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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.

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...
Menga Dolmen in Malaga, Spain. Source: Tony Makepeace/CC BY 2.0

Menga Dolmen Unveiled As “The Greatest Neolithic Engineering Marvel”

A team of archaeologists has deciphered the hidden Neolithic building dynamics within Spain’s 5,700-years-old Menga dolmen . Not only were sophisticated engineering and building methodologies...
The collection of five Bronze Age axe blades leaning against a tree in the forest where they were found.	Source: Nadleśnictwo Stargard

‘Sensational’ 3,500-year-old Bronze Age Axes Found in Forest in Poland

An amateur treasure hunter has made a remarkable find, unearthing five Bronze Age axe heads in near-perfect condition. The artifacts date from 1700 to 1300 BC, are believed to potentially link to a...
The impressive, restored 3,400-year-old pyramid mausoleum found in Kazkhastan.	Source: Dr. Aibar Kassenali/Arkeonews

Stunning 3,400-Year-Old Pyramid in Kazakhstan Was a Monument to a Deceased Leader

In 2016 the remains of a fascinating pyramid-shaped monument were discovered in the windswept and largely deserted Karaganda region of central Kazakhstan . This five-layered stepped structure was...
Some of the baboon skulls for Ancient Egypt that were available for the study. Source: Bea De Cupere, CC-BY 4.0/PLoS ONE

Sacred Egyptian Baboons Suffered in Captivity, Finds Study

A recent study has investigated skeletal remains of 36 individual baboons spanning various age groups, dated from 800 to 500 BC, in ancient Egypt. The findings suggest that baboons were intentionally...
A diver from the underwater unit of the Naples Police examines a piece of obsidian on the seafloor near the island of Capri, Italy.	Source: Naples Superintendency for Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape

“Neolithic Shipwreck” Was Likely Just A Canoe, But the Odd Obsidian Is Real

Over the past few weeks major news outlets have written about the recovery of a chunk of volcanic glass from a “Neolithic shipwreck,” of the coast of Italy. What you need to know, is that it was not...
A mosaic featuring two lions recently found at the ancient city of Prusias ad Hypium. Source: Faruk Özlu/Düzce Municipality

Lion Mosaic Links Prusias ad Hypium Theater to Dionysus Cult

During ongoing excavations in the ancient city of Prusias ad Hypium in Turkey, archaeologists have uncovered a beautiful mosaic featuring a duo of lions. The excavation team, operating above the...
Walls of the royal Tudor palace at Collyweston being excavated. Source: CHAPS

A Lost Royal Palace in England Linked to Henry VIII Discovered by ‘A Bunch of Amateurs’

A group of amateur historical sleuths have spent the best part of the last decade searching the English countryside for a long-lost Tudor palace, that was famously visited by Henry VIII. Now they...
Archaeologists excavating in Çorum, the capital of the ancient Hittite Empire in northern Turkey, unearthed an Iron Age saw dating back 2,250 years. Source: Anadolu Agency

Iron Age Saw Unearthed in Ancient City Hattusa Resembles Modern Tools

Hattusa, the historic city, is an ancient site that keeps on producing wonderful finds. After the piece of ivory decoration with a sphinx found last month, archaeologists conducting digs in Hattusa,...
Ernst Stötzner during scanning a cuneiform tablet in order to decipher the text.  Source: Maike Glöckner/Uni Halle

Ancient Cuneiform Tablets Instantly Deciphered By Revolutionary Methods

New artificial intelligence software is now able to decipher difficult-to-read texts on cuneiform tablets, almost in an instant. Instead of photos, the AI system uses 3D models of the tablets,...
Archaeologists excavating at the site in Tainiaro forest, Finland.	Source: Aki Hakonen/Antiquity Publications Ltd

6,500-Year-Old Arctic Site Might Be World’s Northernmost Ancient Cemetery

Signs of human use and occupation have been found at a lonely Artic outpost known as Tainiaro, which is located in the far-northern Finnish region of Lapland, just 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of...
A leaf from the cannabis plant. Source: Kampanat/Adobe Stock

Toxicology Identifies Cannabis in the Bones of Medieval Italians

Archaeologists excavating in a 17th-century hospital crypt in Milan, Italy, recovered the skeletons of nine people. Using tools of toxicology, they have now identified “the first archaeological...
An example of incredible artisanship and advanced metallurgy techniques of gold, which set the Scythian goldsmiths apart from their contemporaries. Source: victor21041958/Adobe Stock

Ukraine Treasures Returned, But Current War Destroys Cultural Heritage

Ukraine is celebrating the repatriation of Scythian gold treasures, marking a "symbolic and historic" triumph over Russia in a prolonged dispute over ownership. The artifacts, including a rare golden...
Illustration based on osteobiography generated through analyses of remains excavated at cemetery of Cambridge hospital which offered what was, in essence, a medieval social benefit system Source: Mark Gridley / After the Plague

Cemetery Reveals Medieval Equivalent of Social Benefits System

Archaeologists from several universities in England teamed up to analyze the skeletal remains of more than 400 individuals who were buried in a medieval cemetery that belonged to St. John the...
This reconstruction shows the Bad Dürrenberg shaman in her full regalia. Source: Karol Schauer / State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt

Hidden Connection Between 9,000-Year-Old Bad Dürrenberg Shaman and Infant Exposed

Ever since archaeologists discovered the 9,000-year-old remains of what has come to be known as the Bad Dürrenberg shaman in the 1930s, they have been struggling to learn more about this enigmatic...
The coins found at he coins date from the period of the Kushan Empire, which ruled the region from about the second century BC until about the third century AD  Source: Sheikh Javed Ali Sindhi

2,000-Year-Old Coin Hoard Unearthed at Buddhist Stupa at Mohenjo-Daro!

A recent archaeological discovery in Pakistan has unveiled an unbelievable hoard of copper coins, believed to be over 2,000 years old, within the ruins of a Buddhist stupa (shrine) at the ancient...
State archaeologist Dr. Detlef Jantzen holds examines a Bronze Age sword at the presentation of the find.Source: Mecklenburg Ministry of Culture

Fearsome Swords and Fascinating Hoards Unearthed in Pomerania, Germany

In an extraordinary display of historical significance, volunteer archaeologists in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania have uncovered three remarkable finds from the past, as announced by the State Office...
Excavations of a group burial complex of the Wari empire. Source: ed. M. Giersz, © PUCP Archaeology Program “Valley of Pachacámac”/ CC BY-SA 4.0; Center & Right: © M.Giersz, ed. K. Kowalewski/ CC BY-SA 4.0

Wari-Mask Mummies And Carved Totems Dating Back to 800-1000 AD Found in Peru

A recent discovery at Pachacámac in Peru has revealed a significant find of seventy-three intact burials, in funerary bundles known as ‘fardos’. The burials are of both genders, with some adorned...
The allegedly manmade megalithic site at Gunung Padang, claimed to be an incredibly ancient pyramid in Indonesia, showing the multitude of rocks under question. Source: uskarp2 / Adobe Stock

New Claims of a 27,000-Year-Old Indonesian Pyramid Spark Controversy

A controversial paper recently published in the journal Archaeological Prospection has generated debate and criticism from archaeologists and geologists alike. In this newly completed study, a team...
Five mummified remains found in Huaca la Florida, Lima. Source: Peru Ministry of Culture

1,000-Year-Old Child Mummies Unearthed From Sacred Ceremonial Space in Lima

In Peru, four mummified children, estimated to be over 1,000 years old, have been unearthed in what is now considered one of Lima's oldest neighborhoods, with their skulls still having hair on them!...
Conical tombs at the newly found site in the Lomas de Chapultepec area to the west of present-day Mexico City.		Source: INAH

Artifact Laden Pre-Hispanic, Pre-Volcanic Tombs Excavated in Mexico

Archaeologists in Mexico were digging at a high-altitude village from the Early and Middle Preclassic periods (2500-400 BC), when they found 12 unique cone-shaped, or conical tombs. Inside, they...
Evidence of animal sacrifice, many of them horses, at the courtyard of the Casas del Turuñuelo site in Spain. Source: Construyendo Tarteso / CC-BY 4.0

Lost Mass Animal Sacrifice Rituals Revealed at Tartessos Site in Spain

Archaeologists and other scientists affiliated with several institutions in Spain have revealed a startling fact about an Iron Age site known as Casas del Turuñuelo, which is located in southern...
Arial photograph of the excavations at Rendlesham in 2023, showing the archaeological remains, including the probable temple or cult house (left hand side) and boundary ditch (center). Source: © Suffolk County Council; photo by Jim Pullen

Vast Anglo-Saxon Pagan Temple Discovered in the Shadow of Sutton Hoo

Last year, archaeologists and community groups in Suffolk, England, unearthed the remains of a 1,400-year-old structure. Now, excavations have determined that the large timber hall was a Pre-...
Two of the gems discovered along with thousands of Roman coins in the ancient Roman city of Claterna in Italy. Source: Soprintendenza Bologna

Massive Cache of Roman Coins and Gems Found in Ancient “Magical City”

Excavations at a spectacular ancient Roman site in northern Italy have produced some significant finds during the most recent archaeological season. The latest of these remarkable discoveries in the...

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