Category: archaeology

2,700-Year-Old Toilet Found in Jerusalem Was a Rare Luxury

JERUSALEM—Israeli archaeologists have found a rare ancient toilet in Jerusalem dating back more than 2,700 years, when private bathrooms were a luxury in the holy city, authorities said Tuesday. The Israeli Antiquities Authority said the smooth, carved limestone toilet was found in a rectangular cabin that was part of a sprawling mansion overlooking what is…


England’s Isle of Wight Was Isle of Fright, With Two Big Dinosaur Predators

Fossils found on a rocky beach show there was double trouble on England’s Isle of Wight about 127 million years ago, with a pair of large previously unknown dinosaur predators living perhaps side by side, both adapted to hunting along the water’s edge. Scientists on Wednesday announced the discovery of fossils of the two Cretaceous…


French Craftsmen Discover 239 Pre-Revolution Gold Coins in Walls of Mansion During Reno

While remodeling an old mansion in the French countryside, three craftsmen stumbled on hidden treasure: 239 rare gold coins stashed away in the walls of the property. The hoard is valued at roughly $350,000. In 2019, the married couple who owned the home in Plozévet—a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France—decided to…


Australian Scientists Unearth 25 Million Year Old Eagle Fossil

Scientists have discovered an ancient eagle fossil in South Australia that lived 25 million years ago. The fossil, one of Australia’s earliest examples of the Accipitridae family (eagles, old world vultures, and hawks), is named Archaehierax sylvestris, the ancient Greek for ‘ancient hawk of the forest.’ The fossil from Lake Pinpa in South Australia was found…


Man With Metal Detector Finds Trove of Huge Gold Medallions Dating Back 1,500 Years Ago in Denmark

In a time of calamity in Denmark, some 1,500 years ago, an enormous hoard of gold was buried under the earth by an Iron Age chieftain, it’s believed. It might have been to sacrifice to higher powers, or perhaps to save it from being captured in war, that the gold was entombed. Recently, that hoard…


Oldest Human Footprints in North America Found in New Mexico

WASHINGTON—Fossilized footprints discovered in New Mexico indicate that early humans were walking across North America around 23,000 years ago, researchers reported Thursday. The first footprints were found in a dry lake bed in White Sands National Park in 2009. Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey recently analyzed seeds stuck in the footprints to determine their…


Genetic Study Reveals How Ancient Seafarers Settled Vast Polynesia

WASHINGTON—Beginning more than a millennium ago, intrepid seafarers traversed vast Pacific Ocean expanses in double-hulled sailing canoes to reach the far-flung islands of Polynesia, the planet’s last habitable region to be settled by people. A genetic study published on Wednesday has deciphered the timing and sequence of this settlement of an area spanning about a…


Missouri Cave With Ancient Native American Drawings Sold

O’FALLON, Mo.—A Missouri cave containing Native American artwork from more than 1,000 years ago was sold at auction Tuesday, disappointing leaders of the Osage Nation who hoped to buy the land to “protect and preserve our most sacred site.” A bidder agreed to pay $2.2 million to private owners for what’s known as “Picture Cave,”…


Egypt Opens Ancient Tomb of King Djoser After Restoration

SAQQARA, Egypt—Egypt on Tuesday showcased an ancient tomb structure belonging to the cemetery complex of King Djoser, a pharaoh who lived more than 4,500 years ago, following extensive restorations of the site. The structure—known as the Southern Tomb—is largely underground and includes a labyrinth of corridors, decorated with hieroglyphic carvings and tiles. A central funeral…


Archaeologists Unearth 1,500-Year-Old Industrial Site, Wine Press, Gold Coin From Byzantine Age Near Tel Aviv

Archaeologists in Israel have uncovered a Byzantine-period industrial-agricultural area, including several artifacts, thought to be 1,500 years old—far older than previously assumed. The dig, conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority, commenced on the outskirts of Tel Aviv ahead of a new neighborhood development planned in Ramat Ha-Sharon. Among other finds, the researchers unearthed plastered installations,…