A pair of mummified knees are most likely those of the famously beautiful spouse of Pharoah Ramses II, who died around 1250BC, say scientists A pair of mummified knees found in a tomb in Egypt’s Valley of the Queens are most likely those of Queen Nefertari, the royal spouse of Pharaoh Ramses II, say archaeologists. […]
Scientists say iceman ate ‘horrible-tasting’ high-fat meal of ibex before his murder 5,300 years ago Ötzi the iceman filled his belly with fat before he set out on the ill-fated hunting trip that ended with his bloody death on a glacier in the eastern Alps 5,300 years ago, scientists say. The first in-depth analysis of […]
Scientists discover vitrified remains caused by immense 520C heat of disaster in AD79 When Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD79, the damage wreaked in nearby towns was catastrophic. Now it appears the heat was so immense it turned one victim’s brain to glass – thought to be the first time this has been seen. Experts say […]
Ancient Egyptians have long been depicted wearing so-called head cones, but until now, archaeologists had no physical evidence of their existence. Now, two such head cones, made of wax, have been discovered on the skulls of two individuals buried about 3,300 years ago at the site of Amarna in Egypt. Between 1550 B.C. and 30 B.C., Egyptian art depicted […]
A Yale University-led study suggests that abrupt shifts in climate caused by massive volcanic eruptions helped to trigger poorly understood revolts — such as the great 20-year Theban revolt — and other political upheaval in Ptolemaic Egypt. Around 245 BC Ptolemy III, ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom in Egypt, made a decision that still puzzles many historians — after […]
The figurines point to the presence of a cult faith in the region during the New Stone Age. Lucky statues may have been used to achieve a successful hunt. Anna Eirikh of Israel works and Dr. Authority. “The first figurine in the shape of a ram with twisted horns is made of limestone and is […]
The Dodos were not as stupid as their reputation showed. New research reveals that these extinct, flightless birds are probably as intelligent as modern pigeons and have a better sense of smell. Dodos (Raphus cucullatus) had vanished in 1662, 100 years after their home on the islands of Mauritius became a destination for Dutch […]
The Dodo was a sitting duck. The bird was fat and flightless, clueless and incompetent. In practice, it was a walking evolutionary mistake that was prepared to die. When the Dutch colonized the small island of Dodon at the end of the 16th century, the eccentricity of land entered directly into the waiting arms of […]
The world’s oldest figurative tattoos have been discovered on two 5,000-year-old mummies from Egypt. The upper arm of a female mummy had tattoos depicting a wild bull and a Berber sheep, while the shoulder and upper arm of a female mummy bore “S” – shaped motifs. The findings, whose details are published in the Journal […]
