Europe

Ancient places can be found all over Europe. Their fascinating histories and impressive artifacts open intriguing glimpses to times past, and open up a window on European history. Visiting such ancient places in Europe can be an unforgettable experience.

Science is constantly discovering new archaeological places and uncovering more evidence into what we once thought we knew about our history, therefore offering new pieces to the ever changing puzzle of humanity’s past and altering how we interpret it. This section will present the most interesting archaeological sites all over Europe, as well as new discoveries of ancient places that are worth paying a visit.

From upper left clockwise: Bronze Age sun pendant, 1000–800 BC, Source: © The Trustees of the British Museum; The world-famous Nebra Sky Disc of Germany from about 1600 BC. (Juraj Lipták / State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt); Bush Barrow gold lozenge of the Bush Barrow grave goods,1950–1600 BC Amesbury, Wiltshire, England, Source: David Bukach / Wiltshire Museum; Dagger from the Bush Barrow grave goods with replica handle, 1950–1600 BC, Amesbury, Wiltshire, England, Source: D

16 February, 2022 - 21:57 Sahir

World of Stonehenge Exhibition Is a Stunning Treasure Hall of Fame

A new Stonehenge exhibition at the British Museum in London, entitled The World of Stonehenge , will display a stunning collection of objects, artifacts and human remains from across Europe, dating...

Rock cut houses south of Nottingham Castle, with the castle building just visible above. The city of Nottingham predates Anglo-Saxon times and was known in Brythonic as Tigguo Cobauc, meaning Place of Caves (known also as "City of Caves"). Source: CC BY-SA 4.0

12 February, 2022 - 18:00 Sahir

Nottingham’s 1000-year-old Man-made Caves Are Focus of Regeneration

A new project has been launched by archaeologists and historians from the University of Nottingham to make the city’s medieval underground cave network the focus of a regeneration plan for the city...

View of the Old Khndzoresk cave village. Source: EdNurg / Adobe Stock

11 February, 2022 - 14:00 Cecilia Bogaard

Old Khndzoresk Cave Village: Armenia’s Abandoned City of Caves

In 2016, Armenia was included in National Geographic 's list of ten places that deserve more travelers. First on the list was Armenia, and amongst the locations they recommended travelers visit was...

This undated photo provided by Ludovic Slimak shows scientists working at the entrance of the Mandrin cave, near Montelimar, southern France where the oldest modern human remains in Europe were found. Source: Ludovic Slimak / CNRS)

10 February, 2022 - 17:42 Sahir

French Rock Shelter Changes Story of Neanderthals and Sapiens In Europe

Archaeologists have discovered evidence of Europe’s first Homo sapiens in Grotte Mandarin rock shelter in southern France. The considerable range of evidence found in the rock shelter cave at Grotte...

The haunting beauty of the deep labyrinth of Buda Castle. Source: CC BY-SA 3.0

10 February, 2022 - 01:00 lizleafloor

The Labyrinth of Buda Castle: Caves Inexplicably Evacuated by Police

Deep under the imposing stone walls of the 13th century Buda Castle, the Labyrinth of Buda contains, in its twisting paths and pitch-black corridors, the dark history of the ancient castle district...

Divers from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden at the site of the Swedish cog ship shipwreck off the west coast of the country, which is one of the oldest cog shipwrecks ever found in Europe. (University of Gothenburg / PHYS)

7 February, 2022 - 14:00 ashley cowie

800-Year-Old Cog Shipwreck Found off Swedish Coast is One of The Oldest

Divers have discovered the oldest Swedish cog ship in Bohuslän province, and one of the oldest cog shipwrecks ever found European waters. The shipwreck of the Swedish cog ship was found off the coast...

Ice Age animal bones, such as this woolly rhinoceros jaw, have been discovered in Devon. Source: AC Archaeology

5 February, 2022 - 14:00 Nathan Falde

Menagerie of Ice Age Animal Bones Found in Cave in Devon, England

Archaeological explorations undertaken in anticipation of an upcoming housing project have produced a significant find near the city of Plymouth in Devon county in southwest England. While excavating...

Dr. Marina Ugarković officially displaying the 4th-century BC sword found in a communal grave at the site of the ancient Greek city of Pharos on Hvar. Source: Joško Šupić / Cropix / Free Dalmatia

4 February, 2022 - 22:00 Sahir

4th Century BC Tomb Yields Sword and Classic Greek Artifacts At Hvar

An archaeological team digging at Hvar, Croatia, once home to the ancient Greek island settlement of Pharos, have unearthed a mass Greek communal grave from the fourth century BC. The find is a...

The archaeological site of Delphi, Greece. Source: Sergii Figurnyi / Adobe Stock

29 January, 2022 - 21:58 johnblack

Delphi, Centre of the World and Home to a Powerful Oracle

Situated in continental Greece on Mount Parnassus, Delphi was considered to be one of the most important cities of ancient Greece. It was believed to be home to the goddess Gaia, or Earth, and later...

Mad monarchs usually battled themselves, but internal struggles often led to unforeseen encounters with other powerful forces like dragons! Source: Dusan Kostic / Adobe Stock

29 January, 2022 - 17:59 Phoenix Vald

Mad Monarchs and Dragons: Is there Truth Behind the Fantasy World of George R. R. Martin?

There is a saying stating that books are written from other books. Keeping this in mind, new books draw on ideas, aspects and inspiration contained within the pages of other already existing books...

In this 17th-century depiction of Stonehenge from the Atlas van Loon one wonders where the Scotsman Stonehenge architect of Dr John Hill’s convincing theory is working and on what. Source: Blaeu, J / Public domain

29 January, 2022 - 14:00 Dr. John Hill

The Scottish Stonehenge Architect and His Aberdeenshire Stone Circles

Sooner rather than later I hope that my fellow archaeologists will accept the fact that Stonehenge was designed by a very small number of exceptional Neolithic architects and one of those Stonehenge...

Blue glowing ball lightning, a phenomenon that was reported in medieval times, with the earliest English reference now confirmed to be 450 years before the previous known mention in an English historical text. Source: sakkmesterke / Adobe Stock

29 January, 2022 - 00:53 Nathan Falde

English Benedictine Monk Describes Ball Lightning in 1195 AD Text!

A pair of academics from Durham University in the United Kingdom have discovered an 827-year-old reference to an unusual weather-related phenomenon in an obscure medieval English text. While...

A limestone plaque with Phoenician writing was uncovered in archaeological digs at Kition, Cyprus, Greece this past year that took place, in part, under a former tennis court. Source: Department of Antiquities, Republic of Cyprus

28 January, 2022 - 17:59 Sahir

Phoenician Plaque One of Many Finds Unearthed at Kition Harbor, Cyprus

A four-week project under the supervision of the French Archaeological Mission at the ancient dockyard of Kition (Larnaka-Pampoula) in Cyprus has unearthed a wealth of artifacts and architectural...

Drone shot of the last Roman amphitheater ever unearthed in Kaiseraugst, Switzerland. Source: Canton of Aargau

27 January, 2022 - 18:00 Sahir

The Last Roman Amphitheater Ever Built Found Near Basel Switzerland!

An archaeological team accompanying construction workers building a new boathouse for the Basel Rowing Club in Kaiseraugst, Switzerland in December last year unexpectedly stumbled upon the remains of...

Pictured here is another example of Roman shoes found at Vindolanda, alongside Hadrian's Wall in peatland. Source: Vindolanda Trust

26 January, 2022 - 13:48 Nathan Falde

Drying Peatland Endangers Hadrian’s Wall and Other Archaeology Sites

In the year 122 AD, workers laid the first stones on Hadrian’s Wall, the imposing Roman-era defensive fortification that would run horizontally across northern England from sea to sea. When completed...

A small stretch of the ancient Naples necropolis known as the Ipogeo dei Cristallini or the Hypogeum of Cristallini Street is set to open to the public in mid-2022, shedding new light on the Italian city’s Greek history and Greek cultural origins. Source: Ipogeo dei Cristallini

24 January, 2022 - 17:49 Sahir

Naples Necropolis Reveals Room-Like Tombs and Rare Greek Art

The Ipogeo dei Cristallini or the “Hypogeum of Cristallini Street” is part of an ancient necropolis in Naples dated 2,300 years ago. It is uniquely Greek, or Hellenistic and will open to the public...

The front view of the gold neck ring found in Denmark that was likely a hidden treasure as opposed to a votive offering. Source: Sydvestjyske Museum

18 January, 2022 - 18:00 Sahir

Exquisitely Made 1,700-year-old Gold Neck Ring Found in Denmark

In October 2021, Dan Christensen, an amateur metal detectorist made the exciting discovery of a remarkably fine gold neck ring weighing a whopping 446 grams (approximately 1 pound). The discovery of...

The Erechtheion temple on the Athens acropolis with the six “mistaken” Ottoman harem caryatids on the right side a bit back from the front of the temple. Source: Jebulon / CC0

17 January, 2022 - 18:00 ashley cowie

The Erechtheion Temple of the Acropolis Was Not a Harem After All!

The Greek term “ karyatides ” means “maidens of Karyai,” which was an ancient town on the Peloponnese in southern Greece. A “ caryatid ” is a sculpted female figure that forms an architectural...

The double helix staircase of the Château de Chambord.

14 January, 2022 - 00:44 dhwty

Da Vinci Designed a Double Helix Staircase at the Château de Chambord

One of the most impressive architectural features of the French Renaissance castle of Château de Chambord is its famous double helix staircase. The design of this element is popularly attributed to...

This beautifully shaped ceramic vessel is just one of the many Roman artifacts and ruins found at the Blackgrounds HS2 project dig site, which was once the setting for a prosperous Roman British trading center. Source: HS2

11 January, 2022 - 21:46 Nathan Falde

Artifact-Rich Ancient Roman Village Unearthed By UK Archaeologists

Archaeologists employed to search along the pathway of England’s new high speed 2 (HS2) railway line have unearthed an impressive bounty of artifacts, ruins, and other remnants of past cultures at...

The medieval horse it turns out, based on a recent research study, was a lot smaller than we thought! Source: Snowshill / Adobe Stock

10 January, 2022 - 22:00 Nathan Falde

Medieval Horses in England Were Shockingly Small, Research Reveals

Medieval battle scenes in movies or television shows usually feature heavily armed warriors mounted on huge horses, thundering across the plains to attack their cowering and quivering enemies. While...

A replica skull has been stolen from a haunted pub in York. Source: bint87 / Adobe Stock

6 January, 2022 - 17:59 Sahir

A Skull Goes Skulking: Bizarre Theft from 518-year-old Haunted Pub

A haunted pub in England, that brands itself as being the “most haunted” in the city of York has suffered a most peculiar loss. The replica skull of a frequent visitor to the Golden Fleece, who was...

Inside the Palermo catacombs, Palermo, Sicily, Italy and an image of Rosalia Lombardo, who died in 1920, as she appeared in 1982. Source: toshket / Adobe Stock and Maria lo sposo assumed / Public domain

5 January, 2022 - 22:00 ashley cowie

Child Mummies in the Palermo Catacombs Cause of Death Investigation

The Palermo catacombs is a huge crypt full of mummified monks, professionals, and children. The child mummies in the Palermo catacombs literally look as if they are asleep in time. Now, 41 of these...

Transylvanian Fortified Church in Harman, Romania. Source: Calin Stan / Adobe Stock

5 January, 2022 - 01:00 Aleksa Vučković

Sacred Defense in the Middle Ages: Transylvanian Fortified Churches

One would think that a church is a place of refuge, of spiritual comfort and protection - where violence has no place to exist. Usually, this is exactly the case and throughout the world churches are...

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