Archaeologists have discovered Lapita pottery and evidence of long-term occupation in mainland Papua New Guinea. The Lapita culture developed on islands of the east coast of Papua New Guinea, and is then known to have spread east, as people settled islands in the Pacific. “This is a whole new chapter of Pacific history that nobody knew about,” said Ian McNiven of Monash University.

The Sinagua people, who lived in the Arizona desert some 1,000 years ago, survived an eruption of the Sunset Crater volcano and adapted to the changes it made in their environment.

The long-forgotten Old Town Cemetery was found beneath a softball field in Jeffersonville, Kentucky. It was in use until 1862 and became a park in the 1920s. The city is considering building a convention center on the land.

Bioarchaeologist Ellen Chapman of the College of William and Mary examined the skeletal remains of Sir Jacob Wheate, who was captain of the HMS Ceberus. Wheate died of yellow fever in 1783, and was buried beneath Bermuda’s East End Church.

A team of researchers from several American universities has uncovered the bones of South American animals on the Caribbean island of Carriacou. “We suspect that they may have been foods eaten by people of high status, or used in ritual events,” said anthropologist Scott Fitzpatrick.

Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities has announced the discovery of a basilica and a house in a Coptic city dating to the fourth century.

A statue of Amenhotep III, grandfather of Tutankhamun, has been unearthed in Luxor.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Friday, December 2, 2011. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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