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The marble relief originally from Pompeii, in situ in the house in Belgium. Source: De Temmermans/ArchaeologyMag

Stolen Pompeii Artifact Is Recovered after 50 Years, Having Been Used As Decor

A marble relief from the ancient city of Pompeii, believed to have been stolen, has been found in Belgium. This piece, dating back to around 62 AD, intricately portrays the devastating earthquake...
The mask of Warka, from Warka, ancient Uruk, Iraq. 3000-2900 BC. The Iraq Museum, Baghdad. Source: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP (Glasg)/CC BY-SA 4.0

Is the Mask of Warka the World’s Oldest Representation of a Human Face?

The once-fertile region of Mesopotamia, cited by many as the cradle of civilization, is a true treasure trove of ancient relics and archaeological wonders. A land where numerous prominent city states...
This marble head, believed to be the head of Hercules, was found next to the legendary Antikythera shipwreck. It may complete a headless statue found on the wreck in 1900 that is now on display in Athens’ largest museum. Source: Ministry of Culture and Sports

Divers Recovered a ‘Herculean’ Marble Head from the Antikythera Shipwreck

For a long time, most only associated the word “Antikythera” with an ancient computer. In 2020, that changed after Greek divers recovered a giant marble head from the world-renowned shipwreck...
Dr. Margaret Maitland, Principal Curator of the Ancient Mediterranean at National Museums Scotland, with the recently discovered ancient Greek graduate yearbook. Source: National Museums Scotland

Ancient Greek ‘Graduate Yearbook’ Discovered in Scottish Vault

An unknown ancient Greek marble inscription stored in a museum vault since the 1880s has been rediscovered in Scotland. New research now shows that the tablet includes a list of young men who took...
Reviving the Panathenaic Stadium for the Olympic Games

Reviving the Panathenaic Stadium for the Olympic Games

The Panathenaic Stadium is a historical monument located in Athens, Greece . Although the current structure was only built at the end of the 1800s, the current stadium was built on a site once...
The Stoa of Attalos: Restored Agora of Athens Structure Is Amazing

The Stoa of Attalos: Restored Agora of Athens Structure Is Amazing

The Stoa of Attalos (also spelled Attalus) is a monument that was once part of the ancient Agora of Athens. This stoa was built along the eastern edge of the agora, and dates to the 2nd century BC...
1,400-Year-Old Chinese Tomb Provides Clues to Sui Dynasty Culture

1,400-Year-Old Chinese Tomb Provides Clues to Sui Dynasty Culture

During excavations at Anyang, a city in central China’s Henan province , archaeologists from the Anyang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology discovered a centuries-old tomb that dates back to...
Ancient Roman Marble Used As A Step Is Worth Thousands

Ancient Roman Marble Used As A Step Is Worth Thousands

A carved Roman marble slab that was used as a step to mount a horse for twenty years is expected to fetch up to £15,000 ($20,400) at auction this February. The 25 inch (63.5 cm) high slab of marble...
Augustus Mausoleum - Largest Circular Tomb On Earth To Reopen In Rome

Augustus Mausoleum - Largest Circular Tomb On Earth To Reopen In Rome

The massive tomb of Augustus, will reopen in March after a 10-million-euro ($12.25 million) project, which includes a virtual reality plug-in and has restored the ancient building to its former glory...
Stolen Roman Marble Fragment Returned by Regretful Thief

Stolen Roman Marble Fragment Returned by Regretful Thief

Tourists from all over the world visit the Italian capital to see its remarkable Roman remains, such as the Colosseum. However, one tourist was so impressed with the ruins that she stole an ancient...
Sewage Construction Uncovers Head of Greek God Hermes in Athens

Sewage Construction Uncovers Head of Greek God Hermes in Athens

Construction workers have made a remarkable discovery in Athens . The Greek Ministry of Culture has announced that the ancient bust of the Greek god Hermes was unearthed in remarkably good condition...
The Elgin Marbles on display at the British Museum, London. Source: Justin Norris / CC BY 2.0

Lost in Time Faces Revealed on the Elgin Marbles

The Elgin or Parthenon Marbles are among the most controversial artworks in the world. 19 th century plaster casts of the sculptures have been analyzed using 3D images and have revealed new details...
Marine Archaeologists Retrieve New Treasures at the Elgin Marbles Shipwreck

Marine Archaeologists Retrieve New Treasures at the Elgin Marbles Shipwreck

Marine archaeologists have recently added to the collection of valuable finds at the Elgin Marbles shipwreck. A remarkable collection of artifacts has been discovered when they were revisiting the...
Tal Mahal is losing its luster.

The Taj Mahal is wasting away, and it may soon hit the point of no return

The saying goes that the Taj Mahal is pinkish in the morning, milky white in the evening, and golden when the moon shines. Though this may once have been true for the famously pristine marble...
Detail of a copy of the Doryphoros of Polykleitos.

Doryphoros: Greek Art Imitating Ideal Form

Was perfection possible in the ancient Greek world? If you look at their art, you may think so. Doryphoros (translated from Greek as ‘Spear-Bearer), was a statue created during the 5th century BC...
The Veiled Virgin.

Unrivalled Classical Art: Giovanni Strazza's Exquisite Veiled Virgin

The Veiled Virgin is the name of a piece of marble sculpture created by Giovanni Strazza, an Italian sculptor. As its name indicates, this sculpture is a bust of the Blessed Virgin Mary wearing a...
A Roman sarcophagus that was once used as a garden ornament is now restored and displayed in Blenheim Palace.

Could This Be the Most Expensive Flowerpot in England? $364,000 Roman Sarcophagus Was a Garden Ornament

An ancient Roman sarcophagus worth up to 345,000 Euros ($364,000) has been found in England. The precious marble coffin was discovered on the grounds of Blenheim Palace, a monumental country house...
Who Was Mithra? Sanctuary for a Mysterious Cult that Once Rivaled Christianity is Found on Corsica

Who Was Mithra? Sanctuary for a Mysterious Cult that Once Rivaled Christianity is Found on Corsica

Archaeologists working in the ancient Roman city of Mariana on the French island of Corsica have unearthed the ruins of a sanctuary of a cult of Mithra. This is a surprising find as it is the first...
The bronze statuette of Artemis and the marble one of Apollo.

Spectacular Statuettes of Apollo and Artemis Discovered in Rare State of Preservation in Crete

While the size of the find may be small, the quality is great. Archaeologists working in Aptera in Iraklio, Crete, have recently unearthed well-preserved statuettes of the mythical Greek goddess...
Underground Etruscan tomb at Cerverteri (representational image).

Unlooted Etruscan Tomb Complete with Sarcophagi and Treasures Unearthed in Italy

Archaeologists have made a rare discovery near the small town of Città della Pieve, near Perugia in Italy – a 2,400-year-old sealed and untouched Etruscan tomb. The burial chamber contains sarcophagi...
Head of Medusa by Peter Paul Rubens

Archaeologists Unearth Marble Head of Medusa at Roman Ruins in Turkey

Archaeologists in Turkey have unearthed a marble head of Medusa, the legendary gorgon from Greek mythology with snakes in place of hair who could turn any person to stone with just her gaze. The...
The commanding stone walls and doorways of the Thracian tomb of Kazanlak in Bulgaria. Such Thracian tombs are found across Bulgaria, such as the King’s Mound and marble sarcophagus as unearthed by archaeologists at Boyanovo recently. Representational image only.

Archaeologists unearth marble sarcophagus from ancient Thracian burial mound

Archaeologists from the National Institute and Museum of Archaeology in Sofia in Bulgaria have discovered a massive ancient marble sarcophagus in the south east of the country. It once belonged to an...
The Temple of Mars Ultor, constructed under Caesar Augustus in Rome’s Forum of Augustus

Researcher won’t render unto Caesar his claim of transforming Rome to marble

It turns out Caesar Augustus was an undeserving braggart. He claimed, “I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble.” But new research by a university professor has found that only a...
Sphinxes Revealed in Newly-Discovered Ancient Greek Tomb

Sphinxes Revealed in Newly-Discovered Ancient Greek Tomb

Last week we reported on the incredible discovery of a vast ancient tomb in Greece guarded by two sphinxes, adorned with frescoed walls, and surrounded by a nearly 500-metre long wall carved from...

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