Unearthing the Past

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November 2008
- The 11th Commandment: 'Thou Shalt Not Forge'
  
  Los Angeles Times | Nov 29, 08 6:06 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Fraudulent biblical artifacts come a dime a dozen, but reputable archaeologists are turning out to be far less common, Nina Burleigh writes in the Los Angeles Times . The latest example involves an Israeli collector who claimed to have relics from the time of Christ. Declaring the items forgeries, authorities prosecuted the man, but a judge’s doubt could undermine the case and threaten the integrity of the antiquities market. More »
- Oldest-Known Nuclear Family Unearthed
  
  Independent (UK) | Nov 18, 08 4:57 AM 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 »
- Jesus-Era Bling Dug Up in Jerusalem
  
  Associated Press | Nov 11, 08 5:34 AM 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 »
- Traces of the Real Crusoe Unearthed
  
  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 »
September 2008
- Ike Uncovers Mystery Shipwreck
  
  al.com (Ala.) | Sep 20, 08 5:44 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The waves of Hurricane Ike uncovered a wooden shipwreck on an Alabama beach that experts think could be a Civil War schooner, the Mobile Press-Register reports. The wreck's length matches that of the Monticello, which ran aground in the area in 1862 while trying to sneak past the US Navy on a run from Havana. More »
- New Mozart Score Surfaces in France
  
  Daily Telegraph (UK) | Sep 18, 08 5:52 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A single-page musical score located in a French library has been confirmed as a Mozart original, the Telegraph reports. “Mozart's handwriting is clearly identifiable,” an expert said. “There's no doubt that this is an original piece handwritten by Mozart.” The notation is for a melody only, with no orchestrations, but “one can really get a feeling of what Mozart meant,” he said. More »
- Dig Unearths 10th-Century Viking Shield
  
  Associated Press | Sep 18, 08 11:55 AM CDT
  
  (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 discovered during a dig near Viking-era castles 60 miles west of Copenhagen. More »
- Dig Up Dinos, Rare Relics on DIY Tours
  
  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 »
- Alps Artifacts Offer Clues to Climate Change
  
  AFP | Sep 6, 08 10:48 AM 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 »
August 2008
- In Remote Amazon, Complex Towns Once Flourished
  
  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 »
- 1,300-Year-Old Mummy Found in Peru
  
  Reuters | Aug 27, 08 4:50 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Archaeologists have discovered an ancient mummy in a tomb from a culture that flourished in Peru before the Incas. A complete female mummy, along with the remains of two other adults and a child, have been found in the Wari burial site in a residential district of Lima, Reuters reports. The site dates from about 700 AD. The Wari people ruled what is now Peru for some 500 years. More »
- Statue of Roman Ruler Unearthed in Turkey
  
  BBC | Aug 26, 08 3:47 AM 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 »
- Sahara Yields Ancient Cemetery
  
  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 »
- DNA Tests Set for Baby Girls in King Tut's Tomb
  
  BBC | Aug 7, 08 2:53 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The 3,000-year-old mummified remains of two stillborn baby girls found in King Tutankhamun's tomb will undergo DNA testing to dermine their relationship to Egypt's famous boy king and Queen Nefertiti. The babies' remains were discovered in Tut's tomb in 1922 but never publicly displayed, reports the BBC. More »
- Dirty Jokes of the Ancients Unearthed
  
  Daily Telegraph (UK) | Aug 1, 08 8:57 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Academics studying ancient texts have discovered bawdy jokes that wouldn't be out of place in a Farrelly brothers movie, the Daily Telegraph reports. "What hangs at a man’s thigh and wants to poke the hole that it’s often poked before?" asks a thousand-year-old Anglo-Saxon manuscript. "Answer: A key.” More »
July 2008
- Dig Finds Washington's Home (No Cherry Tree)
  
  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.

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Stories

The 11th Commandment: 'Thou Shalt Not Forge'

Oldest-Known Nuclear Family Unearthed

Jesus-Era Bling Dug Up in Jerusalem

Traces of the Real Crusoe Unearthed

Ike Uncovers Mystery Shipwreck

New Mozart Score Surfaces in France

Dig Unearths 10th-Century Viking Shield

Dig Up Dinos, Rare Relics on DIY Tours

Alps Artifacts Offer Clues to Climate Change

In Remote Amazon, Complex Towns Once Flourished

1,300-Year-Old Mummy Found in Peru

Statue of Roman Ruler Unearthed in Turkey

Sahara Yields Ancient Cemetery

DNA Tests Set for Baby Girls in King Tut's Tomb

Dirty Jokes of the Ancients Unearthed

Dig Finds Washington's Home (No Cherry Tree)