Sent in by Robert. Researchers have used scanning technology to make sense of a mysterious subterranean structure – and it may be the oldest church in what is now Russia. See https://curiosmos.com/mysterious-underground-structure-found-in-russia-i… oldest-churches -on-earth … archaeologists have been investigating the Nasyn-Kala fortress at Derbent in Russia and were flummoxed by a mysterious buried structure. They have been eyeing it up for a while but decided to try muon radiography. It is able to track subatomic particles loaded with muons which are generated when cosmic rays interact with earth's atmosphere. The same scanning technology was used on the pyramids in Egypt, mapping the extent of cavities. It is possibly the oldest church in what is now Russia, dating from around AD300, going back to the Roman empire. It has a cruciform shape and is oriented in the right direction. It is being suggested the church was buried during the Sassanian Empire of the Persians who conqauered Derbent around AD700.
At www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/07/22/real-life-asterix-fought-caesar-foun… … quite where Asterix comes into this is anyone's guess as the grave was found in Britain – although links with Gaul seem relevant (by the grave goods). Perhaps it was the ornate head dress that was in the grave. Having said that he could very well have been a Gaul who escaped from Caeser by crossing the Channel. It is the most elaborate warrior grave found in Britain to date, we are told, and has taken 10 years to carefully preserve the grave goods. Another option, we are told, is that he was a British warrior who campaigned in Gaul against the Romans
At www.jewishpress.com/news/archaeology-news/egyptian-scarabs-discovered-in… … a rare Egyptian scarab seal, possibly belonging to an Egyptian official, was found in the Shiloh excavations. We are informed it is 3000 years of age – but this is an estimate. The interesting point made is that they were investigating the Iron Age layers as they also found a horned stone altar stone. It dates from somewhere between 1200 and 586BC, it would seem.