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Archaeology news
Researchers discover there was an overseas trade supplying horses for sacrifices during the late Viking age
Prehistoric communities from Iceland to the Eurasian Steppe sacrificed horses as part of their funeral rites. These Baltic tribes, known as the Balts, sacrificed horses longer than anywhere else in Europe, up until the 14th ...
Archaeology
Aug 14, 2024
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Rare archaeological site reveals 'surprising' Neanderthal behavior at Pyrenees foothills
An unchartered area in the foothills of the Southern Pyrenees in Spain is providing insights into a poorly known period of Neanderthal history, offering clues that could help archaeologists uncover the mystery of their downfall, ...
Archaeology
Aug 14, 2024
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Stonehenge's Altar Stone origins reveal advanced ancient Britain
New research led by Curtin University has revealed Stonehenge's monumental six-ton Altar Stone, long believed to originate from Wales, actually hails from Scotland. The study titled "A Scottish Provenance for the Altar Stone ...
Archaeology
Aug 14, 2024
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House call: A new study rethinks early Christian landmark
Since its discovery by modern researchers a century ago, an ancient structure known as the "Christian building" has become widely considered the cornerstone of early Christian architecture. Constructed around 232 C.E. in ...
Archaeology
Aug 13, 2024
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New interpretation of runic inscription reveals pricing in Viking Age
A new interpretation of the runic inscription on the Forsa Ring (Forsaringen in Swedish), provides fresh insights into the Viking Age monetary system and represents the oldest documented value record in Scandinavia. The inscription ...
Archaeology
Aug 13, 2024
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Early improvement of sandy habitat led to origin of agriculture in the farming-pastoral zone of northern China: Study
The beginning of agriculture is one of the most significant events in human history. The origin and spread of agriculture accelerated the development of human society and economy and fundamentally altered humans' role in ...
Archaeology
Aug 13, 2024
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New evidence from West Papua offers fresh clues about how and when humans first moved into the Pacific
In the deep human past, highly skilled seafarers made daring crossings from Asia to the Pacific Islands. It was a migration of global importance that shaped the distribution of our species—Homo sapiens—across the planet.
Archaeology
Aug 13, 2024
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Jamestown DNA helps solve a 400-year-old mystery and unexpectedly reveals a family secret
An ancient DNA (aDNA) study at the 17th-century English colony of Jamestown, Virginia, has identified two of the town's earliest settlers, and revealed an unexpected family secret.
Archaeology
Aug 13, 2024
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DNA analysis reveals close relative mating and child sacrifice among elites in precontact Mexico
Archaeologists have analyzed the DNA of a unique child burial at the precontact Mexican site of Paquimé, suggesting it is a rare example of close relative mating between elites for ritual sacrifice.
Archaeology
Aug 13, 2024
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Shipwreck highlights medieval England's lucrative trade in valuable stone
Maritime archaeologists at Bournemouth University have analyzed a 13th-century AD shipwreck found off the coast of Dorset in southern England, illuminating the trade networks that facilitated the construction and decoration ...
Archaeology
Aug 13, 2024
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Unveiling the ancient Maya's relationship to animals and nature
As the scorching May sun of Central Belize blazes down on us, temperatures soar to a staggering 106°F. Local farmers anxiously await the onset of the rainy season to sow their crops, but the much-needed first rain remains ...
Archaeology
Aug 12, 2024
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Pre-Mongolian elite grave found in an abandoned fortress
In 2022, an international team forming the Joint Mongolian-Israeli-American Archaeological Project excavated an abandoned frontier fortress. They made an unexpected discovery: an elite grave buried in the walls of an abandoned ...
Forensic science cracks the 'unsolvable' case of a World War I soldier's identity, enabling his re-burial
In the early hours of July 18, 1918, the Franco-American counter-offensive against German positions began at Aisne-Marne in northern France. The first division of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) drove the German forces ...
Archaeology
Aug 11, 2024
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New finds in treasure-laden shipwreck off Colombia
New artifacts have been found on the legendary Spanish galleon San Jose, Colombia's government announced Thursday, after the first robotic exploration of the three-century-old shipwreck.
Archaeology
Aug 9, 2024
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Wrestling with bulls, meat-only diets and sex bans: How the ancient Olympians prepared
The Greek historian Arrian (c. 86–160 AD) said he appreciated the glory of victory at an Olympic games, but also warned it was very difficult to achieve:
Archaeology
Aug 6, 2024
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Ancient carvings in Turkey could be earliest solar calendar
Markings on a stone pillar at a 12,000-year-old archaeological site in Turkey likely represent the world's oldest solar calendar, created as a memorial to a devastating comet strike, experts suggest.
Archaeology
Aug 6, 2024
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Hydraulic lift technology may have helped build Egypt's iconic Pyramid of Djoser
The Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest of Egypt's iconic pyramids, may have been built with the help of a unique hydraulic lift system, according to a study published August 5, 2024, in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Xavier ...
Archaeology
Aug 5, 2024
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Persian gold coins likely used to pay mercenaries found at site of ancient Greek city in western Turkey
A team of researchers led by a University of Michigan archaeologist has uncovered a hoard of gold coins, likely used to pay mercenary troops, buried in a small pot in the ancient Greek city of Notion in western Turkey.
Archaeology
Aug 5, 2024
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Ancient Chinese bone needle workshop reveals industrial practices of the 2nd millennium BCE
Recent excavations at the Shimao site in Shaanxi, China, have revealed one of the earliest and, so far, largest bone needle workshops ever discovered. The research published in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology by ...
How the last meal of a 3,000-year-old Egyptian crocodile was revealed using modern science
What do you think of when you think about ancient Egyptian mummies? Perhaps your mind takes you back to a school trip to the museum, when you came face to face with a mummified person inside a glass case. Or maybe you think ...
Archaeology
Aug 3, 2024
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More news
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Other news
Scientists pinpoint dino-killing asteroid's origin: past Jupiter
Researchers observe 'locked' electron pairs in a superconductor cuprate
Newly discovered protein stops DNA damage
Physicists uncover new phenomena in fractional quantum Hall effects
Why do plants wiggle? New study provides answers
Beer in space: Researchers study microgravity's effect on fermentation
