The Great London [01/20/17] 

  • United Kingdom: First-ever legal bid for return of Parthenon Sculptures to Greece thrown out by European Court of Human Rights

    The first-ever legal bid to force the UK to return the Parthenon Sculptures to Greece has been thrown out by the European Court of Human Rights.A frieze which forms part of the Elgin Marbles, taken from the Parthenon in Athens, on display at the British Museum [Credit: Getty Images]The court ruled that because the alleged theft of…

  • Italy: Ötzi – a treacherous murder – with links to Central Italy

    The copper used to make Ötzi’s axe blade did not come from the Alpine region as had previously been supposed, but from ore mined in southern Tuscany. Ötzi was probably not involved in working the metal himself, as the high levels of arsenic and copper found in his hair had, until now, led us to assume.Scientists present the latest…

  • Environment: Fossil fuel emissions will complicate C14 dating, warns scientist

    Fossil fuel emissions could soon make it impossible for radiocarbon dating to distinguish new materials from artefacts that are hundreds of years old.By 2050 a new T-shirt could have the same radiocarbon date as a Shroud of Turin [Credit: Claudio Papi/Reuters]Carbon released by burning fossil fuels is diluting radioactive carbon-1…

  1. 5,000 images of the Dead Sea Scrolls go online
  2. Magic of ancient Egypt transforms the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida
  3. Napoleon and Europe: Dream and Trauma
  4. A treasure horde of art and history under one roof
  5. Art Institute announces major long-term loan of ancient Near Eastern statuette