Unravelling prehistoric fire use
A group of Leiden archeologists are, together with a team of international colleagues, investigating remains of Palaeolithic hearths in order to characterize the use of fire by our distant ancestors.
Inks containing lead were likely used as drier on ancient Egyptian papyri
Analysing 12 ancient Egyptian papyri fragments, researchers found inks were used for their drying properties rather than as a pigment.
The necropolis of Trapeza, Aegion, comes to light
A large number of grave offerings and high-quality burial items were discovered during the excavation.
Ancient Maya built sophisticated water filters
Ancient Maya in the once-bustling city of Tikal built sophisticated water filters using natural materials they imported from miles away, according to the University of Cincinnati.
New clues revealed about Clovis People
A study by professor Michael Waters shows that tools made by some of North America's earliest inhabitants were made only during a 300-year period.
Artworks from Brooklyn Museum up for auction
The Museum announced in September that it would begin the sale of several works to create a fund for the "direct care of the collection".
The Roman Balneum in Rafina: A monument reveals itself…
What can the excavation of a Roman bath and its surroundings reveal?
Berlin’s Museum Island: mystery attack on 70 artefacts
Egyptian statues and busts of Greek gods, sarcophagi and European paintings: On October 3, the German Unity Day, one of the biggest attacks on art and antiquities in post-war Germany has been launched.
Inspection of the Fonias Tower in Samothrace
Built by the Gattilusi family in the 15th century, the tower was part of the island’s greater defense programme and survives at a height of 12 m.
Bronze Age herders were less mobile than previously thought
Bronze Age pastoralists in what is now southern Russia apparently covered shorter distances than previously thought.
Εvidence of earliest known dairy production in India
It is the earliest known dairy production in India, and could have helped produce the type of food surplus needed for trade.
Iron Age horse harness found is oldest in Central Eastern Europe
The style of the harness can be traced back to the far north infiltration of nomads, possibly Scythians, in the environment of the Lusatian culture.
Tradition of petrified birds in the Dome of the Rock
Two 19th century accounts by Lievin de Hamme and Ermette Pierotti, respectively, describe the birds as magpies who defied Solomon's orders to contribute to the building of the Temple, and, as a result, were petrified as a punishment.
New evidence found of the ritual significance of a Classic Maya sweat bath
At the site of Xultun, Guatemala, a Maya sweat bath led to new evidence of these beliefs and an early example of the related rituals.
Oldest securely dated evidence for a river flowing through the Thar Desert
Using luminescence dating of ancient river sediments, a new study presents evidence for river activity at Nal Quarry in the central Thar Desert starting from approximately 173 thousand years ago.
Scientists find medieval plague outbreaks picked up speed over 300 years
The disease spread four times faster in the 17th century than it had in the 14th century.
Rheneia, the other Delos
120 years after the first excavations, the Cyclades Ephorate of Antiquities, with the means offered by modern technology, returns to Rheneia.
Hittite cuneiform scripts will soon be accessible online
The collection will be based on around 30,000 documents, most of which are written in the Hittite language.
World’s greatest mass extinction triggered switch to warm-bloodedness
The ancestors of both mammals and birds became warm-blooded at the same time, some 250 million years ago, in the time when life was recovering from the greatest mass extinction of all time.
New dating results for two Lower Palaeolithic sites in France
Researchers used an unprecedented combination of three different dating techniques to date the two Lower Palaeolithic sites in France.
Machu Picchu opened for a single tourist
The Japanese tourist had to wait almost seven months to enter the ancient Inca city after being trapped in the Andean country during the coronavirus pandemic.
Medieval town discovered in Bulgaria
Surprising discovery: a completely unknown medieval town described as the third satellite town of the city of Pliska, the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire between 680 and 893 AD.
When good governments go bad
History shows that societies collapse when leaders undermine social contracts.