Murdered Stone Age family found buried in group hug
Independent (UK) Nov 18, 08 4:57 CST
(Newser)
-
The oldest nuclear family ever discovered has been found in a group hug in a Stone Age burial site, the Independent reports. Genetic testing revealed that the four skeletons buried in each other's arms at the site in Germany were a father, mother, and their two young sons. All had died violently and were buried at the same time.
More »
2000-year-old earring discovered
Associated Press Nov 11, 08 5:34 CST
(Newser)
-
A spectacular gold, pearl, and emerald earring, dating to the time of Jesus, has been discovered in Jerusalem, AP reports. The 2,000-year-old find, close to the Old City walls, is causing a sensation because Roman-era jewelry is rare as the city was ultimately destroyed and what survived was often melted down.
More »
Character was based on marooned Scotsman
BBC Nov 1, 08 1:38 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
A dig has unearthed remnants of the real-life Robinson Crusoe’s stay on an island west of Chile, the BBC reports. Daniel Defoe’s character is said to have been based on a sailor who was rescued from the island in 1709. Traces of his four-year presence include post-holes from shelters he built and navigational instruments from his era. The island, Aguas Buenas, was renamed Robinson Crusoe Island after Defoe’s novel.
More »
Reuters Oct 30, 08 6:45 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Archeologists in Israel say they have dug up the oldest known example of Hebrew text, a find that could answer questions about the scope and power of the ancient kingdom of David, Reuters reports. Researchers found the 3,000-year-old pottery shards at an excavation site near where the Bible says David slew Goliath. The inscriptions appear to include words such as "judge" and "king," indicating an advanced society.
More »
Biblical account matches unearthed copper center in Jordan
Newsweek Oct 28, 08 2:31 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Science and the Bible have a rare moment of “confluence,” says an archaeologist who helped unearth possible proof of King Solomon's reign, Newsweek reports. In present-day Jordan, scientists have found a 10th-century BC copper production center that coincides with the rule of the Biblical king of Israel. A spike in metallurgic activity also coincides with a rise in influence of a rival tribe.
More »
Daily Telegraph (UK) Oct 25, 08 3:09 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Vikings were just as interested in preening and handicrafts as they were in war and pillaging, the Telegraph reports. In a bid to educate youngsters who could well have Viking ancestry, British researchers are trying to change the popular view of the Norse explorers. "It seems that the Vikings may not have been as hairy and dirty as is commonly imagined," says a Cambridge University guide.
More »
New research into 2300 BC stone circle indicates it was place of healing
BBC Sep 22, 08 6:31 CDT
(Newser)
-
Two archeologists have discovered evidence indicating that Stonehenge was a kind of "Neolithic Lourdes" pilgrimage destination where people came to be healed, the BBC reports. The researchers also used radiocarbon methods to date the mysterious stone circle in southern England to 2300 BC. Mineral analysis indicates the giant bluestone rocks were transported from a site 150 miles away.
More »
glossies
Travelers can unearth lost treasures from Colo. to Easter Island
Travel Leisure Sep 9, 08 3:06 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Travelers seeking more than a beach and a Daiquiri on their next trip can try digging up ancient civilizations. Travel + Leisure lists the trips that let you uncover lost worlds: Ica Desert of Peru: Hikers can discover preserved shark teeth, fossilized whales, and even extinct creatures on this ancient former seafloor. Costs no more than the price of a local guide.
More »
Ancient objects
emerge as Swiss
glacier melts
AFP Sep 6, 08 10:48 CDT
(Newser)
-
A melting glacier in the Swiss Alps has revealed hundreds of ancient artifacts, providing valuable information about both history and climate change through the ages, AFP reports. The area was walkable only during warm periods when the glacier receded. “The site itself is the most important find because we have this correlation between climate change and archaeological objects,” says a researcher.
More »
Greek find was removed from original resting place
Associated Press Aug 30, 08 12:00 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
An ancient gold wreath buried with human bones in a copper vase has been discovered in the old stomping grounds of Alexander the Great in northern Greece, AP reports. It's rare to find such wreaths, which were generally buried with royalty. Diggers found it in the ruins of Aigai, the first capital of Macedonia and city where Alexander's father was assassinated.
More »
Archaeologists see advanced civilization in areas since overtaken by rain forest
BBC Aug 29, 08 2:50 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Researchers have unearthed remains of densely populated, complex urban towns in a remote region of the Amazon River Basin, the BBC reports. In an area of western Brazil thought to be virgin forest, researchers found extensive and advanced human activity, including roads, farming, wetland management, and what appear to be fish farms built prior to Europeans landing in the 15th century.
More »
Marble Marcus Aurelius discovered amid rubble
BBC Aug 26, 08 3:47 CDT
(Newser)
-
A rich archaeological site in southern Turkey has yielded another spectacular find: the head and limbs of an enormous statue of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. Excavators at Sagalassos, who had previously discovered bits of Hadrian and the Empress Faustina, say the new discovery, with its 3-foot head, represents some of the finest work of its time, BBC reports.
More »
Find shows desert was once lush, green, populated
National Geographic Aug 15, 08 2:13 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Explorers hunting for dinosaur bones have found a Stone Age cemetery deep in the Sahara desert, National Geographic reports. The team of paleontologists discovered bones from two separate ancient human cultures that lived in the region as long as 10,000 years ago, when monsoon rains turned parts of the desert lush and green.
More »
Archaeologists excavate boyhood home of founding father
New York Times Jul 2, 08 6:20 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Archaeologists have found the childhood home of George Washington, the New York Times reports—and despite the popular legend, there's no cherry tree anywhere on the premises. Researchers describe the founding father's Virginia digs as “a very nice gentry house” sporting eight rooms—not the simple cottage pictured in popular imagination.
More »
Sounds from pre-Columbian ceremonies brought back to life
Associated Press Jul 1, 08 6:45 CDT
(Newser)
-
A Mexican engineer has worked for decades to bring the sounds of the Aztecs back to life, reports the AP. Roberto Velazquez has created replicas of the instruments found at many archaeological sites—including the eerie "Whistles of Death" discovered with a skeleton in an ancient temple—and experimented to re-create noises that may have been heard at ceremonies thousands of years ago.
More »