BBC NEWS | UK | England | Manchester
1 December 2008

“A rare amber necklace believed to be about 4,000 years old has been uncovered in Greater Manchester.

Archaeologists made the find while excavating a cist – a type of stone-lined grave – in Mellor, Stockport.

It is the first time a necklace of this kind from the early Bronze Age has been found in north-west England.

Experts from the University of Manchester Archaeological Unit said an amber necklace was one of the ultimate status symbols of the period.”

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BBC NEWS | UK | England | South Yorkshire
17 September 2008

“A rare Saxon artifact found by a metal detector enthusiast from South Yorkshire is expected to fetch up to 15,000 pounds (US $27,300) at auction.

Tim Pearson thought the 9th Century gold pointer was a milk bottle top when he made the discovery while treasure hunting in Aughton near Rotherham.

Three years on the relic has been valued at 10,000 to 15,000 pounds by Bonhams Auctioneers, which will sell it.

The item, known as an aestel, was used by monks to help read manuscripts.”

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Yahoo! News
Wed Sep 10, 2008

“LONDON (Reuters Life!) – A 1,000-year-old carved rock crystal ewer, one of only seven known surviving examples, will be offered for auction next month at Christie’s Islamic art sale and is expected to fetch over 3 million pounds ($5.3 million).

The auctioneer said the ewer was made for the court of the Fatimid rulers of Cairo in the late 10th or early 11th century, and has been embellished in enameled gold mounts made in 1854 by a French silversmith.

…In April, rival auction house Sotheby’s sold a 12 century key to the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest site in Islam, for 9.2 million pounds (US $16.2 million), setting a new record for an Islamic work of art at auction.”

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UPDATE: Oct. 7, 2008 – The carved rock crystal ewer was valued at 100 pounds in January prior to an auction in Somerset and fetched 220,000 pounds but the sale was later declared void.

The 1,000-year-old item was sold to an anonymous bidder for 3,177,250 pounds (US $5.49 millon).

Yahoo! News
Thu Jun 5, 2008

“LONDON, June 5, 2008 (AFP) – An ancient gold cup mysteriously acquired by a British scrap metal dealer and kept in a shoe box for years by its unwitting owner sold for 50,000 pounds (63,000 euros, 98,000 dollars) Thursday.

The 5.5-inch (14-centimetre) object — which is decorated with the heads of two women looking in opposite directions and knotted snakes — went under the hammer in Dorchester, southwest England.”

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Yahoo! News
Wed Dec 5, 2007

“NEW YORK (AFP) – A tiny and extremely rare 5,000-year-old white limestone sculpture from ancient Mesopotamia sold for 57.2 million dollars in New York on Wednesday, smashing records for both sculpture and antiquities.

The carved Guennol Lioness, measuring just over eight centimeters (3 1/4 inches) tall, was described by Sotheby’s auction house as one of the last known masterworks from the dawn of civilization remaining in private hands.”

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Yahoo! News
Tue Jul 17, 2007

“VENTURA, Calif. – The spot where a pair of outhouses stood 130 years ago is proving to be a treasure trove for archaeologists who braved the lingering smell in the dirt to uncover some 19th Century artifacts — and a mystery.

…They uncovered a pistol, a knife, whisky flasks, a set of false teeth, two dog skulls and a blade from a set of sheep shears.”

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Yahoo! News
Wed May 2, 2007

“TIWANAKU, Bolivia (Reuters) – Archaeologists have uncovered the 1,300-year-old skeleton of a ruler or priest of the ancient Tiwanaku civilisation together with precious jewels inside a much-looted pyramid in western Bolivia.

The bones are “in very good condition” and belong to either “a ruler or a priest,” Roger Angel Cossio, the Bolivian archaeologist who made the discovery, told Reuters on Wednesday.

He said the tomb — containing a diadem and fist-sized carved pendant of solid gold — survived centuries of looting by Spanish invaders and unscrupulous raiders who depleted Tiwanaku of many precious treasures.”

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Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Roja Heydarpour
THE NEW YORK TIMES

“NEW YORK – The dinosaur skull was advertised as “perfect for a New York City apartment,” though with a starting bid of $100,000, it was clear that the apartment in question was not, say, a studio in a walk-up.”

A West Coast buyer ended up paying $276,000 for the Tyrannosaurus bataar skull, in an auction that also included a mummy’s hand, a meteorite and a giant wolf’s skull. Scientists have watched in alarm in recent years as fossils, skeleton parts and other prized artifacts have gone on the auction block, and fear the loss of valuable scientific information.

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Yahoo! News
Mon Feb 19, 2007

“CAIRO, Egypt – A mud brick tomb dating back more than 4,000 years has been discovered near Egypt’s most ancient pyramid in the Saqqara complex south of Cairo, antiquities official announced Monday.”

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Archeologist: Artifacts found under new hotel detail history of city

The ChronicleHerald.ca
By AMY PUGSLEY FRASER Staff Reporter
January 2, 2007

“The artifacts from under the ground of a new downtown hotel are out of this world, says the lead archeologist.

…Although there is no way to assign monetary value to the thousands of pieces of china and glass, the finds are rich in their collective explanation of city life in the late 1700s.

…The oldest artifacts found under the hotel’s site were beer tankards from 1750 to 1760, found in a well behind the Double Eagle Tavern, the precursor to the Split Crow.”

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