Thursday, October 28, 2004

Archaeologist hopes 3,000-year-old wood is from ancient ship

An archaeologist's dog may have discovered the first ship ever found from the period of King David and his son, Solomon, who ruled the holy land 3, 000 ago.

The remains, which have been carbon-dated to the ninth century B.C., include a huge stone anchor believed to be the largest ever unearthed. The wreckage is lying under a few inches of sand off the Mediterranean coast in shallow waters, and has yet to be examined extensively.

If the remains are indeed 3,000 years old, it would be the first archaeological artifact ever found from the era of the first kings of Israel, with the possible exception of several huge stones at the base of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

The discovery was made by a dog, according to marine archaeologist Kurt Raveh.


Scientists dig up family skeletons

It has been a mystery for more than a century - is a skull in an Austrian basement really that of arguably the greatest composer of all time, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?

Over the weekend a group of archaeologists began to answer the question by digging up the remains of Mozart's close relatives.

In a controversial operation, the scientists exhumed several skeletons from Mozart's family vault in Salzburg, where the composer spent most of his life.

On Monday they appear to have discovered the remains of the composer's 16-year-old niece Jeanette, whose bones could unlock the mystery of whether the skull, currently kept by Salzburg's Mozarteum Foundation, really is Mozart's.


Syrian archaeology report An abundant archeological excavations year in Syria

Syria is famous for its archeological sites that amount to 4,000. This number is increasing due to efforts by more than 120 archeological national and foreign teams working in Syria. Archeological excavations had unearthed important ruins that date back to old ages, a matter that confirms Syria's rich historical, human and civilization heritage.

Among the most important findings is the Nabatyiah Cemetery that was excavated south of Sweida, south of the country and includes four tombs separated by an internal foyer on the middle of which there is a main tomb higher than the others. It is believed to be the main burial place of one of the rulers or princes in that period.

In Sweida also, national teams unearthed a Nabatyian cemetery in Salkhad Citadel that dates back to before the first century A.D.


More Chinese tombs About 4,000-year-old tombs unearthed in Fujian

Archaeologists in eastern Fujian Province have unearthed 31 tombs dating back about 4,000 years from the bottom of a reservoir in Fuqing.

The 31 prehistoric tombs are scattered in an area of 800 squaremeters at the bottom of the Dongzhang Reservoir, which has dried up due to continual droughts.

Archaeologists with the provincial archaeological research institute have excavated the area during the past two months, unearthing 123 funeral objects from the tombs. The relics range from pottery to stone tools to jade ware. Each of these tombs is about two meters long and 0.5 to 0.6 meters wide.