January 8th News

A range of new and interesting stories today. It certainly makes up for the slow days of yesterday and the day before.

New stories as of 10:21 AM:

Ancient Volcanic Ash From Mount Vesuvius Discovered In Greece
Earthtimes.org
Athens - A thick layer of ancient solidified volcanic ash, caused by the eruption of Italy's Mount Vesuvius some 18,000 years ago, has been discovered in northern Greece, newspaper reports said Tuesday. Scientists from Thessaloniki's Artistole University conducting research in the region of Lake Volvi, in northern Greece, said deposits landed in the area after the volcano erupted, spraying hot ash across Italy and into Albania and Greece, according to a report in the Greek daily Kathimerini...
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/170723.html

Virtual Reconstruction Of Roman Road Revives Ruined Monuments And Ancient Leaders
PR-Inside
ROME (AP) - All roads lead to Rome, even virtual ones.
A museum on Tuesday unveiled a virtual reconstruction of one of the bustling arteries that led into ancient Rome, allowing visitors to wander through rebuilt monuments and interact with the city's political elite...
http://www.pr-inside.com/virtual-reconstruction-of-roman-road-r376540.htm
Also published in:
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/01/08/news/Italy-Virtual-Roads-to-Rome.php

Unearthing City's Vibrant Past One Tiny Piece At A Time
Edinburgh Evening News
THE air was thick with the stench of animals, the din of horses braying and traders raising the volume as they yelled to attract custom...
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/features/Unearthing-citys-vibrant-past-.3648931.jp

Bone Ice Skates Invented By Ancient Finns, Study Says
Kazinform
NEW YORK. January 8. KAZINFORM. Ice-skating—the oldest human-powered means of transportation—was invented in Finland not for fun but for survival, according to a new study...
http://www.inform.kz/showarticle.php?lang=eng&id=159021

Rare Roman Coins Found
This Is Bath.co.uk
A rare hoard of Roman coins has been found in Bath at the site of a new city centre hotel.
Around 150 coins have so far been unearthed in the run-up to work on the new Gainsborough Hotel and Thermal Spa...
http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=163490&command=displayContent&sourceNode=163316&contentPK=19476235&folderPk=89126&pNodeId=163047

Czech Egyptologists Uncover Intact 4,500 Year-Old Tomb
Radia Praha
It’s not everyday that archaeologists can boast a discovery such as this one: the finding of a fully-intact archaeological site dating back 4,500 years. That is exactly what happened in the pyramid fields of Abusir, Egypt, where Czech experts recently opened a tomb belonging to an Egyptian dignitary. Czech experts revealed the news just a few days ago, having first thoroughly documented the state of the chamber back in November. According to experts, such a find has not been seen in 50 years...
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/99324

Did A Tsunami Wipe Out A Cradle Of Western Civilization?
Discover Magazine
The effects of the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004 are only too well known: It knocked the hell out of Aceh Province on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, leveling buildings, scattering palm trees, and wiping out entire villages. It killed more than 160,000 people in Aceh alone and displaced millions more. Similar scenes of destruction were repeated along the coasts of Southeast Asia, India, and as far west as Africa. The magnitude of the disaster shocked the world...
http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jan/did-a-tsunami-wipe-out-a-cradle-of-western-civilization

January 7th News

Another quiet day today with only the one story so far.

New stories as of 6:14 AM:

Bronze Age Treasures
24dash.com
Some of the earliest metal objects ever found in Britain have gone on display at Charnwood Museum.
Neolithic and Bronze Age jewellery, Roman glass, and Anglo-Saxon garnets are among the archaeological treasures on show in a makeover of the displays...
http://www.24dash.com/news/Communities/2008-01-07-Bronze-Age-Treasures

It's really quiet this morning. Only the one story.

New stories as of 7:52 AM:

Archaeologists Dig At Cathedral
BBC News
An archaeological dig is under way at Salisbury Cathedral to prepare for a new font to be installed as part of the 750th anniversary celebrations...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/7173889.stm

January 5th News

Much of the news today is made up of older stories, whether new articles on a story from several months ago, or more information on yesterday's stories.

New stories as of 11:13 AM:

Treasure Has A Tale To Tell
Journal Live
AN ancient pan which may have been a souvenir from Hadrian’s Wall will go on show on Tyneside today ...
http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2008/01/05/treasure-has-a-tale-to-tell-61634-20315570/

Probing Ancient Shipwrecks With DNA
Bend Weekly
Stud­y­ing an an­cient Greek ship­wreck, sci­en­tists say, they’ve found they can de­code an­cient DNA to learn about the orig­i­nal con­tents of jars sunk­en for over 2,000 years...
http://www.bendweekly.com/Science/11868.html

Greek Love: 'As If One Has Been Beamed Down Into A Painting By Watteau'
Telegraph.co.uk
Duncan Followell reveiws The Greeks and Greek Love: a Radical Reappraisal of HOmosexuality in Ancient Greece by James Davidson...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/01/05/bodav105.xml

Boy, Oh Boy
Guardian Unlimited
Oliver Taplin enjoys James Davidson's unpredictable, over-the-top, erudite and lengthy look at 'homobesottedness', The Greeks and Greek Love...
http://books.guardian.co.uk/reviews/politicsphilosophyandsociety/0,,2235425,00.html

University of Va. To Return Greek Statues
United Press International
CHARLOTTESVILLE , Va., Jan. 4 (UPI) -- The University of Virginia plans to return to Italy two ancient Greek sculptures taken from Sicily by tomb raiders and donated to the university's museum...
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Entertainment/2008/01/04/university_of_va_to_return_greek_statues/8827/

Looted Sculptures To Be Sent Home
BBC News
Two ancient sculptures of Greek goddesses dug up by looters in Sicily in 1978 are to be returned.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7172152.stm

The World's A Stage: Whitman Professor Documents Ancient Theaters
Collegenews.org
WALLA WALLA, Wash., Jan. 3, 2008 - Last year, Associate Professor of Theatre Thomas Hines received a gratifying and fairly astonishing e-mail from an excited Argentine businessman who’d decided to restore an old mas, a traditional house in Provence. He wanted Hines to know that the Whitman College professor’s online archive of ancient theaters had inspired him to build a Roman theater in the backyard of the property...
http://www.collegenews.org/x7724.xml

Scottish Water-Plant Dig Reveals Ancient Roman Fort
WaterTechOnline.com
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND — Scottish Water is moving the site of its soon-to-be-built treatment works building after preparations for its new Glencorse drinking water treatment plant revealed the remains of a 2,000-year-old Roman fort, according to a January 4 Edinburgh Evening News article...
http://www.watertechonline.com/news.asp?N_ID=68917

Bone Ice Skates Invented By Ancient Finns, Study Says
National Geographic News
Ice-skating—the oldest human-powered means of transportation—was invented in Finland not for fun but for survival, according to a new study...
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080104-first-skates.html

January 4th News

There's lots of stories today on a wide range of topics. They range from new discoveries to new information on older discoveries as well as some new museum exhibits.

New stories as of 8:35 AM:

U. Va. To Return Looted Greek Statues To Italy
WAVY.com
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) - The University of Virginia plans to return two ancient Greek sculptures to Italy nearly three decades after tomb raiders looted them from Sicily...
http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=7577082&nav=menu45_2

UVa To Return Looted Greek Statues
Daily Progress
The University of Virginia announced Thursday that it will return to Italy two ancient Greek sculptures of the goddesses Demeter and Persephone - nearly three decades after they were looted from Sicily by tomb raiders...
http://www.dailyprogress.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=CDP%2FMGArticle%2FCDP_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173354081201&path=!news

Ancient Lives Uncensored
The Courier-Mail
ANYONE looking for lessons in the history of censorship and propaganda need look no further than Pompeii...
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23001599-5003424,00.html

Ancient Roman Pan Offers Valuable Insights At Arbeia Roman Fort
24 Hour Museum
An ancient Roman pan, which was made sometime after AD 122 but was only uncovered in 2003, is to go on display at Arbeia Roman Fort on Saturday January 5 2007...
http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/nwh_gfx_en/ART52903.html
The photo at the beginning of the article is really something. The colours are incredible.

Italy: Remains Of Ancient Luxury Villas Open To Visitors In Rome
Post Gazette
ROME -- The restored ruins of two opulent Roman villas and private thermal baths have opened to the public here, equipped with a 3-D reconstruction that offers a virtual tour of the luxurious residences found in downtown Rome...
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08004/845070-37.stm

Water Plant Work Digs Up Evidence Of Roman Fort
The Scotsman
A 2000-YEAR-OLD Roman fort has been uncovered on the site of a new £60 million treatment plant for the Capital's drinking water...
http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Water-plant-work-digs-up.3641122.jp

Dwarf Gene Discovery: Explanation For Hobbit Species?
ABC News
In a discovery that could help boost understanding of a rare type of dwarfism, researchers announced today that they have found a genetic culprit for the condition...
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4080802&page=1

Archaeological Dig At Cathedral
Salisbury Journal
PREPARATIONS for this year's celebrations of Salisbury Cathedral's 750th anniversary have continued apace, with an archaeological dig taking place inside the cathedral to allow a new specially-designed font to be installed...
http://www.thisissalisbury.co.uk/display.var.1944053.0.archaeological_dig_at_cathedral.php

Climate Change Put Big Chill On Neandertals, Study Says
National Geographic News
Neandertals in western Europe were ravaged by an increasingly hostile climate rather than an invasion of modern humans, according to new research...
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080103-neanderthals.html

Neanderthals Stitched Too Little Too Late
Discovery News
Jan. 3, 2008 -- Neanderthals probably froze to death in the last ice age because rapid climate change caught them by surprise without the tools needed to make warm clothes, finds new research...
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/01/03/neanderthal-clothes.html?dcitc=w19-502-ak-0000
A second take on the new information.

Roman Camp Found At Glencorse
MidLothian Today
AN unexpected historical discovery has been made at Scottish Water's site at Glencorse, near Penicuik — a Roman marching camp nearly 2000 years old...
http://www.midlothianadvertiser.co.uk/news/Roman-camp-is-found-at.3626108.jp

New Pharahonic Mummy Found
Egypt State Information Service
Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities has stated that the mummy which had been unearthed at farms in the governorate of Al-Fayoum is Pharohnic and priceless...
http://www.sis.gov.eg/En/EgyptOnline/Culture/000001/0203000000000000000912.htm
Not much information here at all.

Grisly Discovery Of Headless Bodies Gives Insight Into Justice Saxon Style
Yorkshire Post

ONCE they were spectacular resting places to honour the dead.

But with pagan Britain's conversion to Christianity, the Bronze Age burial mounds came to be regarded with suspicion as places where devils and dragons lurked...
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Grisly-discovery-of-headless-bodies.3629080.jp

Ice Skating Born Of Necessity?
Discovery News
Jan. 2, 2008 -- Ice skating, now a winter tradition around the world, may have been invented in Scandinavia 5,000 years ago, new research suggests...
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/01/02/finland-ice-skating.html

January 3rd News

Now that the holidays are over, I'm returning to a more or less regular daily posting here.

New stories as of 8:32 AM:

Satellites Build A Picture Of The Past
Cosmos
Gone are the days of a fearless Indiana Jones battling through the jungle in search of ancient treasures. Today's archaeologists are using high-tech tools, from NASA satellites to Google Earth, do the hard work for them...
http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/1764

Race To Save Lascaux Cave Art, Prehistoric 'Sistine Chapel'
Wired
It was discovered by a dog called Robot, and has survived 17,000 years of climate change and human history. But the world's most famous cave art at Lascaux, France - dubbed prehistory's "Sistine Chapel" - could end up on a World Heritage in Danger list...
http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/01/race-to-save-la.html

France Racing To Save Lascaux Cave Paintings From Fungus
CBC.ca
The French government is taking emergency action to rescue the celebrated cave paintings of the Lascaux caverns from a fungus...
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/01/02/lascaux-caves.html

Ancient Civilization Found
CFP
Reported at the end of last year, but missed pretty much everywhere, Russian archaeologists working in Kyrgyzstan have discovered the remains of, what must have been at its time, a thriving metropolis. Estimated to be from 2,500 years ago, they were found at the bottom of Lake Issyk Kul, in the Kyrgyz mountains...
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/1194

Four Years Work - But There's A Silver Lining...
Leicester Mercury
Archaeologists have begun a four-year restoration of a piece of history that could unravel Leicestershire's Roman past...
http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=132935&command=displayContent&sourceNode=132702&contentPK=19431090&folderPk=77465&pNodeId=132393

Irish Split On Road Near Sacred Site
Marketplace
The Hill of Tara, northwest of Dublin, has a great deal of archaeological and religious significance. Now, the Irish government wants to build a four-lane highway near it. Stephen Beard reports many are protesting...
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/01/02/road_near_hill_of_tara
The story contains an audio version as well as the text of the audio.

Can Ice Age Art Survive Man's Attempt To Save It?
Times Online
The survival of the most important cave paintings in the world is in doubt because of a severe fungal infection that spread after an air-circulation system was installed to protect them, archaeologists say...
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article3118897.ece

December 28th News

Posting is likely to continue to be irregular until the New Year. At any rate, things seem to be quite quiet today.

New stories as of 9:39 AM:

Campaign To Save Cave From Damage
BBC News
An ancient cave in Herts - thought to have been used by the Knights Templar during their quest for the Holy Grail - is under threat, according to an MP...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/beds/bucks/herts/7162571.stm

Bob Hecht: Fragments Of An Antiquities Conspiracy
Scoop
Hugh Eakin’s recent "Treasure Hunt" story in The New Yorker profiling Marion True, the former Getty curator on trial in Rome for conspiracy to traffic in ancient art, devotes a column to True’s 1991 paper on the destruction of ancient cultural sites, giving the impression that the Italian government is to blame for looting half of that country’s Greek and Roman history...
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0712/S00321.htm
This is obviously only one side of a two (or more) sided debate.

The Children's Crusade
Bits of News
In Chartres, amidst the calls for knights and noblemen to go to Spain to fight against Islam, a group of shepherds led by Stephen of Cloyes one of their number, got up and started marching to deliver a letter from Christ to the King of France...
http://www.bitsofnews.com/content/view/6632/