===========================================================
explorator 25.43 February 12, 2023
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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).

============================================================
EARLY HOMINIDS
============================================================
A 2.9 million years bp example of the 'Oldowan toolkit' from a site in Kenya (and attributed to paranthropus):

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-million-year-old-butchery-site-reopens-case.html
https://phys.org/news/2023-02-stone-age-discovery-fuels-mystery.html
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2023/february/oldest-remains-ancient-human-relative-paranthropus-suggest-possible-tool-use.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230209141458.htm
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/feb/09/discovery-ancient-stone-tools-prehistoric-mystery-whodunnit
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-64595418
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/stone-age-discovery-fuels-mystery-made-early-tools-97011778
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/09/world/first-stone-tools-hippo-scn/index.html
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/stone-age-discovery-in-kenya-fuels-mystery-of-who-made-the-earliest-tools
https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/history-and-civilisation/2023/02/3-million-year-old-stone-tools-found-and-our-ancestors-likely-didnt-make-them
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-731311
https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1242/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1242/pub/1242/page/42/article/NaN
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2023-02-10/fossils-animal-bones-stone-tools-early-hominin-east-africa/101937222
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/puzzled-archaeologists-find-stone-tools-that-don-t-match-human-remains-20230209-p5cj7j.html
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2358821-early-hominin-paranthropus-may-have-used-sophisticated-stone-tools/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/2-9-million-year-old-butchery-site-offers-window-into-the-dawn-of-stone-age-technology/146166
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/who-made-the-first-stone-toolkits-180981606/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/10/who-made-the-first-stone-tools/

cf: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abo7452
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00386-6

A cave near Lisbon provides evidence that Neanderthals were dining on crab:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-proof-neanderthals-ate-crabs-coffin.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/07/science/neanderthals-crab-portugal.html
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/neanderthals-seafood-crabs-portugal-lisbon-b2277967.html
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/07/world/neanderthal-diet-crabs-scn/index.html
https://blog.frontiersin.org/2023/02/07/proof-that-neanderthals-ate-crabs-is-another-nail-in-the-coffin-for-primitive-cave-dweller-stereotypes/
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/archaeologists-neanderthal-feast-roasted-crab-2253410
https://www.zmescience.com/science/neanderthals-were-way-more-sophisticated-than-you-think-they-even-enjoyed-a-refined-delicacy/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neanderthals-dined-on-crab-90000-years-ago-180981604/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11184-230208-neanderthal-crab-roast

Neanderthals were present on the Iberian Peninsula at Gipuzkoa much later than previously thought:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-neanderthals-longer-gipuzkoa-previously-thought.html

cf: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajpa.24694

Possible Neanderthal remains from Somerset:

https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/human-remains-found-somerset-cave-8134861

More on evidence from Germany that Neanderthals were hunting elephants:

https://www.science.org/content/article/neanderthals-lived-groups-big-enough-eat-giant-elephants
https://www.sciencealert.com/neanderthals-hunted-giant-elephants-much-larger-than-the-ones-today
https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/neanderthals-hunted-and-ate-straight-tusked-elephants
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/08/evidence-that-neanderthals-hunted-giant-elephants/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11180-230206-neanderthal-elephant-feast

More on the 1.2 million years bp obsidian workshop in Ethiopia:

https://www.livescience.com/massive-1-million-year-old-tool-workshop-in-ethiopia-made-by-clever-group-of-unknown-human-relatives
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AFRICA
============================================================
A 500 years bp pre-colonial Khoisan horn container from South Africa:

https://theconversation.com/500-year-old-horn-container-discovered-in-south-africa-sheds-light-on-pre-colonial-khoisan-medicines-199192
https://phys.org/news/2023-02-year-old-horn-south-africa-pre-colonial.html

Feature on the Pylon of the Nubian Lion Temple at Naga:

https://smarthistory.org/pylon-nubian-lion-temple-naga/
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ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
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I think we mentioned this Greco-Roman funerary complex and related finds at Gerza:

https://the-past.com/news/funerary-structure-and-fayum-portraits-unearthed/

Egypt has opened the 4000 years bp tomb of Meru on Luxor's west bank to the public:

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/egypt-opens-4000-year-old-tomb-luxors-west-bank-oldest-open-public-2023-02-09/
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-731129
https://english.alarabiya.net/life-style/travel-and-tourism/2023/02/09/Egypt-opens-4-000-year-old-tomb-on-Luxor-s-West-Bank
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/meru-tomb-luxor-egypt-open/index.html

... and more archaeological sites:

https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/487825.aspx
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/10/more-archaeological-sites-to-see-in-luxor/

... and the Djehuty and Hery tombs were 'inaugurated':

https://egyptindependent.com/photos-following-restorations-egypt-inaugurates-the-djehuty-and-hery-tombs/

More on evidence from Tell Temai of the 'Great Revolt' mentioned in the Rosetta Stone (and elsewhere):

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/01/27/where-the-swords-met-bone-archaeological-evidence-found-of-ancient-egyptian-rebellion-mentioned-on-the-rosetta-stone
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11176-230206-egypt-great-revolt

More on the 4300 years bp gold-wrapped mummified person from Saqqara:

https://theconversation.com/archaeologists-have-discovered-a-mummy-wrapped-in-gold-heres-what-it-tells-us-about-ancient-egyptian-beliefs-199155
https://phys.org/news/2023-02-archaeologists-mummy-goldhere-ancient-egyptian.html

More on the study of mummification items from an embalming workshop in Saqqara:

https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/50/1207/487732/AlAhram-Weekly/Heritage/Towards-the-secrets-of-mummification.aspx
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/egyptian-mummy-chemical-mixtures
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11181-230207-embalming-recipes-preservation

In case you missed the CT scan of a 2300 years bp mummified lad bearing 49 amulets:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/ct-scan-reveals-49-amulets-in-ancient-egyptian-mummy/146185

Concerns for the 2000 years bp Zal Castle (Afghanistan):

https://amu.tv/en/34886/

Feature on five powerful queens of the Persian Empire:

https://www.thecollector.com/ancient-persian-empire-queens/

More on that 11 000 years bp 'narrative scene' from a the Sayburc relief:

https://www.zmescience.com/science/anthropology/is-this-man-holding-his-penis-the-worlds-oldest-depiction-of-a-narrative-scene/
https://the-past.com/news/neolithic-narrative-scene-identified-in-turkey/

More on evidence of a 5000 years bp 'tavern' from Lagash:

https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/5000-year-old-tavern-iraq-archaeology-intl-scli-scn/index.html
https://www.iraqinews.com/iraq/archeologists-discover-restaurant-in-iraq-dating-back-thousands-of-years/

More on the pair of 4000 years bp cuneiform tablets written in Amorite:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/lost-canaanite-language-decoded-on-ancient-clay-tablets/146110

A tree-ring study suggests drought may have contributed to the collapse of the Hittite Empire in the 12th century BCE:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-drought-hittite-empire-collapse.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230208124227.htm
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/08/ancient-hittite-empire-tree-study-drought
https://www.timesofisrael.com/climate-change-may-explain-mysterious-collapse-of-hittite-empire-study-finds/
https://www.jpost.com/environment-and-climate-change/article-731029
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/02/08/climate-change-drought-history/
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/climate-change-may-have-toppled-hittite-empire-study-180769
https://www.rfi.fr/en/science-environment/20230209-climate-change-may-have-toppled-hittite-empire-study
https://www.zmescience.com/science/climate-change-may-be-to-blame-for-the-downfall-of-the-hittite-civilization/
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2358511-a-three-year-drought-may-have-brought-down-the-ancient-hittite-empire/
https://arkeonews.net/drought-accelerated-hittite-empires-collapse/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/09/rare-drought-coincided-with-hittite-empire-collapse/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/study-suggests-that-collapse-of-hittite-empire-was-accelerated-by-drought/146170

cf: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05693-y
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00271-2

An AI bot to work out what's on Babylonian cuneiform tablets:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/481677/Linguists-shed-new-light-on-Gilgamesh-epic-using-AI-tool
https://arkeonews.net/new-ai-tool-fragmentarium-brings-ancient-babylonian-texts-together/

Feature on the translation (by Amanda Podany) of a cuneiform tablet in the Louvre:

https://aeon.co/essays/in-the-3700-year-footsteps-of-a-king-a-barber-and-a-slave

A 1600 years bp 'Mesopotamian style' gold bead from the City of David:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/rare-1600-year-old-gold-bead-found-by-teenager-in-jerusalems-city-of-david/
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-02-08/ty-article/archaeologists-find-rare-mesopotamian-style-gold-bead-in-jerusalem/00000186-2fea-d2f6-afe6-3fef59d30000
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-730923
https://www.jns.org/everyone-was-very-excited-rare-ancient-gold-bead-uncovered-in-jerusalem/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/02/08/1600-year-old-gold-bead-unearthed-in-jerusalem-in-very-very-special-find/
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/roman-era-gold-bead/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/ornately-fashioned-gold-bead-found-in-jerusalem-park/146153
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/09/rare-gold-bead-more-than-1600-years-old-discovered-in-city-of-david/

The el-Janab Cave near Nablus has a 6000 year history of being a 'hiding place' apparently:

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-02-09/ty-article/cave-where-generations-hid-for-6-000-years-found-in-west-bank/00000186-35ec-d48c-afdf-b7ee6d1f0000

Feature on the history of the Tetragrammaton:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/inscriptions/the-history-of-the-tetragrammaton/

Feature on the archaeology of monotheistic religions in the Near East:

https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2023/02/absences-archaeology-history-monotheistic-religions

-----
This Week in the Ancient Near East Podcast:

https://thisweekintheancientneareast.podbean.com/

============================================================
ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME (AND CLASSICS)
============================================================
Etruscan terracotta votive heads from Kainua in Marzabotto:

https://www.stilearte.it/teste-votive-di-terracotta-emergono-dallarea-sacra-della-citta-etrusca-di-kainua-a-marzabotto/

Finds from various periods, including an 'ancient road' and Roman farmsteads in Devon:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-64512968
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11731397/Ancient-path-believed-built-Romans-unearthed-2-000-years.html

A Roman parade mask found by an 'amateur archaeologist' in Romania:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/roman-parade-mask-discovered-in-romania/146135

A 2nd century Roman 'helmet handle' found during excavations at Corby:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-64508603

A 2nd century or so sanctuary of Mithras from the Villa del Mitra site in Cabra (Spain):

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/1800-year-old-sanctuary-to-mithras-uncovered-by-archaeologists-in-spain-1234656474/
https://arkeonews.net/1800-year-old-sanctuary-to-mithras-discovered-in-spain/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/sanctuary-dedicated-to-mithras-found-at-the-villa-del-mitra/146138
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11185-230208-spain-villa-del-mitra

A 1600 years bp late Roman burial ground with signs of 'fear of reanimated corpses':

https://www.livescience.com/fear-of-reanimated-corpses-may-explain-mysterious-burials-at-1600-year-old-cemetery

Concerns for an 'undiscovered' Roman villa site in Trowbridge:

https://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/23308063.roman-site-near-trowbridge-threatened-plan-180-homes/
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/undiscovered-roman-villa-faces-destruction-by-developers-cg7w9mzdw

Latest finds from the dig at Hania on Crete:

https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1204402/hanias-ancient-palace-on-kastelli-hill/

Metro construction in Rome revealed a 4th century (maybe) CE gold glass of Roma:

https://www.ansa.it/english/news/2023/02/02/metro-c-works-uncover-rome-woman-symbol-of-city_77141ede-3a21-47ac-8625-f17969dc58b9.html
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/golden-glass-depicting-the-personification-of-rome-found-in-the-subway-1234657020/
https://arkeonews.net/gold-glass-roma-unearthed-in-the-excavations-of-the-rome-subway/
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66399
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11189-230209-roma-glass-image

The Getty has acquired a portrait bust of Antoninus Pius:

https://www.getty.edu/news/getty-to-acquire-ancient-portrait-bust-of-roman-emperor-antoninus-pius

More on the statue of Decius (probably) as Hercules found during sewer construction in Rome:

https://www.livescience.com/statue-of-slain-roman-emperor-dressed-as-hercules-found-near-sewer-in-rome
https://www.euronews.com/culture/2023/02/06/ancient-statue-of-hercules-discovered-during-sewage-repair-works-in-rome
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/ancient-statue-hercules-discovered-during-154044771.html
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-marble-statue-of-emperor-dressed-as-hercules-discovered-in-roman-sewer-180981602/

More on the dodecahedron found by a metal detectorist in Belgium:

https://hyperallergic.com/799191/hobbyist-with-metal-detector-discovers-enigmatic-roman-artifact/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/amateur-archaeologist-discovers-mysterious-roman-object-possibly-used-for-magic-180981582/

More on the remains of the Augustan aqueduct at Naples:

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/ancient-roman-aqueduct-found-naples-1234656532/

More on the study of Roman tiles found at a tile factory site in Corby:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-64411756
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11179-230206-roman-discarded-tiles

More on the opening of the House of the Vettii:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/art-pompeii-house-of-the-vettii

AI is being used to 'decipher' a book about Alexander the Great among the carbonized papyri from Herculaneum:

https://www.livescience.com/ai-is-deciphering-a-2000-year-old-lost-book-describing-life-after-alexander-the-great

A study finds similarities between Book of Revelation descriptions and ancient curse tablets:

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/979086
https://arkeonews.net/researchers-found-similar-descriptions-in-the-book-of-revelation-and-ancient-curse-tablets/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/book-of-revelation-has-terminology-similar-to-ancient-curse-tablets/146163

Feature on the Royal Tombs of Vegina:

https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1203939/diving-into-the-world-of-the-dead/

Houses in Pompeii are being equipped with solar panels that look like Roman terracotta tiles:

https://www.cnn.com/style/article/pompeii-dyaqua-solar-panels-tan/index.html
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/02/06/ancient-pompeii-site-installs-invisible-solar-panels-that-look-like-roman-terracotta-tiles

Plans to excavate a Roman mosaic in Colchester:

https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/23310318.red-lion-yard-roman-mosaic-to-unveiled-colchester/

Plans to 'stabilize' the Cave of San Biagio at Stabiae for touristy purposes:

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66391

Questioning the restoration of the Tralleis arch:

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/visitors-surprised-by-archs-restoration-in-tralleis-180633

Joel Christensen gave ChatGPT a homeric task:

https://neoskosmos.com/en/2023/02/07/life/do-chatbots-dream-of-electric-22heroes/

Review of Shadi Bartsch, *Plato Goes to China*:

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/china-and-the-noble-lie

Review of Lee Fratantuono, *The Battle of Actium*:

https://www.strategypage.com/bookreviews/2409

Feature on Hellenistic sculpture:

https://www.artandobject.com/news/hellenistic-sculpture-realist-art-ancient-greece

Feature on Schliemann in Turkiye:

https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/portrait/famous-travelers-to-turkiye-heinrich-schliemann-iliad-inspired-archaeologist

Feature on ancient Epidaurus:

https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/02/04/ancient-underwater-city-epidaurus/

Feature on Chicester's Roman walls:

https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/people/chichesters-roman-walls-a-brief-history-4022906

Feature on remains of a Roman bathhouse in Glasgow:

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/scotland-now/scottish-city-home-remains-ancient-29167641

Feature on how Alexander the Great became Iskandar Zulkarnain:

https://scroll.in/article/1043072/how-alexander-the-great-became-iskandar-zulkarnain-the-legendary-ancestor-of-malay-kings

Feature on Pompey's Pillar in Alexandria:

https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/places/pompeys-pillar-in-alexandria-a-majestic-monument-in-the-egyptian-city-founded-by-alexander-the-great/cid/1914286

Feature on the moving and restoration of a mosaic from Dion a few decades ago:

https://www.openculture.com/2023/02/watch-conservationists-moving-restoring-an-exquisite-ancient-greek-mosaic.html

Feature on Romans 'stealing' other peoples' divinities:

https://www.scienceabc.com/social-science/why-did-the-romans-steal-other-peoples-gods.html

Feature on Greek influence on Tolkien:

https://neoskosmos.com/en/2023/02/11/dialogue/opinion/diatribe-tolkien-and-the-greeks/

Fishbourne Roman Palace was cleaning things up:

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/environment/west-sussex-chichester-andrew-matthews-b1059497.html
https://www.thenational.scot/news/national/23314040.fishbourne-roman-palace-starts-brush-up-2-000-year-old-mosaics/

In case you were wondering why Sisyphus was trending on Twitter this week:

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/why-everyone-twitter-talking-ancient-160342997.html

The Greek PM and George Osborne apparently had 'secret meetings' about the Parthenon Marbles:

https://www.thenationalherald.com/report-says-mitsotakis-secretly-discussed-loan-of-parthenon-marbles/
https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1204434/ft-report-details-secret-meetings-between-mitsotakis-british-museum-chair-over-parthenon-marbles/
https://www.ft.com/content/aad9827f-a552-49d4-a462-06425b9f86e3
https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/10/secret-meetings-parthenon-marbles/

Feature on the law which apparently is in the way of repatriation of the sculptures:

https://observer.com/2023/02/the-uk-has-a-60-year-old-law-prohibiting-repatriation-of-art-is-that-about-to-change/

... and Greece's 'allies' in the pursuit:

https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1204146/greeces-allies-in-fight-for-parthenon-marbles/

... and assorted OpEds on the subject:

https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/02/10/michel-nobodys-learning-anything-meaningful-from-british-museums-parthenon-marbles-display-2/
https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2023/10-february/comment/columnists/paul-vallely-there-are-no-self-evident-truths-in-elgin-marbles-debate

... and another feature on the 'backstory' of how the sculptures ended up in the British Museum:

https://kottke.org/23/02/how-the-parthenon-marbles-ended-up-in-the-british-museum

Latest Pasts Imperfect newsletter:

https://pastsimperfect.substack.com/p/pasts-imperfect-2923

-----
Roman Archaeology Blog:

http://romanarc.blogspot.com/

Rogueclassicism:

http://rogueclassicism.com/
============================================================
EUROPE AND THE UK (+ Ireland)
============================================================
A 3000 years bp burial from Romania:

https://www.romania-insider.com/3000-year-old-human-skeleton-found-romania-2023
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11191-230210-romania-bronze-age

LiDAR revealed a 5th century fortress at the Castro Valente site in Spain:

https://www.livescience.com/lasers-reveal-ruins-of-5th-century-fortress-in-spanish-forest

Remains of a medieval street pavement in Estonia:

https://news.err.ee/1608880634/medieval-tallinn-street-pavement-unearthed-in-kalamaja-neighborhood

Remains of a 14th century synagogue from a building later converted to a church (and later a disco) in Utrera (Spain):

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/07/spain-former-bar-in-utrera-andalucia-confirmed-as-lost-medieval-synagogue
https://www.timesofisrael.com/archaeologists-uncover-rare-remains-of-14th-century-spanish-synagogue/
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-731153
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-02-09/ty-article-magazine/remains-of-medieval-pre-expulsion-synagogue-found-in-spain/00000186-31b5-dd52-ada6-fdff9e710000
https://apnews.com/article/spain-religion-0eb587461b0255c085ac112a90e1e4fc
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/archaeologists-uncover-rare-14th-century-spanish-synagogue-96947685
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66433
https://arkeonews.net/a-former-spanish-disco-pub-confirmed-as-lost-medieval-synagogue/

A 'treasure trove' of spices from the wreck of a 15th century ship found back in the 1960s:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-trove-spices-world-sunken-fifteenth-century.html
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-731250
https://www.newsweek.com/shipwreck-500-year-old-floating-castle-gribshunden-found-thrilling-haul-1780019

A 500 years bp burial of a possible 'anchoress' in the foundations of a medieval York church:

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/mysterious-skeleton-revealed-be-unusual-lady-anchoress-york-barbican
https://phys.org/news/2023-02-mysterious-skeleton-revealed-unusual-lady.html
https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/23307234.york-nun-lady-isabel-german-spent-life-shut-single-room/
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-64571638
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/discovered-skeleton-syphilitic-york-nun-050000759.html
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11190-230210-anchoress-skeletal-remains

cf: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0281010

Excavations of a 400 years bp palace destroyed by the Nazis in Poland have revealed plenty of artifacts in the sewage system:

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/nation-world/world/article272219173.html

More on that 2500 years bp bronze hoard found by metal detectorists in Poland:

https://scienceinpoland.pap.pl/en/news/news%2C95140%2Cplace-sacrifice-2500-years-ago-years-found-near-chelmno.html
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11182-230207-poland-bronze-sacrifice

More on Vikings travelling with their horses/dogs:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230201195426.htm
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64431142
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11178-230206-vikings-dogs-horses

More on the metal detectorist find of a pendant with connections to Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon:

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/jan/31/metal-detectorist-tudor-gold-pendant-henry-viii-katherine-of-aragon-warwickshire
https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/news/tudor-jewel-discovered/
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/pendant-henry-viii-catherine-of-aragon-found-england-metal-detector-1234656505/
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/metal-detectorist-tudor-pendant-henry-viii-2251891
https://hypebeast.com/2023/2/metal-detectorist-discovers-pendant-henry-viii-katherine-of-aragon
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11173-230203-tudor-gold-heart

More on all the prehistoric burial mounds identified across the Netherlands:

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/citizen-scientists-netherlands-find-burial-mounds-lidar-2253367

In case you missed the 17th century French aristocratic woman's gold-strengthened teeth:

https://www.livescience.com/17th-century-frenchwomans-innovative-gold-dental-work-was-likely-torturous-to-her-teeth

Plans for a dig at an Iron Age mound at Skipsea Castle in Yorkshire:

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/archaeologists-prepare-for-new-dig-to-probe-iron-age-origins-of-mound-under-skipsea-castle-in-yorkshire-4017977

Hever Castle is putting some prayer books belonging to Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn on display:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-64569913

Protection for a 19th century shipwreck of 'crockery' off the coast of Kent:

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/feb/09/wreck-of-ship-carrying-rare-ordinary-crockery-wins-protection-off-kent-coast

A project to restore the Florence Baptistery's dome mosaics:

https://apnews.com/article/italy-florence-entertainment-f7f3760db6a81462876eef2fa9f209f0
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/66416

Feature on hunter-gatherers' activities around Stonehenge:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/how-hunter-gatherers-used-the-land-around-stonehenge

Feature on 'ancient' remains found beneath a Chichester pub a few years ago:

https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/people/mystery-surrounds-ancient-discovery-beneath-the-floor-of-a-chichester-pub-4016487

Rethinking what we know about the Plague:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-plague-didnt-start-when-and-how-you-probably-think-it-did

Rethinking the cause of death of an 18th century Swiss woman (related to Boris Johnson, apparently):

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-02-07/ty-article/what-killed-the-mummified-swiss-woman-maybe-something-weve-never-seen-before/00000186-2c41-df2e-a59f-ee5b7b280000

Plans to reconstruct the Newport medieval shipwreck:

https://theconversation.com/newport-ship-after-20-years-work-experts-are-ready-to-reassemble-medieval-vessel-found-in-the-mud-198198
https://phys.org/news/2023-02-newport-ship-years-experts-ready.html

Funding to preserve the ruins of Lady Jane Grey's home:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-64572986

Germany is declining to excavate some WWI soldiers' remains from a collapsed tunnel:

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/11/europe/germany-winterberg-tunnel-wwi-soldiers-intl-scli/index.html

Digging for Britain will be talking about the bishop's monkeys at Auckland Castle:

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/23312556.auckland-castle-item-rings-bell-bishops-monkey/
----------
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
============================================================
21 Western Han Dynasty burials of possible royal subordinates from Changsha:

https://ukranews.com/en/news/912001-archaeologists-unearth-possible-subordinate-tombs-of-royal-mausoleum-in-central-china

The scale of the 1600 years bp metal working site in Zhujiaping has been revealed:

https://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/world/article272370378.html
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article272370378.html

More on that large 4th century sword from Nara:

https://www.livescience.com/7-foot-long-sword-from-4th-century-japan-may-have-protected-deceased-from-evil-spirits
https://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeologists-discover-a-massive-sword-that-protected-against-evil/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/massive-sword-and-mirror-unearthed-from-1600-year-old-burial-mound-in-japan-180981588/

Restoration work on Angkor Thom's Takav gate is complete:

http://t.m.china.org.cn/convert/c_pe6GsQ9S.html

Palaeolithic carvings/petroglyphs from Aravalis:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/stone-age-carvings-found-in-aravalis-in-gurgaon/articleshow/97628269.cms

'Prehistoric' petroglyphs from a site in Telangana:

https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/telangana/2023/feb/12/prehistoric-rock-paintings-found-in-telanganas-yadadri-district-2546693.html

Analysis of finds from Keeladi pushes the Sangam age back to 800 BCE:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/asis-keeladi-report-pushes-sangam-age-further-back-to-800-bce/article66486407.ece

Possible Gupta-era relievs from a hill site in Bhagalpur:

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/patna-news/archaeologists-find-gupta-age-carvings-on-hillock-in-bhagalpur-101676133512957.html

A 2200 years bp Tamil Brahmi inscription from Madurai:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/over-2000-year-old-inscription-found-in-tirupparankundram/article66486815.ece
https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2023/feb/09/centuries-old-tamil-brahmi-inscription-found-in-madurai-2545741.html

A 14th/15th century find of a Nagabrahma statuefrom Udupi:

https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/in-other-news/080223/rare-sculpture-of-nagabrahma-found-in-udupi-district.html

Feature on the current controversy associated with the Ramcharitmanas epic:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-64556116

Study suggests a rise in sea levels 26 000-6000 years bp drove human migration in Southeast Asia:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-prehistoric-human-migration-southeast-asia.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230206104123.htm
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/10/sea-level-rise-drove-prehistoric-human-migration-in-sea/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11186-230208-sundaland-flooding-migration
============================================================
NORTH AMERICA
============================================================
Study of the impact of climate change on early migration to the Americas:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-early-human-migration-americas-linked.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230206193957.htm

cf: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2208738120

An unexploded Civil War artillery shell find from Gettysburg:

https://thehill.com/homenews/3851040-unexploded-civil-war-era-device-found-in-gettysburg-national-military-park/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2023/02/09/artillery-gettysburg-unexploded-battlefield/
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/09/us/civil-war-shell-gettysburg-pennsylvania/index.html

A 19th century wreck of the Nucleus in Lake Superior:

https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/researchers-find-19th-century-shipwreck-lake-superior/story?id=97004710

cf: https://www.shipwreckmuseum.com/shipwreck-society-discovers-a-bad-luck-barquentine-in-the-shipwreck-coast-of-lake-superior/

Analysis of archaeological remains suggests that Stuarts Town is probably under Beaufort and not Spanish Point:

https://www.postandcourier.com/hilton-head/did-archaeologists-find-a-1684-scottish-settlement-under-beaufort-the-results-are-in/article_11b2cbbc-a326-11ed-a61e-c7dd31c0246b.html
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/archaeologists-are-closer-to-solving-the-mystery-of-missing-stuarts-town/146145

A project to map Cahokia:

https://www.brynmawr.edu/news/mapping-cahokia-will-be-largest-project-its-kind-all-americas?mibextid=uc01c0

Hurricane Ian did not damage the Manasota Key Offshore archaeological site, apparently:

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/article272434648.html

More on that 13 900 years bp bone projectile point found in 1970s Washington (state):

https://today.tamu.edu/2023/02/02/texas-am-led-research-team-identifies-oldest-bone-spear-point-in-the-americas/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11187-230208-manis-bone-point

Feature on Kate Hayfield's work in archaeology:

https://thecourier.com/news/442953/findlay-archaeologist-said-her-work-isnt-like-indiana-jones/

Feature on the diet of Ice Age First Nations folks in southern Ontario:

https://www.dispatch.com/story/opinion/columns/2023/02/12/column-ice-age-americans-may-have-dined-on-mastodons-and-maybe-dogs/69878082007/

Feature on the 1846 fight for Black voting rights in New York:

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/state-archives-ledger-show-1846-fight-black-17762691.php

cf: https://digitalcollections.archives.nysed.gov/index.php/Detail/objects/72601

Feature on the petroglyphs at Parowan Gap:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/1/22/2148710/-Come-Walk-With-Us-Parowan-Gap-UT-Petroglyphs?utm_campaign=recent

Feature on beer brewing in 19th century Albany:

https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/beverage-explorer-says-albany-riches-beer-brewing-17762050.php

Plans for John Brown's farm in the Adirondacks:

https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/stories/state-and-local-partners-build-plans-for-john-brown-farm

Feature on the Totten and Crossfield Purchase:

https://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2023/02/the-heart-of-the-adirondacks-the-totten-crossfield-purchase.html

Feature on York's activities during the Lewis and Clark expedition:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/york-a-true-american-hero-of-the-lewis-and-clark-expedition/146148

Feature on dealing with the racism 'embedded in American archaeology':

https://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/the-nature-of-things/racism-is-embedded-in-american-archaeology-q-a-with-cree-m%C3%A9tis-archaeologist-paulette-steeves-1.6739675
============================================================
CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
============================================================
Remains of 5th century CE 'elite' dwellings at Chichen Itza:

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexicos-chichen-itza-site-researchers-discover-ancient-elite-residences-2023-02-11/
https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/at-mexico-s-chichen-itza-site--researchers-discover-ancient--elite--residences/48279102

Latest finds from the Great Pyramid of Cholula site:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/new-discoveries-at-great-pyramid-of-cholula/146158

A number of circular mound Maya burials from El Naranjo:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/archaeologists-uncover-burials-with-shell-flowers-and-green-quartz-earrings/146176

-----
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 'secret letters' written by Mary, Queen of Scots while imprisoned have been decoded:

https://phys.org/news/2023-02-codebreakers-decipher-lost-letters-mary.html
https://www.livescience.com/mary-queen-of-scots-cryptic-prison-letters-finally-deciphered
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/feb/08/mary-queen-of-scots-prison-letters-finally-decoded
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64569883
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/07/world/mary-queen-of-scots-lost-letters-scn/index.html
https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1240/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1240/pub/1240/page/13/article/NaN
https://www.npr.org/2023/02/10/1155701113/mary-queen-of-scots-ciphers-prison-letters
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/codebreakers-discoverand-decipherlong-lost-letters-by-mary-queen-of-scots-180981613/

Interview with Enzo Traverso about his book *Singular Pasts: the I in Historiography*:

https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2023/02/first-person-histories-reframe-past

An appeal in that Van Gogh art case:

https://english.elpais.com/culture/2023-02-09/appeals-court-will-hear-dispute-over-control-of-van-gogh-art.html

A portrait of Abraham Lincoln ('most lifelike') has gone on display:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2023/02/10/abraham-lincoln-portrait-gallery-travers/

A mural of Washington crossing the Delaware is undergoing restoration:

https://mercerme.com/historic-mural-of-washington-crossing-the-delaware-is-rediscovered/

Leonardo appears to have had a handle on gravity:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/02/leonardo-noted-link-between-gravity-and-acceleration-centuries-before-einstein/

Feature on the Hyakumantao darani at the Beinecke:

https://www.wshu.org/connecticut-news/2023-02-10/a-1200-year-old-scroll-finds-a-home-next-to-the-gutenberg-bible

Feature on medieval attitudes toward women and their legacy:

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/02/writer-of-going-medieval-turns-her-attention-to-periods-attitudes-on-sex/

Feature on 'hidden doodles' in assorted manuscripts:

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230208-the-tech-revealing-hidden-doodles-in-old-books-and-objects

Feature on Lluis Domenech on the centennial of his death:

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2023/feb/08/barcelona-other-great-architect-lluis-domenech-i-montaner-five-best-buildings

Feature on Britain's 'most chaotic' traditions:

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230203-the-unruly-ancient-rituals-still-practised-today

Feature on the post-WWI Polish-Soviet war:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct38tp

Feature on Frances Ellen Watkins Harper:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/07/obituaries/frances-ellen-watkins-harper-overlooked.html

Windows from Notre Dame are undergoing restoration in Cologne:

https://www.dw.com/en/notre-dame-windows-undergo-restoration-in-cologne/a-64600501

Some general features on what archaeology is about:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/archaeology-today/dust-to-data/
https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/what-do-archaeologists-do/

Feature on the growing popularity of metal detecting in the UK:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/feb/05/metal-heads-the-thriving-detectorist-scene-digging-up-britains-past

More on Impressionist paintings and their connection to air pollution:

https://www.livescience.com/hazy-impressionist-landscapes-actually-depicted-smog-choked-skies-new-study-says

Review of Marion Turner, *The Wife of Bath*:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/09/books/review/the-wife-of-bath-marion-turner.html

Review of Carmela Ciuraru, *Lives of the Wives*:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/07/books/review/lives-of-the-wives-carmela-ciararu.html
============================================================
CURRENT EVENTS:
============================================================
The earthquake in Syria caused damage to the citadel of Aleppo:

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/aleppos-war-scarred-citadel-damaged-earthquake-2023-02-07/
https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/aleppo-s-war-scarred-citadel-damaged-in-earthquake/48267048
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230207-aleppo-war-scarred-citadel-damaged-in-earthquake/
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230206-quake-damages-ancient-citadel-in-syria-s-aleppo
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/earthquake-damages-ancient-citadel-in-aleppo-180694

... and other sites in Syria:

https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/turkeyearthquake/card/historic-syrian-sites-pummeled-in-earthquakes-ntQ7LvbOCMylRvFn7qpr

Turkey's Gaziantep Castle was pretty much destroyed:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64541894
https://www.thedailybeast.com/second-century-gaziantep-roman-castle-destroyed-by-huge-earthquake
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/06/fears-for-ancient-sites-after-earthquake-destroys-parts-of-gaziantep-castle-turkey
https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/06/ancient-castle-used-byzantines-destroyed-turkey-earthquake/
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/02/06/huge-earthquake-in-turkey-and-syria-devastates-heritage-sites-including-2000-year-old-castle
https://www.vice.com/en/article/93ax53/turkey-earthquake-gaziantep-castle
https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/turkey-earthquake-historic-gaziantep-castle-destroyed
https://www.newsweek.com/turkey-earthquake-gaziantep-castle-dating-back-roman-empire-collapses-1779127
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/earthquake-in-turkey-today-damages-ancient-gaziantep-castle/
https://www.npr.org/2023/02/06/1154806617/earthquake-turkey-historic-gaziantep-castle
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/gaziantep-castle-destroyed-turkey-earthquake/index.html
https://arkeonews.net/deadly-7-7-quakes-hit-turkey-destroys-historical-gaziantep-castle/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11183-230207-earthquake-gaziantep-castle

.. the Hatay Museum was damaged:

https://arkeonews.net/earthquakes-caused-slight-damage-to-hatay-archeology-museum/

... and damage to Iskenderun-Alexandretta:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/10/iskenderun-alexandretta-ancient-city-earthquake-turkey/

... and general coverage of damage to sites in Syria and Turkey:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/historic-sites-damaged-earthquakes-turkey-syria-unesco-rcna69341
https://www.rfi.fr/en/international-news/20230209-three-ancient-cities-damaged-in-turkey-syria-quake
https://today.duke.edu/2023/02/earthquake-hit-region-generosity-and-cultural-significance
https://phys.org/news/2023-02-unesco-alarm-quake-turkey-syria.html
https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1204218/concern-for-seleucid-eramonuments/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/unesco-several-world-heritage-sites-damaged-or-destroyed-in-quakes/
https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/turkiyes-rich-southeast-heritage-severely-damaged-after-quakes/news

... three historic mosques destroyed in Turkey:

https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/turkey-earthquake-iconic-mosques-destroyed

... and Gobekli Tepe escaped damage:

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/02/prehistoric-world-heritage-site-gobekli-tepe-survives-turkey-earthquakes

Comparisons of the earthquake with previous ones in the region:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-the-great-lisbon-earthquake-of-1755-tells-us-about-this-weeks-disaster-4d03c657?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/02/07/history-turkey-syria-earthquake/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWJpZCI6IjE4NjE0NDMiLCJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNjc1NzQ2MDAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNjc3MDQxOTk5LCJpYXQiOjE2NzU3NDYwMDAsImp0aSI6IjAxY2FlZDQ2LTYyNGItNDYyMC1hMzhmLTdlNDk2YjhhZjU5YSIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS93b3JsZC8yMDIzLzAyLzA3L2hpc3RvcnktdHVya2V5LXN5cmlhLWVhcnRocXVha2UvIn0.87LeGu_Ff1Xfuzf69DHMfHVOvRA88B_kN-y8rgO0Rf4

The annual Roman/history spins on Valentine's Day:

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/valentines-day-2023-origins-backgrounds-182933270.html
https://www.mainlinemedianews.com/2023/02/06/brown-te-amo-catullus-and-sentiments-of-love-from-roman-antiquity/
https://news.umanitoba.ca/lessons-on-love-from-ancient-greeks-and-taylor-swift/

... and cupid:

https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/cupid-valentines-day-origins
https://fortune.com/2023/02/08/valnetines-day-cupid-roman-god-mythology/

... and a history of Valentine's Day cards:

https://apnews.com/article/valentines-day-cards-history-1ed39b67dfb913b53e3700e415b87779
https://www.history.co.uk/articles/the-strange-history-of-valentines-day-cards

... and the heart as a symbol of love:

https://scrippsnews.com/stories/why-is-the-heart-the-symbol-of-love/
============================================================
PHILOSOPHERS AND MATTERS PHILOSOPHICAL
============================================================
Feature on Anaximander and the development of scientific thinking:

https://www.economist.com/culture/2023/02/08/anaximander-is-a-hero-in-the-development-of-scientific-thinking

Resons not to be a Stoic:

https://theconversation.com/3-reasons-not-to-be-a-stoic-and-try-nietzsche-instead-198307
============================================================
MUSEUM MATTERS
============================================================
Labyrinth ~ Knossos, Myth, and Reality:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/02/11/minoan-artifacts-oxford-museum/
https://marlborough.news/news/exploring-the-minotaur-and-the-labyrinth-at-the-ashmolean-museum/

Executions:

https://theconversation.com/what-historic-executions-in-london-can-tell-us-about-our-contemporary-appetites-for-pain-and-vulnerability-198904

Hogarth:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-64516131

Freud's Antiquity:

https://museumcrush.org/the-psychology-of-collecting-freuds-antiquity-at-the-freud-museum/

George McJunkin:

https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/highereducation/museum-introduces-exhibit-featuring-black-archaeologist-for-black-history-month/article_add8b576-a4d2-11ed-8a39-2b0d2b5485b4.html

Vermeer:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/09/arts/design/vermeer-painter-rijksmuseum-review.html?
https://apnews.com/article/new-york-city-netherlands-painting-entertainment-d0fa6bda598d22711ce9a16b2bd69c81

Leon Monet:

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/feb/07/the-other-monet-impressionists-brother-is-star-of-new-exhibition

cf: https://museeduluxembourg.fr/fr/agenda/evenement/leon-monet

Anne Boleyn:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/feb/12/anne-boleyn-reputation-as-temptress-recast-new-exhibition

On the plethora of 'blockbuster' exhibitions:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-08/vermeer-rijksmuseum-exhibition-2023-in-amsterdam-is-latest-bucket-list-art-show

The Allard Pierson Museum is doing a major provenance check of its collection:

https://nltimes.nl/2023/02/09/allard-pierson-museum-investigating-19000-archaeological-objects-obtained

Deaccessioning at the Brauer Museum of Art to fund student dorm construction is being criticized:

https://hyperallergic.com/799773/indiana-university-brauer-museum-catches-heat-for-plan-deaccession-works/

When museums bet on the Superbowl:

https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-kansas-city-art-museums-artful-super-bowl-wager/
============================================================
AUCTIONS AND SALES RELATED
============================================================
A recently-rediscovered Brueghel the Younger work is coming to auction:

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/02/07/unusually-large-brueghel-the-younger-paintingrediscovered-in-france-offered-at-paris-auction-for-600000
============================================================
THE TECHY SIDE
============================================================
Latest facial reconstruction is of a Nabataean woman:

https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/lifestyle/history-archeology-ancient-saudi-arabia-nabataea-b2276517.html
https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/reconstruction-nabataean-woman-help-understanding-000100430.html
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/saudi-arabia-nabataean-woman-archeological-discovery/index.html
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11188-230209-nabataean-woman-face

============================================================
TOURISTY THINGS
============================================================
10 archaeological sites in Greece:

https://www.thetravel.com/best-archeological-sites-in-greece/

Menorca megaliths:

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230205-menorcas-mysterious-tables-for-giants

Buddhist remains in Swabi:

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2399496/aziz-dheri-and-the-footprints-of-buddhism-in-k-p

... and Purana Qila:

https://theprint.in/features/purana-qila-is-being-dug-up-again-asi-wants-to-reach-all-the-way-to-the-mahabharata-era/1352926/
============================================================
CRIME BEAT
============================================================
Arrest of ten suspects in Sri Lanka accused of illegal excavations:

http://www.colombopage.com/archive_23A/Feb09_1675921651CH.php

More on a court upholding the charges of antiquities trafficking against a former Louvre director:

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/02/10/appeals-court-upholds-antiquities-trafficking-charges-jean-luc-martinez-jean-francois-charnier

Feature on artifact theft and sale:

https://brownpoliticalreview.org/2023/02/raiders-of-the-lost-art-brown-political-review/
----------
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
============================================================
France is returning the Djidji Ayokwe drum to the Ivory Coast:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/french-museum-returns-talking-drum-to-ivory-coast-180981577/?

Switzerland returned a 2500 years bp Chavin head to Peru:

https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start/documentation/media-releases.msg-id-92892.html

Efforts to bring Civil War items back to Vermont:

https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2023-02-07/high-school-student-leading-charge-to-bring-civil-war-artifacts-back-to-vermont

France wants the body of Napoleon III back:

https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1243/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1243/pub/1243/page/27/article/NaN

Another feature on UK items folks want back:

https://hir.harvard.edu/monarchy-and-museum-ethics/

More on returns of 14 items from the US to Italy:

https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/02/06/d-a-bragg-returns-14-stolen-antiquities-to-italy/

OpEd on the Benin Bronzes in the British Museum:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/feb/05/british-museum-benin-bronzes-nigeria

OpEd on the Guggenheim art lawsuit:

https://seattlespectator.com/2023/02/08/guggenheim-art-lawsuit-raises-questions-about-property-ethics/

Suggestion that some 'loot' plundered from Ethiopia might be in storage in Yorkshire:

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/historians-bid-to-trace-lost-loot-plundered-by-the-british-during-colonial-war-in-ethiopia-that-was-last-seen-in-leeds-general-infirmary-in-1868-4017467

A Swiss collector is wondering if some things in his collection might be Nazi loot:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/07/arts/bruno-stefanini-collection-looted-art.html

A settlement in a dispute over a looted Klimt:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/10/arts/design/ronald-lauder-klimt-painting-restitution.html
============================================================
NUMISMATICA
============================================================
Feature on Dionysus on ancient coins:

https://coinweek.com/ancient-coins/god-of-wine-dionysus-on-ancient-coins/

Latest e-Sylum:

http://www.coinbooks.org/v26/club_nbs_esylum_v26n06.html

... and the one which should appear later today:

http://www.coinbooks.org/v26/club_nbs_esylum_v26n07.html
------------------------

Coin Week:

http://www.coinweek.com/

============================================================
OBITUARIES
============================================================
Jane F Gardner:

https://blogs.reading.ac.uk/classics-at-reading/2023/02/03/professor-jane-f-gardner-1934-2023/

Robert Williamson:

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/capitalgazette/name/robert-williamson-obituary?id=42402647

============================================================
AUDIO/VIDEO NEWS
============================================================
Audio News from Archaeologica:

https://www.archaeologychannel.org/audio-guide/audio-news/3258-audio-news-from-archaeologica-january-29th-through-february-4th-2023
============================================================
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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the 'ancient world' (broadly construed: practically anything relating
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