A handful of Arabian silver coins unearthed from an orchard in Rhode Island and other parts of New England are shining a fresh light on the ‘world’s first manhunt’. Conducted by the English, the target was the notorious pirate Captain Henry Every and his crew, who plundered an armed trading ship of the Mughal empire. The vessel — … Read more
Archaeologists have uncovered a Roman arena in Turkey that was ‘just like Rome’s Colosseum’ and would have hosted gladiator fights for some 20,000 spectators. The find, a national first, was revealed as part of excavations of Mastaura, an ancient city in Aydin Province. The arena was partly buried and hidden by vegetation. Its remains are well preserved … Read more
A trove of treasures uncovered in 2020 including a wax seal stamp of an Elephant with a ‘war-tower’ and a medieval ‘meme’ has been revealed by the British Museum. The meme-like item is a unique mount, perhaps worn as a badge, depicting a knight stepping out of a snail shell that appears to be mounted … Read more
After vanishing for 62 years and ending up as a coffee table, a mosaic that adorned the bridge of one of Emperor Caligula’s lavish pleasure barges has returned to Italy. The 2,000-year-old, 5 sq. foot red, green and white pattern was recovered from the bottom of Lake Nemi — 19 miles south of Rome — … Read more
How part of a human SKULL wound up alone in an Italian cave: 5,400-year-old cranium of a young woman underwent an elaborate funeral ritual before it was washed away from its burial place and trapped in a forming cavern Caves were used for funeral practices in ancient Italy but this had no other bones Researchers from … Read more
A Roman millstone found near Cambridge was decorated with an engraving of a penis — an ‘image of strength and virility’ — archaeologists have revealed. The millstone and others were uncovered three years ago during roadworks to improve a 21-mile stretch of the A14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon. The finds came from the remains of a … Read more
A pharaoh who ruled southern Egypt 3,576 years ago was captured in battle against a foreign dynasty occupying the north and ceremonially executed, a study found. Experts from Egypt CT-scanned the mummy of pharaoh Seqenenre Tao, known as ‘the Brave’, and revealed new details about the injuries that led to his death. He appeared to have been killed by … Read more
St Kilda was inhabited 2,000 YEARS ago! Archaeologists discover Iron Age pottery on Scotland’s remote archipelago, indicating a community was ‘well established’ there Experts excavated a site in Village Bay, on the island of Hirta, from 2017–2019 The work was undertaken prior to the refurbishment of a military tracking base Radiocarbon dating indicated the island was inhabited … Read more
Chinese noblemen were using cosmetics made from animal fat and cave ‘milk’ on their faces some 2,700 years ago, a study has reported. Experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences excavated a nobleman’s tomb — filled with assorted grave goods — at the Liujiawa site in northern China. During the so-called ‘Spring and Autumn’ period (771–476 … Read more
Scraps of dyed thread unearthed in Isreal that date back 3,000 years match the descriptions of the purple garments worn by royalty like King Solomon in the Bible. Researchers from Isreal found remnants of woven fabric, a tassel and fibres of wool dyed in so-called ‘royal purple’ from a dig site in the Timna Valley. … Read more