Le Musée d’Arles, in Arles, France, is the site of an unprecedented exhibition, exploring the submerged wonders of Roman antiquity from beneath the Rhône River. From March 9 to June 25, 2012, Le Musée d’Arles will bring Roman Arles (“Arelate”) alive through the presentation of reconstructed models, artifacts, bronzes and silvers, and architectural pieces. Other objects will be on loan from the Louvre, Le Musée Calvet d’Avignon and the Museo di Antichità of Turin, Italy. Please click here to read more about this exciting exhibition.

While ancient sites around Greece have suffered because of the protracted economic crisis, ANSAmed reports that one major site has recently been given funds for restoration and protection. Yesterday, the Central Archaeological Council of Greece approved a measure to restore the famed theatre of ancient Delos. Built originally of marble and completed in 250 BCE, the theatre was massive, equipped for nearly 7.000 visitors. Although it abandoned in 88 BCE, following an invasion of the island by Mithridates VI of Pontus (r. 120-63 BCE) during the The First Mithridatic War (89-85 BCE), it has long been admired and even imitated. Please read more about this restoration project by clicking here.

Australia has more than 100.000 rock art sites with more being discovered every year. Not surprisingly, Australia has the most rock art in the world. Academics and archaeologists face the daunting task of preserving and recording these ancient treasures–some of which date back more than 9.000 years! The Australian recently ran this article about a new initiative from the University of Western Australia on the topic. Please click here to access it.

Japanese archaeologists have uncovered more than six terracotta figures dating from c. 400 CE in city of Matsue in Chogoku region of Japan. The figures include warriors, sumo wrestlers, and finely crafted horses. The clay figures or “haniwa,” in Japanese, were used for burial rites and as funerary pieces. This particular discovery has caused quite a stir in Japan as the figures seem to reflect the influence of the nearby Izumo region (presently the Shimane Prefecture), which had close relations with the Korean peninsula in ancient times. Please click here to read more about this discovery from Press TV.

The Taíno were the first people in the Americas to greet Christopher Columbus and yet, within only two generations, they all but disappeared from Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Cuba, and the Bahamas. Or did they? New evidence has emerged suggesting that the Taíno survived the Spanish conquest and maintained a sophisticated and self-sufficient culture thousands of years before the Voyages of Discovery. In October 2011, the Smithsonian Magazine contained an article with the latest research and theories about these mysterious and captivating people. Please click here to learn more and access the article.

Last Fall, Smithsonian Magazine featured this article on the Incan civilization of Pre-Columbian South America. Although the Incas inhabited one of the harshest and most unpredictable climes in the world, they proved to be not only masterful architects–their roads and cities still exist–but exceptionally adroit in matters pertaining to agriculture: complicated canal systems; terraced farming; and advanced forms of land reclamation characterized Incan agriculture. Archaeologists and scientists are now drawing from Incan expertise to combat a variety of global climate problems. Please click here to this thought-provoking article.

Should you find yourself in Washington D.C., in the United States, be sure not to miss “Feast Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran,” at the Smithsonian’s Freer-Sackler Museum of Asian Art. Exhibiting the wealth and splendor of ancient Persian metalworking from the Achaemenid period (550-330 BCE) to the Islamic conquests of the Iranian plateau (633-644 CE), this show features rare and exquisite items belonging to the fabled Shahs of old Iran. Highlighted pieces include gilded plates and masterful bronze work. Please click here to read and learn more about this exhibition.

Fancy a trip to Rome c. 320 CE? In 3D? Scientists and scholars from Rome Reborn enable you to just do that. Please click here to read an article from thestar.com about the project and be sure to check out the accompanying video. We promise that you won’t regret it!

An ancient Greek road has just been uncovered outside the city of Thessaloniki, in northeast Greece. Archaeologists and scholars date the marble road–“Via Egnatia”–from c. 300 BCE. Curiously, Roman tombs, containing jewels and tablets were also uncovered very close to the road. Please click here to read about this surprising “double discovery” from the South African Independent Online.

Shankari Patel, an anthropology graduate student at the University of California–Riverside, is causing quite a stir amongst her fellow Mayanists. In a recent, provocative paper, Patel claims to show that ancient Mayan women held multifaceted and important roles within Mayan civilization. Women, Patel contends, were not only wives and domestic workers, but also warriors and queens in their own right. Scholars like Cynthia Robin, a professor of anthropology at Northwestern University, agree with Patel’s findings and encourages further study. Please click here to read to this compelling article from Medill Reports Chicago: A Publication of the Medill School of Northwestern University.