All  

Store Banner Mobile

Store Banner Mobile

Latest News

All the latest news on finds, advancements, and research in archaeology and ancient history, from the No 1 Ancient History website in the world

News

The system of Nadi Shastra start from the thumb fingerprint. Right thumb for the man and left for woman. Then the Brahmins find 108 points to correlate with the palm leaf scripts for the destiny reading. (Image: Courtesy: Enrico Baccarini)

Nadi Shastra: Ancient Leaves of Destiny

A fascinating and incredible mystery is linked to ancient India, a journey into the remote past of a land that still has to reveal to the whole of humanity many of its 'stories' and its wonders. The...
Main: Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde, ruins of an Anasazi Pueblo people, near where the rock art was found. Source:  Dietmar / Adobe stock.             Inset: The spiral patterns that appear prominently in the rock carvings are thought to be a symbol among ancestral Pueblo people for the sky or the sun. Source: Jagiellonian University

Rock Art Puzzle of Pueblo People Solved

A mysterious series of petroglyphs made by the Pueblo people of southwestern United States have been deciphered. These beautiful examples of rock art have been proven to record the passage of the...
Representation of ancient writing of one of the oldest languages in a book.    Source: Andrey Lavrishchev / Adobe stock

10 of the World’s Oldest Languages Still Used Today

Languages have always been the very fiber of humanity. The cornerstone of society, and the force that paved the way for civilization. Without it, societies could not have developed as they did - it...
Ottoman Warrior. Credit: ahmetnkececi / Adobe Stock

The Ottoman Empire: 600 Years of Domination

The Ottoman Empire was one of history’s largest and longest-lasting empires. It was founded around the end of the 13th / beginning of the 14th century and lasted for about six centuries. The empire...
Main: The Tel Motza Iron Age temple excavation site in Jerusalem.    Source: Skyview / Israel Antiquities Authority.     Inset: Ancient figurines of people found at Tel Motza.        Source: Clara Amit / Israel Antiquities Authority

Iron Age Temple Uncovered in Jerusalem Challenges Biblical Claim

The famous Temple of Solomon might not have been the first or only temple in the Holy Land. Dating to around 900 BC, an Iron Age temple located near Jerusalem negates the long-held idea the ancient...
A detailed drawing of a Viking age sword from the early ninth century found at Sæbø in the west of Norway. Bergen Museum. (Public Domain)

Swords of Fate: The Ancient Blades That Forged History

For thousands of years humans have found good reason to stab, chop, slice and dice each other up, and the choice weapon which has endured the tests of time is the sword. Historically, kings, emperors...
Ancient saint. Credit: Peer Marlow / Adobe Stock

Saint Hildegard of Bingen – Visionary, Mystic, Writer, and Composer

Saint Hildegard of Bingen is arguably one of the most remarkable women of the Middle Ages . During her lifetime, she was abbess, mystic, visionary, and composer. In addition, she was a respected...
Representation of diver inspecting a shipwreck.         Source: Wojciech / Adobe stock

Breakthrough in Hunt for Spanish Shipwreck’s Greatest Ever Treasure

Marine archaeologists are renewing their search for a Spanish treasure shipwreck, the Juncal. It is believed that the ship had a cargo of treasure, including precious metals and jewels, when it sank...
Depiction of ancient Greek woman.  Source: Algol / Adobe stock

What Was Life Really Like for an Ancient Greek Woman?

The lives of the ancient Greeks were ones of hardship and endurance. The experiences of ancient Greek women were even tougher. If a newly born Greek girl was deemed worthy and not abandoned, their...
Street art illustrating what the Spanish conquistadores did to the Inca during their conquest and the Battle of Cajamarca. Source: shantihesse / Adobe Stock.

The Battle of Cajamarca – The Conquest of the Spanish and the End of the Inca Empire

The Battle of Cajamarca was a battle fought between the Spanish and Inca in 1532. The battle, which is sometimes considered to be an ambush or a skirmish, saw a small band of Spaniards led by the...
Magic was an everyday part of life in the Graeco-Roman empire. Source: John William Waterhouse / Public Domain.

Ancient Spells and Charms for the Hapless in Love

By Adam Parker / The Conversation Valentine’s Day is not all love, hearts, and roses for everyone. For the hapless in love, the day can be a yearly reminder of failed romances, unrequited love and...
Hungarian Vizsla out hunting with a pheasant in its mouth.   Source: oroszgy / Adobe stock

Link Between the Huns and Vizsla Dogs Unravels an Ancient Enigma

The history of the Vizsla or Hungarian Pointer breed goes hand in hand with that of the Huns’ (later called Hungarians’ or Magyars’) and even the history of their language. Recent DNA analysis...
Pre-dynastic burial ground found in Egypt.    Source: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities

Huge Predynastic Burial Ground Found in Egypt

In the north of Egypt, a major burial ground with 83 graves has been uncovered by archaeologists. The majority of the graves date back to the era before it was a unified kingdom ruled by the pharaohs...
The fossil of a thalattosaur with a needle-sharp snout.       Source: University of Alaska Museum of the North

Ancient Pincer Nosed Killer Discovered in Southeast Alaska

Scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks have identified a new species of thalattosaur, a marine reptile that lived more than 200 million years ago. The new species, Gunakadeit joseeae , is...
Seahenge – how it was found at low tide off the coast of Norfolk, England.     Source: Norfolk Archaeology Unit

Seahenge: A Subaquatic Monument of the European Bronze Age

Today, the United Kingdom is crisscrossed with many fascinating monuments from ancient times. From the ages when these islands were inhabited by different peoples and cultures of tribes from ancient...
Two manuscripts of the visionary, writer and composer St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) survived the Dresden bombings after a librarian stashed them in a bank vault. Source: Deutsche Fotothek‎ / CC BY-SA 4.0.

How Two Women Pulled Off a Medieval Manuscript Heist in Post-War Germany

By Jennifer Bain / The Conversation Seventy-five years ago, in February 1945, during the Second World War, Allied forces bombed the magnificent baroque city of Dresden, Germany, destroying most of it...
Universe Explosion (Gerd Altmann/CC0)

From Pigeon Poop to the Origin of the Universe

The term, ‘Big Bang’ was coined by the English astronomer and cosmologist Sir Fred Hoyle in 1949. But when he first employed it, during a BBC radio broadcast on astronomy, it was meant to be derisive...
Paleolithic rock art found on walls of Font Major Cave near L'Espluga de Francolí        Source: Generalitat de Catalunya

15000-Year-Old Rock Art ‘Sanctuary’ Uncovered in Spanish Cave

In the autonomous region of Catalonia, Spain , archaeologists have uncovered a treasure trove of prehistoric rock art that is around 15,000 years old. The engravings were found on cave walls during a...
Cyrus the Great. Source: armin dara / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Cyrus the Great – Conqueror or Uber Human Rights Activist?

Cyrus II of Persia (more commonly known as Cyrus the Great and called Cyrus the Elder by the ancient Greeks) was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Although there are various ancient sources for...
Depiction of a volcano erupting to show what the eruption at Budj Bim could have looked like.           Source: SiriusRzn / Adobe stock

Is the Aboriginal Budj Bim Volcano Tale the World’s Oldest Story?

Researchers investigating the date of human settlement in Australia have made an amazing discovery. They analyzed geological data in relation to the oral tradition of local Aboriginal people, and it...
The Acropolis Athens (where the cyclopean wall can be found) during sunset.             Source: sea and sun / Adobe stock

The Acropolis' Cyclopean Wall, Sages and Our Deeply Connected Past

The Athenian Acropolis . This rocky citadel sits alone, striking out imposingly against the backdrop of the dry, blue Mediterranean sky. Towering 490 feet (150 meters) over the modern cityscape, the...
Human remains are Durham’s earliest known resident.          Source: Durham University

University Dig Unearths Durham’s Earliest Known Resident

Archaeologists working in an English town have unearthed human remains that could date back to over 2000 years ago. It is believed they are the remains of the earliest known resident of the city of...
Gaval Dash, Gobustan’s musical stone, Azerbaijan                 Source: Kodec/ Adobe Stock

The Hypnotic Musical Stones of Gobustan

Azerbaijan in the Caucasus has long been at the crossroads of civilizations. Its unique geology has created many astonishing features that make parts of the country appear otherworldly. One of the...
The Collessie Pictish stone and an interpretation of the warrior depicted on it. Source: Historic Environment Scotland, University of Aberdeen

Pictish Stones Expose Ancient Scotland’s Warrior Ethos

A new paper published by Cambridge University Press , presents evidence of a “heroic warrior ethos” that had spread across Northern Europe during the first millennium AD. The researchers say that...

Pages