archaeology news for oct 25- nov 1

[archersangel]

Burials in Poland Give Different View of Anti-vampire methods than Hollywood

Need to get rid of a pesky vampire? Thanks to Hollywood, you probably know the drill: Wear garlic around your neck, don't go out at night without a cross, and for Pete’s sake, never invite a debonair stranger into your house. Remember, you can tell if someone is undead by whether they have a reflection in the mirror, and if things go south, make sure you have a wooden stake or some means of decapitation handy.

Actually, these fiction- and film-driven fantasies bear little resemblance to the centuries-old beliefs and practices that some Polish villagers turned to in an effort to ward of the misfortunes that befell them. By excavating graves from a 17th century Polish cemetery, anthropologists are finding that people attempted to protect themselves from the occult using vastly different methods than those portrayed in horror films.

Rare Human Remains Found Near "King Solomon's" Mines

The skeleton of a pregnant woman, dating back around 3,200 years, has been found near a temple dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Hathor at a place that was once called King Solomon's Mines, archaeologists recently announced.

Located in the Timna Valley in Israel, ancient Egyptians and others in the region used the mines for copper mining. Early archaeologists and explorers believed that King Solomon, an ancient Israeli ruler, controlled the Timna mines. However, many scholars now think the claim is unlikely.