Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Archaeology in Europe

Archaeology in Europe


Sapphire ring 'belonged to Anglo-Saxon or Viking royalty'

Posted: 03 Aug 2011 10:45 AM PDT

A unique gold and sapphire finger ring, found by a metal detectorist and just purchased by the Yorkshire Museum, almost certainly belonged to Anglo-Saxon or Viking royalty, very senior clergy or a leading member of the Anglo-Saxon aristocracy, say historians.

Of very great historical importance, it is the only Anglo-Saxon era sapphire ever found in the ground in Britain. The only other sapphire from the period is the one that the Queen wears in her Imperial State Crown, used at the opening of Parliament. Known as St. Edward's sapphire, this latter gem was once part of King Edward the Confessor's finger ring and is now the oldest gem in the British crown jewels.

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Rome's Pantheon may have been built as a massive sundial researchers reveal

Posted: 03 Aug 2011 10:43 AM PDT

It is one of the best preserved buildings from the Roman world, a 2,000-year-old testament to the immense power and wealth of the empire.

But mystery has always surrounded what lies behind the unusual design of the Pantheon, a giant temple in the heart of Rome that was built by the Emperor Hadrian.

Now experts have come up with an intriguing theory – that the temple acted as a colossal sun dial, with a beam of light illuminating its enormous entrance at the precise moment that the emperor entered the building.

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More 'medieval' skeletons found in Kempsey

Posted: 03 Aug 2011 10:40 AM PDT

Another 16 graves have been found in a Worcestershire village where new flood defences are being built.

The 16 are in addition to the 12 uncovered in Kempsey last week next to St James Church.

It is thought that some of the skeletons could date back as early as 500 AD.

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Archaeologists Use a Hacked Kinect To Create 3-D Scans of Dig Sites

Posted: 03 Aug 2011 10:38 AM PDT

Archaeological digs are a painstaking process even after the earth has been excavated — artifacts must be carefully catalogued so researchers know exactly where they were found, which tells information about their past. On an upcoming dig in Jordan, a modified Kinect could serve as a 3-D scanner, making this process simpler — and decidedly more high-tech.

Researchers hope students traveling to an archaeological dig in Jordan will use a hacked Microsoft Kinect as a mobile scanning system, making 3-D models of ancient sites that can then be visited in a virtual-reality environment.

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