Archaeology News

Some Ancient Maya Kingdoms Had Sustainable Agricultural Practices, High Food Yields

Regional map showing extent of LiDAR survey and location of Classic period Maya capitals. Image credit: Golden et al., doi: 10.3390/rs13204109.
Nov 17, 2021 by News Staff

Using the high-resolution airborne LiDAR data, archaeologists have found extensive systems of sophisticated irrigation and terracing in and outside the ancient settlements of three Classic-period Maya kingdoms — Piedras Negras, La Mar, and Lacanja Tzeltal — in the Upper Usumacinta River basin of Mexico and Guatemala. Regional map showing extent of LiDAR survey and location of Classic period Maya capitals. Image credit: Golden et al., doi:...

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The West Norfolk hoard contains 131 gold coins and four other gold objects from the Anglo-Saxon period. Image credit: British Museum.

Large Hoard of 1,400-Year-Old Gold Coins Unearthed in England

Nov 16, 2021 by News Staff

The West Norfolk hoard, discovered by an anonymous metal detectorist, contains a total of 131 gold coins, most of which are Frankish tremisse. The West...

Tang Dynasty mural commemorating the victory of General Zhang Yichao over the Tibetans in 848 CE, from Mogao cave 156.

Volcanic Eruptions Contributed to Repeated Collapse of Ancient Chinese Dynasties, Says New Study

Nov 12, 2021 by News Staff

One or more volcanic eruptions preceded the majority (62 of 68) of dynastic collapses in China over the past 2,000 years, according to new research led...

Upper faces of the engraved chalk plaques from the Stonehenge region. Image credit: Davis et al., doi: 10.1017/ppr.2021.13.

5,000-Year-Old Engraved Chalk Plaques Found in Stonehenge Region

Nov 10, 2021 by News Staff

A team of experts from Wessex Archaeology has analyzed four ancient chalk plaques from the Stonehenge region in southern England. Their results place the...

The well-preserved ‘slaves’ room’ discovered in Villa Giuliana near the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, Italy. Image credit: Parco Archeologico di Pompei / Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Cultural Activities and Tourism.

Archaeologists Unearth Slave Family’s Room in Ancient Pompeii

Nov 8, 2021 by News Staff

The exceptionally well-preserved room in Civita Giuliana, a suburban Roman villa in the ancient city of Pompeii, contains three beds, a chamber pot, amphorae,...

A reconstruction of Homo naledi’s head by paleoartist John Gurche, who spent some 700 hours recreating the head from bone scans. The find was announced by the University of the Witwatersrand, the National Geographic Society and the South African National Research Foundation and published in the journal eLife. Image credit: John Gurche / Mark Thiessen / National Geographic.

Paleoanthropologists Find Fossil Remains of Immature Homo naledi

Nov 5, 2021 by News Staff

An international team of paleoanthropologists has discovered a partial skull and teeth from an immature individual of Homo naledi, a recently-discovered...

The ancient gold ring found at the Byzantine-period wine production complex in Yavne, Israel. Image credit: Dafna Gazit / Israel Antiquities Authority.

Israeli Archaeologists Find Spectacular Ancient Gold Ring

Nov 4, 2021 by News Staff

Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) have uncovered a spectacular gold ring with amethyst in Yavne, a city in the Central district...

The 2,000-year-old amethyst seal found in Jerusalem, Israel. Image credit: Israel Antiquities Authority.

2,000-Year-Old Amethyst Seal Found in Israel

Oct 27, 2021 by News Staff

An amethyst gemstone seal from the Second Temple period has a unique engraving: a bird and a branch with five fruits, according to the Israel Antiquities...

LiDAR Reveals 478 Olmec and Maya Ceremonial Complexes in Mexico

Oct 26, 2021 by News Staff

Using a revolutionary technology known as LiDAR (laser imaging, detection and ranging), an international team of archaeologists has discovered 478 rectangular...

Kuitems et al. provide evidence that the Norse were active on the North American continent in the year 1021 CE. Image credit: Oscar C.R.

New Research Provides Evidence that Vikings were Present in Newfoundland 1,000 Years Ago

Oct 22, 2021 by News Staff

The Vikings (or Norse) were the first Europeans to cross the Atlantic, confirms a new study published in the journal Nature. Kuitems et al. provide evidence...

Shlomi Katzin with the 900-year-old crusader sword. Image credit: Nir Distelfeld / Israel Antiquities Authority.

Impressive Crusader Sword Found in Israel

Oct 19, 2021 by News Staff

Several ancient artifacts, including a 900-year-old sword of a Crusader knight, have been discovered by Shlomi Katzin, a scuba diver from the city of Atlit...

The ancient winemaking facility in Yavne, Israel. Image credit: Israel Antiquities Authority.

1,500-Year-Old Winemaking Facility Unearthed in Israel

Oct 13, 2021 by News Staff

An ancient wine production complex — the largest known in the world from the Byzantine period — has been discovered by a team of archaeologists...

Planisphere made by Rumold Mercator, 1587.

Milanese Friar Knew about North America 150 Years before Columbus Voyage, Researchers Say

Oct 12, 2021 by News Staff

The Cronica universalis, written in Latin by the Milanese friar Galvaneus Flamma (in Italian, Galvano Fiamma, 1283 – c. 1345), contains an astonishing...

The 2,700-year-old private toilet at Armon Hanatziv in Jerusalem, Israel. Image credit: Israel Antiquities Authority.

2,700-Year-Old Private Toilet Unearthed in Israel

Oct 8, 2021 by News Staff

The ancient toilet cubicle was part of a royal estate that existed in the 7th century BCE (the end of the Kings of Judean period), according to a team...

Overlay of the Teotihuacan Ciudadela on the precinct at Tikal, showing the same orientation, flanking platforms, eastern pyramid, western enclosure and north-south corridor at the western entrance to the precinct. Image credit: T. Garrison / PACUNAM.

Archaeologists Discover 1,800-Year-Old Teotihuacan-Style Citadel in Tikal

Sep 29, 2021 by News Staff

Using LiDAR data, archaeologists from Brown University, the University of Texas at Austin, the Fundación Patrimonio Cultural y Natural Maya and Proyecto...

Tunguska-Sized Impact Destroyed Jordan Valley City 3,670 Years Ago

Sep 29, 2021 by News Staff

Archaeologists have found evidence that in 1650 BCE (Middle Bronze Age), a cosmic airburst destroyed Tall el-Hammam, an ancient walled city in the Jordan...

Cassowaries use their casque much in the same way as some other birds use their beaks for heat exchange. Image credit: Lolame.

Prehistoric New Guineans May Have Collected Cassowary Eggs to Hatch and Rear Chicks

Sep 28, 2021 by News Staff

As early as 18,000 years ago, early foragers in the montane rainforests of New Guinea preferentially collected eggs of cassowaries (Casuarius sp.) in late...

The 2,000-year-old quarry in Jerusalem, Israel. Image credit: Shai Halevi / Israel Antiquities Authority.

Israeli Archaeologists Uncover Second Temple Period Quarry

Sep 27, 2021 by News Staff

Archaeologists excavating in Jerusalem have discovered a vast quarry dating from 2,000 years ago (Second Temple period). The 2,000-year-old quarry in Jerusalem,...

Etruscan dancers and musicians in the Tomb of the Leopards in Tarquinia, Italy. Image credit: Yann Forget.

Ancient DNA Analysis Sheds New Light on Origin of Etruscans

Sep 27, 2021 by News Staff

Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History and elsewhere have sequenced and analyzed the genomes of 82 individuals that...

The ancient human footprints found at White Sands National Park in New Mexico, the United States. Image credit: Bennett et al., doi: 10.1126/science.abg7586.

23,000-Year-Old Human Footprints Discovered in New Mexico

Sep 24, 2021 by News Staff

In a study of exposed outcrops of Lake Otero in New Mexico, the United States, archaeologists have discovered numerous human footprints dating to about...

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