Scientists find locations of ancient Maya sacred groves of cacao trees
For as much as modern society worships chocolate, cacao — the plant chocolate comes from — was believed to be even more divine to...
Archaeologists uncover ancient gold coin hoard in Germany
An Iron Age hoard of gold coins has been uncovered near the village of Baitz, in the Potsdam-Mittelmark district of Germany.
The discovery was made...
Ancient Mayan civilization not likely to collapse due to drought, shows study
A new study casts doubt on drought as the driver of ancient Mayan civilization collapse.
There is no dispute that a series of droughts occurred...
Dawn of humanity pushed back 30,000 years, shows fossil study
The age of the oldest fossils in eastern Africa widely recognized as representing our species, Homo sapiens, has long been uncertain.
Now, dating of a...
Scientists digitally unwrap mummy of pharaoh Amenhotep I for the first time in 3,000...
All the royal mummies found in the 19th and 20th centuries have long since been opened for study.
With one exception: egyptologists have never been...
Archaeologists recover treasures from ancient shipwrecks
Underwater archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) have recovered treasures from the survey of two shipwrecks off the coast of Caesarea in Israel.
The...
This 2,700-year-old leather armor proves technology transfer happened in antiquity
Researchers at the University of Zurich have investigated a unique leather scale armor found in the tomb of a horse rider in Northwest China.
Design...
Two periods of volcanism caused severe mass extinction, shows study
Scientists at the University of Southampton have discovered that two intense periods of volcanism triggered a period of global cooling and falling oxygen levels...
Ancient human relative walked like a human, but climbed like an ape
Scientists have discovered a two-million-year-old fossil vertebrae from an extinct species of ancient human relatives.
The recovery of new lumbar vertebrae from the lower back...
X-rays may save Henry VIII’s revered ship, the Mary Rose
The crown jewel of Henry VIII’s 16th century fleet was its flagship, the venerable Mary Rose.
More than 500 years after its launch, the vessel...