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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: archaeologist

archaeologist stories: 6 news summaries

HERODOTUS WAS RIGHT DEPT

 Vanished Persian Army 
 Turns Up in Sand 

Evidence of 50K doomed soldiers found in Egyptian desert

(Newser) - Italian archaeologists in Egypt claim to have unearthed evidence of a 6th-century BC Persian military folly once thought mythical. Herodotus described an army of 50,000 Persians sent by their emperor, Cambyses, to destroy an oracle that had spoken ill of his ambitions. The army was, according to lore, beset... More »

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Iran archaeology Libya ancient Egypt archaeologist ancient history Persia sandstorm army Herodotus

Earliest Humans Played
Flute 35,000 Years Ago

It was found in same caves as fertility statue

(Newser) - A vulture-bone flute found in a cave in southwest Germany proves that homo sapiens have been rocking out for at least 35,000 years, archaeologists say. It’s the most complete musical instrument found in a region full of relics like busty carvings and ivory flutes, the New York Times... More »

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music Germany homo sapiens archaeologist early humans

(Newser) - Dozens of carefully buried human sacrifices have been found in a coastal Inca site in Peru, reports the Telegraph. Most of the dead are teenage girls, and one appears to have been pregnant. The bodies, which still contain skin and hair, all bear signs of knife slashes along the neck.... More »

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archaeology Peru Machu Picchu South America Spanish Inca human sacrifices archaeologist

 Jewel of Maya Art 
 Unearthed in Guatemala 

Rare panels found in jungle city depict ancient legend of creation

(Newser) - Archaeologists reclaiming the Mayans' biggest city from the Guatemalan jungle have uncovered the oldest known depiction of the ancient civilization's creation myth, reports Reuters. The carvings depict the heroic twins of Maya legend emerging from the underworld surrounded by cosmic monsters. They appear on a pair of 26-foot-long panels at... More »

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archaeology art Central America Mayan Guatemala ruins archaeologist Maya El Mirador

 Dig Unearths 
 10th-Century 
 Viking Shield 

Denmark's moist soil preserved wooden artifact for 1,000 years

(Newser) - Archaeologists say they have found a remarkably intact Viking shield that is at least 1,000 years old, the AP reports. The 10th-century artifact, the first such find in Denmark, was buried in moist soil "ideal to preserve the wood," says an excavator. The 32-inch wooden shield was... More »

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Denmark Vikings excavation archaeologist

Ancient Device Gives Up Its Secrets

Greek calculating machine tracked eclipses, Olympics

(Newser) - The world's oldest calculating machine was used as a calendar that tracked eclipses and marked Olympic Games, the Telegraph reports. Scientists say the ancient Greek "Antikythera Mechanism," a 2,100-year-old bronze gadget discovered in 1900, marked the 4-year cycle of Games that climaxed with the Olympics—"which... More »

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Antikythera Greece scientists archaeologist calculating machine

6 Stories