Britain’s oldest cave art may have been rediscovered in Bacon Hole cave
The oldest cave art in Britain may have been discovered, or more likely rediscovered, in a cave on the Gower Peninsula in South Wales, possibly dating back around 17,000 years.
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Archaeology
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Under Notre Dame cathedral, a ‘dig of the century’ unearths 1,700 years of history
Wilting in the summer sun, a line of tourists waits to climb Notre Dame cathedral and meet its gargoyles.
17,000-year-old stripes of red in a Welsh cave are the oldest rock art in the UK, study finds
Over a century after a red-lined cave wall was discovered, scientists have determined that it represents the U.K.'s oldest rock art.
Mysterious ancient stone jars may have been used like family crypts, study finds
Thousands of mysterious stone jars are scattered across northern Laos, and archaeologists now report that these may have been used for communal burial
Musket balls and a burnt hull: evidence of real pirates of the Caribbean found in Bahamas
Exclusive: First shipwrecks found in Nassau harbour on New Providence, once the hideout of Blackbeard and Calico JackThe first shipwrecks linked to the real pirates of the Caribbean in the…
Why the ‘dig of the century’ is happening underneath Notre Dame
More than a year after France's famed Notre Dame reopened, an archaeological exploration going thousands of years into the history of Paris has begun just metres below the cathedral's ground…
Somerset detectorist strikes gold with ‘spectacular’ Roman ring find
Kevin Minto’s discovery near Ilminster, showing goddess Victoria, has been acquired with coin hoard for £78,000When Kevin Minto, a lorry driver, former soldier and keen metal detectorist, came upon something…
‘They take you out of life, out of time’: a journey into Spain’s astonishing cave paintings
For tens of thousands of years, these Palaeolithic artworks were unseen. When they were rediscovered, onlookers marvelled at their vivid beauty. One of the world’s leading experts took me up…
Archaeology
First injured Langobard woman in skeletal record reshapes view of male-only violence
The Langobards are frequently depicted as fierce warrior-like people, with all known archaeological evidence of violence restricted to men. However, nearly 1,400 years ago, a Langobard woman took two severe…
Why cats prefer silver vine to catnip and other May highlights
Prehistoric mining in the Pyrenees, a new species of tiny blue octopus, slapstick acoustics, and more.
Archaeology
Thirty years at El Mirón cave uncover 40,000 years of Iberian prehistory
For the past three decades, a team of archaeologists have been uncovering some of the field's most recent monumental discoveries, relying on gut instinct, persistent hard work, and cutting-edge methods…
Striking trove of artefacts unearthed in Egypt including Aphrodite’s head and ancient inscriptions
The findings are part of a broader governmental initiative to invigorate the nation's tourism industry
Dig for d’Artagnan’s grave was illegal, Maastricht says
The botched excavation of what are believed to be the bones of French musketeer d’Artagnan in a Maastricht church was...
Gessel gold hoard: A 3,300-year-old stash of gleaming treasures that’s one of the largest Bronze Age hoards from Europe
The Gessel gold hoard is among the largest treasures ever discovered in prehistoric Europe but has only three pieces of jewelry in it.
Archaeology
In Senegal, a 2,000‑year‑old iron workshop sheds new light on the past
How was iron produced 2,000 years ago in Senegal? A recent study at the Didé West 1 archaeological site, in the Falémé Valley in eastern Senegal, sheds light on an…
Archaeology
Excavations casting light on stone age life | Letters
La Brea in Los Angeles is not the only urban, active ice age excavation site in world, writes Prof Martin K JonesYour article on the archaeology of La Brea Tar…
Archaeology
A kohl bottle from York may hint at an ancient Egyptian in Roman-Britain
Ancient Egyptians are often depicted wearing black eyeliner, known as kohl, which was stored in small containers. While kohl containers are typically found throughout Egypt and Sudan (Nubia), their presence…
Bronze Age 5-year-old’s skull found in Uzbekistan is the oldest known evidence of surgery in Central Asia
A child's 4,000-year-old skull found in Uzbekistan has signs of trepanation, making it the oldest evidence of surgery in Central Asia on record.
Archaeology
Inside Europe’s largest Copper Age tomb, children’s bones expose an ancient health crisis hidden for 5,000 years
Nearly 5,000 years ago, respiratory infections, possibly including tuberculosis, were ravaging the children buried at Camino del Molino (CMOL), Spain. The massive circular burial cave carved into rock is Europe's…
Archaeology
British naked chalk giant gets spruced up
Getting hot and sweaty in a British heat wave, volunteers from home and abroad have been hard at work all week to restore a historic naked chalk giant dubbed "Rude…
Israel & the Region
Archaeologists petition High Court to block appointment of new antiquities authority chief
Petition deepens rift between academics and Heritage Minister Amichay Elyahu, who have been at loggerheads over a controversial West Bank and Gaza antiquities bill The post Archaeologists petition High Court…
Archaeology
Unearthing Namibia’s forgotten genocide through forensic archaeology
The Namibian genocide was one of the first genocides of the 20th century. Between 1904 and 1908, tens of thousands of Ovaherero and Nama people were killed under German colonial…
Archaeology
Green stones buried with Panama’s ancient chiefs confirmed as Colombian emeralds
More than 1,000 years ago, Panama elites were buried together with translucent green stones long suspected to be emeralds. However, scientific analysis confirming the suspicion has never been conducted. Now,…
Archaeology
Researchers link specific microbiomes to archaeological bone degradation
Well-preserved archaeological bone samples have different microbial communities than heavily degraded bone samples, providing a new understanding of how microbes contribute to bone degradation, according to a study published in…
Archaeology
Beyond Anglo‑Saxons, Celts and Vikings: DNA uncovers a dynamic history of migration to Britain
Each of us tells a story about who we are, often tracing our identity back through an imagined line of ancestors. Though identity is fundamentally cultural, we tend to anchor…
Archaeology
Ancient DNA rewrites the story of a historical Sámi burial
A new study by the University of Turku and partners provides fresh insights into an individual buried near Lake Kitka in Kuusamo, Finland, at the turn of the 17th century.…
Archaeology
DNA from medieval skeletons changes what we know about the impact of the Norman conquest
The 1066 invasion left little detectable trace in the genomes of the common population
Archaeology
Ancient anesthetic reveals Ming China’s sophisticated medicine
Microscopic analysis of residues on surgical scissors and tweezers from a 1348–1411 CE tomb in Jiangyin, China, finds the first evidence for the controlled application of a highly toxic chemical…
Archaeology
Payre fossils from Europe’s earliest Neanderthals reveal dynamic evolution shaped by climatic oscillations
The Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH) has led the international team behind a new study published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences exploring the complex evolution of…
Archaeology
Spectacular archaeological finds in Turkey shed new light on origins of Christianity
The remarkable discoveries include the best-preserved early image of Jesus discovered near the Turkish city of Iznik
Ancient Egyptians
Bead net funerary shroud: A 2,500-year-old beaded veil from Egypt depicting the deceased’s transformation into Osiris
This funerary shroud was made from thousands of multicolored beads and woven to represent a human face and a large scarab beetle.
Israel Inside
West Bank, Gaza antiquities bill breaks Israel’s international obligations – legal official
As committee gears up to bring legislation for final votes in plenum, panel's legal adviser warns it reinforces ‘creeping annexation’ claims; army also opposes it The post West Bank, Gaza…
Archaeology
Catapult the cow! 6 medieval castles that were never conquered
Many medieval castles were formidable stone fortifications. Live Science takes a look at six that were never conquered.
Archaeology
‘Patchwork families’ existed more than 5,000 years ago, Neolithic DNA reveals
Children from previous relationships growing up as siblings in a new family, couples adopting or fostering children: So-called patchwork families are a widespread way of life today. It is considered…
Archaeology
The first signs of human cremation may date back 100,000 years
The latest discoveries by an international research team, which includes Academy Research Fellow Ferhat Kaya from the University of Oulu, Finland, offer a detailed view of how early humans lived,…
Archaeology
The Bayeux Tapestry tells only the winner’s story—but the other side can be found in old English texts
As the Bayeux Tapestry comes to London, the year 1066 and the Norman Conquest are in the spotlight. The tapestry—an embroidered cloth nearly 70 meters long, created soon after the…