Newsbriefs, January/February 2000 - Archaeology Magazine Archive


Index of Newsbriefs	Volume 53 Number 1, January/February 2000

(Click on the title of a newsbrief to see the full text.)

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*Early Homo erectus* Tools in China**	The site of Renzidong in eastern China is yielding animal bones and possible stone tools showing that Homo erectus may have established itself here 2.25 million years ago.
Equus on Ice	A dozen horses sacrificed nearly 2,500 years ago in full-dress regalia have been recovered frozen in a Scythian kurgan.
Vandals Attack Rome, Again	Wielding sledgehammers and cans of spray paint, vandals have destroyed or defaced many of Rome's treasures in recent months.
Squash Down, Beans Up, Corn Steady	New dates on crop remains are transforming our understanding of the history of maize-bean-squash agriculture in the northeastern United States.
New Stones at Avebury	A new series of slabs at Avebury stone circle in western England probably formed a causeway linking the circle to a contemporary burial site at Beckhampton.
First Alphabet Found in Egypt	Along an ancient road in Egypt's western desert, archaeologists have discovered two inscriptions representing the earliest-known phonetic alphabet.
Early Iron Smelting	Excavations at Tell Hammeh in Jordan have revealed evidence of what may be the oldest known iron smelting.
*Georgian Homo erectus* Crania**	Discovery of two early Homo erectus crania in Georgia has yielded further evidence of the species' presence on the eastern shores of the Black Sea.