Archaeology on ZME Science

Ancient Neanderthal cave in Spain with thousands of wall paintings was used for over 50,000 years

We're still only starting to understand Neanderthal culture.

Extreme drought reveals ancient city submerged in Iraq

Falling water levels provided an unexpected opportunity for archaeologists.

Settlements of a "lost" civilization in the Amazon found using laser

Lidar strikes again: these are the first urban centers to be discovered in the region.

Egyptian archeologists put a wealth of new artifacts on display at the foot of the Step Pyramid of Djoser

The exhibit contained around 250 sarcophagi and at least 150 bronze statues.

Fossilized feces reveal that people migrated to Stonehenge to work and feast over winter

The menu was quite alluring, but the offal was not always well cooked.

Roman "storage" vessels turn out to be portable toilets

Not exactly the goods you were expecting.

The Incas drugged young children with coca leaves and ayahuasca before sacrificing them to calm them down

Mummies found atop a sacred mountain have provided the first archaeological evidence of ayahuasca among the Inca.

Greek god Zeus was also worshipped in Egypt -- this finding proves it

Ruins of the pillars of an ancient Zeus temple are found in Egypt, and guess what they are made of pink granite.

Life before Stonehenge: hunter-gatherers enjoyed the open woodland for thousands of years

Much effort has been put into understanding what life was like around Stonehenge. But what about life before Stonehenge?

Ancient fragmented pottery may actually be Medieval hand grenade

These super weapons may have seen action during the Crusades.

Pompeii enlists robot dog to inspect the ancient’s city streets

A new solution for a pretty old place.

Why did the Vikings abandon their successful settlement in Greenland?

A series of droughts, and not the cold, pushed the Vikings away from Greenland.

Some 15,000 years ago, a prehistoric culture created intricate art by firelight

There's more to this art than meets the eye.

Archaeologists use a radars technique to detect buried boat graves of the Viking era

Some of the high-class Viking people were buried with their ships and boats.

Mysterious sarcophagus found after Notre Dame fire about to be opened

What could possibly go wrong?

The earliest Mayan calendar may have been found in 2,300-year-old Guatemalan ruins

Some of the most mind blowing discoveries happen when you least expect them.

Remains found in 1,000-year-old lavish burial in Finland may belong to nonbinary warrior

The macho Viking myth is being challenged by a Medieval warrior with XXY chromosomes.

Ancient tools reveal that Neanderthal groups went extinct in waves, replacing one another

These ancient hominids had a complex and complicated pattern of extinction.

Smelling the past: researchers reconstruct how ancient societies would have smelled like

Many kingdoms have raised and fallen but a part of their scent remains -- and scientists are looking for ways to experience it..

Experimental archeology shows how hafted tools allowed humans to get a grasp on civilization

This simple advancement still echoes through the ages.

Ship of legendary explorer Shackleton found in Antarctica 107 years after it sank

It's the "finest wooden shipwreck I've ever seen," one marine archaeologist commented.

Stonehenge may be a giant solar calendar whose roots may extend all the way to ancient Egypt

Although the megalithic monument had long been thought to be a calendar, new discoveries may now explain how it exactly worked.

Intricate Roman mosaic discovered right next to iconic London skyscraper

It's the largest Roman mosaic found in the UK in the past 50 years.

British archeologists uncover 5,000-year-old stone drum in the grave of three children

It's one of only four objects of its kind discovered so far.

Modern humans ventured into Neanderthal territory much earlier than we thought

Stone tools and a tooth found in a cave in France open up new questions on human history

How Neanderthals made indoor cave fires without choking

Neanderthals were smart enough to pick the perfect spot where to place their cave fires.

Inca-era human 'vertebrae on posts' may have been one last-ditch effort to save their ancestors' remains from Conquistador looting

It looks like a gruesome mortuary practice, but the 16th century Andean communities were probably just desperately trying to avoid desecration at the hands of colonialists.

Eating meat may have not been decisive trigger in human evolution

While the researchers can't completely discard the theory, it needs more evidence to hold up.

Fish-like scale armor found in 2,500-year-old tomb in China

The armor may represent a rare showcase of technological transfer between the West and East in the 1st millenium B.C.

No, Ancient Greeks probably didn't kill their 'weak' babies

It's a tale as old as history -- but it could be a misleading tale.

The face of a man whose head was mounted on a stake 8,000 years ago

A forensic artist used archaeology, genetics, and history to reconstruct Ludvig’s appearance.

Pristine 2,300-year-old Scythian woman's boot found in frozen Altai mountains

They don't make them like they used to.

Archaeologists discover stunning, ancient gold trove in Cyprus

The treasure contains some remarkable pieces that were made in Egypt over 3,000 years ago, from the time of Nefertiti.

Archaeologists find 1,000-year-old Mayan canoe in underwater cave in Mexico

It's the most well preserved pre-Hispanic boat ever found.

Roman mosaic found beneath farmer’s field in the UK portrays famous Greek legend

A group of archeologists have found a Roman villa containing a mosaic that portrays scenes from Homer’s Iliad, the fight between Achilles and the Trojan hero, Hector. The mosaic dates back to the third or fourth century AD and it was first found by a farmer in Rutland, UK, who got in touch with researchers […]

Prehistoric moms were much better at raising their children than we give them credit for

More children likely survived infancy in hunter-gatherer times than previously thought.

This is one of the oldest pieces of cloth in the world -- and it's made from something surprising

Researchers have been arguing whether it's made from wool or linen. Turns out, it's neither.

The Vikings (and their mice) were the first to reach these idyllic Portuguese islands

Evidence shows Norse seafarers settled the Azores centuries before Portuguese explorers.

Rare 500-year-old manuscript mentioning legendary artifact analyzed by researchers

The prayer roll is one of only a few dozen of its kind still in existence, and it sheds new light on Christian practices at the time.

Airborne survey reveals how Mesoamerican cultures built their cities

The architecture of over 400 sites, built over a period of 2,000 years, has been revealed.

Neanderthals likely spoke and understood language like humans

Neanderthals had much better oral communication abilities than their ancestors, resembling those of humans.

Diver finds 900-year-old Crusader sword in Israel

That moment when you're out casually diving and you find a Crusader knight's lost longsword.

Roman concrete from noblewoman's tomb still stands strong 2,000 years later. Here's why

Thousands of years worth of chemical interaction between a particular type of volcanic ash and water have made the Roman concrete stronger, not weaker, over time.