Ancient Civilizations

Hoa Hakananai’a, a Rapa Nui sculpture from Easter Island

You Can Now Download 1.9 Million Free Images From the British Museum

The London institution's online offerings include 280,000 newly added Creative Commons images

Archaeologists say this inscription of an ibex may be up to 5,000 years old.

See Ancient Cave Art Found in Egypt's Sinai Desert

The carvings, which depict animals including camels, leopards, cows and mules, may date back to 3000 B.C.

A tourist visits Mousa Broch, the tallest known Iron Age broch and one of Europe's best-preserved prehistoric buildings

Why Scottish Archaeologists Are Building a Replica of an Iron Age Stone Tower

By building a new broch, the project aims to better understand how and why the original structures were constructed

An engraving by Levasseur after Jules-Elie Delaunay depicts the angel of death at the door during the 165 A.D. plague in Rome.

What Rome Learned From the Deadly Antonine Plague of 165 A.D.

The outbreak was far deadlier than COVID-19, but the empire survived

Evidence suggests “[t]he piles outside the walls weren’t material that’s been dumped to get rid of it,” says archaeologist Allison Emmerson. “They’re outside the walls being collected and sorted to be resold inside the walls.”

Analysis of Pompeii's Garbage Suggests the Ancient Romans Recycled, Too

The city's residents sorted waste materials for reuse in future projects, according to new research

This fresco by Jacopo Ripanda depicts Hannibal crossing the Alps in 218 B.C. New research claims to have located the site of the general's first major victory in Spain.

The Ancient Battlefield That Launched the Legend of Hannibal

Two years before the Carthaginian general crossed the Alps, he won a decisive victory at the Battle of the Tagus

Stonehenge, as recreated by Alexandra McNamara of Tappan, New York, with cheese, a rock, granola and bread

See 'Cheesehenge' and Other Historical Homages Created for Archaeology Competition

The Archaeological Institute of America launched its Build Your Own Monument challenge early to inspire families quarantining at home

Researchers staged fights using recreated Bronze Age weapons to better understand how they might have been used in ancient fighting.

Scientists Stage Sword Fights to Study Bronze Age Warfare

Research suggests bronze blades, thought by some to be too fragile for combat, were deadly weapons across ancient Europe

The new Museum Hotel Antakya in Turkey "floats" above ancient ruins.

New Hotel in Turkey 'Floats' Above Ancient Ruins

Closed due to COVID-19, the Museum Hotel Antakya looks forward to welcoming guests with its blend of luxury and history once restrictions are lifted

7,000-year-old dog feces from China's Anhui province

Artificial Intelligence Gives Researchers the Scoop on Ancient Poop

The computer program can identify canine versus human feces based on DNA sequences in samples

A virtual view of the Red Monastery, one of five Egyptian heritage sites newly detailed in 3-D

Take a Free Virtual Tour of Five Egyptian Heritage Sites

The sites include the 5,000-year-old tomb of Meresankh III, the Red Monastery and the Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Barquq

Fragments of a large early Neolithic vessel that was likely used to process meat stew

Traces of Millennia-Old Milk Help Date Pottery Fragments to Neolithic London

These dairy products are no longer edible, but they're still valuable to researchers

Copper wire

Copper’s Virus-Killing Powers Were Known Even to the Ancients

The SARS-CoV-2 virus endures for days on plastic or metal but disintegrates soon after landing on copper surfaces. Here’s why

A team of researchers has discovered carefully buried Iron Age chicken and hare bones that show no signs of butchery.

Hares and Chickens Were Revered as Gods—Not Food—in Ancient Britain

New research indicates that Iron Age Britons venerated brown hares and chickens long before modern Easter celebrations

The House With the Garden, seen here, is one of two excavated sites featured in the new video tour.

Take a Virtual Tour of Two Recently Excavated Homes in Pompeii

Pompeii Archaeological Park Director Massimo Osanna narrates stunning drone footage of preserved daily life in the ancient city

Decorated eggs from the Isis Tomb, Vulci, Italy, on display in the British Museum

Ornately Decorated Eggs Have Been Traded Worldwide for Thousands of Years

A new analysis of ancient ostrich eggs at the British Museum underscores the interconnectedness of the ancient world

Ta-Kr-Hb was likely an ancient Egyptian princess or priestess.

Archaeologists Discover Paintings of Goddess in 3,000-Year-Old Mummy's Coffin

Researchers lifted the ancient Egyptian mummy out of her coffin for the first time in 100 years and, to their surprise, uncovered the ancient artworks

Google searches for terms like "sourdough," "bread recipe" and "banana bread" skyrocketed in the middle of March.

The World's Oldest Leavened Bread Is Rising Again

This is the story behind the breads you might be baking in lockdown

Researcher Charlotte Pearson points to the light tree ring that could mark the year of the Thera eruption.

Ancient Volcanic Eruption Dated Through Rings of Dead Trees

Researchers compared tree rings from around the world to determine that a volcano on Santorini probably erupted in 1560 B.C.

Airburst from a comet may have destroyed a Paleolithic settlement 12,800 years ago.

A Comet May Have Destroyed This Paleolithic Village 12,800 Years Ago

Fragments of a comet likely hit Earth 12,800 years ago, and a little Paleolithic village in Syria might have suffered the impact

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