January 19th News

Again, the return of the Euphronios Krater and other issues around smuggled Italian art are the big stories of the day. However, there's lots of news from different perspectives and different stories today.

New stories as of 7:55 AM:

Ancient Vase Comes Home To A Hero's Welcome
The New York Times
ROME — As the restless crowd applauded, and flashbulbs popped, the Euphronios krater, at the heart of a three-decade tug of war between the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Italian government, received a hero’s welcome here on Friday...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/19/arts/design/19bowl.html?ref=world

Ancient Wine Bowl Returned To Italy
The West
A 2,500-year-old wine bowl returned to Italy by the Metropolitan Museum of Art was displayed today in a ceremony, ending a dispute over the circumstances of the artifact’s acquisition nearly four decades ago...
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=182&ContentID=55107

Met Trustee Cedes 10 Objects TO Italy
The New York Sun
The collector Shelby White has agreed to relinquish 10 antiquities that Italy claims were illegally excavated, the New York Times reported on Friday...
http://www.nysun.com/article/69815

Return Of Artifacts By Private Collector Seen As Positive Step
Newsday.com
NEW YORK - A top dealer of classical antiquities on Friday hailed a New York philanthropist's agreement to return 10 ancient objects from her private collection to Italy, saying collectors need to be more transparent about what they own...
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--nyc-lootedantiqui0118jan18,0,7620752.story

New York Collector To Return 'Looted' Antiquities
Telegraph.co.uk
A prominent New York philanthropist and art collector has agreed to return 10 classical antiquities to Italy following claims that they were looted...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/01/18/wart118.xml

Italy Unveils Returned Euphronius Vase
Associated Press
ROME (AP) — With the return of a long-sought masterpiece of antiquity, Italy on Friday trumpeted one of the successes of its campaign to recover what it says are looted treasures from museums and collectors around the world...
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5is_bcmuTOwPCXlYk6aWb_ugCT9RgD8U8GF600
This article has a three image slide-show included of the unveiling of the krater. The first image is particularly spectacular.

Italy Hails Return Of Ancient Vase From New York
Reuters UK
ROME (Reuters) - Italy proudly celebrated the return on Friday of a prized 2,500-year-old vase it says was looted and sold illegally to New York's Metropolitan Museum more than 30 years ago...
http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKL1881034620080118
The Reuters article has a five image slide-show, which opens in a new window at full size. Again there are one or two shots which show the spectacular red-figure art of the vase.

Why The Turin Shroud Is Not Authentic
Spero News
Since it first appeared in Lirey, France, in 1353, the Roman Catholic Church has encouraged the veneration of the Shroud of Turin without saying it is the actual linen sheet Joseph of Arimathea brought to the tomb of Jesus, as reported in Mark 15: 42–47...
http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=13749&t=Why+the+Turin+Shroud+is+not+authentic

Ancient Vase Returned To Italy After 26 Years
ABC News
Italy is celebrating the return of a 2,500-year-old vase that was stolen from an archaeological site in 1972...
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/19/2142137.htm?section=entertainment

Archaeologists Unearth 2,500-Year-Old Seal At Temple In Jerusalem
Daily India
Jerusalem, Jan 19: Archaeologists have excavated a 2,500 year old stone seal in the First Temple in Jerusalem's city of David, which bears the name of one of the families who acted as servants at the temple...
http://www.dailyindia.com/show/208955.php/Archaeologists-unearth-2500-year-old-seal-at-temple-in-Jerusalem

4,500-Year-Old Tomb Sheds Light On Burial Customs Of Ancient Egypts Middle Class
Thaindian News
Washington, Jan 19 (ANI): Archaeologists have unsealed the burial chamber of a 4,500 year old tomb of an Egyptian official, thus providing a rare insight into the burial customs prevalent among the middle class in ancient Egypt...
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health/4500-year-old-tomb-sheds-light-on-burial-customs-of-ancient-egypts-middle-class_10013447.html

Digging Up Roots Of Cambridge Life
Cambridge News
ARCHAEOLOGISTS digging in the grounds of a Cambridge University college have unearthed the first hard evidence the city was occupied during the Bronze Age...
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/cn_news_home/DisplayArticle.asp?id=249874

Rare Middle-Class Tomb Found From Ancient Egypt
National Geographic News
Archaeologists have unsealed the intact burial chamber of an ancient Egyptian official, providing a rare glimpse into the burial customs of the Old Kingdom's middle class...
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080118-egypt-tomb.html

January 18th News

Looted art in some form or another is the big story today.

New stories as of 6:34 AM:

Italy To Unveil 6th Century Vase
USA Today
ROME (AP) — Italy is unveiling one of the most prestigious prizes in its campaign against illegal trafficking in antiquities, a 2,500-year-old vase by Greek artist Euphronius that was returned by the Metropolitan Museum in New York...
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-01-18-italy-looted-art_N.htm

Collector Returns Art Italy Says Was Looted
The New York Times
After 18 months of intense negotiations, the New York philanthropist Shelby White has ceded 10 classical antiquities from her private collection that Italy contends were looted from its soil, the Italian culture minister confirmed this week...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/18/arts/18collect.html?ref=arts

Bust Of Roman Emperor Back In Algerian Hands
The Daily Star
ALGIERS: A marble bust of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius is back in Algerian hands, 12 years after it was stolen from a museum in the east of the country, the domestic APS news agency reported Wednesday...
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=4&Article_id=88115

Tithebarn Could Yield Medieval Treasures
Lancashire Evening Post
Medieval treasures could be buried beneath the site of Preston's £750m regeneration project, it has been claimed...
http://www.lep.co.uk/news/Tithebarn-could-yield-medieval-treasures.3687861.jp

January 17th News

The big story continues to be the identity of the Mona Lisa.

New stories as of 10:06 AM:

US and Italian Officials Seek Better Collaboration
The Art Newspaper
NEW YORK. Museum and cultural officials from Italy and the US met at the American Academy in Rome on 28 November to discuss ways to improve future collaboration...
http://www.theartnewspaper.com/article.asp?id=7373

Mona Lisa Riddle Enlightened
CCTV.com
The "Mona Lisa" revealed at last? German academics claim to have helped to solve the centuries-long mystery behind the identity of the "Mona Lisa" in Leonardo da Vinci's famous portrait...
http://www.cctv.com/program/cultureexpress/20080117/101646.shtml
This story also has a video link.

Italy's Art Squad Says Archaeological Looting Declining
PR Inside
ROME (AP) - Italy's campaign to recover allegedly looted treasures from museums and collectors worldwide is helping reduce the illegal international traffic of archaeological artifacts stolen from the country, officials said Thursday...
http://www.pr-inside.com/italy-s-art-squad-says-archaeological-looting-r392236.htm

Archaeologists' Groundbreaking Find
EADT 24
ARCHAEOLOGISTS digging in the grounds of a Cambridge University college have unearthed the first hard evidence that the area of the ancient city was occupied during the Bronze Age...
http://www.eadt.co.uk/content/eadt/news/story.aspx?brand=EADOnline&category=News&tBrand=EADOnline&tCategory=News&itemid=IPED17%20Jan%202008%2016%3A32%3A20%3A977

Stone Seal Confirms Biblical Record
The Trumpet.com
A black stone seal found in an archaeological dig in Jerusalem adds more proof to a growing mountain of tangible evidence showing the accuracy of the Bible’s account of history...
http://www.thetrumpet.com/index.php?q=4704.2969.0.0

Excavations At Karnak Temple in Egypt Might Change Its History And Landscape
Thaindian News
Cairo, Jan 17 (ANI): Egyptian archaeologists have made several important discoveries at the Karnak temple in Luxor, which might lead to reconsideration of the history and landscape of the site...
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health/excavations-at-karnak-temple-in-egypt-might-change-its-history-and-landscape_10013149.html

Mona Lisa's Identity Confirmed By Document
Discovery News
Jan. 16, 2008 -- The mystery over the identity of the woman behind Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" painting has been solved once and for all, German academics at Heidelberg University announced on Tuesday...
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/01/16/mona-lisa-identity.html
This article also contains a six image slideshow.

January 16th News

Things are pretty quiet this morning. The major story continues to be the Mona Lisa identity confirmation.

New stories as of 6:26 AM:

Mona Lisa's Identity Revealed By German Scholars
IBN Live
New Delhi: The art world's most enduring riddle has finally been solved as German art historians claim they know who the Mona Lisa is supposed to be...
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/mona-lisas-identity-reavealed-by-german-scholars/56633-19.html

Mona Lisa Descendant Just Grins And Bears It
The Star
When your family's noble history goes back 1,000 years, suddenly discovering that you're related to the woman who posed for the Mona Lisa is apparently no big deal...
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/294443

New Survey To Reveal "Britain's Atlantis"
Innovations Report
The lost city of Dunwich, Britain's own underwater 'Atlantis', which has captured the imagination of people for centuries, could be revealed for the first time with high-tech underwater sonar...
http://www.innovations-report.de/html/berichte/informationstechnologie/bericht-101320.html

Real Mona Lisa's Identity Confirmed, University Says
National Geographic News
A researcher has uncovered evidence that apparently confirms the identity of the woman behind the Mona Lisa's iconic smile, Germany's University of Heidelberg says...
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080115-AP-monalisa.html

January 15th News

There's a lot of news this morning, with the big story being the discovery of the identity of the Mona Lisa.

New stories as of 10:48 AM:

Manuscript Reveals True Identity Of Mona Lisa
Spiegel Online
The Mona Lisa's true identity has been revealed at last. Experts at Heidelberg University library say a manuscript they unearthed reveals that she was Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Florentine merchant Franceso del Giocondo...
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,528664,00.html

Three Spectacular Vases Lent By Italy To Metropolitan Museum For Four Years
Taxi Design Network
As a result of the agreement negotiated by Philippe de Montebello, Director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Ministero per I Beni Culturali e Ambientali, the Republic of Italy is lending the Metropolitan Museum three outstanding ancient Greek vases for a period of four years...
http://www.designtaxi.com/news.jsp?id=14804&monthview=0&month=1&year=2008
On a completely unrelated note, I'm cringing at the colour scheme of this site. Half the page is on a bright yellow background.

Experts Identify The Woman In Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa Painting
Cleveland Leader
The identity of the woman featured in Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" portrait, which has long been a mystery, may have finally been solved. German academics believe that they now know for certain just who the woman is...
http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/4346


Ancient Wine Artefact Returns To Rome
Decanter.com
Hundreds of museum goers said a last-day farewell Sunday to the most famous wine artefact in the vast Metropolitan Museum of Art - and perhaps America...
http://www.decanter.com/news/174012.html

German Experts Crack Mona Lisa Smile
Reuters
BERLIN (Reuters) - German academics believe they have solved the centuries-old mystery behind the identity of the "Mona Lisa" in Leonardo da Vinci's famous portrait...
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSL1179689520080114

Scribbles Identify Mona Lisa Painting Model
AHN
Heidelberg, Germany (AHN) - Marginal notes on a book at the Heidelberg University library were the keys that identified the Italian model who sat for Leonardo da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa painting. She was Lisa Gherardini, wife of Florentine merchant Francesco del Giocondo...
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7009723288

Dunwich Secrets To Be Revealed
EDP24
It was consigned to its watery grave hundreds of years ago, but now state-of-the-art underwater cameras could reveal a lost city off the north Suffolk coast for the first time...
http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=edponline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED15%20Jan%202008%2017%3A36%3A34%3A263

Tudor 'Correspondent' Text Online
BBC News
A 16th Century Welsh chronicle charting the history of England and Wales between 1066 and 1552 is now online...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/7189408.stm

Rathmolyon Residents In Bid To Halt Local Quarry Expansion
The Meath Chronicle
RATHMOLYON residents have stepped up their campaign against the proposed expansion of a quarry at Trammon following the discovery of two medieval graveyards during archaeology works...
http://www.meathchronicle.ie/story.asp?stID=1879

Wessex Archaeology Releases It's First Online Excavation Video
24 Hour Museum
Wessex Archaeology has released its first online video showing the remarkable excavation of a rare Roman coffin...
http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/nwh_gfx_en/ART53188.html
The video is embedded at the top of the article.

Ancient Tomb Art Found In Path Of Irish Highway
Kazinform
NEW YORK. January 15. KAZINFORM. Tomb engravings dating back 6,000 years are among the latest discoveries unearthed on the route of a controversial highway under construction in Ireland...
http://www.inform.kz/showarticle.php?lang=eng&id=159276
Also published at:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080114-tara-ireland.html

Archaeological Collection Discovered After Relic Hunter's Death
Radio Praha
An unusual collection of over 3,000 archaeological items was discovered two years ago in a Prague apartment whose owner died in a fire. Archaeologists who have examined the collection say it contains some unique artefacts – with very little scientific value because vital information about their origin is missing...
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/99630

Lindisfarne Gospels
The Northern Echo
ARCHAEOLOGISTS always want to know the provenance of any discovery - where it was found, its relation to other objects found on the site and so on. That is why they decry mere treasure seekers, knowing that an article loses half its significance if divorced from its context...
http://www.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/features/leader/display.var.1965824.0.lindisfarne_gospels.php

January 14th News

There are a few interesting articles today, and it seems like all of the finds are new ones, no continuations of earlier stories today.

New stories as of 4:17 PM:

Medieval artefact rescued by amateur historian
Independent.ie
A "hugely important'' medieval artefact was within minutes of being accidentally dumped before it was retrieved from builders' rubble.
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/medieval-artefact-rescued-by-amateur-historian-1265557.html

New stories as of 6:41 AM:

They Came, They Saw... And They Asked For New Underpants
Daily Mail
An archaeologist's life is often a pretty grim one, or so Robin Birley thought as he rooted through a pile of Roman sewage on a windswept fort in the wilds of Northumberland...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=508044&in_page_id=1770
Robin Birley is the archaeologist who discovered the Roman writings at Vindolanda on Hadrian's Wall. That discovery is talked about in this article, as well as the forthcoming exhibit on Hadrian.

Underwater City Could Be Revealed
BBC News
Britain's own underwater "Atlantis" could be revealed for the first time with high-tech underwater cameras...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7187239.stm

Archaeologists Find 2000 Year Old Golden Ring
Norway Post
In the county of Vestfold, archaeoligists have found a solid gold ring which they believe is around 2000 years old...
http://www.norwaypost.no/cgi-bin/norwaypost/imaker?id=115816

Search For Castle's Secret Tunnels
icWales
A NETWORK of secret tunnels could be uncovered under a Welsh town today as archaeologists start to excavate the site of a former castle and prison...
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/01/14/search-for-castle-s-secret-tunnels-91466-20347017/

January 13th News

The news today seems to be that there is no news. At least not at seven-thirty in the morning.