Today at the Bosnian Pyramid Summer Camp 7th June Day 5- We traveled 5km up the river valley to the Temple of Mother Earth, hiked a further 3km’s up to the summit ridge(653m) passing through a picturesque farming village that reminded us the war was recent- shrapnel strafed farm houses- humbling. Temple Of Mother Earth (TME) was excavated last year by a Danish and Italian team lead by Tim Moon. TME revealed a complex profile of occupation and reoccupation over a period of some 4,000 years, perhaps extending back to 6,800YBP representing Neolithic, and later, Roman period occupation. Work concentrated in 3 areas- An outer perimeter defensive wall, A main thorough fare stair case and A house platform (dwelling). 4,800 pieces of ceramic were recovered across this diverse timeline, plus 10 Roman coins, a bronze earring and 120 micro lithes associated to the Neolithic phase. The site also revealed some interesting features and technology, including a modified megalithic stone formed into a hearth within the dwelling, which when in use also acted as a heat pump to provide warmth to the occupants and what appears to be a snow melt sluice capable of delivering fresh water in to the dwelling through the harsh winter. We took a tour of the settlement which spans approx 250m of the ridge and appears to have an estimated 60-80 house sites yet to be investigated. An Italian television crew accompanied us filming and interviewing the team. Later in the day we assembled back at the Lab and had a presentation on the Archaeology of TME. Meanwhile classification of arteacts continued through the day and more interesting items were identified by our Lab Rats. The Visoko River basin is a complex story of ancient civilisation. Ciao!
Posted on: Fri, 07 Jun 2013 17:15:34 +0000