Archaeology News

November 7, 2016

Bronze Age City Discovered in Northern Iraq

Early Humans Hunted Cave Lions for Pelts

New Cretaceous Dinosaur from Australia

Mystery Species Hidden in Cave Art

Latest Headlines

updated 5:02pm EST

13th Century Maya Codex, Long Shrouded in Controversy, Proves Genuine

Sep. 7, 2016 — The Grolier Codex, an ancient document that is among the rarest books in the world, has been regarded with skepticism since it was reportedly unearthed by looters from a cave ... read more

How the Chicken Crossed the Red Sea

Nov. 3, 2016 — The discarded bone of a chicken leg, still etched with teeth marks from a dinner thousands of years ago, provides some of the oldest known physical evidence for the ... read more

Archaeologists Reveal New Findings on the History of the Early-Islamic Caliphate Palace Khirbat Al-Minya

Oct. 21, 2016 — New excavations are underway to investigate the use of the palace Khirbat Al-Minya following the severe earthquake of 749 ... read more

Team Recovers 'Most Complete Michigan Mastodon Skeleton in Many Decades' from Thumb Site

Oct. 18, 2016 — The most complete ice age mastodon skeleton found in Michigan since the 1940s was recovered this month from the state's Thumb ... read more

Medieval Cities Not So Different from Modern European Cities

Oct. 11, 2016 — Modern European cities and medieval cities share a population-density-to-area relationship, a new paper concludes – the latest research to find regularities in human settlement patterns across ... read more

New Species of Jurassic Reptile

Oct. 7, 2016 — A new species of British ichthyosaur has been identified using skeletal remains which have been on display at the University of Bristol's School of Earth Sciences for ... read more

State of the Art Maritime Archaeology Expedition Conducted in Black Sea

Oct. 7, 2016 — An expedition mapping submerged ancient landscapes, the first of its kind in the Black Sea, is making exciting discoveries, ... read more

Site of Radiocarbon Dating Discovery Named Historic Landmark

Oct. 6, 2016 — It was while working in the Kent Laboratory building in the 1940s that researchers developed radiocarbon dating—an innovative method to measure the age of organic ... read more

Beautiful House from Pompeii Reconstructed With 3D Technology

Oct. 4, 2016 — By combining traditional archaeology with 3D technology, researchers have managed to reconstruct a house in Pompeii to its original state before the volcano eruption of Mount ... read more

Lord of the Rings: Archaeologists Unveil New Findings from Greek Warrior's Tomb

Oct. 3, 2016 — A rare discovery of four gold rings in the tomb of a wealthy Bronze Age warrior undisturbed for 3,500 years prompts a new ... read more

3D Solution to Syrian Cultural Destruction

Digital Reconstruction Reveals True Face of Ancient Peru Warrior

The Delicate Science Of Reading Ancient Scrolls That Can't Be Opened

This Ancient Copy Of Leviticus Is Too Fragile To Open: Cue Science

Did Your Ancestor Fight in the Hundred Years War?

Oct. 6, 2016 — If you’ve ever wondered whether your ancestors served as a medieval soldier in the Hundred Years War, a newly launched website may have the ... read more

Analysis of DNA from Early Settlers of the Pacific Overturns Leading Genetic Model

Oct. 3, 2016 — A scientific team analyzed DNA from people who lived in Tonga and Vanuatu between 2,500 and 3,100 years ago, and were among the first people to live in these islands. The results overturn the leading ... read more

Ancient Eggshell Protein Breaks Through DNA Time Barrier

Sep. 27, 2016 — Scientists have identified fossil proteins in a 3.8 million year-old ostrich eggshell, suggesting that proteins could provide valuable new insights into the evolutionary tree, much further back in ... read more

Body Ornamentation Among Neanderthals: Dig in France Confirmed as Neaderthal Remains

Sep. 20, 2016 — Researchers have helped to solve an archaeological dispute -- confirming that Neanderthals were responsible for producing tools and artifacts previously argued by some to be exclusively in the realm ... read more

Ancient Skeleton Discovered on Antikythera Shipwreck

Sep. 19, 2016 — An international research team discovered a human skeleton during its ongoing excavation of the famous Antikythera Shipwreck (circa 65 B.C.). The shipwreck, which holds the remains of a Greek trading ... read more

Researchers Identify Oldest Textile Dyed Indigo, Reflecting Scientific Knowledge from 6,200 Years Ago

Sep. 14, 2016 — A 6,200-year-old indigo-blue fabric from Huaca, Peru has been found by a researcher, making it one of the oldest-known cotton textiles in the world and the oldest known textile decorated with indigo ... read more

Rare Roman Gold Coin Found in Jerusalem at Mt. Zion Archaeological Dig

Sep. 13, 2016 — Though the Roman Empire occupied Jerusalem and certainly spread its currency there, the only known Roman coins from the ancient Jewish capital have all come to historians and archaeologists through ... read more

Ancient Mythological Statues Unearthed in Jordan

Sep. 12, 2016 — Researchers have unearthed more clues about the ancient Nabatean city of Petra in ... read more

An Exceptional Palaeontological Site Going Back 100,000 Years Is Unearthed in Arrasate

Sep. 6, 2016 — An important site containing at least 40 species reflecting fauna during the Upper Pleistocenewas discovered in 2012 by quarry workers after carrying out a blasting operation. When they spotted the ... read more

Technology and Innovation Not Driven by Climate Change

Sep. 1, 2016 — Climate change was less important for technological innovation among Stone Age humans than previously ... read more

One of the Most Significant Etruscan Discoveries in Decades Names Female Goddess Uni

Aug. 24, 2016 — Archaeologists translating a very rare inscription on an ancient Etruscan temple stone have discovered the name Uni -- an important female goddess. The discovery indicates that Uni -- a divinity of ... read more

Whales in the Desert?

Aug. 24, 2016 — In Cerro Colorado, located in the Ica Desert of Peru, sedimentary sequences dating back nine million years have been found to host the fossil skeletons of hundreds of marine vertebrates. In 2008, ... read more

The Cave Bear: A Vegan Gone Extinct

Aug. 23, 2016 — Scientists have studied the feeding habits of the extinct Cave Bear. Based on the isotope composition in the collagen of the bears' bones, they were able to show that the large mammals subsisted ... read more

Recent Connection Between North and South America Reaffirmed

Aug. 17, 2016 — Long ago, one great ocean flowed between North and South America. When the Isthmus of Panama joined the continents, it also separated the Atlantic from the Pacific Ocean. If this took place much ... read more

Pre-Hispanic Mexican Civilization May Have Bred and Managed Rabbits and Hares

Aug. 17, 2016 — Humans living in the pre-Hispanic Mexican city of Teotihuacan may have bred rabbits and hares for food, fur and bone tools, according to a new ... read more

Twenty-Five Little Bones Tell a Puzzling Story About Early Primate Evolution

Aug. 15, 2016 — A cache of exquisitely preserved bones, found in a coal mine in the state of Gujarat, India, appear to be the most primitive primate bones yet discovered, according to a new analysis. Their ... read more

Rare Frescoes from the Roman Period Discovered at Zippori in the Galilee

Aug. 10, 2016 — A team has discovered hundreds of fragments belonging to frescoes from the Roman period, in the Zippori National Park. The fragments, which contain figurative images, floral patterns and geometric ... read more

The Hunt for War Treasure in the Philippines Has Hidden Meanings

Aug. 10, 2016 — Many believe that enormous quantities of gold lie buried somewhere in the Philippines. According to a popular account, Japanese soldiers used the Philippines as a base to hide treasures they had ... read more

Stone Age Hunters Really Did Hunt Well by Throwing Stones

Aug. 10, 2016 — Stone objects collected by prehistoric hunters were effective as throwing weapons to hunt animals, research ... read more

Sensational Grave Find in Cypriote Bronze Age City

Aug. 9, 2016 — An archaeological expedition has discovered one of the richest graves from the Late Bronze Age ever found on the island of Cyprus. The grave and its offering pit, located adjacent the Bronze Age city ... read more

Thursday, October 6, 2016