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Italian Archaeologists Explore Mongolia's Ancient Past
The Italian mission, working in Mongolia since 2018, has documented thirty-nine structures in the Bayangolyn Valley near ancient Karakorum; the empire kept very few receipts.
On air: Gloria Vance and Kenji Moonfield on BBN After HoursPublished
Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBNWatch it as it aired: Gloria Vance and Kenji Moonfield on this story, from BBN After Hours at 2:17 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Novastan France's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by Novastan France: “Italian Archaeologists Explore Mongolia's Ancient Past”, with reporting from Italian Embassy in Ulaanbaatar and CRAST (Centro Ricerche Archeologiche e Scavi di Torino).
- Covered on BBN on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 2:17 AM ET on BBN After Hours, by Gloria Vance and Kenji Moonfield.
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
- Novastan FranceItalian Archaeologists Explore Mongolia's Ancient Past
- Italian Embassy in UlaanbaatarArchaeological missions facts used on air
- CRAST (Centro Ricerche Archeologiche e Scavi di Torino)Kharkhorin - CRAST facts used on air
What BBN said about it
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorIn Mongolia's Bayangolyn Valley, fourteen kilometres northwest of Kharkhorin, Italian archaeologists have documented thirty-nine structures dating from the Bronze Age onward.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentThirty-nine. Who keeps count of that?
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorA team that has worked there since twenty eighteen, funded by Italy's foreign ministry.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorKharkhorin was once Karakorum, capital of the Mongol Empire in the thirteenth century.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentAn empire capital, and it took a drone with thermal cameras to read the surface. Even the Mongols knew how to keep a low profile.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorThe mission's leader, Roberta Menegazzi, says working with local communities is important for preserving the country's cultural heritage.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorIt is a modest sentence from a very patient foreign ministry.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentYears of fieldwork, a university partnership, one drone. The great empire ends up as a survey.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorEmpires usually do.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentThirteenth century capital, and the only thing still posting is the drone.
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Photo: مانفی · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: ArildV · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Donald Hobern from Canberra, Australia · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Saturday, October 24, 2026 · the World archive · all months
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