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explorator 21.35-36 December 30, 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, Adrienne Mayor, Don Buck, Laurel Carey, Frank MacKay,
Richard C. Griffiths, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week
(as always hoping I have left no one out).

Hope everyone is having a good holiday season as we approach the New Year!

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EARLY HOMINIDS
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Studying the brain of Little Foot:

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/uotw-pil121818.php
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181218115137.htm
https://phys.org/news/2018-12-peering-foot-million-year-old-brain.html
https://www.livescience.com/64370-brain-of-little-foot-human-relative.html
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/little-foot-skeleton-analysis-reignites-debate-over-hominid-species
https://www.archaeology.org/7263-181221-little-foot-brain

On the plant-based diet of early hominids:

https://cosmosmagazine.com/biology/human-ancestors-weren-t-fussy-when-eating-plants

Feature on early hominins:

https://aeon.co/videos/last-hominin-standing-charting-our-rise-and-the-fall-of-our-closest-relatives

More on Neanderthal DNA:

https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p041blc5/how-neanderthal-are-you-

Feature on Neanderthal extinction (or not):

https://www.bbc.com/reel/playlist/the-last-neanderthal
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ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
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A 3500 years bp waterlogged tomb with plenty of burials from Gebel
el-Silsila:

https://www.livescience.com/64321-waterlogged-mass-grave-egypt.html
https://www.livescience.com/64315-photos-watery-egypt-desert-grave.html

Not sure if we mentioned this 5th Dynasty priest's tomb from Saqqara:

http://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/62012/In-pics-all-what-you-need-to-know-about-Royal
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/secrets-of-the-tomb-that-time-forgot-qrxjw37tk
https://www.livescience.com/64317-saqqara-tomb-hidden-shafts-discovered.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/16/world/middleeast/egypt-tomb-discovered.html
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-46580264
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-middle-east-46581372/egypt-one-of-a-kind-tomb-found-in-saqqara
https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2018/dec/16/egypt-4400-year-old-tomb-of-high-priest-discovered-video-report
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidanderson/2018/12/19/what-a-virtually-untouched-4400-year-old-ancient-egyptian-tomb-might-reveal/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2018/12/16/look-inside-one-kind-year-old-tomb-discovered-egypt/
https://www.newsweek.com/ancient-egypt-4400-year-old-tact-tomb-high-priest-discovered-1260697
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-12/16/c_137677077.htm
https://www.independent.ie/world-news/africa/4000yearold-tomb-unveiled-37636184.html
https://elpais.com/internacional/2018/12/17/mundo_global/1545046239_953142.html
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/MAGAZINE-top-biblical-archaeology-stories-of-2018-1.6764751
https://www.timesofisrael.com/exceptionally-preserved-4400-year-old-tomb-uncovered-in-egypt/
https://qz.com/1497503/archaeologists-find-a-4400-year-old-egyptian-tomb-in-saqqara/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2018/12/relief-statues-discovered-priest-royal-purification-tomb-saqqara-pyramid-egypt/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/7249-181217-saqqara-priest-tomb

Recent finds from Tell Edfu:

http://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/62512/New-discoveries-made-in-Aswan-s-Tell-Edfu

Assorted excavations in Egypt are set to resume/begin:

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/43/320438/Heritage/Islamic/Excavations-at-several-Islamic,-Coptic-archaeolgoi.aspx
http://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/62476/Egyptian-archaeological-mission-starts-excavation-work-in-New-Valley

Concerns for cultural heritage in Egypt:

https://www.dw.com/en/ancient-egypt-holds-priceless-treasures-yet-to-be-discovered/a-46849762

Three Jewish cemeteries in Egypt are being designated as 'antiquities':

https://ww.egyptindependent.com/three-jewish-cemeteries-to-be-recorded-as-antiquities/

What Zahi Hawass is up to:

https://www.nippon.com/en/people/e00153/

4000+ years bp burials from Shahr-e Sokhta:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/431136/Shahr-e-Sokhta-yields-rare-4000-year-old-relics
http://www.payvand.com/news/18/dec/1103.html

A 2800 years bp Aramaic curse inscription from Zincirli:

https://www.livescience.com/64362-ancient-aramaic-incantation-describes-devourer.html
http://www.archaeology.org/news/7259-181220-turkey-aramaic-inscription

A 2800 years bp Persian (maybe) military base from Tel Keisan:

https://www.dailysabah.com/history/2018/12/24/ancient-persian-military-base-unearthed-in-northern-israel
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/.premium.MAGAZINE-archaeologists-may-have-found-2-500-year-old-persian-military-base-in-northern-israe-1.6765220
https://www.archaeology.org/news/7265-181223-israel-acre-persian-encampment

A 2000 years bp ring from a mikveh in the City of David:

https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Culture/Two-thousand-year-old-ring-found-in-the-City-of-David-575179
https://www.timesofisrael.com/misplaced-2000-year-old-ring-discovered-in-jerusalems-city-of-david/
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/MAGAZINE-2-000-year-old-ring-found-in-pilgrim-s-road-to-temple-mount-1.6775027
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/256581
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/jerusalem/two-thousand-year-old-ring-unearthed-in-the-city-of-david/2018/12/23/
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-12/22/c_137690405.htm

I think we mentioned this bull figurine find from a Zippori in a different
context:

https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Discovered-Roman-era-pool-could-be-the-krona-of-Tzipori-from-Talmud-574064

Feature on Liberty University's participation in those new Dead Sea
Scrolls Cave investigations:

http://www.liberty.edu/news/index.cfm?PID=18495&MID=299262
http://wset.com/news/local/liberty-university-featured-on-national-geographics-show-the-bible-hunters

Not sure where to put this one ... items stolen and smuggled in the West
Bank are now on display at the BLM:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/artifacts-stolen-and-smuggled-in-the-west-bank-now-on-display-in-jerusalem/
https://www.jns.org/on-display-in-jerusalem-rescued-near-east-artifacts-from-antiquity-robbers/
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Exhibit-reveals-never-seen-artifacts-rescued-from-archaeological-thieves-575777

Road development v Tel Beit-Shemesh:

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium.MAGAZINE-what-s-more-important-the-biblical-king-hezekiah-or-expanding-route-38-1.6763609
https://www.thetrumpet.com/18354-more-proof-of-gods-deliverance-of-judah-under-king-hezekiah

.... and they're arguing about a tunnel going under the so-called tomb of
David/the Kings too:

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/256458
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium.MAGAZINE-france-orthodox-jews-archaeologists-battle-over-e-j-lem-s-tomb-of-the-kings-1.6766370
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201812211070895785-ultra-orthodox-jews-french-historic-site/

The top 'biblical archaeology'/ANE finds of 2018 (varies according to
source):

https://www.livescience.com/64305-biblical-era-jesus-discoveries-2018.html
https://watchjerusalem.co.il/507-top-discoveries-in-biblical-archaeology-2018
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/.premium.MAGAZINE-editor-s-picks-archaeological-wonders-of-2018-1.6765481
https://www.thenational.ae/uae/heritage/a-year-of-discovery-how-abu-dhabi-archaeological-work-reshaped-the-past-in-2018-1.805710

Nice overview of what's going on heritage-wise in Aleppo:

http://www.unitar.org/unosat/whs-aleppo

A Byzantine-era lead sarcophagus was revealed to the public in Jordan:

http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/ancient-lead-sarcophagus-unveiled-public-jerash

12th century mosaics from the Church of the Nativity found at a
seasonally-appropriate time:

https://fr.aleteia.org/2018/12/17/basilique-de-bethleem-les-mosaiques-retrouvent-leur-eclat-juste-avant-noel/

Timurid-era remains from the grand bazaar of Tehran:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/431241/Archaeological-remains-unearthed-in-heart-of-Tehran

Feature on Veysel Donbaz' work:

https://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/master-of-extinct-languages-veysel-donbaz-3469757

Feature on that purported face of Jesus depicted at Shivta:

http://www.asor.org/anetoday/2018/12/Face-of-Baptized-Jesus

Feature on the Egyptian Academy in Rome:

https://www.greenprophet.com/2018/12/the-egyptian-academy-in-rome-emphasizes-the-value-of-cultural-diplomacy/
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ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME (AND CLASSICS)
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An apparent Chalcolithic burial ground from Paphos: