Oldest Known Paint Workshop Discovered

Archaeologists have discovered the oldest known workshop for making, processing and storing paints.

Archaeologists find HMS Investigator

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In the Geo Quiz we’re searching for a bay this time, in the legendary Northwest Passage. In the 19th century a British ship called HMS Investigator attempted the Northwest passage from west to east until it was trapped in ice. Now it has been found, can you tell us, where it was discovered. (Photo: Ryan Harris / Parks Canada) Download MP3

• More on the research team’s discovery of HMS Investigator
• BBC coverage of the HMS Investigator

Digging for Chinese culture in Kenya

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Scientists from China are on the way to East Africa in June, to prepare for a massive archaeological excavation. The Chinese government is funding a three year search for Chinese cultural heritage on the coast of Kenya, in some half-dozen sites both underwater and on land. China is highlighting the ancient cultural ties between the two countries as its commercial power blossoms across the region. Matthew Brunwasser reports from Lamu, Kenya. (Photo: Matthew Brunwasser) Download MP3

• China pledges funds for Kenya infrastructure
• UNESCO World heritage site: Lamu, Kenya

Yemen

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On this week’s history podcast a look at the archaeology and history of Yemen. First we hear from University of Chicago archaeologist McGuire Gibson. He’s worked in Yemen since the 1970′s. Then Bernard Haykel, professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton, fills us in on Yemen’s recent history. Thomas Kuehn of Simon Fraser University in Vancouver tells us about Yemen under the Ottomans and how it might be relevant today. Among other things these folks emphasize Yemen’s strategic location and geography, its stunning beauty and its continuous and unbroken history going way back.

Part III: Panama fossils

Panama wants to make its famous canal bigger and better. The government is enlarging the waterway to allow more and larger ships to pass through it. 7,000 people will work on widening the canal. Some are doing a different kind of digging. Paleontologists are already following along the excavation. They’re searching for fossils. And they’re [...]