May 30th News

There are a lot of Stonehenge stories again today. Also to be found among the day's news are stories on the Cyprus ship wreck, Chichester's Roman Baths, Chester's Roman Wall, a medieval cemetery, another story on the Viking DNA, Pharaonic ruins, and damage to Greek sites among other stories.

New stories as of 6:04 PM:

Stonehenge Used As Burial Site For Centuries, Study Finds
www.pbs.org
Britain's mysterious Stonehenge site served as a burial ground for more than 500 years, probably for a family of ancient rulers, a group of archeologists announced this week...
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/science/jan-june08/stonehenge_05-30.html

Stonehenge May Be A Royal Burial Ground
France 24
According to British scientists, Stonehenge may have been a burial ground for an ancient British royal family, as new data suggest the famous prehistoric landmark was used as a cemetery from its inception just after 3000 BC...
http://www.france24.com/en/20080530-science-stonehenge-archaeology-united-kingdom-cemetery-royalty-dynasty&navi=SCIENCES

Stonehenge A 'Domain Of The Dead'
Salisbury Journal
STONEHENGE was used as a burial ground for 500 years from when it was first built, according to new research...
http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/journalnewsindex/display.var.2309312.0.stonehenge_a_domain_of_the_dead.php

Cleopatra Bust Among Treasures Found In Egypt Temple
National Geographic News
An alabaster bust of Cleopatra and a mask that might have belonged to her lover Marc Antony are part of a slew of treasures found north of Alexandria, Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities announced on Monday...
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/05/080530-antony-cleopatra.html

Egypt Planning DNA Test For 3,500-Year-Old Mummy
Yahoo! News
CAIRO, Egypt - Egypt plans to conduct a DNA test on a 3,500-year-old mummy to determine if it is King Thutmose I, one of the most important pharaohs, the country's chief archaeologist said Thursday...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080529/ap_on_re_mi_ea/egypt_mummy_dna;_ylt=AgDYsI_Wu2gguFaNGJkhrESs0NUE

New stories as of 8:46 AM:

Cyprus Researches Millenia-Old Wine Jars In Wreck
Reuters
NICOSIA (Reuters Life!) - Archaeologists have started research into what they believe may be the oldest known ancient shipwreck off Cyprus which sank with hundreds of jars of wine on board 2,350 years ago...
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSL3090532320080530

Shipwreck's Treasures See Light Of Day
Cyprus Mail
PROFESSIONAL and amateur divers yesterday began the process of hauling up ancient urns buried onboard the Mazotos shipwreck...
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=39503&cat_id=1

Loud Music, High-Heels Damaging Ancient Sites In Greece
The Earth Times
Athens - Archaelogists have warned that stage productions, loud music, high-heels and chewing gun are inflicting irreparable damage on ancient sites across Greece, media reports said Friday...
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/209019,loud-music-high-heels-damaging-ancient-sites-in-greece.html

Stonehenge Was A Royal Burial Site, Researchers Say
Los Angeles Times
Radiocarbon dating of cremated bodies excavated from Britain's Stonehenge appears to have solved part of the ancient mystery surrounding the 5,000-year-old site: It was a burial ground for what may have been the country's first royal dynasty...
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-sci-stonehenge30-2008may30,1,7531037.story

Impossible! Scientists Retrieve Ancient Viking DNA
China View
BEIJING, May 30 (Xinhuanet) -- A team of scientists may have done what was once thought impossible by retrieving strands of ancient, authentic 1,000-year-old DNA from 10 Viking skeletons...
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/30/content_8283244.htm

Roman Baths In Chichester Surface After 17 Years
Chichester Today
Chichester's Roman baths have been uncovered for the first time in 17 years...
http://www.chichester.co.uk/chichester/Roman-baths-in-Chichester-surface.4127675.jp

Pharaonic Army HQ Found In Sinai
Afrol News
Egyptian archaeologists have unearthed the relics of an ancient Egyptian city named Tharu, dating back to the New Kingdom era (1570-1070 BC) north on the Sinai Peninsula. The ruins are believed to include a fortress that was used as army headquarters for Pharaoh Ramsis II and his successors...
http://www.afrol.com/articles/29147

Study Calls Stonehenge Cemetery
Baltimore Sun
WASHINGTON - The mysterious circular stone monument at Stonehenge was a "domain of the dead," researchers said yesterday, a burial ground downriver from a separate circle of wooden pillars that marked the "domain of the living."..
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.stonehenge30may30,0,2580274.story

Dates For Stonehenge Burials Signify Long-Term Use As Cemetery
Gazette & Herald
New radiocarbon dates of human cremation burials at Stonehenge indicate that the monument was used as a cemetery from its inception just after 3000 B.C...
http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/headlines/display.var.2308002.0.dates_for_stonehenge_burials_signify_longterm_use_as_cemetery.php

Stonehenge Used As 'Royal Burial Site'
News.com.au
ENGLAND'S Stonehenge was used as a burial site from its inception 5000 years ago and remained so for more than 500 years, says a study that may shed some light on the ancient monument...
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23785194-23109,00.html

Human Remains Explain Stonehenge Mystery
NewScientist
Theories have ranged from moon temple, to observatory, and even a UFO landing site. Stonehenge is one of the enduring landmarks of prehistoric times, but the mystery of why it was built has eluded people for centuries...
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14012-human-remains-explain-stonehenge-mystery.html?DCMP=ILC-hmts&nsref=news7_head_dn14012

Archaeology Will Delay Walls Repair
Chester Chronicle
HISTORY detectives hope to learn more about Chester’s Roman Walls following the collapse of a 30-metre section...
http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/chester-news/local-chester-news/2008/05/30/archaeology-will-delay-walls-repair-59067-20993635/

Mystery Unraveled: Stonehenge - Prehistoric Royal Burial Site
eFluxMedia
Stonehenge, the prehistoric monument that has kept archaeologists and historians on a constant quest to unravel the mysteries surrounding it, served as a burial site approximately 5,000 years ago, a new radiocarbon study shows...
http://www.efluxmedia.com/news_Mystery_Unraveled_Stonehenge_Prehistoric_Royal_Burial_Site_18274.html

Stonehenge Breakthrough
The Star
SCIENTISTS from South Yorkshire uncovered vital evidence that could help solve one of the oldest British mysteries: why Stonehenge was built...
http://www.thestar.co.uk/doncaster/Stonehenge-breakthrough.4136146.jp

Grim Discovery Under Streets Of Reepham
EDP24
A glimpse of medieval life - and death - in the heart of Norfolk has been revealed after more than 60 skeletons were found under a town centre street...
http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=edponline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED29%20May%202008%2020%3A28%3A39%3A813

Stonehenge, Marker For Dead Royalty?
Star Tribune
The circle of stones that has fascinated tourists for decades was a burial ground for nation's first line of kings, researchers say...
http://www.startribune.com/world/19375469.html?location_refer=Travel

Research: Stonehenge Was Burial site For Centuries
China View
BEIJING, May 30 (Xinhuanet) -- Prehistoric megaliths Stonehenge was from the beginning a monument to the dead, British media reported on Friday...
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/30/content_8282432.htm

Stonehenge Was Burial Ground For Elite Family, Scientists Say
Bloomberg
May 29 (Bloomberg) -- Research shows Stonehenge was probably a burial ground for an elite family who were laid to rest there for longer than previously estimated...
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=alaCjb8z18k0&refer=muse

Stonehenge Could Have Been Resting Place For Royalty
Science Daily
ScienceDaily (May 30, 2008) — Archaeologists at the University of Sheffield have revealed new radiocarbon dates of human cremation burials at Stonehenge, which indicate that the monument was used as a cemetery from its inception just after 3000 B.C. until well after the large stones went up around 2500 B.C...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080529195341.htm

Mystery Solved? Stonehenge A Religious Complex
6abc.com
May 29, 2008 -- Even after 4,500 years, Stonehenge is bathed in mystery. Was it a temple? An observatory? Something else?
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/technology&id=6173136

Stonehenge May Have Been 'The Domain Of The Dead' For Royals
Times Online
Stonehenge may have been a burial ground for an ancient royal family, British archaeologists said yesterday...
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article4029449.ece

Stonehenge 'A Long-Term Cemetery'
BBC News
Stonehenge served as a burial ground for much longer than had previously been believed, new research suggests...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7426195.stm

Bodies Reveal Stonehenge's Royal Secret
Sydney Morning Herald
RADIOCARBON dating of cremated bodies excavated from Stonehenge in Britain have solved part of the mystery of the 5000-year-old site: it was a burial ground for what might have been the country's first royal dynasty.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/bodies-reveal-stonehenges-royal-secret/2008/05/30/1211654312152.html

Stonehenge Used As Burial Site For Hundreds Of Years
AFP
WASHINGTON (AFP) — England's Stonehenge was used as a burial site from its inception 5,000 years ago and remained so for more than 500 years, says a study that may shed some light on the ancient monument...
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jUO3TIhS633b5jL6pyqLx8TuNvkg

Grave Matters As Stonehenge Secrets Revealed
Yorkshire Post
DISCOVERING the history of Stonehenge has long been a task to vex even the most committed archaeologist...
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Grave-matters-as-Stonehenge-secrets.4136107.jp

May 29th News

There's lots of news, with two big stories today as well as a number of smaller ones. The two big stories are that of the Viking DNA and also the stories of Stonehenge.

New stories as of 10:47 AM:

Researchers Retrieve Authentic Viking DNA From 1,000-Year-Old Skeletons
E! Science News
Although “Viking” literally means “pirate,” recent research has indicated that the Vikings were also traders to the fishmongers of Europe. Stereotypically, these Norsemen are usually pictured wearing a horned helmet but in a new study published in the journal PLoS ONE this week, Jørgen Dissing and colleagues from the University of Copenhagen, investigated what went under the helmet; the scientists were able to extract authentic DNA from ancient Viking skeletons, avoiding many of the problems of contamination faced by past researchers...
http://esciencenews.com/articles/2008/05/27/researchers.retrieve.authentic.viking.dna.1000.year.old.skeletons

Evidence Of Authentic DNA From Danish Viking Age Skeletons Untouched By Humans For 1,000 Years
PLoS One
Given the relative abundance of modern human DNA and the inherent impossibility for incontestable proof of authenticity, results obtained on ancient human DNA have often been questioned. The widely accepted rules regarding ancient DNA work mainly affect laboratory procedures, however, pre-laboratory contamination occurring during excavation and archaeological-/anthropological handling of human remains as well as rapid degradation of authentic DNA after excavation are major obstacles...
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0002214

DNA Retrieved From 1,000-Year-Old Vikings
LiveScience
Strands of 1,000-year-old DNA from 10 Viking skeletons have been retrieved, a team of scientists claims...
http://www.livescience.com/history/080528-viking-dna.html

Study: For Centuries Stonehenge Was A Burial Site
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — England's enigmatic Stonehenge served as a burial ground from its earliest beginnings and for several hundred years thereafter, new research indicates...
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iqofgTOoY9jVxd8Vir3t2lq-yfowD90VDFA82

Chichester Roman Baths Unearthed For New Museum Project
24 Hour Museum
Work has begun in Chichester to temporarily uncover the remains of the city’s Roman baths, which are currently buried under a car park...
http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/nwh_gfx_en/ART57757.html

Ancient Egyptian Temple Entrance Found In Nile River
National Geographic News
Archaeologists have discovered a portico, or covered entryway, of an ancient Egyptian temple beneath the surface of the Nile River...
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/05/080527-egypt-temple.html

Video: New View On Stonehenge Burials
National Geographic News
May 29, 2008—Radiocarbon dating of human remains indicate that the mysterious stone monument was used as a cemetery longer than previously thought...
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/05/080529-stonehenge-video-vin.html

Stonehenge Was Cemetery First And Foremost, Study Says
National Geographic News
The standing stones of Stonehenge were akin to giant tombstones, archaeologists announced today. The circle of massive stones may mark the cemetery of a ruling prehistoric dynasty, the experts added...
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/05/080529-stonehenge-cemetery.html

PHOTOS: Stonehenge Was "Domain Of The Dead"
National Geographic News
May 29, 2008—Stonehenge stands out against night clouds set aglow by nearby Amesbury town in an undated photo...
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/05/photogalleries/Stonehenge-photos/index.html

Ancient Egyptian City Unearthed In Sinai
Yahoo News
CAIRO, Egypt - Archaeologists exploring an old military road in the Sinai have unearthed 3,000-year-old remains from an ancient fortified city, the largest yet found in Egypt, antiquities authorities announced Wednesday...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080528/ap_on_re_mi_ea/egypt_ancient_city;_ylt=AuP3J0bS0sSLP9xqjy2NOsFvieAA

Thousand-Year-Old Lombard Warrior Skeleton Discovered Buried With Horse In Italy
Telegraph.co.uk
Italian archaeologists have discovered a perfectly preserved skeleton of a 1400-year-old Lombard warrior, buried with his horse...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2041811/Thousand-year-old-Lombard-warrior-skeleton-discovered-buried-with-horse-in-Italy.html

May 24th News

Finding real news amongst the reviews for the new Indiana Jones movie is proving a challenge.

New stories as of 8:38 AM:

Tower Unearthed At Castle Mound
Oxford Mail
Work to repair the mound at Oxford Castle has revealed a 10-sided tower that has been hidden for more than 200 years...
http://www.oxfordmail.net/news/headlines/display.var.2291571.0.tower_unearthed_at_castle_mound.php

Vandals In Attack On Stonehenge
BBC News
Suspected souvenir hunters broke into Stonehenge and vandalised the ancient monument, English Heritage has said...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/7414491.stm

May 20th News

The long weekend is over now, so back to work. It's been a quiet time in terms of archaeological/classical history news as well.

New stories as of 8:46 AM:

Time Team - Swords, Skulls And Strongholds
My Park Magazine
The Iron Age is the period of about 800 years before the Romans arrived to turn this nation of disparate tribes into a single state...
http://www.myparkmag.co.uk/articles/television/time-team-swords-skulls-and-strongholds.html

Springs Prof Revives Shroud Riddle

Denver Post
COLORADO SPRINGS — A physics professor here has resurrected the mystery of the Shroud of Turin, the fabled burial cloth of Christ that 20 years ago scientists declared a fake...
http://origin.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_9315745

Old Cobbled Street Opens New Path To Templar History
East London Advertiser
AN EARLY Victorian cobbled street more than 150 years old has been unearthed by archaeologists investigating the site of a 12th Century Knights Templar mill at the 2012 London Olympics park...
http://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/content/towerhamlets/advertiser/news/story.aspx?brand=ELAOnline&category=news&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newsela&itemid=WeED19%20May%202008%2016%3A04%3A52%3A360

Photos: Spain Drought Reveals Submerged Medieval Church
National Geographic News
May 19, 2008—Visitors walk near the newly exposed ruins of an 11th-century church, which had been the only visual evidence of the village of Sant Roma, Spain, on April 6 (top)...
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/05/080519-church-photo.html

May 16th News

It is definitely a quiet day today. Most of the articles on archaeology are about Harrison Ford. These are the only two stories I could find.

New stories as of 8:10 AM:

Rings Offer Up A Rare Glimpse Of Medieval Luxury
icWales
A PAIR of precious metal decorative rings were among a host of artefacts handed over to the National Museum of Wales...
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/05/16/rings-offer-up-a-rare-glimpse-of-medieval-luxury-91466-20919941/

Bust Of Aging Caesar Found In Rhone River
Discovery News
May 14, 2008 -- Divers trained in archaeology discovered a marble bust of an aging Caesar in the Rhone River that France's Culture Ministry said Tuesday could be the oldest known...
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/05/14/caesar-bust.html

May 14th News

There's definitely lots of news today. Makes up for the previous days quietness.

New stories as of 9:12 AM:

Divers Find Bust Of Julius Caesar In Rhone River
Telegraph.co.uk
A marble bust of Julius Caesar thought to date back to 46 B.C. has been found by divers in the Rhone River in France...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1954876/Divers-find-bust-of-Julius-Caesar-in-Rhone-River.html

Divers Haul Oldest-Ever Bust Of Caesar From Bottom Of River In France
Daily Mail
A bust of Julius Caesar found in a trove of Roman artefacts by divers in the River Rhone is the oldest ever discovered, French ministers say...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=566375&in_page_id=1811

Divers Find Ancient Bust Of Julius Caesar In French River
Earth Times
Paris - Divers have found what may be the oldest extant bust of Julius Caesar in the Rhone River near the southern French city of Arles, French media reported on Wednesday...
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205344,divers-find-ancient-bust-of-julius-caesar-in-french-river.html

Divers Find Ancient Bust Of Caesar
The Press Association
French archaeology divers have discovered a marble bust of an ageing Caesar in the Rhone river that could be the oldest known of the Roman emperor...
http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5iKVd6StZhBV-Ub2a5-gm2vUOnXkw

Divers Find Caesar Bust That May Date To 46 B.C.
Associated Press
PARIS (AP) — Divers trained in archaeology discovered a marble bust of an aging Caesar in the Rhone River that France's Culture Ministry said Tuesday could be the oldest known...
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h0ZkufRJgTLP42gP7qjF2UDt8P-wD90L3OI00
Also published at:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080514/ap_on_sc/france_caesar_bust_5;_ylt=AtogDIAlWsTdo5IaFxsC6DxFeQoB

Oldest Caesar Bust Found In River
The Australian
A BUST of Julius Caesar, believed to be the oldest representation of the Roman emperor yet known, has been found at the bottom of the River Rhone in Arles, a French town founded by him in 46 BC...
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23696620-12377,00.html

Found In River - The True Face Of Julius Caesar
Times Online
The world has been introduced to the true face of Julius Caesar with the discovery in a river in southern France of a bust sculpted in the lifetime of the Roman leader...
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3932198.ece

Bust Of Caesar Fished Out Of Rhône
EURSOC
France's cultural minister has announced an "archaeologist's dream" - a marble bust of Julius Caesar, sculpted in the Roman's lifetime, has been found in Arles, several metres below the surface of the Rhône river...
http://eursoc.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/2499/Bust_Of_Caesar_Fished_Out_Of_Rh%F4ne.html

German Archaeologists Claim They've Found Queen Of Sheba's Palace
thecheers.org
London, May 13 : Archaeologists from the University of Hamburg have claimed that they have discovered the Queen of Sheba's palace and an altar that may have once held the Ark of the Covenant in Axum, Ethiopia...
http://www.thecheers.org/news/Science/news_23231_German-archaeologists-claim-they've-found-Queen-of-Sheba's-palace-.html

Now Thetford Can See It's Treasure!
Thetford & Brandon 24
Treasures that rested underground for more than 1,500 years and were promptly whisked away to London following news of their discovery have returned home for the first time...
http://www.thetfordandbrandontimes.co.uk/content/tbtimes/whatson/story.aspx?brand=TBOnline&category=whatson&tBrand=TBonline&tCategory=whatson&itemid=NOED13%20May%202008%2018%3A24%3A35%3A240

Dead Sea Scroll Put On Rare Display In Israel
National Geographic News
One of the most important Dead Sea scrolls is going on display in Jerusalem this week—more than four decades after it was last seen by the public...
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/05/080513-AP-israel-anci.html
Also published at:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080513/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_ancient_scroll;_ylt=AkLaThWmw2EdD4e041RF225vieAA

New Archaeological Discovery In Bulgaria's Hisar
news.bg
Marble consecrated slab stone from the Rome epoch was discovered in archaeological excavations by the director of Archaeological Museum in Hisar town doctor Mitko Madjarov...
http://international.ibox.bg/news/id_1280313951

Athens Museum To Show It's Priceless Egyptian Collection For First time
The Canadian Press
ATHENS, Greece — A priceless ancient Egyptian collection opens to the public Wednesday, featuring a wooden body tag for a mummy, a stunning bronze statue of a princess, and a 3,000-year-old loaf of bread with a bite-sized chunk missing...
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jBF0fLorPGhYi21eaAsXrRdCBgYA

May 11th News

There seems to be no news stories to link to as of 7:47 AM this morning.