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42 Late Roman Graves Identified Inside an Octagonal Church at Ancient Tyana
Archaeologists excavating the ancient city of Tyana in central Turkey have identified 42 Late Roman graves inside an octagonal church. Eighteen of the burials have been excavated so far, while most of the remaining graves will be examined in future seasons. The graves are concentrated in the western nave of the church at Kemerhisar, a…
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Single Vertebra Reveals New Long-Necked Dinosaur in Thailand
A fossilized backbone found in northeastern Thailand has led palaeontologists to identify a previously unknown species of long-necked dinosaur. Named Uragasaurus kalasinensis, the plant-eating dinosaur lived during the Late Jurassic and belonged to Mamenchisauridae, a sauropod family known for animals with unusually long necks. It is the first member of this family to be formally…
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Gilded Religious Figure Found Near Medieval Church in Hungary
Archaeologists have begun excavating the remains of a medieval church near Kiskunlacháza, Hungary, years after traces of the building were first identified during field surveys. The site came to attention when museum volunteers walking near the Dömsöd–Arapasztó channel found human skull fragments brought to the surface by plowing. Stones and construction debris scattered across the…
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Remains of First Council of Nicaea Church Found Beneath İznik Basilica
Archaeologists excavating the lakeside basilica in İznik, northwestern Türkiye, have uncovered walls, a paved floor, and a column base belonging to an earlier church beneath the later structure. Excavation director Professor Mustafa Şahin identified the remains as part of the Church of Saint Neophytos, where the First Council of Nicaea was held in AD 325.…
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3,800-Year-Old Ritual Offering With Shell Eyes Found Sealed Beneath Ancient City in Peru
Archaeologists in Peru have uncovered a 3,800-year-old ritual offering sealed beneath a public building at Peñico, an ancient city that rose after the decline of the Caral civilization. The discovery, announced by Peru’s Ministry of Culture, was made by researchers from the Caral Archaeological Zone, led by archaeologist Ruth Shady Solís. The offering was found…
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2,700-Year-Old Seal from Southern Israel Reveals Astral Symbols in Iron Age Judah
A small stone seal found at ancient Yavne in southern Israel is giving archaeologists a closer look at the religious and symbolic world of Iron Age Judah, where images of the moon, stars, and planets circulated alongside local traditions and the influence of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. The seal was uncovered in Area U of the…
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Rare 2,200-Year-Old Ring Bearing Portrait of Egyptian Queen Arsinoe III Found in Russia
A rare 2,200-year-old bronze ring found near Anapa, in southern Russia, bears the engraved profile of a woman identified by researchers as Arsinoe III, queen of Ptolemaic Egypt between 220 and 204 BC. The ring was recovered at Voskresenskoye 6, a Hellenistic-period estate group near ancient Gorgippia, in the wider Bosporan world. It was not…
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2,200-Year-Old Greek Military Camp in Uzbekistan Reveals the Far Edge of Alexander’s World
When Alexander the Great’s armies entered Central Asia, they opened a frontier where Greek military power, local communities and new Hellenistic kingdoms remained entangled for generations. A hilltop in southern Uzbekistan may now preserve a rare trace of that world. Archaeologists working at Iskandar Tepa, a site once interpreted as a small rural settlement, say…
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A 10-Centimeter Neolithic Stone Sphere Found in Azerbaijan Has No Known Parallel in the South Caucasus
Archaeologists excavating the Neolithic settlement of Pashatepe in southeastern Azerbaijan have uncovered a polished stone sphere that does not match any known direct parallel from the South Caucasus. The object was found in the Jalilabad district during excavations led by Vafa Mahmudova, a senior researcher at the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology of the Azerbaijan…