Archaeology

Apr 28th, 2025 - Archaeologists in Peru announced they found the 5,000-year-old remains of a noblewoman at the sacred city of Caral, in an area which for decades was used as a garbage dump. The new discovery revealed the important role played by women in the oldest center of civilization in the Americas, researchers said. "What has been discovered corresponds to a woman who apparently had elevated status, an elite woman," archaeologist David Palomino told AFP. The mummy was found in Aspero, a sacred site within ... [Read More]

Apr 27th, 2025 - In 2024, a Mayan megacity was discovered in Campeche, Mexico. Swallowed by the rainforest, this lost urban center contained pyramids, plazas, amphitheaters, and highways. But this discovery wasn't made by a team of seasoned explorers hacking through the rainforest with machetes. It was made by a Ph.D. student. And he found it by accident. "I was on something like page 16 of a Google search and found a laser survey done by a Mexican organization for environmental monitoring," Luke Auld-Thomas, ... [Read More]

Apr 26th, 2025 - Archaeologists in Pompeii have found two nearly life-size statues that appear to be images of a Roman couple. They made this discovery in a cemetery near Porta Sarno , a gateway that once welcomed merchants and travelers into the bustling city. Pompeii met a sudden end when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, but this catastrophe also sealed countless details of its daily life in ash. These newest findings have drawn the interest of Gabriel Zuchtriegel , director of the Pompeii Archaeological ... [Read More]

Apr 25th, 2025 - Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered the 4,400-year-old tomb of a prince whose burial has a giant "false" pink door to enable souls to enter and exit. The tomb belongs to Prince Userefre, also spelled Waser-If-Re, the son of King Userkaf, also spelled Wserkaf a pharaoh who reigned around 2465 to 2458 B.C. during Egypt's fifth dynasty (circa 2465 to 2323 B.C.). The newly discovered false door has inscriptions that say that he was a "hereditary prince," as well as a "judge," a "minister," a ... [Read More]

Apr 25th, 2025 - Two decades after construction began, the Grand Egyptian Museum, which houses more than 100,000 ancient treasures, will host its grand opening on July 3, 2025. Here's how to get a sneak peek before then, and what's on display. Walking into the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) , one of the first things you'll see is a 36-foot-tall, 82-ton granite statue of Ramesses II, a mighty Egyptian pharaoh who ruled more than 3,300 years ago. He's been standing sentry at the site since 2006, having been one of ... [Read More]

Apr 25th, 2025 - Archaeologists in Jordan have documented a carved inscription bearing the name of Ramesses III, an Egyptian pharaoh who reigned around 3,200 years ago, Jordan's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a translated statement . Ramesses III (reign circa 1184 to 1153 B.C.) ruled at a tumultuous time in the region's history. A number of major powers in the region — such as the Mycenaeans (who were based in Greece and the Aegean islands) and the Hittites (who were based in Turkey) — ... [Read More]

Apr 23rd, 2025 - The 3,300-year-old monument has sat in the French capital's center for almost 200 years, but no one else noticed these strange encryptions. In 1830, the viceroy of Egypt gifted France a 3,300-year-old Egyptian obelisk—a carved stone pillar with a pyramidal top. In 1836 , the obelisk found its home in Paris, in Place de la Concorde. One would think that after standing in the center of the French capital for almost 200 years, Parisian Egyptologists would have learned all there is to ... [Read More]

Apr 23rd, 2025 - The "Eye of Horus," a depiction of a single stylized eye looking straight ahead, is found throughout ancient Egypt. The symbol is frequently seen in ancient burials — especially on a type of amulet known as the wedjat (or udjat). Sometimes, the Eye of Horus is also featured on coffins and inside tomb chapels. But what is the Eye of Horus and what did it mean to the ancient Egyptians ? According to Egyptian mythology, Horus was the son of Osiris, the god of the underworld . Horus fought ... [Read More]

Apr 11th, 2025 - SO'OUD ATEN, Egypt — It's a familiar story: The whim of a leader upends citizens' lives and leads them into the wilderness.  In ancient Egypt , Pharaoh Akhenaten was no different. Determined that his population should stop from worshipping multiple gods, more than 3,300 years ago he told residents to seal up their homes and workshops in the city of So'oud Aten with mud and clay bricks and move to a new home, a leading Egyptologist, Zawi Hawass, told NBC News last month.  ... [Read More]

Apr 4th, 2025 - Proof of an ancient garden, consistent with biblical scripture, has emerged at the holiest site in Christianity — and an archaeologist says "many surprises" from the site are in the works. Archaeologists excavating the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the ancient church in Jerusalem situated where Jesus Christ was crucified and buried, recently found evidence of ancient olive trees and grapevines. The specimens date back roughly 2,000 years. The discovery echoes the New Testament verse John ... [Read More]

Apr 2nd, 2025 - Italian archaeologists recently unearthed ancient Roman tombs during the excavation of a necropolis – including one bearing the epitaph of a gladiator. The discovery was announced by the Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape (ABAP) Superintendence for the Metropolitan Area of Naples on March 21.  In a statement translated from Italian to English, officials said that the dig took place in Liternum, an ancient town near the city of Giugliano in Campania. The excavation site was used as ... [Read More]

Mar 27th, 2025 - By Will Dunham (Reuters) - Archaeologists have discovered the large limestone burial chamber of an unidentified ancient Egyptian pharaoh near the city of Abydos dating to about 3,600 years ago during a chaotic period in Egypt's history. The discovery of the tomb seven meters (23 feet) underground at the ancient necropolis of Anubis Mountain was announced by University of Pennsylvania Museum and Egyptian archaeologists. It marked the second discovery announced this year of a tomb of an ancient ... [Read More]

Mar 13th, 2025 - Archaeologists in Israel have discovered five burials in a cave belonging to an enigmatic human lineage that suggest this group shared aspects of its lifestyle, technology and burial customs with modern humans and Neanderthals, who also lived in the region up to 130,000 years ago, a new study reports. The finding reveals that Neanderthals, modern humans and related human lineages coexisted in what is now Israel for about 50,000 years. However, it's unknown which group influenced the other and ... [Read More]

Mar 5th, 2025 - Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered a 2,600-year-old pot full of gold jewelry, including a rare statuette that depicts a family of gods and may have been worn as an amulet. A team found the pot at Karnak Temple, a complex near Luxor (ancient Thebes). The temple was initially built around 4,000 years ago and was continuously expanded, renovated and modified over millennia. A number of deities were worshipped at the site, including Amun, the chief god of Thebes. The finds include beads, ... [Read More]

Mar 3rd, 2025 - Modern humans now permanently live on every continent except Antarctica, but it wasn't always this way. After our species, Homo sapiens , emerged in Africa at least 300,000 years ago , some eventually ventured out, trekking and voyaging across the world. So when did the first modern humans reach each of the seven continents? Out of Africa The accepted ideas about human evolution today are the "Out of Africa" theories, which propose that H. sapiens evolved in Africa and spread to the other ... [Read More]

Mar 2nd, 2025 - Egyptian officials recently announced the discovery of a 3,000-year-old mining complex, complete with remnants of ancient homes, workshops and even baths. The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities reported that excavation was conducted at Jabal Sukari, located southwest of the town of Marsa Alam in the Red Sea Governorate, according to a Facebook post published on Feb. 25. The statement explained that among the discoveries were the remains of a mining camp dating back three millennia. It ... [Read More]