UW-Madison College of Letters & Science: UW-Madison archaeologists on the front lines:...
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UW-Madison College of Letters & Science: UW-Madison archaeologists on the front lines
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archaeology: Analysis of a bronze battering ram from a 2,000...
Analysis of a bronze battering ram from a 2,000 year-old warship sheds light on how such an object would have been made in ancient times.
Known as the Belgammel Ram, the 20kg artefact was discovered by a group of British divers off the coast of Libya near Tobruk in 1964. The ram is from a small Greek or Roman warship – a “tesseraria”. These ships were equipped with massive bronze rams on the bow at the waterline and were used for ramming the side timbers of enemy ships. At 65cm long, the Belgammel Ram is smaller in size and would have been sited on the upper level on the bow. This second ram is known as a proembolion, which strengthened the bow and also served to break the oars of an enemy ship.
Leading marine archaeologist, Dr Nic Flemming a visiting fellow of the National Oceanography Centre, co-ordinated a team of specialists from five institutes to analyse the artefact before it was returned to the National Museum in Tripoli in May 2010. Their results have been published in the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology.
Dr Flemming said: “Casting a large alloy object weighing more than 20kg is not easy. To find out how it was done we needed specialists who could analyse the mix of metals in the alloys; experts who could study the internal crystal structure and the distribution of gas bubbles; and scholars who could examine the classical literature and other known examples of bronze castings.
“Although the Belgammel Ram was probably the first one ever found, other rams have since been found off the coast of Israel and off western Sicily. We have built a body of expertise and techniques that will help with future studies of these objects and improve the accuracy of past analysis.”
Dr Chris Hunt and Annita Antoniadou of Queen’s University Belfast used radiocarbon dating of burnt wood found inside the ram to date it to between 100 BC to 100 AD. This date is consistent with the decorative style of the tridents and bird motive on the top of the ram, which were revealed in detail by laser-scanned images taken by archaeologist Dr Jon Adams of the University of Southampton.
It is possible that during its early history the bronze would have been remelted and mixed with other bronze on one or more occasions, perhaps when a warship was repaired or maybe captured.
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Archaeological News: Mound City digs provide insight into Hopewell
Archaeological News: Mound City digs provide insight into Hopewell: archaeologicalnews:
Mound City...
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thesherd: A brief look at the current state of the ancient city...
A brief look at the current state of the ancient city of Babylon. Only 2% has been excavated. (via Once a glorious site, Babylon bears scars of history - CNN.com)
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Thailand Archaeological Field School
Thailand Archaeological Field School: thebonapartiers:
I’m down to the last $1000 needed for my...
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"An African elephant can’t stumble without falling on some white man with a shovel."
“An African elephant can’t stumble without falling on some white man with a shovel.” -...
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ancientart: Statue of a young man. Bronze, Roman copy of the...
Statue of a young man. Bronze, Roman copy of the 1st century BC after a Greek original.
Courtesy & currently located at the British Museum, London. Photo taken by Marie-Lan Nguyen
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atfullthrottle: Sudan - The Black Pharaohs The Meroe...
Sudan - The Black Pharaohs
The Meroe Pyramids.
The Meroe Pyramids are located in the North-East of Sudan near the banks of the Nile in the area commonly known as Nubia. There are close to two hundred pyramids in a relatively small area, the ancient burial site of the Merotic Kingdom (sometimes known as the Kingdom of Kush). The Pyramids are smaller than their Egyptian cousins but equally impressive due to their number. The first of the Meroe Pyramids were built about 800 years after the last Egyptian pyramids were completed. The Meroe pyramids were constructed from large blocks of sandstone. They’re angled more steeply than the Egyptian pyramids…
(by Retlaw Snellac)
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ancientart: Moray an unusual Incan archaeological site in...
Moray an unusual Incan archaeological site in Peru
Photos courtesy & taken by McKay Savage:
The gorgeous circular terraced bowl of Moray are thought to be an experimental agricultural nursery for the Incas, with different micro-climates allowing for different varieties of corn to be planted at deeper levels of the circular bowl. Others, both locals and foreign spiritually-minded, feel such a technical explanation fails to match the obvious effort, aesthetics and position the amazing circular site took.
Whether a testing ground or an energetic site or somewhere in the middle, the site has an undeniable beauty, power and mystical feeling, like an agricultural amphitheatre.
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outpostmagazine: Jerash is a must for anyone interested in...
Jerash is a must for anyone interested in culture, the middle east and ancient history. Nowhere else on earth will you find such exceptionally preserved examples of Roman architecture. Check it out: http://www.opxpeditions.com/jordan/dispatches
Photos by archer10, lowjumpingfrog, druidabruxux
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bobbycaputo: Skara Brae, Scotland Photograph by KEENPRESS,...
Skara Brae, Scotland
Photograph by KEENPRESS, National Geographic
Visitors peer into the past in the Orkney Islands, where in 1850 a strong storm uncovered the remains of the Skara Brae settlement. Later excavations revealed a complex of stone houses linked by passageways that dates to between 3200 and 2500 B.C. It’s considered the best preserved Neolithic village ever found in northern Europe and is a World Heritage site.
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ancientart: Venus of Brassempouy, Gravettian, probably between...
Venus of Brassempouy, Gravettian, probably between circa 26000 and circa 24000 BP, made of ivory. It is one of the earliest known realistic representations of a human face.
Courtesy & currently loctaed at the National Archaeological Museum, France. Photo taken by Elapied
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suzythered: Injured veterans get rehab from Caerwent Roman...
Injured veterans get rehab from Caerwent Roman dig
INJURED veterans from across the UK have been taking part in an award-winning rehabilitation project based in Gwent.
Soldiers and veterans injured on operations in Afghanistan are taking part in the groundbreaking project in Caerwent which uses archaeology to help their recovery.
The military personnel, supported by Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) archaeologists, the Defence Archaeology Group and University of Leicester (UofL) have created an innovative programme to excavate a substantial Romano-British stone building on Caerwent Training Area.
Under the supervision of experienced archaeologists, the soldiers excavate material, including Roman building remains, and learn a series of excavation, land survey, drawing and mapping techniques.
Captain Paul Johnstone-Armstrong, 29, a member of the Royal Military Police, from Newport, was injured in 2009 and 2010 in Kabul.
He suffered a broken back, nerve damage and non-physical injuries.
He said: “I’ve been here two weeks now, and it’s really, really good. I’m really enjoying being outside and doing something different.
“We’ve got a few days left and then we’ll be heading to a similar project in Salisbury.
“I’m still serving, but I’ve been off full-time work for the last 10 months while undergoing intensive rehabilitation to get me back to work.
“That’s why this project is so great, because it’s a physical and a mental workout.
“On top of that I’m with soldiers again, and the camaraderie is something I’ve really missed. It’s nice because there’s always something going on - we have lectures in the evenings, about things like chemical warfare in Roman times, or we’ll go down to the village for a pint or two.
“Having to use my brain again and doing something different, it’s a good feeling.”
Sgt Diarmaid Walshe, a qualified archaeologist, said: “The key to the success of the project is that the soldiers undertake many different activities, from digging to surveying, photography and finds processing.
“The programme gives them something useful to do which can help rebuild their self-esteem, provide them with a sense of purpose and give them something positive to strive for.”
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"When the archaeologists of the future look at the deposits of the last quarter of the millennium,..."
“When the archaeologists of the future look at the deposits of the last quarter of the...
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riley-the-redd: Oldest map found in the world: Clay tablet of...
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Archaeological News: Mysterious Structure Discovered Beneath Sea of Galilee
Archaeological News: Mysterious Structure Discovered Beneath Sea of Galilee: archaeologicalnews:
A...
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Pigeon-Toed Fossil Of Au. Sediba Suggests Prehistoric Ancestor Of Humans Had Odd Gait
Pigeon-Toed Fossil Of Au. Sediba Suggests Prehistoric Ancestor Of Humans Had Odd Gait:
The most...
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Archaeological News: ASI likely to maintain ancient Buguda temple
Archaeological News: ASI likely to maintain ancient Buguda temple: archaeologicalnews:
BERHAMPUR:...
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Archaeological News: Iron Age graveyard uncovered
Archaeological News: Iron Age graveyard uncovered: archaeologicalnews:
On a muddy field located...
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Archaeological News: 600-year-old skeleton mystery at Fermanagh crannog site
Archaeological News: 600-year-old skeleton mystery at Fermanagh crannog site:...
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