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.
At a luxury seaside villa at Posillipo near Naples, researchers have unearthed an ancient Roman mosaic which once decorated the home of a horrific and horrendous Roman tyrant known as Publius Vedius...
Archaeologists in Mexico’s ancient Maya city of Oxkintok have unearthed a striking headless statue. Measuring approximately 5 feet 5 inches (1.68 meters), the life-size limestone statue was uncovered...
Finding the remains of a high priest buried at the most sacred spot in Paris’s Notre Dame Cathedral, and all of medieval France, seems a predictable discovery. However, unearthing a knight with an...
Archaeologists excavating a burial mound at the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Osaka Prefecture in southern Japan, have found the remains of a rare wooden haniwa statue...
A 6.5-foot (2 meters)-high threshold stone from the 9th and 8th century BC has been unearthed by archaeologists at the ancient Iraqi city of Nimrud. This is the first major excavation at the site...
A lead sling bullet from the Hellenistic period with a Greek inscription proclaiming victory in battle, has been discovered in Israel. Dated to 2,200 years old, it was excavated in Yavne, and bears...
Fresh excavations in the port city of Adulis on Eritrea’s Red Sea coast have produced evidence showing that two ancient churches unearthed more than a century ago were constructed during the reign of...
An 11,000-year-old carving from a Neolithic bench in south-eastern Turkey maybe the world’s oldest narrative scene. It depicts menacing leopards, amongst other animals, flanking two men, one of whom...
A huge funerary building has been excavated by researchers at the Gerza archaeological site in Fayum, Egypt. Rare artifacts were discovered, but a collection of mummy portraits represent the first...
The iconic and historic Uluburun shipwreck has revealed fascinating insights into complex ancient trade networks, according to a brilliant new study. The Mediterranean shipwreck off the coast of...
When underwater archaeologists discovered the sunken ruins of two medieval-era ships in Sweden’s Baltic Sea coastal waters last spring, they knew it would take some time to find answers explaining...
Researchers in Sweden were excavating a 400-year-old cellar floor when they came across this “rare” battle-sword from the Military Revolution. Archaeologists from Arkeologerna were digging at the...
After a handheld laser “melted” into a collection of ancient gold jewelry a team of scientists discovered microbic evidence of an early Bronze Age trade route extending from Anatolia as far as the...
Decades of excavations in ancient burial pits in the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal) have unearthed more than 4,000 palm-sized slate owl plaques engraved with geometric images of...
New evidence, helping to form a 15th century reconstruction of part of Westminster Abbey, demonstrates how a section of the building was once the focus for the royal family’s devotion to the cult of...
A new proposal by researchers of the oldest known naturally mummified corpse, better known as Ötzi the Iceman, questions both the time and place of his death. New analysis points towards the time of...
Three friends in Norway have a remarkable way of spending in their spare time. Armed with torches, they go looking for prehistoric rock carvings, and with singular success. So far, they have helped...
Archaeological excavations ahead of work to expand heating pipes in Kleinbasel, the Rhine port and industrial area of Basel in Switzerland, has uncovered fifteen graves dating back to the early...
Last year archaeologists in the UK unearthed a rare Roman mosaic at a luxury 3rd century villa. Now, further excavations have revealed an “early barn conversion” with underfloor heating and a bespoke...
Archaeologists excavating at Qwaisana Archaeological Compound in Egypt have unearthed numerous ancient mummies, and some of them had golden tongues! Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities...
Over the last year archaeologists excavating the Colosseum in Rome have unearthed animal bones and coins. Now, they’ve discovered “snacks” that were consumed by the bloodthirsty spectators. Dating...
Researchers conducting excavations in Mexico City found a series of boxes containing Aztec treasures. Inside they discovered a cache of Aztec ritual offerings, including child remains, precious...
Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, Charles V, was one of the 16th century’s most powerful people, but certainly not well liked. A rumored French plot to assassinate the erstwhile emperor has been...
In a museum heist that seems lifted straight from a movie screen, thieves made off with a collection of ancient Celtic gold coins from the Celtic and Roman Museum in the town of Manching in Bavaria...
