“Archaeology holds all the keys to understanding who we are and where we come from.”
– Sarah Parcak
Each week on To the Point we share a few articles from the world of archaeology (and its many interconnected fields).
Antiquities for Auction Could Be Illicitly Sourced, Archaeologist Claims
theguardian.com | Dec. 7, 2021
Auction houses Sotheby’s and Bonhams will be making the decision to withdraw items from sale in London, due to archaeologists raising “serious suspicions”. Archaeologists argued that if auction houses make adequate checks with relevant authorities, issues like this wouldn’t appear and the illegal selling of stolen artifacts wouldn’t occur as often.
Gilgamesh Dream Tablet: Iraq Puts Looted Artefact on Display
bbc.com | Dec. 7, 2021
An artifact stolen in 1991 has finally gone on display in Iraq after missing for thirty years. The clay artifact contains part of the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the world’s oldest surviving works of literature. It was smuggled through many countries before ending up at Washington DC’s Museum of the Bible.
smithsonianmag.com | Dec. 7, 2021
Norwegian archaeologists, using ground-penetrating radar, found a cluster of longhouses in an area that may have been a central place in the late Nordic Iron Age. The discoveries, which includes one of the known largest longhouses in Scandinavia, are the first part of a research project examining the development of the area during the Nordic Iron Age.
