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explorator 26.05 May 21, 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,
Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David Critchley,
Richard Miller, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay,
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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Suggestion that 200 000 years bp South Africa was 'inviting' to human ancestors:

https://news.umich.edu/south-africas-desert-like-interior-may-have-been-more-inviting-to-our-human-ancestors/
https://phys.org/news/2023-05-south-africa-desert-like-interior-human.html
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/05/18/south-africas-desert-like-interior-more-inviting-to-our-human-ancestors/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11447-230517-africa-glacial-landscapes

Prehistoric hearths near Madrid suggest humans were making fires in Europe at least 250 000 years bp:

https://phys.org/news/2023-05-humans-years-europe.html
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/may/18/scientists-find-oldest-known-evidence-of-humans-in-europe-using-fires-to-cook
https://www.sciencealert.com/ancient-humans-in-europe-started-controlling-fire-far-far-earlier-than-we-thought

A number of bone tools in a Neanderthal-associated cave in Siberia is causing a rethink:

https://www.iflscience.com/bone-tools-in-neanderthal-cave-hint-at-prehistoric-osseous-industry-68967

Latest application of genomcs to human evolution has 'multiple origins' for homo sapiens:

https://phys.org/news/2023-05-human-africa.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230517121424.htm
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/17/science/human-origins-africa.html
https://www.sciencealert.com/the-first-humans-out-of-africa-werent-quite-who-we-thought

cf: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01664-z
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06055-y

More on the 300 000 years bp footprints from Germany being connected with homo heidelbergensis:

https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/university/news-and-publications/press-releases/press-releases/article/300000-year-old-snapshot-oldest-human-footprints-from-germany-found/
https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/300000-year-old-footprints-reveal-extinct-humans-went-on-a-lakeside-family-outing-among-giant-elephants-and-rhinos
https://www.sciencealert.com/oldest-examples-of-human-footprints-hint-at-our-ancestors-lives-300000-years-ago
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-743041
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/05/16/300000-year-old-snapshot-oldest-human-footprints-from-germany-found/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11437-230515-germany-hominin-footprints

More on the legacy of Neanderthal noses:

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/neanderthals-passed-down-their-tall-noses-to-modern-humans-genetic-analysis-finds

More on early humans' preference for 'mosaic landscapes':

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230511164457.htm
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AFRICA
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Vague item on a possible Roman-era site find in Sabratha:

https://lana.gov.ly/post.php?id=278607&lang=en

Feature on the Queen of Sheba:

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/legacy-of-queen-of-sheba-1.6836452
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ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
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More on the Byzantine and Late Period finds from the Meir Necropolis in Assiut:

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/egypt-meir-necropolis-christian-finds-2300446
https://arkeonews.net/excavations-at-meir-necropolis-have-turned-up-funerary-artifacts-from-two-distinct-eras-of-ancient-history/

More on evidence of anemia in the mummified remains of many Egyptian children:

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/ancient-egyptians/ancient-egyptian-children-were-plagued-with-blood-disorders-mummies-reveal
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11450-230518-egypt-children-anemia

More on that cache of 3500 years bp severed hands:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/16/science/archaeology-ancient-egypt-hands.html

Feature on what mummified remains can tell us about ancient Egyptian climate:

https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2023-05-20/how-mummies-help-us-understand-the-climate-in-ancient-egypt.html

Feature on Lord Carnarvon's will:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/lord-carnarvons-will-0m3c2w7t6

Feature on daily life in ancient Egypt:

https://egyptianstreets.com/2023/05/18/from-love-to-work-and-play-daily-life-in-ancient-egypt/

Review of John Romer's latest volume on ancient Egypt:

https://www.thenationalnews.com/weekend/2023/05/19/everything-we-know-is-wrong-the-archaeologist-whos-rewriting-ancient-egyptian-history/

Study suggests the earliest evidence of 'romantic kissing' comes from 4500 years bp Mesopotamia:

https://phys.org/news/2023-05-humanity-earliest-mesopotamia-years.html
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/may/18/first-records-of-human-kissing-may-date-back-1000-years-earlier-than-estimated
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/middle-east-studies-university-of-copenhagen-syria-asia-b2341664.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2023/05/18/kissing-history-mesopotamia/
https://greekreporter.com/2023/05/19/first-kiss-history/
https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2023-05-19/the-first-kisses-were-recorded-in-mesopotamia-4500-years-ago.html
https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/mesopotamians-wrote-about-kissing-4-500-years-ago
https://scitechdaily.com/humanitys-first-recorded-kiss-occurred-in-mesopotamia-4500-years-ago/
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2374337-humans-were-kissing-at-least-4500-years-ago-reveal-ancient-texts/
https://www.sciencealert.com/romantically-kissing-our-lovers-might-not-be-the-fashion-we-thought-it-was
https://arkeonews.net/new-study-says-earliest-recorded-kiss-occurred-4500-years-ago-in-mesopotamia/
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/05/19/the-earliest-recorded-kiss-occurred-in-mesopotamia-4500-years-ago/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/humanitys-first-kiss-was-earlier-than-we-thought-180982206/

More on the use of AI to translate cuneiform texts:

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/a-i-translates-ancient-cuneiform-2299128
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11449-230518-artificial-intelligence-cuneiform

More on evidence of rice growing in Iran 3000 years bp from Qale-Kesh:

https://arkeonews.net/archaeologists-discover-that-iranian-farmers-grew-rice-about-3000-years-ago/

Amber beads found back in 1914 at the great ziggurat of Assur have been determined to come originally from the Baltic region:

https://phys.org/news/2023-05-bronze-age-long-distance-baltic-amber.html
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/05/amber-beads-suggest-long-distance-connections-in-the-early-bronze-age/147319
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/05/17/bronze-age-long-distance-connections-baltic-amber-in-assur/

Feature on the Code of Hammurabi:

https://www.thecollector.com/code-of-hammurabi/

An 1800 years bp bronze stylus from Assos:

https://www.trtworld.com/perspectives/archaeologists-discover-1800-year-old-writing-tool-in-turkey-13093922

More on the 1500 years bp underground passage found beneath Istanbul's Saint Polyeuktos Church:

https://arkeonews.net/1500-year-old-secret-underground-passage-uncovered-in-istanbul/

Feature on an NEH grant to study Petra:

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/989943

A 2000 years bp 'receipt'/ledger/financial record inscription from the City of David:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/2000-year-old-ledger-found-in-city-of-david-points-to-widespread-2nd-temple-literacy/
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-05-17/ty-article/israeli-archaeologists-find-2-000-year-old-financial-record-in-jerusalem/00000188-28eb-df77-afe9-69ef95060000
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371555
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-743349
https://www.jns.org/2000-year-old-receipt-uncovered-on-pilgrimage-road-in-jerusalem/
https://arkeonews.net/2000-year-old-financial-record-uncovered-on-pilgrimage-road-in-the-city-of-david-jerusalem/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/05/2000-year-old-receipt-uncovered-in-jerusalem/147330

A swimmer came across a Roman-era marble cargo shipwreck off the coast of Israel:

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/diver-unexpectedly-discovers-roman-era-shipwreck-carrying-beautiful-marble-columns-off-israels-coast
https://www.timesofisrael.com/swimmer-discovers-precious-marble-cargo-from-1800-year-old-mediterranean-shipwreck/
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-05-15/ty-article/swimmer-finds-huge-roman-shipwreck-loaded-with-marble-off-israels-coast-again/00000188-1eef-d18b-a79d-1eff8c740000
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-743080
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371444
https://www.dw.com/en/archaeologists-thrilled-swimmer-uncovers-shipwreck-with-marble-columns/a-65646449
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/shipwreck-discovery-israel-1800-year-old-rare-marble-artifacts/
https://www.newsweek.com/enormous-precious-cargo-1800-year-old-shipwreck-discovered-1800341
https://www.iflscience.com/storms-reveal-1800-year-old-marble-columns-at-shipwreck-in-israel-68927
https://greekreporter.com/2023/05/16/ancient-shipwreck-israel/
https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/05/16/rare-1800-year-old-greco-roman-shipwreck-unveils-treasure-trove-of-marble-artifacts-off-israeli-coast/
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/shipwreck-israeli-coast-2303579
https://arkeonews.net/storms-uncover-precious-marble-cargo-from-a-1800-year-old-mediterranean-shipwreck-in-israel/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/05/roman-shipwreck-carrying-architectural-marble-found-off-israeli-coast/147298
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/05/17/cargo-of-marble-artifacts-uncovered-in-coastal-waters-north-of-netanya/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11441-230516-roman-marble-shipwreck