For the first time ever, two ancient vaulted tombs dating back at least 1,700 years, adorned with magnificent murals depicting Greek mythological figures, people, plants, and animals, will be unveiled to the public. This exciting initiative results from a collaboration between the Ashkelon Municipality and the Israel Antiquities Authority to develop and integrate the city’s […]
Posted inAncient Greece
The Intriguing Magic Sphere that Was Found at the Foot of the Acropolis of Athens
Although at first glance one might think that the figure represented on the 30-centimeter-diameter marble sphere preserved in the Acropolis Museum in Athens is the Statue of Liberty, in reality, the idea it represents is much older. The geometric symbols carved on the sides of the image and above it add a bit more mystery […]
Posted inArchaeology, Science
Matching Dinosaur Footprints Found on Opposite Shores of the Atlantic Reveal Ancient Crossing Point in the Cretaceous Period
An international team of researchers, led by Southern Methodist University (SMU) paleontologist Louis L. Jacobs, has discovered matching sets of Early Cretaceous dinosaur footprints on what are now two different continents. Over 260 footprints were found in Brazil and Cameroon, providing evidence of the last time terrestrial dinosaurs could freely cross between South America and […]
Posted inGeography
Antarctica: The Unknown Frontier Between Utopia and Dystopia
The Antarctic continent, with its vast and icy expanse, has fascinated explorers, scientists, and diplomats for centuries. This interest arises not only from its desolation and inhospitable beauty but also from the geographical and political imaginations it has inspired throughout history. A recent article by Joanne Yao explores how Antarctica, long conceived as the mythical […]
Posted inBronze Age Archaeology
A Megalithic Complex Found in Kazakhstan was a Place of Worship for Gold Miners in the Bronze Age
A team of researchers has recently published the results of a comprehensive study on an impressive megalithic monument located in the Burabay district, in the Akmola region of Kazakhstan. The complex, named “Taskamal” by the local inhabitants, meaning “stone fortress” in Kazakh, features unique and monumental architecture that archaeologists believe could be closely linked to […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
Balıklı, The Neolithic Settlement of Semi-Subterranean Houses Accessed Through the Roof at the Dawn of Agriculture
Recent research at the Balıklı site, near major obsidian sources, has provided new and important findings about the initial processes of sedentarization on the central Anatolian plateau and the interactions between the region’s earliest Neolithic communities. Located just 14 kilometers northeast of the iconic Aşıklı Höyük site, Balıklı reveals marked differences in the organization of […]
Posted inModern Era
Charles Masson, the traveler, spy, and archaeologist who was the first European to see the ruins of Harappa
Today we’ll take a brief look at the life and work of another one of those characters we can define as unclassifiable, a mix of soldiers, travelers, adventurers, scientists, and scholars, who often fly free. The one we’ll see next was English, named Charles Masson, and both the British Museum and the British Library owe […]
Posted inAntiquity
Astures: A Non-Indo-European People in Northern Spain?
Professor Xaverio Ballester from the University of Valencia proposed an intriguing hypothesis in 2002: that the ancient Astures, inhabitants of what is now mainly Asturias and León in northern Spain, might have had a non-Indo-European origin, related to the Iberian and Aquitanian peoples of the Pyrenean region. This proposal challenges the traditional view that considers […]
Posted inBronze Age Archaeology
The Discovery of an Ancient Game Board from Bronze Age Challenges Its Egyptian Origin
A recent archaeological study has revealed that an ancient board of a game, known as the fifty-eight-hole game, and found in 2018 on the Absheron peninsula, located in present-day Azerbaijan, is the oldest one known. This discovery challenges previous theories about the origin and spread of this enigmatic pastime, which was played in various parts […]
Posted inIron Age Archaeology
Sixteen Different Types of Textiles Found Adhered to Bronze Sheets in an Iron Age Tumulus
A recent archaeological study has uncovered intriguing details about the Creney-le-Paradis tumulus, a site dating back to the Iron Age, providing compelling evidence about the social and economic significance of its occupants. The research, focused on the analysis of mineralized textile fragments, reveals not only the technical complexity and quality of the textiles found but […]