archaeology

Recent analysis of the remains of two children who were buried in the same grave in 7th-century Gloucestershire has revealed them to be brother and sister. CA reports.

A new exhibition at Discover Bucks Museum in Aylesbury draws together antiquarian excavations and very recent finds to illuminate life and death at different levels of early medieval society. Carly Hilts visited the displays and spoke to their curator Brett Thorn.

Hidden behind stone for 20,000 years, this cave holds images that shouldn’t have survived. What scientists uncovered inside is remarkable, yet one key question still has no clear answer: who made them?

DNA from 258 ancient skeletons rewrite the history of the Roman Empire and the Dark Ages

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Published online: 04 May 2026; doi:10.1057/s41599-026-07302-z The Herodian Heroon above the cave of the Patriarchs: sources of architectural inspiration

Beneath a quiet Russian town, a routine excavation revealed a long-forgotten cache of gold coins buried for over a century.

Here's something archaeologists don't see every day, or indeed ever: An ancient Egyptian mummy with...

A small, newly uncovered document from ancient Dongola is reshaping what historians know about a little-understood period in Sudan’s past. A small Arabic document found in the ruins of Old Dongola is helping confirm the existence of King Qashqash, a ruler long treated as legendary. The study, published in Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa, examines [...]

Researchers discovered an Iliad fragment in a mummy, marking the first literary papyrus used in embalming and offering new evidence of cultural practices in Roman Egypt. More than 1,600 years after it was written, one of the most famous stories in human history has resurfaced in an unexpected place — wrapped around the dead. Archaeologists [...]

The ornately decorated metal bowl was found as part of a hoard containing dozens of pieces of ancient Roman tableware.

Archaeologists have unearthed an artificial timber platform older than Stonehenge, concealed beneath what appears to be an artificial stone island. Researchers from the University of Southampton made the discovery in Loch Bhorgastail on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. The crannog, a type of artificial island found throughout Scottish lochs, was originally constructed more than 5,000 years ago, maki…

An unexpected discovery of massive stones in the depths of the Mediterranean has revealed a historic structure submerged for over 1,600 years.

Ancient Siege of Lachish: Reconstructing the Assyrian Military Machine In 701 BCE, the Neo-Assyrian Empire under King Sennacherib launched a massive campaign against the Kingdom of Judah. The siege and conquest of the strategic city of Lachish represents one of the most well-documented military operations of the ancient Near East, combining biblical accounts, Assyrian inscriptions, and modern arc…

The Lost Fleet of Kublai Khan: Exploring the Sunken Ships of the Mongol Invasions The catastrophic defeat of Kublai Khan’s fleets off the coast of Japan in the late 13th century gave rise to the term kamikaze ("divine wind"). For centuries, the details of the Mongol invasions and the fleet's destruction were known primarily from historical Japanese and Chinese chronicles. However, decades of unde…

The Great Wall of China is not a single, continuous wall, but an extensive, multi-dynastic network of fortifications, trenches, and natural barriers spanning more than 21,196 kilometers across northern China. While famous, tourist-heavy locations like Badaling represent only a fraction of the structure, recent archaeological surveys of lesser-known, remote sections have uncovered new details abou…

Roman Frontier Life: The Vindolanda Tablets and Personal Letters The Vindolanda tablets are some of the oldest surviving handwritten documents in Britain, offering an unparalleled, intimate glimpse into the lives of the soldiers, families, and civilians stationed on the northern frontier of the Roman Empire. Discovered in the wet, oxygen-poor soil of the Vindolanda fort in Northumberland, these t…

The Future of the Past: How New Technology is Changing Archaeology Forever The field of archaeology has evolved far beyond the traditional trowel-and-brush excavation. Today, it stands at the intersection of science and computing, allowing researchers to peer beneath the ground, unroll carbonized scrolls without touching them, and map lost cities hidden deep within dense jungles. These digital an…

Chocolate ( kakaw ) was not a sweet, solid treat for the ancient Maya; it was a sacred, frothy, and highly revered beverage reserved for elites, gods, and special ceremonies. The journey of chocolate from the rainforests of Mesoamerica to a global commodity is a fascinating tale of botany, ritual, and trade. 1. The Sacred Origins: Cacao Botany and Harvesting The cacao tree ( Theobroma cacao ) is …