Archaeology

Archaeology is fundamentally the study of humanity and its past. Archaeologists study things that were created, used or changed by humans. They do this by studying the material remains, in other words, the stuff we leave behind.

Related Topics: Anthropology, Fossils, Human Origins, Shipwrecks

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This relief depicts the tomb owner, Mehtjetju, who lived around 4,300 years ago.

Tomb of ancient Egyptian dignitary who read top secret documents discovered

By Owen Jarus published

Archaeologists in Egypt have found the tomb of an official who claimed to have access to secret royal documents.

Two people who are wearing hard hats, masks and high visibility safety vests are exploring an underground cave thought to be a city. The walls are lined with large stone bricks and there are three circular holes on the floor.

Underground city unearthed in Turkey may have been refuge for early Christians

By Tom Metcalfe published

Archaeologists in southeastern Turkey have unearthed a vast underground city that was built almost 2,000 years ago and possibly used by early Christians to escape Roman persecution.

Two gloved archaelologists are bending over and carefully excavating bones from the ground using brushes.

Rare 2,300-year-old tomb in Istanbul holds partially cremated body

By Owen Jarus published

Archaeologists in Turkey have discovered a 2,300-year-old brick tomb that contains the remains of a partially cremated body.

Archaeologists used warm water to melt the ice and snow around this Iron Age arrow found in Norway.

Iron Age arrow found on Norway mountain still has feather fletching on it

By Laura Geggel published

Glacial archaeologists have found a well preserved arrow from the Iron Age that hunters used to shoot reindeer.

The famous ancient golden Scythian breast pectiral (necklace) on a black background, it depicts the animal world of southern Ukraine and the life of ancient Scythians.

Russian forces reportedly stole priceless Scythian treasures from Ukrainian museum

By Owen Jarus published

Russian forces have reportedly stolen ancient Scythian artifacts made of gold from a museum in Ukraine.

The divine procession panel, digitally highlighted in black, found in the underground complex in Başbük, Turkey.

Fertility cult complex discovered under Turkish home dates to the Iron Age

By Emily Staniforth published

The relief, found on a wall panel in the underground complex, shows the integration of Neo-Assyrian culture into the Aramaic culture of Iron Age Turkey.

The 10 daggers, along with a map showing the area of their discovery

Bronze Age 'grave daggers' were actually used to butcher animals

By Callum McKelvie published

Bronze Age copper alloy daggers were used for processing animal carcasses, a revolutionary new analysis technique has revealed.

The remains of the Neolithic stone structures

8,500-year-old stone houses are the oldest known structures in the UAE

By Emily Staniforth published

The Neolithic structure is 500 years older than the oldest structure previously found in the Abu Dhabi islands.

View from the Giza Plateau of the three pyramids known as Queens' Pyramids with three smaller three satellite pyramids in front. In order from left to right: the Pyramid of Menkaure, Khafre and then Khufu.

Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx: Facts about the ancient Egyptian monuments

By Owen Jarus published

Reference Facts about these ancient Egyptian monuments, still a source of speculation and debate.

The excavation pit of the Aztec dwelling

Remains of Aztec dwelling and floating gardens unearthed in Mexico City

By Emily Staniforth published

The house and other finds, which date from the 13th to 19th centuries, show how the area was used and changed throughout the centuries.

Carol Ann Barsody and Frederic Gleach examine the over 1,500-year-old mummy bird.

Ancient Egyptian mummy forgotten in storage turns out to be sacred bird often sacrificed to Thoth

By Callum McKelvie published

Scientists have uncovered the mystery of a 1,500-year-old bird mummy that was mislabeled.

American photojournalist and founder of the Ancient Art Archive Stephen Alvarez in the 19th newly identified but unnamed cave in Alabama.

Largest known cave art images in US by Indigenous Americans discovered in Alabama

By Callum McKelvie published

Using a 3D scanning process known as photogrammetry, archeologists have uncovered five previously unknown giant cave paintings.

This photo shows a bunker that was built to defend the island in case the Americans invaded during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Defiant message discovered in Cuban Missile Crisis bunker

By Owen Jarus published

Archaeologists have discovered a defiant message, possibly written by a Cuban soldier, in a bunker system that was built to protect the island during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The image at top shows one of the ballcourt carvings, its edges have been highlighted in the photo to make it easier to see. The image below shows a ballcourt at the site of Monte Alban, it is of a similar design to the carved ballcourt.

Ancient ritual bloodletting may have been performed at carvings found in Mexico

By Owen Jarus published

Archaeologists have discovered 30 ballcourt carvings in southern Mexico that may date as far back as 100 B.C. and were possibly used in ritual bloodletting.

Of 14 people buried at the monumental cemetery at Fleury-sur-Orne during the early Neolithic period whose ancient DNA was tested, only one was a woman.

In a burial ground full of Stone Age men, one grave holds a 'warrior' woman

By Tom Metcalfe published

The female's burial had 4 arrowheads.

An aerial photo of Stonehenge

Stonehenge was a hunting hotspot long before the monument was built

By Jonathan Gordon published

DNA analysis shows that the area around Stonehenge was likely an important open area where hunter-gatherers and later farming communities resided long before construction of the monument.

In 2012, about 150 human skulls were uncovered in a cave in Chiapas, Mexico and were investigated by the police as a possible crime scene.

1,100-year-old 'altar of skulls' found in Mexico cave

By Callum McKelvie published

Human remains, originally investigated by the police as a crime scene, have now been discovered to date from A.D. 900 and were possibly sacrificial victims

The view of the ship in the excavation pit from the bow

Medieval cargo ship unexpectedly found during construction work in Estonia

By Emily Staniforth published

A ship, uncovered by construction workers near Tallinn's Old Harbor in Estonia, is a rare find that can shed light on medieval shipbuilding.

An image of the goddess statue on display in a museum

Farmer unearths ancient statue of serpent-crowned goddess in Gaza

By Emily Staniforth published

The statue of Anat, the goddess of love and war, was discovered by a farmer in his field and dates back to 2500 B.C.

Examples of the slate-ring fragments which may have been used as 'friendship ornaments' by Stone Age hunter-gatherers.

Stone Age hunter-gatherers may have exchanged 'BFF' friendship ornaments

By Callum McKelvie published

The "friendship ornaments" were made out of broken slate rings.