Two corroded Roman-era iron nails that some have suggested pinned Jesus to the cross appear to have been used in an ancient crucifixion, according to a new study. This research has reignited debate over the origin of the nails. The new analysis suggests the nails were lost from the tomb of the Jewish high priest Caiaphas, who […]
A British art historian’s painstaking study of the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela uncovered a medieval prank He is a medieval in-joke, a male figure carved in the early 12th century for one of the world’s greatest cathedrals, but no one has known of his existence until now. The figure has gone unnoticed by millions […]
The form that archaeology has taken in Europe doesn’t apply everywhere. Better knowledge of local cultures is vital Cultural heritage is a basic human need. Yes – humans don’t only need food and shelter, culture is required for them to survive and thrive. Our cultural values glue us to one another and help us create […]
Archaeologists say killing of animals may have helped cement claim on new territory That the Inca sacrificed people to appease their gods is well known, but a discovery in Peru sheds new light on a far more common sacrificial practice: the ritual offering of highly prized and ornately decorated llamas. Four naturally mummified llamas have been uncovered […]
The cat dates to between 200 B.C. and 100 B.C. Archaeologists have discovered a gigantic cat geoglyph adorning a hillside in southern Peru, making it the latest of the Nazca Lines — a group of mysterious and enormous human-made outlines of animals, plants and fantastic figures in the desert dating to Pre-Columbian times — to be uncovered […]
Syria’s ancient city prospered by integrating migrants and allowing worship of many gods. It couldn’t be further from Isis’s monocultural savagery In May 2015, Islamic State captured the modern city of Palmyra. The adjoining Unesco world heritage site is a breathtaking archaeological complex like no other. In the 2nd century AD this oasis city in […]
Candian woman sends back pilfered ceramics, blaming them for years of bad luck A tourist who pilfered fragments from the ancient city of Pompeii 15 years ago has returned the artefacts, claiming they were “cursed”. The Canadian woman, identified only as Nicole, sent a package containing two mosaic tiles, parts of an amphora and a […]
The Book of the Dead guided Ancient Egyptians through death and on to the afterlife, as a forthcoming British Museum exhibition will show When it comes to scary monsters, the ancient Egyptian Devourer is always going to be hard to top. With the head of a crocodile, the body of a lion and the hindquarters […]
Salvagers have removed HNLMS K XVII and HNLMS O 16 – and remains of 79 crew The wrecks of two Dutch submarines sunk off the Malaysian coast during the second world war have disappeared along with the remains of the 79 men who perished onboard. Researchers discovered just a few remains of HNLMS O 16 […]
A famous German World War II bomber nicknamed “the flying pencil” has spent decades submerged in the English Channel after being shot down in the Battle of Britain. Now, divers are braving dangerous tides to bring it to the surface. British officials on Friday announced a complex salvage operation just off the Kent coast in […]
