Archeology-palooza
PHOTOS (clockwise from top left): Stone carvings at Gobekli Tepe, possibly the world’s oldest temple; Archeologists excavate the newly-discovered pyramid of Sesheshet at Saqqara, Egypt; Comedian Jim Bowen performing selections from “Philogelos: The Laugh Addict”; Google Earth’s new Ancient Rome skin.
This month may have seen America change its focus to the future, but it’s also been a banner month so far for big news about the past:
- Gobekli Tepe: The World’s First Temple? [from Smithsonian.com]: A newly-discovered temple in Turkey predates Stonehenge by 6,000 years.
- Egypt: 4,300-year-old pyramid discovered [from CNN]: Zahi Hawass gets his P.R. on as he talks about the 118th pyramid discovered in Egypt, built in Saqqara for Queen Sesheshet, mother of Sixth Dynasty pharaoh King Teti.
- Google Earth: Ancient Rome edition: Google extends its world domination back to 320 A.D.
- Dead Parrot Sketch Ancestor Found [from BBC News]: Philogelos: The Laugh Addict is released as an e-book of the world’s oldest jokes, containing video of still-alive comic Jim Bowen performing selections from the book to a contemporary audience. And of course the BBC has to find a Monty Python angle to the story.