The Trowel Tribune
Archaeology never stops happening!
Archaeology Reveals Hidden Mayan Tale
A combination of Mayan records and archaeological remains tell a complicated story.
One of archaeology’s greatest strengths is in it’s ability to tell the untold stories. In the case of a member of the Mayan elite we learn that his life was a lot more nuanced than the records might suggest.
Ajpach’ Waal was born into a privileged family and inherited a role as an important diplomat from his father. Unfortunately for him, an alliance he brokered ultimately failed. The records in, combination with the platform near the temple he was buried in, tells a story of a high-status individual.
His remains tell a very different story though. There are signs of his wealth in teeth drilled to inlay pyrite or jade and some flattening to his skull. However, there are indications of malnutrition when he was a child, his arm bones also bear the signs of trauma or disease and by the end of his life he had also developed arthritis in many of his joints and lost many of his teeth.
He even lost one of his tooth inlays late in life due to plaque build up which was never replaced. This suggests something of a fall from grace as it’s absence would have been very obvious.
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Computer Conundrum Calculates Cosmos
Greek calculator fully modeled for the first time!
Researchers have managed to fully model the Antikythera Contraption, a Greek device designed to calculate the stars to aid in navigation. This device was discovered by a diver in 1900 and has remained a mystery ever since.
For over a century though, damage and corrosion prevented researchers from fully...
Continued on page 5
Popular Archaeology Show Returns from the Grave
British television show Time Team returns to YouTube for a new excavation of a Roman villa in Oxfordshire. The popular show ran for 20 years, but was canceled in 2014.
The Time Team series is typically well thought of by archaeologists as one of the few good depictions of archaeology in popular media. The return is thanks to a successful Patreon campaign...
Continued on page 11
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