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explorator 20.40 January 28, 2018
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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, Rick Heli, David Critchley, Peter Archdale, Bob Heuman, Richard C. Griffiths, and Ross W. Sargent for
headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out).

Happy whatever you celebrated/are celebrating/will celebrate for the past couple of weeks!

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EARLY HOMINIDS
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Plenty of coverage of a find of a jawbone in Israel which is potentially pushing the 'Out of Africa' theory back by 50 000 years or so:

https://www.aftau.org/news-page-biology--evolution?&storyid4700=2374&ncs4700=3
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/bu-sdo011918.php
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/afot-roe012518.php
https://phys.org/news/2018-01-scientists-oldest-modern-human-fossil.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180125140923.htm
https://www.livescience.com/61532-oldest-human-fossils-outside-africa.html
https://www.timesofisrael.com/jawbone-fossil-found-in-israeli-cave-resets-clock-for-modern-human-evolution/
http://www.jpost.com/HEALTH-SCIENCE/Israeli-scientists-discover-earliest-modern-human-fossils-outside-Africa-539864
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/MAGAZINE-israeli-archaeologists-find-oldest-human-remains-out-of-africa-ever-1.5764061
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/archaeology-news/remains-of-earliest-modern-human-outside-of-africa-unearthed-in-israel/2018/01/25/
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/25/science/jawbone-fossil-israel.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2018/01/25/scientists-discover-the-oldest-human-fossils-outside-africa/?utm_term=.780
cc48e01bf&wpisrc=al_science__alert-hse&wpmk=1
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-when-humans-left-africa-20180125-story.html
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/25/580811109/new-fossil-found-in-israel-suggests-a-much-earlier-human-migration-out-of-africa
https://knpr.org/npr/2018-01/new-fossil-found-israel-suggests-much-earlier-human-migration-out-africa
http://www.dw.com/en/israeli-fossil-shows-humans-left-africa-thousands-of-years-earlier-than-thought/a-42311845
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/jan/25/oldest-known-human-fossil-outside-africa-discovered-in-israel
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/oldest-fossil-world-outside-africa-israel-tel-aviv-a8177711.html
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-42817323
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/adult-human-jaw-teeth-fossil-found-outside-of-africa/
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/middle-east/100911453/Oldest-human-fossils-discovered-outside-Africa-rewrite-history-books-again
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/earliest-humans-remains-outside-africa-just-discovered-israel-180967952/
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6374/456
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-01261-5
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/controversial-fossil-hints-homo-sapiens-blazed-a-trail-out-of-africa-earlier-than-thought/
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/deadthings/2018/01/25/oldest-human-fossils-outside-africa/
https://www.thedailybeast.com/does-this-200000-year-old-jaw-bone-change-everything
https://www.archaeology.org/news/6307-180126-israel-modern-humans

.... and the Asian theory gets a little attention:

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/358/6368/eaai9067

The development of modern brain organization is a relatively recent thing:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180125105444.htm
http://www.archaeology.org/news/6302-180125-modern-human-brains
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AFRICA
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A very long piece which brings together (and disputes most) theories of contact of African cultures with the rest of the world in the early
days:

https://www.modernghana.com/news/829961/west-africa-the-atlantic-in-antiquity-why-they-couldnt-.html

More on those Sub-Saharan glass beads:

http://www.archaeology.org/news/6296-180123-nigeria-glass-making

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ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
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A project to document inscriptions at Egyptian archaeological sites:

https://dailynewsegypt.com/2018/01/22/project-document-rare-inscriptions-archaeological-sites/

Feature on Nefertari:

http://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/40805/Ancient-Egyptian-Queens-Nefertari-King-Ramses-II-s-Wife

Feature on Ay:

https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/40748/Top-Facts-about-King-Ay

Joyce Tyldesley on Nefertiti:

https://phys.org/news/2018-01-nefertiti-pharaoh-renowned-egyptologist.html

More hype for the exploration of the Valley of the Monkeys:

https://dailynewsegypt.com/2018/01/21/zahi-hawas-heads-archaeological-mission-tomb-tutankhamuns-family/

Latest finds from Adam (Oman):

http://menafn.com/1096378075/Oman--Largest-haul-of-weapons-unearthed-from-archaeological-site-in-Adam
https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/24/01/2018/New-archaeological-discoveries-in-Oman

.... and Al Mudhaibi (is this the same as the above?):

http://timesofoman.com/article/126871/Oman/Heritage/More-than-4000-year-old-archaeological-site-discovered-in-Al-Mudhaibi

Oman also wants to crack down on the antiquities trade:

http://menafn.com/1096374831/Oman--MHC-to-tackle-trafficking-in-cultural-goods-this-year

I think we mentioned the 'decipherment' of one of the last two encrypted Dead Sea Scrolls (it's mostly about calendar disputes):

https://www.timesofisrael.com/2000-year-old-dead-sea-scroll-deciphered-revealing-2nd-temple-power-struggles/
https://www.livescience.com/61510-dead-sea-scroll-decoded.html
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42773878
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jan/26/dead-sea-scroll-deciphered-to-reveal-ancient-calendar
http://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-tuesday-edition-1.4500030/researchers-crack-one-of-the-last-coded-shreds-of-the-dead-sea-
scrolls-1.4500037
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/dead-sea-scrolls-archaeology-israel-text-fragments-author-decode-a8173221.html
http://www.newsweek.com/dead-sea-scrolls-one-last-two-encrypted-ancient-writings-deciphered-israel-786609
http://www.ibtimes.com/scientists-decode-dead-sea-scroll-mystery-revealing-secret-ancient-jewish-calendar-2643775
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/mysterious-dead-sea-scroll-finally-decoded-archaeologists-105154501.html
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scholars-decipher-one-last-un-decoded-dead-sea-scrolls-180967917/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/6294-180123-israel-translated-scroll

Speculation that there might be more Dead Sea Scrolls:

https://www.livescience.com/61496-dead-sea-scrolls-cave-found.html

Honours for Elisha Qimron:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/dead-sea-scrolls-language-researcher-named-as-winner-of-israel-prize/
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/israel-prize-awarded-to-dead-sea-scroll-expert/2018/01/25/
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/40942

Feature on crafts at Tel Hazor:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/daily-life-and-practice/israelites-iron-age-crafts-tel-hazor/

This one is still developing as Explorator goes 'to press', but yesterday the Turkish airforce apparently severely damaged the Hittite site at
Afrin:

https://sana.sy/en/?p=125617

.... some background:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-42788179
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ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME (AND CLASSICS)
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Heavy rains revealed Roman (it seems) burials in a Gazan garden:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/heavy-rain-unearths-ancient-graves-in-backyard-in-gaza/
https://www.dailysabah.com/history/2018/01/27/gazan-man-discovers-hidden-ancient-graves-in-garden
http://www.dariennewsonline.com/news/article/Heavy-rain-unearths-ancient-graves-in-backyard-in-12528108.php
http://www.tribtown.com/2018/01/26/ml-gaza-ancient-tomb/

Irrigation digging revealed a Roman/Byzantine burial in Mersin:

https://www.dailysabah.com/history/2018/01/25/ancient-tomb-discovered-during-irrigation-works-in-southern-turkey

A Roman mosaic from downtown Leicester:

http://metro.co.uk/2018/01/22/fascinating-mosaic-discovered-city-centre-team-found-richard-iiis-body-7248979/

.... and a Byzantine mosaic beneath a mosque in Turkey:

http://eu.greekreporter.com/2017/11/26/priceless-byzantine-mosaic-found-under-mosque-in-turkey

Studying some Roman cremations originally dug up in the 19th century:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jan/26/cremation-urns-dusty-bones-tell-tale-death-roman-london-museum

.... and skulls from victims of Vesuvius:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinakillgrove/2018/01/22/archaeologists-reveal-3d-skulls-of-ancient-romans-killed-by-eruption-of-
vesuvius/#69e32f554644