Much of the world knows Petra, the ancient ruin in modern-day Jordan that is celebrated in poetry as "the rose-red city, 'half as old as time,'" and which provided the climactic backdrop for "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." But far fewer know Madain Saleh, a similarly spectacular treasure built by the same civilization, the Nabateans. That's because it's in Saudi Arabia, where conservatives are deeply hostile to pagan, Jewish and Christian sites that predate the founding of Islam in the 7th century. But now, in a quiet but notable change of course, the kingdom has opened up an archaeology boom by allowing Saudi and foreign archaeologists to explore cities and trade routes long lost in the desert. The sensitivities run deep. Archaeologists are cautioned not to talk about pre-Islamic finds outside scholarly literature. Few ancient treasures are on display, and no Christian or Jewish relics. A 4th or 5th century church in eastern Saudi Arabia has been fenced off ever since its accidental discovery 20 years ago and its exact whereabouts kept secret. [...]

The tragic controversy that followed is chronicled with historical perspective in a new book, Breaking Ground: The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and the Unearthing of Tse-whit-zen Village. It waswritten by a Seattle Times reporter, Lynda Mapes. She spent more than a year interviewing tribal members, archaeologists, historians, city and state officials, local residents and business leaders. More than 330 intact burials were ultimately unearthed at Tse-whit-zen, along with more than 13,000 artifacts. "Excitement at the archaeological find of a generation gave way to anguish as tribal members working alongside state construction workers encountered more and more human remains, including many intact burials," says a press release promoting Breaking Ground. "Finally, tribal members said the words that stopped the state project: 'Enough is enough.' "Soon after, Lower Elwha Klallam tribe chairwoman Frances Charles asked the state to walk away from more than $70 million in public money already spent on the project and find a new site. [...]

State Rep. Chip Limehouse had proposed new legislation that would require state agencies to compile a list of the historic sites they own, but news of the bill helped unearth an existing survey already done in 1992. The list includes almost 2,500 state-owned historic buildings and archaeological sites that Limehouse, R-Charleston, hopes can get further scrutiny for preservation. Historian Katherine Hurt Richardson of Sumter — the first employee ever hired by the then newly formed Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation — pinpointed 2,176 buildings built before 1947 and 307 archaeological sites that are at least as old. Limehouse called the list a great find. “We've got a matrix to work off of,” he said. “This is a big step in the right direction.” Limehouse proposed the bill after this newspaper reported the deteriorating condition of the Bennett's Rice Mill, a significant ruin of early 19th century industrial architecture now owned by the State Ports Authority. [...]

The archaeological site at Birnie, near Elgin, has been recognised as one of major historical importance, and people in the area have been invited to come along and share some of its remarkable discoveries. An excavation team is currently unearthing the remains of burned-down Iron Age roundhouses found at the site, while recent finds of Roman coin hoards and Pictish artefacts have given further clues to what life was like in Moray two millennia ago. National Museums of Scotland curator Dr Fraser Hunter has been leading the Birnie excavations, and he has invited the Moray public to join him on an open day at the site on Sunday, September 13. Dr Hunter is also delivering a talk at Elgin Library before the open day to provide background to the excavations and highlight the latest news from the Iron Age and Pictish power centre discovered there. He said that his team were looking forward to revealing even more secrets about Moray's past which they have uncovered at Birnie. "Each year we open another chapter, and this year we are hoping to find out more about the site's burned-down house, to see what it was like to live in an Iron Age home," said Dr Hunter. [...]

Here are the top archaeological headlines for the period of August 20th to August 27th 2009 | Voici les nouvelles archéologiques pour la semaine du 20 août au 27 août 2009. Presented by Matt Thompson.

Sponsor: Try GotoMeeting free for 30 days! For this special offer, visit www.gotomeeting.com/podcast

In this episode:

USA| Archaeologists search for Texas plantation remains
USA| Archeologists uncover items that are vital clues to Santa Cruz's obscured past
USA| UCLA professor Kara Cooney hosts 'Out of Egypt' on Discovery Channel
MEXICO| Federal and State Resources Destined to Buy Plots with Vestiges in Jalisco
MEXICO| Laboratory to Decipher Zapoteca Writing will be Created
UK| Shackles found in River Thames hold ghoulish tale
UK| Archaeologists unearth home of Lord of Man
UK| Rare tiles unearthed at palace
UK| Scotland's 'earliest face' found
GERMANY| Archaeologists uncover large Roman statue of Augustus
ITALY| Archaeologists to explore how prehistoric Italians made their living at end of the Ice Age
GREECE| Greek Wildfire Spares Marathon Archaeological Sites Near Athens
BULGARIA| Bulgarian Archaeologists Discover Unique Medieval Byzantine Seal
TURKEY| Diving into the secrets of Hagia Sophia
ISRAEL| Archaeological dig reveals 1,500 yr old figurines of Greek goddess Aphrodite
NIGERIA| German Archaeologists Labor to Solve Mystery of the Nok

Archaeologists said Friday they have unearthed a lavish burial site at the seat of the ancient Macedonian kings in northern Greece, heightening a 2,300-year-old mystery of murder and political intrigue. The find in the ruins of Aigai came a few meters (yards) from last year's remarkable discovery of what could be the bones of Alexander the Great's murdered teenage son, according to one expert. Archaeologists are puzzled because both sets of remains were buried under very unusual circumstances: Although cemeteries existed near the site, the bones were taken from an unknown first resting place and re-interred, against all ancient convention, in the heart of the city. Excavator Chrysoula Saatsoglou-Paliadeli said in an interview that the bones found this week were inside one of two large silver vessels unearthed in the ancient city's marketplace, close to the theater where Alexander's father, King Philip II, was murdered in 336 B.C. She said they arguably belonged to a Macedonian royal and were buried at the end of the 4th century B.C. But it is too early to speculate on the dead person's identity, pending tests to determine the bones' sex and age, said Saatsoglou-Paliadeli, a professor of classical archaeology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. [...]

Excavations in Tel Dor have turned up a rare and unexpected work of Hellenistic art: a precious stone bearing the miniature carved likeness of Alexander the Great. Archaeologists are calling it an important find, indicating the great skill of the artist. The Tel Dor dig, under the guidance and direction of Dr. Ayelet Gilboa of Haifa University and Dr. Ilan Sharon of Jerusalem's Hebrew University, has just ended its summer excavation season. For more than 30 years, scientists have been excavating in Tel Dor, identified as the site of the Biblical town of Dor. The town's location, on Israel's Mediterranean Sea coast some 30 kilometers south of Haifa, made it an important international port in ancient times. [...]

Last Week Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), and Samir Farag, head of Luxor City Supreme Council (LCSC) celebrated the completion of several development projects at archaeological sites on both the east and west banks of the Nile. They also visited other ongoing projects for which the total budget was LE127 million. These projects include the restoration of Howard Carter's rest-house with a view to developing it as a museum, the first phase of the installation of a new lighting system in the Valley of the Kings, a new visitor centre at Deir Al-Bahari, and the reopening of the Youssef Abul-Haggag mosque after restoration. The first leg of the tour to inspect restoration began on the west bank at the mud-brick rest-house that was the residence of the discoverer of Tutankhamun's tomb in the early 1900s. Restoration of the house was carried in collaboration with a French team and will be completed in time for the inauguration on 4 November, the day Carter discovered the tomb. Hawass said that to celebrate 86 years since the discovery, a one-day workshop would be held alongside a forum for dialogue surrounding Carter's discovery and subsequent research on the Valley of the Kings. [...]

Mise à jour | Update

Specialists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) continue salvage and excavation work at El Coporo Archaeological Site in Guanajuato. This year, conditioning of the pyramid base located at the top of the mountain that names the site has been achieved, and soon, services area construction will begin. Carlos Torreblanca Padilla, coordinator of El Coporo Archaeological Project informed that it began in 2005, presenting considerable advance, so it might be open to public in 2 years from now. Six conjuncts have been excavated to present at the site associated with Tunal Grande culture (200-1100 AD): Gotas, Llano, Aire, Coporo,Montes and Caracol. Excavated zones represent 5 per cent of the 84 hectares total extension, where 150 structures have been discovered. “This INAH project is focused on 3 fundamental areas: salvage, research and protection of the archaeological site; divulgation and safeguard of ecosystem, and foment of social conscience regarding cultural heritage conservation”, he commented. [...]

A short distance from the centre of Cambridge, sandwiched between the M11 motorway and Girton College on the Huntingdon Road, a 22-tonne mechanical digger and a dozen men and women in high-viz vests are working a field under a big East Anglian sky. The stubbled soil is criss-crossed with dozens of short, shallow trenches dug to a mathematical pattern; from the air, it must look like the board for some giant, fiendishly complicated parlour game. In fact, this is the site for most of Cambridge University's future growth: soon this 120-hectare field will house research and development facilities, academic buildings, accommodation for 1,500 university staff and 2,000 postgraduates, 1,500 private homes, a school, shops and public open spaces. Right now, however, it's an archaeological dig. Or, more accurately, an archaeological evaluation. Obligatory – in theory, at least – for all major new developments since 1990, the procedure is aimed at establishing roughly what might lie beneath any proposed new buildings, and whether more exhaustive excavation might be desirable or necessary. [...]