Archaeology News | Sci.News

The beer-producing yeast strain EBEgT12 isolated from a vessel from the site of En-Besor, Israel. Image credit: Aouizerat et al, doi: 10.1128/mBio.00388-19.

Researchers Brew Beer with 5,000-Year-Old Yeasts

May 24, 2019 by News Staff

A multidisciplinary team of scientists has successfully isolated several yeast strains from ancient vessels excavated at archaeological sites in Israel....

Anatomically modern humans cooked and ate plant starches, such as those from tubers and rhizomes, as early as 120,000 years ago.

Early Modern Humans Cooked and Ate Starchy Food

May 23, 2019 by News Staff

An international team of researchers has found numerous fragments of charred starch plant tissues in 120,000-year-old hearths at the archaeological site...

The jadeite gouge after discovery. Image credit: Heather McKillop.

Archaeologists Find High-Quality Jadeite Tool at Ancient Maya Salt-Working Site in Belize

May 21, 2019 by News Staff

A team of archaeologists has found a jadeite gouge with a rosewood handle at Ek Way Nal, a Classic Maya salt-working site in Belize. The jadeite gouge...

In the Grotta della Basura, a preliminary survey of fossil traces is carried out on glossy sheets as a reference for more detailed analyses. Image credit: Isabella Salvador.

14,000-Year-Old Human Hand- and Footprints Found in Italian Cave

May 15, 2019 by News Staff

In Grotta della Basura, a deep cave near Toirano in northern Italy, a team of archaeologists has made a surprising discovery: a number of human hand- and...

Two of the artifacts from the 1,000-year-old ritual bundle from Cueva del Chileno, southwestern Bolivia: the impressive pouch constructed of three fox (Lycalopex culpaeus) snouts stitched together (foreground), and the colorful textile headband (background). Image credit: Jose Capriles / Penn State.

Scientists Find 1,000-Year-Old Shaman’s Bag in Bolivia

May 7, 2019 by News Staff

An international team of anthropologists and bioarchaeologists has found the primary ingredients of ayahuasca — a plant-based drink that is reported...

A 3D model created from a dog skull discovered at Cuween Hill chambered cairn, Orkney, Scotland. Image credit: Historic Environment Scotland.

Scientists Reconstruct Face of Neolithic Dog

Apr 22, 2019 by News Staff

The face of a 4,000-year-old dog has been brought back to life by a team of researchers and forensic artists. A 3D model created from a dog skull discovered...

Figurative painting in Romualdova Pećina, Croatia. Image credit: Aitor Ruiz-Redondo.

34,000-Year-Old Figurative Cave Paintings Found in Croatia

Apr 16, 2019 by News Staff

A team of archaeologists from the United States and Europe has revealed the first example of Paleolithic figurative cave art found in the Balkan region. Figurative...

View of Pit 1 of the Terracotta Army showing the hundreds of warriors once armed with bronze weapons. Image credit: Xia Juxian.

Archaeologists Solve Mystery of Terracotta Army’s Pristine Weapons

Apr 5, 2019 by News Staff

The world-famous Terracotta Army of Xi’an is an array of life-sized, realistic ceramic figures representing warriors, stationed in three large pits within...

Barley grains from the sites of the Pitted Ware culture. Image credit: Santeri Vanhanen.

Maritime Hunter-Gatherers in Northern Europe Were Growing Wheat and Barley 5,000 Years Ago

Apr 4, 2019 by News Staff

An international team of archaeologists has unearthed 5,000-year-old grains of barley and wheat at the sites of the Pitted Ware culture in Sweden and the...

Coldingham Priory. Image credit: DigVentures / Aerial Cam.

Archaeologists May Have Found Long-Lost Monastery of Princess Aebbe

Mar 20, 2019 by News Staff

A team of professional and amateur archaeologists believe they may have discovered the monastery of Aebbe (615-683 CE), a powerful Anglo-Saxon woman who...

The Sodré astrolabe in situ. Image credit: David Mearns.

World’s Oldest Mariner’s Astrolabe Found

Mar 19, 2019 by News Staff

A unique leaded-gunmetal disk with iconic Portuguese markings recovered from the Sodré shipwreck site in Al Hallaniyah, Oman, has been identified as an...

1,700-Year-Old Elusa Inscription Bears City’s Name

Mar 18, 2019 by News Staff

The ancient city of Elusa (Hebrew: Halutza) is located at the northern edge of the Negev desert and was established as a caravan station on the incense...

The ancient winepress and inscription uncovered at Tzur Natan, Israel. Image credit: Yitzhak Marmelstein / Israel Antiquities Authority.

Byzantine-Era Estate of Wealthy Samaritan Unearthed in Israel

Mar 13, 2019 by News Staff

A team of archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) has unearthed the remains of a 1,600-year-old agricultural estate at Tzur Natan in...

Roman quarry inscription thought to have been done by a detachment from the Second Legion under the junior officer Agricola. Image credit: Newcastle University.

Written Rock of Gelt: Roman Quarry Inscriptions to be Captured in 3D

Mar 12, 2019 by News Staff

A group of Roman inscriptions, known as the Written Rock of Gelt, was discovered in the 18th century, but has suffered in recent years as a result of the...

Archaeologists Find 1,900-Year-Old Tattooing Artifact in Utah

Mar 4, 2019 by News Staff

A team of archaeologists led by Washington State University scientists has discovered an ancient tattoo tool in southeastern Utah. With a handle of skunkbush...

Carn Goedog quarry. Image credit: University College London.

Stonehenge’s Bluestones Were Quarried in Wales 5,000 Years Ago

Feb 20, 2019 by News Staff

Geologists and archaeologists have long known that the builders of Stonehenge made use of two main types of stone: a silcrete, known as ‘sarsen,’ was...

A group of Neanderthals in a cave. Image credit: Tyler B. Tretsven.

Denisovans and Neanderthals Lived in Denisova Cave for Thousands of Years

Jan 31, 2019 by News Staff

Two groups of archaic humans — Neanderthals and their enigmatic cousins, Denisovans — occupied Denisova Cave in the Altai region of Siberia...

Two seeds of Chenopodium berlandieri spp. jonesianum adhering along one side showing truncate cross section as well as variation in seed coat thickness and margin configuration that varies from flattened to slightly rounded. Image credit: Gary Crawford.

Archaeologists Find 2,900-Year-Old Seeds of Domesticated Goosefoot in Canada

Jan 16, 2019 by News Staff

A team of Canadian archaeologists has found a cache of charred seeds of the pitseed goosefoot (Chenopodium berlandieri spp. jonesianum), a form of quinoa...

Located just off Regent’s Park, the subterranean ice-well would have been one of the largest of its kind when first built -- measuring an impressive 24.6 foot (7.5 m) wide and 31.2 foot (9.5 m) deep. The structure survives in good condition, with an intact brickwork interior and retains its circular plan and principal features including a ventilation hole or opening, a red brick lined chamber, an entrance-passage, an ante-chamber and evidence of internal chambers. Image credit: MOLA.

Archaeologists Rediscover 18th Century Ice-Well in London

Jan 2, 2019 by News Staff

A team of archaeologists from Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) has rediscovered a large, well-preserved subterranean ice-well dating from 1780. Located...