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History & Archaeology

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 micrograph of the spliced textile from Over barrow, Cambridgeshire. Credit: M. Gleba, S. Harris, with permission of Cambridge Archaeological Unit

Unraveling the Secrets of Bronze Age Thread: Textile Reveals Highly Advanced and Complex Process Used 3,800 Years Ago

A new study published this week in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences has identified that the earliest plant fibre technology for making thread in Early Bronze Age Britain and...
Pillar dollar, 8 reals and minted in Mexico. At the top there is a small hole, probably used to sew the coin into clothing.

Black Market Bounty: Experts Find Coins Sewn into Clothes at Shipwreck

Maritime archaeologists have made an astonishing discovery off the Kent coast in England. While investigating an almost three-hundred-year-old shipwreck they found some coins that had been sewn into...
Source: Danuta Żurkiewicz/Adam Mickiewicz University

Carved Bones Surface Belonging to a Very Special Woman

A Polish-Ukrainian team of archaeologists digging in an earthen barrow in central Dniester, now Ukraine recently unearthed something they've never seen before: the bones of 25-30-year-old woman,...
These two Incan mummies were found with a toxic substance in their grave.

Dressed to Kill: The Vibrant Textiles Adorning these Incan Mummies Have a Lethal Secret

Scientists have encountered a toxic substance on textiles buried with two Incan mummies sacrificed in Chile. Since making the find, they’ve warned other researchers to be wary of handling any similar...
Scottish media is reporting a remarkable find of hand and knee prints that may have belonged to an individual from an enigmatic civilization. It is believed that the prints are those of a Pictish smith and were discovered in the remains of his workshop. The find was uncovered in the island of Rousay in the Orkney Islands off the Northern coast of Scotland.

A Human Touch: Is this 1500-year-old Hand Print a Pict, a Viking or Another?

Scottish media is reporting a remarkable find of hand and knee prints that may have belonged to an individual from an enigmatic civilization. It is believed that the prints are those of a Pictish...
This 6th-century Saxon warrior with spear and sword, was found underneath a military trackway, frequently crossed by tanks and huge military vehicles.

Excavation of Saxon Warrior Touches Home with Veteran Volunteers

Operation Nightingale was an initiative that involved injured armed forces personnel, especially veterans who had returned from recent conflict zones such as Afghanistan, in archaeological fieldwork...
The remains of an Aztec child sacrifice were found in an unusual burial at the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan in Mexico.

Archaeologists Have Unearthed a Literally Heart-Rending Aztec Child Sacrifice to the God of War

Archaeologists have made a startling discovery while excavating at the Templo Mayor of the city of Tenochtitlan . They’ve unearthed the remains of a child who they believe was sacrificed to the Aztec...
Archaeologists Mary Anna Hartley (left) and Bob Chartrand excavating the bones they believe belong to Gov. George Yeardley.

Are These the Headless Remains of Sir George Yeardley, One of America’s First Politicians?

A worldwide team of archaeologists, geneticists, and forensic scientists have been assembled in Jamestown, Virginia to identify the remains of a headless body found in a church dating back to 1617...
The black sarcophagus was found to contain three skeletons and lots of sewage.

Over 20,000 Have Petitioned to Drink the ‘Pharaoh Punch’ of the Black Sarcophagus

The strange story of the black sarcophagus found in Alexandria continues… In an unexpected turn of events, over 20,000 people who have signed an online petition requesting permission to drink the red...
Infected tooth partially cleaned with flint tools, dating to the Late Upper Paleolithic. It is credited as the oldest found evidence of dentistry.

Paleolithic Toothache: Oldest Dentistry Revealed in 14,000-Year-Old Tooth of Young Man

Researchers were undoubtedly smiling over a 14,000-years-old tooth that revealed the oldest known dentistry techniques, dating back to the Late Upper Paleolithic (between 50,000 and 10,000 years ago...
Stone block and decapitated skeleton

Decapitated Pompeii Man Was Not Killed By the Block

At the end of May, archaeologists working at Pompeii made a remarkable and grisly discovery when they unearthed the remains of a man who had apparently been decapitated by a huge rock that was thrown...
A prehistoric human face stone carving, which is believed to be over 7,000 years old, discovered in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, North China.

Discovered! An Ancient Mongolian Stone Selfie!

Somewhere, deep in prehistory a human being gazed at their reflection in rock-pool, and was struck with an urge to carve what he saw. Subsequently, the first selfie was created! Now, in Inner...
The immense black stone sarcophagus found in Alexandria still holds more mysteries

The Black Stone Sarcophagus is Open and Investigators Found More Than They Bargained For!

Rumors have been rolling about since the 27-ton (59,500 lb.) black granite sarcophagus was uncovered three weeks ago in Alexandria, Egypt. One of the more interesting suggestions was that the massive...
A rendering of the ancient skull created from CT scans.

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...
3-dimensional model of the Shroud of Turin imprint

Investigators use a Volunteer and Real Blood in Forensic Testing of the Shroud of Turin

It is reported in several news outlets that another test has been conducted on the controversial Shroud of Turn which indicates that it is most likely a forgery. This shroud is believed by many to be...
One of the stone structures of the Shubayqa 1 site. The fireplace, where the bread was found, is in the middle.

14,400-year-old Bread Causes Major Re-think on the Birth of Agriculture

At an archaeological site in northeastern Jordan, researchers have discovered the charred remains of a flatbread baked by hunter-gatherers 14,400 years ago. It is the oldest direct evidence of bread...
The shipwreck found on Tankerton beach last year is now protected.

Authorities Give Protection to a Rare 16th Century Tudor Shipwreck Found on an English Beach

British experts have announced an amazing discovery on a beach in Kent. A group of amateur archaeologists has found a Tudor shipwreck that is up to five hundred years old. The find was totally...
L-R: Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Josepha Madigan; Dr. Cliodhna Ni Lionain, Devenish’s lead archaeologist; Devenish executive chairman Owen Brennan; and his wife Prof. Alice Stanton and one of the decorated kerb stones.

Startling new find of a 5500-year-old Megalithic Passage Tomb in Ireland is, “The Most Important Find for Half a Century”

It has been an exciting time for Irish archaeology as many ancient finds have been uncovered in recent months. The latest discovery is one of the most thrilling of all according to local experts...
Representational image – does not depict artifacts recovered in Operation Demetra. Coins stolen by the Nazis, Jewish Museum of Greece (Athens)

Illegal Artifact Smuggling and Forgery Ring Smashed in Europe-Wide Police Swoop

After a hunt lasting several decades, a team of almost 250 top European criminal investigators and highly-trained police officers have busted a 24-man strong, ring of international illegal artifact...
 Bone found in Namsky district with runic writing.

Boy, 11, Finds 1,000-Year-Old-Message Written in Runes on Pendant Made of Mammoth Bone

A fifth-grade student has discovered a piece of ‘jewellery’ decorated with ancient Turkic runic inscriptions. Pavel Yakovlev made the ‘great scientific discovery’ near his village in Yakutia. The...
The silver facemask gilded with gold found on the face of the mummy.

2,000-Year-Old Egyptian Mummy Workshop and Goldmine of Treasures Unearthed in Saqqara

A team of Egyptian-German Archeologists announced to the world’s media yesterday that their recent dig in Saqqara, Egypt, led to the unearthing of “a rare mummification workshop containing mummies...
The temple was discovered when archaeologists were analyzing the damage in Teopanzolco pyramid.

Mexican Earthquake Reveals Secret Temple in an Aztec Era Pyramid

The 7.1-magnitude earthquake which hit Mexico in September 2017 took hundreds of lives and caused considerable damage. At the Teopanzolco pyramid archaeological site, two temples were hit...
The conservation of papyrus requires above all craftsmanship, expertise and time. A specialized papyrus conservator was brought to Basel to make this 2000-year-old document legible again.

Experts Finally Decode 2000-year-old ‘Mirror Writing’ Papyrus

Since the 16th century, Basel has been home to a mysterious papyrus. With mirror writing on both sides, it has puzzled generations of researchers. A research team from the University of Basel has now...
The bodies of the embracing skeletons were discovered on the edge of the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil.

Experts Believe a Bronze Age Woman Willingly Joined Her Husband in the Afterlife

After 3000 years, their loving embrace is seen by the world. Archaeologists believe that a female who lived in the Bronze Age chose to join her male partner in the afterlife. According to them, the...

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