False 7past horizons Ancient Australia not written in stone “ Has the life of Australia’s Aborigines remained unchanged for 45,000 years? A new approach to archaeology challenges us to rethink prehistory.” Read Full Story: http:// tinyurl. com/ 5hwv85 ? ? ( ABC News) Wet weather turns Cerne Abbas chalk giant into invisible man “ The famous Cerne Abbas giant appears to be fading from view as his modesty - and every-thing else besides - is covered by grass.” Read Full Story: http:// tinyurl. com/ 6eyarz ? ? ( London Evening Standard) Parsagadae and Mausoleum of Cyrus the Great in danger of destruction “ Cracks have started to appear on the stonework of the mausoleum of Cyrus the Great in the historical site of Parsagadae, thanks to an all- time high level of humidity.” Read Full Story: http:// tinyurl. com/ 6qon7c ? ? ( Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies) Researchers open secret cave under Mexican pyramid “ Archaeologists are now revisiting a cave system that is buried 20 feet beneath the towering Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan near Mexico City.” Read Full Story: http:// tinyurl. com/ 6qmtye ? ? ? ( Reuters/ Yahoo News) Kettle Creek dig providing new insights into 1779 battle “ An archaeological dig in Wilkes County has opened a 229- year- old window to one of the piv-otal points in the early years of the American Revolutionary War.” Read Full Story: http:// tinyurl. com/ 5mtqqm ? ? ( The Florida Times- Union) Magnetic fi elds used to date Indian artefacts “ You might be surprised what you can learn from a campfi re. A campfi re that has been cold for, say, 300 years.” Read Full Story: http:// tinyurl. com/ 65j89j ? ? ? ( The Wichita Eagle) New research refutes myth of pure Scandinavian race “ Human beings were as genetically diverse 2000 years ago as they are today and indicate greater mobility among Iron Age populations than was previously thought.” Read Full Story: http:// tinyurl. com/ 5l3wdo ? ? ( University of Copenhagen) For more news stories that are updated constantly, try: Past Horizons News Blog: http:// pasthorizons. wordpress. com/ category/ news- and- articles ? Stonepages Weekly News and Podcast: http:// www. stonepages. com/ news ? CBA Archaeology News Feed: http:// www. britarch. ac. uk/ newsfeed ? Small FindsYou can follow a direct link to a website where you see this symbol: ?

False past horizons8 I n the Adriatic Sea off the coast of Croatia lies the Island of Cres ( pronounced Tres). Only 42km long and in places only 1km wide, this unique island is home to many archaeological treasures, and contains amazing bio- diversity with more plant species than the whole of the UK, several of which are found exclusively on Cres. The north of the island is known as Tramuntana, and on its rocky sea cliffs nest most of the surviving Eurasian Griffon vulture population. This magnifi cent bird, with a huge three- metre wingspan, has witnessed every period of human occupation of this area, and has been rescued from the brink of extinction by the work of an eco- centre near the picturesque hilltop village of Beli. Past Horizons was intrigued to explore the connection between the Griffon vulture and the ever- evolving landscape as it has changed through human intervention. Goran Susic, an ornithologist and founder of the eco-centre, asked us if we could carry out a survey of the surrounding archaeological features, and soon we came to realise that this near unexplored ( archaeologically) island has an incredible depth of potential, with recognisable sites stretching from at least the Bronze Age to the present. Before the fl ooding of the Adriatic region around 20,000 years ago Cres was a long limestone ridge overlooking a wide valley. There are several known caves on the island, and recently brown bear bones were recovered from one, as well as some Iron Age pottery. Evidence from similar sites in the region have shown that careful examination may locate Palaeolithic occupation and Cres: Text and images by david connolly & Maggie Struckmeier The village of Beli