The upper part of a giant statue of Ramses II, one of the greatest pharaohs of Egypt, has been unearthed
The upper part of a colossal statue of Ramses II, also known as the Great Ramses, was discovered during excavations in the city of Minya, Egypt. The statue was found in a joint study by archaeologists from the United States and Egypt. The limestone block, about 3.8 meters high, depicts Ramses seated and wearing a
The discovery of a striking jade mask in the tomb of a Maya king in Guatemala
Archaeologists excavating a looted pyramid tomb in the ruins of a Mayan city in Peten, northeast Guatemala, have discovered a mysterious interlocking jade mask believed to have belonged to a previously unknown Mayan king. Chochkitam, a little-known archaeological site, is located near the Peten Basin, a subregion of the Maya Lowlands in northwest Guatemala. The
In the Mediterranean Oldest Hand-Sewn Boat is Preparing for its Next Journey
The oldest hand-sewn boat in the Mediterranean was discovered in the Bay of Zambratija near Umag on Croatia’s Istrian peninsula. After millennia of resting undisturbed on the Adriatic seafloor in Croatia, the oldest fully hand-sewn boat in the Mediterranean is getting ready for its next voyage. This time, however, the boat—whose planks were genuinely stitched
Ancient skeletons discovered in a freshly excavated Roman necropolis in Italy, buried with gold jewelry and costly leather shoes
Archaeologists working on a two-year excavation effort at the site of a proposed solar energy plant in Tarquinia, north of Rome, discovered an old Roman necropolis with 67 bones buried in 57 magnificent tombs. According to preliminary examination, the tombs’ occupants and dates range from the second to the fourth centuries AD. This was definitely
Handprints with Missing Fingertips in Prehistoric Cave Art Point to Ritual Amputation
A recent interpretation of Paleolithic cave art suggests that prehistoric people severed their fingers as part of religious ceremonies, according to researchers who studied prehistoric cave art in France and Spain. Professor Mark Collard and PhD candidate Brea McCauley of Simon Fraser University’s (SFU) Department of Archaeology have considered over 200 hand images with one
‘Mysterious’ inscription on the bronze Dacia sphinx deciphered.
Discovered 2 centuries ago and stolen from a European count in 1848, the mystery of the inscription on the bronze Dacia sphinx statue has been solved. The bronze Dacian sphinx statue was discovered in Dacia, a Roman province corresponding to modern-day Romania. Dacia is the ancient name of Romania and has seen the domination of
Archaeologists discover the smallest Neolithic pot of its kind in China
Archaeologists have discovered a Neolithic pot, the smallest of its kind, in the Peiligang area in Xinzheng, eastern China’s Henan Province. This type of small-mouthed, pointed-bottomed amphora-like vessel is one of the characteristic artifacts of the Neolithic Yangshao culture. Dating to around 7,700 years ago, it is also the oldest of its kind, pushing back
New research shows the Cerne Abbas Giant was a muster station for King Alfred’s armies
New research from the University of Oxford concludes that the Cerne Abbas Giant was originally carved as an image of Hercules to mark a muster station for West Saxon armies. The figure was later reinterpreted by the monks of Cerne Abbas as their local Saint Eadwold. Research, undertaken by Martin Papworth for the National Trust,