A research team led by Pratt Institute researcher Eleonora Del Federico has used a novel imaging technique, called high-resolution portable Macro-XRF scanning, to study a highly degraded portrait of an ancient Roman woman, still on site in its original setting — at the ‘House of the Mosaic Atrium’ in the …
Read More »Israeli Archaeologists Unearth 2,700-Year-Old Water System
A team of Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) archaeologists and students has discovered an Assyrian-period water system near Rosh Ha-Ayin, a city in the Central District of Israel. Aerial view of the excavation area, with Rosh Ha-Ayin in the background. Image credit: Yitzhak Marmelstein. “It is difficult not to be impressed …
Read More »Citrus Fruits Were Symbols of High Social Status in Ancient Rome
Citrus fruits such as citrons and lemons were clear status symbols for the ancient Roman ruling elite, according to new research from Tel Aviv University. Still life with glass bowl of fruit and vases. Roman painting from the House of Julia Felix in Pompeii, 63-79 CE. “Today, citrus orchards are …
Read More »Archaeologists Excavate Large Ancient Roman Villa in Italy
An international team of archaeologists led by the University of South Florida is the first to successfully excavate the 5,000 m2 Roman villa of Durrueli in Italy. The Roman villa of Durrueli is located off the southern coast of Sicily. Image credit: University of South Florida. The Roman villa of …
Read More »3,000-Year-Old Female Statue Unearthed at Neo-Hittite Citadel in Turkey
A beautifully carved head and upper torso of a female figure have been found within a monumental gate complex near the upper citadel of Kunulua, the capital of the Neo-Hittite Kingdom of Patina (1000-738 BC). This female statue was uncovered at a citadel gate complex in Turkey by archaeologists from …
Read More »Anatomically Modern Humans Arrived in Southeast Asia Far Earlier than Previously Thought
New excavations of a cave site in western Sumatra called Lida Ajer indicate modern humans reached Southeast Asia between 73,000 to 63,000 years ago — up to 20,000 years earlier than archaeologists previously thought. The findings, published in the journal Nature, also suggest humans could have potentially made the crossing to …
Read More »Century-Old Fruit Cake Found in Antarctic Hut
A well-preserved 106-year-old fruit cake has been found in a hut on Cape Adare, Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica. The Huntley and Palmer’s fruit cake from Cape Adare. Image credit: New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust. The Cape Adare huts were built by Norwegian Carsten Borchgrevink’s British Antarctic (Southern Cross) Expedition in …
Read More »Strange Petroglyph in Chaco Canyon May Represent Ancient Total Solar Eclipse
A petroglyph on the south face of Piedra del Sol, a free-standing rock in New Mexico’s Chaco Canyon, may depict the solar corona observed during the total solar eclipse of July 11, 1097 CE, says Professor J. McKim ‘Kim’ Malville of the University of Colorado, Boulder. The solar eclipse petroglyph …
Read More »25 Ancient Writing Tablets Unearthed at Roman Fort of Vindolanda
Archaeologists have found a collection of 1,900 year old ink documents at the Vindolanda Roman fort in Northumberland, northern England, one of the most exciting archaeological sites in Europe. Vindolanda was a Roman auxiliary fort just south of Hadrian’s Wall. The fort was founded in 85 CE by Belgian auxiliary …
Read More »Archaeologists Find Frozen Bronze Age Wooden Container with Cereal Remains in Swiss Alps
Archaeologists have found a well-preserved Early Bronze Age wooden vessel in the Swiss Alps. The artifact could help researchers shed new light on the spread and exploitation of cereal grains. The Early Bronze Age wooden container, Lötschenpass, Switzerland. Image credit: Rolf Wenger, Marcel Cornelissen Badri Redha / Archaeological Service of …
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