Hidden messages praising Pharaoh Ramesses II discovered on 3,300-year-old Egyptian obelisk in Paris
A 3,300-year-old Egyptian obelisk looming over Paris’ Place de la Concorde recently yielded a sequence of secret messages, all thanks to French Egyptologist Jean-Guillaume Olette-Pelletier’s keen observations. Once placed at the Luxor Temple’s entrance in Egypt, the red granite monument is now the target of a groundbreaking study that claims it was an ancient propaganda…
Oldest bone spear tip in Europe, made by Neanderthals, found in Russia
Archaeologists working in the Caucasus Mountains in southern Russia discovered a revolutionary artifact that challenges assumptions held for centuries about Neanderthal technological skill. Scientists discover oldest known human viruses in 50,000-year-old Neanderthal remains. Credit: Paul Hudson, Flickr (CC BY 2.0) A bone spear point that measures 9 centimeters in length, recovered…
Roman limekiln and settlement discovered in Barnwood reveal life and industry in ancient Gloucester
Archaeologists from Cotswold Archaeology revealed significant Roman artifacts at the Centre Severn development site in Barnwood, Gloucester, giving new insights into life and construction practices under Roman occupation in Britain. Excavations between September 2020 and February 2021 revealed the remains of a massive Roman settlement dating from the 2nd to 4th centuries CE, and a…
Well-preserved 18th-century Austrian mummy identified as parish vicar embalmed using previously unknown method
An extremely well-preserved mummy found in the crypt of a village church in Austria not only has its identity confirmed but also provides a new, previously unknown method of embalming. The body, which had long been referred to as the “Air-Dried Chaplain” of St. Thomas am Blasenstein, is now identified as the body of Franz…
Pompeii discoveries reveal family’s tragic final moments in the House of Helle and Phrixus
Archaeologists have unearthed the grim final moments of a Pompeii family in the House of Helle and Phrixus, offering a poignant glimpse into life—and death—during the devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. The discoveries, published in the E-Journal of the Pompeii Excavations, reveal a desperate attempt at survival as volcanic forces engulfed the…
Ancient DNA confirms Picuris Pueblo’s ancestral link to Chaco Canyon
In a milestone study published in Nature on April 30, northern New Mexico’s Picuris Pueblo has, for the first time, led a genetic study confirming their ancestral connection to the famous Chaco Canyon — a monumental site central to Pueblo culture. This collaboration with international geneticists represents a significant shift in the methods of scientific…
