Although its great boom occurred in the 16th century, the drive to travel the known world and discover new lands was something that already existed in Antiquity, and for that reason we have accounts of bold navigators who sailed unknown seas and found places very far from their ports of departure. Among them are the […]
Antiquity
Posted inAncient Greece, Ancient Rome
The Spoon of Diocles, the Mysterious Ancient Medical Instrument for Extracting Arrows Whose Appearance Remains Unknown
An international team of researchers has published a study attempting to clarify the shape, appearance, and characteristics of a curious artifact from the Greco-Roman era—the so-called Spoon of Diocles, a surgical instrument used to extract arrows from wounds. The study, published in BJS, analyzes its possible use, design, and the controversies surrounding this object, of […]
Posted inAncient Egypt, Archaeology
Myths of Isis and Osiris Found to Originate in 5,000-Year-Old Rural Rituals That Shaped Pharaohs’ Power
In southern Egypt, near the Nile River, an international team of archaeologists has unearthed an age-old secret: how the beliefs of rural communities helped build the ideology of the pharaonic state. The cemetery of Adaima has revealed that seemingly local rituals—such as the symbolic dismemberment of bodies and the alignment of tombs with the stars—were […]
Posted inAncient Egypt, Archaeology
Rare 6,000-Year-Old Rock Panel Discovered in Egypt May Depict a Member of the First Dynasty Elite
Near Aswan, the Nile winds through millennia-old rock formations where a team of researchers has discovered an exceptional rock art panel that may depict a member of the ruling elite during the early days of the Egyptian state, a key period that laid the foundation for what would later become one of the most influential […]
Posted inAncient Rome, Science
Caligula, the Bloodiest Roman Emperor, Was Also an Expert in Medicinal Plants, According to a Yale Study
The image of Caligula as a deranged despot obsessed with power and violence has been etched into history thanks to accounts from his contemporaries. Now, a new study led by researchers at Yale University reveals that beyond his notorious cruelty, the Roman emperor possessed a sophisticated and sinister knowledge of ancient pharmacology, particularly the use […]
Posted inAncient Rome
How Fake Coins Kept the Roman Empire’s Economy Alive in Its Decline
A recent study published in the journal Vegueta reveals how counterfeit coins were key to sustaining the economy in the final centuries of the Roman Empire. The research, focused on the territorium gerundensis region (present-day northeastern Spain), analyzes these imitations and their impact on daily life at the time. In the 4th and 5th centuries […]
Posted inAncient Rome
Scipio’s Volunteer Veterans: The Secret Behind Rome’s Military Success in the Eastern Mediterranean
A recent study by historian Connor Beattie, published in the Journal of Ancient History, reveals a little-known but crucial aspect of the Roman army during the Republic: the volunteer veterans who fought under the command of Scipio Africanus. These soldiers, who had already fought in Spain and Africa during the Second Punic War, reenlisted as […]
Posted inAncient Egypt, Archaeology
Tombs with Hieroglyphic Inscriptions and a 2-Meter Sarcophagus Discovered in the Necropolis of the Aga Khan Mausoleum in Aswan
An Egyptian-Italian archaeological team has announced the discovery of several rock-cut tombs dating to the Greek and Roman periods, located in the necropolis on the west bank of the Nile near the Aga Khan Mausoleum in Aswan. The discovery includes hieroglyphic inscriptions in a remarkable state of preservation. The mission, which consists of specialists from […]
Posted inAncient Egypt, Archaeology
22 Large Blocks of the Lighthouse of Alexandria Retrieved from the Seafloor, Including Its Door Lintels
Three decades after the waters of Alexandria’s bay revealed the first submerged vestiges of the seventh wonder of the world, an international archaeological mission has successfully extracted from the seabed twenty-two of the most massive blocks of the legendary Lighthouse of Alexandria. The operation, led by archaeologist and architect Isabelle Hairy, a researcher at France’s […]
Posted inAncient Egypt, Archaeology
Three Tombs with False Doors, Offering Tables, and Infant Remains Discovered in the Qubbet el-Hawa Necropolis in Aswan
As part of the ongoing archaeological excavations taking place in the Qubbet el-Hawa necropolis in Aswan, an Egyptian mission has unearthed three rock-cut tombs dating back to the Old Kingdom period, between 2686 and 2181 BCE. According to Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, initial studies indicate that some of […]
