Archaeology, features and articles | Educational Science

Aug 31, 2011

Dead Sea Scrolls Get New Life Online

The oldest known biblical manuscripts in existence, the Dead Sea Scrolls, are now online to everyone in the world with the aid of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and Google. The Dead Sea Scrolls were written between the first and third centuries B.C. They were hidden in 11 caves in...

Jun 30, 2011

A Lost World? Atlantis-Like Landscape Discovered

Buried deep beneath the sediment of the North Atlantic Ocean lies an ancient, lost landscape with furrows cut by rivers and peaks that once belonged to mountains. Geologists recently discovered this roughly 56-million-year-old landscape using data gathered for oil companies. It looks for all the world like a map of...

Dec 31, 2010

USS Revenge Shipwreck Reportedly Discovered

A dive team has discovered what they believe to be the remains of the USS Revenge, a famous U.S. Navy ship. Commanded by Navy hero Oliver Hazard Perry, the ship wrecked and sank in 1811 off the coast of Rhode Island. The shipwreck was discovered by a Connecticut dive team...

Oct 31, 2012

Masada: Fortress of the Zealots

A bird's-eye view of Masada, in Israel near the Dead Sea. (Image credit: Meoita Shutterstock)The cliff-top fortress of Masada, located in Israel near the Dead Sea, contained a series of palaces and buildings built by King Herod (74 B.C. – 4 B.C.), a ruler of Judea who was under the...

Jul 31, 2012

2,000-Year-Old Roman Ship Is Nearly Intact

An almost intact Roman ship has been found in the sea off the town on Varazze, some 18 miles from Genova, Italy. The ship, a navis oneraria, or merchant vessel, was located at a depth of about 200 feet thanks to a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) following tips from fishermen...

Jul 31, 2012

Teotihuacan: Ancient City of Pyramids

Located about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northeast of modern-day Mexico City, Teotihuacan was one of the largest urban centers in the ancient world. No one knows who built it. The city flourished between 2,100 years ago, when construction began, and about 1,400 years ago, when it went into a period...

Jul 31, 2012

Grave of King Richard III May Be Hidden Under Parking Lot

King Richard III of England had the honor of being memorialized in a William Shakespeare play after his death in battle in 1485. Now, modern-day archaeologists are on the hunt for the medieval king's physical resting place. The University of Leicester, Leicester City Council and the Richard III Society have...

Apr 30, 2012

Israeli Seal Reveals Bethlehem Existed Long Before Jesus

Israeli archaeologists have unearthed a 2,700-year-old clay seal with the name of Bethlehem, showing that the town existed centuries before it was revered as Jesus' birthplace. Discovered during the sifting of debris removed from archaeological excavations near the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, the coin-sized clay seal, or...

Feb 29, 2012

Titanic Wreck Site Mapped for First Time

The first comprehensive map of the Titanic wreck site has been created as researchers pieced together some 130,000 photos taken by underwater robots in the depths of the North Atlantic Ocean. Resembling the moon's surface, the map shows debris and parts of the ship scattered across a 15 square-mile patch...

Dec 31, 2011

Mysterious 'Winged' Structure from Ancient Rome Discovered

A recently discovered mysterious winged structure in England, which in the Roman period may have been used as a temple, presents a puzzle for archaeologists, who say the building has no known parallels. Built around 1,800 years ago, the structure was discovered in Norfolk, in eastern England, just to the...

Jul 31, 2013

Far Out: Ancient Egyptian Jewelry Came from Outer Space

Ancient Egyptian beads found in a 5,000-year-old tomb were made from iron meteorites that fell to Earth from space, according to a new study. The beads, which are the oldest known iron artifacts in the world, were crafted roughly 2,000 years before Egypt's Iron Age. In 1911, nine tube-shaped beads...

Jul 31, 2013

Prehistoric Europeans Liked Spicy Food, Study Suggests

Prehistoric human civilizations in northern Europe may have enjoyed their food with a spicy kick, using a garlic-mustard-type seasoning to flavor their dishes, thousands of years before the height of the prolific global spice trade, a new study finds. A team of researchers studied blackened deposits inside ancient cooking pots...

Apr 30, 2013

Roman Numerals: Conversion, Meaning & Origins

The engraved marker for Entrance LII — 52 — is still visible at the Coliseum in Rome. (Image credit: WarpFlyght/Creative Commons)Roman numerals originated, as the name might suggest, in ancient Rome. There are seven basic symbols: I, V, X, L, C, D and M. The first usage of the symbols...

Apr 30, 2013

Battle-Bruised King Richard III Buried in Hasty Grave

The body of King Richard III was buried in great haste, a new study finds — perhaps because the medieval monarch's corpse had been out for three days in the summer sun. The new research is the first academic paper published on the discovery of Richard III, which was publically...

Dec 31, 2012

Mass Human Sacrifice? Pile of Ancient Skulls Found

Archaeologists have unearthed a trove of skulls in Mexico that may have once belonged to human sacrifice victims. The skulls, which date between A.D. 600 and 850, may also shatter existing notions about the ancient culture of the area. The find, described in the January issue of the journal Latin...