===========================================================
explorator 24.37 January 2, 2022
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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 New Year!

============================================================
EARLY HOMINIDS
============================================================
Suggestion that a 'few clever people' sparked the technological revolution of 500 000 years bp:

https://theconversation.com/how-a-handful-of-prehistoric-geniuses-launched-humanitys-technological-revolution-171511
https://phys.org/news/2021-12-prehistoric-geniuses-humanity-technological-revolution.html

A study of energy intake and expenditure by early humans (sort of):

https://phys.org/news/2021-12-early-humans-gained-energy-acquisition.html

cf: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abf0130

Suggestion that too many species are lumped into the category of homo sapiens:

https://www.sapiens.org/biology/human-fossil-record/

A top ten 'human evolution stories' for 2021:

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/the-way-we-were-top-human-evolution-stories-of-2021-1.10496952

... and a feature on seven new things we leaned about human evolution in 2021:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/seven-new-things-we-learned-about-human-evolution-in-2021-180979271/

Feature on the Piltdown Man hoax:

https://www.historyextra.com/period/edwardian/who-was-piltdown-man-hoax/

More on Neanderthal modification of the environment:

https://www.archaeology.org/news/10235-211216-germany-tree-clearing

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AFRICA
============================================================
Feature on the rescue excavation of a16th-19th century CE synagogue in Morocco:

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/MAGAZINE-israeli-and-moroccan-research-team-discovers-lost-jewish-lives-in-atlas-mountains-1.10494305

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ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
============================================================
Really a techy story, a very high tech digital unwrapping of the mummy of Amenhotep I revealed plenty of interesting details:

https://phys.org/news/2021-12-scientists-digitally-unwrap-mummy-pharaoh.html
https://www.livescience.com/mummy-of-pharaoh-amenhotep-unwrapped
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/dec/28/egyptian-pharaohs-mummified-body-gives-up-its-secrets-after-3500-years
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-59808883
http://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/829/reader/reader.html?social#!preferred/0/package/829/pub/829/page/32/article/254063
https://egyptindependent.com/secrets-of-the-mummy-of-king-amenhotep-i-revealed-with-ct-scans-for-first-time/
https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/111309/Secrets-of-King-Amenhotep-I%E2%80%99s-mummy-revealed-with-CT-scan
https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/452237/Antiquities/Ancient-Egypt/Digital-unwrapping-of-King-Amenhotep-I-reveals-fac.aspx
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/.premium-five-foot-six-and-circumcised-ct-scan-uncovers-mummy-of-pharaoh-1.10498672
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10343117/Archaeology-Mummy-Egyptian-Pharaoh-Amenhotep-digitally-unwrapped-time.html
https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/28/world/egyptian-mummy-unwrap-scn/index.html
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20211228-egypt-digitally-unwraps-mummy-of-famed-pharaoh
https://elpais.com/cultura/2021-12-29/amenofis-i-fue-vuelto-a-vendar-de-buen-rollo.html
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/20211229/0a1458c0f3da43d5a1d75fe9bc4e65f8/c.html
https://www.stuff.co.nz/science/127400384/a-3500yearold-mummy-of-an-egyptian-king-has-been-digitally-unwrapped-for-the-first-time
https://www.rawstory.com/egypt-digitally-unwraps-mummy-of-famed-pharaoh/
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2303207-the-mummy-of-egyptian-pharaoh-amenhotep-i-has-been-digitally-unwrapped/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2021/12/scientists-digitally-unwrap-mummy-of-pharaoh-amenhotep-i/142378
https://www.archaeology.org/news/10256-211229-egypt-amenhotep-i

cf: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2021.778498/full

Interesting study of a preserved 2000 years bp fetus in a mummified Egyptian woman:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/01/ancient-egyptian-fetus-preserved-due-to-unusual-decomposition-process/142394

A statue of Thutmose II is undergoing restoration:

https://www.egyptindependent.com/king-thutmose-ii-huge-statue-in-luxor-to-be-inaugurated-soon-after-restoration-official/

Recent Paleolithic finds from a cave site near Shiraz (Iran):

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/468553/Archaeologists-uncover-clues-about-Paleolithic-humans-in-southern

Farmers in southern Iran came across a couple Achaemenid-era column bases:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/468629/Achaemenid-column-bases-discovered-in-farm-southern-Iran

A Sassanid seal with an animal motif from a 'stratigraphy project' in Iran's Mazandaran province:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/468475/Sassanid-seal-depicting-unique-animal-motif-unearthed-in-northern

A survey in Isfahan has revealed more than 50 sites from various eras:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/468668/Archaeological-expedition-finds-50-historical-sites-relics-in

An Iranian-German team has commenced excavations at Uramanat:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/468476/Iranian-German-archaeologists-commence-work-in-western-Iran

More on that Elamite tablet from the Burnt City:

https://www.msn.com/en-xl/middleeast/top-stories/elamite-clay-tablet-unearthed-in-mysterious-burnt-city/ar-AAS83Qq
http://www.archaeology.org/news/10255-211228-iran-elamite-tablet

Over 2000 artifacts were discovered in Iraq over the course of 2021:

https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/2021/12/31/recently-discovered-artefacts-at-the-iraqi-national-museum/
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/20211230/41cb191f99cc4717b0c56a8332c09021/c.html
http://www.china.org.cn/china/Off_the_Wire/2021-12/30/content_77961999.htm
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202112/1243864.shtml
https://scoopempire.com/%EF%BB%BFiraqi-led-archaeological-exhibition-uncovers-around-2250-new-artifacts/

An 8500 years bp marble figurine from Catalhoyuk:

https://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/8500-year-old-marble-statuette-found-in-central-turkey-3586858

Remains of a 4500 years bp rope from Seyitomer Hoyuk:

https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2021/12/4500-year-old-rope-remains-found-in.html?m=1

A feature on the top finds in Turkey in 2021:

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/karahantepe-finds-chosen-as-most-important-discovery-of-2021-170364

An overview of finds in Turkey during December:

https://turkisharchaeonews.net/article/december-2021-turkish-archaeology

Evidence of a 'modern' heating system in the 800 years bp Artuqid Palace excavations at the Amida Mound site:

https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/excavations-at-9000-year-old-mound-in-turkey-reveal-new-findings
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/karahantepe-finds-chosen-as-most-important-discovery-of-2021-170364

Remains of a 7th century CE synagogue from Side (Turkey):

https://www.timesofisrael.com/excavations-reveal-ancient-synagogue-in-turkish-resort-town/
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-689925
https://forward.com/fast-forward/480086/excavations-reveal-ancient-synagogue-in-turkish-town-near-tourist-hotspot/
https://www.jta.org/2021/12/27/global/excavations-reveal-ancient-synagogue-in-turkish-town-near-tourist-hotspot

Turkey coverted another Byzantine-era church into a mosque:

https://greekcitytimes.com/2021/12/26/turkey-turns-another-church-into-a-mosque-on-christmas-eve/

Feature on Sumeriologist Muazzes Ilmiy Cig's long career (she's 108 years old!):

https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/108-year-old-sumerologist-credits-istanbul-museum-for-long-career/news

Another 'top finds of 2021' list ... this one is Israel-specific:

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/TIMELINE-jerusalem-discovery-unleashes-biblical-bedlam-top-archaeology-stories-of-2021-1.10494373

... and one on 'Christian archaeology' in 2021:

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/TIMELINE-christian-archaeology-in-2021-more-than-just-the-four-horsemen-1.10496243

... and Biblical archaeology:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/2021s-top-ten-stories-in-bhd/?mqsc=E4140521&dk=ZE14D0ZF0

Concerns for 120 sites in Jerusalem:

https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/12/29/turning-over-in-their-graves/

Questioning the identification of 'Magdala':

https://www.thedailybeast.com/have-we-really-found-mary-magdalenes-birthplace

OpEddish sort of feature on Herod:

https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/how-mad-was-herod-the-great/

Feature on wine production in the 12th century Kingdom of Jerusalem:

https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2021/12/wine-production-in-jerusalem

A followup piece to that 'Sodom Cosmic Event' story from a month or so ago:

https://skepticalinquirer.org/2021/12/sodom-meteor-strike-claims-should-be-taken-with-a-pillar-of-salt/

... and another spin:

https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/tall-el-hamman/

Feature on the purported site of the burning bush incident on Mount Kardom:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/31/world/middleeast/israel-mount-sinai-burning-bush.html

Review of Andrew Lawler, *Under Jerusalem*:

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-690218
-----
This Week in the Ancient Near East Podcast:

https://thisweekintheancientneareast.podbean.com/

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ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME (AND CLASSICS)
============================================================
First remains (from Turkey) of a victim (and a dog) of a tsunami which followed the eruption of Santorini ca 1600 BCE:

https://phys.org/news/2021-12-skeleton-young-ancient-tsunami-turkish.html
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10347443/Archeology-Skeletons-young-man-dog-killed-TSUNAMI-1600-BC-uncovered-Turkey.html
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/one-man-dog-offer-clues-fall-of-civilisation-santorini-greece-ls9w09ksw
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-689976
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/319404
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/victims-of-huge-volcanic-eruption-from-1600-b-c-e-finally-uncovered-1.10499429
https://greekreporter.com/2021/12/30/santorini-volcano-turkey/
https://greekcitytimes.com/2021/12/28/3500-year-old-skeletons-of-young-man-and-dog-killed-by-santorini-volcano-discovered/
https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/victims-of-a-3-600-year-old-volcanic-eruption-found-in-turkey-53114
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/3600-year-old-tsunami-time-capsule-sheds-light-on-one-of-humanitys-greatest-disasters
https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2022/01/archaeologists-find-ancient-tsunami-victim-on-the-turkish-coast/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/10260-211230-thera-volcano-tsunami

cf: https://www.pnas.org/content/119/1/e2114213118

Latest finds from the Palace of Nestor site:

https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2021/12/new-findings-on-mycenaean-cemetery-of.html

A 'hidden' inscription from a 4th century BCE Etruscan helmet:

https://www.ansa.it/english/news/lifestyle/arts/2021/12/28/helmet-of-two-etruscan-soldiers-yields-hidden-inscription_1fc5f036-d1b2-436c-9a40-727d5b32aa1c.html
https://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/culture/2021/12/28/helmet-of-two-etruscan-soldiers-yields-hidden-inscription_a12576be-69f0-4734-a692-3b80f34a1e69.html
https://www.laprensalatina.com/unusual-inscription-found-inside-2400-year-old-etruscan-helmet/
https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2021/12/unusual-inscription-found-inside-2400.html
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/63033

Remains of a Bronze Age settlement beneath a Roman bath complex in Corinth:

https://www.tornosnews.gr/en/greek-news/culture/46088-bronze-age-settlement-discovered-under-roman-bath-complex-at-corinth-of-greece-video.html
https://greekreporter.com/2021/12/29/bronze-age-settlement-roman-bath-corinth/

A Hellenistic-era burial from Chieti:

https://abruzzolive.it/chieti-da-scavi-in-piazza-san-giustino-emerge-ricchissima-tomba-ellenistica/

Water work in Rome have revealed remains of a 2000 years bp funerary complex of some sort:

https://www.laprensalatina.com/work-on-romes-water-system-uncovers-ancient-funerary-complex/
https://www.theislanderonline.com.au/story/7568320/ancient-funerary-complex-uncovered-in-rome/

An unfinished 2nd century CE statue (kind of looks like Hercules) from Veria:

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-689973
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2021/12/archaeologists-excavate-roman-era-statue-in-centre-of-ancient-veria/142364

A metal detectorist found some 2000 years bp bronze 'loaded' dice in North Yorkshire:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10347267/Metal-detectorist-finds-2-000-year-old-loaded-dice-Romans-used-cheat-gambling.html

Rains revealed a life-size statue (possibly Hygieia) at an excavation site in Epidavros:

https://www.culture.gov.gr/el/Information/SitePages/view.aspx?nID=4059
https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1174663/rain-reveals-female-roman-statue-in-epidavros/
https://www.tornosnews.gr/en/greek-news/culture/46074-rare-discovery-in-ancient-site-of-epidaurus-in-peloponnese.html
https://greekreporter.com/2021/12/29/marble-statue-epidaurus-goddess-hygeia/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/10258-211230-epidaurus-statue-woman

Another Roman military diploma find ... this time from Perre (Turkey):

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ancient-diploma-found-in-perre-170413
https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/1898-year-old-bronze-military-diploma-found-in-turkeys-perre/news

Excavations on the Sambian Peninsula reveal burials of a people described by Tacitus:

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/the-amber-elites-in-ancient-kaliningrad-went-to-eternity-with-their-horses-1.10494946

Excavations at Zominthos are almost complete:

https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1174865/excavations-at-the-minoan-palace-of-zominthos-near-completion/

... and the latest finds:

https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2021/12/central-courtyard-unearthed-at-minoan.html

Pompeii has restored a horse skeleton found back in 1938:

https://elpais.com/cultura/2021-12-31/pompeya-saca-del-abandono-a-uno-de-sus-primeros-caballos.html

Plans to excavate a Byzantine fortress at Pyrgion:

https://greekreporter.com/2022/01/01/byzantine-fortress-ancient-greek-pyrgion/

Interesting study of all the marine life found living on some of those Battle of the Aegades-associated rams that were raised recently:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10356967/More-100-animal-species-living-ruins-2-000-year-old-warship-near-Sicily.html

More on the Caligula-era Roman fort/camp from Velsen:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/26/roman-fort-built-by-caligula-discovered-velsen-near-amsterdam
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2021/12/roman-fort-on-dutch-coast-may-have-supported-the-invasion-of-britannia/142361
https://www.archaeology.org/news/10254-211228-netherlands-roman-fortress

More on the pair of shipwrecks off the coast of Caesarea:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/dec/22/israeli-archaeologists-find-treasure-trove-among-mediterranean-shipwrecks
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/early-christian-symbol/
https://hypebeast.com/2021/12/isreali-divers-shipwreck-caesarea-antiquities
http://www.archaeology.org/news/10247-211223-israel-shipwrecks-coins

More on the 1900 years bp sarcophagus lid found in a garbage dump in Ashkelon:

https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/12/21/antiquities-inspectors-find-1900-year-old-sarcophagus-lid-in-dump/

More on the Roman military diploma excavated in Slovakia:

https://spectator.sme.sk/c/22807426/ancient-diploma-found-by-archaeologists-in-bratislava.html
http://www.archaeology.org/news/10253-211228-slovakia-military-diploma

More on Pontius Pilate being credited with the construction of an aqueduct in Jerusalem:

https://aleteia.org/2022/01/01/new-research-finds-pontius-pilate-commissioned-roman-aqueduct/

Reviewish sort of thing of some recent books on Stoicism:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/28/books/stoicism-books.html

Review of 'The Latinist':

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/the-latinist-is-the-perfect-suspense-novel-to-kick-off-your-reading-year/2021/12/31/72cb339c-6a49-11ec-96f3-b8d3be309b6e_story.html

Review of Isabel Roda's book on what the Romans have done for us:

https://elpais.com/cultura/2021-12-30/otras-cosas-que-los-romanos-han-hecho-por-nosotros-las-piscifactorias-los-envases-no-retornables-y-el-biquini.html

Classics teachers in the UK challenging the 'elitism' of Latin:

https://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/news/education/east-london-classics-summer-school-homerton-8592388

Reading University has removed a bit of Semonides from the assigned reading:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10361321/Reading-University-bosses-remove-Ancient-Greek-poem-mentions-domestic-violence.html

George Will on Socrates:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/12/31/harvard-classics-socrates-how-to-argue/

Feature on Cadiz's Phoenician past:

https://elpais.com/cultura/2021-12-27/cadiz-descifra-el-rompecabezas-de-su-pasado-fenicio.html

Feature on Stoicism:

https://newsadvance.com/opinion/columnists/commentary-feeling-despair-and-uncertainty-this-roman-stoic-philosopher-has-some-answers/article_a4fe0f33-5627-537e-8d72-d58836ed2d0f.html

Feature on the Ras il-Wardija Punic sanctuary on Gozo:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2021/12/the-ras-il-wardija-punic-sanctuary/142352

Feature on the Roman response to war elephants:

https://www.9news.com.au/world/war-elephants-ruled-until-roman-army-tactic-ended-reign-of-terror/3b1cbb72-5fb7-4b72-b0ab-821747bd0f31

Feature/tv hype on that recently-found mosaic in Rutland:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-59668728

Aragon wants to know if Petronila I is buried in the cathedral in Barcelona:

https://elpais.com/cultura/2021-12-28/aragon-quiere-saber-si-su-reina-petronila-i-esta-enterrada-en-la-catedral-de-barcelona.html

Feature on the Lighthouse of Alexandria:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/history-magazine/article/this-wonder-of-the-ancient-world-shone-brightly-for-more-than-a-thousand-years

Feature on Serbia's Felix Romuliana site:

https://www.telegraf.rs/english/3438208-a-roman-emperor-built-a-palace-in-honor-of-his-mother-the-secrets-of-serbias-felix-romuliana-site

Features on plans to mark the 1900th anniversary of Hadrian's Wall:

https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/19808505.saturnalia-part-hadrians-wall-1900-festival-celebrations/
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/dec/31/festival-to-celebrate-hadrians-wall-1900-2022

Feature on some of the major Greek colonies:

https://greekreporter.com/2021/12/28/ancient-greek-colonies/

Feature on the history of Thessaloniki:

https://greekcitytimes.com/2021/12/30/do-you-know-the-long-history-of-the-second-most-important-city-of-greece-thessaloniki/

Feature on the Zeugma mosaics:

https://greekreporter.com/2021/12/30/the-greek-mosaics-of-zeugma/

Feature on the Jockey of Artemision:

https://greekreporter.com/2021/12/31/jockey-of-artemision-greek-art-in-all-stunning-glory/

McDonald's efforts to get a restaurant near the Baths of Caracalla didn't work out:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/mcdonalds-loses-appeal-on-roman-baths-restaurant-hvkn2hfgz
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-59668728
-----
Roman Archaeology Blog:

http://romanarc.blogspot.com/

Rogueclassicism:

http://rogueclassicism.com/
============================================================
EUROPE AND THE UK (+ Ireland)
============================================================
A trove of late Bronze Age jewellery from Slovakia:

https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2021/12/trove-of-late-bronze-age-jewellery.html

New home construction in Newton St Faith revealed a series of Iron Age pits:

https://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/iron-age-pits-manor-road-newton-st-faith-8595966

Remains of a 7th century workshop associated with items found at Sutton Hoo found a short distance from the site:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10359805/Seventh-century-workshop-built-priceless-Sutton-Hoo-treasures-uncovered-archaeologists.html

A decapitated horse and assorted other items from a Merovingian era burial in Germany:

https://fox17.com/news/offbeat/ancient-decapitated-horse-discovered-next-to-rider-in-cemetery-for-elite-warriors
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/63025

An Anglo-Saxon/Medieval find of a 'strap end' depicting boxing hares found by a metal detectorist in Cambridgeshire:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-59680893

Norse runic and Latin texts found on wood from a dig in Oslo:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2021/12/norse-runic-text-found-in-oslo/142383

An 11th/12th century elite burial chamber from Ostrowite:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/01/high-status-burial-chamber-discovered-in-ostrowite/142390

Remains of a 1000 years bp garden from Soba:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2021/12/1000-year-old-garden-unearthed-in-medieval-town-of-soba/142358

A 16th-18th century gold ring with the image of a squirrel found in Cambridgeshire a year of so ago has been declared treasure:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-59673942

The 2021 'treasure finds' pieces continue to appear ... from Denbighshire:

https://www.denbighshirefreepress.co.uk/news/19789941.dozen-treasure-troves-found-denbighshire/

... and Cornwall:

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/gallery/cornwalls-fascinating-treasures-unearthed-public-6383209

... and North Yorkshire:

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/19817540.pandemic-sparks-haul-treasure-finds---york-hotspot/

... and the past decade in Shropshire:

https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/local-hubs/shrewsbury/2021/12/31/more-than-150-buried-treasure-troves-discovered-over-the-last-10-years/

More on the find of an Iron Age settlement during construction near Upton Upon Severn:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-59755844
https://www.archaeology.org/news/10250-211227-england-pottery-ditch

More on that hoard of forged coins from North Staffordshire:

https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/britains-largest-ever-hoard-forged-6403728

More on folks reaching the Faroe islands before the Vikings:

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-59683287
http://www.sci-news.com/archaeology/faroe-islands-early-human-occupation-10416.html

More on redating the beginnings of Viking-era trade:

https://arts.au.dk/en/news-and-events/news/show/artikel/solstorm-kaster-lys-over-oldtidens-handel-mellem-det-islamiske-mellemoesten-og-vikingernes-verden-1
https://www.archaeology.org/news/10252-211227-denmark-viking-ribe

There's a visitor boom at Sutton Hoo going on:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-59149937

Jersey has acquired the Le Catillon hoard:

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/63017

Suggestion that Edward V wasn't actually murdered at all (not even in 'the tower'):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/12/29/historys-greatest-whodunnit-would-ruined-solved/
https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/830/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/830/pub/830/page/19/article/254284

Feature on how well the flood barriers in Venice are working:

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/mose-venice-flood-barriers/index.html
----------
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
============================================================
Remains of a 3000 years bp bronzeware casting workshop in Zhejiang:

http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/1229/c90000-9938595.html

A cluster of 260 Warring States period burials from Henan:

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/20211230/210ba6133a794a3585072972a03c8836/c.html
http://t.m.china.org.cn/convert/c_zz6G9mAI.html
https://www.shine.cn/news/nation/2112300276/
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-01-01/Archaeologists-find-over-260-ancient-tombs-in-central-China-16sDUlrH3Ik/index.html

An Eastern Zhou dynasty high status burial from Jiangxi:

http://www.ecns.cn/hd/2021-12-27/detail-ihauemxn3937333.shtml

Recent finds from Sanxingdui are being connected with some earlier finds from 1986:

http://t.m.china.org.cn/convert/c_pS5K16RD.html

Evidence of Tang Dynasty saltworks in Tianjin:

http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/1231/c90000-9939541.html
http://t.m.china.org.cn/convert/c_qMvxKKhJ.html

Tang Dynasty Buddhist sculptures carved into a cliff in Shaanxi have been revealed:

http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/1229/c90000-9938602.html

A Ming/Qing dynasty distillery/wine making site from Hebei:

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-12-29/Massive-ancient-distillery-site-unearthed-in-N-China-s-Hebei-Province-16nLxi3pF60/index.html
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/20211228/dfac3942107a46989caa87f4d03152da/c.html
http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2021-12/28/content_77957418.htm

The eight 'coolest' archaeology/paleontology finds in China last year:

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/environment/article/3161234/alien-civilisations-and-new-human-2021s-eight

Feature on Johan Gunnar Andersson's role in popularizing Chinese archaeology:

https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1009252/how-a-swedish-geologist-kickstarted-chinas-love-of-archaeology

... and one on use of technology in Chinese archaeology:

https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1009253

... and the modern purpose of archaeology in China:

https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1009254/the-hole-at-the-heart-of-chinese-archaeology

Another reflection on the centennial of archaeology in China:

http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2021-12/29/content_77958044.htm

Megalithic/Historical era petroglyphs near the Jundu River in Kurnool:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/rare-black-rock-art-depictions-found-in-kurnool-village/article38051299.ece

A 9th century Vattezhuthu inscription from Tamil Nadu:

https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2021/dec/27/ninth-century-vattezhuthu-inscription-discovered-at-irukkangudi-in-tamil-nadus-virudhanagar-2400195.html

History students came across a 10th century (maybe) Mahavira sculpture in Pudukattai:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/students-stumble-upon-mahavira-sculpture-in-pudukottai/article38057012.ece

Concerns for monuments and inscriptions in Srisailam:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/historical-inscriptions-in-utter-neglect-at-srisailam/article38066973.ece

More on evidence of 'continued habitation' along the Saraswati River:

https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/science/discovery-of-new-archaeological-site-in-haryanas-sandhai-village-and-a-brief-look-at-the-harappan-site-of-bhirrana/2391954/

Part three of that series on the ancient history of Kashmir:

https://www.greaterkashmir.com/op-ed-2/part-iii-re-constructing-the-ancient-history-of-kashmir

============================================================
NORTH AMERICA
============================================================
More on the state of preservation of the Clotilda:

https://atlantablackstar.com/2021/12/30/researchers-hope-to-recover-artifacts-human-dna-from-mostly-intact-160-year-old-slave-ship-on-alabama-coast/

More on the latest unmarked Black cemetery identified in Clearwater:

https://www.npr.org/2021/12/20/1065178753/florida-fourth-black-cemetery-discovered
https://www.archaeology.org/news/10246-211223-florida-clearwater-cemetery

Opeddish thing arising from the dating of the arrival of Vikings in North America:

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/major-2021-viking-find-1021-illuminates-north-america-s-past-ncna1286654

Feature on the history of Yellowstone National Park:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/lost-history-yellowstone-180976518/

Restoring a 19th century garden in Ellicott City:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/how-a-garden-once-lost-to-history-is-being-brought-back-into-bloom/2021/12/21/4726e844-2629-11ec-8831-a31e7b3de188_story.html

Concerns for the condition of assorted monuments in New York City:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/29/arts/design/de-blasio-monuments-memorials-restoration.html

Funding for the Saratoga Battlefield site:

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Saratoga-Battlefield-to-get-6-6-million-upgrade-16736376.php
============================================================
CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
============================================================
Not quite sure where this one goes ... a study of the migration of the Mimbres people from New Mexico to Mexico:

https://news.unm.edu/news/newly-published-research-examines-mimbres-immigration
https://phys.org/news/2021-12-newly-published-mimbres-immigration.html

Assorted online Ancient America talks this month:

https://mikeruggerisevents.tumblr.com/
-----
Mike Ruggeri's Ancient Americas Breaking News:

http://goo.gl/1VdeA

Mike Ruggeri's Ancient Americas lecture channels on Youtube:

https://mikeruggerisyoutube.tumblr.com/

Ancient MesoAmerica News:

http://ancient-mesoamerica-news-updates.blogspot.com/
============================================================
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
============================================================
Some general top ten sorts of lists of archaeological finds in 2021:

https://www.livescience.com/biggest-archaeological-discoveries-of-2021
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/best-archaeology-discoveries-2021-2046144

... and one on 'strangest' finds:

https://greekreporter.com/2021/12/29/strangest-archaeological-finds-2021-athenian-curse/

... and one on swords and weapons found:

https://www.livescience.com/sword-and-weapon-discoveries-2021

Another botched repair ... this time a church in Spain:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/02/world/spain-church-restoration-mystery.html

Marking Kepler's 450th birthday:

https://www.dw.com/en/astronomical-anniversary-johannes-keplers-legacy/a-60228130

Feature on Louis Wain's cat art:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-59518847

Feature on the history of private libraries:

https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/the-private-library-reid-byers-book-review-an-wilson/

Feature on a document from the Terror of the French Revolution:

https://elpais.com/cultura/2021-12-29/la-polvora-que-exploto-mas-de-200-anos-despues-de-su-preparacion-para-un-atentado.html

Feature on the Els Enfarinats festival in Spain:

https://www.dw.com/en/in-pictures-the-els-enfarinats-festival-in-spain/g-60287844

On the hidden message of 'A Christmas Carol':

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/dec/28/a-christmas-carol-is-not-cosy-and-its-angry-message-should-still-haunt-us

Some reaction to AI restorations of art:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/gustav-klimt-google-digital-reconstructions/2021/12/28/4a18f61e-36a5-11ec-8be3-e14aaacfa8ac_story.html

Pondering the world's oldest sport:

https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2021/12/whats-the-oldest-sport/

On the continued use of 'horsepower':

https://www.livescience.com/what-is-horsepower

Feature on a pile of audio recordings entering the public domain:

https://www.npr.org/2021/12/30/1068580723/want-to-hear-the-first-ad-for-a-soda-recorded-a-century-ago-now-you-can

... and one on texts:

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/winnie-the-pooh-sun-also-rises-among-works-going-public-in-2022

Feature on the history of 'human zoos':

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/29/arts/design/human-zoos-africa-museum.html

Feature on Tupaia's map of the Pacific Islands:

https://knowablemagazine.org/article/society/2021/reading-pacific-navigators-mysterious-map

Some revisionism about Prohibition:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/01/real-history-prohibition-global/620929/

Review of Jonathan Gottschall, *The Story Paradox*:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/30/books/review/the-story-paradox-jonathan-gottschall.html
============================================================
CURRENT EVENTS:
============================================================
Not sure about this study linking 'Auld Lang Syne' and the Freemasons:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/dec/31/freemasonry-behind-auld-lang-syne-arm-linking-at-new-year-study-reveals
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-59838057

Feature on Watch Night:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/30/opinion/watch-night-new-years-eve.html
============================================================
MUSEUM MATTERS
============================================================
Rubens:

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/understanding-the-antique/

Ancient Greeks:

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7562088/collection-shows-the-competitive-spirit-of-ancient-greece/
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7566110/the-modern-relevance-of-the-ancient-greeks/

The Grand Egyptian Museum will be opening in the second half of 2022:

http://wam.ae/en/details/1395303006304

Artefacts of the month at assorted Egyptian museums:

https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/44/454327/Antiquities/Museums/IN-PHOTOS-Egypt;s-museums-put-on-show-Artefacts-of.aspx

The Boston MFA has opened its revamped Greece/Rome galleries:

https://pappaspost.com/boston-museum-of-fine-arts-unveils-transformed-galleries-of-ancient-greek-byzantine-artwork/

NYPL Treasures:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/28/arts/design/ny-public-library-treasures.html

Plans for a Palestinian Virtual Museum of Archaeological Objects:

https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/headlines/1866565-unesco-sweden-partner-to-establish-palestinian-virtual-museum-of-archaeological-objects

The Swedish National Museum has acquited a gold box with a portrait of Gustavus III:

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/62994

Interesting app to tour the British Museum with a focus on ten looted items in their collection:

https://hyperallergic.com/702540/an-app-guides-gives-you-the-truth-behind-10-looted-objects-in-the-british-museum/

On museums and Nazi-looted art:

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/jan/02/retrieved-after-decades-the-painting-supposedly-bought-by-the-nazis

============================================================
ON THE DNA FRONT
============================================================
On DNA preserved in archaeological sediments:

https://phys.org/news/2021-12-dna-archaeological-sediments-thousands-years.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/12/211227154312.htm
https://scitechdaily.com/how-ancient-human-and-animal-dna-is-preserved-in-archaeological-sediments-for-thousands-of-years/
http://www.sci-news.com/archaeology/cave-sediment-dna-10411.html

cf: https://www.pnas.org/content/119/1/e2113666118

... and DNA preserved in 'nit glue' from South American mummies:

https://phys.org/news/2021-12-nits-ancient-mummies-south-american.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/12/211228220818.htm
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/dec/28/how-nit-glue-could-help-answer-head-scratchers-about-our-ancestors
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/ancient-human-dna-found-in-e2-80-98nit-glue-e2-80-99-say-scientists/ar-AASfeNJ
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2021/12/nits-on-ancient-mummies-shed-light-on-south-american-ancestry/142375
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/mummies-secrets-revealed-by-ancient-dna-preserved-in-lice-cement-180979300/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/10259-211230-head-lice-dna

cf: https://academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-article/doi/10.1093/molbev/msab351/6481551

In case you missed the DNA side of the wreck of the Clotilda:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2021/12/26/dna-found-preserved-sunken-slave-ship-could-help-descendants/
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/dna-of-enslaved-africans-may-be-recovered-from-ship-ltv9zfgk9
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/12/27/last-known-slave-ship-clotilda-human-dna/9022380002/

More on DNA as evidence of large-scale migration from France to Britain some 3000 years bp:

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-59741723
https://phys.org/news/2021-12-ancient-dna-reveals-large-scale-migrations.html
https://www.archaeology.org/news/10249-211228-britain-bronze-age

... and with a drinking milk adaptation spin:

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2021/december/britons-adapted-to-drink-milk-millennium-earlier-than-Europeans.html

More on the revelations of family relationships revealed by DNA from people interred in the 5700 years bp Hazleton North long cairn:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/22/uk/worlds-oldest-family-tree-scli-scn-intl-gbr/index.html
https://www.archaeology.org/news/10248-211227-neolithic-family-tree
============================================================
THE TECHY SIDE
============================================================
I think we mentioned this project to made 3d models of Indigenous artifacts in British Museums:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/alberta/article-project-creating-3d-models-of-indigenous-artifacts-in-british-museums/
============================================================
CLIMATE MATTERS
============================================================
A study of sites in Florida threatened by climate change:

https://www.wuwf.org/2021-12-29/florida-study-documents-condition-existence-of-endangered-coastal-archaeological-sites
============================================================
TOURISTY THINGS
============================================================
Thuringia:

https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-16-states-thuringia/a-45260059
============================================================
PERFORMANCES AND MUSIC RELATED
============================================================
Antigone:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59701738

A Vivaldi opera was performed in Ferrara for the first time after it was cancelled 300 years ago by the city's archbishop:

https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-europe-arts-and-entertainment-theater-0219cfc42d6d9229b019a1c6970edb62

============================================================
CRIME BEAT
============================================================
'Miscreants' stole a statue and dug up a section of a temple in Indias Belagavi district:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hubballi/800-yr-old-shiva-temple-dug-up-for-treasure/articleshow/88641058.cms

I think we mentioned this bust of antiquities thieves caught plundering a cave in southern Judea:

https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/12/26/antiquities-thieves-busted-plundering-ancient-cave-in-southern-judea/

The Monson forgery investigations continue:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/asi-officials-visit-monsons-house/article38065665.ece

More coverage of Turkish occupation forces 'excavating' in Afrin:

http://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/829/reader/reader.html?social#!preferred/0/package/829/pub/829/page/32/article/254063
----------
conflict antiquities:

http://conflictantiquities.wordpress.com/

anonymous swiss collector:

http://www.anonymousswisscollector.com/

Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues:

http://paul-barford.blogspot.ca/

Looting Matters:

http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/

Illicit Cultural Property:

http://illicit-cultural-property.blogspot.com/

SAFE:

http://www.savingantiquities.org/blog/

============================================================
REPATRIATION AND RECOVERY
============================================================
A stolen Cybele statue was returned to Turkey:

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/kybele-returns-to-western-city-170342

A call for the return of assorted items associated with Tipu Sultan in the UK:

https://hyperallergic.com/701792/the-british-government-should-return-tipus-treasures-to-india/

200+ items from those big looted antiquities cases in New York returned to Italy:

https://www.ansa.it/english/news/general_news/2021/12/30/art-cops-bring-back-200-antiquities-from-usa_ecd0c754-3218-4337-8831-6f46ccb79d0a.html
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/italy-welcomes-home-trafficked-antiquities-from-us-museums-170466
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/italy-welcomes-home-trafficked-antiquities-from-us-museums/2021/12/30/c017ec00-6998-11ec-9390-eae241f4c8b1_story.html
https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-travel-arts-and-entertainment-new-york-museums-6f414d70326fede274a00714f95f9b1d
https://www.newsweek.com/stolen-cache-italian-antiquities-us-museums-returned-accused-trafficker-large-1664520

Turkey recovered 3000+ artifacts this year:

https://www.trtworld.com/art-culture/over-3-000-cultural-artifacts-returned-to-turkiye-this-year-53154

OpEddish thing on items Egypt would like returned:

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/12/will-egypt-manage-bring-home-all-smuggled-artifacts
============================================================
NUMISMATICA
============================================================
A study of 'dolphin coinage' from Olbia:

https://greekcitytimes.com/2021/12/30/nothing-fishy-about-ancient-greek-dolphin-money/

Feature on the top 'coin treasures' found in 2021:

https://www.livescience.com/coin-treasures-uncovered-2021

Feature on ancient pierced coins:

https://coinweek.com/ancient-coins/the-hole-truth-ancient-coins-that-were-pierced/

Feature on the coins from that pair of shipwrecks off Caesarea:

https://www.coinworld.com/news/precious-metals/coins-of-different-eras-recovered-from-shipwrecks-off-israel-s-coast

Latest e-Sylum:

http://www.coinbooks.org/v24/club_nbs_esylum_v24n52.html

------------------------

Coin Week:

http://www.coinweek.com/

============================================================
OBITUARIES
============================================================
John Padberg:

https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2021/12/30/john-padberg-obituary-omalley-jesuit-242139

An overview of assorted folks in the art world who died in 2021:

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/2021-obituaries-2049322
============================================================
AUDIO/VIDEO NEWS
============================================================
Audio News from Archaeologica:

https://www.archaeologychannel.org/audio-guide/audio-news/3127-audio-news-from-archaeologica-december-19th-through-december-25th-2021
============================================================
GENERAL ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS BLOGS
============================================================
Archaeology Magazine News Page:

http://www.archaeology.org/news/

About.com Archaeology:

http://archaeology.about.com/

Archaeology Briefs:

http://archaeologybriefs.blogspot.com/

Atlas Obscura:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/

Heritage Daily:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/

Sapiens Archaeology:

https://www.sapiens.org/category/archaeology/

Taygete Atlantis excavations blogs aggregator:

http://planet.atlantides.org/taygete/
============================================================
PODCASTS/VODCASTS
============================================================
Archaeosoup:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Archaeos0up?feature=watch

Archaeology Podcast Network:

http://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/
============================================================
EXPLORATOR is a free weekly newsletter bringing you the latest
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