
Owen Jarus
Owen Jarus is a regular contributor to Live Science who writes about archaeology and humans' past. He has also written for The Independent (UK), The Canadian Press (CP) and The Associated Press (AP), among others. Owen has a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Toronto and a journalism degree from Ryerson University.
Latest articles by Owen Jarus

12,000-year-old, doughnut-shaped pebbles may be early evidence of the wheel
By Owen Jarus published
The wheel was likely invented around 6,000 years ago, but a new analysis of curious rocks from Israel suggests that wheel-like technologies existed even earlier.

'Purple tunic' from royal tomb belonged to Alexander the Great, scholar claims — but not everyone agrees
By Owen Jarus published
A fragment of cloth found in a royal tomb in Greece decades ago might be the remains of a tunic once worn by Alexander the Great, a new study claims.

Rare tomb from Egypt's Middle Kingdom holds a wealth of jewelry and several generations of the same family
By Owen Jarus published
A rare discovery of a tomb from ancient Egypt's Middle Kingdom near Luxor may hold several generations from a single family.

'Unique' gold offering to god of war discovered at Roman fortress in Georgia
By Owen Jarus published
An excavation at a Roman fortress in the country of Georgia has revealed a gold offering to a god of war, a colorful mosaic and other artifacts.

Archaeologists discover 4,000-year-old Bronze Age settlement hidden in Saudi Arabian oasis
By Owen Jarus published
A Bronze Age settlement hidden on the Arabian Peninsula reveals secrets about the slow growth of urbanization in the region.

1,300-year-old throne room of powerful Moche queen discovered in Peru
By Owen Jarus published
Archaeologists in Peru have unearthed the throne room of a powerful queen from the Moche culture, and detailed murals of the female ruler decorate its walls.

Keeping time: The history, origin and meanings of B.C. and A.D.
By Robert Coolman, Owen Jarus last updated
The use of "anno domini" and "before Christ" to mark time began in the early days of Christianity, when clerics needed to know when Easter would fall.

Why didn't the Vikings colonize North America?
By Owen Jarus published
The Vikings landed in what is now Newfoundland, Canada around the year A.D. 1000. So why didn't they colonize the region like other Europeans did centuries later?

2,000-year-old tomb holding 12 skeletons found at Petra where 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade' was filmed
By Owen Jarus published
Archaeologists have discovered a 2,000-year-old tomb containing the remains of 12 individuals at Petra in Jordan.

5,000-year-old jade 'dragon' unearthed in tomb in China
By Owen Jarus published
Archaeologists have found the largest ever jade "dragon" made by the Neolithic Hongshan culture on record.

5,000-year-old cemetery in Spain has twice as many females as males, and nobody knows why
By Owen Jarus published
There are more than twice as many females as males buried in an ancient cemetery in Spain, a new study finds — but no one knows why.

Evidence of Assyrians' conquest of Holy Land discovered in Jerusalem
By Owen Jarus published
The discovery of a building that the Assyrians likely tore down in the eighth century B.C. reveals the political dynamics of that age in Jerusalem.

'Extraordinary' burial of ancient Egyptian governor's daughter discovered in a coffin within another coffin
By Owen Jarus published
Archaeologists have discovered a 4,000-year-old tomb that belonged to an ancient Egyptian governor's daughter.

'Secret teachings' about ritual Samurai beheading revealed in newly translated Japanese texts
By Owen Jarus published
Four newly translated Japanese texts describe how ritual samurai beheadings were supposed to take place during the Edo period and later.

Cahokia: One of the 1st cities in North America
By Owen Jarus last updated
Cahokia, in modern-day Illinois, was one of the largest cities in the world.

2,700-year-old shields and helmet from ancient kingdom unearthed at castle in Turkey
By Owen Jarus published
The martial artifacts found at the temple complex were likely offerings that an ancient kingdom made to their chief god.

Did Roman gladiators really fight to the death?
By Owen Jarus published
Being a Roman gladiator was a bloody business, but did all gladiators really fight to the death?

3,200-year-old ancient Egyptian barracks contains sword inscribed with 'Ramesses II'
By Owen Jarus published
The newfound barracks may have been built partly because the Libyans were becoming a growing threat to ancient Egypt.

Vikings in Norway were much more likely to die violent deaths than those in Denmark
By Owen Jarus published
Viking Age skeletons in Norway were much more likely to bear signs of lethal violence than those in Denmark, possibly because society in Norway was less stratified and centralized.

Mysterious 'mustached' burial mounds in Kazakhstan date to the Middle Ages
By Owen Jarus published
Archaeologists in Kazakhstan have discovered 10 kurgans, or burial mounds, dating to the Middle Ages, and some have "mustaches."

Rare pre-Inca burials of 4 people found at 'water cult' temple in Peru
By Owen Jarus published
Archaeologists have found the skeletal remains of four people — two children, a teenager and an adult — at a site in Peru that predates the Incas.

'Lord, make them die an awful death': Prisoner's dark pleas found etched into Roman-era prison
By Owen Jarus published
An archaeologist has identified the rare remains of a Roman prison in Corinth, Greece.

Jerusalem's Second Temple was built with gigantic stone blocks — now we think we know where they came from
By Owen Jarus published
Archaeologists discovered a 2,000-year-old rock quarry in Jerusalem which may have provided the massive stone building blocks used in the Second Temple.
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