archaeology3d-blog

[archaeology3d-blog]

Sometimes I think we have too much time to come up with funny names... The number of archaeology theses I've read that have puns or even slight Indiana Jones references is quite amusing. 

I hate linguistic anthropology. Why? One of the most influential experiments in linguistic anthropology involved teaching a chimp asl. One of the most influential linguistics is named Noam Chomsky. You know what the chimp’s name was?

Nim Chimpsky.

Fucking monkey pun.

And this is in textbooks, in documentaries, everywhere. And everyone just IGNORES THIS GOD AWFUL PUN cause of how important the experiment was. But

BUT LOOK AT THIS SHIT. FUCKING NIM CHIMPSKY. I HATE THIS WHOLE FIELD.

[archaeology3d-blog]

King Arthur's Seat, Murder, and The Mystery of The Little Coffins.

The little coffins Miniature coffins are one of, if not the, mysteries of the National Museum of Scotland. In 1836 two boys and their dog were playing on Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, a place full of mystery and legend. The dog, as dogs always do, disappeared and found 17 of these little coffins, laid out in a neat pile. The boys played with them, and took them home. It wasn't till 1901 that the little coffins were donated to the National Museum. 

The Mystery

Witchcraft? Well, the Seat is famous for which craft and legend. There are stories of the Devil being seen there, Kings seeing sights of Christ on the cross in a stags antlers. However it's normal to find witchcraft wishing to inflict harm. These have been fair fully clothed and buried. 

Some associate a Germanic tendency to bury surrogate votive objects in place of those who died abroad. Or, that these were to ward away the illness of infect people - taking away their illness and burying it in a grave. But these practices aren't known in Scotland, so are a little unlikely.

Dr Fitzharris, who I got this story from, suggests they may have been the votive burial of those buried at sea...but this leads us onto what the current theory is..

Mystery’s Thread Unraveled

They're made of one peace of wood, maybe by a shoemaker who's tools would be perfect for this craft. Most importantly however were the cotton clothes. The type of thread can be dated fairly precisely, and gave a startling year of c.1830, so not long before they were discovered. This was quite significantly earlier than the c.1700s previously thought. Possibly more disturbingly...closer to a dark period of Edinburgh’s history....

Burke and Hare were body snatchers... Of a kind. Instead of simply snatching or buying bodies, they decided to go right to the source, well, be the source. Owning a sort of hotel, they chose to murder their lodgers and sell them to Dr Knox - a surgeon and lecturer in medicine. 

It started innocent enough. One of their lodgers died unexpectedly without paying, and they wanted to recoup the loss of his rent. Obvious isn't it? You simply sell the body! Eventually they carried realised how lucrative this was, and for a year they murdered and sold their way through their guest book.

Only by luck they were caught. The story became an absolute sensation, mainly because of the deep meaning behind the burial of bodies. See, the thought at the time was that bodies needed to be intact for resurrection. These men had not only murdered and sold the bodies, but had sold them to be butchered and disposed of in such a way there was no hope of burying them. Hence, the miniature graves of the lost 17.

To read a bit more, see the National Museums blog post on <a href=“http://blog.nms.ac.uk/2015/11/02/edinburghs-dark-history-burke-and-hare/”>Buke and Hare</a>, and <a href=“http://www.nms.ac.uk/explore/collections-stories/scottish-history-and-archaeology/mystery-of-the-miniature-coffins/”>the objects collection page</a>. 

<a href=“https://twitte r.com/drlindseyfitz/status/704967985321144320″> Ht: Dr Lindsey Fitzharris</a>

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Bristol Dig Berkeley Wins Current Archaeology Awards!

 Absolutely fantastic news to hear that Bristol Dig Berkeley has won the Current Archaeology awards. 

It's wonderful to see it being recognised for the fascinating links it finds into pretty much any period of English (and a bit of American) history and archeology you could ever imagine. I'm immensely proud to have had the opportunity to work alongside Stuart Prior, Mark Horton, Emily Glass, Sian Thomas, Ash Tierney, and everyone else who's work has helped win this award.

[archaeology3d-blog]

Did You Know...

Back in In 1745, the Manchester had precisely two street lamps. Then, in 1805, it was the first city to have gas street lamps.

[archaeology3d-blog]

This sort of find is so useful for what I do.

Late Roman wooden doors. Found in the waterlogged “Temple of Isis” on the South Mole at Kenchreai, intended to close the doorway between the Fountain Court and the cellar/hypogeum of the building. 4th c. CE.

Source: https://imgur.com/S8tlvxO

[archaeology3d-blog]

So as I’m doing some research for my postgrad application I thought I might take some time off from one of my longer term projects. I decided I might as well make some models of what are considered the four main types of ‘villas’ in Roman Britain. 

I decided to start with a fourth century villa site at Farmington in the Cotswolds. It develops from a simple long two-roomed building into something rather grander in the space of 100 years. 

Gascoigne, P. E. (1969), p.42; by R. J. Miller

It is the perfect candidate to show not only different types, but also how simple dwelling can turn into what you might regard as a villa in a relatively short period of time.

Anyway, if you click the images above they will summarise each part of its reconstruction. I would like to go into more detail, but I’m juggling a paid job at the same time as producing this. It can be a bit of a task to even keep up with the days never mind anything else. However, the next part will be brining it to life in its landscape and should make the model quite pretty! 

[archaeology3d-blog]

Hello! Sorry I had to send you this message because I had to say that Tuscany is not in Sicily. It's like saying that Europe is in America. Tuscany and Sicily are both Italian regions (like Lombardia, Marche, Molise etc.) and also very far away one from the other. St. Galgano's sword is, in particularly, in a little city of Tuscany called Chiusdino, in the province of Siena (a city).

Thank you (and an anon) for notifying me of that silly error! 

This was written quite late on New Years Eve, obviously a glass of wine had gone to my head. I did mean Siena. Im not sure how I made such a silly error, especially as I kinda know Tuscany fairly well... 

Anyway. Thank you for pointing it out!

[archaeology3d-blog]

Picture: Gismondi, F., 2010 – (CC:BY-NC-SA)

The Real Sword in The Stone

One of my favourite films from my childhood has to be The Sword in the Stone. As a child the old tales of Arthur and the round table, from old victorian pseudo-histories and children's books, always fascinated me. The main thing that stuck in my (apparently always inquisitive) mind was how on earth did the stone get stuck in the rock? Well, it turns out it isn't just fantasy. In deep Tuscany near the most beautiful city of Siena lies the abandoned Abbey dedicated to St. Galgano. 

The Story

Galgano Guidotti lived in the mid 12th century in the same area the Abbey now lies. His early life, as most of the pre-modern age of Italy, was rather raucous. Precisely what he did isn't clear, but on the death of his father his attitude changed. The Archangel Michael, all twelve Apostles, and Mary all came to him and basically took him on a tour of a great church they wanted him to build. 

His mother apparently wasn't too pleased as she had just found him a good wife... Im not sure why she felt this was more important, but this Italian history Im learning from says she wasn't very pleased.

Anyway. On Christmas eve, as he rode his horse to see this woman his mother set him up with, it stopped on a hill. The horse wouldn't budge, so giving up he decided to stay the night in a local chapel. The next day the horse did the same thing, and he drove his sword into the ground.

...Yeah not quite sure why he did that. I think he was just annoyed at the horse stopping in the same place on Christmas day as he was reluctantly going to see some ugly woman his mother set him up with. 

Galgano looking rather annoyed off canvas at his stubborn horse. 

But anyway. He decided that he would say there for the rest of his life as a religious hermit (probably because his horse wouldn't leave). But this annoyed some people. Some people apparently don't like hermits, and decided they would get rid of him by destroying his little hermitage and trying to break the sword. Evidently god was on Galgano’s side because two of the attackers dropped dead, and the last one... well she chewed off her arms....

The poor woman’s arms were kept as a macabre reminder to not question people who live where their horses stop. (awayatpost, 2006)

The Sword

So, how true is the story? Or rather, how true is the fact that Guidotti’s sword is stuck in the ground? 

Well the picture I have placed in this blog article is clear. It actually exists. Interestingly it’s of a design that was around in the 12th Century. In fact it is very similar to one found in Bury St. Edmunds (England) that has been dated to around 1170. Even the analysis of the metals has suggested towards it being, quote, “Old”... nice and precise...

So the sword that we can see is at least reasonably authentic, but is it just part of a sword sticking out the ground? Well according to one blog a GPR survey found a 2x1m cavity below the stone. It could be the lost burial chamber of our friend St. Galgano Guidotti. The alternate theory is that it would reveal a smart trick that hides how the sword has been made to look as if it has been trapped in solid rock.

Either way, the sword won't be coming out anytime soon, and when it does, poor Arthur will probably lose his arms.

Source for the story of Guidotti (Italian)

Oakeshott, E., Records of the Medieval Sword.

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So I’ve been away a while for the holiday period. To get me back into the swing of things I decided to work a bit more on my website design plans. I should soon be able to hand the designs over to a very good friend of mine who has been coding websites on the side for some time now. 

I shall start posting some things about my trip to York a week ago, along with a new 3D model I have been working on!

[archaeology3d-blog]

Saturnalia, one of the many mothers of Christmas, was fist celebrated on this day in 497BC. The celebrations were later expanded to the 23rd of December and formed what one could class as the origins of what is now known as Christmas. 

It is meant to be the day that the first Temple to Saturn was established, and in celebration the Romans went a bit mad. Apart from the usual sacrifices and religious sentiments, it would seem slaves would be treated to their masters meal. There was also a degree of social liberty for the day, but it seems unlikely that a slave would speak their mind to their master – it is only for one day after all. The best way of looking at it is an office Christmas Party. Just because you're not at work and you're drunk doesn't mean your boss isn't going to remember it on Monday.

What is very cool is we have found some writing tablets from Vindolanda, a garrison literally within site of Hadrian's wall, that was basicity a shopping list for the festival.

“Regarding the … for the Saturnalia, I ask you, brother, to see to them at a price of 4 or six asses and radishes to the value of not less than ½ denarius. Farewell, brother.” – British Musem; 1988,1005.237

Probably one of the more common elements of this day was the wearing of the Synthesis (a Greek dinner outfit) and the pilleus. The latter was a felt cap that was only permitted to be warn by freedmen, but Saturnalia allowed all men to wear it. 

Gift giving occurred on the 19th. Although a separate day, it was similarly styled. Gag gifts and simple presents were quite common as the presents could indicate a social standing.

The icons of the celebrations are the dice and symbols of gambling. Dice games and gabling were frowned upon by respectable members of Roman society, but on this one day it was permitted. The picture above, from an illustrated calendar, depicts a man declaring: 

"Now you have license, slave, to game with your master”. 

It would seem roman calendars didn't have cats or hunky men, but literal descriptions of what you can do in that month. Shame. I would have liked a calendar of cats dressed as emperors.

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I have been working on some items to go into another scene in my reconstruction of a ancient Greek oikos (home). This item is apouring vessel called an a Askos, the other item is a Bolsal, just a  small vessel for drinking from, similar to a Kanthros and Kylix. 

Both were found in an area that appears to have been used for grinding gain and kneading bread

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I stumbled upon this reconstruction of Corfe castle (Dorset) last night, pretty impressive I have to say! It would be nice to see the whole thing, maybe using a drone would work. Walking through it would be a bit difficult to construct to the same degree of realism.  

Anyway, Ciprian Selegean (who created the reconstruction) is a graduate from the University of Portsmouth in Computer Animation. Its nice to see things like this popping up all over the place as the technology and skills come together with a new generation. 

Theres another video which includes the before and after.

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Painted Linen - 12th century. German (Rhine)

Source: https://imgur.com/FWycIUC

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Theseus attacks the Minotaur.  Attic black-figure lekythos, ascribed to the Class of Athens 581; ca. 500-475 BCE.  Found in Crimea; now in the Louvre.

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Library of Celsus, Ephesus

Celsus was an opponent to the early Christens that propagated the city (see tomorrows post). His text ‘The True Word’ is lost, however it is believed to be the earliest text opposing Christianity beyond slurs and attacks. This library was built as his monumental tomb, and he lies beneath the main entrance.

Unfortunatly the Ancients weren’t very good at protecting their archives, and in 262 the interior of the library and all its books were destroyed by fire caused by an earthquake, the Façade is all that is left. Well, it was restored in the 1960s after a large excavation.

The inside of the building consisted of a single rectangular room (17x11 m) with a central apse. Along the other three sides were rectangular recesses that held cupboards and shelves for the 12,000 scrolls.

(Photo by Monica Forss)

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“It takes very special qualities to devote one’s life to problems with no attainable solutions and to poking around in dead people’s garbage: Words like ‘masochistic’, 'nosy,’ and 'completely batty’ spring to mind’.”

Paul Bahn. 1989. Bluff Your Way in Archaeology. Ravette Books, West Sussex (via archaeoangel)

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Nuraghe Santa Barbara by Mat.Tauriello on Flickr.

This little tower is from the late Bronze age to early Iron age. The BrIon age if you will. They start somewhere around 1500BC and are found surrounded by a wall and a small village.

The Nuragic civilisation hasn’t had a giant amount published on it compared with other groups with a similar quality preservation. There is a lot there to find, and these little towers are part of that. They seem to have a connection to metal work, some towers have delicate clay moulds that were used as part of the lost wax casting technique.

The simplest form is a single tower, like this, but there are other more complicated towers that have multiple little towers around them. These are possibly a development at a later date, or, a planned design to show ‘Ive got a more complex tower than you’. The tower has a lower entrance hall, and an upper room. This upper room has collapsed on all the towers, so it would have been much taller. Above that would have been a roof terrace expanding from the tower walls outwards, supported by a collapsed corbelled support.

This particular one has a little window above the door… although… precisely why Im not sure. Apparently these towers were defensive. But they look so much like the Brochs of Scotland, and there is some debate as to if they were defensive. But alas. There is a little window.

The main room is accessed by a staircase that winds up within the walls with little niches for small windows and presumably passing points too. They are awfully narrow. What is labelled as a guard chamber I wouldn’t take too seriously. The articles I could find on this tower were referencing back to the 50s.*

Via Flickr: Macomer - North West Sardinia

*You see there have been developments in the way archaeologists integrate features and finds. The last 20 years was radically different to the previous 20 years and so on.