Archaeology

Early humans in South Africa used dedicated quarries for stone as long as 220,000 years ago - study

Based on this, researchers suggest that early homo sapiens planned for the long-term acquisition of resources earlier than previously thought.

Dozens of large and small stone flakes and production waste found at the  Jojosi excavation site in eastern South Africa, April 11, 2026.
Stolen manuscript pages being returned by Canada to Turkey in first archaeological repatriation, April 11, 2026.

Canada returns stolen manuscript pages to Turkey in first archaeological repatriation

A man inspects the site of the remains of a Byzantine church, which was damaged after a barrage of projectiles was launched towards Israel from Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Nahariya, northern Israel, April 10, 2026.

Hezbollah rocket hits Byzantine-era church in Nahariya, damages protective structure

Dr. Melandri Vlok and Ms. Minh Tran conducting radiographic analysis on child skeletons from Man Bac, April 11, 2026.

Prehistoric children’s remains show syphilis-like disease spread through ancient Vietnam - study


Passenger paid for an English bus ride with a coin dating back two millennia

The coin’s age and iconography identify it with Gadir, a settlement founded by the Phoenicians and considered Carthage’s first colony in Western Europe.

A London bus circles Trafalgar Square in London December 16, 2011.

Study: Neanderthal-human interbreeding mostly male Neanderthals, female humans

Most people of non-African ancestry carry about 2% Neanderthal DNA, and researchers report a mirror image pattern with more human DNA on the Neanderthal X chromosome.

 World's oldest Neanderthal fingerprint found on 43,000-year-old pebble in Spain. Illustration.

Real-life Indiana Jones: British Museum to hire ‘treasure hunter’ to find stolen artifacts - report

Since the original 2023 announcement of the theft, the museum has recovered 654 of these, the most significant of which was 268 gems returned all at once by the United States.

London, England, General view of the British Museum with visitors, Bloomsbury, March 2025.

Ancient Polish 'princess' burial date revealed after decades of archaeological mystery - study

In 1899, the young woman’s coffin, made of a hollowed-out oak log, had tumbled from an eroding cliff above the Baltic coast village. She was nicknamed by locals as the “Princess of Bagicz.”

The Princess of Bagicz’s wooden coffin, accessed on February 27, 2026.

Israeli researchers crack century-old mystery of cone-shaped vessels found near Dead Sea - study

The fragments had been excavated from the Teleilat el-Ghassul archaeological site near the Dead Sea in Jordan between 1931 and 1938.

Cone-shaped clay vessels, known as cornets, found across hundreds of sites in Israel and Jordan, February 27, 2026.

Rare half-shekel coin used in biblical census count discovered by archaeologists in Judean Desert

The survey is an ongoing project by the IAA meant to protect archaeological sites in the Judean Desert from looting and unauthorized excavations.

Rare half-shekel coin discovered in Judean Desert by the Israel Antiquities Authority, February 26, 2026.

‘Secrets of ancient Egypt’: Old Kingdom tombs, artifacts discovered on Nile's west bank

The tombs, discovered in the Qubbet el-Hawa site, were complete with shafts and burial chambers.

Pottery vessels, discovered alongside jewelry and other artifacts, inside Old Kingdom tombs at the Qubbet el-Hawa site in Aswan, Egypt, February 26, 2026.

CT scans unlock secrets of mummified Inca children ritually sacrificed over 500 years ago - study

Researchers examined four frozen mummies recovered from the Ampato and Sara Sara volcanoes in southern Peru during the 1990s using CT scans.

The remains of one of the four children found by archeologists, buried in the Inca sanctuary of Pachacamac, in the coastal desert strip 30 km south of Lima. Picture taken on November 9, 2010.

Meet Britain's oldest Northerner: The ‘Ossick Lass' buried over 11,000 years ago - study

In addition to the Ossick Lass, the remains of at least seven other individuals had also recovered from the cave.

Rural landscape, Cumbria, Lake District, UK, February 25, 2026.

Experts use AI to crack mystery of 2,000-year-old Roman board game found in Netherlands - study

“This is the first time that AI-driven simulated play has been used in concert with archaeological methods to identify a board game,” Crist concluded. 

A 2,000-year-old limestone slab found beneath the Dutch city of Heerlen, recently discovered to be a Roman era board game, February 23, 2026.