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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.

Unique lead coffin found under a parking lot in Leicester, England has been opened to reveal the skeleton of an unknown elderly woman.

Lady in Lead: Coffin found at Grey Friars near King Richard III opened, revealing mystery woman

Archaeologists have been met with surprise upon surprise as they excavate coffins and remains found at the medieval grave site of England’s King Richard III. The opening of a unique lead coffin found...
Artist's depiction of Stone Age peoples

Stone Age Britons traded with European farmers 8,000 years ago

Archaeologists have concluded that pre-agricultural Stone Age hunter-gatherers on the Isle of Wight 8,000 years ago obtained domesticated wheat from farmers on the continent of Europe. That is 2,000...
Excavation of fortress established by Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan unearthed in Mongolia

Military stronghold for Mongolian Conqueror Genghis Khan Found by Archaeologists

Scenes depicted in a Chinese medieval travel book gave clues to researchers, helping them locate what is said to be a 13 th century military outpost used by Mongolian conqueror Genghis Khan. As...
A 'were-jaguar' effigy, likely representing a combination of a human and spirit animal, is part of a still-buried ceremonial seat, discovered in a cache in ruins deep in the Honduran jungle.

Archaeologists find untouched ruins in their search for the Lost City of the Monkey God

Two years ago, an aerial search of the dense jungle of Honduras fuelled by local legends of a lost ancient city, revealed miles of seemingly man-made features. Announcements quickly spread that...
Britain's oldest brain

Decapitated Skull Holds Remarkable Find - Oldest Preserved Brain in Britain

Archaeologists stumbled upon a surprising find in 2009 when they uncovered a preserved brain in a skull, buried in an Iron Age pit in Yorkshire, England. Known as the Heslington Brain, the find has...
The medieval manuscript King René’s Book of Love, written by that 15th century king of Sicily and Duke of Anjou himself, beautifully illustrates knighthood and chivalry

Excavations turn up medieval bones which may be a knight and his family

Archaeologists in Edinburgh have excavated several skeletons this year, including a discovery last month of bones believed to belong to a medieval Scottish nobleman or knight, now dubbed Sir Eck...
Fatal wounds to the front and back of the skull thought to be caused by axe blows.

3,600-year-old bones of king Senebkay show Egyptian pharaoh met brutal end

King Senebkay, pharaoh during the Abydos Dynasty, was brutally killed during a fierce battle, researchers believe, and his remains were returned home to be mummified long after his death. Dr. Josef...
Seal of Ramesses II

Cartouche purchased for £12 may be precious seal of Ramesses II

It has been one lucky find after another for an archaeologist from England. A couple of months ago he found what may be an Anglo-Saxon or Viking stonework artifact that was on sale as a garden stone...
Viking patterned woodwork

Norsemen transformed international culture, manufacturing, tech and trade during Viking Era

The notorious reputation of the Vikings spanned thousands of years and across many lands. Bloodthirsty invaders intent on raiding and plundering is what many still imagine when speaking of Vikings...
The ancient city of Teotihuacan, Mexico

Social Networks and Mathematical Patterns Behind Human Cities, both Modern and Ancient

The 15 th century city Tenochtitlán was once a bustling hub - the religious center and capital of the Aztec civilization, and the most complex society in Mesoamerica. Big cities today are sometimes...
Junior Obsidian kneels before the Lord of Hammer-Stone Hill, the apparent ruler of Xultun.

Archaeologists study stunning murals adorning the walls of an ancient Maya home

In a complex, 1,300-year-old Maya mural in the Guatemalan jungle, a ruler with an elaborate plumed headdress and impersonating a god, consults with priest-scholars as they celebrate the new year...
Defleshed human bones in ancient religious complex in Bolivia

Archaeologist finds defleshed human bones in ancient religious complex in Bolivia

Archaeologists investigating a religious complex in Bolivia have discovered an ancient mortuary where human body parts were boiled, stripped of their flesh, and cleaned. Experts believe the practice...
In a shrine in a hilltop fortress in ancient Armenia, seers may have tried for foresee of even change the future.

Despite possible efforts to alter the future, a greedy ancient polity went down in flames

It is unknown what words or rites seers in Armenia chanted 3,300 years ago to tell the rich ruling class what the future held, but the chambers they attempted to do their magic in contained a...
A 3D scan of a 22,000-year-old skull fragment from a modern human found in Kenya.

Unusual 20,000-year-old human skull shows diversity of prehistoric humanity

A unique Stone Age skull found in Kenya is reshaping what scientists know about the diversity of early humanity. The 20,000-year-old partial skull was found at Lukenya Hill in the 1970s and stored in...
Little is known about the people buried in Grand Mound, the largest prehistoric structure in the U.S. Upper Midwest

Mystery enshrouds ancient Native Americans who built burial mounds

About 10,000 years ago, soon after the glacial ice sheets melted and receded north and animals and plants started growing again, people moved into northern Minnesota and southern Canada. Little is...
Illustrated reconstruction shows how the luxurious villa may have looked during its height.

Ancient villa ruins found to be the estate of chariot-racer and Ben-Hur rival

Thousands of years ago, a fire ripped through a beautiful seaside villa on the Tuscan island of Elba. Archaeologists uncovering the ruins now have evidence identifying the ruined villa as belonging...
The careful removal of Stone Age remains from excavation at Stokke

8,000-year-old "Brunstad Man" Stone Age Skeleton May be Oldest Ever Found in Norway

A skeleton uncovered in Norway is believed to be approximately 8,000 years old, Norwegian archaeologists say. If the dating is accurate, the Stone Age skeleton is a significant discovery, being the...
Divers find largest golden coin hoard ever discovered in Israel

Divers find largest golden coin hoard ever discovered in Israel

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) has announced the discovery of a massive hoard of almost 2,000 gold coins by divers in the ancient harbor in Caesarea. The coins, which are over 1,000 years old...
Mysterious Geoglyphs of Amazonia

Mysterious Geoglyphs of Amazonia May Show Ancient Humanity Had an Major Impact on Rainforest

Evidence of ancient Amazonian civilization deep under the canopy of the rainforest is hoping to be revealed under a new initiative by international scientific agencies. Questions will be raised on...
A traditional yurt in the Eurasian Steppe. The Yamnaya culture used yurts as their temporary dwellings as they moved across the steppe.

Europeans share more language and genes with Asia than previously thought

Scholars have long tried to ascertain the birthplace of the mother tongue of the Indo-European languages of parts of Europe, the Mideast and western and central Asia. This family of modern languages...
Remains of an embracing couple found near the entrance of the Alepotrypa Cave.

Greek archaeologists find 5,800-year-old skeleton couple in loving embrace

Archaeologists have found the remains of a young Neolithic couple embracing each other at an archaeological site near the Diros Caves in the Peloponnese region of Greece. According to ekathimerini...
Historic Indian sword

Historic Indian sword was masterfully crafted

The master craftsmanship behind Indian swords was highlighted when scientists and conservationists from Italy and the UK joined forces to study a curved single-edged sword called a shamsheer. The...
A woman and her partner walking on Sanday Island in the Orkneys came across the skeleton of a child who died about 4,000 years ago.

Storms wash away sand revealing 4,000-year-old child skeleton in Orkney

The 4,000-year-old remains of a child, aged around ten years, exposed on a beach by a storm in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, are prompting archaeologists to ponder how the child died. A hiker, Carrie...
The famous abandoned city of Machu Picchu. Incan architecture, c. 1450 A.D.

Conquistadors caused Toxic Air Pollution 500 years ago by changing Incan Mining

Scientists studying ice core samples from Peru have discovered a variety of trace elements, indicating that Spanish colonial mining caused toxic air pollution over South America approximately 240...

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