Long before Ethiopian monks in the 9th century discovered that coffee tree fruit helped them stay awake during evening prayer (according to legend, anyway), communities in Southeast Asia have been chewing betel nuts—the seeds of the areca palm and a stimulant that heightens people’s alertness, energy, euphoria, and relaxation—since antiquity. But new research indicates that […]
This Ancient Roman Artifact Is Also a 453 Million-Year-Old Fossil
Despite how Ross’ paleontology career is treated by his companions in Friends, there’s something special about finding the remains of creatures that lived millions if not billions of years before us. In fact, humanity’s interest in paleontology isn’t a modern development. Ancient Romans were just as fascinated by fossils. According to the ancient Roman historian […]
Archaeologists Unearth 6-Foot-Tall Bronze Age Warrior Clutching a Spear
In a massive burial mound in the plains of western Azerbaijan, archaeologists discovered the remains of an ancient, towering warrior still clutching a four-pronged spearhead in his hand. The man’s skeleton measures over six feet six inches (two meters) in height and dates back to the Middle Bronze Age, approximately 3,800 years ago. Scientists believe […]
Archaeologists Discover Tomb of Maya King Who Founded a 460-Year Dynasty
A team led by University of Houston archaeologists Arlen Chase and Diane Chase—a married couple about to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary—has discovered the fourth-century CE tomb of an ancient Maya ruler. Talk about a power couple. The Maya ruler in question was Te K’ab Chaak, the first ruler of Caracol, an important Maya city […]
5,000-Year-Old Rock Carving Is Among the Oldest Known Depictions of an Ancient Egyptian Ruler
An ancient rock engraving in the Lower Nile Valley may offer a rare glimpse into the origin of Egyptian kings. The art panel depicts an elite individual with features resembling those of early Egyptian rulers, from the very beginning of political unification across Egypt. Around 6,000 years ago, Egypt underwent a dramatic political transformation, ultimately […]
Researchers Pit Stone Age Seafaring Skills Against One of Earth’s Fiercest Currents
Archaeologists estimate that humans first arrived on the Ryukyu Islands off the southwestern coast of Japan sometime between 35,000 and 27,500 years ago. How they did so, however, remains a mystery, especially since they would have had to cross one of the planet’s strongest ocean currents. To address this enduring question, scientists decided to attempt […]
Archaeologists in France Discover Giant Roman Gallic Villa Hiding in Plain Sight
In 1966, archaeologists in France uncovered an ancient 7,535-square-foot building near the town of Auxerre. Remains of furniture in the edifice’s ten rooms led archaeologists to estimate that it was inhabited from the first to the fourth century CE, and evidence of mosaics and floor heating indicated that the inhabitants were members of a wealthy […]
5,000-Year-Old Bread Recipe Recreated in Turkey—and Locals Can’t Get Enough
Scientists have discovered an ancient bread recipe in Turkey—and now the local bakery that recreated it can’t keep up with demand. Some 5,000 years ago, someone buried a piece of charred bread beneath the threshold of a house in what is now Eskisehir in central Turkey. Archaeologists unearthed it in September 2024 during an excavation […]
Did a Neanderthal Spot a Face in This Rock 43,000 Years Ago—and Leave a Fingerprint Behind?
While digging inside a cave in the Spanish city of Segovia, archaeologists uncovered an unusual rock. The hand-sized stone naturally resembled an elongated face, and featured a spot of red pigment made from ochre right on the tip of what may be considered its nose. “We were all thinking the same thing and looking at […]
Archaeological Dig Sheds New Light on the Other Great Wall of China
Practically everyone has heard about the Great Wall of China, but the iconic monument is not the only massive frontier in northern East Asia. An international team of researchers has surveyed a section belonging to the Medieval Wall System (MWS), a little-known and extremely remote network of walls, enclosures, and trenches across China, Mongolia, and […]