Roundup of Archaeology and History April 21-27

Some posts I enjoyed from around the web:

A blog for those who find ancient games fascinating. This is a beautifully put together website with photos, reconstructed rules and other resources. I love the photo here of an Egyptian game with game pieces carved as hounds and jackals. I created a fictional game for an as yet unpublished book and called the game Sphinx and Griffin. Any of you play reconstructed ancient games or know about them? Do you prefer strategy or speed/luck games? Click here for Ancient Games “Hounds and Jackals”

Shining light on Roman politics? In celebration of his election as Tribune of the Plebs, Marcus Novius Tubula set up a sundial in his hometown. It provides an unusually complete example of a stone sundial from the 1^st C BCE. Interesting also, is that Marcus’s hometown is 50 miles from Rome, a very average sort of place called Interamna Lirenas, and thus demonstrates that someone decidedly out of the circles of power could rise to an important position. I’m guessing he was very rich. But it’s a very nice sundial. What’s your favorite Roman artifact or art piece? Click here for Archaelogy Magazine “Artifact”

Searching for Amazons. A Turkish excavation on an island in the eastern Black Sea called Giresun in Turkish and Aretias in Greek, is hoping to dig up some evidence of Amazons. So far their progress, while interesting, seems very far from these historical/legendary women. They have uncovered Byzantine ruins. The earliest finds go back to the 4^th C BCE, decidedly after Amazons. But says the dig director, “Many mythological sources refer to the fact that the Amazon women lived on an island in the Black Sea. Especially, the existence of the Amazons in the Black Sea is known. Mythological resources document that the Amazons left for the Trojan War over the Black Sea and lived on an island. The only island in the Eastern Black Sea region is in Giresun. It proves that the Amazons lived on the Giresun Island,” Güleç said.

I’m thinking this is not the soundest basis. Myths contain a lot of truth, but some matching archaeology will be very reassuring. Click here for Archaeological News Network “Excavations set to restart on Giresun island off Turkish Black Sea coast”