Egyptian pyramids found by infra-red satellite images

From the BBC

"Seventeen lost pyramids are among the buildings identified in a new satellite survey of Egypt.

More than 1,000 tombs and 3,000 ancient settlements were also revealed by looking at infra-red images which show up underground buildings."

Stone tools 'demand new American story'

From the BBC

"The long-held theory of how humans first populated the Americas may have been well and truly broken.

Archaeologists have unearthed thousands of stone tools that predate the technology widely assumed to have been carried by the first settlers."

Frome Hoard of Roman coins to stay in Somerset

From the BBC

"The largest ever collection of Roman coins found in Britain in one pot will stay in the county where it was unearthed.

The Museum of Somerset has raised £320,250 to keep the Frome Hoard. There had been fears it would go to London."

NZ quake unearths 'time capsules'

From the BBC

"Two objects believed to be time capsules have been discovered in the aftermath of last week's ruinous earthquake in New Zealand.

A glass bottle with a parchment inside and a metal cylinder were found by rescuers searching the grounds of the cathedral in the city of Christchurch."

Roman settlement unearthed in Syon Park, west London

From the BBC

"A Roman settlement filled with ancient artefacts and human remains has been found on a west London building site.

Archaeologists excavating the listed Syon Park site made the discovery of more than 11,000 Roman items just half a metre below the ground."

Digger finds Neolithic tomb complex

From the BBC

"Archaeologists on Orkney are investigating what is thought to be a 5,000-year-old tomb complex.

A local man stumbled on the site while using a mechanical digger for landscaping."

Bronze Age hoard found intact in Essex field

From the BBC

"Archaeologists have unearthed a collection of Bronze Age axe heads, spear tips and other 3,000-year-old metal objects buried in an Essex field.

The items include an intact pottery container with heavy contents which has been removed undisturbed."

Face to face with the past

From Euronews (includes video)

"Greek scientists and archaeologists have reconstructed the face and head of an 11-year-old girl who died from typhoid fever during a plague in Athens around 2,500 years ago."

Treasure hunter finds rare antique in Cumbria

From the BBC (includes video)

"A metal detector enthusiast in Cumbria has discovered a rare Roman bronze helmet complete with face-mask.

It is believed to be one of only three of its kind to be found in Britain.

The helmet would have been worn, possibly with colourful streamers attached, as a mark of excellence by Roman soldiers at sport parades."

Dry weather reveals archaeological 'cropmarks' in fields

From the BBC

"Hundreds of ancient sites have been discovered by aerial surveys, thanks to a dry start to the summer, English Heritage has said.

The surveys show marks made when crops growing over buried features develop at a different rate from those nearby."

Archaeologists uncover 3,500-year-old Egypt city

From Reuters

"Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a 3,500-year-old settlement in one of Egypt's desert oases that predates earlier cities by a millennium, the Ministry of Culture said Wednesday.

The Yale University mission excavating in Umm El-Kharga Oasis, one of Egypt's five western deserts, located some 200 km south of Cairo, stumbled upon the find while working to map ancient routes in the Western Desert."

The dig dividing Jerusalem

"The search for the City of David may offer tourists a reminder of Jerusalem's ancient past. But for the Palestinians whose homes are threatened by the excavations, archaeology is merely the latest weapon being used against them..."

On Crete, New Evidence of Very Ancient Mariners

"Early humans, possibly even prehuman ancestors, appear to have been going to sea much longer than anyone had ever suspected.

That is the startling implication of discoveries made the last two summers on the Greek island of Crete. Stone tools found there, archaeologists say, are at least 130,000 years old, which is considered strong evidence for the earliest known seafaring in the Mediterranean and cause for rethinking the maritime capabilities of prehuman cultures..."

Two thousand year old Roman aqueduct discovered

"A pair of British amateur archaeologists believe they have found the hidden source of a Roman aqueduct 1,900 years after it was inaugurated by the Emperor Trajan..."

Makeover may lose Bolivian pyramid it world heritage site listing

As with all makeovers, it seemed a good idea at the time. The village of Tiwanaku in the Bolivian Andes reckoned it could attract more tourists by giving an ancient pyramid a facelift.

Workers plastered the Akapana pyramid – one of the biggest constructions in South America which predates the Incas – with adobe to make it look more impressive.

The problem, according to some experts, is that the new look is an archaeological travesty which could cost the pyramid its UN world heritage site designation...

(So basically the lesson is guys, leave it to the experts!)

Huge Anglo-Saxon gold hoard found

The UK's largest haul of Anglo-Saxon treasure has been discovered buried beneath a field in Staffordshire. Experts say the collection of 1,500 gold and silver pieces, which may date to the 7th Century, is unparalleled in size and worth "a seven figure sum".

It has been declared treasure by South Staffordshire coroner Andrew Haigh, meaning it belongs to the Crown...

Tomb of St. Paul found?

The Vatican is claiming that human remains found in a tomb discovered in 2006 belong to St. Paul the Apostle. Fragments of material and bone were found in the tomb which has remained closed but investigated using a small probe. The bone was carbon-dated to the 1st century AD. Vatican experts point to the tomb's position in the the basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls in Rome underneath an epigraph "Paulo Apostolo Mart (Paul the Apostle and Martyr)" as being proof the remains are of St. Paul.

Oldest musical instrument found

A 35,000 year old flute has been found, the oldest musical instrument discovered. The five hole flute was found in Germany's Ach Valley and was carved from the wing bone of a large vulture. The flute is nearly intact, three other flutes in fragments have been found plus a female figurine. The flutes show that music played a part in the Aurignacian culture which lasted from 40K to 10K years ago.

Search on for 'lost' battlefields of England

A major new project is underway to rediscover the "lost" battlefields of England dating back to the Roman invasion and preserve what is left of them (if they arn't already under a carpark or housing estate). It is thought there could be as many as 450 battlefields out there somewhere but Battlefields Trust and English Heritage are aiming to discover the exact location of around 100 and document them on an on-line register. These sites will then have custodians to keep an eye on the battlefield site and promote it to the local community.