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Heritage News of the Week

Discoveries!

Two people who lived in England during the Early Middle Ages had recent sub-Saharan African ancestry — likely from a grandparent, a new DNA analysis reveals.

We know humans arose in Africa, but archaeology is only just uncovering secrets of the continent's early civilizations

Small settlements and the scourge of slavery left gaps in Africa's archaeological record. Yet sites and artifacts are revealing clues to the continent’s more recent history.

Ornate horse harness uncovered in Thracian warrior's grave

A richly adorned grave of a Thracian warrior and his horse was unearthed in a village near Topolovgrad

'Such caves weren't used for ordinary living': Rare finger grooves from ancient peoples found in glittering Australian cave

Thousands of years ago, adults and children left their marks on soft rock surfaces deep in this cave in GunaiKurnai Country.

Rare bronze Celtic warrior figurine discovered in Germany

Throughout a three-year excavation from 2021 to 2024, the team uncovered more than 40,000 artifacts at the Oppidum of Manching, one of Central Europe’s most extensively studied Celtic settlements.

This figurine suggests Celtic warriors Donald Ducked it into battle

Thirteen-year drought crippled Maya on Yucatán Peninsula 1,000 years ago, study finds

An analysis of a stalagmite within a Mexican cave reveals detailed evidence of drought that contributed to the downfall of the Maya civilization in the area 1,000 years ago.

Scientists uncover 31 shipwrecks hidden beneath Lake Constance

At the beginning of 2024, state archaeologists in Baden-Württemberg, southwest Germany, had an ambitious idea: to record and document all of the sunken wrecks in Lake Constance.

Excavations of massive Roman bath complex in Spain completed

A team of archaeologists has finished excavations of a vast Roman bath complex at the site of La Alcudia, near the city of Elche in southeastern Spain.

App State archaeology team discovers ancient campsite at Blackburn Vannoy Estate and Farm in Ashe County

Dozens of site artifacts offer insight into early life in the High Country

Prehistoric settlement unearthed in Ogovo

Recent archaeological research in Belarus has unveiled insights into the country’s prehistoric past.

Archaeology student finds rare ninth-century gold 'within the first 90 minutes' of her first excavation

An archaeologist in training discovered a rare medieval gold object in northwestern England during her first excavation.

It's fine, I'm find, I am absolutely not seething with jealously because all I ever found was debitage

Stone Age humans were picky about which rocks they used for making tools, study finds

Early human ancestors during the Old Stone Age were more picky about the rocks they used for making tools than previously known.

Archaeologists locate 'La Fortuna,' a Spanish ship that exploded in 1748 along North Carolina's coast

Four shipwrecks newly discovered on the North Carolina coast date to colonial times, including one that blew up during an attack.

Rare Scandinavian chain unearthed by archaeologists in Novorzhev District, Russia

Archaeologists have discovered a remarkably well-preserved Scandinavian-style chain during excavations in the southeastern part of the Gorozhane settlement in the Novorzhev District of Russia.

1,100-year-old Viking hoard reveals raiding wealthy only 'part of the picture' — they traded with the Middle East too

Researchers have found that the Bedale Viking hoard contains silver from Middle Eastern coins, highlighting that the Vikings profited from long-distance trade networks and brought this imported silver with them when they settled in England.

Archaeologists found a 1,600-year-old Roman mosaic of flip-flops.

As archaeologists working with the International Summer School ArchLabs continued to excavate the Villa Romana del Casale in Piazza Armerina in Sicily, they uncovered a new mosaic with two sandals, distinctly reminiscent of modern-day flip-flops, something not seen before from that time.

1,500-year-old Sasanian ossuary inscription discovered at Naqsh-e Rostam, Iran

The newly uncovered inscription, carved horizontally in Pahlavi script on a rock surface adjacent to an ossuary, belongs to a specialized category of funerary texts.

Ceremonial club heads found at Peruvian Chachapoyas site

A series of new discoveries in Peru's Amazonas region are providing important new information about the area’s pre-Hispanic history and, especially, the enigmatic Chachapoyas civilization.

Dig reveals slipway where Nelson's ships were made

A slipway from the 18th Century where ships for Lord Nelson's fleet were built and launched has been excavated by archaeologists.

2,000-year-old graves found in Kyrgyzstan reveal hidden chapter of Silk Road history

Archaeologists have discovered graves dating back approximately 2,000 years in the village of Kyzyl-Koshun-1, located in the Batken district of southern Kyrgyzstan.

Sculptures pulled from sacred spring in Kashmir Valley

Renovations to the Karkoot Nag spring in Aishmuquam revealed a series of ancient stone relics likely belonging to a forgotten shrine that highlights the Kashmir Valley’s deep religious and cultural history

Remains of young children hint at Hittite rituals

Excavations at the site of Uşakli Höyük in central Anatolia unearthed the remains of several infants, which may provide new insight into little-known Hittite burial practices.

Museums

It's called fashion

Chinese bronzes blur the line between original and copy

An exhibition champions 12th-to-19th-century bronzes dismissed as copies, yet struggles with its own definitions of originality.

London's Imperial War Museum defends Holocaust caption criticised by historians

The caption - describing the Nazi Nuremberg Laws as defining Jews by how many “observant” Jewish grandparents they had - has been called misleading by two leading Holocaust historians.

France tried to get Rosetta Stone and free admission for French citizens in exchange for Bayeux Tapestry

When the Bayeux Tapestry crosses the Channel next year for a blockbuster run at the British Museum, some in Paris hoped that their compatriots could admire it for free—or at least on the cheap.

Ethiopian fossil Lucy leaves for her first exhibition in Europe

Lucy’s skeleton, which is 40% complete, left Ethiopia on Friday and will be displayed at the Czech National Museum in Prague for approximately two months.

London museum tells forgotten story of African and Indian troops in second world war

The forgotten story of African and Indian troops who fought in south Asia against Japanese forces during the second world war and who have largely been omitted from the official history is to be brought to life in a London exhibition.

What isn’t at the V&A storehouse

In 2025 as the V&A unpacks its collections in what’s now being called the East Bank cultural quarter, is history repeating itself? Or is the past catching up with the present?

A $37 million restoration brings William the Conqueror’s castle back to life

After five years and a $37 million restoration, Norwich Castle—one of England’s most iconic Norman fortresses—is reopening its doors with a meticulous recreation of its 12th-century grandeur.

Indigenous museum closes temporarily after whitewashing pro-Palestine mural

The Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum in Evanston, Illinois, has temporarily closed its doors to the public. The news of the closure comes after the museum terminated its contract with an Indigenous artist over his “unauthorized” inclusion of pro-Palestine visuals and slogans in a preliminary underpainting for a commissioned mural outside the institution.

We can’t afford to lose the Institute of American Indian Arts

The threat of defunding this precious, influential university is heartbreaking to those of us who know the worth of the IAIA experience.

LA museum condemns US Border Patrol presence on its grounds

Dozens of masked federal agents descended on the Japanese American National Museum’s plaza in Los Angeles on Thursday, August 14, as California Governor Gavin Newsom conducted a press conference about congressional redistricting inside.

The White House has ordered an extensive review of the Smithsonian museums and exhibitions in advance of next year’s 250th anniversary of the United States, with the goal of aligning the institution’s content with President Donald Trump’s interpretation of US history.

Smithsonian’s new Trump impeachment label is shorter and safer

The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, installed a new label describing President Donald Trump’s impeachment proceedings in its permanent exhibition on United States presidents after widespread backlash. The updated label, added on Friday, August 8, includes comparatively shorter and softer descriptions of the charges that led to the president’s double impeachment.

Trump wants “American exceptionalism” at the Smithsonian. Will he get it?

The Trump administration will begin a “comprehensive internal review” of the Smithsonian Institution, including an examination of exhibitions, curatorial processes, educational materials, and programming related to the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding.

Within the first month, the letter states, Trump officials will conduct on-site visits to “document themes, visitor experience, and visual messaging” in eight Smithsonian museums to encourage “uplifting and inclusive” portrayals of America’s history.

Within four months of the letter, the Trump administration said the Smithsonian should “begin implementing content corrections” and replace public-facing “divisive” language with “unifying” descriptions. Ultimately, the administration seeks to focus the museums on “American exceptionalism.”

This should scare the crap out of everyone.

Repatriation

Nearly five centuries after Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés signed it and decades after someone swiped it from national archives, a priceless manuscript page has been returned by the FBI to Mexico.

Ancient manuscripts return to Timbuktu 13 years after jihadist takeover

Malian city welcomes return of hundreds of crates of treasures after more than a decade stored in capital Bamako

Meet the world’s greatest art detective

Dubbed ‘the Indiana Jones of the art world’, Arthur Brand has spent his life tracking down the world’s great stolen masterpieces, from Picassos to Van Goghs.

Heritage at risk

Officials from Canadian Heritage have confirmed the federal government has neither the means nor the ability to acquire any of the estimated 4,400 items in the Hudson Bay Company’s collection of art and artifacts. The items in question, some of which date back to the 17th century and many Indigenous in origin, are set to hit the auction block at some point in the near future.

This is a massive piece of Canada's history, and of the First Nations and their role in that history, and the idea that it could be lost is enraging. And sorry, but I do not believe that the federal government does not "have the means or ability" to buy any of the items. If they could buy a freaking hockey jersey, they can buy this.

Anyway, the current Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture is Stephen Guilbeault if you want to make your feelings known.

Thief steals hundreds of pounds of furs from fort celebrating Francophone, Métis, First Nation heritage

A thief scaled the tall wooden gates surrounding a national historic site in Winnipeg's St. Boniface neighbourhood this week and made off with thousands of dollars in furs used in public demonstrations of what life might've been like at fur trading posts 200 years ago.

Historic Ukrainian synagogue damaged by Russian drone strike

The Monday evening strike ignited a large fire in the Nachlas Eliezer Synagogue in Odessa’s Peresyp district. Established in 1898, the synagogue served the local Jewish community until its closure under Soviet rule in the 1920s.

Wildfires blaze through parts of Europe as heatwave hits

Fires threaten a UNESCO World Heritage site in Spain as temperatures hit new records.

Librarians catalogue Trumpian efforts to censor National Park exhibits

An organization at the University of Minnesota has launched a campaign to preserve displays at sites managed by the National Park Service in response to the Trump administration’s efforts to censor exhibits and information about slavery, climate change and other heated topics.

Rising seas could put Easter Island’s iconic statues at risk by 2080

The Journal of Cultural Heritage has published a new study indicating that rising sea levels could push powerful seasonal waves into Easter Island’s 15 iconic moai statues, in the latest potential peril to cultural heritage from climate change.

Climate crisis harming world heritage painted houses in Burkina Faso, say residents

Tiébélé’s wavy-walled houses covered in geometric lines showing signs of disintegration amid erratic weather

Odds and ends

Scientists are regularly adjusting their hypotheses about the site's intended purpose. And it's not an easy investigation." Whatever we tell now, I don't know if it will be accurate information or not, because maybe our idea will change in another 50 years," Alkan says. "We're trying to predict 12,000 years ago." But that uncertainty has thrown the door wide open for one specific group looking for answers: conspiracy theorists.

Italy has lost one of its fiercest cultural guardians, and ARCA has lost a brilliant friend, mentor, and ally.

Maurizio Fiorilli, the tireless public prosecutor whose career redefined the global struggle against looted antiquities, has passed away leaving behind a legacy etched in justice and cultural diplomacy.

Boston Public Library aims to increase access to a vast historic archive using AI

Boston Public Library, one of the oldest and largest public library systems in the country, is launching a project this summer with OpenAI and Harvard Law School to make its trove of historically significant government documents more accessible to the public.

A glow-up gone awry

A restoration of a beloved figure of the Virgin Mary causes an uproar. “The Macarena cannot be made up!”

From Cristiano Ronaldo to a busty mermaid: The controversial statues that have lost their place

Across the world, statues once celebrated have faced the chopping block, judged too ugly, too offensive, or too politically toxic to stay on their plinths.

The mystery carving which could depict chastity

Kevin Gordon, a local historian, says he is now convinced it is a "medieval Christian symbol representing self-sacrifice and chastity", depicting a beaver biting off its own testicles.

Sure, okay

‘Deceptively cute’ ancient whale with razor-sharp teeth and eyes the size of tennis balls discovered in Australia

Scientist says new species described from 25-million-year-old fossil found in Victoria ‘was a gnarly whale I wouldn’t want to get in the water with’.

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