Explorator 25.48 ~ March 19, 2023

Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week(as always hoping I have left no one out).

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EARLY HOMINIDS
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Feature on the ‘wooden club myth’:

https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/ancient-wooden-clubs-myth/
https://www.iflscience.com/club-wielding-ancestors-myth-or-reality-68017

Feature on Lapedo Child:

https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0f8khzt/lapedo-child-a-neanderthal-modern-human-hybrid-

More on rethinking caused by monkeys making ‘stone tools’:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/macaques-stone-tool-human-ancestors-b2299546.html
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/monkey-stone-flakes-ancient-hominid-tools
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/13/surprising-similarities-in-stone-tools-of-early-humans-and-monkeys/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/stone-flakes-made-by-monkeys-raise-questions-about-early-human-tools-180981785/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11280-230313-monkey-stone-flakes

More on Neanderthals apparently collecting trophy skulls:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/neanderthals-collect-animal-skulls-spain

More on bow-and-arrow use in Europe some 54 000 years bp:

https://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/the-first-humans-in-europe-mastered-bow-and-arrow-technology-54000-years-ago/
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AFRICA
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Italy helped in the restoration of a Mithras-worshipper’s tomb in Girgaresh (Libya):

https://www.libyaherald.com/2023/03/italy-helps-in-restoration-of-aelia-arisuth-mithras-worshipers-tomb-in-girgarish/
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ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
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Studying petroglyphs to learn about pre-Egyptian divinities:

https://phys.org/news/2023-03-images-cult-gods-pre-egyptian-society.html

Latest finds from the dig at Matariya’s Sun Temple:

https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/491869/Antiquities/Ancient-Egypt/In-Photos-GermanEgyptian-archaeological-mission-un.aspx
https://www.egyptindependent.com/more-remnants-of-temple-of-the-sun-discovered-in-matareya-area/

More on the 16m papyrus of the Book of the Dead found at Saqqara:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-egypt/complete-book-of-the-dead-discovered-at-saqqara/

Feature on Nazis and Egyptology:

https://english.elpais.com/culture/2023-03-18/gods-tombs-and-nazis-the-third-reichs-bad-relationship-with-egyptology.html

The Catacombs of the Dendera Temple will be opening to the public:

https://egyptindependent.com/catacombs-of-dendera-temple-open-for-visitors-in-june/

Feature on the 7500 years bp ‘cursed city’ of Sialk Hills (Iran):

https://arkeonews.net/7500-year-old-cursed-city-of-iran/

Feature on animal symbolism in Mesopotamian art:

https://www.thecollector.com/animals-in-ancient-mesopotamian-art/

Feature on the Cyrus Cylinder:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-near-eastern-world/the-cyrus-cylinder/

Feature on the rise of the Sasanian empire:

https://www.thecollector.com/rise-of-the-sasanian-empire/

More on the fragment of a (now) 1500 years bp lioness sculpture (and more) from Ein Nashut:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/students-on-northern-israel-field-trip-stumble-onto-1500-year-old-lioness-carving/
https://www.ynetnews.com/travel/article/syzftqj12

Feature on the ‘Tomb of Absalom’:

https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2023/03/absalom-tomb-pilgrimage

Feature on the origins of the Nabataeans:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/where-did-the-nabataeans-come-from

Prehistoric (?) petroglyphs from caves around Latmos (Turkey):

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/exciting-discovery-in-latmos-181517
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11288-230316-turkey-rock-art

A Roman-era mosaic at Shoham was ‘rediscovered’/reexposed this week:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/ancient-rest-stop-with-flowery-mosaic-to-host-tired-travelers-once-again/
https://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/ancient-mosaic-floor-with-colorful-floral-designs-re-uncovered-after-40-years/2023/03/19/

Palestinians are said to have paved a road over an archaeological site in Sebastia:

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-734320
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368699

… and other destructive acts:

https://allisrael.com/palestinian-authority-causes-severe-destruction-to-archaeological-site-of-ancient-city-in-samaria
https://www.jns.org/palestinians-throw-animal-carcasses-into-graves-at-biblical-site/

Podcast on the Philistines:

https://podfollow.com/the-ancients/episode/23bfad877578dadbb493818f547a3f8f7936869d/view

A major study of Late Neolithic mustatils in Saudi Arabia:

https://www.livescience.com/7000-year-old-cult-site-in-saudi-arabia-was-filled-with-human-remains-and-animal-bones
https://phys.org/news/2023-03-uncovering-ritual-ancient-stone-monument.html
https://www.modbee.com/news/nation-world/world/article273239645.html
https://www.vice.com/en/article/4a3gk3/archaeologists-discover-worship-of-unknown-gods-at-ancient-desert-monument
https://www.sciencealert.com/ancient-structures-in-the-arabian-desert-reveal-fragments-of-mysterious-rituals
https://arkeonews.net/uncovering-the-ritual-past-of-ancient-mustatils-cult-herding-and-pilgrimage-in-the-late-neolithic-of-north-west-arabia/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/archaeologists-shed-new-light-on-ritual-stone-monuments-found-in-saudi-arabia/146537
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/16/ritual-monuments-in-northern-arabia-reveal-neolithic-ritual-activity/

cf: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0281904

Sharjah’s Sira Khorfakkan Island is now an archaeological reserve:

https://www.zawya.com/en/world/middle-east/sharjahs-sira-khorfakkan-island-declared-archaeological-reserve-mjjqqkrt

3600 years bp shell workshops from Masafi in the UAE:

https://www.theolympian.com/news/nation-world/world/article273215785.html

Feature on finds made from remains of a prehistoric vilage in Fujairah (UAE):

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-03-14/ty-article/archaeologists-discover-unexpected-enterprise-in-prehistoric-uae-village/00000186-df5a-d25f-a59f-ffffd8760000

Feature on finds from Dadan in AlUla:

https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/film-tv/2023/03/19/national-geographic-film-uncovers-secrets-of-alulas-forgotten-kingdom-of-dadan/
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/saudi-arabia/2023/03/14/Saudi-Arabia-Archaeologists-excavate-forgotten-kingdom-in-AlUla-s-Dadan

A Umayyad coin from the Halit site in Riyadh:

https://www.thenationalnews.com/gulf-news/2023/03/15/saudi-heritage-commission-finds-rare-umayyad-coin-from-early-islamic-era/
—–
This Week in the Ancient Near East Podcast:

https://thisweekintheancientneareast.podbean.com/

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ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME (AND CLASSICS)
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Mycenean bronze swords from excavations on the Trapeza Plateau in the Peloponnese:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/bronze-swords-from-mycenaean-civilisation-found-in-greek-tomb/146520

Flood protection construction in Limassol revealed a pair of Late Bronze Age burials:

https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/flood-works-reveal-ancient-tomb
https://cyprus-mail.com/2023/03/15/ancient-grave-found-in-limassol/

Excavations at Hala Sultan Tekke in Cyprus revealed the site was a major copper trade hub during the Bronze Age:

https://www.gu.se/en/news/cypruss-copper-deposits-created-one-of-the-most-important-trade-hubs-in-the-bronze-age
https://phys.org/news/2023-03-excavations-reveal-copper-deposits-cyprus.html

cf: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X22003856

A 2000 years bp Roman-era burial ‘sealed’ with nails and bricks from Sagalassos:

https://phys.org/news/2023-03-roman-era-gravesites-unusual-funerary.html
https://www.livescience.com/roman-era-tomb-scattered-with-magical-dead-nails-and-sealed-off-to-shield-the-living-from-the-restless-dead
https://arkeonews.net/a-roman-tomb-where-magical-nails-were-used-to-fend-off-the-restless-dead-has-been-discovered-in-turkiye/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11863799/Roman-tomb-sealed-2-000-years-ago-shield-living-restless-dead-OPENED.html
https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/03/bent-nails-at-roman-burial-site-form-magical-barrier-to-keep-dead-from-rising/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11287-230315-turkey-cremation-grave

A Roman-era mosaic was revealed during Aldi construction in Olney:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-64918113
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11875331/Roman-villa-stunning-mosaic-workers-prepare-site-new-Aldi-supermarket.html
https://arkeonews.net/aldi-construction-uncovered-roman-mosaic-in-uk/
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66778
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/archaeologists-unearth-roman-mosaic-in-olney/146566

Remains of a 2nd/3rd century CE monumental Roman structure from Riems:

https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/grand-est/marne/reims/reims-un-site-antique-monumental-mis-au-jour-au-boulingrin-2732638.html
https://arkeonews.net/monumental-roman-complex-discovered-in-france/
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66767

I think we mentioned this 2nd century CE Roman bathhouse find from near Yenne (France):

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/nation-world/world/article273046960.html
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/roman-baths-french-village-1234660745/

A 1600 years bp elite Roman woman burial in a lead coffin (plus Saxon remains too) from Garforth:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/mar/13/remains-roman-aristocrat-extraordinary-cemetery-leeds
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/15/world/europe/uk-roman-burial-leeds.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-64917979
https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/news/leeds-news/archaeologists-make-once-lifetime-find-26457002
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/garforth-skeletons-once-in-a-lifetime-roman-and-saxon-cemetery-with-remains-of-60-people-including-aristocratic-woman-found-in-yorkshire-4061331
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/garforth-dig-roman-aristocrat-remains-discovered-leeds-lead-coffin-b1067043.html
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11856191/Discovery-Roman-aristocrat-woman-Anglo-Saxon-cemetery-1-600-years-old-hailed-researchers.html
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/03/13/roman-graveyard-leeds-unearthed-once-in-a-lifetime-find/
https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1281/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1281/pub/1281/page/27/article/NaN
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/burial-site-reveals-crossroads-between-roman-and-anglo-saxon-britain-w0tqr2vhb
https://news.sky.com/story/roman-burial-unearthed-in-truly-extraordinary-excavation-of-hidden-leeds-cemetery-12832775
https://metro.co.uk/2023/03/13/hidden-roman-cemetery-dating-back-1600-years-unearthed-in-leeds-18432168/
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/roman-aristocrat-remains-unearthed-lead-coffin-england-anglo-saxons-rcna74804
https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/remains-of-ancient-roman-aristocrat-found-in-british-hidden-cemetery-165225029824
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/roman-empire-ancient-coffin-discovered-leeds-england/
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/13/uk/roman-burial-garforth-scn-scli-gbr-intl/index.html
https://nbcpalmsprings.com/2023/03/13/skeletal-remains-of-roman-aristocrat-discovered-in-hidden-lead-coffin/
https://www.thedailybeast.com/lead-coffin-leads-to-amazing-discovery-of-roman-aristocrats-remains
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-734556
https://the-past.com/news/roman-and-saxon-cemetery-unearthed-in-leeds/
https://arkeonews.net/historic-leeds-cemetery-discovery-unearths-an-ancient-lead-coffin-belonging-to-a-late-roman-aristocratic-woman/
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66760
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11281-230314-england-lead-coffin

More on the possible find of Vitruvius’ basilica in Fano:

https://www.ansa.it/english/news/2023/03/11/remains-of-basilica-of-vetruvius-may-have-been-found_5dba0e52-e8c0-4324-b162-a750b7929757.html
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66711

More on a hiker finding Roman coins and a possible shrine site in the Swiss Alps:

https://www.iflscience.com/hiker-accidentally-discovers-ancient-roman-shrine-to-mountain-gods-in-the-alps-68035
https://arkeonews.net/hiker-found-a-place-of-holy-worship-at-an-altitude-of-2590-meters-in-the-swiss-alps/
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66747

More on the Roman ‘shrine’ found at Leicester Cathedral:

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/leicester-cathedral-roman-altar-shrine-cult-room-2267071

More on Roman fortifications near a silver mine in Germany:

https://the-past.com/news/excavations-in-germany-reveal-roman-military-camps-and-wooden-defences/

More on sheep lawn maintenance at Pompeii:

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/sheep-come-rescue-pompeii-ruins-2023-03-09/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/64943717
https://greekreporter.com/2023/03/14/sheep-ancient-ruins-pompeii/

On Neapolitan pozzolan use in the Roman theatre of Aquileia:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-30692-y

A contest to decipher charred scrolls from Herculaneum:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/mar/15/contest-decipher-herculaneum-scrolls-3d-x-ray-software
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11872613/Can-decipher-scrolls-Scientists-offering-250-000-prize.html
https://gizmodo.com/roman-vesuvius-challenge-scrolls-ai-volcano-1850232729

An assault on an archaeologist on Mykonos triggered protests this week:

https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1206683/greek-archaeologists-protest-holiday-island-assault/
https://apnews.com/article/greece-tourism-mykonos-archaeologist-protest-760f80b6cf987d60125f81630b766f96
https://hyperallergic.com/808364/protests-in-greece-following-assault-of-archeologist/
https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/greek-archaeologists-protest-holiday-island-assault-97849248
https://news.yahoo.com/greek-archaeologists-protest-holiday-island-124002658.html
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/archaeologists-protest-mafia-violence-on-mykonos-1234661171/

… and accounts of the assault:

https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1206445/suspected-mobsters-attack-archaeologist/
https://greekreporter.com/2023/03/14/greek-archaeologist-building-permits-mykonos-brutally-beaten/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/03/15/archaeologist-hospitalised-mykonos-accuses-developers-order/
https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1283/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1283/pub/1283/page/56/article/NaN

Planned tower construction in London is raising concerns about Roman remains:

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/roman-remains-london-forum-gracechurch-street-tower-proposal-b1067127.html

Review of Francine Prose, *Cleopatra*:

https://www.nysun.com/article/francine-prose-liberates-cleopatra

Review of a trio of recent books on Greek myths:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/book-review-the-greek-myths-retold-1f7cba65

Feature on Stephen DeCasien’s studies of ancient naval rams:

https://today.tamu.edu/2023/03/16/grad-student-explores-ancient-warfare-with-naval-ram-project/

A tour of the House of the Vettii:

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66783

Feature on recent finds from Pompeii:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-continuing-discoveries-at-pompeii/

Feature on the fresco of Terentius Neo and his wife:

https://www.indonewyork.com/breaking/roman-empire-love-in-pompeii-the-confident-baker-s-wife-and-her-2-h77337.html

Feature on evidence for gladiators in Roman Britiain:

https://phys.org/news/2023-03-gladiators-roman-britain-expert-evidence.html

… and a feature on gladiators:

https://tvpworld.com/68515390/gladiators-or-how-a-custom-turned-a-funeral-into-a-bloody-pastime

Feature on the Circus Maximus:

https://www.thecollector.com/what-happened-at-the-circus-maximus/

Feature on ancient Croatia:

https://www.thedubrovniktimes.com/lifestyle/culture/item/14645-what-do-archaeological-finds-tell-us-about-ancient-croatia

Feature on Thespians at Thermopylae:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/03/15/thespians-heroes-battle-thermopylae/

Feature on Archimedes:

https://www.biography.com/scholars-educators/a43249494/who-discovered-pi-archimedes-of-syracuse

Feature on the Erechtheion:

https://www.thetravel.com/what-to-know-about-the-erechtheion-temple-athens/

Feature on the ‘end of the world’ to the ancient Romans:

https://www.iflscience.com/the-roman-ragnarok-what-did-the-end-of-the-world-look-like-to-the-ancient-romans-68019

… similarly:

https://psyche.co/ideas/what-good-was-the-apocalypse-for-the-greeks-and-romans

Feature on ancient Greek plumbing:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/03/18/ancient-greeks-advanced-plumbing-drainage-water-systems/

Feature on the ‘Roman Charity’ painting:

https://aeon.co/essays/on-roman-charity-or-a-womans-filial-debt-to-the-patriarchy

Feature on casts of bodies at Pompeii:

https://nextluxury.com/interesting/pompeii-bodies/

Pondering the ‘greatness’ of Alexander:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct38tv

Feature on ‘et tu brute’:

https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2023/03/16/what-is-the-meaning-of-et-tu-brute-and-did-caesar-really-say-it-on-ides-of-march/

Yet again we read that a deal is ‘close’ on the Parthenon sculptures:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/artefact-swap-could-bring-an-end-to-elgin-marbles-saga-3n2p0hcq5
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/parthenon-marbles-return-possible-without-ownership-accord-campaigners-say-2023-03-12/
https://www.nysun.com/article/britain-greece-closing-in-on-deal-for-return-of-elgin-marbles
https://www.tornosnews.gr/en/greek-news/culture/48588-british-museum-head-on-solving-200-year-old-dispute-with-elgin-marbles.html

… but Rishi Sunak says it isn’t going to happen:

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/mar/13/no-plans-to-return-parthenon-elgin-marbles-to-greece-says-rishi-sunak
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/elgin-marbles-greece-british-museum-sunak-b2299561.html
https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-pm-sunak-rules-out-law-change-return-parthenon-marbles-2023-03-13/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/03/13/elgin-marbles-will-not-stay-greece-says-rishi-sunak/
https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1281/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1281/pub/1281/page/11/article/NaN
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/no-plans-change-law-blocking-070056867.html
https://www.dw.com/en/no-plans-to-give-parthenon-marbles-back-to-greece/a-64907213
https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/elgin-marbles-will-not-return-permanently-to-greece-rishi-sunak-vows/
https://www.thenational.scot/news/national/23381036.no-plans-change-law-blocking-elgin-marbles-given-greece—sunak/
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/uk-prime-minister-rishi-sunak-no-return-parthenon-marbles-greece-1234660406/
https://greekreporter.com/2023/03/13/rishi-sunak-rules-out-return-parthenon-marbles-greece/
https://greekherald.com.au/news/uk-prime-minister-rules-out-law-change-for-return-of-parthenon-marbles-to-greece/
https://neoskosmos.com/en/2023/03/15/news/greece/british-pm-government-will-not-change-law-to-allow-parthenon-marbles-return/
—–
Roman Archaeology Blog:

http://romanarc.blogspot.com/

Rogueclassicism:

http://rogueclassicism.com/
============================================================
EUROPE AND THE UK (+ Ireland)
============================================================
Chalcolithic-Bronze Age petroglyphs from the Cova de la Vila in Catalonia:

https://english.elpais.com/culture/2023-03-17/over-100-prehistoric-engravings-found-in-a-cave-in-northeastern-spain.html

Evidence of cheesemaking in Late Neolithic Poland:

https://phys.org/news/2023-03-neolithic-ceramics-reveal-dairy-multiple.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230314205400.htm

Archaeologists have returned to a late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age settlement site in the North York Moors National Park:

https://www.thescarboroughnews.co.uk/news/people/archaeologists-return-to-investigate-site-of-unusual-north-york-moors-national-park-settlement-4068303

Remains of a Bronze Age ring ditch from a site in Derbyshire:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/archaeologists-uncover-ancient-ring-ditch/146558

A Millom metal detectorist has found his sixth metal axe head (date?):

https://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/23388991.millom-metal-detectorist-josh-carr-finds-sixth-axe-head/

A metal detectorist found a Bronze Age penannular ring:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-64890939

The Late Bronze Age Blythburgh hoard was declared treasure:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-64859637

An Anglo-Saxon era watermill from Buckingham:

https://www.medievalists.net/2023/03/medieval-watermill-england/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/watermill-uncovered-with-anglo-saxon-origins/146503

A 1500 years bp Saxon throwing axe is going on display:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-somerset-64967007

A 1000+ years bp gold jewellery and silver coin hoard found a couple years ago in the Netherlands is going on display:

https://www.livescience.com/very-very-rare-gold-and-silver-medieval-treasure-unearthed-in-the-netherlands
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-64890939
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/1000-year-old-medieval-treasure-uncovered-by-metal-detectorist-in-the-netherlands-1234660442/
https://news.yahoo.com/rare-treasure-buried-during-medieval-192606549.html
https://arkeonews.net/netherlandss-unique-treasure-finds-of-medieval-gold-jewelry-and-silver-coins/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/1000-year-old-gold-earrings-and-silver-coins-unearthed-in-the-netherlands-180981792/?

Assorted medieval small finds from a possible ‘knights court’ sire in Poland:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/medieval-artefacts-found-in-poland-from-possible-knights-court/146515

Kitchen renovations in York revealed some 400 years bp wall paintings:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-64993300

A large 17th century coin hoard find by a metal detectorist in Poland:

https://www.livescience.com/17th-century-century-hoard-brimming-with-1000-coins-discovered-in-poland
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11279-230313-poland-boratynki-coins

Studying a 17th century intact dress found on a shipwreck off the Netherlands:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/14/world/europe/shipwreck-dress-netherlands.html

More on that Neolithic mass grave (including headless skeletons) from Slovakia:

https://the-past.com/news/headless-skeletons-uncovered-in-neolithic-mass-grave/

More on the shipwreck off Halkidiki dating from the Greek War of Independence:

https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1206515/shipwreck-in-halkidiki-linked-to-1821-revolution/
https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/03/13/shipwreck-from-the-greek-war-of-independence/
https://greekherald.com.au/news/archaeologists-find-shipwreck-linked-to-1821-greek-revolution-in-halkidiki/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11283-230315-greece-revolution-ship

More on 2900 years bp use of steel on the Iberian peninsula:

https://www.livescience.com/bronze-age-craftspeople-tempered-steel-more-than-1000-years-before-the-romans-did-it
https://scitechdaily.com/2900-years-ago-archaeologists-prove-that-steel-tools-were-used-in-europe-earlier-than-previously-thought/

More on the 800 years bp gold jewllery and silver coin hoard found in Germany by a metal detectorist:

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/trainee-metal-detectorist-gold-silver-hoard-germany-alsh-2267848

More on the use of runes:

https://partner.sciencenorway.no/language-runes-society-and-culture/runes-were-just-as-advanced-a-written-language-as-the-roman-alphabet/2164067

The fire at Notre Dame has revealed its extensive use of iron to bind stones together:

https://www.livescience.com/notre-dame-is-held-together-by-a-first-of-its-kind-iron-skeleton-catastrophic-fire-revealed
https://phys.org/news/2023-03-reveals-notre-dame-de-paris-cathedral.html
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230316-paris-fire-exposes-hidden-iron-holding-up-notre-dame
https://fr.aleteia.org/2023/03/18/notre-dame-de-paris-coup-denvoi-de-la-construction-de-la-fleche/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11870731/Notre-Dame-fire-2019-exposed-cathedrals-hidden-iron-frame-confirming-kind.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/notre-dame-fire-exposes-long-hidden-iron-inside-paris-landmark/
https://www.jpost.com/science/article-734673
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/16/notre-dame-first-gothic-cathedral-to-make-massive-use-of-iron/

cf: https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/16/notre-dame-first-gothic-cathedral-to-make-massive-use-of-iron/

Hyping an upcoming dig at the Potteric Carr Nature Reserve near Doncaster:

https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/potteric-carr-nature-reserve-first-ever-archaeological-dig-to-take-place-at-yorkshire-nature-reserve-next-month-4062030

Studying the Lowbury Woman:

https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/16/forgotten-lowbury-woman-burial-to-reveal-her-secrets/

What laser scans are revealing about Seahenge:

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/23378101.seahenge-scans-shed-new-light-mysterious-norfolk-relic/

Major costs arising from that find of hundreds of burials associated with St Saviour’s Priory:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-64915919

Pondering artifacts in the Black Sea:

https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0f9h955/the-ancient-secrets-lurking-beneath-the-black-sea

OpEd sort of thing on metal detectorists (not a positive view):

https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/commentanalysis/arid-41095540.html

… and concerns that metal detectorists in Flanders aren’t sharing their finds:

https://www.brusselstimes.com/411178/treasure-hunters-in-flanders-not-sharing-their-findings-with-archeologists

Feature on the Celts:

https://www.livescience.com/history-of-the-celts

Feature on Mudlarking:

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/mudlarkers-uncover-archaeological-treasures-along-londons-river-banks

Feature on the Gjellestad ship burial:

https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/history-and-civilisation/2023/03/100-year-find-enormous-viking-ship-holds-surprising-clues-on-burial-rituals

Review of Carolyne Larrington, *The Norse Myths that Shape the Way We Think*:

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230316-the-six-ancient-norse-myths-that-still-resonate-today
———-
Archaeology in Europe News:

http://archaeology-in-europe.blogspot.com/

Medievalists.net:

https://www.medievalists.net/category/news/

Viking Archaeology Blog:

http://viking-archaeology-blog.blogspot.com/

============================================================
ASIA AND THE SOUTH PACIFIC
============================================================
Drought has revealed some 12 000 years bp burials near Dongting Lake:

https://news.yahoo.com/treasure-filled-tombs-12-000-141153095.html

A 7000 years bp settlement site from Henan:

http://t.m.china.org.cn/convert/c_BGwwVa22.html
http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2023-03/15/content_85169958.htm

A 3000 years bp settlement site from Shaanxi:

http://en.people.cn/n3/2023/0313/c90000-10221633.html

Plenty of finds from 570 Warring States Period burials from Sanmenxis (Henan):

http://t.m.china.org.cn/convert/c_vCPjfWIV.html
http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2023-03/15/content_85170211.htm

Three Tang Dynasty tombs from a site in Shanxi:

http://t.m.china.org.cn/convert/c_uf5v6IWC.html
http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2023-03/18/content_85176624.htm

Shaanxi was touting its top six finds from 2022:

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202303/1287239.shtml
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-03-13/China-s-Shaanxi-Province-unveils-top-six-archaeological-findings-of-2022-1i99eyKMXVC/index.html

1300 years bp rice residue from remains at a site in Tibet:

https://english.news.cn/20230314/e547b3ff93c5458b8e9413ee389f3ac8/c.html
http://t.m.china.org.cn/convert/c_OsFSzh77.html
http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2023-03/14/content_85167389.htm
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11285-230315-tibet-indica-rice

Studying skeletal remains from Cambodia:

https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/researchers-study-ancient-skeletons-bone-fragments

Assorted 3000+ years bp finds from a dig in Dong Dau (Viet Nam):

https://en.vietnamplus.vn/metal-age-relics-unearthed-at-hanois-dong-dau-hill/249776.vnp
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11282-230315-vietnam-metal-artifacts

Evidence of a medieval temple near a railway station in Odisha:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/travel-news/archaeological-remains-of-13th-15th-century-medieval-temple-discovered-in-odisha/articleshow/98749577.cms
https://www.thestatesman.com/india/archaeological-remains-of-medieval-temple-found-near-railway-station-in-odisha-1503161996.html

Possible Sangam-era carnelian beads and husks from burial urns in Konthagi:

https://www.deccanherald.com/national/south/carnelian-beads-and-husks-found-in-urns-in-keeladi-cluster-site-1200289.html
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11289-230316-india-konthagai-beads

Feature/study of antiquities missing from India:

https://indianexpress.com/article/express-exclusive/486-asi-antiquities-missing-since-1947-why-numbers-dont-capture-the-story-8495043/

A teacher in Mamsapuram underwent some training an learned a coin he was given is 1000 years old:

https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2023/mar/16/tn-teacher-undergoes-archaeology-training-learns-gifted-coin-is-1000-years-old–2556500.html

============================================================
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
============================================================
A project to find connections between various Aboriginal groups in Western Australia:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-17/five-year-archaeological-project-explores-north-west-wa-deserts/102089628
============================================================
NORTH AMERICA
============================================================
The ongoing search for John Smith’s long-lost town:

https://www.dailypress.com/virginiagazette/va-vg-jamestown-flag-20230317-hp66ypcwgnectkdlhuv62elovy-story.html
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/historic-map-may-lead-to-further-discoveries-at-james-fort/146579

Feature on the wreck of the Atlanta in Lake Superior:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/revisiting-the-atlanta-why-shipwrecks-are-so-common-on-the-great-lakes

Feature on metal detectoring in Halton region (Ontario):

https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/the-mysterious-world-of-halton-metal-detecting-finds-in/
============================================================
CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
============================================================
A Wari ritual complex at the Pakaytambo site in Peru:

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/archaeologists-discover-ancient-wari-ritual-complex-pakaytambo-southern-peru-1234658747/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/archaeologists-unearth-1200-year-old-wari-temple-complex/146279

Study suggests a cenote beneath the Kukulcan Pyramid may be connected with other cenotes:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/great-mayan-aquifer-may-form-interconnections-with-maya-cenotes/146532

A 1400 years bp Moche mural from Panamarca (Peru):

https://www.livescience.com/1400-year-old-mural-of-2-faced-men-unearthed-in-peru-may-allude-to-cosmic-realms
https://www.heritagedaily.com/xmlrpc.php
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/17/unearthing-ancient-peruvian-history/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11292-230317-peru-moche-murals

A serpent sculpture find from Chichen Itza:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/guiding-serpent-sculpture-discovered-at-chichen-itza/146572

More on the 4000 years bp temple complex from excavation of mounds outside Barranca (Peru):

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66721

More on the study of the implications of Wari pottery:

https://www.fieldmuseum.org/about/press/lasers-and-chemistry-reveal-how-ancient-pottery-was-made-and-how-an-empire-functi
https://phys.org/news/2023-03-lasers-chemistry-reveal-ancient-pottery.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230314110706.htm
https://www.eurasiareview.com/15032023-lasers-and-chemistry-reveal-how-ancient-pottery-was-made-and-how-an-empire-functioned/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/15/lasers-and-chemistry-reveal-how-ancient-pottery-was-made/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11291-230317-peru-wari-pottery

More on the Casa Grandes site in Mexico:

https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/13/ancient-artifacts-reveal-the-roots-of-casas-grandes/

More on the recently found Moai statue:

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/archaeologists-on-easter-island-have-discovered-a-previously-unknown-moai-statue-buried-in-a-dried-out-lake-bed-2261978

On the recipe for ‘Maya Blue’ dye:

https://mexiconewsdaily.com/culture/artist-rediscovers-mysterious-recipe-for-ancient-maya-blue-dye/

Feature on the Tulum site:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/where-is-tulum-and-why-was-it-so-important-to-the-ancient-maya
—–
Mike Ruggeri’s Ancient Americas Breaking News:

http://goo.gl/1VdeA

Mike Ruggeri’s Ancient Americas lecture channels on Youtube:

https://mikeruggerisyoutube.tumblr.com/

Ancient MesoAmerica News:

http://ancient-mesoamerica-news-updates.blogspot.com/
============================================================
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
============================================================
Corpus Christi College has acquired the Nine Roundels:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-64965542

On efforts to save a Coleridge poem manuscript about the slave trade:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/mar/17/export-ban-on-samuel-taylor-coleridge-anti-slavery-manuscript-as-british-buyer-sought
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/samuel-taylor-coleridge-plea-to-save-poem-about-slave-trade-3h2nx7mh9

Feature on ancient arab mathematicians:

https://scoopempire.com/mathematics/

Feature on horses in ancient art:

https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2023/03/18/horses-ancient-art-seeking-convey/

Feature on the Hereford Map:

https://aeon.co/videos/the-famed-medieval-map-that-stretched-beyond-earth-to-heaven-history-and-myth

Feature on the ‘greatest’ archaeological finds:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/galleries/worlds-greatest-archaeological-finds-real-troy-shackletons/

Feature on James Hutton and geological deep time:

https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0f7smlm/the-man-who-discovered-the-abyss-of-time-

Feature on Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon:

https://aeon.co/videos/jeremy-bentham-was-consumed-by-creating-a-perfect-prison-heres-the-result

Feature on the Wakanda true antecedent of Buganda:

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/03/10/east-african-kingdom-theodore-roosevelt-00085962

On Gaugin’s ‘child wife’:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/mar/18/gauguins-child-wife-in-search-of-the-muse-that-inspired-a-masterpiece

On the history of whaling:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/11/the-first-great-energy-transition-how-humanity-gave-up-whaling

Dealers are apparently having problems selling looted artifacts from Africa:

https://www.vice.com/en/article/k7ze5n/looted-artefacts-benin-bronzes

Study suggests people of color are underrepresented as AJA authors:

https://phys.org/news/2023-03-people-largely-underrepresented-authors-published.html

Latest suggestion about DaVinci’s maternal heritage:

https://www.livescience.com/da-vincis-mother-was-an-enslaved-teenager-trafficked-to-italy-new-documents-suggest
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/14/world/europe/leonardo-da-vinci-mother-book.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/leonardo-da-vinci-mother-slave-caucasus-italy-new-research-book-rcna74670
https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/03/new-theory-re-ignites-debate-about-identity-of-leonardo-da-vincis-mother/
============================================================
CURRENT EVENTS:
============================================================
Some features on the Ides of March:

https://www.al.com/news/2023/03/beware-the-ides-of-march-what-does-that-mean.html
https://www.abc27.com/digital-originals/its-the-ides-of-march-whats-an-ide-anyway/
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2023/03/15/what-is-the-ides-of-march/70011381007/

Newark replaced a statue of Columbus with a monument to Harriet Tubman:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-11/newark-new-jersey-unveils-harriet-tubman-monument-shadow-of-a-face

Some background to Pi Day:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/03/14/pi-day-math/
https://www.udel.edu/udaily/2023/march/pi-day-sebastian-cioaba-mathematical-sciences-math-circles/f

Features on St Patrick’s Day:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/35831743
https://www.livescience.com/27957-st-patricks-day-5-facts.html
https://thedaily.case.edu/heres-what-you-should-know-about-st-patrick/

Assorted museums are recategorizing works from Russian to Ukrainian:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/19/metropolitan-museum-art-reclassifies-russian-art-ukrainian
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/17/arts/design/museums-relabel-art-ukraine-russian.html
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/ukrainian-art-reclassification/index.html
============================================================
ANIMAL AND PLANT DOMESTICATIONS
============================================================
Using genetics to figure out the origins of the donkey:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/14/science/donkeys-genetics-archaeology.html
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/donkeys-domesticated-only-once-in-5-000bc-qsjtpdtnq

============================================================
LANGUAGE RELATED
============================================================
The Oscars apparently raised interest in the Irish language:

https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/oscar-success-puts-endangered-irish-language-centre-stage-2023-03-12/

Feature on Persian:

https://aeon.co/essays/what-we-lost-with-persianate-modernity

============================================================
PHILOSOPHERS AND MATTERS PHILOSOPHICAL
============================================================
Pondering ancient conceptions of ‘the good life’:

https://psyche.co/ideas/whats-a-life-worth-living-for-the-ancients-it-depends

Review of Regan Penaluna, *How to Think Like a Woman*:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/14/books/review/how-to-think-like-a-woman-regan-penaluna.html
============================================================
MUSEUM MATTERS
============================================================
Mosaics from the Capitoline Collections:

https://www.ansa.it/english/news/lifestyle/arts/2023/03/14/roman-mosaics-exhibit-enriched-with-16-newly-restored-works_33d43da7-dab4-4983-82f4-078d70959551.html

Roman Landscapes:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/roman-landscapes-visions-of-nature-and-myth-from-rome-and-pompeii-review-idylls-of-ancient-italy-b7b7f7d7

New Light from Pompeii:

https://the-past.com/news/new-light-from-pompeii-exhibition-explores-artificial-light-in-the-roman-world/

Lives of the God: Divinity in Maya Art:

https://www.ctpublic.org/news/2023-03-14/maya-art-exhibition-co-curated-by-yale-archaeologist-explores-lives-of-ancient-gods

Leon Monet:

https://apnews.com/article/claude-monet-brother-leon-impressionism-paris-exhibit-278777074d0c9dc1fc593dac08183d28

Botticelli:

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202303/1287460.shtml

The Ugly Duchess:

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/mar/15/mona-lisa-monstrous-grotesque-leonardo-da-vinci-national-gallery-ugly-duchess

cf: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/the-ugly-duchess-beauty-and-satire-in-the-renaissance#

Roman Cut Glass:

https://www.cambrian-news.co.uk/news/entertainment/rare-roman-cut-glass-on-show-at-ceredigion-museum-601199

Portraits of Dogs:

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2023/mar/18/rather-fetching-classic-portraits-of-dogs-in-pictures

cf: https://www.wallacecollection.org/art/exhibitions-displays/portraits-of-dogs-from-gainsborough-to-hockney/

Codex Sassoon:

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/culture/article-734037

The Met still has a number of antiquities connected to Subhash Kapoor:

https://indianexpress.com/article/express-exclusive/antiquities-abroad-the-full-list-8495035/
https://observer.com/2023/03/the-metropolitan-museum-of-art-owns-77-works-linked-to-trafficker-subhash-kapoor/
https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/focus/20230314-india-s-stolen-heritage-authorities-push-for-restitution-of-religious-artefacts
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/metropolitan-museum-of-art-subhash-kapoor-investigation-1234661322/

… similarly:

https://indianexpress.com/article/express-exclusive/full-list-antiquities-linked-to-jammu-kashmir-8497519/

Review of a collection of essays about plaster cast collections in assorted museums:

https://as.cornell.edu/news/destroy-copy-essay-collection-rethinks-history-plaster-casts

Plans for an archaeological museum in Quzhou:

http://t.m.china.org.cn/convert/c_Rdy8zM22.html
http://www.china.org.cn/china/2023-03/14/content_85166808.htm

Feature on the Silk Road:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/what-was-the-silk-road-and-what-happened-to-it

On the implications of ‘privacy’ in the art market:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/privacy-in-art-collecting-does-not-mean-dirty-money-3pxwf3ntp
============================================================
AUCTIONS AND SALES RELATED
============================================================
A Bible associated with a priest who helped Charles II to flee to France is coming to auction:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-merseyside-65006425

============================================================
ON THE DNA FRONT
============================================================
Studying the pre-colonial DNA of the Ashaninka people of Peru:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230316113957.htm
============================================================
THE TECHY SIDE
============================================================
Latest facial reconstruction is of an 8000 years bp Norwegian lad:

https://sciencenorway.no/archaeology-museums-stone-age/this-is-what-a-norwegian-boy-looked-like-8000-years-ago/2170180

Feature on carbon dating:

https://www.sciencefocus.com/planet-earth/carbon-dating-how-scientists-hack-radiation-to-age-ancient-artefacts/
============================================================
CLIMATE MATTERS
============================================================
Latest sites emerging as a result of drought in Spain:

https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/church-tower-reemerges-parched-reservoir-drought-hit-spain-2023-03-17/
============================================================
TOURISTY THINGS
============================================================
Pompeii:

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/new-discoveries-pompeii-ruins-archeological-site

The Pantheon will soon be charging admission:

https://www.thelocal.it/20230316/romes-pantheon-to-start-charging-visitors-for-entry/
https://apnews.com/article/pantheon-rome-ticket-tourism-ancient-monument-italy-371b2a4c8dd2cee451a2f21fc6eb4336
https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/300832691/tourists-will-soon-be-charged-to-enter-italys-mostvisited-cultural-site
https://www.euronews.com/travel/2023/03/17/pantheon-you-will-soon-have-to-pay-to-enter-romes-best-preserved-ancient-monument
============================================================
PERFORMANCES AND MUSIC RELATED
============================================================
Feature on Bronislava Nijinska:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/14/arts/dance/bronislava-nijinska-les-noces-ballet-west.html

============================================================
CRIME BEAT
============================================================
The dealer who sold that ‘ides of March’ coin a while back has been arrested for falsifying the provenance:

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/roma-numismatics-coin-dealer-richard-beale-arrested-fake-provenance-2269635
https://www.insidehook.com/daily_brief/crime/record-setting-ancient-coin-false-documents

… and a Naxos coin from Sicily was recovered:

https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/03/14/sicily-naxos-coin-british-auction/

A bust of a West Bank antiquities smuggling ring:

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-734451

An Italian was arrested in Nepal for taking archaeological relics from their place of origin:

https://www.ansa.it/english/news/world/2023/03/13/italian-detained-in-nepal-over-archaeological-relics_7893180b-83f8-4419-ad43-6ee968f9e885.html

Feature on the Gardner Museum heist:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/03/17/metro/thirty-three-years-after-gardner-heist-where-are-paintings/?
———-
conflict antiquities:

http://conflictantiquities.wordpress.com/

anonymous swiss collector:

http://www.anonymousswisscollector.com/

Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues:

http://paul-barford.blogspot.ca/

Looting Matters:

http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/

Illicit Cultural Property:

http://illicit-cultural-property.blogspot.com/

SAFE:

http://www.savingantiquities.org/blog/

============================================================
REPATRIATION AND RECOVERY
============================================================
The US returned swords and a stone axe to Ukraine:

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/12/us/us-customs-border-patrol-ukrainian-artifacts-returned-trnd/index.html
https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/03/10/ukraine-weapons-sword-embassy-russia/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11286-230315-ukraine-repatriation-artifacts

The Netherlands returned indigenous human remains to Sint Eustatius:

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/03/16/netherlands-returns-indigenous-remains-caribbean-island

Cambodia is celebrating the return of a pile of Khmer antiquities:

https://apnews.com/article/art-artifacts-sculpture-stolen-art-cambodia-culture-looted-antiquities-c903a41f82c8363f36027ab771839ebf
https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/cambodia-celebrates-return-priceless-stolen-artifacts-97938457
https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202303/17/WS64141a64a31057c47ebb51ab.html
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202303/1287498.shtml
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/cambodia-celebrates-return-of-priceless-stolen-centuries-old-artifacts

On hopes of returns to Wounded Knee:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/16/arts/repatriation-native-american-cultural-heritage.html

More on Turkiye waiting too long to seek repatriation of the ‘Stargazer’:

https://www.reuters.com/world/turkey-cannot-recover-ancient-stargazer-idol-christies-us-court-2023-03-08/

More on the Denver Art Museum and donations from an associate of Douglas Latchford:

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/03/15/denver-museum-art-removes-emma-bunker-name-cambodian-loot

More on Iraq’s recovery of an item looted from the Baghdad Museum back in 2003:

https://www.iraqinews.com/iraq/iraq-recovers-a-2700-year-old-artifact-stolen-during-u-s-invasion/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/15/2700-year-old-antiquity-repatriated-to-iraqi-government/
============================================================
NUMISMATICA
============================================================
Feature on coins of Carthage during Hannibal’s war with Rome:

https://coinweek.com/ancient-coins/the-coins-of-carthage-during-hannibals-war-with-rome/

A coin with the oldest image of the Temple menorah is on display for the first time:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/coin-with-oldest-depiction-of-temple-menorah-displayed-for-first-time/

Latest e-Sylum:

http://www.coinbooks.org/v26/club_nbs_esylum_v26n11.html

… and the one which should appear later today:

http://www.coinbooks.org/v26/club_nbs_esylum_v26n12.html
————————

Coin Week:

http://www.coinweek.com/

============================================================
OBITUARIES
============================================================
Katie Demakopoulou:

https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/14/sad-news-for-katie-demakopoulou/

Charles H. Kahn:

https://almanac.upenn.edu/articles/charles-h-kahn-philosophy

John Bramble:

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/mar/14/john-bramble-obituary

Robert Harris:

https://flagpole.com/news/pub-notes/2023/03/15/professor-robert-pete-harris-was-another-loss-for-athens-and-uga/

Jane Gardner:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/professor-jane-gardner-88-translator-of-caesar-and-authority-on-women-in-ancient-rome-dxtxk20rx

============================================================
AUDIO/VIDEO NEWS
============================================================
Audio News from Archaeologica:

https://www.archaeologychannel.org/audio-guide/audio-news/3265-audio-news-from-archaeologica-march-5th-through-11th-2023
============================================================
GENERAL ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS BLOGS
============================================================
Archaeology Magazine News Page:

http://www.archaeology.org/news/

About.com Archaeology:

http://archaeology.about.com/

Archaeology Briefs:

http://archaeologybriefs.blogspot.com/

Atlas Obscura:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/

Heritage Daily:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/

Sapiens Archaeology:

https://www.sapiens.org/category/archaeology/

Taygete Atlantis excavations blogs aggregator:

http://planet.atlantides.org/taygete/
============================================================
PODCASTS/VODCASTS
============================================================
Archaeosoup:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Archaeos0up?feature=watch

Archaeology Podcast Network:

http://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/
============================================================
EXPLORATOR is a free weekly newsletter bringing you the latest
news of archaeological finds, historical research and the like.
Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured for news of
the ‘ancient world’ (broadly construed: practically anything relating
to archaeology or history up to a century or so ago is fair
game) and every Sunday they are delivered to your mailbox free of
charge!
============================================================
Useful Addresses
============================================================
You can read Explorator online at:

https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/

Past issues of Explorator are also available on the web via our
groups.io page:

https://groups.io/g/explorator

To subscribe to Explorator, send a blank email message to:

explorator+subscribe@groups.io

To unsubscribe, send a blank email message to:

Unsubscribe: explorator+unsubscribe@groups.io

To send a ‘heads up’ to the editor or contact him for other
reasons:

rogueclassicist@gmail.com
===========================================================
Explorator is Copyright (c) 2023 David Meadows. Feel free to
distribute these listings via email to your pals, students,
teachers, etc., but please include this copyright notice. These
links are not to be posted to any website by any means (whether
by direct posting or snagging from a usenet group or some other
email source) without my express written permission. I think it
is only right that I be made aware of public fora which are
making use of content gathered in Explorator. Thanks!
===========================================================

Advertisement

Explorator 25.47 ~ March 12, 2023

Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Floris Strijbos, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week(as always hoping I have left no one out).

============================================================
EARLY HOMINIDS
============================================================
Monkeys making stone flakes is raising questions about early human tool use:

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/03/10/1161652099/monkey-stone-flakes-early-humans-tools
https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1275/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1275/pub/1275/page/29/article/NaN
https://www.sciencealert.com/the-broken-stones-of-monkeys-look-uncannily-like-something-we-used-to-make
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-stone-wielding-macaques-can-tell-us-about-early-human-tool-use/

Pondering why humans don’t have fur:

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230310-why-dont-humans-have-fur

Feature on Kristina Eck and a heidelbergensis jawbone:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2023-03-12/homo-heidelbergensis-jawbone-kristina-eck-human-fossil-mandible/102035416

Feature on a smashed Cro-Magnon skull found in the 1800s:

https://www.iflscience.com/europe-s-earliest-modern-humans-may-have-smashed-each-other-s-skulls-in-67868

A DNA study (small sample?) has ‘discovered’ eight new prehistoric human groups:

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-733442
============================================================
AFRICA
============================================================
A 2000+ bp Mauretanian burial from Qsirissi:

https://telquel.ma/instant-t/2023/03/07/decouverte-dune-tombe-mauretanienne-a-qsirissi-pres-de-larache_1803810/

Vague item on the find of Jewish antiquities and Hebrew texts (date?) in Tata (Morocco):

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-733526

More on the 25th/Nubian dynasty inscriptions found at Old Dongola:

https://www.livescience.com/remains-of-ancient-temple-with-hieroglyphic-inscriptions-discovered-in-sudan
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/ancient-egyptian-discovery-rewrites-history-of-sudanese-kingdom/146324
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11277-230310-sudan-old-dongola

More on calls to protect Libyan heritage sites:

https://www.africanews.com/2023/03/06/calls-to-protect-libyan-heritage-site-spoilt-by-vandals/
============================================================
ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
============================================================
A small shrine with a small sphinx statue currently being identified as possibly depicting Claudius from the temple of Dendera site:

https://phys.org/news/2023-03-smiley-dimpled-sphinx-statue-unearthed.html
https://www.livescience.com/newfound-ancient-egyptian-sphinx-statue-may-depict-roman-emperor-claudius-but-not-everyone-agrees
https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/491186.aspx
https://dailynewsegypt.com/2023/03/06/egypt-discovers-statue-of-great-sphinx-remains-of-claudius-cabin-next-to-dendera-temple/
https://egyptindependent.com/photos-sphinx-remains-of-roman-emperors-cabin-found-near-dendera-temple/
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230307-archaeologists-find-smiling-sphinx-in-southern-egypt/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/06/sphinx-like-statue-and-shrine-discovered-in-southern-egypt
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-64870562
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/egyptians-eye-claudius-in-face-of-newly-found-sphinx-wfdp6pdrn
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/smiling-mini-sphinx-with-dimples-egypt-b2296364.html
https://www.timesofisrael.com/archaeologists-in-egypt-unearth-sphinx-like-roman-era-statue-from-2000-years-ago/
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-733654
https://apnews.com/article/egypt-antiquities-sphinx-roman-emperor-tourism-caa5550fed3bc6d89002ed33fb41ba3a
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/egypt-antiquities-sphinx-roman-emperor-tourism/2023/03/06/2f7aab52-bc2a-11ed-9350-7c5fccd598ad_story.html
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/archaeologists-egypt-unearth-sphinx-roman-era-statue-97654907
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/egypt-sphinx-roman-era-statue/
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/sphinx-shrine-discovery-egypt-scn-scli-intl/index.html
https://www.thedailybeast.com/sphinx-like-statue-and-shrine-from-roman-era-unearthed-in-egypt
https://hyperallergic.com/806725/mini-roman-era-sphinx-discovered-near-egyptian-temple/
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230306-smiley-dimpled-sphinx-statue-unearthed-in-egypt
https://www.rfi.fr/en/international-news/20230306-smiley-dimpled-sphinx-statue-unearthed-in-egypt
https://greekreporter.com/2023/03/08/sphinx-statue-unearthed-egypt/
https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/archaeologists-unearth-sphinx-with-smiley-face-dimples-in-egypt
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/smiley-dimpled-sphinx-statue-found-in-egypt-181415
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11829735/Sphinx-statue-smiley-face-two-dimples-unearthed-Egypt.html
https://www.trtworld.com/art-culture/smiley-dimpled-sphinx-statue-discovered-in-egypt-65894
https://www.euronews.com/culture/2023/03/07/egyptian-archaeologists-unearth-incredible-smiling-sphinx-of-roman-emperor
https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/egypt/2023/03/06/roman-era-cabin-and-royal-sphinx-statue-uncovered-in-egypts-south/
https://english.news.cn/20230306/dadc389f4fc74c82bef3921dbbc8c6e8/c.html
https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/300823783/archaeologists-unearth-sphinxlike-romanera-statue-in-egypt
http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202303/08/WS6407e6aea31057c47ebb3050.html
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/mini-sphinx-uncovered-in-egypt-roman-archaeology-1234660038/
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/archaeologists-have-discovered-an-adorable-version-of-egypts-most-famous-monument-a-miniature-sphinx-2267324
https://arkeonews.net/archaeologists-in-egypt-unearth-roman-era-cabin-and-royal-sphinx-statue/
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66668
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/roman-era-sphinx-uncovered-at-dendera-temple-complex/146385
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/08/sphinx-statue-and-roman-architectural-remains-found-in-dendera/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-egypt-unearth-small-sphinx-statue-180981770/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11271-230307-dendera-temple-sphinx

I think we mentioned the dig at Tell Timai revealing evidence of the rebellion mentioned in the Rosetta Stone:

https://theconversation.com/i-dug-for-evidence-of-the-rosetta-stones-ancient-egyptian-rebellion-heres-what-i-found-200318
https://phys.org/news/2023-03-archaeologists-dug-evidence-rosetta-stone.html

Not sure where to put this find (in a museum storeroom in Kent) of a 3500 years bp maul, purportedly from Saqqara:

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/canterbury/news/we-found-ancient-egyptian-artefact-while-tidying-up-283428/

Feature on Tutankhamun’s last 100 days:

https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0f7kpv0/tutankhamun-s-final-100-days-revealed

Feature on Egyptians being involved in Egyptian archaeology:

https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2023/0308/Egyptian-archaeologists-hold-their-own-history-in-their-hands
https://news.yahoo.com/egyptian-archaeologists-hold-own-history-081507962.html

More on the find of a ‘hidden corridor’ in the Pyramid of Khufu:

https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/491003/Antiquities/Ancient-Egypt/In-Photos-Egypt-unveils-discovery-of-corridor-insi.aspx
https://www.dw.com/en/egypt-researchers-seeking-secrets-in-great-pyramid-of-giza/a-64896514
https://mymodernmet.com/corridor-great-pyramid-giza/
https://www.sciencealert.com/corridor-discovered-in-great-pyramid-could-be-protecting-the-actual-burial-chamber
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-egypt/hidden-corridor-found-inside-the-pyramid-of-khufu/

Feature on some 5000 years bp swords found 43 years ago in the Malatya Arslantepe mound:

https://arkeonews.net/the-worlds-oldest-and-first-swords-ever-discovered/

College students came across a piece of a 2000 years bp lioness statue at Ein Nashut:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/students-on-northern-israel-field-trip-stumble-onto-1500-year-old-lioness-carving/
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-03-06/ty-article/college-students-find-ancient-stone-lioness-during-field-trip-in-northern-israel/00000186-b709-de76-a9b7-b77dbbd80000

More reactions to the ‘inauthentic’ Darius ostrakon:

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-03-05/ty-article/the-darius-artifact-how-did-we-get-from-discovery-of-the-decade-to-disgrace/00000186-b19c-d2a9-a5d6-f7fdcfe40000
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-733447
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368330
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/archaeology-today/the-darius-ostracon/

More on evidence of trepanation from Megiddo:

https://the-past.com/news/early-example-of-cranial-surgery-identified-in-late-bronze-age-tomb/

Feature on wine making at ancient Yavne:

https://www.jpost.com/food-recipes/article-733864

Feature on Sumio Fujii’s work at the Late Neolithic site Wadi Abu Tulayha (Jordan):

http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/japanese-scholar-tries-decode-purpose-ancient-structures-southern-jordan

Feature on the debate over the origins of Edom:

https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2023/03/emergence-edom

A 2000 years bp (apparently looted) mummified person was found in the trash in Sanaa (Yemen):

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2265711/middle-east
https://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/world/article272979680.html
—–
This Week in the Ancient Near East Podcast:

https://thisweekintheancientneareast.podbean.com/

============================================================
ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME (AND CLASSICS)
============================================================
23 000 years bp teeth from the Cave of the Malalmuerzo near Grenada:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/23-000-year-old-teeth-fill-an-ice-age-gap

A study of the animal remains and other contents of a Bronze Age well at Mycenae:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230301141405.htm

Remains of a(nother) Roman amphitheatre at Atequa:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/roman-amphitheatre-discovered-at-ancient-ategua/146471

Possible evidence of a Roman shrine/altar near the Leicester cathedral burial area:

https://le.ac.uk/news/2023/march/cathedral-roman-worship
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/mar/07/amazing-roman-altar-stone-unearthed-at-leicester-cathedral
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-64840494
https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/ancient-roman-altar-discovered-underneath-8223297
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11830127/Evidence-Roman-shrine-uncovered-archaeological-dig-graveyard.html
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/03/07/legend-proves-true-roman-temple-found-leicester-cathedral/
https://aleteia.org/2023/03/09/ancient-roman-shrine-discovered-under-anglican-cathedral/
https://www.itv.com/news/central/2023-03-07/could-a-roman-temple-have-once-stood-on-the-site-of-leicester-cathedral
https://apnews.com/article/uk-roman-shrine-dig-leicester-cathedral-archaeology-eaa9abf1be6b807072489227e1411ead
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/archaeologists-uncover-roman-shrine-under-graveyard-in-central-england
https://greekreporter.com/2023/03/08/shrine-greek-god-dionysus-discovered-leicester-cathedral/
https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/03/08/shrine-greek-god-leicester/
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/roman-shrine-uncovered-beneath-graveyard-central-england-97679451
https://arkeonews.net/evidence-of-a-roman-shrine-dating-back-was-discovered-during-dig-at-leicester-cathedral/
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66674
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/excavations-reveal-roman-altar-stone-in-shrine-or-cult-room/146401
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/09/leicester-cathedral-revealed-a-roman-shrine-beneath-the-cathedral/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11273-230309-leicester-roman-shrine

… and some commentary on same from Mary Beard:

https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/was-mithras-worshipped-in-ancient-leicester-blog-post-mary-beard/

Evidence of a 2nd century CE Romano-Celtic temple near Lancaster Castle:

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-733970
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/evidence-of-romano-celtic-temple-found-in-northern-britain/146420
https://arkeonews.net/evidence-of-rare-romano-celtic-temple-near-lancaster-castle-may-be-only-the-second-of-its-type/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/09/researchers-help-reveal-evidence-of-rare-roman-temple/

A Colchester Vase is now considered ‘sports memorabilia’ and evidence of actual gladiatorial contests being fought in Britain:

https://www.livescience.com/gladiators-fought-in-roman-britain-action-packed-cremation-urn-carvings-reveal
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/mar/04/evidence-reveals-gladiators-fought-in-roman-britain
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-64855991
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11825561/Britain-hosted-GLADIATOR-fights-1-800-years-ago-ancient-vase-reveals.html
https://www.timesofisrael.com/ancient-roman-vase-is-1st-evidence-of-gladiator-battles-on-english-soil/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/03/07/roman-vase-gladiator-fight-uk/
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66650
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11269-230307-colchester-gladiator-vase

A 2nd century CE frigidarium find in a bathhouse excavation in Toledo:

https://efe.com/en/culture/2023-03-06/new-cold-water-pools-found-at-ancient-roman-bath-house-in-toledo/
https://www.laprensalatina.com/new-cold-water-pools-found-at-ancient-roman-bath-house-in-toledo/
https://www.thestate.com/news/nation-world/world/article272954515.html
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article272954515.html

Not sure if we mentioned this find of Roman coins (and more) by a hiker (initially) in the Swiss Alps:

https://www.newsweek.com/hoard-roman-coins-hiker-stumbles-lost-ancient-site-1786875

Remains of a Roman villa near the beach at Bibione (Italian):

https://www.archeomedia.net/san-michele-al-tagliamento-ve-unantica-villa-romana-sulla-spiaggia-di-bibione/

Evidence of a Roman public building of some sort found during building construction in Marche (Italian):

https://www.stilearte.it/un-edificio-pubblico-romano-con-marmi-pregiati-scoperto-durante-lavori-edilizi-nelle-marche/
https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/cultura/arte/2023/03/11/emergono-resti-a-fano-forse-e-la-basilica-di-vitruvio_b01b859d-1e44-4f71-86f4-d291d79a46cc.html

… and it’s possibly the Basilica of Vitruvius (English):

https://www.ansa.it/english/news/2023/03/11/remains-of-basilica-of-vetruvius-may-have-been-found_5dba0e52-e8c0-4324-b162-a750b7929757.html

Investigating a possible Roman origin for an artificial watercourse in the Hessian Ried:

https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/07/does-the-artificial-watercourse-in-the-hessian-ried-have-a-roman-past/

Over 1000 burials have been found in Halkidi (not sure this is news):

https://www.ekathimerini.com/multimedia/images/1206360/more-than-1000-ancient-graves-uncovered-in-halkidiki/

More on recent discoveries about Roman concrete:

https://www.npr.org/2023/02/22/1158783249/rome-wasnt-built-in-a-day-but-they-sure-had-strong-concrete

More on the find of a ‘dry cleaners’ at Pompeii:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccahughes/2023/03/06/2000-year-old-laundrette-amongst-first-finds-from-ambitious-new-pompeii-dig/

More on the accidental destruction of a 1700 years bp Roman sarcophagus in Romania:

https://universul.net/accidental-destruction-of-roman-sarcophagus-represents-significant-cultural-loss/

More on that identification of a Roman sex toy at Vindolanda:

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-732206
https://inews.co.uk/opinion/secret-dildos-from-history-get-hands-on-them-2194928
https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/03/remember-that-ancient-roman-dildo-it-might-just-be-an-old-roman-drop-spindle/

Plans for an ‘upgrade’ to the Kerameikos site:

https://news.gtp.gr/2023/03/08/kerameikos-archaeological-site-in-athens-to-get-upgrade/

Gloucester’s King’s Walk Bastion was flooded this week:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-64918104
https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/gloucester-news/gloucesters-underground-roman-fortress-kings-8236936

Interview with Jane Draycott about her Cleopatra Selene book:

https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/latenightlive/cleopatras-daughter-the-forgotten-queen/102058786

Interview with Francis Albarede regarding his study of the connection between ancient coinage and democracy:

https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2023/03/08/newfangled-coins-and-mercenaries-may-have-brought-about-democracy

Review of Shadi Bartsch, *Plato Goes to China*:

https://thefederalist.com/2023/03/08/mr-socrates-goes-to-beijing/

Review of Carlo Rovelli, *Anaximander and the Nature of Science*:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25734290-500-anaximander-review-did-anaximander-create-science-asks-carlo-rovelli/

Feature on Mary Beard and Cambridge’s recent short films connected to Classics:

https://www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/education/mary-beard-short-films-with-the-university-of-cambridge-aim-9302572/

Charlotte Higgins on the ethics of Medea:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/mar/11/greek-tragedies-medea-ethical-nightmare-classics

Feature marking 50 years of the Vindolanda tablets:

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/50-years-vindolanda-tablets-archaeological-26428365

Feature on the Acropolis:

https://www.artandobject.com/news/acropoliss-artificial-history

Feature on what ancient Greeks and Romans knew about the clitoris:

https://theconversation.com/did-clitorises-strike-fear-into-the-greeks-and-romans-200377

Feature on women’s life in ancient Greece:

https://www.thenationalherald.com/womens-life-in-ancient-greece-grooming-and-care-of-the-body/

Feature on the myth of whiteness in Classical sculptures:

https://www.dw.com/en/how-the-myth-of-whiteness-in-classical-sculpture-was-created/a-64426809#:

Feature on the eruption of Vesuvius:

https://www.thecollector.com/famous-eruption-of-mount-vesuvius/

Pondering whether Homer existed:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/03/08/was-homer-real/

… and there’s another multi-city staging of the Odyssey in the works:

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/mar/08/travelling-homer-how-the-national-theatre-is-staging-a-multi-city-odyssey

An IWD-connected feature on Boudicca:

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/story-legendary-warrior-queen-boudica-050000905.html

I think we mentioned the use of sheep at Pompeii for grass maintenance purposes:

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/sheep-come-rescue-pompeii-ruins-2023-03-09/
https://www.jpost.com/omg/article-733796
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/sheep-pompeii-ruins-conservation-intl-scli/index.html
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-10/sheep-rescue-pompeii-ruins/102077206

The Vatican announced the impending return/donation of the three Parthenon Sculpture fragments it had to Greece:

https://apnews.com/article/parthenon-vatican-return-marble-sculptures-61904ad33c9c8edf182f65c352a52829
https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/03/07/fragments-of-parthenon-sculptures-are-to-be-returned-from-the-vatican-in-the-next-few-days/
https://greekreporter.com/2023/03/07/vatican-returns-parthenon-marbles-greece/
https://thepublicsradio.org/article/vatican-greece-ink-deal-for-donation-of-parthenon-marbles
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/vatican-parthenon-greece-tan/index.html
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/vatican-greece-sculptures-elgin-marbles-british-museum-parthenon-athens-b1065402.html
https://www.dw.com/en/vatican-parthenon-marbles-to-return-to-greece/a-64907213
https://www.wsj.com/articles/vatican-signs-agreement-to-send-pieces-of-parthenon-back-to-greece-2c2d5242
https://aleteia.org/2023/03/09/the-vatican-donates-three-fragments-of-the-parthenon-to-greece/
https://www.euronews.com/culture/2023/03/07/pressure-mounts-on-british-museum-as-vatican-returns-parthenon-marbles-to-greece-end-of-ma
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/vatican-restitution-parthenon-marbles-greece-2266813
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/03/08/vatican-returns-parthenon-sculptures-to-greece-in-historic-event

… and Greece is asking for others to do the same:

https://www.reuters.com/article/pope-greece-parthenon/greece-asks-others-to-imitate-vatican-return-of-parthenon-pieces-idUSKBN2V915C

… and there was the suggestion that the return of others could be done without the ‘ownership’ issue coming into play:

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/parthenon-marbles-return-possible-without-ownership-accord-campaigners-say-2023-03-12/
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/artefact-swap-could-bring-an-end-to-elgin-marbles-saga-3n2p0hcq5

George Osborne suggests it’s ‘worth trying’ to find a shared agreement:

https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1206499/british-museum-chair-worth-trying-to-find-solution-for-parthenon-sculptures/
https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/03/12/british-museum-osborn-london/

Latest Pasts Imperfect:

https://pastsimperfect.substack.com/p/pasts-imperfect-3623
—–
Roman Archaeology Blog:

http://romanarc.blogspot.com/

Rogueclassicism:

http://rogueclassicism.com/
============================================================
EUROPE AND THE UK (+ Ireland)
============================================================
A metal detectorist found a 3000 years bp perannular ring in Norfolk:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-64890939

An Iron Age dwelling and burial ground are being excavated in Oud-Turhout (Antwerp):

https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/en/2023/03/07/archaeologists-uncover-iron-age-cemetery-and-house-during-excava/

A gold disc excavated in Denmark a couple years ago contains a 5th century reference to Odin:

https://phys.org/news/2023-03-oldest-norse-god-odin-danish.html
https://www.livescience.com/earliest-mention-of-odin-king-of-the-gods-found-in-treasure-hoard-from-denmark
https://sciencenorway.no/archaeology-ntb-english-runes/a-gold-coin-that-changes-history-oldest-known-reference-to-the-norse-god-odin-found-in-denmark/2166998
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/mar/08/oldest-known-reference-to-norse-god-odin-found-in-danish-treasure-trove
https://apnews.com/article/gold-god-odin-norse-denmark-buried-ca2959e460f7af301a19083b6eec7df4
https://arkeonews.net/the-oldest-odin-inscription-in-the-world-found-in-the-vindelev-treasure/
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66692
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/gold-disc-represents-the-oldest-reference-to-odin/146448
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11275-230309-denmark-odin-bracteate

A study of an Anglo Saxon burial of a couple from Lowbury Hill found back in 1913:

https://arkeonews.net/lowbury-hill-mystery-of-anglo-saxons-buried-1400-years-ago-may-soon-be-solved/

Evidence of a 700 years bp wharf/pier from an underwater site near Oslo:

https://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/world/article272772115.html
https://arkeonews.net/ruins-of-the-700-year-old-wharf-possibly-used-by-royalty-found-in-oslo/

A metal detectorist (historian?) in the Netherlands found a 1000 years bp gold and silver hoard of coins and jewellery:

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/dutch-historian-finds-medieval-treasure-using-metal-detector-2023-03-09/
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/netherlands-treasure-discovery-metal-detector/index.html
https://nltimes.nl/2023/03/09/man-metal-detector-finds-1000-year-old-jewelry-noord-holland-city
https://www.paudal.com/2023/03/09/unique-medieval-treasure-found-with-metal-detector-in-hoogwoud/
https://onswestfriesland.nl/2023/nieuws_opmeer/de-schatvondst-van-hoogwoud-middeleeuwse-gouden-sieraden-en-zilveren-munten/
https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2023/03/medieval-treasure-shows-west-frisians-had-international-network/
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-11/dutch-historian-finds-medieval-treasure-using-metal-detector/102083320
https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/dutch-historian-unearths-1000-year-old-treasure-in-netherland
https://www.eastcoastdaily.in/2023/03/11/27-year-old-dutch-historian-discovers-a-stash-of-1000-year-old-antiquities.html
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/in-pics-1-000-year-old-medieval-golden-treasure-discovered-in-netherlands-3847947
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66700
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/nationally-important-treasure-hoard-from-the-medieval-period-unveiled/146481

A metal detectorist also found a medieval silver brooch in Wirral:

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/treasure-buried-800-years-found-26426504
https://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/23375863.wirral-detectorist-uncovers-medieval-treasure-buried-800-years/

A ‘mysterious’ medieval stone ball from North Wales:

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/mysterious-stone-ball-found-north-26424528

Controversy over lack of preventative excavations at a medieval burial ground in Publier:

https://www.lemessager.fr/56455/article/2023-03-10/squelettes-decouverts-publier-des-fouilles-auraient-elles-du-etre-menees-plus

A 17th century hoard of Lithuanian coins from Poland:

https://www.livescience.com/17th-century-century-hoard-brimming-with-1000-coins-discovered-in-poland
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66657
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/treasure-hoard-containing-1000-coins-uncovered-in-eastern-poland/146371

Archaeologists have completed excavations at the home of Robert Boyle:

https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/23367127.excavation-scientist-robert-boyles-stalbridge-home-completed/

A wreck from the War of Independence found off the coast of Halkidiki:

https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1206515/shipwreck-in-halkidiki-linked-to-1821-revolution/
https://greekreporter.com/2023/03/10/shipwreck-war-independence-discovered-greece/

A 19th century glass time capsule found during roundabout construction in Lower Silesia:

https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/builders-find-time-capsule-containing-19th-century-coins-and-documents-while-digging-up-roundabout-37053

More on steel tools being used on the 2900 years bp Iberian peninsula:

https://www.livescience.com/bronze-age-craftspeople-tempered-steel-more-than-1000-years-before-the-romans-did-it
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230228154510.htm
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11268-230306-bronze-age-steel

More on the find of an Anglo-Saxon pyramid sword mount (found last January):

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-64860568

Concerns for coastal sites on the Cois Fharraige coastline:

https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/galway-prehistoric-sites

Review of Nicholas Orme, *Tudor Children*:

https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/tudor-children-nicholas-orme-book-review-anna-parker/

Feature on metal detectorist finds on display in Denmark:

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230311-treasure-hunters-gems-go-on-display-in-denmark

Feature on the history of sugar production on Cyprus:

https://cyprus-mail.com/2023/03/05/sugar-island-from-the-lusignans-to-loukoumades/

Feature on a possible ‘sacred’ nature to some erratics at Alphamstone:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-64682781

Plans for a final dig at the Ness of Brodgar next year:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy05zdvv1zjo
https://www.orcadian.co.uk/excavations-to-end-at-ness-of-brodgar/

Some experimental archaeology recreating finds from Must Farm:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-64890932

———-
Archaeology in Europe News:

http://archaeology-in-europe.blogspot.com/

Medievalists.net:

https://www.medievalists.net/category/news/

Viking Archaeology Blog:

http://viking-archaeology-blog.blogspot.com/

============================================================
ASIA AND THE SOUTH PACIFIC
============================================================
Plenty of Yanshao culture remains, including ash pits, dwellings, and kilns from Shanxi:

http://en.people.cn/n3/2023/0308/c90000-10218889.html

Evidence of a Neolithic settlement (7000 years bp) from Anyang City:

http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2023-03/10/content_85159906.htm?f=pad&a=true

570 tombs with a wide range of dates from Sanmenxia City in Henan:

https://english.news.cn/20230310/72a901499843412b98667befb1013586/c.html
http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2023-03/10/content_85158011.htm

… including burials of the Rong people:

http://www.ecns.cn/hd/2023-03-10/detail-ihcmhyte9005556.shtml

321 Eastern Zhou burials from Shanxi:

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202303/1287027.shtml
http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2023-03/10/content_85159440.htm

A Tang Dynasty cemetery from Shaanxi:

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/nation-world/world/article272891550.html
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/cemetery-from-the-tang-dynasty-uncovered-in-china/146415

A Ming Dynasty mural tomb from Hunan:

http://en.people.cn/n3/2023/0307/c90000-10218333.html
https://english.news.cn/20230308/92415a7ee5db42bfaddf15a25bc9fcb1/c.html
http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2023-03/08/content_85152638.htm
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11274-230309-china-joint-tomb

More on the bone Bronze Age skates from the Xinjian Uyghur Autonomous Region:

https://www.livescience.com/bronze-age-ice-skates-with-bone-blades-discovered-in-china
https://greekreporter.com/2023/03/09/bronze-age-ice-skates-bone-blades/
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66682
https://arkeonews.net/new-evidence-for-early-regional-exchanges-in-eurasia-ice-skates-made-of-animal-bones-over-3000-years-old/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11278-230310-china-bone-skates

Feature on a women’s archaaeological team working in Chonqing:

https://english.news.cn/20230308/6161d4282d204ded9126b1d5c947cdc2/c.html
https://www.ichongqing.info/2023/03/08/womens-archaeological-team-in-chongqing-shines-in-cultural-relics-excavation-and-research-women-power/

Feature on William Fitzhugh and his work studying Mongolian deer stones:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-of-natural-history/2023/03/09/meet-the-smithsonian-scientist-studying-the-mysterious-mongolian-deer-stones/

More on that oversized 1600 years bp sword from Japan:

https://www.newsweek.com/huge-sword-japan-fight-evil-spirits-archaeology-1787008

More on the 2000 years bp deer antler musical instrument find from Viet Nam:

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/deer-antler-long-an-museum-storage-earliest-known-stringed-instruments-2261298
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/archaeologists-uncover-2000-year-old-stringed-instrument-in-vietnam/146259

Evidence of a prehistoric iron smelting site at Thoothukudi:

https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2023/mar/09/phd-scholar-finds-pre-historic-archaeological-site-near-thoothukudi-collectorate-2554379.html

Another inscription find from the Simhachalam Temple in Andhra Pradesh:

https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/andhra-pradesh/2023/mar/08/501st-inscription-found-at-simhachalam-temple-in-andhra-pradesh-2554227.html

A 12th century inscription and sculptures of a female warrior from Polavasa:

https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/telangana/2023/mar/12/12th-century-inscription-sheds-light-on-kakatiya-dynasty-expansion-2555257.html

House construction in Uttar Pradesh revealed a mid 19th century British coin and silver hoard:

https://www.ndtv.com/cities/old-coins-silver-ornaments-found-during-construction-of-house-in-up-3853526

Feature on the relationship between Keeladi and Madurai:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/chennai-suburb-or-something-else-altogether/articleshow/98444815.cms

Feature on how Hindu divinities absorbed Iranian and Greek ideas:

https://theprint.in/opinion/shiva-skanda-how-hindu-gods-absorbed-iranian-greek-ideas/1391759/

Feature on the ongoing dig at the Harappan site of Rakhigarhi:

https://theprint.in/opinion/why-are-we-digging-rakhigarhi-a-9th-time-this-harappan-site-is-a-gift-that-keeps-giving/1420819/

Feature on the Shigir Idol found back in 1890:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/earliest-surviving-wood-sculpture-even-older-previously-thought-180977320/

Feature on what was traded along the Silk Road:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/what-was-traded-on-the-silk-road

The wreck of the USS Albacore (submarine) has been identified off the coast of Japan:

https://the-past.com/news/wreck-of-lost-us-submarine-from-wwii-identified-off-the-coast-of-japan/

============================================================
NORTH AMERICA
============================================================
Indigenous human remains found during construction of the Twin Ports Interchange in Duluth:

https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/indigenous-remains-found-during-twin-ports-interchange-construction

18th century finds from the Court Square excavations in Charlottesville:

https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/court-square-excavation-turns-up-slices-of-18th-century-life-and-death/article_752acc26-be01-11ed-84bd-3f43be564491.html

A Civil War mass burial from the Colonial Williamsburg site:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2023/03/07/mass-grave-civil-war-williamsburg/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab
https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/virginia/williamsburg/colonial-williamsburg-virginia-scientist-uncover-human-remains-linked-to-civil-war/291-87aab249-7fed-4387-aa1d-a7ef77f3a86c

More on the wreck of the Ironton found in Lake Huron:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/03/scientists-have-found-lake-huron-wreck-of-19th-century-ship-that-sank-in-1894/
https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/preserved-sunken-ship-found-in-shipwreck-alley-after-120-years

Feature on Elizabeth Kallenbach’s work studying human use of native Oregon plants over 12 millennia:

https://around.uoregon.edu/content/researcher-digs-grass-and-stems-study-early-americans

Sorting out Gerrit Smith’s land grants of 1846:

https://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2023/03/untangling-timbucto-and-the-roots-of-gerrit-smiths-land-grants-of-1846.html
============================================================
CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
============================================================
Remains of a pre-Columbian temple complex near Barranca (Peru):

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-733977
https://arkeonews.net/unique-tombs-wrapped-in-high-quality-fabrics-and-painted-bodies-were-discovered-at-monumental-temple-in-peru/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/archaeologists-uncover-a-pre-columbian-temple-complex/146441

A study of the colours used in Wari pottery:

https://phys.org/news/2023-03-ancient-pots-hint-power-empire.html
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-733982
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/08/the-colors-on-these-ancient-pots-hint-at-the-power-of-an-empire/

cf: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352409X23000482

Studying finds from the Casas Grandes site in Northern Mexico:

https://phys.org/news/2023-03-ancient-artifacts-reveal-roots-casas.html
https://news.byu.edu/byu-archaeologists-dig-up-artifacts-from-little-known-time-period-in-casas-grandes-mexico

A study of 24 ancient Mexican cities suggests ‘collective government and infrastructure’ contributed to their success:

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/981007
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/06/collective-governance-and-infrastructure-helps-societies-last-longer/

Feature on the various Moais found on Easter Island:

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/national-international/dried-up-lake-uncovers-new-easter-island-statue-heres-how-many-moais-have-been-discovered-so-far/3170906/
—–
Mike Ruggeri’s Ancient Americas Breaking News:

http://goo.gl/1VdeA

Mike Ruggeri’s Ancient Americas lecture channels on Youtube:

https://mikeruggerisyoutube.tumblr.com/

Ancient MesoAmerica News:

http://ancient-mesoamerica-news-updates.blogspot.com/
============================================================
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
============================================================
Notre Dame will be reopening in 2024:

https://apnews.com/article/notre-dame-spire-reconstruction-reopening-2024-fire-d99092589b54c5f1f512a4c953dc7b07
https://fr.aleteia.org/2023/03/10/la-date-de-reouverture-de-notre-dame-de-paris-confirmee/

… and they’re trying to recreate the acoustics:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/03/03/magazine/notre-dame-cathedral-acoustics-sound.html
https://aleteia.org/2023/03/07/repairing-the-sonic-fingerprint-of-notre-dame-de-paris/

On the history of the Stone of Scone:

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230305-the-disputed-history-of-the-coronation-stone

On the Repertorium project to digitize medieval manuscripts:

https://neumz.com/repertorium/

Feature on identifying the women behind a 132 years bp Boston Harbor adventure journal:

https://www.wgbh.org/news/local-news/2023/03/08/amateur-sleuths-unveil-the-women-behind-132-year-old-boston-harbor-adventure-journal

Recreating an Iron Age alcoholic brew based on residue from a buried cauldron:

https://www.iflscience.com/2-500-year-old-booze-brewed-up-from-recipe-found-in-iron-age-burial-67815

Valparaiso University wants to sell artworks to pay for renovations:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/10/arts/design/valparaiso-museum-paintings-sale-okeeffe.html

Studying the insurance records of Shackleton’s Endurance:

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64818864

A reality show where artists compete to paint like Vermeer:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/paint-like-vermeer-new-reality-show-180981737/

More on that frozen Siberian bear:

https://www.livescience.com/prehistoric-mummified-bear-discovered-in-siberian-permafrost-isnt-what-we-thought
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-examine-3500-year-old-brown-bear-preserved-in-siberian-permafrost-180981747/?

More on identification of whale behaviour in ancient accounts:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230228154458.htm
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2023/03/06/news/old-norse-texts-shed-light-mysterious-whale-feeding-strategy

Review of David Waldstreicher, *Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley*:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/07/books/review/the-odyssey-of-phillis-wheatley-david-waldstreicher.html
============================================================
CURRENT EVENTS:
============================================================
Overviews of damage to cultural properties in the wake of the Turkish/Syrian earthquakes:

https://turkisharchaeonews.net/article/one-month-after-quake-cultural-properties-damage-assessment
https://www.trtworld.com/turkey/how-t%C3%BCrkiye-is-taking-care-of-its-cultural-heritage-in-quake-hit-regions-65950

… and the damage in Antakya:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/turkey-earthquake-antioch-antakya-93bbdc96
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/6/quake-hit-antakya-communities-seek-role-in-saving-rich-heritage

The statues on Mount Nemrut weren’t damaged:

https://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/unesco-listed-monumental-mount-nemrut-statues-survive-turkiye-quakes-3661728

The Audubon Society has changed its name:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/05/bird-union-audubon-society-name-change
https://www.audubon.org/magazine/spring-2021/what-do-we-do-about-john-james-audubon

… and the University of Richmond is dealing with the effects of renaming its law school:

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2023/03/01/law-school-denaming-sparks-donor-debacle

Comparing Ukraine to the Peloponnesian War:

https://www.counterpunch.org/2023/03/10/the-war-in-ukraine-is-a-world-peloponnesian-war/
============================================================
ANIMAL AND PLANT DOMESTICATIONS
============================================================
More on early horseback riding among the Yamnaya people:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230303175829.htm
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/first-evidence-for-horseback-riding-dates-back-5-000-years-181361
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/06/world/earliest-horse-riders-scn/index.html
https://www.sciencealert.com/researchers-have-found-the-earliest-evidence-of-horseback-riding-yet
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-find-evidence-of-earliest-known-horseback-riders-180981754/

============================================================
PHILOSOPHERS AND MATTERS PHILOSOPHICAL
============================================================
On a ‘misreading’ of Plato’s Republic on democracy:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/plato-republic-socrates-democracy-leo-strauss-3118c01b

Pondering what made life worth living for ancient philosophers:

https://psyche.co/ideas/whats-a-life-worth-living-for-the-ancients-it-depends

Nietzsche on art:

https://bigthink.com/high-culture/nietzsche-art-life/
============================================================
MUSEUM MATTERS
============================================================
Islanders:

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/mar/05/islanders-the-making-of-the-mediterranean-fitzwilliam-museum-cambridge-review-art-of-extraordinary-intimacy

Roman Landscapes:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/roman-landscapes-visions-of-nature-and-myth-from-rome-and-pompeii-review-idylls-of-ancient-italy-b7b7f7d7
https://www.samuseum.org/artwork/exhibition/romanlandscapes/

The Sun: Source of Light in Art:

https://www.museum-barberini.de/en/ausstellungen/9493/the-sun-source-of-light-in-art

Venus in a gold bikini:

https://neoskosmos.com/en/2023/03/08/news/greece/acropolis-museum-presents-venus-in-a-gold-bikini-in-celebration-of-iwd/
https://news.gtp.gr/2023/03/07/acropolis-museum-welcomes-venus-in-a-gold-bikini/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/08/venus-in-a-gold-bikini/

Keeladi artifacts now have their own museum:

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/cm-stalin-inaugurates-museum-displaying-artefacts-excavated-from-keeladi-site-101678090541778.html

The Denver Art Museum has cut references to a trustee who had ties with Douglas Latchford:

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/denver-art-museum-removes-donors-name-1234660521/
https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/emma-bunker-name-removed-dam/73-930b67fd-62fb-46f9-880b-e87858c2a19e

Seems like the Grand Egyptian Museum will be opening soon:

https://egyptindependent.com/grand-egyptian-museum-offers-guided-tours-in-limited-areas/

A Glens Falls gallery is trying to acquire works associated with one of Buffalo Bill’s associates:

https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/47457/20230308/glens-falls-gallery-wants-your-help-to-bring-home-outsider-artist-s-wood-carvings
============================================================
AUCTIONS AND SALES RELATED
============================================================
A 2000 years bp Celtic bronze figure with a hinged phallus went to auction this week:

https://www.livescience.com/hinged-phallus-of-2000-year-old-fertility-figurine-was-clearly-intended-to-dangle

… and fetched a nice price:

https://www.irishnews.com/news/uknews/2023/03/09/news/bronze_nude_figure_with_hinged_phallus_sells_at_auction_for_2_200-3120686/
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/bronze-nude-figure-hinged-phallus-133649016.html
https://www.jerseyeveningpost.com/morenews/uknews/2023/03/09/bronze-nude-figure-with-hinged-phallus-sells-at-auction-for-2200/

High hopes for an 18th century Chinese imperial bowl coming to auction:

https://en.thevalue.com/articles/sothebys-hk-spring-sale-2023-alice-cheng-qianlong-falangcai-bowl

A first edition of Copernicus’ de Revolutionibus is up for sale:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/03/rare-pristine-first-edition-of-copernicus-de-revolutionibus-up-for-sale/

A Brueghel the Younger painting found in a French home is heading to auction:

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/mar/08/rare-breughel-the-younger-painting-found-behind-door-in-french-home
https://hyperallergic.com/807641/original-pieter-brueghel-found-in-french-home-heads-to-auction/
https://news.artnet.com/market/family-france-brueghel-behind-door-auction-2267940

Some dessert dishes commissioned by France’s Louis-Philippe I are coming to auction:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/12/ones-old-china-set-of-plates-fit-for-the-queen-comes-up-for-auction

============================================================
ON THE DNA FRONT
============================================================
More on the study of the genomes of 356 European hunter-gathers:

https://www.livescience.com/unknown-lineage-of-ice-age-europeans-discovered-in-genetic-study
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11267-230306-europe-hunter-gatherers
============================================================
THE TECHY SIDE
============================================================
Study suggests magnetic field anomalies could help locate/study submerged sites:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/magnetic-fields-could-provide-the-key-to-studying-submerged-civilisations/146463
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/10/magnetic-fields-to-be-used-to-explore-submerged-civilisations/

Using dendrochronology and strontium analysis to find the origins of some 400 years bp timber used to build houses in Denmark:

https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/06/tree-rings-and-strontium-point-to-the-provenance-of-400-year-old-timber/

============================================================
TOURISTY THINGS
============================================================
Roman France:

https://www.connexionfrance.com/article/Mag/Explore-France/Explore-the-sites-to-see-the-legacy-of-France-s-glorious-Roman-past

Sassi/Matera:

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230309-italys-impressive-subterranean-civilisation

============================================================
TV/DOCUMENTARY HYPISH THINGS
============================================================
African Queens: Njinga:

https://news.yale.edu/2023/03/06/bringing-early-modern-african-queen-limelight

Mary Cassatt:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/mar/07/mary-cassatt-painting-the-modern-woman-review-fine-portrait-of-a-neglected-artist
============================================================
CRIME BEAT
============================================================
A UK Auction house director was arrested for falsifying provenance of several ancient coins:

https://observer.com/2023/03/exclusive-uk-auction-house-director-arrested-for-4-1-million-roman-coin-fraud/
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/worlds-most-expensive-coin-fake-provenance-roman-eid-mar-1234659762/

Three 5th/6th century BCE swords which were seized by US customs last year were returned to Ukraine:

https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/03/10/ukraine-weapons-sword-embassy-russia/

A Cypriot man was arrested trying to remove stone from the Acropolis:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/03/06/modern-elgin-arrested-steal-pieces-acropolis/

A large fine for an 18-year-old who did some vandalizing of the Ggantija temples in Malta:

https://lovinmalta.com/gozo/italian-18-year-old-fined-hefty-e15000-after-vandalising-ancient-ggantija-temples/

Vandalism on a 3000 years bp Assyrian relief:

https://www.sbs.com.au/language/assyrian/en/podcast-episode/vandalism-on-a-three-thousand-years-old-assyrian-wall-sculptures/mlabtkvai

American tourists caught putting graffiti on the Colosseum:

https://www.nola.com/opinions/americans-wuz-here-two-tourists-leave-their-mark-on-romes-colosseum-jarvis-deberry/article_b81b6135-3810-506c-8680-f8968aca08e0.html

The Salvator Mundi case is heading to court:

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/03/07/leonardos-salvator-mundi-heads-to-court-in-case-against-sothebys
———-
conflict antiquities:

http://conflictantiquities.wordpress.com/

anonymous swiss collector:

http://www.anonymousswisscollector.com/

Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues:

http://paul-barford.blogspot.ca/

Looting Matters:

http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/

Illicit Cultural Property:

http://illicit-cultural-property.blogspot.com/

SAFE:

http://www.savingantiquities.org/blog/

============================================================
REPATRIATION AND RECOVERY
============================================================
The FBI returned to Iraq an item looted from the Iraq Museum in Baghdad in 2003:

https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/stolen-art-returned-to-iraq
https://www.griffindailynews.com/news/2-700-year-old-antiquity-repatriated-to-iraqi-government/article_029083ad-6d86-5c18-8aa4-5a28e1b6b358.html

A court has decided that Turkiye waited to long to seek the return of the Stargazer (!):

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/03/10/new-york-court-rules-against-repatriation-of-turkish-artefact
https://hyperallergic.com/807246/turkey-waited-too-long-to-repatriate-marble-stargazer-idol-court-rules/

Peru returned some seized Roman coins to Italy:

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/peru-returns-seized-roman-coins-to-italy-181492

More on calls for the repatriation of the remains of the Red Lady:

https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/paviland-red-lady/

On Ethiopian plunder now residing in London:

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/ethiopian-treasures-revealed-westminster-abbey-british-museum-b1065326.html

On repatriating 100+ looted statues still in Cambridge:

https://www.varsity.co.uk/science/25187
============================================================
NUMISMATICA
============================================================
Feature on why some ancient coins are so valuable:

https://coinweek.com/ancient-coins/what-makes-the-most-expensive-ancient-coins-so-valuable/

Latest e-Sylum:

http://www.coinbooks.org/v26/club_nbs_esylum_v26n10.html

… and the one which should appear later today:

http://www.coinbooks.org/v26/club_nbs_esylum_v26n11.html
————————

Coin Week:

http://www.coinweek.com/

============================================================
OBITUARIES
============================================================
Robert Harris:

https://www.lordandstephens.com/obituary/Robert-Harris

Charles H. Khan:

https://dailynous.com/2023/03/06/charles-h-kahn-1928-2023/

Bernard Barcio:

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2023/03/07/bernard-barcio-latin-teacher-known-for-his-catapult-contest-dies/69951386007/

Peter Parsons:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/professor-peter-parsons-obituary-d9cx3lm06

Matt Hancock:

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/my-memories-of-matt-hancock/
============================================================
AUDIO/VIDEO NEWS
============================================================
Audio News from Archaeologica:

https://www.archaeologychannel.org/audio-guide/audio-news/3263-audio-news-from-archaeologica-february-26th-through-march-4th-2023
============================================================
GENERAL ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS BLOGS
============================================================
Archaeology Magazine News Page:

http://www.archaeology.org/news/

About.com Archaeology:

http://archaeology.about.com/

Archaeology Briefs:

http://archaeologybriefs.blogspot.com/

Atlas Obscura:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/

Heritage Daily:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/

Sapiens Archaeology:

https://www.sapiens.org/category/archaeology/

Taygete Atlantis excavations blogs aggregator:

http://planet.atlantides.org/taygete/
============================================================
PODCASTS/VODCASTS
============================================================
Archaeosoup:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Archaeos0up?feature=watch

Archaeology Podcast Network:

http://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/
============================================================
EXPLORATOR is a free weekly newsletter bringing you the latest
news of archaeological finds, historical research and the like.
Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured for news of
the ‘ancient world’ (broadly construed: practically anything relating
to archaeology or history up to a century or so ago is fair
game) and every Sunday they are delivered to your mailbox free of
charge!
============================================================
Useful Addresses
============================================================
You can read Explorator online at:

https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/

Past issues of Explorator are also available on the web via our
groups.io page:

https://groups.io/g/explorator

To subscribe to Explorator, send a blank email message to:

explorator+subscribe@groups.io

To unsubscribe, send a blank email message to:

Unsubscribe: explorator+unsubscribe@groups.io

To send a ‘heads up’ to the editor or contact him for other
reasons:

rogueclassicist@gmail.com
===========================================================
Explorator is Copyright (c) 2023 David Meadows. Feel free to
distribute these listings via email to your pals, students,
teachers, etc., but please include this copyright notice. These
links are not to be posted to any website by any means (whether
by direct posting or snagging from a usenet group or some other
email source) without my express written permission. I think it
is only right that I be made aware of public fora which are
making use of content gathered in Explorator. Thanks!
===========================================================

Explorator 25.46 ~ March 5, 2023

Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out).

============================================================
EARLY HOMINIDS
============================================================
A study of a homo erectus skull from Gona (Ethiopia) doesn’t exhibit any traits of the human genus, apparently:

https://phys.org/news/2023-03-team-publishes-brain-homo-erectus.html
https://www.science20.com/news_staff/dan5p1_homo_erectus_early_cranial_capacity_was_more_like_australopiths_such_as_lucy-256492

cf: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajpa.24717

Suggestion that Neanderthals, Denisovans, and sapiens may have been together in Iran:

https://phys.org/news/2023-03-environment-hominin-dispersals-ancient-iran.html
https://www.iflscience.com/neanderthals-denisovans-and-modern-humans-might-have-intermingled-in-iran-67704

… and Iran might have been a ‘hot spot’ for Neanderthal migration:

https://phys.org/news/2023-03-european-neanderthal-migration-hints-hidden.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230301141358.htm
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-733350

cf: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0281978

Tools found in a cave in Poland fifty years ago date to 500 000 years bp or so:

https://www.sciencealert.com/500000-year-old-signs-of-extinct-human-species-found-in-poland-cave

Evidence of bow and arrow use by homo sapiens in France, 54 000 years bp:

https://www.livescience.com/54000-year-old-stone-points-are-oldest-evidence-of-bows-and-arrows-in-europe
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archery-may-have-arrived-in-europe-thousands-of-years-earlier-than-thought-180981690/

Feature on Neanderthal brain size:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/brutes-and-brains-what-we-know-about-neanderthal-brain-size

Feature on Gravettian culture:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/the-gravettian-culture-that-survived-an-ice-age

Feature on applying proteomics to the study of human evolution:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/mar/05/new-analysis-of-ancient-human-protein-could-unlock-secrets-of-evolution
============================================================
AFRICA
============================================================
A project to restore/’revitalize’ the oldest preserved mosque in Sudan:

https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/01/project-to-revitalize-the-oldest-mosque-in-sudan/

Blocks from a 25th/Nubian Dynasty temple found in Old Dongola (Sudan):

https://arkeonews.net/archaeologists-have-discovered-sandstone-blocks-belonging-to-a-pharaohs-temple-covered-with-hieroglyphs-in-sudan/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/ancient-egyptian-discovery-rewrites-history-of-sudanese-kingdom/146324
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/02/hieroglyphs-discovered-in-old-dongola-sudan/

Feature on Anna Leone and her efforts to reduce antiquities trafficking in Libya:

https://libyaobserver.ly/culture/archaeologist-anna-leone-fight-against-illicit-trafficking-libyan-antiquities-top-priority
============================================================
ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
============================================================
Muon analysis has revealed a hitherto unknown corridor/chamber in the Great Pyramid:

https://phys.org/news/2023-03-egypt-unveils-hidden-corridor-giza.html
https://www.livescience.com/cosmic-rays-reveal-hidden-30-foot-long-corridor-in-egypts-great-pyramid
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-64825526
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/pyramid-giza-cairo-egypt-b2292844.html
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/03/02/scientists-uncover-hidden-passage-great-pyramid/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-11812129/Egypt-reveals-9-meter-long-chamber-inside-Great-Pyramid.html
https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/491003/Antiquities/Ancient-Egypt/Egypt;s-tourism-minister-unveils-discovery-of-corr.aspx
https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/13/92/491053/Multimedia/In-Pictures/PHOTO-GALLERY-The-Great-Pyramid-of-Khufu–Secret-p.aspx
https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/122878/Egypt-s-Minister-of-Tourism-Antiquities-Ahmed-Issa-announces-the
https://dailynewsegypt.com/2023/03/04/a-new-corridor-discovered-in-egypts-great-pyramid-of-giza/
https://dailynewsegypt.com/2023/03/04/egypt-discovers-9-metre-long-corridor-inside-khufu-pyramid/
https://egyptianstreets.com/2023/03/04/egypt-unveils-hidden-tunnel-inside-in-giza-pyramids/
https://www.egyptindependent.com/hidden-corridor-on-northern-facade-of-the-great-pyramid-discovered/
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/scientists-discover-corridor-great-pyramid-giza-2023-03-02/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/whats-behind-these-stones-egypt-unveils-newly-discovered-great-pyramid-chamber/
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/hidden-corridor-pyramid-giza-intl-scli-scn/index.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/great-pyramid-discovery-egypt-scanpyramids-khufu-cosmic-cosmic-ray-muon-radiography/
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/egypt-reveals-newly-discovered-9-meter-long-chamber-inside-great-pyramid
https://english.news.cn/20230302/05e4858f30ce4343bfc11c500884e8ff/c.html
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-733185
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230302-egypt-unveils-hidden-corridor-in-giza-pyramid
https://www.rfi.fr/en/culture/20230303-scientists-reveal-hidden-corridor-inside-cairo-s-great-pyramid
https://apnews.com/article/pyramid-egypt-cairo-chamber-antiquities-c104c9479b110b85567e61b9ee4bcc0e
https://www.npr.org/2023/03/02/1160589911/great-pyramid-giza-scan-discovery-egypt
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/egypt-reveals-newly-discovered-9-meter-long-chamber-inside-great-pyramid
https://cyprus-mail.com/2023/03/02/scientists-reveal-hidden-corridor-in-great-pyramid-of-giza/
https://www.dw.com/en/egypt-announces-new-great-pyramid-discovery/a-64869784
https://greekreporter.com/2023/03/03/hidden-corridor-egypt-great-pyramid/
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/03/03/archaeologists-discover-ancient-tunnel-at-great-pyramid-of-giza-that-may-lead-to-king-khufus-tomb
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/scientists-map-an-unexplored-corridor-of-egypts-great-pyramid-using-cosmic-rays/ar-AA188t69
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/giza-pyramid-void-muon-radiography-cosmic-rays
https://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeologists-discover-secret-tunnel-inside-the-great-pyramid-of-giza/
https://www.sciencealert.com/corridor-discovered-in-great-pyramid-could-be-protecting-the-actual-burial-chamber
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/scans-reveal-hidden-tunnel-in-great-pyramid-of-giza/146329
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/03/unknown-room-discovered-in-the-great-pyramid/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11265-230303-egypt-pyramid-corridor

… and Zahi Hawass was explaining it:

https://egyptindependent.com/zahi-hawass-discusses-secret-passage-in-khufu-pyramid/

More on the group of Persian, Roman, and Coptic tombs found at Minya:

https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/122773/The-Egyptian-Spanish-archaeological-mission-uncover-ancient-tombs-in-the
https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/26/group-persian-roman-coptic-tombs-discovered-egypt/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/coptic-era-tombs-uncovered-in-upper-egypts-minya/146289

More on Papyrus Waziry 1 going on display:

https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/122804/Papyrus-Waziry-1-was-displayed-for-the-1st-time-ever
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/01/longest-hieratic/

Egypt has restored the Al-Hakim Mosque:

https://dailynewsegypt.com/2023/02/28/egypt-inaugurates-al-hakim-mosque-after-restoration/
https://news.yahoo.com/historic-cairo-mosque-reopens-2-181106160.html
https://en.ammonnews.net/article/64109

Pondering who is buried in KV55:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/who-is-really-buried-in-kv55-egypts-most-mysterious-tomb

Feature on some things we’ve learned about the mummification process:

https://theconversation.com/five-discoveries-that-changed-our-understanding-of-how-the-ancient-egyptians-created-mummies-195523
https://phys.org/news/2023-03-discoveries-ancient-egyptians-mummies.html

Review of Lynne Olson, *Empress of the Nile*:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/28/books/review/empress-of-the-nile-lynne-olson.html

Review of Candice Millard, *River of the Gods*:

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8074338/explorer-frenemies-crazy-quest/

An overview sort of thing on this year’s dig at the Sassanid-era Vigol fire temple in Aran-Bidgol:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/482428/Archaeological-survey-sheds-new-light-on-Sassanid-architecture

A petroglyph of a 13th century Persian poem from Marvdasht:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/482379/Petroglyph-bearing-Sadi-poem-discovered-in-Marvdasht

Among the finds at Girsu is a 4500 years bp temple to the thunder divinity:

https://www.livescience.com/4500-year-old-sumerian-temple-dedicated-to-mighty-thunder-god-discovered-in-iraq

More on the 4700 years bp ‘tavern’ excavated at Lagash:

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/ancient-restaurant-highlights-iraqs-archeology-renaissance-rcna72857
https://apnews.com/article/iraq-archeology-lagash-restaurant-daa072cf0d6eeaea4a78d9632037d094
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-near-eastern-world/ancient-mesopotamian-tavern-discovered/

Feature on Enheduanna’s literary efforts:

https://www.history.com/news/enheduanna-earliest-author-mesopotamia

A roundup of archaeology in Turkey for the month of February:

https://turkisharchaeonews.net/article/february-2023-turkish-archaeology

The press in Israel was quick to announce the find of a 2500 years bp shard inscribed with the name of Darius (just in time for Purim):

https://www.timesofisrael.com/hiker-discovers-2500-year-old-ancient-receipt-from-reign-of-purim-kings-father/
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-733038
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-03-01/ty-article/inscription-naming-darius-father-of-king-ahasuerus-discovered-in-biblical-lachish/00000186-9ccd-d92c-a3df-ffffae3a0000
https://www.israelhayom.com/2023/03/01/i-thought-i-was-being-pranked-israeli-hiker-discovers-inscription-of-king-linked-to-purim/
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-733038
https://www.jns.org/hiker-finds-2500-year-old-receipt-bearing-the-name-of-king-ahasuerus-father-darius-i/
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/a-hiker-uncovered-an-ancient-receipt-1234659265/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/03/a-rare-inscription-bearing-the-name-of-the-persian-king-darius-the-great/

… but the IAA quickly declared the piece to be ‘inauthentic’ and the retractions followed:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/antiquities-authority-ancient-shard-with-darius-inscription-is-not-authentic/
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-03-03/ty-article/israel-antiquities-authority-ancient-darius-inscription-deemed-inauthentic-in-mix-up/00000186-a734-de2a-a1ee-a737d9390000
https://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/jns/touted-darius-inscription-is-inauthentic-israel-antiquities-authority-clarifies/article_e6027459-7c27-5f3b-a921-558cc6697ce5.html
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-733292
https://www.israelhayom.com/2023/03/05/touted-darius-inscription-clarified-to-be-inauthentic/
https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/133726
https://apnews.com/article/israel-fake-ancient-inscription-darius-persian-empire-168cb72009a67859238e4e468108f5ab
https://thepublicsradio.org/article/israel-says-inscription-in-persian-pottery-shard-inauthentic

More on 3500 years bp evidence of trepanation from Megiddo:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230222141115.htm
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/brain-surgery-at-canaanite-megiddo/
https://arkeonews.net/evidence-of-brain-surgery-performed-3000-years-ago-discovered-in-the-ancient-city-of-tel-megiddo/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/evidence-of-bronze-age-cranial-surgery-found-at-ancient-megiddo/146270

More on archaeologists ‘racing against time’ in Jerusalem:

https://www.ucanews.com/news/archaeologists-race-against-time-in-jerusalem/100480

More on that 3rd century BCE Musnad inscription from Saudi Arabia:

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/a-rare-inscription-in-an-ancient-arabian-script-was-uncovered-by-archaeologists-in-saudi-arabia-1234658685/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11255-230227-arabia-musnad-inscription
—–
This Week in the Ancient Near East Podcast:

https://thisweekintheancientneareast.podbean.com/

============================================================
ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME (AND CLASSICS)
============================================================
Suggestion that Minoans may have used ‘celestial star path’ navigation methods:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/minoan-civilisation-may-have-used-celestial-star-path-navigation-techniques/146340
https://arkeonews.net/minoan-civilization-may-have-used-celestial-navigation-techniques/

… and a feature on the Minoans:

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/blue-monkeys-bull-leaping-and-child-sacrifice-why-were-the-minoans-so-weird/

A study of faunal remains in a Bronze Age well at Mycenae:

https://phys.org/news/2023-03-bronze-age-contents-reveal-history.html

Archaeologists are digging a ‘new’ area of Pompeii (Insula 10 of Regio IX) and have already excavated a fullonica:

http://pompeiisites.org/comunicati/pompei-avviati-nuovi-scavi-nellarea-centrale-del-sito/
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/pompeii-diggers-dream-of-new-treasure-in-untouched-block-jjp5790st
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article272626552.html
https://nypost.com/2023/02/28/archeologists-dig-new-part-of-pompeii-for-rare-treasures/
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/ancient-roman-dry-cleaner-pompeii-1234659239/
https://www.stilearte.it/una-lavanderia-industriale-romana-e-una-casa-con-forno-emergono-dai-nuovi-scavi-a-pompei/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/new-discoveries-at-roman-pompeii/146305
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11262-230302-italy-pompeii-excavation

… and a related item on recent finds from Pompeii:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/mar/04/pompeii-treasures-digs-city-disaster-romans-excavation

Another ‘phallic symbol’ find from near Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland:

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/history/another-phallic-symbol-found-near-26366827

Evidence of a 2000 years bp aqueduct at Brescia (Italian):

https://www.stilearte.it/si-calano-nellacquedotto-romano-che-portava-acqua-a-brescia-duemila-anni-costruzione-perfetta/

Storms in Galicia (Spain) caused a cliff to collapse, revealing plenty of Roman artifacts:

https://english.elpais.com/culture/2023-02-26/storms-unearth-hundreds-of-roman-artifacts-in-spain.html

Not sure if we mentioned this Roman coin hoard found in the Bernese Alps back in 2020:

https://www.lematin.ch/story/de-la-monnaie-romaine-decouverte-dans-les-alpes-bernoises-606662574415

A vase found back in 1853 in Colchester is ‘sports memorabilia’ of a gladiator fight, apparently:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/mar/04/evidence-reveals-gladiators-fought-in-roman-britain

A 1700 years bp Roman sarcophagus was accidentally destroyed during work in Romania:

https://www.romania-insider.com/roman-sarcophagus-accidentally-destroyed-romanian-cemetery

Overview of recent finds from Salona:

https://www.croatiaweek.com/salona-in-croatia-to-be-world-archeological-sensation-after-new-discoveries/

Archaeologists returned to dig at the site of the theater of Pergamon:

https://www.dainst.blog/transpergmikro/the-largest-theater-in-ancient-asia-minor-rediscovered/

Coverage of a survey done at Hala Sultan Tekke:

https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/28/surface-sruvey-at-hala-sultan-tekke/

A study of on of the sculptures found at San Casicano dei Bagni (Italian):

https://www.stilearte.it/risolto-il-mistero-della-testa-di-toro-nella-vasca-magica-etrusco-romana-di-san-casciano-dei-bagni/

A study of a dagger supposedly once owned by on of Hannibal’s soldiers:

https://english.elpais.com/culture/2023-02-26/the-unsolvable-mystery-of-hannibals-soldier.html?ssm=FB_CC

More on the ‘wooden phallus’ identified at Vindolanda:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-was-this-2000-year-old-phallus-used-for-180981693/

… and the counter-suggestion that it’s a drop spindle:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/feb/26/its-not-a-roman-dildo-its-a-drop-spindle

More on the ‘spike defenses’ found at a Roman fort site near a silver mine in Germany:

https://www.livescience.com/ancient-roman-spike-defenses-made-famous-by-julius-caesar-found-in-germany
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-732808
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/roman-wooden-spikes-barbed-wire-julius-caesar-180981727/

More on the use of robots and AI to piece together broken frescoes at Pompeii:

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/archeologists-ai-robot-repair-pompeii-artwork-2262148
https://menafn.com/1105661948/Archaeologists-In-Italy-Are-Using-AI-Robots-To-Piece-Together-Ancient-Frescoes-From-Fragments-Discovered-At-Pompeii
https://hypebeast.com/2023/2/repair-italy-archaeology-pompeii-artificial-intelligence

More on the use of AI to read manuscripts from Herculaneum:

https://www.wkms.org/history/2023-03-03/ky-professor-using-ai-technology-to-read-ancient-manuscript-about-life-after-alexander-the-great

Feature on Mitchell Brown’s work with Menander:

https://news.wm.edu/2023/02/28/wm-researcher-tracks-ancient-greek-comic-poets-influence-on-modern-sitcoms/

Review of Natalie Haynes, *Stone Blind*:

https://www.tor.com/2023/03/02/book-reviews-natalie-haynes-stone-blind/

York’s Roman Quarter development is apparently up for sale:

https://yorkmix.com/yorks-roman-quarter-development-is-up-for-sale-as-owners-try-and-secure-delivery-of-the-project/

Some folks in Greece were celebrating Phallephoria:

https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/02/26/phallephoria-2023-dionysius/

Feature on Septimius Severus:

https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0f6fwt2/the-untold-story-of-britain-s-african-emperor

Feature on Boudica:

https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/boudica-warrior-queen-iceni-facts

Feature on the age of marriage of women in ancient Greece:

https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2023/02/28/at-what-age-did-ancient-greek-women-typically-marry/

Feature on the ‘anonymity’ of Roman portraits:

https://www.artic.edu/articles/1008/the-accidental-anonymity-of-ancient-portraits

Feature on a Roman temple replica in Manhattan:

https://www.archpaper.com/2023/02/why-shrunken-replica-2000-year-old-roman-temple-west-51st-street/

Feature on botanical Latin:

https://apnews.com/article/plant-names-botanical-latin-gardening-d1c395e489da8a8e870b5f21018a1121See

Feature on Aspasia:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/26/aspasia-courtesan-feminist-heroine/

Feature on myth retellings involving ancient Greece’s ‘forgotten’ women:

https://broadview.org/lies-we-sing-to-the-sea/

Feature on Pyrrhus of Epirus:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/27/pyrrhus-epirus-ancient-greek-king-fought-romans/

A nice APOD of the moon behind the Temple of Poseidon:

https://tech.hindustantimes.com/tech/news/nasa-astronomy-picture-of-the-day-28-february-2023-moon-and-the-temple-of-poseidon-71677565390003.html

Feature on how the Parthenon sculptures ended up in the British Museum:

https://menafn.com/1105661948/Archaeologists-In-Italy-Are-Using-AI-Robots-To-Piece-Together-Ancient-Frescoes-From-Fragments-Discovered-At-Pompeii

… and some OpEds relating to the sculptures:

https://www.artsprofessional.co.uk/magazine/363/feature/paradox-georges-marbles
https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/voices/2023/03/02/is-it-time-to-hand-back-the-elgin-marbles/
https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/03/04/boris-johnson-has-finally-lost-his-marbles/
—–
Roman Archaeology Blog:

http://romanarc.blogspot.com/

Rogueclassicism:

http://rogueclassicism.com/
============================================================
EUROPE AND THE UK (+ Ireland)
============================================================
Hunter-gatherers on the Mediterranean coast of Spain may have had more fish in their diet than previously thought:

https://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2023/research/mediterranean-hunter-gatherers-marine-resources/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/28/mediterranean-hunter-gatherers-relied-heavily-on-fish-diet/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11254-230227-spain-marine-food

Skulls found in a Somerset cave have been dated to 4000 years bp:

https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/update-mysterious-human-remains-found-8192058

A Bronze Age (maybe) tomb with golden necklaces from Armenia:

https://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/world/article272617615.html
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/armenia-poland-archaeology-tomb-metsomar-1234658969/
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66599
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/golden-necklaces-discovered-in-bronze-age-tomb/146309

A 3000 years bp toddler’s show found by a mudlark in North Kent:

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66593

A study of stelae from Portugal suggests steel was being used in Europe some 2900 years bp:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-steel-europe-years.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230228154510.htm
https://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/archaeologists-stunned-by-2900-year-old-steel-tools-in-portugal/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/evidence-of-steel-tools-being-used-in-europe-during-late-bronze-age/146314
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/01/steel-was-already-used-in-europe-2900-years-ago/

cf: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0305440323000201
https://www.experimentalarchaeology.uni-freiburg.de/

Among the finds made during A14 construction a couple of years ago is an Iron Age comb made from a human skull:

https://www.livescience.com/comb-made-from-human-skull-may-have-been-used-in-iron-age-rituals
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-64797376
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-733131
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/iron-age-bar-hill-comb-human-skull-2263565
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66624
https://arkeonews.net/iron-age-comb-found-made-from-human-skull-in-uk/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/02/the-bar-hill-comb/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archeologists-unearth-iron-age-comb-made-from-human-skull-180981722/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11259-230301-england-bone-comb

A 1st century CE Celtic figurine sporting a ‘hinged phallus’ from Lincolnshire (apparently going to auction):

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/2000-year-old-fertility-figurine-with-hinged-penis-discovered-1234659402/
https://www.insider.com/small-ancient-statue-enormous-penis-england-2023-2
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66608

A 7th/8th century burial of a mother and child at a school building site in Marseille:

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66635

A metal detectorist in Germany found an 800 years bp hoard of gold jewellery and coins:

https://www.livescience.com/stunning-gem-covered-gold-earrings-discovered-in-800-year-old-hoard-in-germany
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11266-230303-germany-jewelry-coins

I think we mentioned this ‘cache’ of 500 years bp spices from the wreck of the Gribshund:

https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/archaeologists-find-well-preserved-500-year-old-spices-baltic-shipwreck-2023-03-03/
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-733314
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-05/archaeologists-find-500-year-old-spices-in-baltic/102055514

A mudlarker on the Thames found a Tudor leather archery wrist guard:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-64787840

Remains of a medieval wharf found in the sea off Oslo:

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66641

A metal detectorist found a hoard of 1000 17th century coins in Poland:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/treasure-hoard-containing-1000-coins-uncovered-in-eastern-poland/146371

A study of remains in Heaning Wood Bone Cave in Cumbria suggests there were three periods of inhumation there:

https://the-past.com/news/cave-in-cumbria-used-for-centuries-of-burials/

A study of the evolution of the plague in Denmark over several centuries:

https://brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/plague-yersinia-pestis-bacteria-denmark/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230224135014.htm
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11258-230228-denmark-medieval-plague

Plans for a study of the remains of Lowbury Woman:

https://www.reading.ac.uk/news/2023/Research-News/Lowbury-Hill-remains-to-be-investigated-by-Reading-team
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/forgotten-lowbury-woman-burial-to-reveal-her-secrets/146321

Plans for a dig at Lowther Castle:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cumbria-64782891

Plans for a study of the wreck of the HMS Captain:

https://the-past.com/news/lost-british-warship-set-to-be-investigated-150-years-after-sinking/

Studying shards of stained-glass windows smashed during the Protest Reformation of 1560 in Scotland:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-piecing-scotland-religious-shards-glass.html

Overview of archaeological remains in the Bialowieza Forest:

https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/28/the-bialowieza-forest-no-longer-an-archaeological-blank-spot/

More on that deisis found during Moscow-Kazan highway construction:

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-732861

More on the medieval Lombard woman whose skull shows signs of repeated trepanation:

https://www.livescience.com/painful-cross-shaped-incision-in-medieval-womans-skull-didnt-kill-her-but-second-surgery-did
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11264-230302-italy-skull-wounds

More on the find of remains of Neolithic megalithic monument builders’ homes in France:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-archaeologists-homes-europe-monument-makers.html
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11251-230222-france-prehistoric-megaliths

More on the find of six burials under a kitchen floor in Scotland being dated to 2000 years bp:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-64756840
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11257-230228-scotland-iron-age

More on evidence of monastical ‘resilience’ in the wake of Viking raids at Lyminge:

https://the-past.com/news/evidence-of-resilience-in-the-face-of-viking-raids-at-lyminge/

A development site in Plymouth might reveal some 2000 burials, apparently:

https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/plymouth-news/developer-starts-work-plymouth-city-8203321

A Hereford museum has acquired a King Offa coin:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-64817622

Feature on medieval baby care:

https://aeon.co/essays/medieval-babycare-from-breastfeeding-to-developmental-toys

Feature on how Vikings communicated with other people:

https://sciencenorway.no/communication-language-travel/the-vikings-traveled-a-lot-how-did-they-manage-to-talk-to-people/2159106
———-
Archaeology in Europe News:

http://archaeology-in-europe.blogspot.com/

Medievalists.net:

https://www.medievalists.net/category/news/

Viking Archaeology Blog:

http://viking-archaeology-blog.blogspot.com/

============================================================
ASIA AND THE SOUTH PACIFIC
============================================================
Remains of a 6000 years bp ‘defensive trench’ from Henan:

https://english.news.cn/20230301/3795546d85214ca5bbf198c1c78c46cd/c.html
http://en.people.cn/n3/2023/0301/c90000-10214720.html
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11263-230302-china-suyang-trench

Overview of the finds from the 4000 years bp Bicun urban site:

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article272614717.html

A Jin Dynasty burial from Hebei:

http://en.people.cn/n3/2023/0228/c90000-10213907.html

Tang Dynasty pottery from the Fanjia site in Jinan:

https://www.centredaily.com/news/nation-world/world/article272640452.html

Remains of a large building foundation dating to the Liao Dynasty from Mongolia:

http://english.news.cn/20230221/22f54b7165be46ef98d8cfce8e66749c/c.html

Thirteen kilns dating to the Western Xia Dynasty from Yinchuan:

https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202302/27/WS63fbf815a31057c47ebb0efd.html

A major kiln site dating to the Southern Song Dynasty was also revealed in Jiangsu:

http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2023-03/04/content_85142940.htm?f=pad&a=true

More on those 3500 years bp bone ice skates from Xinjiang:

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article272639296.html
https://www.laprensalatina.com/3500-year-old-bone-ice-skates-found-in-china/
https://www.iflscience.com/animal-bone-ice-skates-dating-back-3-500-years-found-in-china-67780

More on the find of a 2400 years bp flush toilet:

https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/worlds-oldest-flush-toilet-china-unearths-2400-year-old-lavatory

Plans for a display of assorted Sanxingdui artifacts:

https://www.shine.cn/news/metro/2303036853/

Feature on William Honeychurch’s work on Mongolia’s ancient nomadic cultures:

https://news.yale.edu/2023/02/21/mobile-culture-yale-archaeologist-sifts-through-mongolias-ancient-past

More on 2000 years bp musical instruments made from antlers from Viet Nam:

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/deer-antler-long-an-museum-storage-earliest-known-stringed-instruments-2261298
https://boingboing.net/2023/03/01/archaeologists-find-2000-year-old-musical-instrument.html
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/archaeologists-uncover-2000-year-old-stringed-instrument-in-vietnam/146259

Feature on medieval Buddhist hospitals in Sri Lanka:

https://theprint.in/opinion/buddhists-ran-sophisticated-medieval-hospitals-in-sri-lanka-heated-pool-forceps-acupuncture/1409836/

Remains of a 1300 years bp Buddhist monastery and stupa from Odisha:

https://www.thestatesman.com/india/asi-discovers-1300-yr-old-buddhist-monastery-stupa-in-odisha-1503158101.html

Feature on the archaeology of Keeladi and their trade connections:

https://m.timesofindia.com/city/chennai/caesers-coin-in-madurais-backyard-a-tale-of-two-cities/articleshow/98422846.cms

============================================================
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
============================================================
Maori food storage pits from South Taranaki:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/whanganui-chronicle/news/centuries-old-maori-food-storage-pits-found-in-south-taranaki-as-part-of-nukumaru-station-rd-extension-work/SBYKCSIDZZCD3NAHICGZLLYDEQ/
============================================================
NORTH AMERICA
============================================================
The 19th century wreck of the Ironton in Lake Huron has been located:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/01/us/shipwreck-lake-huron.html
https://apnews.com/article/great-lakes-shipwreck-discovery-ironton-91f6db8e3c42d37b2f8ade7b4df0a4bb
https://www.today.com/news/ship-found-century-lake-huron-confirms-tragic-story-victims-fates-rcna73057
https://theweek.com/michigan/1021417/ship-that-sank-in-1894-discovered-in-lake-huron
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/long-lost-ship-found-in-lake-huron-confirming-17812665.php

Excavating a 19th century cemetery section prior to building construction in Columbus:

https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/columbus/columbus-archaeologists-excavate-19th-century-human-remains-near-north-market/

More on flotsam from New York being identified as being from the SS Savannah:

https://apnews.com/article/science-new-york-city-bronx-savannah-oceans-dc09efafd9b191d0715a084516527ed5
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/fire-island-flotsam-ss-savannah-2262253
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11256-230227-savannah-hybrid-ship

More on experimental archaeology and the development of Chaco Canyon:

https://www.colorado.edu/today/2023/02/22/scientists-may-have-solved-chaco-canyon-mystery-hauling-logs-their-heads
https://www.sciencealert.com/1000-years-ago-ancient-puebloans-built-a-mysteriously-vast-city-we-may-finally-know-how
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/03/02/scientists-may-have-solved-a-chaco-canyon-mystery-2/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11261-230301-chaco-canyon-construction

Feature on some artifacts excavated at the Battle of Camden site:

https://www.chronicle-independent.com/news/kershaw-county/unearthed-history-battle-camden-part-iii-artifacts/

Feature on the history of robbing of Indigenous burials in New England:

https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/indigenous-grave-robbing-new-england-17810749.php

An enslaved peoples’ burial ground in the Hudson Valley (NY) is being preserved:

https://www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley/news/article/lloyd-slave-burial-ground-preservation-17808577.php
============================================================
CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
============================================================
A delivery man in Peru was found in possession of a 600+ years bp remains of a mummified person that his father had owned:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-peru-police-pre-hispanic-mummy-ex-delivery.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-64797080
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mummy-found-man-cooler-bag-spiritual-girlfriend-peru/
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-733126
https://www.sciencealert.com/former-delivery-man-found-with-a-600-year-old-mummy-girlfriend-in-his-cooler-bag

A previously-unknown Moai statue was found on Easter Island:

https://phys.org/news/2023-03-moai-statue-easter-island-volcano.html
https://www.livescience.com/new-moai-statue-that-deified-ancestors-found-on-easter-island
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-64821698
https://apnews.com/article/moai-statue-rapa-nui-easter-island-807e5de7b5cd006e73ce57402bfce302
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/300821067/new-easter-island-statue-found-in-volcanic-craters-dry-lake
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/archaeologists-on-easter-island-have-discovered-a-previously-unknown-moai-statue-buried-in-a-dried-out-lake-bed-2261978
https://arkeonews.net/new-moai-statue-discovered-on-easter-island/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-moai-statue-found-on-easter-island-180981717/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11260-230301-easter-island-moai

Accounting for the high percentage of woman remains in the Hueyi Tsompantli:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/female-remains-in-aztec-skull-rack-are-associated-with-the-origin-myth-of-huitzilopochtli/146301

More on the 30 Chancay burial found in Peru:

https://www.dw.com/en/pre-inca-graves-discovered-in-peru/a-64833744

Feature on Richard Hansen’s efforts to preserve sites in El Mirador:

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-03-01/guatemala-maya-environment-drug-cartels-climate-change

This month’s Ancient America’s zoom events:

https://mikeruggerisevents.tumblr.com/

… and the March edition of the Aztlander:

https://aztlander.wordpress.com/2023/03/04/march-2023-aztlander-magazine-of-the-americas/
—–
Mike Ruggeri’s Ancient Americas Breaking News:

http://goo.gl/1VdeA

Mike Ruggeri’s Ancient Americas lecture channels on Youtube:

https://mikeruggerisyoutube.tumblr.com/

Ancient MesoAmerica News:

http://ancient-mesoamerica-news-updates.blogspot.com/
============================================================
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
============================================================
Not sure where to put this one: a study suggests assorted ancient texts in various cultures describe of feeding behaviour of whales:

https://www.livescience.com/terrifying-sea-monster-hafgufa-described-in-medieval-norse-manuscripts-is-actually-a-whale
https://phys.org/news/2023-02-mysterious-behavior-whales-ancient-manuscripts.html
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/980816
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/01/ancient-texts-power-new-light-shed-on-mysterious-whale-behaviour-that-captured-imagination
https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1261/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1261/pub/1261/page/55/article/NaN
https://www.newscientist.com/video/2361926-ancient-depictions-of-norse-sea-monsters-may-be-feeding-whales/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-mythical-sea-monsters-may-have-been-whales-with-unusual-dining-habits-180981729/

cf: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mms.13009

Feature on runes:

https://phys.org/news/2023-03-runes-advanced-roman-alphabet.html

On the role of robots in saving the UK’s photograph archive:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/photography/what-to-see/how-robots-saved-britains-postwar-photograph-archive/

A Queen Victoria sketchbook will be reunited with other artworks of hers:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-dorset-64815207

Feature on Catherine the Great:

https://www.livescience.com/all-about-history-127

Feature on changes to the UK’s Treasure Act:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/mar/01/toothpicks-hair-locks-treasure-act-museums

Pondering the future of the antiquities trade:

https://www.apollo-magazine.com/antiquities-collectors-art-market-provenance/

Pondering the origins of a painting ascribed to Dali:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-salvador-dali-paint-this-enigmatic-artwork-180981723/?

Feature on the statue of David and ideas about masculinity:

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230227-the-original-and-most-iconic-male-model

Feature on Hagia Sophia and Mezquita:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/mar/04/mezquita-hagia-sophia-two-sacred-symbols-culture-wars-belie-complex-history

On the history of the kebaya:

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230302-the-asian-blouse-that-tells-a-tale-of-many-cultures

On the beginning of arguing about gender:

https://unherd.com/2023/03/the-gender-wars-started-in-1531/

Review of David Waldstreicher, *Phillis Wheatley*:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/02/books/phillis-wheatley-david-waldstreicher.html

Review of Reid Mitenbuler, *Wanderlust*;

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/26/books/review/wanderlust-reid-mitenbuler.html

Review of Naoise MacSweeney, *The West*:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/west-naoise-mac-sweeney-review-time-give-western-civilisation/

Review of Jennifer Wright, *Madame Restell*:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/28/books/review/madame-restell-by-jennifer-wright.html

More on that frozen Siberian bear:

https://arkeonews.net/3500-year-old-perfectly-preserved-ancient-frozen-bear-found-in-siberian/
============================================================
CURRENT EVENTS:
============================================================

OpEd applying the Melian Dialogue (strangely) to the war in Ukraine:

https://nationalinterest.org/feature/lessons-melian-dialogue-case-against-providing-military-support-ukraine-206264

Ancient structures in Hatay survived the earthquakes:

https://www.dailysabah.com/gallery/ancient-structures-remain-standing-in-hatay-despite-turkiye-quake/images

… as did sites in Anazarbus:

https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/quake-bypasses-7500-years-old-anazarbus-ancient-city-in-turkiye/news

… and an overview of damage done to other sites:

https://turkisharchaeonews.net/article/one-month-after-quake-cultural-properties-damage-assessment

Turkiye is taking measures to protect artifacts from earthquakes:

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ministry-takes-measures-to-protect-artifacts-from-quakes-181312

The coronation chair to be used by Charles III is undergoing restoration:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-64798077
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/coronation-chair-restoration-gbr-scli-intl/index.html

In case you missed the president of Mexico’s ‘elf’ photo:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/27/mexican-president-andres-manuel-lopez-obrador-photo-elf-alux
============================================================
ANIMAL AND PLANT DOMESTICATIONS
============================================================
A study of kurgan burials suggests the Yamnaya culture was first to ride horses 4000=5000 years bp:

https://phys.org/news/2023-03-world-horse-riders-black-sea.html
https://www.livescience.com/worlds-1st-horseback-riders-swept-across-europe-roughly-5000-years-ago
https://www.npr.org/2023/03/03/1160961227/scientists-find-signs-of-horse-riding-in-ancient-human-remains
https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/wireStory/evidence-horseback-riding-dates-back-5000-years-97615176
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/archaeologists-find-evidence-that-horseback-riding-began-at-least-5000-years-ago
https://apnews.com/article/horse-horseback-riding-archeology-5caf7da564dbafad6aa50379b0927220
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-03-04/ty-article/archaeologists-identify-the-earliest-horse-riders/00000186-a265-d6e6-a3af-fb7563fb0000
https://www.dw.com/en/scientists-say-ancient-europeans-rode-horses-5000-years-ago/a-64883617
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-733324
https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2023/03/first-human-horseback-riding
https://www.science.org/content/article/earliest-evidence-horseback-riding-found-eastern-cowboys
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/humans-started-riding-horses-5-000-years-ago-new-evidence-suggests/

cf: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ade2451

On the origins (2) of ‘indigenous wines’:

https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/grapevines-first-cultivated-11000-years-ago-says-study-498726/
https://wineanorak.com/2023/03/02/big-news-new-genetic-evidence-shows-that-the-grapevine-was-domesticated-in-two-locations-and-3000-years-earlier-than-previously-thought/

============================================================
LANGUAGE RELATED
============================================================
Feature on Kouri-Vini:

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230228-kouri-vini-the-return-of-the-us-lost-language

============================================================
PHILOSOPHERS AND MATTERS PHILOSOPHICAL
============================================================
Feature on Damaris Masham:

https://aeon.co/essays/out-of-john-lockes-shadow-damaris-masham-and-her-philosophy

On classical philosophy and office politics:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/why-aristotle-beats-the-apprentice-in-big-business-8jf7bsj8s

On family values in Epicurus:

https://www.thecollector.com/epicurus-on-the-values-of-family-and-friendship/

On the ‘downsides’ of Stoicism:

https://bigthink.com/thinking/stoicism-popular-downsides/
============================================================
MUSEUM MATTERS
============================================================
Labyrinth:

https://the-past.com/review/whats-on/labyrinth-knossos-myth-and-reality/

Islanders:

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/mar/05/islanders-the-making-of-the-mediterranean-fitzwilliam-museum-cambridge-review-art-of-extraordinary-intimacy

Rome of the Republic:

https://www.artandobject.com/news/new-capitoline-museums-exhibit-will-delight-archaeologists-not-tourists

Golden Mummies of Egypt:

https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2023/03/achieving-divinity-golden-mummies

Sassoons:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/02/arts/design/sassoons-jewish-museum-art-exhibition.html

Le Catillon Celtic Coin Hoard:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-jersey-64799297

Dickens:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-jersey-64799297

The Alamo Collections Center is now open:

https://sanantonioreport.org/new-ralston-collections-center-alamo-opening/

The Philadelphia MoA now has a department for African and African diasporic art:

https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-museum-of-art-brind-center-african-and-african-diasporic-art/

Fordham’s museum of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman art has reopened:

https://news.fordham.edu/arts-and-culture/museum-of-greek-etruscan-and-roman-art-reopens/

The Argos Archaeological Museum is reopening:

https://news.gtp.gr/2023/02/28/peloponnese-argos-archaeological-museum-ready-to-reopen/
============================================================
AUCTIONS AND SALES RELATED
============================================================
Big bucks for a looted Kandinsky:

https://apnews.com/article/kandinsky-munch-nazi-looted-art-sothebys-5e62cd857490bc41094daaf71fc934e3

============================================================
ON THE DNA FRONT
============================================================
A study of the DNA of early hunter-gatherers in Europe:

https://www.mpg.de/19941740/0223-evan-ice-age-survivors-150495-x
https://phys.org/news/2023-03-ice-age-survivors-paleogenomics.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230301120846.htm
https://www.livescience.com/unknown-lineage-of-ice-age-europeans-discovered-in-genetic-study
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-03-01/ty-article/study-of-age-hunters-changes-what-we-know-about-european-ancestry/00000186-98a8-d027-a5de-bef8d0fc0000
https://apnews.com/article/europe-ice-age-archeology-ancient-humans-discovery-1be896899e155ecacdee3efd97ba8b9d
https://www.science.org/content/article/ancient-dna-upends-european-prehistory
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/01/science/dna-hunter-gatherers-europe.html

cf: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05726-0
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-023-01987-0

A DNA study (7000-5000 years bp) from several sites in southern Spain (not sure if this overlaps with the above):

https://phys.org/news/2023-03-oldest-human-genome-southern-spain.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230301120829.htm

============================================================
THE TECHY SIDE
============================================================
Feature on LiDAR:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/23/lidar-technology-archeology-radical-thinking

Strontium and dendrochronology help to identify the source of some 400 years bp timbers in Denmark:

https://news.ku.dk/all_news/2023/03/tree-rings-and-strontium-point-researchers-to-the-provenance-of-400-year-old-timber/
https://phys.org/news/2023-03-tree-strontium-provenance-year-old-timber.html

cf: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0278513
============================================================
CLIMATE MATTERS
============================================================
Review of Peter Frankopan, *The Earth Transformed*:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/feb/27/the-big-idea-why-you-cant-leave-climate-out-of-history
============================================================
TOURISTY THINGS
============================================================
Imber and Tyneham:

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230226-englands-twin-ghost-villages

Sites at Oxford associated with CS Lewis:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/28/travel/cs-lewis-oxford-narnia.html

Bar’am synagogue:

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-03-02/ty-article-magazine/exploring-israel-a-visit-to-a-1-600-year-old-synagogue/00000186-a308-de2a-a1ee-a31fe4230000
============================================================
PERFORMANCES AND MUSIC RELATED
============================================================
Feature on Escolania de Montserrat:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/mar/03/unchanged-melody-the-all-boys-choir-that-survived-700-years-of-conflict

============================================================
CRIME BEAT
============================================================
The statue of the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen was vandalized again:

https://apnews.com/article/denmark-little-mermaid-copenhagen-vandalism-russian-flag-7487b88c6a00bd997e6b540a7e65f448

Feature on art and antiquities being used for money laundering purposes:

https://www.occrp.org/en/27-ccwatch/cc-watch-briefs/17373-art-and-antiquities-an-attractive-market-for-money-laundering-faft-argues
———-
conflict antiquities:

http://conflictantiquities.wordpress.com/

anonymous swiss collector:

http://www.anonymousswisscollector.com/

Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues:

http://paul-barford.blogspot.ca/

Looting Matters:

http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/

Illicit Cultural Property:

http://illicit-cultural-property.blogspot.com/

SAFE:

http://www.savingantiquities.org/blog/

============================================================
REPATRIATION AND RECOVERY
============================================================
Cambridge is returning some Australian spears taken by Captain Cook:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-64820618
https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/cambridge-university-return-captain-cooks-26357321
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/03/02/aboriginal-spears-captain-cook-returned-australia/
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cambridge-university-to-return-australian-spears-seized-by-captain-james-cook-v68cx0qqq

Switzerland returned a number of items to Iraq:

https://www.iraqinews.com/iraq/iraq-receives-antiquities-in-switzerland/

Interesting feature on the recovery of stolen statuary from India:

https://theamericanscholar.org/the-goddess-complex/

============================================================
NUMISMATICA
============================================================
Feature on the coins of Carthage:

https://coinweek.com/ancient-coins/the-coins-of-carthage-during-hannibals-war-with-rome/

Latest e-Sylum:

http://www.coinbooks.org/v26/club_nbs_esylum_v26n09.html

… and the one which should appear later today:

http://www.coinbooks.org/v26/club_nbs_esylum_v26n10.html
————————

Coin Week:

http://www.coinweek.com/

============================================================
OBITUARIES
============================================================
Howard R Lamar:

https://news.yale.edu/2023/02/24/howard-r-lamar-eminent-historian-and-former-yale-president

John Richard Wilson:

https://www.ualberta.ca/the-quad/2023/03/lowering-the-flag-john-richard-wilson.html

Pierre Apraxine:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/03/arts/pierre-apraxine-dead.html

============================================================
AUDIO/VIDEO NEWS
============================================================
Audio News from Archaeologica:

https://www.archaeologychannel.org/audio-guide/audio-news/3262-audio-news-from-archaeologica-february-19th-through-the-25th-2023
============================================================
GENERAL ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS BLOGS
============================================================
Archaeology Magazine News Page:

http://www.archaeology.org/news/

About.com Archaeology:

http://archaeology.about.com/

Archaeology Briefs:

http://archaeologybriefs.blogspot.com/

Atlas Obscura:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/

Heritage Daily:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/

Sapiens Archaeology:

https://www.sapiens.org/category/archaeology/

Taygete Atlantis excavations blogs aggregator:

http://planet.atlantides.org/taygete/
============================================================
PODCASTS/VODCASTS
============================================================
Archaeosoup:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Archaeos0up?feature=watch

Archaeology Podcast Network:

http://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/
============================================================
EXPLORATOR is a free weekly newsletter bringing you the latest
news of archaeological finds, historical research and the like.
Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured for news of
the ‘ancient world’ (broadly construed: practically anything relating
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============================================================
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===========================================================
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by direct posting or snagging from a usenet group or some other
email source) without my express written permission. I think it
is only right that I be made aware of public fora which are
making use of content gathered in Explorator. Thanks!
===========================================================

Explorator 25.45 ~ February 26, 2023

Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Robin Derricourt, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out).

============================================================
EARLY HOMINIDS
============================================================
Evidence of use of bows and arrows by modern humans in France some 54 000 years bp:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-bow-and-arrow-technology-modern-humans-europe.html
https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1255/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1255/pub/1255/page/39/article/NaN
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-02-22/ty-article/modern-humans-with-bows-and-arrows-invaded-france-54-000-years-ago/00000186-790b-dc22-afe7-797f234f0000
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/23/world/france-cave-earliest-bow-arrow-use-outside-africa-scn
https://www.sciencealert.com/bows-were-being-used-in-europe-40000-years-earlier-than-we-thought
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archery-may-have-arrived-in-europe-thousands-of-years-earlier-than-thought-180981690/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/23/bow-and-arrow-technology-of-the-first-modern-humans-in-europe/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11252-230224-france-bows-arrows

cf: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.add4675
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00526-y

Feature on Palaeolithic children:

https://aeon.co/essays/what-was-it-like-to-grow-up-in-the-last-ice-age
https://boingboing.net/2023/02/20/what-was-it-like-being-a-child-during-the-last-ice-age.html

Feature on adaptability among Neanderthal groups in various places:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/02/neanderthals-spread-diverse-cultures-across-eurasia-before-we-came-along/

More on Neanderthals eating seafood:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/did-neanderthals-eat-seafood-neanderthals-cooked-and-ate-crab-off-the-coast

More on Paranthropus and the Oldowan toolkit:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/researchers-unearth-3-million-year-old-tools

============================================================
ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
============================================================
A group of 22 Persian, Roman, and Coptic tombs from Minya:

https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/41/489649/Antiquities/GrecoRoman/In-Photos–Persian,-Roman-and-Coptic-tombs-discove.aspx
https://www.egyptindependent.com/around-22-tombs-dating-back-to-different-eras-discovered-in-upper-egypt/
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article272595872.html
https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/26/group-persian-roman-coptic-tombs-discovered-egypt/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/coptic-era-tombs-uncovered-in-upper-egypts-minya/146289

That 16-metre scroll of the Book of the Dead has gone on display:

https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentP/9/488450/Antiquities/In-Photos-Waziri-I-Papyrus-on-display-for-first-ti.aspx
https://www.livescience.com/see-photos-of-stunningly-preserved-52-foot-long-book-of-the-dead-papyrus-from-ancient-egypt
https://apnews.com/article/politics-middle-east-egypt-cairo-de982a0960d26b90025b83cef9b50914
https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/2023/02/21/second-longest-ancient-scroll-unveiled-in-special-ceremony-at-egyptian-museum/
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/egypt-ap-cairo-tahrir-square-b2286076.html
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11789521/See-preserved-52-foot-long-Book-Dead-papyrus-laid-ancient-Egyptian-tomb.html
https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/2023/02/21/second-longest-ancient-scroll-unveiled-in-special-ceremony-at-egyptian-museum/
https://www.seattlepi.com/news/world/article/egypt-unveils-renovated-wing-of-oldest-museum-17795268.php
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66560

Zahi Hawass was speaking on recent finds at Saqqara:

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2254981/art-culture

Feature on Mostafa Waziri:

https://egyptian-gazette.com/egypt/meet-the-guardian-of-egyptian-antiquities/

The sun illuminated the face of Ramses II at Aswan last week:

https://egyptindependent.com/sun-illuminates-face-of-ramses-ii-in-aswan/

A possible 2000 years bp burial from Gilan (Iran):

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/482161/Newly-discovered-ancient-grave-may-allow-archaeologists-to-retrace

Plans for an underwater survey of the Persian Gulf:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/482202/Archaeologists-to-commence-underwater-survey-in-Persian-Gulf

More on the 4500 years bp Sumerian palace site at Girsu:

https://www.livescience.com/4500-year-old-sumerian-temple-dedicated-to-mighty-thunder-god-discovered-in-iraq
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/482084/Archaeologists-hail-find-of-Sumerian-palace-in-southern-Iraq
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/feb/17/discovery-of-4500-year-old-palace-in-iraq-may-hold-key-to-ancient-civilisation
https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/21/4500-year-old-sumerian-palace-discovered-iraq-desert/
https://www.iraqinews.com/iraq/4500-year-old-sumerian-temple-discovered-in-iraq/
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-732247
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/archaeologists-discover-remains-4500-year-old-lost-palace-iraq-1234658416/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/20/lost-royal-sumerian-palace-and-temple-discovered-in-ancient-city-of-girsu/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11243-230217-girsu-palace-temple

More on the 5000 years bp ‘tavern’ site at Lagash:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2023/02/21/worlds-oldest-tavern-lagash-iraq/
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/iraqi-sumerian-tavern-beer-recipe-2258061

Overview of a survey of the area between Al Hai and Rasan Naqab (Jordan):

https://jordantimes.com/news/local/swiss-archaeologist-examines-settlement-continuity-petra

A 3700 years bp Phoenician seal impression from Nahariya:

http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2023-02/21/content_85117762.htm

Late Bronze Age evidence of angular notched trephination (‘brain surgery’) from a burial at Megiddo:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-archaeologists-uncover-early-evidence-brain.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230222141115.htm
https://www.livescience.com/3400-years-ago-brain-surgery-left-man-with-square-hole-in-his-skull-ancient-bones-suggest
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/europe-experts-asia-b2287440.html
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-732389
https://www.timesofisrael.com/earliest-brain-surgery-in-the-middle-east-uncovered-at-megiddo/
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/22/world/bronze-age-brain-surgery-scn/index.html
https://wamu.org/story/23/02/22/clues-to-bronze-age-cranial-surgery-revealed-in-ancient-bones/
https://www.newsweek.com/grave-elite-bronze-age-brothers-mystery-disease-discovered-1782580
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/02/22/1158721573/clues-to-bronze-age-cranial-surgery-revealed-in-ancient-bones
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2023-02-23/evidence-brain-surgery-brothers-meggido-bronze-era-israel/101989790
https://www.sciencealert.com/evidence-of-one-of-the-earliest-brain-surgeries-has-been-uncovered-in-israel
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/evidence-of-bronze-age-cranial-surgery-found-at-ancient-megiddo/146270
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/23/early-evidence-of-brain-surgery-in-ancient-near-east/

cf: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0281020

A family out hiking near Modin came across a 1400 years bp clay figure (the end of a candle holder):

https://www.timesofisrael.com/family-comes-face-to-face-with-1400-year-old-decorative-clay-figure/
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-732257

Some Roman-era burials were vandalized at Tel Kedesh:

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-732658

More coverage of that inscribed Canaanite ivory comb found a while ago:

https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0f3svrh/decoding-oldest-known-sentence-written-in-first-alphabet

Feature on the rush to preserve the Pilgrimage Road site in Jerusalem mentioned a few weeks ago:

https://www.detroitcatholic.com/news/discovery-of-pilgrimage-road-reveals-archaeologists-race-against-time-in-jerusalem

Feature on medieval Holy Land souvenirs:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/holy-land-souvenirs/

Three pre-Islamic gold rings and a Musnad inscription found during excavations at Al-Ukhdud:

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/a-rare-inscription-in-an-ancient-arabian-script-was-uncovered-by-archaeologists-in-saudi-arabia-1234658685/
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article272575157.html

—–
This Week in the Ancient Near East Podcast:

https://thisweekintheancientneareast.podbean.com/

============================================================
ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME (AND CLASSICS)
============================================================
A 3rd century BC burial of a woman on Sardinia with a ‘nail hole’ in her skull:

https://www.livescience.com/3rd-century-bc-woman-was-buried-facedown-with-a-nail-hole-in-her-skull-heres-why
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/ancient-european-woman-mysterious-burial-b2287158.html
https://www.sciencealert.com/a-nail-hole-in-this-roman-skull-may-have-been-an-outdated-public-health-measure
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11249-230222-sardinia-punic-burial

cf: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352409X23000214

Brief item on the find of a 2000 years bp stove (kiln?) from Genoa:

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article272573667.html
https://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/world/article272573667.html

Evidence of ‘wooden defenses’ (wooden spikes) from a Roman fort site near a silver mine in Germany:

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/archaeologists-discover-ancient-roman-fort-wooden-spikes-germany-bad-ems-1234658682/
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/archaeologists-failed-ancient-roman-silver-mining-operation-2259563
https://arkeonews.net/archaeologists-have-found-a-fort-that-the-romans-built-to-protect-their-silver-mines-complete-with-wooden-spikes/
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66552
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/roman-military-camps-and-evidence-of-silver-mining-found-in-the-bad-ems-area/146263
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11253-230224-germany-roman-wood

… with more emphasis on the silver mining:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-hidden-romans-tons-silver-shores.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230221132146.htm
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/980406
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/22/hidden-from-the-romans-200-tons-of-silver-on-the-shores-of-the-river-lahn/

A (late?) Roman era necropolis revealed in Friuli (Italian):

https://www.stilearte.it/necropoli-romana-emerge-durante-lavori-in-friuli-la-localita-esatta-tenuta-segreta-per-timore-di-furti/

An item identified as a ‘darning tool’ found years ago at Vindolanda is now being identified as an ancient sex toy:

https://www.livescience.com/smooth-wooden-phallus-found-at-a-roman-fort-was-likely-a-sex-toy
https://phys.org/news/2023-02-discarded-roman-artifact-good-luck.html
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/feb/20/its-not-a-darning-tool-its-a-very-naughty-toy-roman-dildo-found
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/roman-dildo-found-northumberland-newcastle-b2285673.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-64678612
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/ancient-roman-dildo-1.6755242
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/20/world/roman-wooden-phallus-sex-object-intl-scli-scn
https://www.macon.com/news/nation-world/world/article272555225.html
https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-02-22/hadrians-wall-treasure-trove-reveals-first-known-sex-toy-from-roman-world.html
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/02/20/oldest-roman-sex-toy-found-hadrians-wall/
https://www.thedailybeast.com/ancient-artifact-might-actually-be-only-known-roman-dildo-experts-say
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ake5d8/ancient-roman-phallus-vindolanda
https://hyperallergic.com/802678/could-this-be-the-first-known-ancient-roman-dildo/
https://www.euronews.com/culture/2023/02/21/wood-you-believe-it-2000-year-old-sex-toy-found-at-vindolanda-roman-fort-in-northumberland
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-732206
https://www.zmescience.com/science/this-roman-lucky-charm-may-actually-be-an-ancient-dildo/
https://www.sciencealert.com/this-wooden-phallus-might-be-a-rare-2000-year-old-dildo
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/first-known-roman-sex-toy-dildo-phallic-object-england-1234658422/
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66535
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/disembodied-wooden-phallus-could-be-a-roman-sex-toy/146246
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/21/discarded-roman-artefact-may-have-been-more-than-a-good-luck-charm/

… and who might have made it:

https://theconversation.com/roman-dildo-could-have-been-made-by-shoemakers-an-expert-in-ancient-prosthetics-explains-200387

… and a related item on the long history of such devices:

https://theconversation.com/the-long-and-satisfying-28-000-year-history-of-the-dildo-200278
https://phys.org/news/2023-02-year-history-dildo.html
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/love-sex/sex-toys-history-romans-dildo-b2288055.html

Overview of a couple of decades of digging at the Fanum Martis site in France:

https://www.inrap.fr/les-dernieres-etudes-des-vestiges-du-quartier-occidental-de-fanum-martis-nord-17088

Overview of recent finds from Salona:

https://www.total-croatia-news.com/news/66598-ancient-salona

Evidence that the Hala Sultan Tekke region (Cyprus) was larger in antiquity than previously thought:

https://cyprus-mail.com/2023/02/24/hala-sultan-tekke-area-was-larger-in-antiquity-than-once-thought/

More on the Roman ‘hall’ from the villa excavations at Posillipo:

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-732115
https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/europe/archaeologists-in-italy-unearth-2000-year-old-hall-where-emperor-and-knights-used-to-party-articleshow.html

More on ‘self-healing’ Roman concrete:

https://hyperallergic.com/802267/roman-concrete-had-self-healing-properties-study-finds/

A guy in the UK found an ancient Greek coin in his garden (hmmm):

https://www.northantslive.news/news/northamptonshire-news/lucky-northamptonshire-gardener-raking-after-8173045
https://www.northantstelegraph.co.uk/news/people/lucky-gardener-found-ancient-greek-coin-while-weeding-in-wellingborough-4040645
https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/18/man-finds-ancient-greek-coin-garden/

A trio of Classics folks chatting about the Iliad:

https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/2023-02-21/anger-politics-death-revisiting-the-iliad-through-a-modern-lens

Catherine Baker was talking about assorted items from Pompeii:

https://dailycollegian.com/2023/02/dr-catherine-baker-discusses-artifacts-from-pompeii-excavation-project/

Daisy Dunn on Augustus’ marriage laws:

https://spearswms.com/baby-boom-rewards-have-an-ancient-history-of-failure/

Review of Carlo Rovelli, *Anaximander*:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/anaximander-carlo-rovelli-review-meet-forgotten-father-science/

A pair of Muse sculptures are back with the Diana and Actaeon group at Caserta (Italian):

https://www.stilearte.it/due-splendide-muse-scolpite-in-epoca-romana-tornano-alla-reggia-di-caserta-dopo-90-anni-di-assenza/

Feature on what mythological narratives reveal about Mycenean trade:

https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2023/02/mythological-narratives-mycenaean-trade

Feature on Hercules and Japan:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/thereligioushistorynerd/2023/02/how-hercules-reached-japan/

Feature on Hindu/Greek religious syncretism:

https://theprint.in/opinion/shiva-skanda-how-hindu-gods-absorbed-iranian-greek-ideas/1391759/

Feature on reassembling broken frescoes from Pompeii using AI/robotics:

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-02-23/ty-article-magazine/israeli-robot-helps-uncover-pompeiis-beauty/00000186-7998-d38d-ada7-79dbf3070000

Feature on recreating a lost drama of Aeschylus:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/how-david-greig-staging-aeschyluss-greek-tragedy-egyptians-when/

Feature on Hadrian’s visits to Turkiye:

https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/famous-travelers-to-turkiye-hadrian-emperor-with-wanderlust/news

Feature on Indo-Roman relations:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/evidence-of-indo-roman-relations/146284

Feature on three queens of ancient Caria:

https://www.thecollector.com/caria-queens/

Feature on three ancient Greek women philosophers:

https://www.thecollector.com/three-ancient-greek-female-philosophers-to-know/

Feature on Cleopatra:

https://www.thecollector.com/cleopatra-ancient-egypt-ruler/

Feature on Trajan’s column:

https://www.thecollector.com/what-is-the-story-behind-trajans-column/

Feature on the status of Vestal Virigins:

https://retrospectjournal.com/2023/02/19/the-unique-status-of-vestal-virgins-in-roman-society/

Feature on Arrian:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/24/arrian-biographer-alexander-the-great/

Feature on Alexander’s dog:

https://scroll.in/article/1043785/not-just-alexander-the-great-there-are-myths-around-his-pet-dog-too

Feature on Alexander in Zoroastrian literature:

https://scroll.in/article/1043934/why-alexander-the-great-was-treated-with-hostility-in-zoroastrian-literature

Feature on the ancient Greeks of the Tamil Nadu region:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/19/ancient-greeks-tamil-nadu-india/

There’s word of an Odyssey movie in the works:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/21/movie-homer-odyssey-filmed-greece/
https://greekherald.com.au/lifestyle/entertainment/new-movie-on-homers-odyssey-to-be-filmed-in-greece/

Nothing really new in the Parthenon Sculptures saga this week … general pieces about the negotiations:

https://www.thenationalherald.com/return-reunification-loan-parthenon-marbles-wheeling-and-dealing/

Latest Pasts Imperfect:

https://pastsimperfect.substack.com/p/pasts-imperfect-22323

—–
Roman Archaeology Blog:

http://romanarc.blogspot.com/

Rogueclassicism:

http://rogueclassicism.com/
============================================================
EUROPE AND THE UK (+ Ireland)
============================================================
A mesolithic site from the Vale of Pickering:

https://the-past.com/news/mesolithic-site-found-in-the-vale-of-pickering/

Evidence that humans living on the Mediterranean coast 9500 years bp may have had a heavier fish diet than previously thought:

https://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2023/research/mediterranean-hunter-gatherers-marine-resources/
https://phys.org/news/2023-02-mediterranean-hunter-gatherers-marine-resources-previously.html

Remains of a 6000 years bp settlement associated with ‘megalithic builders’ from France:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-archaeologists-homes-europe-monument-makers.html
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-02-21/ty-article/archaeologists-find-homes-of-europes-first-monument-builders-and-theyre-fortified/00000186-6dc6-dc51-a197-7fce6ec20000
https://arkeonews.net/6000-year-old-settlement-was-home-to-europes-first-megalithic-monument-makers/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/6000-year-old-settlement-of-europes-prehistoric-megalithic-builders/146255
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11251-230222-france-prehistoric-megaliths

3500 years bp arrowheads made of mussel shells from Norwegian glaciers:

https://sciencenorway.no/archaeology-bronze-age-glaciers/archaeologists-surprised-when-3500-year-old-arrowheads-made-of-shells-melted-out-of-the-ice-in-the-norwegian-mountains/2157675

A 3000 years bp toddler’s shoe from Kent:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11787153/Bronze-Age-childs-shoe-suggests-problem-toddlers-dropping-things-stretches-3-000-years.html
https://theisleofthanetnews.com/2023/02/21/birchington-archaeologist-discovers-3000-year-old-bronze-age-toddlers-shoe-possibly-oldest-found-in-country-and-smallest-unearthed-in-world/
https://arkeonews.net/3000-year-old-leather-shoe-discovered-on-a-beach-in-kent-uk/

Six Iron Age burials found beneath a Highlands kitchen:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-64756840
https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/highlands-islands/5435818/story-of-six-mystery-skeletons-found-under-applecross-home/
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66586

6th-8th century CE evidence of trepanation on a woman’s skull from Italy:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-volunteering-cranial-surgery-medieval-italy.html

A study of plague in Denmark 1000-1800 CE:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-deadly-document-evolution-plague-hundreds.html

A study of the height of people in Milan over 2000 years:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-human-height-unchanged-years-milan.html

Vikings apparently left rune graffiti on the Great Lion in Venice:

https://sciencenorway.no/archaeology-history-runes/vikings-tagged-the-great-lion-in-venice-with-runes/2157444

A 13th century coin and jewellery hoard found by a metal detectorist in Germany:

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article272583291.html
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66527

Construction of the Moscow-Kazan highway revealed a medieval burial ground featuring an embroidered deisis depicting Jesus and John the Baptist:

https://arkeonews.net/in-medieval-burial-ground-a-rare-embroidered-deisis-depicting-jesus-christ-was-discovered/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/rare-embroidered-deisis-depicting-jesus-christ-found-in-medieval-burial-ground/146293

A 300 years bp mikveh find at Auschwitz:

https://www.jpost.com/judaism/article-732128

A fire in a 17th century Catholic church in Wissen:

https://www.ak-kurier.de/akkurier/www/artikel/126844-brand-in-der-katholischen-kirche-wissen–verdaechtiger-ist-auf-freiem-fuss

More on the Iron Age axle find from Suffolk:

https://the-past.com/news/iron-age-axle-revealed-in-suffolk/

More on the ‘resilience’ of Kent monks in the wake of attacks by Vikings:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11769411/Pillaging-Vikings-didnt-wipe-Englands-Anglo-Saxon-monks-all.html

More on the All Saints Anchoress:

https://aleteia.org/2023/02/22/archaeologists-identify-the-remains-of-a-medieval-anchoress/

More on Vikings travelling with their animals:

https://the-past.com/news/first-evidence-that-vikings-travelled-with-animals-across-the-north-sea/

More on the Tudor jewellery find by a metal detectorist last month:

https://www.npr.org/2023/02/21/1158580513/metal-detectorist-discovers-exquisite-tudor-necklace-linked-to-king-henry-viii

More on the medieval ship buried under a Wirral pub parking lot:

https://www.medievalists.net/2023/02/there-is-a-medieval-ship-under-this-building/

More on the medieval synagogue that became a hospital/church/bar:

https://www.livescience.com/medieval-synagogue-that-predates-the-inquisition-found-hidden-under-spanish-nightclub

Some new underwater footage of the wreck of the Gloucester:

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-norfolk-64758552

… and more on its remains going on display:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/feb/25/remains-of-17th-century-shipwreck-go-on-display-in-norfolk

All the burials they’re finding at Leicester Cathedral are slowing down restoration efforts:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-64723462

The Museum of Somerset acquired a medieval brooch found by a metal detectorist a couple years ago:

https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/23339149.medieval-brooch-acquired-museum-somerset/

The Lavatory de la Madeleine has been restored:

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66576

Feature on Milan’s Duomo and the constant need for restoration:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/19/world/europe/milan-italy-duomo-cathedral.html

Feature on artifacts found during Amsterdam’s metro construction:

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/25/world/amsterdam-train-tunnel-science-newsletter-wt-scn/index.html
———-
Archaeology in Europe News:

http://archaeology-in-europe.blogspot.com/

Medievalists.net:

https://www.medievalists.net/category/news/

Viking Archaeology Blog:

http://viking-archaeology-blog.blogspot.com/

============================================================
ASIA AND THE SOUTH PACIFIC
============================================================
Evidence of 5000 years bp flood control/irrigation from a site in Hubei:

http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2023-02/23/content_85124173.htm
http://en.people.cn/n3/2023/0223/c90000-10212010.html

3000 years bp bone skates froma site in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region:

http://www.china.org.cn/china/2023-02/26/content_85128698.htm?f=pad&a=true

The latest major site uncovered in China is the Dahuzui site, dating to the Western Zhou Dynasty era:

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202302/1285945.shtml

A large Liao Dynasty building foundation find from Inner Mongolia:

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202302/21/WS63f47df7a31057c47ebb000b.html
http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2023-02/22/content_85121500.htm
http://en.people.cn/n3/2023/0221/c90000-10210923.html

Tang tri-coloured pottery from a 1300 years bp burial in Jinan:

http://www.china.org.cn/china/Off_the_Wire/2023-02/24/content_85127317.htm

More on the 2400 years bp flush toilet find from Shaanxi:

https://english.news.cn/20230219/87ea452c215e46bb841986a79a53b0d8/c.html
https://www.livescience.com/2,400-year-old-flush-toilet-unearthed-in-China-could-be-one-of-the-worlds-oldest
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/china-oldest-toilet-remains-discovered-intl-hnk/index.html
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-732404
https://www.yahoo.com/news/archeologists-china-burst-laughter-unearthing-132857193.html
https://www.sciencealert.com/2200-year-old-flush-toilet-found-in-china-likely-one-of-the-oldest-ever-discovered

China is building a National Base of Underwater Archaeology:

https://english.news.cn/20230221/ac04d26922df4cfa92e20c465a3285f5/c.html
http://www.china.org.cn/china/Off_the_Wire/2023-02/21/content_85119970.htm

Feature on William Honeychurch’s work in Mongolia:

https://news.yale.edu/2023/02/21/mobile-culture-yale-archaeologist-sifts-through-mongolias-ancient-past

Feature on life at a 1500 years bp fortress on the Great Wall:

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article272585959.html

China was highlighting six finds from 2022:

https://english.news.cn/20230222/564dc89e1a1447c98e23db32da7ae738/c.html
http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2023-02/23/content_85123754.htm
http://en.people.cn/n3/2023/0222/c90000-10211486.html

Using lake sediments to study changes to Tibetan religious activities during the past millennium:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-tibetan-religious-millennium-revealed-lake.html

More on 3000 years bp milk residue from Tibet:

http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2023-02/20/content_85115012.htm?f=pad&a=true

A 2000 years bp deer-antler-stringed-instrument find from a site in Viet Nam:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-year-old-instrument-uncovered-vietnam.html
https://arkeonews.net/southeast-asias-oldest-stringed-instrument-may-be-a-2000-year-old-antler/
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/nation-world/world/article272570690.html
https://www.iflscience.com/a-2-000-year-old-antler-in-vietnam-may-be-oldest-music-instrument-of-its-kind-67618
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/archaeologists-uncover-2000-year-old-stringed-instrument-in-vietnam/146259
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11248-230221-vietnam-music-instrument

A 12th century hero stone inscribed in Tamil from Srikalahasti:

https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/andhra-pradesh/2023/feb/26/12th-century-hero-stone-inscription-in-tamil-unearthed-in-srikalahasti-2551085.html

There seems to be discussion/arguing going on over finds from Keeladi:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/explained-the-significance-of-the-findings-in-keeladi/article66541961.ece
https://scroll.in/article/1044567/debating-whether-tamil-nadus-keeladi-is-harappan-or-pre-harappan-is-pointless-says-archaeologist

Feature on Akbar’s ‘connection’ to Alexander:

https://scroll.in/article/1044229/feeling-an-affinity-with-alexander-the-great-akbar-commissioned-a-special-manuscript-on-his-life
============================================================
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
============================================================
Interesting study searching for the Indigenous creator of a bark painting made at the beginning of the 20th century:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-bark-mystery-artist-important-family.html
============================================================
NORTH AMERICA
============================================================
7000 years bp finds from a potential condo site in Miami is causing controversy:

https://www.newsweek.com/miami-florida-condos-ancient-artifacts-bible-1782733

More on the find of a live Civil War shell at Gettysburg:

https://www.livescience.com/archaeologists-find-unexploded-artillery-shell-under-gettysburg-battlefield
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11246-230221-civil-war-shell

Interesting bit of experimental archaeology relating to Chaco Canyon:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-scientists-hauling-chaco-canyon-mystery.html
https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/02/these-scientists-lugged-logs-on-their-heads-to-resolve-chaco-canyon-mystery/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/23/scientists-may-have-solved-a-chaco-canyon-mystery/

Researchers are working to identify the remains of the Revolutionary War soldiers found at the Camden battlefield a while ago:

https://www.wltx.com/article/news/local/street-squad/revolutionary-war-soldiers-excavated-camden-identities/101-81161969-b92a-46e8-b120-5c473c25cd96
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11244-230217-south-carolina-soldiers

A bit of flotsam that washed ashore in New York may be part of the SS Savannah:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-flotsam-york-famous-ss-savannah.html
https://apnews.com/article/science-new-york-city-bronx-savannah-oceans-dc09efafd9b191d0715a084516527ed5
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ss-savannah-shipwreck-fire-island-new-york/
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/flotsam-found-off-new-york-famous-ss-savannah-97436695

Feature on the 1898 Wilmington coup:

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wound-healed-activists-recount-1898-wilmington-coup-terrorized/story?id=96955381

Feature on Richard Henry Greene, Yale’s first Black graduate:

https://yalealumnimagazine.org/articles/5622-history-found

The unmarked grave of a Black Galveston priest killed in the Great Galveston Flood was found:

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2023/02/24/galveston-churches-discover-pioneering-black-priests-unmarked-grave/

Feature on the oldest bell in Quebec:

https://www.riposte-catholique.fr/archives/174961

Review of Jon K. Lauck, *The Good Country*:

https://newrepublic.com/article/170700/searching-spirit-midwest-lauck-good-country-review
============================================================
CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
============================================================
Conservation work has revealed assorted architectural features at the royal acropolis at Ek’ Balam:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/new-discoveries-at-ek%CA%BC-balam-during-conservation-works/146296

30 Chancay culture burials from Peru:

https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/peruvian-archaeologists-unearth-30-pre-inca-era-graves-2023-02-25/

A 1200 years bp Wari temple complex from Peru:

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/02/23/peru-wari-ritual-complex-temple-uncovered
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-732738
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/archaeologists-discover-ancient-wari-ritual-complex-pakaytambo-southern-peru-1234658747/
https://arkeonews.net/archaeologists-discover-1200-year-old-wari-temple-complex-in-peru/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/archaeologists-unearth-1200-year-old-wari-temple-complex/146279

16th/17th century burials from Mexico City’s Chapultepec park show a mixture of pre-Hispanic and Catholic cultures:

https://mexicodailypost.com/2023/02/16/cemetery-from-the-early-viceregal-period-found-by-archaeologists-in-chapultepec-park/
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/ancient-bodies-found-mexico-city-show-shared-catholic-pre-hispanic-graves-2023-02-21/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11242-230217-mexico-transition-cemetery

More on the elite residences found at Chichen Itza:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/elite-residences-mexico-chichen-itza-180981674/

… although it now appears they were known over a century ago:

https://www.livescience.com/no-archaeologists-havent-found-elite-housing-at-chichen-itza
—–
Mike Ruggeri’s Ancient Americas Breaking News:

http://goo.gl/1VdeA

Mike Ruggeri’s Ancient Americas lecture channels on Youtube:

https://mikeruggerisyoutube.tumblr.com/

Ancient MesoAmerica News:

http://ancient-mesoamerica-news-updates.blogspot.com/
============================================================
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
============================================================
Early in the week we read of an Australia-based archaeologist and his colleagues being taken hostage in Papua New Guinea:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-64671699
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australian-university-professor-taken-hostage-highlands-papua-new-guinea-sources-2023-02-20/
https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-732098
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11773795/Australian-professor-kidnapped-Papua-New-Guinea-gang-1-4m-ransom.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/papua-new-guinea-police-say-4-being-held-by-criminals/2023/02/20/78765f54-b176-11ed-94a0-512954d75716_story.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/australian-professor-hostage-papua-new-guinea-rcna71428

… and we read of plans for a ‘rescue mission’:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64713695

… and one of the group was freed on Thursday:

https://thepublicsradio.org/article/papua-new-guinea-kidnappers-free-woman-still-hold-4-others
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/one-woman-hostage-released-papua-new-guinea-negotiations-continue-police-2023-02-23/

… and today they have all been freed:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64775769
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/papua-new-guinea-kidnappers-release-3-hostages-97471876
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300816840/kiwi-hostage-safely-released-in-papua-new-guinea

In case you want to watch the dissection of a 3500 years bp frozen bear from Siberia:

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2175649859504
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/scientists-dissect-3500-year-old-bear-discovered-siberian-permafrost-rcna71954

The Met is allowing 3d copies of some 16th century sculptures to be made:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-ny-met-french-3d-16th-century.html

A 16th century drawing has been identified as a ‘draft’ by Michelangelo for a figure in the Sistine Chapel:

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/feb/19/when-we-rotated-it-90-degrees-it-was-obvious-mystery-sketch-is-rare-michelangelo-draft-for-sistine-chapel
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/02/20/drawing-of-male-nude-is-michelangelos-sketch-for-sistine-chapel-scholar-says

Feature on various ancient surgeries:

https://www.thecollector.com/mindboggling-ancient-surgeries-antiquity/

… and one on ‘primitive’ brain surgery:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/the-upsetting-world-of-primitive-brain-surgery

Feature on 20 historic jewels:

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230224-the-10-most-iconic-jewels-through-history

Rethinking the portrait of Washington by Charles Peale (maybe):

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/19/arts/george-washington-portrait-charles-peale.html

Seeing how hard it is to paint like Vermeer:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/23/arts/design/the-new-vermeer-tv-show.html

Interesting feature on determining whether a painting was a Dali or not:

https://www.cnn.com/style/article/salvador-dali-art-institute-of-chicago-dream-of-venus/index.html

On the implications of ignoring the archaeological evidence for the Armenian genocide:

https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/armenian-genocide/

Feature on Clara Driscoll:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/23/obituaries/clara-driscoll-overlooked.html

Pondering the ‘creativity’ of the US Founding Fathers:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/25/opinion/bouie-newsletter-framers.html

More on the mummified ‘mermaid’ from a Japanese temple:

https://www.livescience.com/haunting-mermaid-mummy-discovered-in-japan-is-even-weirder-than-scientists-expected
https://arkeonews.net/300-year-old-sacred-mummified-mermaid-from-japans-mystery-solved/

More on Eadburg marking up medieval manuscripts:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/02/the-bodleian-uncovers-hidden-inscriptions-by-mysterious-medieval-woman-scribe/

More on Leonardo and gravity:

https://www.thecollector.com/leonardos-arundel-codex-and-the-theory-of-gravity/

Review of Naoise McSweeney, *The West*:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/feb/23/the-west-by-naoise-mac-sweeney-review-history-rediscovered

Review of Joel Warner, *The Curse of the Marquis de Sade*:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/21/books/review/the-curse-of-the-marquis-de-sade-joel-warner.html
============================================================
CURRENT EVENTS:
============================================================
The Arslantepe Mound in Turkiye suffered some damage:

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkiye/arslantepe-mound-in-turkiye-partially-damaged-after-strong-quakes/2829553

Feature on the ruins of Antakya:

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-02-22/ruins-of-turkish-city-of-antakya-tell-story-of-a-rich-past
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/ruins-turkish-city-antakya-story-rich-past-97348268

… also on Antakya:

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1159528587

Assorted items that were damaged in Turkey (and not):

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/damaged-artifacts-moved-to-safe-museums-181035
https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/12000-year-old-neolithic-artifacts-in-museums-survive-quakes/news

On saving cultural sites in Turkiye and Syria after the earthquakes:

https://www.euronews.com/culture/2023/02/21/how-can-cultural-sites-be-saved-after-the-turkiye-syria-earthquakes

A history of pancakes:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-pancakes-180981667/

============================================================
PHILOSOPHERS AND MATTERS PHILOSOPHICAL
============================================================
Feature on seven Greek philosophers’ explanations of various things in nature:

https://bigthink.com/thinking/7-greek-philosophers-brilliantly-flawed-explanations-nature/

Five philosophers on family values:

https://www.thecollector.com/five-philosophers-on-values-of-families-parenting/
============================================================
MUSEUM MATTERS
============================================================
Antonine Wall:

https://www.thenational.scot/news/23331390.antonine-wall-exhibition-shine-new-light-roman-history/

Pocklington Shield:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-humber-64733701

Islanders:

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/200-ancient-artefacts-installed-fitzwilliam-26255504
https://www.apollo-magazine.com/islanders-mediterranean-fitzwilliam-museum/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/20/islanders-major-exhibition-opens-at-the-fitzwilliam-museum/

Vermeer:

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/vermeer-every-single-work-sold-out-rijksmuseum-show-2256255

Pompeii:

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-museum-of-science-and-industry-travels-back-to-79-ad-with-pompeii-the-exhibition-301755628.html

Shakespeare:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-64651007

Return to Country:

https://www.artshub.com.au/news/news/significant-object-heads-home-to-tasmania-after-230-years-2614191/

Labyrinth:

https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/24/labyrinth-knossos-myth-and-reality/

Roman cut glass:

https://www.wales247.co.uk/rare-roman-cut-glass-on-display-at-ceredigion-museum

Gathering Light:

https://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/people/incredible-3000-year-old-bronze-age-gold-sun-pendant-among-ancient-treasures-coming-to-sunderland-museum-winter-gardens-4034393

Suggestion that UK museums have too much in storage:

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64707488

More on implications for changes to UK treasure laws:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/feb/18/change-to-uk-treasure-law-will-keep-more-artefacts-in-museums

More on the plans for the National Archaeological Museum of Athens:

https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/02/22/david-chipperfield-unveils-design-for-the-national-archaeological-museum-of-athens/

Plans for a Lincoln Museum under the Lincoln Memorial:

https://www.npr.org/2023/02/20/1158292427/lincoln-memorial-museum-undercroft
https://www.nps.gov/nama/learn/news/undercroft.htm

Feature on renovations to the Tahrir Square Museum:

https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentP/50/489515/AlAhram-Weekly/New-life-for-the-Egyptian-Museum.aspx
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/egypts-unveils-renovations-venerable-tahrir-square-museum-2023-02-21/
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230221-egypt-unveils-renovations-of-venerable-tahrir-square-museum/

The Museum of Migration is moving:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-64726006

Plans for a new archaeological museum on Lefkada:

https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1205299/plans-approved-for-new-archaeological-museum-on-lefkada-island/
https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/25/ancient-artifacts-excavated-lefkada-island-museum/

Some ‘test openings’ for the GEM:

https://egyptindependent.com/grand-egyptian-museum-opens-its-doors-for-visits-before-official-opening/

============================================================
ON THE DNA FRONT
============================================================
A genetic study is shedding light on the expansion of the Tubo Empire:

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202302/1285378.shtml

Feature on using genetics to track movements of ancient Siberians:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/genetics-reveal-movements-of-ancient-siberians
============================================================
THE TECHY SIDE
============================================================
Feature on LiDAR:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/23/lidar-technology-archeology-radical-thinking

============================================================
TOURISTY THINGS
============================================================
Venice’s canals are drying up:

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/venice-canal-drought-italy-climate-scli-intl/index.html

Nelanda:

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230222-nalanda-the-university-that-changed-the-world
============================================================
PERFORMANCES AND MUSIC RELATED
============================================================
Pondering the tempo of Beethoven’s Ninth:

https://apnews.com/article/classical-music-boston-entertainment-21f41fbf948c7d1875d7e926dd142363

More discussion of Ancient Apocalypse and pseudoarchaeology:

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/atlantis-and-the-apocalypse-the-world-of-fringe-archaeology-1.6757733

============================================================
CRIME BEAT
============================================================

conflict antiquities:

http://conflictantiquities.wordpress.com/

anonymous swiss collector:

http://www.anonymousswisscollector.com/

Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues:

http://paul-barford.blogspot.ca/

Looting Matters:

http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/

Illicit Cultural Property:

http://illicit-cultural-property.blogspot.com/

SAFE:

http://www.savingantiquities.org/blog/

============================================================
REPATRIATION AND RECOVERY
============================================================
The US is returning 77 stolen antiquities to Yemen:

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/us-attorneys-office-eastern-district-new-york-joins-department-homeland-security
https://www.straitstimes.com/world/us-returns-77-stolen-antiquities-back-to-yemen
https://news.yahoo.com/yemeni-artifacts-smuggled-brooklyn-antiquities-003200022.html
https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/us-news/2023/02/22/us-to-return-77-stolen-antiquities-to-yemen/
https://menafn.com/1105644819/US-Returns-77-Stolen-Antiquities-Back-To-Yemen
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230222-us-to-return-77-looted-antiquities-to-yemen/
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/us-returns-77-stolen-antiquities-back-to-yemen-181095

… but they’ll be at the Smithsonian for a while:

https://hyperallergic.com/803211/smithsonian-to-house-repatriated-yemeni-artifacts/
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/smithsonian-yemeni-artifacts-us-repatriation-1234658629/

77 items (hmmm) associated with Latchford were also returned to Cambodia from the UK:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/21/stolen-trove-of-angkor-crown-jewels-returned-to-cambodia-after-resurfacing-in-london
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64649771
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/20/arts/cambodia-gold-jewelry-royals-latchford.html
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/url-stolen-crown-jewels-returned-cambodia-phnom-penh-ll377kplt
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/collection-rare-centuries-jewelry-returns-cambodia-97330566
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/cambodia-stolen-crown-jewels-returned-intl-hnk/index.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/collection-of-rare-centuries-old-jewelry-returns-to-cambodia/2023/02/20/8dbba134-b11d-11ed-94a0-512954d75716_story.html
https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3210907/britain-returns-treasure-trove-stolen-angkor-crown-jewels-cambodia
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/cambodia-douglas-latchford-repatriation-1234658517/
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66541
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/gold-jewelry-cambodia-returned-180981677/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11247-230221-cambodia-repatriated-jewelry

The Uppsala University Museum returned a Bronze Age cylinder seal to Greece:

https://greekherald.com.au/news/unique-bronze-age-clay-seal-returned-to-greece-after-100-years/

A BC museum return a totem pole to the Nuxalk Nation:

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/19/americas/nuxalk-nation-totem-pole-royal-bc-museum-reaj/index.html

The Geneva Museum of Ethnography returned a pair of sacred objects to the Haudenosaunee Confederation:

https://www.townandcountrytoday.com/beyond-local/swiss-museum-returns-two-artifacts-to-the-haudenosaunee-iroquois-confederacy-6589516
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11250-230222-canada-haudenosaunee-repatriation
============================================================
NUMISMATICA
============================================================
Feature on coins of ancient Pamphylia:

https://coinweek.com/ancient-coins/coins-of-ancient-greek-pamphylia/

Latest e-Sylum:

http://www.coinbooks.org/v26/club_nbs_esylum_v26n08.html

… and the one which should appear later today:

http://www.coinbooks.org/v26/club_nbs_esylum_v26n09.html
————————

Coin Week:

http://www.coinweek.com/

============================================================
OBITUARIES
============================================================
Nicholas David:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/feb/20/nicholas-david-obituary

George Huxley:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2023/02/21/professor-george-huxley-classics-scholar-mathematician-who-became/

Don Benson:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/feb/24/don-benson-obituary

Raymond Clark:

https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/26680968/raymond-john-clark

Linda King Newell:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/23/books/linda-king-newell-dead.html

============================================================
AUDIO/VIDEO NEWS
============================================================
Audio News from Archaeologica:

https://www.archaeologychannel.org/audio-guide/audio-news/3261-audio-news-from-archaeologica-february-12th-through-the-18th-2023

============================================================
GENERAL ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS BLOGS
============================================================
Archaeology Magazine News Page:

http://www.archaeology.org/news/

About.com Archaeology:

http://archaeology.about.com/

Archaeology Briefs:

http://archaeologybriefs.blogspot.com/

Atlas Obscura:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/

Heritage Daily:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/

Sapiens Archaeology:

https://www.sapiens.org/category/archaeology/

Taygete Atlantis excavations blogs aggregator:

http://planet.atlantides.org/taygete/
============================================================
PODCASTS/VODCASTS
============================================================
Archaeosoup:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Archaeos0up?feature=watch

Archaeology Podcast Network:

http://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/
============================================================
EXPLORATOR is a free weekly newsletter bringing you the latest
news of archaeological finds, historical research and the like.
Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured for news of
the ‘ancient world’ (broadly construed: practically anything relating
to archaeology or history up to a century or so ago is fair
game) and every Sunday they are delivered to your mailbox free of
charge!
============================================================
Useful Addresses
============================================================
You can read Explorator online at:

https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/

Past issues of Explorator are also available on the web via our
groups.io page:

https://groups.io/g/explorator

To subscribe to Explorator, send a blank email message to:

explorator+subscribe@groups.io

To unsubscribe, send a blank email message to:

Unsubscribe: explorator+unsubscribe@groups.io

To send a ‘heads up’ to the editor or contact him for other
reasons:

rogueclassicist@gmail.com
===========================================================
Explorator is Copyright (c) 2023 David Meadows. Feel free to
distribute these listings via email to your pals, students,
teachers, etc., but please include this copyright notice. These
links are not to be posted to any website by any means (whether
by direct posting or snagging from a usenet group or some other
email source) without my express written permission. I think it
is only right that I be made aware of public fora which are
making use of content gathered in Explorator. Thanks!
===========================================================

Explorator 25.44 ~ February 19, 2023

Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out).

============================================================
EARLY HOMINIDS
============================================================
Using radiocarbon 3.0 to study interactions between sapiens and neanderthals:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-radiocarbon-method-interaction-homo-sapiens.html

Feature on what we know about Neanderthals’ sense of smell:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/neanderthal-dna-what-genomes-tells-us-about-their-sense-of-smell

Feature on Neanderthal hunting strategies/methods:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/ancient-predators-a-guide-to-the-neanderthal-hunt

Study suggests Neanderthal genes have helped modern humans adapt to the length of the day:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-neanderthal-genes-early-humans-differences.html

General discussion about Neanderthals:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct38tq

More on the possibility paranthropus was making tools in Kenya some 2.9 million years bp:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-stone-age-discovery-fuels-mystery.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-64595418
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11231-230213-paranthropus-oldowan-tools

More on crab-eating Neanderthals:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/07/science/neanderthals-crab-portugal.html
============================================================
AFRICA
============================================================
More on the 500 years bp Khoisan horn container from South Africa:

https://www.modernghana.com/news/1213023/cowabunga-horn-reveals-herbal-mixtures-used-by.html
============================================================
ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
============================================================
Saite Period column remains from a site at Buto:

https://the-past.com/news/columns-of-a-7th-century-bc-hall-uncovered-at-buto/

A pair of New Kingdom tombs from Dra Abu El-Naga are now open to the public:

https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/13/two-dra-abu-el-naga-tombs-open-to-the-public/

… as is the Middle Kingdom tomb of Meru on Luxor’s West Bank:

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/middle-kingdom-meru-opens-luxor-egypt

Carter and his Egyptian excavators opened Tutankhamun’s tomb 100 years ago this week:

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/king-tut-tomb-opening-100-years-artifacts-2256730

Feature on Tutankhamun’s pectoral jewellery origins:

https://www.iflscience.com/unusual-yellow-gem-in-king-tut-s-tomb-created-by-meteor-crash-in-sahara-67593

Zahi Hawass was encouraging the signing of a UK law to allow the return of Egyptian antiquities:

https://www.egyptindependent.com/zahi-hawass-supports-petition-to-repatriate-rosetta-stone-and-other-antiquities/
https://see.news/zahi-hawass-urges-arabs-to-sign-amendment-to-uk-law-for-returning-egyptian-antiquities

OpEd on whether major institutions should be acquiring Egyptian antiquities:

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/louvre-trafficking-case-egyptian-antiquities-acquisitions-reconsideration-1234657255/

Review of Lynne Olson, *Empress of the Nile*:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/02/16/empress-of-the-nile-book/

More on the ‘digital unwrapping’ of the 2300 years bp ‘Golden Boy’ mummified person:

https://scitechdaily.com/golden-boy-researchers-digitally-unwrap-2300-year-old-undisturbed-mummy/

More on the recently-found 16 metre papyrus copy of the Book of the Dead from a Saqqara tomb:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/52-foot-long-ancient-egyptian-papyrus-discovered

A Roman-era lead sarcophagus from a necropolis in Gaza:

https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/roman-era-sarcophagus-uncovered-gaza-2023-02-14/
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/gaza-mime-intl/index.html
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-731574
https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/02/15/archeologists-discover-roman-era-sarcophagus-in-gaza-strip/
https://thearabweekly.com/experts-uncover-roman-era-sarcophagus-northern-gaza
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230215-roman-era-lead-coffin-found-in-gaza/

A Sassanid-era petroglyph of ‘moral teachings’ from Marvdasht (Iran):

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/481889/Sassanid-petroglyph-on-moral-teachings-discovered-in-Marvdasht

A 4500 years bp Sumerian palace find at Girsu:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/feb/17/discovery-of-4500-year-old-palace-in-iraq-may-hold-key-to-ancient-civilisation
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ancient-palace-of-sumerian-kings-uncovered-in-iraq-dlqvzm2w7
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/02/17/british-museum-unearth-sumerian-king-gudea-palace-iraq/
https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1250/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1250/pub/1250/page/10/article/NaN
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11765351/Girsu-Project-archaeologist-accused-making-finding-lost-palace.html
https://www.irishnews.com/news/uknews/2023/02/17/news/archaeologist_who_discovered_lost_iraq_temple_people_said_i_was_making_it_up-3069798/
https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/cia-cold-war-spy-plane-british-museum-palace-iraqi-desert-b1061032.html
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2253141/middle-east
https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/iraq/2023/02/17/ancient-sumerian-palace-found-in-southern-iraq/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/royal-sumerian-palace-and-temple-uncovered-in-ancient-girsu/146226

More on the 5000 years bp ‘tavern’ from Lagash:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-iraq-uncovers-year-pub-restaurant.html
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/sumerian-tavern-oven-beer-recipe-iraq-b2283354.html
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230215-iraq-dig-uncovers-5-000-year-old-pub-restaurant
https://www.rfi.fr/en/international-news/20230215-iraq-dig-uncovers-5-000-year-old-pub-restaurant
https://www.timesofisrael.com/archaeologists-dig-up-5000-year-old-pub-in-iraq-frequented-by-regular-people/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/5000-year-old-tavern-beer-recipe-found-archaeologists-iraq/
https://www.rte.ie/news/2023/0215/1356723-iraq-ancient-tavern-discovered/
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/iraq-dig-uncovers-5-000-year-old-pub-restaurant-180906
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230216-archaeologists-uncover-5000-year-old-sumerian-tavern-in-iraq/
https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/2023/02/14/archaeologists-find-5000-year-old-tavern-in-ancient-city-of-lagash/
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66503

More on the 4000 years bp cuneiform tablets written in Amorite:

https://www.vice.com/en/article/4axjqm/a-lost-language-translated-from-ancient-tablets-reveals-names-of-gods-in-stunning-find

More on the excavations of an 8th/9th century BCE palace structure at Nimrud:

https://the-past.com/news/assyrian-palace-excavated-in-the-ancient-city-of-nimrud/

More on climate change contributing to the collapse of the Hittite empire:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-climate-toppled-hittite-empire.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/02/08/climate-change-drought-history/
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-near-eastern-world/drought-and-the-fall-of-the-hittite-empire/?mqsc=E4150063&dk=ZE3120ZF0
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/severe-drought-may-have-contributed-to-the-decline-of-the-hittites-180981636/

Feature on cuneiform mathematics:

https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2023/02/cuneiform-mathematics

Feature on some 5000 years bp ‘drinking straws’ from Maikop (we had this a year or so ago):

https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/5000-year-old-scepters-may-actually-be-the-oldest-drinking-straws-in-the-world/

An overview of recent finds of a dig at the long-occupied Tell Bleibil site in Jordan:

https://menafn.com/1105568852/Archaeologist-Reflects-On-Tell-Bleibil-Excavations-After-Pandemic-Induced-Pause

Musnad inscriptions and other finds from Najran (Saudi Arabia):

https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/15/02/2023/pre-islamic-inscriptions-rare-archaeological-finds-discovered-in-saudi-arabia
https://arkeonews.net/saudi-archaeologists-have-discovered-a-pre-islamic-musnad-inscription-and-a-bronze-bullhead/

Overview of a symposium on recent finds by French archaeologists in Oman:

https://timesofoman.com/article/126897-national-museum-hosts-symposium-on-discoveries-of-french-archaeologists-in-oman
—–
This Week in the Ancient Near East Podcast:

https://thisweekintheancientneareast.podbean.com/

============================================================
ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME (AND CLASSICS)
============================================================
Roundabout construction in Abruzzo revealed a 1st/2nd century Roman portrait stele:

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66510
https://www.stilearte.it/imponente-stele-romana-con-ritratto-emerge-durante-gli-scavi-di-una-rotatoria-in-abruzzo/

Remains of a 1st/2nd century Roman road and domus from Villevielle:

https://www.inrap.fr/un-quartier-inedit-de-l-agglomeration-antique-se-revele-villevieille-gard-17074
https://www.stilearte.it/scavi-per-una-casa-di-campagna-portano-alla-luce-domus-romana-strada-selciata-ed-edificio-pubblico/

Remains of a Roman ‘hall’ from a villa excavation in Posillipo:

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article272535972.html

A Roman silver ring find from the Netherlands (article in Dutch):

https://www.rtvkrimpenerwaard.nl/site/verrassende-vondst-in-krimpen-aan-den-lek-geeft-inkijkje-op-romeinse-uitstapjes-langs-de-hollandsche-ijssel/

A fragment of a lion’s head sculpture dating to 30 CE or so from Pisa (Italian):

https://www.stilearte.it/una-testa-di-leone-del-30-a-c-trovata-nello-scavo-di-piazza-del-sarto-a-pisa-a-cosa-serviva/

A 1900 years bp Roman soldier’s ‘payslip’ from Masada:

https://arkeonews.net/roman-soldiers-1900-year-old-payslip-uncovered-in-masada/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/archaeologists-uncover-roman-soldiers-paycheck-at-masada/146215

A ca 300 CE Roman kiln found during Genoa metro works:

https://www.stilearte.it/una-fornace-romana-del-300-d-c-riemerge-durante-i-lavori-per-la-metropolitana-di-genova/

Not sure about this story of someone in the UK finding a Greek coin in their garden:

https://metro.co.uk/2023/02/15/man-digs-up-greek-coin-while-weeding-in-the-garden-18289026/
https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/02/18/british-man-ancient-greek-coin/
https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/18/man-finds-ancient-greek-coin-garden/

More on the sanctuary of Mithras revealed in Spain:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/13/ancient-sanctuary-god-mithras-found-spain/

More on the 4th century glass item depicting Roma (maybe) found during Metro C construction:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/construction-workers-unearthed-this-golden-glass-depicting-the-goddess-of-rome-180981629/

More on the Getty acquiring a bust of Antoninus Pius:

https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/14/getty-to-acquire-bust-of-roman-emperor-antoninus-pius/

More on the dodecahedron find from Belgium:

https://arkeonews.net/1600-year-old-fragment-of-enigmatic-roman-artifact-discovered-in-belgium/

Plans for an upgrade of the Knossos Research Centre:

https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1204748/knossos-research-center-in-for-overhaul/

Review of Carlo Rovelli, *Anaximander and the Nature of Science*:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/anaximander-and-the-nature-of-science-by-carlo-rovelli-review-the-greatest-philosopher-youve-never-heard-of-v5jjl03jg

Sarah Iles Johnston has a new book out on Medea:

https://press.princeton.edu/ideas/medea-again

Feature on the Scythians:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/who-were-the-ancient-scythians

Feature on the comeback of spoken Latin:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-spoken-latin-is-making-a-comeback-180981621/

Feature on what happened to the Library of Alexandria:

https://boingboing.net/2023/02/17/what-really-happened-to-the-library-of-alexandria.html

Feature on Corinthia:

https://www.ekathimerini.com/society/1204571/unearthing-the-secrets-of-a-lost-ancient-city/

Feature on Lucian and diversity:

https://theconversation.com/what-a-second-century-roman-citizen-lucian-can-teach-us-about-diversity-and-acceptance-196726
https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/what-a-second-century-roman-citizen-lucian-can-17780954.php

Feature on the Lapis Niger:

https://www.iflscience.com/the-lapis-niger-was-a-mystery-even-in-ancient-times-the-truth-was-even-stranger-67494

Feature on Roman Londinium:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/londinium-ad-47/146190

Feature on some Roman emperors:

https://www.historyextra.com/period/roman/roman-emperors-guide-facts/

Feature on some myths associated with Caligula:

https://www.thecollector.com/roman-emperor-caligula-myths/

Feature on the Lotus Eaters:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/11/fruit-lotus-eaters-odyssey/

Feature on a sculpture of Eros:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/14/ancient-greek-sculpture-eros-purity-love/

Feature on some love stories from Greek mythology:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/14/love-stories-greek-mythology/

In Parthenon Sculptures news, the week began with a Greek offer of a loan of antiquities in exchange for the return:

https://www.thenationalherald.com/greece-offers-british-museum-antiquities-loan-for-marbles-return/

… and then we were reading of some sort of sharing proposal:

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/parthenon-marbles-could-be-seen-both-london-athens-museum-chair-says-2023-02-16/
http://apnews.com/article/greece-government-british-museum-george-osborne-london-2ba7f901d0389cb11d106e51e93d69c3
https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1249/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1249/pub/1249/page/13/article/NaN
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/02/17/british-museums-chairman-suggests-new-hybrid-deal-with-greece-over-parthenon-marbles
https://greekherald.com.au/news/british-museum-hints-at-sharing-parthenon-marbles-with-greece/
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/museum-london-athens-share-parthenon-marbles-deal-97258957
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2023/02/16/Parthenon-marbles-could-be-seen-both-in-London-and-Athens-Museum-chair
https://cyprus-mail.com/2023/02/16/greek-government-and-british-museum-looking-to-strike-deal-over-parthenon-marbles/
https://www.thenationalherald.com/british-museum-offers-greece-loan-sharing-of-parthenon-marbles/

… and more secret meetings:

https://www.ekathimerini.com/multimedia/podcasts/1205036/the-secret-meetings-between-mitsotakis-and-osborne-on-the-parthenon-marbles/

… and the British Museum was ‘reasonably optimistic’:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/16/british-museum-deal-greece-parthenon-sculptures/

… and there were OpEds:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/17/parthenon-marbles-loan-greece-repatriation/
https://menafn.com/1105580819/Debate-Sorry-British-Museum-A-Loan-Of-The-Parthenon-Marbles-Is-Not-A-Repatriation
—–
Roman Archaeology Blog:

http://romanarc.blogspot.com/

Rogueclassicism:

http://rogueclassicism.com/
============================================================
EUROPE AND THE UK (+ Ireland)
============================================================
Study of a Bronze Age necropolis in Bosnia:

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/kopilo-a-newly-discovered-late-bronze-and-iron-age-burial-ground-in-bosnia/8C254B43FE083FC85995C80F1FE5DA3D#.Y-0d-EtSGqR.facebook

A school construction site in Co Down has revealed a major prehistoric settlement site:

https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2023/02/13/news/archaeologists_uncover_one_of_ireland_s_largest_prehistoric_settlements_at_site_of_new_downpatrick_school-3054623/

Not sure if we’ve mentioned this Unetice culture site in Poland:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/archaeologists-find-lost-stronghold-of-unetice-culture/146211

A study of the 1300 years bp skull of a woman from Italy had undergone trepanation at least twice:

https://arkeonews.net/unlucky-medieval-woman-underwent-at-least-two-skull-surgeries-in-longobard-italy/
https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/02/t-is-for-trepanation-this-medieval-woman-had-two-brain-surgeries-skull-shows/

Evidence of a Saxon presence in the Peak District:

https://www.buxtonadvertiser.co.uk/news/people/this-is-really-exciting-news-discoveries-made-at-a-peak-district-archeologist-site-are-of-national-importance-4025537

Studying finds from a medieval rubbish dump in Cartama (Spain):

https://www.surinenglish.com/malaga/guadalhorce-valley/archaeological-remains-constitution-20230215110602-nt.html

Crop marks at Hartlebury Castle reveal a possible Civil War bastion:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-64569080
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/archaeologists-drone-kidderminster-village-unearths-26235042

The Time Team folks may have found a Knights Hospitaller site in Shropshire:

https://www.shropshirestar.com/entertainment/attractions/2023/02/14/archaeologists-tease-a-major-announcement-following-hunt-for-knights-hospitaller-site-in-north-shropshire/

Investigating a boat buried beneath a Wirral pub parking lot:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-scientists-ancient-boat-pub-car.html
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/viking-boat-could-found-underneath-26265606
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/archaeologists-investigate-ancient-boat-buried-beneath-car-park/146219
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/16/ancient-boat-buried-under-a-pub-car-park-investigated/

A ‘silver wedding dress’ and other luxury goods from the wreck of the Palmwood:

https://www.eastcoastdaily.in/2023/02/19/archaeologists-unearth-a-stunning-silver-wedding-gown-from-a-shipwreck-from-the-seventeenth-century.html
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/17/world/dutch-palmwood-shipwreck-finds-scn/index.html

Remains of a 300 years bp wooden mikveh from a site in Poland:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/excavations-in-poland-have-uncovered-a-jewish-mikveh/146223

A detectorist found a 17th century mourning ring in Wiltshire:

https://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/23312674.detectorist-stunned-treasure-find-wiltshire/

Another detectorist found a 250 years bp gold ring in Canterbury:

https://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2023/02/13/novice-treasure-hunter-unearths-250-year-old-ring/

Still yet another found a 14th century silver gilt strap end:

https://www.medievalists.net/2023/02/medieval-artefact-displaying-fantastic-beasts-discovered-in-england/

More on the Spanish hospital that became a church that became a bar turning out to have once been a medieval synagogue:

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/367348

More on the medieval fort found by LiDAR in Spain:

https://www.livescience.com/lasers-reveal-ruins-of-5th-century-fortress-in-spanish-forest
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11232-230213-spain-medieval-fort

More on the spices found on the 15th century wreck of the Gribshunden:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-trove-spices-world-sunken-fifteenth-century.html
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-731250
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66467
https://arkeonews.net/denmark-kings-spice-cabinet-discovered-on-gribshunden/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/royal-medieval-pantry-spices-500-year-old-shipwreck-180981630/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11230-230213-royal-ship-spices

More on the Tudor-era pendant associated with Katherine of Aragon:

https://the-past.com/news/tudor-treasure-exploring-an-artefact-rich-in-royal-imagery/

More on the 500 years bp burial of an ‘anchoress’ who suffered from syphilis:

https://www.livescience.com/medieval-religious-hermit-buried-in-extremely-unusual-position-had-syphilis
https://www.sciencealert.com/religious-hermit-found-buried-in-the-fetal-position-and-archeologists-arent-sure-why
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66478
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/13/mysterious-skeleton-revealed-to-belong-to-an-anchoress/

More on the resilience English monasteries displayed in response to Viking attacks:

https://aleteia.org/2023/02/15/how-medieval-monasteries-survived-viking-raids/

A memorial to St Cuthbert has been restored to Lindisfarne:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/17/memorial-to-st-cuthbert-restored-to-lindisfarne-after-nearly-500-years

A 9th century Viking Raider stone is going on display:

https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1249/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1249/pub/1249/page/23/article/388155

A Tudor gold signet ring associated with the Boleyns has gone on display:

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66485

Finds from the wreck of the Gloucester are going on display:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-64651507

Pondering the future of derelict listed buildings in Grimsby:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-humber-64626137

A 19th century shipwreck full of pottery headed for New Zealand has been given UK protection:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-64650670
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/167-year-old-shipwreck-carrying-rare-ceramics-gains-historical-protection-180981639/

Plans for a dig at the former bus depot site in Colchester:

https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/23328221.colchester-former-bus-depot-set-archaeological-dig/

Feature on finds made during construction of the Amsterdam metro:

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/underground-amsterdam-treasures-rokin/index.html

Feature on living during the Ice Age:

https://aeon.co/essays/what-was-it-like-to-grow-up-in-the-last-ice-age

Fines for some Yorkshire ‘amateur archaeologists’ who reburied some 700 years bp bones:

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/yorkshire-amateur-archaeologists-landed-with-ps3000-bill-for-illegal-burial-of-700-year-old-bones-4028587
———-
Archaeology in Europe News:

http://archaeology-in-europe.blogspot.com/

Medievalists.net:

https://www.medievalists.net/category/news/

Viking Archaeology Blog:

http://viking-archaeology-blog.blogspot.com/

============================================================
ASIA AND THE SOUTH PACIFIC
============================================================
Eight (maybe 7) Zhou dynasty burials with feudal implications from Shaanxi:

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202302/1285384.shtml
http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2023-02/14/content_85105755.htm

A 2400 years bp flush toilet find from a site in Shaanxi:

https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202302/16/WS63ed04ada31057c47ebaf009.html
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202302/1285532.shtml
https://www.modbee.com/news/nation-world/world/article272529260.html
https://arkeonews.net/2400-year-old-unearthed-flush-toilet-in-china/
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66520
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11241-230217-xian-flush-toilet

A pair of Warring States Period palace structures from Shaanxi:

https://www.shine.cn/news/nation/2302196380/
http://www.china.org.cn/china/2023-02/19/content_85114575.htm

21 Western Han Dynasty tombs from Hunan:

https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202302/17/WS63eed02aa31057c47ebaf4d4.html

A Western Xia Dynasty kiln site from northwest China:

http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2023-02/17/content_85111553.htm
http://en.people.cn/n3/2023/0217/c90000-10209082.html
https://sana.sy/en/?p=301078

Overview piece on recent finds from Shanxi:

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202302/15/WS63ec9c67a31057c47ebaef96.html

Feature on purported ‘booby traps’ in Qin’s tomb:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/the-booby-traps-of-qin-shi-huangs-tomb-fact-fiction-or-something-even-better

3000 years bp traces of milk residue from Tibet:

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202302/14/WS63eade74a31057c47ebae956.html
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11237-230215-tibet-milk-residue

Feature on five sites/finds in China:

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-02-16/Five-archaeological-discoveries-showcase-the-splendor-of-ancient-China-1htg2kJoBXi/index.html

A 1600 years bp Sivalinga from Andhra Pradesh:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/arthanariswara-sivalinga-dating-back-to-4th-century-found-at-pedakonduru-in-guntur-district/article66512202.ece
https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/andhra-pradesh/2023/feb/16/ancient-sivalinga-found-at-anandeswara-temple-in-andhra-pradesh-2547875.html

An 11th century sculpture find from Kumta:

https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/in-other-news/180223/exciting-archaeological-discovery-at-ulluru-mutta.html
https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/2023/feb/18/karnataka-11th-century-sculpture-found-inkumta-expertsto-unearth-history-2548632.html

Temple construction in Ahmedabad revealed remains of a step-well and idols:

https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/ancient-step-well-idols-unearthed-digging-temple-ahmedabad-8453175/

Plans to restore the Tripolia Gateway in Delhi:

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/delhi-news/neglected-tripolia-gate-set-for-restoration-work-by-asi-101676228413593.html

A 400 years bp Christian chapel in India may be demolished to make way for a football stadium:

https://www.licas.news/2023/02/14/400-year-old-chapel-in-india-faces-demolition-to-give-way-to-football-stadium/

The ASI approved digs in various sites:

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/archaeological-survey-of-india-approves-excavations-at-rakhigarhi-in-haryana-several-other-sites-479987

Feature on Gandharan buddhism spread:

https://theprint.in/the-fineprint/buddhism-did-not-spread-by-the-sword-but-the-empires-that-helped-it-grow-did/1373559/
============================================================
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
============================================================
Funding to study heritage sites in Linmen National Park:

https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/13/exploring-heritage-sites-at-nt-national-park/
============================================================
NORTH AMERICA
============================================================
A possible Revolutionary War veteran burial on Rhode Island:

https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/good-news/2023/02/17/historical-cranston-ri-cemetery-may-hold-revolutionary-war-soldier/69905745007/

Remains of a home associated with enslaved persons near the site of Harriet Tubman’s birthplace:

https://wtop.com/maryland/2023/02/home-unearthed-near-maryland-birthplace-of-abolitionist-harriet-tubman/
https://www.wrde.com/news/new-home-discovered-by-archaeologists-at-harriet-tubmans-birthplace/article_47dfa436-ac99-11ed-b69c-e764644bf180.html

… including some West African religious items:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/02/14/eastern-shore-discovery-harriet-tubman/
https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/harriet-tubman-west-african-spirit-cache-found-dorchester-county-maryland/
https://www.khou.com/video/news/local/black-history/maryland-archaeologists-uncover-african-religious-artifacts-near-where-harriet-tubman-was-born/285-9307c7a9-ab03-4965-83c4-3716f2b90b2e
https://www.wboc.com/news/archaeologists-find-artifacts-from-enslaved-people-at-blackwater-national-wildlife-refuge/article_3099aba0-acc1-11ed-9ee7-d3c8de52598e.html
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/west-african-spirit-cache-discovered-at-harriet-tubmans-maryland-birthplace-180981655/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11235-230215-maryland-spirit-cache

A 19th century shipwreck has washed up on a Nantucket beach:

https://www.newsweek.com/shipwreck-massachusetts-nantucket-video-preserved-1781666

More on the find of an unexploded 160 years bp artillery shell at Gettysburg:

https://www.livescience.com/archaeologists-find-unexploded-artillery-shell-under-gettysburg-battlefield
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/civil-war-artillery-shell-found-gettysburg-180981642/

A 19th century crypt in Old North Church in Boston is undergoing restoration:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/02/18/metro/historic-crypt-old-north-church-with-parts-unopened-since-1860-undergoing-restoration/

A followup on the FBI search for Civil War-era gold in Pennsylvania:

https://apnews.com/article/politics-war-and-unrest-pennsylvania-clearfield-ec6f923036d4da94d0d8b07a6e0e82bb

Feature on the role of a pair of enslaved persons in Boston’s pottery industry:

https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/two-enslaved-men-played-major-roles-in-bostons-pottery-industry/

Feature on Oswego churches’ role in the Underground Railroad:

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/capital-region/news/2023/02/12/owego-homes-churches-underground-railroad-black-history-month-2023

More on climate change and migration to the Americas:

https://www.livescience.com/bering-land-bridge-was-only-passable-during-2-brief-windows-study-finds
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11236-230215-north-america-migration

… and a feature on how folks arrived in the Americas:

https://www.livescience.com/how-did-humans-first-reach-the-americas
============================================================
CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
============================================================
A 1200 years bp temple site from Pakaytambo (Peru):

https://today.uic.edu/1200-year-old-temple-discovery-in-peru/

Not sure how ‘new’ this find of Maya ‘superhighways’ by LiDAR in Guatemala is:

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/16/world/maya-civilization-causeways-lidar-discovery-scn/index.html

cf: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/ancient-mesoamerica/article/lidar-analyses-in-the-contiguous-miradorcalakmul-karst-basin-guatemala-an-introduction-to-new-perspectives-on-regional-early-maya-socioeconomic-and-political-organization/31075DFA8ADBAA5E7C7320CA6DB93E5E

A study of a 15th century tunic (unku) from Chile:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-unique-discovery-glimpse-provincial-culture.html
https://arkeonews.net/researchers-excavating-the-burial-site-along-caleta-vitor-bay-in-northern-chile-found-an-inka-tunic-or-unku/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11238-230216-chile-inca-tunic

An elite Maya tomb from Chichen Viejo:

https://www.theyucatantimes.com/2023/02/experts-discover-an-ancient-maya-tomb-of-elite-personage-in-yucatan/

… from the same place come remains of a housing complex of some sort:

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/chichen-itza-chichen-viejo-discovery/index.html
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/elite-residences-uncovered-at-chichen-itza-in-mexico-1234657637/

Excavations of four Classic Period mounds at El Naranjo:

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-731737
https://www.iflscience.com/shell-and-green-quartz-flowers-found-in-1-000-year-old-mexican-burial-site-67596
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/02/13/mexico-el-naranjo-inah-excavations-archaeological-discoveries
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11233-230214-mexico-mound-earrings

A 16th century cemetery in Mexico City’s Chapultepec Park:

https://mexiconewsdaily.com/culture/archaeologists-find-16th-century-cemetery-chapultepec-park/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11242-230217-mexico-transition-cemetery

Machu Picchu has reopened to the public:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-64648641
https://apnews.com/article/peru-government-caribbean-dina-boluarte-833ba4a8df14f5cfca2ccb62d84db73b
https://www.theyucatantimes.com/2023/02/the-archaeological-site-of-machu-picchu-re-opens-after-one-month/
https://www.travelweekly.com.au/article/machu-picchu-officially-reopens-to-travellers/
—–
Mike Ruggeri’s Ancient Americas Breaking News:

http://goo.gl/1VdeA

Mike Ruggeri’s Ancient Americas lecture channels on Youtube:

https://mikeruggerisyoutube.tumblr.com/

Ancient MesoAmerica News:

http://ancient-mesoamerica-news-updates.blogspot.com/
============================================================
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
============================================================
Not sure where to put this item on the Book of Revelation being influenced by curse tablets:

https://www.livescience.com/book-of-revelations-vision-of-the-apocalypse-inspired-by-pagan-curses-researcher-claims
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-02-15/ty-article/new-testaments-book-of-revelation-was-influenced-by-curse-tablets-scholar-deduces/00000186-5466-d603-a7bf-def7deb50000

cf: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/458878862?language=en

Feature on the ‘rediscovery’ of the site of filming DeMille’s ‘Ten Commandments’ in California’s Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes:

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230212-a-city-under-the-sand-the-lost-city-of-cecil-b-demille

Feature on artists’ attempts to deal with shadows properly:

https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-art-of-the-shadow-how-painters-have-gotten-it-wrong-for-centuries/

Feature on Matisse’s ‘Piano Lesson’:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/interactive/2023/henri-matisse-piano-lesson/

Copernicus had to deal with censorship:

https://www.wdsu.com/article/clarified-how-copernicus-fought-censorship-over-500-years-ago/42962257

They’ve figured out what the monkey-mermaid in a Japanese temple is:

https://www.vice.com/en/article/epzy9m/scientists-finally-found-out-what-a-monkey-mermaid-mummy-really-is
https://www.iflscience.com/scientists-have-tested-the-enjuin-mummy-to-find-out-what-it-really-is-67565

A response to one of the frequent arguments made by pseudoarchaeology fans:

https://ahotcupofjoe.net/2023/02/a-response-to-a-strawman-argument-of-pseudoarchaeology/

Marking the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-64651007

On the history of condoms (vary degrees of accuracy in this one i think):

https://www.dw.com/en/international-condom-day-a-brief-history-of-rubbers/a-64668190

On how a Scottish missionary started the first Chinese-language magazine:

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2023/february-web-only/milne-scottish-missionary-china-press-journalism.html

On researching historic tsunamis:

https://hakaimagazine.com/news/paleotsunami-detectives-hunt-for-ancient-disasters/

cf: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0012825222002781

Interview with Robert Ballard about the Titanic:

https://apnews.com/article/titanic-rare-footage-released-c429fad5ff9eae14f7dc110881bf0697

More on the deciphering of Mary, Queen of Scots’ letters:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-codebreakers-decipher-lost-letters-mary.html
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11234-230214-mary-cipher-letters

More on da Vinci and gravity:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/17/science/leonard-da-vinci-gravity.html
https://arkeonews.net/lost-sketches-by-leonardo-da-vinci-show-that-he-understood-gravity-long-before-newton/
============================================================
CURRENT EVENTS:
============================================================
The Habib-i Neccar Mosque was destroyed in recent earthquake:

https://arkeonews.net/habib-i-neccar-mosque-one-of-the-first-mosques-in-anatolia-was-destroyed-in-the-earthquake/

… as was much of ancient Antioch:

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230213-once-home-to-civilisations-fabled-antioch-left-in-ruins

… but Gobekli Tepe survived:

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/02/prehistoric-world-heritage-site-gobekli-tepe-survives-turkey-earthquakes
https://gizmodo.com/gobekli-tepe-turkey-earthquake-undamaged-archaeology-1850107303

… as did the Arslantepe Mound:

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-02-13/Arslantepe-Mound-holds-fast-after-quake-catastrophe-1hone2JHczu/index.html

… a centuries-old scroll of the Book of Esther was found during rescue efforts:

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-731913

Damaged cultural assets in Turkiye have been protected:

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/damaged-cultural-heritages-taken-under-protection-ministry-180905
https://www.siasat.com/damaged-historical-sites-to-be-restored-in-turkeys-earthquake-zone-minister-2-2529753/

Feature on ancient earthquakes in Asia Minor:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/11/ancient-earthquakes-asia-minor/

… and a 12th century one that hit Antakya:

https://theconversation.com/buildings-tumbling-survivors-living-in-tents-medieval-descriptions-of-an-1114-ce-earthquake-in-present-day-turkey-and-syria-feel-eerily-familiar-199866
https://theconversation.com/turkeys-historic-city-of-antakya-known-in-roman-and-medieval-times-as-antioch-has-been-flattened-by-powerful-earthquakes-in-the-past-and-rebuilt-itself-199579

Assorted features on the origins of Valentine’s Day:

https://www.nytimes.com/article/valentines-day-facts-history.html
https://retrospectjournal.com/2023/02/12/the-history-of-valentines-day/
https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/14/valentines-day-greek-saint-valentine/
https://ca.style.yahoo.com/valentines-day-background-history-120011464.html
https://www.npr.org/2011/02/14/133693152/the-dark-origins-of-valentines-day
https://www.news18.com/news/explainers/valentines-day-2023-dark-history-explained-7017931.html

… and the influence of Greek myth:

https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/02/14/the-deep-influence-of-greek-mythology-on-valentines-day/

… and Cupid:

https://theconversation.com/dont-underestimate-cupid-hes-not-the-chubby-cherub-you-associate-with-valentines-day-197735
https://www.umass.edu/hfa/news/professor-classics-debbie-felton-explores-origins-cupid-conversation

The Met is ‘de-Russifying’ Ukrainian artwork:

https://www.dw.com/en/the-de-russification-of-ukrainian-art/a-64731253

============================================================
MUSEUM MATTERS
============================================================
Golden Mummies of Egypt:

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/feb/16/mummy-issues-the-ancient-faces-that-open-a-window-to-the-beyond

Gandhara art:

https://www.dawn.com/news/1736870/173-gandhara-art-pieces-from-museums-in-pakistan-loaned-to-china

Natural Histories:

https://environment.yale.edu/news/article/natural-histories-yse-scientists-collaborate-new-landscape-art-exhibit

Christopher Wren:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-64667316

Pompeii:

https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/pompeii-the-exhibition-museum-of-science-and-industry/

Spain and the Hispanic World:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanneshurvell/2023/02/13/new-york-collection-of-spanish-treasures-on-show-in-uk-for-first-time/

Thomas Commeraw:

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/feb/15/thomas-commeraw-the-black-19th-century-potter-who-historians-assumed-was-white

cf: https://www.nyhistory.org/exhibitions/crafting-freedom-thomas-commeraw1

Islanders (ancient Cyprus):

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-64682924

Golden Worlds:

https://www.doaks.org/visit/museum/exhibitions/a-beautiful-dichotomy

Divinity in Maya Art:

https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/gods-divinity-maya-art

Labyrinth:

https://greekherald.com.au/culture/history/never-before-seen-minoan-artefacts-go-on-display-in-the-uk/

Vermeer:

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/feb/12/vermeer-rijksmuseum-amsterdam-review-one-of-the-most-thrilling-exhibitions-ever-conceived
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/vermeer-retrospective-sells-out-rijksmuseum-1234657151/
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/vermeer-exhibition-amsterdam-delft-2254119

Last year’s finds in Bulgaria:

https://www.bta.bg/en/news/culture/407214-last-year-s-archaeological-discoveries-in-bulgaria-go-on-display-in-sofia

Feature on recent updates to the Manchester Museum:

https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1248/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1248/pub/1248/page/71/article/NaN
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/17/arts/design/manchester-museum-reopening-diversity.html

An Iron Age shield found in Yorkshire Wolds has been gifted to East Riding Museums:

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/spectacular-iron-age-shield-found-in-pocklington-donated-back-to-yorkshire-by-housebuilder-whose-land-it-was-discovered-on-4028429

Talk about broadening the definition of ‘treasure’ in the UK to help museums:

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-64677364
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/feb/18/change-to-uk-treasure-law-will-keep-more-artefacts-in-museums
https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1250/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1250/pub/1250/page/9/article/NaN

The British Museum’s Hieroglyphs exhibition is going on tour:

https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/uk-news/2023/02/15/sample-of-british-museums-hieroglyphs-exhibition-to-go-on-uk-tour/

A new law in Greece would make it legal for Greek antiquities to be displayed outside the country:

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230213-greece-approves-disputed-museum-law-seen-as-antiquity-export-plan
https://www.rfi.fr/en/people-and-entertainment/20230213-greece-approves-disputed-museum-law-seen-as-antiquity-export-plan

… which resulted in some museums closing in protest:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/13/greek-museums-protest-against-new-law/
https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/02/14/archaeologists-close-five-most-prominent-museums-in-greece-to-protest-status-change/
https://hyperallergic.com/801464/controversial-new-law-prompts-greek-museums-to-shutter/
https://www.apollo-magazine.com/art-news-greek-museums-closed-protest/
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/greek-museums-closed-protest-government-appointed-boards-2256163
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/greek-archaeologists-strike-law-museums-export-plan-1234657360/
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/02/16/protests-erupt-in-athens-over-fears-of-increasing-privatisation-in-greeces-museum-sector

… and there are plans for a major renovation of the National Archaeological Museum in Athens:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/16/athens-museum-unveils-design-for-major-renovation
https://en.protothema.gr/national-archaeological-museum-this-is-how-it-will-look-after-reconstruction-impressive-photos-video/
https://apnews.com/article/david-chipperfield-athens-greece-design-62b06f067042d7efbd7726c673597146
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/major-renovation-planned-athens-archaeological-museum-97242689
https://www.wral.com/major-renovation-planned-for-athens-archaeological-museum/20723045/
https://www.tornosnews.gr/en/greek-news/culture/48440-national-archaeological-museum-in-athens-the-new-look-after-reconstruction-video.html

Review of Patrick Bringley, *All the Beauty in the World*:

https://apnews.com/article/reviews-book-business-entertainment-c735f3de5a1d4c659666eace1ea12801
https://www.csmonitor.com/Books/2023/0216/Behind-the-velvet-ropes-Thoughts-from-a-Met-museum-guard
============================================================
AUCTIONS AND SALES RELATED
============================================================
High expectations for the Codex Sassoon Hebrew Bible:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/15/arts/hebrew-bible-auction-sothebys.html
https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/2023-02-16/ty-article/worlds-oldest-hebrew-bible-could-sell-for-up-to-50-million-at-a-new-york-auction/00000186-593e-db0c-add6-7d7ff0810000
https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1248/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1248/pub/1248/page/32/article/NaN

A Nguyen Dynasty imperial seal was acquired by a Vietnamese collector with repatriation in mind:

https://vietnamnet.vn/en/vietnamese-collector-successfully-purchases-royal-seal-2110139.html

A chip off Cleopatra’s Needle came to auction:

https://www.itv.com/news/central/2023-02-13/fragments-of-cleopatras-needle-sold-in-birmingham

Feature on the ‘big’ auctions of January 2023:

https://news.artnet.com/news-pro/here-are-the-15-most-expensive-artworks-sold-around-the-world-in-january-2023-2253427

============================================================
THE TECHY SIDE
============================================================
A facial ‘approximation’ of a Brazilian man from 9600 years bp:

https://www.livescience.com/see-the-lifelike-face-of-zuzu-a-man-who-lived-9600-years-ago-in-brazil
https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/16/face-man-lived-9600-years-ago/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11240-230217-brazil-zuzu-reconstruction

… and a 2000 years bp Nabataean woman:

https://www.livescience.com/meet-hinat-a-nabataean-woman-who-lived-2000-years-ago-in-what-is-now-saudi-arabia
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2253626/saudi-arabia

… and the ‘lonely boy’ from 8300 years bp Norway:

https://www.livescience.com/stunning-reconstruction-reveals-lonely-boy-with-deformed-skull-who-died-in-cave-in-norway-8300-years-ago
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/17/lonely-boy-from-norways-western-coast-reconstructed/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11239-230216-norway-mesolithic-teen

============================================================
PERFORMANCES AND MUSIC RELATED
============================================================
A lost composition of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor has been found:

https://rackham.umich.edu/discover-rackham/reviving-the-lost-work-of-a-groundbreaking-black-composer/

============================================================
TV/DOCUMENTARY HYPISH THINGS
============================================================
Emily:

https://apnews.com/article/film-reviews-movies-entertainment-34288303e4373ed1f96baf7748139fe1
https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2023/02/emily-bronte-movie-2022-emma-mackey-review/673071/
https://www.npr.org/2023/02/17/1157468414/emily-review-bronte-biopic-wurthering-heights
============================================================
CRIME BEAT
============================================================
A stolen Capitoline Wolf sculpture was recovered in Libya:

https://libyaobserver.ly/news/capitoline-wolf-artifact-recovered-libyan-stability-support-apparatus

… but there seems to be some confusion about it:

https://libyaobserver.ly/news/antiquities-authority-says-seized-capitoline-wolf-not-same-one-tripoli

… and it’s possibly part of a larger bust/recovery:

https://libyaobserver.ly/news/300-artifacts-seized-mans-possession-east-libya

A couple in Drama were arrested in possession of ancient coins:

https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1205048/couple-arrested-for-illegal-possession-of-ancient-coins/

A group in Egypt apparently created a fake tomb/necropolis to defraud antiquities dealers:

https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentP/1/488283/Egypt/Arrest-warrant-issued-for-suspects-who-created-fak.aspx
https://www.egyptindependent.com/authorities-identify-scammers-in-ancient-egyptian-tomb-fraud/
https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/1/122610/Photos-Prosecution-orders-arresting-suspects-who-created-fake-pharaonic-tomb
https://egyptindependent.com/fugitive-suspects-create-fake-ancient-cemetery-to-defraud-antiquities-dealers/
https://globeecho.com/politics/the-monument-in-the-name-of-the-pharaohs-in-egypt-a-completely-fake-underground-cemetery/

A 61-year-old in Spoleto was arrested with a number of ancient items:

https://www.perugiatoday.it/cronaca/spoleto-carabinieri-reperti-archeologici.html
https://www.virgilio.it/italia/spoleto/notizielocali/spoleto_carabinieri_sequestrano_18_reperti_archeologici_in_una_casa_privata-70586225.html

The Manhattan DA seems to be focusing on Shelby White:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/new-york-antiquities-trafficking-unit-focuses-on-us-patron-of-israeli-archaeology/
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-731948

Egypt reduced the sentences imposed on some antiquities smugglers:

https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/1233/488236/Egypt/Courts–Law/Egypt-court-reduces-prison-sentence-for-antiquitie.aspx
———-
conflict antiquities:

http://conflictantiquities.wordpress.com/

anonymous swiss collector:

http://www.anonymousswisscollector.com/

Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues:

http://paul-barford.blogspot.ca/

Looting Matters:

http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/

Illicit Cultural Property:

http://illicit-cultural-property.blogspot.com/

SAFE:

http://www.savingantiquities.org/blog/

============================================================
REPATRIATION AND RECOVERY
============================================================
Sweden returned a fragment of a 4000 years bp seal to Greece:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/16/sweden-returns-greece-4000-year-old-seal/
https://www.tornosnews.gr/en/greek-news/greek-news/culture/48454-4-000-year-old-seal-returned-to-greece-by-the-swedish-embassy-in-athens.html

Hopes the US will return a major ‘cache’ of stolen antiquities to India:

https://www.npr.org/2023/02/17/1157468414/emily-review-bronte-biopic-wurthering-heights

Feature on the return of a large number of Native American artifacts seized by the FBI:

https://nativenewsonline.net/sovereignty/it-was-surreal

Swiss museums are apparently open to repatriation of art now:

https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/culture/looted-colonial-art—there-is-no-limit-to-restitution-/48282022

The Musee D’Orsay has been ordered to return some Nazi-looted items:

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/02/16/paris-court-orders-musee-dorsay-to-return-four-nazi-looted-masterpieces-by-renoir-cezanne-and-gauguin

Feature on Michael Steinhardt’s ‘exile’:

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/michael-steinhardt-antiquities-stolen-artifacts.html
============================================================
NUMISMATICA
============================================================
Feature on coins of ancient Greek Troas:

https://coinweek.com/ancient-coins/coins-of-ancient-greek-troas-troad-part-4/

Coins of the Cairo Geniza:

https://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/genizah-fragments/posts/exhibition-coins-cairo-geniza

Coins of Khirbet el-Aqd:

https://cris.iucc.ac.il/iw/publications/the-coins-of-khirbet-el-aqd-a-hellenistic-roman-stronghold-in-wes

Concerns for the ongoing survival of ancient coin collecting:

https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2023/2/18/23604528/ancient-coin-collecting-us-import-restrictions

Latest e-Sylum:

http://www.coinbooks.org/v26/club_nbs_esylum_v26n07.html

… and the one which should appear later today:

http://www.coinbooks.org/v26/club_nbs_esylum_v26n08.html
————————

Coin Week:

http://www.coinweek.com/

============================================================
OBITUARIES
============================================================
Mario Vitti:

https://www.tornosnews.gr/en/greek-news/culture/48448-leading-italian-greek-literature-historian-and-translator-mario-vitti-has-passed-away.html
https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1204795/leading-italian-hellenist-dies/

Andrew Stewart:

https://www.archaeological.org/in-memoriam-andrew-f-stewart/

John Ellis Jones:

https://le.ac.uk/about/history/obituaries/2023/john-ellis-jones
============================================================
AUDIO/VIDEO NEWS
============================================================
Audio News from Archaeologica:

https://www.archaeologychannel.org/audio-guide/audio-news/3260-audio-news-from-archaeologica-february-4th-through-the-11th-2023
============================================================
GENERAL ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS BLOGS
============================================================
Archaeology Magazine News Page:

http://www.archaeology.org/news/

About.com Archaeology:

http://archaeology.about.com/

Archaeology Briefs:

http://archaeologybriefs.blogspot.com/

Atlas Obscura:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/

Heritage Daily:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/

Sapiens Archaeology:

https://www.sapiens.org/category/archaeology/

Taygete Atlantis excavations blogs aggregator:

http://planet.atlantides.org/taygete/
============================================================
PODCASTS/VODCASTS
============================================================
Archaeosoup:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Archaeos0up?feature=watch

Archaeology Podcast Network:

http://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/
============================================================
EXPLORATOR is a free weekly newsletter bringing you the latest
news of archaeological finds, historical research and the like.
Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured for news of
the ‘ancient world’ (broadly construed: practically anything relating
to archaeology or history up to a century or so ago is fair
game) and every Sunday they are delivered to your mailbox free of
charge!
============================================================
Useful Addresses
============================================================
You can read Explorator online at:

https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/

Past issues of Explorator are also available on the web via our
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===========================================================
Explorator is Copyright (c) 2023 David Meadows. Feel free to
distribute these listings via email to your pals, students,
teachers, etc., but please include this copyright notice. These
links are not to be posted to any website by any means (whether
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is only right that I be made aware of public fora which are
making use of content gathered in Explorator. Thanks!
===========================================================

Explorator 25.43 ~ February 12, 2023

Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay,Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week(as always hoping I have left no one out).

============================================================
EARLY HOMINIDS
============================================================
A 2.9 million years bp example of the ‘Oldowan toolkit’ from a site in Kenya (and attributed to paranthropus):

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-million-year-old-butchery-site-reopens-case.html
https://phys.org/news/2023-02-stone-age-discovery-fuels-mystery.html
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2023/february/oldest-remains-ancient-human-relative-paranthropus-suggest-possible-tool-use.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230209141458.htm
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/feb/09/discovery-ancient-stone-tools-prehistoric-mystery-whodunnit
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-64595418
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/stone-age-discovery-fuels-mystery-made-early-tools-97011778
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/09/world/first-stone-tools-hippo-scn/index.html
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/stone-age-discovery-in-kenya-fuels-mystery-of-who-made-the-earliest-tools
https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/history-and-civilisation/2023/02/3-million-year-old-stone-tools-found-and-our-ancestors-likely-didnt-make-them
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-731311
https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1242/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1242/pub/1242/page/42/article/NaN
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2023-02-10/fossils-animal-bones-stone-tools-early-hominin-east-africa/101937222
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/puzzled-archaeologists-find-stone-tools-that-don-t-match-human-remains-20230209-p5cj7j.html
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2358821-early-hominin-paranthropus-may-have-used-sophisticated-stone-tools/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/2-9-million-year-old-butchery-site-offers-window-into-the-dawn-of-stone-age-technology/146166
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/who-made-the-first-stone-toolkits-180981606/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/10/who-made-the-first-stone-tools/

cf: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abo7452
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00386-6

A cave near Lisbon provides evidence that Neanderthals were dining on crab:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-proof-neanderthals-ate-crabs-coffin.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/07/science/neanderthals-crab-portugal.html
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/neanderthals-seafood-crabs-portugal-lisbon-b2277967.html
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/07/world/neanderthal-diet-crabs-scn/index.html
https://blog.frontiersin.org/2023/02/07/proof-that-neanderthals-ate-crabs-is-another-nail-in-the-coffin-for-primitive-cave-dweller-stereotypes/
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/archaeologists-neanderthal-feast-roasted-crab-2253410
https://www.zmescience.com/science/neanderthals-were-way-more-sophisticated-than-you-think-they-even-enjoyed-a-refined-delicacy/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neanderthals-dined-on-crab-90000-years-ago-180981604/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11184-230208-neanderthal-crab-roast

Neanderthals were present on the Iberian Peninsula at Gipuzkoa much later than previously thought:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-neanderthals-longer-gipuzkoa-previously-thought.html

cf: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajpa.24694

Possible Neanderthal remains from Somerset:

https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/human-remains-found-somerset-cave-8134861

More on evidence from Germany that Neanderthals were hunting elephants:

https://www.science.org/content/article/neanderthals-lived-groups-big-enough-eat-giant-elephants
https://www.sciencealert.com/neanderthals-hunted-giant-elephants-much-larger-than-the-ones-today
https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/neanderthals-hunted-and-ate-straight-tusked-elephants
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/08/evidence-that-neanderthals-hunted-giant-elephants/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11180-230206-neanderthal-elephant-feast

More on the 1.2 million years bp obsidian workshop in Ethiopia:

https://www.livescience.com/massive-1-million-year-old-tool-workshop-in-ethiopia-made-by-clever-group-of-unknown-human-relatives
============================================================
AFRICA
============================================================
A 500 years bp pre-colonial Khoisan horn container from South Africa:

https://theconversation.com/500-year-old-horn-container-discovered-in-south-africa-sheds-light-on-pre-colonial-khoisan-medicines-199192
https://phys.org/news/2023-02-year-old-horn-south-africa-pre-colonial.html

Feature on the Pylon of the Nubian Lion Temple at Naga:

https://smarthistory.org/pylon-nubian-lion-temple-naga/
============================================================
ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
============================================================
I think we mentioned this Greco-Roman funerary complex and related finds at Gerza:

https://the-past.com/news/funerary-structure-and-fayum-portraits-unearthed/

Egypt has opened the 4000 years bp tomb of Meru on Luxor’s west bank to the public:

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/egypt-opens-4000-year-old-tomb-luxors-west-bank-oldest-open-public-2023-02-09/
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-731129
https://english.alarabiya.net/life-style/travel-and-tourism/2023/02/09/Egypt-opens-4-000-year-old-tomb-on-Luxor-s-West-Bank
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/meru-tomb-luxor-egypt-open/index.html

… and more archaeological sites:

https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/487825.aspx
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/10/more-archaeological-sites-to-see-in-luxor/

… and the Djehuty and Hery tombs were ‘inaugurated’:

https://egyptindependent.com/photos-following-restorations-egypt-inaugurates-the-djehuty-and-hery-tombs/

More on evidence from Tell Temai of the ‘Great Revolt’ mentioned in the Rosetta Stone (and elsewhere):

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/01/27/where-the-swords-met-bone-archaeological-evidence-found-of-ancient-egyptian-rebellion-mentioned-on-the-rosetta-stone
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11176-230206-egypt-great-revolt

More on the 4300 years bp gold-wrapped mummified person from Saqqara:

https://theconversation.com/archaeologists-have-discovered-a-mummy-wrapped-in-gold-heres-what-it-tells-us-about-ancient-egyptian-beliefs-199155
https://phys.org/news/2023-02-archaeologists-mummy-goldhere-ancient-egyptian.html

More on the study of mummification items from an embalming workshop in Saqqara:

https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/50/1207/487732/AlAhram-Weekly/Heritage/Towards-the-secrets-of-mummification.aspx
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/egyptian-mummy-chemical-mixtures
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11181-230207-embalming-recipes-preservation

In case you missed the CT scan of a 2300 years bp mummified lad bearing 49 amulets:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/ct-scan-reveals-49-amulets-in-ancient-egyptian-mummy/146185

Concerns for the 2000 years bp Zal Castle (Afghanistan):

https://amu.tv/en/34886/

Feature on five powerful queens of the Persian Empire:

https://www.thecollector.com/ancient-persian-empire-queens/

More on that 11 000 years bp ‘narrative scene’ from a the Sayburc relief:

https://www.zmescience.com/science/anthropology/is-this-man-holding-his-penis-the-worlds-oldest-depiction-of-a-narrative-scene/
https://the-past.com/news/neolithic-narrative-scene-identified-in-turkey/

More on evidence of a 5000 years bp ‘tavern’ from Lagash:

https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/5000-year-old-tavern-iraq-archaeology-intl-scli-scn/index.html
https://www.iraqinews.com/iraq/archeologists-discover-restaurant-in-iraq-dating-back-thousands-of-years/

More on the pair of 4000 years bp cuneiform tablets written in Amorite:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/lost-canaanite-language-decoded-on-ancient-clay-tablets/146110

A tree-ring study suggests drought may have contributed to the collapse of the Hittite Empire in the 12th century BCE:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-drought-hittite-empire-collapse.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230208124227.htm
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/08/ancient-hittite-empire-tree-study-drought
https://www.timesofisrael.com/climate-change-may-explain-mysterious-collapse-of-hittite-empire-study-finds/
https://www.jpost.com/environment-and-climate-change/article-731029
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/02/08/climate-change-drought-history/
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/climate-change-may-have-toppled-hittite-empire-study-180769
https://www.rfi.fr/en/science-environment/20230209-climate-change-may-have-toppled-hittite-empire-study
https://www.zmescience.com/science/climate-change-may-be-to-blame-for-the-downfall-of-the-hittite-civilization/
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2358511-a-three-year-drought-may-have-brought-down-the-ancient-hittite-empire/
https://arkeonews.net/drought-accelerated-hittite-empires-collapse/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/09/rare-drought-coincided-with-hittite-empire-collapse/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/study-suggests-that-collapse-of-hittite-empire-was-accelerated-by-drought/146170

cf: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05693-y
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00271-2

An AI bot to work out what’s on Babylonian cuneiform tablets:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/481677/Linguists-shed-new-light-on-Gilgamesh-epic-using-AI-tool
https://arkeonews.net/new-ai-tool-fragmentarium-brings-ancient-babylonian-texts-together/

Feature on the translation (by Amanda Podany) of a cuneiform tablet in the Louvre:

https://aeon.co/essays/in-the-3700-year-footsteps-of-a-king-a-barber-and-a-slave

A 1600 years bp ‘Mesopotamian style’ gold bead from the City of David:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/rare-1600-year-old-gold-bead-found-by-teenager-in-jerusalems-city-of-david/
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-02-08/ty-article/archaeologists-find-rare-mesopotamian-style-gold-bead-in-jerusalem/00000186-2fea-d2f6-afe6-3fef59d30000
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-730923
https://www.jns.org/everyone-was-very-excited-rare-ancient-gold-bead-uncovered-in-jerusalem/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/02/08/1600-year-old-gold-bead-unearthed-in-jerusalem-in-very-very-special-find/
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/roman-era-gold-bead/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/ornately-fashioned-gold-bead-found-in-jerusalem-park/146153
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/09/rare-gold-bead-more-than-1600-years-old-discovered-in-city-of-david/

The el-Janab Cave near Nablus has a 6000 year history of being a ‘hiding place’ apparently:

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-02-09/ty-article/cave-where-generations-hid-for-6-000-years-found-in-west-bank/00000186-35ec-d48c-afdf-b7ee6d1f0000

Feature on the history of the Tetragrammaton:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/inscriptions/the-history-of-the-tetragrammaton/

Feature on the archaeology of monotheistic religions in the Near East:

https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2023/02/absences-archaeology-history-monotheistic-religions

—–
This Week in the Ancient Near East Podcast:

https://thisweekintheancientneareast.podbean.com/

============================================================
ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME (AND CLASSICS)
============================================================
Etruscan terracotta votive heads from Kainua in Marzabotto:

https://www.stilearte.it/teste-votive-di-terracotta-emergono-dallarea-sacra-della-citta-etrusca-di-kainua-a-marzabotto/

Finds from various periods, including an ‘ancient road’ and Roman farmsteads in Devon:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-64512968
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11731397/Ancient-path-believed-built-Romans-unearthed-2-000-years.html

A Roman parade mask found by an ‘amateur archaeologist’ in Romania:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/roman-parade-mask-discovered-in-romania/146135

A 2nd century Roman ‘helmet handle’ found during excavations at Corby:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-64508603

A 2nd century or so sanctuary of Mithras from the Villa del Mitra site in Cabra (Spain):

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/1800-year-old-sanctuary-to-mithras-uncovered-by-archaeologists-in-spain-1234656474/
https://arkeonews.net/1800-year-old-sanctuary-to-mithras-discovered-in-spain/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/sanctuary-dedicated-to-mithras-found-at-the-villa-del-mitra/146138
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11185-230208-spain-villa-del-mitra

A 1600 years bp late Roman burial ground with signs of ‘fear of reanimated corpses’:

https://www.livescience.com/fear-of-reanimated-corpses-may-explain-mysterious-burials-at-1600-year-old-cemetery

Concerns for an ‘undiscovered’ Roman villa site in Trowbridge:

https://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/23308063.roman-site-near-trowbridge-threatened-plan-180-homes/
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/undiscovered-roman-villa-faces-destruction-by-developers-cg7w9mzdw

Latest finds from the dig at Hania on Crete:

https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1204402/hanias-ancient-palace-on-kastelli-hill/

Metro construction in Rome revealed a 4th century (maybe) CE gold glass of Roma:

https://www.ansa.it/english/news/2023/02/02/metro-c-works-uncover-rome-woman-symbol-of-city_77141ede-3a21-47ac-8625-f17969dc58b9.html
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/golden-glass-depicting-the-personification-of-rome-found-in-the-subway-1234657020/
https://arkeonews.net/gold-glass-roma-unearthed-in-the-excavations-of-the-rome-subway/
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66399
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11189-230209-roma-glass-image

The Getty has acquired a portrait bust of Antoninus Pius:

https://www.getty.edu/news/getty-to-acquire-ancient-portrait-bust-of-roman-emperor-antoninus-pius

More on the statue of Decius (probably) as Hercules found during sewer construction in Rome:

https://www.livescience.com/statue-of-slain-roman-emperor-dressed-as-hercules-found-near-sewer-in-rome
https://www.euronews.com/culture/2023/02/06/ancient-statue-of-hercules-discovered-during-sewage-repair-works-in-rome
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/ancient-statue-hercules-discovered-during-154044771.html
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-marble-statue-of-emperor-dressed-as-hercules-discovered-in-roman-sewer-180981602/

More on the dodecahedron found by a metal detectorist in Belgium:

https://hyperallergic.com/799191/hobbyist-with-metal-detector-discovers-enigmatic-roman-artifact/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/amateur-archaeologist-discovers-mysterious-roman-object-possibly-used-for-magic-180981582/

More on the remains of the Augustan aqueduct at Naples:

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/ancient-roman-aqueduct-found-naples-1234656532/

More on the study of Roman tiles found at a tile factory site in Corby:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-64411756
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11179-230206-roman-discarded-tiles

More on the opening of the House of the Vettii:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/art-pompeii-house-of-the-vettii

AI is being used to ‘decipher’ a book about Alexander the Great among the carbonized papyri from Herculaneum:

https://www.livescience.com/ai-is-deciphering-a-2000-year-old-lost-book-describing-life-after-alexander-the-great

A study finds similarities between Book of Revelation descriptions and ancient curse tablets:

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/979086
https://arkeonews.net/researchers-found-similar-descriptions-in-the-book-of-revelation-and-ancient-curse-tablets/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/book-of-revelation-has-terminology-similar-to-ancient-curse-tablets/146163

Feature on the Royal Tombs of Vegina:

https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1203939/diving-into-the-world-of-the-dead/

Houses in Pompeii are being equipped with solar panels that look like Roman terracotta tiles:

https://www.cnn.com/style/article/pompeii-dyaqua-solar-panels-tan/index.html
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/02/06/ancient-pompeii-site-installs-invisible-solar-panels-that-look-like-roman-terracotta-tiles

Plans to excavate a Roman mosaic in Colchester:

https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/23310318.red-lion-yard-roman-mosaic-to-unveiled-colchester/

Plans to ‘stabilize’ the Cave of San Biagio at Stabiae for touristy purposes:

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66391

Questioning the restoration of the Tralleis arch:

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/visitors-surprised-by-archs-restoration-in-tralleis-180633

Joel Christensen gave ChatGPT a homeric task:

https://neoskosmos.com/en/2023/02/07/life/do-chatbots-dream-of-electric-22heroes/

Review of Shadi Bartsch, *Plato Goes to China*:

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/china-and-the-noble-lie

Review of Lee Fratantuono, *The Battle of Actium*:

https://www.strategypage.com/bookreviews/2409

Feature on Hellenistic sculpture:

https://www.artandobject.com/news/hellenistic-sculpture-realist-art-ancient-greece

Feature on Schliemann in Turkiye:

https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/portrait/famous-travelers-to-turkiye-heinrich-schliemann-iliad-inspired-archaeologist

Feature on ancient Epidaurus:

https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/02/04/ancient-underwater-city-epidaurus/

Feature on Chicester’s Roman walls:

https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/people/chichesters-roman-walls-a-brief-history-4022906

Feature on remains of a Roman bathhouse in Glasgow:

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/scotland-now/scottish-city-home-remains-ancient-29167641

Feature on how Alexander the Great became Iskandar Zulkarnain:

https://scroll.in/article/1043072/how-alexander-the-great-became-iskandar-zulkarnain-the-legendary-ancestor-of-malay-kings

Feature on Pompey’s Pillar in Alexandria:

https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/places/pompeys-pillar-in-alexandria-a-majestic-monument-in-the-egyptian-city-founded-by-alexander-the-great/cid/1914286

Feature on the moving and restoration of a mosaic from Dion a few decades ago:

https://www.openculture.com/2023/02/watch-conservationists-moving-restoring-an-exquisite-ancient-greek-mosaic.html

Feature on Romans ‘stealing’ other peoples’ divinities:

https://www.scienceabc.com/social-science/why-did-the-romans-steal-other-peoples-gods.html

Feature on Greek influence on Tolkien:

https://neoskosmos.com/en/2023/02/11/dialogue/opinion/diatribe-tolkien-and-the-greeks/

Fishbourne Roman Palace was cleaning things up:

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/environment/west-sussex-chichester-andrew-matthews-b1059497.html
https://www.thenational.scot/news/national/23314040.fishbourne-roman-palace-starts-brush-up-2-000-year-old-mosaics/

In case you were wondering why Sisyphus was trending on Twitter this week:

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/why-everyone-twitter-talking-ancient-160342997.html

The Greek PM and George Osborne apparently had ‘secret meetings’ about the Parthenon Marbles:

https://www.thenationalherald.com/report-says-mitsotakis-secretly-discussed-loan-of-parthenon-marbles/
https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1204434/ft-report-details-secret-meetings-between-mitsotakis-british-museum-chair-over-parthenon-marbles/
https://www.ft.com/content/aad9827f-a552-49d4-a462-06425b9f86e3
https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/10/secret-meetings-parthenon-marbles/

Feature on the law which apparently is in the way of repatriation of the sculptures:

https://observer.com/2023/02/the-uk-has-a-60-year-old-law-prohibiting-repatriation-of-art-is-that-about-to-change/

… and Greece’s ‘allies’ in the pursuit:

https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1204146/greeces-allies-in-fight-for-parthenon-marbles/

… and assorted OpEds on the subject:

https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/02/10/michel-nobodys-learning-anything-meaningful-from-british-museums-parthenon-marbles-display-2/
https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2023/10-february/comment/columnists/paul-vallely-there-are-no-self-evident-truths-in-elgin-marbles-debate

… and another feature on the ‘backstory’ of how the sculptures ended up in the British Museum:

https://kottke.org/23/02/how-the-parthenon-marbles-ended-up-in-the-british-museum

Latest Pasts Imperfect newsletter:

https://pastsimperfect.substack.com/p/pasts-imperfect-2923

—–
Roman Archaeology Blog:

http://romanarc.blogspot.com/

Rogueclassicism:

http://rogueclassicism.com/
============================================================
EUROPE AND THE UK (+ Ireland)
============================================================
A 3000 years bp burial from Romania:

https://www.romania-insider.com/3000-year-old-human-skeleton-found-romania-2023
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11191-230210-romania-bronze-age

LiDAR revealed a 5th century fortress at the Castro Valente site in Spain:

https://www.livescience.com/lasers-reveal-ruins-of-5th-century-fortress-in-spanish-forest

Remains of a medieval street pavement in Estonia:

https://news.err.ee/1608880634/medieval-tallinn-street-pavement-unearthed-in-kalamaja-neighborhood

Remains of a 14th century synagogue from a building later converted to a church (and later a disco) in Utrera (Spain):

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/07/spain-former-bar-in-utrera-andalucia-confirmed-as-lost-medieval-synagogue
https://www.timesofisrael.com/archaeologists-uncover-rare-remains-of-14th-century-spanish-synagogue/
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-731153
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-02-09/ty-article-magazine/remains-of-medieval-pre-expulsion-synagogue-found-in-spain/00000186-31b5-dd52-ada6-fdff9e710000
https://apnews.com/article/spain-religion-0eb587461b0255c085ac112a90e1e4fc
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/archaeologists-uncover-rare-14th-century-spanish-synagogue-96947685
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66433
https://arkeonews.net/a-former-spanish-disco-pub-confirmed-as-lost-medieval-synagogue/

A ‘treasure trove’ of spices from the wreck of a 15th century ship found back in the 1960s:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-trove-spices-world-sunken-fifteenth-century.html
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-731250
https://www.newsweek.com/shipwreck-500-year-old-floating-castle-gribshunden-found-thrilling-haul-1780019

A 500 years bp burial of a possible ‘anchoress’ in the foundations of a medieval York church:

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/mysterious-skeleton-revealed-be-unusual-lady-anchoress-york-barbican
https://phys.org/news/2023-02-mysterious-skeleton-revealed-unusual-lady.html
https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/23307234.york-nun-lady-isabel-german-spent-life-shut-single-room/
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-64571638
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/discovered-skeleton-syphilitic-york-nun-050000759.html
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11190-230210-anchoress-skeletal-remains

cf: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0281010

Excavations of a 400 years bp palace destroyed by the Nazis in Poland have revealed plenty of artifacts in the sewage system:

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/nation-world/world/article272219173.html

More on that 2500 years bp bronze hoard found by metal detectorists in Poland:

https://scienceinpoland.pap.pl/en/news/news%2C95140%2Cplace-sacrifice-2500-years-ago-years-found-near-chelmno.html
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11182-230207-poland-bronze-sacrifice

More on Vikings travelling with their horses/dogs:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230201195426.htm
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64431142
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11178-230206-vikings-dogs-horses

More on the metal detectorist find of a pendant with connections to Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon:

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/jan/31/metal-detectorist-tudor-gold-pendant-henry-viii-katherine-of-aragon-warwickshire
https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/news/tudor-jewel-discovered/
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/pendant-henry-viii-catherine-of-aragon-found-england-metal-detector-1234656505/
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/metal-detectorist-tudor-pendant-henry-viii-2251891
https://hypebeast.com/2023/2/metal-detectorist-discovers-pendant-henry-viii-katherine-of-aragon
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11173-230203-tudor-gold-heart

More on all the prehistoric burial mounds identified across the Netherlands:

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/citizen-scientists-netherlands-find-burial-mounds-lidar-2253367

In case you missed the 17th century French aristocratic woman’s gold-strengthened teeth:

https://www.livescience.com/17th-century-frenchwomans-innovative-gold-dental-work-was-likely-torturous-to-her-teeth

Plans for a dig at an Iron Age mound at Skipsea Castle in Yorkshire:

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/archaeologists-prepare-for-new-dig-to-probe-iron-age-origins-of-mound-under-skipsea-castle-in-yorkshire-4017977

Hever Castle is putting some prayer books belonging to Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn on display:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-64569913

Protection for a 19th century shipwreck of ‘crockery’ off the coast of Kent:

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/feb/09/wreck-of-ship-carrying-rare-ordinary-crockery-wins-protection-off-kent-coast

A project to restore the Florence Baptistery’s dome mosaics:

https://apnews.com/article/italy-florence-entertainment-f7f3760db6a81462876eef2fa9f209f0
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66416

Feature on hunter-gatherers’ activities around Stonehenge:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/how-hunter-gatherers-used-the-land-around-stonehenge

Feature on ‘ancient’ remains found beneath a Chichester pub a few years ago:

https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/people/mystery-surrounds-ancient-discovery-beneath-the-floor-of-a-chichester-pub-4016487

Rethinking what we know about the Plague:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-plague-didnt-start-when-and-how-you-probably-think-it-did

Rethinking the cause of death of an 18th century Swiss woman (related to Boris Johnson, apparently):

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-02-07/ty-article/what-killed-the-mummified-swiss-woman-maybe-something-weve-never-seen-before/00000186-2c41-df2e-a59f-ee5b7b280000

Plans to reconstruct the Newport medieval shipwreck:

https://theconversation.com/newport-ship-after-20-years-work-experts-are-ready-to-reassemble-medieval-vessel-found-in-the-mud-198198
https://phys.org/news/2023-02-newport-ship-years-experts-ready.html

Funding to preserve the ruins of Lady Jane Grey’s home:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-64572986

Germany is declining to excavate some WWI soldiers’ remains from a collapsed tunnel:

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/11/europe/germany-winterberg-tunnel-wwi-soldiers-intl-scli/index.html

Digging for Britain will be talking about the bishop’s monkeys at Auckland Castle:

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/23312556.auckland-castle-item-rings-bell-bishops-monkey/
———-
Archaeology in Europe News:

http://archaeology-in-europe.blogspot.com/

Medievalists.net:

https://www.medievalists.net/category/news/

Viking Archaeology Blog:

http://viking-archaeology-blog.blogspot.com/

============================================================
ASIA AND THE SOUTH PACIFIC
============================================================
21 Western Han Dynasty burials of possible royal subordinates from Changsha:

https://ukranews.com/en/news/912001-archaeologists-unearth-possible-subordinate-tombs-of-royal-mausoleum-in-central-china

The scale of the 1600 years bp metal working site in Zhujiaping has been revealed:

https://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/world/article272370378.html
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article272370378.html

More on that large 4th century sword from Nara:

https://www.livescience.com/7-foot-long-sword-from-4th-century-japan-may-have-protected-deceased-from-evil-spirits
https://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeologists-discover-a-massive-sword-that-protected-against-evil/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/massive-sword-and-mirror-unearthed-from-1600-year-old-burial-mound-in-japan-180981588/

Restoration work on Angkor Thom’s Takav gate is complete:

http://t.m.china.org.cn/convert/c_pe6GsQ9S.html

Palaeolithic carvings/petroglyphs from Aravalis:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/stone-age-carvings-found-in-aravalis-in-gurgaon/articleshow/97628269.cms

‘Prehistoric’ petroglyphs from a site in Telangana:

https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/telangana/2023/feb/12/prehistoric-rock-paintings-found-in-telanganas-yadadri-district-2546693.html

Analysis of finds from Keeladi pushes the Sangam age back to 800 BCE:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/asis-keeladi-report-pushes-sangam-age-further-back-to-800-bce/article66486407.ece

Possible Gupta-era relievs from a hill site in Bhagalpur:

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/patna-news/archaeologists-find-gupta-age-carvings-on-hillock-in-bhagalpur-101676133512957.html

A 2200 years bp Tamil Brahmi inscription from Madurai:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/over-2000-year-old-inscription-found-in-tirupparankundram/article66486815.ece
https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2023/feb/09/centuries-old-tamil-brahmi-inscription-found-in-madurai-2545741.html

A 14th/15th century find of a Nagabrahma statuefrom Udupi:

https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/in-other-news/080223/rare-sculpture-of-nagabrahma-found-in-udupi-district.html

Feature on the current controversy associated with the Ramcharitmanas epic:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-64556116

Study suggests a rise in sea levels 26 000-6000 years bp drove human migration in Southeast Asia:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-prehistoric-human-migration-southeast-asia.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230206104123.htm
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/10/sea-level-rise-drove-prehistoric-human-migration-in-sea/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11186-230208-sundaland-flooding-migration
============================================================
NORTH AMERICA
============================================================
Study of the impact of climate change on early migration to the Americas:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-early-human-migration-americas-linked.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230206193957.htm

cf: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2208738120

An unexploded Civil War artillery shell find from Gettysburg:

https://thehill.com/homenews/3851040-unexploded-civil-war-era-device-found-in-gettysburg-national-military-park/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2023/02/09/artillery-gettysburg-unexploded-battlefield/
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/09/us/civil-war-shell-gettysburg-pennsylvania/index.html

A 19th century wreck of the Nucleus in Lake Superior:

https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/researchers-find-19th-century-shipwreck-lake-superior/story?id=97004710

cf: https://www.shipwreckmuseum.com/shipwreck-society-discovers-a-bad-luck-barquentine-in-the-shipwreck-coast-of-lake-superior/

Analysis of archaeological remains suggests that Stuarts Town is probably under Beaufort and not Spanish Point:

https://www.postandcourier.com/hilton-head/did-archaeologists-find-a-1684-scottish-settlement-under-beaufort-the-results-are-in/article_11b2cbbc-a326-11ed-a61e-c7dd31c0246b.html
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/archaeologists-are-closer-to-solving-the-mystery-of-missing-stuarts-town/146145

A project to map Cahokia:

https://www.brynmawr.edu/news/mapping-cahokia-will-be-largest-project-its-kind-all-americas?mibextid=uc01c0

Hurricane Ian did not damage the Manasota Key Offshore archaeological site, apparently:

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/article272434648.html

More on that 13 900 years bp bone projectile point found in 1970s Washington (state):

https://today.tamu.edu/2023/02/02/texas-am-led-research-team-identifies-oldest-bone-spear-point-in-the-americas/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11187-230208-manis-bone-point

Feature on Kate Hayfield’s work in archaeology:

https://thecourier.com/news/442953/findlay-archaeologist-said-her-work-isnt-like-indiana-jones/

Feature on the diet of Ice Age First Nations folks in southern Ontario:

https://www.dispatch.com/story/opinion/columns/2023/02/12/column-ice-age-americans-may-have-dined-on-mastodons-and-maybe-dogs/69878082007/

Feature on the 1846 fight for Black voting rights in New York:

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/state-archives-ledger-show-1846-fight-black-17762691.php

cf: https://digitalcollections.archives.nysed.gov/index.php/Detail/objects/72601

Feature on the petroglyphs at Parowan Gap:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/1/22/2148710/-Come-Walk-With-Us-Parowan-Gap-UT-Petroglyphs?utm_campaign=recent

Feature on beer brewing in 19th century Albany:

https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/beverage-explorer-says-albany-riches-beer-brewing-17762050.php

Plans for John Brown’s farm in the Adirondacks:

https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/stories/state-and-local-partners-build-plans-for-john-brown-farm

Feature on the Totten and Crossfield Purchase:

https://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2023/02/the-heart-of-the-adirondacks-the-totten-crossfield-purchase.html

Feature on York’s activities during the Lewis and Clark expedition:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/york-a-true-american-hero-of-the-lewis-and-clark-expedition/146148

Feature on dealing with the racism ’embedded in American archaeology’:

https://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/the-nature-of-things/racism-is-embedded-in-american-archaeology-q-a-with-cree-m%C3%A9tis-archaeologist-paulette-steeves-1.6739675
============================================================
CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
============================================================
Remains of 5th century CE ‘elite’ dwellings at Chichen Itza:

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexicos-chichen-itza-site-researchers-discover-ancient-elite-residences-2023-02-11/
https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/at-mexico-s-chichen-itza-site–researchers-discover-ancient–elite–residences/48279102

Latest finds from the Great Pyramid of Cholula site:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/new-discoveries-at-great-pyramid-of-cholula/146158

A number of circular mound Maya burials from El Naranjo:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/archaeologists-uncover-burials-with-shell-flowers-and-green-quartz-earrings/146176

—–
Mike Ruggeri’s Ancient Americas Breaking News:

http://goo.gl/1VdeA

Mike Ruggeri’s Ancient Americas lecture channels on Youtube:

https://mikeruggerisyoutube.tumblr.com/

Ancient MesoAmerica News:

http://ancient-mesoamerica-news-updates.blogspot.com/
============================================================
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
============================================================
Some ‘secret letters’ written by Mary, Queen of Scots while imprisoned have been decoded:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-codebreakers-decipher-lost-letters-mary.html
https://www.livescience.com/mary-queen-of-scots-cryptic-prison-letters-finally-deciphered
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/feb/08/mary-queen-of-scots-prison-letters-finally-decoded
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64569883
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/07/world/mary-queen-of-scots-lost-letters-scn/index.html
https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1240/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1240/pub/1240/page/13/article/NaN
https://www.npr.org/2023/02/10/1155701113/mary-queen-of-scots-ciphers-prison-letters
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/codebreakers-discoverand-decipherlong-lost-letters-by-mary-queen-of-scots-180981613/

Interview with Enzo Traverso about his book *Singular Pasts: the I in Historiography*:

https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2023/02/first-person-histories-reframe-past

An appeal in that Van Gogh art case:

https://english.elpais.com/culture/2023-02-09/appeals-court-will-hear-dispute-over-control-of-van-gogh-art.html

A portrait of Abraham Lincoln (‘most lifelike’) has gone on display:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2023/02/10/abraham-lincoln-portrait-gallery-travers/

A mural of Washington crossing the Delaware is undergoing restoration:

https://mercerme.com/historic-mural-of-washington-crossing-the-delaware-is-rediscovered/

Leonardo appears to have had a handle on gravity:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/02/leonardo-noted-link-between-gravity-and-acceleration-centuries-before-einstein/

Feature on the Hyakumantao darani at the Beinecke:

https://www.wshu.org/connecticut-news/2023-02-10/a-1200-year-old-scroll-finds-a-home-next-to-the-gutenberg-bible

Feature on medieval attitudes toward women and their legacy:

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/02/writer-of-going-medieval-turns-her-attention-to-periods-attitudes-on-sex/

Feature on ‘hidden doodles’ in assorted manuscripts:

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230208-the-tech-revealing-hidden-doodles-in-old-books-and-objects

Feature on Lluis Domenech on the centennial of his death:

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2023/feb/08/barcelona-other-great-architect-lluis-domenech-i-montaner-five-best-buildings

Feature on Britain’s ‘most chaotic’ traditions:

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230203-the-unruly-ancient-rituals-still-practised-today

Feature on the post-WWI Polish-Soviet war:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct38tp

Feature on Frances Ellen Watkins Harper:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/07/obituaries/frances-ellen-watkins-harper-overlooked.html

Windows from Notre Dame are undergoing restoration in Cologne:

https://www.dw.com/en/notre-dame-windows-undergo-restoration-in-cologne/a-64600501

Some general features on what archaeology is about:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/archaeology-today/dust-to-data/
https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/what-do-archaeologists-do/

Feature on the growing popularity of metal detecting in the UK:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/feb/05/metal-heads-the-thriving-detectorist-scene-digging-up-britains-past

More on Impressionist paintings and their connection to air pollution:

https://www.livescience.com/hazy-impressionist-landscapes-actually-depicted-smog-choked-skies-new-study-says

Review of Marion Turner, *The Wife of Bath*:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/09/books/review/the-wife-of-bath-marion-turner.html

Review of Carmela Ciuraru, *Lives of the Wives*:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/07/books/review/lives-of-the-wives-carmela-ciararu.html
============================================================
CURRENT EVENTS:
============================================================
The earthquake in Syria caused damage to the citadel of Aleppo:

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/aleppos-war-scarred-citadel-damaged-earthquake-2023-02-07/
https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/aleppo-s-war-scarred-citadel-damaged-in-earthquake/48267048
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230207-aleppo-war-scarred-citadel-damaged-in-earthquake/
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230206-quake-damages-ancient-citadel-in-syria-s-aleppo
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/earthquake-damages-ancient-citadel-in-aleppo-180694

… and other sites in Syria:

https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/turkeyearthquake/card/historic-syrian-sites-pummeled-in-earthquakes-ntQ7LvbOCMylRvFn7qpr

Turkey’s Gaziantep Castle was pretty much destroyed:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64541894
https://www.thedailybeast.com/second-century-gaziantep-roman-castle-destroyed-by-huge-earthquake
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/06/fears-for-ancient-sites-after-earthquake-destroys-parts-of-gaziantep-castle-turkey
https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/06/ancient-castle-used-byzantines-destroyed-turkey-earthquake/
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/02/06/huge-earthquake-in-turkey-and-syria-devastates-heritage-sites-including-2000-year-old-castle
https://www.vice.com/en/article/93ax53/turkey-earthquake-gaziantep-castle
https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/turkey-earthquake-historic-gaziantep-castle-destroyed
https://www.newsweek.com/turkey-earthquake-gaziantep-castle-dating-back-roman-empire-collapses-1779127
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/earthquake-in-turkey-today-damages-ancient-gaziantep-castle/
https://www.npr.org/2023/02/06/1154806617/earthquake-turkey-historic-gaziantep-castle
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/gaziantep-castle-destroyed-turkey-earthquake/index.html
https://arkeonews.net/deadly-7-7-quakes-hit-turkey-destroys-historical-gaziantep-castle/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11183-230207-earthquake-gaziantep-castle

.. the Hatay Museum was damaged:

https://arkeonews.net/earthquakes-caused-slight-damage-to-hatay-archeology-museum/

… and damage to Iskenderun-Alexandretta:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/10/iskenderun-alexandretta-ancient-city-earthquake-turkey/

… and general coverage of damage to sites in Syria and Turkey:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/historic-sites-damaged-earthquakes-turkey-syria-unesco-rcna69341
https://www.rfi.fr/en/international-news/20230209-three-ancient-cities-damaged-in-turkey-syria-quake
https://today.duke.edu/2023/02/earthquake-hit-region-generosity-and-cultural-significance
https://phys.org/news/2023-02-unesco-alarm-quake-turkey-syria.html
https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1204218/concern-for-seleucid-eramonuments/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/unesco-several-world-heritage-sites-damaged-or-destroyed-in-quakes/
https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/turkiyes-rich-southeast-heritage-severely-damaged-after-quakes/news

… three historic mosques destroyed in Turkey:

https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/turkey-earthquake-iconic-mosques-destroyed

… and Gobekli Tepe escaped damage:

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/02/prehistoric-world-heritage-site-gobekli-tepe-survives-turkey-earthquakes

Comparisons of the earthquake with previous ones in the region:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-the-great-lisbon-earthquake-of-1755-tells-us-about-this-weeks-disaster-4d03c657?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/02/07/history-turkey-syria-earthquake/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWJpZCI6IjE4NjE0NDMiLCJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNjc1NzQ2MDAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNjc3MDQxOTk5LCJpYXQiOjE2NzU3NDYwMDAsImp0aSI6IjAxY2FlZDQ2LTYyNGItNDYyMC1hMzhmLTdlNDk2YjhhZjU5YSIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS93b3JsZC8yMDIzLzAyLzA3L2hpc3RvcnktdHVya2V5LXN5cmlhLWVhcnRocXVha2UvIn0.87LeGu_Ff1Xfuzf69DHMfHVOvRA88B_kN-y8rgO0Rf4

The annual Roman/history spins on Valentine’s Day:

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/valentines-day-2023-origins-backgrounds-182933270.html
https://www.mainlinemedianews.com/2023/02/06/brown-te-amo-catullus-and-sentiments-of-love-from-roman-antiquity/
https://news.umanitoba.ca/lessons-on-love-from-ancient-greeks-and-taylor-swift/

… and cupid:

https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/cupid-valentines-day-origins
https://fortune.com/2023/02/08/valnetines-day-cupid-roman-god-mythology/

… and a history of Valentine’s Day cards:

https://apnews.com/article/valentines-day-cards-history-1ed39b67dfb913b53e3700e415b87779
https://www.history.co.uk/articles/the-strange-history-of-valentines-day-cards

… and the heart as a symbol of love:

https://scrippsnews.com/stories/why-is-the-heart-the-symbol-of-love/
============================================================
PHILOSOPHERS AND MATTERS PHILOSOPHICAL
============================================================
Feature on Anaximander and the development of scientific thinking:

https://www.economist.com/culture/2023/02/08/anaximander-is-a-hero-in-the-development-of-scientific-thinking

Resons not to be a Stoic:

https://theconversation.com/3-reasons-not-to-be-a-stoic-and-try-nietzsche-instead-198307
============================================================
MUSEUM MATTERS
============================================================
Labyrinth ~ Knossos, Myth, and Reality:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/11/minoan-artifacts-oxford-museum/
https://marlborough.news/news/exploring-the-minotaur-and-the-labyrinth-at-the-ashmolean-museum/

Executions:

https://theconversation.com/what-historic-executions-in-london-can-tell-us-about-our-contemporary-appetites-for-pain-and-vulnerability-198904

Hogarth:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-64516131

Freud’s Antiquity:

https://museumcrush.org/the-psychology-of-collecting-freuds-antiquity-at-the-freud-museum/

George McJunkin:

https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/highereducation/museum-introduces-exhibit-featuring-black-archaeologist-for-black-history-month/article_add8b576-a4d2-11ed-8a39-2b0d2b5485b4.html

Vermeer:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/09/arts/design/vermeer-painter-rijksmuseum-review.html?
https://apnews.com/article/new-york-city-netherlands-painting-entertainment-d0fa6bda598d22711ce9a16b2bd69c81

Leon Monet:

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/feb/07/the-other-monet-impressionists-brother-is-star-of-new-exhibition

cf: https://museeduluxembourg.fr/fr/agenda/evenement/leon-monet

Anne Boleyn:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/feb/12/anne-boleyn-reputation-as-temptress-recast-new-exhibition

On the plethora of ‘blockbuster’ exhibitions:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-08/vermeer-rijksmuseum-exhibition-2023-in-amsterdam-is-latest-bucket-list-art-show

The Allard Pierson Museum is doing a major provenance check of its collection:

https://nltimes.nl/2023/02/09/allard-pierson-museum-investigating-19000-archaeological-objects-obtained

Deaccessioning at the Brauer Museum of Art to fund student dorm construction is being criticized:

https://hyperallergic.com/799773/indiana-university-brauer-museum-catches-heat-for-plan-deaccession-works/

When museums bet on the Superbowl:

https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-kansas-city-art-museums-artful-super-bowl-wager/
============================================================
AUCTIONS AND SALES RELATED
============================================================
A recently-rediscovered Brueghel the Younger work is coming to auction:

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/02/07/unusually-large-brueghel-the-younger-paintingrediscovered-in-france-offered-at-paris-auction-for-600000
============================================================
THE TECHY SIDE
============================================================
Latest facial reconstruction is of a Nabataean woman:

https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/lifestyle/history-archeology-ancient-saudi-arabia-nabataea-b2276517.html
https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/reconstruction-nabataean-woman-help-understanding-000100430.html
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/saudi-arabia-nabataean-woman-archeological-discovery/index.html
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11188-230209-nabataean-woman-face

============================================================
TOURISTY THINGS
============================================================
10 archaeological sites in Greece:

https://www.thetravel.com/best-archeological-sites-in-greece/

Menorca megaliths:

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230205-menorcas-mysterious-tables-for-giants

Buddhist remains in Swabi:

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2399496/aziz-dheri-and-the-footprints-of-buddhism-in-k-p

… and Purana Qila:

https://theprint.in/features/purana-qila-is-being-dug-up-again-asi-wants-to-reach-all-the-way-to-the-mahabharata-era/1352926/
============================================================
CRIME BEAT
============================================================
Arrest of ten suspects in Sri Lanka accused of illegal excavations:

http://www.colombopage.com/archive_23A/Feb09_1675921651CH.php

More on a court upholding the charges of antiquities trafficking against a former Louvre director:

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/02/10/appeals-court-upholds-antiquities-trafficking-charges-jean-luc-martinez-jean-francois-charnier

Feature on artifact theft and sale:

https://brownpoliticalreview.org/2023/02/raiders-of-the-lost-art-brown-political-review/
———-
conflict antiquities:

http://conflictantiquities.wordpress.com/

anonymous swiss collector:

http://www.anonymousswisscollector.com/

Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues:

http://paul-barford.blogspot.ca/

Looting Matters:

http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/

Illicit Cultural Property:

http://illicit-cultural-property.blogspot.com/

SAFE:

http://www.savingantiquities.org/blog/

============================================================
REPATRIATION AND RECOVERY
============================================================
France is returning the Djidji Ayokwe drum to the Ivory Coast:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/french-museum-returns-talking-drum-to-ivory-coast-180981577/?

Switzerland returned a 2500 years bp Chavin head to Peru:

https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start/documentation/media-releases.msg-id-92892.html

Efforts to bring Civil War items back to Vermont:

https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2023-02-07/high-school-student-leading-charge-to-bring-civil-war-artifacts-back-to-vermont

France wants the body of Napoleon III back:

https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1243/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1243/pub/1243/page/27/article/NaN

Another feature on UK items folks want back:

https://hir.harvard.edu/monarchy-and-museum-ethics/

More on returns of 14 items from the US to Italy:

https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/06/d-a-bragg-returns-14-stolen-antiquities-to-italy/

OpEd on the Benin Bronzes in the British Museum:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/feb/05/british-museum-benin-bronzes-nigeria

OpEd on the Guggenheim art lawsuit:

https://seattlespectator.com/2023/02/08/guggenheim-art-lawsuit-raises-questions-about-property-ethics/

Suggestion that some ‘loot’ plundered from Ethiopia might be in storage in Yorkshire:

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/historians-bid-to-trace-lost-loot-plundered-by-the-british-during-colonial-war-in-ethiopia-that-was-last-seen-in-leeds-general-infirmary-in-1868-4017467

A Swiss collector is wondering if some things in his collection might be Nazi loot:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/07/arts/bruno-stefanini-collection-looted-art.html

A settlement in a dispute over a looted Klimt:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/10/arts/design/ronald-lauder-klimt-painting-restitution.html
============================================================
NUMISMATICA
============================================================
Feature on Dionysus on ancient coins:

https://coinweek.com/ancient-coins/god-of-wine-dionysus-on-ancient-coins/

Latest e-Sylum:

http://www.coinbooks.org/v26/club_nbs_esylum_v26n06.html

… and the one which should appear later today:

http://www.coinbooks.org/v26/club_nbs_esylum_v26n07.html
————————

Coin Week:

http://www.coinweek.com/

============================================================
OBITUARIES
============================================================
Jane F Gardner:

https://blogs.reading.ac.uk/classics-at-reading/2023/02/03/professor-jane-f-gardner-1934-2023/

Robert Williamson:

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/capitalgazette/name/robert-williamson-obituary?id=42402647

============================================================
AUDIO/VIDEO NEWS
============================================================
Audio News from Archaeologica:

https://www.archaeologychannel.org/audio-guide/audio-news/3258-audio-news-from-archaeologica-january-29th-through-february-4th-2023
============================================================
GENERAL ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS BLOGS
============================================================
Archaeology Magazine News Page:

http://www.archaeology.org/news/

About.com Archaeology:

http://archaeology.about.com/

Archaeology Briefs:

http://archaeologybriefs.blogspot.com/

Atlas Obscura:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/

Heritage Daily:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/

Sapiens Archaeology:

https://www.sapiens.org/category/archaeology/

Taygete Atlantis excavations blogs aggregator:

http://planet.atlantides.org/taygete/
============================================================
PODCASTS/VODCASTS
============================================================
Archaeosoup:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Archaeos0up?feature=watch

Archaeology Podcast Network:

http://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/
============================================================
EXPLORATOR is a free weekly newsletter bringing you the latest
news of archaeological finds, historical research and the like.
Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured for news of
the ‘ancient world’ (broadly construed: practically anything relating
to archaeology or history up to a century or so ago is fair
game) and every Sunday they are delivered to your mailbox free of
charge!
============================================================
Useful Addresses
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===========================================================

Explorator 25.42 ~ February 5. 2023

Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out).

============================================================
EARLY HOMINIDS
============================================================
A site in Germany reveals the elephant-hunting activities of Neanderthals:

https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2023/02/archaeological-breakthrough-evidence-that-neanderthals-hunted-giant-elephants
https://phys.org/news/2023-02-neanderthals-butchered-massive-elephants.html
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/feb/01/pit-find-in-germany-reveals-how-neanderthals-hunted-huge-elephants
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/02/science/archaeology-neanderthals-elephants.html
https://www.rfi.fr/en/science-environment/20230201-neanderthals-hunted-butchered-massive-elephants-study
https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1237/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1237/pub/1237/page/48/article/NaN
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neanderthals-hunted-and-butchered-massive-elephants-125000-years-ago-180981578/

cf: https://www.science.org/content/article/neanderthals-lived-groups-big-enough-eat-giant-elephants

Meanwhile, also in Spain, the Cueva del Arco provides evidence of cave bears as well as hominids:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/03/bear-clawed-cavern-discovered-in-spain-opens-new-door-on-prehistory

Studying the physical implications of the Neanderthal’s high-meat diet:

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-02-05/ty-article/the-neanderthals-and-the-mystery-of-the-missing-zinc/00000186-20c8-d442-a18f-afc96f5a0000
https://the-past.com/news/the-feasibility-of-using-zinc-isotopes-as-a-proxy-for-diet/

More on the 1.2 years bp obsidian workshop from Ethiopia:

https://cosmosmagazine.com/history/obsidian-handaxe-workshop/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11166-230201-ethiopia-obsidian-axes

More on the herbivore skulls apparently collected by Neanderthals in the Cueva Des-Cubierta in Spain:

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-01-31/ty-article/archaeologists-report-anomalous-collection-of-animal-skulls-by-neanderthals-in-spain/00000186-07a4-d2bd-a3df-a7e6a53a0000
https://cosmosmagazine.com/history/neanderthal-skull-cave/
https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/neanderthals-may-have-used-animal-skulls-as-decor
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/neanderthals-kept-animal-skulls-as-hunting-trophies/146069
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/02/study-confirms-that-neanderthals-possessed-symbolic-capacity/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11172-230202-neanderthal-trophy-skulls

More on the possible homo erectus skull recently found in China:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/ancient-skull-found-in-china-might-be-homo-erectus

Feature on Olduvai Gorge:

https://face2faceafrica.com/article/exploring-olduvai-gorge-a-rich-archaeological-site-in-east-africa-where-evidence-of-the-first-humans-was-found

Feature on the Rift Valley:

https://aeon.co/essays/the-rift-valley-tells-the-entire-human-story-from-the-start

Rethinking the ‘one place’ homo sapiens origin story:

https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/human-evolution-east-africa/
============================================================
AFRICA
============================================================
Possible identification of water management structures at Great Zimbabwe:

https://geo.au.dk/en/collaboration/water-in-africa/great-zimbabwe
https://www.sciencealert.com/mysterious-medieval-city-in-africa-had-a-genius-system-to-survive-drought
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11169-230202-zimbabwe-water-management

Evidence of LSA meat, milk, and marine resource processing from Namaqualand (South Africa):

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-28577-1

============================================================
ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
============================================================
Not sure if we mentioned this group of Second Intermediate Period family burials from the Dra’ Abu al-Naga necropolis:

https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/122226/Egyptian-archeological-mission-uncovers-family-burials-from-the-2nd-intermediate

Archaeologists have located the site of the Great Revolt mentioned in the Rosetta Stone (and elsewhere):

https://www.livescience.com/rosetta-stone-ancient-egyptian-battle-site

A study of mummification practices based on finds from a ‘workshop’ found a few years ago:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-mummy-ancient-egyptian-workshop-clues.html
https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/487395/Antiquities/Ancient-Egypt/Unveiling-the-nature-of-the-materials-used-in-mumm.aspx
https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/ancient-egypts-mummification-ingredients-came-far-flung-locales-2023-02-01/
https://apnews.com/article/science-germany-religion-68735c4de698a1662897910e8879e283
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-11701781/How-make-mummy-Ancient-Egyptian-workshop-new-clues.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2023/02/01/egyptian-mummy-ingredients/
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-02-01/ty-article/how-to-make-a-mummy-archaeologists-reveal-ancient-recipe-for-embalming-in-egypt/00000186-0775-df90-a3cf-f7f5fc150000
https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/researchers-reveal-secrets-to-ancient-egypts-mummification
https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/03/mummy-mixtures-egypt/
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/ancient-egypt-mummy-saqqara-necropolis-burial-chamber-journal-nature-rcna68759?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab
https://www.sciencealert.com/ancient-goo-spills-the-secrets-of-how-the-egyptians-mummified-their-dead
https://www.zmescience.com/science/ancient-egyptian-mummification-ingridients/
https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/02/teasing-out-the-secret-recipes-for-mummification-in-ancient-egypt/
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/egyptian-mummy-chemical-mixtures
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2357581-ancient-egyptians-used-exotic-oils-from-distant-lands-to-make-mummies/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/secrets-of-ancient-egyptian-mummification-materials-revealed/146081
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-oldest-known-gold-covered-mummy-in-egypt-180981567/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/02/the-chemistry-of-mummification-traces-of-a-global-network/

cf: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00094-1
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-04400-1
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00292-x

More on the 4300 years bp gold-wrapped mummified person found at Saqqara:

https://www.livescience.com/oldest-gold-covered-egyptian-mummy
https://cairoscene.com/Buzz/Egyptian-Archaeologists-Discover-4-300-Year-Old-Intact-Mummy
https://hypebeast.com/2023/1/egyptian-archaeologists-uncover-hekashepes-mummy-cairo
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-egypt/earliest-mummified-remains-found-in-egypt/
https://www.sciencealert.com/archaeologists-mayve-discovered-the-oldest-and-most-complete-egyptian-mummy-yet

More on the Roman-era city found near Luxor:

https://www.livescience.com/ancient-roman-residences-with-pigeon-towers-discovered-in-luxor-egypt
https://www.westernjournal.com/intact-1800-year-old-city-discovered-luxor-look-stunning-photographs/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11163-230131-egypt-roman-luxor

More on all the finds announced in Egypt last week (compendium articles):

https://www.timesofisrael.com/egypt-unveils-ancient-tombs-of-secret-keeper-tomb-gold-leaf-covered-mummy/
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/egypt-unveils-incredible-discoveries-including-130230627.html
https://www.euronews.com/culture/2023/01/30/egypt-unveils-new-incredible-discoveries-including-two-tombs-and-gold-covered-sarcophagus
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11158-230130-egypt-saqqara-tombs

More on the copy of the Book of the Dead from Saqqara:

https://www.livescience.com/ancient-egypt-book-of-the-dead-papyrus-found
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11167-230201-saqqara-papyrus-tomb

More on the 20 Late Period burials found at the Tell el-Deir necropolis:

https://the-past.com/news/new-tombs-and-golden-amulets-found-in-new-damietta/

More on the Thutmosid-era royal tomb found in the Valley of the Kings:

https://the-past.com/news/royal-tomb-discovered-near-valley-of-the-kings/

The latest finds from Saqqara are apparently heading to the GEM:

https://see.news/gem-to-house-saqqaras-latest-archaeological-discoveries

Zahi Hawass on the Rosetta Stone:

https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/50/1207/487317/AlAhram-Weekly/Heritage/Can-you-believe-the-Rosetta-Stone-is-not-in-Egypt.aspx

Feature on Nefertiti:

https://www.livescience.com/who-is-nefertiti-ancient-egypt

Feature on what Egyptian pyramids originally looked like:

https://www.livescience.com/how-egyptian-pyramids-originally-looked

Feature on all the dog burials at the Catacombs of Anubis:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/why-is-an-ancient-egyptian-mass-grave-of-dogs-stumping-archaeologists
https://www.iflscience.com/8-millions-dog-mummies-were-buried-within-the-catacombs-of-anubis-67277

Feature on sex in Egyptian religion:

https://www.salon.com/2023/01/29/ancient-egyptians-were-so-into-oral-sex-they-put-it-in-their-religion–and-religious-art/

Feature on the earliest mention of Sinai as a place name:

https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2023/02/sinai-journeys-khety

The foundations of two very large structures (date?) were found near Persepolis:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/481399/Foundations-of-two-giant-structures-unearthed-near-Persepolis

Evidence of a seasonal settlement of a nomadic people (date?) from near the Chamshir Dam site:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/481390/Nomadic-settlement-discovered-near-hydraulic-dam

Plans for a survey in Babylon:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/481389/Iranian-archaeologists-to-perform-survey-in-Babylon

A study of the shield of the Urartian king Argishti has revealed the name of an unknown country/nation/people:

https://arkeonews.net/urartian-king-argishtis-shield-reveals-the-name-of-an-unknown-country/

Study suggests metal working on the Tehran plain dates back to the 5th millennium BCE:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/481441/Earliest-evidence-of-metalworking-on-Tehran-plain-dates-back

More on remains of a 5000 years bp ‘tavern’ with furniture and other features (including food remains) from Lagash:

https://www.cnn.com/style/article/5000-year-old-tavern-iraq-archaeology-intl-scli-scn
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-730454
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/5000-year-old-tavern-in-iraq-1234655867/
https://arkeonews.net/5000-year-old-public-eating-space-with-food-still-inside-discovered-in-ancient-lagash/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/30/at-a-southern-iraq-site-unearthing-the-archaeological-passing-of-time/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/5000-year-old-tavern-discovered-in-iraq-180981564/

18th/19th century remains association with the Golestan Palace in Tehran:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/481580/Centuries-old-ruins-discovered-in-UNESCO-designated-palace-downtown

A pair of 4000 years bp cuneiform tablets written in the Amorite language:

https://www.livescience.com/tablets-with-lost-canaanite-language
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/lost-canaanite-language-decoded-on-ancient-clay-tablets/146110

On using AI to read cuneiform texts:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-ai-texts-thousands-years-readable.html
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-730612

Still not sure of the circumstances these 756 artifacts from various periods were found in Basra:

https://www.iraqinews.com/iraq/more-than-750-artifacts-discovered-in-basra/

Overview of archaeological finds in Turkey in January:

https://turkisharchaeonews.net/article/january-2023-turkish-archaeology

Feature on Smyrna:

https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/01/31/smyrna-history-asia-minor-2/

More on the 1000 years bp moat and handprint from Jerusalem:

https://www.archaeology.org/news/11162-230131-jerusalem-crusades-moat

Again we read of Israeli forces taking artifacts from Sebastia:

https://imemc.org/article/wafa-israeli-forces-steal-artifacts-from-archeological-site-near-nablus/
https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/133081
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230130-israel-steals-artefacts-from-palestinian-site-in-nablus/

… and a related OpEd:

https://www.ynetnews.com/travel/article/r1rr89p2s
—–
This Week in the Ancient Near East Podcast:

https://thisweekintheancientneareast.podbean.com/

============================================================
ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME (AND CLASSICS)
============================================================
Evidence of a Roman legion in central Cornwall:

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/celebs-tv/digging-britain-reveals-evidence-10000-8088137

Remains of a section of Roman road and other finds from Sherford (Plymouth):

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-64512968
https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/history/gallery/fascinating-roman-road-uncovered-underneath-8107495

A pair of amphoras washed ashore at Sant-Antioco (coverage in Italian):

https://www.castedduonline.it/santantioco-due-antiche-anfore-portate-a-riva-dalle-mareggiate/

A study of a 3rd century Roman tiles from a factory in Corby:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-64411756

A 4th century (?) personified image of Roma found during Metro C construction:

https://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/it/notizie/rubriche/cultura/2023/02/02/dagli-scavi-metro-c-emerge-roma-donna-simbolo-della-citta_91f85e6a-673f-4e68-beac-2a65a1b05c0e.html?idPhoto=1
https://storiearcheostorie.com/2023/02/04/archeonews-scavi-metro-c-su-un-raffinato-vetro-dorato-riemerge-il-volto-della-dea-roma-simbolo-della-citta/

More on the remains of the Augustan aqueduct system at Naples:

https://www.livescience.com/ancient-roman-aqueduct-discovered-naples
https://www.thestate.com/news/nation-world/world/article271936102.html
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article271936102.html
https://arkeonews.net/a-previously-unknown-subterranean-tract-of-an-augustan-era-aqueduct-has-been-rediscovered-in-naples/
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66353
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11174-230203-naples-roman-aqueduct

More on the statue of someone in the guise of Hercules (increasingly identified as Decius this week) found during sewer work near the Appian Way:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/64504306
https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/oddly-enough/roman-sewer-works-reveal-statue-emperor-posing-hercules-2023-02-02/
https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2023/02/03/sewer-ancient-statue-roman-hercules-emperor-contd-orig-zt.cnn
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/27/ancient-statue-of-hercules-emerges-from-rome-sewerage-repairs
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-03/roman-sewer-repair-reveals-statue-of-emperor-posing-as-hercules/101930192
https://tvpworld.com/66025619/italy-statue-of-roman-emperor-uncovered-during-sewer-repairs
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/hercules-statue-discovery-roman-sewer-2249303
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/roman-emperor-statue-found-sewer-repair-appian-way-1234656238/
https://hyperallergic.com/797413/life-size-hercules-statue-unearthed-from-roman-sewer/
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66313
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66366
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/31/life-sized-statue-of-hercules-found-on-the-appia-antica/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11160-230130-rome-hercules-statue

More on the assorted 2000 years bp gemstones found in a bathhouse drain near Hadrian’s Wall:

https://www.livescience.com/roman-bathhouse-gemstones-england
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jan/28/roman-bathers-gems-carved-stones-archaeologists-hadrians-wall
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cumbria-64458322
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-730516
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/carved-gems-down-the-drain-1234655704/
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/carlisle-roman-bathhouse-gems-intaglios-2249378
https://arkeonews.net/archeologists-discovered-a-treasure-trove-at-the-bottom-of-an-ancient-roman-bathhouse-drain-near-hadrians-wall/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/archaeology-project-uncovers-roman-gems-near-hadrians-wall/146060
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lost-gems-over-2000-years-old-found-in-roman-baths-180981566/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11170-230202-jewels-bath-drain

More on the search for the oldest section of the Appian Way:

https://www.thelocal.it/20230127/rome-archaeologists-continue-search-for-start-of-appian-way/

More on Roman self-repairing concrete:

https://english.elpais.com/culture/2023-02-01/the-self-repairing-concrete-that-keeps-the-colosseum-standing.html

More on the dodecahedron found in Belgium:

https://www.livescience.com/roman-dodecahedron-discovered-belgium
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/fragment-roman-dodecahedron-found-belgium-1234656082/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11168-230201-belgium-roman-dodecahedron

More on using AI to figure out Greek inscriptions:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/01/28/greek-inscriptions-ai-deep-neural-networks/

The stadium at Nemea reopened to tourists this week:

https://greekherald.com.au/news/ancient-nemea-stadium-in-greece-reopens-to-visitors/
https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1203585/ancient-nemea-stadium-to-reopen/
https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/01/greece-stadium-ancient-nemea/

Feature on Laurie Reitsema’s work with the human remains from the battle of Himera:

https://news.uga.edu/anthropologist-weighs-in-on-ancient-greek-history/

Joel Christensen on women and witchcraft in Greek myth:

https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2023/01/31/women-witchcraft-and-greek-myth-academic-minute

Feature on Elizabeth S. Greene:

https://www.archaeological.org/member-spotlight-elizabeth-s-greene/

Review of Caroline Freeman-Cuerden, *Battle Elephants and Flamin Foxes: Animals in the Roman World:

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/butchered-to-make-a-roman-holiday-cruelty-to-animals-in-and-out-of-the-colosseum/

Review/extract of Christopher Hadley, *The Road*:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/roman-roads-history-england-culture-archeology-b2270677.html

Feature on Phillis Wheatley’s Greek-inspired poetry:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/01/31/first-african-american-poet-love-ancient-greece-phillis-wheatley/

OpEd on keeping the Parthenon Sculptures in the UK:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/art/what-to-see/case-keeping-elgin-marbles/

Feature on how the Parthenon Sculptures ended up in the British Museum:

https://www.openculture.com/2023/02/how-the-parthenon-marbles-ended-up-in-the-british-museum.html

Feature pondering when Rome fell:

https://www.livescience.com/when-did-rome-fall

Feature on Greek mathematics:

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-vexing-problem-of-ancient-greek-mathematics/

Feature on the Kritios Boy:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/01/29/who-beheaded-kritios-boy-masterpiece-ancient-greek-art/

Feature on funding the arts in ancient Athens:

https://retrospectjournal.com/2023/01/29/funding-the-arts-in-ancient-athens/

Feature on ancient warrior women:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/01/29/warrior-women-gamers-ancient-world-female-fighters/

Feature on Greek colonies in south Asia:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/02/ancient-greek-colonies-south-asia/
—–
Roman Archaeology Blog:

http://romanarc.blogspot.com/

Rogueclassicism:

http://rogueclassicism.com/
============================================================
EUROPE AND THE UK (+ Ireland)
============================================================
Remains of a Neolithic era settlement at Lough Foyle:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-64505669

7000 years bp (maybe) cave paintings from Bestazovca Cave in Slovenia:

https://english.sta.si/3133520/mysterious-cave-paintings-in-slovenia-hidden-in-bestazovca-cave

A metal detectorist in Bexhill came across a 3500 years bp bronze hoard:

https://www.sussexlive.co.uk/news/sussex-news/3500-year-old-bronze-age-8113416

A study of a cremation site in Derbyshire suggests Vikings brought their horses and other animals with them:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-solid-scientific-evidence-vikings-brought.html
https://www.livescience.com/burial-reveals-vikings-brought-animals-to-uk
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-64431142
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/64500686
https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/23293763.vikings-brought-animals-say-york-archaeologists/
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/feb/01/vikings-animals-england-research-derbyshire-cremation-baltic-shield
https://news.sky.com/story/vikings-brought-dogs-and-horses-to-the-uk-12801259
https://www.inverse.com/science/at-least-one-viking-warrior-brought-his-horse-dog-to-britain
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/vikings-brought-horses-and-dogs-to-england-study-finds-180981569/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/02/evidence-suggests-vikings-brought-animals-to-britain/

A dig at the Borders is hoped to provide some light on stories associated with Merlin:

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/homenews/23284233.archaeologists-shed-light-mystery-merlin/

LiDAR has revealed a large early medieval fortress site in Spain:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/lidar-reveals-sprawling-medieval-fortress/146077

A study suggests anglo-saxon monasteries were ‘more resilient’ to Viking invasions than previously thought:

https://rdg.today/uni-of-reading-dig-shows-anglo-saxon-monks-were-more-resilient-to-vikings-than-we-thought/
https://phys.org/news/2023-01-viking-brutality-monastery.html
https://arkeonews.net/anglo-saxon-monasteries-were-more-resilient-to-viking-attacks-than-thought/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/anglo-saxon-monastic-communities-were-resilient-to-viking-raids/146065
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/01/viking-brutality-failed-to-wipe-out-community-dig-finds/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11177-230203-monastery-viking-raid

cf: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0280589

Rethinking some ‘pagan masks’ found in a medieval site back in the 1960s:

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-02-01/ty-article/ancient-pagan-masks-debunked-by-archaeologists-in-poland/00000186-0bde-dd5c-a987-1fffbd7d0001

An examination of the Hambleden Hoard has revealed some gold coins of Edward III:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-64512980
https://www.bristolworld.com/news/bristol-dad-of-three-among-group-of-detectorists-to-find-ps150k-hoard-of-medieval-coins-4013659

A metal detectorist came across a Tudor jewel (in 2019) with connections to Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon in Warwickshire:

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/jan/31/metal-detectorist-tudor-gold-pendant-henry-viii-katherine-of-aragon-warwickshire
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/03/world/europe/detectorist-pendant-henry-viii.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-64469038
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/henry-viii-gold-necklace-katherine-aragon-b2272710.html
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cafe-owner-unearths-tudor-bling-with-henry-viii-at-heart-gp39rcjcl
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/a-beep-beep-beep-and-id-found-henry-viiis-bling-0cwzwtm5x
https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/news/tudor-jewel-discovered/
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/detectorists-find-gold-necklace-wedding-henry-viii-catherine-of-aragon-b1056810.html
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/amateur-detectorist-tudor-pendant-scli-intl-scn/index.html
https://www.pennlive.com/life/2023/02/shrieked-like-a-little-schoolgirl-man-makes-astonishing-find-with-metal-detector.html
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66341
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/detectorist-finds-tudor-jewellery-inscribed-with-initials-of-henry-viii-and-catherine-of-aragon/146072
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/01/tudor-jewel-associated-with-henry-viii-and-katherine-of-aragon/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/metal-detectorist-discovers-rare-gold-pendant-celebrating-henry-viiis-first-marriage-180981557/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11173-230203-tudor-gold-heart

A study of bones from the Battle of Waterloo site:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-two-century-old-mystery-waterloo-skeletal.html

A mudlarker came across this ‘Roman’ cup but it seems rather later:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-64468180

Latest finds during work at Calverley Old Hall include children’s shoes and a ‘witch bottle’:

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/calverley-old-hall-centuries-old-bonnet-childrens-shoes-and-witch-bottle-found-behind-walls-of-yorkshire-manor-house-4010377

More on bog bodies over the ages:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/30/science/archaeology-bogs-mummies.html
https://the-past.com/news/bog-bodies-part-of-burial-tradition-spanning-millennia-study-finds/
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/01/bog-dead-bodies-preserved-ny-times-peat-moss-headlines.html

More on the Iron Age votive deposit of bronze items from near Chelmo:

https://www.centredaily.com/news/nation-world/world/article271833407.html
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/02/place-of-sacrifice-from-2500-years-ago-years-found-near-chelmno/

More on the !ron Age chariot axle from Sizewell:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-64401388
https://www.suffolklive.com/news/suffolk-news/exceptionally-rare-iron-age-chariot-8079356
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11164-230131-england-wooden-axle

More on the xray of a 1300 years bp block of soil revealing a silver cross and garnet:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-64428086
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66323
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11171-230202-england-silver-cross

More on the Civil War-related finds from Coleshill Manor:

https://arkeonews.net/excavations-at-coleshill-may-rewrite-english-civil-war-history/

More on the identification of a 17th century Dutch shipwreck off Eastbourne:

https://www.jpost.com/j-spot/article-730016
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66328
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/01/scientists-and-archaeologists-confirm-identity-of-17th-c-dutch-warship/

More on the Victorian lead coffin burial of a surgeon found at Leicester Cathedral:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-64415265
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11165-230201-leicester-lead-coffin

More on the Nescliffe Hill carving puzzle:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-64426061

Thornborough Henges is opening to the public:

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/feb/03/thornborough-henges-north-yorkshire-gifted-england-heritage
https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1237/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1237/pub/1237/page/40/article/NaN
https://www.theguardian.com/society/video/2023/feb/03/the-thornborough-henges-drone-footage-shows-enormous-ancient-burial-site-in-north-yorkshire-video

Erosion concerns for some sites in Ireland:

https://www.buzz.ie/culture/photos-show-irelands-archaeological-heritage-29085651

Seeking a home for the remains of Saxon St Eanswythe:

https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1236/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1236/pub/1236/page/39/article/NaN

Feature on megalithic tombs of Ireland:

https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0dzbtgw/the-megalithic-tombs-of-ancient-ireland

Feature on the growing popularity of metal detecting in the UK:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/feb/05/metal-heads-the-thriving-detectorist-scene-digging-up-britains-past

———-
Archaeology in Europe News:

http://archaeology-in-europe.blogspot.com/

Medievalists.net:

https://www.medievalists.net/category/news/

Viking Archaeology Blog:

http://viking-archaeology-blog.blogspot.com/

============================================================
ASIA AND THE SOUTH PACIFIC
============================================================
21 Western Han Dynasty burials of ‘subordinates’ from Changsha:

http://www.china.org.cn/china/Off_the_Wire/2023-01/31/content_85081756.htm
http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2023-02/01/content_85082651.htm

More than 10 000 Han Dynasty bamboo scripts and seal impressions from Yunnan:

https://www.shine.cn/news/nation/2302035792/
http://t.m.china.org.cn/convert/c_P17xPyOO.html

A possible ‘guarding household’ site (Song-Yuan Dyansty) from Henan:

http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2023-02/02/content_85084876.htm

Muon scans of 650 years bp walls in Xi’an reveal assorted anomalies:

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/muon-scan-mystery-ancient-chinese-wall
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11175-230203-china-xian-muon

More on the 4th century sword and mirror from a burial in Nara:

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20230126/p2g/00m/0na/004000c
https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/lifestyle/japan-iron-sword-archaology-nara-b2273383.html
https://uk.style.yahoo.com/archaeologists-discover-8ft-iron-sword-083121037.html
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11161-230131-nara-sword-mirror

Cambodian martial art reliefs from the Angkor Archaeological Park:

https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501230115/archaeologist-shows-cambodian-martial-art-sculptures-at-khmer-temples/

A pair of 1200 years bp idols from Nalanda:

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/1-200-year-old-idols-found-in-nalanda-archeological-body-seeks-possession-3749438

A 1000 years bp Dwarapala sculpture from Talangana:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/1000-year-old-dwarapala-sculpture-cries-for-attention/article66446929.ece

Illegal mining in Tamil Nadu threatens an Uzhakudi archaeological site:

https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2023/feb/03/uzhakudi-archaeological-remains-threatened-by-illegal-mining-in-tamil-nadu-2543798.html

Restoration of a colonial building in India:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-64300791

Excavations have resume at Purana Qila:

https://theprint.in/features/purana-qila-is-being-dug-up-again-asi-wants-to-reach-all-the-way-to-the-mahabharata-era/1352926/

Feature on the origins of the Indian kurta:

https://homegrown.co.in/homegrown-voices/tracing-the-origins-of-the-indian-kurta

============================================================
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
============================================================
A study of the populating of Australia and New Guinea over 10 000 years:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-remapping-superhighways-australians-reveals-year.html

cf: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277379123000197
============================================================
NORTH AMERICA
============================================================
The Manis bone projectie point is the oldest bone weapon in the Americas (13 900 years bp):

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-oldest-bone-spear-americas.html
https://arkeonews.net/research-team-identifies-oldest-bone-spear-point-in-the-americas/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/researchers-find-oldest-projectile-point-in-the-americas/146113
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/03/oldest-bone-spear-point-identified-in-the-americas/

cf: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ade9068

A study of the Grand Plaza of Cahokia:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/study-reveals-changes-in-the-development-of-downtown-cahokia/146125

Feature on the Bluefish Caves butchery site (Ice Age):

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/bluefish-caves-yukon-first-americans

Feature on the Plum Bayou mounds:

https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2023/feb/04/the-plum-bayou-mounds/

… and one on the Newark Earthworks:

https://www.newarkadvocate.com/story/opinion/columnists/2023/02/05/lepper-burial-mounds-are-important-part-of-newark-earthworks-story/69858806007/

Feature on the waters of Saratoga Springs:

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/new-york/small-town-with-unique-history-ny/

Feature on a ‘mysterious’ shipwreck on North Carolina’s Outer Banks coast a century or so ago:

https://www.macon.com/news/nation-world/national/article271867482.html

Connecticut may be next to exonerate past accused witches:

https://apnews.com/article/politics-connecticut-state-government-massachusetts-9a85bbfc5b8726d729d66c243cb10f15

Southport Park is seeking induction to the National Registor of Historic Places for its role in the Pequot War:

https://www.wshu.org/connecticut-news/2023-01-31/southport-park-to-be-nominated-as-a-historic-site-in-the-pequot-war

Feature on Thomas Commeraw pottery:

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/artists/thomas-commeraw-new-york-historical-society-exhibition-1234655995/

A US court has ruled that the effects of drilling near Chaco near to be considered:

https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-bureau-of-land-management-climate-and-environment-business-f4aaa217511adc62cac313d0ea5bd0f5

A roundup of this month’s Ancient Americas Zoom events:

https://mikeruggerisevents.tumblr.com/

… and the latest Aztlander Magazine of the Americas:

https://aztlander.wordpress.com/2023/01/31/february-2023-aztlander-magazine-of-the-americas/

—–
Mike Ruggeri’s Ancient Americas Breaking News:

http://goo.gl/1VdeA

Mike Ruggeri’s Ancient Americas lecture channels on Youtube:

https://mikeruggerisyoutube.tumblr.com/

Ancient MesoAmerica News:

http://ancient-mesoamerica-news-updates.blogspot.com/

============================================================
SOUTH AMERICA
============================================================
More concerns arising from the Maya Train project:

https://apnews.com/article/central-america-endangered-species-mexico-climate-and-environment-65808b5a88d76c639a540385da073b4d

============================================================
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
============================================================
AI has uncovered a lost Lope de Vega play:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/05/artificial-intelligence-uncovers-lost-work-by-titan-of-spains-golden-age

Review of a biography of the Wife of Bath:

https://www.npr.org/2023/02/04/1146691833/wife-of-bath-canterbury-tales-chaucer

On the attractions of archaeology:

https://theconversation.com/what-makes-archaeology-useful-as-well-as-exciting-it-offers-lessons-from-the-past-197539

On a long search for purported Nazi loot in the Netherlands:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/29/world/europe/nazi-treasure-dutch-village.html

On the history of ‘lorem ipsum’:

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/01/lorem-ipsum-history-origins.html

On possible ‘triggers’ at Canadian battle sites:

https://tnc.news/2023/01/30/parks-canada-survey/

Not sure where to put this item on a deceased Vatican cleric’s art collection:

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/01/30/vatican-canons-lauded-art-collection-under-new-scrutiny

Plans to ‘bring back’ the dodo:

https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/31/world/dodo-bring-back-from-extinction-colossal-scn/index.html
https://apnews.com/article/science-oddities-dallas-business-d6ebba58ba92c03c46418c0c68276ed8

A 17th century notebook of a major Shakespeare fan is going on display:

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/feb/04/tiny-notebook-by-first-shakespeare-geek-show-stratford-first-folio-exhibition

On the history of distraction:

https://aeon.co/essays/google-didnt-break-your-brain-a-history-of-distraction

On assorted ‘traditions’ still celebrated in the UK:

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230203-the-unruly-ancient-rituals-still-practised-today

Feature on Colette:

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230125-colette-the-most-beloved-french-writer-of-all-time

Feature on warrior women in the ancient world:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/01/29/warrior-women-gamers-ancient-world-female-fighters/

On the history of tamales:

https://apnews.com/article/mexico-candlemas-day-tamales-b75cc93957118cac8230ea238de6ba8e

On a different reading of the Great Gatsby:

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/03/great-gatsby-book-fitzgerald-race-interpretation/672778/

19th century paintings are being used to document increasing air pollution:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-air-pollution-visible-19th-century-artists.html

cf: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2219118120

Pondering the purpose of literary criticism:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/03/arts/john-guillory-literary-criticism.html

More on 17th century aristocratic gold dental work:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/archaeologists-uncover-gold-wire-mouth-anne-dalegre-17th-century-socialite-bad-reputation/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11159-230130-france-dental-work

On whether to publish unprovenanced items or not:

https://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2023/2023.02.05/

If anyone is interested, the debate between Graham Hancock and Flint Dibble on Rogan is going to happen:

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/archaeology-v-graham-hancock-joe-rogan-hosted-showdown
https://ahotcupofjoe.net/2023/01/graham-hancock-has-questions-i-have-a-few-answers/
============================================================
CURRENT EVENTS:
============================================================
Russian art curators are apparently aiding in the looting of Ukraine museums:

https://nypost.com/2023/02/04/russian-art-curators-have-raided-dozens-of-ukraine-museums/

Ireland has a new celebration for St Brigid of Kildare:

https://apnews.com/article/travel-ireland-religion-d86f3356778e5c3bc9a8559809b7e1de

The annual items on Roman numerals and the Super Bowl:

https://sports.nbcsports.com/2023/01/31/super-bowl-2023-roman-numerals-naming/

On the history of Groundhog Day:

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/01/us/groundhog-day-weird-history-punxsutawney-phil-cec/index.html
https://www.npr.org/2023/02/02/1153728064/groundhog-day-2023-history-science-explained

First item this year on the history of Valentine’s Day:

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/why-celebrate-valentines-day-202937084.html

============================================================
PHILOSOPHERS AND MATTERS PHILOSOPHICAL
============================================================
On skepticism:

https://aeon.co/essays/four-scepticisms-what-we-can-know-about-what-we-cant-know

Feature on the political power of six philosophers:

https://bigthink.com/thinking/philosophers-political-power/
============================================================
MUSEUM MATTERS
============================================================
Vermeer:

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/feb/03/vermeer-will-never-look-the-same-amsterdam-rijksmuseum-exhibition
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/feb/03/chance-of-a-lifetime-vermeer-exhibition-to-open-in-amsterdam
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/03/arts/design/vermeer-rijksmueums.html

Enslavement:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/31/exhibition-lays-bare-church-of-englands-links-to-slave-trade
https://apnews.com/article/anglicanism-religion-dd656463d44d6348750d57cc6c91c0c7

Antakya and other sarcophagi:

https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/antakya-sarcophagus-on-display-at-hatay-archaeology-museum/news

Afghanistan:

https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/487293.aspx
https://english.elpais.com/culture/2023-02-01/a-race-against-destruction-in-search-of-afghanistans-lost-civilizations.html

Gladiators:

https://the-past.com/review/whats-on/gladiators-a-cemetery-of-secrets/

Labyrinth:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/04/knossos-palace-crete-minotaur-arthur-evans?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
https://www.apollo-magazine.com/labyrinth-knossos-myth-reality-ashmolean-museum/

cf: https://www.ashmolean.org/exhibition/labyrinth-knossos-myth-reality

Life and the Afterlife (Ancient Egypt):

https://carlos.emory.edu/exhibition/life-and-afterlife

Sacred Buddhist Land of Tay Yen Tu:

https://en.vietnamplus.vn/exhibition-displays-500-buddhist-artifacts-images-in-bac-giang/247719.vnp

Sutton Hoo:

https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/23292353.new-sutton-hoo-exhibition-suffolks-anglo-saxon-past/
https://www.suffolknews.co.uk/woodbridge/new-exhibition-to-showcase-finds-from-anglo-saxon-dig-9296820/

Donatello:

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/feb/01/donatello-queer-identity-london-exhibition

cf: https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/donatello-sculpting-the-renaissance

Femme Fatale:

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230130-femme-fatale-the-images-that-reveal-male-fears

cf: https://henry-moore.org/whats-on/the-colour-of-anxiety-race-sexuality-and-disorder-in-victorian-sculpture/
https://www.hamburger-kunsthalle.de/en/exhibitions/femme-fatale
https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/the-rossettis

Employment in Ancient Greece:

https://neoskosmos.com/en/2023/02/01/life/arts/acropolis-museum-presents-the-world-of-employment-in-ancient-athens/

Feature on the Bicycle Museum of America:

https://apnews.com/article/bicycle-museum-of-america-ohio-cycling-history-new-bremen-d5b1a7b85bef642173e11434b1e734bc

cf: https://www.bicyclemuseum.com/

Feature on the Sanliurfa Museum:

https://expatguideturkey.com/sanliurfa-archeology-museum-takes-its-visitors-back-12-thousand-years/

The debate on whether museums should display mummified human remains:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/art/what-to-see/should-ancient-egyptian-mummies-british-museums-still-display/
https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1206/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1206/pub/1206/page/86/article/NaN

More on the use of the term ‘mummy’ in UK museums:

https://observer.com/2023/01/museums-rebrand-mummy-as-mummified-persons-to-humanize-egyptian-remains/

More details on the planned National Archaeological Museum in Athens:

https://www.tornosnews.gr/en/greek-news/greek-news/culture/48350-national-archaeological-museum-will-host-125-000-ancient-treasures-in-athens.html

Review of Susan Wels, *An Assassin in Utopia*:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/03/books/review/an-assassin-in-utopia-susan-wels.html

============================================================
AUCTIONS AND SALES RELATED
============================================================
Richard III’s car park burial site is going to be auctioned (!):

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-64491329
https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1237/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1237/pub/1237/page/41/article/NaN

Coins from assorted shipwrecks are coming to auction:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-64455969

============================================================
ON THE DNA FRONT
============================================================
On the eihics of ancient human DNA research:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-should-scientists-navigate-the-ethics-of-ancient-human-dna-research-180981489/

============================================================
TOURISTY THINGS
============================================================
Istanbul hippodrome:

https://www.thetravel.com/whats-left-of-the-ancient-roman-hippodrome-in-istanbul/

Latest tourist behaving badly climbed the steps of the Temple of Kukulcan at Chichen Itza:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11692647/Polish-tourist-sparking-fury-climbing-steps-Mayan-temple-Mexico.html
https://www.complex.com/life/tourist-hit-head-stick-climbing-pyramid-mexico-video
============================================================
PERFORMANCES AND MUSIC RELATED
============================================================
Up Helly Aa fire festival:

https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2023/02/photos-up-helly-aa-viking-fire-festival/672911/

============================================================
CRIME BEAT
============================================================
An attempted robbery in Samaria led to the find of an ancient sarcophagus:

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-729984

Some antiquities thieves caught in the act in Soger (Western Galilee) did major damage to an ancient wine press:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/nabbed-antiquities-robbers-cause-heart-breaking-damage-to-ancient-wine-press/

Vague item on a bust relating to illicit trading of antiquities in Libya:

https://libyaobserver.ly/inbrief/egyptian-man-arrested-smuggling-and-illicit-trading-antiquities

Feature on antiquities trafficking in Pakistan:

https://www.dawn.com/news/1733215/floods-drugs-and-cultural-patrimony-tackling-antiquities-trafficking-in-pakistan

A French court has refused to drop antiquities smuggling charges against a former director of the Louvre:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/03/arts/design/martinez-louvre-trafficking-charges.html
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/jean-luc-martinez-antiquities-trafficking-charges-maintained-2250962
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/french-court-upholds-charges-jean-luc-martinez-antiquities-trafficking-investigation-1234656254/
———-
conflict antiquities:

http://conflictantiquities.wordpress.com/

anonymous swiss collector:

http://www.anonymousswisscollector.com/

Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues:

http://paul-barford.blogspot.ca/

Looting Matters:

http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/

Illicit Cultural Property:

http://illicit-cultural-property.blogspot.com/

SAFE:

http://www.savingantiquities.org/blog/

============================================================
REPATRIATION AND RECOVERY
============================================================
An Irish politician wants the British Museum to return a chalice:

https://www.irishcentral.com/news/mount-keefe-chalice

Switzerland is returning 15 items to Greece:

https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/02/03/swiss-court-orders-15-ancient/
https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1203797/ancient-artifacts-to-return-home-from-switzerland/
https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/03/greek-antiquities-repatriated-switzerland/
https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/02/04/restitution-of-looted-ancient-artefacts-from-switzerland/
https://www.tornosnews.gr/en/greek-news/culture/48362-geneva-court-fifteen-antiquities-on-their-way-back-to-greece-from-switzerland.html
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/03/fifteen-ancient-artefacts-to-be-repatriated-from-switzerland/

France is redoing its restitution practices:

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/02/02/new-french-restitution-laws-should-benefit-the-marketand-maybe-force-change-in-britain-too

Israel (or politicians) is probing the legality of US returns of an antiquity to Palestine:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/far-right-minister-probes-legality-of-us-returning-looted-artifact-to-palestinians/
https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-palestinian-territories-israel-6931c3b693f13a15a245a798d53ddcac
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/israel-probes-legality-of-us-giving-artifact-to-palestinians/
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/art-culture/israel-probes-legality-of-us-giving-2700-yo-artifact-to-pale
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/israel-probes-legality-us-giving-artifact-palestinians-96868981
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-03/israel-probes-legality-of-us-giving-artefact-to-palestinians/101930274
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-02-03/ty-article/u-s-gives-artifact-to-palestinians-sparking-dispute-with-israels-far-right-govt/00000186-165e-d840-a78e-7edef55b0000
https://news.yahoo.com/israel-probes-legality-us-giving-064522927.html

The US is returning 14 items to Italy:

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/02/03/repatriation-14-looted-antiquities-new-york-italy
https://www.manhattanda.org/d-a-bragg-returns-14-stolen-antiquities-to-italy/
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2023/02/03/US-New-York-returns-14-stolen-antiquities-to-Italy
https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/new-york-returns-14-stolen-antiquities-italy.1011360

… and Italy has received 214 items back from ‘New York’ in the past seven months:

https://www.thelocal.it/20230203/new-york-returns-214-stolen-artworks-to-italy-in-seven-months/

India has retrieved 229 antiquities since 2014:

https://theprint.in/india/229-antiquities-retrieved-from-foreign-countries-since-2014-govt/1350323/

An investigation suggests Benin items in Swiss museums were looted:

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/swiss-museums-benin-artifacts-investigation-1234656236/

OpEd on ‘London’ being increasingly under pressure to return things:

https://www.dw.com/en/pressure-on-london-to-restitute-artworks-grows/a-64566044

OpEd on the British Museum and Benin material:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/feb/05/british-museum-benin-bronzes-nigeria

… related:

https://theboar.org/2023/02/cambridges-return-of-benin-bronzes-represents-a-small-step-in-mending-its-colonial-history/

OpEd on who owns a country’s artifacts:

https://abcnews.go.com/US/rightfully-owns-countrys-artifacts-greeces-fight-parthenon-marbles/story

============================================================
NUMISMATICA
============================================================
Feature on coins of Lydia:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/01/29/worlds-first-coins-greek/

Latest e-Sylum:

http://www.coinbooks.org/v26/club_nbs_esylum_v26n05.html

… and the one which should appear later today:

http://www.coinbooks.org/v26/club_nbs_esylum_v26n06.html
————————

Coin Week:

http://www.coinweek.com/

============================================================
OBITUARIES
============================================================
Jane F Gardner:

https://blogs.reading.ac.uk/classics-at-reading/2023/02/03/professor-jane-f-gardner-1934-2023/

Irene Schwab:

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/feb/03/irene-schwab-obituary

Marios Philippides:

https://www.recorder.com/Colleagues-remember-beloved-professor-who-died-after-being-struck-in-Greenfield-crosswalk-49774013

Colin Gill:

https://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2023/january/february/colin-gill.html

Patrick McCloskey:

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/latimes/name/patrick-mccloskey-obituary?id=40651548

William Agee:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/30/arts/william-agee-dead.html

============================================================
AUDIO/VIDEO NEWS
============================================================
Audio News from Archaeologica:

https://www.archaeologychannel.org/audio-guide/audio-news/3257-audio-news-from-archaeologica-january-22nd-through-the-28th-2023

============================================================
GENERAL ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS BLOGS
============================================================
Archaeology Magazine News Page:

http://www.archaeology.org/news/

About.com Archaeology:

http://archaeology.about.com/

Archaeology Briefs:

http://archaeologybriefs.blogspot.com/

Atlas Obscura:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/

Heritage Daily:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/

Sapiens Archaeology:

https://www.sapiens.org/category/archaeology/

Taygete Atlantis excavations blogs aggregator:

http://planet.atlantides.org/taygete/
============================================================
PODCASTS/VODCASTS
============================================================
Archaeosoup:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Archaeos0up?feature=watch

Archaeology Podcast Network:

http://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/
============================================================
EXPLORATOR is a free weekly newsletter bringing you the latest
news of archaeological finds, historical research and the like.
Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured for news of
the ‘ancient world’ (broadly construed: practically anything relating
to archaeology or history up to a century or so ago is fair
game) and every Sunday they are delivered to your mailbox free of
charge!
============================================================
Useful Addresses
============================================================
You can read Explorator online at:

https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/

Past issues of Explorator are also available on the web via our
groups.io page:

https://groups.io/g/explorator

To subscribe to Explorator, send a blank email message to:

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To unsubscribe, send a blank email message to:

Unsubscribe: explorator+unsubscribe@groups.io

To send a ‘heads up’ to the editor or contact him for other
reasons:

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===========================================================
Explorator is Copyright (c) 2023 David Meadows. Feel free to
distribute these listings via email to your pals, students,
teachers, etc., but please include this copyright notice. These
links are not to be posted to any website by any means (whether
by direct posting or snagging from a usenet group or some other
email source) without my express written permission. I think it
is only right that I be made aware of public fora which are
making use of content gathered in Explorator. Thanks!
===========================================================

Explorator 25.41 ~ January 29, 2023

Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out).

============================================================
EARLY HOMINIDS
============================================================
A 1.2 million years bp obsidian (!) workshop from Ethiopia:

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-obsidian-handaxe-making-workshop-million-years.html
https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7zx77/archaeologists-discover-12-million-year-old-workshop-in-mind-blowing-find

cf: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-022-01970-1

The Cueva Des-Cubierta in Spain suggests an accumulation of herbivore skulls collected by Neanderthals was ‘symbolic’:

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-large-animal-skulls-neanderthal-cave.html

cf: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-022-01503-7
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00229-4

A study of the role of ‘smell’ in Denisovan and Neanderthal lives:

https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/27/study-offers-new-insight-on-what-ancient-noses-smelled/

Using fossil teeth to reveal human brain evolution:

https://theconversation.com/fossil-teeth-reveal-how-brains-developed-in-utero-over-millions-of-years-of-human-evolution-new-research-193167

… and a study of thin tooth enamel in homo antecessor:

https://www.cenieh.es/en/press/news/neanderthals-are-not-only-species-whose-dentition-characterized-possession-thin-enamel
https://www.archaeology.org/11150-230126-homo-antecessor-teeth

On how large mammals impacted human evolution:

https://theconversation.com/large-mammals-shaped-the-evolution-of-humans-heres-why-it-happened-in-africa-196398

Another ‘rethinking the Neanderthals’ piece:

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-01-28/ty-article/sensitive-and-vulnerable-neanderthals-may-not-have-been-that-different-from-us/00000185-f5f1-d4a2-adb5-f5f992840000
============================================================
AFRICA
============================================================
A study of water use at Great Zimbabwe:

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-uncovers-mystery-large-city-southern.html
https://www.classicult.it/en/the-water-mystery-of-the-first-large-city-in-southern-africa-great-zimbabwe/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/26/research-uncovers-water-mystery-of-the-first-large-city-in-southern-africa/

cf: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213305422000388

============================================================
ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
============================================================
A 4300 years bp mummified person wrapped in gold leaf (the ‘oldest’) from near the Step Pyramid at Saqqara:

https://egyptianstreets.com/2023/01/26/egypt-discovers-oldest-mummy-ever-found/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/26/archaeologist-hails-possibly-oldest-mummy-yet-found-in-egypt
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-64415816
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/archaeologist-hails-possibly-oldest-mummy-yet-found-egypt-2023-01-26/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ancient-egypt-oldest-non-royal-mummy-ever-discovered-saqqara-wrapped-in-gold/
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/egypt-oldest-mummy-uncovered-intl-scli-scn/index.html
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-729935
https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/egypt/2023/01/26/4300-year-old-gilded-mummy-discovered-in-cairos-saqqara-necropolis/
https://see.news/french-archaeologist-we-found-mummy-of-a-man-covered-with-gold-leaf-called-messi
https://greekreporter.com/2023/01/29/egypt-oldest-mummy/
https://www.rte.ie/news/newslens/2023/0127/1352138-egypt-discovers-oldest-most-complete-unroyal-mummy/
https://www.smh.com.au/world/middle-east/archaeologists-hail-hekashepes-oldest-and-most-complete-mummy-yet-found-20230127-p5cftb.html
https://www.sciencealert.com/archaeologists-mayve-discovered-the-oldest-and-most-complete-egyptian-mummy-yet
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/egypt-oldest-mummy-found-cairo-1234655499/

… there were other finds near this one as well, including the tomb of the ‘secret keeper’, which is the headline in other pieces:

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-egypt-unveils-ancient-secret-keeper.html
https://egyptindependent.com/egypt-announces-important-archaeological-discoveries-in-saqqara/
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230126-egypt-unveils-ancient-secret-keeper-tomb-golden-mummy
https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/egypt-unearths-secret-keeper-tomb-golden-mummy-at-saqqara
https://www.trtworld.com/life/new-excavation-unearths-tombs-and-sarcophagus-in-egypt-64897
https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/egypt-unearths-secret-keeper-tomb-golden-mummy-at-saqqara
https://www.timesofisrael.com/egypt-unveils-ancient-tombs-of-secret-keeper-tomb-gold-leaf-covered-mummy/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/egypt-luxor-ancient-egypitian-discoveries-compelete-city-13th-dynasty-burial-site/
https://jordantimes.com/news/region/egypt%C2%A0unveils-ancient-%E2%80%98secret-keeper%E2%80%99-tomb-golden-mummy
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/egypt-unveils-tombs-and-sarcophagus-in-new-excavation/2023/01/26/bf676ea4-9d84-11ed-93e0-38551e88239c_story.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2023/01/27/ancient-egypt-discoveries-oldest-mummy-tombs-luxor/11126227002/

… and with an emphasis on Old Kingdom tombs and statuary (and Zahi Hawass):

https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/484966/Antiquities/Ancient-Egypt/In-Photos-Egyptian-mission-discovers-Old-Kingdom-t.aspx
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/egypt-ap-cairo-giza-pyramids-memphis-b2269796.html
https://egyptindependent.com/egypt-announces-important-archaeological-discoveries-in-saqqara/
https://abcnews.go.com/International/egypt-discovers-4300-year-tombs-ancient-burial-ground/story?id=96684870
https://apnews.com/article/politics-egypt-government-zahi-hawass-cairo-196c34bb3629842a02c42b40362a519b
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-01-26/egypt-unveils-tombs-and-sarcophagus-in-new-excavation
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/egypt-unveils-tombs-and-sarcophagus-in-new-excavation-outside-of-cairo
https://www.npr.org/2023/01/27/1151958356/egypt-unveils-tombs-and-a-sarcophagus-in-a-new-excavation
https://www.dw.com/en/egypt-unveils-4300-year-old-mummy-tombs/a-64530366
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/egypt-ap-cairo-giza-pyramids-memphis-b2269796.html
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/africa/300793499/egypt-unveils-dozens-of-new-archaeological-discoveries-including-ancient-tombs
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/27/new-important-finds-from-saqqara/

Evidence of a (failed) revolt against Ptolemaic rulers (mentioned in the Rosetta Stone) from Tell Timai:

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/01/27/where-the-swords-met-bone-archaeological-evidence-found-of-ancient-egyptian-rebellion-mentioned-on-the-rosetta-stone

A ‘complete’ 1800 years bp ‘Roman’ city find on the east bank of Luxor:

https://www.livescience.com/ancient-roman-residences-with-pigeon-towers-discovered-in-luxor-egypt
https://www.egyptindependent.com/photos-first-full-residential-city-discovered-in-eastern-luxor/
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/01/egypt-archaeologists-uncover-complete-roman-city
https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/archaeologists-unearth-1800-year-old-complete-roman-city-in-egypt
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypt-archaeologists-uncover-complete-roman-city-luxor
https://www.trtworld.com/art-culture/egypt-uncovers-complete-ancient-roman-city-in-luxor-64823
https://cairoscene.com/Buzz/An-Ancient-Roman-Era-City-Has-Been-Totally-Unearthed-in-Luxor
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/culture/egypt-says-it-discovered-ancient-city-in-luxor/2796451
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/egypt-archaeologists-uncover-complete-roman-city-180388
https://thearabweekly.com/egypt-archaeologists-uncover-complete-roman-city-heart-luxor
https://www.rfi.fr/en/international-news/20230124-egypt-archaeologists-uncover-complete-roman-city
https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/egypt/2023/01/24/remains-of-ancient-roman-city-unearthed-in-luxor-on-eastern-nile-bank/
https://english.news.cn/20230125/59c91784fedc4da59b5763c088b3ade1/c.html
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/africa/300793499/egypt-unveils-dozens-of-new-archaeological-discoveries-including-ancient-tombs
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/egypt-unveils-tombs-and-sarcophagus-in-new-excavation/2023/01/26/bf676ea4-9d84-11ed-93e0-38551e88239c_story.html
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/roman-city-luxor-egypt-scli-intl/index.html
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article271655457.html
https://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/generalnews/2023/01/24/entire-ancient-roman-city-discovered-in-luxor_b4a2f947-d17e-4bd6-a6d2-6b6ba1efbd57.html
https://www.sciencealert.com/archaeologists-find-hidden-ruins-of-complete-roman-era-city-in-egypt
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/roman-city-found-luxor-egypt-1234655068/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/remains-of-roman-city-found-in-luxor/146009

… and an overview of all the recent finds:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/egypt-luxor-ancient-egypitian-discoveries-compelete-city-13th-dynasty-burial-site/
https://english.news.cn/20230126/8ff9491d7f9746a6bf04de5733aacc24/c.html

More on the find of a 16 metre long copy of the Book of the Dead at Saqqara:

https://www.livescience.com/ancient-egypt-book-of-the-dead-papyrus-found
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-729263
https://greekreporter.com/2023/01/23/16-meter-long-book-dead-ancient-papyrus-egypt-sarcophagus/

More on the find of a 3500 years bp royal tomb near Luxor:

https://www.livescience.com/ancient-egyptian-royal-tombs-discovered
https://greekreporter.com/2023/01/24/royal-tomb-found-luxor-egypt/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/royal-tomb-unearthed-in-luxor/145938

More on the burial of a child with 142 dogs at the Fayum Oasis necropolis:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ancient-egyptian-child-discovered-buried-with-142-dogs-puppies/ar-AA16xMit
https://www.thedailybeast.com/why-is-an-ancient-egyptian-mass-grave-of-dogs-stumping-archaeologists
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/child-buried-with-142-dogs-in-ancient-egyptian-necropolis/145952
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11143-230123-egypt-child-dogs

More on 10 well-preserved 2500 years bp crocodile mummies from an Egyptian tomb at Qubbat al-Hawa:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/18/science/mummified-crocodiles-egypt-tomb.html
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/mummified-crocodiles-1.6723261
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cache-of-mummified-crocodiles-discovered-in-egypt-180981487/

Feature on an ‘all-Egyptian team’ working in the Valley of the Kings:

https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2023/0125/In-Valley-of-the-Kings-dig-an-all-Egyptian-team-makes-its-mark

Feature on the phonetic hieroglyphic alphabet:

https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v45/n03/james-davidson/at-the-british-museum

A 5000 years bp stoneware workshop find in Jiroft:

https://arkeonews.net/5000-year-old-stoneware-workshop-found-in-iran/

A Sassanid-era petroglyph from Marvdasht:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/481346/Sassanid-petroglyph-on-marriage-found-in-Marvdasht

A study of the effect of shifting monsoon seasons on the rise and fall of Persian civilizations over 4000 years:

https://liu.se/en/news-item/climate-change-may-have-impacted-the-rise-and-fall-of-middle-eastern-civilisations
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11149-230126-iran-climate-agriculture

Tehran will be hosting an international archaeology conference:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/481128/Tehran-to-host-intl-symposium-on-archaeology

More on calls for further excavations at the Chamshir Dam site:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/481169/Chamshir-Dam-archaeologist-calls-for-further-excavations

Overview feature on UPenn’s (and UPisa’s) dig at Lagash (this overlaps with the next item):

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-unearthing-archaeological-lagash-site-southern.html
https://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/archaeology-in-iraq-shows-how-people-lived-5000-years-ago/

Remains of a 5000 years (or so) bp ‘tavern’ from Lagash:

https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/lagash-southern-iraq-site-unearthing-archaeological-passing-time
https://nypost.com/2023/01/28/5000-year-old-tavern-discovered-on-archeological-dig/
https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article271648927.html
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11151-230127-iraq-lagash-tavern

756 artifacts from various periods in Basra:

https://www.iraqinews.com/iraq/more-than-750-artifacts-discovered-in-basra/

A study of kinship and marriage practices in Neolithic Anatolia:

https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/25/kinship-formation-in-neolithic-anatolia-helped-communities-avoiding-inbreeding/

Overview of recent finds from Heraclea:

https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/excavation-restoration-unearth-cultural-assets-in-ancient-heraclea/news

1500 years bp Byzantine finds from a peach orchard in Iznik:

https://arkeonews.net/1500-year-old-byzantine-artifacts-found-under-a-peach-orchard-in-turkeys-iznik/

A ‘complete sequence’ from Early Bronze Age to Iron Age of finds from Megiddo is causing a bit of a rethink of chronology:

https://www.haaretz.com/2023-01-22/00000185-d960-d2d9-ab95-ffe0729e0000

Feature on a 2500 years bp ‘love letter’ on the sarcophagus of Antigonos:

https://www.iflscience.com/2-500-year-old-love-letter-revealed-in-ancient-general-s-sarcophagus-67272
https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/this-ancient-2500-year-old-love-grief-letter-is-the-most-romantic-thing/

6th century CE mosaics from a large building complex near Jericho:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/ornate-collection-of-mosaics-uncovered-near-jericho/145920

A ‘mysterious handprint’ find in a 1000 years bp ‘moat’ in Jerusalem:

https://www.livescience.com/mystery-handprint-crusades-moat-jerusalem
https://www.timesofisrael.com/mysterious-handprint-found-in-1000-year-old-jerusalem-defensive-moat/
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366421
https://www.ynetnews.com/travel/article/rkll6wajs
https://www.jns.org/ancient-moat-and-enigmatic-hand-imprint-uncovered-in-jerusalem/
https://www.israelhayom.com/2023/01/25/archaeologists-baffled-by-ancient-handprint-discovered-in-jerusalem/
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-729562
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-01-25/ty-article/archaeologists-discover-ancient-moat-carved-into-jerusalem-bedrock/00000185-e808-d8d4-add7-f90f2b340000
https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/2023/01/26/mysterious-ancient-hand-print-discovered-in-jerusalem-in-pictures/
https://www.rfi.fr/en/middle-east/20230125-ancient-jerusalem-hand-imprint-baffles-israel-experts
https://greekreporter.com/2023/01/26/ancient-hand-imprint-israel/
https://www.iflscience.com/mysterious-hand-imprint-discovered-in-1-000-year-old-moat-wall-in-jerusalem-67243
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/archaeology-today/jerusalems-medieval-moat/
https://arkeonews.net/a-carved-hand-imprint-unearthed-in-a-1000-year-old-jerusalem-defensive-moat/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/27/mysterious-hand-imprint-found-next-to-the-city-of-jerusalem-walls/

More on 4000+ years bp ostrich eggs from a desert campsite in Israel:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/ancient-campsite-where-people-cooked-ostrich-eggs/145925

More on 3600 years bp evidence of use of silver as ‘currency’ from Israel and Gaza:

https://www.livescience.com/ancient-silver-hoards-israel-gaza
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11146-230124-levant-hacksilver-currency

More on 1300 years bp Silk Road-related textile finds from Israel:

https://mosaicmagazine.com/picks/history-ideas/2023/01/archaeologists-discover-the-silk-roads-israeli-branch/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11144-230123-israel-arava-fabric

South Korea is apparently helping to restore a Sebastia site as Palestinian:

https://www.jewishpress.com/news/global/asia/korea/south-korea-helping-restore-sebastia-antiquities-site-as-a-palestinian-heritage-site/2023/01/22/

Israel’s defense minister is pledging to safeguard the Mount Ebal site:

https://www.jns.org/gallant-pledges-to-safeguard-archaeological-site-at-mount-ebal-from-palestinian-damage/

… related:

https://www.jewishpress.com/news/eye-on-palestine/palestinian-authority/palestinian-authority-marketing-homes-on-jewish-archaeological-site/2023/01/28/

—–
This Week in the Ancient Near East Podcast:

https://thisweekintheancientneareast.podbean.com/

============================================================
ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME (AND CLASSICS)
============================================================
1st century BCE Roman wells and a writing tablet from Sens (France):

https://www.stilearte.it/portato-alla-luce-misterioso-quartiere-romano-di-sens-senigalia-latrine-vasche-pozzi-monete-false/
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66257

A Gallo-Roman rural settlement including an interesting well from a site in southern France:

https://www.archeomedia.net/francia-un-profondo-pozzo-e-una-fattoria-del-periodo-romano-trovati-ed-esplorati-dagli-archeologi/

Plenty of interesting finds in the search for the start of the Appian Way (but the search was called off):

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/26/world/europe/roman-road-appian-way-beginning-italy.html
https://www.soprintendenzaspecialeroma.it/eventi/uno-scavo-di-ricerca-appia-regina-viarum_307/
https://news.yahoo.com/rome-archaeologists-search-start-appian-033355082.html
https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/water-spoils-archaeological-quest-queen-roman-roads-2023-01-24/
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/roman-road-dig-yields-centuries-of-treasures-lkcjhh7hp
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230127-rome-archaeologists-search-for-start-of-appian-way
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/rome-archaeologists-search-for-start-of-appian-way-180429
https://www.wantedinrome.com/news/italy-rome-via-appia-antica-appian-way.html
https://www.thelocal.it/20230127/rome-archaeologists-continue-search-for-start-of-appian-way/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11148-230125-rome-appian-way

… and they’re seeking UNESCO status for the road as well:

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230127-rome-archaeologists-search-for-start-of-appian-way

Remains of a 2000 years bp road from Cluj-Napoca (Romania):

https://www.romania-insider.com/archaeologists-roman-road-cluj-napoca-romania
https://www.romaniajournal.ro/society-people/2000-year-old-roman-road-discovered-in-the-center-of-cluj-napoca/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11145-230124-romania-roman-road
https://arkeonews.net/archaeologists-found-a-2000-year-old-roman-road-in-cluj-napoca-in-northwest-romania/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11145-230124-romania-roman-road

… and receding waters revealed an Etruscan/Roman road along Lake Trasimene which originally ran from Chiusi to Perugia:

https://www.perugiatoday.it/eventi/cultura/la-scoperta-il-trasimeno-si-ritira-e-a-sant-arcangelo-viene-alla-luce-la-strada-che-univa-chiusi-a-perugia.html
https://initalia.virgilio.it/lago-trasimeno-tesoro-scoperta-storica-ipotesi-67971

2000 years bp Roman gemstones from near Hadrian’s Wall in Carlisle:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jan/28/roman-bathers-gems-carved-stones-archaeologists-hadrians-wall

Not sure if we mentioned these 17 decapitated burials (Roman?) and Roman finds from a site near St Neots (Cambridgshire):

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-64358866
https://nypost.com/2023/01/24/mass-burial-of-decapitated-roman-bodies-found-in-uk/
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/decapitated-roman-remains-found-england-archaeology-1234654669/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/decapitated-skeletons-found-in-roman-cemetery/146003
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11154-230126-england-roman-headless

Sewer work near the Appian Way also revealed a life-sized statue of someone in the guise of Hercules (looks 1st/2nd century CE):

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/27/ancient-statue-of-hercules-emerges-from-rome-sewerage-repairs
https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/01/27/life-size-statue-hercules-rome/
https://greekreporter.com/2023/01/28/statue-hercules-discovered-rome/
https://www.stilearte.it/lavori-per-la-fognatura-a-roma-meraviglioso-dal-fondo-della-valletta-riemerge-antica-statua-di-ercole/
https://gulfnews.com/world/europe/ancient-marble-statue-of-hercules-emerges-after-sewer-work-in-rome-park-1.93505110
https://www.ansa.it/english/news/lifestyle/arts/2023/01/27/roman-statue-of-hercules-emerges-from-rome-park-sewer-work_d84a1400-6cec-4e78-ba88-0dabee46278a.html
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/construction-workers-find-life-sized-statue-of-hercules/146043

4th century CE amphora burials from Corsica:

https://www.archeomedia.net/corsica-sepolti-nel-iv-secolo-in-grosse-anfore-che-servivano-per-limportazione-di-vino-olive-e-salse/

A 4th century CE building with a hypocaust find from the site of Carthage:

https://www.leconomistemaghrebin.com/2023/01/26/carthage-decouverte-des-vestiges-dun-edifice-thermal-probablement-construit-au-ive-siecle-apres-j-c/

5th century child burials (in amphorae) along with some puppies from a site in Umbria:

https://www.stilearte.it/umbria-il-mistero-dei-47-bambini-del-v-secolo-che-dormono-per-sempre-nelle-anfore-scavi-e-simboli-stregoneschi/

A ‘mysterious’ Roman dodecahedron find from Belgium:

https://www.livescience.com/roman-dodecahedron-discovered-belgium
https://www.iflscience.com/rare-discovery-of-roman-dodecahedron-fragment-adds-to-archaeological-mystery-67294

Overview of the dig season and latest finds at Tenea/Chilimodi:

https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/25/new-finds-from-ancient-tenea-chiliomodi-corinthia/

Falling Christmas decorations caused some damage at the Verona arena:

https://www.ansa.it/english/news/general_news/2023/01/23/arena-of-verona-damaged-by-falling-xmas-decorations_4904746e-3d83-45bc-a6a0-1327d6056d82.html

A ‘missing’ Roman votive inscription was ‘rediscovered’ in the collection of a Romanian library:

https://www.stiripesurse.ro/long-lost-spectacular-roman-artifact-depicting-god-silvanus-rediscovered-in-batthyaneum-collection_2760110.html

More on the reopening of the House of the Vettii:

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-pompeii-house-vettii-reopens-roman.html

More on the ‘secret’ of Roman concrete:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/self-healing-concrete-may-have-preserved-ancient-roman-structures-180981411/

More on endogamic marriage in Bronze Age Greece:

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-729450
https://www.thedailybeast.com/dont-blame-the-egyptians-for-this-ancient-greek-kink
https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/16/europe/ancient-cousins-marriage-scli-intl-scn/index.html
https://news.yahoo.com/don-t-blame-egyptians-ancient-040140357.html
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11137-230119-greece-cousin-marriage

More on Sponsian:

https://www.historytoday.com/archive/missing-pieces/lost-emperor

The Winged Victory of Brescia is back in it Capitoline Temple:

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66238

The guy who found the Shropshire Hoard wants it to stay in the UK:

https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/local-hubs/oswestry/gobowen/2023/01/26/man-who-discovered-shropshire-roman-coin-hoard-wants-them-to-stay-in-county/

Shadi Bartsch on Chinese appreciation for Western classics:

https://press.princeton.edu/ideas/yes-the-chinese-care-about-the-western-classics

Interview with Tom Holland on ancient Greek views of India:

https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-exclusive–tom-holland-on-ancient-greek-perceptions-of-india-as-a-land-of-wonders-and-navigating-propaganda-555875

Feature on Sergey Ivanov at Northwestern:

https://dailynorthwestern.com/2023/01/24/lateststories/sergey-ivanov-teaches-classics-at-northwestern-after-fleeing-his-home-in-russia/

Feature on evidence of pagan and Christian worship along the via Egnatia:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/mary-isis-and-the-goddesses-of-the-via-egnatia/

Feature on the oil and wine trade in ancient Greece:

https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2023/01/oil-wine-people

Feature on the Temple of Apollo at Didyma:

https://turkisharchaeonews.net/article/apollo-my-mind

Feature on a structure on top of the Athenian Temple of Olympian Zeus:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/01/22/building-top-temple-olympian-zeus/

Feature on how the ‘myth of whiteness’ was created for classical sculpture:

https://www.dw.com/en/how-the-myth-of-whiteness-in-classical-sculpture-was-created/a-64426809

Feature on the probably origin of the Cyclops:

https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/01/28/cyclops-ancient-greeks-myth/

Feature on Plato and the Lord of the Rings:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/01/24/plato-ring-allegory-lord-of-the-rings/

Feature on Philopoemen:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/01/26/philopoemen-the-last-great-general-of-ancient-greece/

Feature on Linear A:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/01/28/decoding-linear-a-the-writing-system-of-the-ancient-minoans/

Feature on the ‘Greek’ origin of Troy:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/01/28/greek-origin-troy/

In the Parthenon sculptures saga, this week we were hearing that they’d be returned to Greece this year (hopefully?):

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/elgin-marbles-they-are-coming-home-greece-british-museum-george-osborne/
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/elgin-marbles-to-return-this-year-says-greek-official-tgsg3frcn
https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/01/23/parthenon-marbles-to-return-this-year-says-greek-official/

… and where they would be housed at the Acropolis Museum:

https://www.thenationalherald.com/parthenon-marbles-may-be-housed-in-british-annex-at-acropolis-museum/

… and that getting a deal was ‘difficult, but not impossible’:

https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1202959/agreement-on-parthenon-sculptures-difficult-but-not-impossible-says-culture-minister/
https://greekherald.com.au/news/difficult-but-not-impossible-greek-culture-minister-on-return-of-parthenon-marbles/
https://greekreporter.com/2023/01/24/parthenon-marbles-return-greece-difficult-not-impossible/
https://www.thenationalherald.com/agreement-on-permanent-return-of-parthenon-marbles-difficult-but-not-impossible/

… and an item that the rumours of their return were overhyped:

https://greekherald.com.au/news/british-museum-trustee-says-rumours-of-parthenon-marbles-return-to-greece-are-overhyped/
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/1/24/rumours-of-parthenon-marbles-return-overhyped-experts-say

… and there was a feature on Boris Johnson and the sculptures:

https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1202884/boris-johnson-and-the-parthenon-marbles/

… and another feature on making copies:

https://www.openculture.com/2023/01/robots-are-carving-replicas-of-the-elgin-marbles.html

… and more OpEds with various spins:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jan/24/britain-parthenon-marbles-return-museums
https://www.irishcentral.com/opinion/cahirodoherty/britain-lose-marbles
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/art/what-to-see/case-keeping-elgin-marbles/
https://cyprus-mail.com/2023/01/25/the-steal-deal-elgin-lobbyists/

Latest Pasts Imperfect newsletter:

https://pastsimperfect.substack.com/p/pasts-imperfect-12623

Comparing Kevin McCarthy to Didius Julianus:

https://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2023/01/23/kevin-mccarthy-ancient-roman-emperor/ideas/essay/

Heinz is first with the Roman numeral Super Bowl attention this year:

https://www.adweek.com/creativity/heinz-puts-super-bowls-use-of-roman-numerals-on-trial/

—–
Roman Archaeology Blog:

http://romanarc.blogspot.com/

Rogueclassicism:

http://rogueclassicism.com/
============================================================
EUROPE AND THE UK (+ Ireland)
============================================================
11 000 years bp human gone from Heaning Wood bone Cave in Great Urswick:

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-earliest-human-northern-britain.html
https://cumbriacrack.com/2023/01/24/some-of-the-uks-oldest-human-remains-dating-back-11000-years-found-in-cumbria/
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cumbria-64400523
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/oldest-northerner-remains-cave-cumbria-b2269525.html
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11679029/Britains-oldest-northerner-Human-remains-Cumbria-cave-date-11-000-years.html
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article271728982.html
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/archaeologists-find-11000-year-old-human-remains-in-british-cave/146014
https://arkeonews.net/the-earliest-human-remains-11000-year-old-discovered-in-northern-britain/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/25/earliest-human-remains-discovered-in-northern-britain/

A Mesolithic/Neolithic burial from Germany’s oldest burial ground:

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66267

Study suggests Neolithic farming societies in Europe were violent:

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-violence-widespread-early-farming-society.html
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/23/violence-was-widespread-in-early-farming-society/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11147-230125-neolithic-violent-injuries

Bronze age burials from near Ely:

https://www.elystandard.co.uk/news/23270148.bronze-age-remains-skeletons-found-village-near-ely/

Roman to medieval finds from a site in West Flanders:

https://www.brusselstimes.com/belgium/357786/excavations-in-west-flanders-unearth-archaeological-finds-from-roman-era

‘Citizen archaeologists’ have identified more than 1000 possible burial mound sites in the Utrecht and Veluwe region:

https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2023/01/citizen-scientists-discover-more-than-1000-new-burial-mounds
https://phys.org/news/2023-01-citizen-scientists-burial-mounds.html
https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2023/01/citizens-archaeology-project-finds-hundreds-of-new-burial-mounds/
https://arkeonews.net/citizen-scientists-discover-more-than-1000-new-burial-mounds-in-a-dutch-archaeological-project/

An Iron Age votive deposit of bronze items (Lusatian) from near Chelmo (Poland):

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66304
https://arkeonews.net/dozens-of-unique-bronze-ornaments-discovered-in-a-drained-peat-bog-in-poland/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/bronze-treasures-found-among-sacrificial-deposits/146030

Remains of an Iron Age chariot axle from Sizewell:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-64401388
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-729818
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/rare-iron-age-axle-found-in-suffolk/146025

A housing development site in Northamptonshire reveals a 4000 years bp site used for ‘ritual activity’ possibly for 2000 years of use:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/roman-ritual-centre-found-near-northampton/145908
https://the-past.com/news/excavations-in-overstone-reveal-remains-of-a-bronze-age-barrow-and-a-roman-shrine/

In case you missed the neutron imaging of an 800 years bp pendant:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neutrons-help-scientists-see-inside-800-year-old-pendant-and-find-tiny-bones-180981444/

… or the ‘replica’ Bronze Age sword from Hungary at the Field Museum which is now deemed authentic:

https://www.iflscience.com/museum-discovers-its-replica-sword-is-actually-3-000-years-old-67206
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/23/authentic-3000-year-old-bronze-age-sword-at-field-museum/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11152-230126-bronze-age-sword

Latest finds relating to the 1300 years bp Harpole Treasure is a unique cross with a medieval garnet:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-64428086

A shipwreck off Eastbourne has been identified as the 17th century Dutch warship known as the Klein Hollandia:

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/jan/27/remarkable-eastbourne-shipwreck-identified-as-17th-century-dutch-warship
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-64402152.amp
https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2023/01/shipwreck-off-english-coast-is-a-dutch-17th-century-warship/

A 19th century lead coffin burial of a surgeon from the dig at Leicester Cathedral:

https://le.ac.uk/news/2023/january/cathedral-dig-surgeon
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-64415265
https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/history/leicester-cathedral-dig-uncovers-coffin-8083348

A 19th century shipwreck off Plymouth has been identified:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-64385280
https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/history/mystery-around-plymouth-ship-hulk-8080280
https://www.marineinsight.com/shipping-news/marine-archaeologists-discover-the-real-identity-of-a-decaying-hull-in-plymouth/

Human remains from the Battle of Waterloo have been found in an attic in Belgium:

https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/25/europe/battle-waterloo-bones-scli-intl-scn/index.html

Human remains found on a Cornwall beach might belong to a centuries-old shipwreck victim:

https://www.newsweek.com/skull-found-uk-beach-shipwreck-sailor-1776389
https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2023-01-24/human-remains-found-during-beach-clean-could-be-shipwreck-victim

Fire destroyed an historic Victorian-era London church:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jan/27/st-marks-church-st-johns-wood-london-destroyed-by-fire

Vegetation concerns for medieval lynchets in Amesbury:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-64373627

More on remains of a Mesolithic settlement from North Yorkshire:

https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/23/shedding-light-on-the-lives-of-stone-age-hunter-gatherers-in-britain/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11140-230120-england-mesolithic-wetlands

More on evidence of the English Civil War from musket holes in a gatehouse in Warwickshire:

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/bbc-digging-britain-show-uncovers-26043309
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11155-230127-england-coleshill-manor
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66276

More on the 1800+ years bp runestone frine from near Oslo:

https://www.rfi.fr/en/international/20230122-archaeologists-discover-world-s-oldest-rune-stone-in-norway
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/oldest-known-runestone-found-in-norway/145961

More on the Red Lady of Paviland:

https://nation.cymru/culture/red-lady-of-paviland-the-story-of-a-33000-year-old-skeleton-and-the-calls-for-it-to-return-to-wales/

More on rats not being responsible (maybe) for the spread of the Black Death:

https://www.livescience.com/black-death-not-primarily-spread-by-rats

More on mapping subterranean structures in Scotland:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/lasers-are-mapping-scotlands-subterranean-iron-age-structures/145958

Plans to look for a Neolithic henge at a Yorkshire village site:

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/kirk-hammerton-henge-archaeologists-to-search-for-undiscovered-prehistoric-temple-that-could-be-beneath-yorkshire-village-4005465

Feature on Teutonic knights:

https://www.livescience.com/all-about-history-126

Feature on a 16th century mosaic of a rhinoceros in Portugal:

https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0dqhjpj/the-surprising-story-of-a-16th-century-rhino-called-ganda

Feature on the origins of Thomas Cromwell’s power:

https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0dz4jpw/the-little-known-origin-of-thomas-cromwell-s-power

Shropshire archaeologists are seeking help on a ‘carved stone’ from Nesscliffe (sp?) Hillfort:

https://newsroom.shropshire.gov.uk/2023/01/shropshire-archaeological-find-sparks-interest-us/
https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/environment/2023/01/26/nessglyph-riddle-boffins-baffled-by-mystery-stone-found-at-shropshire-archaeological-dig/

On waterlogged wood found at various sites in the UK:

https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/23/waterlogged-wood-found-in-bedforshire/

Honours for Fatima Cates, who helped set up the UK’s earliest known mosque:

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-merseyside-64365093
———-
Archaeology in Europe News:

http://archaeology-in-europe.blogspot.com/

Medievalists.net:

https://www.medievalists.net/category/news/

Viking Archaeology Blog:

http://viking-archaeology-blog.blogspot.com/

============================================================
ASIA AND THE SOUTH PACIFIC
============================================================
Overview of excavations of the 800 years bp Diaoyu City on a Chinese mountaintop:

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article271539847.html
https://www.aol.com/news/800-old-fortified-city-imperial-155918940.html

A mirror and a large Dako iron sword from a 4th century tomb mound in Nara:

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14824344
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/01/26/national/history/sword-mirror-burial-mound/
https://arkeonews.net/2-3-meter-sword-found-in-4th-century-tomb-in-japan/
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66283
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/giant-2-3-metre-long-dakoken-sword-among-unprecedented-discoveries-in-burial-mound/146053

Excavations have resumed at the Harappan site at Rakhigarhi:

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/archaeologists-resume-excavation-at-rakhigarhi-472785

The ASI plans to restore an archway at a 12th century mosque in Qutub:

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/delhi-news/asi-to-restore-archway-at-12th-century-mosque-in-qutub-complex-101674412659793.html

38 new sites have been identified in the Islamabad Capital Territory:

https://www.nation.com.pk/23-Jan-2023/38-new-archeological-sites-discovered-in-ict

Feature on the archaeology with identifies Tamil kingdoms in southern India:

https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2023/01/24/chera-chola-pandya-using-archaeological-evidence-to-identify-the-tamil-kingdoms-of-early-historic-south-india/

Feature on Genghis Khan:

https://www.livescience.com/43260-genghis-khan.html

============================================================
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
============================================================
Not sure we’ve mentioned this destruction of petroglyphs by vandals at Koonalda Cave:

https://twistedsifter.com/2023/01/vandals-have-destroyed-australian-artifacts-dating-back-over-20000-years/
============================================================
NORTH AMERICA
============================================================
An update on what has been found so far this season at the Alamo dig:

https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Alamo-excavation-update-Artifacts-found-but-no-17738717.php

A study of changes to mortality related to the transition from hunting/gathering to agriculture in North America:

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-agriculture-linked-age-independent-mortality-north.html
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/24/agriculture-linked-to-changes-in-age-independent-mortality/

A mid-19th century Indigenous Canadian jacket turned up in a vintage clothing store:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-south-yorkshire-64353180

Feature on Trenton’s Petty’s Run archaeological site:

https://www.trentondaily.com/this-week-in-history-exploring-the-pettys-run-archaeological-site/

More on NSF funding to survey hurricane-damaged sites in Florida:

https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/archaeologists-awarded-nsf-grant-survey-hurricane-damaged-heritage-sites/

============================================================
CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
============================================================
Studying what people were eating at Mexico’s Cueva de la Paloma site 9000 years bp:

https://www.macon.com/news/nation-world/world/article271519622.html
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article271519622.html

Evidence of pre-Hispanic domestic housing platforms from a Maya site in Tabasco:

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/pre-hispanic-mayan-housing-found-tabasco-1234654834/

Recent finds from Palenque are helping to work out ceramic chronology of the Late Classic Maya:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/new-discoveries-reveal-ceramic-chronology-in-maya-city-of-palenque/146037

Remains of 18th century sugarcane mills from Martinique:

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article270953837.html
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11142-230123-martinique-sugarcane-mills

19th century relics found in 23 lead boxes in Mexico City’s Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral:

https://apnews.com/article/caribbean-mexico-city-4c705d0ff3da20b49d40722f9194094d
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/relics-found-23-lead-boxes-mexico-city-cathedral-96724609

Comparing modern to ancient ‘dark earth’ created by various Amazonian people:

https://ancient-archeology.com/study-investigates-source-of-amazons-dark-earth/

More on the 2000 years bp Zapotec tombs from San Pedro Nexicho:

https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/pre-hispanic-tombs-oaxaca-zapotec/
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-20/dozens-of-pre-hispanic-zapotec-tombs-in-san-pedro-nexicho/101876922

More on the sculpture of Xipe Totec going on display:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/moyotlan-sculpture-unveiled/145881

Feature on UCSD’s work documenting sites in the path of the Maya Train project:

https://today.ucsd.edu/story/uc-san-diego-scientists-race-to-document-mexicos-maya-ruins

Feature on Machu Picchu:

https://www.historyextra.com/period/early-modern/machu-picchu-inca-city-history/

—–
Mike Ruggeri’s Ancient Americas Breaking News:

http://goo.gl/1VdeA

Mike Ruggeri’s Ancient Americas lecture channels on Youtube:

https://mikeruggerisyoutube.tumblr.com/

Ancient MesoAmerica News:

http://ancient-mesoamerica-news-updates.blogspot.com/
============================================================
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
============================================================
A Buddhist prayer has joined the Gutenberg Bible on display at the Beinecke:

https://news.yale.edu/2023/01/24/worlds-oldest-printed-objects-join-gutenberg-bible-beinecke-display

A 17th century French aristocratic woman used gold wire to keep her teeth from falling out:

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-french-aristocrat-golden-dental-secret.html
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230126-french-aristocrat-s-golden-dental-secret-revealed-400-years-on
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/archaeologists-uncover-gold-wire-mouth-anne-dalegre-17th-century-socialite-bad-reputation/
https://www.sciencealert.com/a-17th-century-aristocrat-had-a-crafty-secret-for-keeping-her-teeth
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66293
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-secrets-lie-beneath-this-17th-century-french-aristocrats-smile-180981526/

cf: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-archaeological-science-reports

A mystery portrait might be by Raphael:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-64374229

Marking the 700th anniversary of the canonization ot Thomas Aquinas by putting his skull on display:

https://www.ncregister.com/cna/skull-of-st-thomas-aquinas-unveiled-at-700th-anniversary-of-his-canonization

Jane Austen on TikTok:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jan/29/jane-austen-tiktok-generation-heroine-fans

On the history of the toilet:

https://www.livescience.com/who-invented-the-toilet

A ‘new’ poem by Phillis Wheatley has been identified:

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-poem-famed-early-american-poet.html
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/ualbany-professor-discovers-early-work-poet-17740564.php

An archaeology book has been ‘pulped’ because of the author’s bullying behaviour:

https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2023/01/digging-up-dirt-archaeology-book-pulped-over-authors-behaviour/

On music and astronomy over the ages:

https://theconversation.com/a-hymn-to-the-stars-what-happens-when-science-puts-the-universe-into-music-196499

Feature on preparing papyri for exhibition:

https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/preserving-papyrus-caring-4000-year-old-documents

Feature on Colette:

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230125-colette-the-most-beloved-french-writer-of-all-time

Feature on ancient seeds and their potential uses:

https://www.npr.org/2023/01/25/1149738126/climate-change-food-supply-lebanon-seed-bank-agriculture

Feature on the history of leprosy:

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230124-leprosy-the-ancient-disease-scientists-cant-solve

Feature on the origins of the ‘stork delivering babies’ tale:

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230119-the-weird-history-of-baby-myths

Feature on glacier archaeology:

https://www.sciencefocus.com/planet-earth/hidden-treasures-melting-glaciers/

Feature/review on how monks avoided distraction:

https://www.wired.com/story/medieval-monks-distraction/#intcid=_wired-verso-hp-trending_a96eb8fb-2b80-41d8-94a3-6b60c4e83cad_popular4-1
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-64374229

Endangered UNESCO World Heritage sites:

https://www.npr.org/2023/01/25/1151330239/odesa-world-heritage-in-danger-yemen-lebanon-unesco

Another ‘find an archaeological dig’ feature:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/archaeology-today/finding-an-archaeological-dig/

Review of David Graeber, *Pirate Enlightenment*:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/24/books/review/pirate-enlightenment-david-graeber.html

More on lead compounds in Rembrandt’s Night Watch:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/01/scientists-identify-rare-lead-compounds-in-rembrandts-the-night-watch/

============================================================
MUSEUM MATTERS
============================================================
Guilty Treasures:

https://www.actu-culture.com/les-pillages-une-contre-archeologie/

Edward Hopper:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2023/01/26/edward-hopper-new-york-whitney/

A Passion for Collecting Manuscripts:

https://www.finebooksmagazine.com/fine-books-news/passion-collecting-manuscripts

Power and Memory (Ottoman):

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/exhibition-displays-ottoman-and-republic-era-objects-180438

The refurbished Larnaca Museum was inaugurated:

https://cyprus-mail.com/2023/01/27/larnaca-museum-will-showcase-citys-relationship-with-history/

Plans for a museum for items found during Thessaloniki metro construction:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/01/23/museum-host-ancient-antiquities-thessaloniki/

Feature on ten exhibits at the Acropolis Museum:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/01/23/acropolis-museum/

The press put a ‘woke’ spin on the British museum’s change in the use of the word ‘mummy’:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11661057/British-Museum-bans-word-MUMMY-respect-3-000-year-old-dead.html
https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/mummy-offensive-dehumanising-banned-ancient-egypt-museums-edinburgh/
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/museums-scrap-mummy-label-for-corpses-over-colonial-legacy-h6qpmw65j
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/mummies-museums-name-change-intl-scli-scn/index.html
https://english.elpais.com/culture/2023-01-24/british-museums-to-stop-using-mummy-over-negative-associations.html
https://hyperallergic.com/795453/forget-mummy-its-mummified-person-now-museums/
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/british-museums-mummy-description-mummified-remains-conservatives-freak-out-1234655163/
https://greekreporter.com/2023/01/26/british-museum-bans-word-mummy-ancient-remains/

… but it seems to have been really overblown:

https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-britain-language/fact-check-the-british-museum-has-not-banned-the-word-mummy-idUSL1N34B1QP

… in case you’re wondering where the term came from:

https://www.spectator.com.au/2023/01/barometer-335/
============================================================
AUCTIONS AND SALES RELATED
============================================================
Big bucks for the auction of a Goya:

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/01/25/christies-old-masters-new-york-record-breaking-goya-portraits

… and a Bronzino and a van Dyck:

https://www.artnews.com/list/art-news/market/sothebys-old-masters-sales-bronzin-record-van-dyck-1234655487/
https://news.artnet.com/market/van-dyck-sothebys-old-master-sales-titian-bronzino-2245644

============================================================
ON THE DNA FRONT
============================================================
Feature on the ethics of ancient DNA studies:

https://knowablemagazine.org/article/society/2023/navigating-ethics-ancient-human-dna-research?utm_id=1461802
============================================================
THE TECHY SIDE
============================================================
CT scanning revealed 49 amulets on the 2300 years bp mummified remains of a 15-year-old boy:

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-golden-boy-mummy-precious-amulets.html
https://www.livescience.com/golden-boy-mummy-ancient-egypt
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/jan/24/digital-scan-unwraps-secrets-of-mummy-from-2300-years-ago
https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/484805.aspx
http://www.china.org.cn/world/Off_the_Wire/2023-01/25/content_85073352.htm
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-729410
https://www.sciencealert.com/scans-of-mummified-golden-boy-reveal-he-was-covered-in-magical-protections
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11156-230127-mummy-golden-boy

cf: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2022.1028377/full

More on the facial reconstruction of Ramesses II:

https://the-past.com/news/face-of-ramesses-ii-reconstructed/
============================================================
CLIMATE MATTERS
============================================================
Climate change is being blamed for the extinction of the ‘Siberian unicorn’:

https://hasanjasim.online/unicorns-lived-among-humans-died-due-to-climate-change-australian-researchers/
============================================================
TOURISTY THINGS
============================================================
Karaftu Caves:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/01/21/caraftu-caves-hercules-western-iran/

Merida:

https://www.thetravel.com/what-to-know-about-merida-spain/

Roman Lebanon:

https://www.thetravel.com/are-there-roman-ruins-in-lebanon/

Florence’s Ponte Vecchio:

https://www.dw.com/en/the-secrets-of-ponte-vecchio-in-florence/video-61636832
============================================================
PERFORMANCES AND MUSIC RELATED
============================================================
Hamlet:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/24/arts/music/paris-opera-hamlet.html

Feature on the Palais Garnier:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/24/arts/music/paris-opera-garnier.html

============================================================
TV/DOCUMENTARY HYPISH THINGS
============================================================
There’s an Edvard Munch biopic:

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/reviews/munch-2023-biopic-henrik-martin-dahlsbakken-1234655116/

In Service of our Ancestors (1619 project):

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/26/insider/a-new-series-in-service-of-our-ancestors.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/26/magazine/1619-project-hulu.html
============================================================
CRIME BEAT
============================================================
A mosaic of Hercules smuggled into the US five or so years ago is the focus of a trial:

https://www.dailynews.com/2023/01/26/la-judge-says-a-huge-ancient-sculpture-can-be-shown-in-court-for-smuggler-trial/

A raid in Asadussaman revealed stolen antiquities (and animal parts):

https://hindupost.in/crime/smuggled-antiquities-and-wildlife-parts-worth-rs-100-crores-found-in-raid-at-house-of-asaduzzaman-deganga-wb/

Ali Aboutaam was found guilty of using forged documents relating to antiquities provenance:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/swiss-court-finds-prominent-antiquities-dealer-guilty-of-using-forged-documents-11674642449
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/geneva-court-finds-ali-aboutaaum-guilty-illegally-importing-antiquities-2247910
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/01/27/antiquities-dealer-ali-aboutaam-given-18-month-suspended-sentence-by-geneva-court

Feature on free ports:

https://boingboing.net/2023/01/25/free-ports-are-places-with-the-ultra-rich-store-their-art-antiquities-to-avoid-tax-and-duties.html
———-
conflict antiquities:

http://conflictantiquities.wordpress.com/

anonymous swiss collector:

http://www.anonymousswisscollector.com/

Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues:

http://paul-barford.blogspot.ca/

Looting Matters:

http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/

Illicit Cultural Property:

http://illicit-cultural-property.blogspot.com/

SAFE:

http://www.savingantiquities.org/blog/

============================================================
REPATRIATION AND RECOVERY
============================================================
60 or so items were returned to Italy from the US this week:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/23/herculaneum-fresco-among-relics-returned-to-italy-from-us
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/23/world/europe/italy-art-stolen-us.html
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/romes-looted-treasures-returned-from-us-collectors-j0tmb7mr3
https://observer.com/2023/01/antiquities-seized-from-billionaire-michael-steinhardt-repatriated-to-italy/
https://www.thedailybeast.com/stolen-art-from-american-billionaire-michael-steinhardt-returned-to-italy
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/italy-welcomes-home-looted-ancient-artworks-us-2023-01-23/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/ancient-fresco-among-60-treasures-returned-to-italy-from-us/2023/01/23/afa68a4c-9b48-11ed-93e0-38551e88239c_story.html
https://www.cnn.com/videos/style/2023/01/23/italy-ancient-artifacts-antiquities-return-ist-intl-vpx.cnn
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/italy-looted-ancient-artifacts-return-scli-intl/index.html
https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/us-returns-60-artifacts-to-italy-including-fresco-of-greek-hero-hercules/news
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/ancient-fresco-60-treasures-returned-italy-us-96613902
https://www.ansa.it/english/news/politics/2023/01/23/pompeii-fresco-among-60-artifacts-returned-from-us_236d7b7e-ab67-49d6-a1b4-ea8d6c20033f.html
https://www.wantedinrome.com/news/us-returns-20-million-worth-of-stolen-art-to-italy.html
https://www.thenationalherald.com/ancient-fresco-among-60-treasures-returned-to-italy-from-us/
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/manhattan-da-returns-looted-artifacts-italy-2246866
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/01/26/looted-archaeological-artefacts-returned-italy
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/at-long-last-italy-welcomes-home-looted-art-antiquities-worth-20-million-180981507/

… although there might be some fakes in the bunch?:

https://eturbonews.com/italy-cultural-archaeology-finds-authentic/

The US returned ancient coins and a fresco fragment to Cyprus:

https://cyprus-mail.com/2023/01/26/ancient-coins-and-fresco-fragment-returned-from-us-with-aid-of-homeland-security/

Australia returned nine Buddha statues to Thailand:

https://thediplomat.com/2023/01/australian-returns-nine-antique-buddha-statues-to-thailand/

Calls for the return of a Cork artifact from the British Museum:

https://www.corkbeo.ie/news/history/calls-return-precious-cork-artefact-26048756

Heirs are suing the Guggenheim over a Nazi-looted Picasso:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/romes-looted-treasures-returned-from-us-collectors-j0tmb7mr3

Unrepatriated Native American remains in the State Museum of Pennsylvania:

https://www.wesa.fm/identity-community/2023-01-24/why-does-the-state-museum-have-the-remains-of-hundreds-of-native-americans

Mexico received items from Denmark, Canada, and the US:

https://www.plenglish.com/news/2023/01/26/mexico-recovers-archaeological-pieces-with-various-countries-help/

============================================================
NUMISMATICA
============================================================
Feature on ancient coins of Troas:

https://coinweek.com/ancient-coins/coins-of-ancient-greek-troas-troad-part-3/

Latest e-Sylum:

http://www.coinbooks.org/v26/club_nbs_esylum_v26n04.html

… and the one which should appear later today:

http://www.coinbooks.org/v26/club_nbs_esylum_v26n05.html
————————

Coin Week:

http://www.coinweek.com/

============================================================
OBITUARIES
============================================================
George L Huxley:

https://classicalassociationni.wordpress.com/2023/01/22/professor-george-l-huxley-obituary/

Brenda Haywood:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/brenda-heywood-obituary-pxzhx2z0k

Tim Schadla-Hall:

https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/people/2023/01/obituary-tim-schadla-hall-1947-2023/

Paul La Farge:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/25/books/paul-la-farge-dead.html

Marion Meade:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/22/books/marion-meade-dead.html

============================================================
AUDIO/VIDEO NEWS
============================================================
Audio News from Archaeologica:

https://www.archaeologychannel.org/audio-guide/audio-news/3256-audio-news-from-archaeologica-january15th-through-the-21st-2023

============================================================
GENERAL ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS BLOGS
============================================================
Archaeology Magazine News Page:

http://www.archaeology.org/news/

About.com Archaeology:

http://archaeology.about.com/

Archaeology Briefs:

http://archaeologybriefs.blogspot.com/

Atlas Obscura:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/

Heritage Daily:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/

Sapiens Archaeology:

https://www.sapiens.org/category/archaeology/

Taygete Atlantis excavations blogs aggregator:

http://planet.atlantides.org/taygete/
============================================================
PODCASTS/VODCASTS
============================================================
Archaeosoup:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Archaeos0up?feature=watch

Archaeology Podcast Network:

http://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/
============================================================
EXPLORATOR is a free weekly newsletter bringing you the latest
news of archaeological finds, historical research and the like.
Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured for news of
the ‘ancient world’ (broadly construed: practically anything relating
to archaeology or history up to a century or so ago is fair
game) and every Sunday they are delivered to your mailbox free of
charge!
============================================================
Useful Addresses
============================================================
You can read Explorator online at:

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Past issues of Explorator are also available on the web via our
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To send a ‘heads up’ to the editor or contact him for other
reasons:

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===========================================================
Explorator is Copyright (c) 2023 David Meadows. Feel free to
distribute these listings via email to your pals, students,
teachers, etc., but please include this copyright notice. These
links are not to be posted to any website by any means (whether
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is only right that I be made aware of public fora which are
making use of content gathered in Explorator. Thanks!
===========================================================

Explorator 25.40 ~ January 22, 2023

Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out).

============================================================
EARLY HOMINIDS
============================================================
I think we mentioned this redating of hominin footprints in Spain to 295 800 years bp:

https://the-past.com/news/hominin-footprints-in-spain/

Trying to figure out the diet of homo erectus from tooth analysis:

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-early-humans-tooth-enamel-reveals.html

Another tooth study compared Neanderthal and homo antecessor teeth:

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-neanderthals-species-dentition-characterized-thin.html

cf: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-022-01947-0

Climate change apparently didn’t affect Neanderthal hunting strategies at the Cobe-Grenal (France) site:

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-neanderthal-site-combe-grenal-france-strategies.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230118195840.htm

Study/feature on artistic abilities of Neanderthals:

https://theconversation.com/neanderthals-the-oldest-art-in-the-world-wasnt-made-by-homo-sapiens-194113
https://phys.org/news/2023-01-neanderthals-oldest-art-world-wasnt.html

Not sure where to put this item on the role of altruism in human development:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/jan/16/altruism-towards-other-species-may-have-helped-humans-thrive-study-finds

cf: https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/10.1079/hai.2023.0001
============================================================
AFRICA
============================================================
War-related concerns for Ethiopian antiquities:

https://issafrica.org/iss-today/ethiopia-loses-national-treasures-to-the-northern-war
============================================================
ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
============================================================
A 16 metre long copy of a Book of the Dead from a site in Siaqqara (first such in a century!):

https://www.egyptindependent.com/intact-ancient-papyrus-scroll-uncovered-in-saqqara-the-first-in-a-century/
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/archaeologists-uncover-52-foot-long-ancient-papyrus-intact-50-bce-1234654565/
https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/01/archaeologists-discovered-a-new-papyrus-of-egyptian-book-of-the-dead/
https://arkeonews.net/egyptian-archaeologists-discovered-16-meters-long-ancient-papyrus-with-spells-from-the-book-of-the-dead/

Another crocodile find … this time, ten 5th century BCE crocodile mummies from tombs at Qubbat al-Hawa:

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-mummified-crocodiles-insights-mummy-making.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230118195848.htm
https://www.brusselstimes.com/belgium/356058/belgian-archaeologists-investigate-egyptian-tomb-containing-mummified-crocodiles
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-728450
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/18/science/mummified-crocodiles-egypt-tomb.html
https://uk.style.yahoo.com/spanish-archaeologists-discover-egyptian-crocodile-150903444.html
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/ancient-egyptian-tomb-uncovered-with-mummified-crocodiles/145977
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/20/egyptian-tomb-with-ten-crocodile-mummies-discovered%E2%80%AF/

cf: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279137

Excavations at the Faiyum Oasis necropolis have revealed a child buried with 142 dogs (date?):

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-729101
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/child-buried-with-142-dogs-in-ancient-egyptian-necropolis/145952

More on the recently-found 18th Dynasty (or so) apparently royal tomb find at Luxor:

https://www.livescience.com/ancient-egyptian-royal-tombs-discovered
https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/484227/Antiquities/Ancient-Egypt/Royal-tomb-from-Thutmosid-period-discovered-on-Lux.aspx
https://menafn.com/1105431428/Egypt-Unveils-Ancient-Royal-Tomb-In-Luxor
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-728571
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ancient-egyptian-tomb-may-be-royal-female-from-rule-of-thutmosid-pharaohs-w707tqwdc
https://www.npr.org/2023/01/15/1149342572/ancient-egypt-royal-tomb-luxor-archeology
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11639559/Ancient-Egyptian-tomb-final-resting-place-QUEEN-princess-18th-Dynasty.html
https://jordantimes.com/news/region/egypt%C2%A0unveils-ancient-royal-tomb-luxor
https://www.rte.ie/news/newslens/2023/0115/1346856-egypt-ancient-royal-tomb/
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/archaeologists-have-uncovered-a-new-royal-tomb-in-luxor-egypt-1234653890/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/royal-tomb-unearthed-in-luxor/145938
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/17/royal-tomb-discovery-reported-at-luxors-western-valleys/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11134-230118-luxor-royal-tomb

Restoration of a number of columns of the Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak is complete:

https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentP/9/484551/Antiquities/In-Photos-A-group-of–columns-of-Karnak-Temples%E2%80%99-G.aspx
https://see.news/egypt-completes-restoration-of-37-columns-of-karnak-temple
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11141-230120-egypt-clean-columns

Another feature on Egypt wanting the return of the Rosetta Stone from the British Museum:

http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/newswire/ownership-ancient-artifacts-debated-egyptians-seek-return-rosetta-stone-british-museum/

Feature on the large number of excavations currently underway led by Egyptian archaeologists :

https://cairoscene.com/Buzz/Egyptian-Archeologists-are-Leading-50-Excavations-Across-the-Country

Feature on literature in ancient Egypt:

https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/page-turners-literature-ancient-egypt

Feature/interview on a biography of George Reisner:

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/01/new-bio-explores-times-scholarship-of-egyptologist-george-reisner/

Remains of a 5000 years bp stoneware workshop at Jiroft:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/480910/5000-year-old-stoneware-workshop-discovered-in-Jiroft

Evidence of a 3rd millennium BCE settlement site in northwestern Iran:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/480990/Traces-of-millennia-old-town-discovered-in-northwest-Iran

A Sassanid-era petroglyph of a horseman from Marvdasht:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/481076/Sassanid-petroglyph-of-horseman-discovered-in-Marvdasht

Excavations at Seymarah have revealed finds ranging from the Parthian era to the early Islamic period:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/480911/Seymareh-dig-uncovers-relics-dating-from-Parthian-to-early-Islamic

A pair of Amorite-Akkadian bilingual inscriptions found thirty years ago have (finally) been published:

https://www.haaretz.com/2023-01-20/00000185-ca23-d3a8-a3cf-cf3326430000

Feature on how Late Bronze Age kings dealt with rumours:

https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2023/01/kings-bronze-age-rumors

Feature on the ‘Baghdad Battery’:

https://www.iflscience.com/is-the-2-000-year-old-baghdad-battery-actually-a-battery-67119

A three-room Urartian tomb find from Ercis (Turkiye):

https://arkeonews.net/three-room-urartian-tomb-with-liquid-offering-area-libation-found-in-eastern-turkey/

The DAI is marking 25 years of research at Gobekli Tepe:

https://www.dainst.blog/the-tepe-telegrams/2023/01/16/over-twenty-five-years-of-research-at-gobekli-tepe/

Feature on Catalhoyuk:

https://www.outlookindia.com/outlooktraveller/explore/story/72954/catalhoyuk-discovering-one-of-the-worlds-oldest-cities

cf: https://www.cairn.info/revue-d-assyriologie-2022-1-page-113.htm

Feature on conserving ancient manuscripts in Iraq:

https://en.qantara.de/content/iraqs-cultural-heritage-iraqi-conservators-strive-to-preserve-ancient-manuscripts

A study of Middle Paleolithic hunting evidence from the Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet (Jordan):

https://www.newsweek.com/humans-surprising-technique-kill-giant-cows-60000-years-ago-1774183

cf: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352409X22004400
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-27321-5

Overview of the Beit Ras excavations, with a focus on glass production there:

https://jordantimes.com/news/local/beit-ras-excavations-offer-glimpse-ancient-glass-production
https://menafn.com/1105431389/Beit-Ras-Excavations-Offer-Glimpse-Into-Ancient-Glass-Production

Not sure if we mentioned this find of a Bar Kokhba revolt coin from the Nahal Darga Nature Reserve:

https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/01/19/archeologists-find-ancient-hebrew-coin-dated-to-jewish-rebellion-against-rome-year-two-of-the-freedom-of-israel/

1300 years bp Silk Road-connected textiles from trash deposits in the Aravah:

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-728990
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-01-20/ty-article/archaeologists-find-exotic-imports-in-trash-pile-on-israeli-silk-road/00000185-cf51-d3a8-a3cf-cf712cf10000
https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/01/18/evidence-of-ancient-silk-road-found-in-israels-aravah/
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article271319217.html
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/material-evidence-of-silk-road-found-in-israel/145967

More on the find of 4000+ years bp ostrich eggs found next to a fire pit site in the Negev:

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365972
https://mosaicmagazine.com/picks/history-ideas/2023/01/ancient-ostrich-eggs-in-the-negev/
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/ancient-ostrich-eggs-over-easy/

Israel’s Techniion and the University of Haifa have launched a collaboration project:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-technion-u-of-haifa-announce-game-changing-microarchaeology-collaboration/

Feature on excavations in El-Araj:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/bas-onsite/digging-in-el-araj/

—–
This Week in the Ancient Near East Podcast:

https://thisweekintheancientneareast.podbean.com/

============================================================
ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME (AND CLASSICS)
============================================================
A DNA study suggests that at least one group in Minoan Crete was practicing endogamy/cousin marriage:

https://www.mpg.de/19726152/0110-evan-marriage-in-minoan-crete-150495-x
https://phys.org/news/2023-01-marriage-minoan-crete-revealed-ancient.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230116112549.htm
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/976292
https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/16/europe/ancient-cousins-marriage-scli-intl-scn/index.html
https://www.thedailybeast.com/dont-blame-the-egyptians-for-this-ancient-greek-kink
https://news.yahoo.com/don-t-blame-egyptians-ancient-040140357.html
https://www.thenationalherald.com/family-ties-ancient-greeks-encouraged-first-cousins-to-marry/
https://www.iflscience.com/ancient-greeks-often-married-their-first-cousins-scientists-surprised-to-find-67099
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/study-using-archaeogenetics-reveals-news-insights-in-minoan-marriage/145941
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/17/marriage-in-minoan-crete/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11137-230119-greece-cousin-marriage

cf: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-022-01952-3

An Etruscan necropolis from Vetulonia (all coverage Italian):

https://www.ansa.it/toscana/notizie/2023/01/17/scoperta-necropoli-etrusca-vicino-a-vetulonia_1cc8b338-b77b-4cd0-bf84-4eea96499508.html
https://ilglobo.com/en/news/etruscan-necropolis-discovered-near-vetulonia-88495/
https://www.globalist.it/culture/2023/01/17/vetulonia-nuova-scoperta-archeologica/

Archaeo-spelologists found a 647 metre section of an Augustan aqueduct in Naples (Italian):

https://www.stilearte.it/archeo-speleologi-napoletani-trovano-un-lungo-tratto-647-metri-dellacquedotto-romano-daugusto/

Overview of recent finds from the site of Tenea:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/01/20/ancient-greek-settlement-tenea-discover-first-time/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/new-discoveries-at-lost-city-of-tenea/145995

Remains of a Gallo-Roman rural settlement site in Beziers:

https://www.inrap.fr/une-occupation-neolithique-et-un-etablissement-rural-gallo-romain-beziers-17014

More on the reopening of the House of the Vettii in Pompeii:

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/pompeii-reopens-house-of-vettii-penis-fresco-2243508
https://www.ntd.com/house-of-freed-slaves-restored-in-pompeii_894787.html

… and a related feature on Roman sexuality:

https://theconversation.com/pompeiis-house-of-the-vettii-reopens-a-reminder-that-roman-sexuality-was-far-more-complex-than-simply-gay-or-straight-197978

More on the reasons for the durability of Roman concrete:

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/chemists-long-lasting-roman-concrete
https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/the-reason-why-2-000-year-old-roman-concrete-is-still-so-strong
https://www.openculture.com/2023/01/the-mystery-finally-solved-why-has-roman-concrete-been-so-durable.html
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ancient-roman-concrete-has-self-healing-capabilities/

More on the identification of a Temple of Poseidon at Samikon:

https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1202508/structure-believed-to-be-long-lost-temple-to-poseidon-unearthed-in-peloponnese/
https://hyperallergic.com/793898/archaeologists-find-possible-remains-of-temple-of-poseidon/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/16/mainz-university-contributes-to-recent-discovery-of-the-temple-of-poseidon/

More on Hipparchus’ Star Catalog:

https://www.rit.edu/science/news/rit-scientists-help-rediscover-earliest-known-star-map-using-multispectral-imaging

More on finds from the Colosseum drains:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/archaeological-treasures-hide-beneath-the-colosseum

More on coins of Sponsian:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/emperor-sponsian-coins

More on the remains found during Thessaloniki Metro construction of the past years:

https://arkeonews.net/ancient-ruins-hidden-under-thessaloniki-metro-revealed/

More on the San Casciano dei Bagni bronzes:

https://the-past.com/news/spectacular-bronzes-found-in-italy/

Feature/hyping the Alma Mater Studiorum of Unibo working at Thuburbo Maius in Tunisia:

https://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/culture/2023/01/20/archaeology-bologna-alma-mater-at-work-in-tunisia_69ad5db0-47b0-4c02-bab1-dd029c0ae2ae.html

Greece is planning to protect the site of Poltinopoli:

https://news.gtp.gr/2023/01/13/greece-to-highlight-archaeological-site-of-plotinopoli-in-evros-with-mild-interventions/

A UCL project studying interactions between Greece and Egypt from prehistory to the Byzantine era:

https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/16/greece-in-egypt-and-egypt-in-greece-from-homer-to-rome-and-byzantium/

Joel Christensen on ancient reunions:

https://www.brandeis.edu/now/2023/january/reunions-ancient-greece-christensen.html
https://www.ekathimerini.com/society/1202349/reunions-can-be-nostalgic-and-painful-as-well-as-happy-as-the-ancient-greek-heroes-achilles-and-odysseus-show-us/

Jane Draycott on Cleopatra Selene:

https://aeon.co/essays/there-was-another-more-successful-queen-cleopatra

Review of Christopher Beckwith, *The Scythian Empire*;

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-scythian-empire-book-review-history-the-riders-from-the-steppe-11674233967

Feature on Madeline Miller’s myth retellings:

https://www.ubyssey.ca/culture/the-echo-of-modern-world-in-madeline-millers-greek-mythology-inspired-stories/

Feature on A.E. Stallings’ poetry:

https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/ae-stallings-afterlife-poems/

Feature on the enduring attraction of Classics:

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/stage/2023/01/18/why-the-classical-world-still-grips-the-contemporary-imagination/

Feature on food and sex in Greek literature:

https://neoskosmos.com/en/2023/01/21/dialogue/ancient-greece/diatribe-on-lionesses-and-cheesegraters-1/

Review of Graver and Long, *Fifty Letters of a Roman Stoic*:

https://dartreview.com/seneca-in-short-professor-margaret-gravers-50-letters-of-a-roman-stoic/

Review of Peter Stothard, *Crassus: The First Tycoon*:

https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2023/02/06/crassus-not-the-noblest-roman-of-them-all/

Feature on a possible Etruscan wine-making site found a couple decades ago in Tuscany:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/ancient-etruscan-wine

Feature on the Domus Aurea:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ancient-roman-concrete-has-self-healing-capabilities/

Feature on the death of Cleopatra:

https://www.iflscience.com/how-did-cleopatra-die-the-queen-of-egypt-s-death-still-mystifies-67160

Feature on Plato’s Timaeus:

https://www.thecollector.com/plato-timaeus-how-was-the-cosmos-created/

Feature on Plato’s Theaetetus:

https://www.thecollector.com/plato-theaetetus-what-is-knowledge/

A virtual tour of Ancient Athens:

https://www.openculture.com/2023/01/a-virtual-tour-of-ancient-athens-fly-over-classical-greek-civilization-in-all-its-glory.html

In regards to the Parthenon Sculptures, we read this week of ‘secret talks’ going on:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/17/arts/design/parthenon-sculptures-elgin-marbles-negotiations.html
https://www.jordannews.jo/Section-124/Odd-Bizarre/After-220-years-the-fate-of-the-parthenon-marbles-rests-in-secret-talks-26512
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/art/2023/01/19/elgin-marbles-greece-and-british-museum-in-secret-talks-to-decide-fate-of-parthenon-sculptures/
https://www.thenationalherald.com/the-new-york-times-shines-light-on-the-marbles/

… and of a 20-year loan agreement proposal:

https://www.thenationalherald.com/greece-talked-20-year-parthenon-marbles-loan-from-british-museum/

… and more OpEds from various viewpoints:

https://www.standard.co.uk/comment/greek-elgin-marbles-must-stay-uk-b1054504.html
https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news/elgin-marbles-back-to-athens/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/14/british-museum-loses-marbles-nationalism-triumphs-humanitys/

—–
Roman Archaeology Blog:

http://romanarc.blogspot.com/

Rogueclassicism:

http://rogueclassicism.com/
============================================================
EUROPE AND THE UK (+ Ireland)
============================================================
Evidence of a Mesolithic settlement site from North Yorkshire:

https://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/stone-age-hunter-gatherers-in-britain/
https://phys.org/news/2023-01-archaeologists-stone-age-hunter-gatherers-britain.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0j89q8eye3o
https://www1.chester.ac.uk/news/archaeologists-shed-light-lives-stone-age-hunter-gatherers-britain
https://arkeonews.net/10500-year-old-stone-age-hunter-gatherer-settlement-found-in-england/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/preserved-10500-year-old-stone-age-hunter-gatherer-settlement-discovered/145983
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11140-230120-england-mesolithic-wetlands

A study of evidence for violence and warfare in Neolithic communities of Northwest Europe:

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-violence-widespread-early-farming-society.html

A study of Bronze Age Balearic Islanders’ eating and social habits:

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-bronze-age-social-habits-balearic.html
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11139-230119-menorca-egalitarian-diet

2000 years bp waterlogged wooden remains (including a ladder) from a highway construction site in Bedfordshire:

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66232
https://www.stilearte.it/una-scala-di-legno-di-2000-anni-fa-trovata-in-un-pozzo-scoperto-durante-lavori-stradali/
https://www.archeomedia.net/gran-bretagna-una-scala-di-legno-di-2000-anni-fa-trovata-in-un-pozzo-scoperto-durante-lavori-stradali/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/excavations-reveal-waterlogged-remains-from-iron-age/145990

1800+ years bp runestone find from near Oslo:

https://sciencenorway.no/archaeology-language-runes/worlds-oldest-rune-stone-found-in-norway-archaeologists-believe/2141404
https://phys.org/news/2023-01-world-oldest-runestone-norway.html
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/jan/17/worlds-oldest-runestone-found-in-norway-archaeologists-say
https://apnews.com/article/norway-oslo-31524a0dbb0405b08fb2fba6ffafdfaa
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-18/norway-runestone-discovered-archaeological-find-2000-years-old/101866640
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-729204
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/norway-archaeologists-find-worlds-oldest-runestone-rcna66066
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/norway-archaeologists-find-worlds-oldest-runestone-96476413
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/archaeologists-in-norway-find-worlds-oldest-runestone
https://www.dw.com/en/archaeologists-find-worlds-oldest-runestone-in-norway/a-64427741
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/archaelogy-news-norway-worlds-oldest-rune-stone-1234654100/
https://arkeonews.net/worlds-oldest-dated-rune-stone-found-in-norway/
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/norway-worlds-oldest-runestone-early-runic-writing-2244113
https://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/archaeologists-in-scandinavia-find-worlds-oldest-runestone/
https://www.sciencealert.com/worlds-oldest-runestone-uncovered-in-norway-spells-out-a-mysterious-word
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66187
https://www.archaeology.wiki/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/svingerudsteinen1000px-210×210.jpg
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/sensational-runestone-discovered-in-norway-may-be-the-worlds-oldest-180981470/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/newly-discovered-norwegian-runes-might-contain-a-medieval-joke-180979381/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11138-230119-norway-runestone

Carbon dating has pushed the founding of Gdansk back to ca 930 CE:

https://scienceinpoland.pap.pl/en/news/news%2C94792%2Carchaeological-discovery-pushes-founding-date-gdansk-60-years-back.html
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11131-230117-poland-gdansk-foundation

Latest HS2-related finds seems to be evidence of Civil War damage at Coleshill Manor (this will be on Digging for Britain):

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jan/21/coleshill-towers-remains-history-english-civil-war
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-64348115
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/hs2-civil-war-discovery-pistol-b2266561.html
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/21/first-shots-fired-english-civil-war-unearthed-archaeologists/
https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/hs2-archaeologists-find-scars-early-26037168
https://www.warwickshireworld.com/heritage-and-retro/retro/video-hs2-archaeologists-uncover-scars-of-early-civil-war-battle-in-warwickshire-3995999

Mapping Iron Age tunnels in Scotland:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/scotland-tunnels-highlands-laser-b2265294.html
https://www.wired.com/story/laser-scanning-tunnels/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/lasers-are-mapping-scotlands-subterranean-iron-age-structures/145958

cf: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12520-022-01707-y

An Iron Age farmstead site in Newsham:

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/archaelogical-dig-northumberland-line-newsham-25974268

Finds from various periods at a construction site in Gap (France):

https://www.inrap.fr/paysage-ancien-et-industrie-moderne-gap-hautes-alpes-17006

More on the 7000 years bp mass burial of decapitated people from Slovakia:

https://www.jpost.com/science/article-728609
https://news.am/eng/news/739667.html
https://www.iflscience.com/a-massacre-or-something-stranger-37-headless-skeletons-raise-questions-67104
https://arkeonews.net/headless-skeletons-discovered-in-prehistoric-mass-grave/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/16/headless-skeletons-in-a-settlement-trench-a-7000-year-old-mass-grave/

More on the 3000 years bp ritual well from Germany:

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/3000-year-old-wishing-well-unearthed-in-germany-1234654281/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-3000-year-old-wishing-well-in-germany-180981428/

More on the ‘princely Hun’ burial from Romania:

https://www.livescience.com/princely-tomb-hun-warrior-romania
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/warriors-tomb-discovered-romania-expressway-construction-1234654522/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11135-230119-romania-princely-tomb

More on the current dig at Sheffield Castle:

https://the-past.com/news/history-of-sheffield-castle-foundations-revealed-by-archaeologists/

More on the ‘Harpole treasure’ found in Northamptonshire:

https://the-past.com/news/remarkable-early-medieval-burial-found-in-northamptonshire/

More on ‘cave writing’ on ancient petroglyphs:

https://www.npr.org/2023/01/13/1149135787/amateur-archaeologist-deciphers-20-000-year-old-cave-writing
https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/ancient-humans-first-written-words-are-20-000-years-old

In case you missed the neutron imaging of a 900 yeas bp pendant from Germany:

https://www.livescience.com/medieval-pendant-relics-neutron-imaging

Arguing over preserving a 1901 bridge in Prague:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/21/like-knocking-down-the-eiffel-tower-battle-to-save-historic-prague-bridge

Three finds from various periods found by detectorists in Shropshire have been declared treasure:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-64339535
https://www.shropshirelive.com/news/2023/01/20/three-finds-discovered-by-shropshire-detectorists-declared-treasure/
https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/local-hubs/bridgnorth/2023/01/19/incredible-bronze-age-gold-ring-a-part-of-a-roman-amulet-case-and-a-medieval-gold-ring-all-declared-treasure-at-shropshire-inquests/

Feature on the project to rebuild the Newport Ship:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-64151535
https://www.iflscience.com/how-archaeologists-will-rebuild-the-newport-ship-and-solve-the-world-s-largest-3d-puzzle-67176

Feature on ram-shaped gravestones in Georgia:

https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/gravestones-caucasus/

Feature on the Mount Keeffe Chalice:

https://www.independent.ie/regionals/corkman/news/valuable-north-cork-chalice-from-16th-century-held-far-from-home-in-a-british-museum-42296754.html

Feature on the Red lady of Paviland:

https://theconversation.com/red-lady-of-paviland-the-story-of-a-33-000-year-old-skeleton-and-the-calls-for-it-to-return-to-wales-197204

Feature on Britain’s ‘greatest’ archaeological discoveries:

https://www.historyextra.com/period/general-history/britains-greatest-archaeological-discoveries/

———-
Archaeology in Europe News:

http://archaeology-in-europe.blogspot.com/

Medievalists.net:

https://www.medievalists.net/category/news/

Viking Archaeology Blog:

http://viking-archaeology-blog.blogspot.com/

============================================================
ASIA AND THE SOUTH PACIFIC
============================================================
40 000 years bp evidence of human activity from a site in Ziyang City (Sichuan):

https://english.news.cn/20230115/1d4270ab8579412f97fb31caa2216995/c.html
https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202301/17/WS63c5e7aba31057c47eba9f6e.html
https://eng.belta.by/partner_news/view/new-evidence-of-prehistoric-human-activity-found-in-southwest-china-155990-2023/
https://www.gulf-times.com/article/653420/international/china/new-evidence-of-prehistoric-human-activity-found-in-southwest-china

21 royal Han burials from Hunan:

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66178

Remains of 240 royal storehouses dating to the Northern Wei Dynasty in a plaace site in Luoyang city:

http://en.people.cn/n3/2023/0119/c90000-10198333.html

43 burials spanning four dynasties from the Dongsanlingzi Tombs excavations:

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article271334477.html

Feature on China’s rewriting of Tibetan history:

https://bitterwinter.org/zhangzhung-how-china-reinvents-tibetan-history/

Overview of a ANA and UHawaii dig at Angkor Wat:

https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ana-university-hawaii-wrap-archaeology-dig

… while restoration of a causeway at Angkor Wat is almost complete:

https://cne.wtf/2023/01/21/restoration-of-angkor-wat-causeway-almost-complete/

Connecting Qing dynasty isolationism to modern China:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/16/what-the-isolationist-qing-dynasty-tells-us-about-xi-jinpings-china

A possible 11th/12th century CE Shiva lingam from Aarey:

https://www.mid-day.com/amp/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/mumbai-shiv-lingam-found-inside-aarey-could-be-from-11th-or-12th-century-ce-says-asi-23266156

Mughal era coins and other finds from Bazar-Navagaon:

https://www.dailypioneer.com/2023/state-editions/mughal-period-coins–antiquities-found.html

Revising the history of Calicut:

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-tale-cities-history-calicut-wrong.html

cf: https://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/n10694/pdf/03_nunn_kumar.pdf

On the ‘Scythian’ or whatever it is culture revealed by Russian archaeologists a couple weeks ago:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/did-russian-archaeologists-really-discover-a-new-ancient-culture
https://news.yahoo.com/did-russian-archaeologists-really-discover-095028323.html
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/kurgan-tomb-siberia-clues-unknown-scythian-culture-2242729

============================================================
NORTH AMERICA
============================================================
An NSF grant to study Cahokia:

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/977016
https://www.wshu.org/2023-01-17/ct-archeologist-to-unearth-mysteries-buried-at-cahokia-a-massive-midwestern-indigenous-city
https://www.ctpublic.org/news/2023-01-17/ct-archeologist-to-unearth-mysteries-buried-at-cahokia-a-massive-midwestern-indigenous-city
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/19/archaeologist-awarded-nsf-grant-to-study-prehistoric-city-creation/

… and one to study hurricane-damaged sites in Florida:

https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/archaeologists-awarded-nsf-grant-survey-hurricane-damaged-heritage-sites/

Account of a Brown dig at a 19th-century Providence family residence:

https://www.brown.edu/news/2022-12-20/archaeology

Introductory sort of thing on a dig happening in Charlottesville (Va):

https://www.cbs19news.com/story/48178584/archaeological-dig-begins-on-the-site-for-court-renovation-project-possibility-of-grave-discovery

The Elam Ives House in Hamden was saved and is undergoing restoration:

https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/Hamden-Elam-Ives-house-to-be-restored-17723564.php

Feature on Isaac Shelby:

https://news.coinupdate.com/from-the-colonels-desk-isaac-shelby-the-man-the-medal-the-mysteries/
============================================================
CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
============================================================
2000 years bp Zapotec murals depicting warfare from tombs in southern Mexico:

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/archaeologists-unearth-colourful-pre-hispanic-tombs-with-striking-murals-dated-2000-years-from-mexico/articleshow/97157889.cms?from=mdr

A study of the Maya obsidian market in Guatemala:

https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2023/01/05/new-study-suggests-mayas-utilized-market-based-economics/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11129-230117-guatemala-maya-obsidian

A pre-construction survey of a pipeline site in southern Mexico reveal a possible Maya settlement site:

https://www.inah.gob.mx/boletines/par-de-plataformas-da-cuenta-de-un-sitio-maya-que-no-figuraba-en-el-atlas-arqueologico-de-tabasco
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11130-230118-mexico-maya-platforms

A recently-excavated statue of Xipe Toltec has gone on display at the Templo Mayor:

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66147

Another theory on the purpose of the Nazca lines:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/study-solves-mystery-of-the-nazca-lines/145948

I think we mentioned that LiDAR has revealed some 964 pre-Hispanic Maya settlement sites in northern Guatemala:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/lasers-reveal-massive-650-square-mile-maya-site-hidden-beneath-guatemalan-rainforest/
https://www.laprensalatina.com/964-mayan-ruins-discovered-beneath-guatemalan-rainforest/

INAH is working to conserve petroglyphs at the Kawa Siski cave:

https://www.inah.gob.mx/boletines/inicia-salvaguarda-de-las-pinturas-rupestres-de-la-cueva-kawa-sisiki-en-la-mixteca-de-la-montana-alta-de-guerrero

More on the alignment of Olmec sites to the 260 day calendar:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/earliest-evidence-of-260-day-calendar-use-found-in-mexico-180981399/

Feature on the Cantona site:

https://mexiconewsdaily.com/travel/cantona-an-impressive-but-underrated-archaeological-site/
—–
Mike Ruggeri’s Ancient Americas Breaking News:

http://goo.gl/1VdeA

Mike Ruggeri’s Ancient Americas lecture channels on Youtube:

https://mikeruggerisyoutube.tumblr.com/

Ancient MesoAmerica News:

http://ancient-mesoamerica-news-updates.blogspot.com/
============================================================
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
============================================================
Study suggests rats might not have played such a critical role in plague perseverance:

https://theconversation.com/the-black-death-may-not-have-been-spread-by-rats-after-all-196521
https://phys.org/news/2023-01-black-death-rats.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230119112819.htm
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/20/understanding-the-elusive-origins-of-the-black-death/

cf: https://www.pnas.org/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.2209816119

A sword in Chicago’s Field museum once considered a replica is now considered authentic:

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66223
https://www.cnet.com/science/replica-sword-turns-out-to-be-the-real-3000-year-old-deal/
https://arkeonews.net/the-sword-thought-to-be-a-replica-turned-out-to-be-an-authentic-3000-year-old-bronze-age-sword/

Feature on Matisse’s The Dance:

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230118-matisses-the-dance-the-masterpiece-that-changed-history

The previous owner of the Voynich Manuscript has been revealed:

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66173

Plans to preserve some of Alexander Graham Bell’s experimental recordings:

https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/16/alexander-graham-bells-experimental-sound-recordings-to-be-preserved/

Feature on Isaac Newton’s use of Greek:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/01/19/isaac-newton-manuscripts-greek/

Feature on the ‘Slave Bible’:

https://www.thetorah.com/article/the-slave-bible-for-slavery-or-salvation

Feature on how Hebrew came to be written right to left:

https://mosaicmagazine.com/observation/history-ideas/2023/01/how-hebrew-came-to-be-written-from-right-to-left/

Feature on the Crystal Skulls:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/the-truth-behind-the-crystal-skulls/145970

Feature on the use of ‘bioweapons’ by various ancient cultures:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/ancient-empires-used-bioweapons-to-strike-terror-more-than-3-000-years-ago

Feature on ‘filthy place names’ in the UK:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/jan/21/next-stop-twatt-my-tour-of-britains-fantastically-filthy-placenames

Another feature on historical ‘scent’:

https://www.chemistryworld.com/features/the-smell-of-history/4016790.article

Interesting photo of samurai in front of the Sphinx of Giza:

https://www.iflscience.com/why-dozens-of-samurai-took-a-photo-in-front-of-egypt-s-sphinx-in-1864-67144

A rare lead compound discovered in The Night Watch:

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-unusual-compound-rembrandt-night.html

Scientists have figured out ‘Leonardo’s Paradox’:

https://www.vice.com/en/article/3ad9eb/a-500-year-old-paradox-by-leonardo-da-vinci-has-finally-been-solved-study-says

cf: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/anie.202216478

Pondering why humans live where it’s cold:

https://theconversation.com/most-humans-havent-evolved-to-cope-with-the-cold-yet-we-dominate-northern-climates-heres-why-195621

In case you’re in the market for a medieval Swedish castle:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes-global-properties/2023/01/20/a-stellar-swedish-castle-once-a-medieval-power-center-comes-to-market/?sh=2db3b9392eda

More on the Van Gogh at the DIA:

https://apnews.com/article/legal-proceedings-detroit-institute-of-arts-brazil-4b431349025d9a400d8cb1ac4a3fa1d2
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/arts/2023/01/16/detroit-museum-van-gogh-painting-mysterious-past-immune-seizure-dia/69812505007/
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/arts/2023/01/18/dia-misguided-in-fight-over-stolen-van-gogh-in-detroit-lawyer-says/69819904007/
============================================================
CURRENT EVENTS:
============================================================
In case you missed the controversy/firing at a Minnesota university over a prof’s showing a depiction of Muhammad:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/minnesota-university-fire-professors-dismissal-showing-images-prophet-rcna65881?

Plans to change the name of the Thames River in Connecticut to the Pequot River:

https://www.middletownpress.com/politics/article/CT-Thames-River-Mashantucket-Pequot-17723763.php#ld2mg57plkts4rin82
https://abcnews.go.com/US/indigenous-tribes-restored-connecticut-river-proposed-bill/story?id=96567103

Review of Nicolai Petro, *the Tragedy of Ukraine*:

https://natyliesbaldwin.com/2023/01/review-of-nicolai-petros-the-tragedy-of-ukraine/

… and a column by the author:

https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/the-tragedy-of-ukraine/

Feature on abortion in the mid-19th century US:

https://www.npr.org/2023/01/19/1149924325/abortion-was-once-common-practice-in-america-a-small-group-of-doctors-changed-th
============================================================
ANIMAL AND PLANT DOMESTICATIONS
============================================================
On the importance/role of donkeys in human history:

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230116-how-donkeys-changed-the-course-of-human-history

cf: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X21004624

============================================================
MUSEUM MATTERS
============================================================
Islanders: The Making of the Mediterranean:

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/artefacts-from-ancient-mediterranean-civilisation-on-show-for-first-time-in-uk-42289107.html
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/fitzwilliam-museum-mediterranean-cambridge-university-of-cambridge-cagliari-b2262817.html
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/20/islanders-the-making-of-the-mediterranean/

Quantity and Quality (Greek Terracottas):

https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/17/quantity-and-quality-the-world-of-greek-terracottas/

Cy Twombly:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2023/01/14/cy-twombly-mfa-boston/

Dressing the Georgians:

https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2023/jan/16/dressing-the-georgians-exhibition-explores-pivotal-moment-fashion

Vermeer:

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66203

Tutankhamun:

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tutankhamuns-treasures-on-show-in-istanbul-180242

Garden of Civilization:

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/01/20/symbols-iraqi-civilisation-basrah-museum

Hyping the impending opening of the Iznik Archaeology Museum:

https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/iznik-archaeology-museum-reveals-2500-year-old-love-letter/news
https://arkeonews.net/iznik-archaeology-museum-reveals-2500-year-old-love-letter/

Feature on how many Greek artifacts the British Museum holds and has on display:

https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/01/16/british-museum-holds-108184-greek-artefacts-of-which-only-6493-are-even-on-display/

The Sudan National Museum is close to reopening:

https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/sudan-national-museum-prepares-for-reopening-after-transfer-of-its-main-statue

Jerusalem’s Armenian Museum has reopened:

https://apnews.com/article/homicide-jerusalem-education-genocide-f4c6c9b8af5d1102a0279a0563563b29

The Hunterian is removing the skeleton of the ‘Irish Giant’ from display:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/21/world/europe/charles-byrne-irish-giant-museum.html
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66198

The Odessa Museum is keeping some items which were being smuggled out ot the country:

https://odessa-journal.com/the-odessa-archaeological-museum-received-treasures-that-were-tried-to-be-illegally-exported-abroad/

Feature on some ‘essential’ works at the Met:

https://www.artnews.com/list/art-news/artists/what-to-see-metropolitan-museum-of-art-new-york-1234651202/

The Santa Barbara Museum of Art is being sued over a Nazi-looted drawing:

https://www.independent.com/2023/01/17/santa-barbara-museum-of-art-sued-over-nazi-looted-drawing/

Pollock’s Toy Museum is closing:

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/01/19/uks-oldest-toy-museum-announces-closure-sending-thousands-of-antique-toys-into-storage

The British Museum is rethinking its use of the term ‘mummy’:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11661057/British-Museum-bans-word-MUMMY-respect-3-000-year-old-dead.html
============================================================
AUCTIONS AND SALES RELATED
============================================================
Some paintings by Queen Victoria are coming to auction:

https://news.artnet.com/market/queen-victoria-floral-paintings-hansons-auctioneers-2244149

Newton’s personal copy of Opticks is coming to auction:

https://www.livescience.com/personal-copy-newtons-opticks-found

Big bucks for a gold Roman medallion:

https://www.numismaticnews.net/world-coins/massive-roman-gold-medallion-sells-for-record-2-3-million

============================================================
ON THE DNA FRONT
============================================================
A DNA-based study of mobility of Anatolian and Levantine populations in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B:

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-isotope-ancient-dna-analysis-mobility.html

cf: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2210611120

DNA suggests Asian hunter-gathers covered a wide range and went back and forth across the Bering Land Bridge:

https://www.livescience.com/previously-unknown-hunter-gatherers-siberia
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/19/high-mobility-of-ancient-hunter-gatherers-7500-years-ago/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11133-230118-prehistoric-gene-flow

A study of the African origins of a group of enslaved persons from a South Carolina cemetery:

https://www.livescience.com/genetics-reveal-enslaved-people-origins
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11132-230117-colonial-enslavement-cemetery

Using DNA to identify a WWI Canadian soldier:

https://www.villagereport.ca/national-news/dna-and-a-decade-of-work-identify-canadian-soldier-106-years-after-death-in-france-6386459
============================================================
THE TECHY SIDE
============================================================
China is working on recreating the appearance of a Neanderthal boy (no photo!):

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202301/1283984.shtml

An Egyptian sarcophagus from a Cambridge museum went through the CT scanner:

https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2023-01-21/what-happens-when-you-put-an-ancient-egyptian-mummy-coffin-into-a-ct-scanner

More on the facial recreation of one of the Jericho skulls:

https://www.livescience.com/jericho-skull-facial-approximation
https://www.timesofisrael.com/9000-year-old-jericho-skull-gets-virtual-facelift-using-plastic-surgery-techniques/

… and of Rameses II:

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-728647
============================================================
CLIMATE MATTERS
============================================================
On the role of climate change in the rise and fall of Persian empires:

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-climate-impacted-fall-middle-eastern.html

cf: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277379122004863
============================================================
TOURISTY THINGS
============================================================
Roman Colchester:

https://www.countrylife.co.uk/out-and-about/colchester-essex-the-purpose-built-capital-city-of-roman-britain-251483

Tamil Nadu:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/gangaikondacholapuram-southern-india-chola-dynasty-ponniyin-selvan-1

Dresden:

https://www.dw.com/en/dresden-top-travel-destination-for-2023/g-38189936

Political protests have closed Machu Picchu:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-64360531
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-machu-picchu-closed-peru-protests/
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/peru-shuts-down-machu-picchu-as-political-unrest-spreads-across-country
https://www.smh.com.au/world/south-america/machu-picchu-and-inca-trail-closed-indefinitely-due-to-peru-protests-20230122-p5ceiq.html
============================================================
PERFORMANCES AND MUSIC RELATED
============================================================
Study suggests Beethoven’s Elise never really existed:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jan/22/beethovens-fur-elise-historian-concludes-she-never-existedus-elise-historian-concludes-she-never-existed

============================================================
TV/DOCUMENTARY HYPISH THINGS
============================================================
Hyping decapitated burials (Roman/Iron Age) from Wintringham to be shown on Digging for Britain:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-64358866
https://news.yahoo.com/roman-headless-remains-found-wintringham-122358065.html

… and in another episode, an Iron Age shield from Everards:

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/celebs-tv/bbcs-digging-britain-feature-iron-8009521
============================================================
CRIME BEAT
============================================================
Paintings stolen in a Colorado art heist a few weeks ago have been recovered:

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/01/17/police-recover-paintings-boulder-colorado-art-heist

Egypt has reduced the sentence against a businessman accused of trafficking antiquities:

https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentP/1/484593/Egypt/Egypt-court-reduces-sentences-against-businessman,.aspx

A former museum director in Jordan was imprisoned for counterfeiting ancient coins:

https://www.jordannews.jo/Section-109/News/Ex-museum-director-sentenced-to-prison-for-counterfeiting-antique-coins-26550
———-
conflict antiquities:

http://conflictantiquities.wordpress.com/

anonymous swiss collector:

http://www.anonymousswisscollector.com/

Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues:

http://paul-barford.blogspot.ca/

Looting Matters:

http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/

Illicit Cultural Property:

http://illicit-cultural-property.blogspot.com/

SAFE:

http://www.savingantiquities.org/blog/

============================================================
REPATRIATION AND RECOVERY
============================================================
Bulgarian customs agents returned 3000 or so ancient coins to Turkiye:

https://www.bta.bg/en/news/balkans/387325
https://www.bta.bg/en/news/balkans/387827-bulgarian-customs-agency-hands-over-to-turkiye-2-940-antique-coins-rescued-from-

Glasgow Life Museums returned seven items to India:

https://advisor.museumsandheritage.com/news/seven-artefacts-returned-india-glasgow-life-museums/

Amiens wants Madonna to lend/return a painting in her possession:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64321278
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/madonna-painting-amiens/index.html
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/State-Museum-UAlbany-repatriate-Native-American-17711392.php
https://www.lefigaro.fr/culture/amiens-la-maire-supplie-madonna-en-video-pour-recuperer-le-mysterieux-tableau-disparu-20230116

German museums have no plans to return the bust of Nefertiti or the Pergamon Altar:

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/01/20/no-plans-to-return-berlins-star-museum-attractions-nefertiti-and-pergamon-altar-german-official-says

A Maori group is seeking the return of artifacts sold at Sotheby’s:

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/maori-tribe-sothebys-requests-return-short-clubs-1234653484/

An artist has proposed a ‘treasure swap’ of an Assyrian lamassu to the British Museum:

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/jan/20/british-museum-artist-assyrian-return-iraq-michael-rakowitz
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/michael-rakowitz-donation-exchange-british-museum-assyrian-artifact-return-iraq-1234654468/

On pesticides on artifacts returned from Germany:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/17/toxic-dilemma-german-museums-repatriating-artefacts-pesticides-objects-contaminated

The University of Albany will be retuning a large number of human remains and funerary objects to some Native American peoples:

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/State-Museum-UAlbany-repatriate-Native-American-17711392.php

University of Tennessee is failing to return Native American human remains:

https://wpln.org/post/the-university-of-tennessee-is-among-americas-largest-collections-failing-to-return-native-american-human-remains/

… see also:

https://www.propublica.org/article/repatriation-nagpra-museums-human-remains

OpEd on the Benin Bronzes returns:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jan/08/the-guardian-view-on-the-benin-bronzes-leading-the-way-home

OpEd on who owns historical patrimony:

https://spectator.org/who-owns-historys-patrimony-not-murderous-politicians-and-incompetent-governments/

Pondering why nations reclaim artifacts:

https://www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/what-is-it-that-causes-nations-to-start-reclaiming-their-national-treasures/article66345436.ece

More on the US return of an artifact to the Palestinian Authority:

https://hyperallergic.com/792666/us-returns-palestinian-cultural-object-for-the-first-time/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/09/us-officials-returns-stolen-antiquity-to-palestine/
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/01/09/us-returns-stolen-artefact-to-palestine-as-part-of-investigation-into-new-york-collector-michael-steinhardt
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/for-first-time-ever-us-returns-looted-artifact-to-palestine-180981409/

============================================================
NUMISMATICA
============================================================
A spelling mistake on a Victorian silver coin:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-64186767

Latest e-Sylum:

http://www.coinbooks.org/v26/club_nbs_esylum_v26n03.html

… and the one which should appear later today:

http://www.coinbooks.org/v26/club_nbs_esylum_v26n04.html
————————

Coin Week:

http://www.coinweek.com/

============================================================
OBITUARIES
============================================================
George Huxley:

https://classicalassociationni.wordpress.com/2023/01/22/professor-george-l-huxley-obituary/

Susann Palmer:

https://dorseteye.com/renowned-dorset-archaeologist-dies-aged-ninety-nine/
https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/23258769.obituary-susann-palmer-portland/

Wayne A. Meeks:

https://divinity.yale.edu/news/wayne-meeks-1932-2023

Joan O’Brien:

https://thesouthern.com/news/local/obituaries/joan-v-obrien/article_f63ef1cb-3a11-56ee-8592-3b089e31ecc6.html
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/thesouthern/name/joan-o-brien-obituary?id=38713971

============================================================
AUDIO/VIDEO NEWS
============================================================
Audio News from Archaeologica:

[the site had security issues this morning]

============================================================
GENERAL ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS BLOGS
============================================================
Archaeology Magazine News Page:

http://www.archaeology.org/news/

About.com Archaeology:

http://archaeology.about.com/

Archaeology Briefs:

http://archaeologybriefs.blogspot.com/

Atlas Obscura:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/

Heritage Daily:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/

Sapiens Archaeology:

https://www.sapiens.org/category/archaeology/

Taygete Atlantis excavations blogs aggregator:

http://planet.atlantides.org/taygete/
============================================================
PODCASTS/VODCASTS
============================================================
Archaeosoup:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Archaeos0up?feature=watch

Archaeology Podcast Network:

http://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/
============================================================
EXPLORATOR is a free weekly newsletter bringing you the latest
news of archaeological finds, historical research and the like.
Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured for news of
the ‘ancient world’ (broadly construed: practically anything relating
to archaeology or history up to a century or so ago is fair
game) and every Sunday they are delivered to your mailbox free of
charge!
============================================================
Useful Addresses
============================================================
You can read Explorator online at:

https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/

Past issues of Explorator are also available on the web via our
groups.io page:

https://groups.io/g/explorator

To subscribe to Explorator, send a blank email message to:

explorator+subscribe@groups.io

To unsubscribe, send a blank email message to:

Unsubscribe: explorator+unsubscribe@groups.io

To send a ‘heads up’ to the editor or contact him for other
reasons:

rogueclassicist@gmail.com
===========================================================
Explorator is Copyright (c) 2023 David Meadows. Feel free to
distribute these listings via email to your pals, students,
teachers, etc., but please include this copyright notice. These
links are not to be posted to any website by any means (whether
by direct posting or snagging from a usenet group or some other
email source) without my express written permission. I think it
is only right that I be made aware of public fora which are
making use of content gathered in Explorator. Thanks!
===========================================================

Explorator 25.39 ~ January 15, 2023

Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Floris Strijbos, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week(as always hoping I have left no one out).

============================================================
EARLY HOMINIDS
============================================================
Evidence that early hominids were meat eaters:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/which-animals-did-early-humans-mainly-hunt

Study of evidence for 60 000 years bp hunting in Israel:

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-01-12/ty-article/archaeologists-find-surprising-moment-in-the-life-of-prehistoric-hunters-in-israel/00000185-a110-ddab-adff-e71591cd0000

Interview with Svante Paabo about perceptions of Neanderthals:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/jan/12/svante-paabo-interview-nobel-prize

More on the million-year-old homo erectus skull from China:

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202301/1283493.shtml

More on early humans ‘sailing’ across the Mediterranean:

https://www.zmescience.com/science/human-ancestors-may-have-sailed-across-the-mediterranean-sea-half-a-million-years-ago/
============================================================
AFRICA
============================================================
UNESCO protection for Meroe:

https://azertag.az/en/xeber/Archaeological_Sites_of_Island_of_Meroe_a_semi_desert_landscape_in_Sudan_protected_by_UNESCO-2443067

More on the Slave Wrecks Project at various African sites:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/08/a-search-for-ourselves-shipwreck-becomes-focus-of-slavery-debate
============================================================
ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
============================================================
A Thutmosis-era royal tomb from Luxor:

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-egypt-unveils-ancient-royal-tomb.html
https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/484227/Antiquities/Ancient-Egypt/Royal-tomb-from-Thutmosid-period-discovered-on-Lux.aspx
https://www.egyptindependent.com/ancient-egyptian-royal-tomb-uncovered-in-luxor/
https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/121899/Egypt-announces-the-discovery-of-royal-tomb-in-the-Western
https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/ancient-royal-burial-chamber-unearthed-in-egypts-luxor
https://www.trtworld.com/art-culture/egypt-unveils-royal-tomb-in-luxor-dating-back-around-3-500-years-64517
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/egypt-says-ancient-royal-tomb-unearthed-in-luxor/2023/01/14/ef26531c-941a-11ed-90f8-53661ac5d9b9_story.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ancient-royal-tomb-unearthed-in-luxor-by-archaeologists/
https://www.dw.com/en/egypt-unearths-new-royal-tomb-in-luxor/a-64394999
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-728571
https://www.rfi.fr/en/middle-east/20230114-egypt-unveils-ancient-royal-tomb-in-luxor
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230114-egypt-unveils-ancient-royal-tomb-in-luxor

Genetic analysis/calculations suggest smallpox may go back at least to Egypt, some 3800 years bp:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230109112755.htm
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11124-230112-smallpox-virus-evolution

A study of illustrated papyrus from ancient Egypt:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-27761-7

Egypt is reconstructing a shrine to the Old Kingdom ruler Winnie:

https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/483946/Antiquities/Ancient-Egypt/Reconstruction-of-shrine-to-regional-Old-Kingdom-r.aspx

More on funerary finds from Fayum:

https://the-past.com/news/funerary-finds-in-fayum/

More on crocodile skulls from a pair of tombs near the Temple of Hatshepsut:

https://scienceinpoland.pap.pl/en/news/news%2C94751%2Cpolish-archaeologists-find-nine-crocodile-heads-ancient-egyptian-tombs.html
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/10/nine-crocodile-heads-found-in-ancient-egyptian-tombs/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11116-230110-egypt-crocodile-skulls

Feature on Tutankhamun’s tomb and the ‘curse’:

https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3206655/how-grave-pharaoh-tutankhamun-was-found-and-mummys-curse-media-peddled-when-digs-sponsor-died-soon

Ramses II’s sarcophagus is going on tour to France:

https://www.rfi.fr/en/culture/20230113-sarcophagus-of-egyptian-pharaoh-ramses-ii-returns-to-france-in-rare-loan

Clay tablets from a Seljuk era site at the Jameh Mosque of Nushabad (Iran):

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/480816/Ancient-clay-tablet-fragments-discovered-in-mosque

On the use of AI to read cuneiform Hittite tablets:

https://arkeonews.net/turkish-researchers-use-artificial-intelligence-to-read-cuneatic-hittite-tablets/

I think we’ve mentioned these 2700 years bp reliefs from Nineveh:

https://www.zmescience.com/other/did-you-know/2700-year-old-rock-carvings-tell-the-story-of-nineveh-the-wondrous-assyrian-city-youve-never-heard-of/

A medieval Muslim burial ground from Arakul (Azerbaijan):

https://www.azernews.az/nation/204973.html

Feature on the salt trade in Seleucid Babylonia:

https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2023/01/salt-traders-seleucid-babylonia

Remains of a Byzantine church with preserved mosaic floor from near Jericho:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/spectacular-byzantine-church-mosaics-uncovered-near-jericho/
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-728243
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/ornate-collection-of-mosaics-uncovered-near-jericho/145920

A Byzantine woman’s burial at Kadikalesi Castle in Turkiye:

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/female-skeleton-unearthed-in-kadikalesi-179955
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11120-230111-turkey-castle-grave

Finds from excavations at Satala over the years are now on display:

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/artifacts-of-satala-ancient-city-on-display-for-first-time-180100

Some 10 500 artifacts were ‘added’ to Turkish museums this past year:

https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/around-10500-new-artifacts-added-to-turkish-museums-in-2022/news

More on Upper Paleolithic ‘stone bladelet’ production at the Al-Ansab 1 site in Jordan:

https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/11/mass-production-of-bladelets-shows-cultural-shift-in-levantine-paleolithic/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/cultural-shift-in-stone-tool-production-40000-years-ago/145893

A study of ‘sedintarization’ in the Bronze Age Levant:

https://jordantimes.com/news/local/archaeologist-explores-sedintarisation-southern-levant

8 ostrich eggs (4000-7000 years bp) next to a fire pit site in the Negev:

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-ancient-ostrich-eggs-southern-israeli.html
https://www.timesofisrael.com/8-ostrich-eggs-over-4000-years-old-found-near-excavated-firepit-in-south/
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-728309
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-01-12/ty-article/israeli-archaeologists-discover-first-ever-cooked-ostrich-eggs-maybe/00000185-a53d-d7a2-a1af-a73d8cb70000
https://egyptindependent.com/ostrich-eggs-up-to-7500-years-old-found-next-to-ancient-fire-pit-in-israel/
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-64248488
https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/13/middleeast/ostrich-eggs-discovery-israel-scn-scli-intl/index.html
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230112-ancient-ostrich-eggs-found-in-southern-israeli-desert
https://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/culture/2023/01/12/archaeology-4500-year-old-ostrich-eggs-found-in-israel_899fa202-941d-4520-8be4-28397c1d89fc.html
https://arkeonews.net/8-ostrich-eggs-over-4000-years-old-discovered-near-excavated-firepit-in-negev-desert/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/ancient-campsite-where-people-cooked-ostrich-eggs/145925
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/13/4000-year-old-ostrich-eggs-uncovered-in-the-negev-dunes/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11126-230113-israel-ostrich-eggs

The ‘House of David’ reference in the Mesha Stele was ‘confirmed’ this week:

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-728354
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/inscriptions/the-mesha-stele-and-king-david-of-the-bible/?mqsc=E4149201&dk=ZE3410ZF0

More on use of silver as currency in the Levant:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/study-claims-hoards-of-3600-year-old-cut-silver-pieces-are-first-currency-in-levant/
https://www.haaretz.com/2023-01-08/00000185-90aa-d94b-ad8d-beefc4410000
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-727956
https://www.ynetnews.com/travel/article/hylnmhkci
https://israel247.org/2023/01/decouverte-de-pieces-dargent-utilisees-dans-lancien-israel-il-y-a-3-600-ans-et-toujours-rien-sur-le-passe-palestinien/
https://arkeonews.net/israeli-researchers-uncover-earliest-evidence-silver-used-as-currency-in-levant/

cf: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0305440322001637

The Palestinian Authority is said to be planning to build on the Joshua’s Altar site:

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365841

Feature on Michael Langlois’ use of technology to expose ancient text forgeries:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-unorthodox-scholar-uses-technology-expose-biblical-forgeries-180981290/

Feature on Gath:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/philistine-capital-judahite-city/

Feature on ritual sacrifice in ancient Israel:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/ritual-sacrifice-in-ancient-israel/

More on plans for the Pilgrimage Road in Jerusalem:

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-726942

Excavations are underway at the King Khalid Royal Reserve in Saudi Arabia:

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2230961/saudi-arabia

Saudi Arabia registered 41 new historical sites:

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2229336/saudi-arabia

UNESCO protection for petroglyphs in the Hail region of SA:

https://azertag.az/en/xeber/Rock_Art_in_the_Hail_Region_of_Saudi_Arabia___rich_array_of_ancient_art_protected_by_UNESCO-2441252

—–
This Week in the Ancient Near East Podcast:

https://thisweekintheancientneareast.podbean.com/

============================================================
ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME (AND CLASSICS)
============================================================
Remains of a Roman wall and tiled floor from Gabes:

https://www.msn.com/fr-xl/afrique-du-nord/tunisie-actualite/d%C3%A9couverte-%C3%A0-gab%C3%A8s-des-vestiges-dun-mur-et-dun-sol-carrel%C3%A9-datant-de-l%C3%A9poque-romaine/ar-AA16a7zV?li=AAGN08W

A Roman ‘ritual centre’ from near Northampton:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce9z0pj7vd1o
https://www.northantslive.news/news/northamptonshire-news/ancient-roman-shrine-bronze-age-8017550
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/archaeology-news-roman-ritual-center-unearthed-in-england-1234653283/
https://arkeonews.net/roman-ritual-center-discovered-in-england/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/roman-ritual-centre-found-near-northampton/145908
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11119-230111-england-ritual-center

Remains of several Roman cisterns from Maxula (Tunisia):

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/roman-cisterns-found-in-ancient-maxula/145905

The latest HS2 construction-related find is remains of Roman town near Blackgrounds:

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/nation-world/world/article271067732.html
https://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/world/article271067732.html
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article271067732.html

A Roman dodechedron find from Flanders:

https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/en/2023/01/10/second-mysterious-dodecahedron-found-in-flanders/
https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/en/2023/01/11/dodecahedron-linked-to-the-occult-the-underground-and-the-celts/

Drought in Spain is allowing archaeologists to reexamine the site of Augustobriga:

https://english.elpais.com/culture/2023-01-11/drought-helps-expose-the-secrets-of-a-roman-city.html
https://elpais.com/cultura/2023-01-10/la-sequia-desvela-los-secretos-de-la-ciudad-romana-de-augustobriga.html

Plenty of coverage of the reopening of the restored House of the Vettii in Pompeii:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/10/astonishing-pompeii-home-of-men-freed-from-slavery-reopens-to-public
https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2023/jan/11/casa-dei-vettii-pompeii-reopens-after-20-years-in-pictures
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64225813
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11618543/Newly-restored-house-Pompeii-offers-glimpse-elite-life.html
https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-europe-ap-top-news-world-news-arts-and-entertainment-4f7d78b61fb39b5fd3f71cd07ff3eded
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/newly-restored-house-in-pompeii-offers-glimpse-of-elite-life/2023/01/10/ae87bee6-90d6-11ed-90f8-53661ac5d9b9_story.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pompeii-house-restored-rare-look-life-ancient-elites-volcano-pummelled-city/
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/newly-restored-house-pompeii-offers-glimpse-elite-life-rcna65067
https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/newly-restored-house-pompeii-offers-glimpse-elite-life-96332320
https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2023/01/10/ancient-pompeii-slave-home-reopens-cprog-orig-aw.cnn
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article271051947.html
https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/Newly-restored-house-in-Pompeii-offers-glimpse-of-17707009.php
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2160053315521
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-11/pompeii-restored-house-of-vettii-revealed/101845912
https://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccahughes/2023/01/12/elite-life-and-erotic-art-pompeii-house-reveals-its-secrets-after-20-year-restoration/
https://www.wantedinrome.com/news/pompeii-reopens-casa-dei-vettii-after-20-years.html
https://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/culture/2023/01/10/pompeii-reopens-its-sistine-chapel-house-of-the-vettii_4f64bf1b-60ec-4fce-96fa-4b0b91bc4f15.html
https://www.artnews.com/gallery/art-news/news/pompeii-house-of-the-vetiii-refurbished-frescos-1234653314/
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/01/11/vast-pompeii-residence-unveiled-with-panel-depicting-a-giant-penis
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/13/house-of-the-vettii-in-pompeii-re-opened/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-decades-of-restoration-lavish-pompeii-house-reopens-to-public-180981419/

A 2000 years bp sarcophagus from Istanbul:

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/2-000-year-old-sarcophagus-found-in-istanbul-179988
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/2000-year-old-sarcophagus-with-human-remains-uncovered-in-istanbul-1234653711/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11118-230112-istanbul-roman-sarcophagus

More on the reasons for the durability of Roman concrete:

https://phys.org/news/2023-01-secrets-self-healing-roman-concrete.html
https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/scientists-chip-away-how-ancient-roman-concrete-stood-test-time-2023-01-09/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/still-standing-researchers-crack-secret-of-ancient-romes-self-healing-concrete/
https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/ancient-master-engineers-roman-concrete-stands-test-of-time
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/researchers-dig-up-secrets-of-self-healing-roman-concrete-180004
https://www.npr.org/2023/01/14/1149245238/why-architectural-marvels-from-ancient-rome-are-still-standing
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article270962742.html
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/roman-concrete-mystery-ingredient-scn/index.html
https://www.zmescience.com/science/researchers-uncover-the-secrets-behind-the-insane-durability-of-roman-concrete/
https://bigthink.com/the-past/roman-concrete/
https://boingboing.net/2023/01/10/researchers-reverse-engineer-roman-concrete.html
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/01/12/riddle-solved-why-was-roman-concrete-so-durable/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/self-healing-concrete-may-have-preserved-ancient-roman-structures-180981411/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11122-230111-roman-concrete-quicklime

More on the Temple of Poseidon at Samikon (not sure why this is back in the news):

https://www.uni-mainz.de/presse/aktuell/16929_ENG_HTML.php
https://phys.org/news/2023-01-discovery-temple-poseidon-kleidi-site.html
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/976343
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-728358
https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/01/13/archaeologists-believe-they-found-the-temple-of-poseidon-in-greece/
https://www.thenationalherald.com/temple-of-poseidon-remains-further-revealed-at-peloponnesian-site/
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/ancient-greek-temple-of-poseidon-identified-in-samikon-archaeologists-believe-1234653493/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11128-230113-greece-archaic-temple

More on Greek text on a rock in Tajikistan:

https://greekherald.com.au/culture/how-ancient-greek-letters-were-carved-on-a-rock-in-central-asia/

More on the Gallo-Roman mausoleum (maybe) find from Neris-les Bains:

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/gallo-roman-mausoleum-archaeology-2240371

More on the translation of the ‘hand of Irulegi’ and its Basque connections:

https://www.ksut.org/history/2023-01-09/archaeological-artifact-sheds-light-on-mysterious-basque-language

Car parks in Colchester will be closed to allow excavation of a Roman wall:

https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/two-colchester-car-parks-closing-8015670

Plans for the San Casciano bronzes to go on display:

https://www.ansa.it/english/news/lifestyle/arts/2023/01/09/san-casciano-bronzes-to-be-shown-at-quirinale-culture-min_1b54b261-ce99-4f06-a4db-aa50b32f6e8a.html

Seeking Heritage Status for the Appian Way:

https://www.ansa.it/english/news/2023/01/10/appian-way-bids-for-unesco-status_eb7117d6-3ca1-4565-829d-e3081b94de99.html

On the PLATINUM project to collect Latin texts on papyrus:

https://arkeonews.net/ancient-latin-texts-written-on-papyrus-reveal-new-information-about-the-roman-world/

Elizabeth Greene is the new president of the AIA:

https://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/news/niagara-region/2023/01/12/brock-professor-elizabeth-greene-named-president-of-archaeological-institute-of-america.html
https://www.thestar.com/nd/news/niagara-region/2023/01/12/brock-professor-elizabeth-greene-named-president-of-archaeological-institute-of-america.html

Mathias Hanses is the new president of CAAS:

https://www.psu.edu/news/liberal-arts/story/mathias-hanses-elected-president-classical-association-atlantic-states/

Feature on Yale’s Athena:

https://yalealumnimagazine.org/articles/5603-greek-drama

Feature on ancient homeric reunions:

https://theconversation.com/reunions-can-be-nostalgic-and-painful-as-well-as-happy-as-the-ancient-greek-heroes-achilles-and-odysseus-show-us-197379
https://news.yahoo.com/reunions-nostalgic-painful-well-happy-132201291.html

Feature on restoring Roman mosaics:

https://www.susqu.edu/live/news/1538-a-new-way-to-restore-ancient-roman-mosaics

Feature on the founding of Rome:

https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/history-and-civilisation/2023/01/how-was-rome-founded-not-in-a-day-and-not-by-twins

Feature on polarization and civil strife in ancient Greece:

https://theconversation.com/ancient-greece-had-extreme-polarization-and-civil-strife-too-how-thucydides-can-help-us-understand-jan-6-and-its-aftermath-196928

Feature on ancient Greek burial practices:

https://www.thecollector.com/ancient-burial-practices-greece/

Feature on some ancient stadiums:

https://www.history.com/news/ancient-stadiums-football

Feature on ancient Rome and trade with Africa:

https://www.thecollector.com/rome-trade-ancient-africa/

Feature on Roman auxiliary units:

https://www.thecollector.com/auxiliary-units-the-roman-army/

Feature on Plutarch:

https://www.upr.org/show/undisciplined/2023-01-12/undisciplined-the-2000-year-old-modern-scholar

Feature on Cleopatra Selene:

https://www.historyextra.com/period/ancient-egypt/cleopatras-daughter-who-what-life/

Feature on Zeno of Citium: