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 …

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 …

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 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 …

Rare 1,000-Year-Old Viking Wooden Bowl Found By Young Boy To most children finding something unusual and unexpected is a joy, but discovering a precious, rare ancient artefact must be a memory for a lifetime! One can only guess what goes through the mind of the youngster who has unearthed a rare 1,000-year-old bowl from the …

Unexpected Discovery Of Two Viking Swords In Upright Position In Sweden It does not happen very often that archaeologists find Viking swords. Swords were extremely important to ancient Vikings, but these weapons were expensive to produce, and only the richest warriors and chiefs could afford a sword. As previously explained on AncientPages.com, the loss of a sword …

Ship’s Cargo Offers Clues to Medieval Trade Routes Research at the University of Gothenburg has shown that the Skaftö wreck had probably taken on cargo in Gdańsk in Poland and was heading towards Belgium when it foundered in the Lysekil archipelago around 1440. Modern methods of analysis of the cargo are now providing completely new …

Late-Roman Ruins and Pottery Uncovered at Antioch Late Roman-era rooms and earthen offering vessels have been discovered by archaeologists in southern Türkiye amid ongoing excavations of the ancient city of Antiocheia, the head of the dig said on Friday. Excavations around the Church of St. Pierre, a pilgrimage site for many Christians, began on Oct. …

17th-Century Toddler May Have Died from Lack of Sunlight Scientists used a ‘virtual autopsy’ to examine the mummy of a child found in an aristocratic family crypt, revealing him most probably as Reichard Wilhelm (1625-1626). Despite his wealthy background, the child experienced extreme nutritional deficiency and tragically early death from pneumonia. A team of scientists …