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Lost City Under the Sea Revealed to Be a Geological Formation

Ancient Underwater Remains

Ancient Origins in 2014. Tellingly, no other signs of life, such as surface pottery, have since been found at the site, and the mystery of the supposed architectural remains continued. Published in the Journal of Marine and Petroleum Geology, the joint research study by the University of East Anglia (UK) and the University of Athens (Greece), claims that the site was in fact created by a natural geological phenomenon in the Pliocene era, five million years ago. “We investigated the site, which is between two and five meters under water, and found that it is actually a natural geologically occurring phenomenon.” said Professor Julian Andrews, lead author of the study from UEA, in a press release. “The disk and doughnut morphology, which looked a bit like circular column bases, is typical of mineralization at hydrocarbon seeps – seen both in modern seafloor and palaeo settings.” The Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities of Greece launched the latest investigation of the site. Archaeologist Magda Athanasoula and diver Petros Tsampourakis studied the submerged remains, along with Prof Michael Stamatakis from the Department of Geology and Geoenvironment at the University of Athens. A combined research team was then composed of UEA and UoA staff, which analysed the mineral content and texture of the formation using microscopy, X-ray and stable isotope techniques. “We found that the linear distribution of these doughnut shaped concretions is likely the result of a sub-surface fault which has not fully ruptured the surface of the sea bed. The fault allowed gases, particularly methane, to escape from depth.” explained Prof. Andrews. “Microbes in the sediment use the carbon in methane as fuel. Microbe-driven oxidation of the methane then changes the chemistry of the sediment forming a kind of natural cement, known to geologists as concretion. “In this case the cement was an unusual mineral called dolomite which rarely forms in seawater, but can be quite common in microbe-rich sediments.” Andrews continued. “These concretions were then exhumed by erosion to be exposed on the seabed today.” It is rare for the phenomenon to occur in such shallow waters – the site is between just two and six meters below the surface – meaning although not the location of some mysterious lost city, the site is still remarkable. Andrews explained that the process which led to the formation is in fact similar to the effects of fracking, but significantly slower. ]]>

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Volunteers Make Exciting Stover Canal Find in Devon

Stover canal disused

Exeter Express and Echo the revelation of the cargo barge was an exciting climax to the archaeological excavations which have occurred over the past three seasons. Additionally, the excavation sites are adjacent to the new Stover Trail bicycle path, which has resulted in a tremendous amount of interest from those using the path. The project is funded in part by the Mick Aston Archaeology Fund, awarded by the Council for British Archaeology. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons user Derek Harper ]]>

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Evolution of Ants Laid Bare by New Fossil Discoveries

Zigrasimecia ferox (3)

Ceratomyrmex ellenbergeri, is thought to have used its horn and mandibles to trap prey relatively large for its size. C. ellenbergeri, which belongs to the Formicidae stem-group, seems to be an exception to the idea of social evolution in Cretaceous ant species. The bladelike horizontal movement of the species’ mandibles are unique, resembling the Haidomyrmecine ants of the same time period which have long puzzled evolutionary biologists when it comes to classifying their ecology; both these species bear little in common with other large-mandible solitary hunter ant species such as modern trap-jaw ants. According to a press release from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a new research paper spearheaded by Dr. Wang Bo from the academy’s Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology found that C. ellenbergeri’s remarkable cephalic horn represents a hitherto unseen genetic modification among both ants discovered in the fossil record and the known ant species of today. This shows that the morphology of exaggerated trap-jaws such as in the Haidomymrmecines occurred early in the Formicidae stem group. The implications of the discovery include suggestions that at the very least some of the earliest Cretaceous stem-group ants differentiated themselves by being solitary socialist predators instead of eusocial insects. Additionally, the research study states that soon after ants started forming social bonds during the Early Cretaceous, there was at least one lineage in the form of Haidomyrmecini that grew to become effective at capturing prey – something that would not be seen in ant morphology again until well after the end of the Mesozoic, as evidence of these morphological specializations in the fossil record disappear for millions of years. The highly exaggerated features of the fossilized C. ellenbergeri specimen also show how early Cretaceous ants developed the ability to carry large-bodied prey, despite the fact that smaller prey would have presumably been easier to capture. In the end, the research data indicates that the earliest ants of the Cretaceous had ecological traits that were much more diversified and complex than previously thought. The research study, recently published in the journal Current Biology, can be found online here]]>

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Clay Signet Discovered in Trove of Artifacts in India

Pictures of Tamil Nadu (1)

The News Minute, the new find was made during an excavation spearheaded by the Archaeological Survey of India. A team of ASI experts say that the village is situated on the ruins of an ancient settlement that would have been on a major highway, one that played an important role in international trade. This roadway featured highly advanced engineering for the time, including a complex sewage and drainage system to collect and re-direct rain and water runoff. Composed of pipe lines created from baked clay, these sewage drains were said to be analogous with those used by the Indus Valley civilization in northwest India and modern-day Pakistan. The Indus Valley civilization is also known as the Harappan civilization – so named for Harappa, the former Punjab province dig site where evidence of the civilization was first discovered in the 1920s. The civilization itself was active during the Bronze Age, roughly between 3000 BCE and 1300 BCE; at its peak, it may have had a population of close to five million. The civilization is well-known for its sophisticated urban planning techniques. In this case, ASI experts say that the settlement in Keezhadi Pallai Sandhaipudur was a minimum of 2,500 years old, meaning it’s both in the wrong time and the wrong place to be part of the Harappan civilization. Instead, this would place it squarely in the Pandiya Dynasty, one of three Tamil dynasties that reigned in southern India from around 600 BCE. The Pandiyan Empire survived, in several different forms, until around the end of the sixteenth century CE; such a drainage system bearing a striking resemblance to ones used by a much older civilization typically found much farther north makes the case for the civil engineers of the Tamil dynasty learning much from their Indus Valley forebears. According to an ASI interview with K Amaranth Ramakrishna, the superintendent of the ASI-sanctioned dig, the fact that the drainage system was found intact is quite rare – shedding more light on this period of Tamil history. Keezhadi village bore strong signs of urban civilization, Ramakrishna added, stronger signs than were discovered in the ancient capital of Kaveri Poompattinam, located where the modern-day Tamil Nadu port city of Poompuhar exists today. There were several different styles of signets discovered during the dig. Other items uncovered by the team of ASI researchers included arrows, weapons made from both copper and iron, an assortment of rare ornaments and a so-called “scribbling nail” as well, which may have been used as a stylus or other type of instrument for making marks on a writing surface. Ramakrishna said that the signets could have been sent along by traders with their products as a way to identify the origin of the goods. The ASI began their excavations at the village on the 18th of January of this year. The dig is ongoing and plans are in place to continue investigating the site until around September of 2016. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons user: PlaneMad ]]>

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Anniversary of the Indian Citizenship Act Passing into Law

Indian Citizenship Act (1)

“Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That all noncitizen Indians born within the territorial limits of the United States be, and they are hereby, declared to be citizens of the United States: Provided, That the granting of such citizenship shall not in any manner impair or otherwise affect the right of any Indian to tribal or other property.” President Calvin Coolidge, who had signed the Act, spent much of his presidency trying to appear as a supporter of Native American rights. As the Act was publicly announced, Coolidge posed for a photo with three Osage Indians, two of which were wearing traditional ceremonial dress, outside the White House. Prior to the passing of the Act into law, the USA did not recognise Native Americans as US citizens; excluding them from the rights and guarantees given in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. Until 1924, citizenship had only been available to those of 50% or less Native American heritage, or Native American women who had married US citizens. The 1887 Dawes Act had been the previous benchmark of US policy towards Native Americans. It dissolved all Native American tribes as legal entities and redistributed land among individual heads of family, who would become federal and state tax payers. Any remaining land was then deemed surplus and sold off, with the proceeds going towards building Native American schools. Masquerading as a reform to benefit the indigenous people, the Dawes Act’s impact was often the opposite. By 1932, the sale of unclaimed land under the Dawes Act had seen total Native American territories in the USA fall by two thirds. Meanwhile, it left the Native American families with an impossible decision: assimilate into white American culture, or preserve their heritage in poverty. It was a dilemma the Indian Citizenship Act failed to alleviate. Voting rights were not even guaranteed to all Native Americans by the Indian Citizenship Act, denying them the opportunity to meaningfully participate in the US democracy. The US Constitution allowed the states to determine their own voting laws, which meant they could place education or property ownership obligations on their electors to exclude the majority of Native Americans. It wasn’t until 1957 that all states allowed Native Americans to vote, highlighting just how arduous the battle for Native American Civil Rights has been. As has often been the case in US history, the Indian Citizenship Act laid the grounds for Native American assimilation into US life through citizenship, at least showing a difference in perception towards Native Americans. It provided little opportunity however, for Native Americans to defend their dying heritage or achieve true equality and freedom in US society.]]>

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Rice and Beans Solve Madagascar Mystery

Plant residues

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Image courtesy of Nicole Boivin]]>

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Nazi Secret Message Machine Discovered on eBay for $14

Bletchley Park (3)

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Genghis Khan's Forces Starve Beijing into Submission

Genghis Khan portrait (1)

Game of Thrones, the Mongol forces of Genghis Khan lived a nomadic life with the majority traveling on horseback. They went on to conquer much of what is modern day Asia, and under Genghis Khan’s descendants launched a series of dramatic attacks into Russia and even Eastern Europe. Mongol armies traveled with no supply train other than a substantial reserve of horses, giving their forces a versatility and maneuverability few other armies could match. Even in situations where they seemed hopelessly outnumbered, as was often the case during the conquest of China, they deployed something close to modern day guerrilla tactics to cause chaos for their enemies. Attacking the countryside, they would force food shortages and push refugees fleeing into the cities. Born into a minor Mongol tribe in 1162, Genghis Khan used a cunning brutality and genius for strategy to unite the other tribes under his leadership. In 1210, a request from the Jin Dynasty for the Mongol tribes to accept the suzerainty of a new Gold Khan (the name given to the Jin Dynasty leader) was unsurprisingly met with contempt, and eventually pushed Genghis Khan into leading his people to war. By 1213, Genghis Khan’s armies had captured all Jin dynasty territories north of the Great Wall. They soon broke through the massive fortification, and after devastating the countryside descended on the capital, Zhongdu. A newly installed Golden Khan sensed the impending disaster, and secured a truce with Genghis Khan. Gold, silver and silk were given as payment to the Mongols, as well as the Golden Khan submitting to the Mongol Khan as his overlord. The Golden Khan’s decision to relocate his capital away from Zhongdu in 1215 was viewed as a betrayal of the deal, triggering the resumption of hostilities between the Mongols and the Chinese and culminating in the siege of Zhongdu. Not content with capturing huge swathes of what is modern day China, Genghis Khan soon turned his attentions, and his armies, westward. By the time of his death in 1227, the Great Khan’s empire stretched from the Caspian Sea to the Sea of Japan. ]]>

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Construction Workers in Boston Unearth a Ship Out of Water

Boston Area Colonial map (1)

WBZ–TV in Boston that this is the second shipwreck found in an area of the city that had been filled in, and the first shipwreck found in this particular part of the city. He also explained that it isn’t yet clear what exactly caused the shipwreck. Possible scenarios include the ship running aground or crashing on the mudflats during a storm, and then being burned by the crew to reduce its weight as it sank into the mud; or that it was deliberately scuttled in the mudflats after the fire had started. Other artifacts found at the site include pieces of a ceramic vessel, construction tools, two forks, two knives and burned plates. Skanska Construction, the contractor working on site, has voluntarily stopped construction and hired an independent consultant to help city staff research and examine the shipwreck. Due to the severe deterioration and age of the wood, it’s highly unlikely the ship can be removed intact, however, all appropriate measures are being taken to preserve as much of the ship as possible. The team of experts working at the site include archaeologists, nautical archaeologists and others from the Public Archaeology Laboratory, the State of Massachusetts, and the City of Boston.]]>

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Archaeologists: Stonehenge Not So Hard to Build After All

Stonehenge (3)

Telegraph about his experiences, expressing surprise on how few people had actually been needed to shift the massive stone. Harris recounted that the original plan was to need at least 15 people to move the stone effectively; the fact that only 10 people were needed to do so was quite the shock. The doctoral student did acknowledge that the conditions of the test – which involved conducting it on flat ground in London’s Gordon Square – didn’t exactly match the terrain of the Preseli Mountains. There would have been some steep slopes that workers would have had to navigate, but Harris maintained that the system used during the experiment would have worked well in such situations. In fact, sledges of the kind used in the experiment are still in use today in India, where the Maram Naga, a pre-industrialized society, uses them to help construct massive stone monuments. Additionally, Harris remarked that sleighs with similar designs have been found to have been involved in moving megaliths as early as 2000 BCE in Japan, while the ancient Chinese also used sleighs. Some of the blocks used to build the Forbidden City are more than 120 tons, making those used at Stonehenge almost dismissively small in comparison. ]]>