Our newly published research authenticating coins of the “Roman emperor” Sponsian drew some critical comments in your pages from Richard Abdy at the British Museum (Coins study suggests ‘fake emperor’ was real, say scientists, 23 November). Abdy seems to be suggesting that it is somehow circular for us to say that the coins demonstrate the […]
Etiket: Archaeology
Forgotten photos show how Kenyan archaeologists unearthed secrets of their own country | Archaeology
The photographs are rare, the subject choice unusual, but what the photographer captured was a common sight in the early 20th century: a team of colonised people, hard at work under a hot sun, excavating an ancient monument. Today, without these photos, taken in Kenya in the 1940s and 50s, there would be scarcely any […]
Lost city of Atlantis rises again to fuel a dangerous myth | Archaeology
For a story that was first told 2,300 years ago, the myth of Atlantis has demonstrated a remarkable persistence over the millennia. Originally outlined by Plato, the tale of the rise of a great, ancient civilisation followed by its cataclysmic destruction has since generated myriad interpretations. Many versions have been intriguing and entertaining – but […]
Coins study suggests ‘fake emperor’ was real, say scientists | Archaeology
A hoard of gold coins once thought to be fakes have been authenticated by researchers who say the artefacts reveal a long-lost Roman emperor. The coins bear the name and image of a shadowy historical figure, Sponsian, whose existence was previously placed in doubt by experts who suggested the coins were the work of sophisticated […]
The plot thickens: new study reveals complex identity of ancient Britons | Archaeology
They are the oldest human fossils ever found on British soil. Excavated 30 years ago at Boxgrove, in West Sussex, the leg bone and teeth of an early human species were subsequently dated as being around 480,000 years old. Other finds made at Boxgrove also revealed these ancient men and women were hunting horses, deer […]
Archaeologists unearth 2,700-year-old rock carvings in Iraq | Archaeology
Archaeologists in northern Iraq have unearthed 2,700-year-old rock carvings featuring war scenes and trees from the Assyrian empire, an archaeologist has said. The carvings on marble slabs were discovered in Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, where experts have been working to restore the site of the ancient Mashki Gate, which was bulldozed by Islamic State militants […]
Hundreds of skeletons found beneath former department store in Pembrokeshire | Archaeology
The remains of more than 240 people, including about 100 children, have been discovered beneath a former department store in Pembrokeshire among the ruins of a medieval priory. Archaeologists believe they have discovered the remnants of St Saviour’s Priory underneath the former Ocky White store in Haverfordwest, which closed in 2013. Among the ruins of […]
Archaeologists hail ‘dream discovery’ as sarcophagus is unearthed near Cairo | Archaeology
It has lain within a burial chamber, undisturbed, for thousands of years. Now a remarkable Egyptian sarcophagus has emerged from deep beneath the sands near Cairo, to the excitement of archaeologists, who describe it as a hugely significant “dream discovery”. The giant granite sarcophagus is covered in inscriptions dedicated to Ptah-em-wia, who headed the treasury […]
Ornate Byzantine floor mosaic discovered by Palestinian farmer | Archaeology
An ornate Byzantine floor mosaic showing colourful birds and animals has been discovered by chance in Gaza after a Palestinian farmer planted new trees on his land. Salman al-Nabahin unearthed the mosaic pavement, thought to date from the 5th to 7th century AD, six months ago while working in his olive orchard in Bureij refugee […]
1.8m-year-old tooth of early human found on dig in Georgia | Archaeology
Archaeologists in Georgia have found a 1.8m-year-old tooth belonging to an early species of human that they say cements the region as the home of one of the earliest prehistoric human settlements in Europe, and possibly anywhere outside Africa. The tooth was discovered near the village of Orozmani, which lies about 60 miles south-west of […]