Archaeology, features and articles | Educational Science

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...

Nov 30, 2021

Scientists just reconstructed one of the oldest family trees ever charted

A nearly 6,000-year-old tomb unearthed in England holds the remains of 27 family members, representing a five-generation lineage descended from one man and four women, researchers have found using DNA analysis. The findings suggest there were polygamous marriages in the upper echelons of Neolithic society at that time, because the...

Oct 31, 2021

Metal detectorist finds 2,000-year-old dagger wielded by Roman soldier in battle with Rhaetians

An amateur archaeologist in Switzerland has discovered an ornate dagger wielded by a Roman soldier 2,000 years ago. That discovery, found using a metal detector, led a team of archaeologists to the site, who then uncovered hundreds of artifacts from a lost battlefield where Roman legionaries fought Rhaetian warriors as...

Oct 31, 2021

FBI searching one-time New Jersey waste dump for body of Jimmy Hoffa

The FBI is surveying a former New Jersey landfill — once condemned as an environmental disaster site — as part of the agency's long-running investigation into the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa, the infamous Teamster labor union leader who mysteriously vanished in 1975. Federal agents visited the site on Oct. 25...

Sep 30, 2021

Remains of Nazi V2, the first supersonic rocket, unearthed in South East England

The remains of a V2 rocket fired by Nazi Germany at London during World War II have been unearthed in a field in South East England, where it crashed and exploded before reaching its target. This is the sixth major excavation of a V2 site carried out by conflict archaeologists...

Sep 30, 2021

8 powerful female figures of ancient Rome

Women in ancient Rome held very few rights and by law were not considered equal to men, according to a 2018 article on The Great Courses Daily. Roman women rarely held any public office or positions of power, and instead their role was expected to be caring for children and...