At the site of a major road construction project in Tasmania, archaeologists say they have found evidence of the oldest, most southern site of human habitation in the world. “The dates that we’ve got so far, the readings, they’ve been nice and statistically tight, and that suggests to me they’re probably correct,” said head archaeologist Robert Paton.

The location of a fourth gate has been discovered at the northern end of the tomb complex of China’s first emperor, Qin Shihuangdi, known for his terracotta army. The gate was probably made of wood and mounted on a platform made of rammed earth.  

Italian archaeologists have discovered a Buddhist-era site in Pakistan’s Swat Valley.   

Digging will commence later this month at New Place, William Shakespeare’s home at the time of his death in 1616. Archaeologists hope to find artifacts in the waterlogged soil of old wells. “Six test pits excavated last October gave us confidence that this will be a productive dig. Who knows, we might find one of Shakespeare’s shoes, some of his discarded correspondence or even some of his personal effects,” exclaimed Diana Owen, director of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.   

Artists are assisting researchers who want to know if the empty eye sockets in Pictish carvings may have been filled with glass eyes. “We find many pieces with drilled eye holes but haven’t ever found anything in them. It has been exciting experimenting with different colors and finishes of glass,” said Alice Blackwell of the National Museum of Scotland.  

Gershon Galil of the University of Haifa claims to have found the town of Neta’im, mentioned in the biblical book 1 Chronicles. He says the pottery shards and burned olive pits unearthed at the site, known as Khirbet Qeiyafa, were left by potters in King David’s service.   

Here are some photographs of the Roman and Byzantine-era tombs uncovered in Syria, where human remains, tools, jewelry, and pots have been found.  

The Egyptian government will restore the country’s 11 historic Jewish synagogues.  

The Society for Commercial Archaeology has named the 103-year-old Buckhorn Baths Motel in Mesa, Arizona, the most endangered roadside place in the U.S. The hotel was once a favorite spot of celebrities and baseball players.   The second most-endangered roadside attraction is the Giant Orange, an orange-shaped juice stand in Sacramento, California.  

Wreckage of the salvaged Nazi ship, the Admiral Graf Spee, should be displayed in a museum, according to German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle. “We want to prevent wreckage from the ship, in particular the Nazi symbols, from landing on the market for military insignia,” he explained.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Wednesday, March 10, 2010. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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