A 7,500-year-old pearl  has been unearthed from a grave at a Neolithic site in the Emirate of Umm al Quwain by French researchers. The intact pearl has been called the oldest ever found, but other drilled pearls have been recovered from Neolithic burials. “The discovery of archaeological pearls demonstrates an ancient fishing tradition that no longer exists today,” wrote Vincent Charpentier and Sophie Méry in Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy. Oyster shells were also used to make large fish hooks.

Norwegian and Syrian scientists investigated how the ancient city of Palmyra could have grown to support 100,000 people in what is now a desert. They examined satellite photographs of the regions to the north of Palmyra, and discovered Roman-era farming villages and their water reservoirs. Two thousand years ago, the region was an arid steppe, and the residents collected rainwater with dams and cisterns. Grasses held water in the ground, and herders’ flocks provided meat and fertilizer. “Tradesmen from Palmyra made the most of the city’s unique location to build up a comprehensive trade network,” added Jørgen Christian Meyer of the University of Bergen.

Egypt’s Tourism and Antiquities Police  recovered more than 110 objects from three people who were apprehended in Giza. Now, 70 of those objects have been authenticated as antiquities, including amulets, scarabs, rings, bronze spoons, coins, and glass bottles. None of the artifacts were registered with the government, so all of them were looted from archaeological sites.

The continuing economic crisis in Greece translates into reduced security at archaeological sites and more people digging illegally and hoping to find treasures to sell. The northwestern Macedonia region has been especially hard hit. “Illegal digs have always been carried out around the mountains in this area. But the practice has recently turned into a sport,” commented archaeologist Sofia Doukata.

Two men have been charged with tampering with archaeological resources in Colorado’s Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, where they had been leading an organized hike for a group of senior citizens. An undercover Bureau of Land Management officer joined the group for a hike after law enforcement officials received a tip that the hike leader had dug up pots on past hikes. The hike leader told the group he thought that law enforcement might be waiting at the site to catch him. The two men are now negotiating plea bargains.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Tuesday, June 19, 2012. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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