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explorator 21.09 June 24, 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, Richard Campbell, Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Bob Heuman, David
Critchley, Laurel Carey, Richard C. Griffiths, and Ross W. Sargent for
headses upses this week (as always hoping I have left no one out).

================================================================
EARLY HOMINIDS
================================================================
A new 'cradle of mankind' site at Nyeri County (Kenya):

https://www.nation.co.ke/counties/nyeri/New-cradle-of-mankind-found-Nyer
i/1954190-4624904-nh904v/index.html

Latest look at Otzi is focusing on what his tools tell us:

https://phys.org/news/2018-06-stone-tools-ancient-mummy-reveal.html
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-06/p-stf061318.php
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180620150233.htm
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/21/science/otzi-iceman-tools.html
https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/20/health/otzi-tyrolean-iceman-mummy-new-stu
dy/index.html
https://www.livescience.com/62872-otzi-iceman-mummy-tools.html
https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/06/otzi-the-iceman-spent-his-last-d
ays-trying-to-repair-his-tools/
https://gizmodo.com/final-days-of-otzi-the-iceman-revealed-through-new-a
nal-1826982899
https://www.archaeology.org/news/6737-180621-otzi-stone-tools

On the evolution of parenting:

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/06/22/621857925/
animated-history-the-evolution-of-parenting
================================================================
AFRICA
================================================================
3d analysis of African hunter-gatherer stone tools might have
archaeological applications:

https://phys.org/news/2018-06-d-analysis-stone-tools-african.html

================================================================
ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
================================================================
"Ancient" smelting site in northern Iran (I think ... very vague
article):

http://ifpnews.com/exclusive/ancient-metal-melting-sites-found-in-northw
est-of-iran/

A 'new' tablet from the Epic of Gilgamesh:

https://www.livescience.com/52372-new-tablet-gilgamesh-epic.html

Looting concerns at Ein Hamra spring:

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/247744

A 1000 years bp Islamic/Arabic amulet from the City of David:

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/247442
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Small-amulet-makes-for-a-large-find-55
9987
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/MAGAZINE-unique-1-000-year-old-islam
ic-amulet-found-in-jerusalem-1.6175765
https://www.timesofisrael.com/unusual-minuscule-1000-year-old-arabic-cla
y-amulet-unearthed-in-city-of-david/
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/life-style/art-and-culture/2018/06/21/
Amulet-discovered-carrying-a-1-000-year-old-Arabic-phrase-in-Jerusalem.h
tml
https://www.livescience.com/62850-amulet-blessing-jerusalem.html
http://www.archaeology.org/news/6733-180619-jerusalem-arabic-amulet

Reports of the Waqf destroying assorted mounds of earth the Temple
Mount Sifting project is interested in:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/muslim-cleanup-project-illegally-disturbed
-removed-ancient-soil-on-temple-mt/
http://tmsifting.org/en/2018/06/14/more-archaeological-destruction-on-th
e-temple-mount-and-damage-to-dirt-mounds-that-should-be-sifted/
http://tmsifting.org/en/2018/06/18/update-waqf-uses-ramadan-to-violate-a
ntiquities-law/

.... related:

https://hamodia.com/2018/06/20/report-police-shutter-post-har-habayis-ar
abs-cause-archaeological-damage/

An illegal dig in the West Bank is raising questions about the Museum
of the Bible's items:

https://hyperallergic.com/447909/an-illegal-archeological-dig-in-the-wes
t-bank-raises-questions-about-the-museum-of-the-bible/

Feature on the Al-Okhdood site in Najran (Saudi Arabia):

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2018/06/21/Saudi-Al-Okhdood-a-h
istorical-treasure-dating-more-than-2000-years.html

Feature on the 2000 years bp synagogue at Gamla:

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-2000-year-old-synagogue-at-gamla-the-
oldest-yet-found-in-israel/

Studying the ancient Babylonian diet:

https://news.yale.edu/2018/06/14/what-did-ancient-babylonians-eat-yale-h
arvard-team-tested-their-recipes

Some background on Ashurbanipal in anticipation of the BM exhibition:

https://blog.britishmuseum.org/who-was-ashurbanipal/

More on that c14 calibration that affects dating in the Eastern
Mediterranean:

https://www.thetrumpet.com/17394-a-carbon-dating-conundrum-for-the-holy-
land
================================================================
ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME (AND CLASSICS)
================================================================
Late Roman/Early Saxon burial of a pair of men who had their legs
chopped off and heads smashed in (maybe):

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/a14-archaeology-cam
bridge-huntingdon-roadworks-14805997
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/jun/18/archaeologists-in-cambri
dgeshire-find-graves-of-two-men-with-legs-chopped-off
http://www.newsweek.com/archaeologists-find-legless-skeletons-excavation
-982610
https://www.sciencealert.com/mutilated-skeletons-amputated-legs-roman-an
glo-saxon-archaeology-cambridgeshire-a14-2
http://www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/these-legless-romans-suffered-a-p
articularly-horrible-death-/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/6730-180618-england-legless-graves

I think we mentioned this find of a 'lost city' (maybe Bassania) in
Albania:

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/discovery-of-lost-city-in-albani
a-thrills-archaeologists-06-18-2018
https://aleteia.org/2018/06/20/polish-archaeologists-locate-a-2000-year-
old-city-lost-to-the-annals-of-history/

Metal detectorists are apparently causing a lot of damage along
Hadrian's wall:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/hadrians-wall-destroyed-
metal-detectors-illegal-nighthawk-brunton-turret-england-a8406161.html
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/damage-detected-at-hadrian-s-wall-lsx
55kzfg
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/hadrian-s-wall-looted-for-long-lost-r
oman-bling-bwfcz86g3
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/06/19/hadrians-wall-nighthawkers-s
tealing-knowledge-site-historic/
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jun/20/hadrians-wall-being-dama
ged-by-illegal-metal-detectorists
https://metro.co.uk/2018/06/20/hadrians-wall-siege-rogue-metal-detectori
sts-looking-roman-treasure-7646871/
https://www.scotsman.com/news/warning-over-illegal-metal-detecting-at-ha
drian-s-wall-1-4756942
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-hadrian/hadrians-wall-being-da
maged-by-nighthawk-metal-detectorists-idUKKBN1JG1IK
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-06/21/c_137268803.htm

Assorted scholars are disputing the authenticity of some items seized
by the Carabinieri last month:

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/top-experts-dispute-italian-police-
claims-about-seized-antiquities

The villa of the fisherman Phainos (purportedly) has been located in
Halicarnassus:

http://eu.greekreporter.com/2018/06/19/archaeologists-confirm-discovery-
of-villa-and-mosaic-of-greek-fisherman-phainos-in-turkey/
https://greekcitytimes.com/2018/06/23/archaeologists-discover-1800-year-
old-villa-of-ancient-greek-fisherman-phainos-in-turkey/
http://www.tornosnews.gr/en/greek-news/culture/31684-archaeologists-disc
over-villa-and-mosaic-of-ancient-greek-fisherman-phainos-in-turkey.html

Studying the diet of folks at Gabii:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinakillgrove/2018/06/22/skeletons-from
-ancient-romes-sister-city-reveal-differences-in-immigration-and-diet/
#74ab7a2d4b96

The Theatre of Aptera is reopening with performances:

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2018/06/19/ancient-theatre-of-aptera-to-
reopen-with-performance-of-homers-odyssey/

Pondering whether ancient Greeks 'went to the beach':

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2018/06/22/did-ancient-greeks-go-to-the-
beach/

A questionable 'reconstruction' of Julius Caesar's face:

https://www.rt.com/news/430659-caesar-head-reconstructed-rome/

Plans to resume the Priory Park dig in Chichester:

https://www.chichester.co.uk/news/more-roman-secrets-to-be-revealed-at-p
riory-park-dig-in-chichester-1-8543443

In case you didn't know there was a blog for the Vindolanda dig:

http://www.vindolanda.com/_blog/thevindolandablog/post/
deeper-into-the-ditches/

.... and Archaeology Magazine's dig blog for one of the teams working in
Pompeii:

https://www.archaeological.org/news/pompeii/28541

Socrates' thoughts on what made a good general:

https://taskandpurpose.com/socrates-military-general-xenophon/

Feature on Athens' Acropolis:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-near-
eastern-world/the-athenian-acropolis/