Tally sticks from three ancient civilizations rewrite money’s history
When most of us think about the history of money, we imagine a simple timeline: people bartered goods, then invented coins, then paper money,...
Archaeologists find earliest evidence of horses in ancient Sicily
For decades, historians believed horses did not reach Sicily until around the first millennium B.C.
But new research has overturned that assumption, showing that horses...
Archaeologists uncover 138 ancient tools that rewrite Europe’s prehistory
A new study suggests that early humans may have once walked directly from Turkey into mainland Europe—thanks to land bridges that are now hidden...
Scientists solve 1,500-year-old mystery of the first pandemic
For centuries, historians have debated what caused the Plague of Justinian, the world’s first recorded pandemic.
Now, for the first time, scientists have found direct...
Ancient rubbish heaps reveal the secret social life of bronze age Britons
Huge prehistoric rubbish heaps, known as middens, are giving archaeologists fresh insight into the feasting habits of communities living in Britain more than 3,000...
Was Jesus really wrapped in the Shroud of Turin? Medieval scholar said no
The Shroud of Turin, a centuries-old linen cloth believed by many to have wrapped the body of Jesus after his crucifixion, has long been...
Stonehenge stones may have been hauled by cows from Wales, study finds
A single cow tooth buried for nearly 5,000 years is offering remarkable new insight into the origins of Stonehenge and the lives of the...
Ancient Egyptian rock art reveals early kings’ divine power and brutality
Today, the desert around Wadi el Malik in southern Egypt appears empty and lifeless.
But carved into the rocky cliffs are hundreds of ancient images—silent...
Scientists discover earliest evidence of humans and Neanderthals interbreeding
For many years, scientists believed that Homo sapiens and Neanderthals were two separate human groups that only met and interbred much later in history.
But...
Viking silver hoard reveals trade routes from England to the Islamic world
A remarkable Viking treasure uncovered in North Yorkshire has revealed that Viking wealth stretched far beyond raiding monasteries and coastal towns.
New research shows that...