Updates to the Archaeology @ About.com Website for 16 November 05:
Explanatory Note: I had to change the name of this newsletter because Random
Samples is the name of a column in Science magazine, and I'm sure there will
be lots of confusion (okay, maybe none at all, but I can dream anyway). If
anybody has another suggestion for a witty title for this newsletter, please
feel free to email me.
Origins of Agriculture in Central Europe: DNA, LBK and the Origins of
Agriculture
http://archaeology.about.com/od/inventions/a/haak.htm
A recent study in Science magazine argues that the origins of agriculture in
central Europe 7000 years ago were the result of adoption of new techniques
by the hunter-gatherers living there.
Question of the Week
http://archaeology.about.com/od/archaeology101/qt/buried_city.htm
How do ancient cities become buried? Archaeologists working in modern and
ancient cities face the same problems with layers and layers of ancient
ruins of cities stacked up like a layer cake over the centuries called
stratigraphy. But how does this come to be?
Peer Review of Digital Resources
http://archaeology.about.com/b/a/219296.htm
The Institute of Historical Research is attempting to design a framework for
peer review of online projects in the arts and humanities. They have a brief
online questionnaire that should only take 10 minutes and you can even win a
prize for your participation. This is your chance to comment on the problems
with using digital resources, so if you have an opinion on this, by all
means chime in. I, of course, have one...
New Minoan Texts Found
http://archaeology.about.com/b/a/219284.htm
Scholars are rightfully excited at the news that an amphora bearing the
Minoan Linear B script and two terracotta tablets with Linear A texts have
been found at a site called Kydonia on the Greek island of Crete. This is
not the first time these two ancient forms of writing have been discovered
at Kydonia, but more is always better in ancient languages. Linear B was
(famously) deciphered by Michael Ventris and Alice Kober; Linear A has yet
to be cracked, although it is assumed to be an early form of Greek used by
the Minoan.
Half-Baked Ideas Wanted
http://archaeology.about.com/b/a/218773.htm
The humor magazine The Onion has an editorial by self-described ill-informed
pseudo-intellectual (and no doubt fictiitious) Roberta Foit who explains
what she's looking for when it comes to the news. Rumor, circumstantial
evidence or hard-to-make-out photographic proof. It's probably unnecessary
to say Roberta is a big believer in Atlantis.
Picking that Perfect Boot
http://archaeology.about.com/b/a/219690.htm
Every archaeologist I know is fussy about his or her boots, and they
certainly should be, since there's nothing more important than good boots on
an archaeological expedition. I was going to write a description on how to
pick a good boot, when I discovered this marvelously informative page by our
Shoes guide, Desiree Stimpert. The article has a link to our Walking guide's
'review' feature, to get fellow boot lover reviews on specific brands. Add
your own if you're so inclined. From Field and Laboratory Gear for the
Archaeologist, which I swear will be a better resource shortly.
Find a Job:
http://about.indeed.com/jobs?q=archaeology&l=&sort=
About has this really cool little jobs widget, driven by keywords. Give it a
whirl! The most recent listing is a Forest Service job in Albuquerque,
posted a couple of hours ago in USAJobs.
Rock on.... oh, you wanted a quiz. Well, try this toughie, from Megalithic
Portals:
http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=2146412383
Please redistribute at will!
Kris
K. Kris Hirst
About Archaeology
http://archaeology.about.com
www.About.com
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