ARCHAEOLOGY GROUP - Recent Talks
At the first meeting of this group in Feb 09 were; Garry, Stella, Peter, Fay, Maureen, Marion and John.
At our first meeting, we discussed our future and heard about the Fishbourne Roman Palace. Located near Chichester, in Sussex UK, Fishbourne Palace is the largest domestic Roman building yet discovered north west of the Alps. It is about the same size as Buckingham palace, comprising four wings set out in the form of a hollow square with formal gardens in the centre of the square. It was constructed in the last quarter of the 1st century AD At the height of its glory it must have been very impressive both in size and in its luxurious appointments such as its under-floor heating [hypocaust]. In 1960, a digger was excavating a drain when the driver noticed something hard in the ground. The archaeologists who were summoned, located part of a mosaic floor which was one of many to be excavated. We saw colour photos of four of the mosaic floors which were in remarkably good condition. Read more about this site on www.sussexpast.co.uk
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Garry spoke about the SIPAN site in Peru where the Moche flourished up until 750AD. When local Archaeologist unearthed the grave of the “Lord of Sipan” this revealed the Moche and their way of life and Culture that had been long lost. The incredible find set in place the need for a fantastic Museum in the style of the Moche pyramids to house the incredible artefacts. |
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Gloria and Garry spoke about their recent visit to Petra in Jordan. With pictures and a video, one could see how expansive the site is requiring nearly two days to see the “open to public” areas. Meeting the Kiwi connection was an added bonus. Pictured here with Gloria, the son of a Kiwi nurse. His mother married a Bedouin and had two children. She recently published a book on her life in Petra called “I married a Bedouin”. |
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Maureen spoke about “Houses for the Elite at Ephesus”. 100 to 300 AD. Left are just two of the pictures she showed of this fantastic outdoor museum which is still being excavated. |
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Marion spoke about the Urumqi Mummies. These bodies which were buried up to 4000 years ago in Western China were mummified naturally by dryness, extreme cold and the salty nature of the terrain. The most remarkable features are the amazing state of preservation of the textiles and the fact that these people were not Chinese but possibly Celtic. |
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November meeting (last for 2009) at Barbara’s where she spoke about her recent visit to Turkey. Her subject the cities of TROY (yes there was more than one) and of course the wooden horse. Was there a horse? Certainly there is more than two today with one being from the movie starring Brad Pitt ! Computer users recognise a "Trojan horse" as something dangerous for a PC computer. Thousands of Trojan Virus’s. |
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