Archaeology, features and articles | Educational Science

Jan 31, 2019

Inca Ritual Baths Fed by Waterfall Reveals More of Its Secrets

Deep in Peru's Sacred Valley, a ceremonial Inca complex — complete with a stone altar and 14 baths — sits in a jungle clearing. And now, cutting-edge radar and laser scans, and on-the-ground excavations are revealing just how the Inca built and used these structures more than 500 years ago....

Dec 31, 2018

'Ripped' Woman with Massive Forearms Is the Oldest Known Human Burial in Lower Central America

Archaeologists have uncovered the oldest known human burial in lower Central America: the skeletal remains of a mysterious woman who lived 5,900 years ago in what is now Nicaragua, a new study finds. In general, tropical places don't preserve human remains well, but in this case, the ancient women's bones...

Nov 30, 2020

Giant Aztec skull 'tower' unearthed in Mexico

Archaeologists in Mexico City have discovered 119 human skulls arranged in a trophy tower that the Aztecs built about 500 years ago, according to Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History. The new finding shows just how extensive the tower is; in 2015, researchers discovered part of the tower —...

Nov 30, 2020

The 10 biggest archaeology discoveries of 2020

With the pandemic and accompanying economic recession clouding 2020, it goes without saying that the year will not go down as the happiest for humanity. The archaeology world also felt the effects, as numerous digs were canceled or curtailed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the difficult year,...

Aug 31, 2020

3,200-year-old Egyptian-built fortress found in Israel

Archaeologists in Israel have discovered a 3,200-year-old fortress built by the Egyptians and Canaanites, the ancient foes of the Israelites in the bible. The fortress was built to keep the newly arrived Philistines out of the region. The military structure, dubbed Galon Fortress, dates to the middle of the 12th...

Jul 31, 2020

When did humans discover how to use fire?

Fires blazed the way for humans to evolve into the species we are today. Scientists suspect that without a control over fire, humans probably would never have developed large brains and the benefits that come along with it. But when did humans first discover how to use fire? That's a...

May 31, 2020

London's 'oldest theater,' built just 3 years after Shakespeare's birth, discovered

The remains of what may be the oldest theater in London, dating to the start of Queen Elizabeth's reign in England, have been unearthed on land earmarked for a new housing development in the East End of the city. The buried ruins are thought to be from the Red Lion...

May 31, 2020

Death from above? Fireball may have destroyed ancient Syrian village

Debris from a comet may have leveled an ancient village in Syria during a spate of several such explosions occurring around the world, according to new research. The village of Abu Hureyra was a mound settlement in northern Syria around 13,000 years ago. The site was quickly excavated in 1972...

Apr 30, 2020

The world's oldest temple was built along a grand geometric plan

Hunter-gatherers might have built the world's oldest known temple on a precise geometric plan, according to new findings. The Neolithic site, known as Göbekli Tepe, is perched atop a limestone mountain ridge in southeastern Turkey. The site's T-shaped pillars, which are carved with mystic drawings of animals, abstract symbols and...

Feb 29, 2020

The equinox reveals one of the secrets of Egypt's iconic Sphinx

The Sphinx had a distinctive astronomical moment with the sun during the spring equinox when, in a shining flourish, the sun set on the shoulder of the half-man, half-lion statue on March 19, according to the Egypt Ministry of Antiquities. This phenomenon happens only twice a year, during the spring...

Dec 31, 2019

5 Big Archaeology Discoveries to Watch for in 2020

New discoveries in the Valley of the Kings, looted art from Venezuela and evidence that humans were in Central America more than 20,000 years ago are just some of the stories Live Science will be watching out for in 2020. Tombs of pharaohs and queens in Valley of the Kings...

Dec 31, 2019

Ancient Potter's Secret 'Piggy Bank' Uncovered in 1,200-Year-Old Ceramics Kiln in Israel

As Hanukkah ended last week, archaeologists in central Israel discovered a hidden trove of 1,200-year-old coins near an ancient pottery studio in the city of Yavne, between Jerusalem and the Mediterranean Sea. In a news release, researchers from the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) likened the stash of seven gold pieces...

Dec 31, 2019

3 Skeletons Found in Connecticut Basement Might Be from Revolutionary War Soldiers

Archaeologists have discovered what may be the remains of soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War. But it's a mystery whose side they were on; they could have been Yankees, British or even colonists who sided with the king, known as Loyalists. Archaeologists are now planning to spend months, if...

Dec 31, 2019

Ancient Australian Crystals Unlock History of Earth's First Magnetic Field

Tiny crystals in Australia are helping scientists unlock the ancient history of our planet's first magnetic field, which disappeared hundreds of millions of years ago. And the crystals show that this field was a lot more powerful than anyone believed. That, in turn, could help answer a question about why...

Dec 31, 2019

Princely tomb of Iron Age mystery man discovered in Italy. And there's a chariot inside.

Archaeologists have found the remains of an entire iron-wheeled war chariot in a newly discovered Iron Age tomb in central Italy, a new study finds. The lavish tomb is also brimming with other riches, including a stash of weapons, a bronze helmet and vessels made of bronze and clay. The...