A rare statue of Roman emperor Lucius Verus was among some looted artifacts recently recovered by Italian police in Rome. A sculpture of Faustina, wife of Antoninus Pius, was also returned to Italy. It had been stolen from a theater south of Rome in 1961 and ended up in the possession of an American collector.

A seventh-century Anglo-Saxon graveyard in Yorkshire has the pagan cult burial of a royal woman, laid out on a bed with her elaborate jewelry, at its center. “This cemetery dates from that very interesting period in European history when a  variety of religions and beliefs were circulating, out of which Christianity eventually rose to be completely dominant in religious thought, society, and politics,” said archaeologist Mike Pitts.  

A 2,000-year-old partial skull has been sealed within the cave in the Yorkshire Dales where it was discovered in 1996. The remains had been found among other human bones, and the cave is thought to have been a tomb or a place or ritual sacrifice.  

Greece’s ancient theaters are crumbing in the open air, according to the country’s archaeologists, architects, and dignitaries. “Ancient theatres need to be constantly preserved, some need to be restored, but what they mostly need is to be used,” scholar Petros Themelis told reporters.  

If you appreciate bad jokes, you’ll enjoy this account of a CT scan for the resident Egyptian mummy at Vassar College.  

Two Khoisan rock art sites have been discovered in South Africa’s Cedarberg mountain range. The images are thought to have been made to call or welcome rain.  

Last month, it was announced that former German pilot Horst Rippert believed he had shot down French writer Saint-Exupery’s plane during World War II. Here’s what’s known about what happened to the beloved author.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Friday, April 11, 2008. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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