Minecraft and Archaeology?

Combining two of my favourite things? Almost, not quite, not really... Some fellow gamer decided to visit an abandoned server and treat it like an archaeologist. Mostly he just looked around and guessed what things might have been. So, yes, in some ways like an archaeologist would, but there was no methodology, ha! Anyway, here is his diary entry:

How to fool the art world

Easily the best story of the day....

Trolling the artworld: In 1924 Paul Jordan-Smith submitted an ugly painting he put together under a false name and an invented artistic movement called Disumbrationism. The painting received great acclaim from art circles which later learned of the ruse.

Stonehenge: Druid loses human rights battle over reburial of 5,000 year old remains

Anyone familiar with British Archaeology, and in particular Stonehenge, will have heard of the famous Druid, King Arthur Pendragon. Quite the character, he has been featured on countless news outlets over the years.

His latest battle at the the High Courts in London was rejected. Mr. Pendragon asked that remains uncovered in 2008 be denied further scientific study and return for burial at Stonehenge. Representing himself, Mr. Pendragon claimed that the bodies represented the 'founding fathers' of the British nation, that they hold a special place of respect and deserve, like any human remains, to rest undisturbed, 'Let those we lay to rest, stay in rest'.

A judicial review action was denied to Mr. Pendragon by Mr. Justice Wyn Williams based on insufficient evidence that the Ministry of Justice have acted unreasonably. Mr. Pendragon subsequently called for a 'Day of Action' at Stonehenge.

Mr. Pendragon's arguments, while not of the highest legal calibre, do generate debate on the topic of exhumation and reburial. The ethics of how to deal with human remains are often overlooked by archaeologists, but there is always room for and a need for debate on the subject to ensure ethical progress within the discipline.

More on this story here, here, here and here.

Paintballs vs Petroglyphs

Some people have no interest in history or archaeology, that's just fine. But when people have no respect for ancient remains, that can be a dangerous thing with serious consequences. For one David R. Smith, he found out the hard way via the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Grapevine Canyon defaced petroglyphs

Back in March of last year, 21 year old Smith and two others took their fully automatic paintball guns out to the site of the petroglyphs, showering Grapevine Canyon with hundreds of oil-based red and green paint bullets. 38 of the bullets seriously defaced the petroglyphs, and while the paint has been removed, an oily residue still remains.

Grapevine Canyon is a sacred place to the Colorado River Indian tribes and home to 700 petroglyphs that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Yesterday, Smith pleaded guilty to the crime and was sentenced to 15 months in prison and an order to pay nearly $10,000 in restitution.

Source: here.

Kellogs - away with the birds

Multi-million-dollar, international corporation, Kellogs (of cereal fame) have decided to take to the courts over their bird, Toucan Sam:.
Kellogs claim, in their copyright suit, that a non-profit company based in California is ripping off their logo. That non-profit is the Maya Archaeology Initiative, whose sole purpose is to defend Mayan culture. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but the two birds do not look the same. Both abstracted in their own way, they differ immensely in style, one cartoon, one stylistically Mayan, with a Mayan pyramid in the background for emphasis. Featuring different colours, proportions, and context, the mind boggles as to how and why Kellogs think they will win. Copyright infringement is taken very seriously by big multinationals and rightly so. Confusing customers can lead to lost profits, but in this case, Kellogs is out of their mind. The two logos' only similarity is their basis on the Toucan. Does that mean that Kellogs owns the image rights to the Toucan.... will they start suing other companies...?

Call me biased

No, wait, Guinness is also a mega multinational, no chance of them not using the Toucan. So instead Kellogs goes after the little guy, the one that is not out to make millions but preserve the cultural legacy of the Mayan people. In any case, the two logos don't even operate in the same industries, so how would a customer get confused? Why would the non-profits use of the logo detract from Kellogs' area of operations?

The simple answer is Kellogs has made a major PR blunder while the Maya Archaeology Initiative will hopefully have gained some much needed free press.


 Read more here and here. Also, http://mayaarchaeology.org/

Spain: Operation Necropolis

Spanish police squads may sound like comic book super-villains, but they get the job done! 'Operation Necropolis', recently arrested 12 people in connection with the looting and selling of thousands of archaeological artefacts from the Valencia area. More than 9,000 antiquities were seized in the early morning raids on 13 homes in the region. Metal detectors, maps and other equipment were found alongside pillaged coins and medallions.

Spain has done a fantastic job with this. The country is very hands-on with protecting its cultural heritage and is usually one of the first to sign new legislation that protects its archaeology. Other countries could certainly take a few pointers on how to manage looters and the black market trading that is omni-present globally.

Read the original story here.

First day of real archaeology (rage comic)

David Bowie, China and Crystal Balls

David Bowie's Labyrinth was a major part of my childhood and concreted ideas of what was mysterious and magical. One of the coolest parts of the movie was Bowie's crystal ball juggling scene.

See how I completely avoided any 'ball' related jokes....

What has that got to do with Archaeology or History, you ask? Nothing really, but by chance I found Penn Museum's incredible Chinese Rotunda section which features as its centre piece a perfect quartz crystal ball. This is the second largest in the world and absolutely stunning. Click here to see the museum's official photos.

Source: Penn Museum http://www.flickr.com/photos/pennmuseum/5527144310/in/set-72157620815557453

The base was designed by a Japanese artisan and really showcases the grace and simplicity of the crystal ball. The properties of quartz make the piece even more special: it has special optical properties because of the way light travels through the material... something about its structure atomic lattice. One of the easiest ways to observe such properties is the way it turns everything upside down and then creates a kind of double vision.

If you would like to know a bit more about the science of the quartz ball click here. The history of the piece is mind-blowing too. The text from the exhibition states:


An ornamental treasure of the Imperial palace in Beijing, the crystal sphere was said to have been a favorite possession of the Empress Dowager Cixi (1836 -1908 CE), under whose watch imperial China crumbled. The rock crystal originated in Burma and was shaped into a sphere though years of constant rotation in a semi-cylindrical container filled with emery, garnet powder, and water. The forty-nine pound flawless crystal sphere is believed to be the second largest in the world. The stand in the shape of a wave was designed by a Japanese artisan.

Ireland: Bagged up Bog Body

A bog body was found part-buried in a leather bag in Portloaise by Bórd na Móna diggers yesterday - saved in the nick of time from the machine cutters by a keen-eyed employee. Now removed for study at the National Museum, the remains are believed to be 3000 years old. Chemicals in the surrounding peat preserved the exposed legs and leather bag, but the torso, head and arms that were covered in the leather bag did not survive. The area surrounding the remains has provided a number of exciting archaeological finds in recent years, including an axe heads, shoes and bog butter.

Read RTÉ's story here, including more pics.

Historian tackles more than the past

TV Presenter Dan Snow tackled a looter outside his home in London. Hearing the windows of his local pub smashed in, Snow rushed out onto the street. A youth ran past him, preoccupied with carrying looted shoes. The historian told BBC 5 live Breakfast how he seized the opportunity to tackle him to the ground and then sat on the looter until police arrived.

On a complete side note, while looking up a picture of him on the internets, I found lots of people have taken a strong fancy to his face, while another had this snarly piece to say:

He presents history documentaries on the BBC. He's unbeleivably wooden in front of the camera, almost unbearably posh - and more than just a little bit geeky. 

He's only 31, but his hair and fashion sense make him look more like a 45 year-old dentist. Whenever he's on TV, droning on about King Henry VIII or something, I just sit there staring at him, thinking of ways to corrupt him.

National Archives UK - Posters

These posters provide a fascinating insight into the British views on trade and empire, and are very much of their time (!)

First, putting a positive spin on decimating forestry with a hint of racist overtones:

"Jungles today are gold mines tomorrow" 1927

From the days when construction workers were regarded with a bit more respect as 'Empire Builders':

"Empire Builders" 1927

A time when the world wasn't made of individual cultures and countries, but easy routes through which to travel to your newest resource, with lands owned by the crown marked in blood red:

"Highways of Empire" 1927

Not only could you look to your explorers for new lands to conquer, but also the history of fashion:

"The Empire is Still in Building" 1930

There is plenty more on the Empire and other topics on the National Archives website, Education section. Source for the above at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/empire/g2/cs1/default.htm

Mystery object found on the ocean floor between Sweden and Finland

No one has any idea what this 'floundering object' is 285 feet down Botnia Gulf.


Peter Lindberg, commander of Ocean Explorer, and his team of experienced salvage hunters haven't a clue either.


Find out more, including a detailed image, here. Let's figure this one people!

And NO, Giorgio, it's not bloody aliens

An archaeology of images

I used to work in patents and got to see a whole range of crazy and exciting inventions. Out of curiosity I recently checked out google's "What do you love?" (www.wdyl.com) and searched for archaeology. For some reason I was surprised when I saw patents for archaeology pop up - so I clicked, not really knowing what to expect.

One of the first patents I saw was "Systems and Methods for Image Archaeology". The idea is that images are utilised and altered all the time so how do we find the source material - what is the archaeology of the edited or remixed images? It's not ground-based archaeology, but an archaeology that reflects our digital-orientated culture. In essence, it is a visual archaeology of the internet, which is both fascinating and questionable. I love the idea, yet I am curious about how it will be used, especially since it will (if the patent passes) become exclusive intellectual property for up to 20 years.

Side note: The person who wrote up the patent decided to include some images as a means of explanation (because patents love detailed lawyer jargon, images can help clarify things quickly). They focused on the political, including Bin Laden and George W. Bush with his mouth covered up - whoever drafted the patent probably has a sense of humour.

Shocking: Neolithic Stone Circle Bulldozed

Reports began to circulate in early June concerning damage to one of a series of four remarkable Neolithic monuments in Somerset, southwest England. However, the scale of the damage to the Priddy Circles is only now being fully appreciated.

A ruined monument

The four Circles are listed together as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and as such are under the protection of the State. Somerset County Council confirmed it was working in conjunction with English Heritage to pursue a resolution for this distressing situation, which arose when the landowner, Mr Penny, allegedly used his earth-moving equipment to bulldoze, flatten and reseed the entire southwestern arc of the southern circle.

Read more >> http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/07/2011/neolithic-monument-bulldozed-flat-in-england-provokes-outrage#ixzz1SYQ4hDRj
Read the Archaeology News - then buy the Trowel at Past Horizons Tools

The Indiana Jones controversy

Scumbag Indiana

Rome: A trip down memory lane

It appears I didn't just fall accidentally into archaeology. When I was a kid, my parents brought my cousins and I to Rome and we visited every archaeological site it had to offer. Here are some ridiculous photos of me back in 1991 in either the hideous yellow tartan outfit or the pink and blue shell suit, early 90s fashion at its best...

In the catacombs. We were locked in here for 5 hours while our guide went out for lunch and got drunk...

Temples, temples everywhere

More archaeological sites!

On the Spanish steps, I was not impressed

Chilling, 90s -style, at the Roman Forum

Chasing pigeons at the Vatican

At the Colosseum

Egypt: Zahi Hawass gets the boot

The iconic, press-loving minister of antiquities has been given the sack, as reported by the Associated Press:

Egypt's antiquities minister, whose trademark Indiana Jones hat made him one the country's best known figures around the world, was fired Sunday after months of pressure from critics who attacked his credibility and accused him of having been too close to the regime of ousted President Hosni Mubarak.

Zahi Hawass, long chided as publicity loving and short on scientific knowledge, lost his job along with about a dozen other ministers in a Cabinet reshuffle meant to ease pressure from protesters seeking to purge remnants of Mubarak's regime.

"He was the Mubarak of antiquities," said Nora Shalaby, an activist and archaeologist. "He acted as if he owned Egypt's antiquities, and not that they belonged to the people of Egypt."

Despite the criticism, he was credited with helping boost interest in archaeology in Egypt and tourism, a pillar of the country's economy.

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Egypt-s-iconic-antiquities-chief-fired-1470020.php#ixzz1SSojqQTO

Limerick Hell-Fire Club

While back home, I was lucky enough to get a trip out to Askeaton Co. Limerick. Work is currently under-way restoring Askeaton Castle, but funding has run out on the 18th Century build beside it, the Limerick Hell-Fire Club. It is such a shame, as the building really needs some serious TLC. Very unusual in design and one of only two buildings in the country associated with the Hell-Fire Clubs, it looks like the heritage board just don't see it as a priority. The town is more famous for its island Castle, initially built in the late 12th century, the majority of the building now dates to the 15th century and was in use until Cromwellian forces dismantled it in the late 17th century.

The Limerick Hell-Fire Club:

New Discovery: Minoan Double-Axe-Head found outside of Crete

While driving around Bristol the other week, saw this:

July News: Fossils, cerne abbas & Maiden Castle

The last few weeks have been insanely hectic for me, hence the long drought of blog posts. First off, a trip to Dorset, Fossil Hunting!

A jaunt around Weymouth:

Camping in glamourous Hollywood:

And trips out to Cerne Abbas and Maiden Castle:

(Above, 4th Century AD, ruins of Roman Temple on top of Maiden Castle)