Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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World of the
Aztecs
Sites
Under
Mexico City
Egypts
Lost
Dynasty
Tomb
of the
Silver
Hands
A Viking
Chiefs
Final Voyage
PLUS:
Video Game Graveyard,
Neolithic Magic Wand,
Genghis Khans Weather
Report, The Lizard Diet
July/August
July/August2009
2014
JULY/AUGUST 2014
VOLUME 67, NUMBER 4
CONTENTS
features
26 Under Mexico City
Beneath the capitals busy streets,
archaeologists are discovering the
buried world of the Aztecs
BY ROGER ATWOOD
EMORY UNIVERSITY
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departments
4
6
20
Editors Letter
Letters
Chinese gambling in the Old West, dont take a
musket to a rie ght, and ancient Egyptian tax havens
8
11
24
16
World Roundup
Scurvy in Columbus rst colony, the Near Eastern
lizard diet, a medieval Christian tattoo in Sudan, and
how nice weather helped Genghis Khan
55
68 Artifact
A 10,000-year-old wand offers a new look at the
faces of the Neolithic
on the web
www.archaeology.org
www.archaeology.org/silverhands
editors letter
Summer Reading
editor in chief
Claudia Valentino
executive editor
Deputy editor
Jarrett A. Lobell
Samir S. Patel
online editor
Eric A. Powell
editorial Assistant
Richard Bleiweiss
he streets, businesses, and residences of teeming Mexico City, one of the most
densely populated urban centers on the planet, barely conceal evidence of the
citys complex past. In Under Mexico City (page 26), contributing editor Roger
Atwood shares how archaeologists are uncovering evidence of the precolonial period when
the Aztecs ruled ancient Mexico. Here, he writes of fve of the citys most signifcant Aztec
sites and ofers important insights into their stunningly violent culture.
We think of Egypt as having been dominated by
enormous pharaonic realms. But in 1997, scholar Kim
Ryholt proposed that there might have been a smaller
Egyptian kingdom that lasted for a short period between
1650 and 1600 b.c. In Egypts Forgotten Dynasty (page
49), journalist Mary Beth Griggs shows that by tracing
evidence from papyrus fragments and tying it to recent
excavations, researchers have indeed found evidence of a
long-lost royal lineage whose role, in its day, was anything
but insignifcant.
The ancient tombs of Vulci, some 75 miles to the north
of Rome, were once considered a must-see for nineteenthcentury travelers on a Grand Tour of Europe. At a certain
point, the travelers stopped coming, and the tombs were
lost as vegetation took over. In The Tomb of the Silver
Hands (page 39), journalist Marco Merola covers archaeologist Carlo Casis search for the lost tombs of Vulci and his surprising fnds.
Contributing editor Andrew Curry writes of new evidence that is being discovered in
Berlin at the former Tempelhof Airport. In Telling a Diferent Story (page 44), we learn
that this airfeld, long associated with the Berlin Airliftwhen the Allies few in supplies
in defance of a Soviet blockadehad a darker past. Archaeologists are now uncovering
evidence that, during World War II, people were transported there from all over Europe
and forcibly set to work for Nazi Germanys war machine.
Upon excavation in 1880, a large earthen mound on the western shores of Norways
Oslofjord, long referred to locally as the Kings Hill, became one of the most important
Viking discoveries ever made. Named for the farm on which it was found, the Gokstad ship
burial contained not only artifacts, but also the remains of a Viking chieftain. Archaeologist
Jason Urbanus brings us Revisiting the Gokstad (page 34), the story of the reexamination
of the boat and its occupant, using twenty-frst-century scientifc methodologies. Much
more is now being learned about the Viking warriors life and, possibly, his last battle.
And dont miss this months lead story in From the Trenches (page 11), which shows
just how quickly our present becomes the past!
contributing editors
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Director of circulation and Fulfllment
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LETTERS
Family Reunion
I just received my May/June issue and
was pleasantly surprised to nd my
sixth great-grandfather mentioned
in the article City Garden. Andris
Souplis was born in 1634 and came to
America in 1682, when the spelling
was changed from Souplis to either
Supple or Supplee. He is buried in
Gloria Dei churchyard cemetery,
Earning Potential
In the fascinating article Messengers to
the Gods (March/April 2014), researchers hypothesize that the proliferation of
mummied animal votive oerings
following the collapse of Egypts New
Kingdom was due to increased income
for average Egyptians. They suggest
that this was thanks to the absence of
a centralized taxing authority, as well as
increased personal devotions without
a pharaoh to represent the people to
the gods. Might it also be possible that
the temples encouraged this practice
to replace income after losing subsidies
from a central government?
Susan Weikel Morrison
Fresno, CA
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Archaeological
Institute of America
ariners in the past led a perilous existence, sailing in treacherous waters with
only simple instruments to aid in navigation, with no communication possible
with those left behind. All too often voyages ended in disaster as ships foundered
or went aground. Each shipwreck, though marking a tragic event, also represents a selfcontained community, and, when conditions of preservation are good, archaeologists can
reconstruct past worlds, sometimes more completely than may be possible on land.
Oceangoing vessels were frequently engaged
in trade, and their excavated cargoes offer
unique clues as to how regions across the globe
were connected. The Bronze Age shipwreck
at Uluburun off the rocky south coast of
Turkey, dating to about 1300 b.c., contained
copper and tin ingots, timber, ivory, glass,
beads, bronze tools and weapons, pottery, and
many other artifacts. These raw materials and
objects would have been taken aboard at ports
around the eastern Mediterranean, in the Nile delta, along the Levant coast, and at Cyprus.
Archaeologists had long thought that the Bronze Age cultures in those places were distinct
entities that owed little to each other, but the Uluburun wreck has effectively demonstrated
that they were regularly in touch through maritime trade.
Closer to our own time, the Mary Rose, flagship of King Henry VIII of England, sank
in 1545 off Portsmouth Harbor as the British fleet was about to engage an approaching
French armada. This vessel and its contents are remarkably well preserved. From the wreck
and from the artifacts recovered, including weapons ranging from longbows and arrows
to cannons and shot, we gain a picture of maritime warfare in transition from the Middle
Ages to the modern era, and of the crew members daily lives.
In 1686, La Belle, captained by would-be French colonist Robert de La Salle, sank in
a bay just off the Texas shore. The passengers and crew of La Belle had hoped to found
a colony on the Gulf Coast, an attempt that was thwarted by this disaster. The brass
cannons, and boxes of muskets, shot, and gunpowder onboard were needed for defense
in hostile territory. Carpentry tools, rope, trade beads, religious paraphernalia, and food
remains document many aspects of life in the planned settlement. La Belle was recovered
in an exemplary excavation by the staff of the Texas Historical Commission in 19961997,
yielding more than one million artifacts. The surviving timbers of the ship, now being
conserved for display, illuminate the shipbuilding techniques of the period.
Shipwrecks illustrate how societies in the past interactedat times successfully, and at
other times through conflict. They demonstrate how technological advancement can expand
the boundaries of human possibility. And they transform our understanding of key episodes
in the human past, even as they bring the lost worlds of our forebears vividly into the present.
officers
President
Andrew Moore
First Vice President
Jodi Magness
Vice President for outreach and education
Pamela Russell
Vice President for research and Academic Affairs
Carla Antonaccio
Vice President for Professional responsibilities
Laetitia La Follette
Treasurer
David Ackert
Vice President for Societies
Thomas Morton
executive Director
Ann Benbow
chief operating officer
Kevin Quinlan
governing board
Susan Alcock
Barbara Barletta
Andrea Berlin
David Boochever
Bruce Campbell
Derek Counts
Julie Herzig Desnick
Sheila Dillon, ex officio
Michael Galaty
Ronald Greenberg
Michael Hoff
Jeffrey Lamia
Lynne Lancaster
Becky Lao
Deborah Lehr
Robert Littman
Elizabeth Macaulay-Lewis
Maria Papaioannou
J. Theodore Pea
Eleanor Powers
Paul Rissman
Robert Rothberg
David Seigle
Chen Shen
Monica Smith
Charles Steinmetz
Claudia Valentino, ex officio
Michael Wiseman
Past President
Elizabeth Bartman
Trustees emeriti
Brian Heidtke
Norma Kershaw
Charles S. La Follette
legal counsel
Andrew Moore
President, Archaeological Institute of America
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nology. Two years after the crash, Nintendo released its own American game
system, starting a second boom that
continues today. It is signifcant that
the documentary, Atari: Game Over, will
debut on Microsofts Xbox, a direct
descendant of the ancient culture
that created this video game midden.
Potentially millions more cartridges,
along with other artifacts such as Atari
computers, prototypes, and corporate
documents, remain at the dump site.
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Inheritance of
Tears
or the Native Americans who
were relocated along the Trail of
Tears, disease, hunger, and stress
were constant companions. The Indian
Removal Act resulted in the forced
march in 1838 of 17,000 Cherokee from
their homes in the Appalachian and
Great Smoky Mountains to a reservation
in Oklahoma. Along the way, whooping cough, yellow fever, diarrhea, and
exhaustion claimed many lives. According to a new study, those who survived,
and their descendants, also bore the
marks of the trial.
Ann H. Ross, an anthropologist
at North Carolina State University,
examined data on the skull size of
Cherokee from the period following
their removalboth among those who
were relocated and some who had
remained hidden in the Eastern mountains. Using records of Cherokee adult
head size made in the early 1900s, she
found that both the relocated Western
Band and the hidden Eastern Band
displayed reduced cranial length and
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Diminutive Gatekeeper
nside a 1,500-year-old shaft tomb, archaeologists from
Mexicos National Institute of Anthropology and History
discovered a ceramic fgurine of a shaman holding what
may have been a weapon, according to archaeologist Marcos
Zavaleta. The shaman was placed at the opening of the tomb as
if he were guarding the undisturbed burial, which contained the
body of one or possibly two high-status people and six pots that
might have held food for the afterlife. The burial complex is
located in the state of Colima on Mexicos west coast. According to Zavaleta, this rare intact burial could reveal much about
religion and funeral practices in ancient Colima.
ZAch Zorich
Bannockburn Booty
s the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn approaches, an archaeological
campaign is providing new details about
the famous clash, considered one of the most
important events in Scotlands history. In 1314,
Robert the Bruce defeated the forces of the
English monarch Edward II, leading to Scottish independence. Over the past three years,
researchers have reconnoitered the battlefeld
using geophysical survey, metal detectors, and
A
18
Ancient
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20
oferings for the gods, and a gold scarab ring in the con bears
the name of the pharaoh Seti I, who conquered the region in
the thirteenth century B.c. Perhaps the remains belonged to
an Egyptian living in Canaan,
but the pottery was
locally produced. This
raises the possibility
that the interred
was a Canaanite
either employed
by the Egyptian
government or
wealthy enough
to want to emulate one of their
burials. The ruling
Egyptians exerted a
strong inuence over the
Canaanite upper class at
the time.
sAMir s. PATel
ArchAeology July/August 2014
Neanderthal
Epigenome
21
vv
from the trenches
Childhood Rediscovered
Taking a Dive
roof that ancient wrestling wasnt
always on the level has been
found among 500,000 fragments of papyri discovered in Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, more than a century ago.
One fragment, recently scrutinized by
historian Dominic Rathbone of Kings
College London, concerns a wrestling
match between two teenagers, Nicantinous and Demetrius, in A.d. 267.
The contract, agreed upon by Nicantinous father and Demetrius trainers,
stipulates that Demetrius must fall
22
three times and yield. For his intentional submission, the loser would
be paid 3,800 drachmas. Although
match fxing is alluded to by some
ancient Greek writers, according to
Rathbone, This is the frst known
papyrological evidence for bribery in
an athletic competition. The agreement also specifes that should the
boy renege on the deal, Demetrius
party would owe a penalty equal to
18,000 drachmas.
JAson urBAnus
ArchAeology July/August 2014
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WORLD ROUNDUP
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:
La Isabela was the first
permanent, non-Viking
European colony in the
New World. Founded
in 1494 by Christopher
Columbus and more than
1,000 settlers, the town
was haunted by sickness
and death. Twenty-seven skeletons excavated
from the site in the 1980s and 1990s were
recently reexamined and showed that most
were afflicted with severe scurvy, caused by
vitamin C deficiency. The resulting fatigue
and pain likely contributed to the colonys
dismal prospectsit lasted just four years.
24
SAUDI ARABIA:
According to historical
sources, people have
long eaten Arabian
spiny-tailed lizards.
According to tradition,
Muhammad did not eat them himself, but
did not condemn the practice. At the site
of al-Yamma, archaeologists uncovered
remains of lizards among those of other
food animals, and at least one bone has a cut
mark. The lizard bones appear in early layers
(4th to 7th century, before and just after the
establishment of Islam) and continue to the
18th century. The reptiles remain a source
of protein and fat in some parts of the harsh
desert today.
By Samir S. Patel
DENMARK: Digs
in Odense have
exposed the
towns medieval
historyand
bouquet. Among
the finds are
a barrel-lined well connected to a building
thought to have been a brewery. Wood at
the site, including two more barrels that had
been used as latrines, is well preserved. The
privies are going to be troves of information on
medieval diet, hygiene, and health. According to
archaeologists, they also preserve the smell of
the Middle Ages.
SUDAN: A
female mummy
discovered
in 2005 and
recently studied
in detail has
a tattoo
exceedingly
rare for the
period (A.D.
700), for its
subject matter, and for its placement.
The mark is a monogram that spells
out the name Michael in ancient
Greek, a reference to the Biblical
archangel. Also, the tattoo is high on
the womans inner thigh, suggesting
that it was not readily visible. Curators
suspect it may have been considered
somehow protective.
www.archaeology.org
MONGOLIA:
Adverse climate
changes are
often cited in
the declines of
civilizations
see the Indus,
Ancestral Pueblo, Bronze Age
Mesopotamia, Classic Maya, Tang
Dynasty, and more. Surely good
weather also made a mark on
history. According to a study of tree
rings in gnarled, ancient Siberian
pines, Mongolia was pleasant
warm and wetfrom 1211 to 1230,
coinciding with the rise of Genghis
Khan. More rain would have meant
more grass, which meant more
livestock, wealth, and warhorses
the engines of the Mongol army.
25
26
Under
Mexico City
Beneath the capitals busy streets, archaeologists are
discovering the buried world of the Aztecs
by R A
www.archaeology.org
Citys main plaza still teems with shoppers and street hawkers,
while, only a block away, archaeologists are carefully digging up
the remains of the city Corts and his men wondered at. Today
archaeology is happening everywhere in Mexico Cityjust
o the main square, in alleys, patios, and back lots. One dig
is being conducted in the basement of a tattoo parlor. Others
are going on beneath the rubble of buildings destroyed in the
citys 1985 earthquake. Theres a site located in a subway station, and two others are under the oor of the Metropolitan
Cathedral. When city workers repave
a street, archaeologists stand by to
retrieve ceramic sherds, bones, and
other artifacts that appear from under
the asphalt. Excavation sites are often
so close to modern infrastructure that
archaeologists have to take care not to
undermine modern building foundations. Researchers regularly contend
with a bewildering network of sewers,
pipes, and subway lines. And because
the Aztec capital was built on a lledin lake bed, they often have to pump
water out when these areas ood.
In 1978, workers laying electrical
cables accidentally discovered the
Aztecs Templo Mayor, or High Temple, two blocks from the citys central
square, Zcalo. In 2011, a major ceremonial cache was discovered under
the Plaza Manuel Gamio. Since these
serendipitous nds, ongoing excavation
and research by the National Institute
of Anthropology and Historys Urban
27
www.archaeology.org
29
Plaza Manuel gamio, A ritual center in the Shadow of the high Temple
espite their reputation for violence,
the Aztecs had a finely honed
taste for the delicate, the exquisite,
and the fragrant. They adored flowers,
perfumes, brightly painted walls, and
epic poetry. In 2009, archaeologists
began uncovering artifacts and
human remains beneath a quiet
square adjoining the Templo
Mayor site, known as Plaza Manuel
Gamio. These excavations have
already yielded a great deal of
information about Aztec life,
death, and worship. Included
within the burials, beneath
a volcanic stone used for
human sacrifices similar
to those described by the
Spaniards, were five human
skulls with holes bored into
their temples. In the time of
the emperor Moctezuma I, who
www.archaeology.org
31
Temple of Ehcatl-Quetzalcoatl
directly above it follows exactly. This is no coincidence, but
rather evidence that the Spaniards stuck closely to the original
Aztec urban grid when they built their own city on the ruins
of Tenochtitlan. Modern avenues also run along the same lines
as causeways that once connected the ancient island city to
the mainland.
ArchAeology July/August 2014
half-hour walk
Aztec foundations and colonial church
north of the Templo Mayor, Tlatelolco
was a rival Aztec city
until it was absorbed
into Tenochtitlan in
1473. Recent excavations have shown that
Tlatelolcos ceremonial complex was once
almost as large and
impressive as that of
the main Aztec capital,
although at the time of
the Spanish conquest,
the city was known
mostly for its thriving
market. Tlatelolco was
the fnal redoubt of the
Aztec emperor Cuauhtmoc before he was
captured by Corts in
August 1521. Corts later released Cuauhtmoc and allowed him
to continue to rule but, fearing a conspiracy, had him executed
in 1525. He was the last Aztec ruler.
Just over a decade ago, archaeologists made an intriguing
discovery at Tlatelolco. Beneath a colonial church erected over
Aztec foundations, they found a seven-foot-deep, 26-footwide basin that had been built on Cuauhtmocs orders.
Known as a caja de agua, or water box, the basin was fed
with water from Chapultepec Hill, some four miles away. A
system of aqueducts ensured the citys supply of potable
water, as lake water was not suitable for drinking. This cistern
was, perhaps, the last example of Aztec civic construction.
On the basins walls, archaeologists discovered murals, once
brightly colored but now faded with age. Painted just as the
Spaniards were consolidating their power, the frescoes are a
unique hybrid of Aztec and Spanish themes. They show scenes
of canoes on a lake, people fshing, ducks, reeds, water lilies,
frogs, herons, and jaguars. In one scene, a fsherman casts a net
while, at his feet, a coiled snake tries to eat a frog. Snakes and
frogs had deep symbolic associations for the Aztecs, and were
depicted in the basin in a naturalistic, European manner. These
murals were painted at the moment of the conquest. In a way,
Jaguar fresco
they show the encounter of the European and Mexican cultures, says archaeologist Salvador Guilliem. Tlatelolco, where
the Aztec world made its last stand, was thus also the scene
of one of the initial artistic expressions of modern Mexico. n
www.archaeology.org
33
Revisiting
the Gokstad
More than a century after Norways Gokstad ship burial
was frst excavated, scientists are examining the remains
of the Viking chieftain buried inside and learning the truth
about how he lived and died
by Jason Urbanus
36
low shields, three smaller vessels had been buried nearby. Inside
a burial chamber behind the ships mast, a chieftain had been
interred surrounded by an impressive assemblage of objects,
including wooden furniture, riding, fshing, sailing, and cooking
equipment, and a gaming board and horn gaming pieces, all
intended to provide comfort and entertainment as he made
the voyage into the afterlife.
The archaeologists also discovered the remains of 12 horses,
eight dogs, two goshawks, and two peacocks in the mound.
However, the lack of any personal jewelry or weaponry was
initially puzzling, as was the condition of the body itself. Only
a handful of bones remained, and it eventually became clear
that the skeleton had been purposely damaged.
Recent dendrochronological analysis has dated the Gokstad burial to between a.d. 895 and 905. The same analysis
shows that the vessel itself predates the burial by as much as
half a century, having certainly been used for trade, raiding, or
exploration before it became the chieftains fnal resting place.
Although not plentiful, evidence for the burial of large Viking
ships has been found throughout northern Europe. Over the
last 150 years, notable examples have been uncovered in Sweden, Denmark, and the British Isles, but the most remarkable
and best preserved of these ships, including the Gokstad, have
been discovered in southeastern Norway.
Given the extensive labor and resources required for the
construction of such a ship, intentionally burying it would
have been a tremendous testimonial to the deceaseds wealth
and social position. The interment of Viking warriors within
ships was partly a symbolic gesture, representing the souls
journey into the afterlife. In addition, these burials were created by the dead chieftains descendants as physical reminders
of the power and prestige of the recently departed. The Viking
Age often saw contentious power struggles. Highly visible,
extravagant burial mounds such as the Gokstad aimed
to prolong the memory of a powerful chieftain,
and to help ensure the transition of power to his
heirs. Less than a century after its construction,
though, the Gokstad mound was deliberately
vandalized, possibly an attempt at desecrating
this very memory.
During Nicolaysens excavation of the ship
in the nineteenth century, the poor condition of the skeleton and the lack of valuable
metal objects led archaeologists to conclude
that the grave had been previously disturbed.
In and of itself, this is not an unusual phenomenon in archaeology. Tombs are often
discovered partially burglarized as a result of
Several wooden beds were discovered in the
burial mound, one of which bore elaborately
carved animal-head bedposts.
ARCHAEOLOGY July/August 2014
www.archaeology.org
New investigations identified serious injuries the Viking suffered in the battle that killed him. (Left to right) A knife cut to the
inside of the right femur, a deep gash to the left tibia, and an ax cut to the right fibula.
although the injury had occurred several years before his death
and was partially healed when he died.
Somehow the chieftains true cause of death had been missed.
Says Holck, The former examination of the skeleton did not
comment on the chieftains [fatal] injuries. In his recent study,
Holck was able to better detail extensive wounds that were
almost certainly received in battle, and to identify the injuries
that the Gokstad chieftain could not have survived. The results
tell a more vicious story than had been previously written. He
certainly did sufer a violent death, Holck says. The man had
been severely slashed in both legs, likely by two individuals using
diferent types of weapons. A distinct cut from a thin-bladed
weapon, such as a sword, was evident along his left shinbone.
This would have sliced through the patellar tendon, rendering his left leg useless. The direction of the mark
indicated that the chieftain was likely already lying
on his back when this occurred, perhaps with his legs
in the air. Although severe, this probably was not
the fatal blow. A second kind of weapon, probably
a knife, gave him a deep cut mark on the inside of
his right thigh bone. This may have penetrated the
femoral artery and perhaps caused his death, explains
Holck. These blow marks on his lower limbs did not show
any new formation of bone, and thus indicated that he
was killed in battle.
Although scholars cannot yet connect the burial
with any particular historical fgure, and attempts
to retrieve DNA have been unsuccessful thus
far, they now know that it is certainly not Olav
Geirstadalv. Nonetheless, the Gokstad chieftain
and the circumstances of his burial are representative of a singular moment in Viking historyone
defned by power, exploration, and wealth, thanks in large
part to advances in shipbuilding technology. Extraordinary ship burials like the Gokstad were important
symbolic landscape markers, but even they were
unable to avoid the repercussions of local power
struggles and territorial disputes.
Jason Urbanus has a Ph.D. in archaeology from
Brown University.
ARCHAEOLOGY July/August 2014
The Tomb
of The
Silver
handS
Long-buried evidence of an Etruscan noble family
by Marco Merola
n the nineteenth century, the ancient
Archaeologists working in a
large necropolis 75 miles from
Rome recently discovered the
impressive tomb of an Etruscan
noble family dating to the 7th
century B.C.
40
41
The silver hands were taken to a nearby laboratory. There (top row, left to right) researchers X-rayed them, fit the pieces of the
right hand back together, and (bottom row, left to right) carefully cleaned the more intact left hand. The result: two completely
restored and conserved hands.
also found iron and bronze fbulae, little gold balls, pieces of
faience, and amber and bone beads that likely were once part
of several very fancy necklaces.
When Casi and his team completed last seasons excavation,
they took the artifacts from the tomb to a restoration and conservation laboratory in Montalto di Castro, near Vulci. There
conservators cleaned and restored the iron, bronze, and gold
jewelry, horse trappings, pieces of the chariot, and, of course,
the silver hands. According to Teresa Carta, who is in charge
of the lab, the silver hands are a unique fnd. Although other
ArchAEoLogy July/August 2014
www.archaeology.org
43
Telling a
DifferenT STory
44
During the war, forced laborers built and repaired the German aircraft manufacturer Weserflugs war planes, including the infamous
Stuka dive-bombers, in Tempelhofs hangars.
46
Locks, keys, bottle tops, and cutlery are beginning to tell the story
of how Tempelhofs laborers experienced their day-to-day life.
www.archaeology.org
Secret History
48
Egypts
Forgotten Dynasty
excavations at the ancient city of Abydos have revealed the tomb of a
previously unknown pharaoh and evidence of a long-lost royal lineage
by M B G
www.archaeology.org
49
A painted scene in the newly discovered tomb of the pharaoh Senebkay depicts the goddesses Neith
and Nut. Faded blue hieroglyphs are visible throughout the panel.
Ryholt developed his theory after seeing fragments of a stela at Abydos that referenced three
pharaohs who werent recorded anywhere else in
Egypt. At the same time, he was studying the Turin
King List, a fragmentary thirteenth-century b.c.
papyrus that contains a chronological list of Egyptian rulers. On the papyrus, he identifed entries
for 15 kings who followed the 16th Dynasty, but
whose names vanished from later royal lists. Ryholt
thought the names on the Turin List and the stela
could be the only traces left of a short-lived dynasty
that ruled Abydos from about 1650 to 1600 b.c.
51
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by Kate Ravilious
www.archaeology.org
One of the peaks of the Bennachie range is Mither Tap, which has the remains of an
Iron Age fort on its peak.
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improvement-era ideassomething
that these so called mountain people
were not supposed to know about,
says Gould.
Artifacts have been thin on the
ground, but the few that have been
found speak of a family that appreciated craftsmanship, despite economic
hardship. We might expect them to
have the cheapest of everything, but
that isnt the case, says Gould. The
archaeologists found fragments of
willow-pattern pottery, transfer-printed
ware, and, perhaps most surprising of
all, gilt-edged china. Although they
may not have been able to aford full
sets, they still had one or two pieces of
fancy tableware, says Gould. Personal
fnds include a glazed clay marble,
which was probably a toy of one of the
Littlejohn children, and a broken clay
pipestem with tooth marks in the end.
We can probably narrow it down to
just one or two Littlejohns who might
have smoked that pipe, says Gould.
Downhill from the house, a network of
sturdy dry stone walls and deep ditches
demarcate the felds and signify communal work. The sheer level of work
involved in making these agricultural
improvements couldnt have been
carried out by the Shepherds Lodge
residents aloneit must have been a
community efort, explains Gould.
And details of the walls, such as buttress structures, carefully positioned so
that hurdles could be attached to create
sheep pens, reveal that the colonists
were able farmers.
Soil samples gathered from a
nearby farmstead in 2012 confrm that
they embraced then-modern ideas
to maximize the productivity of the
land. In an untended state, the slopes
of Bennachie are not well suited for
farming: A thin layer of topsoil above
compact glacial till prevents good
drainage. But on tended parts of the
slope, the soil reveals the measures
the colonists took to improve their
felds. We can see that they removed
stones, constructed drainage ditches
and subterranean feld drains, plowed
in glacial till to improve soil depth
and drainage, and fertilized by adding
60
The ruins of Hillside, another Bennachie dwelling, reveal a home that was among
the most sophisticated in the township.
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63
found a burn layer atop a later occupation of the croft, perhaps when it
was used as shelter for domestic animals. The evidence from Shepherds
Lodge indicates that the burning of
the structure likely occurred sometime after the celebrated eviction,
possibly many years afterward, suggesting the way the story has been
remembered has itself undergone
change, says Oliver. And quite possibly the story was exaggerated and perpetuated by the landlords, as a scare
tactic to discourage new residents.
Certainly the landlords contributed to the demise of the colony,
but there were other factors, including harsh winters, poor health, and
the lure of employment elsewhere
for the children. By the 1880s, the
colony had faded away. The landlords
turned the hillside into a coniferous
plantation, though one determined
residentGeorge Esson, born and
bred on Bennachieclung to his
tenancy until his death in 1939. By
all accounts he seems to have been a
character, a keen recorder of local history and folklore, who wanted to see
Bennachie become a granite quarry.
Essons wish never came to pass,
and today the forested slopes (owned
by the Forestry Commission) are
silent, barring the odd bird call. But
the stones hidden beneath the undergrowth have retained snippets of the
lives of their original occupants. Contrary to their reputation as backward
and immoral mountain people, the
people of Bennachie comprised a
hardworking, skilled, close-knit community. These guys were singled out
because they were diferent. Perhaps
the closest analogy we have today is
the common prejudice against the
traveling Romany community, says
Oliver. It has taken 150 years, but
fnally there is a feeling of respect and
sympathy for the original Bennachie
settlerspeople who had the courage
and resourcefulness to make the best
of a difcult lot in life. n
Kate Ravilious is a science journalist based
in York, United Kingdom.
ArchAeology July/August 2014
www.archaeological.org
ARTIFACT
here are moments in history when major cultural shifts occur, and these
extraordinary example of artistic expression created at the time when the regions inhabitants
WHAT IS IT
Wand
CULTURE
Pre-pottery Neolithic
DATE
FOUND
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