Archaeologists do it in holes: Tales from the stratigraphy

Started by Maladict, May 27, 2016, 02:34:49 AM

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Valmy

Quote"This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed & unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you'll be bombed."

Zmiinyi defenders: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."

Tonitrus


Malthus

Quote from: Oexmelin on January 13, 2020, 02:48:07 PM
Quote from: Malthus on January 13, 2020, 08:54:36 AM
I hope they increase security over the tomb - now that everyone knows there is a pile of priceless objects inside it.

Apparently, the lid weighs more than a few tons. Which is why they did not even attempt to open the tomb.

From the article, it was the possibility of damaging the tomb itself, a major work of art, that deterred them:

QuoteThe tomb of the emperor in St Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna is considered a major work of late Gothic architecture. According to the researchers, a complete opening of the tomb was not possible without some degree of damage.

A thief with a sledgehammer may not care about the "degree of damage" to the tomb.
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane—Marcus Aurelius

Oexmelin

Perhaps. But to get through the slab may take quite a bit of effort, and attract quite a bit of attention in St. Stephen's Cathedral. One hopes.

In other gold related news, an analysis of a gold bar found in 1981 during a construction project in Mexico all but confirms it was part of Moctezuma's treasure, melted by Cortez and famously mostly lost during the Spaniard's retreat from Tenochtitlan.

https://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFKBN1Z90EA?fbclid=IwAR1uc51frTSiqtJ0ArlS9KmvJF5iE8bPPT656erjlP3V6_mUtg1ty7iprpI
Que le grand cric me croque !

Malthus

Quote from: Oexmelin on January 13, 2020, 06:23:11 PM
Perhaps. But to get through the slab may take quite a bit of effort, and attract quite a bit of attention in St. Stephen's Cathedral. One hopes.

A lot of art thievery relies on smash and grab - the smashing would of course attract attention, but the hope of the thieves is that the grabbing can be done quickly enough that the attention will not matter. That said, of course I have no idea if it is even possible to break into the tomb with hand tools. But even the attempt would be very bad.

This is an example - these thieves set fires, smashed their way into a museum, and made off with a trove of priceless jewels. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/25/thieves-steal-priceless-treasures-dresden-green-vault-museum

Quote

In other gold related news, an analysis of a gold bar found in 1981 during a construction project in Mexico all but confirms it was part of Moctezuma's treasure, melted by Cortez and famously mostly lost during the Spaniard's retreat from Tenochtitlan.

https://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFKBN1Z90EA?fbclid=IwAR1uc51frTSiqtJ0ArlS9KmvJF5iE8bPPT656erjlP3V6_mUtg1ty7iprpI

That is awesome. A direct physical link to the moment.
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane—Marcus Aurelius

Tamas


Maladict

Quote from: Tamas on January 14, 2020, 09:15:01 AM
So I guess the Aztecs did not make gold bars?

This is the article as posted by the archaeology department:
https://www.inah.gob.mx/boletines/8841-confirman-que-tejo-de-oro-del-mna-si-es-del-expolio-espanol-en-la-llamada-noche-triste

Unsurprisingly, it does not state that XRF was able to provide a precise date, as the Reuters article insists.

Oexmelin

Indeed. The dating rather suggests - in conjunction with written testimony - that those were slightly more ancient pieces that were melted down. Thanks for posting that.
Que le grand cric me croque !

The Brain

Women want me. Men want to be with me.

Oexmelin

Quote from: The Brain on January 14, 2020, 03:57:57 PM
Was it lost during the Nacho Triste?

Most probably, yes. After having been taken from Molezuma.
Que le grand cric me croque !

jimmy olsen

It is far better for the truth to tear my flesh to pieces, then for my soul to wander through darkness in eternal damnation.

Jet: So what kind of woman is she? What's Julia like?
Faye: Ordinary. The kind of beautiful, dangerous ordinary that you just can't leave alone.
Jet: I see.
Faye: Like an angel from the underworld. Or a devil from Paradise.
--------------------------------------------
1 Karma Chameleon point

crazy canuck

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/05/science/quadratic-equations-algebra.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=Science

Kind of archaeology related - trick Babylonians used to solve equations inspired this new method.

QuoteDr. Loh has not discovered something entirely new. Indeed, his method mixes together ideas dating back thousands of years to the Babylonians. But this is not how modern algebra textbooks present the topic.

"To find out that there's this trick from thousands of years ago that you can import into here is amazing to me," Dr. Loh said. "I wanted to share that as widely as possible."


mongers

Quote from: crazy canuck on February 05, 2020, 11:58:27 AM
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/05/science/quadratic-equations-algebra.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=Science

Kind of archaeology related - trick Babylonians used to solve equations inspired this new method.

QuoteDr. Loh has not discovered something entirely new. Indeed, his method mixes together ideas dating back thousands of years to the Babylonians. But this is not how modern algebra textbooks present the topic.

"To find out that there's this trick from thousands of years ago that you can import into here is amazing to me," Dr. Loh said. "I wanted to share that as widely as possible."

:cool:

Nice find, CC.

Nice to be reminded of reasoning from thousands of years ago, especially in this age of public stupidity.
"We have it in our power to begin the world over again"

Malthus

The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane—Marcus Aurelius

The Minsky Moment

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--Joan Robinson