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explorator 26.25 October 8, 2023
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You can 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, Kris Curry, Rick Heli, Richard C. Griffiths, Frank MacKay, Ian Tompkins,
Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week
(as always hoping I have left no one out).

.... still have a bit of catching up to do (mostly North and South America)
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EARLY HOMINIDS
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Another route for 'out of Africa', across the Sinai though Jordan, some 80 000 years bp:

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-early-human-migrants-lush-corridor-route.html
https://phys.org/news/2023-10-path-early-human-migrations-once-lush.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231004150515.htm

cf.: https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.adi6838

On the use of shells for personal ornamentation at Blombos cave 70 000 years bp:

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-early-creation-modern-human-identities.html

Pondering a 1.45 million years bp tibia that possibly shows signs of cannibalism:

https://gizmodo.com.au/2023/10/this-may-be-the-earliest-evidence-of-hominin-cannibalism/

Feature on homo soloensis (actually homo erectus):

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/who-was-homo-soloensis-the-solo-man

More on that 476 000 years bp wooden structure (apparently) in Zambia:

https://theconversation.com/discovery-of-half-a-million-year-old-wooden-structure-shows-were-wrong-to-underestimate-our-ancient-relatives-214732
https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1465/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/1465/pub/1465/page/41/article/NaN
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AFRICA
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Petroglyphs of animal footprints at the Doro Nawas mountains of Namibia are detailed enough to determine what animals they represent:

https://www.sciencealert.com/prehistoric-carvings-are-so-accurate-animals-sex-age-and-species-can-be-determined

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ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
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5000 years bp sealed ceramic wine jars from the tomb of Merit-Neith in Abydos:

https://www.egyptindependent.com/archaeologists-uncover-5000-year-old-wine-in-sohag/
https://greekreporter.com/2023/10/03/5000-year-old-wine-egypt/
https://www.newsweek.com/sealed-5000-year-old-wine-jars-ancient-egypt-unearthed-1831382
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/10/archaeological-mission-finds-hundreds-of-sealed-jars-in-tomb-of-merit-neith/148768
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/10/02/excavation-in-egyptian-1st-dynasty-queens-tomb-yields-sealed-wine-jars/

Brief mention of a 'burial well' full of mummies at Saqqara (date?):

https://egyptindependent.com/photos-huge-trove-of-mummies-discovered-in-saqqara/

Restoration works at the Esna Temple have revealed new heavenly decorations:

https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/509590.aspx
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/10/restoration-works-of-esna-temple-reveals-new-celestial-imagery/148779
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/10/06/esna-temples-true-colors-revealed-during-restoration-project/

Overview of the recents finds underwater at Thonis-Heracleion:

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/sunken-temple-of-treasures-discovered-off-coast-of-egypt-2369782
https://archaeonewsnet.com/temple-of-aphrodite-revealed-in-thonis-heraklion/

More on new rooms being found in the pyramid of Sahura:

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-761577
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/egyptologists-chambers-pyramid-2369026
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/68428

Trying to figure out what was going on at the Kale-Kub site (Iran) some 6000 years bp:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/489637/Clues-about-people-lived-6-000-years-ago-puzzle-archaeologists

Remains of a Sassanid-era fire temple from northern Iran:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/489850/Archaeological-dig-uncovers-ruins-of-Sassanid-temple-in-northern

Excavations are under way at the Sepahbod-Khorshid cave (vague description):

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/489746/Archaeologists-shed-new-light-on-massive-cave-in-northern-Iran

Another item on using AI to translate 5000 years bp cuneiform tablets:

https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/ai-translates-cuneiform-tablets/

An Urartian horse burial from the Cavustepe Castle site:

https://arkeonews.net/the-discovery-of-great-importance-for-urartian-archeology-in-cavustepe-castle-discovered-a-horse-skeleton-with-a-bronze-curb-bit-in-its-jaw/

Monumental statues of a boar and a man from Gobeklitepe and Karahantepe (8000 years bp?):

https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/1st-painted-lifelike-human-sculpture-found-in-turkiyes-gobeklitepe-karahantepe/news
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/gobeklitepe-discoveries-never-end-says-head-of-excavations-186715
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-12589389/Unusual-statue-featuring-frontal-depiction-man-holding-phallus-hands-discovered-near-Mesolithic-temple-Turkey.html
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/10/new-monumental-statues-discovered-at-gobeklitepe-and-karahantepe/148763
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/10/04/new-findings-have-come-to-light-in-gobeklitepe-and-karahantepe/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11782-231005-turkey-goebekli-tepe-boar

A trio of 7700 years bp human figurines from the Ulucak Mound excavations in Izmir:

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/7-700-year-old-figurines-unearthed-in-izmir-186838
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/culture/figurines-dating-back-over-8-000-years-representing-man-woman-and-child-unearthed-in-aegean-turkiye/3008834
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20231005-figurines-over-8000-years-old-representing-man-woman-and-child-unearthed-in-aegean-turkiye/
https://www.trtworld.com/turkiye/excavations-in-turkiyes-izmir-unearth-figurines-dating-back-to-5700-bc-15270220
https://arkeonews.net/unique-7700-year-old-figurines-were-discovered-in-ulucak-mound-one-of-the-oldest-settlements-in-western-anatolia/

A section of the 16th century Ab-i Hamravat water channel was revealed in the Amida Mound excavations in Diyarbakir:

https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/sultan-suleiman-era-water-channel-unearthed-in-turkiyes-diyarbakir/news

Overview on what is being found on the Kumluca Middle Bronze Age shipwreck:

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/culture/turkiyes-kumluca-middle-bronze-age-shipwreck-reveals-ancient-treasures/3010442

Still arguing about the origin of the Bronze Age tin on the Uluburun shipwreck:

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-refutes-involving-bronze-age-tin.html
https://arkeonews.net/who-will-solve-the-puzzle-of-bronze-age-tin-origin-of-tin-ingots-from-uluburun-shipwreck-disputed-the-metal-may-have-come-from-cornwall/

More on Gordion being given World Heritage status:

https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/10/05/ancient-phrygian-unesco-site/

A Roman era (probably) marble head of Alexander from Amasra:

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/2nd-century-alexander-the-great-statue-with-lions-mane-hairstyle-unearthed-in-turkey
https://greekherald.com.au/culture/statue-of-alexander-the-great-discovered-in-northern-turkey/
https://greekreporter.com/2023/09/22/marble-head-alexander-the-great-uncovered-turkey/
https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/10/06/ancient-statue-of-alexander-the-great-with-lions-mane-hairstyle-discovered-in-turkey/
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/68449
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/10/marble-head-of-alexander-the-great-uncovered-at-prusias-ad-hypium/148809
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11784-231006-turkey-alexander-sculpture

2000 years bp cosmetics and jewelry from the Temple of Zeus site in Anatolia:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-12575621/archeologists-unearth-makeup-ancient-roman-city-turkey.html

A 1700 years bp iron trident from Assos:

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/culture/archeologists-discover-1-700-year-old-trident-in-assos-ancient-city-in-turkiye/3008442
https://www.azernews.az/region/215719.html
https://www.trtworld.com/turkiye/archaeologists-unearth-1700-year-old-trident-in-turkiyes-ancient-city-of-assos-15264853
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/68449

Remains of a Byzantine-era abbey confirmed in Ordu:

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/archeologists-discover-byzantine-abbey-in-ordu-186812

A hoard of Byzantine coins from the Golan Heights:

https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/10/08/archaeologists-uncover-hidden-stash-of-byzantine-gold-coins-in-israels-golan-heights/

Ongoing concerns for Hagia Sophia (collapse?):

https://greekreporter.com/2023/10/03/hagia-sofia-danger-collapse-turkish-expert-warns/

A jawbone from a large cat species (date uncertain) from Apemeia:

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/culture/jawbone-fragment-belonging-to-big-cat-species-found-in-ancient-city-of-apemeia/3006719

An overview of archaeology finds in Turkiye in September:

https://turkisharchaeonews.net/article/september-2023-turkish-archaeology-0