Ozymandias

A thousand-year-old Viking treasure trove has been dug up in a garden in Sweden, archaeologists report. The hoard of silver coins from Europe, central Asia, and the Middle East was unearthed earlier this month by a gardener tending his vegetable patch on the Baltic island of Gotland. So far 69 coins dating from the late 900s and early 1000s have been found, said archaeologist Dan Carlsson of Gotland University. The find contains rare early Viking money and foreign currency from present-day England, Germany, Ireland, Iraq, and Uzbekistan. More at NG News Ooops, put it in the wrong section, can some mods move it the right one please ? archeological world news, of course!

A new study by an academic says that "girl power" was alive and kicking around 600 years ago. Dr Sue Niebrzydowski at Bangor university said medieval women enjoyed a golden era with a greater life expectancy than men. More at BBC

Jews' Roman 'escape route' found Archaeologists in Jerusalem say they have found an underground drainage channel that was used by Jews to escape from the Romans in 70 AD. The channel was buried under the rubble of the Second Temple, which was destroyed by Roman conquerors in the Siege of Jerusalem. more at BBC

eh ? I've never ever heard about that ! where did he get that ? mwahahahahah ! that one is hilarious ! This sounds kinda like generalizing a bit too much. You can't compare what was seemingly a very important place, in terms of economic and strategics witha small seashore village, moreover from a cartoon (and Asterix's vilage has lots of stone houses...)!

Burial clue to early urban strife Archaeologists working in Syria have unearthed the remains of dozens of youths thought to have been killed in a fierce confrontation 6,000 years ago. More at BBC

Egypt footprint 'could be oldest' Archaeologists in Egypt say they have discovered what might be the oldest human footprint ever found. The outline was found imprinted in mud, which has since turned to stone, at Siwa oasis in the western desert. (a little) More at BBC

Yum, I like frogs legs. friend with garlic, parsley and butter, yumyum ! But so long time I haven't eaten any. To much pressure on them, they are disappearing from so many places. Just let them live and gobble mosquitoes !

First Europeans Came From Asia, Not Africa, Tooth Study Suggests Europe's first early human colonizers were from Asia, not Africa, a new analysis of more than 5,000 ancient teeth suggests. Researchers had traditionally assumed that Europe was settled in waves starting around two million years ago, as our ancient ancestors

Finds test human origins theory wo hominid fossils discovered in Kenya are challenging a long-held view of human evolution. The broken upper jaw-bone and intact skull from humanlike creatures, or hominids, are described in Nature. Previously, the hominid Homo habilis was thought to have evolved into the more advanced Homo erectus, which evolved into us. Now, habilis and erectus are thought to be sister species that overlapped in time. More at BBC

An Israeli archaeologist says he has found the tomb of King Herod, the ruler of Judea while it was under Roman administration in the first century BC. After a search of more than 30 years, Ehud Netzer of the Hebrew University says he has located the tomb at Herodium, a site south of Jerusalem. more at BBC

Scientists believe they have for the first time identified an ancient graveyard for gladiators. Analysis of their bones and injuries has given new insight into how they lived, fought and died. The remains were found at Ephesus in Turkey, a major city of the Roman world, BBC Timewatch reports. More at BBC

The oldest solar observatory in the Americas has been found, suggesting the existence of early, sophisticated Sun cults, scientists report. It comprises of a group of 2,300-year-old structures, known as the Thirteen Towers, which are found in the Chankillo archaeological site, Peru. The towers span the annual rising and setting arcs of the Sun, providing a solar calendar to mark special dates. More at BBC

well, I was reacting most especially with "JESUS' BONES". Simony is different thing. I might be wrong (that's why I'm asking for sources), but as far as I know, no one ever shown up (except for the last ossuary affair of course) with a piece or bunch of bones claiming they were Jesus' ones. How could that be ? I mean, just go back a few decades back, let's say a century when religious belief was a still bit more taken into consideration than today. Just imagine, someone showing up claiming ""hey lookit what I found, Jesus' bones, wanna buy ?" no one ever would have believed the guy(at best). In Christianity (and large part of the muslim Ummah as well), Jesus is considered to have physically ascended to heavens, thus leaving no body on Earth - so no bones to find !). Unless having absorbed some strongly mind alterating substances, no one would have ever claimed to have found'em... More back in time, when Religion was truly ruling, that guy would have been chopped up to pieces. Only in our very today's world when science is trying to impose its view of the world on traditionnal beliefs, such a thing can occur. Of course, with Holy Relics (real or not) it's all different. Many things have shown up along the centuries definitely, bones and blood as well, but from Christian Saints, not Jesus ! hey, pretty interesting link Pertinax, thanx ! my, isn't that a bit too Hollywoodish ?

eh ? when ? where ? any source ?

Nonsense, Jesus is burried in Kashmir valley !

Yup, there's some story about Alexander's soldiers in Northern Pakistan and Afghanistan (India as well, in Malana valley), especially linked to the remaining Kalash tribes were one finds lots of caucasoid features. But it's not about a single village but a whole & wide area. Chitrali and Hunzakut too have caucasoid features, and you'll find lots of tall, red/blond haired blue/green eyed people in Nuristan (Afghanistan). You'll find lots of caucasoid features among Pashtun population, and Kashmiri people too, and in Tajikistan too. But more than to Alexander's soldiers, we should not forget about the possible link with Tocharians (pushed away) by Turkic invasions & Kushans who conquered a vast empire from the Northern fringe of Pamir to the Arabian sea and Gange.

This is not more surprising that any kind of "broad assuptions" made by any scientist from any branch it might be. Still, why the fact that it is reported by NG makes this information less valuable ?

Could be linked as well to the Tocharians who knows ?

The ancient Egyptians believed themselves superior to their neighboring nations in almost every aspect. But newly interpreted symbols

A study of the oldest known sample of human DNA in the Americas suggests that humans arrived in the New World relatively recently, around 15,000 years ago. The DNA was extracted from a 10,300-year-old tooth found in a cave on Prince of Wales Island off southern Alaska in 1996. The sample represents a previously unknown lineage for the people who first arrived in the Americas. The findings, published last week online in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, shed light on how the descendants of the Alaskan caveman might have spread. More at National Geographic News

Archaeologists say they have found a huge ancient settlement used by the people who built Stonehenge. Excavations at Durrington Walls, near the legendary Salisbury Plain monument, uncovered remains of ancient houses. People seem to have occupied the site seasonally, using it for ritual feasting and funeral ceremonies. More at BBC

Here's some informations about sino-roman relations: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Roman_relations

The 3.3-million-year-old fossilised remains of a human-like child have been unearthed in Ethiopia's Dikika region. The female bones are from the species Australopithecus afarensis, which is popularly known from the adult skeleton nicknamed "Lucy". Scientists are thrilled with the find, reported in the journal Nature. BBC - Lucy's "Baby"

Our evolutionary cousin the Neanderthal may have survived in Europe much longer than previously thought. A study in Nature magazine suggests the species may have lived in Gorham's Cave on Gibraltar up to 24,000 years ago. BBC - Neanderthal

Ancient civilisations in Mexico developed a writing system as early as 2,000 years ago, new evidence suggests. The discovery in the state of Veracruz of a block inscribed with symbolic shapes has astounded anthropologists. Researchers tell Science magazine that they consider it to be the oldest example of writing in the New World. BBC - "oldest" New World writings