Archaeology
- Archaeology
Stone Age Britons pay surprise visit
Estimated to be roughly 700,000 years old, stone tools recently unearthed along England's southeastern coast are the earliest evidence of human ancestors in northern Europe.
- Archaeology
From prison yard to holy ground
Archaeological excavations at a prison near Megiddo, Israel, have unearthed the remains of what may be one of the region's oldest Christian churches.
- Archaeology
Q Marks the Spot: Recent find fingers long-sought Maya city
A hieroglyphic-covered stone panel discovered at an ancient Maya site in Guatemala last April adds weight to suspicions that the settlement was Site Q, an enigmatic city about which researchers have long speculated.
- Archaeology
French site sparks Neandertal debate
Radiocarbon analyses of material from a French cave indicate that Neandertal and modern human occupations of the site overlapped around 36,000 years ago, possibly explaining why Neandertals began to employ some new toolmaking techniques around that time.
- Archaeology
The Iceman Cometh
A Web site maintained by Italy’s South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology offers an illustrated look at scientific efforts to understand the life and death of Oetzi the Iceman, who perished in Europe’s Alps more than 5,000 years ago only to be discovered in mummified form by hikers in 1991. Explore Oetzi’s clothing, equipment, and tattoos, […]
- Archaeology
Judeo-Christian ties buried in Rome
New radiocarbon dates from one of ancient Rome's underground cemeteries, or catacombs, indicates that these structures were built in the Jewish community more than a century before early Christians started to do the same.
- Archaeology
Seeing Past the Dirt
Increasingly, researchers are using geophysical techniques such as ground-penetrating radar and magnetometers to target their excavations.
- Archaeology
Ancient Glassmakers: Egyptians crafted ingots for Mediterranean trade
New archaeological finds indicate that by about 3,250 years ago, Egypt had become a major glass producer and exporter.
- Archaeology
Cuneiform Tablets
This Web exhibit from the Library of Congress displays 38 ancient clay tablets and other artifacts that feature the ancient form of writing known as cuneiform. The items include various accounting records (receipts and bills of sale) and school exercises. Go to: http://international.loc.gov/intldl/cuneihtml/
- Archaeology
Ancient Mariners: Caves harbor view of early Egyptian sailors
Archaeologists working near the Red Sea have discovered remains of an Egyptian port that emerged around 4,000 years ago, including two caves used by mariners for storage and for religious ceremonies.
- Archaeology
Pottery points to ‘mother culture’
The Olmec, a society that more than 3,000 years ago inhabited what is now Mexico's Gulf Coast, acted as a mother culture for communities located hundreds of miles away, according to a chemical analysis of pottery remains and local clays from ancient population sites in the area.
- Archaeology
In the Buff: Stone Age tools may have derived luster from diamond
Ancient Chinese people may have used diamonds to polish their stone axes to mirrorlike finishes.
