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Archaeology thread


dockers_strike
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Did a search on here but couldnt find anything. Anyone interested in archaeology?

 

The subject fascinates me. We live in a modern world with our wealth, toys, past times etc but go back a couple of thousand years and imagine what life was like. Harsh, hunt to survive, primitive tools. It must have been fucking freezing stuck in a hut with just a few twigs to burn for heating. And what to do, eat a bit, fix the axe, sleep?

 

Still some touching finds come out of the ground although Im a bit uneasy about disturbing these burials.

 

The discovery of an ancient burial ground where children were placed with sentimental objects by their parents has been hailed by the British Museum as the 'most important' discovery of pre-historic art in Britain in over a century.

The 5,000-year-old grave holding three children, buried in an embrace with the eldest child holding the two youngest — whose hands were also touching — was unearthed in 2015 in Burton Agnes, in East Yorkshire.

Archaeologists also discovered a carved stone drum, a chalk ball and a polished bone pin, with the 'talismanic' drum in particular being celebrated for its significance.

Neil Wilkin, curator of 'The World of Stonehenge' exhibition at the British Museum, said it was the 'most important' piece of prehistoric art to be found in Britain in the last 150 years. 

'The discovery of the Burton Agnes grave is highly moving,' he added.

'The emotions the new drum expresses are powerful and timeless, they transcend the time of Stonehenge and reflect a moment of tragedy and despair that remains undimmed after 5,000 years.'

The curator said that while human sacrifice as a cause of death was possible, it was unlikely due to the personal nature of the burials. 

Archaeologists have found very few burials from this period in British history, with the exception of a handful of graves containing children. Adults at this time are thought to have been cremated. 

'There is something protective about these objects. It is almost like they are  protecting the vulnerable young child,' he told The Times

'There is something talismanic about them. Who knows what befell this family or group of families, but it is a poignant scene. Everything about the grave speaks to me of an emotional moment.' 

Wilkin added: 'We have been waiting 150 years for a new object like this to come up.' 

The 5,000-year-old drum carved from chalk is set to go on display from February 17 for the first time in a major exhibition at the British Museum.

Extensive research into the drum confirmed it is one of the most significant ancient objects ever found in the British Isles, the museum said.

'This is a truly remarkable discovery, and is the most important piece of prehistoric art to be found in Britain in the last 100 years,' said Wilkin,. 

The drum is 'one of the most elaborately decorated objects of this period found anywhere in Britain and Ireland', and its style echoes that of objects from Stonehenge and related sites, the museum said. 

It was found alongside the grave of the three children who were buried close together, touching or holding hands. The drum was placed just above the head of the eldest child, accompanied by a chalk ball and a polished bone pin.

The drum — which has three holes in possibly to signify the three bodies — was found around 240 miles from Stonehenge near the village of Burton Agnes.

A similar ball and pins have been found in and near Stonehenge.

This suggests that communities across Britain and Ireland shared 'artistic styles, and probably beliefs, over remarkable distances', the British Museum said.

'Analysis of its carvings will help to decipher the symbolism and beliefs of the era in which Stonehenge was constructed,' said Wilkin.

The British Museum's collection includes a group of three similar drums found in 1889 at the burial site of a single child around 15 miles (24 kilometres) away from the latest find.

The museum describes these three, known as the Folkton Drums, as 'some of the most famous and enigmatic ancient objects ever unearthed in Britain'.

Radiocarbon dating has revealed they were created at the same time as the first phase of construction of Stonehenge, between 3005 and 2890 BC. 

The Bronze Age in Britain would begin around four centuries later from about 2,500 BC.  

Alice Beasley, who first uncovered the drum as Project Archaeologist for Allen Archaeology, said: 'Discovering the chalk drum was a thrilling and humbling experience. 

'Seeing the love and effort put into burying the individuals over 5,000 years ago was truly moving.'

All the objects are due to be put on display in the British Museum's 'The World of Stonehenge' exhibition, which opens on February 17.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10500819/5-000-year-old-grave-significant-prehistoric-art-Britain-150-years.html

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14 minutes ago, dockers_strike said:

Did a search on here but couldnt find anything. Anyone interested in archaeology?

 

The subject fascinates me. We live in a modern world with our wealth, toys, past times etc but go back a couple of thousand years and imagine what life was like. Harsh, hunt to survive, primitive tools. It must have been fucking freezing stuck in a hut with just a few twigs to burn for heating. And what to do, eat a bit, fix the axe, sleep?

 

Still some touching finds come out of the ground although Im a bit uneasy about disturbing these burials.

 

The discovery of an ancient burial ground where children were placed with sentimental objects by their parents has been hailed by the British Museum as the 'most important' discovery of pre-historic art in Britain in over a century.

The 5,000-year-old grave holding three children, buried in an embrace with the eldest child holding the two youngest — whose hands were also touching — was unearthed in 2015 in Burton Agnes, in East Yorkshire.

Archaeologists also discovered a carved stone drum, a chalk ball and a polished bone pin, with the 'talismanic' drum in particular being celebrated for its significance.

Neil Wilkin, curator of 'The World of Stonehenge' exhibition at the British Museum, said it was the 'most important' piece of prehistoric art to be found in Britain in the last 150 years. 

'The discovery of the Burton Agnes grave is highly moving,' he added.

'The emotions the new drum expresses are powerful and timeless, they transcend the time of Stonehenge and reflect a moment of tragedy and despair that remains undimmed after 5,000 years.'

The curator said that while human sacrifice as a cause of death was possible, it was unlikely due to the personal nature of the burials. 

Archaeologists have found very few burials from this period in British history, with the exception of a handful of graves containing children. Adults at this time are thought to have been cremated. 

'There is something protective about these objects. It is almost like they are  protecting the vulnerable young child,' he told The Times

'There is something talismanic about them. Who knows what befell this family or group of families, but it is a poignant scene. Everything about the grave speaks to me of an emotional moment.' 

Wilkin added: 'We have been waiting 150 years for a new object like this to come up.' 

The 5,000-year-old drum carved from chalk is set to go on display from February 17 for the first time in a major exhibition at the British Museum.

Extensive research into the drum confirmed it is one of the most significant ancient objects ever found in the British Isles, the museum said.

'This is a truly remarkable discovery, and is the most important piece of prehistoric art to be found in Britain in the last 100 years,' said Wilkin,. 

The drum is 'one of the most elaborately decorated objects of this period found anywhere in Britain and Ireland', and its style echoes that of objects from Stonehenge and related sites, the museum said. 

It was found alongside the grave of the three children who were buried close together, touching or holding hands. The drum was placed just above the head of the eldest child, accompanied by a chalk ball and a polished bone pin.

The drum — which has three holes in possibly to signify the three bodies — was found around 240 miles from Stonehenge near the village of Burton Agnes.

A similar ball and pins have been found in and near Stonehenge.

This suggests that communities across Britain and Ireland shared 'artistic styles, and probably beliefs, over remarkable distances', the British Museum said.

'Analysis of its carvings will help to decipher the symbolism and beliefs of the era in which Stonehenge was constructed,' said Wilkin.

The British Museum's collection includes a group of three similar drums found in 1889 at the burial site of a single child around 15 miles (24 kilometres) away from the latest find.

The museum describes these three, known as the Folkton Drums, as 'some of the most famous and enigmatic ancient objects ever unearthed in Britain'.

Radiocarbon dating has revealed they were created at the same time as the first phase of construction of Stonehenge, between 3005 and 2890 BC. 

The Bronze Age in Britain would begin around four centuries later from about 2,500 BC.  

Alice Beasley, who first uncovered the drum as Project Archaeologist for Allen Archaeology, said: 'Discovering the chalk drum was a thrilling and humbling experience. 

'Seeing the love and effort put into burying the individuals over 5,000 years ago was truly moving.'

All the objects are due to be put on display in the British Museum's 'The World of Stonehenge' exhibition, which opens on February 17.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10500819/5-000-year-old-grave-significant-prehistoric-art-Britain-150-years.html

I read about this yesterday, fascinating stuff.

I've had an interest in history and archaeology since I was a kid, so whenever there's a new discovery or a documentary I haven't seen I usually follow it.

 

This HS2 rail thing has yielded some fantastic discoveries, so there's plenty of material for new documentaries, and with HS2 ongoing, who knows what they'll find.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, dockers_strike said:

Did a search on here but couldnt find anything. Anyone interested in archaeology?

 

The subject fascinates me. We live in a modern world with our wealth, toys, past times etc but go back a couple of thousand years and imagine what life was like. Harsh, hunt to survive, primitive tools. It must have been fucking freezing stuck in a hut with just a few twigs to burn for heating. And what to do, eat a bit, fix the axe, sleep?

 

Still some touching finds come out of the ground although Im a bit uneasy about disturbing these burials.

 

The discovery of an ancient burial ground where children were placed with sentimental objects by their parents has been hailed by the British Museum as the 'most important' discovery of pre-historic art in Britain in over a century.

The 5,000-year-old grave holding three children, buried in an embrace with the eldest child holding the two youngest — whose hands were also touching — was unearthed in 2015 in Burton Agnes, in East Yorkshire.

Archaeologists also discovered a carved stone drum, a chalk ball and a polished bone pin, with the 'talismanic' drum in particular being celebrated for its significance.

Neil Wilkin, curator of 'The World of Stonehenge' exhibition at the British Museum, said it was the 'most important' piece of prehistoric art to be found in Britain in the last 150 years. 

'The discovery of the Burton Agnes grave is highly moving,' he added.

'The emotions the new drum expresses are powerful and timeless, they transcend the time of Stonehenge and reflect a moment of tragedy and despair that remains undimmed after 5,000 years.'

The curator said that while human sacrifice as a cause of death was possible, it was unlikely due to the personal nature of the burials. 

Archaeologists have found very few burials from this period in British history, with the exception of a handful of graves containing children. Adults at this time are thought to have been cremated. 

'There is something protective about these objects. It is almost like they are  protecting the vulnerable young child,' he told The Times

'There is something talismanic about them. Who knows what befell this family or group of families, but it is a poignant scene. Everything about the grave speaks to me of an emotional moment.' 

Wilkin added: 'We have been waiting 150 years for a new object like this to come up.' 

The 5,000-year-old drum carved from chalk is set to go on display from February 17 for the first time in a major exhibition at the British Museum.

Extensive research into the drum confirmed it is one of the most significant ancient objects ever found in the British Isles, the museum said.

'This is a truly remarkable discovery, and is the most important piece of prehistoric art to be found in Britain in the last 100 years,' said Wilkin,. 

The drum is 'one of the most elaborately decorated objects of this period found anywhere in Britain and Ireland', and its style echoes that of objects from Stonehenge and related sites, the museum said. 

It was found alongside the grave of the three children who were buried close together, touching or holding hands. The drum was placed just above the head of the eldest child, accompanied by a chalk ball and a polished bone pin.

The drum — which has three holes in possibly to signify the three bodies — was found around 240 miles from Stonehenge near the village of Burton Agnes.

A similar ball and pins have been found in and near Stonehenge.

This suggests that communities across Britain and Ireland shared 'artistic styles, and probably beliefs, over remarkable distances', the British Museum said.

'Analysis of its carvings will help to decipher the symbolism and beliefs of the era in which Stonehenge was constructed,' said Wilkin.

The British Museum's collection includes a group of three similar drums found in 1889 at the burial site of a single child around 15 miles (24 kilometres) away from the latest find.

The museum describes these three, known as the Folkton Drums, as 'some of the most famous and enigmatic ancient objects ever unearthed in Britain'.

Radiocarbon dating has revealed they were created at the same time as the first phase of construction of Stonehenge, between 3005 and 2890 BC. 

The Bronze Age in Britain would begin around four centuries later from about 2,500 BC.  

Alice Beasley, who first uncovered the drum as Project Archaeologist for Allen Archaeology, said: 'Discovering the chalk drum was a thrilling and humbling experience. 

'Seeing the love and effort put into burying the individuals over 5,000 years ago was truly moving.'

All the objects are due to be put on display in the British Museum's 'The World of Stonehenge' exhibition, which opens on February 17.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10500819/5-000-year-old-grave-significant-prehistoric-art-Britain-150-years.html

The Greek Museum will be along to nick that stuff.

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Had the good fortune to see the skull of the Taung child in Johannesberg a few years ago. I'd studied it at university, and it was one of those things I'd wanted to do since.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taung_Child

 

D-olWkEWsAAvCyh?format=jpg&name=large

 

Two million years old, one of the fossils that led us to realize that we'd come from Africa. 

 

A physical manifestation of the incredibly long, and tenuous, chain of our existence.

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13 hours ago, polymerpunkah said:

Had the good fortune to see the skull of the Taung child in Johannesberg a few years ago. I'd studied it at university, and it was one of those things I'd wanted to do since.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taung_Child

 

D-olWkEWsAAvCyh?format=jpg&name=large

 

Two million years old, one of the fossils that led us to realize that we'd come from Africa. 

 

A physical manifestation of the incredibly long, and tenuous, chain of our existence.

Jaw-dropping.

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