Tom Metcalfe

A hole in a Late Bronze Age human skull found in northern Israel may be early evidence of trepanation; but other experts argue that the hole could have been made for ritual purposes after the man's death.

A new study investigating the unusual facedown burial of a woman from ancient Sardinia has revealed signs that she may have died from a fall during an epileptic seizure.

The cryptic Book of Revelation in the Christian Bible deliberately uses the language and verbal elements seen in Roman curse tablets, probably in an effort to reinforce its message, one researcher says.

Giraffes don't go into heat, don't have a breeding season and don't make mating calls. So how do giraffes know when it's the right time for love?

Laser scans have revealed that what was thought to be an Iron Age hillfort in northwestern Spain is, in fact, an early medieval stronghold built in the fifth century A.D. and occupied for the next 200 years.

Archaeologists have unearthed an oversized ceremonial iron sword and a bronze mirror shaped like a shield from a 1,600-year-old burial mound in Nara, Japan.

The teeth of an aristocratic French woman who lived at the turn of the 17th century were held in place with fine gold wires, a new study has found.

Two ancient clay tablets from Iraq contain details of a "lost" Canaanite language.

A fragment of a mysterious artifact known as a Roman dodecahedron has been found in Belgium.

The giant chasm on Antarctica's Brunt Ice Shelf has split and created a massive iceberg.

A new study of ancient silver hoards from Israel and Gaza suggests that metal was used as currency in the Bronze Age, hundreds of years earlier than previously suspected.

Satellite photos showing poop stains in the West Antarctic snow and ice have revealed a previously unknown breeding colony of emperor penguins.

Neutron imaging revealed that a medieval pendant from Germany holds fragments of bone, possibly those of a saint.

The characteristic zigzag pattern of lightning is caused by a highly conductive form of oxygen that builds up as the bolt travels toward the ground.

The remains of a "princely" tomb, possibly from a Hunnic warrior, have been found during motorway construction in Romania.

Scientists have used facial reconstruction techniques to show what the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II looked like in his prime.

The 9,000-year-old Jericho Skull now has a new face, thanks to the latest reconstruction techniques.

Timbers from the hull of a 16th-century ship have been found in a flooded quarry in southeastern England.

Sword blows to the head of a medieval murder victim in Italy suggest "a case of overkill."

Archaeologists in Israel have discovered new artifacts and carvings from the Cave of Salome, a place of pilgrimage for early Christians who thought that it was the burial place for Salome, the supposed midwife of Jesus.

Is Hanukkah eight days because of an ancient miracle that oil burned for that long? It turns out there's more to the story.

A Yule log is a Christmas tradition in which a log of wood is progressively burned in a fireplace over several nights.

Stone tools found in a 4,000-year-old grave near Stonehenge have traces of gold on their surfaces that indicate they were used to fashion gold ornaments.