ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS

SOUTH AMERICA:  Evidence found for oldest popcorn in Peru 

SOUTH CAROLINA:  Complete Civil War submarine unveiled for first time

Israeli archaeologists: tiny Christian relic found

Blackbeard's cannon salvaged from shipwreck

ITALY:  Couple held hands for 1,500 years

Archaeologists unearthed two skeletons, lying side-by-side in a tomb inside a palace

in Modena, Northern Italy.  They have been dated to between the 5th & 6th Century.

Buried together, they are holding hands, with the woman's head turned to her right.

(Photo courtesy Europics)

ITALY:  Archaeologists uncover ancient Roman mosaic

An archaeologist works gingerly on a huge mosaic discovered under the streets of

downtown Rome.  Dating from the 1st Century, it depicts a nude Apollo with a

colorful mantle over one shoulder.  The mosaic also includes a Muse to one side.

The wall on which the art work was discovered is 6.6 feet high, and so far, a width

of 53 feet has been uncovered. It's believed another 25 feet remain to be unearthed.

(Photo courtesy AP)

BRAZIL:  Ancient dino-eating croc had big teeth, dog face

This crocodile was something special, say the experts. Not only did it have

saber-tooth weapons, it apparently could gallop in hunting down its prey.

It's believed the croc, Pissarrachampsa sera, lived some 70 million years

ago. A fossile of the creature was recently found in Brazil.

(Rendering by Hans C.E. Larrson.)

N. CAROLINA: Anchor found in coastal waters may be from pirate Blackbeard's ship

RESEARCHERS:  Lost city of Atlantis believed found off Spain

REMARKABLE FIND:  Color photos of '06 SF quake aftermath found

One of the dual-images found in the Smithsonian collection by an amateur American history

buff, Anthony Brooks.  There were six such photos discovered in all, taken several months

after the "great quake" of 1906, taken by color photography pioneer, Frederick Eugene Ives. 

The technique he used was known as stereoscopic photography, two images on one frame 

which gave the viewer a 3-D effect while looking through a twin-lens device.  A once-popular

kids toy, the ViewMaster used the same technique, with images contained on a small disc.

(Photo courtesy Smithsonian National Museum of American History)

ARCHAEOLOGISTS:  6 cannons from the ships of pirate Henry Morgan found in Panama

MISSING FOR 130 YEARS:  Jefferson books discovered

An image from one page of 74 of books that historians have recently found and confirmed

to have belonged to Thomas Jefferson.  Part of the proof can be seen in the two initials at

the bottom of this Latin text, "T.I."  The "T" is for Thomas and the "I" is the latin initial for

"J".  This book was a copy of Opera omnia, Graece et Latine by Dionysius.  The books

were discovered uncatalogued in a rare books collection held by Washington University

 in St. Louis.  University officials explain that the 74 volumes were donated by a book

collector in 1880, but he never mentioned and perhaps was even unaware that they

were part of Jefferson's personal collection in his extensive library at Monticello.

(Photo courtesy Joe Angeles & Washington University, St. Louis)

NEW RESEARCH:  Ancient Britons ate their dead, made skulls into cups

REBELLION IN EGYPT:  Soldiers and scientists safeguard Egypt's relics

ITALY:  Unearthed Roman statues date to troubled era

Statues dating to the Severan Dynasty in the 3rd Century, A.D. have

been uncovered on the outskirts of Rome.  They were discovered by

archaeologists in the process of excavating a Roman Villa.

(Photo courtesy Discovery News)

SHADES OF JURASSIC PARK?  Mammoth resurrection on the way?

A Japanese team of researchers says advances in cloning technology

may give them the tools to bring back a long-extinct animal, the woolly

mammoth that died out about 10,000 years ago.

(File photo)

STUDY:  Dogs were man's best friend 9,400 years ago

EGYPT:  Missing pieces of colossal Ahmenhotep III statue unearthed

Divers say they've found shipwreck from 1811

An underwater image of the remains of a cannon believed to be from the

USS Revenge, which sank in 1811 off Rhode Island. The Revenge was

commanded by U.S. Naval hero, Oliver Hazard Perry, who went on to

defeat the British during the War of 1812 in the Great Lakes.  He is

remembered for uttering one of the most famous quotes in military

history:  "I have met the enemy, and they are ours."

(Photo courtesy AP)

Fossil DNA points to new branch of humanity

Prehistoric people ate each other, bones show

MEMORABILIA:  Custer's 'Last Flag' sells for $2.2 million

General George Armstrong Custer's "Last Flag," or what's left of it, sold for $2.2-million

at auction Friday 12/10/10. It was the only one of five such flags that survived the famous

Battle of Little Big Horn. What remains shows what are thought to be bullet holes and

human blood stains. The triangle cut-in was a deliberate design, known as a swallow-tail

"guidon" when carried on a pike by a U.S. Cavalryman.  Other portions were believed cut

away for souvenirs.The Detroit Institute of Arts was the owner, acquiring the flag in 1895

for just $54.  The buyer was identified only as an American private collector.

(Photo courtesy Southeby's)

Massive mammals came after dinosaurs

Noted Israeli archaeologist Ehud Netzer dies after fall

Stone tools go back earlier than thought

Early humans mated with Neanderthals

Insects trapped in ancient amber reveal surprising ties

Possible heretofore unknown geoglyphs spotted in Peru

Egypt unearths 3,400-year-old granite statues

The remarkably well-preserved granite statue of Ahmenhotep III,

one of two unearthed in Egypt near Luxor. The pharaoh lived nearly

3,400 years ago, and was the grandfather of the more famous

"boy king," King Tutankhamun, or King Tut.

(Photo courtesy Egypt's Ministry of Culture)

Grizzly-sized sloth fossils found near L.A.

A Hairy Sloth, about the size of a small chimp.  Fossils of it's ancient

cousin, just discovered in L.A., may have been 12 to 14 feet long.

Sloths are very slow-moving animals that spend most of their time

hanging in trees.  There are six species of modern-day sloths,

and they all live in tree canopies in Central and South America.

(File photo)

Prehistoric bird sets wingspan record

This prehistoric bird weighed about 64 pounds and belonged to a group known as

pelagornithids -- birds characterized by long, slender beaks bearing many spiny,

tooth-like projections. It's now thought that 17 feet may be close to the maximum

wingspan that can be achieved by a flying bird because of weight and aerodynamics.

(Composite image courtesy Discovery News) 

Petra's ancient paintings emerge from centuries of campfire smoke

A British conservation specialist works on the restoration of 2,000 year-old

wall and ceiling paintings n a cave complex known as "Little Petra,"

about 3-miles from Petra, the city carved in rock in southern Jordan.

(Photo courtesy Reuters)

Hunchbacked dinosaur strengthens bird-dino link

 3,000-year-old Iron Age temple unearthed in Jordan

In Isreal, prehistoric feasting and funeral hall found

THEORY: First cannibals ate each other for extra nutrition

WWII warplane raised from California reservoir

A World War II-era Helldiver SB2C dive bomber being lowered on dry land

after spending 65 years on the bottom of a San Diego reservoir.  The plane

went down during a training flight. The pilot and crewman survived the crash

but have since died of natural causes. The plane is to be restored and

displayed at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola.

(Photo courtesy AP)

Age confirmed for 'Eve,' mother of all humans

Georgia archaeologists find Confederate POW camp

The confederate prison camp was called Camp Lawton and is

located in southeastern Georgia.  A 36-year old graduate student,

who set out to find the camp as his thesis project, is credited with

the discovery.

(Photo courtesy Georgia Southern University)

Fossils suggest ‘Lucy’ species used stone tools

In Canada, chunk of original earth found

Confederate sub's 1864 sinking still unsolved

An artist's rendering of the H.L. Hunley, a confederate submarine

that was recovered from Charleston S.C. bay in August, 2000.

Rome to open Colosseum to tourists after dark

5,200-year-old Iceman’s genes deciphered at last

Ötzi the Iceman was found in 1991 in an area of the Alps between Italy and

Austria. The well-preserved mummy has fascinated scientists ever since.

(Photo courtesy South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Italy)

Ship lost for more than 150 years is recovered

This illustration, dated 1851, shows the ice-locked HMS Investigator on

the North Coast of Baring Island.  Abandoned in 1853, the ship has

been found in the ice waters of Mercy Bay in Canada's Western Arctic.

(Photo courtesy The Canadian Press and Public Archives of Canada)

Giant Rat Fossil Discovered

Stonehenge Twin Found Near Ancient Monument

Dead Sea Scrolls made locally, tests show

The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in caves in the Qumram valley area of the West

Bank, pictured on the left.  On the right, an image of one of the 900 or so documents

found during archeological digs in the area between 1947 and 1956.

(Composite image by WydeWorld.com from file photos) 

Bowls of human fingers, teeth found in Mayan King's tomb

Ship junked 200 years ago uncovered at WTC site

Shard bears oldest script found in Jerusalem

UK treasure hunter finds 52,000 Roman coins

 One of the hoard of 52,000 Roman coins (photographed on both sides) found by

a 63 year old British hospital chef and part-time treasure hunter. The coins were

found in a field with a metal detector, all stuffed into one huge earthenware pot.

(Photo courtesy telegraph.co.uk)

Pyramid Construction Supervisor's Tomb Found

Unwanted Babies Haunt Roman-Era Graveyard

Lock of Napoleon's hair sells at auction for $13,000

Cleopatra killed by drug cocktail?

Giant Whale-Eating Whale Found

An artist's rendering of the giant whale-eating whale.  The largest skull

ever found, 10 feet long, was uncovered in a Peruvian desert.  The

species has been named 'Leviathan melvillei' after the author of

'Moby Dick.'  It lived about 12-million years ago.

(Rendering and photo courtesy the journal Nature)

Tunnel for Ancient Egyptian Ruler Found

Ancient tool found in melting ice near Yellowstone

Research Associate Craig Lee holds a 10,000-year-old Atlatl spear that

had been frozen in an ice sheet near Yellowstone National Park. The spear

was straight when it was entombed and became bowed from the melting

and barely survived being snapped in half by a passing animal.

(Photo courtesy University of Colorado)

Lake Michigan shipwreck found after 112 years

King Tut Died of Blood Disorder: Study

World's Largest Dinosaur Graveyard Found in Canada 

Lucy's Ancestor, 'Big Man,' Revealed

Radar reveals extent of buried ancient Egyptian city

Archaeologists Hot on Trail of Aztec Royalty

Revolutionary War Document Found on Teacher's Bookshelf

First beehives from Biblical Israel discovered

Pagan Antiquities Unearthed in Israel

Gladiator graveyard found in U.K., experts say

Jamestown Trash Reveals Struggling Settlement

Huge find: 57 Ancient Egyptian Tombs with Mummies Unearthed

A photo of one of the mummies recently unearthed in a huge archeological findin Egypt.  This

undated photo released 05/23/10 the shows a painted wooden sarcophagus recovered

from one of the 57 tombs discovered in an area some 70 miles south of Cairo.

(Photo courtesy Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities)

Frederick Douglass' church joins endangered list of U.S. sites

Oldest Mesoamerican pyramid tomb found in Mexico

Avenue Of Colossi May Be Buried At Temple of Tut's Grandfather

114 More Terracotta Warriors Rise In New Excavation

The terracotta army grows.  These are among the 114 life-size figures newly found

in the vast mausoleum of Qin Shihuang, China’s first emperor.  The new find brings to

more than 1,000 of the figures recovered from the mammoth site in Shaanxi Province.

It was discovered by accident by local farmers digging a well in 1974.  It's believed

there are up to 8,000 of the figures, along with life-size horses buried at the site.

(Photo courtesy Discovery News)

14th-century aqueduct found in Jerusalem

Neanderthals, Humans Interbred, DNA Proves

Babylon ruins: Preservation or profit?

The ancient ruins of Babylon in northern Iraq.  A debate has

erupted as to whether or not it should be reconstructed as a

tourist attraction, or maintained for its archeological significance.

(Photo courtesy AP)

Headless Statue of Ancient Egyptian King‎ Unearthed

 The statue was found in the ruins of an ancient Egyptian limestone

temple believed to be the burial site of Queen Cleopatra and her

lover, Mark Antony.  The site is some 30 miles from Alexandria.

(Photo courtesy Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities)

Ancient tools revealed by melting Arctic ice

Ancient Building Came With DIY Instructions

Dawn of Urban Life Uncovered in Syria

Hoard of 2,000-Year-Old Coins Found in Egypt

The hybrid Greek-Egyptian god Amun-Zeus can be clearly seen

 on both of these sample coins.  They date to the Third Century B.C.

and were found in an archeological site 50 miles southwest of Cairo.

(Photo courtesy Egyptian Supreme Council of Antquities)

OK Corral shootout’s inquest papers found

Ancient Maya Buried Relatives, Artifacts Under Homes

Ancient Hominids Had Humanlike Grip

 King Tut's Dad's Toe Returns Home

Tomb Of Ken-Amun, Royal Scribe, Unearthed In Egypt

An image from the intricately decorated tomb belonging to Ken-Amun, newly

discovered.  Ken-Amun was in charge of overseeing the royal records during the

19th Dynasty (1315-1201 BC).  The tomb was located 75 miles east of Cairo.

(Photo courtesy Egyptian Supreme Council)  

New Fossil Fits as 'Missing Link,' Scientists Argue

New species in human lineage's evolution discovered

Pre-Stonehenge Megaliths Linked to Death Rituals

Italian group hopes to find Caravaggio's bones lost 400 years ago  

King Tut Wore Orthopedic Sandals

Lost city in Syria predates the wheel

The archaeology of Jesus

Grad student uncovers Haitian founding document

Julia Gaffield. a Duke University graduate student, has

found what is believed to be the only surviving printed

copy of Haiti's Declaration of Independence.  She

found it in February while doing research in

Britain's National Archives in London.

(Photo courtesy AP)

New:  Written Language of Ancient Scotland Discovered

A stone tablet known as the Hilton of Cadboll stone reveals the

newly deciphered tongue known as 'Pictish."  The Picts were

an Iron-Age society that lived in an area that is now roughly

Scotland between 300 and 843 A.D.

(Photo courtesy Discovery News)

Ceiling at Nero's Golden Palace Collapses In Rome

An interior view of the subterranean 'Golden Palace."  Officials said

heavy rain caused a partial cave-in from above on 03/30/10.

(File photo)

New Method Could Revolutionize Dating of Turin Shroud