Tuthankamen’s famous burial mask, on display in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
1. Drought in Turkey Exposes Long-Submerged Ottoman Structures
The worst drought experienced by Lake Van in 15 years has exposed ancient cities and a number of historic artifacts that — until now — had long been submerged under water. Read more at Hurriyet Daily News.
2. Viking Men Traveled with Their Wives to Colonize New Lands
“It overthrows this 19th century idea that the Vikings were just raiders and pillagers. They established settlements and grew crops, and trade was very, very important.” Read more at Ancient Origins.
3. When Did Humans Start Using Fire? Israeli Cave Offers Clues.
A new study of artifacts from a cave in Israel suggests that our ancestors began regularly using fire about 350,000 years ago. Read more at ScienceMag.org.
4. Tomb of Pharaonic Queen Found in Egypt
A joint team of Egyptian and French archaeologists discovered the tomb of a queen from ancient Egypt’s Ramesside Period in Luxor. Read more at Yahoo! News.
5. Egypt Unveils Renovated Tutankhamun Gallery
On Dec. 15 the Cairo government unveiled four renovated halls of the famed Tutankhamun gallery in the Egyptian Museum, as part of a complete overhaul of the facility. The gallery houses treasures that were found intact in 1922 along with the mummy of the 19-year-old boy king in the temple city of Luxor. Read more at Hurriyet Daily News. View more images on BBC.com.