Ancient history
Did King Eglon rule Jericho? Moabite shard and twin palace infernos revive biblical tale
Interim excavation report (Vicino Oriente XXIX, 2024) links a ninth-century BCE inscription and two Bronze-Age fire layers to the Judges and Exodus narratives.
Not just a madman: Yale study reveals Caligula's medical expertise
Was Sodom destroyed by a comet? Journal pulls controversial study
Bayeux Tapestry headed back to Britain, a first in nearly a 1,000 years
AI cracks Hammurabi’s ancient script with near-perfect accuracy
Computers now read cuneiform tablets almost flawlessly.
Where did date palms come from? Earliest secure evidence points to the Gulf, c. 5000 BCE
‘DateBack’ logs 154 archaeobotanical records and tracks the moment cultivation overtook mere consumption across West and South Asia.
New sonar scans reignite legend of ‘Krishna’s sunken kingdom’ off Dwarka
Seabed scans found harbour-like masonry and Harappan anchors. India’s Archaeological Survey plans a winter 2025 dig and trains diver-archaeologists to see if myth meets submerged stone.
In oxygen-deprived clay: 300,000-year-old wooden tools unearthed in China
Tools used for digging up underground plant foods, supporting the idea of a plant-based diet among early humans.
Ancient inscriptions reveal identity of Great Pyramid builders
Dr. Zahi Hawass says builders were not slaves; they wouldn't have been buried 'in the shadow of the pyramids'.
Ancient Egyptian potter lived into his 60s, genome sequencing reveals
His remains were preserved in a clay pot, enabling the first successful sequencing of ancient Egyptian DNA.
Several walled oases uncovered in Saudi Arabia shed light on ancient community investment
Evidence suggests the walled oasis phenomenon began around 3000 BC at Tayma and Qurayyah and spread to the Harrat Khaybar region by the end of the third millennium BC.
For the first time, cosmic-ray muons map Jeremiah’s cistern in the City of David
April 7 arXiv preprint shows non-invasive imaging of the biblical water system’s hidden ventilation shaft.
Cypro-Minoan script on Tel Dor lagoon anchor reveals 11th-century trade routes
Antiquity study links Israel’s Carmel Coast to Cyprus and Egypt through inscribed anchor and jars bearing Egyptian numerals.
Excavation reveals lost city associated with mythical river mentioned in sacred texts
At a depth of 23 meters, the team discovered an ancient river system associated with the Saraswati River, described in texts like the Rigveda.
Egyptian archaeologists discover three ancient tombs at Qubbat al-Hawa necropolis
The discovery provides new insights into the transitional period between the Old Kingdom and the First Intermediate Period, shedding light on burial customs and architecture during these key periods.
