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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 marble relief originally from Pompeii, in situ in the house in Belgium. Source: De Temmermans/ArchaeologyMag

Stolen Pompeii Artifact Is Recovered after 50 Years, Having Been Used As Decor

A marble relief from the ancient city of Pompeii, believed to have been stolen, has been found in Belgium. This piece, dating back to around 62 AD, intricately portrays the devastating earthquake...
Lake Titicaca, Bolivia, where some of the projectiles used to date the introduction of archery in the Andes were found. Source: SL-Photography/Adobe Stock

Rise of Archery in Andes Mountains Now Dated to 5,000 Years Ago

By Greg Watry/ UC Davis When did archery arise in the Americas? And what were the effects of this technology on society? These questions have long been debated among anthropologists and...
Aerial view of the Western Gokturk period complex discovered in Kazakhstan.	Source: TRT Haber

Huge Turkic Khaganate Cult Complex Changes History of the Steppe

In a remote valley in the Tarbagatay district of Kazakhstan's Eastern region, archaeologists have unearthed a Turkic Khaganate cult complex, dating back to the Western Göktürk Period, 6th- 8th...
A sunset at Stonehenge, perhaps not the Winter Solstice. Source: Nicholas/Adobe Stock

Stonehenge Activates On the Winter Solstice Sunset, Not Sunrise

Today, as the northern hemisphere experiences the Winter Solstice, English archaeoastronomers remind us that Stonehenge was built to honor the sunset on this crucial date, and not just the Summer...
Inside the cave system where the burials have been found at Tulum site.	Source: Promeza research project, Tulum. Jerónimo Aviles Olguin/INAH

Unprecedented Cave Burials Found At Tulum Open New Avenues of Investigation

A cave containing mortuary deposits of many individuals has been discovered within the walled confines of Tulum Archaeological Zone, the picturesque site of a coastal Maya city in Quintana Roo,...
The excavated burial of Offord Cluny 203645. DNA has revealed he was a Sarmatian immigrant to Britain. Source: MOLA Headland Industry

Offord Cluny 203645: DNA Reveals Only Sarmatian Remains Known in Britain

After completing a DNA analysis of the remains of an individual who was buried near the village of Offord Cluny in Cambridgeshire, England in the second century AD, a team of scientists discovered...
Left, Historic illustration of a nomadic Scythian archer; Right, leather items from the study.	Source:  Left, Lunstream / Adobe Stock, Right, Luise Ørsted Brandt et al. /PLoS ONE

Study Shows Scythian Warriors Crafted Human Skin Arrow Quivers

A team of anthropologists analyzing leather samples used to craft arrow quivers from Scythian settlements across Ukraine quite expected to see cattle, horse and sheep among their results. But what...
The 5,000-year-old rock painting in this photo, may depict a Nativity-type scene like the 2,000-year-old scenes of Jesus’ birth. Dr. Morelli came across the cave painting in Egypt in 2005 but went public with it in 2016. Source: Marco Morelli, via Seeker.com

5,000-Year-Old Rock Art Suggests a Nativity Scene 3,000 Years Before Jesus’ Birth

About 5,000 years ago an artist in Egypt painted an apparent nativity scene onto the rocks of a small cave—a tableau similar to crèche scenes that depict Jesus being laid in a manager in a cave or...
Artistic reconstruction of a small part of the Maidanetske megasite, showing houses in concentric rings and fenced animals.    Source: Susanne Beyer/

From Peas to Prosperity: Researchers Discover the Diet that Shaped the Oldest Cities

You are what you eat! A team of researchers from Kiel University has delved into the nutritional aspects of Trypillia mega-sites in the forest steppe northwest of the Black Sea—today the territory of...
Hillforts (pukaras) in the south-central highlands of Peru. Source: Elizabeth Arkush, Lauren Kohut, Romuald Housse, Ryan Smith, & Steven A. Wernke / Antiquity Publications Ltd

Andean Archaeology Revealed On An Unprecedented Scale

Astounding GeoPACHA software is advancing Andean archaeology. The new and innovative web application is allowing researchers to map archaeological features in the Andes mountains of South America...
Example of bamboo slips, from the Han Dynasty. 	Source: CC BY-SA 4.0

Ancient Esoteric Knowledge Translated From Chinese Bamboo Texts

In what is being described as “a groundbreaking discovery,” scholars from China’s Tsinghua University have successfully translated the mystical texts inscribed on 2,500-year-old bamboo slips. The...
A computer-generated image of the battle that is thought to have taken place on a remote mountainside south of Chur around 15 BC between Roman troops advancing northwards through the Alps and local Suanetes. Source: Courtesy of Leona Detig

Lost Roman Battlefield in Switzerland Discovered Through Thousands of Artifacts

In 2019, a spectacular Roman dagger was metal detected in a remote region of the Swiss Alps. Now, a team of scientists and students have mapped a 2,000-year-old Roman battlefield representing the...
Top, an X-ray image reveals carious lesions on posterior molars. Bottom, a filed hole from the crown of the tooth into the pulp. Source: Carolina Bertilsson and Henrik Lund/PLoS ONE

Viking Age Dental Care Was Surprisingly Good, Says Study

Viking Age teeth from Varnhem bear witness to surprisingly advanced dentistry in the Norse population there. The findings of a study carried out at the University of Gothenburg reveal a complex...
Researcher records pueblo culture petroglyphs found high in Mesa Verde.	Source: Jangiellonian University

Petroglyph Discoveries Offer Breakthrough in Understanding Pueblo Culture

In a significant archaeological development, a team from the Jagiellonian University (JU) has made groundbreaking discoveries regarding the ancient Pueblo culture along the Colorado-Utah border. This...
Andriamamelo cave art panel. Madagascar cave art is leading to curious conclusions. Source: Author provided

Madagascar Cave Art Reveals Captivating Africa-Asia Connections

David Burney / The Conversation Unique, prehistoric rock art drawings have been discovered in the Andriamamelo Cave in western Madagascar. I was part of a team that discovered and described these...
Mosaics uncovered in a recently discovered domus, or luxury home, near the Colosseum.        Source: Italian Ministry of Culture

Impressive Domus From the Roman Republic Uncovered Near the Colosseum

A Roman ‘domus’ with several floors, constructed in multiple phases during Rome's Republican age, has been uncovered in the vicinity of Rome's Palatine Hill and the Forum. This finely decorated Roman...
Archaeological excavations at the Interamna Lirenas site in central Italy's Lazio region have revealed the prominent remains of a theater. Source: Alessandro Launaro

Interamna, An Obscure Roman Village Escaped 3rd Century Decline of Empire

Two thousand years ago, the ancient Roman settlement of Interamna Lirenas in central Italy’s Lazio region was a typical remote Empire town. It was believed to have suffered the same fate as so many...
The oldest known wooden frame saddle from Urd Ulaan Uneet.	Source: Antiquity Publications Ltd

Oldest Wooden Framed Saddle Reveals Secrets of Equestrian Military Technology

The “oldest saddle of its kind” in the form of a wooden frame with iron stirrups has been found preserved in an ancient tomb in Mongolia. Archaeologists employed radiocarbon dating to analyze the...
Winter Solstice at Newgrange Tomb in Ireland.	 Source: Declan Hillman/Adobe Stock

The Winter Solstice at Seven Amazing Megalithic Sites

The winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the annual cycle centered around 21st December; a turning point of the year venerated by ancient cultures worldwide. Accurately built...
Stone blocks discovered at the Inca quarry at Cañete, Peru.    Source: PQN/ Peru Ministry of Culture

Lost Inca Road Network and Stone Quarries Uncovered in Peru

In the province of Cañete, Peru, archaeologists have unearthed Inca stone quarries and a previously unknown road network at Cerros de Quilmaná and Cerro Quinta Freno. These quarries played a crucial...
The Roman aqueduct that supplied water to Viminacium, a large city on the Roman frontier, Serbia.	Source: Carles Lalueza-Foz/Cell

How the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire Shifted Populations

Despite the Roman Empire's extensive military and cultural influence on the nearby Balkan peninsula, a DNA analysis of individuals who lived in the region between 1 and 1000 AD found no genetic...
The oldest fortified settlement sits atop a section of land overlooking the Amnya River. Source: Nikita Golovanov/Antiquity Publications Ltd

World’s Oldest Fortress Discovered in Siberia Challenges Traditional Archaeology

The world's oldest fortress has been discovered in Siberia, dating to 8,000 years ago. This defensive complex reveals an ancient class structure, and like Göbekli Tepe in Turkey, it challenges...
The Pompeii “bakery-prison” where slaves and donkeys were locked up to grind the grain needed to make bread.       Source: Pompeii archaeological park

Brutal Bakery-Prison Operated by Slaves and Donkeys Found in Pompeii

Archaeologists searching through excavated rubble at the site where Pompeii once stood in southern Italy recently discovered the remains of a small, cramped room with unique characteristics and a...
Aerial photo taken on Dec. 5, 2023 showing the archaeological site of a tomb dating back to the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC-25 AD) in Wulong District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.	Source: Chongqing Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute/ Xinhua News

2,200-year-old Tomb Packed With Artifacts and History Unearthed in China

On December 5, 2023, a major archaeological discovery was made in the Wulong District of Chongqing Municipality, located in Southwest China. A tomb dating back to the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC-25...

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