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explorator 20.09 June 25, 2017
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If you're having problems getting 'the whole issue', 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,
Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, Don Buck, Adrienne Mayor, Kris
Curry, Rick Heli, David Critchley, Richard Campbell, Richard C. Griffiths, and
Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left
no one out).

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= EARLY HOMINIDS
===============================================================
= Not quite sure whether this should be classified ‘Early humans’ or ‘Ancient
Near East’ … ‘million year old’ stone tools from Turkey:

https://www.dailysabah.com/history/2017/06/23/archaeologists-discover-milli
on-year-old-stone-artifacts-in-turkeys-tunceli

More on the search for evidence of first fire use:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/quest-for-clues-to-humanitys-first-fi
res/

More on where homo floresiensis fits into the hominid family tree:

https://cosmosmagazine.com/palaeontology/genetic-modelling-adds-a-new-tw
ist-to-hobbit-ancestry-question

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= AFRICA
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= This probably should be filed under Egypt … a 3400 years bp gold worker’s
tomb from the Sudan:

https://www.livescience.com/59534-ancient-nubia-tomb-of-gold-worker-found.h
tml
https://www.livescience.com/59532-photos-ancient-tomb-along-nile.html
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ancient-egypt-3400-year-old-tomb-gold-worker-discov
ered-nile-river-island-1627094
http://www.archaeology.org/news/5669-170619-sudan-gold-worker

Concerns for sites in Nigeria:

http://thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2017/06/expert-urges-ngsg-to-protect-archaeolog
ical-sites/

More on the ‘lost’ city dating back to the 10th century in Ethiopia:

https://phys.org/news/2017-06-ancient-city-ethiopia-country-history.html
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/remains-thriving-trade-city-found
-ethiopia-180963757/
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/harlaa-discovery-12th-century
-mosque-bronze-silver-coins-university-exeter-timothy-insoll-a7805956.html
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/long-lost-city-believed-be-home-giants-unearthed-ethi
opia-1627034
https://qz.com/1008940/an-ancient-islamic-city-has-been-found-under-harlaa-a
n-ethiopian-town-where-local-lore-spoke-of-giants/
http://www.newser.com/story/244589/lost-islamic-city-held-riches-from-a-world
-away.html
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/remains-thriving-trade-city-found
-ethiopia-180963757/

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= ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
===============================================================
= 6000 years bp (give or take) petroglyphs from south of Luxor are being
connected to the invention of hieroglyphs:

http://news.yale.edu/2017/06/20/yale-archaeologists-discover-earliest-monum
ental-egyptian-hieroglyphs
https://www.livescience.com/59588-billboard-of-hieroglyphs-contains-cosmic-
message.html
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/271427/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/
Inscriptions-showing-early-hieroglyphic-writing-di.aspx
http://www.universityherald.com/articles/75896/20170622/archaeologists-yale
-university-uncovers-breakthrough-egyptian-hieroglyphics-discovery.htm
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/6000-year-old-rock-art-shows-emergence-ancient-egy
pt-hieroglyphs-1627540
http://www.archaeology.org/news/5677-170622-egypt-rock-art

Studying 2000 years bp graffiti in the tomb of Rameses VI:

http://scienceinpoland.pap.pl/en/news/news,414643,in-a-pharaoh-tomb-archae
ologist-examines-the-inscriptions--of-ancient-tourists.html
http://www.archaeology.org/news/5681-170623-egyptian-ancient-graffiti

That wooden prosthetic toe from from tomb in Luxor found a few years ago
was back in the news:

https://phys.org/news/2017-06-wooden-toe-swiss-egyptologists-year-old.html
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/uob-awt062017.php
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170620093118.htm
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/archaeology_swiss-examine--extraordinary--egyp
tian-faux-toe/43274046?&ns_mchannel=rss&srg_evsource=rss
https://www.livescience.com/59581-ancient-prosthetic-toe-found-in-egyptian-gr
ave.html
http://www.ibtimes.com/weird-archaeological-find-wooden-prosthetic-big-toe-a
ncient-egypt-2556234
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/study-reveals-secrets-ancient-ca
iro-toe-180963783/
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/22/health/ancient-egypt-wooden-toe-prosthetic-trn
d/index.html
http://www.archaeology.org/news/5672-170620-egypt-prosthetic-toe
http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/06/2017/egyptologists-stu
dy-3000-year-old-wooden-toe

Feature on Khufu’s second solar boat:

http://www.natureasia.com/en/nmiddleeast/article/10.1038/
nmiddleeast.2017.109

Feature on the al Maala necropolis:

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/271375/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/
AlMaala-necropolis-site-in-Upper-Egypt-is-scientif.aspx

Ship waste threatens sunken antiquities in Alexandria’s harbour:

http://www.trtworld.com/mea/egypts-sunken-antiquities-threatened-by-ship-wa
ste-382161

More on child burials near Amarna:

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0617/ancient_egyptian_juvenile_graves.p
hp3

More on that 2500 years bp tomb find:

http://observer.com/2017/06/egyptian-tomb-artifacts-discovered/

Finds from various periods at a site in Huqoq:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4976864,00.html

A 900 years bp women’s jewellery collection from Modin:

http://www.antiquities.org.il/Article_eng.aspx?sec_id=25&subj_id=240&id=429
5 http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/IsraelExperience/History/Pages/Modi%E2%80%99in-stud
ents-uncover-a-gem-of-an-excavation-.aspx
http://www.timesofisrael.com/school-pupils-help-find-900-year-old-crusader-je
welry-trove/
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/900-year-old-womens-jewelry-collecti
on-discovered-in-modiin/2017/06/20/
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Students-unearth-rare-900-year-old-jewelry-
collection-in-Modiin-excavation-497399
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/231297
http://www.jns.org/news-briefs/2017/6/20/volunteers-discover-900-year-old-an
cient-jewelry-in-crusader-fortress
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4979084,00.html
http://forward.com/fast-forward/375177/israeli-kids-help-excavate-900-year-old
-crusader-fortress/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/5670-170620-crusader-fortress-jewelry

Finding that ‘hidden text’ on a potsherd in a museum in Israel has spurred the
search for more hidden texts:

http://www.jns.org/latest-articles/2017/6/18/discovery-of-hidden-text-prompts-n
ew-approach-to-biblical-digs-in-israel

… in case you missed it:

https://www.livescience.com/59545-ancient-inscription-requests-more-wine.ht
ml
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ancient-pottery-message-more-wine/
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hidden-calling-wine-found-ancien
t-pottery-shard-180963780/

An aerial survey of sites in Iraq:

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/06/iraq-uses-aerial-survey-for-
antiques.html

Feature on Ishtar:

http://theconversation.com/friday-essay-the-legend-of-ishtar-first-goddess-of-l
ove-and-war-78468

Some artworks destroyed/damaged by ISIL in Palmyra have been restored:

http://www.dw.com/en/two-palmyra-artworks-destroyed-by-is-restored-for-first-t
ime/a-39344347

More on the redating of that tower in Jerusalem:

http://www.timesofisrael.com/carbon-dating-undermines-biblical-narrative-for-
ancient-jerusalem-tower/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/5673-170621-jerusalem-stone-tower

More on the antiquities bust near Tzippori:

http://www.timesofisrael.com/hiker-helps-stop-antiquities-robbing-gang-in-nort
hern-israel/

Major tourism hopes for the Hittite site at Comum:

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ancient-hittite-capital-corum-hopes-for-half-a
-million-tourists.aspx?pageID=238&nid=114591&NewsCatID=375

An overview of monuments lost in conflicts in the Middle East:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/22/architecture/precious-monuments-lost-in-middl
e-east-conflicts/index.html
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/major-heritage-centres-that-the-isl
amic-state-has-destroyed/article19134355.ece

ISIL was much in the news this week … first, they lost control of Sergiopolis:

https://english.almanar.com.lb/289236

… and they blew up the 12th century Al Nuri mosque in Mosul:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-40363671
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/21/world/middleeast/mosul-nuri-mosque-isi
s.html?emc=edit_na_20170621&nl=breaking-news&nlid=10296088&ref=cta
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/21/islaimic-state-blows-landmark-gr
eat-mosque-al-nuri-famous-leaning/
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/06/22/533903315/isis-destroys-h
istoric-mosque-in-mosul-as-iraqi-forces-close-in
http://www.dw.com/en/is-destroys-mosul-mosque-where-leader-baghdadi-decl
ared-caliphate/a-39357749
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/isis-blows-up-mosque-in-mosul-where-
baghdadi-declared-caliphate/2017/06/21/7070ff30-56b9-11e7-840b-512026319
da7_story.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/is-blows-up-mosul-mosqu
e-latest-heritage-site-destroyed/2017/06/22/71b50772-5747-11e7-840b-51202
6319da7_story.html
http://nationalpost.com/news/world/israel-middle-east/isil-militants-destroy-fa
med-12th-century-mosque-in-iraqs-historic-city-of-mosul/wcm/cce78951-0b0a-
40ee-981d-1e85eaae5ce2
https://www.yahoo.com/news/blows-mosul-mosque-latest-heritage-123237913
..html