October 6th News

Compared to the last few days, there's quite a bit today. I find the article about Archimedes to be particularly interesting.

New stories as of 11:15 AM:

Cyprus Stings Smugglers
The Times
Nicosia - A police sting netted five people accused of trying to peddle antiquities possibly dating back millenia to a foreign buyer for tens of thousands of euros...
http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=580654

A Prayer For Archimedes
Science News Online
For seventy years, a prayer book moldered in the closet of a family in France, passed down from one generation to the next. Its mildewed parchment pages were stiff and contorted, tarnished by burn marks and waxy smudges. Behind the text of the prayers, faint Greek letters marched in lines up the page, with an occasional diagram disappearing into the spine...
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20071006/mathtrek.asp
I'm sure I've seen something about this on Nova in the past few years. Or is this an entirely new book?

Greeks Go For All The Marbles In Effort To Get Back Artifacts
Washington Post
ATHENS -- On Saturday, huge cranes will begin lifting ancient statues, carvings and architectural fragments off the Acropolis, down to a new museum built at the base of the most famous citadel in the world. For the vast majority of these stone remnants of the great age of Athens, it will be the first time they have ever left this rocky summit...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/05/AR2007100500162.html

Cypriot Police Seize Ancient Artifacts, Arrest 6 Suspected Smugglers
International Herald Tribune
NICOSIA, Cyprus: Cypriot police seized ancient gold and other artifacts dating up to 3,000 years back and arrested six suspected smugglers in a sting operation Friday, authorities said...
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/05/europe/EU-GEN-Cyprus-Illegal-Antiquities.php

Stolen Priceless Maps Seized By Police In Australia
Expatica
MADRID -AFP - Police in Australia have recovered two maps of the world by the ancient Greek astronomer and geographer Ptolemy which were stolen from Spain's national library, Spanish media reported Friday...
http://www.expatica.com/actual/article.asp?subchannel_id=81&story_id=44652

Secrets Of The Fort Unveiled
North-West Evening Mail
THE secrets of Ambleside’s Roman fort are being laid bare...
http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=550883

Earliest Scots Braved Ice Age Conditions
Discovery News
Oct. 5, 2007 — During the last ice age, Scotland was likely a desolate place covered by glaciers, but new evidence suggests intrepid settlers braved the elements by establishing a community there as early as 13,000 years ago...
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/10/05/firstscots_arc.html?category=archaeology&guid=20071005111500&dcitc=w19-502-ak-0000

Archaeologists To Survey The Nile In Search of Sunken Antiquities
Daily India
Cairo, Oct 6: An Egyptian archaeological team will track down the locations of the Nile river's ancient sunken treasures...
http://www.dailyindia.com/show/180154.php/Archaeologists-to-survey-the-Nile-in-search-of-sunken-antiquities

Mysterious Rune Stone Identified In Norway
EarthTimes
STAVANGER, Norway, Oct. 5 Archaeologists in Norway have identified a mysterious rune stone found buried under a church floor as part of a larger tombstone, a report said...
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/119637.html

October 5th News

It's an early and slow start this morning.

New stories as of 1:16 PM:

New Discoveries in Ebla
SANA
DAMASCUS, ( SANA) _ Italian renowned Archaeologist Paulo Mattieh on Thursday shed light on the most important archaeological discoveries that the Italian expedition team at the ancient site of Ebla Kingdom had discovered.
http://www.sana.org/eng/21/2007/10/04/142322.htm

New stories as of 6:33 AM:

Underwater Archaeologists Find Mediaeval Artefacts In German Lake
EUX.tv
Arendsee, Germany (dpa) - Archaeologists have made significant mediaeval finds in the northern German lake, the Arendsee, that reveal fishing activities linked to a nearby monastery...
http://www.eux.tv/article.aspx?articleId=15628

Ancient Stone Egyptian Carvings Were Made By Shepherds
New Kerala
Warsaw: Ancient carvings in the Dakhla Oasis in Egypt were made by shepherds, who lived about 5000-8000 years back, a recent study by Polish archaeologists has revealed...
http://www.newkerala.com/oct.php?action=fullnews&id=8886

Italy's Presidential Palace To Host 40 Artifacts Returned From Getty Museum
Herald Tribune
ROME: Italy's presidential palace will host an exhibit of 40 antiquities the J. Paul Getty Museum is returning as Rome reclaims treasures it says were looted from Italian territory, officials said Wednesday...
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/03/europe/EU-GEN-Italy-Looted-Antiquities.php

October 4th News

The archaeological season is winding down. It should be interesting to see what kind of stories come up through the fall and winter months.

New stories as of 11:38 AM:

Ancient World Treasure Unearthed
BBC News
After seven hot summers of digging, an Italian archaeological team believe they have discovered one of the most important sites of the ancient world...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7028330.stm
This is one to keep an eye out for next year.

Rome Reborn: An Ancient Virtual City
Times Online
In the fourth century AD, Rome was a sprawling megacity feeling secure about its prominence as the undisputed capital of the world. The recently constructed Aurelian Walls enclosed the city in a fortified embrace, strong enough to fend off any pesky barbarian invaders, the city fathers assured...
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article2583317.ece

Getty Sends 1st Of Disputed Works Back To Italy
CBC.ca
California's J. Paul Getty Museum has repatriated the first of 40 disputed artifacts and antiquities to Italy...
http://www.cbc.ca/arts/artdesign/story/2007/10/03/getty-italy-return.html

Ancient Stone Age Egyptian Carvings Were Made By Shepherds
Daily India
Warsaw, Oct 4: Ancient carvings in the Dakhla Oasis in Egypt were made by shepherds, who lived about 5000-8000 years back, a recent study by Polish archaeologists has revealed...
http://www.dailyindia.com/show/179569.php/Ancient-Stone-Age-Egyptian-carvings-were-made-by-shepherds

Spear Is Star Of Show
This Is Wiltshire
WHEN the curators of a museum offered people the chance to bring in intriguing objects they had found in the countryside to be identified by experts they did not expect such a treasure trove to turn up.
http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/news/headlines/display.var.1734250.0.spear_is_star_of_the_show.php

Archaeologists Stumble On Sensational Find
B92
Prokuplje -- Serbian archaeologists found evidence of the what could be the oldest metal workshop in all of Europe...
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/society-article.php?yyyy=2007&mm=10&dd=04&nav_category=126&nav_id=44301

October 3rd News

The semi-usual early start today.

New stories as of 8:38 PM:

Egypt To Put Tutankhamun Mummy On Display In Tomb
Reuters Africa
CAIRO, Oct 2 (Reuters Life!) - Egypt will put the mummy of the boy pharaoh Tutankhamun on display next month inside his tomb in Luxor's Valley of the Kings, allowing visitors to see his face for the first time, Egypt's chief archaeologist said on Tuesday...
http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL0215656.html

New stories as of 6:26 AM:

Alcock Uses Geography To Study Ancient Lands
The Brown Daily Herald
When most people think of archaeology, they may picture Indiana Jones exploring exotic sites and excavating lost cities. But rather than digging on her hands and knees or crawling through craggy cliffs, Susan Alcock, professor of classics and director of the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World, uses advanced technology to study the geography of ancient landscapes for clues into the behavior and movements of ancient peoples...
http://media.www.browndailyherald.com/media/storage/paper472/news/2007/10/03/CampusNews/Alcock.Uses.Geography.To.Study.Ancient.Lands-3008033.shtml

Even Without Math, Ancients Engineered Sophisticated Machines
Science Daily
Science Daily — Move over, Archimedes. A researcher at Harvard University is finding that ancient Greek craftsmen were able to engineer sophisticated machines without necessarily understanding the mathematical theory behind their construction...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071002144301.htm

Germany Lends Statue to Egypt For Show
IOL
Cairo - Egypt said on Tuesday that Germany had agreed to return a 4 500-year-old ancient Egyptian statue for a temporary exhibition at the inauguration of the new Egyptian Museum in 2011...
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=31&art_id=nw20071002214710820C888947

Dig Unearths Part Of City's Viking Times
Norwich Evening News
The secrets of Norwich's past are being unearthed as part of archaeological digs in the north of the city - where city walls which date back to the Vikings have been discovered...
http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=ENOnline&category=News&tBrand=ENOnline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED03%20Oct%202007%2010%3A07%3A47%3A457

Important Ancient Artefacts Found In Bulgaria's Perperikon
Sofia News Agency
The team of archaeologists of the famous Bulgarian Professor Nikolay Ovhcarov has unearthed three unique artefacts from the different epochs of the ancient city Perperikon, Professor Ovcharov himself announced at a Wednesday press conference...
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=85983

Roman Art From Louvre Now On Display At IMA
The Herald Bulletin
Pull that toga out of mothballs and head to the traveling exhibit at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. “Roman Art from the Louvre” opened Sunday and the special, members-only viewing invited visitors to wear their togas...
http://www.theheraldbulletin.com/peopleandplaces/local_story_275184349.html?keyword=topstory

October 2nd News

It seems to be another slow day today.

New stories as of 12:55 PM:

Excavation Work At Ephesus To Continue 'For Centuries'
Today's Zaman
Excavation work at the ancient city of Ephesus in İzmir began 138 years ago and may continue for centuries more, said director of digs at the site and head of the Austrian Archeology Institute Dr. Fritz Krinzinger...
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=123445

Even Without Math, Ancients Engineered Sophisticated Machines
EurekAlert
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., October 1, 2007�Move over, Archimedes. A researcher at Harvard University is finding that ancient Greek craftsmen were able to engineer sophisticated machines without necessarily understanding the mathematical theory behind their construction...
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-10/hu-ewm100207.php

First 4 Getty Works Return To Italy
Associated Press
ROME (AP) — Four prized artifacts from the J. Paul Getty Museum in California returned to Italy on Tuesday, the first of 40 works to be handed over by the Getty as a result of Italy's efforts to recover antiquities it says were looted and sold to museums...
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5is_bcmuTOwPCXlYk6aWb_ugCT9RgD8S15V180

October 1st News

It's a new month and there's some new stories to go with it. As to missing yesterday's update, there were power issues going on over a good portion of the day.

New stories as of 6:13 AM:

Jupiter Relief Found In Gaziantep's Dülük
Turkish Daily News
A 130-centimeter-long relief, a sculpture consisting of shapes carved on a surface so as to stand out from the background, depicting the Roman god Jupiter taking a vow with his wife Iuno Regina was found during excavations in the ancient city of Dülük in Gaziantep...
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=84385

75 Medieval Entombments Excavated In North-Western Russia
New Kerala
Moscow, Oct 1 : Russian archaeologists have found 75 ancient graves dating from the 15th to the 18th century at the excavation site of the necropolis by Nikolo-Dvorishchenskiy Cathedral in Veliki Novgorod in north-western Russia...
http://www.newkerala.com/oct.php?action=fullnews&id=7406