Michelle Moran's Blog, page 59
March 28, 2011
X-ray technique peers beneath archaeology's surface
Striking discoveries in archaeology are being made possible by strong beams of X-rays, say researchers. A report at the American Physical Society meeting in Dallas, US, showed how X-ray sources known as synchrotrons can unravel an artefact's mysteries.
Read the rest here.2,500-Year-Old Human Preserved Brain Discovered
A 2,500-year-old human skull uncovered in England was less of a surprise than what was in it: the brain. The discovery of the yellowish, crinkly, shrunken brain prompted questions about how such a fragile organ could have survived so long and how frequently this strange type of preservation occurs.
March 25, 2011
Wart Detected on Egyptian Queen Beauty
King Tut's grandmother, the powerful and beautiful Queen Tiye, might have had an unattractive flat wart on her forehead, according to a mummy expert.
God's Wife Edited Out of the Bible -- Almost
God had a wife, Asherah, whom the Book of Kings suggests was worshiped alongside Yahweh in his temple in Israel, according to an Oxford scholar.
March 24, 2011
Archaeologists discover saber-toothed vegetarian
WASHINGTON (AP) — Surprised scientists have discovered the remains of a saber-toothed vegetarian. The leaf-crunching animal — about the size of a large dog — lived 260 million years ago in what is now Brazil, researchers report in Friday's edition of the journal Science. Its upper canine teeth were nearly 5 inches long.
March 21, 2011
Rare Roman altar stones uncovered in Musselburgh
Two rare, carved altar stones found in East Lothian could shed new light about the Roman period in Scotland, it has been claimed.
10,000-year-old spear is an archeological gem
NORTH PORT - Archaeologists hope a major find in a spring an hour and a half south of Tampa helps piece together how Florida's earliest inhabitants lived.
March 19, 2011
The Roman Ninth Legion's mysterious loss
The disappearance of Rome's Ninth Legion has long baffled historians, but could a brutal ambush have been the event that forged the England-Scotland border, asks archaeologist Dr Miles Russell, of Bournemouth University.
Who Was St. Patrick?
Lauren Effron
Those who recognize St. Patrick's Day celebrate it very differently depending on where they're from, and believe it or not, it's the United States that has turned the Emerald Isle's namesake tradition into a huge party scene, when its original intent was to be observed as a religious holiday.
Read the rest here.Shipwreck exhibit stirs up storm at Smithsonian
London, England (CNN) -- Though they sit quietly beneath the waves, shipwrecks are a cause of much wrangling above the surface. The issue of underwater archaeology is clouded by concerns about treasure hunting, the safety of wrecks, and the sale of finds.