West Europe’s massive prehistoric tombs were built in great numbers for a short period of time before ceasing for centurires.

“It trivializes the tombs to call it a fad, but building such structures seems to have become a fashion where great numbers were built and then there was a cessation for centuries,” Scarre says, in an interview. Improved dating of materials such as birch bark, bone and stone left in the tombs now reveals the clustered construction times of the mounds, he says.

Rather than a single “megalithic” culture stretching across Europe, the outburst of mound tombs likely represents an idea reaching local cultures, he suggests, which then “stopped and started” across the centuries. “One big implication is the realization that the people buried in this fashion represent only a small fraction of the people who were alive then,” Scarre says. “Until the Roman era, thoughtful burial of the dead may have been a rare thing in this part of Europe.”

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Wired has posted an interesting article on how you can help in the search for Genghis Khan’s tomb by studying satellite imagery from the comfort of your own home.

By combining the use of high tech tools and crowdsourcing, their small team of explorers, led by Albert Lin, turns into a team of thousands working together to identify possible tomb locations. This is done by having the general public studying satellite images and identifying the features we see. There’s no way the small team would have enough time to search the entire area themselves, so our help is invaluable. It’s amazing how helpful we can be without being experts on satellite imagery. It’s very easy to spot rivers and roads, and pretty intuitive to spot modern structures, such as yurts, and signs of ancient or buried structures, such as burial mounds or odd land patterns. Then, combining this information with real-time data and maps, the expedition gets a clearer picture of the different areas of Mongolia.

One reason why the explorer team is using satellite imagery techniques is to minimize the amount of digging that is done, which preserves Mongolia’s land and protects the cultural history. By studying the land from above, one can see subtle differences in terrain, perhaps areas that have settled in unusual ways. As possible heritage sites are located, people on the ground can investigate further. Explorer Albert Lin and his team will be investigating the tagged items, without digging any holes. Top Mongolian scholars are also participating in the process.

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Two rock-hewn painted tombs have been uncovered at Saqqara, Egypt.

The tombs, one of which was intact and contained offering jars and other grave goods, belonged to a senior official called Shendwa and his son, Khonsu, according to the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Both men lived in the Sixth Dynasty, more than 4,200 years ago, the council said in an e-mailed statement, citing Hosni and the country’s chief archaeologist, Zahi Hawass.

Located 20 miles south of Cairo, Saqqara is best known for the step-pyramid of Djoser, the world’s oldest known monument built using dressed stone.

Tourism, which accounts for 12.6 percent of jobs, is one of Egypt’s main sources of foreign currency and brought in $10.76 billion in revenue last year, according to the tourism ministry.

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Eleven Phung Nguyen tombs have been found in Ha Noi’s Dong Ahn District.

The Phung Nguyen remains, the best-preserved of any found in and around the city, date back about 4,000 years, archaeologists from the Viet Nam Archaeology Institute said.

The tombs were discovered 1.5m below ground.

“All the tombs are of people who were living during the Phung Nguyen civilisation, date back 3,500 to 4,000 years,” said Lai Van Toi, PhD, who is in charge of excavating the site.

One of the tombs, provisionally called number nine, contained the well-preserved remains of a woman aged between 35-40, Nguyen Laân Cuong, deputy general secretary of the Viet Nam Archaeologists Association told Viet Nam News.

The woman was about 1.55m tall and was buried face up, with her arms lying by her sides and her head bent towards her left shoulder, Cuong said.

Her skull was a long ovoid shape, and her eye sockets were relatively low in her face. She also had a large nose.

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A pair of Han Dynasty tombs have been discovered in Central China’s Henan province.

The tombs were found by construction workers when digging sewer lines on June 24. A seven-story miniature clay building and more than 70 other items including jars, clay warehouses, clay dogs, clay basins and clay cups have been unearthed by archaeologists.

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