A first-century Roman fort and a furnace that may have been used to smelt minerals have been uncovered in southwestern England. “This find could help us to understand whether they were merely keeping watch over the locals, or were actually interested in exploiting commercial opportunities in the region,” said archaeologist Stephen Rippon.  

Three pre-Columbian grinding tools were returned to Mexico today. An Arizona man tried to cross the border with the artifacts at Naco, Arizona, where customs officials stopped him. He will not be charged with a crime because he agreed to surrender the objects. 

What is being called a Neolithic city has been discovered four miles away from Egypt’s Fayyum Lake. “The artifacts consist of the remains of walls and houses in terracotta or dressed limestone as well as a large quantity of pottery and the foundations of ovens and grain stores,” Zahi Hawas, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquties, told reporters.

This article in The New York Times lists three more individuals being investigated by the federal authorities for dealing in looted antiquities.  

A “crime against archaeology” was committed in Auckland, New Zealand. The perpetrators stole artifacts from a locked site in the city’s central business district and “illegally excavated an old well.” 

A team of Australians, including an archaeologist, has built a laboratory for conservation work near Mawson’s Hut in Antarctica. Sir Douglas Mawson explored Antarctica between 1911 and 1914. 

Aztec Ruins National Monument in New Mexico is being overrun with invasive plant species. The vegetation can fuel fires, kill native plants, and disturb the bricks of the Ancestral Pueblo ruins. 

All of the nine “Treasure Wars” videos are now available from National Geographic News.  

National Geographic News also has more information on a 2,500-year-old aristocratic tomb discovered in eastern China last year. The tomb contained 47 sets of human remains, many of whom had been sacrificed; gold and bronze artifacts; silk clothing; and a black, gold, and red sword.

Daniel Lorello, an archivist charged with stealing documents from New York State, says he “took things on an as-needed basis to pay family bills, such as house renovations, car bills, tuition and my daughter’s credit card problem.” Lorello could spend up to 25 years in prison if convicted.  

A study of 490 fourteenth-century skeletons from East Smithfield Cemetery in London shows that people already in poor health were more likely to die when hit with the Black Death.  

Forensic archaeologists examined a Renault FT-17 tank at the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, in order to learn its battle history. “You don’t see too many of these, so this is a special opportunity,” said Douglas Scott of Nebraska Wesleyan University.  

An iron ore mine was discovered in the Ingenio Valley of Peru’s Andes Mountains. Kevin J. Vaughn of Purdue University says that the Nasca people probably used the red-pigmented mineral for ceramic, body, textile, and house paints.  

A German collector will return more than 40 pre-Hispanic textiles to Peru. 

The first part of this interview with Turkey’s minister of tourism focuses on his plans for the country’s many archaeological destinations. “There must be transportation, accommodation, and security. While we are trying to continue our restoration and renovation efforts, we are also trying to move other resources to those places frequented by tourists,” he said.  

Museum scandals aren’t limited to California. Former Yakama Nation Museum curator Marilyn S. Malatare and her daughter have been indicted for stealing artifacts and selling them to pawn shops.  

Craig Childs asks asks, “How much more of the world’s artifacts do we need?” in this editorial for The Los Angeles Times.