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explorator 26.07 June 4, 2023
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You can read explorator online at:

https://exploratornews.wordpress.com/

Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, Edward Rockstein, Kurt Theis,
John McMahon, Barnea Selavan, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Hernan Astudillo, Tom V,
Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley, Suzan Mazur,
Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Lucas Morron,
Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week
(as always hoping I have left no one out).

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EARLY HOMINIDS
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A 700 000 years bp site with tools and animal bones found in a coal mine in Greece:

https://phys.org/news/2023-06-newly-stone-tools-dawn-greek.html
https://apnews.com/article/greece-archaeology-oldest-site-stone-tools-3e84007cde4d77a2725b7877b9b38335
https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/newly-discovered-stone-tools-drag-dawn-greek-archaeology-99767966
https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1212427/newly-discovered-stone-tools-drag-dawn-of-greek-archaeology-back-by-a-quarter-million-years/
https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/06/02/archaeological-breakthrough-ancient-greek-civilisation-rewritten-by-a-quarter-million-years/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11478-230602-greece-lower-paleolithic

Palaeolithic tools found on Lesvos:

https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1212255/paleolithic-discovery-made-on-lesvos/

A study of that 'Neanderthal glue' which was in the news a few years ago:

https://phys.org/news/2023-05-neanderthals-synthetic-material-underground-distillation.html
https://www.sciencealert.com/neanderthals-may-have-been-the-first-to-carefully-concoct-this-substance

A study of fire-making technique differences between Neanderthals and homo sapiens:

https://phys.org/news/2023-05-neanderthal-human-fire-making-methods-intelligence.html

Feature on homo erectus:

https://www.spectator.com.au/2023/05/who-do-you-think-you-are/

.... and one on homo habilis:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/what-we-know-about-homo-habilis

More on the risks of flintknapping:

https://www.spectator.com.au/2023/05/who-do-you-think-you-are/
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2376608-ancient-humans-may-have-risked-their-lives-making-stone-tools/

More on 153 000 years bp homo sapiens footprints in South Africa:

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/153000-year-old-footprints-from-south-africa-are-the-oldest-homo-sapiens-tracks-on-record
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AFRICA
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South African metal detectorists found a cache of 19th century muskets:

https://northernnatalnews.co.za/388900/diggers-discover-a-piece-of-history/

Feature on the 'lost' cities of the Nigerian Sahara:

https://phys.org/news/2023-06-mystery-lost-cities-nigerien-sahara.html

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ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
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Analysis of some bracelets owned by Khufu's mother Hetepheres suggests the silver used to make them came from the Greek Aegean:

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/ancient-egyptians/ancient-egyptian-queens-bracelets-contain-1st-evidence-of-long-distance-trade-between-egypt-and-greece
https://greekreporter.com/2023/05/30/bronze-age-trade-egypt-greece/
https://neoskosmos.com/en/2023/05/30/features/new-evidence-reveals-ancient-egyptian-and-greek-trade-extended-to-the-bronze-age/
https://www.sci.news/archaeology/queen-hetepheres-silver-bracelets-11961.html
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/67396
https://arkeonews.net/the-mystery-of-the-silver-bracelets-of-queen-hetepheres-in-her-celebrated-tomb-at-giza-has-been-solved/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/06/01/silver/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11479-230602-egypt-greece-silver

More on the mummification workshops and tombs found last week in Saqqara:

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/ancient-egyptians/2300-year-old-egyptian-mummification-workshops-found-at-saqqara
https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentMulti/501832/Multimedia.aspx
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/05/28/egypt-mummy-workshop-3300-years-old-mummification/
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/egypt-archaeology-ancient-mummification-workshop-b2347595.html
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/egypt-mummification-workshops-intl-scli-scn/index.html
https://greekreporter.com/2023/05/29/ancient-workshops-tombs-saqqara-egypt/
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8214581/egypt-unveils-ancient-mummification-workshops-tombs/
https://www.techtimes.com/articles/292069/20230530/archaeologists-uncover-massive-mummification-workshops-ancient-egypt.htm
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/pharaonic-mummification-workshops-and-tombs-unearthed-in-egypt-1234669903/
https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/embalming-facilities-discovered-at-famous-egyptian-site
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/05/archaeologists-discover-ancient-egyptian-tombs-and-mummification-workshops/147451
https://archaeonewsnet.com/2023/05/largest-ever-mummification-workshop-uncovered-in-saqqara.html
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11473-230530-egypt-tomb-embalming

Neolithic shell beads are shedding light on early seafaring on the Caspian Sea:

https://phys.org/news/2023-05-shell-beads-discovery-stone-age.html
https://archaeonewsnet.com/2023/05/shell-beads-discovery-sheds-light-on-stone-age-seafaring.html
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11477-230601-caspian-sea-trade

Overview of finds made during rescue digs at the Chaparabad Dam site in Oshnavieh (Iran):

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/485350/Excavation-sheds-new-light-on-Oshnavieh-s-historical-sites

Feature on the Great Wall of Gorgan:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/485334/The-Great-Wall-of-Gorgan-an-ancient-marvel-of-military-construction

Feature on Mesopotamian 'sub-floor' burials:

https://psyche.co/ideas/why-ancient-mesopotamians-buried-their-dead-beneath-the-floor

Hype for Eckart Frahm, *Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World's First Empire*:

https://news.yale.edu/2023/05/26/assyria-chronicling-rise-and-fall-worlds-first-empire

Studying the fortress of Dmanisis Gora to figure out why the people were so resilient in the transition from Bronze to Iron Ages:

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/991295
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/06/archaeologists-study-fortress-in-southern-georgia-to-understand-community-resilience/147527

More on 3000 years bp flour traces from Armenia:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/armenia-bakery-flour-discovery-180982247/

The roundup of archaeological activities in Turkey in May:

https://turkisharchaeonews.net/article/may-2023-turkish-archaeology

More on the tunnel and rooms found beneath the ruins of St Polyeuctus Church in Istanbul:

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/hidden-tunnel-and-rooms-unearthed-under-1500-year-old-church-in-istanbul
https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/06/02/hidden-rooms-church-istanbul/

.... where they also found a small statue of Pan:

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/1-700-year-old-greek-god-pan-statue-unearthed-in-istanbul-183657
https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/excavations-in-istanbul-unearth-statue-of-greek-deity-pan/news
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230601-part-of-greek-god-pan-statue-unearthed-in-istanbul/
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/culture/part-of-greek-god-pan-statue-unearthed-in-istanbul/2912269
https://arkeonews.net/god-pan-statue-unearthed-at-istanbuls-historical-church-of-st-polyeuctus/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/06/statue-depicting-pan-found-in-istanbul/147522

Excavations are underway at a 2600 years bp site on Sedir Island:

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/excavations-start-on-popular-sedir-island-183533

Concerns arising from the slow pace of restoration work at Palmyra:

https://phys.org/news/2023-06-lags-syria-famed-roman-palmyra.html
https://apnews.com/article/syria-palmyra-ruins-archeology-heritage-784ff4473db36c83d440d9945b7f602c
https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/restoration-lags-syrias-famed-roman-ruins-palmyra-war-99781961

A call for immediate conservation work at Umm ar-Rasas:

http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/jordanian-archaeologist-calls-%E2%80%98urgent%E2%80%99-conservation-work-umm-ar-rasas

Study suggests the Canaanites at Megiddo included wine in their funerary activities:

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-05-25/ty-article/ancient-canaanites-at-megiddo-raised-a-glass-to-the-dead-archaeologists-find/00000188-5328-dde3-abf9-fb29226d0000

In case you missed the find of a burial cave with ossuaries during possibly questionable construction in Mashhad:

https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/05/29/israeli-archaeologists-1850/
https://www.artdependence.com/articles/israeli-operation-to-prevent-looting-has-led-to-discovery-of-burial-caves/
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/1850-year-old-stone-ossuaries-retrieved-by-israeli-authorities-1234669899/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/05/operation-to-prevent-looting-has-led-to-discovery-of-burial-caves/147475