Stone tools thought to be between 130,000 and 700,000 years old have been found on the Greek island of Crete, suggesting that humans traveled there over water. “The results of the survey not only provide evidence of sea voyages in the Mediterranean tens of thousands of years earlier than we were aware of so far, but also change our understanding of early hominids’ cognitive abilities,” read a statement from the Culture Ministry.

Four mosaics dating to the third century A.D. have been uncovered in Antioch, and they have been identified as scenes from plays written by the Athenian comic poet Menander. “The importance of these mosaics is two-fold. One, they help us to reconstruct each of the four plays. Two, they illuminate significantly the tradition of illustrating Menander and reveal variations in the illustrations of the plays,” said Kathryn Gutzwiller of the University of Cincinnati.  

There’s more information on the opening of the tomb of an Urartian king in the Turkish newspaper, Hürriyet Daily News.  

The Wall Street Journal tells the story behind “The President’s House: Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation,” which opened last month in Philadelphia. The exhibits were constructed on top of the eighteenth-century foundations of the original President’s House and its slave quarters.  

A new hotel tax in Rome will charge tourists for repairs and maintenance for the ancient city. The price of museum entrance for non residents was also raised.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Tuesday, January 4, 2011. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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