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History & Archaeology

We bring you all the latest historical news and archaeological discoveries relating to ancient human history. Read more history news from around the world here at Ancient Origins.

The Roman city at Silchester with grid road system and building locations map overlaid. Source: University of Reading

Beneath Roman Britain - An Iron Age Settlement Is Revealed At Silchester

Five decades on from the start of an archaeological dig by the University of Reading, the findings of the investigation will be brought to the public, showcasing the incredible discoveries from...
Detail of the Wallace sword on display inside William Wallace monument. Source: Public Domain

Was the Wallace Sword Truly Wielded by the Famous Scottish ‘Braveheart’?

Many times, evidence of fantastic finds vanishes, leaving behind only legends (think the Tulli Papyrus or Robin Hood’s Hideout). However, sometimes, fabulous artifacts from history manage to survive...
Burial from the Palace of Cortés is that of a Tlahuica woman. Source: INAH

Palace of Cortés Display Burial Is A Pre-Hispanic Woman, Not a Spanish Monk!

For 50 years, the public at the Palacio de Cortés, in Cuernavaca, Mexico, was able to glimpse a burial through an archaeological window, located at the entrance. The identity of this individual was...
Jay Silverstein with an Olmec head he helped discover in Mexico in 1994. 	Source: Jay Silverstein, Author provided

Has the Archaeologist’s Spade Been Replaced By Modern Technology?

Jay Silverstein /The Conversation A valley of lost cities has been discovered in the Ecuadorian Amazon. When you hear of such a discovery you might think of archaeologists with chisels and brushes or...
Experts conducted testing on an Irish bog body found in Bellaghy, dating back over 2,000 years. Source: PSNI

Shattered Bog Body Dated To 2,500 Years Old Unearthed

Last October, police in Northern Ireland were perplexed after the discovery of human bones and body parts, in peatland. After extensive tests, it’s now known that the remains were not of a modern...
The remains of the Roman triumphal arch found in Serbia.     Source: Serbia Archaeological Institute.

Emperor Caracalla’s Triumphal Arch Unearthed in Serbia

A lesser-known fact about Serbia is that 17 Roman emperors were born in its territory, with Central Serbia being under Roman rule for 800 years. Evidence of this history was unearthed in December,...
Representation of Nuestra Señora de Atocha galleon generated by AI.	Source: FrankBoston/Adobe Stock

Treasures of Nuestra Señora de Atocha $1Billion Cargo Displayed In New York

In September 1622, the Nuestra Señora de Atocha treasure ship sunk near the Florida Keys. Now, its $1.1billion cargo of plundered indigenous treasures, including a stunning Colombian emerald crucifix...
Representation of Roman god Bacchus, renowned lover of Roman wine.

Toasted Bread and Walnuts: The Secret to Sophisticated Roman Wine Revealed

Of the many cultural and physical remnants left behind by the Romans, along with everlasting concrete, a love of wine also endures. When the Roman poet Horace contemplates death, he was more...
A close up of the woman buried with neck rings at the 1000-year-old burial site found near Kyiv, Ukraine.	Source: Courtesy of Vyacheslav Baranov/National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

Bizarrely Adorned Ancient Burials Found In Ukraine

A recently unearthed cemetery in Ukraine, dating back 1,000 years, has yielded an array of fascinating finds, including weapons, jewelry, and, unusually, buckets positioned around the feet of some of...
The 2,000-year-old iron knife, found near Odense on the island of Funen, Denmark, carries the oldest runic inscription known.  Source: Rogvi N Johansen/© Museum Odense

Denmark’s Oldest Runic Inscription Found on the Blade of a 2,000-Year-Old Knife

The discovery of a runic inscription on an almost 2,000-year-old knife sheds light on Denmark's early written language and cultural history – it’s the oldest runic inscription found so far in the...
Conservator Bethan Bryan with the Roman arm guard. Source: Duncan McGlynn / National Museums Scotland

“Absolutely Amazing” Roman Arm Guard Pieced Together After 1,800 Years

Over 100 years ago, a Scot unearthed over 100 fragments of metal which he thought comprised a Roman chest guard. Now, National Museums Scotland have reconstructed the artifact and discovered that it...
The Parthenon Centaur displayed in the National Museum in Copenhagen. 	Source: Courtesy of The National Museum of Denmark/Heritage Science Journal

Despite Intensive Scientific Analyses, Parthenon Marble Stain Remains a Mystery

For almost 200 years, archaeologists have been puzzled by a mysterious brown stain on the ancient Greek Parthenon temple in Greece. Now, researchers have conducted new scientific analyses, and their...
Images of Mysterious Rock Art. Source: JSirlin/Adobe Stock; ©John Wombell; ©Salima Ikram; ©Amit Bhardwaj/Times of India; Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland

Ten Mysterious Rock Art Examples from the Ancient World

Rock paintings and engravings are among the world’s oldest continuously practiced art form and are as diverse as the wide-ranging cultures and civilizations that have produced them. Depictions of...
Billy Mag Fhloinn with the remnants of the wedge tomb, Altóir na Gréine, in County Kerry, Ireland. Source: Seán Mac an tSíthigh/RTÉ News

Solar-Aligned Bronze Age "Wedge Tomb" Unearthed in Ireland

Local traditions in County Kerry, Ireland, told of the destruction of an ancient tomb in the 19th century. But now, a folklorist has found the lost “wedge-shaped” tomb, which was aligned with the...
Various shots of the mosaic now confirmed dated to the 5th century at Chedworth Roman Villa. Source: Stephen Haywood/Ian Shaw/ © National Trust Images

Roman Mosaic Date Brightens Up Britain’s Dark Ages in More Ways Than One

Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it’s popularly believed that its fall to ‘barbaric’ forces by the beginning of the 5th century, plunged all of Europe into a ‘Dark Age’, where towns and villas...
The medieval sword after it was dredged out of the Vistula River at Włocławekport, Poland.	Source: Provincial Office for the Protection of Monuments In Torun

1,000-Year-Old Sword with Potential Viking Link Recovered From Polish River

A highly contested find has been recovered from the bottom of a river in Poland. The sword is believed to be around 1,000 years in age, with some touting a potential connection to the Vikings that...
Fort Pearce protected heritage site Sign.	Source: Jacqueline Russell/BLM Utah/ Public Domain

Irreversible Damage Caused at Fort Pearce Puebloan Site

A historically rich area, Utah has had a long history of vandalism and theft across archaeological and paleontological sites. Newly added to this list is the digging of a 2-foot wide and 15-foot-deep...
Left; the reconstruction imae of Feb=nsatantion Man. Right; The first evidence of Roman-British crucifixion has been found in Fenstanton, Cambridgeshire, England. The heel of a man found with an iron nail pounded through his heel bone was clear evidence of crucifixion. Source: Left; Impossible Factual/BBC, Right; Albion Archaeology

Face of the Only Victim of Roman Crucifixion Found in Britain is Revealed

Experts have successfully reconstructed the face of a man who was a victim of Roman crucifixion, a discovery hailed as "almost unique" by Corinne Duhig, a bone specialist from Cambridge University...
The full, well-preserved gauntlet on the right, and part gauntlet on the left.	Source: Construction Department/ Zurich Canton

Sensational 14th Century Gauntlet Unearthed In Switzerland

In a remarkable find of ancient military technology, a team of cantonal archaeologists in Kyburg, Switzerland, has unearthed a completely preserved armored gauntlet dating back to the 14th century...
Temples of Poseidon and Hera in the archaeological site of Paestum, Campania, Italy.	Source: Nido Huebl/Adobe Stock

Two Exceptional Greek Temples Uncovered in 2,600-Year-Old City of Poseidonia Paestum

Archaeologists have unearthed two “exceptional” temples in the historic ancient city of Poseidonia Paestum, a settlement in Magna Graecia on the southern coast of Italy. Constructed in the Doric...
The Knaresborough Hoard, image.	Source: Courtesy of the Yorkshire Museum/Newcastle University

Knaresborough Hoard Reveals Long- Forgotten Secrets

Archaeologists from Newcastle University have recently concluded the first, in-depth investigation of the most extensive Roman bronze vessel hoard ever unearthed in Britain - a staggering 160 years...
Heraion Teikhos, ancient Thracian city in modern day Turkey. Source: Tekirdağ Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism

2,800-Year-Old Thracian “Pharmaceutical” Center Unearthed at Heraion Teikhos, Turkey

In 2021, a team of researchers unearthed a 2,800-year-old temple at the ancient Thracian city of Heraion Teikhos, in Turkey. Now, a water system has been identified leading to a space within the...
A selection of 29 rare Greek coins recently unearthed at ancient Tenea, Corinth, Greece.	Source: Greek Ministry of Culture

Unearthing the Lost City Built By Prisoners Of The Famous Trojan War

In a remarkable display of historical unraveling, a research program, led by archaeologist Dr. Elena Korkas, has completed its systematic archaeological research in Chiliomodi, Corinth, exploring the...
A lidar map of the city of Kunguints in the Ecuadorian Amazon reveals ancient streets lined with houses.

Oldest Known Ancient Amazonian Cities Uncovered in Ecuador!

An extensive civilization like nothing ever discovered before has been revealed in the Amazon jungle of Ecuador! This latest discovery is believed to be the oldest human settlement known in the...

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