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explorator 26.15 July 30, 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, Caroline Tully,
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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Excavations at the Yuanmou Man homo erectus site have resumed:

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202307/1294918.shtml

A follow-up dig at a cave in Iran where Neanderthal evidence was found:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/487273/Iranian-archaeologists-pursue-excavation-in-Neanderthal-cave

Arguing against the idea that homo floresiensis used fire:

https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/homo-floresiensis-fire/

More on the Hula Valley site where early humans obtained flint some 750 000 years bp:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/ancient-humans-made-expeditions-to-this-750-000-year-old-workshop
https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2023/07/24/unearthing-ancient-intelligence-in-israels-hula-valley/

More on 300 000 years bp evidence of 'woodworking' from Shoningen:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/deadly-stick-recovered-from-germany-dates-to-300-000-years-ago

More on homo naledi purportedly intentionally burying their dead:

https://www.wisconsin.edu/all-in-wisconsin/story/archaeologists-uncover-evidence-of-intentional-burial-cave-engravings-by-early-human-ancestor/
https://www.iflscience.com/homo-naledi-documentary-adds-fuel-to-already-heated-scientific-debate-69964

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AFRICA
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The tombs of three celebrated 17th/18th century rabbis were found in Morocco:

https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-752508

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ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
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More on xray/chemical imaging of Egyptian tomb paintings:

https://phys.org/news/2023-07-hidden-ancient-egyptian-tomb-revealed.html

A survey suggests the Viranshahr site (Iran) was occupied during the Parthian and Sassanian eras:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/487169/Iranian-French-archaeological-survey-suggests-Viranshahr-inhabited

Feature on Enheduana's poetry:

https://aeon.co/essays/ancient-sumerian-poetry-turns-instability-into-cosmic-insight

Feature on 'heartbreak' in ancient Mesopotamia:

https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2023/07/heartbreak-distress-mesopotamia

An 8000 years bp 'number stone' from Yesilova Hoyuk near Izmir:

https://arkeonews.net/an-8000-year-old-number-stone-found-in-yesilova-mound/

Excavations in Istanbul's Bathonea site have revealed remnants of two ancient harbours and a lighthouse:

https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/lost-ancient-harbors-lighthouse-found-in-istanbuls-bathonea-excavations/news
https://arkeonews.net/turkeys-second-ancient-lighthouse-unearthed-in-the-ancient-city-of-bathonea/

Recent finds are sparking new excavations at Turkiye's Zerzevan Castle site:

https://www.dailysabah.com/turkiye/discoveries-under-turkiyes-zerzevan-castle-spark-new-excavations/news

125+ Roman-era burials from Gaza:

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/least-125-tombs-discovered-roman-era-cemetery-gaza-officials-2023-07-24/
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-752264
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230724-at-least-125-tombs-discovered-at-roman-era-cemetery-in-gaza-officials/
https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/2023/07/24/skeletons-found-at-roman-era-cemetery-in-gaza-as-125-tombs-discovered/
https://gulfnews.com/photos/news/photos-125-tombs-most-with-skeletons-intact-discovered-at-cemetery-in-gaza-1.1690209294875
https://www.palestinechronicle.com/a-pompei-in-gaza-major-archeological-discovery-announced/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/25/gaza-discovery-roman-cemetery-tombs/
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-25/125-tombs-discovered-at-roman-era-cemetery-in-gaza/102642722
https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/over-125-tombs-with-2-rare-sarcophagi-found-in-gazas-roman-era-cemetery/news
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2023/07/25/At-least-125-tombs-discovered-in-Gaza-s-2-000-year-old-Roman-cemetery-
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/more-than-125-tombs-uncovered-at-intact-roman-necropolis-ard-al-moharbeen-gaza-1234675524/
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/07/26/rare-intact-roman-burial-site-with-more-than-125-tombs-discovered-in-the-gaza-strip
https://hyperallergic.com/835597/over-100-ancient-roman-tombs-unearthed-in-palestine/

The Ramtha Antiquities office has taken responsibility for the Tell Al Rumayth site:

https://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/ramtha-antiquities-assumes-authority-over-tell-al-rumayth-archaeological-site-%E2%80%94-official

A study of the fire in Jerusalem in 586 BCE:

https://phys.org/news/2023-07-ancient-pottery-shards-reveals-siege.html
https://www.newsweek.com/science-recreates-biblical-fire-reveal-secrets-jerusalems-destruction-1815258

A coin associated with the Jewish Revolt (66/67 CE) from a cave in Israel:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/half-shekel-coin-from-revolt-against-romans-2-millennia-ago-uncovered-in-desert-cave/
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-752394
https://www.israelhayom.com/2023/07/25/rare-great-revolt-era-against-romans-found-in-desert-cave/
https://www.jns.org/jns/jerusalem/23/7/27/305961/
https://www.ynetnews.com/travel/article/r1tk7dac3
https://www.newsweek.com/rare-silver-coin-first-jewish-revolt-roman-empire-discovered-1815591
https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/07/29/evidence-of-second-temples-destruction-unearthed-in-jerusalem/
https://arkeonews.net/researchers-find-evidence-of-the-destruction-of-the-second-temple-at-the-hands-of-roman-soldiers/
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/07/rare-half-shekel-silver-coin-from-first-jewish-revolt-found-in-the-judean-desert/148126

Evidence of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem from the Jerusalem Walls National Park:

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/07/archaeologists-find-evidence-of-the-roman-destruction-of-jerusalem/148121

More on the analysis of the Crusader-era sword found off the coast of Israel a while ago:

https://www.newsweek.com/ancient-sword-found-israel-crusades-800-years-old-1814806
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/07/medieval-sword-found-on-seabed-was-likely-lost-during-naval-battle/148077

More on the latest mosaic finds from Huqoq:

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/mosaic-roman-synagogue-2335491

More on the 'witches' cave' at Teomim:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/gateway-to-the-underworld/?mqsc=E4153835&dk=ZE3270ZF0

Feature on what happened to Jerusalem's Temple treasures:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/temple-at-jerusalem/the-jerusalem-temple-treasures-where-are-they/

Israel stepped in on construction purportedly being done at the Tel Aroma site (Area B):

https://www.israelhayom.com/2023/07/25/illegal-palestinian-construction-on-biblical-site-prompts-rare-israel-action/
https://www.israeltoday.co.il/read/illegal-construction-on-biblical-site-prompts-rare-israeli-action/

A study of the 4000 yeers bp towers that are scattered around Oman:

https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/arabian-archaeology-tourism/

Islamic-era finds from excavations at Makkah's Dhi Al-Majaz market site:

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2342926/saudi-arabia

Feature on AlUla's standing stone circles:

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 Neolithic clay female (?) figurine from a cave in Lazio:

https://arkeonews.net/rare-clay-figurine-found-in-italian-cave-dating-back-7000-years/

Bronze Age structures from western Romania:

https://www.romania-insider.com/archeologists-unearth-bronze-age-homes-western-romania-2023
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11612-230726-romania-bronze-age

A Thracian horseman votive relief from Bulgaria (date?):

https://www.bta.bg/en/news/bulgaria/497391-thracian-horseman-votive-tablet-discovered-in-heraclea-sintica
https://arkeonews.net/thracian-horseman-votive-tablet-discovered-in-bulgaria/

A Punic-era burial ground from Zawiya (really vague):

https://libyaobserver.ly/inbrief/ancient-cemetery-dating-back-punic-era-discovered-zawiya

An Etruscan ditch full of ceramics from Populonia (Italian):

https://www.stilearte.it/una-misteriosa-fossa-etrusca-piena-di-ceramiche-scoperta-ora-a-populonia-a-cosa-serviva-perche-fu-scavata/