'Ancient humans' used toothpicks

[BBC]  A team studied hominid jaws from the Dmanisi Republic of Georgia - the earliest evidence of primitive humans outside Africa. They also found evidence of gum disease caused by repeated use of what must have been a basic toothpick.

Bronze Age Sundial Found In Ukraine May Be Oldest Of Its Kind

[Huffington Post] The sundial may have marked the final resting place of a young man sacrificed or otherwise marked as a messenger to the gods or ancestors, said study researcher Larisa Vodolazhskaya of the Archaeoastronomical Research Center at Southern Federal University in Russia.

Archaeology excavation discovers 2700 year old Greek Portico

[Heritage Daily]  “Porticos are well known from the Hellenistic period, from the 3rd to 1st century BC, but earlier examples are extremely rare. The one from Argilos is the oldest example to date from northern Greece and is truly unique,” said Jacques Perreault, who is a specialist of the Greek Archaic period (7th and 6th centuries BC.)

Secrets of evolution lie beneath Scotland’s soil

[The Scotsman]   There are a number of big questions in palaeontology, such as where and under what conditions did life first evolve; what caused the extinction of the dinosaurs; and what were the detailed steps in our own evolution? But one question has stood out for many years as a mystery: what did the earliest vertebrates (animals with backbones) look like, and under what conditions did they emerge on wto land?

In Bolivia, Archeologists Find 1,500-Year-Old Bones And Skulls In Lake Titicaca

[Huffington Post] Gold and silver pieces as well as bones and pottery from 1,500 years ago were discovered in Lake Titicaca by underwater archaeologists, a researcher said Tuesday.

Did the Chinese discover America?

[Daily Mail] A new book claims the Chinese have been sailing to the New World since 40,000 BC across the Pacific Ocean

Leonardo da Vinci painting lost for centuries found in Swiss bank vault

[The Telegraph]  It was lost for so long that it had assumed mythical status for art historians. Some doubted whether it even existed.

Evidence unearthed of Richard III's lost chapel

[Darlington & Stockton Times]  ARCHAEOLOGISTS believe they have found a chapel built by Richard III to commemorate the Yorkist victory in one of the bloodiest battles ever fought on English soil.

Life-size statue of King Ramses II found in Sharqiya

[Ahramonline] Newly-unearthed statue of King Ramses II in Tel-Basta suggests the Nile Delta town was home to a great 19th Dynasty temple.

32,000-Year-Old Plant Brought Back to Life

[National Geographic] The oldest plant ever to be regenerated has been grown from 32,000-year-old seeds—beating the previous record holder by some 30,000 years.

Slave Tunnels Found In Massive Network Underneath Second Century Roman Emperor's Villa

[Huffington Post]  Amateur archaeologists have uncovered a massive network of tunnels under the Roman Emperor Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli, Italy. The underground passageways likely allowed thousands of slaves and merchants to keep the estate running without creating any distraction at the street level.

Scientists Reveal Source of Medieval Europe's "Year Without Summer"

[Popular Archaeology]  The researchers determined that the eruption ejected about 10 cubic miles of rock and ash, exceeding even the cataclysmic Tambora eruption of 1815, an event, also in Indonesia, that destroyed and buried an entire local civilization on the island of Sumbawa. That was thought to be the largest known eruption during the past 10,000 years. Their findings also revealed that the Samalas event had occurred sometime between May and October of 1257 AD, likely leaving much of Lombok, neighboring Bali and part of Sumbawa uninhabitable for many years after.

Hard Times Followed Booms for Europe's Ancient Farmers

[National Geographic] Hard Times Followed Booms for Europe's Ancient Farmers

Backhoe cuts into dinosaur's tail, revealing rare fossil find

[CNN]  It's like a scene out of a Flintstones comic. Fred is running a backhoe and drops its shovel right on top of a dinosaur's tail.

Medieval Birthplace Of Whiskey To Start Distilling Again

[GadlingLindores Abbey near Fife, Scotland, is the first place on record to have distilled whiskey, when in 1494 it received an order from King James IV. The abbey, founded in the 12th century, has been a ruin for centuries, first being sacked by a mob in 1543, and then thoroughly destroyed by John Knox, founder of Scottish Presbyterianism, in 1559.]

Oldest bog body in the world is that of sacrificed ancient Irish king

[Irish Central] The bog body known as the Cashel Man, now being researched at the National Museum of Ireland, is likely that of a king who met his end in a violent sacrifice.

Ancient Climate on Earth Reveals Origins of Life--But Not with Nitrogen

[Science World Report] Life is estimated to have evolved on our planet during the Archean, a time between 3.8 and 2.4 billion years ago. At the time, though, the weak Sun should have meant that the planet was simply too cold for life to take hold.

How evolution could bring back the sabercat

[io9] Saber fanged cats ruled the Pleistocene and survived the last Ice Age, but went extinct at roughly the same time that humans were discovering agriculture. This is the first time in millions of years that sabercats haven't roamed the planet. But we might just survive long enough to see them return.

'Bosham Head' Mystery Solved?

[Huffington Post] For more than two centuries, residents of a small district in southern England have puzzled over a giant stone known as the "Bosham Head." About twice the size of a human head, the badly eroded stone was believed to have once had human features. Now, researchers believe they know whose head it was modeled after.

Explosive supervolcanoes may have rocked ancient Mars

[CBS] Instead of the dead cone-shaped shield volcanoes usually seen on the Martian surface, like Olympus Mons, the largest known volcano in the solar system, ancient supervolcanoes leave different evidence of their presence

6,000-Year-Old Wine Found In Greece; Ancient Samples May Be Oldest Unearthed In Europe

[Huffington Post]  Previous studies have unearthed a 6,100-year-old Armenian winery, as well as traces of a 9,000-year-old Chinese alcohol made from rice, honey and fruit.

Eat Your Heart Out, Indiana Jones

[Slate] This is the most exciting time in history to be an archaeologist.

WWII Vet, Oldest Medal of Honor Recipient, Dies

[ABC] Nicholas Oresko, an Army master sergeant who was badly wounded as he single-handedly took out two enemy bunkers during the Battle of the Bulge in 1945, died Friday night at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, hospital officials announced Saturday. He was 96.

Ancient Kingdom Discovered Beneath Mound in Iraq

[Discovery] Cuneiform inscriptions and works of art reveal the palaces that flourished in the city throughout its history thousands of years ago.

Jewish Prayer Book Predates Oldest Torah Scroll

[Discovery] The 50-page book is 4.3 inches tall and about 4 inches wide and is written in an archaic form of Hebrew, on pages of aged parchment.

Roman skulls discovered under Liverpool Street Station

[Heritage Daily] The skulls have been found below the Bedlam burial ground established in the 16th Century, where 3,000 skeletons will be carefully removed during major archaeological excavations next year.

Robotic Snakes Slither Their Way Into Ancient Archaeology

[Forbes]  Not even the most clairvoyant pharaohs could have imagined their kingdoms invaded by robotic snakes.

Archaeology Lecture Sheds Light On New Discoveries In Israel

[The Chattanoogan]  "The new excavations at Lachish, the second most important city after Jerusalem, yielded finds from the Babylonian king’s battle against Judah that eventually destroyed the Jewish temple in Jerusalem,”

Nation's oldest park ranger, 93, considers future

[CBS] But Ruterbories' story is about more than longevity.

Archaeologists uncover a scene of horror at 'Swedish Pompeii'

[NBC]  "It's like Pompeii: Something terrible happened, and everything just stopped."

50 Poems From Rudyard Kipling Discovered

[NPR]  Fifty previously unpublished poems by Rudyard Kipling, the author of The Jungle Book and Just So Stories, were discovered by Thomas Pinney, a professor emeritus at Pomona College. The lost works by Kipling, whose most famous poems include "If" and the notorious "White Man's Burden," are to be published next month.

Warrior's Grave, Unearthed In Russia's Caucasus Mountains, Yields Ancient Treasures

[Huffington Post]  Hidden in a necropolis situated high in the mountains of the Caucasus in Russia, researchers have discovered the grave of a male warrior laid to rest with gold jewelry, iron chain mail and numerous weapons, including a 36-inch (91 centimeters) iron sword set between his legs.

New Hampshire Fisherman Scoops Up Mammoth Tooth

[Live Science]  The shrimp and scallop fisherman says he has pulled up "whale vertebrae, porpoise skulls, an old fuel tank that he thought was a treasure chest, and even the body of a drowned kayaker," SeacoastOnline.com reports. But last week, while dredging for scallops, he and his crew noticed something odd among the rocks and scallops: a 6-inch (15-centimeter)-long, triangular, grooved object that he identified immediately as a tooth.

Apart from its intrinsic value as an historical relic, the discovery has thrilled scholars after documents were found stitched inside the hat carrying explanations of King Sejong's greatest legacy - the Hangeul alphabet.

[Perth Now]  Scientists have discovered the fossils of a 520-million-year-old sea creature with limbs under its head.    A new study touts the ancient remains as one of the earliest animal fossils ever found.

Ancient hat unlocks secrets of Korean alphabet

[Times Live]  Apart from its intrinsic value as an historical relic, the discovery has thrilled scholars after documents were found stitched inside the hat carrying explanations of King Sejong's greatest legacy - the Hangeul alphabet.

Geneticists Estimate Publication Date Of The 'Iliad'

[Live Science]  Scientists who decode the genetic history of humans by tracking how genes mutate have applied the same technique to one of the Western world's most ancient and celebrated texts to uncover the date it was first written.

Polish archaeologists working in Sudan find 70,000 year old human settlement

[The News]   If confirmed, the discovery in the Affad Basin of northern Sudan will challenge existing theories that our distant ancestors only began building permanent residences on leaving Africa and settling in Europe and Asia.

Rotterdam archaeologists find old shoe stuffed with medieval money

[Dutch News]   Archeologists in Rotterdam have found an old shoe stuffed with 477 silver coins during excavations behind the town hall. Archaeologists say they have never before found a shoe filled with money, which ranges in dates from 1472 to 1592. On theory is that the owner of the shoe hid it under floorboards to protect it during the 80 Years War (1568-1648).

Archaeologist: Bones found in Turkey are probably those of Cleopatra's half-sister

[News Observer]  Long-buried bones and a missing monarch. Add some historical notoriety and modern technology and you have a heck of a captivating, science-driven story.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/02/24/2697973/archaeologist-says-bones-found.html#storylink=cpy

Fragments of ancient continent buried under Indian Ocean

[BBC]   Researchers have found evidence for a landmass that would have existed between 2,000 and 85 million years ago. The strip of land, which scientists have called Mauritia, eventually fragmented and vanished beneath the waves as the modern world started to take shape.

Author detection tool probes ancient texts

[Courier Mail]  SCIENTISTS believe they might be able to solve the mystery over whether Saint Paul really wrote the Letter to the Hebrews if the Vatican supplies some more extra-canonical texts.

'One of the most significant findings of the last 100 years': Artefacts discovered on Dartmoor hint at ancient trading links

[The Independent]  A find hailed as "one of the most significant of at least the last 100 years", has unearthed human remains and Bronze Age artefacts thought to be 4,000 years old.

Man finds that stuffed cat in his attic is a 2000 year old Egyptian mummy

[Daily Mail]   When B&B owner Robert Gray found a stuffed cat among the dust in his attic, he assumed it was some kind of bizarre antique. But after taking the pile of rags to a vet for an x-ray, it emerged the artefact is actually a 2,000-year-old Egyptian mummy. Images revealed the outline of a perfectly preserved ancient cat - complete with face, ears, spine and brain.

Ancient whale fossils unearthed by road construction

[CBS News]  Fossils uncovered during construction of a roadway in Southern California have revealed four new species of ancient whales, according to research presented here at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) on Sunday (Feb. 17).

Battered suitcase unlocks story of British World War One nurse who cared for German soldiers while her brother lay dying on the battlefield

[Daily Mail]  The previously unknown story of a compassionate WWI nurse who cared for wounded Germans despite her own brother dying on the battlefields has emerged for the first time. Little was known about nurse Margaret Maule until a battered suitcase containing her mementos was discovered at the back of a cupboard at the University of Abertay, in Dundee.

‘Largest’ Scottish ancient artworks revealed

[The Scotsman]   A RETIRED silversmith has ­uncovered the largest collection of ancient rock art ever found in the Highlands on a remote hill overlooking the Cromarty Firth. The carved rocks – some ­almost 10ft across – have been discovered scattered across a hillside near Evanton, in ­Ross-shire.

First recorded human portrait found carved on woolly mammoth tusk

[Catholic Online]  The earliest known portrait of a human is carved upon a woolly mammoth tusk of 26,000 years ago. The amazing find will go on display shortly at the British Museum. Smaller than the average thumb, the portrait was created in the middle of the last Ice Age, in a valley in what is now Moravia in the Czech Republic, using stone tools.

Volcanic CO2 Caused Ancient Episodes of Global Warming

[Climate Central]  In order to predict our climate future, scientists spend a lot of time looking into the past, trying to understand what conditions were like during times when the planet was much warmer or much cooler than it is today. The latest instance: a report published in the February issue of the journal Geosphere, offering a plausible explanation for swings between long stretches of greenhouse warming and dramatic cooling over millions of years.

Ancient Fossilized Sea Creatures Yield Oldest Biomolecules Isolated Directly from a Fossil

[Science Daily]  Though scientists have long believed that complex organic molecules couldn't survive fossilization, some 350-million-year-old remains of aquatic sea creatures uncovered in Ohio, Indiana, and Iowa have challenged that assumption.

Briton finds 500-year-old arrest warrant for Machiavelli

[The Telegraph]  Prof Stephen Milner from Manchester University discovered the historic document by accident while researching town criers and the proclamations they read out in archives in Florence.  The 1513 proclamation, which called for the arrest of Machiavelli, eventually led to his downfall and death.

Louvre's Mona Lisa may be copy of an 'earlier version'

[France 24]  A Swiss art foundation claims it has proof that an “earlier” version of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa masterpiece at the Louvre is a genuine painting by the Italian master.

Human diet traced over 9000 years thanks to skulls

[The Scotsman]  The research teams claim it may also be possible to use the ancient genetic record to tell archaeologists, for the first time, exactly which animals and plants Neolithic man was eating and to discover whether ancient man also suffered from diseases such as leprosy and tuberculosis.

France divided by mystery of the headless king: Skull found in attic said to belong to Henri IV

[Daily Mail]  A mummified head found in an attic, claimed to be that of the first French monarch Henri IV, continues to divide historians and researchers. A new book claims to end the mystery of what happened to the king’s remains, mainly his head which researchers say was found five years ago in the attic of Jacques Bellanger, a retired tax collector in Angers, western France. The claims come as British scientists confirmed that a skeleton unearthed in Leicester was Richard III, who was killed in battle more than 500 years ago.

Earliest Evidence of Chocolate in North America

[Science]  They were humble farmers who grew corn and dwelt in subterranean pit houses. But the people who lived 1200 years ago in a Utah village known as Site 13, near Canyonlands National Park in Utah, seem to have had at least one indulgence: chocolate. Researchers report that half a dozen bowls excavated from the area contain traces of chocolate, the earliest known in North America. The

'Amazing' treasures revealed in Dartmoor bronze age cist

[BBC]  A rare and "amazing" burial discovery dating back 4,000 years has been described as the most significant find on Dartmoor and has given archaeologists a glimpse into the lives of the people who once lived there.

Ancient Teeth Bacteria Record Disease Evolution

[Newswise]  DNA preserved in calcified bacteria on the teeth of ancient human skeletons has shed light on the health consequences of the evolving diet and behaviour from the Stone Age to the modern day. The ancient genetic record reveals the negative changes in oral bacteria brought about by the dietary shifts as humans became farmers, and later with the introduction of food manufacturing in the Industrial Revolution.

'Cosmic blast' could explain radiation spike in Middle Ages

[The week]  A HUGE cosmic blast in deep space could explain a mystery spike in radiation during the Middle Ages, scientists have said. According to a study published in January's Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society and reported today by the BBC, an explosion occurred when two black holes or neutron stars collided in the Milky Way, sending shockwaves through the galaxy, in either in 774 or 775 AD.

First world war commemorations 'will be like Titanic anniversary' – minister

[the guardian]  The commemorations for the first world war will involve sombre reflection, proper consideration for the millions who died, and opportunities for a new generation to explore what happened and why. But focusing the world's attention on a conflict that was supposed to have ended all wars is unlikely to pass off without controversy, as new generations question the decisions that led to millions being slaughtered.

Evolution helped turn hairless skin into a canvas for self-expression

[PhysOrg]  About 1.5 to 2 million years ago, early humans, who were regularly on the move as hunters and scavengers, evolved into nearly hairless creatures to more efficiently sweat away excess body heat, said Nina Jablonski, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology. Later, humans began to decorate skin to increase attractiveness to the opposite sex and to express, among other things, group identity.

Medieval treasure found in Herefordshire

[Hereford Times]  A medieval silver annular brooch, a silver strap end and two early Bronze Age flat axes were all discovered in the county by metal detecting enthusiasts.

A different take on Tut: Egyptian archaeologist shares theory on pharaoh's lineage

[Physorg]  French Egyptologist Marc Gabolde offered a different interpretation of the DNA evidence on Thursday. Speaking at Harvard's Science Center, Gabolde said he's convinced that Tut's mother was not his father's sister, but rather his father's first cousin, Nefertiti.

Ancient asteroid strike in Australia "changed face of earth"

[Reuters]  A strike from a big asteroid more than 300 million years ago left a huge impact zone buried in Australia and changed the face of the earth, researchers said on Friday. "The dust and greenhouse gases released from the crater, the seismic shock and the initial fireball would have incinerated large parts of the earth," said Andrew Glikson, a visiting fellow at the Australian National University.

Underwater discovery offers glimpse of 1850s trains

[philly.com]  Five miles off the Jersey Shore, their presence is a mystery perplexing researchers. How did two pre-Civil War locomotives wind up there? Did they slip off a sailing ship during a storm? Were they purposely dropped into the deep?

Battered Skulls Reveal Violence Among Stone Age Women

[Live Science] Stone Age farmers lived through routine violence, and women weren't spared from its toll, a new study finds.

East Asian Physical Traits Linked to 35,000-Year-Old Mutation

[NY Times]  The traits — thicker hair shafts, more sweat glands, characteristically identified teeth and smaller breasts — are the result of a gene mutation that occurred about 35,000 years ago, the researchers have concluded.

Pentillie Castle restoration: Archaeologist finds 'body of man who built it' during excavation

[Independent]  Human remains discovered at a stately home are believed to be those of the man that built it - ordering that he be buried in his best clothes with his pipe as he waited for the afterlife.

18 ancient Odyssey mosaics stolen in Syria: minister

[Global Post]  At least 18 ancient mosaics depicting scenes from Homer's "The Odyssey" have been stolen in northern Syria, the culture minister was quoted as saying on Sunday....Among Syria's archeological treasures are six UNESCO world heritage sites: the Old Cities of Damascus and Aleppo, the ruins of Palmyra, the ancient city of Bosra, Crac des Chevaliers crusader castle, the citadel of Saladin and the ancient northern villages.

Farming Arrived in Europe with Asian Migrants, Isotopic Study Reveals

[Sci-News.com]  Strontium isotope data from the Danube Gorges in the north-central Balkan show Europe’s first farmers were immigrants.

Richard III: Greatest archaeological discovery of all?

[BBC] It has attracted global attention with its blend of detective work and dark historical deeds but where does the discovery of Richard III's grave rate among England's greatest archaeological finds?

Ice Age Art at the British Museum: 'Not even Leonardo surpassed this'

[The Guardian]    Ice Age Art is subtitled Arrival of the Modern Mind. Its thesis is that 40,000 years ago, when humans migrated from Africa into a comparatively temperate Europe, and were then caught for thousands of years amid the freezing temperatures and furry beasts of the last great freeze, something miraculous happened. Art appeared: art so sophisticated, it proves that the cognitive faculties we value so highly today were fully evolved tens of thousands of years ago (the works here were made between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago). Only a modern human mind, the argument goes, could create a masterpiece like the Zaraysk bison (it is named after the town near Moscow where it was discovered).

Scientists reconstruct ancient languages with software

[Gizmag]  Imagine the wealth of knowledge we could uncover if it was possible to travel back in time and re-construct ancient languages. While that’s impossible right now, scientists at UC Berkley and the University of British Columbia reckon they’ve managed the next-best thing, by developing new software which uncovers existing fragments of “proto-languages” from languages still in use.

Tutankhamun 90th Anniversay: Ancient Treasures To Be Shown At Carnarvon's Highclere Castle

[Huffington Post]   Saturday marks the 90th year since the discovery of Tutankhamun - a dig that sparked an enduring public fascination with the ancient boy king. The Egyptian pharaoh was virtually unknown when British archaeologist Howard Carter found the dusty sarcophagus in a tomb full of golden treasures, in a discovery that was to define his career.

Was Soma the Forbidden Fruit of Genesis?

[Yucatan Times]  The late ethno-mycologist Robert Gordon Wasson proposed that the mythological apple in Genesis was a symbolic substitution for the bright red Amanita muscaria, a hallucinogenic mushroom commonly referred to as the Fly-agaric mushroom. Wasson further proposed, and presented substantial supporting evidence, that the mystery plant Soma from the Rig Veda was the same Amanita muscaria mushroom

New study slams theory that meteorite struck ice-age Canada and killed off mammoths

[Ottawa Citizen]  A controversial theory that a massive meteorite struck Canada about 13,000 years ago — then wreaked havoc on global climate, Ice Age mega-mammals and early human occupants of North America — has taken yet another scientific hit, perhaps dooming the impact hypothesis to the same fate as the woolly mammoths whose extinction it purportedly helped explain.

Ancient temple discovered in Peru

[Fox News] Archaeologists in Peru have uncovered what they believe is a temple, estimated to be up to 5,000 years old, at the site of El Paraíso, north of Lima.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/02/15/ancient-temple-discovered-in-peru/#ixzz2L4ugdtJN

Online Battle Over Sacred Scrolls, Real-World Consequences

[NY Times] A father-son battle erupts over the Dead Sea Scrolls.