Not-so-virgin rainforest

A remote area of the Amazon river basin was once home to densely populated towns, Science journal reports.

The Upper Xingu, in west Brazil, was once thought to be virgin forest, but in fact shows traces of extensive human activity.

Researchers found evidence of a grid-like pattern of settlements connected by road networks and arranged around large central plazas.

There are signs of farming, wetland management, and possibly fish farms.

The settlements are now almost completely overgrown by rainforest.

This also caught my eye:

Like medieval European and ancient Greek towns, those forming the Amazonian urban landscape were surrounded by large walls. These were composed of earthworks, the remains of which have survived.

Each community had an identical road, always pointing north-east to south-west, which are connected to a central plaza.

From the BBC. Related past posts here and here.

More colossal finds at Sagalassos

The head, right arm and lower legs of a huge statue of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius have been uncovered by archaeologists in the ancient city of Sagalassos in Turkey.

The 15-foot statue was originally located in the frigidarium, the coldest and largest room in the Roman baths at Sagalassos, where two other statues have already been found.

From the Telegraph.

Forensics of medieval warfare

Bradford University has an international reputation in paleopathology -- using skeletal remains to discover information about how a person died, how healthy they were, what they ate and where they lived.

Its academics played a key role in examining the findings from a mass grave in Towton, near Tadcaster, where the bodies of 38 soldiers from the War of the Roses were recovered.

Last week archaeology experts from 40 countries around the world, flocked to Yorkshire for a two-week course looking at Bradford University's findings.

Dr Knusel demonstrated how trauma injuries on the bone showed how the soldiers were injured in hand-to-hand combat with hand held weapons.

Full article here. The Towton Mass Grave Project website is here.

Qatar's new museum

If you happen to be driving through the desert near Doha, Qatar and notice an unusual number of Bentleys and Ferraris parked in front of a sand dune, you may find you're actually looking at the Museum of Modern Arab Art, a two-level, air-conditioned 350,000-square-foot facility celebrating over 10,000 works of art.

From a fairly flippant article in Gizmodo, which nonetheless has some nice renderings of the new museum building and links to the official Qatari government cultural heritage site.

New medieval reality show?

VISITORS to Scarborough Castle have the chance to find out about some of the worst jobs in history this weekend. . .

One of the worst was the gong farmer – an unfortunate soul who spent his day digging cesspits and emptying them once they had become full. . .

Another unsavoury job occupation was the traditional textile dyer, where workers would be treading urine-soaked cloth. Unsurprisingly, these people tended to be forced into living on the outskirts of town.

Full article here. For present-day bad jobs, however, this one is hard to top.

Ca' Rezzonico veil flap

The head of one of Venice's most prestigious museums on Wednesday apologized to an Islamic [i.e., Muslim] woman who was asked to leave by a guard because she was wearing a head veil.

The episode, which sparked controversy in the Italian media and rows between centre-left and centre-right politicians, occurred last Sunday in Venice's Ca' Rezzonico museum, which houses 18th century Venetian art.

Messy affair, not least regarding the messiness of the applicable Italian laws:

When she reached the second floor, a room guard told her she had to take off her "niqab," a veil which leaves only the eyes visible, or leave. . .

Italian anti-terrorism laws from 1975 ban people from wearing face coverings in public but they are rarely enforced in cases of Islamic veils.

From Yahoo News.

Thames shipwrecks survey

The largest-ever post-war salvage operation on the Thames has discovered seven shipwrecks up to 350 years old.

They include a warship that was blown up in 1665, a yacht converted to a Second World War gunboat, and a mystery wreck in which divers found a personalised gin bottle.

Some great photos, too, in the Daily Mail.

Michael Baxandall obituary

Michael Baxandall, who has died aged 74, was an art historian of extraordinary perceptive and analytical powers whose writings on painting and sculpture are as important as they are original.

I regret to say I never heard him speak, for I always found his books and articles so cogent and articulate. From the Guardian.