August 2nd News

There's a wide range of stories today, most of which are entirely new, and a few which have more information about earlier stories, such as the Antikythera Mechanism.

New stories as of 8:37 AM:

Two Piers Belonging To 1st Century A.D. Unearthed In Ancient Turkish City
TopNews.in
Istanbul, August 2 : Archaeologists have unearthed two piers belonged to the first century A. D. in the ancient city of Aphrodisias in Turkey...
http://www.topnews.in/two-piers-belonging-1st-century-d-unearthed-ancient-turkish-city-256175

500 BC Greek Ship Found
Zee News
Athens, Aug 02: A 21-meters long ancient Greek ship, which archaeologists believe sank in a storm some 800 metres off the Gela coast in Greece while transporting goods from the Greek colony in Gela back to Greece in around 500 BC, has been pulled out of the seabed, where it lay for nearly 2500 years...
http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=459649&sid=ftp

Ancient Calculator Recorded Games
The Press Association
A 2,100-year-old mechanical calculator which was designed by the Greeks to carry out complex mathematical sums was also used to record the dates of the Olympic Games, researchers revealed...
http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jjR5zgNvWEQkV64py2892tU7ecKA

Ancient Greeks Used Computer To Set Date For Olympics
Chatter Shmatter
According to researchers an old mechanical brass calculator which was used by the ancient Greeks to predict solar and lunar eclipses may also have been used to set the dates for the Olympics...
http://www.chattershmatter.com/2008/08/01/ancient-greeks-used-computer-to-set-date-for-olympics/

UK Museum Gets Medieval Tool
azcentral.com
LONDON - A rare astronomy tool that helped medieval scientists tell time will remain in Britain after the British Museum scrambled to come up with the money to buy it...
http://www.azcentral.com/ent/arts/articles/2008/08/01/20080801tool.html

Ancient Palace Found In Dig On Hill
The Press And Journal
Archaeologists have uncovered ancient traces, from tiny bead ornaments to massive walls, of a forgotten prince’s palace on the slopes of Bennachie in Aberdeenshire...
http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/769194?UserKey=0

Scientists Find First Indication For Embalming In Roman Greece
Newspost Online
A team of scientists has found the first indication for embalming in Roman Greek times...
http://www.newspostonline.com/sci-tech/scientists-find-first-indication-for-embalming-in-roman-greece-20080802557

Seal Of Biblical Royal Official Found In Jerusalem
Inquirer.net
JERUSALEM—Israeli archaeologists in Jerusalem said on Friday they found the imprint of a seal that belonged to a 6th century BC official in the court of the last king of Judah who was mentioned in the Old Testament...
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20080801-152098/Seal-of-biblical-royal-official-found-in-Jerusalem

Archaeologists Find Old Testament Seal
The Australian
ISRAELI archeologists in Jerusalem have found the imprint of a seal that belonged to an 6th century BC official in the court of the last king of Judah who was mentioned in the Old Testament...
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24115029-12335,00.html

Cremated Bones Dating From 3,500 BC To 2,000 BC Unearthed In Ireland
Smashits.com
London, July 31 (ANI): Archaeologists has unearthed cremated bones thought to date from around 3,500BC to 2,000BC during a dig near Lough Fea in Ireland...
http://news.smashits.com/277930/Cremated-bones-dating-from-3-500-BC-to-2-000-BC-unearthed-in-Ireland.htm

Sailing Into Eternity
Al-Ahram Weekly
Visitors to the Giza Plateau will be able to view Khufu's second solar boat through a tiny camera 4,500 years after it was buried to ferry the king to eternity. Nevine El-Aref takes a look...
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/908/he1.htm

August 1st News

Obviously, the Greek 'computer' story is still going strong today.

New stories as of 6:54 AM:

Mechanic Computer Used By Early Greeks
EON
London- A mechanical brass type of calculator is thought now to have been used by the Ancient Greeks to predict lunar and solar eclipses...
http://www.eontarionow.com/technology/2008/08/01/mechanic-computer-used-by-early-greeks/

Turkish Forest Fires Threaten Ancient Sites
Irish Times
Turkish fire fighters backed by a dozen aircraft struggled today to extinguish fires engulfing woodlands in the coastal tourism province of Antalya and threatening sites of ancient culture, authorities said...
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0801/breaking43.htm

Greek Archaeological Site Reburied
Spero News
Three year after part of a protective roof collapsed killing a British tourist, the ancient Minoan site of Akrotiri on Santorini remains closed. Excavations have halted and the reconstruction of its roof is stuck in the wheels of bureaucracy...
http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idCategory=33&idsub=124&id=15843&t=Greek+archaeological+site+reburied

Ancient Olympic 'Computer' Calculated Dates Of Games
Information Week
Researchers announced Wednesday that a geared device dating to the second century BC was used to calculate the dates for the first Olympic games...
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2008/07/ancient_olympic.html

Turkish Forest Fires Threaten Ancient Sites
Reuters
Turkish fire fighters backed by a dozen aircraft struggled on Friday to extinguish fires engulfing woodlands in the coastal tourism province of Antalya and threatening sites of ancient culture, authorities said...
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL1350360
Also published at:
http://in.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idINL135036020080801

Ancient Graves Cause Rift Between Museum, University
Turkish Daily News
During the construction of a business and culture complex in the southern city of Antalya, some ancient graves and artifacts dating back to Roman times were found...
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=111341

Scientists Dig Up Centuries-Old Bones
Kent Online
Human bones dating back to the 13th century are to be given a “much happier ending” after being unearthed on a building site...
http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kol08/article/default.asp?article_id=45766

Vindolanda Calendar Is One Of Rarest Finds
Hexham Courant
ANOTHER glittering jewel has been added to the Roman treasure trove that is the Vindolanda fort at Bardon Mill...
http://www.hexham-courant.co.uk/news/news_at_a_glance/1.213337

Greek "Computer" Tracked Ancient Olympics, Other Games
National Geographic News
A Greek machine sometimes called the world's first computer could have helped sports fans track the cyclical schedule of ancient athletic contests—including the Olympic games, new research reports....
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/07/080730-greek-computer.html

Ancient World's "Supercomputer" Calculated Olympic Games
Yahoo! News
PARIS (AFP) - A clockwork machine hailed as the supercomputer of the ancient world provided a calendar for the Olympic Games and may have had a link with Archimedes, one of the greatest names in science, investigators believe.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080730/sc_afp/sciencehistoryastronomyoly_080730184343;_ylt=AucBIE8dzZ6iTByD_rtysfHPOrgF

Students Find Three Roman Busts
Typically Spanish
The busts date from the first and second centuries and one of Trajan is of particular interest. ..
http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_17654.shtml

First Indication For Embalming In Roman Greece
Science Daily
A Swiss-Greek research team co-lead by Dr. Frank Rühli from the Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, found evidence of embalming in Roman Greek times...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080730155631.htm

Ruins May Be Viking Hunting Outpost In Greenland
Newspost Online
Ruins recently discovered on Greenland may be the Vikings’ most northerly year-round hunting outpost on the icy island...
http://www.newspostonline.com/sci-tech/ruins-may-be-viking-hunting-outpost-in-greenland-20080731456

Skeletons Uncovered In Friary Dig
BBC News
Archaeologists in Perth have uncovered more than 50 skeletons at the site of a medieval friary...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/7533920.stm

July 30th News

There is one really big story today, the discoveries concerning the Antikythera Mechanism, and a number of smaller stories.

New stories as of 11:59 PM:

Was Ancient Greek 'Calculator' Used To Teach Astronomy?
New Scientist
INSCRIPTIONS on a mysterious 2000-year-old clockwork device suggest that the artefact was inspired by earlier devices made by the great Greek mathematician Archimedes...
http://technology.newscientist.com/article/mg19926674.300-was-ancient-greek-calculator-used-to-teach-astronomy.html?DCMP=ILC-hmts&nsref=space2_head_Was%20ancient%20Greek%20%27calculator%27%20used%20to%20teach%20astronomy

Workings Of Ancient 'Computer' Deciphered
The New York Times
After a closer examination of the Antikythera Mechanism, a surviving marvel of ancient Greek technology, scientists have found that the device not only predicted solar eclipses but also organized the calendar in the four-year cycles of the Olympiad, forerunner of the modern Olympic Games...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/science/31computer.html?ref=science

The 2000-Year-Old Greek 'Super-Computer' Used To Predict Eclipses Decades In Advance
Mail Online
The world's oldest calculator - an intricate box of dials, gears and cogs created by the Ancient Greeks more than 2,000 years ago - could predict eclipses decades in advance, a new study has shown...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1039917/The-2-000-year-old-Greek-super-used-predict-eclipses-decades-advance.html

Ancient Olympic Calculator Discovered
LiveScience
An ancient astronomy calculator appears to show the four-year cycle of the early Greek competitions that inspired today's Olympic Games...
http://www.livescience.com/history/080730-ancient-computer.html

Ancient Greek 'Computer' Displayed Olympics Calendar
Guardian.co.uk
An ancient Greek "computer" used to calculate the movements of the sun, moon and planets has been linked to Archimedes after scientists deciphered previously hidden inscriptions on the device...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/jul/30/archaeology.astronomy
This article has a particularly interesting photo. Where the other photos seem to only show part of the artifact, this one seems to display the whole thing.

Secrets Of Antikythera Mechanism, World's Oldest Calculating Machine, Revealed
Telegraph.co.uk
The secrets of the worlds oldest calculating machine are revealed today, showing that it had dials to mark the timing of eclipses and the Olympic games...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/earth/2008/07/30/scicalc130.xml
The Telegraph article is, I think, the best so far. There are three video links on the device, including how it was found. Also there are diagrams and reconstructive photos included.

New Light On The Antikythera Mechanism
About.com
In a paper to be published July 31, 2008 in the journal Nature, project members of the Antikythera Mechanism Research Project report on the latest discoveries about the writing on the dials and plates of the remarkable astronomical tool, the Antikythera Mechanism...
http://archaeology.about.com/b/2008/07/30/new-light-on-the-antikythera-mechanism.htm

2500-Year-Old Greek Ship Salvaged Off Sicily
Mathaba.net
ROME, July 28 (Xinhua) -- The 21-meter-long vessel is the best-preserved example in the world of a Greek ship constructed from pine planks "sewn" together with plant fiber, a technique described in Homer's Iliad, Italian News Agency ANSA said on Monday...
http://mathaba.net/news/?x=600140

Greeks Followed A Celestial Olympics
ScienceNews
A closer look at the Antikythera with a 3-D X-ray scan reveals inscriptions not visible before...
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/34619/title/Greeks_followed_a_celestial_Olympics

Ancient Artefacts Belong To Finder
Burton Mail
SILVER relics dating from the Dark Ages have been declared the property of the Swadlincote man who found them - because historians cannot say how they came to be in the Willington field where they were found...
http://www.burtonmail.co.uk/burtonmail-news/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=335381

Treasure Hunters' Delight At The Discovery Of Roman Coins Bounty
This Is Derbyshire
THREE treasure hunters have unearthed 62 Roman coins which date back 1,700 years...
http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/news/Treasure-hunters-delight-discovery-Roman-coins-bounty/article-242626-detail/article.html

Book: Marcus Aurelius In Love
xtra.ca
The informative introduction to this delightful book of love letters draws us into the world of the elite in Imperial Rome. Round about the year 140CE, future Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius was an almost twentysomething living with his uncle Titus at Rome's premier address, the emperor Hadrian's palace...
http://www.xtra.ca/public/viewstory.aspx?AFF_TYPE=1&STORY_ID=5134&PUB_TEMPLATE_ID=2

A Fake Famous Disc?
The New York Times
Now that we’ve disposed of the bogus “pre-Columbian” crystal skulls, we can consider a potential new hoax: the Phaistos Disc, whose purportedly ancient text has long resisted scientists’ efforts to decipher it...
http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/a-fake-famous-disc/
This article is from the New York Times "Blog" section.

Hunt For Second Stone Circle
News & Star
THE secrets of a 14th century castle and a second stone circle could soon be unveiled near Keswick...
http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/1.211963

2000-Year -Old Warrior Grave Found On Berkeley Homes And Persimmon Site
Contract Journal
A 2,000-year-old grave of an Iron Age warrior has been unearthed on a Berkeley Homes and Persimmon building site...
http://www.contractjournal.com/Articles/2008/07/29/60584/2000-year-old-warrior-grave-found-on-berkeley-homes-and-persimmon-site.html

North-East Firm Throws Light On Ancient Shipwreck
The Press And Journal
A HI-TECH underwater camera designed by an Aberdeenshire firm is being used to examine an ancient Roman shipwreck off Sicily...
http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/761049?UserKey=0

Two Egyptians Rewarded For Turning In Antiquities
The Earth Times
Cairo - Egypt's top archaeologist said Tuesday that two Egyptian citizens were rewarded for turning in two pieces of antiquities they found while each was redecorating his house in the northern Menoufiya governorate...
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/222221,two-egyptians-rewarded-for-turning-in-antiquities.html

July 28th News

It's been a quiet weekend for history related news. On the other hand, the Greek ship is rapidly becoming a big story.

New stories as of 12:41 PM:

Ancient Greek Ship Fished From Sea
ANSA
Gela, July 28 - An ancient Greek trading ship that had lain on the seabed off the coast of Gela in southern Sicily for 2,500 years was brought to the surface for the first time on Monday...
http://www.ansa.it/site/notizie/awnplus/english/news/2008-07-28_128240910.html

Greek Ship Surfaces 2,500 Years After Sinking
Monsters and Critics.com
Gela, Sicily - An ancient Greek ship returned to surface Monday some 2,500 years after it sank in the Mediterranean Sea and two decades after its wreck was discovered by divers off Sicily. ..
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1419896.php/Greek_ship_surfaces_2500_years_after_sinking
Also published at:
http://visitbulgaria.info/greek-ship-surfaces-2500-years-after-sinking
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/greek-ship-surfaces-2500-years-after-sinking_10077058.html

Acropolis Museum Awaits Missing Body Parts, Held In London
Bloomberg
July 28 (Bloomberg) -- At Athens's New Acropolis Museum, the most popular exhibit is in London...
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=aL01SM6B3NV8&refer=home

Ancient Grave Found On Bognor New Homes Site
The Argus
Land soon to become a new housing estate has yielded an unexpected treasure – a 2,000- year-old skeleton, believed to be that of a prince, a warrior or a priest...
http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/3551234.Ancient_grave_found_on_Bognor_new_homes_site/

'The Land, My Lord, Will Be Lost Forever'
Haaretz.com
"To the king my lord and my sun: These are the words of your servant, Belit-nesheti [literally, "mistress of lions/lionesses"]. I fall at the king's feet seven times over. I must tell the king that this country is witnessing [acts of] hostility and that the land of the king, my lord, will be lost forever."...
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1005648.html