News Round Up

BURGOS, SPAIN—According to a statement released by the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), a new comparative study of the teeth of modern Asians and prehistoric Denisovans conducted by paleoanthropologist María…

TRANENT, SCOTLAND—BBC News reports that a community-run project uncovered wooden rails for the Tranent-Cockenzie Waggonway in southeast Scotland earlier this year. The two- and one-half-mile waggonway, which opened in 1722, linked coal pits in…

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK—According to a BBC News report, researchers have extracted a complete human genome from some birch pitch that was chewed like a piece of gum some 5,700 years ago on Denmark’s island of Lolland. The lump may have been chewed to…

There’s surrealism, futurism, impressionism, pop art and loads more going on in London in the new year. See in the twenties in style with our guide to the best exhibitions in the city in 2020 – updated throughout the year Barbican At the Barbican,…

We talk to senior curator Geoff Belknap of the National Science and Media Museum about a new acquisition and the enduring appeal of the Cottingley Fairies Elsie Wright was 16 and her cousin Frances Griffiths just nine when they took the first…

Scarborough Museum on the story of a much-loved Victorian seagull whose demise prompted a seasonal story We associate various birds with Christmas, including robins, turkeys and partridges – but gulls? This is a Christmas story with a difference. It…

Alexandra Loske, Art Historian and Curator at the Royal Pavilion Brighton on her favourite object in A Prince’s Treasure – The Royal Collection returns to Brighton In September 2019 more than 120 pieces of furniture and decorative objects returned…

The Roman Empire in 100 haikusStuart LaycockAmberley, £12.99ISBN 978-1445693309Review by: Matthew Symonds Much has been written about the Roman Empire, but seldom in the form of haikus. Attempting to tell the tale of an enormously complex entity in…

The British Museum Membercast is a monthly podcast made available to ‘all studious and curious persons’. Comedian, podcaster and super-fan Iszi Lawrence (The Z List Dead List) presents snippets from exclusive Members’ lectures at the Museum,…

The Asahi Shimbun Displays Disposable? Rubbish and us explores our changing relationship with rubbish. Wandering the galleries of the British Museum, you can see some of the finest objects ever created by human hands. But you might be surprised to…

Archaeological sleuths Clare Hills, David Barbrook, and Margaret Bockford return in Nicola Ford’s cleverly constructed crime novel, a sequel to The Hidden Bones (see CA 340). This latter book featured a research dig on a barrow cemetery, but its…

WARSAW, POLAND—Science in Poland reports that Marek T. Olszewski of the University of Warsaw spotted eight previously unknown depictions of sundials in ancient mosaics, bringing the total number of such images up to 15. Olszewski said he analyzed…

ASHKELON, ISRAEL—The Times of Israel reports that a small cetaria, or production center where fermented fish sauce was prepared, has been uncovered about a mile away from the site of Ashkelon in southern Israel. Tali Erickson-Gini of the Israel…

BOLOGNA, ITALY—Live Science reports that archaeologists led by Max Victor David of the University of Bologna have excavated a 1,600-year-old temple in Ostia thought to have been dedicated to several deities. The temple may have been primarily…

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK—According to a statement released by the University of Copenhagen, two 8,500-year-old human teeth drilled with holes have been found at the Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük, which is located in southern Anatolia. Archaeologist Scott…

2020 is packed with show-stopping exhibitions, brought to life with a programme of exciting events – from storytelling for adults, to free talks and family workshops. Here is a run through of our major exhibition and free displays highlights. Follow…

The production and use of coinage are closely tied to many other aspects of social history, as is demonstrated in this accessible and engaging book. Focusing on smaller denominations, both those produced officially and the ingenious local responses…

AL MINYA, EGYPT—Egypt Today reports that a small limestone sphinx has been unearthed in Upper Egypt at the site of the necropolis of Khumun, which dates to the Greek and Roman periods. Gamal El-Samastawy, Director General of the Antiquities of…

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS—USA Today reports that three sets of human remains were discovered during conservation work at The Alamo, a compound built in what is now San Antonio by Spanish missionaries in the eighteenth century. The remains of a teenager or…

HAMILTON, CANADA—Analysis of residues from ceramics and stone tools unearthed at the coastal village site of La Consentida in southwest Mexico detected remains of flowering plants, wild beans, and grasses including maize dating back to the Early…