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A researcher excavating an adult skeleton at the Neolithic site of Catalhoyuk in Turkey. Source: Scott Haddow / Ohio State University
18 June, 2019 - 14:00 ancient-origins

Revelations From Çatalhöyük: A 9,000-year-old Community With Modern Urban Problems

Some 9,000 years ago, residents of one of the world's first large farming communities were also among the first humans to experience some of the perils of modern urban living. Scientists studying the...
The ancient city of Çatalhöyük
31 May, 2019 - 11:27 Alicia McDermott

Ancient Feces Reveal Parasites Plagued 9,000-Year-Old City of Catalhoyuk

Garbage dumps are always exciting places for archaeologists. They often tell us the stories that are hidden or seen as unimportant to share with future generations, but these tales provide...
Plague Doctor Mask, Steno Museum
15 March, 2019 - 23:36 dhwty

Secrets Behind the Creepy Plague Doctor Mask and Costume

The plague doctor mask is one of the most recognizable symbols of the Black Death. Though the image is iconic the relationship may be a little anachronistic. While plague doctors have been plying...
A rendering of the ancient skull created from CT scans.
19 July, 2018 - 22:54 Alicia McDermott

An Iron Age Guardian of the Dead? Unusual Position of Cancer-Marked Skull Has Scientists Wondering

2,500 years ago a woman in Sicily lost her battle with cancer. The scars of the disease left marks on her skull and may help researchers solve the mystery why she was buried in such a way that she...
Skull exhibiting evidence of cancer. Source Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities
26 June, 2018 - 13:57 Ed Whelan

Cancer Deaths Were Far Less Prevalent in Ancient Egypt

Researchers in the deserts of Egypt have made a remarkable discovery while studying the bones of ancient Egyptians. In total, they were able to identify six cases of cancer at a burial site at an...
Agni, a deity which appears in the Atharva Veda. (Public Domain) Background: Detail of Codex Cashmiriensis folio 187a from Atharva-Veda Saṁhitā second half, by William Dwight Whitney and Charles Rockwell Lanman.
6 June, 2018 - 14:04 dhwty

The Atharva Veda: Popular Religion, Charms, and Ancient Hindu Spells

Thou who art neither alive nor dead, the immortal child of the gods art thou, O Sleep! Varunânî is thy mother, Yama (death) thy father, Araru is thy name. We know, O Sleep, thy birth, thou art the...
Normal liver on the left, liver with cirrhosis on the right.
11 May, 2018 - 01:51 ancient-origins

Study Reveals Hepatitis Virus has been Killing Humans Since the Stone Age

An international team of scientists led by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History and the University of Kiel has successfully reconstructed genomes from Stone Age...
A possible portrait of Saladin, found in a work by Ismail al-Jazari, circa 1185.
9 May, 2018 - 13:59 Alicia McDermott

The Puzzling Death of Sultan Saladin: A 12th Century Medical Mystery Solved?

Here’s a 12th century medical mystery for you: What malady killed well-known Sultan Saladin? Was it small pox, tuberculosis, typhoid, or maybe malaria? Look at his symptoms – some of them were...
The reconstructed face of Cro-Magnon man.
31 March, 2018 - 18:54 Alicia McDermott

Scientists Reconstruct the Face of a Cro-Magnon Man, Tumors and All

To mark the 150th anniversary of the discovery his bones, researchers have re-examined the 28,000-year-old remains of a middle-aged Cro-Magnon man. They have found that he suffered from a genetic...
Salmonella bacteria, a common cause of foodborne disease, invade an immune cell.
23 March, 2018 - 00:57 ancient-origins

Scientists Find aDNA Evidence of the Bacteria that Almost Wiped out the Aztecs

Architectural investigations of the Grand Plaza resulted in the unexpected discovery of a large epidemic cemetery associated with the 1545-1550 cocoliztli epidemic. The cemetery was found to contain...
Fragment of talisman used to exorcise the sick, Assyrian era.
14 February, 2018 - 14:00 Alicia McDermott

Mixing Magic and Medicine: New Study Shows Mesopotamian Doctors Had to Battle Demons

Analysis of a collection of clay tablets confirms that a Mesopotamian doctor had to deal with more than just physical ailments. The ancient healer was expected to exorcise demons, ward off witchcraft...
(B) the child’s mummified body prior to the autopsy, (C) the pockmarked face and (D) this rash as evident on the arm.
6 January, 2018 - 13:48 Alicia McDermott

Child Mummy Unlocks a Secret by Unravelling 450 Years of the Hepatitis B Virus

Scientists examining the mummy of a child who died in the 16th century have confirmed that the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been causing human health issues for centuries. Strangely enough, it seems...
A human skeleton in space.
29 December, 2017 - 22:55 Caleb Strom

Medical Astrology: Moon Fever and Diseases Sent from the Skies

For centuries, humans have believed that the celestial realm could influence everyday life. This is the basis of astrology. The rise and fall of kingdoms and the fortunes of individuals have all been...
Mummy of a 900-year-old Russian "polar princess"
5 December, 2017 - 18:55 Caleb Strom

Viruses Sleeping in Mummies—Could Ancient Corpses Lead to Modern Epidemics?

Mummies fascinate historians, archaeologists, and anyone with antiquarian leanings. Mummies allow scientists to learn more about the diets, clothing, appearance, genetics, and general lifestyle of...
Famadihana reburial, ‘turning of the bones’ in Madagascar
27 October, 2017 - 01:59 aprilholloway

Plague Epidemic in Madagascar May be Spread by Dancing with the Dead Ritual

The Malagasy people of Madagascar have built a way of life around death – during the dry winter months, famadihana ceremonies, known as “the turning of the bones” and “dancing with the dead”, take...
The Battle of Rocroi, by Augusto Ferrer-Dalmau.
26 September, 2017 - 14:02 dhwty

Social Consequences of the Thirty Years' War: Was it Worth it?

The Thirty Years’ War was a major European war that occurred during the 17 th century. Whilst the conflict took place mainly in the area of modern day Germany, it involved many of the great European...

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