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Author: David.DeMar
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The Herald Scotland, archaeologists now feel that this Viking parliamentary site was likely the seat of power for Ketill Flatnose, a powerful Viking ruler whose bloodline would go on to settle Iceland. The key to the theory of the site being a Norse “thing” was a new study of the island’s place-names. The etymology of the names suggested many archaic designations for locations around the island could have indeed incorporated the word “thing”. Follow-up field investigations in the form of excavations have yielded preserved surface samples that have been radio-carbon dated back to when Norse raiders and settlers were active in and near the Argyll coast. The analysis involved pieces of charcoal, according to archaeologist Paul Duffy, the head of Brandanii Archaeology and Heritage Consultancy. In an interview in the newspaper, Duffy recounted how the charcoal had been dated to the latter days of the kingdom of Dalriada – and the inception of Norse settlement on Bute. Eventually the date for the site was narrowed down to between the late seventh century and the late ninth century CE, which is within the window of certainty as to when Vikings were active in the region. Duffy pointed out that in the past Bute has been suggested as the possible primary site for the Gall-Gaidheil, or “Foreign Gaels.” These people, of mixed Norse and Gaelic descent, were dominant in the region of the Irish Sea and western Scotland for a portion of the Medieval Era. Many also point to possible evidence of these Gall-Gaidheil offering military support to various Irish Kings on the battlefield. Primary evidence for Bute being the possible Gall-Gaidheil headquarters appears in Martyrology of Tallaght, an Irish religious text dating to around 900 CE. The document refers to Bute being Gall-Gaidheil territory when talking about the bishop St. Blane of Kingarth. This provides hard evidence that Bute was at the very least within the territory, Duffy remarked, adding that it’s “another brick in the evidential wall” suggesting that Bute was the site of a Norse “thing.” The archaeologist also says that there’s a strong possibility that Ketill Flatnose, the leader of the Gall-Gaidheil during that era, could have had links to the site. Such a major parliamentary site would have needed someone to be in charge of meetings, making laws, dispensing justice, and so on, Duffy stated, and it is likely that a leader of power and influence headed such proceedings. The only documentary evidence concerning powerful leaders during this time points to Ketill Flatnose, the researcher added, making it highly likely that he would have been involved. ]]>
Atopodentatus unicus, a sea-dwelling reptile that was around the size of a crocodile, was originally discovered in 2014. The fossil was nearly intact except for its head, which seemed to indicate that the creature had a beak similar to a modern flamingo. However, new research into A. unicus conducted by Dr. Li Chun from the Chinese Academy of Sciences has revealed the true story of the creature’s curious so-called beak, unveiling evidence gathered from two additional specimens that A. unicus had a spade-like mouth adapted for feeding on plants on the seafloor. The two new A. unicus specimens, also discovered in southwestern China, plainly indicate that the upper and lower jaws of the creature formed a horizontal “hammerhead” shape. The marine reptile’s mouth was lined with peg-like teeth on the edge, followed with more needle-like teeth further within. According to Olivier Rieppel, co-author of the study, from the Field Museum of Natural History; the arrangement is less than ideal for catching and chewing live prey, indicating that instead A. unicus would have used its front teeth to tear algae or other underwater plants free from rocks and then filtered the contents of its mouth by forcing water through its side teeth – much in the same way baleen-whales filter feed today. Based on these findings, A. unicus is the oldest known plant-eating marine reptile. In fact, the next earliest filter-feeding marine animal that ate plants doesn’t show up in the fossil record for an additional eight million years, according to the research team. The bizarre creature with the unique feeding adaptation first appeared during the early Triassic Period, just 10 million years or so after the largest mass extinction in the history of the Earth. A. unicus’ appearance so relatively quickly after this extinction event implies that life not just returned but diversified much more swiftly than currently understood. However, the time after the extinction event around 252 million years in the past is certainly characterized by strange creatures in the sea, such as the 17-foot long reptile known as Dinocephalosaurus – which had a neck fully half the length of its body, according to fossil remains. A. unicus is such an unusual specimen that its position on the reptile family tree is hard to place, according to co-corresponding study author Dr. Nicholas Fraser of National Museums Scotland. The fossil record for the creature is largely complete, Dr. Fraser added, pointing out that this will necessitate that scientists find the fossilized remains of close relatives of A. unicus that have yet to be discovered, in order to determine these evolutionary connections. For now, the researcher said he would classify A. unicus as at least tangentially related to the plesiosaur, a marine reptile that had a similarly long neck but is believed to have been an oceanic apex predator during the era of the dinosaurs. The research study, which was recently published in the journal Science Advances, can be found online here Image courtesy of Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences]]>
Nature, Austin recounted how she had found the tattoos on the mummy while examining sets of remains for the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology. The Institute researches finds in Deir el-Medina in Egypt, a village that once housed ancient stonecutters and masons that were responsible for excavating tombs in the Valley of the Kings, which is located nearby. Austin first noticed markings on the neck of one set of remains – an armless, headless torso discovered in Deir el-Medina that had died sometime between 1300 BCE and 1070 BCE; first believing the marks were body paint, she soon came to realize that they were in fact permanent tattoos. The scientist was familiar with how infrared imaging had been used to reveal tattoos on other mummies and decided to subject her mummy to the same techniques. As a result, Austin documented more than 30 tattoos on the body, some in areas dyed so dark by the mummification process that they would have otherwise been invisible to the naked eye. After digitally stretching the tattoo images to counter the distortion caused by the mummy’s shrunken, desiccated skin, the images became clear. The sheer number of tattoos the woman had, their location – many in places that would have been impossible to reach herself – and the fact that some tattoos had faded more than others, all seem to indicate that the woman went under the needle routinely throughout her life. Whether she was a member of a priestly class or simply someone who wanted to showcase her unflagging devotion to the gods is of course pure speculation, but the idea that these tattoos were just adornment seems to be highly unlikely. With many of the tattoos having direct religious significance – such as those of cows, which are thought to be associated with Hathor, a major ancient Egyptian deity – it seems all but certain that the woman was quite pious in life. ]]>
