The Precious

Digs & Discoveries January/February 2012

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In the medieval period, wearing sapphires was a privilege reserved for royalty, nobility, and high-ranking clergy. Then, as now, sapphires were thought to bring good fortune, mental clarity, and spiritual enlightenment to the wearer. The intricate gold beading combined with the use of sapphire on this ring found in York, England, could date it to the Viking period (tenth to eleventh centuries A.D.). However, the jewelry more likely dates to between the seventh and ninth centuries A.D. The use of gold inlaid with red and blue glass is typical of jewelry from East Anglia, a kingdom in eastern England first settled in the fifth century A.D. To make the ring more impressive and suitable for royalty, a jeweler used precious stones instead of red or blue glass.

  • Features January/February 2012

    Altamira Cave - Spain

    a policy article published in the journal Science in October 2011, Spanish scientists argued against the reopening of Altamira Cave, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The cave contains multicolored cave paintings featuring several red bison, dating back 14,000 years to the Upper Paleolithic.

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  • Features January/February 2012

    Texas - United States

    From October 2010 to the end of September 2011, Texas received the smallest amount of rainfall ever recorded over a 12-month period. he receding waters are affecting local archaeology, exposing sites that have been underwater for decades.

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  • Features January/February 2012

    Arab Spring Impacts Archaeology - Libya/Egypt/Tunisia/Syria

    o discussion of the year 2011 can be complete without a reference to what's been termed Arab Spring. The political phenomenon has the potential to have an extraordinary impact on archaeology for years to come.

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  • Features January/February 2012

    Gladiator Gym Goes Virtual - Carnuntum, Austria

    Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) technology has allowed an international team of researchers from the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology (LBI-ArchPro) to both identify a ludus (gladiator school) at the Roman city of Carnuntum in Austria and bring it before the public in an unprecedented way.

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