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Luc Amkreutz

@prehistoryrmo.bsky.social

Archaeologist; Curator Prehistory at RMO; Professor of Public Archaeology Leiden University; 2025-2026 Dubois chair professor at Maastricht University; FSA; Limburg

383 Posts3413 Follower595 Folgt
Alison Fisk@alisonfisk.bsky.social · 23h ago

The Lady of Elche. This remarkable 2,400 year-old limestone bust of a woman with elaborate headdress and jewellery is an icon of Iberian culture from pre-Roman Spain. From La Alcudia, Elche, Spain. National Archaeological Museum, Madrid. 📷 by me #Archaeology

My photo shows a famous Iberian limestone sculpture known as ‘La Dama de Elche’ / The Lady of Elche, on display at the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid. Here is a description by the museum: “Female bust that features a lady's face with very perfect features and that preserves traces of polychromy on the lips and specific areas of face and clothing. The lady is richly dressed: on her head she wears a headdress formed by a pointed tiara covered by a veil and on top of it a strap that joins the two side “cases" that frame the face, where the hairstyle and a headband would be collected on the forehead; the back and shoulders are covered with a mantle that forms folds on the front and exposes three necklaces with amphoras and amulet holders; the earrings of plates and infulas that hang on the sides of the face, and a small fibula that closes the tunic on the neckline. At the back, it has a hole whose function has given rise to numerous interpretations. It was richly painted with red, blue and yellow tones and application of gold sheets, of which hardly any traces remain. Technically and stylistically it is considered a work of strong Greek influence, possibly made by an artist of this origin, perhaps linked to the nearby town of Santa Pola, after receiving the commission of a high-ranking Iberian character. It has been speculated about its function but with a posterior opening it suggests a use as a funerary vessel, just like the Lady of Baza. At the same time, it has been interpreted as the representation of a goddess, a priestess, or some royal character or of the aristocracy adorned for a special ceremony and dressed in her best clothes that could constitute her wedding dress composed of three necklaces, diadem and fibula, comparable to those found in several treasures”.
Oca sapiens@ocasapiens.bsky.social · 5d ago

#genomics #Variolaovina Wow Despite the treatments invented by medieval monks to make parchment last, in manuscripts dated from the 8th to the 15th century it preserves enough DNA of the sheeppox virus to extract entire genomes, trace the virus's emergence 5000 years ago when Eurasian steppe 1/2

Three thousand five hundred years of sheeppox virus evolution inferred from archaeological and codicological genomes

Sheeppox virus (SPPV) is a major livestock pathogen causing economic hardship through reduced production and death of vulnerable sheep, with written descriptions of sheeppox-like disease recorded sinc...

science.org

Michael Greshko@michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 5d ago

🧪 Very cool. Sheeppox is a gnarly virus for sheep, and thanks to a new study of the virus's DNA, we know more about when and how it emerged. How do we know this? Researchers isolated sheeppox from *medieval sheepskin parchment.* A fun one from @andrewcurry.com. www.science.org/content/arti...

Ticia Verveer@ticiaverveer.bsky.social · 6d ago

Just clearing space for a new patio and accidentally unearthing the largest Viking silver hoard in Denmark's history! The 700-piece cache includes, silver ingots, arm rings, a Thor’s hammer amulet, Arabic dirhams & Anglo-Saxon coins. nordjyskemuseer.dk/havearbejde-...

Havearbejde afslører Danmarks største vikingesølvskat

18,5 kilo sølv er dukket op i Rebild i det, der er Danmarks største kendte sølvskat fra vikingetiden. Skatten er næsten tre gange større end, den hidtil største sølvskat fra vikingetiden i Danmark, de...

nordjyskemuseer.dk

Luc Amkreutz@prehistoryrmo.bsky.social · 7d ago

Today our new project FlintFinder started. In a cooperation between @rmoudheden.bsky.social @naturalis.bsky.social and other partners we will train AI to determine lithics and develop a tool for recognition. The project includes citizen scientists and private collections www.rmo.nl/onderzoek/on...

FlintFinder - Rijksmuseum van Oudheden

Het Rijksmuseum van Oudheden is het nationale archeologiemuseum van Nederland. Het is gevestigd in een oud herenhuis en begijnhof, een monumentaal

rmo.nl

Phil Watson@frenchmegaliths.bsky.social · last wk.

The dolmen of Menez-Landu in Plomeur (Finistère) has a capstone resting on a terminal slab and 2 orthostats; it is probably the back of the chamber from an allée couverte the rest of which has been destroyed. Card by Andrieu in Morlaix c.1905.

Bild
Prehistoric Wirral@prehistoricwirral.bsky.social · 2w ago

🪨🪓A polished Neolithic axehead was found with its wooden handle in Tranmere Pool, Birkhenhead in hte 19th Century too, but the wood was not conserved sadly. The stone is from Great Langdale also. www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/artifact/axe... #FindsFriday #Archaeology #Neolithic

Axe head

Neolithc stone axe head found in waterlogged deposits at Tranmere Pool, Wirral. It was discovered in the 19th century with part of its wooden handle still attached but that was not conserved and soon ...

liverpoolmuseums.org.uk

Alison Fisk@alisonfisk.bsky.social · 2w ago

A rare survival from Neolithic Cumbria some 5,000 years ago! A polished greenstone axehead, quarried in the Langdales, with its original wooden handle preserved! Found at Ehenside Tarn in 1869, it is the only hafted Neolithic axe known from England to date! 📷 by me #FindsFriday #Archaeology

My photo shows a Neolithic polished greenstone axehead with its original brown wooden handle, mounted on a thin metal display stand on a green surface with a mountainous backdrop.
Nina Willburger @drnwillburger.bsky.social · 2w ago

Another museum heist has occurred, with the Bronze Age hoard of Villena being stolen. This collection comprises artifacts crafted from gold, silver, and amber. de.euronews.com/kultur/2026/...

Diebe stehlen Bronzezeit-Schatz von Villena in unter vier Minuten

Die Diebe lösten am Stadtrand von Villena einen falschen Alarm aus, lenkten so die Sicherheitskräfte ab und stahlen im Museum 59 prähistorische Exponate in weniger als vier Minuten.

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Luc Amkreutz@prehistoryrmo.bsky.social · 2w ago

Archaeology and heritage as a target…Treasure of Villena robbed. Gouden schat uit bronzen tijdperk in vier minuten uit Spaans museum gestolen www.nu.nl/cultuur-over...

Gouden schat uit bronzen tijdperk in vier minuten uit Spaans museum gestolen

Dieven hebben vrijdagochtend een gouden schat uit een Spaans museum gestolen. Het gaat om een collectie van vooral gouden voorwerpen uit de bronstijd in Europa. Het is een van de waardevolste collecti...

nu.nl

Tom Booth@boothicus.bsky.social · 2w ago

🏺 www.nature.com/articles/s41... Some really lovely tidbits of information in this new paper on the genetics of people buried in monuments in southwestern Britain. Paper itself emphasis the reuse of Early Neolithic funerary monuments for burial by incoming Beaker-using groups, around a thousand...

Diachronic reuse of Neolithic burial monuments by Bronze Age newcomers in Southwestern Britain - Scientific Reports

Scientific Reports - Diachronic reuse of Neolithic burial monuments by Bronze Age newcomers in Southwestern Britain

nature.com

Cambridge Archaeological Unit@cambridgearch.bsky.social · 2w ago

The cluster of pits in the buried soil at Must Farm contained Beaker pottery including this exciting handled Beaker dating to 2400-1900BC. We’ve been examining the sherds and found that several refit across pits, including the handled Beaker, demonstrating that the features were contemporary.

A close-up of a large, decorated sherd of pottery being held in a hand.
@jessstilllife.bsky.social · 2w ago

The always charismatic Scorhill, a Bronze Age stone circle near Gidleigh on Dartmoor. There are 34 stones either upright or fallen, but there may have been as many as 60. The Grey Wethers circles are just over the horizon to the left. #StandingStoneSunday

A moorland landscape with part of a stone circle in evening light, one tall pointed stone to the right blocks the sun
Graeme Warren@graemewarren.bsky.social · 2w ago

Ferriter's Cove - Day 4: not a bad view from site today... And the slow excavation of our first artefact, a rather large rhyolite flake. (2cm sticking out of the section turns into this!)