Archaeologists have been excavating at the site of Floga in Paroikía, on the Cycladic island of Paros in Greece, where evidence of artisanal activities had already emerged in the 1980s. The systematic excavation carried out this season by the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades, led by Dr. Sofia Detoratou, confirmed the suspicions by unearthing […]
Hellenistic period
Posted inClassical Archaeology
2,200-Year-Old Pyramid, Papyrus Documents, and Ancient Weapons Found in the Judean Desert
A team of archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority, in collaboration with the Ministry of Heritage and with the participation of volunteers from across the country, has discovered a monumental pyramidal structure in the Judean Desert, north of Nahal Zohar. This find, dating back to the period when the Ptolemies and Seleucids ruled the region, […]
Posted inAncient Egypt, Archaeology
Shackled with Iron Chains: Archaeologists Reveal the Harsh Reality of Gold Mines in Ptolemaic Egypt
A recent archaeological discovery in Egypt’s Eastern Desert has revealed the harsh reality faced by miners during the Ptolemaic period. During excavations at the Ghozza site, a team of French researchers uncovered iron shackles used to chain the workers of the gold mines, confirming the existence of forced labor in these operations during the 3rd […]
Posted inArchaeology
The Forgotten Archive of the Scribe of the Temple of Crocodile God in Egypt is Recovered, Containing Sent and Received Letters and Questions to the Oracle
How are you? And your wife? And what has become of XY? The private letters written in Egypt over 2,000 years ago are not very different from today’s. Official documents also show few differences, as they address topics such as land purchases or a wife’s possessions in the event of separation. Carolin Arlt holds a […]
Posted inArchaeology
Golden Tongues and Nails in Mummies from the Ptolemaic Period, Found by Archaeologists from the University of Barcelona in Egypt
The joint Egyptian-Spanish archaeological mission has revealed a series of unique discoveries from the Ptolemaic period in the archaeological region of Al-Bahnasa, in the Minya governorate of Egypt. This work, led by the University of Barcelona and the Institute of Ancient Near Eastern Studies, has uncovered tombs decorated with colorful inscriptions and ritual scenes, as […]
Posted inAncient Greece
The Revolution of Time in the Hellenistic World: How Clock Time Spread in the 3rd Century BCE
At a time when the passage of time was dictated by the movement of the sun and the seasons, the introduction of “clock time” in Hellenistic Greece, around the 3rd century BCE, marked a radical shift in people’s daily lives. Historian Sofie Remijsen, a researcher at the University of Amsterdam, has delved into this phenomenon, […]
Posted inClassical Archaeology
Sacred tunic of Alexander the Great identified in one of the Macedonian tombs at Vergina in Greece
A recent discovery in Tomb II at Vergina, Macedonia, Greece, has revealed what appears to be the sacred “chiton” or tunic of Alexander the Great, a finding that could change the historical understanding of artifacts associated with the famous conqueror. A group of archaeologists, led by Antonis Bartsiokas from Democritus University of Thrace, identified a […]
Posted inAntiquity
Ai-Khanoum: The Lost Greek City in Afghanistan
At the confluence of the Kokcha River and the Amu Darya, in northern Afghanistan’s Takhar province, lie the ruins of Ai-Khanoum (which means “Moon Princess”). This ancient settlement was home to a major Hellenistic city from the late 4th century BC to the mid-2nd century BC, whose original name remains unknown (some researchers propose Estobara, […]
Posted inAncient Greece
Termessos, the Impregnable Mountaintop City Alexander Never Conquered
Located about twenty kilometers from Antalya, in the Güllük Dağı National Park, there is a place called Karabunar Kiui, where the Archaeological Site of Termessos is located. It hosts the well-preserved remains of the ancient city of Termessos, a city-fortress that mythology attributes to the founding by the Homeric hero Bellerophon, and whose location at […]
Posted inAncient Egypt, Ancient Greece
The Frenzied Life of Ptolemy Ceraunus, the Man Who Ended the Last Successor of Alexander the Great
He was disinherited from the Egyptian throne, organized an expedition to overthrow his brother-in-law in Thrace, murdered the ally who helped him, married his own stepsister, killed her children, briefly ruled in Macedonia, and ultimately lost his life because, in his reckless impetuosity, he did not wait for reinforcements in his last battle, ending with […]
