Archaeology - Astronomy News

Blobrana

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Posts: 131433

Date: Jun 5 07:49 2007

Tyre

Civil engineering at ancient Tyre In 332 B.C., Alexander the Great's engineers built a 1-km causeway linking the Phoenician mainland to the ancient island of Tyre. The engineering logistics behind this feat have long mystified archaeologists.
Nick Marriner et al. analysed the coastal sediment record for the past 10,000 years to expose how Alexander's engineers exploited a natural sand bridge, which is generated by high sediment supply and low-energy waves, to form a permanent link to the continent. Between 8000 and 6000 B.P., shallow marine environments existed between Tyre's 6-km ridge and the adjacent continent. After 6000 B.P., a slowdown in postglacial sea-level rise and the dissipation of wave energy by Tyre led to the natural growth of a spit linking the island to the coastline. After a protracted 7-month siege of the ancient city, Alexander's engineers used this natural sublittoral isthmus to build an artificial bridge and breach the island's defences.

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Blobrana

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Posts: 131433

Date: Jun 2 18:01 2007

RE: Archaeology	Permalink

I have no objection in principle to reconstruction at archaeological sites. Done well, such projects can be highly evocative - the rebuilt façade of the Roman Library of Celsus at Ephesus is a good example, which I think helps visitors enjoy trying to recapture a sense of the city and its buildings. But there is a problem when the terminology becomes blurred and words such as "original" or "authentic" are bandied about too freely. Read more __________________

Blobrana

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Posts: 131433

Date: Jun 2 15:02 2007

Sassanid Archaeology	Permalink

An ancient monument in the historical city of Kashan in Isfahan province is on the verge of destruction, Iran Daily reported. Chahar Taqi-e Niasar (Niasar Quadric Arcs) is said to be one of the most significant historical sites of the Sassanid Era (226-650 AD). According to Mehr News Agency, a stone mine has been established within the precincts of Chahar Taqi-e Niasar, endangering the spectacular monument. Chahar Taqi-e Niasar was registered as a national heritage under No. 316 in 1938. The monument was used in ancient times as an observatory to study the Sun's movements in the early days of summer and winter. In keeping with the tradition, every year, Niasar Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department organises a ceremony to mark the observance of Sun's birth in the early days of the two seasons. Read more __________________

Blobrana

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Posts: 131433

Date: May 27 17:14 2007

RE: Archaeology	Permalink

An archaeological exhibit will open in Tehran with a rare display of a 5,000-year old artefact thought to be the earliest form of 'animation'. "10,000 Years of Civilization and the Art of Iran" will showcase 150 ancient artefacts at the Ancient Iran Museum in Tehran beginning Monday. Read more __________________

Blobrana

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Posts: 131433

Date: May 26 17:27 2007

Nevado de Toluca volcano	Permalink

Archaeologists diving into a lake in the crater of a snow-capped volcano found wooden sceptres shaped like lightning bolts that match 500-year-old descriptions by Spanish priests and conquerors writing about offerings to the Aztec rain god. The lightning bolts - along with cones of copal incense and obsidian knives - were found during scuba-diving expeditions in one of the twin lakes of the extinct Nevado de Toluca volcano, at more than 13,800 feet above sea level. Scientists must still conduct tests to determine the age of the findings, but the writings after the Spanish conquest in 1521 have led them to believe the offerings were left in the frigid lake west of Mexico City more than 500 years ago. Read more __________________

Blobrana

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Posts: 131433

Date: May 24 16:04 2007

RE: Archaeology	Permalink

Wicklow pipes Bronze Age music This set of prehistoric musical pipes was discovered at an archaeological excavation south of Greystones, Co Wicklow. Read more (subscription) __________________

Blobrana

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Posts: 131433

Date: May 18 15:18 2007

The Lotus flower	Permalink

The symbolic importance of the lotus flower can be traced back to the wall carvings of Iran's ancient Persepolis ruins. The nenuphar, or lotus flower, (Niloofar in Farsi) symbolised many attributes in the ancient world. Archaeologists say the nenuphar shown in the reliefs of Persepolis, the ancient ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (559 BC-330 BC), symbolises peace and happiness. The nenuphar is also seen in the ceiling carvings of the ancient ruins of Iran's Kermanshah area, which date back to the Sassanid era (226 BC-651 AD). Read more __________________

Blobrana

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Posts: 131433

Date: May 16 11:47 2007

Samian Ware	Permalink

Samian ware is beautiful reddish amber-coloured pottery, made in moulds and often decorated with figural reliefs. In recent times it has been given the Latin moniker terra sigillata. It was made in peripheral parts of the Roman Empire and rarely moved far beyond its borders. The Swedish finds can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Each find is alone in its respective province: Scania, Västergötland, Östergötland, Gotland... Last Saturday, Pierre Petersson of the AHIMKAR blog led a guided tour of a 1st Millennium cemetery in Söderåkra parish, Småland, the province between Scania and Östergötland. Småland hasn't got any Samian finds. That is, it hadn't got any until last Saturday... See more __________________

Blobrana

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Posts: 131433

Date: May 15 20:35 2007

Tyre	Permalink

Geological studies of Tyre have revealed that Alexander the Greats defeat of the island in 332 B.C. was facilitated by a natural sand bridge lying a metre or two below the water's surface. According to U.S. Military Academy's Department of History, Alexander the Great built this causeway on a natural sand bar at the age of 23 He is said to have stood on the coast of what is now Lebanon, gazing at the tiny Phoenician island city of Tyre, then a powerful commercial centre. Alexander knew that Tyre had to be seized before he could safely move south to Egypt and then turn inland to conquer the Persian Empire. His engineers used timber and ruins from the old centre of Tyre on the coast to build a kilometre-long 'mole', or causeway, to the island. Months later, his army broke through the fortress walls and brutally crushed Tyre. Read more __________________

Blobrana

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Posts: 131433

Date: May 10 12:41 2007

RE: Archaeology	Permalink

Ancient Roman builders created towns using grids that were aligned with the stars, according to new research. Experts examined around 38 towns across Italy and found that they were based on astronomical grids and the flight of birds. Read more __________________

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