Two more colossal pharaoh statues unveiled in Egypt

Luxor (Egypt) (AFP) - Archaeologists on Sunday unveiled two colossal statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III in Egypt's famed temple city of Luxor, adding to an existing pair of world-renowned tourist attractions.

The two monoliths in red quartzite were raised at what European and Egyptian archaeologists said were their original sites in the funerary temple of the king, on the west bank of the Nile…READ MORE AT…http://news.yahoo.com/two-more-colossal-pharaoh-statues-unveiled-egypt-153602577.html

10 Coolest Archaeology Discoveries of 2013

Archaeologists dig through the faint traces of the past to learn more about human history. And 2013 was a big year for new archaeology finds.

From royal tombs to the mysterious vanished inhabitants of Europe, here are some of the strangest and most exciting archaeology finds of the year.

Read more at: http://www.livescience.com/42257-2013-big-archaeology-stories.html

Two Men Accused of Stealing Artifacts From the Great Pyramid

CAIRO, EGYPT—Two German men described as amateur archaeologists have been accused of entering the pyramid of Khufu without permission and stealing samples of the king’s cartouche from a compartment near his burial chamber. 

The two men reportedly smuggled the artifacts out of Egypt and conducted tests on them at Dresden University. The case has been referred to Egypt’s prosecutor-general and the names of the two men have been handed over to Interpol. The German embassy in Cairo has denounced the actions of the men, who were not affiliated with the German Archaeological Institute. 

450 Million Year Old Fossil Used to Make a Native American Necklace

This a 450 million years Crinoid fossil that Native American's turned into a necklace. I was working on a deep auger, Geo-Morphology project and found about fifty of these. They varied in size from about 3 cm to 1/4 cm. In the middle of each of them was a carefully drilled hole. 

I also found two pieces of twisted bone. Both measured about 8 cm in length. After doing some research I discovered this would have been the centerpiece. The Crinoid beads would be arranged from widest in the center and smallest near the shoulders. 

The area I was working in had been a mound but an idiot farmer bulldozed it. He decided he needed a new metal barn and didn't give a crap about the history he was destroying.

Mystery of Tut's Father: New Clues on Unidentified Mummy

Egyptologists have uncovered new evidence that bolsters the controversial theory that a mysterious mummy is the corpse of the heretic pharaoh Akhenaten, husband of Nefertiti and, some experts believe, the father of King Tut.

The mummy's identity has generated fierce debate ever since its discovery in 1907 in tomb KV 55, located less than 100 feet (30 meters) from King Tutankhamun's then hidden burial chamber.

Read More At: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/07/070710-king-tut.html

Ancient City Discovered Beneath Biblical-Era Ruins in Israel

Archaeologists have unearthed traces of a previously unknown, 14th-century Canaanite city buried underneath the ruins of another city in Israel.

The traces include an Egyptian amulet of Amenhotep III and several pottery vessels from the Late Bronze Age unearthed at the site of Gezer, an ancient Canaanite city.

Read more at: http://www.livescience.com/41143-city-found-under-canaanite-city.html

Egypt: Israel has returned 90 stolen antiquities: Collection had been put on block by Jerusalem auction house

Israel has returned a collection of 90 antiquities after discovering that the artifacts – presented for sale at auction - had been stolen, Egyptian authorities said on Monday.

The collection reportedly included clay vessels and vases, stelae and cultic figurines.

Antiquities theft is a huge problem for archaeologists…

Read more at:  http://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/1.557448

King Tut's Sister Stolen in Massive Museum Heist

PRETORIA, South Africa - King Tut's sister is missing and Egypt has issued an international alert for her return.

UNESCO and Interpol are working with Egyptian authorities to recover the priceless artifact, a limestone figurine of the young pharaoh's sister from the 14th century BC. The young girl holds a piece of fruit and her hair flows loosely on one side-a symbol of her youth-but her head is held high, a decidedly regal look on her face.

Read more at: http://news.yahoo.com/king-tuts-sister-stolen-massive-museum-heist-161842178--abc-news-topstories.html  

Maritime trade thrived in Egypt, even before Alexandria

http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2013/130314_1.html - University of Oxford


Credit: Frank Goddio/Hilti foundation; Photo: Christophe Gerigk

New research into Thonis-Heracleion, an sunken port city that served as the gateway to Egypt in the first millennium BC, is being examined at an international conference at the University of Oxford...CLICK LINK TO READ MORE...

7 Ghoulish Archaeological Discoveries

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/33537628/ns/technology_and_science-science/#.UU9UMhzvtZ4 - NBC News



From Brains to Preserved Bodies, Scientists have DUG up some Scary Stuff...CLICK LINK TO READ MORE...

Holy Land Farming Began 5,000 Years Earlier Than Thought

http://news.yahoo.com/holy-land-farming-began-5-000-years-earlier-181224567.html - Yahoo News



For thousands of years, different groups of people have lived in the Negev Desert, building stone walls and cities that survive to this day. But, how did they make their living...CLICK LINK TO READ MORE...

Archaeological dig aims to save Native American burial mounds

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130317/WILLIAMSON10/303170033/Archaeological-dig-aims-to-save-Native-American-burial-mounds?gcheck=1&nclick_check=1 - The Tennessean



The 1,800-year-old site has long been known to historians. But Heape, vice president of the Native History Association, was still excited to see state archaeologists slowly burrowing into the dirt last week...CLICK LINK TO READ MORE..

Anthropologist Finds Evidence of Hominin Meat Eating 1.5 Million Years Ago: Eating Meat May Have 'Made Us Human'

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121004093508.htm - Science Daily



A skull fragment unearthed by anthropologists in Tanzania shows that our ancient ancestors were eating meat at least 1.5 million years ago, shedding new light into the evolution of human physiology and brain development...CLICK LINK TO READ MORE...

The Adena Mounds

http://www.adena.com/adena/ad/ad01.htm



About 1000 B.C. we can mark the beginning of a new period for man in North America. This period, which lasted until about 700 A.D., is called the Woodland Period. It is during this time that a new culture emerged and made significant settlements in what is now known as West Virginia. These people are known to us today by the general term of the Mound Builders. They were so named for their practice of creating earthen burial mounds and other earthworks. The Mound Builders lived over a wide range from the Atlantic, the Midwest and the Ohio Valley to the Mississippi Valley. The term "mound builders" refers to several cultures that span a period of about 20 centuries...CLICK LINK TO READ MORE...

Ancient Egyptian Cemetery Holds Proof of Hard Labor

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/03/130313-ancient-egypt-akhenaten-amarna-cemetery-archaeology-science-world/ - National Geographic

Among those buried in Amarna's commoners cemetery is a man who was roughly 19 years old when he died.

Hopewell Civilization

http://archaeology.about.com/od/athroughadterms/g/adena.htm - About Archaeology

 The Hopewell civilization (also called Adena in some regions) is a prehistoric culture of the American middle west. Recent evidence has pretty much proven that Adena is indistinguishable from the Hopewell of the central North American continent, although there may some regional variations...

Israelis find 2,750-year-old temple

http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/27/16180164-israelis-find-2750-year-old-temple?lite - NBC News

Archaeologists have uncovered a 2,750-year-old temple near Jerusalem, along with pottery and clay figurines that suggest the site was the home base for a ritual cult, the Israeli Antiquities Authority said Wednesday.

Unmasking the Mayan

http://anthropology.si.edu/maya/ - Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

One million Maya Indians from Mexico and Guatemala are living in the United States. Unlike earlier waves of immigrants to our shores, the Maya are descendants of a New World civilization whose mystery resonates across this continent, and the globe. Few Americans are aware that there was extensive trade between the ancient peoples of North America and Mexico for at least a thousand years. A darker mystery surrounds the modern Maya. After centuries of poverty and injustice, some fight for recognition behind a black Zapatista mask. Those who seek better economic opportunities by migrating north must disguise themselves in Western clothes and customs. Thus the Maya remain hidden, faceless, both at home and in the cities and rural areas of our country.

An aboriginal salt mine at Camp Verde, Arizona. Anthropological papers of the AMNH ; v. 30, pt. 3 Morris, Earl Halstead, 1889-1956.

http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/handle/2246/124

About a mile and a half westward of Camp Verde, Arizona, a mesa tongue juts southward from the foothills, the irregular contour of its crest breaking gradually downward until it merges with the floor of the Verde Valley. That salt was to be obtained from this rib of highland was learned soon after the first white settlers entered the valley. While troops were stationed at Camp Verde, salt for their animals was dug from
the hill, and in more recent years stock men of the vicinity have resorted to the same source for their supply.

Raiders of the Lost City

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/07/22/opinion/20100722_Opinion_Archaeology.html?ref=archaeologyandanthropology&_r=0

Last week, workers at the World Trade Center site discovered a 30-foot section of an 18th Century Ship buried about 20 to 30 feet below street level.