SCAtoday.net - Archaeology

Scandinavians "genetically diverse" for over 2000 years say researchers

Tue, 1 Jul 2008 17:24:08 -0400

A study of Danish burial grounds dating to the Iron Age by a team of forensic scientists from the University of Copenhagen finds that humans were much more genetically diverse than previously believed.

11st century Jain statue found in Pushkar, India

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 13:40:37 -0400

Archaeologists working on a site near Ajmer, India have discovered a black stone statue of Jain Tirthankar Kuntunath in a meditating posture dating to the 11th century. The statue is one of 36 discovered in old Pushkar in the past year.

Archaeologists search for lost Welsh towns

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:44:10 -0400

Two Welsh towns near Carmarthenshire are missing. Records show that they existed in the 14th and 15th centuries, but they have long since disappeared. Now researchers hope to find them within the grounds of Dinefwr Park and Castle near Llandeilo.

"Lost" medieval church of Dunwich found with modern technology

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:35:17 -0400

Marine archaeologists believe they have discovered a medieval church which tumbled off an eroded cliff into the ocean in Suffolk County, England. The remains were discovered using sonar and underwater cameras.

Copper Age "Stonehenge of Sevilla" could become supermarket

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 17:32:12 -0400

Castilleja, Spain's mayor Carmelo Cebo does not believe in the value of the 4,500-year-old Copper Age burial site near Sevilla, calling it "just a pile of stones," not worth saving. The site may be destined to be bulldozed to make way for developers.

The mystery of the missing skeletons

Sun, 8 Jun 2008 11:44:26 -0400

Dozens of skeletons, thought to be Muslim and dating from the 8th or 9th centuries C.E, have been removed from the site of excavations near the Temple Mount according to the Israel Antiquities Authority who have deemed the incident "a serious mishap."

Scientists Think Humans Arrived in New Zealand in 1280 C.E.

Sat, 7 Jun 2008 14:57:45 -0400

Scientists studying rat remains and seeds eaten by the rats believe humans did not colonize New Zealand until 1280 C.E. because they could not have swum the distances from the nearest islands.

Search continues for "Lost Colony"

Fri, 6 Jun 2008 18:47:12 -0400

Researchers from the First Colony Foundation are gearing up to begin an extensive search for America's "Lost Colony." The project will be covered by the Time Team America program.

Study finds Stonehenge may have been royal burial ground

Wed, 4 Jun 2008 14:39:29 -0400

Researchers from the University of Sheffield, England, say that radiocarbon dating of remains from Stonehenge suggest that the site was a burial ground for Britain's first royal dynasty, as early as 500 years before the stones were erected.

The Birka Project information online

Sun, 1 Jun 2008 17:25:02 -0400

One of the most impressive archaeological sites for the Viking Age is Birka at Björkö in Lake Mälaren, Sweden. A website describing the site and its artifacts is available online.

Did smallpox kill Gloucester Romans?

Wed, 14 May 2008 12:11:06 -0400

Experts working on the recently-discovered mass Roman grave in Gloucester, England will be using DNA tests to determine what killed over 90 individuals. A first look at the remains points to a 2nd century smallpox outbreak that swept across Britain.

Germanic society in England may not have been as brutal as once believed

Thu, 8 May 2008 10:51:22 -0400

Recent scientific studies have suggested that the Germanic invaders of England may have imposed an apartheid-like system on the native peoples, but an article by John Pattison of the University of South Australia in Adelaide disagrees. "The evidence is compatible with the idea of a much more integrated society," he says.

Vikings acquitted in ritual killing

Sun, 4 May 2008 11:24:54 -0400

New evidence pertaining to the death of a Viking woman found in a ship burial disputes the earlier belief that the woman was ritually murdered. "We have no reason to think violence was the cause of death," Per Holck, professor of anatomy at Oslo University, told Reuters after studying the two women who died in 834 aged about 80 and 50.

Sherwood's "Thynghowe" may be Anglo-Saxon mound

Sat, 3 May 2008 18:05:13 -0400

Husband and wife Lynda Mallet and Stuart Reddish discovered a mysterious mound three years ago in Sherwood Forest, Nottingham, England with the help of 19th century maps. Now they believe the site may have been an Anglo-Saxon gathering place.

French Templar tomb found

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:25:09 -0400

The remains of a Templar knight have been discovered in a tomb near Rennes-le-Chateau, France along with a cache of gold and coins. The mummified body wore the still-recognizable shroud of the order. (video)