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Replicas of the Treasure of Villena. Source: Public Domain

Treasure of Villena Reveals Traces of Extraterrestrial Iron!

A dazzling Bronze Age hoard, discovered 60 years ago in Spain, referred to as the Treasure of Villena, and dating back to the period between 2200 and 750 BC, has now been found to possess ‘extra-...
Pile of gold bullion coins and bars. Argor Heraeus, Münze Österreich, Royal Canadian Mint, U.S. Mint, Australian Mint of Perth, panda and Krugerrand.      Source: Zlaťáky.cz/Unsplash

The Human Fascination With Gold Throughout History

Gold and humans have a very special relationship, and humans still think that gold is one of the most valuable materials on the planet. In this article, you can find an overview of the history of...
The Aasvik family discovered the Jomfruland artifacts while hunting for their mother’s earing in the garden. Source: Vibeke Lia Vestfold and Telemark County Municipality

Jomfruland Detectorist Unearths Viking Relics During Lost Earring Hunt

A family living on the island of Jomfruland just off the southeast coast of Norway recently made a most notable historical discovery. While searching for a lost golden earring with a metal detector...
Science is finally catching up with beliefs that ancient peoples have known all along. AI generated image of a copper molecule structure. Source: DmitriRich / Adobe Stock

Copper’s Ancient Healing Powers Are Only Now Being Understood

While certain ancient remedies have received quite a bad rap in the modern era, it appears that some beliefs related to the healing properties of copper may have been spot on. Copper’s use in...
Some of the 313 manillas (brass rings) excavated by the Sociedad de Ciencias Aranzadi from a Flemish trader lost in 1524 off Getaria in Basque Country, northern Spain which prove the source of the Benin Bronze metal. Source: Ana Maria Benito-Dominguez/CC-BY 4.0/PLoS ONE

Study Shows Benin Bronzes Are Made from German Metal

A new study of famous 16th-19th century works of art found in abundance in West Africa has revealed something surprising about their composition. According to the results of a comprehensive and...
A bronze sculpture, representational. Source: DivineWorld / Adobe Stock

How Metal Artists In India Are Keeping A 4,500-Year-Old Craft Alive (Video)

Despite the challenges, metal artists in India are working to keep the ancient craft of Dhokra art alive. This traditional craft involves the use of a non-ferrous metal, often brass or bronze, to...
Representational image of Chines paper armor. Source: AI generated

Ancient Chinese Paper Armor Was Tougher Than Steel

You’ve probably heard the saying “the pen is mightier than the sword,” but have you heard of paper armor being stronger than metallic protective clothing? It goes against everything we’ve learned...
Medieval steel armor and iron gloved hands were products of Iron Age Europe. 		Source: Atmosphere / Adobe Stock

Iron Age Europe: 2000 Years Of Change Rolls Across The Continent

The Iron Age is the name given to the third and last division of the Three Age System. The beginning and the end of the Iron Age varies according to region. Indeed, even in Europe, the Iron Age...
A metal spearhead discovered at Ban Chiang is just one of many metal artifacts that have helped turn traditional theories about Thai metal production on their head.          Source: The Ban Chiang Project/ Penn Museum

Study Contradicts Top-Down Theories on Ancient Thai Metal Production

Archaeometallurgy, the study of metals and their past production and usage by humans, is a fascinating discipline that is a fixture of both archaeological and historical sciences. A groundbreaking...
The reconstructed solar barge of Khufu.

Egypt’s Second Khufu Ship - Fully Excavated, Ready for Reassembly

After years of work, researchers have now completed their exhumation of all the artifacts of the Second Khufu Ship found next to the Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) in Giza. The next steps are restoration...

Study of Ushabti Copper Origins Enlightens Egypt’s Dark Age

While many archaeologists focus on the symbolic meaning of recovered temple treasures and grave goods, others concentrate on their origin stories. In this case a team of scientists have used high...
Metal Fragments Found To Be Currency In Bronze Age Europe

Metal Fragments Found To Be Currency In Bronze Age Europe

Archaeologists from Germany and Italy have found convincing proof that people in Late Bronze Age Europe used metal scraps or fragments as a form of money . As excavations throughout Central Europe...
Scientists Uncover Secrets of the Germanic-Viking Alchemists of Ribe

Scientists Uncover Secrets of the Germanic-Viking Alchemists of Ribe

Archaeologists at sites in Ribe, a Danish trading port in southwest Jutland, have published a new study in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences related to the evolution of metalwork skills and...
The Copper Age: When Metallurgy Came to Rule the World

The Copper Age: When Metallurgy Came to Rule the World

The so-called Chalcolithic - or the Copper Age - is one of the great eras of cultural development, fitting into the main framework of man’s crucial steps towards civilization. This period introduced...
The Shining History of Gold: From Ancient Treasure to Modern Tech

The Shining History of Gold: From Ancient Treasure to Modern Tech

Gold is arguably the human race’s most valued commodity and a lot could be written about the history of this metal. The luster, beauty, resistance to tarnishing, malleability, and overall brilliance...
Just a few of the metal medieval objects found recently in Poland in the village of Poniaty Wielkie.

Medieval Metallic Objects Show Alchemical Mastery In Poland

Another amazing medieval discovery has been made in eastern Europe. This time, hundreds of medieval objects were unearthed in east-central Poland. The discovery was made when excavators were...
The Iron Age and medieval jewelry unearthed in Shropshire, England. Left: the medieval brooch with centaurs. Right: The gold Iron Age ring.            Source: British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme

Detectorists Unearth Rare Iron Age and Medieval Jewelry in England

In Britain , metal detectorists have unearthed two historically significant treasures and in particular, very rare pieces of Iron Age and medieval jewelry. One is a gold ring and the other is a...
Representation of a female Viking magic practitioner

Vestiges of the Vikings: Magic Buried in a Viking Woman's Grave

Murky, elusive and undefined, the religion of the pre-Christian Vikings has long been subject to debate. Contemporary texts of their spiritual worship do not survive, and the later records that do...
Ancient recycling discovered at the Saruq Al Hadid site. Source: Jan Kurzawa / PAP.

Ancient Metalworkers in Dubai Desert Had Sustainable Production Ethics

Archaeologists in southern Dubai unearthed evidence of upcycling at least 3,000 years-ago. Polish archaeologists discovered the ‘upcycled’ objects at the famous Saruq Al Hadid excavation site near...
Meteorite swords came from the heavens. Credit: mdorottya / Adobe Stock  By Aleksa Vučković

Meteorite Swords Forged from the Fire of the Heavens

From the earliest conscious moments of the human race, we looked up into the distant night sky in wonder and amazement. Our early ancestors glanced at the same skies we see today and pondered the...
Ruins of Mehrgarh. (M. Thoury et al./CC BY 4.0) Insert: Detail of a female figure made of terracotta from Mehrgarh, circa 3000 BC. (Denis Biette/CC BY SA 1.0)

A Treasure in Ruins: Ancient Mehrgarh Lost to Thieves and Violence

Mehrgarh is an archaeological site situated in the Balochistan, in the southwestern part of Pakistan. In the native Balochi language, ‘mehr’ is said to mean ‘love’, and ‘garh’ means heaven. Thus, the...
Tin ingots from Hishuley Carmel.

Surprise Discovery That Ancient Tin Ingots Found in Israel Came From England

Researchers have made an astonishing discovery that is transforming our understanding of the Bronze Age . They have established that ancient tin ingots found in Israel actually came from what is now...
Main: Roman Emperor (neurobite / Adobe Stock) Inset: Rare Roman gold discovered in Kent, England Credit: Dix Noonan Webb

Rare Roman Coin Found in a Field in England Sells for $700,000, Smashing New Records

A rare 1700-year-old coin depicting Roman ruler Allectus found by an amateur metal detectorist in a field in Kent, England, has been sold for a staggering price in the UK. The gold coin is very rare...
Samurai armor is both brutal and delicate.

The Brutality and Delicacy of Samurai Armor: Superior Protection with a God-like Aesthetic

The Samurai class was officially dissolved over 150 years ago. Nonetheless, the warriors’ elaborate armor is still recognized globally as an iconic emblem of Japanese military strength and virtue...

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