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Destruction

Representational image of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem. Source: Ryan / Adobe Stock

Details of 586 BC Babylonian Destruction of Jerusalem Revealed in Fire Analysis

A team of Israeli archaeologists recently completed a study of a large building that was apparently obliterated by fire during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 586 BC. This research was unique,...
39 stones near the main attraction here at Carnac have been totally destroyed. Source: Karl Allen Lugmayer / Adobe Stock

39 Prehistoric Megaliths At ‘The French Stonehenge’ Destroyed by Developers

DIY chain Mr. Bricolage is under fire for ‘accidentally’ destroying a vital part of the deeply ancient historical heritage of Brittany – ‘The French Stonehenge’. The unfortunate destruction of thirty...
The statue of pharaoh Senwosret III, who ruled from 1878 BC to 1839 BC, is another in a long line of missing Egyptian noses. Source: Public domain

Why Are So Many Ancient Egyptian Statues Missing Their Noses?

The missing noses on ancient Egyptian statues have been a topic of discussion and curiosity within art history circles for many years. It is a common question that many people ask: why are the noses...
Eruption of Mount Vesuvius and destruction of Pompeii. Source: Sunshower Shots / Adobe Stock.

The Final Hours: Witness Pompeii’s Catastrophic Demise (Video)

As Mount Vesuvius erupted violently in 79 AD, the skies above Pompeii turned dark and ominous. A deadly cloud of super-heated gases spewed forth, reaching a height of 33 km, and molten rock and hot...
A man destroyed these Greek artifacts (Dallas Museum of Art) at the Dallas Museum of Art. (KeithJonsn / CC BY-SA 3.0)

Man Angry at His Girlfriend Smashes Ancient Greek Artifacts Worth $5 Million!

A man “mad at his girl” broke into The Dallas Museum of Art in Texas and destroyed three Greek artifacts, estimated to be worth up to $5 million and faces years in jail. The destructive attacks...
Indigenous rock art at Western Australia’s Murujuga National Park. Source: totajla / Adobe Stock

Fertilizer Giant Blocked from Removing Aboriginal Indigenous Rock Art

The Australian federal government has blocked a multinational fertilizer company from removing indigenous rock art from Western Australia’s Burrup Peninsula. This UNESCO World Heritage-nominated area...
Part of the Upper Tote Cairn that has been destroyed by the landowner.	Source: Crown Office

Scottish Farmer Fined For Destroying Prehistoric Burial Cairn

A Scottish island farmer has been charged for ripping apart a Neolithic burial tomb to build a new shed. You might think the judge’s £18,000 fine sounds quite stiff, but the cairn is damaged beyond...
Bactrian gold crown, an archaeological treasure of Afghanistan

Are Afghanistan’s Archaeological Treasures Safe?

Experts are concerned for the future of Afghanistan’s archaeological sites and treasures following the Taliban takeover. Even if the ancient sites are not looted and destroyed, there is still the...
The magnitude of the Storegga tsunami would have wiped out many modern Scottish cities. Source: Kevin Carden / Adobe Stock

8,000 Years Ago The Storegga Tsunami Shattered Scotland

The three Storegga Slides are amongst the largest known submarine landslides in history. They occurred under water, at the edge of Norway's continental shelf in the Norwegian Sea, approximately 6225–...
Ukrainian Burial Mound Dig Reveals 5,500-Year-Old Stonehenge-like Structure

Ukrainian Burial Mound Dig Reveals 5,500-Year-Old Stonehenge-like Structure

Scythians and other warring cultures and the archaeological remnants of their history are under attack by developers in Ukraine looking to construct new luxury country homes. There are two roadblocks...
“Accidental” Destruction of Aboriginal Stone Arrangement in Australia

“Accidental” Destruction of Aboriginal Stone Arrangement in Australia

A private landowner has damaged a 1,500-year-old stone eel arrangement near Lake Bolac, Australia . The Kuyang stone monument was shaped into an eel and created before the Europeans arrived in...
Assyrian soldiers carry beheaded heads of their prisoners as depicted on a wall in the South-West Palace at Nineveh, during the “First” Fall of Neneveh.          Source: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin / CC BY-SA 4.0

August 10 612 BC: Nineveh, the Largest City in the World, Fell

On this day, 2,632 years ago, the ancient metropolis of Nineveh fell. “ ABC 3 ” is a historiographical text from ancient Babylonia which records August 10th 612 BC as the date of this dramatic...
People have vandalized a Welsh ring cairn by using it as a motorbike circuit. Source:  AA+W / Adobe Stock

Irresponsible Bikers Use 3,000-Year-OId Ring Cairn as Motorbike Circuit

Scrambler motorbikes are a popular pastime in many countries, including Britain. However, a group of irresponsible scramblers have been using a 3000-year-old Welsh ring cairn as a motorbike circuit...
Destroyed marble column at the monumental fountain at the ancient city of Apollonia in Albania. Source: Himara

Vandals Smash Monumental Fountain in Ancient Greek City of Apollonia

Vandals in Albania have destroyed a famous historical monument in ancient Apollonia causing “irreparable” damage. Founded in 588 BC by Greek colonists from Corfu and Corinth on a site where native...
A side-rendering of the giant mound that once covered the buried Viking ship. Today, the ship's remains lie under less than 20 inches of topsoil. (NIKU/LBI ArchPro)

1,000-Year-Old Buried Viking Ship Will be Raised!

Norwegian archaeologists have announced a plan to raise a buried Viking ship from the earth. The vessel is from a ship burial that is over 1000 years old. It is the first time in over a hundred years...
Alba Fucens, Roman archaeological site with amphitheater. Monte Velino mountain with snow, Abruzzo region, central Italy   Source: ValerioMei / Adobe Stock

Alba Fucens, a City Not Even the Roman Gods Could Protect

Italy is visited by millions of tourists each year for its many remarkable ancient ruins, fascinating heritage sites, incredible food, and beautiful countryside. Because there is such an abundance of...
The visibly arched portal of Cairn 2 in Maulbronn, Germany. Source: Author provided

Two of Europe’s Biggest Cairns are About to Be Buried in Trash

Two of the biggest European cairns are facing destruction in the World Heritage city of Maulbronn, Germany. If it happens, the prehistoric monuments would be lost and scientific investigation...
An artistic representation of the cosmic impact. Source: UC Santa Barbara

Fire in the Sky: Cosmic Impact Obliterated Prehistoric Settlement

Before the Taqba Dam impounded the Euphrates River in northern Syria in the 1970s, an archaeological site named Abu Hureyra bore witness to the moment ancient nomadic people first settled down and...
Meridian Gate, The Imperial City of Hue	Source: Michele / Adobe Stock

The Imperial City of Hue and the Nguyen Legacy of Vietnam

Although there are many popular historic sites in the beautiful country of Vietnam, one of the most visited is the Imperial City at Hue. As well as being the stronghold of the last independent...
Four Iranian heritage sites: The ruins of Persepolis. (F. Couin/ CC BY SA 4.0 ), Pasargadae Tomb in Shiraz (CC BY SA 3.0), Ancient ruins in Susa, Iran (UNESCO), Elaborate decoration in Golestan Palace, Tehran, Iran. (Diego Delso/CC BY SA).

Iran’s Heritage Sites Remain Under Threat. What Could We Lose?

A country’s heritage is arguably vital to its lifeblood. It connects the present to the past and also unites humanity in the appreciation and love for history and archaeology. Ancient cultural sites...
The vandalised burial mound, from Bronze Age Britain, churned up with tyre tracks shown in Wales, UK.         Source: Gwent Outdoor Centres

Mindless Vandals Churn Up Bronze Age Burial Site

For those who love and respect the past and our heritage, there is nothing more sickening than the mindless destruction of historic monuments. In Wales, United Kingdom, vandals have done appalling...
Vandals carved graffiti into a famous Maya temple, the Tikal Temple II pyramid in Guatemala. Source: Simon Dannhauer /Adobe Stock

Vandals Have Carved Initials on a World-Famous Maya Temple

A shocking case of vandalism has been revealed in Guatemala. Two men, believed to be tourists, etched some graffiti on one of the most remarkable Maya temples in all of Central America. They were...
Photos of the Ice Age lake Dipsiz in Turkey before (Hurriyet Daily News) and after (Daily Sabah) the archaeological excavations.

12,000-Year-Old Lake Destroyed in Treasure Hunt for Roman Gold

A 12,000-year-old Ice Age lake has dried up after a team of treasure hunters conducted invasive excavations that were authorized but highly controversial. Having obtained permission from the...
Ruins of Mehrgarh. (M. Thoury et al./CC BY 4.0) Insert: Detail of a female figure made of terracotta from Mehrgarh, circa 3000 BC. (Denis Biette/CC BY SA 1.0)

A Treasure in Ruins: Ancient Mehrgarh Lost to Thieves and Violence

Mehrgarh is an archaeological site situated in the Balochistan, in the southwestern part of Pakistan. In the native Balochi language, ‘mehr’ is said to mean ‘love’, and ‘garh’ means heaven. Thus, the...

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