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Archaeological news, features and discoveries — matched to sites, civilisations and theories.
New Excavations at Karahan Tepe Reveal Sculpted Human Head
Archaeologists have uncovered a remarkable 3.7-metre sculpted human head carved directly from the bedrock at the Neolithic site of Karahan Tepe.
Ground-Penetrating Radar Reveals Hidden Structures Near the Sphinx
A new GPR survey has detected subsurface anomalies near the Sphinx, though their nature remains uncertain.
Drought Linked to Classic Maya Collapse in New Climate Study
A multi-proxy study confirms that severe drought coincided with the Classic Maya collapse between 800 and 900 CE.
New Radiocarbon Dates Refine the Timeline of Göbekli Tepe
Researchers have refined the construction chronology of Göbekli Tepe, confirming its status as the oldest known megalithic complex.
AI Decipherment Project Makes Progress on the Indus Script
A machine learning project has identified patterns in the undeciphered Indus script, though a full decipherment remains elusive.
Underwater Survey Maps the Extent of the Angkor Hydraulic Network
A new survey using LiDAR and sonar has revealed the full extent of Angkor's water management system.
New Chamber Discovered in the Great Pyramid
The ScanPyramids project has confirmed a hidden corridor above the main entrance of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Nazca Lines: New Geoglyphs Discovered Using AI
Researchers using AI have identified over 100 new geoglyphs in the Nazca Desert.
These medieval graves looked like family burials. DNA told a different story
Ancient DNA shows that adults and children buried together in medieval Sweden were often not members of the same immediate family, suggesting that burial choices reflected more than biological kinship. The research also revealed early gender-based burial customs and uncovered the remarkable story of a young woman who may have completed a pilgrimage across Europe.
Stonehenge’s 6-ton altar stone may have traveled from Scotland by glacier
Stonehenge’s six-ton Altar Stone may have been carried from Scotland to Dogger Bank by glaciers before prehistoric people transported it hundreds of kilometers to Salisbury Plain. The possible multistage journey suggests remarkable organization and raises the possibility that the stone was valued long before it became part of Stonehenge.
This Australian cave hid 25,000 years of ritual secrets
Microscopic plant remains are revealing how GunaiKurnai ancestors used Cloggs Cave for ritual practices over thousands of years. People deliberately gathered whole grasses, carried them into the dark cave, and burned them in thin layers, leaving behind traces that may span 25,000 years. A standing stone erected around 2,000 years ago and other ritual objects strengthen the evidence that the cave was a long-lived spiritual site.
Plague was killing entire families thousands of years before the Black Death
Ancient DNA reveals that plague was already killing hunter-gatherers in Siberia 5,500 years ago, long before cities and flea-driven epidemics. The prehistoric strains may have been especially dangerous because they carried a genetic factor capable of provoking severe immune reactions.
A coffee-table-size scorpion roamed Earth before forests existed
A meter-long scorpion with massive pincers stalked ancient Britain 415 million years ago, long before forests and the better-known age of giant insects. Its surprising size and possible semi-aquatic lifestyle could reshape ideas about how early arthropods became giants.