what needed to be examined,” Beutler said, referring to Bleed’s previous excavations. “Obviously we didn’t do a good enough job on the Watson-Brickson property.” Continue reading at Nebraska Watchdog.

Ancient Temple Discovered in Messinia

Areti Kotseli


Archaeological research reveals an ancient temple in the mountains between Ilia and Messinia, opposite the well-known imposing temple of Epicurean Apollo.
The area around the newly discovered temple was full of architectural tools that were used to build a small temple, while former head of the 38^th Ephorate of Antiquities, archaeologist Dr. Xeni Arapogianni explains that when the small temple was demolished in order to build a new one, topmasts, triglyphs and other parts of the ancient temple were found.
The excavation started back in 2010, revealing the temple as well as bronze items and a great number of iron weapons and particularly sharp spears probably dedicated to the temple’s god, according to the Greek newspaper To Vima. A bronze figurine of a naked man, presumably a warrior as he’s holding a spear in its arm, was also found by the archaeologists.
“That enables us to conclude that the temple was dedicated to a divine entity of war,” points out Dr. Arapogianni, underlying that the direct visual contact with the temple of Epicurean Apollo combined with the similarities of the votives, especially the spears, could mean that the temple was also dedicated to Apollo. That, however, does not exclude the possibility that goddesses Artemis or Athena were also worshipped there.
“In my opinion, that was the first temple [in comparison with the one of the Epicurean Apollo], dated in the Archaic period, approximately at the 6^th century B.C. It was probably built by Spartans, who conquered Messinia, and when Messinians were later liberated, they must have built a bigger temple in the same spot,” stresses the archaeologist.

 http://greece.greekreporter.com/2012/04/24/ancient-temple-discovered-in-messinia/