A necklace of amber beads thought to be 4,000 years old has been unearthed in a cist tomb in northwest England. “[Amber is] associated with burials in the prehistoric period but it’s not readily available, the nearest source is in the Baltic [region],” said Vicky Nash of the Mellor Archaeological Trust.

A dug-out wooden boat was discovered in the Black Sea by Bulgarian fisherman.  

A search party from the Malaysian army has returned to the crash site of a British Dakota C4 plane that went down in 1950. The crew of 12 was buried near the wreck site at the time, but relatives of the crew members asked earlier this year that the remains be recovered.  

Archaeologists from around the world met in Hanoi to share information on recent discoveries at the Thang Long Royal Citadel, Vietnam’s political, economic, and cultural center for 1,300 years. The scholars also discussed the best way to preserve the site.  

A plaster cast of an 800-year-old footprint was made at the Forks in downtown Winnipeg, Canada. Pottery, arrow heads, and bison bones were also found.  

A mummy and 25 ceremonial objects have been discovered within Machu Picchu, according to a report from the Associated Press.  

A medieval bishop’s palace has been found in Herefordshire, England, after a 300-year-long search. “It’s a significant find and completely unexpected, the first glimpse we’ve had of such a palace,” said archaeologist Keith Ray.  

Here’s an editorial in the Los Angeles Times on the trial in Israel of an antiquities dealer accused of fraud. Writer Nina Burleigh concludes that the Israeli Antiquities Authority does not have the staff or the funding to police the antiquities trade and protect archaeological sites, and that the Israeli legal system cannot have the last word on the authenticity of artifacts.   

Sharon Waxman discusses the “imminent arrival” of Thomas Campbell as the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the museum’s history of acquiring antiquities, for the New York Times. “By publicly acknowledging the controversial or otherwise dubious histories of some artifacts and by making the recent past as much a part of the artifacts’ stories as the ancient past, Mr. Campbell can set an example for all museums and build new bridges of respect and cooperation,” she writes.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Monday, December 1, 2008. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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