In the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, in the lush forest of Haldensleben, lies the largest concentration of megalithic tombs in Central Europe. Among them, the Küsterberg Megalithic Sepulcher, an imposing funerary monument from the Stone Age, has been partially reconstructed and was inaugurated yesterday, April 27, coinciding with the Day of Megalithic Culture. The project, […]
Bronze Age Archaeology
Exploring diverse Bronze Age cultures across Europe, the Near East, North Africa, South Asia and beyond, archaeologists gain insights into social hierarchies, religious beliefs, and emergence of complex chiefdoms and states. Transitions to more permanent settlements, long-distance trade of metals and luxury goods also characterized this important transitional period between Stone Age hunter-gatherers and the rise of Iron Age civilizations.
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Evidence of Ancient Ritual to “Kill” the Dead and Destroy Their Tombs in a Final Feast 4,000 Years Ago Found in Crete
On the island of Crete, famous for its Minoan palaces and legends like the labyrinth of the Minotaur, an international team of archaeologists has discovered something even more intriguing: how the ancient Cretans symbolically “killed” their dead. This was not a violent act, but rather a carefully planned ritual to close a chapter of their […]
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Rare Glass Ornaments from Egypt Found in Spanish Sites Predate Phoenician Colonization
A multidisciplinary study led by researchers from the University of Alicante (UA) and the University of Augsburg (Germany) has discovered that glass ornaments reached the Iberian Peninsula from Central Europe, Egypt, and the Near East during the Bronze Age. The research, based on the analysis of 17 glass beads recovered from archaeological sites in Alicante […]
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Ancient Scandinavians Mastered Open-Sea Voyages 3,000 Years Before the Vikings
In the waters of the Baltic Sea, long before the Vikings and the written records that tell us of conquests and explorations, there were already peoples venturing out to sea. A new study published in PLOS ONE has shed scientific light on how these peoples might have navigated during the Nordic Bronze Age (ca. 1700–500 […]
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Human Sacrifices of Teenagers in a Site in Türkiye Reveal the Origins of Inequality in the Bronze Age
At the threshold of written history, when the first civilizations began to consolidate in Mesopotamia and Anatolia, the world experienced radical changes in social structure, economy, and culture. One of the most revealing findings about this process is Basur Höyük, an ancient royal cemetery discovered in eastern Turkey. A recent study reveals that this archaeological […]
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Schliemann Was Right: In Troy, Not Only the Elites Drank Wine, but Also the Common People
A team of researchers from the universities of Tübingen, Bonn, and Jena has conclusively demonstrated that wine was consumed in the ancient city of Troy, providing chemical evidence that supports a hypothesis proposed in the 19th century by Heinrich Schliemann, the discoverer of the legendary city. This finding, recently published in the April edition of […]
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An Unusual Wooden Box of Unknown Function Found in a Huge Bronze Age Village in Northern France
In the Hauts-de-France region, archaeologists have discovered a massive village inhabited between the Late Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age. This settlement, which spans more than three hectares, features a high concentration of buildings, making it an exceptional site within the archaeological landscape of northern France. Excavations have revealed more than twenty […]
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Workshops for the Production of Ceramics, Bricks, and Metal, and Irrigation Canals Discovered in the Ancient Mesopotamian City of Uruk
The German archaeological mission, led by Dr. Margret van Es, has concluded its activities in the historic city of Uruk (modern-day Warka in Iraq) during the spring 2025 season. The work has focused on conducting a thorough survey of the ancient city’s surroundings as part of the contract established with the General Authority for Antiquities […]
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Borders of El Argar, the First State of the Iberian Peninsula During the Bronze Age, Identified
A recent study conducted by researchers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology has precisely identified the economic and political borders that, approximately 4,000 years ago, defined the territory of El Argar. Considered the first state structure of the Iberian Peninsula, this society maintained complex relationships with […]
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A Bronze Age Water Control Structure Discovered in an Underground Chamber of the Ancient Hittite City of Nerik
A team of archaeologists discovered a complex underground drainage installation at a spring in Oymaağaç Höyük, in the central Black Sea region of Turkey. This site, identified as the ancient Hittite city of Nerik, has revealed a water control infrastructure dating back to the Bronze Age, between 1525 and 1426 BCE, according to dendrochronological and […]
