Re: Latest on Newport Tower dig

"Steve Marcus" <smarcus_spamout_@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:w0Uah.10622$7d1.1911@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Eric Stevens" <eric.stevens@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:lksnm21a7o2du0fkdnef2bpa78lsb13b9d@xxxxxxxxxx
On 27 Nov 2006 20:25:25 -0800, "Tom McDonald" <kiltmac@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:


Eric Stevens wrote:
On Mon, 27 Nov 2006 23:59:10 +0100, "Peter Alaca"
<p.alaca@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

<snip>

This is nonsense Eric. If the tower is older then the
17th century, there must be older remains to be found
in an excavation, but they didn't. Therefore a garden
area away from the tower is irrelevant.

Of course it's not nonsense and your conclusion that the area is a
garden is premature.

See below.

If a team is going to carry out an archaeological examination of a
site one would expect that they would look where there were
indications of something to find.

Which is what they did. Folks have been yapping for years, decades,
that the tower needs to be investigated to rule theory a or theory b
or
theory c in or out.

That work is now done, and there is nothing about the tower to
suggest
that it pre-dates the Colonial period.

Let's get this straight. An area outside the tower has been explored
with ground penetrating radar and tests of electrical conductivity
have been made. On the basis of the results the team have excavated
and found - the remains of 19th century paths. After consulting old
maps they have reached the conclusion that it is these old paths
which
have been detected by their measurements.

Now, what conclusions can you draw from that as to the builders of
the
Newport Tower?

Same old, same old. Now I can understand why it is better to be away
from
here than to be here....

Well Eric, what conclusions can you draw if you one digs where you
want them
to, and finds "Norse remains"?

My conclusion would be that "the Norse may have been here, or someone
who
had traded with them may have been here, or someone who had purchased
Norse
souvenirs may have been here." But if the first option, you can't
necessarily tell whether for a day, a week, a month or a year. And
more
importantly, you can't tell whether or not the Norse, if they had been
there, actually built the tower.

On the other hand, if you want to know something about the tower, you
examine, and excavate around, the tower. And amazingly, the Norse
whom you
propose may have been in the area where ground penetrating radar shows
something you are hoping to receive for Christmas, somehow managed to
leave
nothing behind in the immediate vicinity of the tower.


I can confirm that Scandinavian builders are very neat. They are
Lutherans, after all. When they complete a building, they clear away
absolutely everything, so you would never know there had been builders
there. It's great for the people who move into the new building, but
it's very unfair on future archaeologists.

I remind you all again: absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

Alan


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Latest on Newport Tower dig
    ... If there is nothing linking it to the building of the tower, ... the foundation trenches, the case is clear as far as archaeology goes. ... As for leaving the trench open, that would have been most unwise from ... The project I referred to was the excavation by Godfrey. ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: Latest on Newport Tower dig
    ... Eric Stevens wrote: ... in an excavation, but they didn't. ... area away from the tower is irrelevant. ... My conclusion would be that "the Norse may have been here, ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: Latest on Newport Tower dig
    ... Eric Stevens wrote: ... area away from the tower is irrelevant. ... My conclusion would be that "the Norse may have been here, ... if excavation of the mysterious rectangular area should turn up ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: Latest on Newport Tower dig
    ... area away from the tower is irrelevant. ... My conclusion would be that "the Norse may have been here, ... You are assuming facts not in evidence, ... if excavation of the mysterious rectangular area should turn up ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: Latest on Newport Tower dig
    ... area away from the tower is irrelevant. ... My conclusion would be that "the Norse may have been here, ... You are assuming facts not in evidence, ... if excavation of the mysterious rectangular area should turn up ...
    (sci.archaeology)