Michelle Moran's Blog, page 102

The writing's on the wall: How cave drawings may have been Man's first attempts to write

By Nicola Boden

They had previously been dismissed as little more than doodles, but these ancient dots and lines could be the very first attempts by Man to write.

Read the rest on the Daily Mail.

Unmasked: The real faces of the crippled King Tutankhamun (who walked with a cane) and his incestuous parents

King Tut's grandmother Queen Tiye, the mother of Pharaoh Akhenaten.

by Claire Bates

King Tutankhamun was a hobbled, weak teenager with a cleft palate and club foot. And he probably has his parents to blame. For the mother and father of the legendary boy pharaoh were actually brother and sister.

Read the rest on the Daily Mail.

Ghana dig reveals ancient society

Archaeologists have unearthed dozens of clay figures in Ghana, shedding light on a sophisticated society which existed before the arrival of Islam.

Read the rest on the BBC.

Archaeologist: Royal Palace of Ebla, Living Archive of Syria's History

By H. Zain Ghossoun


The importance of the Royal Palace of Ebla, in north Syria, lies in that it includes a room for cuneiform manuscripts, known as 'Ebla Archive' which stressed its importance as a political and economic metropolis in Bilad al-Cham besides that the Palace dates back to the Early Bronze Age 2400 BC.

Read the rest here.

What are you doing on Sunday??????

If you have any interest in the Amarna period (when Akhenaten was Pharaoh with Queen Nefertiti) or the enigmatic King Tut, I hope you'll be watching the Discovery Channel's special this Sunday, February 21st, at 8PM.

The Discovery Channel was kind enough to show me the episode early, and let me tell you - it's one you don't want to miss!!

Dig finds medieval monk was living it up in Kilkenny 'pad'

MICHAEL PARSONS

ARCHAEOLOGISTS IN Kilkenny have discovered new evidence of the lavish lifestyle enjoyed by a medieval Irish monk.

Read the rest on the Irish Times.

3,000-year-old shipwreck shows European trade was thriving in Bronze Age

The discovery of one of the world's oldest shipwrecks shows that European trade was thriving even in the Bronze Age, according to experts. The vessel, carrying copper and tin ingots used to make weapons and jewellery, sank off the coast near Salcombe in Devon and is thought to date from 900BC.

Read the rest on The Telegraph.

DNA Tests Reveal Mysteries of Boy-King Tut

AP: Egypt's famed King Tutankhamun suffered from a cleft palate and club foot, likely forcing him to walk with a cane, and died from complications from a broken leg exacerbated by malaria, according to the most extensive study ever of his mummy....

The studies also disproved speculation that Tutankhamun and members of his family suffered from rare disorders that gave them feminine attributes and misshapen bones, including Marfan Syndrome, a connective tissue disorder that can result in...

Skeleton of St Anthony goes on display to public more than 750 years after his death

Pilgrims are being given the chance to see the 13th Century remains of St Anthony which go on display in a glass case today in Italy. The display, which will last until Saturday will be in chapel of his tomb in Padua and marks the feast of the transfer of St Anthony, also known as the 'feast of the tongue'.

Read the rest on Daily Mail.

Scientist use DNA strand to uncover crucial details in a man believed to be 4,000 years old.

Watch the video on CNN.