The Week's Top News

May 07, 2008

A rather slow week. Among the most interesting news, the case of the androgynous pharaoh Akhenaten, a sunken treasure in a shipwreck off the African coast of Namibia, a new investigations into Aztec turquoise mosaics, and a study suggesting that Celtic roots lie in Spain and Portugal.

Also, a medieval pavement, made up of rare marbles and gemstones, has been revealed at London's Westminster Abbey, while a new study suggested that Neandertals had big mouths that they were able to open unusually wide.  At last, researchers are revising the image of the Vikings: from longship ram-raiders to the fishmongers of Europe. 

'Androgynous' Pharaoh Had Feminine Physique:
"...Akhenaten wasn't the most manly pharaoh, even though he fathered at least a half-dozen children. In fact, his form was quite feminine. And he was a bit of an egghead...."

African Shipwreck Yields Rich Treasures:
".. The ship was laden with tons of copper ingots, elephant tusks, gold coins -- and cannons to fend off pirates. But it had nothing to protect it from the fierce weather off a particularly bleak stretch of inhospitable African coast, and it sank 500 years ago. Now it has been found.."

New look at turquoise treasures of the Aztecs:
"...Aztec turquoise mosaics, such as those in the British Museum’s Mexican Gallery, could well yield evidence that ancient trade networks in late pre-Columbian America were much more complex than we have assumed..."

Carpet of stone: medieval mosaic pavement revealed:
"The wraps have come off one of Westminster Abbey's least known treasures, a medieval marble pavement foretelling the end of the world..."

Neandertals Had Big Mouths, Gaped Widely:
"Neandertals had big mouths that they were able to open unusually wide, new research has determined."

Celtic roots lie in Spain and Portugal:
"..the Celts were the remnants of a great culture that extended here from modern-day eastern France, Switzerland, southern Germany and Austria..."

Vikings: from ram-raiders to fishmongers:
"Archaeologists and scientists have revealed that 1,000 years ago cod was traded extraordinary distances across Europe, from the Norwegian Arctic to England and the Baltic."