In Cambodia, archaeologists are conserving and reassembling the twelfth-century Buddhist temple and monastic complex of Banteay Chhmar, which was built by Jayavarman VII some 100 miles away from his capital at Angkor. “It’s peaceful and quiet here, like it used to be at Angkor. This is a real site,” said JohnSanday, who is leading the restoration project.

This article in The Art Newspaper reviews UNESCO’s recent report on conditions at Pompeii.

Erosion has revealed a skull on a beach near the mouth of Washington’s Elwha River. Bill White, tribal archaeologist for the Lower Elwah Klallam tribe, says it belongs to a set of remains that had been repatriated by the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture and reburied.

Scientists continue to debate the possible New World origins of syphilis.

The people of Pompeii probably lived in close proximity to their garbage, according to Allison Emmerson of the University of Cincinnati. Trash has been found in cemeteries, on the floors of homes, in the streets, and along the city walls.

A farmer living near Vietnam’s Ru Than Mountain uncovered a bronze drum decorated with scenes from daily life. The drum is estimated to be between 2,000 and 3,000 years old.

Skeletal damage caused by brucellosis has been found in the 1,000-year-old bones of two teenage males at the ancient city of Butrint, which is located in Albania. The disease is associated with eating unpasteurized dairy products and had been thought to be a modern ailment.

NATO reports that one of the reasons Libya’s archaeological sites escaped serious damage during the recent conflict was a “No Strike List” compiled by Karl Von Habsburg of the Blue Shield Committee, and Joris Kila of the University of Amsterdam and The International Military Cultural Resources Work Group. The next step is “to be there really fast to make an assessment and to see what you can do immediately to help,” said Von Habsburg.