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The famous colonnade street of Apamea which has reportedly been destroyed. (Maurizio / Adobe)
29 May, 2019 - 19:00 Joanna Gillan

Syrian Army Discovers Tragic Destruction of Apamea at the Hands of Terrorists

The Head of the Department of Antiquities and Museums of Hama in Syria, Abdul Qader Farzet, has announced that the ancient Syrian city of Apamea, which was recently reclaimed by government forces,...
View of the ancient town of Hasankeyf in Turkey.
28 May, 2019 - 17:07 Theodoros Karasavvas

Hasankeyf No More: Turkish Government Submerges 12,000-Year-Old Town

The destruction of the ancient town of Hasankeyf by the Turkish government has drawn anger and disappointment to many people all over the world. Unfortunately, the submersion of the early...
Ashurbanipal: The Oldest Surviving Royal Library in the World with Over 30,000 Clay Tablets
9 April, 2019 - 01:29 dhwty

Ashurbanipal: The Oldest Surviving Royal Library in the World with Over 30,000 Clay Tablets

The Royal Library of Ashurbanipal has sometimes been described as the ‘first library’ in the world, or the ‘oldest surviving royal library in the world’. The library was discovered by archaeologists...
Nimrod Castle, Golan Heights
28 March, 2019 - 17:57 ancient-origins

What’s Special About Golan Heights? These 5 Fabulous Recent Archaeological Discoveries For a Start!

The Golan Heights has been making headlines for the political impact of certain international relations choices. It has raised all sorts of questions and debate on sovereignty, international law,...
The ancient bible recovered from smugglers in Turkey. Credit: Diyarbakir Governor's Office
8 February, 2019 - 13:51 Ed Whelan

Stolen 1200-Year-Old Bible with Gold-Encrusted Motifs Recovered in Anti-Smuggling Raid in Turkey

A rare 1200-year old bible has been seized from a group of antiquities smugglers in Turkey. In recent years there have been a sharp spike in the numbers of historic artifacts smuggled into the...
Bronze figurines found at Lchashen
11 December, 2018 - 01:52 Ed Whelan

The Fascinating Lchashen Settlement, Armenia: Where Elite Warriors Emerged from a Watery Grave

Thanks to globalization, the world is getting smaller and we can now travel to sites and places that were once difficult to see. Besides a long history and rich culture, there are many extraordinary...
Syrian archaeologist Khaled al-Asaad. (Fair Use) Palmyra, Temple of Bel. (Arian Zwegers/CC BY 2.0)
19 August, 2018 - 18:58 Caleb Strom

Khaled Al-Asaad: Hero of Palmyra Slaughtered for Protecting the Ancient Treasures of Syria

On August 18, 2015, ISIS insurgents executed one of the world’s foremost experts on the ancient city of Palmyra, Khaled al-Asaad. Khaled al-Asaad, director of the archaeological site located at...
Palmyrean triad: Baalshamin, master of the skies, the Moon-god Aglibol and the Sun-god Malakbel (Yarhibol). Cultual relief, limestone, first half of the 1st century AD, found in one of the routes to Palmyra. The stele bears religious inscriptions carved by passers-by.
8 April, 2018 - 22:58 Dr. Steven L. D...

Scholar Made the Ultimate Sacrifice to Save Ancient Palmyra Treasures from the Hands of ISIS

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, whose real name was Ibrahim al-Badri, was once a lecturer of Islamic studies and an Imam at mosques in Baghdad and Falluja. He also served as an officer in the army of Saddam...
Striker, a U.S. Department of Agriculture brown tree snake detector dog, scratches at a cargo load notifying his handler that he has found a snake during a daily training session. Research has begun to see if dogs can detect smuggled antiquities too.
21 March, 2018 - 21:53 Alicia McDermott

K-9 Artifact Finders Plan to Sniff Out Smuggled Antiquities

An innovative US research program is underway to sniff out smuggled antiquities. Called K-9 Artifact Finders, it is a project set up to train sniffer dogs to aid in the battle against cultural...
The broken top and bottom sections of the Assyrian stele.
10 February, 2018 - 22:11 aprilholloway

British Museum Decided Against Uniting a Cursed Assyrian Stele and Bad Luck Fell to the Police

“Whoever discards this image from the presence of Salmanu puts it into another place, whether he throws it into water or covers it with earth or brings and places it into a taboo house where it is...
Left: The temple of Ain Dara before. Right: The temple after its recent destruction.
1 February, 2018 - 18:49 aprilholloway

3,000-Year-Old Ain Dara Temple in Syria Reduced to Rubble by Turkish Airstrikes

The Syro-Hittite temple of Ain Dara built in the 1 st millennium BC boasted intricate stone sculptures of lions and sphinxes, elaborately decorated walls with geometric designs, floral patterns,...
‘Temple on Ganges in state of collapse, India, ca. 1906’ in the city of Varanasi, India. (Public Domain) Lijing Gate in Luoyang, Henan, China. (CC BY SA 2.0) Quarantal Monastery, Jericho, Palestine. (Tamar Hayardeni/CC BY 3.0) The alleged ‘Abraham house’ in Ur city, Dhi Qar, southern Iraq. (Aziz1005/CC BY 4.0) ‘The Acropolis at Athens’ (1846) by Leo von Klenze. (Public Domain) A traditional (at least for the 19th century) lebanese house on the seafront near Byblos Castle, Byblos, Lebanon. (CC BY SA 3.0)
31 January, 2018 - 14:02 Theodoros Karasavvas

11 of the Most Ancient and Continually Occupied Cities in the World

Time travel is one of the most intriguing scenarios humans have ever fantasized about, but unfortunately for those curious minds and wild dreamers out there, many modern physicists claim that outside...
Access ramp at Qal'at al-Rahiyya, view toward the north-west.
27 December, 2017 - 01:56 ancient-origins

Discovery of a 4,000-year-old military network in northern Syria

The discovery of more than a thousand sites in Syria has revised our understanding of the settlement of the steppes during all periods in the history of the Near East. Recently, analysis of aerial...
Statue of Roman Soldier (Public Domain), and Roman Cavalry Reenactment (CodrinB/CC BY-SA 3.0); Deriv.
17 November, 2017 - 15:30 Cam Rea

Rome’s Forgotten General: Ventidius Takes Enemy Heads and Enemy Gold – Part II

With the Amanus Pass secured, Roman general Publius Ventidius Bassus, on the mission given by Antony to retake Asia-Minor, pushed south into Syria. Prince Pacorus of Parthia of was done fighting, at...
Statue of Roman Soldier (Public Domain), and recreators of Roman legionaries wearing the lorica segmentata, 1st-3rd century
15 November, 2017 - 15:31 Cam Rea

Rome’s Forgotten General: Upstart Poor Boy Becomes Military Conqueror – Part I

In the spring of 40 BCE, the Parthians, led by Quintus Labienus, a Roman general who was supported the Liberators (consisting of Brutus and Cassius, who participated in the assassination of Caesar),...
From Slave to Sultan: Baibars I - The Slave Warrior Who Fought His Way to the Top
15 June, 2017 - 02:01 dhwty

From Slave to Sultan: Baibars I - The Slave Warrior Who Fought His Way to the Top

Baibars I was a powerful Sultan who is remembered most for his military leadership, especially against Crusaders and Mongols, but also for his diplomatic skills. He is often regarded as the most...

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