Two kinds of archaeology today. One uncovers what’s real and was buried; the other exposes what was always artificial.

In the first category: a forgotten manuscript in Rome turns out to have been hiding the oldest English poem ever found — three centuries earlier than the previous record (Seattle Times). Then, an Egyptian mummy was buried with a copy of the Iliad, apparently a “cheat code” to the afterlife for Roman-era royals (The New York Times). Cy Twombly’s granddaughter has surfaced a trove of unseen portraits her grandmother took of the artist (The New York Times). And a documentary about the Harlem Renaissance, shot at Duke Ellington’s townhouse in 1972, is finally getting its debut (The Guardian).

In the second: a viral marketing executive estimates 90% of what we see online is advertising — and the machinery has started to show (Vulture). Seth Rogen, asked about AI screenwriting, says anyone who wants to use it “should simply stop working as a writer” (Variety). And ArXiv will now ban researchers for a year if their submissions contain unedited AI slop (The Verge). Edited, is apparently still okay.

The signal, it turns out, is in the archives. The noise is in the feed. All of our stories below.

See you tomorrow.

Doug

“The documentary centres on a cocktail party [director William] Greaves hosted at Duke Ellington’s townhouse in Harlem in August 1972 – an attempt to capture the voices of artists, writers, musicians and organisers whose work had transformed Black American culture in the 1920s.” – The Guardian (UK)

Was Greek literature a “cheat code” to the afterlife for Egyptian royals of Roman-era Egypt? – The New York Times

The head of one viral marketing firm says 90 percent of what we see online is advertising. And of course, “the point of this kind of marketing is that nobody is supposed to notice it. But lately, the machinery has started to show.” – Vulture

“Every time I see a video on Instagram that’s like, ‘Hollywood is cooked,’ what follows is the most stupid dog shit I’ve ever seen in my life.” – Variety

This Tony-nominated actor is finding more theatrical work – and, let’s face it, likely better pay – as a member of the Savannah Bananas, playing a relief pitcher who comes on dressed as, and singing, the Phantom of the Opera. – The New York Times

If you go to the Biennale, including this year’s intensely controversial edition, “Do you marshal skepticism or let the feelings flow? Whatever your preference, you’ll get a lot of practice.” – The Atlantic

“Prior to the discovery of the Rome manuscript, the earliest one was from the early 12th century. So this is three centuries earlier than that. And so it attests to the importance that was already being attached to the English in the early 9th century.” – Seattle Times (AP)

“The pursuit of beautiful things is still a magical aspect of our world. … It is much more than finding the right art for your mantelpiece.” – The New York Times

The suspect was about to throw the concrete, and the 800-year-old relic inside it, into a river. – Agence France-Presse (The Guardian UK)

Aleshea Harris: “It felt natural and inevitable because I am a very particular playwright. … I already have strong ideas and impulses about not just writing the thing, but helping people to understand.”  – The New York Times

Basically? It can’t take the heat: “In theory, attending Cannes should be a no-brainer for major U.S. studios. Talent loves it because of the glamour and global exposure. … This year, however, multiple high level sources said the conglomerates are particularly thin-skinned about the scathing Cannes critics.” – Variety

“That sprint of a succession of high notes in such a short time is legendary, which adds a layer of difficulty not only to singing the role but finding a reliable queen.” – The New York Times

“Ballet can be a pretty conservative artform, with many companies trundling out Swan Lakes, Nutcrackers, and Cinderellas year after year. Every now and again, though, someone like Rojo comes along and truly shakes things up – even if that has meant ruffling tutus in the process.” – NPR

“If a paper has ‘incontrovertible evidence that the authors did not check the results of LLM generation,’ such as hallucinated references or “meta-comments” left by an LLM, authors will be banned from ArXiv for a year.” The responses have been … er, interesting. – The Verge

Wait, Lupita Nyong’o is not beautiful enough for some? Sounds like a them problem. Or, as Claire Willett said on Bluesky, “Woman: *Minds her own business while being beautiful* The worst men in the world: This is an attack on me personally. Summon the fleet.” – Salon

“The second century of European public media looks less certain than its first as its original competition – from private broadcasters – is eclipsed by heated rivalry from deep-pocketed streaming platforms.” – Irish Times

The Twomblys’ granddaughter, Maia, discovered the negatives – and she has a new appreciation of the photographer: “I remember her now not as an 80-year-old woman, but as a 30-year-old. It’s like she is no longer my grandmother but my friend.” – The New York Times

Try returning to some things you cared about as a kid. – The Atlantic

Why? For one thing, “conservation specialists … have been navigating the practical challenge of safely transporting the works across the globe.” – The Guardian (UK)

Artists this week were busy with the past — and the political forces around them were busy editing it. Davóne Tines’s operatic adaptation of Langston Hughes’s 1931 monologue The Black Clown condenses 300 years of Black American experience into 18 stanzas (Philadelphia Inquirer). Washington National Opera, freshly severed from the Kennedy Center, announced a season featuring a world premiere about Georgia O’Keeffe (The New York Times). And visual artists, in response to AI, are reviving the labor-intensive techniques of the Old Masters (Artnet).

At the same time, the canon is being narrowed by force. Knoxville schools pulled Alex Haley’s Pulitzer-winning Roots from libraries (WATE). Georgia sentenced the renowned bass Paata Burchuladze to seven years in prison for organizing an election-day protest (OperaWire). Pianist Jayson Gillham is suing the Melbourne Symphony for canceling his recital after he dedicated a piece to journalists killed in Gaza (ABC). National pavilions closed across the Venice Biennale to protest Israel’s inclusion (The Guardian).

A quieter finding to close on: participating in the arts is now associated with measurably slower biological aging (The Guardian). The work does something.

All this week’s stories below, organized by topic.

Gillian Fox, President & CEO of Caramoor, shares strategies to engage the next generation of arts supporters.

<a href="https://www.artsjournal.com/herman/2026/05/can-we-beat-the-lies-all-the-lies.html" title="Can We Beat the Lies? All the Lies?“