Archaeological Musings

What's on the menu in Germany?... Beer, Brauts, and People?

2009-12-15T20:31:00.000-08:00

According to a recent excavation at Herxheim in Germany people may have been on the dinner menu. There is evidence that several hundred people may have been butchered at the site in a similar way to other animals. While these initial findings may suggest cannibalism according to French anthropologist Bruno Boulestin, German researchers are skeptical. The Germans claim that the butchered bodies and the removal of the flesh could indicate a system of reburial and not cannibalism. The most convincing evidence for cannibalism, however, comes from the apparent teeth marks found on the ends of intentionally broken hand and arm bones.

I don't know about anyone else but as soon as teeth marks are confirmed on the bodies it almost has to be a case of cannibalism. While it is possible that animals, like the pets of the killers, could have caused any teeth marks after the bodies were fed to them it seems unlikely that people would go through all the effort of scalping, removing the tongue and jaw muscles, separating the ribs from the spine, and chopping a guy up so that his dog doesn't choke on all the big pieces. What it really sounds like is that someone had a barbecue and the neighbors were on the menu.But really, you can't blame the German researchers for getting their backs up about the theory that their ancestors could have been cannibals. After all, the Germans have enough skeletons in their closet as is, it would be a bit of a blow to national pride to find out that the reason there are skeletons in the closet is because they ate them.

Snake Goddess... the Breast aren't the only thing that look fake on some of them

2009-12-15T19:29:00.000-08:00

After Arther Evans' discover the of snake goddess figures at Knossos it suddenly became all the rage to own one. As a result forgers of the time met the demand with their supply. At least 14 unprovenienced goddess statues made their way into museums and private collections a like. While the goddess statues all match the stylistic attributes of the originals the material undoubtedly gives them away as modern copies.

What caught my attention about these fakes is that I have heard about the goddess figurines in several of my classes but never heard about the fakes. Although, in today's world it would be hard to not find something exceedingly popular and expensive in the art world and not have at least a couple forgeries floating around. In the novel that I read for my book report I believe I read a statistic claiming that approximately 10% of all known paintings by major artists are fake. While it is impossible to know anything for sure in the art world the 10% figure, I thought, was a bit optimistic. There are so many people out there with decidedly loose morals who are willing to rip people off to make a buck.

While on the topic of fakes, another thing in the book that I read which surprised me was that some artists encouraged forgeries. I believe it was Picasso that once had a dealer come up to him and ask Picasso to sign a piece of work, claiming it had been unsigned by the artist and that the painting was for a client. Picasso noticed that the painting wasn't his but because it was such a good copy he signed it anyway. While this admittedly has little to do with the sculptures in the original article, I thought it funny and some artists actually supposed forgers of their work instead of reprimanding them. How does the saying go?... imitation is the most sincere form of flattery?

Was Indy right about the Crystal Skulls?

2009-12-15T18:56:00.000-08:00

According to Jane Walsh, the movie isn't even close. Although there are such as thing as crystal skulls from Mexico very little about them is alien or even that old. While crystal skulls have been popping up since the 19th century all of them lack provenance and remain a mystery. According to Jane Walsh,however, the crystal skulls popularity can be traced back to one man, Eugene Boban. Boban was a French antiquarian with a specific interest in Meso-American art. Walsh claims that it was he who started the crystal skull fad by having crystal skulls made in Mexico so that he could sell them, along with other looted artifacts in the world's cultural centers of London and Paris. For a long time, up to 60 years, these skulls were thought to be genuine. It was not until the stone work was inspected more closely by microscope that it was discovered that it was impossible for these skulls to be real, the tool marks indicated modern methods were used to create the skulls. Although most museums, like the British Museum, still display the skulls as forgeries some places in Mexico and South American try to pass the skulls off as genuine. The reason for this deception is that the skulls draw a crowd for the museum. I find it kind of sad that a museum, an institution that is supposed to be about the spread of knowledge, continues to lie to its patrons about the history of its artifacts and by extension the people it represents. The article that I read this on is only from 2008, so it is highly likely that the museums in question are still showing off the skulls and perhaps might be trying to ride on some of the Indian Jones hype to get a few more visitors.

Everyone knows that the only way to stop a Vampire is to put a brick in its mouth, right?

2009-12-15T18:37:00.000-08:00

In a medieval mass grave in Venice, Italy archaeologists found a body with a brick shoved in its mouth. This is the first time that any archaeologists have found actual proof of this practice to ward off vampires. Although it does not mention it in the articles I am assuming that the practice of placing a brick in the mouth of a corpse must have been written down somewhere, otherwise how would the archaeologists know? I don't know about anyone else, but to me this whole brick in the mouth thing seems very counter productive, everyone knows that vampires have super strength and can only be killed with a stake through the heart. Unlike the modern myths, apparently medieval vampires were much easier to dispose of.

The researchers also explain in the article that the reason why people were thought to be vampires is because once a person dies the stomach can release purge fluid, which is a dark blood like liquid. This liquid of finds its way into the decease's nose and mouth and eventually rotted the burial shroud around the face. To the gravediggers that would have reopened the pit grave during a plague the blood around the mouth and the opening in the shroud by the mouth would have looked like a vampire that had chewed through the burial cloth. To me its funny to see how far the myth of vampires has come since then. Previously vampires were seen as spreaders of disease and now today they are revered in movies like Twilight, Blade, and Underworld. While the vampires never do quite escape the stigma of being infected or cursed, even in today's incarnation, it is the fear that they invoke and their supernatural mystic that is now embraced by the people of today, whereas it was to be feared centuries ago.

Underwater

2009-12-15T17:59:00.000-08:00

So as I was watching TV today I happened upon a show about ancient underwater sites. Of which there was a segment on the sunken port of Alexandria in Egypt. The show told how the city was likely sunk due to seismic activity and the resulting tidal wave. However, more importantly the show featured the archaeologists excavating and finding numerous sculptures in great condition and even gold jewelry buried in the silt. The finds were really quite remarkable. This really got me thinking about underwater archaeology as a whole. This show I was watching was all about sunken cities or ports and I imagine that there are other archaeological sites that we know about that have not been thoroughly excavated. The reason for this is that underwater archaeology is expensive and limiting. For one, the archaeologists can only spend a minutes at a time underwater because they are restricted to their oxygen tanks. However, this is not exactly a bad thing. Because underwater archaeological sites are difficult to get to and the time one can spend at a site it limited it means that there is a higher probability that the site itself is going to remain undisturbed by treasure hunters, new or old. I can now see why there are professional treasure hunters that specifically target the sea, even though it costs more money to excavate, or salvage, the reward the the potential to be much greater as well.

Provenance- a book report- part 3

2009-12-15T10:04:00.001-08:00

The ethical issues in this book are everywhere, most of which involve Drewe and his lack of any kind of ethical behaviour. The most compelling is that of Myatt. He first starts off as a struggling single parent who is trying to make some extra money, this is a very noble act on his behalf. However, it quickly turns around on him when Drewe starts selling his fakes as a business. While Myatt unwittingly assists Drewe in the beginning, the situation quickly becomes evident to Myatt, as Drewe has no knowledge of the art world and uses Myatt as his mentor. It is at this point where Myatt had to make a decision, either to continue to help Drewe and make some extra money or to struggle but remain an honest man. While this is a question of ethics it is also a question of survival. The author mentions that as is Myatt was barely making ends meet, his children desperately needed new clothes and the bank was coming after him for his house. The initial decision to get into the forgery business was not just a question of ethics but of providing for his family. In this regard I can sympathize with Myatt and excuse his early transgressions. What I find a problem with, that the author neglects, is that when Myatt starts working for Drewe he then quits his job as a teacher. At this point Myatt’s painting becomes less of a question of survival and more of a full on profession. It is at this point that I believe Myatt crossed the ethical line and was in the wrong. He was no longer forging because it was necessary and was now doing so as a choice. To combat Myatt’s blatant ethical blunder and to make him into a more sympathetic character the author retells about Myatt’s constant guilt and urges to quit the business. However, all of this actually means very little when you consider that Myatt produced forgeries for almost a decade. Myatt had plenty of time to quit if he wanted to but he made a choice to continue to make forgeries for a very extended period of time. After such a long career as a forger it is hard to feel bad for the guy.

Provenance- a book report- part 2

2009-12-15T09:40:00.000-08:00

The middle section of the book is focused on the investigation of Drewe. It starts with Detective Richard Higgs, a police officer who is about to retire and is investigating the arson of the boarding house previously mentioned. While he does speculate Drewe is the cause of fire he cannot prove it. The only real evidence he has against Drewe is the surviving student who saw a man in the building earlier in the night. However, when put in a line up she does not recognize him; the author claims that it is because he changed his appearance. Nevertheless, the investigation fizzles and the case is left unsolved.

The next piece of the puzzle that is unravelled comes from Mary Palmer, the manager of the Alberto Giacometti foundation, a body that is working to catalogue the artist’s work and is the foremost authority on his work. Palmer becomes involved in the story when dealers start coming to her for certificates of authenticity and she notices that the works themselves are fake, despite impeccable provenances. From here she does some research on the provenances and discovers that they are fake, both the painting and their history. However, the proof she has is inconclusive and is not enough to go to the authorities with, although she does tip of one of the supervisors at the Tate, the art history museum that the records were tampered at. Something that I found interesting in the book is that the author glorifies her as a very sharp and strong willed individual for initially discovering the fraud, she is also seen as highly unprofessional and as having a poor reputation in the art community. Whether her unprofessionalism and her reputation have anything to do with one another is suspect but it certainly is something to consider when looking at the character.

The investigation into Drewe does not start to pick up again until Betsheva Goudsmid, his ex-wife, found several garbage bags full of documents that Drewe left in the attic and delivered them to police. From here, police had everything they needed to start an investigation. Dectective Sergant Searle took over the investigation from here and began digging and uncovering more and more evidence incriminating Drewe. With the help of Mary Palmer the police were able to determine how the fraud was being commited. However, the final lynch pin in the whole investigation came when the police arrested Myatt. Myatt immediately confessed and co-cooperated fully with police.

The last part of the book is dedicated solely to the building of the court case against Drewe. Myatt was vital to this part of the investigation, as he identified all of the paintings that he made. One thing that I found intriguing that the author never really talked much about is that there is a point when Myatt identifies a work that he did not make. The detectives and the author both cite this as important because it shows the forgery network expanded beyond Myatt. However, the author does not explain if this other artist was ever found or how many artists Drewe had at his disposal. I thought this would have been vital to the case and the book, as it possibly would have added emphasised the scale of Drewe’s operation. The highlights of the last section include Drewe’s initial arrest, interrogation, and numerous failed appearances. Drewe’s strategy for trail was to tell elaborate lies and stall the courts with phony medical excuses. Drewe himself even fired his lawyer so that he may represent himself. The purpose of this was to give himself sometime in the spotlight and to weave an elaborate web of lies for the juror, which included himself as the scapegoat of the government. He made outrageous claims of being an arms dealer and a spy for the government, among many other things. Throughout the whole trial Drewe is said to have never shown the slightly bit of remorse or shame, with the exception of once instance. Daniel Stoakes was one of the accused in the foraging ring and was also said to be Drewe’s only real friend. Throughout the book the author’s told the story of Drewe and Stoakes’ childhood, how they were loners who relied on each other’s company and concocted wild and crazy ideas together. After years of being apart, Drewe came to Stoakes with a business idea. Stoakes unwittingly agreed and ended up taking part of the fall for Drewe. During the trial it is said that Drewe leaned over to Stoakes and apologized to him. Throughout the whole story, this moment has to be regarded as the only true, heartfelt, words that came out of Drewe’s mouth.

In hindsight, it certainly seems as though Drewe was villianized by the authors, it seems unlikely that anyone could live such a distorted life. If Drewe really did live his life how the author claims then I would have to say the description fits, at one point the author says that while some con artists live a double life Drewe was completely different, he was a mirage. He did not live a double life; he lived strictly in his fantasy world. Everything about him was fake, everything was an illusion.

Provenance- a book report- part 1

2009-12-15T08:22:00.000-08:00

The book that I read for the purpose of this book report was Provenance by Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo. The basic premise of the book is to retell the story of one of the greatest art forgery scams in recent memory. The events in the book took place between 1986 and 1995, during which time it is estimated the con men pocketed over a million pounds.

The book itself is pretty well split into thirds. The first describes the two main perpetrators, John Myatt and John Drewe and their relationship. The second introduces the police and art investigators, including private citizens who work on the behalf of artists’ foundation, like Mary Palmer who managed the foundation dedicated to the works of Alberto Giacometti. The third section is all about the capture and conviction of all people’s involved.

As mentioned previously the first section is dedicated to the introduction and relationship of John Myatt and John Drewe. John Myatt is a 40-something single parent with two children who is a life long artist. As a child he went to art school and pursued it with passion until he realized that he would never make it big. From here he moved into music and had a hit pop song. After this his life pretty much fell apart, the royalties from his music career stopped, his marriage fell apart, and he was reduced to teaching art classes to survive. It is at this point that John Drewe comes into the story. In order to make some extra money Myatt takes out an ad in the paper selling his services as an artist. One of the people that call him happens to be Drewe. The author goes on to say how when Myatt and Drewe met Myatt was enthralled with Drewe and mesmerized by his charm and intelligence. The author paints Myatt as a down and out guy who clung to Drewe as a lifeline. Throughout the whole of the book Myatt is a very sympathetic character, he is portrayed as a victim of circumstance and as an honest man who made a bad choice. These points are emphasized by the side stories of Myatt’s adventure to the auction house to watch his forgeries being sold, the author tells how bad Myatt felt afterwards and how he took no satisfaction from watching his paintings being sold. In addition, Myatt does eventually quit the forging business and cooperates fully with police when they eventually come knocking at his door. One thing that I found interesting while reading the book is that the author does mention how Myatt is the main artist that Drewe has under his sphere of control but at the time only briefly mentions the possibility of other artists that may have been working for Drewe with no clue as to whether they were ever found or not. Nevertheless, the author never once loses focus on who the bad guy is in the story and attacks him mercilessly.

Drewe is a very interesting fellow, as most of his acquaintances acknowledge themselves. He is a rare breed of person who seemingly has no moral compass and is willing to do anything or say anything to get his way. Drewe is depicted as a man who preys on the weak and vulnerable, he manipulates not only Myatt but others who are down on their luck like his neighbour and numerous local salesman. Drewe appeals to their sense of need and promises large rewards for their work, which is only occasionally delivers. Not only is Drewe a manipulator or people but he is a pathological liar. The man is nothing that he claims to be, which is often varied and outrageous; like a nuclear physicist, a member of the Mossad, a professor, a government agent, a director of military operations at MI5, the chairman of Norseland industries (actually a shell company), etc. He consistently lies, even when not necessary, to gain attention. Throughout the book Drewe is often said to go to a dinner party or have a conversation with something and totally dominate the conversation with his phony stories, many of which he stole from other people at a bar or from the spy novels he reads. While Drewe is no doubt outrageous in the extreme, he is also said to be highly intelligent and a master of reading people. However, one thing that I found odd is that for all of his intelligence and apparent abilities to communicate with others and manipulate people he is consistently said to have no success with women. Numerous times in the book he is said to be a shameless flirt but never once do the women take any interest in him. One would think that an individual who specializes in manipulating people would be able to charm almost any women off their feet. The thought also occurred to me that this might just be one of the author’s attacks on Drewe’s character; his inability to attract women may be used to somehow emasculate him. The reason for this speculation is that there is a definite trend in the book where Drewe’s deeds become progressively more illegal and vile. He starts out as a simple con man, he sells forged paintings and uses people, not really much of a big deal. As the book progresses he becomes a gun nut, a psychotic ex-husband, and finally a murderer. While the first two claims are backed by the testimony of other people the third claim is highly speculative. There is no real evidence that links him with the crime, although the circumstantial evidence the author presents is fairly strong.

One too many hits from the peace pipe?

2009-11-24T16:18:00.000-08:00

For the last couple of weeks in class there has been a substantial amount of discussion about the rights of supposed descendants over their ancestors’ remains and possessions. All of this talk got me thinking, the main argument that the native Americans use in order to protect the remains of their supposed ancestors is that it is part of their religion to honour the dead the way they do. However, there are so many flaws in this argument it kind of boggles the mind, yet we respect it and honour their wishes. My first major beef with Indians is that they claim that their religion is the same as their ancestors’. While it may be possible it is highly unlikely. The native Americans do not write anything down and rely solely on oral tradition to pass down their history and their religion. Because oral history is so notoriously unreliable it is very hard to believe that what the few modern native Americans believe in is the same as what the people that lived here 2000years ago believed in. When I think of oral history I recall a video that I watched where an anthropologist went to, I think, Mongolia in search of actual bards who memorized their people’s songs and stories, much like how the ancient bards in Greece would sing homer to patrons. Anyway, the researcher had the bard memorize a story/song and when the bard said he had it memorized the researcher asked the bard to sing it back. The result was that the bard did sing most of the original lyrics back but missed sections and instead sung something that was close to the original but not quite right. My thinking is that if the record keepers of the native Americans are anything like the bard from Mongolia then there is no way everyone is going to tell their histories and their stories correctly. These bards had to train their memories to hold specific information and still got it wrong, assuming that the native Americans have people that do the same then their records and their religion is going to change over time just through miscommunication alone, never mind the changes in beliefs that naturally occur over time. What this all boils down to is that the people that lived 2000years ago may not have minded if we dug up their corpses to study them, it’s really nearly impossible to prove either way because nothing was written down.

My second problem with the native Americans’ claim over bodily remains is that they assume all ancient native Americans believed in the same thing. I maybe be viewing the situation in a more ethnocentric way than I should but I find it hard to believe that all Indians practiced religion. In my experience, not all people vest the same amount of interest in religion. Even people who grow up surrounded by religion do not always take on the beliefs of their parents and peers, this leads me to believe that the same is probably true for Indians. Just because most people in a society believe in something, does not mean everyone does. Even those that may have participated in religious rites or festivals may not have had strong religious opinions and may not have even considered themselves a believer in that specific religion. For example, just because most people in Canada celebrate Christmas it does not mean that everyone in Canada is Christian. By this I mean that by and large Christmas has become an increasingly religious neutral holiday, it has transformed from a strictly religious holiday to one that is more about Santa Claus and reindeer. Due to this shift, more and more people who are not Christian celebrate it in some form or another, like; decorating a store, wearing a festive hat, or simply exchanging gifts. More to the point, just because someone wears a Santa hat it does not make them a Christian, just like someone who is buried in an Indian funeral mound may not have been particularly religious and treating the remains as such could be a disservice to the individual. After reading this paragraph through the whole Christmas analogy does sound like a bit of an oversimplification but I think the message is correct.

Mayans, Lions, and Bears, oh my!

2009-11-10T21:11:00.000-08:00

Apparently the next big end of the world hoax is right around the corner, on Dec 21st 2012. I guess Y2K wasn't crazy enough so a bunch of nutjobs thought of a crazy idea to use the ancient Mayan calendar to persuade people into believing the world will end in a couple year. Besides the complete lack of any substantial proof, there are several fundamental problems with this end of the world theory.

The first of which being that the Mayan calendar does not end, it merely restarts, like our new years. At least this is according to Anthony Aveni, a Mayan expert and archaeoastronomer at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. Like most internet myths I believe you really have to side with the information coming from a reputable source, and to me this expert that national geographic found is far more reliable than some random Joe conspirator spreading chain mail.

The second part of the myth is that the planets aligning on this date will mess with gravitation forces on Earth and the whole planet will go crazy. However, according to NASA there is nothing out of the ordinary happening on Dec 21 2012 that doesn't happen every year. The Winter Solstice is a naturally occurring phenomenon that happens every year without incident.

So really, according to experts nothing spectacular is going to happen and people are getting all worked up over nothing. Yet, thousands of people are getting worked up about these doomsday predictions. Since I don't know how to express the craziness any better I'm just going to insert a section of article here.

"NASA's Ask an Astrobiologist Web site, for example, has received thousands of questions regarding the 2012 doomsday predictions—some of them disturbing, according to David Morrison, senior scientist with the NASA Astrobiology Institute.

"A lot of [the submitters] are people who are genuinely frightened," Morrison said.

"I've had two teenagers who were considering killing themselves, because they didn't want to be around when the world ends," he said. "Two women in the last two weeks said they were contemplating killing their children and themselves so they wouldn't have to suffer through the end of the world.""

Ok, now that you have read this little blurb, reread the last paragraph again. People are so panicked that they are contemplating suicide and killing their children. Does this sounds like rational thought; to be thinking of suicide and murder because of a whim? Since when is something that you may have read in a piece of junk mail your friend sent you or something that you heard the guy with the tin foil hat yell as you walked down the street grounds for killing yourself? I don't know about anyone else but this sounds absolutely crazy to me. To me it really is troubling to hear that any random person can take an obscure piece of information, say its an Ancient Mayan secret and then automatically convince thousands of people about the end of the world.

Scottish Treasure: No, not William Wallace

2009-11-06T19:09:00.001-08:00

So the recent buzz in the Scottish Archaeological Community is surrounding a 35 year old safari park warden named David Booth. He has no formal archaeological training or education and is pretty much your average working man. So why all the fuss over this man? That's simple, he bought a metal detector online and found four gold necklaces before he walked ten paces from his car. Since that day his life and the way Ancient Scottish history will be viewed forever has changed. The reason for this change is that one of the necklaces he found is thought to be from a Mediterranean craftsman, while two are of typical Celtic design the other is from France. The necklaces dates from approximately first-third centuries BCE, about 200 years before the Romans arrived in Britain. Scottish historians are claiming the necklace to be the missing link in Scottish history, proving once and for all that the Scots were not as isolated as previously thought.

Despite all of the historical and anecdotal intrigue that the story possesses what really fascinates me is the fact that any one in Europe could buy a metal detector and make brilliant historical finds in their own backyard. If I bought a metal detector and combed the countryside of Niagara I probably wouldn't find much, maybe a few relics from the wars that were fought here but nothing that would compare to the magnificence of what can be found in the soil of Europe. In this regard, I am very jealous of all aspiring archaeologists that live in Europe. To me the opportunity to practice archaeology seems so distant and/or expensive. Whereas, people that live in Europe can buy a metal detector online or at a shop and go for a walk and find not just metal objects but the buildings that they come from and everything that comes with it. I guess the thing that bothers me about this situation is that people that don't even have an interest in archaeology, like David Booth, have the opportunity to make fantastic discoveries whereas people like me, who do have an interest in archaeology, are required to spend thousands to get a chance.

Naica: Secrets Of The Crystal Cave

2009-10-02T20:06:00.000-07:00

Just a few minutes ago I finished watching this show on the discovery channel which prompted me to also read an article online at national geographic`s website. As the title of this blog suggests the show-article features a cave full of crystals, but not just any crystals. The crystals in question have grown to over 30feet long and are several feet thick. These white translucent giants jut out from all directions creating what the scientist on the site describe as a cathedral but what I think looks more like Superman`s fortress of solitude. Nevertheless, the sight of the crystals truly is awe inspiring, even on TV.

What makes these crystals relevant archaeologically is their age and composition. The primarily tests from samples of some of the larger crystals show that they are approximately 600,000 years old. As one of the geologist on the show put it, some of the crystals grew at the rate of a mere millimeter or two a millennium. The composition of these crystals is also of interest to archaeologist because the crystals were formed underwater and because of this microscopic pockets formed in the crystal, trapping microorganisms. Some of the organisms found in these pockets include pollen, which some scientist have used as evidence for a ancient forest once thriving over the cave where a desert now resides.

Now to put this all together I was thinking that if we have access to these giant Rolodexs of planetary history one entrepreneuring individual may be inclined try to establish a timeline. I believe that this feat may be possible because of the environment in which the crystals were created. As I had mentioned before the crystals were formed under water in a cave, but what I neglected to mention is that they were formed in a volcanic area of Mexico well below the surface of the earth. The water that filled the cave was water from the local water table. Flowing water is what filled the cave and it is for this reason that pollen has also found its way into the cave and into the crystals. What this means is that archaeologists are not going to just find the same pollen in the cave, as if it was exposed to air at one point and then covered. In fact, the exact opposite has occurred at the cave, the only reason the crystals are as large as they are is because the cave has always been filled with water around 50`C. What this means is that the pollen that finds its way to the crystals is going to be varied and relative to the period in which the crystal was formed. By mapping the pollen and other organisms found in the crystals it may be possible to get some sort of timeline for the area, which would then have implication towards global climate and activity, possibly dating back 600,000 years.

Of course this is all just a somewhat crazy idea I had while watching that show and was based off what little I remember from pottery analyze. I`m very much uncertain if this could actually be done but I thought it was an interesting idea I could share.

Surviving Time...

2009-09-29T19:49:00.000-07:00

I realize we were supposed to start blogging 2 weeks ago but I was not quite happy with my efforts on some of my responses so I have delayed their publication. However, I do have an article response I would like to post today and I hope to make revisions to my other responses tomorrow and should post them by tomorrow night if all goes according to plan.

The Article:University of Nottingham. "Skeleton Found At Roman Site In Britain Mystifies Archaeologists." ScienceDaily 16 September 2009. 29 September 2009 /releases/2009/09/090915140924.htm>.

The Response:

I just finished reading an article I found online at sciencedaily.com about a skeleton that was found at a Roman site in Britain. The skeleton was found laying on its side, which researchers believe may indicate that the person was executed or murdered as this was not part of the standard burial practice in the region and time period. However, it was not the skeleton that intrigued me about this article, instead, it was a simple line, “There are flints so sharp you could still shave with them”, a quotation from Dr. Bowden referring to the finds that have been made at the same site dating back to the iron age and as far back as approximately 10,000 BCE. Even to me, a student of archaeology, it seems almost infeasible to think of something so fragile to maintaining its edge for such an extended period of time. An inescapable fact of life is that all things, whether it be stone, steel, or ceramic, age and deteriorate over time. If given enough time everything will eventually rot and crumble and turn into dust, nothing can escape time, not even the most beautiful marble sculpture or painting. When considering what has survived throughout the past few millennia and found its way into museums it is interesting to consider what we have and what was. Undoubtedly, the examples of artwork that have survived to the modern day are only but a mere fraction of what once was. The best bronze sculptures, frescos, pottery, etc have more than likely been lost to time or the hands of men. In either case, I find it interesting to think about have has survived. Rarely do we uncover a magnificent piece of art but far more commonly we find a perfectly preserved stone tool, something which may date to thousands of years before the iron age, a time where art was probably unappreciated and most people were more concerned about where their next meal is coming from. I guess the point I’m trying to make is that Time is a cruel mistress, it preserves things that most people would consider useless (by today’s standards) and destroys things that most people would consider priceless.