Bits 'n' Bobs and Burnt City, Baby!
I'm behind again on many replies and will be doing my damnedest to catch up today. After that, because House got jealous about the two new boys I've been flirting with and considering doodling about, he's finally funny again in HoS. (That Greg House, he can be such a princess sometimes.) Hopefully, I'll make good progress today.
In other news, Mason is supremely, wonderfully fine. He's at the vet's right now, having his sutures removed and being spoiled rotten by at least three other people who have crushes on him. As I was chatting with the cute tech named James Stewart (which totally works but handtogod his parents would have done him even more justice if they'd named him Cary Grant...yow), one tech had Mason draped over her shoulder so she could rub her cheek against his head while she worked. Another tech was cooing as she was bringing Mason a treat.
Oh, my little guy. He has such a hard life, you know? Just breaks my heart, I tell you.
I'm happy today and have a light workload, although I'm eventually going to have to set up an analysis for the dipshit Health & Safety director that sadly does not involve stabbing him in the neck, no matter how I've tried to approach to developing a method for the sample prep. But that's okay. I'm a dedicated and experienced research scientist. Eventually, I will find a way to stab him in the neck. The long-term benefits to the world are too great to leave such a thought stranded on a whiteboard forever, dammit.
And with that happy thought...onward to the fun bits.
ETA this interview with the head excavator at Burnt City.
Also adding this link on Who Began Writing? because of the protest I received about a researcher's use of the word "prehistoric" in the textile industry article. This city was built just at the cusp of the advent of writing. I'm still looking for further information to address whether the use of "prehistoric" was correct or not.
Hopefully, the final ETA. Per this classroom link: "The earliest known form of true writing in China dates from the Shang dynasty, 1200BC-1045BC, dates considerably later than for Sumerian writing."
Burnt City is one of the most famous archaeological sites in Iran, coming up on its ninth season of excavations, I think. This brief article explains that Burnt City "was built circa 3200 BC and destroyed some time around 2100 BC. The city had four stages of civilization and was burnt down three times. Since it was not rebuilt after the last time it was burnt down, it has been named the Burnt City."
(Btw, as far as I know, contemporary archaeologists don't use the AD/BC annotation much any more. It's usually BCE for "before current era" or, rarely, BPE for "before present era." Feel free to chime in if your old school gang would protest this, katya23.)
At the end of last year, an unusual burial was unearthed. Subsequently, ancient mass graves were discovered that indicate there were a number of different cultures co-existing in that society. (And, yeah, human sacrifices were common there, too.)
However, that's not what's so cool about this place. For one, because of the climate and overall conditions, there's a rare level of natural preservation of organic material that's occurred that's only been rivaled in finds in Egypt. (I mean, my god, they've found bread in one grave!) They're even turning up dresses and lovely accessories that indicate that Burnt City once housed "a state-of-the-art textile industry."
Coolest of all? Women ran that thriving, state-of-the-art, multicultural city 5000 years ago. Dude! The first animation of the world was even found there! It's an amazing site and one that has yet to reveal all of its secrets to science.
FWIW, here's a page with photos and other article links if you want to read more about this place. Personally, I love everything about Burnt City. Hope y'all get a kick out it, too. Enjoy!
ETA 9 Aug 2006 another cool article on the most recent finds here.
In other news, Mason is supremely, wonderfully fine. He's at the vet's right now, having his sutures removed and being spoiled rotten by at least three other people who have crushes on him. As I was chatting with the cute tech named James Stewart (which totally works but handtogod his parents would have done him even more justice if they'd named him Cary Grant...yow), one tech had Mason draped over her shoulder so she could rub her cheek against his head while she worked. Another tech was cooing as she was bringing Mason a treat.
Oh, my little guy. He has such a hard life, you know? Just breaks my heart, I tell you.
I'm happy today and have a light workload, although I'm eventually going to have to set up an analysis for the dipshit Health & Safety director that sadly does not involve stabbing him in the neck, no matter how I've tried to approach to developing a method for the sample prep. But that's okay. I'm a dedicated and experienced research scientist. Eventually, I will find a way to stab him in the neck. The long-term benefits to the world are too great to leave such a thought stranded on a whiteboard forever, dammit.
And with that happy thought...onward to the fun bits.
ETA this interview with the head excavator at Burnt City.
Also adding this link on Who Began Writing? because of the protest I received about a researcher's use of the word "prehistoric" in the textile industry article. This city was built just at the cusp of the advent of writing. I'm still looking for further information to address whether the use of "prehistoric" was correct or not.
Hopefully, the final ETA. Per this classroom link: "The earliest known form of true writing in China dates from the Shang dynasty, 1200BC-1045BC, dates considerably later than for Sumerian writing."
Burnt City is one of the most famous archaeological sites in Iran, coming up on its ninth season of excavations, I think. This brief article explains that Burnt City "was built circa 3200 BC and destroyed some time around 2100 BC. The city had four stages of civilization and was burnt down three times. Since it was not rebuilt after the last time it was burnt down, it has been named the Burnt City."
(Btw, as far as I know, contemporary archaeologists don't use the AD/BC annotation much any more. It's usually BCE for "before current era" or, rarely, BPE for "before present era." Feel free to chime in if your old school gang would protest this, katya23.)
At the end of last year, an unusual burial was unearthed. Subsequently, ancient mass graves were discovered that indicate there were a number of different cultures co-existing in that society. (And, yeah, human sacrifices were common there, too.)
However, that's not what's so cool about this place. For one, because of the climate and overall conditions, there's a rare level of natural preservation of organic material that's occurred that's only been rivaled in finds in Egypt. (I mean, my god, they've found bread in one grave!) They're even turning up dresses and lovely accessories that indicate that Burnt City once housed "a state-of-the-art textile industry."
Coolest of all? Women ran that thriving, state-of-the-art, multicultural city 5000 years ago. Dude! The first animation of the world was even found there! It's an amazing site and one that has yet to reveal all of its secrets to science.
FWIW, here's a page with photos and other article links if you want to read more about this place. Personally, I love everything about Burnt City. Hope y'all get a kick out it, too. Enjoy!
ETA 9 Aug 2006 another cool article on the most recent finds here.