From the Mediterranean bed to Kom Al-Dikka, from Akhmim to Sinai, from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo to Basle and Germany and from auction halls in Europe and America to Egypt, there were several exciting archaeological events to highlight this outstanding year. Nevine El-Aref reviews the past 12 busy months
Alexander update (no, not the movie) The World of Alexander Was Rich and Beautiful Even Before the Movies
"We archaeologists have to start with the materials at hand and then go to history," Dimitrios Pandermalis, a professor of classical archaeology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, said on a recent trip to New York. "We do not start with history."
He was discussing the significance of the finds from Greek excavations now on display in "Alexander the Great: Treasures From an Epic Era of Hellenism," an exhibition at the Onassis Cultural Center in the Olympic Tower, 645 Fifth Avenue, at 51st Street, through April 16.
Seems a good article.
Great buddha head heist update Interpol aid sought to trace stolen Buddha head
Interpol help has been sought to recover a Gupta-period Buddha head, which was stolen on December 29 from the Indian Museum here, museum officials today said.
"The Indian Museum authorities sought Interpol's help yesterday to help recover the priceless piece made of sandstone and one of the most interesting exhibits," Director, Indian Museum S K Basu told newsmen.
It was stolen from a glass-case in the archaeological gallery of the museum during visiting hours. The museum authorities have written to the ASI about seeking Interpol's help. He said the detective department of the Kolkata Police was currently investigating the theft.
Police were also questioning the museum staff. He said the Governor G K Gandhi, who is chairman of the Board of Trustees of the museum has convened a meeting of the board, which would take place here shortly.
Officials of the Centre's Department of Culture will discuss the incident and the security of invaluable objects housed in the museum.
That's the whole thing.
From the great buddha head to the Great Dismal Swamp Researcher seeks evidence of slave colonies in Great Dismal Swamp
A doctoral student from the College of William and Mary is spending a second year in the thickets of the Great Dismal Swamp in hopes of documenting the small communities fugitive slaves may have created.
Daniel Sayers has located and begun examining six areas of relatively high ground, or islands - some on the swamp's North Carolina side - that may have been settled between the late 1600s and mid-1800s by slaves known as Maroons. Fugitive slaves from the West Indies or Guyana, or their descendants, were called Maroons.
"If there's runaways living in this swamp, they would be living on these islands," he said. "You can kind of see them here, you know."
Peopling of the New World update Bison bone discovery turns B.C. history upside-down
The year 2004 ends with a major story in archaeology, revealed by the use of new DNA technology on ancient bison bones scattered around western North America.
The findings profoundly affect our understanding of how North America was populated by humans, and could have an impact on aboriginal politics as well.
The conventional wisdom, taught to generations in school, speaks of a land bridge connecting Asia with Alaska. This now-submerged bridge was created by lower sea levels in the last ice age, which ended about 8,500 years ago. It was postulated that prehistoric tribes followed herds of migrating big animals down through an ice-free corridor roughly along the Rocky Mountains, eventually reaching all points of the continent and establishing what are now revered as the First Nations.
More of an opinion piece than a news article. We're not sure that the evidence so strongly points to a northward migration of humans, but there it is.
The birth of the shopping mall Out-of-town shopping malls 'were pioneered by rich Romans'
The luxury housing estate and out-of-town shopping centre may need to be added to the long list of what the Romans did for Britain.
Work in Bath suggests that rich Romans were so keen to live close to city centre attractions that they abandoned the empire's traditional habit of building lavish villas in the countryside, well away from the neighbours and commerce within the city walls.
Arrow head is a rare pointer to the past
which is more than 3,000 years old, has been found in North West Essex and donated to Saffron Walden Museum.
It was spotted by Essex Finds liaison officer Caroline McDonald while recording finds by local metal detector users and her identification was later confirmed by the British Museum.
The arrowhead dates from the Middle Bronze Age, between 1275 and 1140 BC.
Hunley update Fragile artifacts challenge Hunley restoration team
A charred and ragged matchstick looks like a piece of trash, but for archaeologists working on the H.L. Hunley, it's a revealing piece of history.
Since scientists began pulling artifacts from the Civil War-era submarine in 2001, a small staff of experts have been working to preserve them. The variety of material - metal, wood, textiles, leather, cork and even rubber - forced the Hunley lab staff to consider a number of different restoration techniques.