One day on the streets of Alexandria, Egypt, in the year 415 or 416, a mob of Christian zealots led by Peter the Lector accosted a woman’s carriage and dragged her from it and into a church, where they stripped her and beat her to death with roofing tiles. They then tore her body apart and burned it. Who was this woman and what was her crime? Hypatia was one of the last great thinkers of ancient Alexandria and one of the first women to study and teach mathematics, astronomy and philosophy.
December 2006July 2007August 2007September 2007January 2008February 2008March 2008April 2008May 2008June 2008July 2008August 2008September 2008October 2008November 2008December 2008January 2009February 2009March 2009April 2009May 2009June 2009July 2009August 2009September 2009October 2009November 2009December 2009January 2010February 2010March 2010April 2010May 2010June 2010August 2010September 2010October 2010November 2010December 2010January 2011February 2011March 2011April 2011May 2011July 2011September 2011October 2011November 2011December 2011July 2012August 2012December 2012January 2013February 2013March 2013April 2013May 2013June 2013July 2013August 2013September 2013October 2013November 2013December 2013January 2014February 2014March 2014April 2014May 2014June 2014July 2014August 2014September 2014October 2014November 2014December 2014January 2015February 2015March 2015April 2015May 2015June 2015July 2015August 2015September 2015October 2015November 2015December 2015January 2016February 2016March 2016April 2016May 2016June 2016August 2016September 2016October 2016November 2016December 2016January 2017February 2017March 2017April 2017May 2017July 2017September 2017October 2017December 2017February 2018March 2018April 2018May 2018June 2018July 2018August 2018September 2018October 2018November 2018December 2018January 2019
Welcome to
History Buff, a blog for history lovers everywhere! History Buff brings
news stories about archaeology from around the world together on one site.
From finds in ancient Egypt to new discoveries in anthropology, History
Buff wants to know.
RSS: BLOG FEED
Subscribe to
Posts [Atom]
Logo designed by Shaun Venish
Blog designed by Mia Pearlman Design
3.31.2010
Macedonian Archaeologists Discover Ancient Coins near Ohrid
Around 20 coins with the image of the father of Alexander the Great, Philip II of Macedon, and “other ancient Macedonian rulers” were found by archaeologists during excavations along the road between the south-western Macedonian towns of Ohrid and Struga, national media reported today.
Read the rest on Balkan Travellers.
Read the rest on Balkan Travellers.
New Written Language of Ancient Scotland Discovered
Jennifer Viegas
The ancestors of modern Scottish people left behind mysterious, carved stones that new research has just determined contain the written language of the Picts, an Iron Age society that existed in Scotland from 300 to 843.
Read the rest on Discovery.
The ancestors of modern Scottish people left behind mysterious, carved stones that new research has just determined contain the written language of the Picts, an Iron Age society that existed in Scotland from 300 to 843.
Read the rest on Discovery.
Rosslyn Chapel was haven for bees
The bees entered the hive through a carved flower
An ancient chapel has revealed a new mystery with the discovery of a 600-year-old hive built into the stones.
Read the rest on the BBC.3.30.2010
Ceiling of Nero's Palace collapses in Rome following heavy rain
By Nick Pisa
A large section of the ceiling of Roman emperor Nero's 2000-year-old Golden Palace has collapsed in Rome following heavy rain. About 60 square meters collapsed from the vault in one of the galleries inside the complex, which was built by Nero in the first century AD and is commonly known by its Latin name Domus Aurea.
Read the rest on the Daily Mail.Lead "Burrito" Sarcophagus Found Near Rome: Ancient coffin may hold a gladiator or a Christian dignitary, experts say.
Christine Dell'Amore
National Geographic News
A 1,700-year-old sarcophagus found in an abandoned city near Rome could contain the body of a gladiator or a Christian dignitary, say archaeologists who are preparing to examine the coffin in the lab.
Read the rest on National Geographic.3.29.2010
Pyramid of Mystery Pharaoh Possibly Located
By Rossella Lorenzi
The missing pyramid of an obscure pharaoh that ruled Egypt some 4,300 years ago could lie at the intersection of a series of invisible lines in South Saqqara, according to new astronomical and topographical research.
Read the rest on Discovery.Remains of Errol Flynn's son found?
AP: PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - Forensic tests will be conducted on what two searchers believe are the remains of photographer Sean Flynn, son of Hollywood star Errol Flynn, who disappeared during the Cambodian War 40 years ago, the U.S. Embassy said Monday.Read the rest on MSNBC.
‘Shovel tests’ reveal long-buried artifacts in Southport
By Amy Hotz
Read the rest here.
Before Southport was Southport – even before it was Smithville – Fort Johnston brought life and a little bit of action to this small piece of land near the mouth of the Cape Fear River.
4,200 year-old grave excavation reveals eternal embrace
Loving couples always wish to die on the same day, and a couple who lived 4,200 years ago in the Sanxing Village of Mimou Township, Qingbaijiang District, fulfilled such a wish.
Read the rest here.
Read the rest here.
3.27.2010
Binge Britain 1904: The rogues' gallery that shows war on booze is nothing new
3.26.2010
First Ever Southern Tyrannosaur Dinosaur Discovered
ScienceDaily — Scientists from Cambridge, London and Melbourne have found the first ever evidence that tyrannosaur dinosaurs existed in the southern continents. They identified a hip bone found at Dinosaur Cove in Victoria, Australia as belonging to an ancestor of Tyrannosaurus rex.
Read the rest on Science Daily.Dig for Bronze Age King's Ditch in Herefordshire
Archaeologists have begun excavating a site in Herefordshire, which they believe may reveal a 3,000-year-old earth trench called the King's Ditch.
3.25.2010
Summers Were Wetter in the Middle Ages Than They Are Today
ScienceDaily — The severe epidemic of plague known as the "Black Death" caused the death of a third of the European population in the 14th century. It is probable that the climatic conditions of the time were a contributory factor towards the disaster.
Read the rest on Science Daily.
Read the rest on Science Daily.
Denmark's Little Mermaid statue leaves Copenhagen for the first time in nearly 100 years
Denmark's famed Little Mermaid statue left its perch in the Copenhagen harbour for the first time in nearly 100 years yesterday.
Read the rest here.3.24.2010
Off with their heads! France brings back the guillotine - but just in a museum as it's put on display for the first time
By Peter Allen
A guillotine has gone on show in France for the first time since the deadly contraption was made redundant three decades ago.
Read the rest on the Daily Mail.
A guillotine has gone on show in France for the first time since the deadly contraption was made redundant three decades ago.
Read the rest on the Daily Mail.
'Outstanding' collection of illuminated royal manuscripts set to fetch £16m at auction
by Rebecca English
The most valuable collection of historic illuminated manuscripts ever to be offered at auction was unveiled for the first time today.
Read the rest on the Daily Mail.
The most valuable collection of historic illuminated manuscripts ever to be offered at auction was unveiled for the first time today.
Read the rest on the Daily Mail.
Gene research reveals fourth human species
By Clive Cookson in London
A fourth type of hominid, besides Neanderthals, modern humans and the tiny “hobbit”, was living as recently as 40,000 years ago, according to research published in the journal Nature.
Read the rest here.New Branch of Human Family Tree?
AP: NEW YORK -- Scientists using DNA to investigate the story of humankind have decoded genetic material from an unidentified human ancestor that lived in Siberia -- and conclude it might be a new member of the human family tree.
Read the rest here.
Read the rest here.
3.23.2010
Hypatia, Ancient Alexandria’s Great Female Scholar
By Sarah Zielinski
Read the rest in the Smithsonian Magazine.
New method could revolutionize dating of ancient treasures
SAN FRANCISCO — Scientists today described development of a new method to determine the age of ancient mummies, old artwork, and other relics without causing damage to these treasures of global cultural heritage. Reporting at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), they said it could allow scientific analysis of hundreds of artifacts that until now were off limits because museums and private collectors did not want the objects damaged.
Scientists use carbon-dating to check wine vintages: study
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Ever paid top dollar for a bottle of wine that says on the label it's from a much-sought-after year, only to find that it tasted like cheap, non-vintage plonk?
3.22.2010
Archaeologists discover a sixteenth-century cloister in the monastery of Gerri de la Sal Lleida
Archaeologists discovered a sixteenth-century cloister in the monastery of Gerri de la Sal Lleida.
Read the rest here.
Read the rest here.
A love seat fit for a king: The antique chair that gives an eye-popping insight into Edward VII's debauched youth
Second throne: The special chair made for the playboy Prince Bertie, the future Edward VII, to take his weight during lovemaking in a Parisian bordello
By
Among the bordellos of Victorian Paris, Le Chabanais was the most exquisite, and the most lavish. Over the years this ‘maison de tolerance’ — the word ‘brothel’ was considered too tawdry — saw visitors as illustrious as Humphrey Bogart, Mae West and Cary Grant.3.20.2010
Oldest temple in the world found in Turkey
ANKARA, Turkey (UPI) -- Archaeologists say a temple being excavated in southeastern Turkey is 12,000 years old and is likely the oldest temple ever uncovered.
Read the rest here.3.19.2010
Hobbit Ancestors Once Colonized Indonesia Island
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Ancestors of a hobbit-like species of humans may have colonized the Indonesian island of Flores as far back as a million years ago, much earlier than thought, according to a new study published Thursday.
3.18.2010
In Search of Key Blue Ingredient in Ancient Egyptian Pottery
Pottery decorated in a distinctive pale blue color was in vogue in New Kingdom Egypt, particularly during the reign of Amenhotep III and Ramesses II. The pale blue is due to cobalt that may have been derived from a mineral mined at an oasis in the eastern Saharan desert. (Credit: Colin A. Hope/ Monash University)
ScienceDaily— Jennifer Smith, PhD, associate professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, was belly crawling her way to the end of a long, narrow tunnel carved in the rock at a desert oasis by Egyptians who lived in the time of the pharaohs.
Huge monkey god statue found
CAIRO - EGYPTIAN archaeologists have discovered a colossal ancient statue of the pharaonic deity of wisdom, Thoth, in the shape of a baboon, the council of antiquities said in a statement on Tuesday.
A Host of Mummies, a Forest of Secrets
by NICHOLAS WADE
In the middle of a terrifying desert north of Tibet, Chinese archaeologists have excavated an extraordinary cemetery. Its inhabitants died almost 4,000 years ago, yet their bodies have been well preserved by the dry air.
Read the rest on the NYT.
In the middle of a terrifying desert north of Tibet, Chinese archaeologists have excavated an extraordinary cemetery. Its inhabitants died almost 4,000 years ago, yet their bodies have been well preserved by the dry air.
Read the rest on the NYT.
3.17.2010
St. Patrick's Day 2010: Irish Shamrock Shortage & More
Today, St. Patrick's Day 2010, millions of people will don green and celebrate the Irish with parades, good cheer, and perhaps a pint of beer. But pinning a shamrock to your lapel in 2010 may require a heaping helping of the luck of the Irish.
Read the rest on National Geographic.
Read the rest on National Geographic.
Jaws -- 4 Million BC: How an Extinct Shark Attacked Its Prey
ScienceDaily — It might sound like a mashup of monster movies, but palaeontologists have discovered evidence of how an extinct shark attacked its prey, reconstructing a killing that took place 4 million years ago.
3.16.2010
Swiss Company Unveils Watch Made From Dinosaur Poop
Looking for a unique gift to get that special someone? Perhaps you should check out the latest creation from Swiss watchmaker Artya and designer Yvan Arpa.
Read the rest here.3,400-Year-Old Statues Unearthed in Egypt
AP: A team of Egyptian archaeologists have discovered a 13-foot statue of the ancient god of wisdom and part of a statue of one of Egypt's most powerful pharaohs in the southern city of Luxor.
Read the rest here.3.15.2010
Meat-Eating Amphibian Predated Dinos
By Jennifer Viegas
An interesting "rock" initially tossed aside at a FedEx site near Pittsburgh International Airport turns out to be the skull of a meat-eating, early terrestrial amphibian that lived 70 million years before the first dinosaurs emerged, according to a paper released today in Annals of Carnegie Museum.
Medieval Child's Brain Found Preserved
This brain was found inside the skull of a 13th century A.D. 18-month-old child from northwestern France. Heinz Sonderegger, Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich
By Rossella Lorenzi
An international team of researchers has identified intact neurons and cerebral cells in a mummified medieval brain, according to a study published in the journal Neuroimage.
Headless Man's Tomb Found Under Maya Torture Mural
John Roach
for National Geographic News
The tomb of a headless man adorned with jade has been discovered beneath an ancient Mexican chamber famously painted with scenes of torture.Read the rest on National Geographic.
for National Geographic News
The tomb of a headless man adorned with jade has been discovered beneath an ancient Mexican chamber famously painted with scenes of torture.Read the rest on National Geographic.
3.12.2010
Mummy of Egypt's monotheist pharaoh to return home
By PAUL SCHEMM
CAIRO (AP) - The DNA tests that revealed how the famed boy-king Tutankhamun most likely died solved another of ancient Egypt's enduring mysteries - the fate of controversial Pharaoh Akhenaten's mummy. The discovery could help fill out the picture of a fascinating era more than 3,300 years ago when Akhenaten embarked on history's first attempt at monotheism.Read the rest here.
CAIRO (AP) - The DNA tests that revealed how the famed boy-king Tutankhamun most likely died solved another of ancient Egypt's enduring mysteries - the fate of controversial Pharaoh Akhenaten's mummy. The discovery could help fill out the picture of a fascinating era more than 3,300 years ago when Akhenaten embarked on history's first attempt at monotheism.Read the rest here.
The dental crown jewels: How Queen Victoria wore her daughter's tooth on a brooch
Memento: The milk tooth of Princess Vicky was inserted into a brooch
by
Between them they produced nine children and adored each and every one of their large brood. As far as Queen Victoria and her beloved husband, Prince Albert, were concerned, no event was deemed unworthy of commemoration.
Read the rest on the Daily Mail.
3.11.2010
Artisans in bid to solve mystery of ancient carvings
EASTER Ross artisans are taking part in a research project, trying to solve the mysteries of ancient carvings. Fearn sculptor Barry Grove and Tain glass artist Brodie Nairn are working with the National Museum of Scotland and Aberlady Heritage in a project to see if empty eye sockets in historic carvings could have been filled with a form of glass eye. And Mr Grove is attempting to re-create a 14ft Pictish carved stone, working with a 2ft fragment of the original found at Aberlady, East Lothian.
Read the rest here.Decapitated bodies found in Dorset burial pit were executed Vikings
Fifty beheaded young men found in a burial pit last year were probably executed Vikings, archaeologists revealed today.
3.10.2010
Digging into Shakespeare's later life at New Place, Stratford-upon-Avon
A ground-breaking investigation into Shakespeare’s later life is due to start in Stratford-upon-Avon on 26 March 2010, as archaeologists prepare to excavate the remains of Shakespeare’s house in Stratford-upon-Avon, and the public are invited to come along and watch as the latest story about the world’s most famous writer unfolds…
Read the rest here.
Searching for Zheng: China's Ming-Era Voyager
One of the more famous paintings of the medieval Ming dynasty, which ruled China for about three centuries, is that of a court attendant holding a rope around a giraffe. An inscription on the side says the animal dwelled near "the corners of the western sea, in the stagnant waters of a great morass." According to legend, the giraffe was found in Africa, along with zebras and ostriches, and brought back with the grand 15th century expeditions of Zheng He, China's greatest mariner.
Read the rest on Time Magazine.
Read the rest on Time Magazine.
Bronze-era Buddhist sites discovered
The Italian archaeological mission in Pakistan has discovered a large number of Buddhist sites and rock shelters in Kandak and Kota valleys of Barikot in Swat in the North West Frontier Province which depicted the carvings and paintings from the bronze and iron ages.
Read the rest here.
Read the rest here.
3.09.2010
Ancient Norse colonies hit bad climate times
New research reveals just how bad an idea it was to colonize Greenland and Iceland more than a millennium ago: average temperatures in Iceland plummeted nearly 6°Celsius in the century that followed the island’s Norse settlement in about A.D. 870, a climate record gleaned from mollusk shells shows.
Read the rest on Science News.
Roman and Byzantine Graveyards Unearthed near Damascus
Among the more frequented archeological sites in Syria are: Mary, Ebla, Ugarit, Apamea, Bousra, Bill temple and tombs, Castles of Aleppo, Krak des Chevaliers, Salah ed-Din, Seman, Ras Shamra, Khan As'ad Pasha, Palmyra Theater, as well as tens of museums, scattered all over the country. Read the rest here.
Life of Vikings seen through soil
A scientist and a composer are working together to explore a thousand years of human history through soil samples.
Centuries-Old Shipwrecks Found Well-Preserved in Baltic Sea
AP: STOCKHOLM — A dozen centuries-old shipwrecks — some of them unusually well-preserved — have been found in the Baltic Sea by a gas company building an underwater pipeline between Russia and Germany.
Read the rest here.
Read the rest here.
3.08.2010
Ancient Mural Portrays Ordinary Mayans
By Stéphan Reebs
Very old artworks provide a fascinating glimpse of ancient life, but not without limitations: They typically portray the lifestyles of the rich and famous (rulers, royals, generals, and priests), abandoning the masses to the mists of history.
Archaeological find Roman baths unearthed in Tarragona
It seems the baths fell into disuse as the Roman city became busy and eventually became a habitat area, and a first dating points to the late start of V or VI century.
Read the rest on the Barcelona Reporter.
Read the rest on the Barcelona Reporter.
Czech archaeologists find oldest settlement in Arbil, north Iraq
Plzen, West Bohemia, March 5 (CTK) - An expedition of Czech archaeologists has found remains of an about 150,000-year-old prehistoric settlement in Arbil, north Iraq, which has been the so far oldest uncovered in this part of northern Mesopotamia, team head Karel Novacek told reporters Friday.
3.07.2010
Exciting find for museum bosses
Patrick Tostevin at Ribchester Museum Finds Day
A ROMAN quern stone discovered near Chaigley has sparked excitement in archaeological circles.Read the rest here.
Homo sapiens may have reached India 74,000 yrs ago
Kalyan Ray New Delhi
Pushing the clock backwards, archeologists have dug up ancient stone tools in Andhra Pradesh, suggesting arrival and survival of modern human beings in India as early as 74,000 years ago.
Read the rest here.
Pushing the clock backwards, archeologists have dug up ancient stone tools in Andhra Pradesh, suggesting arrival and survival of modern human beings in India as early as 74,000 years ago.
Read the rest here.
'Templar crucifixion nail' a fantasy, says Madeiran archaeologist
by Chris Cunnyngham
Archaeologist Élvio Sousa of the Center for the Study of Modern and Contemporary Archeology (CEAM) on the Portuguese island of Madeira has released a statement calling the alleged discovery there of three Templar skeletons and a 'crucifixion nail' dating from the Roman era "a fantasy." CEAM conducted archaeological work on the site from 2004 to 2006.
Read the rest on the Examiner.
Archaeologist Élvio Sousa of the Center for the Study of Modern and Contemporary Archeology (CEAM) on the Portuguese island of Madeira has released a statement calling the alleged discovery there of three Templar skeletons and a 'crucifixion nail' dating from the Roman era "a fantasy." CEAM conducted archaeological work on the site from 2004 to 2006.
Read the rest on the Examiner.
3.06.2010
How the Alphabet Was Born from Hieroglyphs
By Orly Goldwasser
Read the rest here.
To the Asiatics, as they were called, the lush Nile Delta, with its open marshlands rich with fish and fowl, was a veritable Garden of Eden. From earliest times, Canaanites and other Asiatics would come and settle here. Indeed, this is the background of the Biblical story of the famine in Canaan that led to Jacob’s descent into Egypt.
Read the rest here.
Egyptian Queen Offered Bread, Jug of Beer at Funeral
By Rossella Lorenzi
One loaf of bread and one jug of beer: that's what Egypt's Queen Behenu was offered during her funeral, according to a translation of hieroglyphics engraved on white stone found in her 4,000-year-old burial chamber this week.
Read the rest on Discovery.Quiron Hospital of Barcelona has reconstructed the face of an Egyptian mummy from 2000 years ago
Quiron Hospital of Barcelona has reconstructed the face of an Egyptian mummy from 2000 years ago.
Read the rest here.
Read the rest here.
3.05.2010
It's official: An asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs
LONDON (Reuters) – A giant asteroid smashing into Earth is the only plausible explanation for the extinction of the dinosaurs, a global scientific team said on Thursday, hoping to settle a row that has divided experts for decades.
Read the rest on Yahoo.3.04.2010
250 Alexander the Great era coins found in Syria
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — A Syrian archaeologist says more than 250 silver coins dating back to the era of Alexander the Great have been unearthed in northern Syria.
Read the rest here.Mysterious image of snake appears on 400-year-old painting of Queen Elizabeth I
A mysterious image of a coiled snake has appeared in a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I, the National Portrait Gallery said today.
PA: Revealed once more: The image of a snake has appeared in a 16th century portrait of Queen Elizabeth I. A faint outline of the coils can be seen superimposed on her hand, while the serpent's body, - seen as dark shading - follows the line of the flowers she is holding and also passes beneath her fingers
Read the rest on the Daily Mail.
Ancient Egyptian Queen's Burial Chamber Discovered
By Rosella Lorenzi
French archaeologists working at Saqqara have unearthed the burial chamber of a 4,000-year-old queen, Dr. Zahi Hawass, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), announced today.
Da Vinci's Huge Horse Statue Proven Feasible
By Rosella Lorenzi
Virtual simulations demonstrate that Leonardo da Vinci's calculations were totally on mark in his plan to build the masterpiece that never came to be.
Read the rest on Discovery.
Virtual simulations demonstrate that Leonardo da Vinci's calculations were totally on mark in his plan to build the masterpiece that never came to be.
Read the rest on Discovery.
3.03.2010
Engraved Eggs Suggest Early Symbolism
What do Homo sapiens have that our hominid ancestors did not? Many researchers think that the capacity for symbolic behaviors—such as art and language—is the hallmark of our species. A team working in South Africa has now discovered what it thinks is some of the best early evidence for such symbolism: a cache of ostrich eggshells dated to about 60,000 years ago and etched with intricate geometric patterns.
Read the rest on Science Magazine.
Read the rest on Science Magazine.
Spell-covered burial chamber found in Egypt's Saqqara
CAIRO (Reuters) - Archaeologists have unearthed the intact sarcophagus of Egypt's Queen Behenu inside her 4,000-year-old burial chamber near her pyramid in Saqqara, chief archaeologist Zahi Hawass announced Wednesday. Read the rest on Reuters.
3.02.2010
Syria's Stonehenge: Neolithic stone circles, alignments and possible tombs discovered
For Dr. Robert Mason, an archaeologist with the Royal Ontario Museum, it all began with a walk last summer. Mason conducts work at the Deir Mar Musa al-Habashi monastery, out in the Syrian Desert. Finds from the monastery, which is still in use today by monks, date mainly to the medieval period and include some beautiful frescoes.
Nail from Christ's crucifixion found?
The four-inch long nail is thought to be one of thousands used in crucifixions across the Roman empire.
New Agatha Christie mystery: Christie family trunk yields diamonds worth thousands
A battered old trunk bought for £100 at an Agatha Christie auction has revealed contents as mysterious as the woman to whom they once belonged.
Read the rest on BBC homes and Antiques.
Dynasty of Priestesses
Evidence of a powerful female bloodline emerges from the Iron Age necropolis of Orthi Petra at Eleutherna on Crete
For a quarter century, Greek excavation director Nicholas Stampolidis and his dedicated team have been unearthing the untold stories of the people buried some 2,800 years ago in the necropolis of Orthi Petra at Eleutherna on Crete. Until now, the site has perhaps been best known for the tomb its excavators dubbed "A1K1," an assemblage of 141 cremated individuals, all but two of whom were aristocratic men who likely fell in battle in foreign lands.Read the rest on Archaeology.org.
DNA Shows that KV55 Mummy Probably Not Akhenaten
by Kate Phizackerley
The paper Ancestry and Pathology in King Tutankhamun's Family by Hawass al. (Journal of American Medicine, 2010 - JAMA. 2010;303(7):638-647), states that the mummy in KV55 is “probably” Akhenaten – hereafter “the JAMA paper”. The media has accepted the attribution as affirmed fact, although the attribution has attracted considerable comment and debate with a number of writers questioning the forensic data. I believe, however, that the correct focus of dissent to the attribution should be the STR analysis which shows that the KV55 mummy is highly unlikely to be Akhenaten and that an alternative family tree is a better fit to the genetic findings of the Hawass study.
Read the rest here.
The paper Ancestry and Pathology in King Tutankhamun's Family by Hawass al. (Journal of American Medicine, 2010 - JAMA. 2010;303(7):638-647), states that the mummy in KV55 is “probably” Akhenaten – hereafter “the JAMA paper”. The media has accepted the attribution as affirmed fact, although the attribution has attracted considerable comment and debate with a number of writers questioning the forensic data. I believe, however, that the correct focus of dissent to the attribution should be the STR analysis which shows that the KV55 mummy is highly unlikely to be Akhenaten and that an alternative family tree is a better fit to the genetic findings of the Hawass study.
Read the rest here.
Experts pin hopes on public to decipher 500-year-old English inscription discovered in church
Conservator Tom Beattie examines the lettering which was revealed after a 350-year-old monument was removed
What is believed to be the first ever example of English written in a British church has been discovered. Problem is, no-one can read it. The 500-year-old inscription was found on a wall in Salisbury Cathedral, Wiltshire, hidden behind a monument dedicated to an aristocrat.
Read the rest on the Daily Mail.3.01.2010
"Vampire of Venice" Unmasked: Plague Victim & Witch?
The finished re-creation of the "Vampire of Venice." Image courtesy National Geographic Television
A female "vampire" unearthed in a mass grave near Venice, Italy, may have been accused of wearing another evil hat: a witch's.
Read the rest on National Geographic.Statue head of King Tut's grandfather found in Luxor
A picture released by Egypt's Antiquities Department on February 28, 2010 shows a 3,000 year-old red granite head of King Amenhotep III. Egyptian archaeologists have unearthed a colossal statue head of the pharaoh whom DNA tests revealed last week was King Tutankhamun's grandfather, the government has said.
AFP - Egyptian archaeologists have unearthed a colossal statue head of the pharaoh whom DNA tests revealed last week was King Tutankhamun's grandfather, the government said on Sunday.
Read the rest here.