To most people, a useless flint axe is just that. To archaeologist Sigrid Alræk Dugstad, it is a source of information about Stone Age children.
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Tag Archives: Stone Age
Stone Age Phallus Figurine Unearthed In Israeli Ruins
By The Huffington Post News Editors
By: Megan Gannon, News Editor
Published: 03/27/2013 09:57 AM EDT on LiveScience
Some remarkable traces of Stone Age life were unearthed recently in northern Israel, including a pit of burned bean seeds and a carving of a penis that’s more than 6,000 years old, the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) reported.
Archaeologists are excavating at Ahihud Junction ahead of the construction of a new Israeli railroad line to the city of Karmiel. They found evidence of ancient settlements from two eras: the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period and the Early Chalcolithic period (seventh millennium B.C. to fifth millennium B.C.).
“For the first time in the country, entire buildings and extensive habitation levels were exposed from these early periods, in which the rich material culture of the local residents was discovered,” IAA excavation directors, Yitzhak Paz and Ya’akov Vardi, said in a statement this month.
“We found a large number of flint and obsidian arrowheads, polished miniature stone axes, blades and other flint and stone tools,” the archaeologists added. “The large amount of tools made of obsidian, a material that is not indigenous to Israel, is indicative of the trade relations that already existed with Turkey, Georgia and other regions during this period.”
This image shows the excavation site at Ahihud Junction.
The team said they also found thousands of charred broad bean seeds inside of a pit — providing an early example of legume cultivation in the Middle East — and the remains of early Chalcolithic rectangular buildings, replete with pottery, as well as flint and stone tools. Other artifacts were slightly more enigmatic, such as the phallic figurine and a palette bearing a schematic etching of female genitals. The IAA called these objects “cultic sexual symbols” that might have represented the fertility of the earth. [Religious Worship: The 10 Craziest Cults]
Israel‘s rich ancient history means that artifacts are often uncovered when the ground is broken for construction projects. Animal and human figurines, some more than 9,000 years old, have been found at Tel Motza, an archaeological site being excavated ahead of the expansion of Highway 1, the main road connecting Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
And the phallus is not the first such find from the ancient world. A Stone Age carving that scientists said looked like an “ancient dildo” was unearthed in Sweden a few years ago. However, that item may have had a more innocent purpose as a flint-carving tool, researchers speculated.
Follow Megan Gannon on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on LiveScience.com.
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More on Archaeology
First find of early human artwork
By hnn
A 14,000-year-old engraved reindeer antler is possibly the first piece of early human art ever found. The specimen was uncovered in the 1800s and has been in the vast collections of the Natural History Museum. Its scientific importance, and clues as to how it was made are only now being revealed, scientists report today.
Natural History Museum scientists have pieced together the antler’s history. It was found between 1830 and 1848 in Neschers, France, by local village priest Jean-Baptiste Croizet. There are no known records of early human artwork finds before this time and so it is the first, or one of the first, discoveries of Stone Age portable art….
Source:
Archaeology News Network
Source URL:
http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2013/03/lost-and-found-first-find-of-early.html#.UVCO5xns8k0
Date:
3-20-13
…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at History News Network – George Mason University
Stonehenge may have been burial site for Stone Age elite, say archaeologists
By BronxKnight
Centuries before the first massive sarsen stone was hauled into place at Stonehenge, the world’s most famous prehistoric monument may have begun life as a giant burial ground, according to a theory disclosed on Saturday.
More than 50,000 cremated bone fragments, of 63 individuals buried at Stonehenge, have been excavated and studied for the first time by a team led by archaeologist Professor Mike Parker Pearson, who has been working at the site and on nearby monuments for decades. He now believes the earliest burials long predate the monument in its current form….
Source:
PastHorizons
Source URL:
http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/03/2013/stonehenge-may-have-been-burial-site-for-stone-age-elite-say-archaeologists
Date:
03-09-13
…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at History News Network – George Mason University
Stonehenge Began as Cemetery for Bigwigs
By John Johnson 
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Home
Back To the Stone Age? New Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer Bans Working From Home
By Jenna Goudreau, Forbes Staff
New Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has decreed there will be no more working from home for Yahoo staff. A company memo leaked to the press on Friday announced that Yahoo employees would no longer be permitted to work remotely. The decision seems to be based on a desire for increased productivity and a more connected company culture. It reads in part: To become the absolute best place to work, communication and collaboration will be important, so we need to be working side-by-side. That is why it is critical that we are all present in our offices. Some of the best decisions and insights come from hallway and cafeteria discussions, meeting new people, and impromptu team meetings. Speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home. We need to be one Yahoo!, and that starts with physically being together. Hundreds of remote workers were asked to report to the office beginning June 1. If they can’t or don’t want to, too bad. Even occasional flexibility is being discouraged. The memo reads, “For the rest of us who occasionally have to stay home for the cable guy, please use your best judgment in the spirit of collaboration.” …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
Ancient teeth bacteria record disease evolution
DNA preserved in calcified bacteria on the teeth of ancient human skeletons has shed light on the health consequences of the evolving diet and behaviour from the Stone Age to the modern day. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org
Taking IPOs Out of the Stone Age
By Tom Taulli, Contributor While IPOs are the source of breakout companies — like Salesforce.com (NYSE:CRM), Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) and LinkedIn (NYSE:LNKD) — the financing system has seen little innovation over the years. Part of this is due to staunch regulations. But another factor is the inherent inertia in the industry. Hey, Wall Street doesn’t really want to make changes, especially when the fees continue to remain quite lucrative, right?
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
Houghton church uncovers evidence of pagan worship
By hnn
ARCHAEOLOGISTS working at an historic North-East church have discovered evidence that the site may have been used for worship since the Stone Age.
St Michael and All Angels, Church, in Houghton-le-Spring, has been a site of Christian worship for nearly 1,000 years, but a stone circle found on the site suggests that it may have been used by pagans in Neolithic times.
The discovery has helped the Anglican parish church win a coveted Red Rose award from Visit England, due to be awarded next week….
Source:
The Northern Echo (UK)
Source URL:
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/local/tyneandwear/10171904.Stone_Age_circle_found_at_historic_church/?ref=rss
Date:
1-18-13
Source: FULL ARTICLE at History News Network – George Mason University
Stone Age hunters used the environment to improve standard of living
(Phys.org)—Extraordinary evidence showing that Stone Age people were more than just hunters has been found at a threatened archaeological site on the Severn Estuary.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org