Ancient World Review

New Discoveries In Chinese Archaeology (2009)

The Voyage around the Erythraean Sea

"The Periplus Maris Erythraei (or ‘Voyage around the Erythraean Sea’ [note: the modern Red Sea]) is an anonymous work from around the middle of the first century CE written by a Greek speaking Egyptian merchant." (Source: Washington University) The document describes "the maritime trade-routes following the north-south axis from Egypt down the coast of East Africa as far as modern day Tanzania" and "the routes of the east-west axis running from Egypt, around the Arabian Peninsula and past the Persian Gulf on the west coast of India." The complete translation of this fascinating resource on the ancient sea trade can be found here. A detailed map of the Erythraean Sea in the 1st Century can be found here.

Delphi: The Belly Button Of The Ancient World

Underwater Archaeologists Search Aegean Sea

"Researchers have already found one potential Minoan wreck site by the island of Pseira, off the northeast coast of Crete. In 2003, archaeologist Elpida Hatzidaki of the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities discovered a large collection of underwater pottery dating to around 1800 BC." Source: Nature.

According to the Thera Foundation, "Pseira...was first inhabited in the Final Neolithic / Early Minoan I period, and the settlement expanded in the Middle Bronze Age and again in the Late Bronze Age, reaching its greatest size in Late Minoan I. After a destruction in LM IB, the town seems to have been abandoned for a short time. A reoccupation in LM III was followed by another abandonment, and the island may have had only intermittent visitors until the 6th century AD."

More on underwater archaeology in Greece here.

Ancient Sican Tomb Discovered In Peru

"The Sican (also Sicán) culture is the name that archaeologist Izumi Shimada gave to the culture that inhabited what is now the north coast of Peru between about AD 750 and 1375. According to Shimada, Sican means "temple of the moon." Source: Wikipedia. See The Sican Archaeological Project for more information. Note: discovery was apparently made last year.

Divers Retrieve Prehistoric Wood From Lake Huron

"Under the cold clear waters of Lake Huron, University of Michigan researchers have found a five-and-a-half foot-long, pole-shaped piece of wood that is 8,900 years old," according to Science Daily. "The wood, which is tapered and beveled on one side in a way that looks deliberate, may provide important clues to a mysterious period in North American prehistory."

Ancient Georgian Kingdom Of Colchis Pt. 1

Part Two of this Michael Woods documentary can be found here.

Roman Cavalry Helmet Found In Iron Age Shrine May Prove Britons Fought With Legions

"Constructed of sheet iron, the helmet, once decorated with gold leaf, is the only one to have been found in Britain with its silver gilt plating intact." Source: Telegraph.

"The helmet features scenes of Roman military victory, including the bust of a woman flanked by lions, and a Roman Emperor on horseback with the goddess Victory flying behind and a cowering figure, possibly a native Briton, being trampled under his horse's hooves.

"The object is believed to have been buried in the years around Roman Emperor Claudius's invasion of Britain in AD43." More here.

Top 10 Ancient History News Stories Of 2011

List compiled by History Of The Ancient World.

Terry Jones' Hidden History Of Rome