It's #GoodFriday, commemorating the #crucifixion of #Jesus which, according Christian tradition, took place in 1st ct. AD Judea (then a #Roman province).

While there are historic sources about this punishment method, archaeological evidence is scarce.

Some #EasterArchaeology: (Content warning: Images of human remains and some possibly rather explicit details of death and torture.)

Some #SundayArchaeology #Paleolithic haute couture:

These ab. 25-30k y/o so-called #Venus figurines have been discussed a lot as religious, health & fertility symbols, & mother goddesses.

But some of them offer s glimpse at another interesting, often overlooked details … A number of these figures also show a couple of details which might be interpreted as headdress - and even #clothing from the Upper #Paleolithic #Gravettian (of which we have little evidence otherwise).

In einem neuen Video gehen #funk & @Kurz_Gesagt der Frage nach, ob es in der langen #Erdgeschichte schon einmal höher entwickelte #Kulturen vor uns gegeben haben könnte - und werfen auch einen Blick darauf, was wir womöglich einmal hinterlassen werden:

funk.net/channel/kurzge… Ein interessantes Gedankenexperiment, das u.a. auch auf die sog. #SilurianHypothesis zurückgeht, wie sie z.B. 2018 von @ClimateOfGavin und @AdamFrank4 in einem im International Journal of Astrobiology (18(2)) veröffentlichten Aufsatz diskutiert wurde:

cambridge.org/core/journals/…

The Past and the Curious:

Studying the remains of past lives - (re-) constructing narratives of past events and people.

Who's going to claim the title of "#HistoryFirsrArchaeologist"?

Choose your player … Is it #Khaemweset, the ancient Egyptian crown prince (1281-1225 BC) who uncovered and restored ancient monuments of past rulers and renewed their funerary cults?

https://twitter.com/jens2go/status/1484958313825591299?s=20&t=NjcV_3axrTZNAbwaEBzRuQ

1.3 million people were sent to #Auschwitz extermination camp.

1.1  million people, among them 960,000 Jews (865,000 gassed on arrival), were murdered at Auschwitz.

#HolocaustMemorialDay #WeRemember #NeverAgain On 27 January 1945, #Auschwitz concentration camp was #liberated by the #RedArmy.

Most remaining prisoners had been forced onto death marches before, about 7,000 had been left behind.

#HolocaustMemorialDay #WeRemember #NeverAgain

Movie buffs would probably agree that “#KingdomOfTheCrystal” skull wasn't exactly the most exciting #IndianaJones instalment.

But did you know, there’s a real story behind the plot around the 'lost city' of #Akator and the #Ugha tribe - and that it is no less movie material? Okay, 'real story’ may be a bit of a stretch in this case, admittedly.

It's more 'story' than real, to be honest - but still, let's take a closer look ...

#HumanAnimalEntanglement. - Today: "The Curious Case of the #Dancing #Cranes".

1/ Among the many naturalistic animal depictions at early #Neolithic #GöbekliTepe in southeastern Turkey there are some bird depictions with suspiciously odd legs ... 2/ Generally, birds seem to take up a noteworthy role in the iconography at #GöbekliTepe (and other related #Neolithic sites).

The #cranes mentioned above in particular stand out due rather muscular legs and what seems a more human-like #anatomy, including 'knees' and 'toes'.

"Your task is not to foresee the future, but to enable it."

Remembering Antoine de #SaintExupéry - who #OnThisDay in 1944 disappeared during a reconnaissance mission in the Rhone Valley. Only in September 1998, a fisherman, Jean-Claude Bianco, found a silver identity bracelet ('gourmette') with the name of Saint-Exupéry east of Riou Island, south of Marseille - far from his originally intended flight path.

Another day in the office? - Ever wondered what we’re doing on such an #excavation day out there in the field?

Here‘s a "Tale from a Tell", some little thread from the #archaeologist‘s field #journal and #sketchbook: "4.30 o'clock. Ante meridiem. It's still dark outside, the dim light barely enough to distinguish a black thread from a white one: The muezzin just called the faithful to prayer and, probably unintentionally, the archaeologists to finally get up as well."

Thanks to @kimbiddulph it’s #Archaeology31 time again! - Starting with prompt number one: #new.

Which in this case is: New year, new journal. Empty pages waiting to be filled with thoughts, notes, sketches ... opportunities.

https://twitter.com/kimbiddulph/status/1344250268431560705

#Archaeology31 day 2, #future, offers a great chance to highlight a topic I found particularly interesting as of late:

How will an #ArchaeologyOfTheFuture look like - What do *we* leave behind for future colleagues?

(Weekend reading recommendations included. 😉)

"Indigenous peoples have suffered from historic injustices as a result of, i.a., their colonization and dispossession of their lands, territories and resources ..."

"Declaration on the Rights of #Indigenous Peoples" (#UNDRIP, 2007)

un.org/development/de… #IndigenousPeoplesDay Article 1:

"Indigenous peoples have the right to full enjoyment (...) of all human rights and fundamental freedoms as recognized in the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international human rights law."

motherjones.com/environment/20…

@PlutoPittbull Site chronology at Göbekli Tepe is not based on, but backed by 14C dates.

There are many other dating methods to set up a chronological frame in archaeology. @PlutoPittbull Archaeological dating by stone tool typology compared to other known sites: Late PPN A-PPN B.

Cf. e.g. Kozlowski & Gebel (eds.) 1996:

exoriente.org/docs/00061.pdf

Since we're all still here ... how about a little tour through the #Neolithic exhibition of Urfa's new archaeological museum?

Well, at least the part I'm somehow familiar with ... which means the Pre-Pottery Neolithic #GobekliTepe finds on display there.

https://twitter.com/jens2go/status/1251241875148812289

Before we start with the tour, let's just have a look at this sculpture right over here: It's so-called #UrfaMan (from Yeni Mahalle / Yeni Yol) - one of the oldest examples of a life-sized human statue, dating back to the Pre-Pottery #Neolithic as well.

dainst.blog/the-tepe-teleg…

But ... what about those '#handbags' these Neo-Assyrian eagle-headed temple-protectors are carrying around all the time? 🤔

Despite what popular TV shows want to make you believe, we actually do have an idea about these things - thanks to actual written historic sources ... This handbag .... it's a bucket!

Those eagle-guys are actually carrying around a bucket (Akkadian: "#banddudû") and, in the other hand, a purifier ("#mullilu"), pine or cone, to carry out specific rituals - we actually also know from historic texts.

#GobekliTepe‘s monumental T-pillars are actually giant #anthropomorphic sculptures. Got to admit that in the beginning of my work there, more than 12 yrs ago, I found it quite ... challenging to recognize this likeness. Until we finally excavated the 'hands & loincloth' part ... Of course #NevaliCori‘s pillars were already known for some time, complete with hands and stola-like garments. But their abstracted and stylised appearance (still impressively expressionistic to me, by the way) made it a bit of a challenge to easily accept their human shape.