Stone Pages
http://www.stonepages.com****** Archaeo News no.109 (30 January 2005) ******
Contents:
* English Heritage options to save Silbury Hill
* Abandonment of ancient city is still a mystery
* Findings in Oman date back to 2000 BCE
* Rare Bronze Age gold ring found in England
* Scheduled monuments saved from the plough
* The fight against proposed road continues at Hill of Tara
* Restoration of Iron Age hillfort planned
* Bronze Age axe found in England
* Huge pottery find made in Iran
English Heritage options to save Silbury Hill
Urgent remedial work must be carried out to save Silbury Hill from
collapse, English Heritage said. The threat to the 130ft mound,
which is one of the West England's most mysterious prehistoric
monuments, was blamed on excavations made for a BBC TV documentary in
the 1960s.
An English Heritage survey has revealed that the late Professor
Richard Atkinson's tunnel, which was dug in 1968/69 was not, as
previously thought, properly filled in. The unexpected discovery is
already causing minor internal collapses and 'voids' within Europe's
largest man-made hill that will, in time, reach the surface. If
unattended, it will damage highly significant deposits in the centre
of the structure that contain its early history and perfectly
preserved plant and animal remains.
English Heritage says it is considering three options: Pumping
chalk slurry into the voids. Re-opening the tunnel and backfilling by
hand. As above, but supporting the tunnel to allow repeated access.
Respected West archaeologist Mike Pitts, editor of British
Archaeology magazine which revealed the threat, urged English
Heritage to act swiftly.
Source: Western Daily Press (4 February 2005)
http://www.westpress.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=146049&command=displayContent&sourceNode=145779&contentPK=1177241Abandonment of ancient city is still a mystery
The reason for the planned abandonment of the Achaemenid era city
(553 BCE-330 BCE) of Dahaneh Gholaman is still a mystery to
archaeologists, even after more than 40 years of research on the
site. Located in Iran's southeastern province of
Sistan-o-Baluchestan, the ancient city was identified by Italian
archaeologists in 1960. A group of major monuments and some
individual buildings were discovered at the site, which covers an
area of 120,000 square meters.
The studies in the 1960s indicated that the residents abandoned
the city about 200 years after it was founded and may have relocated
to present-day Pakistan. "The evidence shows that the people
abandoned the city methodically in a calm manner and that there were
no factors like war, fire, or an outbreak of a dangerous contagious
disease behind the migration. The people eventually reached a
consensus to evacuate the city without leaving any trace," said
Mansur Sajjadi, the director of the Iranian archaeological team
working in the region.
However, archaeologists have surmised that the city was
abandoned due to an important political decision, a strong sandstorm,
or because the river which supplied water for the inhabitants ran
dry. According to the team's studies, there was no important
political decision for the migration, said Sajjadi, pointing out that
only 150 to 200 years passed from its construction to its evacuation,
and thus it seems strange that a political decision would have been
behind the relocation. "The second proposition is also not likely,
because sandstorms were ordinary occurrences at that time. Moreover,
the people had enough time to evacuate the city and transfer their
property," he noted, saying that a storm forcing the people to
abandon their homes would have inflicted heavy casualties and
burdensome financial losses, but no evidence has been found proving
this second possibility.
According to Sajjadi, the best hypothesis to explain the sudden
migration is that the river ran dry. "It is likely that one of the
branches that supplied water to the city, ran dry for some reason,
and thus the people had to leave the city, but this is not certain,"
he said. The team of archaeologists is still trying to determine why
the people abandoned the city in such a planned and precise way.
Source: MehrNews.com (4 February 2005)
http://www.mehrnews.ir/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=154912Findings in Oman date back to 2000 BCE
An archaeological survey was conducted recently in the Saluth area
(Oman). "The archaeological findings discovered from the Saluth area
date back to 2000 BCE and the beginning of 1000 BCE, which is
contemporary to the Majan civilisation prevailed in the same era"
said Dr Sandra, president of the Archaeological Mission at Bizza
University in Ital.
The sites located in the area measuring 40x60 metre may be
included in the World Heritage list. The sites in the Saluth area had
been lying vacant for more than 1,000 years, the survey pointed out.
It also indicated that the Saluth area was one of the most inhabited
seaside areas in Oman since 3000 BCE. One of the best buildings found
in the survey was a tower in the grave area. The survey revealed that
the inhabited areas were surrounded by strong walls.
Source: Times of Oman (4 February 2005)
http://www.timesofoman.com/newsdetails.asp?newsid=10291&pn=localRare Bronze Age gold ring found in England
A rare Bronze Age ring found last year on the Isle of Wight, off the
south coast of England, has gone before a treasure trove inquest.
The ring, which is known as a composite ring, comprises of three
ribs soldered together, and may have hung from a neck torc or from a
bracelet. It weighs 3.57 grams and was found to be 82 per cent gold,
probably dating back to the middle Bronze Age, making it around 3,500
years old. Frank Basford, the county archaeologist, said "There is
very little Bronze Age gold work around, making this a very
significant and important find in a national and Island context."
It was found by Alan Rowe, an illustrator, while metal detecting
last summer. He had previously found an unrecorded Iron Age and Roman
settlement in the East Wight in 1998, where more than 500 coins were
found, including five extremely rare silver quarter staters stamped
with an eagle motif, which may be unique to the Isle of Wight.
"That was my find of a lifetime and I never in a million years
expected to do it again but then I came across this little ring,"
said Mr Rowe. "It might only be small but to find something so old
was thrilling. At first I thought it was a ring for the finger but it
has since been identified as a composite ring."
The ring was declared treasure trove by the island's coroner
John Matthews, and will now be valued by the British Museum.
Newport's Guildhall Museum has expressed an interest in buying it.
Source: Isle of Wight County Press (3 February 2005)
http://www.iwcp.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=1252&ArticleID=936045Scheduled monuments saved from the plough
Farmland containing 28 Scheduled Monuments of national importance is
to be protected following a government grant.
Bourton Manor Farm, north-west of Devizes, Wiltshire, in
south-west England, is home to the monuments, which include a burial
ground of 10 Neolithic or Early Bronze Age barrows. The Wansdyke, a
long ditch and bank linear defensive earthwork, which has been dated
to between 400 and 700 CE, also runs through the farm.
The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
have used funding under their Countryside Stewardship Scheme to
ensure that the surrounding area is returned to grassland to prevent
plough damage. Farmer Bob Frearson said "As a keen conservationist I
feel that it is of vital importance to preserve this heritage for
future generations."
Charles Routh, an adviser at Defra's Rural Development Service
in the South West, said "Managing this part of Wiltshire's heritage
is important and Bourton Manor Farm has many other historical
associations such as the site of a Bronze Age farming settlement, an
incredible find of 7,000 Roman coins and signs of medieval farming
with the unmistakable strip lynchets on Roughridge Hill."
Source: BBC News (2 February 2005)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/4231277.stmThe fight against proposed road continues at Hill of Tara
The campaign to save the historic Tara-Skryne Valley in Ireland is
struggling along amidst reports of "dirty tricks" from the Government.
Eamon Gilmore, the Labour party's environment spokesman, claims
that Dr Pat Wallace, the Director of the National Museum, was
"muzzled" and prevented from attending an Oireachtas Committee which
was to discuss the proposed route of the M3 motorway through County
Meath.
Mr Gilmore said "It has emerged that the Director has been
prevented from attending this important meeting by the Government.
This is muzzling of a senior State official. The pre-determined
agenda of the Government is to ram the new M3 right through the Hill
of Tara."
Ciarán Cuffe, the Green Party's environment spokesperson, has
demanded that the Minister for Sport, Art and Tourism, Mr O'Donoghue,
explains why the Department's Secretary General asked Dr Wallace not
to appear before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Environment.
"It appears that pressure was applied to ensure that Dr Wallace
would not appear before the Committee. Minister O'Donoghue should
explain why his civil servants are attempting to gag one of the most
foremost archaeologists in the country from giving his opinion on the
impact of this motorway on the Hill of Tara, Mr Cuffe said. "I was
hoping to ask Dr Wallace to comment on the archaeological importance
of the Tara-Skreen site and on the impact of the proposed motorway,
but this opportunity has now been denied to myself and other members
of the Committee. It seems ludicrous that a civil servant is applying
pressure on Dr. Wallace not to appear."
In another twist, Vincent Salafia, the press officer for the
Save Tara/Skryne Valley group, believes that the 2,000 public
submissions collected to show opposition to the proposed motorway
have been "dismissed". After contacting the Oireacthas Committee, he
was told the letters were still being looked at despite the deadline
of submissions having passed and the hearings completed.
The Hill of Tara is the burial place of 140 kings, and is part
of a wider historical landscape that potentially contains hundreds of
undiscovered sites, such as a ring of protective forts encircling the
sacred hill. Tara's oldest monuments date back to 4000 BCE, and and
Ireland's kings were crowned on the hill until the arrival of
Christianity. Julitta Clancy, secretary of the Meath Archeological
and Historical Society, explained that Tara "is important to our
psyche, our nation, and our identity. It comes down to the Celtic
Tiger turning its back on its Celtic past."
Source: International Herald Tribune / Ireland.com (2 February 2005)
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/01/30/news/irish.htmlhttp://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/breaking/4951662?view=EircomnetRestoration of Iron Age hillfort planned
A restoration scheme will begin next week to protect the Iron Age
hillfort of Kimsbury Camp, a scheduled ancient monument on Painswick
Beacon, near Gloucester, south-west England.
The plans, which were discussed this week at a public meeting
attended by the county council's archaeology service and the
Painswick Beacon Conservation Group, include repairing the ramparts
of the hillfort, scrub clearance, seed planting and the erection of
information boards.
The county council's countryside adviser, Nick Russell, said:
"We hope that by undertaking these works now, before the damage gets
too bad, we will ensure visitors are able to enjoy the archaeology,
ecology and views from this wonderful hillfort."
The work is scheduled to begin on 8 February and to be completed
by the end of June.
Source: This is Gloucestershire, BBC News, Western Daily Press (1
February 2005)
http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=138754&command=displayContent&sourceNode=138484&contentPK=11749247ttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/4226021.stm
http://www.westpress.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=146278&command=displayContent&sourceNode=146274&contentPK=11751837Bronze Age axe found in England
A "Finds Day" at Buxton Museum and Art Gallery, Derbyshire, central
England, saw a Bronze Age axe head brought in by a member of the
public.
The public were invited to the museum to have any finds they had
made inspected and recorded for the national Portable Antiquities
Scheme database. Finds Liaison Officer Rachel Atherton said: "What we
are trying to do is build up an idea of what people are finding
across the country so it can be recorded and used by anyone from
archaeologists to people researching their local history."
The axe head was found at Whaley Bridge with a metal detector,
and has been dated to between 1600 BCE and 1200 BCE. Another find
brought in was a fossilised horse tooth from before the last Ice Age,
which was found in a swallow hole near Hartington.
Another Finds Day will be held at Buxton Museum and Art Gallery
on Saturday 23 April.
Source: Buxton Advertiser (31 January 2005)
http://www.buxtontoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=745&ArticleID=933004Huge pottery find made in Iran
Archaeologists working on a 6000 year-old mountain settlement site in
Iran have uncovered more than 600,000 pottery artefacts, including
many examples of intact earthenware and huge amounts of shards.
Davud Abyan, the director of the archaeological team, said "Our
team has discovered a great number of intact potteries and a large
amount of shards, the volume of which reaches one meter in height in
some areas. The great amount of earthenware indicates that pottery
making was the main occupation of the people living in the region,
and they exported the products to other places."
The site, near the Halil-Rud River cultural area which is home
to the ancient site of Jiroft, consists of 800 cells cut into the
rock in the Barez Mountains, east of the Halil-Rud River in southern
Kerman Province. The cells, 250 metres up, measure 2 and 4 metres
squared and are the oldest rock residence found in Iran so far.
The pottery was made in various shapes, some with spouts, and
was glazed crimson and tan in colour. Its discovery, along with
further finds at Jiroft, has led to suggestions that the area was
home to a civilisation as great as that of Sumer, with Iranian
archaeologist Yusef Majidzadeh believing that Jiroft may be the
ancient city of Aratta, which was described in an ancient Sumerian
clay inscription as a great civilization.
Source: Mehrnews.com (30 January 2005)
http://www.mehrnews.ir/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=153324***************************************
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