Book Review: Ancient Africa (National Geographic)
Broward Times (Terr Schlichenmeyer)
Review of a book aimed at school children:
Imagine digging through the soil and finding a fossil that turns out to be the skull of an early human. Did you know that that hominid might have been your ancestor? Scientists have proven that humans can trace their origins back to Africa.
Now think of pyramids. You’ve probably got Egyptian pyramids pictured in your brain, but you might be surprised to know that there are more pyramids in Sudan than there are in Egypt. That’s because, over the centuries, Nubia sometimes ruled Egypt, and at other times, Egypt ruled Nubia. In both cases, pyramids were built to serve as tombs for important rulers.
And as you’re digging for other clues about ancient Africa, you might find some pottery shards, bones, or ancient tools. Scientists can tell how old these finds are by a carbon dating method that determines how much carbon has disappeared from an object. It’s not a foolproof method, but it has given some archaeologists a few surprises.
- Drought At The End Of The Old Kingdom
Scotsman (Lyndsay Buckland) They built the iconic pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza, which still stand as a monument to their skills and tenacity to this day. But the fall of the great Egyptian Old Kingdom may have been helped along by a common problem...
- News: Stone Age Humans Crossed Sahara In The Rain
New Scientist (Jeff Hecht) Wet spells in the Sahara may have opened the door for early human migration. According to new evidence, water-dependent trees and shrubs grew there between 120,000 and 45,000 years ago. This suggests that changes in the weather...
- New Technology For Dating Ancient Rock Paintings
Science Daily A new dating method finally is allowing archaeologists to incorporate rock paintings — some of the most mysterious and personalized remnants of ancient cultures — into the tapestry of evidence used to study life in prehistoric times....
- Sudan Arrests 12 Trying To Smuggle Mummies
Reuters Africa Sudanese authorities have arrested 12 people accused of smuggling ancient antiquities including two entire mummies, a state news agency said on Saturday. "The police authorities in Nile state have thwarted an attempt to smuggle ancient...
- Italian Archaeologists To Join Efforts To Save Sudan's Artifacts
http://english.people.com.cn/200703/01/eng20070301_353343.html"Two top Italian archaeologists will join the international efforts to save ancient artifacts from being submerged by a dam project in Sudan, Italian news agency ANSA reported Wednesday. Twin...