entire Web this site home > archeo-news archeo-news archive Archeo-news: Latest from the world of the past Etched ostrich eggs illustrate human sophistication (Mar 3, 2010) Inscribed ostrich shell fragments found in South Africa are among the earliest examples of the use of symbolism by modern humans, scientists say. The etched shells from Diepkloof Rock Shelter in Western Cape have been dated to about 60,000 years ago. Details are reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Read more. Source: BBC Huge head of pharaoh unearthed in Egypt (Mar 1, 2010) A colossal red granite head of one of Egypt's most famous pharaohs has been unearthed in the southern city of Luxor, officials said. The 3,000-year-old head of Amenhotep III – grandfather of Tutankhamun – was dug out of the ruins of the pharaoh's mortuary temple. Experts say it is the best preserved example of the king's face ever found. Read more. Source: BBC 'Malaria and weak bones' may have killed Tutankhamun (Feb 17, 2010) The Egyptian 'boy king' Tutankhamun may well have died of malaria after the disease ravaged a body crippled by a rare bone disorder, experts say. The findings could lay to rest conspiracy theories of murder. The scientists spent the last two years scrutinising the mummified remains of the 19-year old pharaoh to extract his blood and DNA. Read more. Source: BBC British film-makers uncover Trajan's hidden Roman aqueduct (Jan 27, 2010) Two British film-makers have discovered what they believe to be the source of the 1,900-year old aqueduct built by the emperor Trajan in the early second century AD. The underground chambers were found – and filmed – after some years of research into Roman hydraulics by the documentary-makers Ted O'Neill and his father Michael O'Neill. Read more. Source: The Independent Egypt tombs suggest free men built pyramids, not slaves (Jan 14, 2010) Tombs discovered near Egypt's great pyramids reinforce the theory they were built by free workers rather than slaves. The location of the tombs, where workers who built the pyramids of Khufu (Cheops) and Khafre (Chephren) are buried, suggests they were not slaves. The tombs, made from bricks of dried mud, date back 4,500 years. Read more. Source: BBC Cleopatra's eye make-up 'had health benefits' (Jan 9, 2010) The heavy eye make-up favored by ancient Egyptians such as Cleopatra may have had medical as well as aesthetic benefits, French research suggests. The study, published in the journal Analytical Chemistry, suggests it helped to protect against eye disease. The key appears to be lead salts contained in the make-up. Read more. Source: BBC Egypt archaeologists discover huge tomb near Cairo (Jan 4, 2010) Archaeologists in Egypt have said they have discovered the largest known tomb in the ancient necropolis of Sakkara, to the south of Cairo. The tomb dates back 2,500 years to the 26th Dynasty and contains important artefacts, including mummified eagles. It is one of two newly discovered tombs found by an Egyptian team working close to the entrance of Sakkara, the burial ground for Egypt's ancient capital. Read more. Source: BBC Ancient Amazon civilization laid bare by felled forest (Dec 10, 2009) Signs of what could be a previously unknown ancient civilization are emerging from beneath the felled trees of the Amazon. Some 260 giant avenues, ditches and enclosures have been spotted from the air in a region straddling Brazil's border with Bolivia. Read more. Source: New Scientist Mummy autopsy result 'was wrong' (Sep 30, 2009) The first scientific autopsy on an ancient Egyptian mummy probably got the cause of death wrong, research suggests. Dr Augustus Bozzi Granville caused a sensation when he described the autopsy to the Royal Society of London in 1825. He concluded the mummified woman, Irtyersenu, died of ovarian cancer. But a University College London study, published in the Royal Society journal Biological Sciences, strongly suggests she died of tuberculosis. Read more. Source: BBC Huge Anglo-Saxon gold hoard found (Sep 24, 2009) The UK's largest haul of Anglo-Saxon treasure has been discovered buried beneath a field in Staffordshire. Experts say the collection of 1,500 gold and silver pieces, which may date to the 7th Century, is unparalleled in size and worth "a seven figure sum". The Staffordshire Hoard contains about 5kg of gold and 2.5kg of silver, making it far bigger than the Sutton Hoo discovery in 1939. Read more. Source: BBC Giant statues give up hat mystery (Sep 7, 2009) Archaeologists have solved an ancient mystery surrounding the famous Easter Island statues. At 2,500 miles off the coast of Chile, the island is the world's most remote place inhabited by people. Up to 1,000 years ago, the islanders started putting giant red hats on the statues. The research team, from the University of Manchester and University College London, think the hats were rolled down from an ancient volcano. Read more. Source: BBC Ancient wall found in Jerusalem (Sep 3, 2009) A 3,700-year-old wall has been discovered in east Jerusalem, Israeli archaeologists say. The structure was built to protect the city's water supply as part of what dig director Ronny Reich described as the region's earliest fortifications. The 26-ft (8-m) high wall showed the Canaanite people who built it were a sophisticated civilization, he said. Read more. Source: BBC Fragment from world's oldest Bible found (Sep 2, 2009) A British-based academic has uncovered a fragment of the world's oldest Bible hiding underneath the binding of an 18th-century book. Nikolas Sarris spotted a previously unseen section of the Codex Sinaiticus, which dates from about AD350, as he was trawling through photographs of manuscripts in the library of St Catherine's Monastery in Egypt. Read more. Source: The Independent Innovative blades may have led to a Stone Age population boom (Jul 22, 2009) Technological innovations have enabled human cultures to thrive, and now researchers have discovered what might be the oldest example known so far of such an occurrence. These ancient innovations are in the form of miniature stone blades, which appear to have contributed to a population boom in south Asia. Read more. Source: Scientific American 'Oldest pottery' found in China (Jun 3, 2009) Examples of pottery found in a cave at Yuchanyan in China's Hunan province may be the oldest known to science. By determining the fraction of a type, or isotope, of carbon in bone fragments and charcoal, the specimens were found to be 17,500 to 18,300 years old. The authors say that the ages are more precise than previous efforts because a series of more than 40 radiocarbon-dated samples support the estimate. Read more. Source: BBC German 'Venus' may be oldest yet (May 15, 2009) A remarkable ivory carving is arguably the oldest sculpture of a human figure yet found, scientists say. The distorted object, which portrays a woman with huge breasts, big buttocks and exaggerated genitals, is thought to be at least 35,000 years old. The 6cm-tall figurine, reported in the journal Nature, is the latest find to come from Hohle Fels Cave in Germany. Read more. Source: BBC Dig 'may reveal' Cleopatra's tomb (Apr 16, 2009) Archaeologists are to search three sites in Egypt that they say may contain the tomb of doomed lovers Anthony and Cleopatra. Excavation at the sites, which are near a temple west of the coastal city of Alexandria, is due to begin next week. Teams working in the area said the recent discovery of tombs containing 10 mummies suggested that Anthony and Cleopatra might be buried close by. Read more. Source: BBC Is the Roman Pantheon a colossal sundial? (Feb 4, 2009) Has the grand Roman Pantheon been keeping a secret for nearly 2000 years? An expert in ancient timekeeping thinks so, arguing that it acts as a colossal sundial. The imposing temple in Rome, completed in AD 128, is one of the most impressive buildings that survives from antiquity. Read more. Source: New Scientist Mummy of female pharaoh uncovered (Jan 9, 2009) Egyptologists have discovered the remains of a mummy thought to belong to a queen who ruled 4,300 years ago, Egypt's antiquities chief has said. The body of Queen Seshestet was found in a recently-discovered pyramid in Saqqara, Zahi Hawass announced. She was mother of King Teti, founder of the Sixth Dynasty of pharaonic Egypt. Her name was not found but "all the signs indicate that she is Seshestet". Read more. Source: BBC Dig unearths Stone Age sculptures (Dec 2, 2008) Rare artefacts from the late Stone Age have been uncovered in Russia. The site at Zaraysk, 150km south-east of Moscow, has yielded figurines and carvings on mammoth tusks. The finds also included a cone-shaped object whose function, the authors report in the journal Antiquity, "remains a puzzle". Read more. Source: BBC 'Oldest Hebrew script' is found (Nov 4, 2008) Five lines of ancient script on a shard of pottery could be the oldest example of Hebrew writing ever discovered, an archaeologist in Israel says. The shard was found by a teenage volunteer during a dig about 20km (12 miles) south-west of Jerusalem. Experts at Hebrew University said dating showed it was written 3,000 years ago – about 1,000 years earlier than the Dead Sea Scrolls. Read more. Source: BBC 'Gladiator' tomb is found in Rome (Oct 18, 2008) The tomb of a general thought to have been an inspiration for the main character in the Oscar-winning film Gladiator has been unearthed in Rome. The tomb of Marcus Nonius Macrinus is one of a number of recent archaeological discoveries in the city. Marcus Nonius Macrinus was a favourite of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, helping him achieve major victories in Europe. Read more. Source: BBC Dig pinpoints Stonehenge origins (Sep 22, 2008) Archaeologists have pinpointed the construction of Stonehenge to 2300 BC – a key step to discovering how and why the mysterious edifice was built. The radiocarbon date is said to be the most accurate yet and means the ring's original bluestones were put up 300 years later than previously thought. The dating is the major finding from an excavation inside the henge by Profs Tim Darvill and Geoff Wainwright. Read more. Source: BBC Head of Roman empress unearthed (Aug 14, 2008) Archaeologists digging in Turkey have found the colossal marble head of a Roman empress. It was discovered in a rubble-filled building where parts of a huge statue of the emperor Hadrian were unearthed last year. The discovery, at the ancient site of Sagalassos, is thought to show Faustina the Elder, wife of Roman emperor Antoninus Pius. Read more. Source: BBC Doubt over date for Brit invasion (Jul 2, 2008) Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain in 55BC could not have occurred on the dates stated in most history books, a team of astronomers have claimed. The traditional view is that Caesar landed in Britain on 26-27 August, but researchers from Texas State University say this cannot be right. Dr Donald Olson, an expert on tides, says that the English Channel was flowing the wrong way on this date. Read more. Source: BBC 'Neanderthal tools' found at dig (Jun 23, 2008) Dozens of tools thought to have belonged to Neanderthals have been dug up at an archaeological site called Beedings in West Sussex. Dr Matthew Pope, of University College London, said the discovery provides new insights into the life of a thriving community of hunters at the site. The tools could have been used to hunt horses, mammoth and woolly rhinoceros. Read more. Source: BBC Stonehenge 'a long-term cemetery' (May 29, 2008) Stonehenge served as a burial ground for much longer than had previously been believed, new research suggests. The site was used as a cemetery for 500 years, from the point of its inception. Archaeologists have said the cremation burials found at the site might represent a single elite family and its descendents – perhaps a ruling dynasty. Read more. Source: BBC Rare Elizabeth I portrait found (May 27, 2008) A rare portrait of Queen Elizabeth I as a young princess has been discovered in a private collection at a stately home in Northamptonshire. The portrait, dating from 1650 to 1680, was found in the Duke of Buccleuch's collection at Boughton House. It shows Elizabeth with siblings Edward VI and Mary I, father Henry VIII and his jester, Will Somers. Read more. Source: BBC Ancient bust of Caesar found in French river (May 15, 2008) French archaeologists have discovered a marble bust of Julius Caesar, believed to be the oldest found, at the bottom of the Rhone in Arles – a town founded by the Roman emperor. They believe the life-sized representation, showing a balding man in his fifties, dates from about 46BC, two years before his assassination. Read more. Source: Daily Telegraph BACK TO TOP

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