Archaeology, features and articles | Educational Science

Sep 30, 2023

Man digs up 1,000-year-old sword from Swedish Crusades in his yard in Finland

While conducting maintenance work on his land, a man in southern Finland discovered a piece of iron sticking out of a mound of dirt. What he pulled out, however, wasn't scrap metal but a centuries-old sword. The unnamed landowner immediately contacted local archaeologists about the partially bent weapon, which had...

Sep 30, 2023

'Christ' tattoo discovered on 1,300-year-old body in Sudan

Scientists in Sudan have discovered a tattoo with references to Jesus Christ on a 1,300-year-old body excavated in a cemetery near a medieval monastery. It is only the second time that a tattoo has been found from medieval Nubia, the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology (PCMA) at the University of...

Sep 30, 2023

Sacrificial pits filled with 120 horse skeletons found in Bronze Age city in China

Archaeologists in China have discovered the remains of a walled Bronze Age city that once contained a palace, moat, cemeteries, sacrificial pits, pottery workshops and a bronze-casting foundry. The ancient city, known as Yaoheyuan, was situated in the foothills of the Liupan Mountains in northwestern China. It was once a...

Aug 31, 2023

2,800-year-old figurines unearthed at Greek temple may be offerings to Poseidon

Archaeologists excavating a 2,800-year-old temple at a sanctuary in Greece have uncovered several artifacts, including figurines of a dog, a woman and a snake, according to the Greek Ministry of Culture. Some of these figurines may have been used as votive offerings, or gifts to the gods, intended for Poseidon,...

Aug 31, 2023

'Gold find of the century': Metal detectorist in Norway discovers massive cache of jewelry

An amateur metal detectorist has unearthed what experts are calling Norway's largest gold treasure find this century. Erlend Bore, a 51-year-old Norwegian man, discovered the bounty — which contained nine pendants with rare gold symbols, three gold rings and 10 gold pearls — earlier this summer while exploring Rennesøy, a...

Aug 31, 2023

'This is complete nonsense': Scientists rail against 'alien' bodies shown before Mexican congress

In a now-viral story, alien bodies were unveiled before Mexico's congress Tuesday (Sept. 12). But is there any real science behind this bizarre event? Not by a long shot, according to scholars, who denounced the claim and affirmed that the bodies are not alien. Mexico's congress was holding a hearing...

Aug 31, 2023

Early medieval warrior found buried with his weapons in Germany

Archaeologists in Germany have discovered the grave of a Frankish warrior who was buried with his weapons and shield more than 1,300 years ago. The weapons include a spatha, a long sword based on cavalry swords of the late Roman Empire. The deceased appears to be a man who died...

Aug 31, 2023

Paleolithic 'art sanctuary' in Spain contains more than 110 prehistoric cave paintings

Archaeologists have discovered more than 110 prehistoric cave paintings and engravings dating to at least 24,000 years ago near Valencia, Spain. The Paleolithic, or Stone Age, rock art is arguably the most important found on the Eastern Iberian Coast in Europe, the team said in a statement about the finding....

Aug 31, 2023

Landslide reveals 2,500-year-old 'richly decorated' gold necklaces in Spain

Two richly decorated gold necklaces that were likely buried in a hoard about 2,500 years ago recently saw the light of day after a landslide exposed them in northern Spain. The first of the C-shaped necklaces was discovered by Sergio Narciandi, a man working for a water supply firm tasked...

Aug 31, 2023

Mysterious and 'beautifully carved' life-size camel carvings discovered in Saudi Arabian desert

Archaeologists have documented a cluster of carvings depicting camels on a rock outcropping near the southern edge of Saudi Arabia's Nafud desert. The monumental artwork portrays a dozen life-size wild camels, a now-extinct species that once roamed this swath of the Arabian Peninsula desert thousands of years ago but has...

May 31, 2023

3.2 million-year-old human ancestor 'Lucy' had massive leg muscles to stand up straight and climb trees

Our 3.2 million-year-old ancestor Lucy could stand and walk upright just like modern humans do, new 3D muscle modeling reveals. The finding bolsters a growing consensus among researchers that Australopithecus afarensis — the extinct species to which Lucy belongs — walked erect rather than with a chimpanzee-like, crouching waddle. The...

Apr 30, 2023

Neanderthals passed down their tall noses to modern humans, genetic analysis finds

Neanderthals were equipped with tall noses that could warm and moisten the cold and dry air around them in chilly climates — an adaptation that may be the result of natural selection. These sizable schnozzes were likely helpful to Neanderthals; once anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens) left Africa and joined...

Apr 30, 2023

2,500-year-old poop from Jerusalem toilets contain oldest evidence of dysentery parasite

By analyzing poop from biblical-era toilets in Jerusalem, archaeologists have discovered the oldest known evidence of a tiny parasite that causes traveler's diarrhea, a new study finds. This microscopic parasite, the protozoan Giardia duodenalis, can cause dysentery, an intestinal infection that results in severe, bloody diarrhea and is often accompanied...

Apr 30, 2023

What was the longest-lasting civilization?

Ancient Egypt, China and Mesopotamia are all frequently cited as long-lasting civilizations, enduring for thousands of years. But which of these societies lasted the longest? It turns out, that's not a straightforward question, for a few reasons. First, modern historians and archaeologists don't agree on a single definition of a...

Mar 31, 2023

Where is Alexander the Great's tomb?

By the age of 32, Alexander the Great had conquered an empire that stretched from the Balkans to modern-day Pakistan, making him the sovereign of one of the largest empires in the ancient world. Despite his success and fame, it's impossible to pay respects to him today, as the location...