Burial Beneath the Temple

In a chamber just large enough to hold a body beneath the temple of murals at Bonompak in the Mexican state of Chiapas has been found the remains of a body missing it's skull but not it's jaw. The room above contains murals depicting the torturing of prisoners leaving to speculation as to the identity of the person buried below.

The body discovered was wearing jade jewelry including a necklace, bracelets and earrings, the later layng on the ground as if the skull had decomposed causing the earrings to drop in place. The archaeologists believe the skull did naturally decompose due to humidity.

Cathedral to Mark Site of Czars Murder

The Russian orthodox church does not acknowledge that the bones placed in the crypt of the Czars in 1998 are that of Nicholas II and his family however there are plans in the works for a cathedral and cemetery to be placed at the site of the discovery of the remains of the czar and his family in Yekaterinburg.

DNA tests were used to identify the remains including the use of a bloody shirt Czar Nicholas was wearing during an assassination attempt in Japan in 1891.

There are no plans by the Russian orthodox church to build a memorial at the site to the murdered Czar and his family.

Decapitated Vikings

Those headless skeletons found during roadwork in a pit in Dorset have been positively identified by isotope tests to be the remains of 51 viking men executed between ad 910-1030. The men have been shown to be between their teens to thirties in ages.

The photos with the article are a must see.

The Salvage from Graf Spee

The Nazi warship was one of the first Nazi battleships sunk in world war II on December 17 1939 when the Graf Spee was scuttled by her captain. Captain Hans Langsdorff killed himself in Buenos Aires a few days after he gave the orders to sink the ship.

In 2006 salvage crews removed artifacts from the wreck including a large bronze eagle with a swastika in its talons from the stern of the battleship. The salvager now wishes to sell it and the German governments concern it will go to Nazi memorabilia collectors while the German government wants it to be put in a museum where it can be placed into context.

Templar Relics Not So

Here is an interesting reply to the sensational discovery announced earlier this week of a nail found in a wooden box, the box was accompanied by three skeletons and three swords, one of which was engraved with a Templar cross.

The story told was that the nail in question was probably believed by the skeletons to have been used in the crucifixion of Christ.

Archaeologist Élvio Sousa of the Center for the Study of Modern and Contemporary Archaeology on the island of Madeira calls the claims "a fantasy".

Crazy Women Breaks into Sacred Site

Nothing like taking pictures of yourself while your breaking into a sacred Maori rock art site and then of course you have to share them with all your friends online and there you have it you have just made yourself look stupid in front of the world.

Yvonne as she likes to be called just saw the wire blocking her way and decided it was an invitation to break in. In Yvonne's defense she looks wasted in the picture, way to go Yvonne keep the grading curve low.

Informant Commits Suicide

For over two years Ted Gardiner worked as an undercover agent for the police receiving $7500 a month plus expenses to record his transactions as he illegally dealt in the antiquities trade with other collectors. The sting was meant to battle the trade in native American artifacts but many have complained of the heavy handed techniques used by police.

With the help of Gardiner 26 people in the states of Utah, Colorado and New Mexico were charged with felony charges. Two of the accused later went on to commit suicide over the arrests and Gardiner who participated in the crimes walked away with more than $220 000 of police money.

Gardiner received little sympathy for his actions and this week took a gun and committed suicide himself. The police unfortunately can add a third suicide to their successful efforts to curb the sale of antiquities in the American west.

Relics

A nail dated to the first or second century ad has been found in a decorated box along with three skeletons and three swords in the remains of a fort on the tiny isle of Ilheu de Pontinha off the coast of Madeira. The fort was once held by the knights Templar in the twelfth century as one of the swords found with the skeletons had a Templar cross engraved on it.

The nail is typical of the type the Romans used during crucifixions and may have been believed to be one of the nails used to nail Christ to the cross.