Hadani Ditmars

Archaeologists uncover ancient, live-work ceramic studios linked to Moche civilisation in Peru

Excavations at the Cerro Mayal site in the north of the country show it was an important production facility for Moche ceramics around the seventh century

Unesconews

‘We’re astounded and a bit perplexed by it’: colossal 2,500-year-old sculpture discovered at Unesco site in Turkey

The statue gives new insight into the ancient Lydian civilisation, Turkey’s culture ministry says

Lidar analysis reveals more than 20,000 pre-colonial earthworks under Amazonian rainforest

A new study based on aerial surveys suggests the pre-Columbian Aquiry civilisation had a much more developed and dispersed footprint than previously thought

Family of donor who helped establish Canadian Museum for Human Rights to pause support over Palestine exhibit

The Asper family’s foundation last donated to the museum in 2023, and Gail Asper says she has indefinitely paused a personal gift of C$50,000 over a display about the violent displacement of Palestinians

Trove of art by Basquiat, Javier Calleja and others at play in mammoth Vancouver real estate lawsuit

A lawsuit related to the collapse of the developer Coromandel Properties includes an art collection purchased for $4.9m that was used as collateral for a loan

Three Ancient Egyptian tombs with ‘significant’ inscriptions discovered in Saqqara necropolis

Rare carvings may reveal important information about New Kingdom era connections to the Near East and ancient domestic life

Ancient Egyptian grave with colourful murals discovered in Luxor

Archaeologists hope that further research of the site will reveal more about the lives of the people who lived in the ancient city of Thebes

Experts blame extensive earthquake damage in Venezuela on decades of government neglect

Numerous heritage sites were among the 58,000 buildings destroyed by the deadly twin earthquakes last month

Human rights museum’s Palestine exhibition sets off feud between Canadian politicians

The country’s heritage minister criticised curatorial choices in “Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present”, drawing widespread rebukes including from the leader of the New Democratic Party

Canadian Museum for Human Rights show on Palestinian displacement offers nuanced, empathetic perspective amid uproar

Met with opposition and outrage from the moment it was announced, the show gathers historical objects and images, poetry, contemporary art and video interviews

Royal Ontario Museum acquires collection of nearly 600 Arab textiles and artefacts

The collection was assembled by the textile historian Widad Kamel Kawar and significantly bolsters the Toronto museum’s holdings of materials from the region

‘Marks that speak across time’: rock carvings and drawings discovered in Oman

A newly discovered archaeological site has revealed a massive rock face covered in art that is believed to be ancient

International organisations and Lebanese culture ministry issue warnings amid Israeli capture of Beaufort Castle and strikes on Tyre

Unesco has increased support following confirmed damage to protected archaeological sites across southern Lebanon

Finalists for the Sobey Art Award, Canada’s top contemporary art prize, revealed

The six shortlisted artists, each representing a different region, will be featured in an exhibition opening at the National Gallery of Canada in September

Israeli organisation threatens legal action against Canadian Museum for Human Rights over Palestine exhibition

The Tel Aviv-based group Shurat Hadin is urging the museum in Winnipeg to pause its upcoming exhibition on the Nakba and its legacy to allow for a “legal and scholarly review”

1,000-year-old archaeological site bulldozed during construction of Mexico-US border wall

A contractor for the Department of Homeland Security destroyed a 1,000-year-old etching in the sand of the Sonoran Desert

Theatrereview

In new play, Norval Morrisseau forgery scandal prompts questions about authenticity and Indigenous identity

Drew Hayden Taylor’s “The Undeniable Accusations of Red Cadmium Light”, which recently debuted in Vancouver, interrogates fraud in several forms

Vancouver Biennale names senior curator for 2027-29 edition

This marks a return to Vancouver for the Brazilian curator Marcello Dantas, who organised a Vik Muniz project in the city as part of the biennale’s 2013-15 edition

Petroglyphs and cave paintings, some more than 4,000 years old, discovered in Mexico

The works, which span prehistory to the time of contact with Spanish colonisers, were identified in Hidalgo state during construction of a passenger train line

Ruins of ‘unique’, circular water temple discovered in Egypt

Built during the 2nd century, the circular building found in northern Sinai may have been dedicated to the god Pelusius

Native Americans created dice more than 12,000 years ago, study finds

The new research suggests use of dice in games of chance more than 6,000 years before such practices appeared in Europe

Canada returns 11 artefacts to Turkey in the first repatriation between the countries

The manuscript pages, prints and calligraphy had been seized by Canadian authorities as they arrived in Vancouver from Istanbul

Canadian foundation with ties to Israel’s biggest real-estate company ceases funding for Toronto Arts Foundation following protests

Both the Toronto Arts Foundation and the Azrieli Foundation maintain that the end of the funding relationship is unrelated to recent protests; activists are framing the split as a victory

Excavations at Alexander the Great's rediscovered city in Iraq postponed due to war

New research has confirmed the site of the giant ancient metropolis, but further archaeological work has been delayed due to issues such as travel restrictions

Final sentencing in Norval Morrisseau forgery scandal derailed by new allegations

Convicted fraudster’s sentencing pushed back amid widening dispute between family, foundation and authenticators

Missile strike hits boundary of archaeological site in Tyre, Lebanon as minister calls for Unesco intervention

An Israeli airstrike caused “material damage” to the entrance of the Unesco World Heritage site according to the Lebanese ministry of culture

Unesco World Heritage buildings in Tel Aviv damaged by Iranian missile strike

Cultural sites and museums in Israel have closed and have been instructed to move their collections into bomb shelters

Vancouver Art Gallery gifted more than 800 photographs by Stephen Shore

The gifted works are from Shore’s “Uncommon Places” series and make the gallery one of the largest collections of his photos in the world

2,000-year-old inscriptions found in Valley of the Kings offer fresh insight into Indian presence in Ancient Egypt

The inscriptions show that people from different parts of India interacted with Greeks and Egyptians in Egypt in the 1st-3rd centuries AD

Claims of 8,000-year-old petroglyph’s discovery in Venezuela raise questions about scientific rigour and Indigenous custodianship

While local officials hailed the petroglyph as the potential linchpin of a heritage tourism to the region, archaeologists point to a lack of thorough analysis