Unauthorized Excavation Damages Buildings

ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT—Cracks have developed in six structures in the Karmouz neighborhood of Alexandria. The damage is thought to have been caused by illegal digging beneath the entrance to an adjacent building. Police arrested a 29-year-old man who had several clay pots in his possession.

Yellow Spheres Discovered in Untouched Tunnel Rooms

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO—Hundreds of small spheres have been spotted by the Tlaloc II-TC robot in the newly discovered chambers beneath the Temple of the Feathered Serpent at Teotihuacán. The spheres have a core made of clay and are covered with a material known as jarosite, which is formed by the oxidation of pyrite. “Pyrite was certainly used by the Teotihuacanos and other ancient Mesoamerican societies. Originally the spheres would have shown brilliantly. They are indeed unique, but I have no idea what they mean,” commented George Cowgill, professor emeritus at Arizona State University. Scholars think they may find the remains of the city’s rulers in these chambers.

Vets Assist Archaeologists With Civil War Artifacts

STATESBORO, GEORGIA—Archaeologists from Georgia Southern University will be assisted by the staff of Gateway Animal Hospital in the conservation of metal artifacts recovered from Camp Lawton, a Confederate prisoner of war camp, where 10,000 Union soldiers were held during the Civil War. Archaeologists want to know if there is any solid metal remaining in the highly corroded artifacts, and veterinarian Gary Edwards will help with the x-rays. “The x-ray will enable us to clearly identify the shape of the artifact,” said graduate student Matt Newberry. Once the metal artifacts have been identified and conserved, they will become part of Camp Lawton’s History Center.

Evidence of Cannibalism Found at Jamestown

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Human bone fragments have been found among the butchered remains of dogs, cats, and horses at Jamestown. An examination of the bones suggests that during the winter of 1609, known as the “Starving Time,” colonists were forced to resort to eating the body of a 14-year-old girl. “The chops to the forehead are very tentative, very incomplete. Then, the body was turned over, and there were four strikes to the back of the head, one of which was the strongest and split the skull in half. A penetrating wound was then made to the left temple, probably by a single-sided knife, which was used to pry open the head and remove the brain,” said forensic anthropologist Douglas Owsley of the Smithsonian Institution. Written accounts hint at cannibalism at the oldest permanent English colony in the Americas. According to lead Jamestown archaeologist William Kelso, these bones are the first direct evidence that it occurred.

Construction Project Reveals Third Miami Circle

MIAMI, FLORIDA—A third circle made up of post holes cut into bedrock by the Tequesta has been uncovered near the mouth of the Miami River. The first Miami Circle, thought to be a 2,000-year-old religious site, has been listed as a National Historic Landmark. The second circle, called the Royal Palm Circle, may have been used as a dwelling. The third circle was found nearby, beneath fill brought in by Henry Flagler to develop the city’s downtown area in the early twentieth century. A well and foundations of the Royal Palm Hotel, built by Flagler in 1897, have also been uncovered. 

Revolutionary War Battlefield Found

WILKES CO., GEORGIA—Carr’s Fort has been discovered by a team of archaeologists after a month-long search of more than 2,700 wooded acres. “The search for Carr’s Fort was like looking for a needle in a haystack, only harder. We had no map and few descriptions of the fort, so its location was entirely unknown,” said Daniel Elliott of the LAMAR Institute. Captain Robert Carr of the Georgia Patriot militia and more than 100 soldiers were stationed at his frontier home when they were overtaken by Loyalist soldiers in 1779. Additional Patriot forces laid siege to the fort in an attempt to take it back, but they were forced to retreat. Carr was later killed by a raiding party of Loyalist Creek Indians. Archaeologists used metal detectors to find evidence of the battle, including musket balls, musket parts, and eighteenth-century iron and brass artifacts.

Archaeologists Will Exhume Knight’s Grave

LEICESTER, ENGLAND—Archaeologists from the University of Leicester will return to the site of Grey Friars Church, where they unearthed the remains of Richard III, to exhume the grave of Sir William Moton, who died in 1362 and is thought to have been buried in a lead-lined stone sarcophagus. “This will be a great opportunity to confirm the plan of the east end of the Grey Friars Church to learn more about its dating and architecture, and will give us the chance to investigate other burials known to be inside the building,” said excavation director Richard Buckley.

New Tombs Threaten Pyramids of Dahshur

DAHSHUR, EGYPT—Since January, the villagers of Manshiet Dahshur have expanded their cemetery to the point that it encroaches upon the pyramids of Dahshur: the smooth-sided Red Pyramid; the Bent Pyramid, which has warped walls; and the collapsed Black Pyramid, now located on the edge of the modern cemetery. “Some of them have a real need for the tombs for their families. But when you have 1,000 people, some of them will want to do illegal excavation,” said Mohamed Youssef, chief archaeologist at Dahshur. The police have not responded to requests to remove the illegal tombs.

Hohokam Canal Unearthed in Arizona

PHOENIX, ARIZONA—A canal dug by the Hohokam people some 1,500 years ago has been unearthed at a construction site for a commuter train station at Sky Harbor airport. The Hohokam built canals to carry water from the Salt River to their irrigated field systems. “We’ve known the fields have been out there. This is the first time we’ve actually seen them,” said Laurene Montero, archaeologist for Phoenix.

Conservationists Win One in Cash-Strapped Greece

THESSALONIKI, GREECE—The 2,300-year-old “Middle Road” unearthed during subway construction in the heart of modern Thessaloniki will be preserved in situ. The construction company had wanted to move the avenue and its buildings, but archaeologists collected more than 12,000 signatures and produced an alternate plan that will preserve up to 84 percent of the site in place. The marble street, which led to the harbor and featured a monumental Roman gate, was used for 700 years. “This was a central crossroads where the city’s central market and public buildings were located,” said Despoina Koutsoumba, head of the association of Greek archaeologists. More than 50,000 coins, and thousands of vessels, lamps, vials, and jewels have been uncovered.

Skeleton May Be Medieval Warrior

LEWES, ENGLAND—More than 120 sets of human remains were found in a medieval cemetery at the site of the Hospital of St. Nicholas on England’s southern coast. Most of the skeletons show signs of leprosy and other diseases, but archaeologists suspect that one man was a soldier killed during the Battle of Lewes in 1264. He may have survived long enough to have been taken to the hospital. “The top of his skull has been sliced off with a sword. He also had terrible tooth decay and would have been in permanent pain. We’ll be looking for signs of slashes to the back of his legs because they were often hit with battleaxes while they were running away,” said Edwina Livesey of the Sussex Archaeological Society. Scientists from the University of York will carbon date the remains.