In Mexico City, archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History have discovered the burials of 15 people thought to have been traveling merchants of the Tepanec tribe, which lived in the area 700 years ago. Ceramic flutes, bowls, incense burners, and the remains of a dog that had been buried with a child were also uncovered.

A 1,200-year-old tomb containing the remains of a member of the Lambayeque elite has been excavated in northern Peru. Archaeologists also found a gold earflap, a silver-plated crown, other silver and copper ornaments, and more than 100 pieces of pottery and seashells. The grave of a priestess was found nearby last year. “This discovery is very important because we now know one of the elite classes of Lambayeque culture,” said excavation director Carlos Wester La Torre.

Student Justin Mukanku noticed a tooth protruding from a rock that had been sitting in a lab at the University of the Witwatersrand since 2008. A CT scan revealed that the rock was indeed full of fossils. “What we can see inside of the rock using state-of –the-art scanners, are some of the most complete bones that we’ve ever discovered in early hominins,” said anthropologist Lee Berger. The bones are thought to be parts of a jaw, a complete thigh bone, ribs, vertebrae, and even finger and hand bones of the newly identified early hominin, Australopithecus sediba.

In Greece, temperatures reaching above 107 degrees Fahrenheit prompted the early closure of the Acropolis Hill in Athens today. Tourist attractions are expected to return to regular operating hours tomorrow.

Archaeologists working at the site of Jamestown are attempting to reconstruct one of the site’s mud-and-stud buildings using local clay, loam, and black needle rush grass, based upon archaeological evidence. “We can talk about the ingredients and the recipe all day long. We know the materials used in the mud-and-stud buildings here pretty well. What we don’t know much about is the implementation. This is a lost art,” said David Givens of Preservation Virginia.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Monday, July 16, 2012. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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