archaeology

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King Tut's Dagger Came From Outer Space—and Also Syria

Blade was forged of iron long before the start of the Iron Age

(Newser) - King Tut had a sweet dagger. Of course, the young king also had a sweet wardrobe, chariots, shrines, and a horde of other treasures, all discovered in the early 1900s along with his famous mummy. Still, the dagger has always been the source of much conjecture. And it’s not...

'It's 9K Years Old and Everything Was Almost Intact'

Shrine discovered in Jordan desert

(Newser) - A team of Jordanian and French archaeologists said Tuesday that it had found a roughly 9,000-year-old shrine at a remote Neolithic site in Jordan's eastern desert. The ritual complex was found in a Neolithic campsite near large structures known as "desert kites," or mass traps that...

New Technology Reveals Old Structures Near Machu Picchu

They may be the former homes of the keepers of the nearby site of Chachabamba

(Newser) - Long-ago visitors to the famed Incan citadel of Machu Picchu in Peru had to first pass through a ceremonial site known as Chachabamba less than 5 miles away along the Urubamba River. Discovered in the 1940s, Chachabamba consists of a main altar surrounded by 14 baths, where elites would’ve...

Badger Unearths Stash of Ancient Roman Coins

Archaeologists in Spain are grateful

(Newser) - Archaeologists in northern Spain have discovered the largest stash of ancient Roman coins ever found in the region. And they're giving all the credit to a hungry badger, reports the Guardian . Researchers found more than 200 coins, dating back to between the third and fifth century AD, in the...

Mummy That Escaped Others' Fate Gives Up Secrets

Amenhotep I was never unwrapped, unlike other pharaohs found in 19th, 20th centuries

(Newser) - Amenhotep I ruled Egypt from 1525 to 1504 BC, and his mummy managed to escape the fate of many others: Though it was discovered in 1881, it was never unwrapped in modern times, with a press release saying it's the only royal mummy found in the 19th and 20th...

Oldest Known Grave of Baby Girl Found in Europe
Rare Find: Infant Girl
Buried 10K Years Ago
NEW STUDY
Dec 16, 2021 12:12 PM CST

Rare Find: Infant Girl Buried 10K Years Ago

Burial suggests females were highly regarded at the time

(Newser) - The earliest known burial of a female infant in Europe has convinced some archaeologists that humans living 10,000 years ago considered females as members of society at birth—a find that might be surprising considering many women didn’t gain personhood under law until the 20th century. The child,...

FBI: Images Show Dark Truth About Renowned Collector

'He was a grave robber,' says an agent of Don Miller

(Newser) - Amateur archaeologists and collectors have long conducted their own unsanctioned digs at sites around the country, flying under the radar of various laws designed to protect, say, ancient burial grounds of Native Americans. They're called "pothunters," and the ethics are squishy. Now, Vanity Fair explores the life...

This Vesuvius Victim 'Vaporized Instantly'

First skeleton found at Herculaneum in decades is stained red by blood

(Newser) - If you had to endure the AD79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii might not have been the worst place to be. While Pompeii residents are believed to have suffocated in a cloud of ash and gases in just 15 minutes, before they were covered in volcanic debris, new excavations at...

Cool Archaeological Site Found Due to Retreating Glacier
Cool Archaeological Site Found
Due to Retreating Glacier
in case you missed it
Nov 20, 2021 5:05 PM CST

Cool Archaeological Site Found Due to Retreating Glacier

Researchers race clock to study WWI barracks cavern

(Newser) - Sure, it’s cool. A cave in the Italian Alps that sheltered soldiers during World War I is full of interesting archaeological treasures. It’s like a time capsule. The objects recovered—straw mattresses, helmets, newspapers—were found thanks to climate change. The cavern barracks was “literally frozen in...

Mummy May Rewrite the History of Mummies
Mummy May Rewrite
the History of Mummies
in case you missed it
Oct 30, 2021 7:00 AM CDT

Mummy May Rewrite the History of Mummies

Remains in Egypt may be oldest ever found by about 1,000 years

(Newser) - A dignitary named Khuwy who lived about 4,400 years ago just might end up being one of the more famous mummies in history. Provided his story checks out. Archaeologists in Egypt say the remains discovered in 2019 could prove that Egyptians were carrying out sophisticated mummifications about 1,000...

Off the Coast of Israel, a Rare Archaeological Find

900-year old sword that likely belonged to knight from the Crusades discovered by diver

(Newser) - Imagine arriving in the Holy Land nearly 1,000 years ago, fired up to yank back the territory from Islamic rule in the name of the pope, and then ... dropping your sword in the sea. That seems to have been the embarrassing scenario for one knight, whose long-lost sword has...

Who Was Buried With Racy Cup? 'Thorny Question' Is Answered

Remains of 3 adults and some animals were found in Italian tomb

(Newser) - An ancient cremation burial site in Italy was only thought to contain the remains of one person. Now scientists say they've found a different answer to a most "thorny question": "Who/what was buried with Nestor's Cup?" Researchers say the clay receptacle by that name—dug out...

Williamsburg Find Will Help 'Erase Historical Amnesia'

Archaeologists uncover foundation of one of country's oldest Black churches

(Newser) - The foundation of one of America's oldest Black churches has been found at a Colonial Williamsburg site that had been under a parking lot since 1956. Archaeologists believe the brick foundation is the remains of the first permanent home of the First Baptist Church. It was first organized in...

Was a Vicious Cosmic Airburst Behind the Story of Sodom?

Researchers say exploding meteor wiped out Tall el-Hammam 3,600 years ago

(Newser) - The biblical city of Sodom was destroyed by "brimstone and fire," as the book of Genesis tells it. Now scientists say it's possible that story is the written down version of the oral tradition of what befell an ancient Middle Eastern city now called Tall el-Hammam, which...

At the Lost Colony of Roanoke, a Hunt for What Came Before

New dig to focus on scientific research done before the first settlers arrived

(Newser) - As far as single, enduring mysterious words go, a few stand out: Rosebud, for one. Croatoan, for another. That was the word found carved at the so-called Lost Colony, the one founded on Roanoke Island by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1587. A resupply mission that arrived three years later found...

Egypt Opens King Djoser's Southern Tomb

It's been undergoing restoration work since 2006

(Newser) - Egypt on Tuesday opened to the public an ancient tomb structure belonging to the cemetery complex of King Djoser, a pharaoh who lived more than 4,500 years ago, following extensive restorations of the site. The structure—known as the Southern Tomb—is largely underground and includes a labyrinth of...

Seeds in Bog Man&#39;s Last Meal Could Be a Clue
Seeds in Bog Man's
Last Meal Could Be a Clue
new study
Jul 21, 2021 1:18 PM CDT

Seeds in Bog Man's Last Meal Could Be a Clue

The long-running question: were bog men human sacrifices?

(Newser) - Seeds of pale persicaria may be a clue in a mystery: whether the so-called Tollund Man, found in 1950 in a bog in Denmark, was executed or sacrificed. A new study suggests it could be the latter, and those seeds are the reason why. As NBC News reports, the man'...

Ancient Roman Boundary Marker Found at Dig

This pomerial stone marked the city limits and dates from 49 AD

(Newser) - Archaeologists have discovered a rare stone delineating the city limits of ancient Rome that dates from the age of Emperor Claudius in 49 A.D. and was found during excavations for a new sewage system. Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi was on hand for the unveiling Friday of the pomerial stone,...

Surprise Discovery of Coins May Be Old Viking Ransom

Money was paid to avoid a sack of Paris, and the coins were found in a Polish field

(Newser) - Last fall, metal detectorists turned up some old coins in a Polish field. Now, what had at first seemed like a not-so-surprising find has the potential to be quite the opposite, reports the New York Times . Archaeologists have since found nearly 120 silver coins at the location near the town...

What Researchers Just Did in This Cave Is a Marvel
What Researchers Just Did
in This Cave Is a Marvel
NEW STUDY
Jun 25, 2021 10:57 AM CDT

What Researchers Just Did in This Cave Is a Marvel

It's most comprehensive study of ancient DNA extracted from sediment at single site

(Newser) - As far as caves go, Siberia's Denisova Cave is a super prominent one, the place where scientists confirmed the existence of a species of hominins (we're one, as are Neanderthals) known as the Denisovans. But the prehistoric treasures the cave has given up have been few—just eight...

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