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The State, South Carolina - National - Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:27:58 GMT
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TreeHugger - Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:26:54 GMT
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Bone Girl (Weblog) - Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:19:10 GMT
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Saipan Tribune - Local - Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:03:29 GMT
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TG Daily - Science - Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:47:26 GMT
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PR Newswire (Press Release) - General Business - Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:37:30 GMT
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Phys.Org - General Science - Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:22:06 GMT
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A teacher accused of abducting a schoolgirl and taking her to France will not give evidence in his defence, a jury has been told.

Wessex Archaeology - Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:09:12 GMT

The Hindu - Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:53:44 GMT
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Chris Brayne and Phil Watkins

Ecological and archaeological consultancy services and surveys for construction projects will now be available from a single professional source it was announced today.   Top specialist businesses, Thomson Ecology and Wessex Archaeology will join forces to offer an innovative “one stop shop” for developers offering their joint expertise in biodiversity, ecology and archaeology. The new approach will provide developers with one source for two different planning solutions with the aim of providing a more efficient streamlined service.   Phil Watkins of Thomson Ecology and Chris Brayne of Wessex Archaeology signed the agreement following a joint review that showed that combined archaeology and ecology services would offer developers a professional set of specialist planning disciplines that would add value and help them through the planning process. Phil Watkins, commercial director of Thomson Ecology, sees the alliance as a spring board for both companies to establish a competitive presence for large scale, complex projects in and beyond the UK.  “Thomson Ecology and Wessex Archaeology are market leaders in their sectors and already chosen by informed project managers for many of the UK’s largest infrastructure and energy projects. We know that our specialist expertise is highly valued. Creating this alliance places us in a strong competitive position, as together we now offer the breadth of an even wider set of skills as well as the in depth knowledge of highly experienced specialists.” Chris Brayne, newly appointed chief executive of Wessex Archaeology, said:   “All new construction projects have to pass specific ecological and archaeological requirements before they receive planning permission. This alliance offers developers a more efficient and streamlined method for commissioning these two specialist services allowing them access to the best advice available as part of one contract without the need to go to multiple firms.”  

• News

A team led by archaeologist Ivan Sprajc, has announced the discovery of an ancient Maya city called Chactún, “Red Stone” or “Piedra Grande” . Located in the southeast area of Campeche, it represents one of the largest sites of the Mexican Central Lowlands.

Discovered a few weeks ago, the archaeologists believe that the city was at the centre of a vast region between 600 and 900 AD. The extent of the site measures more than 22 hectares, and contains a number of monuments, with at least a dozen of them bearing inscriptions.

Stele 1 in the western complex. Image: INAH Hidden in the jungle for centuries

Throughout the centuries, Chactún remained hidden in the jungle of the northern Biosphere Reserve of Calakmul, which is part of an area over 3,000 square kilometres, located between the Rio Bec and Chenes region. This area until now, has remained as a total blank on the archaeological map of the Maya region.

“It is one of the largest sites in the Central Lowlands, comparable in extent and magnitude of its buildings with Becan, Nadzcaan and El Palmar in Campeche,” said the Sprajc, who works for the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts.

The ancient Maya metropolis is one of 80 sites that have been identified by the Archaeological Survey Project in Southeastern Campeche, which began in 1996. The location of these sites was based primarily on recognition from large-scale aerial photography.

Some sites like Uxul and Kings wall had previously been described by explorers such as Karl Ruppert, in the 1930s. However, Chactún was largely ignored by scientific expeditions until today.

Encouraged archaeological exploration

In 1989 the region was declared part of the Biosphere Reserve and archaeological exploration was made possible.

“With aerial photographs examined stereoscopically, we find many features that were obviously architectural remains. From there we took the coordinates and the next step was to locate the ancient routes used by tappers and loggers to reach the area, ” explained Sprajc.

From the road leading to the town of Xpujil Hopelchén 16 kilometres are travelled. To reach the camp where the team of archaeologists overnight it is necessary to go for almost two hours in the tropical forest. The road is passable only with four wheel drive trucks and the archaeologists must continually stop to cut back the vegetation that blocks their path.

Stele 18 found re-used in the southeast complex. Image: INAH Three monumental complexes

Curiously, despite its proximity to Rio Bec the building style appears to have closer associations with Petén architecture.

The site comprises three monumental complexes. The west, covers an area of ​​over 11 hectares, while the southeast and northeast together account for a further 11 hectares.

In these spaces are scattered numerous pyramidal structures,  two ballgame courts, patios, plazas, sculptured monuments and residential areas. The tallest pyramid, 23 metres high, is located in the west complex, however, the stelae and altars, some of which still have the remains of stucco on them, best reflect the splendour of the city in the Late Classic (600-900 AD).

Of the 19 stelae recorded so far, three are well preserved. One gives a name to the place, saying that the ruler K’inich B’ahlam “fixed the Red Stone (or Stone Great) in 751” – according to the preliminary interpretation by epigrapher Octavio Esparza Olguin.

Surveying with a total station. Image: INAH Ongoing work

A survey of the area has been conducted in order to obtain a three-dimensional map. Meanwhile, Octavio Esparza, archaeologist and epigraphist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico  is recording the stelae and altars. Several of these monuments, he said, were reused in later times, possibly late Late Classic and even Early Postclassic.

“These people may not have known the meaning of the monuments, as some of the stelae were found upside down, though they knew they were important and worshipped them, because we found ceramic offerings in front of some of them,” he said.

Another example of reuse, said Ivan Sprajc was stela 18 which was found at the rear corner in the ball game court of the southeast complex. “This reuse of monuments is another interesting aspect of this place, something which we have not found evidence for elsewhere. ”

Source: INAH

More Information

• Uxul
• Calakmul
• Becan

Cite this article

INAH. Extensive Maya city discovered in Campeche. June 19, 2013, from http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/06/2013/extensive-maya-city-discovered-in-campeche For Archaeology News – Archaeology Research – Archaeology Press Releases

Past Horizons - Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:47:09 GMT
maya h, 1, 3, 5, 18, 19, 20, 21¶, discovered h, 2¶, archaeologist 1¶, discovery 1¶, ancient 1¶, sites 1¶, archaeologists 2¶, site 2¶, archaeological 3, 5¶

Many of them are covered in bracken and, if left, the roots can damage archaeological deposits. A team of volunteers has spent the past two weeks… 2013-06-16T14:44:59Z BBC

Wessex Archaeology - Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:37:44 GMT

BBC - UK - Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:26:14 GMT
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Ben, Louise and David

Wessex Archaeology has recently brought together its geophysics, geomatics, geoarchaeology and environmental archaeology teams into a single geoservices division, with a core team of over 20 staff. The new division is led by Paul Baggaley and will focus on providing these specialist services, both internally and direct to our clients. As part of these changes, we are pleased to announce that we are continuing to support the professional development of our staff, and have appointed David Norcott as our Technical Manager for Geoarchaeology and Environmental Archaeology, and Ben Urmston as our Technical Manager for Terrestrial Geophysics and Geomatics. The geoservices management team is completed by Louise Tizzard, who will continue to be responsible for Marine Geophysics. Louise, David and Ben have over 25 years’ experience at Wessex Archaeology between them, and are increasingly involved with developing new proposals and delivering complex projects as the company continues to provide market leading services both onshore and offshore. Paul Baggaley said, “We are delighted to have been able to bring these teams together formally within Wessex Archaeology so that we can highlight the value of the work we undertake, and also seek out new opportunities with a new and enthusiastic team”. 

• News

Rochester Eccentric, Michigan - Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:51:37 GMT
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Fox News - Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:50:04 GMT
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Manchester Gazette - Education - Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:44:00 GMT
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