Message-ID:

"You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive." -- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, "A Study in Scarlet"

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explorator 21.17 August 19, 2018
===============================================================
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 Miller, Trevor Ogden, Rick Heli, Bill
Gebhardt, Richard C. Griffiths, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses
this week (as always hoping I have left no one out).

================================================================
EARLY HOMINIDS
================================================================
On the evolution of the big toe:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-45183651
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-suggest-big-toe-wa
s-last-part-foot-evolve-180970012/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/6897-180815-modern-big-toes

Bipedalism came early to hominins, apparently:

https://phys.org/news/2018-08-ancient-forefoot-joints-reveals-bipedalism
..html
https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/08/the-road-to-bipedalism-wasnt-str
aight-and-narrow/

More on "lazy" homo erectus:

https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/evolution/laziness-killed-the
-homo-erectus-anu-study-finds/news-story/2069b27b43e8d81548a11c7e428aa77
e https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/laziness-may-have-contributed-
downfall-homo-erectus-180969983/

================================================================
ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
================================================================
Just as we're about to press 'send' comes word of analysis results of
those skeletons found in that Alexandrian sarcophagus:

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/309896/Heritage/Ancient-Egy
pt/Initial-analysis-shows-skeletons-from-huge-Egyptia.aspx
http://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/56274/Important-secrets-about-Alexan
dria-sarcophagus%E2%80%99-skeletons-revealed

A pair of Ptolemaic inscriptions/reliefs from Kom Ombo:

http://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/56113/Archaeological-mission-studies
-2-ancient-pieces-discovered-in-Kom-Ombo

Research suggests that a 3600 BCE mummy thought to have been 'naturally
embalmed' was actually made using an 'embalming recipe':

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-45175764
https://www.livescience.com/63351-mummy-older-than-pharaohs.html
https://phys.org/news/2018-08-prehistoric-mummy-reveals-ancient-egyptian
..html
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-08/uoy-pmr081318.php
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180815190521.htm
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/08/16/egyptian-mummy-emba
lming-pharaohs/1006187002/
https://www.dw.com/en/egyptian-mummy-in-turin-museum-proves-embalming-pr
edates-the-pharaohs/a-45100744
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/mummies-1-500-years-older-than-expe
cted-says-yorkshire-expert-1-9303656
https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/08/ancient-egyptians-had-been-makin
g-mummies-longer-than-anyone-thought/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2018/08/news-egyptian-prehist
oric-mummy-embalming-recipe/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/egyptians-created-mummies-thou
sand-years-earlier-thought-180970052/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/6900-180816-egyptian-embalming-recipe

A substance found in the tomb of Ptahmes a few years ago turns out to
be 3200 years bp cheese:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/16/science/oldest-cheese-ever-egypt-tomb
..html
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-45233347
https://www.livescience.com/63356-oldest-mummy-cheese.html
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/MAGAZINE-earliest-known-real-cheese-
found-in-ancient-egyptian-tomb-1.6386688
https://www.timesunion.com/news/world/article/Substance-in-dug-up-Egypti
an-jar-most-ancient-13163270.php
https://www.yahoo.com/news/archaeologists-world-oldest-cheese-inside-173
028692.html
https://gizmodo.com/worlds-oldest-cheese-found-in-ancient-tomb-was-also-
v-1828414954
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/oldest-cheese-ever-egyptian-to
mb-180970051/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/6903-180817-egypt-saqqara-cheese

Plans for the Meidum pyramid site:

http://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/55769/Ministry-of-Antiquities-launch
ed-Meidum-Pyramid%E2%80%99s-project

More on the translation of Egyptian medical papyri in Denmark:

https://phys.org/news/2018-08-unpublished-egyptian-texts-reveal-insights
..html
https://www.livescience.com/63364-ancient-egyptian-medical-texts.html
https://www.cnet.com/news/ancient-egyptian-method-for-determining-baby-g
ender-pee-on-barley/
http://sciencenordic.com/unpublished-egyptian-texts-reveal-new-insights-
ancient-medicine
http://www.archaeology.org/news/6899-180815-egyptian-science-texts

More on the sphinx find from Luxor:

https://egyptianstreets.com/2018/08/09/new-ancient-egyptian-sphinx-disco
vered-in-luxor/
https://www.egyptindependent.com/second-sphinx-discovered-in-luxor/
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/egypt-sphinx-valley-of-t
he-kinds-ancient-second-discovered-luxor-a8487586.html

Roman-era tombs from Hebron:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/ancient-roman-era-tombs-discovered-in-west
-bank-village/

More on that Hellenistic earring from the City of David:

http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/IsraelExperience/History/Pages/Rare-Hellenistic-er
a-golden-earring-discovered-in-Jerusalem-8-August-2018.aspx
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Over-2000-years-later-Ancient-gold-ear
ring-discovered-in-City-of-David-564379

Studying how folks at Catal Huyuk adapted to changing climate:

https://phys.org/news/2018-08-reveals-evidence-neolithic-people-climate.
html
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-08/uob-nsr081018.php
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180813160534.htm
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/08/animal-fat-ancient-pottery-shards
-reveals-nearly-catastrophic-period-human-prehistory
https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/08/archaeologists-use-ancient-dirty
-dishes-to-reconstruct-climate-shifts/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/traces-animal-fat-found-clay-p
ottery-reveal-how-catalhoyuk-settlement-survived-extreme-drought-1809699
94/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/6895-180814-turkey-catalhoyuk-climate

An Ottoman-era soap factory found during construction of Uri Geller's
museum in Jaffa:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/ottoman-era-soap-factory-unearthed-under-u
ri-gellers-jaffa-museum/
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Ottoman-era-soap-factory-unearthed-at-
site-of-Uri-Geller-museum-564820
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/MAGAZINE-uri-geller-bends-dirt-pile-
finds-ottoman-era-soap-factory-in-israel-1.6382374
http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2462996&CategoryId=13003

Big plans for Caesarea as a tourism destination:

https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/.premium.MAGAZINE-can-caesarea-become
-the-acropolis-of-israeli-tourism-1.6385234

Feature on the Timna copper mines:

http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/2018/08/amz428015.shtml

Feature on Gobekli Tepe:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-near-
eastern-world/the-gobekli-tepe-ruins-and-the-origins-of-neolithic-religi
on/
================================================================
ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME (AND CLASSICS)
================================================================
Assorted finds from the sanctuary of Artemis at Amarynthos:

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2018/08/14/new-finds-reveal-more-of-gree
k-goddess-sanctuary/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/6894-180814-greece-artemis-temple

Evidence of extensive trade networks from Palaipaphos:

https://cyprus-mail.com/2018/08/17/archaeological-finds-in-palaipaphos-s
how-extensive-trade-networks/

Also from Palaipaphos comes word of a 5th century BCE 'architectural
complex':

https://greece.greekreporter.com/2018/08/17/researchers-find-fifth-centu
ry-bc-complex-in-cyprus/

Latest frescoes from Pompeii:

https://www.seattlepi.com/news/media/New-Frescoes-Uncovered-In-Pompeii-1
320070.php

Evidence of a Roman road at Binchester:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tees-45162034

A section of a Roman street in Philipopolis:

https://www.archaeology.org/news/6892-180813-bulgaria-philippopolis-odeo
n

Some results from the excavation of Pergamon's amphitheatre: