The News

Peering into the Iron Age through the Portable Antiquities Scheme

Treasure

Tuesday, 04 December 2012 08:38

David Prudames, British Museum

This helmet is Iron Age (over 2,000 years old), and was found in Kent, in southern England, by a metal-detectorist in October 2012. It had been upturned and used to hold a human cremation – the first accompanied by a helmet to have been found in Britain. In fact only a handful of Iron Age helmets are known from Britain at all.

An extremely rare late Iron Age helmet from near Canterbury, Kent. Courtesy of the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

On the north-western edge of Europe, the mid-first century BC was a time of war, travel, communication, connections and change. Caesar was at war in Gaul (modern France) and mercenaries from Britain had travelled to join the fighting, so it’s possible that the person who owned this helmet might have fought in Gaul – perhaps against the Romans, or even alongside them.

Before Gaul fell, Caesar would make his first expedition to Britain, landing on the shores of Kent not far from where this helmet was found. I find it quite appealing to imagine that the owner, or the people who placed it in the grave, may have lived through the beginning of the story of Roman Britain.

Read more: Peering into the Iron Age through the Portable Antiquities Scheme

QAR project gets big donation

Archaeological

Monday, 22 October 2012 07:17

Gov. Bev Perdue talks to Bob Lowery of Morehead City following a Queen Anne’s Revenge press conference held Friday at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort. (Cheryl Burke photo)

CHERYL BURKE

BEAUFORT, NC — When an appeal for donations to fund continued archaeology work on the Queen Anne’s Revenge shipwreck project went out Friday, Eric and Rita Bigham of Chapel Hill knew they had to respond.

Immediately following a press conference held at the N.C. Maritime Museum, where N.C. Department of Cultural Resources Secretary Linda Carlisle gave the appeal, the Bighams, who have a boat in Beaufort, agreed to donate the remaining $32,500 to complete a matching grant to receive $450,000 for the project.

Mr. Bigham, a retired chemist, said, “We’ve been supporting the museum and have been involved with Friends of the Museum a long time. We decided this was our chance to step up and play a bigger part in this project.”

Mrs. Bigham, a retired schoolteacher, said she wanted to support the education outreach efforts of the project as well.

The press conference, at which N.C. Gov. Bev Perdue also spoke, was held to announce the fundraising effort and recognize those who have supported the project.

But Ms. Carlisle was caught off guard by the unexpected donation.

“We are incredibly grateful and I’m really overwhelmed,” said Ms. Carlisle, who thanked the Bighams after the press conference. “We did not expect this.”

Read more: QAR project gets big donation

Boardwalk rebuild lures treasure hunters

Treasure

Thursday, 29 November 2012 06:10

Written by This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND — As crews demolish Ocean City’s Boardwalk to its sandy base this winter, treasure hunters armed with metal detectors are arriving in droves, seeking valuables lost between the planks over decades.

“This year, there’s a lot of people coming down,” said Roland, 64, who declined to give his last name. “I guess they heard the finds that were occurring last year, so they’re all hoping to strike it rich.”

Last winter, the town had its Boardwalk rebuilt from the midpoint to the northern end. This year, in phase II of the project, they’re downtown. Working about a tenth of a mile at a time, crews laying new boards on one end of the job site while tearing up the substructure at the other, leaving nothing but sand in the middle.

Standing outside The Dough Roller at Second Street, Roland scours that sand using his White’s brand Spectra V3 model metal detector in one hand, and a pole-mounted sand scooper in the other. Its display shows him how deep an object is, and at what frequency it’s responding to his machine.

Read more: Boardwalk rebuild lures treasure hunters

Archaeologists work to uncover shipwreck remains in Portimão

Archaeological

Friday, 19 October 2012 07:54

BY TPN/ LUSA, IN ALGARVE

Archaeologist Cristóvão Fonseca explained that the fieldwork, which is due to last two weeks, will comprise an initial phase of visual prospection and data recording with photographs and drawings, and the excavation of artifacts that may be found on the surface. 

It is believed one of the locations identified for prospection may have been the site of a shipwreck during Roman times, due to the discovery of a large concentration of ceramic vases called amphora, some still intact. 

Despite this, the theory may only be confirmed with excavations, which depending on the results obtained during the next two weeks could take place next year. 

If confirmed, the area may become part of a tourist diving route, attracting more visitors to Portimão, which will see two decommissioned ships sunk at the end of this month as an underwater museum.

“The antiquity of the artifacts and the possibility that they tell a story makes diving in that area more interesting,” said Mr. Fonseca. 

The archaeologist, along with José Bettencourt, are coordinators of the archaeological campaign carried out by the Sea History Centre of the Faculty of Social Sciences from Lisbon’s Nova University.

The work, which should extend for the next three to four years, is part of an investigation project entitled ‘Between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic: getting closer to the underwater cultural heritage of the Arade River estuary.”

Aside from that area, the archaeologists will dive in other sections of the river where the remains of five iron cannons and ammunition were found as well as bronze weapon artifacts from the 17th and 18th centuries.

The study on the cannons and weapons, identified during the 1990s, point to a shipwreck in that area of a ship that may have sailed under the Spanish crown during the beginning of the 17th century. 

Another area to be explored appears to have the partially buried remains of a large wooden ship from the same time period. 

The team of archaeologists, supported by technicians from Portimão museum and volunteers from a diving centre, among others, aims to carry out two dives per day to a depth of between four and ten meters. 

The last archaeological prospection work to take place in the Arade River occurred five years ago.

Courtesy The Portugal News

Post your comment

GOLD GROUP HUGELY POPULAR

Treasure

Saturday, 17 November 2012 08:00

Gianni Groening, 4, pours a portion of raw soil into a gold pan at the Temecula Valley Prospectors exhibit at the Wild West themed 12th Annual Fall Back Festival in the Gaslamp Quarter Sunday for children.

By JENNIFER KABBANY Special to the U-T

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - Long before gold reached nearly $2,000 an ounce and reality television shows such as “Gold Rush: Alaska” became huge hits, there was the Temecula Valley Prospectors.

The group, which formed in 2001, is designed to allow people who like to pan for gold or use metal detectors to search for treasures to band together for camaraderie, advice and joint field trips.

That hasn’t changed, but the numbers in its ranks have.

Today, the club has about 100 members of all ages, which is a lot more than when it first started, said Jackie Johnson, secretary of the group.

The more the merrier, she added.

“It’s a blast,” Johnson said. “You learn a lot, and it’s a lot of fun.”

But don’t quit your day job just yet.

“I don’t find enough to pay for my gas, but then again, I am not a serious prospector,” Johnson said. “They say you have to move a lot of dirt to find a lot of gold, but we have some guys in our club that go out there and work and they do quite well, they can make money on it.”

Membership in the club is free and help is offered to anyone interested in learning about prospecting and metal detecting.

The club also organizes periodic trips to look for gold, such as to nearby mountains and rivers. Johnson said the members never travel too far, and those who don’t have equipment may borrow some from others.

The monthly meetings take place on the second Saturday of the month. They begin at 9 a.m. at the Temecula Community Center, 28816 Pujol St., and coffee and refreshments are served.

The meetings typically include a guest speaker and an opportunity to share the biggest “finds” of the month.

“When people find gold it’s usually nowadays more flakes of gold,” she said. “You will find nuggets, but it’s rare. Everybody finds flakes and the flour gold. Metal detectors, those people bring in everything from toys and coins and wedding rings and watches and all kinds of stuff.”

For information, call (951) 226-8717 or visit www.gpaatvp.com.

Courtesy UT San Diego

Post your comment

State archaeological treasures find new home

Archaeological

Monday, 15 October 2012 08:19

Eric Blinman, director of the Office of Archaeological Studies, looks through boxes of artifacts Friday. The center will hold an open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20. - Jane Phillips/The New Mexican

Tom Sharpe | The New Mexican

State archaeologists and some of the artifacts — from chipped stone and pottery to blankets and human remains — they have collected over almost a century soon will be reunited in a new building west of Santa Fe.

The Center for New Mexico Archaeology, west of N.M. 599 on Caja del Rio Road, plans to hold an open house on Saturday, Oct. 20.

The 34,000-square-foot, single-story, modern-looking, energy- and water-efficient building will house the 33 New Mexico Archaeological Studies employees as well as 10 million artifacts held by the state Museum of Indian Arts and Culture.

Don’t expect to find regular exhibits at the new center. That sort of activity is prohibited in the deal through which the state obtained the land from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

But Eric Blinman, director of the Office of Archaeological Studies, doesn’t want the center to be seen as elitist.

“It is a public facility,” he said. “People can come in. It’s obviously more convenient if they have an appointment. We can hold educational programs. We can have tours. We can hold workshops, training sessions. We just can’t have exhibitions for which we sell tickets. … If we wanted a museum in the technical sense, the land would cost us half the appraised value. As it is, with our current use, the land has cost us $520.”

Read more: State archaeological treasures find new home

Greek-Australian Hunting Ali Pasha’s Treasure

Treasure

Saturday, 17 November 2012 07:42

By Christina Flora

A Greek-Australian treasure hunter, Vangelis Dimas, is financing an excavation to locate the hoard of Ali Pasha, a murderous ruler of the Ottoman Occupation known for his atrocities. The diggings are near the village of Vassiliki, 352 kilometers (218 miles) northwest of Athens, and near Kalambaka.

Ali Pasha (1740–1822) surnamed Aslan and known as the Lion of Yannina, was an Ottoman Albanian ruler (pasha) of the western part of Rumelia, the empire’s territory which was also called Pashalik of Yanina. His court was in Ioannina.

According to the Trikala Voice, Dimas has tied up all loose ends, instituted the legal proceedings with the Municipality of Kalambaka and begun excavations again. Two years ago he said in a statement to NET that the treasure could be worth millions of euros.

This time he is convinced that he has found “Ali Pasha’s Rooms,” in the area between Agioi Theodoroi and Theopetra. The excavation is already under way and the permit given is for 25 days. The village of Vassiliki is named after the pasha’s Greek-born wife who hailed from the area and lies on his old tax caravan route to Ioannina.

Ali had three sons: Ahmet Muhtar Pasha, Veli Pasha of Morea and Salih Pasha of Vlore. Ali Pasha of Tepelena died in a battle on Feb. 5, 1822 at the age of 81 after refusing an order to surrender and be beheaded. He was shot through a door and beheaded anyway.

Courtesy Greek Reporter

Post your comment

Tomb of Mayan Queen Discovered in Guatemala

Archaeological

Thursday, 04 October 2012 08:11

GUATEMALA CITY - The director of the archaeological site, the American David Frieldel, explained at a press conference that the queen has been identified as "Kalomte Kabel".

Friedel said that "this is the most important finding" that has made over the 43 years he has worked as an archaeologist in Guatemala's Maya Biosphere.

The remains were in "a very sacred to the ancient Mayan temple in the city's most important" archaeological site said.

According to Friedel, "Kalomte Kabel" was the wife of the King of Wak, identified as "Kinich Bahlam II".

Read more: Tomb of Mayan Queen Discovered in Guatemala

Discovery Channel Orders Wild West Treasure Hunter Series 'Ghost Town Gold'

Treasure

Wednesday, 14 November 2012 06:39

Discovery is going on a modern-day treasure hunt.

The network has picked up six episodes of Wild West treasure hunter series Ghost Town Gold, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively.

The six-part series will follow modern-day explorers Brit Eaton and Scott Glaves as they search for priceless treasures from the Old West that they can turn for a profit.

Described as part history buffs, part pickers, the duo will visit old ghost towns, abandoned mining camps and industrial graveyards as they search for treasures from another era. The pair has more than 25 years of experience collecting and selling Western memorabilia, with a collection that includes priceless whiskey bottles, old revolvers and one-of-a-kind branding irons.

Ghost Town Gold, produced by JWM Productions for Destination America, the series will launch Thursday, Nov. 15 at 10 p.m., with an encore airing of the series starting Tuesday, Jan. 1 at 10 p.m. on Destination America. JWM's Bill Morgan and Jason Williams will exec produce alongside Eaton and Discovery and Destination's Pamela Deutsch.

The series comes after Discovery's similarly themed Moonshiners scored its highest ratings to date on Wednesday, averaging 3 million total viewers and pushing the network to lead cable in total viewers, men 25-54, men 18-49 and men 18-34.

Email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; Twitter: @Snoodit

Courtesy The Hollywood Reporter

Post your comment

Tribal Treasures

Archaeological

Wednesday, 03 October 2012 08:51

Laurie Drazek of Paxton with Native American artifacts collected by her father, the late Robert S. Drazek, a longtime North Brookfield resident. (T&G Staff Photos/RICK CINCLAIR)

By Bradford L. Miner TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

NORTH BROOKFIELD, CONNECTICUT —  The hundreds of Native American artifacts on display, the result of decades of searching by amateur archaeologists, were not the only items researchers came to see. 

A treasure trove of information welcomed Kevin McBride, director, and Ashley Bissonnette, research consultant for the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center in Connecticut, as well as a group of other historians. 

The two researchers received a $72,000 grant from the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program in July to document the Pequot War, 1636 to 1638, and King Philip’s War in Massachusetts, 1675 to 1676. 

Read more: Tribal Treasures