5 ancient tombs of Song and Ming Dynasties discovered in China

September 22nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - A controversial new research has placed an exact date on the start of the ancient construction project of the Great Pyramid of Giza, as August 23, 2470 B.C. According to a report in the National Geographic News, a team of Egyptian researchers arrived at the date based on calculations of historical appearances of the star Sothis, which is today called Sirius.

September 19th, 2009 ATHENS - Based on findings unearthed at a necropolis in Greece, archaeologists have determined that distinguished citizens, like aristocrat warriors, in ancient times were given the "best" spots in pre-Classical cemeteries. The excavations, conducted by the 17th ephorate of prehistoric and classical antiquities, focused on 50 tombs in the western cemetery of the ancient settlement.

September 16th, 2009 SEOUL - Archaeologists have uncovered an ancient Chinese book of Buddhism chantings in a Korean temple. According to a report in Korea Times, the Hangeul copy of an ancient Chinese book, which contains the notes of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) scholar Kim Si-seup, was discovered at Baekryunam, Haein Temple.

August 19th, 2009 LONDON - Egypt's head of antiquities Zahi Hawass has warned that the tombs of the pharaohs in Valley of the Kings may disappear within 150 to 500 years if they remain open to tourists. The Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens, where Ancient Egypt's royalty was mummified, is home to the tombs of legendary pharaohs such as the boy king Tutenkhamun and Queen Nefertiti.

August 1st, 2009 ANKARA - A team of archaeologists has discovered a castle and an ancient city thought to be almost 1,400 years old in southern Osmaniye province in Turkey. According to a report in Today's Zaman, excavations in the area, carried out by teams from Kocaeli University's archaeology department with the permission of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, first revealed the ruins in 2006.

July 27th, 2009 SOFIA - A team of archaeologists has found a sanctuary in Central Bulgaria where the nymph cult used to be celebrated in ancient times. According to a report in the Balkan Travellers, the sanctuary was found by archaeologists in the vicinity of the Nicopolis ad Istrum ancient site, located near the town of Veliko Tarnovo in central Bulgaria.

July 22nd, 2009 SEOUL - In a historic discovery, a collection of fifth-century scale armor of Silla Dynasty cavalrymen was unearthed last month in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, Korea, providing proof of the existence of these mythical men. According to a report in JoongAng Daily, the armor of the heavily protected cavalrymen of the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C.

July 20th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Archaeologists have recently discovered the site of a Five Dynasties palace in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province. As the seat of the Western Han Nanyue Kingdom and the Five Dynasties South Han Kingdom, the site has been the center of Guangzhou for some 2000 years.

June 25th, 2009 SEOUL - The royal tombs of the Joseon Kingdom in South Korea are expected to be designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site at the 33rd session of the World Heritage Committee now in session in Seville, Spain through June 30. According to a report in Korea Times, the final review is due for the June 26 to 27 session, and if approved, the tombs will become South Korea's ninth UNESCO-designated treasure.

June 16th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists, by spotting strange crop circle-like formations from the air, have discovered a huge prehistoric ceremonial complex in southern England, which dating back to 6,000 years, is a thousand years older than the Stonehenge. The site includes the remains of wooden temples and two massive, 6,000-year-old tombs that are among "Britain's first architecture," archaeologist Helen Wickstead, leader of the Damerham Archaeology Project, told National Geographic News.

June 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Archaeologists have found ancient jade vessels in a tomb dating back five thousand years in China, which represents the last Neolithic jade culture of Yangtze River Delta of the country. The tomb, found in the cities of Haining and Xiaoshan, is the deepest tomb ever found in Zhejiang province.

June 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Archaeologists have unearthed more than two tonnes of ancient coins dating back to as early as the Tang Dynasty (618-907) on a playground of a primary school in Shaanxi Province, northwest China. According to Zhao Aiguo, director of the cultural relics protection and tourism bureau in Liquan County, Shaanxi, the coins were found when workers were excavating the grounds for construction of another building.

June 10th, 2009 LONDON - Archaeologists have found a prehistoric complex, including two 6,000-year-old tombs, in Hampshire, just next to Stonehenge. According to a report in The Times, the Neolithic tombs, which until now had gone unnoticed under farmland despite being just 15 miles from Stonehenge, are some of the oldest monuments to have been found in Britain.

June 9th, 2009 LONDON - A prehistoric complex including two 6,000-year-old tombs representing some of the earliest monuments built in Britain has been discovered by a team led by a Kingston University archaeologist. According to a report in Alpha Galileo, Dr Helen Wickstead and her colleagues were stunned and delighted to find the previously undiscovered Neolithic tombs, also known as long barrows at a site at Damerham, Hampshire.

May 1st, 2009 SHANGHAI - Hong Kong film star Jackie Chan and NBA star Yao Ming have been appointed promotion ambassadors for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo on Thursday. "I will spare no efforts to pay close attention to the Expo and help promote it throughout the world," said Jackie Chan.