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UK: Human presence in Ireland pushed back by 2,500 years
A remarkable archaeological discovery in a Co. Clare cave has pushed back the date of human existence in Ireland by 2,500 years.Dr Marion Dowd of IT Sligo with the brown bear bone in the Institute’s archaeology lab [Credit: James Connolly]This discovery re-writes Irish archaeology and adds an entirely new chapter to human colonisa…
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UK: Stonehenge may have served as a cremation cemetery
Towering above the grassy Salisbury Plain, its eerie rock monoliths are steeped in myth and magical stories, yet despite decades of research, the original purpose of Stonehenge remains a mystery.Archaeologists excavated the burned bones that had been previously dug up from around the site of Stonehenge during the 1920s. They say a…
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UK: Evidence of early Christian presence in Roman London
A piece of broken pottery, newly identified 40 years after it was found as important evidence of an early Christian community in Roman London, is going on display for the first time at the Museum of London, over the Easter weekend.A volunteer spotted the shard while sorting through hundreds of pieces of broken pottery found in the…
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UK: Solving the mystery of the Roman Walbrook skulls
Researchers from the University of Southampton have joined archaeologists from MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) to answer the centuries old question ‘why are so many Roman skulls found in the Walbrook valley?’About 20 Roman skulls were dug up from an old river bed near Liverpool Street station in London [Credit: Crossrail]Bring…
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UK: 750-year-old skeletons will give picture of medieval Aberdeen
How an Aberdonian would have looked around 750 years ago is to be reconstructed by one of the world’s top forensic anthropologists.Prof Sue Black will work with skeletons discovered by archaeologists [Credit: Hemedia]Professor Sue Black, director of the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification at Dundee University, is in talks …
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Scotland: Patrick Matthew: Evolution's overlooked third man
The horticulturist who came up with the concept of ‘evolution by natural selection’ 27 years before Charles Darwin did should be more widely acknowledged for his contribution, states a new paper by a King’s College London geneticist.Patrick Matthew [Credit: The Patrick Matthew Project]The paper, published in the Biological Journal…
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Near East: Should we 3D print a new Palmyra?
The destruction at the ancient city of Palmyra symbolises the suffering of the Syrian people at the hands of the terrorist group known as Islamic State (IS). Palmyra was a largely Roman city located at a desert oasis on a vital crossroad, and “one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world”. Its remarkable preserv…
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More Stuff: Turin Egyptian Museum gets overhaul of pharaonic proportions
For the earliest Egyptologists, a trip to the Egyptian Museum in Turin was considered indispensable. The museum's new director is seeking to return the almost 200-year-old museum to its one-time prominence, boosted by an overhaul of the collection and exhibit space of near-pharaonic proportions.The inner coffin of Kha is seen at t…
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UK: Court examines Libyan sculpture at British Museum
A court convened at the British Museum on Monday for the first time to enable a judge to inspect a £2million sculpture looted from Libya. The marble statue is said to have been illegally dug up in Cyrene [Credit: National News] The "unique" four foot marble statue is said to have been illegally dug up in Cyrene, a UNESCO world he…
The Great London [08/12/17]
- Rare Early Biblical Manuscripts return to view at Smithsonian's Freer Gallery
- 'Armenia: Masterpieces from an Enduring Culture' at the Bodleian Libraries
- 17th century landmark cathedral recreated in virtual space
- 'Leaving a Mark on History: Treasures from Greek Museums' at the National Archaeological Museum, Sofia, Bulgaria
- "Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections" at the National Gallery of Art, Washington
