Golden leg fossil prep

In the following video we will be prepping a golden leg fossil for 2023 Makers’ Challenge. Watch the video to see the whole process!

What Was the Earth Like after Dinosaurs? The Ice Age

The geological history of the Earth bears the traces of many global climate changes. Variations in temperature, radiation levels and the composition of the planet's atmosphere have proved to be a verdict for some species and an evolutionary impetus for others. Some major extinctions wiped out up to 90 percent of the species of that time, bringing life on the planet to the brink of extinction. Over the last 500 million years there have been five such global catastrophes, and right now according to statistics a sixth one is in progress, and the fastest known in terms of running its course. What is happening on our planet and why is its biosphere degrading so rapidly? Let's try to find out.

Primitive Glassmaking (Creating Glass from Sand)

Have you ever wondered what the secret is to making glass from scratch? In today’s video we will yeach you about the origin, the components of glass, and how to create glass straight from sand using primitive technology.

The World's Most Interesting Places: Lithica Pedreres de s'Hostal

For centuries, the Lithica Quarry of s’Hostal provided the calcarenite building blocks for the traditional architecture on the island of Menorca, Spain.

The intensive use of the quarry led to the formation of a carved, sculptural landscape spanning 5 hectares of the island’s countryside. Since the mine’s closure in 1994, the Lithica Foundation initiated and managed a long-term sustainable redevelopment and restoration plan to transform the mine into a dynamic space for environmental, artistic, and cultural activities.

Who Made the Pyramids?

Giza is home to the three amazing pyramids most familiar to all. We investigate them and their origins. But there is even more at Giza that many people are not aware of. Follow us as we explore these fascinating ruins. Here is ancient Egypt as you've never seen it before.

What Was Life Like For Prostitutes In Ancient Greece?

What was the secret life of sex workers like in Ancient Greece? Was the oldest profession in the world much different from today? Let's find out.

Porne is the Greek word for prostitute, which is derived from the Greek word for sale, pernemi. Both men and women worked as prostitutes in Ancient Greece's bustling sex trade.

Female prostitutes were able to work autonomously, and prostitution was seen as a legitimate career. Prostitutes wore a uniform, wore distinguishing clothing, and even paid taxes. A successful prostitute can become not only wealthy, but also powerful.

Like any other occupation, everyone in the business was obligated by law to pay taxes on their earnings, which could imply that the status of this profession was perhaps more advanced than it is today in many nations throughout the world. Prostitutes were frequently brought in as slaves or as foreign women with limited rights who were allowed to earn money by providing sex services.

Slave women who got into business were frequently able to earn enough money to buy their freedom.

French archaeologists find a temple allegedly dedicated to the Roman god of battle

Under Julius Caesar's rule, the complex is thought to have served as a frequent stopping point for Roman soldiers stationed nearby.

In the northwest of the nation, archaeologists in France think they have discovered a temple devoted to the Roman god of war.

Figurines found near the excavation site in Rennes, France.

The archaeologists working on the dig were able to learn more about the massive Roman complex that was sprawled across more than 17 acres of land thanks to the discovery of the ruins of a sizable sanctuary. The temple is thought to have been built in the first century BCE. It is thought that the complex, which was discovered in 2022 at La Chapelle-des-Fougeretz in Brittany, once served as a station for Roman soldiers.

According to Françoise Labaune-Jean, an archaeologist and project leader at the National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP), "the size of the sanctuary indicates it was an important place for religion," she told the magazine Live Science.

Hoard of Ancient Artifacts on the French Coast

Over time, La Chapelle-des-Fougeretz has become well known for its extensive archaeological remains. Archaeologists began to realize the size of the site and how much may be discovered in the 1970s. The site underwent its initial excavations in the 1990s, and excavations resumed in 2022 after a decade break.

Excavators said the complex appeared to be of a religious nature. after finding bronze sculptures of Mars, the Roman war god, as well as weaponry hidden in a ditch surrounding the sanctuary's border. This implied that soldiers frequented this location.

Excavation site in Rennes, France.

Nearby, other terracotta statues were discovered.

In 56 B.C., Julius Caesar and his troops, known as "Armorica" by the Romans, conquered the area itself. Archaeologists don't quite know why the site was abandoned, but they do know that it was in use up to the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

There were also rumors that the temple complex included at least 40 tombs containing gold and silver coins from antiquity. They were also discovered near jewels, swords, and even a horse harness.

Source: https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-...

Take a Look at these 2,500-year-old statues — possibly long-lost goddesses— unearthed in Spain

Archaeologists felt they knew what to anticipate as they dug into the gray-brown soil of eastern Spain. After all, they had spent years excavating one of the culture's abandoned sites while studying it for decades.

Archaeologists are reconsidering ancient Tartessian culture after finding human-shaped, first-of-their-kind reliefs in Guareña, photos show. Photo from the Spanish National Research Council

Archaeologists later realized they were mistaken as a long-lost face poked its head out of the earth.

According to a news release from the Spanish National Research Council on April 18, the archaeologists were excavating the courtyard of the Casas del Turuuelo in Guarea. The Tartessians, a prehistoric Spanish society, built a two-story, well-preserved building at the location.

In southwestern Spain, Tartessian civilisation flourished between the ninth and sixth centuries B.C., according to the World History Encyclopedia. The Tartessians, skilled in the metallurgy of silver, tin, and iron, rose to great affluence, becoming, in the words of the encyclopedia, "like an ancient version of the modern 'El Dorado,'" a mythical city of gold.

The Casas del Turuñuelo site as seen from above. The left-most room is the upper chamber. The right-most room is the courtyard Photo from Building Tartesso website

An article from Building Tartesso, the project centre for Tartessian excavations, claims that the Casas del Turuuelo was built by the Tartessians about 2,500 years ago. The impressive site is shown in photos.

The courtyard is the space to the right. According to a map from a 2019 investigation of the site published in the journal Antiquity, the room contains a hallway running along one side and a pair of stairs leading up to an anteroom that branches in three directions.

According to Building Tartesso, Room 100 is an upper main room with a vault and a stone bathtub-like structure that lies directly ahead of the anteroom. A smaller room can be found to the right. A complete set of ceramics, jugs, a cauldron, and a grill were discovered in the banquet room, which lies to the left of the anteroom, together with other leftovers from a feast.

Some of the animal skeletons from the mass sacrifice. Photo from the Spanish National Research Council

The building might have been a Tartessian temple or sanctuary. According to a research council news release, archaeologists discovered the remains of a complex ritual mass sacrifice ceremony next to the courtyard stairs in 2017.

Before the location was destroyed, burned, sealed with clay, and abandoned, sixteen horses, two bulls, and a pig were sacrificed there, according to Building Tartesso and the council.

Five human face reliefs were found by archaeologists digging in this courtyard, according to the April 18 news release. The first Tartessian human representations ever discovered, according to experts, are these statues.

Nearing completion are two of the 2,500-year-old sculptures. The statues, which feature two female figures wearing traditional Tartessian jewelry, could be of long-lost goddesses or well-known individuals, according to the press statement.

These two female figures are visible in photos posted on Twitter by the Spanish National Research Council. One statue is broken into multiple pieces and is colored like brown charcoal. The statue's eyes lack an iris and it looks straight ahead while sporting large earrings. The eyes of the other sculpture, which is yellow-gold in hue, are covered by a band resembling a crown.

Less was done on the other three statues. One was recognized as a warrior by archaeologists based on its helmet, while the identities of the other two are unknown.

Close up photos of the two female statues. Photos from the Spanish National Research Council

According to the release, experts have long assumed that the Tartessian people preferred to represent their gods as animals, plants, or sacred stones rather than as human beings.

Archaeologists are drastically changing and reevaluating their knowledge of Tartessian society in light of these sculptures.

The Building Tartesso project is now conducting excavations at the Casas del Turuuelo and other Tartessian ruins.

About 210 kilometres to the southwest of Madrid is Guarea.

Source: https://www.heraldonline.com/news/nation-w...

Scientists and researchers can now enter the Amphipolis tomb

The Kasta Tomb, also known as the Amphipolis Tomb, in northern Greece, opened to scientists, researchers, and tour guides on Tuesday, nine years after its discovery. These individuals will be able to inspect the ancient monument and determine the best methods for its functioning.

These initial visitors entered the tomb's interior and examined the burial trench in groups of five, each with a guard or archaeologist by their side.

The well-known archaeological site is currently undergoing extensive restoration with financial assistance from the EU's Recovery and Resilience Fund. The site gained international media attention in 2014 after the discovery of the tomb from the late 4th century BC.

A Viking ship has recently been found in Norway

Using georadar, a Viking ship measuring 20 meters long was found atop a mound that was previously thought to be empty. Archaeologist Håkon Reiersen calls this discovery "spectacular" and "a revelation about the earliest Viking kings."

During explorations and excavations in Karmøy in June last year, archaeologists discovered a new Viking ship in an old burial mound, as well as uncovered new information about the Storhaug ship which was discovered in the 1880s. Karmøy can now boast of being the home of three Viking ships. (Photo: Museum of Archaeology, University of Stavanger)

When excavating the Salhushaugen gravemound in Karmy, Western Norway, just over a century ago, archaeologist Haakon Shetelig was devastated not to locate a Viking ship.

The area where Grnhaugskipet was discovered had earlier seen Shetelig uncover a wealthy Viking ship tomb and the renowned Oseberg ship, the largest and best-preserved remaining Viking ship, in 1904. He only discovered 15 wooden spades and a few arrowheads at Salshaugen.

Haakon Shetelig excavated the Salhushaugen mound in 1906 and 1912. (Photo: University Museum of Bergen. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0)

He was very upset that nothing more was done with the mound, according to Håkon Reiersen, an archaeologist at the University of Stavanger's Museum of Archaeology.

But it turned out that Shetelig just did not delve far enough.

The Storhaug ship burial as it might have appeared in 779. (Illustration: Eva Gjerde (c) Museum of Archaeology, University of Stavanger)

The decision to utilize ground-penetrating radar, also known as georadar—a device that uses radio waves to map out what is beneath the surface of the ground—to search the area was made by archaeologists around a year ago, in June 2022.

And lo, there it was—the shape of a Viking ship.

Exactly in the center of the mound

To complete their research and excavations at the time and increase their confidence in their findings, the archaeologists initially kept the discovery a secret.

"We've been working on this for a year, so we feel pretty confident about our findings," adds Reiersen, who served as the project manager for the field work.

Although publications have not yet been released, Reiersen claims that the georadar survey data is fairly clear.

"The outline of a 20-meter-long ship is clearly visible in the georadar signals. It is fairly broad and resembles the Oseberg ship, he claims.

The Oseberg ship measures just over 5 meters in width and roughly 22 meters in length.

Furthermore, the ship-shaped signs are situated precisely where the burial ship would have been—in the mound's center. The burial ship is the most plausible candidate as the cause of the incident.

The three Viking ship burial mounds at Karmøy. (Illustration: Museum of Archaeology, University of Stavanger)

The ship is also reminiscent to the Storhaug ship, another Viking ship discovered on Karmy in 1886, and of discoveries made in conjunction with its excavation.

Shetelig discovered a sizable round stone slab that may have served as a sacrifice altar. This links it to the Storhaug ship in time because a slab quite identical to it was discovered in the Storhaug mound, according to Reiersen.

There were at least three Viking ships in the same area

With the most recent discovery, Karmy, a historically significant location for more than three thousand years on Norway's southwest coast, can now boast three Viking ships.

The Storhaug ship was used for a ship burial ten years after it was built in 770.

The Grnhaug ship was buried 15 years after it was built in 780.

The newest addition, the Salhushaug ship, has not yet been authenticated or dated, but archaeologists believe it to be from the same time period as the other ships, the late 700s.

To analyze the conditions and maybe obtain a more accurate dating, the archaeologists intend to do a verification dig.

"All that we have seen so far is the ship's shape. It's possible that when we open up, what's left of the ship is only an imprint and not much of it has been retained, warns Reiersen.

It's unclear when an exploratory excavation might take place.

Before Shetelig's excavation, the Salhushaug mound had a diameter of around 50 meters and a height of 5 to 6 meters.

“It was enormous! Of course, most of this is gone, but what's left is a plateau, which is usually the most interesting section of the mound.” According to Reiersen, we believe that there are still items there to be discovered.

The Storhaug mound was never looted, says archaeologist Håkon Reiersen. We know this partly due to observations during excavations in the 1880s, but also because so many valuable items were found – such as this gold arm ring and a spectacular set of game pieces made of glass and amber. (Photo: Annette Øvrelid, Museum of Archaeology, University of Stavanger)

Home of the earliest Viking kings

According to Reiersen, the three Viking ship tombs near Karmy are evidence that this is where the first Viking rulers resided.

Excavated around 120 years ago, the tombs of the more well-known Viking ships Oseberg and Gokstad are dated to between 900 and 834 for Oseberg and 900 for Gokstad, respectively.

This is the largest constellation of ship burial mounds known to exist, according to Reiersen.

"This is the region of the nation where events took place during the early Viking Age. According to him, here is where the tradition of Scandinavian ship graves originated before spreading to other regions of the nation.

Ship traffic on the west coast was governed by the local kingdoms in this region. Ships were compelled to travel along the Nordvegen, or "way to the north," across the constricting Karmsund Strait. That's where the country's name, Norway, also comes from.

The three Viking ships of Karmy contained the remains of three mighty rulers who ruled over a region of Norway for thousands of years. The Viking King Harald Fairhair, who is credited with unifying Norway about the year 900, lived at the settlement of Avaldsnes in Karmy.

The first sail-equipped Viking ship?

The only Viking Age tomb from Norway where a gold arm ring has been discovered is the Storhaug mound. Not just anyone was interred here, claims Reiersen.

Massimiliano Ditta holds up a part of the Storhaug ship which was found in 1974.

Massimiliano Ditta, a PhD student, has examined all the artifacts and paperwork from the Storhaug ship excavation in 1886–1887 in addition to discovering a new Viking ship. He has revealed that what was once thought to be a rowing ship was actually a sailing ship using new analytical techniques.

Along with other elements, the Storhaug ship's keel and what appear to be pieces of the yard from the top of the sail point in this direction. Although Ditta's investigations have not yet been published, Reiersen is confident that his discoveries will change what is known about the Storhaug ship.

The Oseberg ship is currently thought to be the earliest sail-equipped Viking ship. It will be necessary to reevaluate this fact if Ditta and Reiersen are right.

A great discovery

Jan Bill, a professor and archaeologist, calls it a "magnificent find." He oversees the Viking Ship Collection at the University of Oslo's Museum of Cultural History.

With two ship burial mounds situated in the exact same spot, Karmy has always stood out as exceptional, so the discovery of a third ship just strengthens the sense that something special is happening in this location, according to Bill.

Surveying locations using georadar has yielded a lot of interesting finds in recent years, among them a few Viking ships. (Photo: Museum of Archaeology, University of Stavanger)

Additionally, he supports the investigation of the Storhaug ship as a potential sailing vessel.

We've had conflicting information about this ship, so if this new research can clear things up, that's fantastic, he says.

However, Bill questions whether the practice of ship burials originated in Karmy, noting older instances from England and Estonia.

Bill notes that it is unclear whether the Storhaug ship is the first Viking ship to have sails because the Gjellestad Viking ship, which was discovered a few years ago, has not yet been dated but may be from the same time period.

A brand-new Viking ship in a trend

Project manager for the excavation of the Gjellestad Viking ship in 2020 and 2021 was archaeologist Christian Løchsen Rødsrud. A few years ago, the ship was initially located using georadar. The ship was in terrible condition, and excavations needed to be done as soon as possible to conserve the remains, according to the preliminary investigations.

According to Løchsen Rødsrud, "This new find is part of a series of new ship finds during recent years," though he adds that because he hasn't seen the geophysical images, he can't speculate too much about what they could represent.

The archaeologist claims that Gjellestad was the first ship to be found using georadar.

Recent georadar discoveries in Edøy in Western Norway, Borre in Eastern Norway, and potentially Jarlsberg in the same region have led to the discovery of further Viking ships.

"Our work seems to have opened up for a new generation of archaeologists who are again focusing on these burial mounds," he claims.

Even though Viking ship remnants are being found by Norwegian archaeologists, excavation of these sites is not certain.

The choice about the ship discovered in Borre, according to Løchsen Rødsrud, is to hold off until the Gjellestad ship's construction is complete.

The government chose to invest money in Gjellestad because it was the first. I don't want to guess right now about the political environment surrounding funding for additional ship burial digs, the man says.

Since this discovery is located in a different region of the nation and belongs to a different museum, he continues, "they might have a strong interest in opening things up so they can get a sense of the conditions, and maybe an option might be funding from the private sector."

Source: https://sciencenorway.no/archaeology-vikin...

Girl who was metal detecting in a Danish cornfield discovered "very rare" 1,000-year-old Viking coins

A museum announced Thursday that almost 300 silver coins that are thought to be over 1,000 years old have been found close to a Viking fortification site in northwest Denmark.

The silver coins were found about five miles from the Fyrkat Viking ringfort near the town of Hobro.

A little girl who was metal detecting in a cornfield last autumn discovered the unique collection, which was hidden in two locations not far apart.

"A hoard like this is very rare," said Lars Christian Norbach, director of the North Jutland museum where the artifacts will be shown, to AFP.

Near the town of Hobro, five kilometers from the Fyrkat Viking ringfort, silver coins were discovered. Notably, they are thought to be from the 980s because they both bear cross inscriptions, according to the museum.

According to archaeologists, the cache contains Danish, Arab, and Germanic coins as well as jewelry made in Scotland or Ireland.

The discoveries, according to Norbach, date from the same time as the fort, which King Harald Bluetooth erected, and will provide more light on the Vikings' past.

"The two silver treasures in and of themselves represent an absolutely fantastic story, but to find them buried in a settlement just eight kilometers from Harald Bluetooth's Viking castle Fyrkat is incredibly exciting," said museum archaeologist and curator Torben Trier Christiansen.

King Harald probably introduced the cross coins as propaganda in connection with his Christianization of the Danes because his earlier coins did not have a cross, according to the museum.

According to Norbach, there may be a connection between the treasure, which the Vikings would bury during battle, and the fort that burned down about the same time.

After the harvest, according to archaeologists, they will begin digging in the fall.

King Harald likely introduced the cross coins as propaganda in connection with his Christianization of the Danes, the museum said.

They want to locate the former owners of the troves' graves and residences.

The Vikings had the view that burying their treasure would enable them to recover it after passing away.

The Aalborg Historical Museum will start displaying the artifacts to the public in July.

The amount of the financial reward that will be given to the girl who made the discovery has not been made public.

Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/viking-coins-...

Digs uncover the hunter-gatherer past of Dartmoor

Small fragments of stone that reveal information about Dartmoor's hunter-gatherer past have been found during a five-week archaeological dig program.

According to scientists, the fragments may help us learn more about the people who inhabited the area more than 10,000 years ago.

Emma Stockley is leading the project

According to the Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA), they have been discovered in several places.

The project's coordinator, Emma Stockley, claimed that the flint bits provide "tantalizing clues" about the past.

They are believed to be from the Mesolithic era, which lasted from 10,000 to 4,000 BC.

According to DNPA, this was the time when trees began to expand throughout Dartmoor as a result of the climate's rapid warming after the end of the Ice Age.

Up to 50 volunteers have been involved with the digs

It is known that people once engaged in small-group hunting for wild animals like deer and wild auroch cattle as well as gathering berries and nuts.

Workers on the project have been searching for signs of the equipment they used and the waste they left behind.

"I've always been fascinated by the idea of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers on Dartmoor and the tantalizing hints that these tiny pieces of flint or chert offer us about how communities lived and used the surrounding landscape," said Ms. Stockley, a PhD candidate at the University of Leicester and former DNPA employee.

Visitors may be utterly ignorant of this key phase in Dartmoor's past because the archaeology from this era is considerably less visible than that from later periods on Dartmoor.

The digs have found fragments of tools used more than 10,000 years ago

The project has also involved a group of 50 volunteers.

Dr. Lee Bray, an archaeologist from the DNPA, stated that Emma's research "will not only add to our understanding of this significant period in Dartmoor's human past, but it will also help us develop techniques for managing Dartmoor's archaeological heritage so the landscape is better understood, valued, and cared for."

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-...