Road construction in northern Afghanistan threatens an archaeological site from the sixth to fourth century B.C. in the narrow Cheshma-e-Shafa gorge. “It is a site which controlled an old route by which people could come from Central Asia to India, a place completely strategic for controlling traffic,” said Philippe Marquis of the French Archaeological Delegation in Afghanistan.

Scientists have examined the skeleton of a young man that was unearthed in a chapel at Scotland’s Stirling Castle in 1997. His injuries and wear and tear on his bones suggest that he was a knight.  

Evolutionary biologist George Beccaloni is looking for sites in Malaysia associated with nineteenth-century scientist and spiritualist Alfred Russel Wallace, who described evolution in 1855 as a branching tree.  

The oldest image of the Christian St Paul the Apostle has been found on the walls of the Catacomb of Santa Tecla in Rome, according to Vatican archaeologists. The image dates to the late fourth century.  Here’s a photograph of the painting.   In addition, Pope Benedict announced that bone fragments had been found in a tomb in the Roman Catholic Basilica of St. Paul in Rome, along with traces of linen cloth laminated with gold, red incense, protein, and limestone. Church tradition holds that Paul was first buried in a catacomb on the Via Appia and then later moved to the basilica.   

Excavation of an early American Indian village continues at the site of a runway at the Macon County Airport in North Carolina. This article also offers updates on other archaeological sites in the area.  

A replica balangay, or ancient Philippine boat, was launched in Manila Bay over the weekend. Such wooden-hulled boats were sailed about 1,700 years ago. “The boat is a time capsule that carries the history of our people,” said expedition leader Art Valdez.

An international team of archaeologists has uncovered 14,000-year-old stone tools on the Greek island of Limnos. This is now the oldest-known settlement in the Aegean.

Stains from post holes could mark the oldest structures in Maryland. “We have three or four wigwams, built on top of each other, as early as 1290, and maybe older,” said county archaeologist Al Luckenbach. A tiny, intact pot was also found.  

A new analysis of 6,000-year-old cart models or toys, and the development of wheeled transportation, has been published in Russian. The first carts were pulled by bulls, but as the climate in Turkmenistan, southeastern Iran, and southern Afghanistan became more arid, early drivers were likely to have switched to single camel power. “It is very difficult to use a pair of camels. They are too malicious,” said author Lyubov Kircho.  

The National Park Service has awarded 33 grants for the preservation and protection of significant, endangered battlefields from King Philip’s War, the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Second Seminole War, the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, World War II, and various Indian Wars.  

The search for the tombs of Cleopatra and Marc Anthony at Taposiris Magna has been suspended until Egypt’s searing summer is over. “The appearance of snakes and scorpions to the surface in the summer season, with 40 plus centigrade temperatures, makes it impossible and risky to continue the excavation,” said archaeologist Kathleen Martinez, who is part of the Dominican-Egyptian excavation team.  

Utah’s  Salt Lake Tribune has more information on the alleged involvement of accused artifact traffickers in a Ponzi scheme.  

The Wall Street Journal offers photographs of the Acropolis Museum in Athens and some information about its construction.  

Meanwhile, researchers at the British Museum say they have found traces of blue pigment on the Parthenon Marbles.