Archaeologists uncover 7th century ship in Sweden

September 30th, 2009 LONDON - A team of archaeologists in Rome has claimed to have found the remains of a legendary revolving dining room built by Emperor Nero to impress his guests. According to a report in The Guardian, digging on the Palatine Hill, archaeologists stumbled on the remnants of a circular room, 16 metres (53ft) in diameter, which they believe formed part of Nero's palace, built in the first century AD.

September 21st, 2009 DOHA - Archaeologists have found ninth century settlements in northwest Qatar, which remained untouched for centuries under the sands of Murwab. According to a report in The Peninsula, a team of archaeologists is excavating the 1.6 km long and 0.5 km wide site, which is a remarkable village of 220 houses, two forts and two mosques.

August 24th, 2009 SOFIA - Archaeologists in Bulgaria have discovered a unique medieval Byzantine seal at the site of the Princely Monastery near the Eastern city of Varna, dating back to the 10th century. According to a report by the Sofia News Agency, the seal is dated back to the 10th century and belonged to the Byzantine dignitary Antonius, who was an imperial protospatario in Constantinople.

August 15th, 2009 DUBLIN - An archaeological excavation in Dublin, Ireland, has uncovered the foundations of a 17th century theatre and a number of artefacts from theatrical performances. According to a report by RTE News, the excavation, which ends today, is part of a multi-million euro programme to reinstate the Smock Alley Theatre on its original site.

August 14th, 2009 SOFIA - A team of archaeologists has discovered over 7,500 fragments of frescos during excavations in the church of the monastery complex in the Karaach Tepe area near the town of Varna in north-western Bulgaria. According to a report in Balkan Travellers, in addition to the fresco fragments, the archaeologists discovered parts of saints' clothes and letters with their names, national media reported today.

August 4th, 2009 SOFIA - A team of archaeologists has discovered the tomb of a Bulgarian princess in the northern Bulgarian town of Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria's medieval capital. According to a report in The Sofia Echo, archaeologists Nikolai Ovcharov and Hitko Vachev have excavated on August 2 what has been described as the grave of a Bulgarian princess, buried in the courtyard of the St St Peter and Pavel church in Veliko Tarnovo.

July 31st, 2009 STOCKHOLM - Six crewmembers of a Norwegian cargo ship were missing Friday after the vessel sank off the coast of Sweden, officials said. The cargo ship Langeland was on its way to Moss in Norway when the incident took place.

July 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A team of archaeologists has discovered a trove of five Roman-era shipwrecks deep under the sea off a small Mediterranean island near Italy. According to a report in Discovery News, the find of well-preserved ships, made possible by sonar technology and the use of remotely operated vehicles, includes cargo of largely intact clay vases and pots transporting wine, olive oil, fish sauce and other goods.

July 6th, 2009 Israeli archaeologists discover ancient quarryJERUSALEM — Israeli archaeologists have uncovered an ancient quarry where they believe King Herod extracted stones for the construction of the Jewish Temple 2,000 years ago, the Israel Antiquities Authority said Monday. The archaeologists believe the 1,000-square-foot (100-square-meter) quarry was part of a much larger network of quarries used by Herod in the city.

June 29th, 2009 LONDON - Vatican archaeologists have uncovered what they say is the oldest known portrait of St Paul. According to a report in The Times, the portrait, which was found two weeks ago but has been made public only after restoration, shows St Paul with a high domed forehead, deep-set eyes and a long pointed beard, confirming the image familiar from later depictions.

June 24th, 2009 SOFIA - A team of archaeologists has uncovered an intact Thracian settlement close to the southeast town of Nova Zagora in Bulgaria. According to a report in novinite.com, the team comprised of Konstantin Gospodinov and Veselin Ignatov from the city of Burgas, who hope that their finding would be the first Thracian settlement to be uncovered in its entirety.

June 17th, 2009 ROME - Archaeologists have unearthed a number of ancient Roman treasures during excavation outside the southern Italian city of Naples. Twelve ancient statues, columns and fragments bearing inscriptions from what appear to be monuments from the Republican and Imperial periods of ancient Roman history have been uncovered.

June 16th, 2009 SOFIA - Archaeologists have discovered a previously unknown settlement from the Roman Era in the Mentesheto area near the town of Varna on Bulgaria's northern Black Sea coast. According to a report in BalkanTravellers.com, the discovery was made by archaeologists Aleksadar Michev and Teodor Rokov, who were exploring a stone structure reminiscent of a 'dolmen' - a typical Thracian tomb from the Early Iron Age.

May 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Archaeologists have found an ancient sewn ship over 2000 years old in Novalia, Croatia. According to a report in Archaeological Discovery, the ship was found in the Caska Bay on the Island of Pag, near Novalja.

May 9th, 2009 STOCKHOLM - Marine archaeologists in Sweden have discovered what they believe to be the wreck of a Viking ship at the bottom the country's largest lake. According to a report in The Local: Sweden's news in English, a team of 50 divers from the Swedish coastguard happened upon the 20-metre long wreck by chance on May 6th.