#Who are Forensic Archaeologists

[forensicfield]

Forensic Archaeology: An Overview

Archaeology is simply the study of past remains and it’s recovery, analysis for the information. In other words is the study of the ancient and recent human past through material remains that may aged up to millions of years. The application of ....

Continue reading Forensic Archaeology: An Overview

[hannahhook7744]

Sofia Madrigal Prepon Headcanons;

Her full name is Sofia Azucena Madrigal Prepon.

She is 15 years old by d3.

Her birthday is January 1st and she was born at midnight while her twin sister was born on December 31st at O’clock. Meaning that they technically have different birthdays despite being born only four hours apart. 

Sofia is the younger twin of Amelia, the older half sister of Carlos, and the adoptive sister of Hugo and José.

She is the biological daughter of Yanamaria Earlene Maldonado Amaya and Mentiroso Diego Esposito Sosa but neither she nor her twin sister talk to either of them, and she never will. She much prefers her adoptive parents, Camilo Madrigal and Mina Prepon. 

Between the twins and Carlos, Sofia is the one who misses their biological mother the most. Though given how things ended with her mother, that is not exactly a good thing. 

The fact that her mother thought of her as a monster has greatly affected Sofia's mental health and confidence.

Camilo has been in her life since before she was even born and married her mom (his first wife) when she was just two months old. 

She has a slightly lighter skin tone than her bio mother—Yanamaria—with a pointy nose, dark brown (almost black, now) eyes, a pointed chin, and long, straight, dark brown hair with choppy (almost uneven) bangs.  

After Sofia got her gift her looks changed ever so slightly—making her taller than Amelia, her teeth sharper, her nails longer/sharper, and her more gaunt-looking. It also changed her aura, making her come off as much more dangerous/creepy than she is when in reality she’s mostly harmless.

This is one of the many things Sofia is insecure about. 

She is a student at Auradon Prep—and the only reason she likes going there is because it means she gets to spend time with her boyfriend, Prince Diego of Cordoba.

She’s not very popular at Auradon Prep: most people there don’t even know she exists and the ones who do? Well, most of them don’t like her or are scared of her. Or both. 

She’s a member of the Art Club and Sewing Club.

Sofia has always wanted to be a taxidermist, a forensic anthropologist, coroner, or an archaeologist when she grew up: those are her dream jobs. Her ideal work. 

She has the gift of nightmare Manipulation and Animation which is the opposite of Amelia’s gift. 

Sofia has fewer nicknames than her twin, Amelia, does. The most notable of which are Sof, Fia, Angel, So, So-So, Sia, Fifi, Sofy, and Soph-Bear. 

There’s also ��Amelia’s twin’ but she doesn’t answer to that for obvious reasons. 

Unlike Amelia, Sofia does not like her gift and does her best to use it as little as possible. Something that she wishes her twin could try to understand and respect more often. She doesn’t understand why Amelia struggles to understand why she wouldn’t like her gift—she thinks it’s pretty clear why one would hate the ‘gift’ she has. 

And though Sofia would absolutely never say it she does resent the miracle and Pedro for giving this gift to her, and by extension, she somewhat resents Amelia for getting the better gift. 

The brunette has been described as socially awkward, shy/quiet/introverted, paranoid, anxious, moody/emotional, clingy, insecure, pitiful, fearful, sullen, and odd as well as weak willed. But she is also frugal, hardworking, curious, cautious, friendly, even tempered, well behaved, soft spoken, and wouldn’t hurt a fly.

She has also been shown to be willing to take abuse if it means getting to have a friend: something that her family is aware of and always hyper aware of when meeting new friends of hers. 

Sofia has been made the scapegoat by people outside of her family more than once: something that has made her fearful, anxious, and bitter due to the ill-treatment she’s received based on nothing more than her gift. 

Though Sofia doesn’t particularly like attending Auradon Prep, that doesn’t mean that she hasn’t made any friends. In fact, she has a decent amount including but not limited to: Sleepy Bergmann Jr, Baren Hood, Gesundheit Bergmann, and Crabby Bergmann. 

She also used to be friends with Scarlet and Carter Bluefairy-Carmelo but that is no longer the case due to her not liking the way they reacted to the news that the vks were coming to Auradon. Though it should be noted that unlike previous friends of hers, they were never mean to her or violent with her. 

Sofia has trouble saying no to people and has even worse trouble when it comes to standing up for herself. Though luckily for her, the rest of her immediate family and several of her extended family are more than willing to do so for her if it’s needed. Especially Amelia. 

The twins are inseparable despite their differences and would do anything for one another, and have done so. 

Such as on one memorable occasion where Sofia hid a ton of bugs in one very persistent boy’s locker after he refused to believe that Amelia wasn’t straight, and kept pursuing her. 

Or the time a few homophobes had nightmares for weeks after harassing Amelia to the point of tears not long after she and Rosana started dating until they confessed to what they’d done.

Sofia rarely converses with anyone outside of her friends and family.

She collects bugs/insects and has cases to store them. She also has a soft spot for nature's outcasts and sympathizes with them quite a bit.

Sofia prefers rock n' roll, rap, screamo, and heavy metal while Amelia is a bigger fan of pop, high hop, country, and classical—though some of their favorite songs overlap with one another's musical tastes.

They both like dancing and singing but different kinds.

Amelia finds the talking taxidermy animals in the house creepy while Sofia finds them calming, charming, and sees them as friends.

People tend to prefer Amelia over Sofia—which bothers Amelia a lot more than it bothers Sofia (that isn’t to say it doesn’t bother her at all). 

Between her grandparents Amelia is closest to Félix because she finds him less intimidating than Pepa, though she does also like spending time with her grandma just as much. 

Between her parents, she is closest to Mina because she loves the fact that she can tell her and Amelia apart. 

Between her aunts and uncles, she is the closest to Dolores because she can easily hide away with her without anyone trying to talk to her and because her aunt doesn’t like people that much either. 

Her favorite out of her dad's cousins is Luisa because she finds her to be lovely, understanding, and fun—and because she doesn’t try and make her come out of her shell. 

Out of her siblings, she's the closest to Hugo because he’s just as shy and quiet as her, and Amelia because they’re best friends. 

Out of her cousins, she is the closest to Fuega, Cyriacus, Rory, and Oscar. 

Sofia was pleasantly surprised and overjoyed that her Bisabuela Alma approves of Diego: something that none of her siblings or cousins have teased her for because they all know how important it was to her. 

Sofia has a pet vulture named Sweeney who is known for biting people.

Her best classes are Biology, Math, and Life Skills Without Magic but her absolute favorite class is Art. 

Her worst classes are  Heritage and History, Physiology, and Smiling but her absolute least favorite class is Chemistry. 

Her favorite foods are Coconut Seafood Chowder, Chip’s Grilled Cheese (Grilled Cheese With A Tomato Slice), Escargot, and Pineapple, Sardine, Onion, Green Pepler, & Artichoke Pizza.

A food she absolutely cannot stand is Eggs Florentine. 

Her favorite drinks are Root Beer, Ice Tea, and Strawberry Milk.

Her favorite snacks are Savory Sandy Cookies, Chocolate Pretzels, and Beef Jerky.

Her favorite desserts are Glowing Caramel with Fresh Cheese, Pear Tarts, and Chocolate Cobblers.

Her favorite candies are Chocolate Dalmatians, Villain Stripes, Tongue Tinglers, and Poison Apples.

Her favorite books are ‘Fever Dream’ and ‘Labyrinth Lost’.

Her favorite holidays are Halloween, Día de los Santos Difuntos, and Christmas.

Her favorite animals are vultures and Crows.

Her favorite teacher is either Grumpy or Bess the never fairy.

Her least favorite teacher is Mr. Deley, absolutely no questions asked. Though Fairy Godmother used to be a close second due to the conversation she and Sofia had after the incident where she gave those kids harassing Amelia nightmares.

Her least favorite holiday is New Years Eve because it’s Amelia’s birthday and she’s always reminded of how much more people like Amelia over Sofia. Especially when her own birthday is the day after. 

Her favorite colors are lavender, black, light blue, and white.

Her favorite school event is Field Day because she can spend it with her friends. Though Pasta Mondays are also fun and Diego always tries to make them special for her. 

Her favorite business in Auradon is ‘Jack Skellington’s Spooktacular Haunted House’: though Dr. Facilier's shop and Arcade become a close second and third once the barrier is brought down.

Her favorite radio station is ‘Doomed Isle Tunes’, which Casita showed her when she was little. 

Her favorite TV channel is ‘Courtesy Central’ now, but it used to be Evil Isle.

Her favorite shows are ‘Pretty Little Liars’, ‘Stepsister-Stepsister’, ‘Real Princesses of Charmingsville’, ‘Say Yes To The Hex’, and ‘Little Dwarfs, Big Giants’. 

Her favorite social media sites, other than Auratube, are ‘Royallr’ (Tumblr)  and ‘Scrolled-it’ (Reddit).

Her favorite Auratubers are AskAuradonPrepOfficial, The Gothic Arts (Anxelin’s Channel), The Donkey-ettes (if her cousin, Ligera, asks that is), and I Dream of Jordan (Jordan’s Channel).

Her favorite songs are ‘Fuck Your Fairytale!’ (by the Bad Apples) and ‘Warped Reflection’ (by The Donkey-ettes).

Her favorite band is ‘The Bad Apples and The Dragon Slayers’. Though she also likes Freddie Facilier’s music and would like the band Hadie eventually forms.

Her favorite video game is Swarm and Crown of Duty.

Sofia has subscriptions to “Wicked Weekly’, ‘Artist Daily’, ‘Royal Digest’, and ‘Mirror Mirror’: They’re her favorite magazines. When the barrier is brought down she also gets subscriptions to the isle magazines, ‘Belladona’ and ‘Where The Sun Don't Shine’. 

She also has access to Amelia's Bobbity and AuraJive accounts/ subscriptions. 

Her hobbies include but are not limited to drawing, painting, pottery, candle making, watercolor painting, origami, scrapbooking, papermach, reading, knitting, embroidery, photography, star gazing, sewing, taxidermy, miniature art, doll making, sculpting, quilting, dancing, cosplaying, tattooing, beta reading, needlework, crocheting, numismatics, journaling, yoga, and animal grooming.

Sofia is camera shy and gets stage fright easily, hence why she wasn’t on ‘Toddlers Without Tiaras’ with her sister.

Sofia can play the xylophone and the organ.

Sofia doesn’t like to be touched but can be very affectionate with her family and friends regardless. 

She's also not very squeamish and absolutely loves horror stories, comics, and movies. 

Her best friend, aside from Amelia of course, is Gesundheit Bergmann. 

Sofia is surprisingly good at saying tongue twisters—something even Amelia isn’t good at.

Sofia does well at school and wishes people would acknowledge that more than they do her gift or that people would at least acknowledge the stuff she’s good at, other than the stuff she can’t do or her gift. 

While she loves her sister, it does get annoying being compared to Amelia all the time even if her family and friends never do it. 

It also gets annoying having people ask where Amelia is whenever they see the two of them apart because while they do spend a lot of time together, they aren’t always together. Even if they are nearly inseparable. 

If she wasn't afraid of making people angry with her, she would rightfully point out that people shouldn't be so surprised given how much they hate her and exclude her from things they invite her sister to.

Sofia borrows/steals her boyfriend’s hoodies often (though it should be noted she never takes his favorite ones and always returns them washed). 

While Amelia volunteers/occasionally works at Isabela’s Greenhouse and her and Bubo’s Oddities shop, Sofia prefers working/volunteering at the Encanto Animal Sanctuary that their uncle, Antonio, runs with Luisa and Ryder. She enjoys helping with the animals and being able to give them comfort.

Though that doesn’t mean she never helps out at Isabela’s greenhouse and shop. She does—she just usually sticks to helping with the more…odd… plants their father’s prima makes.

Amelia has both a latex allergy and an avocado allergy, while Sofia does not. 

Sofia does better in Biology, Math, and Life Skills Without Magic than Amelia does.

Sofia knows about Amelia’s Atelophobia, Autophobia, and Kinemortophobia, and is trying to help her sister slowly overcome them so she has a more healthy fear of them. 

Though Sofia has Autophobia too. She also has Athazagoraphobia and is afraid of being hurt by others. 

This fear has made her hesitate when it comes to making decisions. 

Never ask what she likes about Diego because she’ll become a mumbling mess and sputter about how she can’t just pick one thing because he’s such a great friend, person, boyfriend, etc (according to Carlos, anyway).

Sofia and Diego can often be found together with or without Rosana, Amelia, and their other friends—you can usually find them having lunch together under the bleachers. 

She has a lot of nervous habits including fidgeting, playing with her hair, lip biting, scratching, and nail biting.

Sofia can't stand Annabelle Scorfano for the exact reasons as Amelia. She thinks the girl is a snake and if it wasn't for the fact Tito would get upset if she did, Sofia would hit her.

Sofia's first word was ‘Lo siento’: said to Tito after she accidentally knocked him over.

Between Amelia and Sofia, Sofia was the first to walk. She was also the first to talk. 

Sofia was the less colicky of the two and was the more content baby.

Sofia and Amelia have matching friendship bracelets that they made each other shortly before their gift ceremony. Sofia gets anxious when she's not wearing it or the Spectriss necklace that Diego made her.

Sofia, like Amelia and many others in their family, daydreams a lot but her daydreams usually involve Diego and their future.

These dreams can vary: either they're living in the Encanto, his kingdom, or a place in the middle of nowhere where no one can bother them ever again.

They'll have their own house if they can't stay in Casita, that's a mix of their own cultures and Auradon culture. There will be a garden with beautiful flowers and the two of them will decorate it how they please. They'll have a makeshift theatre in their backyard and an art room where they can work on their different projects. 

There will be a place in the backyard for Sweeney and a big beautiful guest room for their friends and family to visit. 

And maybe, if they want, the two of them will eventually have kids (they haven't discussed it yet because they want to take things slow). 

Sofia proofreads Diego's comics and graphic novels.

Diego made a comic called ‘The Angel of Scapegoats’, where he based the ‘monster’ on Sofia. The monster who kills abusers. 

Sofia has a copy of it framed and signed in her room: she thought it was sweet.

A lot of people think that Sofia and Diego are going to become serial killers but that's not the case at all. Neither of them could hurt a fly.

They have movie nights the second Friday of every month and game night every Saturday (if they’re at school that is).

Diego and Sofia often play board games and video games together when they’re alone. 

Their initials are carved into several desks and trees around school (Diego makes sure to check for tree nymphs aren’t attached to it and that the tree doesn’t have any historical importance before he carves into them, in his defense).

Sofia’s door has a faded light blue frame and shows her standing sideways with a frown and her hands clasped in front of her—behind her is a myriad of horrific looking things like spiders, monsters, vultures, and skulls lurking and peeking out around her carved into a much darker wood than the rest of the door. Its glow is fainter than everyone else’s.

Three of the walls inside of the room are a Blue-gray color while the fourth shows a mural of her and Diego dancing at a ball, reminiscent of Cinderella’s. Off to the side of the muriel is a pink door leading to Amelia’s room.

The floor and ceiling resembles rotting dark wood—and it's partially covered by a large, fluffy pink rug.

In the corner between the left blue-gray wall and the painted wall/mural is a large white coffin with a mattress and bedding on the inside. The bedding is lavender and cotton. The covers and bed set are white with blue-gray stripes and gold linings. The blanket is a weighted one and the pillows are made of memory foam—the most comfortable kind according to Sofia.

Adorning the bed is a small but fluffy white and gold quilt with a pattern of vultures, feathers, and crows with purple shadings that Mirabel made her when she was a baby and several stuffed animals that she holds very dear to her heart. One of which is the stuffed crow Mirabel made her when she was just a baby named ‘Sof’.

Sofia will readily admit that she can’t sleep without her baby blanket and her crow, and she’s not embarrassed to admit it because she thinks it’s understandable given what she’s been through. It’s not really something she hides so far more people know about this than people who know about the fact Amelia also can’t sleep without her own stuffed animals and blankets.

Unlike Amelia, Sofia doesn’t have the stuffed animals her bio parents gave her anymore because she gave them away. She couldn’t bear to look at them after they abandoned her.

On the right of her bed is a beautifully crafted black and lavender vulture shaped nightstand. On top of this nightstand is a picture of her and Diego at a party in their halloween costumes—Sofia was Bloody Mary and Diego was the ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Both of them are laughing, unaware that a picture is even being taken—as well as a framed note passed to her by Diego in Biology. The note reads ‘Would you like to go to the Seaside Festival with me? Check YES or NO.’ 

In the corner of the wall holding the entrance to Sofia’s room is a modest vulture enclosure and a small bat-shaped, stained glass window showing a beautiful but ominous looking sunset that her vulture can come and go from as pleases. Under the window is a door to a walk-in closet with a trapdoor inside where she hides when she gets too overwhelmed (it also makes for a good hiding spot for things she’s not technically supposed to have, like gory cosplays). 

Her room is slightly bigger than Amelia’s is. 

Across from the vulture enclosure is a stage with pink and gold curtains where Sofia practices her dance moves. There is a radio and some speakers in the corner of this stage. 

Beside her door and across from her bed is a white sheet that she watches her shows on when the projector above her bed/coffin is playing.

Next to the stage is a white and gold desk with blue and lavender flowers painted onto it: this desk holds a majority of her art supplies and finished art works: on top of this desk is a pink and white swirled pattern vase filled with Hooker’s Lips (the flowers), Naked-man orchids, and Corpse flowers—as well as the aforementioned signed and framed comic Diego created with her in mind, a paper mache module skeleton that Amelia made for her, a trophy she won in an art contest, a ribbon she was rewarded for her excellent sewing skills, and two framed photos. One of her and Sofia at Sofia’s Quinceañera—standing back to back: both of them grinning ear to ear as their partners extended their hands to dance, both with goofy smiles on their faces—and one of Sofia from when she was about six. She’s on Mina’s shoulders, laughing and trying to hide her face in the stuffed animal that Mina had won her at the carnival. 

Sofia also a black and gold vanity desk with lights that holds all her makeup. The makeup she uses for cosplay is separated from the makeup she uses for date nights and casual events. Taped to some parts of the mirror are pictures of her with her friends, family, and Diego. 

The walls of Sofia’s room are decorated with posters from her favorite bands, shows, and movies, as well as some framed honor roll and attendance award certificates and pictures of her and her family

There’s a picture of her holding a newborn José, looking panicked as he sleeps soundly in her arms. There’s another of her and Amelia playing dress up with Carlos and Hugo when they were all just barely old enough to walk. There’s one of her and Camilo dancing at someone’s gift ceremony when she was about three. There’s a couple of her and Diego on dates—one with him making a funny face at her and another of her putting up her fingers as if they were horns, causing him to choke on his drink. 

 There’s also a couple of her and her friends moments before disaster. There’s one of Sleepy Jr snoring away into his pancakes with syrup in his hair as Sofia tries to wake him up. One of Baren Hood and Crabby Bergmann glaring at Mr. Deley’s retreating back, water balloons in hand. There’s another of Diego dashing towards a mid-sneeze Gesundheit ‘Gus’ Bergmann who was carrying a towering cake (that had been a mess to clean up). Another showed Amelia and Rosana covered in flour in the kitchen of Auradon Prep. There’s a picture of the whole group on a rollercoaster. There’s even a picture of Sofia, Carter, and Scarlet at a week-long summer camp they went to when they were about 12. 

Sofia also has a laptop covered in horror movie stickers and meme stickers somewhere in her room.

Both the vanity table and the desk have large, comfy blue and lavender rolling chairs. She also has a couple of bean bag chairs stashed away in her closet in case her friends are over. 

Her backpack can usually be found hanging off one of the chairs in her room. 

Sofia’s room is her safe place. She loves her room and doesn’t know what she’d do without it. 

Her favorite animals are doves, swans, and chameleons. 

Despite the fact their rooms are conjoined, Amelia and Sofia can’t just waltz right in whenever they please. If the other twin doesn’t want them in their room, Casita will not allow them in. That way they have some privacy. 

Whenever Sofia’s gift acts up, she finds it difficult to wake from her nightmares. If she’s animating something into the real world when her gift acts up, it turns into Amelia—but instead of smiling at her or trying to comfort her like the real Amelia, it starts hurtling insults at her. Saying all the things Sofia fears her loved ones might think of her. 

When Sofia is overwhelmed or upset in her room after not talking about it with anyone (not even Casita) for a while, all the people in the pictures in her room disappear (except for herself) and her birth mother can be heard saying “Who could ever love you?” and “Look what you’ve done, you monster. Now you’re all alone.” The word ‘alone’ will echo like in that one episode in SpongeBob until she completely breaks. 

When she’s upset or alone in her room but she has been talking with people about it, Casita will rock her bed gently. It calms her. 

Out of all their children, Mina and Camilo worry about Sofia the most. This is due to some concerning self-destructive behavior she showed in the months after her birth mother abandoning them. 

Sofia also doesn’t like her birthday because it just reminds her of when her mother left. 

Sofia would never admit it but sometimes she wishes she wasn’t a twin. 

[anticapitalistclown]

Lookism Characters as Archaeologists pt.1

Jake, Eli, Johan, Samuel, Daniel, Yujin/Eugene

Jake

Specialization: Classical Archaeology

He romanticizes being an archaeologist, which makes working with him a dream job.

He knows all his workmates names and remembers all the students who spend a week on internship with his team.

He's straightforward and does what he thinks is more suitable on his research even if it means not keeping some strata in order to reach the most ancient one.

He does not teach, prefers to spend the day on the fields.

Has written some cool articles about remarkable warriors.

Didn't want to be an excavations' director but somehow ended up being a good one.

There's a rumor that he infiltrated in a black market in order to retrieve some stolen archaeological artifacts from smugglers.

Eli

Specialization: Forensic Archaeology

(Duties of archaeologists in this field of archaeology include collecting evidences like human burials, artifacts, footprints, tool-marks, etc., and trying to figure out the situation in which a particular crime might have happened; and to ascertain the influences on the remains of external factors that may have disturbed the crime scene).

His cold mindset made him the best on this field.

He teaches at the laboratories and side eyes the students who find gross touching real bones.

Keeps a file of plenty of different types of burials, sacrifices and traces of violence of the bones.

Shares laboratory with Johan.

He gets hyperfocused when a crime scene seems to be impossible to decipher.

He works more on the laboratory than the field.

When he was a student he destroyed a lot of evidence by mistake, improved trough practice.

Johan

Specialization: Zooarchaeology

(Also known as faunal analysis, is a branch of archaeology that studies remains of animals from archaeological sites).

There's a rumor that he cried when he found out a 4000-year-old dog died by a human weapon.

He's the best at his field but awful at tutoring, he doesn't have the patience to deal with students so Eli and other lab workers have to replace him on the teaching.

Has to be reminded once in a while that archaeology is a collaborative and multidisciplinary discipline.

Has made some internships cry.

He is the one who causes less damage to the bones making some restorers jealous.

Zack, Jake and Daniel forced him to participate on their excavations.

Samuel

Specialization: Prehistoric Archaeology

Joined this field because it was the hardest but the most well paid, doesn't mind the toxic ambience, he fuels it.

He is the strictest, never accepts he's wrong and avoids teaching newbies.

There's a rumor that he started a fistfight with Eli because of a debate about a burial ceremony.

He has good eye on the cutting techniques.

You have an only opportunity to make a good impression on him, if not you can say goodbye to work with him.

Talk about the survival methods and you have his attention.

Daniel

Specialization: Ethnoarchaeology

(Ethnoarchaeology is the science that deals with the ethnographic investigation of living communities in order to acquire knowledge of the past).

Joined motivated to understand the human conduct and because he was a fan of Indiana Jones since a kid.

His workplace is really tidy and organized, has a shelf with ceramics and fossils displayed on his office, so students can admire when tutoring.

None knows why, but he always ends up on the other archaeologists messes (infiltrated with Jake in a black market, got caught in the Samuel vs Eli fistfight, went to ask Gun for an artifact and ended up working with him).

A lot of students joined archaeology because had a crush on him.

He's a rookie yet has made a name for himself inside the community.

Eugene

Specialization: Quantitative Analysis Archaeology

None knows why there's this branch and why he does it, yet since he's the only one who knows how to use it, everyone depends on him.

Has never stepped in a field nor grabbed a shovel.

Loves to fail his students, says things like "you can try next year, if you succeed".

There's a rumor that his predecessor confused him for a student on his first day of teaching, and he cut his (the predecessor) car's brakes.

Only corrects his students essays so he can diss them.

[boatshoesdude]

one piece of anti-trans rhetoric that pops up now and again is the "your skeleton is your agab" thing, which for some reason turns into "archeologists will know your agab" (which is a very weird scenario that I don't like to think about for other reasons. Like why my grave specifically? What do they find? Was I helpful to their research? Why does the thought of someone touching my skeleton send shivers up my spine?)

anywho, I'm learning about archaeology atm and thought I'd share some cool archaeological info about actual grave identification!

Number one biggest point of note for this argument that "oh but archaeologists will know" is that if an archaeologist is handeling your bones someone has done something very wrong. A forensic anthropologist is who you're looking for! These are going to be the people trained in all the science/medical stuff and are dealing with humans. Cause there's a big difference between idenifying a sword, and idenitying a person. Two different sects of knowledge that work together, sometimes its the same person, but most times the body will be "handed off" so to speak to the forensic anthropologist while archaeologists work on the physical grave site. this leads to my next grief with the retoric; identifying gender when it comes to graves is mainly guesswork, very educated and very well researched guesswork, but guesswork non the less. When archaeologists are looking to identify the gender, you're looking at the grave itself and its contents (plus historical records and research and yada yada yada). If we know "hey men were typically burried in suits, with watches, dress shoes, and had masculin names" and the grave that's found matches all of the above, then yeah it'll probably be marked as a male skeleton.

you can say "oh but what about height charts and science!?!? The hormones in your body! They'll know!!!" But listen, humans show very very little sexual dymorphism, and humans come in all sizes. It is easy to tell a deer skull's gender because males have rivets where the antlers grow and fall off, where females do not. It is much much harder to tell the difference between a male and female pelvis even though female pelvises (pelvi?) are typically bigger (unless you're trained for body id and have many different factors to aid you). Theres just not enough information to go off of for identification! Humans change in size, yes depending on sex, but also on a million other characteristics like diet, medical history, ethnicity, medication, exercise, so if out of a hundred men, one end up 5'4 with wide hips while the others are 5'10, well them something probably went different with the growth of the 5'4 guy!!! Plus, the standard mesurments used to determin the stature of a person are based on white europeans from historically healthy families, meaning that the measurements are only accurate if you're looking at the body of a white european from a historically healthy family, but that's a side thing that doesn't matter if you have a (mostly) complete skeleton. "But what about the hormones!!!" I hear people in the back screaming. And I have two little things to note for that. 1. Research is really expensive and if you want to justify spending money on identifying the sex of a body you'd better have a really solid research base behind it and 2. Theres so many better things you could learn through bone analysis taht isnt "this person was trans" (unless thats your research topic you do you boo). What does that have to do with hormones you ask? Well bones change with time and as you change, right? So if you take hormes, your skeleton will reflect that. Now its not going to like change your pelvic shape or something, but it will show chages.

Say that a cis woman goes through menopause and then takes hormone supplements for it, that will show change, and change that is important to archeological research. One of the effects caused later in life after menopause is often osteoporosis, the body has a hard time taking in and processing calcium, so it leeches it from the bone, making bones more brittle and prone to breaking. Well, hormone supplements after menopause mitigate osteoporosis, so the bones are stronger, which you can tell from stuff like bone density, to less fractures in the bones in old age. So say you have a city of people you're excavating, and you can tell these people, city-wide, had stronger bones in old age, with less fractures, than most other cities. What this can tell you is that these people had systemic access to medical care that allowed them to live longer, which tell you A LOT about the people that you are looking at and the city they lived in (ya know, the primary reason for archaeological research).

if theres anything take takeway from this post let it be 1. Archeological aren't interested in your agab unless they are specifically looking for it and 2. HAND OFF MY BONES!!!!!

[blueiscoool]

2,000-Year-Old Ancient Headless Statue Found in Greece

A headless statue believed to be 2,000 years old has been found inside a black plastic bag near trash cans in Greece, prompting a police investigation.

A 32-year-old local found the statue on Jan. 18 in the Greek port city of Thessaloniki, according to Hellenic Police. The statue that dates back to the Hellenistic period, which covers the time between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the conquest of Egypt by Rome in 30 BC.

The man who found the statue took it to authorities in Thessaloniki. It was then was examined by an archaeologist with the Ephorate of Antiquities, which handles the conservation, protection and preservation of antiquities.

A crime team that combats the trafficking of people and goods then got the statue, which will be forensically tested and ultimately go to the Ephorate of Antiquities for further evaluation.

The statue is 32 inches tall by 10 inches wide. It appears to depict a someone wearing flowing garments. It is missing its head and arms.

Finding statues from ancient Greece not common in country

The trafficking of antiquities from ancient Greece is not new as police continue to investigate other discoveries and road and construction workers across the country still regularly find new pieces from that era, CBS News reported.

In December, construction workers putting in natural gas pipelines near Athens found a Roman-era statue of the ancient Greek god Hermes buried upright in a brick-lined pit near the Acropolis of Athens historical landmark, according to CBS News and the Greek City Times. Weeks ago, Thessaloniki authorities unveiled a litany of antiquities found during the decades-long construction of its metro system that officially opened in November, the outlets added.

Some of the key finds included a marble-paved Roman thoroughfare and tens of thousands of artifacts spanning the Greek, Byzantine and Ottoman periods, CBS News reported. These artifacts are now showcased at subway stations, the outlet said.

By Jonathan Limehouse.

[mrartefactstorage]

Sooo assistant position opened up? :D

Here's the thing: positions are always open because we are bloody understaffed every single year. We need experts in forensics and conservationists and accountants and possibly archaeologists?? But if you're talking about replacing my current assistant, who is currently unavailable due to a toxic yuri kind of predicament, then no.

[schrijverr]

I'm reading part 1 of the I DO 'verse and at the end of Chapter 48 you say in your author's note that you "dig up people who are already dead". I wanted to ask what your field is, if that's alright. I'm a forensic anthropology PhD and I rarely meet others with similar interests 😭😂

dsklghsdhg 'similiar interests' im dead, i love you for framing it like that omg xppp

I'm an archaeologists! I didn't go into archaeosteology (though I do think it's super cool, just very competitive and not worth it for me personally), so instead I did neolithization of central and northwestern Europe and gender archeology as a specialization! And with gender archeology you do end up in many debates about skeletons.

Hi, I'm a giant nerd and I love my field very much and if you like Stobin I wrote an archaeologist AU about it and made Spencer Reid rant about archaeology, so I am very happy to get this ask :D. It's my favorite way to give a disclaimer, because it's just funny to me and im happy to find a kindred spirit :D

[welcome-to-green-hills]

Hey mystery! Time to flex the big brain of yours with a science question. I’m sure that you’re familiar with the recent change in ages for Sonic and co. All of their ages were removed. So my question to you is how old would Sonic and his friends be since he’s now meant to be seen as TEENAGER?

Hello, my dear!❤️✨

This is a very interesting question. And I say that because it's a very... controversial (?) topic in the fandom at the moment. For those of you who are not familiar with the matter, the ages for many characters on their Sonic Channel bios were removed back in October (Bevan, 2022). Even characters like Vector and Rouge, who have notoriously been viewed as adults in canon, do not have a defined age anymore. This was a decision made by SEGA of Japan (SoJ) to keep the characters ambiguous with ages. For some characters, we can still infer that they’re strictly teenagers, like Sonic (Game Informer, 2022. 05:00 to 05:08). Maybe a little bit older, but not by much. It could range between 13-years-old to 19-years-old. It’s really up for interpretation with some fans, especially since the actors for the Sonic series are focusing on deeper voices.

Disclaimer:

I am more than happy to answer this question, but I’m afraid that I’m very limited on how I can answer this. Ages displayed throughout the series has always been a fickle thing. And that’s okay! I’m assuming that this ask is geared towards Game!Sonic rather than Sonic Wachowski, since his canonical age is 13-going-on-14 (Fowler, 2020). If this ask is geared towards me debunking the "age argument," then you might get a different answer. That, and I'm not gonna buy into the B.S. that comes from it.

The problem here is that I'm being asked to apply scientific logic to a fictional character. That's all well and good, but I'm limited in resources. That, and I'm making assumptions on how physiological traits work with an anthropomorphic animal. I'm basing my conclusions on human physiology. While this may seem logical for the ask, I don’t necessarily know how “fair." This would be considered more of a headcanon rather than a scientific explanation to your question. If there was more of an understanding of the Sonic characters’ anatomy, then I would be comfortable with giving a strong answer. They best that I can supply is a hypothetical scenario that might supply a content answer. “Content” meaning that’s it’s fine, but gives me enough wriggle room to debunk/empathize in the future.

I must also stress that an average does not mean the "perfect model." No singular person is the same. There is no such thing as normal. When I say that something is of average comparison, I'm translating it to a general starting point. I need a base to go on in order to build on top of my reasoning and data.

References:

For this ask, I will be looking at cranial structures and comparing them to both human, anthropomorphic animals (Sonic). Data that is generated to answer this ask comes from existing games, interviews with game developers, and anthropological research.

The methodology and techniques that I’ll be referencing comes from “Bare Bones: A Survey of Forensic Anthropology” by, Michael Warren et al. (2012). This is an excellent book that provides techniques and disciplines to criminologists, anthropologists, and physicians. The Smithsonian: National Museum of Natural History provides a sample of "Forensic Anthropology 101" in their free educational service HERE. I’ll also be referencing different case studies found in cultural anthropology journals. Hyperlinks will be attached in the in-text citations for view.

Methods:

I can answer this question using basic forensic techniques. There are a few different ways to determine an individual’s age when examining skeletal anatomy:

Cranial anatomy

The pelvic girdle (pelvis)

Femur

Mandible

Most archaeologists and forensic anthropologists will answer that the pelvic girdle is the best indicator for identifying an individual's age. The pelvis girdle consists of three main bones: hip bone (ilium, ischium, pubis), sacrum and the coccyx. With this, we look at the level of maturity of bone growth to make an educated guess. This can be identified by the bone's state of fusion. Depending on the identification of the individual, the pubis may fuse or grow robust. If the femur is present with the pelvis girdle, then the collected data becomes stronger. The femur is measured in height from the neck to the head, then the shaft alone to provide an idea of one's stature. All of these together create a plausible stature for one's growth and maturity.

The mandible is touch-and-go. I’ve shared in the past that teeth can provide an idea of an individual’s weight, social/economic status, stature, left/right dominance, and types of bite when chewing food. The state in which teeth grow in can give us an indication of age. This is just as good as observing one's age with a pelvis girdle. If not, maybe a bit better! However, this only works if there's a certain amount of teeth present and a record of growth is present. We look at an individual’s molars and premolars in order to determine a rough estimate in age. On average, wisdom teeth come in between the ages of 17 to 25 (Renton et al., 2016). Some are late bloomers, others are early birds. X-Rays can help us identify where the teeth are currently and provide a projection of when they'll appear. As long as there is recorded data on how teeth grow and when they come in, it's easy to determine how old someone is.

Finally, we have the calvaria. For the sake of sanity, I will be referring to this as the “cranial cap." This is the top crown of the head with four major bones that shapes the skull. These bones feature the frontal bone, two parietal bones, and one occipital bone. Along the top of the cranial cap we see these squiggles that separate the bones. These are called “sutures.” Sutures can be defined or barely visible due to the state of mend. Through maturity, these bones mend together to create one bone rather than four. These are not signs of damage done to the head, these are signs that show the state in which a child is growing (Warren et Al., 2012). Sutures are a result of an infant's cranial cap fusing together after being birthed. To put simply; the less defined they are, the older that one supposedly is.

OBSERVATION:

As explained in the “Methods,” section, the cranial cap and mandible appear to be a more logical choice when determining Sonic’s age. I am fortunate for the small crumbs given to me from Sonic CD (1994) and Sonic Unleashed (2008). Both of these provide a good picture of Sonic’s biological estimation on age range. I will not be referring to Evan Stanley’s interpretation of his skull. I do not feel that this is necessary, nor canon. This is Ms. Stanley’s interpretation of Sonic anatomy and fan art.

Mandible

Right before it's initial release, Sonic Unleashed's opening cinematic was meant to have a darker tone. Initially, the beta version of the scene depicted Sonic being electrocuted in his super form as he's infused with Dark Gaia energy. This scene was also meant to show his skeleton during the painful transformation. Screenshots of the scene are available online. One particular shot shows enough of Sonic's mandible to identify canine, incisor, premolars, and molars. The image above shows that at least ONE wisdom tooth (third molar) is present. Other signs of third molars is not visible due to angle of shot.

In the animated short titled "Night of the Werehog," we're given a good shot of Sonic opening his mouth and showing his fangs. Way in back are three molars (Image has been brightened and highlighted for view). Since one confirmed wisdom tooth is present in the shot, we could infer that Sonic is at least 17-years-old. Not fifteen. Seventeen is the average age for when we see wisdom teeth begin to grow in.

Cranial anatomy/Cranial Cap

In Sonic CD (1993), there is a particular scene where Sonic is electrocuted once again. [Fun Fact: one would not be able to see Sonic's skeleton if electrocuted, you'd see his nervous system instead.] Once again, players are able to see Sonic's entire skeletal system. The problem with this example is that it's pixelated art. Pixel art can range from being detailed works of art, or simplified icons that have symbolic meaning. The skeletal anatomy that we see of Sonic in the CD title is not enough for me to draw a conclusion on how old he is. It's merely a representation of a shock taking place.

For a better representation of a cranial cap, we should refer to the beta version of Sonic Unleashed once more. Sutures on Sonic's skull are a tad harder to make out in the image due to how saturated the scene is. A wonderful example of seeing Sonic's cranial suture can be seen at a side profile. The one closes to the sphenoid bone (eye socket) is a cranial suture. Again, this one is up for debate since the quality of the photo is poor. For the sake of sanity, we'll claim that this is a suture.

Examining the suture, we see that it's less defined. This does not mean that the sutures disappear completely. As we grow older, the bone fuses. If Sonic were younger, then the sutures would be more defined. Here, they've fused quite finely. This leads me to believe that he is out of the child phase (1yr to 12yrs) and into Adolescence (13yrs to 17yrs).

Femur & Pelvic Girdle/Pelvis

Generally, there's a model that can be used to display what a mature individual looks like compared to an adolescent when observing a pelvis girdle. Here, it's a bit harder for me to make an assumption because there's a lacking model of what adults and adolescents look like for anthropomorphic animals. This is a query that I've faced when trying to examine Sonic's skeletal anatomy. Of course, measuring a femur and weighing the density of bone could provide some insight on Sonic's estimated age (Shipman, 2018).

In a real world, that would require lots of money and an actual subject that is the equivalent to Sonic's height and weight (canonically, Sonic is 100cm tall and weighs 35kg). You'd then have to figure how much the bone density changes when someone stands up, sits down, lies down, and so forth. Plus, I don't know Sonic's level of body fat to even begin doing a simple calculation. It's a bit of a headache the more that this is tackled upon. That is a lot of data to collect for a talking blue hedgehog.

Measurements of the femur to the pelvis are fine and dandy, but the data is inconclusive. A simple measurement could be off by a single year or three. Once more, it's kind of hard to capture a crisp picture of the pelvis girdle and femur. I feel that gathering data from this perspective is inconclusive.

Discussion:

I must stress that this isn’t meant to be as in-depth or taken seriously. I must also stress that many social groups around the world have different approaches and cultural definitions to what it means to be a teenager. This is a common topic that I try to educate people about when it comes to cultural norms and social practices. Most western cultures consider that teenagers starting at 13yrs of age and ending at 17yrs of age before becoming a legal adult at 18yrs. Some western cultures even extend the age gap to 13yrs to 19yrs. Cultural and social teachings of how we define what is and isn’t a teenager could easily be defined as “adolescence.” We refer to this as adolescence, it allows us to have an extended age gap of 13yrs to 19yrs (Ember et Al., 2017). It all narrows down to how these practices and beliefs are taught within one’s community.

Some fans headcanon Sonic and his friends are growing older, others younger… or even stick with the Western interpretation of him being 15-years-old. Sonic's age has always been ambiguous, meaning that it's not narrowed down to a specific number. The query that I've faced is that there is a lack of official material that displays this easily. The information that I have shared in this post works on a plausible theory that he's older than 15. However, gaming manuals have almost always made it a point hat hes 15/16 (Sonic Heroes Game Manual, 2003). The point now is that he's a teenager. He will always be viewed as a teenager in this canon. To me, Game!Sonic is definitely older. He clearly shows characteristics of being an older version of himself (the strongest supporting evidence here being his teeth), but still within the range of being classified as a "teenager."

My goal here is to not enforce one way of thinking. The most that I can do is supply the data and leave you, the reader, to make your own conclusions. I hope that this answers your question, my dear.

[lostinhistory]

Heritage News of the Week

Lots of stuff this week, and also controversy

Discoveries!

Archaeologist Jiang Wenxiao, who is leading the excavations of the tomb, told China Daily that the main structure of the chariot had rotted away after spending more than 2,000 years in the ground. (The mausoleum dates to the third century B.C.) But the team did find a row of six sheep skeletons wearing accessories used for pulling a chariot, so they inferred this was a sheep-drawn chariot, Wenxiao said.

I am enthralled by the idea of a sheep-drawn chariot

New ruins found at ancient port city near Morocco’s capital

Ancient ruins believed to be a port city near present-day Rabat have been identified by archaeologists who discovered thermal baths and working-class neighborhoods, the Associated Press reported on Friday.

Rare tumor with teeth discovered in Egyptian burial from 3,000 years ago

While excavating an ancient Egyptian cemetery, archaeologists made a rare discovery: an ovarian tumor nestled in the pelvis of a woman who died more than three millennia ago. The tumor, a bony mass with two teeth, is the oldest known example of a teratoma, a rare type of tumor that typically occurs in ovaries or testicles.

Up to 50,000 Roman coins discovered off coast of Sardinia

An Italian diver’s sighting of something metallic near the coast of Sardinia has led to the discovery of tens of thousands of Roman bronze coins, Italy’s culture ministry has said.

'Spectacular' hall, likely used by Nordic Bronze Age royalty, unearthed in Germany

Archaeologists in Germany have discovered the remains of a massive hall that was likely used by royalty roughly 3,000 years ago.

Traces of cannabis in human bones suggest 17th-century Italians were recreational pot users

There has been no hard evidence of its use — that is, until now, with the discovery by a team of forensic scientists in Milan, Italy, of traces of cannabis in the remains of two skeletons from the 17th century.

Repatriation

The skulls of four tribal warriors killed nearly 150 years ago have been returned by a Scottish university to a Taiwanese Indigenous community in a move hailed as a “milestone of transitional justice”.

Museums

According to a statement from Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, a missile launched by Russia caused significant damage to the Odesa Fine Arts Museum, one of the most important Tsarist-era palaces in Odesa’s historic city center.

Brooklyn Museum union ratifies first contract, averting strike

The union at the Brooklyn Museum voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to ratify a three-and-a-half year contract, one day before the group was set to strike. 

Egypt’s billion-dollar museum Is getting ready to open as the country’s tourism sector weathers the Israel-Hamas conflict

After 20 years and a billion dollars, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) will soon be ready to welcome visitors, according to a report by CNN.  Described as “largest museum in the world dedicated to one civilization,” the GEM is also expected to become one of the world’s leading centers for archaeological and historical study.

British Museum independent review shares details of antiquities thefts

The British Museum has released new details around the theft of 2,000 Greek and Roman antiquities that has shaken public confidence in the storied institution.

Who are the culture warriors? A closer look at the group piling pressure on the National Trust

Restore Trust wants to “knock common sense” into the National Trust—but a look at who is behind the group reveals some familiar figures who have long been pushing a hard-right agenda.

Of course Nigel Fucking Farage is attacking the National Trust

Hungary has fired the national museum director over LGBTQ+ content in World Press Photo exhibition

The dismissal of Laszlo L. Simon, who became director of the museum for a five-year term in 2021, came after Hungary's government determined in late October that five photos on display at the prestigious World Press Photo exhibition violated the law restricting children's access to content that depicts homosexuality or gender change.

Odds and ends

A collection of pressed flowers taken from the hillsides of Bologna 500 years ago is unlocking knowledge about how the climate crisis and human migration is changing landscapes in northern Italy.

Komfo Anokye kola tree: Man denies chopping down 300-year-old tree in Ghana

The ancient tree dated back to the Ashanti Kingdom, part of modern-day Ghana. It was thought to have healing powers and became a tourist attraction for Ghanaians and foreigners alike.

How about we stop chopping down old trees??

And then there was this:

Science and psuedoscience

The archaeology interwebs have been busy this week discussing a new paper that claims that the site of Gunung Padang is actually between 16,000 and 27,000 years old, which would make it one of the oldest pyramid in the world, which would be amazing!

If it were true.

To say that the claims have been met with skepticism would be an understatement. Most archaeologists have completely rejected the authors' claims, not because of Big Archaeology (snort) or not wanting to be wrong or because of lizard people, but because there is no proof to back the claims up. To quote one rebuttal:

A radiocarbon date does not an archaeological site make. In order for a site to be archaeological, and therefore to be the result of human activity, the material dated must be related to human activity. The authors here present no evidence that the soil they are dating is related to human activity.

Or, more succinctly

(At one point during the video, I actually said "oh no". If you watch the video, see if you can guess when that was.)

The big issue, though, is how many news sites are just uncritically reporting the author's "findings", which will lead to members of the general public being all, wow, the oldest pyramid in the world is in Indonesia!, and no, no it isn't. It is not a pyramid, and it is not that old. Gunung Panang was built about 2000 years ago, and is a perfectly interesting archaeological site all by itself as is. It looks really neat! But the people pushing the idea that it's older, and/or was built by a lost advanced race, have an agenda, and you should ask yourself what that is and why.

[jamesandnina6389]

Oldest Fingerprint: A 2,400-Year-Old Bog Body and a Glimpse into Iron Age Rituals

In 1950, deep within a peat bog in Bjældskovdal, Denmark, a discovery was made that would fascinate archaeologists and historians for decades to come. The nearly perfectly preserved body of a man, later named the “Tollund Man,” was unearthed by two farmers cutting peat. What made this find extraordinary was the fact that the man’s features were so intact that he appeared to have only recently died. This remarkable preservation, caused by the unique conditions of the peat bog, revealed a man who lived during the Iron Age, some 2,400 years ago. His story, a mixture of ritual, sacrifice, and daily life in ancient Scandinavia, has captivated researchers ever since.

Submerged in waterlogged peatlands, which may have been seen as sacred places connected to the gods or the afterlife.

The Tollund Man’s calm, peaceful expression has led some researchers to speculate that he may have been willing to participate in the ritual, or that he was drugged or otherwise prepared for his death. Other bog bodies have been found with signs of violence—stab wounds, blunt force trauma, or strangulation—indicating that Iron Age people may have practiced different forms of ritual killing depending on the situation.

Insights into Iron Age Diet and Health

One of the most fascinating aspects of the Tollund Man’s discovery is the amount of information scientists were able to gather about his diet and health. Thanks to the preservation of his internal organs, researchers were able to analyze the contents of his stomach and determine his final meal. It was a simple porridge made from barley, flax, and seeds from wild plants. This humble meal suggests that the Tollund Man came from a farming community where grains and wild plants were staple foods.

Beyond his diet, other studies have shown that the Tollund Man was around 40 years old when he died, stood about 5 feet 3 inches tall, and was in relatively good health for his time. His teeth, though worn from the rough Iron Age diet, were free of cavities, and there were no signs of long-term illness or malnutrition. In addition, forensic examination revealed that his fingerprints were still intact, an astonishing detail considering his age. This level of preservation allowed researchers to study a man who lived over two millennia ago as if he were a modern subject.

The Legacy of the Tollund Man

The Tollund Man continues to be one of the most famous and well-preserved examples of a bog body, providing a unique window into the past. His remarkably lifelike appearance, combined with the wealth of information gleaned from his remains, has made him an invaluable resource for understanding Iron Age culture, religion, and daily life. While much about his life and death remains a mystery, the Tollund Man serves as a poignant reminder of the complex belief systems and rituals of ancient peoples.

Today, the Tollund Man is housed at the Silkeborg Museum in Denmark, where visitors can marvel at the well-preserved features of a man who lived 2,400 years ago. His story, frozen in time by the bog’s conditions, continues to captivate scientists and the public alike, offering a glimpse into the ancient world and the enigmatic practices of the Iron Age.

[mast3rofnonee]

0:Height- 5'10/11

1:Virgin?- yes

2:Shoe size-11

3:Do you smoke?-no

4:Do you drink?-no

5:Do you take drugs?-no

6:Age you get mistaken for- 18

7:Have tattoos? -yes but no

8:Want any tattoos? -yesssss

9:Got any piercings? -yes (septum)

10:Want any piercings?-eyebrow, nose stud vertical labaret, belly, and my all of my ears

11:Best friend?- yes but not really (i literally fell out with my bestie of four years. Lmk for a storytime)

12:Relationship status- takennn

13:Biggest turn ons- intellectual/intelligence, funny, kinda really mean, big nose(s), and height (ntm tho)

14:Biggest turn offs - disrespectful to women (or anyone but mainly women) in ANY way, too sexual, dumb, immature!!

15:Favorite movie- CMBYN

16:I’ll love you if- you let me do weird stuff with you. like weird esoteric off-putting shit.

17:Someone you miss- My bestie, my man.

18:Most traumatic experience- idek know atp tbh but maybe when i got outted and when my parents thought i was doing drugs.

19:A fact about your personality- i am very goofy and a weirdo <3 (no corny stuff lmao)

20:What I hate most about myself- mouth lol

21:What I love most about myself- face, personality mainly tho

22:What I want to be when I get older- psychiatrist/forensic scientist

23:My relationship with my sibling(s)- good!!

24:My relationship with my parent(s) - fine. (dad), my mother im pretty close to id say.

25:My idea of a perfect date- picnic by a waterfall in a secluded forest in a cute bikini and fresh fruit with a charcuterie board with a speaker playing my music.

26:My biggest pet peeves- chewing with your mouth open, "ALPHA MALE" men, self centered people, being that try and force stuff on you (cough cough), being greedy, MEAN PEOPLE!

27:A description of the girl/boy I like- short king(lmao), curly hair, chubby, nerdy. (my bf)

28:A description of the person I dislike the most- normal height, afro hair, lightskin, crooked teeth, huge boobs.

29:A reason I’ve lied to a friend - she would get mad at the truth ( dont do that anymore idgaf)

30:What I hate the most about work/school - teachers.

31:What your last text message says- idk

32:What words upset me the most- "youre not my _ anymore " idek i have sm

33:What words make me feel the best about myself- youre so beautiful, i can trust you, i love you.

34:What I find attractive in women- basically everything if i find them attractive. but even if not, i still like everything, ( i think women are the most gorgeous creatures on earth)

35:What I find attractive in men - big noses, body hair (hear me out), freckles, messy (long) hair / curly hair, pretty eyes, long eyelashes, thighs, ass, arms/ hands.

36:Where I would like to live- Countrysides in the medteranian (idk if italy counts), UK/ireland/scotland/iceland (idk if italy counts), any big city in western europe, NYC, brasil, or somwhere in washington state!!

37:One of my insecurities- my height sometimes, stretch marks sometimes.

38:My childhood career choice- archaeologist.

39:My favorite ice cream flavor- coffee

40:Who wish I could be- if i had to Zendaya.

41:Where I want to be right now- anywhere i would like to travel to, just anywhere, in a cute outfit with my favorite DILF.

42:The last thing I ate- whole grain crackers.

43:Sexiest person that comes to my mind immediately- Pedro Pascal and then after that one of my DILF teachers (teehee)

44: A random fact about anything- In WWII during the blitz in the UK, they shipped all of the children to the countryside of Britain to protect them.

[coochiequeens]

Say hello to an ancestoress

More than 4,000 years ago, a young woman who died in what is now Scotland was buried in a crouched position within a stone-lined grave. She remained buried for millennia, until excavators at a stone quarry unexpectedly unearthed her bones in 1997.

Little is known about the woman — dubbed Upper Largie Woman after the Upper Largie Quarry — but now, a new bust-like reconstruction reveals how she may have looked during the Early Bronze Age.

The reconstruction, which went on display Sept. 3 at the Kilmartin Museum in Scotland, shows a young woman with dark braided hair who is wearing a deer-skin outfit. And she appears to be looking at someone nearby.

"Making a reconstruction I usually think that we are looking into their world, [meaning] they don't see us," Oscar Nilsson, a forensic artist based in Sweden who crafted the woman's likeness, told Live Science in an email. "I thought it could be an interesting idea to twist this a bit, and actually thinking that she can see us. And as you can see, she looks a bit critical to us (I don't blame her for that...)!"

Upper Largie woman, who died in her 20s, lived during the early Bronze Age of Scotland. (Image credit: Oscar Nilsson)

After the discovery of Upper Largie Woman, a skeletal and dental analysis revealed that she likely died in her 20s and experienced periods of illness or malnutrition. Radiocarbon dating found that she lived between 1500 B.C. and 2200 B.C., during the Early Bronze Age, according to the museum. Meanwhile, a look at different isotopes, or versions of strontium and oxygen from her remains suggested that she grew up locally in Scotland, but the team wasn't able to extract her DNA, so her ethnic heritage, including her skin, eye and hair color, is unknown.

However, archaeologists found sherds of Beaker pottery in her grave, hinting that she was part of the Beaker culture, named for its peoples' bell-shaped beakers. Research suggests that the Beaker culture started in Central Europe with people whose ancestors came from the Eurasian Steppe. Eventually, the Beaker culture reached Britain in about 2400 B.C. DNA evidence indicates that the Beaker culture replaced most of Britain's inhabitants, including the Neolithic communities that had built monuments such as Stonehenge.

"The carbon dating suggests she might be a descendant of the first Beaker newcomers," Sharon Webb, director and curator of Kilmartin Museum, told Live Science in an email.

For the reconstruction of Upper Largie Woman, her skull was CT (computed tomography) scanned and then 3D printed in Scotland. However, "she lacked her mandible [lower jaw], and her left side of the cranium was in a quite fragmented condition," Nilsson said. "So, the first thing I had to do was to rebuild the left side of her cranium. And then to create a mandible, a rather speculative issue of course."

Then, Nilsson took her age, sex, weight and ethnicity into account, as these factors help determine tissue thickness. "So, in this case: a woman, about 20-30 years of age, signs of undernourishment in a period of her life, and a probable origin from the region," he said.

Nilsson pulled from a chart of modern individuals who fit these characteristics, then used their tissue measurements to begin sculpting the reconstruction. Pegs placed on the replica skull helped him measure the tissue depth, which he then covered with plasticine clay as he molded the facial muscles. Based on her skull's contours, he noted that Upper Largie Woman's eyes were wide set and that her nose was broad and "probably a bit turned upwards." She also had a rounded forehead and a broad mouth.

"I found it interesting that once she was reconstructed, I did not see that much of her malnutrition," Nilsson said. "She had a very rounded facial skeleton, which helped her looking a bit more healthy than she may have been."

However, he was clear that "the colors were all qualified guesses, based on other burials from the time and the region, where the DNA was in better shape than this one."

Webb called the reconstruction "absolutely amazing, we wanted her expression to be asking questions of the visitor, wondering who they are, and what their lives were like so that visitors might also ponder her life."

Upper Largie Woman's remains are now "sensitively 'reburied'" in the same position and orientation she was likely buried in 4,000 years ago, Webb said. Visitors can see her reconstruction at the museum's permanent exhibit.

[usafphantom2]

World War Two: When 600 US planes crashed in Himalayas

2 days ago

View of a US Army Air Transport Command cargo plane as it flies over the snow-capped, towering mountains of the Himalayas, along the borders of India, China, and Burma, January 1945, February 20, 1945.Getty Images

Pilots called the flight route "The Hump" - a nod to the treacherous heights of the eastern Himalayas

A newly opened museum in India houses the remains of American planes that crashed in the Himalayas during World War Two. The BBC's Soutik Biswas recounts an audaciously risky aerial operation that took place when the global war arrived in India.

Since 2009, Indian and American teams have scoured the mountains in India's north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, looking for the wreckage and remains of lost crews of hundreds of planes that crashed here over 80 years ago.

Some 600 American transport planes are estimated to have crashed in the remote region, killing at least 1,500 airmen and passengers during a remarkable and often-forgotten 42-month-long World War Two military operation in India. Among the casualties were American and Chinese pilots, radio operators and soldiers.

Has India's contribution to WW2 been ignored?

The operation sustained a vital air transport route from the Indian states of Assam and Bengal to support Chinese forces in Kunming and Chungking (now called Chongqing).

The war between Axis powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) and the Allies (France, Great Britain, the US, the Soviet Union, China) had reached the north-eastern part of British-ruled India. The air corridor became a lifeline following the Japanese advance to India's borders, which effectively closed the land route to China through northern Myanmar (then known as Burma).

The US military operation, initiated in April 1942, successfully transported 650,000 tonnes of war supplies across the route - an achievement that significantly bolstered the Allied victory.

This operation sustained a vital air transport route from India to support Chinese forces in Kunming and Chunking

Pilots dubbed the perilous flight route "The Hump", a nod to the treacherous heights of the eastern Himalayas, primarily in today's Arunachal Pradesh, that they had to navigate.

Over the past 14 years Indo-American teams comprising mountaineers, students, medics, forensic archaeologists and rescue experts have ploughed through dense tropical jungles and scaled altitudes reaching 15,000ft (4,572m) in Arunachal Pradesh, bordering Myanmar and China. They have included members of the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), the US agency that deals with soldiers missing in action.

The forgotten Indian soldiers of Dunkirk

With help from local tribespeople their month-long expeditions have reached crash sites, locating at least 20 planes and the remains of several missing-in-action airmen.

It is a challenging job - a six-day trek, preceded by a two-day road journey, led to the discovery of a single crash site. One mission was stranded in the mountains for three weeks after it was hit by a freak snowstorm.

"From flat alluvial plains to the mountains, it's a challenging terrain. Weather can be an issue and we have usually only the late fall and early winter to work in," says William Belcher, a forensic anthropologist involved in the expeditions.

A machine gun, pieces of debris, a camera: some of the recovered artefacts at the newly opened museum

Discoveries abound: oxygen tanks, machine guns, fuselage sections. Skulls, bones, shoes and watches have been found in the debris and DNA samples taken to identify the dead. A missing airman's initialled bracelet, a poignant relic, exchanged hands from a villager who recovered it in the wreckage. Some crash sites have been scavenged by local villagers over the years and the aluminium remains sold as scrap.

These and other artefacts and narratives related to these doomed planes now have a home in the newly opened The Hump Museum in Pasighat, a scenic town in Arunachal Pradesh nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas.

US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, inaugurated the collection on 29 November, saying, "This is not just a gift to Arunachal Pradesh or the impacted families, but a gift to India and the world." Oken Tayeng, director of the museum, added: "This is also a recognition of all locals of Arunachal Pradesh who were and are still an integral part of this mission of respecting the memory of others".

The museum starkly highlights the dangers of flying this route. In his vivid memoirs of the operation, Maj Gen William H Tunner, a US Air Force pilot, remembers navigating his C-46 cargo plane over villages on steep slopes, broad valleys, deep gorges, narrow streams and dark brown rivers.

Wreckage of many planes has been found in the mountains in recent years

The flights, often navigated by young and freshly trained pilots, were turbulent. The weather on The Hump, according to Tunner, changed "from minute to minute, from mile to mile": one end was set in the low, steamy jungles of India; the other in the mile-high plateau of western China.

Heavily loaded transport planes, caught in a downdraft, might quickly descend 5,000ft, then swiftly rise at a similar speed. Tunner writes about a plane flipping onto its back after encountering a downdraft at 25,000ft.

Spring thunderstorms, with howling winds, sleet, and hail, posed the greatest challenge for controlling planes with rudimentary navigation tools. Theodore White, a journalist with Life magazine who flew the route five times for a story, wrote that the pilot of one plane carrying Chinese soldiers with no parachutes decided to crash-land after his plane got iced up.

The co-pilot and the radio operator managed to bail out and land on a "great tropical tree and wandered for 15 days before friendly natives found them". Local communities in remote villages often rescued and nursed wounded survivors of the crashes back to health. (It was later learnt that the plane had landed safely and no lives had been lost.)

Does Nolan's Dunkirk ignore the role of the Indian army?

Not surprisingly, the radio was filled with mayday calls. Planes were blown so far off course they crashed into mountains pilots did not even know were within 50 miles, Tunner remembered. One storm alone crashed nine planes, killing 27 crew and passengers. "In these clouds, over the entire route, turbulence would build up of a severity greater than I have seen anywhere in the world, before or since," he wrote.

Parents of missing airmen held out the hope that their children were still alive. "Where is my son? I'd love the world to know/Has his mission filled and left the earth below?/Is he up there in that fair land, drinking at the fountains, or is he still a wanderer in India's jungles and mountains?" wondered Pearl Dunaway, the mother of a missing airman, Joseph Dunaway, in a poem in 1945.

The China-bound US transport planes took off from airbases in India's Assam

The missing airmen are now the stuff of legend. "These Hump men fight the Japanese, the jungle, the mountains and the monsoons all day and all night, every day and every night the year round. The only world they know is planes. They never stop hearing them, flying them, patching them, cursing them. Yet they never get tired of watching the planes go out to China," recounted White.

The operation was indeed a daredevil feat of aerial logistics following the global war that reached India's doorstep. "The hills and people of Arunachal Pradesh were drawn into the drama, heroism and tragedies of the World War Two by the Hump operation," says Mr Tayeng. It's a story few know.

[solar-halos]

question time tag!

thank you for tagging me @thelettersfromnoone <3

what is a bad habit you have?

i’m a huge procrastinator

what’s your dream job?

oh boy. during winter break i thought i fs wanted to be an archaeologist but then school started back up and now i wanna be a forensic technician. except that law enforcement seems so genuinely corrupt to me that it’s kinda overwhelming so im tryna see what all this commotion is about library science. but also if i could crochet and scrapbook all day everyday i would. this drives my mom infuckingsane btw

how many times have you been pulled over by a cop?

zero

dream travel destinations?

greece (zakynthos island looks soo pretty) and italy

what are the top two words your friends would use to describe you?

sometimes they accuse me of being sassy. also (believe it or not) a bit quiet

have you ever had sex in a public place?

i legally can’t answer this question. (just kidding i just don’t want to)

favorite beverage?

strawberries and cream dr pepper <3

are you more independent, or need lots of people around you?

a mix of both. i fucking hate being by myself but i also get overwhelmed easily, so i tend to cling onto one or two ppl. i remember seeing something like “that moment when your built in errand buddy (your sister) is busy :(“ and that’s exactly right. i always have to bribe my sister with a lil treat if i need to run an errand

and then i’m trying not to be less shy so (if you want to!!) here are the tags: @the-sun-and-the-sea @bodyelectric77 @mollywog @caesarflickermans. and then also anyone else who wants to do this i’m very nosey

[savefrog]

Dude the human body is crazy

That post about T giving you too much blood, and how thats a genetic condition passed down mainly through cis men (hemachromatosis). And how its a risk for going on T because someone can have inherited the gene but not know until going on T triggers the issues. I need to do more research, because I cant find a lot of information on how it reacts to T (besides it often resulting in lower T), but it almost looks like the body gets T and is like "Oh cool we're going dude mode now, heres that condition you were missing!"

Makes me think of how people who have had a hysterectomy can still experience the menstruation cycle even without a Uterus. Like PMS and the soreness and bloating associated with cramps. And its hard to find research on because its a newly recorded phenomenon with a lot of bias against it, but trans women on E may also experience a monthly cycle (PMS and the soreness and bloating associated with cramps) even without a Uterus as well. The body gets estrogen and is like "oh sick i know what to do with this! Pain!!!!!"

Like it really drives in how the human body is made of analogous structures. The reproductive system is all the same parts, just given different instructions. The clitoris can get erections! Hormones can change BONES even though its limited! (Horomonal changes also affect the bones during menopause for example, something archaeologists or forensic scientists can notice)

And speaking of, that whole thing about "when archaeologists see your skeleton THEN they will know" is bullshit! (ON SO MANY LEVELS)! Sex determination with bones is typically based on the measurement of literally ONE bone. And the field of archaeology has, for quite some time, acknowledged how innaccurate this can be. (And honestly, this assumption shows a lack of science knowledge in general, where in my experience researchers like to lean more towards "probably" rather than "definitely" when making ANY kind of assertion about something because there are ALWAYS EXCEPTIONS!)

Thanks to X-rays, we have classifications for different types of pelvis shapes. Do you know what may cause someone to have a C-section???? Having an Android (or "male-shaped") pelvis. Yes. A cis woman LITERALLY GIVING BIRTH, may have a pelvic shape that is labeled as having a masculine shape. AND IT IS NOT THAT RARE!!!! (A brief search says 20% of cis women)

But consider that people usually only get X-rays or other scans when absolutely needed. There could be so much more overlap that we arent even aware of. Things that are "rare instances" may not be that rare. We arent analyzing the dna of every person in existence, we only see what we are looking for and research has only just opened up past our cultural biases towards gender!

We know from studies of the brain that a lot of gendered assumptions (women are good at sorting colors because they were gatherers, etc) are not well-defined AT ALL. A lot of it may be learned during development. There are some stereotyped trends, but they're just small percentage trends such that its impossible to look at a brain and 100% say "yup thats male!", only at the most "well, statistically, its Slightly More Likely male" and still be very wrong. Exceptions are the NORM.

(And that whole evolutionary psychology thing of "women are better at colors because gatherers?"...based on what ancestors?!?!?!?!? Different groups of ancient people had different gender norms!!! There wasn't just one big caveman family for the entire paleolithic!!!! There are SO MANY recorded remains of what are most likely female hunters!!!!! Why would they not take advantage of having MORE HUNTERS during a hunting season?!?!!)

"Its simple biology" is quite possibly the most ignorant statement one can make, its a paradox. Biology is INHERENTLY complex, varied, and difficult to categorize. If you say it's simple even just for the sake of categorization, you are literally admitting to not knowing SHIT. Ask anyone into taxonomy. Categorizing animals seems easy if youve never actually done it, and meanwhile there are appparently heated debates on river dolphin teeth and whether or not river dolphins with no visible differences except slightly different teeth are different species or not. Birds are reptiles!!! Everything is a fucking fish!!!! Rigid thought based on societal bias is antithetical to science (though it has SURE affected science!)

Its that bias where the less you know about something, the easier you think it is. Someone may think they already know everything about a topic if they never actually researched it because they dont know whats out there. Whereas someone actually knowledgeable in that field KNOWS that its complicated and feels LESS like they know everything about it. Cis people who have never thought deeply about gender THINK it is simple because they lack any experience. They THINK its the same as they believed in preschool because they never challenged it - when everything else you learn in grade school is obviously simplified!!!

Its so blatantly apparent how little transphobes want to actually consider facts. Its all "just ask a biologist" until real biologists tell them its complex, then its "science is woke". They'll talk about gender all day and yet mock anyone actually studying it. It's all about rigid definitions, until someone tells them the literal definition of gender makes it seperate from sex. They pretend to care so much about the literal definitions of words and what you can and can't call something due to biology...but still call a seastar a "starFISH".

The WORLD is amorphous! Words are merely tools! Biology hates rigid categorization! EXCEPTIONS ARE THE NORM! live your damn life!

[blueiscoool]

Ancient Roman Elite Necropolis Discovered in Italy

A two-year dig to install a solar power plant near Rome has unearthed an ancient Roman necropolis containing 67 skeletons buried in 57 ornate tombs.

Archaeologists were baffled by the find — thought to date between the second and fourth centuries — not least because the skeletons were discovered wearing golden jewelry and expensive leather footwear, inside tombs designed to resemble their homes.

The discovery, on a 52-acre patch of land close to the ancient city of Tarquinia, north of Rome, was a surprise to authorities, despite the area being renowned for such findings.

Silver rings with amber and engraved initials, precious stones, terracotta pottery, coins, shiny glasses, amulets and even items of clothing were found alongside the golden necklaces and earrings.

“We found several skeletons still wearing their expensive stockings and shoes,” Emanuele Giannini, lead excavation archaeologist at the site said. “All these riches, and the fact that the bones show no sign of stress or physical labor, (leads us to believe) these weren’t local farmers, but upper-crust members of Roman families coming from cities.”

Giannini said techniques of “pre-emptive archaeology” such as field surveys and trial trenches were used to identify potentially ancient constructions below ground.

“We did have a faint idea that some treasure could lie there, as historical sources mentioned the location of a postal station for travelers near the site,” explained Giannini. “Many Romans would stop (here) for the night to eat and rest, but the magnitude of the discovery is unmatched.”

The diversity of funerary objects laid near the remains, and the luxurious designs and linings inside the tombs, have led archaeologists to believe that the occupants wanted to recreate heavenly spaces similar to their earthly homes. The interior of many tombs originally featured elaborate cloth linings, or were surrounded and covered by tiles or terracotta pieces like little houses.

Giannini said another astounding aspect is that most of the discovered tombs were communal — built for at least two occupants who likely shared a family link. A few skeletons were found wrapped around each other.

“Building tombs for entire family nuclei is a typical ancient Roman trait,” he said, “but these are outstanding in their inner decor, which shows wealth and status.”

The shallow tombs were found just 20 inches below the surface — almost popping out of the grass — yet nobody had ever noticed anything peculiar.

The site’s unique state of preservation has been attributed to the fact that “huge limestone blocks that stick out of the ground (made) ploughing, seeding and modern farming impossible in the area,” said Giannini. “It has remained untouched (for) centuries.”

Findings from the dig, which started in 2022, are being preserved as they’re found and many are going on show at the castle of Santa Severa in the coastal town of Santa Marinella. The skeletons however, are being analyzed to determine their origins and will not be put on display until forensic tests have been carried out.

Whatever their genesis, authorities are certain more hidden wonders will come to light as digs for the solar park move to another nearby site.

“We are excavating a huge rural area to redevelop the land and are balancing the need to avoid ruining such unique wonders with the goal of boosting clean energy production,” Margherita Eichberg, art heritage superintendent of the provinces of Viterbo and southern Etruria for Italy’s Culture Ministry said. The area where the necropolis has been discovered will not form part of the solar park and will be cordoned off for safety reasons, without public access.

“This is the fascination and beauty of Italy: Each time there’s a dig, incredible wonders from the past come out of the ground which need to be preserved.”

By Silvia Marchetti.