Archaeologica.org

WASHINGTON (AP) - It's more than idle doodling and the meaning is unclear. But there's one thing researchers are sure of: The insect, ear of corn, inverted fish and other symbols inscribed on an ancient stone slab is the earliest known writing in the Western Hemisphere.

The arrangement and pattern of the symbols suggest the ancient Olmec civilization was using written language roughly three centuries earlier than previously proposed.

"We are dealing with the first, clear evidence of writing in the New World," said Stephen Houston, a Brown University anthropologist. Houston and his U.S. and Mexican colleagues detail the tablet's discovery and analysis in a study appearing this week in the journal Science.

A large stone vessel, resembling a libation bowl, and now known as the Fuente Magna, was originally discovered in a rather casual fashion by a country peasant from the ex-hacienda CHUA, property of the Manjon family situated in the surrounding areas of Lake Titicaca about 75/80 km from the city of La Paz.

Now to the present day - A pre-Incan Pokotia monolith statue was discovered by a Bolivian archaeology team led by Dr. Bernardo Biados and Freddy Arce on January 4, 2002. Their research in the Pokotia, Tiahuanaco, and Lake Titicaca area is supported by The Honorable H. Enrique Toro, President of the Congress of Bolivia. The final picture at right is a "rubbing" of the script off the back of a stone monolith statue found at Pokotia, Bolivia, which is close to Tiuhuanaco, just below Lake Titicaca. It is quite feasible that the stones could date from 1000 AD, coinciding with the calculated date of the outburst

A 600-year-old mummy of a woman with her hands over her eyes and her face twisted in fear is just one of about 20 mummies that will soon go on display at the National Museum at Lima as part of the "Mysteries of the People of the Clouds" exhibit.

a woman with her hands over her eyes and her face twisted in fear

The trophy skull was found in what the archaeologists consider the VIP area of the cemetery. Special placement of llama bones, a distinguishing feature of Wari remains, alerted the archaeologists and volunteers that something special might be underneath. The skull had a large circular hole cut in its base, suggesting that it may have been put or held on a pole. A large hole in the back of the skull indicates that it may have been worn during special ceremonies like a large pendant. The skull also features a line cut across the frontal bone, which indicates removal of the scalp possibly for the cleaning, perhaps for use as a ceremonial vessel, and was later reattached to the skull with gold alloy pins

Tehran, 27 January 2007 (CHN Foreign Desk) -- The Archeology Research Center of Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) has started talks with the Archeology Department of the British Oxford University to study the chronology of Iran’s prehistoric sites, especially focusing on the transition from the Bronze to the Iron Age. The Center is planning to send samples of some prehistoric evidence found in these areas to the University for exact dating.

The new initiative is part of a preliminary plan that was recently approved by ICHTO’s Archeology Research Center titled: “Organizing Dating and Chronological Studies of Iran’s Pre-historic Sites with a Focus on Bronze and Iron Age Sites.” Director of the Center, Hasan Fazeli-Nashli and archeologist Mehrdad Malekzadeh have been appointed to implement the plan.

Fazeli Nashli had earlier announced that a budget request of 150,000 USD has been approved for this plan; however, the money has not yet been granted to the Center.

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