Ancient Civilizations

Three 3,000-year-old balls discovered at the Yanghai cemetery complex in Xinjiang

These Hair-Filled Leather Pouches Are the Oldest Balls Found in Eurasia

Some 3,000 years ago, Chinese horsemen may have used the objects to play a team sport involving hitting a ball

“[It] was about to disappear because it’s situated on quite a steep slope that’s prone to the effects of natural erosion,” Peru's Ministry of Culture explains.

2,000-Year-Old Nazca Line Featuring Lounging Cat Found in Peru

The enormous glyph is one of hundreds of ancient etchings scattered across the arid region

The deceased's mummified remains were wrapped in burial linen and laid to rest in a wooden coffin.

Ancient Egyptian Coffin Opened for the First Time in 2,600 Years

The sarcophagus is one of 59 unearthed at the Saqqara necropolis in recent months

An artist's recreation of what the Roman home may have looked like in its prime

Ancient Roman Villa Discovered Beneath Italian Apartment Complex

Come November, the 2,000-year-old dwelling will open as a multimedia museum

This Maliwawa Figure shows a kangaroo or similar animal.

Newly Documented Aboriginal Rock Art Is 'Unlike Anything Seen Before'

The ancient paintings depict close relationships between humans and animals

Dionysus is the Greco-Roman god of wine, ecstasy and theater.

Archaeologists in Turkey Unearth 2,400-Year-Old Dionysus Mask

The terracotta likeness was likely used in rituals associated with winemaking

One of the 14 sealed coffins found at the Saqqara necropolis

Trove of 27 Sealed Sarcophagi Unearthed in Egypt

Authorities say the 2,500-year-old coffins, found during excavations at the Saqqara necropolis, have likely remained unopened for millennia

A new study suggests the Nebra Sky Disc is 1,000 years younger than previously assumed.

Is This Ancient Map of the Cosmos Younger Than Previously Thought?

A controversial new analysis of the Nebra Sky Disc suggests the artifact dates to the Iron Age, not the Bronze Age

Researchers identified a "trench" previously dated to modern times as a 3,700-year-old fissure.

Did an Earthquake Topple This Ancient Canaanite Palace?

Excavations at Tel Kabri in Israel revealed physical evidence of a natural disaster

The Meroe pyramids in northeastern Sudan sit about1,650 feet from the banks of the Nile. Now, the site's royal bath is at risk of damage from record flooding.

Record Flooding Threatens Millennia-Old Pyramids in Sudan

Rising water levels could damage ancient structures at Meroe and Nuri

This intricately carved capital may have been part of a royal palace.

Remnants of Ancient Palace Discovered in Jerusalem

Experts say the stone ruins, which may have once housed royalty, likely date to the early seventh century B.C.

The exterior of Maeshowe, a chambered tomb in Scotland's Orkney Islands, pictured in September 2019

Why Were This Ancient Scottish Tomb's Chambers Built Upside Down?

New research suggests the inverted designs seen at Maeshowe were designed to ensure passage into the underworld

"Human Forms" is on view through November.

Ancient Israeli Cave Transformed Into Art Gallery

For his latest show, artist Ivo Bisignano created a series of massive wooden sculptures that mimic the cavern's curvature

A musical instrument made out a human thigh bone

Bronze Age Britons Crafted Instruments, Decorations Out of Relatives' Bones

Ancient humans "treated and interacted with the dead in ways which are inconceivably macabre to us today," says researcher Tom Booth

The vast trench dug by treasure hunters is visible at the center of this image.

Treasure Hunters Destroy 2,000-Year-Old Heritage Site in Sudan

Illegal gold diggers dug an enormous trench at Jabal Maragha in the eastern Sahara Desert

Two volunteers found a cache of 425 gold coins that date back to the ninth century A.D.

Israeli Teens Discover Trove of 1,100-Year-Old Gold Coins

The 24-carat currency dates to the ninth century, when the Abbasid Caliphate ruled much of the Near East and North Africa

Excavations at this site in Israel's Negev Desert yielded evidence of olive oil soap manufacturing dating back roughly 1,200 years.

Archaeologists Find 1,200-Year-Old Soap Factory in Israel

To create the cleaning concoction, ancient workers mixed olive oil with ashes from saltwort plants

Meroe, 150 miles north of Khartoum, served as a necropolis for the kings and queens of Kush for close to 600 years.

Why Sudan's Remarkable Ancient Civilization Has Been Overlooked by History

The African nation's pyramids and other archaeological sites are only now emerging from the shadow of its more storied neighbor to the north

Composite portraits of Augustus (left) and Maximinus Thrax (right)

Peer Into the Past With Photorealistic Portraits of Roman Emperors

Artist Daniel Voshart used machine learning and editing software to create likenesses of 54 ancient leaders

Amateur treasure hunter Mariusz Stepien found the cache of Bronze Age artifacts (including these pieces of a horse harness) while searching a field with a metal detector.

Rare Bronze Age Sword, Horse Harness Unearthed in Scotland

The "nationally significant" trove of 3,000-year-old artifacts also includes a pendant, rings and chariot wheel axle caps

Page 20 of 44