Thousands of silver coins in a bronze bucket were found on the Baltic island of Gotland during a survey by Swedish archaeologists. The field where the cache was uncovered has produced several treasure finds in the past, which made it vulnerable to looters and prompted the investigation. The coins were probably minted in Germany during the Viking era, and may have been collected and placed in the bucket over time or all at once by a Viking merchant. “We’re certain there isn’t anything left there,” said Per Widerström of the Gotland Museum.

In Newtowne Neck, Maryland, a team of archaeologists is looking for a Roman Catholic chapel built in 1662 by Jesuit missionaries. They think the chapel stood in what is now a historic cemetery located about a half mile away from the current church, which dates to 1731. Excavation has shown that the cemetery contains more graves that the number of headstones would indicate. Broken glass, nails, and a possible post hole have also been found. The original chapel was closed in 1704 when Protestants regained power in England, and was torn down in 1719.

Farmers living in the Amazonian coastal savannas planted their crops in raised beds for hundreds of years before the arrival of Europeans. The farmers also constructed canals and ponds to manage the water supply. Such labor-intensive practices as these would prevent the loss of nutrients from the soil. A new study of soil cores, however, shows a dramatic increase in the amount of charcoal particles after 1492, indicating that uncontrolled fires were used to clear the land. Burning requires less labor, but it also makes the soil less productive. “In a time of climate change, we need an alternative way of managing these savannas that is fire-free, and this is a lesson we can learn from the past,” said archaeobotanist José Iriarte of the University of Exeter.

What had been thought to be an ancient standing stone in Wales has turned out to be the capstone to a rare Neolithic portal dolmen, or a 5,500-year-old ritual burial chamber. The capstone, which is covered with dozens of holes, was tilted on its side. Archaeologists had made note of the site in 1929 and 1972, but it had never been surveyed or excavated until recently. Fragments of decorated pottery and human bones have been recovered, along with two shale beads. Scientists are excited about the discovery, because bones and artifacts do not usually survive in the region’s acidic soil. “They will be able to extract a lot of information from the bones: where these people came from, where they lived, and whether they came from far,” commented Aron Mazel of Newcastle University.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Wednesday, April 11, 2012. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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