UK archaeologists use metal-detecting hobbyists’ finds to study medieval faith
RNS Much has been written about religious life in the medieval era, but thanks to the British fancy for metal detectors, archaeologists are hopeful about gauging just how much more has gone unwritten. Earlier this month, the University of Reading announced that it has been awarded a million pounds by the British Arts and Humanities […]
Postcards: In the desert above the Dead Sea, evidence of Jewish rebels’ capture of Roman weaponry
MICHELE CHABIN, of Religion News Service, reports from Israel…
Archaeological controversy: Israel may uproot ancient Christian mosaic near Armageddon. Where it could go next sparks outcry
ILAN BEN ZION, of Associated Press, reports on the controversy over a proposal to relocate the Megiddo Mosaic to the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC…
Serbian coal miners uncover Roman ship
Kostolac, Serbia Reuters Archaeologists in Serbia are painstakingly brushing sand and soil off the ancient woodwork of a Roman ship discovered by miners in a vast opencast coal quarry. After an excavator at the Drmno mine uncovered some timber, experts from the site of a nearby former Roman settlement known as Viminacium rushed to try […]
The “problem’ of where ancient Jerusalem was built gets thornier
RNS As tourism to Jerusalem rebounded from the pandemic last year, more than two million visitors came to see the Old City of Jerusalem’s gleaming stone walls and the attraction known as “the City of David”, and the large stone structure, standing opposite the Temple Mount, said to be the remnants of King David’s palace. […]
In church remains, German archaeologists discover the truth of “Atlantis of the North Sea”
RNS Once upon a time, in the marshes of the Wadden Sea, which spans the western coasts of Denmark, Germany and parts of the Netherlands, a great center of trade and commerce arose. Known as Rungholt, the city grew rich off the the region’s abundant amber, salt and whales, and became an essential stop for North […]
Sheep come to the rescue of Pompeii ruins
Pompeii, ItalyReuters A flock of grazing sheep is helping archaeologists to preserve the ancient ruins of Pompeii, the Roman city that was buried under metres of pumice and ash in the calamitous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Archaeologists have uncovered only around two thirds of the 66-hectare site at Pompeii since excavations began […]
Archaeologists find well-preserved 500-year-old spices on Baltic shipwreck
Lund, Sweden Reuters Archaeologists say they have uncovered a “unique” cache of well-preserved spices, from strands of saffron to peppercorns and ginger, on the wreck of a royal ship that sunk off Sweden’s Baltic coast more than 500 years ago. The wreck of the Gribshund, owned by King Hans of Denmark and Norway, has lain […]
Significant Sights: Named among the ‘Best of The World for 2023’, is this the next Machu Picchu?
CARLEY ROJAS AVILA visits the mysterious ruins of Choquequirao in Peru…
Italy hails “exceptional” discovery of ancient bronze statues in Tuscany
Rome, ItalyReuters Archaeologists in Italy have uncovered more than two dozen beautifully preserved bronze statues dating back to ancient Roman times in thermal baths in Tuscany, in what experts are hailing as a sensational find. The statues were discovered in San Casciano dei Bagni, a hilltop town in the Siena province, about 160 kilometres north […]