Archaeology

The latest digs, ideas, and discoveries about our past, from ancient cities to our prehistoric ancestors.

Latest in Archaeology

Both sides of one of the arrowheads analysed. The left-hand image shows the organic remains in which the arrowhead residues were identified. Photo: Marlize Lombard
Archaeology

World’s oldest poison-tipped arrow discovered in South Africa

By Andrew Paul

a celtic gold coin
Archaeology

Rare Celtic coin found by metal detectorist

By Laura Baisas

a coin minted in 1804. it is silver and features the word liberty, the profile of a woman with long hair, and the year 1804
Archaeology

‘King of Silver Dollars’ coin could fetch over $1M at auction

By Laura Baisas

a cave painting of two warty pigs
Archaeology

Pigs have been island hopping for 50,000 years

By Laura Baisas

A close-up, angled shot of a silver waiter's corkscrew in the process of opening a wine bottle. The metal lever of the corkscrew is braced against the lip of the dark glass bottle, while the black spiral "worm" is drilled deep into the center of the natural wood cork. The background is a soft, out-of-focus gradient of green and grey.
Archaeology

The corkscrew began as a tool for muskets, not merlot

By Andrew Coletti

coins in dirt and a can in dirt
Archaeology

A couple walking their dog found $10 million worth of rare coins

By Justin Pot

roman ruins in northern england
Archaeology

Diarrhea slowed down Roman soldiers

By Laura Baisas

A scene from the Bayeux Tapestry showing a medieval dining scene involving Bishop Odo of Bayeux.
Archaeology

Famous phallic tapestry may have entertained monks during meals

By Laura Baisas

skeleton
Archaeology

Man with metal detector stumbles on perplexing Viking Age grave

By Margherita Bassi

Rhesus macaque bones in Roman animal cemetery grave
Archaeology

Roman generals gifted kittens and piglets to their pet monkeys

By Andrew Paul

a wooden boat on display in a dark museum exhibit
Archaeology

Who built Scandinavia’s oldest wooden plank boat? An ancient fingerprint offers clues.

By Laura Baisas

Artist's impression of sparks from flint and pyrite
Archaeology

Neanderthals harnessed fire 350,000 years earlier than previously thought

By Andrew Paul

An ancient Pompeii wall at a newly excavated site, where Associate Professor Admir Masic applied compositional analysis (overlayed to right) to understand how ancient Romans made concrete that has endured for thousands of years.
Archaeology

Pompeii’s ruins challenge Rome’s famous concrete recipe

By Andrew Paul

a gold coin with a ship and queen elizabeth i etched into it
Archaeology

Elizabethan era gold coin sold for record-breaking price

By Laura Baisas

coins in a jug at an archaeologist dig
Archaeology

40,000 Roman-era coins discovered in French village

By Laura Baisas

pouring olive oil in a clear container
Archaeology

Ancient ‘dirty dishes’ may have led archaeologists astray for decades

By Laura Baisas

two donkeys looking directly at the camera in a green field with a blue sky
Archaeology

Why using a donkey to treat whooping cough makes sense

By Laura Baisas

Medieval grave slab made from Purbeck stone in museum exhibit case
Archaeology

Medieval shipwreck mistaken for underwater ‘rubbish’

By Andrew Paul

an orange cat sits on ancient ruins
Archaeology

Roman military helped bring cats to Europe

By Laura Baisas

Neanderthal human remains from the Troisième caverne of Goyet (Belgium). Highly fragmented bones bear traces characteristic of fresh bone fracturing and percussion, demonstrating intentional treatment of the bodies. The individuals (GNx, for “Goyet Neandertal” x), numbering six at minimum, were identified by genetic analyses: XX indicates female gender, and XY male gender.. Credit: Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences /Scientific Reports
Archaeology

The Neanderthals who ate their neighbors

By Andrew Paul