July 5th News

I apologize for missing several days of posting. Partly this was due to solving problems with the new(ish) Firefox 3. Now however, everything is working properly again.

New stories as of 10:38 AM:

Ancient Greek Ship Argo Sets Sail Once Again
Gulf Times
ATHENS: A replica of the legendary ship on which Jason and his Argonauts battled various creatures to recover the Golden Fleece according to ancient mythology sailed in Greek waters yesterday and will anchor at 23 cities before ending up at the Italian port of Venice next month...
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=228189&version=1&template_id=39&parent_id=21

France Hands Over Ancient Looted Pottery To Italy
Associated Press
ROME (AP) — Italy's Culture Ministry says France has handed over 50 pieces of pottery dating back to as far as the fourth century B.C. that were looted from southern Italy...
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5is_bcmuTOwPCXlYk6aWb_ugCT9RgD91N41M00

At Last, A Declaration Of Hope For Pompeii
theage.com.au
The Italian Government has declared a state of emergency at the Pompeii archaeological site as it tries to rescue one of the world's most important cultural treasures from decades of neglect...
http://www.theage.com.au/world/at-last-a-declaration-of-hope-for-pompeii-20080705-328u.html
Also published at:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4608907a12.html
http://in.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idINIndia-34380320080704
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=aaedffcc-e424-476e-b783-1b1fb00bf559

Italy Moves To Protect Pompeii Ruins
Chicago Tribune
ROME — Italy's government moved Friday to help combat damage to the buried ancient city of Pompeii, which has been harmed by decay and inadequate management, officials said...
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-pompeii_wor_05jul05,0,6152751.story
Also published at:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jjwFyYLT-xmCK-YkaHGe8Pf8NKBAD91N6QDG8

Italy Declares Pompeii 'Emergency'
AFP
ROME (AFP) — Italy on Friday declared a "state of emergency" for the vast archaeological site of Pompeii, saying the volcano-stricken Roman city and major tourist attraction has fallen into serious disrepair...
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gOEmS5nsntYXaaGj9VEgfa66_o2g

Italy Declares State Of Emergency At Pompeii Ruins
RTTNews
(RTTNews) - Italian government on Friday declared a 'state of emergency, at the archaeological site of the ancient of Pompeii in a desperate attempt to restore and preserve the architecture and artifacts there from decay...
http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=647114&SMap=1

Astronomers Re-Date Caesar's Invasion Of Britain
SpaceRef
Researchers from Texas State University have revised the date when Julius Caesar invaded Britain in 55 BC, a transformational event in world history. Despite what most history books state, Caesar could not have landed on August 26-27...
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=25881

Italy Declares Pompeii Emergency
BBC News
The ancient city of Pompeii has fallen into such disrepair that the Italian government has declared a "state of emergency" in a bid to save the ruins...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7490735.stm

Why The Elgin Marbles Should Stay
Telegraph.co.uk
Jonathan Keates reviews Who Owns Antiquity?: Museums and the Battle Over Our Ancient Heritage by James Cuno...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/07/06/bocun106.xml

Ancient Egypt Settlement Sheds Light On Everyday Life
National Geographic News
A well-preserved mud-brick settlement in southern Egypt is providing a rare glimpse into nearly 3,000 years of ancient Egyptian daily life, archaeologists announced Tuesday. (See photos.) ...
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/07/080701-egypt-discovery.html

Photos: Rare Egyptian Mud-Brick Settlement Uncovered
National Geographic News
July 2, 2008—A remarkably intact mud-brick settlement has been partially excavated near the ancient temple at Edfu, archaeologists announced recently. ..
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/07/photogalleries/Edfu-photos/index.html

Doubt Over Date For Brit Invasion
BBC News
Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain in 55BC could not have occurred on the dates stated in most history books, a team of astronomers has claimed...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7483566.stm

Rare Roman Artifact Found Near Sicily
UPI.com
PALERMO, Italy, July 1 (UPI) -- Italian researchers say a rostrum, used by ancient Romans to ram enemy ships, was found off the coast of Sicily...
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2008/07/01/Rare_Roman_artifact_found_near_Sicily/UPI-17071214966114/

June 30th News

The news today covers all the time-periods for this list: prehistory, classical and medieval.

New stories as of 8:47 AM:

Egypt Retrieves A 2500-Year-Old Stone Relief From Bonhams Auction House In London
PR-Inside
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Egypt said Monday that it retrieved a 2,500-year-old limestone relief from London after its sale was blocked by Bonhams auction house there because it had been looted from a pharaoh's tomb...
http://www.pr-inside.com/egypt-retrieves-a-2-500-year-old-stone-r674800.htm
Also published at:
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/30/africa/ME-GEN-Egypt-Antiquities.php

Thracian Tomb Unearthed In Bulgaria
Southeast European Times
Bulgarian archaeologists discover an ancient Thracian tomb in Bulgaria. Also in the news: Greek companies use graphological analysis to hire new employees, and Macedonia inaugurates a solar energy testing lab...
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/roundup/2008/06/30/roundup-st-03

Archaeologists Piece Together Prehistoric Mann
Isle Of Man Today
AS aircraft soar into the sky, a team of archaeologists are busy piecing together the lives of prehistoric Mann...
http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/Archaeologists-piece-together-prehistoric-Mann.4235659.jp
The article has a link to both a photo slide-show and a video of the archaeological dig.

Vikings Believed That Their Dead Played Board Games On Their Way...
Top News
?
http://www.topnews.in/vikings-believed-their-dead-played-board-games-their-way-afterlife-250118
I can't get the link to work, but hopefully that's only because the site is too busy.

Cemex Find Neolithic House In Quarry
Builders Merchants Journal
Building materials group Cemex, owners of the Rugby Cement brand, have found a 5000 year old house and other prehistoric items in a quarry in Berkshire...
http://www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net/news/news.asp?id=5312&title=Cemex+find+Neolithic+house+in+quarry

Histories: Viking Longships Brought Rape, Pillage And Cod
New Scientist
Just over a thousand years ago, a Viking chieftain named Ohthere paid a visit to England and the court of King Alfred. An intrepid mariner, Ohthere told the king about his homeland in Arctic Norway, and described long sea voyages around what are now Norway and Denmark...
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19826622.400-histories-viking-longships-brought-rape-pillage-and-cod.html?DCMP=ILC-hmts&nsref=news5_head_mg19826622.400

Syria Unearths 2,300-Year-Old Pharonic Engraving
Yahoo! News
DAMASCUS (AFP) - Syrian archaeologists have unearthed a hieroglyph close to Damascus which dates back to the pharaonic period around 1,300 years BC, the official SANA news agency reported on Saturday...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080628/lf_afp/syriaarchaeology_080628171204;_ylt=ApllVQvWjNxCpX3SHGqmZ.pFeQoB

June 28th News

Things have been pretty quiet for the last couple of days.

New stories as of 9:37 AM:

Egypt Archaeologists Find Ancient Painted Coffins
Yahoo! News
CAIRO (AFP) - A team of Egyptian archaeologists have discovered several painted wooden coffins, including some dating back to the 13th century BC rule of pharaoh Ramses II...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080626/wl_mideast_afp/egyptarchaeology_080626175358;_ylt=AnR223zwBF0nd4qQ6LqRYGZFeQoB

Dig Shows Paris Is 3,000 Years Older Than First Thought
The Independent
Paris has long been known to be a very old city but its history as a settlement has just been extended by more than 3,000 years...
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/dig-shows-paris-is-3000-years-older-than-first-thought-854341.html

Biblical Text Writing May Have Poisoned Monks
Discovery News
June 27, 2008 -- Medieval bones from six different Danish cemeteries reveal that monks who wrote Biblical texts and other religious materials may have been exposed to toxic mercury, which was used to formulate just one of their ink colors: red...
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/06/27/poison-monks-mercury.html

June 24th News

The big story of the day is the dating of Homer's epic poem The Odyssey (which by default means that they've dated The Iliad as well).

New stories as of 7:21 PM:

Can An Eclipse Really Help Us Date Events In Greek Mythology?
Discover Magazine
Chinese, Greek, and many other ancient cultures left references in their texts to the sky going dark during the day, possible allusions to solar eclipses. These mentions are tantalizing clues to scientists, who think they might use those clues to date historical events...
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2008/06/24/can-an-eclipse-really-help-us-date-events-in-greek-mythology/

Odyssey Eclipse Dates Fall Of Troy
New Zealand Herald
The Odyssey is one of the great works of ancient Western literature, written eight centuries before the birth of Christ and four centuries after the fall of Troy...
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10518190

Scientists Find Date Odysseus Returned Home To Penelope
dbtechno.com
Washington (dbTechno) - Scientists think that they have managed to pin down the exact date when King Odysseus returned home from the Trojan War to his Queen Penelope...
http://www.dbtechno.com/science/2008/06/24/scientists-find-date-odysseus-returned-home-to-penelope/

Look To the Ancient Skies
Nature.com
Using a clever bit of retrospective stargazing researchers have managed to date Homer’s classic work The Odyssey. Another team has used a similar technique to shift Julius Caesar back in time by a few days...
http://blogs.nature.com/news/thegreatbeyond/2008/06/look_to_the_ancient_skies.html

"Arab" Found In Danish Iron-Age Grave
National Geographic News
An ancient Dane with Arabian genes is part of a DNA study that suggests Scandinavians of 2,000 years ago were more genetically diverse than today...
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/06/080624-arab-dane.html

How Dark Was It? A New History Of Medieval Europe
The New York Sun
How did a tiny bronze statuette of Buddha find its way to sixth-century Sweden? Why did Napoleon choose bees as his emblem when he became Emperor? These questions take us to the world that arose out of the ruins of the Western Roman Empire, when in 476 C.E. the last emperor, a boy with the big name Romulus Augustulus, was evicted from his throne by a "barbarian" (or non-Roman) general, and Byzantine emperors from the east failed to fill the gap...
http://www.nysun.com/arts/how-dark-was-it-a-new-history-of-medieval-europe/80590/

Medieval Boat Uncovered
The Advertiser
ARCHAEOLOGISTS working on the north Suffolk coast have unearthed an early medieval boat...
http://www.advertiser24.co.uk/content/advertiser24/news/story.aspx?brand=WAVOnline&category=News&tBrand=WAVOnline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED24%20Jun%202008%2009%3A17%3A05%3A467

Odysseus' Bloody Homecoming Dated To 1178 B.C.
Discovery News
June 24, 2008 -- Using clues from star and sun positions mentioned by the ancient Greek poet Homer, scholars think they have determined the date when King Odysseus returned from the Trojan War and slaughtered a group of suitors who had been pressing his wife to marry one of them...
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/06/24/homer-odysseus.html

New stories as of 8:44 AM:

The End Of An Odyssey - Homer's Epic Is Finally Pinned Down
The Independent
For years, debate has raged over Homer's epic. Now research on astronomical detail in the story of Odysseus dates its dramatic climax to one particular day...
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/the-end-of-an-odyssey--homers-epic-is-finally-pinned-down-852850.html

Ancient Games Re-Enacted
BBC News
Athletes and spectators have been re-living history in the ancient Greek stadium of Nemea, with a re-enactment of what they say are the 'true' Games...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/7470858.stm
The story is an embedded video link.

Homer's Odyssey Contains Celestial Clues Hinting At Eclipse, Claim Experts
SmasHits
Washington, June 24 (ANI): A Rockefeller University scientist says that an ancient Greek epic poem attributed to Homer, called The Odyssey, seems to be containing astronomical references that provide corroborating evidence of a total solar eclipse...
http://news.smashits.com/265166/Homer-39s-Odyssey-contains-celestial-clues-hinting-at-eclipse-claim-experts.htm

Astronomical Clues Point To Eclipse In Homer's 'Odyssey'
AFP
WASHINGTON (AFP) — Astronomical clues found in Homer's "The Odyssey" could help confirm a total solar eclipse when Odysseus returned home, providing a potentially accurate timeline for the fall of Troy, two scientists reported Monday...
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iOUsgbo-CbfcuK95LWYrbjW2oEgQ

Celestial Clues May End Ancient Debate About Eclipse In Odyssey
The Guardian
"The sun has been obliterated from the sky, and an unlucky darkness invades the world." With these words from Homer's Odyssey, the seer Theoclymenus foresaw the violent deaths of the suitors who, during the hero's spell away from home, had gathered to court his wife, Penelope...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/jun/24/spaceexploration.sciencenews

Ancient Eclipse Found In "The Odyssey," Scientists Say
National Geographic News
"The sun has perished out of heaven, and an evil mist has overspread the world."...
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/06/080623-homer-eclipse.html
It's obvious that they're using a different translation than the article above for The Guardian. It would be interesting to know which translations were used in both articles.

Odysseus' Return From Trojan War Dated
MSNBC
In the epic "Odyssey," one of the cornerstones of Western literature, the legendary Greek hero Odysseus returns to his queen Penelope after enduring 10 years of sailing the wine dark sea...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25337041/

The Odyssey Astronomically Accurate?
World Science
Schol­ars have long de­bat­ed wheth­er there are bits of truth to The Od­ys­sey—the an­cient Greek ep­ic of a king’s long sea­far­ing strug­gle to get home as he bat­tles or out­wits mon­sters...
http://www.world-science.net/othernews/080623_odyssey.htm

Homer's Odyssey Said To Document 3200-Year-Old Eclipse
Scientific American
Researchers say that references to planets and constellations in the Odyssey describe a solar eclipse that occurred in 1178 B.C., nearly three centuries before Homer is believed to have written the story. If correct, the finding would suggest that the ancient poet had a surprisingly detailed knowledge of astronomy...
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=homers-odyssey-may-document-eclipse

Is An Eclipse Mentioned In Ancient Odyssey Poem?
New Scientist Space
A solar eclipse that occurred more than 3000 years ago may be mentioned in the Odyssey, an ancient poem based on Greek mythology, a new study suggests...
http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn14191-is-an-eclipse-mentioned-in-ancient-iodysseyi-poem.html

Ancient City In Syria Provides Insight Into Structures Of Pre-Roman Hellenistic Settlements
Thaindian News
Vienna, June 24 (ANI): The discovery of an ancient city buried beneath the sands of modern-day Syria has provided evidence for a Hellenistic settlement that existed for more than six centuries extending into the time of the Roman Empire...
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/ancient-city-in-syria-provides-insight-into-structures-of-pre-roman-hellenistic-settlements_10063816.html

Roman Remains Are Revealed
Hartlepool Mail
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have unearthed more fascinating finds at a 2,000 year old Roman village...
http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/Roman-remains-are-revealed.4216038.jp

June 23rd News

There've been a few new stories over the week-end to post today.

New stories as of 8:37 AM:

Egypt, Spain To Use Underwater Robot To Search For Ancient Egyptian King Sarcophagus
Mathaba.net
A underwater robot will be used to search for the sarcophagus of ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Menkaure of more than 4,500 years ago off the Spanish coasts, the Egyptian MENA news agency reported on Saturday...
http://mathaba.net/news/?x=596150

Ancient Fenland 'Treasure' To Tell Story of Flooding
Innovations Report
New research at the University of Leicester is seeking to use a ‘treasure trove’ in the English Fenlands in order to decipher the ancient history of flooding in the region...
http://www.innovations-report.de/html/berichte/geowissenschaften/bericht-112841.html

Excitement At City Roman Baths Site
Mid Sussex Times
Archaelogists have descended on a Chichester city-centre car park to check the condition of the Roman baths buried underneath...
http://www.midsussextimes.co.uk/news/Excitement-at-city-Roman-baths.4198298.jp

New Dig Shows Neanderthals Were 'Sophisticated' Hunters
The Argus
Tools thought to have once belonged to Neanderthals have provided new insight into their lives, suggesting they were "sophisticated" huntsmen, it was revealed today...
http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/generalnews/display.var.2358540.0.new_dig_shows_neanderthals_were_sophisticated_hunters.php

'Neanderthal Tools' Found At Dig
BBC News
Dozens of tools thought to have belonged to Neanderthals have been dug up at an archaeological site called Beedings in West Sussex...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7466735.stm

Ancient Mummy Opened: Scythian Cavalier Had Bone Disease
CAIS News
An autopsy on the body of an ancient Scythian cavalier found in the Altai Mountains shows he had a degenerative bone disease for several years before he died, German scientists said Friday. The 2006 find of the preserved body and the man's rich possessions on the Mongolian side of the mountains was a scientific sensation. The Scythians were a nation of horsemen in central Asia...
http://www.cais-soas.com/news/2008/June2008/23-06.htm

June 21 News

Another relatively quiet day in the news today.

New stories as of 9:47 AM:

Ancient Greek Grave Found
ZeeNews
Athens, June 21: Greek authorities say subway construction work in the northern city of Thessaloniki has unearthed an ancient grave with a wealth of golden jewellery...
http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=450193&sid=ftp

Oldest Wheat Found In Çatalhöyük
Today's Zaman
A series of DNA analyses conducted on ancient wheat samples have led scientists to conclude that the oldest known wheat was grown in Çatalhöyük, a Neolithic settlement in southern Anatolia...
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=145271&bolum=101

Coils Of Ancient Egyptian Rope Found In Cave
Discovery News
June 20, 2008 -- The ancient Egyptian's secret to making the strongest of all rigging ropes lies in a tangle of cord coils in a cave at the Red Sea coast, according to preliminary study results presented at the recent congress of Egyptologists in Rhodes...
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/06/20/rope-cave-egyptian.html

Shipwreck Yields World's Oldest Salad Dressing
Discovery News
June 20, 2008 -- Olive oil infused with fragrant herbs has been identified in an ancient Greek ceramic transport jar known as an amphora, along with another container of what could be the world's oldest retsina-type wine, according to a recent Journal of Archaeological Science paper.
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/06/20/dna-salad-dressing.html
Somehow, I have the feeling that this is an older story being posted here. I'm sure I've seen it before. There may be new details however.

June 19th News

It's been pretty quiet newswise over the last few days. Today though, there are several stories.

New stories as of 10:21 AM:

Modern Argonauts Set Sail For Golden Fleece
CCTV China
A group of adventures is ready to setting sail in quest for the Golden Fleece. To recreate the voyage of Jason and the Argonauts, the group built a replica of Jason's ship "Argo" as exacting as can be created from the ancient Greek legend...
http://www.cctv.com/program/cultureexpress/20080619/102388.shtml

Ancient Jewelry Unearthed In Temple Of Sun Near Bulgaria's Sliven
Sofia News Agency
The archaeologist team of Bulgaria's Georgi Kitov has unearthed precious jewels, dating back from second or third century in Drumeva Mound near the Town of Sliven, the manager of the expedition himself announced...
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=94294

Archaeologists Locate Missing Pyramid
GameShout
Archaeologists in Egypt uncover a missing pyramid believed to be that of King Menkauhor, an obscure pharaoh who ruled for only eight years more than 4,000 years ago...
http://www.gameshout.com/egypt/archaeologists_locate_missing_pyramid/article2525.htm

Thracian Tomb Dated On 360 Year B.C. Found In Southern Tsarevo
News.bg
A Thracian tomb with semi cylinder arch was found by archaeologists in the territory of the south seaside Tserovo municipality...
http://international.ibox.bg/news/id_1663209777

Bulgarian Archaeologists Excavate Thracian Tomb
Sofia Echo
Bulgarian archaeologists had excavated a Thracian tomb in the south-eastern Bulgarian municipality of Tsarevo, Focus news agency said...
http://www.sofiaecho.com/article/bulgarian-archaeologists-excavated-thracian-tomb/id_30015/catid_70

Mapping Djoser's Step Pyramid
Al-Ahram
Sunrise at Saqqara, and all is well on the necropolis. It is, as usual, silent, peaceful and still out here in the desert. Last Tuesday, however, the serenity and divinity were broken by the arrival of an American-Japanese scientific mission to carry out a laser scanning survey of Djoser's Step Pyramid...
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/902/he2.htm

Ancient Christian "Holy Wine" Factory Found In Egypt
National Geographic News
Two wine presses found in Egypt were likely part of the area's earliest winery, producing holy wine for export to Christians abroad, archaeologists say...
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/06/081618-egypt-wine.html