http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/lost_treasures/ Lost treasures of the world. Read about ancient treasures, Roman coins, shipwrecks and more. Photos and articles. en-us Thu, 15 May 2008 01:05:01 EDT Thu, 15 May 2008 01:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/lost_treasures/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508143324.htm New evidence from the Monte Verde archaeological site in southern Chile confirms its status as the earliest known human settlement in the Americas and provides additional support for the theory that one early migration route followed the Pacific Coast more than 14,000 years ago. Fri, 09 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508143324.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430173528.htm Very few textiles from the Mayan culture have survived, so the treasure trove of fabrics excavated from a tomb at the Copán ruins in Honduras since the 1990s has generated considerable excitement. One textiles conservator spent a month at the site in 2004 examining 100 textile samples found in a tomb, and since then she has been analyzing tiny fragments of 49 samples she brought back to her lab to see what she could learn from them. The tomb was of a woman of high status who was buried during the 5th century. Mon, 05 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430173528.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429075321.htm Researchers at the University of Cincinnati and Florida State University have confirmed evidence of domesticated sunflower in Mexico -- 4,000 years before what had been previously believed. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429075321.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423180059.htm Archaeologists have uncovered traces of a very early log road deep under an Annapolis street -- the first ever found in the city and perhaps one of the oldest such finds in the Washington, D.C. area. The discovery comes in the midst of Annapolis' 300th anniversary. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423180059.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416174634.htm The destruction and disappearance of ancient cultures mark the history of human civilization, making for fascinating stories and cautionary tales. The longevity of today's societies may depend upon separating fact from fiction, and archaeologists and seismologists are figuring out how to join forces to do just that with respect to ancient earthquakes. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416174634.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080411123057.htm Israelis and Palestinians may not be able to agree right now on their present or future, but, if a pair of Los Angeles archaeologists have their way, they soon will see eye to eye on their past. Working tirelessly for the past five years, Ran Boytner, a University of California, Los Angeles archaeologist and Lynn Swartz Dodd, an archaeologist at the University of Southern California, have guided a team of prominent Israeli and Palestinian archaeologists to arrive at the first-ever agreement on the disposition of the region's archaeological treasures following the establishment of a future Palestinian state. Mon, 14 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080411123057.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407162341.htm It is common for professional archaeologists and paleoanthropologists working in Africa to populate western museums with foreign artifacts by excavating and permanently removing them from history rich communities in Africa. The first museum of its kind has now been established in Mozambique and it will officially open in August. The Museu Local aims to be an interactive cultural heritage center. Fri, 11 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407162341.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402120504.htm Archaeologists find ancient Jerusalem may be a model for today's corporations. As today's corporations know well, the strategy was all about location. Where did they set up their branch offices? In the "suburbs." Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402120504.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403141109.htm DNA from dried human excrement recovered from Oregon's Paisley Caves is the oldest found yet in the New World -- dating to 14,300 years ago, some 1,200 years before Clovis culture -- and provides apparent genetic ties to Siberia or Asia, according to an international team of 13 scientists. Exactly who these people living in the Oregon caves were is not known. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403141109.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331200242.htm Gold has long been more than a fashion statement, and wearing jewelry and other adornments made of it often connotes prestige. And it did not take long for ancient people to figure that out. Scientists have unearthed what is, to date, the oldest collection gold artifacts found in the Americas. Tue, 01 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331200242.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320120714.htm Anthropologists provide evidence that the first Americans came to this country 1,000 to 2,000 years earlier than the 13,500 years ago previously thought, which could shift historic timelines. Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320120714.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317150150.htm Clovis-age natives, often noted for overhunting during their brief dominance in a primitive North America, deserve clemency in the case of California's flightless sea duck. New evidence says it took thousands of years for the duck to die out. Tue, 18 Mar 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317150150.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311120621.htm Along an isolated, rocky stretch of Greek shoreline, researchers are unlocking the secrets of a partially submerged, "lost" harbor town believed to have been built by the ancient Mycenaeans nearly 3,500 years ago. Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311120621.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303113353.htm Imagine future archaeologists trying to understand Illinois, California or New York based on a few excavations in each of those states. They might excavate small areas in city centers, since those sites would probably be the first ruins they would come across. Meanwhile, the archaeologists they might fail to notice or study farms, suburbs, shopping malls, canals and airports. Although still relatively unknown to the general public, an archaeological method that is being practiced at several locations around the world helps scientists overcome such bias toward large, readily noticeable sites. Wed, 05 Mar 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303113353.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080225134239.htm An intrepid archaeologist is well on her way to dislodging the prevailing assumptions of scholars about the people who built and used Maya temples. Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080225134239.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080212131300.htm Archaeologists have found the earliest evidence ever discovered of an ancient Egyptian agricultural settlement, including farmed grains, remains of domesticated animals, pits for cooking and even floors for what appear to be dwellings. The archaeological team also found a bracelet made of a type of shell only found along the Red Sea, suggesting a possible trade link with the cradle of agriculture in the Near East. In addition, they unearthed clay floors of what may have been simple structures -- possibly posts with some kind of matting overhead. Mon, 18 Feb 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080212131300.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080201093354.htm DNA of the common black rat has shed light on the ancient spread of rats, people and diseases around the globe. Studying the mitochondrial DNA of 165 black rat specimens from 32 countries around the world, a scientists have identified six distinct lineages in the black rat's family tree, each originating from a different part of Asia. Wed, 06 Feb 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080201093354.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080129125405.htm An archaeologist discovered an intact ancient iron ore mine in South America that shows how civilizations before the Inca Empire were mining this valuable ore. The Nasca people may have used the red-pigmented mineral primarily for ceramic paints, but they also could have used it as body paint, to paint textiles and even to paint adobe walls. Sun, 03 Feb 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080129125405.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080123114601.htm The Greek traveler, Pausanias, living in the second century, CE, would probably recognize the spectacular site of the Sanctuary of Zeus at Mt. Lykaion, and particularly the altar of Zeus. At 4,500 feet above sea level, atop the altar provides a breathtaking, panoramic vista of Arcadia. Mon, 28 Jan 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080123114601.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080123085308.htm Ancient Mayan temple builders used dazzling lustrous pigments. Studying tiny shards of paint from the Mayan city of Copan, a physical and chemical sciences researcher found evidence of mica that would have made the buildings glitter when hit by the sun. Sun, 27 Jan 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080123085308.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080116165058.htm The lost city of Dunwich, Britain's own underwater 'Atlantis', which has captured the imagination of people for centuries, could be revealed for the first time with high-tech underwater sonar. Marine archaeologists will explore the ancient sunken city, off the Suffolk coast, in the early summer. Dunwich, fourteen miles south of Lowestoft, was once a thriving port, and in the 14th century similar in size to London. However, storms, erosion and floods over the past six centuries have almost wiped out this once prosperous city, and the Dunwich of today is a quiet coastal village. Fri, 18 Jan 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080116165058.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080101193653.htm "Ritual punishment using barbed death spears was witnessed at European contact in the Sydney region," one of the researchers said. "The Narrabeen man provides early archaeological evidence for ritual or payback killing by spearing. The timing of this event is significant for understanding other archaeological indicators of increased social complexity across south-eastern Australia." Sat, 05 Jan 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080101193653.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080101193937.htm Analyzing the origins of jade used in ancient jewelery has revealed a trading arena that was active for more than 3,000 years and sprawled over 3,000km in Southeast Asia -- possibly the largest such network discovered in the region to date. Archaeologists used electron probe microanalysis to examine jade earrings excavated from sites all over Southeast Asia, and were able to pinpoint the origin of the precious stone to a source in Taiwan. Wed, 02 Jan 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080101193937.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071213101359.htm On the morning of Friday July 20, 1928, the crew of an RAF aircraft took photographs over the site of the Roman town of Venta Icenorum at Caistor St. Edmund in Norfolk, a site which now lies in open fields to the south of Norwich. Now, new investigations at Caistor Roman town using the latest technology have revealed the plan of the buried town at an extraordinary level of detail which has never been seen before. Fri, 21 Dec 2007 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071213101359.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071213162036.htm Resting in less than 10 feet of Caribbean seawater, the wreckage of Quedagh Merchant, the ship abandoned by the scandalous 17th century pirate Captain William Kidd as he raced to New York in an ill-fated attempt to clear his name, has escaped discovery -- until now. An underwater archaeology team has just announced the discovery of the remnants. Fri, 14 Dec 2007 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071213162036.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071203134409.htm Coaxing answers from 1500-year-old clues hidden in soil clumps, a team of archaeologists and environmental scientists identified a marketplace in an ancient Maya city, calling into question archaeologists' widely held belief that people of the era relied on rulers to tax and re-distribute goods, rather than trading them with one another. Mon, 10 Dec 2007 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071203134409.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071203091232.htm Scientists are reporting for the first time that sculptors from the fantastically wealthy ancient Empire of Mali -- once the source of almost half the world's gold -- used blood to form the beautiful patina, or coating, on their works of art. They describe development of a new, noninvasive test that accurately identifies traces of blood apparently left on ancient African artifacts used in ceremonies involving animal sacrifices. Sat, 08 Dec 2007 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071203091232.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071121100831.htm Remains of an ancient synagogue from the Roman-Byzantine era have been revealed in excavations carried out in the Arbel National Park in the Galilee. A unique feature of the synagogue is the design of its mosaic floor. Tue, 27 Nov 2007 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071121100831.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071120142829.htm Archaeologists are studying Tel Megiddo, the New Testament location of "Armageddon," and are unearthing truths about King Solomon. Researchers theorize that ancient rulers such as David and Solomon were "tribal chieftains ruling from a small hill town, with a modest palace and royal shrine." Wed, 21 Nov 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071120142829.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071119103540.htm The earliest known use of cacao -- the source of our modern day chocolate -- has been pushed back more than 500 years thanks to new chemical analyses of pottery excavated at an archaeological site at Puerto Escondido in Honduras. Tue, 20 Nov 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071119103540.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071120195707.htm Quietly housed at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee since 1978 is a collection of more than a million items acquired by the American Geographical Society since its inception in 1851. Half of the items are maps and charts, some dating to 15th century, and other items have come from explorer-members, such as Charles Lindbergh, Robert Peary and Theodore Roosevelt. Four AGS holdings are currently on view during the World Festival of Maps in Chicago. Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071120195707.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071024152622.htm As archaeologists in the last half century have set about reconstructing the prehistory of Southeast Asia, data from one country--centrally located Laos--was conspicuously missing. Little archaeology has occurred in Laos since before World War II, and beginning in the mid-1970s, Laos shut its doors completely to outside researchers. Fri, 26 Oct 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071024152622.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071016131326.htm The unfinished Obelisk Quarry in Aswan, Egypt, has a canal that may have connected to the Nile and allowed the large stone monuments to float to their permanent locations, according to an international team of researchers. This canal, however, may be allowing salts from ground water to seep into what has been the best preserved example of obelisk quarrying in Egypt. Fri, 19 Oct 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071016131326.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070905145001.htm The architects of Cambodia's famed Angkor -- the world's most extensive medieval "hydraulic city" -- unwittingly engineered its environmental collapse, say scientists. This revelation supports a disputed hypothesis by French archaeologist Bernard-Philippe Groslier, who 50 years ago suggested that the vast medieval settlement of Angkor was defined, sustained, and ultimately overwhelmed by over-exploitation and the environmental impacts of a complex water-management network. Wed, 12 Sep 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070905145001.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070905161208.htm In a groundbreaking study, two Harvard scientists have for the first time extracted human DNA from ancient artifacts. The work potentially opens up a new universe of sources for ancient genetic material, which is used to map human migrations in prehistoric times. Before this, archaeologists could only get ancient DNA from relics of the human body itself, including prehistoric teeth, bones, fossilized feces, or -- rarely -- preserved flesh. Such sources of DNA are hard to find, poorly preserved, or unavailable because of cultural and legal barriers. Thu, 06 Sep 2007 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070905161208.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070904114558.htm Archaeologists revealed that the first apiary (beehive colony) dating from the Biblical period has been found in excavations in Israel's Beth Shean Valley. This is the earliest apiary to be revealed to date in an archaeological excavation anywhere in the ancient Near East, according to the researcher. Wed, 05 Sep 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070904114558.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070903204822.htm The earliest domesticated pigs in Europe, which many archaeologists believed to be descended from European wild boar, were actually introduced from the Middle East by Stone Age farmers, new research suggests. While archaeologists already know that agriculture began about 12,000 years ago in the central and western parts of the Middle East, spreading rapidly across Europe between 6,800 -- 4000 BC, many outstanding questions remain about the mechanisms of just how it spread. This research sheds new and important light on the actual process of the establishment of farming in Europe. Tue, 04 Sep 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070903204822.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070830150109.htm A field survey of the ancient city of Tell Brak indicates that urbanization did not originate with a centralized political power, but as the result of individualized or small-group decisions. To understand patterns of population growth in the earliest urban areas, archaeologists surveyed the spatial distribution of artifacts at Tell Brak, located in northern Mesopotamia, in what is today northern Iraq and northeastern Syria. Fri, 31 Aug 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070830150109.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070820122541.htm Archaeologists excavating an ancient Maya village in El Salvador buried by a volcanic eruption 1,400 years ago has discovered an ancient field of manioc, the first evidence for cultivation of the calorie-rich tuber in the New World. The prehistoric manioc plantation buried by volcanic ash about 600 A.D. may help explain how Maya supported dense populations. Fri, 24 Aug 2007 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070820122541.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070815173122.htm Using a novel underwater robot, marine scientists will help reveal the mysteries of the Black Sea's geology and maritime history, including ages-old shipwrecks, during an international expedition that is now underway. Thu, 16 Aug 2007 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070815173122.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070805133952.htm Excavations of an underwater Stone Age archaeological settlement dating back 8000 years took place at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton. The team of archaeologists will take the sections to laboratories where they will painstakingly excavate through the layers of sediment revealing materials that have lain unseen beneath the seabed for over 8000 years. Tue, 14 Aug 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070805133952.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070802182042.htm A radically expanded view of the origin of civilization, extending far beyond Mesopotamia is being proposed. Mesopotamia is widely believed to be the cradle of civilization, but a growing body of evidence suggests that in addition to Mesopotamia, many civilized urban areas existed at the same time -- about 5,000 years ago -- in an arc that extended from Mesopotamia east for thousands of kilometers across to the areas of modern India and Pakistan, Fri, 03 Aug 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070802182042.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070801174826.htm Chronology and adaptability of early humans in different paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental settings are important topics in the study of human evolution. China houses several early-human (Paleolithic) archaeological sites along the Nihewan Basin near Mongolia, some with artifacts that date back about 1 million years ago. Researchers analyzed one site where several stone artifacts and mammalian bone fragments have been found buried in basin silts. Thu, 02 Aug 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070801174826.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070629193349.htm About 250 years before Daniel Massey built his farm house in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, his great-grandfather came to the New World as an indentured servant. Now, about 150 years later, Penn State's Archaeological Field School is excavating Daniel's house to see how far he came from those humble beginnings. Tue, 03 Jul 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070629193349.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070619083529.htm Archaeologists have discovered a gold processing center along the middle Nile, an installation that produced the precious metal sometime between 2000 and 1500 B.C. The center, along with a cemetery they discovered, shows that first sub-Saharan kingdom, the kingdom of Kush, controlled a larger area than previously thought. In another year, the area where they are working will be covered with water because of the damming of the Nile. Fri, 22 Jun 2007 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070619083529.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070605121009.htm Researchers have excavated for the first time in a scientific and systematic way a site of where they have found the first water well of the Iberian Peninsula. From the 20th century, the "motillas" were erroneously considered to be burial mounds, a theory which has now been refuted. It is now believed to be a fortification surrounded by a small settlement and a necrópolis. Sat, 09 Jun 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070605121009.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070531103350.htm Anthropologists have found a previously unknown tomb in Copán, Honduras, dating back to the 7th century A.D. that contained the skeleton of an elite member of ancient Maya society in the city. The unusual characteristics of the tomb's construction, the human remains, and the artifacts found near the body, according to Maca, paint a picture of an urban state that was more politically complex and culturally diverse than was previously thought. Fri, 01 Jun 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070531103350.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070523100014.htm Reseachers will soon be recovering artifacts from a 200-year-old shipwreck that lies more than 4,000 feet beneath the Gulf of Mexico, making it the deepest such recovery effort ever attempted in the gulf. Fri, 25 May 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070523100014.htm