We have the unfortunate news of reporting a robbery of precious items from the Museum of the History of the Olympic Games, in Olympia, Greece. The BBC is reporting that around seventy items were stolen and that the museum has been significantly damaged. The news prompted the resignation of Greece’s Minister of Cultural Affairs, Pavlos Geroulanos, but did not surprise the Greek public. Since the economic downturn in Greece, funding to museums and cultural organizations has been slashed due to austerity measures and severe budget cuts. Please click here to read more about this pressing tragedy.

ABC News is reporting that a joint team of Japanese and Egyptians scientists is in the process of restoring a 4.000 year old boat, which originally belonged to the famous Pharaoh Kufu. Khufu–also known as “Cheops”–ordered the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Egyptologists and scientists have already restored another similar boat with much success. Please click here to read more.

The Walters Museum, in Baltimore, MD USA, is the current venue of a fantastic exhibition not to be missed: Exploring Art of the Ancient Americas: The John Bourne Collection will be on view until May 20, 2012. Featuring over 135 exquisite objects from South and Central America, this exhibition covers nearly 3,000 years of art history. Among the highlights are intricate pieces of jewelry, bejeweled masks, and painted pottery from the Maya, Incan, Aztec, Mixtec, Moche, and Olmec civilizations. Special objects from as far as Bolivia, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Panama are exhibited as are rare pieces from Teotihuacan. This exhibition explores upon the interplay between religion and politics in Pre-Columbian civilizations and is organized by geography. Please click here to read a review of this exciting show from The Baltimore City Paper.

Last week, we mentioned the opening of an exciting new exhibit of ancient Egyptian objects and artifacts in Edinburgh, Scotland. The BBC has just covered the opening of this exhibition with a news report that can be viewed by clicking here.

In the weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal, Dr. James Romm of Bard University has written an excellent review for “A Culture of Freedom,” by Christian Meier. Just published, this work focuses on Hellenism and its impact in the Near East as well as in Europe and North Africa. Please click here to read this review.

Fascinating Mummies opens today at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. On show until May 27, 2012, this exhibition presents a special collection of objects and treasures from the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, based in Leiden, Netherlands. Highlights include detailed cat scans of various mummies, from all over Egypt, as well as rare sarcophagi. Please click here to learn more about this exhibit.

In this fun and engaging article, freelance writer Elisabeth Eaves journeys into the Yucatan peninsula’s remotest region in order to visit the mysterious Mayan city of Calakmul. Flourishing around the year c. 600 CE, Calakmul was a wealthy and influential city, rivaling the fêted city of Tikal for power and prestige. Three times as large as the better-known Chichen Itza, Calakmul is the remotest of all Mayan cities and was only discovered in 1931. Please click here to read this article from GO Magazine (the inflight magazine of AirTran).

While our readers and visitors from Europe have been suffering through frigid weather for the past week or so, winter’s wrath has proven itself as a blessing in at least one part of the old continent. An ancient building from Roman times, as well as pottery shards and the foundation of an ancient sewer system, has been revealed in the port city of Bourgas, Bulgaria. Click here to read about this unexpected discovery from Novinite.com.

Two archeologists from Belgium, Fabienne Pigière and Denis Henrotay, make a very interesting argument in the latest edition of the Journal of Archaeological Science: the bedrock of Roman power depended upon the camel. They posit that camels connected the various parts of the empire and were the favored animals for long distance trade. Furthermore, they also were favored by the Roman army and its ranks. Please click here to read this news article from USA TODAY.

2012 is likely to be a year of great political importance for the United States and for the European Union, if not for the entire world. Recently on NPR (National Public Radio), Professor Philip Freeman of Luther University spoke about his new book, “How to Win an Election: An Ancient Guide for Modern Politicians.” Freeman’s work is a translation of a text written during the last days of the Roman Republic, by a brother of Marcus Cicero, in 64 BCE. Please click here to listen to the interview or read the interview transcript.