Palatial Home Uncovered in Western Iran

LONDON, ENGLAND—The ruins of a 1,400-year-old palatial Sasanian building with five connected halls, two columned halls, and a courtyard have been discovered in western Iran. Its decorative moldings were crafted from stucco in geometric, human, animal, and mythological motifs. The archaeologists also uncovered two pieces of pottery used for writing. One of these ostracons had been engraved with 13 paragraphs, the other with eight paragraphs. The house was probably used during the summer by a noble family living in a nearby city that has been flooded by the recent construction of the Seimareh Dam.

Early Andeans Ate Corn

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS—The amount of microscopic corn found in pollen records, the residues left on stone tools, and in fossilized feces, suggests that people living in the Peruvian Andes 5,000 years ago farmed for survival. It had been thought that early Andean civilizations depended upon marine resources for food, since larger pieces of corn are rarely found. “People started to find corn at the inland sites, and the argument was that the corn was really a condiment and used for ceremonial purposes,” said Jonathan Haas of The Field Museum. Traces of sweet potato and beans were also found.

Sacrificial Victims from Templo Mayor Examined by Archaeologists

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO—Archaeologists Estibaliz Aguayo and Berenice Jimenez of the National Institute of Anthropology and History have studied an otechcatl stone discovered at Templo Mayor and determined that it had been moved from its original location and placed near a wall of the temple some 500 years ago. It is known that such stones, which were used as places of human sacrifice, were only used in open spaces. Scientists are now testing the stone for traces of human blood. The five human skulls found beneath the stone belonged to two men and three women, and had been defleshed. Holes had been punched in the skulls so that they could be hung. The more than 1,500 other bones found in the area showed signs of malnutrition, disease, and dental problems.

Tragedy in Luxor

LUXOR, EGYPT—A reported 18 tourists from France, Britain, Belgium, Hungary, Japan, and Hong Kong were killed when their hot air balloon sailing over the ancient Egyptian temples of Luxor caught fire, exploded, and then crashed in a sugar cane field to the west. Three people, including two tourists, are thought to have survived the crash. Egypt’s state prosecutor’s office reports that initial findings show that the crash was accidental, but the investigation is ongoing. There are eight hot air balloon companies operating in Luxor, which has been hard hit with the decline in foreign visitors since the 2011 revolution.

Ancient Pottery Found in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA—In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, archaeologists are investigating potentially historic properties and public lands so that homeowners can use federal funds raise and protect their homes from future storms. So far, they have uncovered pottery made between 300 and 400 A.D. at a site known as Old Spanish Fort, and what is left of a shell midden. “I don’t think any of us even knew there was a shell midden there originally. And to realize that so much of it was still undisturbed … the fact that the fort was there has preserved it all these years,” said state archaeologist Chip McGimsey.

Medieval Coins Found in Buried Shoe

ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS—A shoe stuffed with 477 silver coins has been unearthed by archaeologists digging behind the town hall. The coins were made between 1472 and 1592. Archaeologists think the owner of the shoe may have hidden the treasure during the 80 Years War, which took place between 1568 and 1648.

“Kitty Brick” Is 2,000 Years Old

VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON—Neutron activation analysis of bricks found at Fort Vancouver supports the idea that they were made in England some 2,000 years ago. When the unusual bricks were found in 1982, archaeologist Karl Gurcke noted that their size and shape resembled Roman bricks. They may have traveled to the Pacific Northwest as ballast in a Hudson’s Bay Company supply ship in the early nineteenth century, but the company also imported bricks for building purposes until a local brick-making industry was established. One brick in particular bears two paw prints left by a Roman cat. “At a glance, bricks appear all alike, yet upon examination, they can exhibit a frustrating degree of variation,” said Kristin Converse of Sonoma State University.

Neolithic Artifacts Handed Over to Kosovo Museum

PRISTINA, KOSOVO—The German government has handed over seven Neolithic artifacts to the Kosovo Archaeology Museum. The artifacts, which are thought to have been made by the Vinca culture, were probably looted during the 1998-99 Kosovo War between ethnic Albanians and Serbia. German police recovered the artifacts in 2005 during an unrelated raid. “It has been a long period of expertise and analysis that we’ve done together with German authorities to conclude that they have been smuggled from Kosovo,” said culture minister Memli Krasniqi. Kosovo and Serbia continue to debate the ownership of some 1,200 artifacts once held in the museum.

Ex-Inmates Likely Buried Under English Prison

GLOUCESTER, ENGLAND—A prison in southwestern England that's marked for closure and redevelopment could sit on top of more than 100 unmarked graves of former inmates that were executed over the years. Government officials admitted knowledge that at least 17 people were buried at the prison between 1874 and 1939. A local historian, Phil Moss, says, "Tradition was prisoners were always buried within the prison." The Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England, better known as English Heritage, is arguing that archaeological investigation needds to take place before the prison site is repurposed for apartments or a hotel. They add that remains of the Roman town that preceeded Gloucester might also be under the prison.

Pyramid of a Pharaoh's Vizier Found at Luxor

LUXOR, EGYPT—The remains of a pyramid that once stood 50 feet high were found at Luxor. According to Egypt's State Minister of Antiquities Mohammed Ibrahim, the more than 3,000-year-old mudbrick structure belonged to Khay, a vizier of pharaoh Ramses II. A statement from the Belgian team that uncovered the pyramid says, "The monument was largely dismantled in the 7th and 8th century AD, when the tomb was transformed into a Coptic hermitage."

Early Human Burials Were Mostly Simple

DENVER, COLORADO—A study of 85 burials dating to the Upper Paleolithic concludes that while on occasion early humans in Eurasia fashioned ornate burials for their deceased, they primarily employed simple practices when interring their dead. Other conclusions from the study, which included the examination of burials in Russia, Italy and the Czech Republic, found that men were buried more often than women and that children were rarely buried at all, especially later in the time period investigated. Interestingly, the simple burials observed by the archaeologists from the University of Colorado Denver seemed to mimic Neanderthal burials—the dead were often put in pits and buried with everyday items they likely used in their lives. "Some researchers have used burial practices to separate modern humans from Neanderthals," said anthropologist Julien Riel-Salvatore, the study leader. "But we are challenging the orthodoxy that all modern human burials were necessarily more sophisticated than those of Neanderthals."

Why Brits Stopped Eating Horsemeat

NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND—A new report published in the Oxford Journal of Archaeology tracks how horsemeat fell out of favor as a component of the British diet from the A.D. sixth to eighth century. Looking at faunal remains at various settlements, study author Kristopher Poole, a doctoral candidate at Nottingham University, explains that at early sites remains of horse heads are often found, though other bones are not—indicating Anglo Saxons of the time were feasting on equine meat. Data from the end of the eighth century suggests that eating of horsemeat then fell out of practice. Poole suggests that the cause for the reduction in dining on horse might have been driven by the spread of Christianity during the same period of time. Horsemeat was likely associated with pagan practices, which would have been suppressed at that time.