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Team Finds Ancient Iliad Mosaic 100 Miles North Of London

A decade on from uncovering the remains of King Richard III under a car park, the university’s archaeological team have unearthed a Roman mosaic featuring the great Greek hero of Achilles in battle with brave Hector during the Trojan War. - AP

Developers In Britain Are Challenged To Stop Destroying And Start Retrofitting

That's in order to save the world - no, really. "Our throwaway building culture is one of the key reasons that UK construction has such an appalling carbon footprint. The planning system could make re-use of existing buildings the default." - The Guardian (UK)

Repatriation Of Benin’s Bronzes Should Be Only The Beginning

Museums in Europe and the U.S. have more to do to help Nigeria showcase the bronzes safely and well, argues an advisor to a new museum in Nigeria. "It will take time, patience, and deep discussions about establishing practices that will guide these decisions going forward." - Hyperallergic

An Ancient University Gets An Addition And A Makeover

Rowan Moore is mostly a fan of two Oxford colleges' innovations, but he adds, "All of leaves me wishing there was more work like this outside the privileged enclaves of Oxford." - The Observer (UK)

Quinnipiac University Closes Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum

The museum had only been open since 2012. Donors are concerned: Where will all of their artifacts end up? - The New York Times

Corporations Have Started Working With First Nations Artists, And The Artists Say That’s Just Fine

Yes, it's corporate, and yes, representation is incredibly important. "I'm creating sacred space," one of the artists said - and, from a business point of view, the inclusivity sends a message to potential consumers who care about that value as well. - CBC

Once, Community Housing Architecture Was A Utopian Dream

"When the housing scheme opened in 1938, it offered 3,000 residents modern kitchens with integrated waste disposal, as well as communal nursery and launderette facilities in what was then the largest social housing complex in Britain." Fifty years later? All gone. - The Guardian (UK)

Filter Me This, Batman: Yassify Takes On Famous Images

To “yassify” something is to apply several beauty filters to a picture using FaceApp, an A.I. photo-editing application, until its subject — be that a celebrity, a historical figure, a fictional character or a work of fine art — becomes almost unrecognizably made up. - The New York Times

Rethink: Why Shouldn’t Shelter For Homeless People Be Beautiful?

“Design was often not seen as an important aspect of homeless housing. They were faceless vanilla blocks that looked cheap and made people, by implication, feel that where they were living wasn’t important.” - The New York Times

With Big Ceremony, Egypt Reopens Ancient Avenue Of The Sphinxes

The road, also known as Road of the Rams, dates back 3,400 years, Reuters reports. However, it was first discovered in the late 1940s, according to Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. - CNN

Our Ancient Attraction To Glass

In a world filled with the buff, brown and sand hues of more utilitarian Late Bronze Age materials, glass — saturated with blue, purple, turquoise, yellow, red and white — would have afforded the most striking colors other than gemstones. - Knowable Magazine

True Crime: Manhattan’s Art Theft Police

The unit has impounded more than 3,600 antiquities, valued at some $200 million. They’ve raided art fairs on Park Avenue, and Christie’s in Rockefeller Center. They arrested a dealer at the five-star Mark Hotel and seized statues on display at the five-star Pierre. - The Atlantic

Anderson Cooper Visits Caligula’s Pleasure Garden

A gay silver-fox fantasy come to life? Nope, sorry. In 2006, workers excavating for an underground parking garage found what archaeologists determined was a garden designed for the notorious young emperor, and they've been working there ever since. 60 Minutes sent Cooper to have a look. - CBS News

Why Artists Should Have Resale Rights

Auction houses or other market intermediaries wishing to incorporate such activities into their equity practice could pledge a portion of the seller’s commission or the buyer’s premium back to the artist. - Artnet

How An Ancient Roman Mosaic Spent Fifty Years As A Coffee Table In A New York Apartment

A priceless Roman mosaic that once decorated a ship used by the emperor Caligula was used for almost 50 years as a coffee table in an apartment in New York City. - The Guardian

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