Tom Metcalfe is a freelance journalist and regular Live Science contributor who is based in London in the United Kingdom. Tom writes mainly about science, space, archaeology, the Earth and the oceans. He has also written for the BBC, NBC News, National Geographic, Scientific American, Air & Space, and many others.
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3,300-year-old tablet from mysterious Hittite Empire describes catastrophic invasion of four citiesResearchers think a sacred language inscribed in cuneiform on the tablet suggest the Hittite king visited or lived where the tablet was found in Turkey.
By Tom Metcalfe Published
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Ancient humans used cave in Spain as burial spot for 4 millennia, 7,000 bones revealThe bones show burials from the Neolithic until the Bronze Age, and the researchers think the cave may have even been used by Neanderthals.
By Tom Metcalfe Published
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14 wrecks that expose 'what life was like on slaver ships' identified in the BahamasResearchers say they hope to recover what's left of the ships after more than 200 years underwater.
By Tom Metcalfe Published
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Viking market may be buried on a Norwegian island, radar suggestsThe Norwegian island of Klosterøy is famous for its medieval monastery, but new research suggests it was important long before that.
By Tom Metcalfe Published
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Ancient language found on 2,100-year-old bronze hand may be related to BasqueResearchers think the inscription is written in a Vasconic language spoken in northeastern Spain before the arrival of the Romans.
By Tom Metcalfe Published
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Spectacularly preserved Roman-age egg still has its yolk and whitesThe egg-citing object may be the oldest unintentionally preserved egg ever found.
By Tom Metcalfe Published
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11,000-year-old submerged stone wall discovered off Germany was once used to trap reindeerThe wall may be among the oldest hunting structures on Earth and one of the largest Stone Age structures ever found in Europe.
By Tom Metcalfe Published
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Undeciphered script from Easter Island may predate European colonizationA wooden tablet inscribed with the undeciphered rongorongo script from Rapa Nui (also known as Easter Island) dates to the 15th century, long before Europeans arrived. This early date suggests that the Rapa Nui people invented their own script without European influence.
By Tom Metcalfe Published
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13 of the world's oldest artworks, some crafted by extinct human relativesArchaeological evidence suggests that symbolism in art, once seen as something that only modern humans were capable of, was produced by earlier hominins.
By Tom Metcalfe Published
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Did art exist before modern humans? New discoveries raise big questions.Feature Scientists are finding ever-earlier examples of artistic expression in the archaeological record that reshape what we know about the cognitive abilities of our archaic human relatives, such as Neanderthals.
By Tom Metcalfe Published
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1st-century villa discovered near Mount Vesuvius may be where Pliny the Elder watched catastrophic eruptionArchaeologists think the luxurious villa was where Pliny the Elder first witnessed the massive volcanic eruption that would later claim his life.
By Tom Metcalfe Published
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One of Sweden's oldest stone tombs is mysteriously missing skullsA 5,500-year-old Neolithic tomb in Sweden contains the remains of at least 12 people, but many of their skulls and long bones are missing.
By Tom Metcalfe Published
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Denmark's oldest runes inscribed on ancient knifeResearchers say the runic letters may spell "little sword," which could have been the name of the knife's owner or the knife itself.
By Tom Metcalfe Published
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Remains of 4,000-year-old 'lost' tomb discovered in IrelandThe tomb was said to have been demolished in the 19th century, but a new search has found its location.
By Tom Metcalfe Published
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Roman dodecahedron uncovered by amateur archaeologists in the UKMore than 100 dodecahedrons have now been found in northwestern Europe, but archaeologists still don't know what they were used for.
By Tom Metcalfe Published
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'Extremely rare' 2,500-year-old broken silver coin unearthed near JerusalemThe find is rare evidence that such early coins were being used for commerce in the region.
By Tom Metcalfe Published
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Part of Hadrian's 1,800-year-old aqueduct and rare Greek coins unearthed near CorinthThe enormous aqueduct was built in the second century to carry water to the city of Corinth from a lake 50 miles away.
By Tom Metcalfe Published
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Are 3,000-year-old carvings from Italy a star map? Researchers can't agree.A new study suggests the disk was made to accurately represent the brightest stars at least 2,400 years ago, possibly as an aid for planting crops. But other experts are not convinced.
By Tom Metcalfe Published
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Medieval grave of 'very, very powerful' man and his 4-foot-long sword unearthed in SwedenArchaeologists think the man buried in the grave may have been a wealthy supporter of the Kalmar Union in which a single monarch united the kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
By Tom Metcalfe Published
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Medieval belt buckle of 'dragon' eating frog discovered in Czech Republic may be from unknown pagan cultArchaeologists in the Czech Republic thought they'd found a unique object, but they have since learned of at least three more.
By Tom Metcalfe Published
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1,500-year-old gold buckles depicting ruler 'majestically sitting on a throne' discovered in KazakhstanThe ornaments contain the earliest known depiction of a Göktürk "khagan," who probably lived in the sixth century.
By Tom Metcalfe Published
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2,000-year-old 'celestial calendar' discovered in ancient Chinese tombIt's the first time written slips linked to the ancient calendar have been found in a tomb.
By Tom Metcalfe Published
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2,300-year-old shell mosaic discovered in luxurious home in RomeArchaeologists think the house belonged to a senatorial family during the last years of Rome's Republic.
By Tom Metcalfe Published
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Ancient Egypt's sacred baboons had tough lives, study suggestsAncient baboon mummies show signs of poor diet and lack of sunlight during captivity.
By Tom Metcalfe Published
