The 1,500-year-old remains of 27 people have been discovered in cliffside caves in Nepal. Many of the bones had been stripped of flesh and laid on wide wooden shelves. “This was done in a respectful fashion,” said Mark Aldenderfer of the University of California, Merced. 

An unknown benefactor has recovered twenty fragments of carved ivory thought to have been used as furniture inlays in the first century. The artifacts were stolen from Kabul 20 years ago, and will be returned to Afghanistan after an appearance at the British Museum.  

Wired has more information on the reconstruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan, Afghanistan.  

Turkey has demanded the return of a sphinx unearthed by German archaeologists at the ancient city of Hattusa in the early twentieth century. The sphinx was taken to Germany for conservation, and is now housed in a German museum. 

Police in Albuquerque have recovered dozens of artifacts from a man who looted archaeological sites in New Mexico and Arizona for the past 50 years. He reportedly even stole the signs that marked the land as sacred to American Indians.  

Daniela Triadan of the University of Arizona writes her blog from Guatemala, where she is part of a team excavating the Maya site of Ceibal. Two weeks ago, they found their first burial.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Tuesday, March 1, 2011. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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