A complete mammoth skeleton  has been uncovered in France, along with two fragments of flint blade embedded in its skull. “It is my belief that the mammoth was butchered by Neanderthals on this spot. Whether the animal was hunted down by them, or found dead some time later, we may never be able to tell. The concept of rotten meat is, after all, a relatively modern idea,” said Pascal Depaepe of the French National Institute for Preventative Archaeology. Dubbed “Helmut le Mammouth,” the animal died sometime between 130,000 and 190,000 years ago.

Pieces of a shipwreck were washed ashore in North Carolina by Superstorm Sandy. The William H. Sumner  ran aground in 1919, and was later blown up by the Coast Guard to clear the navigation channel. The rest of the schooner sits on the sea floor near Topsail Island.

Volunteers have been assisting archaeologists with the excavation of a medieval nunnery  in Oxford, England. The convent was closed in 1525 after accusations were made that the nuns were involved in scandalous behavior—some were rumored to have illegitimate children. “Finds dating to the period of the nunnery include a large amount of medieval pottery, and decorated glazed floor-tiles showing heraldic designs such as birds and griffins,” said David Griffiths of Oxford University. Artifacts from the site also include items from the Roman period and the Bronze Age.

A 3,100-year-old temple complex has been found at Tel Beth-Shemesh, located near Jerusalem. Power struggles between the Canaanites and Israelites and the Philistines caused the village and the temple structures to change hands frequently. “This temple complex is unparalleled, possibly connected to an early Israelite cult—and provides remarkable new evidence of the deliberate desecration of a sacred site,” said Shlomo Bunimovitz and Zvi Lederman of Tel Aviv University. The temple contains three flat stones that may have been used for worship, one of which was surrounded by animal bone fragments. The other two stones could have held liquids. Archaeologists have also uncovered evidence suggesting that the invading Philistines used the ruins of the temple as animal pens. Clay ovens found in more recent layers at the site indicate that worshippers returned after the desecration for celebration feasts.

The remains of three individuals thought to have died at least 500 years ago have been discovered in Alaska. These rare bones of an adult man, a young adult, and a child were found below a layer of charcoal from a hearth or fire pit that was dated to between 360 and 540 ago. “The acidic soils in the forest typically will dissolve bones within a century,” said archaeologist Bob Sattler. The remains could help scientists learn more about how early Alaskans  lived.

Police in central China have arrested 23 people involved in an artifact smuggling ring. They recovered a bronze tripod pot dating to the Spring and Autumn period (771 to 476 B.C.) that was probably taken from one of the ancient tombs in the Yejiashan Graveyard in Suizhou. Thieves have also been known to assault archaeologists working there. “I have bought assault insurance after two of my colleagues were attacked by tomb raiders in 2010,” said Suizhou archaeologist Liu Cuiping. Most of the objects recovered by police in this raid came from the home of a collector.

The last of the artifacts taken from Machu Picchu  in the early twentieth century by Yale archaeologist Hiram Bingham have been returned to Peru. A selection of the 35,000 pottery fragments and other artifacts will be put on display in a new museum in Cusco.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Tuesday, November 13, 2012. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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