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Researchers studying a Roman-era coffin housed at Westminster Abbey have determined it was originally made in the 4th century but was later repurposed by monks during the medieval period. The analysis identifies how and when the ancient sarcophagus came to hold a different occupant than it was built for.
Archaeologists using core drilling begun in 2022 have uncovered a previously unknown network of Iron Age salt-mining chambers beneath Hallstatt, Austria, tracing the workings for at least 300 meters. Instead of one large cavity, the drilling found multiple parallel chambers, some stacked above or below others, up to 25 meters wide and 20 meters high, with floor debris including burnt pine splinters and broken tools.
Researchers re-examining the deep grooves carved into bedrock across Malta and Gozo, long dubbed 'cart ruts' or stone 'railways,' say evidence points to the tracks being formed well after the prehistoric period many had assumed. The findings challenge earlier claims that tied the ruts to Malta's Neolithic or Bronze Age monument builders.
Archaeologists have recovered thousands of artifacts from a site in Alaska dated to roughly 13,800 years ago. Researchers say the find reflects cultural ties linking ancient populations across the former Bering Land Bridge region.
Researchers analyzing a Neanderthal skeleton concluded the individual likely died from a spear wound, but the remains also show evidence that the person survived for a time afterward, suggesting they received care from others. The findings, described by the study's researchers, highlight both violence and compassion within the same individual's life history.
Researchers excavating a site from the early Middle Ages have identified a building featuring a Roman-style hypocaust heating system, suggesting construction techniques persisted after Rome's collapse. The team also found glass fragments believed to be remnants of high-value lamps or tableware, indicating the site's occupants held significant wealth or status.
Researchers examined lead levels preserved in medieval teeth from populations near mining sites, finding that exposure to lead contamination varied according to social status. The study suggests that those of lower social standing bore a disproportionate share of the toxic burden from mining activity during the period.
Archaeologists cataloged 597 wooden remains found at Abric Romaní near Barcelona, dating between 62,000 and 40,000 years ago, published in Science Advances. Mineral-rich water had coated the wood in a limestone-like crust, preserving mold impressions after the wood itself rotted away, revealing spears, digging sticks, bark trays, shelter parts and an unusual club.
New archaeological research reports that Iron and Viking Age households in Scandinavia kept human remains, including those of victims, within domestic spaces. One notable find was a child's skull embedded between floor layers, left in place as people continued walking over it for years.
A new study in Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology re-examined skulls excavated in the 1920s from First Dynasty Egyptian tombs and found that more than a third show evidence of blunt force trauma. Bioarchaeologist Roselyn Campbell of Purdue University led the analysis, applying modern forensic methods to century-old remains to investigate whether servants were killed to accompany early pharaohs into the afterlife.
Soldiers conducting a routine search in South Korea discovered a metal object they initially suspected was a landmine, which experts later identified as an antique firearm estimated to be around 600 years old. Researchers say the find could push back the known timeline of firearm use in Korea by roughly a century, though the exact dating remains disputed among specialists.
Researchers found that an ancient Greek harbor, carved into the coastline to serve trade and military purposes, sat directly on a network of active geological faults. The engineering project reshaped the shoreline but left the port vulnerable to the seismic activity beneath it.