Site May Be 3rd-Century Place of Christian Worship

By Scott Wilson
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, November 7, 2005; Page A14

MEGIDDO, Israel, Nov. 6 -- Israeli state archaeologists have discovered mosaics, pottery and other remains of a Roman-era Christian building on the grounds of a high-security prison here. They say the site could be the oldest public place of Christian worship ever uncovered in Israel and perhaps one of the earliest such sites in the world.

The mosaic floor of the structure, buried beneath rock, soil and asphalt, was discovered Oct. 30 by an Israeli prisoner working on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority. The agency has been excavating the compound for more than a year to ensure that nothing of historic value is lost during an ongoing renovation project. At a news conference Sunday, Yardena Alexandre, a spokeswoman for the authority, called the discovery "one of the most important finds for the history of early Christianity."

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Site May Be 3rd-Century Place of Christian Worship

Indian art rediscovered in upstate New York

The Canadian high school archaeology teacher had rediscovered a rare example of Indian rock art long thought to have been erased by centuries of weathering. Scardera reported his find for the first time this fall at the Conference on Iroquois Research at The Rensselaerville Institute Conference Center.

The red ochre-streaked rock face was last recorded in a 1920 photograph kept by the New York State Museum in Albany.


Indian art rediscovered in upstate New York

"French, Canadians to explore Mazandaran caves"

LONDON, November 20 (IranMania) - Scholars from Lyon and Toronto Universities have asked to carry out excavations in the ancient caves of Mazandaran province in Iran, CHN reported.

Previous studies and excavations in the caves indicate that human settlement in Mazandaran province dates back to 40,000 years ago.

Mazandaran province, in the southern coastal line of the Caspian Sea, enjoys several unique caves such as Kushiman. Mazandaran is one of the most historical provinces of Iran, the inhabitants of which have lived in urbanized societies from the 5th millennium BC. Until now a lot of mysteries of the 5,000-year-old life of the people of the region have been revealed.


Iran News - French, Canadians to explore Mazandaran caves:

Digging into the past

Once a monastery, later Army barracks, and today the site of a future shopping mall, the northeast quadrant of what is now námestí Republiky has always reflected the changing face of Prague. During the initial stages of the ongoing construction of the 7.5 billion Kc ($303 million) Palladium shopping center project, archeologists have discovered the remnants of yet another era: the foundations of a 12th-century Romanesque palace.

The European Property Fund (EPF), the project's investor, has spent 100 million Kc on the archeological excavation. This is a requirement stipulated by law: Any investor planning construction in a historical area must first do an archeological survey of the site, and if archeological artifacts are found, he must finance further fieldwork.

More of this:

The Palladium site yields an unexpected bounty of archaeological treasure

Course Catalog
Out of the Cave: Prehistory in Fact and Fiction

Short story:
Out of the Cave: Prehistory in Fact and Fiction"

Nunavik?s first provincial park to open next year

KUUJJUAQ By this time next year, the first official visitors to Nunaviks first provincial park, Pingualuit, should be flying into a small airstrip near the unique Pingualuit crater ? the reason behind the park?s existence.


The crater, located 88 kilometres southwest of Kangiqsujuaq ? and not far from the Raglan nickel mine ? is the result of a meteorite that crashed there 1.4 million years ago. Inside the surrounding parks borders also lie the Puvirnituq River Canyon, home to gyrfalcons, peregrine falcons and rough-legged hawks, the ?Great Lakes Necklace? of lakes joined to each other by waterways and water falls, and a series of rolling hills.

Look at this at:
Nunavik first provincial park to open next year

"Roanoke buffs start new quest
Underwater, archaeologists dive for clues to Lost Colony"

ROANOKE ISLAND -- Sitting on the bow of his boat last week, underwater archaeologist Gordon Watts thought about what might be buried in the waters of Roanoke Sound.

Iron guns, perhaps, or bricks or ceramics, all more than 400 years old and abandoned by colonists who came from England, built a life and then disappeared ... to where?

The group of 116 colonists sailed from England and landed on Roanoke Island in 1587, only to vanish three years later.

Watts was looking for evidence of their lives. He and a three-man crew were working about 600 feet from shore on the northeast side of Roanoke Island in water less than 5 feet deep.

The original site could now be underwater, he said, because of erosion and rising sea levels.


More on this:

Roanoke buffs start new quest Underwater

Beaver tales

The Beaver may be getting long in the tooth, but it's hardly showing its age. In fact, thanks to a new look, a new editor and a resurgence of interest in our nation's past, Canada's history magazine feels younger than ever at 85.

"In the last 15 years, there's never been as much attention paid to Canadian history across the country in government, departments of education and the private sector," says Deborah Morrison, president of Canada's National History Society, which has published The Beaver for the last decade.

More on this:
The Beaver began...:

Board of Trustees for Canadian Museum of Nature to Meet in Thunder Bay

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(CCNMatthews - Oct. 3, 2005) - From October 4 to 6, the Board of Trustees of the Canadian Museum of Nature (CMN), Canada's national natural history and natural science museum, will meet in Thunder Bay. The trustees, who come from across Canada and meet quarterly, convene once a year in the home community of one of their members.

"I am pleased to showcase our region to my colleagues on the Board," says trustee Roy Piovesana, a Thunder Bay resident and archivist/historian with the city's Roman Catholic Diocese. "Each of us is tremendously proud of our communities and the opportunity to guide the Museum and its national projects." Mr. Piovesana has published widely on the history of Thunder Bay and northwestern Ontario and is a former head of history at Hammarskjold High School.

A Crown corporation, the CMN's roots date back over 150 years to the early years of the Geological Survey of Canada. Originally the National Museum of Canada and later the National Museum of Natural Sciences, it was created in the late 1800s to safeguard the GSC's collections. A public exhibition facility was built in the early 1900s and the stately Victoria Memorial Museum Building in downtown Ottawa continues to display Canada's natural treasures. The majority of the CMN's collections are preserved in the Museum's Natural Heritage Building in Quebec.

"The Canadian Museum of Nature's President and CEO, Joanne DiCosimo, and I are very pleased to be holding our quarterly board meeting in Thunder Bay. With board members from across the country, this meeting provides a wonderful opportunity for our trustees to explore this beautiful part of Canada," states Ken Armstrong, Chair of the CMN's Board of Trustees.

The CMN houses a collection of more than 10 million earth and life-science specimens, which includes approximately 60 beautiful pieces of Ontario's official gemstone - amethyst - from the Thunder Bay region, renowned for its bountiful deposits of this popular variety of quartz. Ranging in size, the largest specimen is about 50 cm wide - a dark purple mass of crystals - which originated from the Thunder Bay Amethyst mine east of Elbow Lake (now Amethyst Mine Panorama). Some of the CMN's amethysts also came from the Noyes Diamond Willow mine on the north side of Big Pearl Lake.

The flora and fauna of Northwestern Ontario are also significantly represented in the Museum's collections, with almost 12,000 catalogued specimens. These range from 1,400 lichens to more than 800 fish and 870 molluscs from remote lakes and streams, to 4,500 plant specimens carefully preserved in the National Herbarium. Each specimen helps to understand the ecosystems surrounding Thunder Bay, and some show scientists how plants and animals adapt to the conditions of living in urban areas. The collection even includes slide-mounted samples of pollen, which can be used to compare modern plants to ancient fossilized specimens of the same plant Chimaphila umbellata: (Prince's-pine or Pipsissewa; a form of the dwarf shrub Wintergreen).

In addition to attending regular committee and board meetings, the trustees will tour Fort William Historical Park, The Thunder Bay Art Gallery, The Thunder Bay Museum, and the Amethyst Gift Centre. After each event, they expect to meet with guests from a variety of educational, business, and cultural organizations in the region.

Link is there:
Board of Trustees for Canadian Museum of Nature to Meet in Thunder Bay

Archaeologist wants site protected from water plan

Evidence of prehistoric campgrounds ? one more than 1,300 years old ? may be in the path of a proposed east-side reservoir that?s considered a key to providing future drinking water to Colorado Springs.

A University of Colorado at Colorado Springs archaeologist says he has uncovered artifacts suggesting three prehistoric ?occupations? by ancient nomads at the Jimmy Camp Creek area as early as 665 A.D.

To protect the site, Bill Arbogast, the archaeologist who is a research instructor in the UCCS anthropology department, said he will nominate it for listing on the Colorado Register of Historic Places. He?ll submit the paperwork as soon as the city signs off ? required because the city owns the land.

More at this site:
Jimmy Camp Creek:

'He changed the lives of so many'

"FARMINGTON -- A glimpse into the life of a dynamic teacher, mentor and archaeologist during a memorial service for him Monday drew a picture of an inspiring scientist on a dogged quest to learn how and where some of the earliest people lived and thrived. James B. Petersen's legacy will be his work uncovering ancient civilizations inhabited 8,000 years ago in the Amazon rain forest. He also broke ground by uncovering the existence of native cultures that lived in the Northeast 10,000 years ago. Petersen, 51, was shot to death Aug. 13 during a robbery at a small restaurant in the town of Iranduba, Brazil, about 1,800 miles northwest of Rio de Janiero. He and a group of colleagues were dining together after a day of field work on their Central Amazon Project when the attack occurred. Petersen was a professor at the University of Maine at Farmington from 1983 to 1997 and founded the Archaeology Research Center, which has developed into a major archaeology consulting organization in the Northeast. At the time of his death, he was chairman of the University of Vermont's anthropology department."

Farewell to M. Petersen:
'He changed the lives of so many' :

'Empires at War: The French and Indian War and the Struggle for North America

"'Empires at War: The French and Indian War and the Struggle for North America, 1754-1763,' by William M. Fowler Jr.: Walker, 332 pages, $27.

To the extent that Americans know much at all about the French and Indian War, they probably do not consider it one of the first world wars or realize its importance in setting the context for the American Revolution.
In his finely written narrative, 'Empires at War,' William M. Fowler Jr. attempts to rectify these deficiencies and bring that conflict to center stage. He wants readers to understand that it was something more than the setting for several novels of dubious merit written by James Fenimore Cooper."

In the spring of 1754, a Virginia militia company led by a young major general, George Washington, attacked a small group of French soldiers at Jumonville Glen near present-day Pittsburgh. The battle lasted no more than 15 minutes, but the war it ignited would shape the course of world history.

The American portion of the conflict, known as the French and Indian War, actually comprised but part of a broader conflict known as the Seven Years War, with fronts in Europe, North America, Africa and India.

From Pondicherry to Quebec and around the globe, British forces won victories that shifted the balance of power from France toward Great Britain.

In North America, a continent long contested by these two European rivals, Great Britain took Canada from the French, setting the stage for French support of the United States during the Revolutionary War.

Fowler's narrative effectively conveys the view from William Pitt's London as well as that of military commanders in the field. The Battle of Quebec takes a significant place in this finely written history of the war.

Brief biographical sketches of both major and minor civilian and military officials help readers keep the "cast of characters" straight.

"Empires at War" is primarily a military history of the French and Indian War. Chapters devoted to "Lining Up Allies," "French Victory, English Defeat," and "The Fall of Quebec" reveal this focus.

That focus is both a strength and a weakness. Readers interested in military history will no doubt find the accounts riveting reading, while people interested in the social outcomes of the war or the perspective of Native American combatants may be disappointed.

Nonetheless, "Empires at War" offers an excellent introduction to a war that with some reason might be included among the "turning point[s] of modern history."

Edward L. Bond teaches History at Alabama A&M University.

From the news site:
French war shifted balanceto Britain:

Local group wages David-and-Goliath battle to build historic fort replica

In 1749, though, the French controlled Canada and the entire Mississippi Valley to New Orleans, pinning in the rapidly growing 13 British colonies. But New France had only about 80,000 people settled in its sprawling colony while the British colonies' population was over a million.

Picquet's purpose was to convert the natives to Christianity, and to support the French.

The pallisaded fort was built at the confluence of the Oswegatchie and St. Lawrence rivers where it held a strategic importance as a barrier to preventing English access to the St. Lawrence and as a link in the French supply route from Quebec to the forts and settlements in the Great Lakes basin.

The fort served as a base for raids on English settlements in New York and Pennsylvania. During the 1750s, Picquet attracted more than 3,000 Indians from different tribes to live there.

In 1760, the French abandoned the fort as a force of 12,000 British soldiers approached. The British renamed it Fort Oswegatchie.

During the Revolutionary War, the British used the fort as part of their supply route and to spring attacks on American patriots in New York's Mohawk Valley.

In 1796, the United States claimed the fort as part of the Jay Treaty. A rifle regiment occupied the fort at the outbreak of the War of 1812, conducting raids on the British bases along the Canadian side of the St. Lawrence River.

Over the years, the old French fort was abandoned and fell into ruin, then oblivion. In the 1830's, the site became a shipyard, and in the 1860's, a railroad yard and station, its designation into the 20th century.

More on this story:
Local group wages David-and-Goliath battle to build historic fort replica

The Government of Canada Commemorates the National Historic Significance of the Hopital-General de Quebec Cemetery

QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC--( Sept. 16, 2005) - The Honourable Stephane Dion, Minister of the Environment and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, today unveiled a Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque commemorating the national historic significance of the Hopital-General de Quebec Cemetery.

"This cemetery, which has existed for nearly 300 years, is steeped in the history of Quebec and Canada," said Minister Dion. "Today, through the records kept by the Augustines, it continues to enhance our knowledge of the Seven Years War and other significant events that have shaped our nation. On behalf of the Government of Canada, I wish to thank the congregation for its precious contribution to preserve our collective heritage."

The Hopital-General de Quebec Cemetery, one of the oldest still remaining in Quebec City, holds more than 1,000 graves of Canadian, French, British and Amerindian officers and soldiers who died during the Seven Years War (1755-1763), of which 277 died during the battles of the Plains of Abraham (1759) and of Sainte-Foy (1760). Their names, places of birth and even sometimes their ages have been recorded in the parish register by the Augustines, creating an invaluable document for future generations.

Recognizing the historic importance of this exceptional site, which was identified as a cultural icon by Quebec in 1977, the Quebec Ministere de la Culture et des Communications has provided the Augustines with the necessary financial resources to conserve and present the cemetery. It was designated as a national historic site of Canada in 1998. In 2001, the Augustines mandated the Commission de la capitale nationale du Quebec to lay out, maintain and preserve the cemetery for future generations. Improvement work on the cemetery, the construction of a mausoleum to Montcalm, the creation of a memorial to the victims of the Seven Years War and the installation of interpretative panels, have created a large and impressive commemorative area for the public.

Created in 1919, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada advises the Minister of the Environment regarding the national historic significance of places, people, and events that have marked Canada's history. It is one means of informing the public about the richness of our cultural heritage, which must be preserved for present and future generations.

(Also available on the Internet at www.pc.gc.ca under What's new.) 

"Russian scientists find new rock drawings beyond polar circ"

Russian scientists have found new rock drawings on the only historical monument of ancient culture in Chukotka, the Russian Far East, an expedition member said Friday.

Mikhal Slobodzyan said the expedition, organized by the Archaeology Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, explored the monument 40 years after Russian geologist Nikolai Samorukov had found the first 103 paintings, or petroglyphs, on the Kaikuulsky steep of the Pegtymel river.

News from Russia

New rock drawings beyond polar circle

"Planning begins for Champlain's 400th anniversary"

Every 50 years, Samuel de Champlain becomes big business in Vermont.

President William Howard Taft joined a crowd of thousands in Burlington in 1909 to watch a floating re-enactment of Champlain's 1609 "discovery" of the lake that bears his name.

In 1959, on the 350th anniversary of the first visit by a European to the region, a parade of canoes carrying 70 war-painted teenagers traveled the lake in birchbark canoes, wowing crowds at every stop. New York and Vermont promoted the event to draw visitors from across the country.

Now Vermont has begun to plan for Champlain's 400th anniversary in 2009, hoping to draw the world's attention -- and tourist dollars -- to the region.


For more news on that:
Champlain 400th Anniversary in Vermont:

Heating System Confirms Ancient Kingdom Was ???

"The largest 'ondol' heating system dating from the Barhae kingdom has been unearthed in a nearly intact state in Russia's Maritime Province, confirming the kingdom to have been a Korean settlement.

Ondol, literally 'warm stone', is an under-floor heating system where flues carry hot gases below the living space. They were a distinct feature of Korean dwellings and are not found in the remains of Chinese, Khitan or Jurchen homes.

Answer to continue here:
Heating System Was Korean
"

Stone axes highlight 10,000 years of commuting in stockbroker belt

"ARCHAEOLOGISTS have uncovered an important Stone Age site in the heart of Surrey".

An excavation has turned up flint tools and cooking pots from about 10,000 years ago at the site on the North Downs. The area, which bears the remains of cooked meals, campfires and flints shaped into tools by people who visited the North Downs around 8,000BC, is believed to contain one of the most important Mesolithic excavations in Britain."

Britain, :

Bones reveal first shoe-wearers

"Sturdy shoes first came into widespread use between 40,000 and 26,000 years ago, according to a US scientist".

Humans' small toes became weaker during this time, says physical anthropologist Erik Trinkaus, who has studied scores of early human foot bones.
He attributes this anatomical change to the invention of rugged shoes, that reduced our need for strong, flexible toes to grip and balance.
The research is presented in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

The development of footwear appears to have affected the four so-called 'lesser' toes - excepting the big toe."

Bones reveal first shoe-wearers

India and Canada Governor

"Like the Indian President, the Canadian Governor General gives assent to bills okayed by the two houses of Parliament, appoints the Prime Minister and his team and judges, serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the nation's armed forces (of just above 60,000 personnel compared to Indian Army of 1.1 million alone) and receives foreign dignitaries and envoys.But there is one big difference. India is a republic where the President is elected -- indirectly -- by its lawmakers at the state and federal levels. On the other hand, Canada is a constitutional monarchy. The Canadian Governor General is appointed by the British Queen at the recommendation of the Canadian Prime Minister. Thus the Governor General serves as the representative of Queen Elizabeth who is also the Canadian monarch (During her visits to Canada, the Queen takes over the role of the Governor General. Queen Elizabeth has been to Canada for about two dozen times since taking over five decades ago). Curiously, Canada shares its monarch (the Queen) with more than a dozen Commonwealth states."


Another woman occupies top post : HindustanTimes.com:

"Peru's ancient bureaucrats used knotted-string devices as ledgers

Harvard anthropologists find evidence that 'khipu' were used to track accounting data

CAMBRIDGE, Mass - Anthropologists at Harvard University have found evidence that ancient Inka accountants shared numbers across their sprawling bureaucratic hierarchy using khipu, aggregations of knotted strings that served to record information in the Andean empire. The finding sheds new light on the uses of khipu, used by Inkans in lieu of the two-dimensional writing favored by other ancient civilizations."


Peru's ancient bureaucrats used knotted-string devices as ledgers:

Nunavut Web Site News

" A plan to open a Danish consulate in Iqaluit shows Denmark and Canada are more neighbours than enemies, despite their dispute over who owns Hans Island, the tiny rock located between Ellesmere Island and Greenland."


Link others news: Nunatsiaq News

The 'Gouge' thing

German scientists are tickled pink after unearthing one of the world's oldest sculpted phalluses - 20cm of polished siltstone lovingly created around 28,000 years ago.

The stone schlong was discovered in Hohle Fels Cave near Ulm, Swabia, by a T?bingen University team. Professor Nicholas Conard, from the university's snappily-named department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, explained the excitment to the BBC thus: "Female representations with highly accentuated sexual attributes are very well documented at many sites, but male representations are very, very rare."

Indeed, although other examples of male genitalia - from France and Morocco - predate the Ulm member, to have "any representation of male genitalia from this time period is highly unusual". 


The prehistoric "tool" was reassembled from 14 fragments of siltstone.

Link: The Thing

Fur Trade Canada

For Your Information:
Alberta: How the West was Young - Fur Trade and Mission History


Fur Trade Canada

Important Links

The Fur Trade and Historical Archaeology:
A Bibliography

Compiled By Michael A. Pfeiffer
This Version: 13 January 1999

1st Link :
Fur Trade Bibliography

Planarch

Based firstly on developing an understanding of the legal and organisational frameworks for dealing with archaeology and then working together on specific issues relating to the integration of archaeology within the planning process, including:

? Improving field techniques for detecting and establishing the nature, extent, date and quality of archaeological remains potentially affected by development and other activity - this has to underpin effective decision-making relating to management of the archaeological resource at successive stages of knowledge.
? Developing best practices in managing heritage records
? Sharing experience about the story of the Planarch region as told by archaeology
? Improving best practice in reducing the impact of development on archaeology
? Strengthening the links between archaeology and spatial planning
? Promoting awareness of the rich heritage of the Planarch region

Follow this: Planarch - Planning and Archaeology in North West Europe

Appalachians is a picture of history

"Say Appalachia and pictures of coal mines and poverty probably pop into most Americans' minds. But the area has a rich history that says a lot about who we are as a country."

Episode 1 :
When the first European settlers arrive in the Allegheny, Cumberland, and Blue Ridge mountains in the 17th century, they trade and intermarry with the Shawnee, Choctaw, Creek, and Cherokee who have lived there for centuries. But by the mid-18th century, the swelling pioneer population leads to decades of combat on the Appalachian frontier that eventually forces the natives out. As the Scotch-Irish and other immigrants settle in, the isolation of the mountains helps preserve the cultural traditions they have brought with them. The men of Appalachia fight bravely in the American Revolution, but then rail at taxes and regulations imposed by the new American government. Evangelical revivals sweep the region in the 18th and early 19th centuries, and traditional music mingles with the rhythms used by African slaves to form a glorious new gospel music.

And it's also accountable for this side of the frontier.....

Documentary by KET1 :
Appalachians is a picture of history

Also by : The Appalachians is a three-hour film series with companion book from Random House and soundtrack CD from Dualtone Records

Archaeological wonders are under the sea

In September 2004, an ancient bronze statue was discovered.

"Athens - The recent discovery of the remains of a shipwrecked 4th century BC vessel, nicknamed Kythnos I after the Greek island near which it was found, is the latest testimony of the archaeological riches still submerged in Greek waters.

It also demonstrates the technological advances that underwater archaeology has made in this country in recent years.

Greece has no shortage of skilled archaeologists. But when it comes to underwater research, it is only recently that the Greek ministry of culture has begun mixing academic knowledge with hi-tech wizardry."

Try this one : Archaeological wonders are under the sea

Academics search for wreckage of ancient warships

"HISTORY MAKING: Researchers are hoping to find artifacts of ships from a battle in 480 BC, where the Greeks defeated an invading fleet in a battle said to have changed histor"

THE GUARDIAN , ATHENS
Tuesday, Jun 21, 2005,
Link: Academics search for wreckage of ancient warships

Church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Presentation

"The Church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Presentation, located in Shawinigan-Sud, was designated as a national historic site of Canada in 2004 in recognition of its interior decoration, executed between 1942 and 1955 by Quebecois artist Ozias Leduc. It also contributes to the development of the Mauricie region heritage network, which includes two other national historic sites of Canada that are open to the public: the Forges du Saint-Maurice and the Former Shawinigan Aluminum Smelting Complex. Together, these places help to protect the historic heritage of the Mauricie region and to enhance our understanding of its important contribution to Canada's history, by making it accessible to everyone."
Link to this :

Parks Canada: National Historic Significance of the Church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Presentation

"Sage Advice in Archaeology: Think Like a Neandertha"

By CLAUDIA DREIFUS
Published: June 7, 2005
About three years ago, Dr. Ana Pinto, an archaeologist at Arizona State University, was driving past a natural outcropping in northwest Spain and - screech! - she put the brake to her car.

She had just spotted a limestone cave that she sensed might have once been settled by prehistoric humans.

"This cave at Sopeña is almost unique because it has signs of continuous hominid habitation for at least 60,000 years," she said. "This is an incredibly rare find. she said

Link : Sage Advice in Archaeology: Think Like a Neanderthal:

Fort Augusta

"Mr. Delle said the French and Indian War was significant because the British defeated the French and Pennsylvanians were the British at the time. 'This set the stage for America to independence,' he said. Fort Augusta was the largest fort in Pennsylvania at that time and a strong fort that discouraged attacks. 'The French and Indians tried to control the river route. 'There was no battle at Fort Augusta because it was such as strong point. Fort Augusta and Fort Hunter, north of Harrisburg, protected the areas along the Susquehanna River"
Eighteenth Century drawings he has show the fort as diamond-shaped. They are searching for the northeast corner bastion. In 1930, an excavation revealed evidence of a southwest bastion. In 1981, evidence of the moat was found during a dig. A dig in 1993 was done near the powder magazine on the other side of the property.
Link : Fort Augusta

Just a Lonesome Traveler, the Great Historical Bum

by Douglas K. Charles
"After the Ice: A Global Human History, 20,000 to 5000 B.C. Steven Mithen. xvi 622 pp. Harvard University Press,
2004. $29.95
After the Ice offers a fascinating whirlwind tour of an underappreciated segment of human history. Author Steven Mithen, professor of early prehistory and head of the School of Human and Environmental Sciences at the University of Reading, has created a complex, multilayered account of life from 20,000 to 5000 B.C., during the late Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic period"

American Scientist Online - "Just a Lonesome Traveler, the Great Historical Bum" :

The Ontario Archaeological Society

Partners to the Past: Making Connections in the Ottawa River Valley
2005 Symposium, November 3, 4 and 5, 2005
Petawawa, Ontario
"The programme will feature themed and general sessions including an overview of the Ottawa River Valley's archaeological heritage, the role of the Ottawa River in the economic development of Canada, and contributed papers from our
membership."

Link to : OAS 2005 Symposium

Hunters find skeleton, could be 2,000 years old

"Discovery of a 2,000-year-old human skeleton through natural erosion is uncommon, but there is little scientific value associated with the American Indian remains unearthed recently in northeast Nebraska, the head of archaeology for the State Historical Society said Wednesday. Hunters found the remains three weeks ago in the hills near Newcastle. "

By ScottsbluffGering, Nebraska
Link : Hunters find skeleton, could be 2,000 years old

Ancient graves cast new light on history

Scotsman.com News - Sci-Tech -
By - JONATHAN LESSWARE

"ARCHAEOLOGISTS have unearthed more than 200 medieval skeletons on a farm. The graves were discovered when a farmer struck bones while ploughing a field near North Berwick, East Lothian. Archaeologists have described the find as 'extremely interesting'. They have also uncovered the remains of a chapel, thought to be medieval or older and a number of other artefacts including medieval ring brooches. The discovery was made at Auldhame Farm near Tantallon Castle."

Read this at : Ancient graves cast new light on history

Sixtieth anniversary of D-Day

The truth about the Second World War
-- By Alan Woods

''The story of D-Day has been told many times. It has made a powerful impression on the public through films such as The Longest Day and, more recently, Saving Private Ryan. The recent celebrations, accompanied by a steady stream of television documentaries, have revived the stories about the heroic invasion of France, the terrible cost in human lives, the sacrifice and the bravery. All of this is true. But it does not tell anything like the full story.''
Read this :
The truth about the Second World War

Fouilles archéologiques à Price

La municipalité de Price effectue présentement des fouilles archéologiques sur les terrains où seront construits ses futurs bassins d'épuration.

Il y a plus de 8000 ans les lieux étaient fréquentés par plusieurs tribus amérindiennes. Jusqu?à maintenant, une tête de couteau fabriquée dans de la pierre gaspésienne a été trouvée.

Une fois les fouilles terminées, d?ici une semaine, la municipalité ira en appel d?offres pour la reconstruction de son système d?aqueduc et d?égouts et la construction de ses bassins d?épuration. Des travaux de 7M$.

Les travaux attendus depuis 1986 devraient prendre fin à l?automne 2006.

Extrait vidéo (Windows Media): Fouilles archéologiques à Price

Defender of the faith revered

Paris-born Jesuit wove Catholicism into the fabric of Quebec

"Prominently displayed on the south choir wall of the ancient abbey church of St-Germain-des-Pres on Paris's left bank is a hand carved, polychrome bas-relief that commemorates an important event in the history of Canada and the Canadian Church. The scene portrayed is the consecration there of new Bishop Francois de Montmorency-Laval by Rome's Papal Nuncio on Dec. 8, 1658. Who was this cleric and why is he remembered there rather than in a cathedral ?''

By TED FITZGERALD
Special to the WCR
Quebec City, Que
Follow this : Blessed Francois de Laval

Bizkaiko Arkeologia eta Euskal Herriko Etnografia Museoa

"The Archaeological, Ethnographic and Basque History Museum of Bilbao : The museum is divided into a number of different sections: prehistory, fishing and the sea, the history of sheep farming, the iron and arms industries, trade and traditional arts and crafts such as ceramics and weaving.
The Archaeological, Ethnographic and Basque History Museum of Bilbao, situated in the old part of the city, next to the church of Santos Juanes, occupies the old Jesuit school of Jesueta de San Andres (1604) and the former Casa de Misericordia.
The museum is divided into a number of different sections: prehistory, fishing and the sea, the history of sheep farming, the iron and arms industries, trade and traditional arts and crafts such as ceramics and weaving. The exhibition is complete with an impressive model of the province of Bizkaia and there are a number of excellent pieces of popular furniture and religious artefacts on display throughout the museum.

Address
Plaza Unamuno, 4
48008. Bilbao
tel. 94- 415 54 23 y 94- 416 92 46

Opening hours
Tuesday to Saturday: 11 AM to 5 PM
Sunday mornings: 11 AM to 2 PM
Mondays and holidays: Closed

Ticket prices
School visits and groups of more than 20, must be booked in advance
Cost per person: 3 euros
Students and groups (10 ): 1.5 euros
Children of under 10 years of age and pensioners: free of charge
Day of the museum, Thursdays: free of charge

LINK : The Archaeological, Ethnographic and Basque History Museum of Bilbao

In the footsteps of Benedict Arnold

"Arnold, then still loyal to the American cause, left Cambridge, Mass., with his troops on Sept. 11, 1775; the force arrived outside the walls of Quebec two months later. The ensuing
battle, which began in a blinding New Year's Eve snowstorm, ended in defeat for the Americans. But perhaps more than the outcome, the 350-mile expedition is remembered for hardships the soldiers endured as they rowed and marched their way up the Kennebec valley, an ordeal popularized by Kenneth Roberts in his 1930 novel, 'Arundel.'

Link : Daily Facts - Historical

The Rich Prehistory of Etolin Island

April is Alaska Archeology Month
"Etolin Island's buried history is deep enough to keep archeologists busy for decades. Island sites represent thousands of years of use and hold details about the Alaska Native people who lived in the area."
Follow this : The Rich Prehistory of Etolin Island:

Canadian Genealogy and History Links

A compilation of resources and links related to Quebec history.

Follow this :Canadian Genealogy and History Links - Quebec

Samuel de Champlain arrival to Quebec in 1608

"From the Isle d'Orleans to Quebec the distance is a league. I arrived there on the 3rd of July, when I searched for a place suitable for our settlement; but I could find none more convenient or better suited than the point of Quebec, so called by the savages, which was covered with nut-trees. I at once employed a portion of our workmen in cutting them down, that we might construct our habitations there: one I set to sawing boards, another to making a cellar and digging ditches, another I sent to Tadoussac with the barque to get supplies, which was promptly accomplished through the zeal of all, and my attention to the work."
Modern History Sourcebook link :
Samuel de Champlain: The Foundation of Quebec, 1608:

nextMEDIA

'Within the research strand, 'next' will focus on the practical and the overlap between research and content production with an emphasis on commercialization potential. For example, one session will feature a demo of a new touch screen, 3D imaging technology, developed within the Artificial Perception Laboratory at the University of Toronto. 'The presentation will be a jumping off point for a model of how commercialization of such technologies can provide an extra revenue stream to content producers.'

The system utilizes novel methods in artificial intelligence and electrical engineering, and provides for a simple method of navigating through a large database of images and videos. Potential applications include multi-camera shooting of movies, visual archaeology and data storage, as well as online 3-D visualization and scene exploration.

Link : nextMEDIA

Arizona Archaeological Society

'The Arizona Archaeological Society was founded in 1964 as an independent, non-profit, state-wide volunteer organization to serve as a bond between professional archaeologists and avocational nonprofessional volunteers in order to foster interest and research in the archaeology of Arizona; to encourage better public understanding and concern for archaeological and cultural resources; and, to protect antiquities by discouraging exploitation of archaeological resources.'

Link: Arizona Archaeological Society

Archaeological Institute of America

'The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) is North America's oldest and largest organization devoted to the world of archaeology. The Institute is a nonprofit group founded in 1879 and chartered by the United States Congress in 1906. Today, the AIA has nearly 9,000 members belonging to 102 local societies in the United States, Canada, and overseas. The organization is unique because it counts among its members professional archaeologists, students, and many others from all walks of life. This diverse group is united by a shared passion for archaeology and its role in furthering human knowledge.'
Annual Meeting :
Annual Meeting

Full detail of this Institute :
Archaeological Institute of America - About the AIA - Who We Are

ACA - CAA

ARCHAEOLOGY AT THE EDGE
L'ARCHÉOLOGIE Á L'EXTRÊME POINTE
38th Annual Canadian Archaeological Association Conference
38e Congrès Annuel de l'Association canadienne d'archéologie

CAA 2005 to Nanaimo, BC
May 11-15, 2005

CAA 2005 is hosted by the Department of Anthropology, Malaspina University-College in Nanaimo, BC.  The meeting venues are the Best Western Dorchester Hotel and the Coast Bastion Inn; the distance between the two is just a quick 5-minute walk. 

This site will be constantly updated as new information becomes available : Canadian Archaeological Association - CAA 2005

Quebec History Link

L'Encyclopédie de l'histoire du Québec / The Quebec History Encyclopedia

''This site first began in 1997. Its first purpose was, and continues to be, to provide material of varied nature for the students registered in my class of HIS 951 - Quebec History, at Marianopolis College in Montreal. The course addresses Quebec history after the fall of New France; thus, it begins with the period of 1760-1763. Although a considerable amount of material, information, and tools for Quebec history exists in French, this is not always the case in English. From the beginning, it was my purpose to put into the hands of the students sufficient data so that they would gain as great an understanding of Quebec history, and of the Quebec people, as possible. When the site began, it came as a great surprise to me that there was a significant public outside of Marianopolis for the material posted here. There was evidently a need for serious academic material in English and the site seems to have fulfilled part of that need. In any case, I was frankly horrified at the low quality, and the general nature, of what was available about Quebec on the Internet. Thus, in posting material at the site, I keep in mind both the needs of my students and of the general public''


"L Encyclopédie de l histoire du Québec / The Quebec History Encyclopedia"Indians of Canada and Quebec/Les Indiens du Canada et du Québec:

The Reformed Church of Québec History

''A certain popular conviction would have it that French is synonymous with Roman Catholicism and that Protestantism is "the religion" of non-French-speaking races or nations. In reality, the Protestant Reform ("pro" meaning "for", "testatus" meaning "that which is attested to or proven": in favour of the truth) was initiated by a renowned Frenchman, Jacques Lefevre d'Etaples, professor of theology of the University of Sorbonne. His commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, written in l512, was God's instrument in the life of the famous German Reformer Martin Luther, and of many French Reformers, amongst whom were William Farel and John Calvin.''
For a lot more on this : Reformed Church of Quebec - Our History

Quebec in the Wikipedia

Quebec (le Québec in French) is the largest province in Canada geographically, and the second most populous, after Ontario, with a population of 7,560,592 (Statistics Canada, October 2004). Quebec's primary language is French, making up the bulk of the Francophone population in North America. The capital is Quebec City and the largest city is Montréal. The province's name is pronounced in English as either "kwuh-BECK" or "kuh-BECK", IPA: /kw??b?k/ or /k??b?k/; or in French as "keh-BECK", IPA: /ke??b?k/. A resident of Quebec is called a Quebecer (also spelled Quebecker), or in French, un(e) Québécois(e).
Link :Quebec - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Arctic attraction

From a wildly popular art exhibition to Inuktitut lessons, Inuit culture is all the rage in France.

''In Paris's grand old Musée de l'Homme, near the Eiffel Tower, the flow of fascinated visitors these days is steady. The museum's spotlight exhibition, Inuit: quand la parole prend forme (Inuit: When Words Take Shape), on display through March 27, offers a glimpse into a world almost unimaginably distant from the French capital: Canada's frozen Arctic.''
Link : Musée d'art Inuit | Art | Arctic attraction

Where have all the Neanderthals gone?

Held at New York University, "Neanderthals Revisited: New Approaches and Perspectives" asked researchers to tackle the place of Neanderthals -- the heavy-browed and muscular early humans often stereotyped as "cavemen" -- in human history.
Neanderthals lived mostly in Europe and the Middle East from at least 28,000 to 200,000 years ago, before disappearing mysteriously from the fossil record just as modern-looking humans moved into those regions.
Whether people today owe any ancestry to these earlier folks has roiled paleoanthropology for decades.
The debate is central to disagreement over the "Out of Africa" model for human development. Largely based on fossils and modern genes, that model suggests that modern-looking people, "Homo sapiens," appeared in east Africa as early as 150,000 years ago and moved outward before 80,000 years ago.
A less popular theory, the "multi-regional" model, holds that humanity springs from a combination of early modern people from Africa and older human species, such as Neanderthals.
For two days at the meeting, the scholars looked at new ways of analyzing old bones, discussing CAT scans of Neanderthal fossil skulls, mechanical differences between humans and genetic data.
Among the findings:
? Researchers from the Genome Quebec Innovation Center conclude Neanderthals could have contributed 0.1 percent of their genes to modern humans, and possibly none.

? Neanderthals were "very good" homebody hunters, sticking close to one region to find bison, deer and other prey. Early modern humans ranged far and wide on their hunts, in contrast, reported University of New Mexico researchers.
Source : Where have all the Neanderthals gone?

Small Town and human History

''Every historic structure within the streetscape relates to the other. When you remove one it diminishes the significance and the quality embodied in the entire unified experience.''

Full history and name-dropping of a Mass. Town :
Hingham's window into human history

The admiral's reliquary

An Extraordinary Historical Detective Story Shedding New Light on the Life of Britain's Greatest Naval Hero
"But these strategically important details have been overshadowed by the glamour and dash of Nelson himself. Something of a secular cult rapidly developed around the man and his legend. The Victory remains to this day on the books of the Royal Navy, preserved in dry dock at Portsmouth, a monument to greatness and audacity that mocks the present. The hero retains his votaries among naval persons, history buffs and English patriots: it is already impossible, even at this early date, to find accommodation anywhere in the vicinity of Portsmouth for the celebrations later this year of the 200th anniversary of Nelson's great victory of 1805."
Full story : The admiral's reliquary

Buried treasures of Toronto

'Owned by the City of Toronto, the objects range from 18th-century military uniforms and Lady Eaton's ostrich fan to 20th-century milk bottles and Blue Jays memorabilia. They make up the core collection around which the proposed Humanitas (Latin for humanity) museum will be built in the next five years. There are also a million archaeological fragments that will find a home there'
For more :
Buried treasures of Ontario

Catholic History of Quebec

Pour de nombreuses informations sur le Diocèse de Québec et les dates importantes de la formation des congrégations, un site à consulter.

CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Archdiocese of Quebec

Bringing history home

"A quest is under way to reclaim Amerindian antiquities taken from the Crystal River area more than a century ago by a pioneering - some say plundering - archaeologist."
"The archaeological state park's 14 acres lie about 2 miles west of U.S. 19 on Museum Point along the Crystal River. Moss-draped oaks, needle palms and southern red cedars blanket the bubbled ground like a tarp hiding secrets. A "midden," or village mound, stretches about 1,600 feet and consists of shell, broken tools, pots and animal bones. Steps leading up a 30-foot-high temple mound provide a towering river view. Burial mounds as high as 15 feet hide as many as 1,500 skeletons."
Full story at : St. Petersburg Times: published January 8, 2005 

Book on History of the Royal Navy

To Rule the Waves : How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World

"Herman leads us through the development of the British navy and shows how it promoted trade, nurtured colonies and dealt with such opponents as Spain, Holland, France and Germany in defending England and its globe-girdling empire. Crucial, of course, are accounts of prime movers -- from the navy's founders and early heroes (like John Hawkins and Francis Drake) to Samuel Pepys, George Anson and others who shaped and reorganized the institution and its funding. Herman vividly depicts the legendary Horatio Nelson in battle and in death, but also portrays James, Duke of York (the future James II) as an effective Lord Admiral and courageous tactical commander battling the Dutch in 1665, at one point being "bathed in blood and knocked to the deck by a severed head." Then there's Jack Fisher, who navigated Britain's navy into the modern age with revolutionary Dreadnought-class battleships, centralized fire control, torpedoes and submarines."
By Arthur Herman HARPERCOLLINS; 648 Pages; $26.95

Full informative dexcription at : History of the Royal Navy

Animation Found In Burnt City

" An animated piece on an earthen goblet that belongs to 5000 years ago was found in Burnt City in Sistan-Baluchistan province, southeastern Iran.

On this ancient piece that can be called the first animation of the world, the artist has portrayed a goat that jumps toward a tree and eats its leaves"
Full story at : The earthenware found in Burnt City
Thanks to : Boing Boing 

Mystery buoy washes ashore

"The buoy washed in late Sunday, between 24th Street South and Sunny Lane in Cocoa Beach.

Buoys are used as navigation beacons, for weather data collection and climate research. They can break loose in severe weather, posing a danger to passing vessels.

This isn't the first time a buoy has been found. A weather buoy broke loose 20 miles off Cape Canaveral during the recent hurricanes. Another weather buoy set about 120 miles off Canaveral was sent adrift during Hurricane Floyd in 1999."
Full story at: Ocean Artefact !