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explorator 21.31 November 25, 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,
Richard Miller, Alfred Kriman, Kris Curry, 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
================================================================
Study suggests 170 000- 80 000 bp tools found in China were made there,
not
brought:

https://phys.org/news/2018-11-stone-tools-analysis-theories-human.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/11/181119160256.htm
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/uow-ta111518.php
https://www.zmescience.com/science/anthropology/swiss-army-knife-anthropology-19112018/
http://www.ecns.cn/news/2018-11-20/detail-ifyzwcft9470897.shtml
https://theconversation.com/new-dates-for-ancient-stone-tools-in-china-point-to-local-invention-of-complex-technology-106914
https://cosmosmagazine.com/archaeology/china-s-missing-stone-age-technique-found
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/?p=29353
http://www.archaeology.org/news/7154-181119-china-levallois-technique

On Uranium-Lead dating in the Cradle of Humankind (South Africa):

https://phys.org/news/2018-11-evolution-south-africa-hominin-fair-weather.html
https://phys.org/news/2018-11-age-caves-cradle-humankindand.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/11/181121142446.htm
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/uoct-esa112018.php
https://theconversation.com/how-we-calculated-the-age-of-caves-in-the-cradle-of-humankind-and-why-it-matters-104856

Comparing Denisovans and Neanderthals:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/nov/24/denisovan-neanderthal-hybrid-denny-dna-finder-project

Nice feature on human evolution:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/19/science/human-evolution-hominins.html
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AFRICA
================================================================
Humans are not to blame (apparently) for ancient mammal extinctions in
Africa:

https://phys.org/news/2018-11-human-ancestors-blame-ancient-mammal.html
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/uou-han112018.php
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/asu-eha111818.php
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/11/181123135011.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46306622
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ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
================================================================
[I confess the coverage of finds from Egypt this week is confusing ...
first two items may or may not overlap!]

A pair of finds from Luxor were revealed together this week -- a 3000
years
bp female mummy sarcophagus and a tomb of a mummification overseer (which
I think was reported before):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/11/24/egyptian-archaeologists-unveil-newly-discovered-luxor-tombs/
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46329051
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/25/mummified-woman-dating-back-3000-years-unveiled-in-egypt
https://www.timesofisrael.com/egypt-unveils-ancient-luxor-tomb-with-very-nice-paintings/
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1410386/art-culture
https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/egypt/egypt-unveils-over-3-000-year-old-female-mummy-in-unopened-coffin-1.6680462
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-11/25/c_137629002.htm

.... and there was a find of a tomb of a priest and his wife (I think this
is different than the above):

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/317846/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/In-Photos--th-Dynasty-sarcophagus-reveals-wellpres.aspx
https://ww.egyptindependent.com/new-pharaonic-tomb-uncovered-in-luxor-antiquities-minister/
https://phys.org/news/2018-11-egypt-unveils-pharaonic-tomb-luxor.html
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/news/pharaonic-tomb-discoverd-in-luxor/

Stone blocks from Matariya bear the name of one of Ramses II's engineers:

https://phys.org/news/2018-11-blocks-egypt-famed-pharaoh-builder.html
https://ww.egyptindependent.com/new-discoveries-in-raa-monastery-antiquities-ministry/
http://www.tribtown.com/2018/11/21/ml-egypt-antiquities-5/
https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2018/11/21/blocks-discovered-in-egypt-bear-name-of-famed-pharaohs-engineer.html

Opeddish sort of thing on possible tombs-to-be-found in Egypt:

https://inews.co.uk/culture/ancient-egypt-undiscovered-tombs-chris-naunton/

Feature on conservation work at the Ipet temple in Karnak:

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/317818/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/Conservation-work-at-Ipet-temple-in-Luxor-continue.aspx

Arguing over 'modern use' of ancient monuments in Egypt:

https://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2018/11/18/Ancient-Egyptian-temples-Historic-monuments-or-wedding-halls-.html

Remains of a large Neolithic settlement in southern Jordan:

http://jordantimes.com/news/local/polish-archaeologists-unveil-large-neolithic-settlement-southern-jordan

A burial is suggesting human occupation of Tehran some 7000 years bp:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/429636/Evidence-may-push-back-history-of-Tehran-by-6-600-years

A Bronze Age game board from Azerbaijan:

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/bronze-age-game-found-chiseled-stone-azerbaijan

A new chunk of the Epic of Gilgamesh has been translated:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/nov/20/sex-epic-trump-gilgamesh
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ancient-sex-saga-now-twice-as-epic-ng03tblxh

Suggestion that a meteor blast destroyed settlements in the Dead Sea
region
some 3700 years bp:

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/exploding-meteor-may-have-wiped-out-ancient-dead-sea-communities
https://www.timesofisrael.com/evidence-of-sodom-meteor-blast-cause-of-biblical-destruction-say-scientists/
https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/archaeology/how-an-asteroid-destroyed-sodom/news-story/7034528b5e51ee8cbd706acd2afab9e2
https://www.newsweek.com/biblical-city-sodom-was-blasted-smithereens-massive-asteroid-explosion-1227339

.... see also (for the ASOR abstract ... perhaps):

https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/metsoc2017/pdf/6001.pdf

.... the paper *might* still be available at:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286450259

Analysis of 3600 years bp tomb offerings at a Canaanite burial at Megiddo
suggest vanilla was being used:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/residue-found-in-3600-year-old-holy-land-tomb-rewrites-the-history-of-vanilla/
https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/11/israeli-tomb-contains-a-tasty-surprise-vanilla-extract/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/vanilla-was-first-used-2500-years-earlier-and-half-world-where-we-thought-180970862/
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/bronze-age-tomb-israel-reveals-earliest-known-use-vanilla
https://www.archaeology.org/news/7153-181119-israel-megiddo-vanilla

A 3000 years bp 'beka' weight from Jerusalem:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/straight-from-the-bible-tiny-first-temple-stone-weight-unearthed-in-jerusalem/
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/MAGAZINE-second-first-temple-weight-this-one-with-mirror-writing-found-in-jerusalem-sifting-1.6676037
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Half-shekel-from-First-Temple-era-unearthed-near-City-of-David-572423
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Album.aspx/5/124104
https://www.jta.org/2018/11/22/news-opinion/stone-weight-likely-used-first-temple-uncovered
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/jerusalem/first-temple-beka-weight-unearthed-in-jerusalem-sifting-project/2018/11/21/
http://www.cityofdavid.org.il/en/news/new-discovery-3000-year-old-%E2%80%9Cbeka%E2%80%9D-weight

A very large 'ceremonial hall' beneath a Crusader Castle at Montfort:

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/.premium.MAGAZINE-massive-unknown-hall-discovered-in-crusader-castle-in-northern-israel-1.6677324

Ongoing concerns for the site of ancient Babylon:

https://www.npr.org/2018/11/24/669272204/in-iraq-a-race-to-protect-the-crumbling-bricks-of-ancient-babylon

Feature on the British School of Archaeology in Iraq:

http://www.asor.org/anetoday/2018/11/British-School-of-Archaeology-Iraq

Feature on spices mentioned in the Bible:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/daily-life-and-practice/bible-herbs-spices/

Syrians and Kurds are arguing over protection of 'national antiquities':

http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/31018573-d804-4689-a7b6-5468f80ba5d5

Lawrence Schiffman on how the MoB's DSS were exposed as fakes:

http://lawrenceschiffman.com/buyer-beware-how-forged-dead-sea-scrolls-were-exposed-by-high-tech-tests/

Haven't had a Noah's Ark claim in a long time:

https://en.mehrnews.com/news/139776/Archaeologists-raise-possibility-of-Noah-s-Ark-landing-in-Iran

More coverage of the latest Huqoq mosaic finds:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/newly-revealed-5th-century-mosaics-a-kaleidoscope-of-jewish-and-secular-imagery/
https://aleteia.org/2018/11/19/see-the-freshly-unearthed-mosaics-from-a-5th-century-israeli-synagogue/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/7158-181121-israel-huqoq-mosaics