For Those Interested in Archaeology

There are large numbers of known submarine archaeological sites from the stone age in and around Denmark and Southern Sweden.

"Gyttja" is basically "Mud".

 

It might be worth noting, that there was no "Sweden" nor "the Swedish nomads" 11.000 years ago in the Nordic Region - not even Germanic people in general, who started to arrive to Europe several Millenniums later.

 

Or maybe there was, and it disappeared for more than ten thousand years only to be resurrected by Vasa... ;o)

 

This thread is fascinating. I will include a link to the website of a rather interesting archaeological team:

http://apva.org/rediscovery/page.php?page_id=1

 

Cheers for that, Ladymage.

 

Swarthy, blue-eyed caveman revealed using DNA from ancient tooth
Genome sequence of 7,000-year-old human remains overturns popular image of light-skinned European hunter-gatherers.

DNA taken from the wisdom tooth of a European hunter-gatherer has given scientists an unprecedented glimpse of modern humans before the rise of farming. The Mesolithic man, who lived in Spain around 7,000 years ago, had an unusual mix of blue eyes, black or brown hair, and dark skin, according to analyses of his genetic make-up.
He was probably lactose intolerant and had more difficulty digesting starchy foods than the farmers who transformed diets and lifestyles when they took up tools in the first agricultural revolution.
...
The Spanish team went on to compare the genome of the hunter-gatherer to those of modern Europeans from different regions to see how they might be related. They found that the ancient DNA most closely matched the genetic makeup of people living in northern Europe, in particular Sweden and Finland.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jan/26/swarthy-blue-eyed-caveman-dna-tooth

 

Yeah, saw that one. They also reckon that surviving Neanderthal DNA in the modern gene pool might be the root cause of certain diseases-

"Gene types that influence disease in people today were picked up through interbreeding with Neanderthals, a major study in Nature journal suggests.
They passed on variants involved in type 2 diabetes, Crohn's disease and - curiously - smoking addiction.
Genome studies reveal that our species (Homo sapiens) mated with Neanderthals after leaving Africa.
But it was previously unclear what this Neanderthal DNA did and whether there were any implications for human health.
[SIZE=1.077em]Between 2% and 4% of the genetic blueprint of present-day non-Africans came from Neanderthals.[/SIZE]
By screening the genomes of 1,004 modern humans, Sriram Sankararaman and his colleagues identified regions bearing the Neanderthal versions of different genes.
That a gene variant associated with a difficulty in stopping smoking should be found to have a Neanderthal origin is a surprise.
It goes without saying that there is no suggestion our evolutionary cousins were puffing away in their caves.
Instead, the researchers argue, this mutation may have more than one function, so the modern effect of this marker on smoking behaviour may be one impact it has among several."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25944817

 

Ineteresting that the DNA implies dark skin but matches up with Swedes and Finns.
Type 2 diabetes may make a great deal of sense. I suspect it correlates to making very efficient use of calaries, good if you are in a calorie poor area, not so good in the current day USA.
Chrones disease also apparently has a negative correlation with the incidence of Hook Worm and perhaps other parasites.

 

Think there's a bit of a current bandwagon for identifying great kings? Remember studying his reign as a student, fascinating is an understatement.
"He has been dead for 1,200 years – but only now have scientists finally identified the bones of Charlemagne.
After 26 years of research, German scientists are satisfied that bones held for centuries at Aachen Cathedral, Germany, are those of the king of the Franks, who is also known as the father of Europe.
They said that the bones came from an older man who was tall and thin.
Charles the Great, King of the Franks, ruled a European empire from 768 based mainly around France, Germany and parts of Italy.
Called the 'Father of Europe' he united most of Western Europe for the first time since the Roman Empire.
His rule spurred the Carolingian Renaissance - a period of cultural and intellectual activity within the Catholic Church.
Both the French and German monarchies considered their kingdoms to be descendants of Charlemagne's empire.
Although he could not write, he spoke Teutonic, Latin and Greek.
He was 6ft 4in - a monstrous height for the period, which has been confirmed by measurement of his skeleton.
Oddly, his father was known as Pepin the Short and was around 5ft tall.
Charlemagne's first campaign came at the age of 27, when the Pope sought his aid in repelling the Lombards of Italy.
He conquered them in the field and took the crown of Lombardy as his own.
From his capital of Aachen in modern-day Germany, Charlemagne went on to fight 53 campaigns, most of which he led himself.
He defended a Christian Europe from Muslim Saracens and pagan Saxons, often beheading thousands in a single day.
He is thought to have died aged 72 from a fever, but study of the ancient bones has not confirmed this.
A total of 94 bones and fragments were analysed from the cathedral and are believed to belong to the founder of the Holy Roman Empire.
The sarcophagus holding the remains was secretly opened in 1988 and there were high hopes that the bones belonged to Europe’s first emperor after the fall of the Roman Empire, German newspaper, The Local reported.
Professor Frank Rühli, of the University of Zurich, Switzerland, who was among the scientists studying the remains, said: ‘Thanks to the results from 1988 up until today, we can say with great likelihood that we are dealing with the skeleton of Charlemagne.’
The team of researchers studied the dimensions of the thigh, shin and upper arm bones to get an idea of the man’s height and build – which match the descriptions of the emperor.
The man now confirmed to be Charlemagne, was six feet tall (1.84metres) weighed around 12stone 3lbs (78kg) and had a slim build.
Historians have previously estimated the emperor’s height to be between 1.79metres and 1.92metres tall.
One Medieval biographer, Einhard the Frank, wrote that Charlemagne walked with a limp in his later years, which the scientists now think could be true.
They found that the skeleton’s kneecap and heel bones had deposits that would indicate an injury of some sort.
But they didn’t find any new evidence to suggest that he died of pneumonia – or other clues about his later health – which would back up other accounts."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2551055/Charlemagnes-bones-identified-1-200-year-old-remains-German-cathedral-belong-Europes-father-claim-scientists.html#ixzz2sK0hhawx


"MIAMI — Archaeologists who for months have been uncovering mounting evidence of an ancient and extensive Native American village in the middle of downtown Miami have concluded it's likely one of the most significant prehistoric sites in the United States.
The archaeologists, under the direction of veteran South Florida archaeologist Bob Carr, have so far painstakingly dug up eight large circles comprised of uniformly carved holes in the native limestone that they believe to be foundation holes for Tequesta Indian dwellings dating as far back as 2,000 years.
They have also discovered linear, parallel arrangements of hundreds of such postholes stretching across the site that Carr hypothesizes mark the foundation for other structures, possibly boardwalks connecting the dwellings. The village site borders a rocky outcropping that his team has concluded was the original natural shoreline at the confluence of Biscayne Bay and the Miami River, a spot long ago occluded by fill.
"What's unusual and unique about the site is that it's this huge chunk of land where a major part of this ancient Tequesta village site is preserved," Carr said in an interview. "It's one of the earliest urban plans in eastern North America. You can actually see this extraordinary configuration of these buildings and structures."
The finds, which have not been widely publicized, have placed public officials and a big downtown developer in a major quandary. The Tequesta village site covers roughly half of a long-vacant, two-acre city block on the north side of the river where the developer, MDM Development Group, plans to build movie theaters, restaurants and a 34-story hotel. The project would cover most of the block, including the full archaeological site.
The city of Miami granted MDM zoning and development approvals for the Met Square project, though not a final building permit, before the full scope of the archaeological finds was known or understood. The site has also yielded thousands of Tequesta artifacts, including bone and shell tools, as well as newly uncovered remnants of industrialist Henry Flagler's 1897 Royal Palm Hotel, which gave rise to the city of Miami."
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/02/03/216802/prehistoric-village-is-found-in.html?

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/02/03/216802/prehistoric-village-is-found-in.html?#storylink=cpy

 

I still wonder why we refer to Karl der Grosse by a modified version of a modified version of his name. I could see Karl the Great or Carl the Great but running a Germanic name thorough Latin then French and using it in English????

 

Keeps it interesting though.

 

http://foxnewsinsider.com/2014/02/05/ancient-native-american-village-found-underneath-downtown-miami

I really do hope that they preserve it!

 

wow.
"The earliest footprints left by humans outside Africa have been found in estuary mud in Norfolk.
Described as the most important discovery on British shores, the 800,000-year-old footprints were found in Happisburgh after being exposed by sea tides.
Scientists believe the footprints are evidence of the earliest known humans in northern Europe, previously only revealed through the discovery of animal bones and stone tools.
The footprint surface was exposed at low tide as heavy seas removed the beach sands to reveal a series of elongated hollows cut into compacted silts.
Of the 50 footprints found, only around twelve were reasonably complete while two showed the toes in detail.
‘At first we weren’t sure what we were seeing,’ said Dr Nick Ashton of the British Museum. ‘But as we removed any remaining beach sand and sponged off the seawater, it was clear that the hollows resembled prints, perhaps human footprints.
‘We needed to record the surface as quickly as possible before the sea eroded it away.’
Over the next two weeks the surface was recorded using photogrammetry, a technique that can stitch together digital photographs to create a permanent record and 3D images of the surface."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2553798/Earliest-human-footprints-outside-Africa-discovered-NORFOLK-800-000-year-old-imprints-shed-light-movement-ancient-ancestors.html#ixzz2sdjCh5zO

 

They've been saying this for a few years now.
"Human remains dug up from an ancient grave in Oxfordshire add to a growing body of evidence that Britain's fifth-century transition from Roman to Anglo-Saxon was cultural rather than bloody.

The traditional historical narrative is one of brutal conquest, with invaders from the North wiping out and replacing the pre-existing population.
But a new study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, hints at a more peaceful process. Dr Andrew Millard, from Durham University, is one of the study's authors.
'The main controversy over the years has centred on how many Anglo-Saxons came across the North Sea,' he says.
'Was it a mass invasion, where the existing population was wiped out completely or forced back into Wales, or was it a small band of elites whose ways were then adopted very quickly?'
'Our evidence favours the second option.'"
http://phys.org/news/2014-02-ancient-graves-hint-cultural-shift.html

"Inhabiting what is now North America around 12,600 years ago the Clovis people (named after the type site in New Mexico) were not the first humans to walk this land, but they do represent the first widespread occupation of the continent – until the culture mysteriously disappeared only a few hundred years after its origin.

Today there exists only one human skeleton found in association with Clovis tools and at the same time it is among the oldest in the Americas. It is a small boy between 1 and 1.5 years of age – found in a 12,600 old burial called the Anzick Site, in Wilsall, Montana, USA.
Nearly 50 years of archaeological research point to the Clovis complex as having developed south of the North American ice sheets from an ancestral technology. However, both the origins and the genetic legacy of the people who manufactured Clovis tools remain under debate.
Now an international team headed by Danish researcher Eske Willerslev has mapped the genome thereby reviving the scientific debate about the colonisation of the Americas.
Published in Nature, the boy’s genome sequence shows that the present day indi­genous population groups spanning North and South America are all descended from a single population that trekked across the Bering land bridge from Asia (M. Rasmussen et al. Nature 506, 225–229; 2014). The analysis also points to an early split between the ancestors of the Clovis people and a second group, whose DNA lives on in populations in Canada and Greenland."
http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/02/2014/clovis-genome-settles-debate-on-indigenous-american-lineage?

 

Hang 'em by the gonads, using violin strings.
"Conspiracy theories abound in our world, including one that suggests the pyramids of Giza was actually built by ancient astronauts, extraterrestrials who came to earth thousands of years ago.
It's difficult to imagine why authorities would engage in a cover-up concerning the building of the pyramids, but three German citizens who visited the Egyptian pyramids in April 2013 believed it enough to vandalize the site to prove they were right.
The three men, Dominique Goerlitz, Stefan Erdmann and their cameraman are now facing charges because of their belief in an alternative history of the pyramids through vandalism. The cameraman was brought along to film the two "hobbyists" while they hunted for their discovery.
The three men were allowed to enter into areas of the Great Pyramid normally off-limits to the public. These areas are reserved for Egyptologists and archaeologists. It is reported the group took several items, including a sample of a cartouche of the Pharaoh Khufu. The three men then allegedly smuggled the items out of the country, in violation of Egypt's strict antiquities laws."
http://digitaljournal.com/tech/science/giza-pyramid-vandalized-to-prove-extraterrestrials-built-them/article/371868?#ixzz2tpMMc3wu

 

"Rising from the beach in a surreal seascape, the remains of these ancient trees have been revealed by the storms.
Thought to date back to the Bronze Age, the shin-high stumps became visible for the first time when the peat which once covered them was washed away in torrential rain and waves pounding the shore.
Now they stud the beach near the village of Borth, Ceredigion, Mid Wales – an area already rich in archaeology, opposite the alleged site of Wales’s own take on the lost city of Atlantis.
Scientists knew the forest was there as stumps could sometimes be seen at low tide, but these new remains have appeared further north than the previous sightings
According to folklore Cantre'r Gwaelod, or the sunken hundred, disappeared under the waves after a drunken sluice-gate operator failed to close the defences
Folklore has it that Cantre’r Gwaelod, or the Sunken Hundred, a once-fertile land and township, was lost beneath the waves in a mythical age.
The land is said to have extended 20 miles west of the present Cardigan Bay, but disaster struck and Cantre’r Gwaelod was lost to floods when Mererid, the priestess of a fairy well, apparently neglected her duties and allowed the well to overflow.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2564285/5-000-year-old-forest-unearthed-storms-Beach-washed-away-reveal-ancient-oaks-pines.html#ixzz2tvNtn7dS

 

I wonder when this thread will get back to the topic of archeology.

 

"The early fifth century transition from Roman Britain to Anglo-Saxon England is a poorly understood period in British history. Historical narratives describe a brutal conquest by Anglo-Saxon invaders with nearly complete replacement of the indigenous population, but aspects of the archaeological record contradict this interpretation leading to competing hypotheses.

A new study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, suggests a more peaceful process, according to Dr Andrew Millard, from Durham University, one of the paper’s lead authors.


‘The main controversy over the years has centred on how many Anglo-Saxons came across the North Sea,‘ he says, ‘Was it a mass invasion, where the existing population was wiped out completely or forced back into Wales, or was it a small band of elites whose ways were then adopted very quickly?’ The evidence the researchers have gathered favours the second option.

Early Anglo-Saxon cemetery
Much of the evidence comes from the early Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Wally Corner, Berinsfield in the Upper Thames Valley, Oxfordshire. The site was first identified from cropmarks on aerial photographs taken by Major Allen in June 1934, although its true nature was unknown.
In 1960, Oxford University Archaeological Society carried out an excavation in the area and discovered Romano-British ditches dating from the first to fourth centuries. In 1974 and 1975, Oxford Archaeological Unit (now Oxford Archaeology) excavated the Wally Corner gravel pit at Berinsfield prior to gravel extraction and uncovered the Anglo-Saxon cemetery.
Most of the burials contained grave-goods including weapons, knives, jewellery, spindlewhorls, buckets and pottery which suggested the cemetery was in use for about 150 years from the early/mid 5th century to the early 7th century. This was exactly the right period to examine the the population origin of the interned individuals."
http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/02/2014/anglo-saxon-cemetery-results-question-violent-invasion-theory?

 

For those interested in following whatever poppy was ranting about, it can be found in the new thread The Unwanted Tourist in the FFZ.

Carry on.

 

Ah, wondered what that was about lol