Hanuman, 921-945
The Cleveland Museum of Art
1. Animal Mummy Scandal Revealed in Egypt
“Animal mummies were votive gifts. Today you’d have a candle in a cathedral; in Egyptian times you would have an animal mummy.” Read more at BBC and learn what researchers have exposed from a scanning project at Manchester Museum and the University of Manchester.
2. Mass Grave Under a French Supermarket Shines a Light on Medieval History
Renovation work of the Monoprix Réaumur-Sébastopol supermarket in Paris, France uncovered hundreds of human bones in January. Since then, France’s National Institute for Preventive Archeological Research, or INRAP, has been excavating the site. Read more at The New York Times.
3. MH370 Search Teams Find Uncharted Shipwreck
Crew searching for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in the Indian Ocean came across wreckage considerably older than the airliner, which disappeared in March 2014. Learn more on CNN.
Also, watch Secrets of the Dead: Lost Ships of Rome and explore the wrecks of five ancient Roman ships found around the Italian island of Ventotene.
4. Restorer Claims Mosaics in Turkey’s South Were Not ‘Botched’
Celal Küçük, the restorer who was heading the restoration of the Roman-era mosaics in the Hatay Archaeology Museum, said the “botching” claims were false. “There are around 10,000 tesserae [small stones used for mosaics] in the Isis mosaic. The whole mosaic would enlarge even if you move the tesserae one millimeter.” The scandal erupted when a local mosaic craftsman brought the issue to a local newspaper in early May. Read more at Hurriyet Daily News.
5. U.S. Museum Returns Hindu Statue to Cambodia
A statue of the Hindu monkey god Hanuman, which was looted from the Koh Ker temple complex in Preah Vihear province, was returned to Cambodia — after spending 33 years in the possession of the Cleveland Museum of Art in the U.S. Read more at The Cambodia Daily.
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