Interesting archaeological discoveries :

First Jesus-era house unearthed in Nazareth

Archaeologists unveiled what may have been the home of one of Jesus' childhood neighbours in December last year. The humble dwelling is the first dating to the era of Jesus to be discovered in Nazareth, then a hamlet of around 50 impoverished Jewish families where Jesus spent his boyhood.

Based on clay and chalk shards (earthen wall fragments) found at the site, the dwelling appeared to house a "simple Jewish family," archaeologist Yardena Alexandre, excavations director at the Israel Antiquities Authority explained , as workers carefully chipped away at mud with small pickaxes to reveal stone walls.

"This may well have been a place that Jesus and his contemporaries were familiar with," Alexandre said. A young Jesus may have played around the house with his cousins and friends. "It's a logical suggestion." Archaeologist Stephen Pfann, president of the University of The Holy Land, noted: "It's the only witness that we have from that area that shows us what the walls and floors were like inside Nazareth in the first century." Pfann was not involved in the dig.

Alexandre said workers uncovered the first signs of the dwelling last summer, but it became clear only in December that it was a structure from the days of Jesus.

Alexandre's team found remains of a wall, a hideout, a courtyard and a water system that appeared to collect water from the roof and supply it to the home. The discovery was made when builders dug up the courtyard of a former convent to make room for a new Christian centre, just yards from the Basilica.

It is not clear how big the dwelling is. Alexandre's team has uncovered about 900 square feet of the house, but it may have been for an extended family and could be much larger, she said.

The shards also date back to the time of Jesus, which includes the late Hellenic, early Roman period that ranges from around 100 B.C. to the first century, Alexandre said. The determination was made by comparing the findings to shards and remains typical of that period found in other parts of the Galilee, she said. The only other artifacts from the time of Jesus found in the Nazareth area are ancient burial caves that provided a rough idea of the village's population at the time, Alexandre said.

Work is now taking place to clear newer ruins built above the dwelling, which will be preserved. The dwelling will become part of a new international Christian centre being built close to the site and funded by a French Roman Catholic group, said Marc Hodara of the Chemin Neuf Community overseeing construction. Alexandre said limited space and population density makes it unlikely that archaeologists can carry out further excavations in the area, leaving this dwelling to tell the story of what Jesus' boyhood home may have looked like. The discovery at "this time, this period, is very interesting, especially as a Christian," Karam said. "For me it is a great gift." - AP

Other finds...

* The tomb of the fabled general Cao Cao may have been unearthed in China's central Henan Province. The ruthless ruler died in 220 A.D.

* The Maya of Palenque had water pressure technology by 750 A.D. at the very latest and most likely much earlier, according to archaeologist Kirk French of Penn State University. French and his team discovered a buried, spring-fed conduit on a steep slope that abruptly narrows at one end. The resulting water pressure could have driven a fountain shooting water 20 feet high.

* A team of Greek underwater archaeologists claims to have discovered the giant doors to Cleopatra's mausoleum off the coast of Alexandria. "We believe it was part of the complex surrounding Cleopatra's palace," said Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.

* In St. Augustine, Florida, archaeologists have found a whisk known as a molinillo, which suggests that drinkable chocolate was served in North America as early as the 1500s. The wooden tool was discovered in a well, along with oyster and clam shells and animal bones.

* Three different types of forges were uncovered at what could be an early industrial site in Norway. "These are rare and exciting results, and unique in a Scandinavian context," said Preben Ronne of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's Museum of Natural History.

* A large, seventh-century Buddha statue has been unearthed in the Indian state of Kargil, near the border with Pakistan.Buddhist artifacts in Pakistan still face the threat of destruction from the Taliban.

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