Archaeology

The most famous Anglo-Saxon bling may be the Sutton Hoo Ship Burial treasures, but the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon goldwork is the Staffordshire Hoard. Discovered in 2009 in western England, the Staffordshire Hoard is a jaw-dropping, eye-dazzling collection of intricately crafted works of armorial art.

In Germany last year, a badger unearthed the graves of two twelfth-century Eastern European lords; the tombs contained grave-goods like belt buckles and swords, while the skeletons sported multiple healed war wounds. You can read the full account from the German news outlet Spiegel.

I've heard of truffle pigs and cadaver dogs; I don't see why archaeologists can't start training tomb badgers...

You stick a brick in its mouth, of course. Or you bury its head between its legs. Or perhaps you skewer its corpse with an iron rod.

. . . but the details behind da Vinci's Mona Lisa have long been obscure. Now, archaeologists in Italy have opened the grave believed to house the bones of Lisa Gherardini, the woman believed to have been the model for the famous painting. You can read about the excavation, Lisa's life, and the archaeological team's goals at Discovery News, as well as an update on the project.