Federal agents charged a group of men with trafficking in ancient Egyptian coffins and other artifacts yesterday. “Antiquities dealers and collectors are on notice that the smuggling of cultural patrimony will not be tolerated,” said Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch.

Human remains have been found in Scotland, at an Iron Age roundhouse built of stone. “At the moment we have no idea on a date. They could be 50 years old, or 3,000 years old,” said archaeologist Andy Heald.

A 500-year-old, unfinished canoe has been found in the rain forest of southeast Alaska. Ancient tools had been used to cut the cedar and hollow it out. “That’s a valuable piece of equipment they left there in the forest…. Why did they leave it there? Only thing I can think is there was sickness in the village,” speculated anthropologist Rosita Worl of the Sealaska Heritage Institute.

A marker will be placed near the graves of 19 Union soldiers in Folly Beach, South Carolina, in 1987. Two life-sized busts reconstructed from the skulls of two of the men, who were part of the Army’s second all African-American unit, will be on display for the ceremony.

Have a good weekend! The News will return on Monday, July 18.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Thursday, July 14, 2011. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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