Archaeology News

Penguin Vessel: 1,600-year-old Nazca depiction of a cold-water Humboldt penguin that lives in tropical Peru Live Science - July 7, 2025

A rare penguin-shaped pot reveals the Nazca's interest in depicting the wildlife around them.

France: Burial Vault Sealed For 400 Years Found at End of Long-Forgotten Staircase Science Alert - June 25, 2025

After a disastrous 1970s renovation, archaeologists tasked with assessing decades of damage have stumbled upon unexpected layers of history in France's Saint-Philibert Church. The 12th-century church is the only structure in the city of Dijon built 'in the manner of the Romans'. It was decommissioned following the French revolution, and was used as a storehouse for salt in the mid-20th century, which wrought damage on the stone structure.

Teen girl from 6,200 years ago with cone-shaped skull unearthed in Iran PhysOrg - June 11, 2025

A pair of archaeologists working at a dig site in an ancient cemetery in western Iran have discovered the skull of a young girl that shows evidence of cranial modification. In their paper published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, Mahdi Alirezazadeh and Hamed Vahdati Nasab describe where the skull was found, its condition, the modifications they observed and the likely way its owner died. Cranial modification has been found in many ancient civilizations - it was typically done by wrapping the head of a child tightly as they grew to adulthood. The practice was done for different reasons in different cultures, and has been seen more often in girls than in boys.

'Extraordinary' sarcophagus discovered in Israel shows carving of Dionysus beating Hercules in a drinking contest Live Science - June 10, 2025

A 1,700-year-old Roman sarcophagus depicting a legendary drinking contest has been discovered in Israel, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced Monday June 9, 2025. Archaeologists uncovered the artifact, which dates back to the second or third century A.D., near the ancient city of Caesarea along the country's northwest coast. The carved marble depicts a drinking contest between the demigod Hercules and Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and parties, who is equivalent to Bacchus in the Roman pantheon. Though similar scenes appear in mosaics from the same period, the find marks the first appearance of this particular story on a sarcophagus from the region. "This sarcophagus is an extraordinary work of art," Mark Avrahami, head of artistic conservation at the IAA, said in a translated video. "There are not many sarcophagi like this, even in the world."

Spain: Strange Metal From Beyond Our World Spotted in Ancient Treasure Stash. Science Alert - June 9, 2025

Amidst a cache of glittering golden treasures from the Iberian Bronze Age, a pair of corroded objects might be the most precious of all. A dull bracelet and a rusted hollow hemisphere decorated with gold are forged, researchers have found, not out of metal from beneath the ground, but with iron from meteorites that fell from the sky.

Solar architecture choreographs light and shadow across an ancient Macedonian tomb PhysOrg - May 31, 2025

Athens-based independent scholar Demetrius Savvides has shown that in Amphipolis, northern Greece, where the Kastas Monument rises in tiers of sculpted marble, sunlight appears to have been drawn into the heart of the tomb timed to the winter solstice. There was a time when humans paid a great deal of attention to the heavens. When the movement of stars and play of light across seasons held great meaning and mystery. Ancient architects often set stone to the rhythm of celestial events. Millennia-old sanctuaries at Nemrud Dag, Nabataean Petra, Apollo's island temples, and Rome's Pantheon still bear witness to designers who tracked sunlight with astonishing precision and inspired the current generation of cultural astronomers.

Archaeologists uncover ancient 'factory' used to produce coveted purple dye mentioned in Bible FOX - May 11, 2025

Historians recently unveiled their findings about an ancient purple dye factory located in modern-day Israel revealing a glimpse into life during biblical times. Historians announced the discovery of Tel Shiqmona, an archaeological mound south of the Israeli city of Haifa. The site is located on the coast of the Mediterreanean Sea.

The Giants of Mont'e Prama, Iron Age sculptures found in Sardinia, could represent people with acromegaly La Bruju Laverde - May 10, 2025

The Giants of Mont’e Prama are enormous sculptures between two and two and a half meters tall created by the Nuragic civilization that inhabited the island of Sardinia between the 18th and 2nd centuries BCE. The first were found in a necropolis in the municipality of Cabras in 1974, where more have continued to be discovered to this day, the most recent just a few years ago. The necropolis contains numerous cylindrical tombs covered with stone slabs in which remains of young men were found, probably members of the Nuragic elite such as warriors, athletes, or rulers, possibly from the same family.

Codex of Turi: Study traces origins of Estonia's oldest dated manuscript covers PhysOrg - April 7, 2025

The Gothic-style manuscript, bound by two oak boards, first came into the hands of conservators in 2021. The centuries-old manuscript, nicknamed the Codex of Turi, was completed in 1454 in the then-parish church village of Türi. Soon after it was written, it made its way into the possession of the Dominican friary in Tallinn, as indicated by an inscription found in the manuscript reading "Iste liber pertinet conuentui Reualiensi," literally translating to "This book belongs to the convent of Reualiens."

Stunning reconstruction reveals warrior and his weapons from 4,000-year-old burial in Siberia Live Science - April 6, 2025

A new reconstruction reveals the face, shield and weapons of a late Stone Age warrior, whose remains were found in a 4,000-year-old burial in Siberia.

Archaeologists in Berlin have uncovered the remains of 188 figurines that were used as reliquaries - objects that held the bones of people who were considered to be saints or worthy of veneration Live Science - December 20, 2024

A 1,800-year-old silver amulet discovered beneath the chin of a skeleton in a cemetery in Germany is the oldest evidence of Christianity north of the Alps Live Science - December 20, 2024

A silver amulet found next to a skeleton in a 1,800-year-old grave in Germany speaks to the importance and the risk of being Christian in Roman times.

Sutton Hoo helmet: A gold- and jewel-encrusted relic with ties to Beowulf and a lost Anglo-Saxon king Live Science - December 20, 2024

Fragments of a helmet recovered from the Sutton Hoo ship burial show that early-medieval metalwork could be decorative and functional.

Lost score from Scotland revives sound of music and voices from centuries past PhysOrg - December 20, 2024

A fragment of "lost" music found in the pages of Scotland's first full-length printed book is providing clues to what music sounded like five centuries ago.

Mysterious 'Snake Person' Head From 7,500 Years Ago in Northern Kuwait's Al-Subiyah Desert Raises Questions Science Alert - December 4, 2024

Excavations have uncovered a bizarre-looking clay head representative of the culture of a prehistoric people who flourished in the region between 5500 and 4900 BCE. With an elongated skull, flat nose, absent mouth, and narrow, squinting eyes, the small sculpture looks well on the way to becoming another example of a 'snake person' figurine commonly crafted by the Ubaid culture. Long before the Sumerians established what is now regarded as one of humanity's earliest civilizations, the Ubaid laid many of the foundations. Trade networks, irrigation systems, and even landmarks such as temples emerged throughout what is now Iraq and Kuwait.

Gray Aliens

Zoroastrians May Have Made Mysterious Archaeological Site In Madagascar IFL Science - September 24, 2024

Around the first millennium CE, an enigmatic group of people living in southern Madagascar carved large chambers and hollows into the rock of a cliff face. For decades, the terraces and architecture at this site puzzled archaeologists as it is like nothing else found in Madagascar or elsewhere along the nearby East African coast. Who created these rock niches, and when did they arrive on the island?

Five Thousand Years Ago, Africa Had A Major Civilization in What is Now Morocco That We Forgot About IFL Science - September 24, 2024

Evidence has been revealed of a city existing 5,400-4,900 years ago in what is now Morocco, that its discoverers claim was the era’s largest in Africa outside of the Nile Basin. There are signs the region had extensive trading links with settlements across the Strait of Gibraltar in Iberia, and its influence may well have stretched much further afield around the Mediterranean.

Synagogue unearthed in Russia may be one of the oldest outside Israel. But not everyone is convinced Live Science - August 27, 2023

Archaeologists think the temple dates to the first century B.C., before the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.

The Ancient Persians Built Windmills Over 1,000 Years Ago That Still Work Today IFL Science - April 14, 2023

Some of the oldest windmills in the world are found in Nashtifan, on the windswept plains of northeastern Iraq. These vertical-axis windmills are thought to have been built over 1,000 years ago. They still work today and could be used to mill grain into flour.

Man holding penis and flanked by leopards is world's oldest narrative carving Live Science - December 9, 2022

Incredible Coincidence Discovered in Long-Lost Medieval Graveyard - The 11,000-year-old carved relief, found in Turkey, is the oldest narrative carving on record Science Alert - December 9, 2022

Archaeologists have discovered what may be the earliest known narrative scene, telling an ancient story, at the 11,000-year-old site of Sayburc in south-eastern Turkey PhysOrg - December 9, 2022

Meet a medieval woman named 'Tora' who lived 800 years ago in Norway Live Science - November 29, 2022

A life-size 3D model of a grinning old woman holding a walking stick looks like a contemporary elder on a stroll through her neighborhood. In reality, this woman lived nearly 800 years ago in Norway, and the model is a sculpted life-sized reconstruction based on her skeleton.

7,000-year-old structure near Prague is older than Stonehenge, Egyptian pyramids Live Science - September 21, 2022

Archaeologists digging near Prague have discovered the remains of a Stone Age structure that's older than Stonehenge and even the Egyptian pyramids: an enigmatic complex known as a roundel. Nearly 7,000 years ago during the late Neolithic, or New Stone Age, a local farming community may have gathered in this circular building, although its true purpose is unknown.

'Ghost footprints' left by ancient hunter-gatherers discovered in Utah desert Live Science - August 2, 2022
These unusual ancient tracks get their eerie name not because they are from an ethereal realm, but due to their earthly composition: They become visible only after it rains and the footprints fill with moisture and become darker in color, before disappearing again after they dry out in the sun.

Unique compound bow from the Bronze Age nearly 2 meters tall was reconstructed from authentic materials PhysOrg - May 21, 2022

Research confirms eastern Wyoming Paleoindian site as Americas' oldest mine used to produce red ocher 13,000 years ago PhysOrg - May 20, 2022

Archaeologists have discovered a 4,500-year-old "funerary avenues" in Saudi Arabia lined with well-preserved ancient tombs CNN - January 16, 2022