Spektakulärer Sarkophag begeistert Archäologen

Mehr als zweieinhalb Tonnen schwer und aus dem siebten Jahrhundert: Ein Sarkophag aus dem Hof des Klosters im schweizerischen St. Gallen begeistert die Archäologen. Doch das Rätsel, wer in der steinernen Kiste liegt, ist nur schwer zu lösen.[...]
spiegel.de

Mellon-funded Digitisation of the Kuyunjik Collections

We are very pleased to announce the initial results of a collaboration between the British Museum's Department of the Middle East and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation-supported research project "Creating a Sustainable Digital Cuneiform Library."[...]
ancientworldonline.blogspot.com

Im Sommer Klarheit über die vermutlichen Gebeine von Königin Editha

Über die Herkunft der Ende 2009 bei archäologischen Grabungen im Magdeburger Dom gefundenen Gebeine soll bis zum Sommer Klarheit bestehen. Bei ihnen handelt es sich mit großer Wahrscheinlichkeit um die sterblichen Überreste der Königin Editha (910-946).[...]
yahoo.com

4,200 year-old grave excavation reveals eternal embrace

Loving couples always wish to die on the same day, and a couple who lived 4,200 years ago in the Sanxing Village of Mimou Township, Qingbaijiang District, fulfilled such a wish.
The Chengdu Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology recently discovered an ancient grave during an excavation on a large prehistoric cultural site, in which a couple was found laying and hugging each other.[...]
people.com.cn

Religious beliefs are the basis of the origins of Palaeolithic art

This statement isn't new, but for years anthropologists, archaeologists and historians of art understood these artistic manifestations as purely aesthetic and decorative motives. Eduardo Palacio-Pérez, researcher at the University of Cantabria (UC), now reveals the origins of a theory that remains nowadays/lasts into our days.[...]
eurekalert.org

Rätsel der heiligen Huren

"Weihedirnen" in Jerusalem, Tempelsex im Dienst der Aphrodite - viele antike Autoren beschreiben in drastischer Form sakrale Prostitution. Alles nur Legenden? Historiker suchen nach dem wahren Kern der Berichte. Der Verdacht: Es gab einst Götterstätten, die nebenbei Bordelle betrieben.[...]
spiegel.de

Ohioan works to preserve ancient Assyrian city

This is Tim Matney's 14th year at an archaeological dig in Southeast Turkey. He keeps a close eye on the calendar. Time is not on his side.
He and fellow archaeologists are hurrying to find and preserve what they can of the ancient Assyrian city of Tushan before a hydroelectric dam floods the area.[...]
daytondailynews.com

Sublime technique makes Syrian mosaics one of the greatest in the world

Hama governorate contains some of the most important mosaics in Syria, with around 50% of uncovered mosaics, most significant of which is "Tiba al-Imam," a 600 square meters mosaic dating back to 242 AD.
Another mosaic housed at Hama National Museum is the "Musicians" mosaic. This piece, measuring 4.25 meters by 5.37 meters, depicts six female musicians and two children, in addition to old musical instrument including an organ, cymbals, two flutes, a harp and an Indian musical instrument consisting of metal bowls placed on a table.[...]
globalarabnetwork.com

Archaeological Ur region rocketed by U.S. army

One rocket hit the archaeological region of Ur on Tuesday, without causing any damage, a media spokesman for the U.S. army said on Tuesday. “The attack did not damage any thing or left casualties among U.S. forces in the nearby base,” the spokesman told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.[...]
aswataliraq.info

New Hope for Ancient Babylon

The most immediate threat to preserving the ruins of Babylon, the site of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, is water soaking the ground and undermining what is left in present-day Iraq of a great city from the time of King Nebuchadnezzar II.[...]
nytimes.com

Parthian Bistun Will Be Excavated

Archaeologists will be teaming up with the Kermanshah University of Science and Technology to carry out an archaeological research on the World Heritage Site of Bistun to unearth a settlement date back to the third Iranian dynasty, the Arsacids (Parthians – 248 BCE-224 CE), reported the Persian service of ISNA on Wednesday.[...]
cais-soas.com

Lotus Temple excavated

In Wari-Bateshwar of Narsingdi, archaeologists have recently excavated a 1,400-year-old Lotus Temple, the first proof of flourishing of Buddhism in the region.
The brick-built temple constructed around seventh or eighth century--as evidenced by its structure and the size and shapes of the bricks and other finds excavated at Mandirvita at Dhupirtek of Shibpur in the district--suggests existence of a Buddha Vihara there, they said.[...]
thedailystar.net

Auf den Spuren der Hethiter

Ausgrabungsstätte mit experimenteller Archäologie aufgepeppt: Durch das weltweit einmalige Projekt erwacht Hattuscha, die sagenumwobene Hauptstadt der Hethiter in Zentralanatolien zu neuem Leben.[...]
focus.de

Mumien im Nacktscanner

An Flughäfen sind die Geräte heftig umstritten. Tote können sich nicht dagegen wehren, dass sie bis auf die Knochen durchleuchtet werden - für sie wurde extra ein neuer Körperscanner entwickelt.[...]
ftd.de

Qatna-Schätze auf dem Rückweg nach Syrien

Seit Mitte dieser Woche treten die rund 450 einmaligen Funde, die fast allesamt aus der Königsgruft in Qatna stammen, ihre Heimreise nach Syrien an. Insgesamt 116.500 Besucher sahen die Große Landesausstellung „Schätze des Alten Syrien – Die Entdeckung des Königreichs Qatna“ im Landesmuseum Württemberg in Stuttgart.[...]
archaeologie-online.de

Zwei Kindergräber aus der Zeit der Kelten

Der Bereich des südlichen Rieses um die beiden Harburger Stadtteile Großsorheim und Hoppingen stellt für Archäologen eine wahre Fundgrube dar. Auf dem weithin sichtbaren Rollenberg legten zum Beispiel Menschen bereits vor ungefähr 3000 Jahren einen Ringwall an und auf den umliegenden Fluren kreuzten sich gleich mehrere Römerstraßen. Nun haben Experten mitten in Großsorheim einen weiteren für die Wissenschaft und die Heimatgeschichte gleichermaßen interessanten Fund gemacht.[...]
augsburger-allgemeine.de

Greenland Vikings "had Celtic blood"

Norsemen who settled in southern Greenland carried more Celtic than Nordic blood – but they were still decidedly Scandinavian.
An analysis of DNA from a Viking gravesite near a 1000 year-old church in southern Greenland shows that those buried there had strong Celtic bloodlines, reported science website Videnskab.dk.[...]
cphpost.dk

Petroglyphs here vandalized

Vandals have damaged priceless petroglyphs - ancient rock carvings - at popular Picture Rocks northwest of Tucson. The vandalism incidents, which occurred over the past three years, prompted owners of the site to post warning signs and call for vigilance by visitors.[...]
azstarnet.com

Oldest temple in the world found in Turkey

Archaeologists say a temple being excavated in southeastern Turkey is 12,000 years old and is likely the oldest temple ever uncovered. The site was first identified in 1986 when a farmer tilling his field in Sanliurfa found a statuette in the soil, the Radikal newspaper reported Wednesday.[...]
upi.com

Raised from the ruins

After looting in Iraq damaged invaluable antiquities, archaeologists work to restore the cradle of civilization’s cultural heritage.[...]
magazine.uchicago.edu

Eichen geben Aufschluss über das mittelalterliche Wetter

Bäume sind recht präzise Klimaarchive. Wenn die Sommer trocken sind, ist ihr Wachstum gehemmt - und der alljährlich gebildete Ring im Stamm schmal. Umgekehrt ist dieser breit und kräftig, wenn es warm und feucht ist. Weil die Eiche diesbezüglich besonders sensibel ist, konnten Forscher mit ihrer Hilfe nun eine detaillierte Klimachronologie Mitteldeutschlands erstellen. Sie reicht bis ins Mittelalter zurück - und spiegelt eine Reihe historischer Ereignisse wider.[...]
epoc.de

Huge monkey god statue found

Egyptian archaeologists have discovered a colossal ancient statue of the pharaonic deity of wisdom, Thoth, in the shape of a baboon, the council of antiquities said in a statement on Tuesday.
The four-metre tall statue was discovered in four pieces along with two statues while workers were lowering ground waters beneath Luxor to help preserve the city's pharaonic temples, the statement said. It dates back to the 18th Dynasty, which ruled Egypt until 1292 BC.[...]
straitstimes.com

Ruins of 7th century Arab palace identified in Israel

Ruins in northern Israel previously thought to have been a synagogue have now been identified as a 7th century palace used by the Umayyad caliph who started construction of Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock, archaeologists said on Tuesday.[...]
google.com

Feuer zerstört Unesco-Welterbe in Uganda

Es war eines der wichtigsten Touristenziele des Landes: Ein Feuer hat die Kasubi-Gräber in Uganda vollständig zerstört. Noch während die Flammen loderten, kam es zu gewalttätigen Auseinandersetzungen - drei Menschen starben.[...]
spiegel.de

A Host of Mummies, a Forest of Secrets

In the middle of a terrifying desert north of Tibet, Chinese archaeologists have excavated an extraordinary cemetery. Its inhabitants died almost 4,000 years ago, yet their bodies have been well preserved by the dry air.[...]
nytimes.com

Die Freiheit, sich auszudrücken

Abseits der Zerstörungen - wie wirkte sich der Krieg auf das irakische Kulturerbe aus? Sieben Jahre nach der Invasion macht sich Hadani Ditmars auf die Suche.[...]
freitag.de

Sudan's land of 'black pharaohs' a trove for archaeologists

French, Swiss and British archaeologists are in a "paradise" of discovery, unearthing the mysteries of a civilisation that once conquered ancient Egypt.[...]
expatica.com

How Nature Inspired the Alphabet

32,000 years ago, ancient humans gathered in a cave in Lascaux, France, where, by firelight, they created the first hand-drawn forms--scenes depicting man's relationship with the natural world. The favorite subject in those first drawings was the ancient ox, so impressive in stature and strength, that it was deified by our earliest ancestors.[...]
treehugger.com

1400 Jahre alte Gürtelschnalle entdeckt

Jahrelang lag sie als unbeachtet im Lager des Landesmuseums für Vorgeschichte in Halle: Jetzt fanden Archäologen heraus, dass sich hinter dem Rostklumpen eine Kostbarkeit versteckt: eine Gürtelschnalle, 1400 Jahre alt und reich verziert.[...]
stern.de

Ancient Persepolis Under the Lichens Invasion

The lack of attention form the authority, the bas-reliefs and the surfaces of the stones of Persepolis are increasingly being damaged by the growth of lichens.
The bas-reliefs of lotuses and the Achaemenid soldiers are the main target of the multinucleate organisms, reported the Persian service of the Mehr News Agency (MNA).[...]
cais-soas.com

Weymouth ridgeway skeletons "Scandinavian Vikings"

Fifty-one decapitated skeletons found in a burial pit in Dorset were those of Scandinavian Vikings, scientists say.[...]
bbc.co.uk
In pictures: Burial pit

Illegal Construction Threatening The Achaemenid Tomb in Bushehr

Construction by local residents, ignored by the authority has imperiled an Achaemenid tomb, believed to be the tomb of Cyrus I, the Achaemenid king and son of Teispes and grandfather of Cyrus II the Great, near the village of Tang-e Eram in Bushehr Province.[...]
cais-soas.com

Mummy of Egypt's monotheist pharaoh to return home

The DNA tests that revealed how the famed boy-king Tutankhamun most likely died solved another of ancient Egypt's enduring mysteries - the fate of controversial Pharaoh Akhenaten's mummy. The discovery could help fill out the picture of a fascinating era more than 3,300 years ago when Akhenaten embarked on history's first attempt at monotheism.[...]
excite.com

Thessaloniki metro works reveal archaeological finds

A large early Christian Basilica (1st to early 4th century AD) and an important late Byzantine period (1204-1430) building were unearthed at a same number of Thessaloniki metro construction sites over the recent period.[...]
ana-mpa.gr

Bulgaria Archaeologists, Architects Move to Save Cybele Temple

A commission of archaeologists and architects is set on securing a National Monument status for the temple of Greek goddess Cybele in Bulgaria’s Balchik. The absolutely unique Cybele temple was uncovered by accident in April 2007 at the construction site of a hotel owned by a local entrepreneur. The special commission has been appointed by Culture Minister Vezhdi Rashidov in order to figure out how to preserve the temple.[...]
novinite.com

Exploring the Virtual Valley of the Kings

Heritage Key's Valley of the Kings is much easier to reach than the real-world Valley - simply register for a Heritage Key account, follow a few easy steps, and you'll find yourself shortly in the Travel Hub, where you can select the teleporter to the Valley of the Kings from among a range of choices.[...]
heritage-key.com
I had no time to give it a try but it sounds very interesting

Culture from chaos: where next for Iraqi art?

We know about the devastation and looting – but what impact has war had on Iraq's artistic heritage? Seven years after the invasion, Hadani Ditmars returns to Baghdad to find out.[...]
guardian.co.uk

Angelsachsen richteten Wikinger öffentlich hin

Es war wohl die Rache für die ständigen Überfälle: In einem britischen Massengrab hatten Archäologen Dutzende enthauptete Skelette gefunden. Nun sind sie sich sicher: Es waren Wikinger und sie wurden von den Angelsachsen hingerichtet.[...]
spiegel.de

Gold aus Südamerika im Thurgauer Boden

Im Herbst 1957 fand ein Schüler südöstlich von Andwil bei der Kartoffelernte eine Goldmünze. Vor ein paar Wochen ist diese nun in die Obhut des Amts für Archäologie gelangt. Der neue Fund wird zusammen mit ähnlichen Goldstücken ab diesem Samstag im Museum für Archäologie ausgestellt. Bei der Goldmünze aus Andwil handelt es sich um einen «Escudo», eine spanische Goldmünze, die zwischen 1707 und 1728 in Mexico, heute Mexico-City, geprägt wurde.[...]
thurgauerzeitung.ch

Den Kelten im Erdinger Gäu auf der Spur

Archäologische Forschungsergebnisse aus dem Landkreis hat Harald Krause im Isener Rathaus vorgestellt. Das Hauptaugenmerk richtete er auf Bodendenkmäler, die über das Leben der Kelten im Erdinger Raum Aufschluss geben.[...]
merkur-online.de

Kopf einer Mumie sucht neues Zuhause

Es ist, als blickte man in das Gesicht eines Schlafenden, eines Träumers. Der Gesichtsausdruck ist friedlich, die Haut unverletzt, die Augen sind geschlossen. Doch es ist nur ein Kopf - der Kopf einer etwa 2600 Jahre alten ägyptischen Mumie, gewaltsam abgetrennt vom übrigen Körper.[...]
morgenpost.de

Die letzten Wikinger bleiben bis Ende März in Frankfurt

Das Archäologische Museum (Frankfurt, Karmelitergasse 1) zeigt noch bis zum 28. März die Sonderausstellung „Die letzten Wikinger. Der Teppich von Bayeux und die Archäologie“. Die Geschichte der Eroberung Englands mit der berühmten Schlacht von Hastings 1066 ist auf dem Wandteppich in bunten, bewegten Szenen aufgestickt.[...]
frankfurt-live.com

Sarkophag der mysteriösen Königin Behenu entdeckt

Als Ehefrau eines ägyptischen Pharaos stand Behenu vor über 4 000 Jahren ein prächtiges Grab zu. In der Totenstadt Sakkara südlich von Kairo ist es nun entdeckt worden. Französische Archäologen stießen unter den Ruinen ihrer Pyramide nicht nur auf die Grabkammer Behenus, sondern auch auf ihren Sarkophag.[...]
epoc.de

Search on to decipher Gothic text

A Gothic inscription recently discovered hidden behind a monument at Salisbury Cathedral is now thought to date from the 15th Century. The text was found in January when experts moved the Henry Hyde monument from the south aisle wall to clean it.[...]
bbc.co.uk

History in the Remaking

A temple complex in Turkey that predates even the pyramids is rewriting the story of human evolution.
They call it potbelly hill, after the soft, round contour of this final lookout in southeastern Turkey. To the north are forested mountains. East of the hill lies the biblical plain of Harran, and to the south is the Syrian border, visible 20 miles away, pointing toward the ancient lands of Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent, the region that gave rise to human civilization.[...]
newsweek.com

Biblische Stadt identifiziert

Die biblische Stadt Netaim könnte identisch sein mit der Festungsstadt Tel Kaiefa aus der Zeit des Königs David. Diese These vertritt Gershon Galil, Professor der Abteilung für Bibelstudien an der Universität Haifa.[...]
israelnetz.com

"Templar crucifixion nail" a fantasy, says Madeiran archaeologist

Archaeologist Élvio Sousa of the Center for the Study of Modern and Contemporary Archeology (CEAM) on the Portuguese island of Madeira has released a statement calling the alleged discovery there of three Templar skeletons and a 'crucifixion nail' dating from the Roman era "a fantasy." CEAM conducted archaeological work on the site from 2004 to 2006.[...]
examiner.com

Egyptian Queen Offered Bread, Jug of Beer at Funeral

One loaf of bread and one jug of beer: that's what Egypt's Queen Behenu was offered during her funeral, according to a translation of hieroglyphics engraved on white stone found in her 4,000-year-old burial chamber this week.[...]
discovery.com

Egypt retrieves prehistoric artifacts from Britain

Britain has sent back to Egypt some 25,000 ancient artifacts, some dating as far back as the stone age, Egypt's culture minister said on Thursday.
The artifacts, packaged in 85 boxes returned to Cairo aboard an Egyptian flight on Wednesday, Faruq Hosni said in a statement.[...]
africasia.com

Ancient Egyptian Queen's Burial Chamber Discovered

French archaeologists working at Saqqara have unearthed the burial chamber of a 4,000-year-old queen, Dr. Zahi Hawass, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), announced today.
Badly destroyed, the 33-by 16-foot burial chamber belonged to Queen Behenu, wife of either King Pepi I or Pepi II of the Sixth Dynasty.[...]
discovery.com

250 Alexander the Great era coins found in Syria

A Syrian archaeologist says more than 250 silver coins dating back to the era of Alexander the Great have been unearthed in northern Syria.
Youssef Kanjo, the head of archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Aleppo, says the coins were discovered by a Syrian man two weeks ago as he was digging the foundations for a house in northern Syria.[...]
guardian.co.uk

Grabkammer von altägyptischer Königin entdeckt

Vor mehr als 4000 Jahren starb die Ägypterin Behenu, Gemahlin eines Pharaos der 6. Dynastie. Jetzt haben französische Archäologen im Pyramiden-Areal von Sakkara nahe Kairo ihr Grab freigelegt.[...]
stern.de

Sudan's land of black pharaohs' a trove for archaeologists

There is not a tourist in sight as the sun sets over sand-swept pyramids at Meroe, but archaeologists say the Nubian Desert of northern Sudan holds mysteries to rival ancient Egypt.
"There is a magic beauty about these sites that is heightened by the privilege of being able to admire them alone, with the pyramids, the dunes and the sun," says Guillemette Andreu, head of antiquities at Paris' Louvre museum.[...]
expatica.com

Wunder von Bagdad

Das Irakische Nationalmuseum hat Krieg und Plünderungen überstanden. Jetzt fehlen Besucher.[...]
tagesspiegel.de

Spell-covered burial chamber found in Egypt's Saqqara

Archaeologists have unearthed the intact sarcophagus of Egypt's Queen Behenu inside her 4,000-year-old burial chamber near her pyramid in Saqqara, chief archaeologist Zahi Hawass announced Wednesday.[...]
reuters.com

Opfer des römischen Rufmords

Die Karthager waren Roms ärgster Feind - und pflegten angeblich grausame Rituale: Um ihren Gott milde zu stimmen, sollen sie kleine Kinder geopfert haben. Alles nur römische Propaganda? Archäologen haben jetzt Spuren gefunden, die das negative Bild von Karthago erschüttern.[...]
spiegel.de

Master plan to restore ancient sites in Iraq

The Iraqi General Authority for Monuments and Museums along with international archaeological organisations are working on a master plan to restore the ancient city of Babylon and the Iraqi Museum which was turned into a military camp following the war in 2003, a top Iraqi official has said.[...]gulf-times.com

Statue head of King Tut's grandfather found in Luxor

Egyptian archaeologists have unearthed a colossal statue head of the pharaoh whom DNA tests revealed last week was King Tutankhamun's grandfather, the government said on Sunday.[...]
france24.com