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This weekend the Lovers of Valdaro, two skeletons found wrapped in an embrace, were displayed for the first time at Mantua's Archaeological Museum. The bones date back to the Neolithic era and were found face to face with their arms and legs entwined in 2007. There's no sign that the man and woman, who were around 18 to 20 years old, died a violent death. Some believe they died holding each other on a freezing night, though it's more likely that they were just buried in that position. Fans of the Lovers in Mantua are campaigning to give them a permanent spot in the museum, now that they've been moved from the grave they shared for 6,000 years. More »
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Before the Vikings were going on pleasure boat cruises or losing big important football games by blowing it at the very last minute, they were a race of Norsemen who road around on longboats and had enviably badass funerals. While conventional wisdom and archaeology methods initially indicated that they were mostly male, it appears that conventional wisdom was wrong- many of the Viking settlers in what is now Great Britain were actually female, and that Viking society (like the society in Scandinavian countries today) was surprisingly egalitarian. More »
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First researchers find what may be the bones of Amelia Earhart, and now they've located the lost city of Atlantis, buried in the marshlands of southern Spain. The discovery of "memorial cities" in central Spain, which were built by refugees after a tsunami destroyed their home, seems to confirm the finding. Scientists need to stop solving the world's mysteries, because there are only so many times the History Channel can run Hitler and the Occult. More »
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Scholars have determined that the famous bust of Nefertiti was given a facelift of sorts: another statue of Nefertiti, with a bent nose and wrinkles, was found inside the bust. See? The real woman was within. Very clever indeed, Egypt. More »
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Pigment found in shells at an archaeological dig suggests Neanderthals wore makeup. "It shows a symbolic dimension in behaviour and thinking that cannot be denied," says an archaeologist. No word on where the makeup was meant to go. [Guardian] More »
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• A Washington D.C. police office was caught on video this weekend waving his gun at a large group of adults having a snowball fight. When confronted, he said he drew his gun, ''because I got hit with snowballs.'' More »
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We can do no better than to quote the NY Times on this one: "Ancient Figurine of Voluptuous Woman Is Found." (Sadly, not pictured. That's another Venus.) [NYT] More »
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Archaeologists claim that they have found the skeletal remains of Princess Arsinöe , who was put to death by her sister, Cleopatra, in 41 BC. The remains have also shed new light on Cleopatra's ethnic background. More »
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Shockingly, Cleopatra did not, in fact, resemble a Hollywood actress. Cambridge's Sally Ann Ashton has put together a portrait of the Queen based on the image on an ancient coin and her probable ethnic makeup. More »
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Highly dubious archaeological find: a group of Franciscan archaeologists have discovered "vials of perfume similar to those that may have been used by the woman said to have washed Jesus' feet" in "the biblical town of Magdala" (read: the Israeli town Migdal.) While the find is undeniably fantastic — the oils were uncovered intact alongside other cosmetics and hair accessories — a priest's claim that "it's very likely that the woman who anointed Christ's feet used these ointments, or products that were similar in composition and quality," seems harder to prove — even if this was Mary Magdalene's home town. [Reuters] More »
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A 2,000 year old gold earring was just found beneath a parking lot near Jerusalem's Old City. And it's nice: "A large pearl inlaid in gold with two drop pieces, each with an emerald and pearl set in gold," which would obviously have belonged to someone of status. Because Jerusalem was sacked so many times, and most precious metals were melted down or sold, such intact finds are rare — especially Roman ones. The piece is valuable not merely for its beauty but because it "brings attention to the life of women in antiquity." [LiveScience] More »
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