Archaeologists do it in holes: Tales from the stratigraphy

[Valmy]

Sometimes 15th century security is sufficient.

[Tonitrus]

Heavy tombs didn't help the Pharaohs. 

[Malthus]

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:

The 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.

[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

[Malthus]

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

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.

[Tamas]

So I guess the Aztecs did not make gold bars?

[Maladict]

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.

[The Brain]

Was it lost during the Nacho Triste?

[Oexmelin]

Was it lost during the Nacho Triste?

Most probably, yes. After having been taken from Molezuma.

[jimmy olsen]

Was it lost during the Nacho Triste?

Mmm....Nachos...

[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.

Dr. 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]

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.

Dr. 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."

Nice find, CC.

Nice to be reminded of reasoning from thousands of years ago, especially in this age of public stupidity.

[Malthus]

Neolithic well is allegedly oldest human built wooden structure ever discovered:

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/04/europe/wooden-well-oldest-czech-republic-scli-intl-scn/index.html

[The Minsky Moment]

Neolithic well is allegedly oldest human built wooden structure ever discovered:

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/04/europe/wooden-well-oldest-czech-republic-scli-intl-scn/index.html

They built the well and made the Neolithic great again.