For over one hundred and fifty years inquiries and research projects, some more beneficial than others, have been made into the preserved remains of lake dwellings found across Europe. The unique discoveries of pile dwellings in Lake Zurich in 1854 ignited the frantic search for more prehistoric sites, attracting interest from antiquarians seeking to better our understanding of the past (Menotti, 2004). Hundreds of new sites were found and the works of early archaeologists like Munro and Keller provided a written record for the future. Ethnographic sources from the latter half of the 19th Century shaped the early interpretations, creating a romantic picture of Neolithic societies that inhabited these lacustrine dwellings (Fig. 1). It …show more content…
After this discovery many more sites in Switzerland, Germany, Poland, France, and Italy were recorded and artefacts collected or stolen (Munro 1886, 455). The techniques used may have been basic and rather makeshift; workers were employed to dig out a drained site, images made of the timber structures and many artefacts thrown away as rubbish (Dixon 1991, 2). These methods do not conform to modern archaeological practices but information was kept and provides a first step into lake-dwelling research (Morrison 1985). Many sites, of course, suffered irreversible damage after being exposed to the elements, or lost completely (Petrequin 1988, 7). Nearly seventy years passed before Keller’s interpretation of the Neolithic lake-dwellings was contested (Menotti 2004). A reinterpretation of the original view, that the Swiss Lake-dwellings were constructed on platforms out on the lake, was made by Vogt in 1955. He believed the timber remains did not support a structure far out over open water but were the remains of pile dwellings built on the shore. These structures were flooded then abandoned (Menotti 2004). This interpretation was based on a more scientific study based on the changes of the
The Repton Long Barrow sits between the parish church and the River Esk in Repton, Bluffshire, U.K. Last summer, I examined evidence for previous disturbance(s) of the site and assessed the extent to which the original Neolithic burial mound remained intact. I excavated two different sites on the mound, one on the east end and another on the west end of the barrow. While excavating and cleaning each of the sections, I recovered artifacts and human bones. I was also able to draw a stratigraphic profile of each excavation site. Using documentary sources pertaining to the Repton Long Barrow site to assist in my interpretation of the history, I was able to reconstruct the
The film The Sea Inside shares the heart warming real life story of a man named Ramon Sampedro. At the young age of twenty-six he suffered an accident while diving into shallow waters of the ocean that left him a quadriplegic. Now at the age of fifty-four, Ramon must depend on his family to survive. His older brother Jose, Jose’s wife, Manuela and their son Javi do their best to take care of Ramon and make him feel loved. Although Ramon is extremely grateful to his family and friends for their help all these years, he has come to see his life as aggravating and unsatisfying. He wishes to die with the little dignity he has left in his life. However, Ramon’s family is dead set against the thought of assisted suicide and the
Evidence of almost 100 of the stones has revealed without the need to excavate the site, due to remote sensing, ground-penetrating radar and geographical imaging technologies. These advancements in science and technology allow researchers to discover the historical monuments full extent. Fragments of bones, stones and the foundation pits in which they were situated have all been uncovered during excavations and technological mapping indicating the true size and importance the site was to the Neolithic
Though the intensive study of the body and the possessions found with it; various aspects (i.e. diet, appearance, weapons, clothing, cultural practices and rituals) of the time in which Ötzi lived can be uncovered and furthermore understood. The Iceman Ötzi provides us with an exceptional insight into appearance and lifestyle of a Copper Age man living in the Alps over 5,000 years ago.
Scotland has an abundance of archaeology all throughout the country and all within different parts of prehistory. Scottish archaeology has a big impact on both the rest of the UK and on the rest of Europe. Although during the beginning of the 20th century, archaeology was seen as nothing more than labour, with the help of the two great men which held ‘the Abercromby chair’ – both with their own contributions to Scottish archaeology as a whole – it soon rocketed into the discipline what we see today.
An unscrupulous archaeologist by the name of Henirich Hochstetter excavated the Shoen-Tell site in Turkey in the late 1920s. Hochstetter was interested more in antiquities than in data, so he provided little substantive information tot eh professional community about his dig or his findings. However, a conscientious assistant of Hochstetter’s, Roxanne Browne, managed to collect detailed information on fifty of the burials Hochstetter plundered. Her data is
Death by Theory, written by Adrian Praetzellis, is an engaging and informational book written in a novelistic way that engages the reader to think critically about archaeology. Compared to other forms of informational text about archaeology, Death by Theory teaches archaeological theory by telling a story that incorporates the different theories of archaeology in a realistic setting. While standard textbooks about the theory of archaeology can come off a bit dry, Death by Theory skips the standard definitions and applies this in a way that aids the reader in understanding how these theories and terms can be applied in an actual archaeological setting. This text illustrates the adventure of plucky archaeologist Dr. Hannah Green and her nephew Sean Doyle as they seek to explain an unusual archaeological site while dealing with real life archaeological struggles. The protagonists deal with an egotistical colleague of Dr. Green who sought her out as a consult on a particularly strange archaeological case. All the while dealing with cults, the media, and incompatible data.
When considering excavation methods, the location of the site has to be taken into account, as many archaeological methodologies can cause long-term damage to the site. So considering conservation strategies and methods is crucial. This directly applies to New Kinord, as the
Since the discovery of the first bog body known as Amcotts Moor Woman who was discovered in 1747 in England, bog bodies have been a main source of what is considered vital information for restructuring our past. They have allowed humans to explore the past and our heritage and have helped them to acquire a further understanding of how we, as a human race, have developed. A great example of the knowledge that bog bodies have provided us is Tollund Man. Tollund Man who was found in Denmark is one of the most famous examples of bog bodies, he has helped us to extend the small snapshots we have of the past. Bog bodies as a collective are also revealing information about the individual bodies themselves and the lifestyles they led. This primary evidence aids our modern understanding of our historical past.
If you have ever lived in proximity to coastal areas you may have seen coastline erosion first hand. The beaches you frequent during the summer may seem to be getting smaller and smaller every year. Why does your favorite beach seem to be disappearing? Coastal erosion is to blame. The waves, wind, tides and currents all play a part in the mechanism that is coastal erosion. When water and wind batter the shoreline sediments are carried out to sea and deposited on the sea floor or at other points along the coastline. This is called an erosional coastline. This erosion may be very apparent or seem to have happened overnight when it happens due to a large storm or extremely high tide.
I examine how rising or falling tide can affect the water level of Corte Madera Salt Marsh in this report. The data is from Wednesday (June 19th) and Thursday (June 20th). My hypothesis is that tide and water level have positive relationship. From the result, I learn that the water level and tide have positive relationship. However, when tide changes its direction, the water level is likely to stay or little change.
8000- 500 BC was known as the “Archaic period.” During this period, mound building was a very common custom. Many of the mounds were built to elevate the village’s central ritual sites. The “Woodland period” (500 BC- AD 800)
In the 7th Century AD, an important individual was buried inside a ship in East Anglia. The ship most likely hauled up from the nearby river, a burial chamber was built in the center of the massive vessel. Luckily grave robbers did not reach the ship burial as they did other nearby burial mounds, because the ship was rich in history and artifacts including gold, silver, bowls, spoons, weapons, drinking horns and much more. Originally discovered in 1939, the artifacts and ship burial have been closely examined another 2 times. The artifacts found within the magnificent burial site have created a lot of stir over the past 80 years. Theories have changed on the significance and origins of the artifacts due to changing hypothesis or the arrival of new and different evidence. Because there are dozens of artifacts within Sutton Hoo, this paper will be focusing on a select four of them including; the ‘baptismal’ spoons, the Merovingian coin hoard, the whetstone, and the scepter. According to scholars over the past 80 years, how have opinions, evidence, or assumptions changed relating to these exact artifacts? This paper will be taking a contemporary look at the perspectives of different scholars on different artifacts and, finally, analyze why these perspectives have shifted or changed over time. To my knowledge, scholars do give credit to previous perspectives, but no scholar has every brought all the perspectives together and analyzed their findings.
The effects of a changing global climate contribute to the rapid melting of snow and ice patches, revealing significant archaeological resources previously preserved in a cryogenic- like stasis. Ice patch archaeology
The “who’s,” “how’s,” and “why’s” behind this majestic monument are based on many (usually conflicting) myths, guesstimates, and theories. As a result, we have no definite answers for the probing questions about Stonehenge’s existence. However, each theory grants the Neolithic monument its character and mystique, as well as society’s best guesses as to its true origin and purpose. Therefore, I shall proceed to discuss both the fantastical and probable theories behind the mystery of Stonehenge.