The skeleton of a child was discovered at the Roman fort of Vindolanda, in a pit dug in a barrack room. Because the Romans buried their dead on the outskirts of their settlements, the concealment of the body probably indicates a criminal act. In addition, the child’s hands may have been tied. “I shudder to think how this young person met his or her fate,” said Andrew Birley, director of the excavation.

A 3,000-year-old skeleton bearing the marks of a violent death has been found on the Isle of Man. “We found cut marks to his fingers, ribs and knees, as if he’d been defending himself,” said Allison Fox from Manx National Heritage.  

The remains of five people, two adults and three children, have been unearthed from an 8,500-year-old burial mound in Bursa, Turkey. “Their arms were tied behind their backs, indicating that they may have been killed or sacrificed,” said Necmi Karul of Istanbul University.  

Child and domestic animal burials dating to the Iron Age and the early Roman period have been uncovered in south London. “These animals which were either whole or partly dismembered appear to have been deliberately sacrificed and deposited in deep pits cut into the chalk bed rock,” said archaeologist Duncan Hawkins.  

Law-enforcement officers and archaeologists gathered in Ohio to learn how to spot looters and how to investigate suspected looting cases. According to a study by the U.S. National Central Bureau of Interpol, antiquities trafficking is the fourth-largest illegal market in the world.  

An Egyptian-American team has rediscovered the painted tomb of a priest named Karakhamun in Luxor. The tomb was first opened in the nineteenth century, but in collapsed in the 1970s and was buried in the desert sands.  

The Athens News Agency has provided some details on the restoration of the Temple of Athena Nike on the Athens Acropolis.  

Here’s a bit more information on the armor uncovered at the Roman fortress in Caerleon, South Wales.  

And here’s another mention of the damage done to the 1,000-year-old rock art at the Kaibab National Forest in Arizona.  

A lack of funding could put an end to the construction of a maritime museum in Central Java. The museum would be built around the remains of a 1,200-year-old ship discovered on private land in a coconut grove. “We are hoping to do in-situ preservation because it would be too risky to move it from the site, it is too fragile,” said Hari Untoro Drajat of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Thursday, September 16, 2010. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

Comments posted here do not represent the views or policies of the Archaeological Institute of America.