Page 27 - Archaeology - October 2017

EGYPT: A reexamination of a ISRAEL:
3,000-year-old prosthetic toe from Apparently even
Egypt is revealing that it is even 800 years ago,
more sophisticated than originally Crusader forces
thought. The wooden prosthesis was were aware of the
discovered on a female mummy in concept of always
1997 in a tomb near ancient Thebes. leaving yourself a way out of a sticky situ-
The artificial toe’s materials and ation. Conservation and restoration work
design provided a surprising level in the old city of Tiberias exposed a secret PAPUA NEW GUINEA: An orga-
of balance and movement, but the escape tunnel that once connected the nization dedicated to finding
object’s creator also strove to make it 12th-century Crusader citadel directly with missing WWII soldiers and aircraft
as aesthetically pleasing and lifelike the harbor on the Sea of Galilee. The surviv- located two B-25 American
as possible. Tests have shown that the ing 21-foot section may have been used bombers that had been lost in the
device was readjusted over time to during times of turmoil, especially when Pacific for more than 70 years.
suit its owner. the fortress was besieged by the Muslim While the existence of one of the
general Saladin in 1187. planes had been previously known
but never scientifically document-
ed, the other was discovered with
the help of historical archives,
conversations with locals, and
extensive surveying of four square
miles of seafloor using sonar
scanners, high-definition imagers,
and underwater robots.

ROME: Modern
scientists have long
been baffled by the
remarkable durability
and water-resistant
nature of Roman concrete, even after it has
been submerged for 2,000 years. Although
the exact recipe is lost, the base ingredients
of Roman concrete are volcanic ash, lime, and AUSTRALIA: A student on a university excursion to Rottnest
volcanic rock. A new study suggests that when Island off the coast of Perth found a rare green glass spearhead
seawater encounters the volcanic material, it shaped by one of the island’s former Aboriginal prisoners.
causes a chemical reaction that produces a rare Between 1838 and 1931, thousands of Aboriginal men and boys
crystalline mineral that subsequently reinforces were incarcerated on the island, where many of them died from
the structure. Therefore, while modern concrete disease and malnutrition. Spearheads, fabricated from glass
deteriorates quickly in water, Roman concrete or ceramics, were used by the prison population for trade and
actually strengthens over time. perhaps to hunt quokkas, small wallaby-like marsupials.

archaeology.org 25