archaeology

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Stonehenge Rocked as 'Neolithic Lourdes'

New research into 2300 BC stone circle indicates it was place of healing

(Newser) - Two archeologists have discovered evidence indicating that Stonehenge was a kind of "Neolithic Lourdes" pilgrimage destination where people came to be healed, the BBC reports. The researchers also used radiocarbon methods to date the mysterious stone circle in southern England to 2300 BC. Mineral analysis indicates the giant bluestone...

Dig Up Dinos, Rare Relics on DIY Tours

Travelers can unearth lost treasures from Colo. to Easter Island

(Newser) - Travelers seeking more than a beach and a Daiquiri on their next trip can try digging up ancient civilizations. Travel + Leisure lists the trips that let you uncover lost worlds:
  • Ica Desert of Peru: Hikers can discover preserved shark teeth, fossilized whales, and even extinct creatures on this ancient
...

Alps Artifacts Offer Clues to Climate Change

Ancient objects emerge as Swiss glacier melts

(Newser) - A melting glacier in the Swiss Alps has revealed hundreds of ancient artifacts, providing valuable information about both history and climate change through the ages, AFP reports. The area was walkable only during warm periods when the glacier receded. “The site itself is the most important find because we...

Archaeologists Unearth Ancient Gold Wreath

Greek find was removed from original resting place

(Newser) - An ancient gold wreath buried with human bones in a copper vase has been discovered in the old stomping grounds of Alexander the Great in northern Greece, AP reports. It's rare to find such wreaths, which were generally buried with royalty. Diggers found it in the ruins of Aigai, the...

In Remote Amazon, Complex Towns Once Flourished

Archaeologists see advanced civilization in areas since overtaken by rain forest

(Newser) - Researchers have unearthed remains of densely populated, complex urban towns in a remote region of the Amazon River Basin, the BBC reports. In an area of western Brazil thought to be virgin forest, researchers found extensive and advanced human activity, including roads, farming, wetland management, and what appear to be...

Statue of Roman Ruler Unearthed in Turkey

Marble Marcus Aurelius discovered amid rubble

(Newser) - A rich archaeological site in southern Turkey has yielded another spectacular find: the head and limbs of an enormous statue of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. Excavators at Sagalassos, who had previously discovered bits of Hadrian and the Empress Faustina, say the new discovery, with its 3-foot head, represents some...

Sahara Yields Ancient Cemetery
 Sahara Yields Ancient Cemetery 
Aug 15, 2008 2:13 PM CDT

Sahara Yields Ancient Cemetery

Find shows desert was once lush, green, populated

(Newser) - Explorers hunting for dinosaur bones have found a Stone Age cemetery deep in the Sahara desert, National Geographic reports. The team of paleontologists discovered bones from two separate ancient human cultures that lived in the region as long as 10,000 years ago, when monsoon rains turned parts of the...

Dig Finds Washington's Home (No Cherry Tree)

Archaeologists excavate boyhood home of founding father

(Newser) - Archaeologists have found the childhood home of George Washington, the New York Times reports—and despite the popular legend, there's no cherry tree anywhere on the premises. Researchers describe the founding father's Virginia digs as “a very nice gentry house” sporting eight rooms—not the simple cottage pictured in...

Expert Tunes Into Aztec 'Death Whistles'

Sounds from pre-Columbian ceremonies brought back to life

(Newser) - A Mexican engineer has worked for decades to bring the sounds of the Aztecs back to life, reports the AP. Roberto Velazquez has created replicas of the instruments found at many archaeological sites—including the eerie "Whistles of Death" discovered with a skeleton in an ancient temple—and experimented...

New Findings Shatter Old Mayan Theories

Decades of local disasters slowly undermined their cities

(Newser) - Some experts want to drain Mayan history of its high drama—the sudden collapse, and desperate migration—to tell a longer, slower story, USA Today reports. Classic history claims that Mayan cities imploded quickly around 900 AD, and their people trekked north to colonize in the Yucatan—but experts now...

1780 British Warship Found
 1780 British Warship Found 
Jun 14, 2008 6:22 AM CDT

1780 British Warship Found

Extraordinarily well-preserved Revolutionary War sloop located in Lake Ontario

(Newser) - Two intrepid explorers using sonar and a remote-controlled submersible have discovered what may be the oldest shipwreck in the Great Lakes, the AP reports. HMS Ontario, a British warship carrying as many as 130, sank in a storm in Lake Ontario in 1780. Since 1781, when six sailors’ bodies washed...

Jordan Cave May Be World's First Church

Unearthed cavern could be oldest place of Christian worship

(Newser) - Archaeologists have found what might be the world’s oldest Christian church in Rihab, Jordan, the BBC reports. The cavern, located under the also-ancient church of St. Georgeous, dates to between 33 and 70 AD, and doubled as a home.

Stonehenge Reveals Itself: It's a Cemetery

Scientists find remains from 3,000 to 2,500 BC, before the familiar stones went up

(Newser) - Before Stonehenge was Stonehenge, it was a cemetery, the New York Times reports. Around the time the first monumental rocks were installed in 2500 BC, the last of an estimated 240 human burials took place at the English site. Researchers say it was likely the burial ground of a ruling...

Vatican Opens Ancient Pagan Tomb
Vatican Opens Ancient
Pagan Tomb
May 28, 2008 12:11 PM CDT

Vatican Opens Ancient Pagan Tomb

After a year of restoration, public sees necropolis gem

(Newser) - After a year of restoration work, the Vatican has unveiled one of the most luxurious pagan tombs buried in the necropolis beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, the AP reports. Built by Emperor Marcus Aurelius in the second century, the once open-air tomb was buried by Emperor Constantine in the fourth...

Archaeologist: I've Found Cleopatra's Tomb

Discovery could be biggest in decades

(Newser) - A leading archaeologist in Egypt has announced he’s found the tomb of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, the Times of London reports. Zahi Hawass believes the ancient lovers are buried beneath a temple near Alexandria, where he found a 400-foot tunnel. “We’ve found tunnels with statues of Cleopatra...

US Firm Must Return Sunken Treasure: Spain

'We want it all back,' navy official says of $500M in booty from 19th-century wreck

(Newser) - Spain filed evidence today in support of its claim it is the rightful owner of a shipwreck loaded with $500 million in treasure discovered and looted by a US exploration firm, the AP reports. The Spanish government identifies the wreck, whose identity has been disputed over the past year, as...

Stonehenge Riddle Solved?
 Stonehenge Riddle Solved?  
May 4, 2008 3:48 PM CDT

Stonehenge Riddle Solved?

Bluestones may prove site was a healing temple

(Newser) - A British team has excavated Stonehenge in hope of showing it was once a temple used for healing, the Los Angeles Times reports. Archaeologists focused on the site's 4,000-year-old bluestones, a twin circle of huge rocks, for proof of their origins and purpose. Shamans and witch doctors once likely...

Peru Dig Yields 4000-Year Old Gold Necklace

Oldest bling in the Americas shows primitives liked prestige

(Newser) - Researchers have dug up the oldest piece of crafted gold in the Americas, a 4,000-year old gold necklace, LiveScience reports. Found at a pre-Inca burial site in Peru, the bling proves that primitive societies sought displays of wealth. It signals "the social process towards some kind of inequality,...

New Fossil Rocks Human History
 New Fossil Rocks Human History
Mar 27, 2008 8:05 AM CDT

New Fossil Rocks Human History

Indicates man settled in Europe far earlier than thought

(Newser) - An incredibly old jawbone discovered in a Spanish cave could rewrite human history, scientists say. The bone with teeth is 1.2 million years old and belongs to a long-extinct human ancestor called Homo antecessor. It's at least 300,000 years older than any other human fossil found in Europe....

Archaeologists Unearth Pre-Inca Temple

'Sacred ceremonial nature' of site surprises researchers

(Newser) - Archaeologists have dug up a pre-Incan temple that sheds light on a lost Peruvian culture, the AP reports. Nestled in a mountain region, the sprawling site housed the Killke people as they fended off an encroaching Spanish empire around 1200 AD. Evidence of mummies and idols shows that the Killke...

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