Archaeology, features and articles | Educational Science

Jul 31, 2013

Far Out: Ancient Egyptian Jewelry Came from Outer Space

Ancient Egyptian beads found in a 5,000-year-old tomb were made from iron meteorites that fell to Earth from space, according to a new study. The beads, which are the oldest known iron artifacts in the world, were crafted roughly 2,000 years before Egypt's Iron Age. In 1911, nine tube-shaped beads...

Jul 31, 2013

Prehistoric Europeans Liked Spicy Food, Study Suggests

Prehistoric human civilizations in northern Europe may have enjoyed their food with a spicy kick, using a garlic-mustard-type seasoning to flavor their dishes, thousands of years before the height of the prolific global spice trade, a new study finds. A team of researchers studied blackened deposits inside ancient cooking pots...

Apr 30, 2013

Roman Numerals: Conversion, Meaning & Origins

The engraved marker for Entrance LII — 52 — is still visible at the Coliseum in Rome. (Image credit: WarpFlyght/Creative Commons)Roman numerals originated, as the name might suggest, in ancient Rome. There are seven basic symbols: I, V, X, L, C, D and M. The first usage of the symbols...

Apr 30, 2013

Battle-Bruised King Richard III Buried in Hasty Grave

The body of King Richard III was buried in great haste, a new study finds — perhaps because the medieval monarch's corpse had been out for three days in the summer sun. The new research is the first academic paper published on the discovery of Richard III, which was publically...

Dec 31, 2012

Mass Human Sacrifice? Pile of Ancient Skulls Found

Archaeologists have unearthed a trove of skulls in Mexico that may have once belonged to human sacrifice victims. The skulls, which date between A.D. 600 and 850, may also shatter existing notions about the ancient culture of the area. The find, described in the January issue of the journal Latin...

Dec 31, 2012

Olympia: Site of Ancient Olympics

Olympia is an ancient Greek sanctuary in the Peloponnese region in southern Greece where every four years the ancient Olympic games were held. Ruins of the Temple of Zeus in Olympia, Greece. (Image credit: Vovez Shutterstock)Located at the intersection of two rivers, the Alpheus and the Kladeos, Olympia had a...

Nov 30, 2015

Sunken Treasure Ship Worth Billions Possibly Found After 300 Years

The wreck of a lost treasure ship has been found 307 years after it vanished beneath the waves. The galleon San Jose was found at the bottom of the Caribbean off the Colombian coast on Nov. 27, President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia said in a statement on Saturday (Dec....

Aug 31, 2015

Board Game Pieces Found in Settlement Built on Roman Military Fort

The remnants of ancient water wells, pearls and hairpins are proof that a group of villagers set up a settlement on top of a military fort in ancient Roman times. About 1,900 years ago, a group of Roman soldiers lived in a fort in what is now Gernsheim, a German...

Jun 30, 2015

Charred Remains of 1,500-Year-Old Hebrew Scroll Deciphered

A burned 1,500-year-old Hebrew scroll found on the shore of the Dead Sea was recently deciphered, 45 years after archaeologists discovered it, researchers in Israel have announced. The deciphering of the scroll, which was a puzzle for us for 45 years, is very exciting, Sefi Porath, the archaeologist who discovered...

Mar 31, 2015

In Photos: Medieval Graveyard Unearthed in Cambridge

This burial ground from a medieval hospital had been hidden for more than a century in Cambridge, England. Archaeologists recently excavated the graveyard and discovered hundreds of skeletons. [Read the full story here] The Old Divinity School of St. John's College (one of the colleges at the Univeristy of Cambridge)...

Jan 31, 2015

Mystery Over 15th-Century Drilled Skull Solved

Researchers at the University of Pisa, Italy, have solved the mystery over the honeycombed skull of one of the Italian martyrs beheaded by 15th century Ottoman Turk invaders when they refused to give up their Christian faith. Featuring 16 perfectly round holes of various sizes and depth, the skull belonged...

Nov 30, 2016

Ancient Stone Bowl Unearthed in Jerusalem Perplexes Experts

It's unclear whether a mysterious 2,100-year-old stone bowl fragment recently unearthed in Jerusalem belonged to royalty or a commoner, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced late last week. The fragment — made from chalk, a type of limestone — is small enough to fit in a person's hand. But it's...

May 31, 2016

100 Silver Pieces Found in Roman-Era 'Hoard' in Scotland

More than 170 years ago, Scottish laborers clearing a rocky field with dynamite discovered three beautiful silver artifacts: a hand pin, a chain and a spiral bangle. But instead of looking for more treasures, they followed orders to turn the field into farmland, squashing hopes of archaeologists for years to...

May 31, 2016

Andrea Doria: Sub Reveals Images of the 'Mount Everest of Shipwrecks'

Detailed close-up sonar images of the legendary Andrea Doria shipwreck have been captured by a manned submersible for the first time since the ship sank 60 years ago. The images, which are still being processed, show the wreck has decayed more than expected. A large section of the bow has...

Apr 30, 2016

Ancient Bison Bones Discovered at Florida Dig Site

The bones of an ancient bison species that lived some 13,000 to 14,000 years ago have been discovered beneath the ground at Vero Beach, Florida, archaeologists announced. The bones were unearthed at one of the oldest and most significant archaeological digs in North America, the Old Vero Man Site. That...