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DIG AT RAF MIDENHALL YIELDS SURPRISES
FINDS IN ICENI TERRITORY
Sulis Ordovices  During preparation of a site for new softball fields at RAF Midenhall, the Defence Estates, the department in the Ministry of Defence that deals with land issues for the Air Force, contacted Suffolk County Council archaeologists to check the building site because the area was known for other rich archaeological finds. The famous Midenhall Treasure was found only three fields away from the airbase in the mid 1900s.
As a result several sites of human remains, pottery shards, Roman coins and sites of at least a couple of buildings. Most of the finds date from the early Roman age (AD 43-410) but some may actually fall in the Neolithic Period as well as the Bronze and Iron Ages.
One of the remains found buried under the forest floor was of a muscular thirty year old man who had lain undisturbed for 2000 years. This man could’ve been an Iceni warrior and found in an area that had once been rich Fen land. Why he was placed face down is unknown.
The archeological team, which consisted of 15 individuals, found a pear-shaped corral and a watering hole containing cattle bones. Near the tree line was a building Roman building shape in the sand with a horses head, ribs, limbs and spine found within.
In addition to the warrior burial two crouch type burials more typical of the Bronze Age and Iron Age were found.
The area was traditionally Iceni and dating the warrior’s burial to that tribe made sense.
The dig cost £ 100,000 and was paid for the Ministry of Defence’s estate department.
PUTEOLI - LITTLE ROME
ANCIENT CITY UNCOVERED
Cornellia Cornelius Cicero called it "Little Rome". Archaeologists today are calling it the most important discovery of a Roman town since Pompeii and Herculaneum.
It is the ancient city of Puteoli and has been found under Rione Terra, a promontory in Pozzouli, just 8 miles west of Naples. Though today it is known to Italians as the birth place of Sophia Loren, its history goes much farther back.
Puteoli was founded c. 520 BCE by Samian Greeks from Cumae, it came under Roman control by the end of the 4th cent. BCE and was made a military colony in 194 BCE. It was not far from the Greek city of Dicearchia (known to us only from ancient written sources) and eventually became a mercantile outpost of Rome and one of the major trading ports of the Mediterranean. It became famous as Rome’s port of entry for Eastern trade, handling notably mosaics, pottery, and perfumes. The shops were rich, and the city was surrounded by handsome villas.
"Puteoli lies encased in the foundation of the city built in the 16th century by the Spanish, who at the time ruled the kingdom of Naples. Bringing to light is a very difficult task. As we excavate, we need to use steel beams to support the new buildings on the top level," according to chief archaeologist Costanza Gialanella.
To date, they've unearthed a street network that dates back to the establishment of the colony in 194 BCE as well as buildings dating to different periods, most related to Augustus and Nero, Puteolli's golden age. One of the more spectacular finds is the temple of Augustus built by the architect Lucius Cocceius Auctus presumably on the site of the ancient Capitolium. Excavation on the temple began in 1964 when a fire destroyed the baroque church that the Spanish had built over the temple.
The ancient urban layout is still followed by the modern urban plan, and several remarkable monuments are still visible, such as the Flavian Amphitheater, erected to replace a partially preserved earlier one that had become inadequate; the remains of the frigidarium of the thermal building known as "Temple of Neptune"; the Macellum, generally known as "Temple of Serapis", a market court enclosed by a portico, with a central tholos (a gazebo of sorts), some of whose columns are still standing.
After a period of further development in early Imperial times, when it was reached by the Via Domitiana, Puteoli lost to Ostia its role as the main trading port of Rome, and entered a period of progressive decadence, just as its coastline was sinking as a consequence of the bradyseismic activity of the Phlegraean area. In 1538, the Monte Nuovo volcano erupted and covered the nearby village of Tripergole and scared away Pozzuoli's population. This gave the Spaniards the opportunity to build a new city in their own style on top of the ancient Puteoli. It was again abandoned in the 1970s when bradyseismic activity of the area caused the ground to rise and fall.
Again repopulated, Pozzouli could become a major archaeological attraction in years to come.
THE SECRETARY GENERAL RULES WITH AN IRON FIST
THE ALL-KNOWING ZAHI HAWASS
Cleopatri Hatshepsut Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, has announced that Egypt will not permit any new foreign expeditions to being excavations in southern (upper) Egypt for at least fourteen years in an attempt to prevent the destruction of archaeological sites. Instead, attention will be given to sites in the Nile Delta and desert.
Dr. Hawass said that although there are respected schools working as part of the three hundred expeditions in the country, amateur excavators can do damage to the monuments.
Egyptian officials angered at the report of a mummy, lying in the tomb of Amenhotep II, identified by as that of Queen Nefertiti by a British expedition initiated the ban on an area where sites include the temples of Luxor and Karnak as well as the Valley of the Kings.
Hawass stated that the British team violated policy that obligates archaeologists to present their findings to the council and then any announcement would be made jointly once the claims and findings are confirmed. He also said that Dr. Johann Fletcher denied saying that the mummy was Nefertiti only that she thought it was.
The Times published an article claiming Dr. Fletcher was a victim of unjustified fault finding by the SCA. Dr. Hawass responded in Al-Ahram Weekly saying that any so called discrimination is unjustified. He further went on to say that since she went to the press with what is considered to be an unsound theory she’d broken the rules and had been banned from working in Egypt until the situation is reviewed by York University and the SCA.
“Joann Fletcher did not discover anything,” Dr. Hawass wrote. “She tried to sell herself to the world as an expert in something she knows little about. Last week I went to Luxor and entered the tomb of Amenhotep II once again, and I am now more certain than ever that this mummy cannot be Nefertiti.”
On the matter of the Rosetta Stone Dr. Hawass said he could only ask for the return of antiquities taken after 1970 according to a UNESCO treaty. He reiterated that he had asked that the Rosetta stone be lent to Egypt for a three month exhibition and then it would be returned to the British Museum.
One of the new rules adopted by the Council requires that all the expedition leaders receive training before starting work on the sites and archaeologists must publish their discoveries in English and Arabic in the Council’s journal. Also planned is the construction of a massive wall around the Giza plateau and the closure of many excavation sites.
As a way of paying for new cultural and historical centers the mask of Tutankamen will embark on a tour of Europe, America, and Japan.
Dr. Fletcher’s claim is now before the Pyramid Committee which will also examine the York University expedition’s conduct.
In response to a remark that he’s ruining British archaeology Dr. Hawass replied, “Do I need to be more famous? I mean there is no archaeologist who really did what I did in my life. And there is no archaeologist who is known in the streets of Europe and America like me.”
You’re right Dr. Hawass, that says it all.
ARCHAEOLOGY NOTES
Aifa Niafer Archaeology Notes
Egypt – An excavation by a team from the French Institute of Eastern Antiquities discovered a new cemetery at western side of south Sakkara containing a number of tombs of senior officials from the Old Kingdom. The first tomb excavated belonged to a priest named Haunefer who worked in the Funerary temple of 6th Dynasty king Pepi I. The priest, his wife Khotie and their 23 children were shown in relief paintings in the tomb. The entrance bears an inREPLACED SCRIPTion of Haunefer and his eldest son receiving and offering from Khotie who was a priestess of Hathur. In the western chamber was found remains which might be Haunefer himself. The tomb of Khnum Hetep, father-in-law of Haunefer, was found nearby. Within this tomb were found the names of Khunum Hotep, his wife Etki and their daughter Khotie. 12 small statues of Khnum Hotep were also found.
England – During a four week dig in The Butts by a Birmingham Archaeology unit sponsored by Miller homes, discovered Roman artifacts a new housing development in the center of Worchester. The excavation uncovered a cobbled road, pottery, bone pins, industrial slag and Roman coins one of which has been initially dated to mid 4th century AD. The site itself dates from the 2nd to 4th centuries AD. Miller Homes plans to donate most of the artifacts to the Worcester museum and also plans to hold an exhibition at the development now renamed Trajan Place.
England – Research with high-tech lasers at the Wiltshire site of Stonehenge have uncovered two carvings, invisible to the naked eye, on one of the stones. The carvings are of bronze axe heads between 4 and 6 inches long. Similar markings found in 1953 of carved axe heads and a dagger but are now too eroded to see. So far 3 stones have been scanned with a full survey of all 83 stones planned. Data was analyzed and computer enhanced by a joint team from Archaeoptics of Glasgow and Wessex Archaeology. The monument would have been 500 years old when the axes were carved.
United States – The mostly intact skeleton of a young man were unearthed by a crew digging peat on a cattle ranch in southern Osceola County. The young man who was in his late teens to early 20s is at least 4000 to 8000 years old. There have been 4 others from the same era found in Central Florida over the years all carefully buried in a bog. The peat digging crew thought they’d uncovered something worse when they found the skeleton with a backhoe. They contacted the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office whose investigators realized the age of the bones and contacted the University of Florida. The peat digging was shut down by the C.A. Pound Human Identification Lab at UF. The remains are now in the Gainesville lab.
England – During construction to build a relief road for the village of Harnham in the Chalkland area discovered charcoal deposits dating between 250,000 and 350,000 years ago and are the fist evidence of fire in Europe. The site is one mile south of Salisbury in South Wiltshire and was next to a tributary of the River Avon. Animal bones and 44 flint hand axes were uncovered. The findings will be catalogued and displayed at the Salisbury Museum.
Israel – A Christian Byzantine - era archaeological site containing a monastery was damaged while Defense Ministry workers were building a security barrier around Jerusalem. The Israeli government had ordered a speed up of construction which resulted in the damage in the town of Abu Dis. The Defense Ministry sent workers in without coordinating with the Antiquities Authority. The barrier is designed to block Palestinian suicide bombers and other attackers from entering by cutting Israel off from the West Bank. The monastery is 1500 years old and covered about a quarter of an acre. Construction was halted to allow 100 experts to work for 3 weeks to salvage artifacts. The monastery includes a church and outer rooms and an outdoor courtyard, sheds and stables. Under the central courtyard was found a crypt decorated with crosses. In the central area is an elaborate mosaic, in excellent condition decorated with geometric shapes and animals. The mosaic was removed, along with potter and other finds, and will be reproduced in concrete for display in about 2 years. After the excavation workers were allowed back to work on the barrier which is an elaborate system of razor wire, concrete walls, trenches and fences.
Germany – Archaeologist from Deggendorf county have discovered the remains of a Roman theatre in the town of Kuenzing, once known by the Roman name of Quitanis on the Danube frontier. The town was garrisoned by 500 mercenaries. The Roman theatre had been forgotten and it was the first of its kind rediscovered in Germany unlike the famous amphitheatre at Trier.
Norway – Researchers from the University of Oslo have been using radar to examine a mound near Toensberg in hopes of discovering the country’s fourth intact Viking ship burial. Photos have revealed an oval shape lying about a meter under a pile of stones. The site is about a kilometer and a half away from the area where the Gokstad Ship, which had belonged to a Viking queen, was found.
Netherlands – A barge dating from AD 100, excavated from the center of the town of Woerden, showed the surprising capability of allowing the Romans to row upstream. Woerden was once the Roman military settlement of Castellum Laurium on the Rhine. Until the discovery of the flat bottomed, 12 oared vessel, historians and archaeologists believed the Romans could only sail their cargo vessels downstream. The oars of the barge would have allowed for navigation of the strong currents back to the German Eiffel region.
United States – While doing routine maintenance road crew in Snohomish County, Washington unearthed a Stillaguamish tribal archaeological site in the Silvana area. The county halted the project after tribal members pointed out that it was atop an ancient village site. Unfortunately some damage was done to the site. Some of the artifacts from the site are believed to be between 8000 and 10000 years old but haven’t as yet been tested. Apparently the location of this particular site was known by county and state officials and why the problem occurred is being looked into.
China – A large number of cliff carvings were found by archaeologists in the mountainous areas of the Alxa Right Banner in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Scenes of hunting, battles, and sacrificial rites as well as pictures depicting people and animals were carved into the rock dating back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The regional government plans to take prompt measures to protect the carvings.
India – The government of southern Kerala state found in a rice field in Thaikal a sailing vessel believed to have sunk off the coast of southern India 900 years ago. The craft was made of local Indian wood but the craftsmanship suggested it was built by the Chinese, Japanese, Egyptians or Arabs. The ship was 22 meters long (72 feet), 5 meters wide (16 feet) and buried 50 meters (160 feet) deep and made of a wood called Anjili.
Israel – Excavations at Kibbutz Kfar HaHoresh, about 2 miles form the center of Nazareth, have unearthed evidence of a burial complex as well as strangely decorated human skulls indicting that a major cult center existed in the area 8000 years before Christ. Although the remains of 65 people have been unearthed, it is expected that hundreds more remain to be found that may have been interred in complex rituals. A partly disarticulated headless man was found on top of a pile of 250 aurochs bones and 4 children were buried with fox mandibles. Some were interred with what appeared to be heirloom flints while 50 others were arranged in the shape of some type of animal. Also discovered were 3 human schools that had been deliberately defleshed after death and overlaid with lime plaster that was then modeled to form facial features. One of the skulls was painted with a red pigment quarried from central Turkey and another with red ocher. The lime was manufactured on site as evidenced by the discovery of kilns. The burial surfaces were originally covered in white plaster and covering an area up to 850 square feet.
England – During preparation for a housing development a street dating back nearly 2000 years was discovered under the remains of the demolished Starling Gate pub in Tadcaster Road, York. Along with the cobbles. which are part of the largest section of Roman road ever found in the area, there were the remains of a home of a wealth Roman as well as countless small artifacts.
Scotland – The race is on to save the remnants of an Iron Age site of Carghidown near the Isle of Whithorn, Galloway, which have been traced to the ancient Novantae. The promontory fort is located 100 ft above the sea and faces destruction from erosion. It’s feared it could collapse into the sea as a result of wind and wave action. Two roundhouses were discovered within the fort including three rare lead beads.
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DIG AT RAF MIDENHALL YIELDS SURPRISES
Sulis Ordovices Celtia
NEW ROMAN HISTORY GROUP
Cornellia Cornelius Rome
THE SECRETARY GENERAL RULES WITH AN IRON FIST
Cleopatri Hatshepsut Egypt
ARCHAEOLOGY NOTES
Aifa Niafer AncientWorlds
NAMING EGYPT NOVEL
Ankhesenamon Ptolemy HELP!!! Ankhesenamon Ptolemy needs your help.
Soon all AW will be recieving the historical narrative account of 18th dynasty ancient Egypt. Soft date will be about Dec. 15.
This novel is the twilight of the 18th dynasty covering the reigns of Akhenaton, Smenkhare and TUtankhamon and Aye.
Any suggestions for title names would be more than needed.
Should anyone come up with possible names, please bring them to the per of Ankhesenamon Ptolemy or gram her if she is on.
THE HITTITE PRINCE
Ankhesenamon Ptolemy Many know the story of Zannanza, the prince of Hatti that was found murdered at the border of Egypt.
Even more know that he had come in response the astounding and scary letters written by Hatti's sworn archenemy begging for a husband. The Queen of Egypt. Nothing like that had been seen before.
A body was found in Egypt,examined by a French doctor. The astonishing reply: It is Zannanza.
The body? Astonishingly muscular build. Wispy blond hair in plaits and a beard. Gold earrings. In his early twenties.
What's more:
It had been bound hand and foot. The conclusion? Poison or buried alive.
The body was not embalmed, and had not been circumcised. The brain and vicera were intact, somthing never been seen before.
It was sown into a sheepskin and found in a grotesque position. The head was thrown back, mouth in an expression of agony.
The doctor said:"As this was a high ranking person, the corpse was not destroyed either out of respect for his position or race... The operation was to be kept top secret."
Can this man be Zannanza?
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