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explorator 20.45 March 4, 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, Savid Critchley, Rick Heli, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob
Heuman, Kris Curry, Mata Kimasitayo, Richard C. Griffiths, and Ross W.
Sargent for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no
one out).

================================================================
EARLY HOMINIDS
================================================================
Feature on homo Naledi and the cave the remains were found in:

http://www.newsweek.com/explore-cave-where-mysterious-human-ancestor-hom
o-naledi-was-discovered-live-823613

On evolution in education:

http://www.dw.com/en/lucy-vs-adam-and-eve-the-theory-of-evolution-in-afr
ica/a-42774442
http://www.dw.com/overlay/media/en/dinknesh-a-peek-into-the-history-of-h
umankind/42067292/42094183

On the connection between cave acoustics, art, and language
development:

https://phys.org/news/2018-03-echoes-thought-sites-prehistoric-art.html
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-cave-acoustics-play-role-a
rt-and-language-180968252/

OpEds on the intelligence of Neanderthals in the wake of all the art
and language things:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/25/the-guardian-view-
on-neanderthals-we-were-not-alone
http://dailycampus.com/stories/2018/3/2/were-neanderthals-as-smart-as-us

On their 'disappearance':

https://elpais.com/elpais/2018/02/22/ciencia/1519312781_587587.html

More on Neanderthal art in Spain:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/22/science/neanderthals-cave-paintings-e
urope.html
https://hyperallergic.com/429825/neanderthals-made-cave-paintings-before
-humans-even-reached-europe/
https://www.thestatesman.com/features/is-art-exclusively-ours-1502593139
..html
https://elpais.com/elpais/2018/02/22/ciencia/1519314761_836333.html
================================================================
AFRICA
================================================================
300 000 years bp wood from Uitenhage (this might eventually be an
early hominid story):

http://www.heraldlive.co.za/news/2018/02/26/stone-age-discoveries-near-u
itenhage/

Restoration of some of Ethiopia's rock-hewn churches will soon
commence:

http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/25300

Pondering the Late Holocene Rainforest Crisis:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/02/did-humans-or-climate-cause-the-
great-rainforest-crisis/

Polish archaeologists have a new headquarters in Khartoum:

http://www.thenews.pl/1/6/Artykul/351633,New-Sudanese-outpost-for-Polish
-archaeologists

================================================================
ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
================================================================
Parts of a statue of Ramses II from the Kom Ombo temple in Aswan:

http://www.egyptindependent.com/parts-huge-king-ramses-ii-statue-discove
red-aswan/
https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/44103/Discovery-of-new-parts-of-Ram
ses-II-statue
https://www.albawaba.com/editorchoice/egypt-has-discovered-huge-parts-ki
ng-ramses-ii-statue-1095818
https://phys.org/news/2018-02-ramses-ii-statue-southern-egypt.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ramses-ii-parts-of-statue-found-in-southern
-egypt-aswan-antiquities/
https://apnews.com/3f6797eb5a2740baa2ecc9fc0be310a6
http://www.newsweek.com/ancient-egypt-king-ramses-statue-829679
https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/egypt/MAGAZINE-archaeologists-d
iscover-parts-of-ramses-ii-statue-in-southern-egypt-1.5865236

I think we mentioned this 2300 years bp priestly cemetery find from
Tuna el-Gebel:

https://www.livescience.com/61856-cemetery-with-mummy-priests-egypt.html
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43196877
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ancient-egyptian-necropolis-contains-messag
e-from-the-afterlife/
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/ancient-necropolis-1.4552004
http://www.ibtimes.co.in/message-afterlife-archaeologists-discover-ancie
nt-cemetery-filled-mummies-relics-egypt-761835
http://www.newsweek.com/ancient-egypt-spectacular-2000-year-old-tomb-com
plex-discovered-40-sarcophagi-819863
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/02/ancient-egypt-necropolis-dis
covered-mummies-funerary-figurines-spd/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/6399-180226-egypt-cemetery-tombs

Plenty of coverage of the find of what are specified as the world's
oldest "figural" tattoos on a mummy in the British Museum:

https://phys.org/news/2018-03-egyptian-mummies-oldest-figurative-tattoos
..html
https://www.livescience.com/61916-oldest-tattoos-egyptian-mummies.html
https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2018/mar/01/worlds-earliest-figural-
tattoos-gebelein-mummies-british-museum
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-43230202
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/01/smudge-arm-british-museum-mu
mmy-revealed-oldest-tattoo-world/
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/worlds-oldest-tatt
oo-egypt-mummy-british-museum-infrared-a8233536.html
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/the-missing-ink-mummies-gebelein
-man-a-and-gebelein-woman-have-earliest-tattoos-d8nfnc763
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-mummies-tattoo/tattoos-discov
ered-on-mummies-after-millennia-under-wraps-idUSKCN1GD61Y
http://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/44224/Tattoos-discovered-on-mummies-
after-millennia-under-wraps
http://www.egyptindependent.com/oldest-tattoo-discovered-ancient-egyptia
n-mummy/
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/ancient-egyptian-tattoos-1.4559240
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/ancient/ancient-egyptians-may-have-wor
n-the-worlds-first-tattoos/
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/03/02/590347574/some-of-the
-oldest-ever-tattoos-found-on-egyptian-mummies
https://knpr.org/npr/2018-03/some-oldest-ever-tattoos-found-egyptian-mum
mies
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/worlds-earliest-figurative-tattoos-discovered-5
000-year-old-ancient-egyptian-mummies-1664780
http://www.newsweek.com/gebelein-man-tattoos-mummies-ancient-egypt-gebel
ein-826622
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/03/ancient-egyptian-mummy-tatto
os-spd/
https://hyperallergic.com/430131/oldest-figural-tattoos-gebelein-mummies
/ https://elpais.com/elpais/2018/03/02/ciencia/1519985780_360462.html
https://www.archaeology.org/6412-180301-egypt-mummies-tattoos

You might want to check out the 'Assassins Creed Discovery Tour' at
some point:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinmurnane/2018/02/25/challenge-your-know
ledge-of-ancient-egypt-with-assassins-creed-origins-discovery-tour/
#38cea31027f4

Bronze Age artifacts from Dibba (UAE):

https://www.thenational.ae/uae/heritage/fujairah-dig-finds-treasure-trov
e-of-500-bronze-age-artefacts-1.709721

Rain revealed a number of items in Babylon:

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/291684/World/Region/
Rain-uncovers--ancient-artefacts-in-Iraq.aspx
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iraq-heavy-rain-uncovers-trove-ancient
-artefacts-1232834084
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1254366/middle-east
http://www.archaeology.org/news/6408-180228-iraq-babylon-artifacts

Interesting 2000 years bp camel sculptures from the Saudi desert:

https://phys.org/news/2018-02-art-mystery-ancient-camel-sculptures.html
http://www.egypttoday.com/Article/9/44053/Rock-art-and-mystery-Ancient-c
amel-sculptures-in-Saudi-desert
https://www.yahoo.com/news/rock-art-mystery-ancient-camel-sculptures-sau
di-desert-014150195.html

Eilat Mazar was talking about the Ophel excavations:

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Ophel-excavation-director-discusses-bib
lical-discoveries-Temple-Mount-543681

Latest on that site found in a Megiddo prison ages ago:

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/MAGAZINE-archaeological-park-to-be-o
pened-on-site-of-prison-in-northern-israel-1.5866058

A 700 years bp 'St Nicholas' ring found in a garden in Israel:

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/700-year-old-ring-with-the-image-of-St-
Nicholas-unearthed-in-Israel-543632
https://www.timesofisrael.com/galilee-gardener-digs-up-medieval-ring-bea
ring-smiling-st-nicholas/
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/.premium-israeli-gardener-finds-700-
year-old-ring-with-image-of-st-nicholas-1.5849056
https://www.livescience.com/61881-gardener-finds-st-nicholas-ring.html
https://www.archaeology.org/news/6401-180226-israel-nicholas-ring

A previously-unknown stretch of the 'Incense Route' through the Negev:

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/unknown-stretch-of-2-500-year-old-in
cense-route-found-in-negev-1.5847863

Feature on the excavations at Beth She'arim:

http://www.asor.org/anetoday/2018/02/New-Excavations-Beth-Shearim

Feature on Darius I:

https://www.jewishlinknj.com/features/23667-archaeology-sheds-light-on-a
ncient-persian-king-darius

Article on the Phoenicians in Spain:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1095-9270.12275/full