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Sphinx fragment found at the Tel Hazor site in Israel (Amnon Ben-Tor / Sharon Zuckerman / Hebrew University’s Institute of Archaeology)

Sphinx Fragment of Pharaoh Menkaure Found in Israel

Jul 10, 2013 by Enrico de Lazaro

A team of archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has discovered a fragment of a sphinx statue of the pharaoh Menkaure, one of the pyramid-building...

Location of important archaeological sites in the Fertile Crescent: 1 - Chogha Golan, 2 - Ali Kosh, 3 - Chia Sabz, 4 - Ganj Dareh Tepe, 5 - Sheikh-e Abad, 6 - Jani, 7 - Tepe Abdul Hosein, 8 - M'lefaat, 9 - Nemrik, 10 - Qermez Dere, 11 - Magzalia, 12 - Körtik Tepe, 13 - Hallan Cemi, 14 - Cayonu, 15 - Cafer Hoyuk, 16 - Asikli Hoyuk, 17 - Can Hasan III, 18 - Nevali Cori, 19 - Göbekli Tepe, 20 - Akarcay Tepe, 21 - Djade, 22 - Halula, 23 - Jerf el Ahmar, 24 - Mureybet, 25 - Abu Hureyra, 26 - El Kowm I and II, 27 - Bouqras, 28 - Abr, 29 - Qaramel, 30 - Tell Ras Shamra, 31 - Kissonerga, 32 - Parekklisha-Shillourokambos, 33 - Tell Ghoraifé, 34 - Tell Aswad, 35 - Tell Ramad, 36 - Yiftah'el, 37 - Iraq ed Dubb, 38 - Gilgal, 39 - 'Ain Ghazal, 40 - Netiv Hagdud, 41 - Dhra, 42 - Jericho, 43 - Nahal Hemar, 44 - Wadi Fidan, 45 - Beidha, 46 - Basta, 47 - Dhuweila, 48 - Azraq 31, 49 - Wadi Jilat 7 (Simone Riehl et al)

Chogha Golan Finds Shed New Light on Origins of Agriculture in Fertile Crescent

Jul 8, 2013 by News Staff

According to a team of archaeologists led by Dr Nicholas Conard from Tübingen University, the transition from foraging to farming took place at roughly...

The siege and destruction of Jerusalem - painting by David Roberts

Scientists Find Archaeological Evidence of Jerusalem’s Siege in 70 CE

Jul 1, 2013 by News Staff

Israeli archaeologists have unearthed four artifacts that they believe date back to the time of the siege of Jerusalem in the 1st century CE. The siege...

1,800-year-old remains of the Roman road from Jaffa to Jerusalem (Assaf Peretz / Israel Antiquities Authority)

1,800 Year Old Roman Road Unearthed in Jerusalem

Jun 26, 2013 by Sergio Prostak

Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority have uncovered what they believe is the remains of a Roman road that linked Jaffa and Jerusalem. 1,800-year-old...

Pittsburgh team analyzed the concentration of lead, titanium, magnesium, iron, and organic matter in sediment cores recovered from three lakes: Lake Manganese, Copper Falls Lake and Lake Medora (David P. Pompeani et al)

Scientists Find Oldest Evidence of Human-Derived Lead Pollution

Jun 20, 2013 by Enrico de Lazaro

Humans began contributing to environmental lead pollution as early as 8,000 years ago, according to a new study published in the journal Environmental...

The monumental structure is made of basalt boulders. Fish, marked with arrow, is about 10 cm (Shmuel Marco)

Archaeologists Find Mysterious Monument beneath Sea of Galilee

Jun 10, 2013 by News Staff

A huge, cone-shaped monument has been discovered by a team of Israeli archaeologists conducting a geophysical survey on the southern Sea of Galilee. The...

2,400-year-old pressing platform from Lattara (Michel Py / l’Unité de Fouilles et de Recherches Archéologiques de Lattes)

Lattara Excavations Reveal Earliest Evidence of French Winemaking

Jun 4, 2013 by Enrico de Lazaro

Etruscan amphorae and a limestone pressing platform unearthed at the ancient coastal port site of Lattara in southern France provide the earliest known...

The Gerzeh bead is the earliest discovered use of iron by ancient Egyptians. Scale bar - 1 cm (Diane Johnson et al)

Ancient Egyptians Used Meteorites as Jewelry, Say Researchers

May 31, 2013 by Enrico de Lazaro

British scientists have provided evidence that ancient Egyptians used meteorite iron to make accessories as early as 3,300 BC. The Gerzeh bead is the earliest...

The study highlights the high affinity of the Minoans to the current inhabitants of the Lassithi plateau of Crete as well as Greece. This image shows Minoan Palace of Knossos (Bernard Gagnon / CC BY-SA 3.0)

Mitochondrial DNA Study Reveals Origins of Minoan Civilization

May 16, 2013 by News Staff

A new study reported in the journal Nature Communications indicates that the Minoans, who 5,000 years ago established the first advanced Bronze Age civilization...

Detail of a 1,500-year-old mosaic found at an archaeological site in Kibbutz Bet Qama, Israel (Yael Yolovitch)

Magnificent Mosaic from Byzantine Period Unearthed in Israel

May 13, 2013 by Sergio Prostak

A team of archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) has discovered a spectacular, large 1,500-year-old mosaic at an archaeological site...

A sago palm being harvested for sago production in Papua New Guinea (Toksave / CC BY-SA 3.0)

Sago Palms, Bananas were Major Food Prior to Rice in Southern Areas of Ancient China

May 9, 2013 by Enrico de Lazaro

According to a new research reported in the open access journal PLoS ONE, ancient people on the southern coast of China about 4,500-5,300 years ago relied...

Elevated levels of the Nitrogen-15 isotope detected in plant macrofossils from a Neolithic farming village near Falköping, Sweden, indicate that its inhabitants may have used fertilizers to grow barley and wheat (Agricultural Research Service / Usda.gov)

Stone Age Scandinavians May Have Used Fertilizers 5,000 Years Ago

Apr 30, 2013 by Enrico de Lazaro

According to a new research by archaeologists from the University of Gothenburg, inhabitants of a small Neolithic farming village located in modern-day...

Excavations at Ceibal suggest that the origins of early Maya civilization are more complex than previously thought. The image shows the temple plaza at Ceibal (Sébastian Homberger / CC BY-SA 3.0)

Excavations at Ceibal Provide New Information on Origins of Maya Civilization

Apr 29, 2013 by News Staff

Results of excavations at Ceibal, an ancient Maya site in Guatemala, challenge two prevailing theories on how the ancient Maya civilization began, suggesting...

Bird's eye view of the Second Temple Period ritual bath unearthed in the Qiryat Menachem quarter, Jerusalem (Israel Antiquities Authority)

Second Temple Period Ritual Bath Found in Jerusalem

Apr 12, 2013 by Sergio Prostak

Israeli archaeologists excavating in the Qiryat Menachem quarter of Jerusalem have unearthed remains of a ritual bath dating back to the late Second Temple...

Left: Easter Island statue Hoa Hakananai’a. Right: RTI view of carvings on the statue (University of Southampton Press)

Archaeologists Analyze Carvings on Easter Island Statue

Apr 12, 2013 by News Staff

Researchers at the University of Southampton have used the latest in digital imaging technology to analyze carvings on Hoa Hakananai’a, a moai (Easter...

An Incipient Jomon pot from Kubodera-minami, Niigata Prefecture, Japan, about 15,000 years old (Tokamchi City Museum)

Study Finds Earliest Evidence Yet of Pottery Used for Cooking

Apr 11, 2013 by Enrico de Lazaro

According to a pioneering study detailed in the journal Nature, hunter-gatherers were using pots for cooking fish as early as 15,000 years ago. Left: a...

Ancient Weapons Reveal Two ‘Lost’ Shark Species

Apr 8, 2013 by Natali Anderson

An analysis of weapons made from shark teeth and used by 19th century residents of the Gilbert Islands (Republic of Kiribati, Central Pacific) has revealed...

Ceramic model of a church unearthed near Ashkelon, Israel (Clara Amit / Israel Antiquities Authority)

Israeli Archaeologists Find Rare Artifacts near Ashkelon

Apr 8, 2013 by News Staff

Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) have unearthed a huge wine press and a ceramic model of a church dating back to the early-Byzantine...

Chinese coin found on the island of Manda, Kenya (John Weinstein / The Field Museum)

600 Year Old Chinese Coin Found on Kenyan Island

Mar 14, 2013 by News Staff

An expedition of archaeologists has unearthed a 600-year-old Chinese coin on the island of Manda, off the northern coast of Kenya. Chinese coin found on...