2012 in archaeology explained

The year 2012 in archaeology involved some significant events.

Explorations

• January - Discovery of a first-century farmhouse on the building site of the new stadium in the south of Marseille.^[1]

Excavations

• June 6 - Excavators from Museum of London Archaeology announce that they have uncovered the remains of the Elizabethan Curtain Theatre in Shoreditch.^{[2] [3]}
• August 24 - Philippa Langley in association with the Richard III Society, and Leicester City Council, engage University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS), and announce that they have joined forces to begin a search for the site of Greyfriars, Leicester, burial place of King Richard III of England.^{[4] [5]} On September 5 the excavators announce that they have identified the church.^{[6] [7]} and on September 12 it is announced that a skeleton discovered during the search could have been that of Richard III,^[8] a supposition confirmed in 2013.^[9]
• October - Remains of substantial Mesolithic buildings are identified in Britain at Echline in Scotland,^[10] Lunt Meadows at Sefton, Merseyside^[11] and from new investigations at Starr Carr in North Yorkshire.^[12]
• December - Archaeologists complete excavation of a 900-seat Athenaeum from the time of the Emperor Hadrian in Rome discovered during work on a Metro line at Piazza Venezia.^[13]
• Excavation of working-class back-to-back houses from the Industrial Revolution period at Chapel Street in Salford, Greater Manchester, England.^[14]
• Excavations at Holt Castle in Wales begin.

Finds

• January
  • The use of maize in Peru as early as 4700 BCE is confirmed.^[15]
  • Evidence for early Mayan tobacco use is published.^[16]
  • Discovery that the Vikings grew barley in Greenland.^[17]
• February 17 - Alabaster colossus of pharaoh Amenhotep III is discovered.^[18]
• March - Discovery of an inscribed doorjamb at Karnak giving the hitherto unknown titulary of pharaoh Senakhtenre Ahmose.^[19]
• March - A 7th century grave near Cambridge in England provides an early example of the transition from pagan Anglo-Saxon to Christian burial practices.^[20]
• March 30 - In Georgia, archeologists report unearthing jars containing what they believe to be the world's oldest honey.^[21]
• May - The oldest Mayan astronomical calendar discovered so far, from the 9th century, is reported from Xultun.^[22]
• May 9 - Archaeologists announce discovery on The Burren in Ireland of evidence of settlement from 6000 BCE.^[23]
• May 19 - The National Trust for Scotland announce that the first cursing stone to be found in the country, dated to circa 800, has been discovered on Canna.^[24]
• May 22 - The Bedale Hoard, a hoard of forty-eight silver and gold items dating from the late 9th to early 10th century AD is discovered in a field near Bedale, North Yorkshire by metal detectorists.^[25]
• June 25 - In the Channel Island of Jersey, the discovery of the Grouville Hoard of an estimated 30,000 – 50,000 Roman and Celtic coins by metal detectorists is announced.^[26]
• July
  • Discovery of 15th century underwear at Lengberg Castle in Austria is confirmed.^{[27] [28]}
  • The wreck of the polar expedition ship Terra Nova is discovered off Greenland by the Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel Falkor.^{[29] [30]}
• September - A beeswax filling is discovered in the cracked tooth of a Neolithic man in Slovenia.^[31]
• October - In Jersey, the Trinity Hoard of Bronze Age tools and weapons is discovered.^[32]
• November - 2,400-year-old golden treasure near the Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari, Bulgaria.^[33]
• December - Discovery near Canterbury, England, of a 1st-century Iron Age bronze helmet containing a bag of cremated human remains is announced.^{[34] [35]}
• Undated
  • Devunigutta Temple in India first reported.^[36]
  • Discovery of a rock inscription confirming the existence of Iry-Hor, the earliest ruler of Egypt known by name.^[37]
  • Cypriot pottery vessels excavated at Yehud in the land of Canaan (modern-day Israel) subsequently discovered to contain the earliest surviving evidence of opium for use as a narcotic.^[38]

Events

• February - Completion of whole genome sequencing on Ötzi (d. c.3255 BCE) identifies his paternal DNA with Sardinia.^[39]
• July - Mausoleums and a mosque in Timbuktu (Mali) are deliberately attacked by rebels, a war crime for which Ahmad al-Mahdi in 2016 pleads guilty before the International Criminal Court.^[40]
• August - The Krak des Chevaliers is shelled by the Syrian Army.^[41]
• November - Study from the Kathu Archaeological Complex in South Africa suggests that hominids, possibly Homo heidelbergensis, may have developed the technology of hafted stone-tipped spears about 500,000 years ago.^{[42] [43]}

Deaths

• July 19: Brian Dobson, British archaeologist notable for work on Hadrian's Wall and the Roman Army (b. 1931)^[44]
• July 29: James Mellaart, British archaeologist. (b. 1925)^[45]

See also

• List of years in archaeology

Notes and References

1. Web site: Marseille : Une ferme du Ier siècle au pied du Vélodrome. 2013-02-28.
2. Remains of Shakespeare's Curtain Theatre discovered in Shoreditch. Museum of London Archaeology. 2012-06-06. 2012-07-12.
3. News: Shakespeare's Curtain theatre unearthed in east London. The Guardian. London. 2012-06-05. 2012-07-12. Kennedy. Maev. Maev Kennedy.
4. Web site: Historic search for King Richard III begins in Leicester. University of Leicester. 2012-08-24. 2013-02-04.
5. Web site: Hunt for Richard III's remains under car park. ABC News (Australia). 2012-08-27. 2013-02-04.
6. Web site: Researchers find strong evidence for medieval church in Leicester where monarch was buried. University of Leicester. 2012-08-31. 2013-02-04.
7. Web site: Search for Richard III confirms that remains are the long-lost Church of the Grey Friars. University of Leicester. 2012-09-05. 2013-02-04.
8. News: Richard III dig: 'Strong evidence' bones are lost king. BBC News. 2012-09-12. 2013-02-04.
9. News: Richard III dig: DNA confirms bones are king. BBC News. 2013-02-04. 2013-02-04.
10. News: Scottish dig unearths '10,000-year-old home' at Echline. BBC News. 2012-10-18. 2012-12-27.
11. Web site: Significant archaeological discovery confirms Environment Agency habitat restoration work. Environment Agency. 2012-11-22. 2012-12-27.
12. Antiquity. Substantial settlement in the European Early Mesolithic: new research at Star Carr. 86. 334. 1004–1020. Chantal. Conneller . December 2012. etal. 10.1017/s0003598x00048213. 162889280.
13. News: Kington. Tom. Hadrian's hall: archaeologists finish excavation of Roman arts centre. The Guardian. 2012-12-26. 2012-12-30.
14. Web site: Mike. Nevell. Excavating Engels. archaeologyuos. 2012-12-25. 2016-11-16. 2016-11-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20161116164658/https://archaeologyuos.wordpress.com/2012/12/25/excavating-engels/. dead.
15. News: Study suggests ancient Peruvians 'ate popcorn'. BBC News. 19 January 2012. 2012-12-27.
16. The detection of nicotine in a Late Mayan period flask by gas chromatography and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry methods. Dmitri V.. Zagorevski. Jennifer A.. Loughmiller-Newman. 10.1002/rcm.5339. 22279016. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry. 26. 4. 403–411. January 2012. 2012RCMS...26..403Z.
17. Web site: Sybille. Hildebrandt. Vikings grew barley in Greenland. ScienceNordic. 2012-02-03. 2012-12-27.
18. Web site: Armenian archeologist finds colossus of pharaoh Amenhotep III. News.am. 2012-02-17. 2012-06-25.
19. Sébastien Biston-Moulin: Le roi Sénakht-en-Rê Ahmès de la XVIIe dynastie, ENiM 5, 2012, p. 61-71, available online.
20. News: Anglo-Saxon Christian grave find near Cambridge 'extremely rare'. BBC News. 2012-02-16. 2012-12-27.
21. Web site: Giorgi. Lomsadze. Report: Georgia Unearths the World's Oldest Honey. Eurasianet.org. 2012-03-30. 2012-06-25.
22. News: Maya art and calendar at Xultun stun archaeologists. BBC News. 2012-05-10. 2012-12-27.
23. News: 6,000-year-old settlement poses tsunami mystery. Andrew. Hamilton. 2012-05-09. Irish Examiner. Cork. 2012-06-29.
24. News: 'Cursing stone' found on Isle of Canna. BBC News. 20 May 2012.
25. Web site: Viking Hoard revealed in all its beauty. Northern Echo. 12 December 2014. 15 December 2014.
26. Web site: Roman and Celtic coin hoard worth up to £10m found in Jersey. BBC News. 2012-06-25. 2012-06-25.
27. Web site: Deborah. Basckin. Underwear dating back to the 15th Century found in Austrian castle. BBC News. 2012-07-30. 2012-12-27.
28. Web site: Medieval lingerie from Lengberg Castle, East-Tyrol . . 2012-07-23 . 2012-12-27 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160206041713/http://www.uibk.ac.at/urgeschichte/projekte_forschung/textilien-lengberg/medieval-lingerie-from-lengberg-castle-east-tyrol.html . 2016-02-06 .
29. Web site: Polar Expedition Vessel S.S. Terra Nova Discovered. 2012-08-13. 2013-02-04.
30. News: Scott's wrecked ship Terra Nova found off Greenland. Paul. Rincon. BBC News. 2012-08-16. 2012-10-06.
31. Beeswax as Dental Filling on a Neolithic Human Tooth. Federico. Bernardini. PLOS ONE. 7. 9. e44904. 10.1371/journal.pone.0044904. 23028670. 3446997. 2012-09-19. 2012PLoSO...744904B. etal. free.
32. Web site: News, Weather & Information for the Channel Islands - Bronze Age axe heads discovered. https://web.archive.org/web/20121129070441/http://www.channelonline.tv/channelonline/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=501794. dead. 2012-11-29. channelonline.tv. 2012-10-13.
33. Web site: Thracian Gold Treasure Discovered in Bulgaria. https://web.archive.org/web/20121113061329/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/11/pictures/121109-thracian-gold-hoard-treasure-bulgaria-science. dead. November 13, 2012. 2012-11-11. 2018-07-15. National Geographic. Washington, D.C..
34. News: Iron Age bronze helmet found on Canterbury farmland. BBC News. 2012-12-04. 2012-12-27.
35. Web site: A Late Iron Age helmet found near Canterbury. Canterbury Archaeological Trust. 2012. 2012-12-27. 2012-12-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20121211115150/http://www.canterburytrust.co.uk/trust-blog/late-iron-age-helmet/. dead.
36. Greaves. Laxshmi Rose. Devunigutta: A Recently Discovered 6th Century Temple in Telangana. Art of South Asia. 2019.
37. P. Tallet, D. Laisnay: Iry-Hor et Narmer au Sud-Sinaï (Ouadi 'Ameyra), un complément à la chronologie des expéditios minière égyptiene, in: BIFAO 112 (2012), 381-395, available online
38. News: Earliest evidence of opium use found in burial site in Israel. Raffi. Berg. BBC News. 2022-09-20. 2022-09-20.
39. News: Oetzi the Iceman's nuclear genome gives new insights. Jason. Palmer. BBC News. 2012-02-28. 2012-12-27.
40. News: Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi: The vandal of Timbuktu. BBC News. 16 May 2017. 2016-09-27.
41. News: Syria's ancient treasures pulverised. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-syrias-ancient-treasures-pulverised-8007768.html . 2022-05-01 . subscription . live. The Independent. London. 2012-08-05. 2012-08-05. Robert. Fisk. Robert Fisk.
42. J.. Wilkins. etal. Evidence for early hafted hunting technology. Science. 338. 2012-11-16. 6109 . 942–946 . 10.1126/science.1227608. 23161998 . 2012Sci...338..942W . 206544031 .
43. Monte . Morin . Stone-tipped spear may have much earlier origin . . 2012-11-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121118111851/http://articles.latimes.com/2012/nov/16/science/la-sci-hafting-spears-20121116 . 18 November 2012 . dead.
44. Web site: Lives Remembered: Brian Dobson. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/lives-remembered-brian-dobson-archaeologist-and-noted-authority-on-hadrian-s-wall-8002039.html . 2022-05-01 . subscription. The Independent. 28 December 2016. 3 August 2012.
45. News: James Mellaart. Telegraph.co.uk. 16 May 2017. en. 2012-08-03.