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explorator 26.13 July 16, 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,
Don Buck, mata kimasitayo, and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week
(as always hoping I have left no one out).

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EARLY HOMINIDS
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DNA was extracted from Paranthropus robustus fossils:

https://www.iflscience.com/oldest-ever-human-genetic-data-recovered-from-2-million-year-old-hominid-fossils-69760
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11588-230712-evolution-protein-analysis

cf: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02242-z

Pondering the fate of Neanderthals on the Camp Flegrei:

https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/volcanos/were-neanderthals-really-killed-off-by-campi-flegrei-europes-awakening-supervolcano

More on the 300 000 years bp 'giant' hand axes found in England:

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/giant-300000-year-old-hand-ax-found-in-england-may-have-been-used-for-prehistoric-butchery
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/jul/06/giant-handaxes-unearthed-kent
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-750020
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/giant-ice-age-handaxes-found-in-england-2334687
https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/what-was-this-massive-record-setting-stone-tool-used-for
https://archaeonewsnet.com/2023/07/giant-stone-artifacts-found-on-rare-ice-age-site-in-kent.html
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/giant-hand-axes-discovered-in-england-point-to-prehistoric-humans-strength-and-skill-180982516/
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AFRICA
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Feature on the find of the shipwreck of the gold-laden Bom Jesus in the Namibian desert:

https://greekreporter.com/2023/07/12/the-long-lost-ship-found-in-the-desert-laden-with-gold/
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ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
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Xray/chemical imaging analysis reveals changes made by artists to 3000+ years bp tomb paintings in the Theban Necropolis:

https://phys.org/news/2023-07-hidden-egyptian-revealed-chemical-imaging.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230712165157.htm
https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/ancient-egyptians/x-ray-scans-reveal-hidden-mysteries-in-ancient-egyptian-necropolis-paintings
https://www.newsweek.com/mysteries-ancient-egyptian-artwork-revealed-after-3000-years-1812570
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-07-12/ty-article/archaeologists-armed-with-analyzer-change-paradigm-of-ancient-egyptian-art/00000189-497b-de83-adc9-cffb3a720000
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/egypt-pharaoh-painting-hidden-mystery-b2374449.html
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-12292953/Ancient-Egypt-artists-altered-work-study-shows.html
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-749945
https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/13/style/ancient-egyptian-paintings-hide-secret-scn/index.html
https://greekreporter.com/2023/07/15/x-rays-ancient-egyptian-tomb-art/
https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/07/x-rays-reveal-hidden-first-drafts-of-ancient-egyptian-paintings-at-theban-necropolis/
https://www.science.org/content/article/paint-egyptian-xray-egyptian-tomb-art
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/07/chemical-imaging-technology-reveals-hidden-details-in-ancient-egyptian-paintings/148004
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11593-230714-egypt-revised-paintings

cf: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0287647

People seem to be questioning the safety of the Bent Pyramid for tourists:

https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/504845.aspx

Feature on the Book of the Dead:

https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/07/14/a-magical-handbook-for-the-afterlife/

Overview of recent finds from excavations at Nimrud:

http://www.aina.org/news/20230709133943.htm

Feature on the Epic of Gilgamesh:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/the-epic-of-gilgamesh/

Outrage over the destruction of a 300 years bp mosque/minaret in Basra:

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/demolition-300-year-old-iraq-mosque-minaret-road-expansion-enrages-locals-2023-07-16/
https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/iraq/2023/07/14/crime-against-humanity-iraqis-outraged-by-destruction-of-300-year-old-minaret-in-basra/
https://www.iraqinews.com/iraq/built-in-1727-basras-al-siraji-mosque-gets-demolished/

A Hellenistic mosaic from Sinop:

https://archaeonewsnet.com/2023/07/hellenistic-era-mosaic-found-in-ancient-sinope.html

Drought is negatively affecting the Urartian Kesis Lake in Turkiye:

https://arkeonews.net/the-2800-year-old-urartians-lake-which-is-an-engineering-masterpiece-of-its-time-is-drying/

Turkiye's archaeology season has officially 'opened':

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/archaeology-season-opens-in-turkiye-184537

Turkiye is opening the Iznik theatre to the public:

https://english.news.cn/20230714/34a1c71fc03444bbb119abcfc799305c/c.html

Feature on Turkiye as a leader in underwater archaeology:

https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/turkiye-emerges-as-global-stronghold-of-underwater-archaeology

The excavations at Huqoq have revealed some more mosaics (I think we knew about Samson a while ago?):

https://www.unc.edu/posts/2023/07/10/unc-chapel-hill-led-archaeological-dig-in-galilee-uncovers-mosaics-of-samson-and-commemorative-inscriptions/
https://phys.org/news/2023-07-archaeological-galilee-uncovers-mosaics-samson.html
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-749543
https://www.ynetnews.com/travel/article/s1gparakn
https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-vivid-color-1500-year-old-huquq-mosaic-depicts-samson-animals-hunting/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11585-230711-galilee-huqoq-mosaics

Skulls found in Te'omim Cave are being interpreted as possible evidence of necromancy in Late Roman times:

https://phys.org/news/2023-07-placement-ancient-hidden-lamps-skulls.html
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-749758
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article277168813.html
https://www.iflscience.com/human-skulls-suggest-necromancy-in-roman-era-cave-near-jerusalem-69733
https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7b75j/archaeologists-discover-ancient-portal-to-the-underworld-in-cave-containing-skulls-weapons
https://arkeonews.net/evidence-of-necromancy-during-roman-era-in-the-teomim-cave-jerusalem-hills-oil-lamps-spearheads-and-skulls/

cf: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/harvard-theological-review/article/oil-lamps-spearheads-and-skulls-possible-evidence-of-necromancy-during-late-antiquity-in-the-teomim-cave-judean-hills/973DF6E86AF609B8B4D1296D8292B8EB

Evidence of a tsunami hitting Caesarea Maritima in early medieval times:

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-749371
https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/syi0qhqf3

More on the 2500 years bp burials of 50 or so women in the Negev:

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/dozens-of-2500-year-old-skeletons-unearthed-at-ancient-crossroads-in-negev-desert
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/2500-year-old-skeletons-israel-negev-desert-180982505/
http://www.archaeology.org/news/11583-230710-negev-square-tombs

More on the recent claims about the extent of David's kingdom:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-12296745/Has-kingdom-King-David-Expert-claims-five-cities-ruled-Biblical-figure.html

Feature on underwater archaeology in Israel:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/marine-excavations-offer-glimpse-into-ancient-history-preserved-under-the-sea/

Feature on smelting copper in the Chalcolithic age:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/how-to-smelt-chalcolithic-copper/

With army backup, Israeli settlers are excavating a site in Palestine:

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-07-09/ty-article/.premium/with-idf-backing-settlers-excavate-west-bank-archaeological-site-in-palestinian-territory/00000189-3a51-dcb5-a5df-7f7577e60000

.... and Israel is allocating major funds to 'protect' antiquities in the West Bank:

https://www.ynetnews.com/travel/article/h1wkj5tth

.... which obviously isn't sitting well with the Palestinian Authority:

https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/136762
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230715-pa-warns-of-israels-plan-to-take-over-palestine-archaeological-sites/
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3251682.htm

Feature on standing stone circles at AlUla (Saudi Arabia):

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/paid-content-standing-stone-circles-the-most-ancient-builders-of-northwest-arabia
-----
This Week in the Ancient Near East Podcast:

https://thisweekintheancientneareast.podbean.com/

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ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME (AND CLASSICS)
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A 6th century BCE kouros figure from Selinunte (Italian):