‘Teenage warriors’ discovered in China’s ancient terracotta army

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 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 31st, 2009 Ancient warrior's skeleton found near RomeROME — Archaeologists have found the skeleton of a warrior from up to 5,000 years ago floating in a tomb filled with sea water on a beach near Rome, Italy's art squad said Friday. The bones — believed to date from the 3rd millennium B.C.

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 17th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Archeologists have found up to 100 terracotta warriors and an army officer at the world heritage site in Xi'an, northwest China's Shanxi Province, a month after they began a third excavation of the site. The Terracotta Army is the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China.

July 14th, 2009 SYDNEY - Scientists have discovered a 400 million-year-old reproductive organ in an ancient fish specimen, which is the oldest penis-like structure found yet. According to a report by ABC News, earlier this year, the team, led by Australian palaeontologist Dr John Long, predicted some ancient fish from the Devonian era, had an attachment to their pelvic bone, which were used by males to fertilize females.

July 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Archaeologists in Italy have discovered a 2,000-year-old cream, left almost intact in the cosmetic case of an aristocratic Etruscan woman. The lotion, which was discovered four years ago in a necropolis near the Tuscan town of Chiusi, has been revealed now, only after chemical analysis has identified the original compounds of the ancient ointment.

June 25th, 2009 MUENSTER - German geologists Thursday said they have discovered in India one of the world's rarest rocks, dating back to the birth of the planet when the Earth was covered with a hot ocean of melted stone. The fragment from the primeval crust is only the second ever discovered, said scientists at the University of Muenster.

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 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Archaeologists are all set to begin a third phase of excavation at the famous terracotta army site in China, hoping to find more clay figures and unravel some of the mysteries left behind by the "First Emperor". The army of terracotta warriors and horses was one of the greatest archeological finds of modern times.

May 29th, 2009 SHANGHAI - An archaeological team has discovered five ancient tombs of the Song and Ming dynasties in Huai'an, east China's Jiangsu Province. According to a report in Shanghai Daily, the burial sites were originally accidentally discovered by workers of local electricity supply department when they made the ground work to set up a power-supply tower, a member of the archaeological team said.

May 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A researcher has said that the first emperor of a united China could go down in history not only for the Great Wall or the terra cotta army of guards and horses, but also for his attempt to crush Buddhism by banning it. "China's first and most influential history book, the Historical Records, stated clearly that Emperor Qin Shihuang (259 BC-210 BC) strictly banned Buddhism and Buddhist temples," said Han Wei, a noted researcher with Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archeology.

April 14th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A Chinese professor has theorized that the famed terracotta army of Xi'an region of the country are not soldiers, but royal servants and bodyguards. If this theory by Liu Jiusheng at Shaanxi Normal University proves to be true, it might turn China's most important archeological discovery upside down.