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[Left], Photo of the Vulture Stone of Göbekli Tepe. (Alistair Coombs). [Right], Archaeological site of Göbekli Tepe in Turkey.

The Vulture Stone of Gobekli Tepe: The World’s First Pictogram?

A report in the Hürriet Daily News published in July of this year announced that the world’s earliest pictogram had been discovered at the archaeological site of Göbekli Tepe, Southeast Turkey. It...
The tiny remains were found at the ancient Upward Sun River site in Alaska, USA.

Rare Bones and DNA of tiny children surprise scientists, support ideas about migration into the Americas 11,000 years ago

The small bodies of infants buried in an ancient campsite in the wilds of Alaska have given researchers a surprising and unprecedented look into the lives of prehistoric peoples and the ancient...
A vase depicting a scene from Aristophanes’ play ‘The Birds.

The Controversial Plays of Aristophanes: How the Ancient Greek Father of Comedy Created a Legacy

In the theater of Ancient Greece, one of the three main dramatic forms was comedy (the other two being tragedy and satyr plays). Greek comedy has been divided by the Alexandrian grammarians into...
An ivory comb found in the 3,500 years old warrior tomb unearthed in the Peloponnese region of Greece.

3,500-Year-Old Unplundered Warrior Tomb with Huge Treasure Hoard found in Greece

Archaeologists in Greece have made a rare and exciting discovery – an ancient unlooted tomb with the remains of an unknown warrior and a huge hoard of treasure. The Greek Ministry of Culture...
The Great Pyramid of Giza

Scientists to Scan Ancient Pyramids with Cosmic Rays to Find Hidden Chambers and other Secrets

Scientists are looking to uncover hidden chambers and other ancient secrets of Egyptian pyramids for the first time using powerful scanning technology. Ahram Online reports that the international...
Hatshepsut

Archaeologists identify Temple of Hatshepsut, the female Pharaoh the ancients tried to erase

King Thutmose III, sixth Pharaoh of the 18 th Dynasty in Ancient Egypt, tried to erase all memory of Hatshepsut, the “Woman Who Was King”, but he was unsuccessful as traces of this powerful female...
The skull of a young girl who suffered from syphilis; she would have been a candidate for treatment with mercury in the Middle Ages.

A Toxic Price to Pay: Wealthy citizens in medieval Europe had poisoning from lead-glazed plates

Rich city dwellers in medieval northern Europe had elevated lead and mercury levels that probably caused them serious health problems. Fewer rural people, who were poorer, had elevated heavy metals...
Snails appear to have holes drilled into them to make it easier to extract the meat, researchers say.

A delicacy now, snails in the human diet may have meant survival 150,000 years ago

Archaeologists digging in Libya have found evidence of human habitation going back at least 150,000 years and have had a glimpse into the people’s diet: snails whose shells were pierced to get at the...
Ruins of the Bahrain Fort and what may be the location of the old capital of the Dilmun civilization.

The Dilmun Civilization: An Important Location for Ancient Mythology and Trade

Dilmun (Telmun) was a civilization located in the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula. Although this was quite an old civilization, it is much less famous than the four cradles of civilization of...
Sigurd and Fafnir (Public domain). Fáfnir was a son of the dwarf king Hreidmar. After being affected by the curse of Andvari's ring and gold, Fafnir became a dragon and was slain by Sigurd.

Outlaws, trolls and berserkers: Meet the hero-monsters of the Icelandic sagas

Iceland’s medieval literature is rich in many regards: in Eddas and sagas, it tells us about early Scandinavia and its expanding world-view, ranging from the mythology of the North, the legends and...
15th century the basement of a "market house" used as a prison

Prisons and Imprisonment in the Ancient World: Punishments Used to Maintain Public Order

One of the most well-known forms of punishment today is imprisonment. One could argue that for any society to function properly, public order has to be maintained. This is an important function of...
St Macarius of Ghent Giving Aid to the Plague Victims, 1673 painting by Jacob van Oost

The Plague that brought down mighty empires is thousands of years older than thought

The Plague is far older than previously known and later changed to become much more virulent—so virulent that it may have contributed to the decline of Classical Greece and the Roman and Byzantine...
Theseus and the Minotaur in the Labyrinth (1861) by Edward Burne-Jones

The Legendary Cretan Labyrinth Cave: Inspiration for the Story of King Minos and the Labyrinth of the Minotaur?

In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was a structure built by the famed craftsman Daedalus in order to hold a creature known as the Minotaur. The Minotaur was said to be a creature that was half-man and...
Sack of Rome

Exploring the Origins of the Vandals, The Great Destroyers

The word vandal today may be defined as a person who deliberately destroys or damages property. Historically speaking, a Vandal was “a member of a Germanic people who lived in the area south of the...
8th century Viking sword discovered by a hiker in Norway.

Hiker stumbles upon 1,200-year-old Viking sword while walking an ancient trail in Norway

A hiker in Norway has discovered an ancient sword while walking an ancient route in the mountains of Haukeli. The well-preserved sword has been dated to the 8 th century and is typical of a sword...
A collection of tablets displaying Indus Valley script.

Decoding the mysterious ancient Indus Valley script will shed light on powerful ancient civilization

Linguists have cracked many tough scripts, from Mesopotamian cuneiform to Egyptian hieroglyphic to Central American Mayan glyphs, but there are a few ancient, mysterious scripts still in the field...
Some of the graves enclosed by stone slabs found in the medieval cemetery of Arganzón.

Medieval Village with Human Remains Discovered in Northern Spain

The medieval village of Arganzón has been brought to light in the area of Condado de Treviño, Burgos, Spain. Through a series of excavations, tombs, houses, and silos from the Middle Ages, as well as...
11th century Pre-Columbian mummy who has surprised scientists with antibiotic-resistant genes.

Ancient Peruvian Mummy Surprises Researchers with Antibiotic-Resistant Genes

A mummy uncovered at the ancient site of Cusco in Peru has surprised scientists with what was contained in its gut. Genes linked to antibiotic resistance have been found in the Pre-Columbian mummy’s...
The Death of Cleopatra by Reginald Arthur, 1892.

Cleopatra probably did not die of snakebite to her breast, Egyptologist claims

According to accepted historical accounts, Cleopatra, the last active pharaoh of ancient Egypt, committed suicide by holding a snake to her breast and allowing it to bite her, killing her with its...
Tsarevich Dimitry by Mikhail Nesterov. (1899)

Dmitri of Uglich and the Three False Dmitris: One of the Most Bizarre Episodes in Russian History

Dmitri (Dmitry) of Uglich, known also as Tsarevich Dmitri or Dmitri Ivanovich, was the youngest son of the first Tsar of All the Russias, Ivan IV Vasilyevich, more commonly known as Ivan Grozny or...
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...
Some of the skeletal remains discovered at the site.

New Inca Ceremonial Complex Discovered in Peru May Contain Evidence of Human Sacrifice

Explorer and writer Miguel Gutierrez Garitano, along with a team of Spanish researchers, has just announced a finding that could revolutionize Incan Andean archeology, if it is confirmed. The team...
1729 map of New England, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Known among cartographic historic as the “Post Map”, this is Herman Moll’s important 1729 map of New England and the adjacent colonies.

330 Years of Unknown History: The Oldest Road in America Finally Surfaces

Often, there are hidden truths and old tales that get lost with each generation. As such, there is an untold story about the United States that begins in the 1600s. Prior to English entrepreneur and...
Ashoka the Great and an Ashoka Pillar at Tilaurakot, Lumbini, Nepal

Ashoka the Great: From Cruel King to Benevolent Buddhist

The emperor Ashoka is considered to be one of India’s greatest monarchs, and was the third ruler of the Mauryan Empire. Whilst Ashoka’s conquests pale in comparison to his illustrious grandfather’s,...

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