Priceless archaeological artefacts found in Norfolk Island National Park by local citizen scientist
Priceless archaeological artefacts found in Norfolk Island National Park by local citizen scientist An archaeological dig on Norfolk Island has uncovered two Polynesian adzes (stone axes) and hundreds of flakes dating back to the pre-European settlement. The adzes were used for woodworking and canoe building and form hard evidence of settlement on Norfolk Island by …
Viking Age Silver Hoard Discovered in Sweden
Viking Age Silver Hoard Discovered in Sweden A 1000-year-old silver hoard containing several beautiful torque-style neck rings, arm rings and coins has been discovered in Viggbyholm, Täby, outside Stockholm. “This is something you probably only experience once in a lifetime”, says Maria Lingström at The Archaeologists, National Historical Museums in Sweden. The treasure was found …
Ancient Trophy Head Child Was High On Psychedelic Cactus Before Ritual Sacrifice
Ancient “Trophy Head” Child Was High On Psychedelic Cactus Before Ritual Sacrifice A child who had the honour of being made into a trophy head by the ancient Nazca culture of southern Peru was drugged up on a mescaline-containing cactus prior to being sacrificed, a new analysis has revealed. The same study also found evidence …
Ancient Snail From 99 Million Years Ago Discovered With Hairs Growing on Shell
Ancient Snail From 99 Million Years Ago Discovered With Hairs Growing on Shell A snail preserved in amber with an intact fringe of tiny delicate bristles along its shell is helping biologists better understand why one of the world’s slimiest animals might evolve such a groovin’ hairstyle. This unusual mollusc fossil, found in the Hukawng …
Crypts, Tunnel Discovered Beneath Knights Templar Chapel in Poland
Crypts, Tunnel Discovered Beneath Knights Templar Chapel in Poland Around 1119, in the midst of Christian Crusades to wrest the Holy Land from Muslim control, a French knight named Hugues de Payens formed a small military order dedicated to defending pilgrims as they travelled from West to East. Known today as the Knights Templar, the …
Revolutionary War Prison Camp Found in Pennsylvania
Revolutionary War Prison Camp Found in Pennsylvania Researchers say they solved a decades-old riddle this week by finding remnants of the stockade and therefore the site of a prison camp in York, Pennsylvania, that housed British soldiers for nearly two years during the American Revolutionary War. The location of Camp Security was thought to have been on …
Large-Scale Trade in Herring Dates to the Viking Age
Large-Scale Trade in Herring Dates to the Viking Age Historians have believed extensive herring trade started around the year 1200 AD, later controlled by the Hanseatic League. Now, a new study shows that it was already established in the Viking Age. “We found that this trade existed already around 800 AD, 400 years earlier, which …
Croatia’s Roman City of Ridit Investigated
Croatia’s Roman City of Ridit Investigated The ancient building has mᴀssive walls and a rectangular outline (approx. 20 x 10 m). Georadar images show the frame of the entrance, according to scientists most likely in the form of relics of a colonnade. The foundations were discovered under and next to the Church of St. Daniel …
19th-Century Farmer’s Cottage Uncovered in Iceland
19th-Century Farmer’s Cottage Uncovered in Iceland Archaeologists have unearthed a cottage near Úlfarsfell, a mountain and popular walking area between Reykjavík and Mosfellsbær. The discovery was made during exploratory excavations made preceding the construction of the shopping centre. According to Icelandic law, an archaeological investigation must be conducted before construction and any finds registered with …
Rare golden sword pommel acquired by a Scottish museum
Rare golden sword pommel acquired by a Scottish museum An “exceptionally rare” gold sword pommel discovered by a metal detectorist near Stirling has been acquired by National Museums Scotland. The pommel, which is about 1,300 years old, was found in 2019 and was declared to the Scottish Treasure Trove unit. The gold decoration which would …