Researchers Study Severed Hands Uncovered in Egypt
Researchers Study Severed Hands Uncovered in Egypt In 2011, archaeologists excavating a site in northern Egypt known as Tell el-Dab’a came across a grisly scene. As they probed a series of pits outside the city’s palace walls, 12 skeletal hands reached back at them. The dismembered hands, researchers reported last week in Scientific Reports, are likely a …
Mysterious mosaics depicting Medusa uncovered at 2nd-century Roman villa
Mysterious mosaics depicting Medusa uncovered at 2nd-century Roman villa While excavating a villa used by ancient Roman emperors in Italy, archaeologists uncovered something unexpected: two mosaics that depict the Greek mythological figure Medusa, whose hair was made of snakes and whose gaze was said could turn people into stone. The team found the mosaics in …
Digital Image Depicts 30,000-Year-Old Egyptian
Digital Image Depicts 30,000-Year-Old Egyptian A lifelike facial approximation of a man who lived 30,000 years ago in what is now Egypt may offer clues about human evolution. In 1980, archaeologists unearthed the man’s skeletal remains at Nazlet Khater 2, an archaeological site in Egypt’s Nile Valley. Anthropological analysis revealed that the man was between …
Python May Have Been on the Neolithic Menu in Southern China
Python May Have Been on the Neolithic Menu in Southern China Snake bones that date back to the Neolithic period, around 6,000 years ago, have been discovered in the Zuojiang River basin, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The longest single vertebra unveiled at the site represents an individual snake belonging to the species Python …
Was Stonehenge an ancient calendar? A new study says no
Was Stonehenge an ancient calendar? A new study says no Stonehenge wasn’t a prehistoric solar calendar but served mainly as a memorial to the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, according to new research by scientists who study ancient astronomy. The first stones at Stonehenge were emplaced in southern England about 5,000 years ago, and the monument was constructed in …
Genomic study reveals signs of tuberculosis adaptation in ancient Andeans
Genomic study reveals signs of tuberculosis adaptation in ancient Andeans People have inhabited the Andes mountains of South America for more than 9,000 years, adapting to the scarce oxygen available at high alтιтudes, along with cold temperatures and intense ultraviolet radiation. A new genomic study published in the journal iScience suggests that Indigenous populations in …
83 ancient Mexican artifacts returned from Italy, Germany, France
83 ancient Mexican artifacts returned from Italy, Germany, France The National Insтιтute of Anthropology and History (INAH) has announced the return of 40 historical artifacts from Italy, as well as another 40 from Germany and three from France. Some of the artifacts are nearly 1,700 years old. The artifacts arrived safely back in Mexico thanks …
Tartan Recovered From Scottish Bog Dated to the 16th Century
Tartan Recovered From Scottish Bog Dated to the 16th Century A scrap of fabric found in a Highland peat bog 40 years ago is likely to be the oldest tartan ever discovered in Scotland, new tests have established. The fabric is believed to have been created in about the 16th Century, making it more than …
6,000-Year-Old Copper Fishhook Unearthed in Israel
6,000-Year-Old Copper Fishhook Unearthed in Israel Shark was likely on the menu around 6,000 years ago in what is now Israel, according to researchers who uncovered a large copper fishing hook in a previously unknown ancient village. Archaeologists unearthed the “shark hook” during a 2018 survey along the Mediterranean coast on the outskirts of Ashkelon, …
Thousands of Mummified Ram’s Heads Uncovered in Abydos
Thousands of Mummified Ram’s Heads Uncovered in Abydos Excavation work carried out by an American mission from New York University at the temple of Ramses II in Abydos has stumbled upon a menagerie of mummified animals that provides previously undocumented evidence of cultic worship through the ages. The most significant find at the site is …