Breaking news
Evidence for a Stone Age campsite — including flint tools and the charred remains of a 7,000-year-old hazelnut shell have been found in the New Forest. Archaeologists and volunteers from the National Park Authority and the University of Bournemouth carried out the excavations at the Beaulieu Estate in Hampshire. Destructive radiocarbon dating of the shell placed it and … Read more
An ancient ‘mega henge’ in Dorset was the product of frantic building activity — having been constructed in less than 125 years — a study has concluded. British researchers applied cutting-edge dating techniques to samples taken from the Mount Pleasant structure, located near Dorchester, back in the early seventies. The site was the product of a construction boom … Read more
Bison engravings discovered in Spanish caves reveal a common art culture existed across Europe over 25,000 years ago Experts analysed cave drawings from the Aitzbitarte Hill in the Basque Country The engravings — discovered in 2015 — also feature other animals such as birds The style of the drawings matches the so-called Gravettian cultural complex … Read more
Ancient Maya water purification system developed over 2,000 years ago in Guatemala ‘would still work today’, study shows By Ian Randall For Mailonline Published: 12:00 GMT, 26 October 2020 | Updated: 12:01 GMT, 26 October 2020 The ancient Maya people of Mesoamerica developed one of the world’s oldest water purification systems — and it would … Read more
Osteopetrosis is a bone disease that makes bones abnormally dense and prone to breakage. Researchers have described several major types of osteopetrosis, which are usually distinguished by their pattern of inheritance: autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, or X-linked. The different types of the disorder can also be distinguished by the severity of their signs and symptoms. … Read more
An ancient Roman villa — resplendent with beautifully preserved black-and-white mosaics — has been unearthed under a block of flats at the foot of the Aventine Hill. Archaeologists first exposed the remains of the home — a so-called ‘domus’ that would have belonged to members of the upper class — in Rome back in 2014. Hidden … Read more
Fire was used to make tools by our early human ancestors some 300,000 years ago, an analysis of flint blades unearthed in a cave east of Tel Aviv has revealed. Researchers from Israel studied stone blades, flakes and pot-lids from the Qesem cave — and discovered evidence that they had been exposed to controlled fires. Exposing … Read more
Five hundred-year-old excrement from Medieval toilets reveals how changes in diet since the 15th Century may have triggered diseases such as irritable bowels, allergies and obesity Researchers analysed deposits from two Medieval latrines from Latvia and Israel They identified various microorganisms from the guts of the toilets’ users The findings could provide a baseline to compare with … Read more
A stone head carved around 700 years ago that is thought to depict King Edward II has been unearthed during a dig at the former site of Shaftesbury Abbey in Dorset. Archaeologists said that ‘stunning’ find may once have formed part of a previously unknown gallery of sculpture of Kings and Queens within the grand building. The statues, … Read more
Anglo-Saxon teenage girl had her nose and lips cut off and may have been scalped in a gruesome act of punishment, skull unearthed in Hampshire reveals The skull was unearthed during an excavation in Oakridge back in the sixties Experts re-analysing the specimen found evidence of various horrific injuries Radiocarbon dating indicated that the skull dates … Read more