archaeology

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Was a Vicious Cosmic Airburst Behind the Story of Sodom?

Researchers say exploding meteor wiped out Tall el-Hammam 3,600 years ago

(Newser) - The biblical city of Sodom was destroyed by "brimstone and fire," as the book of Genesis tells it. Now scientists say it's possible that story is the written down version of the oral tradition of what befell an ancient Middle Eastern city now called Tall el-Hammam, which...

At the Lost Colony of Roanoke, a Hunt for What Came Before

New dig to focus on scientific research done before the first settlers arrived

(Newser) - As far as single, enduring mysterious words go, a few stand out: Rosebud, for one. Croatoan, for another. That was the word found carved at the so-called Lost Colony, the one founded on Roanoke Island by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1587. A resupply mission that arrived three years later found...

Egypt Opens King Djoser's Southern Tomb

It's been undergoing restoration work since 2006

(Newser) - Egypt on Tuesday opened to the public an ancient tomb structure belonging to the cemetery complex of King Djoser, a pharaoh who lived more than 4,500 years ago, following extensive restorations of the site. The structure—known as the Southern Tomb—is largely underground and includes a labyrinth of...

Seeds in Bog Man&#39;s Last Meal Could Be a Clue
Seeds in Bog Man's
Last Meal Could Be a Clue
new study
Jul 21, 2021 1:18 PM CDT

Seeds in Bog Man's Last Meal Could Be a Clue

The long-running question: were bog men human sacrifices?

(Newser) - Seeds of pale persicaria may be a clue in a mystery: whether the so-called Tollund Man, found in 1950 in a bog in Denmark, was executed or sacrificed. A new study suggests it could be the latter, and those seeds are the reason why. As NBC News reports, the man'...

Ancient Roman Boundary Marker Found at Dig

This pomerial stone marked the city limits and dates from 49 AD

(Newser) - Archaeologists have discovered a rare stone delineating the city limits of ancient Rome that dates from the age of Emperor Claudius in 49 A.D. and was found during excavations for a new sewage system. Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi was on hand for the unveiling Friday of the pomerial stone,...

Surprise Discovery of Coins May Be Old Viking Ransom

Money was paid to avoid a sack of Paris, and the coins were found in a Polish field

(Newser) - Last fall, metal detectorists turned up some old coins in a Polish field. Now, what had at first seemed like a not-so-surprising find has the potential to be quite the opposite, reports the New York Times . Archaeologists have since found nearly 120 silver coins at the location near the town...

What Researchers Just Did in This Cave Is a Marvel
What Researchers Just Did
in This Cave Is a Marvel
NEW STUDY
Jun 25, 2021 10:57 AM CDT

What Researchers Just Did in This Cave Is a Marvel

It's most comprehensive study of ancient DNA extracted from sediment at single site

(Newser) - As far as caves go, Siberia's Denisova Cave is a super prominent one, the place where scientists confirmed the existence of a species of hominins (we're one, as are Neanderthals) known as the Denisovans. But the prehistoric treasures the cave has given up have been few—just eight...

Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherer Was Ripped Apart by a Shark

Researchers: Earliest known evidence of shark attack on a person identified in Japan

(Newser) - Three millennia ago, a hunter-gatherer ventured to Japan's inland sea in search of a meal. He then became one himself. Researchers believe this Neolithic man, found buried in the Tsukumo Shell-mound cemetery site near the Seto Inland Sea, is the earliest known victim of a shark attack on a...

Decapitated Bodies in England Shed Light on Roman Times

17 of the 52 were found in that condition

(Newser) - Records show that the Roman Empire used decapitation as a punishment, but there hasn't been much archaeological evidence to back this up—until now. Archaeologists who spent a decade working at three small Roman cemeteries in England say they determined than 17 of the 52 skeletons had been decapitated....

Jawbone Found in Roman Catacombs Came From Beyond Empire

Person was born in what is now Sudan

(Newser) - It's not clear whether a jawbone found in a Roman catacomb belonged to a free man or slave, but testing has revealed that the individual traveled a very long way. Scientists say tests on bone, teeth, and DNA show the jawbone from the mass grave in catacombs of Saints...

Remains of 9 Neanderthals Found, an 'Extraordinary Discovery'

Ancient landslide preserved fossils in caves near Rome

(Newser) - A major new discovery at a familiar prehistoric site was announced Saturday by Italy. Archaeologists have found the remains of nine Neanderthal men in Grotta Guattari, prehistoric caves near the Tyrrhenian Sea between Rome and Naples that were discovered—accidently, by workers—in 1939. The nation's culture minister called...

It 'Looked So New,' He Couldn't Believe It Was Ancient Treasure

Bronze Age trove likely left as offering in Swedish forest

(Newser) - A treasure trove of jewelry and other goods likely belonging to one or more high-status women was once intentionally left in a forest in what is now western Sweden. It only took 2,500 years to find it. Cartographer Thomas Karlsson was surveying the forest near the town of Alingsas...

Think Egypt Has the Most Pyramids? Not So

A 'NYT' writer explores the Meroe pyramids of Sudan

(Newser) - Just days before parts of Europe entered lockdown, Italian photojournalist Alessio Mamo traveled to Sudan, where he managed to set eyes on a sight that many of the country's own people haven't been able to see: the pyramids of Meroe, a city that served as the Kingdom of...

A 'Mind-Blowing' Find: Egypt's 'Lost Golden City'

Archaeologists tease 'untouched tombs filled with treasures' in Luxor

(Newser) - Big news out of Egypt, where a 3,000-year-old lost city has reportedly been found buried under the sand untouched. The "lost golden city of Luxor," as Egyptologist Zahi Hawass dubs it, was uncovered in September and dates to the reign of Tutankhamun's grandfather, Amenhotep III, who...

New Dead Sea Scrolls Found in 60-Year First

IAA director says they are 'of immeasurable worth for mankind'

(Newser) - "The Cave of Horror" has given up a new wonder: the first fragments of the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls found in 60 years. Israeli archeologists have been combing the caves and ravines of the Judean Desert since 2017 in the hope of beating looters to relics preserved in the...

River Dredging Brings Up a Possibly Revolutionary Find

Artifacts discovered in Georgia, including cannons and anchor, could be from late-1700s warship

(Newser) - What was supposed to be a routine dredging in the Savannah River turned up a handful of artifacts that might date back to the Revolutionary War. The AP reports that three barnacle-encrusted cannons, a rusty anchor, and a big piece of wood that could be a piece of a ship...

They Ran Out of Big Game to Hunt. Then Their Brains Swelled

Researchers say shift to hunting smaller game caused early humans' brains to nearly triple in size

(Newser) - In hunting large mammals to near extinction, early modern humans may have prompted an explosion in brain size—in a good way. Humans emerged as big-game hunters in Africa 2.6 million years ago but would ultimately see large animals dwindle as a result of hunting practices, according to Miki...

Pharaoh Who Risked His Life 'to Liberate Egypt' Died Horribly

Study suggests a bound Seqenenre Tao was attacked on all sides

(Newser) - The death of Seqenenre Tao is said to have indirectly led to the reunification of ancient Egypt, which was divided during the pharaoh's lifetime in the 16th century BC. Only now do we know what exactly that death entailed. Researchers studying the mummy of the pharaoh, first discovered in...

Expert's 'Toughest Day' at Nazi Death Camp Involved This Find

Children's identity tags, some burned with their bodies, found at Sobibor

(Newser) - Four children from Amsterdam stepped off a train in Nazi-occupied eastern Poland and into the death camp of Sobibor, the last place they'd ever know. Killed in 1943, 6-year-old Lea Judith De La Penha, 8-year-old Deddie Zak, 11-year-old David Juda Van der Velde, and 12-year-old Annie Kapper left behind...

True Location of Famed Fort Attacked by Russians Is Found

Tlingits used wood structure to repel Russians on Alaska's Baranof Island

(Newser) - Archaeologists have found the site of a 200-year-old wooden fort where native Alaskans battled colonization and cannonballs. The fort helped the Tlingit people hold back Russian invaders for six days in 1804 before they were forced to leave the land their ancestors had occupied for 11,000 years, per NBC...

Stories 101 - 120 | << Prev   Next >>