开云体育

=========================================================== explorator 25.33 December 4 2022 =========================================================== You can read explorator online at: https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/ Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Bill Gephardt, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Bill Gebhardt, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Andy Szegedy-Maszak, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out). ============================================================ EARLY HOMINIDS ============================================================ Suggestion that homo naledi may have used fire: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/homo-naledi-fire-hominid-cave-human-evolution https://www.cbsnews.com/news/homo-naledi-pre-human-ancestor-fire-tool-south-africa/ Possible 275 000 years bp 'neanderthal footprints' from Spain: https://phys.org/news/2022-12-neanderthal-footprints-south-spain-years.html A possible homo erectus skull from China: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-04142-0 Study suggests humans may have arrived in northern Europe earlier than currently thought: https://www.pnas.org/post/journal-club/humans-could-have-arrived-northern-europe-earlier-than-fossils-and-stone-tools-suggest More on Palaeolithic cooking comparisons between Shanidar and Franchthi Caves: https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2022-11-23/ty-article/neanderthals-used-same-cooking-techniques-as-humans-new-study-shows/00000184-9f85-d710-a7c6-dfc7a8550000 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neanderthals-cooked-up-complex-and-tasty-meals-70000-years-ago-180981207/ https://www.archaeology.org/news/11001-221129-paleolithic-cooking-techniques Feature on Neanderthal diet: https://greekreporter.com/2022/11/07/neanderthal-diet-archaeology-science/ Feature on Neanderthals and Denisovans: https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/11/who-were-the-neanderthals-and-denisovans/145233 ============================================================ AFRICA ============================================================ 80 000 years bp bone tools from the Sibudu rock shelter in South Africa: https://partner.sciencenorway.no/africa-archeology-society-and-culture/scientists-discover-80000-year-old-bone-tools/2111047 http://www.archaeology.org/news/11008-221201-bone-tools-plants DNA from a 4000 years bp burial in Sudan is shedding light on early eastern African pastoralists: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-25384-y More on the human contribution to megafauna extinction on Madagascar 1000 years bp: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/971979 https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2022/11/29/charcoal-and-cattle-correlate-with-madagascars-megafaunal-extinctions/ http://www.archaeology.org/news/11000-221128-madagascar-extinction-pastoralism ============================================================ ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT ============================================================ A major Ptolemaic/Roman era funerary building with fayoum-style portraits and more from the Garza site: https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/480869.aspx https://egyptindependent.com/fayum-mummy-portraits-discovered-in-fayoum/ https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/121053/Egyptian-archaeological-mission-uncovers-a-huge-funerary-building-from-the https://abcnews.go.com/International/greco-roman-funerary-building-mummy-portraits-discovered-egypt/story?id=94281210 https://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/world/article269527637.html https://english.news.cn/20221201/43e56e9bed9b4afb8aad2532a597861e/c.html https://famagusta-gazette.com/2022/12/01/egypt-unearths-greco-roman-funeral-building/ https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/rare-funeral-portraits-and-coffins-unearthed-in-ancient-egyptian-burial-site-garza-1234648948/ http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/65816 https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/12/large-funerary-building-an

=========================================================== explorator 25.32 November 27, 2022 =========================================================== You can read explorator online at: https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/ Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out). ============================================================ EARLY HOMINIDS ============================================================ Searching for Neanderthal points underwater off the island of Jersey: https://phys.org/news/2022-11-neanderthal-spear-sea.html https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2022/11/24/hunting-for-neanderthal-spear-tips-under-the-sea/ A study of Palaeolithic cooking techniques at Shanidar Cave and Franchthi Cave in various periods: https://theconversation.com/the-real-paleo-diet-new-archaeological-evidence-changes-what-we-thought-about-how-ancient-humans-prepared-food-195127 https://phys.org/news/2022-11-real-paleo-diet-archaeological-evidence.html https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/nov/23/oldest-cooked-leftovers-ever-found-suggest-neanderthals-were-foodies https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/nov/26/surprisingly-tasty-putting-neanderthal-cooking-to-the-test-recipe https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/22/world/prehistoric-diets-plants-neanderthals-scn/index.html https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/2022/11/23/the-real-paleo-diet-new-archaeological-evidence-changes-what-we-thought-about-how-ancient-humans-prepared-food/ https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2022-11-23/ty-article/neanderthals-used-same-cooking-techniques-as-humans-new-study-shows/00000184-9f85-d710-a7c6-dfc7a8550000 https://uk.news.yahoo.com/oldest-cooked-meal-eaten-neanderthals-151842589.html https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-723393 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/11/23/cave-find-shows-neanderthals-cared-cookery/ https://www.sciencealert.com/ancient-traces-of-burnt-food-reveal-a-surprising-truth-about-the-paleo-diet https://the-past.com/news/oldest-charred-food-remains-shine-light-on-palaeolithic-cooking-techniques/ https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/11/oldest-charred-food-remains-reveals-ancient-paleo-cooking-techniques/145335 https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2022/11/23/palaeolithic-carbonised-plant-food-remains-from-franchthi-and-shanidar/ cf: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/cooking-in-caves-palaeolithic-carbonised-plant-food-remains-from-franchthi-and-shanidar/0CB510C9E528CD7AD923469D78E14E42 A study of tartar on some paleolithic teeth provide several insights about oral health, diet, etc.: https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2022-11-24/tartar-on-ancient-teeth-shows-paleolithic-humans-had-better-oral-health.html https://elpais.com/ciencia/2022-11-22/sarro-en-dientes-de-miles-de-anos-muestra-que-los-humanos-del-paleolitico-tenian-mejor-salud-bucal.html https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2022-11-22/ty-article/new-study-shows-the-evolution-of-eating-in-italy/00000184-9a2b-d199-ade4-db6b5a6a0000 A study of vision requirements in Lower Paleolithic tool making: https://phys.org/news/2022-11-visual-behavior-stone-tools.html cf: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41982-022-00129-5 Evidence of harpoon making in Central Africa some 90 000 years bp: https://face2faceafrica.com/article/90000-years-ago-africans-in-congo-were-undertaking-fishing-expeditions-to-catch-giant-fishes More on evidence of cooking with fire some 780 000 years bp: https://phys.org/news/2022-11-cooking-food-feasts-human.html https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/arts-culture/2022-11-24/how-cooking-food-and-gathering-for-feasts-made-us-human https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/well-done-archaeologists-find-780000-year-old-fire-cooked-fish More on connections between humans in Spain and Britain some 400 000

=========================================================== explorator 25.31 November 20, 2022 =========================================================== You can read explorator online at: https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/ Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out). ============================================================ EARLY HOMINIDS ============================================================ Earliest evidence of hominid use of fire for cooking purposes is 780 000 years bp and comes from the Gesher Benot Ya'aqov site in Israel: https://phys.org/news/2022-11-oldest-evidence-cook-food.html https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/11/221114111017.htm https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/nov/14/fish-fossils-show-first-cooking-may-have-been-600000-years-earlier-than-thought https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2022-11-14/ty-article/earliest-evidence-of-cooking-found-in-780-000-year-old-grilled-fish/00000184-6150-df31-afc5-e7d83eb20000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/fish-teeth-found-near-jordan-river-yield-worlds-earliest-evidence-of-cooking/ https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/362812 https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-722411 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11426447/Prehistoric-BBQ-Oldest-evidence-using-fire-cook-food-780-000-years-ago.html https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/14/world/earliest-evidence-of-cooking-with-fire-scn/index.html https://cosmosmagazine.com/history/israel-earliest-cooking-fire/ https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20221114-earliest-proof-of-cooking-shows-our-ancestors-liked-well-done-fish https://www.rfi.fr/en/health-and-lifestyle/20221114-earliest-proof-of-cooking-shows-our-ancestors-liked-well-done-fish https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/well-done-archaeologists-find-780000-year-old-fire-cooked-fish https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/11/15/researchers-discover-earliest-evidence-of-cooking-in-780000-year-old-fish-in-northern-israel/ https://www.dw.com/en/evidence-of-cooking-780000-years-ago-rewrites-human-history/a-63812031 https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-drink/300739770/when-did-humans-start-cooking-it-might-be-earlier-than-we-thought https://www.sciencealert.com/the-oldest-evidence-of-ancient-humans-cooking-with-fire-was-just-found https://www.newscientist.com/article/2346856-early-humans-may-have-cooked-fish-in-ovens-780000-years-ago/ https://arkeonews.net/israeli-researchers-have-found-evidence-of-cooking-fish-780000-years-ago-at-gesher-benot-yaaqov/ https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2022/11/16/oldest-evidence-of-the-controlled-use-of-fire-to-cook-food-found-in-israel/ http://www.archaeology.org/news/10984-221115-israel-carp-cooking cf: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-022-01910-z Footprints in Spain have been redated to 300 000 years bp and have caused a rethink of who made them: https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2022-11-17/ty-article/mysterious-footprints-in-spain-were-made-300-000-years-ago/00000184-85bd-d7f2-ad8d-87bd45a20000 Feature on how early human fossils in the UK were connected to their European counterparts: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2022/november/earliest-human-fossils-in-the-uk-reveal-how-europeans-connected.html https://phys.org/news/2022-11-earliest-human-fossils-uk-reveal.html Feature on Neanderthals and Denisovans: https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/11/who-were-the-neanderthals-and-denisovans/145233 Speculating how different things would be if Neanderthals had 'prevailed': https://theconversation.com/8-billion-people-how-different-the-world-would-look-if-neanderthals-had-prevailed-194576 ============================================================ AFRICA ============================================================ Feature on a project exploring sunken slave s

=========================================================== explorator 25.30 November 13, 2022 =========================================================== You can read explorator online at: https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/ Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Bill Gephardt, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out). ============================================================ EARLY HOMINIDS ============================================================ Footprints in Spain suggest a human presence 200 000 years earlier than previously thought: https://phys.org/news/2022-11-footprints-human-presence-spain-middle.html Paper on migrations of Homo erectus in southeast Asia some 1.8 million years bp: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-23206-9 Study makes possible connections between bones found in Sussex and Neanderthal remains in Spain: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/nov/06/the-plot-thickens-new-study-reveals-complex-identity-of-ancient-britons Pondering when early hominins first made use of fire: https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/when-did-early-hominins-first-discover-fire More on the Neanderthal diet: https://greekreporter.com/2022/11/07/neanderthal-diet-archaeology-science/ More on the genetics of that Neanderthal family's remains in Siberia: https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2022-10-19/ty-article/ancient-dna-provides-first-insights-into-neanderthal-family/00000183-f04b-d49a-a7bf-fb5b806f0000 ============================================================ AFRICA ============================================================ Feature on Somali archaeologist Sada Mire: https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/sada-mire-somali-archaeologist/ More on 6000 years bp watermelon seeds from Libya: https://www.livescience.com/watermelon-seeds-prehistoric-herders-sahara More on humans and the demise of megafauna on Madagascar some 1000 years bp: https://www.science.org/content/article/human-population-boom-may-have-doomed-madagascar-s-giant-animals https://www.archaeology.org/news/10977-221111-madagascar-megafauna-extinction ============================================================ ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT ============================================================ Tattoos on some women mummies from Deir el-Medina seem to have a 'protection in childbirth' function: https://phys.org/news/2022-11-tattoos-ancient-egyptian-women-childbirth.html https://www.livescience.com/ancient-egyptian-mothers-protective-tattoos-childbirth cf: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/03075133221130089 Study suggests ancient Egyptians may have branded their slaves: https://www.livescience.com/ancient-egypt-branding-irons-slaves More on the tunnel found beneath Taposiria Magna (more in the Classics section on this too): https://www.livescience.com/ancient-tunnel-found-under-egyptian-temple https://www.cbsnews.com/news/archaeologist-find-vast-tunnel-beneath-egyptian-temple/ https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/archaeology-tunnel-underneath-taposiris-magna-1234645721/ https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2022/11/07/ancient-rock-cut-tunnel-discovered-beneath-taposiris-magna-in-egypt/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-4300-foot-long-tunnel-under-ancient-egyptian-temple-180981099/ http://www.archaeology.org/news/10972-221109-taposiris-magna-tunnel More on the recent Tutankhamun-related finds associated with Teti (and others): https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/2022-11-07/100-years-after-unearthing-king-tuts-tomb-archaeologists-make-new-discoveries https://www.npr.org/2022/11/07/1134653074/100-years-king-tut-tomb-egypt-stolen-jewelry https://www.wuft.org/nation-world/2022/11/07/100-years-after-unearthing-king-tuts-tomb-archaeologists-make-new-discoveries/ https://news.artnet.com/ar

=========================================================== explorator 25.29 November 6, 2022 =========================================================== You can read explorator online at: https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/ Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out). ============================================================ EARLY HOMINIDS ============================================================ A new study of how early hominids made use of fire: https://phys.org/news/2022-11-technique-easier-human-ancestors.html Suggestion that the Neanderthal demise was due to interbreeding with sapiens: https://phys.org/news/2022-10-neanderthal-extinction-sex.html https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1140/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1140/pub/1140/page/39/article/NaN https://www.iflscience.com/the-demise-of-neanderthals-may-have-been-a-lot-sexier-than-previously-thought-65996 cf: https://paleoanthropology.org/ojs/index.php/paleo/article/view/130 ... or maybe it was because of their carnivorous diet: https://theconversation.com/neanderthals-how-a-carnivore-diet-may-have-led-to-their-demise-193764 https://phys.org/news/2022-11-neanderthals-carnivore-diet-demise.html Suggestion that Upper Paleolithic cave dwellers may have used echolocation: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/human-echolocation A project trying to make connections between 430 000 years bp remains from La Sima de los Huesos in Spain and the Boxgove fossils from West Sussex: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/nov/06/the-plot-thickens-new-study-reveals-complex-identity-of-ancient-britons Study suggests environmental pressures drove human evolution: https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/human-evolution-driven-by-environment/ More on the sinuses of early hominids: https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2022/10/31/sinuses-offer-new-way-of-studying-the-evolution-of-ancient-humans/ More on the Neanderthal family from Siberia: https://www.sapiens.org/biology/neanderthal-family-ancient-dna/ ============================================================ AFRICA ============================================================ A study of some 6000 years bp watermelon seeds dropped in a cave by nomads in Libya: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/watermelon-seeds-were-snacked-before-its-flesh-became-sweet-180981008/ A correlation between human expansion on Madagascar some 1000 years bp and the loss of large vertebrates there: https://phys.org/news/2022-11-human-expansion-years-linked-madagascar.html https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/11/221104113440.htm cf: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(22)01602-5 ============================================================ ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT ============================================================ Plenty of features on the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb to mark the centennial of the find: https://theconversation.com/more-than-a-story-of-treasures-revisiting-tutankhamuns-tomb-100-years-after-its-discovery-193293 https://phys.org/news/2022-11-story-treasures-revisiting-tutankhamun-tomb.html https://daily.jstor.org/the-discovery-of-king-tuts-tomb/ https://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/culture/2022/11/04/tuts-tomb-discovery-100-later-first-publicized-event_b2abdab1-5d9a-49ac-a387-ada36d855787.html https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11392579/More-buried-treasure-BENEATH-King-Tuts-tomb-according-new-research.html https://www.dw.com/en/tutankhamun-a-chance-discovery/a-63622150 https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/graphics/2022/11/03/king-tuts-tomb-discovered-100-years-ago-month/8169298001/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-howard-carter-discovered-king-tuts-golden-tomb-180981052/ ... and a featu

=========================================================== explorator 25.28 October 30, 2022 =========================================================== You can read explorator online at: https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/ Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out). ============================================================ EARLY HOMINIDS ============================================================ A study of the frontal sinuses of early humans: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2022/october/sinuses-offer-new-way-studying-evolution-ancient-humans.html https://phys.org/news/2022-10-sinuses-evolution-ancient-humans.html http://www.archaeology.org/news/10956-221028-hominin-frontal-sinus cf: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abp9767 Studying whether Paleolithic ancestors had a paleo diet: https://phys.org/news/2022-10-ancient-humans-paleo-diet.html https://www.sapiens.org/biology/paleo-diet-inaccurate/ More on that Neanderthal family from a Siberian cave: https://www.livescience.com/neanderthal-family-dna-analysis https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2022/10/24/meet-the-first-neanderthal-family/ More on Neanderthals being carnivores: https://www.sciencealert.com/ancient-tooth-finally-reveals-whether-neanderthals-were-carnivores#l9n0o7rmorkylzni3mt https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2022/10/24/neanderthals-appear-to-have-been-carnivores/ ============================================================ AFRICA ============================================================ Feature on Mansa Musa: https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3195577/who-was-mansa-musa-richest-man-history-and-what-would-his ============================================================ ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT ============================================================ The celebrations of the finding of Tutanhamun's tomb continue with a feature on chariots found in the tomb: https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/120065/Tutankhamun%E2%80%99s-tomb-contained-6-chariots-when-discovered-in-1922 ... and a necklace: https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/120105/Learn-about-Tutankhamun%E2%80%99s-symbolic-necklace ... three shabtis: https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/120161/Carter-finds-3-iconic-shabtis-in-Tutankhamun%E2%80%99s-tomb-upon-discovery ... his chair: https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/120218/Learn-about-Tutankhamun%E2%80%99s-spectacular-chair ... his writing materials holder: https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/120220/Tutankhamun%E2%80%99s-gilded-brush-holder-portrays-beauty-of-ancient-Egyptian-art ... the fetuses of his daughters: https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/120221/How-were-the-fetuses-of-Tutankhamun%E2%80%99s-daughters-discovered ... and nine other 'treasures': https://www.livescience.com/king-tut-treasures-ancient-egypt ... and a feature on Tutankhamun as a warrior: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/reimagining-tutankhamun-as-a-warrior-180980657/ ... and more on suggestions Carter stole jewellery from the tomb: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11369219/BBC-documentary-claims-Howard-Carters-celebrated-discovery-Tutankhamun-1922-blighted.html ... and an overview of the discovery and its aftermath: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/africa/egypt/how-forgotten-boy-king-inspired-us-visit-egypt/ ... and ongoing debates about his tomb: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/30/science/tutankhamen-nefertiti-archaeology.html .. on Ernest Harold Jones, who was part of the excavation team: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-63314215 On the recently-revived debate over the identification of Nefertiti's tomb: https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-egypt/queen_nefertitis_tomb/?mqsc=E4147760&dk=ZE23O0ZF0 Mo

=========================================================== explorator 25.27 October 23, 2022 =========================================================== You can read explorator online at: https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/ Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out). ============================================================ EARLY HOMINIDS ============================================================ DNA from Neanderthal remains found in a Siberian cave suggests they were a family: https://phys.org/news/2022-10-neanderthal-family.html https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221019111328.htm https://www.livescience.com/neanderthal-family-dna-analysis/ https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/oct/19/dna-of-13-neanderthals-reveals-exciting-snapshot-of-ancient-community https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1129/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1129/pub/1129/page/34/article/NaN https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/19/science/first-neanderthal-family-russian-cave.html https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dna-neanderthal-family-dynamics-research/ https://elpais.com/ciencia/2022-10-19/hallada-una-familia-neandertal-por-primera-vez-un-padre-y-su-hija-al-borde-de-la-extincion.html https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2022-10-19/ty-article/ancient-dna-provides-first-insights-into-neanderthal-family/00000183-f04b-d49a-a7bf-fb5b806f0000 https://apnews.com/article/science-travel-genetics-caves-d0a0791fc74c9a4de98ba4104152cd2d https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/10/ancient-genomes-of-thirteen-neandertals-provide-a-rare-snapshot-of-their-community-and-social-organisation/145029 http://www.archaeology.org/news/10939-221021-siberia-neanderthal-dna cf: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05283-y https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03339-7 A study of assorted sites in Central Asia suggests its importance for human ancestral migration: https://phys.org/news/2022-10-central-asia-key-region-human.html https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221021181032.htm cf: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0273984 Study suggests Neanderthals may have been carnivores (?): https://www.cnrs.fr/fr/les-neandertaliens-semblent-avoir-ete-des-carnivores https://phys.org/news/2022-10-neanderthals-carnivores.html https://cosmosmagazine.com/history/neanderthal-tooth-enamel-carnivores/ http://www.archaeology.org/news/10938-221021-neanderthal-zinc-isotopes cf: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2109315119 More on Neanderthal-Sapiens coexisting and 'sharing' ideas: https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-719915 https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2022/10/17/how-long-did-modern-humans-and-neanderthals-co-exist/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neanderthals-and-modern-humans-may-have-shared-ideas-for-tools-180980955/ More on the conclusions being reached from 'extinct human species' remains from Tunel Wielki cave: https://www.sciencealert.com/half-a-million-year-old-signs-of-extinct-human-species-found-in-poland-cave https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2022/10/18/flint-tools-found-in-cave-among-the-oldest-ever-discovered-in-poland/ ============================================================ AFRICA ============================================================ Something about the 'rescue' of 38 000 years bp geometric designs on a rock in South Africa: https://theconversation.com/rock-stars-how-a-group-of-scientists-in-south-africa-rescued-a-rare-500kg-chunk-of-human-history-192508 https://phys.org/news/2022-10-stars-group-scientists-south-africa.html ============================================================ ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT ============================================================ Plenty of items relating to the 100th annivers

=========================================================== explorator 25.26 October 16, 2022 =========================================================== You can read explorator online at: https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/ Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out). ============================================================ EARLY HOMINIDS ============================================================ Latest study looking at Neanderthal-Sapiens co-existence (in France and northern Spain): https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2022/10/archaeologists-come-up-with-a-more-precise-estimate-for-how-long-modern-humans-and-neanderthals-co-existed https://phys.org/news/2022-10-ancient-humans-co-existence-modern-neanderthals.html https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/oct/13/neanderthals-and-modern-humans-may-have-copied-each-others-tools https://www.zmescience.com/science/modern-humans-and-neanderthals-could-have-coexisted-in-western-europe-14102022/ https://www.science.org/content/article/modern-humans-and-neanderthals-may-have-overlapped-shared-culture-western-europe https://elpais.com/ciencia/2022-10-11/una-nueva-investigacion-arqueologica-ahonda-en-la-misteriosa-desaparicion-de-los-neandertales.html http://www.archaeology.org/news/10927-221014-computer-model-neanderthal cf: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-19162-z More on the possibly half a million years bp stone tools from Tunel Eielki Cave in Poland: https://arkeonews.net/flint-tools-found-in-tunel-wielki-cave-poland-about-half-a-million-years-old/ Feature on paleogenomics: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/oct/10/nobel-prize-neanderthal-svante-paabo-palaeogenetics ============================================================ ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT ============================================================ 1200 Ramses II-era ram skulls revealed at the Temple of Osiris in Abydos: http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/65413 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/10/14/egyptian-cult-bell-rings-first-time-2000-years/ Zahi Hawass now says they're looking for Imhotep's tomb in Saqqara and Nefertiti's in Luxor: https://dailynewsegypt.com/2022/10/09/we-are-now-searching-for-imhoteps-tomb-in-saqqara-queen-nefertitis-in-luxor-zahi-hawass/ Feature on folks working on the decipherment of hieroglyphic texts prior to Champollion: https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/477691.aspx Feature on how Tutankhamun died: https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/how-did-king-tut-die More on a training school in Egypt revealing a Ptolemaic-era tomb: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/10/egyptian-training-program-leads-discovery-ptolemaic-era-tomb More on the Late Roman religious complex found at Berenike featuring a falcon cult of some sort: https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/roman-falcon-shrine-discovered-in-egypt-archaeology-1234642625/ https://www.iflscience.com/shrine-with-never-before-seen-ritual-discovered-in-egyptian-temple-65654 More on the find of the sarcophagus of Ramses II's 'treasurer': https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/10/egypt-uncovers-sarcophagus-reign-ramses-ii More on Egypt renewing calls for the return of the Rosetta Stone and other artifacts: https://www.npr.org/2022/10/12/1128288196/egypt-calls-for-the-return-of-the-rosetta-stone-and-other-ancient-artifacts https://www.gpb.org/news/2022/10/12/egyptians-call-for-the-return-of-the-rosetta-stone-and-other-ancient-artifacts https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/oct/12/egyptian-academics-petition-for-return-of-rosetta-/ https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/10/egyptian-archaeologists-call-return-rosetta-stone ... and a related OpEd: https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-edit-rosetta-stone-20221011-e2av6mfarzatvmrwji

=========================================================== explorator 25.25 October 9, 2022 =========================================================== You can read explorator online at: https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/ Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out). ============================================================ EARLY HOMINIDS ============================================================ Stone tools from a cave in Poland date to 450 000 to 550 000 years bp (much earlier than previously thought): https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/10/flint-tools-found-in-tunel-wielki-cave-have-been-dated-to-half-a-million-years-ago/144931 In case you missed the Nobel prize for medicine/physiology going to someone researching Neanderthal and Denisovan genomes: https://www.nytimes.com/video/health/100000008564410/nobel-prize-winner-medicine.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/03/health/nobel-prize-medicine-physiology-winner.html https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-63116304 https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1118/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1118/pub/1118/page/12/article/NaN https://www.npr.org/2022/10/03/1126518643/the-nobel-prize-in-medicine-has-been-awarded-for-research-on-evolution https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/03/europe/nobel-prize-medicine-2022-winner-intl-scn/index.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/10/03/nobel-prize-medicine-svante-pbo/ https://www.latercera.com/que-pasa/noticia/entrevista-al-nobel-2022-el-hombre-que-descifro-a-los-neandertales/BR6EYBAB3ZB2TL6LSLTJV2J2PY/ https://elpais.com/ciencia/2022-10-03/premio-nobel-de-medicina-para-svante-paabo-por-sus-descubrimientos-en-genetica-de-especies-extintas.html https://www.biobiochile.cl/noticias/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencia/2022/10/03/experto-en-genetica-svante-paabo-gana-nobel-de-medicina-por-hallazgos-en-genoma-de-especies-extintas.shtml https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/discoveries-about-ancient-human-evolution-win-2022-nobel-prize-in-physiology-or-medicine/ https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/10/nobel-in-medicine-goes-to-the-man-who-brought-us-the-neanderthal-genome/ https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03086-9 Feature on the Denisovans: https://phys.org/news/2022-10-mysterious-denisovans.html More on the 1 000 000 years bp skull find in China: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3194136/million-year-old-skull-found-china-fills-human-evolutionary-gap ============================================================ AFRICA ============================================================ On the growing interest in Nubian archaeology: https://www.newscientist.com/article/0-why-ancient-nubia-is-finally-emerging-from-egypts-long-shadow/ ============================================================ ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT ============================================================ A training school in Egypt revealed a tomb dating to Ptolemaic times: https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/119668/Excavation-training-program-leads-to-discovery-of-Ptolemaic-era-cemetery A Late Roman religious complex site from Berenike featuring headless falcons: https://www.uab.cat/web/newsroom/news-detail/shrine-discovered-with-rituals-never-seen-to-take-place-before-in-an-egyptian-temple-1345830290613.html?detid=1345870351966 https://phys.org/news/2022-10-shrine-egyptian-temple-evidence-previously.html https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221006121140.htm https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-719129 https://arkeonews.net/an-inscription-containing-15-headless-falcons-and-unknown-ancient-rituals-found-in-an-ancient-egyptian-temple/ https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/10/falcon-shrine-discovery-contains-previously-unknown-ancient-rituals/144921 https://www.archaeolog

=========================================================== explorator 25.24 October 2, 2022 =========================================================== You can read explorator online at: https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/ Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out). ============================================================ EARLY HOMINIDS ============================================================ A million years bp homo erectus skull from China's Hubei province: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/09/220926114929.htm https://english.news.cn/20220928/c4830915d6ae4753bcce736fa6ec3d1a/c.html https://www.ecns.cn/hd/2022-09-29/detail-ihcepfvq8470077.shtml https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3194136/million-year-old-skull-found-china-fills-human-evolutionary-gap https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202209/28/WS6334662da310fd2b29e7a478.html https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202209/1276363.shtml https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2022/09/30/1-million-year-old-skull-discovered-evolution-china-orig-aw.cnn https://www.yahoo.com/news/chinese-archaeologists-excavate-1-million-120946417.html Another feature pondering the 'demise' of the Neanderthals: https://phys.org/news/2022-09-archaeology-mysterious-demise-neanderthals.html Feature on six recent developments regarding human origins: https://theconversation.com/six-recent-discoveries-that-have-changed-how-we-think-about-human-origins-190274 https://www.inverse.com/science/ancient-human-hybrid-discoveries Study linking evolutionary changes and climate: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/09/220926114929.htm ============================================================ AFRICA ============================================================ A pre-colonial 'traitor' burial from Senegal: https://elpais.com/cultura/2022-09-22/asi-se-mataba-a-un-traidor-en-el-sur-de-senegal.html Feature on Nigeria's most prized antiquities: https://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/food-travel/7-of-nigerias-most-prized-ancient-antiquities/yw2m2x8 Feature on Great Zimbabwe: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220925-the-ancient-remains-of-great-zimbabwe Feature on Zanzibar's Stone Town: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/stone-town-zanzibar-history ============================================================ ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT ============================================================ Marking the 200th anniversary of the 'decoding' of hieroglyphs via the Rosetta Stone: https://dailynewsegypt.com/2022/09/26/egypt-celebrates-200-years-of-decoding-ancient-hieroglyphs/ https://www.dw.com/en/rosetta-stone-deciphering-mysterious-hieroglyphs/a-63268251 https://english.news.cn/20220925/990e9b66c2284518994904f859b3b1b7/c.html https://daily.jstor.org/jean-francois-champollion-deciphers-the-rosetta-stone/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/rosetta-stone-hieroglyphs-champollion-decipherment-egypt-180980834/ ... and features on the Rosetta Stone and the growing calls for its repatriation: https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/119489/Rosetta-Stone-the-key-to-Egypt%E2%80%99s-ancient-civilization https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/egypt/2022/09/27/rosetta-stones-significance-still-echoes-after-200-years/ https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/sep/30/the-guardian-view-on-the-rosetta-stone-a-monument-to-code-breaking https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rosetta-stone-egypt-britain-colonial-wounds-petition-for-artifacts/ https://www.euronews.com/culture/2022/09/28/the-rosetta-stone-200-years-on-and-calls-for-repatriation-continue https://uk.news.yahoo.com/rosetta-stone-200-years-calls-170726131.html https://news.yahoo.com/egyptians-try-tactic-bid-reclaim-140333101.html https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220923-the-rosetta-stone-the-re

=========================================================== explorator 25.23 September 25 2022 =========================================================== You can read explorator online at: https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/ Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out). ============================================================ EARLY HOMINIDS ============================================================ 1.4 million years bp human facial bones from the Atapuerca site in Spain: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/14m-year-old-bones-excavated-in-northern-spain-could-rewrite-human-prehistory/2693974 Study of an isolated Neanderthal site on the Iberian peninsula: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-20200-z On using DNA in human evolution studies: https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2022-09-21/how-prehistoric-dna-is-helping-to-unlock-the-secrets-of-human-evolution.html Feature on some recent finds that have changed what we think about human origins: https://theconversation.com/six-recent-discoveries-that-have-changed-how-we-think-about-human-origins-190274 https://phys.org/news/2022-09-discoveries-human.html Feature pondering the 'mysterious demise' of the Neanderthals: https://horizon.scienceblog.com/2162/new-archaeology-dives-into-the-mysterious-demise-of-the-neanderthals/ More on that 1.8 million years bp tooth find from Georgia: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/sep/09/1-point-8-million-year-old-tooth-of-early-human-found-on-dig-in-georgia https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/119247/Dmanisi-the-key-to-deciphering-Homo%E2%80%99s-origins ============================================================ AFRICA ============================================================ The Letaba site in Kruger national Park reveals evidence of trade with Asia and Arabia 1500 -1000 years bp: https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/letaba-archaeological-site-contains-early-evidence-of-trade-with-asia-arabia/ Feature on freed Jamaican slaves who migrated to Sierra Leone: https://face2faceafrica.com/article/freetown-board-houses-where-jamaicas-freed-slaves-sought-refuge-in-sierra-leone More on European traders using already established trade routes in East Africa: https://news.yale.edu/2022/09/15/beads-show-european-trade-african-interior-used-indigenous-routes https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2022/09/20/beads-show-european-trade-in-african-interior-used-indigenous-routes/ https://www.archaeology.org/news/10838-220919-africa-trade-routes ============================================================ ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT ============================================================ A Ramses II-era red granite sarcophagus of a high ranking official from Saqqara: https://www.livescience.com/pink-granite-sarcophagus-ancient-egypt/ https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/476369/Antiquities/Ancient-Egypt/Sarcophagus-of-King-Ramses-II%E2%80%99s-head-of-treasury-u.aspx https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/119320/Discovery-of-sarcophagus-of-high-ranking-statesman-during-reign-of https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/09/egypt-unveils-ancient-rameses-ii-era-royal-secretary-sarcophagus https://english.alarabiya.net/life-style/travel-and-tourism/2022/09/19/Egypt-unveils-ancient-Rameses-II-era-royal-secretary-sarcophagus https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-717955 https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/egypt-unveils-rameses-ii-era-sarcaphagus-of-royal-official https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220919-egypt-unveils-ancient-rameses-ii-era-royal-secretary-sarcophagus https://www.cbsnews.com/news/egypt-sarcophagus-ptah-em-uya-royal-secretary-rameses-ii-era/ https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/09/archaeologists-uncover-sarcophagus-of-high-ranking-official-from-reig

=========================================================== explorator 25.22 September 18 2022 =========================================================== You can read explorator online at: https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/ Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, David Brear, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out). ============================================================ CUT AND PASTE CORRIGENDA ============================================================ This error wasn't cut and paste related: last week I suggested that development of York's Roman Quarter had been approved; it hasn't. It has been recommended for approval. Apologies for any confusion caused. https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/21253428.yorks-roman-quarter-decision-postponed-councillors-learn-queens-death-mid-way-meeting ============================================================ EARLY HOMINIDS ============================================================ Recent excavations in Romania are shedding light on the lives of the earliest modern humans in Europe (40 000 years bp): https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/964530 https://idw-online.de/de/news801132 https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2022/09/15/life-of-earliest-modern-humans-in-europe/ More on that 1.8 million years bp tooth from Georgia (not the US one): https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/sep/09/1-point-8-million-year-old-tooth-of-early-human-found-on-dig-in-georgia https://menafn.com/1104846045/Archaeologists-Have-Found-A-18-Million-Year-Old-Human-Tooth https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11206745/Worlds-oldest-TOOTH-outside-Africa-Student-digs-1-8million-year-old-molar-country-Georgia.html https://www.zmescience.com/science/ancient-tooth-georgia-homo-erectus-92462452/ http://www.archaeology.org/news/10819-220912-georgia-hominin-tooth Latest feature on Neanderthal-Sapiens interbreeding: https://discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/forensic-anthropology-expands-the-view-on-human-neanderthal-interbreeding ============================================================ AFRICA ============================================================ Beads from a cave near Lake Malawi suggest European traders used already-established Indigenous trade routes: https://news.yale.edu/2022/09/15/beads-show-european-trade-african-interior-used-indigenous-routes https://phys.org/news/2022-09-beads-european-african-interior-indigenous.html ============================================================ ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT ============================================================ Not sure where to put this breaking story: a Ramses II-era burial cave found at a popular beach near Tel Aviv: https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-717442 https://www.timesofisrael.com/frozen-in-time-3300-year-old-burial-cave-accidentally-discovered-at-popular-beach/ https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2022-09-18/ty-article/intact-burial-cave-from-time-of-ramesses-ii-discovered-on-israeli-coast/00000183-4f76-dfd0-a5f7-4ff79b830000 https://www.ynetnews.com/travel/article/h1nji4nwo https://www.israeltoday.co.il/read/its-like-indiana-jones-israeli-archaeologists-excited-over-new-discovery/ Excavations at the Saqqara necropolis have revealed several blocks of white cheese dating to the 26th Dynasty: https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/2022/09/12/archaeologists-uncover-2600-year-old-blocks-of-white-cheese-in-egypt/ https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-717365 https://www.esquireme.com/news/halloumi-archaeologists-egypt http://www.archaeology.org/news/10832-220914-egypt-saqqara-cheese ... not sure if that was part of the 6th season of the Egyptian mission at Saqqara getting underway: https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/119041/The-6th-season-of-the-excavations-of-Egyptian-archaeological-mission I

=========================================================== explorator 25.21 September 11 2022 =========================================================== You can read explorator online at: https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/ Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out). ============================================================ EARLY HOMINIDS ============================================================ A 1.8 million years bp human tooth find from near Tbilsi: https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/oddly-enough/georgian-archaeologists-find-18-million-year-old-human-tooth-2022-09-09/ https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/sep/09/1-point-8-million-year-old-tooth-of-early-human-found-on-dig-in-georgia https://nationalpost.com/pmn/environment-pmn/georgian-archaeologists-find-1-8-million-year-old-human-tooth https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/09/09/ancient-human-tooth-found-georgia/8036539001/ https://www.dw.com/en/archaeologists-find-18-million-year-old-human-tooth-in-georgia/a-63071543 https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-716825 https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/georgian-archaeologists-find-18-million-year-old-human-tooth/article65869995.ece https://arkeonews.net/1-8-million-year-old-human-tooth-discovered-in-georgia/ http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/65073 Evidence of early humans 'picking their teeth' from a tooth found in Fuyan Cave in Hunan: http://en.people.cn/n3/2022/0909/c90000-10145539.html On the differences between Neanderthal and Sapiens brains: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/09/220908172244.htm https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/08/science/human-brain-neanderthal-gene.html https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/sep/08/study-reveals-striking-differences-in-brains-of-modern-humans-and-neanderthals https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/were-different-from-neanderthals-because-of-our-growing-brains On the persistence of Neanderthal DNA: https://phys.org/news/2022-09-neanderthals-died-years-dna-earth.html More on Sahelanthropus: https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2022/09/05/sahelanthropus-the-oldest-representative-of-humanity-was-indeed-bipedal/ ============================================================ AFRICA ============================================================ Remains of an 11th century settlement at Zanzibar's Stone Town: https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/heritage/2022/09/01/uae-led-project-makes-groundbreaking-discovery-in-zanzibars-famed-stone-town/ https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/zanzibar-stone-town-origins-archaeology-1234638460/ http://www.archaeology.org/news/10809-220906-zanzibar-stone-town Excavations at a 1000 years bp church in Sudan have revealed some religious paintings: https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2022/09/07/polish-researcher-documents-1000-years-old-paintings-found-in-sudan/ ============================================================ ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT ============================================================ The sixth season of excavations at Saqqara are just getting underway: https://see.news/sixth-excavation-season-of-egyptian-archaeological-missio/ Plans to reassemble Khufu's second boat: https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/50/1207/475595/AlAhram-Weekly/Heritage/Khufu%E2%80%99s-boat-to-be-reassembled.aspx Egypt has imposed heavy penalties on folks entering or climbing archaeological areas without a license: https://egyptindependent.com/egypt-imposes-new-penalty-for-entering-climbing-archaeological-areas-without-license/ Feature on Mark Lehner and his work: https://www.minotdailynews.com/news/local-news/2022/09/nd-native-egyptologist-embarks-into-further-mysteries-at-giza/ Feature on the Wedjat Eye: https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/118906/Ancient

=========================================================== explorator 25.20 September 4 2022 =========================================================== You can read explorator online at: https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/ Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out). ============================================================ EARLY HOMINIDS ============================================================ As might be expected, a major discussion has broken out over the status of Sahelanthropus (dubbed Toumai) in the human family tree: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/sep/03/oldest-human-or-just-another-ape-row-erupts-over-7m-year-old-fossil A study of 70 000 years bp 'trapped' piece of ochre from a site in South Africa: https://partner.sciencenorway.no/archeology-artefacts-university-of-bergen/trapped-70000-year-old-artefact-reveals-hidden-information-about-early-humans/2068584 Feature on the Denisovans: https://www.livescience.com/denisovans-extinct-human-relative The find of a 500 000 years bp elephant tusk in Israel might be of interest: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/israeli-ap-tel-aviv-university-mediterranean-b2156497.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/israeli-archaeologists-dig-up-large-tusk-of-ancient-elephant/2022/08/31/5dc69c26-2915-11ed-a90a-fce4015dfc8f_story.html https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/elephants-prehistoric-israel/ ============================================================ AFRICA ============================================================ Documenting some 1000 years bp paintings in a church in Sudan: https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/08/researchers-document-1000-year-old-paintings-excavated-in-sudan/144553 Excavations at Zanzibar's Stone Town suggest it's much older than previously thought: https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/heritage/2022/09/01/uae-led-project-makes-groundbreaking-discovery-in-zanzibars-famed-stone-town/ More on the multinational group surveying the Skerki Banks: https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2022/08/30/shipwrecks-ahoy-unescos-underwater-mission-scours-sea-bed-off-italy-for-archaeological-treasures https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/marine-archaeologists-are-scouring-a-busy-trade-route-for-ancient-shipwrecks-1234637752/ https://news.artnet.com/art-world/unesco-marine-archaeology-2167546 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-from-eight-countries-unesco-explore-skerki-banks-180980693/ ============================================================ ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT ============================================================ A pollen study suggests the Khufu branch of the Nile once ran close enough to the pyramids to provide a route for stones to be transported for their construction: https://phys.org/news/2022-08-khufu-nile-river-giza-stones.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/30/science/pyramids-nile-river-construction-egypt.html https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/world/egypt-river-nile-branch-pyramids-study-b2156802.html https://egyptindependent.com/french-study-reveals-secret-behind-the-pyramids/ https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-715984 https://arkeonews.net/a-long-lost-branch-of-the-nile-helped-in-building-egypts-pyramids-scientists-say/ https://www.sciencealert.com/a-hidden-landscape-we-can-no-longer-see-may-explain-the-mystery-of-the-pyramids https://www.archaeology.org/news/10804-220901-nile-river-flow cf: https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2202530119 ... and a feature on the Pyramid of Khufu: https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/the-oldest-ancient-wonder-still-exists-today-4-500-years-later A study of Tutankhamun's shoes suggests he may have had foot problems: https://www.egypttoday.co

=========================================================== explorator 25.19 August 28, 2022 =========================================================== You can read explorator online at: https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/ Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out). ============================================================ EARLY HOMINIDS ============================================================ A study of tools from an Aurignacian site in Romania: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2022/08/archaeological-excavations-in-romania-show-life-of-earliest-modern-humans-in-europe https://phys.org/news/2022-08-archaeological-excavations-romania-life-earliest.html https://www.archaeology.org/news/10791-220826-romania-modern-human cf: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-15544-5 Study suggests that much of the Neanderthal-Sapiens interbreeding took place in the Near East: https://phys.org/news/2022-08-ancient-skulls-human-interbreeding-neandertals.html https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/08/220823115636.htm https://www.archaeology.org/news/10787-220824-neanderthals-modern-humans cf: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/11/8/1163 A study of Sahelanthropus (apparently the oldest representative of humanity now) suggests they were bipedal: https://phys.org/news/2022-08-sahelanthropus-oldest-humanity-bipedal.html https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/08/220824120832.htm https://www.livescience.com/when-human-ancestors-first-walked-upright/ https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/aug/24/our-oldest-known-ancestor-could-probably-walk-say-researchers https://elpais.com/ciencia/2022-08-24/un-polemico-femur-sugiere-que-la-familia-humana-ya-caminaba-sobre-dos-patas-hace-siete-millones-de-anos.html https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/ancient-bones-confirm-earliest-known-human-ancestor-walked-upright-rcna44187 https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/24/world/bipedalism-walking-7-million-years-scn/index.html https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2022-08-24/ty-article/early-hominin-was-walking-7-million-years-ago-study-confirms/00000182-ced5-dfe5-adbb-dff59a290000 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-oldest-known-early-human-walked-upright-7-million-years-ago-180980628/ cf: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04901-z Trying to figure out when humans evolved the capacity to sweat: https://www.npr.org/2022/08/25/1119373338/when-did-human-bodies-evolve-to-sweat-we-dont-know-exactly-when ============================================================ AFRICA ============================================================ A multinational group will be studying the life and historical artifacts on the Skerki Bank between Tunisia and Sicily: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/08/mediterranean-countries-take-archaeology-project-tunisian-coast https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2022/08/350999/morocco-participates-in-underwater-archaeological-research ============================================================ ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT ============================================================ The restoration of the Amun Ra shrine in the Temple of Seti I at Abydos is complete: https://www.egyptindependent.com/egypt-completes-restoration-of-amun-re-chapel-at-the-temple-of-seti-i-in-abydos/ https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/118557/Restoration-of-Amun-Ra%E2%80%99s-shrine-in-Temple-of-Seti-I https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3830746/egypt-completes-work-restoration-amun-ra-shrine-temple-seti-i ... as is restoration of a statue of Thutmose II at Karnak: https://dailynewsegypt.com/2022/08/22/restoration-of-king-thutmose-ii-statue-in-karnak-temples-completed/ https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/2022/08/22/egypt-completes-restoration-of-thutmose-iis-s

=========================================================== explorator 25.18 August 21, 2022 =========================================================== You can read explorator online at: https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/ Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out). ============================================================ EARLY HOMINIDS ============================================================ Review of Peter Bellwood, *The Five-Million-Year Odyssey: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/human-evolution-five-million-year-odyssey-review ============================================================ AFRICA ============================================================ Possible 400 000 years bp evidence of a human presence/settlement in Iran: https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/475718/Oldest-human-settlement-in-Iran-identified A study of homo sapiens presence in the Kalahari coinciding with periods of water availability: https://www.news.uct.ac.za/article/-2022-08-15-kalahari-site-points-to-water-rich-periods-that-attracted-early-humans https://news.griffith.edu.au/2022/08/17/stone-age-discovery-shows-homo-sapiens-survived-in-the-kalahari/ https://phys.org/news/2022-08-stone-age-discovery-homo-sapiens.html https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-714813 https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/08/early-humans-were-drawn-to-kalahari-during-water-rich-periods/144470 cf: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0270104 ============================================================ ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT ============================================================ More on evidence that Howard Carter 'stole' Tutankhamun's treasure: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/aug/13/howard-carter-stole-tutankhamuns-treasure-new-evidence-suggests https://egyptindependent.com/details-of-howard-carters-theft-of-artifacts-from-tutankhamuns-tomb/ https://news.artnet.com/art-world/the-archaeologist-who-discovered-king-tuts-tomb-almost-certainly-stole-artifacts-from-it-a-new-book-reveals-2161023 https://www.iflscience.com/archaeologist-that-unearthed-tutankhamuns-tomb-stole-artifacts-from-it-newly-revealed-letter-suggests-64904 Egypt is renewing calls for the return of the Rosetta Stone to Egypt: https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/2022/08/19/new-push-to-bring-rosetta-stone-back-to-egypt-amid-awakening-on-colonial-loot/ ... some background: https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/2022/08/19/what-is-the-rosetta-stone-all-you-need-to-know-as-british-museum-faces-claim-from-egypt/ The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization has received some xray equipment: https://egyptindependent.com/egypt-receives-2-sophisticated-devices-to-scan-mummies/ Feature on sunken antiquities off Alexandria: https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/118470/In-pics-Story-of-sunken-antiquities-in-Egypt-s-Alexandria Feature on the restoration of the Golden Shrine of the temple at Medinet Habu: https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/118183/Golden-Shrine-of-Luxor%E2%80%99s-Habu-Temple-restored-to-its-original Feature on the apparent return of Egyptomania: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-style-with-an-eternal-afterlife-the-return-of-egyptomania-lg6mlmg07 Overviewish thing on work being done at the Elymais/Parthian site at Hung-e Ashdar site in Iran: https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/475648/Iranian-Italian-team-finishes-work-to-document-relief-carvings [this one has the same photo as the previous?] 5th-3rd millennium BCE finds from Tepe Parandak: https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/475645/Archaeologists-discover-Neolithic-Elamite-relics-near-Tehran Evidence of iron smelting in Masuleh in the 5th-7th centuries AH: https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/475734/Masuleh-yields-clues-about-ancient-smelti

=========================================================== explorator 25.17 August 14, 2022 =========================================================== You can read explorator online at: https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/ Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out). ============================================================ EARLY HOMINIDS ============================================================ Pondering whether Neanderthals made art: https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/did-neanderthals-make-art/ Something about homo sapiens' lack of 'vocal lips' contributing to the development of speech: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/11/science/language-humans-primates.html More on comparing Neanderthal and sapiens brain development: https://cosmosmagazine.com/history/neanderthal-human-brain-development/ ============================================================ AFRICA ============================================================ Feature on the Warrior Women of Dahomey: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/dora-milaje-dahomey-warriors-amazons ============================================================ ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT ============================================================ Egypt has completed restoration of the golden shrine at Medinet Habu: https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/118183/Golden-Shrine-of-Luxor%E2%80%99s-Habu-Temple-restored-to-its-original https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/08/egypt-restores-golden-shrine-ancient-temple-luxor A letter of Howard Carter is being used to suggest he stole Tutankamun's treasure: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/aug/13/howard-carter-stole-tutankhamuns-treasure-new-evidence-suggests https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/archeologist-tutankhamun-tomb-stolen-treasure-b2144562.html Feature on Merneptah's destruction of Gezer: https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/pharaoh-merneptahs-destruction-gezer/ Feature on the causes of Egypt's decline: https://www.history.com/news/decline-ancient-egypt-causes Feature on the relations between Egypt and the Neo Assyrian Empire: https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2022/08/neo-assyrian-empire-egypt A month-long survey of the Qalaichi site (former capital of the Mannaean Kingdom): https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/475610/Archaeologists-finish-survey-on-previous-capital-of-Mannaean More on the deciphering of Linear Elamite: https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-714651 https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2022-08-12/ty-article/.premium/mysterious-script-reveals-one-of-the-oldest-alphabets-in-the-world/00000182-8bd3-d9bc-affb-ebdf26270000 https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-near-eastern-world/linear_elamite_deciphered/ Remains of a major Parthian era settlement near Baghdad: https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2022/08/10/archaeologists-uncover-ancient-city-and-hundreds-of-artefacts-close-to-baghdad A 7800 years bp female 'fertility figurine' from Ulucak Hoyuk (Turkiye): https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/7800-year-old-female-figurine-found-in-turkiyes-izmir https://arkeonews.net/7800-year-old-female-figurine-discovered-in-ulucak-hoyuk-in-western-turkey/ An inscription mentioning the Phrygian capital of Gordion by name was found during excavations there: https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/1st-inscription-bearing-name-gordion-unearthed-in-turkish-capital https://arkeonews.net/an-inscription-with-the-name-of-the-ancient-city-was-found-at-the-excavation-site-in-gordion-the-capital-of-the-phrygians/ http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/64838 Feature on the underground city at Derinkuyu: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220810-derinkuyu-turkeys-underground-city-of-20000-p

=========================================================== explorator 25.16 August 7, 2022 =========================================================== You can read explorator online at: https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/ Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out). ============================================================ EARLY HOMINIDS ============================================================ Feature on the evolution of stone tools (in terms of 'modes'): https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/08/the-evolution-of-stone-tools/144282 Comparing Neanderthal and Sapiens brain development: https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2022/08/02/the-brains-of-neanderthals-developed-differently-from-those-of-modern-humans/ ============================================================ AFRICA ============================================================ Using language to determine the Bantu expansion happened ca. 4000 years bp: https://phys.org/news/2022-08-early-bantu-speakers-dense-central.html https://www.archaeology.org/news/10718-220805-africa-bantu-expansion cf: https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2112853119 An African-based study suggests Neolithic watermelons may have been grown for their seeds: https://source.wustl.edu/2022/08/seedy-not-sweet/?_ga=2.198554671.1252211394.1659558943-677988573.1659558943 https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2022/08/05/ancient-melon-genome-from-libya-yields-surprising-insights/ https://www.archaeology.org/news/10716-220804-neolithic-watermelon-seeds ============================================================ ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT ============================================================ More on the find of a possible 4500 years bp 'Sun Temple' at Abu Ghrab (near Abu Sir): https://www.livescience.com/ancient-egyptian-sun-temple-discovered https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/472541.aspx https://dailynewsegypt.com/2022/07/31/archaeologists-unearth-remains-of-probably-one-of-four-lost-sun-temples-from-fifth-dynasty-in-abusir/ https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/118008/Unearthing-remains-of-building-in-Egypt%E2%80%99s-Abu-Sir-may-lead https://egyptindependent.com/egypt-discovers-suspected-remains-of-one-lost-solar-temple/ https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/egypt/2022/07/31/egyptologists-unearth-remains-of-ancient-sun-temple-believed-to-have-been-lost/ https://www.newsweek.com/long-lost-egyptian-sun-temple-found-after-4500-years-1730508 https://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/generalnews/2022/08/05/archaeology-egyptian-sun-temple-from-fifth-dynasty-found_79148881-3ffe-425c-99fe-1eef06df130f.html https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2022/08/02/another-sun-temple-discovered-at-abu-gurob/ https://www.archaeology.org/news/10717-220805-egypt-ra-temple Restoration of the 'gold compartment' in Luxor's Temple of Habu is now complete: https://egyptindependent.com/photos-restoration-of-gold-compartment-at-the-temple-of-habu-in-luxor-completed/ Zahi Hawass is waiting until October to reveal how Tutankhamun died: https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/118095/Egyptologist-Zahi-Hawass-to-announce-how-Tutankhamun-died-next-October https://dailynewsegypt.com/2022/08/06/zahi-hawass-to-announce-how-tutankhamun-died-this-october/ Feature on 'tomb raiders' in Gourna: https://elpais.com/eps/2022-07-24/saqueadores-de-tumbas-en-el-antiguo-egipto.html Feature on private tombs in various periods of ancient Egyptian history: https://smarthistory.org/private-tombs-and-items-afterlife/ ... and Egyptian beliefs in the afterlife: https://smarthistory.org/reframing-art-history/ancient-egyptian-religious-life-and-afterlife/ Feature on ancient Egyptian food prohibitions: https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2022/08/ancient-egyptian-food-prohibitions Feature on queens

=========================================================== explorator 25.15 July 31, 2022 =========================================================== You can read explorator online at: https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/ Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out). ============================================================ EARLY HOMINIDS ============================================================ A study of how Neanderthal brains differed from that of modern humans: https://phys.org/news/2022-07-difference-brain-differs-neanderthals-modern.html https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/compared-to-neanderthals-human-brain-growth-is-slow-and-steady cf: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abn7702 More on the suggestion hominids were using fire some 800 000 years bp: https://scitechdaily.com/a-surprising-finding-indicates-that-800000-year-old-hominins-utilized-fire/ They've nicknamed that 'oldest human fossil from Europe' (from Spain) "Pink": https://www.newsweek.com/europe-oldest-human-fossil-named-after-pink-floyd-1728394 ============================================================ ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT ============================================================ Evidence of a 4500 years bp mud brick and quartz structure from Abusir which might be one of the four 'lost' sun temples (is this new?): https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/117993/The-joint-Italian-Polish-archaeological-mission-discover-remains-of-a https://english.news.cn/20220731/2b4f261820204abba1cdcd2b278a20de/c.html https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/07/new-discovery-may-be-one-of-the-four-lost-ancient-egyptian-sun-temples/144236 More on the tomb of the 'commander of foreign mercenaries': https://www.livescience.com/ancient-egypt-tomb-commander-of-mercenaries/ https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/07/discovery-unique-tomb-egypts-giza https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/07/archaeologists-find-ancient-egyptian-tomb-belonging-to-commander-of-foreign-mercenaries/144204 Feature on leadership in Egyptian warfare: https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2022/07/decision-making-egyptian-warfare Feature on mummification rites: https://smarthistory.org/mummification-and-funeral-rites/ Features on the Rosetta Stone: https://greekreporter.com/2022/07/26/rosetta-stone-discovery-shed-light-on-ptolemaic-dynasty/ https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/117924/Why-did-the-Rosetta-Stone-carry-3-different-writing-systems Plans to celebrate the centennial of the discovery of Tut's tomb: https://egyptindependent.com/tourism-ministry-to-celebrate-100th-anniversary-of-king-tut-tomb-discovery/ Sidewalk construction in an Iranian village revealed some Proto-Elamite ceramics: https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/475120/Proto-Elamite-earthenware-accidentally-discovered-in-southern A researcher found a Sassanid-era column base in a village in Iran's Fars province: https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/475001/Researcher-stumbles-upon-Sassanid-column-base-in-southern-Iran Restoration of Achaemenid structures at Tepe Rivi is now complete: https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/475033/Tepe-Rivi-s-ancient-structure-restoration-complete Some 2700 years bp Mannaean bricks have been put on display: https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/475122/2-700-year-old-bricks-on-view-at-Urmia-Museum-of-Archaeology Archaeologists are looking for remains of Ilkhanid sites in Ojan (Iran): https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/475156/Archaeologists-search-for-lost-traces-of-Ilkhanid-settlements More on the possible find of the site of Natounia in Iraq: https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/19/world/iraq-fortress-lost-city-scn/index.html https://www.newsweek.com/rain-shrine-honor-water-goddess-found-lost-city-1728907 https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2022/07/in-se

=========================================================== explorator 25.14 July 24, 2022 =========================================================== You can read explorator online at: https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/ Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out). ============================================================ EARLY HOMINIDS ============================================================ A study of a 100 000 years bp homo sapiens skull from Morocco suggests it provides one of the oldest examples of deafness: https://www.portugalresident.com/portuguese-scientists-discover-100000-year-old-case-of-deafness/ https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2022/07/21/one-of-the-oldest-cases-of-deafness-in-the-human-species/ https://www.archaeology.org/news/10695-220720-morocco-skull-deafness A study suggests stone toolmaking might not have depended on cultural transmission: https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/stone-toolmaking-may-not-have-required-cultural-transmission More on that 1.4 millions years bp hominid jawbone from a Spanish cave: https://www.sciencealert.com/1-4-million-year-old-fossil-may-indicate-modern-human-faces-were-already-present-this-long-ago More on tooth evidence of a possible Denisovan presence from a cave in Laos: https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/what-an-ancient-tooth-tells-us-about-the-denisovans More on the redating of fossils from Sterfontein Cave: https://bigthink.com/the-past/human-evolution-challenged-older-fossils/ ============================================================ AFRICA ============================================================ Feature on sites in Algeria: https://www.euronews.com/2022/07/18/algerias-ancient-treasures-from-constantine-to-the-roman-ruins-of-timgad https://www.africanews.com/2022/07/18/algerias-ancient-treasures-from-constantine-to-the-roman-ruins-of-timgad/ ============================================================ ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT ============================================================ Six people were killed while illegally digging for antiquities in southern Egypt: https://english.news.cn/africa/20220719/1372dc92be4346db8ec55adc25ca0e3a/c.html http://www.china.org.cn/world/Off_the_Wire/2022-07/19/content_78331301.htm A study of a 25th Dynasty mummy suggests she had previously suffered and recovered from a stroke: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/07/mummy-paints-picture-stroke-treatment-ancient-egypt More on evidence (via CT scan) of a pregnant mummy of also showing signs of having cancer: https://phys.org/news/2022-07-mummy-mysterious-lady-nose-throat.html https://www.livescience.com/pregnant-mummy-cancer https://boingboing.net/2022/07/17/egyptian-mummy-believed-to-be-male-priest-turns-out-to-be-a-pregnant-female.html https://www.archaeology.org/news/10687-220715-egyptian-mummy-cancer cf: http://blog.warsawmummyproject.com/possible-cause-of-death-of-the-pregnant-mummy More on the tomb of the 'commander of foreign soldiers in Abusir': https://english.radio.cz/czech-archaeologists-discover-tomb-ancient-egyptian-dignitary-8756516 https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/egypt/2022/07/16/egypt-uncovers-unique-ancient-tomb-of-the-commander-of-foreign-troops/ https://www.newsweek.com/secret-tomb-ancient-egyptian-general-unearthed-archaeologists-1726931 https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/abusir-tomb-egyptian-general-1234634834/ https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/07/discovery-unique-tomb-egypts-giza https://greekreporter.com/2022/07/22/tomb-ancient-egyptian-general/ https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-egypt/egyptian-tomb-abusir/ http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/64627 https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2022/07/19/the-tomb-of-