Secret History

Maysara Archaeological Site Records Ancient Life in Syria

R. Raslan
globalarabnetwork.com
Mon, 28 Feb 2011 10:00 UTC

Syria (Daraa) - The discovery of a Neolithic settlement at al-Maysara archaeological site in 2003, 4 km south east of Daraa governorate, represented a turning point in the history of archaeological discoveries in the governorate.

A preliminary archaeological survey of Yasser Abu Noktah revealed caves, stone grinders and stone mortars and pestles in the area.

In a statement to SANA, Director of Daraa Museum Ayham al-Zoubi said a number of archaeological surveys over the last few years indicated to the presence of prehistoric societies at al-Maysara archaeological site.

He added that the studies of archaeological findings uncovered at the site showed that they belong to the Neolithic Period (8000-5500 B.C.).

Excavation works in 2004 unearthed a number of stone scrapers, awls, spears, arrowheads and axes of different sizes generally used for daily life activities, farming and hunting, he said.

Marilyn Monroe: the unseen files

Tim Auld
The Telegraph
Sun, 27 Feb 2011 17:16 UTC

A new book reveals the extraordinary contents of Marilyn Monroe's private filing cabinets, thought lost for over 40 years after her death

In November 2005 Millington Conroy, a businessman living in Rowland Heights, 40 miles east of Los Angeles, contacted Mark Anderson, a successful magazine photographer, to discuss an unusual commission.

He had in his possession two metal filing-cabinets, one brown, one grey, containing private papers and a collection of furs, jewellery and other assorted memorabilia, all belonging to Marilyn Monroe. Would Anderson be interested in photographing the collection?

The material - about 10,000 documents - had been thought lost for more than 40 years since the death of Monroe on the night of 4 August 1962. Now, here it was, a treasure trove, languishing in a Californian suburb.

It was the commission of a lifetime, the largest undocumented Monroe archive in existence. Yes, of course Anderson was interested, and, with the help of the biographer and Monroe aficionado Lois Banner, he set about creating a record of the archive's contents, which is now to be published for the first time as a book.

The lost diary of Queen Victoria's final companion

Ben Leach
The Telegraph
Sat, 26 Feb 2011 23:00 UTC

Abdul Karim's writings, hidden by his family until now, throw new light on a close and controversial relationship, says Ben Leach.

'I am so very fond of him. He is so good and gentle and understanding... and is a real comfort to me."

These were the words of Queen Victoria speaking to her daughter-in-law, Louise, Duchess of Connaught, on November 3, 1888, at Balmoral. Perhaps surprising, though, is who she was talking about - not her beloved husband, Albert, who had died in 1861. Nor John Brown, her loyal Scottish ghillie, who in many ways filled the void left by Albert, since Brown had died in 1883.

Instead, Queen Victoria was referring to Abdul Karim, her 24-year-old Indian servant.

Her relationship with Karim was one that sent shockwaves through the royal court - and ended up being one of the most scandalous periods of her 64-year reign.

Indeed, such was the ill-feeling that when Victoria died, her son King Edward ordered all records of their relationship, including correspondence and photographs, to be destroyed.

Oldest subarctic North American human remains found

Marmian Grimes
Thu, 24 Feb 2011 09:47 UTC

A newly excavated archaeological site in Alaska contained the cremated remains of one of the earliest inhabitants of North America. The site may provide rare insights into the burial practices of Ice Age people and shed new light on their daily lives.

University of Alaska Fairbanks archaeologist Ben Potter and four colleagues published their discovery in the Feb. 25 edition of the journal Science.

The skeletal remains appear to be that of an approximately three-year-old child, found in an ancient fire pit within an equally ancient dwelling at the Upward Sun River site, near the Tanana River in central Alaska. Radiocarbon dating of wood at the site indicates the cremation took place roughly 11,500 years ago, when the Bering Land Bridge may still have connected Alaska and Asia. Initial observations of the teeth by UAF bioarchaeologist Joel Irish provide confirmation that the child is biologically affiliated with Native Americans and Northeast Asians.

Dinosaur Discovery: 10 Recent Prehistoric Discoveries

The Telegraph, UK
Wed, 23 Feb 2011 02:00 UTC

Our knowledge of dinosaurs is increasing all the time. Here are a list of the most recent discoveries.

Dinosaur Extinction

Dinosaurs survived for more than 700,000 years after the earth was hit by a massive meteorite originally believed to have caused their extinction, according to new research.

Tests on a fossilised bone of a plant eating dinosaur discovered in New Mexico found that it was only 64.8 million years old.

Scientists at the university of Alberta, Canada, said it is possible that in some areas the vegetation wasn't wiped out and a number of hadrosaur species survived.

'Amazing' Discovery of Thomas Jefferson's Book Collection

Victoria Fitzgerald
The Celebrity Cafe
Tue, 22 Feb 2011 06:25 UTC

Collection includes handwritten notes from the founding father

Several dozen lost books belonging to Thomas Jefferson have been discovered at Washington University in St. Louis.

According to The Associated Press (link), the rare books, which included handwritten notes from the third president of the United States, were uncovered among 3,000 that were donated to the school in 1880 following the death of Jefferson's granddaughter, Ellen Wayles Randolph Coolidge.

Erin Davies, Washington University's rare books curator, commented on the revelation, saying, "It is so out of the blue and pretty amazing."

The discovery shocked academics because there was never any suggestion that any of the collection had belonged to Jefferson, but it has been revealed that in 1828, two and a half years after the president's death, the contents of his 1,600-book library was sold to settle debts.

L'Ariège cave paintings: 14,000 years of history

The Telegraph
Fri, 25 Feb 2011 08:53 UTC

The Ariège is renowned as a frontier, between Gascony and Languedoc, France and Spain, but its topography is bursting with 14,000 years of visible history.

Beneath the rocky hilltops lies a concentration of prehistoric caves decorated with fine wall drawings and clay mouldings of bison, horse, reindeer and ibex.

The Grotte de Lombrives is the largest cave in Europe; the Grotte du Mas d'Azil is rich in refuge history, while the Grotte de Niaux is especially noted for its cave paintings.

The Iceman Mummy: Finally Face to Face

Rossella Lorenzi
Discovery News
Fri, 25 Feb 2011 00:00 UTC

Brown-eyed, bearded, furrow faced, and tired: this is how Ötzi the Iceman might have looked, according to the latest reconstruction based on 20 years of research and investigations.

Realized by two Dutch experts, Alfons and Adrie Kennis, the model was produced with the latest in forensic mapping technology that uses three-dimensional images of the mummy's skull as well as infrared and tomographic images.

The new reconstruction shows a prematurely old man, with deep-set eyes, sunken cheeks, a furrowed face and ungroomed beard and hair.

Although he looks tired, Ötzi has vivid brown eyes. Indeed, recent research on the 5,300-year-old mummy has shown that the Stone Age man did not have blue eyes as previously thought.

Believed to have died around the age of 45, Ötzi was about 1.60 meters (5 foot, 3 inches) tall and weighed 50 kilograms (110 pounds).

Evidence Neanderthals used feathers for decoration

Lin Edwards
PhysOrg.com
Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:44 UTC

Researchers studying a large deposit of Neanderthal bones in Italy have discovered the remains of birds along with the bones, and evidence the feathers were probably used for ornamentation. The findings add evidence that the now extinct Neanderthals could have been as cultured as our own ancestors.

Bronze Age skeleton found in garden by man building a shed

irishtimes.com
Fri, 25 Feb 2011 03:51 UTC

An archaeology enthusiast in Co Westmeath has unearthed human remains dating back more than 4,000 years in his back garden.

The National Museum of Ireland has described as "significant" the find by Pat Tiernan at Rickardstown, Collinstown.

Mr Tiernan had been excavating soil for the construction of a "lean-to", or shed, at the rear of his home when a spell of bad weather led to a small landslide.

"I looked out the window and saw bones protruding out the back and I saw the pot, and then I kind of knew what I was looking at," Mr Tiernan said.

"They looked too big for ordinary animal bones and too small for large animal bones. I kinda clicked it because I was used to looking at a bit of the Time Team."

After a visit to Newgrange, Mr Tiernan developed an interest in ancient Irish art and archaeology. He contacted specialists about the find.

© Co Westmeath.Photograph: Molloy Photography
A Bronze Age skeleton that was found last week in the back garden of Pat Tiernan at Collinstown

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Secret History

Maysara Archaeological Site Records Ancient Life in Syria

Marilyn Monroe: the unseen files

The lost diary of Queen Victoria's final companion

Oldest subarctic North American human remains found

Dinosaur Discovery: 10 Recent Prehistoric Discoveries

'Amazing' Discovery of Thomas Jefferson's Book Collection

L'Ariège cave paintings: 14,000 years of history

The Iceman Mummy: Finally Face to Face

Evidence Neanderthals used feathers for decoration

Bronze Age skeleton found in garden by man building a shed

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