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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.

The ancient Hittite tablet features cuneiform text in both Hittite and Hurrian languages, with the Hittite inscription recounting the onset of war and the Hurrian inscription constituting a prayer for victory.	Source: Kimiyoshi Matsumura/Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology

Clay Tablet From 3,300-Years Ago Tells Story of the Siege and Plunder of Four Hittite Cities

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 huge Etruscan tomb that has been recently discovered at San Giuliano Necropolis, Marturanum Park, Italy.  Source: Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Province of Viterbo and Southern Etruria

Huge Etruscan Tomb Found Hidden in Plain Sight at San Giuliano Necropolis

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...
left obverse and right reverse of the silver denarius from Rome, dated 113-112 BC. Source: American Numismatic Society

Coin Reveals Ancient Rome’s Fight Against Voter Intimidation

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...
Over 100 objects have so far been recovered from the Neolithic cemetery which were apparently used for piercings. Source: Ergül Kodaş, Emma L Baysal & Kazım Özkan.

Early Neolithic Ceremonies in Turkey Found to Include Facial Piercings

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...
Relief depicting an unknown man at the twin fortress of Rabana-Merquly. Was the site also a sanctuary to the water goddess Anahita? Source: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) / CC BY-SA 4.0.

Parthian Fortress in Iraq May be a Sanctuary for Goddess Anahita

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...
Detail of a fallen tree trunk from the world’s oldest fossilized forest discovered in Somerset. Source: BBC / Chris Berry.

390 Million-Year-Old Fossilized Forest in Somerset is World’s Oldest

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...
Oxen and goat hoofprints found at the site, which were found alongside the oldest plough marks (top left) in Europe, are evidence that cattle domestication existed very early in the Neolithic Revolution in agriculture. Source: Nature.com; ARIA SA

Europe’s Oldest Plough Marks Discovered in Switzerland, Dated to 7,000 Years Ago!

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...
Left; A cacao tree with fruit pods in various stages of ripening. Right; Ripe cacao ready to pick.	Source: Left, Public Domain, Right, Pantira/Adobe Stock

Scientists Map the Genetic Evolution of Cacao to Chocolate

Researchers have mapped the ancient dispersal of the cacao or cocoa plant from South America to Central America. Not only did they discover the plant was a central commodity in ancient trading, but...
Women spinning and socializing. From Augustine’s La Cité de Dieu. Source: Museum Meermanno/The Conversation

The Hidden Healers: Women's Secret Medieval Health Networks

Pragya Agarwal /The Conversation In the medieval period, medical science was still dominated by the ancient writings of Hippocrates from the fifth century and Galen of Pergamon from the second...
Left, Trevor Penny and the Viking sword; Center, the sword; Right, close up of the hilt of the sword. Source: Trevor Penny

Magnet Fisher Drags 1,200-Year-Old Viking Sword from English River

In a remarkable find, an artifact of significant historical importance has been recovered by an avid magnet fisherman. Trevor Penny was scouring the River Cherwell near Enslow in Oxfordshire,...
Unique crystal amulet, known as an alsengem, unearthed during excavations of medieval Kalmar. Source: Arkeologerna

30,000 Artifacts Found At Medieval Town of Kalmar, Sweden

A whopping 30,000 artifacts dating back to between 1250 and 1650 have been unearthed during excavations in medieval Kalmar, a town in southeastern Sweden. This includes a 15th-century gold ring...
General view of the excavation of Beaumont Abbey in Indre-et-Loire.            Source: © Mathilde Noël/Inrap

Beaumont Abbey: Unveiling the Home of Benedictine Nuns

In an ambitious archaeological endeavor, Beaumont Abbey, located in Indre-et-Loire, France, has been fully excavated, revealing layers of history dating back 800 years. This monumental 14-month...
The fragment of bread retrieved from an oven in Çatalhöyük. Source: Erbakan

World’s Oldest Fermented Bread, Dated to 6,600 BC, Found at Çatalhöyük

During excavations two years ago at the famous ancient Anatolian city of Çatalhöyük , archaeologists uncovered a large furnace-like structure that would have been used as a communal oven. They also...
Cinnabar powder on human bones and beads in Valencina, site of Copper Age Mercury abuse.	Source: Álvaro Fernández Flores/ Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory

Copper Age Settlement Shows Evidence of Accidental Ritual Mercury Abuse

Getting high off toxic solvents and chemicals to induce mind-altering effects is a public health concern today. But dial back 5,000 years, in the Iberian Peninsula, and groups of women adorned in...
Gold items in situ on the floor of the Coclé lord’s tomb. Source: Panama Ministry of Culture

Gold-Filled Tomb of Pre-Hispanic Lord Unearthed in Panama

For gold lovers, it doesn’t get much better than this discovery at the archaeological park of El Caño in Panama. Archaeologists have unveiled the tomb of an esteemed Coclé lord from the pre-Hispanic...
Left; Dr Frederica Gigante examining the Verona astrolabe, Right; The Verona Astrolabe. Source: F. Gigante/University of Cambridge

The Verona Astrolabe Reveals A History of Islamic – Jewish Scientific Exchange

Tom Almeroth-Williams /University of Cambridge The identification of an eleventh century Islamic astrolabe bearing both Arabic and Hebrew inscriptions makes it one of the oldest examples ever...
Left; Stele of a standing dignitary, with likely tobacco leaves his hair. Right; El Baul, acropolis site Cotzumalhuapa, Guatemala. under excavation 2006 Inset; 3 of the vessel tested in the study 	Source: Oswaldo Chinchilla Mazariegos/Antiquity Publications Ltd

Proof Ancient Mesoamericans Drank Sacred Tobacco-Infused Liquids is Found

In a new chemical analysis performed on ceramic vases recovered during excavations at the ancient metropolis of Cotzumalhuapa in southwestern Guatemala, a team of researchers from Yale University and...
Traditional farmers Ramón Nonato Tec Poot, Xuxcab, Yucatán.	Source: International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center/CC BY-NC 2.0 Deed)

What Ancient Farmers Teach Us About Adapting to Climate Change

Chelsea Fisher /The Conversation In dozens of archaeological discoveries around the world, from the once-successful reservoirs and canals of Angkor Wat in Cambodia to the deserted Viking colonies of...
Greek Philosopher Pythagoras with overlay of woodcut showing Pythagoras with bells, a kind of glass harmonica, a monochord and (organ?) pipes in Pythagorean tuning. From Theorica musicae by Franchino Gaffurio, 1492 (1480?)	Source: Khuram Ibn Sabir/Adobe Stock, overlay Bibliothèque nationale de France/Public Domain

Pythagoras’ Claim of Universal Musical Harmony is Wrong, Finds Study

Ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras posited that "consonance," a harmonious combination of notes, arises from specific relationships between simple numbers like 3 and 4. While scholars have...
The discovery took place during works carried out in the north gallery of the monastery's Gothic cloister. Source: Department of Culture of the Generalitat of Catalonia

Medieval Catalonian Nobility Unearthed in Santes Creus Monastery

As part of the restoration works of the Gothic cloister of the Royal Monastery of Santes Creus currently underway in Catalonia, archaeologists have uncovered the ‘totally unexpected’ intact remains...
The collection of 16 mostly Roman offerings found at the sacred spring site in Anglesey. Source: Museum Wales

Roman Offerings at Sacred Spring Whisper of the Druids’ Last Stand

In a significant archaeological find, a collection of sixteen ancient artifacts dating back to the Iron Age and Roman periods has been officially declared treasure by H.M. Senior Coroner for North-...
Left, stacked bones of pre-Hispanic burial system; Right, complete skeleton. Source:  Claudia Servín Rosas/INAH

Stacked Skulls and Bones Show Intriguing Pre-Hispanic Funerary System

Investigators have uncovered a burial ground from the pre-Hispanic era in today’s Mexico, which exhibits unique burial practices and how they were carried out in the region. The discovery occurred in...
Millions of postcards made a mockery of Leap Day traditions which gave women the opportunity to propose to men once every four years on the 29th February. Source: Public domain

Women Have Proposed Marriage to Men on Leap Day for Hundreds of Years

Welcome to February 29th, the Leap day that comes around but once every four years! In the age of viral marriage proposals, the persistence of outdated traditions whereby men inevitably go down on...
Detail of the Roman cellar found in Frankfurt. Source: Thomas Flügen / Archäologisches Museum Frankfurt

A Roman Wooden Cellar Unearthed in Frankfurt's Nida

In the heart of modern Frankfurt, Germany, a new window into the past has been uncovered. The recent archaeological discovery of a full, well-preserved Roman wooden cellar in the ancient Roman city...

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