Archaeology

Nov 18th, 2025 - Archaeologists did some digging in and around the Kazakhstan steppe and discovered an ancient settlement. Further study proved that the settlement belonged to the Bronze Age and was a thriving city about 3,600 years ago. The discovery is now forcing researchers to rethink the history of metal production in prehistoric Eurasia. According to a study published in the journal Antiquity , the site, 346 acres of land, dates back to 1600 BC. It is also the only site discovered in the region with a ... [Read More]

Nov 17th, 2025 - A rare scalpel hints at ritual medicine in Iron Age trade routes On a hilltop in east-central Poland, archaeologists have found an unusual Iron Age tool: an iron scalpel, likely once attached to a wooden handle, with a blade that tapers into a sharp point. Its likely use was brain surgery. Trepanation, a form of early skull surgery that involved scraping or drilling into the bone, was practiced by various cultures including the Inca , Chinese , and even some Neolithic cultures . Now, it looks ... [Read More]

Nov 15th, 2025 - Archaeological excavations outside the ancient city of Megiddo shed light on the area's Bronze Age alcohol production and a potential folk cult. Reading time 3 minutes Archaeologists in Israel have uncovered extraordinary artifacts, including a 5,000-year-old winepress and a 3,300-year-old animal-shaped vessel. Archaeological excavations connected to a highway development project in northern Israel, east of the ancient city of Megiddo , have shed light on the area's Bronze Age history and ... [Read More]

Nov 15th, 2025 - Ancient Maya monument discovery rewrites the history books For a long time, archaeologists believed that large buildings required large bosses. The idea was simple: only societies with strong hierarchies (kings, priests, and planners) could organize massive construction projects. But recent discoveries in the Maya region are rewriting that script. Archaeologists previously pictured early Maya life as simple and small-scale: people making pottery, living in scattered villages from 1000 to 700 ... [Read More]

Nov 14th, 2025 - Reading time 3 minutes Egyptian alabaster vessels may have been the ancient world's hookah. In a study published in September in the Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies, researchers identified traces of opiates—natural compounds from poppies such as opium, morphine, and heroin—in an ancient alabaster vase in the Yale Peabody Museum's Babylonian Collection. The team argues that, to date, their work represents the clearest comprehensive evidence of ... [Read More]

Nov 12th, 2025 - This ancient structure remarkable lasted through the millennia. "Megaliths represent the earliest form of monumental stone architecture," write the authors of the new study, and the Menga Dolmen is a fantastic example. This prehistoric megalithic structure near Antequera in southern Spain stands as one of the most impressive and enigmatic monuments of Europe's distant past. This ancient burial mound was made using massive stone slabs during the Neolithic period. It's remained intact for a ... [Read More]

Nov 4th, 2025 - It's quick and easy to access Live Science Plus, simply enter your email below. We'll send you a confirmation and sign you up for our daily newsletter, keeping you up to date with the latest science news. QUICK FACTS Milestone: Staircase to King Tut's tomb uncovered When: Nov. 4, 1922 Where: Valley of the Kings, Egypt Who: An archaeological team led by Howard Carter On a sunny morning, Egyptian workers were clearing the sands at the Valley of the Kings, when they uncovered the hint of stone ... [Read More]

Nov 4th, 2025 - After two decades and an estimated cost of $1bn, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) opened its doors to the public on Tuesday, just a few days after the official opening ceremony on Saturday. Regarded as the world's largest archaeological facility for a single civilisation, the museum is located 2km (1.2 miles) from the pyramids of Giza and 8km (5 miles) from the capital, Cairo. The complex spans nearly 500,000sq metres (5,381,900sq ft) and will house more than 100,000 ancient artefacts from the ... [Read More]

Oct 30th, 2025 - For the first time since the boy king's tomb was discovered in 1922, all the items will stored in one place, a museum director told NBC News. GIZA, Egypt — They're the crown jewels of the Grand Egyptian Museum — two galleries devoted to the ancient pharaoh Tutankhamun . Showcasing more than 5,300 objects from the young king's tomb, including his iconic death mask and glittering royal regalia, the new section of the vast museum here on the outskirts of Cairo is expected to draw ... [Read More]

Oct 5th, 2025 - CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian antiquities officials on Sunday said a Pharaonic painting has disappeared from the famed Saqqara necropolis just outside of Cairo, becoming the latest artifact to disappear in a country known for its rich history. Mohamed Ismail, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the limestone painting was in the tomb of Khentika in the Saqqara necropolis. The mastaba tomb, which housed the painting, was found in the 1950s, and hasn't opened since 2019, he ... [Read More]

Oct 4th, 2025 - LUXOR, Egypt (AP) — Egypt on Saturday opened a tomb of a pharaoh for visitors after more than two decades of renovation in the southern city of Luxor, as it prepares for the official opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The huge tomb of Amenhotep III, who ruled ancient Egypt between 1390 B.C. and 1350 B.C., is located on the western side of the famed Valley of the Kings. It was found in 1799 by two people and its contents were looted, including the sarcophagus, Egyptian ... [Read More]

Sep 29th, 2025 - An "unparalleled" funerary statue of an ancient Egyptian man whose name may be Messi has been discovered at the Saqqara necropolis — and it shows him standing with what appears to be his tiny wife and even tinier daughter, who is holding a goose. Measuring just over 40 inches (103 centimeters) tall and carved out of limestone, "the most prominent figure depicted is that of a nobleman standing tall with an advancing left foot representing youth, vitality and strength," researchers wrote in ... [Read More]

Sep 26th, 2025 - You can now listen to Fox News articles! Egyptian archaeologists recently uncovered a hidden harbor at an ancient temple connected to Cleopatra VII – an unexpected find for historians.  The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced the discovery of the harbor on Sept. 18. It was found at the Temple of Taposiris Magna, about 30 miles west of Alexandria. The temple, built in the Ptolemaic era, was dedicated to Osiris, the Egyptian god of the afterlife. Though the temple ... [Read More]

Sep 23rd, 2025 - It all used to be so simple. The story of how we – that is Homo sapiens , today's humans – emerged from Africa and spread across what's become Europe and Asia was a neat, straightforward narrative. It began around 50,000 years ago when our brains experienced a lightbulb moment of advancing cognition and creativity, stimulating our ancestors to journey beyond our cradle continent. When they reached Eurasia, around 40–30,000 years ago, they encountered another group of humans, a ... [Read More]

Sep 22nd, 2025 - Hundreds of coins depicting Cleopatra VII, an Egyptian pharaoh who was a lover of Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, have been discovered at Taposiris Magna, a temple site from ancient Egypt . On top of that, the same team recently found a submerged port on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt and say that it's possible that her tomb could be located underwater near the port. Both finds are part of "Cleopatra's Final Secret," a new documentary that premieres on the National Geographic channel Sept. 25 ... [Read More]

Sep 21st, 2025 - The ancient Egyptians took a number of measures to safeguard the pyramids. But did they ever resort to booby traps? The answer, Egyptologists told Live Science, is an emphatic no. "No, they didn't use booby traps in the pyramids, but they could make it damn difficult to get in!" Reg Clark , an independent scholar and Egyptologist who has written extensively about ancient Egyptian tomb security, told Live Science in an email. It's not clear where the idea of booby traps inside Egypt's pyramids ... [Read More]