A team of researchers from the University Institute for Research in Archaeology and Historical Heritage (INAPH) at the University of Alicante will publicly present on May 16 the results of their exhaustive investigation into l’Assut de l’Argamassa, a monumental dam built over the course of the Vinalopó River that until now was thought to be […]
Engineering
Roman Aqueduct Section from the 2nd Century AD, 38 Meters Long, Discovered Beneath Rusovce Castle in Slovakia
The restoration work on Rusovce Castle, a neo-Gothic gem located in a district of Bratislava, Slovakia, has led to the discovery of architecturally significant historical elements. Thanks to the efforts of an archaeological team from Trnava University, led by Professor Erik Hrnčiarik, remains of Roman and medieval structures have been found, providing new insights into […]
The Colossal Underground Tunnels Shielding Tokyo from Floods at 164 Feet Deep
In a country like Japan, where torrential rains and typhoons are recurring phenomena, water management becomes a vital necessity. In response to the persistent flooding problems in the Tokyo metropolitan area, the Japanese government undertook the construction of one of the world’s most impressive hydraulic infrastructures: the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel (MAOUDC), known […]
The Forgotten Plan to Flood the Sahara and Create an Inland Sea
On July 1, 1905, and for a month, the Magasin d’Education et de Récréation serialized a novel by Jules Verne titled L’invasion de la mer (The Invasion of the Sea), the last work the French author published in his lifetime, as he passed away that same year. The novel tells the story of a French […]
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 […]
The Pre-Hispanic Casarabe Civilization Developed an Engineering System to Cultivate Maize Year-Round in the Amazon Between 500 and 1400 AD
A recent archaeological discovery has revealed that an ancient pre-Columbian society in the Amazon region successfully developed a sophisticated agricultural engineering system that allowed them to cultivate maize continuously throughout the year. This discovery, made by a team of researchers from the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA-UAB) and the Department of Prehistory at […]
A Roman Aqueduct Discovered in the Borsacchio Nature Reserve in Abruzzo, Central Italy
During modernization work on a gas pipeline near Cologna Spiaggia in the Borsacchio Nature Reserve, located in the Abruzzo region of Italy, underground structures were uncovered that point to the existence of an ancient aqueduct of Roman origin. The Borsacchio Reserve, known for its biodiversity and unique landscapes, has also proven to be a site […]
Schienenzeppelin, the Strange Experimental German Train Powered by a Propeller That Held the Speed Record Until 1954
Although looking at the images might suggest a Japanese bullet train, this was actually an experimental German railcar named the Schienenzeppelin—“Zeppelin on Rails”—due to its resemblance to airships. Propelled by an airplane propeller mounted at the rear, it set a speed record in the year it was invented, 1929. However, the inability to add carriages […]
An Aqueduct in the Ancient Ionian City of Lebedos Reveals Advanced Pre-Roman Water Management Systems in Anatolia
A group of Turkish and Spanish scientists has revealed the results of an archaeological study in western Turkey that challenges the accepted historical dates of an aqueduct near the ancient city of Lebedos, one of the twelve Ionian cities of Anatolia. The research, recently published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, used uranium-thorium (U-Th) […]
Porto Flavia, the Seaport Hanging from a Cliff
In the municipality of Iglesias, in the southwest of the island of Sardinia, and near the town of Nebida, lies one of the world’s most remarkable feats of engineering: a seaport literally hanging from a cliff. It’s called Porto Flavia and was built between 1923 and 1924 to facilitate the export of the region’s rich […]