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2,500-Year-Old Coțofenești Gold Helmet with Greek and Scythian Influences to Be Restored
The Coțofenești Gold Helmet, a 2,500-year-old masterpiece of Getic art, is set to undergo restoration in Romania after specialists completed an extensive program of scientific analysis and documentation. Dating to the mid-5th century BC, the Iron Age artifact is associated with the elite of the ancient Getae. Made of gold, its richly decorated surface combines…
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Dry Summer Reveals Lost Garden and Medieval Buildings Beneath England’s Lawns
Prolonged hot and dry weather across southern England has revealed the outlines of a lost garden and medieval buildings, as parch marks emerge across the lawns of several historic sites. At Blenheim Palace, Mottisfont, Greys Court and Portchester Castle, changes in the grass have exposed the footprints of a vast 18th-century formal garden, medieval monastic…
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The 1,100-Year-Old Alfred Jewel May Have Been a Manuscript Reading Pointer
The Alfred Jewel, a 1,100-year-old Anglo-Saxon object associated with King Alfred the Great, may have been a manuscript reading pointer rather than simply an elaborate piece of royal goldwork. The small object carries an unusually direct statement of royal patronage: “Alfred ordered me to be made.” Dating to between AD 871 and 899, the reign…
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Hundreds of Dressel 1A Amphorae Found at 2,100-Year-Old Roman Shipwreck off Sicily
At a depth of 46 metres off southwestern Sicily, investigators have documented a Roman shipwreck surrounded by hundreds of amphorae, two lead anchor stocks and another structure made of lead. The site lies about three miles from Mazara del Vallo and has been provisionally dated to between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, Italy’s Ministry…
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2,500-Year-Old Etruscan Ritual Well in Italy Yields Bronze Offerings and Human Remains
Archaeologists excavating the ancient Etruscan city of Kainua in northern Italy have uncovered a 2,500-year-old ritual well containing exceptionally preserved bronze offerings and the remains of two adults. The discovery was made in the sacred quarter of Kainua, near modern Marzabotto in the Emilia-Romagna region, during the 39th excavation campaign led by the University of…
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A Vast 18th-Century Warship Slipway Is Emerging from the Mud of an English River
At low tide on the Beaulieu River, volunteers are scraping away layers of dark mud from a structure that once carried Royal Navy warships into the water. When the tide rises, British Army divers continue the search below the surface. The excavation is taking place at Buckler’s Hard in Hampshire, one of Britain’s most important…
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More Than 450 Mice May Reveal an Unknown Apollo Cult at a 2,700-Year-Old Sanctuary in Crete
The remains of more than 450 mice discovered in a votive deposit at an ancient sanctuary in Crete may offer the first archaeological evidence for an Apollo Smintheus cult in Gortyn. The unusual deposit was uncovered in 2025 at the Sanctuary of Apollo, one of the oldest religious complexes associated with the emergence of the…
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Two Towers and 18 Arrowheads Reveal Signs of Fighting at Rusokastro Fortress
Archaeologists investigating Rusokastro Fortress in southeastern Bulgaria have uncovered two previously unknown defensive towers and 18 iron projectile points concentrated beside the medieval walls. Several of the points were bent after striking stone, offering physical evidence of fighting around this part of the fortress. The discovery was announced by the Regional Historical Museum – Burgas,…
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A Waste Heap at a Norwegian Quarry Hid Seven Medieval Stone Crosses
A heap of broken stone at Hyllestad in western Norway concealed more than ordinary quarry waste. Buried among the debris were fragments of seven medieval stone crosses, including pieces from monuments that may once have stood several metres high. The discovery was made in 2008 during an excavation led by University of Bergen archaeologist Irene…