Archaeology news

• Scientists Revisit Unusual Cave Burial in Poland

  30-11-2018 21:37 via archaeology.org
  WARSAW, POLAND—According to a Science in Poland report, researchers led by Małgorzata Kot of the University of Warsaw's Institute of Archaeology are investigating the burial of a child whose remains were discovered 50 years ago in a shallow grave in a cave in south-central Poland’s Sąspowska Valley. Some of the child’s bones were found in university storage boxes, but the location of the skull, which was sent out for study shortly after the original excavation, is cur
  
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• Traces of an Ancient City Discovered on a Pacific Island

  13-04-2024 01:13 via archaeology.org
  NUKU’ALOFA, KINGDOM OF TONGA—ABC News Australia reports that traces of an ancient city in the form of some 10,000 mounds have been identified on the Pacific Island of Tongatapu through high-tech mapping with aerial scanners and archaeological fieldwork. “Earth structures were being constructed in Tongatapu around A.D. 300. This is 700 years earlier than previously thought,” said Phillip Parton of The Australian National University. As the settlement spread and grew, he ex
  
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• Shoe Buckle Found on Scotland's Culloden Battlefield

  13-04-2024 00:32 via archaeology.org
  EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND—An excavation of the Culloden battlefield has recovered musket balls, grapeshot, and a shoe buckle that may have belonged to a Scottish Jacobite clan chief, according to a report in The National. The defeat of the Jacobite army by British forces at the Battle of Culloden on April 16, 1746, resulted in the collapse of the Jacobite uprising. Archaeologists from the National Trust Scotland think the copper alloy buckle may have belonged to Donald Cameron of Lochiel, the Ja
  
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• How Did Ancient Egyptians View the Milky Way?

  12-04-2024 01:38 via archaeology.org
  PORTSMOUTH, ENGLAND—Astrophysicist Or Graur of the University of Portsmouth and his colleagues think that the sky goddess Nut may have been understood by ancient Egyptians as an expression of the Milky Way, according to a Gizmodo report. Nut, the goddess of the sky, stars, and the universe, was often shown with stars all over her body and arched over her brother and husband, Geb, the god of Earth. The researchers analyzed ancient Egyptian texts, including the Book of Nut, which focuses on
  
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• Rare Coins Recovered From Medieval Grave in Sweden

  12-04-2024 01:08 via archaeology.org
  JÖNKÖPING COUNTY, SWEDEN—According to a report in The Miami Herald, an excavation at the historic Brahe Church on the island of Visingsö off Sweden’s southern coast has uncovered two graves estimated to be 800 years old. One grave held the remains of a man thought to have been between the ages of 20 and 25 at the time of death. Archaeologist Anna Ödéen of the Jönköping County Museum said that Christian graves from this time period usually do not c
  
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• Study Identifies Possible Neolithic Human Sacrifices in Europe

  12-04-2024 00:51 via archaeology.org
  PARIS, FRANCE—Live Science reports that forensic pathologist Bertrand Ludes of Paris Cité University, biological anthropologist Eric Crubézy of Paul Sabatier University, and their colleagues reexamined a Neolithic burial discovered in southern France some 20 years ago and other European tomb sites. They found evidence for a total of 20 cases of human sacrifice using incaprettamento—a method of killing by tying people’s necks to their legs bent behind their backs s
  
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• Frescoed Dining Hall Discovered in Pompeii

  11-04-2024 23:43 via archaeology.org
  NAPLES, ITALY—According to a BBC News report, a large banqueting hall with frescoed walls and a white mosaic floor has been unearthed in Regio IX of Pompeii, a Roman city destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, said that the paintings were placed on a black background, which may have been chosen to hide smoke deposits from burning lamps. “In the shimmering light, the paintings would have almost come to
  
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• Roman Road Uncovered in Southern France

  11-04-2024 23:40 via archaeology.org
  NÎMES, FRANCE—The Miami Herald reports that researchers from the French National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) uncovered a 2,000-year-old stone roadway under the modern Beaucaire Road during an investigation ahead of a construction project in southern France. Ruts and signs of replaced stones were found in the road, which measures about 50 feet wide. The pavement is thought to have been a crossroad of the Via Domitia, the main Roman access route to the city
  
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• Fox Remains Recovered from 1,500-Year-Old Grave in Argentina

  11-04-2024 03:18 via archaeology.org
  OXFORD, ENGLAND—According to a BBC News report, the nearly complete remains of an extinct species of fox (Dusicyon avus) have been recovered from a 1,500-year-old grave at the site of Cañada Seca in Argentina's Patagonia region. Analysis of the fox’s bones indicates that it weighed between about 20 to 30 pounds, and that it consumed the same diet as the human who was buried with it. “This is a very rare find of having this fox that appears to have had such a close bond w
  
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• Ancient Aboriginal Pottery Unearthed in Northern Australia

  11-04-2024 02:57 via archaeology.org
  CAPE YORK, AUSTRALIA—SBS News Australia reports that 82 pieces of pottery estimated to be between 3,000 and 2,000 years old have been discovered on Jiigurru, or Lizard Island, which is located off the coast of northern Australia’s Cape York Peninsula. Geologic analysis of the materials used to produce the pottery indicates that it was most likely made from local materials. This is the oldest securely dated pottery found in Australia, according to Sean Ulm of James Cook University. &l
  
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• Unusual Railway Car Discovered in Belgium

  11-04-2024 02:00 via archaeology.org
  ANTWERP, BELGIUM—The York Press reports that a wooden railway wagon made in England was discovered at the wall of a nineteenth-century fortress by members of the Urban Archaeology department of the City of Antwerp. The storage wagon was made approximately 100 years ago by the company London and North Eastern Railway (LNER), which operated between 1923 and 1948, when it was nationalized. “It’s a mystery as to how the carriage came to be in Antwerp, and unfortunately there&r
  
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• 1,500-Year-Old Nobleman’s Tomb Found in Eastern China

  11-04-2024 01:40 via archaeology.org
  ZHENJIANG, CHINA—Xinhua reports that 13 tombs dated to the Six Dynasties period (A.D. 220–589) were found during recent excavations in eastern China’s Jiangsu Province. The owner of Tomb 6 has been identified as Zhao Xuanzhi, the uncle of an emperor who ruled during the Southern Dynasty, between A.D. 420 and 589, through the discovery of his personal six-sided bronze seal in the tomb. “The age of the tomb is consistent with historical records,” added Li Xidong of th
  
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• Study Compares Neanderthal and Modern Human Living Spaces

  10-04-2024 05:30 via archaeology.org
  LIGURIA, ITALY—According to a statement released by the University of Montreal, a new study of the Riparo Bombrini rock shelter in northwestern Italy suggests that both Neanderthals and modern humans used the space in a structured way. Amélie Vallerand and Julien Riel-Salvatore of the University of Montreal and Fabio Negrino of the University of Genoa mapped the distribution of stone tools, animal bones, ocher, and marine shells on the surface of three layers at the site that were i
  
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• Recycled Byzantine Silver Drove 7th-Century Trade

  10-04-2024 04:41 via archaeology.org
  CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND—According to a report in Cosmos Magazine, lead isotope analysis of coins minted in what are now England, the Netherlands, and parts of France between A.D. 660 and 750 indicates that they were made from recycled Byzantine silver. The identification suggests that trade between northwestern Europe and the Byzantine Empire began earlier than previously thought. “Elites in England and Francia were almost certainly sitting on this silver already,” said Rory Naismit
  
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• Sacred Road Uncovered in Vietnam’s My Son Sanctuary

  10-04-2024 03:58 via archaeology.org
  QUANG NAM, VIETNAM—Vietnam+ reports that a road dated to the twelfth century has been found in central Vietnam’s My Son Sanctuary, a cluster of Hindu temples constructed between the fourth and fourteenth centuries by the Champa kingdoms. This section of road, made of packed earth, is about 30 feet wide and 500 feet long. Brick-lined walls supported the packed earth on both sides. The road connected temple tower K to the center of the sanctuary. Researchers suggest that kings and monk
  
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• Sculpture of Apollo Found in Philippi

  09-04-2024 03:45 via archaeology.org
  THESSALONIKI, GREECE—According to an ArtNet News report, a marble head depicting Apollo, the ancient Greek god of archery, music, dance, healing, and poetry, has been uncovered in northern Greece at the site of Philippi by a team of researchers led by Natalia Poulos of the University of Thessaloniki. The 2,000-year-old sculpture shows a young man with curly hair and a laurel crown. It is thought to have been reused during the medieval period as an adornment on a town square fountain situat
  
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• Earthwork Henge Discovered in Eastern England

  09-04-2024 03:03 via archaeology.org
  LINCOLNSHIRE, ENGLAND—Newsweek reports that an earthwork henge measuring nearly 250 feet across has been discovered in eastern England, on what was once a peninsula surrounded on three sides by water and marshes. Smaller henges have been found in the region, indicating that this one may have been a hub for ceremonial activity, according to Duncan Wright of Newcastle University and Hugh Willmott of the University of Sheffield. Based upon information in a medieval text, the researchers had b
  
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• Study Investigates Early Medieval Animal Burial in Hungary

  09-04-2024 03:00 via archaeology.org
  STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN—According to a Live Science report, researchers have studied the intact skeletons of a lynx and four dogs that were discovered in a beehive-shaped pit in west-central Hungary, in an area where buildings, pits, wells, and ovens have been found. The small settlement site, known as Zamárdi-Kútvölgyi-dűlő, has been dated to the fifth or sixth century A.D. The male lynx (Lynx lynx) had been placed in an extended position at the bottom of the nearly
  
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• Audio News for March 31st through April 6th, 2024

  08-04-2024 16:48 via archaeologychannel.org
  
  
  News items read by Laura Kennedy include:Air Force unit in New Mexico uncovers prehistoric site(details)Paleolithic wooden tools from Germany show diverse woodworking techniques(details) (details)Eggshells from Central Asian sites show the rapid spread of domesticated chickens(details) (details)Sand sculpture on South African coast suggests origin of representational art(details) (details)
  
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• Germany’s Paleolithic Wooden Weapons Analyzed

  08-04-2024 03:10 via archaeology.org
  GÖTTINGEN, GERMANY—According to a statement released by the University of Göttingen, the wooden hunting weapons discovered among animal bones in 300,000-year-old deposits on what had been a lakeshore in northwestern Germany’s Schöningen site have been studied by researchers from the University of Göttingen, the University of Reading, and the Lower Saxony State Office for Cultural Heritage (NLD). The wood objects were examined with 3-D microscopy and micro-CT scann
  
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• 2,300-Year-Old Tomb Discovered in Greece

  08-04-2024 03:04 via archaeology.org
  ATHENS, GREECE—Work on a sewerage system has unearthed a tomb in the ancient Macedonian city of Aegae in modern Vergina, Greece, according to an All That’s Interesting report. The tomb is thought to have belonged to a noble couple and date to the third century B.C., according to Angeliki Kottaridi, Honorary Superintendent of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Imathia. The doorway into the tomb, which measures about 12 feet long and nine feet wide, had been blocked by a pile of stones. Pa
  
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• Roman Wall Unearthed in Western Germany

  08-04-2024 03:00 via archaeology.org
  AACHEN, GERMANY—Live Science reports that traces of a 1,700-year-old Roman fort have been found under a cobblestone street in western Germany’s city of Aachen. “The way the wall was built left no doubt it had to be of Roman origin,” said archaeologist Donata Kyritz. “The concrete-like mortar and the choice of rock was typical for the Roman period. Also, the dimensions and the way the foundation was built differed from the technique used in medieval times,” she
  
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• Ice Age Lineage Detected in Genetic Study of Blackfoot Peoples

  05-04-2024 00:39 via archaeology.org
  URBANA, ILLINOIS—Science Magazine reports that the analysis of DNA samples from six living members of the Blackfoot Confederacy, and samples taken from the remains of four ancestors held at the Blackfeet Tribal Historic Preservation Office and three ancestors held by the Smithsonian Institution, supports Blackfoot oral history and archaeological evidence indicating that Blackfoot people have occupied areas of what are now Montana, Alberta, and Saskatchewan for more than 10,000 years. The B
  
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• New Thoughts on a 16th-Century Ship’s Cargo

  05-04-2024 00:36 via archaeology.org
  ESPOSENDE, PORTUGAL—ArtNet News reports that a study of artifacts that washed ashore in Portugal about 10 years ago suggests that they did not come from the wreckage of the Nossa Senhora da Rosa, an Iberian vessel carrying wine that sank in 1577, as had been previously thought. The artifacts include 490 pewter fragments, and 254 pewter plates, porringers, and spoons. Marks on these pewter objects indicate that they were made in European workshops in the sixteenth century. The researchers a
  
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• Medieval Belt Hook Unearthed in Poland

  05-04-2024 00:34 via archaeology.org
  WEST POMERANIA, POLAND—According to a Science in Poland report, a medieval belt hook for hanging keys or a purse has been unearthed in northwestern Poland by a metal detectorist. Archaeologist Grzegorz Kurka of the Kamień Land History Museum said that similar rare belt hooks have been found in Hungary, Austria, and Germany. This one is in the shape of a person with his hands resting on his hips and elbows out, creating two holes. A hole for another hanging item was placed at the botto
  
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• Bronze Age Fort Identified Off Ireland’s West Coast

  04-04-2024 00:15 via archaeology.org
  COUNTY MAYO, IRELAND—The Irish Independent reports that an island in Clew Bay may actually be the remains of a large Bronze Age fort. Archaeologist Michael Gibbons said that several large ramparts faced with limestone blocks are visible on the tidal isthmus linking the island of Collanmore to Ireland’s west coast during very low tides, when the island is accessible by foot. But, he added, the structures are covered with seaweed, and are hidden from site during high tides. The structu
  
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• Sandstone Object Found on South African Coast May Depict a Stingray

  04-04-2024 00:12 via archaeology.org
  CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA—IFL Science reports that an evaluation of a sandstone object discovered in 2018 on South Africa’s coastline suggests that it may be an image of a stingray, a creature native to Africa’s southern coast. Optically stimulated luminescence dating indicates that the sand forming the stone, whose surface is about 14 inches long and 12 inches wide, was last exposed to sunlight some 130,000 years ago. To test the object’s resemblance to a stingray, a team
  
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• Medieval Papal Seal Recovered in Poland

  04-04-2024 00:08 via archaeology.org
  WEST POMERANIA, POLAND—Science in Poland reports that a third medieval seal has been found in northwestern Poland. This lead seal was discovered by a group of metal detectorists looking for World War II artifacts. The preserved letters and iconography on the seal suggest that it was used to sign papal bulls, or decrees issued by the pope, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. The name on the seal is incomplete, but researchers from the Kamień Land History Museum estimate that the s
  
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• Researchers Review Viking Body Modifications

  04-04-2024 00:05 via archaeology.org
  MÜNSTER, GERMANY—Matthias Toplak and Lukas Kerk of the Viking Museum Haithabu and the University of Münster examined filed teeth and deformed skulls found in Viking Age burials on the Swedish island of Gotland, which is located in the Baltic Sea, according to a Newsweek report. Vikings may have also had tattoos, piercings, scarification, or hair and beard styles to signal affiliation with certain social, religious, or cultural groups, the researchers explained, but these forms of
  
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• Two New Substances Found in Neolithic Pottery

  03-04-2024 03:36 via archaeology.org
  ISTANBUL, TURKEY—According to a statement released by Koç University, a team of researchers led by Adrià Breu Barcons and Rana Özbal of Koç University analyzed pottery recovered from Neolithic sites in the Mediterranean region. “We had some samples with some residues we didn’t really understand,” Barcons said. “We thought maybe they were coming from cooking techniques that thermally alter fat,” she explained. To test this hypothesis,
  
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