Ancient World Review

Mysterious Monument Found Under Sea Of Galilee

"Researchers stumbled upon a cone-shaped monument, approximately 230 feet in diameter, 39 feet high, and weighing an estimated 60,000 tons, while conducting a geophysical survey on the southern Sea of Galilee..," according to Science Daily.

"Initial findings indicate that the structure was built on dry land approximately 6,000 years ago, and later submerged under the water. Prof. Marco calls it an impressive feat, noting that the stones, which comprise the structure, were probably brought from more than a mile away and arranged according to a specific construction plan."

Ancient Chinese Murals Saved From Tomb Robbers

"A colorful, well-preserved 'mural tomb,' where a military commander and his wife were likely buried nearly 1,500 years ago, has been uncovered in China." Source: Live Science.

Lost City & Temple Discovered In Cambodia

"Over the next few hours Evans and a small group of archaeologists hacked through more landmine-strewn jungle and waded through swollen rivers and bogs to discover the ruins of five other previously unrecorded temples and evidence of ancient canals, dykes and roads, confirming data from revolutionary airborne laser-scanning technology called lidar." Source: The Sydney Morning Herald.

"The discoveries matched years of archaeological ground research to reveal Mahendraparvata, a lost mediaeval city where people existed on a mist-shrouded mountain called Phnom Kulen 350 years before the building of the famous Angkor Wat temple complex in north-western Cambodia."

400+ Animal Species Sacrificed In Tenochtitlan

"Mexican archaeologists have identified more than 400 animal species in some 60 offerings made to the gods at the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan, now Mexico City, including molluscs, fish, birds, reptiles and mammals, the National Institute of Anthropology and History, or INAH, said." Source: Hispanically Speaking News.

"The scientists have recovered, 'for example, fish from coral reefs in the Atlantic Ocean, reptiles including crocodiles, snakes and turtles, as well as birds like toucans and quetzals, and large mammals from the tropics like the jaguar,' INAH biologist Norma Valentin Maldonado said Friday."

Easter Island Statues "Walking Theory" Challenges Theory Of Deforestation

"An idea suggesting massive stone statues that encircle Easter Island may have been 'walked' into place has run into controversy.The findings may help dismantle the traditional storyline of Easter Island, or Rapa Nui: that a 'crazed maniacal group destroyed their environment,' by cutting down trees to transport gigantic statues, said study co-author Carl Lipo, an anthropologist at California State University, Long Beach." Source: Live Science.

2500-Year-Old Tombs Discovered In Serbia

"The skeletal remains of ancient warriors with spears and daggers have been uncovered in an archeological site during the construction of the Corridor 10 highway project in south-east Serbia." Source: ANSA Med (Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata).

"According to experts the remains date back 2,500 years and were found in the ancient district of Pirot named Suburbium where the ancient Roman road, Via Militaris, headed to what is now the border of modern day Bulgaria."

Note: The story doesn't identify the warriors, but they may have been Thracians, who ruled the area before the Roman conquest in the first century BC. Also, there may be some confusion as to the name of the district where the tombs were discovered, since "suburbium" is a Latin word, the root of our modern "suburb," which literally means "under the city." In other words, "suburbium" may just be a general term referring to the location of the district rather than its proper name.

FBI Claims Manhattan Art Dealer "One Of The Most Prolific Antiquities Smugglers In the World"

"Federal agents have seized an estimated $100 million in art over the last two years from a prominent Manhattan antiquities dealer they describe as one of the most prolific antiquities smugglers in the world." Source: LA Times.

"Subhash Kapoor, a 64-year-old American citizen, awaits trial in India, where he is accused of being part of an antiquities smuggling ring that American and Indian investigators say spanned continents. U.S. authorities have issued their own arrest warrant for Kapoor, saying they have evidence he supplied stolen art to leading museums around the world."

Floods Wiped Out Pyramid Workers' Town

"The administrative center known as Heit el-Ghurab, located on low ground near Egypt’s Giza Plateau, was inhabited by the workers who built the pyramids and the accountants and managers who kept the building projects running. Excavations conducted by Karl Butzer of the University of Texas uncovered layers of mud and sand that indicate the city was flooded and rebuilt ten times over a period of 45 years." Source: Archaeology.

Note: Heit el-Ghurab is the Arabic name for the city, also known as The Lost City Of The Pyramids. Archaeologists studying the site have uncovered the remains of a "massive catering operation" used to feed the workers, according to the Mail Online (April 2013). The popular idea that the pyramids were built by slaves apparently originated with Herodotus, but new research suggests it isn't true. An interactive map of the site can be found here. New Scientist has more information on the flash floods that inundated the city.

Prehistoric Henge Unearthed In Kent

"An 'incredible' prehistoric henge has been unearthed during an archeological dig in Sittingbourne. The Bronze Age find at the Meads in Sonora Fields is the first of its kind to be confirmed and excavated in Swale." Source: Archaeology News Network.

Ancient Sebastia Caught In West Bank Politics

"The ancient town of Sebastia, caught between conflicting Israeli and Palestinian jurisdictions, has been largely neglected by both sides for the past two decades. [A] historian working on restoration says no one is doing maintenance, protection or cleaning." Source: Archaeology News Network.

Note: Sebastia, I think, is the name given by Augustus to the ancient city of Samaria-Sebaste which was founded by one of the Ephraimite kings around 850 BC. The original name of the city is a little unclear (to me) and Samaria is apparently another name for the West Bank.