In 2008, during an archaeological excavation on the grounds where a new campus for the University of York was to be built, an unexpected discovery astonished the scientific community. A human skull, buried in a pit in Heslington, Yorkshire, contained within it a surprisingly well-preserved brain, despite having spent 2,600 years underground. This find, carried […]
Iron Age
Posted inAntiquity
The Rassam Cylinder, a 10-sided prism from the 7th century BC with an inscription describing the reign of Ashurbanipal
The Rassam Cylinder is an ancient clay cylinder containing cuneiform inscriptions that describe the reign and military campaigns of Ashurbanipal, king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. It was discovered in 1854 during excavations at the ancient site of Nineveh, located in present-day Mosul, Iraq. The excavations were led by Hormuzd Rassam, an Iraqi archaeologist appointed by […]
Posted inArchaeology
Tombs of Women to Be Sold who did Not Survive the Caravan Journey 2500 Years Ago Found in the Middle of the Negev Desert
A team of researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority has made a remarkable discovery in the arid lands of the Negev Desert: a 2,500-year-old funerary complex that sheds new light on ancient trade routes and, specifically, on the possible trafficking of women at the time. The site, discovered near the Tlalim junction, contains dozens of […]
Posted inAntiquity, Art
The Mystery of the Priest of Cádiz: An Iron Age Statuette Combining Phoenician, Egyptian, and Iberian Traditions
In 1928, the bustling city of Cádiz in southern Spain witnessed a remarkable archaeological discovery that added to those already made in previous years. During the foundation work for the Telefónica building, five meters deep, a small bronze and gold figure emerged, soon to be known as the Priest of Cádiz, an extraordinary object now […]
Posted inArchaeology
A Large Ritual Structure Discovered in Jerusalem with 8 Rock-Cut Rooms and Mysterious V-Shaped Marks on the Floor
A remarkable archaeological find has come to light on the eastern slope of the City of David, within the Walls of Jerusalem National Park. This unique structure, spanning approximately 220 square meters, was used for ritual practices during the First Temple period, according to a recent article published in the scientific journal ‘Atiqot. This discovery […]
Posted inIron Age Archaeology, Prehistory
The Hjortspring Boat: The Celts Who Attacked a Danish Island in 350 BCE and Ended as a Votive Offering
The Hjortspring Boat was discovered in 1921 in the Hjortspring Bog on the island of Als, southern Denmark. It is considered the oldest archaeological evidence of naval construction found in Scandinavia. Dating back to around 350 BCE, the boat measures over 19 meters (62 feet) in overall length and 2 meters (6.5 feet) in beam. […]
Posted inCulture, History
Analysis of Mesopotamian Texts in Akkadian Reveals How Emotions Were Experienced: Love Was Felt in the Knees
Love and emotions have been universal themes throughout human history, expressed in diverse ways but with commonalities across different cultures and eras. A fascinating recent study reveals that people in ancient Mesopotamia experienced and conceptualized love and emotions in ways that, surprisingly, resonate with our modern understanding of these feelings. Using a multidisciplinary approach, researchers […]
Posted inAntiquity
The Mesopotamian Stele Showing the First Phalanx Formation in History
When we talk about a phalanx in a military context, we automatically think of Alexander the Great’s Macedonian army, with its compact formation of armored infantrymen armed with long sarissas. These were arranged in 64 squares or syntagmas, 16 men across (each in a one-square-meter space) by as many in depth, forming a total of […]
Posted inAntiquity
Sandby Borg, the Place where Archaeologists Found a Chilling Iron Age Scene Frozen in Time
The isolated island of Öland, off the southeastern coast of Sweden, holds within its windswept landscape the eroded remains of several fornborgs, circular stone fortifications built during the Iron Age. At least 15 are known. In 2011, archaeologists focused their attention on one of these enclosures, known as Sandby Borg, located two kilometers from the […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
Neolithic Silos and 60 Elongated Structures of Unknown Function Found in Northeastern France
Located in northeastern France, in the Alsace region, the Pfulgriesheim site has been the subject of extensive archaeological research prior to being developed for a new urban area. This excavation, covering 5.5 hectares, has revealed a fascinating overlap of structures and remains dating from the Late Neolithic to the Early Middle Ages. Through these explorations, […]
