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All the latest news on finds, advancements, and research in archaeology and ancient history, from the No 1 Ancient History website in the world

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How the Viking mausoleum would have looked according to archaeologists. Source: Raymond Sauvage, NTNU Vitenskapsmuseet

An Abnormal Viking Mausoleum Shows Ship Burials Weren’t for Everyone!

Archaeologists have found a Viking burial house in central Norway. It was located in an area which is revealing many archaeological treasures, including a Roman-era bronze cauldron. The mausoleum is...
Ancient humans competed with fierce animals for the Denisova cave. Source: anibal / Adobe Stock.

Humans Competed with Fierce Animals for the Denisova Cave

Fossil animal droppings, charcoal from ancient fires and bone fragments litter the ground of one of the world's most important human evolution sites, new research reveals. The latest evidence from...
Infant drinking from a replica feeding vessel similar to the type investigated in the new study. Source: Helena Seidl da Fonseca, University of Vienna

Proof Infants Sipped Animal Milk From Prehistoric Baby Bottles

A study of some mysterious pottery vessels found in children’s graves from the Bronze and Iron Age period has made some remarkable findings. An international team of scientists now believe that these...
Drones are becoming useful new tools for archaeologists. Source: Monopoly919 / Adobe Stock

From Turning Stones to Launching Drones: Archaeological Surveys Take Flight

Drones are becoming ever more present tools for archaeologists looking to add to their survey and excavation toolkits. They’ve been used to get some great aerial views of archaeological sites and...
The Baptism of Emperor Constantine

Was the Emperor Constantine a True Christian or Was He a Secret Pagan?

Constantine the Great is known in history as the first Roman Emperor to convert to Christianity . However, legends and archaeological evidence suggest a different story– it seems that Constantine had...
New research claims use of beasts of burden opened the doors to social inequality. Source: Aleksandar Todorovic / Adobe Stock

How Oxen Plowed the Way for Social Inequality

Inequality became rooted in ancient societies with the rise of ox-drawn plows. Ancient societies across Eurasia as far back as 7000 years ago experienced the rise of an upper class. And according to...
The Meditation on the Passion by Vittore Carpaccio (1510) (Public Domain)

Contemplating the Navel: The Origins of Ancient Mindfulness

The words of the 16th-century Bishop of Geneva, Saint Francis de Sales, are truer today than ever before: “ Half an hour's meditation each day is essential, except when you are busy. Then a full hour...
Research indicates Nile crocodiles were hunted specifically for crocodile mummification rituals.  Source: quasarphotos / Adobe Stock

Did Ancient Egyptians Actively Hunt Crocodiles for Mummification?

Scans of a 2,000-year-old crocodile suggest the reptile was hunted for mummification rites. Mummified animals have been recovered from many, if not most, ancient Egyptian tombs and while today we...
Augusta Raurica. Source: dariya/ Adobe Stock

Augusta Raurica and an Immense Silver Hoard

The Romans conquered vast regions, ranging from the west of Europe, across to what is now Armenia . They ruled the thousands of miles of north Africa, the lands all along the Mediterranean Sea , and...
The goddess Hathor

Hathor: Goddess of Joy and Motherhood Near the Nile

The shadow of Hathor is still present in many places related to the monumental history of ancient Egypt. She was one of the most important goddesses near the Nile and remains one of the best-known...
View of the ancient Inca City, Machu Picchu, Peru. Source: alekosa /Adobe Stock

Researchers Claim X Marks the Spot for Machu Picchu

The ancient Inca sanctuary of Machu Picchu is considered one of humanity's greatest architectural achievements. Built in a remote Andean setting atop a narrow ridge high above a precipitous river...
The Battle between the Gods and the Titans by Joachim Wtewael. The beginning of the Greek Gods

Greek Gods: The 7 Core Males Exposed

The ancient Greeks were a polytheistic people and worshiped a multitude of gods. The most important gods of the Greek pantheon were the Twelve Olympians, so-called due to the belief that they resided...
This bronze vessel was one of many Macedonian treasures missed by looters at Ahlada, near Florina, in Macedonia    Source: Greek Ministry of Culture

A Wealth of Macedonian Treasures Overlooked By Looters

Archaeologists at a Macedonian graveyard in Greece have been ecstatic to find that graverobbers had far from cleaned out the ancient resting place. The burial ground was looted in ancient times and...
Ptolemaic era temple Kon-Ombo            Source: xfargas / Adobe Stock

Last of the Kings of Egypt: The Ptolemaic Dynasty

Ptolemaic Egypt is distinctive in being both the last independent Egyptian dynasty and the last Hellenistic kingdom to fall to Rome . The Ptolemies were not native Egyptians, but Greek and Macedonian...
A rock surface containing a circular pattern with a central depression. Source: Science Direct.

Explaining Ancient Patterns and Sculptures on South African Beaches

One of the first things many kids – or even adults – may do when they are on a beach or dune is to make patterns in the sand or sculptures in the form of sandcastles. Many generations of humans have...
Two perfectly preserved Egyptian mummies from the Palace of Truth in Deir al-Medina are being restored and will be put on exhibit. Source: Ministry of Antiquities

Two 'Perfect' 3,400-year-old Egyptian Mummies To Be Restored

Two ancient Egyptian sarcophagi containing mummies, that are to be restored and displayed at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) in Cairo, were recently unpacked and witnessed by...
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...
A traditional bedroom in Cappadocia, Turkey. Credit: EvanTravels / Adobe Stock

What Humans Have Been Doing in Bed for 77,000 Years

Groucho Marx once joked , “Anything that can’t be done in bed isn’t worth doing at all.” You might think he was referring to sleeping and sex. But humans, at one time or another, have done just about...
Surgical instruments of ancient physicians. Credit: Kai Beercrafter / Adobe Stock

The Gory History of Barber Surgeons: Medieval Medicine Gone Mad

It’s no surprise that the history of medicine had a rocky and somewhat gruesome journey before reaching its current, modern state. From the earliest meddling in surgery in Classical Antiquity to the...
Christian group burns ‘satanic objects’ in bonfire. Credit: Andris / Adobe Stock

Christian Missionary Demands Australian Aboriginals Burn ‘Satanic’ Cultural Relics

A group of extreme Christian missionaries is causing irreversible trouble in outback Wangkatjungka, in Australia, by burning sacred Aboriginal objects because they are “all from the devil”, while...
The Persian Empire used a satrapal system for local rulers. Source: Konstantin / Adobe Stock

Satraps of the Persian Empire – Rebellious Protectors of the Realm

The Achaemenid Empire was an ancient empire whose heartland was the region of Persis , in the southwestern part of modern-day Iran. At its greatest extent, the Achaemenids ruled over an empire that...
Statue of a woman covering herself. Credit: macondos / Adobe Stock

The Shocking History of Virgin Tests and Cures

Virginity has been the obsession of men for thousands of years. It has driven the best people, like the virgin warrior Joan of Arc, to fight for just cause. Virginity has also lured the worst people...
Roman soldiers and their general by vukkostic (Adobe Stock)

Roman Mars vs Greek Ares as the God of War

In the ancient battle of Thurii in 282 BC, between Rome and the Greek colony of Tarentum, the Romans noticed a youth of extraordinary height marching in front of them and performing miracles of...
Example of a monument for an accused witch – “Maggie Wall burnt here 1657 as a Witch.” Source: Alan Weir/CC BY 2.0

Monumental Reminder of Scottish Witch Persecutions

The Scottish public is being consulted on a proposed national memorial in Fife for people condemned as witches. Scottish records inform that between the 16th and 18th centuries there were at least 1,...

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