The hunt for Poland's early kings
For more than a decade, Polish scientists have been unravelling a genetic mystery hidden beneath churches, crypts and long-forgotten royal burial sites across Central Europe. Their goal has been to trace the biological origins of the Piast dynasty, the ruling family that established the Polish state more than a millennium ago.
For more than a century, the giant stone jars scattered across northern Laos have been one of Southeast Asia’s oldest archaeological mysteries. And spread out over remote hillsides and forests on the Plain of Jars, they have generated hundreds of theories about how they functioned: storage containers, religious monuments, or a forgotten funerary tradition?
Gold treasure discovered in Romania challenges Bronze Age timeline
A hoard of gold jewellery and metal artefacts dating back around 3,000 years has been unearthed in Prahova County, Romania, in a discovery archaeologists claim could redraw our perspective on the prehistoric past.
Unknown WWII mass grave was found during quarry work in Poland
A mass grave containing the remains of 14 German soldiers has been discovered near the village of Bolemin in western Poland.
Lost trade routes of Roman Spain revealed by new Mellaria study
A large collection of pottery recovered from the Roman city of Mellaria is providing archaeologists with new clues about the settlement's economy and daily life.
Peru’s sacred hairless dogs lived alongside elites 1,300 years ago
Archaeologists have found the remains of a Peruvian hairless dog breed that dates back about 1,300 years, shedding new light on the function of dogs in ancient Andean societies.
Archaeologists use drone to survey inside medieval well at Sheffield Castle
Archaeologists have completed a new survey of a medieval well at Sheffield Castle, revealing fresh details about a structure that once supplied water to the castle’s inhabitants during both daily life and wartime.
AI tool revolutionises the study of ancient cuneiform texts
Researchers in Germany have unveiled a new artificial intelligence tool capable of identifying individual variations in cuneiform writing, marking a major breakthrough in the study of the ancient Near East.
The first domesticated horses: 6,000 years of a complex relationship
Horses were being ridden, managed, and exchanged centuries earlier than previously believed, according to new research that is reshaping the story of horse domestication and its impact on human history.
Evidence of submerged settlement found near Lankaran
Archaeologists working along the coast of the Caspian Sea, near Lankaran — a city on the southern coast of Azerbaijan — have uncovered evidence of what appears to be a medieval settlement, including pottery dating back nearly 1,000 years.
An ancient sanctuary containing inscriptions in the Venetic language was discovered in Ponso, in the Italian Province of Padua, during infrastructure works for the construction of the first section of the SR10 “Padana Inferiore” regional road between Borgo Veneto and Carceri.
Archaeologists working at the “Eagle’s Nest” burial ground near Astrakhan in southern Russia have uncovered an unusually large medieval sabre dating to the second half of the thirteenth century.
Lost Bibliotheca Palatina manuscript identified in university library collection
A fifteenth-century manuscript held for decades in the collection of Heidelberg University Library has been identified as part of the famed Bibliotheca Palatina, one of the most important libraries of the Renaissance.