Maritime archaeologists from Bournemouth University have uncovered the remains of a medieval ship and its cargo dating back to the 13th century off the coast of Dorset. The survival of the vessel is extremely rare and there are no known wrecks of seagoing ships from the 11th to the 14th centuries in English waters. The…
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Shards of ceramics litter the fields of an ancient city in southeastern Albania, where looters have raided the area’s highlands in search of antiquities to sell to international traffickers. Experts say illicit treasure hunters operate with near impunity in Albania [Credit: Gent Shkullaku/AFP] Illicit treasure hunters operate with near impunity in the country, stirring outrage…
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Archaeologists from The University of Manchester have started a dig at a 5,000-year-old tomb linked to King Arthur, hoping to answer some of the mysteries surrounding the enigmatic site in the process. Arthur’s Stone [Credit: University of Manchester] The experts are working in partnership with English Heritage, which looks after Arthur’s Stone in Herefordshire, to…
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In the Stone Age, pendants with potent symbolism were made from animal teeth and bones, adorning clothes or accessories and serving as rattles. Human bones were also used as a raw material for pendants, as demonstrated by a study where burial finds dating back more than 8,200 years were re-examined after 80 years. Grave 69,…
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Archaeology students from Bournemouth University have found the remains of prehistoric people and animal sacrifices in a recently discovered Iron Age settlement in Dorset. The skeletal remains were found in crouched positions in oval shaped pits [Credit: Bournemouth University] The site, which consists of typical Iron Age round houses and storage pits was discovered by…
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New archaeological research into grave goods and skeletal material from the oldest grave field in the Netherlands shows that male-female roles 7,000 years ago were less traditional than was thought. The research was conducted by a multidisciplinary team of researchers led by Archol, the National Museum of Antiquities and Leiden University. Credit: Leiden University New…
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Winemaking practices in coastal Italy during the Roman period involved using native grapes for making wine in jars waterproofed with imported tar pitch, according to a study published in the open-access journal From the amphorae to understanding the content; this multi-analytical analysis relied on archaeobotany and molecular identification [Credit: Louise Chassouant] The authors examined three Roman…
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Archaeologists in Pompeii have discovered the remains of a pregnant tortoise that had sought refuge in the ruins of a home destroyed by an earthquake in 62 AD, only to be covered by volcanic ash and rock when Mount Vesuvius erupted 17 years later. Archaeologists work in the area of the Terme Stabiane inside the…
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EPFL scientists have produced a series of maps showing historical migration events, including the migration of mountain farmers native to Upper Valais who began to settle in German-speaking Switzerland in the 13th century, by applying methods from population genetics—but using linguistic data rather than genes. The map shows the relative influence of Upper Valais morphosyntactic…
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An exploratory underwater survey was completed in the sunken part of the Neolithic settlement of Agios Petros located in the bay by that name of Kyra-Panagia, north of Alonissos. This is an important site in the Aegean islands, the findings of which give a complete archaeological picture of the first agricultural groups that settled permanently…
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