Stop Press

A compilation of media articles on heritage topics. Obviously, these all reflect the viewpoints of the authors.

8 May

• World Heritage Sites status sought for 6 Rajasthan forts, Himalayan park
  The Hindu, India
  India has nominated a group of six hill forts in Rajasthan and the Great Himalayan National Park in Himachal Pradesh as candidates for World Heritage Sites this year. UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee at its meeting in Cambodian capital Phnom Penh next month will decide on conferring the status on them.

• United States gives dinosaur skeleton back to Mongolia; Collector faces 17 years in jail
  Art Daily
  The United States on Monday gave back to Mongolia the remains of a 70-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus skeleton stolen from the Gobi desert and sold at auction in New York.

7 May

• Slow city Akyaka closer to UNESCO
  Hürriyet Daily News, Turkey
  Muğla’s Akyaka town was declared a ‘Slow City’ in 2010 and since then work has been accelerated for the town to be recognized as a world heritage site by UNESCO, according to mayor.

6 May

• European and Asian languages traced back to single mother tongue
  The Guardian, United Kingdom
  Eurasiatic languages from Portugal to Siberia form 'superfamily' with root in southern Europe 15,000 years ago, scientists claim.

• WHC seeks explanation for rise in phayung logging
  The Bangkok Post, Thailand
  The World Heritage Committee (WHC) is demanding a response to reports of widespread illegal phayung logging in Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex.

• The biggest wonder about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? They weren’t in Babylon
  The Independent, United Kingdom
  The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, weren’t in Babylon at all – but were instead located 300 miles to the north in Babylon’s greatest rival Nineveh, according to a leading Oxford-based historian.

• Burials and fragmented walls have been brought to light at the Historical Center of Mexico City
  Art Daily
  Three burials, offerings and floor remains with more than 500 years of antiquity, the remains of canals that date back to the XVIII and early XX century, and fragments of colonial walls, have been brought to light at the Historical Center of the City of Mexico. These artifacts, derived from the renovation of the electrical network system in that area, supervised by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).

5 May

• Exclusive: Britain's largest seize of stolen artefacts since Egypt's revolution
  Ahram Online, Egypt
  British police arrest a UK-based businessman on suspicion of looting Egyptian antiquities.

• Thessaloniki Metro Passes Ancient Finds
  Greek Reporter, Greece
  There has been a long debate on the Thessaloniki railway network excavations and whether Thessaloniki’s Pompeii will be saved instead of being covered by the new metro network. Since the proceedings of the railway began, many findings came to light, such as 3,000 graves, 5,000 vessels, 1,500 pieces of jewelry, a basilica dating from the 5th century and a marble paved street among the findings of a large excavation made ​​in an area of ​​28,000 sq.m.

4 May

• French archaeologists uncover a Gallic necropolis from the 4th and 3rd centuries BC
  Art Daily
  An Inrap team has recently uncovered a Gallic necropolis from the 4th and 3rd centuries BC on the site of the Parc Logistique de l’Aube, at Buchères. Since 2004, the 260 hectares of this General Council project has been the object archaeological investigations prescribed by the State (Drac Champagne): 230 hectares have already been evaluated and 40 excavations have been conducted. The last of these has now yielded an exceptional group of Gallic tombs, many devoted to warriors.

• Roman Cemetery Discovered Beneath Parking Lot
  Discovery News, United States
  Hidden beneath a parking lot in Leicester, England, archaeologists have discovered a 1,700-year-old Roman cemetery that seemed to show no religious bias.

• Two-millenia-old Aizanoi inspiring Istanbul bourse
  Hürriyet Daily News, Turkey
  The proud bearer of the title of the world’s first stock exchange, the ancient city of Aizanoi in Kütahya has become a source of inspiration in the promotions for the Istanbul Stock Exchange, which recently became Borsa Istanbul.

3 May

• Metropolitan Museum says it will return Cambodian statues
  Los Angeles Times, United States
  The Metropolitan Museum of Art has agreed to return two ancient statues to Cambodia after receiving convincing evidence they had been looted and smuggled out of the country illegally.

• Ancient paintings discovered in Aydin
  Hürriyet Daily News, Turkey
  Rock paintings dating back thousands of years ago have been found in the Aegean province of Aydin’s Çine district.

• Ravenglass Roman fort: Project to unearth civilian settlement
  BBC, United Kingdom
  Archaeologists are to explore the remains of a Roman naval base in Cumbria in the hope of finding evidence of a civilian settlement from more than 1,800 years ago.

2 May

• Van Gogh's true colours were originally even brighter
  The Guardian, United Kingdom
  Research undertaken by the Van Gogh Museum reveals the master's favourite paints have faded badly since the 1880.

• Turkey’s National Library to digitize cultural heritage
  Hürriyet Daily News, Turkey
  Turkey will be sharing a total of 400,000 pages of its newspaper archive, including in both the Ottoman and Latin scripts, on the digital platform with a European Union program titled the ‘Europeana Newspapers Project.’ The project is supported by European countries such as Germany, Italy

• King Richard III's teeth and jaw reveal monarch's anxious life and violent death
  The Telegraph, United Kingdom
  The violent death suffered by King Richard III at the battle of Bosworth has been revealed in new detail by analysis of his skull and jaw found under a car park in Leicester.

1 May

• Mt. Fuji to go on World Heritage list, but Kamakura rejected
  The Asahi Shimbun, Japan
  Majestic Mount Fuji, the iconic peak that has inspired artists over the centuries, is set to gain UNESCO World Heritage status in June following a recommendation from a key advisory panel.

• Syrian heritage a victim of ongoing conflict
  Al Arabiya, United Arab Emirates
  The minaret of the Umayyad Mosque of Aleppo, one of Syria’s most famous landmarks, was destroyed last week during clashes between rebels and government forces.

• Excavation unearths evidence of Thessaloniki's urban life between 4th and 9th centuries AD
  Art Daily
  Archaeologists in Greece's northern metropolis Thessaloniki were already overjoyed in 2006 when a 2,300-year-old avenue was found during construction work on the city's new underground rail network.

• 'Proof' Jamestown settlers turned to cannibalism
  BBC, United Kingdom
  Newly discovered human bones prove the first permanent English settlers in North America turned to cannibalism over the cruel winter of 1609-10, US researchers have said.

updated on: 8 May, 2013