Tag

Archaeology

All articles tagged with #archaeology

travel1 day ago•304 min saved

The fake amphitheater that duped tourists ends in prison

A man in Arcugnano, Italy built a 54,000-square-foot “ancient” theater that wasn’t Greek or Roman and charged visitors up to 40 euros to visit. Local police uncovered the scheme in 2016, and after a decade-long legal battle Franco Malosso (also known as Von Rosenfranz) was convicted of art forgery, building without authorization, and damaging a UNESCO-protected landscape, receiving a 28-month jail term plus fines. The site has been sequestered and ordered to be torn down, with experts noting genuine Roman sites remain nearby for those interested in antiquity.

via CNN|

#archaeology #arcugnano #fake-amphitheater

science2 days ago•6 min saved

Ancient DNA Rewrites Europe’s Post-Rome Story

A multinational study of genomes from over 300 individuals in the Little Hungarian Plain shows a shift from southern to northern European ancestry after Rome’s fall, linked to the Lombard expansion. The findings reveal complex, localized population movements that produced diverse, hierarchical post-Roman societies rather than a single mass migration or simple conquest, highlighting that material culture and genetic ancestry can diverge as newcomers integrated with local populations.

via SciTechDaily|

#ancient-dna #archaeology #genetics

science2 days ago•4 min saved

Possible first trebuchet casualty identified in 14th‑century Stirling Castle skeleton

A 700-year-old skeleton (Skeleton 150) found at Stirling Castle shows extensive, high-velocity trauma consistent with being struck by a siege engine. Researchers say the fractures and skull damage, plus the context of a 1304 siege by Edward I, point to a trebuchet as the likely cause, making him a potential first recorded casualty of a trebuchet. The body was buried with seven other war casualties, and carbon dating places them in the 1300s; experts emphasize the injuries are inconsistent with accidental falls or trampling.

via New York Post|

#archaeology #forensic-anthropology #medieval

world2 days ago•9 min saved

Putin Witnesses Unearthed Remains of Dmitry Donskoy at Kremlin Cathedral

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Archangel Cathedral inside the Kremlin to inspect the open sarcophagus of medieval Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy, whose nearly complete remains were uncovered during restoration. Archaeologists described the four-part lid, preserved textiles, and bones as indicating the prince’s remains, dating to the 14th century; the Russian Orthodox Church confirmed the remains belong to Donskoy, a pivotal ruler who built the first stone Kremlin and defeated the Mongols, with Putin lighting a candle beside the tomb as experts explained the identification.

via The Jerusalem Post|

#archaeology #archangel-cathedral #dmitry-donskoy

world3 days ago•15 min saved

Neanderthals ventured into ancient Saudi Arabia as lakes dotted the desert 55,000 years ago

A study using stone-flake analysis and luminosity dating of sites near Jubbah in the Nefud Desert places Neanderthal occupation in present-day Saudi Arabia around 55,000 years ago, suggesting a much wider and more adaptable range into Arabia as wetter, greener conditions prevailed; there are no bones or DNA found, so conclusions rely on artefact morphology and statistical comparisons to other sites.

via The Times of India|

#arabia #archaeology #jebel-katefeh

science4 days ago•206 min saved

400-year-old Polish grave reveals feared revenant linked to a wealthy lineage

Archaeologists uncover a 400-year-old grave near Pień, Poland, of a 17–19-year-old girl buried with a sickle over her throat and a toe padlock to stop her rising, plus a copper-gold object in her mouth. Ancient DNA and isotopes suggest she was locally raised and likely from a wealthy family with possible Scandinavian maternal links; the site features other deviant burials reflecting fears of the dead, and researchers plan further DNA work to learn more about her death and beliefs surrounding revenants.

via CNN|

#ancient-dna #archaeology #isotopes

science4 days ago•18 min saved

Half-a-million-year-old timber reveals earliest deliberate woodwork at Kalambo Falls

Luminescence dating of the sediment at Kalambo Falls (Zambia) places a paired timber fragment, once thought to be driftwood, at least 476,000 years old, showing that early humans deliberately shaped and joined wood—perhaps for a platform or walkway—though the full structure and responsible hominin species remain unknown.

via The Times of India|

#archaeology #human-evolution #kalambo-falls

world4 days ago•6 min saved

Dry Rivers Uncover Europe’s Lost Relics and Shipping Woes

Record-low water levels across Europe’s Danube and Rhine due to intense heat and scarce rainfall have exposed submerged relics—from World War II shipwrecks to Bronze Age artifacts and even mammoth remains—while also hampering inland freight, with Germany facing potential GDP impacts as preservationists race to document discoveries before rising waters submerge them again.

via Business Insider|

#archaeology #danube #drought

science4 days ago•3 min saved

3,000-year-old block fuels claim of lost Egyptian city linked to Exodus

Archaeologists at Tell Abu Seifi in northeastern Egypt uncovered a large sandstone beam inscribed with Ramses II and Horus and found a fortified temple citadel, suggesting the site could be the ancient city of Mesen along the Horus Military Road—a route linked to biblical Exodus narratives. The find strengthens a historical hypothesis but is not conclusive, and researchers will continue excavations to verify the connection between the discoveries and the Exodus-era city.

via New York Post|

#archaeology #egypt #exodus

archaeology4 days ago•6 min saved

Ancient Ramesses II Lintel Found Near Sinai Sparks Link to Exodus-Era Mesen

Egyptian archaeologists uncovered a massive sandstone lintel bearing Ramesses II’s titles at Tell Abu Seifi near the Sinai, a find that researchers say strengthens the theory that the site is the ancient city of Mesen along the Horus Military Road and potentially ties to the Exodus route, though excavation and analysis are ongoing.

via Fox News|

#archaeology #exodus #horus

archaeology5 days ago•141 min saved

Ancient DNA rewrites the role of women in prehistoric societies

New ancient-DNA data is overturning the long-held view that prehistoric societies were uniformly male-dominated. Examples include a Stonehenge-era grave once thought to be male that DNA shows belonged to a woman goldsmith, and a Birka Viking burial that proved a woman fought or led with weapons. As genetic research expands, sites like Çatalhöyük reveal female lineages and possible matrilineal inheritance, while Iron Age Britain shows matrilocal patterns and several cases of matrilineal descent. The emerging picture is a regional, time‑slotted patchwork of gender roles—some women held power or fought; others did not—reflecting a more nuanced prehistoric social landscape.

via Live Science|

#archaeology #gender-roles #genetics

world5 days ago•47 min saved

Akrotiri: Santorini’s Bronze-Age City Unearthed Like Greece’s Pompeii

Archaeologists uncovered Akrotiri on Santorini, a Bronze Age city preserved by volcanic ash after the Minoan eruption, widely dubbed Greece’s Pompeii; excavations led by Spyridon Marinatos in the 1960s revealed multi-story buildings and vibrant frescoes that illuminate Bronze Age Aegean civilization.

via greekreporter.com|

#akrotiri #archaeology #bronze-age

science6 days ago•168 min saved

Neanderthals ventured into southern Arabia 55,000 years ago, expanding their range

A study of stone tools from JKF-1 beside an ancient lake near Jubbah, Saudi Arabia, suggests Neanderthals inhabited the Arabian interior about 55,000 years ago—far south of where they were previously thought to live. By analyzing hundreds of tool flakes and comparing them to Neanderthal and Homo sapiens patterns, and dating the sediments with optically stimulated luminescence, researchers find evidence that Neanderthals made the JKF-1 tools. The date corresponds to a wetter period with a refilling lake, which could have drawn Neanderthals into the desert interior. No Neanderthal bones have been found in Arabia, so the evidence remains indirect and subject to further confirmation.

via Live Science|

#archaeology #neanderthals #quaternarysciencereviews

archaeology8 days ago•167 min saved

Stirling Castle Skeleton with 167 Fractures May Be Earliest Trebuchet Victim

A 14th‑century skeleton (Skeleton 150) from Stirling Castle bears 167 fractures, including extensive skull and rib damage, suggesting death from a high‑velocity siege weapon. Carbon dating places the individual around 1300 during the Wars of Scottish Independence, with researchers noting a zigzag rib fracture pattern typical of severe trauma and identifying a siege‑engine strike as the likely cause—potentially making him the earliest known trebuchtet casualty linked to Edward I’s War Wolf.

via Live Science|

#archaeology #medieval #stirling-castle

human-history8 days ago•17 min saved

Ancient Trebuchet Victim Revealed in a 14th-Century Skeleton

Archaeologists studying Skeleton 150 beneath Stirling Castle’s chapel have identified more than 160 blunt-force injuries, including a skull fractured in 61 places, suggesting a single high-velocity impact from a trebuchet during Edward I’s siege in 1304 CE — potentially the first documented case of a death caused by a trebuchet.

via Gizmodo|

#archaeology #human-history #medieval-history