Via Matt Ruff I discover that the Romans had twenty-sided dice. The report notes:
Modern scholarship has not yet established the game for which these dice were used.
Ah, but we know, don’t we.
History
Must Be Around Here Somewhere
Yep, this is another “things that get lost in the sand” post. This time archaeologists in Egypt think they have found the pyramid of Pharaoh Menkauhor, which had been lost for 166 years. How do you lose a pyramid? Well, because only the base remains (the article doesn’t say, but I’m guessing the rest of the structure was looted by later builders) and that can easily get hidden by the shifting sand. In fact workers had to dig a 15-foot deep pit to get to the pyramid.
The pyramid was first discovered in 1842 by the German archaeologist, Karl Richard Lepsius, but it got buried and the location was lost. All that it was known was that it was somewhere in place called Saqqara, the necropolis for Memphis. Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s chief of antiquities, is quoted as saying that only a third of what lies underground at Saqqara has yet been discovered.
All of which would doubtless make our old friend HPL very happy. Even if archaeologists think they have found Irem of the Pillars, there could always be other lost cities out there in the sand.
Feminism Arrives in Ancient Greece
There’s a very odd article in today’s Observer about changing attitudes towards the role of women in ancient Greece. It starts off as follows:
Women in Ancient Greece were major power brokers in their own right, researchers have discovered, and often played key roles in running affairs of state. Until now it was thought they were treated little better than servants.
This was news to me, I’ve not actually read much history about the period. What I know about Mycenaean Greece has come mainly from Homer and interpretations thereof. And based on that it would never have occurred to me that women such as Penelope, Clytemnestra and Helen were “little better than servants” (let alone Medea and Ariadne). But there you go, apparently people did hold these ideas because, as the (male) professor being interviewed wraps up:
The problem has been that up until recently our interpretation of life in Ancient Greece has been the work of a previous generations of archaeologists, then a male-oriented profession and who interpreted their findings in a male-oriented way. That is changing now and women in Ancient Greece are being seen in a new light.
Well, there’s progress for you.
Tomb, Or More Than That?
There’s been some digging going on around Stonehenge of late, which has resulted in a flurry of media attention. I’m trying to avoid pointing to a pile of uninformed speculation, so I’m mostly ignoring it, but I did want to highlight this short piece from The Independent.
Why? Well because every time some archaeologist finds a grave in an ancient site they say, “aha! it must be a tomb/burial mound.” And I’m thinking about those future archaeologists excavating Westminister Abbey and saying, “aha! it must be a very elaborate tomb.”
Ancient Egyptian City Discovered
Archaeologists working in Sinai have uncovered an ancient Egyptian city and military base dating back at least to the time of Pharaoh Thutmose II (1516-1504 B.C.). The site is believe to correspond to one of 11 major military bases detailed in inscriptions at the Karnak Temple in Luxor. A further 5 such bases remain to be discovered. Amazing what you can hide under all that sand. Further details here.
BBC Goes Inside a Garage
But not just any old garage. This is one of those famous Silicon Valley garages, specifically the one used by Mr. Hewlett and Mr. Packard before their company got big enough to need proper offices. Bay Area folks and computer nerds can go here to read more.
Hello Ireland
Yes, it is St. Paddy’s Day once more. The green beer will doubtless be flowing in pubs around the world. Having seen what passes for “Irishness” in Australia and America, I’m rather relieved that St. David’s Day doesn’t get the same treatment. However, not everyone goes in for the Celtic Cuteness thing. John Scalzi does a pretty good job of representing Irish culture. In a similar but related vein, here are a few things he missed.
Continue reading
More Tomb News – Today Greece
It is turning into a good week for archeology posts. Today’s news is about the discovery of a small royal tomb from the Mycenaean period. This is the first Mycenaean tomb every to be found on the island of Lefkada, and it is significant because Lefkada is one of the locations that is in the running for being the actual location of the island of Ithaca. Sadly the tomb was badly damaged when it was discovered by a workman driving a bulldozer, and it also looks like it was plundered centuries ago, but it may yet reveal secrets. Find the tomb of Odysseus would be major news.
Another World
I confess to having got distracted in my SF reading. Apologies to Ms. Hall, but the book of Michael Wood’s latest TV series is proving riveting. I suspect that there are serious historians who look down on Wood in the same way that I’m told serious archaeologists look down on Time Team, but I’m a journalist and I recognize that Wood is superb at presenting stories to his audience. He’s also got me wanting to go back to India (and not just for the food).
It is also interesting comparing the book to the TV series. I haven’t seen every episode, but there are differences and I’m now hoping that I can find the DVD at a reasonable price before I head out (there not being time to get it by mail).
Aztec Update
I’ve managed to find a bit more information about the archeology story I ran yesterday. The tomb is believed to be that of Ahuizotl (ah-WEE-zah-tol), who was Montezuma’s uncle and predecessor as emperor of the Aztecs. This story from National Geographic dates from August last year, so The Guardian is pretty late getting in on the act. On the other hand, it doesn’t seem like a lot of progress has been made. As the story explains, conditions at the dig are pretty difficult. The tomb is in the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, which is underneath Mexico City and is built in a very swampy part of the country. Doubtless we’ll all hear very quickly if and when a treasure trove is found.
Aztec Royal Tomb Found?
Here’s an interesting story from The Guardian. Finding an intact Aztec royal burial chamber could be a find as spectacular as that of Tutankhamen. The report is a podcast, and is a bit rushed, but that does mean you get those Aztec names pronounced for you. I was also interested to hear that the story was recorded with a background of Aztec revivalist ceremonies.
Asterix Was Here
Archaeologists in Brittany have discovered a large horde of Gaulish coins. Obviously these belonged to a very wealthy Gallic chieftain, and presumably they were buried to keep them safe from the Romans. Naturally there is some suspicion that we have at last discovered the location of that brave village of Indomitable Gauls who were a thorn in Caesar’s side for so long. It would have been just like Vitalstatistix to forget where he had buried the stuff (and just like Getafix to refuse to tell him).
Royal Murder Mystery Deepens
No, no, I’m not talking about Princess Diana, I’m talking about a rather longer-running murder investigation. Officials in Egypt have recently announced that Pharaoh Tutankhamun was not murdered, as had been previously believed, but in fact died as a result of falling from his chariot while out hunting. Well, that’s all very well, but how, I ask, did he come to fall? Was his chariot being aggressively pursued by Hittite paparazzi keen to get a picture of him missing a shot with his bow? Was he being targeted by vegan eco-terrorists who objected to his decimation of the local wildlife? Or was his charioteer, far from being drunk as some tomb inscriptions have claimed, actually in the pay of a rival for the throne? I think we need a full scale investigation here. And as this will obviously require an all-expenses trip to Egypt so that the important sites can all be visited, I hereby volunteer to serve on the jury.
Ancient Technology Update
I think I have blogged about The Antikythera Mechanism before. It is a device found on the wreck of a Roman ship that appears to make astronomical predictions. The writing on it is Greek so it is presumed to be of Greek manufacture. Initially there has been some debate as to what it could do, but a team of astronomers has now confirmed that the device could be used to predict both lunar and solar eclipses. It also seems likely that it could track the movements of Venus and Mercury, and perhaps other planets as well. Not bad for 100 BC or so. The BBC has more details, including news of a forthcoming Radio 4 program that will doubtless be available over the Internet.
Update: Here’s Nature’s article on the device.
Now That’s What I Call Old
A team of French archaeologists working in Northern Syria have uncovered a large circular building, much too large for a single family, and painted with multi-colored geometrical patterns. The team has dated the building to somewhere around 8,800 BC.