Archaeology News | Sci.News

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...

Andesite blocks at Pumpapunku. Image credit: Brattarb / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Pumapunku: Researchers Reconstruct Enigmatic Pre-Columbian Monument

Dec 27, 2018 by News Staff

The Pumapunku (Gateway of the Puma or Jaguar), a highly damaged pre-Columbian monument at the ancient archaeological site of Tiwanaku, Bolivia, has been...

Examining 1,000-year-old corncobs from an ancient ruin in Arizona, Peyambari et al found a previously unknown RNA virus. Image credit: Roossinck Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University.

Researchers Find Oldest Known Plant Virus

Dec 13, 2018 by News Staff

Scientists studying ancient corncobs found at Antelope House, an Ancestral Puebloan ruin located at Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, have discovered...

The new research beneath the Archbasilica of St John Lateran has revealed the appearance of world’s first cathedral and the remarkable transformations that preceded its construction. Image credit: Lateran Project.

Hidden History Revealed under Rome’s Archbasilica of St John Lateran

Dec 4, 2018 by News Staff

The Archbasilica of St John Lateran is the cathedral church in the city of Rome, Italy. It is the oldest and highest ranking of the four papal major basilicas,...

A stone tool from Ain Boucherit, Algeria. Image credit: Sahnouni et al, doi: 10.1126/science.aau0008.

2.4-Million-Year-Old Stone Tools, Cutmarked Bones Found in Algeria

Nov 30, 2018 by News Staff

An international team of archaeologists and paleoanthropologists has uncovered 2.4-million-year-old stone artifacts and cutmarked bones at the archaeological...

The Lascaux Shaft Scene: a panel with a rhino, a duck/goose and a disemboweled aurochs/bison with a dying man on the main wall. Image credit: © Ministère de la Culture / Centre National de la Préhistoire / Norbert Aujoulat.

European Paleolithic Art Reveals Use of Complex Astronomy

Nov 29, 2018 by News Staff

As far back as 40,000 years ago (Upper Paleolithic), ancient people kept track of time using relatively advanced knowledge of astronomy. The Lascaux Shaft...

An artist’s impression of a binary stellar system. Image credit: L. Calçada / ESO.

Did Ancient Egyptian Scribes Discover Algol’s Variability 3,000 Years before European Astronomers?

Nov 16, 2018 by News Staff

An ancient Egyptian Calendar of Lucky and Unlucky Days assigns luck with the period of 2.85 days. Previous astronomical, astrophysical and statistical...

An aerial view of the archaeological excavation site near Chiliomodi, Greece. Image credit: Greek Culture Ministry.

Archaeologists Uncover Remnants of Ancient City of Tenea

Nov 15, 2018 by News Staff

Archaeologists in Greece have unearthed what they believe are the remnants of the long-lost ancient city of Tenea. An aerial view of the archaeological...

A rock painting of a wild bovid from Borneo. Image credit: Pindi Setiawan.

Researchers Find 40,000-Year-Old Figurative Paintings in Bornean Cave

Nov 12, 2018 by News Staff

Cave paintings in Lubang Jeriji Saléh, a limestone cave in East Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo, have been dated to at least 40,000 years ago. A rock painting...

The remains of the 4,500-year-old ramp were found at the site of Hatnub, Egypt. Image credit: Yannis Gourdon / French Institute for Oriental Archaeology / University of Liverpool.

Archaeologists Uncover 4,500-Year-Old Ramp System at Alabaster Quarry in Egypt

Nov 7, 2018 by News Staff

An international team of archaeologists from the French Institute for Oriental Archaeology in Cairo, Egypt, and the University of Liverpool, UK, has discovered...

Lamprey in Sala Maremagnum of Aquarium Finisterrae in Corunna, Galicia, Spain. Image credit: Drow Male / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Stomach-Turning Medieval Delicacy: Archaeologists Unearth Teeth of Lamprey Fish in London

Nov 6, 2018 by News Staff

A team of archaeologists from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) has uncovered keratin ‘teeth’ of lamprey at a site near Mansion House station...

Zarrillo et al report the earliest evidence of cacao use in the Americas and the first archaeological example of its pre-Columbian use in South America. Image credit: Stana.

Birthplace of Cacao Identified in Amazon Region

Nov 5, 2018 by News Staff

An international team of scientists has found that the upper Amazon region gave birth to the domesticated Theobroma cacao, the plant from which chocolate...

The newly-discovered mosaic floor of a Roman-era villa. Image credit: Niki Davidov, Israel Antiquities Authority.

Israeli Archaeologists Uncover Impressive Roman-Era Mosaic

Oct 30, 2018 by News Staff

Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists have uncovered a 1,700-year-old floor mosaic at the city of Lod (ancient Lydda). The newly-discovered mosaic...

A 15,000-year-old stemmed point at the Debra L. Friedkin site, Texas. Image credit: Waters et al, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aat4505.

Archaeologists Find 15,500-Year-Old Spear Points in Texas

Oct 26, 2018 by News Staff

Through excavation of the Debra L. Friedkin site northwest of Austin, Texas, a team of archaeologists has identified a particular style of projectile point...