The Queensland Museum, located in Brisbane, Australia, is the newest venue of Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb. This unprecedented exhibition will be shown in Queensland from April 19 until August 19, 2012. With a mix of diverse artifacts and 3D technological presentations, Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb promises to be an unusual and captivating take on the splendors of ancient Egypt. To learn more about the show, please read this review from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation by clicking here.

LiveScience is reporting that a statue displayed in the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, in Hamburg, Germany, might be that of a female gladiator. Topless and of unknown origins, the statue is nearly 2.000 years old but in very good condition. Contrary to popular belief, female gladiators did exist in the Roman Empire although they were quite rare. Emperor Septimius Severus banned them outright in 200 CE. Please click here to read more about this unusual statue and its possible origins.

Scientists have used satellite images to locate previously-unkown human settlements in Syria. Harvard archeologist Jason Ur and MIT computer scientist Bjoern Menze have combined spy-satellite photos acquired during the 1960s with modern images of the Earth’s surface, and thus have devised a new method of mapping patterns of human settlements at an unprecedented scale. They recently used their new technique to map upwards of 14,000 previously overlooked settlements, distributed over 23,000 square kilometers of Mesopotamian landscape. Their method of aerial analysis relies on the detection of anthrosol, a distinctive type of soil that forms in the presence of long-term human activity. Read the full story on io9.com.

If you’re interested in ancient art, be sure to check out the Google Art Project. With access to high-resolution images of works of art from over forty museums from around the world, this is a fantastic free resource. Recently, the Google Art Project has been incorporating works of ancient African art and sculpture to their online library: allAfrica.com reports that Google has agreed to work with the Rock Art Research Institute in Johannesburg, South Africa and with the South African National Gallery in Cape Town, South Africa. Please click here for more information.

At the Ancient History Encyclopedia, we like providing you with the latest information pertaining to exhibitions of interest to the scholar and enthusiast alike. Here are some new exhibitions to make note of: Mummies of the World: The Exhibition makes its Florida debut at the Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI), in Tampa, Florida USA, on Friday, April 27 and will remain on display until September 2012. This exhibition features an impressive collection of mummies from Asia, Oceania, South America, Europe, as well as ancient Egypt, some dating back almost 7.000 years. This exhibition of mummies and related artifacts is the largest ever assembled in the world. The Sanctuaries of Demeter and Persephone at Morgantina has just opened at the Getty Villa Museum, in Los Angeles, California USA. This exhibition features over thirty-five Greek objects, from Sicily, which will be on display until January 21, 2013. The artifacts date from the 4th to the 2nd centuries BCE and are exquisite in their ornamentation. 2012 is going to be a big year for the United Kingdom …

The Ara Pacis Augustae (Altar of Augustan Peace), also called the “Ara Pacis,” is a famous Roman monument housed in the Museo dell’Ara Pacis, in Rome, Italy. Built between 13-9 BCE, it is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful of all Roman monuments. Here, you can view high-resolution beautiful images and access 3-D models of what the Ara Pacis looked like during Rome’s apogee. The website, created by professors of Reed College in the United States, is a great resource and is available in English, Italian, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean. Take your pick and enjoy!

We wanted to inform our contributors and visitors from the UK that an exciting exhibition has just opened at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth, UK.  2012 BC: Cornwall and the Sea in the Bronze Age is a special exhibition which traces Cornish mining, trading, and maritime exchange with Bronze Age Europe. Among the highlights are the lovely Nebra Sky Disc, one of the oldest representations of the cosmos ever found in Europe, and a reconstructed ancient ship. Please click here to read more about this exhibition from Culture24.

The BBC is reporting that a team of archaeologists have uncovered the ruins of several prehistoric structures on the remote Skmore Island off the coast of Pembrokeshire, Wales. Better known for its diverse flora and fauna, Skmore Island is now believed to have been inhabited around 5.000 years ago. Please click here to read the article in its entirety.

The New York Times ran an article on the ancient Chinese ziqi today. The instrument is making something of a comeback in contemporary China and dates from the Waring States Period (c. 600 BCE). Please click here to learn more about its revival in relation to renewed interest in traditional Chinese culture.

At the Ancient History Encyclopedia, we like to introduce our users and contributors to other organizations and institutions which provide assistance in the study and preservation of the ancient past. One such organization is Archaeology Southwest. This is a private nonprofit which aims to increase public awareness in the rich past of the ancient cultures of the American Southwest and Northeast Mexico. Based in the United States, Archaeology Southwest is committed to the creation of research initiatives designed to protect artifacts and heritage sites alike. Be sure to check out their homepage and beautiful magazine–Archaeology Southwest Magazine–too!