Providence construction crew finds human jawbone

Police are investigating the origins of a human jawbone that was found near a strip club's trash bin and spent several months forgotten in the back of a construction supervisor's truck.
Forensic examiners say they have few clues to solve the mystery. "Normally, I'll see a bone on the site where it was found," said Dianna Doucette, a Pawtucket-based archaeologist who identified the bone as human. "But here, it was handed to me in a plastic CVS bag."
Jim McCarron, a supervisor for Cardi Construction, said one of his employees working on the Interstate 195 relocation project found the bone behind the strip club months ago. It isn't clear whether the bone was exposed during construction work. Moved into the back of McCarron's truck, the jaw was soon forgotten among other debris.[...]
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Roman remains face obliteration at Southwark site

Archaeologists fear 1,000 years of history may be shovelled into skips as time runs out on a key site in London. Harvey Sheldon, an officer of the London and Middlesex Archaeological Society, called the situation at the church of St George the Martyr, in Southwark, where substantial evidence of Roman buildings may be destroyed without being recorded, "a disgrace". Yesterday he made a last ditch appeal to church authorities to give more time for excavation, before heavy machinery moves onto the site.[...]
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Tore zur Unterwelt

Ein geflutetes Höhlenlabyrinth durchzieht auf Hunderten von Kilometern die mexikanische Halbinsel Yucatán. Forscher suchen hier nach den Hinterlassenschaften der Maya - ein Wettlauf gegen die Zeit. Denn der Bauboom in der Touristenregion lässt Eingänge und Tunnel zusammenstürzen.[...]
[...]Kaum eine Gegend auf dem Planeten ist derart unterkellert und durchlöchert wie die mexikanische Halbinsel Yucatán, das ehemalige Reich der Maya. Und kaum ein Labyrinth birgt noch so viele Geheimnisse und Geschichten wie diese Unterwelt. Das System aus Gängen, Höhlen, Spalten und Röhren steht unter Wasser - und niemand weiß, wie groß es wirklich ist, und was sich dort noch alles verbirgt.
Yucatán ist ein Eldorado für Archäologen, Anziehungspunkt für Forscher aus aller Welt, denn das Volk der Maya hinterließ Tempel, Pyramiden und Städte im Dschungel. Unter der Erde liegt noch mehr - was Unterwasserarchäologen aber erst seit wenigen Jahren erforschen.[...]
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President visits quake-hit Prambanan Temple

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Tuesday visited the ancient Prambanan temple, 20 km east of here, where he was briefed on damage suffered by a number of structures in the complex as a consequence of the 5.9 earthquake that rocked Yogyakarta and Central Java last Saturday morning.
The President came to the complex of shrines accompanied by Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari, Transportation Minister Hatta Rajasa, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani and Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi.[...]
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Range Creek's untouched archaeological area "a national treasure"

When it comes to spectacular ancient American Indian sites in the Southwest, eastern Utah's Range Creek may not crack anyone's Top 10 list. Colorado's Mesa Verde is more stunning with its multistory buildings nestled into the cliffs. Chaco Canyon, in New Mexico, stands out for its imposing ruins. Range Creek will not win any beauty contests, but for sheer archaeological value, it may stand alone. "Simply stated, Range Creek Canyon shares many similarities with the world-famous Nine Mile Canyon just to the north, but without the 100 years of overt vandalism, visitor wear and tear, and the impacts of intensive ranching," researchers wrote in a proposal to survey the Book Cliffs site.[...]
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Prunkstück aus Krösus-Schatz gestohlen - Museumsleiter verdächtigt

Die Türkei sucht intensiv nach einem etwa 2500 Jahre alten Prunkstück aus dem antiken Schatz des für seinen Reichtum sprichwörtlich gewordenen Lydier-Königs Krösus (um 550 vor Christus).
Bei der Fahndung nach der aus dem Archäologischen Museum der westtürkischen Stadt Usak gestohlenen Brosche wurden bislang zehn Verdächtige festgenommen, darunter der Direktor des Museums, wie der türkische Nachrichtensender NTV am Dienstag berichtete. Das Verschwinden der Brosche, die ein geflügeltes Seepferdchen darstellt, war lange Zeit unentdeckt geblieben, weil sie die Diebe durch eine Nachbildung ersetzt hatten.[...]
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500k-year human fossil remains found in Casablanca

A new human fossil remain of an upper premolar tooth of a Homo erectus has been discovered recently in the Thomas 1 quarry site in Casablanca. "The human fossil is associated to an Acheulian tool and to numerous remains dating back to at least 500,000 years," said a communiqué of the Culture Minister, recalling that this site had previously yielded notably a Homos erectus lower jaw in 1969, and an upper premolar tooth in 1994. The discovery was made by a Moroccan-French team composed of members of the Moroccan institute of science and archaeology (INSAP) and France's Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
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Dig finds Indian pottery operation

An archaeological dig at southern Indiana’s Angel Mounds complex has uncovered a pottery-making operation that reveals the artistic skills of the Indians who lived there hundreds of years ago. Indiana University researchers believe they’ve uncovered remains of a potter’s house once used by the Indians who inhabited the area overlooking the Ohio River from A.D. 1100 to 1450.[...]
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Indonesia earthquake: Famous temple complex likely to be closed for months

One of Indonesia's most famous tourist attractions, the Prambanan Hindu temple complex, is likely to be closed for months after being badly damaged in the earthquake, a conservation expert predicted.
It is unclear what impact the earthquake will have on the tourism industry in a region that was considered to be Indonesia's second most popular destination after Bali. Prambanan, which was built between the eighth and 10th centuries and is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, lies 16km east of Yogyakarta.
On Sunday large chunks of the temple could be seen scattered on the ground around its eight shrines. Agus Waluyo, the head of the Yogyakarta Archaeological Conservation Agency, said the damage was significant. "It will take months to identify the precise damage," he said.[...]
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Chinese artifacts, medicine vials found in Sandpoint dig

Archaeologists are poking around Sandpoint's seamy underbelly.
They've found evidence of the city's historical Chinatown, populated by the men and women who helped build the Northern Pacific Railroad. And medicine bottles found in the dig have some spicy origins: Chief Archaeologist Bob Weaver believes they once held drugs used to treat venereal diseases of men who frequented bordellos that were common in this resort community -- a century ago.
Weaver says "Early Sandpoint appears to have been a fairly wild town."
The dig is a result of a highway overpass project due to bisect what was old Sandpoint.
The state is surveying the site, looking for remnants of prehistoric habitation by members of the Kalispel Indian tribe. Weaver also has found projectile points and evidence of stone tool making.
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35 000 Jahre altes Mammut ist der Star der Klima-Ausstellung

Die 35 000 Jahre im Sumpf sieht man ihm kaum an. Den Rüssel hat das Mammut-Baby Dima eingekringelt, seinen massigen Kopf scheint es verschüchtert einzuziehen. So hat es im tiefgekühlten Boden der sibirischen Tundra gelegen, bis Goldgräber es vor 30 Jahren ausgegraben haben. Jetzt ist Dima die Hauptattraktion für die Besucher der Sonderausstellung „Klima und Mensch“, die am Dienstag im Westfälischen Museum für Archäologie in Herne beginnt. 800 zum Teil sehr wertvolle Ausstellungsstücke sollen anschaulich machen, wie sich der Klimawandel in sechs Mill. Jahren auf Mensch und Tier ausgewirkt hat.[...]
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Researchers find ancient pottery operation at Angel Mounds

An archaeological dig at southern Indiana's Angel Mounds complex has uncovered a pottery-making operation that reveals the artistic skills of the Indians who lived there hundreds of years ago. Indiana University researchers believe they've uncovered remains of a potter's house once used by the Indians who inhabited the area overlooking the Ohio River from 1100 to 1450 A.D. Excavations have revealed pottery tools and masses of prepared but unfired clay awaiting shaping into bowls, jars or figures which suggest that the structure that once stood there was used to make the pottery now found in shards across the site.[...]
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Court decision may halt Tugun bypass

The New South Wales Land and Environment Court will decide on Wednesday whether an injunction should be issued that could stop construction of the Tugun bypass on the southern Gold Coast.
A traditional land owner, Robert Corowa, has taken the Queensland Government to court, saying archaeological studies of the bypass route have not been authorised or issued with the correct permits. The Queensland Government has argued that the NSW Land and Environment Court does not have jurisdiction to hear the case, and says it is a constitutional matter.
Lawyer Al Oshlack, who is representing the traditional owners, says the court has acknowledged the urgency of the case and will make its decision this week.
"The original archaeologist only did studies on the surface where there weren't many artefacts," he said. "But now with the excavations, quite a large number of significant archaeological artefacts are being removed and collected and basically the whole site is being what we term 'vandalised'."
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Over 300 heritage sites in Delhi have vanished

Delhi’s visual past is getting blurred with over 300 heritage sites having disappeared over the last century. A survey of historical buildings conducted by a senior officer of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Maulavi Zafar Hasan, between 1913 and 1915 had listed 1,317 heritage sites in the capital. However, sources in the Ministry of Culture say many of these structures have been demolished, crumbled or encroached upon. ASI authorities said that the capital city had undergone a tremendous change during the last few decades and its shadow could be seen on the dwindling number of heritage sites.[...]
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Mysteries still surround Egyptian chamber

Is it a royal Egyptian tomb, a glorified supply room for ancient embalmers, or something in between? A year after the discovery of a chamber that had lain hidden in the Valley of the Kings for millennia, archaeologists are still asking themselves exactly what they've found.
When the find was announced in February, it was portrayed as the first tomb to be uncovered in the pharaonic city of the dead since the discovery of King Tutankhamun's treasures in 1922. But a month later, top Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass said the chamber was merely a "room for mummification" rather than a royal resting place.[...]
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The Coptic Tapestry Albums

An attractive publication with a somewhat formidable title draws Jill Kamil 's attention to a worthy source on textiles, one of the finest of all Coptic arts
The Coptic Tapestry Albums & the Archaeologist of Antino‘, Albert Gayet, is the lengthy title of a new book by Nancy Arthur Hoskins, who has researched Coptic collections in more than 50 museums around the world and who has produced a book that is a delight to handle and read. Here, at last, is a publication on Coptic textiles that is well-researched and illustrated with photographs in vibrant colour, along with detailed line drawings of weaving techniques and ancient weavers at the loom.
Thanks to Egypt's dry climate and sandy soil, textiles have survived in vast numbers and in an unrivalled state of preservation. Tens of thousands of coloured fragments found their way into the museums of the world, especially after 1889 when the French archaeologist Albert Gayet published a catalogue of Coptic art and, in the Bulaq Museum, staged the first exhibition of Coptic monuments.[...]
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Architects try to revive pharaonic style in Egypt

Adorned with lotus and papyrus columns, Egypt's top courthouse evokes the pharaonic temples of the country's ancient past. The Supreme Constitutional Court, built in 2000, marked the most prominent attempt in decades to revive the pharaonic style in Egypt. On the east bank of the Nile south of Cairo, the court has inspired more attempts to imitate the ancient. The government has erected a series of neo-pharaonic buildings, the style apparently striking a chord with officials. Builders are putting the finishing touches to the gold-rimmed tops of columns decorating a government building on one of Cairo's main roads. "We wanted a design which expresses Egypt. You cannot see the pharaonic without thinking of Egypt," said Diaa el-Din Ibrahim, whose firm designed the building.[...]
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Ausstellung: "Alles geritzt - Schriftzeugnisse der römischen Informationsgesellschaft"

Es sind Preisschilder für gekochte Spatzen, Hinweise aufs nächste Bordell und Besitzernamen auf wertvollen Tongefäßen: Ungewöhnliche Schriftzeugnisse der römischen Antike sind von Sonntag an bis zum 30. Juli im Clemens-Sels-Museum der Stadt Neuss zu entdecken - Graffiti der alten Römer.
Die rund 200 historischen Dokumente auf Metallplättchen, Tonscherben, Gefäßen, Waffen und Holztäfelchen stammen aus 40 Museen verschiedener europäischer Länder und geben einen Einblick in den Alltag der Römer vor zwei Jahrtausenden.[...]
Quelle
http://www.clemens-sels-museum.de/

Ägypten erhält Relief-Fragmente aus Tübingen zurück

Ägypten soll im Juni von der Universität Tübingen fünf Fragmente eines Reliefs aus dem Grab von Pharao Sethos I. im Tal der Könige erhalten. Das berichtete die Altertümerverwaltung in Kairo.
Die Teilstücke sollten bei der Restaurierung des derzeit für die Öffentlichkeit geschlossenen Grabes in Theben wieder an ihren ursprünglichen Platz zurückkehren, sagte der Direktor der Behörde, Zahi Hawas. Er sprach der Universität seinen Dank aus und lobte ihre Bereitschaft, Fundstücke zurückzugeben, die "von den ersten Reisenden in Ägypten aus den Wänden gehackt wurden und die sich heute in Sammlungen überall auf der Welt befinden".
Das Grab Sethos I. (um 1290-1279 v. Chr.) ist 100 Meter lang und mit besonders schönen farbigen Reliefs dekoriert. Sethos I. war der Vater von Ramses II., einem der bedeutendsten Herrscher im Alten Ägypten.
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Longer visiting hours at Malta's National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta

Heritage Malta's National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta will be extending its opening hours till 7pm during the month of June. This initiative will hopefully attract more visitors, both foreign and local, to one of Malta's most important heritage museums. After this trial period of a month Heritage Malta will then consider whether to extend the museum's opening hours for a longer period of time. The museum's shop will also remain open till 7pm. Admission fees remain the same.[...]
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Second Temple model to link history, archaeology

On a crest of Jerusalem's Hill of Tranquility overlooking the Valley of the Cross, the Knesset, the Supreme Court, Hebrew University's Givat Ram campus and the National Library, a model of the Second Temple has been relocated adjacent to the Shrine of the Book on the campus of the Israel Museum, in a spot where history and archeology intersect. The Second Temple Model, which was located for the last four decades since its construction in the mid-1960's on the grounds of Jerusalem's Holyland Hotel, was moved to the Israel Museum this winter due to the construction of a new residential complex on the slopes of the Holyland hill.[...]
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Unterwegs im "unterirdischen Archiv"

Nichts festigt eine Männerfreundschaft scheinbar besser als ein gepflegtes Besäufnis, jeder aufrechte Kerl trinkt gern auf die Gesundheit des anderen, auf die Gefahr pfeifend, damit die eigene zu verderben. Das ist ist keine Erkenntnis, die erst jetzt gewonnen werden konnte, sondern Allgemeingut der Archäologen, fanden die doch immer wieder ganze Geschirrsätze aus fein modellierten dünnwandigen Gefäßen mit polierter Oberfläche, die für ein Ritual benutzt wurden, das in vielen Gesellschaften, sofern nicht muslimisch, gemeinschaftsbildend ist: ein Symposium, ein Trinkgelage. Bei einem solchen war übrigens das Ansehen des Gastgebers umso größer, je großzügiger er war.
Es gab jedenfalls entsprechende Geschirre und Humpen auch in sächsischer Erde, wie die neue Ausstellung des Landesamtes für Archäologie im Japanischen Palais zeigt. Im Raum zur Bronzezeit (2000-700 v.Chr.) ist ein Trinkgeschirr ausgestellt, im Raum zum Mittelalter allerlei Trink- und Schenkgeschirr (schon die kleine Auswahl deutet die zunehmende Material-, Farb- und Formenvielfalt an). Höhepunkte in Sachen Trinkkultur sind: ein hoher Becher mit Stempelverzierung und Reliefauflage in Gestalt eines bärtigen Gesichts vom Dresdner Altmarkt aus der Zeit um 1400;eine aus dem 17. Jahrhundert stammende Vierkantflasche mit Emailbemalung, die Samson im Kampf mit dem Löwen zeigt, und die bei Ausgrabungen im Dresdner Schloss entdeckt wurde; eine Flasche mit Stopfen in Gestalt eines Mönches, die im Kanzleihaus gefunden wurde, eindeutig ein Spottgefäß, aus dem zu bechern katholischen Zechern wohl sauer aufgestoßen wäre.[...]
Quelle
Mehr Infos unter: http://www.archsax.sachsen.de/

Skull probably used by fraternal group

An Indiana family has been told that a skull found concealed in the ceiling of its home may have been used by a fraternal group for rituals.
Jerry Hochstetler of Goshen took the skull to the Elkhart County Sheriff's Department in a cardboard box after it fell from the ceiling in January during remodeling. Deputies handed it over to the coroner, who sent it to the Archaeology & Forensics Laboratory at the University of Indianapolis.[...]
Source

Antiquities Bill Decried

German archaeologists say a law introduced to regulate sales of cultural artifacts won't reduce trade in looted objects.The law would allow Germany to become one of the last countries to ratify a 1970 UNESCO convention designed to prevent illicit trade in stolen or looted artifacts. But critics claim that its loopholes--exempting illicit objects already in Germany and applying only to objects registered as stolen--would render it toothless. Freshly looted objects would not be covered, complains Michael Müller-Karpe of the Roman-Germanic Museum in Mainz. German archaeologist Susanne Osthoff, who was held captive earlier this year in Iraq, says the proposed law would abet terror groups that fence looted antiquities. The law could be adopted by fall.
Source

Remains of Darius’ Palace Unearthed in Bolaghi Gorge

Following the discovery of the remains of a huge palace which is believed to date back to the Achaemenid era (648-33 BC) and is denoted to Darius the Great, by the Iran-French joint archeology team in Bolaghi Gorge in Fars province, archeological excavations continued in the area which led to unearthing the remains of the palace. “Prior to this, the remains of a summer residential palace belonging to the Achaemenid era was identified in area no. 85. However, archeological excavations show that this palace was destructed due to the later constructions during the Sassanid and Safavid periods.[...]
Source

West End yard may be key to mystery of Jackson duel

A quiet dead-end street a few blocks off Nashville's busy West End Avenue was the scene Tuesday afternoon for a 21st century attempt to solve a 200-year-old puzzle.
A small group of witnesses gathered as ground-penetrating radar was used by State Archaeologist Nick Fielder and others to search for the grave of the only man ever killed in a duel with Andrew Jackson.
Charles Dickinson was slain May 30, 1806, almost exactly two centuries ago, and 22 years before Jackson's election as U.S. president. The location of Dickinson's grave is lost to history, but rival schools of thought claim he was buried either in Nashville or in his home county in Maryland.
After 2½ hours of searching Tuesday with the $50,000 high-tech device and metal probes, enough evidence was found of a likely site to justify Fielder's taking a global positioning reading in the front yard of a home at 216 Carden Ave. But is it the grave?[...]
Source

Skull found in ceiling may have been used in rituals

human skull found in an old Goshen home may have been used by a men's group for ritualistic initiations of new members during the 19th century. The University of Indianapolis Archaeology and Forensics Laboratory analyzed the skull, which fell during January renovation work from the ceiling of a home built about 1840.
The lab's report said the skull showed signs that it had been burned on the bottom, suggesting that it was used near candles and in rituals. The report said the skull may have been used as a teaching or museum specimen for many decades, or have been part of a personal collection. It is believed to have been that of a woman older than 50 of Siberian, Polynesian or Native American descent.
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Dama de Elche zieht Besucherscharen an

Um die Dama de Elche zu sehen, ist Warten angesagt. In den ersten Tagen nach der Eröffnung des Museums für Archäologie und Geschichte (MAHE) in Elche (SAZ berichtete) strömten bereits mehrere Zehntausende herbei, die einen Blick auf die lange in Elche ersehnte, iberische Büste werfen wollten. Und der Andrang lässt nicht nach, bis zu einer halben Stunde Wartezeit muss der Besucher vor den Museumstüren einplanen. Am kommenden Montag werden die Sechstklässler der Primärstufe der öffentlichen Schule Dama de Elche ihrer Namensgeberin Ehre erweisen, indem sie am frühen Morgen das Museum aufsuchen werden und ein lange einstudiertes Gedicht vor ihr aufsagen.
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ISRO confirms new archaeological site in Kutch

The existence of a new archaeological site, expected to be older than Dholavira by over 15,000 years, near Maruda Takkar hill has been confirmed following research carried out by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The current site, located in an remote location, is hardly 12 km away from Pakistan. ISRO has extensively used space borne remote sensing technology for resource inventory and environmental monitoring, though its use in archaeological applications has been relatively recent.[...]
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Archeologists to Search for Lost Mission

Amateur archeologists will get a chance to search this summer for the lost mission of Santa Isabel de Utinahica, built in the wilderness in the 1600s for a lone friar who was dispatched to evangelize among the Indians on the edge of Spain's colonial empire.
"This was on the frontier," said Dennis Blanton, curator of native American archaeology at Atlanta's Fernbank Museum of Natural History. "It was perched on the edge of the known world in this hemisphere. A barefoot Franciscan was dropped alone into alien territory and given his marching orders to convert these Indians and probably gather a certain amount of intelligence."[...]
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Egypt OKs study of submerged city

Authorities have given the go-ahead for the underwater exploration of what appears to be a Roman city submerged in the Mediterranean, Egypt’s top archaeologist said Monday. Zahi Hawass said in a statement that an excavation team had found the ruins of the Roman city 20 miles (35 kilometers) east of the Suez Canal on Egypt’s north coast.[...]
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Archaeologists find what could be Americas’ oldest observatory

Archaeologists working high in the Peruvian Andes have discovered the oldest celestial observatory in the Americas: a structure marking the summer and winter solstices that, at 4,200 years, is as old as some of the pillars of Stonehenge. The observatory was built on top of a 33-foot-high pyramid with precise alignments and sight lines that provide an astronomical calendar for agriculture, said archaeologist Robert Benfer, of the University of Missouri.[...]
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Pennsylvania University translating Iran's Jiroft articles

The University of Pennsylvania is busy with translating the articles submitted at the Jiroft International Seminar, the director of the archaeological team working at the ancient Jiroft site told the Persian service of CHN. “The papers are published in Farsi and English separately,” Yusef Majidzadeh added. The seminar was held in 2004 to introduce the recent archaeological discoveries made in the historical region. He said the collection would draw the scholars’ attention to Jirof and Halil-Rud river areas.[...]
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Eine Sensation im Torhaus

Die Holzkonstruktion an der Befestigungsanlage in Effeltrich birgt ein Geheimnis: Sie stammt aus dem Jahr 1653/54 und ist damit mindestens 150 Jahre jünger als die mächtige Mauer.
Georg Brütting vom Bamberger Institut für Archäologie entlockte der Holzkonstruktion an der Befestigungsanlage in St. Georg weitere Geheimnise. Pfarrer Löhr hatte den Auftrag zu einer dendrochronologischen Untersuchung gegeben. An verschiedenen Hölzern wurden zehn Bohrkerne entnommen und mittels der Jahresringe auf ihr Alter untersucht. Sensationell ist dabei das Ergebnis im Torhaus. Ein Eichenholzsturz über der innenseitigen Einstiegstür im Obergeschoss ist um das Jahr 1303 gefällt worden und damit ca. 150 Jahre älter als die übrige Wehranlage. Auffallend war schon immer, dass die Wehrmauer im Unterschied zu den runden Wehrtürmen mit dem Torhaus nicht verzahnt ist, sondern zu beiden Seiten Baufugen erkennen lässt.[...]
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Blutige Opferfeste im Sonnenobservatorium Goseck

Im ältesten Sonnenobservatorium der Welt in Goseck in Sachsen-Anhalt sind vor 7000 Jahren nach neuesten Erkenntnissen auch blutige Opferfeste gefeiert worden. «Wir haben jetzt einen Opferkalender entdeckt», sagt der Astronom Wolfhard Schlosser von der Ruhr Universität in Bochum.
«In den Holzpalisaden der Kreisanlage gibt es spezielle Aussparungen, so genannte Zeitmarken, durch die an ganz bestimmten Tagen im Jahr die Sonnenstrahlen fallen. Dazu gehören 9. April, 1. Mai, 1. August, 4. September.» An diesen Tagen versammelten sich die Menschen schon vor Tausenden von Jahren zu besonderen Festen nach uralten Riten.[...]
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Demokratiebewegung im minoischen Reich

Mehr als 100 Jahre lang war die Herrschaft der Minoer auf Kreta unangefochten: Seit der britische Archäologe Arthur Evans Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts die Überreste der bronzezeitlichen Kultur dort entdeckte, gilt es als sicher, dass starke Könige diese erste europäische Hochkultur führten und regierten. So mächtig seien sie gewesen, glaubte Evans, dass sie nicht einmal Befestigungen zu ihrem Schutz brauchten. Vielmehr kümmerten sich die friedliebenden Monarchen, von Evans nach dem sagenhaften König Minos «Minoer» genannt, um Kunst, Architektur sowie das Wohlergehen ihrer Untertanen.[...]
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"Eitle" Römer in Sarkophagen - Fund von Rommerskirchen im Museum

Die Männer vom Kampfmittel-Räumdienst dachten zunächst, es sei Arbeit für sie. Doch was für den Ausschlag der Geräte bei der Trassenabsuchung sorgte, war ein römischer Blei- Sarg: Fehlalarm für den Räumdienst, aber ein Glücksfall für Archäologen.
Zwei gut erhaltene und zudem nicht ausgeplünderte Sarkophage aus dem dritten Jahrhundert sind beim Bau einer Umgehungsstraße in Rommerskirchen (Nordrhein-Westfalen) gefunden worden. Der sensationelle Fund des vergangenen Spätsommers ist seit Montag im Rheinischen Landesmuseum in Bonn ausgestellt.[...]
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Mumie einer Indio-Herrscherin in Nord-Peru entdeckt

Peruanische Wissenschaftler haben im Norden Perus die besonders gut erhaltene 1700 Jahre alte Mumie einer Indio-Herrscherin aus der Vor-Inkazeit entdeckt. Die Frau sei 20 bis 25 Jahre alt geworden und mit reichen Grabbeigaben bestattet gewesen, berichtet eine peruanische Zeitung. Ihre Haut weise Tätowierungen mit Darstellungen von Schlangen und Spinnen auf. Kultgegenstände aus Gold und Silber in ihrem Grab seien weitere Hinweis darauf, dass der Frau zu Lebzeiten magisch-religiöse Kräfte beigemessen worden seien.
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Der Stuttgarter Konrad-Theiss-Verlag wird 50

Es ist ein Treffen der Generationen: Hans Schleuning, Jahrgang 1933, und Christian Rieker, geboren 1963, gehen einem Beruf nach, der sie vereint und unterscheidet. Schleuning wäre im heutigen Verlagswesen ein Exot, wie er selbst sagt: Nach einer Lehre als Buchhändler sammelte er in Verlagen und Druckereien neben verlegerischer auch redaktionelle Erfahrung.
1969 wurde er in Stuttgart - "mit einem Schreibtisch in meiner Wohnung" - Leiter des Verlags für Heimat und Wirtschaft. 1956 in Aalen von dem Theologen und Ökonomen Konrad Theiss gegründet, feiert dieser Verlag, der seit 1969 Konrad-Theiss-Verlag heißt, in diesem Jahr seinen 50. Geburtstag. Schleuning blieb ihm all die Jahre treu, heute in beratender Funktion.[...]
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Walled City monument site being sealed?

Panic struck residents of Sheranwala Gate and Masti Gate, where a historical building was recently discovered, after a senior Archaeology Department official said that the government was considering declaring the area a monument and sealing the locality for preservation. Iqbal Bhutta, assistant research director of the federal Archaeology Department, visited the locality and surveyed the houses on various streets that lead to the site and checked the residents’ property documents. The arrival of an official on a Sunday alarmed the residents, who feared that the locality might be sealed. Residents said that the officer ‘negotiated’ with employees of Sheikh Yousaf, who intended to build a commercial plaza on the site where the old building was discovered, after which he promised them to ‘favour’ the residents in his report.[...]
Source

Archaeology find is unique

Peru solstice marker among world’s oldest
Robert Benfer, a professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of Missouri-Columbia, was rooting around in the Peruvian dirt, looking for evidence of ancient human diet when he made a startling discovery.
"When we found that first sculpture - wow! I was petrified," Benfer said. "I would have been in trouble. You have to have a special permit to excavate something like that." Benfer and a team of archaeologists from the United States and Peru discovered sculptures that indicate there were floodplain farmers tracking the movement of the sun for cultivation purposes 1,000 years earlier than previously thought.[...]
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Der Satan wohnt in Berlin, gegenüber von Frau Merkel

Der Satan hat seinen Wohnsitz in Berlin. Genau genommen wohnt er im Pergamonaltar auf der Museumsinsel - gleich gegenüber der Privatwohnung von Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel. Zu diesem Schluss gelangt die amerikanische Forscherin Adela Yarbro Collins in der durchaus angesehenen amerikanischen Zeitschrift "Biblical Archaeology Review".
In der Mai-Juni Ausgabe dieser Fachzeitschrift analysiert die Forscherin die schwer verständliche Offenbarung des Johannes im Neuen Testament. Im zweiten Kapitel wird ein Schreiben Christi an den Vorsteher der Gemeinde von Pergamon zitiert. Erst wird ein zweischneidiges Schwert erwähnt und dann heißt es: "Ich weiß, was du tust und wo du wohnst, da des Satans Stuhl ist."[...]
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How the Hobbit Shrugged: Tiny Hominid's Story Takes New Turn

The strangest ancient humans may be Indonesia's "hobbits," the 1-meter-tall people who made stone tools and hunted dwarf elephants 18,000 years ago. When announced 2 years ago, the fossils from the island of Flores seemed almost too bizarre for fiction. Now, close-up looks at some of the bones have given the hobbits' saga even more odd twists.
At a recent meeting here,* two anatomists presented analyses suggesting that the original hobbit skeleton may not be female, as first described, and that its shoulders differ from those of modern people and hark back to an ancient human ancestor, Homo erectus. That detail and others bolster the notion that an H. erectus population on the island evolved into the dwarf form of H. floresiensis, anatomist Susan Larson of Stony Brook University in New York said in her talk at the meeting.[...]
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Geologist: Bosnian Hill an Ancient Pyramid

An Egyptian geologist who arrived to check on claims by an amateur researcher that a hill in central Bosnia is hiding an ancient pyramid said Wednesday the structure is man made and worth investigating.
''My opinion is that this is a type of pyramid, probably a primitive pyramid,'' said Dr. Aly Abd Alla Barakata, a geologist from the Egyptian Mineral Resource Authority.
Barakata is the first expert from Egypt to visit the Visocica hill and offer an opinion on whether huge stone slabs excavated on the site could form the sloping sides of a massive step pyramid.[...]
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Offener Brief von Frau Susanne Osthoff an die Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel

Am 18.5.2006 hat sich Susanne Osthoff in einem offenen Brief an die Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel gewandt. Sie beklagt den immensen Schaden, der dem Ansehen Deutschlands durch die Antikenhehlerei entsteht, verweist auf die Finanzierung von Terroranschlägen durch Raubgrabungen und fordert ein Handelsverbot für geplündertes Kulturgut.

Stonehenge-era observatory discovered in Peru

4,200-year-old pyramid, temple in the Andes mountains is aligned with solstices, archaeologists say. Archaeologists working high in the Peruvian Andes have discovered the oldest celestial observatory in the Americas — a 4,200-year-old structure marking the summer and winter solstices that is as old as the stone pillars of Stonehenge. The observatory was built on the top of a 33-foot-high pyramid with precise alignments and sight lines that provide an astronomical calendar for agriculture, said archaeologist Robert Benfer of the University of Missouri.[...]
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Scholar traces history of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Were there a real Indiana Jones, one of the places he would undoubtedly explore first would be the ancient area of Qumran, now located in Israel. The famous Dead Sea Scrolls, written by the Qumran sect of the second and first century B.C.E., reveal important details about the habits and beliefs of the Jews who lived at that time, according to Professor Lawrence H. Schiffman, an archaeologist and renowned researcher of the scrolls.[...]
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Ägypten will Nofretete zurück

Der Generalsekretär der ägyptischen Altertümerverwaltung, Sahi Hawas, hat nach einem Bericht des Nachrichtenmagazins „Der Spiegel“ die Rückführung der Nofretete-Büste von Berlin nach Kairo gefordert. Damit habe der Antikenchef vergangene Woche in Berlin Bundespräsident Horst Köhler und den ägyptischen Präsidenten Husni Mubarak während der feierlichen Eröffnung der Ausstellung „Ägyptens versunkene Schätze““ überrascht.Die Bemerkungen zu Nofretete hatten bei den Festgästen zum Teil Gelächter und Schmunzeln ausgelöst. Unter Hinweis auf die 100-Jahr- Feier des Deutschen Archäologischen Institutes in Kairo im nächsten Jahr hatte Hawas gesagt, er hoffe auch gerne „auf den Besuch einer Königin Nofretete“.[...]
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Mubarak & Koehler open Egypt's sunken treasures exhibit

President Hosni Mubarak and his German counterpart Hoerst Koehler opened in Berlin on Thursday Egypt's Sunken Treasures exhibition.
The opening was attended by various top officials, public I figures and personalities interested in Egyptology. Mrs. Mubarak, Mrs. Koehler and Higher Council of Antiquities Chairman Zahi Hawas were present at the inauguration ceremony. Some 489 breathtaking artifacts retrieved from the Mediterranean Sea in Alexandria are being exhibited in 18 halls and more than 100 display cases. Some of the halls are provided with audio-visual technologies and visual effects to invoke the Mediterranean ambience from which the antiquities were retrieved. The artifacts, with few exceptions, have never been shown in public and are being displayed for the first time. They will give insight into 1,500 years of Egyptian history (700 BC to 800 AD). "Egypt's Sunken Treasure" has already aroused worldwide interest, and the professional archaeologists as well anxiously await the opportunity to examine the sensational archaeological finds.
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The archaeological treasures of Istanbul

I once wrote a piece in this column claiming that the “Old City” section of Istanbul needs to be fully renovated for Istanbul to be a true magnet for international travelers. The Marmaray Tube project was delayed for some time because every time the workers dug at the European end, they would come across some great archeological site and hence have to stop and move further up the banks where once again they would dig and unearth a similarly valuable treasure. Surprise of surprises, a few months ago Istanbul was selected as the 2010 European Capital of Culture.[...]
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Tomb robbers have hit a third of China's archaeological sites

China's archaeologists are as a matter of fact playing a risky cat and mouse game with tomb robbers who are destroying and stealing national treasurers and are often just one step a head of the police. Archaeologists report a third of China's 400,000-plus archaeological sites have been hit by thieves and that half of the country's top-ten ancient discoveries in 2005 had been at least partially looted.
Although local police are often asked to patrol the ancient tombs they have had little effect, said archaeologists. In a number of cases, Chinese archaeologists find themselves following the robbers' trail and end up only being able to salvage what has been left behind by the thieves.[...]
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Seminar: Waffen schmieden wie im Frühmittelalter

Im Westfälischen Museum für Archäologie in Herne kann man in einem Seminar am 20. und 21. Mai Schild und Lanze nach germanischen Vorbildern bauen. Nachdem sich die Teilnehmer Funde im Museum des Landschaftsverbandes Westfalen-Lippe (LWL) angesehen haben, werden sie selbst zu „experimentellen Archäologen“.
In diesem Seminar gilt es Hand anzulegen für die Grundausstattung eines germanischen, frühmittelalterlichen Kriegers. Die Kursteilnehmer schüren ein Feuer und schmieden eine Lanze. Ein eiserner „Schildbuckel“ wird dann in der Mitte eines Holzschildes angebracht. So schützte er die Hand des Trägers im Kampf.[...]
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Westfälisches Museum für Archäologie

Ausstellung: "Ingolstadt seit 806"

Die Ausstellung Vom Werden einer Stadt - Ingolstadt seit 806 läuft nun seit einigen Tagen bis 10. September.
"Die Stadt Ingolstadt feierte im Jahr 2000 ihre Stadtwerdung vor 750 Jahren mit vielen Aktivitäten, darunter die Ausstellung „Vom Werden einer Stadt – Geschichten & Gesichter“. Dargestellt wurde der Werdegang der Stadt von 1250 bis 1950. Damals stand die Herzogs-, Universitäts-, Festungs- und Industriestadt im Mittelpunkt."
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Griechischer Forscher will Kleopatras Mausoleum entdeckt haben

Ein griechischer Forscher hat nach eigener Aussage vor der Küste Alexandriens in Ägypten das Mausoleum Kleopatras entdeckt. Der Historiker sagte einer Athener Zeitung, er und seine Mitarbeiter hätten Reste der Grabstätte der legendären ägyptischen Königin entdeckt. Dabei handle es sich um einen monumentalen und mehrere hundert Tonnen schweren Teil des Eingangs eines antiken Tempels. Kleopatra hatte noch zu Lebzeiten neben einem Tempel der ägyptischen Gottheit Isis ihr eigenes Mausoleum bauen lassen.[...]
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Art Museum weighs Egypt's demand for mask

St. Louis Art Museum officials strategized with their attorney into the night Thursday about how to respond to the Egyptian government's demands that the museum return an ancient mummy mask by Monday. The museum has called a press conference at 9:30 a.m. today to announce its response. Earlier this month, Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, told the Post-Dispatch and other media that he sent a letter demanding the 3,200-year-old mask's return by Monday. He did not reply to a Post-Dispatch request for comment late Thursday.[...]
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Dashtestan Achaemenid Quarry to be Safe Forever

Following an announcement by experts concerning the gradual destruction of Puzeh Palangi stone mine in Dashtestan, a city in the southwestern province of Bushehr, Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of this province has taken measures to save this ancient quarry which is believed to have been a valuable source for construction purposes during the Achaemeid era (648 BC–330 BC).[...]
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Heat poses major threat to Taj Mahal

This file photo show the Taj Mahal, which an archaeologist warns could be permanently damaged by heavy dust in the dry air. An Indian archaeologist is praying for a respite from a heat wave engulfing the Taj Mahal town of Agra, warning that heavy dust in the dry air could permanently scar the marble monument to love. Temperatures hovered this week at 45 C in the city, 200 kilometres south of New Delhi, as a heat wave that has killed 60 people nationwide in the past week dragged on.[...]
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Brutal lives of Stone Age Britons

A survey of British skulls from the early part of the New Stone Age, or Neolithic, shows societies then were more violent than was supposed. Early Neolithic Britons had a one in 20 chance of suffering a skull fracture at the hands of someone else and a one in 50 chance of dying from their injuries. Details were presented at a meeting of the Society for American Archaeology and reported in New Scientist magazine.[...]
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Firm to search for sunken treasure off N.C. coast

Another underwater archaeology firm has gotten a permit from the state to search for a gold-and-silver-laden treasure ship believed to be sunk off the North Carolina coast. Aqua Gems of the Treasure Coast has been granted a permit to search for the El Salvador in the Cape Lookout area and collect artifact samples. But the search isn't simple. Other companies have been looking for it, so far in vain.[...]
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More may be found at Donner site

Under a plot of land that may soon house the newest museum honoring the Donner Party's tragic journey over the Sierra Nevada sit pieces of history dating back almost 9,000 years. These artifacts - whether they be musket balls, earrings or Washoe cooking ovens - will come out of the ground this summer as a team of archaeologists descends on Donner Memorial State Park to dig, catalogue and analyze the earth.[...]
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Cleopatra's gems rise from the deep

The lost world of Cleopatra’s palaces has been dug out of the muddy Mediterranean sea bed by a man dubbed the Underwater Indiana Jones.
The results of Franck Goddio’s excavations, comprising 500 priceless finds that shed light on 1,500 years of ancient history, will be put on public view today for the first time. President Mubarak of Egypt will open the exhibition in Berlin, and it will later transfer to Paris and London and eventually to a specially prepared site in Egypt.[...]
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Neolithic man "had violent history"

Neolithic man, thought to be the world's first farmer, was not as peaceful as previously thought, new research has suggested. A study of remains kept in UK museums found neolithic man ran a one-in-14 chance of getting a cracked skull. Archaeologist Dr Rick Schulting from Queen's University, Belfast said 350 skulls dated between 4000 and 3200 BC from southern England were examined.[...]
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Exquisite treasures of Roman York unearthed

A gold ring and a carved jet pendant were found together as staff from York Archaeological Trust investigated a city centre site before it was redeveloped. Both are thought to date from the fourth century and archaeologists were delighted to find two such pieces in the same place. The gold ring is set with an oval stone, probably a carnelian, and is decorated with beaded wires, with decorative pellets in the bezel in which the stone is set. "Carnelians were favoured by the Romans because of their blood-red colour," said the trust's finds researcher Nicola Rogers. "This ring is thought to be late Roman, probably from the fourth century."[...]
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The Amazing Catch They Let Slip Away

On a summer day in 1964, the 60-foot trawler Ferruccio Ferri pushed off from this port before dawn. It motored southeast, cutting through the Adriatic Sea toward a submerged outcropping where fish gathered, 32 nautical miles out. By dusk, the Ferri had reached the spot. The seven men in the crew cast their nets and fished all night, dozing in shifts.Early the next morning, the nets caught on a snag. The boat's engine whined. With a jolt, the nets came free. Crewman Igli Rosato watched as a barnacle-encrusted figure emerged from the sea. "C'e un morto!" cried one of the fishermen, Rosato recalled. "There's a dead man!"[...]
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Archaeologist sweats as fierce sun savages Taj Mahal

An Indian archaeologist is praying for a respite from a heat wave engulfing the Taj Mahal town of Agra, warning that heavy dust in the dry air could permanently scar the marble monument to love. Temperatures hovered this week at 45 Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit) in the city, 200 kilometres (124 miles) south of New Delhi, as a heat wave that has killed 60 people nationwide in the past week dragged on.
The Yamuna River, which runs behind the 17th-century white Mughal tomb, was dry and Agra's chief archaeologist Doraiswamy Dayalan said he was worried that dust from the nearby desert and factories would turn the marble yellow.[...]
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Jamestown artifacts go on display in roomy new home

Archaeologists have unearthed more than a million artifacts since they found the long-lost remains of the triangular fort at America's first permanent English settlement in the mid-90s. But until now they haven't had an exhibit space to show them off. The best 1,000 or so of the artifacts will be presented to the public for the first time when a $4.9 million museum within view of the fort site on the James River opens Saturday, the 399th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine was to speak at a media preview on Thursday.[...]
Historic Jamestowne
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Archaeologist says Va. bolsters claim on how people got to America

The Smithsonian archaeologist pursuing the contentious claim that ancient Europeans fleeing the Ice Age settled in America says artifacts unearthed in the Chesapeake Bay region support his theory.
Smithsonian Institution curator of archaeology Dennis Stanford argues that about 18,000 years ago, Solutrean hunters from the coasts of France, Spain and Portugal followed seals and other marine mammals for their fur, food and fuel across a partially frozen north Atlantic Ocean to the New World. "Through such activities they ended up . . . along the exposed continental shelf of North America discovering a new land," he and colleague Bruce Bradley write.[...]
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Another salvage company looking for gold-laden ship

An underwater archaeology firm has permission to search for a gold-and-silver-laden treasure ship believed to be sunk off the North Carolina coast. Aqua Gems of the Treasure Coast has received a permit to look for the El Salvador in the Cape Lookout area and collect artifact samples. But other people have been looking for it as well and they haven't found anything.[...]
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HC stays demolition of Thyagaraja’s house

The Madras High Court has directed the Thyagabrahma Mahotsava Sabha in Thiruvaiyaru not to demolish the house of Saint Thyagaraja on Thirumanjanam Street, Thiruvaiyuru. A vacation Bench comprising Justice P K Misra and P Jyothimani, granted the interim injunction while admitting a public interest writ petition from Macherla Diwakar of R K Nagar, a freelance journalist and a person interested in music and archaeology, on Tuesday.[...]
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Porträt Franck Goddio

Er hat nie Archäologie studiert und zählt doch zu den bekanntesten Entdeckern von Altertümern. Franck Goddio präsentiert sich als Mittler zwischen Forscherdrang, Expertise und Sponsorengeldern - in der wissenschaftlichen Marktnische Unterwasser-Archäologie.
"Wir sind alle ein Bisschen auf den Strich gegangen, um an das Geld zu kommen, das wir brauchen." Das mag eine ungewöhnliche Aussage für einen respektierten Oxford-Archäologen sein. Doch er sei einfach neidisch, fügte Barry Cunliffe ungeniert hinzu, wenn er Goddios üppige Finanzausstattung betrachte.[...]
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Turkey's underwater archaeological wealth to be unveiled in Bodrum

The Bodrum Underwater Research Institute's Conservation Center launched an initiative on Monday to display the region's underwater archaeological wealth, which has so far been stored in warehouses.
The discoveries were unearthed from sunken ships located off the Aegean and Mediterranean costs and will be displayed following cleaning, conservation and restoration. The center, manned by 12 scientists and technical staff, was opened on Monday with a ceremony.[...]
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Fischer zieht Reiterstatue aus Ägäis

Überraschung für einen griechischen Fischer: Vor der Insel Kalymnos zog er statt Fischen eine Vase und Teile einer antiken Statue aus dem Meer. Die Behörden sprechen von unschätzbarem Wert.
Unterwasserarchäologie ist teuer, aufwendig, langwierig - große Forschungsprojekte gibt es nur wenige. Doch manchmal hilft der Zufall der Wissenschaft. So wie im Fall eines griechischen Fischers: Vor der Insel Kalymnos fischte der Mann die Überreste einer antiken Bronze-Statue sowie eine Amphore aus der Ägäis, teilte das griechische Kulturministerium in Athen mit.[...]
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Altertumsverein stellt "Mainzer Zeitschrift" vor

Der Mainzer Altertumsverein präsentierte bei der Jahreshauptversammlung im Forum der Mainzer Volksbank jetzt den gerade erschienenen 101. Band der "Mainzer Zeitschrift". Das Mittelrheinische Jahrbuch für Archäologie, Kunst und Geschichte erscheint seit 1854 periodisch und bietet Archäologen und Historikern aller Disziplinen eine Plattform zur Veröffentlichung ihrer Beiträge zur mittelrheinischen Geschichte und zur Geschichte der Stadt Mainz.[...]
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World’s first battlefield archaeology centre

The world's first centre for battlefield archaeology, headed by the star of BBC's Two Men in a Trench series, has been established at Glasgow University.Dr Tony Pollard, who co-presented the archaeology show, heads the groundbreaking unit which will work on a number of projects including the Anglo-Zulu war of 1879 in South Africa, the Jacobite rebellions in Scotland and an archaeological evaluation of British battlefields.[...]
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Archaeology students to visit Saba and Statia this week

Local archaeology students are taking their knowledge on the road with a visit to Saba and Statia this week. Fourteen high school students will visit archaeology sites of interest and expand their scope with the trip funded by Prins Bernhard Cultuur Fonds and Antillean Co-Financing Office AMFO.
The group will be accompanied by archaeologist and St. Maarten Archaeological Centre Simarc Director Dr. Jay Haviser and St. Dominic High School teacher Anita Broer. The students in the archaeology class are from St. Dominic, Milton Peters College and St. Maarten Academy.[...]
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Archaeological Dig Halts Pre-Olympics Construction

Work on a shooting range for the 2008 Beijing Olympics has been suspended, due to the discovery of imperial-era tombs on the site. According to the Beijing Morning Post, the tombs were found in the middle of April. The historical artifacts are believed to date back five to six centuries. Antiquities officials say that it is probable that they may be tombs of eunuchs from the Ming Dynasty.
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Top 10 sites shed light on multi-culture

The Top 10 New Archaeological Discoveries of 2005 were unveiled last night in Beijing and more than half of them from outside the Yellow River Valley, considered the cradle of Chinese civilization. They may shed light on China's multiple cultural origins, experts said. The Xiaohuangshan relics in East China's Zhejiang Province, which were excavated early last year, are an example. The relics, which date back 8,000-10,000 years, could rewrite the country's archaeological history as they are much older than the Hemudu site in the province, which was previously believed to have nurtured the earliest Neolithic culture in China's south about 7,000 years ago.[...]
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Archäologie-Krimi in Guatemala

In Guatemala, im nördlichen Bezirk Peten, fallen Raubgräber ("guecheros" genannt) regelmäßig bei archäologischen Ausgrabungsstätten ein. Dank eines Zufalls haben die Archäologen Hector Escobedo aus Guatemala und sein Kollege David Freidel aus den USA ein Wettrennen in der alten Maya-Stadt El Peru Waka gewonnen. Sie könnten das Grab des Stadtgründers entdeckt haben, was "die Entdeckung meines Lebens wäre", so Freidel.
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Greece: Fisherman nets unusual catch near Kalymnos

The fisherman handed the remains of a bronze horseman and an amphora into the police last week. The items are said to have been well persevered considering they have been in the Aegean Sea for two millennia. The Greek authorities in an effort to retrieve and preserve ancient artefacts offers anyone finding treasure a reward worth 10 percent of the object?s value, if they return it to the state. The police have handed over the male torso statue and the amphora to archaeological experts.[...]
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Römer nutzten Eiszeit-Nashornschädel als Hackbrett

Archäologen haben bei Bauarbeiten für die Kölner U-Bahn Schädelteile eines eiszeitlichen Wollhaarnashorns entdeckt. Wissenschaftler der Universität Kiel bestimmten das Alter des knapp einen Meter langen und gut 20 Kilogramm schweren Knochens auf mehr als 37 000 Jahre.
Das teilte der Kölner Paläozoologe Hubert Berke am Montag mit. Das Fundstück lag in einer römischen Keramikschicht. Kerben und Einschnitte lassen Berke zufolge darauf schließen, dass der Knochen von römischen Handwerkern als Hackbrett benutzt wurde.
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Antike Kunstwerke gehen griechischem Fischer ins Netz

Einem griechischen Fischer ist unverhofft ein wertvoller Fang ins Netz gegangen. Vor der Insel Kalymnos fischte der Mann die Überreste einer antiken Bronze-Statue sowie eine Amphore aus der Ägäis, wie das griechische Kulturministerium in Athen mitteilte. Der Torso der Statue messe 95 Zentimeter, die Amphore sei vollständig intakt.
Details der Figur seien noch nicht zu erkennen, da die Oberfläche des Kunstwerks mit allerlei Meeresgetier und Pflanzen bedeckt sei. Der Fischer habe seinen Fund ordnungsgemäß bei den Behörden abgeliefert, teilte das Ministerium mit.[...]
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Nashornschädel ist Relikt aus der Eiszeit

Im Zuge des Nord-Süd-Bahn-Baus sind bereits zahlreiche herausragende Zeugnisse Kölner Stadtgeschichte entdeckt und gesichert worden.
Als Hubert Berke den großen Knochen sah, den die Archäologen da inmitten von römischen Keramikscherben entdeckt hatten, war dem Paläozoologen schnell klar: „Das ist ein Teil eines Nashornschädels.“ Für genauere Untersuchungen wurde das knapp einen Meter lange und mehr als 20 Kilo schwere Fundstück in ein Kieler Institut geschickt, und von dort kam am Freitag das erstaunliche Analyse-Ergebnis: Der Knochen stammt vom Schädel eines eiszeitlichen Wollhaarnashorns und ist 37 110 Jahre alt - „plus minus 400 Jahre“, so Berke. Nur: Wie kam er in die römische Hafenrinne, die die Archäologen im Zuge des Nord-Süd-Bahn-Baus in den letzten Monaten am Kurt-Hackenberg-Platz freigelegt haben?[...]
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Seminar reflects Oman keenness to preserve its cultural resources

President of the Majlis Ash’shura Shaikh Abdullah bin Ali Al Qatabi opened here on Sunday a three-day seminar titled ‘Archaeology of the Arabian Peninsula Through the Ages’ organised by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture as part of celebrations marking Muscat as the Arab Cultural Capital for 2006. Dignitaries attending the inaugural ceremony included ministers, state advisers and senior government officials.[...]
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Masrur temples likely to get World Heritage status

The dream of getting World Heritage Monument status for the unique Masrur rock temples of Kangra district will likely come true soon.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has prepared a case for it, which is being sent to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). Earlier, the railway authorities had also sent the 103-year-old Kalka-Shimla narrow gauge railway line’s case to the UNESCO for declaring it a World Heritage Monument. The Archaeological Survey of India, which takes care of the Masrur rock temples, has decided to send their case to the UNESCO, said sources. The ASI office here has sent the case to its New Delhi headquarters for forwarding it to UNESCO, they added.[...]
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Another salvage company looking for gold-laden ship

Another underwater archaeology firm has gotten a permit from the state to search for a gold-and-silver-laden treasure ship believed to be sunk off the North Carolina coast. Aqua Gems of the Treasure Coast has been granted a permit to search for the El Salvador in the Cape Lookout area and collect artifact samples.
But the search isn't simple. Other companies have been looking for it, so far in vain. "Nobody's found a coin yet," said Phil Masters, president of Intersal, another company looking for the ship that sank in a 1750 hurricane with an estimated $124 million in gold and silver.[...]
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Saving Afghanistan's cultural heritage

Excerpts of speech on the preservation of Afghanistan’s archaeological, historical, and cultural heritage, given on April 17, 2006, at the Embassy of Afghanistan by Said T. Jawad
Afghanistan is a land bridge connecting Central Asia, the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East. The ancient Silk Route, which carried both goods and knowledge, and connected China to the heart of Europe, passed through Afghanistan. Today, Afghanistan is once more playing its historic role in bridging cultures, countries and civilizations. Over 60 counties have joined together to help rebuild Afghanistan.[...]
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Accidental Discovery of Ancient Armaments in Ardabil

Widening the road of Gilvan village in Ardabil province led to accidental discovery of some ancient graves and historical relics. Soon after this discovery, a group of experts from Iran’s Archeology Research Center were dispatched to this region to examine these relics.
“As soon as we learned of this accidental discovery, we sent a letter to the Archeology Research Center in which we informed its experts of the case and asked them to send some of their specialists to the region as soon as possible to study these ancient objects in detail and continue excavations in the area if necessary,” said Yahya Naghizadeh, head of the Cultural Heritage Police Department of Ardabil province to CHN.[...]
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Cultural Heritage Week to feature Iranian archaeology films

The Department of Archaeology of the University of Tehran plans to hold the Selected Iranian Archaeology Films Festival during Cultural Heritage Week, which begins on May 18, concurrently with International Museum Day, the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) reported on Monday.
Some foreign films on Iranian archaeology are also scheduled to be screened at the event, which will be held at the Faculty of Literature and Humanities of the University of Tehran. Archaeology and cinema students will be on the jury of the filmfest. Several gatherings for archaeologists and documentary filmmakers, lectures, and a photo exhibition will be held on the sidelines of the event.
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Ralf Schmitz entdeckte die legendäre "Feldhofer Grotte" wieder

1997 fand Ralf Schmitz die verschüttete Originalfundstätte des Ur-Neandertalers wieder - und gleich ein paar passende Einzelteile mit. Ein Gespräch über Archäologie als Knochenarbeit, das echte Gesicht des Urzeitmenschen und das Glücksgefühl beim Graben.[...]
Ein Interview mit Ralf Schmitz
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Egyptologist to share Egypt’s greatest secrets at the Frist

It is not a cliché to call Zahi Hawass a modern-day Indiana Jones. Time magazine called him “The Man.”
As head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, Hawass has complete control and free reign over Egypt’s myriad of relics, tombs and pyramids. And the adventurer, scholar and preservation crusader has become the international face of Egyptology with his archeological discoveries and groundbreaking research.[...]
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Inside The Mummy

Egyptian exhibit lets visitors examinelife of Nesperennub, a 2,800-year-old priest
If the local social scene has seemed just a little dull lately, don't despair -- we've heard about a very special guy nearby who's just dying to meet you. You could say he's a little wrapped up in himself, but there's no denying that this gent has been around. For a long time.[...]
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Archäologen entdeckten Ruinen der vermutlich ältesten Kirche Polens

Archäologen haben im westpolnischen Posen (Poznan) die Überreste der wahrscheinlich ältesten Kirche Polens entdeckt. Unter einer Kirche auf der Dominsel stießen sie mit Hilfe eines Erdradars auf die aus dem zehnten Jahrhundert stammenden Gemäuer, berichtete die Zeitung "Gazeta Wyborcza".
Die Archäologen gehen dem Bericht zufolge davon aus, dass die Ehefrau des Piastenfürsten Mieszko die Kirche bauen ließ. Mieszko trat 966 zum Christentum über. Er gilt als Staatsgründer Polens.[...]
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Gräber aus der Ming-Dynastie in China entdeckt

Bei Bauarbeiten an einer Schießanlage für die Olympischen Spiele in Peking sind 500 bis 600 Jahre alte Gräber aus der Ming-Dynastie entdeckt worden. Es könnte sich um die Grabstätten von Eunuchen am kaiserlichen Hofe handeln, berichteten chinesische Zeitungen am Montag unter Berufung auf die Behörde für Altertümer. Demnach wurden die Gräber Mitte April gefunden. Darin wurden auch Münzen sowie Gegenstände aus Keramik und Jade sichergestellt. Die Bauerarbeiten für die Schießstände wurden den Angaben zufolge zunächst gestoppt. Peking ist im Jahre 2008 Ausrichtungsort der Olympischen Sommerspiele.
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The return of Tut

Chicago to host new exhibit of ancient Egyptian ruler’s artifacts
King Tut is back. But then he never really left. Although the pharaohs of Egypt all craved immortality, Tutankhamun was one of the few who actually attained a measure of it. Tut, a relatively minor king, ruled Egypt for less than nine years and died as a teenager. But because his magnificent tomb lay hidden from grave robbers for millennia, the boy king inspired a worldwide phenomenon when his final resting place was found in 1922. His pop cultural reign has lasted more than 80 years — from an Egyptology craze in the 1920s and mummy movies in the ’30s to a Steve Martin novelty song in the ’70s.[...]
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State archaeologist wants to return Indian remains to tribes

Federal red tape is blocking the return of the remains of hundreds of American Indians to tribes for reburial. State archaeologist Jon Leader is caretaker for about 300 Native American remains that he wants returned to tribes for reburial. Harold "Buster" Hatcher is chief of the Waccamaw tribe in Horry County. Hatcher wants remains of tribal members returned for reburial.[...]
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Roman ruins are found at Paris construction site

Last month, on a Left Bank hillside, French archaeologists found remnants of a road and several houses dating back some 2,000 years to when Rome ruled Gaul. In one sense, it was not a surprise. Other Roman vestiges have been uncovered, notably those of a theater that could seat 15,000 and Roman thermal baths found beneath the 15th-century Abbey of Cluny.[...]
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Jerusalem's Volatile Archaeology

Known as the Western Wall Tunnel it runs under the old walled city and along the length of the western wall of what was once the Temple of Jerusalem. Built by Herod the Great in 20 BC, the Temple itself was destroyed by the Romans in the year 70. All that survived was the rock platform - the Temple Mount - on which the Temple was built and the massive retaining wall that supported the foundations of the building. The Temple Mount, or the Haram al-Sharif as it is called by Muslims, meaning noble sanctuary, is holy to both Jews and Muslims. For most of the time since the 7th Century it has been in the possession of Muslims, who believe it marks the point where the Prophet Muhammad ascended into heaven.[...]
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Black Jack search ends without any findings

The search for artifacts at Black Jack Battlefield near Baldwin came to an end Friday without any significant findings. “We’ve searched about all the ground we can,” said University of Nebraska battlefield archaeologist Douglas Scott.
Scott and others working with him had hoped to find items — mainly bullets — left from the 1856 battle between John Brown-led abolitionists and pro-slavery forces. The location of bullets or other artifacts would help tell the story of the ebb and flow of the battle and what type of weapons had been used, he said.[...]
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Archäologie-Stammtisch tagt in Florstadt

Der Archäologie-Stammtisch Wetterau traf sich am vergangenen Samstag in Florstadt. In dem zwanglosen Zusammenschluss von ehrenamtlichen Mitarbeitern der Archäologischen Denkmalpflege des Wetteraukreises sowie archäologisch Interessierten trifft man sich mindestens einmal im Jahr, um sich über neueste Grabungen und Funde zu informieren.[...]
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Angkor temple reopens to public

Archaeologists in Cambodia have completed the first part of what has been called the world's largest jigsaw puzzle. The Baphuon, one of the largest and oldest temples at the world-famous Angkor complex, has been in hundreds of thousands of pieces for decades. Under the Khmer Rouge's brutal regime, the plans for the temple's reconstruction were destoyed. But now, after years of hard work, one section is reopening to the public.[...]
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Search begins for artifacts from Black Jack

Pieces of aluminum from foil, beer and soda cans, wire and nails were the only discoveries Thursday afternoon as searchers armed with metal detectors began scouring the historic Black Jack Battlefield east of Baldwin. “We’re literally just getting started,” said Douglas Scott, a battlefield archaeologist from Lincoln, Neb. “Today is to get everybody tuned up and working together.”[...]
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Forscher stolpert in Maya-Königsgrab

Die Geschichte klingt nach Indiana Jones. In einem Kopf-an-Kopf-Rennen mit Raubgräbern entdeckten Archäologen die Reste eines Maya-Fürsten - zufällig. Einer der Forscher brach durch die Decke der Grabkammer ein.
Tönernes Geschirr, Gebeine und eine alte Trommel, Jadeschmuck und ein Jaguarfell fanden die Archäologen. Im Erdreich des fünf Meter langen Hohlraums lagen kleine Tonfiguren, sie waren als Begleiter in die Welt der Toten beigefügt worden. Bei den Gebeinen in dem Grab muss es sich um die Überreste eines Mayafürsten handeln, lautet der erste Schluss aus dem frischen Fund im Regenwald Guatemalas.[...]
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Ancient Maya Royal Tomb Discovered in Guatemala

A newly uncovered Maya tomb might be the resting place of the first ruler of Waka', an ancient city on what was a major trade route. The tomb, uncovered deep in the jungles of Guatemala (see map), contains a single skeleton lying on a stone bench, jade jewels, and the remains of a jaguar pelt, according to news reports. The structure was discovered on April 29 by archaeologist Hector Escobedo of the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala and graduate student Juan Carlos Melendez. It lies at the base of the site's largest pyramid, which is about 60 feet (18 meters) tall. Escobedo is co-director of the Waka' Archaeological Project with David Freidel, an archaeologist at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.[...]
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Bosnian Pyramids: Great Discovery or Colossal Hoax?

It's either one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of our time, or man has made a giant pyramid out of a molehill. In the wake of recent news that evidence of colossal pyramids had been found in the small Bosnian town of Visoko, many in the archaeological community are speaking out and dismissing both the discovery and the man who made it, businessman Semir Osmanagic.
Some critics have gone as far as to call the pyramid an absurd publicity stunt.
But Osmanagic stands by his claim. "They are jealous," Osmanagic told LiveScience in a telephone interview. "These people are going crazy because they've been teaching students that these [Bosnians] were cavemen, and all of a sudden they are finding complex structures here."[...]
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Aktuelle Ausgrabungen und Forschungen in Berlin und Brandenburg

Die Archäologische Gesellschaft in Berlin und Brandenburg führt vom 5.-7. Mai 2006 ihre Jahrestagung auf der Burg Eisenhardt in Belzig durch. Das diesjährige Thema lautet: Aktuelle Ausgrabungen und Forschungen in Berlin und Brandenburg.Das Programm spannt einen Bogen von der Jungsteinzeit bis zum Mittelalter. In neun Vorträgen werden außergewöhnliche Ausgrabungsergebnisse der vergangenen zwei Jahre präsentiert, die von großem landesgeschichtlichen Interesse sind.[...]
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Neolithic axe found with Indus script

In what is being termed as the 'discovery of the century', a schoolteacher in Sembian-Kandiyanur village near Mayiladuthurai in Nagapattinam district, Tamil Nadu, has stumbled upon two Neolithic stone axes with Indus Valley script. The Department of Archaeology, Tamil Nadu, has confirmed that the axes, one grey and the other black, with the script could be as old as 3,500 years, and dated back to 1500 BC.
Sources in the Archaeology Department said the four symbols found on the celt, which is actually a hand-held stone axe, was in the classical Indus script, which proved that the script, which was commonly found in Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, had reached Tamil Nadu also.[...]
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Must Looted Relics Be Ignored?

Inscribed on Sumerian clay tablets more than 4,000 years ago, the Code of Ur-Nammu may be the earliest known recorded set of laws in the world: dozens of rules written in cuneiform about commerce and taxes, family law and inheritance.
But many scholars won't go near the one largely intact version of the code, and the top American journal of cuneiform research won't publish articles about it. The reason? The tablet was bought by a private Norwegian collector on the open market and does not come from a documented, scientific excavation. According to the ethics policies of the leading associations for antiquities scholars, that means it is off limits.[...]
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Skeletons of Pre-Historic Children to be Examined in Britain

In a joint project, experts of Iran’s Archeological Research Center and the archeo-anthropology department of University of New Castle in Britain will study in detail the skeletons of the children belonging to the pre-historic periods which have been unearthed in different archeological sites of during the past few years. “Discovery of a large number of skeletons of children during archeological excavations in different sites of Iran indicates the high rate of child death during the pre-historic periods. Considering the importance of these archeological discoveries, we decided to examine them in more detail and to study their pathology in order to determine the reasons for their early death.[...]
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Dumping the Yellow Emperor myth

On April 5, Chinese Memorial Day, there was a grand memorial ceremony at the mausoleum of Huang Di or the "Yellow Emperor," in Huangling, Shaanxi Province.
Tens of thousands of people showed up for the occasion. A major US newspaper reported that leaders from the National People's Congress and top executives from state-owned industries joined "a senior Taiwanese opposition lawmaker and 700 Taiwanese businesspeople to pay their respects to the Yellow Emperor. Taiwanese visitors were given the best view of the ceremony at the recently expanded complex."[...]
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Discovery of 12 Forges in Lengeh Port

Archeological excavations in Lengeh Port in Hormozgan province led to the discovery of 12 forges similar to those which had already been discovered in Iran’s Central Plateau especially in Kerman and Yazd provinces. The discovered forges in the Central Plateau belong to the third to first millennium BC and the beginning of urbanization. However, so far archeologists have not been so successful in determining the exact age of these new discovered ones. Considering that urbanization started from the third millennium BC in Kerman province, archeologists are hoping to trace the starting point of urbanization in Lengeh as well.[...]
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Archaeologists digging for O'Fallon history

Inches beneath the grass on ground that has seen its fair share of Frisbee games, dog walks and couples holding hands over the years lie clues to how people lived more than a century ago. As part of O'Fallon's ongoing celebration of its 150th birthday, six archaeologists from the Archaeological Research Center of St. Louis have been dodging the rainstorms while they dig for just those clues in Fort Zumwalt Park. Their mission: to find pieces of ordinary objects that give a better picture of the slaves owned by the Heald homestead in the 1800s.[...]
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Aktion: Handelsverbot für Hehlerware aus Raubgrabungen (Update)

Mittlerweile gibt es von Seiten der Politik ein paar Reaktionen seid die Aktion am 28.03.06 mit einer Massenmailaktion gestartet wurde. Die Antwortenschreiben einiger Bundestagsabgeordneter können auf folgender Seite nachgelesen werden:
http://web.uni-marburg.de/vorgeschichte/reaktionen.htm
Je mehr mitmachen, desto eher darf mit einer Reaktion von Seiten der Politiker gerechnet werden.
Aktion: Handelsverbot für Hehlerware aus Raubgrabungen / Schutz für Kulturgüter

The museum of eternity

Egypt and Japan sign a cooperation protocol to build the planned Grand Egyptian Museum
It was a scenic evening at the Prince Taz Palace in Mediaeval Cairo, classical music tunes filled the air and a soft spring breeze played with the soaring palm tree branches in the courtyard. Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, Culture Minister Farouk Hosni and Fayza Abul- Naga, minister of state for foreign affairs, gathered at the palace's Mashrabiya terrace along with scores of Egyptian ministers, government officials and the Japanese ambassador to Egypt to exchange notes on a long-term loan offered by the Japanese government to help in the construction of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM). The loan provides $300 million of a total approximate budget projected at $550 million. Abul-Naga told reporters that the loan will be due after a 10-year grace period, to be settled in installments through another 30 years with an interest rate of 1.5 per cent.[...]
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Maya tomb archaeologists defy looters

Archaeologists outsmarted tomb raiders to unearth a major Maya Indian royal burial site in the Guatemalan jungle, discovering jade jewellery and a jaguar pelt from more than 1 500 years ago. The tomb, found by archaeologist Hector Escobedo last week, contains a king of the El Peru Waka city, now in ruins and covered in thick rain forest teeming with spider monkeys. He may have been the dynastic founder of the city, on major Mayan trade routes that could have stretched from the city of Tikal in Guatemala up through Mexico.[...]
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SUNY Cortland Student Wins Statewide Archaeology Award

After working for 13 years in the electronics field, Sharon Andrus switched gears and enrolled at SUNY Cortland to study something she really loved – anthropology. Andrus, of Freeville, N.Y., ended up winning a statewide archaeology award and earning a grade point average of 4.2. She will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and plans to earn a master’s degree in public history at SUNY Albany next year. The Daniel H. Weiskotten Memorial Scholarship Award, which includes $500 to apply to her graduate work, was awarded to Andrus last month.[...]
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Search for town's

Archaeologists have begun work to find the "lost" gardens of a Suffolk town. A geophysical survey is being carried out in the grounds of Abbot's Hall, in Stowmarket, which neighbours the Museum of East Anglian Life. It is hoped the work, being carried out by the Suffolk Archaeological Unit, will uncover evidence of early 18th Century gardens. If identified, a full dig could be carried out to excavate the historic remains.[...]
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New time line given the Late Bronze Age

Researchers led by Cornell University Archaeologist Sturt Manning suggest the possibility of a time discrepancy during the Late Bronze Age. Writing in the current issue of the journal Science, the archaeologists say the current chronological view of that period is off by 100 years. The scientists say new radiocarbon evidence supports the contention the Late Bronze Age in the Aegean began during the 17th century B.C., at least a century before the date previously assumed by many scholars, The New York Times reported Wednesday. The radiocarbon samples showed the age extended from about 1700 B.C. to 1400 B.C.[...]
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Last days devoted to Hawaiian archaeology

Archaeologist Helen Higman Leidemann's mission in the last months of her life was to complete reports on historical Hawaiian sites investigated along the path of the H-3 freeway.The project went beyond her own research at the Windward end of the trans-Koolau highway. She was writing from the notes and site maps of other archaeologists and anthropologists who worked on the project more than a dozen years ago."It was very hard work, because all the other people who worked on it left the museum," said Yosihiko Sinoto, senior anthropologist at the Bishop Museum. Leidemann had completed eight reports, with one left unfinished, when she died April 28 at her home. She was 52.[...]
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New Archaeological Discoveries in Marib, Smugglers Caught

New archaeological discoveries have been found in Marib, including a five meter long ancient inscription, according to Dr. Abdul-Rahman Jar Allah, the Deputy of the General Authority for Antiquities and Museums (GOAM). It is hoped that the inscription will add to the growing research and knowledge about the important phases in the history of ancient Yemen. Jar Allah, in a statement to the Al-Thawra.net website, added that the restoration process and other technical works in the National Museum have finally been completed, and that the museum will officially open on May 22, the 16th anniversary of the National Day of Yemeni Unification.[...]
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Drei Ausstellungen in NRW feiern den Neandertaler-Fund

Im August 1856 stießen Bergarbeiter im Neandertal auf 16 Knochen Urgeschichte, die unser Weltbild veränderten. Unter dem Motto "Neandertaler & Co" feiern drei Ausstellungen in Mettmann, Herne und Bonn das Jubiläum. Die erste beginnt am Mittwoch (03.05.06).
Ein grobschlächtiger Barbar ist der Neandertaler nie gewesen. So sehen es Gert Kaiser und Bärbel Auffermann vom Museum Neanderthal in Mettmann. "Die Vorstellung vom gebückten Neandertaler mit der Keule ist falsch", sagt Kaiser. "Eine frühe Rekonstruktion seines Skeletts war einfach falsch, und für Keulen gibt es keinen einzigen Nachweis." Und Auffermann betont: "Sie hatten Klebstoff und Speere, die heutigen Wettkampfspeeren ähneln."[...]
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A large Roman-era villa is discovered

Italian archeologists have reportedly discovered the remains of a huge Roman villa near Florence -- the first ever in the popular tourist area. 'Villas like these were fully fledged factories for the production of wine, olive oil, meat, corn and other products,' said archaeologist Fausto Berti, who led the dig at Montelupo Fiorentino.[...]
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Minner proclaims May 2 Archeology Awareness Day

Gov. Ruth Ann Minner will proclaim May 2006 as Delaware Archaeology Awareness Month. The proclamation ceremony, conducted with Secretary of State Harriet Smith Windsor, will take place at 10 a.m., Tuesday, May 2, at the Delaware State Visitors Center and Galleries, 406 Federal St., in Dover. Members of the public are invited to attend the ceremony. Delaware Archaeology Aware-ness Month is designed to promote the study and conservation of Delaware’s archaeological resources and to reflect on the vital role of archaeology in revealing the cultural legacy of the state.[...]
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Ancient stone axe may prove India link

A 3 500-year-old stone ax engraved with an ancient northern Indian script found in the country's south could establish a closer historical link between the distinctive regions, an archaeologist said on Monday. The ax was found by a school teacher, V. Shanmuganathan, in a mangrove forest in a village in the southern Tamil Nadu state in February, said T. S. Sridhar, commissioner of the state's archaeology department.[...]
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Historiker müssen antike Kalender wohl neu sortieren

Die Ägäisinsel Santorin beflügelt schon seit mehr als 150 Jahren die Neugier und Fantasie der Forscher. Denn das zu den Kykladen zählende Eiland war in der Bronzezeit Schauplatz einer der größten Vulkanausbrüche in der Menschheitsgeschichte. Die antike Naturkatastrophe ist für Archäologen und Historiker seit jeher ein wichtiger zeitlicher Fixpunkt, um antike Funde zeitlich einzuordnen. Nun müssen die bisherigen antiken Kalender möglicherweise um 100 Jahre korrigiert werden. Denn Untersuchungen eines auf Santorin bei der antiken Siedlung Akrotiri gefundenen etwa 3500 Jahre alten Astes ermöglichen es, den Vulkanausbruch wesentlich genauer zu datieren als bisher.[...]
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Köhler und Mubarak eröffnen Ägypten-Ausstellung

Bundespräsident Horst Köhler und der ägyptische Staatspräsident Husni Mubarak eröffnen am 11. Mai eine Ausstellung über "Ägyptens versunkene Schätze" in Berlin. Die Schau präsentiert erstmals Fundstücke, die ein Team um den französischen Unterwasser-Archäologen Franck Goddio vor der ägyptischen Mittelmeerküste geborgen hat. Präsentiert werden etwa 500 Stücke aus der Zeit von 700 vor bis 800 nach Christus. Die Ausstellung wird am 13. Mai im Martin-Gropius-Bau für das Publikum geöffnet und bis zum 4. September gezeigt, wie die Veranstalter mitteilten.[...]
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"Ägyptens versunkene Schätze"

Ancient tombs discovered in NW China

A dozen of tombs, with the oldest dating back more than 600 years, have been discovered in Lueyang County of northwest China's Shaanxi Province. Covering a total area of 60 square meters, the tombs, discovered at the construction site of a local power plant, belong to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) respectively. Archaeologists excavated a number of gravestones carving with names and titles of the tomb owners, among which the owners of a double-coffin tomb enjoyed high-rank status in late period of the Ming Dynasty. Also unearthed are hundreds of funerary objects, including bronze articles, jade items, lacquerware, pottery and chinaware. Local archaeologists said the tombs, one to seven meters underground, will provide valuable clues for study on tomb building and local funeral custom of the periods.
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Discovery of Glassblowing Workshops in Harireh

Latest archeological excavations in Harireh historical city in Kish Island, located in the Persian Gulf, led to the discovery of a series of glassblowing workshops. Prior to this, it was believed that Harireh was merely dependant on trade relations with other countries through waterways. However, with this new discovery, archeologists concluded that the city must have been a center for mass productions of glassworks which were exported to other countries as well during the ancient times. One of the city’s major passageways as well as a water reservoir were also discovered during the recent excavations in Harireh.
“We started our excavations in two different parts of the Harireh historical city which resulted in discovery of a number of glassblowing workshops and a major passageway. Discovery of a large amount of glass near these workshops indicates the mass production of glass articles in this area,” said Simin Lakpour, head of archeology team in Harireh.[...]
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Taj Mahal entry to become automatic

Tourists at the Taj Mahal may not have to stand in long queues to gain entry, from August this year.
Worried about the negative response among tourists, especially the foreign ones, by the delay in ticket buying at the Taj Mahal, the Archaeological Survey of India has decided to introduce e-ticketing facility at the monument by the end of July or the first week of August. Talking to Business Standard, S K Sharma, assistant superintending archaeologist, Archaeological Survey of India, Agra, said 12,000-15,000 tourists visited the Taj each day and a tourist had to stand in the queue for 10-15 minutes outside the monument gate.[...]
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Iranian museums leave visitors in the dark: Portuguese archaeologist

Portuguese archaeologist Alvaro Figarova says that Iranian museums are beautiful and full of unique artifacts but do not present the required information to visitors, the Persian service of CHN reported on Saturday. Figarova, who came to Iran last week with a delegation of seventy Portuguese museum curators and archaeologists, visited several of the country’s historical monuments and museums.[...]
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Historischer Schacht in Rellingen wird dichtgemacht

Rellingen: Streit um alte Zisterne. Der alte Marktplatz wird umgestaltet - Heimatkundeverein will das "archäologische Denkmal" retten.
Wieland Witt ist entsetzt: "Die Gemeinde will die Zisterne der historischen Pumpenbogen-Anlage für immer versiegeln", sagt der Vorsitzende des Rellinger Heimatkundevereins. Im Zuge der Umgestaltung des alten Marktplatzes soll der Brunnenschacht komplett mit Sand verfüllt und so verdichtet werden, daß es später keinen Zugang mehr geben wird.[...]
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Aus der Ruine Neideck wird ein Archäologie-Park

In ganz Bayern gibt es nur drei solcher Burganlagen wie die Ruine Neideck. Grund genug für Kulturreferent Toni Eckert, an diesem Beispiel den Besuchern das Themenfeld Burgen näher zu bringen. Im Rahmen eines Ledaer plus Projektes, das Toni Eckert dem Kreis-Bauausschus vorstellte, soll ein „Archäologischer Park“ entstehen.
Das Wahrzeichen der Fränkischen Schweiz ist nämlich die einzige Burg dieser Region, die exakt wissenschaftlich erforscht und dokumentiert ist. Dabei wurde deutlich, dass die Neideck fünf verschiedene Burgentypen in sich vereint. In der äußeren Vorburg wurden die bislang ältesten Fund aus der Hallstatt-Zeit (550 bis 450 vor Christus) geborgen.[...]
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More prehistoric skeletons unearthed in Bolaghi Valley

Three more skeletons from the Bakun period (late 5th to early 4th millennium BC) were discovered by the joint German-Iranian archaeological team in a mass grave in the Bolaghi Valley in Fars Province, the Persian service of CHN reported on Sunday. "The existence of three skulls and scattered bones shows that we have discovered a mass burial. The shards found in the grave show that the skeletons date back to the Bakun period,” head of the Iranian team Mojgan Seyedin said.[...]
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