Lost World War II-Era Submarine Identified Naval History and Heritage Command has confirmed the idenтιтy of a wrecked submarine off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan, as the lost USS Albacore (SS 218). NHHC’s Underwater Archaeology Branch (UAB) worked with Dr. Tamaki Ura of the University of Tokyo to confirm the idenтιтy of Albacore, which was lost …

Discovery of 4,500-year-old palace in Iraq may hold key to ancient civilisation It has been described by the director of the British Museum as “one of the most fascinating sites” he has has ever visited, but the archaeologist who led the discovery of a lost Sumerian temple in the ancient city of Girsu has said …

A 2,000-Year-Old Antler In Vietnam May Be Oldest Music Instrument Of Its Kind An unusual deer antler found in Vietnam may be one of the oldest string instruments ever unearthed in Southeast Asia. Discovered at a site along the Mekong River, the 2,000-year-old instrument is like a single-stringed harp and may have been a great-grandparent …

300-Year-Old Mummified Mermaid From Japan Mystery Solved; Creature Is Artificial A mummified mermaid has been worshiped in Japan for centuries because locals believe it has healing powers. However, upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the item was not as mysterious as it appeared because it was only artificial. In Japan, there is a legend …

2,400-Year-Old Toilet Found in China A manual flush toilet, dating back 2,400 years, has piqued the interest of archaeologists who are trying to find out what people ate during that time by analyzing soil samples collected from it. Broken parts of the toilet, including a bent pipe, were unearthed from the Yueyang archaeological site in …

Roman soldier’s 1,900-year-old payslip uncovered in Masada During excavations at Masada, archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities (IAA) uncovered a papyrus payslip dated to 72 BC belonging to a Roman soldier. Masada is a rugged crag in the Judean Desert overlooking the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Sea.  Herod, the first-century BCE Judean king best known for constructing Jerusalem’s Temple …

Saudi Arabia unveils reconstructed face of a 2000-year-old Nabataean woman Saudi Arabia is unveiling a reconstruction of the face of an ancient Nabataean woman after several years of work by historians and archaeologists. The reconstruction, which is the first of its kind, is modeled on the remains of Hinat, a Nabataean woman who was discovered …

Anomalies Detected in Walls Surrounding Ancient Capital in China For nearly 650 years, the fortress walls in the Chinese city of Xi’an have served as a formidable barrier around the central city. At 12 meters high and up to 18 meters thick, they are impervious to almost everything — except subatomic particles called muons. Now, …

2.3-meter sword found in 4th-century tomb in Japan The largest bronze mirror and the largest “dako” iron sword in Japan were discovered at the Tomio Maruyama burial mound in Nara. Experts say the twin discoveries from the Tomio Maruyama Tumulus last November can be classified as national treasures, with the shield-shaped mirror being the first …