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."