Unique Roman altar stones add 'fascinating new chapter to story'
Two "internationally significant" Roman altar stones discovered in a Musselburgh park last year during redevelopment work have revealed a "fascinating new chapter" in the story of the area's Roman past. Investigations have been carried out into the rare, beautifully carved altars found at Lewisvale Park, close to historic Inveresk, which are believed to be unique to Scotland if not Britain and date from about 200 AD. Read more
Roman altar stones dating back almost 2000 years have been found at a cricket pavilion in Musselburgh, East Lothian. The stones have been described as the most significant find of their kind in the past 100 years. Read more
An ancient Roman temple, discovered in the chancel of the church of Sant Feliu Girona. The work that has lasted three weeks have also brought to light several tombs and a Roman Christian who, according to experts, could belong to some bishops or individuals from that epoch Read more
An excursion by local school children in historic Yogyakarta unearthed evidence that could indicate the existence of a temple that local legend holds was called Ngablak, archaeologists said on Thursday. Indung Panca Putra, head of a task force established by the Yogyakarta Archeological Preservation Agency, told the Jakarta Globe on Thursday that they were analysing hundreds of samples of stones, some of which appeared to be relief panels, or carved stones. Read more
Discovery of world's oldest church may turn prison into tourist site
Megiddo prison, surrounded by prison guards on horseback supplemented by guard dogs, is not a place that many people would care to approach. But if a plan now in the final stages comes to fruition, it could become a tourist attraction drawing Israelis and tourists from around the world. Read more
New research at the University of Leicester has identified scores of Sicilian temples built to face the rising Sun, shedding light on the practices of the Ancient Greeks. Dr Alun Salt, an astronomy technician from the Centre for Interdisciplinary Science at the University of Leicester, found that out of all the temples he surveyed in Sicily, all but three faced the rising sun. The findings have been published on line in the journal PLoS ONE. Read more
A new research has indicated that the ancient Greeks deliberately built their temples to face the rising Sun, which suggests that they were inclined towards the worship of the sun. According to a report in the Times, an investigation into temples built by Greek colonists in Sicily has found strong evidence that they were aligned to the East. Read more
French archaeologists have discovered the oldest known place of worship dedicated to the dugong, or sea cow, on an island just north of Dubai, two research centres said Thursday. The sanctuary believed to date back to 3,500 to 3,200 years BC was discovered on Akab island in the United Arab Emirates, 50 kilometres north of Dubai. Source