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Submerged Etruscan Harbor Found Off Rome May Be the Oldest Known Linked to a Temple
Archaeologists surveying shallow waters north of Rome have identified a submerged Etruscan harbor that may once have carried sailors directly to a coastal sanctuary. The stone structure lies off Santa Marinella, about 90 meters from the modern shoreline and at an average depth of 1.5 meters. Its construction has been tentatively dated to between the…
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2,000-Year-Old Leather “Mouse” Comes Out of Storage at Roman Vindolanda
A tiny piece of leather cut into the shape of a mouse has emerged from the vast collections of Roman Vindolanda, offering an unusual glimpse into the lighter side of life on Rome’s northern frontier. The Vindolanda Trust highlighted the object this week as part of its weekly “Shoesday” series, which celebrates the site’s remarkable…
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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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1,400-Year-Old Moche Pottery Workshops Found in Peru
Archaeologists excavating Cerro Mayal on Peru’s northern coast have uncovered new evidence of 1,400-year-old Moche pottery workshops, revealing how one of the ancient Andes’ most distinctive ceramic traditions was produced. The excavations, in the Chicama Valley of the La Libertad region, have exposed ceramic molds, potters’ plates, large quantities of production waste and architectural remains…
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Archaeologists Uncover a 2.5-Meter-Deep Ditch at the Uyghur Khaganate’s Northern Capital
Archaeologists excavating Bay-Balyk in Mongolia have uncovered new details of the defenses that protected one of the principal cities of the Uyghur Khaganate more than 1,100 years ago. A trench opened beside the western citadel revealed a fortification wall measuring up to five meters wide. Along its outer side, researchers documented a ditch extending 2.5…
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4,000-Year-Old UAE Tomb Remained in Use for More Than 1,000 Years
A Bronze Age tomb discovered in the United Arab Emirates served as a communal burial place for more than a millennium, with successive generations returning to the same underground chamber to bury their dead. Archaeologists from the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi uncovered the tomb at the Qattarah Necropolis in Al Ain.…
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5,000-Year-Old Temple with Altars and Sacred Hearths Unearthed in Eastern Turkey
Archaeologists have uncovered a 5,000-year-old temple area containing two altars and three sacred hearths at Tadım Castle and Mound in eastern Turkey. The ritual complex, dated to around 3000 BC, was discovered during ongoing excavations in Tadım village, near Elazığ. Researchers believe the structures were used for religious ceremonies during the Bronze Age. The discovery…
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2,000-Year-Old Theatre Street Unearthed at Aspendos with Shops, Bakery and Ancient Sewer
Archaeologists at Aspendos in southern Turkey have uncovered nearly 300 metres of a 2,000-year-old street lined with shops, houses, public buildings and a well-preserved bread oven. Known as the Theatre Street, the road once connected Aspendos’s famous Roman theatre with the acropolis above. It was one of the ancient city’s main internal routes, carrying residents…
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Mysterious Beast on a 1,000-Year-Old Amulet Still Defies Identification
A 1,000-year-old amulet discovered in Pskov’s Zavelychye district depicts a mysterious beast that archaeologists have still been unable to identify. The surviving fragment preserves the creature’s long snout, heavy jaw and exaggerated features. What the animal represents, however, remains uncertain. The fragment came from the Olginsky-10 excavation on Paromenskaya Street. Based on parallels from better-preserved…