Part of the ceiling of the Domus Aurea collapsed in Rome today. That particular area had not been open to the public.

An unusual lead sarcophagus discovered at the ancient site of Gabii last year will be moved to the American Academy in Rome for further study. The coffin dates to the fourth or fifth centuries A.D., and had been buried in the middle of the city. “To see someone who is at first glance a person of high social standing associated with later layers of the city … opens a potentially new conversation about this urban twilight in central Italy,” said Jeffrey Becker of the University of Michigan.

Historian Jane Peyton claims that brewing beer was women’s work until the Industrial Revolution, when it became the domain of men. “I know men will be absolutely stunned to find this out, but they’ve got women to thank for beer,” she quipped.

Some 20 Christian burials from the fourth and fifth centuries were reportedly unearthed in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Nepal’s fourth-century Changunarayan Temple is on the verge of collapse, due to landslides and illegal sand quarrying. The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In Bangladesh, two police officers have been placed at the site of a brick structure that was uncovered along the Padma River, but they have been unable to control the crowds that want to see it.

Two people arrested in Utah during the federal sting operation pled guilty on Monday to stealing government property and illegally trafficking in American Indian artifacts.

Buddhist monk Hey Moon is campaigning for the return of Korean cultural items from Japan.

Renovators have discovered 600-year-old bee hives built into the two stone pinnacles of Scotland’s Rosslyn Chapel. “These hives were never intended to be a source of honey. They were there purely to protect the bees from our inclement weather,” said architect Malcom Mitchell.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Tuesday, March 30, 2010. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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