Archaeology News

Archaeologists Uncover 38,000-Year-Old Pointillist Engravings

A block from Abri Cellier with identifiable representation: a mammoth. Image credit: Randall White et al, doi: 10.1016/j.quaint.2017.02.001.
Feb 27, 2017 by News Staff

Pointillism — a painting technique in which dots are used to create the illusion of a larger image — was developed in the 1880s by Georges Seurat and Paul Signac. However, a team of archaeologists led by New York University Anthropology Professor Randall White has now found evidence of this technique thousands of years earlier — dating back about 38,000 years. The discovery is detailed online in the journal Quaternary International. Three...

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Qumran Cave 12: New Dead Sea Scrolls Cave Discovered

Feb 9, 2017 by News Staff

Archaeologists working near Qumran in Israel have found a cave that previously contained Dead Sea scrolls. They now suggest ‘the cave should be numbered...

Roman theater at Hippos-Sussita; the results of the trial excavation: semicircular passage between the lower and upper seating arrangements (praencinctio) and entrance to a vaulted corridor (vomitorium). Image credit: Michael Eisenberg, University of Haifa.

Archaeologists Uncover Roman Theater, Bathhouse at Hippos-Sussita

Jan 31, 2017 by News Staff

A team of archaeologists from the the University of Haifa has discovered a large theater and a public bathhouse at the archaeological site of the ancient...

Limestone block engraved with an aurochs. Image credit: P. Jugie, Musée National de Préhistoire Collections.

38,000-Year-Old Aurignacian Artwork Found in France

Jan 30, 2017 by News Staff

Researchers have uncovered a 38,000-year-old engraved image at Abri Blanchard, an Upper Paleolithic site of the Aurignacian culture — a finding that...

Slaves’ Hill in the center of the Timna Valley (looking east); the black slag mounds on the hilltop are visible, as well as the only access path to the site; the arrow indicates the gatehouse complex. Image credit: Erez Ben-Yosef et al.

King Solomon-Era Fortification Unearthed in Israel’s Timna Valley

Jan 26, 2017 by News Staff

A team of Tel Aviv University archaeologists has uncovered a gatehouse and associated livestock pens — dating to the reign of Kings Solomon and David...

Some apparent geometrical constructs evident in the layout of the Sun Temple site, including squares, 45-degree right triangles, a 60:30:90-degree right triangle (or an equilateral triangle), a Golden rectangle, and Pythagorean 3:4:5 triangles. Image credit: Sherry Towers.

Ancient Pueblo People Used Unexpectedly Advanced Geometry to Build Monuments

Jan 24, 2017 by News Staff

Arizona State University Professor Sherry Towers has examined the Sun Temple archaeological site at Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, and found evidence...

Artist’s impression of the Viking Age manor at Korshamn, Sweden. Image credit: Jacques Vincent.

Ground-Penetrating Radar Helps Archaeologists Find Viking Age Manor

Jan 20, 2017 by Enrico de Lazaro

A large manor has been found at the archaeological site of Korshamn near the Viking Age proto-town of Birka in Sweden. Artist’s impression of the Viking...

‘Clam-shell’ view of Side A (top) and B showing black dendrites against the background of the brown mudstone. The flake, only shown re-attached on Side A, is the result of a post-excavation fracture of the specimen. Arrows point to large inclusion visible on Sides A and B. Image credit: Davorka Radovčić et al, doi: 10.1016/j.crpv.2016.04.013.

Neanderthals Capable of Incorporating Symbolic Objects into Their Culture, Discovery Suggests

Jan 18, 2017 by Enrico de Lazaro

An unusual limestone rock found at an archaeological site in Croatia indicates that Neanderthals were capable of incorporating symbolic objects into their...

Top: cut marks on a horse mandible from Bluefish Cave II; the specimen is dated to 19,650 years before present; the bone surface is a bit weathered and altered by root etching but the cut marks are well preserved; they are located on the medial side, under the third and second molars, and are associated with the removal of the tongue using a stone tool. Bottom: cut marks on a caribou coxal bone from Bluefish Cave II; the specimen is dated to 18,570 years before present and shows straight and parallel marks resulting from filleting activity. Image credit: L. Bourgeon et al, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169486.

Humans Arrived in North America around 24,000 Years Ago

Jan 16, 2017 by News Staff

Humans first arrived in North America 10,000 years earlier than previously thought, according to an analysis of ancient animal bones found in northern...

The Anglo-Saxon claw beaker. Image credit: Oxford Archaeology.

Archaeologists Unearth 1,500-Year-Old Settlement, Precious Jewelry in England

Jan 13, 2017 by News Staff

Archaeologists from Oxford Archaeology working at Cherry Hinton in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, have uncovered a wealth of Roman and Anglo-Saxon...

These fossilized human footprints near Chusang, Tibet, were made between 13,000-7,400 years ago, according to a new analysis. Image credit: Mark Aldenderfer / M.C. Meyer et al.

Study Sheds New Light on Peopling of Tibet

Jan 6, 2017 by News Staff

A new analysis of Chusang, an archeological site on the high-altitude Tibetan Plateau, suggests that permanent residents may have set up camp thousands...

Pueblo Bonito, the largest great house in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. Image credit: National Register of Historic Places / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Study: Ancient Inhabitants of Chaco Canyon Likely Relied on Imported Corn

Dec 30, 2016 by News Staff

According to a new study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, the ancient inhabitants of Chaco Canyon likely had to import corn...

The fragment of the 2,100-year-old stone bowl, which is engraved with the name Hyrcanus. Image credit: Clara Amit / Israel Antiquities Authority.

Israeli Archaeologists Find Fragment of 2,100-Year-Old Engraved Stone Bowl

Dec 29, 2016 by News Staff

Archaeologists digging at a site in the City of David, in the Jerusalem Walls National Park, have found a fragment of a rare ancient bowl. The fragment...

The 3,800-year-old jug, which was broken when it was found, being restored in the laboratories of the Israel Antiquities Authority in Jerusalem, Israel. Image credit: Clara Amit / Israel Antiquities Authority.

Israeli Archaeologists Find Unique 3,800-Year-Old Ceramic Vessel

Dec 26, 2016 by News Staff

Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists working at Yehud in the Central District of Israel have uncovered an ancient ceramic jug, about 3,800 years...

The newly-discovered ancient wall at Qubbet el-Hawa, Aswan. Image credit: University of Birmingham.

Archaeologists Find Compelling Evidence for New Pharaonic Tombs in Egypt

Dec 22, 2016 by News Staff

Archaeologists from the University of Birmingham and the Egypt Exploration Society (EES) Qubbet el-Hawa Research Project (QHRP) yesterday announced the...

Exceptionally preserved archaeobotanical remains from the Takarkori rock shelter, Tadrart Acacus, Libya, dating from 7500 to 4200 BC: a - inflorescence of Typha (Late Acacus 3, c. 6800 BC); b - syconium of Ficus sp. (Late Acacus 2, 7500 BC); c - galbulus of Cupressus (Middle Pastoral 2); d - spikelet of Tragus (Middle Pastoral 2, 4200 BC); e - legumes of Cassia (Early Pastoral 1, 6350 BC); f - fruit of Balanites aegyptica (Late Acacus 3, 6800 BC); g - spikelet of Dactyloctenium aegyptium and a detailed image of the grain (Middle Pastoral 2, 4200 BC). Image credit: Julie Dunne et al, doi: 10.1038/nplants.2016.194.

Oldest Evidence for Plant Processing in Pottery Found

Dec 21, 2016 by News Staff

An international team of archaeologists has discovered the earliest evidence of humans processing plants for food found anywhere in the world. The findings...

Aboriginal rock art from western Arnhem Land depicts style known as Northern Running Figures. Image credit: Tristen Jones.

Researchers Obtain First Reliable Radiocarbon Dates for Australian Aboriginal Rock Art

Dec 19, 2016 by News Staff

A novel technique developed by a team of researchers in Australia has made it possible to produce some of the first reliable radiocarbon dates for Australian...

The city’s acropolis is barely visible during a cloudy day on the Thessalian plains. Image credit: Swedish Institute at Athens / Ephorate of Antiquities of Karditsa / Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports.

Archaeologists Find Previously Unknown Ancient City in Greece

Dec 13, 2016 by News Staff

An international team of archaeologists from Sweden, Greece and the United Kingdom is exploring the ruins of a previously unknown ancient city at the village...

Wadi Faynan, where J.P. Grattan et al found evidence of ancient pollution caused by bead making and/or repeated combustion of copper ores in hot fires. Image credit: University of Waterloo.

World’s Very First Polluted River? Scientists Find Evidence of Ancient Metallurgical Activity in Jordan

Dec 6, 2016 by News Staff

A research team led by Liverpool John Moores University scientists has discovered what could be the world’s very first polluted river, contaminated 7,000...

Egyptian Queen Nefertari playing senet, one of the world’s earliest known board games; a painted depiction in the tomb of Nefertari, the Valley of the Queens, Thebes, Egypt.

Mummified Remains Identified as Queen Nefertari, Pharaoh Ramesses II’s Royal Spouse

Dec 5, 2016 by News Staff

A pair of mummified knees on display in the Egyptian Museum in Turin, Italy, belongs to Egyptian Queen Nefertari, the favorite wife of Pharaoh Ramesses...

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