===============================================================
explorator 24.03 May 9, 2021
===============================================================
You can read explorator online at:

https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/


Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis,
John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley,
Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay,
Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week
(as always hoping I have left no one out).

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers and mother figures out there.

================================================================
EARLY HOMINIDS
================================================================
Remains of nine Neanderthals from a cave near Rome:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/may/08/remains-of-nine-neanderthals-found-in-cave-south-of-rome
https://phys.org/news/2021-05-archaeologists-neanderthals-rome.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/08/world/europe/italy-neanderthal-fossils-guattari-cave.html
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-57044002 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/archaeologists-discover-remains-of-9-neanderthals-near-rome/2021/05/08/2dac5fe0-b020-11eb-82c1-896aca955bb9_story.html
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Archaeologists-discover-remains-of-9-Neanderthals-16162232.php
https://nationalpost.com/pmn/entertainment-pmn/archaeologists-uncover-neanderthal-remains-in-caves-near-rome
https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/archaeologists-discover-remains-neanderthals-rome-77576317
https://www.thelocal.it/20210508/evidence-of-nine-neanderthals-found-in-italian-cave/
https://www.reuters.com/article/italy-archaeologist-grotta-guattari/archaeologists-uncover-neanderthal-remains-in-caves-near-rome-idUSL8N2MV08T
https://www.dw.com/en/archaeologists-discover-neanderthal-remains-in-caves-near-rome/a-57470987

Earliest human (homo sapiens?) burial in Africa is from Kenya and dates to 80 000 years bp:

https://phys.org/news/2021-05-oldest-human-burial-africa-uncovered.html https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/mpif-toh042821.php https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/c-aoh050321.php https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2021/may/oldest-human-burial-in-africa-discovered-in-kenya.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/05/210505111340.htm https://www.livescience.com/oldest-human-burial-africa-discovered.html https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56986457 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/05/science/earliest-human-burial-africa.html https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/may/05/archaeologists-uncover-oldest-human-burial-in-africa
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/africa-scientists-nature-max-planck-institute-germany-b933468.html
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2021-05-06/oldest-human-burial-site-in-africa/100065050
https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/05/africa/burial-scn-africa-child/index.html https://cosmosmagazine.com/history/archaeology/oldest-human-burial-in-africa/ https://scitechdaily.com/africas-oldest-human-burial-site-uncovered-78000-year-old-remains-reveal-how-stone-age-populations-interacted-with-the-dead/
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/05/scientists-unearth-africa-s-oldest-burial-small-child-laid-rest-78000-years-ago
https://www.salon.com/2021/05/07/what-a-78000-year-old-child-buried-in-a-kenyan-cave-tells-us-about-ancient-humans/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/childs-grave-is-the-oldest-human-burial-found-in-africa
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03457-8 https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/05/this-is-what-we-can-learn-from-the-oldest-human-grave-in-africa/
https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2021/05/the-oldest-human-burial-site-in-africa.html
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/scientists-discover-oldest-known-human-grave-africa-180977659/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/9676-210506-africa-oldest-burial

... and a sort of explainer piece based on the find:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/may/09/the-buried-truths-that-say-so-much-about-our-ancestors

A new look at human origins from fossil evidence:

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/amon-rmh050521.php https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/05/210506142133.htm https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2021/05/most-human-origins-stories-are-not.html

New study suggests early hominids' arrival on uninhabited islands doesn't always lead to mass extinctions:

https://phys.org/news/2021-05-humans-werent-agents-destruction-uninhabited.html https://www.livescience.com/early-humans-island-extinctions.html

cf: https://www.pnas.org/content/118/20/e2023005118

... although it does appear early humans did significantly alter ecosystems (in Africa) with fire:

https://phys.org/news/2021-05-earliest-evidence-humans-ecosystems.html https://phys.org/news/2021-05-archaeologists-earliest-anthropogenic-landscape-earth.html
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/yu-so050321.php https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2021/05/05/lake-malawi-fire-ecosystem-engineers/7851620243020/
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/people-may-have-used-fire-to-clear-forests-more-than-80-000-years-ago/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-humans-shape-landscape-fire-85000-years-ago-180977669/

More on the study of 'Little Foot':

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/humans-and-apes-could-have-more-shared-history-than-we-thought-study-667049

More on that 'crystal collection' from the Kalahari mentioned a few weeks ago:

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/somebody-in-the-kalahari-had-a-crystal-collection-105-000-years-ago-1.9670735

================================================================
ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT ================================================================
The first Khufu solar boat is on its way to the GEM:

https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/102672/Secretary-General-of-Egypt%E2%80%99s-Supreme-Council-of-Antiquities-follows-up

Plans to repair the 175 years bp Cairo Citadel clock:

https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/50/1207/410591/AlAhram-Weekly/Heritage/yearold-Cairo-Citadel-clock-to-be-repaired.aspx

More on those 110 tombs from various dynasties in the Nile Delta:

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/05/egypt-discovers-110-ancient-tombs-spanning-three-civilizations
https://www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/archaeologists-discover-110-ancient-egyptian-tombs-in-the-nile-delta/

More on that study revealing a pregnant Egyptian mummy:

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/in-a-first-researchers-discover-a-pregnant-egyptian-mummy/
https://www.rawstory.com/mummy-archeology-fetus-found/

Feature on how Napoleon's invasion revealed Egypt to the world:

https://www.france24.com/en/france/20210505-how-napol%C3%A9on-s-invasion-revealed-egypt-to-the-world-%E2%80%93-and-to-itself

Interesting feature on Lapis Lazuli:

https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2021/05/glass-lapis-lazuli/

Feature on a 1500 years bp Christ Pantokrator image on a gem in a museum in Turkey:

https://aleteia.org/2021/05/07/this-early-depiction-of-christ-pantocrator-was-saved-from-treasure-hunters/

Finds from various periods (including iron production sites) identified in a survey of a district in Iran's Yazd province:

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/archaeologists-discover-millennia-old-iron-production-sites-in-iran-666939

Plans for a survey of Sassanid-era Sirvan in Iran's Ilam province:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/460686/Sassanid-era-Sirvan-to-undergo-archaeological-survey

Evidence of Paleolithic-era sewing activity in western Iran:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/460703/Paleolithic-sewing-evidence-comes-to-light-in-western-Iran

Feature on the Iranian 'saltmen mummies':

https://www.realclearscience.com/articles/2021/05/03/what_scientists_learned_from_irans_saltmen_mummies_775354.html

Feature on kings in Mesopotamia:

http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/how-to-be-king-in-mesopotamia/

Feature on Akkadian poetry and medical texts:

https://psyche.co/ideas/ancient-akkadian-poems-and-medical-texts-reveal-griefs-universals

Suggestion that an epidemic led to the collapse of the Nabataeans' trade empire:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/podcast-proof-that-nabateans-trade-empire-collapsed-due-to-ancient-epidemic/

13th century CE burials from the ongoing excavations at Kusadasi:

https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/13th-century-skeletons-unearthed-in-turkeys-kadikalesi-site
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/human-skeletons-found-in-kusadasi-excavations-164543

An interesting Roman-era 'grotesque' lamp from Jerusalem's Pilgrimage Road:

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/second-temple-period-lucky-lump-found-on-jerusalems-pilgrimage-road-667255
https://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/jerusalem/lucky-bronze-oil-lamp-uncovered-in-city-of-davids-pilgrimage-road-excavations/2021/05/05/
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/archaeologists-find-grotesque-foundation-deposit-in-jerusalem-1.9776035
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-9546127/2-000-year-old-oil-lamp-shaped-like-grotesque-face-discovered-City-David.html
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/rare-roman-era-face-shaped-bronze-oil-lamp-found-in-jerusalem-1234591916/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/2000-year-old-lucky-lamp-found-jerusalem-180977671/

An overview of excavations in the City of David:

https://www.upi.com/News_Photos/view/upi/bfbf25ece6d03872342bf19421a04c4f/An-Overview-Of-Excavations-By-The-Israel-Antiquities-Authority-In-The-City-Of-David/

Followup to the AI identification of scribes who wrote the DSS ... one scribe appears to have written eight scrolls:

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/mysterious-scribe-wrote-eight-diverse-dead-sea-scrolls-scholars-find-667092

Some pushback on claims about Solomon's mines in Spain, thalassocracy, etc.:

https://www.livescience.com/king-solomon-mining-expedition-claim.html https://aleteia.org/2021/05/08/experts-divided-on-accuracy-of-study-into-king-solomons-trade-habits/

Pondering the claimed burial site of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai:

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/is-rabbi-shimon-bar-yochai-really-buried-at-meron-its-complicated-667459

Reviewish of Yoel Elitzur, *Biblical Geography and its Meaning*:

https://www.jpost.com/judaism/where-did-the-red-sea-split-diagnosing-biblical-geographys-meaning-667346

Feature on the Black Stone of Mecca:

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/saudi-arabia-black-stone-scli-intl/index.html

More on those 7000 years bp 'mustatils' from Saudi Arabia:

https://phys.org/news/2021-05-archaeological-mustatils-reveals-complexity-assumed.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/mysterious-stone-structures-saudi-arabia-are-older-pyramids-rcna805
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/mustatils-saudi-arabia-older-egyptian-pyramids-1964376
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01158-w

Latest threat to ancient marches in Iraq is sewage:

https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2021/5/5/iraq-ancient-mesopotamian-marshes-threatened-by-sewage
-----
This Week in the Ancient Near East Podcast:

https://thisweekintheancientneareast.podbean.com/

================================================================
ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME (AND CLASSICS) ================================================================
Studying an infant burial ground on Astypalea:

https://greekreporter.com/2021/05/03/ancient-cemetery-for-infants-discovered-on-greek-island/

An archaic Latin inscription for Fortuna from Itri (Italian):

https://latinatu.it/scoperta-a-itri-nel-santuario-pagano-rinvenuto-un-cippo-dedicato-alle-dea-fortuna/

Possible identification of an imperial fleet member from Herculaneum (Italian):

https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/cultura/arte/2021/05/09/ercolano-riscopre-lufficiale-di-plinio-il-vecchio-mori-per-aiutare_c6906a62-5972-4791-b355-bbcd0267c1f6.html

A head from a statue identified as Augustus from a dig in Isernia:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/archaeologists-just-unearthed-ancient-bust-190000795.html
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/rome-emperor-marble-head-scli-intl-scn/index.html
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-9546041/2-000-year-old-bust-Romes-emperor-Augustus-identified-telltale-hairstyle.html
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/roman-emperor-augustus-head-statue-archaeology-1234591397/
https://boingboing.net/2021/05/08/archaeologists-unearth-2000-year-old-marble-head-of-augustus-caesar.html
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-marble-bust-augustus-italy-180977655/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/9673-210505-italy-augustus-sculpture

Work on a home in Toledo revealed some vaulting believed to be associated with a Roman amphitheatre:

https://www.euroweeklynews.com/2021/05/04/vaults-of-a-roman-amphitheatre-discovered-under-home-in-toledo/

Nice followup piece on those burials from Bitonto found a few weeks ago (Italian):

https://www.bitontolive.it/news/attualita/1033542/tomba-in-piazza-caduti-primo-identikit-dei-defunti

Byzantine (?) sarcophagi from a cave in Irbid:

https://en.royanews.tv/news/27660/2021-05-05

Plenty of press coverage for plans for a new floor for the Colosseum:

https://www.livescience.com/Rome-Colosseum-new-floor.html https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/02/rome-colosseum-to-gain-hi-tech-arena-floor
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-56966365 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/02/world/europe/italy-colosseum-floor.html https://www.npr.org/2021/05/03/993184621/roman-colosseums-new-floor-will-give-visitors-a-gladiators-point-of-view
https://wskg.org/npr_story_post/roman-colosseums-new-floor-will-give-visitors-a-gladiators-point-of-view/
https://www.dw.com/en/rome-colosseum-stage-to-give-visitors-a-gladiators-view/a-57405755
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/italy-unveils-new-hi-tech-floor-design-colosseum-area-2021-05-02/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-56966365 https://news.artnet.com/art-world/gladiators-view-colosseum-rome-1963926 https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/New-stage-in-Rome-s-Colosseum-will-restore-16145370.php
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/rome-s-colosseum-get-22-million-new-floor-give-tourists-n1266235
https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/art/rome-s-colosseum-restored-plans-for-new-floor-are-a-step-towards-rebuilding-the-arena-1.1215672
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/02/business/22-million-upgrade-romes-colosseum-will-restore-majestic-view/
https://whbl.com/2021/05/02/italy-unveils-new-hi-tech-floor-design-for-colosseum-area/
https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2021/05/new-stage-in-romes-colosseum-will.html

A roundup of finds (mostly Roman) made in Bulgaria last month:

http://archaeologyinbulgaria.com/2021/05/01/top-20-stories-by-archaeologyinbulgaria-com-in-april-2021/

More photos of that interesting Roman site in Scarborough:

https://www.thescarboroughnews.co.uk/news/people/in-pictures-new-photos-show-amazing-detail-of-nationally-important-scarborough-roman-ruins-3227300

More on that statue of Constantine being reunited with its finger:

https://www.euronews.com/2021/05/02/emperor-constantine-s-hand-reunited-with-finger-after-more-than-500-years-apart
https://hyperallergic.com/643885/roman-emperor-finger-reunited-louvre/

More on the finds from Ptolemaida, including that 'bed burial':

https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1160632/rare-funerary-bed-discovered-in-lignite-mine/
https://www.thenationalherald.com/food_travel_travel/arthro/archaeologists_find_ancient_houses_tombs_in_abandoned_greek_town-2353818/

More on objections to renovations on the Acropolis:

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/992846093

Review of Shadi Bartsch's translation of the *Aeneid*:

https://news.uchicago.edu/story/new-aeneid-translation-channels-vergils-pure-latin

Review of Geoff Bailey's book on the Antonine Wall:

https://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/retro/geoff-baileys-long-awaited-book-on-the-antonine-wall-chronicles-history-of-roman-occupation-3226275

Review of Robert Kanigel, *Hearing Homer's Song*:

https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/the-darwin-of-the-classics/

Review of a couple of recent Catullus translations:

https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/catullus-isobel-williams-slim-new-book-leontia-flynn-review-daisy-dunn/

Review of Aaron Poochigan's Aristophanes translation:

https://shepherdexpress.com/arts-and-entertainment/books/aristophanes-four-plays-liveright-translated-by-aaron-poochi/

Honours from the Greek government for Jack Davis and Sharon Stocker:

https://www.archaeological.org/president-of-greece-honors-two-aia-members-with-order-of-phoenix/

An interview with Peter Brown (Spanish):

https://elpais.com/babelia/2021-05-08/peter-brown-peor-que-olvidar-la-historia-es-retorcerla-para-avivar-el-resentimiento.html?ssm=FB_CM_BABE#Echobox=1620448326

An interview with Molly Swetnam-Burland:

https://www.wm.edu/news/stories/2021/ancient-is-modern-wm-professor-talks-teaching-classics.php

Assorted items on the threat to Classics at Howard:

https://www.thenationalherald.com/opinions_columnists/arthro/african_americans_defend_greek_classics-2361552/
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/05/06/howa-m06.html

Feature on recreating the bread found at Pompeii:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/re-creating-2000-year-old-bread-found-in-pompeii-post-vesuvius

Feature on a Roman domus (complete with mosaic floors) on the Aventine:

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210507-ancient-roman-domus-with-mosaic-floors-tucked-under-modern-flats
https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/culture/2021/05/07/ancient-roman-039domus039-with-mosaic-floors-tucked-under-modern-flats-in-rome
https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/ancient-roman-domus-with-mosaic-floors-tucked-under-modern-flats-1.5418234

Feature on eight ancient (mostly) hoards found in Herefordshire over the years:

https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/19286812.buried-treasure-eight-ancient-hoards-found-herefordshire/

Feature on the phrase 'Sic Semper Tyrannus':

https://www.wm.edu/news/stories/2021/ancient-is-modern-wm-professor-talks-teaching-classics.php

Feature on Livia Drusilla (really TV hype):

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210506-the-truth-behind-ancient-romes-most-controversial-woman

Feature on ancient Greek shields:

https://greekreporter.com/2021/05/07/ancient-greek-shields-showed-allegiance-struck-fear-into-enemy/

Feature on Mother's Day in ancient Greece:

https://greekreporter.com/2021/05/09/mothers-day-ancient-greece/

Feature on the Greek and Roman pantheon:

https://greekreporter.com/2021/05/03/ancient-cemetery-for-infants-discovered-on-greek-island/

Feature on Roman Britain after the Romans left:

https://www.historyextra.com/period/roman/fall-roman-britain-empire-what-happened-why/

Feature on what Knossos originally looked like:

https://greekcitytimes.com/2021/05/09/knossos-palace-before-ruins/

Feature on quotes from Greek Stoic philosophers:

https://greekreporter.com/2021/05/07/greatest-quotes-ancient-greece-stoic-philosophers/

Feature on Talos:

https://greekreporter.com/2021/05/06/talos-the-ancient-greek-humanoid-robot/

Feature on the Versace Medusa logo:

https://www.crfashionbook.com/culture/a35217668/true-story-versace-medusa-head/

Feature on the Roman temple in Mersin:

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/roman-temple-in-mersin-waits-to-serve-tourism-164484

Tips on being excellent from Plato and Aristotle:

https://psyche.co/guides/how-to-become-excellent-with-tips-from-plato-and-aristotle

Feature comparing plans to return the Benin Bronzes to the Parthenon Marbles:

https://greekreporter.com/2021/05/03/germany-shows-the-way-for-parthenon-sculptures-return-to-greece/

A giant Roman soldier's head sculpture will be adorning the Antonine Wall:

https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/towering-roman-soldiers-head-sculpture-20522455

The Peristera shipwreck site has received some funding from Microsoft:

https://greekcitytimes.com/2021/05/05/peristera-shipwreck-microsoft-funding/

Plans to better touristify Perge:

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ancient-city-of-perge-to-regain-its-former-glory-164454

More on what the Greeks and Romans knew about the spread of disease:

https://greekreporter.com/2021/05/04/how-ancient-greeks-romans-controlled-the-spread-of-disease/

More on the lessons of Homer relating to isolation:

https://www.brandeis.edu/now/2021/april/homer-christensen-conversation.html -----
Roman Archaeology Blog:

http://romanarc.blogspot.com/

Rogueclassicism:

http://rogueclassicism.com/ ================================================================
EUROPE AND THE UK (+ Ireland) ================================================================
A hiker found a hoard of bronze jewellery (750-500 BCE) from near Alingsas (Sweden):

https://phys.org/news/2021-05-unique-bronze-age-south-alingss.html https://phys.org/visualstories/2021-05-unique-bronze-age-south-alingss.amp https://www.livescience.com/bronze-age-hoard-sweden.html https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-9538489/Mapmaker-discovers-trove-Bronze-Age-jewelry-western-Sweden.html
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/61290 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/swedish-mapmaker-stumbles-trove-bronze-age-treasures-180977644/

Not sure if we've had this item on use of bronze 'scrap' as currency in Bronze Age Europe:

https://phys.org/news/2021-05-scrap-cash-bronze-age-witnessed.html https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/05/210506174103.htm https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/uog-sfc050621.php https://elpais.com/ciencia/2021-05-08/el-euro-de-la-edad-de-bronce.html

A hoard of 1500 years bp gold pendants from a site in Norway:

https://sciencenorway.no/archaeology/seven-rare-gold-pendants-were-sacrificed-1500-years-ago-in-ostfold-county-of-norway/1854637
https://www.lifeinnorway.net/gold-pendants-found-in-norway/ https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/rare-1500-year-old-pendants-found-in-norse-ritual-hoard-1234592171/
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/61322 http://www.archaeology.org/news/9675-210505-norway-gold-pendants

Not sure if we've mentioned this 9th century hoard from Poland:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2021/05/archaeologists-uncover-carolingian-treasure-hoard/138900

A possible Viking village site in Teesdale:

https://www.teesdalemercury.co.uk/news/unearthed-remains-hint-at-viking-village

A study of remains in a mass grave in France are likely soldiers killed during the siege of Rennes in 1491:

https://media.uottawa.ca/news/last-battle-anne-brittany-isotopic-study-soldiers-1491
https://phys.org/news/2021-05-anne-brittany-isotopic-soldiers.html https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/uoo-tlb050521.php https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/05/210505174946.htm https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2021/05/the-last-battle-of-anne-of-brittany.html
http://www.archaeology.org/news/9677-210506-france-war-of-brittany

cf: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0248086

The River Hunters came across a 400 years bp gun in Colchester:

https://www.essexlive.news/news/celebs-tv/river-hunters-river-detectorists-find-5360521

A study suggests the Mary Rose had an ethnically-diverse crew:

https://phys.org/news/2021-05-human-mary-rose-diversity-tudor.html https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/may/05/mary-rose-ship-multi-ethnic-crew-tudor-england
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-9541787/King-Henry-VIIIs-favourite-ship-Mary-Rose-multinational-crew.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-56985084 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/shipwreck-reveals-surprising-racial-diversity-henry-viii-s-england-n1266366
https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2021/05/human-remains-from-tudor-warship-mary.html
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/crew-tudor-warship-mary-rose-was-diverse-study-finds-180977662/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/9679-210507-mary-rose-crew

HS2 preliminaries include excavating 3000 burials from an (abandoned) medieval Buckinghamshire churchyard:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/may/07/unique-opportunity-hs2-unearths-history-medieval-church
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/church-hs2-buckinghamshire-norman-b933303.html

An excavation in a Hull cemetery reveals practices to prevent bodysnatching:

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/hull-excavation-uncovers-evidence-of-precautions-against-bodysnatching-in-19th-century-cemetery-3224418

A melting glacier in Italy revealed some WWI artifacts:

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/04/europe/italy-melting-glacier-war-artifacts-scli-intl/index.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/08/world/europe/italy-glacier-wwi-artifacts.html
http://www.archaeology.org/news/9680-210507-world-war-i-italy

A museum in Denmark 'rediscovered' some Viking remains which were missing for over a century (due to a labelling issue):

https://www.livescience.com/lost-bones-viking-noble.html https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/.premium.HIGHLIGHT-museum-finds-missing-viking-over-a-century-after-losing-his-remains-1.9766628
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/61309 https://www.heritagedaily.com/2021/05/lost-viking-elite-rediscovered/138877

A mast from the HMS Victory is going on display:

http://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/589/reader/reader.html?social#!preferred/0/package/589/pub/589/page/45/article/170005

A 'lost squirrel' has been restored to a 17th century Enghien tapestry:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-56969237

Plans to 'rehouse' Parliament's vellum records:

http://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/590/reader/reader.html?social#!preferred/0/package/590/pub/590/page/25/article/170214

A project to map illegal whisky making sites in Scotland:

https://www.scotsman.com/heritage-and-retro/heritage/scotlands-illegal-whisky-making-mapped-as-archaeologists-search-for-illicit-stills-in-the-hills-3226986

More on that 3000 years bp submerged settlement in Lake Lucerne:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-uncover-bronze-age-settlement-switzerland-180977651/

More on that Bronze Age tomb found by a farmer on the Dingle Peninsula:

https://www.newsweek.com/ireland-farmer-accidentally-discovers-tomb-dating-back-bronze-age-1588852

More on cancer rates in medieval Britain:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210430093218.htm https://gizmodo.com/scans-of-medieval-skeletons-show-cancer-has-been-common-1846798227
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cancer-was-common-medieval-britain-180977660/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/9670-210503-medieval-disease-cancer

More on that 700 years bp child burial from the Real Alcazar of Seville:

https://english.elpais.com/arts/2021-04-30/the-700-year-old-child-found-in-southern-spain.html
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/61316 http://www.archaeology.org/news/9674-210505-spain-medieval-burial

Feature on Ireland's oldest burial:

https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/ireland-oldest-grave-9k-years-old

Feature on the history of the Irish border:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-56806404

... and an incident of sorts relating to a stone marking the border between Belgium and France:

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/belgium-farmer-moves-french-border/index.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/05/04/beligum-farmer-france-border/ https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56978344

Feature on Henry VIII's links with Leicestershire:

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/history/henry-viiis-links-leicestershire-include-5385734

Using old photos to restore a Tudor manor parkland:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-57009271

Funding to reopen the Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project:

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/sharp-dig-site-to-reopen-ncc-grant-7943030 ----------
Archaeology in Europe News:

http://archaeology-in-europe.blogspot.com/

Medievalists.net:

https://www.medievalists.net/category/news/

Viking Archaeology Blog:

http://viking-archaeology-blog.blogspot.com/

================================================================
ASIA AND THE SOUTH PACIFIC ================================================================
Feature on the influence of Islamic astronomers on China's astronomy:

https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/travel/how-islamic-astronomers-changed-china-s-view-of-the-stars-1.1218849

7th century sutras from a site in Tibet:

https://www.scmp.com/video/china/3132229/chinese-archaeologists-find-sutras-dating-back-618-during-tubo-period-tibet

Study suggests Angkor had a population of some 900 000 before it was abandoned in the 15th century:

https://phys.org/news/2021-05-archaeologists-population-greater-angkor-region.html
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/uoo-app050721.php https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-9554981/Angkor-Wat-900-000-inhabitants-abandoned-1431-AD-study-suggests.html
https://gizmodo.com/ancient-city-of-angkor-was-jam-packed-with-people-1846845408

Feature on Sri Lanka's 'stargate inscription':

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20210502-the-unsolved-mystery-of-sri-lankas-stargate

Not sure where to put this study of Siberian evidence for whale-hunting by 'paleo-Eskimos':

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/.premium-archaeology-in-the-siberian-permafrost-how-the-paleo-eskimos-survived-1.9771902

================================================================
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND ================================================================
Plans for a study of sites on Australia's Ningaloo coast:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-06/ningaloo-research-will-tell-60-000-year-old-story/100116262

140 years after it was 'lost', an Aboriginal ceremonial ground in East Gippsland has been 'rediscovered':

https://theconversation.com/after-140-years-researchers-have-rediscovered-an-important-aboriginal-ceremonial-ground-in-east-gippsland-155119

More fallout for Rio Tinto over their destruction of sites:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/06/business/rio-tinto-shareholder-revolt/index.html

More on the population of the first Australians:

https://cosmosmagazine.com/history/archaeology/the-first-australians-grew-to-a-population-of-millions-much-more-than-previous-estimates/

More on the 'superhighways' used by the first Australians to cross the continent:

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/dnl-phf050321.php https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/05/ancient-australian-superhighways-suggested-massive-supercomputing-study
https://scitechdaily.com/first-human-inhabitants-of-australia-followed-superhighways-across-the-continent/
================================================================
NORTH AMERICA
================================================================
A study of fecal remains from a privy site on the Dartmouth campus reveals the parasites folks were dealing with in the early 19th century:

https://news.dartmouth.edu/news/2021/05/studying-200-year-old-material-old-privy-campus-0
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/dc-2op042921.php https://phys.org/news/2021-05-year-poop-rural-elites-england.html https://source.wustl.edu/2021/05/wealth-status-could-not-shield-19th-century-families-from-parasitic-infection/
https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2021/05/200-year-old-poop-shows-rural-elites-in.html
https://www.archaeology.org/news/9672-210504-privy-parasite-infection

Feature on the importance of the year 1788/the US constitution:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/05/what-made-the-constitution/618756/

... review of the above author's book:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/04/books/review/the-words-that-made-us-akhil-reed-amar.html

A First Nations burial on Hornby Island is in the way of pub construction:


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