Discoveries
Bacon “rubbish” including sketches and diaries makes £1m at auction
An alternative end for the rubbish that was to be thrown out from Bacon’s famously chaotic studio at 7 Reese Mews in London
Stolen art discovered in reclusive collector’s estate
Christie’s and the Stair Galleries both cancelled sales as a result
Malevich painting finally authenticated
Traces of Malevich's signature found on 1913 painting
Doubts cast on authorship of Goya’s “Black paintings”
University of Madrid discovery
Solid gold, fake Celtic cauldron found in lake
If deemed a Nazi object, it belongs to the Bavarian State
Unesco adopts a new Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage to protect shipwrecks lying in international waters
However, the US and UK say the it conflicts with existing maritime legislation and Russia, Norway, Turkey, and Venezuela vote no
Commercial landowners in Britain almost always hand over to public museums archaeological discoveries made on their land, despite no legal obligation for them to do so. Their munificence has led to a chronic shortage of storage space.
This virtuous circle
Deliberation over ownership of submerged vessels and their booty at the bottom of the ocean leads to Unesco intervention
An estimated three million shipwrecks lay undiscovered. UNESCO is calling for a global treaty to protect them. Salvors say it is unrealistic and unworkable, despite developments in deep-sea exploration technology
Radar imaging reveals ancient Cambodian ruins
Evidence of an earlier culture is found in the jungle surrounding Angkor
National Trust finds rare Gothic altarpiece in stables
Seven hundred year-old painting was dismissed as nineteenth-century
This year’s top discoveries, as published in the State Cultural Relics Bureau’s weekly newspaper, plus the top ten projects of the past five years
The red-letter roll call of recent Chinese archaeology
Lords Rothschild and Sainsbury of Preston Candover act to protect Butrint
The British School at Rome and the Tirana Institute of Archaeology are excavating Albania’s most important site.
Pillaged Cambodian art sold at Sotheby’s and displayed in the Met
Despite being published last year by the International Council of Museums, severed stone heads are circulating in London and New York
An exhibition at the Israel museum is the last chance to see objects excavated from the Sinai before their return to Egypt
Archaeology bows to the peace process
430 unknown drawings by Modigliani brought to light as the son of the artist's best friend releases a new book
The works were collected day by day, from 1907 to 1914, by Paul Alexandre during the artist’s stay in Paris
Numerous parties claim the Sevso Silver Roman hoard valued at £100m belongs to them, entrenching themselves in the New York courts
Legal complexities ensue, with deceit, conspiracy and covert dealing surrounding the treasures history becoming certain