Ancient building excavated in Meroë

© Royal Ontario Museum

Archaeologist are excavating what appears to be the remains of the oldest known building in Meroë, Sudan. Meroë, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was the capitol and center of the Kush Kingdom during the Meroitic period (ca. 350 BCE to 300 CE). Radiocarbon dating indicates that this building, possibly an early palace or administrative center buried beneath a royal palace, dates to 900 BCE.  According to archaeologists, the presence of this ancient building indicates that an early temple dedicated to the Egyptian god Amun also may have existed on this site.  (source: LiveScience, August 5, 2011)

Prehistoric cave paintings discovered in Spain

Archaeologists, looking for ancient settlements, chanced upon 25,000 year old cave paintings a few weeks ago in a northern Spain. The seriously deteriorated paintings depict horses and human hands. Exploration of the site continues. (source: Reuters, May 4, 2011)

Buddhist relics in danger in Mes Aynak, Afghanistan

According to Art Newspaper, the world’s largest archaeological excavation is underway as archaeologist attempt to rescue ancient Buddhist monasteries in Mes Aynak, Afghanistan before the site is turned into an open-cast mine.  The site, a former training camp for Osama bin Laden, is now leased to a mining company in China and, at $3 billion, is the largest business opportunity in Afghanistan’s history.  The Buddhist monasteries date from the 3rd to 7th centuries. Archaeologists have uncovered a 260 foot walled complex with a stupa, a 25 foot reclining Buddha and wall paintings. Recovered artifacts are being moved to the National Museum in Kabul for conservation. Mining is scheduled for 2014.
For additional information on the excavations at Mes Aynak, visit Penn Museum Blog.

Collection spotlight: Unreported Heritage News

In my effort to keep up with events in Egypt, I ran into Unreported Heritage News: Reporting on the heritage stories that are not in the media — yet. Owen Jarus, a correspondent for Heritage Key, a multimedia website that publishes history and archaeology articles, uses his blog to report on unreported or breaking world heritage news. A sample of his reportage includes his conversation with Dr. Gerry Scott from the American Research Center in Egypt on the crisis in Egypt and its impact on conserving Egypt’s cultural heritage; the discovery of a Greek coin from 210 BCE marking an eclipse in ancient Syria; and a study of a 3800-year old tablet from Larsa, Iraq revealing the business dealings of a tycoon.
A big thanks to my friends at UCSB’s Image Center for directing me to this great blog.

Egypt’s antiquities during mass protests

National Museum at Tahrir Square

While it is difficult to keep up with events in Egypt, according to the Associated Press (February 1), Egypt’s museums and antiquities are for the moment secured. Zahi Hawass, antiquities minister in Mubarak’s new Cabinet, reported that looters broke into the National Museum (Egyptian Museum) on Saturday, ripped the heads off 2 mummies and damaged 10 artifacts before they were caught and detained by soldiers. Fears of looting has resulted in the Egyptian military being dispatched to other archaeological monuments as well. Al Jazeera video stills, photographs and the latest updates of the damage to the museum and its antiquities are available at Hypoallergic: Sensitive to Art & its Discontents.

The latest from Associated Press can be viewed here.

“Degenerate” art believed to be destroyed by Nazis found in Berlin

Sculptures labeled ‘degenerate” by the National Socialists and presumed destroyed or lost after World War II have been found in Berlin. The sculptures were unearthed during construction near Berlin’s town hall at a site that had been burned to the ground during Allied bombing in 1944.  Hermann Parzinger from the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation said of the find: “You think you’re excavating a town hall from the 13th century, which is already significant enough in itself … and then you find ‘degenerate’ art.” Ten of the eleven sculptures are now on display at the Neues Museum in Berlin. Read more about this lucky find in Deutsche Welle and Yahoo! News