1.   First excavations are expected to begin later this year.

2.   The discovery and the first excavations at Cancuen were made by archaeologists led by Demarest and Tomas Barrientos of Guatemala.

3.   The discovery and the first excavations at Cancuen were made this summer by archaeologists led by Demarest and Tomas Barrientos of Guatemala.

4.   This is not the first such excavation on live television.

5.   Thomas Jefferson conducted the first scientific excavation of one.

6.   Three more villas were uncovered when the first official excavations were begun.

7.   Palestinian autonomy has enabled archaeologists to launch the first excavations in the self-rule Gaza Strip, once a major trading crossroads between Africa and the Middle East.