Latest news with #LateBronzeAge
Los Angeles Times
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Getty Villa sets reopening date after fire: L.A. arts and culture this weekend
The Getty Villa Museum will reopen to the public on a limited basis beginning June 27 after a nearly six-month closure forced by the devastating Palisades fire. On the night of Jan. 7, reports swirled that the wind-driven conflagration had reached the outskirts of the Villa. A Getty team stayed through the night, putting out spot fires with fire extinguishers and ensuring that the galleries were safely sealed off, while updating a command team at Getty Center that included Getty President and Chief Executive Katherine Fleming. A few days later, Fleming told The Times that the teams were confident that their thorough preparation — including extensive brush clearing — would keep the museum from burning. The galleries and other buildings did remain safe, but the glittering fountain pools went dark with ash. Extensive work on the property, including intensive cleaning and testing of indoor and outdoor spaces for toxic residue, is nearing completion. The water system has been flushed, and air and water filters have been replaced. More than 1,300 fire-damaged trees were removed. 'The site may look different to visitors,' the museum warned in an announcement this week, 'with less vegetation and some burn damage to the outer grounds.' The limited visitor hours will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Monday. The goal will be to help limit traffic on Pacific Coast Highway, which is the only way to reach the campus. (The Villa is not yet accessible via Sunset Boulevard.) Reservations are limited to 500 visitors daily, and free, timed-entry reservations can be booked online. Parking is $25. Unfortunately, the exhibition on view when the fire erupted, 'Ancient Thrace and the Classical World: Treasures From Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece,' had to close, but the Getty created a virtual tour. Times art critic Christopher Knight had great things to say about it when he viewed it just before the fire. The exhibition for the reopening is 'The Kingdom of Pylos: Warrior-Princes of Ancient Greece,' which will be on view from June 27 through Jan. 12. It will feature more than 230 works of art and artifacts from Messenia, a region in Greece where the Mycenaean civilization flourished during the Late Bronze Age. Theater fans can breathe a sigh of relief. The outdoor classical theater will return in the fall with 'Oedipus the King, Mama!' co-produced by Troubadour Theater Company. I'm arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt, looking forward to reading a book in the shade by a Villa fountain. Here's your weekend arts roundup. Does Los Angeles have its own musical style? Times classical music critic Mark Swed answers the question after attending the Hear Now Music Festival and Tod Machover's opera 'Schoenberg in Hollywood.' 'Los Angeles is the home of film music. The two most influential classical composers of the first half of the 20th century, Stravinsky and Schoenberg, lived here. ... The composer with the most radical influence on the second half of the 20th century, John Cage, was born and grew up here. Ferreting out L.A.'s bearing on jazz and the many, many aspects of popular music, as well as world music, is a lifetime's effort,' Swed writes. 'A Doll's House, Part 2' at Pasadena Playhouse gets a mixed review from Times theater critic Charles McNulty, who praises Jason Butler Harner's performance as Torvald, while noting that costumes and set design did not come together. Lucas Hnath's play picks up 15 years after the conclusion of Henrik Ibsen's 1879 classic, when Nora famously walks out on her husband and children. Nora's life is complicated. And so is McNulty's reaction to the show. Last week, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art laid off 15 full-time employees, accounting for 14% of its staff. Most were from the organization's education and public programming team. Seven part-time, on-call employees were also let go, according to the museum. Sources described the morning of the layoffs as chaotic and shocking, with staff being summoned by human resources and being told they needed to be out of the building by 2 p.m. The museum said in a statement, 'Education remains a central pillar of the Lucas Museum.' The Hammer Museum raised $2.4 million during its 20th annual Gala in the Garden last Saturday. The fete honored Jane Fonda and artist Lauren Halsey, and it featured a performance by the singer Griff. This marked the first gala for the museum's new director, Zoë Ryan, who took over in January. Last year's party marked a heartfelt send-off for longtime director Ann Philbin, who retired after 25 years at the helm of the institution. This year, per usual, plenty of celebrities were in attendance, including LeBron and Savannah James, Usher, Will Ferrell, Dustin Hoffman, Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen and Molly Shannon, as well as plenty of artists including Doug Aitken, Andrea Bowers, Diedrick Brackens, Catherine Opie, Ed Ruscha and Jonas Wood. Thelma Golden, the director of the Studio Museum in Harlem, paid tribute to Halsey; Danson and Steenburgen celebrated Fonda. The Fowler Museum on Tuesday returned 11 objects to the Larrakia community of the Northern Territory in Australia. The items, which hold deep cultural and spiritual significance to the Larrakia people, consist of 10 glass spearheads and a kangaroo tooth headband worn by a Larrakia elder. Elders have worked closely with the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and the museum over the last four years to identify and arrange the return of the objects. This particular return ceremony is the second time the Fowler has returned artifacts in partnership with AIATSIS. Last July, the museum repatriated 20 items to the Warumungu community of Tennant Creek in northern Australia. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has announced its 2025-26 theater season — the first with President Donald Trump as chair. 'Hamilton,' as previously reported, is out. Offerings include plenty of Trump-approved Broadway fare, including 'Moulin Rouge,' 'Chicago,' 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' 'Back to the Future: The Musical' and 'Monty Python's Spamalot.' Tony Award winner Charles Strouse, who composed the music for 'Annie,' 'Bye Bye Birdie' and 'Applause,' has died. He was 96. — Jessica Gelt You can opt to be buried up to your neck in compost at this California spa. I love a good spa day, but this is a hard pass for me.
New York Post
13-05-2025
- General
- New York Post
Late Bronze Age settlement dating back 3,000 years uncovered amid road work: ‘Important discovery'
Advertisement An ancient Bronze Age settlement was recently uncovered by archaeologists in the United Kingdom while a highway was being built. The Suffolk City Council described the site as a 'Late Bronze Age settlement and cremation cemetery' that dates back 3,000 years; they shared the information in a press release dated mid-April. In Britain, the Bronze Age lasted from 2500 B.C. to roughly 800 B.C. The excavation took place on the construction site of Europa Way. Advertisement The highway was built to link roads in northwest Ipswich, a port town in Suffolk. 3 The Suffolk City Council described the site as a 'Late Bronze Age settlement and cremation cemetery' that dates back 3,000 years; they shared the information in a press release dated mid-April. Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service 'Intensive Late Bronze Age activity at Europa Way was located on the glacial outwash gravels, which outcrop on the lower slopes of the northern side of the valley of the River Gipping,' the city council said in a statement. 'There is a rich record of prehistoric land use on the lighter soils of the terrace and outwash gravels, which flank the River Gipping's course upstream of Ipswich.' Advertisement Archaeologists uncovered 18 burials dating back to 1200 B.C., along with remains of various structures and a host of ancient artifacts. 3 Archaeologists found interesting artifacts during the dig. A distinctive feature of the cremation cemetery was 'how close it was to the buildings and daily life.' Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service 'The postholes of two roundhouses, numerous four and six-post structures, and two ring-gullies were found at the site near Bramford and Sproughton, along with multiple pottery finds,' the city council's statement read. 'This evidence indicates a settlement with a mixed agricultural economy including cereal production, and breeding and raising cattle.' Advertisement Archaeologists also found cremation urns, a copper-alloy pin, fragmented fired clay weights and a clay spindle whorl, along with a 'rare example of a flint quern, used for hand-grinding grain into flour.' Experts from Cotswold Archaeology, Oxford Archaeology and Suffolk County Council's Archaeological Service all participated in the excavation, with Oxford Archaeology taking the lead on the fieldwork. 3 The excavation took place on the construction site of Europa Way. The highway was built to link roads in northwest Ipswich, a port town in Suffolk. Google Earth In a statement, Oxford Archaeology senior project manager Chris Thatcher said that the discovery was important in understanding 'prehistoric activity along this stretch of the Gipping valley.' 'Some aspects of the settlement remains are of considerable significance in the wider regional context, especially the substantial pottery finds, the cremation cemetery, and the way that the agricultural landscape was organized,' the archaeologist said. Thatcher added that a distinctive feature of the cremation cemetery was 'how close it was to the buildings and daily life.' '[T]he inhabitants of the settlement were likely buried close by,' he also said. 'This is part of an emerging pattern of Late Bronze Age burial activity, and appears to mark a shift from the Middle Bronze Age preference for major cemeteries, typically within extensive field systems, or the deceased being interred at earlier-established ancestral monuments.' Advertisement The latest announcement comes on the heels of other discoveries at the site, ranging from millennia-old Neolithic pottery to Iron Age currency and medieval artifacts. In a statement, Suffolk County Council cabinet member Philip Faircloth-Mutton hailed the discovery as showing Suffolk's 'unique history, and add[ing] another layer to our understanding of what life was like for previous generations in our part of the world.' 'This is why it is important that the council's Archaeological Service is here to help record and preserve our past,' Faircloth-Mutton said. 'As important and interesting as finds are today, who knows how significant this information might be in generations to come.'
Business Mayor
10-05-2025
- Science
- Business Mayor
Science news this week: Wave patterns on Mars and 'free-range' atom clouds
On Earth, these ripples tend to form on the slopes of cold mountains, where soils freeze and thaw throughout the year. It is unclear whether the same process produced these patterns on Mars, but researchers hope that studying them will offer valuable insights into the planet's climate history, as well as aiding in our search for signs of life on Mars. Mysterious hilltop discovery Some of the metal artifacts dating to the Early Iron Age that archaeologists found on Somló Hill in Hungary. (Image credit: Bence Soós et al; Photo by László György; CC BY 4.0) High on a volcanic hill in western Hungary, archaeologists have uncovered a rare stash of hundreds of ancient artifacts , including jewelry, military decorations and weapons, dating from the Late Bronze Age (1450 to 800 B.C.) to the Early Iron Age (800 to 450 B.C.). Today, the area around Somló is primarily known for its wine production. However, in the late 19th century local farmers and wine producers began unearthing ancient artifacts, leading researchers to dive deeper into the hilltop's buried secrets. The findings indicate that the hilltop might once have been a seat of power among the communities that once lived there. Discover more archaeology news Get the world's most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox. —Secret of ancient Maya blue pigment revealed from cracks and clues on a dozen bowls from Chichén Itzá —Archaeologists unearth tree-lined walkway that led to ancient Egyptian fortress in Sinai Desert —Metal detectorists unearth dazzling Anglo-Saxon gold-and-garnet raven head and ring: 'It's unbelievable — I'm a bit emotional' Life's little mysteries Scientists have several methods that can help determine the biological sex of a skeleton. (Image credit: JOSEPH EID via Getty Images) When archaeologists find a human skeleton, they are able to estimate whether that person was male or female with 95% accuracy. But with most of the distinguishing soft tissue decomposed, how do researchers actually go about sexing these ancient skeletons? No single method is 100% accurate, but archaeologists have several tricks up their sleeves when it comes to distinguishing differences between sexes, from DNA analysis to measuring their bones. 'Free-range' atoms An illustration of atoms floating freely in the air. (Image credit: Stanislaw Pytel via Getty Images) For the first time ever, scientists have observed free-floating atoms interacting in space, confirming some of the most basic principles of quantum mechanics. Single atoms are notoriously difficult to study due to their quantum behaviors, such as their ability to behave as a single particle and a wave at the same time. However, physicists at MIT have discovered that free-floating atoms can be observed in 'atom clouds' with the help of lasers. Read More New drug shows promise in clearing HIV from brain 'It's like seeing a cloud in the sky, but not the individual water molecules that make up the cloud,' Martin Zwierlein , a physicist at MIT and co-author of the new research, said in a statement . The discovery enables scientists to capture images of these 'free-range' atoms as they float about in space, which they hope will aid future investigations into other mysterious quantum mechanical phenomena. Discover more physics news —World's first silicon-based quantum computer is small enough to plug into a regular power socket —Physicists create groundbreaking atomic clock that's off by less than 1 second every 100 million years —Physicists create 'black hole bomb' for first time on Earth, validating decades-old theory Also in science news this week —Rare genetic mutation lets some people thrive on just 4 hours of shut-eye —Climate change made April's catastrophic floods worse, report finds —Invasive Asian needle ants are surging in US Southeast — and their bite can trigger anaphylaxis —T. rex may have evolved in North America after all, scientists say Science Spotlight (Image credit: Grace Aldrich) Historical depictions of women often focus on their roles as mothers and homemakers — however, new research increasingly suggests that in Viking Scandinavia, some women were anything but meek and mild . Numerous excavations have revealed female skeletons buried with lethal weapons. 'Women can be as strong, as skilled, as fast as men,' Leszek Gardeła , an archaeologist at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and author of ' Women and Weapons in the Viking World: Amazons of the North ' (Casemate, 2021), told Live Science. 'There is nothing in the biology there that would prevent them from being warriors.' However, the poor preservation of Scandinavian graves and lack of historical texts make it very difficult to confirm the roles of these women in Viking society, leaving the subject of women warriors hotly debated among archaeologists. Something for the weekend If you're looking for something a little longer to read over the weekend, here are some of the best long reads, book excerpts and interviews published this week. —Sir David Attenborough turned 99 this week. Here are 9 facts about the iconic British broadcaster (Fact file) —La Niña is dead — what that means for this year's hurricanes and weather (Analysis) —Kids born today are going to grow up in a hellscape, grim climate study finds (Report) —'Murder prediction' algorithms echo some of Stalin's most horrific policies — governments are treading a very dangerous line in perusing them (Opinion) Science in motion In a world first, a rare carnivorous snail has been filmed squeezing a pearly egg out of a 'genital pore' in its neck . Powelliphanta augusta are large snails found only on the Buller Plateau of New Zealand's West Coast. Their populations are severely threatened by local mining activities, and very little is known about their life cycles due to their elusive, nocturnal behavior. Researchers from the New Zealand Department of Conservation have been studying these mysterious mollusks in captivity for nearly two decades, but only now have they observed one of these snails laying an egg. 'It's remarkable that in all the time we've spent caring for the snails, this is the first time we've seen one lay an egg,' Lisa Flanagan, DOC ranger who captured the footage, said in a statement . Want more science news? Follow our Live Science WhatsApp Channel for the latest discoveries as they happen. It's the best way to get our expert reporting on the go, but if you don't use WhatsApp, we're also on Facebook , X (formerly Twitter) , Flipboard , Instagram , TikTok , Bluesky and LinkedIn .
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Archaeologists Found 300 Ancient Treasures on the Hilltop of a Volcano
Archeologists have discovered at least six hoards of ancient artifacts on top of a volcanic hilltop. Finds at the site include spearheads, tusks of domestic boars, and objects associated with bronze working, all dating back between the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age. The area seems to be rich with finds, as 19th-century local farmers also (accidentally) unearthed their fair share of treasures. Whether people buried their wealth as ritual offerings to the gods or to hide it from greedy leaders , the ancient hoards they left behind are extremely valuable to modern-day scientists. Using metal detectors and LiDAR surveys, one archaeological team recently found over 300 artifacts from at least six different hoards in Hungary, including weapons, amber beads, and tusks of domestic boars. Researchers published their findings in the journal Antiquity . The excavations took place at Somló—a wine region in western Hungary located mostly on the slopes of an extinct volcano—and were part of a larger research project by the National Institute of Archaeology of the Hungarian National Museum Public Collection Centre. Researchers determined that the hoards date back to between the Late Bronze Age (1450–800 B.C.) and Early Iron Age (800–450 B.C.). The transition between these periods is marked by the fall of several prominent Bronze Age civilizations and, as the name suggests, a shift to iron and steel tools. One notable find at the site is an elaborate Alpine-style spearhead, but archeologists also discovered fabric and leather remains buried in the area, along with countless other objects associated with bronze working. Though the study is impressive, it's far from the first time relics have been discovered in the area. Modern-day Somló is known for its wine production, and in the 19th century, local farmers began accidentally unearthing artifacts on the hilltop. Unfortunately—as Bence Soós, first author of the study, told Live Science —there was no formal documentation tracking where the farmers found the hoards. However, researchers do know that the farmers discovered artifacts like jewelry, weapons, and bronze vessels. According to the paper, the '[s]ix new hoards present the unparalleled opportunity to study hoarding traditions and depositional practices, and to evaluate the changing roles and functions of the hilltop site.' Researchers concluded that the hoarding practices in the area were 'intentional and complex,' and the evidence from the new hoards will be combined with older discoveries to provide a more thorough understanding of the region. In the future, the team seeks to date the hoards and the inhabitants that buried them more precisely. According to the paper, one of the six hoards—known as 'Hoard V'—will be particularly useful in this effort. 'Hoard V is probably the most recent of the Late Bronze Age depositions so far identified on the hill,' the paper reads. As a result, 'radiocarbon dating of zooarchaeological material associated with this hoard [...] could provide clearer chronological understanding of the transitional period between the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age at the site.' You Might Also Like
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Vast Hoard of Ancient Treasure Discovered on a Hill in Hungary
Archaeologists have discovered a hilltop in western Hungary that contains a vast hoard of ancient treasure dating back more than 3,000 years. The volcanic butte and its buried riches aren't protected by a fire-breathing dragon, but the discovery does feel like a story straight out of mythology. In the very first year of surveys, researchers uncovered more than 300 buried artifacts on the hill, including a whole bunch of bronze items found with metal-detectors. Most of the metal discoveries date from the Late Bronze Age, between 1400 and 900 BCE, but the site also contains one of the largest collections of Early Iron Age metal from hilltops in the region, between 800 and 450 BCE. Based on what researchers in Hungary have found, including stacks of bronze lumps, droplets, casting jets, and fragmented ingots, they suspect this hill once hosted multiple bronze-working workshops. It seems to have been an important site for the Hallstatt culture – a farming society that advanced metal work in Central and Western Europe in the Bronze and Iron Ages. Many Hallstatt artifacts that scientists have already unearthed are scattered across landscapes, mostly in what is now Germany and Austria. To find a hoard of Hallstatt metal work in Hungary is exciting stuff for archaeologists, and it could clear up the timeline and geological distribution of this once dominant human culture. "Occupation on the hilltop seems to have been uninterrupted during the transition into the Early Iron Age," writes the team of researchers, led by archaeologist Bence Soós from the Hungarian National Museum Public Collection Centre. "The unearthed hoards testify to an intentional and complex hoarding tradition on Somló Hill." Somló Hill looks like a big old bump among the northwest vineyards of Hungary's Veszprém county. Standing 431 meters (1,414 feet) high, the plateau looms over the local, low-lying wine region, and the hilltop has remained untouched by modern quarrying activity, making it the perfect spot for archaeological inquiry. Some historical records from the late 19th century suggest that other ancient artifacts were found at the base of the hill and nearby areas, but details on these discoveries are scarce. In early 2023, Hungary's National Institute of Archaeology launched a new research project on Somló to better understand the ancient humans who once called this region home. Extensive surveys on the hill, combined with laser mapping in 2024, have now shed some light on that long-lost society. Of the six new hoards of treasure on the hill, the one in the image below was found in the area with the highest density of metal items. Further research is needed to figure out why so many metals were buried here, whether it be for mundane or ritualistic purposes. Some of the items were buried within ceramic pots, which haven't been found before from this time period. Scientists didn't just find metal artifacts, like spearheads, buried on the hill; they also found amber beads, tusks from boars and domestic pigs, and fabric and leather components. Some sediment samples taken from the hill also indicate the presence of small-seeded lentils and remnants of crop cereals, like millet. These are key subsistence features of the Bronze and Iron Ages. A few of the materials uncovered at Somló are suitable for radiocarbon dating, which the team hopes to conduct soon. It's rare that Hallstatt discoveries offer up such useful forms of dating. Timelines often have to be inferred based on the context of ancient technology and sediment layers. "This hoard, therefore, could provide clearer chronological understanding of the transitional period between the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age at the site," concludes the team. The study was published in Antiquity. AI Detects an Unusual Detail Hidden in a Famous Raphael Masterpiece Scientists Don't Know Why Consciousness Exists, And a New Study Proves It Men Tend to Fall in Love Faster Than Women, New Study Shows
