HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Newsgroups: sci.archaeology
Subject: Re: Ice Ages, Magnetic Shifts, and Evolution
From: joltes@husc10.harvard.edu (Richard Joltes)
Date: 29 Sep 92 10:41:59 EDT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Harvard University Science Center

v187ef4y@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Patrick J Crowe) writes:
 
>I can understand there being a connection between ice ages and evolution, since
>the former have a profound impact on the distribution of environmental zones,
>but what's the connection with magneticc flip-flops, at least as far as archae-
>ology is concerned?
>Just asking.
>-Pat Crowe

Well, at least one connection is that the "grain" in certain types of magnetic
rock (hematite, for example) will polarize in the direction of magnetic north
as the molten rock is forming.  If said rock is undisturbed, we can tell which
way the magnetic field was pointing at the time of the rock's formation.  This
is extremely useful for paleontologists and geologists, and I believe that some
applications have been found for archaeology (anyone?).

I believe there have also been instances where campfire remains have been dated
using this trick--if the fire's been hot enough to allow the grain to resettle
somewhat...this is vague memory, though, and I'd really appreciate it if some
one else remembered more about it!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dick Joltes						joltes@husc.harvard.edu
Hardware & Networking Manager, Computer Services 	joltes@husc.bitnet 
Harvard University Science Center

Newsgroups: sci.archaeology
From: JAREA@UKCC.UKY.EDU
Subject: Rubbish!
Organization: University of Kentucky
Date: Sun, 4 Oct 1992 01:02:18 GMT

 
I have been disappointed several times on this board to see some who tend
to charaterise postings and views of others as "rubbish", intending clearly
to indicate that those postings and those views are valueless.  This is a
regrettable practice, considering the great value to archeology of rubbish!
From: nashton@uniwa.uwa.edu.au (Dr N G Ashton)
Newsgroups: sci.archaeology
Subject: ancient greek olive oil/wine presses
Date: 30 Sep 1992 15:19:01 +0800
Organization: The University of Westrn Australia
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: uniwa.uwa.edu.au
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5

seeking information as to any scholars who are working or have worked or
published works on the extraction of olive oil from olives and/or wine
from grapes in ancient greece
From: abw@natchez.bu.edu (Al Wesolowsky)
Newsgroups: sci.archaeology
Subject: GIS/Archaeology Position
Summary: Boston Univ GIS/Archaeology position
Keywords: Boston GIS Archaeology teaching
Date: 5 Oct 92 20:19:05 GMT
Organization: Boston University

W. M. Keck Foundation Professorship in
Remote Sensing and Archaeology

Boston University announces a new tenure-track faculty position at the
level of assistant or associate professor in remote sensing and
archaeology, effective September 1, 1993.  The professorship is named
in honor of the W. M. Keck Foundation, whose award to Boston
University has made the appointment possible.

The Ph.D. is required.  The ideal candidate will be an archaeologist
with both research and instructional background in remote sensing;
he/she will have had significant field experience; successful teaching
experience at the college level; and capabilities for leadership.  The
archaeological background of candidates may be either in Old World or
New World archaeology, prehistoric or historical, and/or in an
archaeological science.  Send nominations or applications, including a
vita and the names and addresses of three referees, by December 1,
1992, to the following address:

Professor James R. Wiseman
Faculty Search Committee
Boston University
Department of Archaeology
675 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA  02215

Boston University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer

-- 
Al B. Wesolowsky     abw@crsa.bu.edu 
Boston University    abw@acs.bu.edu
From: chris@xerox.com (Chris Heiny 73186 - SETA)
Newsgroups: sci.archaeology
Subject: Re: Ice Ages, Magnetic Shifts, and Evolutio
Date: 29 Sep 92 13:12:36 GMT
Reply-To: chris.wbst129@xerox.com
Organization: Xerox Corporation, Webster NY

The earth's magnetic field does not affect `the growth patterns of rocks` 
in the way you seem to think it does.  It does, however, affect how magnetically
sensitive crystals align themselves as lava/magma cools to form rock.  Note
that lava/magma (depending on where you are WRT the surface of the earth)
is liquid, not solid.  As the magma cools, small mineral crystals form.
Magentically sensitive atoms within the crystals tend to align themselves
with the earth's magnetic field.  This in turn imparts a magnetic field to
the crystal (and eventually the rock they make up) which is aligned in one
way when the earth's magnetic field is 'normal' (magnetic north near
geographic north) and the opposite way when the earth's magnetic field is
'flipped' (magnetic north near geographic south).

Note that the earth's magnetic field, while very large & pervasive, is (locally)
not very powerful - a refrigerator magnet easily overpowers it (as long as
you are within a couple of inches of the magnet), for example.  The magentic
field imparted to the cooling lava is very very very , and easily destroyed
by application of heat or a strong enough external magnetic field.  The direct
interaction of either the earth's magnetic field or a rock's magnetic field 
with most living organisms is usually negligible (altho some bacteria contain 
iron crystals that align them to the earth's magnetic field, and it is thought 
that some animals use magnetically sensitive organs to help them navigate).  
For most plants and animals, a magnetic pole reversal would be have no direct 
effect.

While magentic pole reversals have happened at (roughly) regular intervals in 
very recent geologic past, there are quite long periods in the earth's history 
where no reversals are recorded (I think that in the Cretaceous the field was 
particularly stable, for example).

There are quite a few proposals that magnetic pole reversals affect climate 
in some way - for instance, by allowing more/less solar/cosmic radiation to 
reach the earth, or by allowing more infrared to be radiated from the earth, 
or by changing the ionosphere in some way (which would in turn have some 
other effect), and so on.  I don't know whether such effects have been 
satisfactorily confirmed or not.  If such effects do happen, they could have 
an influence on climate.

sci.geo might be a good group to ask for more information on this.

						Chris
From: v187ef4y@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Patrick J Crowe)
Newsgroups: sci.archaeology
Subject: Re: Ice Ages, Magnetic Shifts, and Evolution
Date: 28 Sep 92 22:35:00 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <1992Sep28.213510.2118@eos.arc.nasa.gov>, kyrsten@eos.arc.nasa.gov
 (Kyrsten Swazey) writes...
>I was crushed in my archaeology class today to discover that the
>connection between these three phenomena has already been established.
>For a couple months i had been tossing uninformed and unresearched
>theories about the back of my head.  Alas, it has all been thought
>before...  Nevertheless, I was wondering if anyone out there could point
>me towards works and/or authors who have dealt with the
>inter-relationships of these things.  Also, if anyone has personally
>worked with this stuff I would love to hear what you have to say about
>the matter.
>Kyrsten :->

I can understand there being a connection between ice ages and evolution, since
the former have a profound impact on the distribution of environmental zones,
but what's the connection with magneticc flip-flops, at least as far as archae-
ology is concerned?
Just asking.
-Pat Crowe
_Spreading Evil, Pat Crowe's Autobiography_  New York, 1927
From: scls_ss@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Eric Scoles)
Newsgroups: sci.archaeology
Subject: Re: flint blades for medicine
Date: 3 Oct 92 01:54:21 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Rochester - Rochester, New York

In <1992Sep28.211941.18392@advtech.uswest.com> wwedel@uswest.com (Wally
Wedel) writes: 
>In article <30991@alfred.Teknowledge.COM> aterry@Teknowledge.COM (Allan 
>Terry) writes:
>> This isn't quite archaeological, but there seem to be a number of flint
>> knappers here.  I heard that some surgeons are starting to use flint 
>scapels
>> for certain specific operations (e.g., eye operations) because they are
>> sharper than steel.  I guess they use them once and throw them away.
>> 
>> Anybody know if this is true?  If so, where do they get the blades?  The
>> blades must be pretty small.  I'd find it amusing to discover a knapper 
>on a
>> hospital payroll, but rather doubt it.

>Dr. Payson Sheets at the University of Colorado does some of this with an 
>eye surgeon here in town.  They no longer use flint (if they ever did), but 
>special blends of glass. ...
>The idea of the new glass formulas and fabrication techniques is to 
>get the sharpness of obsidian with a stable edge. The blades are indeed 
>small. Eye surgeons think small!

The use of glass blades is common practice among entomologists.  They split
off a new one for each dissection.

>Wally Wedel
>U S WEST Communications
>4001 Discovery Drive, Suite 370
>Boulder, CO 80303-7813
>Internet: wwedel@uswest.com  AppleLink: D5100   Voice: 303-541-6052
-- 
Eric Scoles			: <<insert witty, pithy comment 
scls_ss@uhura.cc.rochester.edu  :    here >>
University of Rochester --------:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: sci.archaeology
From: wismith@amelia.nas.nasa.gov (William R. Smith)
Subject: Re: Egyptian life of the folk
Organization: NAS, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 92 23:01:49 GMT

Rob Dobson writes:

	BUT, since culture is not a collection of unrelated elements, but
	an integrated whole, wouldnt such changes as "art, the names of
	the gods {you can bet they're mostly called Allah now}, the
	language....all 20th century technology" actually cause
	significant change in a society?
	
	Also, societies are NOT static. Why would Egyptian culture have
	changed so little in thousands of years when Western culture has
	changed so much? And what about Islam? I doubt its effects have
	been slight....
	

An interesting question posed by Rob and one that gets at the heart of
archaeology.  Archaeology mostly studies material remains.  Ideas aren't
well preserved.  How would the adoption of Islam change the material
remains of a culture?  There might be fewer pig bones in the kitchen
scraps, assuming pig bones were in there before.  How do mosques differ
from other communal meeting places?

If the peasants decorated their pottery with human images, that may
change, but it might be difficult to know why.  Without writing how
would we know the names of gods?  The writing did change.  How literate
were the small villagers in the past.  How literate are they now?
Would there be books now?  Pens and paper?

So how do ideas, religions, governments, etc. change the material
culture?  Hmmm...



William Smith
Intel, SSD
Newsgroups: sci.archaeology
Subject: Bison kill sites
From: longshot@krypton.Mankato.MSUS.EDU (Erik J. Green)
Date: 3 Oct 92 19:36:26
Organization: Mankato State University


	Could someone out there post/email a list of paleoindian bison
kill sites in north america?  I was on a fieldwork trip today with a grad
student, and he mentioned that there are relatively few about.  I would
also appreciate any recommendations for good books/online papers on
the subject.

Thank you,
Erik

Erik Green
longshot@theory.cs.mankato.msus.edu
From: bz590@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (S. Buigues)
Newsgroups: sci.archaeology
Subject: Bronze and Iron Age art
Date: 4 Oct 1992 05:36:16 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
NNTP-Posting-Host: hela.ins.cwru.edu


I would like to make contact with anyone conducting research or with an
interest in how the process of orientalization reflects in the native
arts of the Western Mediterranean during the Bronze and Iron Ages.  I am
especially interested in the southern and eastern areas of the Iberian
Peninsula as well as on the Balearic Islands.
 
Me gustaria contactar con quien este investigando o tenga interes en como
el proceso de orientalizacion se refleja en las artes autoctonas del
Mediterraneo Occidental durante las edades del Bronce y Hierro.  Estoy
particularmente interesado en el levante y sur de la Peninsula Iberica
asi como en las Islas Baleares.
 
Santiago Buigues
E-mail:  bz590@cleveland.freenet.edu
 
 
Newsgroups: sci.archaeology
From: wismith@amelia.nas.nasa.gov (William R. Smith)
Subject: Re: Ice Ages, Magnetic Shifts, and Evolutio
Organization: NAS, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 92 21:03:15 GMT

James Renfro writes:

	someone,  explain the mechanism of the _flip_ in the magnetic
	field.  Does it happen  slowly, as Chris perhaps suggests - a
	few degrees per thousand years - or does  it occur suddenly


Reasons for it are matters of conjecture at this point.  It does
occur rather quickly though.  I recently read (Science News, perhaps)
that a series of laval flows in Eastern Oregon "trapped" a flip in
mid progress.  Flows at the bottom pointed one direction, flows at
the top pointed to the opposite pole, and flows in the middle were
pointing in several different directions.

I believe the time was measured in years (or even year, singular) and 
not in hundreds of years.



William Smith
Intel, SSD

Xref: sparky sci.archaeology:2516 sci.anthropology:926
Newsgroups: sci.archaeology,sci.anthropology
Subject: [GEN] Re: red paint people
From: claird@NeoSoft.com (Cameron Laird)
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 16:49:57 GMT
Distribution: sci
Organization: NeoSoft Communications Services -- (713) 684-5900

In article <ARA.92Sep28022740@camelot.ai.mit.edu> ara@zurich.ai.mit.edu (Allan Adler) writes:
>
>
>I just watched a great video called Mystery of the Lost Red Paint People.
>I have two questions:
>(1) where can I get a list of other great archaeology and anthropology videos?
>(2) is there a good book to read about the Lost Red Paint People?
>(3) What developments have taken place in the last few years since the video
>    was made?
			.
			.
			.
I have a soft spot for Lomax's "To Dance is Human", or
whatever it's called.  I suspect that professionals
nowadays cringe at some of the anachronisms in theory,
but it's superb educational stuff:  the dancers are
fascinating, and the scientific points are expressed
most understandably.

*American Anthropologist* and other, less widely-
available, periodicals review tapes and films.
Someone certainly should have compiled by now a hit
parade of favorites, by I don't think I've ever seen
one.  You could just start which whatever the MIT
libraries make available gratis, probably "Dead
Birds", Mead's "Four Families", "Nanook of the
North", and other oldtimers.

If you're serious about pursuing quality, call
ISHI (Institute for Study of Human something) at
215-732-9729 in Philadelphia, and ask them.  They
put out a great documentary on the Golden Triangle's
drug trade, and I believe they keep up with anthro-
pologic film in general.
-- 

Cameron Laird
claird@Neosoft.com (claird%Neosoft.com@uunet.uu.net)	+1 713 267 7966
claird@litwin.com (claird%litwin.com@uunet.uu.net)  	+1 713 996 8546
From: lizi@ocf.berkeley.edu (Cosma R. Shalizi)
Newsgroups: sci.archaeology
Subject: Re: Ice Ages, Magnetic Shifts, and Evolution
Date: 29 Sep 1992 23:37:22 GMT
Organization: Vampire Research Group at Berkeley :)
Distribution: usa
NNTP-Posting-Host: earthquake.berkeley.edu

In article <1992Sep28.213510.2118@eos.arc.nasa.gov> kyrsten@eos.arc.nasa.gov (Kyrsten Swazey) writes:
>I was crushed in my archaeology class today to discover that the
>connection between these three phenomena has already been established.
>For a couple months i had been tossing uninformed and unresearched
>theories about the back of my head.  Alas, it has all been thought
>before...  Nevertheless, I was wondering if anyone out there could point
>me towards works and/or authors who have dealt with the
>inter-relationships of these things.  Also, if anyone has personally
>worked with this stuff I would love to hear what you have to say about
>the matter.
>Kyrsten :->
   I don't know about magnetic shifts, but William Calvin's _Ascent of Mind_
(maybe _Ascent of the Mind_?) is on climate shitfs (including the ice ages)
and the evolution of human intelligence. Seemed good to me, but then I'm
only a physicist.
	Cosma Rohilla Shalizi
	In Real Life: lizi@ocf.berkeley.edu
	larval physicist

-- 
"Some savages are persuaded by the 'natural light' that it is their duty to
 eat people, and even Voltaire's savages, who are led by the voice of reason
 to hold that one should only eat Jesuits, are not wholly satisfactory."
-Bertrand Russell on Rousseau in _A History of Western Philosophy_, p. 694
From: mike@fionn.lbl.gov (Michael Helm)
Newsgroups: sci.archaeology
Subject: Re: Egyptian life of the folk
Date: 4 Oct 1992 18:36:58 GMT
Organization: N.I.C.E.
Reply-To: mike@fionn.lbl.gov (Michael Helm)
NNTP-Posting-Host: 128.3.128.60

There's a wonderful [== I enjoyed] popular treatment in John
Romer's "Ancient Lives" TV show & book.  This was about the 
New Kingdom village of artists who built & decorated the
tombs (so it while it may not be completely representative
of everyday life, you gain the advantage of literacy & extensive
art byproducts & official Pharaonic gov't documentation).

Sometimes the TV series recirculates on PBS or Discovery.
From: art@acc.com (Art Berggreen)
Newsgroups: sci.archaeology
Subject: Re: Concrete Pyramids
Keywords: Egyptian Pyramids Concrete
Date: 3 Oct 92 02:26:00 GMT
Organization: ACC, Advanced Computer Communications

In article <752@capmkt.COM> charles@capmkt.COM (Charles Neveu) writes:
>I've heard that someone claims that the Egyptian pyramids are not made of 
>quarried rock, but of concrete. Does anyone know the source of this rumor?

I wonder if it's because the original pyramids were finished on the
exterior with a facing made from blocks of limestone.  Limestone is
the raw material cement is manufactured from.  The bulk of the pyramids
was definitly quarried blocks (granite, if I remember correctly).  Most
of the limestone was later stripped for other building projects.

>Thanks
>Charles Neveu
>neveu@milo.berkeley.edu

Art
From: charles@capmkt.COM (Charles Neveu)
Newsgroups: sci.archaeology
Subject: Concrete Pyramids
Summary: Are they?
Keywords: Egyptian Pyramids Concrete
Date: 2 Oct 92 02:38:11 GMT
Organization: Capital Market Technology

I've heard that someone claims that the Egyptian pyramids are not made of 
quarried rock, but of concrete. Does anyone know the source of this rumor?

Thanks
Charles Neveu
neveu@milo.berkeley.edu

Newsgroups: sci.archaeology,sci.anthropology
From: rwd4f@poe.acc.Virginia.EDU (Rob Dobson)
Subject: The chicken or the egg (Re: Egyptian life of the folk)
Organization: University of Virginia
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 16:07:09 GMT

WELL, since Ive x-posted this into sci.anth, Ill summarize the discussion
so far. It centers on how the "common folk" of egypt lived during the
age of the pyramids, and to what extent that has changed in the present.

Naturally, Islam, one of the most potent cultural forces in the region for
the last 1000+ years, has come up. Which leads us to:

In article <BvHy2z.7J5@cs.psu.edu> owens@psuvax1.cs.psu.edu (Robert Michael Owens) writes:
>all this raises a more basic question. how much does "religion" change
>the situation (in this case the life of early Egyptians) as apposed to
>how much the situation (in this case available building material,
>weather, water, food stuff, etc) change the "religion".
>

Chicken/egg questions like this are impossible to answer for the most part.
Culture is such a big 'thing' (inasmuch as it is a 'thing') with so many
different vectors and dynamics affecting it that one cant necessarily say
that one caused the other. Again, it is helpful to look at culture as a
unified whole; so that when one part of this whole changes, the whole
itself cannot help but change. Since change is happening constantly, and
usually in many different areas of the culture, looking for a cause 
frequently leads you around in circles.

Of course, this is all very much on the theoretical level as I know
pretty much nothing about the specific case of Egypt. And, of course,
'Egypt' spans a large area both geographically and chronologically,
so speaking of "Egypt" is probably a bit misleading.

-rob

and if sci.arch folks find this too anthopological, feel free to
direct it away.......


Newsgroups: sci.archaeology
From: jcsmrr@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu (John C. Sommerer)
Subject: Re: Sphinx
Reply-To: jcsmrr@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu (John C. Sommerer)
Organization: The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 13:17:32 GMT

The sphinx is supposed to be Khafre, not Khufu. It is located next to the 
causeway connecting Khafre's "valley temple" to Khafre's pyramid. There is an 
excellent, life-size diorite statue of Khafre in the Egyptian museum.


Newsgroups: sci.archaeology
From: lahaye@reg.triumf.ca (RAYMOND GABIN , TRIUMF OPERATIONS)
Subject: Re: Concrete Pyramids
Summary: Are they?
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Keywords: Egyptian Pyramids Concrete
Organization: TRIUMF: Tri-University Meson Facility
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 23:25:00 GMT

In article <752@capmkt.COM>, charles@capmkt.COM (Charles Neveu) writes...
>I've heard that someone claims that the Egyptian pyramids are not made of 
>quarried rock, but of concrete. Does anyone know the source of this rumor?
> 
>Thanks
>Charles Neveu
>neveu@milo.berkeley.edu
> 

No I do not. And it is the first time I hear of this silly rumor! 
It is not true!!!
From: pm@informatik.uni-kiel.dbp.de (Peter Miehle)
Newsgroups: sci.archaeology
Subject: Egyptian life of the folk
Date: 1 Oct 92 14:41:56 GMT
Organization: Dept. of Computer Science, University of Kiel, FRG


Does anybody know, how the normal people in Egypt lived?

Wat did they wear, eat. What pets they had. Which illnesses treated
them. In what houses they lived. How was the Layout of their towns.

Thanks and Tschuess
                    Peter
From: v129qp43@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Hugh Jarvis - Anthropology Dept.)
Newsgroups: sci.archaeology
Subject: Sphinx date
Date: 5 Oct 92 19:13:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

Sorry I don't have the precise details in front of me,
but as I recall, the sphinx has been suggested to be
older than the "official" date due to indications of
weathering on its (less-worked) body area.  These
are indicative of water erosion by rain only occuring
in those parts in the necessary amount quite some time
earlier than the traditionally accepted period of            
manufacture.  HOWEVER, the reply to this claim, by
those familiar with the Egyptian geomorphology has
refuted this claim.  Apparently the sphinx was 
carved into a fairly common rock outcrop feature
of the Egyptian desert.  These features do indeed
date back to much earlier erosional periods.  Thus
the new "date" measures the formation of the outcrop
and not the creation of the sphinx itself.

                           Hugh Jarvis
                           C129QP43@UBVM
Newsgroups: sci.archaeology
From: rspear@sookit.jpl.nasa.gov (Richard Spear)
Subject: thanks
Organization: Image Analysis Systems Group, JPL
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 20:22:36 GMT



thanks to all who responded to my request for info on remote sensing.
i have a (small) file of references available to anyone who might like
a copy...please request it through email.

--
richard
rspear@sookit.jpl.nasa.gov
all disclaimers apply