Archaeology, features and articles | Educational Science

Nov 30, 2023

2,000-year-old 'celestial calendar' discovered in ancient Chinese tomb

Archaeologists in China have unearthed a mysterious set of rectangular wooden pieces linked to an ancient astronomical calendar. The artifacts were discovered inside an exceptionally well-preserved 2,000-year-old tomb in the southwest of the country. Each of the 23 wooden slips is about an inch (2.5 centimeters) wide and 4 inches...

Oct 31, 2023

1,000-year-old skeleton of noblewoman with hollowed-out skull found buried next to 'husband' in Germany

The skeletal remains of a man and a woman buried in Germany caught archaeologists off guard when they discovered that the skull of one of the skeletons was completely hollowed out. Archaeologists made the unusual finding during ongoing excavations near a 1,000-year-old former royal palace built by Roman Emperor Otto...

Oct 31, 2023

Nearly 8,000 medieval coins and 7 Bronze Age swords unearthed in Germany

A bounty of centuries-old artifacts in Germany — including seven swords, thousands of silver coins, jewelry and pottery — were unearthed by a group of volunteer conservationists. The excavators discovered the items last year at three separate locations dotting the German countryside, according to a translated statement. Officials from Germany's...

Sep 30, 2023

1,400-year-old gold figures depicting Norse gods unearthed at former pagan temple

Archaeologists have discovered 35 miniature gold-foil depictions of Norse gods tucked inside the remnants of a pagan temple in Norway. The gold foils, which are flat and as thin as a piece of paper, contain etched motifs depicting the god Frøy and the goddess Gerd and date to the Merovingian...

Sep 30, 2023

Debate settled? Oldest human footprints in North America really are 23,000 years old, study finds

Paleo-human footprints dotting White Sands National Park in New Mexico are 23,000 to 21,000 years old, making them the oldest known fossilized trackways left by people in North America, a new study finds. However, not everyone agrees with the results. The study, which used two dating techniques to verify the...

Sep 30, 2023

9,500-year-old baskets and 6,200-year-old shoes discovered in Spanish bat cave

A collection of baskets and sandals found inside a bat cave in Granada, in southern Spain, were likely crafted by Mesolithic hunter-gatherer societies and are considered some of the oldest artifacts of their kind found in southern Europe, a new study finds. This summer, archaeologists radiocarbon-dated the artifacts, which are...

Sep 30, 2023

330-year-old coin hoard hidden in Scottish fireplace may have been buried moments before MacDonald clan massacre

A cache of coins secreted away in a Scottish stone fireplace may have belonged to a clan chief killed in a 17th-century massacre, according to archaeologists excavating the remains of a hunting lodge in Glencoe. The diverse collection of coins was likely hidden by someone unable to return and retrieve...

Sep 30, 2023

Catapult designed to launch World War II bomber planes unearthed in England

Archaeologists in England have excavated an experimental catapult designed to launch World War II bomber planes into the air. The catapult, called the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) Mark III Catapult and located in Oxfordshire in southeastern England, was engineered to save warplane fuel and create shorter runways than typical airfields,...

Sep 30, 2023

Man digs up 1,000-year-old sword from Swedish Crusades in his yard in Finland

While conducting maintenance work on his land, a man in southern Finland discovered a piece of iron sticking out of a mound of dirt. What he pulled out, however, wasn't scrap metal but a centuries-old sword. The unnamed landowner immediately contacted local archaeologists about the partially bent weapon, which had...

Sep 30, 2023

'Christ' tattoo discovered on 1,300-year-old body in Sudan

Scientists in Sudan have discovered a tattoo with references to Jesus Christ on a 1,300-year-old body excavated in a cemetery near a medieval monastery. It is only the second time that a tattoo has been found from medieval Nubia, the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology (PCMA) at the University of...

Sep 30, 2023

Sacrificial pits filled with 120 horse skeletons found in Bronze Age city in China

Archaeologists in China have discovered the remains of a walled Bronze Age city that once contained a palace, moat, cemeteries, sacrificial pits, pottery workshops and a bronze-casting foundry. The ancient city, known as Yaoheyuan, was situated in the foothills of the Liupan Mountains in northwestern China. It was once a...

Aug 31, 2023

2,800-year-old figurines unearthed at Greek temple may be offerings to Poseidon

Archaeologists excavating a 2,800-year-old temple at a sanctuary in Greece have uncovered several artifacts, including figurines of a dog, a woman and a snake, according to the Greek Ministry of Culture. Some of these figurines may have been used as votive offerings, or gifts to the gods, intended for Poseidon,...

Aug 31, 2023

'Gold find of the century': Metal detectorist in Norway discovers massive cache of jewelry

An amateur metal detectorist has unearthed what experts are calling Norway's largest gold treasure find this century. Erlend Bore, a 51-year-old Norwegian man, discovered the bounty — which contained nine pendants with rare gold symbols, three gold rings and 10 gold pearls — earlier this summer while exploring Rennesøy, a...

Aug 31, 2023

'This is complete nonsense': Scientists rail against 'alien' bodies shown before Mexican congress

In a now-viral story, alien bodies were unveiled before Mexico's congress Tuesday (Sept. 12). But is there any real science behind this bizarre event? Not by a long shot, according to scholars, who denounced the claim and affirmed that the bodies are not alien. Mexico's congress was holding a hearing...

Aug 31, 2023

Early medieval warrior found buried with his weapons in Germany

Archaeologists in Germany have discovered the grave of a Frankish warrior who was buried with his weapons and shield more than 1,300 years ago. The weapons include a spatha, a long sword based on cavalry swords of the late Roman Empire. The deceased appears to be a man who died...