Archaeological Headlines By JESSICA E. SARACENI

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND— The Edinburgh Evening News reports that excavations at the ruins of Cammo House, a structure first built in the late seventeenth century, have uncovered objects thought to belong Margaret Wright, who was the housekeeper at the mansion in the years leading up to World War I. Volunteers working with the Edinburgh Archaeological Field Society found the cache of objects, which includes tonic and perfume bottles, false teeth, and cooking equipment, in the servants’ area known as the Cottages. Historical research revealed that Wright was the only person on the estate in 1911 while the landowners were on a world tour. She retired after their return and died in 1915. To read about another find from Edinburgh, go to " World Roundup: Scotland ."

MARDIN, TURKEY—Abdulgani Tarkan of the Mardin Museum told the Anadolu Agency that a team of excavators has uncovered the mosaic floors in a 1,600-year-old Christian church discovered last year in southeastern Turkey. The images on the floors include a nine-line inscription written in the ancient Syriac alphabet. “The mosaics are also decorated with animal depictions, geometric ornaments, and human figures, including scenes depicting people…hunting,” Tarkan explained. Some of the images also reveal how public religious worship was performed. To read about the remains of a fifth-century basilica found underwater in Lake Iznik, Turkey, go to " Sunken Byzantine Basilica ," one of ARCHAEOLOGY's Top 10 Discoveries of 2014.

COUNTY MEATH, IRELAND— The Irish Independent reports that archaeologists led by Geraldine Stout have uncovered pottery; the bones of cows, sheep, cats, and dogs; seeds; nuts; a key; a timber dash-urn with a paddle for churning butter; and a bakery at the site of a thirteenth-century monastery in eastern Ireland. The monastery was equipped with a communal latrine, a water system, and a cellar to support between 30 and 50 monks. Previous investigation of the site revealed French jugs and ceramic roof tiles, suggesting the site was inhabited by French Cistercians from Normandy known as De Bello Becco. The monastery also had a gatehouse. “We were lucky to find waterlogged deposits which preserved a lot of timber and seeds for us so we can tell by the flat oats and cereal that the monks made and ate sourdough bread,” Stout said. The site functioned as a monastery into the sixteenth century, she added. To read about a forgotten entrance to a monastery in Ireland's County Galway, go to " The Marks of Time: Monastery Doorway ."

GRENADA, SPAIN—According to a statement released by the University of Seville , an international team of researchers including Antonio Gámiz of the University of Seville have found previously unidentified details in the muqarnas, or ornamental vaults, in the two temples in the Lions’ Courtyard at the Alhambra, a medieval Islamic palace. To track the repairs made to the fourteenth-century structures, the researchers reviewed historic drawings of the muqarnas dating back to the seventeenth century, made new computer-assisted drawings of the structures, and then created 3-D scans of the muqarnas. The study revealed that the two vaults have different configurations, and that their original designs have been altered by repairs. To read about Muslim burials found in France that may date to the Umayyad Islamic caliphate's eighth-century A.D. occupation of the Iberian Peninsula and southwestern France, go to " Islam North of the Pyrenees ."

BANGKOK, THAILAND—The Associated Press reports that divers think they have found the wreckage of the submarine USS Grenadier in the Strait of Malacca. The measurements of the wreckage match the submarine’s naval records, according to Lance Horowitz, a member of the dive team. “A complete review, analysis, and documentation may take two months to a year to complete,” added Robert Neyland of the Naval History and Heritage Command’s Underwater Archaeology Branch. In 1945, Lt. Cdr. John A. Fitzgerald reported that the Grenadier’s crew of 76 survived bombing by a Japanese plane and scuttled the vessel before they were taken prisoner and held captive for more than two years. Four of the men did not survive the harsh treatment they received. To read about the discovery of a heavy cruiser that sank in 1945 in the North Pacific, go to " Finding Indianapolis ," one of ARCHAEOLOGY's Top 10 Discoveries of 2017.

BORDEAUX, FRANCE—The AFP reports that researchers are examining human remains recovered from a tomb discovered in late 2019 in the basement of the Aquitaine Museum, which is located in southwestern France. In the sixteenth century, the building housed a convent where the remains of philosopher Michel de Montaigne, who served as mayor of Bordeaux from 1581 to 1585, may have come to rest after his body was moved several times following his death in 1592. Archaeoanthropologist Helene Reveillas said the well-preserved skeleton, which was recovered from a lead coffin found within a wooden coffin inscribed with the word “Montaigne,” belonged to an adult who may have been male. “We have elements which do not go against the idea that this is de Montaigne. But we also have nothing which allows us to affirm it with certainty,” she explained. Montaigne is known to have suffered from kidney stones, and his heart was removed from his body at the request of his widow. The research team will now look for such evidence when studying the tissue, pollen, and insects found in the coffin, and radiocarbon date the remains, Reveillas added. To read about a cache of silver coins discovered beneath the floor of a late fifteenth- or early sixteenth-century house in France, go to " A Catalog of Princes ."

Egyptian Mummy Portrait Compared to Facial Reconstruction MUNICH, GERMANY—Live Science reports that a team of scientists created a 3-D image of the body of a child who died in Egypt sometime between 50 B.C. and A.D. 100 with CT scans and X-rays, and then compared the likeness with his mummy portrait. Examination of his teeth indicate the child was between the ages of three and four at the time of death. Andreas Nerlich of the Academic Clinic Munich-Bogenhausen said the resulting facial reconstruction is very similar to the ancient painting, although the child appears to be a bit older in his portrait. The likeness may have been painted shortly before or after his death, Nerlich surmised. The scan also revealed residues of condensed lung tissue indicating that the boy likely died of pneumonia, and that his brain and some of his abdominal organs had been removed during the process of mummification. Similar studies of mummies of adults found that an older man’s mummy portrait portrayed him when he was young, and another mummy had been given the wrong portrait altogether, based upon the proportions of his skull. Read the original scholarly article about this research in PLOS ONE. To read about using DNA samples from mummies to determine family bonds, go to "We Are Family."

Shipwreck from 17th-Century War Found Near Denmark COPENHAGEN, DENMARK—The Copenhagen Post reports that the wreckage of the Delmenhorst, one of the first ships constructed from drawings, was found some 500 feet off the coast of Denmark during offshore construction work. The warship, now almost completely buried in the seabed, was grounded in 1644 during the Battle of Fehmarn, fought between the Danes and a Swedish and Dutch fleet as part of a brief conflict called the Torstenson War. The Danes attempted to protect the Delmenhorst with a cannon in the harbor at Rødbyhavn, but the Swedes set one of their own ships on fire and sailed it into the Delmenhorst, which also caught fire and sank. Sweden replaced Denmark as the leading power in the region after the victory. To read about the fifteenth-century wreck of a ship belonging to the Danish King Hans, go to "A Baltic Sea Monster Surfaces."