Archaeology : 2014-12-21

Saturday 27 December 2014

Introduction to Ceramic Petrology Course

Wouldn't it be great to go on this........

In May 2015, the Fitch Laboratory will hold a two-week postgraduate training course providing an introduction to ceramic petrology, building upon the Laboratory’s established reputation on ceramic petrology applications and its extensive reference collections of geological and ceramic thin sections.

The course is open mainly to people with no (or limited) previous experience on petrology although familiarity with archaeological ceramics will be useful. It is an excellent introduction for students already on a research degree in archaeological materials, as well as for postdoctoral researchers and academics interested in being familiar with ceramic petrology applications. Although the focus is primarily with ceramic materials, the skills learnt are applicable to the study of lithics, building materials, pigments and soils.

Thursday 25 December 2014

Merry Christmas

Here’s one for the album!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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Wednesday 24 December 2014

Sailors & Marines help to excavate ancient burial site in Parco Forestale Di Calaforno

After a request from the lead archaeologist at the Ancient Greek Archaeology department of the University of Catania to the Naval Air Station Sigonella Public Affairs Office, Marines and Sailors from SPMAGTF Crisis Response-Africa helped excavate cave openings to an ancient burial site in Parco Forestale Di Calaforno (Park Forestry of Calaforno) in Ragusa, Sicily.

Tuesday 23 December 2014

What is Business Combined Insurance?

Business Combined or Commercial Combined insurance is a package of insurances combining the covers which are essential for your business. These may include:

· Protection for your business premises and contents

· Equipment – your own, hired and for which you are responsible

· Business Interruption

· Business money on premises and in transit

· Goods in transit

· Your business liabilities – Public, Products and Employers

· Personal Accident

Of course, you may choose those covers which are applicable to your business from this list. The key ones for archaeology businesses / charities are equipment cover (on-site and in storage) and the liabilities. Employers liability is the only one which is mandatory if you are employing people or utilising volunteers.

Professional Indemnity Insurance is generally offered separately because the insurers who underwrite it are often specialists which do not offer the broad range of covers within the business combined package. However, it is often a good idea to have your PI insurance renewing on the same date as your business combined insurances – for ease of admin.

Over the coming weeks, we will investigate each aspect of Business Combined Insurance with specific reference to the archaeological products which we have created at archaeology-insurance.co.uk. We will also look at the calculations behind the pricing mechanisms and look at ways of reducing the premiums through risk management. We will also demystify the dreaded policy wording - which, like every archaeological document is full of acronyms and terms which are not fully understood outside of the industry!!

Call me to discuss your insurance needs on 0208 2550617 / 07768 865983

Email quote@archaeology-insurance.co.uk

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Gadget insurance complaints to Ombudsman jump

The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) says it saw 2,200 complaints about gadget warranties last year, double that of the previous year.

It says many people hugely undervalue the cost of the technological items they carry with them, and are also unaware that most general insurance does not cover items outside the home.

Some people who know this are taking out specific gadget insurance.

But the FOS says their policies wrongly failed to pay out almost half the time.

It says it intervened in 800 cases where claims were turned down, and in 43% of them found in favour of the claimant.

What we say:

Your gadgets could be covered on home and contents insurances, business insurances, car insurances and travel insurances….and as the BBC article suggests, the onus is on you know who covers you for what – which isn’t easy. I would say this wouldn’t I, but a good insurance broker should be able to assist you in identifying the covers which you have and the covers which you need. They should also be able to assist you with identifying which of your policies is most applicable to your claim.

Don’t forget that the broker’s assistance doesn’t come free. We are paid a ‘commission’ by the insurer to arrange your insurances – and essentially this is taken into account when the insurer calculates your price. A price worth paying? I think so! Buying an anonymous insurance product from an anonymous insurer online might be slightly cheaper (though not always), but are you 100% sure that the cover is right, that you have made all of the right declarations, that you have understood fully the small-print? Are you sure that you haven’t doubled-up on your insurances?

Many home and contents policies now include gadget cover – at home and away from home – so it is worth doing your research. Also, if you are a business owner, your business tools could very well include your gadgets. So, keep it simple and don’t get talked into buying multiple policies until you know what cover you already have.

Call me to discuss on 0208 2550617 / 07768 865983

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Monday 22 December 2014

Review Heritage Daily’s Top 10 Archaeological Discoveries of 2014

2014 has been a year of countless discoveries in archaeology, pushing the boundaries of scientific research and our understanding of the past. The following “Top Ten List” has been compiled by an analysis of trending stories with the most site visits from our audience on HeritageDaily, in conjunction with the overall magnitude of the discovery.

1 – New digital map reveals stunning hidden archaeology of Stonehenge

2 – Egyptologists identify tomb of royal children

3 – Two ancient Maya cities discovered in the jungle of southeastern Mexico

4 - ….

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Call me to discuss on 0208 2550617 / 07768 865983

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Rickety old ship - bone diseases of the long-dead

PITY the poor sailors of the Mary Rose. In 1545, the lives of more than 400 men (and one dog) were lost when Henry VIII's flagship took on water and sank between the Isle of Wight and the English mainland. There it, and the remains of at least 179 sailors, rested for more than four centuries. What was left of the ship was raised in 1982, and the remains became the spoils of the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth. As if that were not ignominy enough, now people are shooting lasers at the sailors' bones.