tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44757109244264769582024-02-21T07:41:30.959-08:00Archaeology WeeklyA synthesis of the most fascinating archaeology news, updated weekly.Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4475710924426476958.post-52559019789017769952009-06-21T15:40:00.000-07:002009-06-21T15:44:03.988-07:00Necropolis in Luxor Yields 18th Dynasty TombDuring excavation work at the Tombs of the Nobles on Luxor's West Bank an Egyptian archaeological mission has stumbled upon what it believes is the tomb of Amen-Em-Epet, Supervisor of Hunters during the reign of the monotheistic Pharaoh Akhnaten, reports Nevine El-Aref.........<b><br /><br /></b><a href="http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2009/952/eg12.htm">Al Ahram Weekly</a><b><br /></b>Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4475710924426476958.post-33088157841069141882009-05-31T13:34:00.000-07:002009-05-31T13:37:33.338-07:00Remains of Temple of Isis Found<span style="font-family:verdana;">Workmen inside Florence's courthouse have stumbled across a spiral column and hundreds of multicoloured fragments that experts believe may have belonged to a Roman temple dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis.</span>.........<br /><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.ansa.it/site/notizie/awnplus/english/news/2009-05-28_128361264.html">ANSA.it</a>Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4475710924426476958.post-6374043523627567432009-05-17T11:46:00.000-07:002009-05-17T11:48:40.937-07:00Emperor Trajan's Palace Discovered in Romania<span id="Zoom">Romanian archaeologists has discovered, in southeastern county of Caras-Severin, a complex structure estimated to be 2,000 years old belonging to the Roman culture, local media reported on Thursday..........<br /><br /><a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-05/15/content_11376185.htm">China View</a><br /></span>Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4475710924426476958.post-86533114973260157992009-04-26T11:38:00.000-07:002009-04-26T11:40:24.371-07:003,000-year-old temples discovered in EgyptArchaeologists exploring an old military road in the Sinai have unearthed four new temples amidst the 3,000-year-old remains of an ancient fortified city that could have been used to impress foreign delegations visiting Egypt, antiquities authorities announced Tuesday..........<br /><br /><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30326676">MSNBC</a>Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4475710924426476958.post-42376865209690531302009-04-12T17:17:00.000-07:002009-04-12T17:23:50.118-07:00Russian archaeologists discover golden- masked mummies in Egypt<span style="font-family:verdana;">Russian archaeologists working at Egypt's Fayoum Oasis have uncovered a number of mummies wearing golden masks, as well as other artifacts of historical value, a Russian Egyptologist said on Wednesday..........</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://en.rian.ru/science/20090408/120990444.html">RIA Novosti</a>Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4475710924426476958.post-62950829376411673112009-04-12T17:13:00.000-07:002009-04-12T17:17:06.250-07:00Have the first Israelite sites built after the Exodus been found?<span class="t13"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A Haifa University archaeologist on Monday said he has unearthed structures in the shape of human feet believed to have been erected by the Israelites upon their initial entry to the Land of Canaan..........</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1076836.html">Haaretz</a><br /></span>Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4475710924426476958.post-85832306371332272382009-03-29T13:00:00.000-07:002009-03-29T13:10:23.162-07:00Excavation in Turkey set to rewrite history of Iron AgeJapanese researchers digging in Turkey have pushed back the start of the Iron Age, until now presumed to have begun around 1500 B.C., with the discovery of fragments of an iron tool that predate previous finds by several centuries..........<br /><br /><a href="http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ArchNews/message/397">Asahi.com</a>Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4475710924426476958.post-9244534865599784642009-03-08T12:09:00.000-07:002009-03-08T12:14:41.529-07:00'Vampire' Skeleton Found in Venice<span style="font-family:verdana;">The remains of a 'vampire' have been found in a grave in Venice lagoon, an Italian forensic anthropologist has claimed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> Matteo Borrini of Florence University said he and his team discovered the skeleton of a woman dating to the Middle Ages whose skull had been impaled through the mouth with a brick - a traditional method of ensuring undead bloodsuckers could no longer feed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> Borrini told a meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences in Denver that when Europe was in the grips of the plague there was a widespread belief that the disease was spread by female vampires..........</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.ansa.it/site/notizie/awnplus/english/news/2009-03-06_106329688.html">ANSA.it</a>Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4475710924426476958.post-56158546721264330132009-03-01T11:29:00.000-08:002009-03-01T11:31:30.431-08:00Biblical Era Royal Seals Found in Jerusalem Hills<span style="font-family: verdana;">The Israel Antiquities Authority has announced the discovery of royal seal impressions from the times of the First and Second Temples. The finds were made at a site in the southern Jerusalem hills.</span><p style="font-family: verdana;">The seal impressions are believed to date back to the time of King Hezekiah, who ruled over Judea in the late eighth century BCE. Four “LMLK”-type seals were found, as were seals from high-ranking administrators Ahimelech ben Amadyahu and Yehokhil ben Shahar..........</p><p><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/130104">Arutz Sheva News</a><br /></p>Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4475710924426476958.post-64142962976329109042009-02-22T11:50:00.000-08:002009-02-22T11:56:36.767-08:00Lost and found: palace of Robert the Bruce<span style="font-family: verdana;">Historians and archaeologists claim to have found the remains of King</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Robert the Bruce's palace, lost for more than 700 years. The</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> discovery is being hailed as one of the most important in decades as</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> it pinpoints the location of a monument many believe is as important</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> to Scotland's history as Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace..........</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/feb/22/robert-the-bruce-palace-remains"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Guardian</span><br /></a>Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4475710924426476958.post-73726686428977670872009-02-22T11:48:00.000-08:002009-02-22T11:50:30.673-08:00Chariot and horse burial chamber excavated in Henan<span style="font-family: verdana;">The excavation of some Eastern Zhou period tombs that had ancient chariots and horses buried underground has been completed, an official from Luoyang's cultural relics office told Dahe Daily on Tuesday..........</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.cctv.com/program/cultureexpress/20090219/101501.shtml">CCTV International</a>Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4475710924426476958.post-22205814463068853732009-02-15T11:27:00.000-08:002009-02-15T11:35:32.561-08:00Egypt archaeologists uncover 2,600-year-old mummy in Sakkara<span style="font-family: verdana;" id="Zoom">Egyptian archaeologists on Wednesday uncovered a limestone sarcophagus dating back to 600 B.C. and found a well preserved mummy inside, said the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA). </span><p style="font-family: verdana;"><span id="Zoom"> The 2,600-year-old mummy was found "in the most beautiful condition" in the sarcophagus when it was opened, said SCA Secretary General Zahi Hawwas in a press release..........</span></p><p><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-02/11/content_10803810.htm">China News</a><br /></p><p><span id="Zoom"><br /></span></p>Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4475710924426476958.post-11810814733861607892009-02-15T11:24:00.000-08:002009-02-15T11:27:08.321-08:00Tests allow anthropologists to track ancient hominids across the landscape<span style="font-family: verdana;">Dazzling new scientific techniques are allowing archaeologists to track the movements and menus of extinct hominids through the seasons and years as they ate their way across the African landscape, helping to illuminate the evolution of human diets..........</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-02/uoca-hta021009.php">Eurekalert</a>Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4475710924426476958.post-21565382401373449172009-02-08T14:31:00.000-08:002009-02-08T14:34:04.697-08:00Legendary English Warship Found<span style="font-family: verdana;">..........In a secret operation over the course of many months, the US treasure-hunting company Odyssey Marine Exploration has managed to locate the sunken ship 100 meters (328 feet) below the surface of the English Channel. Following 23 dives made between May and October, 2008, there is now "no doubt" that the wreck is indeed the </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">HMS Victory</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, according to the 46-page report detailing the successful search. Company founder Greg Stemm officially confirmed the find in the Canary Wharf Four Seasons Hotel on Monday. "From an archaeological and historical perspective," Stemm said, "this is probably the most significant shipwreck find to date."...........</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,605052,00.html">Spiegel Online</a>Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4475710924426476958.post-23785377175713212162009-02-01T12:53:00.000-08:002009-02-01T13:00:11.327-08:00Egypt finds second pier at ancient temple complexEgyptian archaeologists have discovered a pier used by ancient<br />Egyptians to access the Karnak temple complex during the dry season<br />in the southern city of Luxor, the Egyptian government said on<br />Monday. The discovery was further evidence of the importance the<br />complex held in the religious life of ancient Egypt, as other temples<br />had a single dock, according to archaeologist Mansour Boraik, who led<br />the expedition that uncovered the dock..........<br /><br /><a href="http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE50P0PQ20090126">Reuters</a>Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4475710924426476958.post-26461272267521320542009-02-01T12:50:00.000-08:002009-02-01T12:52:50.137-08:00Zeus Cult Sacrificed Animals on Mountaintop AltarBurnt animal bones, petrified lightning and a bronze male hand grasping a silver lightning bolt have all been unearthed at the mountaintop site of a Mycenaean Greek cult whose members gathered around an "open fire altar," according to University of Pennsylvania Museum archaeologists. <p>The evidence suggests the cult worshiped <a href="http://history.howstuffworks.com/asian-history/seven-wonder-ancient-world4.htm" target="_blank">Zeus</a>, the "king of gods" in Greek mythology, more than 3,200 years ago at the top of Mt. Lykaion in Arcadia..........</p><p><a href="http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/01/26/zeus-cult-greece.html">Discovery News</a><br /></p>Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4475710924426476958.post-47248755833011855682009-01-25T12:27:00.000-08:002009-01-25T12:30:01.466-08:00Site older than Mohenjodaro found in Sukkur<span style="font-family: verdana;">An archaeological site, about 5,500 years old, has been found in Lakhian Jo Daro near Goth Nihal Khoso in the district of Sukkur. The find is said to be of the era of Kot Diji. A team of 22 archaeologists headed by the chairman of Shah Abdul Latif University’s archaeology department and Lakhian Jo Daro project director Ghulam Mustafa Shar found some semi-precious and precious stones and utensils made of clay, copper and other metals during excavation on Thursday. The remains are said to be older than those of Moenjodaro..........</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.dawn.com/2009/01/23/top9.htm">Dawn</a>Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4475710924426476958.post-20330637230708283802009-01-18T11:50:00.000-08:002009-01-18T11:53:01.151-08:00Remains of Ancient City in Ain Sohkna<span style="font-family: verdana;">An Egyptian-French archaeological team headed by French archaeologist George Castel uncovered the remains of an ancient city dating back to the Middle Kingdom (1665-2061 BC) in Ain Sokhna about 120 km north of Cairo, announced Culture Minister Farouk Hosni..........</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=19058">Daily News Egypt</a>Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4475710924426476958.post-35385770395743234322009-01-11T12:54:00.000-08:002009-01-11T12:56:31.374-08:00Mummy of Egyptian Queen Unearthed<span style="font-family: verdana;">Egyptian archaeologists have found the remains of a mummy thought to be that of Queen Seshestet, the mother of a pharaoh who ruled Egypt in the 24th century BC, the government said on Thursday..........</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/563626">The Star</a>Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4475710924426476958.post-66387831360489749622008-12-29T09:46:00.000-08:002008-12-29T09:48:23.494-08:00Pair of Tombs Discovered in Egypt<span style="font-family: verdana;">Egyptian archaeologists say they have discovered a pair of 4,300-year-old tombs that indicate a burial site south of Cairo is bigger than expected..........</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/middle_east/7796675.stm">BBC News</a>Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4475710924426476958.post-11209791333361124522008-12-25T11:42:00.000-08:002008-12-25T11:46:18.182-08:00King Tut's Father Confirmed<span style="font-family:verdana;">An inscribed limestone block might have solved one of history's</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> greatest mysteries -- who fathered the boy pharaoh King Tut. "We can</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> now say that Tutankhamun was the child of Akhenaten," Zahi Hawass,</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> chief of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, told Discovery News..........</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/12/17/king-tut-father.html">Discovery News</a>Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4475710924426476958.post-13834584329816213302008-12-25T11:39:00.000-08:002008-12-25T11:41:16.122-08:00Rare first century coin found in Temple Mount soil<span style="font-family: verdana;">A rare half shekel coin, first minted in 66 or 67 C.E., was</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> discovered by 14 year-old Omri Ya'ari as volunteers sifted through</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> mounds of dirt from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The coin is the</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> first one found to originate from the Temple Mount. The half shekel</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> coin was first minted during the Great Revolt against the Romans..........</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1048260.html">Haaretz</a>Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4475710924426476958.post-74595056497578033372008-11-02T17:18:00.000-08:002008-11-02T17:21:18.415-08:00First Temple Era Water Tunnel Revealed in Jerusalem<span style="font-family: verdana;">A tunnel built thousands of years ago – and which may even have been used during King David's conquest of Jerusalem – has been uncovered in the ancient City of David, just outside the Old City and across the street from the Dung Gate..........</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/128152">Arutz Sheva</a>Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4475710924426476958.post-12958203640727183872008-11-02T17:11:00.000-08:002008-11-02T17:13:04.831-08:00Oldest Hebrew script found<p style="font-family: verdana;" class="first"> Five lines of ancient script on a shard of pottery could be the oldest example of Hebrew writing ever discovered, an archaeologist in Israel says. </p><p style="font-family: verdana;"> The shard was found by a teenage volunteer during a dig about 20km (12 miles) south-west of Jerusalem. </p><p style="font-family: verdana;"> Experts at Hebrew University said dating showed it was written 3,000 years ago - about 1,000 years earlier than the Dead Sea Scrolls..........</p><p><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7700037.stm">BBC News</a><br /></p>Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4475710924426476958.post-63691740111398976232008-11-02T17:03:00.000-08:002008-11-02T17:06:27.522-08:00King Solomon's Mines?<p style="font-family: verdana;">Did the Bible's King David and his son Solomon control the copper industry in present-day southern Jordan? Though that remains an open question, the possibility is raised once again by research reported in the <i>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</i>.</p> <p style="font-family: verdana;">Led by Thomas Levy of UC San Diego and Mohammad Najjar of Jordan's Friends of Archaeology, an international team of archaeologists has excavated an ancient copper-production center at Khirbat en-Nahas down to virgin soil, through more than 20 feet of industrial smelting debris, or slag. The 2006 dig has brought up new artifacts and with them a new suite of radiocarbon dates placing the bulk of industrial-scale production at Khirbat en-Nahas in the 10th century BCE – in line with biblical narrative on the legendary rule of David and Solomon. The new data pushes back the archaeological chronology some three centuries earlier than the current scholarly consensus..........</p><p><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-10/uoc--ks102308.php">EurekAlert</a><br /></p>Dan McLerranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08045921859785084994noreply@blogger.com0