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25 Stone Turtle Figurines Found in a Turkish Cave May Reveal a 16,500-Year-Old Ritual World
Deep inside a prehistoric cave in northwestern Türkiye, archaeologists have uncovered an unusual collection of about 25 stone turtle figurines, some deliberately pushed into the ground around circular architectural features. The discovery is offering a rare glimpse into the symbolic world of hunter-gatherers who used the site toward the end of the Ice Age. The…
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20-Meter Stretch of Ancient Main Street Unearthed at Gortyn in Crete
Archaeologists excavating the ancient city of Gortyn on Crete have uncovered about 20 meters of stone paving from one of the city’s main streets, together with evidence that the route was resurfaced several times during the later centuries of Gortyn’s occupation. The discovery was made along the West Street during the third excavation campaign carried…
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1,500-Year-Old ‘Golden Shoes’ Found in Noblewoman’s Grave Reveal Ties to the Hunnic World
A richly furnished grave on Kazakhstan’s Caspian coast has revealed 1,500-year-old gold-covered shoe fittings belonging to a noblewoman whose burial shows striking connections with the Hunnic world. The objects, sometimes described as “golden shoes,” were not footwear made entirely of precious metal. Archaeologists instead recovered elaborate shoe buckles and strap fittings covered with thin gold…
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Mysterious 4,000-Year-Old Tablet Found in Italy Adds to the Largest Collection of Its Kind
Archaeologists excavating a Bronze Age settlement in northern Italy have uncovered an intact 4,000-year-old clay tablet covered with geometric markings whose meaning remains unknown. The discovery is especially significant because it is the 21st “enigmatic tablet” recovered from the Lucone area, more than from any other known archaeological site. The object emerged during the 2026…
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Scientists Find Blood in the Ancient Binding Formula Behind 2,000-Year-Old Huashan Rock Art
China’s 2,000-year-old Huashan rock art has survived on limestone cliffs above the rivers of southern China despite intense heat, monsoon rains and tropical storms that might normally be expected to destroy exposed pigments. A new scientific study suggests that part of the answer lies in an unusual ancient painting formula. Researchers examining the Huashan rock…
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Vienna Mass Grave of 129 Men May Reveal an Unknown Roman-Era Battle
When the Vienna mass grave was uncovered beneath a soccer field in October 2024, the Roman period was not the initial interpretation. Radiocarbon dating changed that picture, placing the burial between about AD 80 and 130. Now, a new analysis of the skeletons suggests that at least 129 young men were killed in a single…
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2,500-Year-Old Greek House in Spain Reveals a Painted ‘Siren’ and Traces of Daily Life
Archaeologists excavating the ancient Greek settlement of Empúries in northeastern Spain have uncovered new evidence of daily life inside one of the earliest houses of Neapolis, including a kitchen, storage vessels and an unusual painted female head that may represent a siren. The ceramic fragment dates to the 6th century BC, when the Greek settlement…
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Ramesses II Inscription Offers New Clue to Egypt’s Lost City of Mesen
A massive sandstone lintel inscribed with the name of a long-lost ancient Egyptian city has emerged from excavations at Tell Abu Saifi, offering archaeologists one of their strongest clues yet to the possible location of Mesen. The discovery was made near East Qantara in Egypt’s Ismailia Governorate, where an Egyptian archaeological mission is investigating a…
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5,000-Year-Old Yamnaya Graves in Romania Reveal an Unusual Skull Placement
More than 5,000 years ago, several people were buried beneath a mound in what is now eastern Romania. Archaeologists have now uncovered four Yamnaya graves, including a double burial, revealing traces of an elaborate funerary tradition involving red ochre, wooden beams, matting and fire. One burial contained an especially unusual detail. The skull was not…