China to crack down on damage to Great Wall

The State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) will launch a campaign to crack down on criminal damage to the Great Wall.

Visitors to the Great Wall of China just north of Beijing 
[Credit: AFP/Getty Images]

The campaign will involve regular inspections and random checks on protection efforts by authorities in 15 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities.

The SACH will open a special tip line for information about violations and damage to the Great Wall from the public.

Built from the third century B.C. to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Great Wall stretches over 21,000 kilometers from the northwestern province of Gansu to north China's Hebei Province.

According to SACH statistics, about 30 percent of a 6,200-km section of the wall built in the Ming Dynasty has disappeared, and less than 10 percent is considered well-preserved.

The Great Wall has faced threats from both nature and humans. Earthquakes, rain, wind and other natural elements have left the wall with many decayed and crumbling bricks.

Human activities, such as reckless development by some governments and theft of bricks by local villagers for use as building materials, as well as agriculture near the wall, have damaged the landmark, according to research by the China Great Wall Society.

A lack of protection efforts in remote regions and a weak plan for protection have also contributed to the damage, the society added.

In 2006, China released a national regulation on Great Wall protection. However, Great Wall experts have urged local authorities to draw up more practical measures to better implement the regulation.

This year, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region included Great Wall protection expenditures in its budget. The government of Fangcheng City, Henan Province, began a campaign for conservation experts and local residents to work together to protect the wall.

Source: Xinhua Net [August 02, 2016]

China to crack down on damage to Great Wall

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1,000 year old skeletons and silver coin found in NW Iceland

Skagafj�r�ur in North West Iceland has been the site of extensive archeological research over the past 20 years. The excavations this summer have concentrated on Keflav�k in Hegranes. Among the finds are the remains of a fairly large church and about 45 graves in a circle formed churchyard, with a number of skeletons in various shapes of decay.

Silver coin with Christian cross [Credit: Iceland Review Online]

The churchyard had been used from the year 1000, the year Iceland converted to Christianity, and has been used until after 1104, a year the volcano Hekla erupted, spewing ashes all over the country, making it possible to date archeological findings with some certainty. The work is directed by Gu�n� Zo�ga.

Two unique items have been found. A bone pin with an animal head and a silver coin, somewhat similar to other coins found in Nordic countries, but thought to have some distinguishing features, which will be examined by specialists. Another such pin has been found at Keldurdalur, another nearby site in Skagafj�r�ur.

The Keldudalur graveyard [Credit: Iceland Review Online]

The site of Keldudalur is in many ways unique for the study of an 11th century Icelandic household composition and social transition. In the space of two years an early Christian cemetery, a pagan grave field and associated Viking-Age settlement came to light due to various construction activities, subsequently examined archaeologically.

The cemetery is, to date, the most complete 11th century cemetery excavated in Iceland and the good preservation of the skeletons makes it an important reference material. Keldudalur is an interesting local case study, important for the interpretation of both local and regional development as well as throwing a light on a time period which is, essentially, the earliest historical period in Iceland but which is also, to a great extent, lacking in written sources.

Bone pin with an animal head [Credit: Iceland Review Online]

Gu�n� Zo�ga, the department head at the department of archaeology at the Skagafj�r�ur Heritage Museum, will defending her Ph.D. dissertation on the archaeological site at Keldurdalur and, notably, human skeletal remains from the 11th-12th century in the light of the social, political and religious changes that occurred in the 11th-12th century in Skagafj�r�ur.

Author: Benedikt J�hannesson | Source: Iceland Review Online [August 01, 2016]

1,000 year old skeletons and silver coin found in NW Iceland

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Ancient underwater city of Pavlopetri at risk

�The community is the best guardian for Pavlopetri and it needs to be helped,� says Dr Nicholas Flemming, a marine geo-archaeologist at the Institute of Oceanography at the University of Southampton.

Pavlopetri was listed on the 2016 World Monuments Watch in October 2015 
[Credit: Kathimerini]

Flemming was the first to discover, in 1967, the Bronze Age city of Pavlopetri, underwater off the coast of southern Laconia in the Peloponnese. He recently went back to the site he first explored almost half a century ago, to observe the delineation of the underwater archaeological site.

Pavlopetri was listed on the 2016 World Monuments Watch in October 2015. Launched in 1996, the World Monuments Watch is issued every two years by the World Monuments Fund, an independent organization devoted to saving the world�s treasured places. The listing of Pavlopetri, it is believed, will help raise awareness about the threats facing the site and foster public participation in its protection.

Underwater ruins face three kinds of threats, says Barbara Euser, president of the Greek chapter of the Alliance for the Restoration of Cultural Heritage (ARCH), which promoted the nomination of Pavlopetri on the World Monuments Watch list: first, pollution caused by commercial ships; second, shifting sediment caused by smaller boats traveling over the archaeological remains can damage the foundations and walls; a third threat is looting of findings from the sea floor.

Flemming and Despina Koutsoumba, an archaeologist at the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities, recently organized an underwater tour at the site. �Some walls can be seen at a depth of half a meter,� Koutsoumba said.

Meanwhile, the Ephorate, the Municipality of Elafonisos and the Regional Authority of the Peloponnese, recently joined forces to promote the site by installing underwater signs, handing out informative material, preparing a waterproof map and designing a tour for visitors.

Creating a sea park is a possibility, Flemming says, adding, however, that authorities should be extremely careful about how they run a Bronze Age underwater site so as to prevent any damage.

Early research at Pavlopetri was carried out in the late 1960s by a team of archaeologists from Cambridge University who mapped the ancient city. About four decades after the first divers visited Pavlopetri, interest in the site resurfaced. In 2009 the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities of the Greek Ministry of Culture, the Hellenic Center for Maritime Research and the University of Nottingham launched a five-year project to outline the history and development of Pavlopetri.

Having explored about 400 underwater archaeological sites, Flemming believes that Pavlopetri still holds many secrets. The city was gradually covered by water thousands of years ago as the sea level rose due to earthquakes and the end of the ice age. However, he says, the ancient city serves as a model of a fishing village that was turned into a port and commercial center, well protected from the natural environment.

�Seamen never make a mistake when they pick a port,� Flemming says. �And that was true five thousand years ago.�

Author: Sakis Ioannidis | Source: Kathimerini [August 01, 2016]

Ancient underwater city of Pavlopetri at risk

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2016 excavation results at the Late Bronze Age site of Dromolaxia-Vizakia

The Department of Antiquities of the Republic of Cyprus announced that, during five weeks in May and June 2016, the New Swedish Cyprus Expedition, headed by Professor Peter M. Fischer (University of Gothenburg), carried out excavations at the Late Bronze Age site of Dromolaxia-Vizakia (Hala Sultan Tekke), close to Larnaca International Airport and the famous homonymous mosque.

Mycenaean crater [Credit: Peter M. Fischer]

The excavations continued to expose City Quarter 1 (CQ1). There are three city quarters (CQ1-3) in the northern and north-western part of Hala Sultan Tekke, the size of which may have been as large as 50 hectares. These three city quarters are separated from each other by streets. Based on the pottery, the life span of this Late Bronze Age city was from roughly 1600 BC to 1150 BC. At around the mid-12th century BC the city was destroyed and abandoned, never to be occupied again.

Aerial photograph of excavated areas (from west to east): Area 6W (2015) with the defence wall north 
of the white and west of the black car; Area 6W (2013-15) in centre; Area 6 (2010-12) to the east 
[Credit: Peter M. Fischer]

The extension of CQ1 was guided by the results of three sophisticated ground penetrating radar and magnetometer surveys. These surveys were carried out within the framework of a collaborative project between the University of Gothenburg and the University of Vienna, the team of the latter headed by Dr. Immo Trinks. The georadar results, which were supported by magnetometer measurements, suggested that the already exposed stone-built compound in CQ1 continued further south, i.e. outside the previously fenced Area 6. Consequently, the fence was moved 15 m to the south in order to completely expose CQ1.

Radar image of the new city quarter to the west 
[Credit: I. Trinks/K. L�cker/R. Totschnig]

The preliminary results from 2016 (and earlier years) point to three occupational phases in CQ1: Stratum 1 (most recent), 2 and 3. Unfortunately, farming activity has affected Stratum 1. According to the pottery, the uppermost two strata date to the 12th century BC. However, 13 radiocarbon dates of samples were taken from these two strata, which indicate that these dates could be raised to the second half of the 13th century BC or, at the latest, shortly after 1200 BC. These results demonstrate, once again, that both occupational phases ended with catastrophic events as indicated by layers of ash and shattered architectural structures.

Mycenaean Chariot crater with woman dressed in Minoan fashion 
[Credit: Peter M. Fischer]

The structures found in Stratum 1 indicate that the area was used for the storage of grain and liquids and the remains of several large pithoi (storage vessels) were recorded. Evidence also shows that working and cooking took place on-site. A bath tub of fired clay was used during this phase of occupation. Amongst the more spectacular finds from this phase is an Egyptian-made, faience button. Stratum 2, which is in a much better state of preservation, consists of several well-constructed rooms. Amongst the building elements are (reused) ashlar blocks of stone. Finds from Stratum 2 include several wall brackets and Mycenaean-imported pottery of which only minor quantities were uncovered. Below Stratum 2 lie large walls, proving the existence of an even older phase of occupation. At present, there is no detailed information concerning Stratum 3.

Egyptian faience button  [Credit: Peter M. Fischer]

Parallel with the excavation in the city, additional excavations took place in Area A. This area, where excavations were carried out during previous years (2013-2015), is roughly 500 m east of CQ1 and close to the mosque of Hala Sultan Tekke. Again, the decision of where to excavate was guided by geophysical prospecting which demonstrated the presence of 83 "pits" within an area of one hectare. Previous excavations have shown that these "pits" are ancient wells, tombs and offering pits which all are dated to the Late Cypriot period (1500-1200 BC). Two of the pits excavated this year were wells (Pits S and T). Pit V turned out to be an offering pit, in the shape of a lying "8". It contained a large amount of sophisticated pottery (roughly 70 vessels), much of which was Mycenaean-imported. However, no skeletal remains were found so the preliminary interpretation is that it was an offering pit. Amongst the vessels are some rare chariot kraters of exceptional quality and a krater with the image of a woman clothed in a sophisticated long dress of Minoan fashion. This offering pit has preliminarily been dated to the 14th century BC.

Syrian cylinder seal of haematite [Credit: Peter M. Fischer]

Pit X turned out to be a very rich, possibly family, tomb. Like Pit V, this tomb is also in the shape of a double-pit resembling a lying "8". The disorder amongst the huge mass of finds and the skeletal remains of this tomb indicated that it was reopened at some point in antiquity. The pottery repertoire consisted of roughly 70 complete vessels, among which were vessels of Base-ring ware, White Slip I and II wares, Red-Lustrous Wheel-made spindle bottles and bowls and numerous Mycenaean imports. Amongst the latter is a jug dated to Late Helladic IIA (roughly 15th century BC) which would make it one of the earliest Mycenaean imports to Cyprus. Other finds include jewellery, such as earrings, beads and a decorated headband, as well as numerous carnelian beads.

Scarab with the cartouche of Thutmosis III (1479-1425 BC) 
[Credit: Peter M. Fischer]

Amongst several scarabs are two which are mounted in a metal frame, one of which is of steatite and the other of faience. The steatite scarab has white inlays for the eyes which is very rare. This scarab is incised with the hieroglyphic signs "men-chepher-re" together with the image of the pharaoh to the left: this arrangement corresponds to the cartouche of Tuthmosis III (1479-1425 BC). Another find, which should be mentioned, is a complete bronze dagger. The team�s preliminary conclusion is that the family tomb and the offering pit, both of the same shape of a lying "8", are associated with each other.

Red lustrous wheel-made spindle bottle 
[Credit: Peter M. Fischer]

The 2016 excavation results confirm that the architectural remains in the settlement in and around Area 6 (CQ1-3, and Area 8 and annexes) date to the 13th-12th Centuries BC, but the pottery from Stratum 3 seems to be older. However, the pits, tombs and wells, recorded in Area A, are of much earlier date (15th-13th Centuries BC), which raises the question of where the settlement was. Additional geophysical prospecting in the area between Area 6 and A followed by excavations could possibly provide an answer to this question.

Source: Press and Information Office, Republic of Cyprus [August 01, 2016]

2016 excavation results at the Late Bronze Age site of Dromolaxia-Vizakia

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New discovery rewrites history of Denmark�s biggest royal castle

Vordingborg is the biggest of Denmark�s royal castles and has been at the heart of the country�s history ever since it was first built in the mid 1100s CE.

Archaeologists have added a new chapter to the history of Denmark�s biggest 
Royal Castle, Vordingborg [Credit: Peder Hansen Resen]

It was built by King Valdemar the Great who was crowned in 1157. Valdemar would later conquer R�gen in present-day Germany, while his son, Valdemar the Victorious, would go on to raid Estonia in 1219. The fortress, located in southern Zealand only a few hours by boat from Germany�s northern shore, was later expanded by Valdemar IV in the mid-1300s.

During this time, the three Valdemars cemented Vordingborg�s status as the main bastion of Denmark and the launch pad of their conquests in the Baltic Sea.

But new excavations have shown that Vordingborg�s fortifications were also expanded by another king, Knud VI--son of Valdemar the Great, and older brother of Valdemar the Victorious.

�Traditionally we saw Valdemar the Great as the founder with his son Valdemar the Victorious and great great grandson Valdemar Atterdag as the major expanders of the castle. But our excavations show that Knud VI has played a much more significant role in the expansion than previously thought,� says Lars Jensen, an archaeologist at the University of Aarhus, Denmark.

Knud VI continuously expanded the castle

Jensen�s excavations at Vordingborg are casting new light on the contribution to the castle by Knud VI, who ruled from 1182 to 1202 CE.

Knud VI (1163 to 1202) expanded Vordingborg continuously throughout 
his often overlooked reign [Credit: Ringsted Church, Denmark]

"While the excavation was started, it was already clear that Knud VI had expanded the castle in 1189-90, but new [evidence shows that] it�s happened several times, and it appears that he�s done so continuously throughout his reign, "says Lars Sass Jensen.

Jensen and a team of archaeologists from the Museum Southeast Denmark have uncovered wood, which was precisely dated by counting the tree-rings (dendrochronology).

It shows that Knud VI expanded the castle in 1189-90, again in 1195, and finally in 1198-1199.

�So he didn�t just build the castle up [once], he expands it continuously. In other words, he was a King who invested heavily in the place and thereby also in the political function of the castle as a base for the expansion across the Baltic Sea,� says Jensen.

Built in Brick

Until now, archaeologists thought that Valdemar the Victorious built the first brick castle on the site, but Jensen has evidence that this accolade may in fact go to Knud VI.

Remnants of posts, part of the castle expansions by Knud VI 
[Credit: Lars Jensen]

�We have found a raised road, built in 1189-90, and this included bricks. I�d be very surprised if bricks hadn�t been used elsewhere in the castle,� says Jensen.

�The road itself is also a bit of a sensation because it�s probably the main access road into the castle from the harbour, and its construction points to a major restructuring of the castle and the castle square, which would be natural if you are embarking on a major construction project,� says Jensen.

Historian Lasse Arboe Sonne from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, is excited by the new discoveries.

�It�s enormously exciting when something like this happens, and it also underlines the importance of archaeological sources,� says Sonne.

�Written sources don�t give a complete picture of what�s happened. And so when the source material is limited, we rely on new interpretations of the written sources or, as it has happened here, new and interesting discoveries that play against the old sources [of information],� he says.

A strong man, but forgotten King

While Valdemar the Great�s achievements are well documented, there are relatively few written sources on Knud VI. We do know however, that he refused to renew his Father�s allegiance to the German-Roman Empire, a political conglomerate of countries in Western and Central Europe with Germany at its centre.

Coin with portrait of Knud VI, a king who was perhaps more powerful 
than previously thought [Credit: WikiCommons]

�Knud VI was a strong man. You can only refuse to swear an oath of allegiance to the German Emperor if you are politically confident. And his fortifications of the castle demonstrate that he had muscle,� says Jensen.

�But his reign falls between two great kings, so we perhaps underestimate him a bit,� he says.

Sonne agrees.

�In comparison with Valdemar the Great and Valdemar the Victorious, Knud VI has probably been somewhat overshadowed. The events of his period were overshadowed by events that happened before and after him, which were more thoroughly documented,� says Sonne.

�But demonstrating that the castle expanded under his rule shows something about the political involvement of an already very important castle,� he says.

Author: Mikkel Andreas Beck | Source: Science Nordic [August 01, 2016]

New discovery rewrites history of Denmark�s biggest royal castle

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Norwegian youths ruin 5,000 year old rock carving

A 5000-year-old rock carving in Norway which depicts a figure on skis has been "damaged forever" by youths who claim they were trying to improve it.

The 5,000-year-old carving (L) and what remains after being scratched over (R) 
[Credit: NORDLAND FYLKESKOMMUNE]

The two alleged vandals said they had been trying to repair the historical site by carving over the outline of the figure to make it easier to see � but local officials described their makeshift restoration as a "tragedy" for Norway's cultural heritage.

Both youths now risk criminal charges under Norway's Cultural Heritage Act, according to archaeologist Tor-Kristian Storvik, who was the first to survey the damage.

Mr Storvik, the archeologist for Norway's Nordland county, said that he was pleased that the boys had come forward and confessed, but was not ready to retract the crime report sent to the police.

"This is a quite serious violation," he said.

He rushed to the site to survey the damage on Tuesday after someone reported that a sharp object had been used to deface the carvings.

"It's a sad, sad story," he said. "The new lines are both in and outside where the old marks were. We'll never again be able to experience these carvings the way we have for the past 5000 years."

The carving, on the west-coast island of Tro, is one of the country's most famous sites, providing some of the earliest evidence of skiing in the world.

It inspired the symbol used for the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.

"We have talked to the perpetrators and their families and they want to apologise for what they have done," Bard Anders Lango, the mayor, said.

"It was done out of good intentions. They were trying to make it more visible actually, and I don't think they understood how serious it was."

Author: Richard Orange | Source: The Telegraph [July August 01, 2016]

Norwegian youths ruin 5,000 year old rock carving

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Largest Mayan tomb discovered in Belize may hold remains of local ruler

The exceptionally well-preserved tomb of a Mayan ruler was discovered in Belize. Found at the heart of the country's famous Xunantunich archaeological site, the burial chamber is the largest and most elaborate so far found in the small the Central American nation.

A royal tomb has been found at the Maya site of Xunantunich, Belize 
[Credit: Jose Awe]

The Mayan civilisation emerged around 2,600 BC in the Yucatan Peninsula, in the South of Mexico and part of Belize and Guatemala. The civilisation was particularly advanced, with the Mayans excelling at agriculture, pottery and architecture � leaving behind impressive temples and religious structures as well as symbolic artwork.

The Mayans were at the height of their power in the sixth century AD. However, mystery remains about why this great civilisation came to an end. Most of the Mayan stone cities were abandoned by 900 AD and so far archaeologists have been unable to explain the disappearance of such a rich and powerful culture.

In depth archaeological work started decades ago in Belize, but it is only recently that major discoveries have led archaeologists to really look at the country as the centre of Mayan civilisation.

The tomb is one of the largest ever found in Belize 
[Credit: Jose Awe]

The Belize Valley Archaeological Reconnaissance Project, directed by archaeologist Jaime Awe, from the University of Northern Arizona, aims to study the remains of Mayan culture in the country. It includes excavation works at Xunantunich � looking at its palaces and temples to better understand the late rise of this major Mayan city.

The discovery of the royal tomb inside the large mound, at the centre of the site, is part of this ongoing exploration of Belize's Mayan past.

The find is all the more remarkable that the site had been excavated since the 1890's, but no one had come across the burial chamber.

Maya epigraphers believe the hieroglyphic stair was commissioned by the ruler of Caracol, Lord K'an II 
[Credit: Jose Awe]

Interviewed by local news website 7 news Belize, Awe explained that the tomb � which is between 5 and 8 metres deep � is the first discovered at Xunantunich, and the largest in Belize. The sheer size of the structure suggests that people probably revered the person who was buried inside.

The archaeologists found the skeleton resting at the bottom of the tomb. An analysis of bones suggests the remains belong to a man because of the large size of the femurs. The teeth seem to indicate that he was between his twenties and thirties when he died.

He was buried with jade beads and potteries as well as animal remains � probably that of a jaguar or a deer. All these elements, as well as the size of the tomb, indicate that the man had a very important status and was probably the local ruler.

The panels recently discovered near the tomb at Xunantunich may be last ones missing 
[Credit: Jose Awe]

The archaeologists hope that this discovery will pave the way for a better understanding of the Mayan culture, how it was established in Belize and how burial rites were carried out. They now plan to analyse the Mayan hieroglyph writings on steles discovered near the tomb, which they hope will yield new clues about the skeleton's precise identity.

Author: L�a Surugue | Source: International Business Times [August 01, 2016]

Largest Mayan tomb discovered in Belize may hold remains of local ruler

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