Unearthed! in October 2026, Part 1

Part one of this autumn edition of Unearthed! covers updates, medical finds, animals, and lots books and letters. Research: Almeroth-Williams, Thomas. “Henry VIII’s dissolution enforcer stashed Catholic manuscript – its lost pages have just been rediscovered.” EurekAlert. 9/16/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1142736 Anderson, Sonja. “Archaeologists Excavating a Roman-Era Cemetery in Poland Were Surprised to Stumble Upon a 5,000-Year-Old Necklace Made of 42 Teeth.” Smithsonian. 9/9/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-excavating-a-roman-era-cemetery-in-poland-were-surprised-to-stumble-upon-a-5000-year-old-necklace-made-of-42-teeth-180989471/ Arnold, Paul. “Human blood may have helped preserve ancient Chinese rock art for 2,000 years.” PhysOrg. 8/14/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-human-blood-ancient-chinese-art.html Arnold, Paul. “Mathematician challenges a 2,000-year-old legend about the Parthenon's optical illusions.” Phys.org. 9/16/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-mathematician-year-legend-parthenon-optical.html Autonomous University of Barcelona. “Ceramic vessels reveal how social inequalities were also cooked into 19th-century Brazil.” Phys.org. 7/23/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ceramic-vessels-reveal-social-inequalities.html Bourigault, Frederic. “'Their story is our story': Pigeons and humans, 3,500 years together.” Phys.org. 7/11/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-story-pigeons-humans-years.html Bronic, Antonio. “Byzantine gold objects help archaeologists uncover past of ship wrecked off Croatia.” Reuters. 7/23/2026. https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/byzantine-gold-objects-help-archaeologists-uncover-past-ship-wrecked-off-croatia-2026-07-23/ Clark, Gaby. “Aboriginal artists painted giant ancestral beings as colonization arrived, study finds.” PhysOrg. 8/30/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-aboriginal-artists-giant-ancestral-colonization.html Clark, Gaby. “Chinese label once tied to Boston Tea Party reveals 19th-century Pacific trade.” Phys.org. 8/11/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-chinese-boston-tea-party-reveals.html Clark, Gaby. “Indigenous Australian population was much larger than previously thought and decimated after First Fleet's arrival.” Phys.org. 9/15/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-indigenous-australian-population-larger-previously.html Curtin University. “Shipwreck cargo reveals surprising global trade secrets of the 1600s.” Phys.org. 7/29/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-shipwreck-cargo-reveals-global-secrets.html Harley, Sadie. “Expert pieces together puzzle from fragments of 1,600-year-old Roman text.” Phys.org. 8/25/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-expert-pieces-puzzle-fragments-year.html Hashemi, Sara. “Hunter-Gatherers Brought Trout to a Norwegian Mountain Lake 7,000 Years Ago, the Earliest Known Example of Humans Translocating Fish.” Smithsonian. 7/23/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hunter-gatherers-brought-trout-to-a-norwegian-mountain-lake-7000-years-ago-the-earliest-known-example-of-humans-translocating-fish-180989167/ Historic England. “Crystal Palace Dinosaurs Repaired and Removed from Heritage at Risk Register.” 6/27/2026. https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/in-your-area/london/crystal-palace-dinosaurs-removed-from-heritage-at-risk-register/ Killgrove, Kristina. “'Nothing short of a minor miracle': 'Rusty treasure' found in the Danube is full of 2,200-year-old iron bars that could equip an entire army with weapons.” LiveScience. 9/20/2026. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/nothing-short-of-a-minor-miracle-rusty-treasure-found-in-the-danube-is-full-of-2-000-year-old-iron-bars-that-could-equip-an-entire-army-with-weapons Kuta, Sara. “Smallpox Scabs That British Doctors Used to Inoculate Patients May Have Introduced the Deadly Disease to Australia, New Research Suggests.” Smithsonian. 7/9/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/smallpox-scabs-that-british-doctors-used-to-inoculate-patients-may-have-introduced-the-deadly-disease-to-australia-new-research-suggests-180989093/ Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “Uffizi Removes Famed Caravaggio After Flash Flood Soaks Gallery.” ArtNet. 9/18/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/uffizi-caravaggio-flood-2813002 Learn, Joshua Rapp. “Ancient Pottery Reveals the Earliest Known Traces of Chocolate East of the Mississippi, Painting a Picture of Connection in the Americas.” Smithsonian. 10/2/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ancient-pottery-reveals-the-earliest-known-traces-of-chocolate-east-of-the-mississippi-painting-a-picture-of-connection-in-the-americas-180989559/ net. “Medieval Leprosy Hospital Discovered in Copenhagen.” 9/2026. https://www.medievalists.net/2026/09/medieval-leprosy-hospital-discovered-in-copenhagen/ Mondal, Sanjukta. “Archaeologists investigate a feared young woman's 17th century vampiric grave in Poland.” Phys.org. 8/25/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-archaeologists-young-woman-17th-century.html Oster, Sandee. “400-year-old shipwreck found during pipeline survey in Germany's Bay of Greifswald.” Phys.org. 9/25/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-year-shipwreck-pipeline-survey-germany.html Oster, Sandee. “A museum-shelf mystery reveals 6,500-year-old human tooth pendant in Serbia.” Phys.org. 8/22/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-museum-shelf-mystery-reveals-year.html Oster, Sandee. “Centuries of child labor left lasting spinal damage in Dutch children, study finds.” Phys.org. 8/29/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-centuries-child-labor-left-spinal.html Paul, John. “Third Circuit denies rehearing in Philadelphia's fight over President's House slavery exhibit.” 9/4/2026. https://6abc.com/post/third-circuit-denies-rehearing-philadelphias-fight-presidents-house-slavery-exhibit/19785869/ Public Library of Science. “We may soon be able to read long-lost ancient scrolls damaged by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.” Phys.org. 9/16/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-lost-ancient-scrolls-eruption-mount.html#google_vignette Royal Astronomical Society. “First ever solar eclipse film brought back to life.” https://ras.ac.uk/news-and-press/news/first-ever-solar-eclipse-film-brought-back-life Shell, Gabby. “Archaeologists Unearth the 2,400-Year-Old School Where Aristotle Taught Alexander to Be Great.” Smithsonian. 9/28/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-the-2400-year-old-school-where-aristotle-taught-alexander-to-be-great-180989581/ “Scientists discover genetically distinct avocados in Nicaragua that people transported from South America thousands of years ago.” EurekAlert. 7/22/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1136257 Sneling, Emily. “Rare medieval manuscript fragments reveal Guernsey's lost literary history.” University of Kent. 8/25/2026. https://www.kent.ac.uk/news/creativity-culture-and-heritage/38343/rare-medieval-manuscript-fragments-reveal-guernseys-lost-literary-history Solly, Meilan. “This Ship Sank in the Baltic Sea With Presents Bound for a Romanov Czar. Its Cargo Included Champagne, Luxury Mineral Water and Rare Meteorites.” Smithsonian. 7/27/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-ship-sank-in-the-baltic-sea-with-presents-bound-for-a-romanov-czar-its-cargo-included-champagne-luxury-mineral-water-and-rare-meteorites-180989198/ Squires, Kirsty et al. “The Real Mummy’s Curse: Health Risks Associated with the Sale and Trade of Mummified Remains.” International Journal of Cultural Property 33 (2026): e22. Web. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-cultural-property/article/real-mummys-curse-health-risks-associated-with-the-sale-and-trade-of-mummified-remains/FCE6E950ED8A6BEF310766AF1CF53DB4 Staffordshire University. ‘‘Real mummy’s curse’ behind sale and trade of mummified remains exposed.” EurekAlert. 8/13/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1140009 The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI. “Ancient dental calculus reveals diverse diets of commoners in premodern Osaka, Japan, the 'Kitchen of the Realm'.” 8/25/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ancient-dental-calculus-reveals-diverse.html The History Blog. “Gold jewelry, signet ring found on Byzantine shipwreck.” 7/25/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/76601 The History Blog. “Medieval ship’s hull reused as ceiling in Constance.” 8/25/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/76799 The History Blog. “Name of 8th c. Maya astronomer deciphered.” 7/15/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/76531 Thorsberg, Christian. “An English King’s Bones Were Moved Over Centuries and Eventually Lost. One Researcher Claims He Discovered Their Location—Under a Parking Lot.” Smithsonian. 7/14/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-english-kings-bones-were-moved-over-centuries-and-eventually-lost-one-researcher-claims-he-discovered-their-location-under-a-parking-lot-180989121/ Thorsberg, Christian. “One of Italy’s Most Popular Attractions, the Uffizi Galleries in Florence, Reveals Plans for a Major Renovation Over the Next Two Years.” Smithsonian. 8/7/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/one-of-italys-most-popular-attractions-the-uffizi-galleries-in-florence-reveals-plans-for-a-major-renovation-over-the-next-two-years-180989295/ Thorsberg, Christian. “This Dutch Painting Showed a 17th-Century Drinking Game Until Someone Smudged Out a Player, Spoiling the Fun. A Museum Just Restored the Imbibing Soldier.” Smithsonian. 8/10/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/centuries-ago-this-soldier-was-smudged-out-of-a-famed-de-hooch-painting-restorers-have-painted-him-back-in-180989304/ Tondo, Lorenzo. “Roman shipwreck with 500 amphorae found off coast of Sicily.” The Guardian. 8/10/2026. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/aug/10/roman-shipwreck-with-500-amphorae-found-off-coast-of-sicily University College Dublin. “‘Kerry Cow’ bones revealed as ancient bear remains, challenging long-held theory on farming’s arrival in Ireland and Great Britain.” EurekAlert. 8/18/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1140552 University College Dublin. “Hidden DNA in medieval gospels reveals history of deadly livestock virus.” Phys.Org. 9/2/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-hidden-dna-medieval-gospels-reveals.html University of Copenhagen. “Plague was killing entire families thousands of years before the Black Death.” Science Daily. 9/14/2026. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260913082203.htm University of Córdoba. “Diet reveals what life was like 2,700 years ago in an Italian community: Gender inequality, social status and migration.” Phys.org. 7/27/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-diet-reveals-life-years-italian.html University of Oxford. “Did elephant energetics decide Hannibal’s Alpine crossing route?” EurekAlert. 7/6/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1134397 University of York. "This 4,000-year-old city defied the rules of history." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 30 July 2026. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729010730.htm Wexler, Ellen. “A Landlord Found a Peculiar Print Hanging in a Vacant Apartment. It Turned Out to Be an Original Picasso That Had Been Missing for Eight Years.” Smithsonian. 8/28/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-landlord-found-a-peculiar-print-hanging-in-a-vacant-apartment-it-turned-out-to-be-an-original-picasso-print-that-had-been-missing-for-eight-years-180989417/ Wexler, Ellen. “Shipwreck Divers Discovered a 162-Year-Old Bottle of Guinness Brewed During the Reign of Queen Victoria—and They Want to Take a Swig.” Smithsonian. 8/12/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/shipwreck-divers-discovered-a-162-year-old-bottle-of-guinness-brewed-during-the-reign-of-queen-victoria-and-they-want-to-take-a-swig-180989320/ Wexler, Ellen. “Shipwreck Hunters Discover the Ruins of a British Destroyer That Split in Half During a Tragic Peacetime Accident 118 Years Ago.” Smithsonian. 8/21/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/shipwreck-hunters-discover-the-ruins-of-a-british-destroyer-that-split-in-half-during-a-tragic-peacetime-accident-118-years-ago-180989379/ Whiddington, Richard. “Marble Sculpture by Baroque Master Found at U.K. Salvage Yard.” Artnet. 9/30/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/pietro-bracci-pope-clement-xii-2818087 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. “Expedition captures first detailed imagery of Robert Falcon Scott’s last ship, Terra Nova, using cutting-edge Canadian Voyis 3D technology.” https://www.whoi.edu/press-room/news-release/terranova/ Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. “Shackleton's final ship is no longer just a sonar shadow.” EurekAlert. 7/9/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-shackleton-ship-longer-sonar-shadow.html