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explorator 21.18 August 26, 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 Miller, 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
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Much excitement over a DNA study confirming Neanderthal/Denisovan
interbreeding:

https://phys.org/news/2018-08-neandertal-mother-denisovan-fathernewly-sequenced-genome.html
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-08/mpif-nmd082018.php
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180822131002.htm
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/22/science/neanderthals-denisovans-hybrid.html
https://www.livescience.com/63400-neanderthals-denisovans-mated-leg-bone.html
https://www.livescience.com/63401-photos-neanderthal-denisovan-hybrid.html
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-45271644
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/neanderthal-denisovan-human-hybrid-girl-cave-discovery-ancient-humans-russia-siberia-a8503616.html
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/08/22/640627452/ancient-bone-reveals-swingin-sex-lives-of-neanderthals
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/08/a-neanderthal-and-a-denisovan-had-a-daughter/567967/
https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/22/health/neanderthal-denisovan-child-discovery/index.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2018/08/22/mom-was-neanderthal-dad-was-something-else-entirely-meet-strangest-hybrid-human-history/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/08/22/fossil-female-mom-neanderthal-dad-denisovan/1069543002/
https://www.usatoday.com/videos/tech/2018/08/22/bone-found-came-child-two-different-prehistoric-human-species/37567895/
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/meet-first-known-child-neandertal-and-denisovan?tgt=nr
https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/08/bone-fragment-belongs-to-a-girl-with-denisovan-dad-neanderthal-mom/
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/?p=26635
https://elpais.com/elpais/2018/08/24/ciencia/1535120316_186140.html
https://elpais.com/elpais/2018/08/22/ciencia/1534955666_091393.html
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-denisova-11-first-known-interspecies-hominin-180970114/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/6915-180822-denisovan-neanderthal-girl

Studying/simulating human gripping capabilities 500 000 year bp:

https://phys.org/news/2018-08-stone-tools-reveal-modern-human-like.html
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-08/uok-str082018.php
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/stone-age-sussex-archaeology-human-evolution-insight-intelligence-a8504766.html
https://www.archaeology.org/news/6920-180824-boxgrove-tools-dexterity
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AFRICA
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Very interesting 5000 (and later) years bp burial ground from around Lake
Turkana in Kenya with interesting implications:

https://phys.org/news/2018-08-massive-monumental-cemetery-built-eastern.html
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-08/mpif-mmc081618.php
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/20/science/lake-turkana-burials-pillars.html
https://www.livescience.com/63397-kenya-ancient-cemetery-monument-lothagam.html
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/aug/20/kenya-burial-site-shows-community-spirit-of-herders-5000-years-ago
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/MAGAZINE-5-000-year-old-monumental-graveyard-found-in-kenya-1.6406003
https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2018/08/21/this-ancient-burial-ground-tells-story-unity-time-climate-chaos/
https://www.sciencealert.com/archaeologists-uncovered-massive-monumental-cemetery-kenya-5-000-years-ago-turkana-lothagam
https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/08/archaeologists-explore-east-africas-ancient-monumental-cemeteries/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2018/08/news-ancient-pillar-monument-burial-mound-africa/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/6910-180821-kenya-lothagam-north
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ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
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More on the occupants of that large granite sarcophagus that's been in the
news all summer:

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/309896/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/Initial-analysis-shows-skeletons-from-huge-Egyptia.aspx
https://www.egyptindependent.com/gender-age-of-alexandria-sarcophagus-remains-identified-antiquities-ministry/
http://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/56274/Important-secrets-about-Alexandria-sarcophagus%E2%80%99-skeletons-revealed
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/black-sarcophagus-egypt-archaeologists-age-mummies-alexandira-waziri-sultan-a8499696.html
https://www.albawaba.com/editorchoice/egyptian-experts-determine-gender-and-age-3-skeletons-inside-sarcophagus-1175940
https://www.livescience.com/63384-black-sarcophagus-alexandria-inscriptions.html
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/were-learning-more-about-inhabitants-dark-sarcophagus-180970085/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/6907-180820-egypt-alexandria-skeletons

More on one aspect of those Egyptian medical papyri which seem to have
caught the press' eye:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/egyptian-papyrus-reveals-old-wives-tale-very-very-old-indeed-180970066/

More on that 'oldest cheese':

https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2018/08/25/the-secret-in-the-worlds-oldest-cheese

Black Desert petroglyphs are shedding light on Neolithic animal life:

http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/black-desert-petroglyphs-uncover-neolithic-animal-life

DNA evidence suggests an influx of blue-eyed people into the Levant some
6500 years bp:

https://www.aftau.org/news-page-archaeology?=&storyid4677=2407&ncs4677=3&erid=7462278
https://phys.org/news/2018-08-skeletons-israel-upper-galilee-reveal.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180820104204.htm
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-08/afot-dao082018.php
https://www.jpost.com//Israel-News/DNA-study-in-Israeli-cave-sheds-light-on-origins-of-Chalcolithic-culture-565293
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/MAGAZINE-mysterious-6-500-year-old-culture-in-israel-brought-by-migrants-1.6389513
https://www.timesofisrael.com/anomalous-blue-eyed-people-came-to-israel-6500-years-ago-from-iran-dna-shows/
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/blue-eyed-blondes-invaded-israel-6500-years-ago-dna-study/2018/08/21/
https://www.livescience.com/63396-ancient-israel-immigration-turkey-iran.html
http://www.archaeology.org/news/6919-180824-israel-chalcolithic-culture-shift

Feature on the dig at Masada:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/masada-dig-reveals-a-pleasure-garden-at-king-herods-palace/

Reading a lot into finds of gazelle bones at Shikhin:

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/.premium.MAGAZINE-ancient-judeans-wrote-torah-scrolls-on-gazelle-hide-archaeologists-fi-1.6390048

Possible Parthian burials from Agsu (Azerbaijan):

https://www.azernews.az/culture/136506.html

Evidence of 9th century glass production in Samarra:

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-08/p-aef081518.php
https://phys.org/news/2018-08-archaeological-evidence-glass-industry-ninth-century.html

Islamic era underground aqueduct remains in Fayd:

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1358956/saudi-arabia

Remains of a 19th century soap factory in Jaffa:

https://www.israel21c.org/museum-builders-uncover-19th-century-soap-factory-in-jaffa/

On Sennacherib's accounts of his siege of Lachish:

http://www.asor.org/anetoday/2018/08/Sennacherib-Siege-of-Lachish

That 3800 years bp 'customer complaint' tablet is in the news again for
some reason:

https://www.newsweek.com/3800-year-old-tablet-worlds-oldest-customer-complaint-goes-viral-who-do-you-1088904
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ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME (AND CLASSICS)
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An intact 3500 years bp Minoan burial from Crete:

https://greece.greekreporter.com/2018/08/08/farmer-discovers-rare-tombstone-from-late-minoan-iii-period-on-crete-photos/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinakillgrove/2018/08/24/spectacular-skeletons-unearthed-from-bronze-age-chamber-tomb-on-crete/#7e85ae29547c
https://www.archaeology.org/news/6908-180820-crete-minoan-tomb

A 1st/2nd century headless statue of a 'magistrate' from Heraclea Sintica:

https://www.novinite.com/articles/191762/Ancient+Roman+Statue+Found+in+Heraclea+Sintica%2C+Bulgaria+%28Video%29
https://www.euscoop.com/en/2018/8/20/ancient-roman-statue-found-heraclea-sintica-bulgaria
http://archaeologyinbulgaria.com/2018/08/19/roman-magistrates-statue-from-ca-100-ad-found-by-archaeologists-in-ancient-city-heraclea-sintica-in-southwest-bulgaria/