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.
A woman who lived in 16th century Italy was buried in a most unusual fashion. Originally excavated in a mass grave of medieval plague victims several years ago, the woman’s skull was found with a...
In the shadow of the ancient pyramids of Dahshur, a remarkable discovery has once again highlighted Egypt's enduring legacy as a cradle of human civilization. Thanks to the diligent efforts of a...
A study of a site in Brazil known for its dinosaur tracks has revealed stunning new details about previously unexamined petroglyphs (rock carvings) that cover the very same set of rock formations as...
‘Archaeological nirvana’ has been unearthed in ‘Britain’s Pompeii’, a stilt village occupied for less than a year before it burnt out, over a tragic summer day 2,850 years ago. As flames engulfed...
In a revelation that is stirring the archaeological community, a recent study has demonstrated that human brains can survive the test of time far better than previously believed. This finding, led by...
Archaeologists and historians from prominent institutions in Spain and Italy have recently published their findings on five ancient dugout canoes retrieved from La Marmotta , an Italian...
Archaeologists in China have made the exciting discovery of a sprawling cemetery from the Warring States period, over 2,200 years ago. They have excavated many ancient tombs and more than 500...
Three brick-chamber tombs from the Great Jin Dynasty (1115 – 1234 AD) that were uncovered in China have been found to feature beautiful and intricate wall murals. Though subject to looting and damage...
The archaeology team at the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (Iphan) in Tocantins, Central Brazil has identified and catalogued 16 archaeological sites in the Jalapão region, east...
Seeking to correct an 80-year-old injustice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has returned a collection of looted cultural artifacts to the people of Okinawa, Japan. These artifacts were...
A complex Neolithic burial with two monumental mounds has been unearthed on the Eulenberg near Magdeburg, Germany. Dated to 6,000-years-ago, the year long excavation has yielded these two mounds at a...
Over five millennia have passed since Ötzi the Iceman was struck down by an arrow from an unknown assailant in the frigid northern regions of the Alps. But still the ancient frozen body has secrets...
For centuries, the pale blue doors of a formidable stone Ming Dynasty tomb in China’s Shanxi Province have remained tightly shut, shrouded in mystery. Upon gaining entry, archaeologists were greeted...
Bacterial poisoning via food and water – but also via contact such as kisses – caused a lot of suffering during the Stone Age. Diseases that today can be treated with antibiotics were then fatal, a...
Underwater archaeologists exploring the sea bottom off the beaches of Greece’s Kasos Island discovered something not entirely unexpected, but still quite surprising. Over the course of four years of...
Driving through the business parks of Tewkesbury, you might miss the hidden pieces of a medieval past that lie discreetly among the modern structures. One such gem, Cowfield Farm, reveals a rich...
An unexpected discovery in the heart of Nuremberg has cast new light on the city’s traumatic history. Archaeologists, initially set to inspect an area for new apartment construction in the Franconian...
A 3,300-year-old clay tablet unearthed in central Turkey has painted a tale of a devastating foreign invasion of the Hittite Empire during a period of internal strife and civil war. As the civil war...
The world’s most expansive and complex Etruscan necropolis continues to produce surprises, revealing more details about the powerful civilization that preceded the Romans as the dominant force in...
David B. Hollander /The Conversation This silver denarius, minted over 2,000 years ago , is hardly the most attractive Roman coin. And yet, the coin is vital evidence for the early stages of a...
Something unexpected from the early Neolithic has been found in Turkey. During excavations in an ancient cemetery, a team of archaeologists from several institutions unearthed more than 100 small...
At the remote, ancient mountain fortress of Rabana-Merquly in Iraqi Kurdistan, German archaeologists have made a surprising discovery. Evidence has emerged that suggests the site had been used as a...
Remnants of the world’s oldest fossilized forests and trees, dating back 390 million years, have been uncovered along the Devon and Somerset coast among high sandstone cliffs. The trees likely...
Excavations at the Anciens Arsenaux site in Sion, Switzerland, have changed the way we understand prehistoric agriculture in Europe forever. Compelling evidence has emerged suggesting that Neolithic...