TOKYO (AP) -- The eyes of a visiting archaeologist lit up when he was shown the 10 tiny, tarnished discs that had sat unnoticed in storage for 2 1/2 years at a dig on a southern Japan island.He had been to archaeological sites in Italy and Egypt, and recognized the “little round things” as old coins, including a few likely dating to the Roman Empire.“I was so excited I almost forgot what I was there for, and the coins were all we talked about,” said Toshio Tsukamoto of the Gangoji Institute for

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Monday its latest cultural brand effort -- “K-Ribbon” marks awarded to cultural products deemed to best represent Korea. The K-Ribbon marks are given to cultural products that possess “Korea’s unique cultural values,” according to the ministry, with the aim of creating new premium brands through systematic management and marketing. “The new K-Ribbon mark has been established in an effort to increase Korea’s brand power,” said Park Young-guk o

Kolmar Korea CEO Yoon Dong-han donates “Water-Moon Avalokiteshvara” to National Museum of Korea

Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza could contain two previously unknown “cavities,” scientists using radiography to scan the millennia-old monument said Saturday.On Thursday, the antiquities ministry cautiously announced finding “two anomalies” in the pyramid built 4,500 years ago under King Khufu, with further tests to determine their function, nature and size.At 146 meters tall, Khufu pyramid, named after the son of pharaoh Snefru, is considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.Egyptia

The public is getting a rare peek at first and early editions of some of William Shakespeare’s most beloved plays. The Boston Public Library is commemorating the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death with “Shakespeare Unauthorized,” a free exhibition that opened Friday.The library famously holds a copy of the “First Folio,” the earliest published collection of Shakespeare’s works.Early “quartos,” or booklets for individual works such as “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Hamlet” and “The Merchant of

VIENNA (AFP)- Like most artworks in galleries worldwide, visitors haven't been allowed to reach out and touch Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss” at its home at the Belvedere museum in Vienna -- until now.On Wednesday a special three-dimensional version of the masterpiece was unveiled, aimed at enabling the visually impaired to enjoy the work by running their fingers over it.The “interactive tactile relief,” made using a 3-D printer, makes it possible to touch details of the 1907-8 original, the Belvedere

BOSTON (AP) - Ernest Hemingway was a pack rat who saved everything. Fortunately for fans of the literary icon, US and Cuban officials and scholars have been working together to preserve artifacts at his former estate in Cuba -- items they say will help illuminate his colorful legacy.At a forum Wednesday at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum in Boston, Hemingway experts from both countries underscored their determination to save the books, letters, fishing rods, mounted animal trop

STOCKHOLM (AFP) - Literary circles are abuzz with speculation ahead of Thursday's Nobel Literature Prize announcement, with award watchers suggesting this year’s honors could go to a controversial writer such as Syrian-born poet Adonis.The Academy is known for its cloak-and-dagger methods to prevent any leaks about its choice, resorting to codenames for authors and fake book covers when reading in public.The list of nominees is never revealed and the jury's deliberations are kept secret for half

Young escapees take to live webcasts, seeking to tear away at South Koreans’ prejudices

A leading collector, dealer of antiquities opens Barakat Seoul, first of its kind in the city

Asia's largest film festival will open in this southern South Korean city of Busan Thursday with the local film scene remaining divided after a two-year-long dispute over the festival's artistic freedom.This year's festival will run though next Saturday, featuring 299 films from 69 countries from around the world, a scale almost as large as last year's 304 films from 75 countries.  (BIFF 2016)Leading the 299 titles will be Korean-Chinese director Zhang Lu's "A Quiet Dream," which depicts the sto