Rare Buddhist treasures unearthed in Gobi Desert

October 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Excavations in Asia's Gobi desert have revealed the fossils of a new species of eight-horned, long-snouted carnivorous dinosaur, a cousin of Tyrannosaurus rex, which rather being trough and tough like his contemporaries, was more like a 'ballerina'. According to a report in the National Geographic Traveler, a well-preserved skull and a near-complete skeleton from the new species of eight-horned, long-snouted carnivore-dubbed Alioramus altai-were unearthed in 2001 in Mongolia.

September 21st, 2009 SYDNEY - Researchers have discovered an unusual kind of meteorite in the Western Australian desert and have uncovered where in the solar system it came from, a new finding suggests. Meteorites are the only surviving physical record of the formation of our solar system and by analysing them researchers can glean valuable information about the conditions that existed when the early solar system was being formed.

September 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a very rare finding, scientists have discovered an unusual kind of meteorite in the Western Australian desert and have uncovered that it came from the innermost main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Meteorites are the only surviving physical record of the formation of our Solar System.

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.

September 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Italian archaeologists have unearthed a 1st century A.D. colossal statue of Apollo, the Greek god of the sun, light, music and poetry, from white calcified cliffs in southwestern Turkey.

September 6th, 2009 LONDON - The grand daughter of Mahatma Gandhi's Irish friend Emma Harker is set to auction a bronze statue of a seated Buddhist deity gifted by Father of the Nation at Bonhams sale of Asian art. The 13-inch-high statue, being said to be that of the Bodhisattva of compassion Avalokitesvara, may fetch 3,000-5,000 pounds.

August 24th, 2009 LONDON - A team of archaeologists has unearthed rare 15th century Valencian tiles during excavations at the ruins of a Surrey palace, once owned by Henry VIII. According to a report by BBC News, the items, which were made in Valencia, Spain, between 1450 and 1490, were discovered at Woking Palace.

August 18th, 2009 ANKARA - Archeologists have unearthed a 16,000 year-old mother goddess figurine during excavations in Direkli Cave in the southern province of Kahramanmaras in Turkey. According to a report in Today's Zaman, Gazi University Archeology Department lecturer Cevdet Merih Erek told the Anatolia news agency that the excavations in Direkli Cave, 65 km away from Kahramanmaras, started on July 15.

July 15th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Egyptian archaeologists digging near the Suez Canal have discovered the remains of what is believed to be the largest fortress in the eastern Delta. According to a report in Discovery News, the remains, located at the site of Tell Dafna, between El-Manzala Lake and the Suez Canal, remains reveal the foundation of a military town about 15 kilometers northeast of the city of western Qantara.

June 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Buddhist Mount Wutai in China has become the country's 38th site to join UNESCO's World Heritage List as a cultural landscape. "We've been through a rough path, full of suspense," said Tong Mingkang, deputy chief of China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage, after the announcement.

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 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - An archaeologist, along with his team, is searching for Afghanistan's third giant Buddha statue, one which is reclining and is believed to stretch 1,000 feet (300 meters) long underground. According to a report in National Geographic Magazine, the archaeologist in question is Zemaryalai Tarzi, who was Afghanistan's Director of Archaeology in the 1970s.

June 4th, 2009 Mammoth skeleton unearthed in SerbiaBELGRADE, Serbia — A well-preserved skeleton of a mammoth that is believed to be about 1 million years old has been unearthed in eastern Serbia, archaeologists said Thursday. The discovery was made during excavation two days ago at an open-pit coal mine near Kostolac power plant, said Miomir Korac, from Serbia's Archaeology Institute.

March 20th, 2009 LONDON - An amateur treasure hunter has unearthed rare Iron Age artifacts buried as part of a religious offering in Newport, South Wales. Two bronze bowls and a bronze wine strainer, described by an expert as of "great importance for the UK," were found by Craig Mills, a 35-year-old security guard.

January 22nd, 2009 LONDON - Rocker Brandon Flowers of The Killers has bought a patch of desert and wants to build a house there one day. Thesun.co.uk reports that Flowers bought some land in his native Las Vegas where he hopes to build a house one day and will also put up a giant Desert Casino sign.