Macedonian Excavations Pre-Pottery Neolithic B Australian Heritage High Pasture Cave

Past Horizons
Online Journal of Volunteer Archaeology and Training
Issue 5: November 2008

Aphrodites Ancestors: the Prastion-Mesorotsos

Archaeological Expedition, Cyprus
Volume 1 : No. 5
November 2008

Editors: Felicity Donohoe &

Maggie Struckmeier
Layout: Maggie Struckmeier

Past Horizons
Traprain House
Luggate Burn
Haddington
East Lothian
EH41 4QA

T: +44 (0)1620 861643

E: editor@pasthorizons.com
W: www.pasthorizons.com

Contributors:
Eulah M. Matthews
William Neidinger
A. Nigel Goring-Morris
Michal Birkenfeld
20 Kfar HaHoresh
Steven Birch
This cult and mortuary pre-potter
pre-pottery Neolithic B site in Israel certainly keeps the
Laura Colman, excavation team guessing. Great social changes were happening in the Levant
David Guilfoyle at this time, something which seems to be reected in the burial practices of
Doc Reynolds the inhabitants such as the plastering of skulls and strange bone alignments.
Jamie Donahoe Two members of the team bring us up to date on the 2008 excavation.
Andrew P. McCarthy
Chris Davern
Annie Evans 8 Bylazora
Could this be the
ancient capital of the
Paionians? Extreme
weather conditions
threatened to engulf
the excavations
Front Cover:
Processing finds under the
during the search
shade of the Mediaeval for evidence, but
arches of the Manor House of to everyones
Couvoucle excitement it
(credit: Andrew P. McCarthy
McCarthy)
revealed a whole
new dimension to
the site.
Note
Past Horizons can give no
endorsement of any listed project
or guarantee the accuracy of the
information supplied. The editors
accept no responsibility for any
loss, injury, or inconvenience
sustained by anyone using the
resources contained within this
magazine and/or the websites 5 Editorial 38 Dig Cook
mentioned herein.
considering a project, be sure
When Annie Evans on culinary escapades,
to contact the director with any
6 News
with a delicious recipe each issue.
questions you might have about
conditions, travel, health issues, Recent news stories from around the
etc. Check for references from
world.
previous participants, seek advice
where possible and select a project
40 Profile
that will be of the greatest benet W interview Michal Birkenfeld
We
to you, the project and the team.
of the Kfar HaHoresh Project.

past horizons 2
28 High Pasture Cave

Contents
Steven Birch reports on the 2008
excavations on the Scottish island
of Skye. Each year his team of
volunteers continue to carefully piece
together the story of this intriguing
site. Watch the video of the laser
scan, produced as part of this
summers excavation season.

14 Discovery and conservation

A unique collaboration involving rock art conservation in a
remote region of South Western Australia has ourished and
opened up exciting opportunities for the future.

12 Kenya
Immerse yourself in
Swahili culture on
Lamu Island while
helping to restore
some of the
distinctive traditional
buildings.

32 Aphrodites
Ancestors
Paphos is the mythical
birthplace of Aphrodite and
was home to her followers,
but Andrew McCarthy
from the University
of Edinburgh hopes to
uncover the secrets of
those who inhabited the
area before the emergence
of this cult.

42 Interested In... 44 Viewpoint

This edition we look at the study of David Connolly talks about the
ceramics. responsibility of heritage organisations to
lead the way in sustainable living practises.
43 Dig In
A selection of archaeological digging 45 Fun Page
opportunities from around the world. Have a break.

3 past horizons
Learn about Archaeology at

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We offer a number of courses within the following awards:

MA Archaeology 2 years Part time Certicate HE Archaeology

Certicate HE The Archaeology of Britain Certicate HE Egyptology
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Archaeology modules include:

Society and Culture in the Roman Empire Birth of a Nation: The Archaeology of England c.400-1540
Human Evolution Discovering Archaeology: Studying the Past
Bioarchaeology The Archaeology of Human Bones Landscape Archaeology
Prehistoric Britain: New Ideas Thoughts & Theories Art and Archaeology I: Prehistoric Art
After the Excavation: Archaeology from Processing to Publication The Study of Artefacts
Kings over Everything: The Archaeology of Britain within the Roman Empire
London Bodies: An Introduction to the Study of Human Skeleton Remains

We are also oering the following modules:

Archaeology, Codices and Ethnohistory of Sixteenth-Century Mexico
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The MA Archaeology is designed to teach the methods and practice of contemporary archaeology. It is suitable for both
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For more information please go to: http://www.bbk.ac.uk/ce/archaeology/ma_archaeology.html

T: 020 7631 6627 E: archaeology@FLL.bbk.ac.uk

For a copy of the new 2008/2009

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prospectus please telephone 020 7631
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by calling central enrolment on 020 7631 6651.

past horizons 4
 editorial
S tepping off the plane from Jordan into the freezing Scottish
winter was a bit of a shock to the system. We had just spent
the past three weeks surveying the Jerash hinterland, getting up at
5.30am before the sun became too hot. Development is happening
fast in Jerash and it has already swallowed up about thirty per
cent of the sites we surveyed in 2005. We really felt that it was
a race against time this year to cover the most threatened areas
before they also disappeared for good.

At the end of the three weeks we decided to take a trip to Damascus, Syria, for a well-earned
rest, despite the car bomb there a few days previously. We arrived close to the end of (insert
month or week), so the whole of Damascus was preparing up for Eid, a three-day festival that
follows the end of Ramadan. Families crowded into the historic old town to buy food and
presents, and there was a general feeling of great excitement all around us.

Many of the Damascene houses in the old town are now being meticulously restored and we
were treated to a tour of them by a Syrian friend, Anas, who had come over from London to
visit his family during Ramadan. Although we didnt have much time in Syria we decided
that we just had to visit the mighty Crusader Castle, Krak des Chevaliers. To our surprise
we managed to secure a hotel room with stunning views from the balcony. With a glass of
Lebanese wine we could nally relax, away from the hustle bustle of Damascus, watching the
sun go down over what is possibly one of the most beautiful castles in the world.

When driving into Syria from Jordan, one of the rst things that strikes you is the change from
brown deserts to green farmland. The Fertile Plain, as it is known, was one of the earliest
places where Neolithic people made the change from hunter gatherers into farmers. The
knock-on effect of this would have undoubtedly put stresses on society, reected in the ritual
and burial practises of the time. On page 20, an article on the Israeli pre-pottery Neolithic B
site of Kfar HaHoresh discusses these possibilities, and over 13 seasons of excavation have
uncovered many unusual artefacts and strange skeleton alignments, along with a few plastered
human skulls.

Understanding the meanings and intentions of our ancestors is always difcult and often
comes down to intelligent guess-work and assumption. Although some societies retain the
fragile link with their past, the connection remains elusive to most people in the modern world
- and perhaps that is what makes it more fascinating to us. So, it is heartening to learn that in a
remote part of South Western Australia there are moves afoot to re-connect with the ancestors
through a partnership consisting of Traditional Owners and professionals from around the
world. On page 14 you can read about the Gabbie Kylie Foundation and what kind of work it
does. You can also be involved in this partnership by participating in the heritage management
courses, involving conservation, survey and archaeology of this beautiful but little known part
of Australia.

Actually, come to think of it, a bit of Australian sun would be just the antidote to a Scottish
winter.

Maggie Struckmeier
Maggie Struckmeier
editor@pasthorizons.com

5 past horizons
 British Museum assists Sudan
news in rescue archaeology project
For the past 10 years, the British Museum, in conjunction with the Sudan Archaeological
Research Society (SARS), has been working to survey, record and excavate the region
surrounding the Fourth Cataract of the Nile in Sudan, prior to the damming of the
river, a project that is revolutionising knowledge of ancient Sudan.
T
he Fourth Cataract is currently being
flooded to provide hydroelectricity for
Sudan. The British Museum/SARS team
is one of nine international missions under
the banner of the Merowe
Dam Archaeological Salvage
Project (MDASP) which
have uncovered thousands of
sites dating from the Middle
Palaeolithic (150,000 years
ago) to the very recent past.
Until recently, the cataract
zone was considered a poor
and inhospitable region,
marginalised at all periods.
It was viewed as a border
zone and primarily a place of
refuge. The MDASP, with the
discovery of vast numbers of
sites of all periods (some of
them of high status such as a
granite pyramid and massive
fortresses), is forcing a total
reappraisal of the nature
and role of the region in
its Nile Valley context. As
a final phase of the project
an appeal was made by the
Sudan National Corporation for Antiquities
and Museums (NCAM) for missions to save
from inundation rock art, rock gongs and any
buildings that could be moved, for display in
a proposed new museum to be dedicated to the
ancient and modern cultures of the region.
In response to this appeal the British Museum
and NCAM mounted a project in November
2007 aimed at relocating over 50 pieces of
rock art and rock gongs dating from 5000 BC
to AD 1500, as well as the 390 blocks of an
early Kushite (c.8th-5th century BC) granite
pyramid, along with its offering chapel and
enclosure wall.
Photographs &
text courtesy of the In recognition of the efforts of this mission,
British Museum.
past horizons 6
20 blocks were donated to the British Museum
and it is hoped that some of these can be put on
permanent display early next year along with
other material from the region of the Fourth
Cataract. This will allow the
museum to highlight these
rich and vibrant cultures,
as well as the efforts of the
Sudan Antiquities Service
and the international
community to research and
preserve, where possible,
the ancient cultures of this
important part of the Nile
Valley.
The blocks include examples
of early rock art on basalt
and granite featuring
anthropomorphs, camels,
sheep and cows, an animal
of particular importance
to the people living in the
region. One block features
a small but finely executed
human figure with a feather
in its hair, the traditional
way the people of this region
were depicted by the ancient
Egyptians. Two rock gongs have also been
given to the British Museum. These slabs
of rock would have been played by striking
them with quartzite pebbles, producing an
extraordinary range of melodious sounds.
Rock gongs and rock art are often found
together, and are suggestive of an important
ritual landscape.
Derek Welsby, curator in the Department
of Ancient Egypt and Sudan at the British
Museum and head of the mission, said, The
work at the Fourth Cataract has transformed
our view of the Middle Nile Valley in northern
Sudan and we are pleased to have been able
to assist in the rescue of these important
archaeological objects.
 If you cannot view this video,
you will be able to on:
www.pasthorizons.com/magazine

Above: A long-horned cow with clearly marked udders

Centre left: Derek Welsby prepares the rock art for removal
Far left: The SARS rock art expert, Dr Cornelia Kleinitz, beside a large boulder bearing two cattle motifs
represented in different styles. One had banding on the body presumably representing the colouring of the animal.

For more news stories that are updated constantly

constantly, try:
Past Horizons News Blog: http://pasthorizons.wordpress.com/category/news-and-articles
Stonepages Weekly News and Podcast: http://www.stonepages.com/news
CBA Archaeology News Feed: http://www.britarch.ac.uk/newsfeed
Archaeologica Daily News Stories: http://www.archaeologica.org/NewsPage.htm

7 past horizons
Above: Excavating on both sides of the northern defensive wall Photographs by Eulah M. Matthews
Right: A long and wide ramp discovered near the defensive wall of the acropolis

past horizons 8
Bylazora
The Last Redoubt of the Paionians

by Eulah M. Matthews & William Neidinger

B
ylazora was the fabled capital city of the
Paionians, the people who occupied the land
of the ancient kingdom that was to become
Macedonia. Many ancient Greek and Roman authors
mentioned both the Paionians and their Bylazora.
Homer portrayed the Paionians as the allies of
the Trojans in the Trojan War, and Herodotus and
Thucydides described Paionia and its gradual conquest
by the Macedonians: the Paionians would regain their
freedom and fortify their capital, Bylazora, only after
the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC.

However, the days of Paionian independence were

numbered. In the third and second centuries BC their
lands were overrun by Gauls, Dardanians, Macedonians
and, finally, the Romans. When Polybius, Livy, Strabo
and Pausanias wrote of the Paionians, they told of
a vanquished and vanished legendary people. And
when Ptolemy composed his Geography in the second
century AD, he noted the cities of Paionia, but Bylazora
was not one of them, having long since been reduced
to ruins. It is Bylazora that the Texas Foundation for
Archaeological and Historical Research (TFAHR) set
out to explore in June 2008.
continued

9 past horizons

When the Republic of Macedonia was part of Yugoslavia,
most Balkan archaeologists believed that Bylazora
was probably to be found beneath the modern city of
Veles. But the ruins discovered at Veles were far too
humble (and late) to be the legendary Bylazora. In
1976 Professor Ivan Mikuli, after a survey of central
Macedonia, suggested that a large plateau near the town
of Sveti Nikole might prove to be a more promising site
to hunt for Bylazora. Some exploratory soundings were
made before and after Macedonian independence (1991)
that lent hope to this suggestion.
Cleaning storage pithoi in the squatters level
past horizons
A subterranean
chamber
approached by
steps on the
lower left hand
side, having the
groundwater
extracted by the
local fire brigade
In 2008 Mr. Aleksandar Danev, director of the Peoples
Museum of Sveti Nikole, contacted us at TFAHR to
initiate an in-depth, long-term project to excavate the
site. Mr. Danev had heard of the TFAHR International
Field School, which offers excavation opportunities
to teachers, students, and volunteers from all over the
world. On his invitation, we brought the eld school to
Bylazora.
We used past soundings and old robbers trenches to
launch our excavation season. In the rst weeks we
exposed two sections of thick, substantially built walls on
the acropolis, probably part of the citys inner defenses.
We also cleared, at the foot of the hill, a subterranean
stone building with a descending staircase. It had
been discovered accidentally while the area was being
quarried for road base material. The structure has been
called by various archaeologists a tomb, a reservoir,
a fortied cistern, and a ritual bath. Our plan, having
nally excavated down to the last step, was to sink a few
judiciously placed soundings in and around the structure
to get a better clue as to what it might have been.
All plans were proceeding smoothly, until the night
of July 3, 2008. That night a torrential downpour and
hail storm, the likes of which the locals claim they had
never seen, wreaked havoc with the excavation; trenches
collapsed, balks were washed away, and many squares
were turned into deep, muddy swimming holes. The
rains certainly put the structure at the base of the hill
under water for the rest of the season, but new vistas
opened on the acropolis.
As we cleared the wreckage from the storm, we
discovered near the defensive wall of the acropolis a long
10
 Ancient Inner
sources defensive
discuss wall at
the Bylazora
strategic (over one
position metre wide)
of
Bylazora,

and wide ramp. Where the ramp intersected the wall, the
foundations of a small tower were unearthed. But as we
followed the ramp to the south, uphill, we came across a
large threshold with a square socket hole, probably for a
beam of a lock socket to secure a double gate. F or its International Field School and
Excavations in the Republic of Macedonia
TFAHR accepts students, teachers and
We were on a threshold (literally), but a threshold to volunteers from all over the world.
what? The answer to that question has to wait until
2009 because what lies beyond the threshold is presently
beneath two meters of dirt. We believe that the ramp is
no ordinary paved street because all along the ramp we
found roof tiles, indicating that it was a roofed incline Applicants must be 18 years of age and speak English.
leading to undoubtedly a very special building.
No experience is required.
Our excavation showed that the ramp-building was
destroyed well before the nal days of Bylazora in the
The 2009 excavation season at Bylazora will take place
second century BC. We found two strata of squatter
in June and July, 2009.
habitations within the ruins of what we did uncover of
the ramp-building. The abundant pottery from the
earliest squatter stratum dates to the fourth century BC, The aim of the annual TFAHR International Field
meaning that the ramp-building had to have been built School is to teach the archaeological process from
and destroyed before that date. actual excavating to artefact analysis, restoration and
documentation.
In one area of the dig we did come across evidence of the
last days of Bylazora. Inside the northern defensive wall
more evidence was unearthed of imsy squatter huts built There are also occasional evening lectures and field
up against the wall itself. But all these remains show the trips to other archaeological sites in Macedonia.
signs of having perished in an immense conagration:
thick ash deposits, burnt pottery, and masses of burnt
No university credit is offered.
mudbrick. These were what the last inhabitants of the
legendary Bylazora left behind them when their beloved
city and last redoubt went up in ames. Information and applications will be posted on the
TFAHR website in January 2009: www.tfahr.org
Eulah M. Matthews and William Neidinger are the project
directors for the Bylazora International Field School.

11 past horizons
Kenya Re - discovering the Soul
of Swahili Tradition

By Jamie Donahoe

T
he cultural traditions of Lamu Island, a town off the coast of Kenya, are a blend of African
and Arab heritage dating to the 12th century when Arab traders travelled south and created
Swahili city states. Despite being protected to some extent by the towns designation as
a World Heritage Site, many traditional arts and crafts, including building arts, are fading into
obscurity as they are no longer being handed down from one generation to the next.

The core of Lamus beauty is its stone buildings,

set along streets rarely more than eight feet
wide. The close proximity of the stone walls
cools the air and blocks the suns rays. This city
core was the focus of a study by the Kenyan
government in 1972. The recommendation was
to gazette the old town as a protected area and
institute a conservation plan to develop it as
both a cultural site and a tourist destination. The
town was declared a national monument in 1980
and added to UNESCOs list of World Heritage
Sites in 2001.

Despite these measures, Lamus distinctive

building traditions remain fragile, and the Lamu
World Heritage Site and Conservation Office is
implementing a number of programmes to raise
awareness of such traditions and keep them alive.
One such initiative is a workshop in conjunction
with Heritage Conservation Network, a US non-
profit organization that supports community-
driven heritage conservation efforts around the
world.

This hands-on building conservation workshop,

entitled Re-Discovering the Soul of Swahili
Tradition: Conservation of Swahili-Style Stone
House, is scheduled for February 8-21, 2009.
It will bring people from throughout the region
to work on a coral rag building, one of the few
remaining historic residences within Lamu The workshop is open to the general public
Old Town still owned and occupied by a local as well, providing an opportunity to immerse
family. The two-week workshop will address oneself in the islands culture and traditions,
the principles of coral rag building, along with which include dhows (traditional sailing vessels),
timber window and door restoration and the calligraphy, and the sewing of traditional hats,
manufacture, slaking and preparation of lime. while helping restore the building.

past horizons 12
 Get Involved

A s with all of HCNs workshops, no experience

is necessary, just an interest in helping preserve
Kenyas culture and heritage.

The cost for international participants is US$1115 for

one week and US$1480 for two weeks, which covers
lodging, breakfast and lunch, insurance, fieldtrips,
workshop materials and instruction.

Transportation to Lamu is not included and is the

responsibility of the participant. Weekend tours will
include the Matondoni Village Tour and an excursion
to the Takwa National Monument.

There is a separate fee structure for regional residents

and community members.

Left: Taking part in a calligraphy competition For more information or to register, see HCNs
Top: Learning traditional plasterwork techniques website at www.heritageconservation.net/ws-lamu.htm
Above: A traditional hat maker from Lamu or contact them at +1 303 444 0128.

13 past horizons
The Traditional Owners of the area creating walk trails around Marbaleerup
Top right; The Wave Rock at Marbaleerup

Photographs: The Gabbie Kylie Foundation

past horizons 14
The land talks to us, through its
language and cycles of seasons, plants,
animals, gatherings, movement, trade,
sharing and respect. By protecting and
respecting the spiritual foundations and
restoring the land, we are reconnecting
to, and healing, our tribal kinship
systems, our families and our Law.

Implementing this traditional system in

a holistic, educational and management
programme, embedded within this
Foundation, is the only way to ensure a
sustainable future for our culture, our
children and our land.

Doc Reynolds, Traditional Owner

Discovery and Conservation

Heritage and Ecology of South Western Australia

by Laura Colman, David Guilfoyle and Doc Reynolds

I
n the isolated but beautiful region of developed a number of major heritage
Esperance in South Western Australia management projects which closely
a collaboration between Traditional involve the community and are based on
Owners and the recently formed Gabbie traditional practices. In the same year
Kylie Foundation is implementing a range as its inception the foundation received
of projects that seek to protect and restore funding to conduct a four-week heritage
both the unique cultural places and the restoration project at Marbaleerup
stunning natural environment of the area. (Mount Ridley), a place identified by
Traditional Owners as one of the most
The Gabbie Kylie Foundation, established significant cultural places of this remote
in 2007 under the auspices of the National region, containing rock art, now in need
Trust of Australia (WA), has already of protection and conservation work.
continued

15 past horizons
Marbaleerup, a massive dome of Precambrian
granite forming part of the Yilgarn Craton which
stretches across most of Western Australia, has
been intensively used by groups in the past.
This is evident from the distribution of stone
artefacts and tools, and features a rich and varied
collection of ochre painted rock art motifs.
The first is the danger of ceiling collapse
and the second is the loss of painted surfaces
by water eroding the granite support wherever
it washes in. It was necessary to modify the
fissures to prevent water entry, combined with
water repellent spray bands inside the shelter to
divert any water away from the painted areas.

The Mount Ridley Rock The fissures were then

Art Restoration Project filled in using a compatible
proceeded under the direct siliceous grout capable of
supervision of the six supporting the same range
Traditional Owners who of flora as the surrounding
have a passionate custodial rock. One of the limitations
interest in ensuring the of other grouts, whether
landscape is protected and they are based on mineral
managed. Their enthusiasm or organic binders, is that
for the project provided the while they can be made to
opportunity to discuss possible treatments of the match the surroundings in the short term, they
rock art before proceeding, as well as some of inevitably promote or retard plant growth at
the more problematic issues surrounding visitor different rates to the surrounding rock. This also
access and site management. happens if they are more water repellent than the
rock. To provide the perfect nutrient environment
A major concern of the project was the problem as well as good initial colour and texture match,
of water penetration through the numerous I developed and applied a siliceous grout that
cracks and fissures of the huge granite boulders. achieves all of the desired properties.
This has slowly been eroding the rock art and
needed immediate action. The problem of water Apart from water penetration, areas that needed
entering through fissures in the granite presents to be addressed included the problem of dust and
two separate issues. Rock art conservator Andrew other biological build-up, the removal of modern
Thorn explains, graffiti and the control of visitor access.

Left: An example of rock art that had suffered from water damage and has
now been protected through the project
Top: View of Marbaleerup
Middle: Traditional Owners at work during the restoration project
Top right: Huge granite hollowed out boulder
Right: Rock art conservator Andrew Thorn applying siliceous grout to an
external fissure in order to prevent water infiltration across the interior
rock art surface

past horizons 16
Discussions were held about the best way to
manage Marbaleerup, both in terms of visitor
impact and to monitor change. Everyone agreed
that the best way to protect the site as a whole was
to allow controlled access to visitors only under
the supervision of the custodians themselves,
who will also keep an eye on the condition of the
rock art and report any change or damage. To
this end, the Traditional Owners are developing
a range of walk trails and will provide people
with information about how stories were passed
down through generations and the part rock art
played within their communities.

The active involvement of Traditional Owners

in the planning, implementation and supervision
of the Mount Ridley project was integral to its
success and this approach will be adopted in the
foundations next project, an Applied Heritage
Management Field School. continued

17 past horizons
The programme includes visits to some of
the south coast regions most significant
archaeological, cultural and ecological sites.
South Western Australia contains one of the
most remarkable archaeological landscapes in
the world. The field school provides a glimpse
into this archaeological heritage by describing
human interaction with the environment over the
past 50,000 years. The region is also one of the
worlds biodiversity hotspots, and students can
witness evolution in action among coastal cliffs,
estuaries, lakes, wetlands, granite domes, offshore
islands, forests and outback woodlands.
STS Leeuwin
of this unique environment. Participants in
the field school will be offered the opportunity
to take part in this archaeological survey of
the Recherche Archipelago on board the STS
Leeuwin, developing practical skills and gaining
a real cultural experience, while exploring this
spectacular natural landscape.
The Recherche Archipelago, located off the coast
of Esperance, comprises over 100 islands. These
islands were inhabited during the last Ice Age
when they were still connected to the continental
mainland. With rising sea levels, drifting sands
swept across the hundreds of granite domes and
outcrops that characterise the archipelago today,
preceding the great flood that inundated the
area and created the present-day coastline and
spectacular Bay of Isles. These islands are places
of unspoilt beauty, with significant natural and
cultural heritage values that remind us all of the
need to respect, preserve and manage our natural
environment, in the footsteps of the Traditional
Owners.

Field schools enable high school pupils,

Through grant funding it is the goal of the
Gabbie Kylie Foundation to research and survey
10 accessible islands in a systematic manner
and document the archaeological and historical
heritage as well as the associated biodiversity.
The final report will include archival research,
field data and oral histories to deliver a public
report and video that will celebrate the heritage
university students and members of the broader
community to undertake on-ground conservation
work, while receiving instruction in archaeology,
geography, restoration ecology, heritage
conservation and landscape management. It also
provides a platform for a real cultural exchange
that will stay with you forever.
Laura Colman works for the National Trust of
Western Australia. David Guilfoyle is the project
archaeologist for the field school and Doc
Reynolds is a Traditional Owner working in
partnership with the Gabbie Kyle Foundation.

The field school will run from 19 January - 15 February 2009

and will be delivered by Traditional Owners and specialists from
across Australia and overseas.

If you would like to find out more about the work of the Gabbie
Kylie Foundation or would like to register for the Field School,
please go to:
www.naturalheritage.org.au/Gabbie_Kylie_Foundation.html
Tel: (+61) 8 9321 6088

past horizons 18
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book review
The Handbook of British archaeology

C overing everything from the British Prehistoric to

the 19th century, this is an unbeatable reference book
which has been around for 25 years and has now been fully
revised and updated.

The first nine chapters comprehensively deal with every

period in history and include types of commonly-found
pottery, artefacts and structures, complete with clear,
black and white illustrations.

The final chapters cover current archaeological techniques

taking into account new methods and approaches,
archaeological materials and remains.

The only letdown of this mighty 544-page book is the

short section on Archaeological Specialism, Organisations
and Legislation. The section authors have missed out the
BAJR organisation which has been a key resource for
archaeologists over the past 10 years and should have been
included. No mention is made of the separate planning
legislation in Scotland, and references are to books
produced pre-1998 rather than more recent publications.
Authors: We have been assured, however, that this will be rectified
Roy and Lesley Adkins, and Victoria Leitch in the next print run.
ISBN: 9781845296063
Available in paperback from Amazon These minor niggles aside it is a must-have book for
RRP 25.00 enthusiasts, students and professionals, and is rounded off
with a huge 50-page bibliography. There is little to add to
this essential classic.

19 past horizons
 Plastered human skull
(credit: M. Barazani)

past horizons 20
 Kfar
HaHoresh
A Cult
and
Mortuary
Site
by A. Nigel Goring-Morris
& Michal Birkenfeld
I nvestigations at Kfar HaHoresh, a
small site nestled in the Nazareth
hills of lower Galilee, have revealed a
stratigraphic sequence spanning the early
through to the late Pre-Pottery Neolithic B
(PPNB). Thirteen painstaking excavation
seasons have demonstrated tremendous
potential for exploring mortuary, ritual,
subsistence and industrial activities in
this region, and allow a glimpse into an
exciting era in human prehistory.
PPNB (ca. 8500-6750 calBC) corresponds
to the period when the first large village
communities were established in the
fertile areas of the Near East. At this time
the sphere of cultural interaction had
widened, stretching from central Anatolia
to southern Sinai and included Cyprus.
Rectilinear houses became commonplace,
while public and ritual architecture
are also found. Although hunting and
21
gathering remained important, plants
and animals were becoming increasingly
domesticated. Evidence shows there was
intensive ritual activity, and prestige
items were exchanged over considerable
distances.
It was likely that social tensions within
and between communities arose from these
changes, exacerbated by differences in the
accumulation of material, social and ritual
wealth. Yet, few studies have focused on
these increased stresses that gave rise to
social complexity and ranking, and the
effect they may have had on mortuary
and burial practices of the period. These
included primary interments within
settlements, often (but not always) with
later skull removal, as well as multiple
and secondary burials. In a few instances
skulls had the facial features modelled in
plaster.
continued
past horizons
From the beginning of the excavations, it multiple secondary burials comprising up to 15
became clear that the main architectural features individuals, plus intentional arrangements of
at Kfar HaHoresh comprised terrace walls, human bones. Indeed, in one case the long bones
as well as a series of of several individuals
mostly quadrilateral appear to have been
lime plaster surfaces. arranged, perhaps into
These surfaces, usually the profile of an animal,
bounded on one or prior to being plastered
two sides by L-shaped over. Skull caches were
stone wall foundations, found, including three
vary in size from modelled skulls. Burials
3x1.5m up to a massive at Kfar HaHoresh
precinct measuring display an unusual
over 20x10m, which is demographic profile
currently in the process compared to other
of being exposed. PPNB populations, with
Some of the plastered an abnormally high
surfaces are unattached representation of young
to stone-built walls, and adult males. Grave
were perhaps accompanied by mud-brick walls. goods comprise chipped and groundstone tools,
Although none were identified during excavation, shells, minerals and animal bones.
micromorphological analyses have shown that
mud-brick, or pis, was used extensively at The numerous flint artefacts recovered at Kfar
the site. These structures are accompanied by HaHoresh derive from three distinct reduction
hearths, ovens and pits, as well as cultic features, sequences: naviform, ad hoc and bifacial. Tools
such as stelae and platforms. Several lime kilns include sickle blades, projectile points, burins,
have also been identified on site. perforators and bifacials. Groundstone tools and
animal bones, mostly of hunted animals, are also
Many graves occur under or in the vicinty of abundant. In fact, the faunal assemblages from
these walled structures. Human burials at the site comprise amongst the largest numbers
Kfar HaHoresh (presently totalling around 70 of identified items from PPNB contexts in the
individuals) vary from single articulated through southern Levant. The species represented are

Above: Plastered
surface area
(credit: A.N. Goring-
Morris)

Far left: Symbolic

items: phallic
figurine, votive axe
on serpentine, shell
pendant and incised
token
(credit: A.N. Goring-
Morris)

Left: Projectile points,

sickles blades and
perforators
(credit: G. Laron)

past horizons 22
 Map of the Near East, showing the location of Kfar HaHoresh

comparable with other contemporary sites in human and animals. The use of clay at KHH, prior
the region and include mountain gazelle, wild to the emergence of pottery in the succeeding
goat, fallow deer, wild boar, wild cattle, red period (the Pottery Neolithic 6400-4500 calBC),
fox and hare, as well as rodents, birds and rareis currently under analysis. It appears that clay
fish. Goat occurs in higher percentages than was widely used at the site, especially for the
in Late Pleistocene assemblages in the area, manufacture of beads, tokens and figurines.
perhaps indicating incipient Thus far, it seems that all clay
domestication, similar to other products were manufactured on
PPNB sites in the region. site, and that various degrees of
at kfar
firing were used in the process.
The material culture at Kfar
hahoresh
HaHoresh is rich and varied. only phallic Based on its location, together
Extensive exchange networks figurines have with the wide range of unusual
are indicated by Mediterranean, been found mortuary installations and
Red Sea and freshwater sea practices documented at the
shell ornaments. Exotic minerals Kfar HaHoresh, as well as the
include malachite from south of varied nature of the material
the Dead Sea, obsidian from central Anatolia, culture remains, it has been interpreted as a
and a serpentine votive axe from northern mortuary site, serving the populations of nearby
Syria or Cyprus. Symbolic items include plain settlements in the lowlands, such as Yiftahel
or incised polished pebble tokens. Neolithic and Ayanot Zippori.
fertility symbols are often associated with female
imagery, but at Kfar HaHoresh only phallic The 2007/2008 seasons focused on exposing a
figurines have been found. Also recovered at the large plaster-surfaced structure, assigned to the
site are stone and clay figurines depicting both earlier phases of occupation at the site. As the
continued

23 past horizons
 L1926, secondary burial of half-a-man (credit: A.N. Goring-Morris
Goring-Morris)

Left: L1926, note mollusk,

sickle blade and reddened burnt
clay grave goods near right
knee (credit: J. Williams)

Below: L1804, primary tightly

articulated burial of adult male
(credit: M. Birkenfeld)

seasons progressed, it became clear that what was directions. Long bones were placed above the
first considered to be a relatively large structure post-cranial bones, including the mandible and
was, in fact, a massive precinct measuring over lower part of the vertebral column. Although the
200 square metres. Depressions and subsidence ribs all derive from the left side of the individual,
in this large plastered surface indicate the they framed both sides of the long bones.
probable presence of underlying pits, akin to
ones excavated in previous years. Such a pit, Adjacent to a stone platform within a midden
named inhumation L1005, also located under deposit overlying the large plaster surfaced
this structure, was excavated in former seasons. complex was a mid to late PPNB shallow grave
This burial, in which several wild cattle specimen containing the tightly-contracted primary
were buried with the dead, was associated with burial of a 50-plus year-old male, with the head
evidence for feasting on a herd propped up facing northwest.
of wild cattle. It is quite clear Grave goods included a
that this precinct will continue Grave goods sickle blade, a Mediterranean
to challenge us in the upcoming included a Cerastoderma shell and a large
2009 season. sickle blade, a lump of reddened burnt clay.
Mediterranean A concentration of around 60
Two burials excavated in the Cerastoderma other freshwater Melanopsis
2007/8 seasons are noteworthy. shell and a large shells found nearby may relate
L1804, within early PPNB lump of reddened to the burial.
midden deposits, is the shallow burnt clay
secondary pit burial of half- As these discoveries continue
a-man, a male 40-45 years to shed light on PPNB mortuary
old. The burial lacked anatomical associations, rites and social structure, work at the site of
although the individual bones were carefully Kfar HaHoresh continues. As we prepare for
arranged with an east-west alignment for the the 2009 season, we hope to reveal more of the
long bones. The individual comprised part of secrets hidden beneath these plastered surfaces.
the left side of the mandible together with some The site of Kfar HaHoresh, with its rich material
post-cranial bones. The skull was absent. The culture and its ever-surprising mortuary rituals,
only two matching long bones, namely the right gives us a unique opportunity to investigate and
tibia and the right fibula, were placed in opposite explore this exciting era in human prehistory: a

past horizons 24
E xcavating Kfar HaHoresh 2009

A s in past seasons, the Kfar HaHoresh expedition

will hold a field school during the 2009 season.
The field school provides an ideal opportunity to learn
basic excavation and recording procedures, as well as
preliminary analytical techniques, by participating in the
archaeological excavation of a unique site.
We welcome anyone with an interest in ancient Israel and
in archaeology, especially beginning students, but also
those with fieldwork experience who wish to advance
their expertise.
archaeology of the Near East and various specialist topics,
and there will be field trips to other archaeological sites
in the area.
Enrolment in the field school is limited to 20 students for
each session to enable individual supervision. The field
crew, totalling 30 at most with specialists, includes students
from Israel, Europe and the US. Students participating in
the programme can receive up to four academic credits
per session through the Rothberg International School,
Hebrew University.

The field school is divided into two sessions, each of

three weeks duration. Participants will take part in the Want to know more?
excavations and also play an active role in the preliminary Contact Ms. Michal Birkenfeld
analysis of recovered artefacts. Subjects include Institute of Archaeology, Department
excavation, recovery and recording procedures, as well as of Prehistory,
field consolidation techniques. As part of the field school The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
faculty members will give lectures on the prehistory and michal.birkenfeld@mail.huji.ac.il

time when humans discovered a new way of life, Acknowledgements

and when society, as we know it today, began to
take shape. Excavations at Kfar HaHoresh have been funded by
Nigel Goring-Morris is a professor at The Hebrew grants from the Irene Levi-Sala CARE Foundation,
University of Jerusalem. Michal Birkenfeld has the National Geographic Society and the Israel
worked at the Kfar HaHoresh site since 2002. Science Foundation.

further reading

GOREN Y., & GORING-MORRIS A.N., Early pyrotechnology in the Near East: experimental lime plaster production at the PPNB
site of Kfar HaHoresh, Israel, Geoarchaeology (2008)

GORING-MORRIS, A. N., & HORWITZ L. K., Funerals and feasts in the Near Eastern Pre-Pottery Neolithic B, Antiquity (2007)

ESHED, V., HERSHKOVITZ I., & GORING-MORRIS A. N., A re-evaluation of burial customs in the PPNB in light of paleodemographic
analysis of the human remains from Kfar HaHoresh, Israel, Palorient (2007)

GORING-MORRIS, A. N., The quick and the dead: the social context of Aceramic Neolithic mortuary practices as seen from Kfar
HaHoresh in I. Kuijt (ed.) Life in Neolithic Farming Communities, Social Organization, Identity, and Differentiation (New York,
2000) Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers

Kefar Ha-Horesh, in E. Stern (ed.), The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land (2008) Vol.5: 1907-
1909, Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society & Biblical Archaeology Society

Life, death and the emergence of differential status in the Near Eastern Neolithic: Evidence from Kfar HaHoresh, Lower Galilee,
Israel in J. Clark (ed.), Archaeological Perspectives on the Transmission and Transformation of Culture in the Eastern Mediterranean
(Oxford, 2005) CBRL & Oxbow Books

25 past horizons
 Nat
a ional Geographic Tr
at T av
a eler aw
a arded To
T ur of a Life
To f time
fe

Albania - Land of the Eagles

Albanias own name for itself, Shqiperia, is believed to derive from the word for eagle, and emphasises the
geographical isolat
a ion of this mountainous land. More varieties of wild flowers grow here than anyw
at y here else in
yw
Europe, and the high mountains provide one of the the last refuges of wild beasts such as bears and wolves.

Guide Lecturer ruins of which cover an enormous area. This was one Butrint on a wooded hillside at th t e head of a lake
of Julius Caesars bases against Pompey. y Augustus,
y. with
t views to Corfu
th f . Butrint is both
fu t beautifu
th f l and
fu
Oliver Gilkes has worked in Albania fo f r many who was studying th t ere at th
t e time of Caesars unusual, probably Albanias best-known and most
years
r and sp
rs s eaks Albanian. He has played a
a or part in the ex
aj
maj e cavations at Butrint and
assassination, rewarded it by granting it autonomy. y
y. spectacular site, and tht e fif rst UNESCO Wo W rld Heritage
many ofo the young
n archaeolog
ng o ists of
og o the country
r
ry T day th
To t e city
t lies romantically covered by waving
ty Site in th
t e country.y The hilltop was inhabited fr
y. f om th
t e
have now been trained by him! He has watched corn witht grassy banks hinting at what is still to be
th 7th
t - 6th
th t century BC, became a proserous Roman
th
with interest as Albania has made the transition uncovered. town, and survived into th t e Middle Ages. Oliver has
to become part of
o the western world over the last
decade.
been working fo f r some years with t th
th t e Butrint
Day Five Foundation project, which has been investigating and
Explore th t ractive medieval town of Berat. Whilst
t e att
tt protecting th
t e site.
Day One t e citadel of Berat is a most beautifu
th f l medieval centre
fu
Arrive Tirana, drive to modern hotel in th
t e centre. with
t wide views over th
th t e surrounding countryside, th
t e Day Nine
city
t below provides an interesting and accessible way
ty a
ay Return to Tirane via Mesopotam to see Medieval
Day Two of discovering modern Albania. Our hotel here is right monastery
Full day t e sites of Tirana, th
a investigating th
ay t e capital in th
t e centre and provides a taste of th
t e remains of th
t e
of Albania. This is a city
t reinventing itself,f,f with
ty t
th communist era - an interesting insight. Day Ten
unpava ed roads and once austere, but now brightltlty
av
Depending on flf ight time, fr
f ee time in th
t e city
t befo
ty f re
fo
painted, tenement blocks next to modern glass and Day Six return flf ight fr
f om Tirane.
t e Archaeological
steel skyscrapers. Visit th An exciting day a in 4x4
ay x s or minbuses to visit th
x4 t e
Museum, National Historical Museum, Etham remote site of Byllis, sited on a commanding 10 Day
a s
ay
Bey Mosque and National Gallery r .
ry promontary overlooking th t e Vj
V ose River valley with
t
th Cost of tour: 1900
possibilities fo
f r landscap
pe archaeologggyy enroute. incl. scheduled fflliigghts and all meals (dinnerrss with winee))
Day Three
Excursion to Durres - Epidamnos - to see th t e (sg
sgl sup
(s upp
up
pp 180)
Day Seven
amphith t eatre (largest in th
th t e Balkans), city
t walls,
ty Price without fl
f ights: 1660
A trip over th
t e mountains fr f om Saranda to tht e
museum and, fr f om a distance, tht e exterior of King y stopping at Syri i Kalter (Blue Eye,
Gjirokastra valley,
y,
Zogs palace. Aft f ernoon at Kruj
ft u a, th
uj t e last bastion t e great natural wonder), Sofr
th f atika (Roman th
fr t eatre),
Departure Details
of Christianity t against th
ty t e Ott
t oman Tu
tt T rks and now a and Gj
G irokastra, Wo W rld Heritage Ottt oman town - its
tt Tue 19th - Thu 28th May Tue 29th Sept - Thu 8th Oct
rath
t er charming town set in beautifu
th f l countryside; th
fu t e old houses are a major attt raction. A mountain
tt Guide Lecturer: Oliver Gilkes Guide Lecturer: Oliver Gilkes
Castltlte of Skanderbeg, Albanias national hero. stronghold, it is dramatically set amidst th
t e limestone Hotels
peaks. Unexpectedly good hotels! Large modern international style
Day Four
Drive to Apollonia, fof unded by th t e Corinth
t ians in
th hotel in central Tirane. Delightful, rather quirky Communist
Day Eight
588 BC, one of th
t e largest cities on th
t e Adriatic, th
t e style hotel in Berat and large, luxurious hotel on the coast at
Picturesque drive to spend all day
a at th
ay t e site of
Saranda with good outdoor pool.

It is now possible to ex exp

xplore Albania in
somethingn ap
ng app
pproaching n a
ng
comp
m rehensive,
mp e coherent and comf
e, mfo
mf fortable
f shion. Much of
fa o the credit must fa f ll to
archaeolog
o y tour sp
og s ecialist Andante
one of
o only two British op o erar tors
ra r
rs
currently fe
f aturing n the country and its
ng
guide lecturer,r,r Butrint-based
archaeolog
o ist Oliver Gilkes,
og s who is
s,
steep
e ed in Albanian culture and history.
ep y
y.
T e Daililily
Th ly Te
T legra
r ph
ra

Travels in Archaeology 60 different programmes worldwide

Easter Island to India. New 2009
01722 713800 - www.andantetravels.co.uk
past horizons 26 brochures out now
The Andante Travels
Archaeology Award 2008
A ndante Travels are now seeking applications for this year s award of 2000. If you would like
to apply, send a description of the project you believe would benefit most, outlining how the
money would be spent, and how this project would be helped.

The winner of the 2007 award was The Riverside
Project at Stonehenge. During the last couple of seasons
this project has uncovered the village at Durrington Walls
which probably housed the builders (and the subsequent users)
of Stonehenge. Professor Mike Parker Pearson of Sheffield
University heads a team from a variety of academic institutions
and local helpers.
We could scarcely believe the exciting
range of archaeological projects which
came to our attention when we offered our
modest 2000 annual award last year. All
those trite words which people use on such
occasions suddenly came true. It really did
seem to be a horribly difficult decision.

In 2008 they will excavate some of the areas of Stonehenge itself,

Some of the 2007 applications included:
the so-called Avenue which is interpreted as the ceremonial
A site plan of a Bronze Age cemetery in Sicily
approach to the monument, the Stonehenge cursus and the
Research on grave stele for members of the Roman
Stonehenge palisade, together with a thorough investigation of
Fleet A survey of rock art in the Libyan desert
one long barrow and one round barrow.
A late Bronze Age farming community in Cyprus
A villa known to be the home of a wealthy Roman
They will also be re-examining the enigmatic 10,000 year-old
brick maker A society dedicated to conserving
postholes which formed one of the worlds oldest complexes,
and researching their local Roman fort and vicus
built many thousand of years before the stones of Stonehenge
An expedition working closely with locals in
were erected. Mikes team will also be trying to ascertain
the Gobi Desert, Mongolia, on an Iron Age site
through further excavation whether the Avenue was once lined
A university-led project excavating a single period
with standing stones, or whether there was a stone alignment
site in Lower Egypt founded by Ramesses II An
preceding it, and whether the line of 10,000 year-old Mesolithic
investigation of Pa sites in South Island, NZ A
posts extended further eastwards.
survey of prehistoric sites around Sheffield A
Thracian emporion in Bulgaria A scholarship to
teach practical excavation skills An early rock art
site in California

Your application should be limited to one side of A4 paper sent to:

Daniel Gradwell, Andante Travels, The Old Barn, Old Road, Alderbury,
Salisbury, SP5 3AR, United Kingdom, or email your document to: daniel@andantetravels.co.uk
The Deadline is the 1 December 2008
Excavations at High
Pasture Cave, Isle of
Skye
Fieldwork update

by steven birch

T
he 2008 eldwork season at High Pasture Cave, Skye, reported in Mays issue of Past Horizons, produced
some intriguing results, including animal processing areas, possible ood control walls , a curved walkway
and numerous nds. The season has now drawn to a close and although we await results from our core of
specialists working on the post-excavation analysis, this article provides an update on the latest nds and discoveries
from the site.

Fieldwork carried out during 2008 has focused on
a detailed walkover survey of the wider landscape
surrounding the site and a continuation of the excavations
that were initiated in 2004. In particular, we have resumed
our investigations within the cave, removing the last of
the archaeological deposits from Bone Passage, while
at the surface above the cave we have continued the
evaluation of the extensive burnt mound and associated
structural elements and the deep series of archaeological
deposits lling the natural hollow immediately outside
the cave and stairwell entrance.
bone. Analysis of the sediments surrounding the hearths
by Jo McKenzie and Ian Simpson of the University
of Stirling is also contributing to our interpretation of
function in this area. Their results have conrmed a
complex sequence of events including rake-outs from
the res interspersed with short periods of abandonment.
However, of more signicance, is their identication of
high phosphate levels within the sediments surrounding
the hearths, which indicates that the processing of the
animal carcasses took place around these features. Small
nds recovered from around the hearths include bone pins

Back of wall feature F15.14 with Part of exposed wall face F15.14 Wall F15.14 showing angle due to
stairwell beyond subsidence

Excavation of the complex deposits within the natural
hollow outside the cave is conrming our initial theories
that this area was a major focus of the site, where the
primary butchery and preparation of animal carcasses
took place. In this area we have uncovered a sequence
of ve large, slab-built hearths, superimposed on each
other, complete with their associated residues including
ash, burnt wood, re-cracked stone and processed animal
and awls, stone tools, spindle whorls manufactured from
steatite and a well-preserved fragment from a bracelet
manufactured from cannel-coal or jet.
Other structural elements in this area of the site include
a series of stone-built revetment walls. Some of these
features may have been constructed to control the ow of
water in this natural hollow during times of ooding, to

past horizons 28
 Decorated glass bead Neolithic or Bronze Age
recovered from burnt mound pottery sherd from Bone
deposits Passage

Cannel-coal or Jet bracelet Steatite spindle whorls

protect the main areas of activity noted above and to stop fragment from Trench 15 recovered from the hearth
settings in Trench 15
ash-ooding episodes in Bone Passage. One of these
walls however stands out from the others and comprises
a feature of quite monumental proportions for this site.
Constructed from large granite and limestone blocks,
still standing up to ve courses high and having a base
some two metres wide, the wall arcs around the cave and
stairwell entrance dening the area where the hearths
have been uncovered. Unfortunately, the area in front of
this feature has suffered serious subsidence, resulting in
the wall face leaning at an alarming angle. It is only the
deep sequence of archaeological deposits surrounding the
hearths in this area that have stopped the wall collapsing.
Bone awl recovered from hearth settings in Trench 15
continued

Top left:
Excavations in
Bone Passage

Top right:
Martin Wildgoose
standing in
the paved and
cobbled walkway
F15.37

Top middle:
Trench 19 after
removal of the
burnt mound
deposits revealing
earlier structures
including walls,
post-holes and
post-pads

29 past horizons
 originate from the hearths mentioned above. Small nds
recovered from these deposits in 2008 have included
metalworking residues (iron) including hearth bases and
slag, half of a ne cobalt-blue glass bead with white line
inclusions, a possible Roman bronze coin, a fragment
of cannel-coal or jet bracelet, a small bronze ring and a
wide range of stone tools including fragments of rotary
and saddle querns. Below the burnt mound deposits we
have found a wide range of features including stone-built
walls, post-holes and post-pads, which require further
work in 2009 to fully evaluate their function.

The 2008 eldwork season also witnessed the removal

of the remaining archaeological deposits from Bone
Passage. Finds once again included large quantities of
animal bone, red deer antler and shellsh remains, stone
and bone tools, a fragmented bronze pin and ceramics.
Most of the pottery sherds, some of which were quite large
and ret together, were found in coarse water-washed
gravels at the base of the archaeological sequence, which
may relate to an episode of ooding at the site before
the revetment walls mentioned above were constructed.
Although we await full analysis of the pottery recovered
from this deposit, the wide range of fabrics, styles and
decoration, may relate to vessels spanning the Early
Laser scanning in the cave Bronze Age to Iron Age periods. With excavations
Finally, towards the end of eldwork this year, we completed in Bone Passage, we commissioned a laser
uncovered another major feature in this area of the site. scanning survey of this cave passage and the adjacent
Below the deep ash deposits surrounding the lower of stairwell by AOC Archaeology Group. The survey
the hearth settings in the sequence mentioned above, was completed in October and we hope to place some
excavations revealed a curving walkway leading towards preliminary results on the website soon.
the cave entrance. This feature, which pre-dates the
construction of the stairwell, comprises a paved and Our funding partners in the project are Historic Scotland,
cobbled access to Bone Passage, with low dry-stone the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Highland 2007 Fund,
Highland Council and Skye & Lochalsh Leader+.
revetment walls to each side. Adjacent to the walkway
we uncovered surfaces covered in crushed limestone. We would also like to acknowledge the university departments
and freelance specialists who have assisted with the extensive
Excavations within the burnt mound have produced programme of post-excavation analysis, and the volunteers
further evidence to suggest that the burnt stone, burnt without whose help we could not have undertaken the work
wood and ash that make up this feature most likely in the eld.

I n 2009, we will undertake our nal year of excavations at the High Pastures site, while we will also
complete our survey of the wider landscape. Excavations will commence at the start of May and will
run through until September, although the tail-end of the season will be set aside for the backlling and
re-instatement of the site.

Volunteers will once again be welcome to assist with all aspects of the project work in 2009, including
backlling, but we would recommend taking part during the initial 4 months of the eldwork season.
Details will be posted on the website in the New Year. www.high-pasture-cave.org

See the May 2008 edition of Past Hori

Horizons for a previous in depth article on High Pasture Cave.

past horizons 30
Past Horizons TV

Laser Scanning

AOC Archaeology Group produced

this laser scan of the Bone Passage and
adjacent stairwell at High Pasture Cave
in October 2008.

To read more about their laser scanning

service go to:

http://www.aocarchaeology.com/laser-scanning.htm

31 past horizons
After work on site was completed, the team processed the finds under the shade of the Mediaeval arches of the Manor House of
Couvoucle (Kouklia, now the Palaipaphos Archaeological Museum), situated on the ruins of the Sanctuary of Aphrodite

past horizons 32
 Aphrodites
Ancestors:
the Prastion-
Mesorotsos
Archaeological
Expedition,
Cyprus
Text by Andrew P. McCarthy
Images by Andrew P. McCarthy and Ben Blakeman
Y
ou could be forgiven for assuming that
we already know a great deal about
the cult of the goddess Aphrodite, its
origins in Near Eastern mythology, and the early
history of the important sanctuary at Old Paphos
(modern Kouklia) in western Cyprus. Our
understanding of the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1700-
1050 BC) temple in Paphos, near the traditional
location of Aphrodites birth, comes to us from
ancient textual sources as well as over two
hundred years of archaeological excavation at
the sanctuary itself. Indeed, we do understand
much about the nature of the cult of Aphrodite
in its mature form, but we have very little
Map of western Cyprus. Prastion-Mesorotsos is just 15km up the
Dhiarizos River from Old Paphos and the Sanctuary of Aphrodite
information on the preceding social context in
which this pervasive myth began. While Early
(ca. 2400-2000 BC) Middle (ca. 2000-1700 BC)
and Late Bronze Age settlement sites have been
excavated in Cyprus, Paphos and its hinterland
are conspicuously lacking investigation of the
Early and Middle Bronze Ages. Without an
understanding of the social developments that
led up to the urbanisation of Paphos in the Late
Bronze Age, it is difficult to assess the processes
that resulted in the establishment of one of the
most important urban centres and best-known
holy places in the ancient world.
continued
33 past horizons
 At 10 hectares Prastion

New investigations at the previously unstudied students, professional topographers, geophysics

site of Prastion-Mesorotsos, approximately 15km experts and academic archaeologists. The
up the Dhiarizos River from Old Paphos, seek project was run as a field school, with team
to add to our understanding of the prehistory members coming from the UK, Ireland, the
of western Cyprus by filling a gap in our USA and Canada. Students were involved in all
archaeological knowledge. Students and scholars aspects of the project, including fieldwalking
from the University of Edinburgh have worked and surface collection, geological surveying,
for decades in western Cyprus, excavating drawing and recording, and processing of finds.
settlements from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic In addition to the project activities, there were
(ca. 4000-2500 BC) and the transitional Philia several organised field trips designed to give
(ca. 2500-2350 BC) periods in particular. While perspective to the changing environment and
previous projects have added a society throughout the long history
great deal to our knowledge of of the sites occupation.
the prehistory of the island, the
transition into the Bronze Age Many prehistoric The expeditions first season
and subsequent developments is periods are applied a variety of non-intrusive
unclear, and as yet no site has been largely unknown archaeological methods to assess
excavated that spans from the in western Cyprus the likelihood that an intact
Chalcolithic through the Bronze sequence spanning the elusive
Age. As continuous occupation Chalcolithic-Bronze Age transition
throughout this transition is so exists, which can be investigated
rare, it has prompted many to hypothesise that in subsequent years by excavation. The main
immigrants or influences from Anatolia or Syria data collection strategy used in the 2008 season
supplanted the indigenous cultures on the island, involved team members walking transects across
and that this influx brought not only a new the entirety of the site in order to establish the
economy and society, but also ideas of ritual and extent, the location and concentration of artefact
cult. types and the density of artefacts relating to
particular periods. In the area of highest density,
As well-known as Paphos itself is, the a 2m x 2m grid system was employed, which
surrounding region is oddly understudied and allowed relative ease of collection and provided
many prehistoric periods are largely unknown high resolution in distribution maps. For the rest
in western Cyprus. Prastion-Mesorotsos is of the site, which had lower density due to lack
situated at a crossroads in the landscape and may of plough cultivation, individual GPS (Global
represent a link between western Cyprus and Positioning Satellite) waypoints were taken
the more intensively studied cultures of eastern for each artefact to sub-metre accuracy. This
Cyprus. This gives students a real opportunity produced an accurate picture of the distribution
to make new discoveries relating to how Paphos of artefacts by type and date for the whole of the
came to be such an important urban and ritual site.
centre. The 2008 Prastion-Mesorotsos team
consisted of undergraduate and postgraduate As these survey data deal largely with the spatial

past horizons 34
-Mesorotsos ranks among the largest prehistoric sites in Cyprus
patterns of artefactual remains, the information
collected from the 2008 season was arranged
in a Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
database. This allowed for ease of recording as
well as the ability to spatially and statistically
analyse the data. GIS also allows for analyses
that are difficult to quantify otherwise. In
particular, a Viewshed Analysis of the entire
Dhiarizos Valley (including Old Paphos) can
demonstrate that Prastion occupies a special
place in the landscape, at a dogleg in the river
valley that has views both down the valley to
the sea, and up the valley to the highest point on
Cyprus, Mt. Olympus. The proximity of Prastion-
Mesorotsos to a major tributary valley heading
east also suggests that it may have served as a
link between east and west, as well as being in
Pottery collected on the surface confirms both Chalcolithic and Bronze Age occupation
35
for access to the mountain mineral, vegetal and
faunal resources, as well as a being a crossroads
between the different cultures of eastern and
western Cyprus. In order to understand the
resources and pathways available to the ancient
residents of Prastion-Mesorotsos, a focused
geological survey of the area was conducted,
along with an assessment of the routes up and
down and in and out of the valley.
Due to the steep slope over much of the site
only the flattest areas were suitable for the
geophysical prospection that was carried out, but
the results were encouraging. Patterns of high-
resistivity anomalies may indicate subsurface
walls and features which will be a priority for
test excavations in subsequent seasons. While
it is hoped that future excavation will reveal
a stratigraphic sequence spanning a series of
periods, resistivity analysis conducted on a
portion of the site reveals the likelihood that intact
Chalcolithic roundhouses and the Early Bronze
Age rectilinear buildings co-occur in the same
places. An intact chronological sequence should
provide definitive evidence that either a hiatus
occurred during this transition after which
immigrants settled in this place,
or that there was continuous
local development by the
indigenous people.
continued
past horizons
While non-intrusive means of investigation are
by their nature limited, the results of this pilot
season have produced ample evidence that there is
likely to be a sequence through multiple periods,
including Late Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Philia,
Early Bronze Age, Middle Bronze Age, and a
substantial Mediaeval settlement, with additional
Geometric/Archaic, Hellenistic/Roman and
more modern uses of the land. Conspicuously
absent from the material record is any evidence
of a Late Bronze Age settlement that would have
been contemporary with the early Sanctuary of
Aphrodite and the rise of an urban Paphos.
Ancestors of Urbanism
Large quantities of Chalcolithic and Bronze
Age pottery were recovered in nearly equal
measures over much of the 10 hectares that
the site occupies, indicating that Prastion-
Mesorotsos ranks among the largest prehistoric
sites in Cyprus. The fact that both Chalcolithic
and Early Bronze Age pottery, and possible
transitional Philia period artefacts, occur in the
same places indicates that this site was almost
certainly inhabited during these periods. The
fact that the Bronze Age inhabitants chose to live
in the exact same spot as the previous residents
may indicate an indigenous development rather
than influx of newcomers, even if their material
culture changed radically over this time.
past horizons
Ruinous walls of the Late Bronze Age Sanctuary of Aphrodite in
Paphos ((credit: Lisa Kennan)
The total absence of Late Bronze Age materials
is unsurprising if one puts Prastion-Mesorotsos
into the context of the rise of Paphos as an urban
centre in this period. Perhaps with Paphos
establishing itself as the dominant political
and economic force in the region, there was a
certain amount of appeal to moving out of the
countryside and into the big city. At the same
time, it would have been in the interests of the
leaders of Paphos to control or eliminate a well-
connected and substantial second-tier settlement
like that at Prastion-Mesorotsos. Far from being
negative information, the hiatus of settlement in
the Late Bronze Age and subsequent reoccupation
in later periods demonstrates that the appeal
of this location did not vanish, but social and
political circumstances in Paphos may have
affected settlement patterns in its hinterland.
As the Early and Middle Bronze Ages are
represented across Prastion-Mesorotsos it is clear
that an understanding of the social developments
leading up to the consolidation of power in
Paphos could be accessed through excavation.
If we can illuminate the social developments
that rose from prehistoric roots, we can then
provide a context for the urbanisation we see at
the end of this development. The 2008 team who
put the first boots to ground in the sweltering
July heat have shed light on the precursors to the
remarkable social and religious developments
that eventually led to the foundation of the
cult of Aphrodite. With further archaeological
investigation we may be able to piece together
a fuller picture of the people who begat this
myth.
Collecting artefacts and mapping the finds
36

Nos of sherds per transect sq. Prastion-Mesorotsos 08
Number
0 of sherds per transect square Prastion-Mesorotsos 2008
1 Chalcolithic
2
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
! ! ! ! ! !
! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

3 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
0
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
1
2
Philia !
! !
!

!
!
!
! !

!
!
! !
!
!
!

!
!
!
!
!
! ! ! !
! !
!
!
!
! !
!
!
! !
!
! ! ! ! !
! !
!

!!
!
!
! ! !

!! ! !
!
! !

0
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
1 Bronze Age ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

2 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

3
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !
4 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
5 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! !
0
! 1
Post Bronze Age !
! !
!
!
!
!
!
! !
! ! ! ! !
!
!

! ! !
!

!
! !
!
! ! !
! ! ! ! !
! ! ! ! ! !
!!!!! ! ! ! !
! ! !
!
!

! 2 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
!
!! ! ! !

! 3
! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !

! 4
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
!! !! ! ! ! ! !
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

! 5 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! !

! 6
! ! ! ! ! !
! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!
! ! !
! ! ! ! ! !
!
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

! 7 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !! !
!!
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! !

! 8 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! !
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! !!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! !
!
! ! ! ! ! !
9 ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
! ! ! ! !! !! ! !
! ! ! !
! ! !
! ! ! ! !!! ! ! ! !
! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !! ! !

! 10 - 11
!
! ! ! !
! !
! !
! ! !
! ! ! ! !!
! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
! !
!
! !!
! !
! ! ! ! ! !
!
!

0 ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! !
1 Medieval
2
! ! ! ! !
!
!!
!
!! ! !
! !! ! !
! !
! !
! !
! !
!
! ! !

! !! ! !
! ! !!
3 ! ! ! ! !! ! !! ! ! ! !
0 5 10 15 20
4 Meters
! ! ! ! ! ! !! !

Geophysical anomalies confirm subsurface buildings, while the pottery establishes their date

Acknowledgements

T his pilot season was made possible by generous

funding from a Carnegie Trust Expedition
Grant and a University of Edinburgh Moray
Contact Information:

Dr. Andrew P. McCarthy, University of Edinburgh

Endowment Fund Grant. Sincerest thanks go to A.P.McCarthy@ed.ac.uk
Dr. Pavlos Flourentzos, director of the Department
of Antiquities of Cyprus, for permission to conduct Information on future Prastion-Mesorotsos
this first season of investigation. The Prastion- seasons at: http://www.shc.ed.ac.uk/archaeology/
Mesorotos Archaeological Expedition is a University events/fieldwork/2008/field_school
of Edinburgh and Lemba Archaeological Research
Centre affiliated project. Geophysical analysis was
Above: Panoramic view of the Dhiarizos Valley up to the
conducted by John Hunt of Mediterranean Geophysics
Troodos mountains. Prastion-Mesorotsos is situated on
and GIS images were prepared by Ben Blakeman of
Eachtra Archaeological Projects. the Valley floor, just right of centre.

37 past horizons
 Recipes for Archaeologists

J
ust for a change, I thought Id and arrives in store well before
write about ingredients. There are maturity. The result is that it is hard,
plenty of cooks who think that they has little flavour and may never
can get away with tossing some less- ripen.
than-wonderful ingredients into a
dish. The thinking seems to be that We in the so-called affluent nations
some reduction in quality here and are being swindled of the goodness
Annie Evans
there wont be noticed in the finished that is part of the nature of our fruit and
The Dig Cook
product. I disagree. vegetables. In the
In my view, the best case of the tomato,
result can only be Supermarket s u p e r m a r k e t
obtained by using chains have stolen chains have forced
the best possible and debauched growers to supply
ingredients. our fresh fruit a product that will
and vegetables withstand packing
I started thinking and transport and
about this while in look deliciously
Greece recently, cooking for the Mount red under the artificial lighting of the
Lykaion Project in the Peloponnese. stores. These tomatoes are a fraud:
The project is investigating an ancient they have very little taste. They are
mountain-top altar where sacrifices a pallid imitation of what a tomato
were made over a period of several ought to be.
thousand years. In Greece I came to
realise that while modern European Those people who are fortunate
nations may be better endowed with enough to travel to the Mediterranean
many facilities and products, a price in summer should venture into a
has been paid for convenience and market or village store to find out
the constant availability of foods that what peaches and tomatoes ought to
really ought to be seasonal. taste like. As a lover of good produce
Im offended and disgusted at the
In the seaside village of Limionas on way in which supermarket chains
the island of Chios I buy large, golden have stolen and debauched our fresh
peaches with rich red patterning fruit and vegetables. Until we refuse
on their skin. The scent of the fruit to buy such rubbish the supermarkets
is intense. Their flesh is soft and will continue to stock fruit and
perfectly ripe. vegetables that are an insult to nature
and their customers. Where possible,
This fruit has come straight from the I buy produce from farmers markets,
tree, picked at the very last moment the farm gate or stores that specialise
and ready to eat. It wont last: within in local products.
24 hours it will be past its prime but
right now it is peach perfection. I The following recipes for stuffed
know of nowhere in my world where vegetables provide the vegetarian
I can buy peaches as good as these. alternative that is an essential
Stone fruit in supermarkets in the element in the days meals at any
USA, UK and Australia is picked too field project.
early, often travels a great distance
The Dig Cooks website
http://www.digcook.com
past horizons 38
Quantities are for 30 people with the dish intended as the vegetable component of the main meal of the day.
Triple the quantities if this is to be the entire meal.
Ingredients
15 firm ripe medium-sized tomatoes
15 medium-sized green peppers (capsicums)
15 small eggplants (long and thin or globular)
15 zucchini
1 kilo potatoes (2.2 pounds)
500 ml (2 cups) olive oil
15 spring onions (shallots), finely chopped
METHOD
T o prepare vegetables carefully cut the tops off the
tomatoes and retain to use as lids. Scoop out the
flesh and seeds and set aside in a bowl. Repeat with the
capsicums, carefully removing and discarding white pith
and seeds.
If the eggplants (aubergines) are the long thin type, cut
lengthways and scrape out the insides keeping the skins
intact. Put the flesh in with the set-aside tomato flesh. If
the eggplants are globular, use small ones. Cut the tops off
and set aside. Scoop out the flesh and set aside with the
tomato flesh. Small eggplants should not need salting.
The zucchini are treated in the same way. Peel potatoes, cut
into wedges and set aside. In a large frying pan heat 150
ml of the oil and add the shallots. Cook for three minutes
then stir in garlic, cinnamon, rice, tomato, eggplant and
zucchini flesh.
Add enough water to cover the mixture and simmer,
covered, for 10 minutes until rice is tender and most of
This dish can be served hot or cold and is wonderful with warm, crusty bread.
1 kilo long grain rice
8 cloves garlic
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
salt and pepper
1 large bunch chopped fresh parsley
1 large bunch chopped fresh mint
the liquid has been absorbed. Stir the parsley and mint
into the rice filling. Taste and season as necessary with
salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
Pre-heat oven to medium (180 degrees centigrade or 350
degrees Fahrenheit).
Arrange the vegetable shells in large roasting pans. Stuff
the vegetables with the rice mixture and replace the lids
on the tomatoes and peppers and the halves to eggplants
and zucchinis.
Pour enough water into the pans to just cover the bases.
Place the potato wedges into a plastic bag with one
tablespoon of olive oil and shake until thoroughly coated.
Place potatoes around and on top of the stuffed vegetables.
Drizzle remaining olive oil over the vegetables and bake
for 50-60 minutes or until the vegetables are well cooked.
Baste the vegetables with the pan juices several times
during cooking but try not to disturb them as they may
39 past horizons
 M ichal Birkenfeld is a 28-year-old archaeologist from
Jerusalem, Israel. She currently works and studies at the
Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
She has recently finished her MA, focusing on GIS applications
and the site of Kfar HaHoresh, where she has been excavating
since 2002. She intends her PhD research to focus on Southern
Levantine Early Neolithic.

What was your first archaeological experience?
Back in high school. I spent a summer excavating at
the Tel of Yavne-Yam. All it took was one summer,
excavating by the beach with students from all over the
world and I was hooked!
What period of history interests you most?
My main focus is actually in Pre-history: Early
Neolithic: the beginning of agriculture, the onset of
villages, of gods and religion.
What country do you enjoy visiting and why?
Anywhere new and interesting. I especially enjoy
trekking and the outdoors, so any country that supplies
beautiful sceneries will do.
Top three essential items for travelling?
Music, a warm fleece jacket and a good camera.
What book are you reading right now?
To be honest, Ive just finished my MA thesis, so all
Ive been reading of late are articles But I have a
long list of must read!
What new skill would you like to learn?
One of my dreams is to learn how to fix my own car! I
want to buy an old army 4X4 and fix it up like new all
by myself.
Do you prefer survey or excavation?
Surveys are always fun: seeing new areas and discovering
new sites or spots no-one knew of. However, excavation
is, in my opinion, much more fulfilling, especially when
you get to see how much progress youve had at the end
of a long season.
What do you like most about the country you live
in?
I love the weather, almost always sunny and pleasant.
I also love the fact that it is so small. You can drive
across the whole country in about seven hours, but the
scenery changes constantly from green mountains, to
the sea-side, to the deserts of the Negev.
What are the most important skills a good
archaeologist should possess?
A good eye and a lot of patience are the basic skills any
good archaeologist needs, I think. Of course, luck never
hurts.
What is your current obsession?
As I said before, I just finished my MA. I need a new
obsession!
What is the worst job youve done?
Telemarketing. Horrible job!
Do you think archaeology should be taught in
schools?
Of course. I think every child should be given the
opportunity to study past cultures, as it will give them
a new perspective on present-day life. I also think its
important to be familiar with ones cultural heritage.
Knowing the past will get you a long way in the
future!
If you werent an archaeologist, what would you
do instead?
Probably a veterinarian, or maybe a canyoneering and
repelling instructor. But to be honest I cant see myself
doing anything else. Being an archaeologist has been
my dream since I was a kid. I love every minute of it.

past horizons 40
exhibitions You can follow a direct link to a website
where you see this symbol:

Catastrophe! The Looting and

Destruction of Iraqs Past

The goal of the exhibition is to encourage people

to think about the importance of archaeology and
cultural heritage throughout the world.

Web: http://oi.uchicago.edu/museum/special/catastrophe

From the Land of the Golden Fleece:

Tomb Treasures of Ancient Georgia

Spectacular treasures from ancient Georgia, the land to

which the Greek hero Jason led the Argonauts in search
of the Golden Fleece. This exhibition offers a unique
insight into a fascinating ancient culture on the eastern
shores of the Black Sea.

Web: http://www.tzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/whatson/exhibitions/article.html?1414

Byzantium 330 - 1453

Highlighting the splendours of the Byzantine

Empire, the exhibition will comprise around 300
objects including icons, detached wall paintings,
micro-mosaics, ivories, enamels plus gold and
silver metalwork. Some of the works have never
been displayed in public before.

Web: http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/byzantium/about

41 past horizons
 CERAMICS
Past Horizons takes a look at some of the courses, projects and
research groups involved in the study of ceramics.

utah pottery project : Recording, interpreting and protecting our global inheritance
A public archaeology programme where students will work alongside community members in research teams.
Teams will combine clues from excavation with evidence from oral history, experimental archaeology, material
science and archival research. Students help to interpret discoveries to visitors both at the site and in blogs on
the web. The excavation results will be used to build an operating replica pottery at the Iron Mission State Park
Museum in Cedar City, Utah, United States.
Course dates: 11 May - 26 June 2009
Web: http://www.ss.mtu.edu/faculty/Scarlett/Summer/FieldSchools.htm

Continued Professional Training for Ceramic Archaeologists

The Medieval Pottery Research Group, with funding from English Heritage, is running a series of training courses
in 2008 and 2009. The courses are designed to provide career development for archaeological ceramicists who
work on a freelance basis within commercial archaeological units, in universities or the museum sector. Each
course runs for two days and costs 50 per person.
Web: http://medievalpotterynews.blogspot.com/2008/09/continued-professional-training-for.html

MA Ceramic and Lithic Analysis for Archaeologists - University of Southampton,

United Kindom
This course is an ideal entry to commercial archaeological ceramics/lithics analysis, or to further academic
research. Start date, October 2009
Web: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/archaeology

The Recording and Analysis of Artefacts and Pottery - University of Sussex,

United Kingdom
Identify, interpret and record the main types of archaeological finds (from prehistoric to postmedieval) resulting
from fieldwork in southeast England. Handling sessions form an important part of the course. Spring and Summer
terms 2009
Web: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/cce/1-2-16-4.html

Study Group for Roman Pottery Medieval pottery research group

Membership is open to all those interested in the study of
Roman pottery, whether actively working in, researching,
interpreting or teaching the subject - both professionals
and amateurs. Information about the group is disseminated
via a Newsletter, which provides details of meetings,
working parties, ongoing research and publications.
Bringing together people with an interest in pottery
that was made and traded in Europe from the end
of the Roman period to the 16th century. The remit
now includes 17-19th century pottery from both sides
of the Atlantic, and post-Roman ceramic building
materials.

Web: http://www.sgrp.org.uk Web: http://www.medievalpottery.org.uk/index.htm

past horizons 42
 A selection of digging opportunities
from around the world for 2009

Tasmania - Archaeology Alive: 11-21 January 2009

An annual summer archaeology programme at Port Arthur, inviting participation from volunteers with
diverse backgrounds in field and laboratory-based work.

Web: http://www.portarthur.org.au/pashow.php?ACTION=Public&menu_code=500.100

Bulgaria - Avgusta Traiana-Beroe-Borui: 19 July - 16 August 2009

The field school project relates to rescue excavations covering Roman to Late Antique periods.
Lectures, workshops and field training will be given.

Web: http://www.bhfieldschool.org/bh2007.atbb.html

Western Sahara - Western Sahara Project: October - November 2009

Focuses on the identification of new archaeological sites and sampling of environmental materials for
scientific dating, in order to improve understanding of past climatic and environmental changes.

Web: http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/~e118/WS/WSahara-volunteers.htm

Belgium - Protohistoric Olloy-sur-Viroin: July 2009

Training excavations at a protohistoric fortification and necropolis. The courses are organised
by Les Forges St. Roch, in collaboration with the University Libre de Bruxelles.

Web: http://www.archeostage.com/stages_uk.htm

Australia - Applied Heritage Management Field School: 19 January - 14 February 2009

Workshops and practical experience in archaeology, cultural awareness, ecology, geomorphology and land
management.

Web: http://www.naturalheritage.org.au/Field_School.html

C yprus - Early Christian Basilica: October - December 2009

The eight week placement presents an exciting opportunity for up to six archaeology graduates
from the UK to gain experience of archaeological excavation in Cyprus.

Web: http://www.grampusheritage.co.uk/GrEASE%20Cyprus.htm

Israel - Tel Dor: July - August 2009

Devoted to investigating one of the largest coastal cities in ancient Israel. Participants will be
engaged in all facets of state-of-the-art field archaeology.

Web: http://dor.huji.ac.il/registration_Liz.html

Transylvania - Dacian Fortress - 5 July - 8 August 2009

Excavation of a fortified acropolis where human skeletons and weapons, both Dacian and Roman have
been found inside the burned houses destroyed by Emperor Trajans legions during the Daco-Roman wars.

Web: http://www.archaeotek.org/home

These are just a small selection of opportunities around the world.

To see more go to: http://www.pasthorizons.com/WorldProjects

43 past horizons
 O
ften we look at the buildings that make up our visible past, as dead or old
fashioned, as things to enjoy, but not to utilise in the present. Perhaps now,
given the fears relating to water, energy and food production, it is time to affect
a change in policy and look at how those buildings could lead the way to a new, more
sustainable, future.

For example, how many old mills with water wheels and lades are lying deserted and
unloved because we have decided we have no use of them any more? Over the past few
years in my role as a development control archaeologist for a local council I was dismayed
that several such mills were closed or demolished to make way for new housing. It seemed
a logical step to utilise the power that flowed beside and beneath these structures to
provide power for the new houses, but this requires investment that few people as yet seem
prepared to take on. Another good example, a local visitor attraction close to my house
by david is constantly struggling to break even. It actually has a working mill lade system and
connolly waterwheel, but rather than turning this into an asset that could both power the building
and produce stoneground flour, it is left as a relic of a bygone age. It could so easily be
a centre that attracts people to show how the past was powered and how this could be
applied to the present.

For more on the

The wealthier a nation gets the less likely it is to produce its own food, preferring to
Qanat (underground
import it from other countries. Many of our old estates with their walled gardens and
water channels)
orchards which once sustained micro economies have been left to fall apart, the glass
www.qanat.info/en/
houses smashed, the walls collapsing. It is heart-breaking to see this happening, but we
introduction.php
are told that it would cost too much to reinstate. Yet, how much does it cost to import the
very produce that we are capable of growing ourselves? Every apple may not be a uniform
A look at how to
size (like the supermarkets tell us they have to be), but we would have the satisfaction of
retain the essence of
knowing that they got to our plate from just down the road and didnt travel to us from the
a historic building
other side of the world on ships, planes and lorries. Maybe in the future we will look back
while utilising
and think how absurd this all was when munching on our heritage apple.
renewable energy
has already been
Water management is also of great importance to the world today, and it is no coincidence
undertaken by
that many of the driest places used to be fertile. Managed properly, the Roman hinterland
English Heritage
of Lybia, and the complex systems of irrigation tunnels and cisterns that once supplied the
www.britarch.
Merv oasis in Turkmenistan, used the available water to produce sustainable farmlands. In
ac.uk/conserve/
the case of Merv, this system supported over a million inhabitants. With proper management
clrenewable.html
and forward planning there would be no need to pump out the great quantities of fossil
water , a precious resource that can take 15,000 years to replenish, if the existing water
could be utilised in a way that has already been proven to work.

David Connolly
is the director
The past should not just be seen as a dusty relic. The technologies applied were, in many
of British instances, much more sustainable than the ones we employ today. Archaeology can play
Archaeological its part in the understanding and recording of these systems in order to inform modern
Jobs and Resources engineering. Indeed, heritage organisations can also play their part by creating workable
Website (BAJR)
plans for properties in their care, making them a sustainable role model for the future.
www.bajr.org
David Connolly
past horizons 44
 How did you get started in archaeology?
Film Review

by Chris Davern
The Stone of Destiny
Directed by:
Charles Martin Smith
Starring: Charlie Cox, Kate Mara,
Billy Boyd, Robert Carlyle and
Brendan Fricker
M
y interest was kick started by my dads bed-time stories
about mythical places like Troy, Mycenae etc... and having it
explained that archaeology had proved they were all real! When I
was 16, after telling my careers teacher at school I wanted to be an
archaeologist and getting laughed at, being told I had no chance, I
gave up. Then at 20 I heard about the MSC* (Manpower Services
Commission) and applied. For my very first interview I thought Id
make an effort; polished boots, clean jeans (I even got my mum to
iron them!) and a plain T-shirt. There were five other young men
in the waiting room with suits and ties on who all got interviewed
before me. So I finally got my interview and there were four blokes
also in suits and a field officer, fresh from site, who took one look
at me and said, Unlike the others I can see you dont mind getting
dirty - the cheek! So much for tarting myself up, but I was the one

S ince the dawn of time

itself Scottish kings were
crowned seated on the sacred
who got the job. The rest, as they say, is history...
Dirty Dave Lincoln

Stone of Destiny. Then in * The MSC was set up in the UK in the 1970s as part of a government
1296 the fiendish Edward programme to get people into work. In fact, many archaeologists entered
I of England nicked it and the profession through this scheme, which is now no longer in operation.
installed it in Westminster
Abbey. And thats where The
Stone of Destiny stayed until
Christmas Day 1950, when it
was liberated by four daring
Scottish students

The Scotland depicted is an Shes dead sarge...

austere land of embittered Its the worst case
defeatists crying into their of professional
beer, a situation idealistic law backstabbing Ive
student Ian Hamilton decides ever seen.
to rectify with one audacious
stunt. It is a promising idea,
but the film suffers from the
strict rationing of the period,
and humour, drama and
suspense are more scarce than
post-war bananas.

Stone of Destiny is a film as

dull and comfortable as the
protagonists sturdy woollen
pullovers, a sort of Ealing
comedy without laughs,
or Braveheart without Mel
Gibsons backside and the
stirring words that come out
of it.

We rate it:

45 past horizons
past horizons 46