This is hardly a new discovery, but still an interesting read:
True Colors of Ancient Greek and Roman Statues
True Colors of Ancient Greek and Roman Statues
The (Archeological) Discoveries Topic
- Thread starter Forostar
- Start date
In something off a parallel when it comes to misleading ideas of what old art really looked like, many painters in the 17th and 18th centuries mixed their colours with brown to emulate the look of the great Renaissance paintnings, which by then had become covered in dirt. The Renaissance paintings were later cleaned; the imitators are still brown. (Not necessarily a bad thing, mind you, see Rembrandt for instance.)
It's interesting how our perception of works of art, and their purpose, changes over time. I wonder if any Renaissance noblemen who paid to have their portraits painted imagined that one day they would be remembered only because this particular guy in a smock painted them once. A few of the smarter ones may have suspected it...
Mr. Breeg
When Eternity Fails
So he was Caucasian eh? LOL!!!
I've done a little bit of painting with pigments used in the 15th/16th Centuries and can testify to the colours changing quite dramatically. Some aren't especially light fast, and others will tarnish, react with moisture or with other pigments, often ending up a completely different colour. The long apprenticeship that painters served was probably very much needed, just to get to grips with how the different chemicals interacted with each other and the carrier medium. They were good at getting the best out of them, but damage can still happen over time, especially if the medium or base begins to break down, exposing pigments to water or other chemicals. Or someone came along at a later date and stuck a completely unsuitable varnish over the top of them. 
Ariana
Black-and-white leopard
An interesting read that may give possible answers to the disappearance of the Maya civilisation.
http://www.dw.com/en/global-ideas-maya-deforestation-stalagmite/a-18988831
http://www.dw.com/en/global-ideas-maya-deforestation-stalagmite/a-18988831
'Oldest Viking Crucifix found in Denmark'
A solid-gold cross depicting Jesus with his arms outstretched may be Denmark's oldest crucifix, dating back more than 1,100 years.
The gorgeous pendant was unearthed in March by a hobbyist with a metal detector. Found in a field on the island of Funen, Denmark, the Viking jewelry piece may have been worn by a Viking woman, according to the Viking Museum at Ladby, where the pendant was on display
A solid-gold cross depicting Jesus with his arms outstretched may be Denmark's oldest crucifix, dating back more than 1,100 years.
The gorgeous pendant was unearthed in March by a hobbyist with a metal detector. Found in a field on the island of Funen, Denmark, the Viking jewelry piece may have been worn by a Viking woman, according to the Viking Museum at Ladby, where the pendant was on display
That looks remarkably similar to the silver crucifix I saw at the Museum of History the other day, on loan from Sweden, then-called the oldest crucifix.
Well this one is the oldest found in Denmark, I don't know about elsewhere in Scandinavia.
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
This 15 year old from Québec did such an awesome discovery.....
William Gadoury, a 15-year-old school student from Quebec, Canada, has found something that’s been hidden from archaeologists for centuries - a lost city of the Maya civilisation, buried deep in the Yucatan jungle of southeastern Mexico.
He didn’t do it by hiring a bunch of expensive equipment, hopping on a plane, and slaving away on an excavation site - he discovered the incredible ruins from the comfort of his own home, by figuring out that the ancient cities were built in alignment with the stars above.
Read on:
http://www.sciencealert.com/a-15-year-old-just-discovered-a-lost-maya-city-in-central-america
William Gadoury, a 15-year-old school student from Quebec, Canada, has found something that’s been hidden from archaeologists for centuries - a lost city of the Maya civilisation, buried deep in the Yucatan jungle of southeastern Mexico.
He didn’t do it by hiring a bunch of expensive equipment, hopping on a plane, and slaving away on an excavation site - he discovered the incredible ruins from the comfort of his own home, by figuring out that the ancient cities were built in alignment with the stars above.
Read on:
http://www.sciencealert.com/a-15-year-old-just-discovered-a-lost-maya-city-in-central-america
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Looks like it was damn well time we got off those trees...
How the most famous human ancestor died
Lucy, the most famous fossil of a human ancestor, probably died after falling from a tree, according to a study appearing in Nature led by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin.
(...)
"It is ironic that the fossil at the center of a debate about the role of arborealism in human evolution likely died from injuries suffered from a fall out of a tree," said lead author John Kappelman, a UT Austin anthropology and geological sciences professor.
How the most famous human ancestor died
Lucy, the most famous fossil of a human ancestor, probably died after falling from a tree, according to a study appearing in Nature led by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin.
(...)
"It is ironic that the fossil at the center of a debate about the role of arborealism in human evolution likely died from injuries suffered from a fall out of a tree," said lead author John Kappelman, a UT Austin anthropology and geological sciences professor.
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
Possibly, some ships from the nine month siege (1661-1662) have been discovered! At this moment, the condition of the vessels is unknown. The ships were found on a stone throw's distance from the ruines of the Dutch Fort Zeelandia.
Dutch Colonial Era Ships Found in Tainan
Eight wrecks dating back to the Dutch colonial era have been discovered underwater in Taijiang National Park, Tainan, according to Acadamia Sinica Department of History and Philology researcher Liu I-chang.
The ships were found after a study was commissioned four years ago. Mr Liu called on the government to develop an excavation plan. He said Taiwan played an important role in the age of exploration in the 17th century and that this history should be shared with the rest of the world. So far relevant government units have taken no action.
Four of the ships have been located on the banks of Yanshui Creek.
Mr Liu pointed out that the area is under development pressure, and that antiquities have been found at sites being developed. Developers have failed to report finds as required by law.
Tiajiang National Park authorities said that underwater archeology falls under the jurisdiction of the cultural bureau, and is an costly enterprise.
The Dutch established a fort and settlement at Fort Zeelandia in 1624. At that time Tiajiang was a lagoon. After the Ming Dynasty was overthrown by the Qing, Ming loyalist Koxinga made a sneak attack on Fort Zeelandia via the Tiajiang lagoon, sinking Dutch vessels and laying siege to the fort. Koxinga eventually defeated the Dutch and expelled them.
When Koxinga’s fleet surprised the Dutch by slipping past Fort Zeelandia through Lakjemuyse, into the Tayowan inland sea, laying siege to Fort Provintia, many Dutch vessels were destroyed. Archaeologists have just discovered 8 of them at the bottom of the Taijiang National Park.
On record, the Dutch forces lost the Hector, the Emmenhorn, the Koukerke, and the Cortenhoef. If the 8 ships discovered at the bottom of the lagoon is one of these ships, it would be an amazing discovery.
Fort Zeelandia in the early 17th century.
The surrender of the Dutch
Fort Zeelandia:
Dutch Colonial Era Ships Found in Tainan
Eight wrecks dating back to the Dutch colonial era have been discovered underwater in Taijiang National Park, Tainan, according to Acadamia Sinica Department of History and Philology researcher Liu I-chang.
The ships were found after a study was commissioned four years ago. Mr Liu called on the government to develop an excavation plan. He said Taiwan played an important role in the age of exploration in the 17th century and that this history should be shared with the rest of the world. So far relevant government units have taken no action.
Four of the ships have been located on the banks of Yanshui Creek.
Mr Liu pointed out that the area is under development pressure, and that antiquities have been found at sites being developed. Developers have failed to report finds as required by law.
Tiajiang National Park authorities said that underwater archeology falls under the jurisdiction of the cultural bureau, and is an costly enterprise.
The Dutch established a fort and settlement at Fort Zeelandia in 1624. At that time Tiajiang was a lagoon. After the Ming Dynasty was overthrown by the Qing, Ming loyalist Koxinga made a sneak attack on Fort Zeelandia via the Tiajiang lagoon, sinking Dutch vessels and laying siege to the fort. Koxinga eventually defeated the Dutch and expelled them.
When Koxinga’s fleet surprised the Dutch by slipping past Fort Zeelandia through Lakjemuyse, into the Tayowan inland sea, laying siege to Fort Provintia, many Dutch vessels were destroyed. Archaeologists have just discovered 8 of them at the bottom of the Taijiang National Park.
On record, the Dutch forces lost the Hector, the Emmenhorn, the Koukerke, and the Cortenhoef. If the 8 ships discovered at the bottom of the lagoon is one of these ships, it would be an amazing discovery.
Fort Zeelandia in the early 17th century.
The surrender of the Dutch
Fort Zeelandia:
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Forostar
Ancient Mariner
For the ones who missed it last week.
World's largest dinosaur footprints discovered in Western Australia
https://www.theguardian.com/science...tprints-discovered-in-western-australia#img-1
World's largest dinosaur footprints discovered in Western Australia
https://www.theguardian.com/science...tprints-discovered-in-western-australia#img-1
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
Today in the news: "De Rooswijk" shipwreck, located at Goodwin Sands, Kent, will be partly unearthed. It is threatened because the surface beneath washes away and a sand mining project will start soon.
De Rooswijk left in Januari 1740 from Texel to the East Indies. The ship was fully loaded with coins and silver. Aboard were around 350 people.
According to the Dutch State Service for Cultural Heritage the wreck is of inestimable historical value for learning more about the VOC period. From July 1 a dedicated international team will start working on it. They'll do more research on the wreck and remove part of the inventory from the water. Minister Bussemaker sees excavating the wreck as an important symbolic step. "Shipwrecks tell a story. The two centuries of VOC are part of that story and our collective memory, including everything we are still proud of, but also what we are ashamed of."
Here a previous BBC news item (watch vid!) from last year: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-37355734
De Rooswijk left in Januari 1740 from Texel to the East Indies. The ship was fully loaded with coins and silver. Aboard were around 350 people.
According to the Dutch State Service for Cultural Heritage the wreck is of inestimable historical value for learning more about the VOC period. From July 1 a dedicated international team will start working on it. They'll do more research on the wreck and remove part of the inventory from the water. Minister Bussemaker sees excavating the wreck as an important symbolic step. "Shipwrecks tell a story. The two centuries of VOC are part of that story and our collective memory, including everything we are still proud of, but also what we are ashamed of."
Here a previous BBC news item (watch vid!) from last year: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-37355734
CriedWhenBrucieLeft
Meme Only Account
I'd recommend to not take the claim seriously for now, but this article is definitely worth reading for a glimpse into the workings of archaeological (or, in this case palaeonthological) controversy. It's a case of one archaeologist making a discovery they deem spectacular, only to neglect scientific scrutiny in favour of fame and headlines. As someone trained in archaeology and working with archaeological sources, I find it baffling how often this sort of thing happens. And it's possible that, even if this claim is refuted (which is a 50-50 chance right now), it might linger around for years, if not decades. But even if it turns out to be correct, that is no excuse for the lack of care put into verification.
Controversial study found humans in North America 100,000 years earlier than expected
Controversial study found humans in North America 100,000 years earlier than expected
Cat Milk Supreme
Ancient Mariner
I love a good 'older than' or 'earlier than' story but this does seem a tad sketchy. 130,000 years is a big jump. Maybe the author really wants a new car or a boat.
D
Deleted member 7164
Guest
From layman's perspective - they're drawing conclusions from two pieces of measurable information - Uranium series dating, and the shape of bone fractures. The first gives the age of the finding, the second tells them that fractures have been done via tools, while corps were still fresh. That would rule out that these *tool-using species found the bones under the dust millenia after it has died.
*article puts the controversy into the agreed age of the existing humans. These would be another Homo subspecies, as Sapiens weren't the only to use tools, I see no controversy here.
*article puts the controversy into the agreed age of the existing humans. These would be another Homo subspecies, as Sapiens weren't the only to use tools, I see no controversy here.