Ancient Technology

Dating back thousands of years are numerous examples of ancient technology that leave us awe-struck at the knowledge and wisdom held by people of our past. They were the result of incredible advances in engineering and innovation as new, powerful civilizations emerged and came to dominate the ancient world. These advances stimulated societies to adopt new ways of living and governance, as well as new ways of understanding their world. However, many ancient technology mysteries were forgotten, lost to the pages of history, only to be re-invented millennia later. Here we feature ancient technology history and dozens of amazing artifacts that reflect the brilliance of ancient minds.

Representative image of Egyptian blue pigment. Source: Pattadis / Adobe Stock

15 April, 2024 - 14:50 dhwty

Tracing the Legacy of Egyptian Blue: From Ancient Artifacts to Modern Insights

Egyptian blue, known in the scientific community as calcium copper silicate, has come to be recognized as a pioneering feat of human creativity. With origins speculated to precede 3000 BC, Egyptian...

Roman Colosseum, Rome, Italy. Source: Sergey Yarochkin/Adobe Stock

12 April, 2024 - 20:39 Robbie Mitchell

Six Things That Made the Colosseum Unique (Video)

The Colosseum , an architectural marvel in Rome, is renowned for its unique features that set it apart from other ancient structures. Its oval design, accommodating over 50,000 spectators , ensured...

The underside of the Etruscan lamp of Cortona. Source: Museo dell'Accademia Etrusca e della città di Cortona/DeGruyter, edited by R. Alburz

11 April, 2024 - 18:04 Sahir

Bronze Lamp Revealed as Dionysus Cult Object in Cortona Italy

An interesting new study has challenged the previous estimations surrounding a beautiful bronze lamp unearthed in a ditch near Cortona, central Italy. Using literary sources and iconographic evidence...

Neolithic settlement of Çatalhöyük, Turkey. Source: Omar hoftun/CC BY-SA 3.0

9 April, 2024 - 23:02 Joanna Gillan

The Unmatched 9,500-Year-Old Honeycomb City of Çatalhöyük

Overlooking the Konya Plain in Turkey lies the remarkable and unique ancient city of Çatalhöyük, the largest and best-preserved Neolithic site found to date. At a time when most of the world's people...

Left: Liang Tebo burial features of the 29000-BC amputee of Borneo, Indonesia: a) A single adult inhumation (TB1); the skull is to the right of the scale bar; Middle: Artist ‘s impression of Tebo1, the oldest amputee on record; Right: Surgically amputated site of the left tibia and fibula showing the evidence of amputation. Source: Maloney, et al. / Nature; Jose Garcia (Garciartist) and Griffith University / Nature; Maloney, et al. / Nature

6 April, 2024 - 20:50 Robbie Mitchell

Ancient Medicine: What Was the Earliest Surgery? (Video)

Around 30,000 years ago in Borneo, an ancient surgeon performed a groundbreaking operation on a child with a severe leg injury. Using rudimentary tools likely made of stone, they skillfully severed...

Reconstructed wall of Ain Dara Temple with cherubim relief in lower panel. Right, Giant or godly footprints at the gate. Source: Odilia/CC BY-SA 3.0, Right; homocosmicos/Adobe Stock

5 April, 2024 - 15:01 dhwty

The Enigmatic Ain Dara Temple and the Giant Footsteps of the Gods

Ain Dara is a small village in the northwest of Aleppo, Syria, which, until 2018, boasted a remarkable structure – the Ain Dara Temple, located just west of the village. The temple was discovered in...

Fig.1 The experimental henge “Nesshenge” as it looked in 2008. Source: Dr John Hill

3 April, 2024 - 18:00 Dr. John Hill

Nesshenge Revisited: How Does the Reproduction Neolithic Henge Look 15 Years On?

It is not every day that one gets the opportunity to build a replica Neolithic henge earthwork. Moreover, after 15 years of “weathering”, one is amazingly surprised to see that it not only survives...

Building materials piled up ready for installation at the Regio IX part of Pompeii. Source: Pompeii Sites

2 April, 2024 - 22:33 ancient-origins

Preserved Building Site at Pompeii Reveals Roman Construction Techniques

New information relating to Roman construction techniques is emerging from the ongoing excavations at the Archaeological Park of Pompeii. In the rooms of the ancient domus in Region IX, insula 10...

Facsimile of Diogo Ribeiro's 1529 Carta Universal. Source: Public Domain

31 March, 2024 - 17:29 Robbie Mitchell

History of Maps: From Ancient Artifacts to Modern Marvels

The history of cartography traces humanity's relentless quest to understand and depict the world around us. From ancient civilizations sketching rudimentary maps to modern digital cartography, this...

Detail of a mural from an Eastern Han tomb (25 to 220 AD) at Zhucun, Luoyang, Henan province. The painting utilizes Han purple and Han blue pigment. Source: Public domain

29 March, 2024 - 13:45 Joanna Gillan

Han Purple: The 2,800-Year-Old Mystery Solved by Quantum Physicists

Han purple, an artificial pigment created by the Chinese over 2,500 years ago, was used in ancient artworks such as wall paintings, the famed terracotta warriors, ceramics, metalware and jewelry. A...

Illustration of Paleolithic elephant hunting using spears. Source: Dana Ackerfeld/Tel Aviv University

27 March, 2024 - 22:00 ancient-origins

Stone, Water, and Elephants: Survival Secrets of Early Humans

Tel-Aviv University Archaeologists from Tel Aviv University have uncovered the mystery surrounding extensive Paleolithic stone quarrying and tool-making sites: Why did Homo erectus repeatedly revisit...

Replica of the Hallaton Helmet. The original is set to be displayed at the Harborough Museum in Leicestershire, UK. (Inset; the original helmet) Source: Harborough Museum (Inset; CC BY 2.0)

27 March, 2024 - 17:00 Sahir

The 2,000-year-old Hallaton Helmet Is Reborn in Beautiful Reproduction

A Roman cavalry helmet, initially called a ‘rusty bucket’ has been replicated to show its former glory, 23 years after the original was found in a field in Leicestershire, England. The Hallaton...

The remains of the axe placed underneath Structure One at Must Farm Bronze Age Settlement. Source: Cambridge Archaeological Unit

21 March, 2024 - 14:00 Sahir

Must Farm - Britain’s Pompeii - Reveals Bronze Age Lifestyle of ‘Cosy Domesticity’

‘Archaeological nirvana’ has been unearthed in ‘Britain’s Pompeii’, a stilt village occupied for less than a year before it burnt out, over a tragic summer day 2,850 years ago. As flames engulfed...

Left; Excavation of one of the oldest Neolithic boats ever found, labeled Canoe 5. Right; Canoe Marmotta 1, on display in the Museo delle Cività in Rome. Source: Gibaja et al., 2024 / PLOS ONE / CC-BY 4.0

20 March, 2024 - 21:48 Nathan Falde

Earliest Neolithic Boats Found in Mediterranean Date Back to 5,000 BC

Archaeologists and historians from prominent institutions in Spain and Italy have recently published their findings on five ancient dugout canoes retrieved from La Marmotta , an Italian...

Bronze swords and spearheads, recovered from the Warring States Period Cemetery. Source: Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

20 March, 2024 - 16:41 Gary Manners

Warring States Period Cemetery With Pristine Weapons Discovered in China

Archaeologists in China have made the exciting discovery of a sprawling cemetery from the Warring States period, over 2,200 years ago. They have excavated many ancient tombs and more than 500...

The drum is one of the earliest methods of ancient communication. Source: zolotareva_elina / Adobe Stock

16 March, 2024 - 00:00 Avery Fleming

The Evolution of Ancient Communication Methods

Throughout history, communication wasn’t as effortless as it is today. In today’s world, you can connect with people in every part of the world within seconds and access an almost infinite amount of...

Researchers logging an anchor at one of the ten shipwreck sites found off Kasos. Source: Greek Ministry of Culture

14 March, 2024 - 21:53 Nathan Falde

Ten Shipwrecks Spanning 5,000 Years of History Spotted off Kasos Island

Underwater archaeologists exploring the sea bottom off the beaches of Greece’s Kasos Island discovered something not entirely unexpected, but still quite surprising. Over the course of four years of...

Left, Trevor Penny and the Viking sword; Center, the sword; Right, close up of the hilt of the sword. Source: Trevor Penny

7 March, 2024 - 21:37 Gary Manners

Magnet Fisher Drags 1,200-Year-Old Viking Sword from English River

In a remarkable find, an artifact of significant historical importance has been recovered by an avid magnet fisherman. Trevor Penny was scouring the River Cherwell near Enslow in Oxfordshire,...

Stone Paleolithic tool possibly from Layer VII at Korolevo I. Surface find. Source: Roman Garba / Nature

6 March, 2024 - 16:00 Nathan Falde

Paleolithic Tools Prove Hominins Were in Europe 1.4 Million Years Ago

After five decades of speculation about their true origin, ancient stone tools removed from the archaeological site of Korolevo in western Ukraine have been successfully dated for the first time...

Left; Dr Frederica Gigante examining the Verona astrolabe, Right; The Verona Astrolabe. Source: F. Gigante/University of Cambridge

4 March, 2024 - 21:50 ancient-origins

The Verona Astrolabe Reveals A History of Islamic – Jewish Scientific Exchange

Tom Almeroth-Williams /University of Cambridge The identification of an eleventh century Islamic astrolabe bearing both Arabic and Hebrew inscriptions makes it one of the oldest examples ever...

The hoard of ancient weapons found near Hrubieszów, Poland. Source: B. Bartecki /©Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments

27 February, 2024 - 13:56 Gary Manners

Weapons of Germanic Tribes from Roman Era Discovered in Poland

In the now serene landscapes of Hrubieszów, on the eastern border of Poland, a remarkable discovery has recently emerged, casting new light on the region's ancient history. The find of likely...

AI image of the three ships of Christopher Columbus: Santa Maria, Niña, and Pinta. Source: Charles/Adobe Stock

26 February, 2024 - 21:51 Robbie Mitchell

The History of Shipbuilding As We Know It

From the humble vessels of ancient civilizations navigating coastal waters to the majestic seafaring giants of the modern era exploring the farthest reaches of the oceans, shipbuilding has been an...

A pit filled with heat stones from the rescue excavation in Heimberg. Source: Archaeological Service of the Canton of Bern / Guy Jaquenod

21 February, 2024 - 16:46 ashley cowie

Bronze Age Pits in Switzerland Reveal Secrets of Clay Production

Ahead of a new road building project in Switzerland, archaeologists excavated what they assumed was a Roman settlement. However, it was only when they discovered a series of pits filled with hearth...

AI illustration of prehistoric tribe using their spears. Source: de Art/ Adobe Stock

13 February, 2024 - 23:54 Robbie Mitchell

Weapons of the Stone Age - How Throwing Evolved in Ancient Man (Video)

Ancient humans , in their quest for survival, honed their skills in weaponry, evolving from rudimentary tools to sophisticated arms. One pivotal development was the utilization of throwing rocks, or...

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