ancient-history

Eruptions can be ‘stress multipliers’ of any existing civic unrest, researchers warn

Vikings melted down Islamic coins to make their own pennies, new research has revealed. Some of the earliest Viking cash on record was crafted using silver from Middle Eastern coins known as dirhams. The findings, published in the journal Archaeometry, confirm a long-suspected connection between early Scandinavian coinage and Islamic silver. Scientists examined coins from the Damhus hoard, a coll…

In the first of two articles interrogating ancient medical papyri, Ira Rampil investigates the use of herbal remedies to help relieve pain.

Stonehenge’s giant Altar Stone likely traveled about 700 kilometers from Scotland through a carefully planned human effort. New research from Curtin University is shedding new light on one of Stonehenge’s biggest mysteries: how a massive stone weighing around six tons made its way across Britain thousands of years ago. The focus of the study is [...]

Archaeologists from the Museum of London Archaeology (Mola) have completed an excavation at Stanton Cross in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, revealing what has been described as a "remarkable window into life in the area during the Roman period". The dig covered nine hectares at a new housing development situated near Chester House Estate, where evidence of an ancient Roman settlement had previ…

Festschriften are, by their very nature, both scholarly tribute and personal testament, and No Good Deed Goes Unpunished succeeds admirably on both counts. Produced in honour of Peter Lacovara, this substantial volume

Ordovician SeasOrdovician seas, some 485 to 444 million years ago, were gloriously alive. If the Cambrian was Earth's exuberant dress rehearsal for complex life, the Ordovician was opening night. The oceans swelled with innovation, diversit...

The fall of the Roman Empire led to a tumultuous period of political, demographic and cultural change in Western Europe from the 4th to 6th centuries in the Common Era (CE). A new study that uses ancient human DNA analyses combined with archeological finds is helping scientists to frame a better picture of the Early Medieval people who inhabited Western Europe and the societies they created. Thei…

Ötzi the Iceman was discovered in 1991, and is a treasure trove of information about the Copper Age.

In January 2021, students at a high school across the street from the Colosseum came up with a bold plan. Angered by plans to extend remote learning to prevent the spread of Covid-19, the teenagers occupied their school, spending several nights camped out in the building in protest. When the demonstration ended, participants told Claudia Marino, a history and Latin teacher at the school, that the…

A remarkable archaeological discovery in Slovakia is changing what scientists thought they knew about life and death in some of Europe’s earliest farming communities. Since 2022, researchers have been excavating a 7,000-year-old settlement near the modern town of Vráble. What they found was startling: dozens of human skeletons piled together in and around a ditch, […] The post Archaeologists disc…

Italian students have uncovered a huge Roman vault beneath their school in an astonishing chance find. Students at the Liceo Scientifico Cavour, just a short walk away from the Roman Colosseum, had long heard rumours of mysterious rooms under their sports hall. The pupils, investigating the rumours, happened upon an ancient structure underneath the school. Teachers were notified, who then told au…

Scrape marks inside a skull and sharpened limb bones in a set of remains found in Scotland may be evidence of unusual Iron Age funerary rituals

A new analysis of 2,000-year-old skeletons found in northern Scotland has revealed an unusual funeral ritual involving the manipulation of dead bodies.

Archaeological excavations at a housing development site have unearthed a remarkable collection of Bronze Age artefacts dating back approximately 4,000 years. The work in Drighlington, Leeds, revealed an ancient burial mound containing cremated human remains and objects believed to have been associated with funeral ceremonies performed by local inhabitants millennia ago. The dig at Pitty Close Fa…

Silphium was an extinct Libyan plant renowned for contraception, medicine, and trade. Its disappearance remains a historical mystery, and scientists continue searching for surviving descendants. Roman leader Julius Caesar is said to have kept a stock of it in the treasury. Ancient writer Pliny the Elder says Rome’s Emperor Nero owned the last stalk of [...]

Ancient Egyptian Funerary Art: The Fayum Mummy Portraits Introduction The Fayum mummy portraits are among the most striking examples of ancient funerary art. Created during the Roman period in Egypt (roughly 1st–3rd century CE), these lifelike painted portraits were attached to mummies, blending Egyptian burial traditions with Greco-Roman artistic styles. Historical Context These portraits were p…

The Roman Theater of Aspendos: The Best Preserved Roman Stage Introduction The Aspendos Theatre is one of the best-preserved Roman theaters in the world. Built during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius in the 2nd century CE, it showcases the height of Roman engineering, acoustics, and architectural design. Located in the ancient city of Aspendos in modern-day Turkey, it remains remarkably intac…

Ancient Greek Sanctuaries: The Oracle of the Dead at Ephyra Introduction In ancient Greece, sanctuaries were not only places of worship but also sites where people sought guidance from the divine. One of the most mysterious of these was the Necromanteion of Ephyra , known as the “Oracle of the Dead.” Unlike other oracles that communicated with gods like Apollo, this sanctuary was believed to allo…