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Our ancestors may have kept foxes as pets long before domestic dogs came on the scene. Archaeological evidence suggests ancient human societies in South America revered foxes to such an extent that they were buried next to them. Scientists were surprised to find a fox buried in a human grave dating back 1,500 years in Patagonia, Argentina. They think the most likely explanation is that the fox was a highly valued companion or pet. DNA analysis shows the animal dined with prehistoric hunter gatherers and was part of the inner circle of the camp. A fox of the same species...

Archaeologists have discovered a panel containing the only known example of spider rock art in Egypt and, it appears, the entire Old World. The rock panel, now in two pieces, was found on the west wall of a shallow sandstone wadi, or valley, in the Kharga Oasis, located in Egypt's western desert about 108 miles (175 kilometers) west of Luxor. Facing east, and illuminated by the morning sun, the panel is a "very unusual" find, said Egyptologist Salima Ikram, a professor at the American University in Cairo who co-directs the North Kharga Oasis Survey Project. The identification of the creatures...

Archaeologists and Expeditions Timeline of Significant Dates of Archaeological Expeditions and Discoveries 1879 - Rassam Excavates Many Tablets in Babylon Ruins with a Possible Location of the Hanging Gardens 1878 - Campaigns of Sennacherib, Annals of Ashurbanipal and Many Tablets are Excavated by Rassam 1877 - Archaeology of Ancient Sumer is Awakened by Louvre Treasures 1877 - Victory Stele of Eannatum is Discovered by Frenchman Ernest de Sarzec at Lagash Site 1873 - George Smith Identifies Wreckless Looting By Layard and Ruthless Quarrying By Mosul Bridge Builders 1873 - British Museum Sends George Smith to Further Excavate at Nimrud and...

May 25: The recently excavated statuette of a boy Pharaoh, dating from the 4th or 5th century B.C., is shown with other artifacts onboard the Princess Duda research boat, anchored in the harbor of Alexandria, Egypt. An international team of archaeological divers led by French underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio is using advanced technology to explore the submerged ruins of a palace and temple complex from where Queen Cleopatra ruled.

Archaeological researchers at the University of Groningen have discovered that the aurochs, the predecessor of our present-day cow, lived in the Netherlands for longer than originally assumed. Remains of bones recently retrieved from a horn core found in Holwerd (Friesland, Netherlands), show that the aurochs became extinct in around AD 600 and not in the fourth century. The last aurochs died in Poland in 1627... The aurochs was much larger than the common cows we know today, with aurochs bulls measuring between 160 and 180 cm at the withers, and aurochs cows between 140 and 150 cm. The cattle bred...

Archaeological sites in south Iraq have not been looted, say experts Despite widely publicised fears of damage to ancient sites, a team of specialists found that eight of the most important have not been touched after 2003 Martin Bailey | 1.7.08 | Issue 193 The team’s Merlin helicopter flies over the stone temple at Warka An international team of archaeologists which made an unpublicised visit to southern Iraq last month found no evidence of recent looting—contrary to long-expressed claims about sustained illegal digging at major sites. The visit required the assistance of the British Army, which provided armed protection and...

Will work at Allendale County archaeological dig rewrite human history? By LIZ MITCHELL Published Sunday, June 8, 2008 Photo: Cynthia Curry of Charlotte holds up a piece of quartz she discovered at Topper on Wednesday. Jay Karr/The Island Packet More than 13,000 years ago, South Carolina was a wild kingdom alive with all sorts of beasts: saber-tooth tigers, beavers the size of Great Danes, camels, elephants and mastodons. Until recently, these animals were believed to have vanished before the first Americans -- called the Clovis people -- arrived about 13,000 years ago from Asia via the Bering Sea land bridge....

Stunning finds on archaeological dig 1:00pm Thursday 1st May 2008By Paul FergusonOne of the bodies discovered on the site – a 35-year-old woman, who had curvature of the spine. A ROMAN cemetery containing items of national importance has been uncovered in Herefordshire. One of the biggest historical finds in the Marches has been made at Stretton Grandison. A complete wooden coffin – only the third to be found in the UK – was one of the items uncovered by Leominster-based Border Archaeology (BA). A kiln, various urns and a working brooch were also unearthed, along with the remains of up...

Archaeological treasures found in Roscrea Friday February 22 2008 By Peter Gleeson A 'beautiful' Bronze Age axe and a number of ancient burial grounds have been unearthed near Roscrea during the construction of the new Dublin-Limerick motorway in the area. The bronze axe was found in Camblin, south of Roscrea. Archaeologists say the find dates to the later Bronze Age and appears to have been hidden in a shallow pit and never recovered by the person who concealed it. On a second site in Camblin a medieval iron 'bearded' axe was discovered while two Bronze Age enclosed settlements with two...

Vikings did not dress the way we thought Swedish viking men's fashions were modeled on styles in Russia to the east. Archeological finds from the 900s uncovered in Lake Malaren Valley accord with contemporary depictions of clothing the Vikings wore on their travels along eastern trade routes to the Silk Road. The outfit in the picture is on display at Museum Gustavianum, Uppsala University. Photo: Annika Larsson Vivid colors, flowing silk ribbons, and glittering bits of mirrors - the Vikings dressed with considerably more panache than we previously thought. The men were especially vain, and the women dressed provocatively, but...

Beirut cashes in on wealth of archaeological sitesAs New construction unearths ancient treasures, the law says excavations must precede buildings By Hassan Abdo Special to The Daily Star Wednesday, December 19, 2007 BEIRUT: Passing through the many narrow avenues that make up Achrafieh, few would realize that major archeological excavations are under way all around them. The Beirut neighborhood has been experiencing a development boom in the past few years, and construction projects are ongoing, yet in the midst of all this local archaeologists have been experiencing a boom of their own. Construction companies clearing away old buildings to make...

Walker archeological dig unearths more finds Gail De Boer, Pilot Independent Published Friday, November 09, 2007 Despite not having as much time as he’d hoped to work at the Walker Hill site this summer, Leech Lake Heritage Sites (LLHS) program director and tribal archaeologist Thor Olmanson says it was a productive and exciting season. “We have boxes of things to go through this winter,” he declared Nov. 1, as he showed off recent “finds.” In 2004, LLHS, a for-profit archaeological consulting firm owned by the Leech Lake Band, was brought in to study the site chosen for the new Walker...

Major Archaeological Find in Puerto Rico Published: 10/28/07, 4:25 PM EDT By LAURA N. PEREZ SANCHEZSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - U.S. and Puerto Rican archaeologists say they have found the best-preserved pre-Columbian site in the Caribbean, which could shed light on virtually every aspect of Indian life in the region, from sacred rituals to eating habits. The archaeologists believe the site in southern Puerto Rico may have belonged to the Taino or pre-Taino people that inhabited the island before European colonization, although other tribes are a possibility. It contains stones etched with ancient petroglyphs that form a large plaza...

Archaeological find could shed light on Orkney's past Published: 16 May 2007 By: Communications and Media Archaeologists have discovered what appears to be a subterranean Iron Age structure, known as a souterrain, in an Orkney field. The find was made when the field was being seeded for barley. At first it was believed to be a Bronze Age cist burial, as others have previously been uncovered nearby, but subsequent examination has revealed it to be an Iron Age souterrain or earth-house. Dr Allan Rutherford of Historic Scotland said: “Preliminary investigations by staff from Orkney College Archaeology Department have shown this...

Contact: Pedro Castro Pedro.Castro@uab.es 34-935-814-336 Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona New archaeological findings on political power in Peru A team from the Universitat Aut?noma de Barcelona and the University of Almer?a has completed its second part of the "Proyecto La Puntilla", an archaeological expedition to the Peruvian province of Nazca, where last year it discovered a new type of construction. The latest findings show that a new political power based on the exercise of violence emerged on the south coast of Peru two thousand years ago. There was a State in which an aristocracy, based in Cahuachi, exercised its dominion on...

Going Under Down Under: Early people at fault in Australian extinctions Sid Perkins A lengthy, newly compiled fossil record of Australian mammals bolsters the notion that humanity's arrival on the island continent led to the extinction of many large creatures there. Archaeological evidence suggests that people arrived in northern and western Australia about 50,000 years ago (SN: 3/15/03, p. 173: Available to subscribers at http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20030315/note10.asp). By 5,000 years later, about 90 percent of the continent's mammals larger than a house cat had gone extinct, says Gavin J. Prideaux, a paleontologist at the Western Australian Museum in Perth. Casualties of that...

Archaeological finds in the UK have risen by 45% as a result of continuous work by metal detector enthusiasts, according to a report. In 2005/2006, there were 57,566 finds reported to the government-funded Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) compared with 39,933 in 2004/2005. Culture Secretary David Lammy praised the "responsible approach" of amateur metal detectorists in reporting finds. He said they were the "unsung heroes of the UK's heritage". Speaking at the British Museum on Wednesday, he said: "Thanks to the responsible approach they display in reporting finds and the systems we have set up to record them, more archaeological material...

Peinan archeological site gives prehistoric insight By Alexander Chou, Taiwan Journal staff writer Until recently, little was known about the histories and cultures of Chinese Taipei's Austronesian aborigines and, in particular, about their relationships with the island's ancient inhabitants. Discovery of the Peinan site in southeastern Taiwan, and the associated artifacts unearthed and interpreted by archaeologists, have proved invaluable in making up some of this deficiency. To help educate visitors about the island's prehistoric past, many of the key finds are now exhibited in the National Museum of Prehistory. Located in Taitung City, a major aboriginal conurbation, the NMP also...

Peru link to Indian archaeological find? By Harsh Kabra Vadodara, Gujarat Geologists have discovered a striking archaeological feature on a hillock in the Kutch district of the western Indian state of Gujarat. This feature is shaped like the Roman numeral VI. Each arm of this feature is a trench that is about two metres wide, two metres deep and more than 100 metres long. The feature has evoked the curiosity of archaeologists because such signs have mostly been observed so far in Peru. The team, led by Dr RV Karanth, a former professor of geology at the Maharaja Sayajirao University...

Key archeological find at Bulgaria's Veliko Turnovo 09:00 Mon 26 Jun 2006 - Colin Munro A gold Thracian breastplate found near the village of Golemanite, Veliko Turnovo municipality, has proven pivotal to the re-construction of the Thracian Calendar. Using a mathematical model, Ventseslav Tsonev of the Regional Historical Museum in Veliko Turnovo presented his findings at a conference on Treasures and Sacred Typography, held recently in Sliven. “In the Thracians’ calendar, there are three seasons and 60 main holidays. A year consisted of 12 months with 360 days, five days being added to the last month every year.” As there...