As I don't seem able to post the link (they get deleted) here's an interesting story in full:

The Times September 11, 2006

Notebook: Archeology


From the void: a new tomb in Valley of the Kings?
By Norman Hammond, Archaeology Correspondent



AN UNDISTURBED royal tomb has been detected deeply buried in the Valley of the Kings, a British Egyptologist claims. The find, using remote-sensing equipment, lies only a few yards from the tomb of Tutankhamun, discovered in 1922, and is likely to date to the same early New Kingdom period between 1550BC and 1300 BC, and perhaps even to Tutankhamun’s own 18th dynasty.
“From its location this tomb could prove to be a find of the greatest possible significance,” said Nicholas Reeves, director of the Amarna Royal Tombs Project. “Situated in a part of the Valley which was out of bounds to earlier excavators, moreover, the new find is almost certain to be undisturbed.”



Dr Reeves believes that the site, neighbouring tombs KV62, that of Tutankhamun, and KV63, the most recent discovery, is likely to represent another burial of the period after the reign of the “heretic” pharaoh Akhenaten. It may even be of those who once lived in his abandoned capital of Akhetaten at Tell el-Amarna.

The find was made during the survey that located KV63, which this year yielded coffins empty of mummies, but containing embalmers’ gear. The latest issue of the Egyptological journal KMT illustrates many of the the KV63 finds, including the naturalistic faces painted on the coffins and the feather-stuffed “pillows” found crammed into one of them.

Although KV63 was located using ground-penetrating radar in 2000, a false accusation of antiquities smuggling led to Dr Reeves’s permit being suspended, he said in an interview with Archaeology. Although he was cleared last year, Dr Reeves has yet to be allowed back into the Valley of the Kings, and KV63 was uncovered by Otto Schaden, of the University of Memphis. The new discovery comes from further analysis of the earlier radar data.

The project was driven by a physical threat that the rubble fill of the Valley, and with it most of the archaeology, might be removed wholesale to combat flash-flooding on the open tombs. In the course of work to potentially locate the burial place of Akhenaten’s wife and co-regent, Nefertiti, Dr Reeves found that much more lay undisturbed than previously thought. He thus turned his attention to potential unlocated tombs.

Dr Reeves said: “Radar is a tricky technology, but well-suited, it seems, to the Valley of the Kings terrain. The radar signal is emitted as a pulse, with the time and the force of the reflection echo measured and appearing on screen as real-time data.

“It’s important to note that these data are mere patterns and do not represent the actual form or dimension of the object detected. I have every faith in the skills of our radar specialist, Hirokatsu Watanabe, one of the best in the world. He’s confident that what we have here is the same as we had with KV63 — a significant void, a tomb.”

“It’s a feature which I guess hasn’t seen the light of day for several millennia. We’re calling it “KV64,” he said.

If the tomb is there, several 18th-dynasty royals are potential occupants, including Nefertiti, Akhenaten’s secondary wife, Kiya, and daughter, Meketaten.

Gibraltar: Last post of the Neanderthal?

Neanderthals clung on to existence in southern Europe as recently as 24,000 years ago, research on a cave in Gibraltar has revealed today.

Carbon dating evidence from charcoal found inside Gorham's cave brings forward the timing of their extinction by almost 10,000 years. Previous studies said our closest relative probably went the way of the dodo around 33,000 years ago.

Robin ap Hood

I always knew he was Welsh.....runs for cover

Timesonline

Time Team in The Isle of Man...

Time Team Was Here...

PRESS STATEMENT

3 October 2006

Settlement of the Hill of Tara / M3 case

Today I am pleased to announce that a settlement has been formalised
before the Supreme Court in my case against the Minister for the
Environment, Heritage and Local Government; The Attorney General; Meath
County Council; and the National Roads Authority, regarding the
excavation and planned construction of the M3 motorway through the Hill
of Tara archaeological complex.

I have accepted an offer from the Defendants to settle these particular
proceedings after receiving legal advice from my Senior Counsel, Mr Ger
Hogan SC, and Mr Frank Callanan SC, that it was in the best interests
the campaign to preserve the integrity of the Tara complex. Thus, I
have withdrawn my Supreme Court appeal in return for their agreement
not to pursue me personally for costs, estimated in the region of
600,000 euros. The path is now clear for fresh legal challenges to the
M3 at Tara by independent third parties, one of which is understood to
be under way.

I took judicial review of the May 2005 decision of the Minister for the
Environment, Dick Roche, within the 8 week time limit, and was granted
leave by Justice Peart in July 2005. But the hearing was postponed by
the President of the High Court, Mr Justice Joseph Finnegan, in
anticipation of the then pending Supreme Court ruling in the
Carrickmines Castle / M50 case. Finally, the hearing went ahead
regardless in January 2006, after the Carrickmines ruling was postponed
for a third time.

From the very first day of trial my case sank into a procedural
quagmire, when Mr Justice Tom Smyth refused to accept affidavits and
threw them back over the bench at us. The case then unravelled when he
refused our motion for oral cross-examination of witnesses, and
critical evidence, was excluded. The excluded evidence went to the
heart of the case, and we were unable to legally prove that new
national monuments had been discovered.

Expert evidence from Discovery Programme Experts, Conor Newman, Joe
Fenwick and Edel Bhreatnach, alleged that many of the newly discovered
38 sites between Navan and Dunshaughin are national monuments because
they lie within the Tara complex. In addition, they alleged that 2
particular monuments, at Baronstown and Collierstown in the Tara/Skryne
valley, are national monuments in their own right. However, at the
commencement of proceedings they decided not to support an application
for an injunction, but rather let the matter go directly to full
hearing on the merits, in order not to hold up the M3 unnecessarily.

With these national monuments now under imminent threat of demolition,
and excavations due to end in early 2007, time is of the essence. The
best result we could have hoped for in the Supreme Court in my case was
a rehearing in the High Court, followed by another Supreme Court
appeal. However, any new Plaintiff would be able to make an
application for an injunction immediately.

The substance of my case will now be brought directly to the
Environment Directorate of the European Union and I am petitioning the
EU to take legal action directly against Ireland for breaches of EU
law. The evidence will show how the NRA has systematically underplayed
the extent and significance of the Tara archaeological complex, in
light of the fact that the Environmental Impact Assessment only
identified 5 out of 38 sites.

The campaign will cotinue in earnest and I will remain Legal Affairs
spokesperson for TaraWatch and continue to seek a political solution,
as well as a legal solution, in light of the upcoming General Election
and the fact that 70% of voters surveyed last year wanted the M3
rerouted.

TaraWatch has recently been contacted by the World Monuments Fund, a
New York-based non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and
protecting endangered ancient and historic sites around the world. They
want us to make a submission with a view to putting the Tara complex on
the list of World’s 100 Most Endangered Sites list. We are also in
direct contact with Europa Nostra, the administrators of European
Heritage Week, who are considering launching an investigation into the
Tara affair.

TaraWatch will also participate in a series of public demonstrations,
the first of which will be held in Navan on Saturday, 4th November,
starting at 3pm. We are also producing an album with bands like The
Waterboys, Paddy Casey and Kila having offered songs.

On a personal level, I took this case because I truly believe the
current M3 plan to be illegal, immoral and unethical and I still hold
that view. The route of the M3 is ‘the fruit of the poisonous tree’, to
use a legal expression. The roots of that tree are deeply embedded in
Leinster House, where later today the Irish people will be officially
informed, in essence, that black is in fact white.

The branches of this 'tree' extend well into County Meath, where recent
by-election campaign saw the withdrawal of the Fianna Fail candidate
after it was disclosed that he co-owned land with Frank Dunlop outside
Dunshaughlin, not far from the M3. This was the same candidate that
informed RTE’s Prime Time that nothing had been discovered by the NRA
at Tara except “pots and pans”. An article in Ireland on Sunday called
‘Tara Tycoons’, (10-09-05) shows how major Fianna Fail contributors
stand to make millions from developing lands in and around the 50 acre
junction planned for Blundelstown, 1,000 metres from the crest of the
Hill of Tara.

Recently, the NRA and indeed the Taoiseach have followed this lead and
falsely and maliciously alleged that my case has cost the taxpayer 70
to 150 million euros in delays, as well as the lives of accident
victims who had to drive on the old road. The obvious truth is that my
case has caused no delay in the M3, as excavations are not even due to
end until early 2007. There has been no delay in construction and no
injunction in place, by my own design.

Finally, I did ask that this matter be handed over to binding
arbitration, which would entail an independent third party assessment
by a mutually acceptable qualified archaeological consultancy company.
All legal consequences would flow from the determination of the core
issues of law and fact: (a) Does the M3 pass through the national
monument of Tara? and (b) Have new national monuments been discovered?
This would be quickest and most effective means of bringing finality to
the issue and certainty to the M3 project. The authorities rejected
this proposal, which means that fresh legal proceedings are likely,
along with a dramatic escalation of protests.

There are many other problems with the M3, besides the purely heritage
issues. The current route is a waste of taxpayers money because it
actually veers 3.5 km off path between Navan and Dunshaughlin to go
through the Tara complex, and crosses the N3 in two places within 8
miles, where there is no population density. If it were to go 3.5 km
westwards instead it would not need any N3 crossovers and would service
Trim, as well as saving approximately 50 million euros.

While TaraWatch is mainly concerned with saving Tara and is not an
anti-motorway lobby, we do note that the Al Gore film, 'An Inconvenient
Truth' shows that global warming is happening much faster than we
imagined and that drastic measures are necessary to reverse the trend.
The M3 represents 1970's technology in terms of fuel efficiency. Even
the NRA itself is touting 2+1 schemes as much better options in terms
of safety and efficiency per taxpayer euro. Meanwhile, there is no
sign of the Navan to Dublin railway being opened, giving commuters an
opportunity to get out of their cars and avoid the inevitable traffic
jam at Blanchardstown, which will happen even if the M3 is built as
planned.

Sooner or later this Government, or the next, must accept the
inconvenient truth that the approval of the M3 route is one of the
worst ever planning decisions in Ireland, and that it must be revisited
in light of current knowledge and common sense.

ENDS

Vincent Salafia

Workmen unearth 3,600 Roman coins
A digger being used by workmen on a building site in Kent has unearthed 3,600 bronze Roman coins dating from AD330 to AD348.
Archaeologists from Kent County Council (KCC) were called to the site in the Medway Valley after the digger arm overturned a pot containing the coins.

"The workmen saw all these coins come pouring out of the digger bucket," said Maidstone Museum's Laura McLean.

They will be transferred to the British Museum for cleaning and recording.

It is then hoped the hoard of coins can be put on display in Kent.

The county council's Andrew Richardson said: "In four years of dealing with all the treasure in Kent I have never dealt with anything on this scale.

"The remarkable thing is that someone has gathered these coins together and stashed them because they were no longer legal tender."

Dr Richardson said the coins featured the head of Roman Emperor Constantine and other powerful figures from the time.

Story from BBC NEWS:

Thornborough Henges will be on Tyne Tees TV news tonight. The feature is regarding the current planning application in anticipation of next months planning meeting.

George

I shall be going along to this...

Digging for Secrets of the Mount - Towcester.

quote:

Originally posted by arawn:
Workmen unearth 3,600 Roman coins
A digger being used by workmen on a building site in Kent has unearthed 3,600 bronze Roman coins dating from AD330 to AD348.

Good job a detectorist didn't find them. We would never have heard the last of that pot being smashed

quote:

Originally posted by e-bay...Empty broken pot for sale

Don't you start

15 October 2006

Council intent on destruction of Yorkshire's archaeology
Angry campaign groups have accused North Yorkshire County Council of encouraging the destruction of one of the area’s most important ancient sites. Campaigners from Heritage Action and TimeWatch have claimed the council seems intent on ruining the archaeology surrounding historic Thornborough Henges, near Bedale. The campaigners say they were 'astonished and dismayed' to learn that the council is considering land in the vicinity as a preferred area for future quarrying.
Quarry firm Tarmac was refused planning permission in March for an expansion of activities at Nosterfield Quarry, close to the henges, but resubmitted an alternative proposal for the Ladybridge Farm site in July, as well as appealing against the decision. Spokesman for Heritage Action, Stephen Cornwell, said: "It is quite incredible what is going on. Tarmac is appealing against a refusal to extend their existing quarry, yet at the same time North Yorkshire County Council has invited suggestions for further quarrying." TimeWatch chairman George Chaplin said he was dismayed by the plans to make the area around the henges a preferred site for quarrying. "North Yorkshire County Council seems actually to be encouraging these companies to destroy the nationally important heritage of this area," he said.
A spokesman for the county council refuted claims they wanted to destroy the site, and said they are currently consulting on a range of potential new areas for development across North Yorkshire, as required by law. "It is entirely incorrect that we are encouraging the destruction of the site and we have worked quite hard to encourage the protection of the area. The council is aware of concerns about future quarrying in the vicinity of Thornborough Henges and these concerns will be taken into account before any decisions are made."
Consultation to draw up blueprints for quarrying and waste disposal is still at an early stage, according to the council, which has said its minerals and waste development framework will begin later this month. A spokesman for Tarmac said: "As announced last year, Tarmac has made no submission to quarry on Thornborough Moor adjacent to the Thornborough Henges."

Source: Nidderdale Today (13 October 2006)

"Looted" Hungarian silver surfaces in London

The Guardian

Further to the above post:

Northampton Today

This is a great shame, it was a very interesting museum in a lovely location.

MINING MUSEUM FACES CLOSURE

A CASH starved museum has finally thrown in the towel.

Trustees have announced they do not plan to re-open the Lead Mining Museum in Wanlockhead next season.

Museum Faces Closure

It may not be the end just yet - they have threatened to close themselves down before, and along with a couple of other industrial museums - the Scottish Maritime Museum and the Scottish (coal) Mining Museum - they have been rescued by the Scottish Executive. It may well happen again.

Google Earth helps armchair acheologists

WorldNews

Tombs of dentists of The Kings - Cairo.

Three new tombs Nr Cairo

My spies tell me Time Team was at Buckingham Palace yesterday and Phil got lost and came upon a clock made by John Harrison.

I was at Pompeii four years ago, and saw this before full restoration.... What a lovely sight!

Up Pompeii - Guardian.