An unnamed official at Greece’s culture ministry says that the “priceless” statue recovered from a goat pen near Athens is a fake, copied from a statue unearthed at the Athens Acropolis in the nineteenth century. “The responsibility is shared by the police and the archaeologist who evaluated the statue,” the official reportedly said.

Microscopic analysis of bits of ash discovered inside South Africa’s Wonderwerk Cave indicates that human ancestors built a small fire there one million years ago. Bone fragments in the mix of burnt grass, leaves, and brush suggest that the hominins, probably Homo erectus, were cooking. Evidence of more fires and hearths from the same time period would need to be found in order to confirm that Homo erectushad mastered the use of fire, however. “It is possible that the reason we have not yet seen more evidence of early fire use is because we have not been using the appropriate methods,” explained Francesco Berna of Boston University.

Two ancient Egyptian sarcophagus covers have been seized at a bazaar in Jerusalem’s Old City by inspectors from Israel’s Unit for the Prevention of Antiquities Robbery. The wooden covers have been sawn into suitcase-sized pieces, and were probably smuggled from Egypt’s Western Desert into Dubai and then Europe before landing in Israel. They are currently being held at an Israel Antiquities Authority laboratory.

The fighting in Mali threatens the UNESCO World Heritage site of Timbuktu, which is known for its unusual mud and wood architecture. It is not clear at this time which group of rebels is in control of the 1,000-year-old city and its famed private libraries.

Samples taken from a skeleton unearthed on Taiwan’s Liang Island are being sent to Germany and the U.S. for radiocarbon dating and DNA analysis. Scientists think the skeleton may be between 7,000 and 8,000 years old, based upon the shell mounds that were also found. Neolithic dates for the bones would push back the human occupation of the Matsu Islands.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Tuesday, April 3, 2012. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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