History

A team of archaeologists and environmental researchers have been exploring early Polynesian presence on Aotearoa New Zealand’s Subantarctic Islands.

Analysis of a wooden stick thought to be around 300,000 years old suggests it was designed to be thrown rotationally, rather than as a spear

Oil lamps and fragments of human skull lead archaeologists to believe Teomim Cave was used for necromancy, or communication with dead, some 1,700 years ago

A rescue archaeology excavation at the site of railroad expansion in the Askizsky region of Khakassia in Siberia has unearthed the grave of a Late Bronze Age man buried wearing a “charioteer’s belt,” a flat bronze plate with two curved hooks at the end reminiscent of a yoke used to harness draft animals. This device is believed to have been used by charioteers to tie their reins to their waists so their hands were free for combat.

Scientists from the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) report they have discovered a previously unknown 2,000-year-old Celtiberian city. The find was made when the research team took a closer look at a limestone quarry in the Soria town of Deza. According to researchers, it is possible the site could be the lost city of Titiakos which served as a stronghold during the Sertorian War.

One event Vikings feared most was Ragnarök, the Doom of the Gods. While investigating the Icelandic Surtshellir Cave, scientists discovered how Vikings attempted to prevent Ragnarök.

A rare polissoir, a stone used by Neolithic people to sharpen and polish stone axe heads 5,000 years ago, has been discovered in the Valley of Stones National Nature Reserve in Dorset. It is only the second polissoir found undisturbed in situ, known as an “earthfast” stone, in England.

About 120 well-preserved and intact oil lamps dating to the Late Roman and Early Byzantine periods were found n the Te’omim Cave.. Is it possible that all the oil lamps, human skulls, weapons, and pottery vessels were used as part of necromancy rituals that took place in the cave during the Late Roman period?

An unusual burial of a Roman soldier, his iron sword, crossbow fibula and hobnailed shoes attesting to his profession and rank, has been discovered in Wales. He was buried face-down in prone position and large nails were found at the back of his neck, shoulder and between his feet. This atypical posture and the presence of the nails indicate he may have been bound in strong restraints before burial.

British Library uses new technique to uncover passages of Camden’s Annals, the first official account of Elizabeth’s reign

The discovery of a mysterious Viking grave in the Swedish Mountains last year was hailed as one of the country's greatest and most exciting archaeological finds. Archaeologists are now excavating the grave and know more about the buried Viking woman.

The intact marble head of a female deity has been discovered during redevelopment works of the Mausoleum of Augustus and the surrounding Piazzale Augusto Imperatore. The life-sized head is finely carved out of Parian marble, a bright white, flawless stone quarried from the Greek island of Paros. Parian marble was highly prized for its fine grain and skin-like semi-translucency; the greatest Greek sculptors of the classical era used Parian marble for their masterpieces. This head therefore keeps illustrious company with the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory of Samothrace and the statue of Augustus from Prima Porta.

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If you think cannabis possesses a broad range of applications, olive oil is going to blow your mind! Humans have been hip to this miracle elixir since approximately 2500 BCE, when Mediterranean dwellers used it as lamp fuel and to anoint royalty, warriors, and other VIPs.

Public outcry over whistleblower William Morgan's disappearance gave rise to the Anti-Masonic Party, which nominated a candidate for president in 1832

Scientists have uncovered a spectacular mosaic panel in Israel's Lower Galilee. In the center of the mosaic is an enigmatic Hebrew inscription framed within a wreath.

We dare not speculate as to what Leonardo DaVinci would make of artificial intelligence. We are, however, fairly confident that he would love the Internet.

Bodies of dozens of children who died at a Native American boarding school have been lost for decades, a mystery that archeologists aim to unravel as they begin digging in a central Nebraska field that a century ago was part of the sprawling campus.

The London Medieval Murder Map has 142 of the city’s greatest hits, as chronicled by Coroner’s rolls, which are surprisingly detailed and approachable. The cases displayed on this map a…

A cremation burial containing bronze jewelry and rare surviving textile fragments has been unearthed from the Early Iron Age (800-550 B.C.) burial ground at Hallstatt, Austria. Grave goods discovered in the burial include spiral discs of bronze wire placed on top of the cremated remains that were likely fibulae (large brooches used to fasten garments), a massive ribbed arm bangle, the blade of a bronze knife with fragments of the wooden handle still attached, a piece of sheet iron from a belt buckle and an animal bone from a food offering.

When archaeologists first discovered the 5,000-year-old ornate tomb in Spain, they assumed it was for a man. It held a rock crystal dagger, ivory tusks and other lavish items. But now they've determined the remains are those of a woman, and all it took was two teeth.

An altar from the late Hellenistic era (ca. 1st century B.C.) has been discovered at the Segesta Archaeological Park in Sicily. It was found just a few centimeters under the surface during ground clearing work in the Southern Acropolis Area.

An archaeological expedition from the University of Gothenburg recently discovered tombs outside the Bronze Age trading metropolis Hala Sultan Tekke in Cyprus. The precious tomb artifacts indicate that their occupants ruled the city, which was a center for the copper trade in the period 1500–1300 BCE.